E.G. Manetti's Blog, page 10

CHRYS Sneak Peek 1

My current WIP, CHRYS: Thornscore, Volume 1, is a stand alone spin-off from The Twelve Systems Chronicles. Currently on track for a Summer 2023 release. Until then, a sneak peek.

***

Pushing away from his desk, Chrys braced his palms against the window, concentrating on the cool glass to contain his desire to punch a wall. The low gray clouds shrouding the commerce buildings reflected his mood. He has not forgotten Marcella, but her death over three years ago was a quiet ache. A tender recollection of an impossible dream. There was a time he would have done anything to please her. Even now, he feels the draw of faded passion blended with obligation.

It was impossible. In addition to his duty to Blooded Dagger cartouche and Serengeti cartel, there was Thornscore. Now, there was this alert from the Genji Institute. He could not possibly respond to the alert from the Genji Institute, and it was even more impossible to refuse.

A distinctive chirp interrupted his thoughts. Lilian Thornraven.

Read more.

Elemental Fire Awarded 1st Place by PRG

This is so wonderful! Having Elemental Fire nominated was an honor. Taking 1st place totally rocks!

Thank you for all the votes!

THANK YOU!


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Indie Spotlight: Winter Fairytale Retellings

The dark months around the winter solstice are often associated with the merriment and festivities of the yuletide or Christmas time. But those traditions are based in an ancient need to use light chase away the darkness--and what lurks in that darkness. In Cassandra Chandler's steamy trilogy, Court of the Yuletide Fae, the author visits three dark winter tales and the popular trend to turn monsters into heroes.

Starting with The Yule Cat the author takes a terrifying Iceland folktale of a child eating monster cat and turns it into a fae/human romance complete with Santa and Christmas cookies. But watch out for the Winter Queen, she's every bit as scary as the Snow Queen.

The White Stag moves into Celtic traditions where the appearance of the stag is an indicator that the Otherworld is near and capturing it grants wishes. In the dark month of January, the shape-shifting stag is all alpha-male and a divorced woman's wish come true.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, The Krampus, re-invents the half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime into a grumpy shape-shifting polar bear about to encounter the ultimate 'sunshine' heroine.

Christmas Eve has always been filled with extraordinary magic…

Melanie Woods has been waiting by the Christmas tree every year in the hope of seeing the Yule Cat one more time. When he doesn’t appear, she finally decides it is time to let go of her childhood fantasies and replace them with some very adult ones involving the gorgeous owner of an amazing, Christmas-themed bakery.

No one would guess that North Cotter is actually the Lord of the North Wind—more popularly known as the Yule Cat. No one except the child who stole her way into his heart when he was supposed to be taking her to the Yuletide Kingdom to offer as tribute to the Winter Queen. Banished by the Winter Queen when he fails to deliver, North is happy to remain in exile, making pastries that delight palates both mortal and immortal.

North’s solitary life changes when a blue-eyed beauty shows up on the steps of his bakery, having won a Christmas Eve baking lesson. He and Melanie are cooking up some Christmas magic that he hopes will last forever—if the Winter Queen doesn’t put a freeze on them. Will the fires of his and Melanie’s love be enough to melt the frozen heart of the Winter Queen, or will they be forced to spend their eternity together in a land of endless cold?

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** To qualify for Indie Spotlight, EG has read and rated at least one book in the series at 4 or 5 Stars.


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ELMENTAL FIRE Needs PRG Votes!

II am honored and thrilled to have my first fantasy title nominated for a 2022 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers Choice Award in ROMANCE/PARANORMAL/FANTASY. The Paranormal Romance Guild reviews a wide array of fantasy, urban fantasy paranormal romance, science-fiction, and horror each year with only a handful of titles making it to the nominations.

It would be wonderful if Elemental Fire received the votes to to receive the award. Please consider voting.

Voting started January 29th and ends February 12th.

Vote Here

Just scroll down to the ROMANCE/PARANORMAL/FANTASTY category-- Elemental Fire is the third entry.

Then scroll to the bottom to 'submit'.

If the webpage causes any problems, the google doc is here.

Same as above, scroll to find Elemental Fire and then scroll to find the submit button.


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Indie Spotlight on Romance: Sugar, Spice, and Billionnaires

Billionaire romances remain popular but it can be difficult to find one that brings something fresh to the e-reader. In Nina Lane's Stone Brother Billionaires , the reader gets the typical alpha male master of the universe and intrepid every-woman heroine, but with some fun twists including candy-making, challenging siblings, and enough plot driven suspense to keep things interesting. Originally the Sugar Rush Series , the series has been repackaged with covers and blurbs more accurately reflect the contents, at least in the first two books.

OLD COVERS (GoodReads)






NEW COVERS (Amazon and other e-tailers)

He's the closed-off workaholic CEO who doesn't let anyone in, and carries the weight of the Stone family legacy on his shoulders.

She's the woman that hit on him before knowing who he was, with an artlessly refreshing lack of game he can't stop thinking about.

He lives in a world she doesn't belong in.
She brings all the chaos—and joy—missing in his life.

Soon, helping her save her failing business becomes his new mission.
Just as turning his life upside down becomes hers.

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110 FREE SFR, PNR, and Reverse Harem

Elemental Fire nominated for PRG Award!

I am honored and thrilled to have my first fantasy title, Elemental Fire, nominated for a 2022 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers Choice Award in ROMANCE/PARANORMAL/FANTASY.

The Paranormal Romance Guild reviews a wide array of fantasy, urban fantasy paranormal romance, science-fiction, and horror each year with only a handful of titles making it to the nominations.

Reader community voting begins January 29th and ends February 12th. My shameless begging for votes will begin soon after the polls open.

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110 FREE SFR, PNR, and Reverse Harem

Indie Spotlight Romance: Cyborg Special Forces

I had a hard time settling on my first spotlight for 2023. In the end, it had to be science fiction. Since I like my sci-fi with a heavy dose of romantic suspense, Cara Bristol's Cyborg Force series hit the top of the list. One of my favorite new series of 2022, I am eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth book February 20th.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Review



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 My Review



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Review

Trapped in a sandstorm, they’ll battle passion and danger…

Breeze O’Day
Windswept, sandblasted Sajave isn’t every astrogeologist’s dream assignment, but it’s been my safe zone from a dangerous past, and now I’m about to announce a game-changing discovery. But on the way to finalize my research, my hovercraft gets caught in a violent sandstorm and crashes. Unfortunately, my rescuer is Tack Grayson, an ill-mannered, bad-tempered mammoth of a man who’s made it perfectly clear saving me is a huge imposition. Well, no worries. I’ll soon be on my way to finish my top secret project, and our paths need never cross again.

Tack Grayson
If I had wanted company, I wouldn’t be living in a cabin hundreds of miles from nowhere. But I’m a cyborg with C-Force and rescuing people is what I do, even if they are idiots who should know better than to venture out in a sandstorm. Now I’m stuck with Breeze O’Day until this storm blows over.

But as I learn more about Breeze and her research, I begin to worry our association won’t end anytime soon. She’s in danger. Serious danger, and she’s going to need my help.

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Coming Summer 2023: Thornscore stories

Over the ten books of The Twelve Systems Chronicles, I became deeply attached to many of the secondary characters. As did many readers, who lamented that they didn’t get satisfying conclusions for some of their favorite characters. Although the Thornscore spin-off series is in the early stages, a few areas are certain:

~Stand-alone novels, they will have some intertwining themes.

~Lilian and Lucius will make appearances.

~Questions about back-stories will be answered.

~They will take place in the three to five years immediately following the end of Thorn Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 3.

~If they are successful, there will be another spin-off series. Legends of the Thirteen Systems (working title) will follow the next generation’s adventures.

CHRYS: Working blurb. 
A hero of the battle for the Thirteenth System, Chrys anticipates a bright future achieving his wildest ambitions. Instead, a mysterious bequest from the Master Scholar who trained him, calls Chrys home to Genji at the outer edge of the Thirteen Systems. Once there, he will discover a legacy that will alter his future and rumors of a plot to hinder colonization of the Thirteenth System. 

Sign-up for my newsletter for all the latest on Thornscore stories, promos, and specials from other sci-fi and fantasy authors. Signup HERE!

Have you checked out my latest release?


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110 FREE SFR, PNR, and Reverse Harem

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Indie Spotlight on Romance: 2022 Round-up

For the final spotlight of 2022, a few favorite blog posts from the past year.

In Badari Gladiators, a spin-off of her highly-rated Badari Warriors series, Veronica Scott has combined two of my favorite alpha-heroes; aliens and gladiators. And, as with all Ms. Scott's books, her heroine's do their fair sharing of rescuing and battling villains.

Kyden is the top ranked gladiator in the Five Systems but he’s hardly there by choice. Unscrupulous guards faked his death in the lab where he was created and sold him into slavery in the galaxy’s hinterlands. He has no idea where his home is or how many years have passed since he was condemned to a life of endless combat. Kill or be killed is the rule and a Badari never gives up. He’ll fight to stay alive until the Badari goddess sees fit to decree his death.

Elara Vasclavian is the daughter of a senator, as far removed from the life of a gladiator as a noblewoman can be until through the machinations of a political enemy, she ends up in terrible jeopardy. Abducted and given to a group of drunken gladiators for their amusement the night before the games, Elara vows to put up a fight but there’s no real hope of saving herself.

Until Kyden steps in, responding to the goddess’s commandment to protect those who are smaller and weaker. And discovers she’s his fated mate.

Rescued, Elara returns to her life of privilege but she can’t forget the man who saved her life. The gulf between their places in the Five Systems is unbridgeable, no matter how much Kyden longs for even a glimpse of her in the arena audience. No matter how much she feels the pull to be by his side. As matters stand, they cannot be together…Or can they?

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A fan of Pauline Baird Jones' Project Enterprise sci-fi series, I was curious about her contemporary mystery series set in New Orleans, The Big Uneasy .

As with the sci-fi books, I find this series to be imaginative, well-crafted, and the romance well developed relative to the overall story. The second volume can be read as a standalone and is on sale through New Year's.

Be careful what you dig for…

A forensic surgeon in the New Orleans Coroner’s Office—and part of her dad’s Baker’s Dozen—Hannah Baker thought she knew where to dig, how and what to slice, and when to walk away.

But when her big brother gets her involved in the exhumation of a couple of old coffins, she realizes the past can’t be ignored. Not when its been simmering up a big pile of trouble for longer than Hannah’s born days.

Only New Orleans could produce a “Baked” gumbo of the mob, shadowy figures from the past, annoying figures from the present, murders, attempted murders, and a really cute detective who is technically off limits on account of he’s her big brother’s partner.

Good thing NOPD Detective Logan Ferris doesn’t know the meaning of “off limits,” cuz once more the Big Easy is getting mighty uneasy.

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A fun SFR with an excellent riff on the alien-abduction trope. The abducted heroine is rescued in what amounts to a sci-fi train robbery by the bandit; setting the stage for a a 'love on the run' story.

Alien's Challenge

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. One minute Alice is camping, trying to connect with nature, then there’s a blinding white light. Gravity must have quit because Alice and her sleeping bag are floating off the ground.

Classic alien abduction.

She wakes up on an alien planet full of, you know, aliens. Outlaws. Rules are optional and people are property. So not cool. Then there’s a train robbery and she's getting abducted. Again.

But this guy? He’s a giant lizard man, just a solid wall of muscle, scales, and bad attitude. He’s dangerous and he’s gone into a mating fever, which he says is her fault.

So what is she going to do about it? Better question, what is tall, dark and grumpy going to do about it?

Two decades ago Faris was exiled to this prison planet. Only the strong survive here. He’s too old for a mating fever, but his body has other ideas. The human female was not part of the plan, an ordinary smash and grab, but she’s his now and he does not share.

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Romantic suspense is among my favorite go-to subgenres with the main characters finding love amidst the chaos. The first volume in Riley Edwards Gemini Group series has the requisite deadly military hero and intelligent, indomitable heroine.

Former Navy SEAL Nixon Swagger is home. After twelve years of service and twice as many deployments, all Nix wanted was quiet. He’d sought the solace of the land he’d grown up on and found the peace he needed to silence the noise and figure out his next move. Nixon’s stay was supposed to be temporary. He wasn’t supposed to meet a feisty, head-strong woman who made his pulse race and set his body on fire. Falling in love hadn’t been part of his plan. Taking a government contract to stop a homegrown terrorist group hadn’t been either, but when the organization threatens to attack Philadelphia, he had no choice but to accept.

McKenna Wilson was living. Every day was the same. Raising her two teenage siblings didn’t leave time for much else. Most days, she was okay with that. Then she bumped into the sexy war hero and, in an instant, her world changed. She had no idea falling for Nixon would be so dangerous. Now she was going head-to-head with the small-town’s dirty sheriff who was hell-bent on ruining Nixon and avenging a fifteen-year-old grudge. She’d lost her heart, but losing her life wasn’t part of the plan.

Nixon Swagger had learned a few things as a Navy SEAL—adapt, improvise, and overcome were among the many. In the middle of an inferno, so ominous even Dante wouldn’t buy a ticket, Nixon must adapt to his new surroundings and overcome multiple threats before he loses the woman he loves.

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