Ascension Series

  On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland—an Affiliate to the Queen.   Or so she thinks.   When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene's position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have... King Edric himself.   Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom. Find out in this first book in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde's new Ascension series. Great for fans of Game of Thrones, Tudors, and Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series.  

The book is mainly based on the spiritual energetic principles for growth and evolution of consciousness as it was planned and destined by the Creator, The Source, God.

Being a Jew in Germany can be a dangerous thing... Fear prompts Konrad Wengler to put his faith aside and try desperately to forget his heritage. After fighting in the Great War, he's wounded and turns instead to law enforcement in his tiny Bavarian hometown. There, he falls under the spell of the fledgling Nazi Party. He joins the Party in patriotic fervour and becomes a Lieutenant of Police and Schutzstaffel (SS). In the course of his duties as policeman, Konrad offends a powerful Nazi official who starts an SS investigation. War breaks out. When he joins the Police Battalions, he's sent to Poland and witnesses there firsthand the atrocities being committed upon his fellow Jews. Unknown to Konrad, the SS investigators have discovered his origins and follow him into Poland. Arrested and sent to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Konrad is forced to face what it means to be a Jew and fight for survival. Will his friends on the outside, his wife and lawyer, be enough to counter the might of the Nazi machine?

I'm one of the Powers. My duty is to be on guard for demonic attacks and protect the byways between Heaven and Hell. I've never had any reason to doubt my work, to question my purpose, until him… Tristan Mori is his name, and he's a chef. From the moment I lay eyes on him, I know he is to be mine. Who am I to claim such a thing? I am… Demuri

It is the Beginning of the End...   And the End is doomed from the start when a beastly Vessifer enters the city of Maerise. Artherien was banished from his home country with an impossible mission and a cursed bracer to keep him on task and prevent his transformation, something he is not keen on—considering how difficult his task is: to find the rumored healer of his race, called Heraghine. Meanwhile in Maerise, the princess is kidnapped, preoccupying the King while another unwelcome visitor arrives thanks to councilwoman Kotaphira. Rinlear, who was once like Kotaphira's brother, is now more demon than man. Dragged into the bowels of the castle as one of three keys needed by Kotaphira, she also has plans for Artherien when she learns he is searching for the fabled Heraghine. Caught up in her mistress Kotaphira's plans, rune mage Kemryn is falling apart. Attacked by Rinlear and unnerved by a night with Artherien, she no longer trusts in her abilities. However, she is needed to keep Rinlear and the other beasts at bay. Somehow she must find the strength to use her abilities without showing fear. Is the Heraghine the answer to their problems? Or will someone else step up to take control? Can Artherien keep his transformation at bay, or will he fall to his curse and wreak havoc on the city?

In INVOCATION, the Earth bound Humans are the attack dogs of the universe. Feared throughout galaxies, we are an aggressor species, bred by our makers, specifically for war. Unaware of our destiny, we have been left to develop on Earth since our inception. We are now being called into service. So discovers Alicia Parker, a field reporter for a major news organization, sent to Alabama to cover a remarkable tear in dimensions appearing in the sky above a tiny, rural town. From the tear, a yellow fog is now enveloping the Earth and a voice on the radio is promising all Humans a grand enlightenment. A teenage girl, claiming to be a princess from another dimension, however, tells a different story. Princess Sariana, as she calls herself, relays to Alicia the history of all souls on Earth. It seems that the planet Lucifer, once located between our present Mars and Jupiter, was home to a civilization of ascended souls living peacefully in the third dimension. However, a great civil war erupted on the planet as a sect of Luciferians announced their intentions to ascend ultimately to the realm of God. As this is forbidden by universal law, the offending Luciferians were cast out from the planet to live in exile, in the far reaches of the universe. They returned, however, more powerful than before and now calling themselves “Humans”. They destroyed the planet Lucifer, took captive the surviving souls and finally did the unthinkable. The Humans created new, vicious souls in their image and bred them on Earth with the sole purpose of occupying the front lines of a large, inter-dimensional war. Today, the rings of Saturn are all that remain of the planet Lucifer and the Humans are poised for domination of all dimensions. They've come now to collect their disposable soldiers. Sariana maintains that she is Alicia's grand-daughter. She insists that it is Alicia's destiny to lead a revolt of Earth-bound souls and to become the Grand Queen of the Third Order of Lucifer. The ascension must be stopped, and the lost souls of Lucifer must be found in order to halt the Human aggression. While Alicia is quite certain that the girl is more than a bit troubled, something about her seems familiar. Her story seems to explain a lot including the Human preoccupation with war and the apparent isolation of Earth in a densely populated omniverse. Nevertheless, being a Luciferian Queen will surely have a negative impact on her career. While outraged pundits debate vigorously on television and merchandising runs rampant, the gravity of the situation eludes most of mankind. Alicia must decide her role in the coming rapture and, perhaps, the fate of all Earth-bound souls. On the upside, free commemorative glasses are available with the purchase of any value meal at participating fast food merchants.  

After the loss of a friend and a false imprisonment in an Eleysian dungeon, Cyrene has no interest in destiny. Her heart was shattered, friends scattered, and her home is nothing but a pretty illusion. Even her magic won't cooperate.   Only desperation can turn her to the last person she should trust:   Prince Kael.   His darkness mirrors a growing force lurking within her. A struggle she never imagined threatens to consume her. And as friends and foes begin to show their true colors, she starts questioning whether anyone is who they seem.

Cyrene Strohm is a Queen's Affiliate, a high-ranking official of the court of Byern, with power and privilege to spare. But she's also a keeper of dangerous secrets: like the fact that she holds the heart of the King, and that she possesses magic in a world where magic no longer exists.   Determined to discover what this means and how to use her newfound abilities, Cyrene sets off for the distant land of Eleysia. An island nation where Affiliates are strictly forbidden from entering.   But the journey is perilous, and the destination may mean utter ruin, as Cyrene comes to learn that everything she's been told her whole life – about her court, her homeland, and even herself—are bound in a beautiful lie.

I'm one of the Angels. My duty is to be a messenger and to watch over the mortals. I protect them. Secretly, I've wanted to be one of the warriors, but I tell no one my wish. I have a place in the hierarchy, and I won't challenge it. At least not until I meet the lifeguard Dorn, who is also tasked with protecting humans. I want to be intertwined with his future, but evil is approaching, and I'm not in a position to solely protect him. I have duties. Doesn't stop my desire for him. I am… Sagar

They are the stuff of nightmarish and cautionary tales told to children. Sirens of the swamps, the Ilsead lure unsuspecting suitors in an effort to climb the ranks of southern society. Then, once entrenched and under the guise of nobility, the Ilsead begin to breed. Their children born skinless, these terrible creatures then rip the flesh from Human babies in order to dress their own. Should you be unfortunate enough to be kissed by the Ilsead, she'll steal your soul and inherit your very spirit, leaving you for dead and getting high from your lifeline. These are the fabled Boo Hags of the southern wilds and, as with most folklore, it leaves such a quite unflattering portrait and, in the end, it's utter b.s. In truth, the Ilsead are an ancient order of souls, not of the Third Dimension. They exist to right wrongs in the present timeline. We learn that there are troublesome souls that have been directed to disrupt the preferred end of the Dark Age and these transgressors must be stopped. The Ilsead fulfill this role. Allied with the Third Order of Lucifer, the Ilsead are immortal creatures that set about their mission many millennia before, at the dawn of the Human population on Earth. They are sadly and, at best, misunderstood. In this volume of ASCENSION, we meet one such sect of Ilsead. The Gullah understood. At least they once did. The GeeChee of the South Carolina isles revered the Ilsead and took them in as equals and protectors. The Ilsead in turn honored their Human counterparts and made them Symposiarchs; sires that would breed new vessels as needed and direct them to the many wants of the masses. Crops were protected, oppressors were frightened away and, eventually, political offices were taken. It was all for the betterment of the timeline. Benny Watt, though, had an agenda. The Ilsead, he'd heard could be crudely utilized as assassins. He had certain enemies that he would prefer removed and so he longed for Edith. He dreamt of her. Perhaps he thought her a pet but he was awfully mistaken. He was predestined to meet her. Unbeknownst to him, Benny is a decedent of a great line of Symposiarchs and Edith was merely calling him home. 

Never underestimate the enemy... Konrad Wengler survived his brush with the death camps of Nazi Germany. Now, reinstated as a police officer in his Bavarian hometown despite being a Jew, he throws himself back into his work, seeking to uncover evidence that will remove a corrupt Nazi party official.  The Gestapo have their own agenda and, despite orders from above to eliminate this troublesome Jewish policeman, they hide Konrad in the Totenkopf (Death's Head) Division of the Waffen-SS. In a fight to survive in the snowy wastes of Russia while the tide of war turns against Germany, Konrad experiences tank battles, ghetto clearances, partisans, and death camps (this time as a guard), as well as the fierce battles where his Division is badly outnumbered and on the defence. Through it all, Konrad strives to live by his conscience and resist taking part in the atrocities happening all around him. He still thinks of himself as a policeman, but his desire to bring the corrupt Nazi official to justice seems far removed from his present reality. If he is to find the necessary evidence against his enemy, he must first survive...

I am a Cherubim. Our times have begun to change and our duties with it, however, I still serve. And then I meet him. I cannot forget about him nor can I leave him alone as I know would be the smart thing to do. There is more to this man than others see. Perhaps than even I see. He calms the storm within me and I will lay claim to him, and he will become mine. I am… Agi

The Luciferian Preemptive, as it had come to be known, was a failure. The Humans were successful in collecting their Earth-bound souls, full of vitriol and hate. These souls, made in the Human image, are the sole possessors of a concept known nowhere else in the known Omniverse: death. With the Humans now in possession of this ultimate weapon against their oppressors, other worlds and soul groups prohibiting their further ascension appear to be at risk of extinction should they oppose the Human will to become the ultimate power in the Omniverse. Meanwhile on Earth in the Third Dimension, the Grand Queen Alicia holds rights to no Queendom. In the lawless, post Ascension world, she struggles for survival among her peers, those who have also managed to opt-out of the promised Human enlightenment. Perhaps surprisingly, the world still functions for the most part but it lacks organization. With no clear leaders and supply chains breaking down, Alicia concludes to use her leadership skills and her access to a world-wide television and radio link-up to rally the remaining citizens of Earth in the spirit of cooperation. Forging a new society based on barter and, eventually, when required, brute force, Alicia’s new Luciferian society proves successful. Working in cooperation with the Christians in Alabama and Mississippi, their influence begins to spread throughout the South. In time, the Luciferians and the Grand Queen Alicia will become among the dominant powers in Third Dimensional Earth. Promised by Sariana that a savior would return to lead her people to another, more rightful, Ascension, Alicia and her society await further instructions. Finally, an original Luciferian Warrior Soul arrives but he is not the benefactor Alicia’s citizens had hoped for. Disgusted by these “new” souls and their seeming obsession with violence and death, he reluctantly leads them to meet the Second Order of Earth Bound souls. 

I'm one of the Seraphim. I exist in the uppermost part of the hierarchy. I am to dispel and destroy the shadows of darkness. One day my perfect world is tossed into chaos and I meet Felix. He intrigues me unlike anything or anyone before him. Our lives and intersecting and instead of this upsetting me, this pleases me. I want to be around him and see what comes from this. I am… Rao

I am a Throne. I met out deserving punishment when ordered, yet I believe in submission and peace. My orderly life is tossed around when I go after an innocent to save him and we end up in Hell together. I have to keep him alive until others arrive to help us escape. I will not leave without him. however, when we are free of this place, I do not want him to leave me. I am… Kryillos

Casper is a modern man with decidedly modern problems. His chain of pizza shops is preparing the risky task of changing their menu. In addition to their traditional fare, he'll now begin serving grinders and chicken wings. Casper is doing so in an effort to compete with the likes of Dominos and Pizza Hut and it's costing him a lot money to do so. There are long nights experimenting to discover the perfect dressing for certain subs. He has radio advertising to purchase and menus to print. It's stressful. Couple this with his now sexless marriage, two teenage kids and a mortgage that he can barely afford, Casper is being pushed to his limits. As the bills pile up, so does his anxiety and he eventually suffers a nervous breakdown. Dissatisfied with the benzos prescribed to him (they only make him sleepy, and his wife swipes them regularly), Casper turns to internet forums and discovers a promising research chemical that has received rave reviews from those with similar debilitations. This drug makes everything better. He's more confident and focused; his libido is through the roof. Unable to find sexual satisfaction at home, Casper, once again, takes refuge online. He meets a beautiful, young escort and begins an ongoing tryst. In his stupor, he concludes that this is his perfect scenario. That is, until her pimp begins to cause problems. It is then that Casper recalls a talent from his youth. Since he was a child, he has always been able to stop time. Although long dormant, the research chemical he's taking seems to reawaken this ability. A chance meeting with his courtesan's handler, which promptly turns violent, results in Casper putting the world on pause and manipulating his surroundings. People die and now he's on the run. Casper is no longer the owner of a pizza shop chain, he's now an outlaw, evading the authorities with an effortless zeal, his pretty, young, and understandably confused, escort in tow. 

Konrad Wengler is captured and sent from one Soviet prison camp to another. Even hearing the war has come to an end makes no difference until he's arrested as a Nazi Party member. In jail, Konrad refuses to defend himself for things he's guilty of and should be punished for. Will his be an eye-for-an-eye life sentence, or leniency in regard of the good he tried to do once he learned the truth?

The unforgettable conclusion to the epic fantasy Ascension series that New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard called "perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas."   The fate of the world rests on one girl's shoulders.   And her world has been turned upside down.   With Cyrene's allies in shambles after a bitter defeat, she has to find a way to bring them back together to stop the dark goddess. But with a war raging and the newly-united magical community barely held together, Cyrene's leadership has been called into question.   As fate pulls them all toward that prophetic final battle, she has to find the true meaning behind her magic…and within herself.

I am a Domination. My job, among other tasks, is to regulate the duties of the lower beings. I don't like to reveal myself to mortals, however the night my life intermixed with this human, who was given a gift from one of my kind, I had no choice but to protect him. I will not share him, nor will I let what is mine, be one of the many sacrificed in this upcoming battle. I am… Gezi

The fourth book in the fantasy Ascension series that NYT bestselling author Susan Dennard called "perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas."   War is on the horizon.   All while a new power grows strong, threatening the very balance of good and evil.   Desperate to save her homeland, Cyrene goes in search of the dragons that may be the key to ending this battle—and heal her dying friend.   Can Cyrene master her magic to save the world?

Blurb I am of the Principalities. My purpose is to guide and protect the nations of the mortal world. Time has had no meaning for me until the day my existence intersects with this human. Everything is now different, and I am questioning if I am only supposed to serve and set aside my own desires. I will find a way to do both, for I have claimed him as my own. I am… Jaksill

I am an Archangel. As one who is tasked with many of the more important missions to men, I am a leader in the army against evil. I am a guardian. Never have a I questioned my purpose, yet when I meet the quiet man who is my opposite in every way, I cannot ignore the draw between us. My attention on him has landed him in the crosshairs of demons. Those creatures will learn how dangerous it is to threaten what is mine. I am… Azar

I am a Virtue. Our kind is under attack and we are having to pull double duty to protect the earth as well as search for the ones who are attacking us from the inside. When I meet him, I mistakenly assume he is not one who deserves my protection. The way he makes me feel, is not the least bit virtuous and I'm okay with that. If it takes the rest of our lives for me to apologize properly, I will. I am… Kolb

I'm one of the Virtues. My job is to preside over weather events and movement of the celestial bodies. Despite my limited interaction with humans, I am drawn by this one who I witness kill a demon. From that moment on, our lives are entangled. There is more going on down here, and among my kind, than I had believed. All I know is I want him at my side through it all. I am… Omri

I am one of the Cherubim. I have some of the greatest tasks to serve. Typically, I do not question my orders but when the request comes to protect just one human, I do not understand why he is so special. Everything about him in a mystery and one I cannot stay away from. I'm supposed to enlighten yet all I want is to learn more from him and the pleasures he introduces me to. I am… Zavn  

The first three books in the fantasy Ascension series that New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard called "perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas."   On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland--an Affiliate to the Queen.   Or so she thinks.   When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene's position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have...   King Edric himself.   Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom.

I am a Principality, created to watch over the mortal world and her inhabitants. Things are as ordered, as ordained. Until one snowy day when I meet the human that changes everything. Changes me. I need to remain vigilant, we are at war, but every free moment I have, I crave to be in his presence, throwing my ordered world into confusion and turmoil. I cannot, will not, give him up. I am… Cynbel   This is best read in order for the series, but it's not necessary.

I am an Archangel. I have fought wars, lost friends and battles alike, yet I still stand proud. And alone. I watched the one I love fall for and claim another. Convinced my existence is to be faced without someone at my side I almost missed the one who waltzed into my life like a storm. My kind is at war and I don't believe I have time to try to "learn" how to be a mate. He isn't one to be denied. If I accept him, perhaps weathering what is coming won't be as terrible as I have envisioned. I am… Luken  

I am an Angel and we are in a struggle for the survival of our kind and the humans. My duties have doubled and I will continue to do my part to protect my kind and humans alike. When I meet him, I learn what some others already know. Having that "One" for you was allowed, so when my path crosses with his, I accept our fates are intertwined. He is being targeted and it may be by the ones after my kind. I wasn't born to battle but when called upon I will fight. He is mine and I will do what is needed to keep him safe. I am… Razieh    

I am one of the Seraphim and because of this, my light can be such, others of my kind do not wish to look upon me. Known as a fiery serpent, my job is to destroy the darkness including the many shadows it cowers and hides within. When I meet the actor Oliver and he is trying to learn about my kind, something changes in my world. Who knew I could earn anything, or desire to, from a human? Everything I know is up in chaos. It doesn't matter. He does. I am… Brandr