DarkSide DownUnder: Good News Day!

Welcome to this week's good news...

BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

Erica Hayes celebrates the release of Redemption (Berkley Sensation) on 5th March.

Japheth the Tainted is on the hunt for a mysterious demon vampire. But meeting her face-to-face might disarm his warrior spirit—and spark an unquenchable passion with apocalyptic consequences.
As a fallen angel, Japheth is determined to make his way back to heaven by staying pure and slaying hellspawn. With a new scourge of vampires unleashed by a blood-drinking demon, the Prince of Thirst, there’s plenty to be done. But Japheth is after one vampire in particular—the one they call the Angel Slayer.
Rose Harley never wanted to be a vampire, but the Prince of Thirst can turn even the kindest soul into a soldier of hell. Feeling abandoned by God, she stalks the West Village taking revenge on his angels—until she meets her match.
When Japheth and Rose encounter each other, the battle is fierce and charged with desire. But when they discover a common enemy—the Prince of Thirst himself—they form a dangerous alliance that could either cost them their eternal lives, or spark a love more powerful than heaven or hell.

Luna Exposure is Shona Husk's next release coming out May 10th from Ellora’s Cave.

Bounty hunter Callen wants to capture Noga—a terrorist—both for the money and for revenge. But catching a criminal on the sensual resort of Decadent Moon without giving in to all the destination’s sexual pleasures is harder than it seems.
Haliday is the darling of the media, a socialite known as much for her casual relationships as she is for her charitable donations. No one knows she hunts down criminals.
Lust and ambition clash, and Callen and Haliday will have to find a way to work together, despite the distraction of their passionate bond. To succeed they must trust each other, something neither Callen nor Haliday is willing to do.

Sealed With A Kiss is Eleni Konstantine's upcoming, indie published, paranormal romance short story.

Can a gift from her grandmother protect Lise?
Lise doesn’t believe in vampires. Or so she tells herself. Though, she constantly wears the garnet necklace her grandmother gave her, which wards off the creatures. Andreas, the man she’s attracted to, seems more than a little interested in it. Could there be an ulterior motive?

Betrayed is Christina Phillips new fantasy erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave (Xanadu line), coming out March 30th, 2013.

In 51 A.D., Druid priestess Nimue is injured and enslaved by the hated Roman Legions. Even though she is drawn to her captor, she’s determined to escape and complete her mission for the Briton king and her duty to Arianrhod, the goddess she is bound to.
The tough Roman warrior who captures her is far from the brutal barbarian she expects. His touch inflames her desires and passion burns between them. Though Nimue does not accept her enslavement, her heart surrenders to her enemy. When Arianrhod appears to her in the form of an owl, Nimue knows the union is blessed.
Roman warrior Tacitus is enchanted by the fiery beauty who shows no fear and challenges him at every turn. Though enslaving her goes against his heart, he’s determined to make her his. No woman has ever heated his blood as she does. But when he discovers her true nature as one who actually communes with the gods, his loyalties are torn between his heritage and a woman who could destroy everything he’s ever believed in.
Trailer here.

Mel Teshco's Galactic Flame came out with Ellora's Cave (Aeon line) on 20th February, 2013.

Eden isn’t meant to be the alien prince’s intended lifemate, it’s her sister who is the one promised to him. But when Genesis comes to Earth and mistakenly believes Eden is his mate, she knows it’s the perfect opportunity to play the role her sister never wanted.
But Genesis’ alien province is barren, red and isolated. It’s only when Eden steps into the magnificent alien’s arms and is taught unimaginable carnal pleasures that she begins to wonder if she hasn’t filched the most priceless prize of all.

Coming 1st March, 2013 with Escape Publishing is S.E.Gilchrist's futuristic short story, The Portal.

When Janni, a young salvager, boards a space wreck, she is caught for daring to steal Darkon tech by a patroller and the one man she had thought never to see again. Several months ago she had allowed him to slip past her defences for a brief and wonderful interlude. But with both of them on either sides of the law, they had walked away. Now they are trapped on a wreck and with an alien life-force hunting them. Will the patroller save her or abandon Janni to her fate?

C.M.Simpson has self-published A Battle of Minds, a speculative science fiction short story. It released 22 February, 2013. It's available from Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, Amazon, Nook and Kobo. It will one day be incorporated into An Anthology of Minds.

Danzer is a VR combat star. Unfortunately, somebody wants him dead. Is it a private vendetta from someone he’s defeated, a disgruntled fan, or someone else entirely. Whoever they are, their poetry stinks, but its meaning is clear. Security personnel for the VR games insist on overseeing the match between him and his most dangerous opponent, but no one knows if it will be enough. Will Security succeed in their intervention, or will their efforts result in more than Danzer losing their lives?

Carlie Simonsen (aka C.M. Simpson, Madeleine Torr) has released a number of novels on 17th Febrary, 2013.

All Alone - a tween-teen illustrated fiction. It is currently available from Smashwords, and will shortly become available from Kobo, Kindle, and CreateSpace.
Jason must look after his little sister Emmie when they find themselves alone in a city, in another country, far from home. Did their parents survive the bomb blast, and can they find them, or will they be stuck growing up in the care of strangers and never see home again?

Dear Tiger (Bk#1 Letters Across Space series) - another teen/young adult non-illustrated fiction
“Dear Tiger, this has been the best day ever… but I lie.”
Simone Michaels is in trouble, but she doesn’t know how deep. Her letters to old friend, Tiger, reveal that her parents are missing, and that she is afraid she’ll go missing, too. When her parents’ employer takes her in, and takes care of her education and living arrangements, she is drawn more deeply into the mystery. Simone keeps her secrets as best she can, including the secret of the mysterious box her parents sent before they disappear, but she is just as afraid of opening it, as she is of the company discovering its existence. Does it contain the only clue to what really happened to her parents, or does it contain her doom?

Legacy of Dreams is a young adult, non-illustrated fiction. It can now be found at Smashwords, Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes.
Tanya knows her parents have been tip-toeing around the problem of keeping a horse she can no longer ride, and whose very name makes her burst into tears. Tanya has only just discovered something that might help things, when she is faced with having to face losing her horse, Copper, altogether. The only question is, whether the family budget can stretch that far. Must she lose the only link left to the life she used to have?

REVIEWS

Bec McMaster's Heart of Iron (London Steampunk #2) received a Seal of Excellence from Fresh Fiction:

"Bec McMaster has a unique way of luring readers in. The worldbuiling is phenomenal, the kind that is only limited by the boundaries of the imagination. McMaster continues to step over that line and creates a vastly unique and utterly vivid world that transports readers into another place. Blending together steampunk elements in a traditional historical setting is the soil in which McMaster uses to grow and bloom wonderful surprises for her readers."

Full review here.

Skin by Kylie Scott gets another 5 star review, this time from Selena-Lost-in-Thought:

"Ros is so pig headed and strong willed that protecting her is almost impossible. Nick matches her pig headedness and strong will tit for tat and has a determination that outshines Ros on any day. He has vowed to protect her at any cost. And earning her trust it the thing that seems most important to him. Basically BUYING her with a van full of food wasn't exactly the best first step in their crazy relationship. (haha) But it was definitely a start!!

I really enjoyed this book, I hope to see more like these for Kylie Scott in the future."