Diamond City Series by Astrid Cole

Pizza-loving Sage will do anything for a ticket to Prince Louis’ birthday party, whether that’s shooting bad guys at bars, chasing them in hover cars, or dropping one hundred stories from the highest skyscraper in Diamond City. She doesn’t mind attracting a little bit of positive attention from the royal family so long as no one learns her true She hails from an ancient warrior race, and kicking ass in war is her specialty.Only those days are long over... morePizza-loving Sage will do anything for a ticket to Prince Louis’ birthday party, whether that’s shooting bad guys at bars, chasing them in hover cars, or dropping one hundred stories from the highest skyscraper in Diamond City. She doesn’t mind attracting a little bit of positive attention from the royal family so long as no one learns her true She hails from an ancient warrior race, and kicking ass in war is her specialty.Only those days are long over. At least, she thinks they are until her nephew sells her out to the royal family, and they’re nowhere near as air-headed as Prince Louis. Tiaras and dinner parties are far from their minds when they blackmail her into confronting a vicious (and flamboyant) warlord whose forces are invading the city. Choosing sides might have been a no-brainer, but Sage learns the royal family is using their citizens as test subjects in experiments to attain immortality, and the warlord is actually fighting to stop them.If Sage thought kneading dough was difficult, now she must choose between a tyrannical (and charming) warlord or a bubbly prince to take the throne. If Sage wants any semblance of a normal life again, let alone run a pizza shop, she must pray that her longing for love doesn’t cloud her judgment. Then again, what girl would say no to promises of colorful weddings and spectacular fireworks, even if the guy who’s offering them has a not-so-righteous agenda of his own? less

After nearly suffering defeat at the hands of her sister, Sage Arpine does all in her power to return to a normal life. Her fairy-tale dreams of marrying a prince and living at the palace don’t quite turn out, but she can’t complain now that she’s found true love, reunited with her nieces, and returned to her pizzeria in Diamond City. At least, that’s what she thinks... moreAfter nearly suffering defeat at the hands of her sister, Sage Arpine does all in her power to return to a normal life. Her fairy-tale dreams of marrying a prince and living at the palace don’t quite turn out, but she can’t complain now that she’s found true love, reunited with her nieces, and returned to her pizzeria in Diamond City. At least, that’s what she thinks.With the Lolligo spying on humans and using women for reproduction experiments, Sage knows she isn’t safe no matter where she turns. As try as she might to ignore the calls to battle, she doesn’t have a choice when she realizes the new Diamond City Allseers are plotting to capture her, too. As the successful offspring of a Lolligo and human, Sage’s blood has the potential to turn others into enhanced warriors, and what growing city wouldn’t want an opportunity to empower their army? Sage’s hopes of running her pizzeria and marrying her fiancé are dashed when she’s betrayed—yet again—by the very city she united in the past. Forced to flee once more, Sage finds herself in the Outskirts, where she battles more than just Lolligo and their laser guns—she discovers Emerald City and their disturbing, dark secrets.Sage is not the only hybrid out there. Like the Lolligo, Emerald City has been experimenting with genetics and they want all their test subjects back. If Sage wants any semblance of that fairy-tale dream she’s after, she has to confront the strongest army of enhanced beings she’s ever faced in her life. Stopping them would be so much easier if she didn’t have a family to protect.Sage could run and hide forever…but it’s never been in her nature to do that. With people’s lives at stake, she’ll have to fight, even with the odds stacked heavily against her.Really stacked. Diamond City and the Lolligo haven’t given up on her, either.Sage should have stuck to pizza. less

Nineteen-year-old Ruby Kilstrong gets to attend Diamond City’s most prestigious college, study history, eat pizza, and play fastball in her free time—which she is not so great at. On top of that, she gets to live at the palace with Allseer Louis Kilstrong like royalty. The only downside is she can’t remember her life past the last year. Unfortunately for Ruby, amnesia is the least of her worries when a notorious gang called the Scarfaces launches an attack on her city... moreNineteen-year-old Ruby Kilstrong gets to attend Diamond City’s most prestigious college, study history, eat pizza, and play fastball in her free time—which she is not so great at. On top of that, she gets to live at the palace with Allseer Louis Kilstrong like royalty. The only downside is she can’t remember her life past the last year. Unfortunately for Ruby, amnesia is the least of her worries when a notorious gang called the Scarfaces launches an attack on her city. She is forced to escape with classmates who claim there is more to Ruby than meets the eye. Not only does she know her way around a sword, but she bears a striking resemblance to the legendary Sage Arpine, who united Diamond City’s four districts many years ago. In the escape, Ruby meets one of Sage’s nephews and learns that the likeness might not be a coincidence after all. Regardless of her past, Ruby has survivors to defend and an abandoned town to secure. With the help of some age-old allies, Ruby learns to fight and toughen up in the face of the deadly Scarfaces. Becoming the hero is no easy feat, though, and she is nowhere near the warrior Sage used to be.Before all goes to hell, Ruby can run away and start a new life. But does she really want to ignore the role Louis played in her amnesia and the husband and twin sons who have been waiting for Sage to wake up from her hibernation? It’d be the easy way out. less