The Nephilim’s Fate Eliza Hampstead (War of the Nephilim Series, #1) Publication date: August 16th 2022 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
MY REVIEW
The gorgeous cover art for The Nephilim’s Fate by Eliza Hampstead is done by Rio B Nugroho and a cover can turn my head, making me feel that I have to have the book.
The War Of The Nephilim series takes place in London, in a magical world shared by witches, vampires, fae, demons, hellhounds, Nephilim, and humans. Each book highlights a couple, telling their story and The Nephilim’s Fate is Alissa and Nate’s story. Brace yourself for some spicy, sizzling forbidden romance.
We start out with some hot and heavy sex, but it’s only a dream. Or is it? Alissa finds out soon enough when she discovers her dream guy is a Nephilim and she is a witch. I love anything to do with gods and goddesses, angels and demons, vampires, and witches and wizards.
I quickly got lost in the story and read it in one sitting. My only regret, I don’t have the next two sitting by, waiting to be read. I probably would have went straight to them, because the characters are fascinating and the story had me caught up in the forbiddenness of it. How long can they last, before giving into their attraction…and what happens when they do?
Try telling Alissa they say it can’t be done and she sets off on a mission of her own to get the answers.
We usually have some kind of battle or war going on when we are in a magical fantasy and the paranormal world. They can’t seem to get along, but there are also other reasons that have been kept hidden.
I do like walking the darker side of things, and we will do so here.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
She will find a way, even if it leads to a war between Heaven and Hell.
In the heart of London, Alissia’s ordinary life takes a thrilling turn when she is attacked by bloodthirsty vampires. When Nate, the man she dreamed about for years, swoops in to save her, her reality shatters as she discovers a shocking truth: she’s a witch, and he’s a Nephilim. But their love is cursed, forbidden by ancient laws that threaten to tear their world apart.
As old rivalries resurface and dark secrets come to light, Alissia and Nate must confront their deepest fears and fight for their love, even if it means igniting a war between Heaven and Hell.
With unforgettable characters, steamy romance, and gripping plot twists, this captivating new fantasy series by award-winning author Eliza Hampstead delves into a world of angels and demons, forbidden love, and the inexorable power of fate.
If you crave the intensity of Shadowhunters with an added dose of spice, don’t miss out on this spellbinding series!
*Warning: strong language, steamy scenes, and graphic violence inside. Mention/Description of abduction, blood, death, rape, and torture.*
Award winning author Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she’s not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she’s always planning her next adventure.
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Lifeblood River Starr (Wife of the Demon Kings, #1) Publication date: June 29rd 2023 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
I WAS CHOSEN AS THEIR WIFE. BUT I DIDN’T CHOOSE THEM.
The Demon Courts reign in darkness over half the world, threatening our very existence. We in the Humanlands send them wives via lottery once a year to appease them, women to ravage and ruin in a lust-filled dance as their darkest desires are fulfilled.
IT’S NEVER ENOUGH.
The women never return. The four cursed demon kings are never satisfied. When my best friend is chosen as one of their next wives, I can’t leave her to that fate. I alone can end our suffering—but I’ve been hiding, terrified of death.
BECAUSE I AM A LIFEBLOOD.
I’m one of the last true children of the divine. My celestial blood is the key to the kings’ continued immortality and, if prophecy is to be believed, the cure to their curses. As soon as I meet the four achingly sexy monarchs, I can’t deny the intense and immediate attraction—and the pull my magic has on them.
Each of the gorgeous kings will try to take me as his wife. I hope they’re ready to fight for it… and that I survive the claiming.
“There is nothing complicated about this,” Gareth spat as he swiped through the air. Veins bulged along the sides of his neck and his ears were turning red. More telling, though, were the wisps of smoke starting to billow from his nose. “She’s my mate.”
He said it as if that explained everything. As if it were simply fact, and that because of it, I was his and nothing else about this situation mattered.
Except that it was a lie.
“Hollow mate, you mean,” I dared to say. If these men were going to argue about me as though I wasn’t even here, I’d say what I wanted, decorum be damned. These were demon kings and the very enemy of my kind. They didn’t care about me, just my blood. “This bond between us is hollow. I know you know that.”
It was missing pieces. But I wasn’t sure he’d let me clarify that part we’d both felt, too, last night in front of his friends. Friends who were all staring at me a little too closely right now. My brow knit together even tighter as I tried to breathe through the raw, demonic power hitting me every few moments. And I was a lifeblood. How did the human women handle these demon kings for any length of time?
They didn’t. Not all four at once. Maybe not even one for long.
Gareth glanced over his shoulder at me, and the cold, angry look in his eyes cut through everything else in the room. “I should’ve killed you.”
“It probably would’ve worked out better for me.” I hated him. I hated all of them. But those words hurt, and I hated that they did. That this demon king had any intimate power over me at all.
Mordred charged forward another step at Gareth’s words, but then paused when Gareth didn’t follow through.
“Mordred,” Lance warned, a smirk still playing on his full lips. Did he really find this funny?
Mordred’s jaw locked hard. “We agreed on civil. No more threats. From anyone.”
Silence fell upon the room, but it was their demonic power that continued to fill it. Thick and tense, full of a dark rawness I’d never felt before. Except last night with Gareth.
There’d been so many new feelings last night with Gareth. A pull I felt even now, still hollow between him and me, as I stood behind him. Only, unlike last night, my anger was holding the submissive parts of me at bay. Because there was no chance in hell I’d get on my knees and submit to him in front of these demon kings.
I wouldn’t submit to any of them.
Lance’s grin grew as we stood there. “Oh… Oh! Is she the one who broke into your hotel room last night and nearly escaped with all of your little draconic treasures?” His tone was mirthful, teasing, but there was a slight tightness to his jaw that suggested—to me, at least—he wasn’t sure if this was going too far. “Clever, clever girl.”
“Lifeblood,” I corrected him. “Another woman for you four to ravage and ruin.”
“Mate,” Gareth chimed in. “She’s my mate. My lifeblood. And she’s leaving here with me.”
Mordred’s jaw finally unlocked, but only to say, “She just said the connection’s hollow. What if it’s not a real mate bond?”
It’s not, I wanted to say. But I kept my mouth shut.
It seemed clear to Gareth as well as to me that something was wrong with our mate bond. But the possessive, draconic part of him was winning out over any and all logic, and I was starting to get the sense that my time was indeed running short. He’d kill me after all. Someone this not in control wouldn’t have the patience to bleed me slowly over years.
Tristan stepped forward finally, although the look of concentration on his forehead hadn’t lessened. If anything, his brow had creased deeper above his chestnut-brown eyes. “I’m more interested in where you’ve been for the last nearly two hundred years. Lifebloods are supposed to be extinct.”
I raised my chin. They could easily surmise why I’d hidden myself if they thought about it for more than half a second. “I was a child when your Demon Courts killed the rest of my kind. I was hidden away and then orphaned. I stayed hidden out of fear.”
Of death. Of torture. Children were too young to have fears like that. But I’d survived.
“You abandoned your duty,” Gareth snapped.
Lance’s eyebrows lifted and he chuckled a little. “You really don’t like her, do you?”
“It’s mutual,” I said.
At this, Gareth turned to affix his burning gaze on me. His eyes were a dark red that seemed to have actual fires burning within them. “You don’t need to like me. You just need to accept the mate bond.”
“So you can take my blood and body without consent?” I volleyed back. “Or do I not have that anymore, either?” I lifted my bound wrists so I could tap my chin with a silver-painted nail. “I suppose not, considering how many women have likely died at your hands after you’re done using them. That’s why I hid. All of that death.”
Author Bio:
River Starr writes books that help you escape, especially fantasy romance full of magic and supernaturals. Favorite things: coffee, wine, chocolate, and a heavy dose of books to chase away the dark… or invite delicious darkness in.
Winds of Change: A Steamy Paranormal Romance Collection Publication date: October 31st 2024 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
An accident and a magical breeze will forever alter their destinies…
Weird stuff happens in San Destino. Some accept it without question. Others know and protect its secrets.
Cross the bridge over Starfall Bay to a town where the paranormally gifted live in peaceful anonymity. When ten couples are drawn together during the mystical time of Beltane, their hearts and minds will be challenged and changed.
Whose magical world is threatened? Whose ordinary world will be transformed by magic? Find out in this limited-edition collection of steamy paranormal romances by established and emerging authors.
OMG. Vampires and yatchies. I love it. I watch Below Deck on TV and when D V Sullivan asked if I was interested in reading a copy of Lair, I dove right in. I can see why he thought of yatchs as a setting, seeing he has been a yatchie himself. What an original idea.
Aurora runs from an abusive boyfriend, running right into the arms of a billionaire vampire. I have never read about vampires on yatchs and I love what D V Sullivan has done with them. Of course, he has a steady supply of blood, seeing his employees are handy and easily disposed of. Can a vampire fall if love with a human? Can Aurora fall in love with Adrian?
Aurora coaxes Adrian into trying to cure his curse and I sure didn’t see the outcome. I am really curious about the future books in the series.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
An abusive ex. A quick getaway to start over. A rich and debonaire vampire who could be her chance at romance or a one-way ticket to a bad end.
Aurora needs out. She lives in terror of her abusive boyfriend, who controls her entire life. She vows to escape, and when she gets hired aboard a superyacht cruising the Mediterranean, it seems all her dreams have come true.
Especially when she finds herself drawn to the Lair’s reclusive and dazzlingly handsome owner, Adrian Voper. The only problem: the pale-skinned billionaire is as controlling as her ex, and when his female guests keep disappearing under mysterious circumstances, Aurora realizes he is concealing a nature far more monstrous than her former abuser’s.
Shaken and terrified, Aurora must now confront the reality of life with a vampire. The damaged parts of herself drawn to such abuse. And what, if anything, can free Adrian from his curse.
D.V. Sullivan has been a deckhand in the Mediterranean, a bartender in New York and an English teacher in China. Now that he’s no longer hosing salt off yachts during high-wind gales, he writes from his lair in the Pacific Northwest.
Corpse Whisperer Sworn by H R Boldwood is the third book in the Corpse Whisperer Series and I am fortunate to have them all, thanks to the author. The books are quick reads, because it’s hard to stop myself from racing through the pages.
With a gun in one hand and a blade in the other, Allie Nighthawk searches the streets of New Orleans for the necromancer, Toussaint. Who will win the face to face confrontation?
She can raise the dead, but spends most of her time putting down the freshies, flesh eaters and corpsicles with the help of her hotty, wantta be boyfriend, Ferris.
As I picture the zombies from The Walking Dead, I am laughing most of the way through the blood and guts, the zushi. The writing is humorous, even when they are shooting, slashing and stabbing, and their lives are on the line.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Corpse Whisperer Sworn by H R Boldwood.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Follow Allie Nighthawk to exciting New Orleans where she raises the dead, puts down rotters, and dabbles in the mystical world of hoodoo. She’s on the trail of an evil necromancer who will stop at nothing to rule the world with his army of deadheads. Is her magick strong enough to save the day? Or will this necromancer from her past kill her before she gets the chance? She figures she’s got a fifty-fifty shot. Make that forty-sixty.
H.R. Boldwood, author of the Corpse Whisperer series, countless short stories, and Imadjinn Award finalist, is a writer of horror and speculative fiction. In another incarnation, Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the 2009 Bilbo Award for creative writing by Thomas More College. Boldwood’s characters are often disreputable and not to be trusted. They are kicked to the curb at every conceivable opportunity when some poor unsuspecting publisher welcomes them with open arms. No responsibility is taken by this author for the dastardly and sometimes criminal acts committed by this ragtag group of miscreants.
A
haunted tapestry. A cursed dynasty. Dark magic, and a supernatural
creature with an insatiable hunger.
Tapestry
Deadly Curiosities
Book 6
by Gail Z. Martin
Genre: Supernatural
Mystery Adventure
A
haunted tapestry. A cursed dynasty. Dark magic, and a supernatural
creature with an insatiable hunger.
Cassidy Kincaide and the Deadly
Curiosities crew get a call from a desperate real estate investor to
un-haunt a mansion that has belonged to a family of dark witches for
generations. Inside, a hidden chamber reveals a legacy of
supernatural power, a dangerous tapestry woven with malicious magic
and defiant ghosts that refuse to accept the house’s new ownership.
When the dust settles, the family’s witch and the djinn that has
influenced the dynasty’s fortunes for more than a century are
missing—and bent on vengeance.
A mysterious pop-up gallery
sells magical tapestries to Charleston’s art collectors, but good
luck quickly turns bad as the woven pieces permit the djinn to drain
and kill the owners. Meanwhile, Cassidy’s best friend, Teag Logan,
and his fiancé, Anthony Benton, finalize plans for their wedding,
dodging mama drama and supernatural setbacks.
When Cassidy and her allies go
after the witch and the djinn, they find themselves targeted by magic
that can bend perception and reshape reality. The psychic pain caused
by the cursed tapestries fuels the power of the djinn and the dark
witch, setting up a showdown with the Alliance for the soul of
Charleston.
Can they stop the witch, defeat
the djinn, destroy the tapestries, and still make it to the wedding
on time?
A dark
witch dynasty. A malicious, immortal undersea place-spirit. Eternal
guardians who wagered their souls to protect Charleston.
Omens of impending disaster
have the city on edge. Tremors warn of earthquake risk, while a
potentially catastrophic storm gathers strength over the ocean and
heads for land.
A last-man-standing promise
among elderly veterans creates a dangerous inheritance involving an
imprisoned, wish-granting goblin. A sea captain and a swashbuckler
worked blood magic to protect Charleston from an ancient evil with a
spell that bound their souls and their descendants to the task, but
danger looms as its power fades. The head of a witch family wants
artifacts and secrets—and he’ll do anything to get them.
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles
and Folly, an antique and curio store where her touch magic helps get
cursed and haunted objects out of the wrong hands. More than once,
she and her allies have saved the world from supernatural threats.
The clock is ticking for
Cassidy and her friends to stop the dark warlock, capture the goblin
and restore the guardian spell before a malevolent ancient entity
takes its vengeance on Charleston and the coast. It’s going to take
all the magic, courage and quick thinking they can muster—and for
once, that might not be enough.
Legacy is an action-packed
urban fantasy paranormal thrill ride full of dark magic, infernal
creatures, goblins and demigods, haunted places, pirate ghosts, found
family, witch dynasties, loyal friends, Voudon spirits, secret
history and plenty of adventure.
Stolen magic. Infernal creatures. A cursed heir to a warlock
dynasty. Supernatural suspense.
Caribbean ghosts terrorize
Charleston and rack up a body count. Then Beckford Pendlewood, the
heir to a powerful family of dark warlocks, shows up raving about a
bound demon locked in a lost box and begs sanctuary.
Cassidy Kincaide can read the
history of objects by touching them. She and her allies use magic and
paranormal abilities to keep Charleston and the world safe from
supernatural threats.
Can Cassidy and her friends find the
demon box, stop the killer ghosts, and break the Pendlewood curse
before Beckford’s murderous cousins and the vengeful demon destroy
them all?
Inheritance is an action-packed
thrill ride full of dark magic, infernal creatures, demons and
demigods, haunted places, found family, witch dynasty politics, loyal
friends, Caribbean ghosts, secret history and plenty of adventure!
Book Four in the Deadly
Curiosities series.
“This story starts out right
in the thick of it with loads of action, and doesn’t let up until
the final pages.”—Drops of Ink on Inheritance
Zombies
rise in Charleston cemeteries, dead men fall from the sky, and the
whole city succumbs to the “grouch flu.”
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles and Folly in Charleston, an antiques
and curios shop with a secret history of ridding the city of cursed
objects and keeping the world safe from supernatural
threats.Cassidy’s magic can read the history of an object with a
single touch. Her best friend Teag is a Weaver witch, and her boss,
Sorren, is a 600 year-old vampire.
Now a vengeful dark
witch is gunning for Teag and planning to unleash an ancient horror.
Cassidy, Teag, and Sorren—and
all their supernatural allies—will need magic, cunning, and the
help of a Viking demi-goddess to survive the battle with a malicious
Weaver-witch and an ancient Norse warlock to keep Charleston—and
the whole East Coast—from becoming the prey of the Master of the
Hunt.
Tangled Web is an action-packed
thrill ride full of magic, restless ghosts, infernal creatures,
haunted places, found family, vampire politics, old Norse magic, Wild
Hunt, loyal friends, secret history and plenty of adventure!
Book Three in the Deadly
Curiosities series.
“There are plenty of spooks
and magic to keep the action fresh. From page one to the big finale,
the plot gallops along at a good pace.”—Cats Luv Coffee on
Tangled Web
Sorren has spent centuries
shutting down the plans of powerful immortals, dark warlocks, fallen
angels, and supernatural creatures. He’s a vampire working with
paranormal allies to protect a world that doesn’t know the dangers
that prowl the shadows. Now an enemy from his past is picking off
everyone Sorren cares about, destroying his sanctuaries, and making
it clear that Sorren will be the final target of a magic-fueled
vendetta.
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles &
Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antique and curio shop with a
dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching
them and along with her Weaver witch friend Teag, Sorren, and their
allies, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the
world safe from supernatural threats.
The clock is ticking. Old power
stirs, the kind that hasn’t been seen in centuries, waking from
slumber and hungry for vengeance.
This sort of evil can’t be
destroyed—but it can be contained, and that’s what Sorren and his
allies did long ago. Now, the evil has returned, even stronger and
craftier than before. Cassidy, Teag, and Trifles and Folly are in the
crosshairs against an unknown enemy with strong magic and significant
resources and to win they’ll have to put their lives—and souls—on
the line. Can they help Sorren fight a deathless foe from centuries
past, or will they see everything they love go down in flames?
Vendetta is an action-packed
thrill ride full of magic, restless ghosts, infernal creatures,
haunted places, found family, cursed paintings, old Norse magic,
demigods, vampire politics, fallen angels, loyal friends, secret
history, and plenty of adventure!
Welcome to Trifles & Folly,
a store with a secret. Proprietor Cassidy Kincaide’s psychic gift
lets her know the history and magic of an object by touching it.
Cassidy and her friends—including Weaver witch Teag and her vampire
business partner Sorren—save the world from vengeful ghosts, dark
magic, hidden monsters, and things that go bump in the night.
When a trip to a haunted hotel
unearths a statue steeped in malevolent power, and a string of
murders leads to the abandoned old Navy yard, Cassidy, Teag, and
Sorren discover a diabolical plot to unleash a supernatural onslaught
on their city.
It’s time for Cassidy and her
team to handle the “deadly curiosities” before it’s too late.
Deadly Curiosities is an
action-packed thrill ride full of magic, restless ghosts, infernal
creatures, haunted places, dangerous curios, found family, loyal
friends, secret history, and plenty of adventure!
Gail
Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for
Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and
Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and
the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include
Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle,
the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.
Together
with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron & Blood, Storm
& Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and
Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe
Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future
post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM
paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail,
Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a
con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention
that never ends.
Could a stolen Degas unravel a cold-case art heist? Celine must find out before murder closes in . . . Shattered by a journalist’s death and sensing danger to his mother, Clara, psychic art sleuth Celine Skye struggles to focus on the
Gardner Museum theft. Until a stolen Degas taken eight years after the heist surfaces—along with new clues and visions of Clara in peril.
Compelled to investigate, Celine has a startling revelation linking Clara to a Gardner Museum insider. Could Clara’s son have uncovered evidence implicating her friend in the theft?
With the threat to Clara escalating, Celine must find the truth before murder finds them both. . .
About Nupur Tustin
Nupur Tustin is a former journalist who misuses a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.A. in English to paint intrigue and orchestrate murder. She is the author of the Joseph Haydn Mystery series set in eighteenth-century Austria and the Celine Skye Psychic Mysteries about a psychic art sleuth who takes on the still unsolved
Gardner Museum theft of 1990. She also writes the Sophie’s Adventure series about an art sleuth who recovers stolen art as an undercover tourist. For more about her and her books, please visit https://ntustin.com
After her sister dies, Meara Deleaney invites her bereaved nephew, Jackson, to accompany her on a book tour to Canada’s Atlantic provinces. Fearful of leaving the security of her apartment, Meara bolsters her courage by recalling the imaginary dragons she and her sister slew as children behind the hollyhock hedge.
As they travel in a motorhome from park to park and bookstore to bookstore, Meara and Jackson are unaware of the manipulating forces intent on preventing their return home. They do, however, realize they are being stalked and therefore welcome the company of another touring author, criminology professor Bartholomew Wolfe.
A long-standing professional relationship between the authors builds to romance and a persuasive invitation to seek shelter at the professor’s lodge. However, to reach the lodge, Meara—now accompanied by her nephew, niece and mother—unsuspectingly travels through a portal which exits in a future dimension near a fortress.
From there, the family is escorted under guard through dangerous territory to a lodge where metaphorical dragons lie in wait, and security comes at a price.
EXCERPT
As bedtime neared, Meara was reaching for the television remote when the screen went dark. Simultaneously, the cabin lights dimmed to battery mode, the refrigerator switched from electricity to propane gas, and the microwave blinked off.
Meara and Jackson went outside to see if the power was out in the whole campground. It was an ideal summer night perfected by the sound of rolling surf, a sound they expected to later lull them to sleep in their motorhome haven. A breeze swept the scent of campfire smoke into the ocean-scented air. Small animals could be heard scuttling through nearby shrubbery, rustling twigs and leaves.
When it became apparent there was no generalized power outage, Jackson checked their electric outlet. The motorhome’s electric cord lay unplugged on the ground.
“Pranksters again,” he muttered as he bent to plug it in.
However, at the motorhome steps, Meara and her nephew came to an abrupt halt. On the vehicle’s bottom step lay a long-stemmed rose bearing an attached note.
Someone had stealthily placed it there in the brief time they were outside. Someone had been watching, waiting for the right moment to leave the rose.
No longer did the sound and smell of the ocean seem soothing. No longer did the scent of campfire smoke seem inviting. No longer did the rustling of twig and leaf seem friendly. They looked around nervously and saw no one.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Gloria Pearson-Vasey weaves contemporary issues into her novels, and likes a story – be it literary fiction, historical fantasy or science fiction – to be authentic and end on a note of hope.
A member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Pearson-Vasey has also penned non-fiction books on autism and pilgrimage.
The author feels blessed for experiencing the joy and chaos of merging child raising with career, camping, travel and pets.
She lives in a picturesque Ontario town, and enjoys reading, music, country drives and time with family and friends.
The Accidental Sereph Maci Aurora (Carran Hollow Fated Mate, #1) Publication date: June 25th 2024 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
When Atlas Black, a bad boy with a reputation in Carran Hollow, walks into The Hole-in-the-Wall bar investigating a demon sighting, it’s mostly business as usual until he comes face-to-face with his calix—his fated-mate. Except Ivy Day, oblivious to the world of seraphs and demons, thinks she’s stranded in Carran Hollow because a stupid bus has broken down. She just needs a ride to get to the next bus in order to get to her sister across the country. While the guy in the bar hitting on her is hotter than any human has the right to be, unless he’ll give her a lift, she doesn’t have any patience for anything else. But little does she know, Atlas is about to take her on the ride of her life—that is, as long as they can get through the demons.
[Rome] pulls his phone from his pocket and glances at it. “Bus coming into the Hollow.”
Samson and I groan. Buses mean tourists. Obnoxious tourists drag in the demon riff-raff hiding among them, and they aren’t usually the organized kind, but rather the fledgling demons or the deserters attached to the taedae, unsighted humans.
“Not it,” Samson says.
“How’s that injury?” Rome asks me.
“Not an injury,” I repeat. “How many times do I have to say it?”
Rome looks me over, eyes narrowed, as if he can see beyond my skin and bones. “Fine,” he relents. “You go into town. Wait for the bus to roll in, see if any demons have hitched a ride.” He points at me. “But don’t engage, not without backup.”
I’m already walking over to the cabinet, pulling on my harness, sliding a sharpened dagger into a sheath, along with another into my boot. “Me? Engage?” I glance at my bow but leave it, knowing I probably won’t need it. Those off the bus are rarely difficult to dispatch. I glance at Rome with a smile. “Never.”
Samson laughs.
I shrug into my black leather jacket and grab my helmet before I’m out the door, headed for the heart of town. After driving past Lowry’s Gas and Sundries, where the bus stops, and seeing the hulking, metal can is already empty, I ride down Main. I park my bike, cross to the other side, and duck into The Hole in the Wall, a small bar sandwiched between a diner called The Getaway, and a witchy souvenir shop that sells Carran Hollow guidebooks. One of these three establishments is often the first stop for tourists, and thereby their parasitic demons, when they reach town.
My eyes adjust to the dark. There’s an older guy playing guitar near the door. The shiny wooden bar is on the left and runs the length of the room. There are a few people lined up along the counter, atop barstools. Booths—mostly empty—line the right wall, and in between is a stretch of space big enough to walk between the two. I’ve been here before. I have been in every single shop in Carran Hollow, every single home—though the owners haven’t known I was there. The Hollow is my town.
The locals glance at me then look away, giving me a wide berth. They might know me. They might know I’m a Black. If they don’t, they feel it—that sensation skittering across their skin telling them danger is near. That’s all that’s needed.
Author Bio:
Romance author.
Lover of stories.
Maci Aurora has been writing stories since she was a child. When she was eleven, she fell in love with reading Sunfire Historical Romances about girls who made a difference in their lives and still fell in love. In high school, a friend introduced her to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, and from there, her writing journey was cemented in telling stories about love. Having already published many novels (all of which are threaded with romance as upper YA and New Adult titles) under the pen name, CL Walters, Maci Aurora wanted to write stories that offered the same attention to story and characters but with additional steam.
Maci writes in Hawaiʻi where she lives with her husband, their children, and their fur-babies.
Dark and Lovely Mermaids Julie Catherine (Broken Mermaids, #2) Publication date: June 11th 2024 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Mermen. Monsters. And a lot of Manipulation. An at-odds prisoner (merman) and warden (mermaid) are about to set off to cross the deep ocean and end up running for their lives. Dive into the twisted waters of Dark and Lovely Mermaids, a forced proximity, enemies to lovers paranormal romance where the love is deep and the ocean is wild.
Ellara Merme made a bad deal. To save her friends and human sweetheart, she agreed to become a sea-slave, the lowest class in the mermaid world. It’s hell on earth, at the bottom of the ocean. A terrible choice. The only decision that’s worse, is the choice she’s about to make.
The leader of the mermaids has offered her an out: Deliver the merman prisoner to Neptune’s army and all will be forgiven. No problem. Should be an easy mission. Except…
… the deep ocean is full of sea monsters itching to make the mermaid their next meal.
… plus she might be catching feelings for the merman she’s supposed to be delivering. Could he possibly be so charming? Or are there other manipulations at play?
With danger crashing with every wave, Ellara has to decide: should she stick to the plan and save herself from sea-slavery? Or dive headfirst into the waters of romance? Can she outsmart the ocean and resist the merman’s charms? Or will she end up making an even worse bargain to survive?
Dark and Lovely Mermaids is a thrilling, loyalty-testing, romantic underwater adventure full of monsters, natural disasters and an army of mermen—an underwater story so enchanting you -won’t want to come up for air!
“Who should go? Among us, there is a mermaid brave enough, wise enough, and strong enough to do this task? To journey alone. To finish what must be done. To save our kingdom from Poseidon’s spy work. Ellara Merme.”
Petra thrust me forward and lifted the hand she still held in a victorious pose.
All of Merme erupted in whoops and cries.
I plastered a foolish smile upon my cheeks.
All this adoration was for me? What a joke.
I was a hoax standing here, paraded out to the town, in my new silver hair. They were acting like I was some sort of savior, but in reality I was just a jerk they could blackmail into completing the task. So desperate to become a Fert, I’d risk my life.
“Smile,” Petra hissed.
“I am smiling.”
“Bigger.”
A hollow grin pushed up the corners of my lips. I tried to hide the terror behind my eyes. Petra swooped me forward ’til I was side-by-side with Quinn. The leader held up my other arm. I tried not to faint.
“Ellara Merme is our courageous warrior, our mighty Merme.” Quinn said. “She brought the terrible merman’s presence to the attention of the Pause. Ellara brought him down in the fight during the storm. She has killed a Portrayan Kingfisher Crab, manipulated human women into becoming her friends, and she has bedded hundreds of men.”
How about one. The day after my transition was over.
I wanted to vomit in my own mouth.
At best, these claims were a wild twisting of the truth. At worst, the city of Merme had just been pacified with lies. And promises that couldn’t come true. Somewhere in the crowd, I imagined Blonde craning her neck, rolling her eyes. Quinn was making me out to be some sort of super woman. It couldn’t have been farther from the truth. But the women of Merme didn’t care. They just wanted to be safe.
“Ellara Merme was blessed by Abigailya, the sea witch. In fact, the sorceress bestowed on her the magical third eye.”
Which I still didn’t know how to use.
“She defeated a clever water nymph. All by herself.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore. My eyes searched for Blonde. I started to shake my head, no. Petra’s fingernails dug into my palm.
“Play along,” the rainbow-woman hissed. I tightened my smile.
“Ellara Merme is the perfect woman for this mission. A vital soldier. A master mermaid. A linchpin in the success of Neptune’s war. And we will win.” A less experienced orator might have shouted that from the rafters and beaches, but Quinn knew better than that. “We will win,” she whispered, it came out like a shiver. An ear-worm in the brain of every young mermaid. “We will win.” She repeated. Then, finally, she brought the mighty point home. “We. Will. Win!”
Author Bio:
Julie Catherine is an author, screenwriter and playwright.
