Covers: Once Upon a Rhyme series by Abigail Manning
Introducing the covers for the first three books of author Abigail Manning’s Once Upon a Rhyme series.
“The Itsy Bitsy Liar”
What if the itsy bitsy spider could only weave a web of lies?
Lacey Arachne has been cursed since she was a child to only speak lies and wants nothing more than to keep it unknown. As a common handmaiden, she’s learned how to navigate her twisted words fairly well. But that all changes when her mistress makes her switch places with her in the prince’s bride competition.
Unable to refuse her mistress’s plans, Lacey is forced to play the role of a noble and compete in a competition she has no interest in winning. Well, at least that’s the lie she tells herself after she meets the charming Prince Carlex…
With the punishment for impersonating a noble being death, Lacey must blend in with the other competitors at all costs. But how does a bold-faced liar avoid standing out amongst scrutinizing eyes? Especially when her childhood enemy certainly doesn’t seem keen on letting her go unnoticed… Can Lacey untangle herself from the webs she’s crafted? Or will she be doomed to fall with the coming storm?
Once Upon A Rhyme is a collection of clean, intercepting stories, best enjoyed when read as a series.
For more information on Once Upon A Rhyme sign up for my free monthly newsletter at: Abigailmanningauthor.com
“Little Bo Sneak”
What if Little Bo Peep, had a skill for catching crooks?
Lady Genevieve Rayelle Palleep loves to point out what no one else notices, which makes it a tad difficult to get along with most suitors. While tracking down details may not be beneficial for her life as a lady, it certainly has uses in her more secretive life. Since being recruited as a crown agent as a child, Evie’s talents have never failed to hunt down black market goods, runaway convicts, or anything else one could imagine… That is, until her next mission bears an interesting request.
When eight magic-fused wool cloaks go missing from the black market, the agency doesn’t feel that Evie can handle the task alone. Much to Evie’s regret, she’s assigned her very first partner, an obnoxiously attractive agent by the name of Shepherd. He wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t have to go undercover as courting lovers… or if he wasn’t so perfect.
With her new partner in tow, and a mysterious stack of cloaks ready to be found, Evie is determined to prove she never needed Shep’s help from the start. She’s worked too hard to let another man drag her around like a wandering sheep. Will Evie be able to track down the missing wools? Or will her distrust of her partner leave them both lost?
“Hush A Bye Lady”
Book Three
Now Available for Pre-Order!
Coming Nov 16, 2023
Hush little lady, don’t say a word…
Sasha Bough has always been the quiet type, and that’s exactly how her family wants her to remain. When a tragic incident rocked her childhood, she was left with two options: never speak of what happened or suffer the consequences. When Sasha reaches the age of nineteen, then tension in her family rises when she still hasn’t secured a husband. It’s not always easy for the quietest person in the room to gain attention until that attention comes in unwanted ways.
When an unprompted attack interrupts the silence, Prince Alaric takes an interest in Sasha’s family and the events surrounding the trouble. Sasha knows he only wants to help, but the more he digs into her family’s past, the riskier being near him becomes. He shouldn’t be too difficult to push away, except that she may need his protection after all… After the attack, she learns that someone knows her secret and they’re willing to do anything to silence her.
If her secret is revealed, she’s as good as dead, and if she can’t find whoever is targeting her, they’ll simply kill her first. With a prince willing to help keep her safe, does she dare let him get close to her? Or is she better off staying hushed?
Content Warning:
This story contains depictions of emotional and mental abuse by parental figures, as well as implied physical abuse, and gaslighting. Overall story content still remains within a PG-13 rating (no graphic violence, overly-descriptive romance, or swearing.)
Covers: A Mage’s Apprentice series by Melanie Cellier
Introducing the covers for Melanie Cellier’s latest series, A Mage’s Apprentice.
“Winds of Courage”
Delphine possesses great power—too much power for the daughter of farmers. The Mage’s Guild would eagerly take her, but she wants nothing to do with its arrogant and self-centered members. That is, until her friend is abducted in front of her.
Now Delphine needs her power, but to access it, she’ll have to apprentice herself to a traveling master. Amara is willing to take Delphine, but Delphine has a secret—one that will cripple her apprenticeship before it even begins. And once she leaves home, the secrets keep mounting.
On the road, Delphine’s healing power wins her a new friend—a wild fox she names Ember—but it also catches the attention of the dangerous man who abducted her friend, and of Nik, the mysterious mage hunting him. Now Delphine herself is in danger, and Nik might be her only way out. But first she has to overcome her crippling secrets and convince Nik that together they can be stronger than apart.
If you enjoy strong heroines, fantasy worlds, adventure, and clean romance, then try A Mage’s Apprentice, set in the same world as the completed Mage’s Influence series.
“Storms of Allegiance”
Even absorbed in her studies, Delphine can’t forget Nik or his mission to find Grey. When he reappears with a plan to defeat Grey, she’s desperate to convince Amara and Hayes to agree—even if it means putting herself in danger.
But there are things Delphine doesn’t know about her own ability, and once in Grey’s orbit, it might not be as easy to extricate herself as she expects. Confused, and with her allegiance wavering, Delphine clings to the one certainty in the fog surrounding her—Nik.
But when the two of them end up stranded and facing a threat that could upend the entire kingdom, Delphine isn’t sure if she can rely on the man who’s stolen her heart. If she wants them both to survive, she’ll have to discover the limits of both her power and her will.
“Tempest of Truth”
Book Three
Now Available for Pre-Order!
Coming Oct 27, 2023
Having finally rescued her friend, Delphine is left with a secret that could put all of Tartora at risk. Stranded on an island and with their relationship in tatters, Delphine and Nik are further than ever from finding and defeating Grey. But now they know the truth of his ability, they can’t let anything stand in the way of stopping him.
Delphine’s unique skills are their best tool for facing Grey, but they also make her a target. Nik wants to protect her, and Delphine’s heart wants to let him, but his status still stands between them. With fear and danger on every side, Delphine will need new levels of determination and courage to save both Tartora’s future and her own.
Cover: “For a Small Fee” by Darren A. Cook
Check out the cover for author Darren A. Cook’s “For a Small Price”.
Now Available!
“It was my accountant’s suggestion to offer a small fee that set into motion the wild chain of events that changed the course of my summer and—indeed—my life.”
After three decades of being both his business partner and his friend, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Bob. I loved him like a father, and he loved me like a son. When he fell sick and asked me to come to Mexico to help him, I came.
It didn’t matter that his wife had dementia or that his sons were alcoholics and resented me. Those things, I was prepared for.
But Bob had secrets. And I wasn’t prepared for the secrets that dropped like bombs during the summer I helped him die.
Cover: “Rage of the Ancients” by Robert J. Crane
Cover reveal for “Rage of the Ancients“, Volume Twelve of The Sanctuary Series by Robert J. Crane.
Now available!
Twelve years. Twelve books. A dozen side stories. And it all comes down to this…
Cyrus Davidon and his company of Sanctuary are at an end. Split from each other, facing their greatest adversary, cut off from the powers of magic that reigned in days past – the situation is most dire.
Yet hope still lives while they remain alive. And alive they are, though barely, and hounded to the ends of the earth by enemies old and new.
Only a small amount of time remains before the enemy strikes the final blow, and Cyrus must gather his friends, and find away to beat this unstoppable evil…
…Or else the world itself will come to an end.
Covers: Bewitching Fairy Tales Books 6-9 by Celeste Baxendell
Another series cover catch up, this one for author Celeste Baxendell’s Bewitching Fairy Tales series, books 6-9.
“Sands of Deceit”
A disgraced gossip. A lying nobleman. A fake marriage to destroy an empire.
Lady Gisele lost everything when her father was convicted of treason. She was supposed to become a princess, have the court dance to the songs she sang, and trapped in the webs of gossip she spun. Now all the years she’d spent amassing that power was for nothing.
When she’s presented with the chance to get everything she ever wanted, she’ll take it—even when it’s a life-threatening undercover mission in the Esmean Empire. Even when it involves the most infuriating man she’s ever met. She’s desperate enough to risk her life, but is she desperate enough to lose her heart?
Taking his cousin’s identity to uncover a supposedly empire-shattering secret didn’t sound so bad to Lord Hakim, until he ended up stuck with the most insufferable woman he’s ever met. Now he has to pretend to be married to her while also keeping her from realizing that he’s not just her fake husband but also the lord of the estate they’re staying at.
While they chase a secret that could change the world, Hakim has to wrestle with more than one unfortunate truth along the way. Maybe Gisele isn’t what he first thought she was, and that without her, does he even stand a chance at surviving at all?
Sands of Deceit, a reimagining that combines King Thrushbeard and Bluebeard, is the sixth in the Bewitching Fairy Tales Series, a complete series of interconnected fairy tale retellings that are best enjoyed together.
If you enjoy epic fairy tale retellings filled with clean romance, enemies-to-lovers, and flawed heroines, download Sands of Deceit today!
“Dreams of Roses”
She’ll die if she touches a rose. He turns everything he touches into gold. Together, they just might be able to save both of their countries.
Lady Ro was supposed to be the luckiest girl in the empire, betrothed to the crown prince despite her curse. That was until the man who tried to kidnap her reveals her entire life is a lie, but even the truth doesn’t make sense. If she’s the heir to a throne, why had she been cursed by an ally?
Ro doesn’t know who she is anymore, but she’ll take the only man who has been honest with her and go looking for answers. After discovering years of lies and manipulation, she’s determined not to let anyone use her again. But with a rebellion on one end of the empire and an invasion on the other, does Ro have any choice but to be their puppet?
Midas was sent to capture the crown prince’s betrothed and hold her hostage to give his country a chance against the empire’s invasion. He didn’t expect she’d be a princess that was supposed to be dead with a rebellion brewing in her name.
He knows better than anyone what it’s like to be cursed. While he has no hope of finding answers, Ro does. He just can’t let himself fall in love with her. With a golden touch, closeness is a tragedy. Can he be Ro’s right-hand man without condemning them both?
“Thorns of Gold”
She went to sleep knowing she would never wake up. He will do anything to save her.
Rosalia knew she had condemned herself to death. She accepted that, but what she hadn’t anticipated was to be stuck in this in between, able to see the room around her and unable to leave it. But then the sister she had written off as a lost cause shows up… How can Rosalia keep her scheduled death on track when she’s a ghost?
Midas’ worst nightmares came true when Rosalia sacrificed herself. Her final request was that he break the curse to end the war and ensure her people’s freedom. While she’s asleep, there’s still work he has to do as her right-hand man. While he’s focused on trying to save a people who only ever saw him as a sacrifice, he doesn’t dare hope he’ll find answers on how to break his curse and give him a way to save Rosalia… does he?
But if Midas can’t save Rosalia without killing her… maybe Aerona can. Only someone who truly loves Rosalia can break the curse… But after everything Aerona has been through, everything she’s done to the people she was supposed to love, is she even capable of it anymore?
There’s only one thing more dangerous than Rosalia’s curse holding the empire hostage: The hope it can be broken in any way that doesn’t end with a gold statue left in its wake.
“Of Chivalry and Revenge”
Book Nine/Companion Book
Now Available!
An exiled witch. A desperate knight. A scheme for revenge on all who wronged her.
The last thing Morgana had expected to show up on her lake’s shore was her brother’s most loyal companion, Lancelot. Especially looking for a wizard that has been dead for a year. He finds her instead.
Although, when she discovers why he was looking for a magical solution, a plan begins to form. Her brother is dying, and it isn’t by her hand. That simply cannot be allowed.
Lancelot came looking for a miracle. If pretending she has it means she can have revenge on Arthur, it’s almost too easy. Or… it was supposed to be easy until she accidentally saves him instead.
Having her brother’s trust means she just might be able to salvage her scheme… even with the added complication of Lancelot being assigned to watch her every move. Can she get her revenge without losing a heart she didn’t think she had anymore?
Covers: The Ruby Realm 2-4 by Abigail Manning
Another series catch up on reveals, check out the covers for books 2-4 of author Abigail Manning’s Ruby Realm series.
“Wilting Captive”
A duchess, a beast, and a castle full of hungry hostages…
A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
Duchess Mirabel Brantley has spent nearly all her life being sheltered due to her fragile health. With no hope of ever living the life of adventure she dreamed of, Mira agrees to an arranged marriage with the neighboring duke of Dhurin. Their betrothal celebration might have been pleasant if they didn’t already despise each other, but it also might have helped if the entire party wasn’t taken hostage…
The ex-prince Conan has been left beaten and scarred after his partnership with the criminal group, the beasts. With a hunger for vengeance against the Ruby Realm and a never-ending craving for power, Conan seizes the entire Dhurin castle with the help of an enchanted gift. His terms are simple; hand over Dhurin, and the hostages live. Refuse and… well, the guests will learn why he was favored by the beasts.
Mira is a prisoner at her own party, but they might not be in as much trouble as they thought when a lone caster offers up her powers as protection. With the ability to cast her magic into living plants, the caster selects a simple rose to contain her gift. With only the dwindling lifespan of a rose keeping the hostages from being torn apart, it’s only a matter of time before matters get grim. Can Mira convince their captor to set them free before their time runs out? Or will they simply wilt with their rose?
The Ruby Realm is a collection of clean, intercepting stories, best enjoyed when read as a series.
For more information on The Ruby Realm sign up for my free monthly newsletter at: Abigailmanningauthor.com
“Sole of Secrets”
An invincible princess and a dance with death…
A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Princess Ruby is the only biological daughter of the emperor out of her eleven sisters. Despite being classified as her father’s favorite, she’s barely even permitted to step outside the palace due to the emperor’s overprotectiveness. Some citizens believe she’s kept confined because she’s too treasured, while others believe it’s because she’s secretly ugly, but only her father and sisters know the true reason she’s locked away…
Aiden is a common builder whose mother is slowly slipping away due to illness. He’d do anything to save her, even join the criminal group, the basilisks, in exchange for a magical extension of her life. With the emperor hosting a competition in search of a male heir, Aiden must now infiltrate the event and feed the basilisks whatever information they request. Should be easy enough. Or at least, it would have, until things take a turn for the worst when his fellow competitors begin to drop dead.
Aiden’s job description never included murder, yet he still feels the basilisks are responsible, or worse… his intel helped them do it. Ruby may be a cherished princess, but she’s powerless to protect others. If she wants to stop the killer, she’ll need inside help from a competitor she feels she can trust… and she did like that Aiden fellow. Will Aiden help her save the other competitors, or will she be dancing with danger on her own?
“Insomniac’s Curse”
A girl with insomnia, cursed with a dragon’s heart every time she sleeps…
A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty
Kaliope never had the best relationship with sleep. Since her infancy, her three aunts have struggled with her insomnia, and even more whenever she finally closed her eyes. Dark circles and yawning weren’t too terrible to handle as Kaliope grew, until one day, she begins to do more than simply sleepwalk. When word of nightly attacks spread throughout their village, Kaliope realizes she’s the culprit when waking up near the carnage.
The Isleen soldier, Daniel, has gained a great deal of respect from the grand duke after his involvement with the deathly events in Shainee, granting him an interesting new mission. The grand duke has received reports of mysterious attacks, all coming from a quiet village. The residents fear the infamous terrorists, the dragons, are to blame, and the grand duke believes they might be right. After his daughter was cursed, he hid her away to protect her from further harm from the dragons, but had they finally found her? The grand duke gives Daniel two tasks: protect his daughter, and destroy whatever is causing the attacks.
Kaliope and her aunts must keep her curse a secret and their location hidden. Otherwise, the golden king who placed the curse may come to finish whatever he had planned for her… With a soldier both hunting her down and trying to protect her, it’s only a matter of time before her nightmares become a reality.
Covers: The Severed Realms by T.A. Lawrence
Cover reveal catch up for T.A. Lawrence’s Severed Realms series, books 2-5.
“A Tune to Make Them Follow”
She’s a wanted criminal, but he doesn’t have to know that.
Piper’s job is simple.Take the children.
Don’t get caught.
The rules she binds on herself; however… Well, they’re a tad more complicated.
Kidnapped as a child for her connection with the Old Magic—the one that grants her the ability to enchant others with her music—Piper knows good and well the rules of the Coup, the underground organization intent on bringing down the fae regime. As the Coup’s first “recruiter,” she’s supposed to take the strong, the good-boned, the clever, the healthy.
Except Piper doesn’t always do what she’s supposed to.
Instead, she makes a few rules of her own.
Like how she only takes the children who need taking—the children who suffer harm and neglect in their current homes, the ones who come with her willingly.
The children for whom a life bound in service to the Coup would be a mercy.
But when a deadly oversight leaves Piper injured, stranded in the forest, and unable to protect the no-nonsense child to whom she’s promised a better life, she’s left with no other choice. She strikes a bargain with a handsome archer whose aim is almost as deadly as his past.
Oh, but there’s another rule too.
Don’t fall in love.
Especially not with a human who has no idea who Piper really is.
Fast-paced and action-packed, this second installment in The Severed Realms series transports the reader across Alondria to Avelea, a kingdom full of wicked forest faeries, underground rebellions, and a king with a secret of his own.
A Tune to Make Them Follow is the second book in a series of interconnected fairytale retellings. This book can serve as a standalone, or as an entry point into the series.
“A Bond of Broken Glass”
The shoe fits, but she’s no Cinderella.
Ellie knows what she wants in life:
- Open a glassblowing shop in the art district.
- See her father retire.
- Marry for love. (If she can find someone who can keep up, that is).
Winning the fae prince’s heart doesn’t make the list.
So when Prince Evander throws a ball to find a human bride, Ellie respectfully declines. And when she reads the morning paper and discovers the prince danced the night away with a mysterious stranger, only for the woman to flee at the stroke of midnight, Ellie can’t help but laugh.
Until she learns the mystery girl left behind a glass slipper.
Ellie’s glass slipper. From the set that went missing from Ellie’s workshop.
So when the idiotic prince decides it’s a good idea to use the slipper to identify the love of his life (because, you know, no two women could possibly share the same shoe size), Ellie doesn’t hesitate to prove the slipper is hers.
Little does she know there’s been a modification to her work of art. The prince may or may not have attached a fae bargain to the shoe, and when Ellie places it on her foot, she finds herself both legally and magically betrothed to the very prince she detests.
Not that Prince Evander is thrilled about the situation, either. After all, he’d thought the shoe would only fit Cinderella.
Together, the unhappy couple must discover a way to break the fae bond, but there’s danger along the way.
And what’s more dangerous than falling in love with someone whose heart belongs to another?
Hilarious and filled with witty banter, this not-so-retelling of Cinderella takes a fresh spin on the classic tale, pairing the dangerous politics of Alondria with the swoon-worthy chemistry of a romantic comedy. A Bond of Broken Glass is the third in a series of interconnected standalones, but you just might recognize a few faces along the way.
“A Throne of Blood and Ice”
Silly servant girl, only princesses get happy endings.
While the first three books in The Severed Realms are interconnected standalone novels, this book is not a standalone. It should be enjoyed only after reading A Word so Fitly Spoken and A Bond of Broken Glass. A Throne of Blood and Ice is the first in a two-part finale to the series.
Blaise wasn’t supposed to be the villain.
She was supposed to charm the prince, the male she’s loved for years. That was all the potion was supposed to do—give her another face, and only for a few hours. All so she could prove the prince loved her. Except Blaise got more than she bargained for, and instead of a beauty potion, now she’s infected with a magical parasite who takes control of her body every full moon. A parasite who would rather take control permanently.
When Blaise is kidnapped from her prison cell, she wakes in a dungeon only to find herself the object of the Queen of Mystral’s magical experiments.
The queen wants the parasite.
The parasite wants Blaise.
And Blaise wants… Nox, the brainy, sarcastic fae tasked with extracting the parasite from Blaise’s body.
Nox is different from any fae she’s met. For one, he can actually lie. Then there was that time she sliced her finger and he couldn’t stop staring at the drop of blood. The queen definitely has something over him, but Blaise can’t figure out what. She just has a feeling she won’t be making it out of these dungeons alive.
Witty, heartbreaking, and devastatingly dark, A Throne of Blood and Ice transports the reader to the kingdom of Mystral, where betrayal rots the queen’s cold heart and vampires lurk in the shadows. A Throne of Blood and Ice is a loose fairytale retelling of The Snow Queen and is the fourth installment in the fantasy romance series The Severed Realms. It is the first in a two-part finale.
“A Realm of Shattered Lies”
Book Five
Now Available for Pre-Order!
Coming Dec 12, 2023
Silly servant girl, no one cares about saving the villain.
A Realm of Shattered Lies is the second in a two-part finale to The Severed Realms series.
Blaise wasn’t supposed to be the villain, but now Nox is gone, and Blaise will stop at nothing to get him back. Even if that means betraying everyone she holds dear.
Meanwhile, Asha can’t help but shake the feeling that Az is closing in on her. After all, he’s been two steps ahead of her and Kiran from the beginning. All she can do is hope he stays too focused on opening the Rip to learn the truth: Az is the true heir to the throne.
Between her nightmares, Ellie’s secret, and the news that Piper has been taken captive by Queen Abra, Asha isn’t sure she can handle much else.
Especially not an enemy in their midst.
Realms collide and stories converge in this epic finale to The Severed Realms series.
“A Face to Slay the Shadows”
Prequel Novella
Available Free by signing up for T.A. Lawrence’s Newsletter!
Cover: “The Starling and the Hatter” by Annette K. Larsen
Cover reveal for “The Starling and the Hatter”, book four of the Tales of Winberg by Annette K. Larsen.
Elise is running from her past.
Maddox longs to be her future.
Elise left everything behind. Her family, her livelihood. She’s determined to escape the brothers who tormented her and find her own way, but being a peddler and performer at heart, her only prospects are within the festival community. So she sets off to find a new village and transforms herself into the Starling. But when winter approaches and her prospects are bleak, a young hatter invites her to take refuge in his parents’ home. Does she dare trust the family she’s just met when she fears retribution from her own brothers?
Maddox Hatcher falls for Elise almost as soon as she walks through his door, but she’s fourteen and focused on survival, so romance is the last thing on her mind. Instead, he becomes her trusted friend and ally, a protector she can count on. But it’s been three years now, and when an old acquaintance comes into Elise’s life and catches her eye, Maddox realizes he can’t wait around forever.
With the constant danger of her brothers finding her, Elise must be vigilant in guarding her identity and her safety. But nothing can prepare her for the encounter that will inevitably come.
Inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this story follows Elise down the rabbit hole of the traveling festival performers, and her friendship with Maddox, the hatter who loves her.
Covers: Cleopatra Fox Mysteries by CJ Archer, Books 5-7
Check out the latest releases in USA Today Bestselling author CJ Archer’s Cleopatra Fox Mystery series.
“Murder at the Debutante Ball”
In this 5th installment of the bestselling mystery series, Cleopatra Fox gets entangled in a web of betrayal and blackmail that leaves the high society matchmakers scandalized.
When a notorious cad is bludgeoned to death with a candlestick in the library at the most important ball of the London social season, Cleo finds herself in the prime position to solve the crime. After all, she stumbled across the body soon after the victim’s demise and is a witness to the evening’s events.
But when a footman is arrested with a stolen painting in his possession, she finds her services are not required. Yet several things don’t add up, and the lead detective is convinced the man he was forced to arrest isn’t guilty.
With the aid of Harry Armitage and her friends from the Mayfair Hotel, Cleo sets out to uncover the truth. They’re soon neck-deep in the scandalous secrets the victim unearthed about members of society. Secrets that could ruin marriages, reputations and futures if exposed.
But which secret is worth killing for? And which suspect is hiding the most explosive secret of all?
“Murder at the Crown and Anchor”
A wealthy businessman with a reputation for taking risks rose from the slums to the height of success. But success comes at a price, especially when it’s achieved at the expense of others.
When a former guest of the hotel is found dead in a dockside tavern, the police rule it suicide. After all, some say his negligence caused one of his company’s ships to go down in a storm, along with all its cargo and several members of the crew. The guilt would be too much for many. But when evidence of murder is uncovered, Cleo feels compelled to bring the killer to justice.
With Harry Armitage on a separate case that involves many of the same suspects, their paths cross and sparks fly. And there are more suspects emerging every day. With a victim whose past was shrouded in mystery, who was a bully to some and a brilliant businessman to others, it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction.
As Cleo and Harry peel back the layers of lies, one fact is undeniable—a man’s past follows him to the grave, something Harry knows all too well.
“Murder at the Polo Club”
Book Seven
Now Available for Pre-Order!
Coming Dec 5th, 2023
The sport of kings is the backdrop for a game of murder where one player loses more than the match. Can Cleo solve the case, or will the murderer win?
Summer has arrived along with a plethora of social events that keep Cleo and her cousins busy. Between balls, dinners, concerts and picnics, they attend the final match between two proud polo clubs. When the winning team’s captain is found murdered in the stables, everyone assumes the opposing team’s captain killed him. After all, he was found holding the murder weapon, and everyone knows they hated each other.
But Cleo isn’t convinced. She sets out to prove his innocence alongside Harry Armitage, who was employed to investigate the accused man’s family. With their cases overlapping, it makes sense to work together.
The more they get to know the victim, the more they realize the handsome athlete sported a dark side that few people saw. Those who did had a reason to kill him. Which suspect struck the victim with his own polo mallet? His wife, lover, friends or colleagues?
Or did the rivalry between two opposing captains spill over to their personal lives, and lead to murder?
Covers: The Singer Tales by Deborah Grace White
Another series catching up on reveals on my end, The Singer Tales by Deborah Grace White.
“Song of Ebony”
In a city trapped in the treetops, one princess’s song will change everything
Crown Princess Bianca has always been unusual, from her snow-white hair to the strange way her words dance. But just like every other Selvanan, she’s restricted to the trees, unable to set foot on the deadly soil. That is, until her stepmother betrays her on the eve of her coronation, sending Bianca to the ground to die. Except the jungle floor is not what Bianca expected—from supposedly mythical elves to magic gone wild, it seems there’s much she didn’t know about both her kingdom and herself.
Prince Farrin never intended to get trapped in Selvana forever. He only came to find a cure for his brother’s terrible affliction. But after two years, he’s no closer to his goal. And his continued survival depends on his ability to navigate both the treacherous Selvanan jungle and the ways of the bargain-loving miniature elves.
When he crosses paths with an exiled princess, his course takes an abrupt change. It’s not just because he’s rattled by his all-consuming determination to keep the princess safe. More Selvanans than Bianca will pay with their lives if the pair can’t find a way to outwit her enemies and harness the power of Bianca’s voice.
Song of Ebony is the first installment in The Singer Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Providore, where magic is harnessed by singers. Each story follows a different heroine navigating everything from miniature elves to brutish giants as she chases her own happily ever after. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Singer Tales today.
“Song of the Sea”
Sometimes the death of your greatest dream is only the beginning…
Princess Estelle has never been happy in her father’s underwater empire, although she’s ready to do her duty—marry at fifteen and pass her three hundred years in service to family and empire. But when she’s finally allowed to ascend to the surface and catches sight of a handsome human prince, a different—and altogether dangerous—dream starts to grow in her heart.
Demetrius is a merman with one ambition—to earn a place in the emperor’s royal guard. Emotion plays no role in his duty, and Princess Estelle is not strictly under his care. So why does it make him so uncomfortable to see her pain, and why does he allow himself to get caught up in her desperate bargain to win the human prince?
Only, once on land, Estelle finds that neither her plans nor her heart are as much in her control as she thought. Prince Farrin’s dramatic disappearance should shatter her world. Instead, it’s the beginning of a whole new life—one that’s both simpler and happier than the opulence of her underwater palace. But when the prince returns, it’s time to pay the price for her happiness. The bargain she made now threatens to consume both land and sea—and even with Demetrius’s help, the cost of saving her world may be too terrible to be paid.
Song of the Sea is the second installment in The Singer Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Providore, where magic is harnessed by singers. Each story follows a different heroine navigating everything from miniature elves to brutish giants as she chases her own happily ever after. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Singer Tales today.
“Song of Winds”
Can a marriage without trust produce love strong enough to save not only two hearts, but an entire kingdom?
Adrienne’s family has little of value other than her ability to harness magic. They’ve finally saved enough to send her away to study, and all she wants is to use her songcraft to lift their fortunes. What she didn’t count on was her selfish, profligate father reappearing just in time to ruin everything.
Prince Herleif is the rightful king of Frossenland, but his throne is out of reach given everyone believes him dead. That, and he spends his days as a giant bear. He hasn’t lost hope—all he has to do is wait out his curse without slipping up and bringing disaster on his kingdom. Marriage would be too dangerous to contemplate, for more reasons than one. Until he witnesses a scene in a tavern that’s too barbaric to ignore. How could he fail to intervene on behalf of the girl whose father is all but selling her?
Neither Adrienne nor Herleif predicted their marriage. And only Herleif knows the true extent of the danger they’re risking. Even as unexpected feelings begin to grow, how can Adrienne trust a husband who offers her nothing but secrets? When she gives in to fear, she unleashes devastation not only on Herleif, but on Frossenland. Now she must harness her shaky songcraft before it’s too late. Because she’s the only one with the power to save her husband and her kingdom.
Song of Winds is the third installment in The Singer Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Providore, where magic is harnessed by singers. Each story follows a different heroine navigating everything from miniature elves to brutish giants as she chases her own happily ever after. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Singer Tales today.
“Song of Moonrise”
Princess Rosa wants to be royal about as much as Prince Emmett wants to be a mindless wolf
Rosa never wanted to become a princess through her mother’s marriage to Teren’s king. She especially doesn’t want the pressure to marry according to her new station. She’d rather be running wild on her grandmother’s property in the Forest of Ilgal. Neither the rumors of giant wolves nor the growing danger from the forest’s thickening magic especially trouble her.
Prince Emmett of Medulle is intimately familiar with the dangers of the forest’s magic. His disastrous attempt to alleviate it has already led to four years of fear and shame. And now the wolf in his mind is taking not only his body, but his life. His parents think his limited time should be spent marrying and producing an heir, but romance is the last thing on Emmett’s mind. Who would marry a wolf?
Besides, the vivacious princess and the serious prince don’t even like each other. Of course not. Their only point of alliance is their shared desire to resolve the crisis of the magic in Ilgal. Unfortunately, powerful forces are working against that goal. And as the magic of the forest grows, so does the magic holding Emmett in its grip. Time is running dangerously short for them to find out what’s really at work in the forest…before the wolf consumes not only Emmett, but Rosa as well.
Song of Moonrise is the fourth installment in The Singer Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Providore, where magic is harnessed by singers. Each story follows a different heroine navigating everything from miniature elves to brutish giants as she chases her own happily ever after. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Singer Tales today.
“Song of Trails”
Book Five
Now Available for Pre-Order!
Coming Dec 1, 2023!
Gisela and her brother have been lost in the woods for years…that doesn’t mean they want to be found
Gisela has had one purpose since she was seven—to protect her little brother Haiden. Abandoned by their parents, he’s vulnerable to anyone who would exploit his singing ability. If they stay hidden deep enough, they might also outrun the terrible prophecy the elf princess spoke over Haiden as a child—the one that destroyed everything.
Crown Prince Otto has little experience of the forest, but he’s determined to do a good job of the task his father set him—to save the Forest of Ilgal from the wild magic overwhelming it. Except the deeper into the forest he goes, the more he realizes how little he knows of Ilgal. The elves seem to be at the heart of the mysteries—if only he could reach them in their sequestered forest city.
When Gisela and Otto cross paths, both of their courses are changed forever. Otto finds himself drawn to the reserved forest girl, in spite of the secrets she clearly harbors. And it takes everything Gisela has to remember that however honest he might seem, the prince is the last person she should trust. Especially when dark rumors are growing and singers are disappearing. And worst of all is the fear growing in Gisela—that the chance connection with the prince will force her to choose between protecting her brother and saving her kingdom.
Song of Trails is the fifth installment in The Singer Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Providore, where magic is harnessed by singers. Each story follows a different heroine navigating everything from miniature elves to brutish giants as she chases her own happily ever after. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Singer Tales today.