Beautiful Undone by Melissa Polk

SPFBO9

It’s been nearly ten years since Quade last heard from Victor, his childhood friend and eventual lover. Resigned to a life of work and drudgery, the last thing Quade could have anticipated was an ominous summons from Victor to attend him at his home, Suriyel. With little thought to the consequences of his actions, Quade makes immediate plans to leave the city. After all, no matter the time or distance between them, Quade could never deny Victor anything. Victor, a powerful and reclusive mage, is now the Lord of Suriyel. With all the years he’s spent hiding from the world, he’s no longer able to imagine a life outside the boundaries of his lands. His every moment is devoted to untangling the curse wrapped around his sister, compounding her already failing health. Unbeknownst to the world at large, the tarn at Suriyel acts as a gateway to myriad alternate worlds. That gateway has been breached by Tristan Armoni, a power-hungry duke from another dimension–a duke who happens to be Victor’s mirror image and seeks to control more than just his own world. All that stands between Suriyel and Tristan is Victor’s magic. Without knowing the full extent of Tristan’s goals, Victor is desperate to find a way to save both his world and his sister. For Tristan, no act is too depraved and no step too far. He will stop at nothing to see his mysterious plans through to the end.

Beneath the Shadow Dark by Melissa Polk

Indie Recs Indie SPFBO8

Only in a land of darkness would they find their way. But it is no easy thing to serve a dark god. On a desert planet, the faithful inhabitants of the surface worship a goddess who grants them prosperity, as well as the unrelenting light of a sun that never sets. But beneath them, an eons old struggle for power rages between her banished siblings. When tragedy strikes Jos’ family, they are cast out of their home and deemed unworthy of the goddess’ light. Mad with grief, Jos invokes the long forgotten gods of the dark—and receives an answer. After bargaining their soul to restore their family’s honor, Jos is led into the subterranean world of the Shadow Dark by an emissary of the dark god, who is as mysterious as he is alluring. Among the wonders and curiosities of the dark underworld, Jos discovers many unexpected things: rebellion, friendship, purpose, and a love that struggles to survive a divine war. Jos becomes irrevocably tangled in the machinations of deities as their every choice could alter the tenuous balance of the entire planet.