Lion's Crossing has released! This MM MPreg Shifter Romance is part of both the multi-author shared world of Love Sync Mates Season Two and my Shifter Towers series.

It was partially inspired by the Via Rail incident that happened at the end of August last year, where passengers were stranded on a broken down train for over 10 hours. If you want to read an more about what conditions were like for passengers on that train, check out this article from CBC. 

Also, Linc, who is the alpha in this book, was also mentioned previously in my Shifter Towers series, in His Omega on Stage. 

​“Attention passengers,” the voice came over the coach’s static-filled PA system. “There has been a brief delay in our travels, and we are working quickly to get on our way again.”
 
That didn’t tell us much. It could have meant there was a problem with one of the passengers, or there was an engine malfunction. Either way, I hoped to be moving again soon. I was supposed to arrive ahead of the check-in time at my hotel, but with the delay, I would likely arrive right on time.
 
The alpha beside me began typing furiously on his phone, so I leaned back and pressed play on my music streaming app. I had my playlist on shuffle, so I didn’t know which song would play first. “Fated For Forever” was the first random song I heard, sung by the pop group FNL about how when an alpha finds their fated mate, they will love them forever. The group had since disbanded, but I still enjoyed the music they had released. I wasn’t a huge fan of theirs, didn’t know all their names or anything, but appreciated their sound. A short clip of the group played on the app, showing the group dancing to the music. And that’s when I realized the identity of the alpha sitting beside me. He was a former member of FNL.
 
I froze for a moment, hoping he hadn’t looked over to see what music I listened to on my phone. I didn’t want him to think I was some crazed fan who would be all over him because of his celebrity status. Leaning into the corner of my seat, away from the alpha, I switched to a new song then brought up my search engine. Looking up FNL, I tried to find a list of the members to figure out which one sat beside me. After checking out a few fan pages, I learned his name was Linc, he was a lion shifter, and he lived in Shifter Crossing before heading to Saramto to become a pop star. And after leaving FNL, he’d become a music producer for Adan Records.
 
It all made sense why he hid his identity. I would have, too, if I rode on a train with all these people. Most wouldn’t care about his identity, but one fan pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable behavior would be enough to ruin the ride. And I didn’t want to witness that, either.
 
I made a mental note to only talk to him about being from Shifter Crossing. That was, if he decided to talk to me. Because, so far, he seemed engrossed in his phone. Even though we weren’t moving, I returned to looking out the window and listening to my music. It wasn’t as if I could do anything else.

I wrote Lion's Crossing after being asked again to be part of the Love Sync Mates shared world again. It is part of their Season Two collection of books as well as the eighth book in my Shifter Towers series. And Lion's Crossing releases February 16, 2025! Here's the blurb:

Small town omegas shouldn't travel to the big city on their own. Or so my parents tell me. But that doesn't stop me from taking the train to Saramto for a week's vacation.

Ever since I became an adult, my parents have urged me to find a good alpha to settle down with and tried many times to set me up with one. But there aren't any “good alphas” in Shifter Crossing. So, I live in a tiny apartment on my own and clean at the local high school to pay for my expenses. When my vacation time comes, I take the train to the metropolis of Saramto to visit museums I've only heard about, eat foods not available in a small town, and see what it's like to live in a big city.

My holidays are quickly derailed when the train breaks down on the way, leaving all the passengers stranded for hours. That's just the beginning of the ruination of my meticulously planned vacation. If not for a kind (and very famous) alpha who comes to my rescue, I doubt I would survive my first night in the big city. But I wonder if his good will comes with a cost, and will it be too much for me to repay?

Lion's Crossing is the eighth book in USA Today bestselling author Jessica E. Subject’s sweet with building heat Shifter Towers series and the seventh book in the Love Sync Mates Season Two shared world series. Lion's Crossing is a MM MPreg Shifter Romance that features a small town deer shifter omega anxious to visit the metropolis of Saramto for the first time, a lion shifter alpha and former boy band member ready to return to the big city for work after taking some time off to help his father after surgery, a broken down train, and Fate doing what they do best in bringing these two together.  If you like fated mates, true love, slow burn romance, and an unpredicted heat to fire things up a notch, Lion's Crossing is the book for you. While each book in the Shifter Towers series is set in the same world, they can be read as standalones.

​Attention book reviewers! If you like MM MPreg Shifter Romances with a surprise heat and an unexpected pregnancy, Lion’s Crossing eARCs are available at Booksprout!

Today's First Chapter Friday is from my fourth Shifter Towers story, His Omega on Stage. I tried to expand what we know about the city of Saramto with this story, while returning to Adan Records at the same time. This is the longest story in the Shifter Towers series. And I'll let you in on a secret, there is more Shifter Towers coming in the future. In His Omega on Stage, Ash is releasing his debut album under the stage name AI. And when mishaps happen, he ends up working alongside his high school crush. But in the entertainment industry, relationships are never easy when they happen in the spotlight.

Another day, another dollar. Okay, so I made more than a dollar a day, but that was how the saying went. I was on my way to work once again. All I seemed to do lately, with nothing to break the monotony of my week. I used to teach guitar lessons to a few high school kids on my days off, but they either went off to college or had their own part-time job now with no time for lessons anymore. And I hadn’t bothered to look for more students. A boyfriend? Yeah right! Who wanted a leopard cat alpha who worked the evening shift at a record store? One who had a bad-boy reputation in high school that hadn’t translated well into adulthood. I had the occasional lonely omega come into the store at night. But a hookup with them never led to another. At first, that’s exactly what I’d wanted, having been burned by those I’d loved in the past. But, that had quickly become a lonely life. Now, I was “too passionate,” or “an overgrown house cat,” and not at all the type of fun my bed warmers were looking for. I wasn’t the “bad boy” they expected.

So, I worked. And when I wasn’t working, I listened to music at home, sometimes strumming along. That was my life. Boring. And another boring night awaited me at work.

Or so I thought until I got there and saw my boss, Kathie, the owner of KMM—Kathie’s Music and Merch—at the back of the store, fingers clenched in her dark-brown hair.

“Thank the stars you’re here.” She handed me a tall, yet thin cardboard box. “My father was rushed to the hospital a couple of of hours ago, and I need to get there.”

“Why didn’t you call me to come in earlier?” I felt bad for sleeping in and lazing around all morning while she was stressing the whole time. Sure, my job was boring, but Kathie treated me well, and we got along. “You know I would have.”

“I know.” She lightly touched my forearm. “But the doctor said he was stable, and I needed to discuss things with Sanjeet, the rep from Adan Records, before AI’s signing tomorrow.”

She nodded toward a stack of tall cardboard boxes like the one I held. “This is only some of the display for tomorrow’s signing. I need you to help those coming down from AR to set up. Felix is coming in to work the store so you can do that for me.”

“Okay.” I nudged her toward her office. “I’ll take care of it all. Now, get your stuff and go to your father.” She didn’t need to stress about anything else.

While Kathie gathered her belongings, I rang up a couple of customers. The part of my job I was used to. Setting up the event room for the signing would be new for me. Usually, Kathie did that herself. Sure, I’d retrieved items for her when the store wasn’t busy, but I’d never been left to complete the task on my own. Or even with support staff from AR. But I wasn’t worried. She wouldn’t trust me with the task if I couldn’t handle it.

A few minutes after Kathie rushed out to catch the light rail transit to the hospital, Felix arrived, his normally blond hair sprayed silver, the main color in all the promo for AI’s debut album.

I tried to hide my smirk. “Excited about the album, or hoping to pick up a fan?”

He winked at me. “Maybe a bit of both. AI is cute. Have you seen him?”

“Nah. I don’t get into artists for their looks. I need to hear them first before I become a fan.” And if they’re good-looking, it’s an added bonus. But like I’d ever have a chance with anyone famous.

“He has some covers out already.” Somehow Felix managed to pull an app with a list of AI’s covers up on his phone, and flashed it in front of me within seconds. “You should give them a listen while you’re setting up for him.”

I shrugged. “Trying to copy someone else’s song doesn’t give me any idea of what an artist truly sounds like.” From my experience, artists usually didn’t live up to my expectations on their own music after I’d enjoyed a cover. Sometimes the artist released a single of a completely different style than what I’d hoped for.

“But he makes them his own. Does his own thing.” Felix’s pout was cute, but it wouldn’t make me listen to this AI kid any sooner than I had to.

“Whatever.” I picked up a couple of the boxes. “I know the album will be playing here all day tomorrow. I’ll decide then.” Likely I’d be sick of every song by the end of the day and never want to hear the album again. Adan Records did have some good artists, like Envi and TK, but the boy group they debuted recently was too bubble-gum pop for me. Listening to them made my teeth hurt. Although they and groups like them seemed to sell well. With the rise of digital music, many fans no longer bought albums, but they came in searching for other merchandise, like clothing, posters, trading cards, figurines, and more. Their hunger for goods was endless.

Tonight, we wouldn’t be very busy. Only the customers who knew about the signing and wanted to avoid the crowd would come in. Plus, the occasional random shopper. Nothing Felix couldn’t handle. So, I set to work carrying all the material to the event room.

I’d just finished bringing in everything labeled for the signing when two women from AR arrived to help me get the room ready. The older one, probably in her mid-forties, with shoulder-length blonde hair and a large tattoo of a snake around her right arm, had a detailed layout of where everything was supposed to go. We divided the room then set up cardboard cutouts, decorated tables, and arranged the line area. The merchandise would come in the morning. Adan Records was really strict about not letting anyone get an early peek at their albums. Even though customers always came into the store early, hoping to snag a copy before their friends, they never had any luck with AR artists. Because we didn’t get them ahead of time.

I had just put the last barrier in place for the fan lineup when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a text from Felix.

Suspicious customer. Busy with others. Can you come deal?

Be right there, I replied.

I quickly excused myself from the room then rushed back to KMM. Felix was ringing through customers, but I could see him side-eying the person he’d texted me about. And for good reason. The figure browsing through the pop CDs wore baggy black jogging pants and a hoodie, with a black bucket hat and black face mask bejewelled with silver beads in the shape of a diamond. Obviously trying to keep their identity a secret, but that made them more suspicious in a record store. Though we had security stickers on most products, there were still too many items that could easily be pocketed.

I caught a whiff of their scent. Vanilla and brown sugar. An omega, which I hadn’t expected when I’d first seen him. Though I couldn’t tell what kind of shifter. “Can I help you with something?”

I don’t think he heard me approach, as he jumped a little before turning my direction. “I uh, yeah.... I’m looking for AI. His new album. For my sister.”

His deep voice caught me by surprise, too, but I didn’t believe his story at all. Why did he have to hide, in multiple ways, that he was a fan?

I sneaked a glimpse of his eyes under the rim of his hat. He appeared strangely familiar, as if I should know who the person was but couldn’t seem to remember. Someone I’d seen in person before maybe? Why couldn’t I remember?

“AI’s album doesn’t release until tomorrow. We don’t get any copies of it until first thing in the morning. Sorry to disappoint you, I mean, your sister.” Would he get the hint I didn’t find his story credible? “But if you’re available tomorrow, AI will be here to sign his new album from eleven until two. There’ll be new merch, too.”

“Oh, okay.” The guy adjusted his hat and mask, covering even more of his face. “I’ll come back then to get one. Thank you.” He rushed out of the store without bothering to look for anything else.

Not that I minded. It meant I could return to setting up for the signing. But I wondered if the guy would really come back. Would he admit to being a fan if face-to-face with AI?

“Customers are looking for his album already,” I said, walking into the event room. “That’s a good sign.”

“Understandable. He’s really good.” The older woman carried the cardboard cutout of AI to the stage. “I heard his album is a bit different from the covers he posted though.”

Everyone spoke so highly of his covers, but I still wouldn’t listen to them. I wanted to hear him singing his own music to make my judgment. “Well, I’m sure he’ll have quite the turnout tomorrow.”
​
The woman set the cutout in place, and that was the first time I got a glimpse of the artist who went by the stage name AI. All other cutouts had him wearing a white full-face mask, with intricate silver patterns. In this one, I could see his dark hair and big doe eyes. I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity, like I should know him from somewhere. I guess I’d have to try to get a glimpse of him sometime tomorrow to know for sure. That is, if I had a moment to leave the store.