Title: Beyond the Veil Anthology
Authors: Stephanie Morris, Christi Barth, Liz Cain, Laura Navarre, V.V. MacKade, Tabitha Slick,, Marilyn Barr, Elliot Ason, Mimi B. Rose, Aislinn Archer
Genre: Paranormal & Fantasy Romance
Book Blurb:
Immerse yourself in the world of creatures that defy the imagination.
Venture into a world where the boundaries of reality are pushed to their limits, and mythical beings ignite the flames of passion.
The authors of Beyond the Veil invite you to explore the realms of desire with nymphs, elves, fae, fairies, dragons, dwarves, giants, gnomes, satyrs, goblins, orcs, trolls, and unicorn shifters.
From enchanted forests to ancient kingdoms, these stories will transport you to a place where love is as powerful as any magic.
Prepare to be entranced by a collection that transcends the ordinary and leaves you yearning for a love that defies reality.
Excerpt:
“Your dad doesn’t like the idea of sending younger shifters here. I understand the Sluagh have kept this place from being the shifter haven my father had planned…”
“So, you decided bringing in a colony of vampires would improve it? Really, Frankie, what were you thinking?” Frankie’s head snaps to the staircase at the back of the dining room. An exhausted Rosie has reached the bottom step with a thud. Despite the sleepiness in her eyes, she finger-waves Frankie to her side.
“Her,” Frankie says. “I was only thinking of her. If a Sluagh ever got hold of her or the boys, I would tear this town to rubble. When you find your mate, you will understand the undeniable urge to keep her happy and safe.” Like a zombie, Frankie leaves me to join Rosie. He lifts her into his arms and swings her around before passionately kissing her. Family life may be the best thing to happen to Frankie, but it sounds like a death sentence to me.
“Lucien, you let a mangy cat step between you and your destiny. Get Patty back in your arms this instant.” The angry hiss of the Vampire King drifts under the music. I suppress the urge to laugh. A woman with a love of words and a short fuse like Patty will not put up with the shy, stuttering vampire for long. My amusement is short-lived as my eyes connect with the forlorn apprentice. Lucien knows he is no match for Nate and the punishment he will endure at the hands of the vampire king. Poor sap.
“What do you mean, it’s Lucien’s turn?” Patty’s slurred question is at a shrieking volume. It carries over the music to every set of ears in Strawberry. She kicked off her shoes but sways slightly as if struggling for balance. Ugh, the idiot got her wasted. Ugly wasted.
“Why aren’t you more possessive of me? You treat me like a mate in your arms but then toss me aside?”
“Wait a minute, Patty, who said we were mates?” Nate’s expression is awfully shocked for a man whose butt was fondled for the last hour. His volume is too loud for such an intimate conversation, especially between songs. He can’t be that socially stunted, right? How long did he lead her on? My heart shatters when my attention turns from him to her.
Her eyes widen. Her mouth opens and closes in shock. She is momentarily frozen before her fury thaws her limbs. In a fantastic display of drunken agility, she throws her remaining mudslide. Direct hit. Nate’s face is swamp monster goopy and chocolate-scented.
Her momentum carries her around in tilted circles until she lands in the arms of Lucien. Talons burst through my toes and threaten to puncture my expensive loafers. My chest puffs and feathers dimple my flesh. Why am I fighting the change here? It can’t be because I am aggrieved on her behalf, we just met. I step forward and dodge the vomit of my damsel in distress. Lucien gets slapped across the face with a regurgitated mudslide. In a span of five seconds, Patty managed to take out both suitors with only alcohol and chocolate ice cream as weapons.
Come on, Frankie just shampooed the carpets,” James huffs from his place in the shadows. “Emily, come and get your friend. She needs feminine care and Rosie’s off duty.” His shouts of control add to Patty’s mortification. Her tear-filled eyes meet mine. My body springs into action. I squish my way through the muck, push the soggy vampire out of the way, and take my chocolate-coated prize into my arms.
Using my shoulder as a battering ram, we burst into the men’s bathroom. Patty’s broken-hearted wails echo off the tile. I bend her over the sink and begin the tedious task of rinsing the vomit from her hair. The cloying smell of alcohol is replaced with bright raspberry as my hands massage her scalp. The satin strands weave themselves over my wrists and caress the backs of my hands. I test wrapping them around my fist in forbidden fantasy. As if my superman act didn’t ruin my chances with her, her scent is a red flag. She’s not Nate’s mate, because she is mine.
She scrubs her hands over her face under the narrow stream of water. I dampen a paper towel to help, but the thin barrier shreds when I rub it over her neck. Her whimpers stop. I am compelled to finish the caress with my palms to free her collar from chocolate. My quiet strokes stop abruptly when she rinses and spits in the sink. Reality hits me over the head with a frying pan. I am not bathing a dream girl but soothing a drunk woman in a pizzeria bathroom.
“Oh Patty, don’t worry. Emily is here.” A harried woman with bouncing brown curls and a pinched face rushes in. She pulls Patty from the sink and smooths back her dripping hair. “Thank you. Jake, is it? I will drive her home. Don’t mention this at work or she will be mortified. Gossip has a long lifespan in a small town.”
“Please take care of her. I’m on the next flight to California. My work here is done.” My words drop Emily’s jaw to the floor Patty soaked. If I have my way, I will never return to Strawberry for the rest of my life. A threat to my fun, freedom, and individuality lives in the middle of a cornfield. Scarier than Sluagh, my worst nightmare is here.
My gorgeous, intelligent, strong-willed, raspberry-scented mate.
“Oh, and keep her away from those jerks. She deserves better.” I leave off the ‘than me’ for a later discussion when I am old and hopefully, Patty is sober.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Grab your e-copy of this anthology for only 99 cents!
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/BeyondVeilAnthology
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beyond-the-veil-a-limited-edition-collection-of-fantasy-romance
Google Play: https://books.google.com/books/about/Beyond_the_Veil_A_Limited_Edition_Collec.html?id=IzL-EAAAQBAJ
What makes your featured book a must-read?
The Beyond the Veil anthology is nine full books of heroes with wings. From ornithoshifters to dragons and Fae, these standalone stories will delight fantasy fans who love steamy romance. Escape the humdrum of everyday life as each book takes you somewhere far beyond the veil to experience another world's adventure, thrills, danger, and romance. The best vacations are to imaginary worlds where all the reader’s dreams are possible. Let us take you beyond the veil.
The 5th Wheel is the story of Patty the Hawk shifter. Her fortieth birthday marks her most success at work to date, more money than she can spend in a lifetime thanks to Bergan Pharma, a supportive group of friends, and the baby shower of her former flame with his beautiful mate. She’s finished looking for her destined mate. She loves her life, and bringing a man into the equation will throw it off balance. Little does she know, she met her mate ten years ago and he ghosted her to sow his wild oats. Now he’s back to claim her but she’s built a life without him. Will he win her heart or fly back to California with his condor’s tail between his legs?
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs April 9 – April 17, 2024.
Winner will be drawn on April 18, 2024.
Author Biography:
Marilyn Barr lives in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. She has nine books with The Wild Rose Press in multiple romance subgenres from sweet, new adult romance to erotic, fantasy romance. She loves to place monstrous characters with hearts of gold in historical romances and her historical, paranormal romances have won the Crowned Heart Award, 2nd place in National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) Contest, Imadjinn Award for Best Paranormal Romance, and Grand Finalist for the InD’Tale Magazine’s RONE Award. When engaging in the real world, you can find her with the Kentuckiana Romance Writers, volunteering with her son’s Special Olympics teams, or dancing around her kitchen. She is a sucker (haha) for cheesy horror movies, Italian food, punk music, black cats, bad puns, and all things witchy.
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