#BookReview: House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt #2) by @penchant4words @DelacortePress

Synopsis: In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance... blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade...

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

#BookBlitz: The Ring Academy: The Trials of Imogene Sol by @peeledandcored

The Ring Academy: The Trials of Imogene Sol
C.L. Walters
Publication date: August 1st 2023
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Imogene Sol has had to work twice as hard for everything she has earned as a cadet at The Ring Academy on Serta. An orphan of notorious parents who killed hundreds of thousands of people in a bombing against the Federation, most people hate her by name alone, others have gone out of their way to make her life difficult. Though she’s managed to acquire a handful of trusted friends over her years at the academy, most of her peers loathe her. But she’s made her mark in the top ten of her cadet class and she’s ready to compete for what’s next.

As the Year Seven Final Trials begin—a series of tests to determine placement within the Federation—Imogene knows all her hopes are riding on her performance. But when she’s framed for an offense that could not only get her expelled from the academy but also incarcerated, Imogene must discover who’s behind the threat against her. When her greatest competition, Timaeus Kade, offers to help her solve the mystery to clear her name, Imogene must decide if she’s willing to trust him. The stakes are high. Only the mysterious saboteur strikes again, justifying she needs his help, proving the stakes aren’t just her future anymore but her life.

#BookReview: The Prince & The Apocalypse by @karajmcdowell @wednesdaybooks

Synopsis: An American teen stranded in London is forced to team up with the British crown prince if she wants to make it back home before the end of the world in this delightfully rompy high-stakes rom-com.

Wren Wheeler has flown five thousand miles across the ocean to discover she’s the worst kind of traveler: the kind who just wants to go home. Her senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, Wren’s perfectly-planned itinerary is in tatters. There's only one item left to check off: breakfast at The World’s End restaurant. The one thing she can still get right.

The restaurant is closed for renovations—of course—but there's a boy there, too. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo, on the run from the palace and his controlling mother. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees cancelled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world.

Wren strikes a bargain with the runaway prince: if she’ll be his bodyguard from London to his family’s compound in Santorini, he can charter her a private jet home in time to say goodbye. Traveling through Europe by boat, train, and accidentally stolen automobile, Wren finds herself drawn to the dryly sarcastic, surprisingly vulnerable Theo. But the Prince has his own agenda, one that could derail both their plans. When life as they know it will be over in days, is it possible to find a happy ending?

#BookReview: Thief Liar Lady by D. L. Soria

Synopsis: "Happily Ever After" is a total scam, but at least this time the princess is the one controlling the grift--until her true love arrives and threatens to ruin the whole scheme. Intrigue, magic, and wit abound in this Cinderella fairytale reimagining, perfect for fans of Heather Walter and Naomi Novik.

I'm not who you think I am.

My transformation from a poor, orphaned scullery maid into the enchantingly mysterious lady who snagged the heart of the prince did not happen--as the rumors insisted--in a magical metamorphosis of pumpkins and glass slippers. On the first evening of the ball, I didn't meekly help my "evil" stepmother and stepsisters primp and preen or watch forlornly out the window as their carriage rolled off toward the palace. I had other preparations to make.

My stepsisters and I had been trained for this--to be the cleverest in the room, to be quick with our hands and quicker with our lies. We were taught how to get everything we want in this world, everything men always kept for themselves: power, wealth, and prestige. And with a touchingly tragic past and the help of some highly illegal spells, I would become a princess, secure our fortunes, and we would all live happily ever after.

But there's always more to the story. With my magic running out, war looming, and a handsome hostage prince--the wrong prince--distracting me from my true purpose with his magnetic charm and forbidden flirtations, I'm in danger of losing control of the delicate balance I've created...and that could prove fatal.

There's so much more riding on this than a crown.

#BookReview: Minnie Maple (An Enemies to Lovers Romantic Comedy) by Mandi May

Synopsis: I, Mary Beth Caroline Abernathy, have a secret.

On the surface, I’m Daisy Bluff, Indiana’s virgin kindergarten teacher. I always visit Nana in the nursing home, go to church every Sunday, and am a Hallmark movie superfan. I am everything you’d expect when someone says “preacher’s daughter.”

Except…

After a drunken night involving purse vodka, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, stock photos of Fabio, and manuscripts I’ve been secretly perfecting for years, I transform into Minnie Maple, a best-selling steamy regency romance author.

Meanwhile…

Drew Coyne is Hollywood’s Hallmark darling. The perfect mix of boy next-door, small-town weatherman, and prodigal son returning home to run the family Christmas tree farm. He’s also the unknowing star in all my books and fantasies.
When my biggest secret goes viral, Drew seeks out Minnie Maple in a last-ditch effort to kickstart his stagnant acting career.

I know, right?!?!?

But when we meet, things don’t exactly go according to plan. Drew isn’t like his movies at all. He’s conceited and rude and has an expansive earring lost and found for the many women he’s slept with. I could never give my book (or my heart, or my virginity) to someone like that.

Unfortunately, Drew doesn’t give up easily. When he shows up in my ridiculously small town claiming to be my new boyfriend, I have to either play along or reveal my secret identity as Minnie Maple to the world.
They say to never meet your heroes. Ugh, that definitely includes celebrity crushes too.

Minnie Maple is a dual POV enemies to lovers, faking dating, opposites attract, good girl bad boy, small town meets big city, rags to riches, celebrity boyfriend mashup that will leave readers rolling on the floor in all the best ways.

#NewReleaseBlitz: Hel by @brigittetamar @RABTBookTours

Horror, Dark fantasy, psychological thriller, fiction, occult

Date Published: July 17, 2023

 

 

After losing his job at a genomic research company, Joel worries about his ability to provide for his family, especially during the holiday season. Even more concerning is how his unemployment may affect his perfect image within the extremist community he has lived in since birth. Lured by the idea of a quick fix, he impulsively books a flight for himself and his family to Europe when the offer of a large inheritance arrives in his inbox. Confident that he knows best, Joel blindly trusts a stranger's invitation to return to the village of his ancestors to collect his birthright. But rather than wealth, they quickly discover that their lineage only possesses monstrous truths with deadly consequences.

#BookReview: Sing with Me (Fellside Mountain Rescue, #2) by Dani Elias

Synopsis: The Fellside Mountain Rescuers are back with another passionate and charming romance!

Phil is known for being an incredibly shy introvert, especially when it comes to women. Christina, the feisty friend of his best friend's girlfriend, particularly rattles his nerves. Despite his best efforts to avoid her, she simply won't give up.

Christina is totally smitten with Phil and refuses to let him slip away. Thanks to her unwavering determination, she discovers that there's nothing reserved about Phil when it comes to the bedroom. Everything seems perfect until she asks him for something he's unable to give.

In Sing with Me , readers are taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as Phil and Christina navigate the challenges that threaten to unravel their relationship. Will they find a way to bridge the gap between their desires and what they can offer each other? Can they discover a compromise that allows their love to thrive?

Join Phil and Christina on a journey of self-discovery, vulnerability, and the complexities of love.

Sing with Me explores the depths of relationships, the power of communication, and the importance of finding common ground. Through triumphs and setbacks, they learn that true love requires both sacrifice and understanding.

Sing With Me can be read as part of the series or as a stand-alone novel and are meant for mature audiances.

#BookReview: Revolution Empire (History Never Retreats, #1) by Rob Travalino

Synopsis: In a bleak, dystopian future surveillance state, a band of teens rises from society’s lowest classes to incite an eerily familiar revolution.

“I was born here, in this forgotten hole a mile un’er t’Empire streets. They call it t’Sewers. T’is the place where Boss Dog Magistrate dumps his trash. Us…”

Huddled under a narrow slash of light in a dank and debris-strewn alley of Regent Street, seventeen-year-old Donovan Washington Rush quickly scribbled the words across the cracked, yellowed pages of an old hand-bound journal. Barely bigger than his hand, the book overflowed with a lifetime of maps, all surrounded by musings on freedom, tyranny, and rights. It was all that was left of Donovan’s father, Dr. Princeton Rush, a man long since thought dead by the Empire’s hand.

Here in the relative anonymity of the underground maze he called home, Donovan knew he was being watched—not just by the hidden electronic eyes of the Empire, but by the people of the Sewers themselves, compelled to complicity by the Empire’s constant messages of fear and reprisal. The Empire had its eyes everywhere.

For Donovan, possessing such a book as Dr. Rush’s journal was a “Black Flag” offense—an act of subversion punishable by public execution. Yet the Empire was where Donovan and the book were both headed. This made for two forbidden crimes under one cover.

“They call us “Sewer Rats” but these Sewers once made up t’original city, t’very seat of t’Empire. T’is t’seat for sure, right un’er Boss Dog’s ass. T’nite it changes. T’nite I take the first step fo’ my brothers and sisters o’ the sword, fo’ t’Sewers whole…Freedom or death!”

#ReleaseBlitz for The Great British Bachelor Chase by @lilawrites and @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: The Great British Bachelor Chase

Series: Hollywood Bachelors #2

Author: Lila Monroe

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Tropes: Exes to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine

Release Date: July 31, 2023

BLURB

Fall for a new exes-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine rom-com from USA Today bestselling author, Lila Monroe! Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, and Emily Henry.

Fraser MacKenzie is handsome, Scottish… and the first man to ever break my heart. We had a whirlwind romance during my study-abroad in England, until it ended in an epic ghosting (his), and untold misery (mine). I haven’t laid eyes on his distractingly broad shoulders in ten years… Until I arrive back on British shores for my dream job consulting on a big new production of Pride & Prejudice, and find… that Fraser is working on the movie, too.

Or rather, he finds me. Naked in the communal shower. Clinging to a hand-towel and my dignity for dear life.

I have zero desire to go strolling back down memory lane with him, even if our burning chemistry would put Lizzie and Darcy to shame. But when I accidentally send our lead actor fleeing on a mysterious mission, Fraser and I have four days to track him down - before the entire movie falls apart.

Embarking on a madcap British road-trip with my ex is a recipe for disaster… and serious temptation. Fraser is more infuriating - and swoon-worthy — than ever, and soon, we’re not so much rekindling an old flame as setting the world (and my burning loins) on fire.

But can we overcome the ghostings of the past to find real love? And will we make it to our missing actor in time to save the movie - and my career?

Find out in the hot and hilarious new romance from Lila Monroe!

HOLLYWOOD BACHELORS:

1 The Hollywood Marriage Bargain

2 The Great British Bachelor Chase

3 The Treasure Hunt Hookup

4 The Tropical Romance Test

5 The Smalltown Seduction Plan

PRAISE FOR LILA:

"Romantic comedy at its best!" - Seraphim Books Reviews

"A fun and flirty feel-good story that put a smile on my face!" - Goodreads

“A funny rom-com that gives me all the laugh and fluff was exactly what I need. This quirky and heartwarming second-chance romance was fun, light and perfect to take me away from all the heaviness in life.” - Goodreads

“Lila Monroe’s writing is a sure thing to put me in a good mood especially in the gray days… I smiled all the time while reading it and these characters made my day so much better.” - ItaPixie Reviews

"I love the humor in Ms. Monroe's stories! They are outrageously funny! Add to that the romance and off the charts steaminess and you get one helluva story!" - Bibliophile Chloe

"This is a great… new series. I enjoyed playful characters, the funny moments and the steamy romance! 5 Stars." Reading Keeps Me Sane Blog

“Lila Monroe is an author who knocks romantic comedy books out of the park. Her books are, sweet, spicy, romantic and so funny that you cannot help but fall in love with her characters and her stories.” - Goodreads

#BookBlitz: The Widow Queen and her Lover by Alan Gold @XpressoTours #Giveaway $25 Amazon gift card

The Widow Queen and her Lover
Alan Gold
Publication date: September 1st 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical

No longer one of the spoils of war, Catherine, Queen of England and France, resolves to fight for her new life – on her own terms

Catherine of Valois, daughter of the defeated king of France, looks down from the battlements as her future rides to greet her.

As one of the spoils of war, she is to be married to her father’s enemy, Henry V of England. She is prepared to do her duty – what could be worse than continuing to live with her ailing father and cold mother – but she wasn’t prepared to fall in love.

Henry is everything that she wanted in a husband, and a king. In him she finds a devoted lover and inspiring ruler. When he dies, shortly after she has delivered his heir, her future and that of her son is in doubt. Not only must she protect her baby, the young Henry VI, she must protect his legacy from the grasping and scheming of his uncle and protector.

When Owen Tudor — Welshman, commoner, troublesomely attractive — stumbles into her lap, she sees her future. A man who will not lead armies, nor rule kingdoms. Instead, one who will devote himself to protecting what is hers. But he must sacrifice everything he has in order to marry her, and even that may not be enough to keep them all safe.

#BookReview: Dark Corners (Rachel Krall #2) by @megangoldin @StMartinsPress

Synopsis: Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

This title will be released on August 8, 2023.