At 18, I was a young man winning the game of life. I had a college football scholarship and a cute girlfriend on my arm for my hometown’s annual Halloween party. Forget spiking the punch. The eccentric old scientist who lives in the woods brewed something more potent…and permanently life-altering.

I need to quit. I've been telling myself that every day for the last six months. I knew as soon as I started working for Hudson as his virtual assistant that this wasn't going to work out. He's rude, bossy, and a total grouch. I've only managed to last this long because whenever he starts being a jerk, I sass him right back. Enough is enough though. It's time for me to find a new job. Except when I finally meet him in person to tell him that I quit, he refuses to accept my resignation. Suddenly, instead of the grumpy jerk that I'm used to, Hudson seems to be trying to be almost . . . nice.

Sent to Screaming Woods to write a magazine piece on its resident monsters, I'm ready to meet hairy beasts, ogres, vampires . . . what I'm not prepared for? A snake man. I'm terrified of snakes. Now I'll have to talk to a man-sized one on a daily basis, because he owns the motel where I'm staying. Once the initial shock of coming face to face with a walking, talking snake passes, I start to see Leroy for the man beneath the monster exterior. And the more I get to know my snake man, the more I realize my biggest fear would be losing him.

When my sister is chosen for the Monster Mate Hunt—an annual event where two women must sacrifice themselves to the orcs for the good of us all—I volunteer in her place. The orcs hunt me as I bolt through the forest. I'm captured by the gruff, growly Commander Jaus, who expects me to cook and clean, plus sleep in his quarters with him at night, despite insisting he doesn't want a mate. Then something changes, and his dark, brooding gaze turns my way . . .

Scoring a job at the exclusive and secretive Hotel Castle Verna is exactly what I need to pay off my debt and avoid a punishment I might not survive. The guests are a little eccentric, but they are great tippers. All I have to do is ignore the strange sights, smells, and sounds coming from the guest rooms, and I can remain gainfully employed. Simple, right? Except there's one guest at the hotel who's always watching me with his mismatched black and white eyes.

Tour guide Ivy has always secretly fantasized about minotaurs. So when a Beast Hunters tour to Motham City goes horribly wrong, she's thrilled to be rescued by wickedly handsome minotaur, Bryn. Until she finds out that he runs a male escort agency with the sole purpose of pleasuring humans. And Ivy just isn't that sort of girl . . . Bryn isn't looking for love. He sells it. Besides he's too busy caring for his disabled mom and four brothers and sisters to have time for romance.

Stuck slinging pizzas in the deadest of dead-end jobs, I make a wish. In a blink, I'm teetering on top of a standing stone in Faerie, where I have magical powers! And monsters fighting over me! Thank god, the orc wins. A fierce and deadly warrior, Rovann's nothing but gentle with me.

My labyrinth is dying. For my kingdom to survive, I must convince my fated mate to invoke the most ancient of magics—the carnal kind. Too bad my mate's a human who didn't know monsters existed until she saw me.

As a third daughter on the farming colony of Meterion, Susan’s future prospects aren’t too promising. A pretty face, top-notch skills, and hard work mean nothing if your dowry doesn’t include fertile lands. With her 25th birthday approaching, and no suitors, her only way out is to settle for an arranged marriage through the PMA - the Prime Mating Agency. She just never expected to be paired with a grumpy, massive lizardman, and above all not to grow so fond of his scales and quirky ways.

Some people have monsters for a boss, but not everyone has an undead Necromancer Lord at the office. Lily has been the Lich's secretary ever since his evilness took over the company. She loves her job, but she's got some questions about her boss. Like what's under that cloak of ever-billowing. Her wondering intensifies when one day the Lich needs something from her that isn't just scheduling appointments—but a shiver. He needs it for a spell, but it feels like it crosses a line from their usual workplace banter.

When former child star Julianna Novak loses everything to her shady managers, she'll do whatever it takes to win her independence back, even if it means rushing to find a new sugar daddy. When Titan, a wealthy businessman, makes her an offer she can't refuse, she soon realizes he may not be what he seems. His curved horns, massive wings, and ribbed prehensile tail are, however, more than she ever bargained for.

Especially a matchmaker who works at the kind of paranormal bathhouse that would have grandmothers clutching their pearls. A worse look is a matchmaker experiencing a crisis of confidence. I am that matchmaker.

After a break-in at my apartment, I get my very own security detail. Cool right? Wrong. The big, brooding beast assigned to protect me 24/7 is the very same cocky guard who caught me at the wedding!

What’s a broke tea witch to do when she’s about to lose her beloved café? No idea, but chugging magic mojitos and drunk-summoning the Devil was definitely the wrong call. Now, I’m stuck with the house guest from Hell—literally—and we couldn’t be more opposite: a homebody who brews healing teas and reads romance novels to her cats versus a sexy-as-sin playboy with a pitchfork tattoo on his butt and a fondness for public day-drinking. In the nude. Ergo, the pitchfork discovery.

For fans of determined plus-sized heroines and cinnamon-roll bear shifters, A Polar Expedition is the first standalone novella in the Shades of Sanctuary series, where the vibes are cozy, the heat is high, and the mates are monstrous. Grab a cup of tea and snuggle in because while the burn might be slow, the HEA is only a few hours away!