Posts in the Fantasy genre

Guest Post

Guest Post: “Top Star-Crossed Lovers in Teen Fantasy” by Brenda Drake

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” Shakespeare.

Star-crossed lovers. Many stories have been written about them. The trope originally referred to a relationship that was destined to fail as in the case of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Many forbidden love situations keep couples apart like different social classes, wealth, race, religion, etc. Over the years, the trope has morphed to include happily ever after endings.

I’m thrilled to share my list of favorite star-crossed stories in the teen fantasy genre today.

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Steals & Deals

Deal Alert: Sam Sykes, Sally MacKenzie, Shannon Stacey, and Christine d’Abo

Today’s second deal alert offers great books by Sam Sykes, Sally MacKenzie, Shannon Stacey, and Cynthia d’Abo! Grab these deals before they’re gone!


The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes

STEP UP TO THE GATES
After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world’s beating heart.
The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness.
They’ve come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man.
And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good.
But this is no place to escape demons.

 

 

 

What To Do With a Duke by Sally MacKenzie

Welcome to the charming, fatefully named village of Loves Bridge, where a woman destined for spinsterhood can live a life of her own choosingor fall unexpectedly, madly in love…Miss Isabelle Catherine Hutting would rather be lounging in the library than circling the ballroom in search of a husband any day. So when Cat hears that the town’s infamous Spinster House is open for a new resident, she jumps at the chance to put all this marriage business behind her. But first she must make arrangements with her prospective landlord, Marcus, the Duke of Hart—the most handsome man she’s ever seen, and the only man who’s ever impressed her in the least…

With her wit, independent spirit, and not least of all her beauty, Marcus can’t help but be stirred by Cat. It’s terribly unfortunate he’s not looking to marry, given the centuries-old curse that left his family with the Spinster House to begin with. No duke shall live to see his heir’s birth. But is there a chance the curse could be broken—in true fairy-tale fashion—by an act of true love? The race to Happily Ever After is about to begin…


A Fighting Chance by Shannon Stacey

All work and no play makes Adeline Kendrick a dull girl, so when she heads to a casino resort for a friend’s bachelorette weekend, she’s ready to have a good time. Until she runs into Brendan Quinn, professional fighter and the one who got away—the one her family drove away—and things take a turn for the interesting.

Running into his ex won’t shake Brendan. Even if it brings up the old pain of loving her when she was only slumming. Even if she looks really good. In fact, what better way to get over the past than to take advantage of the still-sizzling chemistry running hot between them? He’s there to win an MMA fight, but he won’t say no to a little physical relief of a different kind.

But when the weekend is over, Adeline isn’t ready to give up her second chance that easily. Brendan is still the one for her, no matter what her family thinks. Now, if only she can convince him of that…


30 Days by Christine d’Abo

For years, Alyssa has been going to bed with a memory. Is she ready to wake up with a fantasy?

Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mate, but not Alyssa Barrow. She met Rob at nineteen, and they were set to live happily ever after—until he became ill. In his final days, Rob urged his beautiful, young wife not to abandon happiness—or pleasure. He even left her a special gift, a sexy game plan to help her move on: Thirty cards with instructions for thirty days of passion. You’ll know when the time is right, he’d said. Now it’s two years later, and when Alyssa meets her hot new neighbor, Harrison Kemp, she begins to think the right time is right now…

From his sculpted thighs to his devilish grin, Harrison is the kind of man women want. Before she can lose her nerve, Alyssa tells Harrison about her long-ignored cards…and asks him to help her fulfill them. It’s a favor he’s more than happy to, um, perform. With his skillful touch, and the hot press of his lips against her skin, Alyssa finds herself re-awakening to life—and a host of other sensations. But what began as not-so-innocent fun soon grows into true intimacy, and Alyssa realizes she’s opening herself up not just to sex…but to love. When it comes to a future with Harrison, what’s really in the cards?

Saucy, heartwarming, and insightful, 30 Days explores the agony—and the ecstasy—of starting over, and how a little encouragement, and a little courage, can go a long way…

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Guest Post

Guest Post: 5 Good Reasons to Love a Modern Day Pirate from Theresa Meyers

Admit it, there’s just something swoonworthy about a pirate. I know, not realistic in the modern world where pirates have a very different reputation, but what if you could find a guy with that adventurous spirit, that love for the sea, and that unquenchable passion for treasure? If that sounds tantalizing, have I got a hero for you!

Tucker McCormack in my latest Indulgence, Her Sworn Enemy, is not your average alpha millionaire. He’s like Chris Pine with surfer length hair and a killer bod honed by hard work and months out in the sand and sea. Tucker is a black sheep son of a billionaire and his mistress, who has no roots, no family. And now that he’s made his own fortune, he’s intent on revenge against the half-brother who left him destitute after their father died. He just needs one more big score to be able to buy out, and dismantle, the family company from under his half-brother. Family is the bane of his existence.

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Steals & Deals

Deal Alert: Kate Elliot, Mary Robinette Kowal, Paige Tyler, and Jude Deveraux

The second Deal Alert today offers books by Kate Elliott, Mary Robinette Kowal, Paige Tyler, and Jude Deveraux! Grab them before it’s too late!

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott
In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors-one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy-causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.


Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

The fantasy novel you’ve always wished Jane Austen had written

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane’s skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody’s suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right-and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.


Hungry Like the Wolf by Paige Tyler

INTRODUCING SWAT: SPECIAL WOLF ALPHA TEAM

They’re tight
They’re on target
They’re as alpha as men can get

The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret…they’re a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive-and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn’t sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something…and she’s determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She’s smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she’s getting dangerously close to the truth-and perilously close to his heart…


The Maiden by Jude Deveraux

He was wise, strong, and brave. His destiny was to be king. She was young, beautiful, a warrior princess. Her destiny was to love him.
But when first they met, it was not as princess and king — it was as man and woman only, consumed by a passion so sudden, so deep that the very world exploded with one kiss. Only later, with his touch still burning on her lips, did Jura discover that the knight of her secret tryst had been none other than the hated Prince Rowan! Rowan, who had returned from far-away England to usurp her brother’s throne…Rowan, who vowed to unite the wild clans under his rule.
Furious, Jura swore her enmity to the golden-haired prince whose glorious visage tormented her days and haunted her nights. But nothing would stop Rowan from ruling over the warring tribes…and nothing would stop him from winning the fierce and lovely Jura as his bride, his Queen, his love….

Autumn Thorns Yasmine Galenorn
Guest Post

Guest Post: “Love, Pixel Style” by Dana Marie Bell

Most people who read my books know I’m a huge geek. I watch Dr. Who, I sobbed over the ending of Firefly, and I play video games. Lots of video games. And I adore ones with romance elements in them.

Romance? In video games? Yup. More and more, we’re seeing story-driven video games including romances in their optional portions of the game. It’s never necessary to romance anyone in any game, but to me it adds just that little touch that I long for. The whole “if you want romances in your games go play a dating sim!” argument holds no water for me, because I’m playing the game and enjoying all of its elements, not just the romance. These days, we see more and more games adding it, including Fallout 4 with its options to romance all human companions, but it all had to start somewhere.

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Steals & Deals

Deal Alert: Jennifer Rush, Jill Shalvis, Jay Crownover and Danielle Paige

We’ve got another Deal Alert for you today with some fabulous titles on sale! Altered by Jennifer Rush, Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis, Asa by Jay Crownover, and Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige! Be sure to get these deals before it’s too late!


Altered by Jennifer Rush

They were made to forget. But they’ll never forgive.
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch, at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, solemn and brooding; Cas, light-hearted and playful; Trev, smart and caring; and Sam . . . who’s stolen Anna’s heart.

When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape. Anna’s father pushes her to go with them, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs.

On the run, with her father’s warning in her head, Anna begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. She soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis

RESCUE ME

Cedar Ridge, Colorado, is famous for crisp mountain air, clear blue skies, and pine-scented breezes. And it’s the last place Lily Danville wants to be. But she needs a job, and there’s an opening at the hottest resort in her hometown. What has her concerned is the other hot property in Cedar Ridge: Aidan Kincaid-firefighter, rescue worker, and heartbreaker. She never could resist that devastating smile . . .

The Kincaid brothers are as rough and rugged as the Rocky Mountains they call home. Aidan has always done things his own way, by his own rules. And never has he regretted anything more than letting Lily walk out of his life ten years ago. If anyone has ever been in need of rescuing, she has. What she needs more than anything are long hikes, slow dances, and sizzling kisses. But that can only happen if he can get her to give Cedar Ridge-and this bad boy-a second chance…


Asa: A Marked Men Novel by Jay Crownover

Jay Crownover’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with the much anticipated story of southern charmer and certified criminal Asa Cross.

Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one luscious arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best.

Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak.

A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.


Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark new series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige.

I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I’ve read the books. I’ve seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can’t be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There’s still a road of yellow brick—but even that’s crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I’m the other girl from Kansas. I’ve been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I’ve been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart. Steal the Scarecrow’s brain. Take the Lion’s courage. And—Dorothy must die.

Guest Post

Guest Post: Geekology 101 by Falguni Kothari

I am a natural born myth geek. Give me a bunch of squabbling demi-gods with sinister agendas, herculean heroes on impossible quests, and a magic-infused bejeweled weapon or two and I’m in mythic heaven. The concept of Soul Warrior grew from that obsession, and this burning question: what if we take away the metaphor from mythology?

What makes a hero? What is magic? What if Gods literally walk among us? What if Heaven and Hell and every realm in between exists? And what if India’s magical, ancient past isn’t its past at all?

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Aural Pleasures

Aural Pleasures: TOUCHING FATE by Brenda Drake

Today we have author Brenda Drake, whose newest release Touching Fate hit shelves last month to great acclaim! Brenda has stopped by EverAfter to share the playlist for her book and we hope you enjoy! Be sure to pick up a copy of Touching Fate today!


1. How do you make your playlists for your books?

While I’m writing, I have Pandora on and I shuffle through songs. I keep a lists of songs that fit a scene or even the briefest moment in the story. The ones that really resonate with me and the story, I add to a YouTube playlist.

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Reviews, Books, Reviews

A Few Thoughts on Santino Hassell’s STYGIAN

I intended to write this piece as a straightforward, concise and informative review. Like normal people do. Honest. Alas, it morphed somewhat into a collection of distracted and disjointed musings on the book itself and my personal scattered reactions to it. Regardless of the end result, I’d like everyone to acknowledge that I started off with a plan, and the best of intentions. Sadly, the plan quickly went to hell, which coincidentally – as my gran would say – is paved with good intentions. Then usually a swift clip around the ear would follow.

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