An Inheritance of Ash and Blood by Jamie Edmundson

SPFBO9

The One They Fear is The Hero They Need 
Sorcery is dying out.

No one misses it. Feared and despised in equal measure, Sanc is only tolerated because he’s the son of the powerful Duke of Morbaine. But Sanc is more important than he knows. When his life is threatened, he is forced to confront his true inheritance. For a new god has arrived in Dalriya. Unstoppable, Ezenachi brings only conquest and slavery. Sorcery is dying out, and now Dalriya needs a sorcerer more than ever.


An Inheritance of Ash and Blood is the first book in a new series, Heirs of War. It combines coming of age character journeys with rich worldbuilding, dark sorcery, political intrigue, and bloody war.

A Dark Inheritance (Hollow Fate #1) by Todd Herzman

SPFBO6

It’s a dark path to power. When Ruben is bound by magic and hauled across the sea to where the God King reigns, he has only one goal: escape. As he tries to resist his master’s pull, he discovers a secret—the reason he was taken from his family—Ruben is a mage. On his journey to understand his power, his desire to become stronger takes him to dark places, driving him to do even darker things. If he can gain his freedom, will he be able to return to the life he once knew, after what he’s become? SPFBO 2020 Semi-Finalist!

Guava Flavored Lies by JJ Arias

All’s Fair in Love and (Pastry) War Sylvie Campos and Lauren Machado have hated each other since before they were born. For generations, the Campos and Machado families have blamed each other for stealing pastry recipes they claim their great-grandfathers originated before fleeing Castro’s Cuba. Having spent their lives as rivals, Lauren and Sylvie are now in their early thirties and primed to take over their respective family bakeries. That means working long, hot, seasons of outdoor food festivals where they are forced to endure each other - albeit with a lot of bantering and barb-trading. After all, no one knows how to get under Sylvie’s skin like Lauren. Sick of dealing with Lauren and her thieving family, Sylvie sets out to unmask the Machados for the traitors they are. But when the truth is not what Sylvie expects, will the fiery exchanges between her and Lauren turn into something hot enough to melt away generational baggage? Could they get the chance to rekindle what they almost had in high school? Find out in this laugh-out-loud hilarious, enemies-to-lovers, romantic comedy featuring plenty of steam, tension, and delicious Cuban food.

Songs of Seraphina by Jude Houghton

Some battles bleed so much, and for so long, that the earth never truly forgets their dead. Some battles are born of oppression, and some of greed, and some simply because it was written in the stars. Three sisters—Charlemagne, Cairo and Pendragon Agonistes—are sent from America to England to live with their eccentric grandparents after their mother disappears and their father falls to pieces. But before the girls have time to find their feet, Charlemagne is married off to a dead man, Penny takes a nap and wakes up as a boy, and Cairo is swept into a dangerous romance with a man who wants her for more than her considerable charm. With the girls wrapped up in a conflict they barely understand, they don’t notice that their grandmother is transforming, or that the two demigod assassins who took their mother are now coming for them—if one of them can get over his crisis of conscience. In this richly painted tale, at whose heart is the unbreakable bond of family and blood, the world of Seraphina collides with our own as three unique girls are dragged into twilight lives past, fighting for vengeance, retribution, and the survival of their exiled people.

Downhome Little Planet Vol. 3 by Joey Daiba

The gang’s 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 she’s 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 it’s 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 it’s the thought that counts! Can the group survive another slew of catastrophic happenstances?

Family Binds (The Journey Missions Book 2) by Holly Ash

Teacup Dragon Coop

It should have been a routine rescue mission Lieutenant Commander Crystal Wolf could lead in her sleep: go in, restore life support, and evacuate the colonists of Stapleton Farms if things went south. But when the true identity of Stapleton Farms’ leader is revealed, it changes everything. And for the first time in her career, Crystal is emotionally compromised. With the Commander gone, Lieutenant Desiree Flint must put her own prejudices aside and lead an investigation into the sabotage against Stapleton Farms’ computers; but she soon realizes there’s more at stake here than one colony or Neophia's food supply. War is in the air, even if no one else can see it yet. And Desi can’t stop it on her own. In over her head, Desi only has one person she can turn to for help. But can Crystal set aside the betrayal, pain, and chaos of a compromised past in time to stop Stapleton Farms from being destroyed – and prevent war?

Windward by S. Kaeth

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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, can’t bring her down too much. But when treasures from the dragons’ hoards are found in Palon’s collection, her idyllic life comes crashing down. She battles to prove her innocence, while her every move is cast as further evidence against her. Tebah’s 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 charge’s 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.

Isoldesse by Kimberly Gruenbacher

SPSFC

Friendships are tested, new alliances are made, and the truth of one woman's actions from over a millennia ago are revealed. Kenna and Meegan are college students dealing with upcoming finals, needy parents, boy drama, and what to do with their lives after they graduate in a few weeks. What they weren't expecting was for Kenna to receive a powerful stone necklace that ultimately changes their plans for a relaxing summer. Strange things begin to happen to Kenna, like being the only one who can see and talk to the mysterious old woman with a golden aura. Or how in her dreams, a man with vibrant orange eyes keeps appearing who may or may not be real. Though, not all of Kenna's mysterious encounters are pleasant as she's haunted by massive beings carrying long swords and wearing armor covered in black scales. Besides solving the mystery of where the stone necklace came from, Kenna, Meegan, and their friends are taken to another world for a routine evolutionary assessment. The assessment gets sabotaged and causes more chaos for Kenna and her friends, especially for Meegan who is forced to open up and reveal her true identity and the magic she hides. There's one name that Kenna, Meegan, the Sendarians, and the monsters who've been hunting Meegan and her family for over a century all have in common-Isoldesse.