Hearts of ICARUS Series by Laura Jo Phillips

When the leading lights of high society on planet Apedra host their glittering three month social “season,” there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in the Thousand Worlds. No visitor could help but be impressed by the formal dress balls, the beautiful mansions, the exquisite designer gowns, the sprawling country estates, and the glittering jewelry. And, let’s not forget the most memorable happening of the season: the series of brutal, blood-soaked serial murders... moreWhen the leading lights of high society on planet Apedra host their glittering three month social “season,” there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in the Thousand Worlds. No visitor could help but be impressed by the formal dress balls, the beautiful mansions, the exquisite designer gowns, the sprawling country estates, and the glittering jewelry. And, let’s not forget the most memorable happening of the season: the series of brutal, blood-soaked serial murders. Unfairly expelled from the elite ICARUS Academy for blocking her own powerful psychic abilities to screen herself from the unbearable pain of a searing tragedy from her past, Nica Vinia, sister of Arima Honor Vulpiran, travels to Apedra to visit with her long-time school friend, Bree, and spend the social season with her. Almost immediately, her expectations of a few light-hearted months of dancing and “girl time” go awry. First, her hopes of a restful vacation are disrupted by the presence of Bree’s strikingly handsome brother, Ian, with whom she feels an instant connection and sudden, powerful desire, but who appears to despise her on sight. Then, Nica finds out that the planet itself is dying for reasons its residents can’t understand, and that—in addition to the humans there—Apedra is inhabited by magical beings with ties both to Earth and to the shifter clans of Planet Jasan, Nica’s adopted homeworld. In addition, it is revealed to Nica that her psychic gifts may be the key to saving that entire world from becoming a desolate wasteland of rock and ice. And, as if that weren’t enough, there’s a rampaging serial killer on the loose who has Apedra’s first families in the cross-hairs with Bree as the possible next target. With her friend’s life and the life of an entire world in the balance, Nica must confront and vanquish the pain of her past in order to fulfill the potential of her enormous gifts and liberate her emotions so that she can experience everything that love, and passion, have to offer. Nica’s Legacy, a full-length 108,000 word novel, is the first volume of the “Hearts of ICARUS” series, the new fantasy novel arc from Laura Jo Phillips, author of the “Soul Linked Saga” and the “Orbs of Rathira” trilogy. As in her previous offerings, Nica’s Legacy blends futuristic fantasy, magic, romance, sensuality, adventure, intrigue, danger, and passion in to an exciting, emotional roller-coaster ride which will be cherished by Laura Jo’s current fans and by readers who are new to her work. less

Even in the 26th Century, a trip to an exotic location is a good way to celebrate a university graduation. But, if Princess Tanjelia Dracon (known as “Tani”) the youngest daughter of the former Lariah Daniels and the Dracon High Princes of Jasan, had planned that kind of vacation, she would almost certainly have left out abduction, pursuit by killer cybernetic clones, and having as her destination the desolate, nearly lifeless mining world of Garza... moreEven in the 26th Century, a trip to an exotic location is a good way to celebrate a university graduation. But, if Princess Tanjelia Dracon (known as “Tani”) the youngest daughter of the former Lariah Daniels and the Dracon High Princes of Jasan, had planned that kind of vacation, she would almost certainly have left out abduction, pursuit by killer cybernetic clones, and having as her destination the desolate, nearly lifeless mining world of Garza. On the other hand, given a choice, she might very well have included in her plans the well-sculpted, powerfully charismatic, and swoon-makingly sexy Ghanzorig “Steel” Khaan, king of Garza’s people, the Khun. And, although it’s true that people generally like to keep busy on their vacations, but it’s a good bet that Tani would have picked sharpening her already deadly martial arts skills over struggling to save the Khun from extinction caused by exploitation by evil liquid metal miners, using her new-found healing skills to provide them with much needed medical care, teaching the art of war to their men and women, and joining their fight for freedom. Romance, on the other hand, is always welcome. Tani and Steel have a chance for just that, if only their tempers don’t get in the way, and if only a new-found force inside Tani that threatens to erupt dangerously every time she gets angry doesn’t destroy her efforts to help the Khun, and her chance at love. Surprises, too, are generally good things on this kind of journey, and there are plenty in store for Tani, as she finds that her special gifts and her shifter Dracon heritage may be the magical key to unlocking Garza’s ancient secret, saving its people, and giving their world a rebirth of hope and freedom. Tani’s Destiny is the newest addition to Laura Jo Phillips’ “Hearts of Icarus” series, a continuation of the story begun in the “Soul Linked Saga,” told the way Laura Jo’s fans expect and love, with plenty of romance, adventure, danger, emotional highs and lows, and—as always—plenty of spicy sensuality and eroticism to heat things up. It is a full-length 107,700 word novel, the second in the “Hearts of Icarus” series, set in the Thousand Worlds. less

What’s a girl to do when your destined soul mates turn their backs on you, leaving you with no idea what to do with your life and afraid that they were driven away by a part of your inner self that you kept hidden from them? That’s easy. Step one, power bond with a golden dragon who has chosen you, personally, to wipe out the galaxy’s greatest force for evil. Step two, get your favorite ex-bounty hunter aunt to teach you how to kick Doftle butt... moreWhat’s a girl to do when your destined soul mates turn their backs on you, leaving you with no idea what to do with your life and afraid that they were driven away by a part of your inner self that you kept hidden from them? That’s easy. Step one, power bond with a golden dragon who has chosen you, personally, to wipe out the galaxy’s greatest force for evil. Step two, get your favorite ex-bounty hunter aunt to teach you how to kick Doftle butt. Step three, take the family space yacht for a cruise among the stars with a tiny 9 inch humanoid (who happens to have the ability to shape-shift into an enormous feline creature with poison-tipped fur) riding your shoulder for company. What’s a girl to do when the yacht collides with an invisible Doftle space station? That’s easy. Step one, grab your personal, matched set of the deadliest edged weapons in the Thousand Worlds and hop into the nearest life pod. Step two, crash land on a snow covered mountain on an unknown and hidden world that the Doftles are using for their sinister purposes. Step three, save the lives of a giant sentient wolf and two orphan children who join you on a quest to break the Doftles’ evil hold on the planet and its people. What’s a girl to do when the men she thought never to see again suddenly show up out of nowhere, tell you they love you, throw a few dozen wrenches into your plans, and bring to a head the issue of your greatest secret--a secret that could be either the glue that binds you and your soul mates in an unbreakable bond . . . or the wedge that drives you apart forever? Not a clue in the cosmos. Sometimes, a girl just has to wing it. This is the story of Selene’s Secrets, the latest offering from Laura Jo Phillips in her “Hearts of Icarus” series. It is a full-length 146,000 word novel, full of the joy and heartache, love and loss, tenderness and anguish, tension and sensuality that are the hallmarks of this highly prolific author’s work. As with her other novels, Laura Jo’s readers can expect to be swept away in a world of romance and adventure in which towering love, an epic quest, and incandescent sexual passion are set on a stage as large as the galaxy itself. Read the first few pages and you, too, will yearn to learn Selene’s Secrets. less

It’s been more than twenty years since Lariah Dracon became Clan Jasani’s first Arima, or destined soulmate to a male-set of triplets, in over 3000 years. Since then a great many more Arimas have been found, soul-linked, and, like Lariah, borne fully Clan Jasani daughters as well as sons. Those first children are now reaching adulthood, and the daughters all seem to have special gifts: psychic abilities, musical talent, capacities as teachers and healers, and many others... moreIt’s been more than twenty years since Lariah Dracon became Clan Jasani’s first Arima, or destined soulmate to a male-set of triplets, in over 3000 years. Since then a great many more Arimas have been found, soul-linked, and, like Lariah, borne fully Clan Jasani daughters as well as sons. Those first children are now reaching adulthood, and the daughters all seem to have special gifts: psychic abilities, musical talent, capacities as teachers and healers, and many others. But, even among this extraordinary group, Varia Lobo, eldest daughter of Saige Lobo and the High Lord Protectors, stands apart in more ways than even she is aware. Her telepathic abilities forced her to live most of her life in almost complete isolation, apart even from her sisters. Even though a device was eventually created that allows her to live among others without their thoughts filling her mind and destroying her sanity, she still exists in a world of heart-breaking loneliness in which she is denied even the warmth of her parents’ loving touch. Vari, as she prefers to be called, has known for years that Declan, Jay, and Kai Dracon-Bat, the second-ranking male set of Clan Dracon, were supposed to become her Rami--the men with whom she would soul link. She knew that they were brave, strong, handsome, powerful and, let’s not forget, truly well-formed specimens of maleness. She also knew that she could never be with them. Ever. For ten years Vari’s plans to keep her distance from the Dracon-Bats went well. Enter the Doftle, diminutive blue aliens with flesh so dense as to make them virtually unkillable and hearts so black and full of evil that their gleeful sadism shocks even the most seasoned warriors. The Doftle don’t want much--just to destroy every being who lives within the Thousand Worlds. When the Doftle’s plans throw Vari and the Dracon-Bats together, the compelling sexual magnetism drawing them together proves too strong for anyone’s will to withstand. Unfortunately, it will trigger either a destiny more blissful than their wildest expectations, or one more horrible than their darkest nightmares, with the fate of the Thousand Worlds hanging in the balance. Vari’s Choice is the fifth novel in the “Hearts of Icarus” series, continuing the epic and sweeping story begun in The Dracon’s Woman, carried through the “Soul-Linked Saga,” which now extends into the next generation. Characters familiar from the prior series, as well as new ones we are coming to know, are thrown into a future full of adventure, danger, intrigue, passion, and romance. Vari’s Choices is a full-length 123,400 word novel, filled to the brim with the with the passion, emotional insight, excitement, and heart that Laura Jo’s readers have come to expect. less

Please note that this book ends on a cliffhanger! At this point in her life, Ria Lobo wasn’t planning on finding her trio of Clan Jasani shifter destined soulmates (called Rami), an event that usually leads to epic love, incandescently passionate four-way lovemaking, the linking of the foursome’s souls, and the making of beautiful sets of identical triplets to love and raise to build a future for the Jasani people... morePlease note that this book ends on a cliffhanger! At this point in her life, Ria Lobo wasn’t planning on finding her trio of Clan Jasani shifter destined soulmates (called Rami), an event that usually leads to epic love, incandescently passionate four-way lovemaking, the linking of the foursome’s souls, and the making of beautiful sets of identical triplets to love and raise to build a future for the Jasani people. In fact, right now might be the worst time in several centuries for Rami finding. Why so? Out of the vast, unexplored reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond have come the Doftle, a race of quite literally insane beings possessed of almost unimaginably advanced technology and a talent for using the DNA of Jasani and their allies to breed nightmarish creatures that serve as weapons of conquest and destruction. Oh, and at no extra charge, they’re also almost impossible to kill. The Doftle, even more dangerous than the terrifying Xanti who waged a war of conquest a generation before, now threaten to destroy the people of Ria’s beautiful, magical homeworld, Jasan, as well as everyone in the Thousand Worlds. Finding where the Doftle are building their fleets is one reason the Jasani send a long duration expedition into unexplored space, along with a few other goals which, if not met, could end all they know and love. At loose ends after her summer stint on a ship hijacked by the Doftle, Ria joins the crew of the Bihotza as a junior med-tech. She doesn’t know who her Rami might be, but knows that the chances of them being part of the three ship expedition expected to be gone as long as two years were so tiny as to be almost a joke. Besides, she was taking pheromone suppressants, so the Rami wouldn’t have a clue if they ever ran into each other. Ria found that the Joke was on her. Not only were her Rami on the expedition, they were Talon, Thornton, and Teegan Katre, about as gorgeous alpha male as gorgeous alpha males can get. Talon, Thorn, and Tee are high-ranked officers in the mission who Ria overhears expressing their exceedingly low opinion of her, and their fervent desire to never meet her. Ria was happy to reciprocate. The deck becomes even more completely stacked against the destined soulmates from coming together when Ria is blinded in an explosion involving Doftle nanotechnology. And, to make things worse, the Katres believe that Ria was taking suppressants because she was repulsed by one of the brothers’ facial scars. The intricate plot woven around the heroes and heroine also includes Star, a sentient wolf from a race called the Brun, and spicy ingredients like murder, brutality, stolen identities, an out of control scientist, and family conflict. All in all, Ria’s Visions is another totally immersing, totally engrossing, totally exciting, totally emotional, loving, shouting, crying, hugging, kissing, you know what-ing, sad, joyous Laura Jo Phillips novel that will take you on an emotional journey of love found, love shattered, love rebuilt, love challenged, love tested, love triumphant, and love consummated that will leave you tearful and breathless. “Ria’s Visions” is a more than full-length, 156,000 plus word novel. While it brings readers a new hero, new Rami, and a fresh, exciting, new story full of new and unexpected twists and turns and intrigue and adventure, it is also right down the middle of the strike zone for Laura Jo Phillips readers, giving them what they expect and even need to find in these books. Laura Jo’s fans will be thrilled to follow the path she blazes across the stars of the Milky Way Galaxy and new readers will be glad they joined the expedition. less

Everyone has always underestimated BreeAnna Lobo, known as “Bean,” the youngest of the three Lobo daughters . . . and no one more so than Bean herself. Firstborn Vari was the brilliant one, invested with amazing gifts of intellect, insight, and telepathy. Through a fluke accident, Fate gave middle daughter Ria, already a gifted empath, astounding abilities to see things invisible to the human eye and the most sophisticated electronic sensors... moreEveryone has always underestimated BreeAnna Lobo, known as “Bean,” the youngest of the three Lobo daughters . . . and no one more so than Bean herself. Firstborn Vari was the brilliant one, invested with amazing gifts of intellect, insight, and telepathy. Through a fluke accident, Fate gave middle daughter Ria, already a gifted empath, astounding abilities to see things invisible to the human eye and the most sophisticated electronic sensors. It was these two older sisters who were sent across the galaxy on a secret mission critical to the survival, not just of Jasan, but of all the free peoples of the Thousand Worlds. The most extraordinary thing about Bean, the youngest of the triplets, is how very ordinary she appears to be. An ordinary teacher of ordinary third graders on an ordinary world, she has nothing to offer a quest such as her sisters have embarked on. Yet, it seems that the same forces that propelled Vari and Ria to center stage are now exerting an inexorable pull on Bean, drawing her into the center of the same vortex of galactic destiny. She is called by powers beyond her comprehension to join her sisters on the other side of the galaxy, and to take part in a climactic conflict in which they must either defeat the forces that threaten the Thousand Worlds, or be destroyed by them. Going from teaching small children to battling for the survival of the Thousand Worlds is not the only journey that Bean must make. Along the way she also encounters the Falcoran brothers, dynamically and magnetically attractive Clan Jasani shifters whose status as brilliant and rapidly rising young military commanders is counterbalanced by a troubling reputation for sexual indiscretion. Sparks of conflict and flames of desire are ignited in equal measure as Bean and the Falcorans struggle to cross the galaxy to rendezvous with Vari and Ria before time runs out for all of them. Finally, when all three sisters are brought together, they learn that only if they stand together, and only if they are strengthened by the true love of their destined soul-mates as well as aided by alliances with companions given to them by the very Creators of the galaxy and the life within it, will they be able to defeat the evil that threatens to destroy all of them and all of the Thousand Worlds. Bean’s Heart is a full-length 139,000 word novel. It is the 7th installment of the “Hearts of Icarus” series and is the 21st romance/fantasy novel penned by prolific author Laura Jo Phillips. Bean’s Heart is full of passion, "reverse harem" romance, the toils and travails of true love, interstellar adventure, and galactic intrigue in the vein of Laura Jo’s previous works. Her fans will not be disappointed. less

The galaxy is a big place and the Thousand Worlds, though less than a tithe of its vastness, is still enormous beyond imagining, full of wonders and horrors, as well as expressions of good and manifestations of evil that almost defy description. The berezi of planet Jasan, destined soul-mates of triplet male sets of that world, have encountered evil in many forms, and have been its target again and again... moreThe galaxy is a big place and the Thousand Worlds, though less than a tithe of its vastness, is still enormous beyond imagining, full of wonders and horrors, as well as expressions of good and manifestations of evil that almost defy description. The berezi of planet Jasan, destined soul-mates of triplet male sets of that world, have encountered evil in many forms, and have been its target again and again. But, never in the two decades since Lariah Daniels became Jasan’s first berezi in a millennium, have any of these extraordinary women faced the kind of monstrous evil that threatens to overwhelm and destroy Rikki Bearen. Rikki, an exuberantly sunny young woman studying art on a distant world, returns home unexpectedly and in obvious flight from some unknown and terrible threat, no one having heard from her for months. She is half-starved, exhausted, hunted, and carrying a tiny baby in her arms who is undoubtedly her child, yet who could not have been born and reached her present age in the time since Rikki was last seen by her parents. Once on Jasan, Rikki quickly encounters her Rami, the male set with whom she is fated to be joined. Kyrus, Kash, and Kasper Bearen have longed for a family for well over a century. They are excited the moment they realize Rikki is their berezi, then immediately fly into a rage when they see the child. Jealous of the man who they are certain has been with the woman destined for them, they terrify Rikki who takes the baby and runs, resolved to leave Jasan and make a life for herself and the child on another world. Why isn’t Rikki safely attending classes at art school instead of appearing on Jasan like a fugitive? How did the child even come into being? What happened to Rikki and her child? Why are they both so scared? From what evil does Rikki flee? As answers to these question are slowly revealed, Rikki and the Bearens struggle with the powerful attraction that draws them irresistibly into each other’s arms in the face of the fear and anger that drive them asunder. Further, as Rikki begins to tell her story, the outlines of a deeply malevolent scheme begin to take shape: one that demonstrates the unspeakable evil that lives in the hearts of some human beings, and that shows the hand of the greatest enemies to the peoples of the Thousand Worlds--a hand seeking the destruction or enslavement of all of its people. Rikki’s Star is a full-length 119,350 word reverse-harem novel--just what fans of Laura Jo Phillips ordered for the New Year. With a story as big as the galaxy and as intimate as a lover’s heart, Rikki’s Star delivers the goods that Laura Jo’s fans expect and, yes, even crave. It is the eighth installment of the “Hearts of Icarus” series and the first installment of a “trilogy within a series,” telling the story of the new generation of Bearen sisters, shifters from birth and each endowed with astonishing and unexpected psychic gifts, as well as profound gifts of courage, grit, and determination. Many readers will also be interested to know that, in this book Laura Jo cranks up the heat and turns on the kink, weaving into Rikki’s enthralling and compelling emotional journey a highly-charged eroticism that will get the heart pumping and blood flowing to all the right places, hearkening back to The Dracons’ Woman, Laura Jo’s first novel. Anyone who has enjoyed any of the works of Laura Jo Phillips, as well as any aficionado of reverse harem stories, will find Rikki’s Star to be an involving, exciting, heart-rending and--dare we say it--arousing read, fun and satisfying for long-time fans and readers who are new to Laura Jo’s work. less

It’s the end of the galaxy as we know it . . . or, it will be unless Riley Bearen and her destined soul-mates, Wilder, Weston, and Winston Katre can do their part in resolving an existential paradox that, if allowed to take root, will literally unravel the fabric of reality and destroy every living thing in the known universe... moreIt’s the end of the galaxy as we know it . . . or, it will be unless Riley Bearen and her destined soul-mates, Wilder, Weston, and Winston Katre can do their part in resolving an existential paradox that, if allowed to take root, will literally unravel the fabric of reality and destroy every living thing in the known universe. To help them along, they have clues from a sphinx brought to terrifying life from the ancient legend, the kitten-sized Percy the Lonyx who combines irresistible cuteness with unparalleled deadliness, as well as some of Planet Jasan’s most powerful and wise male-sets and gifted Arimas. Unfortunately, Riley can’t do her part in saving The Thousand Worlds since shortly after meeting and forming an unbreakable bond with the thrillingly masculine Katre brothers, she is kidnapped and placed in a medically induced coma to be used for genetic experimentation on an unknown world. Everything will be lost unless they can unravel Riley’s Paradox. Riley’s Paradox is a super-length, 155,000 word novel and the penultimate volume of the “Hearts of Icarus” Series. It bears all the hallmarks for which the novels of Laura Jo Phillips are well known and so widely loved: passion, intrigue, suspense, consuming emotion, stunning world-building, and immersive storytelling. No one does Space Fantasy Romance (with a reverse harem twist) like Laura Jo Phillips. less