Bad Girls Drink Blood

Bad Girls Drink Blood By S.L. Choi
Published by: City Owl Press
Publication date: May 17, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Summary:

Part sun fae, part blood fae, all abomination.

There is only one hybrid fae in existence, and that dishonor goes to Lane Callaghan.

After a life spent dodging slurs, threats, and assassination attempts, Lane gave her past the one finger salute and ditched her former fae home for good. 

The detective agency she and her sisters run on the edge of Las Vegas continues to limp along, with Lane doing more debt collecting and intimidating than investigating, but anything to pay the bills. 

Between working for low-lifes to bring down even lower-lifes, eating cheesy poofs by the bucket, and flirting with the criminally attractive bartender where she conducts business, life is good.

That ends when a routine job goes sideways, leaving Lane with a sack full of stolen sun shards—the source of sun fae power. Without the shards, the sun fae face giving up their magic completely, or risk death if they use their power. Considering they would rather see her dead, good riddance, as far as Lane’s concerned—except her father and adopted sister are sun fae. Lane must choose—return home to save the fae bastards that almost killed her, or let them burn.

—

EXCERPT:

Better luck next time, hybrid.

Fury roared through me. My ears burned and scalp tingled.

“What the hell is that?”

I spun with a snarl. My fangs elongated instantly, painfully.

Trials By Tides: A Zasra Press Anthology

Trials By Tides: A Zasra Press Anthology
Publication date: April 26, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Summary:

The strangers hadn’t come for just any story. They’d come for her—the memory I’d clearly failed to bury. The one story I’d never tell… from “The Storyteller”

Somewhere down in the depths of the ocean, deeper than any light could reach, something awoke… from “Cost of the Crown”

I cannot shake the call of the ocean. It consumes me, fills my dreams, crowds my mind, and in that moment I know…I will do anything to become a mermaid… from “The Calling”

As gentle and sweet as the ocean’s lullaby can be, its waters are dark, dangerous, and full of mystery….

Dive in and explore ten original stories centered around the ocean. You’ll find something for everyone, from benevolent mermaids to powerful levjatans; stolen secrets and forbidden stories. Meet pirates and thieves, sea dragons and gods in these tales of action, grief, romance, and mystery!

~

The Song Thieves – Eleanor Owen

A girl who steals secrets from the sea searches for her missing sister, following clues found in the sea’s strange songs.

Manannan’s Daughter – Christiana Matthews

Mortals are all very well to use as playthings, but Cliohna’s decisions anger her father, with disastrous results.

Son of the Sea – Aisling Wilder

On an island in the West of Ireland, a lost soul rescues a dying man—or does the man rescue him?

The Delivery – Barend Nieuwstraten III

For a pair of hired hands, a simple task of escorting a coffin and its caretaker across the southern sea should make for a relaxing journey. However, as questionable things begin to happen, they find themselves more and more involved in the wild events to come.

The Storyteller – R. L. Davennor

An elderly storyteller is forced to recall the one tale she swore never to utter.

Cost of the Crown – Ine Gausel

Young prince Coral has always been told that the sea is a dark and dangerous place, but something he finds up on shore will change his life forever.

Heart of Amber – Kida Langås

After a storm brings two lost unlikely friends together after a decade apart, both of them have to make a choice: sneak away and rekindle their friendship, or risk losing each other a second time.

One More Time – A. M. Dilsaver

A young widower seeks solace from the ocean and its mysteries after his wife dies.

The Calling – A. M. Dilsaver

Torn between her true love and the ocean, Cordelia must make a choice that will change her life forever.

The Sparrow in the Ash Sea – S. K. Sayari

An unlikely hero must return the Goddess of the Sea to her temple before the ash sea overtakes all.

—

SNEAK PEEKS:

From: The Song Thieves – Eleanor Owen

I’d been hearing the song for days. Its whispering voices had danced an aching beat in my mind as we’d pursued it across the waves. Though I should have known better, I still tried to make sense of it, to pick out a melody I could understand. It throbbed in my skull like a migraine.

The Last Beekeeper

The Last Beekeeper By Rebecca L. Fearnley
Publication date: April 20, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult
Summary:

Solma is a fighter. Trained by her village Steward to protect their community from the predators of their harsh world, she is fierce and loyal. 

But how can she protect her friends and family from crop failure and starvation? With flying insects extinct for over a century, nowhere on the forsaken continent of Alphor is safe and Solma is terrified her little brother, Warren, will be one of the next to die. 

The villagers cling to life, waiting for the Earth Whisperers—mysterious nomads with a strange magic that helps plants grow—to arrive.

But then Warren finds something. Something impossible. When the first bee in a hundred years crawls out of the earth, Warren forms a strange bond with the creature and Solma fears he might have a new power. 

One that leaders of Alphor would kill for. As she and Warren fight to keep the bee secret and safe, word of this miracle sweeps the continent. Allies and enemies alike descend on the village. Some demand the bees for themselves, others want to destroy the colony to level the odds. When words become threats and then violence, Solma and Warren are caught in the conflict, and now it isn’t just the bees in danger.

When whoever controls the bees controls the world, how will Solma and Warren know who to trust?

—

EXCERPT:

The insect—for it can only be an insect—wanders groggily over the mound, seems to contemplate her fingertips for a moment and then clambers aboard.

Its feet are so light, she can barely feel them. She holds the creature up to her face, frowning as it waggles its antennae. Its gold-and-black striped body gleams in the sun, fuzzy to the point of ridiculous, with delicate gossamer wings and antennae that twitch curiously. Solma stares.

“What is it, d’you think?”

Mermaid of New York (Mermaid of Venice, #3)

Mermaid of New York (Mermaid of Venice, #3) By Jincey Lumpkin
Publication date: February 7, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

Mermaid Gia Acquaviva’s thrilling adventures continue. She must travel to New York to fight a battle in the public arena with the powerful media moguls, Royce and Bronwyn Langley. 

Her casino empire is under attack, threatened by her Greek relatives. Meanwhile, Gia is paired up with a rising movie starlette to create the perceptions a tabloid romance tabloids. 

With tensions rising, will Gia survive after burning every bridge to get what she wants?

Fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies will love Mermaid of New York, a sexy psychological thriller with lush fantasy elements. 

The chic mystery of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley with a juicy splash of the lavish lifestyle in E. L. James’s 50 Shades series. This is not the Little Mermaid you grew up with. Gia’s out for blood.

Mermaid of New York is the third installment of the Mermaid of Venice series, 6 novels about Gia Acquaviva.

—

EXCERPT:

“Park Avenue? Four bedrooms? No. I told you six bedrooms at a minimum. I need a room for my daughter and space for my security staff. I do not care what the price is. Find me the biggest, safest apart- ment in Manhattan.”

Gia hung up and slipped the phone in her bag, pulling her hat lower on her head.

As Gia waited to board her plane, her thoughts were occupied with her journey to New York—and her ensuing custody battle for Serena. Gia didn’t notice that the other plane inside the hangar bore a familiar name: Bisset. Bisset Industries to be specific.

Night In His Eyes (The Fae Prince of Everenne, #1)

Night In His Eyes (The Fae Prince of Everenne, #1) By Alisyn Fae & Emma Alisyn
Publication date: March 17, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

A war of Fae Houses. A Prince waking from darkness. A woman drenched in his blood.

Prince Renaud, my mother’s killer, is waking. The Court has not felt the full weight of an Old One in centuries, and it’s my fault.

I am Aerinne Capulette, Lady of House Faronne, and I will have my vengeance against House Montague and Renaud. But despite the ground war I’ve led since I was a child, we remain locked in bloody stalemate.

If the Prince takes the field against us, he will rip from my mind the secret that will shred any hope for peace, or victory.

He will kill me if he discovers the truth. . .

. . .sweet, foolish child. Your death is not what I desire. I have not waited, watched, and planned for centuries to let something as petty as a halfling girl’s vengeance keep me from claiming what is mine.

To protect you, and to ensure my reign, I will bend you to my will. I will slake this obsession with your blood and tears, and I will yield you to no one.

Let your House protest. Let my Court look aghast. They are nothing.

And you—you are my anchor.

We may be enemies, but your hatred only seduces my darkness.

Night in His Eyes is an adult high heat, slow burn Fae fantasy romance, first in the Fae Prince of Everenne series. This not a standalone and ends in a cliffhanger.

For readers who crave enemies-to-lovers, obsessed dark heroes, murderous heroines and a battle of dark wills and enjoy authors such as Sylvia Mercedes, Sarah J. Maas, Kathryn Ann Kingsley, and Laura Thalassa.

—

EXCERPT:

“No.”

The Prince halted, and glanced up at the sky. “My amusement is diminishing. I had hoped to relearn the taste of wine tonight.”

“Sorry to keep you from your red.” I doubted he was a white kind of guy.

“It is not an apology I desire from you.”

What did he desire. . .other than the subjugation of Everenne’s Low Fae, and the Lords of the High and Low Courts kneeling beneath his boot?

Mermaid of Venice (Mermaid of Venice, #1)

Mermaid of Venice (Mermaid of Venice, #1) By
Jincey Lumpkin
Publication date: March 15, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

IndieReader Approved with 4.8 of 5 stars: “MERMAID OF VENICE is an electrifying series starter that immerses readers in a world filled with glamor, sex, murder, and mermaids.”

Dive into the extremely glamorous life of Gia Acquaviva, an ultra-rich Venetian mogul with a portfolio of clubs and casinos around the globe. Gia harbors dark secrets––and an underwater graveyard filled with the bones of her former lovers.

Her family’s roots descend from the mythological sirens of ancient Greece, but she’s taken every precaution to protect her anonymity and the existence of other mermaids. Gia lures in men with a beguiling façade, but inside lurks a deeply troubled soul, severely damaged by a mysterious past.

Despite her sinister desires, she longs for true intimacy and believes she may have found her match in Cameron Langley, a successful London-based banker and dead ringer for Chris Hemsworth. He offers Gia her first real opportunity for lasting love. They share an intensely passionate, deeply sensual connection… but is her growing affection for new lover enough to lull the murderous cravings she feels building within?

Fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies will love Mermaid of Venice, a sexy psychological thriller with lush fantasy elements. The setting is modern day Europe with all the chic locales, hot spots and vistas of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and a juicy splash of the lavish lifestyle in E. L. James’s 50 Shades series. This is not the Little Mermaid you grew up with. Gia’s out for blood.

Mermaid of Venice is the first installment in a series of 6 books about Gia Acquaviva.

—

EXCERPT:

Gia closed up the house and locked every shutter before climbing aboard her sleek speed boat. The wooden vessel, while practically brand new, looked vintage. Its soft-top cover glided over Gia’s head with a clean, electronic hum. She steered through thick rain toward Marco Polo airport, with only a small black Hermès Kelly bag in the passenger seat. After pulling into her VIP boat slip, she sauntered to her jet, obscured from prying eyes by an ordinary black umbrella.

It was not until she was above the black storm clouds that she truly began to relax. Her demeanor prior to that, with the jet captain and the flight attendant, had been cool and aloof as usual, but it was an effort to appear so calm. She’d informed the flight attendant that she would not be needing anything on the two-hour trip to London. So, he sat in the front of the plane, in case the captain had any requirements. Gia was alone, on the other side of the curtain in the cream-colored cabin, resting in a suede recliner. She liked being alone, almost more than anything else.

Fire of the Forebears (Heritor’s Helm, #1)

Fire of the Forebears (Heritor’s Helm, #1) By
L.A. Buck
Publication date: February 22, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Summary:

Pitted against one another, with the people and country they love in jeopardy, the daughter of a deserter and the son of the king have a chance to fulfill their forebears’ legacy—or destroy it entirely.

Twisted monsters called saja lurk in the shadows of the mountains. Rumors say the Fidelis, human wielders of an ancient elemental magic, again walk the plains. Not all in Avaron believe, and not all welcome the return of legend.

Kura’s a skeptic. But, she’ll cross and befriend centaurs, talking animals, and worse to save her family after the rebellion mistakes her for the land’s prophesied savior. And, while he’d rather negotiate with rebels than fight them, Triston can’t ignore prophecy. That was the sham his father used to steal the crown in the first place.

Over a century ago, their ancestors sailed the oceans in search of peace and died as heroes fighting for it. But heroes—and villains—aren’t always what they seem to be.

Inspired by Brandon Sanderson’s grounded characters and JRR Tolkien’s sense of wonder, Fire of the Forebears is a fantasy for fans who think a dual perspective adventure about the fate of one nation might still be pretty epic.

—

EXCERPT:

The woman smiled. She almost seemed friendly; she was the only one in this forsaken place to understand it. Pain shot through Kura’s arm and she cried out, grasping her saja wound. Her own pulse beat beneath her hand.

“The more you resist, the more it will hurt.”

Kura locked eyes with the woman, her voice a whispered breath. “What?”

The woman’s blood-red lips twisted into a wide grin. “Have they really taught you nothing? There was a time when men quaked in fear at the sight of me.”

Too Far A Blessed Darkness

A Blessed Darkness By Elexis Bell
Publication date: February 22, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

A dark connection. A deadly responsibility.

Sparks fly when Elairie, a mixed-blood elf living on the edge of society and serving as a night guard, meets her latest prisoner. 

Strange auras surround them, and a magical gravity draws her to him, despite what her associates might say about his race. But the connection they share comes with a dark side.

When Beluroan learns that he and his guard are Blessed Ones, hand-crafted by the Gods to stop a madman from recreating the Blood Magic of old, his veins run cold. 

Threatened with a return to the magical slavery such magic commands, fear grips him, and memories of his childhood Master fill his mind.

But together, their potential power frightens even the Gods. Can they overcome the prejudices marring their land and master their new magic in time to stop the man trying to enslave their country? Or will they succumb to their own power?

Filled with grit and magic, this literary romantic fantasy will take you on a ride.

—

EXCERPT:

The vision whisks us away from the cottage, and our spirits fly to a tiny camp deep in the forest. We stand with hands joined, staring at four Elves gathered around a campfire.

Fortune magic whispers through my mind, telling me these are the Elves who took my mother. My blood boils, and I grit my teeth.

One of them, a young woman with a shaved head, has the faraway look of someone in the grip of a vision. The others wait, staring into the flames.

A Court of Crows (Talons and Tethers, #1)

A Court of Crows (Talons and Tethers, #1) By Eliza Eveland
Publication date: February 10, 2022
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

A young queen in peril.
A city under siege.
An elven mercenary with a dark desire.

Nineteen-year-old Eris Telari was never supposed to rule Brucia. She’s always been more interested in swordplay than courtly intrigue.

After her brother’s assassination, however, Eris has no choice but to take up the crown and defend her city against an invasion led by an undefeated elven warlord.

With Brucia’s forces decimated, and a siege looming, Eris needs help. Who better to repel the elven invaders than a band of elven mercenaries?

Their leader, Ruith, is as charming as he is deadly, and used to getting what he wants. Six thousand swords strong, his Crows have a reputation for winning against impossible odds. He won’t take a fight he can’t win, and now he has his sights set on Eris…

Is it her kingdom he wants? Or her?

With assassins and traitors still lurking around every corner, and an army nearly twenty thousand strong at her gates, Eris cannot afford to turn away the Crows’ assistance. Even with their help, the battle for Brucia will be hard-won.

And the most dangerous threat may already be inside her walls and vying for a place at her side…

A Court of Crows is the first book in the gripping Talons and Tethers Saga, a new adult fantasy romance series. Expect courtly intrigue, assassination plots, plenty of heart-pounding action sequences, and strong heroines who do their own rescuing.

NOTE: This series contains four separate slow-burn romances that unfold over several books. Ruith and his Crow commanders have varying and diverse tastes when it comes to romance, but all of them enjoy plenty of spice, so grab your copy and prepare to meet your next book boyfriend(s)!

—

EXCERPT:

Eris lifted the paper. “You didn’t really expect me to implement such restrictive measures on day one of a siege, did you?”

“Of course not,” said Ruith with a shrug.

“Then why give it to me at all?”

“Because they think I’m here to take Brucia from under you.”

The queen’s mouth was dry. “And are you?”

Ruith stood. His heavy footsteps thumped in time with her heart as he came around the table. Trailing his fingertips over the tabletop, he stopped next to her throne, towering over her. “I have six thousand Crows at my command. 

The Spell of the Rose (Fleex: Adventures Around the Worlds, #1)

The Spell of the Rose (Fleex: Adventures Around the Worlds, #1) By Toni Behm
Publication date: December 11, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Fantasy
Summary:

— Magic may take many forms, but love shall rule supreme — 

Though wholly shorn of memories like all who dwell in the village of Fogland, Fleex knows this: his heart will always beat for Fin and Fin alone. 

However, when his dearest friend is hoodwinked by the Gossiper, he’ll need to venture beyond the safety of “home” to somehow save her.

Armed with but the oddities his guardians had found him with—a cryptic book and broken necklace—Fleex must find his way through countless worlds, collecting scattered clues. 

Accompanied by Flip and Flop, two Greenies sent by Fog Almighty, Fleex soon finds his quest means rather more than simply saving Fin. In fact, the very universe is hanging in the balance now, for music, knowledge, and all things good are slowly being swallowed by a monster made of light. 

Awaiting Fleex are riddles from the Reader in the World of Word, demands from the Collector, and a slew of wicked on the path to where the High Priest lives. 

Only time will tell if Fleex can mend the fractures greed has caused, but either way, he’ll reclaim Fin or meet his fate en route.

—

EXCERPT:

‘I travelled through many lands and, you know what? People outside Fogland don’t look like us. They are taller and they don’t have…,’ she hesitated for a moment, ‘for example, your family, you have tentacles which you call hats. The Gerions, on Round Street, have three arms. The Soleys have a light on their foreheads and they shine like torches all night. Where I come from, hair is hair, people have two arms, and their heads are not like bedside lamps in the dark. This is a strange place here.’

Fleex was thinking. Fogland was definitely a land which you could enter but could not leave. Not on your own. It was a place with a purpose. But exactly what that purpose was, none of the locals knew.

He turned to Fin, ‘What’s the last thing you remember before you came here?’

The Journey (Death Island, #1)

The Journey (Death Island, #1) By Kelsey Ketch
Publication date: November 25, 2020
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, New Adult
Summary:

With her family name tainted by her great-grandfather’s crimes, Meriden Cummings could only dream of fleeing her oppressive life. 

Then she unearthed a piece of tanned skin, and her blood revealed an ancient map adorned with Mayan glyphs, launching her on the journey of a lifetime. 

However, she finds herself bound to the map, and there is a cost to her newfound freedom. One that will torment her mind as well as her soul.

After being shanghaied by pirates, Gregory Wilson escapes to a small English village where he runs into an obnoxious auburn-haired beauty. 

When he learns she is about to set sail on dangerous waters, he signs up to join her crew, hoping to defend her from the pirates seeking her great-grandfather’s treasure. But, will he be able to protect her from the ghost that haunts her or the curse running through her veins?

—

EXCERPT:

[Meriden]

Tucker barked at something that had recently washed up onto the shore. Curious, I walked toward the obvious tangled mess. “What do you have there?”

I pushed him aside and grabbed the green and grey mass. I peeled off the debris and seaweed and rinsed the mud and sand off in the Mouth of the Severn. From the mess appeared an object, which I could only describe as an elaborate golden coin, about four inches in diameter. 

Yet, the slightest touch caused three outer rings of glyphs—similar to the ones painted on the map—to rotate around a sitting man with a long headdress, bowl, and club. 

Tor (The Hawks, #4)

Tor (The Hawks, #4) By Jennie Lynn Roberts
Publication date: November 23r,2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

What is it about her that makes him lose his mind? Every. Damn. Time.

Tor’s world is falling apart. The king he’d sworn to guard? Dead. The family he worked so hard for? They certainly wasted no time disowning him. All he has left is the Hawks… and an intense desire to win Keely’s heart. It won’t be easy—especially after the mistake he made—but he has to try, because the alternative, living without her, is unthinkable.

Losing someone you love leads to nothing but pain; Keely learned that the hard way. But there is something about Tor that makes her wonder if loving him is worth the risk… if only he felt the same way. Now her best option is to create a new future on her own—no matter how much she might wish her relationship with Tor could be different.

But all is not well in Brythoria. The treaty still isn’t ratified, and the mountain border is filled with enemies poised to destroy them. Can Tor and Keely find their way back to each other? Or will their second chance at happily ever after burn in the fires of impending war?

Tor, book 4 in The Hawks series, is a sexy, steamy, adult fantasy romance full of swords, shifters (kind of), and tons of action. But fair warning: This book is intended only for readers who love fast-paced adventure, soul mates and found family—and characters who curse when they fight for survival. If that’s you, happy reading.

—

EXCERPT:

First, Keely had to get rid of her breeches so she could sit down without destroying the chair with muddy water. Then they could focus on her jerkin and the arrow.

“I need you to pull my breeches down,” she prompted. “I can’t do it with one hand. The leather is soaked, and they were already too tight. They’re Alanna’s.”

Tor glanced down at her breeches and then immediately looked away and took a small step back. Damn. He really was honorable. Keely lifted a heavy woolen blanket off the bed and wrapped it over her shoulders to hang down to her knees. She never asked for help. Not unless there was absolutely no other choice, and right now there was no other choice. “I need your help, Tor. I don’t ask often, so make the most of it.”

A Christmas to Fight For

A Christmas to Fight For By Jessica Frances
Publication date: November 12, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Holiday, LGBTQ+, Romance
Summary:

As the last of my kind, I’ve long lived in the shadows. But, with the death of my father, I have a dying wish to fulfill, and I can no longer keep quiet. 

I can no longer stand back and watch as the Santa Claus Organization takes everything from us. So, I launch an attack that was doomed from the start. 

I am but one krampus up against the cruelest organization in the world. I knew it was a long shot. I knew I would likely die.

Then something surprising happens. The most recent Santa Claus comes into my life, and I don’t know what to make of him. 

He wasn’t what I was expecting. He’s supposed to be a puppet. A heartless, despicable Santa. But he’s not. He’s … a good person?

Do I have things wrong? Have I had them wrong all along? Or am I falling for the biggest con in the world?

Either way, change is coming for North Pole, and this is sure to be the deadliest Christmas on record and a time that no one will ever forget.

—

EXCERPT:

Standing over me, the demon is almost in shadow. However, past the strange features of his skin, tail, and horns, I clearly read his anger and hate. He hates me.

Why?

“For my father! For my people! For all that is still good in this world!” he shouts.

The impact of his words are almost the same as a jolt from a bullet. He sounds righteous and like he is on the right side, not us. He must be delusional. He must be crazy.

He holds up his gun, his aim pointed at my chest.

A Wish Too Dark And Kind

A Wish Too Dark And Kind By M.L. Blackbird
Publication date: November 1, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Urban Fantasy
Summary:

Among the immortals that inhabit our world, Arnaud Demeure is known as the man who can fulfill your one true wish or who can also conjure your worst nightmares.

Eight invitations are sent to eight immortals, and when Arnaud Demeure hosts a party, no one refuses his request. Why have they been summoned? Is it for a celebration or does a sinister fate await them? After all, in the ways of Magick, a party can also be a ritual to end the world.

As the mystery deepens, the attendees must overcome their personal grudges to unravel the threads of Demeure’s grand plan that has been centuries in the making. But, with one of the guests secretly working with their host to sabotage the group’s every move, it seems impossible to look behind the curtain to learn Demeure’s true intentions.

With each guest hiding dark secrets and darker intentions, will they be able to uncover Demeure’s mysterious motives or will the party prove to be the deadly nightmare that they each fear?

—

EXCERPT:

The young sister ran through the silent city while the prophet waited for her to arrive. The old man knew she would come; he had seen her already. Hidden by the shadow of an old staircase, eyes fixed on the door, he tried not to get distracted by the creatures in his vision.

Thousands of them, maybe millions, all crammed within glass walls.

The youngest sat at the center of the glass prison. It was taller than the tallest mountain. It was quiet amid the frenzy of its brothers. Its head so high it saw beyond the ceiling of its prison, straight into the realm of the Eldest Lords. Light leaked from underneath its shaking, half-closed eyelids. It peeked into the future.

The Final Decree

The Final Decree By Shami Stovall
Publication date: October 12, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Summary:

The Kingdom of Luka is controlled by the decrees of God-King Eliezer. Break one and become a twisted monster or serve forever, loyal to the crown. From the author of Frith Chronicles and Star Marque Rising, comes a new fantasy epic.

When God-King Eliezer utters a decree, it’s the law of the land, no matter how subtle or outrageous. Those who break the decrees suffer the god-king’s curse—their bodies twist into nightmarish monsters of devastation and hunger, forever a blight upon humanity.

The magic knows when a decree is violated, the moment it happens.

There are no exceptions. No loopholes. No escape.

Artemisia, a mysterious girl on the run from God-King Eliezer’s Holy Guard, is cursed and doesn’t know why. Fortunately, she has yet to change into a fell beast, but that isn’t a comfort. She could transform at any moment, and the resulting monster would destroy everything she cares for.

Desperate and fearful, Artemisia finds herself captured by a group of monster hunters led by Rylion Nasos, a man of superhuman strength and skill. When Artemisia displays magic of her own—magic that threatens God-King Eliezer’s rule—an agreement is made to confront the crown, despite the horrors it could unleash.

Cursed be the man who disobeys the god-king’s direct command.

—

EXCERPT:

I stumbled forward, fueled only by hate.

The soldiers of the god-king had taken everything from me, but I would be safe once I crossed the border. Denying them the satisfaction of my death would be my final act of defiance.

The winter winds rushed past, as bitter and cold as my thoughts. I walked the long road through the Kingdom of Luka alone. I was a stranger—a random woman—nothing more than some wraith passing by, devoid of purpose. People regarded me with suspicion, and I hurried along. I tried, at least, until I tripped and fell.

I hadn’t eaten.

The Descendants (The Descendants, #1)

The Descendants (The Descendants, #1) By Destiny Hawkins

Publication date: December 17, 2016

Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Dystopian
Summary:

Fail the tests and become a slave. Display defectiveness and be put to death.

Monroe Academy was built to separate the weak from the strong. Pass the biyearly leveling and be released into society upon graduation. Fail to be promoted and be stripped of rank and forced into servitude. That was a rule that applied to all but Rayah Bardeau. A student of Monroe Academy, branded as a Null because of her absence of Lighter energy.

With her mother standing as a slave in her place, Rayah was given until the age of twenty to make level six, but at nineteen-years-old and with only eight months until her twentieth birthday, she was only a mere level one. The same level she’s been since she was ten. With the stress of her upcoming test, the loss of a friend, and the constant wrongdoings towards her, Rayah could only dream of escaping from Lytonia, and escape she did. Only, when she awakened in her dorm, she couldn’t distinguish if she had only dreamt of meeting Soren, a wild and adventurous defect in the Wild Lands, or if she had somehow used her Lighter Form to get there.

But only the elite ― the most powerful of Lighters ― could tap into their Lighter Forms. Right? And what was the dark energy she used when she and Soren were attacked by Depleters? Was Rayah really as powerless as she thought? Was she a defect? And if she used dark energy, could she call herself a Lighter at all?

Bestselling author Destiny Hawkins brings you the first installment of a gripping dark fantasy where a powerless girl must survive in a society that doesn’t accept the weak…or the defective.

Content Advisory: The following book contains vivid depictions of violence and death. Reader discretion is advised.

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FREE for a limited time only!

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EXCERPT:

Gone. One minute Tristan was here, and the next he wasn’t. Only two days ago we watched the two moons rise, and it was only two days ago when we almost kissed, but this morning he was taken away from me, and I will never see him again. 

Once a student was made into a slave, it was forbidden for them to ever see their friends or family again, and that was exactly what Tristan was going to be transitioned into in only a few hours. They were going to strip him of his rank, disregard that he was born into the vex class, and put a collar around his neck that could kill him with the push of a button.

Untamed: A Beautiful Nightmare Story

Untamed: A Beautiful Nightmare Story By
L.C. Son
Publication date: July 27, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Summary:

Even villains deserve happy endings…

Undeniably Female. Unquestionably Feral. Unquenchably Famished.

It’s been twenty years since Chartreuse Grenoble witnessed not only the burning of her sister at the stake for claims of witchcraft but the great all-consuming fire of New Orleans. 

When the enigmatic, pure blood Altrinion-Vampire, Dalcour Marchand rescues her from fleeing her family’s doomed state, she has no idea she is nothing more than a bartering tool for his wretched brother, Decaux.

But she has other plans. She has no desire to be used or controlled.

Forging her own dark alliances, Chartreuse defies not only the will of men but the supernatural balance itself in her blood-thirsty quest to avenge what matters most.

Herself.

*Warning– This book contains mature material not suitable for readers under 18 years old. Topics such as rape, abuse, prostitution, racism, and misogyny are vividly depicted in this book and may trigger sensitivities of some readers.*

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EXCERPT:

Watching my sister burn at the stake for a crime only alleged by fearful and impotent men, kindled a fire in me that will never extinguish. Day by day that fire strengthens. As my lingering hope for Dalcour’s pledge to return to us lessened, the inferno, which was once my heart, grew ablaze. 

With my mother’s sunken state, her only recourse led her to make a brothel our new home. Landing the eye of a local banker, my second eldest sister, Victoria, took off within months after we escaped here from the Great Fire in 1788. Although young, I knew I had to do whatever I must to now be the caretaker of me and my youngest sister. 

A Breath of Sunlight

A Breath of Sunlight By Sydney Winward
Publication date: August 17, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

Don’t show compassion for men. Never save a man’s life. And no matter what, never fall in love with someone you must ultimately kill. 

But some rules are meant to be broken, even if it means risking your life by betraying your valkyrie sisters.

The plan was simple—attack the Pits, kill the male slaves, save the women. But when Skaja runs into a fae man she can’t kill, she instead breaks all the rules to save him.

Prince Calle was sold into slavery by his jealous brother, and he would do anything to taste freedom again, even put his trust in a dangerous valkyrie. 

To protect his people and gain the throne, he and Skaja must trust each other. 

But neither of them expected trust to turn into something more, and the cost of love has a much steeper price than either of them anticipated.

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EXCERPT:

Calle gasped and shot up into a sitting position. He clawed at his throat to remove the boot, but instead of finding a rough leather boot, he touched soft, warm skin.

“Shh,” Skaja soothed as she touched his hands, his face, his hair. “It was only a bad dream.”

Her face finally came into focus in the darkness. Pinched, concerned brows. Pursed lips. Hair falling across her forehead.

The Shadow Queen (The Wolfrik Trilogy, #2)

The Shadow Queen (The Wolfrik Trilogy, #2) By K. Rea
Publication date: July 22, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Summary:

A SMOLDERING COURT.
A DIVIDED PEOPLE.
A WARNING FROM THE GODDESS.

With the Court of Shadows in ruins, Evelyn Wolfrik has one goal – to rebuild.
After an encounter with the God of the Forest himself and a summons from the Court of Light, Evelyn’s future seems anything but certain.

Leaving the forests, her pack, and fledgling Court behind, Evelyn travels to the white mountains of the Court of Light. 

Deep in the mountains, navigating not only a frigid court but also challenges and trials she never could have foreseen, she risks losing more than just her crown.

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EXCERPT:

Gryphons in the Night

I snuck up the mountainside as quickly and quietly as I could. The rocks beneath my feet slid, the goats noticed. The ones awake went on alert as I ran towards them, weaving through the coverage. They darted. The sleepy one, though, was slow. Its instincts kicked in, and it ran for open ground away from me. I herded it up the mountainside to the snow in its panic. It floundered in the snow as I stalked it. The goat recognized me as a predator; its bleats became screeches on the wind as I lunged.

With the goat’s neck in my jaws, the screeches I heard grew louder, to an unbearable volume. I snapped the goat’s neck as a roar erupted around me, and the screech kept going. They did not belong to the goat. I pulled my prey free from the snow and ran with it down the mountain to a boulder I had seen earlier.

Of Gilded Flesh

Of Gilded Flesh By Gordon Gravley
Publication date: June 22, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Summary:

Clockmaker Josef Kronecker makes more than just clocks.

In his study in Salzburg, he crafts lifesaving clockwork appendages for clients, including a famous pianist, a count who loves to dance, and his very own assistant, Anna, who suffered a harrowing attack before coming to work at Kronecker’s Timepieces.

When Josef meets Klara, a beautiful party attendee, he’s entranced and soon becomes unknowingly entrapped in a web of lies. 

His infatuation positions him as the victim of a royal bully, who presents an impossible challenge and requests an unthinkable sacrifice should Josef run out of time.

While Josef falls for Klara and is held to a deadline he can’t possibly make, Anna keeps the shop afloat as she faces her past trauma, proving that the number of limbs does not make a person whole, but rather the will to live.

Sustaining life is Josef’s calling, but now it’s his life on the line. As the clock ticks down, he realizes that while infatuation is a powerful thing, love is deeper and sometimes goes unseen, and it seems adopting Anna’s unwavering will to live is the way to survive.

Honest, inventive, and both heartbreaking and heartwarming, OF GILDED FLESH is a captivating story about resilience and how much we have to live for.

EXCERPT:

The clinking of tools and the orange light of candles trail from the workroom in the back of the shop. Anna enters the space through the open curtain. Expecting to see Josef hovering over Duke Brunner’s artificial heart, she’s surprised to find the clockmaker tinkering with the mechanical boy, Joop, instead. Josef inserts the Rainbow Moonstone-and-marble balls into its vacant eye sockets.

The clockmaker leans back and moves a burning candle from one side of Joop’s head to the other. “Come see,” he says.

Anna moves to Josef’s side—close to him, but not too close.