#BookReview: Truth in Blue Mirai Amell

Synopsis: Sometimes life is better as a lie.

Malakai wanted to protect his kingdom from threats beyond its borders. Instead, stripped of his magic and on the run, he now needs to save it from his brother, the king himself.

Amaryllis wanted to have nothing to do with humans. Instead, stranded in the wrong realm, she now needs to retrieve a lost fae relic with powers no one comprehends.

Una wanted to be a knight in shining armor. Instead, haunted by the memories of a life she never lived, Una now needs to find answers from someone she doesn't remember meeting.

When their paths cross, each must decide what matters to them the most.

Or risk losing everything they hold dear.

In a world where Angels and Shades battle for souls while the Devil sips his tea, the fate of one country, two races, and four realms hangs in the balance when love and loyalties are tested to their limits.

#BookReview: Baby Making for Everybody by Ray Rachlin & Maria Goodman

Synopsis: This inclusive, straightforward guide to fertility is What to Expect Before You’re Expecting for families outside the heterosexual nuclear family model—perfect for LGBTQ+ and solo parents who want to have kids but don’t know where to start.   
 
In  Baby Making for Everybody,  queer millennial midwives Ray Rachlin and Marea Goodman use their professional expertise to demystify the dizzying process of pursuing parenthood as queer and solo people, offering detailed, gender-affirming, body-positive advice on topics  
The result is a much-needed compassionate step-by-step guide for every aspect of the complicated, messy, and glorious process of building a family. Combining practical information with personal narratives and first-person community wisdom, this book provides prospective parents with the information they need to grow their families.
 

#BookReview: Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith

Synopsis: A lush, dangerous tale of forbidden love. Pitched as magical YA Moulin Rouge in the Prohibition Era: a young trapeze star must magically seduce a dangerous bootlegger whose family is set on destroying hers, but when she mistakenly charms a handsome tourist instead, she must bury the forbidden sparks between them before her family loses everything.

#BookReview: House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by @SJMaas

Synopsis: Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.

#BookBlitz: Stalked by the Devil by @stacydeanne @XpressoTours #Giveaway 2x ebook copies of Stalked by the Devil

Stalked by the Devil
Stacy-Deanne
Publication date: June 3rd 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Fear is the name of his game.

Nothing’s going right in Melody Carter’s life right now. She’s broke, unemployed, and living in the shadow of her successful fashion-model sister Sahara. But that ain’t even the half of Melody’s problems, the biggest one is Keith Taylor, Sahara’s new boyfriend who’s slowly worming his way into the sisters’ lives.

Keith’s perfect to everyone else: successful, gorgeous, and at 35 he’s the co-CEO of his family’s billion-dollar company. But Melody feels she has every reason to hate him from his arrogance, his controlling ways, and how every woman he’s had a relationship with seems to disappear.

While everyone else seems blinded by the silver-tongued bachelor, Melody will do anything in her power to prove that Keith is the devil himself.

Tropes: Billionaire, stalking, interracial, love triangle, office romance, first love, second-chance, opposites attract

#BookReview: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

Synopsis: A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales—the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi. 

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after—and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past. 

But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives. 

Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

#BookBlitz: Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess @XpressoTours #Giveaway $10 Resist Booksellers Gift Card + ebook copy of Everything’s Fine

Everything’s Fine
Cecilia Rabess
Publication date: June 6th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

“Extraordinarily brave…plain funny as hell, too.” —Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl

“A subtle, ironic, wise, state-of-the-nation novel, sharp enough to draw blood, hidden inside a moving, intimate, sincere and very real love story–or vice versa.” —Nick Hornby

On Jess’s first day at Goldman Sachs, she’s less than thrilled to learn she’ll be on the same team as Josh, her white, conservative sparring partner from college. Josh loves playing the devil’s advocate and is just…the worst.

But when Jess finds herself the sole Black woman on the floor, overlooked and underestimated, it’s Josh who shows up for her in surprising—if imperfect—ways. Before long, an unlikely friendship—one tinged with undeniable chemistry—forms between the two. A friendship that gradually, and then suddenly, turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both.

Despite their differences, the force of their attraction propels the relationship forward, and Jess begins to question whether it’s more important to be happy than right. But then it’s 2016, and the cultural and political landscape shifts underneath them. And Jess, who is just beginning to discover who she is and who she has the right to be, is forced to ask herself what she’s willing to compromise for love and whether, in fact, everything’s fine.

A stunning debut that introduces Cecilia Rabess as a blazing new talent, Everything’s Fine is a poignant and sharp novel that doesn’t just ask will they, but…should they?

#CoverReveal: Against All Enemies by @thomasmwing1 @RABTBookTours @PublishingAcorn

 

Military Fiction

Date Published: October 13, 2023

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

When the People’s Republic of China unleashes a devastating attack on the United States, newly appointed Naval Commander Bill Watkins and his crew are suddenly alone, deep in the enemy’s backyard, and unable to communicate with naval or national leadership.

At home in Washington, the president is detached from reality. Survivors of his cabinet contend with military leadership for control, some to save the nation they serve, others in pursuit of personal power. As America becomes alienated from her allies, Russia begins a campaign that creates heightened fears of nuclear annihilation.

Bill must navigate a political minefield to find friends among China’s neighbors, while undertaking a role that demands he take unimaginable risks and wrestles with the question: What losses are acceptable in order to win?

#ReleaseBlitz: Unchained Fury by @author_runner @RABTBookTours

 

Thriller, Action Thriller

Date Published: July 15, 2023

 

Sometimes, anger needs to be unleashed.

Blaze gets a call from ex-US Marshal Mitchell. He has seen two ghosts roaming the streets of San Francisco. The Cady brothers. Ruthless arms traffickers and killers Blaze and his Marshals’ team had taken out two years ago. One brother, Carson, died trying to escape. The other, Dexter, killed a Marshal and barely stayed alive, once Blaze was done with him. Dexter ended on death row, awaiting execution.

When Blaze lands in San Francisco, he discovers he and his team are on the Cadys hit list. A gang of hitmen has taken the contract. They made a mistake. When the game becomes no holds barred, when nothing is off limits, there’s nothing to hold back Blaze’s fury.

Following the success of Blaze Returns, Lethal Force, Hard Target, and Mean Streets, Bill Runner is back with the fifth novel in the Axel Blaze thriller series. The fast-paced, brutal action in the series is attracting fans of thriller novels worldwide.

#ReleaseBlitz for The San Marco Heist by @JanetOppedisano and @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: The San Marco Heist

An Enemies to Lovers Heist

Series: Reynolds Recoveries #1

Author: Janet Oppedisano

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Forced Proximity

Release Date: July 14, 2023

BLURB

With my brother’s life on the line, I’ll do anything to get him back—even team up with an annoyingly sexy private eye for the heist of a lifetime.

When I plan the recovery (don’t ever call it theft) of stolen items for their rightful owners, nothing matters more than the safety of my team. I trust no one outside our tight-knit circle. Because a couple years ago I lost my fiancé in a heist gone wrong. My heist. My fault.

But while undercover to take back a near-priceless manuscript, I encounter Malcolm Sharpe, an old friend of my brother’s whose diamond-blue eyes and toe-curling smile almost cause me to blow the heist. We pull it off, beating another team to the prize, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve dodged a bullet.

The other team, though, will stop at nothing to get revenge. That includes kidnapping both Malcolm and my brother—and sending only Malcolm back with a message. They demand my crew steal a medieval relic in exchange for my brother’s life.

And then there’s my brother’s plea to trust Malcolm. Trust a freelance PI whose loyalty ends with a paycheck? Not a chance. But if I’m to get my brother back alive, I need all the help I can get. Even from a man who’s hiding a secret that could turn my entire world upside down.

The San Marco Heist is the exhilarating first installment in the Reynolds Recoveries romantic suspense series, featuring charismatic heroes, smart heroines, and a thrilling heist in each novel.

#CoverReveal for I Could Never by @PenelopeAuthor and @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: I Could Never

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Forbidden Romance/Enemies to Lovers

Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Photographer: Anders Kavin

Release Date: August 21, 2023

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new forbidden, enemies-to-lovers story…

It all started with an unexpected phone call.

Two years after my fiancé passed away in an accident, his father died suddenly, leaving Brad’s adult, special-needs brother with no one to care for him.

The next thing I knew, I was on a cross-country drive to New Hampshire where I’d be moving in to look after Scottie until I could get him into a group home.

The last thing I ever expected?

I wouldn’t be taking care of him alone.

Josh Mathers, my fiance’s best friend—who also happened to be my sworn enemy—insisted he was the better person for the job. He told me to go back to California, and I told him where he could stick that demand.

Our disdain for each other wasn’t anything new. It dated back to a text I’d accidentally read years ago.

We hated each other. But we both loved Scottie, so neither of us budged.

Now we were living together in a tiny house—with one available bedroom. Thank goodness it was only temporary.

Over time, I realized the broody jerk I thought I knew was different than I’d imagined.

I found myself slowly growing attached to someone I once considered the enemy…and growing attracted to him.

Sure, both of us were guilt-ridden over Brad. We were also two grown people with pent-up frustration toward one another—stuck in a cabin in the woods.

But this was Josh.

I could never.