Archive for Contents

Cover Launch: A FEATHER SO BLACK (US) by Lyra Selene

Take your first look at the Orbit U.S. cover of A Feather so Black (US) by Lyra Selene! You can pick up a copy in Winter 2024. Scroll down to learn more about the first book in this new trilogy.

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

Cover Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.

In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen’s daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.

Most despise Fia’s fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.

When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go alone: with her is prince Rogan, Fia’s dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.

As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince… and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.

Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister’s curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.

Cover Launch: THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON by Kimberly Lemming

Orbit is thrilled to announce that we’ve acquired the hilarious and sexy Mead Mishaps series from author Kimberly Lemming! Originally self-published, these fantasy romance novels full of handsome demons, dragons, and shapeshifters, irreverent heroines, capital-“S”-spice, and laugh out loud humor are perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and Katee Robert.

And now, take a look at the new cover for the first book in the series, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (US)! You can pick up a copy in January 2024. Scroll down to learn more about That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (US) and the rest of the Mead Mishaps series.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Cover Design by Alexia Mazis; Cover Illustration by Mike Pape

Spice trader Cinnamon’s quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell—perfect for fans of  Legends & Lattes and The Dragon’s Bride.

All she wanted to do was live her life in peace—maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn’t involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the Goddess has favorite, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them… 

After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all Fallon wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And, who can blame him? But he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.

 

The Mead Mishaps series consists of That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (US), That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf (US), and That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human (US), and all three sweet, steamy tales are now available for purchase as e-books, with the paperback editions soon to come in Winter 2024.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming

Meanwhile, say hi to Kimberly on TikTok and find out more on her website!

Jo Fletcher Books publishing director Anne Perry bought world rights, with North American rights going to Orbit US executive editor Brit Hvide.

Cover Launch: THE EIGHT REINDEER OF THE APOCALYPSE by Tom Holt

Take your first look at the cover of The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse (US | UK) by Tom Holt! You can pick up this brilliantly funny new novel set in the world of The Portable Door (now a delightful movie starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, and Christoph Waltz) in October 2023.

The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse by Tom Holt

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto

Welcome to Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson!*

The team of commercial sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson can help with any metaphysical engineering project, large or small (though by definition they all tend to be pretty large).

They can also create massive great puddles of chaos that might one day swallow up the entire universe.

Take, for example, the decision to recruit a certain bearded fellow whose previous work experience mainly involves reindeer and jingle bells. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but is he really the best person to save the world from Tiamat the Destroyer, who has literally gone ballistic?

*By reading beyond this point you agree to comply with certain terms and conditions that are mostly reasonable but confidential. The management reserves the right to terminate any employees or clients, human or otherwise.

Cover Launch: The Corax Trilogy by K.J. Parker

Take your first look at the covers for The Corax Trilogy by K.J. Parker! This series includes Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead (US | UK), Saevus Corax Captures the Castle (US | UK), and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder (US) | (UK). You can pick up the entire series in Fall 2023.

Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead by K.J. ParkerSaevus Corax Captures the Castle by K.J. Parker

Saevus Corax Get Away with Murder by K.J. Parker

Cover Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

Cover Launch: HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD (AND DIE TRYING) by Django Wexler

Orbit is excited to announce that we’ve acquired not one, but two, new series from beloved author Django Wexler! We will first be publishing a brilliant, and hilarious fantasy time-loop duology that is All You Need is Kill meets Kill the Farm Boy, where a young woman stuck in a time loop tires of defending humanity from the Dark Lord and decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

Next up, we have a space opera trilogy that reimagines The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the scions of three once-great houses plot to overthrow the Emperor and regain intergalactic power, perfect for fans of Arkady Martine and Max Gladstone’s Empress of Forever.

How to Become the Dark Lord (and Die Trying) the first book in the fantasy duology, will be published in Winter 2024. And, we already have a brilliant cover for it!

How to Become the Dark Lord (and Die Trying) by Django Wexler

Cover Design by Stephanie A. Hess

Find out more about Django on Twitter @DjangoWexler and at his website. In the meantime, check out the Burningblade & Silvereye trilogy, now complete!

Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler Blood of the Chosen by Django Wexler Emperor of Ruin by Django Wexler

Orbit US executive editor Brit Hvide acquired North American rights from Seth Fishman at The Gernert Company.

Cover Launch: THE CITY OF STARDUST by Georgia Summers

Take your first look at the cover of The City of Stardust (US) by Georgia Summers! You can pick up this standalone fantasy novel in January 2024.

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

Cover Illustration by Micaela Alcaino

A young woman descends into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge to break her family’s curse in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy debut.

For centuries, generations of Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick—and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was just a child when her mother Marianne vanished on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. And when Penelope cannot find her, she issues an ultimatum: Violet has ten years to find Marianne, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer from the curse. Unless she can break it first.

To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted—and yet whose knowledge of a world beyond her own is too valuable to avoid.

Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.

Cover Launch: GRIEVAR’S BLOOD by Alexander Darwin

Take your first look at the cover of Grievar’s Blood (US | UK) by Alexander Darwin! You can pick up the sequel to The Combat Codes (US | UK) in December 2023.

Grievar's Blood by Alexander Darwin

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Illustration by Peter Bollinger

The second book in an action-packed science fiction trilogy set on a far future world where the fate of nations is determined by battle-hardened warriors who are trained to compete in brutal single combat.

In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight in the Circles so that the rest can remain at peace. But given the stakes, things are never so simple. The Daimyo govern from the shadows and plot to gain an edge by unnaturally enhancing their Grievar Knights.

Cego and his team enter year two at the world’s most prestigious combat school, the Lyceum. Though he’d like to focus on his martial studies, Cego feels the pull of his mysterious past and two missing brothers.

Solara Halberd, daughter of the fighting legend, embarks on her own quest to bury the past. She must utilize every lesson her father taught her to explore unknown lands where evil lurks in the shadows.

For more from Alexander Darwin, check out:

The Combat Codes
The Combat Codes (US | UK)

Cover Launch: THESE BURNING STARS by Bethany Jacobs

In case you missed the cover launch on FanFiAddict, take your first look at the cover for These Burning Stars (US | UK) by Bethany Jacobs! You can pick up this debut space opera in October 2023.

These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Scene by Thom Tenery

A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. All collide in this twisty, explosive space opera debut, perfect for readers of Arkady Martine and Kameron Hurley.

Jun Ironway—hacker, con artist, and occasional thief—has gotten her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for life: proof that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.

Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous. The Kindom, the ruling power of the star systems, is inextricably tied up in the Nightfoots’ monopoly—and they can’t afford to let Jun expose the truth. They task two of their most brutal clerics with hunting her down: preternaturally stoic Chono, and brilliant hothead Esek, who also happens to be the heir to the Nightfoot empire.

But Chono and Esek are haunted in turn by a figure from their shared past, known only as Six. What Six truly wants is anyone’s guess. And the closer they get to finding Jun, the surer Chono is that Six is manipulating them all.

​It’s a game that could destroy their lives and devastate the stars. And they have no choice but to see it through to the end.

Cover Launch: AN EDUCATION IN MALICE by S.T. Gibson

We’re thrilled to reveal the beguiling cover of S.T. Gibson’s new sapphic dark academia, An Education in Malice. Designed by Duncan Spilling, this cover is almost as bewitching as the story within its pages.

Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.  It’s publishing in February 2024 and is available to pre-order now!

graphic showing the book cover of An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson, with a gold background.

Love is sacrifice. One of us was always going to bleed for the other.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua’s College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.
 
On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.
 
But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

You can follow S.T. Gibson on Twitter @s_t_gibson or on Instagram @stgibsonauthor

 

 

 

Cover Launch: A LETTER TO THE LUMINOUS DEEP by Sylvie Cathrall

Dearest reader,

We are thrilled to present the cover for Sylvie Cathrall’s charming epistolary romantasy debut, A Letter to the Luminous Deep. The gorgeous cover was illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz and designed by Charlotte Stroomer.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep, a cosy underwater fantasy with magical academia and pen-pal romance will be publishing in April 2024, and you can pre-order it now! Read on for a taste of what’s in store. . .

Cover of A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall. The cover shows sunlight filtering through water, with brightly coloured coral bordering the title, as well as old books and a fountain pen nestled on the ocean floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings’ disappearances  with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance – and what it could mean for life as they know it.

Praise for A Letter to the Luminous Deep:

‘An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity’ Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

‘Cathrall’s debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished’ Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black

‘A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel!’ Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

‘A Letter to the Luminous Deep is like nothing I’ve read before. The heartfelt intimacy of the epistolary narrative, juxtaposed with the magnificent oceanic world-building, results in a novel that is at once deeply human and mind-bogglingly imaginative. Both the setting and the story are exquisite, but it was the lovingly crafted voices of the characters that kept me hooked from beginning to end’ Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy