The Naga Exile's Frozen Mate: A Sci-Fi Monster Romance (Serpents of Serant #10) by Robin O'Connor

Frozen in ice. One touch to wake me. A storm of desire, and a planet that wants to eat us alive. Felicia They said deep space was lonely. They never warned me it could ache. After years in stasis, I wake to a dying ship, a broken world, and a man—or not quite a man—watching me like I’m oxygen after a lifetime of drowning. Levant’s voice slides through me like heat in the cold, his eyes promise sin, and when his tail brushes my skin, I forget how to breathe. He calls me his. Says the bond between us is written in the stars. I should fight him, focus on fixing my ship before it tears Serant apart. But every time he touches me, I want to shatter. The wind howls beyond the hull, but the real storm is the one he’s stirring beneath my skin. Levant I was sent to the pole as punishment. Alone. Exiled. Then I found her. Human. Fire-willed. Fragile in a way that makes my pulse burn. When I found her sleeping in the ice, the bond struck like lightning through my veins. My exile doesn’t matter now. Only her. The Council watches. The ice moans with the waking Revenants below. Her ship is unraveling, and the planet trembles with it. To protect her, I must bind her to me. To save her world, I may have to sacrifice my own. The longer I’m near her, the more I know, I’d let the universe fall if it meant keeping her in my arms. This is Book Ten in the Serpents of Serant series. This steamy sci-fi monster romance features an exiled Naga Shaman, a bold human explorer, and a sizzling HEA.

The Alien Warrior's Valentine: A Sci-Fi Valentine (Sci-fi Holiday Specials #4) by Robin O'Connor

On a struggling alien vineyard, the only thing harder than surviving is letting someone get close. Mariska I have two years to make this work, and time is running out. The cozy small town is scary when the Aderians are all empaths who seem to know your innermost thoughts. I came to Llykhe to escape, to find myself again. The vineyard granted to me by the Aderians is supposed to be my salvation, even if it’s rundown and the machines are failing. I have space, but not the privacy I came for. Then there’s Jeltom. Grumpy and silent, he’s not your typical Aderian empath. When I ask him for help, he actually says no. With Valentine coming, I wonder if explaining a human holiday and asking him to share it is brave or foolish. Jeltom I hadn’t come home to fall for anyone. After being shot, I want simple: familiar air, quiet nights, and absolutely no responsibilities. Then Mariska crosses my path, human and shy like a skittish animal. Giving her my help when she needs it is easy. It feels like the purpose I’ve been searching for all my life. When she mentions a custom called Valentine, a strange human ritual, I don’t understand it, but I want to. Not for tradition’s sake, but for hers. This human might just be the one thing my people have forgotten how to find: my fated mate. The Alien Warrior’s Valentine is a standalone Valentine-themed steamy sci-fi romance featuring a scarred alien warrior searching for home, and a traumatized human looking for peace. This is a story of love and redemption. It’s cozy, sweet, with a little action and a whole lot of romance.

Never Text a Minotaur: A Cozy Monster Romance (Wrong Move, Right Monster) by Honey Phillips

She wanted a ladder. She got a minotaur. Clara Bellweather’s professional life is a meticulously organized system of color-coded calendars, perfectly cataloged books, and emergency backup bookmarks. Unfortunately, her personal life is a chaotic mess of tripping over air and failed online dates. In desperate need of a ladder for the annual spring reading event, Clara does what any socially awkward librarian would do—she texts her handsome new neighbor. Or, at least, she thinks she texts him. A series of awkward texts leads to an even more awkward meeting where she discovers that she’s actually been exchanging messages with a massive, horned minotaur. Rion is gruff, reclusive, and intimidating but he's also unexpectedly kind and ridiculously handsome. After recruiting Rion to help with her event, she starts to realize that the grumpy minotaur might be the only male in town who isn't completely and utterly wrong for her. The library needs a ladder. The town needs a festival. And Clara needs to stop having feelings for a minotaur who's probably allergic to sunshine. (Each book in the Wrong Move, Right Monster series can be read as a standalone. These sweet and spicy romances are intended for mature readers.)

Hidden Away with the Mountain Man (Valor In The Mountains Series) by Lilah Hart

When nowhere feels safe, a gruff mountain man offers shelter, silence, and more. I defended myself. The internet destroyed me for it. One viral video. Fifteen seconds. No context, no explanation—just me, standing up to a man who wouldn’t keep his hands off me, while millions of strangers decided who I was. So I ran. I didn’t plan an escape. I didn’t even notice the snowstorm until it swallowed the road whole. I was just trying to reach my brother’s cabin in the mountains—somewhere I could disappear until the world forgot my face. That’s when I hit the bear. Not a real bear. A chainsaw-carved mailbox holder. One careless moment in a blizzard that left it splintered in the snow. I could’ve driven off. No one would’ve known. But that’s not who I am. So I knocked on a stranger’s door at midnight, shaking in my work uniform, ready to confess. The man who answered was big, gruff, and clearly irritated—until he looked at me like he could see straight through every defense I had left. T.J. didn’t know about the video. Didn’t care about my body. Didn’t reduce me to fifteen seconds of someone else’s narrative. He saw the bruise on my arm and wanted to burn the world down for me. He listened to my story and believed me without hesitation. One night. One storm. One man who saw the real me when the rest of the world refused to. Sometimes love doesn’t come from being understood by everyone— but from being believed by one stranger in the woods with a mailbox he never liked anyway. They’ve served their time in the armed forces. They’ve faced battles most people could never imagine. They carry the scars—emotional and physical—to prove it. Now these gruff, off-the-grid mountain men want nothing more than peace and solitude. What they don’t expect? For her to walk into their lives. She’s half his age. She’s completely off-limits—maybe she’s the landlord’s daughter, his daughter's best friend, his best friend’s little girl, the sheriff’s daughter, his younger nanny, or the girl next door he watched grow up. She’s the temptation he swore he’d never touch. And yet, in the quiet of the mountains, the lines start to blur… and resisting her might be the hardest mission of his life. Each book in the Valor In The Mountains series is a standalone romance with high heat, real heart, and the kind of spice that will warm you all year long.

Mountain Man's Lucky Love: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #1) by Lilah Hart

A reluctant hero broke his own rules for the woman who changed everything. I wasn’t looking for love. I was looking for answers. Someone had turned my property into a three-ring circus without authorization—and I intended to shut it down. Then I saw her. Peyton was covered in dog hair, dirt smudged on her cheek, fire in her eyes. She was running a full-scale rescue operation on my land, breaking half the terms of my lease agreement—and when I confronted her, she didn’t flinch. Didn’t apologize. Didn’t back down. She told me to help. I’d spent nineteen years building my wealth. Investing early. Protecting what was mine. Keeping everyone at arm’s length. Control was everything. Feelings were a liability I couldn’t afford. Until her. She didn’t care about my money or my reputation. She saw past the power and straight to the man underneath—and somehow rewired everything I thought I knew about myself. I showed up the next morning with supplies I had no business buying, for dogs I had no reason to care about, just to be near a woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. She was twelve years younger. A student with her whole life ahead of her. I was thirty-five and had forgotten what it felt like to want something money couldn’t buy. She made me remember. One weekend. One rescue operation. One volunteer coordinator who turned my world upside down. I came to protect my property. I left with something far more valuable. Tropes: 🐾 Rescue Animals Romance 🔥 Age-Gap Attraction 🛡️ Protective Alpha Hero 😤 Grumpy-to-Gone Hero 💼 Wealthy Investor Hero 🚪Forced Proximity Weekend 💥Instalove Chemistry 🥰 He Falls First Romance 💖 Fast-Burn Emotional Connection 🐕‍🦺 Small-Scale Rescue Operation Setting Mountain Man's Lucky Love is a steamy, standalone instalove romance featuring a protective hero, a passionate heroine, and a rescue operation that saves more than just the animals.

Ice Hearted Mountain Man (Not Looking for Love Series) by Lilah Hart

A grumpy mountain man romance sparked by a Valentine’s Day meet-cute he never saw coming. I wasn’t looking for love. I’d watched it destroy my parents—two people who started out crazy about each other and ended up tearing each other apart piece by piece. By the time they were done, there was nothing left but wreckage and regret. I wasn’t making the same mistake. I moved to Wildwood Valley for the solitude. The silence. A life where no one got close enough to hurt me. I had my work, my cabin, my peace. That was enough. Then she walked into my construction trailer on Valentine’s Day and ruined everything. Gemma Ellis was warm where I was cold. Hopeful where I was bitter. She had plans for her life. Dreams for her future. And a smile that hit me like a punch to the chest. She was exactly the kind of woman I should’ve stayed far, far away from. But I couldn’t. Something about her got under my skin—the way she laughed at her own jokes, the way she called me out when I tried to push her away, the way she looked at me like I was worth saving. Even when I warned her not to bother. She made me want things I’d sworn I’d never want. Made me believe in things I’d convinced myself didn’t exist. One day. One tiny construction trailer. One woman brave enough to crack open a heart I’d frozen shut years ago. I told myself love was a trap. Gemma made me wonder if I’d been wrong about everything. Tropes: 🏔️ Grumpy Mountain Man ☀️ Sunshine Heroine 💘 Valentine’s Day Meet-Cute 🏡 Forced Proximity 💥 Opposites Attract Romance 🔥 High-Heat Instalove 🛠️ Blue-Collar Hero ❄️ Emotionally Guarded Hero 💞 One Day, Life-Changing Connection 🧸 Soft-Hearted Protector Ice Hearted Mountain Man is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Not Looking for Love series.

Alien Awakening: An Alien Shifter Romance (Alien Wolf Tales) by Honey Phillips

She was meant to sleep forever. When Ember Duvain’s ship explodes, her escape capsule locks her in stasis and crashes deep in Cresca’s mountains. She awakens in the arms of a brooding alien wolf shifter who trusts no one. Rykan doesn’t trust easily. Betrayal drove him from his pack, and he has no patience for fragile princesses who need protecting. But mountain life strips away illusion. As Rykan trains Ember to survive, he realizes the sheltered heiress is far stronger than she appears. And when she uncovers proof her own family tried to steal her empire, he is determined to remain by her side. They thought she was weak. They were wrong. A spicy scifi fairytale retelling featuring a betrayed heiress, a brooding alien wolf shifter, forced proximity, survival training, and a public claim that changes everything.

False Start by Rebecca Minelga

She’s sunshine and sweetness. He’s a fallen hero with a plan. And the dog? He might be the only one who can teach them both how to love again. Jif Pritchard lives for laughter, late nights, and making life fun, but when a classroom crisis shatters her carefree world, she’s desperate to help her students feel safe again. Enter Miles Porter: ex-firefighter, professional brooder, and the man who lost everything when an injury ended his career. Now he’s stuck playing therapy handler with his four-legged partner, Nix, and the last thing he needs is a whirlwind teacher who talks too much and smiles too big. But as Nix works his magic on Jif’s shell-shocked third graders, Miles starts to see the cracks behind her glittering facade. And Jif? She can’t stop wondering what it would take to melt the walls around his scarred heart. When sparks fly, Jif and Miles will have to decide: cling to the lives they thought they wanted or risk everything for the messy, beautiful future they never saw coming.

As a Kang Should Be by Dale Smith

“They call me Downspout, and I am not as a Kang should be.” Paradise Towers is a place where worlds collide. The cold, clean efficiency of the caretakers’ Paradise. The wallscrawled decay of the Kangs’ Towers. The two coexist begrudgingly, lives on hold until the inbetweens come home from the war. Everybody will get along just fine as long as they stay in their lanes, obey the rules, and keep away from the basement. So why is a caretaker looking for Downspout? ACAB, so it can’t be for anything good. Best run, Downspout. Give heels. Don’t look back. Because if he finds you, it could bring both Paradise and the Towers crashing down for good … Based on the BBC Doctor Who serial, Paradise Towers, created by Stephen Wyatt.

Death at the Playhouses by Stuart Douglas

A second witty, fun, 1970s-set whodunnit in the Lowe and Le Breton mysteries series, featuring two ageing actors attempting to solve a murder after their famous co-star is found dead in a doorway outside the theatre in which they’re performing. Nostalgic cosy crime that’s perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and Death & Croissants. It’s 1971 and, in between filming seasons of Floggit and Leggit, ageing actors Edward Lowe and John Le Breton sign up for a short run of Shakespearean tragedies at the Bolton Playhouse. But, once in Lancashire, they discover they have been invited to join the theatre’s repertory company for two reasons – because the company manager is keen to take advantage of the publicity surrounding their successful BBC comedy series, and because Sir Nathaniel Thompson, the much-lauded star of the show and knight of the realm, has been sacked for drunkenness. John fears an awkward scene, should Thompson – who he knew during the war – return to reclaim his job, but when the great actor’s body is found, bludgeoned to death in a nearby alleyway, the unlikely crime-solving duo find themselves investigating another fiendish mystery that takes them from the northwest of England to the Netherlands, and which, rather inconveniently, seems to have John’s ex-wife Sally at its heart. Death at the Playhouses is the second in The Lowe and Le Breton Mysteries series.

Death at the Dress Rehearsal by Stuart Douglas

Two ageing actors attempt to solve a murder after a body is found on the set in this witty, fun whodunnit, perfect for fans of Thursday Murder Club and Death & Croissants . In 1970, on the set of downmarket sitcom 'Floggit and Leggit', leading man Edward Lowe stumbles across the body of a woman, apparently the victim of a tragic drowning accident. But there's something about her that rings the faintest of bells in Edward's head and, convinced the woman has been murdered, he enlists the help of his co-star John le Breton to investigate further. Crossing the country and back again during gaps in filming, the two men uncover both a series of murders in the modern day, and links to another unfortunate death during the War. As the body count mounts, Edward and John face a race against time to save the innocent victims of a serial killer...

Chai and Charmcraft by Lynn Strong

Even the powers of the gods can struggle when faced with both scandalized courtiers and gossiping aunties. His Imperial Highness Nur-ul-shuruq Faraj al-Nadhir has never thought himself a charming sort of prince. He’s shy, round, middle-aged, and always dutiful. But he has also secretly spent years dreaming of a man tending jasmine in a sun-lit window — prophetic visions that led him at last to one blissful night with someone who sees his heart, not his crown. He did not expect to wake up with a cat walking on his face. Cat-familiars are forbidden in the Imperial fortress. They might be spies. They might be soul-charmers. They might even sharpen their claws on thousand-year-old tapestries. But Faraj cannot regret that sweet little Sahar chose him — just as he cannot regret Asharan bir Chameli, the enchanting owner of the House of Jasmines. Asharan wants nothing to do with Faraj’s title and power, only his kindness. And Faraj hadn’t expected either the delights or the dilemmas of Asharan’s magical, soft-pawed little gift. The rules have always been different for the God-Emperor's brother. Faraj never before realized how much. Now he's breakfasting from community cauldrons in back alleys full of children and kittens. His foresight shows him a thousand paths toward disaster, but not the way through. His devoted chamberlain fears that Faraj has been bewitched by a purring agent of chaos, and Faraj can’t exactly say he’s wrong. When the choice comes down to betraying his lover's name, his cat-familiar’s life, or his own use of forbidden magic, Faraj does the only thing he can: He gets himself put on trial for heresy, trying to change the laws of the Empire itself. If his visions always lead him into trouble, he might as well make useful trouble. Chai and Charmcraft is the first book in a cozy and queer Middle Eastern M/M fantasy trilogy brimming with charm, intrigue, later-in-life romance, body positivity, and so many kittens. Here, nobody needs a magical makeover to be loved exactly as they are — and their night of joy together isn't where the story ends. That's where it begins...

The Motorcycle Mechanic: A Beauty and the Beast Small Town Romance (Maplewharf Falls Book 6) by Lane Winters

Prim and proper librarian Penelope Hartwell's life is perfectly organized—until her car breaks down and she's rescued by the town's most intimidating resident. Tattooed motorcycle mechanic Dax Ryder is everything she's supposed to avoid: rough, dangerous-looking, and completely irresistible. When her car needs a week of repairs, Dax offers to give her rides on his motorcycle. Penny's terrified, but she accepts. And somewhere between holding onto him for dear life and discovering he's a secret reader with a heart of gold, she falls completely. But small towns talk. And when the library board threatens her job over their relationship, Penny has to choose: the safe life she's always known, or the man who makes her feel truly alive for the first time. Dax never expected the sweet librarian to fight for him. But when she walks into that board meeting holding his hand, he realizes she's the bravest person he's ever met. A beauty-and-the-beast romance about breaking stereotypes, defying expectations, and proving that the best love stories are the ones everyone says won't work.

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 wouldn’t 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 temporary—just 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 didn’t notice him. I lied. When my past catches up with me at the Roadhouse, panic takes over. I need protection—fast. 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 it’s instinct. And suddenly, the man who’s been watching me for weeks isn’t pretending anymore. But I’ve spent too long being someone’s project. Someone’s sensible choice. Trust doesn’t come easy. Briggs has one night to prove that he doesn’t want to save me. He wants to keep me. Tropes: 🔥 Grumpy Firefighter Hero 🎭 Fake Relationship Turns Real 🛡️ Protective “Touch Her and Die” Energy 🍻 Small-Town Bar & Roadhouse Romance 💥 Instalove with High Emotional Stakes 👀 Brooding Hero Who’s Been Watching Her 💋 Fast-Burn Chemistry & Open-Door Heat 🏔️ Mountain Town Escape Romance 🖤 Woman on the Run Finds Safety ❤️‍🔥 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, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Songbird (Wildwood Valley Firehouse, #5) by Lilah Hart

A blizzard shuts roads. A firefighter opens her heart. I’d spent my whole life playing it safe. Stay in Wildwood Valley. Work my steady job. Keep my dreams locked away where they couldn’t hurt me. People said my voice could stop traffic—but I’d never been brave enough to let anyone really hear it. Then the blizzard hit. The roadhouse filled with stranded travelers and restless energy, and that’s when I saw him. Knox. A firefighter with broad shoulders, dark scruff, and the weight of the world etched into his posture. Quiet. Watchful. The kind of man who didn’t ask for attention—but commanded it anyway. I didn’t plan to sing that day. But the crowd needed calming. Elsa needed help. And somehow, I ended up on stage with a microphone in my shaking hand. When I opened my eyes, Knox was watching me. Not glancing. Not distracted. Watching—like something inside him had shifted. He put his phone down. He walked toward me. And everything I believed about playing it safe went up in flames. Knox didn’t try to save me or fix me. He just stood there, steady and sure, while I finally took the leap I’d been avoiding my whole life. Some risks are worth taking. And this one? He was mine. Tropes & Vibes: ❄️ Snowed-In by a Blizzard 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🎤 Hidden Talent Heroine 💘 Instant Connection / Instalove 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🧥 Quiet, Protective Alpha 💥 One-Moment Life Change ❤️‍🔥 He Falls First ✨ Finding Your Voice 🏡 Wildwood Valley Romance Mountain Man's Winter Songbird 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, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Warden: A Friends with Benefits to Lovers Small Town Short Romance (Steelwood MC - Willowbrook Ridge Book 6) by Julia Stone

He dodged bullets to protect her heart—until one finally forced the truth. I’ve walked away from every fight without a scratch—not because I couldn’t take the hits, but because I never wanted her to see me bleed. Leah has patched up half the Steelwood MC, but I made sure I was never on her table. Until now. Taking a bullet during the Crimson Road warehouse takeover means there’s no avoiding her hands—or the truth I’ve buried for years. We’ve always been friends. Always crossed the line when the nights got too quiet or when life became too much. Being stuck under her care strips away every excuse I’ve used to keep my feelings locked down. This time, hiding isn’t an option. I’ve learned how to stop bleeding, restart hearts, and hold myself together when the men I care about come home broken. Loving a biker teaches you one thing fast—loss is always waiting. Warden is my constant. My weakness. The one line I’ve never crossed because loving him fully means risking everything. But when he takes a bullet over claiming the Crimson Road warehouse, fear makes the choice for me. As I patch him up night after night, the lines between who we are and who we could be start to blur—and Warden is done letting me pretend he’s temporary. This time, he isn’t leaving, and he’s determined to prove it. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series! Dark themes are present!

Jinx: A MC Biker Enemies to Lovers Forced Proximity Slowburn Short Romance (Steelwood MC - Willowbrook Ridge Book 5) by Julia Stone

He was assigned to protect her. She was never supposed to want him. Steelwood and Crimson Road are on the brink of all-out bloodshed, and my club gives me one job—babysit Raven while they take care of business. She’s trouble wrapped in sharp edges. Mean-mouthed. Closed off. Untouchable. I only say yes because this is my last hoop to jump through before I earn my patch. One or two days. That’s it. Easy. Except Raven doesn’t scare easily, doesn’t soften, and sure as hell doesn’t back down when I push. The more she hates me, the more I want to see what she does when she finally snaps. I don’t need protection. I don’t need company. And I definitely don’t need Jinx—loud, cocky, and way too interested in getting under my skin. Everyone knows to leave me alone. He doesn’t listen. He watches. Prods. Smirks like he sees something no one else ever has. I tell myself I hate him. I tell myself this fire between us is just anger. But when the walls come down, and the world outside turns violent, it’s not pain we’re trading—it’s heat. Once Jinx gets his hands on me, there’s no pretending this is just a job anymore. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series! Dark themes are present!

Playing Cupid for the Mountain Man: A Curvy Girl Forced Proximity Matchmaking OTT Instalove Short Romance (Willowbrook Ridge Holdiday Special) by Julia Stone

She came to fix his love life. Falling into his arms wasn’t part of the plan. Gavin: I don’t need a matchmaker. What I need is a woman who won’t bolt the second she realizes what life on this mountain really means. I’ve tried the mail-order bride thing more times than I should admit, and it always ends the same—women who decide my world isn’t for them. I own a bar. I live alone. I’ve accepted that love probably isn’t in the cards. Then Daphne shows up. She’s too soft, too curvy, and entirely too distracting to be here on business. She looks at me like I’m not a problem to fix, and when an early snow traps her on the mountain after a failed day of searching, everything shifts. She’s here to find me a wife, but I already know who I want. This time, I’m not letting her walk away without asking her to stay. Daphne: I’m a professional matchmaker. Falling for my client is not part of the job. Gavin is supposed to be another difficult case—a gruff mountain man with a long history of women who didn’t last. I come prepared with plans, profiles, and a clear end date. Then the snow keeps me longer than expected, and Gavin starts looking at me like I already belong here. He’s older. Quiet. Built like the mountain he refuses to leave. Every moment between us crackles with heat I shouldn’t want—and can’t ignore. When Gavin finally makes his choice, it isn’t another profile he reaches for. It’s me.

Gift for the Mountain Man: A Small Town Instalove First Time Grumpy/Sunshine Recluse OTT Short Romance (Willowbrook Ridge Holdiday Special) by Julia Stone

Snowed in with an older, grumpy recluse—and suddenly Christmas Eve is anything but cold. Archer: Christmas Eve was supposed to be quiet. My cabin, the fire, and no one demanding more of me than silence. But my sister has other plans. She shows up, drops a stranger into my world, and disappears before I can tell her no. Then Iris looks at me, but she doesn’t grimace like the others. One look—that’s all it takes. Soft eyes, flushed cheeks, a shy little smile—and something in my chest snaps. I’ve lived half my life convinced I wasn’t built for wanting, not like other men. But the pull I feel toward her is impossible to ignore. She’s supposed to be a guest. Temporary. Untouchable. Except every instinct I’ve ever buried surges to the surface the moment she steps close, smelling like winter and warmth. Then the storm hits, trapping her with me. Now she’s snowed in, in my space, wearing that innocence like a dare—and keeping my hands off her feels less like discipline and more like torture. Iris: I agreed to a harmless favor for my coworker—keep her brother company for a day and make sure he isn’t lonely. She should’ve warned me her brother is a grumpy, devastatingly handsome mountain hermit who looks at me like I’m something worth starving for. I haven’t had the best luck dating. Never made it past the first night. This isn’t like that, but I want it to be. Then the snow traps us together, and suddenly I’m spending Christmas Eve in his cabin, wrapped in the warmth of a man who keeps fighting his desire—and losing ground by the minute. I should be cautious. But with the storm raging outside and Archer’s restraint wearing thin, falling for him feels inevitable.

Runaway for the Mountain Man (Veterans of Willowbrook Ridge, #3) by Julia Stone

I live on the mountain for a reason. Out here, it’s quiet. Safe. No attachments, no risk of losing anything—again. 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, she’s stuck in my cabin. With me. She ran from a man who didn’t 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 bolted—straight into a thunderstorm, down a mountain trail I barely understand, and into the path of the grumpiest, roughest man I’ve ever seen. Bentley doesn’t smile. Doesn’t talk much either. But he watches me like I’m the only thing that’s ever made him feel something. He’s a reclusive veteran with a beard, an axe, and eyes that make promises without saying a word. I should be scared. But in this cabin—stranded with lightning outside and heat crackling between us— I’ve never felt safer… or more wanted.

The Blue Gate by Kathryn MacDonald

The Blue Gate explores the surprise of love, the shock of loss, and challenges boundaries and liminal spaces. It probes into a love affair that defies conventions, capturing the narrator’s voice from the first lyrical poem. With the death of the belovèd, an invitation to fly to Kenya arrives; it’s accepted; and the long title poem ravels and unravels reality. Poems in the final section question the loss of intimacy, loneliness, change, and unattainable acceptance. The poetry is vivid and grounded in the senses and in nature, whether set in Canada or Africa. The collection seeks understanding, consolation, and release. It asks whether love enriches or leaves one lost.

Grumpy Hearted Cowboy (Not Looking For Love Series) by Julia Stone

A brooding cowboy, an innocent heart, and heat that builds fast and fierce. Cyrus: I agreed to let her stay for the summer, offering a spare room for a few weeks, helping around the ranch while she figures out her future. What I didn’t agree to was Millie walking back into my life as a grown woman—soft smiles, curious eyes, and a body I have no business noticing. She’s my friend’s daughter. She’s younger. She’s here to learn, not to tempt the hell out of me every time she steps into my space. Living under the same roof makes distance impossible. Every shared meal, every long day working side by side chips away at my self-control. I know better. I should stop this before it starts. But wanting her feels inevitable—and once I give in, there’s no going back. Millie: Spending the summer on Cyrus Kane’s ranch is supposed to be simple. Hands-on experience. Early mornings. All while learning what kind of veterinarian I want to be. Instead, I’m sharing a house with a gruff, intimidating cowboy who barely speaks—and somehow says everything with a single look. He’s bigger than life, rough around the edges, and completely different from anyone I’ve ever wanted before. I tell myself to focus, to keep things professional. But the longer I stay, the harder it is to ignore the tension crackling between us. The way his eyes linger. The way my heart races whenever we’re alone. We’re crossing lines we shouldn’t. With the promise of leaving in the future, one push may risk everything falling apart.

Brownies for My Grumpy Bunny: A Cozy Monster Romance (Fairhaven Falls #10) by Honey Phillips

She’s sweet, stubborn, and far too tempting. He’s big, grumpy, and determined not to fall. Sara Cartwright came to Fairhaven Falls for a fresh start—quiet mornings, kind neighbors, and maybe a few furry friends hopping through her garden. She wasn’t expecting her next-door neighbor to be six-foot-plus of scowling muscle and twitching ears. Ben Hollowell likes his peace, his pub, and his solitude. The last thing he needs is a relentlessly cheerful kindergarten teacher moving in next door with flower boxes, laughter, and curves that make his pulse race. But when Sara’s warmth starts melting his defenses—and her brownies start showing up at his door—Ben finds himself craving things he swore he didn’t need. Will spring in Fairhaven Falls turn out to be mating season for the most reluctant of bunnies? Each book in the Fairhaven Falls series can be read as a standalone. This sweet and steamy small town romance is intended for mature readers.

Alien's Bargain: An Alien Shifter Romance (Alien Wolf Tales #6) by Honey Phillips

One lie. One bargain. One debt she can’t escape. Jessa is the most talented weaver in her village, but when her ruthless uncle claims she can spin legendary goldthread, he traps her in a lie that could cost her everything… including her little sister. Desperate to save her sister, Jessa flees into forbidden Vultor territory in search of the rarest plant of all. Instead she finds Tarek, a gruff, solitary alien feared by humans and shunned by his own kind. Tarek has been alone for too long, so when a pretty little human strays into his territory, he can’t resist offering her a bargain—his help in exchange for a promise to be fulfilled later. What begins as a reluctant deal turns into something far more dangerous, because Tarek is more than he seems. And the price he asks might be her heart. Sometimes love is the most dangerous bargain of all. Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, reluctant protector, hidden identity, found family A sweet and spicy sci-fi fairy-tale retelling!

Apocalypse Mode - Initiate: A fast paced Zombie Survival LitRPG Series by Damian Peterson

The update wasn't a feature. It was a purge. Jax is Unit 7734. In the real world, he’s a nobody living in a debt-stack. In "The Realm," the hyper-immersive VR simulation where humanity works and plays, he’s a bartender grinding for credits he’ll never pay off. It’s a life of low-poly misery, but it’s stable. Until the sky cracks open. A sudden system-wide event labeled [Apocalypse Mode] locks every user inside the simulation. Logout is disabled. The physics engine is crumbling. And the streets are flooding with high-level undead. But the zombies are the least of Jax's problems. The "Admin Knights"—invincible moderators clad in liquid chrome—have descended from the cloud. They aren't here to save the players. They are here to sanitize the server. To them, the poor, the indebted, and the weak are just "corrupted data" to be deleted. When Jax discovers that the system crash is actually a cover-up for a horrific corporate harvest targeting his own family, he refuses to be deleted. Armed with a steel pipe, a stolen rifle, and a glitchy interface, Jax must lead a ragtag squad of broken survivors across a city that is literally dissolving into the void. Their destination: The Survival Estate. A golden fortress built for the elite, and the only place with a hardline to the truth. The Corporation thinks Jax is just a variable to be balanced. They’re about to learn that even the smallest glitch can crash the whole system. The game is rigged. It's time to break the board. Apocalypse Mode: Initiation is a gritty Cyberpunk LitRPG thriller featuring a non-OP protagonist, high-stakes survival, settlement building elements, and a fight against a dystopian system. Perfect for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl and Cyberpunk 2077.

Tempted by the Alien Mercenary: A Steamy Alien Sci-fi Romance (Monster Mercenary Mates #07) by Robin O'Connor

He was built to feed on fear, but I’m the only one who ever tempted him to feel. Frederique I woke in a shattered stasis pod, centuries too late, on a world drowning in water and secrets. My mission? Gone. My crew? Dust. And the only being who’s kept me alive since then is an alien mercenary wrapped in living silver and danger. He’s not just terrifying, he’s mesmerizing. I should keep my distance. I know better. But every time his dark gaze settles on me, every time that shifting symbiont flows over his skin like armor and art, I forget who I was supposed to be. His power should terrify me, but it tempts me. He tempts me. Even when I discover the truth about my mission. Even when enemies rise and survival hangs by a thread... I still look at him and wonder what would happen if I let myself fall. The Sineater She calls me mercenary. Monster. But she doesn’t run. I was sent to kill, not to feel. My symbiont craves agony like air, but her emotions, bright and tangled, taste like hope. I want her. Not just her body, but the calm in her thoughts, the fire in her fight. I want to protect that light, even as I know I’ll destroy it. But I am always hungry. Always feared. And if I take what I want, I may never let her go… Even if loving her is the one thing that could break me. This is a standalone novel and the seventh book in the Monster Mercenary Mates series. This sci-fi monster romance features a darkly sinful ancient warrior, a plucky, bossy FMC, a mysterious animal sidekick, and a steamy HEA.

Claimed by the Alien Mercenary: A Steamy Alien Sci-fi Romance (Monster Mercenary Mates #08) by Robin O'Connor

She’s the mission. He’s the monster everyone fears. His claim might destroy them both. Dani I came to Radin chasing a miracle cure hidden in a flower. I never expected to become prey. Days of captivity leave my empathic senses burned out, my power little more than an ache beneath my skin. Then Jaxin arrives, silent, shark-eyed, built for violence. When the rescue goes awry, he hauls me over his shoulder and runs. Alone in Radin’s humid jungle, survival means pressed bodies, shared breath, and heat that has nothing to do with the heat of summer. As my empathy recovers, I feel what he hides. Control layered over hunger. Possession strangled by discipline. A truth he refuses to face: he feels more than he’s allowed. Jaxin Emotion is forbidden. My people, the Rummicaron, suppress it for a reason. But the jungle strips restraint bare, and my true nature claws its way to the surface: to claim, to protect, to possess a mate. Dani doesn’t just tempt me, she awakens something ancient and dangerous. As Radin’s giant closes in and a crime lord tightens her grip, I must choose between duty and instinct. And if I choose wrong, Radin will kill us both. This is a standalone novel and the eighth book in the Monster Mercenary Mates series. This sci-fi monster romance features a not-so-emotionless, shark-like alien mercenary, a gifted empathic scientist, and a steamy HEA.

Righteous Desires by Florence Wolfe

Under the lights, they are gods. Behind the curtain, they are ghosts. Silas Reed made the impossible choice: break Cal Kincaid’s heart to save his career. But the grief followed him to the ring. One botched move later, Silas was exiled with a shattered shoulder, leaving Cal alone to become the ruthless King of the industry. Seven years later, the exile is over. Silas returns to a world that moved on without him. But the man waiting for him isn’t the boy he left behind. Cal is now the untouchable Heavyweight Champion of the World, and he hasn’t forgiven a damn thing. Scripted rivals. Real life strangers. Inescapable lovers. The hatred turns to heat. The rivalry turns to obsession. While the cameras roll, they tear each other apart. But when the locker room clears, the dynamic shifts. Their collision is violent, desperate, and anything but scripted. Silas wants his legacy back. But the only way to the top is through the man he destroyed. Ring the bell, the main event is underway.

The Weight of Petals by Cade Meridian

In a city governed by an invisible digital heartbeat, the most dangerous thing you can do is remember. In a quiet Las Vegas cul-de-sac, four children walk home from school through the golden hour of an ordinary afternoon: Marcus, Leila, Tessa, and Sam. They have known each other since kindergarten. They have never truly been friends. At 3:00 PM, the world is whole. By 4:30 PM, it is gone. When the President activates the Civic Protection Initiative, the surveillance state recalibrates to identify, detain, and deport families who don't fit—targeted by ethnicity, by faith, by the algorithm's quiet judgment of who belongs. By sunset, the parents have vanished into the backs of silent vans. By moonrise, the children are running. The Weight of Petals is a devastating novel about state-sanctioned erasure, the detention and deportation of American families, and the children who prove—through sacrifice after sacrifice—that every choice matters. Especially the ones that cost everything.

The Unnamed by M.S. Masood

"A gift that is not freely given loses its worth. And when it's forcibly taken, a gift can become a curse." Reim was raised for one purpose: to inherit the Vuorian throne—a crown that demands she protect her fractured, volatile kingdom from those within its walls who seek to ruin it—the Unnamed. A destiny few believe she can fulfill. Least of all, Reim herself. With her beloved father's health rapidly declining, and the threat of insurrection looming, she makes a desperate deal—sealed in magic and blood—with an enigmatic Unnamed man known only as the healer. But when he finally comes to collect his due, the price he demands not only has the power to destroy her, but everything she thought she knew about honor, justice...and love. For lovers of the lyrical, character-driven storytelling of V.E. Schwab's Invisible Life of Addie Larue with the incisive social commentary of M.L. Wang's Blood Over Bright Haven comes the first book in a gripping new fantasy duology, The Unnamed—a bold reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin that examines the transformative power of names, identity, self-growth, and love, all while delivering fast-paced action and a slow-burn romance that will leave readers eager for more. "In a richly thought-out fantasy world, Masood weaves lyrical writing with political intrigue as Reim, a pure-hearted yet unyielding protagonist, refuses to bow to the forces that threaten her kingdom—even if that threat is herself. The Unnamed is a story of stolen legacy and rewritten history full of twists and cliffhangers that will make you gasping for more." —Sarah Mughal Rana, bestselling author of Dawn of the Firebird

The Book of Joy by Humphrey Archer

Joy is a monster, but you may end up loving her. Behind her blank stares and eerie calm is a mind that solves problems with unsettling precision — and sometimes, murder. From the man who lured children with promises of kittens, to the smooth-talking insurance salesman who preyed on the sick, social predators are her targets. As she grows, she seeks expertise and control, and masters lock-picking, improvises weapons, and slips unnoticed through the cracks of family life, school, and the wider world. But even as her darkness takes shape, her devotion to her family never wavers, and she is meticulous about how she uses her skills. The Book of Joy is the gripping origin story of an anti-heroine both terrifying and unforgettable because she is socially adept and learns to stay invisible, and is cold and controlled. This is a book for readers who like their thrillers intelligent, unsettling, and unusually dark, and their female characters unapologetically strong and complex, and not on a traditional redemption arc.

Parallels by James Kinsley

FROM THE FINALIST FOR THE 2023 PAGE TURNER AWARDS "THE MATRIX" MEETS THE FOREVER WAR IN JAMES KINSLEY'S BREATHTAKING SCI-FI ACTION ADVENTURE Two worlds. One mind. Endless uncertainty. Jeff is stuck in the mundane now, drifting through aimless days and gnawing doubts. Until the moment he sees the Pale Woman—and reality shifts. Suddenly, he’s Jezz, a mercenary trapped in a savage conflict, battling swarms of alien insects on a war-torn front line. Is he a restless young man just scraping by, or a desperate soldier risking everything for humanity’s survival? As identities collide, one question rips through his fractured psyche: What is reality?

It's Hard to Tell You This by James Kinsley

Michael’s father didn’t leave much behind. A handful of battered paperbacks, a few family photos, and an ancient tape recorder - the scattered remains of an old man’s empty life. But that tape recorder sparks something in Michael, a need to take stock of his own thoughts. His memories. His regrets. Turning the recorder on, Michael begins to speak. About the loves he lost. The girls who slipped away. The women he hurt. Each memory spools out of him and onto the tape, raw and unedited. As the recorder fills with Michael’s confessions, his days grow longer, his relationships stranger, his shelves emptier. And Michael finds himself on the precipice of an ending…

Blood & Blarney by Noah Bodie

What happens when you look death in the face, and it stares back? When a charismatic stranger steps into Hugh King’s classroom, desire and danger follow. Rory is beautiful, calculated, and hungry in ways that have nothing to do with food. Their charged encounters begin to unravel into ritual, blood, and myth, and Hugh discovers that being claimed is not the same as being seen. Blending queer gothic erotica with Irish folklore, Blood & Blarney is a dark, intimate novella about hunger, consent, and what it means to touch death without being consumed.

Speaking Out In Silence by Sienna Eggler

The life of an adventurer is hard. People get maimed, die, or go missing all the time, but the world keeps spinning. Meike was never big on monster hunting or collecting trophies. They're happier foraging, mixing potions, and befriending monsters and critters. A fact that's further cemented when one of their friends suffers a grievous wound during a quest. But they aren't ready to hang up their cloak just yet! There are plenty of quests that don’t require a blade, quests devoted to healing, not inflicting pain. And as Meike comes to find, social quests can be stressful in their own way, but just as fulfilling.

Beecham's Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted by Briar Somseret

A Victorian Gothic Paranormal Romance Novella by Briar Somerset In a town where health is currency and longing is lure, a reluctant investigator and seamstress must uncover whether hunger will anchor a man already slipping into the dark. Behind the decrepit doors of an Infirmary said to offer miraculous cures to London's ailing elite, people are vanishing. Private Investigator and estranged heir to French aristocracy Jacques Valmont is summoned across the channel to sleuth, despite the lingering sickness of his own—one of grief that stirs in his blood and shadows his mind. Amidst the fog and fever, he finds an unlikely ally in Annie, the quick-witted seamstress working next door to Beecham's Infirmary, whose presence seems to quiet the storm inside him. When she suggests the only way to breach the infirmary's guarded walls is becoming a patient himself, Annie's grandmother warns them both of curses that fester with longing. Unnatural aches that transform a person entirely, if not quelled. As Jacques nears the truth, desire and dread twist together. Annie may be the last tether holding him to his humanity—or the final thread that unravels it.

Daydreamer: The Order of the Kresnik by Rick Houghton

In the frozen heights of Szentély, monsters are forged—and feared. Haunted by loss and bound by a vow, Nura enters the mountain stronghold of the Order of the Kresnik to become a blade sharpened by grief, wielded by love. But as she trains to hunt the vampyres that shattered her family, a darker power stirs within—one that links her to a fury that threatens to unravel everything she believes in. As ancient enemies close in and the Order prepares for war, Nura must choose between discipline and rage, vengeance and mercy, hate and love. In a world where monsters wear many faces, becoming one might be the only way to survive. The third chapter of the Daydreamer Saga plunges deeper into the gothic heart of Europe, where blood runs cold, love burns bright, and the line between salvation and damnation is razor-thin. She survived the monsters. Now she must become one. Perfect for fans of Anne Rice, V.E. Schwab, Deborah Harkness, and Empire of the Vampire.

Daydreamer: Threads of the Forgotten by Rick Houghton

Descend into the mist-shrouded forests of Europe, where a mother’s love becomes her fiercest weapon. When Nura’s family vanishes into the jaws of darkness, she risks everything to find them—only to uncover a hidden war between vampyres and the hunters sworn to destroy them. To survive, she must awaken long-buried powers and face truths that could unravel everything she thought she knew. In the second chapter of the Daydreamer Saga, the line between hunter and hunted blurs, and every step weaves a new thread into the forgotten tapestry of the past. Darkness has many faces, and salvation comes at a cost few are willing to pay.

Daydreamer: Escape from the Dark by Rick Houghton

Escape from the Dark A gothic fantasy of blood, hunger, and buried identity. Most vampyres remember nothing of the life they had before, but Larua is no ordinary vampyre. Haunted by flashes of a past that refuses to stay buried, and watched by monsters who fear what she might uncover, Larua must navigate a cruel world where remembering too much could cost her what little remains of her humanity. Torn between human companion Jenny, enigmatic vampyre Drake, and her all-consuming thirst for blood, Larua’s past is just the beginning of a centuries-long tale of vampyre and vampyre hunters. Some underestimate her. Others sense her hidden strength. All will remember her. Dark, atmospheric, and tragic, Escape from the Dark launches The Daydreamer Saga—perfect for fans of Anne Rice, V.E. Schwab, and Deborah Harkness.

Dangling High by Kaycee King

After suffering an intensely traumatic loss at the hands of Jesse "Snake Eye" Musslin, the eccentric, queer, and legendary outlaw Ezra "Two Shots" Smith embarks on a lifelong quest for revenge, eventually crossing paths with Alexander "Good Times" Davis, who stubbornly refuses to let him be. Dangling High is a gripping Western adventure that turns the genre’s typical, problematic tropes upside down for a more progressive rhetoric. It is a fresh, politically driven take on what the United States has stood for in the past, the danger of the current moment, and the potential to embrace a future that is based on entirely different systems of power and ways of life.

The Sorrow of Bees by Andie Holman

Dark magic comes at a cost, one that Jelly, warrior mermaid, must pay. After enduring a brutal ritual to give her Fae powers, a vital piece of her soul goes missing. She must abandon everything and everyone to find it. It is her journey alone. If she fails her mission, her lover’s brother will never again see the sun, trapped in a horrifying dimension called the Hellhole. If she fails, her lover Mako may not forgive her. If she fails, she will never be whole. She’s sent to a queendom so foreign she can barely breathe, transformed into a body she can’t possibly understand. Grappling with the enormity of her task, she struggles to appreciate the sorrows of the pollinators. But she must if she wants to succeed. Kirkus reviews: "The intricate details and person growth of major and minor characters make for a welcome continuation of this saga... The detailed depth of the fantasy world will delight those who enjoy all-consuming magical realms that integrate cleanly with contemporary, nonmagical locales... An often rousing personal quest that will have audiences looking forward to the next book."

The Mermaid's Wrath by Andie Holman

The ocean is dying. A mermaid vows to save it. The Mers are barely surviving in a magical marine bubble, isolated from the rest of the world. Jelly, warrior mermaid and champion of sea life, battles against the choking, accelerating pollution, living beneath the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. When Jelly's mind opens to terrifying premonitions, she must leave the ocean, collaborating with estranged magical beings on land. She’s seen one of theirs in a vision, a woman abducted for the power in her veins, and Jelly is the key to this woman's freedom. The black pearl at her throat holds a secret. When it wakes, it sends Jelly on a tumultuous journey, changing her life forever. Kirkus review: “A lighthearted novel that simultaneously features heavy environmental themes, multifaceted characters, and lots of charm. Holman weaves elements of humor, magic, romance, and environmental activism in a quirky ocean-set romantasy.”

A Stellar Spy by Maya Darjani

A futuristic, magic-fueled homage to the great classics of the spy genre: the cerebral musings of John le Carre with the excitement of The Americans. Devoted mother and career woman. A sleeper agent, poised to act. Tessa lives a double life. She’s the security counselor to Finn, the leader of the planet. He’s her ex-husband and father of her children. She’s still in love with him. But she has a far worse problem. Tessa is also a deep cover operative for an enemy planet, and turns out, her next mission is to betray him. After overpowered mages target and attack the seat of government, Finn wants to remove their magic completely—a brutal action Tessa can't support. So she does the only thing she can do: she contacts her handler. But every action she takes increases the chance of discovery. If caught, she can't protect the mages from retaliation or prevent future attacks against Finn and the children. And when her two roles collide, she must choose: fail her family, or forsake her ideals.

Ballad of River Bones by Alexandra Beaumont

Ballad of River Bones is the conclusion of lyrical folklore fantasy and Indie Press Award Distinguished Favourite, Dissonance of Bird Song, ending the critically acclaimed tale of "love, loss and sacrifice." Cursed by ghosts of her victims and haunted by her past, Nessa searches for her lost sister. In the enchanted Myst, change is devastating. To survive, Nessa makes a pact with a mysterious druid to protect herself from the ghosts of those she has killed. As the shadows draw long over ancient Cornwall, Nessa's path leads her to a choice: Save her sister and doom herself to a cursed life, or destroy the Myst and banish her sister to the sea.

A Slice Of Mystery by Sophie Maddon

When you’re lucky enough to land on a project in your hometown, nothing can ruin it—right? That is, until your boss disappears and you’re given her job, the police suspect you, and the cheesemonger runs out of your favourite Gouda. When socially-awkward IT consultant Abigail Palmer is sent to work on a local factory’s new computer systems, she’s looking forward to daily get-togethers with best friend Hannah and cozy nights with Jasper the cat—NOT being blackmailed by boss Lynn into investigating a threatening note. Between managing the IT project, untangling lies, and trying to decode a cute colleague’s attentions, Abigail’s plate is full—though there’s always room for Giuseppe’s insanely delicious pizzas. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries and awkward heroines with a side of tech. Warning: may cause cravings for artisan cheese and late-night pizza.

Accelerated Growth Environment by Lauren C. Teffeau

Dr. Jorna Benton is proud to be the Principal Scientist for the Climasphere, a massive, sea-going ecological nursery capable of supporting nearly every biome on Earth. On its inaugural mission to restore and re-wild collapsing ecosystems along the Atlantic coast, Jorna manages the Climasphere’s habitat and harvest, while her colleague—and inconveniently attractive commander—Ava Kaysar directs the rest of the vessel’s critical operations. When an explosion rocks the Climasphere, Jorna’s carefully-managed world is thrown into chaos, threatening both her personal and her professional future. And she’s the prime suspect. To clear her name, save the mission, and preserve her chance at a future with Kaysar, Jorna must finally confront the secret she’s been running from all these a family and a faith that could destroy her.

Alien Song: An Alien Shifter Romance (Alien Wolf Tales #5) by Honey Phillips

A grumpy alien single dad, a fearless diver, and a bond stronger than the tide. Ariella was born to dive. Modified to withstand Cresca’s alien oceans, she’s always been at home in the deep—until the day she saves a drowning child and meets the girl’s father, a huge, brooding Vultor warrior with eyes like molten gold. Suddenly she wants more than just her isolated waters. Valrek has spent years alone on the sea cliffs, shunned by both humans and Vultor. He’s devoted himself to raising his daughter in solitude—until a human female crashes into their world like a storm tide, fearless, bright, and far too tempting. She challenges him. She tempts him. And she makes his beast want something he swore he’d never have. A mate. But Ariella’s past is surfacing—and if she doesn’t choose between her future and her heart, she could lose both. Because when a Vultor warrior loves, he doesn’t let go. Each book in the Alien Wolf Tales series can be read as a standalone romance. This sweet and spicy fairy tale retelling is intended for mature readers.

Mountain Man’s 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. 🔥 Forced Proximity ❄️ Snowed In Romance 🐻 Grumpy Hero / Sunshine Heroine 👀 Secret Pining 🌸 Virgin Heroine 💘 Instalove 😍 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, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Sweetheart: A Steamy Instalove Romance ((Wildwood Valley Firehouse #3) by Lilah Hart

Snowed in with a rugged firefighter. Falling wasn’t optional. I don’t do distractions. I have a plan. A timeline. A future that doesn’t include this tiny mountain town—or the firefighters who pack into the roadhouse every night, loud and charming and impossible to ignore. Especially him. Hux is six-foot-three of trouble wrapped in flannel. A smile built to break hearts. A laugh that fills the room. I’ve watched him flirt his way through every shift, and I’ve kept my distance for a reason. Then the snowstorm hits. He stumbles through the door half-frozen, collapses on my counter, and wakes up to find me standing over him with a bowl of soup I don’t remember deciding to make. Now we’re trapped. The roads are impassable. The power’s flickering. And somehow, Hux has ended up in my kitchen—following my rules, watching me like I’m something worth seeing. He’s not what I expected. Under the jokes and easy charm is something steady. Something real. Something that makes me forget why I was so determined to leave in the first place. The storm won’t last forever. Neither will the forced proximity. Neither will the heat that builds every time he looks at me like he’s already chosen. He says he’s serious about me. And that terrifies me more than the storm ever could. ❄️ Snowed-In Romance 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🍲 Caretaker Moment 🧣 Forced Proximity 💕 Instalove Sparks 🛡️ Protective Hero Energy 🌨️ Winter Storm Isolation 💫 Opposites Attract 🏡 Found Family Vibes Mountain Man's Winter Sweetheart is an OTT age-gap firefighter romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Rescued by the Cursed Phoenix (Rescued From Ruin) by Vala Stone

Have I just stumbled from one monster, straight into the clutches of another? Ava I have a habit of doing what people tell me I shouldn’t. Like eating that extra cookie, or you know, dating the bad boy. When I try to get out of this latest pickle, running is my only option. A dark gloomy mansion in the middle of the woods, surrounded by an ominous fence. Yeah, that’s not where you expect to find salvation. But the man that swoops down on me, pulling me from the snapping jaws of danger… He sets my blood on fire and makes my heart melt with his care and his cute pet cat. Lucius I just want to be left alone. The world is a dangerous place and I want nothing to do with it. But when pretty Ava stumbles onto my doorstep, I can’t help myself. Parts of me ignite that I thought had long ago turned to ashes. To keep her safe, to keep us both safe, I must let her go. I should send her away. To break my curse, to rescue her from ruin, I might have to break all my rules. I might have to ignite all the flames and make the ultimate sacrifice. Rescued by the Cursed Phoenix is a short, steamy novella that is part of the Rescued From Ruin shared author series. It features one sexy, cursed Phoenix, a plucky damsel in distress, and a very wise matchmaking cat.