New Releases
Jingle all the way - to the bookstore!
Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror and Christmas is on the horizon, readers! Do you need last minute gifts? Are you so done with everything and just want to hide from the world? Are you trying to find a book that will finally convince your niece, nephew, or your children to begin reading in earnest?
Fear not, because we have a list of new releases sure to please either you or that person you want to buy a gift for! Grab some paper, a pen, or your Kindle and mark these down for purchase. Let’s go!
The Green Blade: A YA Fantasy Adventure Novel (The Secrets of Avalon Book 2) by Mary Rose Kreger
Releasing: December 8
Princess Philia Pendragon has returned to the enchanted Isle of Avalon, but her journey comes with a terrible price: a “Curse worse than death”. The Curse spreads like dragon fire through her body, poisoning her cheery temperament and bending all her thoughts towards death. As her parents and healers search for an antidote, Philia encounters a gruesome Dragon hellbent on eliminating any possible cure. Lord Amaranth soon claims the Dragon for himself, and uses the creature to declare war on Avalon.
Will Owain, the Princess’ loyal watchman, refuses to accept Philia’s cruel fate. He’d give up everything to save her, but he fears even his own life would not be enough. Can anyone muster the courage and selflessness to save Philia? Or will saving the Princess destroy not only Will, but their entire beloved kingdom?
THE GREEN BLADE, sequel to Avalon Lost, is the heart and hinge of the Secrets of Avalon trilogy. Its vivid worldbuilding, emotionally charged action scenes, and gritty noble characters will appeal to fans of The Legend of Zelda universe and John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series.
Into the DeadLands (Blood of the Fae Book 5) by A.J. Ponder
Releasing: December 21
Ruby and Pearl have recovered their parents from the UnderWorld, but are they ready to face Hades as he threatens to take his place as the head of the gods and rule over Brocéliande and the known worlds.
Pick up your copy of Into the Deadlands, the final book in The Blood of the Fae to enjoy the world-shattering conclusion of this epic mythological portal fantasy.
Fear Nothing: The Heroic Life of Aloysius Schwartz
Releasing: December 15
Father Al Schwartz was a heroic man who feared nothing and didn’t let any bully dissuade him from following God’s call in his life.
Born in 1930 in Washington D.C., Father Al was inspired to lead a heroic life after reading the adventures of DC Comics’ Boy Commandos comic book series as a kid.
It propelled him forward, eventually discerning a unique call to be a poor missionary priest. He would go on to found orphanages in South Korea, the Philippines and Mexico, laying the foundation for the World Villages for Children organization.
Every step of the way he had to confront bullies who tried to stop him in his tracks.
Learn about his fascinating life in a new, action-packed comic book that is aimed at inspiring the next generation of heroic saints as well as furthering the good work of the World Villages for Children.
Crimson Thaw (Detective Justice Book 1) by Bruce Robert Coffin
Released: November 4
In the unforgiving wilderness of Maine, a disgraced detective must confront his past to solve a chilling murder.
Detective Brock Justice’s career is on thin ice. Once the golden boy of Maine State Police, Brock now finds himself exiled to the remote northeastern wilderness, punishment for crossing the thin blue line. Assigned to the Major Crimes Unit—North, he suffers the added indignity of partnering with newly-minted Detective Chloe Wright, a rookie with her own hidden struggles.
The pair’s uneasy alliance is put to the test almost immediately when a routine snowmobile retrieval in the coastal town of Blue Hill unexpectedly escalates into a full-blown murder investigation. Even as the case exposes the darkest corners of the town, their fragile partnership threatens to undermine the investigation at every turn.
Brock and Chloe’s hunt draws them into the lives of several intriguing locals: the town doctor, a biker gang involved in drug trafficking, a politically connected sheriff, and Brock’s own father. With each revelation, the line between ally and enemy blurs, compelling Brock and Chloe to question their trust in everyone around them, including each other.
Even as winter’s icy grip loosens from Blue Hill, the noose of suspicion tightens. Brock must navigate not only a shaky partnership and a town harboring deadly secrets, but also the shadows of his own past. Can he and Chloe piece together the puzzle before Maine’s wilderness swallows them whole?
Cesar the Bravo by Ken Lizzi
Released: November 12
Cesar, a sometimes-condottiero and a bravo by trade, has earned a reputation as one of the best swords for hire in the city of Plenum. If you need a foe humiliated before a cheering crowd, he’s your man!
There’s good money to be made—at least enough to pay for fine clothes and cheap wine—but Plenum is a dangerous city filled with corrupt nobles vying for power, crooked merchants and conmen looking for marks, and every manner of hired muscle looking to cozy up or make a name for themselves... not to mention the occasional rampaging demon loose in the streets!
At the heart of power in Plenum is the Collegium: an exclusive aristocratic body of mages who hold a monopoly on magic. Cesar finds himself inexorable drawn into the city’s power struggles, as one of the most pre-eminent members of that esteemed collective finds he has a use for the bravo!
London Calling (#SAVANT Book 3) by David J. West
Releasing: December 19
Being an Immortal just gives you a lot more time to make enemies...
Time has been hard on John Dee and only his great great granddaughter Elizabeth can grant him eternal peace, but she has to face down the equally powerful Count of St. Germain to bring that final rest to her ancestor and the wicked Count is going to bring all the forces of darkness to bear to stop her.
London Calling is an action-packed Gaslamp fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fiction and Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. If you like magical battles, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love David J. West’s gripping tale.Buy London Calling to continue the six-gun and sorcery adventure today!
Claus of War: Santa’s Battle Chronicles (A Bayonet Books Anthology Book 16)
Released: November 18
Ho Ho Ho? More like Lock and Load!
Unwrap the ultimate holiday thrill ride with Claus of War: Santa’s Battle Chronicles, Bayonet Books Anthology Vol 16!
Forget milk and cookies—Santa’s trading his sleigh for a war machine and his naughty list for a battle plan. From the icy depths of Europe to the jungles of Vietnam, 11 electrifying tales reimage Saint Nick as a battle hardened warrior facing cosmic horrors, mythical beasts, and relentless enemies. With stories by Alicia Kane, Charlie Cox, J.T. Arralle, and more, this anthology blends military sci-fi, dark fantasy, and holiday grit into a pulse-pounding collection that’ll keep you up long past midnight.
Perfect for fans of Dungeons & Dragons, Aliens, or Krampus Unleashed! When the stakes are survival and the enemy is ancient evil, Santa’s not just checking his list—he’s crossing names off.
Grab your combat rations, strap in, and buckle up for a holiday warzone.
Join Santa’s fight for survival.
Chaos Woods (Chronicles of the Ever-Guise Book 1) by Scott T. Barnes
Released: November 14
When the auction for a magical artifact goes awry, killing the thief who tried to steal it, young barmaid Telyn Brower winds up with a fragment of a forbidden mask. Highly illegal. Highly dangerous. And highly addictive. As Telyn and her friends begin to use its power to reshape their town of Harlech, they unleash unforeseen consequences.
But Harlech is no ordinary town. Isolated on the high plateau of the Chaos Woods—an enchanted forest where magic proves unpredictable—it survives in precarious balance between the magic-wielding armies of the coast and the wild denizens of the deep woods.
Soon, that balance shatters, and everything begins to change. A daemon smashes the prefecture. Slavery returns. Secrets surface and puzzles multiply. As winter storms gather and evil forces close in, Telyn and her friends must embark on a high-stakes adventure to break free from the mask’s grip, survive ferocious beasts, and confront the dreaded mind wizard...or lose everything they hold dear.
A sweeping coming-of-age story about the allure of magic and the cost of wielding it, Chaos Woods begins one of the most original fantasy series since Roger Zelaznie’s Chronicles of Amber and Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer.
Splintered Gates (Shamrock Disposal Book 2) by D.K. Holmburg
Releasing: December 16
Cal Drexler has gotten used to balancing on the edge of disaster. Officially, he’s a “breaker,” dismantling rogue enchantments before they spiral out of control. Unofficially, he’s a morph—illegal, dangerous, and one secret away from being locked in an Agency containment cell.
When a string of ritual circles scar the city with demonic energy, Cal finds himself dragged deeper into the Shamrock Disposal Agency’s war against unseen forces. Each gateway hums with power meant to pierce the veil between worlds, and someone out there is determined to finish the job.
Now Cal is caught between suspicious agents, desperate allies, and a violet-eyed stranger who seems to know more about his nature than he does. To survive, he’ll have to play along with the Agency’s games while hiding the truth of what he is—and decide whether absorbing the wrong kind of magic will save his city… or consume it.
Splintered Gates is a sharp, fast-paced urban fantasy full of dangerous magic, shadowed conspiracies, and a reluctant hero whose greatest talent may be the very thing that gets him killed.
Split Decision: A Novella of the Hidden Truth by Hans Schantz
Released: November 7
A distress call from his alternate self summons Peter Burdell to a parallel Earth ravaged by a nanotech plague that turns ordinary people into relentless undead zombies. Stranded by an unexpected betrayal, Peter has to do the unthinkable: shattering the multiverse to end the plague and find a way home.
Now Pete and his alternate selves each have a piece of the puzzle and must work together and find a solution to end the threat to humanity all across the multiverse. Can Pete turn the tables on his betrayer and escape with the answer? And how will the Multiverse Coordination Committee react when they discover Pete has violated their Prime Directive: Never Split a Timeline!
Part high-concept science fiction, part multiverse technothriller, Split Decision is a story of risk and redemption, and the personal cost of doing what’s necessary, even when it shatters the multiverse.
Sleigh Bells and Wedding Bells (Building a Life Book 2) by Holly Chism
Released: November 11
Amaryllis and Chris have been in love since...forever. Even if Amaryllis didn’t realize it until Chris fell off a ladder. A year later, they’re working and planning toward a wedding. Eventually. When they get enough money built up, and can take the time to do it.
Unfortunately, Amaryllis forgot Thanksgiving. Her mother decided that since she forgot it, she could make it. And that would have been fine, if the turkey hadn’t suddenly been the worst thing ever.
Now, she’s got three weeks to plan her own wedding, and only four hundred dollars to pay for it. But she’ll manage. It’ll work.
It just has to.
Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense Issue #25 / Winter 2025
Releasing: December 17
Flight From Reckoning
(Part 4)
By MICHAEL TIERNEY
While Fastrick may have humiliated the leader of the Hands, the real conflict is just beginning! Gow of the Purple Order has come in person as a representative of the God Father, aiming to thwart whatever rebellion the Sturn are planning!
They Always Come Back
By FRANK SAWIELIJEW
By tradition, slaves are given a month to experience and enjoy life as a freedman… Atilio, like most slaves, hopes to use his liberty to escape slavery once and for all!And more!
Sons of Day & Night (Volume 1) (The Chronicles of Twinsbane) by Mariposa Aristeo
Released: November 18
In the wild and lush kingdom of Twinsbane, everyone has a look-alike, and each twin is cursed to die when their double breathes their last. When an ancient plague arises, the kingdom’s only hope is to sever these deadly ties. Yet King Daccias refuses to relinquish the cure, a legendary potion called the Separator.
Waruu, an orphan determined to break these ties, discovers he’s the king’s doppelgänger. He’s certain that if he can switch places, he can save the kingdom. But if anyone learns his true identity, he’ll lose everything—including the people he’s desperately trying to protect.
King Daccias wants nothing more than for his subjects to cease threatening to behead him if he doesn’t hand over the Separator. Intent on catching those opposing him, he finds himself ensnared in his own trap. If he doesn’t break loose, the kingdom will rest in the hands of an insolent boy who knows nothing about the truth behind the events unfolding around him.
To save their kingdom, both Waruu and Daccias must face their greatest enemy—each other.
Accidental Pirates: A Pirate & Dragon Adventure for Boys by Stanley Wheeler
Released: November 26
Accidental Pirates: You don’t choose the adventure. Sometimes the adventure chooses you.
Two brothers. One flat tire. One mysterious cave.
What starts as a summer hike with Grandpa turns into the ultimate wrong turn—straight through a crack in the rock and into the Caribbean, 1770s style. Suddenly Chris and Kenny are dodging bloodthirsty pirates, outrunning razor-feathered dragonlings, and facing the fire-breathing Green Lady herself.
With only a pocketknife and a quick lesson in loading flintlock pistols, the boys must outwit Captain Ross and figure out how to get home again. Fortunately, they have an ally.
A rip-roaring, edge of your seats adventure for every boy who ever dreamed of swords, ships, and a chance to be the hero.
Level One: A Science Fiction LitRPG Novel (Galactic Merc Book 1) by Chris Kennedy
Releasing: December 5
I just wanted to tell my neighbor to shut up.
My name is Jake Taylor, and I write romance novels. Well, I used to, anyway, before the camping trip where the Grays snatched me. I’m not sure what they wanted with me, but before they could sell me off, I was rescued by a group of mercenaries.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t pay for a flight back to Earth. It’s not part of the Galactic Consortium, so there aren’t a lot of flights going there, and most of them are by races that are stealing the Earth’s resources and fomenting discord so that we never get invited into the Consortium.
But when I’m offered a chance to join the mercenary company that rescued me, I see my chance not only to make it back to Earth, but to also kick those alien assholes off planet once and for all.
They think Earth is their plaything, but I’m going to show them just how wrong they are!
Hidden Allies: The Living Oracle, Book 4 by Melissa McShane
Released: November 25
Helena Campbell, oracle and mother, has lost much thanks to the secret war between her allies, the magic-wielding Wardens, and their enemies the Savants. With friends disappearing or injured, her beloved home destroyed, and her children’s lives at risk, she knows what threats to defend against.
That is, until elves trapped for a thousand years of poisoned imprisonment join the fight, looking for revenge.
When a fugitive elf woman dies in her backyard, leaving behind her infant child, the discovery turns everything Helena believes about elves on its head. In the conflict between elves and humans, one innocent child may shift the balance of power—and force Helena to make the most difficult choice of her life.
Time God Warlock (The Chronos Chronicles Book 4) by Shami Stovall
Released: November 18
Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, but can he defeat a time god like Aeon, Father of the Zodiac?
Long ago, Finch made a pact with Chronos, the Titan of Time. In exchange for the ability to rewind time up to 24 hours, Finch agreed to safeguard Chronos’s newest child—whenever Chronos decided to have one.
That day has come. Finch must protect the time god egg, keeping it out of the hands of random bounty hunters, werewolves, vampires, assassins, and even Aeon, a rival time god.
To lay low until the egg hatches, Finch heads to Tahoe City. A local woman called his PI firm in the hopes he could find her missing son, and Finch believes it’s the perfect distraction while he waits for the egg to hatch.
Unfortunately, Tahoe is already plagued by magical problems. And to make matters worse, Aeon knows whenever Finch rewinds time, allowing the time god to track all of Finch’s moves…
Medal Knight #3
Releasing: December 15
After having successfully defended his family from Gustave’s goons, Max prepares for what he hopes will be a final showdown between him and his former boss.
However, upon returning to Milwaukee he encounters instead a trio of ruthless robots that are programmed to kill.
Max fights for his life as he battles against evil spawn from his original creation. Will he be able to defeat these malevolent machinations? Or will Max meet his Maker?
Find out what happens next in Attack of the Robots!
I’m The Beautiful But Evil Space Princess Who Rules A Galactic Empire But Really Wants To Leave People Ruthlessly Alone! by Nathan C. Brindle
Released: November 14
Alice is the Imperial Princess Regnant of the Galactic Empire. At 22, she has been thrust into power after her father (the Emperor) and her two older brothers have all died in various ways. Her Imperial Chancellor, Lord Rupert, does everything he can to support her, but has somewhat different ideas about how the Empire should be run than did his late Emperor.
Alice has one major problem: She cannot be crowned Empress Regnant until she marries and produces an heir.
But Alice, being kept busy three days a week by interminable audiences with petitioners, and the rest of the week with what she terms “mostly busy work”, has no real way to meet young men -- well, reasonably eligible young men, anyway, and of her own age -- with whom she might eventually take up and form a household. And she chafes at the necessity of trying to rule, hands-on, an Empire so huge it cannot be truly ruled by any one person to begin with.
She just wants to leave people alone, as her father and his predecessors did for centuries.
Then, into her life walks the Crown Prince of a planet many, many parsecs away from the Capital Planet...and her life begins to take on a life of its own...
The Silent Guide (The Awakened Realm Book 5) by D.K. Holmburg
Releasing: December 30
The seals are breaking. The ancient patterns are failing. And the power spreading through her may be the key to salvation.
Ellie thought finding her vanished mentor would bring answers. Instead, she discovers Zaren has been hunting something far more dangerous than the Servants—an artifact that could either repair the failing barriers between worlds or shatter them completely.
From the haunted port of Saltmere to the lawless Whispering Coast, Ellie races against servants of the Quell who use her own corruption to track her.
Every seal that fails brings the Quell closer to breaking through. Every use of her opposing powers tears her further apart. And in the spaces where the separation of realms grows thin, something vast and hungry watches her progress with terrible patience.
To save both worlds, Ellie must become something more: a bridge between realms, a wielder of impossible harmonies, and perhaps the last person who can restore the First Song before the boundaries collapse forever.
Old debts are calling. Ancient powers are stirring. And the key to everything might already have been lost.
Starquest: Spaceman In The Iron Mask by John C. Wright
Released: November 25
Is bold Special Agent Athos dead? Does the vendetta of the Ancient Mariner die with him?
What strange power meddles with the Senate votes? How can Nightshadow grapple with a foe more shadowy and unseen than he?
Why does the Fixer bring the sinister power of the Underworld to bear against our Merry Catburglar?
What of Lirazel? She is shorn of hope, but will the memory of her murdered parents let her rest?
Where is Arcadia?
BLOODSHED! INTRIGUE! MYSTERIES AND WONDERS!
TO BE CONTINUED IN OUR NEXT EXCITING INSTALLMENT
Less Than Meets The Eye (Vic Boyo, Doofus Detective Book 2) by Milo James Fowler
Releasing: December 16
Detective Vic Boyo returns in the sequel nobody asked for!
1932, New York City: When a good pal needs help rescuing his kid sister from a speakeasy run by a psychotic mobster, Boyo knows he’s up to the challenge. What he doesn’t know is by agreeing to lend a hand, he’s placed a big red target on his back. The mobster in question is a dangerous predator who likes to play with his prey, and what follows is an unhinged cat-and-mouse game unlike anything Boyo has ever encountered.
Only one thing stands between Vic Boyo and saving the day. Well, maybe a few things. But with a little luck and a whole lot of gumption, anything is possible—even for him.
Vagabonds: A Fallen Empire Novel (Dirty Deeds Trilogy Book 1) by David Hensley and J.F. Holmes
Released: November 28
Sandy Decker had a problem. Well, multiple problems. Some good, some bad. Some pretty bad. The good problem is that she was up a whole bunch of credits and the title to an Azelia class yacht called Vagabond King. That was the good problem. The bad problem was that she was in debt to Daresh An-Jaska, Former Princeps in the Golden Legion, Grausian exile, and the biggest gangster in the sector. Not a money debt but a favor debt, one that she paid principle on doing favors in return. Dirty deeds that never seemed to pay enough, of course. That was until yesterday, when she found a line she couldn’t cross.
Today, faced with a brutal and violent death at the hands of Jaska, Sandy did what any good former spy would do. She told a story and sold a secret. Operation Marconi and the missing Terran Union battleship U.S.S. Resolute. Now it’s good news, bad news.
The good news: Jaska bought the story.
The bad news: Jaska didn’t trust Sandy as far as she can throw a grat. So the mob boss put ‘controls’ in place to ensure her compliance. The kind that blew your head off if you didn’t do the job.
Now all Sandy and the crew of the Vagabond have to do is follow a decade old trail to the Resolute, salvage the mission package for Operation Marconi, and find the objective—a secret location where the Old Empire produced their greatest weapon.
Corsairs and Cutlasses (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 66)
Released: November 19
Where’d ye stumble in from, mate? Ah, ye’ve come for the second round o’ tales from the black deeps and starry voids? Don’t let the ‘droid spook ye—Qular’s got a chassis like a freak, but a heart o’ pure gold... and murder.
Up, ye dogs! Shake off that thirteenth round o’ grog, ye curry-livered weaklings. There be more yarns to spin, more laughs to howl, more horrors to plumb. Cross swords at the glacier altar, retake yer ship from scurvy captors, flee the cursed ghost ship. Beware deals with depths’ creatures and them magical rocks what twist fates.Most of all, learn what it means to be a pirate with a heart o’ gold.
Dive into this thrilling space pirate anthology, blending sci-fi adventure with dark fantasy sea monsters! Interstellar smuggling quests, nautical betrayal adventures, stories full of revenge, betrayal, and survival—from deep-sea leviathans judging desperate captains to golden-uniformed heroes in heroic space battles against alien invasions.
Follow rogue pirate space captains in empire-spanning nano-tech assassination stories, outer rim traders, raygun duel chronicles, and empire sabotage adventures fueled by vengeance. Fantasy sea monster thrillers explore abyssal awakening horrors, artifact curse legends, and transformation thriller sagas blurring human and monster. Heroic interstellar rivalries pit the Pirate Queen against tarjan empire conflicts, interstellar hero rivalry tales, alien invasion war stories, and commonwealth resistance sagas.
Grab yer mug o’ ale and set sail on unforgettable journeys!
Whew! There you have it, readers! All the books that are fit to buy this December. They will make great Christmas gifts for family members or even for yourself. After all, you deserve some recompense for not obliterating the store radio for playing endless Christmas songs that aren’t even Mannheim Steamroller, right? Right!
Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all an easy season of preparation for Christmas. We could certainly use the break!