Teaser Tuesday: Trials & Tribulations (Rogue Mage #Anthologies) #urbanfantasy via @lolasblogtours

This is my stop during the book blitz for Trials and Tribulations, these are two anthologies set in Faith Hunter’s Rogue Mage universe. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 20 February till 5 March. You can view the tour schedule here.

Trials (Rogue Mage Anthology #1)
By Faith Hunter, Diana Francis, Misty Massey, Lou J Berger, Ken Schrader, Spike Y Jones, Christina Stiles, Tamsin Silver and Melissa McArthur
Genre: Anthology/ Urban Fantasy
Age category: Adult
Release Date: November 28, 2016

Blurb:
21 Vignettes and Short Stories set in Faith Hunter’s World of Thorn St. Croix.

The Rogue Mage world began long ago, when the epic battle between the High Host and the Darkness was won and lost. TRIALS takes fans of Thorn St. Croix into the past, before the opening pages of BLOODRING. These stories, set in Faith Hunter's Rogue Mage world, are adventures with new characters and old, facing dangers unimaginable. And they must save the world all over again.

If you ever wondered what happened between seraphs, kylen, second-unforeseen, mages, seraph-touched, spawn, humans, dragons, and their creatures before the series, now is your chance to delve deeper and wider. TRIALS features new short stories from nine authors—including Faith Hunter—and vignettes from the Rogue Mage role playing game.

TRIALS will be followed soon by TRIBULATIONS, and then by the omnibus TRIUMPHANT.

TRIALS Authors: Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Lou J Berger, Ken Schrader, Spike Y Jones, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Christina Stiles, Tamsin Silver, Melissa McArthur.

TRIBULATIONS Authors: Faith Hunter, Jean Rabe, Spike Y Jones, Christina Stiles, and Lucienne Diver.

You can find Trials on Goodreads

You can buy Trials here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble

The Trials Authors:
Faith Hunter
Diana Francis
Misty Massey
Lou J Berger
Ken Schrader
Spike Y Jones
Christina Stiles
Tamsin Silver
Melissa McArthur

Tribulations (Rogue Mage Anthology #2)
By Faith Hunter, Lucienne Diver, Spike Y Jones, Jean Rabe and Christina Stiles
Genre: Anthology/ Urban Fantasy
Age category: Adult
Release Date: December 30, 2016

Blurb:
17 Vignettes and Short Stories set in Faith Hunter’s World of Thorn St. Croix

The Rogue Mage story began with the post-apocalyptic novels BLOODRING, SERAPHS, and HOST, when epic battles between Thorn St. Croix and the forces of Darkness were fought. TRIBULATIONS (Rogue Mage Anthology Vol. II) takes place during and after the series timeline. These stories and vignettes, set in Faith Hunter's Rogue Mage world, are adventures with new characters and old, facing Darkness and an uncertain future.

The relationships between seraphs, kylen, second-unforeseen, mages, seraph-touched, spawn, humans grow deeper, and the battles with dragons and their creatures grow more dangerous. TRIBULATIONS features new short stories from five authors—including Faith Hunter—and vignettes from the Rogue Mage role playing game.

TRIALS and TRIBULATIONS will soon be followed by TRIUMPHANT—the paperback omnibus (both Anthology Volumes I and II in a bound format).

TRIBULATIONS Authors: Faith Hunter, Jean Rabe, Spike Y Jones, Christina Stiles, Lucienne Diver.

You can find Tribulations on Goodreads

You can buy Tribulations here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble

The Tribulations Authors:
Faith Hunter
Lucienne Diver
Spike Y Jones
Jean Rabe
Christina Stiles

Excerpts:

A Wing And A Prayer

by Faith Hunter

(early Spring 105 PA/2117 AD)

                Evan looked at the mage in disbelief. “You want us to go in a hellhole? With no recon? No intel? Are you out of your mind?”

                “Yes, yes, yes. And no. I’m quite sane,” Marc said, answering each question in order, fingering his gaudy amulet necklace. It was made of blackened steel links and dangling steel and copper leaves so finely made they whispered and tinkled at the slightest movement or breeze. And probably held the destructive power of an armored battalion. Enough to destroy a dragon, if he could get close enough. For which he needed the Army.

                The steel and copper leaves meant Marc was a Metal mage of some kind. And mages made the back of his neck itch. His dad used to claim mages were responsible for all the plagues. For all Evan knew, the old bastard was right.

                “I’m not leading my men underground – underground! – without intel, I don’t care what you think is down there. You get me some info and we’ll talk.” Evan hooked his thumbs into his belt and waited, knowing it wasn’t over.

                “If I get you the data,” Marc said, raising his head, his hair falling forward in a slow wave, “then what? Then you’ll tell me if you have a nuke? Then you’ll give me men and weapons and go with me to take the cavern?”

                “Then we’ll talk about it.”

                “And meanwhile the seraph and the mages that the dragon captured will suffer and bleed and die. My wife is down there!”

                “Not my problem.” Mage women -- whores, every one of them. And seraphs could burn to ash for all he cared.

                “Even if I can bring a kylen to work with us? A kylen who can control his sexual urges in battle?”

                Evan raised his eyebrows, watching Marc’s face clenched in hope and fear. Evan should have been irritated with the offer, but, instead, he considered. He’d fought beside a kylen once, when he was kid. Next to seraphs themselves, kylen were the best warriors on Earth, and having one on your side meant a better chance of victory, without the risk of humans dying by the hundreds afterward from the effect of the sword of judgment a seraph carried. Some kylen could draw on the same energy sources that the seraphs could. “You bring me the kylen and a map of the maze down there, and you got a deal.”

A Start

by Spike Y Jones

(Spring 105 PA/2117 AD)

                Step.

                Step.

                Pause.

                Step.

                Every step he took was deliberate, his feet placed precisely on the ground so that he didn't make excess noise, didn't leave an easy-to-follow trail, didn't leave his scent on bushes and bracken or in the scattered snow along the way.

                The trap lines had been a mixed bag. Hardly anything caught in any of his snares, but no blood stains on the ground to show that he'd caught something that had then been eaten. There should be more game at this time of year. He'd seen it before: Devil-spawn had eaten the area clean. But he'd caught some game, which meant that the spawn weren't here now. He hoped.

                But two rabbits weren't going to feed the family. So John had dressed and packed his kills, pulled up the snares, and gone looking for bigger prey.

                Step.

                Pause.

                Check the wind direction.

                Step.

                Scan the ground.

                His movement wasn't slow. It was natural. Animals didn't race through the woods unless they were trying to get away from something. But they also didn't dawdle; if they moved slowly, it was because there was something nearby that made them want to move slowly, like food to graze. John moved at the pace of an animal that was neither afraid nor distracted, an animal that was looking for something but hadn't found it yet.

                He'd heard someone say that a hunter had to become his prey, had to become the deer or the rabbit. He told his grandfather that one day. "Crap! Whoever told you that buys his game off the back of a pickup truck. Does the wolf become the deer? Of course not. He becomes a wolf. I don't know why you listen to those friends of yours."

                Sometimes John's grandfather had been wrong. John wasn't a deer, but he wasn't a wolf either. What made man a great hunter? Knowing when to think like a deer, when to think like a wolf. And when to think like neither of them.

                Step.

                If a hunter didn't have the senses of a wolf, he found deer by thinking like a deer. If there were deer in these woods, where would they want to be?

Tuesday Teaser - Songs of Everealm by JD Wright #fantasy #romance #giveaway via @everealmbyjdw

Song of Sovereign (Songs of Everealm #1)

by J.D. Wright

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Release Date: July 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

Princess Sarita has everything. Loving parents, a castle fit for royalty, fine clothes, loyal friends, and an exciting job as a scholar of magic. At eighteen years of age, one might think that she would be content with her position. But one thing has always been missing from her life... full magic, itself.

When a strange old woman gave Sarita a secret spellbook as a child, her entire life was changed. The book contains spells, songs, and stories. But most of all, it provides a path to gaining full magic, the only thing that Sarita still needs to feel complete. And now, she has finally prepared to leave her home in search of the Stones of the Divine, the final ingredient she needs to gain magic.

Gabrielle has been known as the sister of a knight and best friend of the princess for as long as she can remember. Now an experienced healer's assistant, she is desperate to find her place and purpose in Junacave. An adventurous mission to help Sarita locate a mystical stone may be just the change in her life that she is looking for.

King Cassidy is still alone, but not for a lack of trying. His attempts to convince the Princess of Junacave to marry him over the past ten years have been for naught. And being twenty years old, with no heir, he is running out of time. If he can't win the heart of the princess, he may have to face a future without the love of his life.

Adventure, romance, and magic await as we travel through Everealm with royalty, wizards, fairies, and more, in the fantasy-romance Songs of Everealm, a five book series by J.D. Wright, author of the Everealm Series.

Note: Adult Content

Songs of Everealm Series is the second series set in the fantasy-filled Everealm. It begins 8 years after the conclusion of the first series, the Everealm Series. 

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon

Song of Sparrows (Songs of Everealm #2)

by J.D. Wright

Genre; Adult Fantasy

Release Date: July 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

The journey across Everealm to find the magical stones has not come without its challenges. After being plagued by unwanted guests, disagreements, and accidents, Princess Sarita is beginning to wonder if her dream of gaining magic is a fantasy that can't come true. 

Along the way, new friends and rekindled sparks between old flames have caused quite a stir within the group. As a new wizard joins the effort and gives the princess a reason to continue, the quest for the next stone ensues...

As the sun rises over the ridge, our story continues into the Song of Sparrows!

Adult content. Intended for mature audiences. 

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon

TOUR SCHEDULE

Excerpt:

Cassidy smiled, walking toward her. He leaned against the table closest to her desk and studied her. She was so beautiful. He thought she looked a lot like her mother, but she had Rowan’s soft brown eyes. Her long and slightly curly hair was still blonde, though. It hadn’t turned auburn like Bree’s or brown like Rowan’s. It stayed blonde all through her childhood and to now. And it suited her other soft features. To most, the princess might appear delicate. He had angered her enough to know that she wasn’t. And she was just remarkable when she was angry.

Her gown was plainer than the ones he usually saw her wearing, but he rarely entered her space when she was working during his visits. He figured she would probably change into something more formal before supper. And she would be just as striking in an elaborate gown as she was in her riding clothes. Which reminded him…

“I wanted to know if you were up for finishing our race. I brought Stallion with me, this time. So think carefully before you accept. I would hate to make my princess cry when I leave her in my dust.”

Sarita narrowed her eyes at him, then stepped closer.

“I am not your princess and Stallion will never win against Dragonfly. My horse practically flies, hence the name.”

Cassidy snickered. “Does she fly like a dragon or like a fly? Because one doesn’t exist and the other is a giant nuisance.”

She smirked at him. Well played, Your Majesty. “Either one would be faster than your precious Stallion.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I think we both know that you will be the one in my dust. I hope you choke on it.”

“I love it when you wish harm to come to me.”

“Then you should be the happiest king in the realm because I wish harm on you almost every day.”

“Oh, I am insanely happy. Especially, right now.”

Sarita’s eyes widened. She suddenly realized just how close she had gotten to him. She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there or when he had put his hands on her waist. Yet, looking down, almost her entire body was pressed against him. She quickly backed away and turned toward her desk.

“I will take that as your agreement to my challenge,” he said, turning to go.

She stared at him as he walked out of the room. When she was alone, again, she sank into her chair and dropped her head onto the desk. This was going to be a disaster. Sneaking away before the tournament was over would be nearly impossible. She wouldn’t get far before Cassidy would realize she was gone.

About the Author
Writing has always been a hobby of mine, beginning as a young child. It was a way to cope with losing my father at seven years of age. I started with poetry and was featured several times on the amazing poetry blog, Autumn Leaves, by Sondra Ball. My love for poetry soon led to writing songs in middle school and beyond, which I still do occasionally. Music has always been an important part of my existence, so writing songs came naturally to me. In high school, I started my own novel, however, life got in the way and I never finished it.

Fast forward many years later and I find myself married with three children, absorbed in my busy life with commitments to my family, work, school, church, and charities, among other things. One day I came across my old binder, with notes from my first novel, and it was with those notes that I conjured up the elusive Everealm.

I write to please readers such as myself, who have a love for fantasy and romance, but like a little danger and sex in their reading. I wrote the book with a mature audience in mind, who can appreciate a hearty imaginary world with magic and the unknown, but want more than fluffy love stories with wizards in them. They want the romance, magic, and danger, all wrapped into one.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Tuesday Teaser - Starline by @ImogeneNix

Excerpt: 
"Where are we going?" Mellissa asked, traces of her tears evident in the husky question, but damned if she would give in to the tears.
"Back to where I came from. Earth Empire Admiralty on Aenna."
"Aenna? Where's that?"
"It's really a glorified asteroid, located between Mars and Jupiter," he said, relaxing into his seat. "Admiralty has its strategic offices there, but first we have to get to the Time Port outside the solar system, just beyond Eris."
"Time Port?" She leaned forward. "What is a Time Port, and why do we have to get there first, and where in hell is Eris?"

She dragged her eyes away from his and looked around. The gunmetal gray that met her eyes again teamed with sensitive lighting. Black streaked with slashing lights filled the ports. He sighed and huffed out a breath, and she could tell that dealing with her frustrated him to no end. Once more she questioned the sanity of what he had said, and what she had seen.

ISBN: 9781944270308

​Published By: Beachwalk Press
Release Date: July 2016

Blurb:
One man, one woman, one psychotic alien. The race is on to save humanity. Past, present, and future.
Mellissa Davis is your average bookstore owner and aspiring romance author until one day an electronic bookpad slides through the mail slot of her small store. Now all she has to worry about is a sexy, time-traveling stealth ship captain, staying out of the way of the bad guy, and saving the universe. Not much to ask…
Duvall McCord, an up-and-coming space captain, travels to the past to stop the Ru'Edan leader's plans to destroy the Earth Empire before it can be formed. His mission? Retrieve the handbook for the Elector. He doesn't count on saving a woman who intrigues him or having to bring her back to his time in order to keep her safe.
Time is running out. They must do whatever they can to stop the plot, but will it be enough?
Content Warning: Space and time travel, violence, and evil aliens abound
Note: This book has been previously published.
Buy Links: www.beachwalkpress.com/starline    
https://www.amazon.com/Starline-Warriors-Elector-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01I8B76FY

Bio: 

Imogene is published in a range of romance genres including Paranormal, Science Fiction and Contemporary. She is mainly published in the UK and USA due to the nature of her tales.

In 2011, Imogene Nix was born at the Bondi ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) Conference. Returning from the conference enthused, Imogene sat down and worked tirelessly for 3 months culminating in the books Starline. This book became the first in a trilogy titled, "Warriors of the Elector." In fact, she has completed six entire series.  Imogene has successfully been contracted for twenty-five titles and self published three others, under this pseudonym. She has also completed another three and is, like many of her contemporaries, seeking homes for these books—with at least one likely to be self published once ready.

Imogene is a member of a range of professional organisations, including Romance Writers of Australia (where she holds a committee position as the Public Relations). She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, FFP (Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal) Chapter of RWA (US), (ARRA) Australian Romance Readers Association, Science Fiction Romance Brigade (SFRB), Dark Siders Down Under (the Australian Paranormal, Fantasy and Futuristic Chapter of RWA), Erotic Writers of Australia and Queensland Writers Centre and most recently Romance Writers of New Zealand.

Social Media Links:  
https://www.facebook.com/imogenenixauthor   
https://twitter.com/ImogeneNix

Tuesday Teaser - Sirens #anthology #fantasy #paranormal #scifi

Excerpt from "We Are Sirens" by L.S. Johnson

1.

We roll into town on a bright sunny morning, steering the Caddy around the half-dozen streets that make up “downtown,”. Three of us in the back dozing and the other two up front with our arms hanging out the windows, letting our fingers ride on the fall air.

We love autumn. Autumn is football and soccer and tennis season, it’s harvest festivals and Oktoberfests and the last round of carnivals and fairs. We can still get away with tank tops and shorts, or we can wear our tight wool suits with their snug skirts, or our sweaters with the necklines way, way down.

It just depends on what there is to do around here.

We roll the Caddy into two parking spaces and we pile out, lounging against the car and sizing up the people, reading the flyers posted on windows and utility poles. Free movie nights, a potluck, two spaghetti feeds, a reading at the library. When we find the town fair poster we groan in disappointment: it’s two weeks away.

“Hey,” we call out to a passing kid. “What’s there to do around here?”

The kid looks us over, his round little face intrigued and suspicious.

“Big game’s tonight, over at the high school,” he says, scratching at the back of his calf.

The big game. We sigh with pleasure. We love big games, and their parties afterwards. Big games are easy; we’ll be spoiled for choices.

The kid squints at us. “Where’re you from?” he asks.

We crouch down to study his rocket ship t-shirt and his cargo pants with bulging pockets, his oversized sneakers, his rosy-cheeked face. These boys, they’re a blur to us until their voices break, nothing but sticks and snails and puppy dog’s tails; we love them because of what they’ll become.

“We’re sirens,” we say, smiling at him. “We’re from everywhere.”

 *

 Big games mean guys from other towns, with two, maybe three parties afterwards. Big games mean the red suitcase, not the blue or the grey. In the red suitcase we have the high school clothes: the miniskirts and tennis shoes, the t-shirts and the lipstick as red as the cherry slurpees we grab on our way to the field. In the red suitcase we have five denim jackets with a patch on the back that says SIRENS, because for the big game we’re always an out-of-town gang, tough girls from some generic City that turn heads and make the adults scowl and whisper, make the mothers especially suck their teeth in disapproval and the fathers agree though with a gleam in their eye, a gleam that remembers what it was like to be a teenage boy watching the tough girls and wondering if it was all true, what they said about tough girls.

We take our slurpees and we climb up to the top of the bleachers and sprawl there, our bare legs loose and splayed on the warm metal, the wind ruffling at our skirts. We slurp our slurpees with our pursed red lips and we hum, just loud enough for the wind to hear.

We hum the call of Hades, so he’ll be ready for his new arrivals.

And as always we pause and listen. Sometimes we’ll hear an answering melody, like a shepherd’s pipes, a farmer suddenly bursting into song, a radio starting from out of nowhere. But though we strain to hear there is only the rumbling of the crowd and the blaring loudspeaker announcing names.

It’s been a long, long time since we heard an answer.

Cover description:

Sirens are beautiful, dangerous, and musical, whether they come from the sea or the sky. Greek sirens were described as part-bird, part-woman, and Roman sirens more like mermaids, but both had a voice that could captivate and destroy the strongest man. The pages of this book contain the stories of the Sirens of old, but also allow for modern re-imaginings, plucking the sirens out of their natural elements and placing them at a high school football game, or in wartime London, or even into outer space.

Featuring stories by Kelly Sandoval, Amanda Kespohl, L.S. Johnson, Pat Flewwelling, Gabriel F. Cuellar, Randall G. Arnold, Michael Leonberger, V. F. LeSann, Tamsin Showbrook, Simon Kewin, Cat McDonald, Sandra Wickham, K.T. Ivanrest, Adam L. Bealby, Eliza Chan, and Tabitha Lord, these siren songs will both exemplify and defy your expectations.

Sales links:

World Weaver Press -- http://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p108/Sirens.html

Amazon -- https://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Rhonda-Parrishs-Magical-Menageries-ebook/dp/B01E519OI8/ 

Kobo -- https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/sirens-9

B & N -- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sirens-rhonda-parrish/1123663386?ean=2940153229133

Social Media links:

Rhonda on Twitter - http://twitter.com/RhondaParrish

Rhonda on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRhondaParrish/

Rhonda's website - http://www.rhondaparrish.com

Tuesday Tuesday - Glyphs of Power by Callie Bourde #scifi #romance #excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Abstract Meditative Art Shop, Jump Station Rho

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap. Hearing the quiet raps on the shop door, Daa grinned at her assistant. Pitching her voice so the person knocking would hear her, she said, "Kall'Ia! I hear a knock! Who could it be? Can't they see the CLOSED sign?"

Kall'Ia played along. "Perhaps not... I understand there are D'Ur'Uma onstation and everyone knows they have poor reading comprehension."

"I heard that! I brought food since I knew you two were working late, but I guess I'll take it home..."

Kall'Ia swung the door open and without missing a beat, Gaala continued... "And don't even say a word about reading comprehension. What species fabricated paper? The D'Ur'Uma! What species introduced the most widely used universal alphabet? The D'Ur'Uma! What species concocted laa'te?" On her last sentence, she vigorously waved the take-out bag she held.

Gaala had the classic golden D'Ur'Uma coloring — skin, hair, and eyes. Her long hair was loosely twisted into a knot on the top of her head. Today she had three kn'itting needles of varying sizes sprouting haphazardly out of the twist. Daa and Kall'Ia had been keeping a running total. Neither of them had seen Gaala without kn'itting needles, and so far, the top number had been seven. To be fair, that had been on a day when Gaala was teaching a large class from a visiting cruise ship.

Daa often thought about what a wonderful opportunity the Artists in Residence program offered for the different species in the Galaxia Alia to work together.

Gaala was D'Ur'Uma and she, Daa, was LuWin with blue hair, eyes, and skin.

Her assistant, Kall'Ia was Hreid. Kall'Ia had the expected large frame with small scales running the typical female blend from orange to red. Daa thought she looked like a living flame. Her dark hair was styled in tribal dreadlocks and she wore a single woman's clan bar across her pierced brow ridge.

The Hreid were the dominant species in the L'Empori Imperium, the prime enemies of the Galaxia Alia. Not surprisingly, there were few of them in the Galaxia Alia, so Kall'Ia got many sideways glances. Because of that, Kall’Ia was worried about the cruise passengers. They'd discussed it and Kall'Ia had planned a strategy to use if it was an issue.

The reality was, Hreid were few and far between, many Galaxia Alia citizens feared them, and if she wanted to become an AMA sanctioned artist, it was a problem she'd be dealing with often. Daa knew that Kall'Ia's family had been citizens of the Galaxia Alia for several generations before the last conflict with the Imperium, but that wouldn't stop ignorant people from making ill-informed assumptions.

Now, Kall'Ia snatched the bag before the laa'te spilled. The newcomer swung to face Daa, hands on hips. "All I can say is, with a name like yours... DAA'See... you should be more respectful."

 ### 

Book Description

Artist in Residence Series, Galaxia Alia

Readers who love Tales of the Citadel, Terran Times Second Wave, and Mechanical Advantage will enjoy the unique universe of the Galaxia Alia, its resourceful females, and sexy males...

Glyphs of Power

Commander Balum Kiz has a BIG problem to solve involving Jump Point technology. He’s not an engineer or a physicist, he’s an archaeologist. Now it looks like Artist DaaSee Noor holds the key.

Available exclusively to buy via Amazon and to borrow for free via Kindle Unlimited at https://www.amazon.com/Glyphs-Power-Book-Galaxia-Alia-ebook/dp/B01G7LCNS2

Newsletter Sign-up here: http://calliebourde.com/AIR/

Connect with here on her website: http://calliebourde.com/

Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CallieBourde/

Tuesday Teaser - A Secret Rose by Debra Jess #superheroes #UF #SFR

Excerpt:

From the author: A Secret Rose is a brand new novella from my Thunder City Series. It will be available starting July 12th. To find out more about the Thunder City Series, feel free to follow me on Bookbub or sign up for my newsletter at my web sites.  You will be alerted when A Secret Rose is available. 

"C'mere." He held out his arms.

Dani's gorgeous eyes opened wide. "Wait, are you sure?"

Nik had never been more sure in his life. "It won't hurt. I promise."

Dani stepped into his personal space, maybe a little closer than necessary.

"What about security?" she asked. Nik understood. In a cutting-edge start-up like Generation Med, you didn't enter or leave the building without a search.

"We'll stop by security first. Grocer's second, then the park." Nik wrapped his arms around her waist, also not necessary. "Don't hold your breath. Breathe normally. If you want to, you can close your eyes."

Dani looked up at him, all spitfire. "Oh, honey. I never close my eyes."

Nik held her gaze before he slipped them both into the floor.  

************

Secrets, like roses, have thorns.

Nikolaos Blackwood swore he would bring to justice the drug dealer known as Dodger. As Ghost, one of Thunder City's alternative human defenders, it was Nik's responsibility to keep his high school classmates safe. That included notorious bad girl Daniella Rose. Ten years later, he needs to locate Daniella to deliver an urgent request from her estranged family.

Dr. Daniella Rose finally believes she can lead a normal, happy life and focus on her relationship with Nik Blackwood — the one man she's always wanted but could never have. Now that she's back in Thunder City, she'll do anything to keep him —  except reveal her hidden Alt ability to shapeshift into Dodger, a secret identity she killed before graduation.  

When a drug lord from Dani's past threatens Nik's life, Dani knows she'll have to resurrect Dodger to rescue her man, even if exposing her secret could cost her Nik's love —  and her life.

**********

Buy Links:

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks

**************

Bio

A Connecticut Yankee transplanted to Central Florida, Debra Jess writes science fiction, romance, urban fantasy, and superheroes. She began writing in 2006, combining her love of fairy tales and Star Wars to craft original stories of ordinary people in extraordinary adventures and fantastical creatures in out-of-this world escapades. Her first published novel, Blood Surfer has won the Golden Pen Award and finaled in the Prism Award and Booksellers Best Award contests. 

Debra is a graduate of Viable Paradise and is a member of Codex. She’s also a member of the Romance Writers of America including RWA’s Fantasy, Futuristic, & Paranormal chapter and the First Coast Romance Writers.

Website (http://www.debrajess.com)

Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/boYZKL)

Bookbub (https://www.bookbub.com/authors/debra-jess)

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/DebraJess)

Twitter (https://twitter.com/DebraJess)

Pinterest: (https://www.pinterest.com/debrajess/)

Tumblr: (http://debrajess.tumblr.com/)

Tuesday Teaser - Lady of the Star Wind by Veronica Scott #scifi #romance #excerpt

A never before shared excerpt:The hero, Mark, is attempting to assist two of his comrades on an expedition through the tunnels under the The Lost City. They come to a deep pool and are attacked:

“What the hell happened?” Mark said.

“There’s some creature in the depths,” Rothan answered in a low voice. “Extinguish the torches, quick. The hell spawn is drawn to light.”

Too late.

            A large aquatic creature came from the bottom of the pool in a sudden surge of cold water. Mark and Djed went reeling as a wave broke around them. The beast flailed with heavy black tentacles, knocking the already off-balance archer into the water. Cursing, Mark blasted the two sinewy, suckered arms coming at him. A third tentacle wrapped around his ankle, tugged him off the ledge and into the water. He lost the lamp, which flew from his grasp as his elbow struck the step with bone-bruising force, but he kept a death grip on the blaster as he was submerged. The creature dragged him deep before releasing its grip momentarily, only to clutch Mark again, suckers sliding off the impenetrable fabric of his offworld fatigue pants. While the beast was stymied by his clothing, Mark managed to fight to the surface for one huge, desperate breath. As the animal hauled him under for the second time, he fired a tight pattern of blasts into the water where he hoped the main body was located. The tentacles tightened unbearably for a second before the creature convulsed. Tentacles drifted aimlessly now, the beast sinking into the murk. Mark kicked completely loose of one lingering ropy fragment curled around his ankle and shot to the surface, floating there for a second, gasping for air.

            He stowed his weapon, took a deep breath, and dove, trying to locate Djed, who hadn’t surfaced. Cloth brushed past his fingertips, and he surfaced with a mighty effort, dragging the dead weight of the archer with him. Mark managed to get himself and Djed onto the lowest stair. Rolling the unconscious man onto his back, Mark worked to resuscitate him. The hand torch had come to rest against the stair and provided light for the effort.

            Sputtering, Djed convulsed, retching copious quantities of water. After the spasms stopped, he wiped his mouth and clutched at his legs, nearly toppling into the water. “I can’t feel my left leg!”

            Mark played the torch over Djed’s extremities, finding an even pattern of oozing gashes running the entire length of his leg from ankle to hip. “Creature must have claws mixed in with the suckers.”

            “The numbness goes away,” Rothan said. “I was ensnared in the same fashion as I swam across the pool. I stabbed it in the eye with my dagger, and it released me. I got to this ledge but couldn’t go forward or retreat to find an alternate route. The creature lurked in the water. It couldn’t find me with the torch extinguished.”

            “Is there only one?”

***

Lady of the Star Wind blurb:

Are they merely luckless lovers … or a legend come back to life?

Mark Denaltieri, ex-Sector Special Forces, has been hired by the Outlier Empress to rescue her granddaughter, Princess Alessandra, from kidnappers. Since the Empress once had him tortured and banished, she’s the last person Mark wants to work for. But he takes the job. He’ll save Alessandra, his first love, and discover why she didn’t speak for him when he desperately needed her. Then he’ll be on his way, finally free of his past.

Alessandra would rather her rescuer was anyone but Mark–after all, he let her believe he was dead all this time. But when the couple are forced to flee her captors by Traveling via a strange crystal globe, they find themselves in a lovely Oasis on a desert planet, the old attraction sizzling between them again.

They soon discover they are far from alone. The Oasis holds the entrance to another world, one in which the inhabitants are convinced Sandy and Mark are the Lady of the Star Wind and her Warrior, come to free them from an evil Queen.

Mark and Sandy must work together to unearth an ancient mirror, and crown the true king of this land.  Can they fulfill the prophecy of the Lady and her Warrior … and this time, will their love survive the test?

Buy Links: Amazon    KOBO     Barnes & Noble     iBooks

Author Bio:

Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily Ever After blog, Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.

Three time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job, not her romances! She recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “City On the Edge of Forever.”

Blog: https://veronicascott.wordpress.com/

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Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Scott/e/B006CUCJ92/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1