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Paris at Nightfall by Merlina Garance In an early 20th century Paris emptied of its population and surveilled by the army, two men are trying to survive. Would that include falling in love? Jules has been surviving off of preserves he scavenges out in the city when he leaves his hideout at night. He never knew why one day, the Army hauled the whole townâs population into vans and evacuated the city. He only knows heâs the only one left behind. Or so he thought. When he runs into a blond aristocrat with nice hands on an outing, his world is turned upside down once again... The ebook is only available, for free, through the author's newsletter. |
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1973 â At 53 years old, Bill, hadnât expected to run into Bobby when he signed up for that medical convention in Houston. Fair to say they didnât exactly part on good terms last time. Twenty years later, is Bill ready to finally admit his feelings, his sexuality, and to gather his courage to conquer his old lover and friend once more? A second chance romance with flashbacks to young love, addressing the struggles of coming out in an unwelcoming environment and building the life you really want. |
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Mending Bones by Merlina Garance Claire, a Detective Inspector in her late forties, has known and worked with Estelle for many years. Ever since they met, it felt like there could have been something more there: Estelle's gentle flirting and compliments have been a constant in Claire's life, but her self confidence never allowed her to truly believe the other woman meant anything by it. Until one day, Claire breaks her leg and finds out soon after that Estelle has decided to retire from the police, at only 56. Something doesn't feel right there, but before Claire can begin to ask more questions, Estelle offers to take her away to her seaside cottage for a week. After all, with Claire on sick leave and Estelle retired, they both have the time. Surely a week of lazy mornings, too much food and wine, and walks through the countryside aren't enough to make Claire fall when sheâs resisted for so long? |
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John, 41, settles in Leicester after his divorce, with hopes of becoming the best version of himself as he builds a new life. He makes friends, starts doing yoga, and joins an RPG campaign. Only one day, he realises he might just have fallen in love with his best friend. Oops. In this slow paced tale of falling in love over time, follow these characters on their journey to self discovery and acceptance, and found family. This is a story about love in all its forms: friendship, romantic, the family we are born with, and the one we end up choosing. |
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The Flourishing by Merlina Garance When Andy Campbell, Detective Inspector in Leicester, gets assigned the case of Mr Parryâs disappearance, she expects to find nothing else than an umpteenth marriage ruined by a husband taking off with his mistress. Instead, she ends up investigating a murder case, and struggling to fight her attraction for Mrs Parry. When she realises the feelings are mutual, things definitely get complicated⊠|
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Synthetic Sea by Franklyn S. Newton In the distant future of planet cracking , VR distraction, and corporate greed, grieving private detective Ryoma LeBeau takes what seems to be a simple job on the opulent casino planetoid of Scylla. Captivated by a chance meeting with a Synth musician, Guin, he finds himself drawn to the smoky anachronistic lounge bar where they perform, weaving their music around his heart. It seems there's a lot more to both Guin and to this case and Ryoma can't help but pull at the threads of mystery leading him to the depths of conspiracy and memory. Synthetic Sea is a cyberpunk romance with trans leads, inspired by Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell |
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A Starless Eye: Othello Reloaded by T.O. Tate BUT WHY SHOULD HONOR OUTLIVE HONESTY? LET IT GO ALL. In this post-apocalyptic novelette, Ollie, a former sniper, has been forced into retirement by a mysterious disease known as sliversickness. A perpetual outsider in an isolated underground military base, Ollieâs only solace is her lover, DJ. But that relationship is forbidden, putting Ollieâs already uncertain future in jeopardy, and her only protection is DJ . . . whose fidelity has been called into question by one of Ollie's few allies. As Ollieâs illness worsens, eating away at her right eye, her vision becomes more warped, and everything begins to look like evidence. A lost good luck charm, a glance that lingers too long, a poisonous whisper. And at the center of it all stands a man who claims to be Ollieâs friend. As Ollieâs life crumbles before her eyes, itâs no longer a question of when her illness will kill her, but whether it will burst free and kill everyone else, too. |
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Miners of the Tempest by Penny Moss In the depths of the Tesera Mine, Oliverâs hope of finding Tau again fades with each passing day. Just as despair consumes him, his Sentinel returns, only a shadow of the mighty being he once was. Oliver swears revenge against those responsible, but thereâs no time to plan or savour being reunited, as a deadly mistake forces him and his friends to escape. With no other choice, and a weakened Tau, Oliver traces the steps of his missing teammate to war-torn lands. Heâs wholly unprepared to discover the toll exacted by mining for magic, and itâs worse than Oliver could have ever imagined. His hunger for revenge becomes a desperate need to put a stop to the atrocities committed, even if it means forming an alliance with an adversary. In a sea teeming with horrors and growing distrust among his friends, Oliver and Tau find solace only in each otherâs embrace. |
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Treachery of Ravens by Morrigan Gaines Love is a gift. It's also treacherous. With echoes of forgotten magic stirring beneath the surface, the realm of Osmaria faces new challenges. Elspeth Cadwgan, once dutiful and obedient, finds herself suffocated by familial expectations. Yearning for a purpose beyond societal confines, she embarks on a quest of self-discovery, challenging her beliefs and reshaping her perspective of the world around her. A disowned son of a duke, Cyrus Arbritrem harbors only two goals: Uncover his loverâs murderer and shield others from the darkness that stalks him. Escorting a naĂŻve runaway through the wilderness is the last thing he wants. But as the woman, with her mysterious connection to beasts, starts leaving her mark on him, he faces a new dilemma. Wrestling with his fear of vulnerability, he discovers himself locked in a battle against emotions he thought dormant. Together, they navigate a world on the cusp of transformation, where secrets and newfound powers collide. As they brave personal demons, discover their true selves, and unearth a dangerous conspiracy threatening their country, they must confront the risk of trusting each other amidst their internal battles. Their journey is not one of legendary feats, but rather of redemption, introspection, and the transformative power of love, woven into the fabric of a shifting world where magic reignites and everyday heroes emerge. This is a revised 2nd edition. This version has over 25 new scenes, updated details, a villain's point-of-view and some scenes from the 1st edition have been deleted or revised. |
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The Shadowbearer's Curse by Jasmyn Morning The first installment of "The Shadowbearer Trilogy"; a tale of courage, love and revenge. A Queer (M/M/M) Dark Fantasy Romance, Book 1: "The Shadowbearer's Curse" In an enchanting forest, Micah crosses paths with a mysterious man, igniting an unexpected romance that challenges all of his preconceived notions about his identity. But as their bond deepens, they face an ominous presence that threatens to change their destinies forever. With each step closer to the truth, Micah finds himself increasingly entangled in a maze of betrayal and forbidden desires, compelling him to grapple with the essence of loving without conditions. |
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If you were chosen to save the world, would you do anything it takes? Ifry is the long suffering clerk to the wealthy and demanding Thomas Townsend. When the latter takes Ifry to the mountains to build a ski resort, they have their work cut out for them. The mountain town is overrun with carnivorous monsters and Ifry is woefully unprepared, but he finds help in Jos Nothernine, the reserved but charming local hunter. Yet the town is plagued by more than just monsters: it is home to Solyon, the god of summer himself. Each year, Solyon chooses a townsperson to defeat a sacrifice chosen by Lady Winter. If the chosen fails, winter will continue endlessly, meaning disaster for the world at large. A sacrifice must be made, and this year Jos has been chosen to kill someone, lest summer never return. |
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Earth Hagiography by Sfarda L. GĂŒl Written during a time of turmoil and heavy-heartedness, EARTH HAGIOGRAPHY collates prose poetry and lyric essays in a poignant, frank discourse of grief, police state upbringing, loss of heritage to colonialism, political ideology, earth veneration, queerness, and psychological wounds, seeking to weave and unfold the bloodied yarn of remembrance and histories forgotten or unknown. |
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Non Omnis Moriar by Sfarda L. GĂŒl The city state of Vencenza rots, and Giorgianna, vengeful, enlightened, an outlaw and witch, seeks bloodâthe dues sheâs owed for the crimes committed against her and those she loves. As summer withers to autumn, she is faced with a deadly quest: infiltrate the ministerial court, unspool the inner circleâs darkest secrets, and aid the resistance in bringing forth a revolution to finally break the shackles of tyranny. All while remaining under pretences amidst the stateâs most violent and powerful men. But explosive tensions mount among the revolutionaries, bodies pile in the streets, the church gains frightening authority, and Giorgiannaâs psyche teeters along its final breaking pointâmade only worse by a lovesickness more agonising than hunger. With winter looming upon the horizon, civil war seems inevitable, and love could never be a saviour. How dearly will those dues cost? |
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Expressing emotion is prohibited by law in the city state of Vencenza. Beneath its tyrannical shadow, Giorgianna, a deranged former playwright turned political fugitive, flees a brothel to seek justice for the murder of a beloved friend. When the last remnants of her bloodline are reaped by the incorrigible Minister of Dominion, Giorgiannaâs crooked path to retribution crosses with Vencenzaâs Machiavellian revolutionary hellbent on regime overturn. All the while, the weight of unending tragedy erodes Giorgiannaâs psyche into a vengeful bloodlust plagued by cabbalistic visions hinting at an ever-darker face of the violent Powers That Be. |
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They of the West (Scrublands Book 1) by Dani Finn Dralen never could leave well enough alone. He knows better than to go near the canyons. Thatâs where the Logans live, wild men of the hills said to devour lone travelers in frenzied midnight feasts. But the mysterious cloaked figure he saw down by the canyons had to be there for a reason. And he canât get his Urpaâs poem out of his head: something about âThey of the Westâ and âTreasures buried in memoryâs mine.â Folks used to mine for topaz in the canyons, and other stones too. Magical ones, some said. But the Logans and the cave-in put an end to all that. Dralen knows heâll get in trouble if he goes after the cloaked figure, and heâs doubly sure he doesnât care. Maybe They know something everyone else has forgotten in this little nothing town. Dralen is called to follow Them, but the closer he gets to unraveling the mystery, the more it seems his own journey is just beginning⊠They of the West is a fantasy novella set in a brand-new world, a coming-of-age story about friendship, family, and self-discovery. It is the first book in The Scrublands, a planned trio of novellas. It is appropriate for older young adult and adult audiences; content warnings include hunting/butchery, smoking, drinking, cursing, and brief references to sexual topics. |
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Shadows Dark and Deadly by Andrea Marie Johnson Slowly freezing in the snow and a knife to the gut are two awful ways to die. And Cerise would very much like to avoid both. A mysterious man steps from the shadows with an offer of food, a bed, and a roof over her head. The catch? Sheâll have to become his assassin apprentice. Her hands are already stained with the blood of five men. Whatâs a little more? But training to be an assassin isnât easy and learning to control her magic even less. To complicate things, Cerise canât fight her attraction to her mentor, Keir, or his charming best friend, Damara. It wouldnât be a problem if she wasnât a dirty street rat. Well, that and society isnât ready for two women to be together. Everything heats up as an arsonist stalks the streets. His targets? Brothel owners and Ceriseâs aunt is at the top of his list. Can Cerise get strong enough to help Keir hunt him down or will her aunt become another tragic death that haunts her nightmares? |
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Let Slip the Beasts by Suzanne Berget Beneath the streets of East Resplendent, monsters are mounting a war against their masters. Kaliope Dearborne, a customer service nobody for a pharmaceutical mega-conglomerate, wants only to escape her cubicle and find true meaning for her life. But after accidentally killing her little sisterâs bully, sheâs taken captive by The Warren, a ragtag group of runaway medical test subjects. Kaliope learns that she and her captors are experiments owned by the VyroGen corporation. Locked away and evolving, pieces of her slough off as she grows stronger, faster, and hungrier. Only Thresherânot quite man, not quite animalâkeeps her from losing her grip on reality. When Kaliope discovers the hidden truth of her genetic code, she joins The Warren in the war against VyroGen. With chemistry-altering pheromones and brain-tampering, sheâs converted into a sleeper agent. But deep inside the dark heart of the corporation, Kaliope finds something that drastically changes her role in the war. She might win back her memories, her body, and her life, but will Kaliope lose her humanity in the process? |
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A PROMISE SEALED IN FLESH AND BLOOD Kin Jole is an indentured assassin, forced to serve those who ripped her soul from her body and stripped her of her conscience. When Kin is ordered to kill Verias Hartwell, a beaten-down sorcerer unwillingly bound to a war machine, she sees his power as an opportunity to do the one thing that will set her freeâreclaim and destroy her own soul. Kin offers Verias a trade. Sheâll spare his life in exchange for his help stealing her soul. To retrieve it, Verias must join the very guild of sorcerers that turned Kin into a killer. With the fate of her soul in his hands, Kin must now protect Verias from enemies new and old, including a former friend with a bitter grudge. But the closer Verias gets to Kinâs soul, the closer he gets to her darkest secrets. And if the enemies closing in on all sides donât destroy them, those secrets just might. |
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Embark on a thrilling adventure with Lea and Jake as they navigate the unexpected twists and turns at the biggest superhero fan convention of the year. When Lea finds herself trapped in an elevator during the event with superstar Jake, also known as The Amazing Boy, they realize something sinister is afoot. With everyone at the convention frozen, including Leaâs friends, Lea and Jake must team up to unravel the mystery behind the villainous acts plaguing Philadelphia. As they race against time, Lea grapples with whom to trust, while Jake uncovers startling truths about his own identity. A pulse-pounding journey filled with friendship, betrayal, and the ultimate quest for justice, will Lea and Jake save the day, or will supervillains prevail? Dive into this gripping tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end. |
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Who are you feeding? New York, 1899: Working class nobody Jasper is whisked away to a castle in the mountains by his wealthy lover Leo. Itâs supposed to be a romantic escape, even if Jasper is officially here as a servant. But his dreams are soon dashed as heâs worked to the bone and demeaned by Leoâs callous, conservative family. Trapped in the isolated castle, with even his lover against him, Jasper sees no choice but to accept this rotten treatment. That is, until he makes an unlikely friend: the man in the walls. Chained in a hidden room, the man wonât say who imprisoned him or why. He demands to be kept a secret, and for Jasper to bring him a steady supply of his favorite meal: leeches. Bizarre, but it becomes easier to swallow when the man promises great rewards for Jasperâs help: money, power, revenge. Jasper doesnât see anything wrong with taking the deal. He believes his hard times will soon be overâuntil heâs forced to confront the monster heâs been feeding. |
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How to start a demonic cult and get away with it by Devi Letalis In the gloomy alleyways of an unknown city where supernatural beings cast their shadows, Dante, a mercenary with a mysterious past and a soul touched by darkness, embarks on a dangerous mission. He is tasked with investigating the sudden disappearance of young women and the disturbing rise of the undead in the city. Accompanied by the charming vampire Lariza, whose words are sharper than her fangs, he must confront a bizarre conspiracy that will be a challenge even for their extraordinary powers to unravel. Everything points to the workings of a mysterious cult that is pulling the strings of the city and spinning its sinister plans in the shadows. But as Dante and Lariza follow the twisted paths of the investigation, they come across an even greater treat: a mysterious figure who seems to know more about Lariza than they would have liked. With each step, the between reality and nightmare blurrs, and Dante and Lariza must confront a web of schemes, betrayal and forbidden sorcery. In "How to start a demonic cult and get away with it", the boundaries between right and wrong are put to the test. Can the odd duo once again avert impending disaster and put an end to the machinations of the demonic cult, or will they themselves be devoured by its dark powers? |
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Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus Valerie Danners is in a cult. She just doesnât know it yet. When she finds a queer book at the library and smuggles it home, her conservative Christian homeschooling world begins to crack. And when the cutest girl sheâs ever met shows up to Bible class, she starts to question everything. Riley is so confident and kind, and she and Valerie bond quickly over existing as multiracial teens in a very white Christian community. As Valerie explores her feelings for Riley, she begins to see that the world she knows is a carefully crafted narrative. Publicly, the girls are close friendsâholding hands in prayer, rooming together at a conference. Privately, they grasp at any chance to continue their forbidden romanceâuntil they are found out. Now Valerie must choose between staying with a family she fears will never accept her, or running away with the girl she loves. |
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At the Crossroads of Tomorrow Being the youngest of the Sua royals never stopped Saritrah from scheming to take the throne. But violent insurrectionists shattered those plans when they stormed the palace and decimated her family. In the years since, she has amassed an army and will return to claim her crown. However, Ashur, her one remaining sibling, has done the same, and she must act soon if sheâs to secure her prize before he snatches it from her claws. After Ashur razes the Temple of Yshuld, the surviving Seers promise her the power to ensure victory. But it will mean abandoning her legion to venture into the endless desert and locate a lost city. Soon, however, she suspects that none of the women are who they claim to be, even to each other. One woman cryptically alludes to a paradisical past; another awakens in the night plagued by dreams of a frightening future; the last woman never speaks. But the more she questions her new companionsâ motives, the more she must question her own. Is the vision of calamity an omen of what will happen if she fails? Or a promise of what will come if she succeeds? |
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How to Bare Your Neck and Save a Wreck by D.N. Bryn âI only take whatâs owed me, and you, my little swan, owe me blood.â A single kiss from a masked vampire during Shaneâs last journalistic endeavor has left him with an obsession and a mission: uncover the secrets of the black-market blood trade and find his mystery vampire in the process. But this investigation is dangerous. One knock at the wrong door and he could have fangs at his throat instead of lips. Andres had been trying to forget his kiss with Shane Crowley by drowning himself in his work as a thief for the blood trade. When he finds itâs Shaneâs blood his boss has decided to steal, Andresâs only option is to buy him for every drop heâll ever produce. This act awakens something in Andresânew thoughts of ownership and chains that he believes could only ever be the desires of a monster. Andres needs blood to live though, and heâs going to have it from Shane, even if it means donning a mask once more. Between the strange desires Shaneâs life as a part-time blood slave is stirring in him, and his investigations into the cycle of injustice that so many fanged citizens face, and texts with an odd new friend who feels vaguely familiar, Shane feels pulled in all directions. Little does he know all those paths lead back to the same vampire⊠|
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Party of Fools by Cedar McCloud Aleâs Well That Ends Well⊠Resistance members Reed Thorley and Gladys the Destroyer canât believe their luck when the Immortal Emperor herself wanders into their favorite bar, unguarded and playacting an ordinary citizen. This is their chance to give the rebellion the upper hand against the Empireâafter a few pints, of course. The middle-aged halfling musician and his elderly barbarian partner are seasoned enough to know that when Emperor Vallora invites them to join her worldwide food tour, their best bet is to say âYes, chef!â and wait for an opportunity to strike. But hot as a greased griddle behind them comes Captain Andromeda Stagge, Valloraâs personal bodyguard, intent on returning the Emperor to the palace. Sheâs only doing her job. She isnât pissed off at being left behind. Itâs not as if the Emperor is her only real friend, given the difficulty of fitting in when youâre a 200-year-old autistic elf from a lower-class socioeconomic background. It isnât that at all! Valloraâs worldwide food tour hinges on her ability to escape the capital city with Reed and Gladys without being caught. The Emperor isnât supposed to be sampling local cheeses in the company of commoners. Though why the most powerful person in the Endless Empire needs to be under lock and key in Zenith Palace is anyoneâs guess⊠Join the party on this brand new adventure comedy as the chase ensues. Make sure you have some good food on hand, because youâre bound to get hungry along the way. |
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Heart of the Covenant by S.L. Dove Cooper In Heart of the Covenant, five stories explore ties of friendship, family and culture, embracing our differences and our similarities. Having applied to be an ambassador for her people within the Galactic Covenant, Hedriar has relocated to Cerulean Station, one of the Covenantâs largest residential stations. There, sheâll spend the next years sharing her own culture and learning about the Covenantâs as part of an exchange programme between the two. Hedriar may not have the most detailed of plans of what, or even how, to share the aspects of her culture that matter most to her, but sheâs got enthusiasm, family and new-found friends at her side. Sheâll figure it out, and along the way sheâll learn that what people value most may not be so different at the core. Heart of the Covenant is a cosy, low-stakes science fiction collection with a strong focus on slice-of-life narratives. |
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Flooded Secrets by Claudie Arseneault Fate and friendship brought Horace, Rumi, and Aliyah together in Rumiâs Wandering Wagon of Wonderful Wares, a sentient self-propelling wagon. They seek the forest haunting Aliyahâs dream, hoping for answers about their past and their unique abilitiesâbut for that, they need to traverse a world haunted by Fragments, dangerous shards that can possess travellers. With the Fragments in the wilderness, banditry was the last danger Horace had expected on the roadâbut not even that could stop Keza Nesmit. Swift and deadly with a staff, Keza drops on the Wagon crew, claiming most of their provisions before vanishing back into the Tesrima Ridge. As if to compound their bad luck, the tunnel that serves as the only pass through the mountain is flooded and impassable. Keza reappears, and sheâs willing to show them the source of the flooding, a waterway blocked by Fragments, in the hopes that they can unblock itâand just like with the stolen food, she wonât answer any questions about her motives, no matter how friendly. Abrasive, confident, and eager to bicker, Keza makes for a thorny companion, but theyâll need to work together to free the pass and continue their travel. As they unravel the Fragmentsâ blockage, so, too, do they chip away at Kezaâs walls. But the cost of breaking both is far higher than anticipated, and Horace is about to learn that some secrets are better left untouched. |
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Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik Shael lives in a vast prison camp, a monstrosity developed after centuries of warfare and environmental catastrophe. As a young transfeminine person, they risk abject violence if their identity and love affair with Coe, an insurrectionary activist, are discovered. But desire and rebellion flare, and soon Shael escapes to Riverwish, a settlement attempting to forge a new way of living that counters the campâ s repression. As the complexities of this place unfold before Shael, Disobedience How can a community redress harm without reproducing unaccountable forms of violence? How do we heal? What might a compassionate, sustainable model of justice look like? This is a remarkable work of queer and trans speculative fiction that imagines how alternative forms of connection and power can refuse the violent institutions that engulf us. |
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In the Shadow of Truth (Shadow #3) by J.E. Leak She thought she wanted the truth. Now sheâd give anything to forget it. New OSS trainee Jenny Ryan is brimming with equal parts excitement and fear. She is one step closer to serving her country overseas, but when her ambition costs her dearly, she realizes the fight has come to her and love has turned to lies. OSS instructor Kathryn Hammond is no stranger to sacrifice. But when doing her job means sending the woman she loves into the churn of war, her devotion to duty is tested like never before. When shocking revelations and the cruel march of time threaten their love, will Kat and Jenny embrace the truth and find each other again before itâs too late? |
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The Space Ace of Mangleby Flat by Larre Bildeston On paper, things look fine. Sam Dennon recently inherited significant wealth from his uncle. As a respected architect, Sam spends his days thinking about the family needs and rich lives of his clients. But privately? Even his enduring love of amateur astronomy is on the wane. Sam has built a sustainable-architecture display home for himself but hasn't yet moved into it, preferring to sleep in his cocoon of a campervan. Although they never announced it publicly, Sam's wife and business partner ended their marriage years ago due to lack of intimacy, leaving Sam with the sense he is irreparably broken. Now his beloved uncle has died. An intensifying fear manifests as health anxiety, with night terrors from a half-remembered early childhood event. To assuage the loneliness, Sam embarks on a Personal Happiness Project: 1. Get a pet dog 2. Find a friend. Just one. Not too intense. As Sam comes to terms with the shameful family secrets revealed in a series of letters left to him by his deceased uncle, Sam falls in love again: first with his adopted poodle-cross, and then, much more slowly, with a kind and generous trans woman from his tennis club. Reina is so visibly and proudly queer Sam canât imagine the two of them share a single thing in common. If only humans came with a guide book... |
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In a galaxy that set her up to fail, Etriaâs journey to capture stars redefines acceptance. Etria, a determined stella, defies expectations and becomes a Star Catcher despite her disfigurement. Teaming up with Maron, her own personal Star Keeper, they set off on a mission to catch stars. Through their partnership, Etriaâs self-perception changes and echoes into her cluster, challenging the stella cultureâs narrow ideals. Join these mesmerizing space mermaids in this short and tear-jerking sci-fi adventure as they defy conventions and ignite the spirit of acceptance, inspiring others to embrace their differences. |
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Song of the Spring Moon Waning by E.E. Ottoman Upon waking up one morning, Wen Yu is surprised to find a note asking him to return the song thrush given into his care while the owner was sick. The only problem is that Wen Yu was never given a song thrush. Though he has no time for distractions from his studies for the palace examination, Wen Yu goes in search of the unknown Liu Yi who left him the note. What he finds is a beautiful imperial eunuch, a talking tortoise, and a collection of mysterious moon poems that force Wen Yu to question what path in life he is truly meant to be walking... |
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Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant Caroline is dead, leaving her lover with nothing but the clockwork heart that once beat in her chest. But Cecily, a witch of unconventional reputation, is not one to be defeated by the laws of nature. After years of careful assembly, her resurrection spell is nearly complete and grows more powerful by the day. When Cecily meets Roy, a soft-spoken cowboy who shares a strange kinship with Caroline, Cecily thinks she's finally found the key to bringing her lover back-but when Roy is mortally wounded, she finds herself torn between finishing the resurrection spell and saving the life of a stranger. A queer Weird West romance by the author of Peter Darling in a new, expanded edition. |
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Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton Olivia Sachdevaâs life is flawless. With a first from Oxford and as the youngest partner at Bentley lawyers, she expects high standards from everyone. Her only indulgences are eating iced desserts and repeat watching romcoms, especially those featuring Kate Laurence â pure escapism and cinematic perfection. But, when the actor walks into Oliviaâs office with a bag full of divorce and a messy personal life, that perfect bubble bursts. Kate seems nothing like the screen goddesses she plays, and Olivia must put aside her comfort viewing and handle the case like the true professional she is. It requires secrecy, especially with indiscreet friends. Will best-friend Charlotte ever read the room? And will Millie, who instantly reads the room, ever stop commenting loudly? And Kate? She doesnât know what to think about this frosty lawyer. But she needs a quick divorce from a mistake of a marriage, which was over before it started, and Olivia Sachdeva is the best. But little by little, Olivia and Kate glimpse behind the mask, to find someone they werenât looking for, who may not even be perfect, but might be the right person for them. Read as a stand-alone romance or book two of the Oxford Romance series. |
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Chefâs Kiss (A Gia, San Francisco Romance) by Stephanie Shea Valentina Rosas has always known what she wants. Mostly. Sort of. At least, she does now. And what she wants is the coveted staging role at Gia, San Francisco. With four years at the top of her class in culinary school and enough tenacity to fuel the entire Mission, no one doubts she is about to land the job of her dreamsâincluding the three-person cheer squad made up of her best friend and adorably overbearing parents. Renowned chef Jenn Coleman is not a people person. Her rise to the top of the culinary industry stems from a cultivated blend of top-tier schoolingâfrom her nonnaâand bouts of carefully managed misanthropy. Owning and operating two Michelin starred restaurants doesnât leave time for much else anyway. Just ask her ex. When the new stage at her restaurant trips into her with all the grace of a baby giraffe, itâs a sure recipe for disaster. But for all of Jennâs reserve, Valentina has twice the allure, and the chemistry between them is just⊠chefâs kiss. If only Jenn wasnât Valentinaâs boss with nearly ten years between them. |
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The Misadventures of Callie Compton by Alyson Root Itâs not everyday you find out that your sweet, sweater knitting, church going grandma is the UKâs most prolific crime boss. For Callie Compton, that day became a reality on her eighteenth birthday. Not being criminally inclined, Callie did the only thing she could. She bided her time, stole her grandmaâs little black book of scumbag employees, and ran for her life. Six years later Callie finds herself in a small cafĂ© in Sweden, her Spidey sense is tingling. Someone is watching her. How did they catch her trail? And what is she going to do next? Daisy Simpson knew from the age of sixteen that Callieâs grandma was a bad person, just like her own dad. How she regrets not telling Callie before leaving for university all those years ago. Maybe then Callie wouldnât have disappeared without telling her. Not only was Callie her best friend, and first unrequited love, she was also Daisyâs biggest supporter. Being born deaf into a family like hers wasnât easy. Using skills sheâs not at liberty to discuss, Daisy tracks Callie to Sweden. After a few days of playing hide and seek, Callie and Daisy are finally reunited. The duo set out to bring Betty, aka Queen B, to her knees. Easy, right? Wrong! Callie and Daisy must navigate their growing feelings toward each other, deal with several less than happy women, overcome flooded caves and one raging bull. This is no adventure. Itâs quite the opposite. |
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Prey For The Devil In Cold Embrace by Gwen Leonhard Welcome back to Herzkirch â a city on top of a hollowed-out mountain, that is in the firm grip of the Reinblut Kirche. They passionately spread the word of the vileness of Blendlings â the offspring of a Biest and a human â and fuel prejudice against them. No wonder, the parents who turn up on the doorstep of Freyjaâs agency are beyond worried that their son has disappeared. Freyja, who is a Blendling incognito herself, doubts that this was an abduction, but decides to investigate anyway. Only when all leads start to point to Lady Hagenâs, her suspicion starts to rise. After all, this woman not only happens to be the pimp of a bunch of half-concubusses, but also is Freya's ex-girlfriend. Goddess knows what she could do to someone as naive as her crush Emilia âŠ? âPrey For The Devilâ is the second book in the âIn Cold Embraceâ series and follows the powerful trans woman Freyja deeper into the heart of Herzkirch. Thereby not only putting a strain on the relationships with her lesbian companions, but also bringing more light to her own past. |
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A Huntress Of The Night In Cold Embrace by Gwen Leonhard Discover Herzkirch, a city in the middle of a monster-infested wasteland, on top of a hollowed-out mountain. The Reinblut Kirche, a religious institution, holds it firmly â rallying the people against Blendlings, the half-blood offspring of Biest and humans. Freyja is such a Blendling, that manages really well to stealth between humans. So well that the Reinblut Kirche hires her to slay a Biest in the lower part of the city. This monster has dared to take a nun of the church hostage â at least that is what Freyja is told. But all is not as it seems, and maybe her target isnât as much a threat as a companion to be enjoyed ⊠In this story, powerful women take center stage â foremost Freyja as a homosexual trans woman â, carving their paths through adversity and religious norms. Still, at the heart of this narrative lies a love story that doesnât shy away from showing intimacy between its protagonists â it rather likes to indulge in it. |
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Awakenings by Claudie Arseneault Innkeep, hunter, blacksmith, nurseâHorace has apprenticed for every clan in the domed city of Trenaze, and they've all rejected em. Too hare-brained. Too talkative. Too slow. Ever the optimist, e has joined Trenaze's guards to be mentored. Horace has high hopes to earn eir place during eir trial at the Great Market. That is, until the glowing shards haunting the world break through the city's protective dome, fused together in a single, monstrous amalgam of Fragments. Armed with a sword, a shield, and far too little training, Horace doubts eir ability to defend the market-goers. But eir last stand is interrupted by a mysterious elven figure who can dissipate the Fragments with a single, strange sentence: your story is my story. From the moment it is uttered, Horace knows the sentences holds true for em, tooâand when the elf collapses in the middle of the market, e carries them to safety, to recover away from the panicked crowd and inevitable questions from eir fellow guards. It could cost em eir apprenticeshipâeir last chance to find eir place in eir home cityâbut Horace cannot resist the pull of this mystery elf and the call of a new friend. Aliyah has but one desire: to leave Trenaze's safe boundaries and find the forest that haunts their dreams. After an afternoon of board games in their quiet, sharp-witted company, Horace is ready to follow, confronting Fragments and other dangers of the road to understand what happened that day, hear Aliyah's laugh again and finally feel like e belongs. |
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Guava Flavored Lies by J.J. Arias Allâs Fair in Love and (Pastry) War Sylvie Campos and Lauren Machado have hated each other since before they were born. For generations, the Campos and Machado families have blamed each other for stealing pastry recipes they claim their great-grandfathers originated before fleeing Castroâs Cuba. Having spent their lives as rivals, Lauren and Sylvie are now in their early thirties and primed to take over their respective family bakeries. That means working long, hot, seasons of outdoor food festivals where they are forced to endure each other - albeit with a lot of bantering and barb-trading. After all, no one knows how to get under Sylvieâs skin like Lauren. Sick of dealing with Lauren and her thieving family, Sylvie sets out to unmask the Machados for the traitors they are. But when the truth is not what Sylvie expects, will the fiery exchanges between her and Lauren turn into something hot enough to melt away generational baggage? Could they get the chance to rekindle what they almost had in high school? Find out in this laugh-out-loud hilarious, enemies-to-lovers, romantic comedy featuring plenty of steam, tension, and delicious Cuban food. |
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Five Lords of Dusk by F. Malbeck The hunt has begun. They will find him. And when they do, he will bring down the Empire from within. The Empire would say the Blooded who ruled the land before them are dead and gone, but those onboard the Oathbreaker know it to be a lie; one look at the captainâs ward will tell you that. Shye is one of them. A Stormborn, Dusk Blooded, Strange . . . an enemy of the Empire. He has spent his whole life running from port to port, hiding behind a hood, on a swift ship, running from the imperials who stole land, capital, and crown from his kind and left them to rot in thinning bloodlines. But when he blows his crewâs cover on imperial docks, he is forced to confront the will of the Empire and the humans who rule it. With newly discovered powers to aid him and whispers on the wind to guide him, Shye knows that the answers to the fading of the Blooded lay in Mistral, the capital of the Empire, and that the imperial bounty hunter dispatched to capture him can take him there. There can be no better coronation gift for the crown prince than a Stormborn. Dorian is an imperial bounty hunter. The best in Emin Rif. But Dorianâs independence is constantly threatened by the demands of their noble father, who wanted a perfect, controllable heir . . . he got Dorian instead. It is only their reputation that keeps them free. The assignment to track down a rumoured Stormborn, a being of legend in tales told to guild children, could destroy that reputation forever if it turns out to be a lie. But, if the rumour is true, Dorian will be untouchable in the eyes of the crown and beyond their fatherâs reach forever. Five Lords of Dusk is the debut queer fantasy novel by indie author F. Malbeck. Featuring a genderqueer lead and a flintlock fantasy setting, this novel takes place in a world partly inspired by the author's home country of Australia. |
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Falling Through the Night by Gail Marlene Schwartz Audrey Meyerwitz wants to fall in love and have a family. But for this queer 30-something insomniac whoâs struggled with Generalized Anxiety Disorder since childhood, itâs a goal thatâs far from simple. When best friend Jessica, a recovering alcoholic, helps introvert Audrey with a profile on SheLovesHer, Audrey takes that scary first step toward her lifelong dream. Through online dating, immigrating to Canada, and having a baby with Down Syndrome, she struggles and grows. But when Audrey unearths a secret about her mother, everything about her identity as a mother, a daughter, and a person with mental illness ruptures. How do we create closeness from roots of deep alienation? With humor, honesty, and complexity, Audrey learns that healthy love means accepting gains and losses, taking off the blinders of fantasy, and embracing the messiness that defines human families. |
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Not Like Before by Lily Seabrooke, Jacqueline Ramsden Lola never wanted to be on camera alongside an A-list starâbut maybe Mackenzie is everything she needs. History professor Lola Barnes never cared about celebrities, and filming alongside superstar actress Mackenzie Vale isnât exactly on her bucket list. But there arenât a lot of experts on Mackenzieâs hometown on the remote Celadon Isles, so when the studio filming a deep dive of Mackenzieâs backstory comes knocking, no isnât really an option. This exposĂ© is the last thing Mackenzie wants to do. Sheâs had a good run as an actress without the ravenous press finding out sheâs trans, but keeping it that way when the media is digging around in her childhood and with her gossipy family isnât going to be easy. But it might be her last shot at her dream castingâand her agent doesnât take no for an answer, anyway. And it isnât any easier when Mackenzie is immediately head-over-heels for the gorgeous professor they tapped to film with her. And it isnât any easier when going back to the isles means confronting all the things Lola ran away from there over twenty years agoâand that the only thing comforting her is a bond with the last person sheâd ever expect to fall for. As a tight filming schedule, a nosy agent and a relentless director force Lola and Mackenzie to face the ghosts of their pasts, will they crumble in the face of everything they ran from once? Or can they find strength in one another and be more than they were before? Not Like Before is a 90,000-word grumpy/sunshine celebrity romance with a trans woman lead set on a fictional island where everyone is at least a little gossipy, and is the second collaborative novel between Lily Seabrooke and Jacqueline Ramsden. Features a celebrity actress made of pure sunshine and a historian whoâs secretly soft under the surface, a meddling ex, Mackenzieâs meddling family, Lolaâs meddling friend who loves Mackenzie more than she loves life, and Mackenzieâs agent, who is, unsurprisingly, meddling. Content warnings for on-page sex, a toxic ex, parental abandonment, gambling addiction, implicit threats of outing, a panic attack, falling off a boat, Hope being a fangirl, Taron being smug, and of course, the granny bra incident. |
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A heart-filled space opera about the evils of unchecked corporate power and how fighting for change always matters, Warped State will delight fans of Ann Leckie, Malka Older, and Martha Wells. One wants to fix the broken corporate system. The other wants to tear it all down. Jasper Wilder has a secret gift: the ability to see the relationships between people like physical bonds. Though his gift has served him well as an activist, itâs an unwelcome vestige of the corporate occupation of his home planet. When he learns that Ravel Corporation has revived the same deadly research project that brought tragedy to his generation, Jasper vows to stop it, no matter the cost. Arriving on Ravelâs research planet, heâs immediately drawn to Sowing of Small Havoc, a brilliant local activist who should be an ally, except for his frustrating loyalty to his corporate employer. Havoc, determined to fix Ravel from the inside, knows Jasperâs expertise could be a game-changerâif only he could trust Jasperâs intentions. If Jasper sticks to his plan, Havoc will surely take the blame. But if he doesnât, Havocâs entire planet will suffer. And meanwhile, Ravel security is out to destroy them both. To stop the project, Jasper may have to sacrifice the person heâs coming to care aboutâŠunless they can find a way to team up. |
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Magdalene Nox (The Headmistress #2) by Milena McKay Magdalene Nox doesn't cast wishes upon stars... She simply makes them happen. But for this particular wish, she had waited for thirty years. Her retribution against those who discarded her three decades ago should be swift and simple. Except a chance encounter and an unforgettable night turn her entire life upside down. Torn between vengeance and lust, Magdalene is forced to re-evaluate everything. Can the Home of Dragons and lonely math teacher Sam Threadneedleâwho finds herself stranded amidst longing and furyâwithstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all be consumed by the flames of revenge? Not everything is as it seems, and as Magdalene returns to the place that left her wounded and lost all those years ago, she realizes that old oak and stone hide more than secrets and pain. They also hold forgiveness and love. |