Hello !

Today I'm in your inbox with some very green, very spicy orc romance recs and an extra scoop on the projects I'm working on 👀

Orc romance has a special place in my heart. After all, it usually has all of my favorite tropes: monster or alien MMC, size difference, culture clash, possessive alpha male, primal and chasing... Yum! I also love orcs that defy the stereotypes, you know? A green, bulky brute who is actually a nerd, wears glasses, and can pronounce really long words is my jam as well 😅 (Wed to the Orc, right?)

You know what? I just love orcs, period! Because green is my favorite color 😉

Anyway, if you share my love for primal brutes and the color green, check out these orc romances ASAP!

Currently working on...

You're actually the first to get this scoop. I've been talking about the secret Halloween project for some time, and I still won't reveal everything, but you're the first to get an actual excerpt! And maybe a visual teaser to give you a bit of a hint... Here it is!

I cock my head to the side and watch without blinking, her terror like a soft blanket over my agonizing wrath.

It’s in her eyes. They are wide-open, so big in her thin face. That color, which I remember from before, warm brown in the candlelight, is nothing special. Yet on her, it looks exquisite. Velvety and inviting.

I accept your invitation.

She’s wearing fake eyelashes, and I grin, thinking how she made herself up for us. She doesn’t know we are the ones who’ll get to enjoy her efforts. It makes this game all the sweeter.

When I move back to take all of her in, my grin widens. I like her pretty black dress with lace and ruffles and her blond hair, falling softly down her shoulders.

Pretty, pretty princess dressed in funeral black. How appropriate.

She looks like a doll, and I’m itching to smash her against the wall.

But play first. And work later.

In September, I'll post the preorder, so stay tuned! You'll learn the title for this project, and see the cover, of course!

Well... covers. There are more than one book. Which is why I've been working on this for some time already!

So there you have it. The secret Halloween project won't remain a secret for long.

But in the meantime, I'm working on Wed to the Lich, and I wanted to share a teaser as well! This one comes out September 13, and I'm working on it now. Here is some beautiful art depicting Virgil, the MMC of this book.

Since I'm leaning more and more toward darker themes and vibes, this novella will not be all puppies and sunshine. Virgil has a lot of darkness inside him, being the ultimate apex predator whom everyone fears. And May, his arranged human bride, has her own past demons to battle. Here is a short excerpt to whet your appetite. It shows how Virgil first meets May in the wedding chamber of the Temple, where they are about to get married.

I heard a small gasp and sensed rather than saw her first.

A luminous, delicate energy, like that of a flower or a moth, glittered in a faint cloud in the darkest nook. In my heightened state, it called to me, like something delicious and forbidden. Like a beauty so perfect, one has the urge to smash it. Like something so fine, one can’t help but want to possess it, completely and utterly.

Mine.

Undone by sensing something so extraordinary, my defenses fell, and I opened myself fully to experience her in all her glory. I felt, uninhibited, as her energy undulated with her every breath. I heard the susurration of blood in her veins, the rustle of her clothing, the sharp nervousness of her breathing.

I perceived all of her before I even saw her, and everything in me readied, instincts taking over.

There she is. My bride.

I turned my eyes on her, making them shine a light to penetrate the gloom, and beheld the most exquisite living being I had ever seen.

And as I watched my bride in wonder, delighting in her beauty and the open way she looked at me, eyes unafraid, my Shadow broke free and surged for her, hungry, starving, ravenous.

It wrapped around her until she whimpered from terror.

Preorder Wed to the Lich to get it as soon as it's live!

One more romance rec...

I have one more rec for you (if you're not in the mood for orcs!) Cara Wylde just released her new monster romance novella called Heart of the Satyr and it's a sweet, romantic read with just the right amount of monster. At 60 pages, it's the perfect palate cleanser between longer reads - so if you're looking for a quick, sweet read to fill your evening, look no further!

This is it from me this week! We're getting closer to the spooky season, the perfect time for curling up under a blanket with a mug of tea and a book, and I just can't wait!

Stay safe and horny,

~Layla