Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Law of the Wild

 

 


🌲🐻Murder. Magic. Mate Bonds.🐻🌲

Welcome to Pinecrest—where the werebears are hot, the forest is dangerous, and falling in love could cost you everything.


Hard to Bear

Law of the Wild Book 1

by J. Ashburn

Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy



Sheriff. Tribesman. Werebear.
Everything Ben knows about love and life is about to change.

His name’s Ben Kodiak. He’s a werebear but not your typical one. First off, he’s into dudes and loves to hang with other bears, of the big and burly kind. Deal with it. Second, he has a job to do, and doesn’t have time for twinks or players. He’s the guy who makes sure no werebear hurts a human in the wild and vice versa. He enforces the law of his tribes and investigates any transgressions. If a shifter gets a little rowdy they get to deal with him.

It was business as usual until the attack happened. This time on one of Ben’s own kind. Not the kind of thing he’s used to. Who in their right mind would mess with a werebear? It was his job to find out and that was going to be really hard, because the new human ranger assigned to the forest is a complete distraction and he has set Ben’s heart on fire.

But something just isn’t right. There’s something off about this murder and the timing of Garret, the new ranger, is just a bit coincidental. Does he trust this man with his shifter secret and his affections or should he keep him on his list of suspects?

Find out in Hard to Bear. The Law of the Wild book 1. The new series by J. Ashburn!

 

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Sheriff Ben Kodiak stared outside of his office window and longed to frolic among the great pines and the thick underbrush or wade in the mountain streams and run through fields of wildflowers. 

He sighed and pulled himself back to his paperwork. No one ever said it would be easy to be the law keeper between werebears and humans. Luckily for him it never really got too out of hand… a drunk werebear once in a while or a love triangle between bears and humans that should never have started in the first place. But those were stories for another time.

Most of the humans that lived up in the Pinecrest Mountains had no idea there was a population of werebears living among them…or that there were several clans of them. And as long as Ben was on the job they never would. Most of the werebears were mistaken for Sasquatch sightings and he got more than a few reports, even some fuzzy photos, of a bear in mid-transformation, ducking into the thick forest trees. That was fine with Ben. He even had a hand in letting those reports flourish… it took the attention off the real tribes that roamed the forest. 

As the unofficial peacekeeper between humans and werebears and between each of the bear clans, Ben had his hands, or paws quite full. He was a werebear himself, from one of the oldest tribes on the mountains. The Village of Briar River was the home of his people and where his office was located, on the outskirts between town lines. Most human inhabitants thought of the werebear villages or towns as Native American reservations and that was fine with him. That way they would normally just visit or pass through instead of trying to buy property in Briar River or Bramble Point, and instead made their homes in the human town of Coldbrook further down the mountains.  

Still, the Pinecrest Mountains were a very popular hiking and camping destination for everyone, outsiders included, and it was tough work keeping everything balanced. Luckily the forest rangers worked closely with Ben and had become close friends. He just saw one of them ride by in a Jeep through his window on their way to the trailheads. That’s what Ben wished he was doing, heading for a hike in the many trails, but duty called. 

There had been a small fight, a slight altercation really, in the werebear bar in Briar River’s town center last night. A human stranger had a little too much and picked a fight with one of the local werebears. Luckily for the stranger, Buck Halberd kept his cool and didn’t put him through a wall. Still, the drunken human stumbled out of the bar and fled down the road just before closing time. 

Ben needed to head over to the bar and get a statement and description. If the human was still in the area he could be in some trouble or causing some trouble. Either way, those were two scenarios Ben would rather not see play out. Time to get his ass into gear.

 



Bear With Me

Law of the Wild Book 2


The romance and adventure continue in Book 2 of J. Ashburn's Law of the Wild Series.

 

Winter in the Forest Mountains.

Sheriff Ben Kodiak and his new love, Garrett, hunker down to enjoy a long, enchanting winter nestled in the warmth of each other until their bliss is once again interrupted by mysterious new murders.

Ben's people, his werebear tribe, sleep in hibernation except for Lily, the new shaman. Visions and dreams wake and haunt her: danger, killings--something monstrous is coming and the only person she can turn to is Ben.

After the events of the previous spring, Ben thought things would return to normal in the quiet forest towns of the mountaintops. He was wrong. He will need all of his shifter powers and resourcefulness to brace for what's coming, for not only does it threaten the love of his life, his people and his town but the entire world.

 

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J. Ashburn is your source for exciting, sensual gay paranormal fiction featuring unique stories, magical characters and wild settings. Werewolves, witches, polymorphs, psychic warriors, phantoms, creatures of the night and more dominate the worlds of J. Ashburn. Follow the paths of romance and the supernatural entwined with hearts and minds of men who love men.

You won’t want to miss a single moment of the secret lives of handsome, smoldering characters and the writer who weaves their tales. Pull back the veil and gaze upon the men of J. Ashburn!

 

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Monday, 23 February 2026

The Golden Sword

 

 



Estri battles to regain her identity after being denied her memories by her captor.

Will love find a way?


The Golden Sword

The Silistra Quartet Book 2

by Janet Morris

Genre: Dystopian Epic SciFi Fantasy Romance



Dystopia. Biology shapes reality. The further adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in the galaxies of tomorrow.

She had the power to create planets. The sixty carved bones of the Yris-tera foretold her ancient fate. Her heritage of power took her beyond time and space and stole from her the one man she loved.

Enslaved on the planet Silistra tomorrow's most beautiful courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods.

 

What readers are saying:

 

Pure excellence…. A heroic quest of the highest calibre.” - Goodreads

 

“This is a book which makes one’s blood sing and one’s mind ponder. I loved the first in the series and enjoyed this as much, perhaps more. The ending leaves the reader desperate to know what happens to Estri next – courtesan, slave, warrior, lover, rebel. What is next for our heroine?” – Goodreads

 

“Call it what you like: science fiction, space opera, sword and planet or erotic fantasy . . . The Golden Sword is all these things, and so much more. A highly intelligent and sensual novel filled with ideas and revelations, this is a gripping story that explores human sexuality and the role it plays in politics. Although the memorable characters are bisexual, toss away all your preconceived notions, for there is a humanity, a strength of will and determination, a realism and depth of emotion to these characters that will have you thinking twice about all you know and all you think you know. This is a book for mature and discerning readers who like some meat on the bones of the books they read. Janet Morris led the way for all the science fiction authors, both male and female, who came after. “ – Joe Bonadonna, Goodreads

 

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I wondered what it meant, to be a “ten,” as the crellkeep chose a spot apparently like any other upon one chain and fastened me to it by means of heavy metal anklets that were spaced along its length.

“I put you next to Aje. You will sleep through the nights,” he informed me, as if I should be grateful for some thoughtful service. Seeing me safely bound, the two jiasks turned and left the chamber.

“What is your name?” the crellkeep asked.

I almost told him, but caught myself. It took me a moment to remember the crell name Chayin had given me.

“Miheja,” I said finally.

“Meh-he-ya,” the crellkeep corrected me gently. “The Eastmost Star’s Daughter. Suits you. So you have the dharener entranced, do you? A ten, indeed. Crell life is no burden to one so highly numbered.” He stood up, rubbing his back, “I go to get Aje. You will like him. They all do,” he said and patted my naked shoulder. Moments later I was alone in the deserted ever-dusk of the crellpits. A single torch burned at the chamber’s entry, throwing life into the feature- less rock walls.

I crawled the length of my tether, and by lying stretched out could just get my fingers upon the central ring. I tested its strength, as had countless crells before me. There was no weakness in it. I had expected none. I then examined each link of my chains with my fingers, to see if perhaps somewhere there was one unsoldered among them. There was no error among the 387 links that bound me firmly to the central ring. Its twin was sunk where the cold stone floor met the wall behind me. Perhaps there was a weakness in that area, but I had not enough tether to explore it. I lay down upon my left side and curled my knees against my chest. I could not think. I merely lay there.




High Couch of Silistra

The Silistra Quartet Book 1



Biology shapes reality...

One woman's mythic search for self-realization in a distant tomorrow...

Her sensuality was at the core of her world, her quest beyond the civilized stars.

Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler.



"Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure." - Charles N. Brown, Locus Magazine



"The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in tomorrow's universe" - Frederik Pohl



"The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is Janet Morris' Silistra series... Estri's character is most like that of Ishtar who describes herself as "'a prostitute compassionate am I'" because she "symbolizes the creative submission to the demands of instinct, to the chaos of nature ...the free woman, as opposed to the domesticated woman". Linking Estri with these lunar and water symbols is not difficult because of the moon's eternal virginity (the strength of integrity) links with her changeability (the prostitute's switching of lovers). [...]

Morris strengthens the moon imagery by having Estri as a well-keepress because wells, fountains, and the moon as the orb which controls water have long been associated with fertility, [...] In a sense, she is like the moon because she is apparently eternal, never waxing or waning except in her pursuit of the quest; she is the prototypical wanderer like the moon and Ishtar. She is the eternal night symbol of the moon in opposition to the Day-Keepers [...]

 At her majority (her three hundredth birthday), she is given a silver-cubed hologram letter from hermother, containing a videotape of her conception by the savage bronzed barbarian god from another world. [...] If Estri's mother then acts as a bawd, willing her lineage as Well-Keepress to her daughter, then Estri's great-grandmother Astria as foundress of the Well becomes a further mother-bawd figure when she offers her prophetic advice in her letter: "Guard Astria for you may lose it, and more. Beware of one who is not as he seems. Stray not in the port city of Baniev ...look well about you, for your father's daughter's brother seeks you". Having no brother that she knows of does not stay Estri from undertaking the heroic quest of finding her father."

 - Anne K. Kaler, The Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine

 

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I am Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, former Well-Keepress of Astria on the planet Silistra. I have begun three times to tell this story, and three times I have been interrupted. This, then, the fourth attempt, will surely prove successful.

Perhaps you have heard of Silistra, the planet that was catalyst to the sexual revolution in the year twenty-two thousand, seven hundred and four Bipedal Federate Standard Time, or of the Silistran serums that lengthen life and restore vitality in virtually any bipedal life form, or perhaps you have at some time contracted the services of a Silistran telepath, or a precognitive, or a deep reader. It is possible that you have in your own home the scintillating, indestructible web-cloth woven by our domestic arachnids, or have seen holograms of our golachits, those intelligent builder-beetles who exude from their mouths a translucent, superhard substance called gol and create from this gol, under the guidance of the chit-guards, the formidable and resplendent structures in which we live and work.

And perhaps you have seen no web-cloth, no gol, never been ill, and are not interested in sex. If so, you may never have heard of Silistra.

I carry Silistra in my mind’s eye, here under this alien sun. In my mind alone can I look out the east window of my beloved exercise hall in Well Astria and see the sun’s rising burst upon the jewel-like towers and keeps of the Inner Well and a thousand rainbows arc and dance in the greening sky.




Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created, orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet in the 1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies in Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this landmark series. The third edition is the Author's Cut edition, newly revised by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.

Janet said: 'People often ask what book to read first. I recommend "I, the Sun" if you like ancient history; "The Sacred Band," a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; "Lawyers in Hell" if you like historical fantasy set in hell; "Outpassage" if you like hard science fiction; "High Couch of Silistra" if you like far-future dystopian or philosophical novels. I am most enthusiastic about the definitive Perseid Press Author's Cut editions, which I revised and expanded.'

  

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Thursday, 19 February 2026

Critters and Crimes

 

 


A quaint riverside town holds many secrets ... 

and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.


Critters and Crimes

Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club #11

by Elizabeth Pantley

Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery 



A quaint riverside town holds many secrets ... and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.

This book club dives (literally!) into the pages of a cozy mystery. The quirky group must solve the mystery to get out of the book. It’s so much fun - you’ll wish you had a book club like this!

In this journey, they choose a book set in a lovely riverside town. They land in a charming neighborhood and find they are part of a local book club. They are having a great time – and then a dead body shows up. (Of course it does!)

The clues to what happened come to them in a unique way – via the critters in the house.

As usual, the club finds plenty of time to enjoy the unique setting of their journey, as they solve the mystery – one critter at a time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


This book is part of a magical cozy mystery series of 11 books and growing.

Each book can be read as a standalone, but are much more fun in order.

Available in eBook, paperback, Kindle Unlimited, and audiobook.

 

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Chapter 1

  

“Hey!” Frank shouted the word as he landed with a thump on the deck right in front of me.

“Ack!” I jumped and grabbed the pillow beside me for protection. I nearly fell off the porch swing. “Don’t do that!”

Frank snickered. His tail flicked back and forth and his ears twitched.

“You startled me!”

“Really? It was so hard to tell.” He snorted with laughter.

I peeked from behind the pillow and shook a finger at him. “Bad cat!”

That just made him laugh harder. He rolled over on his back and waved his paws in the air.

He looked so silly that I relaxed and began to laugh, too.

“Good morning to you,” I said, as I smoothed out the pillow that had been my so-called protection.

Frank finally caught his breath and sat up. “What’cha doing out here all alone, Paige-o-roonie?”

“I was having a quiet, reflective morning. Did you catch the definitive word there? I ‘was’ having a quiet morning.”

“Are you implying that I interrupted you?”

“Not implying. Stating a fact.”

“For good reason.” He chuckled. “I see you have some coffee there.” He pointed his nose at my cup. “Want to go get this kitty a bowlful?” He crossed his front feet, tipped his head to the side and widened his eyes. Then to up his cuteness quotient, he batted his lashes. “Please?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” I laughed, getting up from the swing. “I’ll be right back.”

I went into the kitchen to exchange my coffee for a cup of tea. Frank had jump started my heart, so I didn’t need any more caffeine. I fixed Frank a bowl of his favorite morning beverage: half-coffee, half-creamer. Any normal cat would be sick from the brew, but our magical library cat was not anything resembling normal.

The house was quiet as I grabbed our drinks and returned to the porch. I set Frank’s bowl on the table and sat on the swing. I took a big sip from my cup.

Frank took a leap over to the table and inhaled the aroma wafting from his bowl. He slurped greedily then gave a moan of delight. He tipped his head at me. “What were these reflective thoughts that I interrupted?”

I tapped a finger to my lips in thought, and glanced at my book, which lay quietly on the table beside me. For once, I didn’t have my nose in a cozy mystery. Instead, I had been rocking back and forth on the porch swing, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the quiet whisper of the wind through the trees as I had let my mind wander, until Frank had disrupted me.

“I’d been cycling through many topics, one after the other.”

“Maybe you were clearing your mind’s way for the upcoming new book adventure?”

“That’s probably true. Once we get inside a book, I won’t have time to ponder anything but the mystery we need to solve.”

 



Don’t miss the rest of the series!

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Elizabeth Pantley is a bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books. She writes two well-loved cozy mystery series: The Magical Mystery Book Club, and the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic series. She has also written the international bestselling No-Cry Solution parenting book series that is available in over twenty languages.

Elizabeth lives in the majestic Pacific Northwest and spends winters in the sunny desert of Arizona. While neither location is home to any paranormal beings (that she knows of) the vastly different yet equally lovely locations are the inspiration for the settings in many of her books.

 

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Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Primal Destiny

 


Fate that refuses to be ignored


Primal Destiny

by Dania Voss

Genre: Steamy Paranormal Romance


The secret is out. Shifters exist and live among humans.

Humans fall into two camps: Those who consider shifters monsters but manage to co-exist with them, and those who want to get close to them, relishing their power.

Tessa Cooper, a single mother devoted to her three-year-old daughter, is firmly in the first camp, doing her best to keep her biases to herself. But one look at Dario Kingston Renzetti, a wealthy lion shifter, and she senses her life will never be the same.

The moment Dario sees Tessa in his bar, he knows he’s found his fated mate – age difference be damned. Learning she wants nothing to do with shifters – especially romantically – is another matter altogether. But nobody said he wasn't determined.

Can Dario’s persistence convince Tessa he’s not hiding dark secrets that would reinforce her opinion of shifters, or will she deny them their primal destiny?

Pick up this steamy, age gap, rejected mate paranormal romance today and find out.

 

 

**NEW RELEASE! On Sale for Only $1.99!**

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“And saving the best for last,” Fabrizio said, brows waggling, “Models Grace Mills and Amy Gray, and actress Paulina Brzezinski have agreed to be featured.”

Tessa rolled her eyes and continued taking notes, not saying a word.

“Problem, mate? Or rather, Tessa?”

Tessa’s irritation with Dario reignited. If she was smart, she’d keep her opinions to herself and her mouth shut. The challenge and arrogance in Dario’s gleaming blue eyes spurred Tessa on.

“Yes actually, since you asked. I have to wonder why the company hasn’t created a women’s edition. It’s the 21st century. Sophisticated, contemporary women are interested in similar topics the men’s edition features. From a different perspective, but still. And women consider men’s bodies beautiful. Who among the ladies in this room wouldn’t mind admiring someone like Eric Nelson at least shirtless?”

Maya and a few other women in the room, including Legra all smiled in agreement, nodding enthusiastically.

Tessa couldn’t discern what Dario might have been thinking, but she wasn’t through. “It seems rather sexist to me considering women are over fifty percent of the population and seventy percent of the electorate in the U.S. Why not parlay the success and expand the brand of The Fundamental Gentleman to The Fundamental Woman?”

Tessa knew she was out of line, but Dario got on her nerves and played havoc with her emotions. It could be a “mate thing” or a “man thing” or a “Dario’s a cocky jerk thing” – she wasn’t sure which, but there it was. And there they were.

No one said a word, presumably waiting on Dario’s response to Tessa’s outburst.

He was going to fire her for sure.

How was Tessa going to explain that to Emelia?

Damn Dario and her big mouth.

Dario’s gaze turned fierce and possessive. “Tell me. Do you find my body beautiful?”

Tessa felt a flush slowly creep across her cheeks and squirmed in her chair. Of course she did. She’d dreamed about him and his beautiful body since Halloween night. The most sexy, erotic dreams she’d ever had. Not that she would admit it to him, especially in a room full of virtual strangers.

“God, they’re so cute.” Tessa heard Fabrizio whisper a little too loudly.

“You’re hopeless. Out of everything I just said – your takeaway is fishing for a compliment about your body?”

“Question answered. In the affirmative.” Dario’s chuckle served to piss Tessa off even more.




Intl bestseller and award-winning author Dania Voss writes compelling, sexy romance with personality, heat, and heart. Born in Rome, Italy and raised in Chicagoland, she creates stories with authentic, engaging characters. She loves anything pink and is a huge fan of 80s hair bands.

A favorite with romance readers, her debut novel “On the Ropes,” the first in her Windy City Nights series, became an international bestseller. Dania’s books have won multiple awards, and her work has been highlighted on NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. She has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Southern Writers Magazine, and Chicago Entrepreneurs Magazine (selected as the #8 Top Chicago Author in 2021).

When she’s not writing, you can find Dania at a sporting event, a rock concert, or the movies (preferably a comedy).

 

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