DarkSide DownUnder: DarkSider News: Catch Up Spotlight 8 - HM Hodgson, Ruby St. George, K.A. Montefiore, K.E. Turner, and L.A. Monteiro!

Today we feature the spotlight on more than one author - HM Hodgson, Ruby St George,

K.A. Montefiore, K.E. Turner and L.A. Monteiro!

"Yen

Yen Ching, you have been chosen as a sacrifice to Karkinos, the Cancerian Zodiac God.

I rub my eyes, blinking at the screen, trying to process the email. It's 2am. I've been finishing an assignment after a long shift in the restaurant, so I'm not at my best. The email is from the Zodiac Association. My brain lags to comprehend the message and remember who they are. My pulse picks up, one step ahead.

My parents are asleep and the house is quiet. The glow of the computer screen bathes my bedroom in cold, eerie light. My messy single bed calls to me, but there's no way I can sleep

now.

- Taken by the Crab King of Atlantis (Zodiac Monster Romance) by L.A. Monteiro

NEW RELEASES

K.A. Montefiore

Justice and Slade

Book 2, Fated Mates

Released:

30 August

A murderous warlock.

A lethal curse.

Her mate in peril.

Justice White, with the help of her fated mate and Guardian, wolf shifter Slade Alexander, vows to make the blood mage who murdered her family pay. Except, the incarnate book won’t reveal the information she needs to deliver punishment. And when the warlock kidnaps her best friend, capturing him is imperative.

When her sword and scales refuse to appear; she has no choice but to let Keres Blackwood go. Devastated at breaking her vow, she must pursue another supernatural criminal who has a heartbreaking and justifiable defense.

But when Keres strikes Slade with a lethal spell, Justice faces the toughest choice of all.

Save her fated mate or uphold her divine duty...

Buy

L.A. Monteiro

Taken by the Crab King of Atlantis

Zodia Monster Romance

Released:

1 October

She offered her body for one night. The crab king wants forever.

Every two hundred years, the monsters of the zodiac become flesh to claim a virgin tribute.

When her sister gets into trouble, Yen sacrifices herself to a zodiac god: one night with the Crab King in exchange for five million dollars.

Except Karkinos isn't just a zodiac monster.

He's the ancient god king of Atlantis—and after centuries waiting for his fated mate, he's finally found her.

Yen is human, innocent, and supposed to be his tribute.

But the moment Karkinos sees her, the mating bond snaps into place, and the possessive, hard-shelled king isn't going to send his mate back to the surface without a fight.

Taken by the Crab King of Atlantis is a spicy monster romance novella featuring a crab god king, human virgin heroine, fated mates, a magical underwater city and a protective zodiac monster who wants forever.

Standalone, with cameos from the Zodiac Monsters series.

Buy

L.A. Monteiro

Hating the Lion

Zodia Monster Romance

Released:

15 October

Her only escape from the feral lion shifter is to become his mate.

Maria has spent her life as the mafia's perfect weapon. Poisoner. Assassin. Monster.

When she's captured by the feral lion shifter whose family she was ordered to kill, she expects execution. Instead, Leo gives her a choice: submit to an ancient magical contract that binds them as mates, or die.

Leo wants revenge. Maria is the last woman he should trust. But as the magic forces these enemies closer, Leo begins to wonder if she's really a ruthless killer — or the fated mate he's been waiting for.

Hating the Lion is a spicy monster romance featuring a feral lion shifter, a deadly mafia assassin, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, an ancient magical contract, and a whole lot of banter.

Buy

PRE-ORDERS

HM Hodgson

Warrior

Book 3, Witch Wars

Expected Release:

30 November

Dead witches don’t talk … or do they?

The thrilling conclusion to Vella and Matthias’ story is coming in 2026.

Pre-order your copy now so you don’t miss out on the exhilarating third book in the Witch Wars series.

Pre-Order

K.E. Turner

The Wolf and His Grace

Book 3, The Descendants

Expected Release:

27 October

He’s not what she expected. She’s his saving Grace.

Grace Williams curses the day her mother married into the King family. That’s when magic became a tool for things a little left of Grace’s moral compass. Now she’s been called up for a mission by the formidable and frightening matriarch. Her task—seduce a member of the Witch’s Council and steal an ancient grimoire.

Getting into his bed isn’t the problem. Staying out of it is.

Alain d’Louncrais, wolf-witch and member of the Witch’s Council, plays hard and kinky. It’s the only thing keeping him sane and his dominance under control. But he’s all business when it comes to guarding an ancient grimoire of the evilest spells he’s ever come across. A grimoire that holds the key to his pack’s survival.

When the woman who comes to steal it is his fated mate, Alain will put more than his heart on the line.

Pre-Order

L.A. Monteiro

Fake Dating the Goddess

Zodiac Monster Romance

Expected Release:

29 January 2027

Could he be her perfectly imperfect match?

As the goddess of precision, Virgo is cursed with the ability to spot imperfection in everything, and everyone. She's never met a person who measured up to her standards — and she's certainly never met a man worth lowering them for.

Until she meets Ben.

He's a hapless gym owner with a failing business, a good heart, and a terrible curse. Thanks to a witch with a grudge, every time he talks to a woman, the wrong words come tumbling out. Compliments become insults. Flirting becomes a disaster. And romance? Completely off the table.

So when a gorgeous winged goddess asks to fake date him so she can find the witches who cursed him, he says yes. He's got nothing to lose, except maybe his heart. And Virgo unexpectedly finds herself noticing everything a man does right, as well as hopelessly wrong.

Fake Dating the Goddess is a spicy paranormal romance featuring a perfectionist goddess, a cursed gym owner, fake dating, forced proximiy and magical mishaps. It's the sixth book in the Zodiac Monsters series. It can be read as a standalone, but features characters from other books.

Pre-Order

COVERS

K.A. Montefiore

Barany and Hunter

Book 3, Fated Mates

Coming in 2027

Barany Reyes, a cougar shifter, is on a mission.

Locate Davin Stone, the man who murdered her foster parents.

What she didn't need was Hunter Alexander, a wolf shifter, to run interference.

When Hunter unwittingly allows Stone to escape while in her clutches, Barany must find a way to beat Hunter at his own game; or join him.

L.A. Montiero

Taken by Aries

Book 1, Zodiac Monster Romance

has a new cover!

She thinks she's seen it all. This ram-headed satyr is about to prove her wrong.

Every two hundred years, the monsters of the zodiac become flesh to claim a virgin tribute.

As a stripper, I've seen every kind of creep. And after my ex ran off with my savings, I've sworn off men for good.

So when I get the chance to sell my virginity for enough money to set me up for life, I figure I can survive one night.

Then I meet him.

He's arrogant. He's filthy-minded. He's not even human.

And when this cheeky satyr takes me to a secluded cabin in the woods, I discover there are some things even a stripper has never seen before...

Taken by Aries is a short, spicy monster romance featuring an arrogant satyr, a virgin heroine, a cabin in the woods and an MMFM surprise. Standalone.

Buy

GENERAL NEWS

HM Hodgson

The Witch Wars series has a Kickstarter campaign for Special Signed Editions. It was funded in 12 minutes but it still has a little time until the campaign ends.