TL;DR for Skimmers:

💞Quick hello and solidarity with how heavy things feel right now. 

💰 Sale news on Power Exchange last week of Feb, first week of March.

💰 Other titles (with links) on sale first week of March.

🖋️ Quick(ish) update on The Mind Hacker.

🗣️ Where to catch me on socials lately. 

🛍️ Favor to ask.

Hi ,

Let’s all be honest: 2025 was a lot, and 2026 started with a bang. It’s heavy times, and if you’ve been feeling the weight of the world lately, please know you’re not alone.

When things get dark, I turn to stories, though not always my own. In creating them for others, I try to build characters who embody resilience and grace in the face of impossible odds. My goal has always been to give my lovely readers characters who are, yes, flawed, but are first and foremost, human. While my stories may be twisted (to put it mildly), my end goal will always and forever be beautiful happily-ever-after that makes the journey worth it. Hard-won HEAs feel better somehow, like no matter how bad it gets, there’s a glorious and fulfilling end.

We all deserve (sunshine) big wins, especially right now.

On that note, I have a couple of updates about book news and discounts coming soon. May they help you escape and share a little of that against-the-odds courage for a few hours, too. There’s also a "last call" on the series that started it all.

The "Last Chance" Sale on Power Exchange

As many of you know, this series made me a bestseller and won awards that still make my heart skip. Power Exchange is incredibly close to my heart.

Last summer, I priced Power Exchange (Book 1) at 99¢ on what I thought would be a permanent basis. After 6 solid months of disappointing data, I need to rethink that strategy.

If you’re new to me—or if you have friends missing a dark, kink-positive, BDSM-infused police procedural in their life—now is the time to buy!

• Through February's end: Power Exchange (Book 1) remains 99¢ at all retailers. There are a few days left to take advantage. Or…
• March 1–7: PE1 goes FREE exclusively on Smashwords.
• The Heads Up: When this sale period ends, prices will increase across the entire Power Exchange series. I’m giving my newsletter family (and any friends you might tell) the chance to "lock in" the discounted series before prices rise on all 4 books.
• Sale begins on Books 2-4 March 1.

Power Exchange @ Smashwords

Choose Your Twisted Path

My whole backlist will be 50% off March 1-7th at Smashwords!

• My catalog has titles for every mood, and it will also be half-price for a week.
• If you’re not into cops, kink, or mysteries, I offer plenty of other characters, including broody artists, darkly funny (and kind of emotional) reapers who are also sort-of dealing with mysteries, a sunny artist courting a skittish doctor, a not-so-boring accountant, talented musicians, tight friend groups, a very nosy lesbian, and even a rule-bending angel. (One of the books even has the scene where I proposed to my spouse.💍🏳️‍🌈)
• That's not even my entire backlist.
• Defenseless won a Rainbow Award the year it released, and…
• The titles in the Reaping Havoc duet were each chosen as the Book of the Year at the review site On Top Down Under in the years they were each published.

Choose the Adventure Matching Your Mood:

Award-Winning Tear-Jerker Defenseless

Quirky Supernatural Reaper Romance

Artist Meets Doctor w/ LOTS of Baggage

A Nosy Lesbian changes the lives of everyone who enters her bar, including the Author Who Wrote Her.

The Next Obsession: The Mind Hacker (50% OFF begins March 1)

If you’ve missed Ben and Gavin in Power Exchange, you’re going to devour Jon and Tracey.

The Tropes:

Forbidden relationship

Grumpy/sunshine

Bisexual awakening

Workplace romance

Law enforcement

Hidden secrets

Hurt/comfort.  

The Mind Hacker series follows a single couple, Jon and Tracey, behavioral analysts solving the FBI’s most heinous crimes. They’re also hiding a relationship that could cost their careers if it ever sees sunshine.

The Hook: Two Agents, loving in the shadows, chasing monsters, and uncovering secrets that could burn the BAU’s Unit 4 to the ground.

The Ride: I’m deep in the trenches writing The Mind Hacker Book 3, where the "case of the week" style segues into the much darker multi-book arc of this series. The groundwork for this storyline began in the first 2 books, and it’s finally time to open Pandora’s Box. *insert evil laughter here*

Unit 4 still has a case to solve, but now, Jon and Tracey are finally, truly hunting The Hypnotist, the perp that’s wormed under Jon’s skin like a splinter.

Enter also the brazen new guy, Scott. He suspects Tracey has a secret, and he’s made uncovering it his personal vendetta.

Can Tracey’s fresh perspective help Jon crack the case that’s eluded him for years? Will the darkness, where Jon’s always thrived, drag him under? Stay tuned….

One thing is certain: starting with this book, the series turns very dark and emotional. The various secondary story arcs come out to play. My imagination is on fire, and I hope to share this one with you soon. 

The Deal: From March 1–7, books 1 and 2 of The Mind Hacker series  will be 50% OFF at Smashwords.

If you like your heroes flawed and your mysteries twisted, The Mind Hacker is your next binge read.

The Mind Hacker Series Sale March 1-7

Let’s Hang Out Online (Somewhere Less Noisy)

I’ve missed the regular banter and convos with readers, but I’ll be real—Facebook’s algorithm hurts lately. A lot. While the AJ Rose's Buds Reader Group is still there, and I hope to start scheduling regular posts again, even that much is a minefield. 

I’m spending more time where the (cottage) vibes are far happier:

• Instagram: @writerajrose 
• BlueSky: @ajrose.bsky.social

Please follow me these places if you'd like to be a bit better connected. The dopamine is frequent, and the fan edits are much sunshiny-er.

Can I Ask One Small Favor?

If you’ve enjoyed my books, would you help spread the word? Whether it's a post in your favorite book group or a quick text to a friend who loves an anti-hero, word-of-mouth helps so much!

Simply copy the text provided below for anyone you believe would love these books, full of flawed characters, big emotions, and guaranteed—but hard-won—HEAs.

“Hey, one of my favorite authors, AJ Rose, has all their books at a big 50% discount on Smashwords this week. AJ’s a little dark and makes their characters work for it, but the HEAs are so satisfying. Here’s the link for the deal!” 

If you mention prices will rise after the sale, and this is the last chance to get the Power Exchange series this low, they may be really glad you shared!

Stay resilient, stay dark, and as always, thank you for being here.

AJ 🖤🥀