"With a nod to the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jones sets a diverse cast in an immersive, compelling world in a story that evokes loyalty and the desire to do good. Readers will find this a winner." Booklife Reviews Editor's Pick A Shapeshifter Fairy Tale: A Brave New Goldilocks, No Porridge Required On Earth Pact, no species is as feared as the Impundulu shifters of the United Wake of Benekal. For Fayola, a veteran nearing the end of her compulsory military service, being a soldier had never been more than reluctant duty. As she prepares for her final special operation, her goal remains the same: Complete her mission so she can return home to her father. Tasked with rescuing a humanitarian doctor from a war zone, but not the orphaned children under her care, Fayola must decide how much she is willing to risk for the future she deserves. Jwahir, a human in a nation of warring shifters, finds herself holed up in a medical clinic with other orphans, praying for a miracle or a painless death. But when an Impundulu soldier arrives, stoic and determined, but with a reserved tenderness she tries to hide, Jwahir knows she has met her Dela Eden-her savior. However, people are not always who they seem, and crimes against children are too often ignored. For Jwahir, her true test of bravery begins, not in a medical clinic in a war-ravaged country, but in a bear shifter's cabin home in a peaceful forest. For Fayola, twenty-five years of retirement planning changes in the blink of an innocent child's golden-brown eyes. But what will she do when her goodwill pact goes horribly wrong?
Author
N. D. Jones, Ed.D. is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Maryland with her family. In her desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional Black characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers, she took on that challenge herself. Along with the fantasy romance series Forever Yours, and a contemporary romance trilogy, The Styles of Love, she has authored three paranormal romance series: Winged Warriors, Death and Destiny, and Dragon Shifter Romance, and two fantasy series: Feline Nation and Fairy Tale Fatale. N.D. has expanded her publications to include nonfiction works. Because visual diversity matters, N.D. created a Fantasy in Black adult coloring book series. In this series, coloring enthusiasts will find Black men and women represented as fairies, angels, mermaids, and many other fantastical creatures. Leaning into her more than twenty years as an educator, N.D. has developed a Resilience series for Black women and men. The first two books in the series are: The Color of My Resilience: A Guided Self-Care Journal for Black Men and The Color of My Resilience: A Guided Self-Care Journal for Black Women. N.D. is also the founder of Kuumba Publishing, an art, audiobook, eBook, and paperback company that is a forum for creativity, with a special commitment to promoting and encouraging creative works from authors and artists of African descent. Her teenage daughter created the image design for Kuumba Publishing, while her son has written a role-playing game using original characters from a new paranormal romance series and her husband manages the company—making Kuumba Publishing a true family affair.
