The Birth of Ida by Rachel Grosvenor

'You believe in ghost stories? You afraid of ghosts when there's snakes and men tryin' to kill you?' Ousted from her homestead, Ida Vale quickly learns that the only way to survive as a lone traveller is to disguise herself as a man. Unsuspecting farmer Colt is the perfect target, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, looking roughly the right size. On the run as 'Colton John' the bounty hunter, Ida ventures into the unforgiving wilderness of The Nameless Stretch. Drawn towards a witch's house by the whisperings of the Derelict Woods, she discovers that the land is here, the murdered return to haunt their assailants. And to her shock, Ida is being haunted by someone she loves. She's not a murderer, like her brother. So who is it watching her every move? Meanwhile, Colt sets into motion a series of events that he hopes will end in one of two Ida Vale at his door, dead or alive. But in The Nameless Stretch, you can't escape your demons — and Ida soon learns she has far more to fear from the living than the dead.

The Finery by Rachel Grosvenor

Tyranny is in the air in the city of Finer Bay, and Professor Wendowleen Cripcot would like to be left alone, thank you very much. The memories of the last one hundred years are quite enough to be getting on with, if only these young upstarts from the government body, The Finery, would stop trying to control her every move. With the eyes of a dictator upon her, there are not many places to hide… but Wendowleen has never been one to back down from a fight (just ask her pet wolf), and insurrection is brewing underground.

Chai and Cat-tales by Lynn Strong

Bask in a sunbeam with three cozy fantasy novellas of the Catsprowl, a busy neighborhood brimming with cats and cat-goddesses, book-keepers and bath-houses, piping hot chai, and pouncing kittens' mischief. The Prince of Her Dreams Najra has three dreams in her life: First, catch the attention of a prince. (Specifically, the God-Emperor’s bookish youngest brother.) Next, get him to hire her to assist with his research in the marvelous Archives in Tel-Bastet. And then, at last, read ALL the books. Marrying the prince has never been in the plan. Najra has never lusted for anything but knowledge. Unfortunately, the prince has dreams as well. Because he's also a prophet who foresees trouble coming. Between her heretical geometries and her cursed spellbook, Najra has to admit that his dreams of trouble have her pegged. Now what is she supposed to do with a matchmaking busybody of an Archivist pushing them together, an angry catfolk bodyguard pulling them apart, and a sweet, anxious prophet-prince who won't even tell her what he wants? Priye For a small alley-kitten, human words make a tricky tangle of misunderstandings that bite back. Purring and hissing and yowling are much more clear. A human named her Priye, though, and he taught her that it means someone who is darling, someone who is treasured. Growing up in the nooks between three cultures is hard, but Priye wants to make her own way. And she wants to repay the kind people who feed small hungry kittens. But it's not always easy to hunt when everyone else is bigger and stronger and faster. The humans who named her like soap and water entirely too much. But maybe they have a point about sharing things instead of hunting things? The Potter's Dream Usually, the Temple of Bastet teems with cats and catfolk and cat-priestesses and cat-goddesses. It is not supposed to teem with mice. But kind-hearted priest Shai Madhur isn't very good at denying a nourishing meal to anybody… not even the mice. He needs a better mouse-catcher. But first, he needs to know where the shrine's cauldrons have gone. Because a potter has come to Shai Madhur's temple shrine, and the poor man looks hungry. What kind of priest can Shai Madhur be if he can't feed someone a nourishing meal? When he's sworn his life to serving others, and suddenly he has nothing at all to give, what does he have left? Sermons of acceptance are all well and good, but they don't fill an empty stomach. And there's something very strange about the potter. This book sets out to be cozy representation for folks who have been othered: brown folks, disabled folks, neurodiverse folks, ace and questioning folks, fat folks, diversely faithful, anyone who's wanted to see their othered selves welcomed and celebrated.

On Silver Shores by V.T. Hoang

Sirens are known for their beauty and grace. Everything from their lithe figures to their perfectly symmetrical faces to the cadence of their voices is designed to charm. Pleasure of the flesh is how they sustain themselves. So, of course, Detective Carver would be the one siren lucky enough to hate sex. Ever since his husband died, Carver has resented the defining feature of his race, but when his boss calls in someone to assist with his investigation, he finds himself confronted with a problem he never expected—attraction. Jian is supposed to be just an analyst, buttoned-up and stiff and unassuming. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, he can put on a nice smile and act polite enough, but there's something behind his eyes that's decidedly not professional. That hunger for carnal satisfaction Carver thought long dead starts to come back to life as they work together. And he has to wonder if he's just starving or if this is a craving.

Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once by Amy Orrell

Tomorrow was beautiful once, and it could be again. But Jack can only choose one future… England, 2150. Time travel has accelerated climate change and set humanity on the brink of destruction. As a Person of Mixed Era Origin with the ability to recall parallel versions of time, British historian, Jack Elliot, seems the perfect candidate to travel to the past and prevent the advent of time travel. The catch? Success means Jack will cease to exist. Critically injured when he arrives in the past, Jack’s life is saved by Maddie, a second-generation immigrant and resistance fighter, who mistakenly believes he’s connected to the disappearance of her sister, Suraya. Jack’s denial soon unravels with the discovery that Suraya can lead him to his father — the man who robbed him of his mother — and the inventor of time technology. What begins as a fragile alliance soon puts their feelings and their missions to the test. Jack’s won’t be the only life affected by his sacrifice, but does he have the right to decide who should live and who should die — and will it be worth it for the futures he and Maddie hope to create?

From Within, A Darkness by Ray Adams

A mining operation deep in space. A crew of five, a security team of four. It's drudge work; routine, repetitive. Until it isn't. For some of the crew, there comes a growing sensation that they're not alone on the asteroid. Something is out there, waiting to be found, in the darkness. But does the biggest threat come from outside? Or from within? In the meantime, an ailing ship limps toward them, its own crew oblivious to the horror that awaits them. They come seeking help, but who are the rescuers and who, if anyone, will be the rescued?

Eschatonus by Ray Adams

Two ecology students monitoring illegal loggers on the planet Netaris stumble across a secret military operation that represents a threat to the lives of thousands. Cut off from civilisation, a dangerous trek through the forest is the only hope of getting the word out. The crew of a crashed spaceship offer their help but it soon becomes obvious that there is more to fear in amongst the trees than the soldiers hunting them... Ray Adams' new novel is a tense, suspenseful drama about those who would pervert nature to their own ends and those who refuse to stand by and let them. When it comes to the crunch, though, all anyone wants to do is to escape the forest with their lives.

The Last Sanctuary by Ray Adams

Roo Raka's body lies dead, his consciousness downloaded into a hard drive through a revolutionary and dangerous procedure. Though with no way of reuniting his body and his mind, and the Galactic government set on retrieving the mysterious entity known as the Memm, the crew of the Lady Julian are fast running out of options.

The Jollet Procedure by Ray Adams

After the events of The Forcek Assignment, Poonsar is left devastated by the fate of his captain, Roo Raka, and retreats to his homeworld under a dark cloud of depression. Bo Dans and the rest of the crew of the Lady Julian meanwhile go in search of a new strategy to combat the Memm. Does the answer lie outside the Federation with a rogue scientist? How will they extract this scientist from the clutches of the Committee? And will Poonsar be able to fight through his mental anguish and rejoin them in their mission?

The Forcek Assignment by Ray Adams

A quiet life on the fringes of society is all Roo Raka wants. Regular work, enough to keep his crew happy, and if it strays into grey areas of legality then, well, a little bending of the law never hurt anyone. Not anyone who didn't deserve it, at least. There's always a bigger picture to consider though, and after he runs into trouble on what should have been a routine cargo pick-up, Roo Raka finds himself drawn into a web of conspiracy, a plot that's aimed at the heart of Galactic government. As those in power tighten their grip, and law enforcement cracks down on an increasingly unhappy populace, plans are drawn up and there's a decision to be made. Can Roo Raka stand by and ignore everything he sees around him? Is it really nothing to do with him? Or does there come a time when a good man no longer has the luxury of doing nothing?

Greyskin by James Kinsley

It’s the Wild West, but it's wilder than you think... Discover uncharted territories in this powerful collection of western adventure stories, where settlers who flood into a new continent in search of a better life must confront the indigenous population who call it home. Follow the journey of a determined young widow who is struggling to keep her farm going, as she must deal not only with the harsh realities of the frontier but also injustices brought by her fellow settlers. Meet a newlywed couple struggling to understand each other and their new life together. Watch the small town lawman fighting to keep the peace in a land filled with tension and violence. Read the perspective of an academic looking to make his name by documenting the indigenous peoples. And follow the orc wanderer, watching his people being swept aside by the human settlers, and facing the difficult decision of whether to fight or to assimilate. Through these disparate but interwoven stories, we see a new mythology of settlement born, old stories told in new ways, a fresh focus on the legends we write for ourselves.

The Cartoon Life and Loves of a Stupid Man by Marc Joan

As an independent comic book store owner and the heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, Philippe Favrier lives a life that straddles the real world and the realm of fiction. Struggling with mental illness, Philippe relies on his wife, Marilyne — a successful surgeon with her own haunting secrets — and a groundbreaking drug his father developed. Bound by their shared pain, they navigate their haunted lives, forever shadowed by the heart-rending loss of their baby, Antoine. Their fragile world begins to crumble when Philippe catches a disturbing glimpse of an unfamiliar profile in the mirror. And his uneasiness is further fuelled by an anonymous comic strip that arrives at his store, featuring a character bearing an eerie resemblance to him. Is Marilyne hiding an affair? Is she connected to the comic strip that’s tormenting him? As he probes deeper, Philippe is drawn into a web of deception, where the lines between reality and imagination blur — until his investigations into Marilyne and the malicious comic artist at last reveal the tragic truth.

Playtime's Over by James Kinsley

In the seconds before death, Will finds himself transported from the depths of the North Sea to the end of a deserted pier. Deserted, until Viktor appears… Together they journey across time and place, bearing witness to the beauty of the life Will has turned his back on. Scrutinizing the interminable balancing act of being alive, which ultimately led Will to make his final, fatal move, Playtime’s Over is a story about resilience and surrender, told with darkly absurd humour. It is both a powerful meditation on mental health in a world with little refuge, and a touching portrait of a friendship forged in the most bizarre circumstances.

Hangdog Souls by Marc Joan

Kingdom of Mysore, 1799. A guilt-racked British Army deserter tries to win safety for those he loves – but his reckless bargaining only leaves him trapped between destinies, condemned to facilitate centuries of suicide and murder. Death after death, and each death diminishes him, until — a quarter of a millennium later — a Keralan astrophysicist has the chance to annul the soldier’s Faustian bargain. But Chandy John is weakened by his own burden of grief — will this twenty-first century scientist only become another helpless nexus between undeserved death and undeserved life? Hangdog Souls is set in the Dravidian heartlands of South India — and in a blurred edgeland where alternative realities elide. Through linked narratives of guilt, shame and the search for absolution, this book takes readers from the arid Tamil plains to the highest peaks of the Nilgiris, and from occult horrors in Tipu Sultan’s kingdom to creeping madness in the world of particle physics. Spanning three hundred years, the stories in Hangdog Souls weave together the fates and fortunes of multiple characters – individuals that echo through the generations, asking always the same question: What weight can balance the death of an innocent?

Monsters, Mayhem & Wild Magic by Noah Bodie

In the harsh, forgotten village of Eyrei, Cerci Rivera, a determined intelligence operative with a troubled past, seeks the help of Ridge Thorne, a haunted monster hunter with a mysterious ability to hear the cries of the damned. As they navigate a world of magic, betrayal, and hidden truths, their growing bond is tested by their own secrets and the looming threat of a powerful enemy. Together, they must confront their deepest fears and uncover the dark forces that threaten to tear their world apart, all while discovering that, sometimes, the most unexpected alliances can lead to redemption and love.

Bring Out Your Dead by Heather Murphy

Secrets from the past cannot be ignored forever. After her mother’s untimely death, Lucy Fray discovers the existence of family she never knew she had. But Adeline and Edmund Fray have been living with a tragedy of their own - three murders that have gone unsolved for 40 years. When Lucy and her six-year-old son are invited to visit Fray House, they discover that secrets often long to be revealed… and ghosts can haunt us whether or not we believe in them.

The Early Girls by Yvette Joy Liebesman

The reunion of six women who bonded in nursery school is interrupted when one of them is kidnapped, and the friends plot a daring rescue. The ransom: access to the priceless invention two of the Early Girls created. There is a deeper mystery, though—for years, women in the area have gone missing, and the Early Girls inadvertently discover how and why. The Early Girls: -Hannah-- even at age three she was the natural leader; -Isha-- the most confident of the group; at first glance she appeared shy, but her smile betrayed that; -Mina-- she was petrified of being abandoned; -Francie -- her parents realized too late that a second child required a lifestyle change; -Vicky-- by far the brightest of the girls, much to the disappointment of her parents; -Amber-- her parents kept having children that they didn’t want…. Together they are unstoppable.

Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch

An entrapped lord and a magician whose sex life melts windows; will love destroy them, or set them free? Lord Thornby has been trapped on his father’s isolated Yorkshire estate for a year. There are no bars or chains; he simply can’t leave. His sanity is starting to fray. When industrial magician John Blake arrives to investigate a case of witchcraft, he finds the peculiar, arrogant Thornby as alarming as he is attractive. John soon finds himself caught up in a dark fairytale, where all the rules of magic—and love—are changed. To set Thornby free, both men must face life-changing truths—and John must accept that the brave, witty man who’s winning his heart may also be about to break it. Can they escape a web of magic that’s as perilous as love? Genre: Fantasy historical m/m romance Novel-length standalone book, approx 80,000 words

Falling Into Oblivion by Aaron M. Payne

MODIFICATIONS COME AT A PRICE. Detective Sol Harkones is tangled in the wires of a deadly conspiracy involving defective body modifications causing permanent brain damage. A suspect is known, but something more dangerous may be lurking in the shadows. A city plagued by waste. Violence fills the streets. Oblivion is within reach. Falling Into Oblivion is the electrifying first book in the Tendrils of Chrome cyberpunk sci-fi series. If you're a fan of William Gibson's Neuromancer, HBO's True Detective, or Philip K. Dick’s Blade Runner, you will love Aaron M. Payne’s rapid-fire saga.

Let Them Float by Katy Wimhurst

In these short stories, Katy Wimhurst creates off-kilter worlds that illuminate our own. Apocalyptic rabbits invade a town. People overwhelmed by their lives float above an urban park. A woman turns transparent after a virus. The playful lens of magical realism is used to explore physical and mental illness and our fragile environment. Thought-provoking fiction with a good dose of whimsy.

Snapshots of the Apocalypse by Katy Wimhurst

In these dark, witty short stories, Katy Wimhurst creates off-kilter worlds which illuminate our own. Here, knitting might cancel Armageddon. A winged being yearns to be an archaeologist. Readers are sucked into a post-apocalyptic London where the different rains are named after former politicians. An enchanted garden grows in a rented flat. Magical realism meets dystopia, with a refreshing twist.

An Orchid in My Belly Button by Katy Wimhurst

Offbeat short stories that explore our fragile world These stories savour the surreal, flirt with magical realism, dabble with dystopia. A boy sees the ghosts of dead crabs. A girl with a fox tail is bullied. A disenchanted woman sprouts orchids from her belly button. Fashion models pursue the trend of having plants as hair. Electronic goods amassing all over London herald an apocalypse. Darkness and wonder, the strange and the ordinary, interweave to offer an environmental and social portrait of our times. Guaranteed to evoke a response, whether a giggle, a gasp, or a nervous gulp, these stories will stay with you, enriching your perception of the world. Surreal, absurdist, magical realist; Katy Wimhurst writes speculative fiction that meditates on our reality. Although bleak themes are examined – dystopian futures, the climate crisis, bullying – a quirky imagination and wry humour lift the tales above the ‘realm of grim’.

The Hidden by D. Ann Hall

How will she survive… Kidnapped, tortured, amnesiac and on the brink of death. This will not be pretty!

Elysian Iris by Thanos Papathanassiou

¨T h e c h a l l e n g e a n d t h e b e t¨ Contents: 6 large-scale historical dramata of olden times; 3 petite stories, 1 petite theatrical play; 20 laconical miniatures, 8 poetical creations; 1 paraphilosophical portrait upon certain concepts; 1 quite extensive gnomicologion. Language-character: Language strikingly sophisticated [miles away from standard English]: of the so many peculiar and diversifying elements, the core- and leader-component being constituting the blatant presency of the participle [in various verb-tenses, statical (punctual, etc.), progressive (durative, continuative, iterative, etc.), primary, secondary (accessory, complementary, satellitary, subsidiary, etc.)]; apart from the current language, another 9 being encountered along the way [author's own artificial language, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Ancient Greek, old Modern Greek, Modern Greek, Italian]. Readers's rating: 5-stars and 10/10 [read. rat. of former indiv. books]. Film-making potentiality: most of the works well suited to filming. Elysian Iris by Thanos Papathanassiou is a masterpiece that will captivate readers who crave a rich, immersive experience that weaves together the threads of history, romance, and philosophy, transporting them to a world of timeless beauty and profound introspection.

The Elf Witch by Jacquelyn Gilmore

For fans of One Dark Window and From Blood and Ash comes a haunting, slow-burn fantasy romance about villains. It follows a formerly magicless elf as she suddenly comes into powers that her kingdom has never seen and the duplicitous prince she must bargain with to save them at whatever cost—even her soul. After her grandmother's execution, a formerly magicless elf is suddenly the most powerful witch in her village. Magic is disappearing, though, and Imani is thrust into the treacherous court of her kingdom, forced into trials against the most lethal witches in the world. As she unravels the perilous plan her grandmother plotted before her death to save magic, Imani unwittingly dives deeper into a web of magical and political intrigue that puts her on a collision course with dangers beyond anything she imagined. But Imani is harboring illicit knowledge of her own—a forbidden dark magic that’s getting more difficult to hide by the day. Now, she must decide whether to make herself a threat and an enemy to her country or risk becoming a pawn and the realm losing magic forever. Stuck in this predicament, Imani sees only one path forward: a dangerous deal with the duplicitous prince—one she might be falling for.

2033: The Year Things Fell Apart by Rebecca Doll & James Gordon

"A hyperreal tapestry of the death of a nation!" A disputed election…a terrifying future! Em, with her partner Ava and stepdaughter Sophia, left a tiny East Coast apartment for a lucrative IT job in Louisville that could fund their future. A disputed 2032 U.S. election and the rise of a powerful neo-fascist demagogue lays waste to her dreams while Em struggles to survive in the belly of the beast itself. Her government contract job turns out to place her in direct proximity to the most hated media figures of the new regime. She can hurt them, but at what risk in a place where her family’s queer identity makes them a target? In the rising fire of a Civil War, Em must struggle to survive and preserve something of her hopes, her family, or even herself. 2033: THE YEAR THINGS FELL APART Presents a realistic and chilling look at a dystopian world that may lie just around the corner. Beltway insider and political wonk James Gordon is writing again with Alternative Sexuality Educator Rebecca Doll to present a sobering look at a future that may be too close to our own for comfort.

The Warm Machine by Aimee Cozza

When a robot built for construction work first sees an angular, sleek prototype military robot slink onto the base he’s working outside of, he immediately falls in love. The problem is, only anomalous bots understand the concept of love, and the lowly laborbot has not deviated from his default programming once. So he thinks, anyway. When the laborbot is scheduled for decommission, the military bot cannot possibly live without him, and the two bots set out on a path to find the fabled anomalous robot utopia Root.

The Fractured Balance by N.A. Soleil

When emotionless, immortal genetic experiment Pheonix escapes the slavers’ arena and arrives in the utopian elven city of Terelath, he learns the metacosm is governed by an ideology known as ‘the balance,’ which claims the kind of evil Pheonix experienced while enslaved to be a tolerable part of the natural order. Unbeknownst to him, Pheonix is the long-awaited Ascended of Justice, and those drawn to Justice quickly gather around him. With their help, he hones his innate abilities and sets out to investigate the covert system supporting ‘the balance.’ As Pheonix begins to uncover that the metacosm’s governing bodies are chained to injustice at the core, he and his newfound allies vow to excise the corruption … even if it means all-out war.

Everdark by N.A. Soleil

Sixteen year old Redd is a runaway with psionic powers and PTSD. While escaping the parents who experimented on her, Redd unwittingly opens a portal to a planet populated by the last remnant of the angelic species. Trouble follows. With nowhere else to go, she is caught up in an intergalactic conflict: the militant, space-faring Rangers and their allies must prevent the fortress Everdark, the angels’ last bastion, from being overrun by evil forces. The abuse Redd survived takes its toll in the form of nightmares, mood swings, and paranoia — but there is comfort in combat, so she joins the front line. There, she discovers that she can wield terrible power at the behest of a mysterious entity residing somewhere within her, though the transaction is not in her favor. Clinging to an often nebulous connection to shared reality, she becomes inextricably involved with more than just the battle to protect the angels. The events of Everdark are the key to a mechanism that, with Redd and her companions as integral gears, will start a countdown. And at zero … a shift in the core of the metacosm, one written into its very code before Time began.

How to be Jewish in 30 Seconds by Rabbi Kenneth Block

I’m here to tell you - You can be Jewish in 30 seconds or less.  Hear me out. Many of my colleagues, both Jewish and Gentile, present their religions as all or nothing, insurmountable mountains of material. So, naturally, nearly everyone is going to shy away from it. Religion is like sailing. If you learn some of the basics, you can sail a boat. You’re not going to be in the America’s Cup or sail around the world, but you can love it anyway.  I think a disservice has been done to Judaism by presenting it as all or nothing –telling Jews what they can and cannot do and that you have to give up this and that. The only thing that that results in is people walking away. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can practice Judaism in just 30 seconds a week by picking a Jewish activity and, well, practicing it.

The Fragile Humans We Are by V. Walker

Step into the delicate realms of emotion with the fragile humans we volume one, a poignant collection of poetry that navigates the intricate landscapes of love, grief, and depression. This collection invites readers on a transformative journey through the highs and lows of the human experience. In this beautifully crafted compilation, Walker delves into the complexities of love, loss, and being lost. the fragile humans we are, volume one is not merely a collection of poems. It serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, celebrating the capacity for healing that resides within us all. This first edition features 13 original illustrations, beautifully crafted for the fragile humans we are volume one.

Cicada Man: The Tale of Jonny Dice by Vincent Trezor

Step into the wild, unregulated world of the crypto markets origins with “Cicada Man,” where you'll meet Jonny Dice, an erratic trader wrestling with bipolar disorder. Jonny's quest for his manic version of the American Dream often leaves him clinging on to reality. His almost true tale unfolds across an unpredictable landscape where reality is constantly rewritten.

Cicero James, Miracle Worker by Hal Emerson

My name is Cicero James, and I died last Thursday. I know how it sounds, and the rest of what I have to tell you is just going to make it worse. But it's true. I died, and I came back. And the rest of it—why it happened, what it means, and most importantly what we’re going to have to do about it—is what I need you to hear. I’m going to start at the beginning, and I’m going to tell all of this as faithfully as possible. I’m going to try to bring you along for the ride. It’s all coming out in a rush, so if I don’t tell it quite right, or if I muff a word or use bad grammar or something, try not to hold it against me. And if I don’t manage to convince you… I understand. No harm, no foul, no hard feelings. This is all insane to anyone who hasn't lived it. But if you're in, then you’re in, and here we go.

Silver Blood by T. L. Morgan

Cyrus Beldon was born to kill vampires. Or so says his indomitable family legacy. For generations, the Beldon hunters have kept the peace between humans and vampires, navigating tense diplomacy with the elite Honorable Families and eliminating threats when needed. Cyrus is content to leave the hunting and slaying to his capable older siblings, but when his oldest brother is murdered by Honorable vampires in a shocking break of the truce, Cyrus becomes determined to find out why his brother was not merely killed, but turned into a bloodthirsty creature known as a Wild vampire. Cyrus’s hunt for information on the monster that became of his brother leads him to discover an experiment suggesting that recently-turned vampires can have their humanity restored, and with this revolutionary possibility within his reach, Cyrus dares to hope for a future in which he can save vampires instead of killing them. He traces the studies back to one of the five Honorable Families, and with the help of studious and infuriatingly proud Lucien Vista, Cyrus delves into vampire biology to seek the core cause of Wild turns—and a cure for them. Amid multiple high-profile murders, rising tension between the Beldons and the Honorable Families, and dangerous sparks between Cyrus and Lucien, the truce is at a tipping point, and Cyrus and Lucien must decide how far they are willing to go to keep the peace between their families—or if it’s already too late.

The Redstone Rescue by Ben Moxon

“They say the crown lies heavy on the head of the king, but in Sataminva our crown lies on a perfectly counterbalanced plate in a display case in the Hall of Voices.” Khatin Amatar grew up in the free realm of Sataminva after the last king died in a failed war of conquest. Now she works as assistant and bodyguard to the famous detective Farid Rassamouli, helping out where community justice cannot reach. After successfully wrapping up a high-profile case they are sent from the familiar streets of the capital to a small border town where a colleague seems to be the latest in a string of disappearances. As their investigation begins, every answer just raises more questions and the shadows around the town of Redstone grow ever darker. Before their adventures are over Khatin will need her wits, her convictions, and all the skills she learnt growing up around the family fighting arena.

Short Tales: The Red Chaise and Church Business by G Barrett-Jones

“The Red Chaise" is a haunting tale set on Tree Valley Plantation, spanning generations and exploring themes of violence and retribution. At its heart, the story follows the tragic events surrounding a red chaise, a symbol of pain and suffering. From Rose's forced encounter with the enslaved Jed to the brutal re-enslavement under Dale Barrett, the chaise witnesses a cycle of torment. In a moment of supernatural retribution, Barrett meets his end, linking the fates of multiple characters and highlighting the ongoing struggle for dignity and justice. Through vivid storytelling, "The Red Chaise" captures the haunting legacy of slavery and a community's resilience. In "Church Business" The Memorial Baptist Church is rocked by scandal when Todd, a devoted member, discovers his wife’s affair with the pastor. As the church council grapples with the fallout, emotions flare, and hidden grievances surface. Amid this turmoil, Pastor Diggums lies in a coma, facing his sins in a surreal, otherworldly struggle. This tale of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption reveals the complexities of human relationships within a close-knit community.

The Mystery of the Pale King by Sam Flynn

"Tonight, my friends, the performance is real. To you, my most faithful, I dedicate this, the final production of 'The Mystery of the Pale King.'" As an orphan growing up in a distant border province, Faron took pride in the epic tales of the Hero of Hathur, a great and powerful warrior who ruled in the name of the sun-worshipping Church of the Sol Creator. That pride is shattered by accusations from the Hero's family that he squandered their entire inheritance on the production of a profane play with him at the center: "The Mystery of the Pale King." The Church proclaims him under interdict and dispatches Bishop Antonius, his devoted page Faron, and a cadre of soldiers downriver to repossess Hathur on its behalf. The cruelty they witness on their perilous mission forces them to confront the horrors at the heart of Hathur's past and question not just their devotion to the Church but their very beliefs in gods and heroes. Amid a storm of betrayal, murder, and sacrilege, Faron must survive fanatical cultists, their obscene rituals, and the evil hiding in the light in order to save Bishop Antonius from the Hero's final performance. Inspired by the historical legend of Gilles de Rais, The Mystery of the Pale King probes the roots of modern American dysfunction in a grim flintlock fantasy setting that reflects the best and worst of humanity. “While the dark, riveting The Mystery of the Pale King is set in a distant time and place, its sharp examinations of religious cults and hero worship are all too relevant to today’s world. Flynn’s clear prose leads the reader through a short yet complex tale of dark fantasy and horrors both earthbound and cosmic. It’s a gripping, highly recommended read." - Nicole Willson, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Tidepool

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

Two strangers. Two Londons. Two hearts that won’t stop beating… In an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang awakes from his death to discover he is not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having somehow acquired the power of immortality, he’s also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings who roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London. A jaded traveller from the Ming Empire, Fang is desperate to find a way to reverse the spell and get on with being dead when he stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a theatrical Frenchman who is afflicted with the same mysterious condition. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two men set out to undo the strange magic that binds them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they find themselves at the centre of a dangerous plot. And when in grave danger, surely the worst thing they could do would be to fall in love, wouldn’t it?

The Wisp and the Wolf by Jeanne Renee

Meg Quinn has a promise to keep. A talented but withdrawn artist, she begrudgingly travels to the wilds of North Wales to fulfill her late mother’s dying wish—to make amends with her estranged and pregnant identical twin with whom she shares a clairvoyant bond. But before Meg can reach her sister, an inexplicable encounter with an eldritch yew tree thrusts her deep into the past. The year is now 1402 and the native people of Wales, the Cymry, are locked in an ambitious uprising against England. Here Meg meets Steffan Blaidd, a war-weary Welsh archer who finds himself outlawed by a powerful rival and forced to join the revolt after saving Meg’s life—a revolt Meg knows to be doomed. Plunged into the harsh, vibrant world of the Cymry, Meg knows the mystical connection with her sister demands resolution—as does her growing affection for Steffan and the world to which he belongs. Torn between desire and duty, the future and the past, Meg must discover her own strength if she is to survive the treacheries of war and grasp her true fate.

Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland

Tam Becket has hated Lord Lyford since they were boys. The fact that he’s also been sleeping with the man for the last ten years is irrelevant. When they were both nine years old, Lyford smashed Tam’s entry into the village’s vegetable competition. Nearly twenty years later, Tam hasn’t forgiven the bastard. No one understands how deeply he was hurt that day, how it set a pattern of small disappointments and misfortunes that would run through the rest of his life. Now Tam has reconciled himself to the fact that love and affection are for other people, that the gods don’t care and won’t answer any of his prayers (not even the one about afflicting Lyford with a case of flesh-eating spiders to chew off his privates), and that life is inherently mundane, joyless, and drab. And then, the very last straw: Tam discovers that Lyford (of all people!) bears the divine favor of Angarat, the goddess Tam feels most betrayed and abandoned by. In his hurt and anger, Tam packs up and prepares to leave the village for good. But the journey doesn’t take him far, and Tam soon finds himself set on a quest for the most difficult of all possible prizes: Self care, forgiveness, a second chance... and somehow the unbelievably precious knowledge that there is at least one person who loves Tam for exactly who he is—and always has.

The Haunting of Maddy McKenzie by Steve Rogan

The Haunting of Maddy McKenzie Maddy McKenzie [mmm, why does that compel me to sing about darning my socks all by myself late at night?]. Oh well. Anyhoo. Maddy’s a 36-year-old Wollongong detective, and a hard-line sceptic to boot; she doesn’t even believe in believing in the belief of believing those beliefs. After buying and moving into a house at Thirroul, which the realtor warned her was haunted, Maddy is forced to put her scepticism aside and come to accept that there may just be some substance to this spirit-world hoohah. As always, someone’s mother is intrinsically involved. Delphine Morgan, psychedelic hippy-type beach bunny, was murdered in Maddy’s new house in August of 1969 and, as a result, missed Woodstock by a week and a rippin’ little grand final between the Tigers and the Rabbitohs in September. Unless her killer is caught, belted with a phonebook by an angry old desk Sergeant and brought to justice before he dies, Delphine will be stuck in the wrong realm and inherit her killer’s violence for eternity, thus rendering her one of those annoyingly nasty spectres that aren’t too welcome at dinner parties. Delphine’s only chance is if Maddy reopens her cold-case investigation and tracks the old codger down before he runs out of puff. That’s the tear-jerker part of the story; the rest is just an utter load of old tosh!

Silent is the Sword by Evelyn Grimald Stone

Elyria Trevain is shrouded by silence and surrounded by books. She speaks only to those she trusts implicitly, using the signed language with the rest of the world. Her life in the Great Archives is full of quiet and the whisper of paper and ink that her scribe magic controls. It is a quiet life. A good life built upon the ruins of her past. Until one day her city is attacked and the man she thinks she loves is kidnapped. Elyria volunteers to go after him, knowing that the path will take her to the childhood home she swore to forget. Accompanied by a mysterious cat who speaks to her of books and magic, she ventures into the world beyond the Archives. Into a world of forgotten sorcery rediscovered. Into a world of dead gods and a tormented angel that fills her dreams. Into a world where her silence is not just a shroud, but a weapon. Silent is the Sword is an epic fantasy where the forgotten past is rearing its head, where magic takes hold, and where love crosses memory and magic to keep the world from burning.

Dandera: Thunder Underground by H.T. Schwartz

Dive Into the Depths of Dandera - An Inner-Earth Fantasy Adventure In the aftermath of the Civil War, Thomas Lloyd, a spirited young mine manager from Kentucky, is driven to breathe new life into his beleaguered town. But as townsfolk vanish without a trace, his quest for answers thrusts him into the mysterious underworld of Dandera—a place where ancient myths pulse with life and hidden cities glow with wonder. Within this vast cavernous underworld, Thomas finds himself entwined in an epochal clash—a war echoing with the primal forces of love and fear. Guided by the enigmatic Pharli, a princess of the radiant Ash-Asha, Thomas's journey becomes more than a quest for the lost but a pilgrimage of the soul. The strings of destiny whisper of a time prophesied where humanity's path would hinge upon a collective choice. Amidst this strife, where the machinations of the shadowy lord Kalaron threaten to tilt the cosmos into eternal darkness, it is upon Thomas and his new friends to tip the scales of fate. Dandera weaves subterranean fantasy, epic romance, and the stark realities of war into a rich tapestry of transcendental adventure.

Liminal Space by Vicki-Ann Bush

Two worlds, a desperate fate, and the secret that binds them. A weekend getaway turns dark when friends Jesse and Micah witness a woman drenched in blood screaming in the middle of a casino. Security quickly whisks the woman away and the two friends are left shaken. Trying to get past what they saw, they attempt to move forward with their plans. But when mysterious events continue to occur, like a town appearing and disappearing from the view in their hotel room, the girls begin to wonder if their weekend getaway is a weekend nightmare. Their curiosity drives them to seek out and investigate the vanishing town. Initiating a journey that leads to a truth much bigger than they could ever have imagined and changing their lives forever.

Vengeance Borne: Book Five of New Blood by W.D. Kilpack III

January 2025 Editor's Choice, BooksShelf.com The future of Mankind relies on the Guardian of Maarihk. Can Natharr, Ellis the Elder, and the Knights of Ril endure tragedy to stave off Mankind's dark future? The past and present collide, forcing Natharr and the rest of the Rilari to struggle with the consequences of their absence, past choices, and the power of the Usurper’s vizier left unchecked for far too long. The strain proves too much for some, requiring hard decisions to prepare for a dark future racing toward the Guardian of Maarihk, Ellis the Elder, and the Knights of Ril. All that two generations of Guardians have planned from what their Sight revealed is on the brink of failure. They split their forces to race against time, gambling that thinner numbers will endure on diverging paths toward victory. Meanwhile, Nathan fights to deal with great loss and a change of course in his life in the Maarihk Empire as it plants new seeds yearning for a single goal: vengeance. "W.D. Kilpack III writes an outstanding new volume! In Vengeance Borne, the reader is brought right back into the New Blood Saga. If you haven't read the volumes before it, I recommend that you do. You get a better understanding of the characters, their growth throughout this epic saga, but also who is important, and who may just be in the background, but everyone has their purpose in the story. I am a big fan of this author, and especially this saga. It is a long story with a lot of needed detail and it is full of action, twists and unpredictability. This story is a definite attention grabber, so much I couldn't put it down! It is a gripping and incredible story. It is always an honor to read Kilpack's books. It's a great plot to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. Natharr once again has to save humanity, or at least mankind, as it is dependent on the Guardian. This story brings the past and present to the forefront, and sparks definitely fly! Some are determined to keep their world, while others may be defeated. Vengeance Borne is a definite recommendation!" — Amy's Bookshelf Reviews

Sol Accords: Starbourne by DG Podporski

Everyday life for Jaeden Starbourne has been challenging for as long as he can remember, which as it happens, isn’t quite as long as one might think. In fact, Jaeden can’t remember anything that happened more than five years ago. He woke up aboard a medical space station with no identity, no family, no friends, no money, and no clue what to do next. For someone without a past, finding work was never an issue. Finding honest work above-board that didn’t include illegal activity was the challenge. Securing a dangerous job as an orbital shipbreaker was by no means Jaeden’s first choice, but in this galaxy and given his circumstances, beggars can’t be choosers. As his life in this new and unfamiliar place begins to spiral uncontrollably around him, Jaeden quickly finds himself crossing paths with criminal syndicates, mercenary companies, and worst of all, a corporate Technologist; an agent with artificial enhancements that grant the user nearly limitless abilities. Not having a past is no longer Jaeden Starbourne’s biggest issue, because if he’s not careful, he’ll lose his future as well.

Gellert's New Job by Johannes T. Evans

Gellert has worked as a business manager for the King family for nearly a decade when an error in judgement brings his employment to an abrupt end. Lucien Pike, a rival kingpin, employs his services instead. Fantasy, crime, and a good bit of dark humour. 21k. Rated M. Transgender, autistic man’s POV; both protagonists are autistic.

How I Found Her by Brendan Halpin

Jen lost her job and her husband (and the contents of their joint bank accounts) in the same week, going from wealthy to working class overnight. Struggling to make ends meet as a gig worker, she enters an apartment for a dog walk and finds the murdered body of the woman her husband left her for. The police believe Jen is the killer and aren’t interested in any other suspects, so it’s up to Jen, with the help of her college-aged daughter and her fellow gig worker and new friend Susan, to find the real killer.

Daughters of the Wind: Bloodline Progenitors, book 2 by Leigh Saunders

Janek, Grand Vizir of Kushar, has done the unthinkable, kidnapping the last known weather witches – the twin daughters of the Gerlachi king – in an effort to claim the gift of their bloodline magic for the Kushari people. But rumors of weather witches in Kushar are spreading, sending Zoya, spymaster of Tzigane, on a quest to learn if they are, in fact, her queen’s missing sisters. At the same time, the twins, chafing at the gilded cage of their long confinement, have demands of their own – demands which may disrupt Janek’s carefully orchestrated plans, thwart Zoya’s rescue efforts, and shatter centuries of fragile peace between their three countries.

The Source of Strife by Alex Arch

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Only stolen. Mages feed on catalysts like Dinnie to enhance their spells, and since she’s the most formidable weapon alive, they will stop at nothing to control her. Even her parents, leaders of warring realms, wage a battle for her custody, imprisoning her to prevent the other from gaining the upper hand. No more. For the first time in her fourteen years, Dinnie isn’t alone. With the help of Ghost, a glum deserter shackled to his past, she intends to flee this madness. But as they witness the horrors unleashed to retrieve her, one thing becomes clear: Her parents will never abandon their claim. Death and destruction follow in Dinnie’s wake, and she must decide if her freedom is worth the cost.