Spit and Song (Ustlian Tales) by Travis M. Riddle

Kali is a merchant who yearns to leave the harsh deserts of Herrilock and travel across the sea, trading goods and soaking in the sights and cultures. With a new potion on the market undercutting her profits, though, her seabound dreams are put on hold indefinitely. Failed musician Puk hits rock bottom after yet another catastrophic performance. Wandering the city streets in search of any sip of booze or whiff of fire-spit he can get his hands on, he resigns to the fact that he’s stuck in the desert with no way back home to Atlua. Until one day, their paths cross with an illicit job opportunity. With its hefty payday, Kali and Puk could afford to finally escape the desert heat and set sail across the gulf. The black market job would see them travel endless dunes on a road made from a massive dead beast’s ribs and out to a mythical city in the sea, scuffling with monsters and thugs in search of a long-lost book that might be the most dangerous object in the world. How hard could it really be?

The Eternal Muse: Desecration by Rick Waugh

SPFBO8

When a song is a weapon, who can wield it? Piper is a minstrel whose music incites forbidden magic. He lives in fear of being charged with heresy; the church uses the same power to crush offenders, without mercy or hope of redemption. His problems have cost him both the woman he loves and his growing career as a minstrel. Worse, he’s entangled in the politics of the capital, attracting the scrutiny of the priests. Terrified they’ll turn him into a mindless beast, he runs. Can he learn to control the magic, and use it to slice through centuries of the church’s lies? Or will he end up as the priests’ latest victim, all ability to feel hope, love, or even hate ripped from his mind? The Eternal Muse: Desecration is the First book in the Eternal Muse trilogy.

A Hidden's Witch's Spell for Freeing a Captive Olympian by C.N. Rowan

Save the house, or save my best friend? There’s no way to do both. Our hunt for the magical amulet my mum left me has finally borne fruit. But the trail leads somewhere completely off-world—Olympus. Home to the so-called gods of legend… who, as it turns out, aren’t all that friendly to regular mortals. But that’s not even the worst of it. Tisha—my brilliant, reckless, fiercely loyal best friend—was poisoned saving my life. And the location of the only cure? Yep, it's Olympus too. So now I’m heading into enemy territory to face immortal beings who’ve never learned to share. The clock is ticking, and the stakes are brutal. If I choose the amulet, I might never heal the Portal. If I choose the antidote, I might lose Tisha forever. There’s no winning move… and if I get this wrong, I’m not the only one who’ll pay the price. A Hidden Witch’s Spell for Freeing A Captive Olympian is Book Two in A Broken Hotel for Magical Misfits—a series that’s custom-made for lovers of strong heroines, quirky magical characters and found family, all woven together with heart, humour and action-packed adventure. And that’s to say nothing of the slow-burn romance that spans the series…

Crystal and Flint (The Journey Missions Book 1) by Holly Ash

Teacup Dragon Coop SPSFC SPSFC 2024

It’s been 300 years since humans arrived on Neophia and the planet’s intelligent species have yet to agree on how much influence humans and their advanced technology should have on the planet. With the threat of war hanging in the air, Lieutenant Commander Crystal Wolf races to finish construction of the mega submarine, Journey, in order to calm political tensions on Neophia and cement her already stellar military career.Lieutenant Desiree Flint never dreamed she would leave Earth to serve on Neophia, but with the end of her military career in sight she doesn’t see a way around it. Determined to rebuild her reputation on Neophia, no matter the cost, she sets her sights on dethroning Commander Wolf in order to prove her own superiority. When Journey is attacked by someone from Crystal’s past, the two women must find a way to work together to save the ship, liberate an underwater colony from an oppressive government, and prevent a war.