Kaje Harper's Blog - Posts Tagged "2024"
"Impurrfections" is now available
I just released
Impurrfections
- the second book in the multi-author stand-alone series Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue which is related to the Single Dads series (and Kevin from Alec has a cameo in this book.)
Universal link - https://books2read.com/Impurrfections
Shane has traveled from state to state with his cat Mimsy, never finding a place to put down roots.
Theo left his toxic grandparents at 17 and made a life for himself, in ways he never talks about.
Now, in the abandoned wine venue Theo has inherited, Theo's past pain and Shane's resilience bring them together, to build something new.
* hurt-comfort
* rich-poor
* toxic past
* for the love of cats and dogs
* building trust
Universal link - https://books2read.com/Impurrfections
Shane has traveled from state to state with his cat Mimsy, never finding a place to put down roots.
Theo left his toxic grandparents at 17 and made a life for himself, in ways he never talks about.
Now, in the abandoned wine venue Theo has inherited, Theo's past pain and Shane's resilience bring them together, to build something new.
* hurt-comfort
* rich-poor
* toxic past
* for the love of cats and dogs
* building trust
New Werewolves novella in preorder
Once an Alpha will be out this summer.I finished the main sequence of the Hidden Wolves Minneapolis West Pack with Unplanned Coda but the werewolves are just so much fun to write. A charity anthology wanted a paranormal story from me, and I set out to write a short Wolves tale, and ended up with a 44,000 word novella. I wrote another short story but that left me with a novella floating around. So I decided to publish it (with the short story, which I'll have rights back to, at the end as a bonus.) Releasing July 18 2024.
Once an Alpha
David was holed up alone, grieving for his wife and unborn child, letting the pack he rebuilt over the last twenty years as Alpha be run by his loyal Second, Rob, and his Third, Sherman. Finally, Sherman got tired of his apathy and Challenged him. David could've taken Sherman down, no sweat. Rob could've wiped the dirt with Sherman. What held them back was a memory of one night when they were seventeen, and twenty years of wanting. If they were free, away from the homophobia of the pack, away from responsibilities, what might they finally have together?
So David suppressed all his Alpha instincts and walked away. Rob, as always, went with him. Now they're in David's truck, heading west through the Wyoming mountains. They're just David and Rob, no longer a pack but two men trying to figure out if they can be anything more to each other.
Until they stop in a small town for a meal, and someone steals David's truck, someone who smells like a wolf. Trouble's afoot, lone wolves can use some help, and David's discovering once an Alpha, always an Alpha. But if they help these wolves, if they stick around, is any relationship they might've had doomed to be shoved back into the closet?
Set in 2010, a year before Unacceptable Risk in the bad old days of the packs, this is a Hidden Wolves universe standalone 44,000 word novella with new characters.
Content warnings for grief, past abuse, past captivity, and violence.
Contains the added bonus 5K short story Toby, Doyle, and the Cats.
This preorder is currently up on Amazon and is on Smashwords for a wishlist memo, and will appear wide in preorder soon: https://books2read.com/OnceAnAlphaKaje
my Subpar Hero is loose in the world
Transparent Is a Color
is now available on Amazon and in KU - a standalone lighthearted superhero adventure that is part of the Subparheroes universe.I saw this cover pic and Perry popped into my head - not a flying-hero Peregrine-the-Falcon, like his mother wanted, rescuing stranded children and pulling people out of burning buildings, but "the Interior Decorator" - a guy who can change the color of your curtains, or your sweatshirt. Perry thinks his power's pretty useless, but when he spots a bomb, it brings Nova City Bomb Squad Sergeant Deckard into the picture. And together, with the help of Perry's disdained power, these two might just save some lives and find romance.
* opposites attract
* not-so-super hero action and mystery
* slow burn
* low angst adventure
* a talented bomb-sniffing dog
* modest age gap
(content warning for abduction, some violence, low-key parental emotional abuse)
You can find Transparent Is a Color on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Co...
Upcoming books and great new covers
I have gorgeous covers for some new books in the works.
Of course, the next book to come will be Once an Alpha - my latest Hidden Wolves novella. This one is intended to stand alone, but readers of the series will recognize the bad old days of the packs before Unacceptable Risk.
David and Rob thought they'd left pack life behind, and could finally explore what they meant to one another. But once an Alpha, always an Alpha.
This book releases wide on July 20th and is in preorder HERE now.
........
Then look at this awesome cover for my next Carnival of Mysteries book Magic Escaping - releasing Aug 7th.
This is a sequel to Magic Burning - Alan is abducted by a shadowy government agency, but Jason, Sunny, and Alan's friends are not letting him go without a fight. Especially when it turns out that grabbing Alan is just part of a far bigger plot.
You can preorder Magic Escaping on Amazon HERE.
.........
And in October, I will have another book in the Road to Rocktoberfest series. Missing Chord is a second chances, age gap romance releasing October 11. I saw this guy's face and needed to write his story.
Missing Chord is available for preorder on Amazon HERE
..............
I hope to have a couple of other books before the end of the year, but more on those later. :)
Of course, the next book to come will be Once an Alpha - my latest Hidden Wolves novella. This one is intended to stand alone, but readers of the series will recognize the bad old days of the packs before Unacceptable Risk.
David and Rob thought they'd left pack life behind, and could finally explore what they meant to one another. But once an Alpha, always an Alpha.
This book releases wide on July 20th and is in preorder HERE now.
........
Then look at this awesome cover for my next Carnival of Mysteries book Magic Escaping - releasing Aug 7th.
This is a sequel to Magic Burning - Alan is abducted by a shadowy government agency, but Jason, Sunny, and Alan's friends are not letting him go without a fight. Especially when it turns out that grabbing Alan is just part of a far bigger plot.
You can preorder Magic Escaping on Amazon HERE.
.........
And in October, I will have another book in the Road to Rocktoberfest series. Missing Chord is a second chances, age gap romance releasing October 11. I saw this guy's face and needed to write his story.
Missing Chord is available for preorder on Amazon HERE
..............
I hope to have a couple of other books before the end of the year, but more on those later. :)
The Wolves are out!
Today is release day for Once an Alpha - this 45K prequel novella is set a year before Unacceptable Risk - book 1 and is designed to be an alternate intro to the Hidden Wolves world (and also hopefully fun for those who already know my wolves.) I'm delighted to see early reviewers are enjoying meeting David and Rob.
Forbidden love, found family, hurt-comfort, coming out
Once an Alpha universal link - https://books2read.com/OnceAnAlphaKaje
Can I be both Alpha and the man Rob needs me to be?
I spent nineteen years rebuilding the pack I took from our abusive Alpha, with my bondmate Melody as my wife, and my best friend Rob at my side as Second. Then I lost Melody and the child we hoped to have, and my world crashed down on me. I holed up, grieving and fighting conflicting impulses, until my Third, Sherman, got tired of my apathy and Challenged me for pack Alpha.
I could've taken Sherman down, no sweat. Rob could've wiped the dirt with him. What held us back was the memory of one night when we were both seventeen, and three decades of not giving in to impossible dreams. If we were free, away from the violent homophobia of the packs, maybe we could finally be more than Alpha and Second. So I suppressed my Alpha instincts and walked away. Rob, as always, came with me.
Now we're in my truck, heading west into the mountains. Just David and Rob, two men trying to figure out what we can be to each other. Until we stop in a small town for a meal, and someone who smells like a wolf steals my truck. Trouble's afoot, the local lone wolves need help, and I'm discovering that once an Alpha, always an Alpha. But if we get entangled with a new pack, does that mean any relationship Rob and I might've found has to be lost again to werewolf laws?
Set in 2010, a year before Unacceptable Risk in the bad old days of the packs, this is a Hidden Wolves universe standalone 45,000 word novella with new characters.
Content warnings for grief, past pregnancy loss, past abuse, past captivity, and violence.
Contains the added bonus 5K short story Toby, Doyle, and the Cats.
Remember Unacceptable Risk - Hidden Wolves book 1 - is premafree on all vendors, and right now, book 2 Unexpected Demands - Hidden Wolves book 2 is also Free on Smashwords - check them out if you like shifters, or have fun with this new novella.
I can't wait to see what readers think of David and his Rob, (and Toby and Doyle in the sweet short story that follows)
Magic Escaping is out!
Release day for Magic Escaping - the sequel to Magic Burning in the Carnival of Mysteries. I had so much fun getting Alan in trouble and letting Jason, Alan's friends, and Sunny, of course, try to get him out.
Kidnapping Alan may turn out to be the biggest mistake NSEP ever made. His boyfriend Jason's no superhero, Sunny's just a bird, and the rest of Alan's friends are Healers and an elderly sorcerer, but they'll do what it takes to get Alan free, and maybe save the world.
On AZ and in KU - https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Escaping-Mysteries-Kaje-Harper-ebook/dp/B0D6WPN88Q/
Missing Chord is out
My new Road to Rocktoberfest 2024 book is out today. Of course, I didn't manage to write a classic rockstar romance - check out
Missing Chord,
a story of music and aging, mistakes, redemption, and second chances.
On Amazon and in KU - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D81FLFBL
Griffin is 56 and his stellar career has been on the downhill slide.
Lee is 40, a caring nurse-practitioner working in a nursing home.
Once, twenty years ago, they were on their way to something special, but they couldn't make it work. Griffin left for bright lights and fame. Lee raged and cried, and soldiered on with his life.
Now past losses and a terrible mistake have brought them together again, and the spark is still there. But taking another chance means forgiving each other, and themselves. It means risking a pain that twenty years didn't erase. Because Griffin is still aimed at Rocktoberfest and those bright lights, and Lee is still staying home.
Excerpt
Lee
Eventually I made my way to the ground floor, heading for the nursing home kitchen. From the common room, I could hear music, louder than normal and clearer than the TV speakers usually managed to produce. The song snagged at my heart. One of Griffin’s old standards. I remembered when he wrote the tune, sitting naked on the edge of his bed at two a.m., guitar in hand, while I lounged on the pillows beside him, fucked out and drifting.
“How the hell do you still have that much energy?” I’d mumbled.
He’d grinned at me, his blue eyes flashing, lips parted. He’d been clean-shaven then, showing off his gorgeous features. “You inspire me.”
And when I laughed, he’d set aside the guitar, tumbled toward me, and let me inspire him some more…
Water long under the bridge. At one point years back, the memory would’ve made me grit my teeth. Now, it made me smile. No one in my life had ever been like Griffin, before or after.
I was busy as hell since we were perennially short-staffed, but when I had Mr. Vincent’s cup of juice, I detoured by the common room for a moment. The concert was still playing, and I wondered which version of Griffin I’d see on the screen. My sexy, wild-haired man at thirty-six making love to the microphone on his climb to fame? The solid performer of the years after we split, his hair shorter, the first lines creasing beside his eyes, his fingers a blur on the strings? Or the recent Griffin, gray starting to touch his cropped beard and temples, still way too fucking good-looking for a guy who’d passed fifty?
Walking through the archway into the common room, I stopped short. The TV screen was blank. Seated on the piano bench at the front of the room, Griffin coaxed a swift fall of notes from his guitar strings.
Griffin? Here? What the hell? His mother had passed four years ago, at the height of COVID. I’d caught her name in the obituaries, but if he’d come home then, I’d been deep in the bowels of that misery and he hadn’t contacted me. Why’s he here now?
A small piece of me that still ached from the way he’d left me raised a tendril of foolish hope. Is he here for me? Not that I’d take him back, but it would soothe my battered ego a tiny bit.
But when Griffin raised his head to scan the audience in their lounge chairs and wheelchairs and spotted me, the way his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open dashed that idea. He’d clearly had no idea I was around.
Before either of us could say or do something stupid, I ducked back out of sight. Behind me, I heard Griffin play the intro again before the first mellow words of “Iowa Sunset” followed me up the stairs. His tone and vocal control were always most stunning like this— acoustic guitar, simple mic, no backing band. Just Griffin and his art. People still paid damned good money to hear him. Now, here he was, giving a concert to folks half of whom had either never heard of him or had forgotten his name. Most of whom had no idea the privilege they were receiving. I hoped they enjoyed the hell out of it, though.
Our patients’ days tended to be mundane and filled with routine, despite the social director’s best efforts. Scoring Griffin Marsh was a triumph for Kashira. I’d have to congratulate her. After Griffin was gone, of course…
(content notes for health issues, past loss, distracted driving, older parent mental health)
I hope readers will enjoy this story of two older and imperfect men rediscovering each other and doing the work to find lasting love.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D81FLFBL
On Amazon and in KU - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D81FLFBL
Griffin is 56 and his stellar career has been on the downhill slide.
Lee is 40, a caring nurse-practitioner working in a nursing home.
Once, twenty years ago, they were on their way to something special, but they couldn't make it work. Griffin left for bright lights and fame. Lee raged and cried, and soldiered on with his life.
Now past losses and a terrible mistake have brought them together again, and the spark is still there. But taking another chance means forgiving each other, and themselves. It means risking a pain that twenty years didn't erase. Because Griffin is still aimed at Rocktoberfest and those bright lights, and Lee is still staying home.
Excerpt
Lee
Eventually I made my way to the ground floor, heading for the nursing home kitchen. From the common room, I could hear music, louder than normal and clearer than the TV speakers usually managed to produce. The song snagged at my heart. One of Griffin’s old standards. I remembered when he wrote the tune, sitting naked on the edge of his bed at two a.m., guitar in hand, while I lounged on the pillows beside him, fucked out and drifting.
“How the hell do you still have that much energy?” I’d mumbled.
He’d grinned at me, his blue eyes flashing, lips parted. He’d been clean-shaven then, showing off his gorgeous features. “You inspire me.”
And when I laughed, he’d set aside the guitar, tumbled toward me, and let me inspire him some more…
Water long under the bridge. At one point years back, the memory would’ve made me grit my teeth. Now, it made me smile. No one in my life had ever been like Griffin, before or after.
I was busy as hell since we were perennially short-staffed, but when I had Mr. Vincent’s cup of juice, I detoured by the common room for a moment. The concert was still playing, and I wondered which version of Griffin I’d see on the screen. My sexy, wild-haired man at thirty-six making love to the microphone on his climb to fame? The solid performer of the years after we split, his hair shorter, the first lines creasing beside his eyes, his fingers a blur on the strings? Or the recent Griffin, gray starting to touch his cropped beard and temples, still way too fucking good-looking for a guy who’d passed fifty?
Walking through the archway into the common room, I stopped short. The TV screen was blank. Seated on the piano bench at the front of the room, Griffin coaxed a swift fall of notes from his guitar strings.
Griffin? Here? What the hell? His mother had passed four years ago, at the height of COVID. I’d caught her name in the obituaries, but if he’d come home then, I’d been deep in the bowels of that misery and he hadn’t contacted me. Why’s he here now?
A small piece of me that still ached from the way he’d left me raised a tendril of foolish hope. Is he here for me? Not that I’d take him back, but it would soothe my battered ego a tiny bit.
But when Griffin raised his head to scan the audience in their lounge chairs and wheelchairs and spotted me, the way his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open dashed that idea. He’d clearly had no idea I was around.
Before either of us could say or do something stupid, I ducked back out of sight. Behind me, I heard Griffin play the intro again before the first mellow words of “Iowa Sunset” followed me up the stairs. His tone and vocal control were always most stunning like this— acoustic guitar, simple mic, no backing band. Just Griffin and his art. People still paid damned good money to hear him. Now, here he was, giving a concert to folks half of whom had either never heard of him or had forgotten his name. Most of whom had no idea the privilege they were receiving. I hoped they enjoyed the hell out of it, though.
Our patients’ days tended to be mundane and filled with routine, despite the social director’s best efforts. Scoring Griffin Marsh was a triumph for Kashira. I’d have to congratulate her. After Griffin was gone, of course…
(content notes for health issues, past loss, distracted driving, older parent mental health)
I hope readers will enjoy this story of two older and imperfect men rediscovering each other and doing the work to find lasting love.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D81FLFBL
Free NEW Hidden Wolves novella - through Nov 1
Hi folks. Happy Halloween. Today and tomorrow (through Nov 1) you can download for free 7 NEW Halloween stories, including my own 20K Hidden Wolves novella - Unmasked - all you need is an email. Get it from MM Romance Books on a Budget" - https://www.mmromanceonabudget.com/sh...
If you miss this chance, I'll have this novella available for sale later. Let me know if you have any issues with the download. I hope you enjoy the story.
Unmasked: A Hidden Wolves stand-alone novella
Trent
Halloween has always been a night I take for myself. On that one night, I cut loose with a mask hiding my face, and head to the gay bars. I can dance and flirt and maybe get laid, just one guy in a crowd of guys like me. They don’t know I’m a werewolf. My pack doesn’t know I’m gay. Every year, I grab onto my night of freedom and enjoy it hard.
Until this year, when my Alpha tells me I have to shift into wolf fur and go trick-or-treating with the pack kids. I’m supposed to wag my tail and charm the humans with “Operation Werewolves Make Good Neighbors.”
This was not how I wanted to spend my Halloween, but I’m just pack Fifth. When Alpha says “Hop,” I ask “How high?” So here I am, out with the kids, playing a happy, furry Warg, when I hear a little girl crying. And in saving her, I set a chain of events in motion that will upend my entire life. When Halloween is over, I’ll have to figure out who I want to be, in a world not made for gay werewolves.
Unmasked is a stand-alone story in the Hidden Wolves universe, set thirteen years after the main series, as werewolves and humans are learning to live side by side.
Download: https://www.mmromanceonabudget.com/sh...
"Unmasked" is now available wide
For those of you who missed my Halloween "Hidden Wolves" novella that was briefly available, I have now put it up for sale. You can find Unmasked: a Hidden Woves novella on AZ, Google Play, and Smashwords, with other wide locations to come. 20,000 words, $1.99 I got this great new cover for it from Jo Clement - the human MC is said to look like Clark Kent and this guy is perfect :D
If you got the freebie with the old cover, it is the same story.
https://books2read.com/UnmaskedKaje
Unmasked: a Hidden Wolves stand-alone novella
Trent
Halloween has always been a night I take for myself. On that one night, I cut loose with a mask hiding my face, and head to the gay bars. I can dance and flirt and maybe get laid, just one guy in a crowd of guys like me. They don’t know I’m a werewolf. My pack doesn’t know I’m gay. Every year, I grab onto my night of freedom and enjoy it hard.
Until this year, when my Alpha tells me I have to shift into wolf fur and go trick-or-treating with the pack kids. I’m supposed to wag my tail and charm the humans with “Operation Werewolves Make Good Neighbors.”
This was not how I wanted to spend my Halloween, but I’m just pack Fifth. When Alpha says “Hop,” I ask “How high?” So here I am, out with the kids, playing a happy, furry Warg, when I hear a little girl crying. And in saving her, I set a chain of events in motion that will upend my entire life. When Halloween is over, I’ll have to figure out who I want to be, in a world not made for gay werewolves.
Unmasked is a stand-alone story in the Hidden Wolves universe, set thirteen years after the main series, as werewolves and humans are learning to live side by side.
And don't forget the first novel in the Hidden Wolves - Unacceptable Risk is a free read - https://books2read.com/u/mgzOW7
