Masquerade by Sam Burns (Urban fantasy/MM romance): I am so sad for the Knight & Daywalker series to end! And still I grabbed this book as soon as it was released. The characters continue to be an utter delight, and I'm going to miss them and the found family they've created in these books. The plot lines that wound through the entire series were wrapped up well in this book, but I would love many more adventures in this world. Highly recommended but start at the beginning of the series!

Grave Sight by Sheena Jolie (Urban fantasy/MM romance): From the last book in a fun series to the first book in a new one. Grave Sight begins the Cursed Arcana, a series set in the same world as the author's Beacon Hill Sorcerer series but with new characters and a new location. I really enjoyed Ezra and Raum and the story, and I'm looking forward to more in this series. There's enough world building and intro here that you can probably jump in without reading the Beacon Hill Sorcerer series, but I recommend that one too.

Demons-in-Law series by Louisa Masters (MM paranormal romance): This paranormal trilogy is made up of fun, quick reads in which a trio of demon cousins living in an isolated village in the Alps find love in spite of their matchmaking grandmother. It's a spin off from the author's Hidden Species series—the second spin off series after Here Be Dragons—and features characters from both prior series. I think I would have probably been lost in all the characters and references without reading the previous books. All the books are fun, if wacky.

Okay, I'm going to back to work on To Know a Dragon Spy, but what have you read loved lately.

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​The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend (I'll beg forgiveness in advance for sometimes going over the sentence limit!). Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ.

I'm working through edits and getting To Know a Dragon Spy, the second Dragons of Ivria book, ready to publish, so I thought I would share some snippets from the book. Here's a description of the book: 

Felix is a prince, cousin of the current king, ward of the old king. Knowing he would never sit on the throne, he set himself to become something else—the king's best spy. Aside from a trusted few, people know him as a frivolous, flirtatious prince. They don't see the keen mind behind the silks and jewels or the love of family and quiet behind the charming smile. They certainly don't know he is the eyes and ears of the king. Months later, he still blames himself for missing the plot against Ivria and its king, and he's going to find the last few members of the conspiracy out there. If the commander of the king's guard will get out of his way.

Alan is commander of the king's guard, a role he set himself on a path for when he was very young. He takes his duty seriously, so seriously there is little room for anything else in his life, even more so now with the heightened danger to the royal family—not the things he used to enjoy or family or even love. He buried his attraction to beautiful Prince Felix long ago, but when he finds out Felix is more than he appears, Alan immediately becomes suspicious. Is Felix working for the king or against him? Alan can't let himself be fooled by a pretty face, especially one that hides so much.

But the real danger is closer than Felix and Alan realize, and they'll have to get over their animosity toward each other—and deal with the desire that sparks when they do—if they're going to survive it.

This snippet follows directly after last week's.

Thanks for reading today!

​​​​​
​The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend (I'll beg forgiveness in advance for sometimes going over the sentence limit!). Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ.

I'm working through edits and getting To Know a Dragon Spy, the second Dragons of Ivria book, ready to publish, so I thought I would share some snippets from the book. Here's a description of the book: 

Felix is a prince, cousin of the current king, ward of the old king. Knowing he would never sit on the throne, he set himself to become something else—the king's best spy. Aside from a trusted few, people know him as a frivolous, flirtatious prince. They don't see the keen mind behind the silks and jewels or the love of family and quiet behind the charming smile. They certainly don't know he is the eyes and ears of the king. Months later, he still blames himself for missing the plot against Ivria and its king, and he's going to find the last few members of the conspiracy out there. If the commander of the king's guard will get out of his way.

Alan is commander of the king's guard, a role he set himself on a path for when he was very young. He takes his duty seriously, so seriously there is little room for anything else in his life, even more so now with the heightened danger to the royal family—not the things he used to enjoy or family or even love. He buried his attraction to beautiful Prince Felix long ago, but when he finds out Felix is more than he appears, Alan immediately becomes suspicious. Is Felix working for the king or against him? Alan can't let himself be fooled by a pretty face, especially one that hides so much.

But the real danger is closer than Felix and Alan realize, and they'll have to get over their animosity toward each other—and deal with the desire that sparks when they do—if they're going to survive it.

This snippet follows directly after the last one.

The great hall was full of guests when Felix and Thalia arrived arm in arm. The din of so many voices—talking, laughing, murmuring, calling out—filled the large room and echoed from the rafters. With a glance shared between them, Felix and Thalia agreed silently to deal with this together.

​Today’s event was a welcoming, less formal than a presentation to the king, showing the arriving guests they had the attention of the royal family, which was what most of them wanted—attention and royal favor. He and Thalia gave them the first and the illusion of the second, and Felix listened for any whispers among the assembled groups. It was, by now, second nature.

Felix had been aware that representatives of his mother’s birth clan had arrived at Wyndward, but it was still almost a shock to see them. Priscillian, Felix’s mother’s father, used to come to Wyndward for meetings of the clan heads, but in his old age, he’d become more reclusive. He seldom left his clan lands and sent exactly one formal letter to  Felix each year. But the marriage of the king was something a clan head couldn’t miss even if he wanted to.
​

Thanks for reading today!

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (SF mystery/romance)
This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings (Historical fantasy)
Rise and Divine  by Lana Harper (Paranormal romance)
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (Historical romance)
Second Chance with the Demon by Chace Verity (Paranormal romance)
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (Historical mystery)
Proper English by K.J. Charles (historical romance/mystery)
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (Fantasy)
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso (Fantasy romance)

Do you have any favorite sapphic books?

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide (M/M historical fantasy romance): Nic, who is the only heir to a dukedom in decline, has to marry the woman his father chose for him—Leaf, the daughter of his father's rival—in order to save the family, even though he has no desire to do so. He didn't think it could get any worse until his future wife and her party arrives to be locked into the ducal manor for the marriage negotiations and bring with them as a vowsmith, Dashiell sa Vare, Nic's first love. And then the murders begin. I loved so much in this book—the romance between Nic and Dashiell, the friendship that grew between Nic and Leaf as they try to solve the murders, the twisty mystery plot, and the interesting world. 

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite (Cozy SF/mystery): This is the second book in the Dorothy Gentleman series, and you should probably read the first book first just for background (and because it's very good!). On an interstellar passenger liner, fertility has been put on pause for the passengers during the lifetimes it will take to reach their destination, so when a baby is left on her nephew's doorstep, Dorothy Gentleman, ship's detective, has to find out where the baby came from and keep him from being classified as a stowaway as her nephew and his partner become more attached. It's another excellent mystery and the themes around parenthood and responsibility and care are handled in interesting ways. Dorothy is a great character, and the beginning hints of a relationship with Violet, owner of a yarn store and suspect from the previous book, are delightful as well.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (Gothic horror/fantasy): This is the first book in the Sworn Soldier series and a retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Alex Easton receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying and sets out immediately to see her and support her brother Roderick. They find the manor house in a shocking state of disrepair and the surrounding area odd. I very much enjoyed this retelling, even though horror is not my usual, and going along with Alex as they solved the mystery of what was happening along with a British mycologist and an American doctor. A creepy atmosphere and excellent characters.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (Cis m/trans f historical romance): When Viola was presumed dead at Waterloo, she took that opportunity to finally begin living life as herself, though it meant giving up her title and letting her closest friend, the Duke of Gracewood, believe her to be dead like everyone else. It's only years later that she learns how much that loss has affected him, leaving him still deeply grieving and also traumatized from the war. The book doesn't center any conflict about the heroine's transness but does give us heroine and hero having to get past his anger at being made to believe his friend was dead for so long. Wonderful to read a historical romance in which a trans woman gets to live a happy life and a happy ever after.

​What have you read and loved lately?

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​The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend (I'll beg forgiveness in advance for sometimes going over the sentence limit!). Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ.

I'm working through edits and getting To Know a Dragon Spy, the second Dragons of Ivria book, ready to publish, so I thought I would share some snippets from the book. Here's a description of the book: 

Felix is a prince, cousin of the current king, ward of the old king. Knowing he would never sit on the throne, he set himself to become something else—the king's best spy. Aside from a trusted few, people know him as a frivolous, flirtatious prince. They don't see the keen mind behind the silks and jewels or the love of family and quiet behind the charming smile. They certainly don't know he is the eyes and ears of the king. Months later, he still blames himself for missing the plot against Ivria and its king, and he's going to find the last few members of the conspiracy out there. If the commander of the king's guard will get out of his way.

Alan is commander of the king's guard, a role he set himself on a path for when he was very young. He takes his duty seriously, so seriously there is little room for anything else in his life, even more so now with the heightened danger to the royal family—not the things he used to enjoy or family or even love. He buried his attraction to beautiful Prince Felix long ago, but when he finds out Felix is more than he appears, Alan immediately becomes suspicious. Is Felix working for the king or against him? Alan can't let himself be fooled by a pretty face, especially one that hides so much.

But the real danger is closer than Felix and Alan realize, and they'll have to get over their animosity toward each other—and deal with the desire that sparks when they do—if they're going to survive it.

This snippet follows directly after last week's.

Thanks for reading today!

Next Saturday April 11th, I will be at CycloneCon at Centenary University. It's a fun event run by the college for fans of science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, anime, comics. There will be lots of fun activities and panels and tons of vendors, including authors (including me!). I'll have books to sell and sign, but since most of my books aren't available in paperback at present, I wasn't able to order more books. I'll have at least of few of everything with me, but some books I have more of than others, just as an fyi. 

Check out more info and buy tickets here.

Hope to see you there!

​​​​
​The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend (I'll beg forgiveness in advance for sometimes going over the sentence limit!). Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ.

I'm working through edits and getting To Know a Dragon Spy, the second Dragons of Ivria book, ready to publish, so I thought I would share some snippets from the book. Here's a description of the book: 

Felix is a prince, cousin of the current king, ward of the old king. Knowing he would never sit on the throne, he set himself to become something else—the king's best spy. Aside from a trusted few, people know him as a frivolous, flirtatious prince. They don't see the keen mind behind the silks and jewels or the love of family and quiet behind the charming smile. They certainly don't know he is the eyes and ears of the king. Months later, he still blames himself for missing the plot against Ivria and its king, and he's going to find the last few members of the conspiracy out there. If the commander of the king's guard will get out of his way.

Alan is commander of the king's guard, a role he set himself on a path for when he was very young. He takes his duty seriously, so seriously there is little room for anything else in his life, even more so now with the heightened danger to the royal family—not the things he used to enjoy or family or even love. He buried his attraction to beautiful Prince Felix long ago, but when he finds out Felix is more than he appears, Alan immediately becomes suspicious. Is Felix working for the king or against him? Alan can't let himself be fooled by a pretty face, especially one that hides so much.

But the real danger is closer than Felix and Alan realize, and they'll have to get over their animosity toward each other—and deal with the desire that sparks when they do—if they're going to survive it.

This snippet follows directly after last week's.

​Thalia hummed thoughtfully. “Have you heard anything?”

​“No.” And he was listening. Information was his trade, so to speak. Which was why missing the plot still rankled. “Not yet. But I’m going to learn everything about and from everyone who comes here for the wedding.”

“From anyone else, I’d think that was an exaggeration, but I know you’ll do it.”

“I won’t miss something again.”

“None of us saw it.” She sighed when he said nothing. “I know you won’t. Just don’t become suspicious of everyone, all right? We have Alan for that.”

Felix managed not to make a face at the reminder of the commander’s attitude. Thalia would know how he felt anyway.
​

Don't forget that The Prince's Consort is 99c through March 31st! Thanks for reading today!

As for my books, Arden, one of the main characters in A Dance of Water and Air and A Harmony of Fire and Earth, is transgender. In To Love the Dragon King, Felix is trans and Romilly is nonbinary. They're both important supporting characters who will be main characters in their own books in the series—Felix's book, To Know a Dragon Spy, is next! Romilly is also an important supporting character in The Envoy's Honor.

What are some of your favorite books with trans characters/by trans authors?

​​​
​The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend (I'll beg forgiveness in advance for sometimes going over the sentence limit!). Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ.

I'm working through edits and getting To Know a Dragon Spy, the second Dragons of Ivria book, ready to publish, so I thought I would share some snippets from the book. Here's a description of the book: 

Felix is a prince, cousin of the current king, ward of the old king. Knowing he would never sit on the throne, he set himself to become something else—the king's best spy. Aside from a trusted few, people know him as a frivolous, flirtatious prince. They don't see the keen mind behind the silks and jewels or the love of family and quiet behind the charming smile. They certainly don't know he is the eyes and ears of the king. Months later, he still blames himself for missing the plot against Ivria and its king, and he's going to find the last few members of the conspiracy out there. If the commander of the king's guard will get out of his way.

Alan is commander of the king's guard, a role he set himself on a path for when he was very young. He takes his duty seriously, so seriously there is little room for anything else in his life, even more so now with the heightened danger to the royal family—not the things he used to enjoy or family or even love. He buried his attraction to beautiful Prince Felix long ago, but when he finds out Felix is more than he appears, Alan immediately becomes suspicious. Is Felix working for the king or against him? Alan can't let himself be fooled by a pretty face, especially one that hides so much.

But the real danger is closer than Felix and Alan realize, and they'll have to get over their animosity toward each other—and deal with the desire that sparks when they do—if they're going to survive it.

This snippet follows directly after last week's.

Thanks for reading today!