Monday, November 02, 2026

Ghosts of Border House by Leah Miles and Vanessa Victoria Kilmer

 

 


Welcome to Border House—where checkout time is optional, and some guests have been extending their stay for centuries.

Border House has stood on the River Tweed since 1100, witnessing centuries of Scottish history and accumulating many permanent residents along the way. This ancient fortified manor, once a hunting lodge and defensive tower, now serves as both a charming hotel and an unintentional retirement home for spirits who can’t or won’t move on to the next realm.

The house is home to a medieval king, a turncoat scribe, a lonesome English soldier, two Victorian ladies, one unhappy go-go girl, a Scottish Brewmaster, and more. Each ghost brings their own quirks, complaints, and centuries-old drama to daily life at Border House. Whether you’re a living guest checking in for the weekend or a long-dead resident who’s been here for ages, everyone has a story to tell.

This series features standalone paranormal romances written by various authors.


Ann’s Undoing

Ghosts of Border House Book 4

by Leah Miles

Genre: Paranormal Ghost Romance



Ghost Dogs, a performing troupe, and a murder to solve.

Ann Darby was a rising movie star but died alone in a river in 1975. It seems she’s destined to spend eternity alone at Border House in Scotland. Halloween is the one night she can be visible to the living, but this year she plans to skip the party. That is, until a giant Highlander steps out of a green van in front of the house.

Callum McLeod performs in a small troupe for parties and events, waiting for his big break. Betrayed by the lover he trusted and fired by the employer he outperformed, he’s at the end of the road—personally, financially, and emotionally. His paycheck was supposed to cover rent. Now he’ll be evicted the moment he gets home.

Then a killer strikes in the maze, and Callum never makes it home at all. The house ghosts must work together to catch a murderer, and Ann has some hard choices to make if she wants her future to look different from her past.

 

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“Do you want to go to the orchard? We can sleep out there under the stars.”

“Sleep? Ghosts sleep?”

“It’s not a true sleep, but it stills your mind and gives you time to think. Perhaps if you rest, you’ll remember something about what happened to you.” She held out her hand, and he took it without hesitation.

Ann Darby was the only person … ghost … who’d stood with him from the moment he awoke, and she’d asked him for nothing. Wordlessly, he let her lead him down the stairs and out into the night. His dogs barked and raced across the grass as they walked around the house and toward the orchard. The strong breeze carried a sharp, almost vinegary sweetness of windfall apples beginning to ferment where they’d dropped in the grass.

“Why are you helping me?”

She flashed him a wry smile. “I would say it’s because I’m a good person, but you already know that isn’t the whole truth. Callum … I’ve been alone a long time. At first I liked it that way because I was so angry about my death and the unfairness,” she waved her free hand, “Of all this. You know, I had much the same problem as you. The hours before I drowned were a complete blank. I was at a party, inside Border House, and next I knew, Donnal was pulling me out of the river.”

“He was alive then?”

“No. He wasn’t pulling my body out. He pulled me out. What I am now out.”

“When was this again?”

“Donnal died in 1970, and I drowned in 1975.”

He stopped walking and faced her, still gripping her hand. “Ye’ve been here, at this house for 51 years?”

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she nodded.

“When we spoke at the fountain, you said you were at a party and found out the man was married. The producer of the play. Is he the one who murdered you?”

“Yes. It took me a long time to remember, but it was him. He drugged me and tossed me off the footbridge. I was a fine swimmer, so even impaired I might’ve survived, but, it was this time of year, and we’d had some rain and flooding.”

Her eyes were huge in her pale face, and the need to comfort her overwhelmed him. He gently pulled her against his chest and stroked his hand up and down her back. Her spine softened under his palm, tension leaving by degrees until she relaxed against him.

“It was a long time ago. I thought I’d pass on to whatever came next after I remembered, but I’m still here.”

He rested his chin on her hair and squeezed her against him. The moon over them was full, and a strong breeze rustled the leaves, bringing the sharp scent of fresh apples. The king aside, this place wasn’t so bad. He had his dogs, and he had Ann. “Perhaps I’ll stay here then. Even after we solve my murder.”

She sighed against him before easing back. The smile she gave him didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I would love to have you here with me, if you want that as well.”

He smoothed back a stray wisp of hair and cupped her cheek, trying to determine the cause of her withdrawal. Then tried a different tactic, sliding his fingers into the hair at her nape, not trapping her, only holding as much as she allowed. His fingers lingered in her hair, and with his thumb on her chin, he tilted her face up until his lips met hers. She didn’t speak, but her breath caught as she leaned into him, meeting his caress with her own. It wasn't a cinematic kiss of sudden passion and overwhelming hunger, but a slow search for mutual warmth. She trembled in his arms, and he let a little hunger seep into his caress, then left her mouth to trail kisses over her cheek, pulling her tightly to his chest. “Yer the one bright spot in all this. I’m not sorry I met ye, Ann Darby.” 



Black Cat Devotion

Ghosts of Border House Book 3

by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer

Genre: Paranormal Ghost Romance 



Black cats love sunshine.

Bubbly but lonely Scottish heiress, Morven Blair, connects with Black Kat, a cranky internet pixie with a secret identity and a reputation as a myth buster. Morven asks Black Kat to prove the existence of ghosts and certify Border House, “the most haunted place in the world.” Black Kat intends to prove it’s all a con. Opposites do attract, but do they really know love at all?

 

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“I’m an early riser,” Tibby said, sipping from the only pink mug in the place. Interesting.

“Can I make you something to eat? Eggs. Toast.”

“No, I have to have second coffee before I can even think about food in the morning.”

I opened the back door for Dam. “Is she okay to wander around outside? We have wild animals roaming around.”

“She thinks she’s a lion, so she’ll be just fine.”

“You said yesterday that Dam is black in the Thai language. Is your heritage Thai?” I sat with my coffee in my favorite mug, covered in sunflowers. I inhaled the aroma with a deep breath through my nose. I drink my coffee black. I peeked into Tibby’s cup. Her cup had lots of milk in it.

She wrinkled her nose as if she considered not answering.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Privacy is a good thing.”

She stared at me for a long time, deciding.

“It’s not really that big a deal. I’m just not used to sharing with someone I just met.” She dipped her pinky into her coffee. “None of us know our birth families, but we want to know. We took those DNA tests to see if we could find any relatives. Mine said I’m part Thai and part French.” She got up to pour more coffee. She held the pot up to me in a silent question.

I shook my head.

She went to the fridge to dilute her coffee and cool it off. No wonder she drank it so fast.

“Have you taken one of the DNA tests?” She asked as she sat back down at the table.

“God, no.” I laughed as I pointed at my chest. “Nobility here. There were few marriages for love in my family’s history. If we took a DNA test, we might find out we’re related to the stable boy.”

Tibby blinked at me. I wasn’t sure if I was kidding her.

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not joking.”

“Well, alrighty then.”




The Brewmaster’s Kiss

Ghosts of Border House Book 2

by Leah Miles

Genre: Paranormal Ghost Romance



After fifty-five years, Nova Guthrie has returned to Scotland for the annual Halloween Ball at Border House. Or that is her excuse to return to the home of her youth and bid farewell to memories of her lost lover.

What she doesn’t know is that Donnal Stuart still haunts the grand mansion, along with a few other ghostly characters—one of whom will do everything she can to keep them apart.

This story is about true love and secret ghost powers bundled up in a haunting tale of second chances.

 

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“Don’t yell at me. You told me to speak to her,” Ann replied sulkily. “All I did was say hello.”

Donnal threw up his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through.” He struggled to regain his composure. “If I can’t talk to her, and hearing yer voice frightens her, what’s the alternative?”

Unaware of their presence, Nova pulled a book from the shelf and began flipping through it.

“Look there, Donnal. She isn’t frightened. She’s reading a book.” Ann made a bored sound in her throat. “I’m going to the dining room. King Edgar might be there. What did he say when you spoke to him? Am I in the clear?”

Donnal shrugged. “Edgar agreed to commute yer sentence, but ye need to be in the drawing room before dawn tomorrow for the speech. And no interruptions.”

“Ugh.” She made a face. “Fine. I’m going then. Louisa Stuart said it was roast beef tonight, and I want to sniff it before it all gets eaten.”

“Ann …”

“What?”

“Thanks for trying.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, pausing a long moment before resting a hand on his sleeve. “When your lost love returns to America, maybe we can take that walk in the garden.”

“Sorry, Ann.” Donnal shook his head. “Even if Nova is far away or long dead, she holds my heart. I just wish there were some way to tell her how I feel,” he said, sidling closer to read over Nova’s shoulder.

Ann huffed. “Well, if that’s the way of it, I do have one idea.”

Hope speared through him, but he quickly squashed it as he faced Ann. “We tried, and that’s enough for now. Maybe on Halloween—”

“Use your water power,” interrupted Anne.

His mind went blank. What did she mean? “Water power?”

“Don’t be dense, beer man. I heard you talking to James Graham a few years ago. You died when your steam device exploded, and the steam-propelled metal bits stabbed you in the heart. Right?”

He pulled back his shoulders. “Aye …”

“So …” Ann tapped a red-tipped finger against her equally red lips. “Can you manipulate water? Or is it just steam?”

“Not in great amounts, but I can move water.” He scrubbed a hand over his thick black curls. “It’s nae impressive.”

Ann gestured toward Nova. “She has a cup of tea right there. You could slosh it around or something.”

“What purpose would it serve?”

Ann clicked her tongue and crossed to where Nova was flipping through a second book. She jabbed a finger toward the teacup resting on the ledge of the bookcase, then whispered in Nova’s ear. “Donnal is here.”

Nova jolted and dropped her book on the polished wood floor. “Donnal?” she whispered.

He glowered at Ann for forcing this moment and concentrated on the tea until it churned and sloshed over the rim.

“What the—” Nova snatched up the cup and used her sleeve to wipe the spilled tea from the shelf before it reached any books. She held the cup away from her and cast her gaze warily around the room. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this. Donnal, if you’re here, prove it.”

Ann giggled. “See? I was right! Come on, come on. Spill it again.”

“It’s no small effort to move inert fluid.” Donnal cracked his knuckles and refocused on the tea. Seconds later, it sloshed over the rim a second time.

“I know I didn’t do that,” Nova said, her eyes wide.

The library door burst open, and the Earl entered with another man. “Jack, I need to … hang on. What are you doing in here? Nova Guthrie, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she stammered and moved a foot to cover the spilled tea on the floor. “James.”

“No. It’s John.” His lips curled in irritation. “Dinner will be served shortly. This is my private library. Not available to the guests. Valuable things in here, you see.”

“Apologies.” Her gaze darted around the room before she hurried out.

Excerpt 3 The Mist

She set down the coffee to tug on her gloves, then, picking up the cup in one hand, she carefully made her way down the stairs to the edge of the garden where she’d seen Donnal the previous morning. The soft rain created a haze over everything. Not the same as yesterday’s mist, but thick and white. Nova shivered and sipped her warm drink. This was ridiculous. She should go back inside—

“Nova?”

She spun so quickly that she dropped her mug on the flagstones, where it shattered into pieces.

“Can ye hear me then?” Donnal hovered, a shimmering apparition, a bare foot away from her.

“Yes, Donnal. If that is you, I hear … I hear you.” Her knees trembled.

He grinned. “My love. Can ye see me? Or is it only my voice?”

“I see an outline of you,” she said, raising a hand to the shimmering image. When her fingers passed through his shoulder, she yanked her hand back.

“Do not be afraid, my darling. Ye have no idea how happy it makes me to stand in front of you again.”

Tears mixed with the mist on her face. “I have dreamed of you. But I don’t understand how you are here.”

He shrugged, and the scent of apples and cinnamon flavored the rain. Donnal hadn’t aged past the thirty years he was at his death. Granted, he was an outline, a misty, colorless visage, and oh, how she longed to see his black hair and blue eyes one more time. She didn’t even have a photo to remember him by. “Most souls cross over to wherever they’re going as soon as they pass, and others remain near the place of their demise. I’m one of several ghosts that haunt Border House.”

“Do you want to stay here?”

“My darling Nova, I have only wanted to see ye all these years. Before the sun rises or this mist subsides, I want to say that I love ye. And I’m sorry for not being the man I should have been all those years ago. I hurt ye, and for that I’m truly sorry.” He spoke fast as if afraid he wouldn’t get his words out.

She shivered and moved nose to nose with Donnal’s apparition. “If forgiveness is what you need to move on to the next life, then I forgive you.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Nothing happened. “Do you feel different?” she whispered.

“Not particularly,” he said, opening his eyes. “I suppose it wasn’t only forgiveness I needed.”

She shivered and folded her arms across her chest for warmth.

“Ye are cold. Perhaps if we walk, ye would be warmer, and ye can tell me of yer life.”

“Ah.” Nova squinted at the path that she could barely make out in the dark. “I might trip. I took a fall last night in the brewery.”

“I was there. Do ye remember speaking to me?”

Nova’s throat tightened. “That was real?”

He nodded. “The brewery is my favorite place in the house.”

“I can imagine you working there, if you had …”

“If I had lived. Aye.” Donnal’s apparition dissipated and reformed. “Sorry, I’m upset about something that I have no control over.” He flicked out his arms, and water splashed on her face.

She used the edge of her sleeve to dab at her cheek and shivered again. “What sort of thing upset you?”

“The Earl is selling my legacy.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Do ye remember the Scotsman who came into the library with the Earl?”

She nodded and stamped her feet. “I do.”

“He’s purchasing the brew recipes from Border House. All of them. Including my special spiced beer.” He plucked his bottle from somewhere at his waist and took a swig. “They are meeting this morning. If he sells the secret recipe, the Earl may as well close the brewery down forever.”

“Border House is famous for its special beers. I don’t understand why he would sell your recipes.”

“Money. The Earl is short of cash.”

She wished she hadn’t dropped her hot coffee. “Do you know what the Scotsman is paying?”

“It doesn’t matter. There’s no way to stop it—”

The rain ceased, and when it did, his figure evaporated on the breeze.

“Donnal?”

Nothing.

“Don’t give up,” she whispered before turning back to the stairs.

 




Love Lost & Found

Ghosts of Border House Book 1

by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer

Genre: Paranormal Ghost Romance


2026 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA) - Romance Novella category

In 1566, Thomas Kincaid is murdered at Border House by agents of the Scottish King. Thinking himself betrayed by his soulmate, Sara Mae Stuart, Thomas curses her to a life of reincarnation with his dying breath.


When Sara Mae dies of a broken heart, she is reborn again and again.


After 450 years of reincarnation, Sara Mae returns to Border House to perform a séance and break her curse. She discovers a host of unsettled spirits, each harboring their own hidden agendas, and Thomas, lurking inside her crystal ball.


Can love survive revenge, guilt, and a quirky spiritual divide?

 

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Confused was too tame a word for how Thomas felt after last night. Baffled. Befuddled. Bewildered. No, more like flummoxed or deranged. He huddled in the Haunted Cellar, so named because he haunted it. The lowest most point of the manor, it served as a cell for prisoners. No one came here, so he was assured of some peace. The warped floorboards felt smooth and cool; a breeze from a loose stone in the corner foundation brought damp, earthy scents up through the gaps between the wooden planks set a foot above the cellar ground.

He peeked through the gap beneath him. Fiona had not put the locket back where he had hidden it. Perhaps if he asked her nicely, she might bring it back to him or give it to Sara Mae. Did he want her to have it? He lost his resolve last night when he almost followed through on his revenge. He didn’t think he could try again. He still harbored anger towards her, and the anger simmered in his heart, but the love was still there, too. He didn’t think he’d ever see her again, so he hadn’t planned to face the love that never went away.

That was the real curse they both lived under, a situation with many names but well known throughout the ages: Beloved of the Soul, Twin Flames, the Other Half, Soulmate. Whatever one called it, it was inescapable. He spent so many years dreaming of revenge. Now that he couldn’t follow through, he was at a loss.

A collective wailing, the spiritual equivalent of a gasp of shock, whirled through the manor. Thomas followed the disturbance to the first-floor family rooms. The room at the front of the left wing housed the sitting room. Three-quarters of the ghost residents milled in the tight quarters.

Davina Blair, dry, dreaming and wrapped up in the arms of a new ghost, sat on the couch, smiling. The new ghost seemed somewhat familiar. Thomas snapped his insubstantial fingers.

“Patrick Buchan.”

The new ghost nodded.

“But how?” Thomas stammered.

“I found my Vina. She waited for me. And now, no one will ever keep us apart again.”

The room erupted with applause, some ghosts forming hearts with their wisps of their spiritual selves like smoke rings.

“Your dilemma inspired us,” Davina Blair said. “And now that we are reunited, in love and happiness, we want to find a way to help you and Sara Mae.” She rested her head on Patrick’s chest, her ear pressed to the spot where his beating heart would be if he were still alive.

Patrick nodded. “We can help. At the very least, we can find the locket and get it to Sara Mae. Beyond that, we’re not sure because you still hold so much fury, which will block any suitable solution to your predicament.”

Now that the excitement of a new addition to the household waned, Thomas was left alone with Davina, Patrick and King Edgar.

“I had my eye on her,” King Edgar lamented.

“She’s another relative of yours,” Patrick said.

King Edgar shrugged. “Again, not a very close one.”

“Go away, Edgar,” Thomas said. “I need to think.”

“That’s King Edgar to a lowly servant.” He blew a raspberry and left the room with a pop.

Malcolm Alba entered the room through the door.

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Thomas said. “Are we never to have any peace?”

 


 

Leah Miles grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and planned to have a career as either a television anchor or a successful author. After getting a bachelor’s degree in English and communications, she worked at CNN for more than a dozen years in technical news production. Her second career is managing an insurance agency in rural Georgia, along with six brand-new Airbnb-style rentals, with her husband. When not writing insurance or cleaning cabins, she cherishes quality time with her hubby and their cocker spaniel, Hootie. They have three adult kids—a doctor, a lawyer, and a journalist. Leah is currently writing a series with military elements involving take-charge heroes and women who stand up for themselves and the people they love. For updates, visit leahmilesauthor.com.

 

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Vanessa Victoria Kilmer told her first story to an angel who visited her when she was locked in a dark, medieval attic at the age of four.

She grew up surrounded by fortified castles, primal salt mines, and the drama of ancient places. Her fantasy fiction teems with murder, magic, and madness. She explores the abuse inflicted by those closest to us and the various ways people deal with the damage. Between writing novels, she blogs, paints, and takes pictures with her white camera named Traitor and embroiders tapestries.

 

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Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Justice Denied by Marle Berry


Justice Denied
by Marle Berry

Book Blurb:

Defense attorney, Eve Brady, taken hostage by her drug dealing client, escapes into deep winter woods. She thinks her nightmare is over until she calls police for help and finds herself branded a fugitive. She runs, vowing to stay free to prove her innocence.  

But who will fight for her? The only investigator she trusts to push hard to get the truth is the last man she wants to call, her nemesis, Detective Bob Milano. Their past is a mess of mistrust, arguments, and an undercurrent of attraction, suppressed, and never explored. Would he even speak to her after their last combative encounter? Or would he just slap a pair of cuffs on her? 

With dragnet searches tightening Eve gambles: find Milano and convince him to help her before time runs out. 

Excerpt:

Before she reached the defense table, a barrage of gunfire shattered the calm, cozy atmosphere. She dove into the well area that separated the lawyers from the judge’s bench to hide under the overhang. Sarah already filled the space. Her machines lay on the floor beside her. Eve changed direction toward the witness stand and squeezed behind it into a narrow space. She hugged the floor. 

 Bullets sprayed the room, ripping into walls, tearing into furniture, anything in the way. Screams froze in her throat. They were all sitting ducks in such a small room. Loud grunts and groaning nearby filtered through to her fear-crazed brain as she cowered. Sounds of a scuffle and heavy breathing continued until a gunshot exploded nearby. She heard a thud like a heavy sack hitting the floor. Silence followed. She prayed. Meeder’s voice broke the quiet. “Get out here, lawyer lady. I don’t have time to waste.” 


 Author Bio:

Marle Berry writes to entertain herself and others. Justice Denied is her first novel, but she started writing short stories as a teen. She put away her tales for college and law school. After decades as a practicing lawyer and writing technical briefs her original love of writing fiction lured her to a writers’ group. Sharing the creative process took her back to crafting adventures to tickle the brain and lift the soul. Only her Aussie Terrier and Poodle who love giving orders can bark her away from writing romantic suspense her favorite genre.  

Author Links -Website https://www.romanticsuspense.net 

Monday, October 26, 2026

Death by Coconut by Susie Black


Death by Coconut
by Susie Black

Book Blurb:

The Mart Murder Magnet Meets Her Match 

Obnoxious Mystique Swimwear sales rep Simon Posnick was universally despised by competitors and customers alike. So the question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating scoundrel dead. The question was who didn’t. Mariel Levine, Laurie’s Fashions' swimsuit buyer and Holly Schlivnik’s career mentor, is wrongly arrested for murdering Posnick by impaling him with the jagged edge of a coconut shell at the base of his skull. The wisecracking, irreverent President of Mermaid Swimwear jumps into action to uncover the real killer. But the treacherous trail holds more dangerous human predators than the alligators and black pythons in the Everglades. Everything turns out differently than amateur sleuth Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a killer hell-bent on revenge.

Excerpt:

 I took the long way around to Avril’s booth, buying time to come up with a plausible line of questioning that wouldn’t get me thrown out of her booth for the second time in twenty-four hours or convince her that I’d gone around the bend.  

Tried as I might, no pearls of wisdom popped into my head, so I took a page out of my dad’s game book: forge ahead and punt. I strolled into her booth as if yesterday’s altercation had never happened.  

“Hey, Avril, how ya doin’?”  

She looked up from writing an order and eyed me up and down with less enthusiasm than an infected tooth extraction.  “Return to fling more insults?” 

Yeah. And who told you? 

 “Nah. Just wondering where you were this morning before dawn.” 

 She checked her watch. “Happy hour doesn’t begin until four o’clock in most establishments. But with such a crazy question, you apparently got a head start.” 

“So, where were you?” 

“Seriously?” 

“As a heart attack.” 

“Why?” 

“Answer the question.” 

“Where the hell do you think I was, for crying out loud?” 

I smiled sweetly. “That’s what I’m trying to find out.” 

She clucked her tongue. “It’s not any of your business, but I was in bed asleep, the same as most normal people. Why?” 

I ignored her question and answered with another of my own. “Do you ride a lightweight ten-speed touring bike?” 

She burst out laughing. “Are you on medication?” 

Yeah. And who told you? 

“Do vitamins count?” 

“Not unless yours are laced with a hallucinogen.” 

“So, do you ride a touring bike or not?” 

She rolled her eyes. “ The answer is no. I don’t ride a touring bike, a training bike, a motorbike, a mountain bike, or any other type of bike. I never learned to ride a bicycle. Now, tell me the reason you care.” 

“Because I was walking northbound on the boardwalk, on the way back to my hotel from the pier right before sunup. A rider on a lightweight ten-speed touring bike rode too close to me and clipped me with their handlebars. The momentum threw me into the steel arm rail.” I pointed to my midsection. “Two sore ribs and I'm black and blue around my middle, and the bastard never even stopped.” 

She pinched her lips. “Let me assure you, if it were me on the bike, you wouldn’t be standing asking the question.” She pointed to the booth entrance. “Since we’ve cleared this issue up, get the hell out of my booth and don’t come back.” 

I blew her a kiss and got out while the getting was still good. 

That went well... if your idea of a great time is a migraine. I doubt I’ll be invited for Thanksgiving dinner, but at least Avril’s answer confirmed my original theory. Do I believe her? Yeah. Even an Academy Award-winning actor couldn’t fake that level of righteous indignation. Was I disappointed or relieved? Maybe a little bit of both.  

 Author Bio:

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple, but now calls sunny Southern California home. She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, to keep her girlish figure, she’s a dedicated walker. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector and ardent sailor. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.  

Looking for more? Contact Susie at: 

E-mail: mysteries.authorsusieblack@gmail.com 

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Break Heart Canyon by Gini Rifkin


Break Heart Canyon
By Gini Rifkin

Book Blurb:

They paid him to locate rare artifacts—he gave her his heart for free. 

Unearthing artifacts in Colorado sounded like easy money to Ryker Landry. Then he met the woman who owned the land.  

Una MacLaren vows no fortune hunter will desecrate the ancient relics of BreakHeart Canyon—even if the man is a handsome scoundrel. Fighting to keep her goat farm afloat as local cattlemen hatch deadly schemes to make sure she fails, Una has enough to worry about.  

Captivated by the courageous redhead, Ryker joins forces with Una and her deerhound, MacTavish. But what does he desire most—the woman or the artifacts?  

When the mythical white cougar again prowls the rocky cliffs, the legend of BreakHeart Canyon draws them into a web of danger. Now only daring and blind trust can save them. 

Excerpt:

Tethering the donkey to a branch, he gave Una a leg up. “Quite the conquest. You seem to have won the hearts of the whole lot of them.” 

“Are you a wee bit jealous then, Mr. Landry?” She added a slight smile as she settled into place. He handed her the lead to the halter.  

“Absolutely not. Just an observation.” He swung up into the saddle of his mount, and clucked his horse into a walk. “You are a troublesome female, and the last thing I need is trouble.” 

“Yet you seem to find disruption so readily.” 

**** 

They ambled along at a donkey’s pace, uninterrupted until the flight of a large bird caught Ryker’s attention. The Turkey Vulture, circled high above, dropping lower with each revolution. Una followed his gaze and gave a shiver. “Those birds never portent anything good.”   

He had to agree, and now there were two of the carcass-eaters.  

“Maybe we should see what they’ve found,” she urged.  

Reluctantly he turned off to the left. The largest of the birds landed in the cottonwoods. The other one issued a low guttural hiss and dropped through the branches out of sight. Skirting around the patch of trees, they reached a small clearing and found the reason for the presences of the scavengers. A dead man lay on his back in the tall grass.   

 Author Bio:



Gini Rifkin writes stories of romance and adventure. Her settings include the American West, Medieval & Victorian England, and Contemporary thriller & fantasy.

The Colorado Authors' League named Break Heart Canyon, Best Historical Romance of the year, and Fatal Recall Best Romantic Thriller of the Year. She has also won The Beverley Award from Colorado Romance Writers, and the Reviewer's Choice Award from the Paranormal Romance Guild Her newest passion is spinning and weaving—from scouring the fleeces, to putting yarn on the loom. Caring for her rescue animals, including donkeys, goats, ducks, and one demanding cat, also keep her busy. She considers family and friends her most treasured of gifts.


 

Monday, October 19, 2026

The Unseelie Heir's Claim by Elisa Rae

 

 




A human servant who sees too much.

A lord cursed in a pitch-black maze.

A throne in crisis with a missing heir.

Welcome to the Courts in Conflict. 


The Unseelie Heir’s Claim

Courts in Conflict Book 3

by Elisa Rae

Genre: Light Fantasy Romance, Romantasy


The Unseelie throne is in crisis, and the whole Wild Wood is in an uproar as the hunt is on for the missing heir. Kent is aware of the news, and even the humans just beyond the borders of fae land have heard rumors. He didn’t think it had anything to do with him. But then he comes home to a Dullahan in his mother’s kitchen claiming Kent is the lost heir.

Rue doesn’t belong. Left on the doorstep of the foundling home as a baby, she only knows she has some fae blood. Now an adult, she hides her differences from the humans beneath a quiet demeanor. But that doesn’t stop her from seeing magical things, like a glowing crown on the head of her new friend.

The Unseelie Heir’s Claim is a light, fantasy romance novella about a relationship between an Unseelie and a fae of mixed blood. It features a reluctant lost heir, fated mates, and a romance between a noble and a servant, all played out against a backdrop of the peril, politics, and uncertainty of the Unseelie Court in crisis.

 

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Rue

 

 Leaning forward, Kent rested his folded forearms on the tabletop. “My turn. Why were you so upset at the sight of a human child in my arms?”

Greyson nodded as though he had expected the question. “There has been an increased trade in human child abduction among the Unseelie, and I feared you allied with the smugglers supplying children to the slavers.”

“I thought the fae had banned human slavery.” 

“They have.” Greyson’s mouth tightened as his brows lowered in a great frown. “But outlawing a behavior and preventing illegal practices are two different things.”

“Why does it matter to you?” I asked because it clearly did. His anger as he had realized Mela’s species struck me as fierce and genuine. “You are fae. Every fae I have encountered couldn’t care less about humans.”

“Not every fae,” Kent inserted.

I sighed. “I didn’t mean you.”

“Words matter,” he protested.

“They do. And binding words even more.” Leveling an annoyed glance at him, I pressed my lips together.

“Those words, I meant them.”

“No more bindings. I told you,” I shot back.

Kent attempted to appear at least a bit repentant. “I didn’t want him to get the wrong impression.”

“And what impression would that be?” I asked. “That we are bound more tightly than we are?” The implications of a binding made me uncomfortable after being on my own for so long. 

Before Mela, no one cared about what happened to me; no one depended on me, and I had learned to accept that. 

Then Mela arrived at the foundling home. Her needing me had been a drastic change in my life. She’d needed care and love, and I knew Mistress Prout wouldn’t offer that. So, I stepped in and provided what Mela needed. 

To my complete surprise, Mela loved me in return. I had grown comfortable with that arrangement, and then Kent—I shook away the thought. We were bound now, and although I wasn’t sure I liked it, I needed to accept it and move forward.






The Fae King’s Labyrinth

Courts in Conflict Book 2

Someone stole Azulin’s true name. Cursed to ride with the Wild Hunt during each full moon, he is helpless against the Unseelie king’s will. Over the years, the curse’s grip has strengthened, making Azulin’s magic difficult to control. Fighting the curse has exhausted his spirit to the point that he despairs of breaking its hold on him. Then one full moon, the curse places him in a labyrinth, not a hunt. Perhaps this is his chance, or maybe just a new form of torture.

Calypso is a shapeshifter who can’t change form. Living as an unpaid caregiver and laborer in her sister’s household, her presence is barely tolerated in their insular community. When a strange fae threatens her pregnant sister, Calypso sacrifices herself. Perhaps an honorable death would give her life purpose. Instead, she ended up fighting for her life in a pitch-black labyrinth.

The Fae King’s Labyrinth is a light, fantasy romance novella about a relationship between a Seelie fae and a mortal woman. It features fae, found family, fated mates, and a romance between a noble and a commoner, played out in a perilous maze and an equally dangerous fae court.

 

 

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The Unseelie's Wallflower

Courts in Conflict Book 1

Greyson hides many things from the Unseelie Court when they invade his estate each autumn for the Wild Hunt. During his required appearance as host, he is surprised to find a human among the glittering fae. She can see him even when he is using his stealth magic, which means only one thing—they are soul mates. Can he protect her amidst the swirl of fae politics and a plot against her life?

Lyra has grown up among the fae. She has been trained to be the perfect servant. Then her master brings her to the Unseelie Court event of the year and demands she demonstrate her skills to nobles. With the promise of freedom as a motivator, she willingly agrees. Then she realizes her master’s true plan thanks to the intimidating fae lord hosting the event. Though why he would be invested in her fate is a mystery.

The Unseelie’s Wallflower is a light, fantasy romance novella about a relationship between an Unseelie and a human woman. It features faes, fated mates, and a romance between a noble and a servant, all played out against a backdrop of the peril, politics, and maneuverings of the Unseelie Court.

  

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A reader of fairytales and folklore, Elisa Rae loves a happy ending. Noblebright characters, dastardly villains, and chemistry between characters delight her. When she isn’t writing, she loves to watch superhero movies and literary dramas.

Elisa Rae is the pen name of Rachel Rossano.

 

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