SPFBO9 SPFBO Participants
Books entered in the competition of SPFBO beginning May 2023.
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His love is locked inside an enigma. Can he solve the mystery to make himself a home? A hidden kingdom. The 18th century. Alden grew weary of battle long ago. And now the honorable soldier seeks to put the horrors of war behind him to settle in a land of peace and start a family. And while an attractive shopkeeper catches his eye, he finds himself caught up in the kingdom's greatest riddle: the twelve daughters of the king and queen vanish every night and reappear in the morning with their shoes worn out. Drawn to a shared passion for dancing as he spends more time with the woman of his dreams, Alden can't avoid a growing involvement with the land's enchanted magic. And as he does so, he starts to realize that the alluring woman he's falling for may hold the key to answering the perplexing mystery. Can Alden unravel a magical entanglement and find his way to happily ever after? Twelve is a charming fairy tale retelling. If you like upstanding heroes, picturesque romance, and delightful surprises, then you'll adore Joan Marie Verba's heartwarming story. |
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This is the story of Isfael, a young wytch who practices the art of magic as the village healer. The development of her skills, however, does not come without struggles: Not only are some of her fellow elves, amongst them the elderly wytch superior, suspicious of her as an ambitious young healer, but her talents are also put to the test when Isfael comes into possession of a powerful gem that turns her dreams into nightmares. Isfael must also learn that even the most well-meaning actions we take can reap terrible consequences. |
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A sleepy town on the west coast of England. Nothing really happens here. Until now⌠Two stabbings. The victims: a man named Arthur and a mysterious knight. Detective Inspector Niamh Khalid finds herself drawn into a world of myth, magic, and betrayal. Can she solve an impossible case and keep her brother safe? Things arenât looking too great for DI Niamh Khalid. Her brother Lance has been arrested, her superior officer is breathing down her neck, and she is investigating an attempted murder, with no suspects and no clues to the identity of the victim. Then, Lance and his friends discover another dead body: a young man, dressed as a knight. Soon, a series of terrifying incidents threaten to derail Niamhâs investigation. Lance is clearly hiding something, and Niamhâs journalist ex-fiancĂŠ is back in her life, asking awkward questions. When criminal barrister Merlin Rhys seeks her out with a stunning revelation, Niamh begins to appreciate just how strange and frightening a mystery she and Lance have become involved in. Can myth and magic be real? Can they help Niamh solve her case, and save both her brother and her world? Police procedural meets Arthurian fantasy. Fans of Ben Aaronovich, V.E. Schwab and women detectives will love Kingsrise, an urban fantasy mystery by first-time author Anne Mattias. |
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Gloaming by Charlotte E. English Once upon a chime... Every day at four oâ clock, an enchanted twilight sweeps over Vale Argantel. Strange things happen under its eldritch influence: mists boil up out of the ground, rain pours out of a cloudless sky, and the roses grow wild and fey. Such is the way of things. But when her friend falls through a magic mirror and disappears, Margot realises somethingâs changed. An ancient enchantment has gone awry, and chaos quickly spreads. Magic-drunk, confused and hampered at every turn, Margot must find a way to reclaim Oriane â and before anybody else disappears. But for Oriane, things are stranger still. Lost in a topsy-turvy world, how can she ever find her way home? For sheâs adrift in a place very like Argantel â eerily familiar, yet strangely different; a place which follows none of the usual rules⌠Get drunk on magic â try this atmospheric fantasy from the author of the Tales of Aylfenhame and Faerie Fruit. |
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The Dragon's Hide by Dustin Porta and D.K. Holmberg A cozy tavern on the edge of the empire holds a deadly secret. When Treylen's mentor died, and his bonded dragon failed to grow like the others, he feared heâd be stuck forever at the mountain abbey where the queenâs assassins train. Fate has other plans for him. A message arrives ordering him and his dragon, Rime, on a dangerous mission to kill the glyph scribe who is enchanting weapons for the enemy army. Infiltrating the enemy city requires a mastery of disguise, deception, and interrogation. Treylen must learn these skills quickly from his new spymaster if he hopes to locate his target. But the comforts of the Dragonâs Hide Inn make it a favorite watering hole of enemy rangers and a deadly training ground.â¨â¨All his training may not be enough to stop the wizard intent on destroying everything Treylen cares about. The Dragonâs Hide is the start of an exciting new fantasy series! |
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In the fertile lands of the River, squabbling city states continue thousands of years of bloody warfare. Some fight for land, others for food, others still for personal glory. Unknown to all, a storm brews in the West. Will one man stand against the storm as it sweeps away his life? Can the River States put aside their old rivalries to face a bigger threat? Or will slow simmering hatred lead to bitterness and murder? |
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A brooding wolf. A heroine who doesnât need protecting. And a curse that only love can overcome. Gran's stories of horror and violence have dictated Red's whole view of the forest outside her village and the wolves who live there. Sheltered but bold, Red longs to explore that forest for herself, but the Huntsmen who guard her village keep her trapped. When Gran is injured, Red sees her chance. To save Granâs life, Red ventures down a path Gran hoped sheâd never follow. In the woods, Red finds a secret, hidden world full of death and danger. The beasts in it all try to kill her...so why does she feel so alive? The Huntsmen will stop at nothing to get Red back. They will kill every wolf in the woods, and thereâs one in particular Red is determined to save. The villagers have magic on their side, and all Red has is love. Will it be enough? |
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The Dark Heart of Redemption by Darran M Handshaw "Some secrets are best left undiscovered." Pyramid, the great heart of Redemption, lies under siege by tribal invaders that threaten to destroy the very civilization that the Dominions have created. The Engineer, Actaeon, leads a force of Raedelleans from the south, where they pause to investigate the secrets of abandoned Travail in search of aid for the battle to come. At the same time, the new Princess of Raedelle, Eisandre, sails down the River of Arches with her Thyrian allies to attack from the Great Sea to the west. Travail's secrets are darker than expected, and the reason behind the Loresworn evacuation may soon spread to the rest of the city. Meanwhile, far to the north, Ajman and Shield fight over the lands of Czeryn, left desolate by an artifact that just might extinguish all life in the city at the hands of an unseen enemy known only as the Veiled One. In his quest to save Redemption, will Actaeon be able to overcome the old enmity between the Dominions to unite against these threats? Or will all civilization fall, just as the Ancients had ages ago? One thing is certain: in Redemption, everything comes with a cost.â¨â¨------------â¨â¨The Dark Heart of Redemption is Darran M Handshaw's second novel and is a standalone sequel to The Engineer (an SPFBO semi-finalist!). |
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A Magical Imperative by Edith Pawlicki One binding destroyed her family; could another save it?â¨â¨At thirty-six-years-old, history professor Aurelie is resigned to a childless existence. It's not her age - it's the absence of male Unseen. Her species has been so desperate to hide among humans that it is quietly dying out. Now her family is broken; eager to leave behind a painful past, Aurelie accepts a teaching position in Nara, Japan. But she's unprepared for the future she finds...â¨â¨Twenty-two-year-old Kazuki is the favored son of the Hayashi family - a clan of Unseen that has not only survived in Japan, but thrived. Though he knows hundreds of Unseen, heâs unprepared for Aurelie and the overwhelming attraction he feels for her, a biological imperative to mate.â¨â¨Or perhaps a magical one because, as Kazuki and Aurelie grow closer, the reasons for hiding come out.â¨â¨And they are hungry. A Magical Imperative treads a delicate line between reality and fantasy, painting a detailed picture of cross-cultural romance while also adding subtle strokes of whimsy and fate. The first book of a series, itâs a sure winner for fans of atmospheric writing, intelligent fantasy, and character-driven plots. Visit a magical Japan with A Magical Imperative today! |
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The Wickwire Watch by Jacquelyn Hagen ***WINNER OF THE 2023 REALM AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL*** ***2023 REALM AWARDS FINALIST FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR*** ***AWARDED THE INDIE B.R.A.G. MEDALLION*** TRUST NO ONE. It's the first and greatest rule Inkwell Featherfield ever learned. It's also the only way he knows how to surviveâbesides picking pockets, dodging the law, and using every ounce of his plucky charm. But none of this will be enough to save him now. If only he'd never snooped around a dead man's house. If only he'd never found that pocket watch full of strange magic. If only he'd known the old man had snuffed it at the hands of the ghostly Spektors, or that such dark spirits even existed, because now they're after him. When Ink is approached by an enigmatic group offering to keep him safe, he acceptsâonly to discover his rescuers are a band of infamous fugitives. Who knew they had a flair for winemaking? Or a penchant for sing-a-longs? Thrust into a world of arcane horrors, powerful politicians, and dangers on every side, the boy has no choice but to finally break his rule and decide who to trust. But with all the secrets, magic, and mystery thickening around himâand the stakes so much higher than he ever imaginedâit might just be downright impossible. The Wickwire Watch is the first book of the epic fantasy series The Riverfall Chronicles. For more information, visit jacquelynhagen.com. |
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The Fractured God by Gerard Howard Jaded mercenaries Aelred and Xyla have come across the most clichĂŠd of contracts: rescue a missing princess to end a series of brutal wars waged in her name. Much to everyone's surprise, the rescue does not pan out too well. A god gets involved and hurls the three of them into another universe where technology rules in lieu of magic. It's not too bad, though. Saving the multiverse from the destruction of a bored god who wants to experience nonexistence is an additional responsibility that could've fallen on anyone. Despite their social skills, they'll find a decent set of companions to help ease their burden: a speechless outcast from a species of arachnoids living inside a giant space worm, a disgruntled soldier living on a deserted prison planet, and a chirpy salvager with a horrific past and a droid that has a difficult time ignoring its primary torture functions. Take a trip through the multiverse in this humorously dark adventure where bad things definitely don't happen to good people and everything is always fine! |
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Night Demon by Stephen Wolberius Lilian, a thirteen-year-old factory worker in an industrialising town plagued by a serial killer, can see an invisible affliction within other people. When her search for her missing best friend ends with a confrontation with a demon â and learning that the affliction turns humans into demons â another demon named Lucian saves her life and promises answers. Her first clue is that demons are responsible for the many murders. Unfortunately, Lilianâs new lead has problems of his own â Demon Hunters, who claim Lucian is the serial killer and who see Lilian as an accessory. Night Demon tells a claustrophobic gaslamp fantasy and horror story with a dark fantasy twist and edge-of-your-seat suspense. If you're a fan of classic American and British horror fiction but also like dark fantasy world-building and epic fights, you're in for a treat. What can you expect from reading Night Demon? A strong female lead discovers that she needs to confront her mortality as well as her morality. Fast-paced, engaging and brooding at once. Plenty of unexpected twists. Well-developed characters, both major and minor. Language magic called Elilim, based on proto-indo-european, Mycenean and proto-Semitic languages. Set in Victorian times and written in the King's English, the classic gaslamp fantasy British horror fiction atmosphere. Classic strong prose, but that doesn't take away tempo. Demons and Vampires with compelling and terrifying worldbuilding and lore behind them Inspired by deep Saxon ghostly folklore. Tragic, tense and emotional. Terrifyingly brooding, doom impendent and action-packed story structure that will never bore... A satisfying ending! |
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Watchers of the Evenfall by Joe Field The Vampire Prince. The Werewolf Brawler. The Dark Elf Warlock. The Girl. Even monsters can become heroes â¨Resurrected through strange necromancy, sixteen-year-old Hazel Enda adjusts to her new life and loss of emotions. Uncertain of the future, she receives a strange invitation to join the Evenfall Vigil, a group dedicated to protecting the kingdom from nocturnal supernatural threats. Hazel unites with three fearsome outcasts to hunt the criminal genius known as "The Alchemist." They must battle monsters, magic, and a religious cult to discover the Alchemist's identity and save the kingdom, and themselves, from the mastermind's increasingly lethal schemes. Will they fulfill the oaths they've sworn or die as Watchers of the Evenfall?â¨â¨Watchers of the Evenfall is a high fantasy story filled with monsters, magic, and mystery. |
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The Ghosts in the Flames by Seann Barbour For centuries, the Four Kingdoms have lived in fear of the dragon Raksen-Kal, who roosts upon the peak of the Black Mountain. To satiate his hunger, a noble maiden is sent to the dragon as tribute every Autumn, with each of the kingdoms trading off the duty of sending the sacrifice year by year. Shivuri is the youngest princess of Endaru, the smallest and poorest of the Four Kingdoms. Today, her cousin is sent to the dragon, and in four years' time, she will be as well. As the day of her death draws ever closer, the young princess seeks solace in darkness, and explores the forbidden art of witchcraft. In doing so, Shivuri learns of secrets that would once have filled her with terror-- and of freedom that she never before could have imagined. ---- Please be aware this novel contains depictions of violence, gore, abuse, sexuality, and assault. |
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Echoes of Dragons by C. Borden A decade after Mythniumâs suns eclipse each other, the White Lordâs malignant shadow stretches north to Mythos once more. There, he unleashes his secret weapon: a massive dragon long thought to be extinct. Three groups of travelers set off on separate journeys, drawn toward the elven city of Elmnas and the answers they hope to find within. Along the way, they face strange factions of creatures united against them as the White Lord's influence grows. As their paths intersect, the travelers face an uncertain new world where echoes of dragons come to life. |
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Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy by Lidiya Foxglove Itâs not easy being a doll girl in a flesh-and-blood world. Although her race was created from magic as second-class citizens, Sorlaâs baked goods are now famous for miles around thanks to her hard work and unrelenting optimism. Sheâs even attracted the notice of Prince Seldon, who invites her to work at the royal bakery in the capital. The one thing Sorlaâs life is missing is love. Her youthful crush ditched her for a normal girl with generous curves (of course), and technically she is unsexed (parts sold separately). Flesh girls certainly donât have to save money to buy themselves lady bits before they can even date. Her ride-for-hire to the capital? Dorr, a soldier revived from a battlefield death, as is the way of his necromancing clan. He might rather have been left to die with his comrades. Instead, a few parts of their bodies were stitched on to fix his. Scarred and broken, Dorr wants to drop off his overly cheerful companion as quickly as possibleâuntil he realizes that her pastries are the only thing thatâs tasted good since his revival. As they slowly open up over dog rescues (her idea), graveyard strolls (his idea), and of course, delicious pastry, love and trust grows between these two misfits. But the war isnât over, and when the royal family expect Sorlaâs pastries to save the life of the hero of the realm, she might lose Dorr and everything sheâs worked for. Cross a Ghibli movie with The Nightmare Before Christmas, add a little spice, and you might have the quirkiest of romcoms. |
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Dream of the Sphere by Jay S. Willis Three thousand years of tradition torn asunder. When the truth comes out, will a hero emerge to pick up the pieces? Dashira Eisenheart takes ultimate comfort in her community. So sheâs thrilled when her brother ascends to the coveted order chosen to protect the world from safely sealed-away, millennia-old, dangerous magic. But her faith in her beloved parentsâ loyalty cracks after she spies her mother sneaking about town to meet with the enemy. Striving to stay focused on her own academic studies, Dashira becomes caught in family tensions that soon reach a boiling point. And as her fatherâs Brotherhood and her motherâs rebel group head toward a cataclysmic clash, the young seeker finds herself trapped by conflicting choices. Will she face her fears and accept her role in a grand destiny? Dream of the Sphere is the intricate first entry in the expansive The Sphere Saga epic fantasy series. If you like gargantuan conflicts, jaw-dropping twists, and deep explorations of humanityâs beliefs, youâll love Jay S. Willisâs hard-hitting tale. |
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The Book of Zog by Alec Hutson What were the Great Old Ones like before they were old? In the shadow of cosmic horrors, newly-birthed entity Zogrusz must come to understand his true nature, learn how to wield his dreadful powers, and search for meaning in the mad spaces between the stars. Hopefully, heâll make some friends along the way. Also, thereâs a cat. A Lovecraftian cozy fantasy. |
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Litany of the Destroyer by Chaz Lebel Sir Galien Banforth is damned. He watched a demon drag his lord to Hell, and he knows heâs next. When war once again pulls him into a theater of pillage and butchery, Galien abandons the battlefield, and his knighthood, to find a way to repent. Fate is about to give it to him. The dark cult of Apollyon the Destroyer grows by the day, its adherents spreading a catastrophic sickness. Galien is about to find himself in a new war, against the apocalypse itself, and the demons that carry it on noxious wings. |
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Throne of Deceit by Richard Fierce Their royal parents assassinated, two young siblings are separated and hidden to protect their future and the future of their kingdom. Only when their adoptive families are murdered do they discover the truth of their heritage. Now it is time to reclaim what is theirs.But to do that, they will need an army â and magic. With many interested in their royal roots, they must decide who can be trusted ⌠and who is trying to kill them.Throne of Deceit is the first book in the series Dragons of Isentol, a tale of dragons, magic, and a growing rebellion against tyranny. |
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Path of the Warrior by Melissa Stone Ashrinn Chimekin is a Fugitive Recovery Agent tasked with helping the crew of the Shrike in their pursuit of the rogue Cult of Atraxia. When something goes horribly wrong during an infiltration attempt on the cultâs compound, Ashrinn and the crew find themselves on a strange, new world. Worse yet, the cultists made their way to this new world as well. Told that the capture of the cultists will lead them back home, the simple task becomes much harder when Ashrinn and the crew discover the cultists have allied themselves with the Darkriders, people who will stop at nothing to gain total control over their world. And making matters worse, the cultists have gained mysterious, dangerous magic powers... Ashrinn forges alliances with the Dragonlords, the force in opposition to the Darkriders, in hopes of stopping both the cultists and the Darkriders once and for all. As she fights, she finds herself getting closer to uncovering the mystery behind the black sword that appears when sheâs in dire need - and if it will affect her desire to return home. |
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The Fall Is All There Is by C.M. Caplan SPFBO9 SPSFC 2023 SPFBO Finalist All Petre Mercy wanted was a good old-fashioned dramatic exit from his life as a prince. But itâs been five years since he fled home on a cyborg horse. Now the Kingâhis Dadâis deadâand Petre has to decide which heir to pledge his thyroid-powered sword to. As the youngest in a set of quadruplets, heâs all too aware that the line of succession is murky. His siblings are on the precipice of power grabs, and each of them want him to pick their side. If Petre has any hope of preventing civil war, he'll have to avoid one sibling who wants to take him hostage, win back anotherâs trust after years of rivalry and resentment, and get an audience with a sister he's been avoiding for five years. Before he knows it, he's plunged himself into a web of intrigue and a world of strange, unnatural inventions just to get to her doorstep. Family reunions can be a special form of torture. |
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An unstoppable disease. A fanatical doctor. A nightmare obsession. As a deadly plague rips through Harriet's village, unexpected salvation arrives in Adam: the bright-eyed novice healer with a hidden gift, who vanishes as quickly as he came. Haunted by weird nightmares and a witch's dying words, Harriet seeks the truth about Adam and his mysterious home at Wolfern Priory. But the world of healers is changing. The royal doctor Lady Hawkes is on a quest to perfect humanity, with her miraculous and addictive new treatment: the Mordant Sleep. Swept along by dark rumours, guilty secrets and ancient powers, Harriet is drawn into the shadowy conflict between Mordancy and medicine, and finds that perfection can be deadlier than any plague. Mordicax is Book 1 in the Creatures of Flyn fantasy series. |
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Gates to Illvelion by A.R. Rathmann A strange adventure in a world beyond the edge of our own... When Lord Agravaine's daughter, Gwenhivar, tumbles over the edge of the forest and into the fairy realm, he will stop at nothing to save her. But his own life is threatened too, and it is Gwen who must save them both from the magic of the woods. As they face bewitchment and worse, Gwen and her father confront the dazzling Queen of Illvelion -- a woman once human who rules with terrible magic and the bitter sting of loss. Can the human child overcome her enemies and find the power to save her kin? Or will her enemies destroy her soul? |
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Angel from the Rust by Jason Link They say Earth was a place of wonders, where towers pierced the clouds, cities lit up the night, and flying machines streaked across the sky. It was magic. But the magic conjured the End War. Fire fell from the sky, and metal beasts leveled the cities. That was six hundred years ago. Now the ruins of the Ancient world are buried or overgrown. And the technology of the past is feared as forbidden magic. Corvala, a young musician on the run from the law, never intended on getting mixed up with history. But when a murderer falls from the heavens and sets himself up as a god, sheâs driven into the wilderness and discovers the secret of her bloodline: a code of immense power embedded in her DNA. The code could save thousandsâor plunge her into madness. To defeat the tyrannical false god, Corvala must do something more terrifying than confront the demons of Earthâs history. She must confront her own. |
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A band of medieval castaways is stranded in an Otherworld they first believe is paradise. However, they come to believe that a toxic tree fruit enhancing the beauty and power of their women is an offering by the devil. This âEveâs Appleâ eventually upsets the established patriarchic order. Over a millennium later, Howard and Julia tumble into this alien world as a couple settled comfortably in a relationship based on her supremely self-confident boyfriendâs need to take care of his insecure girlfriend. Civilization is now thriving there with absurdly powerful women due to an uncontrollable addiction to the refined extract of the tree fruit. Their relationships with the weaker male sex are generally based on some form of explicit or implicit domination. Men are mainly objects of their outsized erotic appetites or perform menial service. After a period of disorientation where the couple unsuccessfully attempts to extract themselves quickly from this upsetting situation to return to their previous comfortable lives, Julia is relentlessly tempted by her host to become like the women of this new world and eventually succumbs in an act of betrayal of Howard who reacts adversely to the breach of trust and begins to reject his girlfriend on account of jealousy and fear. Julia doesnât understand his problems as she considers the change to be a purely practical matter to protect themselves while they figure out how to leave this world. As Howard realizes the enormous magnitude of Juliaâs new abilities he withdraws ever more to the ongoing disappointment of Julia. In the wake of a relationship in crisis, Julia warms up to what the new world has to offer to women and begins to indulge. In the process, Julia realizes that something new inside her makes her prone to act and feel in ways that she would never have condoned before, and is deeply conflicted about that. Gradually she begins to see fault in Howard for this state of their affairs and prods him to adapt which he refuses to do despite several cathartic experiences he is subjected to. Eventually, she loses patience and lets her new nature break free after giving her boyfriend a debilitating taste of her power. |
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Born to a life of abandonment and servitude, Syl'Kara is confronted with a horror she could not have imagined. Still a child, by elven standards, she is ill-equipped to handle life on her own, but that will soon become the least of her worries. Faced with an enemy that it seems no one else can withstand, she is left with a simple choice: run and hope someone else can put an end to the terror, or take matters into her own hands, despite her crippling fear. |
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Platinum Tinted Darkness by Timothy Wolf The Kingdom of Boulom has been lost. The realms have already seen what happens when the Gods and their Harbingers are left unchecked. Destruction. Chaos. Death. The Gods can't be trusted. No one knows that better than David Williams, the Leader of the Guardians tasked to protect the Realm from the Gods and their powerful Harbingers ever since the fall of Boulom. Six Guardians take their pledge to leave the squabbles of the kingdoms behind and live only to stop the Harbingers and protect the Realms from the Gods. Serenna Morgan, a famed Crystal Mage and Guardian, struggles with the Guardian Pact when the Kingdom of Terrangus invades her home. She's supposed to stay out of it. But she can't. When she breaks her Oath and joins in the skirmish, she earns the favor of the God of Death when the conflict escalates to an all-out war. And he makes her an offer, one that'll make sure she'll never fail in her goals again. To become his Harbinger. To partake in the ecstasy of destruction. |
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The Betrayer: Tales of Pern Coen by Hannah E. Carey A broken warrior. An outcast king. And a darkness that threatens to destroy them both. Niall never imagined he would become king, nor did he ever imagine that he would be granted the abilities of a seer. His unnatural power, however, has proven to be no great gift, for it has already cost him the woman he loves and it threatens to cost him his kingship. His people already don't trust him and if they knew of his power, they would view him as nothing more than a monster. Niall's future looks grim, but a twist of fate returns Ciara to his life when he least expects it. He latches onto the hope of a different future, only to discover that things have changed while he has hidden away in his castle. When the man Ciara trusted the most disappeared, she turned to his brother, a man she never saw herself falling for. Bleddyn has shown Ciara that there is more to him than she first thought and she has carved out a life at his side, but things are unsettled on the island of Pern Coen. A dark power is stirring, one that hasn't been seen in decades. One man is at the center of the growing darkness, but is it the man that Ciara, and the people, think? Is Niall innocent or is he hiding more than just his powerful abilities? |
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Felix Chance: Volume One by j.e. pittman Luck is his greatest skill... Born on the last day to exist, Felix Chance roves the world untold. Mystery hounds his steps as he unlocks his secret past and seeks the love he left behind. What's real? What's not? Felix knows - more than he'll ever tell. A moose walks into a bar, Bigfoot's drunk it dry. And that fox over there? It's not. Fairy traps and pumpkin scraps, plus an immortal - or two - met on a stolen day. Step careful in the world awry as Chance guides your way. ...or be lost Felix Chance: Volume One gathers the first three arcs originally published on Kindle Vella. How? Why? When? Felix never knows, just that the implausible will happen -- By Chance. Press your luck in Game of Chance as Felix gets a letter that sends him on the road to Vegas for answers. And by some Strange Chance, Felix always finds himself at the wrong place at the right time. |
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For Evergreens and Aspen Trees by A. L. Lorensen War leaves neither man nor magic untouched. Tristan knows this truth all too well. The twenty-year war against the magic of the Ancient Races has stolen his family, his home, and his past. He clings to the only things left to him; a scar from a wound meant to kill him, a mysterious silver ring, and the name of the place where he was snatched from death. Stationed in Fort Lorate the past five years - the only years of his life he can remember â he has done nothing but wait for the day he can pursue the fragments of his life that must be somewhere on the kingdomâs battlegrounds. Secrets buried deep in Lorateâs roots unravel when an elven woman named Aspen infiltrates its walls, and Tristan's life is shattered in mere moments. Despite being on opposite sides of the bloody, bitter war, Tristan asks for her aid when his duties clash with his conscience. Trying to prevent Lorate from becoming a threat to her homeland and battling a private war within herself, Aspen has every reason to gut Tristan where he stands and be done with the matter. But she doesnât, to her eternal dismay. Together, Tristan and Aspen embark on a journey of memories, curses, monsters, and storms. Forces both mortal and magical combine against them, and their only hope of success is to rebel against the hatred woven by war and come together as one. For ever and always. For evergreens and aspen trees. |
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Twenty-year-old Maylee finds herself transported into a world by a book she finds in her grandmother's library, only to be kidnapped by a prince in hiding and his loyal chef upon arrival. The ultimate betrayal. Unexpected lust. A magical book that shows the future. A tiny creature with a big attitude. But that's not all she experiences while in the land of Kanore. An evil tyrant has murdered the prince's family in order to gain control over the country. Her new friends take her on some unfortunate adventures as she assists them on their journey to reclaim the throne. With the help of the book, she finds herself able to escape the most dire of situations. Even when the ink disappears, the story continues. |
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Soulstealer Origins by Reed Logan Westgate Every evil has an origin... In the Lord's year 1303, a holy order of knights faces the brink of extinction. Their holy crusade falters as a fiendish monster from beyond the mist decimates their numbers. In desperation, the Knights Templar dispatch a unit to find an ancient relic hoping to tip the scales in the battle against the forces of darkness. Sir Marcus Le'heroux bravely leads the knights into the Hungarian wilderness, but when the weapon he finds buried in the MĂĄtra Mountains turns out to be an awakened Soulstealer, he faces much more than he bargained for. Will the Order's new weapon prove to be more monster than man? Embark on the thrilling origin story of the death eater Oxivius Soulforge from the Baku Trilogy. Before being shaped by the Witch of Endor into the master of necromantic arts, he walked the earth as Soulstealer. A Baku-verse Novel |
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The Wayfarer by Zachary M. Kekac "Burying sorrow is like burying water; it simply seeps into the soil and up into everything that grows from it." ___ The Wayfarer stands on the rim of insanity. Forgetting everything. Everyone. He doesnât know when the forgetting began, but the Shadow does. A doppelganger wreathed in darkness; a figure only he can see; it claims to know both why he is losing his mind, and the way to restore it. Wary, desperate, with what seems no other way open to him, the Wayfarer submits himself to the Shadow, its warning compelling him forward: Move on. Or wither. As the Shadow leads the Wayfarer through sentient forests, the graveyards of dragons, and realms between realms, so too does it lead the way into his forgotten past, restoring fragments of memory throughout the journey. Only the memories are distorted, nightmarish. In them he sees his friends, his familyâdead. Impossible. His friends are alive, aiding him on his journey. His family is safe, awaiting his return. Disillusioned by these perversions of past, the Wayfarer decides the only way to salvation is within himself. Aided by a psychoactive mixture, he descends into his subconscious, seeking the truth of his unravelling mind, the memory of his madness' beginning. You are not ready. Though the Wayfarer can sense the truth lurking within the abyss of his subconscious, something in the Shadowâs words waylays him. Something in the Shadowâs words holds a truth of its own, warring with the truth within himself. Frustrated, fearful, his mind fraying at its seams, the Wayfarer stands now on the rim of a choice: to trust the Shadow, to hope on a foolâs hope that its way was the way to remedy; or to forsake it, to do as he willed and seek resolution his own way, knowing with the wisdom of a man prone to folly that it may very well be the way to ruin. |
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Building a bodyguard to kill your aristocratic nieceâs vengeful ex-husband should be easy for a witch. All you need is the right body and the right magic, and soon you have a mindless killer to do your bidding. Of course, it all depends on what the butler brings back from the cemetery. For Frances Stein, reanimating the dead is one thing, but convincing the corpse thereâs life after death is another. Finding out heâs neither mindless nor killer is something else entirely. Especially when heâs her last hope, because they both have a limited lifespan, and time is literally running out⌠Note: no lambs or werewolves were harmed during the making of this book. |
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Price of Innocence by Michelle Piper In an unconventional plot, Queen Aspera enlists four criminals to conceal her role in Sostenâs fall. If they donât bend the knee and give unyielding loyalty to her cruel reign, they forfeit their lives. However, when they steal an infant child in the night and destroy his family, they quickly realize how flimsy the queenâs justice is. The infant, Sonder, is the last known descendant of the Auza-Verndari, a blessing given by The Goddess of Stars. He becomes the queenâs ward to continue his fatherâs bloody legacy. Growing up alongside him is a Lorist Princess named Rhianwyn, similarly held captive. Despite the joy they find as children, they grow to realize theyâve become ensnared in her war against their lineages. Standing between them and Asperaâs ambitions is a man named Bran, the last living Black Knight of Old, once a protector of the Auza-Verndari, and Asperaâs right hand. When he discovers a sliver of the truth, he convinces the four to defy the queen to protect the children. But when the lines between who they were and who they can become in her shadow blur, their alliance frays. They grapple with what it means to be good when theyâre the villains bearing torches rewriting the kingdomâs history and concealing how deep the treachery goes. |
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The Darkness Calling by Joe Coates The Darkness Calling is a gritty, stylish, action-packed novel from start to finish. Populated with vividly portrayed characters, thrilling moments and plenty of dark humour, it is brilliantly written, and will keep you turning the pages far into the night. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, J.J Connelly, Ben Aaronovitch, Iain Banks and Warren Ellis. When a contract goes out on the head of a human-trafficker living in one of London's most exclusive suburbs, romantically deprived hitman, Archie Nyx, assumes it's just another day at the office. In a profession that usually comes with minimal moral high ground, being paid a hefty sum to expunge an excrescence like Andras Janos is as close to a good day at work as Archie gets. It's a nice thought, but when the hit goes south and the unexpected elements rear their heads, Archie must track down the mysterious client who seems to want more than just Janos dead. Beautiful but hard-boiled Detective Inspector Valentina Galanti is back at work at the Met after an accident that tore her life apart. Her old friend and boss, Detective Superintendent Jack McNeill, assigns Val to a brutal multiple homicide by way of a welcome back. Val embraces the carnage as a pleasing escape from the grief and fury that are threatening to overwhelm her. By chance, or so it seems, Archie and Val meet one afternoon. Lies and deceptions breed more lies and deceptions, with the assassin and copper having no idea that they are both working towards the middle of the same problem from opposite sides. Set in a near-future London not too dissimilar to the one we know, The Darkness Calling is a soft sci-fi novel that explores whether any silver lining can be found in the midst of a son's hatred for his father, a mother's heart-crushing grief, and the place where the bullets fly. |
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Out of the Grey by K.B. Sprague RAW survival. Forbidden weaponry. A quest to save mankind turns into an experiment gone wrong. â¨In the disaster-ravaged land of Theia, Lumen Hadamard walks the line. He must enforce the anti-tech treaty barring old-world devilry, lest Theia follow the same path of destruction that shattered ancient civilization. Yet, he must prepare for a pending war, one his people are not equipped to fight. Hadamard needs more than traditional weaponry at his disposal, so he ventures into the treaty's "grey areas" â dabbling in mystifying forces not known to exist when the treaty was written. But it's risky: the space-rippling striker weapons are not well understood and, if in the wrong hands, could be a recipe for disaster. Meanwhile, Hadamard's prized protĂŠgĂŠ, Vey Lancer, accepts a critical mission to Fort Abandon. Her talents of persuasion are needed to forge an alliance against a rival kingdom. But Vey has her own objectives in mind: time away from the crazed luminary with an eye towards romance involving the charming vice regent. But nothing ever goes as planned for the naĂŻve diplomat. Her people have a long history of meddling and not everyone is happy with the way things turned out. A chance encounter with a vengeful old shaman sets Vey on a twisted path of darkness â abducted, drugged and fighting for raw survival. Will Vey's mission allow Hadamard to work the kinks out of his prototypes before it's too late? Or will it spark an all-out war between neighboring territories? A war neither side can hope to win. A dark, gritty EPIC FANTASY filled with intrigue and adventure. |
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Of Thieves and Shadows by B. S. H. Garcia Some secrets are best left to the shadows. But shadows have a mind of their own. The ancient land of Quinaria teeters on the brink of war, as its most precious resource is unearthed and exploited. Three nations have maintained tenuous peace for centuries, but as the life-giving nevethium dwindles, rumors of an ancient evil long thought dead spread like wildfire. Elaysia never wanted to lead. As the high chieftainâs only surviving heir, sheâs thrust into a role that jeopardizes the already fragile peace. A deadly attack on the day of her induction strengthens her resolveâand her suspicion that her parentsâ murders and these disturbing rumors are connected. With newfound companions, she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth. But as they unravel layers of secrets, they find themselves in the clutches of a dictator whose unethical nevethium experimentation threatens to bring about a new world of terror and violence. Elaysia and her allies could be all that stands between war and a dying worldâif their conflicting ambitions donât destroy them first. |
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Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander After the murder of her parents, Liylah Flouwers becomes sole caretaker of her obstinate eleven-year-old sister, Rorah. Devastated and unable to help her sister cope with their tragedy, Liylah seeks out the mysterious dark arts to heal her pain. An accident with the magic transports Liylah to the surreal, nightmare world of Sojor, a place where mirrors tell no lies and Liylahâs own reflection proves to be the scariest thing of all. When the real world starts bleeding into Sojor, Liylah learns that her only hope to save herself and her sister might be her own darkness that lies within. |
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For the skin of humans might hide monsters. For black feathers might hide a heart as big as the sun. Once upon a time, far beyond the round forest and glass mountain, there was a black castle. Long forgotten, but forever waiting. Waiting for its king to return. Darven, bound to a human king by a curse, heads a Black Army of fifty raven men. Kort, his lover, and his captain, is his mate and forever companion. Izolda, the human kingâs wife, fears her husband and is desperate for love. Dangers lurk as creatures, thirsty for blood, fight to end human tyranny over the land. Trapped by the curse, Darven has no choice but to spy for his king, and fight by his side when his enemies attack. But not all is what it seemsâsoon, a discovery about his past and his heritage will flip Darvenâs world upside down. And the love he and Kort share has to be deep enough to give space for another to join them, and strong enough to survive the grief which comes from new knowledge of a brutal past. A talking sword, a sentient forest, a necromancer, and an old spell book all play their parts as the drama unfolds. Maybe a new life can be born out of hate. Maybe three hearts can beat as one. |
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A Quiet Vengeance by Tim Hardie Nimsah is an abandoned child living on the streets of Bengarath, surviving on her wits as part of a criminal gang in the City of Tents, home to the dispossessed. Dojan is the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Fujareen, enjoying a life of luxury in Bengarath Palace. Their lives are brought together as the threat of war looms in the neighbouring city state of Kandarah. However, Dojan and Nimsah share a secret, one that will set in motion a chain of events leading to vengeance. |
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A feast will come, of carrion all⌠Kenrig Ebermann has devoted her life to the pursuit of the unquiet dead, but when a chance encounter draws her into a bargain with the otherworldly Unseelie she faces a threat unlike any other. The dread spectres torment the living and the dead alike, and their presence heralds misfortune across the disparate Marches. Aided by her apprentice Dandall she must find a way to free innocent souls from the Unseelieâs strange feast, but Dandall is reeling from grief and his presence might just doom them both. Unknown to him, Dandall is the subject of prophecy and Kenrig is forced to question the tenuous trust between them. The veil between life and death draws thin. The shadow of the Otherworld falls across a divided land. |
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Vevin Song by Jonathan Neves Mayers Years have passed since hostile creatures flew down from the sky and forced humanity to fight or flee. Now, the surviving humans live in underwater cocoons, knowing that the world above does not belong to them anymore. Marla Hightower is just getting by with a job she loathes in a cocoon, longing for something more fulfilling after a rough start to life. But things change as she begins to develop unusual abilities not unlike the winged creatures who invaded her world. Knowing that being discovered will result in her being experimented on and placed in confinement, Marla plans to escape from the cocoon and launch up to the surface, beginning her dangerous journey to uncover not only her origins, but those of humanity's enemies. |
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Fifty-nine nights of peace. One night of terror. This sequence has repeated itself since before history was recorded on the scrolls. Galenâs life is ruled by the cyclic attacks of the Harvesters, the twisted, vampiric creatures of the night who can only be seen by the children they hunt. In order to stay unharmed, he, along with the other children, must rely on their own wits and the mystical sap gathered from the Grove Trees. Much as they try, their parents can offer little protection. For as a child matures, the Harvesters become invisible to their eyes. After a Harvester breaches the protective barrier around the house and wreaks havoc on the family within, Galen vows revenge on the monsters. His father, devastated by the attack and repulsed by the discovery that his son can Channel magic, sells Galen to the most powerful family in the town to serve as a decoy for their own prize heir. Here, Galenâs true potential is recognized, and he is sent to The Spire for formal training. It is within these walls that he learns an invaluable lesson: Danger does not always wait for darkness to emerge. Faced with the challenges of his new life, and with the time before the Harvesters fade from his sight drawing near, Galen must use every bit of his knowledge to make good on his oath of vengeance while struggling not to lose himself in the process. |
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The Certainty of Blood by Tim Frankovich Nothing is certain under the moon's gaze, save blood.â¨â¨When Aldan discovers the power to burn someoneâs blood, he is taken from his family, branded, and sold into slavery as an arena fighter. A painful life and an early death are all he can expect, until he listens to a supernatural voice coming from his own blood. Taking her advice, he uses his power to become the greatest arena fighter of the age, fighting year after year with one goal in mind. If he can purchase his own freedom, maybe a normal life with the woman he loves is possible. And now, he needs to win only one more fight⌠against a rebel leader who people are calling âthe chosen one.â From the grueling training grounds where boys learn to kill, to the luxuries of the sinister Hawk Kingâs palace, Aldanâs whole life has led inexorably to this one day. This one fight. The king holds everything Aldan cares about. All he has to do is kill this final opponent. But love and friendship demand a different outcome. The choice is not as easy as it first appeared⌠Gladiator meets The Name of the Wind in this mesmerizing tale of blood, glory, magic, and love. |
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Kill Your Darlings by L.E. Harper "INKHEART meets INCEPTION in this allegorical masterpiece." Fantasy author Kyla knows dreams don't come true. Isolated and grappling with debilitating depression, she copes by writing about the realm of Solera. Fearless heroes, feisty shapeshifters, and mighty dragons come alive on her pages. She adores her characters, but she doesn't believe in happy endings. And if she can't have one, why should they? Kyla's on the verge of giving up on everything when she wakes one morning, magically trapped in her fictional world. Now she's with her most cherished characters: the friends she's always yearned for, the family she's never known. There's even someone who might be Prince Charming (if Kyla could get her act together and manage some honest communication). She'd surrender to the halcyon fantasy, except she knows a nightmarish ending awaits. Solera is at war, and its defenders are losing against the insidious villain spawned in the depths of Kyla's mind. He feeds on the energy of dreams, seeks the destruction of all who oppose him-and Kyla's become his number one target. Kyla must trade her pen for a sword and fight to change her story's ending, but this isn't a fantasy anymore. No happily-ever-after is guaranteed. And mental illness has robbed her of everything she needs to succeed: love, fighting spirit, hope. If Kyla can't overcome the darkness inside her, she'll die with her darlings. CONTENT WARNINGS: Depictions of mental illness including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. |
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The Last Dai'akan by Jeremy Miller An angry, blood-sucking god and a broke, desperate dungeon master. What could possibly go wrong? The mighty Aatma has fallen, and Empress Inalda has lost her main supplier and is forced to sponsor new dungeons to fuel her armyâs expansion. Gabriel Shook intends to rise to the occasion, but he is broke and must buy second-hand minions from a consignment store to defend his new dungeon. All he can afford is a half-skeleton, rat, and cursed zombie. Half a world away, Talia lives in paradise, but a betrayal threatens her way of life and sets a collision of destinies into motion. What will happen when her god awakens and the otai flows? Can they both survive the machinations of the Empress and the guilds? |