September is Here and Full of Deals This Fan Pricing Saturday, September 2, 2023
New Month New Deals
Fan Pricing Saturday, September 2, 2023
Note: We requested the price changes from Amazon on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, they don’t change all of the prices at one time. Please double-check the price before clicking “Buy”.
All of these new releases are 99c for one day only!
And they are also available for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Grab them today before the prices go up!
The Man in The Silver Mask
Hollywood Hex
Torch The Sky
Dragon’s Time
Summer Cyclone
Aria of Betrayal
The Hunted
The Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set Three Books 15 – 21
Let The Days Grow Shorter $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
If you see this message after September 2nd and want to be notified of future price promotions, please sign up for our email list at www.lmbpn.com/about/email.
Deals to Behold This Wild Wednesday August 30, 2023
Feast your eye on these deals!
Wild Wednesday, August 30th, 2023
Each week we bring you a list of books from not only LMBPN authors, but also friends of ours, that are on sale! Here’s a fantastic opportunity to discover some new authors or some exciting books you may not have seen yet.
Most of these books are FREE in Kindle Unlimited, but all are on sale today.
Please remember to double-check the price before you one-click.
The Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set Three Books 15 – 21:
What you thought you knew about Vampires and Werewolves is wrong…so very, very, wrong.
From Book 15 Never Submit: One Last Hail Mary attack by those on Earth goes awry when the Queen herself shows up with John Grimes along for the ride. Five puppies have plans that surprise everyone. The Queen has a problem, and her closest friends travel to Earth to find her a solution. It’s time for an audience with the King of Yoll, and he isn’t going to like the outcome. Not one bit. He has a secret he has been hiding, and those sneaky Aliens in space find out what it is, and turn it against him.
Get This Deal Here
Bloody Queen:
Hell hath no fury like a witch-turned-vampire scorned…
My long-dead vampire brother has returned from hell. He’s challenged my right to the vampire throne. He brought a hellhound with him. Every time hellbeast kills, the bastard gets stronger. He’s unstoppable. Stronger and faster than any vampire I’ve ever encountered. Have I finally met my match? On top of that, my ex-vampire lover is on a tear. I need to rally every vampire I can find. I’ve teamed up with Prince Ladinas and the Vampire Underground. These vampires aren’t much for the democratic processes of the Vampire Council. They need a bloody queen—and I’m just the bitch for the job.
Zenophobia Complete Omnibus:
Where did the Zenomorphs come from? Tigers, wolves, gorillas, and bears. Four planets at each other’s throats. But they have too much in common for it to be a fluke. Just mentioning the possibility that they descended from the same place gets one labeled as a Heretic. When Sankar comes into possession of a religious text that hints at where they came from, he seizes the opportunity and makes it his mission to find the Truth. But he needs help from all the races. With a stolen warship and a ragtag band of criminals, Sankar sets out to answer the question that is illegal to ask. Zenophobia. Where fear of the other races started a religion and perpetuated a war. It’s time for the worlds to embrace the future by learning their past. But the governments aren’t keen on upsetting the status quo and do everything in their power to stop Sankar and his team. Island of Dr. Moreau meets Indiana Jones, in space, with cutting edge technology…
Get This Deal Here
Avenging Blade:
Betrayal cuts twice. What hurts more? The blade you see coming, or the one that stabs you in the back? Eryn and Larcen may have safeguarded the Hunting Horn, but their fight isn’t over yet. Not with each other, and not against Malcan. The second relic of the Wild Hunt must be found before it falls into enemy hands. But who really is the enemy? Malcan, who wants to enslave the Night Lands, or Larcen, who still plots to use his partner’s life force to free his people? Or maybe Eryn, who knows the secret of the star curse and plans to exploit it to prove her innocence? It all hinges on one cigar-smoking, boozed-up unicorn with a price on his head. Larcen wants revenge. Eryn yearns for justice.
Both are willing to sacrifice the other to get it. Can they make peace with their pasts to preserve their futures, or will their own secrets tear them apart?
Remember The Passion:
In the heart of Louisiana, two brothers, Blaze and Shade Bowie, find themselves facing a dire situation. Their ancestral plantation and timberland are slipping through their fingers, and to make matters worse, they are wrongly accused of causing a local woman’s death. Determined to fight for their birthright, Blaze embarks on a journey to Texas in search of their cousin, Jim Bowie, and a long-lost secret that holds the key to saving their land. At the same time, a young woman named Noelle Charbonnez struggles to survive in a tiny hut near the Alamo. Her dying mother’s last wish is for Noelle to return to her estranged grandmother in Natchez. Rumors suggest that an old friend who once lived across the Mississippi River from them might now be in Texas, and Noelle is to seek his help. Too bad she carries a deep mistrust of the Bowies and vows never to befriend, let alone travel with them. But fate intervenes when the dashing Blaze crosses paths with the beautiful Noelle, and their worlds collide in ways they never imagined.
Get This Deal Here
Harold Robbins Thriller Collection:
Follow the journeys of flawed and complex heroes, like the ambitious and dynamic Brad Rowan, the war-scarred Vietnam veteran Gareth Brendan, two cunning and ruthless daughters, and the enigmatic Diogenes Alejandro Xenos, who finds himself transformed into an outlaw within his own nation. Experience a globe-spanning adventure, delving into the timeless themes that define Robbins’ work: political intrigue, greed, power, money, violence, sex, and betrayal. Harold Robbins expertly captures the allure of our deepest desires in these enduring parables of success and struggle. Within these tales, morality and decency hold little sway in a world where one’s worth is measured by the size of their expense account, and the golden rule is clear: sex sells. Prepare to be spellbound by these timeless tales of ambition, desire, and the dark underbelly of human nature. Get ready to be hooked from the very first page to the very last.
Stem The Tide $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
If you see this message after August 30th, 2023, and want to be notified of future price promotions, please sign up for our newsletter at www.lmbpn.com/email.
The Warrior returns in This They Will Overcome! Check this sneak peek!
The Warrior 2 Book 1: This They Will Defend
The Warrior returns this week. Old friends, new friends, and a new enemy await you in the sequel to The Warrior!
Lying on her stomach at the mouth of a small cave in the Nether-Polar region of the Ural Mountains, Specialist Emily Trigger adjusted the sight on her MK22 338 NM precision sniper rifle’s scope one more time, then moved her head a fraction of an inch to the left to take one more look.
Her current location at the edge of a sharp drop over five hundred feet overlooked this narrow pass through the rocky crags and mountain faces stretching a mile and a half northeast to southwest. It gave her the perfect view of any movement coming through the pass, which she’d monitored for the last seven hours. So far, she’d counted seven birds, a handful of squirrels, and two gophers, but that was it.
Nearby and hidden from view were two teammates, a spotter and a radioman. Everyone was silent, waiting for instructions.
Emily would hold her position here until she confirmed the presence of the Russian military convoy that was supposed to have reached this location around four hours ago.
You’d think the guys who live here would have an easier time moving around their territory. Either they’re completely clueless, or their gear’s been giving ’em more shit than it’s worth. Either way, they’re late.
Fortunately for her, it was a relatively calm day at six thousand feet. She only had to lay here like this in the sniper’s nest through fifty-degree summer temperatures with decent coverage from the gusting winds that had whipped through this part of the Urals for the last several days. Without the added windchill, it was downright balmy in comparison.
That didn’t make it any easier for her to wait.
It wasn’t because of the burning ache in every muscle of her body from having laid motionlessly for far longer than she’d expected. It wasn’t because of the dull throb in the pit of her stomach after the effects of her last protein bar two hours ago had finally worn off. None of the physical discomforts of her current assignment bothered her. She hardly noticed.
Boiled down plainly, Emily Trigger had never been good at patiently waiting for anything to happen. She was much more partial to thinking fast and acting faster.
Today, that wasn’t an option. She had her orders, which were perfectly clear. There was nothing she could do about it until that damn convoy finally showed up so she could do her job. Only when Bravo Team had confirmation of her visual on that convoy could she take any further action, and not a second sooner.
Gritting her teeth against the growing annoyance of hours spent doing nothing, Emily lowered her head toward her shoulder to bite down on the end of the insulated Camelbak hose strapped there for almost-convenient access. She took two quick, small sips of lukewarm water, then took a third and held it in her mouth to keep from instantly going dry again. After that, she dropped the mouthpiece and returned her eye to the scope.
As if the rest of her unit sensed how aggravated she was—they probably could, thanks to Specialist Grossman’s ability to link them all through more than their comms—a gentle crackle came through the comms unit in her right ear. A hushed voice followed it.
“Trigger, let’s get a status update.”
Emily swallowed her final mouthful of water and whispered, “What’s the matter, Sergeant? You worried I’ll keep sitting here when these assholes finally show up and not say shit about it?”
Another crackle rose through her comms, but this time, it sounded more like someone on the team trying not to laugh.
“You must be confusing me with someone else,” Sergeant Briggs replied dryly, although she recognized her team leader’s amusement. “You’re the last person I expect to keep sitting anywhere.”
“He says after sending out our second-best pair of eyes seven hours ago,” she murmured. Hiding her frustration from Briggs or anyone else on Bravo Team was a lost cause, so she didn’t try.
“Because our first-best is twenty-two clicks south of you, reconnoitering the rendezvous point, and he’s a hell of a lot quieter than you are.”
“So I’m a sitting duck out here, then. Is that what you’re telling me, Sergeant?”
“Aw, now somebody’s fishing.” Sergeant Chandler’s low, rumbling voice rose over the comms with a significant background noise of hushed chuckles from the rest of the team.
Briggs softly cleared his throat. “You’re the only one who can make it from your position to rendezvous in under five minutes. Edgars can’t.”
“Edgars won’t blow anything up, either,” Corporal Bam added.
Emily smirked. “Neither will I if these Ivans don’t get their shit together and—”
The soft but unmistakable clack of a stone tumbling down the side of the cliff face made her stop.
With the banter among her fellow operators abandoned, Emily slowly swiveled her weapon on its low mount to scan the pass. Her breath flowed calmly and evenly in and out the way she’d been trained to maintain it, although the rest of her team had picked up on a change in her circumstances. After several tense, silent seconds, Briggs asked, “Got anything?”
“Stand by,” she whispered, her reply barely audible through the comms.
Then she waited some more.
Come on, you fuckers. That’s gotta be you out there. Better late than never, but if I have to wait out here another seven hours, we’re gonna have a serious problem.
Another small stone broke free from the rocky mountain wall on the other side of the pass, tumbling until it clattered onto the uneven terrain at the bottom that couldn’t quite be called a dirt road. It was as close as they would get to a road up here in the Urals, where military convoys weren’t technically supposed to be in the first place. Then again, the illegal weapons dealers set to meet said Russian team weren’t supposed to be here either. This was why Emily and Hellion Squadron’s Bravo Team were.
Two more bits of stone and shale tumbled loose at the northeastern end of the pass, this side of the sharp bend heading almost due north from her location. It was hard to hear anything else with all the noise of a small amount of loose rock echoing back and forth against more rock, but she kept listening, training her scope on that bend in preparation for what she’d been waiting for this whole time.
Any second, now.
A shrill, echoing squawk ricocheted up from the bottom of the pass, followed by three small blackbirds fluttering madly around the bend. One dove toward the ground as the other two swirled around each other in a two-second squabble. Then the first shot up toward Emily’s concealed location.
The next thing she knew, her vision was completely obscured by a flurry of dark feathers and the glint of a beady black eye.
“Shit.” She jerked her head away from the scope to scowl at the bird pulling up a split second before it would have bashed into her weapon. The avian was used to unsettling surprises and built for making quick getaways. It sailed over her and the low mouth of the cave behind her. The other two birds spiraled after it, yammering away at each other before they went over the peaks of this mountain pass to continue their argument elsewhere.
Emily’s gaze settled on a tuft of small, dark feathers drifting softly down in front of her sniper’s nest, each wafting back and forth until they all fell still on the relatively smooth rock beside her.
“Trigger?” Sergeant Briggs asked tentatively through the comms.
“There are more fucking birds up here than Russians,” she murmured as a small but bitingly cold burst of wind cut through the pass. The loose feathers didn’t stand a chance against it. They were gone, whisked off the cliff’s edge to be tossed against the mountainside. “Even they don’t seem happy about it.”
“Dammit. Still?” Her team leader didn’t sound amused by the update either. If Emily had to wait, so did the rest of Bravo. Now they were all irritatingly behind schedule. “Edgars, how’re we looking?”
“Target One still in sight,” Sergeant Edgars replied. “Nothing to report here, Sergeant.”
“Yeah, well, there will be if they think they’re being fucked with.” Bravo’s team leader sighed. “All right. If there’s no visual on Target Two in the next hour, Trigger, you haul your ass back to base and we’ll reassess. Radio in for updated intel The Brain should’ve already sent us if they had it, but that’s all we have. Comms on silent until then.”
“Roger that, Sergeant.” Emily glanced at her field watch. “Pull back at seventeen hundred.”
There was no response from her team after that, which was just as well. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been out here all day, watching the sun curve in its achingly slow arc across the sky to deliver a full two and a half hours of direct sunlight over the floor of the pass, only to watch it sink back down below the opposite side. One way or the other, she’d be getting out of here soon enough.
She hoped like hell it was with a confirmed visual and a countdown for the convoy’s ETA at their secret rendezvous that wasn’t so secret anymore. Not after Hellion had gotten wind of it.
Now all she had to do was keep watching and waiting.
The second she pressed her eye to the scope, the echoing clatter of more rocks falling loose from the mountainsides filled this section of the pass. Emily started to pivot her weapon in that direction for a better look but stopped and retrained her focus on the sharp bend.
Because now she didn’t only hear something. She felt it too.
Up here, so far removed from the bustle of civilization with all its bright lights, loud noises, and constant movement, any change in the environment was a lot easier to detect. Especially when the only differences she’d noted in the last seven hours had come from falling pebbles and wild animals scuttling down the pass.
This was entirely different.
More and more stones fell from their loose perches along the sheer rock walls on either side. They bumped and bounced around in the dirt long after they would have fallen still. Emily felt the tremble moving through the stone beneath her where she lay outside the cave halfway up the northwest side of the pass. It intensified with each second until the vibrations made it all the way up into her teeth, but she kept the scope trained diligently on the curve of the mountain across from her.
Two Russian soldiers in brighter green uniforms rounded it on foot first, each armed and comfortable carrying out their current orders. Both men held their weapons with loose grips. Although Emily couldn’t hear a thing over the rolling growl that buffeted back and forth between the cliffs, they were deeply engaged in conversation as they moved. Neither looked suspicious of being chased or discovered up here in the Urals. They took only a few seconds to scan the rest of the pass stretching ahead of them before diving back into their easygoing conversation.
She followed them briefly with her scope, then swung it back toward the bend, satisfied that these men had no idea they weren’t alone. Or that they thought anything but their tentative partners in illegal arms dealing would await them once they reached their rendezvous point. A few seconds after that, she understood why.
Two enormous, armored vehicles rounded the bend, bumping and jostling along the uneven terrain. The first nicked the wall and sent a large chunk of stone breaking free before its rear tires rolled over the new obstacle. The rock was big enough that it would have caused a small delay for anything smaller making way for the rest of the convoy. The thing didn’t slow, and its twin coming up behind it crunched over the rubble with as much ease.
Great. They brought gun trucks. Emily was too busy scouting their numbers and available armament to pay attention to the exact model of metallic beasts thundering through. Whatever they were, each of the two massive vehicles boasted two mounted heavy artillery machine guns up top, all four manned. Another three armed soldiers rode on the attached open platforms at the rear of each vehicle. They bobbed and swayed with the tumultuous movement of their rides, although everyone kept their footing and some semblance of their pride through the treacherous journey.
Damn, they might as well have brought their fucking tanks up here.
With room inside each vehicle for another three to four soldiers apiece, plus the driver, that totaled the convoy at eighteen to twenty men on wheels and two on foot. That assumed the Russians had packed their vehicles full or at near-full capacity. It was always safer to believe there were more when she couldn’t see through solid steel.
That was far from the entire convoy, which Emily knew by the sound before the rest of Bravo Team’s Target Two came into full view.
Four more covered utility vehicles bobbed along behind the gun trucks. Their carriages were less sturdy than the first two but built efficiently enough for an operation like this. Each had fresh, hasty paint jobs to reflect the dull, lifeless gray color of all the stone around them. Or maybe they’d run out of industrial spray paint. The coverage was spotty in places along the sides of the vehicles, showing the speckled whitish coat beneath.
If this had been the winter months in this region, Emily could have chalked it up to fresh snow in other parts of the mountains or melted runoff. This was the middle of summer, and she could have sworn some of that matte paint still hadn’t completely dried when she caught patches of it glinting with the minor shift in light.
A single armed soldier stood at the rear of each utility vehicle where more platforms could carry more men, if necessary. They didn’t find it necessary. The driver and a single passenger were visible through the windshield in each vehicle, although Emily couldn’t see anything beyond that.
Judging by how the vehicles moved and their lighter weight distribution, plus the metallic clinking and rattling of what sounded like loose chains and straps in the covered rear portions, she guessed there wasn’t much inside them beyond a few soldiers. It made sense.
The convoy was here to purchase illegal weapons on behalf of the Russian military and coughing up insane amounts of cash to do so. They needed somewhere to stash the damn things for the ride home afterward.
They wouldn’t stash anything if Bravo Team did their job right. Bravo Team had an incredible track record, with or without their perfect mission success rate over the last six months. Some of it had to do with how Hellion’s operations had changed in that time because dealing with human scum anywhere in the world had always been and would always be easier than dealing with monsters.
Even if the humans were the monsters.
The fourth utility vehicle rounded the bend. From here, they’d have a mostly straight shot across the next twelve miles to their rendezvous point. Then they’d meet with men who sold untested, unverified, unauthorized military-grade weaponry to anyone who could cough up enough cash to buy it. In the middle of nowhere in the Ural Mountains.
Emily’s job was to get this newest intel back to her team, get herself back to her team, and rally at another location much closer to where this clandestine weapons deal was supposed to take place.
Finally, it was time to move.
It sounds like Idina’s Squadron is back in action and are doing what they do best: kicking butt and taking names! Join all of them as their adventures continue on September 11 in This They Will Defend! Preorder your copy today!
We’ve got new releases each day this week!
This week is about endings and continuations. We have three series coming to an end this week while three others are continuing right along. And while I know it can be really rough when a favorite series comes to an end, it opens up space for a potential new favorite series for you to discover.
I don’t know about you, but I enjoy discovering new favorite series!
I have 6 amazing books launching this week and one of them is already out! That’s a great way to start the week!
- The Hunted
- Torch the Sky(Kurtherian)
- Dragon’s Time
- Hollywood Hex(Oriceran)
- Earth Deep(Skharr)
- The Perilous Secrets
This Week’s New Releases
Title: The Hunted
Series: Stonecrusher Legacy Book 2
Release Date: 08/28/2023
Freedom at last, but at what cost?
After escaping the oppression of the Brackenbuell Stronghold, Waldorf and the Stonecrusher dwarves find themselves above ground for the first time in thirty years.
Drawn into the civil unrest of the Elven reign, Waldorf must embrace his new powers to keep his clan one step ahead of Tempress’ father—the bloodthirsty King Elraith.
The man behind the destruction of their clan.
Gnomes, elves, humans, and dwarves battle for the control of magic, while Clan Stonecrusher fights to reach safety.
Until they discover a truth that changes everything.
Kidnapping, betrayal, and a tainted web of power force Waldorf, Tempress, and Mallick to band together to overcome the harrowing encounters that await them.
In a world where deceit lurks around every corner, the adventures of the Stonecrusher Clan take readers on a heart-pounding journey through a kingdom in turmoil.
Title: Torch the Sky
Series: Judge, Jury, Executioner Book 19
Release Date: 08/29/2023
Who will ruin Tempran Silver air first – industry or the terrorists?
They’ve planted a bomb and delivered an ultimatum.
Rivka volunteers to help the population in a battle to survive a fight between sides that are threatening the same result …
… the complete destruction of the planet’s atmosphere.
Rivka tries to convince the parties to negotiate. The Singularity gets involved as the designated arbiter despite the terrorists’ actions not falling under the umbrella of a civil war until the population starts choosing sides.
Legally murky but not. The threat is real, and time is running out.
Magistrate Rivka Anoa is the legal eagle you want on your side. No better friend. No worse enemy.
Get it today.
Title: Dragon’s Time
Series: Time of the Dragon Book 9
Release Date: 08/29/2023
The universe is under attack.
With the secret out and the great dragon pulling the strings finally exposed for what he is, the different worlds can finally unite against their main enemy. It is up to Kels, Grey, and Mags to persuade them all to fight.
Glory doesn’t plan on making it easy for them. He controls the flow of magic, and he doesn’t want to share. The ancient dragon will stop at nothing to end their crusade.
With the universe gearing up for a fight unlike anything it has ever seen, Kels and her friends have to face the greatest danger they ever have. And this time, they’re fighting for not just the survival of Earth, but all humans and dragons everywhere.
The stakes and the rewards have never been higher.
Title: Hollywood Hex
Series: The Agent Operative Book 8
Release Date: 08/30/2023
Norah Wintry is on the run, but not for long. She has a plan to free all those brainwashed by Magdea and restore Frondle’s memories.
She’s gonna need a little help.
Sea monsters are on the beach and creating havoc for magicals and mundanes alike.
Is this Magdea’s work or the Deep Queen’s?
They’ll have to find out before they can put an end to this for good.
Will Norah and Wintry’s Warriors discover the answers they need to free everyone from mind mayhem? Is Frondle going to get his memories back? And will that put an end to Magdea’s antics for good?
Norah Wintry won’t stop until everyone in Hollywood is safe and sound.
Title: Earth Deep
Series: Dwarvish Dirty Dozen Book 6
Release Date: 08/31/2023
The epic Dwarvish Dirty Dozen saga comes to its thrilling conclusion in Earth Deep.
Amidst rebellion and treachery, Torbjorn must confront his own father, the ruler of the Empire. Can he navigate the heartbreak and desperate gambits?
The condemned and disowned Bad Badgers are no strangers to adversity. But this time, the stakes soar higher than ever.
Will the dwarvish people survive the ultimate test?
In Earth Deep, the climactic conclusion of the Dwarvish Dirty Dozen series, honor is tested, alliances are forged, and the true meaning of heroism is redefined. Are you ready to be swept into this unforgettable adventure?
Title: The Perilous Secrets
Series: The Magic Academy of Paris Book 4
Release Date: 09/01/2023
The Magic Academy of Paris is back in session, and danger is brewing in book three of the series. Can Samantha and David survive what’s lurking in the shadows of Paris?
A chilling discovery sets Marcus and Helena on edge – a menacing power growing in an ancient library. But what exactly is it? Is it a foreboding sign of the times to come?
On the brink of a new school year, Samantha and David encounter an eerie forest, devoid of life. A frightening revelation forces them back to Ravenwood Academy, but will they find solace or further peril?
As secrets unravel, Samantha, David, and Marcus set off on a treacherous journey. The closer they get to the truth, the darker their world becomes. But what are they walking into?
With the ominous Crimson Cabal’s agents in the shadows, the stakes have never been higher. Will our heroes save their world or is the Magic Academy of Paris doomed?
Take Your Pick Fan Pricing Saturday August 26, 2023
Take one, take all, the choice is yours.
Fan Pricing Saturday, August 26, 2023
Note: We requested the price changes from Amazon on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, they don’t change all of the prices at one time. Please double-check the price before clicking “Buy”.
All of these new releases are 99c for one day only!
And they are also available for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Grab them today before the prices go up!
Mantle of a God
Photos and Prophecies
Moonlight Detective Agency Complete Series Boxed Set
Kurtherian Endgame Complete Series Boxed Set
Dwarf Bounty Hunter Boxed Set Books 1-9
Obsession
The Feared Witch Hunter
Stem The Tide $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
If you see this message after August 26th and want to be notified of future price promotions, please sign up for our email list at www.lmbpn.com/about/email.
Books on Books on Books Wild Wednesday August 23, 2023
Books and boxed sets and deals!
Wild Wednesday, August 23th, 2023
Each week we bring you a list of books from not only LMBPN authors, but also friends of ours, that are on sale! Here’s a fantastic opportunity to discover some new authors or some exciting books you may not have seen yet.
Most of these books are FREE in Kindle Unlimited, but all are on sale today.
Please remember to double-check the price before you one-click.
Moonlight Detective Agency Boxed Set:
From Last Ditch Effort: While his rapidly dwindling checking account is a problem, Remy finds out the last company he owns is run by something that goes bump in the night. And she is willing to bump him off if he fails to live up to her expectations. Trying to get sober, Remy finds himself having to work the day shift for the Moonlight Detective Agency. Can he learn the ropes before the faeries, werewolves or his supposed employee kills him off?
There is only one way to survive: accomplish what he’s instructed do or die trying.
Get This Deal Here
The Kurtherian Endgame Complete Omnibus:
An alien race attacked her people… they wanted her world. Now, payback is coming after them. And she’s a bitch in every sense of the word. Bethany Anne Nacht was changed on Earth almost two hundred years in the past. The Kurtherians engage in the cosmic great game, where whole worlds are torn asunder in their efforts to prove their own supremacy. For hundreds of millennia, the Kurtherians at the top have reigned unfettered as they destroyed countless civilizations time and time again. Now, a new group is entering the game. Bethany Anne and her people are playing against extreme odds, but when has that EVER stopped the Queen Bitch? It’s time to fight for the future of the Universe… ARE YOU READY?
Dwarf Bounty Hunter Boxed Set Books 1-9:
“One of the best damn bounty hunters. Period.” James Brownstone
When Johnny’s teenage daughter was murdered, everybody’s favorite Dwarf retreated to his cabin in the swamp with his two hound dogs by his side, and retired with his guns, his whiskey and his memories. Who was the killer? Even Johnny couldn’t figure it out. At least not yet. But magical monsters weren’t done with him… yet. Years have passed and a young female shifter has gone missing and her parents are dead. The Feds know that Johnny is her only hope and the clock is ticking. Johnny can’t say no this time. He’s off to New York City with Light Elf Fed Lisa Breyer to get her back. Dwarf the Bounty Hunter is back to kick ass and take names. Or maybe just kick ass. What will he do when the clues connect to the fifteen-year-old cold case of his daughter’s murder?
Werewolf of Marines:
Private First Class Aiden Kaas has enlisted in the Marines for all the wrong reasons. Now deployed to Iraq at the age of 19, he just wants to put in his time and serve out his enlistment. However, after being bitten by a seemingly rabid mujahideen, he finds himself suffering from a strange illness, one with consequences beyond his wildest imaginings. As the disease ravages his body and exposes him to dangers far darker than active combat, Aiden discovers what it means to come of age, and how he must come to grips with what it is he has become…
Shadow of The Orc Star:
His parents are dead. His brother is trapped. His sister is missing.
If Kealin is going to help either of them he must find Risdannia. But he is alone in a strange land with few allies.
War encroaches. Kealin is torn between helping his friends and uncovering a way to save his siblings. Finding Risdannia is only a part of his journey. A powerful wizard has emerged and in his path are thousands of innocent people. With his resurrected orc hordes, he seeks to exterminate all who threaten him.
But for Kealin, his every action curses those he loves to their deaths. He cannot escape his past and the true enemy may not be who he thinks.
Get This Deal Here
It Sleeps in Me:
Sora is the wise but young High Chieftess of the Black Falcon Nation. For many winters, her heart belonged to her husband and great warrior, Flint. They shared a true bond, and together they explored the world of passion and love. But Flint was murderously jealous, on more than one occasion beating men to death for merely casting a longing glance at Sora. Unable to live with his rage, Flint divorced Sora, leaving her—and the clan—forever. Remarried, Sora tries to bury her memories of Flint. But she is forcibly reminded of her lost love when, on the eve of war with a neighboring nation, she is visited by Skinner, an old friend of Flint’s, who brings word of Flint’s death. But Sora notices something strange about Skinner. It is as if he carries a part of Flint’s soul inside him. When he starts revealing secrets only Flint would know, Sora must discern whether it is the clever witchcraft of enemies who want to seize her power and destroy her nation, or the spirit of her one and only true love.
Cabo: The Complete Series:
WELCOME TO EXOTIC CABO SAN LUCAS WHERE NOTHING IS AS IT FIRST APPEARS.
Ethan Cruickshank is back. More than a year after the violent breakdown that landed him in a mental hospital, the former private investigator – now comfortably relocated to the beautiful tip of the Baja Peninsula – finds himself once again getting his hands dirty…even bloody.
Ethan is thoroughly human and deeply flawed, but when he is in his right mind knows how to laugh at himself and the absurdities of the beautiful and sometimes dangerous world around him. Back on the trail of justice Ethan learns that there’s usually more questions than answers.
Get This Deal Here
Darklanding Omnibus One Books 1-3:
A frontier world. One Sheriff. And all the action one Spaceport can’t hold. Darklanding is the wild, wild west of known space. Sheriff Thaddeus Fry will never completely leave the battlefields of Centauri Prime. His assignment as the Sheriff of Darklanding, could be a do-nothing job, or it could get him killed.
Book 01 – Faced with a dangerous collapse that could kill hundreds of workers, the new sheriff leaps into action.
Book 02 – There’s unrest among the miners. Desperation sets in for the Company Man. One wrong decision will destroy her career. The sheriff doesn’t care about any of that. There are strangers in town. One or all of them may be enemies.
Book 03 – Unrefined ore is moved by a state of the art mono-rail from the mines to the spaceport. It’s never gone off the tracks. Until now. What kind of crew is crazy enough to mess with SagCon’s investments?
Stem The Tide $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
If you see this message after August 23, 2023, and want to be notified of future price promotions, please sign up for our newsletter at www.lmbpn.com/email.
Roll into this week with new books!
Guess what we have for you this week? We have a brand new series coming your way AND the first book in the series released this morning. If you were a fan of the Chosen by the Slain series, you’ll want to check this new series out! And we have a sneak peek of it below!
But we also have a number of series continuing this week.
I have 5 amazing books launching this week, and the first release, which happens to launch a new series, is already out. That’s pretty sweet for a Monday!
- Mantle of a God
- Obsession
- Photos and Prophecies
- Aria of Betrayal
- Summer Cyclone (not on preorder)
This Week’s New Releases
Title: Mantle of a God
Series: Chosen by Freya
Release Date: 08/21/2023
Terra Olson is an archeologist in the making.
When she gets an opportunity to work with one of her idols at a dig that may contain artifacts linked with Norse mythology, she jumps at the offer. What more could she ask for?
Probably to not be betrayed by that very same idol.
She’d expected the job to be a killer…just not in the buried-alive-and-left-to-die-alone way. How could she have seen that coming?
But she is not alone.
She finds one of the treasures of the goddess Freya and learns that she is no myth. The artifacts they were searching for become her salvation, and the start of her new life.
Through her findings, Terra learns about the connection between Asgard and Earth…and gets caught up in a battle that could change history.
Her one time mentor thought she was a nobody, easily left for dead with no one who would care. Now Terra has become the chosen of Freya and she wields both her majesty and her wrath in the fight for the future of magic.
Can Terra survive by ascending to become more than human? Or will she get caught in the crossfire between those who wish to protect the hidden realm and those who wish to expose magic for malicious purposes?
Title: Obsession
Series: A Murderous Mind Book 2
Release Date: 08/22/2023
John Hilt’s looks perfect, but his dark compulsion is intensifying: he can’t stop killing people…
…And his dead friend, Harry, loves it.
John, lost in this murderous obsession, doesn’t see the world collapsing around him. Police officers Alan Tremock and Susan Merchent believe they’ve cornered their man and will stop at nothing to ensure he pays. As they connect the dots, a chilling pattern surfaces: wherever John Hilt ventures, death closely follows.
Yet, Harry’s whispering something new to John: “Kill them, too.”
As John teeters on the edge of his dark abyss, he’s faced with a chilling choice: to resist his murderous instincts and risk Harry’s rath or to succumb to his darkest desires, leaving a bloody trail in his wake.
Tension escalates and stakes rise as Tremock and Merchent close in, unaware they’re stepping into the crosshairs of a relentless predator. As lines blur between hunter and hunted, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.
In a chilling race against time, will they unravel John’s dark secret before they become his next victims? Or will Harry’s bloodthirsty demands be fulfilled?
Dive into a whirlwind of suspense, intrigue, and bone-chilling terror. Grab your copy now and prepare to be kept awake, each tick of the clock amplifying your dread. Can you predict the predator’s next move? There’s only one way to find out…
Note: This book was previously published as Lightning Strikes.
Title: Photos and Prophecies
Series: The Shameless Mage Book 3
Release Date: 08/23/2023
The secret is out and all that remains is to ease the Whole World into accepting Other World so the Veil can be brought down without triggering Apocalypse #6.
Almost a year has passed since the Battle of Calton Hill. The British Government failed to suppress the existence of magicals and have been excluding the magicals from discussions about how to handle the revelation.
The Whole World is fascinated with the idea of magic. Some humans support the magicals, some want them permanently exiled, and others want to get magic for themselves. Social media is flooded with magical-related content, most of it faked.
Meanwhile, Thea has been working hard, and by working hard we mean never missing an opportunity to make the news.
But something changed when Thea defeated Haiden. A darkness took root in her and is being fed by the attention she is receiving from the media.
Phil is aware of Thea’s struggle and must persuade the other daemons that if she is the focus of the snippet of ancient prophecy instead of Haiden then they have nothing to worry about.
As the threat of war between humans and magicals gets real, Thea must conquer the darkness before it takes over and she becomes everything she has been fighting to prevent.
Can Thea be the light both worlds need? Or will she succumb to the darkness and destroy everything?
Title: Aria of Betrayal
Series: An Aria for the Vampire Book 3
Release Date: 08/24/2023
Cora gave up everything to stay alive. Her relationship, her home, and her actual life.
She didn’t even get a t-shirt to go with her ethically murky career path and the two foster kids who crash landed in her life.
Parenting the powerful comes with growing pains no one could prepare Cora for.
Andrew has run back to the cult she helped him and Andrea escape from. Andrea is sure that Andrew has gone back to prove his usefulness and take down the Evolved from the inside, but there’s no guarantee of that.
Caught between worry for his safety and the fear that his return is down to her failure, Cora’s only option is to mount an impossible rescue mission for someone who might want the world destroyed.
Will the precarious limb Cora put herself out on for the kids snap and send her plummeting to her death? Or can the family ties she’s created take the strain and save everyone?
Title: Summer Cyclone
Series: Magic at Myers Beach Book 4
Release Date: 08/25/2023
There is only one month’s supply of fairy dust remaining, and Györfi is threatening the fairy kingdoms who have relocated to Myers Beach.
Theos, Lily, Dos, Greta, Alias, and the Third King must join forces to fight for everything and everyone they hold dear.
They have everything they need to save their people. Or so they hope.
Hope is all they have. That, and the nine elements they’ve collected.
Györfi is hellbent on making sure no one gets a happy ever after. It’s a race against time and fate as he closes in on Myers Beach.
Will the fairy dust Alias recreates from the nine elements be strong enough? Or will it take a force even greater than magic to save everyone?
When a Goddess shows up at your work place, you know something big is about to happen. Discover what in this snippet!
Sail Away This Fan Pricing Saturday, August 19, 2023
Sail away into new deals this weekend!
Fan Pricing Saturday, August 19, 2023
Note: We requested the price changes from Amazon on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, they don’t change all of the prices at one time. Please double-check the price before clicking “Buy”.
All of these new releases are 99c for one day only!
And they are also available for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Grab them today before the prices go up!
Rush to Darkness
The Progeny Wars Complete Series Boxed Set
Dragon Transcended
Strange Currencies
Gargoyle Rumble
The Tome of Brotherhood
Stem The Tide $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
If you see this message after August 19th and want to be notified of future price promotions, please sign up for our email list at www.lmbpn.com/about/email.
Adventures Await This Wild Wednesday August 16, 2023
Jump into a new adventure!
Wild Wednesday, August 16th, 2023
Each week we bring you a list of books from not only LMBPN authors, but also friends of ours, that are on sale! Here’s a fantastic opportunity to discover some new authors or some exciting books you may not have seen yet.
Most of these books are FREE in Kindle Unlimited, but all are on sale today.
Please remember to double-check the price before you one-click.
The Progeny Wars Complete Series Boxed Set:
Miracle child, or something else? Her whole life, Angelica Santos has felt distanced from the rest of humanity by the sixth sense that has dogged her existence. Those she did connect with suffered grisly fates. Angelica has always wondered about the mysterious circumstances of her mother’s death—which happened before Angelica was born. The one person who could answer her questions is her father. Two problems with that. He was the only suspect in her mother’s murder, and he’s been missing since then. Newly independent after being raised by her abuela, Angelica’s life is small but good. She has a job she doesn’t hate and a studio apartment in the Bronx where she grew up. Angelica’s ordinary world is shattered when she walks in on her grandmother being attacked by a hybrid worker of darkness. She is drawn into the world of angels and demons when she is rescued by the Daughters of the Watchers.
Adventure Starts Here
A Very British Witch Boxed Set:
When book-worm Scarlett is accused of murder, she has no choice but to take up sleuthing and find a way to clear herself of suspicion.
“Vampire Diaries meets Murder She Wrote. Brilliant humor, specially designed for the avid Anglophile.” If you like your protagonists quirky and hilarious, your mysteries confounding, your vampires secretive, and weres dashing, you’re going to love everything in the A Very British Witch series. Set in an actual village near Oxford, in England, UK, this urban fantasy has a touch of paranormal cozy mystery in it. It also contains the occasional British expression. (There is a humorous glossary at the front to help you out with the translations.)
Worlds Away:
Two worlds. Two adventures for the ages… Taming a new world isn’t easy. But making a new world? Well, only the bravest would even try… From TERRADOX REBORN: Six years in the making. Six seconds from disaster… At long last, the dream of a functioning research colony on Terradox has become reality. Thousands of men, women and children now call the distant romosphere home, with experts in countless fields recruited from Earth to spearhead the most ambitious research projects ever devised. All eyes fall on the closing stages of a colony-defining isolation test within Terradox’s least hospitable zone — the man-made hellscape of Little Venus, where six astronauts-in-training have survived fifty-one weeks surrounded by an almost impossibly hostile atmosphere. But while the astronauts of tomorrow count down their final few days until freedom, the gravest threat of all might already be on the wrong side of their Isolation Kompound’s impenetrable walls…
Adventure Starts Here
New Orleans Magic:
In the Big Easy you get…great food, live-music, and good times.
Will Jenna discover there’s a sinister side to New Orleans? She loves to rock. The stage, the lights, the fans, and her band, The Voodoo Dolls, get her amped up like nothing else in life. Jenna thinks it’s magical, but is she ready to find out how truly right she is? It was only a gimmick. Something they did during the shows. And it might have saved her life. From the dark corners of The Crescent City, something is on the move. It’s ancient and evil. When the sun goes down, a whole other world stirs. They start to hunt for candidates to turn. The tourists don’t think it’s myth, but the locals believe. Can they be stopped?
Desire in Deadwood:
Aces and eights, the dead man’s hand. That thought shoots through Bolton Rivers’ head just before Wild Bill Hickok falls dead in the Number 10 Saloon. Then a bullet slams into Bolton. In 1876 Dakota Territory, Deadwood is the most devilish and delightful, wildest and wickedest town on the frontier. Tansy Wiley, with a cloudy past, is hiding behind the name Jigger Crown and fears Bolton is tracking her. But when she rescues the handsome stranger from the saloon next door and chaos erupts—there to capture her or not—Bolton wants the sexy adventures. Afraid to run and afraid not to, Tansy decides to escape. A battle of wills ignites between the beloved barkeep and this mystery man in an isolated and violent Black Hills gulch. Longing and lust, tension and mistrust run rampant amidst a serial killer on the loose and a Texas rancher vowing to settle a score. Too bad the deck is stacked against Bolton and Tansy as they fight to survive a town soaked in blood, whiskey, and corruption…
Adventure Starts Here
Outlaw Ranger: Volume One:
G.W. Braddock was raised to be a Texas Ranger and never wanted anything else. But then he’s stripped of his badge through no fault of his own and a corrupt system turns the vicious killer Tull Coleman loose on the people of the Lone Star State.
Now, Braddock has to decide if he’s going to follow the law—or carry out the job he was born to do, even if it means becoming an outlaw himself!
Stem The Tide $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
If you see this message after August 16, 2023, and want to be notified of future price promotions, please sign up for our newsletter at www.lmbpn.com/email.
Secrets Revealed in This Snippet of Chosen By Freya Book 1
Chosen By Freya Book 1: Mantle of A God
When a Goddess shows up at your work place, you know something big is about to happen.
Mantle of a God –
The goddess of beauty stood at the edge of the realm of the gods and watched for decay.
The goddess of fertility stood on an outer branch of the world-tree and saw its tapered leaves shiver and crumble as ash turned to ash.
The goddess of prophecy stood at the edge of the world and feared for the future.
Freya the Giver, Freya Flaxen-Haired, Freya Sow-Queen picked up her pole and flicked the feathered lure across the ears of Bygul and Trjegul.
“Up, darlings.” The goddess rolled her tongue. “We’ve a brisk walk ahead.”
The two great cats, each as big as a stallion, lifted their heads and blinked their yellow eyes. The chariot rumbled beneath Freya’s feet as they shook off the last of their nap and stretched their spines.
“’Tis a long run to Hlidskjalf, my pets.” She flicked the pole again, making Bygul’s head jerk into the pouch and take one of the sweets.
***
“Forgive me for not having anything better to offer you,” Leif stated wretchedly. “Technically, we’re not supposed to bring any food or drink into the library.”
“Be at peace, Leif Freyason. I’d have come to visit you at your apartment if I wanted a sample of your cooking.”
Leif tried not to look horrified. He could not remember the last time he had cleaned out his living quarters above the butcher’s shop. Also, he knew to his bones that if Freya Njörðrsdatter came a-knocking on the door unannounced, his roommate Sven would trip over himself trying to ascertain the goddess’ opinion on the new cycling fad sweeping across Asgard.
Freya glanced down and sat in the empty chair on the other side of the librarian’s desk. Leif hastily swept his notes and rubbish into one of the drawers and settled in across from her. “You honor me, Godmother. I, uh, didn’t realize you knew where I lived.” Or worked.
Freya arched one shapely eyebrow. “I will admit I do not keep close tabs on all my great-grandchildren, Leif. Then again, few of them forsake our tradition by claiming mine for a surname instead of that of their own father.”
“Great-great-great-great-great-great grandchild,” Leif clarified before stopping to think the goddess might not take kindly to the correction. He blushed. “Most of the others are fools. You are the root and foundation of our family line, Godmother. They say I’m arrogant for calling myself Freyason, but I say they’re all disrespecting your legacy by choosing any other surname. At any rate, tradition would style me Leif Knudson.” He shifted his weight, suddenly surly with memory. The smashed mead bottles. The black eyes and bruises. Mother, crying into her knitting.
“And Knud was a right bastard,” Leif grumbled. He saw the goddess watching him. He knew that look of slightly strained patience.
“Never mind all that,” he declared, whipping the mostly-empty bottle of bourbon from his desk. “You are a balm for sore eyes, Mistress. I haven’t seen you since the feast of the Hunt two years back. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”
Belatedly, Leif realized he had no cups. One did not smuggle a bottle of gnomish rotgut into the workplace with the intention of sharing it.
Freya watched as Leif cast about for something in which to serve the liquor. Amusement flickered across her thick lips. “This afternoon, I fancied a visit to the city and the halls of Hlidskjalf. The queen invited me to supper. I thought I might check in on some of my family while her servants prepare the meal.”
She reached forward, brushing her fingertips against two of the half-dozen runestones scattered across Leif’s desk. At a whispered word from the goddess, the pebbles shifted and grew, transforming into thumb-sized cups.
Leif watched the magic with undisguised envy. Despite his family heritage, he had never developed a knack for spellwork. He offered his matriarch a sheepish smile as he split the bottle dregs between the two cups. “It is a bad brew,” he confessed. “I should be ashamed to offer it to you.”
“You should be more ashamed not to offer it. I am a war goddess, too, boy. I know the taste of swill.”
Leif grinned crookedly. “So be it. Which would you rather, Godmother? Sun or wild ox?”
Freya took the cup, which had until a moment ago been the rune for wild ox. She lifted it to her lips but paused, watching as Leif threw back his drink. “I will confess,” she remarked as Leif shuddered. “I was disappointed to find Odin gone from his hall when I arrived.”
Leif nodded and thumbed a tear from the corner of his watering eye. “Oh, yes. Of course. We living here in Hlidskjalf’s shadow have grown used to watching the queen hold court and preside over all the ceremonies, but it must be unsettling to the folk who live on the fringes of the realm. The Allfather has been abroad for some time now. He departed for distant lands…” He pursed his lips, thinking back. “Oh, it would have been shortly after the feast where I last saw you.”
Freya shook her head with a sigh. “How very like him,” she muttered. “To fly off on a secret quest and leave the rest of us awaiting his pleasure.”
“Not utterly secret, I don’t think,” Leif pondered.
A sly look spread across the goddess’ face. “You’ve heard rumors?”
Leif leaned forward. His belly suddenly warmed with courage. He wasn’t often invited to share gossip. Great Freya was here, sitting at his desk. “Norðri and Suðri wander into the library every now and then,” he told her. “They bring word of their travels through Midgard. If I had to bet on where the Allfather is wandering these days, I would say it’s there. They told me they’ve smelled his magic on the wind for the first time in nearly a thousand years.”
“In Midgard?” Freya lifted one perfectly-shaped eyebrow. She sipped from her little cup and evidently decided the rest wasn’t worth savoring. She tossed back the shot and snapped the empty cup onto the desk.
Leif beamed. “I know, right? Odin hasn’t walked the realm of Midgard since Olaf Tryggvason revolted and burned down his temple in Njardarheimr.”
“That spat left a sour taste in the Allfather’s mouth if I recall.” Freya folded her arms, her expression turning thoughtful as she pondered history from a time before Leif’s birth. “It was a long time coming. Mortals had been burning our shrines and outlawing our worship for generations, favoring their new god from the south.”
“And as the Vikings of Midgard turned their back on Odin, Odin turned his back on them,” Leif agreed. “Withdrawing to turn his eye on the other realms.”
“But the northern and southern winds say he has returned to Midgard. Do they say why?”
Leif sat back, grinning from ear to ear. He knew now why he had kept this bit of gossip to himself, though the dour old dwarves had first mentioned it to him months ago. He was saving it for this moment. He wanted to be the one to shock the goddess with something new, and so he was. “They’ve smelled a Valkyrie on the wind.”
Freya slapped her palm against the table, bolting upright as if she had heard the rough bray of Fenrir coming to sack the city of the gods. “A Valkyrie riding the winds of Midgard once more? You’re certain?”
Leif shrugged. “I’m certain that’s what they told me, Godmother. They came to visit the library at different times, of course. Norðri and Suðri still won’t be caught dead in the same room since that spat during the Hunt of 1803. They both said it independently, though. Suðri claimed he caught the scent of ash and brimstone and Odin’s blood in a region of Midgard called Mexico nearly half a year back.
“Norðri was even more certain. He swore up and down that Odin called a Valkyrie out of the firmament to spite him personally.” Leif smirked. He didn’t know of a bad history between Norðri and any particular Valkyrie, but the bad blood wouldn’t have surprised him. The old dwarf’s list of enemies was longer than his list of friends.
Freya’s eyes danced with keen interest as she took this in. Leif felt the warm glow of pride and whiskey reach all the way to his cheeks.
“He calls a Valkyrie into Midgard.” Slowly, the goddess picked up Leif’s bottle and sloshed the last of the liquor into her cup.
“The first one to awaken in a thousand years,” Leif agreed, giddy. “Oh, I’ve heard stories about the hell they raised when Odin called them out of Midgard for the last time. It was a period of relative peace with Jötunheim, and so without giants to fight or mortal warriors to cull, they turned on one another.”
Freya tilted her hand in a so-so gesture. “They were…rowdy,” she admitted dryly. “And restless. I believe they meant no harm, but there’s nothing more dangerous to a city, even this city, than a flock of bored Valkyrie.
“The fourth time their carousing brought down Valhalla’s rooftop, Queen Frigg, Baldur, and I put our foot down. We convinced the Allfather he needed to put his goddaughters on a leash.” She tossed back the last dregs of the liquor and snapped her cup upside-down against the desk. “His solution was to send them to sleep in the firmament until their services were required once more, though I believe it pained him. He was always fond of those girls.”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “As far as I am aware, the ranks of the Einherjar have remained steady ever since, for there have been no Valkyrie to harvest the souls of the slain.”
“Meanwhile, the mortals in Midgard have multiplied like maggots on rotting meat. It’s been a few years since anybody took a census over at Valhalla.” Leif scrounged around his desk for a spare sheet of vellum and a pen. “If you will it, Godmother, I would be happy to go over there and count heads. See if Odin has been slipping a few extra soldiers into the barracks. Say the word, and I would be honored to be of service.”
Perhaps it was the excitement of the moment or the liquor getting to his head, but the thought never occurred to Leif to wonder why the Allfather might want to bolster his army of warrior souls.
“Perhaps.” Freya folded her hands in front of her. “But not yet. Godson, fetch me an obsidian bowl and a ewer of sweet water.”
Leif rose to his feet. “A bowl and water?” His mind churned slowly. “Old Birger the senior librarian keeps a cask of fresh water from the Bauldr’s well in the cellar for emergencies, but I’m not sure where I’d find obsidian at this hour. I can nip down to the Emporium—”
“A mirror will suffice.” Freya sighed. “That little one hanging by the front door should be good enough.”
Leif’s eyes widened as he made the mental connections. Mirrors and obsidian were both common foci for spellwork, and they shared one major function. “Do you mean to scry, mistress? On the Allfather?”
Freya looked bemused at the suggestion. “If Odin does not wish to be found, I doubt I’d be able to hone in on him with a mirror from the lobby of a public library. Yet the Valkyrie never were great students of magic. I should be able to locate the woman, and from her, perhaps I can glean more clues about Odin’s whereabouts.” A little smile touched her lips. “Would you like to catch a glimpse of Odin’s secret protégé?” She glanced at the empty hourglass at the edge of his desk. “Or do you have somewhere else to be?”
Technically Leif had a kind-of-but-not-really-date-like-appointment to go stargazing with Olga Tyrsdatter that evening. It would mark their third attempt to get together outside Thorsday’s flying club, and Leif had the vague sense Olga was growing tired of being stood up every time he had to nurse his roommate out of a hangover.
On the other hand, Olga was a sweet and sensible girl. She understood that when Freya came knocking, you hit pause on the rest of the world.
At least, Leif hoped she did.
“There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be, Godmother.” Leif bowed and ran to fetch the water.
Freya watched the water pool across the mirror’s surface and lamented the fact that the one descendant in generations to claim her patronage had all the magical aptitude of a ball of wet twine.
The old goddess did not meddle overmuch in the early lives of her great-great-et-cetera grandchildren, but she recalled young Leif being a sweet and clever boy. Rather long-winded, but appropriately stubborn and with a subtle courage appropriate for a scion of her name. His was the strength not of the sea but of the mountain. Still and quiet and implacable.
He got that from his mother’s side of the family.
Freya was vaguely aware that, as a child, Leif had fought mightily to learn magic at his mothers’ knee. Though all the great tutors and teachers in Asgard agreed that Leif had a sharp mind, whichever cruel Norn had spun his fate had woven within him a love for magic, but not the spark. Such frustration often drove men to madness and cruelty. Freya was glad to see that, rather than scheme to steal power beyond his capabilities, her godson had contented himself in the role of scholar and librarian.
Though she would always find it passing strange that this skinny, single, distinctly unmagical academic had chosen the goddess of magic, war, and fertility for his patron.
Perhaps he would grow into it.
After Leif had brought Freya the supplies she required, locked the library doors, and snuffed out the lamps, he came to sit cross-legged beside her on a cleared section of the floor. The wall mirror lay flat on the floorboards between them, shimmering by the light of the one candle burning at Freya’s side.
“Will the water suffice?” Leif asked, nervously eying the ewer beside the mirror. “It was still sealed when I pulled it from storage, but I have no idea how long Birger has kept it there. I’m sure the florist up the street must have something better. I can run up there—”
“Peace, Leif.” Freya touched her finger to the mirror and swirled the beads of moisture across the glass. “Valkyrie are not known for their subtlety. If there is one moving in Midgard, this will suffice to locate her. Now be still and watch.”
She stared into the hazy reflection and allowed her vision to fall out of focus. Under her breath, she whispered the words of scrying magic she had devised eons ago from the movement of the stars and the flow of the rivers.
Show me what I seek, she silently commanded of the water and the mirror. Show me the mortal woman worthy of a great god’s favor.
The mirror’s reflection faded and blurred. Across from Freya, Leif drew in a sharp breath. He leaned over the glass, betraying the wide-eyed awe all ungifted displayed when given a glimpse of the arcane.
Swirling gray clouds formed within the glass, obscuring all light. The clouds parted, and Freya saw a crash of boulders crusting the rim of a glacier beneath a bright midday sky. In the distance, made hazy through scrying, a network of poles stood planted into the ice beside an exposed cliff face. Small flags of all different colors flapped atop the poles. Beside one was a four-wheeled vehicle not unlike the dwarven steam contraption she had passed in the market earlier. Scattered mortals dressed in long, fur-lined coats passed between different cave mouths sunk into the rock, carrying sacks and shovels and long, fine-bristled brooms.
“Oh!” Leif bounced with excitement. “Oh, I recognize those tools. It’s an archaeological dig, Godmother. These Midgardians are on a quest for historical secrets. Judging by the ice and the trees, it does look like the land of the Vikings.”
Freya frowned. Her gut told her this was indeed some valley in Iceland, though she had not set foot in Midgard in a thousand years. “These are all scholars, then? You are certain?”
Leif stared into the glass, taking in the hazy images of men and women as they moved through the ice caves, consulting their books and electronic tablets. “Yes, I’m certain. Those are ancient Nordic runes carved into the rock there. They are looking for the lost history of their ancestors.”
“We will not find our quarry here, then. Midgard is a busy, violent place. I have never met the Valkyrie who would spend her time dusting off relics when there are boars to hunt and wars to fight.”
“But this is what the glass showed you.” Leif looked up, his face full of earnest curiosity. “What does it mean?”
“It is possible Odin has shrouded his champion.” Freya nibbled her lip. “If that is the case, I will need to work something more powerful in order to find her.”
“Shall I hunt down an obsidian bowl for you?”
“Not yet. I will attempt the spell one more time.” Freya swept her fingertips across the wet glass, causing the image to shatter and fade. She focused all her considerable will on the mirror and repeated the words.
Now show me, she thought ferociously, the mortal woman worthy of a great Asgardian’s favor!
The clouds swirled and crashed like waves against a rocky shore. When they parted once more, they revealed the same sea of blue-green ice swaddling a rocky cliff.
Leif groaned like he was watching his preferred Stickball team fail the final pitch of a tied match. “Travesty and disappointment!”
“Hush,” Freya ordered crossly. “This is magic, not some dwarf’s clockwork tool. It has a mind of its own.” She squinted at the image, trying to pick significance out of the jagged horizon above the cliffs or the sea of ice as blue as a giant’s eye. Clearly, this mirror was not sufficient to track down their Valkyrie, but it was showing her something.
Something.
She floated a finger above one corner of the mirror, where a tiny human figure sat huddled on a log beside a dark cave mouth. At the goddess’ silent command, that corner of the image expanded, filling the entire mirror until Freya recognized the markings carved into the stone above the tunnel.
Understanding dawned, and she gasped.
Freya certainly seems disappointed that a mere mortal from Midgard could be the one she is searching for. However, it seems like she is someone important. Find out on August 21st when Chosen By Freya Book 1: Mantle of A God is released.