J J Fischer

How far would you go to outrun the person you used to be? In search of freedom and a fresh start, Cassius Vera sails for unexplored lands in the hope that he can forget the one woman he has ever truly loved, the only one to look past his gifts and superficial charm to the real man beneath. But Cass is carrying more than bad memories, and one slip in front of his new shipmates could send him back into slavery once again . . . or worse. Fleeing heartbreak and false accusations of murder, werebeast Zaire Delmar stows away onboard a ship, wanting to get as far away from Caldera as possible. She doesn't expect to meet Cass, an alter whose stunning good looks rival even hers, nor does she anticipate the surprising affinity she shares with him. When Cass offers his protection, Zaire spurns his help. She is half beast-she can take care of herself. And the last thing she needs is to get closer to a man in whose presence she cannot lie, even if he's offering to share her sorrow. But after a shipwreck catapults them into a new world even more dangerous than the land they left behind, Zaire is forced to depend on the only ally she has left. The same man she betrayed, not so many months ago. J. J. Fischer is an award-winning author whose book Calor won the 2023 Realm Award Book of the Year as well as the Realm Award for Best Fantasy. The second book, Lumen, was a 2024 Christy Award Finalist. The Nightingale Trilogy is a fantasy transformation of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved 1843 tale The Nightingale, with echoes of the myths of Hades and Persephone. Caligo is a sequel to the trilogy and is best read after reading the first three books, but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

Nineteen-year-old Sela is a murderer.After being sentenced to death for the accidental killing of a wealthy, well-connected man, Sela Meriweather is offered another option-to be stripped of her soul and sentenced to lifetime exile on Azazel, the vast prison-island. There, alongside "dangerous" criminals like herself, firstborn children of the Old Town chosen by the lot are sent to atone for the sins of their families.As one of the elected Righteous, Caleb Alexander's path to widespread renown is guaranteed so long as he can endure a year as an overseer on Azazel, preventing the other guards from fraternizing with the prisoners. But as he finds himself drawn to Sela, Caleb wrestles with the implications of his new role and the laws forbidding contact between jailer and prisoner. Could a woman like Sela truly be soulless?While Caleb tries to resist his growing attraction, Sela struggles with the weight of her sins and the past she has kept from Caleb. But when mutiny against the Old Town brews on Azazel, Sela and Caleb must work together to stay alive...and to uncover the truth behind the very powers that created Azazel in the first place.