The Tribulations of August Barton by Jennifer LeBlanc

August Barton could never have mentally prepared himself for his freshman year of college: not only has his anxiety increased, but his parents are divorcing, his new roommate thinks Augie is the biggest nerd in existence, and his grandma, a retired prostitute named Gertie, has taken to running away from her nursing home. Augie just wants to hole up in his dorm room with his Star Wars collectables and textbooks, but Gertie is not about to let that happen. What ensues is a crazy ride including naked trespassing, befriending a local biker gang, and maybe-just maybe-with Augie defeating his anxiety and actually getting the girl.

On the Edge of Salt by Dixon Reuel

On the Edge of Salt covers the early onslaught of the zombie apocalypse, when firebombs are first used to take out whole cities that are brute–infested. With a hidden home and smallholding shielded from the world, Rise is confident that his coven is safe behind the red brick walls of Owl Court. But as the night sky burns, a stranger with a terrible secret approaches his walls…

Into The Dark by Robert Hookey

Watchmen meets The Good Place in this (relatively) original, (kind of) groundbreaking, and reasonably-priced novel of good, evil, and everything in-between, overloaded with enough pop culture references to make your grandmother's head explode. In an all-too-familiar world controlled by ancient beings known as The Dark, heroes of every origin must assemble (yeah, I said it, sue me) to pull humanity back from the edge of annihilation – if they don’t kill each other first. They may not be the Avengers, the Suicide Squad, hell, they may not even be the Great Lakes Avengers… but they’ve been brought together by a hero in a Green Hornet mask and leather jacket to match named Nemesis to face every form of evil imaginable. From seemingly-invincible masked killers who stalk teen camp counselors to clones of Nazi super soldiers to monsters of the human variety, Nemesis and his team of unlikely heroes will traverse the globe to dismantle The Dark’s vast power structure once and for all. If you took The Umbrella Academy, The Boys and The Cabin In The Woods and gave them a hearty stir you’d get Into The Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis, a clever, electrifying, genre-busting adventure that pits the most unconventional superheroes in the Multiverse against the embodiment of mankind's capacity for evil itself.

The Perfect Matchmaking: Another Valentine's Day Novella (Cupids & Goddesses Book 2) by Milena McKay

Read Full Review

Review by JudeintheStars book blogger on 2025-02-19T19:02:50Z

Rainsquall by Penny Moss

Even if you don't normally go for MMM, like me, TRY THIS. Even if you don't normally read historical fantasy, TRY THIS. It's impossible not to like, and it will scoop out all your misgivings and fill you with passion instead.

Read Full Review

Review by WaywardSky on 2025-02-19T00:10:44Z

Heir of Stardust and Secrets by CC Hartly

Read Full Review

Review by Biblio76cmt on 2025-02-18T02:20:05Z

Beyond the Aching Door by Victoria Mier

Read Full Review

Review by Bowqueen on 2025-02-17T18:26:38Z

Under the Dragon Moon by Mawce Hanlin

Read Full Review

Review by briebriereads on 2025-02-17T15:43:43Z

The Perfect Matchmaking: Another Valentine's Day Novella (Cupids & Goddesses Book 2) by Milena McKay

Life of a Goddess is hard. There are so many rules. Rule Number 1: Organize the Annual Cupids’ Convention in Las Vegas. Rule Number 2: Don't let Zeus interfere. Rule Number 3: When Zeus inevitably interferes, avoid getting ambushed by cupids at all cost. Even if it means missing out on your Perfect Match. When the Goddess of Love herself is made to run the gamut of tropes, from enemies to lover and second chance romance to friends to lovers and close proximity, will she keep her independence from the ever meddling Olympians, or will she chose to surrender to a well-placed cupid's arrow? The Cupids are back! Sabine and Abby are bringing with them a steamy and highly trope'y second installment in the Perfect Match series, filled to the brim with mischievous deities, intrigue-weaving gods and attractive elbow patches (trust me, you'll want to read about those!)

Rainsquall by Penny Moss

Lone shepherd Folke is content to drift through life without the hassle of others. Yet his quiet days come to a thunderous end when a storm forces three enigmatic men to seek refuge in his secluded cottage. Suddenly, Folke’s world is crowded with all the things he worked to avoid, while opening up to many alluring possibilities. Warm skin, shared breaths, and the caress of lips beguile him into what he knows will lead to heartbreak. Each day he grows closer to the men is another day until their inevitable departure—and to secrets that could change all he knows.

The Last Dragon Knight by Tim Akers

Betrayed by his friends. Driven from the land he swore to protect. Hunted by the legions of Hell. Cursed to carry the Dragon's fury in his soul. Determined to survive. Corem Holt was once an assassin, before he was a warrior. Before he was a cataclysm in the shape of a man. Blessed by the Crow and cursed by the Dragon, he fled the destruction of his homeland. It was a destruction for which he was responsible. To his friends, he is a traitor. To his enemies, he is the last real threat in their endless war. Both will hunt him to the ends of the earth. And so he hides. He tries to live a simple life, to survive, to be happy. But mostly, he tries to forget what he has done. All that comes undone when his past catches up to him. What starts as a chance encounter with an old enemy rapidly devolves into a battle for life and death, not just for Corem, but for the people he's come to love while in hiding. To save them, he must make one last stand far from home, far from the throne he was sworn to protect, far from the memories that brand him a traitor. For anyone else, it would be impossible. For Corem, it's inevitable. Because he's not just a hero. He's the last Dragon Knight.

Hammer of Gath: A Tale of Rehavan by Justin Rose

“The blow struck in anger always returns to the striker.” In a time millennia before the Golden Iris reigned supreme, before Salinor and the race of men ever dreamed of nationhood, the elven empire of Elisidor stands as Rehavan’s greatest power. To their east lies the ocean, to their west lies Gath, the sprawling democracy of the minotaurs, their only option for expansion. As both nations grow and swell, one lusting for mineral wealth, the other for fertile land, differences in belief and custom become divisive. Factions rise desirous of conquest. A chance misfortune sparks bloodshed, and as this bloodshed increases, two blacksmiths from opposing cultures find themselves thrust into prominence, living out their personal grudge on the stage of international war. The war ravages Rehavan, casting doubt upon ancient customs, religious teachings, and ideals, and ultimately posing the question: What is the nature of power? * * * Hammer of Gath is the first novel in the "Nations End" series.

Ageless Part 2: A Tale of Rehavan by Justin Rose

“Most men would need a century to justify one hour of their life.” In a stone keep in Gath Moran, Hefthon sits and scribbles—histories, ramblings, songs. His immortal blood stirs in his ancient veins. He longs for risk, to hazard the life that comes so cheaply. In Elisidor, in his fortress Ordúil, Belisari sits and combs black dye into his hair, plasters pale cream on wrinkling skin. His time dwindles. He dreads risk, to hazard his numbered seconds. He longs for lost immortality. When an elven scholar named Ta’Hrada shakes off the dust of his libraries and leads elven Elisidor in rebellion, Salinor’s emperor calls on Aeschulin, the new master of Gath Odrenoch’s Guards, to put down the fledgling revolt. In turn, Aeschulin enlists the service of two very different men—his brother Hefthon and Belisari, an old and almost forgotten friend. *** Ageless: Part II is the third and final novel in the “First Immortals” series and a sequel to Ageless: Part I.

Ageless: Part 1: A Tale of Rehavan by Justin Rose

Monster Hunters. Such is the trite name given both in reverence and in scorn to the family of Reheuel. Nearly a hundred years have passed since the recovery of Ariel’s Tear, and still they spend their immortal lives as guards, only now of a nation rather than a city. Bastard. Such is the name held by Belisari, a strange and ageless miner toiling in the earthen bowels of backwater Serendin. For fifty years he has labored in obscurity, weighed down by the unmet responsibility of his high birth. When the Monster Hunters of Gath Odrenoch pass through Serendin, Belisari grasps at his first chance to find something higher, driven by the guidance of an unknown god and the conviction of his hidden heritage. What follows is a journey which shakes the faith of immortals and rattles the cages of oath-bound gods. * * * Ageless: Part I is the second novel in the “First Immortals” series and a sequel to Ariel’s Tear.

Ariel's Tear: A Tale of Rehavan by Justin Rose

"Beauty is always worth protecting." Set in the fictional world of Rehavan, Ariel's Tear tells the story of Reheuel, Captain of the Guards in the small human city of Gath Odrenoch. An aging soldier haunted by memories of his bloody youth, Reheuel lives a sedate but contented life with his family. Disillusioned with warfare and the glories of his nation's conquests, he raises his children to value beauty and the wonders that enrich their lives. His peaceful world shatters, however, when a tribe of goblins threatens both Gath Odrenoch and the nearby Fairy City. Intent on saving his family and on protecting the innocence of the childlike fairies, Reheuel sets off on a journey to save both cities. Lifting his sword once more, he rediscovers the true cost of earthly beauty.

The Fall of Ingway by Justin Rose

NOTE: The Fall of Ingway is published as a full cast audio drama and as an annotated script. This story is intended primarily for audio, and though its print and Ebook versions are enjoyable and interesting to read, they are a script, not a novel. Ingway is a being of many names: Death God, Reaper, Ferryman, He-Who-Comes-When-The-Last-Sigh-Leaves. He is a figure of terror and mystery, riding through shadows, leading the dead to the halls of judgment. Ominous and cold, even to his fellow gods. Join this strange and soft-voiced god, this being with the wrath of the universe bound in his aching soul, as he drifts closer and closer to the edge of rebellion, as he lingers longer among the souls he is meant only to reap, as he draws closer to the goddess Mercy and learns--to love. Listen to the stories of the flesh folk below, lovers and monsters, guards and princes, kings and queens, souls moved on a chessboard set by the gods of Duty and Vanity. See how their paths cross with the path of Ingway, how men and women alter gods, how gods alter men and women. Prepare yourself for The Fall.

Space, Collisions by L. N. Holmes

"Three perfectly paced and elegantly written stories that leave the reader breathless and pensive at once." —Meredith Allison, author of Blood & Whiskey "L. N. Holmes has a talented pen and a great imagination. . . ." —Renwick Berchild, Nothing In Particular Book Review SPACE, COLLISIONS is a micro-chapbook containing three brief stories. In "When Continents Collide," a man waits on the shores of the Outer Banks for the collision of the North American and African continents. "Trace" focuses on the intimate secrets shared between one pining woman and her self-destructing lover. In "Spacefall," two scientists take a break from work to drive to the countryside and bask in their friendship. Each installment in this short collection offers motifs of physical distance and intimate connection. Overall, the stories emphasize the common longing to overcome the space that divides. SPACE, COLLISIONS is part of the 2018 Summer Micro-Chapbook Series at Ghost City Press.

"Null (Void)" by MultiMind

A chef, a choir boy and a newly minted office grunt are ripped away from their everyday lives and landed on a deserted island. They do not know each other or where they are. Nor why they hear a large computer voice that informs them “The world that you know is not available right now. Rebooting world now.” All they know is that nothing is as it seems and everything keeps changing. Available free on the Nightlight Podcast

In Search of Amika by MultiMind

Nothing is going right for Keyona. Hapless and jobless with a fresh college degree, all Keyona wants is to find decent work. One night, something pulls Keyona through her bed and brings her to the distant lands of Rulo, thrown into the sandy pit of her summoner, Ipkuni. Ipkuni is desperate to find their long-lost friend, Amika. One way or another, Ipkuni is determined to find her. Though bemused to receive Keyona instead, a thought struck Ipkuni - perhaps Keyona could be of some good use. She had to arrive for a reason.

The Harlequin by MultiMind

Quiet and bookish, Rosalyn always loved living in her head, especially under the glow of the silent moonlight. One snowy moonlit night, she finds someone princely and ethereal standing at the edge of the forest, the Harlequin. Dazzled by his words and ways, Rosalyn follows the Harlequin. But to what end?

Kinetics by MultiMind

Ava and Tyrone always shared everything. As twins, they were always two parts of a whole. But one day, Ava discovers that she is part of a much bigger whole. And Tyrone wants nothing more than for Ava to take part … or take her apart instead. Now Ava faces a decision: either be by Tyrone’s side or become another one of his victims. Doesn't matter to Tyrone, as long as he has her abilities - one way or another.

Dreamer by MultiMind

Vera has unusual dreams - anything she dreams comes alive. Dream Traveling, her family calls it. Doing it all her life, Dream Traveling doesn't affect Vera as much as it used to. She has her rules and her methods - as long as she follows them, all is fine. Until she sees something she discovered she couldn't handle. Now, her dreams are plagued by The Hunter, a deadly character that wants nothing more than to haunt her mind and leave behind a bloody spree. Vera must find a way to get The Hunter out of her head before he makes sure she never wakes up again. So much for "sweet dreams".

The Glassman by MultiMind

Mars, the lead vocalist of rock band Lumination Rising, has had to learn how to live with his new self. Living in the aftermath of a devastating accident, Mars gained a new ability: he can control and create glass. But that's not all that changed about Mars - and that is exactly what worries the band. Haunted by what he can do, Mars grapples with himself and his mind. Eager to help, cousin and bandmate Amos tries to keep Mars' head straight ... and the new abilities a secret. The world can't know about the glass or the change. There's music to be made and a record company to please. Mars isn't a monster - but he isn't so sure himself.

Attack of the 50ft Trans Woman by Caledonia Fife

Lily Watson will do anything to transition, so when a shady biotech company offers her an experimental gene-editing gender change for free, she jumps at the chance. It means the end of her marriage, but she is prepared to live with that. She isn’t prepared for the radiation mutating her edited DNA, causing Lily to grow to an astounding FIFTY FEET! Now the biotech company wants her dead, genital-obsessed cultists are whipping up a public fear of her, the media has labelled her a terrorist for the crime of being a (really, really) tall woman, the police are after her for stealing her own DNA, and the government has sent the army to kill her. She’s big and she’s angry Fine, if they think she’s a threat, she’ll be a threat. She sets out for Downing Street, with death, destruction and murderous mayhem on her mind. When she is given the opportunity to affect meaningful change for trans people, she must choose if that is more important than her lust for vengeance… #GiantTransLivesMatter

The Damaged and The Damned by Cole Gray

The Damaged and The Damned is Book One in The Unforgiven Trilogy- A Dark Romance Collection that follows the lives of three individuals who seemingly have nothing in common: A Forensic Psychologist, A Detective, and A Tattoo Artist. Scarlet Mays, PsyD, after escaping the chokehold of a traumatic childhood. Scarlet runs a private investigations office called The Firm. While The Firm carries out everyday business matters, Scarlet's primary focus is working as an undercover decoy to rid her town of real-life monsters to protect other children from having to experience the same things she did. Although effective, her methods are more than a little unorthodox. Detective Sebastian Tate prides himself on living a life of honor, honing in on the core values his parents taught him. That is until Scarlet recruits Sebastian to leave behind his role on the police force to join her on her mission by giving him a seemingly impossibly difficult decision: Life and loyalty or Death and dishonor. Wesley Micheals is a local tattoo artist and business owner whose life unravels the first time he meets Scarlet. His obsession leads him down a path that is different from the one he set for himself, but he will do everything it takes to get the only thing he wants in life: her.

A Bend In The Future by Abby Brown

Tammy's move to the city opens secrets hidden from her, many on the horse farms around her. Some secrets her family thought she knew. Others, they hoped would never affect her. Building a future means forging unexpected bonds and traveling roads she never imagined.

The Sins of Mrs. Ema by Mirela Kanini

The Sins of Mrs. Ema is a provocative novel by author Mirela Kanini about true happiness in life. Is it money or love? How do we balance having a devoted husband and then finding the right person at the wrong time? How far will we go for love? Ema seems to have it all. She is a successful psychologist, married to a business man, and lives in a mansion in a desirable neighborhood. She has everything one could want, from luxury cars, to a vacation home, to trips to the most exotic places. Her marriage has lost its passion and is dulled by routine. But one business trip to her hometown changes everything. Her life shifts from a quiet, suburban one to a passionately dangerous one. She meets Toni, the love of her life. She risks everything she has to follow her heart. She is caught between the man who cares about her and the man she truly loves. What if she loses it all at the end? Unpredictable, heartbreaking! An affair to remember! This is a brilliant psychological romance!

Cracks In The Wall by Abagail Brown

Survivors know no other life. Abuse often starts before awareness of self, and others. Abuse is normalized. Questions lead to life threatening consequences. A few escape. Read their histories. Recognize those you know who may need a nudge to acknowledge the abuse they suffer from in their daily lives. Prevent continuing the vicious cycle of so many who merely exist throughout their lives.

Kin Strife by Abby Brown

Recording the village elder's life stories should be routine. Always on the outside of village life, looking in. Terra's rocked babies, cooked meals, written memories. Nothing more. Until now. Saving stories in a village of people lost between cultures interrupts her search for belonging. Their fragmented stream of life threatens all Terra knows of her own past, and future. She must tame the stream back into its banks to create a home she never dreamed existed.

The Light Within by Carliann Jean

In a time of political unrest and looming war, the country of Sweazn is drowning in trauma, pain, and suffering. Eira and her friends are weighed down on the front lines, working tirelessly in therapeutic and investigative roles. Though all are nearly pushed to their limits, Eira and her friends keep each other afloat with love and laughter. Beyond Sweazn, through a thin veil of time and space, the realm of souls, Majikaero, faces its own peril. A plague of darkness spreads rapidly, and Prince Nyx knows too well the agony and exile it brings. Eira’s recurring dreams and lost memories drag her into this magical realm of souls. Here, she encounters new allies and foes, including Nyx, the deviously alluring shadow prince who Eira can’t help but feel irrevocably drawn to. Eira learns she once thrived in Majikaero, her soul radiant with healing power. Now, confronted with the mysteries of her origins, the plight of her damaged friends, and the encroaching darkness, she must summon the strength and magic to protect both realms. Eira must face the trauma of her past and find the one thing that can save those she loves: the light within. The Light Within is book one of a thrilling fantasy romance series that is centered around themes of mental health and healing. You can’t hide a goddess from her own destiny…

Trails: Pit Miners by Gail Brown

The middens of the ancestors slowly empty. The last few usable pieces are found. Only a generation since KlaPit mine was abandoned, the new mine at Shells is almost empty. Buried dangers emerge from the bottoms of the pit mines. Forgotten fears told as campfire tales emerge in their spectral forms. Rusty worries her life skill is at an end. She has no other interest, than being the dig leader following Zella. Ambrena feels threatened that her life skill will be less valued as Tanna's daughters grow up. Every mistake is magnified as if it were life threatening. Corandra fears her ancestors have cursed her. Corandra knows they don't want her. Everything she touches crumbles. The box she found spreads a devastating illness. She abandons her villa for a cure. Corandra feels abandoned by her older friends, Ambrena and Rusty, as they embrace their life skills. The only person who notices her anymore is her verbal sparring partner, Henry. Or so she thinks. Will Corandra forgive herself? Will she allow others to forgive her for the damage her ancestors committed? When she has to choose between saving Ambrena and Rusty, or saving Henry, how will she decide? What will that decision mean to the future of the Pit Miners? Will Ambrena and Rusty find the cure they so desperately seek? Is it even what they think it is? Will the battle in the Grass Sea lead to peace, or the forgotten specter of war?

Trails: First Generation by Gail Brown

A devastating cascade of earthquakes strike New Mexico's forgotten fault lines. Quakes spread across the continent. Fumeroles emerge in unknown hotspots. The Earth shakes and begins the process of opening the Rio Sea, where once, in prehistory, a great ocean thrived. Oceans heave as the Ring of Fire bursts with increased activity. Continental plates shift, rip apart, and bounce against each other. Oceans heave as the Ring of Fire bursts with increased activity. Disaster builds on disaster. Continental plates shift, rip apart, and bounce into each other. Everyone thought Arizona and New Mexico would be forever safe from earthquakes, volcanoes, and shifting water tables. Only, they aren't. As the continental plates shift, so do the lives of Amber and Alex as they struggle to find firm ground in the altered landscape. Aftershocks spread through the land, changing communities, forcing most to flee for their lives. The world as Amber and Alex knew crumbles around them. Family and friends missing. Communication relays fail. There is no power, or phone service, with remaining fuel reserved for military missions. Society as they knew it, teeters on the brink of collapse. Established communities melt apart, as walls between human population groups soar. Men, women, and cultures clash as if they had never learned to live together in peace. Together, survivors must build a future in a tangled environment of fear, hunger, cold, and desolation.

Galataria's Echoes by Gail Brown

Galataria teeters on the brink of destruction. At least, the human population does. The rest of the world has been rescued. At what cost? Earth stumbles along the path to the Devolution War Galataria fought generations ago. Dreams begin to cross the dimensional boundary between Galataria and Earth. Dreams of people and places that don't match the lived experiences of the receivers. For Kalara and Leonard on Galataria, the dreams appear like nightmares, a haunt of a past best forgotten. For Shalin and Jendal, the dreams of Galataria are peaceful and serene. A beauty in life they have never seen. Stress builds in both worlds. Although the connection falters, it soon becomes the only way to save Galataria. Ties bind them together, between worlds. Bringing a bit of both worlds across the bridge into the other. Both worlds are threatened with ideas, and a life most don't recognize, and many fear.

Concurrent Earths by Gail Brown

Explore worlds, not quite as you know them. Alternative Earths, or human-like beings on other planets. Other times, history has changed. A forgotten past. An unreached future. A dream of places that may, or may not, be. Various short stories that stir the soul, and grasp at long forgotten details, which beg to be heard again. Concurrent Earths contains 40 short stories of Earth, or almost Earth, that may, or may not, exist. These stories reach to us across the stars. They share a thought, a dream, or a hope. Stories that touch the heart and soul. Whether a single individual, a community, or a society, each story delves into specific situations, and how they might benefit society. Or, how they might go wrong. Very wrong.

Terraform Charlie by Edge O. Erin

Humans are destroying the Earth and need a new home. After years of work and fighting those determined to stop him, terraforming scientist Charlie Kehler and his dedicated team have the solution-sowing life in the primordial soup of Nova Terra. A planet in the Alpha Centauri star system, Nova Terra is the destination for Shia and her fellow colonists and home to the indigenous Manots. How do two peoples with a common ancestor react when they meet? When Charlie seeded life on Nova Terra thousands of years previously, he feared things could go monstrously wrong. As the lives of the two races collide, will they choose war... or peace? Was Charlie right?

Legacy of Seconds by Edge O. Erin

"Crux of a whipscrew!" A chip of red coral found a gap between Claire's shield and work-shirt, and it stung like a bee. But that discomfort paled in comparison to the invisible sliver that steadily wormed its way into her mind. Her very own family and the Ghan elite were using her dearly departed sister as a vehicle to achieve global rule and facilitate a colonisation mission to a distant world. It pained her even more than her prosthesis. That her sister Mariot might still be alive fuelled her desire to use her affiliation with a resistance movement as a vehicle to redeem - if not rescue - her and bring down the reigning plutocracy. But the Ghans' and Graces' power, combined with the vicious clone Riot they animated, and some of the inhuman men they lorded over, represented a force that might only, at best, be circumvented.

Time Sneak: Emergence by Edge O. Erin

Brain trauma has rendered 21-year-old Emily colorblind, but the ability to see far more colors than the average person is hard-wired in her brain. Now, as a test subject with CuraeCare, Emily is working with InView, a platform that could save lives and possibly restore her ocular gift. But the past, both her own and that of nuclear Russia, has leveraged InView to claim lives and gain an otherworldly foothold on Earth. With a murderer on her trail and a demonically possessed CuraeCare executive penetrating her mind, Emily is in danger. As evil closes in, her best friend Holton, and a heroic indigenous shaman, put up the fight of their lives to save her.

Odin's Tillit by Edge O. Erin

Fox was twelve when he faked his own death to escape his father Dagr and his precious tugboat, Odin's Tillit. Cloaked in an identity produced from the inside of a tobacco can, he has become a glorified drug mule for Texas lawman Sheriff J. J. Raskin. Sixteen-year-old Ren is at the helm of Odin's Tillit, pushing rafts of logs and helping the sheriff make his problems disappear. Obligation, destiny, and Odin's Tillit are bloodying the waters of British Columbia's Arrow Lakes. Fox and Ren know better, want better, but they cannot escape the clutches of the incorrigible or incorporeal forces around them. As the principals come together, the past threatens to destroy Fox and Ren, even as the sheriff seeks to eliminate them. What does fate have in store for them? Only Odin's Tillit knows.

Serendipity: The Quantum Realm Book #3 by Robert P. Edwards

Divided but still connected, humanity has made the leap into space. Can those humans that have evolved ever return to reclaim the Earth?

Inheritance: The Quantum Realm Book #2 by Robert P. Edwards

At the dawn of the 22nd Century, humankind stands on the brink of extinction or radical evolution. The Northern Alliance is at war on multiple fronts. Young bio-engineered soldiers called Readers are used to locate and destroy the last of the Quants. However, the elite Scania Quants, led by the merciless Tyr, are poised to strike back. Mackenzie and Chris are making plans to migrate to the moon. Like many, they look to the stars as an escape from a world irrevocably damaged by climate change and war. However, an unexpected event sends Chris on a desperate mission to save Antarctica from a tipping point that will have global consequences.

 Kazumi is now the CEO of Mashimoto. His innovations have kept Greater China at the forefront of AI and quantum technology, and an all-too-human Quant variant is rolling off the production line. Sophie leads a relatively normal life as an academic in climate science—normal, except for Scania mind-reading sessions for the Northern Alliance and her violent lucid dreams in The Quantum Realm. Along with Francois and Nicky, who are at the forefront of humanitarian efforts in South America, they are Global Village—connected, well-funded and well-meaning individuals who continue to make a difference in a world that appears to be wired to self-destruct.

The Burning Heart of a Woman and The Grieving Soul of a Man: A Collection of Poems (an anthology) by Curtis Wright

The Burning Heart of a Woman and the Grieving Soul of a Man Wright captures the experience of a young Black Male growing up in the dangerous streets of Brooklyn New York. His poems do not ask for permission as it abducts you and takes you on an exhilarating emotional roller coaster ride as you encounter the ups and downs, twists, turns, and loops that pulls you out of your seat as you experience all the highs and lows and all the emotions in between leaving you thoroughly drained. He uses free verse, personal tone and rhythmic playful language to encapsulate the contemporary forms of poetry while examining poverty, racism, relationships, faith, and spirituality.

Queeird: A Collection of Unusual Trans Masculine Erotica (2023) by Max Turner

Androids and aliens, werewolves and vampires, furries and… tentacles? Queeird is a collection of unusual, and at times monstrous, erotic short stories featuring trans masculine characters. From the ridiculous to the romantic, expect kinks, quirks and tropes. All the stories feature trans masculine main characters, with a variety of cis, trans female, trans male and non-binary lovers.

A Little Lie by Max Turner

A sprite and a pixie walk into a bar— Christmas is a strange time for fae folk living in the mortal realm... Awen had a discomfort with Christmas. It didn’t make sense to him that any of the fae celebrated it; it wasn’t part of their traditions. A time when humans spoke of fairies and elves as though they were those creatures of lore and not their living, breathing neighbours? It was unsettling. And for Awen, another reminder of how apart from the world he was. Brock hated Christmas; there was something about it that stripped him of his usual confidence and charm. It was hard to be charming around all the happy couples when he knew his own happiness was not an option. Instead, year after year, he had to endure his mother asking when he would finally settle down, knowing he’d never get up the nerve to tell her the truth. His truth. A Little Lie is a sweet and smutty age difference Christmas MM romance where a nightclub hook-up becomes a fake relationship with a HEA, in a magical place called Three Rivers City (... Truro).

It’s Not A Secret by Max Turner

Transgender Londoner Adam keeps running into an infuriatingly rude Danish migrant Elias at different points during his transition. Elias is very confused by Adam, the easy friendship they develop and how attractive he starts to find the curious self-made man.

Dancing With The Count by Max Turner

Neither seasoned dance pro Tommy Miller or celebrity chef Count Christian De Clare want to be the first same-sex pairing on Celebrity Ballroom, but it’s happening. The pressure is on to not get eliminated or become the season’s novelty act… which would be a lot easier if they actually liked each other. This sweet, tropey Christmas-time romance is a short read chock full of intimacy, sweetness, and of course, dancing! The quick plot and medium heat level are just right for a cozy night in.

The Child of Hameln by Max Turner

Elk Pass is a town cloaked in darkness and plagued by an unknown evil, where twenty years earlier all but one of the town’s children were stolen. That remaining child, now the deputy sheriff, is left to unravel corruption and cover up when his mentor, the town sheriff, dies unexpectedly. The mystery unfolds as a snow storm blows in, threatening to isolate the town, leaving Deputy Bobby Taylor to deal with a plague of rats and the monsters, both human and fae, that follow. This supernatural mystery and light horror is a dark fable set in 1980’s small town USA, and is a retelling of the German folktale The Pied Piper of Hameln.

If Only You Had Stayed by C. P. Ashton

Sarcastic. Scarred. Stuck. Charlie Foster is a disaster. Just ask her therapist. After high school, Charlie loaded what little she owned into her car, ripped off the proverbial rear view mirror, and drove out west with her angsty punk music blaring as loud as the speakers could handle. The falling out with her best friend, Skylar, right before graduation still haunts her ten years later. Now Charlie’s back in town for their high school reunion searching for answers, closure, and one last shot at Skylar’s heart. But Skylar may have moved on long ago—for better or worse. If Only You Had Stayed explores shattered first loves, fumbled second chances, and the inescapable external forces that shape a life.

The Third Internecion (Tale of Infidels Book #3) by Erik A. Otto

The fate of Matteo’s lands rests precariously on the blasphemous words of a growing cadre of infidels. They must find a way to rally forces to the aid of the Old Keep before it’s too late. But who will believe them?

The Day's Wake (Tale of Infidels Book #2) by Erik A. Otto

Hideous beasts? Conspiracies? A fracturing world? The infidels are spinning their deranged tales across the realm. It's a heathen contagion; a grievous elixir. Do not drink from it. Besides, there is no place for these blasphemous lies when events are in play that are disturbing enough. Like the Day of Ascendancy, which is happening...RIGHT NOW

A Toxic Ambition by Erik A. Otto

AN ACTION-PACKED YA NOVEL SET IN A SOCIALLY FRAGMENTED SAN FRANCISCO The world has descended into a morass of radioactivity and harsh climate shifts. The wealthy have escaped to rule from the protected Inworld; enormous, impenetrable domes that dominate urban skylines. Outworlders must live a life of serfdom catering to the Inworld, unless salvation can be won through prowess in Ket—a game of dangerous anti-gravity maneuvers and debilitating energy pulses. This is the story of three lost Outworlders youths. Tristan is unmatched in his dedication to the games, Luisa is plagued by the memories of her family, and Michaelis has been cast aside by a corrupt system. Together, they need to find a way in, and Ket may hold the key. Praise for A Toxic Ambition from Kirkus Reviews "Like with 1984, The Hunger Games, and countless others, social commentary and plot are intrinsically woven together in Otto's tale...The book becomes a propulsive procedural, running headfirst into scenes of tension building action, driving the two worlds together towards their inevitable climactic conflict."

Transition by Erik A. Otto

From the author of Detonation (named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2018) comes Transition, a 16,000 word science fiction short story set in an enclosed city that is besieged by an endless war. It follows Alder and Lena, who both want a family. Their only option is to have lacrotic children; precious gifts that come with an expiry date. They struggle to maintain hope and dream of escaping to the stars as the transition looms ever closer.

Requiem by James Hornby

A young Chris Cwej, fresh out of an experimental time travel surgery, has been transported with his alien co-worker Tyron to a planet with deadly monsters and a single human woman. The robotic Captain of the INITEC vessel the Gold Reserve, along with his crew, are tracking the course of a massive Universe-wide disaster in the making. Gregori Glasst, famed spacefaring composer, is on tour for a musical celebration of Earth history, and has prepared his magnum opus to be played at a very specific venue. Chris, Tyron, the Captain, Glasst, and music student Fionara are all embroiled in something far bigger than they realize. Two notes of music that should never touch have melded into the sound of chaos. Chris must stop the Sol Three Tour, or else a requiem will play the Totality of Existence to its end.

The Nameless by Stuart White

For dystopian fans of THE LAST OF US, THE MAZE RUNNER, and THE HUNGER GAMES. The YA debut from award-winning author, Stuart White. IN A NAMELESS WORLD, ONE HERO RISES BY DISCOVERING THEIR IDENTITY. In a dystopian world dominated by genetic perfection and numbered gene pools, sixteen-year-old E820927, known as Seven, yearns for an identity beyond his assigned number. To escape a life as a Nameless Exile, and become a citizen of the Realm, he must pass a loyalty test to prove his allegiance to the totalitarian Autokratōr. But as the truth unfolds, Seven faces a difficult choice between revenge, love and discovering his identity.

The Soviet Network by Amerigo Merenda

The Soviet Network is a story that involves underground saboteurs who gradually dismantle communism’s monolithic ideology. For generations, citizens behind the “iron curtain” were persecuted by dictators who smothered freedom and sheltered tyranny. Family relationships, threatened by espionage and violence, suffered through a reign of terror. Russia’s authoritarian political history will show its ugly face when millions of citizens are denied human rights. Liberal democracy could not penetrate one party’s domination until a respected Ukrainian military officer, Commander Rypchensky, organized a disciplined underground network whose goal was to replace totalitarian despotism with a democratic government. Romantic relationships are trapped in a web of political turmoil where murder and terror rip families and loved ones apart. Reading The Soviet Network will reveal by contrast, how life in a totalitarian culture can destroy our human spirit.

Straight to The White House by Amerigo Merenda

Straight to the White House is a special read for a variety of reasons. It’s a story of a young boy whose repressed childhood trauma emerges later in his adulthood and impacts his personal and professional life choices. A combination of personal strengths allow him to survive the onslaught of psychological demons that emerge. His intellect, perseverance and spiritualism are characteristics that allow him to manage his life successfully but his insecurity concerning his sexuality continues to haunt him. After graduating from Cornell he enters a catholic seminary, fulfilling a long held desire for becoming a Jesuit priest. From this point on his life is made more complicated and interesting when he finds himself attracted to a beautiful woman just before he is drafted into the army during the Vietnam war. Moving forward his life is being challenged by competing forces that pull him in different directions, while his sexual insecurities persist. His search for his true identity continues to evolve while a series of events change his life forever. His mentor, a Jesuit priest who knows him from childhood, plays a key role in clarifying his life ambitions upon his return from Vietnam.

The Student by Fern Goldstein

The Student takes readers inside the halls and classrooms of Abigail Adams Middle School on what turns out to be a terrifying and inexorable journey to the ending that is every teacher's and parent's nightmare. As we intimately experience the struggles of each of The Student's potential victims and of The Student himself, we feel teacher Sharon Bonavina’s frustrations as she tries desperately, but in vain, to reach The Student—until we end up cowering behind the way-too-thin wooden doors of Sharon’s classroom, watching the clock, wondering if help will arrive in time. Tick... Tick... Tick... We inhabit a world where children are shooting their teachers and other children as the people who should do something do nothing or don’t know what to do. As the other students in Sharon's classes all deal with their own problems and those brought on by the growing malevolence emanating from The Student, the book raises legal and ethical issues that urgently need answers; it raises awareness of mental health and the realities of what can and cannot be done in schools for students who struggle and for those who suffer because of them. It also makes us face fears that keep us up at night and trembling during the day.

The Echoes of The Elk's Estate by William Mierzejewski

One year has passed since the events in Iron River, Michigan and it’s time for another summer vacation! Liam, Boo and the rest of the family have recovered from previous traumatic events in their own way. To distance themselves from former occurrences, Will and Annie (Liam and Boo’s parents) decide to take a road trip to the sleeping community of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This is the hometown of Claire, Will’s sister. A beautiful and quiet colonial borough located not far from the City of Philadelphia. What could possibly go wrong? Will plans to give his family a tour of his hometown. Enjoy the sights and aid his sister with a project that was very dear to his childhood, the restoration of the Elk’s Family Estate. Is there an inherent evil trying to lure everyone into a trap? Luckily, this is where Liam, Boo and their family and friends shine best. Working together, solving a mystery and battling monsters who harbor the forces of darkness. Will Liam and Boo be able to solve this mystery? Follow the signs and our crew of young people as they try to survive the ghastly pursuits! Happy reading.

The Local Legend of Iron River by William Mierzejewski

Liam, a 10-year-old boy, and Boo, an 8-year-old girl, are two kids from Chicago, Illinois sleeping comfortably in their family’s vacation home in Iron River, Michigan. Their vacation home, far from the big city lights and crowded, bustling streets, borders the Ottawa National Forest and rests peacefully a few yards away from the vibrant waters of Sunset Valley Lake. Tonight, the cool air from the lake mixes with the heat of the day and creates a dense fog while the Sturgeon Moon rises in the twilight. Suddenly, Liam is startled by a chilling howl outside his bedroom window. That’s when Liam sees the beast for the first time. Its terrifying yellow eyes pierce back at him through the darkness. Liam tries to warn his family of what’s out there, but no one believes him. His father assures him that it’s his imagination and the forest is home to black bears and grey wolves. But is the forest and this small summer town harboring a primal evil? How long has this evil plagued this area? Who else is aware of what lurks in the surrounding woods? And how can this beast be stopped before anyone else goes missing? Only Liam, Boo, and their crew of friends can solve this mystery. Follow Liam and Boo in the first installment of the Liam and Boo series, which features our main characters in a thrilling and mysterious adventure.