New Releases in #Scifi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday April 4

New books from favorites, lots of reverse harem tales (that trope is exploding across the genres, I think)…and more!

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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CYBORG (GALACTIC GUARDIANS BOOK 10) by Anna Hackett

VS Note: Anna keeps the good books coming and I keep one clicking!

Scientist Ever Haynes was shocked when she was abducted by alien slavers…but the last thing she expected was to find herself pregnant with a cyborg’s baby.
Ever has been fighting for her life since her abduction, and the only good thing to happen to her was one heated night with a mysterious prisoner–a connection, a flash of light in the darkness. But then he was rescued and she was left behind. Now, weeks later, she’s been saved by the House of Galen gladiators…and by the man she shared the hottest night of her life with. But cool, emotionless cyborg Magnus Rone has no memory of their night together and finding out that she’s expecting his baby is a shock to everyone.

Created in a military program, Magnus is genetically and cybernetically enhanced–emotionless, ruthless, focused. He vows to protect Ever and the baby she carries, and despite his lack of memory, everything about tough, levelheaded Ever draws him in. All his life, his emotional dampeners and training have limited his ability to feel emotions…but one small Earth woman cuts through all that and leaves him feeling.

As they work together to hunt down the deadly desert arena of Zaabha and the final human woman trapped there, Ever and Magnus find a stunning passion neither can resist or ignore. But in the dangerous desert sands of Carthago, with the House of Galen gladiators by their sides, deadly enemies are closing in. Ever and Magnus will be dragged back into the darkness, and Magnus will do anything and sacrifice everything to keep her safe.

JEWEL OF THE SEA (THE KRAKEN BOOK 2) by Tiffany Roberts

VS note: I’m happy to see this one!

Three months ago, Aymee had no idea the kraken — half-human sea dwellers — even existed. Now, the violet eyes of the kraken Arkon haunt her imagination, and she longs to know his touch. But word of his people has spread beyond The Watch, and Aymee’s attraction to Arkon may endanger the safety of human and kraken alike. To protect him, can she bring herself to forsake him? Is her desire for Arkon worth putting both their worlds at risk?

Arkon has spent his life in the pursuit of knowledge. Then he met Aymee and found a new quest: to make her his. She inspires him, draws him in, dominates his thoughts. When he finally builds the courage to approach her, she’s everything he imagined and more. But a group of murderous humans are hunting the kraken, and continued contact with Aymee may destroy them both. Now that he’s tasted her sweetness, he can’t give her up…but can he risk his world and his people to satisfy his need for her?

FUTURE LOST (FUTURE SHOCK) by Elizabeth Briggs

It’s been a year since Elena Martinez and her boyfriend Adam first got involved with Aether Corporation, and they’re trying to move on with their lives. But when Adam goes missing, Elena realizes that he’s done the unthinkable: he went to Aether for help developing his cure for cancer. Adam betrayed her trust and has traveled into the future, but he didn’t come back when he was supposed to. Desperate to find him, Elena decides to risk future shock, and time travels one more time. This future is nothing like they’ve seen before. Someone has weaponized Adam’s cure and created a dangerous pandemic, leading to the destruction of civilization. If Elena can’t find Adam and stop this, everyone is at risk. And someone will do anything to keep her from succeeding.

DEFENDING THEIR MATE (THARAN WARRIOR MENAGE BOOK 6) by Kallista Dane

Aliya’s fellow crew members from Earth are all in love, happily mated to hot warrior twins in their new home on Tharon. But Aartan, the sexy Alpha male who makes her heart race, doesn’t seem interested in romance. What’s more, he’s shrouded in mystery. He doesn’t have a mate and no one will tell her what happened to his twin.

When she challenges him to kiss her and then swear he’s not attracted to her, Aliya unleashes the passionate warrior hidden beneath his cool façade. After one night of pleasure more intense than she’s ever known, he tells her they can never be together and sends her away.

But when Bophe, an old enemy from the past, kidnaps Aliya and threatens to have his Gornian dragons tear her limb from limb in the Arena of Tanis Major, she discovers she has not one, but two fierce Tharan warriors who will fight any foe in the Universe to the death to win her freedom and save her life.

Can Aliya help her wounded warriors fight their own demons and build a new life with them in a world halfway across the galaxy?

MAGNETIC ATTRACTION (THE HOT VOLTAGE SERIES BOOK 2) by LaShawn Vassar

Where was Austin McKenzie? Was he dead or alive?

Everyone wanted to know, and Bo Stratton was determined to find out. But what would it cost her?

Austin was last seen protecting the people he loved from a serious threat, but when that threat was gone . . . so was he.

Falling in love while the world suffered a cataclysmic attack the likes of an apocalypse wasn’t really the best timing, but for Austin and Bo, their passion could not be denied. Bo’s false sense of safety exploded in dramatic fashion—only to be overshadowed by the loss of Austin. As more threats appear, she’s not sure what’s more dangerous; her new reality or the appearance of Logan Miles.

The sexy Logan Miles was rugged, handsome, and had an irresistible charm. He also helped to save the lives of Bo’s family. For his reward, Logan wanted her. There was just one problem—Bo’s heart belonged to Austin McKenzie. But would it always? Can Bo fight the magnetic attraction that seems to be building between them?

TO DISCOVER A DIVINE (RISE OF THE STRIA) by Tess McFionn

When Kahlym cal Jhuen, freedom-fighting leader of the Chandar Stria, breaks into a prison ship controlled by the Rimmarian Thrall, he only expected to rescue two of his crew. But when he discovers a terrified female during his escape, he is immediately captivated by her unique beauty and makes a snap decision to take her with him. However, his good deed backfires when he learns he has stolen the Thrall Emperor’s prize.

Down to her last dollar, Evainne Wagner expected nothing out of the ordinary when she stepped out of her Boston apartment. Instead, she found herself in the middle of an intergalactic firefight, complete with strange soldiers with deadly weapons pointed directly at her. Salvation arrives in the nick of time in the form of a mysterious leather-clad warrior, skidding in and whisking her away. Trusting her heart, she follows, hoping to find answers as well as a way home.

Safely on board his ship, he learns more about her and her rare skills, triggering the memory of a half-forgotten prophecy spoken at the time of his cursed birth. Outcast because of a cruel twist of fate, he finds unexpected acceptance, even affection, from his new passenger.

Could she be the one who holds the future of his people, as well as his own heart, in her tender hands?

DIAMONDS IN THE SKY – BOOK ONE: PAROUSIA by Lance S A Nielson

VS note: I believe this is scifi with romantic elements.

When 200 alien objects, each the size of a city, arrive all over the earth, the world’s population goes into panic. Yet once the ships land, there is no invasion, no communication, and no aliens nor any obvious access inside the vast vessels. As the governments and the scientific community struggle to find answers, a small number of ordinary individuals manage to gain access inside the ships. As speculation about the crafts possible intentions begins to seep into the public consciousness, those in power fear their presence may substantially change the social dynamics of the world as we know it. But do the ships represent a chance for the salvation of The Human Race or its annihilation?

COUNTER SPIKE (INNATE WRIGHT BOOK 5) by Viola Grace

With a grasp of the situation and a weapon that can reach a descending ship required, the engineers get to go back to doing what they do best. Those who aren’t designing have the past coming up to bite them, the pilots are getting tired of the run to the City.

Learning that alien hostages were held in stasis under the city seems to be just one more thorn in the sides of the pilots, but what they discover opens everything that they thought they knew into complete and shocking light.

The future may be interesting, but the honest past will shock them to their cores.

THEIRS TO PROTECT by Stasia Black

Nix never put his name in the marriage lottery for a reason.
He doesn’t need a woman.
There aren’t that many to go around anyway, not after a genetically engineered virus wiped out 90% of the female population.
He has his job as the head of the Security Squadron and it’s all he needs. He looks out for the township. He protects the few women who are left.

But when his name is called to be one of the five husbands to the woman rescued from the badlands, he doesn’t speak up to correct the error.

Because Audrey’s like no one he’s ever met before. ..(more blurb on the ebook seller’s page)…
Amazon iBooks

ALIEN RETRIBUTION (ZERCONIAN WARRIORS BOOK 13 ) by Sadie Carter

Since the day his family was murdered, Boris has been obsessed with vengeance. The last thing he needs in his life is a mate. Besides, what sort of female would want a scarred, crippled male who has taken a vow of silence? Nope, there is no room in his life for a female.
Then he meets Nassir.

Beautiful. Fragile. Distant. He wants to break through the barriers she keeps erecting to discover the real woman inside. Which might be easier if he wasn’t constantly pulling her out of danger.

On the run, hunted, and alone, Nassir knows she only has herself to rely on.
Until Boris comes back into her life. The dark one. The silent, watchful, Alpha male whose gaze heats her from the inside out and whose touch drives her insane.

THE WIFE GAMBLE (SIX MEN OF ALASKA BOOK 3 ) by Charlie Hart and Chantel Seabrook

In a world where everyone struggles for survival, Tia is no exception. Enemies are on to her, and she won’t be able to keep her husbands safe forever.
For two of her men, it might already be too late.
When Tia’s secret is revealed, she has no choice but to trust Salinger with her life.
But he has secrets too.
Confiding in one another brings them closer than ever but something still stands in their way.
Salinger must gamble with the truth in order to save the woman he loves.

FIRE PLANET WARRIOR’S LUST (FIRE PLANET WARRIORS BOOK 4) by Calista Skye

Ava Harris spies on space aliens for a living. She always works alone. But when she goes to see the evil and mysterious Kunuru aliens, she has to bring a bodyguard.

A Fire Planet Warrior bodyguard, to be specific.
His name is Xark’ion. He’s huge, intense, super confident and so insanely hot Ava has trouble thinking straight about her crucial mission that will decide Earth’s fate. And he’s clearly attracted to Ava.

She should probably find his amorous attentions pretty invasive, but she knows that his species are exceptional lovers and that their bodies have some interesting features.

But Ava also knows she can’t let her own arousal call the shots. Because she has a secret that she knows Xark’ion is going to really despise.

And Xark’ion has secrets of his own. When he suddenly abducts Ava to a weird and chilling planet, she has to decide if she should give in to the warrior’s pure lust.

GENERAL KOBA: THE FORCE SERIES BOOK 1 by Mira Maxwell

From the moment Marilyn Romero wakes up on the alien ship, all she cares about is getting home to Earth. But the Atronox, the most notorious smugglers in the galaxy, have other ideas. The market for Earth women is booming, and they plan on cashing in.

There’s only one man who can help her.

General Koba, leader of the Force, has dedicated his life to stopping intergalactic criminal activity. All he cares about is maintaining law and order in the galaxy, until he boards the Atronox ship and meets an Earth women who takes his breath away.

Marilyn wants to go home, and Koba promises to take her there. The only problem? He’s never heard of Earth before. And he’s not sure he can let her go.

VYKEN (WARRIORS OF FIROSA BOOK 3) by Thanika Hearth and Starr Huntress

Vyken is one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy. No, the universe. Though Vyken was hesitant at first to accept the responsibility of General in the Firosan military, he was sent on his first real mission … and then the rest is a blank. He doesn’t remember a thing. But when he returns to his home planet, Paxia, his King wants him to answer for crimes so gruesome he couldn’t have even conceived of them.

This fearsome, trusted warrior has gone from an honored general to a dangerous fugitive in the space of the blink of an eye. And now Vyken, just like his name suggests, is truly out for blood.

When clues lead him to a shapely human female on a planet named Earth, Vyken’s life heads in a direction he could never have expected. He expects to find answers, but instead he finds that maybe companionship isn’t so bad after all…(more blurb on the ebook seller’s site…)

X-OPS EXPOSED by Paige Tyler

HE LEFT TO KEEP HER SAFE: Believing he’s too dangerous to be among people, feline hybrid Tanner Howland retreats deep into the forests of Washington State—with no choice but to leave behind the woman who’s captured his heart. What he doesn’t know is that she followed him…

SHE WOULDN’T STAY BEHIND: Heartbroken and determined, Dr. Zarina Sokolov tracks Tanner into the wild. Her presence unleashes Tanner’s protective instinct—big time. Locals have been disappearing and he is desperate for Zarina to leave. As the kidnappings escalate, Tanner must embrace the dangerous instincts he fears so much. But with Zarina at his side, he’ll have to learn to control his animal impulses, or lose himself—and the woman he loves—to the beast within.

JILLY’S WYKED FATE (ASHLAND PRIDE BOOK 7) by R E Butler

Mountain lion shifter, Jilly Fallon, has been waiting for nearly three years to turn twenty-one, so she can finally – finally! – officially mate Wyked and Fate Myers, the twin brothers who have stolen her heart. When a panther is injured at a clan gathering and Jilly can’t help, the clan healer takes her to visit a fae healer so she can learn what she needs. During the second visit to see the fae, they find themselves protecting a young girl with pink and blue wings, and a secret that got her family killed.

Wyked and Fate Myers feel like the last three years have taken an eternity. Now that she’s finally theirs, they’re ready to start a family with their beloved mountain lion. During the last full moon before their clan begins to travel, an old enemy resurfaces, intent on making Jilly suffer for her betrayal. When Wyked and Fate are gravely injured, will she lose them both?

ASHER (DRAGON GUARD BERSERKERS BOOK 2) by Julia Mills

Demented, deranged and damaged beyond repair…Asher’s mind may be broken, his Dragon lost to the Madness but his soul has found its mate and nothing or no one will keep him from her.

Feisty, ferocious, and a force to be reckoned with…Willa’s had enough of being discounted and pushed aside just because she’s a woman. With the power of her ancestors and the rage of a century of disrespect, she’s stepping out of the shadows and Heaven help anyone who gets in her way.

Destiny has spoken.
Fate will not be denied.
Watch out World, the Queen is coming and there will Hell to pay.

ROMAN (THE CLUTCH SERIES BOOK 1) by Heidi McLaughlin and Amy Briggs

Everything about him tells her to stay away, yet she can’t seem to get the vampire out of her mind.
For Roman, humans are the bane of his existence always having to follow their rules. In all his years, he’s never needed one, until now.
For Fiona, vampires are off limits, evil members of society, until the one known as Roman crosses her path and shows her he’s no different than her.

ONYX GRYPHON (GRYPHONS VS DRAGONS BOOK 4) by Ruby Ryan

Orlando didn’t mean to rope Cassie into this. At least, not without warning her first.

If only she had listened.

Cassie’s handling her new gryphon-related responsibilities about as well as a rejected organ transplant. How could she react differently when the man she slept with turned into an animal afterwards and flew away?

But the totem has made its choice, and fighting her feelings is a losing battle. Especially when she can’t get the memory of Orlando’s beautiful, dark body out of her head.

Following him onto a train bound for Texas seemed like her best option, until it’s hijacked by men with machine guns south of Chicago. But that’s not even the worst part: the hijackers are looking for her.

As they do their best to remain undiscovered, Orlando and Cassie are going to have to put their differences aside in order to stay alive. Because like it or not, they’re no longer in control of their destiny.

The Onyx totem is.

GRAVES OF WRATH: JESS VANDERMIRE VAMPIRE HUNTER (CITY OF BONES SERIES BOOK 1) by Lina Gardiner

When Jess Vandermire, Captain of New York City’s Vampire Hunting team, learns that her brother, Regent, has been sent to Paris for three months by the Vatican, she’s devastated. Regent’s been too involved with vampires as a priest to go to Paris without fearing vampire retribution. He’ll need backup. Lucky for him, Jess and her partner, John Brittain, have some vacation time coming.

Once Jess and Britt arrive, they know something’s not right in the city. Women are being murdered, and the vampire population is on the edge of revolt. But worst of all, the City of Lights is home to a lot of shadows, ones that move—and kill—of their own accord. But Jess’s existence is rocked to the core when Regent comes across a life-changing, long lost family secret.

It’s starting to look like there’ll be no rest for the wicked.

HIDDEN IN SMOKE by Harper Wylde and Quinn Arthurs

My nightmares have started closing in. Now I’m just trying to survive them. When my past comes back to haunt me, I find myself relying on the men I’ve come to care so much about. With their help, and the help of my best friend, I’m trying to navigate the threats—old and new. When I’m summoned to go before the Council, I have no idea what to expect. Thrust into a world of politics and status I’m not sure I agree with, my unease grows as I struggle to find my place. When my powers develop with the help of my Phoenix, I feel more prepared to take on the unknowns stacking up against me. Will my guys and I be able to face the trials in our path, or will the secrets of a world that’s Hidden in Smoke destroy us before we’ve even started?

CURSED BY NIGHT (HER DARK PROTECTORS BOOK 1) by Jasmine Walt and Emma Stark

My name is Ace Bissett, and I’m a paranormal detective that doesn’t believe in magic.

Or at least, I didn’t before I met them.

The day I inherited my aunt’s old house, everything changed. One moment, I was convinced that magic was a hoax. The next, I’m surrounded by four winged, fanged, ridiculously hot guys who are definitely nothuman, and who insist that I’m the only one who can break the curse that binds them to the night.

I know I should run far, far away from this hot mess, but there’s a connection between us I can’t deny. I’m seeing things I can’t explain, feeling things that don’t make sense. The detective in me has never been able to resist a mystery, and this one is just begging me to dig in.

But all that will have to wait, because there’s a new threat stalking my city. One with a taste for blood and bone, unable to be killed or captured by normal human means.

It’s a good thing I’ve got four new roommates to help me hunt them down. But even if I didn’t, I’d figure out a way. Because I never give up. I never give in. And I always protect what’s mine.

BEAR IN A BOOKSHOP (SHIFTER BODYGUARDS BOOK 3) by Zoe Chant

When shy bookworm Melody daydreamed about her perfect man, “must love books” topped the list. She never dreamed of someone like Gunnar blowing into her neatly alphabetized and indexed world to turn it upside down. Finding out that her one true mate is an ex-con with a grade school education must be fate’s idea of a cruel joke. Never mind that his kisses make her swoon and his touch turns her traitorous knees to jelly …

Sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Gunnar is six and a half feet of gruff, dyslexic, tattooed bear shifter ex-con hiding a gentle heart. He knows he could be the man Melody deserves, if only she’ll let him unleash the passionate woman hidden underneath her sexy librarian cardigans.

But with danger from both their pasts closing in fast, Gunnar is running out of time to prove to Melody that a good girl and a guy from the wrong side of the tracks just might be able to write their own happy ending.

ROYALLY ENTANGLED (HER ROYAL HAREM BOOK 1) by Catherine Banks

Video-gamer Jolie Bernardo hadn’t planned on ending a war when she moved to Jinla, but, fate stepped in and thrust her into the path of four sexy princes.

Now her dream to make a name for herself in the video game community is threatened, as Others are out for her blood.

When the four princes of Jinla inadvertently forge a bond with her, it draws and binds them to one another. Unfortunately for them, it now means abandoning their chances of pursuing females to focus on keeping her alive. But with a new battle on the horizon, Jolie will have to choose between her heart…and her life.

DAUGHTER OF PERSEPHONE (CERBERUS BOOK 1) by Helen Scott

Poppy is nothing special.

She was making ends meet and trying to enjoy life. But a strange necklace caught her eye at the thrift store. Now, three gorgeous men have stumbled into her life, and she’s torn between being terrified and excited. That is until they tell her she is the future queen of the Underworld.

Not only that, but she needs to bond with her hellhounds, the three heads of Cerberus, and protect the Underworld from a goddess who wants it for herself. Forced to face unnatural enemies, and too-sexy-for-their-own-good men, Poppy must choose: keep the life she’s always had or take her rightful place as queen.

If she survives.

BLOOD VEIL: A MISSION NOVEL by Megan Erickson

Celia: Having never known my parents, I’ve always felt like an orphan. All I want is a normal life. But after I’m attacked in my bedroom by one vampire—and rescued by another—it’s about time to give up on “normal” once and for all. Idris, the second in command of the Gregorie vampire clan, has come to my aid, but his motives for saving me are unclear. And what surprises me most is my attraction to his heated gaze. . . .

Idris: Terror. Curiosity. Arousal. These are the natural impulses of a human female, not the spawn of the ruthless Valarian king. Is it possible that Celia is unaware of her bloodline—and the power coursing through her veins? As the daughter of my archenemy, she was supposed to be my ransom. But how quickly the heat of desire changes everything. Now the family Celia has always craved is trying to kill her, and it’s up to me to save her again—when all I really want to do is make her mine.

LEGENDARY SHIFTER by Barbara J Hancock

Once upon a time, Elena Pavlova was a ballerina. Now she is a fugitive, looking for the great black wolf who can save her from the witchblood prince who haunts her dreams. The cursed shifter Ivan Romanov knows he is no longer the hero Elena needs, but he cannot say no to this graceful warrior, the beautiful woman who may well be his destined mate.

SCHOOL FOR PSYCHICS (BOOK 1) by K C Archer

Teddy Cannon isn’t your typical twenty-something woman. She’s resourceful. She’s bright. She’s scrappy. She can also read people with uncanny precision. What she doesn’t realize: she’s actually psychic.

When a series of bad decisions leads Teddy to a run-in with the police, a mysterious stranger intervenes. He invites her to apply to the School for Psychics, a facility hidden off the coast of San Francisco where students are trained like Delta Force operatives: it’s competitive, cutthroat, and highly secretive. They’ll learn telepathy, telekinesis, investigative skills, and SWAT tactics. And if students survive their training, they go on to serve at the highest levels of government, using their skills to protect America, and the world.

In class, Teddy befriends Lucas, a rebel without a cause who can start and manipulate fire; Jillian, a hipster who can mediate communication between animals and humans; and Molly, a hacker who can apprehend the emotional state of another individual. But just as Teddy feels like she’s found where she might belong, strange things begin to happen: break-ins, missing students, and more. It leads Teddy to accept a dangerous mission that will ultimately cause her to question everything—her teachers, her friends, her family, and even herself.

THE ARCHER (THE ARROW OF ARTEMIS SERIES BOOK 2) by K Aten

Kyri was raised a fletcher but after finding a new home and family with the Telequire Amazons, she discovers a desire to take on more responsibility within the tribe. She has skills they desperately need and she is called to action to protect those around her. But Kyri’s path is ever-changing even as she finds herself altered by love, loyalty, and grief. Far away from home, the new Amazon is forced to decide what to sacrifice and who to become in order to get back to all that she has left behind. And she wonders what is worse, losing everyone she’s ever loved or having those people lose her?

SEDUCING THE DARK PRINCE by Jane Kindred

Lucien Smok is heir to the Smok fortune. He’s also the crown prince of Hell, a legacy he despises. Clairvoyant Theia Dawn tries to convince herself that she’s only interested in Lucien because of his family’s role in the persecution of her ancestor, not because he’s the most beguiling man she’s ever met. The attraction that burns between them might be her downfall. Or it might be his salvation.

A MAGICAL MATCH (WITCHCRAFT MYSTERY) by Juliet Blackwell

Lily Ivory and her friends are planning a 1950s-themed brunch to benefit the local women’s shelter. When a figure from her past shows up unannounced, threatening her unless she returns something that belonged to him, Lily’s fiancé, Sailor, steps in to defend her. After the same man is found dead later that day, Sailor is the primary suspect. He swears he’s innocent, but multiple witnesses ID him as the perpetrator of the assault. Lily vows to clear his name…only she’s not sure where to start with the mounting evidence against him.

When she sees Sailor in the neighborhood despite knowing he’s in jail, Lily starts to wonder if there could be a doppelganger in San Francisco. When she’s not busy helping customers find matching outfits for the upcoming event, searching for a vintage wedding dress for her own nuptials, and dealing with an ill-timed magical cold, Lily begins to suspect one of her magical foes is targeting her loved ones in an attempt to weaken her.

BRIDE OF THE SEA (OTHERWORLD BOOK 3) by Barbara Hamm

Saoirse dreams of land. Her father has other plans, and intends to marry her off as soon as possible. When a ship sinks near her home, she carries the only surviving sailor to a faerie blessed isle and plans her escape. Who better to help her than a man with few scruples and little cares in the world?

Manus dreams of the sea. He spent every coin in his pockets to get back on a ship but never expected the vessel to sink. When a merrow saves him, he realizes the chance meeting is an opportunity. She could make him rich and become his good luck charm, so the legends say. Now, he just needs to get off the isle she’s trapped him on.

They intend to use each other, but find their souls drawn together bit by bit. Can either leave the isle and the sea without losing their hearts in the bargain?

A SELKIE’S MAGIC (THE SELKIES HEART BOOK 1) by Lana Lea Short

Aileana Sutherland is a strong-willed, independent young Southern California surfer, who decides to move to Scotland her father’s homeland. She’s prompted to relocate after an awful heart-wrenching break-up with her boyfriend, who she caught him having sex with another woman.

She wants only to escape the painful memories of his betrayal. She knows she needs a change of scenery and decides to stay at her grandmother’s cottage while her heart heals. Aileana is sure time and distance are what she needs to get over her heartbreak. Her grandmother’s Highland home on the sea cliffs outside of Durness, Scotland calls to her soul. As a writer, she is able to work anywhere. She’s writing a piece on oil well platforms located offshore near her grandmother’s home, which makes Scotland the perfect place to lick her wounds and move on with her life.

Instead, she runs into a man from her past, Kendrick Morgan….(more blurb on the ebook seller’s site)…

TAWNY JUSTICE (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS SERIES BOOK 1) by Misha McKenzie

She was his. From the moment he first saw her, he’d known he had to have her. And he’d kill anyone who stood in the way of his prize.

Kaia would do whatever it took to protect her home from poachers. It still outraged her that the one who had shot and killed her brother had gone unpunished. As mountain lion shifters, Lost Creek State Park had been their sanctuary—a place they could run and be free. But not if lawless men with guns lurked in its shadows.

Mac has tried his damnedest to look out for his best friend’s sister since his tragic death. But she hasn’t made it easy. Nothing he says as a friend, or as the sheriff, will dissuade her from taking matters into her own hands. When trouble comes, and the law can’t contain it, Mac realizes that unconventional methods may be the only way to save them all.

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VS Note: For some reason I feel like mentioning my alien empath scifi romances today from the backlist. Maybe because the main characters have an affinity for, and a duty to, nature and it’s Spring?

canva alien empath series 4 books

Buy Links: Amazon Kobo B&N iBooks Google

NOTE: The Fated Stars is the fourth book in my little mini series about the alien empaths kidnapped from the planet Tulavarra. I had fun writing a male empath and a female human kick ass warrior this time!

LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday March 14

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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IN THE CORSAIR’S BED (CORSAIRS BOOK 2) by Ruby Dixon

As a pirate, I tend to hang out with unsavory outcasts at the edges of the known universe. I’m used to running into thieves, assassins and fugitives. It shouldn’t surprise me to see a forbidden human female for sale in the tunnels of the space station, but I hate it. When I see she’s near death, I have to act.

I buy her.

She spits in my face.

It’s love at first sight.

At least, it’s love at first sight on my end. I know it can never be, though, because I’m an ugly beast of an alien to her. The enemy. If only she knew just how many laws I’d be willing to break for one taste of her lips.

CHANCE (CYN CITY CYBORGS BOOK 1) by Pearl Foxx

A cyborg with a mysterious and dangerous past.
A naive girl fleeing the dying farmlands to forge her own future.

Chance has fought his entire life, first for survival in the streets of Cyn City and later for money and prestige in the underground Cyborg Fight League. His fists and cybernetic arm have solved almost every problem he’s ever faced, except for love. After losing the love of his life, he never thought he’d find someone again.

Verity left behind everything she knows to start a new future in Cyn City. But her Ecovangalit upbringing left her unprepared for the hard realities of life amongst the criminals and cyborgs. When a dangerous cyborg with a bad reputation proves to be the only person she can trust, can she lower her walls enough to let him in?

As Verity finds herself in debt to the wrong kind of man who will sell her body as fast as he will sell her soul, Chance is the only one who can clear her ledger, but only if he’ll fight in the Cyborg Underground Circuit again.

Is Chance strong enough to win the only fight that ever mattered?

THE PREY (BETANIA BREED BOOK 2) by Jenny Foster

I am a cyborg. Half human, half machine.
My creator optimized me until I was exactly what he wanted. I have turned into an elite bounty hunter. My orders are simple. Anyone who endangers the certain survival of the human race is my prey.
The word failure is not part of my vocabulary.
Compassion is nothing more than a phrase.
My mechanical heart does not recognize feelings.
Until an assignment leads me straight to Mara. My creator’s beautiful daughter.
To her, cyborgs are nothing more than henchmen who quietly take care of anything that humans shy away from. When my eyes catch hers, I feel an unexplainable connection. Mara awakens something in me that I can neither hunt, nor kill.
*She* becomes my prey.
The most impossible hunt of my life.

RESCUED BY THE CYBORG (CY OPS SCIFI ROMANCE) by Cara Bristol

VS Note: This is a re-release of Cara’s story from the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology, which is no longer on sale.

A cyborg with haunted past, a woman with a clouded future…
Battered and broken, hostage and sole survivor Solia waits for death at the hands of vicious predatory aliens when Cy-Ops agent Guy Roarke disobeys orders, charges in, and rescues her. A former medic, he initiates emergency medical procedures before rushing her to Cybermed, in hopes of saving her wing so she can fly again. He’s taken with the delicate, brave Faria, but his best intentions result in unfortunate consequences that place her in greater jeopardy. Can he overcome the guilt of past mistakes in time to save her life?

NIGHT OF THE ZANDIANS (ZANDIAN BRIDES) by Renee Rose and Rebel West

The Zandians have taken back their planet. Now they need brides.
All human females have been assigned to mates. Yes, mates, multiple.
I’ve been given to three handsome males–cousins. Huge, purple and horned, they act like they want to eat me for breakfast.
After what I’ve been through with previous slave masters, I don’t know how I’ll survive this. But I have to. It’s adapt or be sent off-planet, which would mean my death, considering I’m wanted for murder.

My mates cannot find out I’m not able to reproduce. I need to keep my secret, figure out a way to survive, stay focused. But when the Zandian warriors claim me, they make me forget my past and scream with pleasure.
I can’t let myself fall for them.
If they learn my secret, I’ll lose more than my life.
I’ll lose my heart.

WARRIOR MINE (DESTINATION LOST BOOK 3) by Missy Welsh

A routine mission from the Mars Colony to Earth ends in the five-man crew of the Swallowtail having been transported to the other side of the galaxy. Met with hostility, captured, and tortured simply for being Human, the three survivors hold little hope for their futures.

Charles Dunkirk is far away from the offices of Aviation Corporation now. Pressed into service as a sex slave on a space ship full of lion-like aliens, Charlie’s simply trying to stay sane. When he’s offered a chance at protection, there’s not much left he won’t do to survive.

Captain Makull Ihara has slowly discovered he chose to fight for the wrong side. Already looking to change his path, he receives further proof of the right course when fate hands him a Human mate. Their only choice now is to surrender.

Meanwhile, thousands of Humans are suffering throughout the galaxy and what Makull knows might be their only salvation. Will Makull and Charlie join forces to save them?

OATH FORGER (BOOK 3) by Nia Mars

Still faking being the Oath Forger. Yeah, I know. Stupid. You know what’s stupider? Falling for The Five.

The five hottest, most powerful rulers in the galaxy all want to be my first. Who am I choosing? I’m not stupid enough to spill that in a blurb!

our dark stars

OUR DARK STARS by Audrey Gray and Krystal Wade

Princess Talia Starchaser has it all. Wealth. Status. Adoring citizens. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to publicly betray her best friend, a companion mock she’s had since birth, setting events into motion that lead to the destruction of the humans, and the princess floating through space, a remnant of a time when humans ruled over droids.

One hundred years later, half-mock captain Will Perrault and his ragtag crew discover a device floating in space. When a very human Talia emerges from its depths, Will suspects she’s the key to buying his way back into the regiment he once commanded against the last remaining rebel humans—and the ruling mock queen’s good graces.

Both Talia and Will would rather get space-tossed than trust one another, but with the queen’s forces chasing them across the galaxy and the fate of both worlds hanging in the balance, they’ll forge the unlikeliest of alliances to survive.

THANEMONGER (THE LADYSHIPS BOOK 1) by Bex McLynn

She won’t give up. He’ll never surrender. Will their need for each other overcome their determination?

Zver is on a rampage. A rival thane has kidnapped his son and sabotaged his work for the Dominion. But he won’t fail. He won’t fall. They call him Thanemonger for a reason. Not only will he retrieve his son, but he’ll seize the battleship he’s wanted for years and cement his superior status in the Dominion. Just as he executes his ruthless plan, an alluring human woman appears and changes everything.

Seph survived being abducted by aliens, and now she’s determined to get home to her young son. Her plan: find a spaceship, return to Earth. Simple, but then she meets the domineering Thanemonger. He offers her sanctuary, but only if she complies with his demands. Now Seph must find a way to fall in line without falling for the sexy alien who has sworn to see her safely home.

THE LOST CHAPTERS (CLONE BOOK 3) by Paxton Summers

Iia Danner, a robotic bee keeper, is brilliant, beautiful and prey in a twisted game of monkey in the middle. Wanted because she holds the key to the demise of a society, she finds herself in rebel hands and on the wrong side of the law.

Life was great before she met Eli. Now she’s begun to question everything she knows. Is she really being hunted? Or is what she’s been told, what she sees, all an illusion to gain her cooperation? She can’t get over the feeling she’s being manipulated, but she’s grown to trust and care for the rebel leader and chooses to take his side. He wouldn’t lie to her, would he?

When a swarm or robotic bees attack, Iia must make a decision that will affect every man, woman and child on the island chain she lives on, and until she lands on an alien shore months later, she doesn’t question what she’s done. On what used to be the coast of California, hidden truths come to the surface and Iia realizes she hasn’t reached the end of her story.

No, her tale is just getting started, and if she’s going to fix what’s she’s done, she needs to figure out who is friend and who is foe.

THE EMPRESS CAPSULE (AUDACITY SAGA BOOK 1) by R K Thorne

At 22, Commander Ellen Ryu is a little young to be “retired.” Yet she’s planned—and bled in—more battles than veterans twice her age. And, well, she didn’t exactly retire so much as desert. Betrayed by her superiors, turned into a science experiment, and nearly driven insane, Ellen seized the chance for freedom when a shadowy organization offered her a ship of her own and an elite, all-female crew. She’s got a new mission now: get revenge on the scientist who almost destroyed her. Nobody is going to get in her way this time. Especially not the merc who’s just shown up at her cargo hatch, looking to hitch a ride.

In the middle of an op gone wrong, cyborg mercenary Kael Sidassian gets stuck with a mission he can’t refuse: carry a capsule to safety, the contents of which would bring the galaxy down on his head if anyone knew what was inside. But he’s also got damaged hardware in his head and a plan to escape from the barbaric merc company that forcibly conscripted him over a decade ago. So when a humanitarian ship grants him passage, he thanks his lucky stars for a job that’ll solve all his problems at once. That is, if the attachment he’s forming to the ship’s commander—one that goes way beyond duty and loyalty—doesn’t get in the way.

As a new threat rises, the prodigy and the renegade discover far more in common than they ever thought possible. Now both their missions will have to wait, because if they aren’t audacious enough to work together, they’ll never survive what’s coming for them.

SRATH: WARRIORS OF MILISARIA by Celeste Raye

Nancy Fisher was an advocate of equal rights, both for humans and aliens. She was
disgusted by the news of hidden experimental labs all over Earth. Riots were rampant as
the tortured aliens were discovered. Nancy had to find a way to help the injured and stop
their planets from retaliating. She looked to her sister, Alexis, and Milisaria for aid.

Srath was a rebel warrior. He preferred the past king’s violent way of ruling over King
Siefer’s more intellectual views. There was not enough fighting to satisfy his needs. Srath
also followed the past king’s example of womanizing. One female was not enough to
satisfy his needs. He hoped to find war and women on the mission to Earth.

Humans and aliens were fighting among themselves over alien rights. Both sides were
divided and riots abounded all over the planet. Alien planets demanded that Earth change
its ways or it could be destroyed. The other species were tired of being treated as lesser
beings. The President of the United States was determined to keep peace among all
nations and planets. She allied herself with Milisaria.

BARBARIAN BLOOD by Abella Ward

Tara Dawson is sick and tired of her life. Abused, sold and shattered, she is a human clone who knows nothing but slavery.

But her life is about to change when she meets a huge, demanding and sexy Klai wanderer. She knows the Klai cannot be trusted, but when he saves her life, she is soon forced to see the gorgeous guy through different eyes.

Rydel Deijeon is a space pirate, a proud and deadly Klai. When he finally returns home after years of travelling, he is in for a shock. His people are infected with a lethal virus, and he has to find an ancient scroll to save them.

Rydel doesn’t believe in stupid scrolls, but his beliefs are to be tested when his quest leads him to a woman with the scroll’s symbol on her wrist.

He instantly knows she is mate. So he does what he knows best: Take what he wants and bring her with him. But the road ahead is full of obstacles…

Can Rydel prove himself worthy of Tara’s love?
Can Tara learn to trust him?
Can they find the scroll that will save the Klai, and find love along the way?

ALIEN HEALER’S BABY (WARRIORS OF THE LATHAR BOOK 4) by Mina Carter

Laarn, Lord Healer of the Lathar, is about to become something unique among his people. He’s about to become a father… of a little girl. The first female child born for a generation. He’s studied childbirth, he’s confident that he has everything planned.

Unfortunately, as any human woman could tell him, having a baby doesn’t always go to plan…

This short story is set in the WARRIORS OF THE LATHAR world and is not a stand alone. It should be read after PREGNANT BY THE ALIEN HEALER and is a little bite of life story for those who fell in love with the Lathar and their mates.

SOULLESS (DETYEN WARRIORS BOOK 1) by Starr Huntress and Kate Rudolph

A warrior without a soul…Raze NaFeen has sacrificed everything in service of his people. Otherwise cursed to die at thirty without a mate, Raze has taken drastic action, destroying his soul and killing his emotions to prolong his life. He feels nothing. No love, no hate, no fear. Until he meets Sierra.

A spy on a mission…Sierra Alvarez has a lot to live up to. As the daughter of a celebrated general, she’s expected to follow in his militaristic footsteps, except Sierra is no soldier. Her talents are best used for sneaking and subterfuge. When an off planet mission gets out of hand, she’ll need to use every skill she has and work with a mysterious, sexy warrior who awakens an unquenchable desire within her.

Two worlds collide…Raze and Sierra shouldn’t fit, but every minute spent together singes them with a chemistry too hot to ignore. They’ll need to fight pirates, their people, and the vast distances of space to find a way for two lost souls to become one whole. Can a man without a soul find his mate? And is that bond enough to heal wounds that run deep?

KORJH’S BRIDE (INTERSTELLAR MATCHMAKING BOOK 1) by Clarissa Lake and TJ Quinn

Zara Maples wants to escape her lackluster life and find her soulmate, so she applies to the interstellar Narovian Matchmaking Service which finds people’s soulmates based on genetics. Korjh a Narovian cyborg retired from battle, once a full human, longs a family of his own like the one he lost as a boy in an alien invasion.

Retired to a backwater colony of Modonne where he can’t get a date because he is cyborg, he applies to the Matchmaking service to find his genetic complement, his soulmate, because unlike Narovian felines he cannot recognize his fated mate. After two years they find him a mate on that “dirt” planet recently that recently joined the Alliance.

Cyborgs are dangerous, aren’t they? Only an ignorant human from a planet called Earth (translated as dirt) would come across two sectors to Modonne to mate with a cyborg. But to her he seems warm and caring and so attractive as they correspond. Of course, it can’t be quite that easy. While Korjh can be sweet and considerate, he can also be scary and aggressive.
Was he the man of her dreams or nightmares?

DEAREST IVIE: A NOVELLA SET IN THE BLACK DAGGER WORLD (BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD) by J R Ward

The last place Ivie expects to be approached by a devastatingly handsome male is in a crowded, smoky cigar bar rarely frequented by vampires—yet here he stands. Silas is flirtatious, gallant, and, above all, mysterious. Ivie is anything but. A nurse at the healer’s clinic and the daughter of a biker, Ivie is accustomed to speaking her mind. So she does. Since aristocrats rarely pick up females of her class, Ivie asks Silas just what kind of game he thinks he’s playing.

Despite her guarded exterior, Ivie surrenders to the fierce desire she feels for Silas. And yet, just as their courtship is heating up, he reveals that it cannot last, for he is bound to return to the Old Country. Their bond only deepens as they make the most of their precious time together. But when she learns the truth, Ivie must find a saving grace—before all is lost.

THE WOLF LORD (ARS NUMINA BOOK 3) by Ann Aguirre

Roguish. Reckless. Unreliable.
Raff Pineda has a certain reputation among the Animari. He’s the one to call if there’s a party starting, not the man to rely on when all hell breaks loose. Though he’s nominally the leader of the Pine Ridge pack, he defers to his second on the tough calls. Raff prefers to live fast and hard and keep his heart hidden, but a certain Eldritch princess won’t fall for his usual tricks, and their contract political marriage may be anything but convenient.

Ambitious. Elegant. Isolated.
Princess Thalia Talfayen may not have been raised by a witch in a tower, but she’s spent the last few decades locked up for a failed insurrection. Plotting and scheming come naturally to her; personal connections do not. Since she’s come this far in her unstoppable quest to claim the silver throne, she won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to unite her people, even if that means giving herself to the big bad wolf.

THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN (UNCHARTED REALMS) by Jeffe Kennedy

VS note: I LOVE Jeffe’s Uncharted Realms stories. This is a re-release of a novella from a previous anthology. And despite the official blurb it is ALL about Lady Veronica. No, really. Well, ok, actually it’s NOT about her but she does appear and Jeffe grants her a wish I’ve had for a long time about what the entirely fictional character Lady V needs in her life LOL. Jeffe is one of my dearest friends in the author world – we go way back…OK, so here’s the actual story summary:

A new power is at work in the Twelve Kingdoms, unbalancing the fragile peace. For the High Queen and her sisters, it might mean a new alliance—or the end of the love of a lifetime…
As a howling blizzard batters the mountain keep of Windroven, Ami, Queen of Avonlidgh, and her unofficial consort Ash face their own storm. Their passion saved them from despair, but Ash knows a scarred, jumpy ex-convict isn’t the companion his queen needs. He’s been bracing himself for the end since their liaison began. When it finally comes, the shattering of his heart is almost a relief.
With a man haunted by nightmares and silent as stone, Ami knows only that Ash’s wounds are his own to hide or reveal. She can’t command trust. But just as they are moving apart, a vicious attack confines them together, snowbound and isolated with an ancient force awakening within Windroven itself. If they truly mean to break their bond, Ami and Ash must first burn through a midwinter that will test every instinct—and bring temptation all too near.

HUNTER’S WATCH BRIGADE: INITIATION by Paula Millhouse

Demigod Samantha Silverton, a full-time monster hunter in the Hunters’ Watch Brigade, is on a mission with her familiar, Max, to hunt down a scorned mermaid when she finds out she has bigger fish to fry. Her mother—a powerful witch—has been abducted. And the most likely villain is her mother’s enemy, Francesca Rosencratz.

Being a familiar to a sexy monster hunter has its perks, but Max wants more. He might look like a cat, but he’s also Sam’s best friend . . . and the man who loves her. But in order to defeat Francesca, he’ll have to shift into his human form, something he’s avoided. Because once he’s officially a shifter, he’ll have to join the Brigade. And that could take him away from Sam for good.

But Francesca’s becoming increasingly dangerous. She and a mysterious ally are working to take down the Brigade, and take over the paranormal community. Sam will have to dig deep if she’s going to save her mom. But Max will have to risk even more . . . to save Sam.

FEBRUARY IN ATLANTIS: POSEIDON’S WARRIORS PARANORMAL ROMANCE by Alyssa Day

VS Note: The cliffhanger warning is part of the author’s official blurb. I left it in bold print as she had it.

WARNING: CLIFFHANGER!!! This book has a MAJOR cliffhanger that is wrapped up in March in Atlantis! If you don’t like cliffhangers, wait till March in Atlantis and read both!!

Poseidon’s Warrior Jake spent years exploring the world and developing a cool, laid-back exterior to mask the turmoil of emotion he’s fighting so hard to control. But when he rescues what his boat-mates think is a mermaid (she’s a Sea Fae; mermaids don’t exist) and Poseidon himself hurls him into the middle of missions to protect humanity, Jake’s surfer-boy disguise won’t last for long.

And when he meets human-turned-falcon-shifter Savannah in the middle of a deadly hostage situation, the protective instincts–and perhaps the madness–that Jake has held bottled up for so long is about to explode.

Fighting his own instincts, his soul’s longing for his mate, and a dangerous group of human nationalists who want to destroy everything–and everyone–supernatural, Jake will have to discover what is most important to him. And he’ll have to do all of this–while falling in love– in FEBRUARY IN ATLANTIS.

GUARDIAN’S BOND (ANCIENT INK) by Rhenna Morgan

Priest Rahandras has lived with the darkness trapped inside himself for years. Betrayed by his own brother and forced to watch his clan’s brutal annihilation, the only thing Priest wants more than to escape the curse that haunts him—as both man and beast—is to rebuild.

Until the mate he’s longed for walks into his life with an elder from his past. She’s everything he’s wished for, and the key to the clan’s very survival.

Kateri Falsen is a woman of logic and facts. While Priest’s cat can sense her arousal, telling her they’re fated won’t be enough. He’ll have to show her his love: with his words, with his actions and with his body.

Protecting Kateri from the evil trapped inside him is paramount. But when lost clan members are systematically murdered, he’ll have to choose between exposing his mate to his black magic, or risking her as the next victim.

THE SOURCE OF MAGIC by Clare Solomon

When Elliot Rivers, a Homo Sapiens, becomes friends with Barve, a Nean (Neanderthal) on their first day at university he has no idea of the conflict and fury it will cause among the students and staff, as well as within his family. To make matters more difficult, Barve’s argumentative brother, Farlden, hates Elliot.

Elliot and Farlden both possess the rare gift of magic. The discovery that it becomes stronger when they combine their abilities creates a connection between them and, against their will, it draws them closer together, slowly changing animosity to something far more dangerous.

The Nean brothers are keeping an extraordinary secret, though, one that could shatter their complex relationships with Elliot and change all their lives.

AUTUMN’S KISS by M K Eidem

VS note: Previously released in Trial by Flame.

Autumn thought she knew who she was then she discovered she was a rare type of dragon shifter called a Supreme Dragoon. Now she is heading to her new mate’s home world to meet more of their kind. Nerves were to be expected, but Autumn is about to get more than she bargained for.

Kirall always knew who he was, a Prime Dragoon, one of the strongest of his kind. He’d never doubted who he was or his place until he traveled to Earth and met her. Autumn descended from a line of Dragoon thought to have died out many millennia ago. Their mating changed all he’d been taught to believe.

Together they will face challenges neither of them expected. With their mating threatened and everything Kirall holds dear in jeopardy, it’s up to Autumn to show who really is the baddest Dragoon of them all.

HEART OF ICE (SNOW QUEEN) (TANGLED TALES SERIES BOOK 7) by Elizabeth Rose

MacKay is the last of the de Bar siblings to be cursed by the evil witch, Hecuba. In an attempt to stop her, he breaks her magic mirror. But when a piece of it embeds into his chest, strange things begin to happen. Hecuba has banished him to an island with a wicked ruler, Lady Eira Koldottir, known as the Snow Queen. In this frozen land, because of the shard of dark magic stuck in his heart, MacKay sees all that is good as evil, and all that is evil looks good.

Eira has been betrayed one too many times in her life. After losing her family, she is not about to lose her castle and land as well. She prepares her army for the attack of a man who was once her betrothed. Vengeance and hatred fill her heart. Eira doesn’t want to be close to anyone. But once a stranger appears on her island she starts to change her mind. The meaner she is to MacKay, the more the man seems to like her. It makes her furious, but at the same time she finds herself intrigued by the handsome Sir MacKay de Bar.

It takes a cursed man to make Eira realize just how lonely she really is. Will her heart of ice melt with the attention and compliments coming from MacKay who is attracted to her dark side? Can love save them and fill the void of loneliness before dark magic dooms them both to lives they will someday regret?

DARK WINE AT SUNRISE (A HILL VAMPIRE NOVEL BOOK 2) by Jenna Barwin

Research scientist Cerissa Patel has only one desire: to feel her lover’s fangs slip into her neck for the very first time. Once they become blood mates, no one can keep them apart.

But it’s never that easy.

Cerissa’s relationship with vampire Henry Bautista violates a centuries-old law, and the town council wants her banned from their secret community. If they have their way, she’ll be separated from Henry forever.

As if that isn’t enough, Henry is still in danger. The would-be assassin lies in a coma, and Cerissa is no closer to knowing who targeted Henry—or why.

To make matters worse, her own people forbid her from becoming a vampire’s mate. They aren’t sure what Henry’s bite will do to her and want her focused on her original mission: tracking down the vampires behind a ruthless movement to enslave mortals.

Against these odds, Cerissa must find a way to bond with the man who holds her heart, and do so without paying the ultimate price – the loss of her wings forever.

BLADE TO THE KEEP (GODDESS WITH A BLADE) by Lauren Dane

Canny and ferocious, with the power of an ancient Goddess in her belly, Rowan Summerwaite is the only person who can renegotiate the fragile Treaty between the Vampire Nation and the Hunter Corporation, the last line of defense for humanity. A meeting of this Joint Tribunal, as well as her new status as Liaison, sends Rowan straight to the last place on earth she wants to be, the childhood home she’d escaped so many years before—The First’s Keep.

Raised at the knee of The First—the oldest Vampire and leader of the Vampire Nation—honed into a weapon by the Hunter Corporation, wielding ancient knowledge from the Goddess within, Rowan must navigate bloodthirsty Vampires and Hunters alike. And she’s got to do it while managing a politically awkward but undeniably deepened romance with Scion Clive Stewart. Failure in her role as Liaison could mean all-out war, with humankind in the crosshairs. No pressure.

Walking the path between her two lives has already made Rowan a pariah. The choices she’ll have to make will mean she becomes something even more Other and as a result she may lose those last shreds of home she has left.

SAHARIEL’S AWAKENING (A SERIES OF ANGELS BOOK 4) by Joel Crofoot

Sahariel’s radiant skin was a beacon to all the demons in hell, so in effort to hide, he locked himself inside a coma, leaving his physical body in the care of his fellow fallen angel, Barakel. But even though they have been released from hell, his slumber continues. All of that changes when a young woman wanders into his dreamscaped sanctuary, but how did she find him?
Heather is a psychologist now residing with the angels since they rescued her from a demon attack, and she has been having nightmares about it until one night, in her dreams, a man with luminous skin saves her. She chalks it up to a dream until she discovers the man in a coma living in the back house. How could she have dreamt about someone she’s never met?

SHAMROCKED: AN ANTHOLOGY OF IRISH SHENANIGANS by Various

Join authors Cecilia Randell, Joely Sue Burkhart, Tabitha Barret, Serena Lindahl and C.A. Storm as they take you through tales of Irish love and folklore for St. Patrick’s day. There will be gods, immortals, gargoyles, creepy castles, ancient legends and, of course, a leprechaun or two.

Shamrocked is a collection of romantic, sexy, and funny stories that might leave you longing for your own trip to the magical Isle.

ALPHA UNLEASHED (GRIZZLIES GONE WILD) by Kathy Lyons

Alyssa Nelson doesn’t actually believe that Simon Gold is a shape-shifting grizzly bear—until she sees it firsthand. Aaaaand the award for Totally Surprising Changes goes to Simon Gold. But Alyssa doesn’t have time to deal with the fact that her ruggedly hot, long-time secret crush is a shifter . . . not when her brother has turned into one, too.

After ten months in bear form, Simon is struggling. He’s not ready to deal with anyone, let alone the bold and gorgeous Alyssa. Mine, whispers his bear. But all hell has broken loose in the Detroit shifter community, and it’s spreading to humans. Now Simon must face the darkest place of all: where bear and man become one. And the only way he can make it back to his humanity is by finding—and claiming—his mate.

GOLD DRAGON (HERITAGE OF POWER BOOK 5) by Lindsay Buroker

Now that Trip’s siblings are safely back in the capital, he would like it if life got back to normal. As normal as possible for a half-dragon army officer learning to use his magical powers when he isn’t busy piloting with Wolf Squadron.

But trouble keeps popping up, and the capital isn’t the safe haven Trip had hoped. More and more dragons are working together, with attacks growing frequent as they scheme to claim the country for themselves. Equally daunting, Rysha wants to introduce Trip to her parents, parents who want a proper nobleman for their daughter, not some odd commoner sired by a dragon.

If Trip is to have any chance of bringing peace to the country—and impressing Rysha’s parents—he’ll have to finally and fully embrace what he is and what he can do. Before time runs out.

BEARLY RESCUED by Everleigh Clark

Isabella Werner – Wolf shifter. Princess. Vegetarian…Prisoner. She’s fighting for her life and her freedom.

Caleb Alexander – Bear shifter. Running from a haunted past…Undercover guard. His job is simple. Get the information so they can take down the assholes testing on shifters. There’s only one problem. His mate is one of the prisoners, and his bear is about to lose control…again.

Who rescues who?

VOODOO KNIGHTS by Amanda Rose

Four dark and dangerous spirits haunt me.
They’re black magic manipulators, voodoo masters—and they say they’re here to be my teachers.
But can I really trust a man who turns into a cat? A motorcycle riding jerk with a bag of souls? How about his top hat wearing friend or the weirdo that lives in the tree in my backyard?

Don’t think so.

Then again, I might have little choice but to accept their help.

Somebody murdered my grandma and now that same somebody wants me dead, too.
These four guardians borrow their powers from mine:
Kriminal LaCoste. Samuel Baron. Sebastian GranBois. Zandor Red.
If I reject them, I’ll be left alone in a world of monsters, magic, and madness.

My destiny is within reach … as long as I don’t die before I get there.

SNOW AND THE SEVEN HUNTSMEN by Zoe Blake and Alta Hensley

This is no fairytale…
They’ve been sent to break me.
Not one, but seven.
They plan to steal my beauty, my innocence.
Seven Hunters to track me down and claim me as theirs.
I try to run, but it is hopeless.
They have caught me.
I am their prey, their prize, to do with as they please.
But I will capture something far more precious… the Huntsmen’s hearts.

SONG OF SMOKE AND FIRE (SONG OF DRAGONFIRE BOOK 1) by Megan Linski

Fliss is a slave, and bound to fulfill the king’s every whim. When a local dragon demands payment, Fliss is offered by the king as a sacrifice. She has no choice in the matter.

Yet what the dragon wants is more than Fliss expects. A curse has been cast upon him by a beautiful enchantress, and only one pure of soul can end it. If Fliss breaks the curse upon him, he will grant her freedom.

But there’s a man behind the monster, and as Fliss unveils the mystery that surrounds the dragon’s hidden past, she finds herself falling in love— despite it being forbidden.

FIRE BRIDE (DRAKORYAN BRIDES BOOK 2) by Ava Sinclair

War is coming. After hundreds of years of sleep, the ShadowFell Dragons seeks revenge on the Drakoryans, the shifter race that drove them far from the Drakoryan Empire. And this time, the huge night dragons have their sights set on a prize they must not be allowed to claim. They covet the Drakoryan’s humanity, and seek the deep magic, and with it, the key to victory.

My mates seek to protect me from the awful reality, from what’s coming. They urge me to focus on running the household, on pleasing their insatiable sexual appetites. They tell me that war is of no concern for a woman.

But I am no ordinary woman. I am a Fire Bride, and when I learn that human villages are coming under attack, the protectiveness of my mates threatens our bond. I was never supposed to return to the village, but not even an army of dragon lords can stop me from saving those I love.

FASHIONABLY FOREVER AFTER by Robyn Peterman

…As much as I can’t see anyone playing me but me, I have far more important issues on my agenda—like finding the woman who stole my soul. Well, not exactly stole… I might have made the switch and taken hers, but the Siren, Elle Rinoa, has my soul nonetheless. ..Fate and I are on a crash course with destiny looking for the one woman who can change both of our lives—mine for the better—Fate’s for the worse. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think the Devil could have a happily ever after, but now I have hope….(much more and complete blurb will be found on the ebook seller’s page)…

FOREVERMORE (BLOOD AND BONE BOOK 3) by C C Wood

Ava Amaris is a witch with no past. Not one that she can remember anyway.

She is cursed. For lifetimes, she’s walked the earth with no knowledge of where she came from or who she once was.

Despite the loss of her memories, Ava forges a life. She has a home, a career, and friends. Yet her heart remains shielded and cold. There is no room for love within her. Her relationships are short and casual, very rarely inspiring more than mild affection.

Until she meets Macgrath, the first man to crack the stone around her heart.

Ewan Macgrath is a vampire with no future. Not without Ava by his side…(more on the ebook seller’s page…)

BANNING (DRAGON GUARD BERSERKERS BOOK 1) by Julia Mills

One simple coin, thrown into a fountain.
A wish made from the heart.
Tides will turn.
Futures will change.
His wish – to escape a prison of his own making…
Her wish – to save her mother…
Destiny intervenes.
Two worlds collide.
To save himself, he must first save her.
If you only had one wish… would you use it to save the one you love?

BREAKER OF CHAINS (SPECTR SERIES TWO BOOK 4) by Jordan L Hawk

Big changes are afoot at SPECTR. John Starkweather, once a hotshot field agent, is now benched. Instead of chasing down demons during Charleston’s biggest outbreak, he’s stuck interviewing exorcists about a previous case. But what at first seems like a busywork assignment takes a darker turn, as John begins to suspect the increase in possessions might not be coincidence, but part of an unseen conspiracy.

The vampire spirit Gray was made to hunt demons and drink their blood. He and his human host, Caleb Jansen, ought to be at the forefront of SPECTR’s field team. But their new partners refuse to let Gray use any of his abilities, let alone actually hunt and fight.

Fortunately, Caleb and Gray have allies outside of SPECTR: the only other living drakul, Drugoy and his host Yuri Azarov. Yuri and Dru live by no mortal’s rules, and they can show Caleb and Gray how to do the same…depending on how far they’re willing to go.

Because breaking the rules comes with a cost, and the price of Caleb and Gray’s freedom may be the life of the man they love.

SOUL OF THE WITCH (WITCHES OF KEATING HOLLOW BOOK 1) by Deanna Chase

Welcome to Keating Hollow, the village full of love, magic, and cupcakes, and where nothing is more important than family.

At age eighteen, after a potion tragically backfired, Abby Townsend left Keating Hollow and her magic behind to find redemption. Ten years later, after being summoned by her family, she’s back. As soon as she drives into town, she’s already plotting her inevitable exit, but she can’t quite escape the pull of the tightly knit magical community or the soulful gaze of the one man she’s never forgotten. And when an eight-year old witch not only leads her back to her magic, but also steals her heart, Abby’s about to learn what it means to embrace the soul of a witch.

CROWN OF BLOOD by Keary Taylor

This is not the first time Logan has died. This is not the first time she has fallen in love with Cyrus. Logan is not even the first name she has been given.

Logan fell irreversibly in love with Cyrus, but she needs time to cope with the ramifications of his choice, one made thousands of years ago. She needs time alone to piece herself together. She has to face the woman who brought her into this immortal world. And the feeble attempt on Cyrus life doesn’t sit right with her. She wants answers—who tried to kill him and why?

Past sins are never easy to forgive, but as memories surface, staying away from Cyrus begins to feel impossible. There are a million reasons she’s fallen for him, over and over. Through everything, Cyrus has fought for her, death after death.

A love like this has never been seen before. And love has never been this complicated.

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VS Note: Since we’re about a month away from the 106th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, thought I’d mention my award winning Wreck of the Nebula Dream, a scifi romance loosely inspired by the events of Titanic, but set in the far future aboard a luxury spaceliner.

_Titanic in space...._ Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks Google Play Kobo

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday February 21

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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NIGHT OF THE SHAYDE (THE ALIEN VAMPIRES OF SHADE BOOK 1) by Lili Zander

The first night, I was bitten.
The second night, I was hunted.
The third night—the night I was marked for death—I attracted the attention of three Shayde enforcers, the dangerous and enigmatic Vampyrs, Saber, Zeke and Nero.
To earn my freedom, I just need to survive one more night. I need to make it through the ultimate trial. The tournament of warriors. The Night of the Shayde.
But the Vampyrs want me for their own.

SACRED AND PROFANE by Nina Merrill

VS Note: A re-release

Scholarly Jennie Pierson hides behind her books, observing her own life. When she deciphers a cryptic inscription and is pulled 700 years into the past, she has no choice but to take an active part.

Chaste Templar Tibald de Bergère doesn’t know if the strange visitor from a distant place can be trusted. She seeks to convince the Templars that the king of France has slated their Order for destruction. Can he believe her? Jennie’s modern ways and journal full of Templar secrets draw the wrong sort of attention from the commander of the preceptory and a dangerous agent of the king.

Only Tibald and his companion Napier can preserve her from discovery and death, but at what cost to themselves and their secret order? Will Jennie and her lover escape the dark days at the end of the Templars’ rule over the crowned heads of Europe? And if Jennie is faced with the chance of returning to her own place and time, what will she choose?

CLAIMING THEIR MATE (THARAN WARRIOR MENAGE BOOK 5) by Kallista Dane

Zandyr and Zhynn are Tharan Warriors, sent to the desert planet of Borvaan. Their mission: uncover the barbarian ruler’s plan to wage war on neighboring worlds – and rescue the human female sold to his harem.

Delta Greystone served as First Mate on the Earther ship Luna and the Tharans have been ordered to find and free her. They’ve been warned the pheromones of a human female will stir their gyron, awakening a savage need to dominate her and claim her as their mate. Together, as is the Tharan way.

Back on Earth, sex with her ex-fiancee was just one more thing for Delta to tick off her to-do list. But the hot alien twins awaken wicked desires she’s never had before and their thrilling mastery drives her wild.

When Delta finds out their spying has been discovered and their lives are in danger, she sets out across the burning sands to save the twins. Alone and on foot. Will Zandyr and Zhynn track her down in time – or will the merciless desert kill all three before the twins can claim her as their Tharan mate?

GIB AND THE TIBBAR (GALACTIC DEFENDERS BOOK 3) by Jessica E Subject

VS Note: This is the re-release of Jessica’s story from the PETS IN SPACE 2 anthology.

A dedicated Defender to the core, Gib is willing to go to any planet the Galactic Alliance sends him. That is, until he’s sent with his squad to Hemera for their Alorama ceremony, far from any threat of Erebus invasion and with no chance for promotion.

Vilarra has lived on Hemera all her life, working hard in the kitchens of the royal palace until she achieved lead hand. But learning of the universe beyond her world reveals her insignificance and shreds her sense of accomplishment and purpose.

With the help of a furry, little tibbar, Gib is determined to win the affection of Vilarra, prove to her how significant she is to him and the people who depend on her. But will his personal mission be cut short before he has the chance to win her heart?

ALIEN BONDS (WAKANREO BOOK 1) by Carmen Webster Buxton

VS Note: From January

In ALIEN BONDS, two lives are changed in an instant. Industrial chemist Dina Bellaire travels all the way to the planet Wakanreo to advance her career. Her carefully planned life goes up in flames the second she meets Kuaron Du, a Wakanrean who makes his living singing ancient songs in a dead language. Both of them know they can’t go back to the way they were before they met. They just have to convince the rest of the universe that what happened to them is real.

HIS HUMAN POSSESSION by Renee Rose

Leti only intended to seduce the alien warrior. Because the game was to survive.
Ingratiate herself to a new master.

She never thought she’d fall for the giant horned warrior who rescued her from slavery.
But it’s easy to make him lose control. All she has to do is tempt him, and his need to master her takes over.

Paal’s species battle to take back their planet.
All of their futures dangle by a thread.

Leti and Paal should cling together as they fight for freedom, but her every seduction drives a wedge between them. And when he learns her secret, it just may be the end.

THE SCORPION’S MATE (IRIDUAN TEST SUBJECTS BOOK 1) by Susan Trombley

Claire has never really fit in with everyone around her, but she’s carved out a life for herself using her own unique style and artistic ability to support herself on the Internet. The last thing she expects is to be abducted by aliens and dropped into a research facility, where a genetically-engineered alien soldier chooses her as his life-mate.
Thrax’s pheromones are compelling, and his status as a fellow unwilling test subject makes them allies, but Claire isn’t certain she can trust someone who is convinced she belongs to him, when all she wants to do is find a way to return home to Earth—a place that her devoted alien can never follow, because there’s no way the scorpion-like alien would ever be able to pass for human.
Still, she’ll accept help where she can find it, so she doesn’t hesitate to escape with Thrax from the facility, though their time running from their pursuers in the warrens beneath the research facility will forever change Claire, and could make it impossible for her to return to Earth.
But will there be anywhere else in the galaxy they can go where their love will be accepted?

BOUGHT BY THE ALIEN PRINCE (ALIEN AUCTION HOUSE BOOK 2) by Starr Huntress and Zara Zenia

Ella is a plus-size girl who came from a rich family. One of power, since her father is the mayor. Her friends are only friends with her due to her status. Her father is a drunk, and an angry one at that. Behind closed doors, her life at home is a living hell.

Zarbonov is an alien shifter prince who comes from a highly influential family as well. He’s under pressure by his family to find a mate.

When Ella is abducted, part of her is happy to get away from her previous life. It means a chance to start fresh and to be free from the invisible chains her father has put around her feet.

Zarbonov buys her at the auction, but she doesn’t obey his every command as he expected her to. She doesn’t want to be in the same position she was back home.

He will need to show her love in order for her to voluntarily do what he wants. She will need to earn his trust, as well, in order for him to let her be herself.

When push comes to shove, will they get what they each want? Or will they lose everything they worked so hard to achieve?

Amazon

DAUGHTER OF DEATH (DARK PROVENANCE SERIES BOOK 1) by Lexi C Foss

A dead body. A missing daughter. A silver blade. All the clues point to one person: Me.

My name is Evangeline, and I’m a retired assassin who wants nothing to do with the underworld. But an edict from a Demonic Lord forces me to return to the man and the life I left behind.

I have seven days to prove my innocence.
Whoever set me up is going to die.

BOUND IN ASHES (DRACHEN MATES BOOK 4) by Milly Taiden

Tiana Jonas’s life is unexciting. Nothing happens. Except her technical support calls with Ker Drachen. He’s got the sexiest voice if her wet panties are any sign. Boring goes out the window when her house is burglarized and an undiscovered body bleeds out on her kitchen floor. Ker comes to her rescue with a place to hide away. She just needs to keep her clothes on. That’s proving a lot harder than she thought.

Ker Drachen is obsessed with the sweet school teacher, Tiana. Her voice alone gives him wet dreams. When she gets into trouble, every protective instinct in him demands he guard his woman. Except, she’s not his. Not by dragon mark. But that won’t get in his way. Someone trying to kill her might be a problem, though. Then again, so might the fact she’s the most innocent, and desirous woman he’s ever met.

Romancing Tiana isn’t easy when danger follows her like a shadow, but Ker is determined to prove to her he’s the man for her in every hot, slick, and dirty way possible. He’s going to win her love and keep her. That’s all good, but he might have to die to show her how much he cares. Unless she gives up her life for him first.

ELEMENTS OF DESIRE (HIJINKS HAREM BOOK 3) by C M Stunich and Tate James

Seven dysfunctional, supernatural spouses.
One jealous, psychotic childhood friend.
A match … made in deception?

My name is Arizona Smoke, and I’m the fated soul mate to six elemental dragons. Or, at least I thought I was. We even got married–big white dress, custom suits for my beaus, crazy mother-in-law–but now there’s this girl who claims that she is their rightful soul mate.

At first, I hated the hunky assholes who’d dropped into my life unannounced, flipped my world upside down, and dragged me into supernatural society kicking and screaming. But now? I’m starting to fall for them, all six of them. I mean, I’d taken the plunge and walked the aisle for these guys, hadn’t I? But this girl–Gemma–she wants my guys to be hers.

Fate must hate me because I’ve got more than just relationship drama to deal with: my biological parents still want me dead, the kidnapped spirit elementals are still missing, and I’m pretty sure my best friend is trying to kill me. As if that wasn’t enough, someone’s raided my inherited wine cellar and all the booze has gone missing!

I’m Ari Smoke, blushing (hah) bride, nymphomaniac, and royally pissed off.
Being married to six elemental studs is nice … but wondering if I get to keep them, not so much.

WATCHER REDEEMED (WATCHERS OF THE GRAY BOOK 2) by JL Madore

In the shadowed streets of Toronto, there exists a garrison of soldiers like no other—nine immortal warriors, half-Archangel/half-human, living unknown amongst the city, defending humanity from the Daemons of the Hell realm. – This is Kyrian’s story

THALGOR’S WITCH by Nancy Holland

In a land of perpetual war and wandering, warrior Thalgor not only leads his people in battle, but keeps the hope alive that someday his displaced tribe can rebuild the kingdom that was lost to the treachery between witches and men. When he captures a beautiful witch, he knows he cannot trust her. But to succeed in his quest to find a new home and prevail over his enemies, he also knows he needs her.

Erwyn might be a slave and feared for her powers and precognition, but she doesn’t cower when confronted by the feared warrior. Nor does she act as expected. Thalgor’s kindness confuses her. His flashes of humor confound her. And the reaction he ignites in her body creates a longing that she cannot deny.

Neither anticipated falling in love. The stakes are high, but when Thalgor is mortally wounded, Erwyn realizes she must accept help from an unlikely source to save him.

Amazon Author’s Link to TULE Publishing with other buy buttons

A CURSE OF FLAMES (FAE ACADEMY BOOK 2) by Sophia Shade

mogen is Dark Blessed… and bad things happen to those who are Dark Blessed…

When Imogen returns to her second year at Callador, she immediately senses the looming, threatening darkness embracing her school. A vision from last year promised yet another death, but the killing won’t stop there.

If Imogen can’t figure out who the killer is, the murders may never stop. And her friends might be next. Her only hope for saving them lies in her curse of being Dark Blessed, but revealing her true nature could destroy her life forever.

But what’s a girl to do when her number one suspect is the guy she doesn’t even realize she’s falling for?

FAE KISSED (COURT OF MIDNIGHT BOOK 1) by Graceley Knox and D D Miers

Fate. Some people call it lies. Other’s live by it, know it, feel it…I knew it. But I ignored it.
My goals were already set out before me. I chose my own path. Early admission into college and a last summer with my girls. My biggest obstacle should’ve been figuring out how to tell them our time would be cut short…

It always starts with a guy. The guy. Some ridiculously handsome one who walks into a diner—and flips your world upside down. He told me things—secrets. About the Fae. That I had to resist all the temptation of their world. That I had to resist him. I did. And you know where it got me?

Here. Now. With a scar and a prickling under my skin telling me it was all lies.
Now the future of the Court of Midnight relies on my unraveling of the past.

Fate. What a fickle vixen.

ONCE UPON A WOLF (THE WAYWARD WOLVES SERIES BOOK 1) by Rhys Ford

Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.

For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.

Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.

BOUND BY VENGEANCE (THE ALLIANCE BOOK 2) by Brenda K Davies

After her ex-boyfriend’s betrayal, revenge propels Vicky to find and destroy the man who sold her into captivity. The minute she gets the chance to search for Duke alone, she seizes the opportunity. When her hunt causes her to cross paths with Nathan, she finds herself secretly aligning with the one man she’s vowed to avoid.

Determined to hunt down the Savage who murdered his father, Nathan has told no one about his private search for Joseph. The night he runs into Vicky and learns she’s on her own quest, he reluctantly agrees to join forces with her to achieve his goal.

Bound by their driving need for vengeance, they soon find themselves unable to deny the attraction growing between them. As leader of the hunters, Nathan knows they would never accept his relationship with a vampire, but will he be able to let Vicky go, or will their growing love destroy them both?

OLYMPUS BOUND by Jordanna Max Brodsky

VS Note: I have no idea if this is a romance. The myhtology twists sounded interesting.

Summer in New York: a golden hour on the city streets, but a dark time for Selene. She’s lost her home and the man she loves.

A cult hungry for ancient power has kidnapped her father and targeted her friends. To save them, Selene must face the past she’s been running from – a past that stretches back millennia, to when the faithful called her Huntress. Moon Goddess. Artemis.

With the pantheon at her side, Selene must journey back to the seat of her immortal power: from the streets of Rome and the temples of Athens — to the heights of Mount Olympus itself.

THE ALPHA WOLF’S MATE: BAD ALPHA DADS (THE NECKLACE CHRONICLES BOOK 4) by R E Butler

Ryde Mitchell, alpha of the largest wolf pack on the Eastern seaboard, has no time for anything but ruling his pack. The only bright spot in his life is his daughter, Brigelle, who at age seven has managed to wrap him entirely around her pink-polished fingers. He knows that Bri should have a mother, but he can’t spare the time to even consider choosing a female from his pack to mate, and assures his sweet daughter that he’ll have time for her as soon as pack tensions settle down. When Bri decides to cast a spell on her father’s behalf to bring him the perfect mate, she has no idea the storm of trouble she’s bringing their way. All she wanted was for her dad to have a mate and for her to have a mom. She didn’t want to put her father’s life, or her own, on the line.

As the sister of the vampire mistress of the city of Arbor, Dominique Tremaine has seen her share of weird. Born into a powerful family, she spends her time dealing with the vampires in their large kiss and helping keep their city safe from encroaching shifters, who would just as soon stake them as form alliances. When she finds a beautiful necklace hanging from her vanity mirror, she assumes it’s a gift from her sister and puts it on. The instant the medallion touches her skin, she passes out and wakes up in the most unlikely of places – an alpha wolf’s bed.

Ryde is furious that his daughter went behind his back and spelled for his mate. Not only does he have zero time to woo the utterly sexy blood drinker, but with all the pack unrest, the last thing he needs is to mate with his people’s mortal enemy. If he keeps Dominique, he could lose his pack and his life, but he doesn’t know if he can walk away. Especially not when he witnesses how connected his daughter and his mate are. If he takes a stand for Dominique, he could lose everything, but he’s not sure he can let her go.

AGENT AND HANDLER: ADVENTURES OF PEPPER CHANCE by Sherri Jordan-Asble

VS Note: No idea how much romance if any, this book has.

Pepper Chance didn’t have a billionaire to help her off the streets. She had The Company—a mysterious government organization of psychic agents, battling the dark forces of demonic activity.

Her first case introduces Pepper to the world of demons, but it’s more involved than she ever expected. And working with her sinfully handsome handler, Agent Marsten, made things all the more complicated.

SAPPHIRE GRYPHON (GRYPHONS VS DRAGONS BOOK 2) by Ruby Ryan

Sam can’t take his eyes of the totem he found in Belize, and he doesn’t dare let anyone else learn it’s in his possession. He knows there’s something special about the stone figurine, even if he can’t quite figure it out.

Until Ezra, a professional pick-pocketer, steals it from him in the Denver airport.

But Ezra has eyes only for the enormous sapphire set into the stone, and she can’t possibly imagine the totem’s true value. So it’s the surprise of a lifetime when she accidentally triggers Sam’s terrible, beastly transformation.

Bouncing between drug dealers and mohawk-wearing psychopaths, Sam and Ezra must find a way to protect the totem—and each other. Can they master their power quickly enough to escape the dragon chasing them, or will they be burnt to a crisp in an avalanche of dragonfire?

TROPICAL LYNX’S LOVER (SHIFTING SANDS RESORT BOOK 4) by Zoe Chant

Even a tropical paradise has its problems. When something is broken, Alaskan lynx shifter Travis is always the man for the job. As the handyman in charge of maintaining the beautiful all-shifter resort of Shifting Sands, he’s never found anything he can’t put back together… until he meets his one true mate.

New to being a shifter, curvy Jenny Smith isn’t used to having an otter sharing her head, or all of the inappropriate ideas it has. She can’t control her shifting, and she can’t even remember how to read, let alone return to her life as a lawyer. She finds herself randomly with whiskers, and wanting to wash her food in saltwater, and now there’s a gorgeous man her otter says is her fated mate. But does saying yes to Travis mean losing what’s left of her human self?

Shifting Sands Resort is a safe haven for shifters of all types, but a storm is coming, and with it, grave danger from Jenny’s past. Can Travis rescue his mate and show her how to love her whole self… and himself as well?

ORDER OF THE REGENT (KNIGHTS OF THE HAREM BOOK 1) by Jasmine Walt

Lorelai D’Anjou’s life has never been easy. The sole survivor of a dark magic that destroyed her entire family, she has spent the last eight years caring for the ailing, impotent monarch who saved her life and claimed her for his own.

When the king is murdered by his selfish brother, Lorelai’s world is suddenly narrowed down to two choices: marry her husband’s killer, or die. Now, she flees for her life, a fugitive in her own kingdom as she seeks allies to help her take back her stolen throne.

Thankfully, Lorelai is not without friends. The fierce, dashing knights of the Order of the Regent have always been loyal, and during her darkest hour, they come to her aid. Unfortunately, five knights are not enough to rally a kingdom, especially when assassins are nipping at Lorelai’s heels, and doubt is brewing in the hearts of Valliere’s great houses.

But Lorelai has never been one to give up, and she’s not about to start now. Especially when the alternative is not just death, but the end of the entire world as she knows it.

SEASON OF SIN (FINDING ASTRID BOOK 1) by J L Caid and Jaxson Kidman

I wake up dead. No, that’s not some cliché thing to say after a long night of partying. I’m really dead. Now I have to figure out a few things.

1.How did I die?
2.Why am I in this massive bed with purple, silk sheets?
3.Why are there four seven-foot-tall, hunks of muscle and man staring at me?

The first thing I figure out is this: They aren’t men. They have fangs. And they’re not afraid to show them – or use them. They tell me why I’m there and what my destiny is with them… in and out of bed.

GLACIER (VLG BOOK 9) by Laurann Dohner

Since that fateful day she was snatched from her job and turned into a Vampire, Mandy’s life has sucked-literally. Forced to become an assassin for the Vampire Council, she finds solace in taking out the scumbag rogues she’s often assigned to kill. Things go south when she realizes her next mark is an old coworker from her human days…a seriously hot one, who she had deep feelings for. Worse, the council was wrong. He’s not a villain, but a protector. One she refuses to kill, regardless of orders.

Glacier’s astonished to come face to face with Mandy in a dark alley. Even more so to learn the sweet one-time human is now an assassin-assigned to kill him, no less. His orders are clear. Eliminate her. But what’s a GarLycan to do when duty conflicts with his desire to protect the woman he once had feelings for? He’s about to find out.

THE PHOENIX AGENCY ARCTIC BLAZE (KINDLE WORLDS NOVELLA 62 DEGREES NORTH) by Amy Ruttan

Their passion will set the north on fire…

Mason LaCroix is struggling with his new found abilities, but when the Phoenix Agency tells him his older brother, Nash, is missing, he’ll overcome whatever he has to, to save him.

May Rebassa doesn’t trust anyone. She’s been hurt one too many times and all because of her powers of telepathy and projection, but when Nash LaCroix saves the only person she thinks of as family and is injured in the process, she feels she has no choice but to put her trust in Nash’s younger brother Mason. The man who broke her heart years ago.

The GKA want one thing, they want Mason and his new powers to break their former leader out of a Phoenix Agency prison and they’ll stop at nothing to get that.

Even if it means burning the north to the ground.

DOGS OF WAR (SHADOWLYTE SHIFTERS SAGA Book 1) by A R DeClerck

Wickedness haunts the slums of London, even as the members of the Shadowlyte Clan work to chase down its source. Children are disappearing and the queen herself has tasked the Alpha with discovering why. His only hope of finding the missing boys lies with a woman who escaped hell herself. She is captivating in her ability to survive, and even Chase’s wolf can’t help but admire her.

Freedom is a distant memory for Katryn until the handsome black wolf offers her asylum with his people. His kindness awakens a part of her she thought long dead. Despite all she suffered, Katryn knows she owes him any assistance she can provide. No one is safe until the villains who captured her and the other children are brought to justice.

Thrown together by darkness, Chase and Katryn will face the kind of depravity that only the strongest can endure. They may even have a chance at happiness when it’s over, but can they survive long enough to see it realized?

THE WOLF AT THE DOOR by Charlie Adhara

Hunting for big bad wolves was never part of Agent Cooper Dayton’s plan, but a werewolf attack lands him in the carefully guarded Bureau of Special Investigations. A new case comes with a new partner: ruggedly sexy werewolf Oliver Park.

Park is an agent of The Trust, a werewolf oversight organization working to ease escalating tensions with the BSI. But as far as Cooper’s concerned, it’s failing. As they investigate a series of mysterious deaths unlike anything they’ve seen, every bone in Cooper’s body is suspicious of his new partner—even when Park proves himself as competent as he is utterly captivating.

When more people vanish, pressure to solve the case skyrockets. And though he’d resolved to keep things professional, Cooper’s friction with Park soon erupts…into a physical need that can’t be contained or controlled. But with a body count that’s rising by the day, werewolves and humans are in equal danger. If Cooper and Park don’t catch the killer soon, one—or both—of them could be the next to go.

A VAMPIRE’S THIRST: FLINT by A K Michaels

Flint is an ancient Vampire. He used to work as a bodyguard for his friend, Victor, but when Victor finds his Bloodmate and heads off on a round-the-world honeymoon, Flint goes on his own adventure, setting off to the Highlands of Scotland. Only trouble is…Flint doesn’t want to go. That is, until a strange, mysterious, and magical feeling takes over him as he flies over Edinburgh Castle…at the same time as he wants to tear into the throat of the mortal confined within the cabin with him.
Never before has he lost control to his dark side…well not against an innocent. Flint is hard, tough, and more than capable of inflicting pain when he deems it necessary, but losing control: never.

He has the fight of his life on his hands. One he is determined to win. When he goes in search of the secretive nightclub Mystique, he is shocked to his very core by a chance encounter. Kenzie McBride, a damsel in distress needs his help, but the rescue mission ends up with a horde on their tails. Not only is Kenzie beautiful and injured…she’s the most elusive and precious of things in the whole damn universe: a Vampire’s Bloodmate. His Bloodmate. And he’ll fight to the death to keep her safe from anyone who comes after her. Anyone.

RURIK (BROTHERS OF ASH AND FIRE BOOK 3) by Lauren Smith

The fiercest of a royal line of Russian dragon shifters, Rurik Barinov spends most days defending his family’s homeland from rival clans. By night, sins of the flesh—drinking, dancing, and sex—keep his volatile warrior dragon in check. Barely.

With his choice of mortal women to bed, he has no interest in changing his bad-boy ways—until a creature of molten sex poured into a tiny red satin dress steps into his nightclub. A jagged edge of raw desire nicks the impenetrable armor around his heart.

Charlotte MacQueen has been told since childhood to stay in school, live a normal life. Leave the family business—hunting down dragons—to her brothers. But tonight, she’s shed her chemist’s lab coat and infiltrated enemy lines to bag a dragon of her own.

She never expected sexy, all-too-wicked Rurik Barinov to capture her, body and soul—the perfect weapon to use against her brothers. Or that she’d fall for the brave, battle-scarred dragon shifter who covets her heart like the most precious of jewels.

SEDUCED BY FLAMES (HIDDEN REALMS OF SILVER LAKE BOOK 2) by Vella Day

If it weren’t for bad luck, safety expert, Nessa Caspian, wouldn’t have any luck at all. Just when she thinks things can’t get worse, an explosion traps her in the mine. Really? If she hadn’t been a dragon shifter, capable of clawing her way out, she’d be dead!

When she learns the mining inspector, Kyle Harper, has to shut down her family’s legacy because of all the safety issues, she’s livid—that is until she realizes the super hot man is her future mate. Well crap. Now what is she supposed to do? Bite him?

Kyle hates dragon shifters. After all, one nearly killed his sister. When he meets the highly tantalizing and intelligent Nessa though, all his preconceived notions fly out the window. Part of him wants to keep her at arm’s length and the rest of him wants to ravish her.

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VS Note: And just a reminder of my own recent new scifi romance release: MATEER: SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES, which has garnered a few much appreciated 5 Star reviews so far – WOOT!

New Release! canva

Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo

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VS Note: Not exactly sure where to classify this, but wanted to mention Pauline B. Jones’s involvement in the Sorcery and Steam Story Bundle, including her book SPECTERS IN THE STORM. Pauline explains it all on her blog. Apparently the bundle is limited time thing, supports a good cause, offers many books (some new and some older titles) by different authors and many choices…Here’s a bit of what she says:

“Sorcery. Steam. Ghosts. A touch of romance. Mythic creatures. Some truly violent bad guys. And one little black cat.

We have everything in this bundle that a fantasy reader could want.

Including magic.

We have magic in all forms, from the magic that gods use when they come to Earth to magic that a familiar inspires when she helps a man with limited ability keep his spells fresh. We have vampires and werewolves. We have parasols and tea and lovely chocolates. We have FBI agents facing killers and assassins who can kill with a blink.

A fantastic story for every mood, and steampunk. …”

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…(you can always read the entire blurb at your favorite ebook seller.)

The Badari Warriors SciFi Romance Series canva both covers

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday January 31

LOTS of good new books this week!

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

By the way, yes, sometimes I do truncate the book blurb, but if you click on the buy link you can read the rest of it on the ebook seller’s site.

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LEVI (HELL SQUAD BOOK 15) by Anna Hackett

VS Note: Oh yeah, one-clicked. This is such a fun series – I devour them! She keeps the stories fresh, even with such a long running series.

Levi King has always lived rough. Raised by a biker dad, he fought for everything he had–including being president of the Iron Kings motorcycle club. But when the aliens invaded, he lost it all. Now he wades through the muck with his fellow berserkers, fighting to protect the last of the human survivors. He fights hard and parties harder, and follows no one’s rules but his own. But then he finds himself fascinated by a mouthy, auburn-haired mechanic who isn’t afraid to give him a piece of her mind.

Chrissy Hagan survived months of alien captivity and now she’s found a purpose at the Enclave–as mechanic in charge of the armored Hunter vehicles. She keeps her babies purring…and hates every scratch the soldiers put on them, especially when a certain arrogant, cocky, and annoying biker is responsible. Did she mention annoying? What about tattooed, man-bunned, and far too sexy? Chrissy and Levi do more than strike sparks of each other…they start full blown infernos, and she isn’t afraid to use her wrench on his hard head when required.

But then a vital mission requires Chrissy to step out of the safety of the Enclave, and sabotage and steal an alien vehicle. Working side by side, desire burns white-hot. Levi discovers he will give everything he’s got to keep Chrissy safe and claim her as his…if they both get through the deadly mission alive.

INTEGRITY (TO BE SINCLAIR BOOK 12) by Eva Caye

These three novellas in the To Be Sinclair series cover the safety of the Imperial Family’s stargate scientists, the extent to which they owe obedience to their Emperor, and the influence the Imperials hold over the Royals.

Fearless: Prince Ricky has had few relationships due to his depression, but amazingly, he finds a lady who understands how to deal with it. Unfortunately, does his acceptance of death define his relationship with his mother, the director of the Stargate Institute?

Deliver Us from Evil: Prince Roman and Prince David are taken to task for their inability to commit to a lady. As stargate professionals, though, they must be extra careful in starting relationships. How do Roman and his cousin David come to an acceptance of their duties, and what happens when the Emperor provokes them beyond all reason?

Evolve with Resolve: Princess Kayla Pierson-Sinclair longs for a lover, as well as a future beyond her currently dull but important position as the Emperor’s social director. Just before the wedding of her long-time friend, Lady Elisha Wooldridge, Kayla meets Elisha’s brother, Lord Graham, whose autism has been given as the excuse for him to be cut out of the Wooldridge succession….(much more)…

OPERATION PHOENIX (NOVA FORCE BOOK 1) by Susan Hayes

Nova Force – an elite team of soldiers whose mission is to maintain the power balance between the galaxy’s governments and the formidable corporations. Their commander, Dax Rossi lives by one rule: mission first. That code holds until a new case and an old flame put his rule to the test.

Lieutenant Trinity West wants answers. Someone’s been stealing DNA from her top-secret research base, and she wants to know who, and how. Her investigation into the thefts is cut short by the arrival of Nova Force and Dax Rossi—the only man to ever break her heart.

KARAK WARRIOR (ALIEN SHAPESHIFTERS BOOK 2) by Ruby Ryan

Something in my brain broke the day I learned of the Karak.

It’s been two weeks since the Karak made first contact on earth, and the town of Elijah, Wyoming will never be the same. Now inundated with UFO hunters and conspiracy theorists, Leslie doesn’t know how she’s going to keep the peace as the town’s only police officer.

So in the end, she doesn’t.

But sneaking aboard Jerix’s spacecraft has widespread consequences Leslie could never have predicted. Jerix faces a devastating punishment for bringing back a live human to the Karak homeworld: three rounds of shifter-fighting in the Karak Sunken Pit!
As Jerix shifts from dragon to wolf to human in a desperate attempt to survive his sentence, Leslie’s affection quickly grows—fueled by the graceful, yet brutal, manner in which Jerix fights in the Pit. Will her Karak Warrior be able to stay alive for three bloody rounds?

And of course, the deeper question haunting Leslie: what will they do if he does survive?

KAYLEB (MATED TO THE ALIEN BOOK 6) by Starr Huntress and Kate Rudolph

Unmated Detyens die at thirty, so why is Kayleb NaMoren still alive?He came to Earth to find his mate, but on the eve of Kayleb’s birthday, he knows that time is up. Heartfelt goodbyes and one final night with his brother are all he has left… until he wakes up the next morning, alive and unmated. Or so he thinks.
An injury on his journey to Earth has left him with gaps in his memory, but he couldn’t ever forget his denya. Could he?

She’s escaped from pirates and is running out of time…Tessa Greely didn’t leave her position as a medic on a space ship willingly. Sure, she wanted a change of scenery after a disastrous relationship, but captured by pirates to be sold into slavery was not her idea of a fun vacation. There’s only one person she wants to see less than the pirates who are hunting her down: Kayleb NaMoren.
Only problem? He might be the only guy who can keep her alive.

A second chance at a first impression…He doesn’t remember her, but he’ll do anything to save her. She wants him gone, but she can’t run forever. Together, they just might find that they’re all each other need.

DUNGARI RISE (ALIEN ALPHAS OF PILATHNA #1) by Nikki Landis

VS Note: From December

Synika has hidden from the dominant alien race that conquered Earth 100 years ago in search of fertile females. She’s a strong-willed and headstrong woman who knows what she wants and it isn’t belonging to some Dungari male and auctioned off at the annual Choosing. When she meets Tuvari and their worlds collide, Synika is forced to confront her prejudices and decide if the Dungari male is her friend, foe . . . or maybe more.

Tuvari helped establish the first colony on Earth and works with the Dungari Bureau of Human Affairs. He’s a soldier and a warrior with a reputation, determined to keep his race from extinction. Strong, charismatic, confident, and sexy as sin he’s used to getting his way and exactly what he wants . . . until he meets Synika. Tuvari has always believed his one true mate existed but could he dare to fall for a human?

Is it love, lust, or something more that draws the two together? In a world torn apart and ravaged by lies, can Tuvari and Synika move past the betrayal of a nation and find common ground?

CRAVED (STAR BREED BOOK 5) by Elin Wynn

Geir: I run advance reconnaissance, collecting intel the Pack needs to execute our operations. In and out, hard and fast.And I don’t need help.So when a gorgeous woman saves my life, I’m knocked more than a bit off my game. That’s all it is. Not the shy smile I hunger to coax from her lips, not the sweet body she keeps hidden. Not the mysteries that haunt her eyes. And certainly not the bewitching scent that stirs me in ways no mission ever has. I crave her like nothing I’ve found before. Even if she’s the enemy, I’ll make her mine.

Valrea: He can’t save me.The secrets of the Compound are too tangled. The nightmares in my blood can never be erased.But his touch sends me reeling, thirsting for what I can’t have. What harm could one night do?

RESCUED BY QAIYAAN (GALACTIC PIRATE BRIDES BOOK 1) by Tamsin Ley

Wanted by the black market cartel, Lisa has come out of hiding to find her missing twin brother. She’s been implanted with top-secret biotechnology that has both the cartel and the corporation hot on her tail, and her only hope for escape is a sexy alien pirate with a grudge.

Yet one scorching kiss from this copper-skinned captain could lead to disaster…

Captain Qaiyaan’s species is doomed. The evil galactic corporation destroyed his home world, and with no females left, his fleet has turned to piracy and revenge. The last thing he expects to find on a derelict passenger ship is an alluring human female carrying a solution to his race’s salvation, and he definitely never expected the feisty ex-con to worm her way into his heart.

Together, they fight to stay out of both cartel and corporate hands, but when the biotechnology Lisa carries becomes unstable, she must make a drastic choice about her future.

WENDIGO UPRISING by Wendie Nordgren

In the post-apocalyptic Republic of Texas, orphaned Rozene York tries to make a life for herself on the surface, but it isn’t going as she had hoped. Desperate for something better, she answers a summons from her deceased grandfather’s executor and travels to Silver Springs only to find that her true inheritance is a secret legacy that has been passed on for generations involving her family land.

As the last of her line, Rozene is the only one who can save the six brothers who are cursed to endure forever and driven to feed on the living. They are Wendigoag, soul eaters, and without Rozene they will lose their centuries long battle against the demon who cursed them.

The Wendigoag are not the only ancient secret left exposed by a civilization left in ruins. When another war begins among the two-natured, Rozene is caught between the deadly territorial battles of werewolves and bear shifters.

However, another battle rages within Rozene’s heart between a sexy cowboy, an infuriating chief, and a cursed one who needs her as much as she needs him.

PESTILENCE (THE CALLING SERIES BOOK 1) by Kim Faulkes

Four riders are hunting a fallen woman…
One that will seal this world’s fate.
And they’ll leave behind utter devastation in their wake.
…Pestilence, War, Famine, Death.
Harlow Morgan is lost in a dying world, desperate to find a reason to live.
She finds that reason in a filthy bathroom stall, with the rush of Nirvana in her veins, and the whisper of God in her ear.
A Calling she cannot shake.
Armed with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, Harlow won’t wait for the Horsemen to find her.
She’s coming after them with the wrath of God on her side.
She’ll defeat them any way she can…body, mind, and soul.
All in the name of salvation.

DRAGON DEVOTION (CRIMSON DRAGONS BOOK 3) by Amelia Jade

Harlow Quinn Ryder only ever wanted to bring joy to kids. That’s why she spent her inheritance on a parade float company, hoping to recreate the magic for others she once felt as a child. An unfortunate accident with a giant hunky stranger may have just put her out of business though, ending her dream forever.

When newly awakened dragon shifter Vanek is told he has two weeks left to prove the worth of all dragons, time starts ticking. He needs to get out there, find his mate, and kill an Outsider. No easy task. Until he steps foot out of his building and right into the path of his mate. Literally.

One ruined float, cancelled contract, and makeup dinner date later, Vanek knows he’s found the one. But she’s used to the nomad life, and it’s more than just the call of the unknown that keeps her on the move. Can the fire-breathing dragon convince her to give love one final chance before the countdown expires, or will he be ripped away from her forever?

SIEFER: WARRIORS OF MILISARIA by Celeste Raye

Destiney was honored to be the new king’s wife. It was a privilege she hadn’t imagined
upon leaving Earth to marry an alien. However, King Siefer’s duties take him from her and
their infant son for long periods of time. A handsome, young colonist gives her all the
attention she craves. Should a queen find solace for her lonely heart?

King Siefer fears letting down the Milisarians who made him king. He devotes his time to
repairing the damage of the former ruler. His human bride is left behind far too often.
He loves her still, but can not reach a balance between his job and family.

While King Siefer is traveling across the universe, Destiney is feeling ignored. She finds
friendship and more with a returning colonist. He is not as he appears. There is trouble
brewing behind his handsome facade. Meanwhile, the other human wives are dying in
childbirth without explanation. It is up to the queen’s friend, Alexis, to find a way to save
them, including herself.

ABDUCTION by Lisa Lace

Bethany didn’t apply to be a mail-order bride.
All she wanted was someone devoted to her.
The slavers didn’t care.
She’d heard rumors about the aliens. They were supposed to be rough. Selfish. Big, strong, and mean.
Now one is consumed by Bethany and will do anything to claim her.

BLACK MOON RISING by Frankie Rose

Jass has been the Construct’s creature for years. A sinister prince. A man of shadows and fear. People cower at his feet. They cater to his every dark desire. Who would dare defy the most dangerous man ever created?

No one…

Except for her.

Reza’s been on the run for seven years. She’s found peace on her hidden planet. Managed to build some semblance of a life for herself there. But when the man she fears most in all the galaxy finally learns of her location, she must face him in order to escape his wrath once and for all.

A sea of stars separates them, but even that won’t keep them apart.

APPARENT BRIGHTNESS (THE SECTOR FLEET BOOK 2) by Nicola Claire

Working as the Chief Engineer onboard the ESAS Chariot out of Europe, Commander Camille Rey expected her position to be somewhat challenging on occasion.

She did not expect to be fighting for her and her fellow crewmen’s lives immediately after take-off.

Teaming up with the very proper, and very English Captain Noah Vaughan to combat a desperate saboteur onboard their vessel, Camille discovers that not all the malfunctions the Chariot is experiencing are human-related.

Secrets and desires are exposed amongst the stars and plasma fire, but can the captain and the chief overcome their cultural differences?

And can any of them hope to survive the treacherous voyage to New Earth unscathed?

ELIXIR OF FLIGHT (FLYER CHRONICLES BOOK 2) by Alina Popescu

When flyers Michael and Samandriel set out to find the elusive Ishtahr sanctuary, the truths they uncover about the origin of their race threaten the very foundation of the Intergalactic Alliance. If exposed, the alliance’s revered overseers might lose their rule over the galaxies and their ultimate military force, the flyers.

Desperate to protect Adam, his lover, Michael will go against anyone who threatens the human’s life….(more)…

CHOSEN ONE: STRANGE WORLDS: BOOK 3 by Kim Knox

VS Note: I don’t normally cover re-releases but this one sounds HOT! (Which Kim writes so very well.) And is in the erotica categories so….

Ceta Lars doesn’t want to be chosen.

Chained to the dark perfection of the sovereign’s paladin, the chosen one is taken aboard her alien master’s vast, living ship.

And Ceta’s fear of this unknown is edged with her attraction to the mysterious paladin. For years, her brief glimpses of him have tantalised her, stolen into her dreams, filled her thoughts with…want.

But he’s the one man she can’t have. Not…legally.

Now Ceta must stand with the other candidates on the temple stones not knowing what the future holds as the paladin strides towards her.

She only knows one fact.

None of the chosen ever return.

A WITCH’S TOUCH: A SEVEN KINGDOMS TALE 3 by S E Smith

VS Note: Always exciting to have a new SE Smith book!

Marina Fae never considered herself a powerful witch or dreamed that she would one day be a warrior fighting to save her people. Her life changes when the Sea Witch’s dark magic sweeps across the Isle of Magic, turning those who resist or cannot escape to stone. Finding refuge in the dense mountain forest, Marina fights to protect the children left behind by Magna’s wave of destruction.
Detective Mike Hallbrook’s search for two women who disappeared in Yachats State Park takes an unexpected turn. He soon finds himself on an unfamiliar beach after rescuing a woman being attacked by a creature straight out of a horror movie. Stunned by the wild tale she tells him and the evidence surrounding them, he soon learns that everything she says is true—magic does exist—and that he is no longer on Earth. Marina’s pleas for help are impossible for Mike to ignore, and he knows he will do whatever he can to help save her people.
Marina and Mike must work together to save the Isle of Magic. As the Sea Witch’s evil spreads, they know they cannot stop her alone. With the help of the Dragon King and the King of the Sea People, they will confront the Sea Witch once and for all. But, what happens when they discover a darker entity hidden beneath—an entity that can only be stopped by the person they are trying to kill?

JANUARY IN ATLANTIS (POSEIDON’S WARRIORS) by Alyssa Day

When Poseidon’s elite warriors gear up to train a new generation of fighters, they have no idea that Atlantean Queen Riley has secretly taken on a new role: Matchmaker. By the end of the year, she plans to find soul mates for all twelve of Atlantis’s fiercest warriors . . .. . whether they like it or not.

Twelve all-new adventures in the hotly anticipated world of Poseidon’s Warriors, coming once a month from New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Day. These books are sexy, romantic, and wickedly addictive —welcome to 2018! And welcome to:

A Year in Atlantis

Warning: This book contains magic, Atlantis, matchmaking, Poseidon, pirates, a king and queen, sibling rivalry, hot hunky guys, unicorns, a secret baby, a black sheep, bad boys, warriors, paranormal romance, fantasy, shapeshifters, dragons, romance, kisses, and a happily ever after. Read at your own risk!

THANKS FUR LAST NIGHT by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden Kate Baxter

Bearing His Sin: Cole should have killed Anja the moment he realized she was his mate. Instead, he let her live and now they’re on the hunt, chasing the morons who think they can force her to marry another man. Like hell. And while this shapeshifting bear might have his share of sins, he’s not going to let little things like murder and mayhem prevent him from having the woman meant to be the keeper of his heart.

Bought by the Bear: Josilyn Martinez just needed the money to help raise her nephew. That’s it. There’s no other reason she would take a job posing as a shifter’s mate so he can assure his grandmother he’s settled down. There’s no reason to stay at his place so they learn “more about each other.” And there’s definitely no good reason she should get involved with the hard, hot, and handsome shifter that’s hired her….(more)…

The Alpha and I: Devon Kincaid is happy with her new life in Lowman, Idaho. Her little bar on the outskirts of the tiny, isolated town is doing well, and she’s not even interested in finding a man. But when she finds a bleeding man—a hot, hard, handsome, naked bleeding man—in the snow one night, Devon brings him home to care for him. He’s definitely not like any man she’s ever met before, but what she doesn’t realize is that he’s not just a man…(more)…

DRAKON’S PAST (BLOOD OF THE DRAKON BOOK 4) by N J Walters

Constance Owens has a gift for finding unique items in the most unlikely places, which comes in handy since she buys and sells artifacts and antiques for a living. When she purchases a set of four dragon statues, she has no idea just how unique they are, or that finding them will thrust her into a world of secret societies, men who think nothing of kidnapping and murder to get what they want, and dragon shifters.

Nic hasn’t survived for four thousand years by letting his guard down, and he doesn’t trust anyone except his drakon brothers. The loneliness haunting him has been getting worse since all his brothers have found their mates. And when he finds the woman his drakon recognizes instantly as his fated mate, he doubts he’ll ever have what his brothers have, because it seems she’s involved with the secret society of hunters who have been hunting and capturing his kind for hundreds of years.

THE EMERALD LILY (VAMPIRE BLOOD BOOK 4) by Juliette Cross

When Princess Vilhelmina Dragomir is awakened from her hellish sleep with a blood kiss from a handsome stranger, she learns that much has changed while she’s been away. The armies of the Black Lily and the vampire Crown have amassed and are on the brink of war.

No romantic entanglements, no family. Mikhail Romanov, Captain of the Bloodguard, took a vow when he joined the Bloodguard. But he never planned for the gut-punching attraction he would feel for the untouchable princess. He must keep his focus, though. In order to avenge his family, it’s essential he help Mina claim her crown and keep his damn hands off of her.

But Mina sets her heart on the elusive captain, and keeping his focus on the great battle ahead becomes harder and harder. While they’re making plans, the evil King Dominik has been making some of his own. This time, he will show no mercy to the Princess.

HAVENWOOD FALLS: LOSE YOU NOT by Kristie Cook

With her past memories mostly restored, Michaela Petran begins to pick up the pieces and resettle into life in Havenwood Falls. But resuming where she left off with the man she loves and the plans they’d made is no simple matter. As sudden head of the family and leader of the moroi vampires, she faces an onslaught of unexpected obligations, making her feel like she has no choices in her own life. And even if she could have everything she wants, she can’t help but fear it’ll all be ripped away from her once again.

For five years, Xandru Roca ached for Michaela to return, but never believed it would actually happen. Now that he has a second chance with her, he’s afraid he’ll blow it by hanging on too tightly. But if he’s not careful, she might again vanish from his life.

As they try to bridge the chasm between them, family matters demand their attention, pulling them apart. After all, there’s still a strigoi curse, dictates of the supernatural Court, and dark magic wreaking havoc on their siblings. Family and love always come first, but while they try to save one, they risk losing the other.

KRAKEN’S PREY by Echo Ishii

Pirate Aristad, Captain of the Night Witch, is always on the lookout for treasure. Knowing where his former captor, Black Death Joe, hid his loot makes it all the easier. An abandoned manor holds a secret stash, but Aristad knows it comes with a price — the treasure is guarded by a creature that is half man and half beast. It is the Kraken in one of his many forms.

Aristad can’t resist the Kraken’s pull — he gives into sexual cravings that only the Kraken can fulfill, but he knows once his first mate, Delacroix, discovers his secret, mutiny will follow. Has he made too many mistakes to return to the life he left behind, and follow Kraken into the sea?

Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo Changeling Press

HELL’S BELL (A LIZZIE GRACE NOVEL BOOK 2) by Keri Arthur

When the church bell tolls thrice in the middle of the night, evil this way comes…

Lizzie Grace and Belle Kent, her witch familiar, are living and working on the Faelan Werewolf Reservation—one that has banned the use of magic within its borders. Although they have their supporters—including ranger Aiden O’Connor, who once hated all things witch—Lizzie and Belle now face possible eviction.

But the Faelan Reservation is a place filled with wild magic which—when left unprotected—quickly becomes a draw to those who walk the darker paths…(more)….

BABY I’M HOWLING FOR YOU (ALPHAVILLE) by Christine Warren

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny’s last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite—for her…

Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate—and disarmingly hot—Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he’s known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life…even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels?

GODDESS OF FORGETFULNESS (IMMORTAL MATCHMAKERS, INC SERIES BOOK 4) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

The Goddess of Forgetfulness has spent seventy thousand years wishing for a man to remember her for more than five seconds. But when her wish is finally granted, she’s appalled. Távas is cocky, handsome, and seven feet of rude muscled man. He can’t possibly be her mate! But all signs are pointing to yes. Okay, at least a strong maybe.

Is this some sort of cosmic dating error? She darn well hopes so.

Determined to discover the truth, she agrees to one date. Just one! But the night is about to reveal that his real identity is crazier and more alluring than she ever imagined.

THE BURNED SPY (THE IMMORTAL SPY BOOK 1) by K A Krantz

VS Note: Not sure of the romance element but sounds good…

When Bix the Gatekeeper is summoned from exile a hundred and seventy years early by the goddess of the Norse Under World, the former Dark Ops agent knows there’s a catch. On the surface, the terms of the deal are simple. Someone attacked the pantheon’s ambassador to the Mid Worlds and left the ambassador in a coma. In exchange for early parole, Bix must identify the perpetrator and drag their soul to Hel.

It’d be a sweet contract, if not for the details. The ambassador is Bix’s ex-girlfriend, the lead suspect is the key witness from Bix’s trial, and the organization leading the official investigation is the same intelligence guild that disavowed Bix when a covert op went pear-shaped. Undeterred, Bix returns to her old stomping grounds …(more)…

FOR THE HEART OF THE WARMAKER (OUTLAW SHIFTERS BOOK 4) by T S Joyce

Karis Dunway’s instincts are screaming that there is a storm brewing around Two Claws Ranch. With the odds stacking against them, she and the Clan are in a race to save the ranch. A trail ride for a family of tourists could mean a turnaround for her people, but there is a new threat coming out of the woodwork, and they will have to work together to keep the ride on track. The only problem? She and Colt are having some serious issues with their inner bears. And the timing couldn’t be worse if they tried.

Colton Dorset has two goals in life. Make his mate, Karis, happy and keep her safe. But the deeper they ride into the wilderness, the more at risk she is. He’s tired of taking hits from every angle and he’s willing to risk going against his own Alpha to take matters into his own hands. Because one thing is for sure and for certain—the Peacemaker inside of him is dead, and now it’s time for the rise of the Warmaker.

LOVE THE SEA (SAVED BY PIRATES BOOK 2) by G Bailey

Cassandra’s life has never been simple because of her mark, but for a second she believed she had everything, she had her pirates. When she is kidnapped and ripped away from everything she loves, she has no choice but to fight to survive. Cassandra is taken to the King, and secrets she never could have expected come out.
When the King does something impossible and pain is all that is left, will her pirates be able to save her?
Will the Sea God, who whispers promises, be able to help her?

PRIESTESS AWAKENED (GUARDIANS OF SKY AND SHADOW BOOK 1) by Lidaya Foxglove

My world isn’t safe. The northern gate lies open and monsters roam the land. Once, a fated priestess bound to her four guardians kept the gate sealed with magic, but there hasn’t been a priestess in over a century…or so I thought.

When a monster attacks me within the walls of my village, I am saved by Sir Forrest–the quiet, grouchy former soldier who came to Istim three years ago. Is there such a thing as a hottie hermit? That’s him.

Turns out, he’s been watching me. Waiting for my powers to awaken…for the day when I would be ready to belong to him.

I am the priestess.

And this is only the beginning. Sir Forrest is driven by his sacred mission to help me find my other three guardians–including two sexy shadow guardians, who might be monsters themselves–before the Emperor finds us.

To close the gate and save the world, my four guardians must claim me and the powers I hold in the Grand Quintet, a ritual that…well, let’s just say that any letters I write home will leave out a lot of details. I’ve always liked attention…but this might be pushing it.

NEPHILIM’S JOURNEY: MOORE WORLD NOVEL 1 by D R Rosier

Jason Moore is a Nephilim. Half human, and half angel. He’s considered to be an abomination by some, and far too powerful and dangerous by even more. He’s trained, strong, and ready to enter the world and find his own place. But what kind of place, and will he find someone to share it with? He doesn’t really fit in anywhere, and although powerful and immune to aging, he could still be killed. He’d been warned of course, to never cross an angel, or even meet one if he could help it, most of them hunted his kind.

Portia is an angel. Immortal, ageless, and on this world with a mission and one task. Keep the secret of the supernatural races from humanity. She spends most of her time hunting down rogues that are too sloppy, and endanger the secret. In her spare time, she does what her passion and conscience moves her to do, and protects a small town of rogue supernatural beings with nowhere else to go. She wonders if she’ll ever find a mate, after a billion years, and ten thousand years on Earth, she highly doubts it.

ANUBIS (GUARDIAN SECURITY SHADOW WORLD BOOK 1) by Kris Michaels

In the Shadow World, he was the God of Death, and he was called many names. The monsters he hunted called him Anubis. Those who saw his face died. To Guardian Security, he was a number, a surgical weapon they wielded against monstrous evil. One woman called him Kaeden Lang. Anubis never meant her to be anything except an interlude, a moment of light in the darkness of his life, a one-time escape from the ever-present haze of death. He committed an unforgivable sin—he saw her again—and again—and again. She held back the shadows that threatened to consume him.

Sky Meyers made a grave mistake six years ago. She fell in love—only to have the man she knew as Kaeden Lang disappear. Now, his daughter needed him to save her life. …(more)…

WOLFMAN: LIONESS AND THE WOLF: BOOK 7 SUPERNATURAL ENFORCERS AGENCY by E A Price

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a well-meaning if somewhat clumsy vigilante called Wolfman. Nerdy comic book store owner by day, Winston Strong, thought all his dreams came true when he took on his heroic alter ego – Wolfman. That is until he saved a beautiful lioness from getting mugged and fell head over heels. Now, the wolf shifter just wants to spend as much time as he can with the goddess of a woman before she finds out the truth about the allergy prone, glasses wearing, reluctant momma’s boy underneath the thirty-pound costume.

Lion shifter and Supernatural Enforcer Agent, Avery spends her days investigating the kidnapping of a doctor while dodging her nutty sisters, and her nights dreaming of her masked savior. Disappointed by past boyfriends who couldn’t stand to be with a woman who could beat them in an arm wrestling match, could Wolfman be the man she and her inner beast have been searching for?

Can Winston get away from his smothering mother? Can Avery withstand the attacks of her crazy family? Can the two of them work out why people have been disappearing and find their own happy ever after?

HEAT (DARK KINGS BOOK 12) by Donna Grant

Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude. . .until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikolai’s whole world goes up in flames.

Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like a stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he’s grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart…

STEALTH MAGIC 401 (HELLKITTEN CHRONICLES) by Viola Grace

Imara wants nothing more than to find a different course, but Stealth Magic gives her the credits she needs to stay on track and there aren’t any other options rearing their heads.

Stealth Magic is not what she thought it would be, and the idea of breaking into a home to rob an ancient artifact for her final exam was a little daunting. Luckily, Imara has friends who are going to help her through training, some old and some new.
Through some work with the XIA, she finds a tutor for her training, and a place to do it. Ritual Space offers her a welcome and the inhabitants set themselves to the monumental task of her training. The exam is getting closer and time is a factor.
Mr. E just likes chasing the enchanted bunnies of Ritual Space.

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VS NOTE: The 2017 SFR Galaxy Awards are being announced today. I was so proud to have my first scifi romance WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, be an inaugural recipient, back when the awards started in 2012! Really encouraged me to continue writing SFR. Congratulations to all this year’s honorees!

_Titanic in space...._

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…(you can always read the entire blurb at your favorite ebook seller.)

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday January 10

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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HUNTED BY THE CYBORG by Cara Bristol

VS Note: I’ve been waiting for this one, love Cara’s books! One clicked.

Billionaire Carter Aymes, director of Cyber Operations, a covert cyborg force, devotes his wealth and life to saving others, rescuing hostages and other victims from desperate situations. His ultimate mission is to hunt down and eliminate Lamani, the alien terrorist mastermind, before he conquers the galaxy.

When Carter hires Beth O’Shea, a vulnerable but courageous woman with connections to his past, their attraction is immediate and strong, but he knows getting involved with her is a bad idea. He’s her boss, and he has way too many classified projects to protect to risk letting someone get close.

Rejected by the progenitors who cloned her, Beth is determined to live a normal human life, beginning by getting an ordinary job with a security firm. But, from the start, she questions the extraordinary secrecy surrounding the organization. She can’t help but wonder about the tall, muscled, larger-than-life director who gave her a chance when she desperately needed one. Could he ever be romantically interested in a woman like her, in a clone?

When Beth is attacked, they both realize how short and tenuous life is, and their mutual attraction becomes too powerful to resist.
As their relationship heats up, so does the urgency to capture Lamani before he can unleash a stealth weapon at a critical planetary Summit meeting. With time running out, Carter discovers that stopping Lamani may require sacrificing Beth’s life.

Will Carter be able to rescue her, or will his new love be the one person he can’t save?

Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo Google Amazon UK Amazon CA Amazon AU

CRACKED CONTROL (TALES OF THE CITADEL BOOK 60) by Viola Grace

Addy was a lost Terran. Her ship was captured on the way to the Alliance training center, and she and the other occupants were held for experimentation.

Months of agony with her fellow humans dying under the test-to-destruction methods of the researchers ended the day that Addy was taken to the edge of her limits. A rescue operation came to save her and the other survivors, and she was sedated for the trip back to the Alliance.

Addy lay in stasis while the world she had set on its path to destruction shattered and the rescue shuttle fought for its own survival.

Thirty years later, Addy is woken to find that the world has changed, she is alone at a base, and she has the power in her cells to break the world under her feet. No pressure. Ha.

FIGHTING FOR THEIR MATE (INTERSTELLAR BRIDES BOOK 12) by Grace Goodwin

VS Note: I enjoy this series!

Once a commander with the Intelligence Core for the Coalition Fleet, a mission gone wrong forced Chloe to return to Earth injured and dishonored. But she’s seen too much and is restless in civilian life. This drives her to do whatever it takes to return to space, to where she belongs, so she volunteers as an Interstellar Bride. She’s shocked to discover her mate is human, but he’s like no one else she’s ever met…and he’s taken a second, a huge Prillon warrior equally determined to seduce her body and win her heart.

ReCon Captain, Seth Mills, lost both of his brothers to the Hive, and vows to continue fighting. His bride is an unwelcome shock, and he agrees to the Prillon custom of taking a second to protect the innocent woman destined to be his. No matter how determined he is to resist her allure, one touch, one kiss, and he knows he can never let her go.

Although she surrenders to their dominant touch, Chloe is no innocent. She’s a commander with secrets she can’t share. And when the entire Battlegroup is caught in a deadly Hive trap, she’s the only one who can save them all, no matter the cost. But Chloe’s mates won’t let her go into battle alone. No matter the risk, they’re willing to sacrifice everything…and fight for their mate.

THE VANISHING SPARK OF DUST by Sara Baysinger

Stand up. When Lark is stolen from Earth to be a slave on the planet Tavdora, she’s determined to find her way back home to her family, no matter the cost. Placed in the household of a notorious slave trader, Lark quickly learns her best assets are her eyes and ears. And if she’s brave enough, her voice.

Be heard. Kalen is the Tavdorian son of a slave trader and in line to inherit his father’s business. But his growing feelings for Lark, the new house slave who dares to speak of freedom, compel him to reveal his new plan for the slave ships returning to Earth—escape. Together, they just might spark a change that flares across the universe.

Fight back.

SYRIN’S MATE (ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTERS BOOK 4) by Michele Mills

Syrin of Forty-Six is a berserker.

Outlawed from Chronos and removed from the Xylan mating database, he’s a fierce warrior with a bloody past. And now he’s a convict, thrown into the most notorious prison in the four sectors.

Since Sara is also an inmate, she can’t exactly judge. And as the only female prisoner on Detention Center: Zeta 149, she really, really needs protection. So when the prison guards throw Sara into a cell with the unstable berserker, placing bets on how long she’ll live, she’s willing to trade her virginity if he’ll agree to become her protector.

But instead of taking her offer, Syrin lays some ground rules: he’ll never be her pleasure mate, never want her, never desire her, ever. But despite his aura of don’t f*cking bother me, Sara can’t keep her eyes off his bulging biceps and the sexy fangs that peek out from his perfect lips. Sharing a cell with a towering, muscular male who IS NOT attracted to her is sheer torture…but then his bare hand accidentally touches hers…

And all hell doesn’t break loose. Instead a Xylan berserker does, and that’s much deadlier…and much sexier.

OBERON DRAGON (STAR-CROSSED DRAGONS BOOK 1) by Sage Hunter

Oberon. Strongest of the Dragon Shifters. Elected Warrior to protect his people. But when he awakes on earth, he learns he is unable to use his shifter powers. On the brink of death, he is saved by a human female.

Jenny can’t trust men. She was abused by her father, and betrayed by her late husband. But when she finds a gorgeous man lying naked in the desert, she is compelled to help him. Enraptured by his mysterious magnetism, she nurses him back to health. When Oberon finds out Jenny is in danger he must make a choice—seek out the members of his crew and find a way back to his home planet, or protect the woman he loves.

Will Oberon be Jenny’s first true protector? Or will he betray her like the rest?

THEON UNTAMED by Hannah Davenport

VS Note: Debated adding this title as it has some very mixed reviews re editing/grammar. But as always, sample first, right? I have not read it.

Catalina – During her captivity on a Turei ship, Alan is her only companion, another human in the midst of the unknown. He is her friend, her comforter until they are rescued by a Curazin vessel. Alan follows Toran, the ship’s captain, to Azziar to look for his own sister, while Catalina is sent to the untamed planet of Curaz.

This is not her world. These are not her rules. Forced to live a certain way, Catalina rebels, deciding to live her life topside, where the air is clean, and the sun kisses her skin.

And then she meets him…He is her knight in shining armor until someone knocks her unconscious and dumps her in the Northern Clan territory.

She thought it was bad before, but nothing can compare with this.

Theon, leader on the topside, spends his time training on the fields or patrolling the boundary. The females are few, and none of them can hold his attention for long. Until a chance encounter with her…
Catalina piques his curiosity, and when he meets her, he finds the delicate female witty and sharp-tongued. The two are inseparable until Theon has to leave for patrol. When he returns, she’s gone.

AZLO (WEREDRAGONS OF TUVISO) by Maia Starr

Sergeant Sheila Adams is dealing with more than she can handle. After losing herfiancé to the Clenok cyborgs, she wound up inProvidence, a small human hideout. But she wasn’t expectingit to lack leadership, and that she would become that leader. So when the mysterious weredragon alien shows up, she’s suspicious that he is actually there simply to help the humans. Why does she feel turned on by him? Why does he look at her with desire? She’s the leader, and can’t give in to this alien brute.

General Azlo Bron will do right by his King. He has a mission and will not fail. But when he starts to experience the symptoms of the Blackness plague he knows that his time is now short. The cure? Mating with a human female. But he wants Sheila Adams, and she is cold to him. Waiting for her could bring about his death, but there is another human willing to mate with him. Now he must decide. Should he wait for what his heart wants? Or give in to another and save his life?

When Sheila sees this suspicious weredragon named Azlo in action, she can’t help but to find him irresistible. He is a military might to behold. She wants to give in to her desire for him, but can’t let go of her deceased fiancé. But when she finds out that there is more to Azlo’s desire for her, she feels betrayed.

But with the threat of an oncoming cyborg army, she knows that she needs him now more than ever, even if she does not trust him.

KAVE (WARRIORS OF ETLON) by Starr Huntress and Abigail Myst

When the Ministry of Alien Affairs had come knocking at her door, offering her a deal she couldn’t refuse, she seized on the possibility to heal her war damaged father. Now she only had to convince her new alien husband to pull the right strings. Kave probably wasn’t going to be very cooperative with her knife stuck in his chest.

Can Kave and Humility overcome their unfortunate first encounter to start and heal the family they have always wanted to have?

BLOOD FURY: BLACK DAGGER LEGACY by J R Ward

A vampire aristocrat, Peyton is well aware of his duty to his bloodline: mate with an appropriate female of his class and carry on his family’s traditions. And he thought he’d found his perfect match—until she fell in love with someone else. Yet when his split-second decision in a battle with the enemy endangers the life of another trainee, Peyton has to face the idea that his future, and his heart, actually lie with another.

Novo, as a female in the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training program, feels like she has to prove herself to everybody—and she has no interest in being distracted by falling in love. But when Peyton proves to be so much more than a rich playboy, she is forced to confront the tragedy that has broken her soul and closed her off from love.

As the two grapple with Novo’s past and Peyton’s present, another couple must contend with a connection that is unparalleled—and potentially scandalous. Saxton, who has had his heart broken, discovers in himself a deep-seated attraction to Ruhn, a new member of the household. But will the other male explore the connection? Or will he close his mind and his heart to what could be true love . . . and cost Saxton everything?

ORIGINS (HERITAGE OF POWER BOOK 3) by Lindsay Buroker

VS Note: Books 1 and 2 of the series, DRAGON STORM and REVELATIONS, came out in December and I missed them – sorry!

Are you still human if your father was a dragon?

Even though Captain Trip always knew he was a little odd, he’s still shocked by the revelation that the elder gold dragon, Agarrenon Shivar, sired him. It’s time, however, to accept reality and learn to use his power, even if it alienates him from his magic-fearing friends—and the woman he’s come to care about. With enemy dragons threatening to kill or enslave everyone in his homeland, he has no choice.

But even if he becomes a great sorcerer, it won’t be enough to fight off all the dragons threatening Iskandia, so Trip suggests a mission to General Zirkander. He wants to lead a team, with the scholarly Lieutenant Ravenwood’s help, to locate his sire. Agarrenon Shivar, once respected and feared by his own kind, may be the perfect ally for Iskandia—if Trip can talk him into siding with humanity.

Just one problem: the ancient dragon hasn’t been seen for thousands of years, and Trip has no idea how his long-dead mother found him.

KALKIN (APACHE COUNTY SHIFTERS BOOK 1) by TL Reeve and Michele Ryan

Keeley Blueriver is not doing a very good job hiding out. After being viciously attacked, she and her sister Danielle pack up and move across the country to Window Rock, Arizona. But Simon found them before, and he’ll do it again. How and when are the only questions.

Kalkin Raferty, Alpha of the Raferty pack, has spent his life protecting his family and pack from outside threats. He believes his time for finding a mate has passed. Who would want an old Alpha wolf?

A chance meeting puts Kalkin face to face with his destiny and now he can’t get the blonde-haired, hazel-eyed woman out of his mind. His wolf is poised to claim her, but with danger lurking around every corner, is he willing to risk everything to have her?

BURNING YULETIDE (WARBLER PENINSULA BOOK 3) by Siobhan Muir

VS Note: I’ve been enjoying the snippets Siobhan has been sharing on the Sunday Snippet hop. Put this on my TBR.

stelle Three-Hearts has one goal for the holidays – finish her charity calendar for the ‘Smoke Detectors in Every Building’ program to provide fire safety for the citizens of Three Lakes. Luckily, her uncle is a captain for the fire department who’s recruited volunteers to pose for the sexy firefighter calendar. There’s nothing more fun to look at than half-naked firefighters all year round.

Mark Redfeather, a Firebird shifter, has learned to use his birthright for firefighting rather than fire-lighting. When his captain asked for volunteers for the charity calendar, he had no plans to participate – until he meets Estelle, and recognizes her as his mate.

Estelle is human and knows nothing about the Elder Races, but when an arsonist strikes her home and studio, Mark is forced to reveal his secret. Estelle must decide if he’s the monster she fears or the man who sets her heart on fire.

ANIMAL INSTINCTS by Patricia Rosemoor

Half-human, half-Kindred, Luc Lazare doesn’t want more complications in his life. He’s focused on protecting his shapeshifting family and love is the last distraction he needs.

Skye Cross has the ability to talk to animals. Her most recent animal rescue mission–stopping an alleged dog fight–actually involved shifters in a primal battle. Her investigation leads her to Luc, a man whose powers both unsettle and intrigue her. Skye quickly finds herself caught in a dangerous world she never knew existed, while relying on a man she couldn’t possibly trust.

Coming from two different worlds, can Luc and Skye overcome the obstacles fated to keep them apart?

SIGILS AND SPELLS by Various

A dangerously beautiful vision of unique worlds that’s sure to leave its mark.

Cross through the looking glass into Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Dystopian realms where you’ll meet valiant heroes, kick-ass heroines, and dangerous creatures waiting to unveil the hidden corners of the universe.

SIGILS & SPELLS includes more than twenty exclusive novels that roam the sands of Egypt, slip into the shadows of 1940s Los Angeles, voyage to the mystical land of Mabi, and dare to traverse the stars.

From the deserts of Africa to the streets of San Antonio, mythological adventurers strike out to discover brand new worlds and unravel the mysteries of Earth in a limited edition boxed set offering the diversity and originality you haven’t been able to find before now.

SIRENS AND SCALES by Various

From the darkest skies to the deepest seas, dive into a breathtaking collision of mermaids, dragons, sirens, and more in SIRENS & SCALES, a unique Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Collection!

Your travels through these stories of dazzling ocean tides and the dizzying reaches of the heavens will leave you breathless. Join dragon shifters and mer-creatures for an experience of salty seafaring adventures and magnificent airborne enterprises where sky meets sea, love meets its match, and imagination has no end.

With 26 full-length stories of enchanting fiction, you’ll learn the secrets of Atlantis, soar to uncharted peaks, and discover creatures of wing and fin and those who love them.

DRAGONSTEEL (SHADOW SWORD’S HAREM Book One) by Rebecca Baelfire

My name is Helena, and I’ve been on the run my entire life.

Every day my father and I protect each other from the dragon shifters who’ll stop at nothing to see us dead.

Until he’s captured.

Pursued for powers they’re convinced I shouldn’t have, the only ones who can help are my childhood friend who’s half-werewolf, and a mysterious dragon shifter with a secret agenda.

When a new evil rises, the danger is greater than ever, and one thing is certain. My father and I are both running out of time.

STORM CROSSED (THE GRIM SERIES BOOK 4) by Dani Harper

Heir to a noble fae house, Trahern is forced to watch helplessly as his twin brother is cruelly changed into a grim—a death dog—as punishment for falling in love with the wrong person. Trahern doesn’t believe love exists, but he will do anything to keep his brother alive—even join the Wild Hunt and ride the night skies of the human world.

Lissy Santiago-Callahan believes in love but has no time for it. She’s busy juggling her career as an academic and her home life as a single mom to a young son with Asperger’s. Her hectic life in sleepy eastern Washington is made even more chaotic with the sudden arrival of a demanding fae and his unusual “dog.”

Mortal and immortal have nothing in common, and the attraction between Lissy and Trahern surprises them both. But when their desire places Lissy and her child in the path of a deadly faery feud, will the connection last, or will their separate worlds prove too great a divide?

PURSUIT OF MAGIC (DRAGON’S GIFT: THE VALKYRIE BOOK 3) by Linsey Hall

Finally, I know what I am. A DragonGod. I’ve been gifted with the magic of the Viking gods. Except my new powers are devouring each other. If I don’t fix this soon, I’ll have no magic left–and no magic means no soul.

To save myself, I must go on a quest through the realms of the Viking gods. It’ll be the most dangerous adventure of my life, taking me past monsters and deadly worlds. Fortunately, the Celtic war god Cade is at my side, along with my friends and allies.

Things get even more dangerous when I learn that I must destroy the Rebel Gods’ stronghold to keep my magic. If I don’t succeed, I’ll become a walking husk of a DragonGod, wishing only for death.

So I guess it it looks like the fun is about to start.

LEADER LION (PROTECTION, INC BOOK 5) by Zoe Chant

Strong-willed stage manager Grace Chang once longed for success and love. Then she got burned by a charming cheater. Okay, forget love. Now she’s aiming for success with her new job on Mars: The Musical, but dangerous sabotage threatens to make it Mars: The Megaflop. As for men, she’s done with them. Especially charming ones. Done!

Charming lion shifter bodyguard Rafa Flores lets his teammates believe he’s a carefree ladies’ man. But he secretly spends his nights alone, longing for the mate he’s never found–until he gets a job guarding Grace. Now he must solve a mystery, court his true love, protect her from a deadly assassin, and explain that he’s a shifter without sending her running for the hills. Piece of cake!

One alpha lion shifter and one strong woman are about to face the toughest challenge of their lives. No, not the assassin. Love.

WINGS OF STONE (PROTECTORS OF MAGIC BOOK 1) by Jenna Wolfhart

Human. Weak. Sick. That’s what I’ve been told I am all my life. But when magic hunters attack the castle where I’ve been kept hidden since birth, I discover my whole world is built on lies.

Because the hunters are after me.

Running for my life, I’m rescued by four dangerously handsome gargoyle shifters. They say they’re here to save me…but maybe they only want to save themselves.

Because, as it turns out, I’m not merely human. I am a Protector of Magic–if I die, magic will vanish from the world. And my four winged guardians will turn to stone forever.

SERPENT’S BITE (THE LAST SERPENT BOOK 4) by Tansey Morgan

Ever since I became what I am, there have been wolves snapping at my heels, harrying me, trying to weaken me. I hate to admit it, but they’ve been winning. Recently I fled to London to try and get away from one set of problems, only to land right in the middle of another, and at this point I’m not sure which is worse. Two mentors are still missing, someone is synthesizing a drug made from the raw energy all supernatural creatures possess and selling it to others for a cheap thrill, and I haven’t heard a peep from the group of fanatics looking to kill every single female supernatural on the planet, which worries me. But if I thought I was in trouble before, things are about to get a whole lot worse, and there’s no way in hell I’m ready – none of us are.

With the help of Dante, Leo, the Keeper, and the four gorgeous men who see me as some kind of queen, I’m going to start pulling at the threads that keep these mysteries hidden and see what falls out. It’s time for this serpent to draw her fangs, and bite back.

LURE OF THE FOX (ALOHA SHIFTERS: JEWELS OF THE HEART BOOK 6) by Anna Lowe

Desert fox shifter Ella Kitt has no problem risking her life — but never, ever her heart. Not that she expects to do either when she flies to Maui to help her Special Forces comrades with an easy security job. Or maybe not so easy, because she’s forced to work — and live — in close quarters with smoking hot army hero, Jake McBride. Jake isn’t just the one-night stand who makes her scarred heart flutter and her fox’s tail wag — he’s also a human, totally off-limits to shifters of her kind.

Head over heels in love? Not Jake McBride. It’s just that he can’t shake Ella out of his mind — or his dreams. But when destiny reunites him with his kick-ass lover, he can’t deny the attraction any more. There’s something powerful and alluring about Ella — plus a hidden, sensual side he longs to set free.

At the same time, mystery surrounds Ella and Jake’s new employers at Koa Point. How exactly can a group of Special Forces vets afford to live on an exclusive oceanfront estate? What deadly enemy is closing in on their sun-kissed corner of paradise? And is that enemy targeting someone at the estate — or targeting Jake?

MIKHAIL: A ROYAL DRAGON ROMANCE (BROTHERS OF ASH AND FIRE BOOK 2) by Lauren Smith

A dragon never leaves his hoard unguarded. His heart is another matter.

The second eldest in an ancient line of Russian dragon shifters, Mikhail Barinov had one job: protect one of the family hoard of jewels. Distracted by the English virgin queen Elizabeth, who was as dazzling as she was devious; he lost everything. Five centuries of exile later, news that a construction crew has unearthed a massive trove of gold and jewels sends him racing to London, determined to steal back his family’s treasure…and his honor.

Professional gemologist Piper Linwood can’t wait to bury herself in her newest project, evaluating a hoard of Elizabethan-era treasure. But both her life and career are threatened when a mysterious, brooding man with a dangerous smile—and an even more dangerous kiss—snatches the lot.

Unwillingly swept along for the ride, Piper discovers Mikhail is no mere thief. And the dragon on his back is more than a tattoo. It’s a living, breathing extension of a bad boy she’s finding harder and harder to resist. But his heart is a treasure she can never own…because to save her career, she’ll have to betray his trust.

VAMPIRE VIGILANTE by Sparrow Beckett

The Huntress – a vampire with lethal determination, Natalia hunts down and exterminates rogue werewolves. After burying her heart centuries ago, she now lives only for revenge. When a werewolf serial killer leaves a swathe of carnage, she’s forced to team up with the alpha of the northwest werewolf pack. Cristian’s obnoxious sex appeal throws Natalia’s methodical and spartan existence into turmoil.

Cristian can’t help be intrigued by the icy Natalia. He hasn’t been drawn to a female since his mate died decades past. Now, he vows to pry away her hostile mask and discover the woman it conceals.

Will Natalia allow Cristian to lay claim to her heart if it means sacrificing part of her identity?

HAVING HER ENEMY’S SECRET SHIFTER BABY by Celia Kyle and Marina Maddix

Reese can’t get the delectable she-wolf Jane Coleman out of his mind. They shared one passionate night on a Ft. Lauderdale beach and she disappeared by morning. He should forget her, but his wolf won’t let him dismiss the memories of her silken skin, lush curves, and seductive smile.

Even as he fights to keep his lands out of the hands of a rival pack, he can’t suppress his constant craving for the female werewolf. The last place he expects to find the alluring stranger is at the side of his sworn enemy—her father.

He should crush her father and walk away, but one sniff changes Reese’s plans. Jane is pregnant with his pup and he will have them both!

EYE OF THE FALCON (PSYCHIC VISIONS BOOK 12) by Dale Mayer

As a young girl, Issa, bonded with her pet falcon was the lookout for her father’s smuggling operation in Ireland. After everything blew up one night and her father and brothers were killed, her mother brought her to America to start over.
Immigrating was hard, but eventually she grew up and pursued a career in environmental sciences and continued to follow her passion for falconry. But she doesn’t find the same special bond with another falcon. Until one fateful day when her world explodes again…
Eagle, a former military pilot, has retired to his small ranch outside of Denver, Colorado where he runs a rescue center for raptors in need. One falcon is acting irrationally. Eagle’s only recourse is to euthanize him, but the falcon rips free. Although injured so badly he shouldn’t be able to fly, the falcon disappears into the skies.
The next night the falcon returns with a beautiful but seriously injured young woman in tow… carrying a message of death and destruction for the both of them.

SHELTERED (THE CITIES BELOW) BY Jen Colly

VS Note: Vampires

When Bette Dautry comes to him, seeking his protection, Guardian Rollin Casteel suspects the mysterious beauty has an ulterior motive. Unable to resist her seductive charms, he soon hungers to mark her as his. Only Bette disappears before he can sink his teeth into her tender flesh, leaving Rollin with one mission: to find her—and to claim her. . . .

Bette seduces Rollin intent on conceiving his child, believing the mother-child bond to be the only kind of love she can sustain—the only kind of love that can keep her alive. But she never expects to feel so much for her strong and silent lover. Then she discovers Rollin is none other than the heir to the Balinese throne—a man too noble—too dear—to play a role in her dark scheme. A man she would willingly die for, if only he would set her free.

CLAIMED BY HER DRAGONS by Kate Richards

Walter the Wizard/dragon shifter hasn’t poked his head outside his cave in weeks. With his current project going every which way but right, his client breathing down his neck, and the neighbors complaining about the odors you’d think you could skip your mumble mumble year reunion—especially when you don’t have a lady in your life at the moment. And you’ve bragged otherwise. But you’d think wrong.

Conflagration Brown’s very nervous about leaving his hoard to attend an event in a nearby city. The wizard who moved into the cave next door is not only absolutely the noisiest neighbor anyone could ever be cursed with but the guy he competed against in everything in high school. And nearly had a thing with. Once he learns Walter is not only attending but bringing a stunning date, he has to top him. What better reason for two dragons…whose rivalry masked an attraction neither was ready to acknowledge way back when…to call Gerri Wilder at the Paranormal Dating Agency for help.

Gina Toriello, plus sized model, actress, and jaguar shifter might have been a little less than specific in her conversation with Gerri Wilder, but she honestly doesn’t know what she wants in a date. And since ordinary men haven’t been much to write home about, she wants something different. Maybe she shouldn’t have written off shifters as mates. Or maybe she just needed two.

If all goes well, they’re going to set the reunion on fire. Or if all goes wrong.

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Last week I got a really rave review for my paranormal romance Lady of the Nile from Rabid Reader’s Reviews – WOOT! – and I was also flattered to discover some lovely fan art on Facebook based on one of my older Egyptian novels. So here’s a reminder of my Gods of Egypt series!

canva all 7 books corrected

Buy Links for Lady of the Nile:

Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday January 3

Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best in 2018! Including many new books to read…

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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CRASHED ON AN ICE WORLD: A PHOENIX ADVENTURES SCIFI ROMANCE by Anna Hackett

VS Note: I love this series – well, I love all her series actually! One clicked.

Elana Korra loves her security job as a medic on the convoy ship, the Sky Nomad…except for the fact that she’s in love with her boss. Rynan is tough, loyal, and protective, and she knows he will never cross the line with her despite her deepest fantasies. But one scorching kiss sets up a smoldering tension, and as they head off into uncharted space on a treasure hunt to find an invaluable old Earth treasure, Elana knows it is time to make a change–get Ry to admit how he feels about her or leave. But a deadly attack leaves Ry and Elana on a damaged, out-of-control ship hurtling toward an unforgiving ice world.

Rynan Phoenix lives for his job of keeping the Phoenix Deep-Space Convoy safe. The nightmare of his childhood has taught him to steer well clear of romantic relationships, and he’s forced himself to ignore Elana’s compact body and gorgeous face. But when they find themselves stranded on an ice world with passengers to protect and space pirates hunting them down, Ry is forced to confront just how he feels about the most important woman in his life.

Ry and Elana will need all of their training in order to keep themselves alive. As they find hints to the old Earth treasure, their desire turns hotter and deeper…but then they discover that far more dangerous things call this ice planet home.

ABDUCT MY HEART (LOST SOULS SERIES BOOK 1) by Alexa Winters

Ruby Collins was only trying to make it through the day…She certainly hadn’t planned on getting abducted by a sinister alien race and forced into a fight-to-the-death match. But defeating the beast is just the beginning of her problems. It turns out she has a soul mate in desperate need of her help.

Drake is on the run…Consumed by revenge for so long, he wasn’t expecting a soul mate. Can he choose between vengeance and love, or can he find a way to have both?

BEG FOR MERCY (FATE’S VULTURES) by Jami Gray

The world didn’t end in fire and explosions, instead it collapsed slowly, like falling dominoes, an intensifying panic of disease, food shortages, wild weather and collapsing economies, until what remains of humanity battles for survival in a harsh new reality.

An assassin by trade, a loner by nature, Mercy is sent to infiltrate the Cartels and unmask the identity of their new silent partner. Instead, she discovers a darker plan threatening to crumble the entire Southwest and ends up with a hefty bounty on her head. Still, she’s determined to stop the impending attack at any cost, even if it means partnering up with a member of the notorious Fate’s Vultures.

After enduring a brutal, blood-soaked lesson on the savagery of civilisation’s scavengers, Havoc is well acquainted with the consequences of battling predators. But as a member of the nomadic band of arbitrators known as Fate’s Vultures, he’s determined to cement the necessary alliances to oust the biggest threat looming on the horizon. When an enigmatic woman crosses his path, her secrets and troubling loyalty light the fuse on an unexpected craving and his insatiable curiosity.

In order to trap a common foe and derail an impending threat, Havoc and Mercy must turn the tables to hunt a predator. Can an assassin and a mercenary find their balance on the thin line of loyalty, or will it snap under the weight of their wary hearts?

RAID (KIDNAPPED BRIDES BOOK 1) by Jenny Schwartz

No Nomad can ignore a summons from the Oracle. Their culture demands that they submit to a raiding party to find and mate their one true love.

Imprisoned and mistreated by the infamous information broker Fagan, Alexa Maven lives a life that makes the thought of love a painful lie. If she dared to dream, she’d wish for freedom and anonymity; to be alone forever.

Mikal Fforde is a captain in the United Space Marine Corps. Love is a distraction he definitely doesn’t need right now. He’s a tough fighter, a survivor, and he can’t afford the vulnerability that love brings.

But the Oracle has spoken, and two mismatched strangers are about to find their unlikely perfect match – if they survive Fagan!

WICKED WAYS (HORSE CLAN CHRONICLES 1) by Clarissa Lake

VS Note: The author says it’s very steamy. Listed in erotica.

Wicked Ways is based on the Aledan Series novel Oltarin: The Horse Clans Colony by Christine Myers. Wicked Ways is set on Oltarin, 300 years prior to the events portrayed in Oltarin. The preface and introduction are written by Christine Myers

Darwick “Wick” McKell is looking for revenge for the murder of his brother Camron by Vargan Rode. He slips into the Lake Clans village of Diamond Bay but Vargan is nowhere to be found. Wick finds Vargan’s betrothed Lora Sandgren and decides to kill her instead. However his instant attraction to her quickly changes to lust for her instead of revenge…(more)…

DRAGON LORD’S HOPE (DRAGONS OF MARS BOOK 4) by Juno Wells and Leslie Chase

Gillian Willis isn’t having an easy time running an ice farm at the Martian north pole. Her father’s missing, the bank is breathing down her neck, and now dragons are attacking! If it wasn’t for one gorgeous dragon shifter who puts himself between her and harm, she’d be in real trouble.

He’s the sexiest man she’s ever met, and the bravest. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he claims to own the land her family’s farm is built on. Even though he nearly got himself killed saving her from the other dragons, Gillian isn’t sure she can trust him. But does she have a choice?

Zardan, Dragon Lord of Herendar, has nothing left to live for. All his lands, his family, everything he knew and loved was buried a thousand years ago when the Dragon Empire fell. It’s almost too much to bear – until Gillian drags him off the ice and he realizes that she is his mate.

It should be impossible, it defies his understanding, but it’s true. The feisty human female is his and he won’t allow any harm to come to her. Will that be enough to rekindle the fire in his heart? Can he convince Gillian that they belong together? Or will the gulf between human and dragon shifter be too large for any sacrifice to bridge?

SOLD TO THE ALIEN KING (ALIEN AUCTION HOUSE BOOK 1) by Starr Huntress and Zara Zenia

Betty is a nerd, but trying to break out of her shell. She is studying astronomy, and is fascinated by possible life beyond the galaxy.

Barsork is an alien alpha shifter king but is against the idea of abducting humans, put forth by his brother.

But when Barsork takes Betty from Earth, Betty is repulsed by what his kind are doing. Selling humans off at an auction house is too much for her to take in, and she wants to get back home. Barsork tells her he will help her as he takes a liking to her and doesn’t want her sold off.

Barsork will need to first gain Betty’s trust. It won’t be easy, especially considering he was the one who tricked her and took her away in the first place.

Will Betty get back to Earth? Or will Barsork succumb to his brother’s demands and change his mind?

DANGEROUS PROMISE by Megan Hart

Nina Bronson used to be all human — until the experimental surgeries and internal technology that saved her life and enhanced her as a soldier also forced her to leave the army for private service. Now she and her peers are facing slow, painful deaths unless their technology is upgraded, and the one man keeping those upgrades illegal and unavailable is an obnoxious billionaire. A man too gorgeous for his own good.

A man she’s supposed to guard with her life.

Ewan Donahue is the public voice speaking out against the enhancement procedures of injured soldiers. But when his lobbying leads to death threats, he needs someone to protect him around the clock. He doesn’t want to rely on an enhanced soldier—Nina’s tech goes against everything he stands for. But he really doesn’t want her to be beautiful like she is. Doesn’t want her to suffer like she will.

Doesn’t want to succumb to the searing desire he feels for her.

As a series of attacks on his life send them to a remote cabin, their close proximity brings them together in ways they never imagined. They know they must prevent the need simmering between them, resist each other at all costs. But when tensions are high and danger is close, passion burns hottest of all.

BARRICADE by Lindsey Black

The Barricade is all that separates the Northern Russian Empire from what remains of the world’s plague-decimated population. Snaking 8921 kilometres across Eurasia, the Barricade is crafted from the New World’s nanotechnologies. Breathing, thinking, constantly regenerating, it sustains those charged with defending its districts from those desperate to find refuge in the north.

Atop the battlements of District 666, Sasha Stepanova and his team ruthlessly suppress heavy insurgencies, but at a cost. With the loss of one of his men, Sasha feels isolated and adrift. The bitter snows are a harbinger of winter’s early arrival and the town on his southern perimeter is swelling with foreboding shadows.

Transferred from a black operations testing facility, Jett Ioane is not the replacement Sasha is expecting. He’s short, sheltered and untested in battle—a poor replacement for the friend Sasha has lost. But Sasha finds him impossibly alluring. A lifetime of alienation and scrutiny has hardened Jett to the friendship and camaraderie necessary for survival. Struggling to find his feet while Sasha sweeps them out from under him, Jett hesitates to entrust the team with his truth.

Will Jett’s secrets be the key to their salvation, or annihilation?

RAX (RATHIER WARRIORS) by Stella Sky

Dr. Zina Smith is fearless. She has been on her own on a horrifying prison planet for
longer than she can count. Her survival depends on staying out of sight, but one mistake
lands her under the oppressive claim of a cruel-spirited alien. When another Raither
suddenly intervenes, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the sexy alien, confused by
her desires.

Commander Rax Veda is powerful and wise, and has been given the task of rescuing his
fellow Raithers from the prison planet. The son of the Emperor, Keldon Marcsu, is his
primary concern, so when he finds that the Raither is safe, and has found a female to claim,he is relieved. That is, until he finds himself experiencing an unexpected desire to claim the human for himself.

When Zina is abducted right out from in front of him, Rax has to make a choice. Zina technically belongs to Keldon Marcsu, and this act is grounds for war. Is he willing to fight for his love, to the death, and reform his planet?

DRAGON BLOOD (A NOVEL OF THE LUPI) by Eileen Wilks

VS note: I always enjoyed this series. This is book #14, so you might want to start at the beginning if you haven’t been reading along. I kind of lost track of the series a few books ago, so now I need to catch up!

When a mission to rescue five children stolen by an Old One falls apart under the assault of a demon prince, Lily wakes up in a strange reality—and is immediately taken captive by the dragon spawn who rule there. Jumping worlds has fractured her party, and Cynna is her only companion.

Although the clock is ticking, time works differently, and Lily has miraculously gained a week. That means seven days to free herself, find Rule and the others, rescue the children, and make it home alive. All before the dragon spawn holding her hostage trade her to the Old One. It would almost be doable if this weren’t Lóng Jia—also known as Dragonhome: the birthplace of dragons.

TO SEIZE A WAYWARD SPIRIT (DJINN HAVEN) by R L Naquin

Sometimes monsters like to pretend to be humans dressing up as monsters…After a major goof turned their last mission into chaos, Hidden Government chaser Kam and her friends must hunt and recapture a crapton of souls. Seventeen, to be precise. But by the time they chase down the first one—a goblin en route back home to Oklahoma—a banshee ups and gets assassinated, leaving their progress at exactly negative one.

The connection between Kam’s goblin and her banshee? A cosplay club, natch. Because sometimes monsters like to pretend to be humans dressing up as monsters.

As the body count rises and the Hidden cosplayers point fingers at each other, it’s up to Kam and her team to stop the insanity. One costumed faction has a secret they’re not sharing—even with each other—and if the bad seed isn’t found soon, the others are likely to be murdered…or worse.

DAMON’S ENCHANTRESS (CARDINAL WITCHES BOOK 3) by Alyssa Day

When lion shifter and FBI Paranormal Ops Division agent Damon Jones gets sent to Garden City, Ohio, to investigate a garden witch family’s ties to an international drug smuggler, he’s not happy about it. After all, garden witches are fragile and delicate, and he’s more of the lion in the china shop type.

But then he meets fire mage Lily Cardinal, and from the first moment her parrots tell him to “Get to the Chopper” he knows his life will never be the same…

Lily Cardinal is done with interesting men. The last one she dated turned out to be an infamous criminal with control-freak, sociopathic tendencies. She had to set his house on fire — literally — to escape.

Now deliciously sexy and Very Special Agent Damon Jones is moving into her house, and she can’t do anything to stop him. The problem is…she’s not sure she even wants to try.

CRIMSON ILLUSION by Rae B Lake

VS Note: Apparently about vampires.

Kate – I should have known, I was told not to trust the Palaens, but still I did. Now even after the broken bones and the bruises have healed, I am still left in pieces. No matter how hard I try to erase him from my memory, my heart always reminds me of one fact. I am in love with a killer.

Lucas – She is gone…just gone. Right when I thought maybe we would start a life together, she leaves me, or at least I hope she did. There was so much blood, and explanations why. I need to find her, even if its just to let her go.

Crimson Illusion is part 2 of the 7 Kingdoms Novels, Join Kate and Lucas as they find out just how much havoc the Phantoms can do to the Wolfe and Fields families. Will they be able to move past what happened in New Hampshire and fight this new demon together or will they have to admit defeat.

CROWN OF DEATH: BLOOD DESCENDANTS UNIVERSE by Keary Taylor

Years of bad luck have made Logan Pierce a little bitter, but it all goes from bad to worse the night she witnesses two immortal beings rip a man’s head off with their bare hands.

Her life is wrecked overnight by a single man—Cyrus, who seems to think she’s someone important in his bloody world. But they won’t know the truth until she’s dead, and he’s very anxious to help her get there.

But Logan isn’t going down without a fight. She makes him a deal. She will die, but first he must spend a month getting to know her, a month to change his mind. What she doesn’t expect is a month filled with displays of incredible wealth, spontaneous trips across the country, and unbelievable acts of immortal power. And as Logan spends her last days with Cyrus, she stops seeing the monster and begins to see a lonely, broken man she can’t walk away from. If she isn’t careful, it won’t just be her life she loses at the end of the month, but her heart as well.

WILD CARD (WILDCATS BOOK 3) by Rachel Vincent

Kaci Dillon is a man-eater.

She’s grown up on the fringes of shifter society, hearing the whispers. One desperate act as a starving, terrified child has made her the first tabby in history with no romantic prospects. But whatever. Eighteen is too young to get married anyway. Still, when she stumbles upon an opportunity to get away for a few days, who could blame her for seizing it?

Justus Alexander is screwed.

Confined to the South-Central territory, awaiting trial for crimes he committed as a traumatized, newly infected stray, Justus has discovered that the tribunal already intends to vote for the death penalty. He has no choice but to run. Too young to touch the trust fund that could finance his escape, he’s betting on a big win at the poker tables—until Kaci, his secret crush, catches him sneaking out and demands that he take her with him to Las Vegas…

After a wild night she can’t remember, Kaci wakes up with a ring on her finger, next to a young billionaire who can’t access his fortune until he turns twenty-five—or ties the knot. If she can keep her hands off her hot, charismatic new groom, she can have their unconsummated marriage annulled. But can she really abandon Justus to his death sentence, just to undo her own mistake?

CALLED BY THE VAMPIRE PART 7 by V Vaughn

Maggie was supposed to be dead. But Sebastian stepped in at the last minute to change her life forever, and now Maggie has to face instincts and handle evils she never wanted. Sebastian thought he was saving her, but the reality may be that he’s thrust her into a world she feels is worse than hell.

Lyndsey publicly steps into her role as a Princess and discovers it’s no fairy tale. She’s faced with a challenge that defies all the rules she used to know. In an instant, her moral compass has to change because her first act as Princess sets the course for centuries as the future Queen of the O’Kelly kingdom.

HEART ON FIRE (THE KINGMAKER CHRONICLES BOOK 3) by Amanda Bouchet

GODS. I’M AN IDIOT.
Without Griffin—and apparently a few meddling Gods—to push me along, I’d still be telling fortunes at the circus, lying about my past, ignoring my future, and living as far away from my tyrant mother as humanly possible.

True understanding thuds into place. Hope isn’t just an abstract concept; it’s me. Flesh and blood me. Griffin knew it all along. Probably everyone did. I’m an idea in human form.

SAVING RED (A NAUGHTY BEASTS AND FILTHY PRINCES ROMANCE BOOK 1) by Carter Blake

Ella Redmond is sweet, innocent, and completely off limits.
She belongs to a different world. One that I’ll never be a part of.
I’m a Hunter – Ash Hunter. I’m everything her grandmother warned her about. I’m fierce. Dominant. A beast of a man.
But there are far more dangerous animals than me.
Jared Wolfe lurks in the shadows. And I know what he wants. The same thing I do – to devour her.
I may not be the Prince Charming she’s been waiting for, but I will protect her. And in the end, she will be mine.

ELIZABETH AND THE CALL OF DRAGONS (Reverse Harem Fated Alpha Book 2) by Ava Mason

Elizabeth is finally safe, tucked away in the lair of her four dragon protectors. Now, she must learn to cope with the grief of losing her parents, her home, and the Southeastern White Tooth Pack, including a wolf her heart still yearns for.

Her four dragon protectors might keep their distance while she mourns, but they make it clear they desire her completely. Body, heart and soul. Despite her grief and the guilt clawing at her heart, Elizabeth’s feelings for the four men grow. She can see the future they are offering her. A fresh start… with them.

But a new challenge arises when the Shifter Authority forbids their relationship. The Authority claims wolves can’t mate with dragons, and certainly can’t conceive dragon babies.

Refusing to give Elizabeth up, each man is prepared to fight any battle to keep her and to prove that she’s their fated mate. ..(more)..

IVORY’S FAMILIARS by Montana Ash

Ronan, Vaughn, and Seth are witches’ familiars – sharing their souls with the black panther. The three of them are predators, born to be companion and protector to their witches. Over the generations, their coven’s numbers have dwindled to the brink of extinction. With no witch left to serve, they now work as bodyguards. None of them are prepared for the powerful connection they have with their newest client. She isn’t a witch – they sense no magic in her. But could she be something else entirely? Something none of them believed was even possible? Their mate.

Ivory is used to taking care of herself – she’s been alone for a long time. But when gifts from a secret admirer take a sinister turn, she admits she may need a little help. She isn’t counting on a trio of sexy men showing up on her doorstep after hiring private security. And she definitely isn’t expecting the instantaneous attraction she has to not just one, but all three of them. Her instincts urge her to trust, even as her head warns her to be cautious. For one tiny slip could expose her for what she truly is; a witch.

FREEING HIS MATE by Nancy Corrigan

I swore I’d never rejoin Shifter Affairs. I was done with the bureaucracy and the rules that stopped me from exacting my own brand of justice. Then a promise to solve a cold murder pulls me right back in.

I shouldn’t complain. The case leads me to a skittish female who triggers every primitive instinct I possess. We click. Instantly. Just like it’s supposed to be between true mates.

The only problem? Mya’s already taken. She’s also already a mother. And she’s pregnant again.

I’m too late.

I should walk away. Getting involved with Mya could cost me my head. My instincts won’t let me. Mya’s in trouble, forced into an abusive relationship for the babies she can conceive.

Not any longer. My true mate has a choice, even if the law says she doesn’t. And if it takes my death to free Mya, so be it.

PULSE by Danielle Koste

VS Note: Evidently this was a much enjoyed Wattpad story.

Rowan Platts is addicted to success.

When she’s presented with the chance to work on a top secret project fronted by her idol, renowned virologist Dr. Margot Miller, Rowan signs her life away without second thought. The realization she’s gotten in over her head comes only after the subject of their study is revealed: a boy with a bad attitude and an uninhibited taste for human blood.

He’s a medical anomaly. Having the ability to crush metal with his bare hands and hear a heartbeat from across the room, it would make Rowan’s career if she was the one to discover what made him so unusual.

Easier said than done, with a subject who prefers snapping necks over answering questions.

THE FORGOTTEN BOOK by Mechthild Glaser

VS Note: Teen and YA but sounded interesting. Translated from the German.

Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she’s convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon.

As it turns out, Emma hasn’t seen anything yet. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going Emma’s way: anything she writes in the book comes true.

But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn’t the only one who knows about it. Someone is determined to take it from her—and they’ll stop at nothing to succeed.

A new boy in school—the arrogant, aloof, and irritatingly handsome Darcy de Winter—becomes Emma’s unlikely ally as secrets are revealed and danger creeps ever closer.

SOMETHING TO HOWL ABOUT (AN ALPHAVILLE STORY) by Christine Warren

Dr. Annie Cryer has been called many things: Genius. Child prodigy. Scientific wonder.

Wolf Shifter.

Banished from her pack years ago, Annie’s lone wolf wandering has brought her to Alpha, Washington, home to all shifters who don’t quite fit in in the “normal” shifter word. Now Annie has the chance to go back home…if only she can make good on a favor her alpha owes the mayor of “Alphaville.” But it’s not much of a favor when you’re helping the hottest shifter in town…

Grizzly shifter Jonas Browning has a clan in trouble. They haven’t had a child born in over a hundred years…and their clan faces going completely extinct. Genetic scientist Anne Cryer has been sent to help save them. But what Jonas doesn’t count on is being irresistibly drawn to the small wolf shifter, and his bear isn’t about to let her go.

ALL THE WORLD’S AN UNDEAD STAGE (OFFBEAT CRIMES BOOK 6) by Angel Martinez

Carrington Loveless III, skim-blood vampire and senior officer of Philly’s paranormal police department, has long suspected that someone’s targeting his squad. The increasingly bizarre and dangerous entities invading their city can’t be a coincidence. So when a walking corpse spouting Oscar Wilde attacks one of his officers, Carrington’s determined to uncover the evil mind behind it all.

DON’T COSPLAY WITH MY HEART by Cecil Castellucci

VS Note: OK, teen and maybe not even a romance but who can resist that title?

When Edan Kupferman dresses up like her favorite character, Gargantua, she feels tall and powerful. That’s important right now, because her family is a mess, her best friend is gone for the summer, her crush is confusing, and Edan’s feeling small and not sure which end is up. When Edan’s cosplaying, she can be angry, loud, and not the good girl everyone thinks she is. And when she’s at conventions, she feels like she’s found her own Team Tomorrow. But when her personal life starts to spiral out of control, Edan has to figure out whether she needs a sidekick, or if she has the strength to be the hero of her own story.

ELIZABETH’S WOLF (A NOVEL OF THE BREEDS) by Lora Leigh

VS Note: Normally I don’t cover re-releases here but this is my all time favorite of the Breeds’ series and I decided to buy this revised version to compare it to my original favorite. I know she’s also planning to (finally) release a new book in September with Cassie’s mate revealed after all these years of the series going on…

Special-Forces solider Dash has all but given up his will to live until an innocent letter from a little girl brings him back to life. Cassie writes to him every week, strengthening his resolve to recover from the devastating loss of his unit. But when the letters suddenly stop arriving, Dash instinctively knows Cassie and her mother are in critical danger.

Elizabeth and her daughter are on the run from a dark and bloody past that refuses to let them go. The stakes are too high for her to fall for this dangerous man who’s just walked into her life, but now more than ever she needs help.

Saving his mate and her daughter calls Dash’s beast to the forefront and transforms the lone wolf into an alpha protector—he becomes Elizabeth’s wolf.

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A snippet from AYDARR, my most recent release, which I’m proud to say is holding steady on the Amazon SFR Hot New releases list! Thanks, everyone, for the support!!!

As this snippet begins, Jill is speaking…

Buy Links: Amazon B&N Google Kobo iBooks

canva quote

***************************************

LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

********************************************

My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday December 20

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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DESTROYER (HIDDEN PLANET BOOK 1) by Anna Carven

VS Note: Yup, I promptly one-clicked!

A hair-raising ambush.
A malfunctioning ship.
A distant, uncharted part of the Universe.

Calexa Acura and her crew of misfits are lost, and their ship is in desperate need of repairs. When a massive spacecraft appears in their radius, they’re helpless to resist its magnetic pull.

The terrifying ship is bigger than any craft she’s seen in her life, and somehow, she doubts its occupants will turn out to be the friendly sort.

First Encounters are always better when they’re amicable, but if necessary, Calexa and her crew will fight.

It’s what they’ve always done.

ZERN (RATHIER WARRIORS) by Stella Sky

Dr. Lila Andrews is a survivor. Separated from the other humans on a terrible prison
planet, she has found that the best way to survive is to keep out of sight. It’s not that
she likes to be alone. She just tends to be uprooted or left behind. So it’s no surprise
when the huge, sexy Raither comes to the ship she is using for shelter and demands
that she leave.

Captain Zern Krechan is the strongest Raither in the army. Despite being fierce and
brave, he has always been a target, and is sent to the prison planet to retrieve the Raither
ship as a punishment. He takes the mission seriously…until an urgent desire is awakened
within him by the human female squatting on his ship. He knows immediately that he
wants to claim her, but what about his mission?

When Zern forces Lila to leave once and for all, she is abducted by a group of Raithers
gone bad. Zern is the only one who can save her, and he has to make a choice. Desert
his mission to save the human, or go home a hero?

KNOWING ZIP (CYBORG SIZZLE BOOK 11) by Cynthia Sax

VS Note: Not sure how I missed this on December 5th – a short in her terrific series – because I am sucxh a huge fan of her books!

Abducted by the warrior of her dreams.

Zip is the last of his friends to find his female, the one being meant for him. He isn’t certain she exists until he hears her voice over a transmission. A self-proclaimed systems deity, he researches his curvy little human and discovers she dreams of being abducted by a big, strong warrior. Zip plans to make his female’s fantasies come true.

Ryssa wants one gift for her birthing planet rotation—to be captured by a warrior, preferably a tall, muscular cyborg with black hair, gray skin, and brilliant blue eyes. When Zip arrives on her planet, claiming to be her male, Ryssa assumes one of her friends has ordered the experience for her, and throws herself into the encounter, losing herself in Zip’s hot kisses, sensual touch, dominant embrace.

When the fantasy fades, will their love survive?

Knowing Zip is a short companion story in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is meant to be read after Seeking Vector.

$mind the fracture$ MIND: THE FRACTURE (THE MIND SERIES BOOK 6) by Jenn Nixon

Sanjeeta Desai never thought anything would come of her promise to monitor the psychic population around town. Then two members of an online chat group go missing and one of her employees doesn’t show up for work. Using her unique gifts to investigate, Sanjeeta is shocked to learn the employee is missing and a psychic, too. When she contacts her mysterious benefactor to report the findings, she’s thrust into a dangerously complicated situation she may be key to solving.

Caelum has spent the last two thousand years watching and protecting the Earth and all its inhabitants. Since saving the planet and the MIND team during the Reckoning, Caelum has kept his distance until Dina Ranger’s dream infects a majority of the group. While tracing the source of the dream and the consequences it brings, Caelum meets Sanjeeta, the most powerful psychic he’d ever encountered and possibly the only person who can quiet his mind so he can stay focused and assist the team.

As pieces of the dream unravel and MIND begins to fall apart, Caelum and Sanjeeta grow closer despite the chaos surrounding them while the past, present, and future collide with deadly and cosmic implications that will alter the course of Human history forever.

BABY BUTTERFLY KISSES (PURPLE PEOPLE BOOK 3) by Rena Marks

The mates of Helian Six are protecting the refugee Puritans hiding on the planet Hesprii by pretending they are their visiting human cousins.

The males of Helian Six have welcomed a bounty hunter crew from their home planet of Freijia who have a mission to either return, or destroy those same Puritans.

Conflict wreaks havoc on the planet unless the males and females of Hesprii can keep the predators and prey separated. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of room for separation when the snipers fall for the ladies hook, line, and sinker.

Nor when the ladies decide to find poor fools to lose their virginity to.

IN THE BLOOD (METAHUMAN FILES BOOK 4) by Hailey Turner

VS note: Author states there is an HFN bordering on an HEA.

Captain Jamie Callahan is frustrated with his team constantly being at the mercy of the enemy in order to further the MDF’s goals. To make matters worse, his father’s political campaign is ramping up and Jamie’s every move is being watched by the media. He is acutely aware of all the eyes trained on him, his team, and Staff Sergeant Kyle Brannigan in particular. Meanwhile, Kyle would give anything to stay in the shadows, but he refuses to leave Jamie’s side, no matter the scrutiny. Staying out of the spotlight becomes impossible when their families are threatened and vital choices about their future together can no longer be ignored.

Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin and Agent Sean Delaney are enjoying their time together as a couple when Sean’s past catches up with him. As Alpha Team’s long-running mission gets derailed in the worst way possible, Alexei discovers the enemy is playing for keeps, and neither he nor Sean are in any position to beat the odds and win the game. As for Sean, he’s worried that even if they make it out alive, Alexei may never forgive him for giving into the enemy’s demands.

Manipulation is the name of the game, but Jamie is done playing by everybody else’s rules. So is the rest of Alpha Team, because if there’s one thing Jamie’s team knows? It’s that they’re a family—and you don’t mess with family unless you want to get hurt.

ARKVAR (NEW EARTH FLAMES BOOK 1) by Cara Wylde and Starr Huntress

When curvy, sexy, and happily-single Alison Page went out for a nice Friday evening in town, the last thing she expected was to be kidnapped by aliens. Now, she’s the only human on board of the spaceship Hesperia, and her only concern is… well, she has no clue, actually! Earth is gone. The only food available is blue. Oh, and the hot ship Captain, whose skin is just as blue as the food, is telling her crazy stories about how she’s special and can manifest anything she wants. With the power of her mind. Yeah, right!

Captain Arkvar had one job: wipe planet Earth off the face of the galaxy and move on. He failed. Saving the feisty, intriguing Alison Page from certain death will probably cost him his career, but he doesn’t care. She is his twin flame. And he’s determined to win her heart. All he has to do is study the mating rituals of Terra, use them to woo Allie, and then claim her as his own. The perfect plan. Except…

As an Unxendi, Ark has no chance of understanding the culture and traditions of Allie’s species. He’ll find out the hard way, while giving Allie countless reasons to laugh her head off. At least, she’s not depressed over the loss of her home anymore.

ASSASSIN’S BRIDE (CELESTIAL MATES BOOK 9) BY C J Scarlett

Having been on her own from an early age, Venice knew quite a bit about blending in and going unnoticed. Being homeless on a post-apocalyptic Earth was a difficult and dangerous way to live. She’s survived by flying under the radar, scoping out her surroundings and being careful who she trusted. Her best chance at a better life was relocating to the Maruvian home world. The insectoid warriors were hot, respectful to females and offering an all-expense paid ride aboard their battle cruiser.
Hitching a ride seemed like a no-brainer. Her talent for spinning an interesting story gained her quick popularity among the drones aboard the Maruvian vessel. Unfortunately, the only drone who really piqued her interest seemed too emotionally scarred to pursue a relationship.

After being controlled and abused by their vicious former queen, Haden no longer trusted his instincts and abilities as a warrior. Their former queen fitted him with a transponder that robbed him of his own free will. He became a pawn in her quest to defeat the human queens who had freed him and his brethren. Forcing him to kill fellow warriors he thought of as brothers left him feeling helpless and dispirited.
Haden had problems even a bright, beautiful storyteller could not fix. This queen was not like all the rest. Her short spikey hair and large blue eyes warmed his soul. With her his awkwardness evaporated and he felt like a male falling in love.
A tragic accident leaves him more convinced than ever that those he around him are destined for destruction. However, when the human queens begin to fall sick with a virus that causes them to act like the evil queens of old, can he save them and in doing so save himself?

BARBARIAN’S PRISONER by Abella Ward

Life isn’t easy on Planet Tirron, especially when the paranoid psychopath of a king happens to be your brother. Luckily for Arana, the new prisoner that her brother has locked up in the dungeons is the most gorgeous guy she’s ever seen.

So when her brother’s paranoia and harsh punishments become unbearable, Arana knows exactly what to do: make a deal with the gorgeous prisoner. If she sets him free, he’ll take her away.

But like most things in life, not all goes according to plan…

And suddenly, Arana’s gone…

Arathor is a trained assassin who fights in the Death Pit during the day and is healed by Arana at night. He knows she’s his mate, but she can never be his. Arana has a gift that she doesn’t know about and that prevents them from ever being together.

But when the King offers Arathor his freedom in return for Arana’s head, Arathor must make a decision.

Will he betray Arana to set himself free? Will he give up his freedom for the only woman he loves?

CHALDOR by Thayer King

As the illegitimate daughter to the queen of Colony 15, Kiana has no interest in power or politics, yet she’s horrified by her mother’s cruelty. When her mother orders an injured warrior from another colony to be thrown out with the trash, Kiana implores her for the opportunity to heal him. Kiana does everything she can to save him—including pretending to take him as a lover.

Chaldor wakes up in the arms of a dark chocolate angel with addictive kisses. He’s willing to play the part of her pet. Kiana is the only good thing on C15 and he will take her with him when he escapes. She’ll be his forever—even if there are people dead set against them being together.

WITCHES WILD (BEWITCHING BEDLAM BOOK 4) by Yasmine Galenorn

Can you ever really trust ghosts from your past?

As the mist rolls off the ocean and into Bedlam, October brings with it all manner of haunts and spooks. But the mist doesn’t arrive alone. Fata Morgana returns from the depths of the ocean, bringing with her a message. One of the ancient vampires has risen. He’s coming for Maddy, and he’ll eliminate anybody who stands in his way. Now, the witches wild must band together one more time, if they can keep from destroying each other first.

THE SEA KING’S LADY: A SEVEN KINGDOMS TALE 2 by S E Smith

Jenny Ackerly is devastated when her best friend disappears without a trace, and she vows to continue looking for Carly until she can bring her friend home once and for all. During her latest search, her determination turns to horror when she sees a young boy running from an empty beach into the freezing sea. When the boy doesn’t resurface, Jenny’s protective instincts ignite and she rushes to save the child from certain death, swimming farther and deeper than she ever would have on her own, until she is caught in a powerful undertow. When Jenny resurfaces, she is in a magical, underwater world.
Orion is the powerful ruler of the Isle of the Sea Serpent and protector of the oceans, but time is running out for him. For hundreds of years, the Eyes of the Sea Serpent have been in his family’s possession, giving them power over the oceans, and now they have been stolen! Meanwhile, his oldest son’s bargain with the Sea Witch threatens to seal the fate of the merpeople—and possibly that of the Seven Kingdoms. The situation seems hopeless—until a fiery female from another world appears.
Can an unlikely alliance between Jenny and Orion save not only the life of a young boy, but the future of an entire kingdom? It will take their combined wits and strengths to survive the evil lurking in the depths of the ocean.

TANGLED IN TINSEL (DRAGON GUARD SERIES BOOK 27) by Julia Mills

It’s over the river and through the woods, and straight to Christmas hell for Chance Nichols. His twin has taken off on a mission to the Frozen North and most of the other Guardsman are cuddled up with their mates, so it’s up to Chance to get the Lair decorated before the snow begins to fall.

One trip to town for decorations and Happy Holidays has turned into Scary Grinchmas. According to the latest report, the North Pole is completely shut down. The elves have revolted, the reindeer have flown the coop, and Mrs. Claus is on strike – talk about up the proverbial tree without an extension cord.

Visions of sugarplums can’t fix this one. It’ll take a whole lot of dragon magic, sprinkled with fairy dust and tied together with yards of tinsel and garland.

BECOMING ELEMENTAL (THE FIVE ELEMENTS SERIES BOOK 1) by Ryann Elizabeth

Eighteen year old Breanna Hunter has always seen herself as just an awkward teenager with the unfortunate aptitude for winding up in crazy and unexplainable situations.

After tragedy strikes, she ends up on a path she never knew was possible. Bre hoped her first year of college would be a life-changing experience and a new start. She will soon discover just how transformative college can be.

After another dangerous encounter, she meets five alluring strangers who are not as they seem. Together they uncover the truth, she is like them. She is an Elemental. Through them she learns that the Elemental world is not only filled with magical gifts and bonding, but also demons and danger.

Bre and the guys need to work together to figure out where she came from while keeping her safe from those who want her dead.

THE BEAST WITHIN (CONVERSION BOOK 5) by S C Stephens

VS note: Vampires

Nika Adams has had a challenging year. She gave her heart to Hunter Evans, only to have him break it. But Nika refuses to give up hope. Not when there’s a chance she can save her true-love—even if she must save him from himself.

Julian Adams finally knows what he wants, and is truly happy. But when he gets mixed up in Nika’s suicide mission to save her wayward boyfriend, he begins to wonder if his dream girl can handle the dangerous life that comes with being an Adams.

SAVAGE KISS (SAVAGE SHIFTERS BOOK 2) by Milly Taiden

Sage Primrose dreams of the day she meets the man who will sweep her off her feet. She didn’t expect him to abduct her while she wore nothing but a towel. Why did bad men have to look oh, so good?

Feral Kincaid will do anything to protect his family. When a human female supposedly kidnaps his niece, he goes to get her, claws blazing. But the abductor turns into the abductee and suddenly he has to figure out how to apologize to the one woman he needs to forgive him: his mate.

This tiger isn’t used to romance in his life; he’s too busy protecting his pride from a rival determined to take his land. But Feral would gladly take on bad guys instead of trying to figure out how to romance a human female. Sage needs to watch out. Feral is hellbent on romance and his target is her.

CURSES AND CUPCAKES (THE HAPPILY EVERLASTING SERIES BOOK 6) by Michelle M Pillow

Marcy Lewis is cursed (honestly and truly) which makes dating very interesting. With a string of loser boyfriends behind her, she’s done looking for love in all the wrong places. That is until the new firefighter arrives in the sleepy seaside town of Everlasting. Nicholas Logan is unlike any other man she’s ever had in her life. When someone starts sending her photographs that raise a red flag it soon becomes apparent that she’s not just cursed, she’s in serious danger.

Nicholas doesn’t know what to make of the charismatic young woman managing the local coffee shop. As a string of mysterious fires begin popping up around town, the two unite in search of clues as to who or what is responsible, discovering along the way that things are very rarely what they seem to be.

GREENSLEEVES CHRISTMAS MAGIC by Stephanie Burke

Crown Prince Marcos Enric Sicilla just met the woman of his dreams… right before he was exploded and thrown out of a castle. Not the fairy-tale romance he was expecting this wintry Christmas Eve, but he can’t complain when his Lady of the Greensleeves herself is the one to rescue him.

There are plots following him, people out to kill him, and his lady is keeping a secret that is the stuff of fantasies and fiction. But in the end, every trap he faces will be worth it if it means he can keep his Lady of the Greensleeves.

SECRET JAGUAR (CURSE OF THE MOON BOOK 6) by Stacy Claflin

A cat has nine lives, but that doesn’t mean she should forfeit one of them.

Katya Pelletier is the practical, no-nonsense twin. She loves life as much as her sister, she just doesn’t seem able to enjoy it as much. While Alley is the life of the party and has boyfriends to spare, Katya can’t seem to attract anyone’s attention.

Until she meets Carter Jag.

Carter is the perfect male specimen. By all rights, he should be chasing after Alley. But to Katya’s surprise—and confusion—he’s only interested in her.

As their relationship progresses, something primal and passionate awakens in Katya. She’s introduced to and immersed in a whole world she never knew existed. A paranormal world. A world of antiquated ideas and imminent danger. Katya is a jaguar shifter, and her former “family” has come to claim their prize—her.

Katya joins Carter and his supernatural allies in the fight of her life—a battle to free her from her former family and their outdated ways. But will their power and magic be enough to save her from the life of violence and servitude the jaguars are determined to force on her?

DARK VAMPIRE: A POST APOCALYPTIC VAMPIRE ROMANCE (THE WICKEDEST WITCH BOOK 2) by Meg Xuemai X

I’m Archangel Gabriel. I won’t let my mate, the only female who matters to me, be doomed.

For my witch, I venture into the vampires’ lair and charm the wild princess who wants to make me hers.

But I soon learned the Wicked Witch isn’t one to tamper with. She doesn’t recognize me. Doesn’t know I’m her fated mate, but her eyes fall upon me and she allows no one else to touch me.

FORGOTTEN SILENCE (GREY WOLVES NOVELLA) by Quinn Loftis

This book needs to be read after book 10, The Burning Claw, in the Grey Wolves Series in order for the story to make sense.

Filthy. Disgusting. Unworthy trash. The same thoughts keep swirling in Sally’s mind. She’s broken and no one can fix her–not her friends, try as they might, and not her beautiful mate. She’d thought when Costin had rescued her from Jericho’s clutches, broken the spell the rogue werewolf had cast on her, and left the cur lying in bloody pieces on the floor of an Ocean Side bar, that one day she might find some peace. Perhaps, with time, she could forget the horrible things she’d done. Perhaps she could forget how she had betrayed her one true mate. Now, several weeks later, the memories and the nightmares have only grown stronger. Unbeknownst to Sally, though the magical bracelet that erased her memories was destroyed, the magical device deposited something sinister within the girl’s mind. Now, in a last ditch effort to find some sort of healing, Sally is being shipped off to her hometown–Coldspring, TX. Little does she know that surprises are awaiting her there that will shake the foundations of all she’s ever known. Will these new revelations be the key to eradicating the darkness that has taken root in the healer? Or will the secrets that are uncovered be too much for Sally to bear?

HER GUARDIANS by Piper Phoenix

Eve is a witch. Unfortunately, she’s a terrible witch. To make matters worse, she just happens to be the daughter of the most powerful witch on the planet, and she feels as though she’s failing to live up to her mom’s expectations.

When Eve needs a break from her controlling mother, she decides to move out, but she quickly finds out that life on her own isn’t at all how she’d imagined. Someone is after her, and she doesn’t know who or why.

Her four new guardians will have to do whatever it takes to protect her from the evil forces that are after her. But without Eve’s magic, will they be able to fight off the powerful magic that is threatening her life?

THE DRAGON’S SECRET BRIDE (DRAGON SECRETS BOOK 2) by Jasmine Wylder

Sizzling hot dragon shifter Bryant Chandler knows his determination. His mate is long gone and he has no plans to find another. Now he has sworn to protect the baby who will one day rule them all. No questions asked. But the day luscious Esther put her bounteous virgin curves in close proximity to him, all bets were off.

Esther Doran, an archeologist, has her own problems. She can’t find anybody to fund her dream dig, and is starting to think that life just doesn’t want to see her happy. Until she meets that hot dragon guard Bryant Chandler and sparks fly immediately.

And then, one drunken night ends with them being married.

Who cares if he’s the most delicious, gorgeous man she’d ever set eyes on? Love wasn’t in the plan.

But when Bryant’s rival finds out about Esther and decides that she’s the best way to take Bryant down, the two are forced together once more. And when a sexy dragon is the only thing standing between her and death, passions might just reach the boiling point.

DRAGON QUEEN’S CHRISTMAS WEDDING by Mina Carter

**Companion / slice of life story to “The Dragon Queen’s Fake Fiancé”**

She’s made the list, and checked it twice…

Cadeyra the White has finally found her soulmate in Sawyer Stone. The guests are invited, the chapel prepared for the Dragon Queen’s Christmas Wedding, because sometimes the best Christmas presents aren’t under the tree.

SNOW LEOPARD’S LADY (VETERAN SHIFTERS BOOK 1) by Zoe Chant

Mavis Williams is destined to be alone. Years ago, her ex kicked their daughter Nina out for being a shifter, and Mavis’ heart was broken. Now, she’s finally been reunited with Nina, and moved to beautiful Glacier Park…but she can’t let go of her guilt and grief. And there’s no one in her life to help.

Colonel Wilson Hanes, Marine and snow leopard shifter, has dedicated his life to the military, served in combat, and been promoted to a high-level job in Washington. After decades of service, he’s realized that when he retires, he has nothing to look forward to. He’s married to his job, and it’s too late for him to find a mate, let alone a family.

But when Wilson comes to Glacier Park for a wedding, he’s captivated not only by the rugged wilderness, but also by the quiet, graceful woman he meets there. And Mavis is shocked to feel a connection that she’d thought would never happen–with a man who understands the tragedies life can bring. Can Wilson show Mavis that love is nothing to fear? And what happens when Mavis’ ex starts to stir up trouble?

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And a reminder that I had a New Release earlier this month!

canva 3 photo ad

Buy Links: Amazon B&N Google Kobo iBooks

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

*********************************************

My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…

New Releases in #SciFi and#Fantasy Romance for Wednesday December 13

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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WAR GAMES (VALIANT KNOX BOOK 4) by Jess Anastasi

VS Note: I enjoy her books – added to my TBR List.

When one of her pilots is shot down behind enemy lines, Lieutenant Theresa Brenner will stop at nothing to save her before she’s captured and tortured, even if it means being part of the dirtside team led by Colonel Cameron McAllister. Bren might respect the way the colonel commands his men, but she’ll never trust Cam—no matter how charming he is—because he was responsible for her brother’s death.

Colonel Cameron McAllister has a covert mission behind enemy lines to team with the Ilari rebels and overthrow the bloodthirsty dictator who’s torn their planet apart. The last thing he needs is to get sidetracked searching for a downed pilot, especially since it means having Lieutenant Theresa Brenner tag along. Not only doesn’t the frosty pilot have the ground game to keep up with his seasoned group, she’s a potential distraction with all those gorgeous blond curls of hers—and she might be just like her brother, whose foolhardiness got his men killed.

CROWN OF DRAGA (DRAGA COURT SERIES BOOK 2) by Emma Dean and Jillian Ashe

The Draga Galaxy is on the brink of war and Adelina will do everything she can to help, including marrying a male the Crown chooses for her. Varan, the Prince of Thieves has made a move to start an official engagement and while she is falling for Prince Nash, Adelina knows she would accept Varan’s proposal.

Despite all this Adelina wants to do more for her people, and she sets out to find a way to help them fight back against a monster that devours and destroys galaxies with no thought to the consequences. Will she be able to find the answers before it’s too late?

THE INQUISITORS by Wendie Nordgren

Fear is weakness. Control is power.

He betrayed her parents, left her to be raised by a sadistic Earth Loyalist, had her abducted by his clones, and murdered one of her beloved husbands before her eyes. Now, he is trying to destroy the Parvac Empire from within. Many have tried and failed to capture the elusive Felix Jiri, but one man is determined to succeed.

The Inquisitors of the Parvac Empire deal in secrets, justice, and death. Feared for their ruthlessness and use of torture, they gather intelligence and punish lawbreakers, even if it means tracking an offender down across galaxies. Serving as judge, jury, and executioner, they must serve loyally without allowing their personal feelings to affect their judgement.

However, protecting Princess Teagan is personal, and Inquisitor Eli Beck will go to any lengths to bring Felix Jiri to justice, even if he must sacrifice his relationship with her to do it.

THE DRAGON’S BRAT (SHIFTERS OF KLADUU BOOK 5) by Pearl Foxx

Veronica Gideon has grown up a proper debutant. Intergalactic parties, socialite friends, and all the trappings of wealth and power. Attitude and privilege are her way of life until she’s forced to confront the underbelly of her father’s leadership by her charismatic, sexy guard with his own secrets—secrets that could get her killed.

Maxsym defied his Draqon hive leader to infiltrate the Zynthar International Space Station and kill Commander Gideon. But one woman threatens to derail his rogue mission, and she’s as beautiful as she is infuriating. Far from the safety of Kladuu and his hive, Maxsym must navigate a space station full of dangerous humans and his unexpected feelings for the bratty human woman with more depth than he expected.

STAY WITH ME (LAZARUS RISING BOOK 3) by Cynthia Eden

VS Note: This whole series is on my TBR List. I need more TIME!!!

Shelly Hampton intends to spend the holidays alone in her family’s mountain cabin, but when a snow-covered stranger appears on her door-step, her plans are shot straight to hell. The man before her seems oddly familiar, and he stirs a dark need within her.

It’s soon apparent that John Smith is far more than a normal man—he’s too strong, too fast, and she could swear that he seems to read her thoughts…and know her most secret desires.

But is John a man that she could love…or is he someone she should fear? Because even as the snow fall deepens, a deadly threat is closing in on her little cabin. And soon, Shelly will be trapped on the mountain with a dangerous man…a man who swears that he has come back from the dead, just to be with her.

THE BARBARIAN BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Ruby Dixon

The growing barbarian tribe is about to celebrate No-Poison Day – a time of love, laughter, and gifts. But all Elly wants is for her mate to be at her side before the brutal season arrives. All Bek wants is a way to quickly return to his female despite the mountains between them. Thanks to the talents of a newcomer…they’re both about to get their wish and celebrate the happiest of holidays together.

This novella features characters from prior Ice Planet Barbarians stories and DOES NOT stand alone.

SNOWED IN WITH THE ALIEN DOCTOR (WARRIORS OF ETLON) by Abigail Myst and Starr Huntress

She’s a cargo captain, finally out from under a man’s thumb. She’s footloose and fancy free with no one to answer to but herself. She’s not ready for strings Unfortunately, the handsome green alien doctor will accept nothing less.

Before colliding with Clover, Orth’s biggest challenge was deciding which female species to specialize in. Now his nose was telling him there was no other choice but Clover. The only problem is that she’s not interested in a lifetime. Can Orth win her heart and convince her that he’s worth spending forever with before it’s too late?

TAURIAN: ALIEN OF RENJER BOOK 2 by J S Wilder

When the lighting caught him, Prince Taurian of Renjer braced for travel, gripped by the piercing claws of the Demon-like Tryn on his back. When he awoke, his prey was gone – as was his true form. Instead, Taurian stood as a man, weak, naked… and staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

With two ex’s under her belt, Dena hasn’t had the best of luck with men. In fact, most of them just seem like over grown toddlers with a mean, monstrous streak… except Dena knows what real monsters are. She knows now that some legends and myths are based in fact – and there is something very odd about the man trespassing on her property.

Two species brought together by chance and time, their meeting seemed fated, yet their truth will rock the Universe…and challenge everything they think they know.

A DRACKON CHRISTMAS by Maia Starr

Noelle Evergreen knows the Christmas miracle she hopes for is impossible because
the one she loves is either lost, or dead. Years before they had a brief love but a
battle tore them apart never to find each other again. Now she lives in snowy New
York, watching the holiday environment with bittersweet feelings. But when a
chance work assignment sends her to his solar system, she finds hope that perhaps
she can find him, or find out if he is gone for good. It looks as though her Christmas
miracle might become a reality, if only she can find him.

An alien weredragon living without love…Captain Gavonn Viox lost the human female he was registered to marry long ago, but
he never forgot her. Now he lives an unfulfilled life, doing what a Drackon dragon is
supposed to do – fight in the battalions. So when he hears that his lost love is alive
and well, he can hardly believe the news. He must do everything he can to be with
her, and never separate from her again. The problem is, when he thought she was
gone forever, he moved on with his life. But he wants to be with his one true love
more than anything.

Now, if only he can figure out how to tell his wife…

MASON’S REGRET (WOLVES’ HEAT BOOK 8) by Odessa Lynne

Once every three years, humans become sexual prey to a species that has no control over the urge to mate because of a devastating attraction to human scent.

It’s been three years since Mason and his twin brother were caught inside the American Protectorate and held against their will by the aliens everyone calls “wolves.” Mason’s brother hasn’t been the same since, and neither has Mason.

Now heat season has come again, and for reasons Mason doesn’t understand, his brother has gone back into the protectorate—and he needs Mason’s help.

Mason’s past is full of mistakes, but leaving his brother to deal with trouble alone isn’t one he’s going to make again—no matter the cost. But when wolves start howling nearby, there’s only one sane thing to do: run.

Except the only path to safety is through a terrifying alpha wolf who wants to claim Mason as his mate.

RIZOR (ALIENS OF DRAGSELIS BOOK 5) by Zara Zenia

Carla is a space freighter and captain of a tow ship. Her last trip turned out to be a disaster when her first mate, who ended up being a Federation spy, gave up her location and got almost everyone killed. Carla came to Vaxivia and signed her crew to be transporters to and from the local asteroid mines.

Rizor is a royal prince of a new generation, similar to his uncles. But he is unfortunately half Infernian. He has had to fight for respect and opportunities all his life because of his blood line.

When Carla gets falsely accused of being a Federation spy, Rizor needs to figure out if he can trust her. The problem is that there were crucial data leaks that started around when Carla’s ship landed. As they work together, they start gaining a deeper attraction with one another.

Carla will need to give Rizor everything she can to help clear her name. Rizor needs to help solve this to show where own loyalties lie as well. Will they both get what they want?

ROCKET IN MY POCKET (CELESTIAL MATES) by Suki Selborne

VS Note: From November.

CRESTA: My day was going pretty well until I was abducted by aliens.

Who am I kidding? Things weren’t really going so great. My science career was failing, the Celestial Mates cherub was on my case, and I hadn’t had a date in years.

But being taken to a hostile planet to be impregnated with scorpion-bug larvae? That was a whole new level of suck-itude.

Luckily, things are looking up. I just got rescued by some hot alien dude in a military uniform. And he’s very easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean. Now we’re shooting through the stars, trying to find our way back to civilization.

If everyone could stop trying to kill us, things would be awesome.

HARKUS: This human female is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. She is a goddess. If I had to slay every alien in the galaxy to free her, I would. I am willing to destroy entire planets to keep my beloved safe. But not all fights are fair. If we make it out of this adventure alive, one thing is certain. We belong together. And nobody in this universe will tear us apart.

PRETTY VICIOUS by K S Merbeth

VS Note: Probably no romance but I do enjoy post apocalyptic tales so it caught my eye. Haven’t read it. Is listed as a short story.

In a lawless, post-nuclear wasteland, Dolly lives in relative comfort working as a prostitute. She’s got food and shelter, which is more than most have, but she wants to step out of the frying pan and into the fire, to break free and risk life on her own in the wastes.

She escapes with a gun, a knife, and the clothes on her back. She has no knowledge of how to survive in the outside world, but anything will be better than the half-numb life she’s leading.

But Dolly soon learns she’ll have to become as vicious as the wastes around her if she is to make her way alone in the darkness.

AMID THE WINTER SNOW by Jeffe Kennedy, Thea Harrison, Grace Draven and Elizabeth Hunter

VS Note: I’ve been waiting for this one! Some of my favorite authors 🙂

As the snows fall and hearths burn, four stories of Midwinter beginnings prove that love can fight its way through the chillest night…

THE DARKEST MIDNIGHT, by Grace Draven
The mark Jahna Ulfrida was born with has made her a target of the cruel and idle all her life. During the long, crowded festivities of Deyalda, there’s nowhere to escape. Until a handsome stranger promises to teach her to save herself…

THE CHOSEN, by Thea Harrison
In her visions, Lily sees two men fighting for her tiny country’s allegiance: the wolf and the tiger, each deadly, each cunning. One will bring Ys chaos and death, one a gentler path—but she’s destined to love whichever she chooses. The midwinter Masque is upon them, and the wolf is at her door…

THE STORM, by Elizabeth Hunter
When her soul mate died in a massacre of the half-angelic Irin people, Renata thought she’d never feel happiness again. She’s retreated to the snowy Dolomites to remember her hurts—until determined, irrepressible Maxim arrives to insist on joy, too. And before she can throw him out, they discover a secret the Irin have to know…

THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN, by Jeffe Kennedy
As a blizzard threatens their mountain keep, the new Queen Amelia of the Twelve Kingdoms and her unofficial consort Ash face their own storm. Ash knows a scarred, jumpy ex-convict isn’t the companion his queen needs. But when a surprise attack confines them together in their isolated sanctuary, the feast of midwinter might tempt even Ash into childlike hope.

WOLF MOON RISING (BEAUX REVE COVEN BOOK 3) by Delilah Devlin

Aoife is the flightiest of the sister witches, and she has a secret, one her mother warned her to keep close to her heart. Her father was a fairy–which explains her quirkiness and her affinity for flowers. She lives in a cabin on stilts that juts into the bayou, and one of her demon guardians is a werewolf. She’s attracted, but how would he feel if he married her, fathered a child, and that child disappeared into the land of the fae? Desperate to find a solution to her dilemma, she flees her guardian’s protection. Her last hope is to enlist her father’s help. Plead her case. Her happiness, and that of her one true love, Sigurd, depends on whether she can escape this fairy curse.

WHEN A LIONESS GROWLS (A LION’S PRIDE BOOK 7) by Eve Langlais

A trip to paradise. A mystery to solve. And a seriously uptight dude who doesn’t know how to smile.

Stacey’s been intrigued by Jean Francois since the moment she first saw his granite countenance. Then when she found out he could fly… She never was one to leave her four feet on the ground. While she might act like a princess, adventure is her middle name.

Under orders from her king, she drags poor JF along with her to an exotic location in search of answers. On the way, they find danger—fun—clues to unravel—stupendous—and a fiery lust that even he can’t resist.

But when it comes to getting the man to make a commitment, this fiery-haired lioness is ready to growl. What will it take to make him admit he cares? Handcuffs come to mind.

NAUGHTY BEASTS by Various

Naughty Beasts: Shifters, Vamps, and Gargoyles, Oh My! includes fifteen Shapeshifter, Vampire, and Gargoyle romance stories from bestselling authors writing as The Naughty Literati!

DRAGON GUARDIAN (IMMORTAL DRAGONS BOOK 5) by Ophelia Bell

Time is of the essence. But is it friend, or foe?

For Aodh, the answer is clear. Trapped in a magical prison on an island thousands of years in the past, time has become his enemy. The only person who can save him is Neph, an old lover he didn’t exactly part on good terms with who is also one of the twin leaders of the nymphaea.

Neph, however, has a different view of time. Time is what allows him to court Vrishti, Aodh’s fated mate and a powerful ursa princess. But as long as she remains a virgin, her true power will remain trapped inside her. It’s practically Neph’s duty to help her unleash it.

They’ll need her power for the coming war. Their mortal enemy looms ever closer. Every strategy is fair game now, not just on the battlefield–but in love as well.

For the first time in Neph’s and Aodh’s storied history, sharing a third might just be the charm.

KIDNAPPED BY THE DRAGON HAREM by Savannah Skye

Four very bad boys, one ill-advised Christmas wish…what’s a girl to do?

Eleanor Maxwell loves her job at the daycare center and can’t wait to become a full-fledged teacher. But when a sexy stranger propositions her, she can’t help but wonder if she’s played it too safe all these years. Just when she’s considering throwing caution to the wind for a night of passion, the matter is taken out of her hands as she’s swept away by a clan of dragon shifters claiming they need a mate…and she’s it!

HIS SOUL TO KEEP by Rachel Leigh Smith

To save his soul, he risks condemning the world.
Boulder pride security chief Gabe Kincade is losing his mind. It’s the only explanation for remembering a past life in ancient Egypt as one of Maahes’s warriors. Meeting a gorgeous scientist his jaguar says is his mate is a complication he can’t afford—and can’t resist. Ares is after him, and if the god catches him, he’s dead. Again.

Wildlife geneticist Autumn Dailey has spent the last fifteen years tracking big cat DNA. She’s on the verge of a huge discovery, and the key might be in the samples from her cougar population study. Being kidnapped by people who turn into cougars proves she’s found her something huge. Gabe Kincade showing up and promising to protect her from an unhinged alpha is an unexpected bonus. So is falling in love with him.

But Ares knows who Gabe really is and what he can do. The Greek god of war will do anything to take possession of his soul. Including using his past life to destroy his future. To save Autumn, Gabe has to save himself. No matter the cost.

Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo

CADMIUM DRAGON (DRAGON GUARD OF DRAKKARIS BOOK 2) by Terry Bolryder

The Cadmium dragon has found his mate, and now he’s on the hunt. The hunt for things to buy online so he has an excuse to see the curvy delivery woman that brings him his packages. And when a chance occurrence gives him the opportunity to get to know her better, he springs into action to show her just how much a dragon can offer—inside the bedroom and out.

Casey can’t help enjoying each fleeting moment she gets at her last stop on her delivery route. Who wouldn’t? The man she sees is tall, ripped, and has charm for days, even if he goes by the strange name “Cadmium”. So when her truck breaks down and help is nowhere to be found, she follows her heart, and lets Cadmium take her in for the weekend.

As it turns out, it’s going to be a weekend Casey will never forget, filled with fun, romance, crazy antics, and spine-tingling sex. But not everything is perfect, and Cadmium knows he has a lot to explain. Like the fact that he’s a dragon. And as their time together quickly runs out, both will have to determine how far they’re willing to go to follow their hearts.

TO CATCH A PRINCE (AGE OF GOLD BOOK 2) by May Sage

A power has risen in the lands, a dark shadow no one seems to understand. As the newest Enchantress, Talia knows her duty lies in finding it.
But she’s failed the bonds of blood once, looking away as her sister was continuously abused; she can’t leave while she can be of use to her. Especially since she may never come back.

Vincent, the playful, bashful Prince of the Dragon Realm, knows a thing or two about concealing a dark secret behind pretty smiles; he can tell the frighteningly powerful Talia is hiding something, and he fully intends to find out what.

THE REMAKING OF CORBIN WALE by Roan Parrish

Last month, Alex Barrow’s whole life imploded—partner, home, job, all gone in forty-eight hours. But sometimes when everything falls apart, better things appear almost like magic. Now, he’s back in his Michigan hometown, finally opening the bakery he’s always dreamed of. But the pleasure of opening day is nothing compared to the lonely and beautiful man who bewitches Alex before he even orders.

Corbin Wale is a weirdo. At least, that’s what he’s heard his whole life. He knows he’s often in a fantasy world, but the things he feels are very real. And so is the reason why he can never, ever be with Alex Barrow. Even if Alex is everything he’s always fantasized about. Even if maybe, just maybe, Corbin is Alex’s fantasy too.

When Corbin begins working at the bakery, he and Alex can’t deny their connection any longer. As the holiday season works its magic, Alex yearns for the man who seems out of reach. But to be with Alex, Corbin will have to challenge every truth he’s ever known. If his holiday risk pays off, two men from different worlds will get the love they’ve always longed for.

GIFTED CONNECTIONS by S M Olivier

Blake knew she was different for a long time, but she had lived in denial for too long. Living in reprehensible conditions, she didn’t think she had any hope of getting out anytime soon, with her half sister. It wasn’t until she was confronted by her music teacher and series of events that she was forced to face reality. She was gifted with a special power and with the help of the new men that entered her life she would learn to control them. At least she hoped she did before her idealistic new life was torn apart by a man determined to use her powers for his own gain.

THE FIVE (AIRSHAN CHRONICLES BOOK 1) by Nhys Glover

Flea wasn’t sure what was worse, that the Goddess of All Creation wanted her to save the world from a primordial evil about to be released from the underworld, or that She’d decreed Flea must forge a loving bond with four magical sons to do it.

Not that she didn’t think she was brave enough. She was. But she only had her mind-reading magic and some fighting skills to call on. How either could help her against a creature without a mind or a body, she didn’t know.

Then there was the idea of marrying four strangers… all right, three strangers and her best friend, Zem. Flea didn’t even like sex! Being raped at fourteen can do that to a girl. And if she could manage the marriage bed, there was even worse to consider—finding a way to love them all and get them to love her. After all, she wasn’t Airsha. She wasn’t a compassionate, caring and lovable person. She barely knew what love was. And this was one situation she couldn’t con her way out of, or through.

So, basically, with all things considered, the world didn’t have a chance if it was depending on her to save the day. The Goddess really got it wrong this time!

PURRFECT SANTA by Jessie Lane and Chastity Bowlin

A woman afraid to love …Nikki knows what it is to lose those you love. With her focus on her orphaned sister, she hasn’t given herself the chance to process her own grief over the loss of their parents. Life is chaos and the last complication she needs is a mate.

A lion alone for too long …Joe Miller knows chaos. Being orphaned as a child, he’s never had a family to call his own. Crashing with a friend for the holidays, he’s hoodwinked into playing Santa Claus at a local mall. The last thing on his mind is finding a mate.

A love worth the risk …With her baby sister on her hip, sadness in her eyes, and a longing in her heart, Nikki waits in line with her sister to see Santa. From the moment he scents her, Joe is in deep. It’s going to take everything he has to convince Nikki the love outweighs the risk to her heart. Luckily for Joe, he has fate and Nikki’s adorable baby sister on his side. After all, who can say no to the Purrfect Santa at Christmas?

MIST’S EDGE (THE BROKEN LANDS BOOK 2) by T A White

The pathfinder, Shea, has chosen to make a place for herself among her former captors, leaving behind her people and the life she once knew. However, not all welcome this outsider in their midst. Shea will find that surviving alone in the wilderness is child’s play next to navigating the politics that come with her new position. Especially when it becomes evident that there are those out for her blood.

As a new danger looms on the horizon, Shea and her warlord will need all the allies they can find. Because something is stirring in the barren lands from which all beasts are born. Something old and not seen since the last cataclysm.

Can Shea protect her people from this new threat or will it be the dangers from within her own inner circle that destroy her?

SCARLET’S DILEMMA (SHIFTING CROSSROADS BOOK 45) by Zenina Masters

VS Note: A RED PANDA on the cover! Oh noes, must read this – I LOVE red pandas.

Scarlet is content to be the product of two very different cultures and slightly oddball parents. She has her job, her home, and her family so why would she want anything else?

The wild magic in her veins is looking for an outlet, and it wants to bring for the next generation.

With no prospects in her area, the Crossroads is offered as a chance to find a mate, so Scarlet packs light and heads out to seek the man she hasn’t even thought about.

Hiro is an architect doing design work for the Crossroads as he has for years. When he sees the lady with brilliant hair dismissing an eager suitor with the deft twist of her wrist, bringing the idiot to his knees, Hiro knows that he wants to find out what brought her to the Crossroads, even if he can’t offer it to her.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HUNT (THE HAPPILY EVERLASTING SERIES BOOK 5) by Mandy M Roth

As a centaur, Deputy Jake Majoy (Deputy March) is immortal, and has seen and done a lot in his five hundred years. Enough to know that Everlasting feels like home. It’s been perfect for him to fade away and blend in; you see, the town is anything but normal—and the locals protect their own. So when a newcomer ends up in their midst, at the same time things go missing around town, it’s his duty to step in to restore law and order. But the pull he feels to the woman is anything but part of the job.

Kelsey Gibbons has (literally) followed all the signs leading to Everlasting, Maine. There is a great power at work, drawing her to the tiny seaside town. She’s hoping Everlasting will be a safe place to ride out the storm engulfing her personal life while she works to unravel the mystery of who sent her a mysterious pendant and a bus ticket. When her arrival coincides with an uptick of crime, it becomes very clear that the chaos has only just begun. And when a hunky man in uniform shows up on the scene, it’s all she can do to focus on finding answers.

When the truth about Everlasting is revealed, Kelsey learns she’s not so alone in the world and she’s braver than she thought—not to mention, she’s destined for a hot dude who can shift into a horse.

Can she and Jake beat the clock…and the evil that has come back to town?

GRIZZLY PERFECTION (ARCADIAN BEARS BOOK 6) by Becca Jameson

The scent of her mate was in the air…When Adriana lifted her head and scented her mate for the first time, the world stopped spinning. She’d never met him, but she knew exactly who he was. Nolan Osborn. He was right outside. And then he wasn’t.

He could not risk her life…Nolan’s heart skipped a beat as he stepped from the car. He had no idea who belonged to the scent that would change his life, but he couldn’t risk meeting her tonight. His life was in danger. He would not risk hers as well.

But he was not her only option…When Reid got the call that his best friend needed him, he didn’t hesitate. Nolan’s mate was in danger, and she needed a bodyguard. It was an easy job. And then it wasn’t. This could not be happening.

Grizzly shifters mated in pairs.

Why would Fate put two men in Adriana’s path, forcing her to choose?

LOVE BEYOND WORDS (MORNA’S LEGACY SERIES BOOK 9) by Bethany Claire

Laurel’s life bears no resemblance to the love stories she writes. While handsome heroes are easy to imagine, they’re much more difficult to find. Years of bad dates with creepy men have left her feeling cynical toward all things related to love. When she and her best friend find themselves caught up in Morna’s meddling magic and are transported to seventeenth century Scotland, Laurel meets a man who threatens to change her attitude toward matters of the heart.

After two years away, Raudrich returns to his home on The Isle of Eight Lairds to resume the duty he’s pledged his life to. When he arrives, he finds an out-of-time lassie asleep in his bed. The woman intrigues him, and it doesn’t take long before she captures his heart. But something inside causes her to resist her feelings. If only he could help her love herself, perhaps she would have room in her heart to love him in return.

As their feelings grow, so does the strength of an evil held captive beneath the castle—an evil that will do anything to escape.

Will Laurel open herself up to the possibility of love? If she does, can she find the power within herself to outwit the evil she’s destined to face?

BRAVE (A WICKED TRILOGY BOOK 3) by Jennifer L Armentrout

Ivy Morgan hasn’t been feeling like herself lately. Not like anyone can blame her. After all, being held captive by a psychotic fae prince hell-bent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld is bound to leave some mental scars.

It’s more than that, though. Something dark and insidious is spreading throughout Ivy, more powerful than she could ever imagine… and it’s coming between her and the man she’s fallen deeply in love with, elite Order member Ren Owens.

Ren would do anything to keep Ivy safe. Anything. But when he makes a life altering choice for her, the fallout of his act has far reaching consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart.

If Ivy is going to have any hope of surviving this, she must put aside the hurt and betrayal she feels, and work with not only those she loves, but with an enemy she would rather kill than ever trust. War is coming, and it soon becomes clear that what Ivy and Ren thought they knew about the Order, themselves, and even their enemies, has been nothing but a cluster of dangerous, deadly lies.

Ivy knows she must be more than just brave to save those she loves–and, ultimately, to save herself.

Because behind every evil fae Prince, there’s a Queen.

HOLIDAY MAGIC by Various

Make this winter magical with 6 BRAND NEW Holiday romances.

This Holiday Season SIX amazingly talented and bestselling authors come to together in this collection of Holiday Magic with vampires, witches, shifters, and humans.

Tis the season for a paranormal and contemporary romance anthology with a touch of magic everyone will fall in love with.

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And just a reminder of my own scifi romance New Release from last week!

canva promo with nightgown

Buy Links: Amazon B&N Google Kobo iBooks

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

Also, I may include only the beginning of the book blurb…

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday November 29

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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VS note: Last week the CJ Cade GREAT SPACE RACE book wasn’t released by the time I put my post together, but here it is today!

STARSHADOW (THE GREAT SPACE RACE) by CJ Cade

This Tygress is in a race for her life… in more ways than one.

Tygean Mia Jag has grown up in the shadow of her famous older brother. But in Octiron’s Great Space Race, she sees a chance to prove herself a space navigator as talented as he.

Partnered with a stranger to make the difficult and dangerous race in an unknown star system? No problem–she’ll simply use her Tyger charm to beguile her partner into doing things her way, and her Tyger senses to guide them to a sure win.

But when her partner for the race is announced, her plans are sucked into a black hole.

Instead of one of the more easily managed races, her partner is from one of the most feared and little known–an Aurelian. Ferocious and warlike, they rule their isolated quadrant of the stars without mercy, refusing to join the InterGalactic Alliance or allow diplomatic missions to cross their borders.

And Aurelian Prince D’Arek A’Renoq looks like he could give lessons in laying waste to opponents–starting with her.

Worst of all, she’d probably enjoy it.

ROGUE: GALACTIC GLADIATORS BOOK 8 – A NOVELLA DUO by Anna Hackett

VS Note: Fun to have two stories set in the Galactic Gladiator world!

Information Rogue: arrogant information merchant Zhim doesn’t know what hits him when he collides with feisty human hacker Ryan.

Rescued by the humans and gladiators from the House of Galen, Ryan Nagano is working hard to piece her life back together. Her priorities are conquering her anxiety, recovering from her captivity, and using her exceptional computer skills to help the House of Galen decrypt alien data that could reveal the location of other abducted humans. That’s all she’s focused on. But when she needs help, she finds herself having to work with arrogant genius Zhim…and discovers that the two of them redefine the word explosive.

Zhim thrives on the need to uncover information and ensure his wealthy, carefully constructed life is exactly as he wants it. Then one infuriating menace of a woman blasts into his life. Ryan matches him skill for skill, drives him crazy, and worms her way under his skin. But forced to take her deep into Kor Magma’s shadowy hacker underworld, Zhim soon learns exactly what he’s willing to risk to keep Ryan safe.

Desert Rogue: prickly, independent human Neve doesn’t want or need any help…but a certain cocky desert rogue isn’t taking no for an answer.

Neve Haynes survived her abduction through grit and determination. She’s always made her own way through life, depends on no one, and is determined to achieve her own personal mission. So as she sneaks out of the House of Galen, the last thing she needs is help in the form of a tawny-haired, lean-hipped caravan master with more confidence and swagger than any man she’s met before.

Corsair is a man of the desert and leader of the Corsair Caravan. He listens to his gut and something about Neve draws him in. He can’t let her go off and get herself killed, but she’s the most skittish, strongest woman he’s ever met. As they trek deep into the desert on a dangerous mission to find a map to an infamous desert arena, they will fight side by side and be forced to depend only on each other to survive. And in Carthago’s desert sands, they will uncover a desire that burns hotter than the desert sun.

SNOWED IN WITH THE ALIEN PIRATE by Starr Huntress and Aerin Caldera

When Captain Jenny De Rue’s ship is commandeered by the intergalactic police to transport a dangerous fugitive to a secure prison, she’s only concerned that her perfectly boring drop mission is going to be delayed and her crew will lose out on their delivery bonus.

But when the mouthwatering seven foot alien pirate wrapped in chains stepped onto her ship, she never thought finishing her drop mission would be the last thing on her mind.

Or that she’d secretly follow him into the brig.

Or that in the midst of the most mind-blowing orgasm ever, he’d use her to break out of prison and take her with him as a hostage down to the frozen planet of Ca’ana.

Or that being snowed in with this alien pirate would be the most erotic experience of her life.

MAID IN STONE by Viola Grace

Life started awkwardly and became a game of survival for Kiala. Hunted by the Assassins Guild for her parents’ illicit union, their little family ran from planet to planet until Ki put her foot down. She performed the entry exam for the Assassins Guild and sold her services to them for five years.

When her years as a bodyguard were up, she tried to work as an auditor, an investigator, and attempted to find her place in world without danger around every corner. The Citadel made her an offer, and she agreed to time as a sidekick to a recruiter.

When the contract is up, she is given another choice, another chance and another fresh start. Seeing a familiar face is the first shock of many as she works as a Citadel liaison in Nyal space.

DRAGON’S TAMING (RED PLANET DRAGONS OF TAJSS BOOK 7) by Miranda Martin

They see me as broken, but it’s up to me to save them all.

They keep me locked away, too dangerous to be free, because they don’t see what I do. They don’t know the truth like I do.

I was stopped from accomplishing my mission before but I can’t fail. The fate of our entire planet, of every human and Zmaj both, rests in my hands.

It was easier before she came. Kind words, soft touch, she’s awakened my dragon. Temptation rises every time she’s near. Do I give in to desire or hold true to my path?

I’ll find a way to make her mine and save us all. I have to, it’s all on me.

STAR KEEPER (LEGACY HUNTER BOOK 2) by Chris Heinicke and Kate Reedwood

Axel Ryan is running for his life.
Pursued by bounty hunters with a price on his head, he should disappear into the stars to hide and continue his search for Stardrives. But his soulmate, Element Cruz, has resurfaced and after spending the last six months searching for her with no luck, finding her again is worth gambling his life. She’s putting her own in danger by infiltrating an illegal slave auction where the Star Keeper of Endaria is being sold; a woman with empathic abilities, worth more credits then Axel can legally gather.
It should be an easy mission. Crash the auction, save his girl, and fly off into the galaxy to live happily ever after together. But the universe has another destiny in store for Axel, one he’ll need to embrace to save them all, or die trying.

ZANDIAN PET by Renee Rose

Taramina could survive slavery, even as a pet in Prium’s Intergalactic Emporium. She always knew she’d escape.

She just didn’t know escape would come in the form of a powerful handsome male of her own species. Especially one whose rough handling incites a fever in her she hasn’t felt before.
But she intends to make a fresh start, which means severing ties with the dominant Zandian who once held her collar and a leash. The male who knows just how to master her.

No, she can’t be his pet. Not after what she’s been through.
So why does she keep coming back for more?

MATED TO THE DRAGON PRINCE by Abella Ward

Eyrl is the first Stlozyn male in a thousand years to be heir to the throne of Bronæl. But the government wants him mated first. Eyrl knows one thing for sure: he wants a human. Now, where to find her?

All Lily wants to do is dance. But when she gets badly injured, her one chance is to go to the stars to have it fixed. No problem. All she has to do is sign up for a program to be matched to a dragon. Who happens to be a prince. Oh, and the hottest creature in the universe.

When Eyrl’s beast eyes see Lily, his fires flare. Yes, she’s beautiful, but no, that doesn’t mean he’ll ever love her. What is love anyway? Just another emotion that makes otherwise sane people do stupid things. All she needs to do is marry him and produce babies.

But when Lily is taken from him, Eyrl finds out there’s only one thing that matters to him.

He’ll search for her until she’s back safely in his arms.

Even if it costs him his throne.

CLAN AND CONSCIENCE (CLAN BEGINNINGS BOOK 6) by Tracy St John

Fighting murderous enemies. Battling each other. It’s the perfect recipe for romance, Kalquorian-style.

On the surface, young Dramok Ospar has it all: money, prestige, power. Yet what he dreams of most is outside his grasp. His drive to prove himself has left him lonely, with no one to turn to…except the Nobek bodyguard who is decidedly unimpressed with his accomplishments. Oh, and there’s the matter of the local crime syndicate trying to kill him too.

Nobek Jol faces his worst security assignment ever: guarding the most irritating Dramok to draw breath. It’s not that Ospar isn’t handsome, intelligent, brave, and charitable. It’s just that he’d be so much better gagged into silence.

Temple of Life priest Imdiko Rivek wishes for inner peace and total enlightenment. He knows he won’t find it in the lethal world Ospar and Jol inhabit. However, fighting the allure of the pair to achieve perfect tranquility is proving to be more difficult than he could have imagined…plus the fact that their enemies think he’s the perfect target to bring Ospar and Jol to heel.

A MOST UNSUITABLE MATE by Carolyn Faulkner

I am expected to breed.
As I am the heir to the throne, Princess of Aristol,
Having children is my royal responsibility.
I would prefer to be nestled in the library with a good book.
It is no secret that I have little choice but to accept my role.
My nefarious sister chose Prince Vallon, an alien, as a suitable companion.
His outrageous tales of being from a planet where men are in charge,
And women are kept in line by means of corporal punishment,
Have me intrigued.
His words captivate me…
But is he as dominant as I desire him to be?

AEON FUGITIVE (SENSUAL ABDUCTION SERIES BOOK 2) by Amelia Wilson

Sarah finds herself millions of lightyears from home, held captive on the Aeon planet. The Aeons are a race of psychic aliens, hell bent on destroying their enemies, the Zaytarians. To do that, they need their doomsday weapon, which can only be run by the crystal Sarah has worn on a necklace around her neck for years.

Unable to handle the crystal themselves, the Aeons are forced to keep Sarah alive, at least until they’re ready to strike against their enemies. Gar meanwhile teams up with Adam, another human lost to the stars like his new love, and he heads across the galaxy in hopes of finding Sarah and saving her before the Aeons can harm her.

Will Gar find Sarah in time? Will the crystal be used to power the super weapon against the Zaytarians? Can Sarah survive on a strange planet where every creature and beast seems to be out for her blood? And most importantly, if Gar does find Sarah, how in the world are they going to get off of a hostile planet?

DECLAN (SECOND WAVE BOOK 6) by Mikayla Lane

It was supposed to be an easy mission. Find a mythical city and the flower that could save his family. Declan T’Alq had hoped it wouldn’t take long, and he could join his brothers in training for space combat, but nothing had gone as planned.

She was a legend and a brutal warrior that few could match in skill. Yet, her isolated life left her completely unprepared for the large man who shouldn’t have been able to find her home or invade her heart.

Caught between opposing duties and honor, the two must find a way to compromise or the consequences could destroy everything they both love.

WYVERN’S OUTLAW by Deborah Cooke

Ryke wants nothing more than to escape the space pirates of the Gloria Furore and go home to his young son. He’s pretended to share their views and has worked his way up the ranks to co-pilot of the Armada Seven, commanded by the most vicious space captain of all. The capture of Princess Anguissa and her ship, the Archangel, is a moment of triumph for his superior—except that Anguissa never plays by anyone’s rules. In a flash of dragon fire, she incinerates most of the crew and takes command of the Armada Seven. Ryke is spared, but he’s not sure why—what plans does the beautiful dragon princess have for his future? And what will she demand to grant his wish of returning home?

CYBEREVOLUTION VIII: THE REVOLT by Kaitlyn O’Connor

With unrest escalating into outright revolt as rumors surface that more humans will be laid off and replaced with cyborgs and a total recall already in progress, the company scurries to cover up their crimes–by whatever means necessary.

Tabitha is caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately, she has her bodyguard Raathe CHS300, her pleasure droid, Caleb, and the cyborg med tech, Korbin to help her escape. But it does cross her mind to wonder if they’re rescuing her or if she’s their captive.

TRISTAN: INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY (GREENVILLE MAIL ORDER BRIDES BOOK 6) by V Vaughn

Everything Cassie Nichols hoped for in life has finally fallen into place. She’s madly in love with her sexy alien husband Tristan, has a client who will make her a partner at her law firm and a baby on the way. But her perfect life falls apart in an instant when she’s taken to the hospital and discovers she has to be on bedrest until her child is born. The condition puts her job in jeopardy, and threatens the financial stability of her family. To make matters worse a startling discovery about Tristan is made. One that could land him in jail. As Cassie tries to save everything she’s worked so hard to get she discovers she can’t do it alone. But can she find a way to trust the Tristan she thought she knew?

RAFAROY (THE CYBORGS REBORN BOOK 2) by TJ Quinn

VS Note: A number of reviews on book 1 of the series note typos and a need for more editing. As always, sample for yourself. I have not read either book.

Earth was attacked by the Taucets, an alien race, determined to steal the planet from us. Forced to fight against a powerful enemy, humans created the cyborgs: enhanced human warriors, but they soon forgot about the human part of these powerful warriors.

Enslaved by the humans and forced to act against their will, the cyborgs quickly rebelled and started to escape the human’s oppression. Rafaroy is one of them..(more)….

ORC IN WINTER by Melisse Aires

VS Note: I’ve been reading snippets and enjoying them – he’s sure a different Orc!

Morwenna, a widow with an infant son, agrees to hide and nurse a poisoned Orc as a service to the Queen. The Orc was human as a boy, turned by a bite into an Orc. For her help, the Queen will give her an estate in the North, not far from Morwenna’s childhood home.

As she gets to know Sherrow, she realizes he is a good man, not a monster. Sherrow heals enough to journey north before winter weather keeps them from traveling. The caravan they join is in the hands of rebels, and they must get away.

Sherrow has secrets — He is not as weak as he pretends, he has Orc magic, and he is in love with Morwenna.

FORGED IN FIRE by C J Bahr

Beth Leighton moved to Scotland to marry the love of her life. But then he betrays her and she is fatally shot. However the Archangel Remiel interferes, and she awakes to find herself in 18th century England. Alive but confused and lost, she wants to go home. Despite a roguish and handsome highwayman.

Christopher “Kit” Locke is haunted by his past mistakes and lives on danger’s edge, not caring if he lives or dies. He will leave that choice to Fate. Intrigued by the spirited Beth, he is drawn from his spiraling descent and is enlisted to help steal an evil artifact, the Viper’s Eye, a demonic soul-stealing jewel.

While the Archangel and the Duke of Hell battle it out, both Beth and Kit must also fight evil. When the stone seeks Kit’s soul can Beth’s love keep him from falling victim to the Viper’s Eye or will she lose Kit to Hell’s fire?

VIXEN’S FATED MATE (ARCTIC SHIFTERS BOOK 4) by R E Butler

Mire, the Vixen position on the sleigh team, has watched three of his friends and fellow shifters find their fated mates. He holds out hope that he’ll find his fated mate soon, but since he’s able to leave North Pole City for only twenty-four hours every year, he’s not sure when he’ll meet his one and only. When a non-quad shifter survives a near-fatal accident two days before Christmas Eve, they discover he had an affair with a human woman and had a child with her. Mire is tasked with bringing the daughter to NPC to meet with Santa Claus. What Mire doesn’t count on is that she’s his fated mate.

Noelle Jackson has known her whole life that she wasn’t entirely normal. Born with pointed ears, that her mother had altered with plastic surgery, she’s always felt out of place. When a dark-haired, gorgeous man shows up at her apartment and tells her that he can take her to visit her injured father, she jumps at the chance. She feels connected to the mysterious Mire, whose eyes flash from brown to gold whenever he looks at her.

When Noelle is magically whisked away to the North Pole, she feels right at home for the first time in her life. In a place where the magic is real, can Santa Claus grant Noelle and Mire their Christmas wish to spend the rest of their lives together, or will her father’s deceit mean NPC is closed to her forever?

PROPOSITIONED BY THE BILLIONAIRE MOOSE by Eve Langlais

Get married or you’re out of the will.  Blackmail pure and simple, but Bryce doesn’t have much of a choice if he wants to remain Grandfather’s heir. With the old man on his deathbed, the clock is ticking, so he’d better get cracking because a supposed cousin has just shown up looking for a pint of the maple syrup business.

I’ll gore him with my rack first!  Lucky for Bryce, he sniffs out the perfect woman and makes her a deal. What he doesn’t expect is to lose his heart in the process.

MERRY & BRIGHT: A CHRISTMAS ANTHOLOGY by Various

VS Note: Nine paranormal romance stories in the Nocturne Falls Universe. Amazon does give the blurbs for all the stories.

SWEET FIRECRACKER (A LOVELY DEAREST SERIES BOOK 2) by Nikki Bolvair

Melissa was a foster child and the daughter to one of the world’s most dangerous agents in the world. At least, that what she announced to her current foster mother. The current boys in the foster home and friends, Dallon and Garrett shrugged her aside till she wiggled her way past their walls and stunned them. It was too bad that no one believed her until someone did…then she disappeared.

All grown up, Dallon and Garrett are serving in the US Army and are now a part of an elite team of super soldiers sent on a secret mission. Someone has stolen the H-15 serum and they’ve gone hunting. Their team pursues a lead and discover it is linked to that little slip of a girl that they once knew and never forgot. But was she on the same side as them? That’s not their only issue… the enhancements that the government gave them were inducing side effects. One’s the team members hadn’t counted on.
Now with the capability to identify their mate, both Garrett and Dallon wanted one woman between them. They both wanted her.
She fled, and they pursued, changing their lives forever.

CHEST OF STONE: BOOK 2, THE AFTERWORLD CHRONICLES by Vicki Stiefel

Mage Clea Reese hunts a deadly Creature that ritually slaughtered three shifter children. In order to unearth the beast, she needs the aid of her broken lover, James Larrimer.

Together, they aim to smoke out the killer while pursuing Clea’s quest for the magical Chest of Stone and preventing the Magical and the Mundane worlds from splintering.

Their hunt for the beast drags them from the Mundane realm to the Magic one, where a lethal sorceress seeks to destroy Clea and procure the chest for herself.

The race for the killer and the Chest is on, but time’s against Clea and Larrimer when the Creature kidnaps another child and seeks Clea for its own dark purposes.

WOLFHAVEN (THE DUALITY SERIES BOOK 2) by Jay Shaw

For three generations, an uneasy truce has existed between the shapeshifter packs of Wolfhaven and Silver Ridge. But Equinox is fast approaching; and all is about to change.

Connell, grandson of Wolfhaven’s chief, is hungry for adventure; and eager to explore the world beyond the boundaries of where he grew up. Is this a plan set for failure? Only Lupa, Goddess of Wolves, can know; for it is she who bends destiny to her will.

Thayer, heir apparent and Connell’s older brother, has found love with Lena – Mistress of the Moon – and daughter of Silver Ridge’s alpha. Yet, the course of true love never runs smooth. Lena is matched to another. A wolf of her father’s choosing.

Fierce and strong, Kellan is Arden’s second and will make the perfect mate. If only Lena wished it. Silver Ridge, a world of zealotry and submission, is no place for a freethinking female. Especially not one, whose lover whispers of a world beyond her father’s reach.

Will Connell’s dreams of freedom and adventure be thwarted, as Thayer and Kellan challenge for the right to claim Lena as their own? Or will Lena resolve to put the traditions of her pack and the demands of her father over those of her own heart?

THE CHRISTMAS DRAGON’S HEART by Zoe Chant

Curvy workaholic Claire Corbett has just landed the job of her lifetime: a position managing the Snow Castle, a winter retreat in the mountains. With her little brother along for the ride, Christmas promises to be all work and no play this year. That is, until the mysterious shifter Raul shows up, and she feels determined to soothe his loneliness and show him the true joy of Christmas.

Dragon shifter Raul lost his hoard when he was a child. Ever since another dragon attacked and stole his father’s hoard, his dragon’s been lost without the focus of his heart jewel. Raul can’t shift – and without treasure, he has nothing to offer a mate. Nevertheless, as soon as he sees Claire, his dragon knows that she’s the one. But is a broken dragon worthy of a gorgeous woman like Claire?

It takes a sudden accident to bring forth Raul’s dragon’s power. But when it turns out that the accident was no accident, even a fire dragon’s strength might not be enough to escape a magical trap… Will they be able to uncover the threat to the Snow Castle in time to ensure a truly happy Christmas for everyone?

WARLOCK’S MAGE: AN ANDREW MOORE NOVEL 02 by D R Rosier

Andrew Stewart Moore knew the truth about himself now, and somehow survived the last few days with the help of Lilith and Julia.

He had a lot to learn, and very little time to learn it. He wasn’t quite sure the shifters were no longer a threat, and on top of that the vampire and mage community were taking an interest in his existence in their city.

Being hated and feared for what he was born as, meant he was in for a hell of a ride, if he survives.

COLWOOD FIREHOUSE: GUNNER (THE SHIFTERS OF COLWOOD FIREHOUSE BOOK 2) by Kit Fox

Lion shifter, Gunner, is on the worst date in the history of worst dates when he sees someone who really catches his eye. Only problem is, she’s breaking into the fire station where he lives.

Dragon shifter, Aleida, didn’t come to Colwood, Montana for love. Far from it. She came for help in stopping her powerful brothers from carrying out their devious plans. But when the help Aleida is looking for turns up empty, she has no choice but to turn to the grumpy lion shifter who seems to have taken a liking to her.

And when Aleida’s dragon shifter brother comes seeking revenge, she’s going to need all the help she can get. Luckily, the shifters of the Colwood Firehouse are always up for a good fight!

DRAGON IN THE MIST (DRAGON GUARD SERIES BOOK 26) by Julia Mills

One small voice in the dark…
One tortured plea for help…

Two hearts beating as one…
Two lives hanging in the balance…

Three seconds to decide between life and death…
Three simple words that changed everything…

“Please help me,” she cried.
Now, it’s out of the mist and into the fire.

DRAGON QUEEN’S FAKE FIANCEE (DRAGON’S COUNCIL BOOK 2) by Mina Carter

Dragon Queen Cadeyra has been brought up to do her duty, no matter the personal cost. But that doesn’t mean she can’t get a little… inventive.

When a prince from a foreign land visits and she gets wind he intends to court her, Cadeyra needs to get engaged and fast. But who can she ask to be her fake fiancé who won’t let the honor go to his head?…(much more)…

BITTERSWEET CHRISTMAS (THE ORDER) by Nina Croft

Orphan Liam Ryan isn’t asking for much this Christmas–just his Uncle John. And he’s counting on Father Christmas to find a way to make that happen.

But when Father Christmas tosses Liam’s letter, claiming that the kid is asking the impossible, his daughter, Winter, takes over. Half-pixie, Winter, longs to do something important with her life, starting with getting a job at the Order of the Shadow Accords, the organization that polices the supernatural world. When she discovers Liam’s uncle works for the Order, it seems like fate.

Savaged by werewolves and bitten by a vampire, no one knows what to expect of John Ryan, but it won’t be anything good. So there’s no way he’s getting involved with his nephew…or anyone else. Worse, he’s getting a babysitter over the holidays. But when he meets irrepressible Winter, all that matters is whether she likes her guys to be naughty or nice.

OF SAND AND STONE: A TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE by Lauren Smith

She was destined to save his heart of stone…
Bookish museum curator Rebecca Clark has given up on dating. Real life men aren’t nearly as perfect as the men in the paintings and statues she sees every day at her job. But one night she whispers a prayer to the universe to send her the perfect man. She had no idea a goddess is listening…

Devon Blake was Regency London’s most wicked lover but when he sleeps with the wrong woman and leaves her unsatisfied, he finds himself cursed by none other than the Goddess of love herself. After living two centuries trapped as a marble statue, Aphrodite gives Devon one chance to redeem himself or he’ll face an eternity of made of stone. He must prove he can satisfy a woman’s every desire without satisfying his own.

When Rebecca discovers a naked man in her art gallery instead of a priceless statue at midnight she has no idea he’s the answer to her prayers. Aphrodite has sent Devon to be Rebecca’s perfect man. Can Devon earn Rebecca’s love and trust by proving his selflessness or will it be too late?

HELLHOUNDS DEATH BY REAPER MC by Esther E Schmidt

VS Note: Not a fan of the cover art.

n the last year, Eliana has been aware of the paranormal world that merges with the humans. Knowing it and living in it are two very different things when your next breath could end up being your last.

Alistair, Hellhound shifter and President of the Death by Reaper MC Hell Charter, is unexpectedly confronted with his true mate. As the balance of good and evil is shifted, a battle is the only solution. One where family ties are unwillingly being pulled into the mix and a simple choice of sides might end up in losing the woman he just claimed as his. A Hellhound has an eternal vow to never walk out on the losing side. Even more so when he’s had a slice of heaven.

HAUNTED by Shari Nichols

When medium Karly Matthews agrees to move into a haunted inn, she’s not sure what’s more dangerous, the ghost or the sexy innkeeper she tries to resist. She can’t deny the intense rush of desire she feels every time he’s near. When she agrees to embark on a no-strings-attached relationship, she finds herself thrust into a world of mind-blowing pleasures. Now she must face the aching truths of her past.

Hotel heir Thayne Harper has a laser-like focus on success that doesn’t include the help of his family. He’s always been the black sheep, living in the shadow of his dead brother. His dreams are put to the test when a supernatural entity threatens to ruin everything. The one bright spot is the woman who intrigues his mind and heats his blood. If only he can convince her that, despite his bad-boy ways, he can change for the good. Her love becomes his only salvation. Passion burns white-hot as a dark threat looms. The ghost doesn’t want them to be together and sets her sights on Thayne, luring him to a place that goes beyond death. Will Karly be able to save him before it’s too late?

THE CURIOUS AFFAIR OF THE WITCH AT WAYSIDE CROSS by Lisa Tuttle

“Witch!” cries the young man after stumbling unexpectedly into the London address of the consulting-detective partnership of Mr. Jasper Jesperson and Miss Lane. He makes the startling accusation while pointing toward Miss Lane . . . then he drops dead. Thus begins the strangest case yet to land—quite literally—on the doorstep of Jesperson and Lane.

According to the coroner, Charles Manning died of a heart attack—despite being in perfect health. Could he have been struck down by a witch’s spell? The late Mr. Manning’s address book leads Jesperson and Lane to the shrieking pits of Aylmerton, an ancient archaeological site reputed to be haunted by a vengeful ghost. There they sift through the local characters, each more suspicious than the last: Manning’s associate, Felix Ott, an English folklore enthusiast; Reverend Ringer, a fierce opponent of superstition; and the Bulstrode sisters, a trio of beauties with a reputation for witchcraft.

But when an innocent child goes missing, suddenly Jesperson and Lane aren’t merely trying to solve one murder—they’re racing to prevent another.

A VAMPIRE’S THIRST: VICTOR by A K Michaels

Victor Strong, ancient Vampire and hard-as-nails businessman, has enjoyed centuries in the human world by following one simple rule: Keep a steely control over your dark side. Then it comes, like a thief in the night, overtaking him mind, body, and soul… a strange, unexplainable ‘Thirst’ that not even he could deny.

With the craving for blood, and other darker, more enticing desires, rapidly growing out of control, Victor suddenly fears not only for his sanity, but his very life.

Holding on by a thin, unraveling thread, Victor is pulled from the brink of madness by a sweet, tantalizing aroma. So hypnotized by the scent, he is forced to find its owner, compelled to find the most elusive of all things; a mere myth among his kind. The Vampire’s Bloodmate.

Can he reach her in time? Can she save him from himself? Or will Victor be lost to his dark side forever?

HIDDEN HERO (ANCIENT COURT #3) (THE HIDDEN SAGA BOOK 9) by Amy Patrick

After a year-long separation and a search across continents, Macy and Nic have found each other again. Now they must find her family—the birth mother who abandoned her at the hospital and fled back to her people’s secret sanctuary—if they are to beat the clock and save the human race from the onslaught of the coming Plague.
Alessia didn’t intend to activate the deadly virus, but after determining that Nic betrayed her, she’s almost glad she did. The only problem? She won’t be around to enjoy the aftermath—she’s being held captive on a remote, windswept island by a mysterious guy who’s completely immune to her Sway and won’t let her get close enough to use her deadly glamour on him.
Give in to the Glamour once more as the end of the human world looms, an ancient secret is unearthed, and a hidden hero emerges.

THE BRIGHTEST EMBERS (A BROKEN DESTINY NOVEL) by Jeaniene Frost

Ivy thought that she and Adrian had conquered their fates. Yet with thousands of innocents still trapped in the demon realms, she’s determined to locate the final hallowed weapon and harness its unparalleled power to free them. But the last relic nearly put Ivy in the grave—there’s probably no coming back from this one.

Adrian’s dark lineage has made him the most powerful of his kind, yet even his incredible abilities might not be enough now. Instead, the treacherous fate he has fought so hard to escape might be the only way he can save Ivy. Their undeniable bond has been tested before, but never with so much on the line. Now fate will come head-to-head against true love, and nothing they’ve endured can prepare Ivy and Adrian for the unthinkable choices they’ll face.

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VS Note: And just a reminder of my most recent release (until mid-December anyway – new one coming out then!) is THE FATED STARS!

Buy Links: Amazon Kobo B&N iBooks Google

scififri robotics canva

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

(NOTE: If the author provides me with buy links I insert those; otherwise I default to Amazon and iBooks. Pricing and availability are current as of the day I prepare the post – things can change fast in the ebook world LOL.)

Also, I often include only the beginning of the book blurb…

New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday November 22

As always, I recommend sampling before you buy! I have not read most of the new releases listed (although I always end up one-clicking a bunch as I prepare these posts LOL).

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VS Note: The rest of the novels in The Great Space Race Collection released this week (and are my first four entries here.). I also did an interview this week with the authors for USA Today Happy Ever After.

FREEFALL: TEAM PRISM by Elsa Jade

Scarred by life and scared by it, Amy Long finally found peace in quiet Sunset Falls, Montana…until a malfunctioning popcorn popper transports her across the universe.

She arrives accidentally—and nekkidly—on the honeymoon cruiser Blissed where the widely viewed and wildly entertaining Great Space Race is already in progress. Now if she ever wants to return to Earth, she has to pretend to be the famous intergalactic explorer who was supposed to be half of Team Prism, searching for the legendary Firestorm Queen’s Prism.

Can this unsuspecting Earther wrap her head around a universe of aliens and adventure? While she’s at it, maybe she’s gonna wrap her arms around the uptight but sexy drakling male who is her teammate.

Luc Amaveo of the Flamewalker Clan just needs a treasure. Any treasure, even the imaginary ones teased by the Great Space Race. ..(more)..

FLARE: TEAM CORONA by JC Hay

They could go all the way, if they don’t go straight to hell

All Kayana wants is respect. Jilted by her fiancée, turned out by her family, and rejected by her crew – esteem is in short supply. When she hears about the cash prize for winning the Great Space Race, she realizes it’s more than enough money to get her old life back. Or buy herself an asteroid someplace where she won’t care what people think.

Ax Turner just needs to hide, and the Race gives him the best opportunity to do so. In plain sight. Surely the thugs and criminals he’s ripped off won’t come after him while cameras are rolling on the galaxy’s most popular reality game show. And if they do, well, having a partner who’s able to fight and looks like a devil seems like a win.

They’re on the run – from the past, from the lethal challenges of the Great Race, from their feelings, and straight into each other. They’ve got more than their share of problems, and those secrets could drive them apart, or be the key to winning the biggest prize of all: each other.

ORION’S GATE: TEAM GALAXY RIDERS by Sabine Priestley

The emotions evoked by the passionate alien empath could kill them both…

Trapped in another galaxy and forced into a deadly contest, Armond Nolde wants one thing: Win so he can return home and continue his life’s work as an Earth Protector creating portals.
His assigned partner, Vin, is large, passionate and overly talkative. She’s everything Armond is not. An Empath, Vin is fascinated by the emotionless albino. He’s easy on the eyes and cold as space—or so it seems.
Armond soon learns that Vin possesses an intelligence that rivals his own. When he is forced to connect with his psi to save Vin’s life, she discovers his deadly secret. More powerful than any psi before him, his control is slipping. Threatening to unleash a deadly force.
If they bond it could destroy them both.

CEASEFIRE: TEAM ORION NEBULA by Kayla Stonor

VS Note: These Qui books are HOT. This one is on my TBR for sure.

Qui are the enemy. Kill them all. Save the human genome! Sworn to destroy the shapeshifting alien warlords who invaded Earth, Ahnna Sokovik must now partner with her nemesis in a nightmare reality show, the GREAT SPACE RACE. To survive deadly challenges—entertainment for trillions of fans—Ahnna must befriend her adversary and pray he doesn’t murder her in her sleep.

Fanatic, terrorist, xenophobe maniac… Ahnna cannot be reasoned with! Tierc Marcel, a Qui-human half breed, is faced with an impossible task, live alongside Ahnna, the gorgeous femme fatale who nearly slit his throat. Bound by her suppression cuffs, Tierc cannot use his Qui strength to win the race and his freedom. He fights a losing battle against Ahnna’s prejudice, while the alluring assassin tempts him with her every move. Her pheromones scream for mating, and yet she defies their magnetic attraction.

She wants him dead. He wants her in bed.

If Ahnna would only set aside her enmity, she’d see the noble Qui considers Ahnna a finer prize than even freedom.

VS Note: And now moving on from The Great Space Race – not sure when CJ Cade’s book in that series will release…other new releases for the week:

SHATTERED EARTH by Jenny Schwartz

The scum of the galaxy are using Earth as a nuclear winter death camp. It outrages pirate captain Kohia Jekyll’s sense of justice. No one deserves to die agonizingly of radiation poisoning, especially not on the planet humanity had to evacuate seven generations ago. So Kohia intends to close the prison camp down.

She didn’t count on an infuriating shaman healer hitching a ride aboard her starship.

Nairo Bloodstone isn’t going to Earth to be a hero. He learned the hard way that when you’re a healer, doing your best for people is never enough. One miracle leads them to demand another and another. Heroes die exhausted and alone, and the galaxy continues with billions of people still clamoring for a miracle-worker to save them.

No, Nairo isn’t going to Earth to be a hero. He intends to change what it means to be human.

SNOWED IN WITH THE ALIEN DRAGON by Starr Huntress and Sonia Nova

A Christmas without warmth…Rachel hates her life in Alaska. She hates the weather, but even more, she hates her job which requires her to stay in the sodden state even for the holidays! Instead of going to visit her family in sunny California, she will be spending the holidays alone in the cold north. But when she encounters an unconscious, golden alien on the way home from work – amidst a massive snowstorm to top it all off – it looks like the holidays might not end up as boring as she’d thought after all!

A dragon paralyzed by cold…Captain Erro of Traag never thought to go down in a battle. Even less did he think to find his mate on the surface of the planet he crashes on! Trapped in the planet’s frozen wasteland, Erro can hardly function in the cold climate. He’s a dragon, for heaven’s sake! He needs some heat! And yet, despite the icy weather seeping into his bones, every time the strangely beautiful alien female smiles at him, his inner flame burns stronger than ever. She is his mate, there is no question about that.

Now, if only he could understand what the hell she was saying.

VALENCE (CONFLUENCE BOOK 4) by Janet Foehner Wells

VS Note: I really enjoyed the earlier books – this series is scifi with some romantic elements. Have not read book 3 or this one but since I enjoyed the first two, I’ll include this newest one.

Earth’s days are numbered.

Two very different women race to prepare for the battle to come. The future of Earth is in their hands.

One struggles to resurrect her ruined ship so she can navigate the politics at the galactic core in a desperate bid to recruit allies.

The other strives to master alien technology to supply the forces of Earth with the tools needed to defend themselves against the ravenous Swarm.

Between them, Jane and Zara offer humanity its best chance at survival, but the odds are stacked against them and their best may not be good enough.

CHAOS IN KADOMA WARD (THE HIKOBOSHI SERIES BOOK 2) by S J Pajonas

Forced into a new life on the planet Hikari, she has two objectives: find a job and get along with Rin, the man holding her life in his hands. But with her occupation missing from this planet and her enemies looking for her, she must intrude on the kindness of reluctant strangers to stay out of harm’s way. Rin’s ex-wife wants Yumi gone, and a judge threatens to deport her if he catches her loitering about town with no job. Her desire to bolt grows stronger daily.

But Rin won’t let her go. He’s fascinated with the stories she brings from home, stories that promise to save him from the madness they all live in, a meritocracy with low birth rates and malfunctioning androids. As they build a tenuous friendship, and something more, Yumi has to face her fears, her inadequacies, and her lack of control. A headstrong journalist, she’s pushing her luck on Hikari every day as the society turns bored, restless, and finally rebellious. War is coming, and Yumi and Rin are right in the middle of it.

SPACE DRAGON (BRIDES OF DRAXOS BOOK 2) by Scarlett Grove

MIT robotics student Freda Hayes is forced to abandon her research when the Archon Empire’s cyborgs attack earth. With her little sister Lottie, she takes refuge in a secluded cabin.

News that the dragon shifters of Draxos have defended the planet from the cyborgs leaves Lottie the Draxos’ biggest fan — and Freda skeptical. When Admiral Sysko D’Fray, leader of the Draxos army, lands right outside her cabin, she’s downright suspicious.

Sysko has been defending the galaxy from the Archon for decades. But he has another, even more, urgent battle to fight: the one to save his people from extinction. And human DNA, which includes a rare recessive gene making them compatible with Draxos, is the key to their survival.

Freda isn’t just any human; the curvy scientist is Sysko’s fated mate…(more)..

JEVAL (REVANT WARRIORS) by Celeste Raye

Jeval has the Dark Gift, a gift so rare that he is the only one born in the universe who
has survived it. He’s determined to never mate with a creature capable of having childrenfor fear of passing that darkness on.

Margie’s a woman who grew up under the unfair class system that allowed her father to
sell her off to pay his debts. She’s determined to never be under the rule of a male again.
So why does she seem to keep ending up way too close to the Revant, Jeval?

The rebellion has grown to a point where it is war or nothing and Jeval knows that now is the time to use that gift, and when he’s given a mission that is sheer suicide, even with his abilities he knows he has to take it, even though it means leaving behind Margie, the human that holds his heart—and body.

Will Margie let him go it alone, even if it means her life?

DANCE OF LOVE (CELESTIAL MATES BOOK 3) by C J Scarlett

Sarah is a dancer who never really got the nice end of things. She never believed in love, in a person saving her, or even getting out of her borderline slavery that she kept as a job. For Sarah, everything seemed to only go one way: to the shit. That’s how her life was, and that’s how it’s always been.

That is, until he showed up.

Landon is an alien, and a frequent customer of the club. When the gritty alpha alien meets the alluring Sarah, immediately sparks fly. They fall for one another, but of course, they don’t know what they’re getting into. With Sarah embroiled in a crime ring and Landon working one of the head aliens, both of them know for a fact that this is it, that they need to figure out what they want fast.

Not to mention, Landon is also a trust fund child looking for a future wife.

Will they manage to work this out? Or will it be too good to be real?

MASTERING THEIR MATE (THARAN WARRIOR MENAGE BOOK 4) by Kallista Dane

When Saige joined an all-female crew on the Luna, she never dreamed the ship would be hijacked by space pirates. Now she’s been sold as a Consort to the Rapture Dome, forced to entertain alien males from the farthest corners of the galaxy who work in the mines on the Girra Sola asteroid.

Tharan twins Keir and Khaun are on an undercover mission on Girra Sola and they need information from the little human. But they’ve been warned that getting close to the pheromones of a female from Earth will stir their gyron, awakening a powerful need to dominate her and claim her as their Mate…(more)…

ENDLESS (DRAGON WARS BOOK 5) by Rebecca Royce

August Owens came home from the Dragon Wars a changed Wolf. He isn’t done with the war—not until every Dragon left on the planet is dead. But when one nearly kills him and he wakes up to the face of his mate everything will change.

Clarissa Knox is a damaged Wolf. Even she can’t believe the poor choices she’s made and she has no idea how to get out of the mess she’s made for herself. But when she finds her mate, who was reported dead during the war, she will fight with everything she has to give them both a future.

The war might be over—but the battle for their future is just beginning.

BOUND BY LIGHT (CAULD ANE SERIES BOOK 7) by Piper Davenport

Thane Allen is the biggest movie star on the planet. He has money, status, and the ability to make people do what he tells them to with just a word. But he’s without his mate and is losing hope that he will ever find her.

Sydney Warren has lost both her parents and makes a daring choice to move to London to live with her cousin. A chance encounter puts her in the path of what she considers nothing more than a fantasy, until that fantasy pursues her.

Will Thane be able to convince her he’s genuine?

When a threat no one saw coming threatens Sydney’s life, will Thane be able to save her?

THE CONSUMPTION OF MAGIC (TALES FROM VERANIA BOOK 3) by TJ Klune

Sam of Wilds faced the Dark wizard Myrin and lived to tell the tale. Granted, the battle left him scarred, but things could be a hell of a lot worse.

It’s not until he reunites with Morgan of Shadows and Randall that he realizes just how much worse things could be.

Because the scars have meaning and hint at Myrin’s true plans for Sam and the Kingdom of Verania.

With time running out, Sam and his band of merry misfits—the unicorn Gary, the half-giant Tiggy, Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart, and the dragon known as Kevin—must travel to the snowy mountains in the North and the heart of the Dark Woods to convince the remaining dragons to stand against Myrin. Along the way, Sam learns secrets of the past that will forever change the course of the future.

A reckoning is coming for Sam of Wilds, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.

NOT HIS VAMPIRE (NOT THIS SERIES BOOK 3) by Annie Nicholas

Magic is real. Shifters exist. Trixie Russell know this. Everyone does. But no one told her about the monster lurking in the basement of the dragon’s castle. Not until it was too late.

Victor Petrov is ancient, and vampires his age should not lose control of their hunger. And yet, thanks to the dragon who chained him in a dungeon to protect the citizens of New Port, that’s exactly his problem. Then in walks a human female with cotton candy hair who smells like sunshine incarnate, her pulse a melody in his parched ears, and the fragile thread of his control snaps.

Like it or not, Trixie is now tied to Viktor’s, and he seems short a few marbles. She plans on making his eternity a misery until he reveals they have an enemy in common. Trixie is totally on board with helping him escape so she could get her revenge. After that, she’s done. They’re over. She wouldn’t be his vampire.

EVERSONG (THE KINDRED BOOK 1) by Donna Grant

To live in the light, they hunt in the dark…

Unparalleled in beauty and daring, Leoma has been raised with a single-minded focus—to wipe out corrupt witches. But when her new target leads her to a discovery that unveils a graver plan from the Coven, she doesn’t hesitate to follow. Yet, she’s not the only one on the hunt. And the sexy, infuriating man who crosses her path could prove to be a distraction—something she’s never encountered before.

Honor and family mean everything to Braith. When his life is turned upside down by the murder of his ward and heir without cause or reason, he has no choice but to turn to vengeance. Until a stunning, dangerous woman continues to thwart his efforts at every turn. Now, he must battle not only his need for revenge but his desire for the female, as well.

BENEATH THE SKIN (DE LA VEGA CATS) by Lauren Dane

Mia Porter came home to Boston to recover, but her military reflexes kick in when a fellow jaguar is gunned down only inches away. Getting the handsome stranger to safety and removing the bullets is the easy part…discovering she’s saved a member of the very family hers has been at war with for half a century makes things tricky.

Nor is she pleased her cat finds his to be quite an attractive specimen.

Gibson de La Vega, Bringer of Justice, enforces his Alpha’s law and defends de La Vega territory against all. But even he’s not immune to silver bullets. That Gibson feels the same burning desire for Mia only complicates matters.

Negotiating an end to an epic familial feud is nothing compared to the violence sparked by the attack on Gibson. As heat and need build between them, Mia and Gibson will fight together to protect their families from a danger far closer to home than anyone expects.

BLOOD AND TEMPEST (THE EMPIRE OF STORMS BOOK 3) by Jon Skovron

Still reeling from the events at Dawn’s Light, Hope struggles to understand what it means to be a warrior who has vowed to never again take up a sword.
Red is enjoying his new role as imperial spy. Perhaps a bit too much. But his loyalties will be tested when his employer, Lady Hempist, relents and assigns him the one task he’s been begging for all along: recruiting Hope and Brigga Lin to help rid the empire of biomancery once and for all.
Fate brought them together; it will tear their empire apart.

TEN LOWS A LEAPING: AN IMP WORLD STORY by Debra Dunbar

Beatrix has to work on Christmas Day.

There are no holiday’s off for a Guardian Angel tasked with ensuring demons don’t crossover from the Gates to Hel, even when you’ve got PTSD and are subject to panic attacks from that time last year when a psychotic demon slaughtered two angels in front of you, destroyed the mall where the Gate to Hel was located, and left you pinned to the rubble with a steel beam through your wings.

The only way Beatrix is managing to get through each day is the little gifts someone keeps leaving for her. The countdown to Christmas is on, there’s no telling what gift her Secret Santa will leave when the number reaches one.

WARRIOR FOREVER by Amber Bardan

The most likely conclusion to my current predicament is psychosis.
Much more likely than actual alien abduction.
Significantly more likely than impending forced nuptials with a giant primitive alien whose society never evolved a sense of humor.
But life in a horny space-barbarian’s cave isn’t all bad…
Did I mention he vibrates?

STRANGER MAGICS by Ash Fitzsimmons

VS: I liked the book’s description, not sure if there’s romance…

All Colin Leffee wants is to be left alone: to run his used bookstore in peace, and to quietly drink himself to sleep every night in an attempt to drown out the memories of eight-hundred-plus years of existence.

Unfortunately, when a sullen teenage changeling is flung out of Faerie and onto his doorstep, the long-suffering, wayward son of Titania knows his dreams of solitude are dust. Colin—or Lord Coileán, as he is known to the Faerie court—must track down Meggy, the love of his life, and figure out how her child ended up in Titania’s clutches to begin with.

But with family, it’s never simple. He finds Meggy, only to see her yanked into Faerie—and the doors between the realms slammed and locked behind her. Now, it’s not just her life at stake . . . but the fate of magic itself.

Always the loner, Colin reluctantly joins forces with an intensely stubborn wizard, a young priest-in-training who fancies himself a knight, and his half brother Robin (the last most definitely not by choice) on a quest to reopen the doors and restore the balance between the realms. And with exiled queen Mab plotting in the shadows to take Titania’s throne, and the wizards of the governing Arcanum hiding their own agenda, Colin can’t be sure whom to trust—or whether he’ll live long enough to see the mission through.

STONE by Linda Mooney

Garenth had been awakened to retrieve an ancient artifact that was crucial to his well-being. He had few memories of what his life had been like when he had been a man. What memories that were left were filled with blood and excruciating pain.

That part of him was over now. The talisman had been taken from its sacred burial place, and it had to be returned as quickly as possible. It was up to him to follow through with his mission so he could return to another thousand years of sleep.

Brielle Van de Camp knew an extraordinary find when she saw it. The small clay figure was the key to a potentially earth‑shattering revelation about a previously unknown time in man’s ancestry. She would bet her life on it.

Unfortunately, others had gotten wind of the talisman, and they were equally determined to claim its promise for themselves. If Brielle wasn’t willing to part with the figurine, they had no compunction about prying it from her dead fingers.

They never counted on having to face the guardian of the statuette, who turned out to be more than a creature of mythology.

TRIAL BY FLAME by M K Eidem and Michelle Howard

VS Note: Always exciting to have a new book from MK and Michelle!

Autumn thought she knew who she was then she discovered she was a rare type of dragon shifter called a Supreme Dragoon. Now she is heading to her new mate’s home world to meet more of their kind. Nerves were to be expected, but Autumn is about to get more than she bargained for.

Kirall always knew who he was, a Prime Dragoon, one of the strongest of his kind. He’d never doubted who he was or his place until he traveled to Earth and met her. Autumn descended from a line of Dragoon thought to have died out many millennia ago. Their mating changed all he’d been taught to believe.

Together they will face challenges neither of them expected. With their mating threatened and everything Kirall holds dear in jeopardy, it’s up to Autumn to show who really is the baddest Dragoon of them all.

A HIGHLAND MOON ENCHANTMENT ( A TALE FROM THE ORDER OF THE DRAGON KNIGHTS) by Mary Morgan

Irish warrior, Desmond O’Quinlan has never surrendered his heart to any woman. He has no wish to have his soul tortured by love. Yet, the moment he locks gazes with Ailsa, his fate is destined for an adventure he never fathomed. He may have battled alongside a Dragon Knight, but his greatest challenge will come from within his own heart.

Ailsa MacDuff, a warrior among her clan, has no desire to have a man chain her to a life of obedience. However, that is before she meets Desmond. The temptation to allow this warrior inside her heart is a risk she dares to take, but one that could lead to a future of emptiness and sorrow.

When betrayal looms from within, the battleground of love is no match for these two warriors. Can the power of a Highland full moon be strong enough to unite or destroy them?

MAID OF ICE (BLOOD & SILVER) by Shona Husk

For Finlay Ryder, danger means playing a racecar driver on a daytime soap. That is, until he’s forced to reckon with his true identity as an Albah, a magical ancient race, by one of his own kind. Someone wants him dead. And worse, an ancient vampire is on the prowl, drawing blood left and right. Now, Finlay has no choice but to hunt enemies with unspeakable powers—or risk being hunted himself . . .

Ice skater Alina Nyx is using her broken wrist as an excuse for a career change. And when she falls for handsome Finlay, Albah drama feels like her new full-time job. Learning about magic and vampires is exciting, until her life is threatened. Now, as she begins to uncover her own mysterious powers, she must combine forces with Finlay to eradicate their foes for good, or all Albah will suffer.

LURE OF OBLIVION (MERCURY PACK BOOK 3) by Suzanne Wright

Gwen Miller may be a human, but she has no problem taking a stand against her own kind. She’s going to testify against the teenage boy she saw viciously assault a lone shifter female—and no amount of pressure from the boy’s wealthy family will make her back down. But when the harassment turns violent, help comes in the form of a lean, toned wolf with winter-gray eyes.

As a guest at Gwen’s inn, shifter enforcer Zander Devlin can’t help but notice that the fierce and leggy brunette is in serious trouble. Since she’s putting herself at risk for one of his kind, keeping her safe is the least he can do. That’s not the only reason Zander wants her close. He desires her, even as the wolf inside him backs away from her. But his feral instincts are hard to keep down, and as they take shape, they’re harder for Gwen to resist. Then again, embracing them could be the only thing that could save her life.

ALPHA BET by Milly Taiden

Nerd Queen, Aliya Grey, has been picked on her entire life for being different. She is done with shifter society. When the chance comes to leave the pack, she jumps for joy. But she didn’t expect that during the exchange of power ceremony, the super-hot and totally lickable, incoming Alpha would tell her he wants her. That doesn’t happen to Ali. Nope. Never.

Marcus and his wolf know Aliya is the one. Giving up his playboy lifestyle attests to how badly he wants her. Ali might be a half-breed, but that doesn’t matter. No way is he letting her leave. A little stalking, a bit of seduction and a whole lot of time together will get her to change her mind. He’s confident.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as romancing her. Ali’s done with the pack from hell and no matter how sexy Marcus is, she’s out of there. But first she needs to see him naked. He’s so big and strong and that grin…but she’s not staying. It takes an attack on Ali’s life for Marcus to see his pack has big issues he needs to fix or lose Ali for good.

A PINEROCK BEAR CHRISTMAS (BEARS OF PINEROCK COUNTY BOOK 6) by Zoe Chant

Gloria Munson thinks she’s about to have the worst Christmas of all time when her car breaks down during a blizzard in rural Pinerock County. But then she’s rescued by a very special bear shifter clan who invite her to share their rural ranch Christmas …

With no family to welcome him for the holidays, Deputy Jaron Holbrook is invited out to the ranch for Christmas by his boss, Sheriff Axl Tanner. Jaron knows that every woman on the ranch is already mated, so it comes as a total shock when Jaron and his bear recognize their fated mate in the Pinerock clan’s Christmas houseguest!

With five mated couples to play matchmaker, what could possibly go wrong?

DARK ANGEL’S SEDUCTION (THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES BOOK 15) by I T Lucas

Brundar is fighting a losing battle. Calypso is slowly chipping away his icy armor from the outside, while his need for her is melting it from the inside.
He can’t allow it to happen. Calypso is a human with none of the Dormant indicators. There is no way he can keep her for more than a few weeks.

BEAUTY AND THE MOUNTAIN MAN by Frankie Love

The moment I saw her she woke something buried deep inside of me. A wild need.
A desperate desire. She’s stranded and alone, needing shelter from the storm.
And I’ll do more than keep her warm. I’ll make her mine. Some say there’s no such thing as happily ever after. But that changes tonight. I will show her I’m more than a mountain man.  I am her beast.

A SNOW LEOPARD’S CHRISTMAS (GLACIER LEOPARDS BOOK 6) by Zoe Chant

Lillian Lowell has a problem. She’s newly mated to the Glacier leopards’ pack leader, snow leopard shifter Cal Westland, which makes her the…she’s not sure what. Den mother? Whatever her job title is, she wants to live up to it, so she’s throwing the best Christmas party she can plan. But she’s two months pregnant, and suddenly even the simplest tasks seem impossible. She needs help–but she doesn’t want to admit it. And for some reason, Cal is making himself scarce.

Alethia Landin has a different problem. She wants to have a merry Christmas, and enjoy the time with her pack–but she can barely look at Lillian right now, because all she’s wanted for over a year is a baby, and it’s not happening. Every month with no good news brings her and her mate, Grey, down further into the dumps. She’s not proud of how jealous she is of Lillian, but it’s hard to overcome. Will this ruin Christmas?

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. Can the Glacier pack come together and help each other through their problems? Does someone really mean it when they say they don’t want a present? How many Pinterest decorations is too many? And will someone get a baby for Christmas?

A MATE FOR THE CHRISTMAS DRAGON by Zoe Chant

Jasper is a dragon on a mission. If he doesn’t find his mate by his twenty-fifth birthday, he’ll lose his ability to shift, and be stuck as either a human or a dragon forever. Luckily, his birthday is on Christmas Day. What woman could resist the spark of romance during the most wonderful time of the year?

Most wonderful time of the year? Curvy Abigail learned long ago what a lie that is. She hates the fake snow, the cheesy carols, the hordes of shoppers that save their Christmas cheer for everyone except shop workers—and most of all, she hates going home to her empty apartment on Christmas Eve.

Jasper knows Abigail’s the one for him the moment he sees her. But can the Christmas dragon win his mate’s heart, when Christmas is the one thing she hates the most?

VS Note: I don’t usually mention re-releases but this one was a bit intriguing, partly because it originally came out in 1992 – I wonder how much revising she’s had to do?!!! It does seem to end on a cliffhanger, per the reviews.

BETRAYED (HIDDEN WORLDS BOOK 1) by Bethany Burke

Originally published in 1992, this sci-fi classic has not been available for twenty-five years. Before there was an Internet, before there was Amazon, Bethany Burke had penned Hidden Worlds, the original kink classic. It’s been expanded into a three book trilogy, available to modern readers for the very first time!

Four hundred years in the future, life on Earth is perfect. The genders are equal. War is non-existent. Everything is clean, safe, and wonderful, due to one cause: In the early years of the twenty-second century, over 90% of the Earth’s population was relocated by force to colony planets spread over the galaxy.

Jen Marin has a gift for languages. When she’s slotted at the last minute into an off-Earth expedition to study the linguistics of a colony planet, she never questions the assignment. It’s a perfect opportunity to get an advantage over her fellow academics on Earth. She, along with her companion Christy, also never questions a recreational trip to an isolated area of the planet’s surface, that is until they go back to the space craft – and it’s gone.

As impossible as it seems, they’ve been abandoned. But why? And to what? Jen’s new reality is a world where her body is not her own, filled with heavy handed warriors, cruel Matrons whose sole purpose is “training” young women for their marriages, a prince who wants Jen for his own, and mysteries that seemingly have no answer.

It has to be a mistake, right? …(much more)…

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VS Note: Going to mention my own newest scifi romance release once more:

If you’ve been waiting for a badass female space mercenary, here she is!

Buy Links: Amazon Kobo B&N iBooks Google

canva fortune crystal ball

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LINKS TO RECENT NEW RELEASES POSTS from Veronica:

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My standard Notes and Caveats:

The term “new” is generally plus or minus a week or two. I try to catch up on ones I missed in recent months.

I don’t ordinarily list re-releases…

(NOTE: If the author provides me with buy links I insert those; otherwise I default to Amazon and iBooks. Pricing and availability are current as of the day I prepare the post – things can change fast in the ebook world LOL.)

Also, I often include only the beginning of the book blurb…