#BookReview: Ebony Gate (The Phoenix Hoard, #1) by @valleygrrl & @kenbebelle @torbooks

Synopsis: Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle's Ebony Gate is a female John Wick story with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Emiko Soong belongs to one of the eight premier magical families of the world. But Emiko never needed any magic. Because she is the Blade of the Soong Clan. Or was. Until she’s drenched in blood in the middle of a market in China, surrounded by bodies and the scent of blood and human waste as a lethal perfume.

The Butcher of Beijing now lives a quiet life in San Francisco, importing antiques. But when a shinigami, a god of death itself, calls in a family blood debt, Emiko must recover the Ebony Gate that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi underworld. Or forfeit her soul as the anchor.

What's a retired assassin to do but save the City by the Bay from an army of the dead?

This title will be released on July 11, 2023.

#BookBlitz: A Vampire’s Fate by @mcbourque @XpressoTours Books 1-4 in the series + $25 Amazon gift card

A Vampire’s Fate
Marie-Claude Bourque
(The Order of the Black Oak – Vampires, #4)
Publication date: June 27th 2023
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

When wolf shifter and dedicated nurse Rosalie Gauthier returns to her town to take on the leadership of her pack after her father’s illness, her birthright is challenged a tyrannic rival, and marriage to a powerful vampire is her only option to save her family’s legacy.

Bound by honor to his lifetime oath to protect the alpha of the Domaine-Lassalle pack, Mount-Royal Immortal Renaud St-Amand’s duty turns out a whole lot more complicated when he is hit with love at first sight for the future female leader on the day of their arranged marriage.

If you love loyal tough guys with hearts, satisfying slow-burn paranormal romance and safe Happily Ever Afters, the Black Oak World is for you.

#CoverReveal for Until Lydia by @emshue_ak @boomfactorypub and @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Until Lydia

A Happily Ever Alpha World Novel

Author: E.M. Shue

Publisher: Boom Factory Publishing, LLC

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: RBA Designs

Photographer: Taylor Alexander Photography

Release Date: August 4, 2023

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Award-winning author E.M. Shue is back with another installment in the Happily Ever Alpha World by USA Today and New York Times best-selling author Aurora Rose Reynolds.

Can a wild mama bear and an orderly Tennessee State Trooper fight the BOOM?

There are two sides to Lydia Roark. The wild, fun-loving woman who fights hard to protect bears and other animals. And the strait-laced, doting mother of twins who dresses properly and covers her tattoos so not to embarrass her husband. But when her life blows up in a silicon, Botoxed way, her fiery side is unleashed. The cheating husband she struggled to be perfect for will beg for mercy as Lydia fights for her children and becomes the mama bear she studies.

Enter Maverick Whitlock, the argumentative state trooper has a bear problem and is instantly attracted to the curvy and newly single mom. He’s orderly and everything she doesn’t want anymore. He only wants to protect her and is okay with the chaos she and her children bring to his life.

When Lydia’s ex comes after her and the kids, Maverick is willing to give up his badge for them. Lydia isn’t ready for another attempt at a happily ever after. But you can’t fight the BOOM when it finds you.

Until Lydia is part of Aurora Rose Reynolds's Happily Ever Alpha World. If you loved Until Tucker and Until Cobi, then you will want to read Until Lydia.

#SaleBlitz for Discovering Me by VR Tennent @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Discovering Me

Duet: Under the Sun #2

Author: VR Tennent

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Reverse Age Gap/Second Chance

Release Date: March 30, 2023

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I took one summer to find myself. I found him...

Spending time in the Spanish sunshine with ladies similar to myself was a welcome opportunity to lick my wounds after my husband left. The past year had been hard, almost unbearable. The woman I had become was not the person I wanted to be. Under the sun, I hoped to find myself again. I wanted to learn to have fun and be free once more. A summer of decadent drinks, lively conversation and unplanned time would hopefully be the remedy to my rock bottom.

I never expected to gain the attention of a man twelve years my junior. If Max Gordon was a flavor of ice cream, he would be raspberry ripple – my favorite – sweet with utter naughtiness at its core. He became an unexpected experience on my once-in-a-lifetime trip. Our relationship was fun and unexpected. He made me feel alive once more. Perhaps life was only just beginning, but my head told me a woman my age should not be fooling around with a man like him. My heart had other ideas, forcing difficult decisions to be made.

Would I be able to leave my summer fling behind when it was time to go home?

#ReleaseBlitz for Wrathful Malice by Andi Rhodes & Lacy Rose @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Wrathful Malice

Series: Saints Purgatory MC #2

Authors: Andi Rhodes & Lacy Rose

Genre: MC Romance

Trope: Singer/Songwriter

Release Date: July 28, 2023

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There isn’t a person in the world who hasn’t committed a sin. Some sins are worse than others, but seven of them are deadly. But those seven worst of the worst? They’re what drive Saints Purgatory MC to keep fighting.

Apple…

I live my life as a free spirit, a woman determined to carve out her place in the music industry… Hell, in the world. Writing songs and playing gigs is how I survive, and for the most part, it works. Until it doesn’t. I never dreamed I’d get sick and be dragged to a motorcycle club for help, but that’s where I find myself.

When dark forces come for blood, I don’t believe for a second that I’m the target. How can I be when I’m surrounded by men who make their living as vigilantes in a sinner’s world? But I’m proven wrong, and that scares me more than I thought possible. My best friend assures me that I’m safe with Saints Purgatory MC, and I want to believe him.

But how am I supposed to trust the brother he hasn’t seen in years? Not only with my life, but with my heart?

Malice…

As the Vice President of Saints Purgatory MC, I need to keep a cool head. Unfortunately, fury is my middle name, and there’s nothing cool about me. But I’ve learned how to take that rage and use it to fight the battles that most would run from. I’m talented like that.

With a past that haunts me and a present that’s full of sinners, it’s a miracle I’ve done anything at all with my life. The one thing I don’t do is let people get close. Aside from my club, I don’t need anyone. Until my brother shows up with his best friend, and she needs more from me than I’ve ever willingly given.

I don’t know if I can be the man she deserves, but for the first time, I know I’ll move heaven and earth to try.

I am Saints Purgatory, and I’m a sinner who takes out the sinful.

#BookReview: She Rides by @AlenkaVrecek @shewritespress

Synopsis: At fifty-four, Alenka was running out of time to follow through on a dream she’d written down in her pocket-size Rumi book just after her first marriage crumbled. Years later, as she slowly rebuilt her life with her second husband, things started spiraling out of control. The only way she knew how to heal and connect all painful parts of her life was by riding her bike, and she didn’t want to have regrets. But was she brave enough to embark on an unknown path and risk losing everything . . . perhaps even her own life?

Determined to awaken her dying spirit and heal her battered body, Alenka loaded her mountain bike with 50 pounds’ worth of camping gear and set off on a 2,500-mile journey. Starting in Lake Tahoe California, she hoped to ride along the Sierra Nevada Mountain range to the tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, following remote mountain trails. Alone.

What followed was an irrevocably transformational journey of love, hope, courage, and resilience—and here, Alenka tells that story in a voice stripped of self-pity and infused with a good dose of humor. She Rides is a galvanizing wake-up call for anyone who wants to unearth and follow their own deeply buried dreams—and reclaim their life. 

This title will be released on June 13, 2023.

#BookBlitz: 12 Positive F Words for Parents by Ryan Norris

 

How To Become The Authentic and Confident Parent Your Child Needs

 

Christian / Nonfiction / Self-Help / Parenting

Date Published: July 29, 2023

Publisher: Xulon Press

 

12 Positive "F" Words for Parents is an amazing book that helps parents discover their identity personally, relationally, and parentally. This book will help parents build confidence in themselves, their children, and spouse so that they can have healthy, happy, and successful life long relationships with one another. It will teach parents how to create an environment that will encourage and strengthen who they are at the core, in turn helping their children find their identity and purpose. A child's identity must be respected, recognized, and nurtured. Being a parent is one of the most difficult roles in the world. There truly is no other job like it. With the immense responsibility parents face, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Readers may find themselves with thoughts such as, "How can I be an example to my children?" or "Am I doing a good job?"

Author Ryan Norris invites readers to come on a journey of reflection and learning that will allow readers to examine how they are presenting themselves to their children and the world. Ryan lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Florida with his wife Kasia (Pronounced Kã-sh-ã), their 3 children Jocelyn, Makayla and Ezra. Ryan started his journey in the Army at 17 years old. After 11+ years of service and 2 Combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, as a Combat Military Police Officer, he switched careers and went back to school. In 2021, Ryan graduated Suma Cum Laude from Southern New Hampshire University with a BA in Psychology. He is currently attending Fordham University to obtain his Master of Social Work. Ryan and Kasia's dreams are to coach individuals to understand their potential, find their identity, to show how strong, motivated and fulfilled they can be, starting with the family. Parents make an everlasting mark on their children. The only way to create a culture of change is to start with ourselves. Once we have figured out ourselves we can then and only then be Fantastic parents.

#BookBlitz: Watch Your Back by @growwithstacy @XpressoTours #Giveaway

Watch Your Back
Stacy Claflin
(Ariana Jones, #1)
Publication date: May 22nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Thriller

Even perfect neighborhoods have deadly secrets.

Ariana and Damon moved to the gated neighborhood of Rosy Hills to leave behind their traumatic pasts. Now they have their dream jobs and are part of a tight group of friends. All of that crumbles when their neighbor Rita disappears without a trace.

Now it looks like one of their own could be a killer. Ariana and Damon must figure out who it is, or they risk never finding Rita alive. If they don’t reach her in time, they could all end up dead…

#BookReview: The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett

Synopsis: An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables—with magic and witches!—that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl's imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland.

Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.

But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them. But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.

#BookReview: @LlewellynBooks Complete Book of Meditation by @STubali

Synopsis: Free Your Awareness and Awaken Your Energies with 35 Worldwide Meditation Techniques Enjoy a healthier and happier life with reduced stress, decreased pain, improved sleep, lengthened attention span, and fewer age-related memory problems. The key to these and other benefits? Meditation. Appropriate for practitioners of all skill levels, this new addition to Llewellyn's Complete Book Series features thirty-five fundamental meditation techniques from traditions around the globe, including one unique method of author Shai Tubali's own creation. These • Zazen (Classical Zen Meditation) • Qigong Standing Meditation • Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Body Scan • Taoist Inner Smile • Osho’s Mystic Rose • Japanese Forest Bathing • Sufi Whirling • Gurdjieff ’s “I Am” Meditation • Christian Prayer of the Heart • Islamic Dhikr • Hindu Aum Meditation • Sikh Kirtan Kriya • Jewish Hitbodedut • Ramana Maharshi’s Self-Inquiry • Tantric Hindu Kriya Yoga • Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen Shai presents each technique with its historical background, cultural context, potential benefits, and clear instructions for practicing it at home in a non-appropriative way. You will explore the fifteen purposes of meditation and the role of chakras. You will also learn how to align your mind and body, open your heart to love and compassion, use the hidden powers of sound, and more. This comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide introduces the magic of meditation in a way that is experiential, practical, and deeply researched. Every page encourages you to take your journey into the world of meditation further than ever before.

#BookBlitz: Saving Piper Moonlight by Joann Keder @XpressoTours 2x ebook copies of Saving Piper Moonlight

Saving Piper Moonlight
Joann Keder
(Piney Falls Mysteries, #2)
Publication date: July 13th 2020
Genres: Adult, Thriller

Piper has lived her entire childhood on the run. She’s about to uncover the deadly reason why…

In the second book of the Piney Falls Mysteries series, Piper Moonlight is tired of constantly looking over her shoulder, afraid of the remaining Fallen Branch cult members. She decides the best place to land is in Piney Falls, Oregon, where the cult originated. At least everyone there knows her story and she’ll be safe.

When she arrives, she finds employment under the watchful eye of Cosmo Hill, also a former Fallen Branch member, at his bakery. Cosmo doesn’t trust Piper or her story. He enlists the help of his fiancé , marketing wonder and super sleuth Lanie Anders to uncover the truth of Piper’s past.

Lanie and Cosmo soon discover there are still shocking secrets buried within the layers of the former cult. As those secrets come to light, those who keep them will stop at nothing to stay hidden. The ugly truth of Fallen Branch will force Lanie, Cosmo and Piper to make unthinkable choices to save themselves and the life they know in Piney Falls.