Ascension of the Phoenix

By: Jessica Piro

With her martial arts skills and nearly flawless arrest record, Detective Leila Wells is one of New York City’s Finest. A serial killer, who leaves no victim alive, devastates her world, but leaves her breathing. Why? Street fighting gives her release. Successes with her partner grant them an invitation to the Rulers of the Realms Fighting Tag Tournament. Leila’s emotional wounds begin to heal but suspicions mount that the competition isn’t as innocent as it appears. As she recovers, a power rises within her—a dark and angry blaze urging her toward revenge. Can she discover what agenda links her to this tournament? Will she lose control to her dark side? To rise from ashes, one must be a phoenix.

The Dragon of Russia

By: Jessica Piro

Leila Wells embraced her dark side, the Phoenix, during the Ruler of the Realms Tournament but controlling it is difficult. She must before she kills someone she cares for. Opportunity allows her to leave New York City… … and she finds danger in Russia. A Spetsnaz team intervenes, and she ends up hiding with them and their menacing leader, Dragunov—the feared Dragon of Russia. The two dark sides clash but also find connection, understanding. Could this man help her find balance? Could he be the one meant for her? The scheme revolving around her strengthens; they can’t evade the sinister fate ahead. A phoenix can only bring about destruction.

Dueling with Snakes

By: Jessica Piro

Leila Wells and the Phoenix finally agree on something when she returns to the Rulers of the Realms Tournament with a new partner. Vengeance against Bryan Foster. The competition is harder, especially with the serial killer’s taunts, and a former fling jeopardizing all. Discovering answers puts more at risk. Will she be used to unleash an unworldly evil? If so, what must be sacrificed to stop it? Surviving means Leila must make the most difficult decision ever. If a phoenix’s fire is extinguished, it can’t burn.

Stars Like Gasoline

By: Jessika Grewe Glover

When Celia, a Florida art curator, purchases the haunted house of her brother’s deceased fiancé, the spirits threaten her life and her career. To rid the home of the malevolent ghosts, she enlists the help of her brother, Oscar, and Adrian, the best friend of Oscar’s late fiancé. The three are about to be thrown into a chasm of events involving a dead French artist, a Dutch aerospace heiress, and a missing Japanese painter who is presumed to be dead. Not to mention a stalker who begins to threaten Celia and Oscar. The link between these events appears to be a hidden journal from the 1980s, belonging to a revered French artist, that Celia discovers in the home. As Adrian helps decipher the clues, an attraction burns between him and Celia, raising the stakes of the game someone is playing with their lives. A game that no one might make it out of alive.

False Finish

By: J.L. Minyard

Sometimes Love Ain't Enough

By: J.L. Minyard

Vivien Leigh Martin is a mess. Tobias Doan is too hot to be trusted. When they meet, sparks fly, but a lifetime of dating and hookups and hang-ups have left Vivien with a code: guys like Tobias don’t fall for girls like her.

What Kind of Fool

By: J.L. Minyard

Sheenah Green-Barnes has sworn off dating, relationships, and sex. The only things that matter to her are surviving her senior year of college, growing her budding online brand, and getting accepted into fashion design school. Everything else is a distraction. Fate, however, has other plans. After several chance encounters with her new, hot upstairs neighbor, sparks—and paint—are flying. Snake O’Connell is a talented, successful, nomadic tattoo artist trying to outrun the sins of his father. Sheenah is still putting her life back together after an abusive ex-boyfriend, and she vows nothing and no one will stand in the way of achieving her goals—not even the charismatic and charming Snake. Even if meeting him has her questioning everything she thought she knew about love and relationships and...satisfaction. As they navigate the ups and downs of their unexpected connection, Sheenah must decide whether to let Snake have her heart or to leave him behind.

Trouble With the Truth

By: J.L. Minyard

Roommates, hookups, friends, idiots. What could possibly go wrong? Emory Storey is a strong, independent college student, if a bit directionless and surly. The last thing she needs is a relationship—platonic, romantic, or otherwise. Too bad she’s stuck in a roommate agreement with Sebastian Rees, a devastatingly attractive fifth year senior with more abs than ambition. Their single hookup over a year ago was a mistake not so easily forgotten. They’ve both—silently and separately—agreed to keep their distance. Not an easy task when Emory can't stop thinking about the taste of his mouth. Or what his body feels like pressed to hers. When a rogue winter storm traps them together with no power or heat for days, they're forced to confront their one time together…and come out on the other side in a roommates-with-benefits arrangement, a complication Emory finds impossible to resist. What was supposed to be no strings sex quickly morphs into late night gaming, inside jokes, and wing eating contests…and something that feels suspiciously like real friendship and real feelings. But someone else is jealous. Someone else wants Emory. Someone who may not take no for an answer…forcing Emory to take a stand if she wants to claim her happy ending. Trouble With the Truth is chronologically the third book in the Penn Warren University series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. It is intended for mature readers

Deck the Shelves

By: Joelle Cullen

Alice Evans is trying hard to keep the Holly Jolly in Christmas this year. After her longtime boyfriend decides he wants to see more of the world (without her, that is), she is left figuring out how to piece hers back together. But no one wants a Grinch bringing down the office spirit, so her boss convinces Alice to take a leave of absence from her role as fashion executive at a London marketing firm. She returns home to the small village of Berkingsley and her parents’ bookshop and soon realizes that there are bigger problems than not having a boyfriend to share Christmas morning with. Hiding her breakup from her family, she learns that her parents are also keeping a secret, one that will take the help of the entire village to resolve. With the help of her friends and (possibly) a new love interest, Alice is determined to bring joy to herself and her parents this holiday season. What kind of miracle will it take to make it a Happy Christmas for all? Deck the Shelves is a sweet romance that can be read as a standalone Christmas novella or a sequel to its sister novel, What's Handed Down. Whichever way you read it, be prepared for a story filled with humor, heart, and hope.

What's Handed Down

By: Joelle Cullen

Renowned pianist Emilia Graham should feel like she’s on top of the world. After all, she’s living her dream of performing in one of the most prestigious music halls in Europe. But overwhelmed with grief over the death of her mother, she channels all her energy into fulfilling their shared dream, believing it is the key to finding happiness. The quaint English village of Berkingsley quickly draws her in, with its beautiful running trails, delicious local fare (and flowing pints of ale), and friendly, though meddlesome residents, especially Theo Collins, the blue-eyed, town favorite with his own hidden past. Won over by his charm, latte-making skills, and ability to make her feel something other than sadness, Emilia’s focus drifts away from her goals. She finds herself distracted by her growing feelings for a man and village she will soon be leaving, resulting in mistakes on stage in front of thousands of people. When she discovers a decades-old village secret, Emilia must decide if there is more to life than just her music. With her piano career on the line, can she confront her past and allow love into her future? If not, her mother won’t be the only one she is letting down.

The Heartbreak Hex

By: Jordyn Alexander

Gertrude Nightshade never thought that she’d be heartbroken right before Halloween. A busy potion witch in the middle of Holiday Village with a thriving shop, Gertrude thought that she’d be with her werewolf boyfriend forever. That is, until he unceremoniously dumps her at the busiest time in her career. While drowning her sorrows in pumpkin ale (and a mug of ill-advised peppermint schnapps), Gertrude drunkenly decides to put together the ultimate heartbreak healing potion, drinks it and goes to bed. But when she wakes up, she’s not alone. Vlad Everdark is the charming vampire mayor of the Halloween Neighborhood of Holiday Village. The last thing he expects is to wake up in bed with the beautiful, hungover witch who sells him his morning brew. The one he’s been secretly dreaming about for years. Not only that, but they are tethered together at the wrist with an unbreakable magic red string that doesn’t allow them to go more than six feet away from each other. Halloween is only days away, the biggest night of the year for both of them. Can they break the hex that is keeping them together? And, as they spend more time with each other, will they find that they want to?

The Peppermint Problem

By: Jordyn Alexander

Gretchen Nightshade has three big problems. First, her twin sister is crazy about her new vampire boyfriend and keeps leaving Gretchen on her own to mind the shop. Second, because of this, she’s completely behind on her candy orders and if she can’t fill them she’ll never be able to afford her own shop. But last and biggest of all: she’s in love with her childhood best friend who just sees her as another little sister. What’s a witch to do? Nick Kringle is the fifth of his name and is drowning under his father’s expectations. The only relief he gets is when he sneaks off to hang out with his best friend and taste her amazing sweets. When the Christmas Neighborhood’s main candy chef quits just days before Christmas, Nick knows there’s only one person he can count on to bail him out and save the holiday. But when pushback happens against a Halloween witch taking charge of the candy kitchens, Nick impulsively announces their engagement to smooth things over and protect Gretchen with the Kringle name. They can always just end the fake engagement when Christmas is over, right? But what happens when a kiss changes everything? Can they save Christmas and admit their feelings? It may take a Christmas miracle.

The Cupid Conspiracy

By: Jordyn Alexander

Beatrix Nightshade is used to being weighed down by responsibility. First with raising her two younger twin sisters after their parents died, then with her job championing the underdog Forgotten Holidays at City Hall, a life of hard work and fighting for what she wants is all she’s ever known. Just once she’s like things to be easy. Curtis Heartson is a cupid who’s charms and good looks have gotten him far in life. A lobbyist for Valentine’s Day, Curtis loves to win and make it look easy. He especially loves rubbing it in the face of his adorably angry rival, Beatrix. But romantic love is highly prized in the Valentine’s Neighborhood and Curtis can’t seem to take his career to the next level without being in a serious relationship. He can’t just fake it: cupids can sense bonds of strong emotion. But hate is easy to confuse with love and even if no one loves him, Curtis does know someone who hates him. Curtis comes to Beatrix with a proposition: a marriage of convenience. A way to pull the wool over his superiors’ eyes. One where he helps her with her goals and she helps him with his. A business arrangement. What could go wrong? But even the best plans have a way of going awry. When real feelings start sneaking into their strictly-business relationship, Curtis will have to choose: his career? Or his heart?

War Queen

By: Jordyn Alexander

Cursed at birth with fairy-like beauty, Queen Adalind has only ever known pain and death at the hands of men. Always a prize to be coveted, she doesn't know that she can trust any male. When Adalind must save her kingdom after the death of her cruel husband during a war he started with the nearby orc kingdom, the jaded queen offers herself up as a sacrifice. The orc king will receive a bride with magical beauty and she will save her subjects from more slaughter. What she doesn't expect is to be attracted to her future husband or find him to an honorable orc. King Rognar is merely seeking to end the war started by the humans, take his pound of flesh and go home. What he is not expecting is to be challenged by a beautiful, politically savvy queen, who seems to offer him everything he could ever want. But as he gets to see the real woman beneath her icy exterior, he finds that what he truly wants is Adalind's heart. As passion ignites between them, can they trust each other and rule two kingdoms? Or will all the forces that conspire against them tear them and their kingdoms, apart?

War Mistress

By: Jordyn Alexander

Pellia Santir has always had her choices taken from her, since she was a child. Finally free from the abusive king she was forced to serve as mistress, Pellia is looking for a fresh start. A new path. And a new lover. When she is installed as Regent of Adrik alongside the quiet and brooding Verrick, she believes she has found that lover. If only she can convince him of that fact. Verrick ka Roknir is an orc who has been burned by human women before. Haunted by the memory of a treacherous past-mate, Verrick is determined to never be blinded by beauty again. Even if the flirtatious human regent is oh, so tempting. He resolves for his heart to be as stone, but the pretty human has a way of getting behind his defenses. When fires break out in the south of the country, caused by an insidious force, Pellia and Verrick are put to the test. Can they come together to save the country from those that threaten it and ignite the passion growing between them? Or will the enemy destroy them andthe land they swore to protect?

War Maiden

By: Jordyn Alexander

Dura ka Woreki has always been a shieldmaiden of valor and duty. Fighting alongside her cousin, King Rognar, she can’t imagine that she would ever have to pick between her honor and her heart. Until, in the heat of battle, her Mating Instinct awakens for an enemy soldier she has sworn to kill. When she makes an impulsive decision she can’t take back, Dura saves the soldier and spirits him off into the woods where they can hide, abandoning her allegiance for the first time. Marvik Grimble has only one person in the world that he cares about: his sister Queen Adalind. Forced by oath to protect her abuser, the twisted King Yorian, Marvik finds himself in the middle of a war that he knows he can’t win. When he is gravely injured in battle, he accepts his death, only to find himself saved by the very one that almost killed him in the first place. At first, all he wants is to escape from this strange orcress, but as he gets to know the brave and feisty Dura, he is no longer sure what he wants. Unable to go back home, they slowly fall for one another. But just as Marvik and Dura think they have found their happy end, they discover a danger that could rock the foundations of both Adrik and Orik. Can they warn the people they love and find a way to be together or will the duty they’ve both always carried bring their doom?

War Mage

By: Jordyn Alexander

Adara Flameborn was raised by The Mage’s Tower, the other mages there the only family she’s ever known. When her closest friends are all killed in the war with Orik, Adara decides in her rage and grief to kill the only person left to blame: Adrik’s Queen Adalind. When her assassination attempt is foiled, Adara finds herself imprisoned in a room that cuts her off from her magical gift and tortured by a cold-hearted orc that she grows to hate. But when the queen comes to her with a chance for clemency if she takes on a dangerous mission with the very same detestable orc, she has little choice but to say yes. Urim ka Churnok is the orc that gets things done, no matter the actions needed or the price to be paid. When his queen comes to him with a high-stakes mission that could turn the tide of the coming war, he accepts without question. Even though it means going into enemy territory with a mage who hates him, likely never to return. When the two make it into Barakrin, the enemies’ territory, everything goes wrong and they find themselves chained together, on the march to be blood slaves for Lord Grazrath himself. Forced together, they find an attraction grow between them, against their wills and common sense. When Urim must pick between Adara and finishing his mission, will he save the woman he has come to care for? Or will he let her burn?

Come By Me

By: Kate Hershberger

After 15 years, Sophie Baxter is ready to move on. Her bestselling Karen Cooper books have brought her a lot of success and a comfortable life, but she knows it's time for the series to come to an end. Her publisher is asking for one final book and the first novel is about to become a movie. While she's never been comfortable with the idea of having her work becoming a movie, she has been promised that she will have a say in the creative process. She thinks she should be able to get through making the movie, no problem. That is until she meets the studio head. Jazz Duvall just got a great promotion. Ten years of working for one of the best woman producers in Hollywood, she's been put in charge of a studio that will oversee the movie adaptation of a novel that Hollywood has been after for years. She's excited to prove herself as an executive producer and studio head. She can't believe her eyes when she walks into a production meeting and sees her summer fling sitting in the conference room. Despite their attraction to one another, Sophie and Jazz agree to keep things professional while they work together. The more they work together, the closer they become. And the closer they become, the harder it is to ignore their attraction to each other.

A Blend of Magic

By: Kate Kenzie

Hiding in the shadows, staunch singleton Willow Anderson is content running her successful business, The Enchanted Emporium. With Christmas days away, she’s eager to exchange selling bespoke tea blends and spells for extended bubble baths and binge-watching festive movies snuggled next to her Maine Coon, Vincent. Nate never usually runs away from his problems, but drunk and disorientated, he finds himself in a small fisherman’s cottage in the Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby. After discovering his girlfriend’s affair, he is in no rush to return to the City. His wish for time alone in a Christmas-free zone comes true until an uninvited feline guest arrives. Neither Nate nor Willow want company, especially from each other, but they have little choice when concussion means they must spend at least twenty-four hours together. Sparks fly and not just the romantic kind. When darkness from Willow’s past returns and threatens to destroy all she has worked for, pursuing a love affair is the last thing she needs. With meddling ghosts and a teenage apprentice with her own matchmaking agenda, love and change are in the air. But can Willow face her fears, and the past, to capture the happiness she deserves?

Love You However

By: Katherine Blakeman

'Jean Taylor is a woman.' This is a statement that I have always tolerated about myself. Except now… it seems to be getting harder. My gender has never felt right, but I’ve been able to overlook it. I’ve always been okay with being Jean: retail worker, choir leader and wife of Petra. Our idyllic little life in Cornwall has given me the stability I’ve needed ever since my sister died, and everything’s been ticking along just fine. Up until now. A blast of menopause hormones has brought my gender to the front of my mind. When Petra is suddenly hurled into the role of ‘headteacher’ at work, it becomes harder and harder to share it with her. With work taking over her life and gender taking over mine, how can we keep our marriage alive? And can I realise my true identity before it’s too late? Content warning: mentions of self-harm, family members lost to cancer, and discussions of gender identity.

Road To Copper Hollow - Sapphic Romantic Suspense

By: Katie Trapp

All Blythe Gallamore wanted to do was get her life on track and settle down. After decades of friendship, she and best friend Miranda decide to explore their budding feelings for each other. So when she inherits the Gallamore estate and a now-defunct copper mine, she jumps at the chance to head home to Copper Hollow and Miranda. Quirky little Copper Hollow hasn't changed a bit; still gossipy and still religiously intolerant. What should have been her new start quickly descends into chaos when her first love, Brooke, who ghosted her in college, also arrives back home. Miranda and Brooke can't stand each other, and the stress mounts as Blythe struggles to understand her feelings for the two women. To top it all off, a close loved one is murdered. Blythe learns that she doesn't know everyone in her life as well as she thought. She begins questioning everything she's ever known. Can she survive the rollercoaster she's about to hop on unknowingly? Only time will tell.

Finding Our Way

By: K. B. Brookes

It's the 1980s. She's an ambitious small-town girl with dreams bigger than the mountains that raised her. He's a wilderness guide turned firefighter who knows every trail by heart, except the one that leads to having it all. When Ruth Elliot gets into Harvard Law, she has to choose between the future everyone planned and the one that calls to her soul. Jim Hartman faces his own impossible choice: hold onto the woman he loves or the mountains that shaped him. As Ruth fights to prove herself in the male-dominated halls of law school, Jim discovers that real strength means defying everyone's expectations --- even your own. Their passion burns as hot as ever, but can their love survive when challenging the rules about who should sacrifice their dreams? Maybe the trail to having it all isn't on any map. Maybe it's one they'll have to find together. This steamy romance redefines what it means to forge your own path. Because where there's no trail to follow, love finds a way.

Surviving With Noah

By: K. B. Brookes

In the unforgiving wilderness of the Arctic, two contestants must fight to survive - and discover the warmth of love in the process. Ava Phillips, a shy accountant with a knack for plants, enters the cutthroat world of "Survive: Duos," a reality show that will push her limits in more ways than one. Noah Hartman, a seasoned wilderness guide and search and rescue volunteer, chooses Ava as his partner, setting the stage for an adventure neither could have predicted. As Ava and Noah battle the elements and their own fears, an unexpected bond blossoms between them. But when a dangerous rival threatens their safety and their budding romance, they must dig deep to find the strength to survive - and to fight for the love they never saw coming. Fans of slow-burn, opposites attract, mountain man romances will be captivated by this gripping tale of survival and romance in the Arctic wild. With heart-stopping peril, sizzling chemistry, and a touch of humor, Surviving With Noah will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

Wild Dreams

By: K. B. Brookes

When sophisticated city lawyer Beth visits Springs for a much-needed break, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the charming and fun-loving Liam. As they explore the stunning wilderness together, Beth discovers there's more to Liam — and to life in Springs — than meets the eye. When a high-stakes legal case unexpectedly extends Beth's stay in Springs, her holiday fling with Liam blossoms into something deeper. But as Beth's demanding career beckons her back to the city, they must confront the reality of their divergent paths. Will Beth trade her high-powered legal career for a small-town life with Liam? Will she return to the city, leaving their love behind? Or will Liam find a way they can both make their dreams a reality? Fans of small-town romance, opposites attract, and hidden identity tropes will be enchanted by this captivating tale of love and self-discovery in the mountain wilderness. With witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and a dash of legal intrigue, "Wild Dreams" will keep you engrossed from the first cup of artisanal coffee to the final hike.