Welcome!
Get ready to add to your TBR piles with some
DarkSider new releases and pre-orders.
NEW RELEASES
Deadly Vows by Keri Arthur (Book 6, Lizzie Grace) was released on 23 June.
Evil comes in all forms … and sometimes it wears a human mask.
When the body of a newlywed is discovered on the reservation, Lizzie Grace throws herself into the investigation, needing a distraction from what she fears is coming not only for her but also Belle—her best friend and witch familiar.
But as the body count grows and a desperate race begins to track down a supernatural entity capable of powerful magic, it becomes evident another deadly game has begun—one they may not win.
Because the past—and the man—they ran from thirteen years ago has finally caught up with them.
And he’s out for revenge…
Available from:
Blackwood Magic by LJ Swallow (Nightworld Academy) was released on 23 June.
The Blackwood witches were banished years ago and their dark magic locked away. Now someone at the Nightworld Academy has the Blackwood grimoire and possesses the ability to unleash the darkness hidden inside.
Matt is the most gifted elemental witch at the Nightworld Academy, but he's breaking academy rules. If he doesn’t stop misusing his magic, Matt faces expulsion from the academy and time in detention at the Ravenhold Supernatural Reform Academy.
Amelia struggles with her elemental magic and is in awe of Matt's powerful abilities, but Matt barely notices the shy witch who hangs out with his best friend, Jamie.
After another magical mishap, Matt is given one last chance and a different type of punishment. Now forced to work together on the academy musical production, Amelia and Matt grow closer and discover they share a rare witch spellbond.
Can Matt’s powerful connection to Amelia stop him using illegal Blackwood magic before it’s too late? Or does the magic already control him?
Blackwood Magic is a standalone book in the Nightworld Academy series and focuses on Matt and Amelia’s relationship. This was originally written as a short novella and published in an anthology, but has been lengthened to a full book in order to finish their story.
Witch Born by LJ Swallow (Book 1, Ravenhold Supernatural Reform Academy) was released 1 August.
I'm a hybrid witch born with the forbidden ability to wield all schools of magic. My family successfully hid me for years, but last week I accidentally raised the dead and revealed my illegal gifts. Now I'm facing time at Ravenhold supernatural reform academy.
Ravenhold detains dangerous juvenile offenders on a remote island until they're rehabilitated. All teens at the paranormal academy either possess forbidden powers from dark bloodlines or have used illegal magic. Ruthless hybrids walk amongst the shifters, witches, and vampires. They hold control over the academy, but they won't control me.
I plan to keep my head down, attend the classes, and hope for an early release from this supernatural prison. Until I meet the infamous Dorian Blackwood, the vampire-witch hybrid born with unparalleled supernatural abilities. Few people dare confront the cruel and charming savage, but Dorian's powers won't work on me--and his charm definitely won't.
Dorian may rule the academy's halls, but others challenge him. There's his main rival, Zeke, a shifter hybrid whose laidback manner hides a vicious streak. Ethan, the dragon shifter with elemental witch powers who's reserved but volatile. I'm the new hybrid at Ravenhold, and I intend to bring the ruthless Dorian to his knees.
Ravenhold places the four of us onto a new rehabilitation program. The academy tells us the program is a fast-track to release, but I'm not so sure. Something sinister is happening, and I no longer believe the hybrids are the most dangerous thing inside Ravenhold.
Will we be forced to unite to survive?
Witch Born is the first book in the Ravenhold series from USA Today bestselling author LJ Swallow. The stories are set in a supernatural reform academy with deliciously dangerous guys, a badass heroine who won't bow to anyone. Ravenhold is a slow burn, enemies to lovers reverse harem romance.
Amazon US | Amazon Aus |
The Healer's Curse by Claire Boston (Book 2, The Emperor's Conspiracy) was released 7 September.
She’s their only hope. If only she could wield the power to save them…
Geriel hates that she’s the weakest healer in her tribe. And when a deadly disease sweeps through her village, she despairs she’s not good enough to rescue her people. With the outbreak spreading and her gift unstable, she’s sent on a desperate mission to locate the herbal cure deep in enemy territory.
Seeking to better control her powers with guidance from a skilled dragon, she falls in with a ragtag band of freedom fighters. But even with her mentor’s mystic teachings, villagers are still dying. And as war closes in, Geriel fears she’s losing the race against time.
Will Geriel find the cure and unlock her talents before her kind fall to the blight?
The Healer’s Curse is the second book in the action-packed Emperor’s Conspiracy fantasy series. If you like Far Eastern-inspired settings, magical creatures, and breathtaking suspense, then you’ll love Claire Boston’s captivating tale.
Order links available on Claire's website.
Kate Lancaster knows she can never return to Earth, so she works hard to build a life for herself in her new home on a alien world. She creates a family with her adopted sisters, makes friends, and has the dubious honor of being claimed by two dragons. Her life is good – or it would be if she could get the enforcers who ride her dragons to invite her to their bed.
Nash cares for Kate, but his heart is too broken to offer her the love she needs. He's managed to find a space for his den-mate Rowan and their dragons, but that connection is a intrinsic part of their enforcer bond.
Rowan believes Kate is the perfect addition to their family, but Nash resists the connection. Kate might be smart, beautiful and desirable but Nash understands she's not for him. Even though he wishes she was.
When they undertake a dangerous mission far to the north, all three face mortal danger. Will the threat cause Nash to close his heart forever? Or will this be the flight that tempts him to risk it all?
Available from:
Salvation's Kiss by Delwyn Jenkins (Book 6, Dragon Alliance) was released 21 July.
Sarah Armitage fought long and hard to build a life for herself on an alien world. She's fought even harder to put the trauma of her captivity and abuse behind her, but she isn't sure she'll ever be fully whole. Sarah knows Tori and Shay want her as their mate. Deep in her heart she wants that too, but she's frightened the shame in her is too permanent to conquer.
Shay loves Tori and Sarah, and he wants to build a life with them. But when Sarah packs her bags and moves out of their home, her denial of what they are to each other cuts Shay deep. He's been repudiated before and in the fall out, he lost one of the most important people in his life. Now he's losing Sarah too.
Tori is blindsided by Sarah's defection. While he respects her right to make her own decisions, he suspects she's running from demons that have nothing to do with him or Shay. He wants to help her, but he can't do that if the cost is Shay's heart. Or his own.
Will the traumas of the past force Sarah, Shay and Tori to relinquish the life they want to build together? Or will they be courageous enough to find salvation in each other? One kiss at a time.
Available from:
The Witch's Familiar by TJ Nichols (Book 1, Familiar Mates) was released on 28 April.
He can hold lightning in his hand, but will love slip through his fingers?
Jude Sullivan has one more chance to prove he isn’t a danger to the paranormal community. If he fails, he’ll be stripped of his magic, a painful process to make a witch human. As a test, the Coven sends him to Mercy South, Colorado, to stop a creature that’s been mutilating cows and scaring the locals. Jude hates cows and small towns. The Coven should’ve sent a nature witch.
Rob Mackenzie is the local mechanic and bear shifter. If the locals knew his secret, they’d run him out of town. He wants someone to really know him and not be afraid. With several chewed-up cows and some other weird happenings, he’s wondering if he’s no longer the strangest creature in Mercy.
After meeting Mack, Jude thinks he’s found the cause of the trouble. But the trouble is only just getting started when Mack realizes he’s Jude’s fated mate. As the cow-mutilating creature starts hunting in town, Mack and Jude will have to quit fighting their attraction and each other, to stop the creature from killing again.
Available from:
Amazon US | Amazon Aus |
The Vampire's Familiar by TJ Nichols (Book 2, Familiar Mates) was released on 28 May.
He came looking for revenge, will he walk away from love?
Twenty years after fleeing Madison Gully as a scared sixteen-year-old who witnessed the murder of his sister, Kirk Gracewell returns as a powerful energy vampire. He wants to find the cougar shifter who killed her and make them pay.
Every ten years, the Madison cougars get together. It’s a time of celebration and meeting new partners but also listening to the seer announce who’ll get the greatest honor—becoming a familiar to a witch.
When the seer gives Sage the task of watching the vampire that’s suddenly arrived, Sage feels slighted, it’s a job for a much younger cougar. But he comes to enjoy the games of cat mouse he plays with Kirk, until he learns why the vampire is in Madison Gully. Now Sage will have to choose: protect his family or help Kirk find the killer.
But the killer will stop at nothing to prove to the seer the honor is his, claim a witch and bury the past.
Available from:
Amazon US | Amazon Aus |
The Rock Star's Familiar by TJ Nichols (Book 3, Familiar Mates) was released on 28 June.
All he wants is to be loved, but no one trusts a snake…
Ten years ago, Dylan Lynch left home to pursue a music career against his mother’s wishes. Now he’s riding the waves of being rock star with number one albums and more money than he ever imagined, and he did it without using his deadly magic. But with his brother’s death he knows it’s only a matter of time until he is summoned home to take his place as heir to a business he doesn’t want.
Eamon Cutler is a snake shifter working as an enforcer for the Lynch family, hex witches who grant wishes with a price to be collected in the future. Usually he is sent after humans who welch on their side of the deal. But when he’s sent after Dylan, a man he has wanted from afar and admired for his willingness to stand up to his family, Eamon questions his career path.
The attraction between Eamon and Dylan simmers, but both are reluctant to give in. Hex witches don’t sleep with shifters, and if Eamon wants to keep his job, and life, he shouldn’t sleep with the boss’s son.
But to find freedom some rules should be broken.
Available from:
Amazon US | Amazon Aus |
The Unbound Queen by M.J. Scott (Book 3. The Four Arts) was released on 28 April.
She’s been offered a crown but taking it could cost her everything…
Lady Sophie Mackenzie might be fifth in line to the Anglion throne but she never wanted to rule. But she’s bound to a demon, gifted with forbidden magic, and under threat from those who would use her unusual power for themselves. And now her hopes of finding peace in exile have been shattered by visions of a terrible darkness gnawing at the heart of her homeland.
Then the emperor of Illvya makes her an offer she can’t refuse—return home and overthrow the queen of Anglion, or lose everything she holds dear.
To face down the darkness and save her husband and everyone she loves, she may have to betray the country—and the queen—she once served and play the games of power she never wanted any part of.
But can she play them to win…
Buy links on M.J.'s website
Non spec-fiction
Binadarra Creek Romances by Suzanne / S.E. Gilchrist (A compilation of S E Gilchrist / Suzanne Gilchrist romances set in the best-selling fictional small town world of Bindarra Creek) was released on 19 March.
Bindarra Creek Makeover: Tessa Gibson reluctantly embarks on a desperate plan to fund her escape from a dangerous collision with her past and secure protection for her daughter. Frantic to escape the nightmare stalking them, it never enters her head she’ll fall in love – not only with a cop but the small-town community that makes her feel like one of their own.
Love’s Sweet Challenge: Opal Morse has turned her back on her dreams and is in Bindarra Creek for the inaugural Scavenger Challenge. When another lonely soul, Grady Flannigan, comes to her aid, the kindness of this gentle farmer re-ignites hope.
She realises she can choose a different life, if only she dares put the past behind her.
Take Me Home: Almost forty, Abby Taylor has built a new life for herself in the small country town of Bindarra Creek. When an old friend convinces her to give two adolescent boys a temporary home, she is torn between a growing love for these orphans and the grief in her past. When her estranged husband, Roman, re-enters her life she releases she has a second chance. But will fate, once again, destroy her dreams?
Available from:
Amazon US | Amazon Aus |
Nell by Annie Seaton (Book 3, Pentecost Island) was released 24 May.
From best-selling author, Annie Seaton, the third book in the Pentecost Island series, a beautiful story of female friendships, and the unbreakable bond that sees friends stay together through the ups and downs of life.
Nell O'Leary sees the world in a logical way, and she's content managing her friend, Pippa's eco-resort. She holds a secret from her past and is painfully insecure around the opposite sex. When Nell runs into a technical problem at the resort, she contacts a computer company, and is dismayed to find the owner is her former friend, Nat Dwyer. Nat was at university with her but that's the only thing he and Nell have in common.
Even though they had once been good friends, Nat was a womaniser—with no intention of ever settling down. When Nell asks Nat to help onsite, the help he offers takes a personal turn. But the last thing Nat expects is to fall in love with this quiet woman.Nell fights her growing feelings; there is no way she would ever trust Nat.
Can Nell overcome her lack of trust or is her past destined to cause them heartache?
Tasmin by Annie Seaton (Book 4, Pentecost Island) was released 26 June.
Tamsin Jones has invested a lot of time and energy catering at the new eco-resort developed by her friend, Pippa, on Pentecost Island. The dynamics of the work team—and their lifelong friendship has changed with the return of Eliza Pengelly and Phillipe. Tensions are running high and the official opening is imminent, so Tamsin takes a few days off and meets sexy Gabe Brown. But despite succumbing to his charm, Tamsin knows that Gabe is holding a secret. She is determined to discover why he is so interested in her.
Gabe has a task to fulfil, but Tamsin is not what he expected; the closer he gets to completing the task he has been entrusted with, the more he falls for her. It should be easy to ignore this woman and complete the task he’s been set . . . but Gabe has never been so attracted to a woman before.
When he loses Tamsin’s trust, can Gabe redeem himself and save his heart in the process?
Evie by Annie Seaton (Book 5, Pentecost Island) was released 31 July.
Evie sailed into life at Pentecost Island excited to have a place to belong after ten years of living alone on her boat. She uses her skills to landscape Ma Carmichael’s Resort and cements her friendship with the girls on the island.
When Jed Stephenson, her brother’s best friend— who also happens to be her ex-husband— turns up on Pentecost island to convince Evie it is time to go back home to her family, she is faced with a choice that may mean the difference between life and death for someone she once loved.
Can Jed break though the defences of the woman he has never stopped loving?
Cherry by Annie Seaton (Book 6, Pentecost Island) was released 25 September.
Cherry Chilcott has always dreamed of being a chef. When she is offered a traineeship at the new resort restaurant on Pentecost Island, her dream is within reach. Tamsin Jones, her boss, is an award-winning chef and Cherry is keen to follow in her footsteps.
When Angus Alexander takes on the job as sous chef at the restaurant, he becomes Cherry’s supervisor. Little does Tamsin know that this pair have a history, and it ended badly—very badly.
Can Cherry ignore the sparks that still ignite between them, and can Angus learn to trust the woman he once loved?
Burn It Down by Jess Anastasi (Book 3, Texas Heroes) was released 21 April.
When an arsonist targets a kind-hearted park ranger, a firefighter steps up to protect him… and overcome his fear of dating in the process. Park Ranger Troy Hurst has his hands full with a long, hot summer causing fires to break out all over the Sam Houston National Forest, and it looks like the weather isn’t the only culprit. But helping two abandoned teenage boys and facing the memory of his own difficult childhood will require all Troy’s strength and courage—he doesn’t have anything left to deal with the increasingly dangerous fires. Firefighter Jared Winters has never been one to turn his back on those in need, and Troy and his young wards are in more danger than they know. Even though Jared is still reeling from an abusive relationship and Troy’s never acted on his attraction to men, the heat between them is impossible to extinguish, and before they know it, they’re planning to become foster parents—a family. But first they’ll need to find and stop the dangerous criminal threatening homes and lives in Everness.
Available at:
Amazon US | Amazon Aus |
Her Broken Wings by D.K. Hood (Book 8, Detectives Kane and Alton) was released on 9 March.
The sound that wakes her from sleep is unmistakable--someone is in their house. She listens as heavy footsteps start up the stairs, and as the bedroom door is flung open, she doesn't even have time to scream...
Following a frantic emergency call in the middle of the night, Detective Jenna Alton arrives at a secluded family home to find the body of Lucas Robinson lying in a pool of his own blood in his bed. His wife Carol, shivering in shock, has just watched an intruder shoot her husband in cold blood.
As Jenna investigates the murder, she soon discovers that Lucas was having an affair. And when his mistress is also found strangled to death in the center of the small town, Jenna is convinced that the murderer is living amongst them.
When the killer escalates with a mass murder at a remote ranch on the outskirts of Black Rock Falls, Jenna knows for sure that she's dealing with a murderer more twisted than any other she's faced before.
As the town begins to fill with revelers for the annual Halloween festival, Jenna has to work fast to stop any more lives being taken. But as the killer always seems to be one step ahead of the investigation, has she finally met a murderer who can outsmart her?
Available from:
Montana Son by Juanita Kees (Book 3, Calhouns of Montana) was released on 2 June.
Can he forgive himself, move on, and let love in?
Mason Calhoun is still trying to shrug off the label of bad boy, even though he’s proved his worth to the town. But his penchant for fast cars and Harleys makes it difficult for the town to forget the accident that killed his youngest brother, Mitch. It’s hard for him to forget when the girl responsible for him losing his head is back in town, hotter than ever, swinging spanners at his father’s garage, Calhoun Customs.
When Paige Drew loses her job at the track, she takes it as a sign to come home to Bigfork and make peace with the past before she takes the next step in her life. She’s been on Trinity Calhoun’s pit crew ever since that fatal night that changed her life forever. She’s hidden behind the scenes at the racetrack for too long, ignored by her family for causing a scandal in their otherwise perfect lives.
But coming home means confronting Mason Calhoun, the reason she ran in the first place.
Buy links available on the Tule Publishing website.
Daniel de Lorne and Fiona Greene (together with Nikki Logan) have published a series to in e-book format by Escape Publishing and the three books printed in one volume by MIRA. The series is called Rivervue Community Theatre.
Book 1 - Tread the Boards by Nikki Logan
Rivervue Theatre's props-maven Mackenzie Russell is drawn to enigmatic loner Dylan North. But both Kenzie and Dylan have secrets to keep. Secrets that if revealed could tear the town, the theatre - and Dylan and Kenzie - apart.
Set the Stage by Daniel de Lorne (Book 2, Rivervue Community Theatre) was released 1 July.
While the redevelopment brief for Rivervue Community Theatre moulders on his desk, a phone call from a unrequited past love sends architect, Gabriel Mora, running back to his artsy hometown. Afraid of worsening his mother's health, Gabriel is forced to hide his involvement in the redevelopment. It's just one more secret to keep, along with his feelings for a certain red-headed stage manager.
Bruce Clifton can build anything. But the jobs mean nothing if he's not getting paid. On the cusp of losing his home, Bruce needs to find a way to call in those debts without showing his community how much trouble he's got himself into. With Gabriel's return to town stirring up past hurts, soon it's not just his home Bruce has to worry about losing, but his heart.
Can Bruce and Gabriel work together for the good of Rivervue, or will their hope for a second chance exit stage right?
Buy links at Romance.com.au
Take a Bow by Fiona Greene (Book 3, Rivervue Community Theatre) was released 1 August.
Creative director, Lexi Spencer, stands centre stage in the fight to save the iconic Rivervue Community Theatre from redevelopment by the local council. With Draven's new play, Lexi's got the weapon she needs to keep Rivervue open. She just needs to ensure it remains a secret. Staging the controversial Larrikin is guaranteed to cause trouble, but it's a risk she's willing to take. She's already lost so much in her life, losing the theatre isn't an option.
Council CEO Mark Conroy is new to artsy Brachen, but not to dealing with passionate constituents who disagree with his decisions. And he's definitely not new to Lexi Spencer. Over a decade has passed since he ruined his relationship with Lexi, but old feelings aren't as easily written off as a building. When they're forced to become allies, the town's secrets aren't the only ones at stake.
Can they pull off the impossible and save Rivervue, or will their past bring down the curtain on a shared future?
Buy links at Romance.com.au
The print collection will be called One From The Heart and will contain all three stories.
Buy links at Romance.com.au
PRE-ORDERS
The Servant's Grace by Claire Boston (Book 3, The Emperor's Conspiracy) is expected to be released 7 February 2021.
A tyrannical ruler. A hidden heir. Can a simple handmaiden save her realm from doom?
Lady’s maid Shan works for a privileged family, though she longs to see all servants treated fairly. But when she’s caught with equality propaganda, no favours can keep her from execution. With no other way to save herself, Shan reveals her ability to turn invisible and agrees to a risky mission spying on the emperor.
Slipping through the palace corridors to collect evidence of the callous monarch’s plans, Shan discovers the true heir to the throne may be alive. But with attempts on her mistress’s life and the emperor determined to root out any plot against him, even her power to vanish might not be enough to save her.
Can a lowly servant become the key to saving an empire from a bloodthirsty despot?
The Servant’s Grace is the thrilling conclusion to the Emperor's Conspiracy fantasy series. If you like determined heroines, high-stakes espionage, and epic power struggles, then you’ll love Claire Boston’s action-packed finale.
Buy The Servant’s Grace for the final battle against tyranny today!
Buy links on Claire's website.
Non spec-fiction
Odessa by Annie Seaton (Book 7, Pentecost Island) is expected to be released 30 October.
Odessa Walker can’t remember the last time she felt safe.
Her recovery after an accident on a motorway outside London, is fraught with difficulty. Her physical rehabilitation is successful, but her accident has had a significant impact on her mental health. Her parents, Jenny and Bryant, Rafe’s publishers, ask Pippa if Odessa can come to Pentecost Island to hasten her recovery, and hopefully restore her confidence. Pippa readily agrees, but the new arrival creates tension, not only between Pippa and Rafe, but also within the friendship group of the women on the island.
Dylan Nash has replaced Evie Stephenson as head landscaper on Pentecost Island. His first encounter with Odessa is confronting, and when Dylan attempts to make amends for the misunderstanding, she refuses to accept his apology.
Odessa’s presence changes the friendships in the close-knit community on the island. Will Dylan’s gentle nature, and his attraction to Odessa, help her regain her confidence, or will his determination compromise her recovery?
~~~~
Congratulations to all our DarkSiders!
Thanks for sharing in our news. Until next time, happy reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment