If they had one of those anonymous rehabilitation programs for folks like me, my introduction would be, "Hi, I'm Shira, and I kill people." Except rehab suggests killing people bothers me. It doesn't.

Neither am I particularly committed to anything other than not being caught. That sounded a shred on the hard-hearted side. I'm not. I'm a lot like you. I get up every morning, clean myself up, and check my phone to see what I have cooking.

Everyone has a job. Mine happens to be ridding the world of people who shouldn't be here. Not that I'm making those decisions. People hire me, and I trust they've done their homework.

I've always been...different, never had a close circle of friends or even associates. Once I discovered I could do unusual things, I kept to myself. Those rare skills make me a perfect choice because I kill from a distance and leave no evidence. What I do is lucrative. I'm pretty much set even for my rather long lifetime.

In theory, I could...]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2021 17:45:51 +0300 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/616582-quinn.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/616582-quinn.html

The only constant in my long life is murder. Assassin for hire, to put a finer point on it.

I'm an earth wizard. Usually, we're on the peaceful side. Not sure what happened to me, but I never fit in with my kinsmen. They'd have chased me out of the fold—for obvious reasons—but I saved them the trouble. I left on my own. The same way I left the Circle of Assassins because it was too tame for my taste. Or maybe too structured.

Along with my bondmate, an oversized eagle, I've been playing fast and loose with the rules forever. Of course, the rules have changed, but I've rolled with the punches. Never found a policy I couldn't manipulate to my advantage.

There's an old saying about life coming full circle. It's about to snatch me up and spit me out. I can run, but there's nowhere far enough to hide from what I am or the Circle of Assassins.

My first home.

My first nemesis.

Grigori said I'd be back. How in the...]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2021 17:45:54 +0300 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526593-branded_that_old_black_magic_romance_hearts_desired_mate.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526593-branded_that_old_black_magic_romance_hearts_desired_mate.html
]]> Sun, 07 Jan 2018 12:06:07 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/616578-kylian.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/616578-kylian.html

Power is intoxicating. Anyone who says you can overdo it is either incompetent or a very good liar. I've chased down every scrap of additional magic that crossed my path, drained it, and started the hunt anew. My obsession hasn't made me much of a companion. I wouldn't have blamed my bondmate for leaving, but the snow leopard has stuck by my side.

It pains me to admit he's my sole connection to my better nature. He tempers my penchant for blowing holes in the world and asking questions later. Not that he has a soft side. He doesn't, but we've taken care of each other for all the years in my memory.

Information just fell into my lap. Critical material I should have picked up on if I'd been paying attention. My next stop is Grigori, the werewolf who heads up a gang of paranormal assassins. Once I was part his Circle, but I left to sharpen my seer skills. No matter how adept I became, scrying the future—or the past—didn't augment my power, so I moved on....]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2021 17:45:47 +0300 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526577-unbalanced_a_zodiac_shifters_paranormal_romance_libra_wylde_magick_book_3.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526577-unbalanced_a_zodiac_shifters_paranormal_romance_libra_wylde_magick_book_3.html
]]> Sun, 07 Jan 2018 12:05:56 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/617579-hunted.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/617579-hunted.html

Learn magic they said. Or at least shore up your paltry skills. Talk is cheap, and that edict has cost me dearly.

I had a comfortable life, once upon a time. A quiet life. One where I'd carved a realistic niche for myself. No more. Power is seductive, and a bitch of a mistress. Once I pulled the cork out of that bottle, a million genies sallied forth.

None of them were nice. No one offered me three wishes, or any wishes at all. I've been working my fanny off for the last two years. Most days, I slog along from dawn to dusk and beyond. Sleep has turned into a distant memory. When I do lie down—or fall on my face, which is what really happens—my mind whirls in circles as I relive the failures du jour.

And the very occasional success.

I am stronger. So much stronger it scares me. My talent sparkles, flowing bright and clean. Soon, I'll leave the well-hidden spot that's allowed me time to claim what's mine.

Whether my...]]> Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:05:07 +0300 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526600-dragon_fury_highland_fantasy_romance_dragon_lore_book_5.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526600-dragon_fury_highland_fantasy_romance_dragon_lore_book_5.html
]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2019 12:06:11 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526595-dragons_call_dystopian_fantasy.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526595-dragons_call_dystopian_fantasy.html
]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2019 12:06:08 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/567783-court_of_rogues.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/567783-court_of_rogues.html

Urban fantasy and slow burn romance wrapped into a serial that will keep you up reading long into the night.

Strange bedfellows rock worlds.

Reluctant recruit to the nines, I became Faery's regent by default. Sure, I was next in line for the throne, but I never believed Oberon and Titania were gone for good until first a decade rolled by, and then two, and then ten.

They'll never be back, and the land is mourning. Or pissed. It's hard to tell which, and I'm not sure what difference it makes. I split my time between Faery and Earth searching for a way to mend the rift that's killing my realm. I haven't made much progress. Time is running through the glass, mocking my paltry efforts.

A sultry Witch is barely a blip on the radar. So what if she counts cards in the casino I run on Earth and makes my pit boss a little nuts? Out of the blue, she spits out the unbelievable, and I discover she's not a Witch after all. A glamour...]]> Wed, 02 Dec 2020 17:25:52 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/481409-cursed_ice.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/481409-cursed_ice.html
By his own admission, Johan's always been one stubborn bastard. He's wedded to his freedom, and the thought of bonding with a dragon has some pretty serious downsides. If he doesn't sign on to become magical, though, he'll be left behind—also not an acceptable outcome. Distant relatives to dragons, sea-serpents are gaining strength shockingly fast. Breeding farms spring up on distant outposts, spitting out all manner of evil. Banished eons ago by the dragon god, the serpents are making a comeback. As the dragons seek allies, they uncover still more atrocities. Katya, dragon shifter and twin to the dragons' prince, thought she wanted Johan as her mate, but he has more rough edges than she counted on. Besides, the serpent problem supersedes everything. She's used to dragons being in charge, but when a serpent almost steals her will, it's quite the wakeup call her magic isn't as potent as she always assumed. Is the age of dragons drawing to a close? If...]]> Mon, 18 Nov 2019 11:46:09 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526599-times_curse_highland_time-travel_paranormal_romance.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/526599-times_curse_highland_time-travel_paranormal_romance.html
]]> Sun, 07 Jan 2018 12:06:11 +0200 https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/616579-hands_of_fate_a_wayward_mage_prequel.html https://menage.library.land/ann-gimpel/616579-hands_of_fate_a_wayward_mage_prequel.html

Fitting in has never been in the cards. Not part of the hand Fate dealt me. My superpower is animals, magical and otherwise. They adore me. Birds and insects too. Back when the Celts still roamed the Highlands, I begged them to shed light on how I came to be since my power is unique.

You can guess how well that went. They're a taciturn, entitled lot. I didn't shed a single tear when they packed up and left Earth.

Other mages don't care for me. They don't trust my one-of-a-kind magic. On my more generous days I don't blame them. For now, I run a tiny detective agency in the Scottish Highlands. Mortals are quick to hire me because I always solve their problems. Using magic is cheating, but they'll never find out.

One fine afternoon, a Sidhe sought me out. His power surpassed mine by a factor of ten, so I was suspicious as hell, but he was too profanely gorgeous to turn away...

As usual, no one to blame but myself when my life skids off the rails.