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Heretical Oaths by Slifer274 & Aaron Shih Since times long lost to history, magic power has been gained through a contract with divinity. The vast majority of mages are pacted to the eight core gods and the sixty-four lesser ones. Lily Syashanâformerly Lily of House Byronâholds an oath to a forgotten god. Exiled into a peasant village after her parents were executed for treason, Lily swore that she would gain power and succeed where her family failed. To build her power, she will need to kill, destroy, and ruin. Whether her target is an Altered monster or another human getting in her way, Lily will need to be ready to defeat them all. The journey to the top wonât be an easy one, but Lily is prepared to do whatever it takes to finish it.â¨â¨Disclaimer: This work of fiction includes multiple LGBTQ+ characters.â¨â¨This fiction's cover is a Wombo, made possible by wombo.ai. |
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The Pacts We Make For Love by S.K. Nova Otherworldly entities lurk on the edges of existence. Haints. Witches. Things from Beyond. Call them what you will. They love us. They want us. They need us. And they want in. But they canât exert their alien will without a connection to our world. They come at your weakest moment, at your most vulnerable, and they offer a deal. A pact. A favor for you, now. In return, you do a favor for them, later. Any favor. Something as simple as posting a letter at a certain time. Or something as ghastly as murder. You wonât know until itâs time to fulfill your end of the bargain. Five individuals make their Pacts out of love. Love of family. Love of self. Love of success. Alissa Sorrow, a poor scholarship student at Taliaferro Mann, the private school of choice for the elite, finds herself at the center of these Pacts. A point of convergence. These entities want her. But she doesnât know any of that. Sheâs just trying to navigate the treacherous social waters of Taliaferro Mann. What price will she pay to survive? |
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The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector A dark fantasy Norse myth retelling for fans of Circe, The Witch's Heart, and The Silence of the Girlsâ¨â¨Perhaps you know the myths.â¨Furious, benevolent Gods.â¨A tree that binds nine realms.â¨A hammer stronger than any weapon.â¨And someday, the end of everything.â¨But few have heard of me. Looking back, itâs easy to know what choices I might have made differently. At least it feels that way. I might have given up on my title. Told my father he was useless, king of Gods or no, and left Asgard. Made a life somewhere else.â¨Maybe I would never have let Loki cross my path. Never have fallen in love.â¨But thereâs no going back.â¨We were happy once.â¨And the price for that happiness was the end of everything. |
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A Bitter Drink by Azalea Forrest As the center of trade for the four major races, Bisia is the perfect city for a Dahlseidâa young race of plant folkâlike Rowan to experience whatever his heart desires, and his position as ambassador for the Dahlsia makes affording those desires easy. But when he overhears a plot of treason against his people, all of that could end. But will it? My people can take care of themselves, Rowan thinks. The humans will give up once they realize the Dahlsia have nothing of value. Because all humans want is gold, right? Theyâll be just fine. Full of magic and misadventure, A Bitter Drink tangles Rowan in the vines as he's forced to team up with a pacifist human vagabond, a deadly serious elven spy, and a cheerful dwarf with a strangely calming presence. Together, they're determined to put a stop to the twisting heinous plot that threatens to destroy everything they love. But Rowanâs heart isnât in it: heâs a coward and he knows it. Joining them would mean risking his life, and to challenge oneâs true colors is a bitter drink indeed. |
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Asterius & Thesius Walk Into the Light by Aaron Fown In the heroic age, man lives under the shadow of imperial ambitions, both past and present. The perfect gods reign openly, and none dare question their motives, in fear of their wrath. Seeking power, Minos, an empire of man, has built a temple to the perfect darkness, and seeks to use it for an unspeakable purpose. The tiny fishing city of Athens suffers under the gaze of their eye, and mourns the cost of their bloody sacrifice. But the goddess Athena has a plan to save her city from their fate, and she has the means to execute it. Is there a way out of the Labyrinth, besides the shaded path of death? Can love solve the puzzle of the mythos, and give the most surprising hero the chance he needs to save the people he loves? Can our heroes, with the love in their hearts and their lights in their hands, set the stage for a miraculous musical to invert the plans of the darkness, on a long chance and a song? Yes!Love has found a way. Love has a plan. It onlyseems like no plan at all. Note: This book is not a work of pornography, but some people might confuse it with one because it has people being queer and happy, free of the sort of mental anguish that is expected nowadays. But that would also be out of place in the temporal setting, as no one had come up with the bad idea to create such guilt complexes yet. Also, the mains understand consent so there isn't going to be any sort of 'Surprise, rape!" like there is in so many works of this sort. There is also some wisdom some people may be uncomfortable with contained within, but that is neither here nor there. If any of this sounds like a bad time, don't read the book! |
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Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey Rasia is determined to destroy her old manâs record in the Forging, a trial each child must succeed to come of age. All Rasia needs to do is hunt down a gonda, hitch its tentacle ass to her windship, and haul it back home in record time. Easy. Or it would be if Rasia wasnât stuck on the same team as Nicoâa know-it-all, spoiled, grubworm who never does anything Rasia tells her to do. Nico doesnât care about Rasiaâs egotistical dreams of glory. This is her brotherâs last chance to pass the Forging or her father is going to banish him from the family. She needs to scour the desert to find whatever team the bones placed him on and help him kill a gonda before it kills him. Too bad Nico and Rasia canât get along to steer a windship straight. BONES TO THE WIND is a coming-of-age sword and sorcery fantasy adventure. Action-packed and humorous, the novel includes strong female characters, LGBTQIA+ representation, and mature themes. |
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Dying Wishes by Anitha Krishnan Finalist for 2023 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in Speculative Fiction category When I was seven, my mother died. I struck a bargain with the Gods to bring her back to life. For thirteen years now, I have served as a Harbinger of Death, coaxing dying wishes out of mortals so that the God of Death may grant them moksha, liberation from the cycles of birth and death. The man about to die this evening claims he has nothing to offer me. He is dying a content man, a rarity in our world. But when the God of Death arrives to lead his soul away, the man changes his mind about dying and flees, planting on me an enigma. I only know I cannot trust any God with this secret. And that I'll pay an unbearable price for this concealment. Yet again, I underestimate how savagely the Gods can wound me. Even though one of them is supposedly my father who still doesn't know I exist. Set in Burlington, Ontario, this contemporary fantasy novel weaves Hindu mythology and South Indian folklore into a quest for belonging across different worlds â the World of Mortals and the World of Gods, India and Canada, the past and the present, the world outside and the one within. It is an offering to lovers of whimsical worlds and heartbreaking prose, and to anyone yearning to simply belong. |
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Blood on the Canvas by David Samuels A kindhearted apprentice falls under the sway of a murderous master. Together, their careers, families, and feuds will shape the fate of kingdoms. Five hundred cherubim is the price of freedom in Kellotho Cay. It's a daunting fee, sure, but fledgling painter SIDNEYA fully intends to free her brothers from serfdom⌠but first she must sharpen her skills under a master of the craft. One doesnât simply wake up and decide to paint a portrait for the Vernal Queen. There are words for that sort of person, and NICOLAF VâTRAMO knows them all. As a personal rule, the misanthrope never takes on apprentices. Not after last time. Besides, he's busy enough fending off rivals from the Honorable Guild of Brushmasters. But when Sidneya is caught stowing away on his homeward voyage, he finds himself in a bit of a pickle. |
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Manipulator's War by Elise Carlson Nonbinary Ruarnon is determined to prove their worth as heir to Tarlahâs perfect King. Things get complicated when their parents are abducted and theyâre left ruling Tarlah in the shadow of impending war, with absent allies. Neighbouring King Kyura has no intention of invading Tarlah. But his warmongering subjects long for the glory of expansion. When Kyura rejects their calls for war, assassins threaten his family and mutiny threatens his reign. Stranded Aussie Linh is desperate to return to her family in Australia. But the only transport to her gateway home is Ruarnonâs absent allies, sailing to Tarlahâs aid. Monsters at sea threaten everyone. Linhâs monster observations could save Kyuraâs people, and clear her homeward path. If she risks her life aiding Ruarnon. But to secure peace with Kyuraâs unruly subjects, Ruarnonâs ultimate test as heir risks betrayal and Tarlahâs bloody defeat. |
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The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage by Hiyodori âI never forgot the sound of you calling for me. Not for a second.â The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage is a slow-burn f/f romance set in an original modern-era fantasy world, featuring a magical tower with countless curious rooms. Itâs a story of friends to enemies to reluctant allies, guilty secrets, love mixed inextricably with hate, fragile second chances, and the true price of boundless magical power. In a country where mages have all the power and healers supposedly only exist to support them, Clematisâa talented healerâis despised for her past attempts to defy the mageocracy. In her early thirties, sheâs already on year seven of a life sentence for treason. But when the most powerful mage in the nation suddenly loses all her magic, the government wants unconventional Clematis to help get it back. The mage is a tall, distant woman called Wist, and Clematis knows her all too well. They used to be classmates. Best friends. Perhaps more. Wist is also the person who reported Clematis for leaking state secrets. Sheâs the reason Clematis spent the last seven years in prison. Clematis wants revenge for her betrayal, but she wants freedom even more. Sheâs got thirty days to recover Wistâs magic: miss the deadline, and sheâll be shunted back to prison for the rest of her life. Yet attempting to resurrect Wistâs lost magic will force her to face the real reason why Wist betrayed herâand to face her unresolved, unspoken feelings for the mage who stabbed her in the back and walked away. |
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What would you sacrifice for magic? Gabby is in her final year of high school and facing the Question: what does she want to do with her life? A shame âwizardingâ isnât on the list of university courses. Just as Gabby despairs that sheâll never find the answer, lightning strikes. She uncovers a conspiracy, meets a mysterious boy, and finds out that maybe, magic might just be real. But it comes at a cost, and now Gabby's faced with a decision that makes choosing a university as easy as choosing a favourite kind of cake⌠How is anyone meant to do that? A coming-of-age, contemporary fantasy, Darkhaven is the first book in the Lightless Prophecy, a galaxy-spanning adventure of magic and gods, love and betrayal, and a quest to find out what holds the stars together in the dark. |
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No Land For Heroes by Cal Black Mildred Berry is down to her last four bullets⌠In a wild west where the only things more dangerous than outlaws are dragons, Deputy Berry is struggling to protect her town and keep her family fed. As a last resort, she robs a train for ammunition only to find that the cargo she needs so badly was owned by war hero Frederic Rousseau. The same Frederic Rousseau whom she served during the Amelior Civil War. The same Frederic Rousseau sheâs been hiding from for the last five years. Millie knows a secret that could ruin Rousseauâs life, and heâll stop at nothing to keep her from telling the truth. With her violent past bearing down on the life sheâs built for herself, Millie has to decide how far sheâll be willing to go to keep her town safe. |
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Kindred of the Sea by Raina Nightingale Two common soldiers, caught in a war they did not sign up for. Corostomir and Aderan joined the Army to protect their people against pirates. Now they are called to attack Elethri, home of the sorcerous elves and new haunt of the nightmare â but when they march into the forest and wake from their dreams unharmed, they can't escape the suggestion that the story they've been told might not be so true. They would rather not die for a war they don't believe in. That leaves only one option: find a way to desert that won't get them killed, just as surely as pushing the elves too far will. This cozy fantasy is a tale of platonic love and adventure that will take you to new worlds and magical beings, including the dolphins in the seas of Alaer. |
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Ascension: Wolves of Goose Creek (Tales from the DarkWorld Book 3) by Ronnie Massey In a world where vampires, werewolves, witches, and all other manners of beings not only live their lives freely and out in the open but are some of the mediaâs biggest celebutantes, werewolf Still Waters is an anomaly. Although she is an honorary member of the Eastern Seaboardâs largest pack, Still lives her life as a lone wolf. But when a freak accident claims the life of a loved one, the delicate façade that is Still's life comes crashing down. Not only is Still forced to out herself, but she also becomes first in line to assume the position of alpha of her birth packâŚa pack whose members make it clear they want nothing to do with her. But with the chaos, there comes calm in the form of Dee Stratton, the one that got away. Where Still was taught to hide, Dee was raised to embrace her status as a werewolf. Those differences ultimately drove the two apart. But when Dee returns to offer Still support, the two quickly fall back into their relationship. Their joy, however, is short-lived when family skeletons from Stillâs past creep from the closet and threaten their bond. Now Still must fight for the very things she once thought she could live without, Dee and the Goose Creek wolves. Still will either rise to the occasion and become the alpha and mate that Dee believes she can be or walk away from her pack and her relationshipâŚthis time for good. |
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Forever Love by Abigail Taylor Leia's a bright-eyed dreamer, believing in destiny. Blake's an ambitious skeptic who thinks true love doesn't exist. Will these two very different women find a spark between them, or will it be a passing glance? Leia is creative and thoughtful, and when a chance encounter with Blake, a stranger, stirs something deep inside her, she believes it is the universe speaking to her soul. Blake, despite her success, feels something is missing from her life but disguises her discontentment with a tough façade, which keeps her from opening her heart. Will Blake and Leia be each other's missing piece, or will it turn out to just be a dream? Join Blake and Leia as they are swept into a journey of self-analysis and soul-searching that could change their perception of love forever. This is lesbian author Abigail Taylor's debut novel and part of the Looking for Love lesfic series. |
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The Skeleton Key by Justine Manzano Sword and Silk Books Teacup Dragon Coop Sequel to the award-winning Order of the Key Kyp Franklin can't move on. One year after his mother officially declared war against him, Kyp is still struggling to find his feet as the Order of the Key's new leader. He's far too concerned about tracking her down before she causes even more damage than she already has. In fact, that's all he's been doing. Until one day, after a particularly reckless mission, he returns to find a surprising visitor on his doorstep... Jacklyn Madison can't move on. One year after she left the Order, she has a new team, and a new mission. She's determined to close all the interdimensional rifts between our world and the Dusk, before more people die trying to stop the creatures that pass through them. But a vision she had while on the edge of death leads her to the one place she never intended to return ⌠Forced to work together, Jacklyn, Kyp, and their respective teams uncover Lavinia's next plan: an alarming mix of magic and science the likes of which has never been seen before. Jacklyn and Kyp must learn to work together again and confront the demons of their past if they're going to stop Lavinia and those assisting her before their larger plan is put into action--a plan that could bring the monsters of the Dusk to our world...forever. |
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Superheroes are big business. Imagine not being able to afford them. Kit Baldwin just wants to make rent. The only work she can find in the ruins of her devastated city is scavenging for alien technology. When she finds a powerful alien weapon, her discovery pays off more than she could have hoped: it draws the attention of the most powerful of the superhuman Empowered, Valene. Valene hears everything, everywhere. She suffers for it, and as they begin a precipitous romance, Kit believes she can use the weapon sheâs scavenged to mitigate Valeneâs pain. If she canât, Valene will retreat to the soundlessness of space. Without Valeneâs compassion, the stricken city is left to the mercy of Valeneâs ruthless father, who denies the assistance the city needs unless it can pay for it. As Valeneâs condition worsens, Kit becomes more desperate and unleashes the full power of the alien weapon. In an instant, she is transformed into a being of cosmic power. She can acquire the knowledge and energy of anything â or anyone â she touches. |
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And by the Sea She Came to Me by Naomi Piper By the sea, she found her. And by the sea, she'll come to her. Anna is a mopey college student who struggles to find things she genuinely enjoys outside of tentacle hentai. She expects a calm, quiet Thanksgiving break with her dad in their island lighthouse. Echo is a tentacle mermaid living in her big sister's shadow. She plans to hunt Anna's dad to bring home for her family to finally score some Good Kid points. Until she spots Anna through a window, taking a moonlight bath. Now Echo has a lot of feelings and interesting new sensations to figure out. Is a week of the best and weirdest sex of Anna's life enough to pull her from her rut? What happens to her tentacle mermaid girlfriend when she has to travel hundreds of miles away to go back to college? Is she bothered by Echo killing people in front of her, or is it kinda hot? Will Echo finally make her family proud? Is she a foot girl? (Yes.) How will she cope with Anna leaving her? Are ten limbs enough to satisfy a woman? Featuring fated mates, tentacles, DP, TP (etc...), foot stuff, innocent monster virgin, sexually repressed but very eager virgin, affectionate dynamics. Content warnings: adult situations (the whole book is an adult situation) brief allusion to SA murder |
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Spells of Summer (Inheritance, 8) by AK Faulkner Learning magic doesnât come cheap, and the bill is long overdue. Rufus needs his studentâs help to solve his parents' murder, and after a year of tuition, Laurence has run out of excuses to put off witnessing the gruesome secrets buried in the past. But his vision only raises more questions. The mystery isnât how they died, but how Rufus survived. The only clue is a teddy bear nobody remembers, and it holds magic powerful enough to hospitalize Freddy, entangle a god, and hide a murderer. Maybe some secrets are better left buried. |
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Sigils of Spring (Inheritance, 7) by AK Faulkner We all fall down. When Quentin is accosted by YouTube ghost-hunters with a crackpot theory about his mother, he writes it off as nonsense â until they kidnap him right off the street in broad daylight. Not even his psychokinesis can save him, but Laurence will. He must. Except Laurence can't find Quentin. His powers have never failed him like this before. There's only one hope left: a stranger called Angela is willing to teach him more magic than he currently knows. Normally he'd write her off as bad news, but Quentin is running out of time, and Laurence is all out of options. He has less than 48 hours to save Quentin's life, and no price is too high. The clock is ticking. |
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Rites of Winter (Inheritance, 6) by AK Faulkner Let the Wild Hunt begin! Tortured. Broken. Laurence and Quentin need time to heal. A layover in New York offers just that, but then Quentin vanishes in the worst blizzard the city has ever seen, and all Laurenceâs Hunter gifts arenât enough to track him down. Two gods have warred for centuries. One is trapped in Manhattan, and needs Laurenceâs aid if heâs to continue his vendetta. The other is confined to Annwn, the Land of the Dead. He needs Quentinâs help if heâs to win once and for all. Unlike gods theyâve encountered before, these ones arenât frail. Not even close. But there really can be only one, and Laurence must fight to save Quentin before they both get trampled into dust. He canât do it alone. |
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Page of Tricks (Inheritance, 5) by AK Faulkner Thereâs nowhere left to run. Quentin dâArcy has escaped his fatherâs clutches for six years, but the life he has built in San Diego is about to come crashing down. The skeletons in his closet wonât stay hidden. The Duke of Oxfordâs pawns are all in place. One move triggers a catastrophic chain of events: Freddy kidnaps Laurence, and Quentin is thrust into a race against time to save both his loverâs sanity and his own. Every family has secrets, but the dâArcy line is built on them. Nothing will ever be the same again. |
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Reeve of Veils (Inheritance, 4) by AK Faulkner Truth is a matter of perspective. Frederick dâArcy is determined to unearth the truth behind his motherâs untimely death, but the only witness is a man whose mind Frederick cannot read: his twin brother, Quentin. And Quentin is up to his neck in trouble half a world away. That troubleâs name is Kane Wilson. As Wilson works to out psychics and kill anyone who gets in his way, Frederick enters into a deadly game of cat and mouse. He must outwit, outthink, and outmanipulate Wilson without revealing the extent of his own powers, or the vengeance he seeks could be snatched from his grasp. This isnât the Knight of Flames you remember. |
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Lord of Ravens (Inheritance, 3) by AK Faulkner Hunter and prey. Which is which? Laurence Riley believed that he was nothing. He couldnât have been further from the truth. Descended from Herne the Hunter, his own need to seek prey has long gone unfulfilled. Now itâs out of control. Something ancient is coming to take Quentin home: a creature of nightmare who feasts on the flesh of children. But Laurence has seen the real monster. The one who is pulling all their strings from afar. Only Herne can prepare Laurence to face an evil which far outmatches him. Their enemy wields the most powerful weapon of all, and will destroy everyone Laurence loves unless he can master the same power. He must learn magic. |
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Knight of Flames (Inheritance, 2) by AK Faulkner Some men are forged in fire. Others are consumed by it. Quentin dâArcy survived a showdown with a god. Now, he must face something far more terrifyingâhis feelings. Falling in love was never part of his plan, and the secret heâs kept from Laurence may burn them both. Kane Wilson is building a better world, leaving a trail of bodies as he goes. To him, no price is too high to create a future where psychics are out, proud, with no need to fear those who hate them. Through fate or fortune, Quentin is the psychic communityâs last defense against Kaneâs murderous plans and monstrous power. Where others have no choice but to obey Kaneâs every word, only Quentin can shrug off Kane's compulsion. Quentin alone can walk into the fire, but not even Laurence's prophetic gifts can say whether he will emerge unburned. |
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Jack of Thorns (Inheritance, 1) by AK Faulkner Youâd think seeing the future would make life easy, but Laurence Riley knows better. No matter how hard he tries to master the chaos, everything slips out of control. His violent ex-boyfriend, his supernatural talents, his drug addictionâseeing whatâs coming doesnât help with any of them. He needs help and he knows it. Help that only a god can provide. The answer to his prayers is Jack, who offers aid with reining in his powers and mastering his life. In exchange, all Jack asks is regular offerings of sexual energy from Laurence's conquests. A month ago, that would have been just fine with Laurence. If not for Quentin, it still would be. Devastatingly handsome, incredibly desirable, and so far out of Laurenceâs league itâs not even funny, Quentin is the flame to Laurenceâs moth. Laurence doesnât want anyone else, he canât think of anyone else, and neither Quentinâs frustratingly chaste behavior nor his uncontrollable telekinesis are enough to put him off. Not even if his focus on Quentin means breaking his bargain with Jack and facing the consequences of disappointing a god. Laurence doesnât need to see the future to know thatâs a bad idea, but he has no clue how dangerous Jack really is⌠|
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Nectar and Ambrosia (An Amaranthine Inheritance Novel Book 1) by E. M. Hamill Callie, a Classics major, flees home to protect her family from a monster straight out of mythology. Visions lead her to Nectar and Ambrosia: the weirdest pub on Earth, where inter-dimensional travelers with attention seeking issues get drunk in between the A-list celebrity lives they create. They can't pretend to be gods anymoreânot since a treaty with the current Supreme Deity promising they won't intervene in human affairs. The Doorkeeper of this threshold, Florian, rides herd on the rowdy Amaranthine and offers her shelter and a job. Callie likes the lonely, mysterious bartender more than she should. For Florian, her presence is a ray of light in the gray monotony of his sentence behind the bar, but he keeps a cautious distanceâthe truth of how he became Doorkeeper could change Callie's perception of him forever. When angels show up for a war council over Zeus's irrational mutters about a comeback, Callie has uncontrolled visions of an apocalypse. Ex-gods realize sheâs the first Oracle Priestess in generations. All Callie wanted was keep her parents safe, and now it seems she must sacrifice her future to keep the rest of humanity safe, too. Ambrosia could be the key to harnessing her visionsâ or it could cost her life. War is coming. The threshold between worlds has never been more fragile. Callie must discover who is pulling Zeus's strings and avert the final battleâbefore the immortal vying to become the next Supreme Deity kills her first. |
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Third-gender operative DalĂ Tamareia thought their life as an ambassador ended when they joined a galactic intelligence agency. When theyâre yanked out of the field and tapped to negotiate the surrender of deadly bio-engineered warriors who crashed into hostile territory, DalĂ is thrust headfirst back into the tumultuous world of galactic diplomacy. DalĂ has faced Shontavians before, but not like these. The stranded mercenaries are highly intelligent and have an agenda of their own. DalĂ canât afford to be distracted from the negotiations by their own demons or the presence of a charming diplomat with a mysterious past. As a brewing civil war threatens to derail the entire mission, DalĂ must use all their skills to bring this dangerous situation to a peaceful endâbut the Shontavians may not be the biggest monsters at the table. Someone is determined to see DalĂ and their team dead before they discover the brutal truth hidden in the wreckage. |
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DalĂ by E.M. Hamill DalĂ Tamareia has everythingâa young family and a promising career as an Ambassador in the Sol Fed Diplomatic Corps. DalĂâs path as a peacemaker seems clear, but when their loved ones are killed in a terrorist attack, grief sends the genderfluid changeling into a spiral of self-destruction. Fragile Sol Fed balances on the brink of war with a plundering alien race. Their skills with galactic relations are desperately needed to broker a protective alliance, but in mourning, DalĂ no longer cares, seeking oblivion at the bottom of a bottle, in the arms of a faceless lover, or at the end of a knife. The New Puritan Movement is rising to power within the government, preaching strict genetic counseling and galactic isolation to ensure survival of the endangered human race. Third gender citizens like DalĂ donât fit the mold of this perfect plan, and the NPM will stop at nothing to make their vision become reality. When DalĂ stumbles into a plot threatening changelings like them, a shadow organization called the Penumbra recruits them for a rescue mission full of danger, sex, and intrigue, giving DalĂ purpose again. Risky liaisons with a sexy, charismatic pirate lord could be DalĂâs undoingâand the only way to prevent another deadly act of domestic terrorism. |
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Midnight Triage by Daniel Potter I saved Secret, but it turns out my troubles are only beginning. Every moment is a struggle between the human and the beast. Wolf-me cares nothing for schedules, social niceties, or the importance of hiding. Territory is to be taken and protected. Pack is to be expanded. But I donât want to give up being a paramedic to howl in the woods. I have to find a middle ground. Too bad magic isnât going to give me the chance. No matter how monstrous I am, something far worse is coming. A rot is spreading up from the Underworld and bringing a terrifying new sickness into the city. I have to find a way to cut it out before the entire city becomes a mushroom ridden graveyard. Midnight Triage is the sequel to the bestselling and inclusive contemporary fantasy thriller, Emergency Shift. |
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The You I See by Danny Freeman What happens when two gay boys meet at a fundamentalist church and talk about tits? Brandonâs family are long-time members. In fact, his dad is the preacher. Alexâs skeptical parents reluctantly attend after repeated invitations from a colleague of Alexâs father. Alex and Brandon feel an immediate and undeniable attraction to one another, though both of them are confused about their own and each otherâs feelings. They soon develop an affectionate, endearing friendship, mostly by balancing out their opposite personalities and quoting their favorite lines from The Princess Bride until they nearly wet themselves. Brandon is loud, impulsive, irreverent, and foul-mouthed. Alex is quiet, thoughtful, shy, and considerably more precocious than Brandon. With the support of Alexâs unconventional and affirming parents, Alex and Brandon navigate the challenges of being gay teenagers in Houston in the early 1990s. They face obstacles, setbacks, misunderstandings, and outright homophobia but remain resolutely committed to their unique friendship and budding romance. From beginning to end, The You I See by Danny Freeman is an infectiously funny, relentlessly hopeful, and ultimately life-affirming celebration of friendship and young love in one of its many-hued variations. Danny Freeman be donating 75% of proceeds to The Trevor Project to support the emotional and psychological well-being of LGBTQ+ youth! #ownvoices |
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Stolen Moments of Joy by Hamour Baika Baltimore, 2014. Abdul aches with shame. Used to bearing the brunt of peopleâs judgment, the Afghan immigrant canât reconcile his love for his charming boyfriend with the bruises the man leaves on his face. So when a handsome activistâs flirtatious exchange offers solace, he goes against his beliefs and enters into a secret tryst. Drowning in guilt over the brief affair, Abdul struggles to reset his personal compass even as a racially motivated shooting twists his adopted city into a minefield. But his firm conviction that the troubles heâs facing are fair payment for the sins of his past keeps drawing him back to his beauâs punishing fists. |
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Iep JÄltok by Kathy JetĂąil-Kijiner As the seas rise, the fight intensifies to save the Pacific Oceanâs Marshall Islands from being devoured by the waters around them. At the same time, activists are raising their poetic voices against decades of colonialism, environmental destruction, and social injustice. Marshallese poet and activist Kathy Jetnil-Kijinerâs writing highlights the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, the legacy of American nuclear testing, and the impending threats of climate change. Bearing witness at the front lines of various activist movements inspires her work and has propelled her poetry onto international stages, where she has performed in front of audiences ranging from elementary school students to more than a hundred world leaders at the United Nations Climate Summit. The poet connects us to Marshallese daily life and tradition, likening her poetry to a basket and its essential materials. Her cultural roots and her family provides the thick fiber, the structure of the basket. Her diasporic upbringing is the material which wraps around the fiber, an essential layer to the structure of her experiences. And her passion for justice and change, the passion which brings her to the front lines of activist movementsâis the stitching that binds these two experiences together. Iep JÄltok will make history as the first published book of poetry written by a Marshallese author, and it ushers in an important new voice for justice. |
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Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias Enforcer and drug dealer Fernando has seen better days. On his way home from work, some heavily tattoed gangsters throw him in the back of a car and take him to an abandoned house, where they saw off his friendâs head and feed the kidâs fingers to ... something. Their message is clear: this is their territory now. But Fernando isnât put down that easily. Using the assisance of a Santerian priestess, an insane Puerto Rican pop sensation, a very human dog, and a Russian hitman, heâll build the courage (and firepower) heâll teed to fight a gangbanger whoâs a bit more than human. |
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Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle On one of the many planes of the Pentagonal Dominion, priestess Calinthe trades in information, collecting valuable secrets for her demonic employer. Calinthe has a secret of her own: she's intersex, making her a target for the matriarchal slavers of the Ophidian Plane whose territory she must cross in her search for hidden knowledge. But thanks to her friend Zakuro's illusions, Calinthe presents as a womanâa comfortable, if furtive, existence in a world determined to bring her to heel. But when, instead of a mere secret, the priestess uncovers an incalculably powerful artifact, Calinthe finds herself in a high-stakes negotiation with the same matriarchs who sought to enslave her. On the table: Calinthe's discovery, a charm powerful enough to transform a mortal into a god⌠against a secret so deadly it could quell all life on every plane of the dominion. If Calinthe plays her cards perfectly, she and Zakuro could escape Ophidia wealthier than either of them ever dreamed possible. But if she plays them wrong⌠âŚshe'll learn slavery in her pursuers' hands is a fate far worse than death. |
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Mary, Everything by Cassandra Yorke A young woman born in the wrong reality. A destiny that will lead her into the past. And a love so enduring it reaches across time - and existence itself - to bring her home. A gripping tale of best friends and romance, sorcery and survival, at the dawn of the Roaring 20s. Courtney is a lonely undergrad at secluded Braddock College in 2004, working a drowsy summer job in the Archives. Assigned to a new project, she becomes haunted by a college yearbook from the 1920s - filled with familiar faces and memories of times she never experienced. A chance encounter with a mysterious girl named Sadie - dressed in long-outdated clothes - alters her reality. But if you were never meant to be born, that reality can expel you like an infection - or kill you outright. While Courtney struggles against forces she cannot comprehend, a psychopathic stalker smells blood and closes in for the kill. Sadie, now in 1921, races against the clock to save her friend, joined by some remarkable allies - an American combat sorceress and veteran of World War I, an enigmatic professor who specializes in piercing the veil between realities, and two young women who insist theyâre Courtneyâs oldest friends - one of them even claiming to be her truest love. Time is running out for Courtney, and a terrifying wilderness - haunted by the dead from centuries past - may hold the key to her salvation. But none who enter have ever returned... Cassandra Yorke's groundbreaking debut brings Magical Realism home to the Midwest in an explosive new style, blending Midwestern Gothic and historical fiction with a warm lesbian love story to create a riveting, deeply immersive epic you won't be able to put down. It's the world of Boardwalk Empire and Gatsby, with an urgent, immersive narrative about what it means to belong, what it means to be hated, what it means to be loved, and ultimately what it means to come home. |
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A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay What makes an Ice Queen? Neve Blackthorne, head of one of the most successful Studios in Hollywood, is the one to rule them all. Powerful, beautiful, and aloof, sheâs ruthless, yet irresistible. Above all, she has an unquenchable survival instinct. Surely a fleeting entanglement with one Audrey Avens, a bright, young, rising star in her company, wonât bring down the Wicked Queen of Tinseltown. Or will it? Neveâs public persona has no chink in the untouchable armor, but when the lights go out and the cameras stop rolling, what becomes of an Ice Queen whose heart is ruled by love and fear? |
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In Georgian London, Elizabeth spends her precious free time painting watercolour flowers at the kitchen table. Art is not only an escape from the monotony of chores but a way to find a suitable husband who can give her security and a stable future. That was all she ever wanted until she met John, a talented painter with connections and patrons, who offered to take her on as a student and model for his new works. Being given the freedom to paint what she likes, Elizabeth is quickly seduced by Johnâs world: art, beautiful women, wealthy patrons, and the opportunity to earn her own money by becoming Londonâs premiere erotic portrait artist. But her newfound freedom comes at a cost and when her business is picked up in Londonâs scandal papers, thereâs no way to go back to the stable life she once craved. This novel-in-verse is a scandalous and seductive love story of a young woman thrust into the indulgent world of art, sex, and money. |
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A Particular Friendship by Paul Van Der Spiegel Tom Morton is a gay Catholic parish priest in a northern English town. Tom's closeted life is turned upside down when the man he fell in love with comes back into his life. Caught between duty and desire, Tom finds himself confronting the powerful Bishop, Derek Worrellâa dark figure from Tom's past, and the man who has pledged to rid the Church of its troublesome gay clergy. |
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Sword and Sorcery: Frostfire by Ethan Avery If you could change your life by trusting in a stranger⌠would you? Erevan has a problem. He grew up on the unforgiving streets of Bogudos and has the scars to prove it. His friend, however, is stuck in jail because of his mistake. But when a suspicious courier offers him a chance to fix things, should he lift his sword and journey across treacherous lands to aid her cause? Meanwhile, Aireyal has been accepted into the wealthiest and most prestigious magical school in all the land. Thereâs just one problem. She canât do magic. But thatâs far from the only secret within the walls of Darr-Kamo. And what she discovers might just change the world. Swordsman & Sorcerer Scholar & Spiritualist All four have enemies. And all four need help to get what they want. But help is never free. What would you sacrifice to get what you most desire? |
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The Devil Wears Tartan by Katia Rose Some couples are a match made in heaven. Moira and Kenzie are convinced the only place theyâre a match is in hell. Raised as the shining prodigies of warring highland dance schools, the two grew up with blaring bagpipes as the backing track for a feud that took them all the way to the world championships. Moira could never keep Kenzieâs icy glares from getting under her skin, and Kenzie could never hold back an eye-roll as she watched the crowds fawn over her rivalâs happy-go-lucky charm. Starting college has forced both women to hang up their kilts, but when their local highland dance association announces a scholarship for a life-changing amount of money, they find themselves back onstage for one last season. The stakes are higher than ever, but between shooting daggers at each otherâs backs and insults at each otherâs faces, their eyes start lingering, their hearts start pounding, and the sparks begin to build into a fire neither of them can control. Hell could freeze before either woman would admit their attraction, but that wonât stop them from using it to play dirtyâand getting caught in the crossfire of their feelings along the way. After all, sometimes the devil wears tartan. The Devil Wears Tartan is a New Adult, F/F dramedy from Katia Rose featuring more bagpipes than anyone asked for and two fiercely competitive heroines caught in a sizzling shift from enemies to lovers |
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The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay Hitting rock bottom in the concrete jungle of Manhattan, investigative journalist Jamie Walker lands the assignment of a lifetime: Find the most elusive artist of a generation, who has enthralled the art and fashion world for over a decade. This assignment is supposed to finally be Jamieâs ticket to journalistic fame and fortune. The quest, however, proves to be difficult, asâso farânobody has managed to discover who the legendary DeVor really is. As Jamie delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic artist, trying to salvage her stagnant career, she risks getting in over her head and losing her heart in the process. |
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Drummond: Learning to find himself in the music by Patrick R. F. Blakley Drummond, a thirteen-year-old C student in middle school, is steered into joining the high schoolâs marching band. Heâs far from ready, and his friends help him make several attempts to learn new instruments to try and fit in better. With a little unexpected guidance from the drummers and their instructor, he realizes how well he already fits in. He discovers who he is inside. Homelife deteriorates behind him and pushes him forward into the arms of his new family, the marching band. |
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The Headmistress by Milena McKay A chance encounter. An unforgettable night. And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, itâs with a roar and not a whimper. Torn between loyalty and lust, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything. Can she and the Home of Dragons withstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all crumble? Not everything is as it seems, and as she slowly unravels the mysteries behind the centuries-old walls, Sam realizes that home is much more than oak and stone. |
