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Runaway for the Mountain Man (Veterans of Willowbrook Ridge, #3) by Julia Stone I live on the mountain for a reason. Out here, itâs quiet. Safe. No attachments, no risk of losing anythingâagain. Then she comes tearing through the woods in a storm, soaked to the bone, wedding dress ripped and clinging to her curves. Too young. Too innocent. Too tempting. I should send her away. But with the thunder rolling in and the roads washed out, sheâs stuck in my cabin. With me. She ran from a man who didnât deserve her. She ran straight into the arms of the one who will ruin her. I was supposed to marry a man who only cared about my last name. Instead, I boltedâstraight into a thunderstorm, down a mountain trail I barely understand, and into the path of the grumpiest, roughest man Iâve ever seen. Bentley doesnât smile. Doesnât talk much either. But he watches me like Iâm the only thing thatâs ever made him feel something. Heâs a reclusive veteran with a beard, an axe, and eyes that make promises without saying a word. I should be scared. But in this cabinâstranded with lightning outside and heat crackling between usâ Iâve never felt safer⊠or more wanted. |
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Balarr (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #9) by Sue Mercury He's honor-bound to claim her, but he never expected love. Trapped in a cold, sterile laboratory, Luna longs for a normal life, complete with adventure and romance. When she sees an ad for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides, she steals a laptop and signs up for the program, believing it's the answer to her prayers. She's thrilled when a massive otherworldly male named Balarr storms into the laboratory looking for her, but his stern, intimidating presence quickly gives her second thoughts. Has she made a terrible mistake, or is there a gentler side to the fearsome alien warrior? Balarr lost everything the day his mate and offspring were killed during an attack on his homeworld. He never anticipated moving on and claiming a human female, but then an old friend enrolls him in the VAMOB program. Honor-bound, he travels to Earth to take possession of his assigned mateâa stunningly beautiful female named Luna. Despite the unexpected spark between them, expressing his feelings doesn't come easily, and he struggles to show Luna just how precious she's become to him. But as their bond finally deepens, a shadow from the past returns, threatening the entire VAMOB program. Balarr is only certain of one thingâhe'll do anything to keep Luna. |
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Code Red (Side Hustle) by Lilah Hart She lost a cat. He found his forever. I've been a good girl my whole life. Followed the rules. Obeyed my father. Kept my head down and my heart locked up tight. One day in Wildwood Valley changed everything. It started with a cat. A diabetic escape artist named Snowball who bolted from my clinic on my very first day flying solo. Desperate and panicking, I ran to the fire station next door for help. I didn't expect to find a man in nothing but black boxer briefs, singing into a spatula like he owned the world. Devon Carlisle was grumpy, gorgeous, and completely off-limits. A rugged construction foreman with callused hands and a volunteer firefighter's heart. He had no business looking at me the way he didâlike I was trouble he wanted to get into. I had no business letting him. But somewhere between chasing that cat through the woods and sharing drinks at the new honky-tonk in town, I stopped being the pastor's dutiful daughter. I stopped playing it safe. I started playing with fire. Code Red is a short and steamy instalove romance set in the small mountain town of Wildwood Valley, North Carolina. This 1-hour read is part of the Side Hustle series. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, youâll love the entire Side Hustle series! About the Series: From broke beginnings to business dreams, the real hustle begins after hours. Whether itâs garage startups or late-night gigs, these blue-collar heroes and heroines are chasing goals bigger than the next bill. When love throws them a curveball, they learn that building a future means risking their hearts. Side Hustle is a multi-author series of short, steamy instalove stories with guaranteed happily-ever-afters. Each one delivers open-door heat, real-world grit, and chemistry that burns hotter after midnight. |
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Daughter of Shades (The Venatrix Chronicles #1) by Sylvia Mercedes A huntress with no past. A rival with a secret. A kingdomâs fate hangs in the balance . . . Ayleth and her shade move as one, ever hungry for the hunt. Under her mentorâs tight control, she fears her memories are being stolen. Now nineteen, apprenticed for as long as she can remember to the mysterious Holy Order, she longs to rise in the ranks and banish untamed spirits for the prophesied Golden Prince. When shadowy threats descend on the crown, Ayleth seizes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove her worth in open competition. Seeking to win the princeâs favor and escape her scheming mentor, she resolves to hold her own against Terryn, a handsome, arrogant opponent who may be more than a match for her untested powers. But as the two rivals follow a trail beyond the Great Barrier and confront legendary evil, the stolen secrets of Aylethâs past may return to haunt her . . . Can Ayleth win the trial and reclaim her true self? Can she even survive her first day? |
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The Death Made Prince by Lisette Marshall A runewitch on the run has only one option left: join forces with the sarcastic, unpleasantly gorgeous necromancer she loathes The man Thraga loved is dead, and her future is in shambles. When she's sentenced to the gallows for killing her lover's murderers, it's a relief more than anything⊠until, the night before her execution, a necromancer is thrown into her cell. Escaping with him is her only chance to bring Lark back to life - and also the start of all her troubles. Because her new almost-ally is not just any man returned from death. Fire mage, rogue prince, and son of the man who killed her mother, sharp-tongued Durlain Averre is everything Thraga hates. Worse, he won't revive her lover unless she joins him on a mission of his own first, using her forbidden rune magic to free his sister from the dungeons of an enemy king. But their quest turns into a deadly chase when Thraga's violent past catches up with her. And as the net of court intrigue and old fears closes around them, she begins to find out Lark was not at all the man she thought he was⊠And neither is Durlain. The Death-Made Prince is the first book of the Runewitch Saga, an epic enemies to lovers fantasy romance featuring two morally grey leads, OCD rep, and a Norse mythology-inspired world. While it is a slow burn romance, the first book does contain spicy content intended for 18+ readers |
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Warmed Up by her Brother's Best Friend: A Small Town Age Gap Curvy Girl Short Romance by Julia Stone Training her body was easy. Resisting her was impossible. Iâve been in love with my brotherâs best friend for two years. Which is exactly why my New Yearâs resolution is to finally get over him. Lose a little weight. Gain a little confidence. Stop staring every time Cash he crashes at our place. Simple. Achievable. Easy. Thanks to my overprotective brother, Cash decides heâs the perfect person to help me âwork on myself.â Morning workouts. Close proximity. Lotâs of hands-on activities. Getting over Cash was supposed to be the goal. Falling harder was never part of the plan. Iâve noticed Adelia since the day she became off-limits. Sheâs sweet. Curvy. Innocent in a way that makes me want to protect her from men like me. Especially from me. Sheâs Tobyâs little sister. I donât cross that line. Canât. But when she asks for help learning how to catch a manâs attention, I canât say no. Not when I know no one will ever be good enough for her. If sheâs going to belong to someone, it should be a man who knows her worth. A man who wants her completely. A man like me. |
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Warmed Up by the Firefighter: A Second Chance Instalove OTT Steamy Short Romance by Julia Stone One bad breakup. One unexpected firefighter. One second chance she never planned to take. Reese: They say Iâm crazy. Thatâs the story my ex told after our breakupâloud enough that the whole town believed him. So maybe breaking into his house to get my things back doesnât help my case, but I refuse to let him keep pieces of my life hostage. I donât expect to be caught. I definitely donât expect his new roommateânaked, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly calm about finding me trespassing in the middle of the day. Jaxon isnât what Iâm ready for. Heâs heat and safety and everything I swore I was done believing in. One look at him makes me want to risk my heart all over again. But Iâve already loved once and paid for it. No matter how much my body betrays me, I canât cave. Not again. Jaxon: I step out of the shower and find a woman breaking into my houseâand just like every fire Iâve ever run into, I know I wonât walk away unchanged. Reese is sharp-tongued and wound tight, carrying scars no one ever taught her how to heal. The second our eyes meet, something in me locks into place. I donât question it. I never do. Iâm a firefighter. I run toward danger for a living. And Reese is danger in the most tempting form. She doesnât fall into my arms the way women usually do. She fights it. Pushes back. Keeps her distance. That only makes me want her more. Sheâs running from something, and Iâm not the kind of man who lets someone burn alone. She thinks love is a mistake she canât afford to make again. I think she just hasnât met a man willing to fight for her. Mature Novella Romance Short Story Short Romance Second Chance Steamy Quick Read Small Town Instalove Note from the Author: This short read will take 1-2 hours to read. |
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Guardians of Gayrile by Alice Bjornstedt Who am I, really? That is the question Rygal has a asked his entire life, ever since his father was a killed defending the tiny island kingdom of Gayrile from her enemiesâa sorcerer with great powers. Now the same sorcerer has returned...and rumors say he has sent an army of undead warriors to besiege the Mainland capital of Caer Sia, the last hope Gayrile holds for freedom. In the midst of war and chaos, surrounded by newfound companions, Rygal seeks to unravel the mysteries surrounding the legendary Guardians of Gayrile...and learn if they can be rallied again. |
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Mountain Man's Winter Sunshine (Wildwood Valley Firehouse, #6) by Lilah Hart A grumpy firefighter. A fake romance that burns real. I came to Wildwood Valley to disappear. To escape a controlling mother, an ex who wouldnât take no for an answer, and a life that felt suffocating before I was even living it. Slipping behind the bar at a mountain town roadhouse was supposed to be temporaryâjust long enough to breathe again. Then he walked through the door. Not the man I was running from. The one who watched me from the corner booth every night. Silent. Intense. A grumpy firefighter with dark eyes and a permanent scowl that made my pulse trip every time they lingered on me. I told myself I didnât notice him. I lied. When my past catches up with me at the Roadhouse, panic takes over. I need protectionâfast. And the most dangerous-looking man in the room is Briggs. Six feet of muscle, bad attitude, and barely contained heat. So I climb into his lap and beg him to play along. One whispered please changes everything. He calls me his without hesitation. Puts himself between me and the world like itâs instinct. And suddenly, the man whoâs been watching me for weeks isnât pretending anymore. But Iâve spent too long being someoneâs project. Someoneâs sensible choice. Trust doesnât come easy. Briggs has one night to prove that he doesnât want to save me. He wants to keep me. Tropes: đ„ Grumpy Firefighter Hero đ Fake Relationship Turns Real đĄïž Protective âTouch Her and Dieâ Energy đ» Small-Town Bar & Roadhouse Romance đ„ Instalove with High Emotional Stakes đ Brooding Hero Whoâs Been Watching Her đ Fast-Burn Chemistry & Open-Door Heat đïž Mountain Town Escape Romance đ€ Woman on the Run Finds Safety â€ïžâđ„ Alpha Protector Who Claims Her Publicly Mountain Man's Winter Sunshine is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, youâll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series! |
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Mountain Manâs Winter Treasure: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #4) by Lilah Hart He watched her for weeks in silence. Now they're snowed in together. I was freezing to death in someone else's house when he showed up. The power was out. The snow had buried the doors. I'd already accepted that this house sitting gig might be the last decision I ever made. Then headlights cut through the storm, and a man climbed out of a truck like he'd driven straight out of my darkest, most desperate fantasy. Broad shoulders. Dark beard. Eyes that looked right through me. He didn't say much. He got the fire going, checked the pipes, made terrible instant coffee. And when I asked his name, he gave me one word. Wolfe. He told me he was staying. Protocol, he said. He couldn't leave me alone with no heat and no way out. But the way he looked at me had nothing to do with protocol. I didn't know he'd been watching me for weeks. I didn't know he'd memorized my schedule at the roadhouse, that he'd stared at his menu every time I came to take his order because he couldn't trust himself to look at me. I didn't know that when my name came through on that emergency call, his heart stopped. But I was about to find out. đ„ Forced Proximity âïž Snowed In Romance đ» Grumpy Hero / Sunshine Heroine đ Secret Pining đž Virgin Heroine đ Instalove đ He Falls First Mountain Man's Winter Treasure is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, youâll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series! |
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The Briar Crown by Helen Rygh-Pedersen They say love conquers all⊠but can the conquered ever love the conqueror? Twenty-five years ago, there was life. Twenty-five years ago, there was peace when the descendants of the dryads and naiads kept all life in balance. Until one fateful night when the Oderbergs invaded, executed the royal house of Domonov and took Domovnia for their own, ruling with an iron fist and an edict of fear. Roslyn Pleveli, like most of the orphans of that night, wants revenge and an end to the persecution of her kind. Yet, even if the Domovnianâs use of magic was permitted, she wouldnât be much help, able to command only a few lowly weeds. But everything changes when she saves the life of an injured young man in the forest not knowing it was the prince of the Oderbergs himself. Ordered to see to the rest of his treatment, Roslyn is snatched from her home and all that she loves by his soldiers. Now, in the Oderberg stronghold, she has the chance to change things. With the royal family within her grasp all she has to do to free her people is kill them⊠but can she do it, or will something more powerful than revenge heal the wounds of the past? |
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Ghost: A Small Town Age Gap OTT Instalove Biker MC Steamy Short Romance (Steelwood MC Book 1) by Julia Stone He stole her to save her. Now he canât let her go. I found her by accidentâjust a glimpse during a job finished a few months back. One little discovery turned into an obsession. I told myself to forget her, but that was a lie I never stood a chance of keeping. When I learned her father planned to trade her to another clubâs bastard, I couldnât let it happen. So I took her. Now sheâs here, hidden away in my world of smoke, leather, and scars. She looks at me like Iâm her captor, and maybe I am. But Iâm also her only chance. Every day sheâs near, I lose another piece of the restraint I swore Iâd keep. I canât let her goâbut I canât let myself have her either. Because if I touch her, thereâs no coming back from it. My whole life has been planned for meâevery breath, every choice, every future moment dictated by my father. I never questioned it until Ghost tore me from that life and dropped me into his. Heâs chaos made fleshâscarred, and dangerousâbut somehow, he feels more honest than anyone Iâve ever known. He says he took me to protect me. Maybe thatâs true. But the way he looks at me burns hotter than any lie. The longer I stay, the more I see the man beneath the rough edgesâthe protector, not the villain. Somewhere between fear and fascination, I start to fall. Ghost may have stolen my freedom... but heâs the first person whoâs ever made me feel free. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed read in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series! |
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Hills of Heather and Bone by K.E. Andrews The bones of the dead hold stories. On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy's bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana's a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn't want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken. Morana and Percy's lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive. Please be aware that this book contains some scenes of violence, death, depression, mentions of miscarriage, birthing scenes, suicidal thoughts, suicide, and cannibalism. |
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Cold from the North by D W Ross Driven by the promise of an ancient prophecy which will bring the dark ways of an old god back to power and prominence, an army of invaders swarms Ogulf Harlsbaneâs homeland slaughtering all those who oppose them. Along with his people, Ogulf must seek refuge from this savage force. In his search of sanctuary, he is tasked with finding the one person who can put a stop to the onslaught. Doing so will send him across lands and seas, have him and his closest friend navigate the intricacies of a civil war, and try to win the help of the princess fighting for her throne. If he fails, darkness will prevail and the reign of the Onyxborn will begin. |
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SPFBO7 SFFOasis Indie Recs Indie When dragons fight, mountains weep. In nests high in the mountains, dragons and dragonbonded share their lives, thoughts, feelings, and ambitions. Palon and her partner, the dragon Windward, are renowned among their nest for their flying skill. Their days are filled with everything she loves, especially riding the wind. Even being tasked with teaching their way of life to Tebah, a rebellious newly bonded teenager, canât bring her down too much. But when treasures from the dragonsâ hoards are found in Palonâs collection, her idyllic life comes crashing down. She battles to prove her innocence, while her every move is cast as further evidence against her. Tebahâs suspicion, homesickness, and defiance would be frustrating even in easy times. With Palon in the spotlight while her rivals smear her name at every turn and stir up plots of revenge, her teenage chargeâs behavior proves dangerous. Dragon tempers shorten, and challenges and disputes shake the ground. Palon will have to trust more than just herself if she hopes to once more own the sky. |
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Downhome Little Planet Vol. 3 by Joey Daiba The gangâs all back for another eight chapters of city-collapsing antics! Hell-bent on avoiding the inevitable, Twitch is finding all sorts of new, brain-damaging ways to try and hold off the wedding day! If he keeps this up, Leuki will be changing his diapers before they graduate from school... Maybe sheâs into that sort of thing, but frankly, the author would rather not entertain the idea! Regardless, our star-crossed lovers are up to no good in all sorts of hair-raising new ways!With the discovery of subspace, Leuki has some plans for Acies Gemma and sets the planet on itâs edge by bringing back the global network! Of course, this only means trouble once she tries to dive in. Can Twitch keep her from becoming an unsavory internet celebrity? Hopefully Leuki knows better and never winds up performing an image search of herself! In the meantime, a new threat lurks in the shadows of Yokaro. Something terrible has happened to F.P.U. Division 194 and Agent Willis is at a loss at how to keep the happy couple of Acies Gemma safe! Not that the F.P.U. was doing a bang-up job anyway, but itâs the thought that counts! Can the group survive another slew of catastrophic happenstances? |
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Downhome Little Planet Vol. 2 by Joey Daiba A glimmer of dubious hope flickers in the distance for the backwater planet of Acies Gemma. A powerful race known as the Jâsarri is on route to save the dying world and ensure the safety of their runaway princess. But even with the political marriage of Twitch and Leuki promising an alliance, things arenât getting much better for the planetâs abandoned populace. If anything, youâd think nobody had even noticed the events of the last couple of months! What the hell is wrong with everyone?! To make matters worse, things have only gotten more problematic for our favorite cyborg degenerate! His blushing bride has a knack for attracting enough trouble to bring entire government branches crashing down. And donât think Twitchâs girlfriend Scarlet has given up on the man of her dreams. Her schemes are adding even more thorium to the fire! Behind all this chaos, a mystery is slowly unraveling. Thereâs something more to the Fyx family than meets the eye. Even more, the planet itself holds secrets, haunting just beneath its surface. Can Fix hold his life together before all hell breaks loose? Can Leuki win him over and finally have the simple life of her dreams? |
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Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson âA fascinating merging of oppressive imperialism and disconcerting alienation.ââAdrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning author of Children of Time & Shadows of the Apt SPFBO X Finalist. Readers' Favorite Book Award Finalist. ENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. Blade Runner, True Detective and District 9 meld with the weird worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, Philip K. Dick and China MiĂ©ville in Adrian M. Gibsonâs hallucinatory, fungalpunk noir debut. Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of HĆppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. Its fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty and an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt occupiers exploit their power, hounding the native population. As a winter storm looms over the metropolis, NKPD homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann begrudgingly partners up with mushroom-headed patrol officer Koji Nameko to investigate the mysterious murders of fungal and half-breed children. Their investigation drags them deep into the seedy underbelly of a war-torn city, one brimming with colonizers, criminal gangs, racial division and moral decay. In order to solve the case and unravel the truth, Hofmann must challenge her past and embrace fungal ways. What she and Nameko uncover in the midst of this frigid wasteland will chill them to the core, but will they make it through the storm alive? âThis is like nothing Iâve read before. Its premise is cool, creepy, and incredibly unique, bolstered by prose as savvy and knife-sharp as the detectives of the NKPD.ââNicholas Eames, award-winning author of Kings of the Wyld & Bloody Rose âThis is more than a full-throttle, mushroom-and-blood-drenched adventure. At its heart, Gibson's story is one of acceptance: of hard truths, of others, and, perhaps most critically, of oneself.ââM. J. Kuhn, internationally bestselling author of Among Thieves & Thick as Thieves âMushroom Blues is a brilliant debut that encapsulates all I love about the noir mystery genre.â âR.R. Virdi, bestselling author of The First Binding & The Grave Report âThe imagination on display in Mushroom Blues is immense. Prepare to enter a fantasy world unlike anything you've ever seen, one that surprises, delights, and grosses the fuck out.ââMoses Ose Utomi, author of The Lies of the Ajungo |
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The Sakura Element by S. C. Vincent When tradition means damnation, and the future is the past⊠Alia Academia â school for the elite. Genetically modified Oka Latellay faces discrimination orchestrated by fellow student Allen Debois. Allen enforces a caste system by the Purveyors of Tradition, keeping modified people in the bottom rung of society. But Okaâs gumption inspires him to start a fencing tourney where everything is at stake. If she loses, her life in high society is over. But if she wins, so ends the bullying of all mods in the school. Oka struggles with her fencing bouts and growing feelings for Allen as he reveals there is more to him than the cold cruelty he portrays. Simultaneously, Allen is torn between adoration for Oka and the Purveyors of Tradition influence. Choosing the former could risk his familyâs wealth and good name. Little do the two know how much their struggles intertwine when Allenâs friend begins to vie for Okaâs affections, and Allen finds himself blackmailed about his familyâs past. In a post-World War world where society functions on sleight of hand and discrimination, Oka and Allen must find the one thing that will save them. Love. |
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The Magnificent Death of Mira Meadows by Nadia Jovie What if you died and slipped into another world? Mira Meadows never thought sheâd end up dead at thirty-three, butâŠhere she is. Trouble is, here isnât at all what she expected. She didnât go to heaven or hell â she went somewhere else entirely. Turns out, Mira is a Traveler, a lost soul, who tripped into the mysterious world of Pontos. And if she can just follow the rules â which include parading her Earthly memories in front of a panel of judges and resisting the temptation to mess with magic â she might have a chance at getting back to her real life. Too bad Mira has never been good at following rules. After running into some old enemies (and some long-lost friends) from her time on Earth, she quickly finds herself in trouble â pursued by a murderous (yet strangely charming) gangster, at odds with an oppressive government, and dangerously close to a secret that could result in her exile to an island full of dragons. Who knew dying could be so exhausting? A delightful, magical page-turner from start to finish, The Magnificent Death of Mira Meadows is a remarkable story about the love that follows us â even after death. Get your copy today and get ready for a new kind of afterlife. |
