September 2024 Wrap-Up
One Day My Duke Will Come
Tamara Gill
If he won’t give her his heart, she’ll just have to steal it…
Tatum Chance, Duke of Romney, wants nothing to do with love. So, getting married was the last thing he had planned. But when an innocent miss is seen mistakenly stumbling into his room while he is ensconced in a bath, he’s left with little alternative. Well, he might’ve been forced into marriage, but no one can make him surrender his heart—not even his new bride. No matter how utterly tempting she is…
Millie Woodville wanted nothing more than to find a love match when she came to London for a Season. Instead, she found herself wed to a grumpy, quarrelsome, and unnervingly handsome man. But Millie isn’t one to give up easily, so she’ll do whatever is necessary to make the most of her new marriage. Her husband will adore her. Even if she has to become a seductress to make it happen…
Will this battle of wills—and hearts—end in happily ever after, or devastation?
Surrender to the Duke
Tamara Gill
Surrendering to the Duke will be easy. Not losing her heart to him is another matter entirely…
Miss Lila York should have refused her sister’s request. But since she didn’t, she’s now in the unfortunate position of traveling to London, pretending to be her sister, and rejecting a man—a man she’s long coveted from afar for herself. If only saying no was as easy as everyone seems to think…
Knox King knew it was time to set aside his rakish ways and finally settle into marriage. Miss York, the season’s diamond, would be a perfect bride. But it’s clear she’s not being totally honest with him. And if there’s one thing he can’t abide, it’s a liar…even if she’s the most desirable liar he’s ever met…
When secrets are revealed and truths are spilled, is happily ever after even possible for Knox and Lila? Or will their potential future crumble to ashes before their eyes?
My Reckless Earl
Tamara Gill
To get her happily ever after, she’s ready to do something reckless…
Miss Harlow York has been planning for her second season in London for months, and she’s finally ready to achieve her goal: winning the heart of the elusive Earl Kemsley. It won’t be easy, but she’s more than up for the challenge. And one thing is certain. He’ll have no idea what hit him…
Lord Kemsley isn’t interested in love or marriage. The bachelor life is for him. But that doesn’t mean he’d deny others the opportunity. So, when the delectable Harlow asks for his help winning another gentleman’s heart, he’s all in. He has no intention of falling for her himself. That’s the plan, at least…
He’s determined to remain a bachelor. She’s determined to change his mind. Let the battle of wills—and hearts—begin…
Conquist
Dirk Strasser
Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign. What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a world that will challenge his deepest beliefs. And what he can’t possibly know is that this world will trap him in a war between two eternal enemies, leading him to question everything he has devoted his life to – his command, his Incan princess, his honor, his God. In the end, he faces the ultimate dilemma: how is it possible to battle your own obsessions . . . to conquer yourself?
Vilest Things
Chloe Gong
Chloe Gong returns with power plays, spilled blood, and lethal romance in the thrilling fantasy sequel to New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Immortal Longings, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.
Calla Tuoleimi has succeeded in the impossible. Despite the odds, she has won San-Er’s bloody games and eliminated King Kasa, her tyrant uncle and the former ruler of Talin. She now serves as royal advisor to Kasa’s adopted son, August Shenzhi, who has risen to the throne.
Only Calla knows it isn’t really August.
Anton Makusa is still furious about Calla’s betrayal in the final round of the games. In an impossible feat, he took over August’s body to survive and has no intention of giving up this newfound power. But when his first love, the beautiful, explosive Otta Avia, awakens from a yearslong coma and reveals a secret that threatens the monarchy’s authority over Talin, chaos erupts. As tensions come to a boiling point, Calla and Anton must set their conflicts aside and head to the kingdom’s far reaches to prevent anarchy…even if their empire might be better off burning.
Cursed by a Siren’s Kiss: A Dark Little Mermaid Retelling
Riley Hunt & L.S. Embers
She needed a heart to break her humanity, but he needed her to awaken his.
Deep within the sea, Siren Princess Talia must perform a ritual – consuming the heart of a human who loves her – to gain her siren power and her throne. She will risk everything to earn what is rightfully hers, even if it means being completely vulnerable.
Captain ‘Black-Eyes’ Kipp, cursed centuries ago, has a growing darkness threatening to consume his soul. He has easily claimed everything he ever wanted, but nothing fills the void created by this ancient curse. Now, he needs to capture a siren to break the curse before he’s lost to it forever.
Forced together on an epic quest through sea monsters and the wrath of Poseidon himself, Talia and Kipp must decide whether to surrender to the all-consuming power they crave or make a heart-wrenching sacrifice. Only one thing is certain – to defeat the darkness, one of them will have to take the ultimate plunge.
Will she be able to break the curse and save Kipp? Or will they both succumb to the darkness inside them?
This isn’t the Little Mermaid you remember, but a darker, twisted version full of heat and uncontrollable lust…
Cursed by a Siren’s Kiss is book 2 in the Once Upon a Curse series. A unique collection of retellings that go beyond just the fairytale. This is a dark romantasy fairytale retelling with monsters, Greek gods, curses, sirens, and pirates!! There is a ton of steam with multiple open-door scenes. This will not be your Disney sweet fairytale.
For fans of To Kill A Kingdom, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Little Mermaid, Ever King and Sea Witch.
Beneath the Shatter
T.A. Reilly
The fall of magic led to the rise of corruption.
Twelve years ago, Cassandra left Verastarr, the land she had grown to love. Shortly after, she watched the Vanaiyer realm fall to the Nordak. The Vanquishing tore apart the five regions, brought about by Seefers—creatures born of corrupt magic—and the banishment of powers.
Shadows are creeping in closer than ever.
Entrapped in a mist of time, Cassandra finds herself back in Verastarr. The region is different. Darker. Sinister. Is it the presence of wolvyn Commander, Prince Sébastien Capetian, or something more ominous?
Don’t play with the big, bad wolf, unless you want to get bitten.
Monsters prowl under the darkness of night, but the dangers hiding in broad daylight are even more treacherous. In a time where those with ancient magic are hunted, can Cassandra trust those around her?
A destiny fabricated of secrets and lies.
As truths are revealed, Cassandra is forced to take a stab at destiny before she falls prey to the terrors of the Nordak. But it would mean giving up the present … and her future.
Is the sacrifice worth the inevitable outcome?
Within the Embers
T.A. Reilly
Sought after answers are never as they seem.
When Kateya awakens with no memories, in an unfamiliar land, she knows two things for she’s in danger, and she’s traveled back in time . . . again. Only this time, icy darkness lurks in the sky, revealing how different things truly are.
All magic demands balance.
Kateya’s memories begin to surface, haunting her with a past—tainted by dark magic—carved into her skin. As raging embers of magic begin to burn within her, the King of Avyon realizes she’s not only incredibly powerful, but a danger to everyone . . . including herself.
Alliances become weapons of war.
Past and present collide and bonds are forged through passion and hatred, forcing Kateya to question everything she believed she knew about those she loved. She must learn to harness the power rising within her, while determining who she can truly trust.
A fate written in the stars.
Harrowing truths are revealed that hold the power to not only alter the destiny of those prophesied, but change the future of the Vanaiyer Realm. As Kateya fights for freedom, she realizes not all knowledge is power and magic can’t always change the inevitable—including the tides of war.
The darkness is creeping closer . . . will they be able to hold it off?
Addictive Contact
Ash Remington
The first step is admitting you have an intergalactic problem.
It’s 2036, and the heroes of the War Of Isolation find themselves splintered. Against Ranbir’s wishes, Malik and Alexis set out across the galaxy on a three-hundred-year journey to the Praxi-birthing planet Vocury hoping for a peaceful second attempt at first contact. The diplomatic mission quickly devolves into chaos as the explorers discover life on Vocury, but it’s not who they’re expecting.
Two years after their friends have left them behind, Maya tempts Ranbir with one final mysterious mission of their own. With little to go on, Ranbir is forced to navigate through dangerous hijinks and hijacks as Maya leads him across the cosmos while keeping the details of their deployment to herself. Maya is hiding something, and it’s a secret big enough to undo everything they’ve fought for.
Violence, addiction, war, and mystery await both pairings even as they’re separated by space and time. The future of mankind again rests in the hands of a group of misfits, and without each other to lean on, they’ve never been more ill-equipped to deal with what’s coming.
Cursed by Fur: A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling
D.C. Gomez
Welcome to Texarkana, where Death’s Interns are working overtime—and the body count is rising.
Meet Death’s part-time grim reapers, full-time troubleshooters for the supernatural community. Usually, their biggest headache is keeping the local vampires from picking fights at the all-night diner.
But now? They’re hunting a killer.
Bodies are dropping faster than autumn leaves, and it’s not just humans filling up the morgue. Someone—or something—is cutting a bloody swath through Texarkana.
As Halloween creeps closer, Death’s Interns find themselves in a race against time. Can they unmask the killer before Texarkana’s secret community becomes front-page news? Or will long-buried prejudices turn neighbor against neighbor, predator against prey?
In a town where death is just another day job, the real challenge is staying alive.
If you devoured every episode of Supernatural or Charlaine Harris’s Midnight Texas, and loved Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch, sink your teeth into this wickedly fun, pulse-pounding urban fantasy. Just in Texarkana, the things that go bump in the night… bump back.
Cursed by Fur is a standalone novel and book three in the Once Upon a Curse book series.
Illusion of Stars
Sarah Marie Page
She’s stealing more than secrets.
As the royal physician of a tiny, windswept island, Isabel spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart. Desperate for answers, she discovers a stash of letters that reveal a terrifying truth: the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard possesses a kingdom-shattering weapon and is poised to conquer everything in its path.
Seeking vengeance, Isabel infiltrates the enemy. Her mission? Woo Erik Lothgarson, the general’s steamy, illusion-magic wielding son, and steal the dangerous weapon. She can bring Volgaard to its knees-if she isn’t caught.
But as Isabel dances along the knife edge of deception, the lines between truth and fiction blur, and she must wrestle her quest for vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.
The sexy enemies-to-lovers tension of THE BRIDGE KINGDOM meets the snarky banter of A DAWN OF ONYX in this swoon-worthy romantasy.
Cursed by Bandits: A Robin Hood Retelling
Stephanie K. Clemens
Lady by day Bandit by Night
For six years Lady Rowan of Lockersley looked forward to the day she’d return home to the picturesque village of her childhood.
But when she and her friend, Lady Jane, rode into the village, what they saw was anything but picturesque. Not only had the village fallen into poverty but Rowan learned that her beloved father, Laird of Lockersley was dead.
With the help from her band of friends, Rowan devises a plan to take back the money her uncle stole through excessive taxes on the villagers under the dark of night and act the perfect lady by day.
That is until her uncle announces that she is to wed the victor of a tournament held in her honor.
Rowan knew she would marry but believed it would be her choice̶—marry for love or duty—not as a trophy given to a stranger.
Rowan knows she belongs with her merry band of bandits, especially the one who stole her heart. But can she keep her secrets hidden from her uncle long enough to save her village and her future?
Can she save her people before she’s handed off as a prize? Will her heart lead her to duty or to the arms of her fellow bandit? And when masks fall away, which Rowan will remain—the lady or the outlaw?
Cursed by Bandits is book six in the Once Upon a Curse book series.
For new adults that are fans of The Forest Queen, Brave, A Knight’s Tale and Ella the Enchanted.
Now it’s your turn!
Share your September reads and let’s discuss — what were your favorite reads from the past month? Or is there a book you’re looking forward to this month? Any new discoveries or treasured rereads? I’d love to see your recommendations and thoughts!
