Jocelynn Drake's Blog: Announcements, page 8

Bundle Up This Winter

I know there are a lot of readers out there who prefer to read collections of books. It's great to be able to plow through several novels in a single book, binging all the romance and action all at once.

It's a fabulous chance to get completely lost in a world and fall in love with characters.

I thought I would pop in today and share all the collections and bundles that we've pulled together over the past few years that you might not be aware of.

If you're just starting any of these series, this is a great way to binge all the stories and get lost in the adventure.

For Unbreakable Bonds, we actually have a couple of collections that you can jump into depending on how you want to get lost in the stories.

By Couple

Each book contains the first novel for the couple as well as the matching short story collection.

Lucas & Andrei - contains Shiver and Unbreakable Stories: Lucas
Snow & Jude - contains Shatter and Unbreakable Stories: Snow
Rowe & Noah - contains Torch and Unbreakable Stories: Rowe
Ian & Hollis - contains Devour and Unbreakable Stories: Ian

Reading Order

Each collection contains at least two novels and a short story collection. The books are arranged in preferred reading order.

The Unbreakables Volume 1 - contains Shiver, Unbreakable Stories: Lucas, Shatter
The Unbreakable Volume 2 - contains Unbreakable Stories: Snow, Torch, Devour
The Unbreakables Volume 3 - contains Unbreakable Stories: Rowe, Unbreakable Stories: Ian, Blaze, Fracture

We will be released the fourth and final Unbreakables volume in early 2021, which will contain Ignite, Rialto, and The Unbreakable B short story.

For the complete reading order of the entire Unbreakable Bonds universe, please click here.

We've got more bundles and collections pulled together for books besides the Unbreakable Bonds series.

If you haven't started the Ward Security series yet, or have a friend who needs to jump in, one great way to start is with the Ward Security Bundle Volume 1. This collection contains: Psycho Romeo, Dantes Unglued, and Deadly Dorian. Three full-length novels in a single volume!

Keeping with all the action, danger, and romance, I also have a series that follows two assassins as they fall in love and try to build a life together. You can read the entire Exit Strategy series following Justin and Gabriel in the Exit Strategy Bundle. This collection contains: Deadly Lover, Lover Calling, Vengeful Lover, and Final Lover.

And, of course, we could use a little Christmas magic. If you want to fall in love over the holidays, be sure to grab up the Ice & Snow Christmas Collection. This bundle contains four holiday novellas: Walking on Thin Ice; Ice, Snow & Mistletoe; Snowball's Chance, and Defrosting Jack.

I hope this helps to keep you busy reading all through the holidays!

Fall in Love With Grey

It's here! It's finally here! The wait is over.

You finally get all your questions answered in relation to Grey, his injury, and that nasty question we left at the end of WILD WARRIOR.

We had a lot of fun working on Grey's book. We were excited to meet the man who could finally crack through Grey's protective shell and get to the heart of the man.

But we also needed someone who would fit well within the Weavers. We're steadily building a family and we needed someone who would work in that dynamic.

If you've not heard about Blind Warrior yet, here are some details on this book:

Grey Ackles

The Soul Weaver feels useless.

A burden endangering his brothers.

The last battle with the pestilents cost Grey his sight and powers.

Now he’s dependent on his vision rehabilitation therapist Cort to learn how to function on a daily basis.

But as he grows closer to Cort, Grey is left wanting his powers back for a new reason—how will he ever know if the man he’s falling for is actually his soul mate?

Cort Newton

There is some really weird stuff going on at that house.

Spell books, guns, and a giraffe in the backyard?

But no matter how strange it gets, Cort is not going to leave the grumpy writer.

Adjusting to sudden blindness is hard for everyone, but Grey clearly has deeper reason for needing his vision back at any cost. Cort just wished Grey would confide in him.

Even with Grey’s secrets, Cort has never been drawn to a man like he is with Grey and he will do anything to keep this man safe.

Blind Warrior is the third book in the Weavers Circle series. It includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, shapeshifting, brainwashed assassins, a gorilla, sexy times, fun with water, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, and magic!

Each book is linked and builds off the previous one. That means you need to read the series in order to keep up with all the action.

But that's okay! You just get to binge the first three books of this six-book series! Start reading today:

Broken Warrior - Clay has been on the run too long to risk his heart, but this new family needs a leader.

Wild Warrior - A case of mistaken identity has Baer dragging an innocent into danger, but could he also be the key to unlocking Baer's heart?

Blind Warrior - Wounded Grey worries he's putting his family in danger with the loss of his powers. Does he have a place in the Weavers any longer?

Both the ebook and print editions of all three books are now available. We will begin recording the audio books with Kirt Graves in January, so the audio books will be available starting in early 2021!

Holiday Fun

I know I'm running a little early this year when it comes to talking about holiday cheer.

But 2020...it's been a year. It feels like it's been an entire decade.

And I thought that there is nothing wrong with embracing the warmth and magic of the season just a little bit earlier this year.

One of my neighbors had their Christmas lights and tree up before Halloween and it just made me smile. The year has been rough for everyone and if you need the holiday cheer earlier, then embrace it.

I'm already looking to close this year out with a bit of an adventure - the husband and I are house shopping.

But in the middle of the searching, dealing with banks, talking to realtors, packings, and then of course all the new releases coming, I thought I would round up some holiday books for you.

This year, I didn't have time to write a brand new solo Christmas story, but don't worry! I've got good stuff for you.

First, if you haven't read any of my holiday novellas, I have them now available as a bundle collection. That's four novellas (more than 175,000 words) crammed into one book! Here's some quick details on the Ice & Snow Christmas Bundle:

Get swept away in holiday love and laughter in this exclusive Christmas novella anthology.

Fall in love with fake boyfriends, second chance romance, and a little workplace heat.

Pick up four fun holiday novellas in one bundle!

Walking on Thin Ice (fake boyfriends)

Ice, Snow, & Mistletoe (second chance)

Snowball’s Chance (enemy-to-lovers workplace)

Defrosting Jack (bisexual awakening age gap)

Curl up with some new holiday book boyfriends now!

In those four novellas that are loosely linked, you should be able to find what you're in the mood for.

I had a lot of fun working on those over the years and I am planning to write a new solo Christmas novella next year to kick off a new four-book Christmas series.

And since you're now in the mood to pick up some holiday stories, let me offer up a few more suggestions.

Did you know my writing partner, Rinda Elliott, also has a Christmas novella?

Noble is a sweet story about returning home and second chance romance. If you've not read it yet, I highly suggest picking it up!

You can get your copy at getbook.at/Noble.

And if you're looking for something that's a little more paranormal but still embracing the holiday spirit, then let me suggest my other writing partner's book, Brandon's Very Merry Haunted Christmas.

It's a fun story that kicks off a spin-off paranormal series that involves an unexpectedly haunted snow globe.

You'll definitely want to grab this one up!

In the meantime, there are still lots of books coming out in 2020.

BLIND WARRIOR, book 3 of the Weavers Circle is due to come out on November 20. You can pre-order your copy now so you don't miss a second. If you've not jumped on this paranormal adventure yet, it's the perfect time to read BROKEN WARRIOR and WILD WARRIOR.

In addition, BREATH, book 2 of the Scales 'N' Spells series is due out in early December. If you've not started this dragon shifter series yet, grab ORIGIN today! What's more, we are going to release a special holiday novella the first week of January called WISH. It will be free for one week and then we will be moving it to Amazon ahead of the release of book 3.

Healing Aiden Is Out!

I can't believe it! It's finally here. Healing Aiden, the fifth and final book of the Lords of Discord series, is finally available.

I loved writing this book. I loved giving Aiden his happily ever after. The vampire so deserved it. Yes, he had a loving family of son who made his life happy and entertaining. But there was a hole in his heart and I think he got just who he needed to make him feel complete.

While I am excited to have Aiden in the hands of readers, I am sad to be saying goodbye to the Variks. I never expected such joy when working with these characters. When they were in a room together, there was no controlling what came out of their mouths. Their endless teasing and snarky banter reminded me of my own brothers at times.

If you're not familiar with the story for Aiden, here's a quick description:

Aiden Varik has had two great loves in his very long life.

And he lost them both too soon.

His only wish is to protect his four vampire sons and their mates.

But someone from Aiden’s distant past has returned to break down the walls erected around his wounded heart.

Temptation never tasted so sweet.

Can Aiden find the strength to risk his heart yet again? Especially when this man is accompanied by Aiden’s enemies.

Healing Aiden is the fifth and final book in the Lords of Discord paranormal romance series. This book contains vampires, werewolves, witches, overprotective sons, secrets, broken hearts, hope, redemption, and a love that will never end.

And if you've not read the series yet, now is the perfect time to binge all FIVE books!

Claiming Marcus
Saving Rafe
Waking Bel
Embracing Winter
Healing Aiden

In the meantime, I'm still working on lots of projects right now. AJ Sherwood and I are hard at work on the second book of the Scales 'N' Spells series. You can read the first book, Origin, now. In addition, Rinda Elliott and I are working on the edits for Blind Warrior, which is now up for pre-order and will be available November 20.

Happy reading!

The Dragons Have Escape!

In other words, ORIGIN, book 1 of the Scales 'N' Spells series, is now available.

It has dragons, mages, fated mates, shenanigans, explosions, sexy massages, and sooooo much fun.

I had a lot of fun working on this book with AJ Sherwood. We are already hard at work writing the second book, which will feature Baldewin and a very angry mage.

We've had several readers ask and let me quickly say that this is not an Mpreg book. I know for some readers that is a make or break point. There are magical ways for our mages to have baby dragons, but they don't include the man carrying the baby.

But before we can get to babies, we have to get them to fall in love first!

If you've not heard about ORIGIN yet, here are some details:

Cameron wants to make it clear that he did not go into the festival to find a dragon mate.

Germany is supposed to be an escape. With a new mechanical engineering degree, a new job looming, and a whole life planned out that isn’t his, Germany seems like the best place to find himself.

So, how does he end up discovering his lost magic heritage, running from bad guys with a secret agenda, and being adopted by the not-so-extinct Fire Dragon clan?

Cameron blames tall, dark, and sexy Alric, King of the Fire Dragons. His fated mate. Because of course he is, and mates are meant to take the blame, right?

It may take a hot second, but as Cameron learns more about the scarred Alric and the life he’s landed in, Cameron realizes that perhaps this is where he’s meant to be, magic and mates and kidnapping and all.

Turns out coming to Germany wasn’t an escape but his awakening.

Tags: Not-so-extinct, Shifter dragons, mages, fated mates, secret clans, epic libraries, hurt/comfort, not mpreg, age gap, not that Alric cares, magical heritage, mechanical engineers being BAMF, grumpy dragon kings being protective of their cute mates, really the cuteness is downright criminal, we might need a firehose for these two, or not, sass, so much sass, Ravi and Cameron are no longer allowed to be alone together, for reasons, dragons hoarding, when you live long enough statistics will get you, bats named Cheryl, beheadings, no damsels in distress here, just very unhappy mages, with trigger fingers, anyone have life hacks on how to get rid of kidnappers, Cameron is open to suggestions.

If you're looking for a nice, hefty read to carry you through the weekend, this book clocks in at 130,000 words.

Also, be sure to stop by AJ Sherwood's Facebook group on Saturday between 7pm and 9pm EST for our little release celebration. We'll be having a bigger party next week!

Happy reading!

New Books to Close 2020

As we race toward the end of the year, I thought I’d give a quick overview of what’s coming your way so you can mark your calendar. Trust me, you’re gonna want to plan out our reading time for all this fun stuff.

Let’s get to it!

DRAGONS – yeah, I’ve always wanted to write something with dragons and the opportunity finally shoved up when I decided to team up with AJ Sherwood. The first book of our new Scales N’ Spells series —ORIGIN— will be out on October 2. We are not planning to do a pre-order for this one, but there will be social media posts and newsletter goodness. You can put it on your Goodreads To-Read list right now!

In the meantime, AJ and I are working on the second book to the series, which should be out in early December. What’s more, we are also working on a special little something dragon related to be released in January. To keep up on all that dragon-related news, sign up for my newsletter here. (If you’re already getting the Drake & Elliott newsletter, you’re covered.)

VAMPIRES – Yes, my heart is breaking too. I don’t want to say goodbye to the Variks either. But if I don’t close out a series, then I never get to move on to new and fun things like dragons or warlocks or mercenaries (more on that in a moment. HEALING AIDEN will be out October 9. You can pre-order your copy now. If you haven’t started reading the series, now is the perfect time to jump into the previous four novels. Start reading now!

WEAVERS – I feel like we just released WILD WARRIOR and we’re already focused on the next book! But Rinda and I are finishing up our edits on BLIND WARRIOR right now. Grey’s book moves on to the editors next week and we’re looking at an early November release. We will be providing a pre-order for the book so be ready! You can read the first two books here.

UNBREAKABLE B – This short story has been free to readers for nearly a year and it’s time for it to come down. If you’ve not grabbed up this fun short about all the Unbreakable boys before Ian’s wedding, you need to grab it now. We will be putting it up for sale on Amazon, but don’t you want to grab it for FREE???

CHARACTER Q&A – For a month, we did a character Q&A, where the characters from Unbreakable Bonds, Ward Security, Pineapple Grove, and Weavers Circle answered reader questions. Since everyone loved it so much, we are planning to bundle all the answers together in a free book. This freebie will be replacing UNBREAKABLE B when it’s ready, which will probably be November or December. Watch your newsletter and the Unbreakable Readers group for the announcement.

  2021

What’s coming next year?

I’ve got my schedule made out for 2021 and it’s a little crazy, but there are going to be so many fun books!

Drake & Elliott will be finishing out the last three books in the WEAVERS CIRCLE series.

Sherwood & Drake will be providing dragon books for the Scales N’ Spells series.

And just little Jocelynn Drake will be revisiting some assassins. I want to create a special expanded edition of DEADLY LOVER before I finally give Ghost his happily ever after. There might be another character from that series who is also starting to whisper in my ear, but we haven’t figured out that story yet. After that, I believe I’m going to play with some brand new mercenaries who look like a lot of fun.

So 2021 will be dragons, warlocks, assassins, and mercenaries. Oh My!

Winter Is Here!

Winter is here! Winter is here!

I don't think I've ever been so excited about the arrival of Winter. But this isn't about snow storms and dressing in layers.

This is Winter Varik and it's time to learn this vampire's secrets.

I have been dying for this book to be released at last! I love Winter. Well, I love all the Variks, but Winter has a special place in my heart for all he's suffered and all his dark secrets.

And it is finally time to share them all.

Plus, there's the added bonus of meeting the man who will thaw Winter's heart.

If you've not gotten the details on Winter's book yet, here is a quick description:

Winter Varik believes in only one thing—protecting his family.

Even from himself.

For nearly 200 years, he’s kept a dangerous secret from his brothers.

But Winter might have found his salvation in the form of a sexy witch named Fox.

Too bad this same witch was named in a prophecy foretelling the destruction of the Variks.

In a race to uncover the truth behind the prophecy and take down a vampire determined to kill all the Variks, Winter may have to choose between finally having his heart’s desire and the family he loves.

Embracing Winter is the fourth book in the Lords of Discord paranormal romance series. This book contains vampires, werewolves, witches, nosy brothers, music, lots of rope, sass, hope, dirty talk, redemption, and a love that will never end. And did I mention rope? Lots of rope.

Plus, if you've not heard yet, I did make a very special announcement at the end of Winter's book. Yes, there will be a book for Aiden. It's called Healing Aiden and it will be out on October 9. You can pre-order now so you don't miss the release!

Origin-Does Jocelynn Have a New Series?

I feel like I've been sitting on this secret forever.

Well, it hasn't been forever. It hasn't even been a year. But 2020 has already been the longest year ever, so my sense of time is clearly skewed.

But I'm wandering away from my point.

And my point is that I've got a new series coming and a new writing partner for this one.

What am I talking about?

Dragons and AJ Sherwood.

Yeah, maybe I should backpedal a little bit. AJ Sherwood and I have been chatting for a bit. We like each other's writing style. She likes my assassins and vampires. I like her magical mystery-solving Jon and her Unholy Trifecta of assassin, thief, and hacker.

She might have said, "Hey, you wanna work together?"

I might have said, "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

She might have said, "You got any ideas for a series?"

I might have said, "Well, I got this dragons and mage thing rattling around in my head."

She might have said, "You son of a bitch, I'm in."

Clearly I'm paraphrasing and maybe channeling a little Rick & Morty, but you get the idea. We looked at our calendars for the first opening we had and decided we'd starting writing in July.

It's now August and ORIGIN, book 1 of the Spells n' Scales series is now with the editor. We are aiming for a late September 2020 launch. The cover is done and we can't wait to share it. The series is currently set for four books.

Here is a quick description of ORIGIN:

Cameron wants to make it clear that he did not go into the festival to find a dragon mate.

Germany is supposed to be an escape. With a new mechanical engineering degree, a new job looming, and a whole life planned out that isn’t his, Germany seems like the best place to find himself. 

So how does he end up discovering his lost magic heritage, running from bad guys with a secret agenda, and being adopted by the not-so-extinct Fire Dragon clan? 

Cameron blames tall, dark, and sexy Alric, king of the Fire dragons. His fated mate. Because of course he is, and mates are meant to take the blame, right? 

It may take a hot second, but as Cameron learns more about the scarred Alric and the life he’s landed in, Cameron realizes that perhaps this is where he’s meant to be, magic and mates and kidnapping and all.

Turns out coming to Germany wasn’t an escape but his awakening.

Tags:  Not-so-extinct, Shifter dragons, mages, fated mates, secret clans, epic libraries, hurt/comfort, age gap, not that Alric cares, magical heritage, mechanical engineers being BAMF, grumpy dragon kings being protective of their cute mates, really the cuteness is downright criminal, we might need a firehose for these two, or not, sass, so much sass, Ravi and Cameron are no longer allowed to be alone together, for reasons, dragons hoarding, when you live long enough statistics will get you, bats named Cheryl, beheadings, no damsels in distress here, just very unhappy mages, with trigger fingers, anyone have life hacks on how to get rid of kidnappers, Cameron is open to suggestions

Stay tuned for more details coming soon. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter for the launch. We won't be doing a pre-order for Origin.

If you have not tried AJ Sherwood yet, I highly recommend:

Jon's Mysteries Case Series

Mack's Marvelous Manifestations Series

Unholy Trifecta Series

Wild Warrior Is Out!

YAY! Wild Warrior is now out!

We are so excited for you to meet Wiley and watch him fall in love with our adorable animal shifter Baer.

This was such a fun story to write. It starts out with a mistaken identity that might not be a mistaken identity. Add some chaos and then some meddling "brothers" keeping a big secret. You just know that it's going to be lots of fun.

And what's more, we have a special LOST CHAPTER to share with Baer's book. However, the only way you can get the lost chapter is to sign up for our newsletter!!

Don't worry. We won't spam you. We send out only one newsletter per month with all our exciting updates.

If you've not grabbed your copy yet and are wondering what Wild Warrior is about, here is a quick description:

Baer Manning

What happens when Baer spills his big secret about monsters and magic to a total stranger?

Chaos.

In Baer’s defense, he really thought Wiley was a lost brother.

This case of mistaken identity forces the cute artist to stay at the plantation house for his own protection while they search for a way to take down a witch.

Wiley Stuart

He never should have gotten in Baer’s Jeep.

But in Wiley’s defense, Baer is really sexy. And funny. And so sweet. And did he mention sexy?

All his life he’d dreamed of superheroes and a life of action. He just never expected to find himself swept up into a world filled with monsters and goddesses.

Wiley will do anything to stay with this magical band of brothers and help them with their fight. He just wished he could be Baer’s soul mate.

Wild Warrior is the second book in the Weavers Circle series. It includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, swimming pool fun, shapeshifting, an elephant, sexy times, lots of snakes, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, and magic!

Grab your copy now at getbook.at/WildWarrior. And if you haven't started the series yet, now is great time to get caught up! Grab Broken Warrior now!

All the Audio Goodness

I have good news!

We've had a whole lotta audio books go live all at once.

These are the bundle collections that we've been waiting on since MAY! They are now live.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for all these lovely pieces to come out. They are they last audios that were created by our beloved Kenneth Obi before his passing earlier this summer.

But a lot of audio listeners are wondering what to buy, how to get all the stories they have been dying to hear.

Let me see if I can help to clear things up a little bit by listing what's available, what you get in the bundles, and what we're still waiting on!

Individual Books
Shiver
Shatter
Torch
Devour
Blaze
Fracture
Ignite
Rialto
Psycho Romeo
Dantes Unglued
Deadly Dorian
Sadistic Sherlock

Special Edition Bundles
Lucas & Andrei - comes with Shiver AND Unbreakable Stories: Lucas
Snow & Jude - comes with Shatter AND Unbreakable Stories: Snow

Mega Book Bundles
The Unbreakables Volume 1 - comes with Shiver, Unbreakable Stories: Lucas, Shatter
The Unbreakables Volume 2 - comes with Unbreakable Stories: Snow, Torch, Devour
The Ward Security Bundle Volume 1 - comes with Psycho Romeo, Dantes Unglued, and Deadly Dorian

What Hasn't Been Recorded Yet

As you may have heard, our narrator Kenneth Obi passed away earlier this year. We are incredibly sadden by his passing .He was wonderful to work with.

We had a lot of big plans for future projects and many things in the works. Before his passing we were unable to record:

Unbreakable Stories: Rowe
Unbreakable Stories: Ian
Killer Bond
Something About Jace
All For Wesley
Broken Warrior

Later this year, we will begin the search for a new narrator to take over our books. As soon as we've made a decision and develop a schedule, we will be sharing the news with readers!

Thanks again for all your patience and support!