Consecrated Ground by Virginia Black Consecrated Ground is a multiracial lesbian paranormal tour de force that will leave you wary of the shadows and absolutely breathless. Like her father before her, Joan Matthews is a witch. For generations, their family of binder witches has protected Calvert, Oregon from vampires by strengthening the land with spellcraft. Pushing back against tradition, Joan defied her father and left town to become a war witch, one who fights the monsters hand-to-hand. But when her father dies, Joan returns to find her hometown assailed by a vampire lord's endless attacks--and the answers lie with the one woman who chose a rival over Joan. Leigh Phan once believed her heart was safe and her future was set. When Joan left town, Leigh's choices led to ruin and unintended consequences. Now Leigh harbors a dark secret forcing her to live a moment-to-moment existence. Her only hope of survival lies in trusting the war witch who left her behind. Now it's up to Joan to fight for a town she left behind, while Leigh faces a destiny she never imagined was possible. With Calvert on the brink of total destruction, Joan and Leigh join forces and face inconvenient truths in order to save their town--and each other. |
All Hookers Go To Heaven by Angel B.H. All Hookers Go To Heaven follows Mag: an East Coast girl raised in a conservative Christian home where she is urged to preserve her purity at all costs. Obsessed with earning a place in heaven, Mag rejects the hyper-sexual youth culture of her small townâthat is, until she falls for a sophisticated, fun girl while attending a program designed to usher young people into Evangelical Missionary work. Spiralling into shame and regret, Mag breaks away from the Church and launches herself into the world of sex for hire, attempting to shed her repressive past and become an anti-virginâthe exact opposite of what her religion raised her to be. As she hustles across continents, Mag finds her obsession has shifted. Instead of heaven, now she is focused on chasing the elusive, ever-shifting concept of financial security. In the process, she finds it harder and harder to differentiate the money she earns from her self-worthâand her own identity from that of her sex worker alter ego. |
This is Not a Vampire Story by Simon Doyle Seventeen-year-old Victor Callahan holds a secret as ancient as the shadows.Employed as a night porter in a quiet Irish nursing home, the teenager watches over a group of men he once knew a long time ago. Victor has orchestrated their reunion for a final farewell, a goodbye to those whose lives have shaped him through the years.But can he keep his secret from Lakeshore Manor's oldest resident, James O'Carroll?As he cares for these remnants of his past, memories of a bygone era haunt him - of wild adventures on the rugged Irish coast, of forbidden love hidden beneath the threat of eternal night, and of a shipwreck that changes everything...Gloria Pinto, the night nurse, doesn't like him. But maybe she has her own secrets.THIS IS NOT A VAMPIRE STORY weaves a tale of timeless bonds, the cost of immortality, and the lengths we go to for love.But is love more important than life? Victor is about to find out. |
The Immortal Part of Myself by MJ James Riley has lived her whole life as an elite daughter of one of the five ruling earthen corporations. She was supposed to be a beautiful figurehead working behind the scenes to help her husband. But the dresses they stuff her in are uncomfortable, social situations leave her confused, and she never really has been a woman. When she was diagnosed with autism, her fatherâs only hope was to marry her off. As she aged, her usefulness to her husband has diminished, and he plans on trading her for someone younger. Divorce isnât legal, but murder is. . . as long as you donât get caught. Except Riley has never been as helpless as they believed. She has a gift for navigating technology, one that has let her lead her own rebellion. But to see her ultimate plan succeed, she needs to survive long enough. Her only solution is to get off the planet. When Matty, a Martian ambassador headed home, sees Riley for the first time, she knows her life will never be the same. Riley needs help, and Matty wants to step in to save her even though she doesnât know what she is saving her from. The more the two women come together, the more Matty falls in love. But what happens when the person you love cannot love you the same way? |
TEETH TALON TONGUE by Lee Eirinn "You are set to be bound in the mountains tomorrow. Lord Zeus has called all of my brethren for a meeting. I am too scared to think of why. Why He would call us now, on the eve of your exile? Everyone on Olympus knows of your transgressions, that you will be punished but no one will tell me how. Even the most loosed of lips will not speak of it. Lord Zeus has not told anyone, it would seem. I pray to the fates. May they be kind. My hands shake. My mouth feels dry. My stomach aches." TEETH TALON TONGUE is a dark, queer retelling of the Prometheus Myth. What if Zeus wasnât the one to set Prometheusâs punishment, but his avian lover, a vulture? More importantly, a proud beast of Zeus? This is a story about obsessive love, and the measures taken to keep hold of it. TEETH TALON TONGUE is a 4.6k word short story featuring dark subject matter. Please refer to content warnings before reading. This story is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. |
Black Widow's Bite by Bella Reves Addison has resigned herself to the fact that sheâll be alone forever, thanks to an unfortunate âgiftâ that drives anyone who touches her to the brink of insanity. When a vicious attack sends her tumbling down a staircase, Addison stumbles upon four reclusive men who are just as troubled as she is. Wyatt, whose tortured soul screams for relief as he takes pain from everyone around him. Austin, whose affinity with snakes has left him stuck inside for fear of cruelty. Piper, whose ability to see the future comes at a terrible cost, leaving his mind fractured and his clarity waning with each passing day. Cain, the terrifying protector of this group of misfits, would gladly burn the world - Addison included - to keep them safe. Addisonâs world is turned upside down as fate keeps pushing her towards these four men, and she begins to wonder if maybe this den of monsters is exactly where she belongs. On the heels of her arrival, the group receives a terrifying warning, and Addisonâs dreams begin to look more like dark omens as they prepare to fight an unknown threat. What could be so evil that it would scare the monsters lurking in the dark? |
When Ivy Met Adam by Jennifer J. Coldwater When I met Ali, I thought Iâd won the girlfriend jackpot. She was not only tall, dark, and hot AF, but also charming, funny, and kind. We met at first-year student orientation in our dorm. Four years later, Ali broke my heart when she determinedâwithout consulting meâthat we should go our separate ways. âYouâre going to law school and Iâm going to medical school. Weâll both be so busy for the next eight years, Ivy. I donât want to hold you back.â Now, more than a decade of single status later, my internal alarm clock has started going off every nine minutes. âI think Iâm going to get back on the apps,â I tell my sister Iris. The first person I match with is Adam. Heâs everything I never knew I wanted: snarky, biting humor, super serious. And his photos are steamyâheâs built like a swimmer, all abs and arms. We set our first date for New Yearâs Eve. (Because who's afraid of Cuffing Season?) As fate would have it, it won't even be that long before I fall into his arms... And learn we have a truly heartbreaking history. Loosely based on the Bible story of Eve, When Ivy Met Adam is the second in a collection of biblical womenâs stories retold as contemporary romance. When Ivy Met Adam is an LGBT+, dual POV, second chance, forced proximity, love-triangle standalone romance. |
To Wield The Darkest Night by Beau Van Dalen Every night, I see that manâthat lovely strangerâin my dreams. So strong, mysterious, gentle⊠but a stranger all the same. Until one day he shows up at my doorstep, and promises me adventure⊠As a closeted trans man and apothecary to a small town, Sol is numbed by his uneventful life. Stifled by his neighbors' expectations, he only finds comfort in his sleep, where he is haunted by visions of a mysterious lover: a man too perfect to be real, yet too vivid to be a dream⊠At first, Sol makes nothing of these strange nighttime apparitionsâuntil the lover from his visions, Yohan, walks into his potion shop years later asking for him personally. Tall, darkly mysterious and handsome, Yohan is a knight cursed by forbidden magic whose King has fallen ill. And Sol just happens to be one of the rare people able to craft a cure. Now, Sol finds himself with the perfect excuse to leave his small town behind, and just the perfect man to do it with. A sensual tale of self-discovery following a trans man MC and his gay lover in a darkly supernatural yet cozy romantasy world. |
Tasteful Anarchy and Tangled Auras by Tilly Bramley After World War II revealed their existence, the Fae of mythology and folklore were thrust into human society. Resettled in America, the Fae have mostly refused to integrate with their human counterparts. But Adelaide, granddaughter of the Queen of the Nymph Court, has been living a content life in Boston amongst friends, lovers, and a bustling coffee shop. Her mixed heritage has allowed her to spend most of her life avoiding royal commitments. Until now. The queen must change the inheritance laws, requiring Adi to rejoin the confines of etiquette, obligation, and the occasional torture session. Forced to take consorts, Adi finds herself surrounded by male nymphs seeking power and passion. However, when a revolutionary group approaches her, Adiâs life gets a whole lot more interesting. And when the dark and brooding Captain Brynâs aura starts to intertwine with hers, Adi begins to question everything. With her homelandsâand bedroomâin chaos and ripe for rebellion, the future of the Fae rests solely on her. Adi must decide: Does she want the throne, or does she want to see the downfall of the monarchy? |
Keepers of the Crossing: The Dark Friars by Ryan J Hamshaw For Seventeen-year-old Liam OâConnor, nightmares become reality when he dreams of a fellow student's murder. Eager to uncover the truth, Liam and his friends investigate, revealing hidden secrets about his identity. Targeted by the menacing Dark Friars, Liam is saved by the enigmatic Tariq, who introduces him to a supernatural world where good and evil battle in the shadows. Can Liam juggle college, family, friendships, and desires while bearing the heavy responsibilities of his newfound destiny? Against the picturesque cathedral city of Sarumbourne, the looming threat of the Dark Friars intensifies, and Liam's normal life shatters amid the chaos. |
Zinnia by Sofia Rose Zinnia: A Spicy Monster Romance Rosie runs a successful café on the Human side of the city. When Finnegan the Orc, an executive at the Fortune Record label, drops by to drop something off Rosie is taken completely off kilter. Will Rosie listen to Finnegan's crazy ideas for her business or will she stick with the comfortable life she's created for herself? |
Iris by Sofia Rose Flora and Sebastian are going on tour together... join their team as new relationships develop between Humans and Monsters. Book three in the Fortune Records series follows Maddox, Nereus, Daisy and Cleo. Will they learn to work together with their new found connections? |
Aster by Sofia Rose A Sapphic Monster Romance Hyacinth is starting her first job as a sound tech, and it's with the illustrious Fortune Records label. She knows that her life is about to get an upgrade, but what she didn't expect was the effect her new coworkers would have on her... In Book Two of the series, Monsters and Humans are now working together in their joint studio space. With tensions running high, Hyacinth is drawn to two beautiful Monsters. Can she come to terms with her identity and follow through? |
Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris After the death of her estranged father, artist Rita struggles with grief and regret. There was so much she wanted to ask himâabout his childhood, their family, and the Miâkmaq language and culture from which Rita feels disconnected. But when Ritaâs girlfriend Molly forges an artistâs residency application on her behalf, winning Rita a week to paint at an isolated cabin, Rita is both furious and intrigued. The residency is located where her father grew up. On the first night at the cabin, Rita wakes to strange sounds. Was that a body being dragged through the woods? When she questions the locals about the cabinâs history, they are suspicious and unhelpful. Ignoring her unease, Rita gives in to dark visions that emanate from the forestâs lake and the surrounding swamp. She feels its pull, channelling that energy into art like sheâs never painted before. But the uncanny visions become more insistent, more intrusive, and Rita discovers that in the swampâs decay the end of one life is sometimes the beginning of another. |
The Potion Gardener by Arden Powell Desperate to escape a messy romance, Florian Mulberry flees London: tipsy, panicked, and without a plan. Itâs while hiding in a rural garden shed that he meets Kells, a potion witch, who agrees to shelter him in exchange for manual labor until he gets his life together. Leaving his pampered London existence to work on a secluded cottage farm is a shock, but Florian throws himself into it with passionate determination. And itâs not just gardening he's passionate about. In no time, Florian falls head over heels for his skillful, hardworking mentor. Thereâs just one problem. Florian is only disguised as a boy, and the enchantment hiding his real body is going to wear off. Florianâs main concern is how to explain himself when it happens. He's definitely not a girl, but he's not entirely a boy, either. With all the magic in Kellsâ garden, there must be a way for him to achieve his ideal androgyny. However he looks, Florian will have to face his past if he wants a future with Kells. Even if he avoids London forever, eventually his past is going to come looking for the girl he used to be. The Potion Gardener is a low-stakes, low-angst cozy fantasy novella in the Flos Magicae series, a collection of queer romances set in an alternate 1920s world with magic. All the Flos Magicae stories are standalones, and can be read in any order. |
Physics Trincarnate by Jesse Pohlman After a group called the Consortium Of Trust saved her from a kidnapping attempt, Saffron Latchkey has been training with their resident empath, Erica Hall. Erica chose to use her powers of empathic projection to manipulate the outcome of the 2016 election and become the President of the United States, and sheâs teaching Saffron how to control her own empathic abilities. When the Consortiumâs most capable agents are sent on a mission to curtail a duo of rogue super-Humans scheming to steal nuclear weapons, Saffron is brought face to face with her kidnappers once again: Her own adopted family. In the darkness of her new captivity, she learns the truth of why they wanted control over her life, and of how she was adopted in the first place. If she can succeed where The Consortium failed and take down these rogues she can save lives, but that would mean surrendering to her destiny when all she wants is control over her fate. Worst of all, it might mean killing those that try to harm others, a bloody weight she simply isnât eager to bear. |
Sloe Moon: Tall Trees by C. M. Kuhtz What if the Chosen One doesnât get chosen? Sloe Moon, youngest child of the ruler of Tall Trees, has always wanted to follow in their fatherâs footsteps and become a famous wizard. Instead they are expected to marry for the good of the Moon family and uphold an age-old alliance. When the opportunity arises for them to travel to the famed wizard council of Goldenlake, Sloe and their best friend Qes set off on a journey that will not only put them in the path of mortal danger but also entangle them with the fate of the Moonâs allies, enemies, and the mysterious men from the Eastern Cities, who have come to the land of the families with their own agenda. With so many odds stacked against them, will Sloe be able to fulfil their destiny? Sloe Moon: Tall Trees is the first volume of a six-part queer fantasy series with a fat, nonbinary protagonist. |
MĂ©nage Ă Claws by Amelia Lascaux Sloane Connelly was desperate for an escape from her horrible boss and manipulative father. So for her 32nd birthday, Sloane takes a long overdue beach vacation to the Outer Banks. Her trip is derailed when she runs into her ex, TÄne, the plant elemental who broke her teenage heart. Determined not to waste this second chance, she takes his offer for a fresh start: to work at his new openly magic bar and gives their relationship another shot. Maybe she could finally break free from her father's influence and find joy in her life again. When she meets Nivya, her new metamour and a snow leopard shifter, she's determined to fit in to this new polyamorous world. But the more she and Nivya work together at the bar, the more Sloane wants to be with her. After years of being told by her father how disappointing and unworthy Sloane is, does she deserve the opportunity for two loves? And when her father demands more from her than ever before, can Sloane finally take back control of her life? This book is for adult readers as it contains dark themes of trauma, abuse, violence, and detailed explicit spice. |
The Wenamak Web by Marie Howalt A mysterious invitation from an old friend brings private investigator Richard, spaceship pilot Eddie, and travel guide writer Alannah to a gorgeous, bustling metropolis on a planet where the dominant species can literally smell fear and lies. Wenamak appears to be the picture perfect place, down to the finest detail, but dangers lurk beneath its pristine surface. When a flippant wendek undercover agent seeks assistance on a delicate job, the Colibri Investigations crew soon find themselves tangled up in a shady game involving a web of illegal trade and exploitation. Luckily, Richardâs military training, Alannahâs intimate knowledge of the local culture, and Eddieâs tough attitude give the team the perfect edge to meet their clientâs needs⊠at least until they run into someone familiar whom none of them expected to see again. Thereâs no planet too distant, no job too strange, for Colibri Investigations! |
Farzanaâs Spite by Felix Graves Life is about as good as it gets for an anxious and depressed bastard stripped of any social benefits of her caste. Farzana has a cushy job, a wonderful best friend, and a mother and younger brother who love her to bits. Then the faerie who abandoned her mother before she was bornâthe father she always hoped to meetâreturns, brutally murders the royal family, and seizes the crown for himself. That comfortable life? Shattered. Slowly but inevitably, both the country and Farzanaâs life are dragged into a terrifying and lethal storm of chaos. If someone doesnât step up soon to set things right, there wonât be much left worth saving. Farzanaâs Spite is a sapphic dark fantasy featuring a diverse cast doing their best to stay alive during a traumatic and tumultuous period. A blend of tragedy, romance, and mystery, this story was written for anyone ever made to believe they were broken beyond repair, and who needs a story to kill that thought once and for all. |
Black Butterfly by Katie L. Carroll Is she the hero or the villain? Black Butterfly wakes to a country devastated by terrorist attacks, supposedly at the hands of the Chinese government. She remembers nothing of her personal lifeânot even her name. All she knows is that she was in New York City on the day of the attacks. Though, she soon discovers she has an unsettling repertoire of violent talents. Elijah and his found family of off-gridders from upstate New York take in Black Butterfly and mend her wounds. With nowhere else to go, she joins them as they head to a rally in Washington D.C. The eclectic group begins to feel like the family she canât rememberâor never had. An encounter with Luca, a spy for a shadowy government agency, confirms Black Butterflyâs worst suspicions about who she was in the life she canât remember. As more memories surface, Black Butterfly heads to the agencyâs headquarters to find out whoâs behind the terrorist attacks. Itâs unclear whether she intends to reveal the truth or go back to her villainous way. And itâs more than her life sheâs putting at risk. |
The Trials of Ildarwood: Cinders in the Snow by S. C. Selvyn Eleven-year-old Dasia Dulane has spent her entire life locked away in a snow-filled homeâthe unwilling guardian of a chilling family secret. But after her long-lost brother returns and promises freedom in the Ildarwood, she swiftly discovers the terrifying trials that await. Saved from monstrous hunters by a mysterious runaway named Tannus, Dasia must unravel the truth about her family and unlock her elemental gifts to secure her only chance at a brighter future. This story takes place nineteen years after the prequel novel and one year before the main series. All author royalties are donated to LGBTQ+ charities for at-risk youth. |
To Haunt and To Hold by Taliesin Neith When they first got together, Sam had resolved to never tell him. He was so afraid of loss, and so drawn to the bright, aching thing in Malcolm that called to him. He had reasoned that he never would need to tell Malcolm. In the end, casual practicality had become something stranger. Samâs secret held Malcolmâs secret, like a crocodile holding its young in her mouth, so gently in spite of all the teeth. Malcolm and Sam have been together for a long time. Sam knows what Malcolm does when he leaves their shared flat, late at night, returning alone and washing his clothes immediately. It's something worse than an affair. To Haunt and To Hold is a 5,400 word short story about a trans man who can see ghosts and his lover of three decades: a serial killer who is reaching the limits of what he can get away with. If you like your horny stories to be creepy and splattered with gore, if you like your horny stories to feature older men and/or trans and queer characters, you will enjoy this. |
Viral Airwaves by Claudie Arseneault Henry Schmitt wants nothing more than a quiet life and a daily ration of instant noodles. At least until he learns the terrible secret that drove his father awayâthe Plague that killed his mother and ravaged his country was created by those now in power. He has one chance to help expose the conspiracy: a ragtag band of rebels needs a pilot for their hot air balloon, where they can launch a broadcast revealing the truth. If Henry accepts, he can experience his dream of flight. But he would have to leave his safe, tranquil life behind ... and bring the wrath of a corrupt government upon his head. |
Havoc & Happiness by Wren Handman Michaela Peters didnât let dying get her down. After all, it was only for a few minutes, and the hospital paid her a huge settlement. Now sheâs an emancipated minor with nine million dollars in the bank and her entire future ahead of her. Life could be a heck of a lot worse! Michaela moves to Montana, determined to enjoy the queer high-school drama that life is serving up. Instead, she finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a fight between horrible monsters that shift with a person's imagination, and the gorgeous trigger-happy siblings who hunt them. The problem? She seems to be able to destroy the monsters with a thought, but the hunters haven't decided which side she's on. |
A Midnight So Deadly by Wren Handman When dreams infect the waking world, what threatsâand promisesâdo they bring? Maeve and Peri are 'dreamers, ' creators who record their dreams and publish them to the delight of their fans. When Maeve dreams of the murder of her friend's abusive exâand then he's killed in the real worldâher "dream" job becomes terrifying. At the same time, Peri is losing their grip on reality as they search for a woman who keeps appearing in their dreams. Who is this enticing stranger? How does she keep finding Peri, night after night? And what will it cost to hunt her down? To find the answers to their questions, Maeve and Peri will first have to find each other. As their dreams begin to bleed into the real world, and the borders between reality and illusion come unstuck, reality itself faces deadly collapse. |
The Shadow of Summer by Marlon Yelich Socialite Jem has always lived in an ivory tower, hiding his own secrets and insecurities behind a veneer of surliness. But tragedy has struck his life and he'd rather not stick around to see the mess. When his initial escape plan fails, he ends up taking a job on a secluded Cumbrian farm. In the English Lake District, glitz and glamour are out, traded for hay bales and horses. Surrounded by nothing but fells and mountains, he meets Mat. Mat is confident, openly gay, optimisticâeverything that Jem struggles to be. Nevertheless, an unlikely bond forms. And above all, Jem realises Mat has secrets of his own. Together, the pair begin a journey that will shake their perspectives of the world. They must acknowledge all that stands against themâand make it, despite the odds, to the other side. IMPORTANT NOTICE: "The Shadow of Summer" is a work of fiction not intended for readers under the age of 16. The novel deals with themes that some readers may find upsetting. These include alcohol/substance abuse, bereavement, mental health issues & suicide. A more comprehensive list of trigger warnings can be found on Instagram at @marlonyelichauthor. |
After the Storm by Key Dyson, Raymond Roach, Hannah Birchwood Rich Merrill, gene-tweaked supersoldier by birth and AI support technician by vocation, is done fighting. Finally reassigned after four hellish years aboard the Sympatico, a dysfunctional ship with a deadly crew, all he wants is to make the most of his second chance. The survival skills that got him through his last posting aren't going to help him on the Reliant, though. In among a kinder, gentler crew, Rich's old scars and bad habits are just as much of a problem as vengeful ex-crewmates, or the Sympatico's corrupted AI, which wants him back. Rich wants to be a better person. He wants to make some friends, finally. He'd especially like to be friends--or more--with Basil Wright, a brilliant teen rival who's grown up captivatingly handsome; or Liam Beaker, a beautiful, mercurial botanist and fellow tweak. Rich wants to reconnect with what's left of his family, pick up some hobbies, get some sun, learn to relax. But if he can't learn how to leave his old life behind, his new life won't be worth living. |
The Price of Admission by Alethea Lyons After a year of searching, Stella stands before the entrance gates of the worlds-renowned Carnivale Incendio. At the centre of the Carnival terrors, her heart's desire waits. She has sacrificed everything to get here and be reunited with her lover, Mona, who was stolen from her on the eve of their wedding. Though the carnival tries to take her as its own, Stella battles through to Mona's side and to face the final challenger, the Ringmaster himself. Standalone short story. Highly descriptive of scenery with some minor gore. |
The Gunrunner and Her Hound by Maria Ying Viveca Hua, arms-dealer ...is driven by three things: the certainty of steel, the need to win, and the compulsion to possess. Yves, bodyguard ...hunts for the place she belongs, and she might just have found it in the captivating Viveca, who offers her a new organization, an answerâand a collar. But their world is violent. It is unpredictable. Luck alone will not shield them. Together they must survive assassins, rival gunrunners, and their own lethal attraction. The Gunrunner and Her Hound is an F/F/F mosaic novella (40,000 words) built from short stories connected by an overarching plot. Part romance (happy ever after included), part thriller, this is a high-heat love story set in contemporary Hong Kong, where passion burns between a ruthless ice queen and an ex-soldier who fled a ruined empire. |
The Full Moon Problem by Kay Claire Felix was raised by a family who upheld traditional medicine over all modern medicine â so when he turned 18 and started transitioning, Felix had to run away from home if he wanted to live his authentic life. Now, ten years later, heâs surprised when his aunt passes away and leaves him a house, far from the place he left. Leaving an unfulfilling life in London to give country living a try, Felix is soon overwhelmed by the amount of books on folk medicine and gardening his aunt left to him. Wanting to reconnect with her memory, Felix decides to give the family craft heâs always shunned a try, and soon the locals are asking him for the remedies they had relied on when his aunt was alive. One of those locals is Declan, the handsome deliveryman who immediately catches Felixâs eye. Declan is shy and reclusive, but Felix manages to chip away at Declanâs walls and soon discovers his secret: Declan is a werewolf who loses control on full moons, and only a potion Felixâs aunt used to make can help him gain back that control. Felix is determined to make this potion correctly and help Declan⊠and maybe fall in love in the process? |
A Bone in His Teeth by Kellen Graves When a fall from the mast leaves Alba Marsh unable to sail, he finally has the chance to run away from his family debts in search of a better life. He hopes to reunite with his mother, Edythe, where they always promised to meet if things went awry, but finding the small, secluded, secretive town of Moon Harbor proves a greater challenge than Alba ever expected. Worse, upon arriving, no one seems to know anyone by the name Edythe Marsh at all. Taking a job as the local lighthouse keeper while waiting for her to come, Alba attempts to find peace in his stolen freedom--but the sea has other plans. First come the shadows, then the voices, then watery trails left on the floor while he sleeps. He's inundated with erotic dreams of sirens calling out to him, and distant singing haunts his waking hours, all while the townspeople claim to hear nothing. After a debtor catches up with him and he's forced to dispose of their body in the harbor, Alba is interrupted by Eridanys, the last merrow of Moon Harbor, who curses him from leaving until he can find out what happened to the other merrow that once filled those waters. Eridanys' demands, both mental and physical, are exhausting and endless--but as their relationship deepens, and Moon Harborâs long-kept secrets are butterflied open to see, it becomes clear they may both be prey to the town in ways neither of them ever anticipated |
The Teras Tactics by Lucien Burr Following their success in the trials, Cassius Jones and his companions secure coveted spots as students in London's prestigious University. But the University's promise of security falls short. Reeling from resource shortages, the University is no longer content with siloed expertise, demanding versatility if its students are to survive in a world plagued by catastrophe. As hybrid terrors continue to rise and the landscape grows increasingly hostile, Cassius must remain adaptable, guarding against fear's corrosive grip. Juggling a fragile relationship with Leo Shaw, navigating the fracture of his friend group, and confronting the remnants of his own ruthlessness, Cassius faces his greatest challenge yet. In the face of adversity, can Cassius harness his resilience to not only endure but thrive in a world on the brink of collapse? |
Catâs Got Your Heart by Jem Zero Who knew two men could form such a bitter rivalry over adopting a cat? Jericho Adams is in need of a cat. Doesnât sound too difficult, even for a reclusive artist like him. People adopt cats all the time. Those people clearly never met Harlan Vardanyan, the worldâs surliest pet shop employee. Harlanâs love for animals is matched only by his disdain for customers. Too much experience tells him they canât be trusted. When Jericho sets his sights on Dumpling, an aloof-but-lovely young cat, Harlan vows the man will never have her. However, he canât outright refuse without risking his job. What he can do is fabricate a series of absurd adoption requirements that Jericho canât possibly meet. Unfortunately for Harlan, the more his demands escalate, the more determined Jericho becomes to free Dumpling from her short, fire-breathing gatekeeper. Then Harlan is unexpectedly evicted from his apartment, and Jericho ends up rescuing him instead. Now Jericho and Harlan are forced to continue their battle of wills in tight quarters. Except living together unveils vulnerability on both sides, and soon trading verbal jabs begins to feel⊠wrong. The weeks-long rivalry sputters, and in its place, a fragile intimacy begins to grow. But the secret deadline for Jerichoâs cat acquisition is rapidly approaching. He canât let his feelings for Harlan get in the way of his ultimate goal, even if the betrayal will destroy whatever theyâve been building. |
Inarora's Excursion by Seraph Abell Inarora Beservera, daughter of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of End'oria, never felt concerned by her father's position. After all, politicians' families were only targeted in the Corporate States of Naa'ran, right? She's in for a rude awakening when Naa'ran Supremacists attack her and send her over 50 years into the past! Inarora finds her great-grandpas, who send a letter to the Council of Sorcerers to ask for help. While they wait for a response, Inarora learns more about herself, including scary powers she never knew she possessed. Meanwhile, Kaedanâs mounting frustration with the lack of help from the present day Intelligence Ward leads him to take matters into his own hands when another child goes missingâInaroraâs best friend. Can Kaedan find Inarora and her friend before more children go missing? Or will they remain forever lost due to the Intelligence Wardâs negligence? |
Gospel of the Cuckoo by Sirius Dallasâ entire life changed when the Church of New Lazarus opened its doors. The small town of Wicker, Alabama has been taken over by a glamorous, fast-talking reverend with a charismatic smile as bright as his Rolex watch. This new reverend, who calls himself Blue, has declared himself a âmodern day Lazarusâ and has set the whole town on fire with religious fervor. Yet, Dallas doesnât trust him. There is something sinister about the new church and its cult-like following. And when Dallas, who has spent five years caring for his ailing grandfather, is suddenly thrust into the world behind the pulpit; he finds that his expectations of salvation may lie in more infernal hands. |