ZS – Gemstone by Ann Gimpel

Zodiac Shifters

A collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.

Gemini – Curious, Affectionate, Mercurial

Gemstone by Ann Gimpel

A Wylde Magick Book

Niall’s nothing if not charming with his Irish brogue and dashing good looks. Jaguar shifter and player to the core, he’s a love ’em and leave ’em type. His job as a paramedic keeps him busy and offers under-the-table opportunities to splash a wee bit of magic around.

In a world where magic is all but invisible, Sarai and her family fly beneath the radar living on a small ranch outside Denver. She only takes her wolf form on the darkest nights when discovery is unlikely. Captured by a vampire consortium hellbent on world domination, she watches with horror as they siphon her power, diverting it to kill humans for sport.

An unnatural fog causes a ten-car pileup. Niall nearly chokes on the thick, malevolent power hanging around the accident site. Anger running just below boiling point, he takes his jaguar form and follows a scent track, making a discovery that changes everything. For once, he curses his curiosity and wishes he’d left well enough alone. Vampires are rising. Fueled by shifter magic, their evil threatens not just him but magic’s very existence.

Release date: June 11th 2018

AMAZON   AMAZON UK   AMAZON CA   AMAZON AU
KOBO      iBooks       B&N/Nook     Google

Excerpt – PG


Sirens blared, adding discordant notes to the squeal of spinning tires as the Medic One van careened around a corner. Adrenaline surged, and Niall MacLier pushed his right foot hard against the van’s floor. He wasn’t driving, but he wanted the ambulance to move faster. The radio sputtered, humming to life.

“Doc Hansen here. It looks bad. I’m ordering up another team.”

Niall exchanged glances with Meredith West, the driver and a paramedic just like him. Her black hair fell in one long braid down her back, revealing the clean lines of her face and her deep blue eyes. She had a hot little body, but she was also very married and had made it clear she wasn’t interested in his cutesy suggestions they take a shag break in the back of the ambulance. She loved his Irish brogue, but that was where her fascination started—and stopped.

“What do you think?” he asked, without engaging the radio’s push-to-talk switch.

She shrugged, and the van slewed around another corner, tires stuttering on rain-slick pavement. “About the other team?” At Niall’s nod, she added, “Have the doc define bad.”

Niall clicked the two-say. “How many injured?”

“Hard to say. The incident is still unfolding. At least six, though.”

“Yeah.” Meredith angled her head toward the mic. “By all means, send another team. We may be hot shit, but that’s a lot for the two of us.”

Niall dropped the radio back in its cradle. “How much longer till we get there?”

She tapped the navigation screen. “Maybe ten minutes. I swear, you’re really dense when it comes to electronics.”

Maybe because they didn’t exist a few hundred years back.

He offered her a tight nod and undid his seatbelt, so he could crawl into the back and get go bags packed and ready. It removed the temptation to tell her what he really thought.

Or what he really was, which would be worse.

“Get back up here,” Meredith shouted. “It’s not safe.”

“Sure and I’ll be fine.” He added a shot of calming to his words. Last thing he needed was her giving him a hard time. Because her attention was glued to the road, he employed short jolts of magic to bring what he needed within easy reach.

Rain pounded on the van’s roof. If the scene was as chaotic as he suspected it would be, he’d keep right on drawing power to save people. No one would notice the flickers of charged air, not in this downpour. And if they did, they’d chalk it up to a mini electrical storm.

As he stuffed supplies into duffel bags marked with a white cross and a caduceus, he wondered—again—if he’d done the right thing settling in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It was the smallest place he’d ever lived, and people wanted to get up close and personal right away.

Except for Meredith.

He’d had a relatively simple time keeping to himself in New York and Los Angeles and Seattle and Denver, the four places he’d lived over the past couple hundred years since he crossed the Atlantic with a boatload of shifters just like himself.

They’d decided it was better if they spread out. America was a big place, and if they didn’t settle on top of one another, perhaps they’d be able to conceal what they were. Magic had almost been their undoing in the Old Country with the Church intent on shackling them to mute their magic. Burning or hanging followed on the heels of iron manacles.

He’d picked Glenwood Springs, a small community that butted up against extensive wilderness, because he was sick of not being able to shift. If it was a mistake, it was one he’d jumped into with both eyes open.

Niall shivered. He made it a habit not to look back. Who the hell knew why sitting on the cold, metal floor shook memories loose? The van lurched to a precipitous halt accompanied by screeching brakes.

“Aye, and you’d drive better if you weren’t sexually frustrated,” he yelled in the general direction of the cab.

“Smarty pants,” she retorted. “Look out a window. It’s a fucking mess out there.”

He latched the duffels around his shoulders, crawled to the backdoor, and opened it. Maybe it was opening the door that unlocked his senses, but screams and moans and the hot, coppery stench of blood blasted him. Along with it came foul magic. Lots of it, throbbing in primitive patterns that chilled him to his bones. He wanted to dig deeper, determine where it was coming from, but Meredith planted herself in front of him, arms extended. “Toss me one of those kits.”

He jumped down and handed hers over. “Team or solo?”

She craned her neck. “Other van’s not here yet. I say we split up.” She keyed the mike to her communicator, and it chirped in his ear.

Resisting an impulse to rip the plastic earbud out, he said, “Fine by me, darling. I’m as close as your electronics,” and took off at a run for the first overturned vehicle.
 

About the Author

Ann Gimpel is a USA Today bestselling author. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in several webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Once upon a time, she nurtured clients. Now she nurtures dark, gritty fantasy stories that push hard against reality. When she’s not writing, she’s in the backcountry getting down and dirty with her camera. She’s published over fifty books to date, with several more planned for 2018 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren, and wolf hybrids round out her family.

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ZS – Stone Cursed by Lisa Carlisle

Zodiac Shifters

A collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.

Taurus – Loyal, Stubborn, Sensual

Stone Cursed by Lisa Carlisle

Locked in stone.

On his night off from sentry duty, gargoyle shifter Alec heads out for a night flight. When he spots a strange green light, he soars closer to investigate.

And is caught…

Veda has had doubts about Kai since they left their coven to seek ley lines in the Scottish Highlands. When he curses a gargoyle with dark magic, she’s forced to act. How can she free the gargoyle from his stone prison without invoking Kai’s notorious wrath?

Stone Cursed is a standalone novella in the Highland Gargoyles series.

If you’re a fan of the Zodiac Shifter novels, you’ll love meeting this Taurus shifter who is as sensual as he is stubborn.

Release date: May 8th 2018
AMAZON   AMAZON UK   AMAZON CA   AMAZON AU    iBooks       B&N/Nook      KOBO

Excerpt

Alec soared north past mountainous peaks wreathed by mist, a lone loch, and fog-covered forests to head to the Scottish coastline. An odd green light flickered in the distance. Was it the Northern Lights? He approached it. No. It originated from the earth not the skies, and it glowed with an unnatural hue.
His gargoyle instincts flared. Whatever this was had to be investigated. It hadn’t been long since the gargoyles had battled the sluagh, demons that had massacred almost an entire clan of gargoyle shifters. If this light signaled malevolent activity, he had to warn his clan.
He attempted to open a communication link with his father. Nothing. Alec tried again with others.
Bugger. No luck. He must have flown out of range. He’d have to investigate on his own.
Alec slowed his trajectory as he approached and searched for cover. Nothing would shield him near the source of the light, but the nearby forest would have to do. He dipped low and circled in, taking cover in the boughs of a tree.
A small cabin was situated hundreds of feet from the tree line. A tall, thin man wearing a black hooded robe and holding a staff stood with a petite woman with dark hair and a forest green cape in front of an enormous black cauldron with the strange mist.
They had to be witches.
He scowled at the discovery. Whatever magic they attempted to practice couldn’t be good. Even at his distance, he could smell the distasteful odor, one that reminded him of burning flesh and foul rot. His nostrils curled.
“Kai, are you sure about this?” The woman’s voice had a hint of an Eastern European accent, and spoke with an edge of uncertainty. “Something seems off.”
“Of course, I’m sure. This one isn’t enough. We need to find a stronger crossing.” The man’s accent was thicker, his tone heavy, almost a growl.
She raised her hand and dropped it. “I sense darkness. I feel it draining me.” Her voice wavered.
“You fear the dark end of the spectrum too much.” The man paced before the bubbling cauldron. “It’s the only way we can tap into our full potential.”
“No,” she said. “You can’t. Our coven practices in the light.”
“We’ve left the coven, Veda,” he snapped. “Whatever rules they preached don’t apply to us here. We carve our new path forward, embracing all that the world has to offer.”
“I did not agree to that when I left with you.” Her voice hardened. “This was not what we had planned.” She raised her index finger.
He cocked his head and sneered as he eyed her. “Careful, my sweet. I’d hate to think you’re opposing me like the others.” The warning edge in his voice was as sharp as an icicle.
She took a step back. “I’m not. And nobody in the coven has either. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t make it an all or nothing relationship. That’s what people do—they disagree and compromise.”
“Veda.” He laughed without mirth. “You’re so young. So naive.” He raised his hand and turned his head. “Wait, what is that?”
Alec’s muscles turned taut. Shite. Could they see through the magic that cloaked him?
The man narrowed his eyes at the woods. He pointed his staff as he strode forward. “Reveal yourself!”
Alec struggled to extract himself from the branches of the tree. He had to get out of here. Nobody in his clan knew where he was, and the man’s tone promised punishment. As soon as Alec found room to extend his wings, he hurled himself into the night, headed far from there.
“A gargoyle shifter,” the man’s voice twinkled with amusement. “Brilliant.”
What was so funny about that? Alec didn’t turn to look. Escape was paramount. He’d return with his clan, armed, to investigate. After only two flaps of his wings, a tingling spread over them. Hot shivers shot through his body, which then cooled and hardened.
And hardened even more.
He couldn’t flap them any longer. They were frozen.
His ribs tightened like a vice, squeezing his lungs. His heartbeat rammed up to rocket speed, slamming his blood through his veins.
But, then the flow slowed like a slow-moving stream, tightened his muscles. He flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to stay aloft, but failed. His limbs hardened.
To rock.

About the Author

Lisa Carlisle is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance and suspense. She loves stories with dark, brooding heroes and independent, caring heroines. Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels. She lived in Japan, backpacked alone through Europe, and worked in Paris before returning to the U.S. Now she lives in New England with her husband, two children, two cat, and too many fish.

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ZS – Tiger Tears by Catherine Banks

Zodiac Shifters

A collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.

Taurus – Ambitious, Honorable, Devoted

Tiger Tears by Catherine Banks

Humans turned werewolves threaten her happily ever after.

Tara left behind the gang who used her to find a stable shifter for a partner, but her past threatens to destroy everything. To survive, she will have to fight her way out, tooth and claw.

Release date: April 24, 2018

About the Author

Catherine Banks is a USA Today Bestselling fantasy author who writes in several fantasy subgenres under two pseudonyms. She began writing fiction at only four years old and finished her first full-length novel at the age of fifteen. She is married to her soulmate and best friend, Avery, who she has two amazing children with. After her full time job, she reads books, plays video games, and watches anime shows and movies with her family to relax. Although she has lived in Northern California her entire life, she dreams of traveling around the world. Catherine is also C.E.O. of Turbo Kitten Industries™, a company with many hats including being a book publisher and Etsy store full of nerdy fun.

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ZS – Ram Rebel by Cara Wylde

Zodiac Shifters

A collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.

 Aries – loyal, competitive, courageous

She thought she was going to be a personal assistant, not a nanny…

When Penelope Walton lands a job at Goldman Corp, the last thing on her mind is that it might be a cover-up for something dark and illegal that her boss is involved in. When Richard Goldman introduces her to the twins he and his wife have just adopted and tells her she’s going to be in charge of their homeschooling, Penny is disappointed. She doesn’t have a degree in Business Management so she can be an overpaid nanny. Something is wrong here. To make things worse, a mysterious, hot-as-sin businessman has come all the way from Spain to strike a deal with Goldman, and he’s set his eyes on her. Even when red flags pop up, she cannot resist his charms.

His mission was simple… until he saw how far his enemies had gone…

Enzo Salvador is a ram-shifter and an immortal Aries Guardian. His job is to track down, save and protect sheep-shifters who have disappeared and have, most likely, been kidnapped by filthy rich people who think it’s their right to own shifters for their own fun and gain. He will not stand for it. No matter how dangerous his missions are, he will crush every single person who dared to harm one of his kind. His job is his life, so when he meets curvy, sexy Penelope, he tries to lie to himself: he wants her because she’s the key to solving the case, not because the horned beast inside him screams “mate”.

Release date: Apr. 17th 2018
 
KOBO       iBooks     B&N/Nook

Excerpt (PG)

She switched her weight from one leg to the other and accepted a second glass of champagne from one of the waiters, just so she’d keep at least one of her hands busy. A few steps away, Killian was talking to a gray-haired man whom Penny knew was a politician. She promised herself she would approach her childhood friend as soon as he finished the conversation he was currently in. Just as she was thinking that, Killian turned around and spotted her. A bright smile lit up his features, and he quickly excused himself and headed her way. She smiled in relief. She was saved.

Unfortunately, she had gotten happy and giddy too fast. Killian had crossed half of the distance between them when a tall, dark-haired man stopped him and patted him on the back.

Penny cocked an eyebrow, curiously studying the new guy. “Well, well…” she thought, “I haven’t seen you before. Who are you, handsome?”

The stranger was so bulky that she was pretty sure he belonged in a gym, not at a fancy cocktail party. The expensive suit fit him amazingly, but she could tell he would’ve felt more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. Also, he was young. He and Killian were the youngest men in this room, and the only reason why Killian was attending the party was because he was Goldman’s heir. So, what was the dark-haired stranger doing here? He wasn’t a banker, nor a politician. He was too young to have had achieved the level of fortune and influence the old, crabby guys who were present had. Or, was he? Maybe she was too quick to judge?

When she realized all her questions were about to be answered because Killian was bringing the guy over, she inhaled and exhaled deeply and slowly a couple of times. Why was she suddenly feeling all tingly? Yes, the man was hot as hell, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t met other sexy guys before. She’d even dated a few.

“Penny, I’m so glad to see you!”

She giggled when Killian pulled her into a warm embrace and held her there for a second longer. She realized then just how much she’d missed him. He was tall and good-looking, but he’d never been her type. So, no, she had no intention of marrying him, as her parents were still hoping. But she would have enjoyed spending more time with him.

“I want you to meet Enzo Salvador,” he released her and turned to the man politely waiting at a distance. “Enzo, this is Penelope Walton, my father’s personal assistant and close family friend.”

“Encantado.”

Enzo’s fine manners took Penny’s breath away. He looked straight into her eyes, bowed slightly, and took her hand into his. When he kissed her knuckles, Penny felt her knees tremble and her stomach tense in anticipation. Anticipation of what? Electricity ran up her arm and almost made her jolt in surprise.

Killian laughed cheerfully. “Enzo is from Spain, but don’t let him fool you. His English is perfect.”

Penny smiled shyly. She couldn’t look away from those intense, green eyes.

“Encantada?”

“¿Hablas Español, cielo?”

“N-no…” She understood the question, but not the last word. “Cielo?”

Killian shook his head in amusement. “Please don’t mind him, Penny. He’s a charmer, and he says that to all girls.”

Enzo finally released her hand. He turned to Killian and punched him in the shoulder jokingly.

“Why are you never on my side?”

“Not this time, my friend. Penelope is very dear to me and my family. If my father finds out you’re flirting with her, the deal is off.” He laughed wholeheartedly as if to show he was, in fact, kidding.

“Deal? What deal?” Penny was confused. Aside from the fact that Enzo’s slightly accented voice made her whole body tingle, she’d never seen Killian being so close and chatty with someone who was not his brother, Zane. If he had managed to charm Killian, who’d never really had male best friends because he was too competitive for that, then Enzo was, indeed, a charmer.

“Enzo here owns a flourishing business in Central Spain, and we’re in talks of Goldman Corp making a serious investment.”

Penny took a deep breath and turned to Enzo. Why was it so hard to address him and look him in the eyes at the same time?

“What kind of business? I don’t want to pry… I’m just curious.”

He smiled and took a sip of his champagne.

“Have you ever been to Spain, Ms. Walton?”

“Please call me Penny. And no, I haven’t.”

“Well, Penny… Imagine acres and acres of harsh, arid, rocky land. That’s the La Mancha region, where I was born. Now, what do you think one can do with this unfriendly land that would also turn a good profit?”

“Err… I’m sorry.”

“Grow sheep.” He smiled widely. “But not just any kind of sheep. The best suited for the unbearably hot summers and the freezing cold winters we get in La Mancha are the Manchego sheep, and they give the most delicious cheese you’ve ever tasted.”

She blinked in surprise. “Richard Goldman wants to invest in Spanish sheep farms?” She made sure not to express her thoughts out loud. The last thing she wanted was to offend the gorgeous Latino lover who was currently undressing her with his gaze. Not that it was too much of an effort… Her burgundy dress already left little to the imagination.

“Fascinating,” she whispered.

“I can see you’re not impressed,” he smiled indulgently. “How about I steal you from this boring party for old people and show you what my chef can do with Manchego cheese?”

She blushed to the tips of her ears.

About the Author

Cara Wylde loves to write about strong, feisty women and their hot Alphas who will do anything to make them happy. Her books are filled with romance and just a dash of mystery, suspense, and that eerie atmosphere she fell in love with reading too many gothic novels. With a master’s degree in Comparative Literature, she can’t help but play with tropes and themes from various genres, trying to come up with fresh perspectives on the paranormal characters her readers love so much. Vampires, shapeshifters, demons, witches… Cara will always make sure they get their own twists.

When she’s not writing, Cara is reading, planning her next story, or daydreaming. Her idea of pure heaven is a day filled with nothing but her laptop, a huge coffee pot, relaxing music, and a new, exciting project.

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ZS – Ram Wild by Decadent Kane

Zodiac Shifters

A collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.

 Aries – loyal, competitive, courageous

A nymph outcast tied to the land…
Echo is a curvy nymph, the black sheep of her kind. She doesn’t steal men. She even cut herself off from most of the world, except her forest. And Fahd, a magic eater, is consuming the essence within her trees. There’s only one way to stop him, the golden fleece. It took her nearly a year to get her hands on the fleece. And not even a day for the sexy ram shifter, Jace, to find her. However, she won’t be giving the fleece over lightly. Echo’s determined to give him the fight of his immortal life, but she’s worried it’s her own attraction she has to control.
A ram shifter cursed by Aries to never stay in one place…
Jace Argo is an Aries Guardian with one task; protect the mythical golden fleece. When the fleece is stolen right from under his nose, Jace traipses into the forest after the thief. He didn’t expect to run into a raven-haired nymph. He has four days before his curse forces him to leave town with or without the fleece. He will pull out every arsenal in his box of male charms to get what he wants.A stolen mythical fleece brings them together, everything else will tear them apart.

This book stands alone within the series.

Release date: Apr. 10th 2018
 
KOBO       iBooks     B&N/Nook

Excerpt (PG)

Echo glared at the back of Jace’s head, hoping he could feel her anger. She swallowed the growl that tried to escape her lips. He was getting under her skin on purpose. She shouldn’t let him get to her, but no one had shared her space like this in… well she didn’t remember the last time she had someone actually staying with her. Thinking on it made her realize, other than when she was a child, she’d never shared her habitat with others. Her home was the one place she could be herself, where she didn’t feel like she had to meet some silly nymph expectation. Other nymphs she had grown up with used their lust magic to get anything and everything they wanted, and many males would succumb to sudden death because of it. Echo didn’t want to kill, and she could get things she wanted without a man. She could barely believe how abrupt Jace was, how could he just make himself comfortable on her couch?

And did he have to take up so much room?
No. She couldn’t let him push her around. She was a nymph. Her very essence was of seduction. She was made to lure, to get what she desired. Men did as she wanted, even if she didn’t always like it. That’s how her magic worked.
Why didn’t Jace do as she wanted him to? Could he be immune to her nymph charms?

About the Author

USA Today & International Bestselling Author Decadent Kane is an indie paranormal romance writer with a pen name taken from a burlesque name generator and began her career on a dare…

She’s a mother of two girls and several furbabies. She’s engaged but has no intention of getting married. Like most authors she’s been writing most of her life and has dreamed of being an author since the 5th grade.

When she writes, she writes to explore characters and a world first for herself. Then she revises, edits and publishes for readers.

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