I just wanted to jump in this morning and tell you about some stories coming your way! Two of the stories were published with major publishers a long time ago, and I’ve been revising them, readying them for you to read because I doubt very many of you have even heard of them. I know the Once Upon a Legend cover might look a little strange to you, but my heroine writes dime novels like some of the old paperback stories, filled with wildly exaggerated stories of Wild, Wild West. I love the cover because it looks a lot like one of those dime novel covers. It’s a fun, quirky, very sexy story. I hope you’ll give it a try! After that, I will release the last of the Delta Fire stories, Ignition, a new story to wrap up the series. And lastly, is the other revisited story, The Demon Lord’s Cloak, which is a fantasy/paranormal story set in medieval times. Again, very, very sexy.

There are pre-order links below, and you can read excerpts from the stories! So, sample away. I hope you’ll love them! Let me know what you think about the covers!

Once Upon a Legend

Pre-order your copy! | Read an excerpt!
Coming September 17th!

When budding author Prudence Vogel travels west to meet legendary lawman Jake White Eagle, she discovers he really is the tall, handsome hero of her novel. Flustered and out of her element, Prudence is determined to shadow the handsome sheriff to lend authenticity to her story.

While Jake certainly finds Prudence attractive, her constant presence is distracting. When things she has written seem to be coming true, he decides to get closer to see whether she’s part of a criminal enterprise he’s been trying to uncover.

Ignition

Pre-order your copy! | Read an Excerpt!
Coming October 1st!

Luke Harris is having a hard time fitting in with his new firehouse crew. He knows every time they see him, they think of the friend they lost in a horrific fire. As part of trying to build a relationship with the guys, he tags along one night when they’re letting off steam at their favorite club. What he finds there, shocks him to his toes. His new friends are members of a Memphis BDSM club.

While shocked, he’s also drawn to a D/s couple with exhibitionist tendencies who just so happen to be personal trainers in real life. So, when the fire department decides to improve the firehouses’ fitness, these two are contracted to provide physical training—in the station house. Anton and Britney make it clear from Day One that they have an ulterior motive for accepting the job—they want Luke. Now, everything he thought about himself and his sexuality is challenged.

The Demon Lord’s Cloak

Pre-order your copy! | Read an excerpt!
Coming November 12th!

After awakening in a castle, bound and at the mercy of her captor, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead, his brooding presence intrigues her, and his hard body excites her. However attracted she is, she must escape before he discovers her dark secret…but then she learns he has one of his own.

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*

It’s Saturday! I’m so ready for the week to be done! On Monday, we had one last “snow day” for the kids before the weather changed and the rains came. It rained long and hard for two days—long enough for us to discover our roof leaks. Long enough, we had roofers come out to give us estimates to fix the leak. Yay. Grrr…

Well, we do seem to move from one crisis to the next, but we are resilient! This too shall pass…until the next crisis.

In the meantime, I chose a fantasy image to make me happy. Solve the puzzle, then tell me what world you’d find inside your fantasy book for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Have fun!

UPDATE: The winners are…Sharon, Jennifer Beyer, and Beth!
*~*~*

Today’s another celebration of an obscure (weird) holiday. I do love those. Every day we wake up is a cause for celebration, right? 🙂

Anyway, I read that this one started somewhere around 2004 and may have been inaugurated by author Donita K. Paul to celebrate the release of her book DragonSpell. If so, thank you, Donita!

We do love our dragons. If you love dragons, of course, you should check out my friend N.J. Walters’ The Blood of the Drakon series. They are excellent stories!

I’ve written a couple of dragons as well. You can win a FREE copy of your choice of one of these stories by telling me about your favorite dragons in books or movies! I’ll choose 3 Winners!

Click on the covers to read more about these stories.

A powerful druis with a thousand-year-old secret. An ancient soul plotting to destroy the barriers between the realms. And a defying love that breaks all the rules.

I can’t help but say–I love that hook. It was probably the easiest part of my book blurb to write, and it encompasses everything this story is, hinting at all the right parts. 

Three Coins From a Dead Man’s Pocket is Book 1 of the Realms of Souls Saga. This fantasy✨ steampunk ⚙️ romance is everything I love in a can’t-put-it-down kind of story:  a damsel to the rescue with a huge 💖(and she can wield a laser whip 😲), a love 📐 in a steampunk world with lots of elemental magic, a little instalove 😍 with an interested suitor who makes her pulse race every time his stormy gray eyes gaze into hers, a glimpse at immortality ☠️ in a complex world 🌍 with an invented religious system, an antagonist who craves power over the realms and doesn’t care how he gets it, and a family uncovered that has their own long-buried secrets…

After that description, how can you not want to read it? 😲

Okay, I hear you asking…but, Myrenne, what is the spice♨️🥵 in this book? Am I going to want to find my SO and, well, you know? 😏

Ahem…how about an excerpt? 

Thorben reached up, brushing a strand of dark hair away from Ava’s face. His fingertips grazed her cheek, cool and rough. Ava’s breath quickened, his caress causing a tidal wave of emotions to rush to the surface. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her in a romantic way. She had had too many responsibilities, too many people depending on her. So, Ava had buried her wants and desires, focusing on who she needed to be; a druis, a niece…a friend. But, being pursued—being desired—for the first time in a long time, made her balk at the position she had allowed herself to be put in.

He leaned forward, his breath cool against her skin, bringing her back to the moment. “Mé talé.” He whispered against her lips. “My treasure.”

Thorben brushed his velvet lips against Ava’s, and she sucked in a quick breath. He paused, waiting. And Ava decided in this moment—this one instance—she was going to claim back something for herself.

Delicately, she pressed her lips against his. He tasted like fresh mint and evening rain. The acceptance of his kiss made him eager, encouraging her to open for him. She allowed him to slide past her lips, exploring her with his cool, firm tongue.

Ava’s fingers tangled themselves in his dark hair and hauled him closer, crushing his mouth to hers. He titled his head, deepening the kiss, his fingers dancing along her ribcage.  His thick tongue swept inside her, along her lips, over her teeth, diving back inside for more. He moaned as her tongue parried his, back and forth, licking at the edges of his lips and planting soft kisses on his mouth.

Thorben’s hands circled her waist, pulling her onto his lap. He was desperately passionate, as if he were hungry for a person’s touch as much as she was. It made her want him more. She broke away from his kiss, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the side. His smooth chest gently shimmered in the evening light, and she again wondered at his heritage.

Catching her wrists, he pressed her palms to his bare chest, his thumbs lightly stroking the backside of her hands. His skin was cool to the touch. He breathed hard, his eyes dancing with lightning. A shaky hand brushed against Ava’s cheek.

“Thorben, are you alright?”

 “Don’t stop,” he whispered, his voice dark agony. “Please.” 

*~*~*

This is not, of course, the spiciest🥵 scene in the book–nope, not by a long shot. But, I can’t give all the goods away at first, now can I? 😏

If I’ve got you hooked and you are burning with curiosity to read Three Coins, let me first say…YAY! Secondly, how would you like to be a beta reader🤔? 

I’m doing one last beta reading session beginning July 1, 2023! If you don’t know what beta reading is, it’s a group of people who get to read books📚 before they are officially published. Beta readers are there for the author to offer feedback, ask questions, and tell their opinions on the characters and plot, helping the author make the book the best it can be! 

Want to Beta read and get your eyes 👀on it before anyone else? Sign up HERE.

You can also read the ENTIRE blurb AND be the first to know when my book releases by joining my email list HERE. 

If you are curious about how I began my writing journey (It’s an interesting story, actually) you can read my first guest blog on Delilah’s page HERE.

The next stop for Realms of Souls info is my Facebook group. I’ll have announcements for release date, merch, contests, freebies, and other thoughts about characters that I have no idea what to do with. And, occasionally, I feel the urge to make a video. You can hear my ramblings first hand if you follow me on TikTok. 

Thanks to Delilah for having me on her blog and I can’t wait until I can announce a release date this fall! 

~May your soul fly freely.
Myrenne

Love and triangle. Two fairly innocuous words. But it’s when they’re paired together in that order that they become possibly the two most hated words in all of romance—the dreaded love triangle.

Whether it was Rory trying to choose between Dean and Jess, Bella between Jacob and Edward, or Elena between Stefan and Damon, whoever she ended up with, I always felt a little cheated. I could never decide who was her perfect fit because each guy matched her in different ways. Why couldn’t she have it all?

And then I discovered my two favorite words in romance. Two words so destined to exist side by side, they’re literally smooshed together. WhyChoose!

A few years ago, I was introduced to a whole new (fictional) world where the heroine could have everything she wanted. Hot Boy Next Door… absolutely! Sexy Bad Boy… yes, please! Sweet Cinnamon Roll… come on down! According to the rules of WhyChoose romance, the more the merrier!

When I decided to pitch my hat in the publishing ring and give penning my own romance a try, there was no question it would be a WhyChoose romance. I wanted my heroine to have three men, each one complex and compelling in his own way and each one able to grow with her and fulfill a different need of hers.

So was born Vasenia and her three love interests, Marek, Gaeb, and Ryfin. In Blade & Thistle, my debut WhyChoose fantasy romance, we get the first installment of their exciting, enemies-to-lovers tale. Be sure to check out the blurb and excerpt below and read for free on Kindle Unlimited. I hope you enjoy reading Vasenia have it all!

Read now: https://mybook.to/Blade-Thistle

Follow me: https://jacindahalebooks.com/thank-you-for-reading/

Blade & Thistle

Vasenia has hated her life in Eretamia ever since her father, Imperator Supreme of the Sadoran Army, forced her to join him on his military campaign in the gloomy, backwater colony far away from the high society of the capital. But when her betrothed retrieves her for their wedding, she assumes the gods have finally shined their favor upon her.

Until her caravan is attacked along the forbidden, northern border and Vasenia finds herself in a hell far worse than Eretamia and at the mercy of three ruthless warriors. No, not warriors—Harrow demons.

Barbarians. Savages. Harrow demons. Warriors Marek, Gaeb, and Ryfin and their people, the half-fae Itheni, are known by many names but understood by few who live south of the magical border that protects their home, least of all by the Sadoran invaders.

But when the three warriors rescue a Sadoran woman on their trek home, they discover she’s more than just another invader. She’s half-fae too, a descendent of the lost women whose connection to their people was severed by a curse a thousand years ago.

When an ancient bond links her to them, Marek, Gaeb, and Ryfin realize they have no choice; they must bring their enemy home. But if they want to keep her, they’ll have to claim her and bind her to the fae by the only means they have: pleasure.

Excerpt from Blade & Thistle…
All three of them stand together near the entrance staring at me and exchanging words in their language. I try to focus on the things that made them so barbaric to me mere days ago. The blue tattoos marring their thick forearms. The hair on their chiseled jaws. Their undisciplined stance as if they could unleash the savage at any moment. I swallow thickly.

Single words filter to me. I understand tonight and seal before Marek motions to himself, Gaeb, and Ryfin. Gaeb nods in response and looks at me, his face wiped of humor.

I take a deep breath as Gaeb approaches.

“Sen,” he says, and warmth fills me at the name. It’s not an endearment, but somehow it softens me in ways Lucius’ my love never did.

“The ceremony on the dais bound us to one another, but the binding must be sealed.”

I nod.

“Sealing requires us to join the Goddess together,” Gaeb pauses to let that sink in and adds, “all of us.”

I can feel Marek’s attention focused on me even though his face remains in shadow, and Ryfin’s back is to me but his sudden stillness tells me he’s paying close attention to Gaeb’s words.

All of us.

I knew it as soon as I was brought here. What other use is there for a bed as big as this one? I’ve been preparing myself for this for hours.

Gaeb touches my waist, a feather-light touch but enough to send a shiver through me.

These men may not be demons, but they’re still my enemies. My body doesn’t care, though, as a now familiar feeling begins to ride my blood. What is it if not power?

He said the power in the wych elm is within me as well. If I can coax it out, learn how to master it, perhaps I can use it against them. My passion won’t be wasted anymore.

Gaeb tilts his head and narrows his eyes, attempting to read me. “You understand, yes?”

I nod again.

He cups my face, moving closer. The firelight illuminates the warm brown of his eyes, and his irises shine like sunlight through amber. “Do you want this?” he asks, his fingers caressing my cheek.

My consent is a tactic, a strategic maneuver.

But his touch settles and stirs me at once, building within me a heat that both loosens my limbs and tightens every muscle in my body. His thumb lands just below my bottom lip, and my mind empties of everything but this hunger I have for him, for all of them.

“You have to answer, Sen. Do you want to seal the binding with us?”

“Of course, she fucking wants it. I can feel her fae from here, so let’s get this over with.”

Ryfin stalks toward me, and I gape at him, at the foreign words that sounded so clear to my ears. But before he can reach me, Gaeb shoves him back.

“No,” Gaeb says, and it’s the only word I understand before I lose the translation.

Lucius didn’t ask my permission. It wasn’t required. Father betrothed me to him, and a lady of Dora is her family’s to possess and give away. Thus, I was given to Lucius and he took me, and not a care was spared for what I wanted.

I wanted Lucius’ family name, the access to power he could grant me, the security of his position. But had I wanted him? As I want Gaeb and Marek and even Ryfin?

Gods forgive me, the answer is no. I never wanted Lucius.

Someday this will be over. I’ll be returned to Father, to whatever Sadoran nobleman will take Lucius’ place, and to the role my mother was meant to play had she not proved a lovesick fool.

My mother lacked the control I possess. She didn’t merely want the Jacquerran man who wasn’t my father; she fell in love with him. I won’t make her mistake. I won’t fall in love with these men before me.

But I will fuck them. And then I’ll seize the power it gives me.

I stare at Gaeb, steeling my expression. “Yes,” I say.

Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I must confess I love a fairy-tale romance, especially if it includes a reckless and gallant knight, willing to risk all for the one who has captured his heart. Throw a little magic and a touch of fantasy into the mix and I am lost.

While I might be a hopeless romantic, I have no time for the helpless damsel in distress. I like a heroine who can stand up for herself, fight for those she loves and embrace life with her arms thrown open wide.

For a long time, I had the seed of a story slowly growing in my mind until it reached a point where it pushed restlessly against my consciousness and demanded to be released. As the characters slowly took form on the pages, they changed and reformed themselves in new and surprising ways and the story unfolded around them.

The first version of the book included some detailed and intimate scenes, but I soon realized that the story was better suited to simmering romance, fueled by longing, and forced separation. Finally, many revisions later, I had a story I was excited to share with the world.

Demonic haunting, mystery, and dark romance intertwine with everyday magic in the final version of this tale of cursed love, where the growing attraction between a young witch and an “almost werewolf” puts both their lives in peril.

Bewitched in the Inbetween

Demonic haunting, mystery and dark romance intertwine with everyday magic in this bewitching tale of cursed love.

Ayla grew secluded and protected by her grandmother and their enchanted cottage, free to explore and nurture her magical gifts. This blissful existence is shattered when her grandmother dies, leaving Ayla vulnerable to the darkness that seeks to steal not only her gifts, but her very life and the life of those she loves.

And then she meets the one she cannot live without.

The wolf that lurks somewhere beneath Ash’s skin draws him deep into the darkest forest, where the last thing he expects to find is the terrified young witch, running for her life.

Drawn together by fate, their growing attraction puts both their lives in peril.

Get your copy here!

About the author

I live and work with my family and menagerie of pets in Sydney, Australia. Aside from writing, I work as a teacher, graphic designer, and artist. I love to believe in the possibility that magic might exist in our everyday lives, hidden just below the surface of our day-to-day existence. I enjoy using words and art to create landscapes where magic and fantasy collide and overlap with ordinary, everyday experiences, bringing a new dimension of colour and light to the world.

Connect with me through:
https://www.instagram.com/smilingmoon_books/
https://linktr.ee/smilingmoonbooks

“I would have come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

What makes the perfect hero for you? Is he a friends-to-lovers type or do you favor the bad boy or even the villain-turned-lover?

I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for the hero who says the words, “Who did this to you?” Or maybe even growls them. Yep, growling would definitely be better. There’s nothing like that toe-curling growl.

Here’s a list of my top three fantasy romance heroes. They are all more than capable of a good growl. Feel free to add your hero pick in the comments!

1) Hawke Flynn, from Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash

“With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe.” – Hawke

Hawke is an interesting hero because he’s not only friends to lovers, but he’s enemies to lovers, too. He starts off as the handsome man Poppy kisses in a tavern on her illicit “night out.” When he’s assigned to her as one of her bodyguards, he becomes her fiercest protector and slowly her friend. But by the end of Book 1 in this series, things take a fierce twist. You’ve never seen friends-to-lovers-to-enemies done like this before! I highly recommend checking out this unputdownable series (especially if you like medieval vibes and vampires).

2) Rhysand, from Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses

“He thinks he’ll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key. He was the one who let me out.” – Feyre

Like most readers, I hated Rhysand at first. Last night I saw a new Sarah J. Maas reader post in a Facebook romance reader group I’m in saying just three words: “I HATE RHYSAND!” The comments below the post were hilarious, as you’ll understand if you’re already an ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) fan. The fandom itself is worth reading the series for. Fans of SJM are rabid and devout. There are so many memes and so much fan artwork! And it’s fun to be in on the “twists” of the story.

One of the biggest ones of which is… (STOP READING NOW IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SPOILERS)

That Rhysand may begin as Feyre’s enemy but he slowly worms his way into her heart and reveals himself to be villainous only for the very best reasons (protecting his people is a great reason imo). Moreover, Rhysand and Feyre share something very few romance heroes and heroines share (maybe Jamie and Claire from Outlander are one exception) – similar trauma, right down to their tormentor, which helps them to bond.

3) “Max” Maxantarius Farlione from Carissa Broadbent’s Daughter of No Worlds

“I wanted him in so many ways. As a friend, as a kindred soul, as a fierce teammate. As skin and lips and teeth. As a hitched breathless moan in the darkness or a lazy embrace in the sunrise. I wanted that. I wanted it all.” – Tisaanah

Okay, Max is my exception here because he fits the villain or enemy definition in only the loosest terms. His villainy was forced upon him (read the book to find out how). By the time our heroine Tisaanah meets Max, he’s a quintessential grumpy hermit. With a nice age gap to boot! Max becomes Tisaanah’s mentor and as he trains her in the ways of magic, a friendship slowly blossoms. This is a slow burn romance but the romance is absolutely there! I’m looking forward to finally getting to book 2 of this series.

And finally, my very own fantasy romance hero can be found in my newest release. Queen of Roses is out April 15, 2023. Here’s a quick excerpt…Then keep scrolling for a giveaway!

“Who did this to you?” Draven’s voice was a guttural growl. The sound of a furious animal, not a man.

I shook my head mutely.

“You won’t tell me? You think I won’t find out for myself?” He shook his head as if in frustration. “Morg–”

My eyes widened.

He tried again. “Princess. My lady.” I could see him trying to soften his voice. Which was impossible. A steel sword could never become silk. “Tell me so I may help you. That is all I ask.”

I tried to clear my throat. When my words emerged, my voice was hoarse and cracked. “Thank you, but… there is no need for any of this. I’m fine.”

This time he really did growl. A sound low and deep in the back of his throat.

I tried not to flinch. I failed.

“Last night in the market. Now this. You are not fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head. “Tell me this. Has it happened before?”

I was quiet.

The truth was, it had. But not this badly. Last night… Last night was the worst.

Florian had cornered me before. He had hurt me, bruised me. He had even used his knife. I had small scars in a few hidden places from those encounters.

But compared to last night, those had all been childsplay.

Again I thanked the Three that Draven could not see the rest of the marks I bore. Strange, the things we thought we ought to be grateful for.

If he could see Florian’s name carved across my chest, just above my breasts, well… I had the feeling he would explode into a tempest of rage that nothing would be able to contain.

KEEP READING

Giveaway

Want to win a copy of Queen of Roses and other great books? Enter to win a collection of paranormal and fantasy romance books here! (Contemporary and Historical Romance collections available, too!) https://coverandpage.com/april-bookbub-follow-giveaway/