stories in

Lottery to Haven

Lottery to Haven by William Gee

SPSFC 2022

JENNIFER MI feels nothing but contempt for the new world and those choosing to abscond there. For the richest few, the new world represents an escape from a dying Earth; a place to start anew, free from responsibilities to society. With every launch, a global lottery is convened to select one lucky winner to accompany each paying passenger. Cast in the lottery without her knowledge, Jen is drawn into a desperate snare that even her skills as a budding cyber security specialist are ill-equipped to untangle. Joined by four other winners, she must uncover New Worlds’ shadowy motivations for THE LOTTERY.


In Every Clime and Place

In Every Clime and Place by Patrick LeClerc

SPSFC 2022

Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful. The motto of the United States Marine Corps. Words to live by. On the ragged edges of civilization, Corporal Michael Collins has lived those words, taking on riots and evacuations, rebels and terrorists. Asteroid belt patrol is just another deployment. Ninety nine percent boredom, one percent terror. But soon the platoon of Marines find themselves entangled in the threads of a conspiracy of corporate greed, government corruption, piracy, and a band of war criminals. As the fire team leader struggles with tensions in the close knit unit, Collins and his fellow Marines find themselves outnumbered in a pitched battle to stop a corrupt land grab that seems right out of the Old West, but on a new, wider, more unforgiving frontier. And now he must confront the harsh demands of being “always faithful.” Semper Fi. Words to live by. Words to die by. Time to earn that combat pay, Marines. Welcome to the Suck. And remember, you volunteered for this.


Earthship

Earthship by John Triptych & Michel Lamontagne

SPSFC 2022

Our world will be destroyed. Only a chosen few can escape. In the near future, a cataclysmic collision with a rogue planet destabilizes the sun, causing an exponential increase of its output. With the ever-increasing heat, life on earth will be extinguished within a decade. As the global crisis deepens, it falls on a handful of individuals who will determine whether humanity survives. NASA scientist Dr. Olivia Quinn must outwit a corrupt government system and warn the public before it’s too late. Veteran astronaut Valerie McKinnon and her son Sawyer are in a race against time to build a space ark that could rescue countless lives. And Armand Balkan, a cutthroat trillionaire who seeks to maintain his empire by any means possible, could either save or doom them all.


Clowns

Clowns by Peter Cawdron

SPSFC 2022

First Contact occurred a decade ago with a traveling circus in the high-altitude desert plateau of Uzbekistan. The US Government has been covertly monitoring extraterrestrial activity around Earth since then but has struggled to make contact. They've kept tabs on the circus and its founder, Buster Al-Hashimi. Four years ago, Buster returned to the US to start a counter-culture group called The Clowns, challenging the sociopolitical status quo in America. Clowns asks the question: What would an extraterrestrial intelligence think about our intelligence? FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.


Intelligence Block

Intelligence Block by Kit Falbo

SPSFC 2022

Talos June performs with the creed of never break character. It lets him hide his awkward self from the universe as the ancient and powerful Wizard Joontal. No one knows the man behind the curtain. It is a good job, and he has his artificial companions to keep him company as he plays with the most fabulous technologies the colonized planets have produced. Technologies as dangerous as they are exciting. Content with playing it safe, and slowly climbing up the ranks of techno-wizardry, Talos works passionately in his field. It’s all business until the risks of the job come calling for him, and then it gets personal.


Night Music

Night Music by Tobias F Cabral

SPSFC 2022

The colonization of Mars has begun. Following a rapid expansion of the manned space program due to the discovery of a potentially catastrophic Earth-crossing comet, Zubrin Base has been established on the Red Planet to oversee the capture of the rogue object. During final preparations for a second expedition, however, contact has been lost with the outpost. Pilot Seth Boaz finds himself re-tasked for a rescue mission, one which will force him to confront his own past, as well as otherworldly forces with profound implications for humanity's future. A "Hard" Science Fiction space exploration novella, with affinities to the work of Greg Bear, Michael F. Flynn, and Arthur C. Clarke, NIGHT MUSIC incorporates realistic, near-future space technology and Mars mission and colonization models, as well as elements of Complexity Theory and nanotechnology. The author is a clinical psychologist, who applied that experience to the development of distinct and fleshed-out characters who speak with realistic voices.


The Audacity

The Audacity by Carmen Loup

SPSFC 2022

A wild ride stuffed to the cut-lines with humor, heart, and space shenanigans. May’s humdrum life gets flung into hyperdrive when she’s abducted, but not all aliens are out to probe her. She’s inadvertently rescued by Xan who’s been orbiting Earth in a day-glo orange rocket ship, watching re-runs of “I Love Lucy”. Seizing the opportunity for a better life, May learns how to race the Audacity and pilots her way into interstellar infamy. Finally, she has a job she likes and a friend to share her winnings with—until the Goddess of Chaos screws the whole thing up, and Xan’s unmentionable past makes a booty call. If Douglas Adams got punted into a sticky orange pool of feminism and made sweet love to Futurama, you’d have something approximating The Audacity. Fans of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will appreciate the style, fans of Futurama will love the blend of laugh out loud humor and feels, fans of Steven Universe will enjoy that Space is Very Gay. If you’re tired of the same old cynical, militaristic sci-fi and crave characters who genuinely care about each other and an image of life in the Universe that isn’t all gloom and doom, you’re going to have a good time in the Audacity.


Titan Hoppers

Titan Hoppers by Rob J. Hayes

SPSFC 2022

Courage Iro will shatter the Gates of Power to protect his fleet. Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the titan explodes and his sister is killed, Iro finds a new determination to take her place. He's not about to let weakness prevent him. When the fleet encounters a new titan, filled with powerful monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious cloaked figures, Iro is the first to spontaneously manifest a new talent. Now sent to a different ship, to train with others far beyond his strength, Iro will have to train twice as hard just to catch up. To protect his fleet, and to uncover the mysteries of the titans, Iro won't just open the Gates of Power. He'll break them.


Alphapoetica: A Poetry Primer for the Everyday Poet

Alphapoetica: A Poetry Primer for the Everyday Poet by Kate McCarroll Moore

Artifacts, birds, ghosts, rocks, and rain. These are some of the everyday poetry sparks found inside this very different kind of poetry book. Part memoir, part guide, part manual, all heart - this is a collection that invites and inspires. From the first poetic awakenings as a child to the daily rhythms of a working poet, Kate McCarroll Moore's collection is a how-to chronicle for turning ordinary observations and experiences into poetry. Following an introduction that lays out the book's structure, poems are arranged both alphabetically and thematically. Each poem is introduced by the circumstance that inspired its creation, followed by an invitation to the reader to craft a poem of their own. This book will inspire readers of all ages to pick up a pen and begin.


ReBirth: Zodiac Book One

ReBirth: Zodiac Book One by Azshure Raine

Time is something we all have too much of and too little. Our world turns at the mercy of the clock. Gaea is one of those worlds. The world has been reset Twelve times. Zodiac Book One is a romantic fantasy novel with “Final Fantasy” level storytelling. It tells the tale of the Gaea’s thirteenth cycle through multiple POVs, energetic prose, and deep world-building. If Titans, Zodiac, Star-Crossed lovers, and villains you love to hate are your thing, then grab an apple, pick up a copy, and may Fate smile upon you. Threads of gold, ancient and dangerous, pull them together; a bond neither can deny. Jase Raion receives an unexpected assignment—locate and retrieve a girl he was certain was dead. Expecting nothing, he goes to Brighton—a port town on the island of Aria—and finds her. The girl who escaped the fall of Aria. The girl who bears the symbol of Eternity. The girl whose blood the Titan of Time thirsts for. Liya Fairaway, the Princess of Aria, and his target. The moment he sees her, he knows she is not safe, from the Zodiac meant to protect her, the Titan of Time, nor his father—the King of Chall.


Woodpusher

Woodpusher by S. Morgan Burbank

Erika Edens finally had everything she wanted. The girl. The quiet life. The stable job. But even the best situations can be turned upside down by powers well beyond our control. Now Erika finds herself in another universe full of gods, guardians, and advanced technologies. Along with her girlfriend and four other humans, they must undertake a plan to save Earth from a rogue deity. But for all the skills and talents this team has, one critical component is out of place. Will Erika be able to overcome her lack of skills - and her demons - to learn what she needs to save the world? Or will she trip herself up along the way?


Dust of Wrathful Years

Dust of Wrathful Years by Klara Łuczka-Hanzalovå

1939… Childhood is cut short by the outbreak of war. After a short-lived era of renaissance, Poland is once again being torn to pieces. The endless struggle for freedom returns. Aniela, Jadzia and Kamil were simply adolescents growing up in a promising age of renewal. Part of a generation born with their homeland’s independence, they were to discover Poland as a free and thriving country… Only to later discover death and destruction. In the face of terror imposed by the German invasion, they take up arms to fight. The young scouts become bold soldiers, determined to defend righteousness against the all-encompassing and merciless evil. Dust of Wrathful Years is the first part of a trilogy following the trials and tribulations of the Polish resistance during WWII. Time to (re)discover this era through the unique perspective of youth in the scouting movement. After their lives are shattered, they must not only defend their country but also rebuild the ruins of their hearts.


The Fall That Saved Us

The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara JerĂŠe

Cassiel has given up the family tradition of demon hunting, leaving behind her sacred angelic duty and fated sword. What she can’t leave behind are the scars. To cope, she spends her days immersed in work, pouring all her attention into New Haven Books, her small bookstore and anchor in the new world she’s carved for herself. But the past hasn’t let go of Cassiel yet. When a succubus named Avitue arrives to claim her angel-touched soul, Cassiel’s old hunter instincts flare, forcing her to choose between old knowledge and her truth. What should be a fatal seduction becomes a bargain neither woman expects. As they grow closer, Avitue is surprised to find her own pain reflected in Cassiel, a nephilim deemed fallen by her own family’s standards. By choosing trust, they reveal the lies that bind them. Falling for each other begins a path towards healing. But exorcising the effects of trauma is harder than naming it, and to explore the unfettered possibility Avitue represents, Cassiel must find a way to reclaim and redefine her angelic heritage.


City of the Seventh Moon

City of the Seventh Moon by Antano Sparreboom

SPFBO10

When he is chosen as champion of the noble Urwilar family, Verhan knows well that his main job is to fight other champions to settle political disputes. What he doesn’t count on are the machinations of the beautiful Lady Morani, and his pride is mercilessly turned against him. As he fights to survive the dangers of the capital, the influential Three Cities Council plans to assassinate the emperor’s chief advisor and take control of the entire imperial court.


Of Light and Nightmares: The Ashes of Magic Trilogy, Volume I

Of Light and Nightmares: The Ashes of Magic Trilogy, Volume I by Alex B. Harper

When the monsters find you, the nightmare begins. Heir to her late parents’ fortune, Emmeline is happy to continue their philanthropic work for the rest of her days. But a rare public appearance sends her crashing into a world of monsters and magic. Emmeline learns that she’s one of two humans who can see those marked to become a nainthe — guardians between the human world and the violent realm of demon-like monsters, the raizour. The guardians have spent decades searching for her — for without her, they are doomed to extinction, and the monsters will devastate Earth. As Emmeline hones her newfound abilities, other dark and powerful enemies emerge, stacking the odds against her and the guardians. And her time is running out—because the monsters have astonishing intelligence and a thirst for blood, and they are ready to execute their chaos. This pulse-pounding urban fantasy will leave you breathless as two worlds collide in a horrific showdown, where even the winners will lose. Author's Note: Trigger Warnings (in alphabetical order): mentions of ableism, antisocial personality disorder, child abandonment, death of loved ones, domestic abuse, drug use, execution, genocide, hostage situations, infertility, mental illness, misogyny, murder, physical assault, scars, sexual assault, stalking, suicide and self-harm, violence. Content Warnings (in no particular order): mature subject matters, sexual content, gore and graphic violence, profanity.


The Bastard Prince: a midlife fantasy adventure (Dragonspeaker Chronicles Book 1

The Bastard Prince: a midlife fantasy adventure (Dragonspeaker Chronicles Book 1 by Patty Jensen

She has a dragon, and she’s not afraid to use it.Nellie Dreessen is a kitchen maid in the palace of Regent Bernard of Saardam. She has worked for two kings and two regents, has seen two royal families murdered through magic, has seen ghosts and demons, and kept her head down like a good girl.On her fiftieth birthday, she receives her late father’s diary, which describes a magical item that is so evil, it needs to be kept in the church crypt: a box that contains dragon.Problem is, someone has stolen the box.Regent Bernard holds a banquet for his eldest son’s sixteenth birthday. Distinguished guests come from far and wide. Because she knows what the box looks like, Nellie discovers it in a nobleman's luggage.Removing the box from a thief’s room is not stealing, right? Not if you intend to return it to the rightful owner: the church.But someone poisons the nobleman, and everyone in the kitchen is a suspect. Nellie's friend in the church advises Nellie to flee with the dragon box. The Regent is on a mission to stamp out magic, and Nellie plans to do what she does best: keep her head down and hide.Problem is, the dragon has other ideas.


The Wizard Priest (Dragonspeaker Chronicles Book 2)

The Wizard Priest (Dragonspeaker Chronicles Book 2) by Patty Jensen

A young prince, an evil wizard, and a city that no longer seems to care. Cast out from the palace, Nellie survives in the streets of Saardam with the poor and destitute and a dragon whose behaviour she can't control, but is the key to finding the last member of the royal family. The pompous Regent is hell-bent on finding the person who has killed his court advisor and he has decided the dragon is guilty. If he doesn't find a culprit, his main source of money is at stake. The guards comb the city. It's only a matter of time before they find Nellie. A terrible mishap caused by the dragon puts Nellie's friend and a number of other innocent people in prison. Nellie can no longer run and hide. She concocts the most daring escape plan ever, but in gathering help to carry it out, she makes discoveries that may change the future of the city.


All Gremlins Great & Small

All Gremlins Great & Small by T. M. Baumgartner

Four years ago, Nessa’s careful life imploded when her husband disappeared during the first portal storm. Shimmering gateways to thousands of worlds appeared and vanished, sweeping away the unlucky. Later, the portals settled, but only a suicidal risk-taker would willingly touch one. Nessa rebuilt her life and her veterinary practice, now specializing in xenotics — the creatures that resulted from evolutionary paths on other worlds. But she still leaves supplies along the route Mark was traveling, in case he makes his way back. Hiking with a stranger to restock aid stations, Nessa realizes the portals have changed again. And this time she is the one in danger. Dive into the beginning of a dazzling science fantasy adventure with All Gremlins Great & Small, the novella that starts The Portal Storms.


Of books and Paper Dragons

Of books and Paper Dragons by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea

(Free on our newsletter) How to run a successful bookshop: Change careers at thirty-eight, suffer from anxiety, make friends with the local artists, and don’t get eaten by the draconic overlord. In the Lightless Sea, the Black Sands Desert that can only be traversed beneath the stars, scavenging the wrecks of ancient starships is the most prestigious and exciting profession available. And for Voa, who has spent the last twenty years amassing knowledge for the hoard of a great and terrible dragon ruling over their city, it is now a thing of the past. Scavenging has lost its luster, and a new life, the calm and comfortable existence of a bookseller, calls to them. But a lifetime of delving into the bowels of metal behemoths has left Voa ill-prepared for the social anxiety and laws found in a dragon’s city. Jet, a local artist in a similar position of changing careers, takes pity on Voa. What begins as an act of kindness quickly becomes a personal battle as she and Voa grow closer. Voa has the resources, and Jet has the people skills. All they need now is to convince Keeper Yirrin, Lord of the Archives, to support their budding passion project But the somewhat enigmatic and introverted dragon may just have their own designs for the little bookshop, and for the orc running it… Of Books and Paper Dragons is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, selling books, doing their taxes, and battling social anxiety in the quiet safety of their book collections.


She Who Earned her Wings (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 1)

She Who Earned her Wings (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 1) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea

"One does not learn to fly without taking a leap. And one has to fall to be caught." Nomi is a young druid finally taking the chance to spread her wings and leave her home. To see the world and discover its magic, beauty… and maybe love. Calia is a dragon on the hunt for angels, trying to square an old debt. That, and to get Laura, her desired bondmate, to finally return to her side, where she belongs. Nomi immediately catches the eye of the powerful dragons. Calia entices her with honeyed words and a skillful tongue. On the other hand, Laura, much smaller but equally intimidating, takes it upon herself to protect her. Despite the warnings, Nomi can’t help being drawn to Calia's charm, her power, her fangs… and the hidden gentleness in her eyes. She promises danger where Laura promises safety, and Nomi is torn between the two. Luckily there is a convenient cult out for the dragons’ heads, providing Nomi with ample distraction and at least one dragon egg to steal, hatch, and raise by herself. Perfectly normal things for a young transgender druid to get involved in! In the clutches of dragons, battling dark forces from beyond the stars, Nomi faces the questions of who she is and who she wants to be. Whether she deserves the love offered to her, and what it truly takes to earn her wings...


She Who Brought the Storm (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 0.5)

She Who Brought the Storm (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 0.5) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea

Rhi is small, anxious, and gifted with magic that disables them more than it helps—Powerful magic, which many would stop at nothing to obtain. In their desperate search for safety, Rhi turns to none other than one of the secret dragon masters of Habitat Seventeen, Laura, Lady of Ash. Exposing Rhi’s forbidden knowledge could garner Laura the recognition and allies she needs. Instead she offers them a She will shield them from their pursuers, and they’ll be her hunting dog. Loyal, obedient, and exactly what she needs to deal with a pervasive monster situation in her territory before the other Starborn catch wind of it. Rhi tentatively agrees, but the plan is complicated by the watchful eye of Calia, a bloodthirsty dragon with much to gain from their failure. And Rhi, grappling with their magic and desperately angling for control, doesn’t realize that being with Laura will put them closer to danger than ever before until it’s too late.


The Gift of Blood (Crimson Tears book 1)

The Gift of Blood (Crimson Tears book 1) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea

Hunger, yearning lesbians, and monstrous love. Monsters are real, and Ryann is one of them. Chosen as a weapon in a war that is not her own, she finds an outlet for her anger in the fighting pits beneath Toronto, and on the hunt for the vampires that changed her. Whatever the cost, she'll take back her life, her control—or make them fear the hunger they've roused in her. Burdened by monstrosity, Meg, assassin of the Scorching Dawn, drowns her pain in the blood of her enemies. When the call comes to slay the monster whipping the city's beasts into a frenzy, she welcomes the hunt. And in Ryann, she finds a violent thirst for blood—and the opportunity to feed her own. Shadows surround the city. The beasts within cower as the foundations writhe. Drawn to one another by a mutual hunger, Ryann and Meg must learn to trust each other—or perish in the dark.


Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress

Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress by Bogdan Tăbușcă

SPSFC 2023

Divided between great wicked minds and cruel beings of unnatural power, the world of Artia has long been under the cycle of war and suffering. A child is born, conceived in an unholy union. A mighty empress to bring the world within her grasp, through mercy and kindness, through sword and fire. But will she be any better than the horrors that came before her? Or will she succumb to the vices of power and rule this world as its new dark master?


Worthy of the Raven: Stalked by Darkness (The Raven's Chosen One #1)

Worthy of the Raven: Stalked by Darkness (The Raven's Chosen One #1) by Y L Zamora

The Raven chose you; a Skin demon told little Lara -a secret she's kept for almost ten years. She still can't understand the ominous message when her sick, insane father viciously attacks her mother in front of her and the Raven -always by her side when calamity strikes. Lara must seek shelter with her friends, the Condé brothers, who disguise her as their younger sibling and smuggle her into war to protect her, but the darkest, most dangerous magic quickly catches up to her when she meets the Skin once more. ​Nicola, the heir of Condé, became head of the family when his father, the greatest Longbraid warrior, lost his leg in battle and his will to live with it. Nic, an aloof intellectual who didn't inherit the Condé talents for combat, can't fill his father's shoes or his younger brother's -already General at twenty-one- and struggles in a war he doesn't believe in, training the woman his brother has always loved while coping with his own tumultuous feelings for her. ​Alessandro is a farmer boy turned reluctant Leader. His love for Lara isn't enough to prevent her brutal attacker the night before his army must go to war in a quest to steal the Magic only the ruthless Skin possess. He must keep his men alive against the most lethal predators in the Ucrian Peninsula and confront the Lords in a constant battle of political wits to keep his grip over the army while hiding Lara in plain sight as he deals with his own soul-crushing guilt.


Brandon Goes to Hong Kong

Brandon Goes to Hong Kong by Eugenia Chu

While on a trip to Hong Kong, Brandon thinks he sees a great red dragon - but is it real or imaginary? Join Brandon as he tours the city and learns about dragons in this multicultural, multigenerational chapter book which includes some Mandarin Chinese (Simplified) with Pinyin pronunciation throughout, adding educational elements of the Chinese language and culture. Is Brandon the only one who sees the dragon? Can legendary or mythical creatures ever be real? What do you believe?


Echoes of Avalon

Echoes of Avalon by Adam Copeland

SPFBO9

Patrick Gawain knows monsters. He's seen plenty of the human sort in the Holy Lands, and as he sails home from The First Crusade, a hooded apparition begins to stalk him. Convinced that he's lost his mind, he holes up in a monastery to convalesce and, if recovery proves impossible, to hide his demons from the world. But a stranger comes to find him and presents a barely credible invitation: travel to Avalon and serve with the Avangarde, an order of knights sworn to protect young scholars from around the world. Thinking it will be a fresh start, Patrick agrees, and soon discovers that Avalon is more than a myth; it is the site of a vibrant secret academy - and it's also full of ghosts, goblins, and talking wolves. He can capably protect the castle from the island's supernatural beasts, but in the relative peace of the academy life, his hooded demon returns and his troubled heart causes him to sabotage the love of a young woman, Katherina. When an ancient being with sinister designs for the island infiltrates the academy, Patrick is the first to suspect its true nature when it begins its quest by seducing Katherina. Patrick soon learns that before he can defeat monsters, he must first defeat his personal demons.


Pawn's Gambit

Pawn's Gambit by Rob J. Hayes

SPFBO9

Yuu wants nothing more than to forget the mistakes of her past. The Gods have other plans. Once a renowned strategist and general, five years ago Yuu made a mistake that cost her everything. Now she is on the run, royal bounty hunters snapping at her heels. But what if there was a way to get back what she lost, a way to bring back a murdered prince? Every century, the gods hold a contest to choose who will rule from the Heavenly Jade Throne. Each god chooses a mortal champion, and the fate of all existence hangs in the balance. On a battlefield full of heroes, warriors, assassins, and thieves can Yuu survive long enough to learn the rules of the game, let alone master it? Pawn's Gambit is a stand alone story set in the award-winning Mortal Techniques universe. It's a wuxia adventure filled with heroes, gods, spirits, and magic.


Blood Will Out

Blood Will Out by Lara Lynwood

SPFBO9

I was meant to fight monsters. Not become one. And then I died on a routine vampire hunt gone wrong. Now I've gone from Cassandra Blackthorn, one of the Guild's best hunters, to Cass - outcast, fugitive, inhuman. I don't know what I am. I don't know how it happened. But I do know two things. One - I'm not a vampire. I'm something else - something new. And two - I'm going to find the vampires who took everything from me, and get revenge. No matter what it takes. Blood Will Out is a fast-paced, action-packed all-slaying-no-laying urban fantasy adventure! If you like badass female leads, mystery, and suspense, then Blood Will Out is for you - get it now!


A Sword of the Three Rivers

A Sword of the Three Rivers by Seth Hobbs

SPFBO9

Begin an epic journey in a forgotten time, where empires rise and fall, helping or destroying smaller provinces along the way. Follow the bloody and lusty adventures of young Bovir of the Woodlands, as his destiny becomes intertwined with the many colorful characters, beautiful vixens, kingdoms, politicians, priests, bankers, and terrifying warlords that he meets along the way, simply trying to return home and find his revenge for the many wrongs dealt to him. Alongside these quests, he must deal with the whims of the gods, ancient prophecies, and the corruption of the religious overlords that keep their secrets. An odyssey for a new generation of readers and fantasy fans.


Grace Defend Us

Grace Defend Us by Michael J. Hedayat

SPFBO9

Ghosts. Heroes. Monsters. Magic. When the ghosts that haunt Valentino’s palace tell him that he’s won the apprentice lottery, he is ecstatic! Finally, the student he’s been waiting to teach is walking the ghost path to his fantastical world. When those same ghosts tell Valentino that giant, talking snakes have ambushed his apprentice in the haunted forest, he becomes furious. Valentino, son of the Gorgon, is not the kind of prince that allows a member of his household to become some monster’s dinner. Unfortunately, even if he does save his new student Sophia—the serpents that he’s trying to stop already have an invitation to the festival being hosted at his House of Grace. Either he’s going to be without an apprentice, or these giant snakes are going to come back for a second chance at a free meal. Can Valentino save his new student from becoming dinner? Can he teach her enough to survive her next encounter with these fearsome monsters?


The Mambo Wizard: Breakfast is Served!

The Mambo Wizard: Breakfast is Served! by Giordano J. Lahaderne

SPFBO9 SPSFC 2023

Meet Jeremy Fletcher, boy wizard and orphan extraordinaire. After years of study, Jeremy finds himself expelled from Pigpimples Academie of Magick. He only ever mastered the single spell of transforming everyday objects into breakfast food items (a novice trick at best, and one not found in any of the Headmage’s textbooks). But perhaps Jeremy's luck is due for a change. Moe and Zippo crash-land their starship on his family's property. They're space pirates on a quest to fish radio broadcasts out of black holes and build the ultimate night club. They also appear to be famished. Is this Jeremy’s chance to provide a complete and balanced breakfast? In the spirit of J.K. Rowling meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, enter an alternate history where humans made contact with alien races, and where magicians are still embarrassing! Featuring a cast of wizard school dropouts, small furry animals, and other various weirdos! Come join the gang in a swashbuckling adventure through dysfunctional magic academies, dwarven convenience stores, and night clubs on the moons of Jupiter!

The Mambo Wizard: Breakfast is Served! Truly a gem of the orphaned wizard genre!


Opanumbra

Opanumbra by N.R. Gravel

SPFBO9

The inlet battle has concluded. In its wake, a fleet bearing the departed travel across the Sequent Sea. What was thought to be a time of mourning converts into something worse. The Clergy leader of Vattarmere has been abducted, leaving only a trace of blood. With a staunch response, Hieronostad Castle is laid siege. After a swift victory, Coradryx and his companions discover a ransom letter indicating their troubles aren't nearing an end but have increased substantially. A journey west toward the lands of Har-mortrock must be taken while a pressing urgency beckons that they leave the realm of Verdoon. Each step toward their goal unravels a cumulative number of perils. Each peril, more drastic than the previous.


The Fires of Time

The Fires of Time by Alexander Wyatt

SPFBO9

Young mage Kya has a list of questions she longs to ask her guardian Dwen, who took her from her parents as a baby, allegedly to protect her from the Wooden King. Why can’t she leave the imprisonment of the walls of Raftengrad? Why does he allow her friendship with Thyme, a ghost girl who clearly makes him uncomfortable? Why has he spent her entire life training her to fight with magic? And how did he know the oil mage who tried to kill her? After the attempt on her life Kya tries to learn more about her forgotten home across the Serpent Sea, and hatches a plan to escape her captor. With the help of a rare cricker and accompanied by Thyme, Kya breaks the seal of the Journey Stones, hoping to find freedom in Myrsguard, where she was born. But instead of freedom, Kya finds trouble in the land once ruled by the All-Queen. The invasion of the Wooden King is imminent, and her role in the war was put into motion long ago. Before long, she’s caught in the middle of a deadly struggle that can have catastrophic consequences. Now, Kya realizes by trying to run from Dwen, she may have run straight into something far worse.


Love Crafted

Love Crafted by RavensDagger

SPFBO9

To Enter Five Peaks Magical Academy you must have a familiar. Abigail hoped for a bird, maybe an owl like her best friend's, or a cuddly cat or loyal hound. She would have been happy with a particularly smart toad, even. Instead she got you.


The Nightingale Prince

The Nightingale Prince by Zack Bel

SPFBO9

The crown of a Fae Prince is a dangerous thing Toby’s boyfriend just kicked him to the curb, so when he inherits a decrepit mansion in the remote Aussie bush, he jumps at the chance for a break. He finds a charming little town full of big personalities, and a handsome, mysterious gardener. But Toby will soon discover that everything he thought he knew is a lie. He’s not even human. The Fae are real, and he’s one of them. The ancient nature Fae Amaethon has buried the pain of losing his lover a century ago. These days, he finds plants easier to talk to than people, but Toby pulls him out of his shell so easily. When the same evil that took his lover returns, he'll fight to protect Toby and the chance to love again. An ancient magic is reawakening, and Toby is the heir. To make matters worse, Fae hunters want him dead, and they’ll destroy this quiet town to stop the Nightingale Prince from rising. Amaethon and Toby will have to fight together to survive, and failure means the end of all Fae kind. The Nightingale Prince is a paranormal MM romance with a touch of the gothic. Book 1 of The Songbird Princes, each book follows a different main couple with a HEA, but the series must be read in order. May contain: Lots of chocolate chip cookies, a crumbling mansion with a library to put Belle to shame, an eccentric old lady who might’ve given King Arthur his sword, a magical housekeeper, and a badass witch librarian. It contains explicit content. Check the copyright page for content warnings.


Hearts Lost

Hearts Lost by Meredith Hart

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I was sent to stop the monsters. I'm trapped with one of them instead. In exchange for my sister’s freedom, I have to enter the Lands Below, stop their attempts to bring down the barrier that keeps them all trapped underground, and kill Princess Elanerill. There’s no way this ends well, but I don’t have a choice. Not if I want my sister to make it out of King Grathgore’s court alive. But my borrowed magic backfires, knocking me out of the Lands Below and into a forest filled with strange shadow animals where the ground itself shifts beneath my feet. And I’m not alone. Aloserin, the dangerous Royal Guard from the Lands Below who’s trapped with me, calls this place the void. He claims those who enter the void’s twisting forests and shifting paths rarely return. Still, I have an advantage those previous travelers did not: I can communicate with the shadow animals that so terrify Aloserin. Perhaps the two of us can survive long enough to find our way out. As long as Aloserin doesn’t discover that I’m the reason we’re both trapped here.

Perfect for fans of Uprooted and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Hearts Lost is a complete stand-alone fantasy romance adventure that's impossible to put down!


The Blood of the Lion

The Blood of the Lion by C. D. McKenna

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An Empire is rising . . . the question is, will you join? **** Destiny is irrefutable. And Syra, Morei, and Cyrus all have something in common: death. The Demon Killer, once responsible for the Diyrạllian Massacre, has been found after being lost for centuries. Millions of lives fell victim to this treacherous relic . . . and now Syra holds it. Torn from the sanctuary of her home, she must learn to live on the run in search for freedom, hunted by forces known and unknown. Fate can be cruel, and Morei Geral knows this firsthand. As the king and sole heir to his bloodline, Morei must hide the twisted truth of who he is becoming. But as the king slips further into his curse, war becomes inevitable, and he will have to make a choice that could undo everything he's worked for. Meanwhile, as chaos rages and fear grips the heart of all, attention is turned on the first Dragon Rider to rise in nearly eight centuries. Cyrus wants nothing to do with prophecies and war. But he will protect his dragon, Sozar, above all else. His only choice is to cast aside the life he once knew and traverse the mysterious Releuthian Mountains, said to be the home of the God of Darkness himself. Everyone has a destiny. No one can be trusted. Not even the Gods. **** The Blood of the Lion is the first of a nine book saga and Silver Medalist in Fiction-Magic/Wizardry with 5-Star Recognition from the 2022 Readers' Favorite International Competition.


Summoning and Sacrifice

Summoning and Sacrifice by Nathan Hartle

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A hunted woman. A missing god. The adventure of a lifetime. All that Shada desires is peace and freedom. What she has is fear and hunger. She’s a servant on the run from her cruel master, who is determined to lock her away. Then comes a chance at a new life. Alone in the vast, cruel city of Ronia, she meets the Lady. This enigmatic spirit makes her an offer: Shada can accept her dismal lot… or undertake a quest to find Ronia’s vanished god. For the gods disappeared without a trace in the long-ago age of legend, leaving the worlds of humans to chaos and war. Without its god, Ronia’s once-mighty empire is crumbling toward an abyss. To save their people, Shada and her ragtag companions will journey to the ends of the universe. But first, they must escape Ronia alive. Many in this city of blades, poison, and shadow mean to stop them at all costs. If they fail, slavery or death await them... and their world will fall into darkness. Summoning and Sacrifice is the opening book of the Liturgy of Worlds epic fantasy series.


City of Mages

City of Mages by A.J. Cerna

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Born a fire mage, destined for something greater. For hundreds of years, Sombria has lived in peace thanks to the delicate balance the Council fosters between those with magic and those without. But unrest is brewing under the surface of Sombria, and the Council's tenuous hold may be on the verge of collapsing. All Alara ever wanted was to become a soldier, fighting to protect Sombria from the bruya rebels that threaten its borders with their chaotic magic and lawlessness. In order to succeed, she must first conquer her worst fear--her own innate magical abilities. Quenti, raised to hate the oppressive thumb of the Council, has only ever wanted a life of peace away from those who wish to control her. When her abilities are revealed, she finds herself at the center of a world she grew up despising, where magic is suppressed under the illusion of control. And her only means of escape may lie in trusting those she grew up doubting most. When Alara is given one final chance to prove she's worthy of being called a Mage of Sombria, the key to her success may lie within the untrusting Quenti. And Quenti doesn't plan on making things easy. Though as their two lives come crashing together, trusting each other may be the only choice they have to survive what's coming.


Darkstrider

Darkstrider by Aaron Hodges

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A man outside of space and time, Mikael Heaton wakes in a new world. One hostile to his very existence. Offworlders are not welcome in the Seventh Realm. But with his memories veiled in an enigmatic haze, Mikael must defy his physical limitations and forge new alliances if he is to survive. There is power in this world—magic. Impossible, his instincts scream. Here though, its secrets could mean the difference between life and death.

As his journey unfolds, Mikael uncovers pieces of his forgotten past. Tantalizing fragments. Of a world of technological wonders. And a dark secret, one best left buried. A mortal does not simply cut the ties of reality without sacrifice. But there are greater forces at play in the Seventh Realm, and Mikael will need every scrap of cunning and resolve he has at his disposal to outwit them.

Can an Offworlder reforge his destiny in a new world?
Or will the forces beyond the veil crush him before he has the chance? Discover a new fantasy world by New York Times Bestselling Author Aaron Hodges as the enigmatic Mikael Heaton struggles to survive in a world of gods, monsters and magic!


Fragmented Fates

Fragmented Fates by Nancy Foster

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The hero. The seer. The child. The condemned. After surviving two bloody purges that nearly exterminated both the Grey Clan and Orsenmuray City, the elf and harlequin survivors struggle to bring the tent city of Almjarhad to life. Surrounded by the ocean and desert, these inhospitable lands are slowly being developed with the aid of their magic. As the culprit of their misfortune, the condemned elf Lord Jamarnid is forced to rely on his son Jarahad to rule the city due to ending up disabled before his frantic escape. Bitter about his situation because he wanted to be executed, Jamarnid distrusts the true intentions of the seer Talgel. Unwanted by the Elf Kingdom and his harlequin great-grandfather Hurrujat, Jarahad struggles to accept his fate. As the interim ruler of Almjarhad, Jarahad wishes to complete his sword initiation to protect his people... and gain Talgel's unrequited love. Talgel is a woman of perpetual mystery with dubious morals. Upon awakening magic that grants her the ability to predict the future with absolute certainty, Talgel lost her eyesight. She now wears a masquerade mask to hide her true feelings. Embroiled in this story is a young hybrid elf named Tioja, who doesn't understand his role in the greater scheme of things. Four characters are about to have their fates manipulated, and their willpower tested. All for the sake of a demon inhabiting Talgel's body that will use them for its own nefarious purposes.


Little Secrets

Little Secrets by Alice Johnson

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One man cannot end the bloodshed, but he can try. The north rises. Enemies forge a new alliance. One man alone cannot end the chaotic bloodshed, but he can try. Harris Bearwood wants his name to be known throughout the world. His battle tactics have given the warrior a shady reputation, but those who know of him are terrified by him. His burning desire for revenge drives his blackened heart, his rage unshakeable. He will stop at nothing until he has found the justice he desperately needs. Finally promoted to commander of his country’s army, he sees his chance to find the vengeance he needs. A child pulled from the burning rubble of a village has dark powers that he is reluctant to use, but his tormented heart must find peace, even if it leads to untold bloodshed and a terrible massacre. Will her powers be the ultimate piece needed to tip the balance of war in Harris’ favour, or will she lead to his destruction? If you like fantasy adventures, quests for revenge, and dark magical forces, you’ll love Alice Johnson’s thrilling grimdark series, Bound by Blood. Grab your copy of Little Secrets today to find out whether Harris can survive his own animus.


A Searing Faith

A Searing Faith by Audrey Martin

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When sixteen-year-old Rena finds herself the sole survivor of the fire that destroyed her home town, the only thing keeping her going is the suspicion that the tragedy wasn’t an accident. She is determined to find those responsible, no matter how far her quest might take her. But no one in charge of the kingdom of Kal-Hemma seems to care that this isn't the first town destroyed by a mysterious fire. And according to Rena’s travelling companions, there’s a lot the members of the Royal Council aren’t telling their subjects. If Rena is truly the only survivor of the tragedy, why did she find her sister’s ring outside of their destroyed home? Who planted the strange bird figurines around the town’s church before the fire? And what do the old, forgotten Gods have to do with any of this? A Searing Faith is the first book in an epic fantasy series and based on the award-winning, interactive audio drama The Heart Pyre.


Bob the Wizard

Bob the Wizard by M. V. Prindle

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Bob, a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, shotgun-wielding ex-garbage man, chases his family’s killer—the gray-skinned Galvidon—through the realms of the mysterious Astraverse. The trail leads him to Hub, a world in turmoil populated by wizards, blue elves, faeries, giants, dragons, and unfortunately, plain old humans. Chained by his addictions and haunted by his past, Bob must find a way through this dark, magical realm and uncover its secrets, or lose all hope of ending Galvidon once and for all.


Mystic Mist

Mystic Mist by Lisa Vandiver

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A mysterious mist descends upon the Earth, bringing with it the Hellavey. Join teenagers Erich Keenton and Iseabail Craig in this exciting fantasy adventure as they become Earth's first line of defense against the Hellavey, who have recently arrived on Earth. Aided by the mystical woodland fairies, they might have a chance. Mystic Mist; New Breed is book 1 in the first part of the Enchanted Worlds Series.


The Dungeon that Walks Like a Man

The Dungeon that Walks Like a Man by Alex Raizman

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It’s not easy being a house that eats people. Zaria was just a normal woman, living a simple life - until demons burst through her door and ate her heart. Reborn from tragedy, Zaria rises from the ashes as a Core, but with a twist. A rare mutation has turned her into a Mutant Core, destined to explode unless she forms a bond with a human witch to become a Striga. Her mutation? Legs. With the power of a full dungeon compressed into a walking house that is her body, Zaria sets out on a journey to find her Striga and avoid detonation. Along the way, she battles demons, builds her dungeon, and feeds her mimic mobs. This is not the life she once knew, but it's the one she's determined to make work, no matter who she has to walk through to get there. This book includes people that get devoured and language your grandmother wouldn't like.


Blood of Vengeance

Blood of Vengeance by Angel Haze

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In the gladiator’s arena of blood and death, magic cuts deeper than steel. Stolen from the streets and condemned to battle as a gladiator, Killien survives by deceit and subterfuge. He must play the role of “Killer,” the prince’s savage, bloodthirsty champion. Undefeated in battle, Killien wields a secret advantage: the magic enhancing his weapons and fueling his attacks. The cost of losing carries a price worse than death. A wager between his vindictive master and a conspiring rival pits Killien in a fight to the death against a mysterious warrior—one he has no hope of defeating.


Blood of Vengeance is the prequel to the Battleborn Mage series. It is a dark epic fantasy tale of magic, battles, betrayal, and revenge, of gladiators, warriors, monsters, and criminals pitted against each other in a deadly struggle to survive. If you are looking for an action-packed fantasy adventure, escape into the world of Arcanthia where nothing is as it seems.


The Monsters We Feed

The Monsters We Feed by Thomas Howard Riley

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The morning before he found the dead body, Jathan Algevin thought he had his whole life just the way he wanted it. He knows his city inside and out, and doesn't bother carrying a sword, trusting his wits and his fists well enough to get by, hustling extra coin by ratting out loathsome magi to the law for execution. He and his sister, Lyra, have watched out for each other ever since the day they were orphaned by a bloodthirsty rogue sorcerer, and now they finally have steady work, good friends, and the freedom to spend every night laughing at the bottom of a bottle. But nothing lasts forever.When he stumbles across a brutal murder, Jathan discovers a strange crystal lens that opens his eyes to an invisible world of magick and terror lurking just beneath the surface of his own, making him question everything he thought he knew. But will gazing into this new arcane realm lead Jathan to save lives, or help destroy them?With dangerous people hunting for the lens, monstrous lies unraveling his life, and a hidden underworld calling to him, it is only a matter of time before his whole world comes crashing down. Will he find the answers he is looking for, or will he only find a monster needing to be fed?Rated-R Dark Fantasy Noir in a city of hope, lust, and brutality, where swords are banned, and magick is just as likely to get you killed as it is to save your life.There are always things about ourselves that we don't want to see.There are always things we can't stop doing no matter how hard we try.We all lie. We all have secrets.We are all feeding monsters.


A Gamble of Gods

A Gamble of Gods by Mitriel Faywood

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Life used to be good. I had money. I had fame. I had respect. The same thrill during work every day. A different woman in my bed every night. Best fighter to hire for dangerous jobs. Most famous thief in the Nineteen Kingdoms. Half the world sought my services when they needed the impossible done. The other half wanted to sleep with me. Then one day this strange guy showed up with his even stranger pet, the latter a bit of a gift horse by all accounts, and turned it all upside down. They claimed to have come to save my life, and while they were at it, I got them to help out with the most important quest of my existence: finding the Supreme Key of the Dragon. Needless to say, none of it turned out quite how I expected. But we had fun, even if it was hell sometimes. In the end, what we found was worth it all. My name is Conor Drew, the Gods destined me for great things. But I turned them down.


Embrace of the Shade

Embrace of the Shade by Amanda Muratoff & Kayla Hansen

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Amarie’s legendary magic could incinerate her enemies, but it’s her sword she trusts. While running from the men who killed her family, she learns of an ancient text locked within the Great Library that might be the final key to understanding her curse. During the daring theft, a stranger inserts himself into her scheme. Kin’s roguish good looks and boundless charm threaten to distract her, but she has no intention of landing in the city jail. Kin’s life, riddled with shadows and death, is as dark as his soul. He embraces his power, given by a wicked master, but when he meets Amarie... She shatters the walls he’s built, piercing his solitude with vibrant light. But if she learns he hunts the power cursing her family, he will lose her forever. Trusting him could risk her heart and her life, but it might be the only way to destroy the world’s most sinister evil. Unless Kin’s master finds her first… Embrace of the Shade is Part 1 of The Berylian Key Trilogy, and Book 1 in the Pantracia Chronicles. This series is perfect for readers who enjoy Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer Armentrout, Leigh Bardugo, and Holly Black. It is recommended for 18+ as it contains sexual content, violence, and language.


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