Check out the Tour for “The New Worlds“ by Jaye C. Watts (excerpt from Other Worlds Ink tour )

Jaye C. Watts has a new queer sci-fi book out (transgender, poly, non-binary, pansexual, lesbian): The New Worlds.

The year is 2293 and the Truth no longer exists. In the future there are many truths, giving rise to many worlds, but each must be kept separate.

Born to protect these truths, Axton Bryce patrols the New Worlds Star System—to observe, participate, and gather information. But as she learns the ways of each world, she must also hunt for those who defy their world’s truth: the Outliers.

While stationed on a nearby planet, Axton meets the charming Ambassador Bray Wilde. As the two become close, Axton reveals a painful secret—the loss of her first love, exiled as an Outlier.

Longing to see beyond their own world, the ambassador proposes a rescue mission—one that will bring both friends and foes, and ultimately a fight for freedom. But first, Axton must make a choice: between a life-long allegiance… and the chance to claim a truth of her own.

Warnings: indoctrination, brainwashing, threatening with a weapon (guns & a bomb)

Universal Buy Link

Excerpt

I clenched my fists. “Focus,” I told myself. Grabbing my communication cuff, I fastened it around my wrist. “INS communications, activate.” I opened my wardrobe and reached for a freshly pressed uniform. “Aurelia, give me today’s briefing.”

It lit up and responded. “Your next assignment will be on the Amorous World for a standard duration of three months. You are scheduled to depart today at zero six hundred Geo Time and arrive at zero eight-forty Geo Time. The latest reports on the Amorous World are available for your review. Do you wish to accept, Mediator Axton Bryce?”

I crouched to lace up my boots. “I accept.”

“On behalf of Chairman West and the Individual Nations Secretariat, we thank you, Mediator Axton Bryce, for your work in protecting the Truth of many truths.”

I rose to my feet, skin prickling at the back of my neck. Though I couldn’t see it, I could feel it: two lowercase t’s under one capital T, branded at the top of my spine—a permanent part of me ever since my Veneration five long years ago.

I reached back, digging my nails in, tempted to tear the tattoo right from my skin. “She should have been there,” I whispered. If only she’d kept those thoughts to herself.

I grabbed my utility belt and wrapped it around my waist, ensuring the gun was secure. Staring at myself in the mirror, I straightened the collar of my shirt. I’d never been to the Amorous World before. Perfect, I thought. Some fresh scenery was just what I needed.

* * *

I checked my cuff—zero five fifty-five, right on schedule. Marching across the launch deck, I carried one efficiently packed piece of luggage. I never glanced back when boarding my ship; Brokazaria’s endless acres of skyscrapers would still be here when I returned. Instead, I looked up. The early-morning sky was just waking. Aside from Primus B—the Middle World’s secondary, and thus miniature, sun—not a star was in sight. As I approached my ship, the roar of its engine reminded me that soon the stars would be all around me.

I turned and gave the official salute to a line of NI Security standing at attention. In unison, the humanlike Machines returned the gesture, crossing their arms to form a lowercase letter t. Sergeant L43 pumped his eyebrows, prompting me to raise one of mine in response. Hard to believe they were once called “AI.” New Intelligence, we were told, was a much more appropriate term.

L43 stepped forward. “Afternoon, miss.” He grabbed my bag, allowing me to ascend the ladder.

“Thanks,” I said. I climbed to the top and crawled through the hatch.

“Catch!” the NI yelled, tossing up my luggage.

With a reflex just quick enough, I caught the bag. “Sergeant!” I scolded. “What if there was something fragile in there?”

“You humans,” he replied. “Always afraid something’s gonna break. Your luggage, your bones, your bodies… not to mention your hearts and minds.”

I rolled my eyes at the cheeky Machine. “Watch it, L, or I’ll get them to reboot you.”

Unperturbed, the Machine grinned and waved. “I’ll miss you, too. Bon voyage!”

“See you in three months,” I muttered, closing the hatch behind me. I immediately got busy flicking switches and hitting buttons. Muscle memory took over as I continued the launch prep with complete focus. Not a moment later, a blue light illuminated my cuff, drawing my attention. Blue indicated a direct message from Chairman West himself, Secretary-General of the Individual Nations Secretariat.

“Play address,” I said, eager to hear our leader’s words.

A ghostlike image projected from my arm, transporting the man’s titanic figure into my control room. Neatly trimmed grays blended inconspicuously into the rest of his dark hair, swept back to frame a chiseled face. Salt-and-pepper stubble outlined a pair of smiling lips—the beginnings of a goatee that never quite came to fruition. As always, a perfectly pressed suit hugged every one of his bulging muscles.

“Greetings, my children!” The chairman’s voice rumbled from a gaping grin, complete with gleaming teeth. “Today is a very special day, not only for the New Worlds Star System but for some of our most dedicated Mediators.”

My ears perked up as I waited for more.

“Today marks two hundred and fifty years of living in an interplanetary alliance, free from the terrors of war, safe from the dangers of Plurality! A quarter of a millennium since the United Nations of the Old World became the Individual Nations of the New Worlds, marking humanity’s Great Dispersion!”

A swell of pride surged in my chest. I was part of something big and important.

“All of this would not be possible without you,” he declared, “our magnificent Mediators. You have been instrumental in our coordination with each world, fostering the cooperation necessary to manage the complexities of a resource-based economy spanning a system as vast as ours. And!”—the chairman raised a finger, flashing one of his many gold rings—“most importantly, you have upheld the sovereignty of every truth within it.”

I gave a humble nod, as though he could see me.

“Lastly,” the chairman said, “further congratulations to the Mediators of unit 245. Tomorrow is your quinquennium! Five years of serving as peacekeepers, saviors, Mediators! Father Chairman West and the INS commend you.” His thick forearms crossed in a salute, only to vanish as the feed cut out.

I took a moment to absorb his words, stunned by how many years had passed. Then I checked my cuff—Time to go.

I finished preparing for the launch, my movements steady and certain. We had done it. Peace among the planets for over two centuries.

I paused, letting my mind drift…

It had to be worth it.

Author Bio

JAYE C. WATTS (he/they) is a queer and trans sci-fi writer living on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory in Victoria, BC, Canada. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, with a minor in Technology and Society, as well as a diploma in Professional Recording Arts from the Art Institute of Vancouver.

When he isn’t writing, Jaye can be found falling down rabbit holes of all kinds thanks to an unquenchable curiosity and lust for learning – homeschooling will do that to you.

Jaye also loves classic jazz, mixing cocktails, biking all over the city, and of course, people watching.

Author Website: https://www.jayecwatts.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/jayechristinwatts/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/jayecwatts/

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayecwatts/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/156707355-jaye-c-watts

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jaye-C.-Watts/author/B0FVL8XMKW

Review: The Sundered Realms (Sundered Realms: Book 1) by Casey Blair

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I find Casey Blair to be a wildly imaginative writer. She’s incredibly inventive in her ability to craft a variety of detailed magical systems and then have her fantasy characters use those systems their magic. In beautifully plotted scenarios that capture our own imagination and connect us to the universe she’s building.

Liris, the main character and sole voice of the story, is a brilliant desperate woman. She’s been essentially “locked” away for her entire life, trapped into training that’s a literal dead end.

This is the story of her escape. How, by the force of her courage, desperation and self control, moves to change the world. And her magical power.

The other characters, especially the important spellcaster Lord Vhannor, is still a bit of a mystery here. I do wish this had been a two person POV instead. I think that extra character detail and depth of vision would have made this even better.

But there’s so much exploration to lay out and depth of world building to achieve that I could see that a single person perspective would be a good way to achieve that.

The relationship between Liris and Vhannor is fairly quick and straightforward (an example of where the 2-person POV would be helpful) but given Liris’ personality understandable. Also this is a “spicy” book, more so than some of the author’s other works. Yes, there’s sex scenes.

The second story belongs to another character from this book. So this seems to conclude their main romance.

I’m highly recommending this, great plot, fantastic storytelling and a strong woman character.

However, the magical system is a rich mixture of elements that takes time to build up throughout the story and with each character. It’s highly effective but not an aspect that’s rushed.

Looking forward to the next book.

Cover art by Kateryna Vitkovska, 2023.

Cover design by Miblart, 2024.

Hardcase design by Liz Heaven of Raven Pages Design, 2024

Buy link:

Book 1 of 1: Sundered Realms

Blurb

Liris has always been too dangerous to be allowed freedom.
Now she’s the universe’s only hope.

Liris has been trapped training as an elite spy her whole life. But when her elders try to sacrifice her to further their own interests, she escapes through a secret portal—only to land right in the hands of Lord Vhannor, the most dangerous spellcaster in the universe.

Vhannor has dedicated his life to defending the universe from world-devouring demons, and Liris, with her unique knowledge of an ancient spell language, jeopardizes his mission. But when she uses it to help him close a demonic portal before it can destroy all life in that dimension, he’s forced to acknowledge he needs her by his side.

As they race between dimensions to fight their mutual enemies, they discover a plot that will leave every remaining realm in the universe at the mercy of demons. But to stop it, Liris will have to rely on the man whose icy gaze sees right through her… and when even her own people betrayed her, how can she trust Vhannor to stand by her when she risks the whole universe?

The Sundered Realms is a steamy romantic epic fantasy in a world where being a huge nerd about language makes you incredibly epic at magic. This is an action-packed story about an interdimensional combat ambassador heroine and the most dangerous man in the universe devoting all his attention to making her unstoppable.

Review: Flat White Flag: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 4) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️

Again, how to say that Maya’s Blog is an absolute must read series. Each one continues to improve upon its predecessor and show its characters development in a way that’s consistent with the journey and emotional growth of the series.

It’s fabulous writing and I’m so hooked.

Plus yes to the great covers that happen to showcase the storytelling within. That’s happening less and less so claps and kudos.

This is the story where Maya accepts and comes into her own. What makes this so special is to understand the time line between the beginning of her journey, when she fled her abusive family and the traumatic events and powerful affirming experiences she’s experienced that have led her here. It’s been just three years.

Oftentimes it’s felt so much longer.

So when you think about her life before, her anxiety and other personal issues, on top of the trauma and tragedy, for her to be able to realistically start to accept her own power and new life is extraordinary. And believable within the narrative and her situation.

Her support and maybe even the lack of here when it comes to this major crisis, is crafted in such a layered, emotional manner. Raw, heartfelt, powerful. And truly written in such a way that the reader can relate to Maya’s feelings and the way she needs to express her reactions to this moment.

No spoilers but fabulous. It’s part horror, romance, comedy and all things fantastic. Just amazing stuff all around.

I love it when a family comes together to destroy things. Especially the women. What an awesome scene!

There’s another book coming out. A surprise because this easily could have been the finale. I’m thrilled we’re going forward.

More and more please.

Cover Illustration Main image by Manuka Madushan, Digital Illustrator.

MAYA’S BLOGS:

Espresso Yourself #1

Brew Diligence #2

Uncharted Grounds #3

Flat White Flag #4

Little Bean #5 (coming soon)

Buy link

Flat White Flag: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 4)

Blurb

Maya Rivers’ post-resurrection body has developed magical broadcasting capabilities. Unfortunately, the signal feeds directly into her fiancé’s nervous system. As if that weren’t mortifying enough, she’s also inherited a demonic estate with a flair for psychological warfare and a disturbing passion for cataloguing other people’s trauma for fun and menace.

Maya’s juggling supernatural politics, a shadow-wielding warlord who moisturises with military precision, and her body evolving faster than her coping mechanisms.

She’s starting to realise something horrifying: she might actually be the powerful one now.

Nobody is more alarmed.

Publication date: September 1, 2025
Language: English
Print length: 322 pages
Book 4 of 5: Maya’s Blogs

Review: Review: Uncharted Grounds (Maya’s Blog’s Book 3) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Uncharted Grounds, the third book in Maya’s Blog’s series is indeed uncharted territory for the characters here.

Lara McKenzie’s format of having her character, Maya, chart her growth and life events through a Blog that’s grown substantially from 5 readers to a inter species paranormal readership of millions , including ones she now includes as friends and found family, has become a stunning journey of inspiring personal growth and self discovery.

But it’s a realistic one, full of painful and awful moments of despair and even death. Those have been equally terrifying and tragic for Maya and those around her.

And this deals with the consequences of that event, the aftermath, and the unexpected repercussions that it will bring upon Maya’s relationship with her shadow demon warrior fiancée.

There are hilarious scenes, terrifying moments, utter heartbreak, and solemn moments of thoughtful reflection upon her own experiences and past history that make her look at her current situation and how she feels about going forward.

I can’t say enough about how much I love this beautifully written series about Maya and her journey through her new life , her friends and how she has grown up and dealt with each new challenge she’s faced.

While this is a fantasy/science fiction universe, the parallels to a contemporary world are very real and heartfelt. And often heartbreaking.

Keep your tissues close by.

This is a deeply personal and emotional story that connects with each reader in differently.

Highly recommended.

Love these covers with their specific topics, this one being Genevieve who had a big role here.

Cover Illustration Main image by Manuka Madushan, Digital Illustrator.

MAYA’S BLOGS:

Espresso Yourself #1

Brew Diligence #2

Uncharted Grounds #3

Flat White Flag #4

Little Bean #5 (coming soon)

Buy link

Uncharted Grounds: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 3)

Blurb

Life hasn’t been normal since a mermaid resurrected Maya Rivers.

Between supernatural side effects, the terrifying mermaid mafia who wants more than she’s prepared to give, and a shadow demon who would raze realms to keep her safe, Maya is trying to figure out who she is—and where she truly belongs.

In a world of chaotic friendship and found family, one thing’s certain: Maya isn’t just surviving anymore.

She’s ready to stand her ground.

Publication date: July 21, 2025
Language: English
Print length: 310 pages
Book 3 of 5: Maya’s Blogs

0Check Out This Fab Tour for “Gear Child“ by Mark David Campbell (excerpt and extras)

Mark David Campbell has a new queer YA sci-fantasy book out (gay, lesbian, homonormative) Gear Box book 1: Gear Child.

From our beloved teddy bear to our cherished first car, we form deep emotional bonds with inanimate objects. Will AI machines inevitably develop the capacity to love us in return?

In a post-apocalyptic world that survives on garbage left over from the Gawd Wars eight generations ago, Sunny Boy, a semi-organic machine initially made to emulate a thirteen-year-old, and later modified as an eighteen-year-old, longs to be loved. His quest to find a family takes him from a farm in Winnipeg to the far reaches of the known galaxy. When Sunny Boy becomes embroiled in an ancient battle between a collective intelligence and a parasitic alien crystal, the boundaries between organic and inorganic life are called into question.

Warnings: Very low sex and violence (no gun play)

Series Blurb

The Gear Box Trilogy, which includes: Gear Child, The Arena of Mayhem, and The Wayward Star, is a journey of the heart that takes you from a devastated post-Gawd Wars Earth, across the Solar System to the far reaches of the galaxy, and explores the line between inanimate machine and animate life form.

Told from the perspectives of Sunny Boy, Fancy Larry, and Loofahâthree AI machinesâwho understand the world around them through symbols, metaphors, and allegories. Along with their capacity for creative thought, empathy, and growth, they likewise struggle with issues of self-identity and self-esteem. Most of all, Sunny Boy, Fancy Larry, and Loofah, like any intelligent being, crave acceptance and long to be loved.

Buy Links:

Gear Child: Universal Buy Link | Goodreads

The Arena of Mayhem: The Arena of Mayhem | Goodreads

The Wayward Star: The Wayward Star | Goodreads

Find All Three Books Here (Click on the Cover for More Details)

Excerpt

From Chapter Thirteen

I unlatched the glass, and a salty, humid breeze blew into the cabin like it was saying welcome. In no time, the burnt land below us gave way to water, and the Captain veered the airship southward.

In the distance, I made out the silhouettes of broken and battered glass and steel towers all jutting out of the ocean like fingers of drowning men reaching up to be saved. I watched as the shadow of our airship glided along the surface of the water, silently sliding over the towers.

âIs that a city?â

âOnce was.â The Captain nodded. âGreatest in the world. But thatâs all thatâs left of it.â

âWhy is it underwater?â

âHa!â the Captain snorted. âIt happened a long time ago, during the Gawd Wars and the Great Flood, when my great-great-great-granddaddy was a boy.â The Captain scratched his head. âSee, way back then, everybody had their own books full of old stories about Gawd. Most of the stories were the same, but everybody told them in a different way.â He furrowed his brow. âPeople started fighting and killing one another to prove their way of telling the stories was right, and the way other people told the stories was wrong.â

I looked at him with my mouth hanging open, trying hard to understand why people wanted to kill each other over a bunch of old stories.

âWas Gawd bad?â

âNo, I donât think so.â He shook his head. âBut by the time everybody got tired of killing one another and blaming it on Gawdâ¦â The Captain cleared his throat. âTheyâd already blown up all the big cities and poisoned the land. And as if that werenât enough, theyâd also melted the polar ice caps and flooded everything remaining along the coast.â Taking his beard in his hand, he stroked it a couple of times. âPeople donât talk much about Gawd anymore.â

âIs that the hand of Gawd?â I pointed to a giant green hand sticking up above the surface of the water, holding what looked like a torch.

âNo. Thatâs the hand of a giant woman. She was one of the idols they used to worship a long time ago.â He eased the throttle and floated the ship in closer so I could get a better look.

âWhat happened to her?â I tried to make out her body and head below the surface of the water, but all I saw was a cluster of barnacles and algae.

âI guess she got old and tired, and people had no use for her anymore.â The Captain veered the ship southward and pulled on the big wheel. Leaving the city of dead fingers behind, we continued on down the coast, rising slowly toward the jet stream, again.

âOh, please! Who do you think designed robos in the first placeâthe military! And it wasnât only for cleaning and sex.â

âOnly those who get caught are sorry.â

I thought about all the people who had died, and I felt sad, but mostly I felt sad because my name would never be recorded there or anywhere else.

âHey, kid, donât feel bad. Itâs not about you. That boyâs headâs so full of crap, he wouldnât know a ray of sunshine even if it was beaming up his butt hole.â

He swept the scanner across the pilotâs groin, looked at it, and laughed. âYou’ve got nothing to worry about. Your sperm look like a bowl full of goldfish somebody forgot to feed.â

âI thought I was dead.â He grasped both my hands. âWho are you? Some kind of a superhero?â

I felt my face flush. âNo, Iâm only a robo.â

He took my hand and kissed it. âNot to me.â

âSomething tells me weâve just met the resistance.â

Spinner frowned. âBeyond those doors, thereâs nothing for me. Iâm not like you.â

âIâm a robo, like you.â

âNo, youâre not!â Spinner practically spat out the words. âYou can grow, adapt, and evolve. I canât. This is all I can ever be.â

âWeâll go to the opera and art galleries. Youâll learn about second-hand stores and how to shop for bargains, weâll create and redecorate, dance the night away, and sit in cafes trashing the latest clothing trends until the sun comes up.â

Author Bio

I have a passion for science/speculative fiction that is socially and culturally driven. Maybe thatâs why I studied anthropology and archaeology.

My recent publications include: Eating the Moon (NineStar Press, 2021), a dystopic story of an elderly anthropologist who stumbles across a hidden society where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuals are marginalized. Secrets of Ishtabay (Ninestar Press, 2023) is the story of a Maya village in Belize, which struggles with its transition to globalization after the completion of a highway linking it to the outside world. The Homework Assignment (Polar Borealis Magazine of Canadian Speculative Fiction, March 2025) is a short story about an anthropology professor who asks his students to imagine first contact with an alien intelligence with whom they share only one sense.

Currently, I live in Milan, Italy, with my husband. When Iâm not writing, I work with Italian sociologists, biologists, and psychoanalysts, assisting them with their English academic publications. I enjoy reading both classic and newer books, immersing myself in steampunk and futurism. I love adventure stories, and most of all, I want to fall in love with a great MC. I am dyslexic, which means I canât spell, and I have a love/hate relationship with computers and the internet.

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markdavid.campbell.9

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/14116939.Mark_David_Campbell

Author Liminal Fiction: https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/mark-david-campbell/

Review: One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3) by Ilona Andrews

Rating: 5⭐️

This is absolutely one of my favorite series and yes, I’ve finished the what books have been released in this series to date. I’m just trying to get caught up on my reviews.

This is just one more fabulous binge read series by the prolific (and truly amazing) husband and wife team known as Ilona Andrews. One of three their series that have me hooked, including one that was just recently released.

Special elements that really struck me and made this book so much more memorable is how the authors both managed to explore further into the universe and new planets as well as introduce the readers to Dina’s family members we haven’t met yet but have heard about. And have it happen in truly dramatic and exciting scenes.

And it will set up a new couple and their own important storyline for a future book/series.

And that’s not even the main plot line here. That’s one that focuses on a species that’s been hunted to the brink of extinction and it’s up to the Innkeepers and the Gertrude Hunt to save them all from those aliens hunting them.

That’s the powerhouse of narrative themes and one that’s written beautifully here. It’s moving, poignant and compelling storytelling .

Books and series like this is why I’m so reader focused on this writing couple. I haven’t even finished their published books yet and they released another one I can’t stop thinking about.

Yes, to this. Yes to all of this series. And finally, to all Ilona Andrews has written to date. Just go with it.

Highly recommended.

Note: love Doris Mantair for the fantastic cover and fantastic interior art.

Innkeeper Chronicles:

Clean Sweep #1
Sweep in Peace #2
One Fell Sweep #3
Sweep of the Blade #4
Sweep with Me #5
Sweep of the Heart #6

Buy link

One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3)

Blurb

Dina Demille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

Publisher: NYLA
Publication date: December 20, 2016
Language: English
Print length: 352 pages
Book 3 of 6: Innkeeper Chronicles

Review: Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 1) by Ilona Andrews

Rating: 4.5 ✨

Here’s another fantastic magical science fiction series from the married authors (Ilona and Andrew Gordon) known as Ilona Andrews. They have quickly become my favorite authors and a must read, with my bookshelf full of great books and series of theirs.

The Innkeeper Chronicles is a complete series,a true delight of worlds and characters. It starts with Clean Sweep, a sentient inn in a small town in Texas where The Innkeeper, a actual galactic title associated with the house and its current owner is still getting herself established with her own Inn and her clients.

Dina Demille is the daughter of Innkeepers, her parents and their famous Inn mysteriously disappeared without a trace while Dina was in college and her siblings were away from home,far far away from home on other worlds. After years of searching and no clues, Dina has followed in their footsteps and become an Innkeeper herself.

Dina Demille is such a fabulously written character. She really stands out from the other characters in this genre of strong female characters in that she has her own unique history and challenges that she’s been working with. She’s incredibly strong, quietly intelligent and able to be flexible with multiple personalities and situations while still being a relatable person. Full of emotions, a width and depth of experience that is only slowly revealed, Dina is a whole new level of main female character energy!

She’s also got a very strange monster tiny dog that is her companion, a sentient Inn that’s home and more, and a current client who’s a lifetime resident and galactic criminal. And a favorite character!

We get to know the backgrounds and histories for Dina and those around her through the drama that descends on the town. Monsters are killing the townspeople’s pets.

It’s a fantastic storyline, we meet many important characters such as alpha werewolves and vampire royals. All beautifully crafted and supplied with a great history and dramatic backstory to tell.

This particular storyline is wrapped up completely and in a very satisfying way. But leaves the ending open for more adventures and further development for the three main characters and the group that is forming.

Honestly, it’s enormously difficult to hold myself back from binging this all the way through like I did with the fabulous Kate Daniels series.

Highly recommended!

Art by Doris Mantair

Innkeeper Chronicles:

Clean Sweep #1

Sweep in Peace #2

One Fell Sweep #3

Sweep of the Blade #4

Sweep with Me #5

Sweep of the Heart #6

Buy link

Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles)

Blurb

This is a short novel, about 60,000 words.

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is…different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, “normal” is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night…Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

Publisher: NYLA
Publication date: December 2, 2013
Language: English
Print length: 250 pages
Book 1 of 6: Innkeeper Chronicles

Review: Stars Die (Caldryn Parliament Book 1) by Jenny Schwartz

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Jenny Schwartz is a new author for me but after this book she’s immediately on my must read list. Stars Die, the first book in the Caldryn Parliament series, is a fabulous read.

The world building is layered and intriguing, yet so vivid and large that you can see how she will be exploring it further in the series. And even farther.

The characters themselves are incredibly complex. Each has their own histories that are only partially revealed here, multiple agendas, and completely diverse backgrounds.

This is magic, science fiction and realism all combined into a compelling narrative.

And Schwartz has beautifully crafted even more fascinating storylines that work together to create a fascinating tale of dynastic power, intrigue, galactic politics, mystery and chaos. All with an overlay of magic.

It begins with the incredible character of Vanda Kavanagh, whose powerful grandmother has recalled her from her duty on a frontier planet to become new Warden of Caldryn Parliament.

Such a simple sentence that is so powerful a statement of a woman’s heart and journey to her own path. Vanda is an incredible character. And she is accompanied by a very special companion, Giddy.

Giddy is part of the murder mystery that Vanda sets out to solve, as part of her plan and as part of a larger underlying problem.

There’s an entire excellent cast of equally important and well defined characters. Many of which I expect to develop and expand as the series continues.

This is a complex, emotional, exciting novel. There’s a potential for a romance but it’s not a romance story. It’s a political thriller, albeit one that is a magical science fiction novel.

So highly recommended and I’m extremely excited for the next book to be released.

And can I say how much I love these covers?

Caldryn Parliament:

Stars Die #1

Hexes Fly #2 – July 26, 2025

Rogues Lie #3 – November 29,2025

Buy link

Stars Die (Caldryn Parliament Book 1)

Blurb

Welcome to Caldryn Parliament. Golden Age mysteries in the Realm of science fiction and fantasy.

Recalled from the frontier, the new Warden of Caldryn Parliament is well aware she’s not a popular choice, but she never expected to portal into a murder scene.

Nor did she anticipate acquiring such a unique partner.

Now, Vanda Kavanagh must discover the truth of a politician’s death, unravel the mystery of her sabotaged wards, and survive her family.

***

Stars Die is a magic parliament mystery. If you’ve ever wished that Agatha Christie included magic or that Sherlock Holmes fought space pirates, this is the series for you!

Publication date: February 27, 2025
Language: English
Print length: 340 pages
Book 1 of 3: Caldryn Parliament

Check out the new release “The Great Forest and Other Love Stories“ by Warren Rochelle (tour and excerpt)

Warren Rochelle has a new FF/MM romance fantasy/sci-fi short story collection out: The Great Forest and Other Love Stories. And there’s a giveaway!

“The course of true love never did run smooth” might be a cliché, but for the lovers in these stories, it’s an understatement. Consider: having to rescue your beloved from seven years of service to sentient trees, or your lover wants you to curse an entire town, or your husband is sure aliens are calling to him from a comet. Find out what happens in these and other stories in The Great Forest and Other Love Stories.

Warnings: neglectful parents, end of the world

Universal Buy Link

Giveaway

Warren is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47324/

Excerpt

Chesapeake Air and Spaceport, North Terminal, Interplanetary Concourse A

The sun shimmered on the water, as the train pulled into the Chesapeake Air and Spaceport RR station. He gathered his things and walked out onto a winding path, into a garden of dwarf sugar maples and ash trees. The path led him over a little bridge and a stream, and lavender star-shaped flowers. He stopped there to collect himself, to remember what his therapists had taught him, Alana on Avalon, and Gavin and Julia, at Blue Ridge. Deep breaths, center and focus on the safe, on the gurgle of the stream below his feet, the star-shaped flowers, blooming by the water. Interrupt his fear-talk looping, be present now. The main building of the spaceport was straight ahead. The building seemed almost made of sunlight and water. Sea turtles, eels, dolphins, and sea horses seemed to be swimming inside its walls.

Inside, the spaceport would be filled with people from all across Terra, from who knew how many HC planets. And aliens. Strangers, all of them. Breathe in for three, hold for four, release for five. Center. Through the sliding glassteel doors, follow the signs to the ticket kiosks. Everybody was busy, going, coming. Edvard was just one more young human.

He could do this, and he had done it. He could do it again. He could hear Luc telling him that, as he touched him, kissed him.

I’m coming.

No answer.

Scattered trees inside, fountains and pools. Whoever designed the spaceport must have wanted it to look as if it was part of the bay itself. Water currents and tree-shapes in the metal and glassteel, the beams, and the afternoon sun visible in a great skylight over the departure lobby. Were those real birds flying overhead? Edvard caught the off-world accents he knew as he walked—Avalonian, Jardinero, New Scandinavian. A trio of enhanced chimpanzees, clearly traveling on business. He tried to stare at the nest of Kalsons traveling together, with their pointed ears, white-gold hair, and skin. Like Luc and his father. There were a few Kalsons like Manon with skin a darker gold, hair, a deep brown. He stepped back, as did everyone around him, at who he saw next coming down the concourse. Even though the Second Interstellar War had ended thirty-three standard years ago, clearly not enough time had passed for any Zoki to walk through the one of the largest spaceports on the North American east coast without armed HC security. No one had forgotten how many thousands of Wertyngeris had either died or were put in hibernacula for years, or how many of the frozen had been thawed and eaten. No one had forgotten how many HC soldiers died in the war. Yes, the war had ended with a palace coup, led by the Zoki crown princess. She had immediately offered reparations for the atrocities on Wertynger, and they had been paid, and were still being paid.

Edvard watched as the reptilian Zoki, all dressed in white, with ashes on their forehead, walked silently through the spaceport, staring at the floor. According to the treaty ending the war, the Zoki had to publicly atone for eating sentient life. The crown princess, now empress, had suggested fifty Terran standard years of shame and public penance. She had acknowledged that not all Zoki had known or participated, but the government she had overthrown had known, and it had had wide popular support.

Never again.

Someone spat on the floor as the Zoki and their guards walked past. He wondered if fifty Terran standard would be enough penance.

Edvard stepped in front of a ticket kiosk beside a family which was clearly emigrating. Everybody seemed to be carrying some sort of luggage, the three kids, the two dads. He inserted his passport and Universal ID into the kiosk, and selected shuttle to the station, star service to Wertynger, Next available ship, leaving Union Station. An option for stasis for the three week trip in hyperspace? Maybe after week one. Micro-cabin, no, too claustrophobic. Single double, Family? Single. It felt like forever for funds verification. Ding! Transaction complete. Please proceed to Concourse B, Gate 29, shuttle already boarding. Proceed to gate, please have ID and passport ready.

He had done it.

Author Bio

Warren Rochelle lives in Crozet, Virginia, with his husband, and their little dog, Gypsy. He retired from teaching English and Creative Writing at the University of Mary Washington in 2020. His short fiction and poetry have been published in such journals and anthologies as Icarus, North Carolina Literary Review, Forbidden Lines, Aboriginal Science Fiction, Collective Fallout, Queer Fish 2, Empty Oaks, Quantum Fairy Tales, Migration, Clarity, Innovation, The Silver Gryphon, Jaelle Her Book, Colonnades, and Graffiti, as well as the Asheville Poetry Review, GW Magazine, Crucible, The Charlotte Poetry Review, and Romance and Beyond. His short story, “The Golden Boy,” was a finalist for the 2004 Spectrum Award for Short Fiction.

Rochelle is the author of five novels, including The Wild Boy (2001), Harvest of Changelings (2007), and The Called (2010), all published by Golden Gryphon Press. The Werewolf and His Boy, originally published by Samhain Publishing in September 2016, was re-released from JMS Books in August 2020. In Light’s Shadow: A Fairy Tale was published by JMS Books in 2022.

Author Website: https://kingdomofjoria.com/

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/warren.rochelle

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/warrenwriter/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38355.Warren_Rochelle

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/warren-rochelle/

Review: The Elemental Keyes (Circle the Square Book 1) by Sam Burns

Rating: 5🌈

“I was about to die.

Even worse, maybe the world was better off for it.”

So begins our journey into The Elemental Keyes , the first of Sam Burns the absolutely outstanding, and emotionally gripping new two book series, Circle the Square.

A two person POV, which starts from one world, then begins a journey that the author will take her characters and readers on that just shy of brilliant.

There’s no way to go about describing the storylines except what relayed in the description. The world is about to end. We know because one of our narrator’s a seer, Blaze Keyes and he’s seen the world will end on his birthday.

Well, that of his and his twin brother, River’s. They are elemental mages as well as seers. River a fire mage and Blaze ironically a water mage. And it’s because of mages the world once succeeded, and it’s because of mages it’s now going to die.

The other wildly different perspective comes from a elf, Elethen Voransa, aka The Crow. A well known thief among his people, his entrance into the lives of the Keyes brothers is spectacular and shattering for all.

Burns does amazing things in bringing all the characters to life, along with the dire circumstances under which they are living and maneuvering through the obstacles that keep rising up around them.

There’s no way to prepare someone for the neat twists and surprises Burns has laid down for the readers here. Like silken traps threaded through the narrative, they snap shut with a well plotted zest, making this reader anticipate with great excitement and glee what the next and final book holds.

I’m highly impressed with The Elemental Keyes, it’s so imaginative, with great twists, wonderful characters, and a fantastic storyline.

April 13th, the date The Elemental Ruin is released, can’t get here soon enough.

Circle the Square- 2 books

✓ The Elemental Keyes Book 1

◦ The Elemental Ruin Book 2 – April 13, 2023

Buy Link:

The Elemental Keyes (Circle the Square Book 1)

Today is the day the world ends.

Fine, tomorrow is the day the world ends, but is that actually better? My name is Blaze Keyes, and I’m a seer. Since I was a kid, I’ve known that the world was going to end on my twenty-fifth birthday.

But the day before the apocalypse, the most unexpected guy falls into my lap—or maybe I’d like to fall into his. Elethen is tall, handsome, a type of mage that disappeared from earth a century ago . . . and an elf. Also, he says he fell through a portal from another world, and I sort of believe him.

If I can’t save earth, maybe I can at least get Elethen home safe. Or if we can get my infuriating brother to work with us, maybe we can save everyone on both of our worlds. Maybe the world dies tomorrow, but damn it, I’m not going out without a fight.

The Elemental Keyes is the first of two books featuring a deadly portal between two very different worlds, a confused elven Robin Hood, an unemployed mage trying to deal with the end of everything he knows, his snarky criminal brother, and a few surprises along the way. It will conclude on April 13th with book two, The Elemental Ruins

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: