Book Releases || June 28, 2016 || Vampires, Warriors, Deception, Gargoyles, and Sex.


Sword of The Quest

A Wolf Slayer Saga #3

by Richard Dawes

Captured by pirates, Valka the Wolf Slayer is sold into slavery then battles as a gladiator in order to survive. Purchased by a great spiritual master, he undertakes a quest to re-capture a magical emerald stolen by the Black Brotherhood. Accompanied by the Shield Maiden, Aquila, and her band of women warriors, Valka battles his way across a blazing desert and into a black mountain of sorcery where the jewel is kept. He faces psychic attacks, an army of bloodless ghouls, a wave of poisonous serpents and a deadly labyrinth. But his most dangerous challenge comes when he confronts the emerald itself and faces the irresistible lure of the gift it offers.

 

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Deception

by Laura Ranger

How far would you go to get to the truth?

Izzy’s had a lifetime of liars in her past. All that changes with Caleb Matthews who’s genuine and sincere. He teaches her not all is black or white. After 25 years of marriage she begins to suspect there’s more to her husband then what she’s known. No matter how she tries, she can’t find anything amiss. Is her paranoia from being deceived in her past sabotaging her future or is there something more she’s missing?

 

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Lover In Stone

The Darkest Kynd #1

by S.C. Dane

To the world they are the Grotesques—hideous chimeras and gargoyles of stone. But before they are locked in their granite prisons, they are Kynd—magnificent beings condemned to prowl the nightmares of every realm.
Their tortures will doom them to stone.
The love of a Chosen One could save them.

Hell hath no fury like a woman… who really wants her man. For more than two thousand years, Merrick the Chimera has borne the misery of being the guardian to Hell’s Archway. He has witnessed millions of condemned souls, slaughtered thousands of trespassers, and his enraged despair is pushing him to the brink of becoming what the world expects his Kynd to be.

Go to Hell. A mission the timid Angelia Delacroix must undertake in order to find the ancient Scriptum, even though the fearsome Merrick has been assigned to be her guide.

As their quest leads them deeper into danger, Merrick and Angelia must turn to each other. Can Angelia find the courage to keep the chimera’s battered soul safe? Or will Merrick give in to his torments—dooming himself to his stone fate, and Angelia to the tortures of Hell?

 

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Carissa’s Redemption

Bloodmates #4

by Jaden Sinclair

Belonging nowhere, the best at what she does, love is the only thing that can bring this Guardian to her knees.

She was born half vampire, half bloodmate. A half-breed, belonging to neither world but protector of both, Carissa Morrisroe chose to become a Guardian, and she’s turned out to be one of the best. Cold as any other Guardian, she’s a natural when it comes to killing. Nothing can bring her down. Nothing that is but one simple thing—love.

Rage is nothing more than a killer. Raised with not one kind hand, it’s no wonder he feels nothing for no one—or so the world thinks. However, when he meets the one and only female Guardian on the battle field, buried emotions slowly start to emerge.

Enemy—savior—lover? Which will they be? It’s a question that Carissa asks herself as she fights the pull. It’s a question that Rage is tired of asking, but when fate knocks them both down hard they get their answer and with it a vengeance no one sees coming.

 

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Madame Vanity: Laced in Rouge

The Academy of Carnal Games

by Isabella Michelle

Enjoy an erotic twist that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat—or bed—climaxing for more.

A relationship established by sex, turns out to be a little more than what Noémie was expecting, once Sofaine admits he is in love with her. Noémie must now decide, if pleasing Madame Cherry and exploiting herself as the one and only Madame that will not submit to Cuming to the opposite sex is more important, than actually falling in love with Sofaine.

 

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Books Release || Feb 13, 2016 || Fantasy & Paranormal


 

~ Paranormal Romance ~

Fate’s Prison

Promise Me #14

by Tara Fox Hall

When a simple loving encounter with Devlin raises the ghost of his long-dead paramour, Rene, Sarelle intervenes, saving Rene’s soul from the demon Shaker. Forced to share her body with Rene, Sarelle works diligently with the sorceress’s ghost to magically build her a new body, even as attacks by vampire hunters escalate, threatening all Sarelle holds dear. As Hayden’s defenses crumble, Sarelle magically escapes certain death only to become Michael’s prisoner along with Lash. Faced with an eternity of captivity and Lash’s impending death, Sarelle forges a Hellish pact, changing her life forever.

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~ Fantasy ~

"Sword of Doom" by Richard DawesSword of Doom

A Wolf Slayer Saga #2

by Richard Dawes

King Tancred, the ruler of Korava, plans a sneak attack on the kingdom of Argos. Princess Uralia, the daughter of the Argosian king, hears of the plot and asks Valka the Wolf Slayer to take her back to her father so she can warn him of the impending attack. Valka agrees, and embarks on a blood drenched journey that pits him against the whole army of King Tancred, who intends to stop them.

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~ Paranormal ~

One More Night by Rhonda StrehlowOne More Night

The Horton Auction Series #2

by Rhonda Strehlow

If love can transcend time then perhaps hate can, too.

While preparing an old saloon for auction, Honor Horton meets Jonas and Ruby… and Captain Davis, a love triangle that played out, unhappily, more than one hundred years ago.

When a lover from Honor’s past returns those complicated emotions mix with that of the long dead characters. The resulting chaos makes everyone wonder if there is a chance for a happy ending.

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Books Release || Feb 6, 2016 || Atlantis & Romance Saga

If you missed our last blog post, we’re partaking in a Valentine’s day Giveaway Hop. Stop by THIS POST to check out the prizes and get entered!


 

Doomed Empire: A Tale of Atlantis

 by Richard Dawes

Prince Astraeus of Caiphul schemes to usurp the throne of his father, King Darius. Seduced by his step-mother and an evil magician named Gucumatz, his plan includes the sacrificial death of an innocent young woman, Princess Asparis.

Astraeus’ plans change when he meets Asparis and falls in love. The story follows his struggle to free himself from the influence of his step-mother and Gucumatz, face torture by his father’s assassins and battle his way through to a vision of his ultimate destiny.

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"April's Secret Storm" by Brenda Ashworth BarryApril’s Secret Storm

A Seasons Saga Novel

by Brenda Ashworth Barry

Just when Beth Ann and Kaylob try to put the kidnapping behind them and believe things are calming down. Secrets that were long buried, come barreling at them like a storm. Everything Kaylob thought he knew about his world, turns out to be anything but…

New love for Frankie could also be on the horizon and will be brought about through the secrets that were kept from Kaylob. The question is, will Frankie be ready to settle down and give up his playboy lifestyle? However, through a tragedy Frankie finds shelter and comfort from an unexpected person.

The saga continues with some heart break and happy news. But the big question is, can Kaylob enjoy anything, when his life has been turned upside down?

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Books Release || Nov 27, 2015 || Vampires, Romance and Warriors


 

Life’s Unexpected Adventures Anthology
Volume Two

 by Joanne Rawson

Always Mr. Wrong
Clare Darby is feeling restless, but can’t quite put her finger on why. Her life is in order, so what is the problem? When her daughter asks what she really wants for Christmas how can Clare tell her all she wants is to get laid. All her life she has fallen for Mr. Wrong. Will she ever find Mr. Right?

Zoe North
Zoe North walked down the aisle, aware that all eyes were on her. She knew she should be savouring this moment, yet all she could focus on was the man at the altar the man that, in a few minutes from now, would be promising to spend the rest of his life with her. As the vicar starts the wedding ceremony, Zoe recalls her turbulent, two-year relationship with Dale Kennedy, literally, falling head over heels but not in love, when they first meet.

A night dancing at a salsa, club leads to more than she bargained for. An ultimatum that could change Zoe’s life forever and a honeymoon she will never forget.

A witty, spicy, story of love, friendship and never expecting the inevitable.

Coming Home for Christmas
After her husband’s death, Sophie and her young daughter return to her family in Derbyshire. The Ferguson’s seem like a perfect family until you scratch the surface. With so many emotional baggage, and only nine weeks to Christmas, can Sophie bring them altogether for the perfect Christmas she dreams of?

Thomas, the gorgeous, moody decorator, is a man with his own agenda that doesn’t seem to include Sophie. Even in his paint-smeared tee shirt, faded jeans and scuffed boots, he is immodestly masculine, handsome and sizzling hot. But when his eyes reflect the pain she knows so well, Sophie cannot help but wonder if there is another side to the cold exterior.

Thomas finds his heart opening to this beautiful, wounded woman from his past. A passion smoulders as they work together in the months before Christmas. But he has been hurt before and hesitates to stoke the fire between them.

Will the magic of the holidays heal a family and bring two lost souls together?

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The Guardian’s Embrace

Bloodmates #2

by Jaden Sinclair

A child is still missing. Chaos between two old friends erupts. Elders, bloodmates, and vampires are being murdered in mass attacks by mutated breeds. Only three guardians and one elder remain.

Dimitri de Fiammetta, a guardian all of his life, knows no other way to live. He’s fought and killed to protect his race. The only family he accepts are those he’s fought with, side by side. When the prophet is born many changes come in the midst of a war. While duty to the race comes first and protecting the last Elder and the prophet are his number one missions, one change Dimitri doesn’t believe he can handle is the order to test for, find, and bond with his bloodmate. Orders he can resist, but can he fight a link forged in blood no matter how much he believes it is wrong?

Claudia Wyborn, a bloodmate taken in and protected after the death of her family, has accepted her new life and the new role she has within the compound of the Guardians. Meeting Dimitri, she’s instantly fascinated by him, awakening a childhood fantasy of being swept away by her vampire, a Guardian, when Guardians had before been forbidden to bond and regarded as something horrible to shun.

Will one mission and Dimitri’s reluctance to share his dark past with innocent Claudia destroy what their body and minds tell them should be? Or will a simple thing as love be enough to take away the dark stain that Dimitri has carried for so long?

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Dragon Sword

A Wolf Slayer Saga #1

by Richard Dawes

Initiated onto the Warrior’s Way as a boy, Valka earns his name of Wolf Slayer by using his sword to kill the vicious wolves infesting his father’s estates. Becoming a master swordsman, he fights his way across the ancient world, finds romance with the King’s daughter, then faces his greatest challenge when he battles the dreaded Dragon of the North.

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Books Release || September 5, 2015 || Outlaws and Elves


 

"Dusk Runner" by Mathias G.B. ColwellDusk Runner

The Dark Arrow Trilogy #1

by Mathias G. B. Colwell

In the midst of chaos and darkness, Elliyar and his companions fight a losing battle to defend their homeland, the fallen elven kingdom of Andalaya. They fight against a dangerous alliance of dark elves and human invaders. Arrows loosed from the shadows and violent ambushes characterize his people’s existence. Yet the young elf, Elliyar, can’t help but wonder if this meager resistance is really all that is left for them or if there is something more in store for his people.

It is in this war-torn land that an ancient power, a power that was thought lost for centuries, is rediscovered, and a primal evil begins to arise once more. Will Elliyar have the strength and ability within him to protect the ones he loves, especially the beautiful Miri, and shift the course of the war?

Dusk Runner is the story of battles and last stands, a tale of love and betrayal. It is the telling of one young elf who comes of age during the dusk of his people’s existence and of his desperate fight for their survival. It is a story of the power of love to inspire and give hope even in the darkest times.

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"Black Rose" by Richard DawesEl Diablo

A Tucson Kid Western #9

by Richard Dawes

The Tucson Kid rides into Mexico to battle an evil magician victimizing the Indians and the peasants. Weakened from his wounds and his strength drained by a beautiful vampire, Tucson must fight the magician’s army of gunmen before he faces the sorcerer himself in a battle to the death.

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Books Release || May 28, 2015 || Dark Secrets & Nameless Evil

Origin: The Nameless Celestial by Aaron R. AllenOrigin: The Nameless Celestial

 by Aaron R. Allen

An elite forces ranger must keep his dark secret at bay to unravel the mystery of a nameless evil.

Chief Ranger Cahan Devlin is no ordinary human. A dark corruption is growing inside him, clawing against the walls of his sanity. This force influences his every action, and the lines between ally and enemy are constantly blurred. Of course, it doesn’t help that the defeat of a nameless evil rests on his unstable shoulders.

After a routine mission, Cahan captures a loose-tongued demon half-breed. The prisoner implicates conspirators within the government who are colluding with demon insurgents from a foreign land. Their goal is to destabilize the Republic of Protos, her wards, and human colonies—in an effort to reseat a king upon the throne. Unbeknownst to the conspirators, their foreign allies wish to awaken a great evil, a clan of off-worlders who were previously driven from the planet before recorded history by a celestial being.

As Cahan quests to unravel the mystery of the evil off-worlders, he must diffuse the ticking time bomb that he has become—because at any moment he may murder the ally standing by his side.

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Books Releases || October 16, 2014

So many great new releases this month! There’s something for everyone.

Are you aware that Melange also has a Romance and Young Adult imprint? Be sure to follow those blogs as well. ALSO scroll to the very bottom for a GREAT giveaway!

Follow the Satin Romance blog HERE: www.satinromance.com/blog
Follow the Fire and Ice blog HERE: www.fireandiceya.com/blog


 

Take Back the Memory

 by Augustine Sam

Paige Lyman, an accomplished psychiatrist, is on the verge of madness but she doesn’t know it yet. The madness begins when she gets it into her head to write her memoirs. As her brilliant mind assembles bits and pieces of her life for the book, ugly skeletons, long forgotten in the closet, begin to rear their heads.

It had all begun with a simple act of love. And love, for her, was a blond-haired Irish boy named Bill, so when Bill abandoned her for priesthood the world around her collapsed. Seized by a different passion—vengeance—she seeks her proverbial pound of flesh in the beds of various priests…

Until she meets Stern W, a medical researcher, who sweeps into her life like a hurricane and marries her. It is not until he dies in a helicopter crash that she discovers the startling truth about who he really was. And now, transformed from psychiatrist to patient, Paige is seared by a damning awareness that she had, in fact, gotten what she had always yearned for without realizing it.

Take Back The Memory is the saga of her compelling backward journey through her own life on a psychotherapist’s couch.

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Praise Her, Praise Diana 

 by Anne Rothman-Hicks & Ken Hicks

Call it life imitating art—author Maggie Edwards publishes a chapter of a book detailing seduction, murder and castration by a protagonist named Diana, and suddenly a woman code-named Diana begins to mimic her actions in real time. Women who have been abused find Diana to be an inspirational figure, and begin to fight back in her name. Soon violence erupting throughout New York City threatens to spiral out of control. As the police try desperately to identify Diana, Maggie’s high-powered lawyer, Jane Larson, finds herself at the center of an investigation that threatens to upend the entire world around her.

 

 

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Raging Pacific

FLIPSPACE #9

by John Steiner

After years, the once-broken terrorist group, Golden Fist of Pacifica reemerges. Using a new bioweapon, the GFP seize control over a corporate board of directors, and through them possession of the mult-e-nomic platform, Pacific City. This time NATO is required to act, and puts the Mockingbird on alert status. As a biologics expert and gene hacker, Todd Ash is tasked for clandestine insertion onto Pacific City over objections from Pan-American Combine agents. Branch rivalry with the PAC Marines during training belies the fact that Earth security is at stake.

 

 

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Fallenwood by Leslie D. SouleFallenwood

 by Leslie D. Soule

Ashley Kensington is a girl overwhelmed — 23 and in college, she works an unforgiving retail job, still grieves over the loss of her stepfather to circumstances beyond her control, and despairs over her mother’s heartlessness.

With self-doubt creeping in, and a sense that a bright future is beyond her reach, she runs away from it all and finds her way to a magical realm known as Fallenwood, a place that for all its charms, is no less plagued by problems of its own.

Nevertheless, she meets up with friends like the mysterious sorcerer Will Everett, the talking cat Greymalkin, and the court jester Terces Solario, who show her the way down a path that can only lead to trouble, but with the promise of a bright future lurking on the horizon.

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The Ophir

 by Irene Patino

“I will not die by your hand, Joseph Ben Abin”. The Messenger of Allah, in the year of his death, looked upon the face of his assassin and cursed him and all that would follow.

With only the cloak of night for protection and comfort, Joseph Ben Abin, roamed the earth waiting for the day that he could exact retribution from the hated and feared Kadar Nazim, last prophet of God.

As Ghengis Khan, Joseph Ben Abin devised all manner of torture for his victims. Bloodletting was his favorite. As Vlad Tepes he would enjoy his breakfast as he watched his crucified victims die before him. He would fill a cup with their blood, and quench his thirst.

As Jack the Ripper, he indulged in ritualistic killings that fed his uncontrolled desire to do the same to the powerful prophet, Kadar Nazim.

People feared him, no matter when, where or who he became, but never challenged his choice of entertainment. No one knew that on the day of retribution the world, as we knew it, would change forever.

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A Tucson Kid Western #6: Comanche Gold by Richard DawesComanche Gold

A Tucson Kid Western #6

by Richard Dawes

The Tucson Kid is called to the west Texas town of Howling Wolf by the Comanche chief, Soaring Eagle. Gold has been found on the Comanche reservation and the major banker in Howling Wolf, Charles Durant, is trying to steal the gold from the Indians. Four Comanche have already been murdered, but white man’s law doesn’t work for the Indians. Soaring Eagle asks Tucson to intercede for them, and he agrees to see what he can do.

While in Howling Wolf, Tucson finds romance with Catherine Murry, the pretty owner of the boarding house where he is staying.

As Tucson delves deeper into the case, he has to face the killers of the town gambler, Prince; the crew of gunmen of the rancher Ed Thompson; and finally engage in a death duel with Charles Durant himself. The book is fast paced with non-stop action as the Tucson Kid fights to protect the Comanche Gold.

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December Road by Brenda Ashworth BarryDecember Road

Book Two

by Brenda Ashworth Barry

Kaylob returns home after two years of imprisonment in a POW camp in Vietnam. Will he ever be back to his whole self again after what he’s endured?

Beth Ann has the daunting task of dealing with his Post-Traumatic Syndrome, while engaged to Kaylob’s arch enemy, Blake Tanner, a rich and powerful man who refuses to let her go.

Having survived such a painful separation, no longer the innocents they were just a few short years ago, Beth Ann and Kaylob must now see if their love can stand the test of time, and how he will handle the news of her engagement, which she plans on breaking now that Kaylob, her only true love, has returned home safely.

Will Beth Ann and Kaylob ever get their happy ever after, or will circumstances take their dreams away?

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Ajar by Marianna BoncekAjar

 by Marianna Boncek

Sixteen year old Gus Woodard is about to live the best summer of his life. Then something goes wrong. Something goes terribly wrong.

Ajar is a coming of age story about sixteen year old Gus Woodard and his schizophrenic brother. Set during the 1970s in a small town in upstate New York, Gus must suffer the undeserved consequences when his delusional brother kills the local sweetheart and the high school’s popular football coach. Gus blunders his way through life as the town turns against his family. He is forced to experience betrayal from those closest to him. Gus’s only hope is Lindy a fifteen year old girl suffering from anorexia nervosa. The two become inseparable but the love and acceptance Gus feels with Lindy is soon shattered.

 

 

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Frozen Giveaway!

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Book Releases || June 18, 2014

Melange Books Releases June 19, 2014Today’s book releases will give you a little bit of everything to choose from. We have so many releases I won’t waste your time up with an intro and we’ll get right to it.


 

Seeking Sir Gwain

by Shari Dare

Keith Fletcher and Ian Brice are both on a mission to find the missing Gwain McGowan. Their quest takes them to the hut of the old hag, Tabitha. Even though many years separate the two of them coming to her to seek Gwain, they are both sent to the same place and time, Minter, WI 2008.

Emily Cranston and her roommate, Julie Langdon, are both older women who have given up on ever having sex again. When they find two interesting postings in a dating column of the paper, they decide it’s time to take a chance and see if they can find love.


 

Finding The Way Back

by Jill Bisker

Finding the Way Back is the story of Laney, a recently divorced woman who agrees to help her mother fix up her dead grandfather’s house. From the first night when she hears ghostly music to later physical attacks that seem targeted only at her, she soon discovers that a spirit in the house may have plans of its own. For her own well-being, she needs to find answers as the danger escalates and she learns to trust herself and others. With the help of her cousin Connie, an attractive ghosthunter named Emmett, and several other eccentric characters, Laney uncovers the dark secret of the house and a new path for her future.


 

Murder in Her Dreams

Murder In The Shadows #1

by Nell DuVall

Cassie Blake lives with guilt because she failed to heed her dreams and a young girl died. Now, a year later a handsome man and a vicious feral rabbit haunt her dreams. She has no idea of the man’s identity. At first she dismisses the dream as ridiculous, that is, until she discovers the man is real.


 

Gunman

A Tucson Kid Western #4

by Richard Dawes

The Tucson Kid escapes Mexico ahead of a gang of outlaws bent on revenge. He rides west into New Mexico and finds himself in the middle of a range war between a brutal rancher and a beautiful widow. As Tucson takes a stand in favor of the widow, he is caught in the cross-fire between the rancher’s hired killers and the Mexican bandits who have finally caught up with him.


 

Tales From a Broad

by Jeannine Henvey

If you enjoy new twists on old classics, then Tales From A Broad is a comedic adventure of one woman’s quest to find herself, but the spotlight focuses on her older chaperone, instead.

Forty-two and feeling not-so-fabulous, Lucy Banks allows her older sister to talk her into accompanying her twenty-four-year-old niece on a trip around Europe. In the past year she has lost her fiancé, her job and her fertility. Embracing her role as spinster aunt seems to be Lucy’s only option, until she embarks on a romantic adventure through London, Amsterdam, Munich, Paris and Florence. Will a room with a view and a handsome stranger be enough to open her heart and mind to new experiences? Tales From A Broad promises to draw readers into a light-hearted tale of emotional development, self-discovery and love.


 

A Father’s Love

by Sherry Derr-Wille

When Jenny found herself pregnant at the age of fifteen she thought her life was over, but with supportive parents, she was able to get her education. With her future secure at the hospital on the reservation where she grew up, love was the last thing she wanted in her life.

Brand knew he was going to be practicing in a rural hospital. What he didn’t realize that Jenny, the beautiful Native American girl who entered his life would become so special to him he would become a doctor at the Lac du Flambeau reservation in Northern Wisconsin to be close to her.


 

When It Rains

FLIPSPACE #6

by John Steiner

Only 42 light-years away, the exo-solar planet, Henry Draper 40307G, has yet to be visited by humanity. That changes, when the Mockingbird arrives with an astronomical survey team. Deploying probes and deep space telescopes, the science team stumbles upon intelligent aliens on sixth planet. Colonel Rama orders the crew onto alert. Captain O’Connell and his Seti team, clash with ISO scientists while studying the surface life. The crew is shocked again, when a derelict spacecraft is found in a Lagrangian Point beyond the planet’s moon. How many S.E.T.I. encounters they face is uncertain.


Second Act

by Rhonda Strehlow

When CASSIE BURNS’ husband dies her children think she should move into a condo and act like a grandmother. Instead she plans her first solo trip to a resort in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

In a chance encounter she meets mysterious Kurt Troy whose touch makes her “buzz” with excitement and Will Harley who introduces her to the beauty and wonders of farming.

Cassie begins a dual existence of soul-affirming work with Will’s caring family interspersed with spontaneous, intense romantic encounters with Kurt.

When Will’s ex-wife returns, Cassie reluctantly decides to head back to her safe and predictable future. On the way home, she unexpectedly encounters Kurt who invites her to move in with him and she impulsively agrees.

Their time alone is intensely sexual but the reality of living in booze, sex and drug culture intrudes on their haven. Before a big awards presentation, in an effort to erase the affects of time, Cassie becomes fanatical about vanity surgeries, exercise, pills, and bulimia until she overdoses two days before the big night and ends up in the hospital.

As she recovers, how does Cassie choose to play out her Second Act?


Everman and Uriel

by C. A. Withey

In a land of dreams made real, one man causes two worlds to clash, leading to the inevitable destruction of both. It’s up to Caleb Everman to right the wrongs of the dream’s creators, dodging dream-eating mechanical abominations and guardian aspects of the Dreamscape Nexus, while also stealing his love from the written pages of a different land.


 

A “Serenya’s Song” Interview with Mysti Parker + FREE BOOK

Author Alice J. Black, soon to be published over at our young adult imprint Fire and Ice sat down to question Fantasy Romance author Mysti Parker on the second book in her Tallenmere series.

First, a bit about the book:

No one ever said love was easy…

Serenya Crowe may be a half-elf commoner, but she’s no ordinary woman. With the ability to interpret dreams, and a birth defect that forces her to wear gloves, she’s endured gossip and the cruelty of her husband, Sebastian, The Earl of Summerwind. All she’s ever wanted is to live a quiet life and raise a family. When she meets the new stranger in town, her world and her heart, are turned upside down.

Wood-elf Jayden Ravenwing is an ex-secret agent who wants nothing more than to forget matters of the heart. He left the bustle of Leogard and his failed marriage to make a fresh start in Summerwind. He never planned to fall in love again, especially with the enchanting Serenya Crowe.

When a strange portal opens on the Crowe property, Jayden is thrown into an investigation, knowing that if he fails, Serenya and everyone in the town may die.

Together, he and Serenya must overcome an ancient evil, and their own inner demons, to save Summerwind and find the love they’ve always dreamed of.

Alice J. Black: Serenya is truly a sweet woman. Is she based off anyone you know in real life?

Mysti Parker: Not anyone in particular, though I admit to some parallels in my own life, like having a stepfather and never knowing my real father. Her struggle to discover who she really is and how she fits into the world around her is also something I can relate to.

AJB: What about Jayden? Do you know anyone who has been a womaniser such as he?

MP: I know a few, but not naming names! Jayden is very special to me. He’s the only character so far who has played significant roles in all the books in the series, so I’ve been able to really develop his character and get to know him inside and out. Whether he’ll appear in later books is yet to be seen, but I’d say it’s likely. My husband feels very sorry for Jayden and calls him my whipping boy. I do put him through the wringer, but I think he’s strong enough to handle it.

AJB: Does Serenya and Jayden’s relationship remind you of any in real life?

MP: I can’t say their trials reminded me of anyone in particular, because of all the supernatural elements involved. But metaphorically, their challenges represent a real relationship or marriage and all the work two people must do to stay together. Their love (and that of any of the couples I write) is also a reflection of that between me and my husband—challenged but unconditional.

AJB: Who was the best character to write?

MP: Serenya was probably the most fun, because I had never written anyone like her before, nor had I read any characters like her before. I didn’t depend on any well-known paranormal subjects, like vampires or werewolves. All her secrets were a fresh creation on my part, so my imagination had a field day!

AJB: Who was the hardest character to write?

MP: Sebastian Crowe, the Earl of Summerwind. As Serenya’s abusive husband, he took a great deal of work to turn him into a well-rounded character that ended up playing a big part in the book. At first, he came across as just a nasty brute, but I (and my critique partners) wanted more out of him. So, after 287 drafts, I think I finally got him right.

AJB: What inspired you to write Serenya’s Song?

MP: Jayden did. He needed somewhere to live after A Ranger’s Tale, so I built Summerwind for him and stuck him into another impossible love story. As the story’s themes emerged, I felt inspired to emphasize the theme of stepparents and how they can love their stepchildren as much as a biological child. I think Serenya’s relationship with her stepfather Douglas reflected that theme well.

AJB: The world that Serenya lives in is complex, did you always know there would be different creatures within it?

MP: Oh yes, from the start, I wanted to build a fantasy world from the ground up, taking readers on a grand tour so they can enjoy the ride as much as I’ve enjoyed designing it.

AJB: Serenya embraces her new identity. What advice would you give to someone who found themselves in an identity crisis?

MP: Having been in an identity crisis myself, I know how hard it is to rediscover who you are. I’ve been a mom since 2001, and now with three kids, a husband, and a constant slew of chores, it’s too easy to lose myself in the process of caring for everyone else. That’s why I write. It’s always been something I enjoy, and when I create a new story, it’s something I can claim just for myself. Writing a story or book is something that has a definite beginning and end. It’s not like laundry or dishes that have to be done over and over and over. The process is hard at times. I won’t lie about that. But, the sense of accomplishment when I hold the finished product in my hands is so freeing.

So my advice would be to find something you truly enjoy doing, whether that’s writing or painting or playing golf or reading, and make that your “thing”. Make time for it, set goals for yourself and work at them until you accomplish them. You’ll find yourself somewhere along the way.

AJB: Are you currently working on something new? If so would you care to share a snippet with us?

MP: I’m actually working on my very first historical novel. Here’s the blurb (for now):

Set in 1866 Lebanon TN, Portia McAllister, having lost both husband and only child to the ravages of the American Civil War, leaves home to take a job as tutor for a widower’s child. All she wants is to escape the grief, to guard her heart and never love again. Fate has other plans.

Beau Stanford came home from war to find his wife dead and his once-thriving horse farm barely hanging on. He takes in a young widow to teach his son and help run the house while he tries to turn things around.Despite his best efforts, he’s drawn to Portia from the start.

Amid post-war restoration, racial violence, and a morphine-addicted friend, love seems like an unnecessary luxury. When Beau’s late wife’s beautiful, rich young cousin arrives in town with her sights set on him, he’s forced to decide between a woman who’s lost everything but has won his heart or a woman whose money can protect his livelihood. His choice holds more impact than any of them realizes.

 

And here’s an exclusive excerpt that hasn’t been shared anywhere else. Enjoy!

Rubbing her bare forearms nervously, she broke the awkward silence. “Thank you for the dress. It was quite unexpected.”

“I felt the need to replace what you lost.” Dropping his foot back to the ground, he pushed off the wall and stepped closer. “I didn’t think you’d come tonight.”

“I didn’t know if I should…or if you…wanted me to.”

The musicians must have come back from their intermission, because the flowing, rhythmic sounds of a waltz floated across the veranda.

Beau held out his hand, breaking the border of shadow and light that separated them and revealing the callouses of a hard-working man. “May I have this dance?”

Her heart thumped a warning inside her chest. You’re stepping over a line you shouldn’t cross. But the warm beacon of his eyes caught her in his spell, and she lost all notion of refusing him. Slowly, carefully, as though she were about to touch Briar Rose’s spindle, she accepted his hand. His other hand settled on her waist, and he drew her to him, away from the window and prying eyes. They stood like this for one eternal moment, secure in their shadowy refuge. Portia could have soared into the cosmos, had Beau not kept her secure in his arms.

“I don’t dance very well,” she admitted quietly as she rested her palm on his chest. She could feel his strong muscles and the steady rhythm of his heart.

“It’s just a waltz. Simplest dance there is. It’s the only one I ever learned, though Claire tried her best to teach me. Her toes paid the price.”

“My toes are just as penniless as I am, so let’s not spend beyond their means.”

“Deal.”

Portia smiled, relaxing with their easy banter. Beau led, keeping her hand in his firm but gentle grip. She followed, and they soon fell into the rhythm of sultry strings and piano chords. Glancing down at her feet, she missed her step and landed on Beau’s toe.

“Sorry.”

“Up here.” His soothing, deep voice eased her fears as expertly as he calmed his horses. “Don’t look at your feet. Always look ahead or into your partner’s eyes.”

“All right.”

It is easier this way, looking into your partner’s eyes. And there was no place she’d have rather looked right then. His deep-set eyes were gray in this light and softened by his serene smile. She could have stared into them until her feet grew numb if time would allow.

As the last notes of the waltz glided out onto the veranda, she burned into her memory the strength in his hand on her waist, the way he smiled and gently guided her back into the step when she lost focus. No matter what happened from this night on, she never wanted to forget the way it felt right then, dancing in Beau Stanford’s arms.

The final chords faded into silence. Beau went still, but he held her there against him. She longed to remain in the sanctuary of him, man and woman, united body and soul. He let go of her hand and touched her face, trailing his fingers lightly along her cheek. Portia lifted her chin to accept his kiss, but her spirit fell back to earth when his jaw tightened.

He spoke in a ragged whisper. “There’s something I need to tell you…”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

About Mysti Parker
ysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya’s Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind’s ‘Sword of Truth’ series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.

Mysti’s other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University’s six week free course, F2K.

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Website: www.mystiparker.blogspot.com
Blog: www.mystiparker.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Mysti-Parker/103786449704221
Twitter: @MystiParker
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4625596.Mysti_Parker
Email: mystiparker@yahoo.com

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

About Alice J. Black

Alice J. Black was born in the North East England and even as a child had more fascination with books than the outside world. She writes in the supernatural young adult genre and likes to experiment with other genres. She’s an avid writer on her second home, writing.com. Her debut novel, The Doors, is due for publication in September 2014 from Fire and Ice YA Books. She has had other short works published previously in the Writing.com Anthology 2013.

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Melange Book Releases || November 6, 2013

Melange Book Releases || November 6, 2013

Melange Book Releases || November 6, 2013

We’re bringing more holiday stories to you today from Jaden Sinclair, author of the Shifter series, as well as newcomer Aubrey Wynne!

Over at Fire and Ice we have the first book in the Dark as Night trilogy, a fantasy novel revolving around the descendents of both Dracula and Merlin!

Melange Releases

"Toy Soldier" by Jaden Sinclair“Toy Soldier” by Jaden Sinclair

His kingdom stolen, banished to another world, prince Cleto of Eltora is trapped in the casing of a toy soldier for five years. Unable to use his magic to free himself he is lost, but not forgotten.

Clair Meloni is what some might call hopeless. She’s been battling illness for the last several years and her only family member is gone, so what is a girl to really do when she’s alone in the world? Going home seems like a good idea. She arrives at her home and enters a room she’d been forbidden to ever enter. Never did she think that by lighting a fire would she free a prince from another world.

Is it a dream or is it real? Only time will tell. But will time be on her side to see how her dream ends?

"Merry Christmas, Henry" by Aubrey Wynne“Merry Christmas, Henry” by Aubrey Wynne

Henry, a shy and talented artist, moonlights as a security guard at a museum and loses his heart to a beautiful, melancholy woman in a painting. As his obsession grows, he finds a kindred soul who helps him in his search for happiness. On Christmas Eve, Henry dares to take a chance on love and fulfill his dream.

 

 

 

 

Fire and Ice Release

"A Day as Dark as Night" by JT Adeline

“A Day as Dark as Night” by JT Adeline

“A Day as Dark as Night” by JT Adeline

A Prophecy Is Written

On a day as dark as night three will be born with powers that will surpass all others, with unique names to remind them of their passage. These three will be born of Dracula with traits as black as night, identical in face, but individual in appearance.

The firstborn will be able to travel undetected; the second-born will be able to hear all but not be heard; the third-born will be able to detect danger from miles away.

On the hour of the three’s seventeenth birthday, only when the fourth with unknown and unsurpassed powers is linked, their powers, passed down from Dracula and Merlin, will combine to make them as one.

A Quest Has Begun

If you think being a teenager is hard, try being told you were born to stop immortality and save mankind.

A Fight to Win

Rove, Roam and Rune Gustavo, with the help of their friend Maya Stewart, find they have no choice but to race against time to find the fourth to fulfill their destiny. But do they have what it takes to beat the odds and win?