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Through Wylder Meadows is Now Available

When Sophia Meadows’ closest friend dies—the man she has secretly loved for years—a piece of her soul dies with him. Two years later, along her journey to meet her new fiancé, bandits derail and rob her train. She encounters the man who ripped her heart out with his death two years earlier. Alive and healthy.

Samuel Woods is a bounty hunter, and when one of his jobs goes south, he fakes his death to protect those he loves. When he runs into Sophia during a job, he’s floored. He has to win back her trust, and her heart, before she shuts away from him completely and returns to the man she’s been promised to.

However, the danger Samuel feared for so long returns when the bandits threaten her life. He must stop them and finish his job, otherwise he’ll lose the woman he loves for a second time.

Get Your Copy of Through Wylder Meadows
by Sydney Winward

Review of Hellfire and Honey by A.N. Payton

Doom your entire kingdom? Or surrender to the vampire king?

I love reading enemies to lovers books, and this story is one of my top favorites I have read in a while. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions the author painted throughout the book. The romance developed incredibly well, especially considering the complicated, tangled past the hero and heroine had with one another. And the stakes kept piling up more and more, pulling me into the story with each page.

Kadence’s push and pull within the budding romance really made sense for the story. I know others might not agree with it, but in my opinion, it was well done. His was a fragile heart surrounded by bars of steel, and I really liked watching how Sal dislodged one bar at a time.

This book had great romance scenes, incredible action, amazing characters, and vivid details. Definitely worth the read!

by Sydney Winward

New Release! A Glimpse of Music

If you’ve been following the Sunlight and Shadows series, the third installment, A Glimpse of Music, releases today! This book can also be read as a standalone.

Here’s a little of what you will find in the pages:

  • Hidden feelings
  • Plenty of longing
  • One blanket
  • Best friend’s ex!
Get Your Copy HEre!

Blurb

If fate gives you a third chance, would you take it?

Joel Harrington has been in love with the same woman for as long as he could remember. But he had to watch her court his best friend, and then marry his king. Now that she’s once more unattached, he refuses to let her slip through his fingers for a third time.

Darkness torments Nyana’s memories, and even after her cruel husband is killed, he still haunts her from the grave. When her past refuses to leave her alone, it puts not only her, but her daughters in danger. She has no choice but to lean on the man she has called a friend for the past eight years, a friend whose charms she tries hard to resist.

But along with the growing threat to her family, she keeps an even more dangerous secret—a secret that could change her life forever.

Excerpt

Something tickled his foot, and as an involuntary reaction, he kicked before resuming perusing the book. Did Forest Fae have flies in the winter? Or were some other bugs flying around in here?

A chuckle escaped him as the bug tickled his foot again. He kicked. But when he spotted the end of a feather reaching through the slats on the sofa’s end to tickle the bottom of his feet once more, he laughed. He swore he heard a snicker in response.

“There must be a fly loose in this house,” he said loudly for Maisy’s benefit, only to hear the faintest muffled snicker again. “They won’t leave my poor toes alone.”

When the feather reached through the bars for the third time, he jumped up and growled playfully with the intent of scaring Maisy. But too late, he realized the girls were still upstairs, and he found himself gazing back at a pair of mischievous blue eyes.

“Nyana!” he gasped, and his hand slipped in surprise. He couldn’t catch himself as he flipped over the side of the sofa and landed directly on top of her.

Before he managed to recover from his shock, she tickled his sides, and laughter erupted from his mouth as he writhed against her fingers. “Stop!” he begged, trying to push her away as he guffawed. He retaliated by tickling her between the shoulder blades, and she quickly joined in with her own laughter.

At least until she flipped him over and straddled his waist, pinning him down by the arms. All coherent thought fled his mind as his gaze traveled from her hair that tumbled over her shoulders like a golden waterfall to the delicate smile on her pink lips to the vibrancy in her blue eyes. Her skin contained a healthy glow, the dark circles no longer prominent beneath her eyes. She radiated beauty. Inside and out.

And he couldn’t stop himself from caressing the golden waves inches from his face.

by Sydney Winward

Cover Reveal: Through Wylder Meadows

Blurb

When Sophia Meadows’ closest friend dies—the man she has secretly loved for years—a piece of her soul dies with him. Two years later, along her journey to meet her new fiancé, bandits derail and rob her train. She encounters the man who ripped her heart out with his death two years earlier. Alive and healthy.

Samuel Woods is a bounty hunter, and when one of his jobs goes south, he fakes his death to protect those he loves. When he runs into Sophia during a job, he’s floored. He has to win back her trust, and her heart, before she shuts away from him completely and returns to the man she’s been promised to.

However, the danger Samuel feared for so long returns when the bandits threaten her life. He must stop them and finish his job, otherwise he’ll lose the woman he loves for a second time.

Pre-Order Through Wylder Meadows
by Sydney Winward

Release Date for Yours, Sterling!

Blurb

If the enemy finds her, they will kill her.

An arranged marriage to a younger man wasn’t what Kathleen de Clare had in mind for her future, but after an assassination attempt on their wedding day, a war tears them apart. Sequestered in the safety of the mountains stitching up injured soldiers and mending broken bones, she must wait out the war.

But what if it doesn’t end?

For all his life, Sterling Winfield has only known loss. His parents were assassinated, forcing him to take the throne at a young age. When his new wife’s very life is threatened, he does the only thing he thinks he can do. He hides her. But are letters enough to build a friendship with a stranger and keep their relationship alive? Will he lose her to war? Will the distance destroy what happiness they could have had together? Or will their reunion be as sweet as her letters?

Get a Copy of Yours, Sterling!
by Sydney Winward

Cover Reveal for Marilyn Barr’s Pirate Series

  • Walk the Walk Amazon Buy Links (Available on KU after release dates)

Walk the Plank Book Blurb:

Branko learns he will be sold into slavery when they dock in Charles Town, so he doesn’t hesitate to jump ship onto a neighboring sloop in the harbor. This boat will weigh anchor with him at the helm–once he decides what to do with the lady chained in the cargo hold who claims she’s a vampire.

Magda Dashkovari’s body has been given to science while she’s still living in it. Her prayers are answered when a pirate boards her boat, but she should have asked for her rescuer to be less bloodthirsty than she is…

Scientists hunt her in town, plantation owners hunt him from the north and south, Blackbeard blocks Charles Town Harbor to the east, and a war rages between settlers and natives to the west. These unlikely allies will have to link together to escape a life in chains…but will their trust in each other endure their journey to freedom?

Walk the Plank Excerpt:

“Who is Blackbeard?” My heart skips a beat at her naivete. Her accent is foreign, so I forgive the slight. Unfortunately, she takes the opening to worm her way further into my mind. “We got off to a poor start. I am Magda Dashkovari, and I am a vampire.”

My disbelief bubbles like a good ale as we reach the deck. Gut-busting, belly-aching, side-stitching laughter brings tears to my eyes. From a madman captain who masquerades as a demon to a madwoman boat owner who masquerades as a vampire—I can pick ’em, can’t I? She wraps her wrist with furious revolutions while I wipe my tears.

“I don’t care what you are,” I tell her, “as long as you are leaving.”

“I could drain you.”

“I could throw you overboard.”

“I’m staying.”

“—in Charles Town Harbor, and this boat is leaving.”

“I will sink this boat before I let you return it to my husband! Whatever he has promised in reward is a lie. Once you are in his harbor, one of his minions will drain you—”

“Oh, he’s a vampire, too. Is there a whole colony waiting for me somewhere? Listen, sea hag, I don’t know your husband, and the last thing in my future is to return his boat.”

Author Bio:

Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, certified spiritual/energy healer, and advocate for the autistic community. This puts her in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated. 

When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula. She is a sucker (haha) for cheesy horror movies, Italian food, punk music, black cats, bad puns, and all things witchy.

Marilyn’s Social Media Links:

website * Instagram * Twitter * Facebook * Amazon author profile * Goodreads * BookBub

by Sydney Winward

K.D. Peters’ Cover Reveal for The Sphere of Spirit

Blurb

The Sphere is an ultimate weapon to destroy a world and requires the sacrifice of ten magical kids. Nine are missing and novice fae, Sophie, is the tenth.

Seventeen-year-old Sophie Emerson struggles to keep her clairvoyance a secret. Seeing the future belongs to the Dark Ones. But when Sophie’s visions display the nine missing kids from the village and place herself in the middle of it all, she has a choice to make. Reveal her secret and suffer the consequences or end up being the missing segment of a weapon that will bring forth the apocalypse.

Excerpt

She gasped. “Today marked a year, Soph.” 

“Hmph.” I sighed, thinking that yesterday, a year ago, my life was normal. The change had started with a dream of a flaming bird. The phoenix lured me closer with its angelic melody, and when I reached it, I burned. It felt so real that when I opened my eyes, the pain still lingered. I woke up in the hospital, discovering that the migraine caused this pain. The killer headache had visited regularly, and it was the reason I was lying in this bed. The last part of the change…

The door swung open and Colby, the nurse, ferried herself into my room. Her curvy hips moved side to side with each step and her furious red hair was a few flickers away from glowing. Her sleek, black tail swayed behind her butt. She’d become a dear friend the past four days. Colby grabbed the chart in front of my bed and attached the result of my latest MRI for Dr. Bryanston.

I kept staring at her tail as Mom asked the dreaded question. “You know what is taking so long?” 

“I’m sure it’s prepping the OR, Mrs. Emerson,” Colby said. “Nothing to worry about. Dr. Bryanston will be here shortly.”

Colby’s eyes flickered to me, flashed her grin—only for her favorite patients—and winked before she turned and flounced out of the room.

My mother sighed. 

“Relax, look for a cheesecake recipe, something that your family can enjoy.”

“Haha, funny.”

Colby wasn’t the only one with a tail. There were others, too. Some had cat ears, others owned a mean pair of ram horns. One guy even had an eagle beak, but they were scarce. These human-creatures walked among the ordinary folk of Tacoma, Washington and now Atlanta. Not a single word escaped my lips about what I could see, especially to Francis and Daniel Emerson, my adoptive parents.

Faint bells chimed. I closed my eyes for a brief second before opening them. Oh, yeah, I forgot about the orbs of silver bright light that appeared with the tails and ears. The faint ringing of the bells followed whenever these specks of lights soared above me. Their brightness enhanced the headaches, so I made it my mission to ignore them. The tiny speck flew past Dr. Bryanston, trailing into the room. “You ready, Sophie?”

About the Author

KD Peters loves the fantasy genre and is a young adult at heart. She dabbles in crossover genres with fantasy as one of her favorites. Mythical creatures like phoenixes and shape-shifting griffins are, among others, she created herself in The Sphere of Spirit. She’ll release her debut novel in the Legacy born series in 2022. If you want to know more about KD Peters, visit her website at kdpeters.com where you can follow her on her social media accounts.

Website: www.kdpeters.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdpetersauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KDPeters4
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.dpetersauthor/

by Sydney Winward

New Release: A Waltz with Lord Death

Blurb

Lord Death kills everything he touches, and worse, each day, he loses more control of his power. He has to find a replacement for Life before it’s too late, but in order to transfer Life’s power to another host, he must first kiss them to exchange a breath. No one has survived his deadly kiss.

Meira Abrams is determined to rise above her humble beginnings and doesn’t have time for relationships, especially with a mysterious man who refuses to tell her his name. Nevertheless, she is drawn to him and his incredulous offer…but can she really trust him?

When he meets Meira, he is not only in danger of losing control of his power, but his heart as well. But is a smooth, shifty fortune teller really the best option for the job? And is she strong enough to accept his kiss of Life without losing her soul?

Get Your Copy of A Waltz with Lord Death
by Sydney Winward

A Taste of Shadows Is Out Today!

She has lived her entire life in silence. One mistake could mean someone’s life. Only one man can help her, but getting close to him could kill him.

Excerpt From A Taste of Shadows

The swish of skirts drew his attention to the young lady who stood to Lord Auer’s right. His gaze traveled up a full skirt made of slim feathers in a variety of different shades, a bodice of intricate beadwork, and sheer sleeves at the shoulders. Long hair cascaded over one shoulder, leading up to a slender neck, and her face was covered by a harp-shaped mask that reminded him of a cage. The moment their eyes met, it was as if he tumbled over the edge of a cliff, but instead of crashing, he kept falling and falling and falling.

A thousand butterflies crawled through his stomach. His heart squeezed inside his chest. The young woman was beautiful. And as he approached, she never took her eyes off him. 

Buy Your Copy of A Taste of SHadows
by Sydney Winward