Thursday, January 16, 2025

Book Tour Stop: The Mirror by P.K. Eden

 

What if you found out the artifacts from the fairy tales you loved as a child were real and one of them just predicted your death?


Title: The Mirror

Author: P.K. Eden

Publication Date: October 14, 2024

Pages: 390

Genre: Urban Fantasy

What if you found out the artifacts from the fairy tales you loved as a child were real and one of them just predicted your death? That’s the dilemma Scientist Ben Michaels faces when Siene Dower, descendant of the Brothers Grimm, tells him that Snow White’s Magic Mirror sent her to stop him from getting into the cab that crashed and burst into flame right before his eyes at the intersection at Penn Station, New York City. Does practical Dr. Michaels dismiss everything he knows about reality and science and follow the curious and beautiful woman who just saved his life?

The Mirror is available at Amazon.

 

Book Excerpt


“Sit.” Siene motioned to the black sofa next to the door. She walked to the back bookshelf and pulled forward an old book with her forefinger. She skimmed the pages as she walked back to him. About halfway through the book she retrieved a fragile-looking, folded paper with timeworn brown edges.  

She sat next to him. “Show me your palm.” 

Ben held out his hand. “Why? Are you going to read it?”

“Do I look like a fortune teller?”

“You did predict the cab accident,” Ben replied. 

She rolled her eyes and gently unfolded the paper. Carefully, she dropped three brown, shriveled ovals into his palm.

Ben’s brow furrowed. “What are these?”

“Beans.”

“I can see that.” He looked up. “Is this when I ask you why they were hidden in the book?”

“No, you’re supposed to guess.”

Ben lifted an eyebrow. “Do you really want to play games, Siene?”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “Actually, yes. You’re the hot-shot genius. I’m curious to see if that big brain of yours can think outside the . . .” She felt a wicked smile form on her lips “. . . outside the spit glands.”

He shot her an annoyed look and used his forefinger to move the beans around on his palm. They were shrunken but all the same size and shape. Kidney beans, he guessed. Very old kidney beans. He glanced at Siene. “Beans hidden in a book. Did you get them from a prom date instead of flowers and this is your way of telling me that you’re still thinking of the prom king?”  

She saw amusement replace the annoyance on his face. Okay, maybe inside all the gray matter the man had a sense of humor. She’d try sparring with him later. Right now, she had to make a seemingly very obtuse point. “Did your mother ever read you fairy tales when you were a child?”  

“Yes,” Ben replied, still holding the beans in his outstretched hand.

“Which ones?”

“The usual. Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, the Shoemaker and the Elves.”

“What about Jack and the Beanstalk?” 

Ben glanced down at the beans in his hand and then back at Siene. “Of course, and I suppose you’re going to tell me these are magic beans.”

Skepticism lit his eyes and Siene knew he wasn’t quite there yet. “I know I’m asking a lot, but for a minute, just send all the Einstein stuff to the back of your gray matter and go with it.” His expression told her he thought she was nuts and she suspected ninety-nine percent of the world’s population would probably agree with him. “I guess laymen might say they are magic.”

“Laymen.” Ben paused before shooting her a probing stare. “People off their meds like you, you mean.”

She held up her finger. “You agreed to go with it.”

“No, I did not.”

“Let’s pretend you did. These beans are the last ones left.  It drives my brother, Reed, crazy that I keep them in a book.  He thinks it’s the first place a Taltoian would look.” She held the book up so he could see the title.

“Taltioan?”

“I’ll get there in a minute.” She lifted her chin. “Look at the book.”

White paper showed through the frayed corners of the cover and the embossed lettering worn low by the passing years made the words hard to read. He leaned closer and squinted. Tales by the Brothers Grimm. His head snapped up. “Is this an original edition?” He turned the book over and then back. “It looks very old.”

Siene nodded. “They are my great-great--maybe another great, maybe not, it really doesn’t matter at this point--Uncles Jacob and Wilhelm. The book has been passed down through the generations.”   

Ben’s wide-eyed gaze flared. “You are crazy. You expect me to believe these are the magic beans they wrote about? That if you plant them, a stalk will grow as high as the clouds and if we climb it, we will meet a giant who has a goose that lays golden eggs?”

“Yes, and other things. A golden harp…”

Ben stood. “This has been an adventure to say the least, and I will admit you might have a very valuable book that could command millions, but you being related to the Brothers Grimm, “ he looked down at his hand, “And these are magic beans, I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

He handed her back the book and held up fingers in a vee. “Two reasons. One, I suspect if there actually was a goose that laid golden eggs, some billionaire would own it and two, a giant, by sheer atomic weight and mass, cannot stand or live on a cloud.”

Siene shrugged. “Whether you believe me or not, it’s still true.”  

“Which part?”

“All of it.” She slipped her hand under his. “I better take those back now.” She carefully placed the beans inside the paper and back into the book.  

Ben remained still for several minutes as though processing the information he just heard. “It appears your uncles, if they truly are,  are not the only ones who can tell tall tales.”

She put the book back on the shelf. “They wrote the stories to protect the artifacts.”

“Artifacts. Like those in a museum?”

She looked at him and smiled. “No, the ones in my uncles’ stories.”

“Which stories?”
“All of them.”

– Excerpted from The Mirror by P.K. Eden, The Wild Rose Press, 2024. Reprinted with permission.


About the Authors

P.K. Eden is the alter ego of multi-published and award winning authors Patt Milhailff and Kathye Quick whose debut novel FIREBRAND was lauded as comparable to the Harry Potter series, garnered 5-Star reviews, and won numerous  Reviewer’s Choice Awards.

Born long, long ago in a place not so far away, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Kathryn Quick has been writing since the Sisters in St. Casmir’s Grammar School gave her the ruled yellow paper and a number two pencil.  She writes contemporary and career romances, romantic comedies, historical romances as well as urban fantasy. 

Kathye has twenty fiction books in print with various publishing houses and one non-fiction compilation of her town’s history at the behest of the Manville Library Bord.  She was honored to have been named an Amazon top 100 Romance Author for Ineligible Bachelor published by Montlake Romance. Other works include a three book  Grandmother’s Rings Series – Amethyst, Sapphire and Citrine, a rom-com series that follows three siblings as they use their Grandmother’s Rings given to them by their mother to find their soulmates. 

Because she has been fascinated by King Arthur and his knights for almost forever, her series Beyond Camelot, Brother Knights, is her vision of how the majestic kingdom may have survived after Arthur. Two books are written in this series with the third and final still in concept.

She is a founding member of Liberty State Fiction Writers and has been a part of Romance Writers of America and New Jersey Romance Writers.

She is married to her real-life hero, Donald, and has three grown sons, each having romantic adventures of their own. Her two grandkids, Savannah and Dax, happily cut into her writing time but she still manages to get a few pages done each day.

Website & Social Media:

Website www.Kathrynquick.com  

Twitter ➜ https://x.com/KQuickAuthor

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/KathrynQuickBooks/

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/kathrynquickauthor/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217228581-the-mirror

***

Thanks to novelist and editor, Dr. Nathasha Brooks-Harris who invited Patt Milhailff to write for several TRUE CONFESSION lines of magazines where she learned tight and entertaining writing and resulted in the publication of more than two hundred short stories and articles.

One of Patt’s most gratifying experiences was when she moderated a standing room only workshop at the African American Romance Slam Jam in 2004 and has since enjoyed speaking engagements at libraries, book clubs and other forums. 

She was awarded 2009 Author of the year and 2010 Mentor of the year by Romance writers of America, New York City Chapter, a terrific organization that helped her to obtain valuable lessons and insight while on her writing journey. 

Patt is also featured in A Dream Deferred, A Joy Achieved, a non-fiction novella by Charise Nesbit a co-producer at Tyler Perry Studios, about foster care, as well as being included in two of Times Bestselling Author Zane’s anthologies. 

Patt is one half of the writing duo P.K. Eden along with Kathye Quick, authors of Firebrand,  that received a five star Affaire de Couer Reviewer’s Choice Award. 

She is also a member of Liberty States Fiction Writers the home of a magnitude of talented writers and fellow authors and is the author of nine novels.  

Patt was raised, and educated in New York City, residing in  New Jersey, and has since relocated to Delaware.

Social Networks for P.K. Eden:

Follow on Twitter: https://x.com/PKEdenAuthor 

Follow on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/P.K.EdenAuthor

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p.k.edenauthor/

 


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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Cover Reveal: The Saint and the Shadowman by A.B. Finlayson

The Saint and the Shadowman
A. B. Finlayson
(Arthur Crazy, #3)
Published by: Parliament House Press
Publication date: July 22nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Arthur Crazy is hungover, but the dead don’t care about headaches.

The city of York is teetering on the edge of disaster. During a rare eclipse, the Shadowman casts a spell atop the Minster, trapping the city between the realm of the living and the dead. Ghosts flood the streets, and Arthur, with his best friend Steve, is the only one who can stop the chaos.

But Arthur’s not exactly in hero shape. Haunted by his past and drowning his sorrows in the nearest pint, he’s barely keeping it together. That is, until he meets Nae—a beautiful stranger who might just hold the key to helping him feel normal again.

Now, with the Shadowman’s spell tearing the veil between worlds, the city’s only hope rests on a washed-up hero, a saint from the Shambles, and a dog who won’t stop talking.

York needs a miracle. Arthur needs another drink.

Or maybe a Panadol and a panini

Read the Arthur Crazy Series in this order:
The Book and the Blade
The Sword and the Hounds
The Saint and the Shadowman

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


Author Bio:

A Yorkshire lad living in the sun. I make up stories and eventually write them down.

Website / Facebook / TikTok / Instagram



Tour Stop/Giveaway: Sensible Shoes by Cindy Causey



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cindy Causey will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



At her fiftieth birthday party, Tess Thomason, a plain-Jane, divorced mother and decidedly unprepared women’s newspaper columnist, is blindsided by her well-meaning family with a stack of gift cards she interprets as meaning she’s fat, frumpy, and wrinkled. Facing a lonely future and failing career, Tess embarks on a journey of self-discovery, taking her readers along for the ride. But her resolve is nearly derailed by a hilarious season of family chaos that includes a surprise pregnancy, rushed wedding, and unexpected houseguests. In the midst of it all, Tess is drawn into a confusing new relationship with a man who is impossibly perfect for her. But if she can keep herself, her family, and her willpower firmly seated on the crazy roller coaster of her life, maybe Tess will find her own self-worth and a new love in the bargain.


Read an Excerpt

But first, I needed to think.

If I were to embark on this perilous journey of reawakening and discovery, I needed to consult my sweet muse, to experience the warmth of an old friend, to snuggle into the comfort of the familiar.

I needed a full caf, mocha hazelnut latte, with a double whip….

I leaned back in the chair, sipped on the sweet mocha froth, and sighed aloud.

“It can’t be that bad.” The sound of a rumbling male voice, laced with humor, made me turn to my right and stare at the man seated there, newspaper on the table in front of him.

“I beg your pardon?”

He leaned forward a little, and I could see traces of gray in his temples and laugh lines around his eyes. They were very nice brown eyes.

They went with his very nice face, which was perfectly proportioned and just rugged enough to be interesting. His mouth quirked up a little at one corner as if he were slightly amused.

“Whatever those cards are, they seem to be upsetting you.”

“They’re gift cards.”

“Mmm, don’t you hate those?”

I chuckled. “Not normally, but these are particularly evil.”

“Ah, gift cards for the seven deadly sins. You don’t see those every day.”

The guy was intriguing. A sense of humor. And those eyes.

About the Author:



Cindy Causey taught herself to type in the 8th grade because she couldn't write in her diary fast enough in longhand. A degree and career in advertising were the result. A fifteen-year stint as a copy chief at JCPenney Catalog led to the position of Internet Marketing Manager for JCPenney.com.

After 20 years at JCPenney, Cindy retired in December, 2007, and began working full time with her husband Scott in their multi-media production company, Dallas Media Center. They specialized in audio/video production and editing, vintage media transfer to DVD and CD, as well as website design and hosting. Cindy shuttered the company in 2021, three years after Scott passed away.

After her first book, a non-fiction work called Cherish the Gift: a Congregational Guide to Earth Stewardship, was published, Cindy began writing fiction. She found her voice in romance, the stories of the struggles two people endure on the road to happily ever-after. Her debut novel, A Different Drum was published in May 2009 by The Wild Rose Press, followed by A Hot Time in Texas that same year.

In early 2025, her latest novel, Sensible Shoes, a humorous look at a woman struggling with life after 50, was published by The Wild Rose Press. It will be followed in late 2025 by a romantic suspense novel entitled Saving Samantha.

Cindy makes her home in Dallas, Texas. In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She would like to see the edges of the entire world from the deck of a cruise ship.

BLOG: https://thewidowwoman.com/
WEBSITE: https://cindycausey.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.ubbencausey
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cindycausey2
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@cucausey
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/causey3994/

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Tuesday, January 14, 2025

New Release from Donna Grant: The Uncrowned King

 


THE UNCROWNED KING by Donna Grant
Release day: January 14, 2025
Series: The Bastard Duology Book 2
Paranormal Romance
All Buy Links HERE



I would burn the world for him…


My people have been hunted to extinction by dragons. I am the last of my kind. Forever running. Forever alone.

Then I met him. Dangerous. Carnal. 
Dragon And utterly magnetic. I had no defenses against the passion that claimed us. Each time his lips touched mine, each time his arms held me, I fell deeper.

And I fell hard.

My mortal enemy became my world. The very reason for my existence.

My one and only.

Until our forever was violently snatched away. Now, I’m hunted, once more.

But I’m not running this time. I’m fighting for love.

For him.

A hellhound facing her past. A dragon reclaiming his throne. Forbidden lovers will face the ultimate test. A Dragon King duology from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant.


About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has been praised for her "totally addictive" and "unique and sensual" stories. Her latest acclaimed series, Dragon Kings, features a thrilling combination of dragons, Fae, and immortal Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible. She lives in Texas.

Visit Donna at www.DonnaGrant.com and www.MotherOfDragonsBooks.com

And on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDonnaGrant

Tour Stop: Some Like it Hott/Giveaway

Some Like It Hott
Serena Bell
(Hott Springs Eternal, #3)
Publication date: January 14th 2025
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

She’s nothing he wants. And everything he needs.

Preston: I’m Mr. Serious, the guy they call “all work and no play.” So of course my grandfather’s sadistic will has put me in charge of fun at the family’s wedding resort. I have just a few weeks to come up with an all-ages activities program for the resort’s guests—or lose my family’s land forever. Meanwhile, the clock’s ticking at my finance firm, where I’m up for a huge promotion—if I can prove I’m a team player.

Worse, I have to work with the reigning queen of fun, Natalie Archer. If there’s a party, Natalie’s there, and she’s the one dancing on the tables. She doesn’t think much of my suits, ties, cufflinks, and spreadsheets, and I don’t think much of her fun-first–safety-last attitude. But for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about her gorgeous curves, wild curly hair, or sparkling smile. I’m a man who values self-control—and I’m running low.

Natalie launches Operation Fun to help me loosen up and win the promotion I’ve been chasing. Now we’re spending days and nights together—and learning that some activities are a lot of fun for both of us. But as our deadline approaches and our collaboration heats up, Natalie and I find ourselves asking a big question: Opposites may attract, but can they live happily ever after?

A spicy, grumpy-sunshine, fish-out-of-water, billionaire, opposites attract, workplace relationship standalone romantic comedy set in the beloved small town of Rush Creek.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT:

By the time I start my new job a week after my coffee-shop encounter with Lloyd and Susie, I’m starting to feel more optimistic about things. My new boss, Hanna, hooked me up with a swanky room in the Hott Springs Eternal lodge; I’ve deleted all Lloyd’s emails, texts, and photos; and I’ve pawned all the jewelry he gave me.

I’m not sleeping great, and I’m still a little weepy…but you can’t have it all.

I poke my head into Hanna’s office and say, “Hey!”

“Oh, hi, Natalie. Come in.”

I can tell right away that something’s off. She doesn’t sound as brimming with enthusiasm as she did when she called to let me know I had the job or when we talked about my lodging. But I tell myself it’s nothing to do with me—probably a bridezilla situation from earlier in the morning—and step inside.

“Good to see you.” She waves me into a chair across from her. “I have some paperwork for you to fill out, but first I wanted to have a word with you.”

She rearranges a stack of papers, and I realize she’s nervous. Which means the “something off” I observed when I first walked in? Probably does have to do with me.

Shit. “Everything okay?”

I don’t know what I’ll do if this job falls through. Things are over with Lloyd, and it’s a huge understatement to say my parents aren’t my first choice of roommates. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say that the idea of asking them for any kind of favor makes me feel like throwing up. Which is why I have to save the money to go back to school.

And even if my housing situation weren’t at stake, I want this job. Yeah, it’s not on the long-term Get Serious path, but it’s totally up my alley. I love people and I love, well, fun—and this is a job where I get to make sure people have fun. Nothing else I’ve applied for sounds like something I want to do.

“I have so many great ideas for how to make Hott Springs Eternal a true destination!” I blurt out, sounding like a bad cover letter—as if that’s going to keep her from delivering whatever bad news is on the tip of her tongue.

She winces, and…I do, too. She looks away, and shit. Shit shit shit.

“It’s complicated,” she says, still not making eye contact. “Nothing to panic about, but there’s a—twist.”

“A twist,” I repeat. That doesn’t sound good.

“I’m really sorry about this bait and switch, but my hands are totally tied. I know I hired you to be the sole person in this position, but, well…God, how do I explain this?”

She’s not making any sense, and apparently my face betrays my confusion and worry because she says, “Wait, let me start from the beginning.”

But just then, her eyes leave my face and fix on something behind me. “Oh, hey,” she says.

I turn to see a man standing in the office door, towing a rolling suitcase behind him. He’s tall and broad-chested, wearing a gorgeous gray linen suit whose expensive tailoring flaunts the strength in his shoulders and biceps. His brown-and-burgundy power tie is cinched up tight against his strong, tanned throat. A half day of dark stubble coats his iron jaw, his cheekbones were carved from stone, and he’s scowling like he just found out his bespoke-suit maker has gone out of business.

My mouth goes dry, and my thighs get hot.

I may have read a little too much “You liked Fifty Shades? Try this!” romance at a formative age.

My eyes go to his hands.

No ring.

Yes, I checked. The universe has spontaneously served me up a Hot Man in a Suit. I challenge any single, straight woman with a pulse not to try to figure out if this guy’s married.

Although it’s pointless.

Because things never work out between men like him and women like me. They’re all business, and I’m a party. They take themselves and everything else seriously, and I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

But it doesn’t stop me from having to wipe imaginary drool from both corners of my mouth.

It might be the stern look and the crease between his dark eyebrows. The set of his jaw or the harsh twist of his lush mouth.

Whatever it is, I have to force my eyes away from him and back to my boss’s face.

Which is pained.

Whatever the bad news is, it involves this man. And that makes sense because no matter what happens next, I already know he’s bad news for me.

“Preston,” Hanna says, “this is Natalie Archer. I’ve, er, hired her to be Hott Springs Eternal’s activities coordinator.”

His scowl deepens, making my heart beat faster, out of both fear and lust.

“That’s unfortunate,” he says.

Yikes.

Nice to meet you, too, Preston.


Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell writes contemporary romance with heat, heart, and humor. A former journalist, Serena has always believed that everyone has an amazing story to tell if you listen carefully, and you can often find her scribbling in her tiny garret office, mainlining chocolate and bringing to life the tales in her head.

Serena’s books have earned many honors, including an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Apple Books Best Book of the Month, and Amazon Best Book of the Year for Romance.

When not writing, Serena loves to spend time with her college-sweetheart husband and two hilarious kiddos—all of whom are incredibly tolerant not just of Serena’s imaginary friends but also of how often she changes her hobbies and how passionately she embraces the new ones. These days, it’s stand-up paddle boarding, board-gaming, meditation, and long walks with good friends.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / X / Newsletter


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Release Day Book Review: Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

 


Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

Series: Bree Taggert Book 9

Release Date: January 14th, 2025

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Contemporary, Psychological Fiction

Publisher: Montlake Publishing

Buy at AMAZON

My Rating: 4.5 Stars and a Series Recommendation


For Sherriff Bree Taggert, a brutal double murder brings back bad memories of her past when she gets a call that a teenager found her parents dead when she got home from work. Bree teams up with investigator Matt Flynn to try to figure out the twists in a complicated case that seems to make more questions than answers. With time running out, Claire, the teenage daughter of the murdered adults is targeted by the killer and if Bree, Matt and the rest of the Sherriff’s office can’t figure out what the past has in common with the crime, Claire will be gone and possibly dead.

 My Review: 

TRACK HER DOWN is one wild ride from start to finish. With tight writing, captivating characters and a mystery that seems to have so many twists and turns the reader is on the edge of their seat trying to figure out what just happened and why. I have loved Melinda Leigh’s books since I discovered her a few years ago in her Morgan Dane books.

 

For Sherriff Bree Taggert, this case brings up memories of her parent’s murder-suicide and she empathizes with the teenager, Claire Mason, and tries to help her get answers even as the case makes so many questions as they investigate that Bree and Matt have no idea what is going on or why the Mason’s were targeted. The characters are what makes this series so good. With each book, they grow and evolve. This makes reading these books in the series so enjoyable. I love how the author knows her characters so well, she lets them all shine, regardless of if they are the MC’s or secondary ones. All deliver fine performances in TRACK HER DOWN.


The latest installment in the Bree Taggert series is an entertaining and enjoyable whodunit that kept me glued to the pages till the very end. I didn’t even know who the killer was until that last chapter and even then, I was shocked by who it was. I love books that keep me guessing till the end and this one had just enough red herrings to keep me guessing alongside the characters. Ms. Leigh is a fabulous storyteller and in TRACK HER DOWN she delivers a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and cheering when the final reveal of who was the bad guy(s). I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Bree and the gang in upcoming books, I just hope we don’t have to wait too long for it.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement


Monday, January 13, 2025

Discover Wild Ones by Zoey Daniels & a Tour Wide Giveaway

Title: Wild Ones

Author: Zoey Daniels

Cover Art: Bryan Keller

Genres: Action Adventure, Box Sets, Futuristic, New Releases, Paranormal, Romance, Sci-Fi , Suspense, Wildest West

Themes: Age Gap (Older Woman), Alien Encounters, Bisexual, Multisexual, & Pansexual, Multiple Partners, Shapeshifters, Werewolves & Wolf Shifters

Series: Wild Ones (#5)

Book Length: Box Set

Page Count: 167

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

Four women choose to homestead on lunar colony Leman in search of new beginnings. They're in for a wild ride!

A pair of shapeshifting wolves have adopted Lainey's new farm on the agri-moon Leman as their home. Though wild, winning their favor is considered lucky. They have a sense of sexuality that other women would pay anything to taste. And they've chosen her. Lainey's not crying wolf. She's crying "God, yes, harder!"

Bold, independent, and free, Callie's worked hard to become the best courier on Leman. And she's not the only one to notice. Two stallions shadow her every move. They may be young, but these native shapeshifters are as adventurous as Callie, and they're set on proving they're old enough to handle her.

Some folks are victims. Some are survivors. Delia's not sure she believes the stories about Leman's beasts, animals who can take on man shape. But they believe in her -- and in what they've scented waiting under the armor she's plated around her heart. These two great cats plan to show their human cougar how much they appreciate what they see.

Rosemary, unofficial guardian of Leman, has waited -- patiently, and not so patiently -- in fierce hope of one day drawing the attention of the agri-moon's strange and wonderful animals who become men. But after her fortieth birthday, she's begun to doubt her dreams, and let her hopes drift away. Until, that is, she finds herself receiving an unexpected visitor. The first, in fact, of three...

Publisher's Note: This box setcontains the previously released novellas Prowl, Wild Horses, Purr, and Who? in the Wild Ones series.

Excerpt

Wild Ones (Box Set)
Zoey Daniels
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2025 Zoey Daniels
Excerpt from Prowl

Lainey closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sun. Had any sun on any world ever felt so fine? She thought not. Leman's sun caressed her skin as gently as an accomplished lover, but it was no weakling. Its rays burnished the world brown, carried forward over fields of gold in heated breaths of wind that reminded her of hot kisses traced down her body.

A fine world to live in. She'd like it here.

"It hits us all that way at first," Rosemary remarked. Lainey could hear the smile in her voice. "Don't ever get used to it. Then it'll lose most of its charm."

Lainey let her eyes drift open and let out a soft breath of satiated desires. She gazed across the gold and brown of the fields and unpaved roads, the green tops of trees already afire with the reds and golds of autumn. It was only natural to take her hat off and rest it not over her heart, but her hip, as a woman of her professional background might in a sign of respect.

"I don't ever plan to take this for granted," she said. She wished she could strip naked in the sensual warmth of this world and stretch herself out in the grass to let it saturate her through and through.

Rosemary chuckled; she had an infectious laugh and she was around the same age as Lainey. They'd probably led the same kinds of lives before they came here, to the world no man wanted and every woman dreamed of. Any woman with any sense, that was.

"Good," Rosemary said. "Let me check once more to be sure..." Proprietress of the small mercantile that was the only place one could buy supplies without traveling a few hundred kilometers in any direction -- not that that bothered Lainey -- she indicated they should get back to business by removing the stylus she'd tucked behind her ear and pointing it at her digital slate.

Lainey knew as well as Rosemary what she'd need and wouldn't need and that she hadn't forgotten a single thing on that list, but no harm in letting the woman do her job. She stood by with her hat at her hip, half-daydreaming through the double-check. "I have gold, not credits," she reminded Rosemary.

"Good. Gold spends; credits are almost worthless out here." Rosemary patted the side of the wagon. "Right, then. I'll go total up your bill."

Politeness, that. Lainey watched Rosemary retreat inside the mercantile and approved of it. She'd have the bill already totted up on her tablet, of course, but it would have been bad manners indeed to stand by and watch a lady retrieve her money from its hiding place. Even if she likely already knew where that'd be after packing the sturdy farm wagon with everything from seeds to vegetable growth supplements to pitchforks and a tin washtub big enough for Lainey to stretch out in.

Homesteading on a new frontier or not, Lainey was stubborn enough and fond enough of her few creature comforts that she'd no plans to give up any time soon.

Though Lainey liked Rosemary just fine, she was glad enough to have the peace and quiet back to herself for a moment. She extended her arms wide, as if she'd embrace the heat from the sun, and let the golden light wash down over her, better than rain.

A slight scuffing sound broke the silence that'd fallen. Not much of a noise, but Lainey's ears were sharp and some training lasted throughout a lifetime. She could tell even without looking that whoever had come visiting wasn't Rosemary, nor any of the other women settlers she had a nodding acquaintance with.

No, this was a Man. Lainey could smell the musk, wilder than most of the polished rich boys she'd dealt with once as mistress and madam in turn, before selling off all that hubris and heading out here to make her way, by her choice.

Not just a man, Lainey's senses told her. A strong man, one who walked with the confidence of a fellow who had no fear of anything, but who stopped far enough away to show her he meant no harm. And -- she cocked her head, intrigued -- another man, not far behind him.

She wasn't afraid of them; they'd given her no reason. Lainey let her eyes drift open and got her first look at this pair from between the sweeping curtain of her eyelashes.

Oh my. Lainey's skin heated from more than the baking warmth of the planet. These were a fine pair to look at, weren't they? One tall and rangy, dark hair clinging to his forehead, cheeks and nape; the other slighter and fairer and springier of step. Both had smiles broad and white enough to rival the sun and the moons, and stood close enough to reach out and touch if she wanted. Teasing her, just a little, by being that close and no closer.

There were no men this far West, not that Lainey knew of. Some fishermen still lived along the coastlines, but not one man who'd come inland to ranch or farm had managed to stay. Bully boys, most of those, or so she'd heard, and it seemed like the land had taken objection to them. Might be a story made up to scare folks, might not be, but for whatever reason, the men had left these prime ranch lands. Left them for women fool enough to try to tame them. And try they had. Leman liked women. Liked them fine. Her sun and moons were kind to the ladies, and they treated her as best as they could in return.

But one look at this pair and Lainey knew down in her gut that while this planet might be kind to the female strangers who'd colonized her... it loved these men without rhyme or reason. They were the sun and moons, somehow.

Lainey couldn't help smiling at that pair. Five seconds' worth of acquaintance or not, they brought it out in her. "Now if you aren't a treat," she said. "Something I can help you with?"

The men glanced at one another, communicating silently in the way long-time friends sometimes developed. A quirk of the eyebrow and the tilt of a wicked grin spoke volumes.

Laughing, the taller jostled the smaller aside. He had a strange laugh, one that made Lainey sit up and take notice. Something between a rumble and a ruff, ruff, ruff. Not unpleasant to hear, Lord no. Quite the contrary. Gave her a pleasant sensation of warmth in her belly not unlike the sun on her skin. It belonged here, same as they did even if they weren't supposed to.

Curiouser and curiouser.

"Need help?" the taller asked, gesturing toward Lainey's loaded wagon. "I Asher. No. I... am, yes, I am Asher. He is Russ. You have long road back to cabin. We help you."

Lainey's eyebrows lifted, despite her years of training. Not supposed to be here and didn't speak the language? Call her intrigued, yes ma'am.

And... they knew where she lived. Lainey figured she ought to be more alarmed about that, but so help her, she couldn't be. She didn't believe these two would hurt her, but if they tried? She had a rifle in the wagon, and she knew how to use it.

The taller took one half-step closer, his shorter companion jostling him in play as he followed. "Help with more than this," the tall man murmured. He reached to touch her face, taking clear care not to startle her but not about to be denied. His fingertips were rough, as tough as paw pads, but his touch was gentle. Almost worshipful.

Lainey's lips parted. So help her if she didn't want to promise them anything for the pleasure of their company. It made her laugh. The shoe was on the other foot now, wasn't it? Good thing for her she liked the fit of it just fine.

Purchase at Changeling Press LLC

Meet the Author

Zoey Daniels likes strong women, equally strong men, and faraway worlds filled with sci-fi cowboys and alpha shapeshifters. She also loves older woman/younger men. Yum, yum. Come enjoy!

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