They Call Me Princess Cayce: new body, new universe, deadly problems by P D Ball

SPFBO8

As if waking up in the body of a young teenage girl wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t remember my own name. It turns out I’m the princess, second heir to the throne. I have to get back to my own life, but don’t know who to trust or how to do that. Ask the wizard for help? Clearly, magic was involved in my transformation, but if I tell him, I’d be confessing to stealing his princess’s body. And if I tell the prince, well, where’s his dear sister? Worse, I woke up tied to a tree in the enemy army. The army that just killed the king and wants to take over the kingdom. This new life is not going well. Was I stuck inside a game on some sort of quest? Maybe, I always play cute girl characters because, well, I want to watch them beat up monsters. But if this was real, then I was in serious trouble. Real or simulation, there was only one thing to do: survive. --- In a gritty, realistic medieval world that doesn't pull punches, Princess Cayce struggles to adjust. A land of terrifying magic, ever-present warfare, deeply rooted patriarchy and, well, a lot of limitations on how a princess can behave. This is not erotica and not a harem novel. There’s no romance. At least, so far. Inspired by litrpg, but it has no obvious gaming system.

Princess Cayce Is Still My Name: the spring campaign by P D Ball

There’s a lot wrong with the world I find myself in. The earls are angry about the knighthood, worried about my blood-ties to a foreign power, and likely working behind my back to take the kingdom for themselves. The suitors ever vying for my attention, my hand in marriage. The crazy behavior of the foxes and ravens and crows who seek me out just to bow. And the coming war. All these I could handle, well almost handle, but for the raging magic inside me. Powerful, angry, wanting out. And I feel it. Want to release it! Yet using magic would not only guarantee that the mages would hunt me down, it would endanger everyone around me. And I just couldn’t let that happen. But when did this world give me a choice?

They Still Call Me Princess Cayce: through the smoke and into the fire by P D Ball

Escaping from the dowager and traitor Barclay was supposed to be a breath of fresh air, perhaps an end to the game I might be trapped in. But instead of waking up to a save and exit screen, I woke to a desperate military packing up its camp. The enemy army was racing to catch us at the next chokepoint. And we had to beat them or be cut off from safety. Yet was it safety we were rushing to? Our only hope lay in reaching the last duchy of the kingdom. But everyone had been warning me of Duke Bechalle, the deranged tyrant, a dangerous man – and now in the hopes that our combined armies could defend the kingdom, people were telling me I should marry the guy! --- Princess Cayce continues exploring this new world, its foods and customs, training in weapons and riding, while trying to avoid the limitations of being a cute girl princess. Meanwhile, her new mistress of the bedroom has other plans. Plans that include ballroom gowns, make-up and perfume, and setting Cayce up with the duke, a man whose best interests might be served better by Cayce’s funeral than her marriage.

My Name Is Princess Cayce: unwelcome attention by P D Ball

Firmly in control of Bechalle’s castle and duchy, autumn and winter looked to be safe and secure, time to recoup and recover. To train hard, introduce new weapons technology, to strengthen my army. Yet the upcoming coronation brought trouble and danger. The powerful Laemacian emperor to the northeast demanding I marry him, or he’ll conquer my lands. The mighty Barclay church, whose Father Inquisitor I killed, demanding a harsh penance. My own earls, enraged that a girl leads the kingdom, working behind my back to rid themselves of me. Worse, if you’re me, suitors from all over the kingdom began arriving, making their case for marriage. Because of Brin, that meant wearing hated dresses and make-up and being a cute girl princess to grumpily receive them. On top of all this, uncontrollable magic growing inside me threatened my very existence and everyone around me. If I told the mages, they’d kill me. If I confessed to my friends, they’d likewise face death. Nowhere to go, no one to confide in, no help coming. This was my life now. --- It’s been so long that Princess Cayce is close to letting the game theory go. And that means surviving in this world, relying on her army. But changing the kingdom through new technologies might not be the solution Cayce thinks it is. Rather, court intrigue and politics opens up a new world of deadly realpolitik – one that she only slowly realizes she’s living in.

This Wicked Darkness (A Portal World Holiday Anthology) by Laura Hazan, Jen Davenport, Melody Caraballo, Megan Van Dyke, K. J. Harrowick

Pick your portal to a holiday tale edged with danger: Murder Mystery at the Symphony Maestro Anna is the number one suspect in a murder case, but having a dangerous side doesn’t mean she killed the librarian. Now Anna must prove her innocence before she’s arrested and loses her prestigious role as Symphony Conductor. Dark Family Secrets Inside a Louisiana Coven The spring celebration of Imbolc seems the perfect opportunity for Lorna and her husband to celebrate the news of her pregnancy. First she must tell him her greatest regret—killing his brother. Train with Witches in the Bermuda Triangle Penny is training to be a Royal Guard in the Bermuda Triangle. Everything was going great until Liam came along to confess his feelings for her. A Surprise Attack on a Faery Court Aine’s Day should be a time for celebration with family. But when the Unseelie dark fae launch a surprise attack, Galen will have to forego the festivities and fight to protect the Court of the Forest and the woman he loves. Escape a Stolen Moon to Flee to the Stars Jàden’s on the run from Enforcers with only one shot to flee to the stars with the man she loves. But between the surface of the moon and starship Hàlon lies a predator on the hunt.

Symphony of the Wind (The Raincatcher's Ballad #1) by Steven McKinnon

SPFBO Finalist

A bounty hunter with a death wish. A girl with fearsome powers. A kingdom on the brink of destruction. Serena dreams of leaving her harsh desert home behind in her very own airship. But when an assassin’s knife meant for Serena kills her friend instead, the rebellious orphan ventures into the corrupt heart of Dalthea to discover who put a price on her head. With each new turn, she edges closer to uncovering the awful truth… And the mystical powers brewing deep within her. After his fiancée’s death, soldier-turned-bounty hunter Tyson Gallows is eager to sacrifice his life in the line of duty. When a foreign enemy assassinates a high-ranking official, he vows to bring them to justice. On the hunt for a killer, Gallows exposes a sinister plot that proves his fiancée’s death was no accident. Driven by revenge, Serena and Gallows must join forces to take down the conspiracy before the kingdom falls to ruin. Symphony of the Wind is the first book in a gritty epic fantasy trilogy. If you like hardened heroes, steampunk airships, and dark magic and monsters, then you’ll love Steven McKinnon’s visceral adventure.