The Phoenix Institute Series

The Main Phoenix Institute Universe

Rise of the Firestarter, Book 1. Available at Amazon and other ebookstores.

The world’s most powerful weapon is a young soldier raised in isolation…..

Alec Farley is a telekinetic firestarter who’d been trained to work with a special forces team to defend America from its most dangerous threats. Or so he thinks. He doesn’t know his mentor has plans to control the world, he doesn’t know what he’s been taught is lies, and he doesn’t know why the lovely psychologist sent to help him has instead kidnapped him.

Beth Nakamora went undercover to contact Alec, but when it becomes clear Alec needs out, any way possible, she kidnaps him to show him the outside world and his true place in it.

Neither expects Alec’s power to trigger Beth’s latent telepathy. Neither expects the fiery attraction that nearly consumes them. Now, they must learn to trust each or else Alec will never be the hero he’s meant to be.

Author’s Note: This book was originally published in 2012 as Phoenix Rising.

Dark Inferno, Book 2. Available at Amazon and other ebookstores.

Delilah Sefton has everything she wanted: a bar to run, a home, and peace for the first time in her difficult life. Until the day she wakes up with bruises and no memory of what caused them. But when she discovers she’s pregnant she’s certain of two things; she wants the child and she wants to make whoever attacked her pay.

Philip Drake, a former black ops CIA agent, is at loose ends, uncertain of what to do with his newfound immortality. Then he discovers that someone has experimented with his genetic code and, worse, that they’ve used his childhood friend as an unwitting test subject. He’s intent on protecting her and destroying them.

Instead of welcoming his help, Delilah rejects him because the old wounds of his betrayal are not yet healed. But she may not have a choice, as her captors will stop at nothing to steal her baby.

The Immortal’s Ghost, Book 3, Available at Amazon and other ebookstores.

The Queen is dying. Her only hope is a prince lost to history and a woman who can walk through walls…

Richard Genet abandoned the Immortal Court decades ago but his Queen’s illness forces him back into service. Marian Doyle, an antiquities dealer, craves to escape her secret life as a thief but is trapped by her obligation to the family ‘business.’When Richard offers to cut Marian free of her obligations if she joins him on a dangerous, desperate quest to locate a cure for the Queen, Marian seizes her chance for escape.

As their journey takes them across Europe, Marian is unexpectedly drawn to this loner prince who seems to adore her independent spirit. But even if they find the cure, they’ll have to confront betrayal at the heart of the Court in order to save each other and their Queen.

Note: This is a revised and updated edition of a book originally tilted Ghost Phoenix.

Out of the Ashes, Book 4. Available at Amazon and other ebookstores.

To save their son, they might have to sacrifice their love-and their lives.

Former Navy SEAL Daz Montoya and rescue dog handler Renee Black have made a career out of saving people. But when their whirlwind affair resulted in pregnancy, Daz’s verbal fumble tore their budding relationship apart. It’s been a tough eight years for Renee, raising Charlie alone with his autism-fueled impulsiveness, but she’s managed-until now. When she has to chase him to the edge of a cliff in a snowstorm, seeing the face of their rescuer is just the rotten cherry on top of an already rough day.

In the close confines of a snowbound cabin, Renee and Daz rediscover the heat still simmering between them. But while Renee welcomes Daz’s renewed determination to help Charlie however he can, she’s reluctant to trust him with her heart.

With the Phoenix Institute’s help, Renee and Daz discover their son’s gift for animal telepathy is real. And that to save him from old enemies that would kill to control him, they must join forces-and risk losing everything they’ve ever loved. Warning:

Author’s Note: This is a revised version of a book originally published as “Phoenix Inheritance.”

The Charlton City novellas, set in the world of the Phoenix Institute:

The Brightest Shade. Available at Amazon and other ebookstores.

Noir, a talented artist, is having a helluva year, at least the part she remembers. She’s invisible, she’s lost her memory, and the scientist who did it to her is nowhere to be found.

Luckily, there’s hope. In Charlton City, everyone knows to call Detective Fixit to solve unsolvable problems.

Aloysius James just wants to get through one day without being called Detective Fixit, but in a crumbling city like Charlton, he does what needs to be done. When he encounters an attractive woman completely swathed in black, out for justice, and needing his help, Noir becomes a mystery he must unwrap.

Noir would love to have Al’s arms around her, as he’s the first person to hear her story and not run away screaming, but listening and believing are two different things. Al can’t deny Noir’s invisibility but he considers the rest of her story crazy, especially the part about the scientist controlling a monster that could wreck havoc on Charlton City.

Without Al’s help, Noir’s doomed to fail in her struggle against the scientist. Will Al trust her In time to save her and the city he’s sworn to protect?

Note: Previously published as Luminous.

Ghosts of Christmas Past. Available at Amazon and other ebookstores.

As Christmas approaches in crumbling Charlton City, Detective Aloysius James and his partner, Noir, are at a crossroads. Figuring out how to reconcile their careers with their relationship is harder than catching the bad guys.

Now that Noir has learned to control her invisibility and is making a name for herself among the city’s artist collective, Al senses there’s something she’s keeping from him. And he doesn’t know how long they can remain partners. Or even lovers.

Noir isn’t sure how Al would take it if he knew how deeply he has touched her artistic soul, or how he could react if he saw the secret drawings that have helped heal the wounds of her past.

When a murder lands them on opposite sides—Al ready to arrest a suspect Noir insists in innocent—they’re going to need to unwrap all the ghosts of their pasts to make this Christmas the first of many. Or it could be their last.

Warning: This story may lead to a craving for pie.

Praise for the Phoenix Institute Series:

From the SF Romance Galaxy Award:

“This series is kind of an X-Men/Batman crossover, if everyone is not just gender-bent but also talent-switched. And even that Batman analogy requires that Batman’s gifts be more super and less obsessed-neurotic based. But still awesome.

The Phoenix Institute starts out as “The Resource” run by one of the very definitely bad guys. His mission is to find people born with super talents and train them to be super soldiers obedient to his every whim. His evil plan is foiled by supers that got away, aided and abetted by one of his own. If Professor Xavier was a firestarter married to a telepath, you get the Phoenix Institute. Pun is intended, the Phoenix Institute rises from the ashes of the Resource and reaches out to supers everywhere, while righting the very big wrongs perpetrated by its predecessor.

On the main series, we have a telepath who rescues the firestarter, and a self-healer who finds his way back to the woman he left behind, who just happens to be in a long line of charismatics. We end with an invisible woman who falls for her clean cop in a dirty city, and a teleporter thief who saves an immortal queen. The alternate history angle in Ghost Phoenix is surprisingly twisty and results in a happily ever after that may just really mean “ever after”. This is paranormal romance with a delightful superhero twist, made even better by continuing into 2015.”

–From Marlene Harris.

More Reviews of the Phoenix Institute Series:
Phoenix Rising:
The Library Journal: “A touch of the X-Men with a smattering of coming-of-age legend, Phoenix Rising certainly keeps the reader’s attention. Lawson effortlessly switches points-of-view, from Alec to Beth and back again…..”The edge-of-your-seat plot keeps the story rolling along

Top Pick! at Night Owl Reviews: “Put Phoenix Rising on your keeper shelf, it’s an amazing read. I absolutely loved it, especially the characters.”

Luminous reviewed by The Library Journal
“Verdict: Quick reading with a superhero vibe, Luminous is a good start on the beachy book season.”

Phoenix Legacy: Four and a half stars from Night Owl Reviews!

“A wonderfully entertaining rollercoaster read that conjures up the fantastical worlds explored in comic books yet provides a romance between unconventional characters.”

Ghosts of Christmas Past from Long and Short Reviews: “The romance between Noir and Al began before the book started but I had no trouble picking up what was happening. The love is there, but so is the mounting tension. Personal barriers, police vs. transient population, politics and greed all play a part in this great novel. I will be going back for more books from this author and she is on my must read list for urban fantasy.”

Full review here.