Books published by Ninestar Press, LLC

Postal carrier and amateur surfer, Samantha Diaz, lives an uncomplicated life. Well, other than helping her sister with childcare, crushing on her unavailable customer, Lauren Brennan, and catching as many waves as possible before hurricane season begins. Suffice to say, she isn't looking for much more, but when Lauren invites her to a monthly game night at her house, Sam happily agrees.When Sam sets out on an early morning surf, the last thing she expects to do is die, but a sudden thunderstorm thrashes offshore, creating a riptide that steals Sam's life. She awakens to a snarky woman named Margo speaking cryptic nonsense. Not only does she claim to be one of the many Grim Reapers, or Grims, in the world, Margo makes Sam an offer: she'll bring Sam back from the dead, as long as she becomes Margo's temporary assistant. Sam accepts but soon realizes the deal was too good to be true, and the consequences she faces may be worse than the death she dodged.

When Edith instigates a new game with her two best friends, May and Peter, on a warm spring day in 1869, she ignites sexual awakenings that will influence and shape the rest of their lives.Although Edith lusts for Peter, she is aware that May's desires are directed toward her, and when their triangular involvement begins to splinter, she leaves her two best friends to begin a career in Boston.However, even after choosing what they thought was the more stable path, they learn that the past is not so easily left behind.On their separate, yet connected paths, they find themselves drawn together, experiencing eroticism, love, confusion, trust, and grief throughout the course of their lives.

Cheron, former rebel leader and newly crowned king, comes to Wren Gardens on a holy mission to free his goddess from exile and bring peace to his kingdom, but he's distracted by an unholy and very beautiful concubine, Ekos.Ekos may be more than a simple love slave, though. The King of Wren Gardens seems afraid of the strange and often blasphemous concubine and swears the man is cursed. Cheron agrees, especially when Ekos mocks and taunts Cheron's sense of honor. But the urge to distance himself from Ekos can't compete with the desire to remain close. Nor is it as strong as the urges in his body-urges he hasn't felt in years.As Cheron tries to refocus on his mission, Ekos throws him off again-this time by offering to help him in his holy quest. Cheron knows he shouldn't trust a man who's in the employ of a rival king, particularly not one who seems to know all Cheron's deepest secrets. But he can't ignore the signs from the goddess telling him to entwine his fate with this tricky, captivating man.He prays the signs aren't simply wishful thinking, manifestations of his very unholy desires. Time is running out, and Cheron is falling deeper for Ekos-and deeper into danger of another betrayal. One that could cost him his life.

High school senior Van Liss is barely human. He thinks of himself as a scarecrow-ragged and unnerving, stuck and destined to spend his life cold and alone. If he ever had feelings, they were stomped out long ago by his selfish mother and her lecherous boyfriend. All he's been left with is bitter contempt, to which he clings.With a rough exterior long used to keep the world at bay, Van spooks George Curaco, the handsome new fry cook at the diner where he works. But George C senses there is more to the untouchable Van and refuses to stop staring, fascinated by his eccentricity. When Van learns that George C is even more cold, alone, and frightened than himself, Van welcomes him to his empty home. And ends up finding his heart.Their road to trust is rocky and, at times, even dangerous. And looming evil threatens to keep them apart forever.Fair warning: You may want to strap in. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

When Ben wakes up from a nap in his Jeep, he is horrified to find two strangers driving it. His car's been stolen, with him in the back seat. Ben overhears just enough to discover they are brothers on the run for murder. Randall is a thug, delighting in showing off his gun and vowing to use it if Ben tries to escape.Ben just wants to get out of this alive but soon finds himself fighting a dangerous attraction to Randall's younger brother Murphy. His tough exterior hides someone sweet, vulnerable, and completely gorgeous. The sexual tension between Ben and Murphy becomes impossible to ignore as they are kept in forced proximity. Bound together, made to share a room and even a bed night after night in increasingly weird motels, they slowly turn from enemies to secret lovers. When Murphy discovers Randall's true plans for Ben, he must choose between the brother who has always been his everything, and Ben-the man it might be worth losing everything for.

Marcus was likely dead, killed by the Inquisition, or so it was believed. Then the vampire was found, broken beyond words, in an isolated prison fortress. Marcus had never expected to see daylight again, let alone be rescued by his mate. Now he worries he'll drag Caleb into his darkness.Caleb was the one who pulled Marcus out of his prison cell, and he's determined to drag him from the nightmares of his mind as well. After all, that's what mates are for, and Caleb had lost hope at finding his. And if he can help destroy the entire Inquisition? Well, all the better.Dealing with Marcus's physical and mental healing from his trauma is difficult enough, but Inquisition holdouts are causing chaos everywhere, and sinister plots are rampant. Marcus and Caleb have no choice but to fight back. It's a good thing they are not alone.

What could possibly go wrong when buying an old Victorian property by the seaside to remodel and run as a hotel. Plenty when the ghostly inhabitants from past generations want their say…Marjorie, Stanley, and the apple of their eyes-their camp son Christopher, buy a leaky wreck, transforming it into a 1970s house of wonders. Marjorie's Bejam inspired cuisine soon puts their seaside guesthouse on the tourist map. The utterly vile Marjorie's ambitions for her henpecked husband will stop at nothing, even murder when it comes to climbing to the top.Meanwhile, in the 2000s, gay couple, Jez and Graham-who have exquisite taste, escape the London rat race and buy the same building-now derelict and full of Marjorie's draylon headboards and lace curtains. They refurbish it into a modern five-star hotel, the self-described jewel in the crown of English seaside hotels.Jez, a shallow yet fabulous queen with a penchant for designer clothes, is soon led astray by the opportunity of television fame, a not-so-straight Bulgarian boxer, and a cocaine-fueled celebrity lifestyle-all overseen by the malevolent spirits, an evil bunch, determined to create misery for all.

It has been sixteen months since Princess Esofi arrived in Ieflaria, and eight since her marriage to Crown Princess Adale. The princesses have a peaceful life together, preparing to become co-regents and raising their baby dragon, Carinth.Their peace is shattered when Esofi's mother, Queen Gaelle of Rhodia, arrives in Birsgen. She has heard about Carinth and believes that she deserves custody of him due to her greater devotion to Talcia, Goddess of Magic.Adale and Esofi have no intention of giving up their son, but Gaelle is impossible to reason with-and there's no telling what lengths she'll go to in order to get what she wants.

Ezra Grayson arrives in the small town of Edgewood, following a clue that will hopefully lead him to the men responsible for the deaths of his parents. His desire for revenge, the only thing keeping him going after five years of trailing the midnight twelve.Colleen Warren was not like the other girls working at the Lady Luck Saloon in Edgewood. It was not easy to explain to her customers that the soft, feminine Colleen was also the hard, masculine Cole.A miscalculation throws them together as they run from the law and the bounty on Ezra's head, but it is fate that guides their journey across the land; bringing them closer to the answers they both seek and to each other.

As a fae-vampire hybrid, scorned by all, Holden's life has never been easy. The one bright spot is his job testing blood at supernatural crime scenes. It's routine work, until the day he finds a victim he can't read.When one murder becomes two, and then three, it's clear there's a serial killer on the loose-one with a penchant for collecting hearts. Finding the bad guy could cement Holden's career, but he's drawing a blank. And it doesn't help that the expert his boss calls in to assist him is the man Holden's been crushing on for years.With lives hanging in the balance, Holden and Val must solve the case before the killer strikes again. But will they come out with their hearts still intact?

Timmy had no clue that the first day of 10th grade at the Academy would rock his world. He thought it would be just like last year, with its endless bullying and recesses spent reshelving books in the library with his best and only friend Carleen. The sissy boy and the fat girl had bonded over their shared outcast status. But Carleen shows up filled with sassy confidence and declares they're going to rule the school. By Christmas, the freaks and nerds would be the cool kids, and the mean girls and jocks would be the outcasts. Something had happened to her over the summer, but what?And then, the two of them lay eyes on the new boy at the Academy. Doug has auburn feathered hair, veiny biceps, and green eyes the color of Sprite bottles. Plus, he's come all the way from exotic Los Angeles, California. He rocks out to Patti Smith while Timmy loves ABBA. How does someone so cool end up in tiny, conservative Edgewood, South Carolina?When Carleen immediately declares Doug a fox and her new prospective boyfriend, Timmy is shocked at his jealous reaction. He's not supposed to like boys in that way, is he? Doug stirs up weird new emotions deep inside him as Timmy embarks on the adventure of his life. He and his hometown will never be the same.

On the cusp of his senior year at Mercy High, Elliot Donahey, an out but terminally shy gay young man who keeps to the shadows-never wanting to be seen or noticed-suddenly finds himself in the arms of the highest profile jock on campus, local star quarterback, Marco Sforza. Their lives, and the ones of those closest to them, will never be the same.Set against the backdrop of competitive sports, this character study work deep dives into the lives of these young men who each must "play the game" so Marco can play the game he loves. They are just trying to find some small slice of happiness to call their own amidst their hellish final year of high school.

Winter, 1780, and the solstice is fast approaching. Four months after the events of The Moth and Moon, burly fisherman Robin Shipp is preparing for his first Midwinter festival with his lover, the handsome baker Edwin Farriner. But when a letter arrives begging for help, they must travel with their friend, Duncan, to Port Knot on sinister Blackrabbit Island for a final confrontation with Edwin's mother. Also visiting the island are Lady Eva and her wife Iris, with a stunning proposition that could change Robin and Edwin's lives forever.The snow-covered harbour town of Port Knot is a dangerous place. While there, Robin, Edwin, and Duncan explore the menacing rooftop settlement known as the Roost, mingle with high society in the magnificent splendour of Chase Manor, and uncover a violent conspiracy threatening the island's entire way of life.Old rivalries will flare, shocking secrets will be revealed, and as Duncan's scandalous past finally catches up with him, will it ultimately destroy them all?The men will be tested to their limits as they discover that on Blackrabbit Island, the lion lies waiting.

Nico Hamuri¿i is the one and only son of Santa Claus. All his life, Nico has known he's expected to fall in love and find lifelong commitment by the Christmas of his thirtieth year-like every other heir before him. But knowing and accepting are vastly different things, and as the final countdown begins, Nico has yet to embrace his fate. His once great enthusiasm for eventually becoming Santa has been dimmed by uncertainty over how the Santa Line will be affected when he marries a man.With only a year left, will Nico have time to find love and commitment all while learning how magic will transform the family line to accommodate who he is and who he loves?

Jessica was a successful IT Director, but now she is on the run. Accused of fraud and orchestrating her company's downfall, she travels as far as the island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland before breaking down.There, an American, Anna Meyer, takes her in and offers kindness without questions. As they become closer, Jessica soon discovers Anna has her own much bigger problems and a past that comes knocking.

New Hopeland City may be the birthplace of Tech Shifter gear, but it isn't the only place that likes to blend technology with folklore. Now, a new nightmare is stalking the streets…When PI Cassie Tam is attacked on the way home one night, she expects the police to get involved. What she doesn't expect is to be forced into acting as bait to lure out a lunatic in a tech-suit that's literally out for blood. But past actions have consequences, and doing so may be the only way she can get a clean slate from the city's law makers.If only that didn't mean having to face down a wannabe vampire.

Prince Edmund of Thalassa and Prince Arden of Aither are eagerly anticipating their upcoming wedding, but the danger to their kingdom hasn't lessened. They have a plan, but they won't be able to carry it out alone: they need a strong wielder of each Element, whom they can trust implicitly, to carry out the magic.Rhys is a commoner and wielder of Earth magic. He and his sister have made a living from the use of their magic for years and have become highly respected in scholarly circles, though he prefers a more simple life with his plants. When a message from Prince Arden reaches them asking for their help, they don't hesitate. They stop only to request that Gaz, a strong Fire wielder and the man Rhys has long been enamored of, accompany them on the journey to Thalassa's royal palace.What no one knows is that Gaz was once known as Prince Gareth of Thalassa and is Edmund's younger brother, long believed dead. He fled his home after his Fire Affinity made itself known and put him in danger, and he had no intention of ever going back. But he can't keep himself from going to his brother's aid, despite the risk of discovery and of the weight of his secrets potentially crushing his fledgling relationship with Rhys.Working against time, they must find a way to come together in a magical working the likes of which none of them has ever imagined, or their homelands will surely burn.

After being orphaned and forced to work as a palace slave, fifteen-year-old Rasha decides to end her life, but when she plunges a knife into her chest, she doesn't die. Instead, a strange, icy power possesses her. The last time it took over, someone got hurt, and Rasha can't let that happen again.But she's got bigger problems. Her twin brother is alive, yet held captive by Solaris, a powerful sorcerer. When Rasha runs into Adriana, the selfish princess she once served, they discover Solaris is a common enemy since he destroyed the palace and kidnapped Adriana's parents.Together, Rasha and Adriana set out on a rescue mission. Personalities clash and tempers flare, but other feelings surface as well, feelings neither girl could have predicted.And with the help of a ragtag group of companions, they might just be able to succeed on their quest…until an ancient evil emerges to wreak vengeance on their world.

Once people die, they're not meant to wake up.For college student Beck Murray, this doesn't quite sink in until he's sitting in a stranger's apartment, reading his own obituary. He has no memory of how he died or how he happened to wake up-all Beck knows is that he's been dead for six months, and now, incredibly, is not.He assumes his biggest challenge will be explaining himself to his family and friends. This proves not to be the case as, one by one, Beck and his friends become the target of something evil. A darkness hangs over Beck, following every footstep he takes in his new life. He cannot fight it because he does not understand it. Soon, it becomes clear that Beck isn't the only person who's returned to life, and far from the only person in danger.With the help of a young witch and a mysterious bookshop owner, Beck must learn to overcome the evil plaguing him before it drags him back down to the grave… and takes everyone he cares about with him.

Even in paradise, beautiful faces can hide scarred souls.ONE tropical island.Placida Island's gentle ocean breezes and rolling surf beckon to those who wish to reside in remote tropical serenity.TWO men living in self-imposed exile.Wearing twisted ropes of mutilated skin on his back and carrying devastating damage in his soul from severe childhood abuse, Matthew North lives alone in a rustic cabin on the shore, avoiding human contact.Gender fluidity his perceived "crime" against family and friends, Vedie Wilson flees his childhood home so he can freely express his identity.THREE persecutors seeking their warped view of justice.Vedie's past refuses to stay in the faraway city he left behind when family members, intent on forcing him to change, threaten the precious peace he's found.TOO MANY scars to count.Their beautiful faces masking deeply scarred souls, Matt and Vedie live in hiding from the world and each other.Can they unite and embrace each other's painful pasts, leaving the scars behind, to find love?

Jeremy Warsh has been in off-mode ever since his grandpa's death a couple years ago. He set aside their shared passion, comic art, and hasn't looked back. As an introvert from the other side of town, he fully expects to spend his boring life bagging groceries until, maybe one day, he's promoted to store manager.Yet, his two best friends, Kasey and Stuart, are different. They're not afraid to demand more out of everyone. When Kasey comes out, Jeremy's inspired. He picks up his colored pencils and starts drawing comics again, creating a no-nonsense, truth-talking character named Penny Kind. Who speaks to him. Literally.The friend-group sets in motion Stuart's plans for a huge Homecoming prank, and if they can get Penny's comic trending, they might be able to pull it off. Could this be a stepping-stone to a future Jeremy's only dreamed of? And after he kisses a boy at a college party, will Jeremy finally face what he's been hiding from?

Nathanial Goldsmith is the only son of the richest man in the Idaho territory, Jessum Goldsmith, the Silver Baron of the Western Lands, as he is called in all the newspapers. But life in the late nineteenth-century American West weaves no magic spell for Nathanial, who longs for the academic worlds his father has forced him to leave behind.To toughen him up, Nathanial's father has indentured him to a ranchman, Cayuse Jem, a large, raw-boned, taciturn man Nathanial's father believes will help teach his son to "become a man." Cut off from his books and the life he has always known, Nathanial is not only forced to co-exist with Cayuse Jem, but to truly get to know him. In doing so, Nathanial discovers there is more to this silent horseman than meets the eye. And, in the process, Nathanial also learns a few things about life, about human nature, and about the differences in being a man and a boy…

The harmony between humans and fianna, a species of shapeshifting deer, begins to wither as racial tensions and deeply rooted resentment turns violent.Ruthless hunter Finn Hail and prophesied liberator Adelaide may be heroes to their own species, but they are enemies to each other. With war on the horizon, the reluctant pair must team up to find the most elusive of prey: the god of the Forest.As enemies press in from all sides, true intentions begin to show. For Finn to save the boy he cares for most, he might need to aim his gun at the very god he seeks. And Adelaide, with her festering hatred for mankind, will have to determine if peace holds true salvation for her people.