Read TODAY ... Free!

Taste for Blood: Stir by Jenna Bernel

Daniella Madison’s existence teeters on a wobbly tightrope, and at any moment the wire could snap.  Each time she travels to The Basement, she knows she’s risking her life, but the reward is worth it, to be a slayer in the purest sense. With the help of her partner, Eli, she is on a mission to find her next target, but Daniella’s efforts come to a startling halt, when the darkness of underground finds its way into the sun.

When Alec, the only other day-walker she’s ever met, walks into her high school, Dani feels as though the rope was cut beneath her feet, and she’ll quickly plummet to her death. Alec claims he wants to protect her from the highest order of their kind, but Dani is not so sure and questions his intentions, trying to understand his sudden presence in her human life. Against all logic Dani finds herself inexplicably drawn into his alluring gaze, but she knows he can’t be trusted and struggles to keep her secrets safe. Dani leads a double life that was never meant to intertwine. The real question is, can she trust herself to stay strong as her two worlds collide, spinning her life out of control, and the lives of the people she cares for most, completely out of her hands.

Download Stir  on Amazon.

Excerpt

A few silent minutes later, we pulled into the school parking lot, and Alec hopped out, running around to open Kate’s door.  I was so surprised, I sat there stupidly for a minute, and he managed to get my door too, before I could object.  I stepped, out eyeing him suspiciously, and wondering what his game was today.

“Thank you, Alec.  It’s so nice to finally have a gentleman at our school.”  Kate praised him, swooning at his little gesture, and I clenched my jaw, not pleased by how easily he was accepted into our group.  At least, Evan was still on my side.  She waved goodbye and said she’d see me in AP History, as she ran off to her class on the other side of campus.

“What was that about?  If you even think about working your so-called charms on my best friend as some sort of twisted play to get into my head, I swear I will snap your neck when you least expect it,” I threatened, stepping into him, and pushing an accusatory finger into his chest.  He tilted his head down until his smoldering eyes locked onto mine, not at all intimidated by my words.  He grabbed my hand from his chest and wrapped it behind his neck, picking me up until we were eye-to-eye, in one startling swoop.

“Who says Kate is the one I’m trying to so-call charm?”  He asked with a hint of a smile as he spun us in a slow circle, with my feet dangling off the ground.  As we turned, his eyes became even more torrid with something.  I didn’t get it.  I’d swear he was trying to Trance me with a Gifted form of hypnosis that somehow affected vampires, but all I could see were the students who stopped walking into school in order to stare at us before pulling out their phones.  I shook my head in annoyance that this little show would soon be on record, and wiggled out of his embrace to land my feet on the ground.

“You work for the 7th Circle, so you should know the rules.  And I thought we already talked about this flirty crap yesterday.  Do you really think I’m that naïve?”  This was getting offensive, as if his phony, flirtatious games could sway my opinion toward wanting him here.  I began to walk away, but he caught my wrist, spinning me around to face him.

“Like you said, Dani.  This isn’t The Basement; this is high school.  So as far as I’m concerned, all the rules have changed.  And if I recall, you seemed very inviting toward me yesterday at the dugout,” he mused, and I nodded in sarcastic agreement.

“Yeah, remind me again, was that before or after I kicked your ass?”  I said with an inquisitive tilt of my head.

“That’s not exactly how I remember it.  I think you’re just lashing out because I wasn’t stupid enough to fall for your anti-vamp blood,” he countered, and I stumbled back a few steps with my mouth hanging open in shock, and Alec kept his hold my wrist matching my steps to keep me from falling.

“Who are you?”  I asked through a quiet breath.

“I told you, Dani, the sooner you trust me the better.”  He leaned into my ear and his hand holding my wrist glided down until our fingers wove together.

“You don’t have to hide with me,” he whispered and strangely, our hands seemed to reluctantly untangle when he stepped past me and started moving through the parking lot.  I stood there frozen, watching him walk into my school, right into my life, and my stomach clenched with uninvited butterflies.  How could he know all my secrets?

Download Stir  on Amazon.

Find more from Jenna on her blog, Facebook and Twitter.

A Deepening Knowledge (A Life of Magic Book 2) by Matthew D. Mitchell

The first thing to reach my brain was noise. A muffled sloshing, like blood in a bowl. Shallow breaths being taken by two other people. No other noise. I opened my eyes and there was no change. No light penetrated the depth of the darkness. I could now feel that I rested on a squishy surface that slid and heaved under my body.

Rejoin Ott on a journey full of humor, talking creatures, magic, romance, and an enemy who is laying plans.

Download A Deepening Knowledge on Amazon.

Excerpt

“So we probably have a long time till we reach the surface.” I stated. At least we knew something now. Suzie looked at me and grinned. “Well then. Since we are stuck here should we talk?” Something in her voice made me nervous. Raven’s grin did not help at all.

“Yes, why not talk?” Raven chimed in while scooting closer. The glow on the back of her hand had spread more.

“What would you ladies like to talk about?” I stupidly asked. I felt like I was missing something, yet I could not stop myself.

“Why the oldest riddle of all time.” Suzie slyly grinned. “Love.”

“What about love?” I again could not help myself. I was walking into a trap, I could see that now.

Raven’s smile grew wider and more sneakingly. “Why, Ott. What do you think of love?”

Suzie’s smile was resembling Raven’s, “Yes Ott, who do you love?”

“What? Who?” I stumbled over my words. “Who says I love anyone or anything?” Time to find another type of escape. Both girls looked at each other and giggled. Giggled! Both of them!

“Why Ott, I do believe you are blushing.” Suzie’s eye’s glowed with mirth.

“You do know, dear Suzie, what that means?” Raven’s eyes had grown darker. “There is in fact something or someone he loves.”

Oh man. “Well, of course I love. I love my friends, my family, even some of my prized possesions.” I was scrambling for safe ground.

“And that makes you blush?” Suzie just would not let go.

“I think there is more to it.” Raven stated. “I think there is someone he does not want us to know about.”

Both girls grinned. “But perhaps we should discuss this at a later time.” Suzie seemed a tad hesitant to continue.

Raven looked at Suzie and nodded. “Perhaps that is best for now.” She looked at me, her eyes deep and penetrating. “But we should discuss it more later.”

I just stood there stunned. I thought I was in real trouble, but now I felt confused. Who did I really love? Did I love either of these amazing girls?

I looked at Suzie who smiled. She was a fun loving, free spirited woman who enjoyed teasing me. I knew she was interested in me, that had already been discussed. Did I love her? I know I enjoyed her company and she was a very beautiful women. She blushed and turned away at my lingering gaze.

I turned to Raven and realized she had watched my appraisal of Suzie. Her eyes were dark and mysterious. This woman drove me insane, yet I found her alluring. A mysterous air always seemed to flow around her very being. At times she was abrupt with me and at others moments there seemed to be a gentleness that none other might suspect. She fought like a dervish yet showed a kind hand when needed. A true woman of opposites and more complex than most. Her appearance was equal to Suzie yet different. Suzie had a softness to her. Raven had a strength that showed through her femininity.

Raven continued to watch me. I turned away, confused yet coming to some conclusions. I could hear Raven sigh and she leaned against Suzie. Their whispers carried just enough that I knew they were talking, yet I could not discern what subject.

 

Download A Deepening Knowledge on Amazon.

Find more from Matthew on Facebook and Goodreads.

A Grimm Legacy by Janna Jennings

Enchanted castles and charming princes thought to exist only in stories come to life in this classically twisted fairy tale that combines the timeless quality of generations old folktales with the challenges of the modern world.

The woods of Elorium appear ordinary to Andi Grace, until birds start talking and elves answer doors. Along with three others, Andi has been whisked out of her world and finds herself the reluctant guest of the perplexing millionaire, Mr. Jackson—a stranger willing to help get them home, but who’s keeping secrets of his own.

Discovering unexpected family connections to this fairy tale land, the group must rely on each other as they dodge evil fairies and battle giants, intent on keeping them in Elorium.

Faced with characters short on whimsy and bent towards treachery, Andi, Quinn, Fredrick and Dylan are forced into fairy tale roles to find the way home. But in Elorium, happily ever after is never guaranteed.

Download A Grimm Legacy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.

 Excerpt

With the ground approaching quickly, Fredrick pulled on the toggles to stall his decent. Several yards from the ground, his parachute jerked sharply up, leaving him breathless and twisting in his harness. Glancing skyward to see what he’d snagged on, Fredrick stared into the angry eyes of the giant.

A distraught Quinn was clutched in his fist, crushed between his fingers so tight she looked limp and lifeless. Yanking on the cutaway handle, the shoot detached from his harness and Fredrick dropped to the ground hard, smashing on to the giant’s right foot.

Reflexively, the giant kicked, sending Fredrick sailing into the side of the tower where he bounced against the unforgiving stone and crumpled into a heap. The ground jumped and slid under Fredrick as the giant approached. He clawed at the grass, willing the ground to quit rolling. He’d done some serious injury to his chest that sent stabbing pains through his torso every time he tried to breathe.

The giant’s shadow fell over him from the rising sun and Fredrick rolled to his back in time to see the disgusting blackened bottom of his bare foot descending on him. Moving quickly and smoothly, his hands didn’t seem his own as they drew the machete from its sheath and thrust upwards, connecting with sole of the giant’s foot.

His skin was tougher than Fredrick anticipated, and he leaned into the blade, feeling it slide through the skin and into the muscle beneath. Blood welled around Fredrick’s hands and spilled over him as the weight of the giant continued downward, threatening to crushed him.

The giant howled in pain and kicked out in a panic, wrenching the knife from Fredrick’s blood slicked hands. The massive foot swung out of his line of vision just in time for Fredrick to watch him throw his hands in the air, releasing Quinn. She arced high and sailed over the side of the floating island.

Fredrick wondered why—later, when he had time to reflect—he started thinking he was some kind of superhero, and apparently one that flew. But at the time, he simply sprinted for the side of the island and launched himself into space, desperate to catch Quinn before the ground rushed up to meet them.

 

Download A Grimm Legacy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.

Find more from Janna on her website, Twitter or Facebook.

 

SNAP: Happily Ever After? by Michele Drier

Loving Jean-Louis for eternity doesn’t mean that Maxie Gwenoch will let him turn her. Jean-Louis is a vampire, is gorgeous, is the second-in-command of the Kandesky Family of Hungarian vampires, and is her boss at SNAP, the multinational, multimedia celeb gossip empire where she is the VP for International Planning. She moves to Kiev to build a home with Jean-Louis and finds her future under a cloud from Leonid, a rival from the Huszar family, now living in a bolthole in the ruins of Chernobyl. Will Maxie find safety by giving up her days and joining Jean-Louis in the vampire nights?

Download SNAP: Happily Ever After?  from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Excerpt

Had I forgotten Leonid? Oh no, I’d never forget him.

He’d captured me, held me hostage for Jean-Louis, beat and raped me, let his toady Jules rape me. Much of the immediate horror of that time was pushed so far back in my mind that it took an effort of will to bring it out, but the fact that it happened never left me.

And I hadn’t forgotten that Leonid got away after the murder verdict and execution of Matthias, the head of the Huszar family.

“You said he couldn’t be found. You said there were only some tales of people and animals going missing in Romania and Belarus.”

His glimmer dimmed then flared back again, a sure sign he was going to try to convince me of something. “It’s true, we believed he was disappearing back in to the countryside. He had no contacts, no money and only a few followers. We didn’t think he’d try and head for Ukraine, but he did. He still had a small nucleus of followers here in Kiev.”

There was no oxygen in the room. I couldn’t breathe. My heart pounded. I knew Jean-Louis saw that. He may not have hunted and killed humans for food for more than 500 years, but his instincts were still there. I tried to keep myself calm around the Kandeskys, hoping they’d forget I was a regular. Fat chance.

On occasions like this, with blind panic and fear running along my nerves and affecting my circulatory system, the vampire’s internal hunting responses started to kick in.

He looked at me. “This is not something I wanted to tell you and I certainly didn’t want to tell you until we had a chance to decipher the information coming in. I had a very different ‘Welcome to Kiev’ planned.”

OK, I knew he’d explain things. But, wow, I didn’t even think that Leonid would be part of the explanation. He watched my eyes fill with remembered terror and reached over to hold me, but I pushed him away.

“And when were you planning to tell me this?”

He sighed. “Nik and I planned an evening with you. We’d tell you about Leonid then go over all that we knew and all that we’re planning to neutralize him. I, we, never want him coming within miles of you ever again.”

I flashed back to my first glimpse of him, standing on the steps of Nik’s mansion so coldly angry that the air around him looked crystalline. “I hope your anger wasn’t part of the plan.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You ninny! Even teasing me, you do entertain. No, of course not. Now you’ll have to wait. Nik’s already gone up to his room.”

Rooms! Ah ha, an opening. “Speaking of rooms…”

He looked at me, gazed around the room and looked back. “What’s the matter, you don’t like the accommodations?”

I threw my reader at him and followed it up with a pillow. He was fast, batting the pillow back hard enough to knock a gasp out of me. I found a breath. “No, I wasn’t expecting to be put up in an economy hotel. And where’s the help?”

“We were going to hash all of this over with you until you forced a change of plans. You’re going to have to wait for this, too. I will say that we had other ideas about accommodations, but we’re having to use a fall-back position. And until yesterday, we didn’t have one.”

He was up, pacing, a movement I knew well. His mind worked more creatively and clearly when he was on the move. Then his pacing stopped as he threw himself down on the bed next to me, turned my face to his and kissed me, so hard, so long and so deep I melted from the heat that rose to engulf me.

“My love, my love.” He was murmuring into my hair. “I’m desolate without you. If you’re not around when I expect you to be, I panic. I know I react badly, in what looks like anger, but it’s fear…fear of losing you.”

His hands were stroking my hair and moving down my back, then he started pulling my shirt up.

“What do you have on? Where’s all your lingerie? Didn’t you pack it?”

I all but giggled. There were times when I even slept in one of his old shirts, so that I had his scent with me, but tonight I’d been too upset to want anything of him around. And sexy lingerie to sleep alone! No way.

“No thanks to you, but yes, Elise and I packed some things. Of course I don’t have anyone here to help me…”

I stopped. He was helping me. Sort of. He managed to pull the tee over my head, which trapped my arms, and began kissing and slowly licking my breasts, working his way down my body. The bed shifted and I heard sounds of clothing coming off, the soft snick of buttons and the hiss of a zipper. As tangled as I was in the tee, I hadn’t managed to get an arm free before I felt the length of his naked body against mine.

Now I truly melted and lived for the sensations he brought to me.

As I came back to consciousness, I was aware of movement in the room. I opened my eyes to the faintest glimmer of dawn and saw him silhouetted against the window as he pulled the heavy drapes shut.

He turned to me. “It’s six, true dawn is still half an hour away. I’m leaving now. We’re planning dinner and a long conversation tonight. No matter what, remember that I love you for eternity.”

I slept, my body remembering his touch and my mind drifting in an ocean of caring.

Without Elise to wake me, I jerked upright from a deep sleep, disoriented. Where was I? What time was it? The room was dark. I groped around on the bedside table, found a lamp and flipped it on. Memory came washing back. Last night, the wretched fight, Nik’s guest room, Jean-Louis…ah, Jean-Louis. I lay back on the pillows remembering the last look of him closing the curtains…oh, crap! What time was it? I was supposed to meet Jean-Louis and Nik for dinner and a discussion.

I rolled back over and checked. Four in the afternoon. Enough time to shower and get ready, even without help.

The tap on the door came as I was putting the final pins in a wrapped updo. He came in and I stood. I’d chosen a short, layered dress the colors of autumn leaves and strappy two-inch Via Spigas and felt confident enough to hear what the two had to say.

Jean-Louis looked me over and smiled. “I knew when we offered you the job that we’d chosen well. A woman who can overcome adversity, a few little bumps along the road, and still come up looking good enough to eat!”

This time I picked up a pot of blush to throw but decided I didn’t want to waste perfectly good Lazlo on him. He knew I hated those stupid vampire cracks, made them only to push my buttons. I gave him the evil eye as I sailed out the door.

Something was wrong. Something was missing. I looked around as Jean-Louis joined me and took my arm. Bam, that was it. No demons!

Even after the execution, I had demon guards outside the door to my suite in the Baron’s castle. Though the Huszars may have been scattered or co-opted, their centuries-old headquarters was only a few miles away and Stefan Kandesky and Jean-Louis didn’t believe in taking chances.

Here in Kiev it was pleasant being able to come and go without a trailing demon, as fond of them as I’d become.

Under the freedom of not having a guard, though, there was a twinge of nervousness.

Leonid was alive.

 

Download SNAP: Happily Ever After?  from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Find more from Michele on her website and Facebook.

Blur by Kristen Middleton

Seventeen year old Nikki and her twin brother, Nathan, move to the small town of Shore Lake to start over after their mother is brutally attacked. When a missing teenager washes up on shore during their first night at the cabin and there are whispers of vampires in Shore Lake, Nikki begins to realize that there are things roaming in the darkness that are far more sinister than what they left behind in the city.

Blur is recommended for mature readers. You can download it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Sony and Kobo.

Excerpt

A strange noise jolted me awake, and I looked towards the window, only to find myself alone.

Must have been dreaming…

Sighing with relief, I checked the time and noticed I’d been in the tub for a half hour. The water was too chilly to enjoy anymore so I decided to get out. I toweled myself dry, put my robe on, and unplugged the bathtub. I then padded into the bedroom where I stopped dead in my tracks. Ethan was on my balcony, leaning against the railing watching me. He reminded me of a predator studying its kill before striking.

Time seemed to stand still as the realization of what Ethan really was sunk in. Obviously, he’d made it up to my balcony all by himself, and yesterday, we’d soared through the night faster than what was humanly possible. There could only be one explanation now, and it chilled me to the bone.

We stared at each other for what seemed like forever and then he pointed to the door.

Swallowing hard, I stepped over and unlocked it.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked softly.

My heart was hammering in my chest and I bit the side of my lip, trying to decide what to do.

“Well?” he asked, smiling devilishly. “I promise I won’t hurt you, Nikki. In fact, I imagine you’ll enjoy my company immensely.”

I let out a ragged sigh and nodded.

He stared at my mouth. “I’d like to hear you say it.”

“Come in, Ethan.”

 

Download Blur at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Sony and Kobo.

Find more from Kristen Middleton on her blog and Facebook.

The Shifter: Book One of The Healing Wars by Janice Hardy

A dangerous secret. A deadly skill.

Nya is an orphan struggling for survival in a city crippled by war. She is also a Taker—with her touch, she can heal injuries, pulling pain from another person into her own body. But unlike her sister, Tali, and the other Takers who become Healers, Nya’s skill is flawed: she can’t push that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it into another person, a dangerous skill that she must keep hidden. If discovered, she could be used as a human weapon.

But one day Nya pushes her luck too far and exposes her secret to a pain merchant eager to use her shifting ability for his own sinister purposes. She refuses—until Tali and other League Healers start disappearing mysteriously. Now Nya must decide: How far will she go to get Tali back alive?

You can find The Shifter on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or IndieBound.

Excerpt

Danello lived in one of the better boardinghouses on Market-Dock Canal, in a neighborhood I could only dream of affording. His family had three rooms to themselves—two bedrooms attached to a small kitchen and dining area. Though a woman’s touch still showed, it had been a long time since it showed strong. Two dying plants—possibly coriander—sat on a shelf near the window, holding back faded and singed curtains bunched on one side. A rack of worn copper pots hung above a small stove, its skinny pipe chimney snaking up the side wall. They did have a view, though it was only a grassy corner of a market square. Two people were huddled under a bush, a ratty blanket tucked around them. I looked away.

“Did you find her?” a boy called, running out of the room on the left. “Oh, I guess you did.” His mouth wiggled as if he was unsure whether to be happy I was there or scared that I had come.

“This is—” Danello turned to me and laughed sheepishly. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Nya.”

He nodded. “Nya, this is Jovan. The other two are with our da.”

Not knowing what else to do, I waved, and the smaller version of Danello waved back. Same rich brown eyes, same pale hair, same determined yet sad set to the chin.

“Da’s unconscious now,” Jovan said in the measured tone of someone trying very hard to sound grown-up. Saints, he was so young. Too young to carry pain that wasn’t his. “Do we need to wake him?”

My stomach twisted, but I shook my head. “Don’t wake him. I can do it while he’s asleep.”

We moved into the back bedroom, small but cozy. Paintings of flowers hung on the walls, some painted on wood, others on squares of cotton. By the bed, Jovan’s twin brother sat on a yellow stool, his unhappy face pale and tight. Their little sister sat on the floor at his feet. Her blond head rested on his

knee and her arms were wrapped around his shin. Neither looked up.

“That’s Bahari, and Halima there on the floor.”

I backed away. No bed was worth this. I wasn’t healing, I was deciding who suffered. Saints did that, not me. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. So can they.” Danello squeezed my hand, drew me forward. “What do we do?”

“Change your mind, find a pain merchant who’s buying, drag him here by his hair if you have to, just please don’t make me do this.”

He took both my hands, held them tight. They were warm, and for one irrational moment I felt safe. “What do we do?” he asked.

What we had to, even if we didn’t like it. Hadn’t I always wanted to be a Healer? It might not be what Tali did, but I could help them. The shift was only for a few days, until the pain merchants were buying again. It wasn’t as if I were permanently hurting them. I gulped down air and reluctantly pulled my hands away.

“Nothing yet,” I whispered. “I have to see how badly he’s hurt first.”

His da’s forearm bent the wrong way, so that was broken for sure. The thigh was bloody and gouged, but the leg was straight. I glanced at Jovan and my stomach rolled. Just think about their father . I went to the opposite side of the bed and placed my hand on his forehead. Cold, wet strands of the same pale hair as his children’s stuck to my fingers.

Tali’s voice echoed in my head. She’d been teaching me what they taught her, claiming it was in case the League ever let me in one day, but I wasn’t so sure of that. I figured it was just her way of making it up to me ’cause she got accepted and I couldn’t.

I took a deep breath. Feel your way through the body, to the injury. My hand tingled as I felt my way through blood and bone. Broken arm, as expected. Three broken ribs. Torn muscle on the leg, but not broken. Cuts and bruises all over, but he’d heal that on his own.

“It’s not as bad as you thought.” I explained his injuries as best I could without scaring the little ones. Bahari already looked ready to bolt.

“I’ll take the arm and leg,” Danello said as if ordering dinner. “They can each take a rib. That won’t be too bad, will it?”

Spoken like someone who’d never had a broken rib.

“It’ll hurt to breathe deep. Bending and stretching will be hard.” Three sets of brown eyes went wide. I almost smiled, but figured my grin would scare them more than the pain. “No roughhousing ’til the pain merchants are buying again.”

Bahari jumped up, his fists clenched at his sides. “I don’t want to do this.”

“We have to. It’s for Da,” Jovan snapped back.

“I’ll”—Bahari looked around the room—“do something else to help. Go to the herb sellers.”

“Bahari!” Danello gasped. “Half the time they sell you poisons. I’m not risking Da’s life like that.”

I shuffled back against the wall. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this either, and I didn’t want to shift anything to Bahari if he didn’t want it.

“It’ll hurt,” he said.

“Yes, but you can handle it for a few days.”

“But—”

“Do it, Hari,” Jovan said in a voice too old for such a small boy. “Da’s never let us down, and we’re not letting him down now.”

Bahari didn’t agree, but he didn’t say no again either.

“Fine, then it’s settled. Me first.” Danello dragged over a chair from under the window and sat down, grabbing the arms tight.

“Danello…”

“Do it.”

 

Find more from Janice on her writing blog, website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Violet Skies by Edward L. Cote

To break up my writing time, I design book covers for fellow authors. Here’s my latest cover design and a bit about Edward L. Cote’s Violet Skies, the first book in his new series of the same name.  Each book is a novella, short and easy to read. This is a fresh twist on classic fantasy, but it keeps its essential nature intact.

 

Taya Mindaerel and her mother, the Oracle of the Prairie Winds, must flee their home or face certain death at the hands of a dark hunter and his man-eating horse. Their journey takes them to Aurum, the City of Gold, where they seek the aid of the Great Magus Olbinaar.

On the way they meet three allies- Alex, a vagabond, Brand, a master swordsman, and Ogger a wild creature. They will need all the help they can get to surmount all the obstacles in their path.

In the city however, they learn that their journey has just begun.

Download Violet Skies on Amazon and Smashwords, or purchase the paperback.

Prologue

Olbinaar stood in the Grand Library of the Hall of the High Council. Two stories of books lined the walls, which were divided by oak doors at regular intervals. Six ladders granted access to the higher bookshelves. Two huge windows stood opposite each other, displaying grand views of Aurum, the City of Gold. Through each he could see the city’s aqueducts, markets, buildings and towers short and tall. The window on the western side brought light from the setting sun.

Dangerous Depths by Karen Amanda Hooper

Hell hath no fury like a selkie separated from his true love.

The gate to the sea creature realm is finally open. Yara wants to bask in the glow of her budding relationship with Treygan and explore Medusa’s world, but as the new leader of Rathe her powers are needed to save a sea creature she’s never met.

Rownan assumes the worst is behind him when he returns home to be reunited with his wife, Vienna, only to discover she’s gone. She traveled to the evil realm of Harte to find another gateway to Earth and was never heard from again. Rownan claimed he would go through hell to be with her, and now he must prove it.

Rownan, Yara, and Treygan will put their lives and souls at risk by traveling to the most dangerous realm of all. Love is supposed to conquer all, but no one has ever conquered Harte.

Purchase Dangerous Depths in ebook or paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Art of Forgetting: Rider by Joanne Hall

A young boy leaves his village to become a cavalryman with the famous King’s Third regiment; in doing so he discovers both his past and his destiny.

Gifted and cursed with a unique memory, the foundling son of a notorious traitor, Rhodri joins an elite cavalry unit stationed in the harbour town of Northpoint. His training reveals his talents and brings him friendship, love and loss, and sexual awakening; struggling with his memories of his father who once ruled there, he begins to discover a sense of belonging. That is, until a face from the past reveals a secret that will change not only Rhodri’s life but the fate of a nation. Then, on his first campaign, he is forced to face the extremes of war and his own nature.

This, the first part of The Art of Forgetting, is a gripping story about belonging and identity, set in a superbly imagined and complex world that is both harsh and beautiful.

Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis

There are worse things than death, worse people too.