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Desert Cursed
Series · 9 books · 2018-2022

Books in series

Witch's Reign book cover
#1

Witch's Reign

2018

I am cursed by the desert I was born in, and now I wander the space between the Walls meant to hold my kind-the supernatural kind- in. If I can find a way out, if I can find a way to escape, perhaps I can outrun this curse. But that means passing through the Ice Witch's realm-something no one has returned from. But life has a funny way of changing directions on you. A freak accident. A child in danger. And a damn Warlock named Merlin who thinks he can manipulate me. It looks like I'm about to start a journey I never planned on, to face a Witch who has never been challenged, in an attempt to survive a storm of magic, danger, and trickery.
Dragon's Ground book cover
#2

Dragon's Ground

2018

Dragons and danger and magic collide... And it's only Monday. In the second book of USA Today Bestselling Desert Cursed series, Zamira must once again test her mettle against a world bent on breaking her, proving she is more than she seems. We survived the land of the Witch’s Reign, that much is true. But our arrival home is far from welcome. My idiot brother has taken it upon himself to ride off in search of a mythical healer, someone who might help him walk again. Assuming she doesn’t eat him first. Because said healer is a dragon and happens to reside in the deepest reaches of the Dragon’s Ground. Like I said, idiot. I’d go after him myself, but his leave-taking is not the only problem I face. My mentor has yet again forbidden me to leave the safety of the Stockyards. Her reasoning? That I am too weak to weather the coming storms. With my pride wounded in more ways than one, I must gather the few allies’ I have left. My ex-husband's new girlfriend at the top of the list and a goat bleating, oversexed Satyr. FML. If I’m lucky I’ll find a small dragon and a Jinn whose blue eyes still haunt my dreams along the way. Buckle up, buttercup, this ride is about to take a seriously unforeseen twist. If you like KF Breene, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Faith Hunter, Jaymin Eve, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, or Shayne Silvers, you won’t want to miss Mayer’s books!
Jinn's Dominion book cover
#3

Jinn's Dominion

2018

In this THIRD installment of Zamira's journey, she will be faced with losing her Pride, and her two closest friends as she fights her way into the Jinn's Dominion. There was nothing that could have prepared me for Dragon’s Ground. And I thought that nothing could be worse than what I faced there. Just my black cat bad luck, the world is set to prove me wrong. South lies the Jinn’s Dominion and within it the members of my Pride who need my help. The further south we go, the more danger comes not only from outside our group but from within. Ishtar’s new hunters. Marsurm leader of the Jinn. And the Emperor himself. All three want something from me. All three claim they can give me the world on a silver platter, to give me my deepest desires. Color me cautious, but I think all three are lying. Or so it seems until I reach the Jinn’s Dominion and discover the truth… About who I really am. And what that means for my fate and the fate of those I love.
Oracle's Haunt book cover
#4

Oracle's Haunt

2018

The fourth installment of the best selling "Desert Cursed Series". Hope is a four letter word. Yet, I can’t help but hope that the Oracle will be the answer to what I seek. But getting to the Oracle is no small thing as she resides in the center of the Blasted lands—toxic waste, lava, and monsters. And as the alpha of our Pride, it’s up to me to act responsibly and not get my people all killed. Driving us from behind comes the desert goddess whose rage is centered on me, and with her is a new ally, who still holds my heart in his hands. One whose voice calls to me still. Eyes on the prize, I will push forward, even though hope feels weak and pointless. Along the way, maybe my heart will heal, maybe I’ll bring my brother back from the dead, maybe this will turn out okay after all. Or maybe I will lose everything, and everyone I hold dear and discover I’m not meant to save anyone. Hope might spring eternal, but she’s a right bitch as far as I can see.
Wyvern's Lair book cover
#5

Wyvern's Lair

2019

The odds are stacked against her as she faces her greatest challenge yet… But that's nothing new in her world. The fifth in the plot twisting, heart pounding, magic-riddled, USA Today bestselling Desert Cursed series. I thought I had the next steps in my journey plotted out. I thought I knew where I was going and who I was going with—the usual crew of Lila the smart-mouthed tiny dragon, Ford the man who would be my mate if I let him, and Balder, the horse who has carried me through more danger than I can count. Crap on a camel, I could not have been more wrong. My world is turned upside down when my crew somehow gains two people who would as soon kill me, as see me succeed. Even with this new twist, I must get to the crossroads before the golden moon rises if we have any chance of dethroning the Emperor and bringing my brother back from the dead. Along the way I find myself in treacherous waters facing new dangers, new enemies and a choice that no one should ever have to make. Maks’s life is in my hands, and in the end, will love be enough to save him, or will I have to say goodbye to him once and for all?
Emperor's Throne book cover
#6

Emperor's Throne

2019

Three against one is not the best odds in any fight. But does she dare gamble on making an enemy into an ally? The final installment in the USAT and WSJ bestselling epic urban fantasy that readers have been waiting for! There might be no rest for the wicked, but there’s no rest for the exhausted either. We’ve barely survived one fight, and we have another blade at our throats-strike that, three blades. I can see only one possible chance at surviving the three evils we face, no matter how much I might hate it. I have to make my peace with one of them and pray that they will help me take down the other two before we turn on each other. The only question is...who do I trust not only my life but with the life of my family? Because I have all those I love the best at my side. Maks. Lila. Bryce. Or do I leave them, and take the danger with me to face it all on my own? One thing is for sure...even if I go down, it’ll be swinging with everything I have.
Den of Thieves book cover
#7

Den of Thieves

2020

In a world where supernaturals and humans are separated by walls, there is magic to be magicked and quests that still need questing. Yes, quest as a verb. I, Zamira “Reckless” Wilson, thought I had done my part. With a little help from those I love, we stopped the bad guys from mucking up our side of the wall. We won the battle and were left standing on this side of the dirt. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. But a curse from long ago, cast to ensure everything in my life would eventually go wrong has now come full circle. There is darkness in the east, and it flows toward the desert I’ve sworn to protect like a creeping floodwater you cannot see until it is upon you. That power has stolen Maks' magic. It has stolen Lila’s ability to shift. And it has stolen my newfound strength. We are back to square one, and we are about to face off against an unknown enemy. I have only one thing to say. “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”
Kingdom of Storms book cover
#8

Kingdom of Storms

2021

Looking to rescue dragon hatchlings? Check. Piss off a demon in the process? Check. Have my mate stolen by a raging psycho who wants his babies? Damn ... I, Zamira “Reckless” Wilson, do solemnly swear I wanted a vacation from trouble. The problem is, trouble did not want a vacation from me or those that I love. We managed to pass the first test set out for us by the desert goddess on our path to finding the dragon hatchlings. Of course, that means I really have the eye of Asag, the Beast from the East, on me now. Maks has been taken by a woman known as the Storm Queen. As her pet and possibly as her baby daddy. So instead of going after the second step that would take us closer to Asag and the dragons, I am racing south to the Sea of Storms to rescue Maks. Queen or no queen, I am not giving up on my mate. But like all things in my life, nothing is going as planned. I’ve ended up with another Jinn to deal with, a five-year-old shifter who loves to call out my cursing, and a detour that takes me away from Maks. The clock is ticking, and we are closing in on the players that would stop us from making things right . . .if only my black cat bad luck would ease off, we’d be good.
Realm of Demons book cover
#9

Realm of Demons

2022

The final (for real this time!) book in the heartpounding, bestselling series. Get ready for the last ride with Zamira, Maks, Lila and Balder as they race to save . . .well I can't say, that would be a spoiler if you haven't ready book eight . .

Author

Shannon Mayer
Shannon Mayer
Author · 96 books

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I was born into a family of Star Wars nuts. I have a lot of siblings (somewhere I lost count but I think there was more than could be numbered on one hand) and being one of the young padawans I was subjected to Star Wars marathons, on a regular basis. If you've read any of my books you'll see there is often a reference to said movies as a small homage to my upbringing. May the force be with you and all that jazz. I started writing when I realized I didn't want to grow up not believing in magic, or not believing in creatures everyone else said didn't exist. That being said, I have never seen a fairy, unicorn or dragon. I had a neighbour who swore they fed the leprechauns in their garden, but I never caught the little buggers no matter how long I lay in wait. (And consequently had to help the neighbours plant new flowers to replace those I killed waiting for the leprechauns to show their faces.) Along the way, I found my husband who is the rock that keeps me from floating away into my dreams, and we have a little boy who is the centre of our world. Living on a farm keeps us busy (as if the writing wasn't enough) and I have more than my share of stories about wrestling with cows, helping birth calves and ending up in the creek during the process, falling in the mud (we'll call it mud but we all know that on a farm, mud is rarely mud) and chasing escaped livestock in the hopes the four legged convicts don't make it to the highway. I've taken up archery, and the goal is to move into horseback archery in time (you know, when I can hit the target on a consistent basis) and when no one is looking, I love to bake (this doesn't happen often as it's hard to keep the sweet treats in stock with two boys in the house.) As to what's coming next for me? More stories (since those never stop inside my head, I might as well share them with all of you!) and more adventures. Pretty much, when the fancy strikes, I'll jump on it. Leap before you look I'm sure that motto was created for me. Or was that . . . think big and dream bigger, ready, set, pull the trigger . . . yeah. That one is a good one too. But only if you have a gun. And are hunting elephants. Which is not cool because of so many reasons. Let's stick with the first one with an addendum. Leap before you look and let your dreams carry you on their wings. And that, my friends, is me in a nutshell.

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Desert Cursed