Here’s a treat for you guys! The entire Bend or Break series by Amy Jo Cousins is now on KU. I love this series and if you haven’t tried it out yet or are behind and need to catch up, here’s your chance.

WHAT I READ IN SEPTEMBER:

Dustwalker by Tiffany Roberts – AMZ

A SYNTH SEARCHING FOR PURPOSE…

Walk. Scavenge. Destroy. Trade. A simple cycle that’s suited Ronin for one hundred and eighty-five years. With no clear grasp of his programming, the barren wasteland known as The Dust offers him purpose, a place where his armored undercasing, amped-up processors, and advanced optics can be put to use. The ramshackle towns on the edges of the waste serve merely as resupply stations between increasingly long treks. But one night — one Human woman — makes him question everything.

A WOMAN WHO BRINGS HIM TO LIFE…

Lara Brooks struggles to survive under the strict rules imposed by the bots in Cheyenne. With her sister missing, she’s been on her own for weeks, and fears the worst. Her only hope comes from Ronin, a bot she catches spying on her. He promises to provide for Lara and search for her sister. All she has to do is dance. It should be easy; she’s done it before. But the longer she spends with Ronin, the harder it is to see him as just another bot.

A SANCTUARY HIDING DARK SECRETS…

In a city where humans are relegated to live in squalor, Ronin discovers a threat greater than any in the Dust — Warlord, Cheyenne’s tyrannical leader. When Ronin ignores the rules, he unwittingly puts Lara in danger. Warlord is as intolerant of disrespect as he is of mankind.

I read this because it was soooo different. A human heroine, a robot hero, set in a postapocalyptic Cheyenne, Wyoming. And it was good. Slow to start, but good. I really enjoyed the relationship between Ronin and Lara. He was just such an amazing hero and watching him learn to trust his feelings and grow in his love for her was so lovely. The world-building is well done, but bleak. The only thing sweet is the growing relationship between Lara and Ronin. And guys, the ending was absolutely sigh worthy. I could not have asked for a better one.

The Verdict: This was my first read by this husband and wife writing duo, but it won’t be my last.

The Corsair’s Captive by Ruby Dixon – AMZ

A pirate doesn’t ask for permission – he takes.
When I see the delicate human female collared and enslaved by the smuggler I’m about to swindle, I do what any male would do.
I take her from him. It’s what I do best, after all.
Now Fran’s mine, and I’m never giving her up. On board my spaceship, she’ll be safe. She’ll wear my clothes, eat my food, and sleep in my bed. I’ll keep her safe from a galaxy that wishes her harm.
But my sweet Fran wants nothing more than to return to Earth. How can I take her home when she holds my heart in her dainty, four-fingered hands?

This story stands completely alone and is only marginally connected to the Ice Planet Barbarians series and Prison Planet Barbarian. You do not need to read those books in order to follow this one.

I’m liking these little steps away from the Ice Planet Barbarians and Fireblood Dragons. Okay, technically this book is listed at IPB #17, but I’m not counting it since it is set in space with a different cast of characters. This was a fast read and I really enjoyed this charming, big, blue space pirate and his mate. Actually, not to put more on Ruby Dixon’s plate, but I’m kind of hoping she decides to give his crew their own stories.

The Verdict: Gimme more.

How to Save an Undead Life by Hailey Edwards – AMZ

Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it’s not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.

Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.

Warning: This book contains one ex-con/ex-heiress with a pet zombie parakeet who lives next door to her ex-army/ex-crush. Brace yourself, we’re talking more exes than a pirate treasure map here.

I actually enjoyed this so much I featured it in a WTRW. See my review here. (I went back and bought this one to add to my library so I could reread when ever I want.)

The Verdict: I can not WAIT for book two.

WHAT’S UP NEXT:

Protecting Their Mate by Moira Rogers – AMZ

Blake is on a mission from his alpha–to track down a werewolf whose parents dragged her into the human world years ago, one who may be in danger. He expects the lead to go nowhere, given how few wolves live among humans, but he discovers something rare indeed, caged in a basement: a beautiful, curvy woman gripped by the fever, ready to mate.

Ashley Todd has never fit in. She’s always been too much–too big, too demanding, too aware of the wolf hiding beneath her skin. She’s been locked away for months–been alone for a lifetime–and in walks Blake to save her from her prison. Her rescuer is hard, intense–a dominant wolf whose bossy attitude makes her growl…and yearn to submit.

Soothing Ashley’s mating fever is Blake’s responsibility–and his pleasure. Their passion is explosive, undeniable. But what started out as a job for Blake quickly becomes something more, and the toughest part of his mission looms: taking Ashley back to his pack so she can choose her permanent mate from amongst his brethren.

Ashley is drawn to dominant Blake, but meeting the rest of the pack reignites her desire. She is overwhelmed by her new life and all it entails, but embracing her inner wolf means embracing the truth: if she doesn’t explore her attraction to the other members of the pack, she’ll never find her forever mate .

Protecting Their Mate was originally published as an eight part serial under the penname Mia Thorne. It has been repackaged, but the story remains the same.

I love Moira Rogers aka Kit Rocha.

Mark of Truth by Graceley Knox – AMZ

Ever Leath, leader of the deadliest crew within the Magical Enforcement and Containment Agency’s ranks, has always known she’s a half-breed—until a visit from her estranged mother changes everything. She’s determined to marry Ever off for political gain, no matter the consequences—even if it means Ever’s life.

Searching for the truth leads to disturbing doubts about Ever’s heritage, and just as answers appear, so does Dare Fitzpatrick. Captain of the Royal Goblin Guards and son to the current Goblin King, he claims he knows who Ever’s real father is and that she could be in danger. Ever doubts Dare, until he helps her escape the clutches of her would-be suitor and grants her shelter within the Goblin Kingdom.

Staying in Goblin, which has previously been off-limits to half-breeds, is a risk Ever has to take to keep everyone she loves safe. Neither of them planned on the fiery heat between them, but Dare won’t take no for an answer. Ever knows she can’t risk losing her heart to the cocky goblin, despite her attraction to him. At least that’s the plan.

Until it all falls apart.

I saw a rec for this on Twitter and since I lurve me some fantasy romance I immediately went to Amazon to one-click.

A Dangerous Proposal by Jillian Eaton – AMZ

Felicity Atwood’s life was a debutante’s dream. She had a wealthy husband, two beautiful children, and an elegant townhouse in Grosvenor Square. Everything was perfect…until her husband publicly left her for his mistress and her dream turned into a nightmare. Now she’s divorced, destitute, and bordering on desperate.

A CHARMING THIEF…
Felix Spencer has never met a piece of jewelry he couldn’t steal or a pretty woman he couldn’t charm…until Felicity. A cunning thief turned Bow Street Runner, he’s exactly the sort of man she has been taught to avoid at all costs. But try as she might she cannot forget the kiss he stole from her…or the way she feels when she’s wrapped in his arms.

A DANGEROUS PROPOSAL…
Determined to possess the dark-haired beauty, Felix sets out to prove himself worthy of her love only to quickly discover Felicity’s heart is the one thing he cannot steal. Having been hurt by men twice before, she doesn’t trust the charming rake any further than she can throw him. But when she finds herself unwittingly entangled in a deadly conspiracy, Felix is the only one she can turn to. Somehow she must find the courage to trust him with her heart…or risk losing her life.

Book one in this series was good. Excited for this one!

Dead Stop by Barbara Nickless – AMZ

The search for a kidnapped child leads a courageous railway cop down a twisted trail of murder.

It’s been five months since Special Agent Sydney Parnell survived a violent confrontation with a gang of brutal thugs, an encounter that left her physically and emotionally scarred. Deep down, Sydney fears she isn’t ready for another investigation. But when a woman is murdered on the train tracks and a child is kidnapped, she knows she’s the only one who can lead the hunt for the killer. While Denver police and the FBI chase down blind alleys, Sydney focuses on a single cryptic clue left behind at the crime scene—one that will send her down a path of greed, violence, and long-ago love.

With Denver beset by a series of monsoonlike thunderstorms that threaten to flood the city, Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde, must wade through a murky trail of murder that stretches back thirty years—all to rescue a child…and catch a killer with a long memory and an insatiable appetite for destruction.

I read the first book in this series a couple of months ago and really enjoyed.

The post Angela’s KU- September Reads and What’s Up Next appeared first on Fiction Vixen.