E.G. Manetti's Blog, page 19

Indie Spotlight on Romance: A Galaxy Far Away

Pauline Baird Jones never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance. ~ Author's GR Profile

I am a fan of Ms. Baird's Project Enterprise Series where area 51 is a launch site for an intergalactic space expedition run by the US Military but with an ethos similar to the original Star Trek. Her world building is excellent without overwhelming. Her heroines are kick ass, her heroes (alien and human) are well-developed and alpha without the hole. The romantic development is well paced and believable.

She’s a stranded pilot. He’s an alien castaway. Can their love save a galaxy torn apart by war?

Sara Donovan knew her top-secret expedition would be dangerous. But she never imagined she’d end up separated from her crew and stranded on an alien planet. When the smoke from her crash landing clears, she’s surprised to find a marooned resistance fighter ready to lend a hand. In a war-torn galaxy, Sara refuses to give her trust lightly… especially when she risks exposing the strange abilities she’s kept hidden since childhood.

Kiernan Fyn survives each day on the hope of exacting revenge on the warlord who murdered his wife. Sara is his ticket off the desolate rock to a new better future…until she’s targeted by hostile forces who thinks she holds the key to a long-lost civilization. In a fight for their lives, sparks fly as Sara and Fyn attempt to decipher their hidden connection with the powerful key before their ruthless enemies distort its power for galactic domination.

The Key is the first novel in the phenomenal Project Enterprise sci-fi romance saga. If you like interstellar chemistry, fast-paced action, and sprawling space operas, then you’ll love Pauline Baird Jones’ award-winning epic.


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Thorn Bearer: Sneak Peek 1

The work in progress is up to 70K words. The published book will about 150K words. Until then, I glimpse into what is happening with Lilian and Lucius. This passage has not been reviewed by my editor. All errors are mine.

Dazed with wonder, Lilian half listens to Lucius’ children chatter about the Nightingale’s flight. A day gone, she was wretched with the knowledge that Lucius’ love for her had made him vulnerable to attacks on his preeminence and that his mother and sister detest her.

While naught has altered either woman’s opinion, the meager nature of Jurian’s challenge was apparent during the Nightingale’s flight. The Twelve Systems elite offered naught but courtesy and admiration when she took the place of honor at Lucius’ side.

Even more dazzling, he wishes her as consort. A desire that, from what Master Chin voiced, Lady Estella approved. He shifts in his seat, a faint scent of the sea reaching her. Relaxing into the scent, she gazes unseeing through the transport window, the passing city fading to mist.

She shivers. . . her manacled hands unable to reach her shoulders to warm and comfort. Bound and on her knees, she stares into Benmyn’s hate filed countenance as he spits on her.

Lucius presses his knee to hers. “Lilian?”

His dark eyes capture hers. His compelling features fill with concern. “Are you well?”

Well? Shaking off the mist, she nods. “I beg pardon. I believe I dozed off.”

He glances down at her hand gripping the thorn. “An ill dream.”

Relaxing her fingers, she attempts a reassuring smile. “More a memory. It was naught.”

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THE CARTEL
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Indie Spotlight on Romance: Magick and Chemistry

Alisa Woods writes sexy paranormal romances about alpha men and the women who love them. She firmly believes that love triumphs over all. ~ Author's website.

I have sampled four of Ms. Woods' eight paranormal romance series, and while all are solid, her Legal Magick Series is by far the most creative, crossing into Urban Fantasy with steam. Although all three books in the series are stand alone romances, they integrated with a mystery/suspense story arc.

An incubus FBI agent, a billionaire witch, and someone spiking street drugs with deadly magick.

Zane Walker’s undercover in Chicago’s deadliest drug cartel—and his magic is as dirty as the enhancers they peddle. When a beautiful witch storms in, making demands she thinks she can back up with magick, he’s forced into a split-second choice… and his monster rages out.

Ever Strange’s father was murdered. They made it look like an overdose, but Asher Strange, world-renown med-magick researcher, would never take tawdry magick enhancers. But before she can get an autopsy, her father’s body disappears… and being one of the richest witches in the city means she will get answers.

Someone’s putting deadly magick into street drugs… and it’s killing people all over the city. Zane’s magick is monstrous, and Ever’s power brings out his beast. But she insists on finding her father; and keeping her safe has suddenly become his job—on top of stopping an epidemic of overdoses that just might be cover for a serial killer. Together, they work to stop the dark magick that’s stalking the streets of Chicago… and try to keep their own secrets from consuming them both.

Legal Magick takes place in an alternate Chicago where High Magick returned in 1859 and is now integral in every aspect of the legal—and illegal—world.

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Shield Bear Cover Wins Award

The Shield Bearer cover was awarded InD'tale's crème de la cover for December 2020. Out of the 86 books reviewed in the December/January edition, the Shield Bearer cover was selected as the most memorable by judges and readers.

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Indie Spotlight on Romance: 2020 Review

2020 was an excellent year for Indie Romance. It was difficult to select the ones I enjoyed the most, but here goes.

Science Fiction Romance
Vast and corrupt empires. Exotic aliens. Daring heroes and heroines. Rogues and criminals. Faster than light speed travel. Strange worlds. Space stations. Star ship armadas. All these elements are present and more in Greta van der Rol's Conspiracy the first book in the Iron Admiral duo.

Peace in the Galaxy hangs in the balance.

Amid rising inter-species tensions, brilliant systems Engineer Allysha Marten takes one last job to rid her of debts and her cheating husband. On the mysterious planet Tisyphor she meets a security guard who wins her trust and her affection. Like her, he suspects that there's more to the operation on Tisyphor than reopening an abandoned mine. Together, they uncover a plot that threatens to plunge the Galaxy into inter-species war.

As they scramble to prevent the coming holocaust, Allysha is horrified to learn that her new lover is ex-Admiral Chaka Saahren, the man the Ptorix call Chozhu the Destroyer, the man responsible for the death of her father, along with millions of other innocent civilians.

In a race against time, Saahren must convince Allysha to set aside her conflicted emotions about him to help him prevent the coming conflagration. And perhaps while he's doing that, he'll win back the only woman he's ever loved.

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Paranormal Romance
As a fan of Carol Van Natta's science fiction romance, I was thrilled to discover she also delves into paranormal romance. Her Ice Age Shifters series has all the creativity, charm, action, and romance of her science fiction. The series title refers to the type of shifter -- not the time period. Mixed in with the fated-mates trope is a unique vision of the fae, magic, and dark forces that is a page-turning delight. All the books in the series are good, my personal favorites are the Dire Wolf volumes.

A lonely bear shifter meets his mate. She’s running for her life and doesn’t have time for romance.

Pregnant Jackie Breton just escaped from a corrupt feline pack intent on selling her half-shifter baby to the highest bidder. She’s smart, independent, and has a desperate plan to keep her baby safe: Get away from the pride as fast and far as possible.

Trevor Hammond, prehistoric bear shifter, has been rejected by everyone in his life for… being born, basically. Well, except for the beloved aunt who raised him. He’s built a career as an independent trucker, but life would be much better with someone he can hold in his arms and claim as his own.

When Jackie meets Trevor at a truck stop, his bear demands he help her. His aunt even calls with a dire warning: Get Jackie to the magical sanctuary town in Wyoming before she’s killed.
Jackie thinks he’s sexy as hell, but too good to be true. She doesn’t trust shifters. With the feline pride hot on her trail, however, Trevor and the quirky town of Kotoyeesinay might be her only chance for survival. Even Trevor’s indomitable bear may be no match for the dangerous enemy seeking retribution.

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Romantic Comedy
Weddings are a staple back drop for romantic comedy or rom-com and, it in that setting, can be a bit predictable. Set it in a paranormal wedding planner company and throw in a more than a touch of suspense? There is nothing predictable about A.E. Jones' Paranormal Wedding Planners except the the HFN between the main characters.

Take 1 wedding. Add fangs, fur, and fairy dust… stir.

A wedding phobic in a family of wedding planners… Alex Bennett’s life is complicated enough, until she discovers their clients aren’t exactly human. Paranormals exist, and when weddings are sabotaged, Alex will stop at nothing to save the business — even partnering with a sexy investigator with secrets of his own.

A paranormal with no powers… Devin Cole is guilty until proven innocent. His powers have been placed in a supernatural time out until his upcoming trial. He doesn’t have time to investigate a runaway bride case. But the bride is a supermodel who also happens to be supernatural, so he has to handle damage control. His biggest concern — a tempting woman who insists on being part of the investigation.

Can a wedding phobic and a powerless paranormal work together to solve the case while finding their own fairy-tale… or faery-tale… happy ever after?

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Historical Romance
Historical romance often features nobility, whether ancient roman senators, medieval highland lairds, or regency lords. Alyson Chase's Lords of Discipline is set in Regency England among the powerful nobility. In an enjoyable twist, it tends toward the darker side with the the lords engaged in counter espionage and becoming involved with women from the gentry who have fallen afoul of a misogynistic and often corrupt legal system. The involvement includes both passion and a taste for kink with both the heroes and heroines having distinct personalities and quirks that prevent the stories from falling into cookie-cutter tropes.

The day her sister murdered their abusive father, Elizabeth Wilcox stopped being a gentleman’s daughter. Willing to do anything to save her sister from the hangman’s noose, now she is a spy... A servant. A liar. A thief. A submissive.

Masquerading as a parlor maid and entrenched in the Duke of Montague’s estate, Liz is willing to risk all to uncover the secrets that would save her sister. But submitting to the duke’s peculiar brand of discipline surprises her with a heady mixture of pleasure and pain. Eager to relinquish control of her messy life, Liz soon craves the rough hands of Montague and his powerful, passionate attentions. Can she succumb to the hot sting of his hand and the gentleness of his kisses without revealing her true identity and darkest secrets? And what punishment will she face when he realizes her betrayal?

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Shield Bearer Cover needs Votes!

The Shield Bearer Cover made it into the Monthly Finals of InD'tale's creme de la cover contest. Please vote for the Shield Bearer Cover! It's super to be recognized but even better to win - it comes with free advertising!

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Heartfelt thanks to Jim O'Connor Photography for the fabulous composition and Elle Rossi at Evernight Designs for the stunning title work.

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Science Fiction/Science Fiction Romance 99c Sale

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Indie Spotlight on Romance: Holidays

I cannot resist holiday romances. Here is a selection of a few of my faves. New this year is Tasha Black's collection of holiday novella's that feature magic, shifters, suspense, humor, and lots of smexy.

This bundle of goodies features a sack full of cozy Christmas romances, starring a batch of hunky shifters that just might get you on the naughty list!

Time to celebrate with these five fan-favorite shifter romances, each with its own magical Christmas twist. Offered here in one handy volume, to help make Santa’s job a little easier:

Bake This!
-Will this sexy shifter be able to resist the holiday magic?
Bear This!
-She shows up with a magical secret, but this fireman burns for something more.

Charm This!
-This lone wolf is ready to turn on the charm.
The Clockwork Dragon
-A dragon’s fire can melt the coldest heart.
Ghost of Shifters Past
-A spirit from the past. A love for the future.

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A LOL favorite from last year.

He wanted to spend Christmas with the girl of his dreams—but never dreamt they'd spend it in space!

Buddy never meant to stow away on an alien warship. He just wanted to surprise Nika, the girl of his dreams, with a holiday dinner she’d never forget. But now, he’s stuck aboard the Reckoning with his dog, of all things, headed to a star system far from Earth and the Christmas dinner where he planned to introduce Nika to his family.

Nika has enough on her plate building colonies, dome worlds, and space stations in the Sol system—all without Earth’s governments detecting their presence. With a war going on throughout the galaxy, it’s up to her to create sanctuaries for sentients who have lost their homeworlds. When she’s called aboard the Reckoning to track down odd system errors—and pulled from a holiday dinner with Buddy—she knows something’s gone very wrong. It goes from bad to worse when she finds Buddy and his dog on board.

Now, they have to work together to figure out how to fix the ship for good, keep Buddy and his dog hidden, and forge an alliance with a planet full of super strong warriors with impulse control issues. For a galaxy at war, can a chef, his dog, and a little holiday four-part-harmony pave the way to peace?

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A cowboy for Christmas.

Cowboy firefighter, Cole Hatcher, is determined to do what’s right and take his fiancé with him to his mother’s annual holiday dinner party. After all, the two most important ladies in his life need to learn to get along and the sooner the better. Besides, the rest of the family will be there.

Lacey Winters can’t forgive her future mother-in-law for keeping them apart for eight years. While she loves Cole’s family, including the five they are living with, “Racy Lacey” wants to spend Christmas alone with Cole, preferably in her sexy Christmas present for him.

But there are worse things brewing than family drama. This Christmas day, nothing goes as planned…for anyone.

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InD'Tale Crowned Heart for Shield Bearer

Shield Bearer is the ninth book in the Twelve Systems Chronicles and the fifth to receive a coveted crowned-heart review from InD'tale magazine. I could not be more thrilled.

“Hold on to your hats readers, because this series is un-put-downable, and this installment produces nail-biting pleasure . . . the Twelve Systems is arguably one of the most intelligently written and undoubtedly riveting space operas out there.”

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Indie Spotlight on Romance: Aliens Love Women in Uniform

Aliens need brides is a popular Science Fiction Romance Trope. In a pleasant spin on the trope, Mina Carter's Warriors of Lathar attempt to claim trained military women as mates. It does not go as expected.

First contact isn’t quite what she expected… Nor was losing her heart.

When Cat Moore’s base is attacked by unknown aliens, she finds herself in the sights of their leader, Tarrick. An alien invasion means earth is in danger and the women of Sentinel Five are the only line of defence…

But it’s hard to remember what she’s fighting against when her sexy alien lover has a thing about making sure her every need is met… and has some very inventive ways of doing so. Until she gives him a bad case of mating marks and all bets are off.

Exploration yields an unexpected bounty… and a chance at love.

Tarrick's duty to the Latharian Empire means little time for himself. Thanks to a genetic plague, the lathar have no females of their own, so a base full of human women is a bounty he can't ignore. Nor can he ignore the little human who defies him at every step.

Then a dangerous rival challenges the K'Vass claim on Terran space and all its women. Tarrick can't afford to let any of the earth women be captured, especially not his little human, Cat.

When she is taken from him, he'll do anything to rescue her. Up to and including starting an intergalactic war...

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Indie Spotlight on Romance: Paranormal Rom-Com

Weddings are a staple back drop for romantic comedy or rom-com and, it in that setting, can be a bit predictable. Set it in a paranormal wedding planner company and throw in a more than a touch of suspense? There is nothing predictable about A.E. Jones' Paranormal Wedding Planners except the the HFN between the main characters.

Take 1 wedding. Add fangs, fur, and fairy dust… stir.

A wedding phobic in a family of wedding planners… Alex Bennett’s life is complicated enough, until she discovers their clients aren’t exactly human. Paranormals exist, and when weddings are sabotaged, Alex will stop at nothing to save the business — even partnering with a sexy investigator with secrets of his own.

A paranormal with no powers… Devin Cole is guilty until proven innocent. His powers have been placed in a supernatural time out until his upcoming trial. He doesn’t have time to investigate a runaway bride case. But the bride is a supermodel who also happens to be supernatural, so he has to handle damage control. His biggest concern — a tempting woman who insists on being part of the investigation.

Can a wedding phobic and a powerless paranormal work together to solve the case while finding their own fairy-tale… or faery-tale… happy ever after?

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