R.M. Virtues

Mrs. Claus is the one that makes the world go round as far as the North Pole is concerned. Yet each year, even before she and Nick decided their marriage was better as a platonic partnership, she finds herself alone on Christmas Eve. She has grown to love her solitude, but after getting close to two of the workshop's elves over the past few months, this year might prove to be a bit more difficult once they leave for their annual vacation. For Lannax and Idris, it only took one midnight walk with the boss lady to have them smitten. Since then, they've started to feel about her the way they've only ever felt about each other, and that isn't something that can be ignored. Of course, trying to seduce the boss is an all-or-nothing sort of game, but luckily, that's their favorite sort to play. So they decide to go for it. They're going to offer themselves as a gift to Mrs. Claus on Christmas Eve, and if she accepts? They claim her for their own.

She never cared about being perfect. Raised under Zeus’s self-serving influence, Athena only ever cared about being right. But with Zeus gone and everything changing, it’s been difficult trying to break free of the chains he so expertly secured her in as a girl. Especially when constantly worrying about Dionysos. And he never cared much about saving himself. Raised under Hades’ self-sacrificing influence, Dionysos only ever cared about pleasing everybody else. But when the opportunity to prove he’s more than a winemaker presents itself —with the promise of spending more time with Athena— he has no choice but to take it. In a bid for peace, Athena and Dionysos are sent to an ailing Thassos City to try and strike a treaty. But with war within reach and rules rearranged, wit and charisma may just fall short. But they’ve long since decided that to protect each other, blood is a small price to pay. Even their own.

Penelope has lost so much in six months. Her father, her sense of security, her ability — and willingness— to sleep. Her family is most concerned about the latter at the moment, and when her sister Jenna leaves her alone in their shared home for the first time since The Incident, Penelope finally accepts some help. The only problem? There are side effects. Well, one: sleep paralysis. And the demon who came for her fear. Fear is the only thing that matters to the demons of the Somni Dae, and as long as they deliver it back to Hell, they are free to do as they please. Except enter the waking world of course, but Acheron never minded that. He has everything he needs right here, and in thousands of years, he has never wanted for anything. Until he stumbles across Penelope's dreamscape. Now is not the time to grow attached to a wandering soul, not with Heaven and Hell preparing to wage war. Nor is it the time to grow attached to your sleep paralysis demon, not when getting out of bed is already so hard. But Penelope is finally sleeping, and after Acheron wipes out the last of her fear, they both realize they're stronger together. And they're going to need all the strength they can get.

She is the closest thing Khaos Falls has to a goddess… And Aphrodite is feared and worshipped in equal measure. She has dedicated her life to being a savior for the lost regardless of the risk, but when unknown enemies nearly assassinate her in her own club, she realizes her reckless vigilante tactics won’t cut it anymore. He is the furthest thing Khaos Falls has from a hero… In fact, Hephaestus is who you call when all the heroes have fallen. Still, he is the best at what he does, strengthening the city’s weaknesses and keeping his feelings out of it. When tasked with Aphrodite’s personal security, it’s easy for him to detach himself from their mutual disdain. Until disdain is no longer the only thing he feels for her. With their enemies elusive and snakes in their midst, good hearts and sharp wit may not be enough. But he made a vow, and he will keep it. Even if it means turning newfound feelings into newfound strengths and using them as a weapon to protect her.

They say he’s a myth... And Hades prefers it that way. He may do all the work, and Zeus may get all the credit, but at least it allows Hades to preserve the one thing he truly cares to have: his solitude. The mere mention of the Wraith of Khaos Falls is enough to keep order, and he is rarely forced to leave the shadows of Casino Asphodel. She belongs in the spotlight... And Persephone clawed her way out of Demeter’s shadow to reach it. Now she’s lead in Calliope’s Cirque production but not without great cost, and there is not enough money in the world to pay off the debt accrued for the simple mistake of trusting Zeus. Though it’s easier to ignore the bars when she still has room to fly. Landing a residency at the legendary Casino Asphodel is everything she trained for. Meeting a man she’d been convinced didn’t exist? She could never be prepared for that. Hades isn’t prepared for her either, but it’s soon evident they’re a force when together. He gives her a soft place to land, and she makes him want to reach for the stars. But when Zeus ups the stakes, they must be willing to go all in, even if it means coming down from the sky. Or stepping into the light.

When Caius divorced my older sister, I never thought he would divorce me too. We went from best friends to strangers from one day to the next, and I’ve spent an entire year telling myself it’s for the best. That’s what you do after a divorce. You take the side of your sister, even if she’s in the wrong. But then I run into him at a bar one night a few weeks before my college graduation, and all of a sudden, all those feelings I’d buried beneath denial and shame come flooding back. And then some. Only then do I realize how much I’ve missed him. And I am not willing to lose him again. CONTENT WARNING: Breeding kink, raw sex, talk of pregnancy, pregnancy (not with the main characters but with a side character), mention of infidelity