#BookReview: Heart of Thorns (Heart of Thorns, #1) by Bree Barton

Synopsis: Inventive and heart-racing, this fierce feminist teen fantasy explores a dark kingdom in which only women can possess magic—and every woman is suspected of having it.

In the ancient river kingdom, where touch is a battlefield and bodies the instruments of war, Mia Rose has pledged her life to hunting Gwyrach: women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood. The same women who killed her mother without a single scratch.

But when Mia's father announces an alliance with the royal family, she is forced to trade in her knives and trousers for a sumptuous silk gown. Determined to forge her own path forward, Mia plots a daring escape, but could never predict the greatest betrayal of all: her own body. Mia possesses the very magic she has sworn to destroy.

Now, as she untangles the secrets of her past, Mia must learn to trust her heart…even if it kills her.

Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Laini Taylor won’t want to miss this gorgeously written, bold novel, the first in the Heart of Thorns trilogy.

#TeaserTuesday: Blades by @harleywylde @RABTBookTours @changelingpress

 

(Devil’s Fury MC)

Motorcycle Club Romance, Age Gap, Suspense

Date Published: Dec 29 2023

 

 

China -- I came to the US to further my education. I never counted on falling for a gruff biker who was so much older than me. But Blades never hesitated when I told him I was pregnant. He was the best man I’d ever met… until he went to prison. All our lives unraveled after that. My daughter was taken from me, and I was sold. I thought I’d never escape the hell of being exploited and abused, until he walked through the doors again, looking like a wrathful angel. He may have saved me, but do I really deserve his love?

Blades -- Being falsely accused of murder was bad enough. Finding out someone stole my woman and daughter was another. Our precious little Meiling found herself a good man, and she’s safe. Now I need to save her mother. My China. I’m going to gut everyone who dared to touch her and send them all straight to hell… then I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to her she’s safe with me, and that I’ve never stopped loving her. China and Meiling are my entire world, and I’m going to protect them -- this time.

 

WARNING: Guaranteed happily ever after, no cliffhanger, no cheating. Recommended for readers 18+ due to adult situations, language, and violence.

#BookClub: January Picks! @BistroBookBitch #HannahGrace & #HarperLWoods

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Guess what!! We have our line up for January 2024!! We hope that you all enjoy the new and improved bookclub! 

We will now be meeting @inklingsbookshoppe in Lakeland! How cool is that?! 

Join us in Jan. For two amazing titles! 

Jan 2nd: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Jan 16th: What Lies Beneath by Harper L. Woods 

Want to join? Make sure to head in store to order your copies! Already have them? Make sure to bring your donation of $5 to the meeting of your choice!! 

#BookTour: Sophia Freeman & the Winter Behemoth by @tx_troan @RABTBookTours

Middle-Grade Fantasy Mystery

Date Published: 12-01-2023

Publisher: Rise Publishers

 

A STRATEGIC PLAN WAS IN PLACE…

POWERFUL ALLIANCES WERE FORMED…

BUT NOTHING COULD STOP THE GREAT WAR.

 

After Tim Charnal was captured by Allen Chan and the ruthless iron-masked guards, Sophia Freeman has no choice but to follow their orders and meet them in the Forbidden Land to free their Master, Tombermon, an ancient tree giant. The release of great evil leads to broken promises, countless sacrifices, and an inevitable war. As the islanders face a losing battle, an unexpected machine army comes to their rescue. But is it enough to stop the enemy and their threatening new era of darkness once and for all?

#BookTour: A Flicker in the Water by @flickerinthewtr @RABTBookTours

Nonfiction / Memoir / Fishing

Date Published: ‎June 26, 2022

Publisher: ‎Mindstir Media

If you're yearning for tales about adventure and fun on the open sea, look no further!

The crew welcomes you aboard the Twister, one of the finest fishing vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, as the search is on for the big ones that legends are made of. Blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, and more are waiting to be caught, just so long as Bob and his friends have the strength to reel them in.

Told in a fun, engaging style, this book combines elements of drama, heroism, and skill with humor and some educational points about the sea and its inhabitants, with plenty of surprises along the way.

The stories will make you feel like you are out on the water yourself getting ready to land that next great catch you'll be talking about for the rest of your life. Experienced seamen and land lubbers alike will enjoy this peek into one of the good parts of life with all of its promises and perils.

The use of the word Tales in the subtitle is a play on the word "Tails" that matches the Goliath Grouper on the front cover. When you look into the mouth of the Grouper, we hope you'll want to look inside this exciting collection of tales.

#TeaserTuesday: Nice and Naughty the Shape of Heat 2 by Lil Deville @RABTBookTours

 

Gay Romance / M/M Romance / Romantic Comedy

Date to be Published: December 23, 2024

Publisher: ‎ Naughty Netherworld Press

 

 

Parsifal returns home to spend the Christmas holidays with his family. As he arrives at the airport, he is greeted by his brother Hart and his ex-boyfriend Bobby. Bobby is accompanied by his new boyfriend Seth. As they spend the day together, Parsifal notices something peculiar. Bobby seeks comfort from Hart rather than Seth after a minor accident at the park.

Meanwhile, Parsifal finds himself drawn to hot nerd Seth. The more time they spend together, the more Parsifal believes the feeling is mutual.

However, Parsifal's Christmas holiday is about to get even crazier. His redneck relatives are coming over for Christmas Eve dinner, and Parsifal is dreading the chaos that is sure to ensue. Between his family's quirky behavior and Seth's enticing presence, Parsifal’s vacation is shaping up to be anything but relaxing.

This is the second book in The Shape Of Heat series. It can be read as a standalone, but the first book, Awakening, should be read first if you wish to know more about the background of Parsifal and his girlfriends Candi and Luisa.

#BookReview: The Brilliant Death (The Brilliant Death, #1) by A. R. Capetta

Synopsis: For Teodora DiSangro, a mafia don’s daughter, family is fate.

All her life, Teodora has hidden the fact that she secretly turns her family’s enemies into music boxes, mirrors, and other decorative objects. After all, everyone in Vinalia knows that stregas—wielders of magic—are figures out of fairytales. Nobody believes they’re real.

Then the Capo, the land’s new ruler, sends poisoned letters to the heads of the Five Families that have long controlled Vinalia. Four lie dead and Teo’s beloved father is gravely ill. To save him, Teo must travel to the capital as a DiSangro son—not merely disguised as a boy, but transformed into one. 

Enter Cielo, a strega who can switch back and forth between male and female as effortlessly as turning a page in a book. Teo and Cielo journey together to the capital, and Teo struggles to master her powers and to keep her growing feelings for Cielo locked in her heart. As she falls in love with witty, irascible Cielo, Teo realizes how much of life she’s missed by hiding her true nature. But she can’t forget her mission, and the closer they get to the palace, the more sinister secrets they uncover about what’s really going on in their beloved country—and the more determined Teo becomes to save her family at any cost.

#BookReview: Endless Water, Starless Sky (Bright Smoke, Cold Fire #2) by @rosamundhodge @HarperTeen

Synopsis: In the last days of the world, the walls of Viyara are still falling, and the dead are rising faster than ever.

Juliet is trapped—ordered by Lord Ineo of the Mahyanai to sacrifice the remaining members of her family, the Catresou, to stave off the end of the world. Though they’re certain his plan is useless, Juliet and her former friend Runajo must comply with Lord Ineo’s wishes—unless they can discover a different, darker path to protecting Viyara.

Romeo is tortured: finally aware that his true love is alive, he is at once elated and devastated, for his actions led directly to the destruction of her clan. The only way to redemption is to offer his life to the Catresou to protect and support them . . . even if it means dying to do so.

When Romeo’s and Juliet’s paths converge once again, only a journey into Death will offer answers and the key to saving them all—but is it a journey either of them will survive?

#BookReview: Winter Glass (Spindle Fire, #2) by Lexa Hillyer

Synopsis: A curse comes undone. A kingdom shatters. But some bonds can’t be broken.

Princess Aurora, torn from the dream world, plots to assassinate the faerie queen Malfleur, only to confront temptations she never expected. Isabelle, meanwhile, opens her heart to Prince William as they attempt to unite their kingdoms and wage war against Malfleur’s army. But when the appearance of an unbreakable glass slipper prompts Isabelle to discover more about her lineage, her true identity begins to take shape and her legacy becomes as clear as ice. 

Devoted half-sisters Isabelle and Aurora will grapple with their understanding of love and loyalty as they face a threat even greater than that of the evil queen—the threat of losing each other forever.

#BookReview: Heart of Iron (Heart of Iron, #4) by Ashley Poston

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?

#BookReview: Blood of a Thousand Stars (Empress of a Thousand Skies #2) by Rhoda Belleza

Synopsis: Empress

With a revolution brewing, Rhee is faced with a choice: make a deal with her enemy, Nero, or denounce him and risk losing her crown.

Fugitive

Framed assassin Alyosha has one goal in mind: kill Nero. But to get his revenge, Aly may have to travel back to the very place he thought he’d left forever—home.

Princess

Kara knows that a single piece of technology located on the uninhabitable planet Wraeta may be the key to remembering—and erasing—the princess she once was.

Madman

Villainous media star Nero is out for blood, and he’ll go to any means necessary to control the galaxy. 

Vicious politics and high-stakes action culminate in an epic showdown that will determine the fate of the universe.