Linda Kage - “The Love Mark Fantasy”

Custom demanded that Prince Urban get a love mark tattooed to the side of his left eye as an infant, just like the rest of his people, but to him, the stupid things have only brought on the scorn of his father, the misery of his siblings, and caused his entire kingdom to go broke from fighting so many wars over the irritating ink stains.

When Urban’s sister must travel to Donnelly, the kingdom within the sand, for her arranged marriage to align two realms, he goes with her. But he no sooner steps foot inside their castle than his mark starts itching like a son of a bitch, telling him his one true love is near.

It just figures, though, that the woman meant for him is completely forbidden. Now he must decide if he should ignore the persistent mark, telling him she's the one, in order to avoid a possible war between kingdoms, or if he should discover whether she's worth risking everything for so they can be together. Either way, his life gets sucked into chaos with threats of beheadings, dark magic lurking, castle traitors scheming, and sword fights eminent.

Who knew one little tattoo could cause so much trouble?

The kingdom of Far Shore still resents Donnelly, its neighboring land, for forming an alliance with those filthy High Clifters and then defeating them in war. Twice! They really must pay for such an insult. And what better way to prick their pride than to steal their lovely, revered princess, mutilate her a little, and then ransom her back to them for a hefty sum.

So, the king blackmails stable hand, Farrow, into accepting the mission of kidnapping Princess Nicolette and bringing her back to Far Shore to meet her gruesome fate.

With his sister’s life on the line, Farrow reluctantly accepts the quest and travels through desert and forest, only to find Nicolette eagerly awaiting his arrival with her bags already packed and good to go, spouting off insane nonsense about being his destiny and one true love.

What follows is a crazy, eclectic adventure that brings two lost souls together and helps them learn who they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to do in this ever-changing journey called life.

Due to a dark curse, the entire Graykey family has been marked for death. But Quilla Graykey has grown used to living on the run, constantly hiding and surviving under the radar of High Cliff soldiers, who’ve been sent out to hunt her down and destroy her.

So when a man bearing the mark of a High Clifter shows up on her trail, persistently tracking her, it’s really nothing new. Except she can’t seem to shake this guy. He keeps finding her, no matter how well she disguises herself. If she’s not careful, she might actually have to take a stand and fight him. Maybe even kill him.

But the handsome pursuer turns her world upside down when she discovers he’s not out to assassinate her after all, nor does he have a clue she’s a Graykey. His intentions are worse. He claims she’s his one true love, and curses, duty, or honor be damned; he’s not about to lose her. He wants to make her his happily ever after.

Used to eluding people and wanting to keep it that way, Quilla honestly has no idea how to avoid the likes of Indigo Moast.

Could this be the one evasion she can’t dodge?

When a mysterious woman appears in Prince Olivander’s life and gives him a taste of forbidden temptation, he’s...well…

He’s confused.

You see, he’s been mated to his true love, Unity, since he was thirteen. The love mark tattooed to the side of his face has told him Unity will be his future, his soul mate, and partner in all things, but he questions how he’ll ever experience passion with her after they’ve been separated for years and he’s waited for her to come of age, especially when this intriguing newcomer right in front of him keeps causing him to forget Unity completely.

So just how accurate are these hallowed love marks, anyway?

Amid broiling scandals and palace intrigue, otherworldly visitors and magical ruses, Olivander and his new assistant must discover the truth behind a dangerous curse plaguing the Outer Realms, or else the Outer Realms may cease to exist entirely.

Dori Baquet never thought her life was all that remarkable. A single waitress living in New Orleans, she was just trying to make it through the pandemic in one piece until one little brick to the head unexpectedly sucked her into an alternate dimension.

Now, she’s navigating an unfamiliar, medieval-type world called the Outer Realms, where there’s no chocolate…or books, and everyone lives in castles and rides horses while carrying around their own personal sword. If that weren’t strange enough, she learns she’s actually a descendant of the oldest, most cursed family here. Plus, she has magical abilities. But the craziness doesn’t end there.

She only got one of their love mark tattoo thingies to fit in with the locals and avoid being burned at the stake or some such atrocity. Except the very day she realizes how to get back home, her freaking love mark alerts her to the presence of her soul mate nearby. And Dori can’t seem to resist her insatiable need to see what this dude’s like.

Meeting the King of Lowden, however, changes everything, and Dori soon learns her adventures in this oddball world are just beginning.