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Book two of Magic Born

In 2066, the Magic Born are segregated in urban reservations. The laws do not protect them, or their allies.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Marsden is a powerful player in New Corinth politics, but a closely guarded secret could destroy her life--she's a hidden Magic Born. Her family has gone to great lengths to erase all her magic-related records, until a trancehacking outlaw discovers the last remaining one...

Vadim Bazarov smuggles Magic Borns through the underground railroad and threatens to reveal Elizabeth's secret unless she helps him access blank ID cards. Elizabeth wants to hate him for having a stranglehold on her life, but can't help being attracted to someone so sure of who and what he is.

Vadim initially sees her as a political ice queen, but is intrigued by her suppressed magical abilities. He trains Elizabeth to use her magic, and before long finds himself falling for her. But their newfound love may be shortlived; an anti-magic ordinance forces one of them to make a choice that will change both their lives for good.

For more information about the series, click here.

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The final book (5) of the Wicked Warrens series. 

Rex Samson is at the top of his game. His business is booming, his family loves him, and there’s not a woman—or man—he can’t charm. Until he meets Natalie Wielder, a tough-as-nails city planner who doesn’t fall at his feet. She’s firm, sexy, and exactly what he needs. A woman to put him in his place.

Nat has better things to do than play with the mayor’s golden boy, but orders are orders, and she accompanies him to a mandatory social function. To her shock, she thoroughly enjoys herself…and breaks rule number one—No dating the enemy.

Rex is charming, sexy, and fun to be around. Even a brief encounter with a sexy stranger can’t put her off memories of Rex’s smile. Except her sexy stranger and Rex turn out to be the same man. Now her secrets are exposed, his are shockingly arousing, and her policy on not mixing business and pleasure—rule number two—has gone by the wayside.

What else can she do but say yes when Rex has no problem letting her take the lead in bed? Before long, she knows she can’t live without him. But Rex’s kinky proclivities mirror hers—neither of which are good for her career. Loving him might mean losing what she’s worked so hard to attain. But soon she’ll have to figure out what’s important in life. Her rules, or love?

Get it today!

Books on Sale

An Elemental Tail is free at the moment! Four hundred years ago, Nik was tricked by his lover and left stranded as a powerless, but immortal, human. Now he craves only one thing: to reclaim the book that was once his tail and become a water Elemental again. Unfortunately, he can only locate the book when someone touches the pages. This time he won't be left high and dry. Isla is left a beautiful leather-bound book in her great-aunt's will, perfect for using during her life drawing classes. However, she can't bring herself to mark the translucent pages until a compelling crimson-haired stranger strips for art. Nik is torn. Years of enforced humanity have given him a conscience. Despite his best efforts at remaining a heartless water Elemental, he is failing. He is falling for Isla, who has no idea she holds the power of the oceans, and his heart, in her hands.

Smashwords | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | All Romance ebooks

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Kendis Thompson of Seattle thinks she's as normal as the next computer geek, and up till now, she's been right. But her world is about to turn on its ear, for she is the daughter of a Seelie Court mage and her mortal husband--and her faerie blood is awakening. Suddenly the city she's known all her life is transforming before her eyes. Trolls haunt the bike trails. Fairies and goblins run loose in the streets. An old woman who is not what she seems and a young wanderer running from his past stand ready to defend Seattle--and Kendis--from magical assault. She will need those allies, for the power rising within her is calling her fey kin to the Emerald City to find her. And kill her.

Faerie Blood was originally published by Drollerie Press in 2009. This new second edition has been updated by the author, and includes new cover art and design.

Only 99 cents!

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Two short stories in the Ravensblood universe. Preservation in Time of War-- at the end of the Mage Wars, a disillusioned Guardian saves one precious thing from the destruction of a dark mage's home. Unkindness of Ravens-- a tale of apprenticeship, love and betrayal. Plus a special bonus-- the first three chapters of the novel Ravensblood! The author's debut novel, The Stolen Luck, won a silver medal in the Global E Book Awards and is currently a finalist for an Eppie.

Free!

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Guild-trained weaver Ily is furious her rival Kal, a smug yet wickedly sexy rug merchant, outsells her at every turn. She knows her magically crafted rugs are far superior to anything he can produce, but can't compete with his charming personality.

When Kal fixes his lusty attentions on Ily, she is reluctantly aroused by his interest. She knows he desires her and against her better judgment, she wants him too. A chance encounter leads her to make him a scandalous offer: her body in exchange for enough money to leave the city. She sees their time together as a temporary erotic adventure…until Kal reveals that what he truly wants from Ily is more personal—and more dangerous—than bed play. And she must choose between taking her chance at a new life or risking it all for a man she never meant to love.

Only .99!

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Montana police chief Skip Walkins is hot on the trail of a murder suspect when he witnesses a drifter free the Lord of the Underworld. Seventeen years ago, five knights from Earth's magical twin, Theia, entombed Asmodeous the Pale, Lord of the Drynn, in Skip's town. Now that the dark god is free again, he's anxious to get back home and finish the war he began…to enslave all life. It begins with killing the knights who trapped him.

Deprived of their magic, the knights fight back using whatever they can get their hands on, from samurai swords to assault rifles. Skip gets reluctantly drawn in to their struggle while Donovan Smith, the demi-god murderer whom Skip was after in the first place, plots to find the Lord of the Underworld and butcher him on his own.

Together, these unlikely heroes might just save the world. If they don't kill each other first.

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The job was simple: decapitate the zombie, get paid, get out. Warlock Marcus Shifter followed the plan perfectly.

The corpse, however, did not.

Now there's a body on the loose, accusations of illegal necromancy are flying, and the answers are waiting in the perilous alleys between the mortal and paranormal worlds. They're no place for someone who gave up magic after a childhood accident. And given his tendency to shoot off his mouth and his Glock, Marcus is having a hell of a time digging up more than just bodies.

But when an apocalypse-minded megalomaniac threatens Marcus's family, things get personal. Marcus will have to embrace the magic he's been avoiding for years—and even that might not be enough to save the world from a hellish demise.

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This is no fairy tale...

Haunted by nightmares of a black dog, sick to death of my mind-numbing career and heart-numbing fiance, I impulsively walked out of my life--and fell into Faerie. Terrified, fascinated, I discover I possess a power I can't control: my wishes come true. After an all-too-real attack by the animal from my dreams, I wake to find myself the captive of the seductive and ruthless fae lord Rogue. In return for my rescue, he demands an extravagant price--my firstborn child, which he intends to sire himself...

With no hope of escaping this world, I must learn to harness my magic and build a new life despite the perils--including my own inexplicable and debilitating desire for Rogue. I swear I will never submit to his demands, no matter what erotic torment he subjects me to...

Only .99!

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It’s 2065. Those born with magic abilities live in government-run zones, without rights or freedoms. Fear of magic created this segregated world and fear keeps it intact.

A high-profile murder brings Detective Nathan Perez to Magic Born Zone 13. He’s had little experience with the Magic Born and isn’t sure what to expect during his first encounter with a witch, but he never thought he’d be so drawn to her.

Trancehacker Calla Vesper uses magic to break into computers and aid the Magic Born underground. She has no interest in helping a cop, even if he is smoking-hot, but money’s tight and Nate offers a tidy amount for help navigating the Zone. Calla’s determined to keep it all business, but sparks start flying before the investigation even gets started.

When Calla’s trancehacking and Nathan’s investigation uncover a conspiracy, Calla becomes a target. Nate can protect her by keeping her role a secret—but then who will protect Nate?

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The Rook

An assassin hired by vengeful elven rebels to kill the calculating Duke of Shalridan, Julian walks into a trap and barely escapes with his life. Healed by a beautiful captive in the dungeons, he's enthralled and vows to free her from the duke's clutches.

The Hawk

A Knight of the Hawk duty-bound to cleanse elven magic from Adalonia, Kestar has a secret--and heretical--ability to sense the use of magic from afar. He knows something suspicious is happening in the duke's keep, but he has no idea how deep the conspiracy goes.

The Dove

A half-elven healer with no control over her magic, Faanshi is the goddess's to command. She's always been a pawn of the powerful, but after healing two mysterious and very different men, she faces a choice that may decide the fate of the whole kingdom...

Book one in the Rebels of Adalonia

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Belinda Danvers isn't a witch. But that won't stop them burning her at the stake…

Connor McKay can tell at a glance that Belinda's magickal powers are minimal at best. She can't be guilty of murdering village children. There's something suspicious about her arrest and lightning-quick sentence. Unfortunately, telling anyone how he knows would mean revealing his own powers. He's been sent by the Order of the Round Table to help and he can't just let her die.

Escaping from jail and running from vindictive villagers in her grandfather's steam-powered caravan is more excitement than Belinda's had in years. And despite the danger—or maybe because of it—she loves the time spent with her sexy rescuer. But there's more to his magick than he's letting on…

There's something going on that's bigger than the two of them. It's time for good to make a stand.

Only .99!

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After her grandfather's death, Sara inherits an ancient pendant and a near-impossible quest—master the mysterious pendant's source of magic. Driven to do so, she must find the other two stones of power, long considered lost, while preventing an unknown enemy from finding her first.

Unprepared and alone, she travels to where the keepers of the stones, the Siobani, were last seen. Along the way she meets Tobar, leader of the nomadic Heleini tribe. As Sara wrestles with feelings for this intriguing man, she is also invigorated with her grandfather's passion to find the ancient Siobani race.

After a rival tribe kidnaps Tobar's son and heir, Sara must harness the stone's healing magic to unite the tribes and save the boy. But as the dark power stalking her gains ground, will she continue on her quest to reach the Siobani or risk everything to save the warring tribes from eliminating each other?

Only .99!

Badass Beta Boys Men

Science-fiction and Fantasy literature is rife with alpha males, but I have a confession to make. I love beta men. There's a reason "alphahole" has become a concept in fiction. Alphas can be a lot of drama to handle with their arrogance and habit of steamrolling over everyone in their path. Betas can have the same strong wills and desires, but they don't feel the need to shove it on everyone else. Here are my top reasons why betas deserve an equal place in romantic (and other) fiction.

Betas...

1. ...make good partners. They have beliefs, desires, and plans--but if what they want doesn't mesh with what you want, they're willing to find a compromise. "My way or the highway" will never be a beta mantra.
2. ...don't look down on anyone for having a different opinion. They try to consider multiple points of view and, while you may not change their minds, at least they're willing to listen.
3. ...are kind and thoughtful. Their empathy means they make a point of finding out what is important to the people they care about, and a good beta will follow through to make other people happy and comfortable. (Alphas can be sweet, too, but it's more an exception than the rule.)
4. ...use sugar instead of force to get their way. Betas can be just as adamant in their beliefs or desires as an alpha, but you'll never see them forces themselves on anyone using brute force attacks of money, strength, or power. Betas convince others using intelligence, kindness, and finesse 
5. ...want you to be happy your way, not force their vision of happiness on you. And that is the best kind of love!

In Toxic Love, my new pick-your-path science-fiction romance, Chloe just broke up with an alpha and is about to meet Nick--a beta who's perfect for her! But in the insanity of post-atoxalyptic Las Vegas love never runs smoothly. Choose your own way through the story to see if you can find true love for Chloe and Nick--or get lost in the glamour of Vegas. Available now on SilkWords.com or coming soon for Kindle!

What about you? Do you like your book men alpha, beta, or some of both?

Autobiographical passages in fiction

My work-in-progress, Storywalker, is a YA epic fantasy novel about a teenaged girl called Molly who, despite suffering from the chronic illness myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is able to enter books and engage with characters, first as an observer then later as a heroine.

I too have ME. I've had it for 23 years, actually, but although I've been writing for most of that time it's only now that I feel qualified to write a main character who has ME and manage not to make the story all about the fact that she has ME.

So Storywalker will be autobiographical, in that I'm a writer with ME writing a character who has ME, and this is the first time I've done it. The first time I've done it openly, anyway.

I did it once before, but not openly. In my first ever published book, Beauty and the Bastard, my hero Saul is a fallen angel whose sentence on Earth includes him being imprisoned in stone whenever the sun is up. Every evening, when he falls free from the stone, he suffers terrible muscle cramps until his circulation gets going again. Here he is:

The pain started when the sun went down. Saul had trained himself to deny its inevitability, day by day, so he could enjoy those few moments when the sun's sinking glory almost touched him, when warm light filled his eyes and he almost remembered how that felt. But always, as soon as the final golden glint winked out, the pain consumed him. He felt that. He definitely felt that. 

Sometimes, tired and jaded and unwilling to face the daily workout, he tried to stay in the stone. He couldn't. The pain only increased until it hit screaming pitch and forced him to push free and fall to the ground, gasping and writhing in agony. 

Muscle cramps were the most immediate and severe pain, especially in the big muscles of his arms and legs, but they were also the ones he could deal with most easily through a combination of stretches and a good lick of salt on his tongue from the little bag in his coat pocket. 

Less acute, but longer to throw off, were the dull hammering headache and the pins and needles. And the headache always got worse while he drank bottled water and exercised his sluggish circulation back to life. Only when everything else was working properly and he could relax enough to breathe deeply, did the brain pain start to retreat. He'd perfected this routine a lifetime ago, but the ordeal had never gotten any easier.

As far as I'm aware, only a few people who are close to me recognised that as my own wake-up condition. ;)

So, over to you. Have you ever written an autobiographical passage in your fiction? Have you ever recognised one in a book you've read?

David Bridger blogs here, tumblrs here, and tweets here.

Win-A-Book Wednesday with...AJ Larrieu!

A.J. Larrieu

A.J. Larrieu was born and raised in Louisiana, and yes, she really did have an alligator in her back yard growing up. It was a small one. She spent most of her summers knee deep in the mud exploring the swamps or nose deep in a book exploring other worlds, so it's no surprise she grew up to be a biologist moonlighting as an urban fantasy author. These days, she lives in San Francisco with her husband and son, and even though she's been in the Bay Area for over a decade, she still misses those pounding Gulf Coast thunderstorms. 

Twisted Miracles

Twisted Miracles is the first book in my sexy urban fantasy series, The Shadowminds. The second book, Dangerous Calling, comes out on August 18th, so here's a chance to win a copy of Twisted before Dangerous releases!


More about Twisted Miracles:

Cass Weatherfield's powers come with a deadly price.

Cass knows it was her telekinetic gift that killed a college classmate five years back, even if no one else believes her. She's lived in hiding from her fellow shadowminds ever since, plagued by guilt and suppressing her abilities with sedatives. Until the night her past walks back into her life in the form of sexy Shane Tanner, the ex-boyfriend who trained her...and the one she left without saying goodbye.

When Shane tells her that his twin sister, Mina—Cass's childhood friend—is missing, Cass vows to help, which means returning to New Orleans to use her dangerous skills in the search. But finding Mina only leads to darker questions. As Cass and Shane race to learn who is targeting shadowminds, they find themselves drawn to each other, body and soul. Just as their powerful intimacy reignites, events take a terrifying turn, and Cass realizes that to save the people she loves, she must embrace the powers that ruined her life.

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A Few Favorite Fantasy TV Shows and Movies

Over at USA Today Happily Ever After blog I'm interviewing other science fiction and fantasy authors about their favorite scifi TV shows and movies. Since it was my day to blog here, I thought I'd talk about some of my favorites in the fantasy genre.

Let's just start with Lord of the Rings and get that out of the way because I think the Peter Jackson movies are going to remain at the top of my list for a very long time. I was most fascinated by the elves, especially Elrond and his home in Rivendell. I'd go there in a flash! Aragorn, perfectly portrayed by Viggo Mortensen, Eomer perfectly portrayed by Karl Urban....why exactly wasn't there more of him in the movies???  One of my favorite small moments is when the White Tree in Gondor puts forth a single white flower because Aragorn is going to be king.

Moving from the epic scale, I really like Jumanji. There's something intriguing about a game coming to life - actually getting bigger than life. I really enjoyed the relationship between the Robin Williams character  "Alan" and Bonnie Hunt's "Sarah". The big flood-in-the-house scene is one of my favorites (not just because there's a crocodile). I love the ending, when Alan and Sarah meet with the two modern day kids again, under very different circumstances.

 I liked the old "Jason and the Argonauts," especially the scenes on Mount Olympus and the way the goddess Hera could talk to Jason through the figurehead of his ship...

As far as TV shows, I got totally addicted to "Charmed."

Something about the show really grabbed me and I watched it every day when it was syndicated on some local channel. I think - having no sisters myself - I loved the idea of the way the sisters interacted and took care of each other and yes, had their spats. I was very invested in the romance between Whitelighter Leo and Piper and I appreciated that the series evolved over the eight years. I also enjoyed the fact that there was a final episode and many of the plot threads were tied up for us faithful viewers!

I think I fell into reading Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters series because it had some of the same feel as "Charmed." I did enjoy that series very much, although it gets pretty dark as the books go on and I wasn't necessarily sold on all the Prakenskii brothers showing up as needed all the time.  I loved "Water Bound," the first novel in the continuation series, also set in the town of Sea Haven. The heroine Rikki is somewhere on the autistic spectrum and I was impressed by the way the hero adapts himself to her lifestyle.   Haven't been as enthralled by the next two books in the series because reasons... but I did love the first one.

So what are some of your favorite fantasy movies or TV shows?

Looking for Good Fantasy Romance

Last week, I read Jeffe Kennedy’s Mark of the Tala and Rogue’s Paradise and I loved them both. Jeffe writes in a sweet spot for me, a combination of steamy romance and complex fantasy. It’s a combination that’s sadly difficult to find so I’m hoping you guys can help me out with some recommendations.

Other fantasy romances I’ve recently enjoyed include…

Janine Ashbless - The King’s Viper
What I liked best about this one is that the hero’s thoughts and motivations are obscure through much of the story with a big emotional reveal at the end. I’m a particular fan of that kind of antihero/hero tension so if you have any recs for books with darker heroes, let me have ‘em.

Grace Draven – Entreat Me
This one's a beauty and the beast retelling. I think I still prefer Draven’s Master of Crows, but Entreat Me is definitely a solid story with excellent writing, interesting characters and a nice, slow build romance.

And… well, that’s it really. I’ve tried about a half dozen others over the past few months that didn’t work for me. You’ll notice my fantasy preferences fall on the side of the historical and more realistic, but I can get behind sorcerers and dragons if you have recommendations for something more fantastical.

I’ve been eyeing this one but the sample didn't completely grab me. Have you read it?

Eleri Stone

www.eleristone.com

Accidental Gender Swapping in Fantasy

One of the very best parts of having a book release is that the story is finally, finally, finally, out in the world. Which means people talk to you about it. It's a funny thing, because when you're writing a book, it's just you and the story for such a very long time. Then gradually more people start participating, in graduating circles - critique partners, beta readers, agent, editor, production people, reviewers - and then it explodes into the entire readerverse.

This is what's happened since THE MARK OF THE TALA released a few weeks ago.

Each expanding circle brings new ideas. My CPs tend to think a lot like I do. My agent IS my agent because she gets me. My editor bought the book because he gets me. By the time I hit the larger readerverse, the story is read by people who are not already on my team, so the feedback gets really interesting.

One of the most interesting so far is from a guy, who is also an internet friend/acquaintance. He really liked the book (yay!) and then he asked: Will there be any men in positions of power besides Rayfe (the hero of this book) who are not corrupt and basically complete shits.

The question took me aback. I'd never looked at the book - or the series - from that lens.

And I cast over the characters and events in my head, because I've been through edits on book 2, THE TEARS OF THE ROSE, and just finished book 3, THE TALON OF THE HAWK, and.... well, pretty much no. Really no other admirable men in positions of power. Plenty of wonderful men, just not in charge.

Totally not planned.

I half found it funny. Was also half chagrined.

So I mentioned it to my production editor at my publisher. She's one of those who came in on a later, larger circle. She first read the book after it came to her for copy edits. And she took the time to email me (this does not happen often) to say how much she loved THE MARK OF THE TALA. She's one of those fantasy readers who ritually rereads Tolkein's THE LORD OF THE RINGS every year. She's smart, insightful and has a major love of fantasy. So, we were emailing about her edits on THE TEARS OF THE ROSE, and how she loved it Even More (yay!), and I told her about this guy's question and how I felt slightly chagrined about it.

This is what she said: I think it’s just freaking great that there’s no uh, male power in these books. There’s plenty of that in the real world. And in the rest of fiction. And movies and all other art forms. 

And I thought, you know, she's right. I didn't plan it that way, but this emerged from my world view, a story about three princesses, daughters of the High King, and how THEY deal with power.

It is just freaking great.

Win A Book Wednesday MAGIC OF THE NILE

Veronica Scott

Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily Ever After blog,  Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.

The standalone sequel to Priestess of the Nile, which was my first published book and my first Carina Press title…Magic picks up about fifteen years later and tells the tale of Tyema, who was the younger sister in Priestess…

After a childhood spent scorned and ignored by her family because of her crippled foot, Tyema was magically healed then installed as the High Priestess of his temple by Sobek the Crocodile God. But Tyema is still haunted by her memories, scarred by the abuse she endured. Despite Sobek’s protection, as an adult she’s become a near recluse inside the temple grounds…

 Until Captain Sahure arrives in her remote town, sent from Thebes on an urgent mission for Pharaoh, requiring High Priestess Tyema’s help. From that moment on, her quiet, safe life is upended in ways she never could have expected.

 But after a whirlwind romance with Sahure, the two part as Pharaoh orders him to undertake another assignment on Egypt’s dangerous frontier, far from Tyema’s remote town.

 Heart-broken, Tyema is ready to return to her life of loneliness, official duties and, now, regret. But the Crocodile God has other plans for his priestess: she must uncover the sorcerer who threatens Pharaoh’s life with black magic. Soon enough, Tyema finds herself thrown into the chaos of Pharoah’s court, neck deep in intrigue and danger. Just when she thinks she can’t take the pressures of a very public court life and her secret investigation for the Crocodile God any longer, Sahure re-enters the scene.

 But is her former love there to help or to hinder? Can they resolve their differences and work together to find the dark sorcerer who threatens Pharaoh and Egypt? Will the love between a proud warrior and a shy priestess lead them to a future together?

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The Other Kind of Scary Story

Confession: I cry through 98% of movies I watch. I’m not ashamed of this, though oddly I’m not much of a crier outside of entertainment. Slightly more shameful is the fact that I cried through of the 100% of cotton commercials, before they switched to that campaign with celebrities singing through their closets. I also cried over the preview for Air Force One. You know, that super emotional movie about Russian master criminal Gary Oldman taking President Harrison Ford’s ride hostage? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. What got me was when pilot of one of the fighter jets escorting Air Force One flew in front of a missile so that President Harrison Ford wouldn't be shot down, which I get because Harrison Ford. But also because of sacrifice, which gets me right in the feely-feels. My sister made me leave the theater until I calmed down, which I did. I then promptly started crying over the movie we were there to watch, the name of which I don’t remember.

I also cry while reading books – I know, shocker! Because I like to read on planes, I tend to upset random seatmates who have generously offered me everything from an understanding ear to tissues to valium. After which I have to explain that there’s nothing wrong with me, it’s these characters, see? WHAT’S TO BECOME OF THEM? And then they look uncomfortable or disgusted and tell me it’s just fiction.

Just fiction. The nerve.

So this is what happens when I read normal books. Sci Fi Romance. Epic Fantasy. Mysteries set in 1970’s Ireland. Frickin’ Vince Flynn books. Horse and Tack magazines with feel-good stories of the pony that didn’t have to be taken out back and shot. Which reminds me: remember the children’s story Black Beauty? About the horse that is forced to toil in poverty while watching other impoverished horses being worked to death? WHY IS THAT A CHILDREN’S BOOK?

Anyway, the reason for this confession (and rant on horrific children’s books) is that I have in my tbr (to be read) stack a few books that I’m actually afraid to read. I either know enough about the stories or have seen the flail before people’s hidden, spoilery reviews to know that these stories are going to end with me being rehydrated on an IV after I cry myself into a hospital admission. (This hasn’t happened yet, but I’m fairly certain it’s possible)

The books are as follows:

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch – The story of two sisters hidden by their drug-addicted mother from their family and, basically, anyone who could help them. I’ve already started this novel a couple of times, and while it gripped me from the first few paragraphs, I just know that its lows are going to be low. I'm planning to take time off from work later in the year to read and recover.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai – I assume my concerns are self-explanatory. This is a story of extreme bravery and sacrifice, and while it currently has a happy ending, the happy isn’t a sure thing for all people.

  

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews – Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors currently writing, from the urban fantasy Kate Daniels series to short, complex The Edge series, to her fun Clean Sweep books. The wife and husband writing team are creative and funny as hell, but as the books have advanced, they’ve created some intensely emotional moments. And these moments tend to sneak up on a reader. The books are quickly-paced and the characters are proactive. Nobody’s prone to living inside their own head or wallowing in angst. There are challenges and monsters around every corner and, just when you’re braced for another brawl, something happens that tears a piece of your heart out. And, as Kate allows herself to connect to more people, and as her identity becomes known, the stakes are getting higher. I will pick this book up the day it comes out, but I’m braced. I’ll read it in a fortress on high ground, with a pallet of tissues at the ready.

What jerks your tears, gentle reader? Are their certain situations, certain authors, certain characters? Are there any books you’re afraid of?

About the Author

Regan Summers lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband and alien-monkey hybrid of a child. She is a huge fan of the low profile. She likes books, bad action movies, small plate dining, Corporal Hicks, some aspects of pre-revolutionary France, most aspects of current Italy, and books.

Her Night Runner series, including Don’t Bite the Messenger and Running in the Dark, is available wherever e-books are sold. One Night in Wichita, an urban fantasy short story set in the 1920s, throwing a WWI veteran and lethal ingénue together in a feud between vampires and bootleggers, is currently free on Wattpad, HERE.

Website  -  Twitter  -  Facebook  -  Amazon  -  Barnes & Noble  -  Carina Press

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Free Read

Wichita, 1920s - Jake Mathisen survived the Great War only to return home to find there's little work for a pilot and, worse, the vampires of Europe have been emigrating to the States. Working for bootlegger Toliver Cain means good money, access to a sterling airplane, and enough free hooch that he doesn't have to think too much about the past. Until Cain dispatches him to drive Miss Vera Avery to a vampire house.

The one job that Jake regrets, and the one that Cain uses to keep him close, involved the death of Vera Avery's father. And while Vera plays the wide-eyed ingenue, there's something hard inside of her. Could the blonde with the bright smile be as lethal as the vampires Jake's taking her to face and, if so, what's going to happen when she finds out what Jake's done?

Read this serial short story for free on Wattpad

 

New in Print

A Monster Haven Story, book one

I stopped believing in monsters long ago. But I knew I wasn't imagining things when I found one in my kitchen baking muffins. I'd seen him before: lurking in my closet, scaring the crap out of my five-year-old self. Turns out that was a misunderstanding, and now Maurice needs a place to stay. How could I say no?

After all, I've always been a magnet for the emotionally needy, and not just in my work as a wedding planner. Being able to sense the feelings of others can be a major pain. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people--and non-people. But this ability has turned me into a gourmet feast for an incubus, a demon that feeds off emotional energy. Now, brides are dropping dead all over town, and my home has become a safe house for the supernatural. I must learn to focus my powers and defeat the demon before he snacks on another innocent woman and comes looking for the main course...

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Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.

Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess.

When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...

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An estranged mate, a mangled body and a powerful demon who calls her by name…

As a Realm Walker for the Agency, Juliana Norris tracks deadly paranormal quarry using her unique ability to see magical signatures. She excels at her job, but her friends worry about her mysterious habit of dying in the line of duty without staying dead. That's only the first of her secrets.

Most people don't know Juliana became the mate of master vampire Thomas Kendrick before he abandoned her seven years ago. Most people don't know the horrors she endured at the hands of the vampire he left in command. Most people don't know her true parentage, or why a demon on a world-threatening rampage has taken a personal interest in her…

Even as Juliana pursues the demon, it goes after all she holds dear—including Thomas, who is back to claim her for his own. But if she can't reconcile her past and learn to trust herself again, she will lose him forever.

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Kathleen also has an open Goodreads giveaway for a signed print copy. https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/96400-realm-walker

New in Ebook

A MAJOR SEDUCTION, book 2 in the Good to Go trilogy

Major Mike Cava has done his best not to see Maria Thompson as anything but his baby sister’s best friend. Not an easy feat when Maria’s done her best to throw herself at him for years.Except in the two years since he’s seen her last, Maria has grown way up.But now that he’s really seeing her, she isn’t seeing him.

Maria spent the past fourteen years mooning over a man who never saw her as anything but a little girl, and she’s done. Or so she tries fooling herself. She’s twenty-four years old, and it’s past time she grew up and over him. But now Mike’s giving “those” looks.

With the help of her best friend—Mike’s sister—she’ll prove she’s more than woman enough to handle him. His dominance, his kink in the bedroom, his huge, hot body. But just when she thinks they can make a go of it, he pulls back. She can’t do it anymore. Loving, being hurt, loving, being ignored. This time if Mike wants her, he’ll have to prove it. She’s done.

And he’s just realized he might have made the biggest mistake of his life in pushing her away…

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