by Philip Eliot | Jan 25, 2026 | Fantasy |
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT. BEWARE THE PRETENDER. Eleven years after the fatal accident of her brother, Juliet Barrows still lives in the shadows of her past. While the surface is idyllic—loving parents, a best friend, and a job—it is merely an illusion. And Juliet’s shaky foundations are exposed when a portal sends her into another world filled with cultural differences and deception. Alone in a small sea town, Juliet is warned by a seer of impending danger: the northern raiders. She escapes, only to be confronted with a difficult decision: accompany the one person set on liberating the captured townspeople or find her own way home. In her desire for freedom, both for herself and the people, she chooses to go. Along the way, they are joined by a man cloaked in mystery, who claims they have no chance without him. Just when the trio think the tide is turning, an uprising against the king draws them into its ranks under the threat of death. Caught in the middle and fighting for survival, Juliet realizes that confronting her fears and uncertainty is only the beginning. Rather than hiding from her past, she must learn from it in order to survive what is to come. Rebellions, enslavement, rivalries, and secrets layer upon each other in this medieval Japanesque society, where conspiracy abounds and even friends may not be what they seem.
by Philip Eliot | Jan 25, 2026 | Crime Fiction |
A twenty-something gay FBI agent tackles his first big cases with heart and smarts. The complete set of four books. Assigned to South Florida for his first posting, Angus Green is worlds away from his hardscrabble upbringing in Scranton, PA. He has to cope with ethnic distinctions he’s never considered, a multitude of foreign languages spoken around him, and a range of crimes and criminals that boggles his mind. While investigating a jewelry heist with its roots in Fort Lauderdale’s gay neighborhoods, Angus must learn how to use his education, his intelligence and his good looks without losing track of who he is and what he stands for. The street quickly teaches him that the only way to face a challenge is to assume that he’ll survive this one–that it’ll be the next one that will kill him. In his second case, Angus discovers that gay teens are being sexually abused by a pornographer in the same neighborhood where he lives, and he has to bring his intelligence, his determination and his unique insights to save these young men. The case takes him from Fort Lauderdale’s seamy underbelly to boisterous beachfront bars where big-fish Russian emigres launder illegal cash. He’ll befriend a beautiful Russian-American undercover agent and rekindle a romance with a man who makes him feel protected. In the end, he’ll learn the truth of a saying he learned as a boy — there is a price to pay for every decision we make. Nobody rides for free. In the third installment in the series, Fort Lauderdale retiree Frank Sena is working with pawn shop owner Jesse Venable to retrieve a painting stolen from Frank’s uncle, a gay Venetian killed during the Holocaust. Angus volunteers to help Frank, and discovers Venable is the subject of a task force looking into smuggling immigrants out of war-torn countries in the Middle East. Angus, who knows nothing about art and speaks no Italian, may be in over his head as he is assigned to befriend, and ultimately betray, Venable. But with the help of his Italian-speaking brother and his art-loving boyfriend, he may be able not only to retrieve the painting, but solve a smuggling case and potentially save thousands of lives. The investigation will take him from the sun-drenched rooftops of Venice to a private yacht speeding down Fort Lauderdale’s New River. Along the way, he’ll learn the true meaning of survival. In “Brackish Water,” Angus must unravel a Cuban art smuggling operation while grappling with personal revelations that shake his understanding of family and identity. When a young Cuban art historian named Yulirus Diaz is detained after illegally entering the United States, Angus sees an opportunity to unravel a larger criminal enterprise. Yulirus claims knowledge of valuable artwork being smuggled out of Cuba, including a potential masterpiece by the Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. As Angus digs deeper, he uncovers a sophisticated operation involving not just art theft, but money laundering and discrimination within a prominent Cuban-American business. This thrilling installment combines high-stakes investigation with thoughtful exploration of immigration, art, and the complexities of human relationships. Kirkus Reviews says, “Plakcy’s characters… charm” and Publishers Weekly writes “readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of Angus.”
by Philip Eliot | Jan 25, 2026 | Horror & Paranormal |
T. Kingfisher meets Cassandra Khaw in this “fast-paced ” haunted house story full of “ old-school horror ” and “ brimming with edgy tension and evil” ( Library Journal )! When the terrifying plot of a horror novel comes to life, its author discovers there’s a fine line between humanity and monstrosity . . . Blackwood mansion looms, surrounded by nightmare pines, atop the hill over the small town of Crooked Tree. Ben Bookman, bestselling novelist and heir to the Blackwood estate, spent a weekend at the ancestral home to finish writing his latest horror novel, The Scarecrow . Now, on the eve of the book’s release, the terrible story within begins to unfold in real life. Detective Mills arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder: a family butchered and bundled inside cocoons stitched from corn husks, and hung from the rafters of a barn, eerily mirroring the opening of Bookman’s latest novel. When another family is killed in a similar manner, Mills, along with his daughter, rookie detective Samantha Blue, is determined to find the link to the book—and the killer—before the story reaches its chilling climax. As the series of “Scarecrow crimes” continues to mirror the book, Ben quickly becomes the prime suspect. He can’t remember much from the night he finished writing the novel, but he knows he wrote it in The Atrium, his grandfather’s forbidden room full of numbered books. Thousands of books. Books without words. As Ben digs deep into Blackwood’s history he learns he may have triggered a release of something trapped long ago—and it won’t stop with the horrors buried within the pages of his book.
by Philip Eliot | Jan 25, 2026 | Fantasy |
Book One of an Epic Fantasy Series by Teddy Scot Epic fantasy adventure meets forbidden bond—what if the creature you were never meant to tether… chose you? In a world called Caldrith, every youth in all of the 10 kingdoms undergo a Tethering ceremony when they come of age. But when Liam accidentally tethers, it should be a happy moment that all families hope for, but rarely happens. But it’s not a seal that he bonds with. Every kingdom has a might supernatural animal that they tether with, and for Liam who lives in Galmar, he should only be able to tether with a seal. Instead, it’s a wyvern—winged, fire-breathing, and forbidden. A creature from myth. A creature from the sky. Now marked by the impossible, Liam is thrust into the spotlight of suspicion. The Harbormaster demands justice. The kingdoms whisper war. And the creature tethered to Liam is growing stronger… wilder… harder to hide. But the more they try to tear them apart, the deeper their bond becomes. As secrets unravel and magic awakens, Liam must face what no one else dares to believe: the Veil chose him for a reason. And that reason may set the entire world on fire.
by Philip Eliot | Jan 25, 2026 | Fantasy |
Oath-bound servant. Outcast. No one cares if she lives. Arrow just wants her freedom. Days away from the end of her service, the Erith set her one last task, perhaps the most difficult she has ever faced; investigate the sudden death of a high-ranking shape-changer, the Erith’s ancient enemies. Arrow quickly finds herself in the middle of an ancient conflict, and it’s not just her life, and her freedom, that’s at risk. The Erith have tried to make her an outcast, but she might be the only one who can save them. Follow Arrow’s complete story in one volume for the first time – Taellaneth Complete Series contains all five books of The Taellaneth: 1. Concealed 2. Revealed 3. Betrayed 4. Tainted 5. Cloaked If you like your fantasy mixed with mystery and spells, then you’ll love this series by Vanessa Nelson. Get your copy of the Taellaneth Complete Series today to follow Arrow’s remarkable story.
