Rob and the rest of the SIPS (Society for Investigative Paranormal Study) are eager to spend the holidays at the Dead End Inn, a bed and breakfast where a supernatural encounter is guaranteed. When they arrive, though, and find that the inn’s proprietor, a certain former Decrypter with a professor boyfriend, has booked a second band of ghost hunters, friendly rivalry threatens to spill into outright hostility.<br><br>To make matters worse, Rob can’t stop thinking about a member of the rival group, Edward. And despite trying to stay focused on the job, it seems like fate, or perhaps the resident mischievous ghost, is determined that the two men spend time alone together in rather distracting circumstances. Will Rob be able to help the SIPS find their first proof of the paranormal, or will it be he and Edward who end up going bump in the night?

Clem Turner is pretty sure nothing else can go wrong. Assigned by the head of his museum to check out a possible acquisition, his train ride from Chicago to Duluth has been full of problems -- lost luggage, food poisoning, and now an unscheduled stop in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin. Hoping for a bit of distraction, he decides to check out the local fair, only to run right into a different sort of predicament.<br><br>The 1890s aren’t a great time to fall for another man, but with Anton Hess it’s hard to resist. An adventurer and businessman, Anton has captured the legendary ishcrin, a beast with wings, spines, and a nasty disposition, and he’s charging people to see it. For the nickel admission, though, Clem gets much more than he bargained for, and faces the prospect of the greatest disaster of his journey yet -- a broken heart.

The heist: steal the Heart of Ailonsileah from a heavily fortified space station during a ball held by its wealthy and unscrupulous owner. Do not get distracted by the other expensive baubles on display, and definitely don’t get distracted by Galenn, the attractive and mysterious art appraiser who has his own agenda. Too bad Shay was never good at sticking to a plan.<br><br>Things go from bad to worse as the heist meets more than its share of complications, including seduction, calamity, and betrayal. And through it all, Shay finds himself drawn to Galenn, even over the objections of some of his team.<br><br>Can Shay make it through with his skin intact, his wallet full, and his heart unbroken?

When Ian picks up a weird needlepoint at an antiques store, he expects nothing more out of the ordinary than dealing with his eccentric buyer, Ellen. But when the man he bumps into on the way out of the store finds him again later at a local bar, Ian decides to throw caution to the wind and take Gabe back home with him for the night. Ian’s pleased with the decision -- until he realizes Gabe has stolen the needlepoint in the night and is now missing.<br><br>Offended, Ian tracks down Gabe and the missing needlepoint. What he discovers when Gabe finally confesses his reasoning to him is much more than Ian is expecting. With a mystery on their hands and Ellen as enlisted help, Ian and Gabe are on a mission to unravel the secrets of the strange needlepoint -- before the man stalking them injures them, or worse.

Lyndon is running on empty when he makes his last courier pickup of the day at a strange business. He’s definitely not ready for the shy and attractive man who’s supposed to sign off on the delivery to jump into his van and order him to drive as fast as he can. But acting on instinct is sort of Lyndon’s thing, so before he knows it he’s in a cross-country chase with danger hot on his heels.<br><br>Curtis had his doubts about working for his employers, but he deeply appreciated the routine of it. When he discovers that he might have unwittingly helped create a bug that could spread like a deadly fire through the country, though, he knows he has to act, and he’s only glad that the brash courier who picks him up is willing to go all the way to make sure what Curtis is carrying reaches its final destination.

Sequel to <i>Slim Chance</i><br><br>A series of murders and attempted murders gets the summer off to a dangerous start as Sean finally has a little time off from teaching to help Decrypter Dane investigate what's going on in Bleu Falls. The town's magic is being manipulated, and not only is Dane's Order of Decrypters leaving him out of the loop, he's being assigned to play bodyguard for the owner of a local smoothie shop, who might also be a Bigfoot. While Sean and Dane attempt to balance their relationship and their obligations to their paranormal organizations, the attacks escalate.<br><br>As the pieces start clicking into place, what becomes obvious is that there's an awful lot of raw magical power concentrating in Bleu Falls. Enough that whoever controls it could completely change not just the town, but the whole world. And the closer Sean and Dane get to the bottom of things, the less likely it seems they will ever have a chance at a future together -- unless they can tip the scales in favor of a happy ending.

Sequel to Family Bonds Settling into a stable relationship proves to be harder for Dane and Sean than dealing with monsters or murderers, so when Professor Sean starts seeing something weird -- something unnatural -- at work, it's almost a welcome challenge. Except that Sean's getting sick, too. When Decrypter Dane agrees to investigate, he is dragged further and further into uncomfortable territory when he must pose as a student to find the source of Sean's mysterious illness. He hates his undercover role and wants to get the job done as fast as possible, but digging into the goings on at Sean's school uncovers a dark secret, one dating back decades and not dead yet. Can Dane find out what's going on, maintain his cover, and not screw up his already rocky relationship, or are their chances for success, and survival, slim indeed?

With winter holidays approaching, it's supposed to be a time for romance and togetherness for Colton and Ben. Except climate change has erased the chance for a white Christmas, their rent is going up, and neither of them have energy after working all day and barely getting to see each other. As their frustrations mount and finances dwindle, it almost seems more likely they'll be single for the new year rather than doing anything special for each other. Colton isn't willing to give up without a fight, though. He might not be able to give Ben his dream of visiting the moon, but he can bring a bit of the moon to Earth. Rekindling some of his own hope and romance, he decides to put his skills as a chef to good use and go all out in preparing Ben a meal -- and a night -- not to be forgotten. The world might be a grim place, but if he shoots for the moon, maybe he can hit a bit of holiday magic.

"Friends Colin and Edward are ready for a night of tabletop gaming. But when no one else shows, they decide to go ahead and play anyway. A little just-for-fun roleplaying takes a steamy turn when a few chance rolls of the die put Colin's and Edward's characters in bed together. They could stop playing at any time, or see where luck takes them ... and their friendship."

"Both stories in Gareth Vaughn's popular interracial fantasy gay romance series Shadows and Spell Light are combined together for the first time! Contains the stories: The Officer and the Thief: Benen Trelayne has worked hard to make Assistant Detective by age 27, but protecting the city of Jewylle on Ilben is no easy job. When Benen removes a mysterious puzzle box from a murder scene, he isn’t expecting to have to deal with anything more than cracking the case. But while attempting to stop a robbery, the curious box is activated, and Benen’s stuck trying to figure his way out of a puzzle spell with only a thief who calls himself Gus for help. Benen is sure Gus knows more about the murder than he’s saying, but can’t arrest him unless they can work together enough to escape. The Doctor and the Addict: Graden Fallswenne has been struggling to kick his sugardream magic crystal habit, thinking if he does, he might just have a chance again with his ex, Evander. But when he finds the man has already moved on, Graden returns distraught to old haunts and habits. He isn’t expecting to catch the attention of Dr. Louk Reeves, a man in a class Graden has been kicked out of. Louk is competent and is going places with his career, while Graden can barely take care of himself. Still, he isn’t about to pass up the chance to get his life back together when Louk offers. Soon he wonders if moving in with Louk is just another of his poor choices. The doctor’s house is old and unsettling, the medical regimen difficult, and the nurse is competing for Louk’s affections. But when a ghost begins haunting Graden, he isn’t sure what he’s gotten himself into."

"Companion to The Doctor and the Addict Benen Trelayne has worked hard to make Assistant Detective by age 27, but protecting the city of Jewylle on Ilben is no easy job. When Benen removes a mysterious puzzle box from a murder scene, he isn’t expecting to have to deal with anything more than cracking the case. But while attempting to stop a robbery, the curious box is activated, and Benen’s stuck trying to figure his way out of a puzzle spell with only a thief who calls himself Gus for help. Benen is sure Gus knows more about the murder than he’s saying, but can’t arrest him unless they can work together enough to escape."

"Sequel to Bad Seed After tracking down a murderer, Dane wants life to get back to normal. But when an Order of Decrypters representative shows in Dane's coffee shop, he knows he's going to have to watch his step. Reeling from a reprimand for his conduct and annoyed at having nothing better to do than make coffee, Dane is relieved when he learns there's a problem monster on the loose. Hunting down whatever is killing and eating cows sounds like the perfect cure for his moodiness. Add in the company of his unlikely partner professor Sean Sanderson, and Dane might just get over disciplinary action. The problem is Dane can't figure out what kind of monster is on a killing spree. And Sean doesn't seem to remember him anymore."

"Eryx is part of a team of scientists charged with monitoring and protecting relocated animals on a privately owned planet. When sensors indicate poachers, Eryx leaves base to confront them, only to lose his way in a sudden snow. After trudging to a nearby observation station for shelter, he comes across an unexpected intruder. Smuggler Leander flies an old, sometimes unreliable ship. When the engine starts to fail, he attempts to set down on the nearest planet where he’s stashed supplies, but his descent turns into a crash, and he’s forced to take shelter wherever he can. The two can’t possibly trust each other, but storm projections show they’ll be stuck together for days. Worse, the poachers aren’t letting a little inclement weather stop them, and they’re armed and ready to kill. Can Leander and Eryx put aside their differences and save the animals -- and themselves -- before something disastrous happens?"

"Dane's a Decrypter down on his luck -- after accidentally dispatching the wrong creature, he's sent to a small town where the cryptids he hunts are sparse. Crypt Coffee becomes his business front, but instead of a thrilling new mission on the side, he's stuck sending ghosts back to where they came from. Dane can annoy customers, at least, and tries to scare off Professor Sean Sanderson when he starts poking around too much. But Sean isn’t about to stay away. Not when he hears about the murder of a former student, and definitely not if young, exciting Dane has information about it. But the more he allows himself to get dragged into this supernatural world of monsters and ghosts, the more the danger escalates. And if Sean and Dane aren’t careful, tracking down a murderer who can use magic might just get them killed."

"Companion to The Officer and the Thief Graden Fallswenne has been struggling to kick his sugardream magic crystal habit, thinking if he does, he might just have a chance again with his ex, Evander. But when he finds the man has already moved on, Graden returns distraught to old haunts and habits. He isn’t expecting to catch the attention of Dr. Louk Reeves, a man in a class Graden has been kicked out of. Louk is competent and is going places with his career, while Graden can barely take care of himself. Still, he isn’t about to pass up the chance to get his life back together when Louk offers. Soon he wonders if moving in with Louk is just another of his poor choices. The doctor’s house is old and unsettling, the medical regimen difficult, and the nurse is competing for Louk’s affections. But when a ghost begins haunting Graden, he isn’t sure what he’s gotten himself into."

"In his desperation to find a date in time for the annual Helloween bash, minor-rank demon Kev summons a coworker he once hooked up with. But when the smoke and sulfur clears, it isn’t demon Ira standing in the ring, but a very perplexed, very human mortal named Archer. Archer is cute, confused, and willing to consider going as Kev's date ... for a price. Turns out this isn't the first time Archer's met a demon, and he wants his soul back."

"Sequel to Night Terror It’s January and Professor Sean Sanderson has a little time off, though it’s anything but relaxing. Between a Guild initiation and a birthday, he’s stressed, and that’s before he and Dane, his Decrypter boyfriend, learn a werewolf has been murdered. The local Packs are at each other’s throats about the death and don’t want either Sean or Dane getting involved, which they’d be glad to do ... if the werewolf in question hadn’t reappeared as a violent ghost. Just when they have their hands full trying to dodge around Pack politics and track down a werewolf ghost before he hurts anyone, Dane’s parents show up at his coffee shop. They have no idea their son is a Decrypter, and they have no intention of leaving until they spend some quality family time together."