It is a rare time in my life when I have only four books that I am reading at the current moment. This could be because I’ve been working hard at making CDs to sell. (Shameless plug here and here.) Or, it could be because I have been hard at work writing my own book(s). Either way, it’s been a while since I have given you a mash-up of any variety so I figured I’d offer up what would happen if all four books were one. Makes for an interesting story.

The Outlanders of Burning Bear and Landing Nightingale

A British Army nurse survives the war to be reunited with her bisexual Russian gymnast lover. The two take to the Scottish countryside for a much needed vacation. After they quarrel about the nurse’s biphobia, the gymnast wanders off discovering an ancient stone circle which sends her into an apocalyptic world with the undead.

Feeling terrible, the nurse sets off to find her lover. She stumbles upon the same stones but gets sent back to 14th century Russia and a village on the edge of wilderness. Wishing she had her lover there to translate, she pieces together that the village is having a string of bad luck and winter will soon be upon them. The priest who has just arrived encourages the village to give up their old ways and embrace his. One girl defies him though and the nurse realizes she too is shunned for being an outsider. With the nurse’s help, the girl embraces power from deep within to save her village and possibly send the nurse home.

Meanwhile, our Russian gymnast finds herself in a world that has been run by the dead for too long. Even more dangerous is the fact that some of the dead, have decided they want to live again. She meets an interesting couple, one living and one split between life and death, who have decided to take on a powerful force looking to usurp what’s left of civilization. The group sets off in the hope to discover who is in charge of this evil entity and if they have the capability to send the gymnast home.

Will both women conquer evil centuries apart? Will these two star-crossed lovers ever find their way back into each others arms? Only time will tell.

If any of this sounded interesting to you, check out these books:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

The Burning World by Isaac Marion

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Stuck Landing by Lauren Gallagher