2024 COVERS

2024 covers

Welcome to the Dark Side!

We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Tuesday 27 October 2020

DarkSider News for October - Part 3!

 

Welcome!

Why not spend the night in reading from the DarkSide.





NEW RELEASES

Pirate's Plaything by Denise Rossetti was released 6 August. 




Kate’s all at sea, literally. One minute she’s felled by a toppling shelf of erotic romances—the next, she’s on a sailing ship with a gang of pirates hot enough to star in a bad boy calendar.
As for Jack Cavanagh, the pirate captain… Somehow he’s morphed from a handsome corporate pirate on a book cover to a real man. And what a man! His tiger’s gaze sets Kate on fire—body, soul and stubborn, competitive spirit. She may have given up on love, but no one ever said Kate was easy. She gives as good as she gets—and this erotic dream is about to get pretty darn good.

A sexy, light-hearted romp with lots of kinky, romantic magic and a very happy ending!


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The Lost Sea by Toby J Nichols was released  by Severed Press on 15 July. 




A routine helicopter muster in Queensland becomes a fight for survival 65 million years in the past.

Finding dead cattle during the muster was the first sign that something was wrong. The trees and lake were the second and third. But instead of going home, Jessie Hall, his nephew, stockman, and a neighbor investigate.

Jessie feels safe in the R22 helicopter but when something large knocks him out of the sky and he’s forced to ditch into the water, he realizes while they might still be in Queensland they have ended up in the past when the Eromanga sea existed, pterosaurs rules the skies and what lives in the ancient forest is even worse.

To get home they’ll have to cross the prehistoric sea where the Kronosaurus hunts.


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The Longing of Lone Wolves by Lana Pecherczyk (Book 1, Fae Guardians) was released on 8 June. 


Rush is a Fae Guardian, a wolf-shifter whose enhanced abilities have made him a ruthless protector of Elphyne. His job is to protect the realm from the human enemy, and to ensure the sins of the past never come to pass again lest magic die forever. But one night of weakness resulted in a curse worse than death – exile. Now he spends his lonely time longing to be part of the living, once again protecting them from monsters… until one mysteriously washes up on the shores of his lake.

Clarke is human. She's beautiful, feisty, and fierce. She's also the only person who can see him, speak to him, and touch him.

If he hands her over to the Order, she’s his ticket to having his curse removed. Unable to resist the opportunity, he tricks her into a bargain of obedience, never once suspecting his world is about to be turned upside down. The more he learns about this human enemy, the more he realizes she’s not the monster he’s been trained to believe. In fact, she’s capable of inciting passion he’d never dreamed possible again. But Clarke has a message from the past… sins are already repeating. This time, if they don’t stop the coming evil, it won’t just be magic that dies. It will be everything. 

The Witcher meets Beauty and the Beast in this gripping, new epic fantasy featuring steamy romance, a splash of time travel, monster hunting, a band of brothers, fated mates, growly fae protectors and their strong willed women from our time. If you love your books full of page turning action, romantic tension, and world building you can get lost in, then this book is for you. 


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The Solace of Sharp Claws by Lana Pecherczyk (Book 2, Fae Guardians) was released on 24 August. 


Sharp claws keep you safe.

That’s the brutal lesson Thorne learned as a young wolf-shifter. Abandoned as a child, singled out by an evil uncle, and then forced to work for the ruthless Order of the Well, Thorne’s anger was a weapon as much as his claws. Now a vicious Fae Guardian, he hunts monsters, the human enemy, and anything that gets in his way. On a mission to find his missing mentor, Thorne finds himself suddenly mated to Laurel, a beautiful, driven, but damaged human awoken from a time long since past. 

A forced marriage is something neither of them want. 

But everything they need.

Spending time with her teaches him that arm’s length might not be a good thing. Learning to love will mean scratching the surface of both their souls, revealing truths more painful than any wound. If he can get past the hurt, the pain, and the pride, Thorne will find a new use for his claws... to bury deep and never let her go. 

But when a dark figure from Laurel's past catches up with her, it's not Thorne's claws in question. It's hers. If he can't stop her from exacting bitter revenge, she'll cost him the safety of his mentor and perhaps trigger a war. If he can learn to put his angry past behind him, open his heart and trust new friends, he just might be rewarded with more than an advantage in their ongoing war. He'll find love.


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Envy and Greed by Lana Pecherczyk of the Deadly Seven series is now available in audio format.


Envy (Book 1) was released on 10 August.



Deadly sin has consumed Cardinal City. Violence, murder, and mayhem are only the beginning. A family of genetically modified heroes is the city's only hope...if only they can resist sin long enough, they just might stand a chance.

Disgraced hero Evan Lazarus punishes himself in the underground cage fighting scene. He blames himself for the tragedy that tore his family apart and left the city without its saviors. Traveling a dark path toward vengeance, if he’s not careful, he’ll become the evil he was created to fight. And then he meets her - a woman who embodies his sin’s opposing virtue. She’s smart, relentless, and electrifying…. She’s everything he secretly craves.

Grace Go almost died in the blast that killed her parents and now seeks justice for the survivors. When her investigation crosses paths with a fiercely protective but damaged hero, she is intrigued. The more she sees him, the more he ignites a desire she thought long gone, and the easier it is to stay ignorant to the secret that could ruin her opinion of him forever.

When a figure from Evan’s past emerges, in league with the evil Syndicate, their scheme threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. Pushed to the limits, he will have to pull his family from the brink of oblivion and become the hero the city needs...or will envy drive him to destroy Grace and his only chance at love and redemption forever?


Available from: 



Greed (Book 2) was released on 10 August.


Griffin Lazarus’ restraint is notorious within his heroic family. His mastery over the sin of greed is second to none. What they don’t know, is a shameful secret drives his discipline and one slip could mean fatal consequences for anyone close to him. When he’s forced to work with a beautiful, feisty reporter poking around his personal life, his control swiftly unravels. Everything about her throws his beliefs into chaos. She’s arousing, loud and infuriating, and craving her could be his undoing - or his redemption.

Lilo Likeke, an altruistic reporter for the Cardinal Copy, is hunting the story of a lifetime. Who are the Deadly Seven? If she can nail her unicorn story, she’ll finally prove her apple falls far from her corrupt family tree. But when her mobster father is kidnapped, and she’s drawn into his web of chaos, she soon learns you can’t outrun your past, but you can choose your family. Trusting the man behind the mask might kill her story, but it also might save her heart.

With the Syndicate breathing down their necks, none of it could matter if they don’t live to see another day, and Griffin has no intention of losing the woman he covets, even if that means embracing bedlam…

Available from: 





S.E. Gilchrist is re-publishing her Darkon Warriors series. 

Legend Beyond the Stars (Book 1) was released on 24 September. 


A race on the edge of extinction. The women who can save them. And an enemy determined to destroy them all.

Seeking redemption from a mission gone terribly wrong, Captain Alana Knight volunteers for a dangerous operation to transport colonists to a new earth-like planet. But on board the alien traders’ spaceship, she learns of a galactic war raging for power. A power that can be transformed into a terrible weapon. When the colonists are betrayed, Alana’s mission is re-defined. Nothing will stop her from keeping those in her care safe and finding a passage home.

Commander Tarak El Rajan is humanoid, male and a warrior determined to preserve the honour of the Darkon people. A rendezvous with devious traders, leads to an unexpected payload consisting of females from an unknown planet. In particular, one who stirs long forgotten emotions in his heart. But with strict orders to transport all females to the planet Isla for research purposes, any deviation means treason.

In a world of uncertainty, where the wrong decision could mean the death of an entire race, the last thing either of these two soldiers expects or needs is to fall in love.


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The Portal (Book 2) was released on 15 October. 


Lost in an alien world, she searches for her parents. Then she discovers the unexpected.

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 trapped together, an alien life-force is hunting them.

They have one chance – the Portal. But only the Darkons know its secret.

Will the patroller save her or abandon Janni to her fate?



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The Assassin's Gift by Claire Boston (Book 1, The Emperor's Conspiracy) is now available in audio format.


She's trained to kill. But is her prey the man she's ordered to eliminate… or the one who sent her?

Princess Lien reserves her loyalty for her uncle, the emperor. Groomed as his secret assassin after he took her in, her first target is the khan of the barbarians responsible for her parents' murder. But her supernatural speed is no help when the monarch betroths her to the man she's meant to slay.

Waking naked in the enemy camp far from the palace and her pet dragon, Lien is horrified to find she's imprisoned by the ruthless tribe—and they know her true mission. Refusing to believe her uncle betrayed her, she vows to become his spy. But as evidence that she's on the wrong side mounts, it will test her fidelity and honor.

Can Lien unravel a web of deceit in time to stop the real traitor?

The Assassin's Gift is the first book in the riveting Emperor's Conspiracy fantasy series. If you like strong heroines, loyalties challenged, and treacherous battles, then you'll love Claire Boston's enthralling adventure.


Available from:




The Druid Chronicles by Christina Phillips is now in a box set and was released on 20 April. 


They were destined to be enemies, but fate had other plans...

Be swept into four passionate, forbidden romances set in first century Britain. With lush sensuality and rich mythology, The Druid Chronicles is a forgotten world of ancient goddesses and powerful love that transcends the mighty Roman Empire.

“Primal and sexy, I love this series."

Forbidden

Between a warrior and a princess comes an all-consuming love that transcends the hatred between their warring worlds…

"a delightful read and one you are sure to enjoy if you like historical romance with a lot of sizzle and a dash of magic that will take your breath away."

Captive

A Druid priestess falls for the wrong man – the warrior who’s taken her prisoner…

“Who can resist the appeal of a tortured hero? I certainly can’t…Take Bren, the hero from Christina Phillips’ book, CAPTIVE…Irredeemable? Maybe. Tortured? Hell, yes. Irresistible. Oh, yeah…”

Enslaved

When a Druid priestess falls for her Roman captor she’s torn between her duty to her goddess and her love for the enemy…

“Tacitus is a wonderful hero, masterful and passionate…"

Tainted

A dangerous love Rome will never allow...

"In this taut enemies-to-lovers story, the chemistry is blazing from the first scene and, as their secrets and hidden scars are slowly revealed, the depth of emotion that develops make this story a well-rounded success." Romantic Times Book Reviews


Available from:



Blackbird Broken by Keri Arthur (Book 2, The Witch Crown) was released 26 October.


On the darkest day, in the darkest hour, when all hope has been extinguished, a hand will draw the one true sword, and a lost throne shall be reclaimed…

Generations of De Montfort women have protected the sword in the stone. Gwen is the last of them, following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Moscelyne.

But the sword has now been drawn, and the new Witch King may well be working with Darkside.

Now the race is on to find the missing artifacts that will stop the king accessing the full power of the sword. But as the attacks escalate and the fractured clues of history are slowly pieced together, Gwen, Mo, and Luc Durant—the motorbike-riding warrior from an ancient order of knights—quickly realize all is not as it seems. Worse still, the true source of the plot to unleash Darkside and restore witch rule is far closer to home than any had guessed.

But as new prophecies rise, and the truth of the sword in the stone becomes clear, another race begins.

One that will end with a crown, a throne, and the fate of all England as its prize.





PRE-ORDERS

DarkSiders contributing to the Warlords, Witches and Wolves (A Fantasy Realms Anthology) include Lana Pecherczyk, Claire Boston, Daniel de Lorne, Shona Husk, Leisl Leighton, TJ Nichols, M.J. Scott, and Cassie Laelyn. The anthology is expected for release on 9 November. 



Warlord, Witch, or Wolf: what’s your poison?

Whatever your fantasy, dive into 12 original stories from bestselling and new Australian authors for a limited time only.

Featuring rousing action, sizzling or sweet romance, and journeys to far-off lands, the heroes and heroines of Warlords, Witches and Wolves will keep you on the edge of your seat and conjure your darkest desires.

What are you waiting for?

Unleash the beasts, summon the magic, and conquer new worlds today!


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Luminality by TJ Nichols is expected to be released on 25 January 2021. 


Like everyone in the Dark City, Elliot Brand never has enough coin for anything. There is never time for more than survival. He does everything he can to make sure he and his brother, Dayne, have a place to live. But when his brother goes missing, Elliot suspects the worst—that he has been taken by the Kin. 

The Kin live in a castle on the lake that only appears at night. They trade with the rich up the hill. In exchange for giving the rich the orbs that light the city and healing nectar, the Kin are permitted to hunt humans in the Dark City. 

Elliot swore on his mother’s death bed that he wouldn’t let harm come to Dayne, so he makes a plan to go to the castle and get his brother back. Dazzled by the wealth and the attentions of Umbra, a Kin with their own plans, Elliot gets caught up in machinations far beyond his wildest dreams. 

But Dayne has tasted Kin blood and become one of the devoured. Elliot’s plans quickly unravel. If Elliot and Umbra are to survive, they’ll need one another. 

For readers who like dark gay fantasy romance, revolutions and rebel princes.


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The Vet's Familiar by TJ Nichols is expected to be released on 28 November. 



Wounded and left for dead, shifter Kit Linfield is stuck in his eagle form.

A Christmas Eve flight with his family turned to slaughter when some hunters took aim. Kit played dead, but he needs help, or he’ll die. He wants to live to have vengeance.

Errol Hart is spending Christmas alone for the first time since his divorce. When a badly wounded eagle is delivered to his care, it’s the first animal that Errol can’t communicate with. The eagle is so badly injured Errol isn’t sure it will survive. But the way it looks at him, like it understands every word he says…

When Errol learns the truth, he vows to help Kit find the men responsible for the illegal hunt.

For readers who like fated mates, age gap and small town gay romance.


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The Detective's Familiar by TJ Nichols is expected to be released on 28 March 2021. 


Walking out on his husband, and fated mate, is the hardest thing wolf shifter Sam Carver has ever done.

Detective Mark Buchan knows he’s screwed things up with his husband, but he never expected Sam to leave. Now there’s a killer targeting witches, and Mark is worried he’s next. He needs Sam’s help one last time.

Sam agrees, but only because if Mark dies, he’ll pine away because of the bond. He hasn’t forgiven Mark, and he won’t forget. And the last thing he wants is to fall in love, again, with the man who broke his heart.

This time Mark will do anything to prove to Sam that he’s worth the trouble. Even surrendering his magic.

For readers who like second chance romance, werewolves and fated mates.


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Lust by Lana Pecherczyk (Book 6, Deadly Seven) is expected to be released on 23 November. 




Lies among friends…

Liza Lazarus’s devotion to the law is only eclipsed by her loyalty to her vigilante family. The tough, no-holds-barred, city detective crushes it on the outside, but on the inside, she’s losing a battle for her sanity and heart. Sensing lust makes her physically sick. It’s great for catching rapists and murderers, but for finding love? Impossible. Then a childhood friend comes crashing back into her life, and she finds the impossible isn’t so out of reach… if they can get past decades worth of lies between them.


Love among enemies…

FBI Special Agent Joe Luciano has been in love with Liza since they were kids. The kind of soul-wrenching, heart-clobbering love that can send a man insane... except she only ever saw him as a friend. When a secret investigation brings him right into the Lazarus family war-zone, he learns they’re not as virtuous as he once believed. They’re the very criminals he’s been hunting. The more embroiled he becomes with Liza and her vigilante family, the more his black and white world crumbles until he’s forced to make an impossible choice… arrest her, or love her.


Betrayal among family…

As a child, Despair Lazarus was forsaken by her family, and left to the mercy of the evil Syndicate. She became a brutal, heartless warrior, and the Lazarus family never forgave themselves. So when she finally comes knocking at their door, they welcome her with open arms, blind to the danger they’ve invited into their midst. With the Syndicate, old enemies, and the FBI closing in on her family’s secrets, Liza must learn to control her new deadly powers and piece together where the real danger lies… with her lover, her long-lost sister, or herself.


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The Dreams of Broken Kings by Lana Pecherczyk (Book 3, Fae Guardians) is expected to be released on 22 February 2021. 



Humans destroyed this planet. The Fae rebuilt. Thousands of years into the future, humans want it back.

Humans and Fae are at war over the last habitable piece of land left on earth. Neither fully human or fae, but something in between, a woman from our time must work with a lethal Fae Guardian of the future to uncover the sinister plot threatening to destroy the land once and for all.
Saving the world starts with opening their hearts.

The Dreams of Broken Kings is the gripping conclusion to the 'Season of the Wolf' Trilogy in the Fae Guardians fantasy romance series. It features steamy romance, a dash of time travel, monster hunting, a band of brothers, shifters, fae protectors and their strong willed women from our time. If you love your books full of page turning action, intrigue, and romantic tension then this book is for you. For fans of Kristen Ashley's Fantastical series or Sarah J Maas's adult fantasy romance.


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Salvation by Christina Phillips (Book 3, Realm of Flame and Shadow) is expected to be released on 8 December. 


I just spent the best night of my life with the hottest guy I've ever met. Too bad he turns out to be my deadliest enemy - the Archangel Nathanael...

Half-demon Isabella has dreamed of bringing archangels to justice and there's no way she'll forgive Nate for his deception. Except it turns out he has no idea who she is... can this be the chance for retribution she's been searching for?

There's only one rule I live by. Never trust a demon.

Close to finding a rogue demon he's been hunting for millennia, Nate's not looking for any distractions. Until Isabella turns his world inside out and leaves him wanting so much more. But when he uncovers her true heritage, her betrayal rocks him, and he faces the choice of leaving her to her fate or breaking the only rule in his book.

With dark secrets threatening their survival, there's no way an archangel and a half-demon can work together. But with the clock ticking, and danger stalking every move they make, the only way to save themselves might just be to save each other.

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Soul Survivor by Daniel de Lorne (Book 1, Immortals of  the Apocalypse) is expected to be released on 25 November. 


An ancient craving. A dead world. Can one near-immortal save his heart as the planet descends into ruin?

2141. Five-hundred-year-old Emrys Stone hates that his hunger for human souls kills everything he touches. But supplies are scarce in Earth’s scorched landscape, and his kind are falling into anarchic chaos. When a ferocious insanity devours the remaining food source, Emrys’s last hope for survival lies in a desperate trek across the apocalyptic wasteland.

Almost at death’s door, Emrys stumbles on another colony and asks for shelter in return for his services as an assassin. But when he becomes a pawn between warring factions and falls for a handsome human warrior, his violent passions could cost him his cursed life.

Can Emrys survive the madness without destroying his own future in the land of the living?

Soul Survivor is the compelling first novel in the Immortals of the Apocalypse romantic gay paranormal suspense trilogy. If you like tormented heroes, ruined lands, and eternal beings, then you’ll love Daniel de Lorne’s twisted tale.


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Awakening the Warriors by S.E. Gilchrist (Book 3, Darkon Warriors) is expected for release on 29 October. 


Trapped in a prison cell on an alien planet, she has one chance of escape.

Fran must have been crazy to leave her ordinary (and safe) life and volunteer as a colonist to terra-form a new earth. Now she is trapped in a prison cell on an alien planet a zillion miles from home and bound for a hideous death in notorious research chambers.

She has one chance of escape. Awaken the long dormant sexual urges of the Darkon Warriors shackled in the next cell.

A desperate job, but someone has to do it.


Pre-Order links:



Unseen by Cassie Laelyn (Book 3, The Fallen Guardians) is expected for release on 30 November. 


Heaven is his new hell.

Fate's at it again. But this time, he's ready...

After centuries of torturous visions from Fate, party boy EJ, hides his guilt behind a perfectly crafted visage. When a woman appears in his dreams, full of sunshine and innocence, he thinks it's another punishment. But when the dream warps, EJ must question not only his destiny, but also his aversion to commitment.

Dreaming of a sexy book boyfriend is the closest thing Hailee has to a happily ever after. Years of running from her mom's imaginary demons ensured that. But when tragedy strikes and Hailee's caught in the middle of a brutal war, all her hope falls on the reluctant hero she thought was a fantasy. 

As an ancient battle threatens to tear them apart, EJ and Hailee must fight for their happy ending before their nightmares become a reality.






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!





Magic Misled by Keri Arthur (Book 7, Lizze Grace) is expected to be released 23 February 2021.



Her husband might be dead, but her problems are far from over.

Lizzie Grace had hoped that Clayton’s death would bring some normality back into her life. But not only does her father remain intent on interfering now that he knows she can manipulate wild magic, but the High Witch Council has sent in an investigator to uncover her part in Clayton’s murder.

But a bigger threat has arrived on the reservation.

One that wears flesh and blood, and is intent on revenge.

And it’ll kill anyone who gets in its way…





COVER REVEAL


Her Savage Scott and Her Vengeful Scott by Christina Phillips (Books 1 & 2, The Highland Warrior Chronicles) now have new covers.



Scots warrior Connor will do anything to protect Aila from the Vikings. But to save her he must defy his king, betray his country, and forsake his honor

When tough Scot warrior Connor MacKenzie rides into the barbaric lands of the Picts on a mission for his king, he never expects to be captivated by a beautiful Pictish widow. Drawn under her spell, yet unaware of her true identity, he risks everything for one passionate night in her arms.

Aila, princess of Pictland, swore, after watching her husband die, that she would never marry again. But after meeting Connor, her frozen heart thaws and once again she imagines a future filled with love and passion.

When Connor delivers the message from his king, Aila becomes a pawn in a deadly game of politics. Her heart belongs to Connor, but she must marry the prince of Dal Riada – Connor’s half-brother. But as dangerous secrets unravel, both Connor and Aila must find a way to outwit their enemies if they want a chance of surviving, together, in this fractured new world.


Available from: 





My enemies will pay for what they’ve done

The only reason Scots warrior Cameron MacNeil agrees to go to Pictland is so he can have vengeance on the Pict noble who killed his sister. He has no intention of falling for anyone, especially not a pagan princess who is married to his enemy. But when fate throws them together, he struggles to contain his attraction.

Caught in a loveless marriage, Elise has no means of escape. But as a fragile friendship forms between her and the tough Scots warrior, she knows if they want to survive this alliance between their people, they must trust each other. As she opens her heart to her taciturn warrior, she imagines a life together, even if it’s an impossible dream. And then her husband turns up dead, releasing her from the vows she’s come to dread.

When danger threatens her life, Cam risks everything to keep her safe from his king’s machinations. He should be happy now his enemy is dead, but guilt cripples him at the secrets he must keep, for if Elise ever discovers the truth, he’ll lose her forever.

But Elise has a secret of her own, one she is blood bound never to reveal. Even if keeping it means she’ll lose the only man she’s ever loved.


Available from: 



Broken Bonds by Keri Arthur (Book 8, Lizze Grace) is expected to be released 26 October 2021.




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Congratulations to our DarkSiders.

Thanks for joining us. Until next time...happy reading!


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