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Napkins & Other Distractions by M.A. Wardell On paper, they're a disaster. In the sheets, they're a perfect match. â Kent Lester is proud of the joyful, thriving learning community he's created as principal of Lear Elementary School. But six years after his divorce, he's ready to focus on his personal life and spread his bisexual wings. Things get off to a rocky start when Kent's first date is an uptight control freak â although that doesn't stop them tangling some sheets. Vincent Manda never seems able to move past the friend zone, and besides, he's not sure anyone can handle his OCD. But that night with the bearded, older Kent revealed a side of Vincent he'd never experienced before. And he's equal parts scared of and desperate for a repeat. When Lear's test scores take a nosedive, Kent finds himself under the microscope. Forced to implement new software to monitor and collect school data, he's horrified to discover that Vincent is working on the project. With his last install ending less than ideally, Vincent's job depends on this one succeeding â and butting heads with the principal won't help. Vincent and Kent need to view each other in a new light, but that could change their futures forever. |
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Dumped, broke and stranded at her motherâs house, Amy has few options for escape. Hanging out with her ex comes with getting to know his new girlfriend, someone who looks suspiciously like Amyâs younger, straighter doppelgänger. Strapped for cash and desperate to be out of her motherâs home, she ends up babysitting the UFO-obsessed kids of the hot working mom down the street. Over a dull, torrid summer in the Pennsylvania suburbs, strange lights linger on the horizon, and subterranean connections reach out their tendrils in the dark, signalling another, otherworldly possibility⌠|
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You Can't Sniff the Internet by Rosalind Wulf Death isn't the end. It's the beginning, and Lillian Burden's story begins a little earlier than they'd like. After dying young with few accomplishments to their name, Lillian is determined to give themself a second chance. Like a sneaky bit of malware, Lillian brute forces their way into a new reality. The bizarre afterlife Lillian arrives in ranges from inhospitable to technologically futuristic, and the denizens they meet are equally strange and disparate. Nevertheless, they're tasked with finding their place amongst shattered time. They're far from alone in this artificial world, but there are some residents who think that the dead have no business living their new lives. Lillian wanted a chance to make a difference â to do something with their life. Now they've given themself the chance to do something with their death. Can they really make a meaningful existence with little more than stubborn persistence? |
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A Gift of Words by Rosalind Dando Cam has plenty of things to worry about. His best friend might have broken someoneâs fingers, the class bully wonât leave him alone, and staying under the radar of his teachers is much harder than it ought to be. He definitely doesnât need magic to make his life any more complicated. Which is good, because when he does write his name in Libris Sapientiaâthe book of wisdomâa whole lot of nothing happens. He is a failure, and even a book agrees. Then, Loman Lykill joins their class, bringing a whole new brand of chaos to Highgrove Secondary. Cam has his magical gift, whether he wants it or not. |
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In the wake of Brian Guthrie's Dragon Award nominated novel Rise, comes Fall . . . War has broken out between the shells, fragments of a shattered world that humanity clings to for survival. To stave off the conflict, the survivors of a brutal attack seek aid from the one source no one else believes can help: the dragons. But the creatures are fractured into two factions and caught up in a fight of their own, a conflict that may be connected to the war above. As the survivors seek answers and help, they stumble onto a secret, long lost, that once nearly destroyed the world. A secret that has the power to save humanity. Or end it. |
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On a world brought to the brink of destruction, life now clings to the shattered remains of the planet's crust. These fragments are the Shells: fragile wastelands of desert and rock, protected from the cold of space by a water shield. In the struggle for survival, its people have depended on ancient technology, controlled by the omnipresent Network, to sustain the entire population. But the Network is breaking down, water is sparse, and a complete societal collapse is imminent. As the stakes become clear, the inhabitants of the Shells begin to turn on each other, and appear headed for all-out global war. Now the paths of several strangers will converge at the opportune moment. From a woman who seeks to protect her family as it's ripped apart to a prison warden hiding from his past, this unlikely group has little in common--but together, they may hold the key to saving humanity from its worst enemy: itself. |
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The Reverence Chosen by Amena Jamali With the reconquest of the nation of Nademan, some light has returned to the world of Icilia. The Quest of Freedom has been victorious in the first part of their war against the Blood-soaked Sorcerer, and now they look to the second. But just as Lucian, Malika, Elian, Arista, and Kyros finally finish their preparations, a scream echoes through the night. A sign that the protections around Iciliaâs most sacred places, the athar mountains of Asfiya, are breaking. And soon after arrives the news that the Blood-soaked Sorcerer is coming â with an army vast enough to blacken the plains. Rushing west, the Quest finds a nation on the brink of madness. The hallowed cities are too filthy to endure, and the people they have come to save are more than lost â they are cruel themselves. Yet the Quest must save them â all of them â before the enemy reaches Asfiya. For, if they fail in the least degree, the cost will be in the currency of souls. With such high stakes and such little time, they cannot escape the Does even the Divine truly possess the power to defeat the encroaching darkness? Amena Jamali continues on her literary career with a haunting new adult fantasy tale of found family, strong heroines, and gentle heroes that ponders the meaning of human dignity amid a clash of absolute good and absolute evil. Fans of The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Eragon will savor this story of redemption, mercy, and hope in the darkest of times. |
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The Bell Tolling by Amena Jamali The Blood-soaked Sorcerer tyrannizes the land of Icilia with every form of cruelty imaginable, dyeing his armor red in the blood of innocents. Crushed to pieces under such savagery, the people of Icilia abandon hope and forget the gifts of civilization that had once been their dearest blessings. Amid this darkness comes light in the form of Lucian, the divinely-appointed hero of Icilia and the Leader of the Quest of Freedom. Educated in all of the ancient arts, Lucian has the virtue and power necessary to cleanse evil from the land. But not aloneâanswering the call of his sacred destiny, Lucian gathers together his four divinely-chosen companions and embarks on a journey to free his world. He is determined to restore the forgotten laws, heal the tormented, and unite the land behind his banner. Yet his companions seem too shattered to save anyone, while his people might be too blind to see the light. And above all he must confront the question: Are there some evils even the Divine cannot conquer? Amena Jamali embarks on her literary career with a haunting new adult fantasy tale of found family, strong heroines, and gentle heroes that ponders the meaning of freedom amid a clash of absolute good and absolute evil. Fans of The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Eragon will savor this story of light springing forth from dark places. |
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Jupiter Jânell just wanted a place to belong since their own family kicked them out while they were still in high school. They thought they had found their place in Long Beach, CA, working as an educational consultant on games designed for autistic kids. Being autistic themselves and an avid gamer, it was their dream job. Instead, they were too autistic, and the West Coast was not as accepting as they had hoped. Would they ever find a place they could belong? Fired and more uncertain of themselves than ever, they were contacted by a mysterious individual, Stanley, who offered them a job at Austin School District (ASD), an elusive school system that was founded by the openly autistic tech genius who had built the biggest tech company ever - Austin Technology. To get the job, all Jupiter had to do was pass one test. What they received was a virtual reality headset that was an urban legend of the internet. It was said that this device made virtual reality nearly indistinguishable from the physical world. Only a few influencers had ever gotten their hands on one, and even fewer had gotten it to work. Holding the device in their hands, Jupiter knew they had to make the biggest decision of their life, and either way, things would never be the same. NeurodiVeRse is a story of self-acceptance celebrating autistic and trans joy. But even as Jupiter learned to love themselves, the world fought to take it away. Except Jupiter now had more than themselves to fight for, and they found there wasnât anything they wouldnât do to protect the students of ASD. |
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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? |
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When a rogue vampire threatens to expose vampires to humans, Phoenix has one week to prove sheâs the alpha her pack needsâbefore her father hands over her birthright to someone else. Phoenix is heir to the werewolf pack, even if her father will not formally acknowledge her inheritance. The alpha has concerns about her leading the pack because she is autistic. Phoenix is ready to show him that she may be different, but she is more than capable of keeping her pack safe. Now, she has a deadline to track down the rogue vampire and make peace with the vampires before the town of Ember goes to war. She also has to prove that she is capable before her father adopts a new heir. Jared may look the part of an alpha, but he can't fight and he can't think strategically. Giving up the pack to him would be giving up on her family. She has to take down the vampire in a city full of bright lights, loud noises, and more people than she has ever seen. However, Phoenix learned young that an alpha does whatever they need to for their pack. |
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He would have no embarrassing secrets. He would be perfect. Liu Xiaokai does everything he is told. He listens to his parents. He's a clever businessman. He's the city's most eligible bachelor. All he has left to do is prove that he's the perfect son--that he's worth becoming his father's heir. That he's nothing like his older brother, who abandoned the family. And then that older brother comes home. He will make his father pay for what he did to him. Liu Xingyu knows two things: firstly, that he loves his little brother. Secondly, that he hates his father. That's all that matters. When he first left all those years ago, he was determined to never come back, but after he met a man named Zhang Weiran, he knew there was only one thing he could do: go back home, and tear down everything his father loved. He won't let them get away with it. Zhang Weiran has had only one thing on his mind since he was a child: fulfill his parents' dying wish and get revenge on the organization that killed them. And it just so happens that his friend and unrequited love Liu Xingyu is not only deeply connected to this shadow organization--he also wants them gone just as badly as Weiran does. Now the only thing they disagree on is Liu Xingyu's suspicious little brother. |
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Trust in Tomorrow by Dana Sweeney Sleepwalking let them survive a nightmare. Desire woke them up. Demetri When the world ended, I came to the Stronghold and joined their military. Even made it to the helmet corps with the best and brightest. Life in the barracks is a nonstop party, everyone living like there's no tomorrow. Let's face it, there probably isn't. When my friends joined a resistance movement against the rich jerks who run this place, we needed a place to meet. The library would be perfect if it wasn't for the librarian being a total snoop. I offered to chat her up for the greater good... and because I can't stop thinking about her. Save the world, get the girl. Win-win. Stella I arrived in the city weeks before the world ended. I thought I was living a fairy tale, engaged to a prince⌠but the fantasy was dead even before the dead started to rise. Officially in mourning for my fiancĂŠ, I run the library and try to avoid attention. Yet somehow, Iâve caught the eye of a handsome soldier. He makes me long for freedom, control over my fate. But this elite society considers me an asset; they will never let me go without a fight. How do I know so much about the Stronghold? I helped build it. |
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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. |
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A Crow Named Torment by Silas A. Bischoff After a perfectly normal bird is captured by a perfectly deranged alchemist, and her soul is remade in torment, she rots in a cage, dreading her doom, awaiting the perfect moment ⌠Escape lies in the dark secrets of her new mind, as does a disturbing new thirst for blood. Together with Vladimir, her feline companion in captivity, Torment sets out on a flight through realms of dreams and spirits in search of a way to break the curse that binds them to their master. But in the vast and strange worlds yonder dwell the discontented spirits of the dead, and Torment and Vladimir are as likely to uncover the truth they seek as they are to be lost forever, or consumed by the ancient darkness stirring in the depths of their alchemically altered souls. A novel filled with horrors lurking in the shadows, with whimsical creatures from strange worlds â a fable about journeys inward and onward into the unknown â featuring mad scholars, vampires from the dawn of time, animal familiars and giant slugs (among many other oddities). Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett and Edgar Allan Poe, lovers of Richard Bachâs Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Otfried PreuĂlerâs Krabat, for those who would like to see Lewis Carrollâs Alice in Wonderland meet Mary Shelleyâs Frankenstein in a modern dark fantasy. |
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The Nobleâs Merman by S.S. Genesee A merman who possesses deadly magic. Mo is a merman, born with a magical gift: the Siren's Song. It's a primal, instinctual force that runs through his veins, urging him to kill humans, to see their blood. But clashing with that urge is Mo's soft and tender side, taking a special interest in humanity and wondering what it'd be like to walk amongst them with legs of his own. A human noble with a broken heart. Kent Wilson is the heir to the Earl of Fareham. He'd felt his life was secure until his betrothed abandoned him unexpectedly a year ago, leaving both his future and his heart in tatters. After a fierce argument with his father one day, Kent runs away to the beach. Needing some time alone with his melancholy thoughts, he sings to the sea. What he doesn't expect, though, is for a merman to hear him. Together, the two form a secret relationshipâone which propels them into passion, and a love greater than they ever thought possible. [The Noble's Merman is a standalone novel. It is an 18th century historical fantasy MM romance, with merfolk magic, cozy beach encounters, pirates, and plenty of spice.] |
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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. |
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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? |
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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. |
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As the Sun Comes Up by Olive J. Kelley When competent, capable, and drop-dead gorgeous bed & breakfast owner Cricket Sterling asks friend-of-a-friend Moriah Becker if she can crash on her couch for a night, Moriah doesnât hesitate to say yes, even despite her secret crush on the other woman. But, when the awards ceremony Cricket is being honored at gets pushed three days, Moriah starts to panic. With her post-pandemic agoraphobia, OCD, and odd hours, she knows sheâs difficult to live with, and the idea of having someone in her space for that long nearly sends her into a tailspin. However, Cricket is considerate and accommodating, excitable and passionate, and Moriah finds herself oddly at peaceâand falling deeper than ever. It feels inevitable when they crash into each other, spending one sizzling night togetherâand then anotherâand Moriah has to reconsider her own mental walls. Were they built to keep people out, or only ever to keep herself inside? |
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Fallen Thorns by Harvey Oliver Baxter âA great death is in the air.â Arlo is lost. He thought he had everything figured out. Go to university, fall in love, get a job. But life doesnât always work like that, and before he has a chance to figure it out, he dies. In the space of a night, Arlo is plunged into a new world of immortality and finds a group of people who swear to always have his back. Dying is never easy, but they promise him eternal safety. But something is after him. Something no one could have ever predicted. He craves to figure out his purpose before he falls into something he can never come back from. |
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The House For Lost Things by C.G. Drews Stealing houses should be a thing of the past now that Sam and Avery Lou finally have their perfect home. But the De Laineys are being forced to sell the butter-yellow house and their family is crumbling. Sam is haunted by his time at juvie and he feels lost now that Avery doesnât depend solely on him. All he can do is focus on his builder apprenticeship and hurl himself into an extravagant sewing project lead by Moxie to raise money to save the houseâonly Samâs past has come knocking and itâs about to tear apart everything he loves. Learning how to build new houses is one thing, but maybe broken boys canât be rebuilt. |
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What if you only exist because you're the splinter of someone else's soul? After spending his whole life in his brother's shadow, Zanoah gets banished from his home, paying the price for his brother's crime. Thrown into a world unknown to him, he'll have to find himself and a purpose to live for. Crossing a half-sentient jungle, he's bound to find his destinyâa forgotten deity of all things. |
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Chrysalis and Requiem by Quinton Li At Adraredon Academy, fervent passion, contemporary companionship, and forbidden desires intertwine with tall gothic spires, ancient halls, and centuries of history. Veaer Rosell can't imagine a better place to satiate her craving for beauty, knowledge, and art. Yet senior year shatters her illusion of tranquillity and civil intellect when she witnesses the headmaster's daughter murder another student and is confronted by an unthinkable choice: avenging her fallen peer or taking this secret to the grave, one way or another. But fate laughs at Veaer's expense when the headmaster's daughter requests her aid. Driven by an all-consuming thirst for answers, Veaer becomes an untimely partner in solving a murder they both know the answer to, unaware of the intricacies that come with learning the bigger picture and playing with death. Chrysalis & Requiem is a haunting thriller of tragic obsession and relentless grief, weaving two young, queer women in a spiral of clandestine violence and illicit love. |
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A Sharper, More Lasting Pain by Alex Harvey-Rivas After their girlfriendâs best friend is wounded in a monster attack, Simone Allard stumbles across a plot much deeper than they anticipated. As they work to find a cure to their own forming illness and find out the truth, one question remains: how was Nadia involved in this? Nadia DuPont doesnât know how much time she has or even what is ailing her, but it all gets more complex after meeting Simone on a field trip. As they both work to find a cure to her ailment, all Nadia is certain of is she's on the path to ruin. |
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Riyati Rebirth by Kalani Shimizu With great power comes your past incarnations and future self playing chess with your existence. Kylie Rae thought she was an average honors high school student but discovered during a life-threatening incident that sheâs the reincarnation of an ancient magic kingdomâs crown princess. Now people sheâs never met want her dead, and she must learn how to survive in this new world while maintaining the façade that nothingâs changed. Forget making Aâs, how will Kylie survive to the end of the year when sheâs constantly looking over her shoulder? Riyati Rebirth is the first book of a contemporary new adult dark fantasy series that seeks to explore themes of identity, legacy, the greater good, and finding your own path in life; it includes multiple first person perspectives and queer representation, which will expand even further as the series continues! |
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The Reanimator's Remains by Kara Jorgensen An autistic necromancer, his undead love, and a covenant that must be broken. Oliver Barlow never knew what happened to his parents. With a note from his mother as his only lead, Oliver had given up hope of ever learning the truth. But when the dead start rising in the town of Aldorhaven, Oliver jumps at the chance to take the case if it means he can investigate the last place his parents were seen alive. Felipe Galvan would like to be anywhere but Aldorhaven. Between protecting Oliver and Gwen, dealing with distrustful townsfolk, and an unexpected letter from his estranged parents, Felipe is already stretched thin. But when he is suddenly plagued by whispers from the woods and nightmares from his past, Felipe fears he is only one misstep away from becoming the monster he was meant to be. Far more sinister things than the dead lurk in Aldorhaven's woods. A centuries old bargain has been broken, and the only thing that can satisfy it is Oliver's blood. Together, Oliver, Felipe, and Gwen must finish what Oliver's parents started or they too will be ensnared by their devil's bargain |
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This Hole Was Made For (You And) Me by Sienna Eggler Despite constant setbacks, from giant carnivorous plants to fetch quests disguised as life lessons, Meike quickly adapts to life in Glasend. Armed with their growing knowledge of magic, and a thirst for adventure, Meike and friends turn their sights to the neglected Silverstone Mine. But thereâs more than gold and silver lurking in its depths⌠Trolls and kobolds haunt the area, having run out the miners and ransacked the nearby village of Ashfort. Abandoned by their own country, the citizens are desperate for any help they can get. But as the gang comes to find, thereâs a reason many have failed to liberate the mine⌠This Hole Was Made For (You And) Me is the second book of the Last Train Home series, a portal fantasy in a queer normative world. |
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The Threads That Weave by Sienna Eggler Tormented by memories of past lives and a general distaste for structure, Sloane dropped out of a prestigious magic college to find themself. During their travels, they came across a curious little creature: a chatty spider that fit snugly in their hands. Unbeknownst to Sloane, this wasnât a harmless garden or cellar spider. The spider had a craving that mere flies couldnât quench. It demanded blood and flesh, and when mice failed to suffice, moved on to bigger and dangerous prey. Sloane appeased it as best they could, but as the spider rapidly shot up in size, turned their focus from butcher shops to farms. Together, they concocted a plan to âsolveâ a manifested loss of cattle. The spider got a steady supply of food, and Sloane got street cred as a âmonster slayerâ. âWhat could possibly go wrong?â â Famous last words of any irresponsible pet owner. So now Sloane has a very real infestation to contend with, along with suspicious rangers and wannabe hunters edging in on their turf. ââŚIâm gonna need a bigger boot.â |
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It's Only A Little Death by Shane Blackheart Being dead never felt so good... Silver's memories are gone, but that's the way death usually goes. You wake up by the Styx, you realize you're dead, you pick a name, and you pay Charon for a ride across the river. If you have nothing of value to give, Charon deals in other currencies too â including ones of the flesh. Silver soon finds themself sitting on a bed in a strange room. They're given a diary, which is the most important thing they now own, and a peer support worker, Ifris, who's less than stellar about the job. Silver isn't prepared to go through the stages of grief for their own death, but they're even less ready for the deal they made with Charon: Recover their memories and the reason they died in record time, and they get to avenge their murder. There's one problem; the only way to trigger memories is to create a shock to the system, which is easily attained by having an explosive climax at the hands of the beasts that hold Silver's life story. |
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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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The worlds behind her eyelids by Alexa Lee âTell me, kid... How do you feel about desecrating a graveyard?â Suffocated by her narcissistic mother's constant complaints, Grace retreats into the refuge of her mind. Her imagination becomes her only source of escape, and there she meets a grizzly treasure hunter, Mitch, with a history of rescuing strays. He takes Grace under his wing, allowing her to accompany him on his search for a long-lost artefact. Split between her mundane reality and the exhilarating new world she has created, Grace leads an exciting double life. In one, she is a normal teenager, but in the other, she travels with Mitch, slowly discovering more about the shadowy world he is involved in and those hunting him down. The lines between reality and imagination blur as Grace continues to delve into her daydreams whenever reality is too hard to deal with, but soon, she finds other worlds. However, they are not as welcoming as she expected, and escape may not be quite so simple... |
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Pillow Forts and Hurricanes by Margherita Scialla Emma has an unbreakable bond with her roommates and lifelong best friends, yet struggles to create a romantic connection that comes even close to their friendship. Thatâs why Emma accepts her stoic boyfriend keeping her at a distance. All of her fantasies about romance and relationships, however, come tumbling down when she witnesses said boyfriend cheating on her. Following her recent breakup and her evolving bond with her best friend, Noah, Emma begins to question everything she ever knew about relationships, romantic and platonic. When Emma suggests the possibility of a queerplatonic relationship to Noah, the two must navigate their feelings, unveiling secrets theyâve kept from each other⌠but as confusing it can be, at least theyâre doing it together. |
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Blessed by the Cupid Distribution System by Robin Jo Margaret Local loner and hopeless romantic Iris Clarke is single, again, on Valentineâs Day. During the annual Cupid speech before the grand loverâs day, Jaya comes across Irisâs file. Unable to look away from those beautiful brown eyes, Jaya chooses Iris for her imminent mission. When the winged woman shows up at Irisâs house and tells her she is going to find her a partner for the day, Iris canât believe it. With some tweaks to their official agreement, the two find themselves wandering the city to complete Irisâs list of dream dates, so that she can get the opportunity to finally experience the romance she always dreamed of. But what will happen if the feelings between the two of them become a little too real, and their agreement is only supposed to last one day? |
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Monster Mixer Vol. 1 by Robin Jo Margaret Five stories. Four relationships. One place where they all met. A collection of short stories centered around the Monster Mixer, a place where creatures of all kinds gather to meet in search of intimacy. In this anthology youâll find diverse monsters, diverse queer identities and diverse body types, for a short but spicy entertainment. |
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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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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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Morganâs home is a sanctuary for ghosts. The once-grand, now dilapidated old house they live in has become a refuge for their found family. From Morganâs partner Araminta, an artist with excellent dress sense, to Theo, a ten-year-old with an excess of energy, to quiet telekinesthetic pensioner Denny, all of them consider this haunted house their home. In a world that wasnât built for their queer, neurodivergent selves, theyâve made it into a place they belong. Together they welcome not just the ghosts of the houseâs former inhabitants, but any who need somewhere to belong. Both the living and the dead can find themselves in need of a sanctuary. When a collection of ghosts trapped in old bottles are delivered to their door, something from the past is unleashed. A man who once collected ghosts â a man who should have died centuries before â suddenly has the house under his control. Morgan must trust their own abilities, and their hard-won sense of self, to save their home, their family, and the woman they love. |
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The Coven of Ruin by T. K. Tucker The merciless God of War, a healer witch, and that meddlesome thing known as Fate. Trista was a healer. But that was before. Before she was dragged to Olympus for a crime she didnât commit. Before she almost died. And before she made a life debt to the god who saved her. The very god who killed the Mothers and damned all of witchkind centuries beforeâAres, the God of War. The Witchbane. Now she canât stand the sight of blood, and her simple, duty-filled life is upended. When she receives an invite to the capital of Witch Country to attend the social season, though, she is hopeful the time away will help her heal. What she doesnât expect to find there is something much more sinister than political games and poorly disguised attempts at matchmaking. Between masquerades and tournaments, Trista is pulled farther into the dark and bloody history between witches and gods. And amidst it all is Ares. Since Trista is the only witch in existence who knows who he is, Ares keeps her close. So close that the lines between enemies and allies begin to blur and she doesnât know who or what to trust. But before she can figure that out, an ill-fated choice and an ancient prophecy may lead them both down a path they canât survive. The Coven of Ruin series is a Greco-Roman myth-inspired, slow burn, adult romantic fantasy set in a different world. |
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Wings of Fire by Stephanie Mirro Stealing objects for supernatural clients is my bread and butter. Murder? Not so much. As a phoenix, Iâm used to burning hot and rising from the ashes. Thatâs why I chose to make my living as a world-class thief. Some say itâs dangerous. I call it fun. Or it is until someone beats me to my latest mark, stealing the prize and killing a fae duke in the process. To add insult to injury, I get blamed for the gruesome murder. With my freedom on the line, Iâve got three options. One, confess my failure and spend a few centuries as the caged pet of my sadistic, bloodsucking client. Nope. Two, take the blame and let the hotter-than-hell grim reaper take me to jail. Also a hard nope, unless he sweetens the deal with an offer to burn up the sheets. Is it any wonder I choose door number three? Iâve got to find the real killer, steal back the goods, and remind everyone how I got my reputation as the worldâs best âacquirerâ in the first place. Thereâs just one problem. That sexier-than-sin grim reaper I mentioned? Heâs determined to see me go down. |
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Tone of Voice by Kaia Sønderby Xandri Corelel has spent six months living among the Ongkoarrat after her unceremonious firing from the crew of the Carpathia, and though she misses her home, she has settled into her new life. Then Diver arrives with news that changes everything. The Hands and Voices--squid- and whale-like symbiotic aliens--are masters of bio-engineering and grow a wide variety of species of coral. Now they are in the process of creating coral that can withstand vacuum, with a most stunning end goal: To grow entire spaceships out of living organisms. The Starsystems Alliance is desperate to lure the Hands and Voices into the Alliance and bring this new technology into the fold. And the Voices and Hands are willing, with one stipulation. They will only negotiate with Xandri and the crew of the Carpathia. Returned from exile, Xandri is given the lead on this new mission. She quickly discovers that willingness isn't the problem; the Hands and Voices want to join, but they want full equality in their membership--including the ability to attend council meetings in person. Amid the sunshine and surf of the tropical, idyllic planet of Song, it seems the biggest hardship Xandri and her friends will face is the task of re-rigging a spaceship to carry creatures the size of killer whales. Then the Last Hope for Humanity arrives, and this time they've brought an army. |
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Reckless Truth by Raven Elliot O'Connor When they were children, their brother was stolen and their mother killed. Elyan and Lydia Moore have dedicated their lives to finding out what really happened that night, and where their brother was taken - but the truth will throw them into chaos they could never predict. Combining science fantasy with interpersonal drama, Reckless Truth is a story of finding love and overcoming fear; about testing our deepest personal perceptions and learning to live and love beyond what is expected of us. It is about grief and trauma, and the different ways those things are processed and overcome -- and the scars they leave with us forever. |
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Lantern by Burgundy Athena Pendragon In this dark high fantasy adventure, a grumpy middle-aged mage is asked by an old friend to take on an Impossible Task for her: finding a cure for her son's curse when all else have given up. Aiding Devyn on zir quest to cure Lio of his horrifying curse that he acquired by stealing a lindworm's treasure, is the teenager himself, a family of werewolves, and a mysterious demonic lantern forever bound to zir soul. But as the clock waxes and wanes and Lio's curse worsens, so do the dangers lurking in the shadows for them. And all of them human. |
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Magic is dying out. There are only two people who can stop it: a psychopathic wizard who canât keep it in his pants and an autistic mage with crippling anxiety. Nikolai no longer wants to kill Medeaâheâd much rather sleep with her, certain itâs the key to winning her heart and learning the secret to immortality. But she seems oblivious to his advances, and Yoxtl wonât stop cockblocking him. The damned spirit wonât relent until he builds it a following. Medea has sensed the decline of magic for years. Now that she has an apprentice who can help her discover the cause, she finds her own discomfort with an ever-changing society getting in the way. Nikolai has been acting odd, too, though she canât put her finger on why. Their research takes them to America, where Medea struggles to navigate the Mundane world and Nikolai thrives, relying on his newly honed telepathy skillsâa branch of magic that Medea despises and fears heâll use against her. Will she ever learn to trust him? Should she? And when they stumble upon a mysterious magical signature in the unlikeliest of placesâthe heart of a Mundane cityâwill it shed some light on the fall of magic or lead to more questions? |
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The Day We Ate Grandad by C. M. Rosens Three possible futures. Two versions of the apocalypse. One chance to save the world. Wes Porter, a severely depressed insanity-inducing playboy, is detoxing from hallucinogens that have unlocked his ability to see versions of potential futures - and he's just foreseen two ways the world could end. Normally, Wes would leave the hero bullshit to somebody else, but he can't abdicate responsibility this time... not when both those apocalypses might be his fault. With some prompting from a mythological bard-prophet who may or may not be real, and a lot of assistance from his monster-eating baby sister who desperately wants to move out of his apartment, and their soothsayer cousin who has his own demons to fight, Wes attempts to save [his] world... but have his poor decisions doomed them all? THE DAY WE ATE GRANDAD is the third book in the Pagham-on-Sea series. It is a dysfunctional family cosmic horror novel for fans of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES, and THE CALL OF CTHULHU, with themes of bereavement and grief, generational trauma, and a dash of Roman/Welsh mythology. |
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Imago: A Dystopian Gothic by Matthew Zakharuk Tresor Institute accepts only the worthy, and Ada CÄlinescu is anything but. Intractable, mannish, a child of convicted terrorists, she can at best hope to be overlooked. Yet somehow the Institute accepts her application for transfer. Her ticket to the polar town of Heilung, home of the Institute, arrives free of charge. Her only chance to forge a brighter future. Except Heilung welcomes Ada with news of a brutal murder. Militiamen stalk the town, keen to fill their arrest quotasâand Ada knows she could make an easy scapegoat. At every turn the bloody conspiracy follows her, from the halls of Tresor to the arms of a stranger she yearns to make hers. What starts as a dalliance risks putting Ada at odds with the Bureau itself. And then expulsion will be the least of her concerns. |