The only way a pawn can survive is to gain position and power. The only way Mark Seaton can be free, is to become a player. "Prazeman has crafted a magnificent, credible fantasy where noble lords symbiotically bond with masked jesters whose machinations and assassinations further their ambitions without imperiling their souls. She does a uniquely wonderful job of honoring her readers' intelligence, parsing out little hints and nibbles, barely enough information to figure out what is going on as her hero navigates the intrigue. The result is a swift and satisfying read that leaves us begging for a sequel. Whole-heartedly recommended!" – Lawrence Kane, ForeWord Magazine "Prazeman's jesters dance fine lines through a world of byzantine politics. Real, fallible people lie behind complex masks. The subtle weave of influences, and the dangers they produce, will keep readers hooked." – Sara Mueller, Endeavor Award Committee Member "The world of MASKS is a fantasy world unlike any other I've encountered, rich with mystery, intrigue, and danger, and its hero Mark is complex and unusual – a young man trying to solve the riddle of his parents' deaths while concealing dangerous secrets of his own. No one in this book is exactly what they seem, Mark least of all. We all have our masks, and MASKS lifts the façades of its characters and its world to expose the ambiguous truths behind them." – David Levine, Hugo Award Winning Author

    Unbeknownst to Sam, James was also the lover and sub of a sophisticated New York City Dom named Thomas Ward. Sam comes to the city determined to stay until he can bring the murderer to his own brand of justice, while Thomas’ more ordered mind is hoping for a legal solution. Neither man expects their connection to the other, but having each lost someone irreplaceable, their hearts are crying out for comfort almost as loudly as their bodies are screaming for each other.Some yearnings refuse to be ignored, but transcending their differences to explore the fragile connection between them will prove to be a steep a hill to climb--the first of many. As Sam and Thomas take the first tentative steps on the rocky path that might lead to a relationship, the killer steps out of the shadows...And this time, his sights are set on Sam.Note to our readers: Each of the three books in The Cowboy and the Dom Series has a fully realized, romantic ending. However, the overarching suspense element will leave readers on a cliffhanger after books one and two, to be fully resolved in book three.

    While his sexuality prohibits him from practicing his degree in youth ministry in a church setting, he’s found a fulfilling job as a youth counselor at a residential treatment facility in Colorado. He falls in love, marries the man of his dreams, and makes peace with God. He’s happy.Then his buried past drags him back to the Ozarks.The life Brooke has worked so hard to build is crumbling in his hands in the face of painful memories and past abuse, and his confidence is withering. In El Dorado Springs, where his nightmares come to life, Brooke desperately seeks closure life doesn’t offer. Brooke must find value in himself, in his marriage, and in the world around him—and create the hope and perseverance to keep his past from swallowing him whole.

    But he also knows that Sage’s wounds run much deeper than his own and that there will come a day where what Cash can give Sage isn’t enough anymore. And after meeting the young woman Sage has become enamored with, Cash knows that day is closer than ever.At twenty-one, Daisy Washburne has found a new life working for an underground vigilante group. To the men she works with, she’s Daisy, IT girl extraordinaire, but in the silence of her apartment she’s just awkward, quiet, weird Daisy whose computer is her best friend and whose only link to the outside world are the voices of the men she’s trying really hard not to think of as family. But it’s one voice on the other end of the phone in particular that calls to her like no other and eases just a little bit of the loneliness that has consumed her since losing her mother to a brutal act of violence.In order to survive, Sage Brighton has had to learn how to be two different people. To most of the world, he’s happy-go-lucky, flirty, easy-going Sage. But to the one man who knows him better than anyone else, and yet still doesn’t really know who he is, Sage sees himself as nothing more than a fucked-up mess who takes more than he gives. Life without Cash isn’t even a possibility for Sage, but he can’t deny the pull young Daisy Washburne has had on him from the moment he hears her voice for the first time. Only in the deepest recesses of his mind does Sage allow for a world in which he can have both Cash and Daisy at the same time. Fortunately for Sage, the lines between fantasy and reality are miles apart – almost a thousand miles to be exact, since Daisy doesn’t live anywhere near Cash and Sage’s home in the Ozarks.But when a chance encounter between Daisy, Cash and Sage in a motel just outside Seattle changes everything, the demons from Sage’s past threaten to derail the life he and Cash have built together. When circumstances bring the trio back together, Cash sees an opportunity to give Sage what he needs, even if it costs Cash everything he’s ever wanted. Only, he soon finds that Sage isn’t the only one drawn to the quiet young woman who’s good at being invisible. And he can’t help but wonder if maybe the key to saving Sage isn’t about Sage choosing who can give him a normal life.Because maybe normal isn’t enough.Just like maybe one love isn’t enough… for any of them.

     France in the 1800s is a brutal time to be an omega. Kept as a slave for most of his life, Dante has suffered far too much brutality, and even he would admit that the harshness of life has turned him from a civilised, obedient omega into a broken man bent on violence and revenge. However, an odd twist of fate leads to Dante being bought by Antoine, a wealthy alpha with a soft spot for brutalised omegas. He sees the potential in the suffering young man and takes him back to his estate, determined to help him recover from the cruelty of his past. But winning Dante’s trust was never going to be an easy task, and even less so in a society that refuses to acknowledge that an omega could ever be anything other than a slave.

    As an incubus and male prostitute, it’s a cruel, dark, lonely place where men only want one thing. But when his long-time patron Byrne discovers he’s dying, Byrne offers to leave his entire fortune to him. There’s just one catch. Damon has to write about the reason why another patron procures his services. Caught up in his patron’s impossible love life, Damon suddenly isn’t so sure he knows the answer.

    But he has two problems: the Selbys have no connections or money and Robert is really a housemaid named Charity Church. She’s enjoyed every minute of her masquerade over the past six years, but she knows her pretense is nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappear…forever. May not be who you think… Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldn’t be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldn’t be thinking of all the disreputable things he’d like to do to the impertinent scamp. But is who you need… When Charity’s true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he can’t marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isn’t about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what they’ve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?

    He has everything he needs—until he captures Finnvid on a raid.Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn’t in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men—and he should not be so intrigued when they do. He definitely should not be most intrigued by the leader of the soldiers who captured him and plan to invade his home.For Theos, everything would have been easier if the infuriating, lying, bewildering Elkati had never come into his life, but he can’t stay away. When betrayal and treachery threaten both their nations, they must work together to stop a war that could destroy their homes forever—even as they begin to question everything they’re fighting for.

    However, instead of the noble end he envisioned for himself, the werewolf finds himself at the mercy of a witch and his depraved games. Though he clings to his conviction that he can withstand anything his new master can dish out, it isn't long before he realizes pride has no place in his life as the pet of the controlling Elias Ivers.###Now that supernatural beings have seized control of the world, life has become a struggle for the humans who once held power. Witches, vampires, and werewolves determine the fate of every single human, but their moral compasses have long since been shattered. Rebels, free humans, and slaves all share dreams of hope, mercy, love, and more. But with their fate so uncertain, survival isn't enough... and they may have to sacrifice what is nearest and dearest to them if they want to change their lives.Bought, Ravel, and Recoil feature different characters whose lives begin to come together in Owned and Temper.1. Bought: Jace & Elias. [Revised 01/2017]2. Ravel: Ashton & Reese. [Revised 01/2017]3. Recoil: Khaz & Noah. [Revised 01/2017]4. Owned: Khaz & Noah, Jace & Elias. [Revised 03/2017]5. Temper: Ashton & Reese, Jace & Elias. [Revised 03/2017]6. Refraction: Khaz & Noah, Ashton & Reese (Jace & Elias) [Revised 04/2017]*Please note that the Fate of the Fallen (previously Ripples in the Status Quo) world has little place for humanity, and as a result, content in these works may contain graphic scenes of depravity, cruelty, and violence -- sexual or otherwise -- that could be offensive and potentially triggering to some readers.*

    A drug addiction, numerous sexual partners, and a lonely lifestyle weren’t enough to fill the void that Carver left in Jones’s chest.Years later, the two meet under familiar circumstances, and Jones can’t help hoping for affection that Carver can never give him. While Jones tries his best to crawl under Carver’s skin and force him to feel something, he finds himself involved in a political war he had no idea he was fighting. Jones struggles to gasp for air in a dying city that’s sinking fast and pulling him under with wave after wave of addiction and betrayal.

    His former master, a man who was supposed to teach him and take care of him, passed away, leaving Ellis alone and in danger of being taken to the Facility. Ellis is desperate to avoid that fate. He seeks a master to take him on, guiding him into adulthood as well as a profession. Ellis has had desire stolen from him—he’s been trained to blush, to submit, to give in. He doesn’t know how to cope with William, a man who wants the real Ellis.William is a Master, a man born in a neighbour city that does not deal in slavery. He has had bad experiences with slaves in the past, but all that changes when he rescues Harte, a young slave whose abusive master had all but destroyed him. Together, they are content in their mutual roles, not looking for anything more. But when Ellis catches the eye of Harte, and by extension, William, their relationship changes in ways for which they are unprepared.Harte is a born submissive, a young man who lives for his role. He’s bratty but genuine. William, his master, is his entire life. Harte never expected to have room in his heart for another, but Ellis is beautiful and different and fills a place in his life that he hadn’t known was empty.If only Ellis could learn to ask for what he desired, what he needed, then maybe William and Harte could help him. But Ellis is trapped inside himself, insecure and afraid. To stay with William, he only has to ask...but that’s the one thing Ellis cannot do...Advisory: This book contains some non-consensual sex, hardcore bondage and punishment, torture and abuse. May not be suitable for the more sensitive reader.

    When he balks at performing his first assassination, his mentor is furious, but gives him a chance to redeem himself: a simple bodyguard assignment, protecting the son of a high-ranking noble.Second son of one of the most successful businessmen in the kingdom of Tallin, Dani Jherek never expected to become his father’s heir. After a suspicious accident leaves his twin dead, a grief-stricken Dani finds himself struggling not only to fill his brother’s shoes, but to protect a dangerous secret that, if revealed, could mean his execution.Guarding Dani turns out to be far from simple. Instead of a spoiled, pampered brat, Rio finds himself watching over a beautiful, miserable young man struggling to survive in a dangerous world he doesn’t understand. As Rio spends more time with Dani, he finds himself caught up in a tangled web of conflicting loyalties. When Dani learns the true nature of his father’s business, everything changes, and Rio is forced to make an impossible choice: his loyalty to Guild and family, or his growing feelings for his charge.~67,000 words

     Chase Kalinowski: Coffee Shop Owner and Former Army Ranger Chase owns Double Shot, a coffee shop that looks out onto the courtyard of New Gothenburg’s mall. His job is great, with the exception of Christmastime. Each year, all hell breaks loose in Santa Land, directly outside of his store. The holiday rush keeps Double Shot in business, but the crowd always leaves Chase, a scarred former Army Ranger, surlier than usual. This year, however, there is a treat Chase didn’t anticipate in Santa Land, in the form of a sassy little blond elf he can’t rip his gaze from. Chase can tell the elf is a brat from their first interaction, and he wants nothing more than to turn the blond over his knee and spank some manners into him. Lyndon Hollis: Brat Extraordinaire Lyn has had a bad month, and it’s about to become even worse. He can just sense that this job as a mall elf is going to disappear long before he can find a new one because everything goes wrong from day one. The final straw? A huge, scary—yeah, okay fine, beefcake—coffee guy manages to dump drinks all over his elf costume. Lyn rants, says a bunch of things he shouldn’t, and eventually feels remorse for his outburst, but what will it take to get Chase Kalinowski to forgive him? More importantly, Lyn can’t figure out why he cares so much. This holiday novelette is full of steamy hot coffee and even hotter punishments for bratty little elves. Happy holidays!

    He'll do what he has to, but he knows he'll never find a love like the one he's lost. Alric has problems of his own, but is willing to go along with the wedding to help defend his kingdom from the forces ready to tear it apart.When Alric is gravely injured, Gareth discovers the secret of Alric's magic, and discovers that he has feelings for Alric that he's been trying to deny. They may be able to heal Alric's wounds, but can they defeat the enemy that lurks behind the scenes, waiting for them to make one false move?Note: ISBN appears to be the same as another book. It's listed on the website as ISBN: 978-1-60370-249-2, 1-60370-249-0

    It is a corner of France teeming with spirits, dryads and nymphs, and like everywhere else, witches are burned at the stake.Born with the second sight, young fisherman Jehan wants nothing but to keep his head down, work hard, and stay out of trouble. Which works well enough until a suspicious string of bad luck befalls the village smith and his wife. Their adoptive son Giraud is everybody’s dashing darling, who behind his sooty smile and swashbuckling manners has buried a painful connection to the supernatural himself. Fearing that some evil is afoot, Giraud turns to the only other man in town who knows about the hidden world around them - Jehan. Before long, they are embroiled in a quest involving brigands, witches and noble fey, while their friendship and attraction gradually shifts into something deeper. If they manage to survive ancient feuds and everyday prejudice, they might even have a chance to forge a Happily Ever After all of their own... From Rainbow-Award-winning authors Beryll & Osiris Brackhaus, ‘The Blacksmith Prince’ is an old-fashioned, swoon-worthy historical fantasy romance about tender love in a time when history and fairy-tales were one and the same.