Wobblestrut & Other Proclivities by Leslie Summerfield

A dapper young man fights madness on the brink of existential collapse, treating ego-death with beer bottles. Another grasps the true nature of attraction; only to watch everyone in a high-end restaurant play indulgent children-himself included. A new hire clocks in for a typical first day but quickly suspects a con that may involve trafficking his own organs. Meanwhile, a pimp lives his final day like the king he is, as the hottest gentleman's club on the block whirls into panic. And inside a dank basement, a charismatic bum in a tremendous wig catches spliff-induced clarity so hard it unfurls into a lucid time traveling adventure! Wobblestrut & Other Proclivities is a short-story collection set in a fictional DMV, where the County's comfort and neighboring Buss Ask's chaos blur into a darkly comic ecosystem of hustlers, lovers, weirdos, and emerging sovereigns. In these standalone, yet linked tales, Summerfield alchemizes the strange, tender, dark, with a ridiculous off-kilter approach to the everyday and an unsparing eye for the human condition-where the mundane goes uncanny before landing embarrassingly familiar. Written in the voice of a lovechild between a stand-up folklorist, lyrical witness, and tall-tale prophet, this book may leave readers reeling from thought, feeling, and laughter-all at once, or in a single line where a joke, fresh insight, and old trigger catch them off guard. This is a local mythos of cast-outs and coronations where you'll do just fine; so long as you remember that true self is exposed after life shits on your shoulder... Leslie Summerfield is a DMV born and raised author/poet whose writing style is yours to decide; as an esteemed peer once asked: "What are you feeding your mind to write like this?" Their work blends Black intellectual and liberation traditions (Baldwin, Douglass), relatable yet raw provocative humor (Joey Diaz, the late-great Patrice O'Neal), Kafkaesque circumstance, and an obsessive love for the overlooked — raised on hip-hop, R&B, rock, as well as Neal Peterson, immigrants who carried seeds and cuttings into this country, and fruit hunters still chasing their descendants and rooted clones.

Vahmroh Tamer: Volume 1 by Freemi-Ya

Talovarios is a quiet young Imp and just one of billions of hominids across a land barely stitched together who have chased the boundless wonders of Vahmrohs — magnificent, geometric monsters that mirror the appearance and abilities of real-world taxa — for millennia. The only difference is that he has a Tamer’s heart that’s far larger than his wallet or support system. When a fateful encounter leaves him bonded to a stray, young Vahmroh marked by an undesired “cracked star,” his childhood dream detonates into something far greater—just as the local haven of folk-Tamer culture falls before the smile of a corporate buyout. Now, Talovarios is torn between four factions clawing for control of tamership itself: the privileged who hoard power, outlaws thriving in chaos, sentinels enforcing peace, and an ancient way fiercely rallying around the everyman—each desperate to gatekeep who can command the limitless potential of Vahmrohs. The Core within his Tamer's device thrums with both promise and peril as the bond Talovarios forges with this unwanted creature ignites a relentless journey of discovery and defiance. One that teaches this generation of Tamers that a fulfilling path can be one you walk alone—at first. Dedicated to creature-collecting aficionados worldwide — as well as Eiichiro Oda and Hiro Mashima — this charged tale of diaspora, collaborative freedom, and found family channels shōnen energy into a modern odyssey about ownership, identity, and the adventure of forging your own legend.

The Low Hum of Zal'Kareth by Michael Antonio

Kae'lor's body stopped feeling pain years ago. In the suffocating heat of Zal'Kareth's obsidian pits, his pointed ears twitch only to the wet hiss of geothermal steam and the heavy tread of the red-skinned orcs he bleeds to defeat. He fights for cheap ferment, ignores the ghost of the brother he lost to a predatory Noise Cult, and survives by tuning out the world. Then the Collective Dream fractures the city. Millions across the lineages share a single vision: ancient stone Giants chained deep beneath the rock, screaming the word "Rest." As the Ministry's harmonic grid stutters, pockets of absolute silence open in the streets — voids where orcs, elf-kin, and Tikkari alike step inside and instantly forget their own names. Kae'lor wakes with a burning counter-clockwise spiral scarred into his palm, his deadened nerves violently firing back to life. To survive an unraveling city, he must find what lies beneath the Ministry's dying syrup, before the silence hollows him out next. The Low Hum of Zal'Kareth is the first novella in The Fractured Cadence of Talibra, an AfroFantasy epic of resonance, memory, and survival. For fans of Arcane, Dune, and dark Seinen manga.

Riyati Recollection by Kai Zeal

When the night is at its darkest, the sparks of life shine brightest. Kylie thought the danger was over: the last of Asuza’s followers now dead, she was free to live life as a normal teenager — a freshman in college, the events of her high school years behind her. But what should’ve been a fun vacation to Savannah takes a dark turn as an undead Riyatian attacks Maya and leaves Kylie with a cryptic message: her existence damned every other mage and she should not have survived that fateful day in June. Kylie is left with only questions; but the most difficult one of all is if she is even worth saving, even if it's just to make amends. But time is of the essence and she can't afford to wallow. She must now decipher the truth of the warning and figure out how to save the other mages before it’s too late. Riyati Recollection is the fourth book in a new adult/adult contemporary, low dark fantasy series that seeks to explore themes of identity, legacy, generational trauma, and finding your own path in life. The series is set in the modern day fictional Southern US town of Opal Pines and includes multiple first person perspectives with characters across a range of queer, neurodiverse, and socioeconomic statuses.

A House of Violence and Vengeance by Rowena Aiello

Courtney Summers’s I’M THE GIRL meets Anne Bishop’s DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD in this gripping, dark low fantasy where a barely-legal young woman attempts to live out her romantasy dreams...and ends up fighting for her life against the very man who promised to make those dreams a reality. In a world where book boyfriends outperform human ones ten to one, 18 year old Jen Annalise is determined to find her human book boyfriend equivalent…even at the expense of her own safety. Jen yearns for a world—and romance—that's both far from her family's farm, and straight out of her favorite romantasy series. So when the mysterious and alluring Damon Sadie responds to her profile on a sugar daddy website, she immediately agrees to meet him. At first, Jen thinks all her favorite parts of her romantasy dreams are about to be brought to life. Then their adventure is waylaid by a side quest to his house...one that she can't leave without his permission, or bring anyone into without his approval. And forget about the rooms that glow, smelling like smoke and crackling like thunder—he won't even acknowledge them. But when her sugar daddy's refusal to answer her questions leads her to uncover two other women now trapped in his house, and a sinister magic they're forbidden to touch, Jen is left with no choice: she must escape this fantasy before she ends up trapped forever, too.

Paella in Alaska by edbo books

Paella in Alaska: A feel good romance about love, wild Alaska, and the dish that changed everything. Paella in Alaska: She came to Alaska to build a refinery. She stayed to save a river — and found the love of her life along the way. Maria Garcia has always had a plan. At thirty-five, she is one of ROFEN's most trusted engineers: precise, methodical, unstoppable. When her company sends her to the remote Alaskan town of Kijik Falls to prepare a new oil field development, she packs her thermal gear, her project briefs — and her cast-iron professional composure. None of it survives first contact with Alaska. On her very first evening, she walks into the only restaurant in town and meets David Reeves... What will happen in Alaska ? Perfect for fans of romantic fiction with heart, humour, and a strong sense of place. Featuring food, nature, flamenco, and a happy ending guaranteed. --Have fun and joy with this book-- edbo books

Lemon Ice Cream in Rome by edbo books

Lemon Ice Cream in Rome: A Romance For everyone who ever needed to get lost in order to find themselves. For anyone who has ever needed to get lost in order to find themselves. When Lucy Hartwell boards a flight to Rome — alone, for the first time in Europe, armed with a colour-coded itinerary she abandons on day one — she is running away from a perfectly good life that somehow never felt like hers. A two-year relationship that looked right from the outside. A career she is good at but has stopped feeling. A version of herself she no longer recognises. Ten days. One city. No plan. What she doesn't expect is a small shop with a yellow door,..... What will she find in Rome ? Lemon Ice Cream in Rome is a warm, witty, and deeply felt love story about the courage it takes to choose your own life — and the joy of finding someone who makes the choosing easier. Perfect for everyone who has ever stood at the Trevi Fountain and believed, just for a moment, in the power of a wish. Set across the most beautiful neighbourhoods of Rome — Trastevere, the Pantheon, the Aventine Hill, the Trevi Fountain, the Appian Way, and beyond. --Have fun and joy with this book-- edbo books

Santorini Sunset Love by edbo books

Santorini Sunset Love: A Romantic Comedy About Second Chances, Stolen French Fries, and Letting the Sun Hit You. Santorini Sunset Love is a romantic comedy about cubicles and calderas, risk and reward, and the terrifying joy of letting the sun hit you for the first time in years. She lived for weekends. He lived for a dream. Together, they found a sunset. Vanessa Harlow has spent seven years processing insurance claims in a gray Chicago cubicle. Her life is beige, predictable, and carefully organized. She doesn't cry. She doesn't dance. She doesn't remember what it feels like to be foolish. Then her coworker books her a two-week vacation to Santorini — against her better judgment. Alexandros Papadopoulos is a waiter by day, a DJ by night, and a man with a dream. What will happen in Santorini? What readers will find inside: -A slow-burn romance that sizzles like a Santorini sunset -Laugh-out-loud moments (burned lamb, spilled wine, and a cat who refuses to leave) -Tear-jerking vulnerability from two broken people learning to trust -Mouthwatering Greek food descriptions (do not read on an empty stomach) -A hero who will steal your heart — and your french fries -Easy Loukoumades Recipe (Greek Honey Doughnuts) --Have fun and joy with this book-- edbo books

Lavender Love by edbo books

Lavender Love: A Romance of Lavender Fields, Second Chances, and the Life You Were Always Meant to Live. Romantic Lovestory about Provence, Baguette, Cheese and real Love. Mary Sutton has it all: a senior VP title at a top New York firm, a stunning Manhattan apartment, and a perfectly organized life. But after eleven years of sixty-hour weeks under fluorescent lights, she wakes up one morning and realizes she can no longer remember what she actually loves. On a whim — and with her grandmother's memory guiding her — she books three weeks in Provence, France, alone, in a stone farmhouse surrounded by lavender fields in full summer bloom. She traded her corner office for a field of lavender — What will she find in the Lavender Fields ? Lavender Love is a sweeping, sensory romance about the courage it takes to choose the life that is truly yours — even when it means letting go of the one you built by accident. It is a love story told in lavender and cheese and starlight and the particular freedom of a woman who has finally learned to breathe. For readers who love gorgeous European settings, emotionally rich romance, and stories that leave you booking a flight to France. --Have fun and joy with this book-- edbo books

Stellar Parallax: Human Hope in Grimdark Worlds by Various Authors

A mother introduces her child to an orchard aboard a space station. On a floating city, a boy risks everything to save his baby sister. When the police escort an aging Puerto Rican man off his front porch, he expects to be shot. Instead, he finds himself on the way to a floating island where he may find peace after all. These and 17 other stories explore the role of hope at the extremes of human experience. The writers have imagined a variety of dangerous futures, and they’ve also imagined connection and compassion guiding the people of the future. In twisted underground passageways, in the desolation of space, and on barren landscapes where the fate of a few seeds could make or break the future, the protagonists of Stellar Parallax: Human Hope in Grimdark Worlds find glimmers of light in darkness. Together, these stories ask: when we can’t count on our world to be rational or safe, where does that leave us? And what can we build when everything we once trusted falls apart? Featuring stories by Aaron Timothy, K.M. Veohongs, Em Harriett, Roberto Cofresí Hopgood, Susan L. Lin, Heather Zoppetti, Austen Lee, Lucy Zhang, Fendy S. Tulodo, Jason P. Burnham, Marie-Hélène Lebeault, Monique Cuillerier, Lancer Kind, Jon Negroni, Stuart Conover, H.V. Patterson, R F Daniels, Naomi Klouda, Joyce Frohn, Frank Baird Hughes.

Death by Decent Society by Malcolm J. Wardlaw

By 2106, Britain is ruled by a brutal caste system. The whims of sovereign gentry are the only ‘laws’. Disappearance is the only ‘justice’. Donald Aldingford is a lawyer who has perfected the art of not looking too hard at the system that provides his lifestyle. But when disaster strikes his life, he is forced to confront the evil of those he serves. His brother Lawrence is wrongly condemned to a forced-labour camp. In order to try and free him, Donald has to break inside the revolutionary movement. His clients will kill him if they find out. Lawrence has also been learning all about the evils of the system he served so faithfully. He is struggling to survive in a place of uniquely diabolical operation, where misery is transformed into gold with a remorselessness matched only by the man who runs it. He yearns to escape and tell the world of these atrocities. He could spark a revolution. But Donald’s rescue efforts are getting dangerously close. The first of a five-book serial, Death by Decent Society draws the reader into the kind of violent, despotic society that ours could become. Yet it is also a story of ordinary people achieving extraordinary feats through the will to survive. It will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games, Legend, Ship Breaker, The Postman and other dystopian adventures.

Song of Monsters by Noah Naiman

Kane once died in a noose. Now he has a god in his head, and a city to save. Hundreds of miles from the gallows, Kane has built a new life baking sweets in the hillside city of Torry. But a brawl with a drunken constable uncovers a conspiracy of poisoned tea and black powder threatening his newfound home. While Kane races to save the city, the god in his head insists on saving the world—even if it costs Torry itself. Outmatched, Kane gambles on the only people desperate enough to help: A thief with a stolen firearm and a vendetta against its maker. A suicidal, immortal musician who can’t abandon a good story. A monstrous wizard hellbent on doing right. A two-foot-tall chemist chasing a kidnapping no one believes happened. But Kane knows the line between hero and monster is a noose, and it’s tightening again.

Rise of the Dragon's Heir by Darlene Franklin-Campbell

Most epic fantasy asks who will win the throne. Rise of the Dragon's Heir asks what the throne does to the person who inherits it.

A Mother's Rage by John Evans

Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, a wrong has been committed. After a severely injured mother loses her two kids to arrogant hunters, she slowly goes crazy and fixes her sites on revenge. But what’s a little murderous rampage when you have nothing left to lose? Fans of the movie "I Spit On Your Grave" or "Cujo" by Stephen King will enjoy "A Mother's Rage" by John Evans.

Long Drives and Lonesome Roads by John Evans

“With hard-hitting stories ranging from the unnerving to the macabre to the darkly humorous, Long Drives and Lonesome Roads is a killer collection that deserves to sit on every shelf.” -Pedro Iniguez, Bram Stoker Award Winner There are over four million miles of roads in the United States. They each have a memory. From ominous hitchhikers or devils to backroads that lead to other dimensions, untold perils lurk among the highways and byways. Indescribable terrors are found in this collection of short stories. Sixteen petrifying tales delve into the things that scare us most for readers who love macabre horrors. Take care, because the roads are dark, dangerous, and deep, and you still have many miles to go before you sleep... Fans of “Night Shift” by Stephen King and “The Shrouded Tome” by Ronald Kelly will enjoy “Long Drives and Lonesome Roads” by John Evans.

The Protector and the Annihilation by Naila Moonsi

Some 100,000 years have passed since Earthians swept across the galaxy. By the year 9955 ATF after a catastrophe all but annihilates them, humans upon the ocean planet Imion are struggling to become space-worthy again. Two young men attending university vie for the role of Protector of All Worlds. They know that the godly power the Protector wields will save them all, and yet one day they wake up momentarily and realize... 60-year-old Armando Rivera and Ranvir Chandrani once loved each other. Stuck within a mental palace called ‘the Citadel’ within ‘the Boundless,’ an otherworld that reflects the galaxy in eerie dream-like ways, they are now 19 years old again and stripped of their memories. In these young forms, the two subconsciously test if this love between them was something true while attempting to take each other down. Their life has begun anew around them due to a time loop within the Citadel, and it follows their gentle, morose memories perfectly within the years 9955 and 9956, until... Until their families try to kill them. Until the children from the future begin to arrive. Until their son birthed outside the body with their Merged elemental outer cores—Antonio Chandrani-Rivera—insists on killing his identical twin brother Fernando Chandrani-Rivera. Ranvir and Armando very quickly realize that they must solve the mystery of what their true goals once were within the Boundless, figure out how to get out of the Citadel, and grasp why Antonio and his friends are intruding within. After all, upon the true planet Imion within the galaxy in the year 9996, a 20-year-old Antonio’s gone ahead and confronted his once-affectionate friend Alejandro Altaha—the Alejandro who became their generation’s Protector of All Worlds at the cost of Antonio’s worldwide reputation—and this has spiraled into circumstances that leave Antonio on the brink of death. Only for the bright and happy memories of Antonio's teens to flood his mind… Back when he and Alejandro Altaha cared deeply about each other, and yet the understanding they gleaned regarding their ancient selves—the civilian Nasir Hadid versus the Lost Protector Shakir—still colored everything, including their continued 10,000 year rivalry over the simple stakes of saving the world. And then there are the machinations of Antonio's cousin Layla… She laughs over their rivalry, but Antonio knows one thing: she hides secrets like breathing and despite their camaraderie, she is surely worse than Alejandro.

The Shadow on the Wall by Machelle Berglund

In the dead of the night, as you awake from a peaceful sleep, you see a shadow in the periphery of your vision. Oh no! Is it coming closer?! Oh, thank goodness! It was just another shadow on the wall. Inside the pages of “The Shadow on the Wall”, the shadows are more than a mere illusion. They become real. As do skeletons, witches, ghosts and more. This haunted tome is Machelle Berglund’s third poetic endeavor. Each poem was crafted to tell a tale of the ghastly figures of Halloween and horror legend. These poems are meant to cause one to feel the chill grip of fear deep within their spine or cause the reader to let loose a gruesome giggle as their eyes wander through the pages.

Through the Shards of My Heart by Machelle Berglund

Ah, love! A powerful emotion. It can bring a spring into the steps of the lucky. The twinkle in their eye tells of the endless joy and laughter love had brought them. Loving hands cradle their hearts at all times. Others, however, may throw their hearts into the fire again and again. They hope for the warmth of a loving hand rather than to feel the pain of the blaze. And for a while, their wish may be granted; maybe for a short time, or for a blessed eternity. There are, however, the most unfortunate of souls whose hearts are forever twisted, forever scarred, and forever broken. But that doesn’t mean that their love is forever lost. They may not be whole, but through the shards of their heart, they can find and give love still. In “Through the Shards of My Heart”, you’ll find poems that explore the lows and the woes, the highs and the smiles, and the messy in betweens that love brings in all its forms.

Monitored Activity by Mitch Miller

When a dancing mob feeds a woman to the food court escalator, security guard Shaw Price knows he is in for the worst shift of his life. Visitors speak in tongues. Somewhere in the building, a man has been scalped by a floor polisher. The security cameras have gone rogue, and strange, small objects reject visual perception. But Shaw can’t focus beyond the insatiable hunger driving him mad. While he could blame it on a late coming-of-age, the last time he checked, visions of his supervisor gloating over the bodies of missing girls isn’t exactly a common side-effect of teenage hormones. And then there’s the whole thing about the mall maybe being alive. MONITORED ACTIVITY is a queer, sci-fi horror novella set in the early 2000s. Perfect for fans of THE BACKROOMS and digital indie horror.

Common Bonds 3 by Claudie Arseneault, Em Ishii, and RoAnna Sylver

TBBSB2026

Common Bonds strikes a third time with a new volume of 18 speculative short stories and poetry featuring aromantic characters and centering platonic relationships.

Common Bonds 2 by Claudie Arseneault, Em Ishii, and RoAnna Sylver

Common Bonds returns in this second volume of speculative short stories and poetry featuring aromantic characters. Housed within this anthology are a scientist who makes a terrifying discovery at the bottom of the ocean, a baker who must fulfill a prophecy, a priest and a witch who must form a family to escape a war, and a woman whose survival might just unravel time itself. Through nineteen stories and poems, Common Bonds 2 explores the bonds that impact our lives from beginning to end: platonic relationships. From friends with benefits to mentors to life partners, this collection explores platonic relationships strong enough to overcome barriers of species, alien invasions, and the power of the gods themselves.

Chains Of Deceit: Stitchbinding Chronicles Book 2 by A.E. Zeigler

TBB2025

A cure to find. A people to save. A romance running out of time. After the queen slips into the last stage of a mysterious plague, Princess Lineya, must travel to the treacherous mountains of Krashe in the midst of sworn enemies, hoping that the lost and forbidden Woolworsting craft has a stronger healing stitch. But before departing, she's forced to announce her engagement to Rhett, a Lynden nobleman, to bring hope to her people, but she despairs of a relationship with her true love Kemp. When an assassin threatens to kill Lineya, she must depend on the Krashe for support. Although she faces bandits, prejudice, scorn, and suspicion, she must win the trust of the Krashe and the heart of Kemp, who has no memory of the connection and kisses they had in the future. And Kemp's childhood sweetheart has prior claim on his affections. This girl can kill a black bear with her bare hands. Everyone assumes they will marry. Where does Lineya fit into his heart? How will Lineya and Kemp heal thousands of years of oppression, lies, and rekindle their love before the bandits and the assassin finish them all?

BOOM goes the Bride by Valiant Evermech

TBB2025

A pulpy lesbian romance between an elven thief from another world and a corporate princess whose company is built on her clones. 300,000 and counting, and the woman they're made from wishes they didn't exist. Danger, spice, and everything not-nice. When the twice-dead thief Nil steals a magical dagger from one of the world's angriest trillionaires, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his daughter Sook, the so-called Mother of a Million Clones. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and in this case the heart wants to be chased, shot at, and possibly exploded. Til death do us part is gonna need a bit of an extension...

The Chosen One Con by Trudie Skies

TBB2025

Magic is a rich man's game. Archons control magic in the great city of Aefenhold. Brand-name spells, addictive potions, and celebrity TV keep the poor entertained while they toil in the factories manufacturing magic. That should have been the fate of Max and his childhood friend Lyle, until a violent workers’ strike tears their lives apart, condemning Lyle to the aetherstone mines and leaving Max orphaned with no choice but to sell his labour to a brothel. Life under the Archon's rule has given Max a taste for magical narcotics, and left Lyle with aether dust in his lungs and a deep resentment for magic. So when Aefenhold's rulers announce a televised contest to find the chosen one—a prophesized distraction to unite the city against its detractors—both Max and Lyle see an opportunity to con their way into the contest. Where Max seeks to steal magic for his freedom, Lyle views magic as a tool of oppression to be destroyed. Their old friendship will be tested as they're forced to become adversaries against famous rival mages in a series of magical trials. Whoever becomes the chosen one will change the shape of magic forever. But magic is a rich man's game, and should Max or Lyle be discovered as frauds, their deaths will be televised next. The Chosen One Con is the first book in the Lost in the Aether duology—a gaslamp fantasy of industrial magic in a world of designer enchantments and celebrity-branded potions. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies's website.

The End of Time by Trudie Skies

WHEN THE SAINTS FALL, THE SINNERS RISE. Calamity has befallen the steam-powered city of Chime as the gods declare war on each other, choosing Chime's streets as their battleground. Kayl has the means to end their reign for good and create a new world free from their whims. But recruiting an army against divine beings is no easy task, and as her allies fall one by one, Kayl is left to shoulder her burden alone. Finally free from his own god's shackles, Quen is bound in service to Chaos, who only wants revenge against Quen's former master. Torn between his desire for vengeance and justice, Quen is no stranger to the gods' cruelty and will do whatever it takes to see Kayl's vision through—even if it destroys his soul. To ensure a new future, Kayl and Quen must unite mortals against their makers and decide the gods' fate before time itself comes to an end. For the era of gods is over. The End of Time is the third and final book in The Cruel Gods series—a gaslamp fantasy featuring magical portals, gothic cosmic deities, quaint Britishisms, and steampunk vibes. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies's website.

Aloe by Artemis Quinn

TBBSB2026

Aloe is Book 2 in the Tales From The Night Garden series. Acanthus and Cypress, an age old Vampire and a young new Werewolf, have accidentally started a war. Nekane, the Werewolf in charge, will go to any means necessary to capture Acanthus; meaning even humans are in danger. On the run, our non-binary heroes encounter others caught up in Nekane's hatred of vampires, witches, and any werewolves that fraternize with them! As Acanthus and Cypress regroup with the Night Garden, an underground organization committed to liberating any in Nekane's crosshairs, they're tasked with some of the hardest challenges they've faced yet! Friend or foe? It's hard to judge just who to trust in a world wrought with danger. In this second book of the Tales From The Night Garden universe, our protagonists continue their adventure in this game of chess with very real consequences. A gaggle of strays begin to expand their found family and a love that blazes bright in the night starts to break out of the darkness. What can Acanthus and Cypress do to convince Nekane to stand down, or are words not enough? How will these two fugitives handle inviting more refugees into their growing resistance? How will The Night Garden continue to save the disenfranchised Supernaturals when Nekane shows up at their Head Quarters' door!? No one knows, but both Cypress and Acanthus have decided they can't run anymore. It's time to stand up for what is right and just. Will you stand up with them on their next journey?

The Gone Machine by Aimee Cozza

TBB2026

Sylvan’s cyborg body is broken, his friend is missing, he’s being haunted, and yet a well-known fashion mogul has offered him the business deal of a lifetime. When Sylvan’s ghost turns out to be a digital passenger in his cybernetics, another apparition appears at his doorstep: a familiar looking robot named Fern. Despite forging powerful allies and working diligently to repay his debt of gratitude, Sylvan can’t shake the persistent reminders of his long-lost housebot, Robbie. The ghost has some of Robbie’s memories, but Fern has Robbie’s body… Is it possible one of them is actually Robbie, or are even bots incapable of outrunning death?

Lemon Balm by Artemis Quinn

Cypress Borne is 22 years old, a dashing young non-binary lad with a fairly easy life in New York City. That is — fairly easy until their routine is interrupted by a vicious dog attack on the way home from the gym. Their life turns upside down after that one singular event-- blackouts, unexplained fits of rage and lost time plague him. Two years of medical tests, therapy, and a life that's spiraling down the toilet later, they navigate their way through the panic attacks and the hopelessness to an old, derelict, and a seemingly abandoned church in the woods, away from the noise and the people. Little do they know, the church isn't abandoned but rather occupied by a vampire hoping to die and rotting in a coffin. Acanthus Sylene believes that a fine wine should never have an age attached, and neither should a fine being. Nonbinary in such a way that gender is completely irrelevant, Acanthus has lived a very long life and is frankly exhausted by it. Embroiled deeply into the politics of the World of Shadows, they have abandoned their duties to The Night Garden, a refugee path that they forged. But, something changes when a lost, scared, ignorant werewolf shows up on their door step. Both of these preternatural beings are looking for answers. Somehow, instead of finding their place in the world, they find each other. However, in the process of finding and growing with each other, they may have put their entire lives — and The Night Garden — at risk.

Troubled Bodies by Jake Vanguard

We can be monsters together. Curiosity has led Payne down a path of experimentation filled with corpses, connections to the underground–and a dead partner. When he finds Blaze, broken and lifeless, on a crime cleanup scene, Payne’s knowledge of anatomy and his created serums assist in bringing Blaze back to life… The only hitch in this plan? They come back different. Together, Payne and Blaze must navigate their new life, filled with a ravaging hunger for fresh meat and opioids, while keeping their urges secret from a powerful don. And things get even more complicated when they find themselves entangled with a third unexpected person who has more to give than financial freedom. Care to take a bite? Troubled Bodies is a tale of obsession, of devotion and addiction, of care and primal urges - and, above all, of love.

Prometheus: A Queer Futuristic Horror Anthology by Jake Vanguard; Ezra Wren

TBBSB2026

THE YEAR IS 2099. A dark web dweller, a curious space explorer in a library, a forbidden queer couple seeking new horizons… Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humanity. To this day, we carry it in our hearts: an innate spirit no machine can replicate. Sixteen authors bring you tales of imagined futures, spanning vast worlds and a wide breadth of queer, human, and post-human experiences. From a surgeon’s backstreet office to a city of dreams to motherships, AI-dominated worlds, and cults, enter a universe of horrors that will make your heart race and your skin prickle. THE FUTURE IS HUMAN.

Tharaxis by Darren Joy

Tharaxis is the city of the dead. Within its walls, creatures known as souleaters hunt and feed. Lorn Larthuz, recently deceased, finds herself on a perilous quest to steal back the List of Souls, and end their reign of terror. Yaldo, a boy who pretends to be alive, searches for the family he may have only imagined. But when the Souleaters target him—it becomes clear they have darker plans for Yaldo. Can Lorn succeed in her bid to steal the List of Souls, and can Yaldo escape the Souleaters before he loses himself forever? Tharaxis is a dark epic fantasy tale of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of the human spirit—even in death.

A Wrath of Souls by Darren Joy

Across the Spectrum of Existence, angelic hosts gather their strength. While the infamous duo, Manic and Mania, finalise their plan, a mysterious dark armada engulfs far flung lands. Threadfin Todder, recovering from a great loss, is woefully unprepared for the final battle. Struggling to relearn his magic, he knows there is no time to waste. Lucifer threatens existence itself, and will soon step on to the mortal plane. Astra Dar’s fractured soul is dominated by Lucifer, as she fights for sanity—for soon she will destroy the world, while Myral Azarm, now queen of vampires, battles a terrible bloodlust as she is caught between primal instinct and the memory of who she was. Meanwhile in Desool’s fractured kingdom, as he prepares for war, rebellion erupts in an attempt to cut out the heart of his kingship, and as Sarscha Todralan fights to save her imperium, disaster descends on her people. The final battle draws near—a desperate gambit to thwart the end of all things. Can they each defy fate, survive, and beat back the Darkness? “A Wrath of Souls” is an exciting conclusion to this dark epic fantasy tale, filled with chaos, dark magic, treachery, and death, all tempered by loyalty, friendship, and hope.

A Wretched Darkness by Darren Joy

Threadfin Todder, has been infected by a dark magic, and time is running out. His only hope is to find an ancient being known as the Despoiler. As his search brings him to a lost world, Threadfin discovers the cost may prove too high. Myral Azarm thought she had left her past behind, but when a name resurfaces, she’s must journey into the bowels of the underworld to find her destiny. Sarscha Todralan, the ruling imperatrix, has lost friends and family, and can’t settle into her role. When a dark witch threatens Icarthya, she must again take up the sword to defend her people. In the kingdom of Raddhon, civil war looms over the giants. Desool, the youngest son, seeks to become king. At stake is more than a throne, for the fabled Shathra Stone will belong to the victor. Four disparate paths collide in a world of magic and war as they fight for their lives and the survival of all. Will they each find the strength to overcome their past, and save the world? ‘A Wretched Darkness,’ is a high-stakes dark fantasy epic that explores the limits of good and evil, love and sacrifice, and the power of magic.

A Nefarious Grim by Darren Joy

Death is never the end. While the shadow of an ancient sorcerer plots to invade the world, an undead mage endeavours to stop him. With the shraeds of Tartaros continuing their relentless advance across the Spectrum, Threadfin Todder once more sets out to defeat the Grim. Meanwhile, his sister Aiyana is being hunted by an angelic assassin. She will soon make a perilous journey into the past to learn the secrets to unlocking the world’s only hope. And Sarscha Todralan, once a legend and now an irritable drunk, decides to infiltrate the enemy to foil a rebellion against the imperium. ‘A Nefarious Grim,’ is a dark epic fantasy tale stuffed with dark twists, unpredictable magic, and undead mages.

A Malignant Fetch by Darren Joy

The Father of Darkness and Reaper of souls, the Grim, seeks to reclaim the world, and he will stop at nothing to get it. Threadfin Todder, an imperial undead mage, is determined to get in his way. Though his magic is unreliable, his reputation questionable, his stubbornness is legendary. And, Lorn Larthuz, the thief who stole existence, walks the wasteland of another world to face the Grim and her fate. While, Myral Azarm, once a cult priestess, crosses a bleak desert to confront an ancient form of undead and the Grim’s own vengeance. As Threadfin once more confronts evil, he will discover a darkness within his own soul. ‘A Malignant Fetch,’ is a dark epic tale packed with undead creatures, snarky mages, delicious danger, and dark magic.

A Viral Imperium by Darren Joy

A plague‑born magic is awakening inside Threadfin Todder — hungry, volatile, and impossible to control. Exiled, undead, and hunted by a relentless shapeshifter, he races across the imperium to save his sister as a horde of armoured giants marches toward the capital. When the power inside him erupts, Threadfin becomes the only force capable of stopping a terror that turns cities to ash and stone to dust. At the heart of the empire, Princess Aiyana Todralan faces a usurper possessed by a fallen angel. With the throne stolen and her people trapped beneath a rising tide of monsters, Aiyana uncovers a truth older than the empire, one that could threaten existence itself. Two lives. One corrupted empire. A darkness older than the world. A Viral Imperium is a dark epic fantasy of ancient magic, monstrous legions, and a world on the edge of annihilation.

No Man's Daughter by Justine Lombardi

Fugitive Kára, the bastard daughter of a legendary hero, builds a new life on the mountain frontier, until bounty hunters find her, shattering her family’s cherished peace. To earn a pardon, she joins a hunting party sent to retrieve a wampus cat’s hide for the High King. It’s a perilous task, as the cat stalks the domain of the fierce and immortal Jotun. To survive, Kára plunders her father’s tomb, tearing Tyrfing, the last arcane weapon, from his undead hands. The rifle can slay any monster, but such strength comes at a terrible price: bloodlust and an unquenchable thirst for power. Immersive, propulsive, and compelling, No Man’s Daughter combines Norse paganism with Appalachian folklore in a darkly magical nineteenth-century world, focusing on a woman’s fight to return to her family.

Her Injured Biker (Broken Heroes Love Harder Series) by Annee Jones

🩺 Whitley: The most dangerous man I've ever treated just tried to climb out his hospital window. Again. Scorch — Road Captain of the Devil's Backbone MC — took a bullet meant for his president and landed in my trauma bay looking like trouble wrapped in leather and tattoos. He's built like a weapon and absolutely done being stuck in a hospital bed while his club needs him. I know this because he tells me every single time I catch him trying to leave. He flirts. I don't flinch. He turns up the charm. I use his real name. He goes so still it should scare me — and somehow that became our game. Every escape attempt. Every slow smile. Every time he says "come on, sweetheart" and I plant myself in his doorway and cross my arms. 💀 The problem isn't that he keeps trying to escape. It's that I'm starting to want him to stay. 🔥 Steamy, fast, and impossible to put down — a standalone in the Broken Heroes Love Harder series. 🏍️ Enemies-to-lovers • Forced proximity • MC romance • Military hero • Guaranteed HEA Binge it in one sitting. 🖤 He takes bullets for his brothers. She's the only one who's ever brought him to his knees.

A Divided Life a memoir of hiding from myself, survival, and becoming whole by Todd Boler

What does it mean to survive by hiding — and what does it cost? A Divided Life is a deeply personal memoir about growing up in a time and place where silence felt necessary. In a small Midwestern town shaped by faith, family expectations, and unspoken rules, Todd Boler learned how to divide himself in order to endure. Outwardly, life continued as expected. Inwardly, pieces of the self were carefully guarded. Rather than centering on a single moment of revelation, this memoir follows the quieter, more complicated path of endurance: how coping strategies form, how they protect, and how they eventually limit the life they were meant to save. Through friendships, belief, longing, and loss, the book explores the emotional and psychological cost of living divided from oneself. Neither polemic nor manifesto, A Divided Life offers no easy answers— only honesty, reflection, and recognition. It speaks to anyone who has lived with invisible struggle while appearing “fine,” and who wonders what it might mean to finally live whole.

Deadly Angles by K.S. Krown

Love was never meant to be simple. Margot Beaufort finds herself caught between two men who offer her everything—and demand far more in return. Art’s devotion is quiet, unwavering… and consuming in its own way. JC’s passion is magnetic, dangerous, and impossible to escape. What begins as desire quickly becomes something far more deliberate. As their lives intertwine between Atlanta’s glittering social circles and the secluded elegance of southern France, the boundaries between love, control, and betrayal begin to blur. Each of them believes they understand the game being played. None of them are prepared for the cost. Deadly Angles is a dark, psychologically charged exploration of obsession, manipulation, and the fragile illusions we create to justify the choices we make. For readers drawn to morally complex relationships, seductive tension, and stories where love and power collide, this is a novel that lingers long after the final page. Some love stories don’t end. They unravel.

Devious Demons by K.S. Krown

Love was never meant to save her—it was meant to burn the world down. Lilley Meade doesn’t remember who she was before London, before the dreams of wings and fire. Then she meets Max—fierce, magnetic, achingly familiar—and something ancient stirs inside her. But behind his gentle eyes lies another name… one that Heaven still fears to speak. Lucifer. As the truth unravels, Lucifer and his two fallen brothers emerge from the shadows—angels who once loved her, betrayed her, and damned themselves for her. Torn between Michael’s devotion and Lucifer’s consuming fire, Lilley must decide whether love will redeem them all… or finish what the fall began. Devious Demons is the first book in a dark fantasy saga of angels, temptation, and the price of forbidden love.

Smoke: A MC Biker Fake Dating OTT Reverse Age Gap Short Dark Romance by Julia Stone

He agreed to be her fake boyfriend to protect her. Now he won’t let anyone else touch her. Bunny: Unwanted love letters began showing up in my work locker, increasing in frequency the longer I ignored them. I’m not interested in the man leaving them. Not even a little. There is only one biker I’ve ever wanted. Smoke. He’s gruff, gorgeous, and he looks at me like I might be trouble he can’t afford. Which is ridiculous, considering I’m the one asking him to pretend to be my boyfriend to deter this stalker of mine. It should be simple. A little convincing touch, a few possessive glances, maybe a kiss or two if we have to sell it. Except Smoke doesn’t touch like he’s pretending. He treats me like I’m really his. The longer I stay by his side, the more I find myself unable to decide what I fear more: my stalker or the end of this act. Smoke: Bunny is sunshine in a world that runs on sin. She flirts like she was made to ruin men, laughs like she doesn’t know the damage she does, and looks at me like I’m the one thing she can’t resist. That should scare me less than it does. I’ve spent my life gambling, taking risks, playing games I know I can win. But Bunny is different. She gets under my skin and makes me want things I never planned on wanting. So when she asks me to play her boyfriend, I say yes before she can ask another man to sweep her off her feet. Now her stalker thinks she’s taken. The problem is, I’m not sure I know where the game ends anymore. When Bunny is cornered, and I finally decide to claim what’s mine, everyone will learn the truth. I’ll never let anyone take her from me. Steelwood MC - Meadow Falls features darker themes throughout. Each book can be read in any order, and all conclude with a happily ever after guarantee!

Embryonic Cells by Yuval Sagiv

What happens when the orderly life of a biologist turns into an experiment never written in any protocol? Sarah, a brilliant researcher at a prestigious Chicago lab, is on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could change the face of modern medicine. But when she becomes unexpectedly pregnant, the boundaries between her career and personal life begin to blur—when she decides to test her discovery on herself. From the moment she presents her experimental results in a bold and unforgettable lecture, her life spirals out of control. Biotech companies pursue her relentlessly, internal power struggles at the university threaten her future, and anti-abortion protests erupt at the campus gates. When the danger reaches those closest to her, Sarah realizes she must save not only her project—but herself as well. But to do that, she must first understand: Who is the real enemy?

Becalming by Aga Maksimowska

Gosia feels stalled in her life, but a family trip opens her eyes to the life she has … and the life she wants. Gosia, a high school chemistry teacher, travels to her native Poland to visit her estranged father. Back in Canada, meanwhile, her father-in-law — who has been more of a dad to her than her own — is dying of cancer. Away from her routine, Gosia questions everything in her life, including her long-term boyfriend, Peter. She feels stuck in the terrifying time of early adulthood, in her first grown-up job while managing student debt, monogamy, and existential dread. Is this really it, she wonders? Gosia’s time in Poland gives her the chance to examine her life, and she finds herself pulled homeward to Canada, where she faces the fact that Peter’s father — like her own — is far from perfect. Can she love despite betrayal? Can she find hope in her fiery, complex love for Peter? Is there something more to this life that she didn’t even realize she had? Becalming tells the story of two people realizing that happily ever after is not something to be but something to continue to explore, through adversity and outrage, tragedy and inspiration, and love.

The Lineman by Christina K. Glover

GRASPING AT THREADS If there’s one thing Henley Yu has learned, it’s that nothing is easy when it involves Chief Operator Kittinger. The pair can finally face the world together, focused on the pursuit of the Ethereal lord who escaped into the Actuality. This time the mortal world won’t be a silent victim, and Kit and Henley will hunt their quarry with the help of mages who have plenty to lose. But Kit punched through something he shouldn’t have in the battle for the Order Headquarters. His transgression has opened him up to a darkness that swallows him whole, leaving him cold and his body empty. What is broken can only be mended by the hand of the maker. In his fight for Kit and their future together, Henley will need help from the only one who knows the real story behind the Between—but only if the Lineman is willing to lend his aid. Secrets will be revealed and the final battle unfolds as the Connections series comes to a close!

The Constellation Caves (PearlHeart Book 2) by Keilani McConnell

A group of sailors travels together across a tropical country, meeting new people and solving the mystery affecting those there. The crew of PearlHeart is on break after their most recent journey. Rath, One-Eye, his Spirit Lion, and others have chosen to spend it on Delphy, Rath's homeland. However, while traveling to where they are staying for the Summer, cracks begin appearing in different parts of the country and the group agrees to help find the cause in order to protect the Constellation Caves, which lay underground. ​For readers who love rich characters, mysteries, and traveling across fantasy worlds.

Black Hole Guns For Hire by Friday Strout

TBBSB2026

The empire made them soldiers. The void made them rebels. Lina Bho captains a beat-up transport at the galaxy's ragged edge, running aid missions with veterans who'd rather fight than follow orders. She left the United Earth Marines behind, with its politics, its prejudice, and the boot she wore too long. Her Chief, Zuri Josmith, keeps the platoon sharp and the Captain honest. She's also the only woman who's ever made Lina want to take orders. A black hole is swallowing their star system. No one is coming. When Lina discovers the United Earth deliberately stranded nine billion people to wipe out a rebel stronghold, she turns her crew against the government that raised them. Pirates stalk her vessel; alien predators nest in her cargo hold; and her hired guns look to her for a plan she hasn't finished writing. They'll fight their way out or die as the Black Hole Guns. A jump-capable freighter at the sector's edge is their only ride out. Between Lina and escape sits a pirate captain with a personal vendetta, alien cyborg predators, and her own unraveling mind. Zuri can hold her together or hold the crew together. She can't do both. This sapphic military sci-fi features a found family crew, morally gray characters, and a second chance romance with power exchange. It contains graphic violence, explicit language, and adult content. Check the copyright page for details. BLACK HOLE GUNS FOR HIRE is the first in a series.

Breath of Darkness: Volume Two : Phoenix by Hüseyin Örskaya

From the ashes: reborn, but not the same. The crystals did not destroy the city. They rewrote it. A year after the night that changed everything, the survivors of Awakening are no longer survivors: they are carriers, translators, thresholds. The world has learned to speak through them, and they have learned, slowly, painfully, to answer without losing themselves. Anitta walks the crystal districts as a witness. Reha edits memory like a score. Onur reads the pulse of the new grid. Around them, a second Istanbul is rising, half architecture and half intention, and a decision is taking shape on every rooftop, in every stairwell, behind every locked door: whether to burn the past or carry it forward, transformed. Phoenix is a novel about what comes after survival. It is about the rooms that open only once you stop running. It is a fire that asks, gently, what you would like to become. Volume Two of Breath of Darkness, following Awakening. Literary science fiction translated from the Turkish.

Breath of Darkness: Volume One : Awakening by Hüseyin Örskaya

Find your way in the dark. Istanbul has exhaled its last breath. The sky bleeds an unnatural dusk, the Bosphorus hums with a light that does not belong to any known star, and crystal lattices have begun to grow out of the bones of the drowned city: threads of green, veins of violet, a second nervous system waking beneath the ruins. Anitta wakes in a world that is no longer the one she fell asleep in. Reha remembers a name that should not exist. Onur follows a signal no instrument can measure. Taru hears a voice that is almost, but not quite, human. Seven lives, seven fractures, one long tremor beneath the surface of the real. Something has opened a window between what we are and what is watching. In the silence that follows, each of them must decide which language to answer in. Awakening is the first movement of a story told in breath: literary science fiction from a new voice, translated from the Turkish Karanlığın Nefesi. For readers of Ted Chiang, Emily St. John Mandel, and Jeff VanderMeer.

Blessed is the Link by Sheri Singerling

Lenore lives in the shadow of her parents, Fenrir and Sophie. It’s been twenty years since they destroyed the Linkrot virus and, in doing so, restored the Link. A new world order has emerged with Fenrir and Sophie at the helm as wardens of the Link, dead set on protecting that enigmatic connection to other worlds. But Lenore doesn’t believe the ideology her parents spout. She defies them by joining revolutionaries determined to destroy the Link. After the rebels’ attempt fails, Fenrir and Sophie learn that the Linkrot virus isn’t wholly gone. It gnaws away at other Link nodes in other cities. As punishment for her involvement with the rebels, Lenore is forced to help her parents bolster the Link. They must travel into a land of unknowns and cleanse the nearest node of its Linkrot virus. Lenore doesn’t believe in their mission until she gets her first glimpse of the horrid creatures the Linkrot virus breeds. Were her parents right after all? Doubts consume Lenore, but there’s one thing she’s certain of—she’s not going to have her future decided for her. Can Lenore carve her own path and, what’s more, survive the deadly task ahead? Blessed is the Link is a dark science fantasy novel, the second in the Bit trilogy and part of the Alfom shared universe. It is highly recommended that readers complete book 1 in the Bit trilogy, Blessed is the Rot, prior to reading Blessed is the Link.