#BookReview: Unchained (Scion #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Alaric’s crusade against slavery backfires when the Corollas unknowingly capture and collar him once more. Enslaved as a pit fighter side by side with his old enemy, Manc Shepherd, Alaric must survive to break his chains.

A mysterious huntress pursues Alaric, ultimately ingratiating herself with Tyne in order to get close to Alaric and complete her contract. War hero Commodore Bruce Dolan det Regis does everything he can to find Alaric—including recruit, cajole and extort Alaric’s one time friends.

Missing, beaten and bathed in blood, Alaric finds new and old allies in the pit that help transform him into a killing machine. Coming sword to sword with a refugee Alaric’s schemes sold into slavery, he chooses to defy his owner, the Dominari, in a way that reveals his location.

Enemies and allies race to the Dominari’s doorstep. They demand she turn Alaric over, refusing to divulge his identity. She pledges to kill Alaric and burn Scrics Three to the ground before surrendering her prize. When she learns Alaric’s identity, the Dominari organizes a public spectacle that forces him to kill his friends or die.

Alaric rescues Manc as he affects an escape and returns to the stars. Pelson and the others waylay Alaric en route to rebuild the destroyed Cassiopeia, revealing Alaric’s true identity. Still reeling from these revelations, Alaric witnesses the destructive atrocities of a bold, new Corollas juggernaut. 

Will Alaric choose an easy life with a family he can’t remember or rid the Protectorate of slavery once and for all with the help of a KIOSC-shortcutting hack, a new crew and the new Cassiopeia?

#BookBlitz: The Adults in the Room by @jeff60706264 @RABTBookTours @BookBuzznet

Tim Hall and Mary Ann Wilson, Book 1 

Mystery, Thriller 

Publisher: The Good as Gone Group 

The Adults in the Room is the first book in the high octane Tim Hall Mystery series. If you like stunning revelations, deep state conspiracies, and a touch of romance, then you’ll love Jeffrey Mechling’s mind-bending thriller! 

A CIA officer is still suffering partial amnesia from the car crash that stole his wife from him. 

Now the memories he has forgotten, might be the only things that can keep him alive. Can he fill in the blanks of his fractured memory? 

Relieved by the familiar face of his biker girlfriend, he’s shocked to learn her true identity and the devastating secrets about his accident. And soon he’s swept up in a deadly that could decimate American politics.  

 

The Adults in the Room is a standalone book. 

 

Instant Heat by @a_macbride #Blitz with @XpressoTours #Giveaway Signed paperback

Instant Heat
A.K. MacBride
(Breathing Hearts, #1)
Publication date: October 28th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

One night.
One bet.
And now my world is turned upside down.
Apparently, you’re not supposed to fall for the rebound guy.
Guess I didn’t get the memo, because the first man I jump into bed with happens to be the one who sparks a flame inside my heart.
With his rakish charm and Irish accent, he steals my sanity and inhibitions.
It’s not long before I’m dreaming of something more than a quick fling.
The problem?
Griffin Gallagher happens to be the one man my brother despises.

#Cover for Leather and Lace by @magencubed @XpressoTours

Leather and Lace
Magen Cubed
(Southern Gothic Series, #1)
Publication date: February 16th 2021
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Falling in love with a vampire bites—and sometimes loving a human bites back.

Dorian Villeneuve is an unlucky vampire from the slums of Devil’s Row. He makes ends meet for himself and his emotional support Chihuahua by working sleazy bars and nightclubs, doing what it takes to get by. Cash Leroy is a monster hunter from East Texas with a golden voice and an unrivaled devotion to Stevie Nicks. Hunting does not leave time for friends, let alone love.

When their paths cross during a bloody run-in with the vampire mob, Cash upends Dorian’s life—and takes Dorian under his wing to teach how to hunt monsters.

The unlikely pair become partners, and soon, best friends. However, their deepening bond grows complicated when Dorian falls in love with Cash. Their friendship is too important to throw away over an interspecies attraction, especially in a career that is already nasty, brutish, and short.

And things become even more complicated when Cash finds himself returning the vampire’s affections.

When an unusually deadly case lands in the hunters’ laps, their ill-fated affair takes a backseat. A pair of man-eating weredeer are on the loose taking victims’ hearts. With the pressure on to end the killing spree, Dorian and Cash must set aside their feelings and hunt down the blood-thirsty deer.

Can Dorian and Cash’s friendship survive this monstrous romance, or will they lose their hearts in the process?

#BookReview: Smoke and Mirrors: The Trueheart by Helene Opocensky @Netgalley

Synopsis: How could Corbin possibly do what he was supposed to do? After Corbin’s mother died, Maxim Moritz Grobian took him, penniless orphan that he was, under his wing and taught him the magic that was their heritage. Corbin owed Max everything, and now Max had given him a mission. Corbin was to bring Max's estranged daughter to New York. Lorelei was the only one, Max insisted, that could use the Heartstone, a crystal of phenomenal power, to keep mages safe from the Inquisitors that hunted them and allow mages to finally take their rightful place in the world. A worthy goal, thought Corbin initially, but now that he had actually met Lorelei all he really wanted to do was to run for the hills. Both afraid of hurting her and endangering himself, he needed to stay away from her, not befriend her to do Max’s bidding. Besides, his instructions were more than to just befriend her. He was supposed to make her fall in love with him. There was no way, absolutely no way he was going to do that – not after what she had told him.

#BookReview: Hijacked (Scion #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Manc Shepherd is alive, desperate and mad as hedrin. 

Before the hunt for payback even begins, the Corollas's deadliest killers target Manc as prey. Down to his last, most treacherous allies and his father's old fighters, Manc races against death to find the hapless boy who has endangered Manc's schemes by systematically foiling ambush, assassination, and betrayal. 

Two problems stand in the way of Manc piecing back together his doomed, lifelong vendetta. Alaric Ignaree has vanished, and the kid reminds Manc of the father he is desperate to avenge. 

Manc knows Alaric's weakness, but how far will Manc blur the line between hero and villain to achieve justice? Moreover, can he kill the boy that he always wanted to become?

#BookReview: Vengeful are the Drowned (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Past Mistakes Never Stop Haunting... 

A dark spell enslaves the phoenixes. Dunham unleashes their elemental powers against those who murdered his family while the deposed Wyldfae Queen uses them to lure even bigger prey. 

Vitae's desperate crusade to save Mare takes a darker turn, putting him at odds with Quayla. With Quayla on the run and Vitae setting up his own kingdom, the Sidhe turn Atlanta into a bloody playground. 

An unexpected ally emerges to help Quayla's fight for freedom, and a betrayal brings Vitae face to face with the Sidhe royals. With the phoenixes pitted against one another and True Death a certainty, can Atlanta's dwindling Shield prevent the Sidhe from devouring mankind?

#ReleaseBlitz for Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Bitterburn

Series: Gothic Fairytales #1

Author: Ann Aguirre

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Release Date: October 31, 2020

BLURB

Amarrah Brewer is desperate and grief-stricken.

For ages, the town of Bitterburn has sent tribute to the Keep at the End of the World, but a harsh winter leaves them unable to pay the toll that keeps the Beast at bay. Amarrah volunteers to brave what no one has before—to end the threat or die trying.

The Beast of Bitterburn has lost all hope.

One way or another, Njål has been a prisoner for his entire life. Monstrous evil has left him trapped and lonely, and he believes that will never change. There is only darkness in his endless exile, never light. Never warmth. Until she arrives.

It's a tale as old as time... where Beauty goes to confront the Beast and falls in love instead.

#BookReview: Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

Synopsis: Two sisters.

One brutal murder.

A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…

And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…

#BookReview: Which Witch is Willing? (The Witches of Port Townsend #4) by @TiffinieHelmer @CynthiaStAubin @CindyStark19 @Kerrigan_Byrne @Netgalley

Synopsis: From the pens of four USA Today Bestselling authors, a brand-new Witches of Port Townsend...


Four identical sisters are prophesied to hold the fate of the entire world in their powerful hands. Meet: Moria, Claire, Aerin and Tierra - and then hold on to your seat, because they're going to take you on a wild, wild ride. Coming October.

#BookReview: Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza? by Andy V. Roamer #Netgalley

Synopsis: RV, having successfully completed his freshman year at the demanding Boston Latin School, is hoping for a great summer. He’s now fifteen years old and looking forward to sharing many languid summer days with his friend Bobby, who’s told him he has gay feelings too. But life and family and duties for a son of immigrant parents makes it difficult to steal time away with Bobby.

Bobby, too, has pressures. He spends part of the summer away at football camp, and his father pushes him to work a summer job at a friend’s accounting firm. Bobby takes the job grudgingly, wanting to spend any extra time practicing the necessary skills to make Latin’s varsity football team.

On top of everything, RV’s best friend Carole goes away for the summer, jumping at an opportunity to spend it with her father in Paris. Luckily, there is always Mr. Aniso, RV’s Latin teacher, to talk to whenever RV is lonely. He’s also there for RV when he inadvertently spills one of Bobby’s secrets, and Bobby is so angry RV is afraid he is ready to cut off the friendship.

Our Friendship Matters by @KimberleyBJones #Blitz with @XpressoTours #Giveaway $20 Amazon gift card

Our Friendship Matters
Kimberley B. Jones
Publication date: October 5th 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Leah and Sasha are 17-year-old friends who had been close to one another since elementary school, but as the summer approaches they find their friendship tested in ways they never anticipated.

Following graduation, Sasha’s privileged life and perception of the world around her is suddenly altered when an old childhood friend persuades her to join in a campaign against an injustice after his best friend is killed by a cop.

But joining the protest has unforeseen consequences for Sasha, distancing her from Leah, who becomes jealous of Sasha’s new friends and finds herself on the opposing side, protesting alongside her group of new white friends.

As the tension mounts between the two bitterly opposed factions, a tragedy strikes and threatens to make Sasha and Leah enemies. Can they find a way to resolve their differences, putting them to the side and learn to accept each other’s viewpoints? Or is their long friendship finished for good?

Then He Happened by @Author_ClaudiaB #Blitz with @XpressoTours #Giveaway $30 Amazon Gift Card, 3 Signed Paperback of Then He Happened

Then He Happened
Claudia Burgoa
Publication date: May 6th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Jason is a cynical rich playboy.
He doesn’t take life seriously,
He doesn’t believe in settling down.

Eileen’s thirtieth birthday is almost here.
But as always she’s her parent’s afterthought.
Her family is too busy planning a shotgun wedding for her older sister—and she has to help.
It’s just another year where she’s overlooked.
But the best man is smoking hot and actually notices her and makes her feel special.

Jason doesn’t believe in commitment, but Eileen intrigues him.

She’s not the kind of girl he usually hooks up with.

She doesn’t even fall for his charm.
He’s made it his task to convince her that he’s not the shallow man she thinks he is.
But can Jason give up his playboy lifestyle to become what Eileen needs?

#ReleaseBlitz for Devious by @jeanie0328 and @GiveMeBooksPR #Giveaway ($50 Amazon gift card)

Title: Devious

Author: J.M. Stoneback

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance

Release Date: October 30, 2020

BLURB

It's time to pay my father's debt.

Nobody is stupid enough to steal from him, Cayden Vitali.

They call him Devious for a reason. He doesn't let his debts go unpaid. He collects what he's owed.

Lex Bartoli works for Devious. Lex should know better than to steal his money. But mistakes were made, and now it's time to pay.

Unfortunately for me, Devious knows exactly what he wants as payment for Lex's stupid mistake.

Me.

Lex's daughter.

If I won't agree to marry Devious, he has another way of making my family pay.

The choice is mine.

Marry the enemy... or watch him kill my father as payback.

Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance.  

#BookReview: Ruled by Tainted Blood (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Heartache Can Pave the Darkest Paths... 

Atlanta's Shieldheart discovers an awful truth with the potential to undo the mistake that broke his Shield. While the others struggle to protect mankind from Sidhe onslaught, Vitae delves down a dark road. If he can master faerie magic, he could become Creation’s greatest shield and possibly even reclaim Mare from oblivion. 

Quayla’s self-destructive attempts to rejoin her brothers cost her dearly. Sidhe use her friends as pawns in a power struggle born out of Quayla’s past. A lost Sidhe Court emerges behind new villainy. Leveraging all the shields hold dear, the new foe manipulates Atlanta's phoenixes into becoming the ultimate Sidhe weapon. 

Embroiled in a three-sided war, the shields uncover the plot behind the chaos, but at a terrible price. Only Quayla and Vitae remain free to protect Atlanta. But locked in bloody conflict with each other, can either save the city, the Shield, or themselves?

The Prince’s Bride by @jjmcavoy #Blitz with @XpressoTours #Giveaway Prize will be listed on the Rafflecopter shortly!

The Prince’s Bride
J.J. McAvoy
(The Prince’s Bride, #1)
Publication date: October 29th 2020
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

He is a spoiled playboy prince whose family is in desperate need of money.

She’s an American heiress who can only get her inheritance through marriage.

According to their families they are a perfect match.
According to each other, arranged marriages have no place in modern times and this could not possibly work.

But Prince Galahad “Gale” of Ersovia is bound by duty to obey the crown anyway.

Odette Wyntor doesn’t give a damn, she doesn’t want to get married.

Can he change her mind?
Can she even handle what it means to be royal, if he did?

The Prince’s Bride is Part 1 of a 2 part series.
Part 2 arrives a month later.

#BookReview: Next Stop Love (Next Stop Love #1) by @rachstockbridge @Netgalley

Synopsis: Love will get you back on track.

Beatrice Bauer is struggling to keep up with the demands of family, friends, college life, and a part-time job. She doesn’t have room to breathe, much less question whether the track she’s on is worth the effort. But it’s fine. She’s fine. She can breathe after college.

Julian Moon is doing his best to get back on his feet and reconnect with his dream of being an illustrator. The problem is he can’t seem to shake the habit of making all the worst decisions. The most recent of which is his return to New York, where all his problems started in the first place.

When a shared commute dumps Julian and Beatrice in each other’s lives, they start wondering if there isn’t more to life than a desperate scramble to stay afloat. If maybe a coincidental commute acquaintance couldn’t become something more.

#BookBlitz: Stillwell by @michaelpcash @RABTBookTours @BookBuzznet

 

A Haunting on Long Island Series, Book 1

Paranormal Suspense

Publisher: Chelshire

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

#BookReview: Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) by @mararaewrites @Inkyardpress @Netgalley

Synopsis: Ever since Nor was forced to go to a nearby kingdom in her sister’s place, she’s wanted nothing more than to return to the place and people she loves. But when her wish comes true, she soon finds herself cast out from both worlds, with a war on the horizon.

As an old enemy resurfaces more powerful than ever, Nor will have to keep the kingdom from falling apart with the help of Prince Talin and Nor’s twin sister, Zadie. There are forces within the world more mysterious than any of them ever guessed—and they’ll need to stay alive long enough to conquer them…

#BookReview: Nowhere on Earth by @nicholaslake #NetGalley

Synopsis: From the Printz Award winning author of Satellite comes a compelling new novel about a girl who must brave the elements to help a lost child with an other-worldly secret. 

16-year-old Emily is on the run. Between her parents and the trouble she's recently gotten into at school, she has more than enough reason to get away. But when she finds a little boy named Aidan wandering in the woods, she knows she needs to help him find his way home. But getting home is no easy matter, especially with Emily finds out that Aidan isn't even from Earth. When their plane crashes into the side of a snowy mountain, it's up to Emily to ensure Aidan and their pilot, Bob, make it off the mountain alive. Pursued by government forces who want to capture Aidan, the unlikely team of three trek across the freezing landscape, learning more about each other, and about life, than they ever thought possible.

"I love Nick Lake's writing. I would read anything he wrote--grocery list, email, etc., because his writing, always, is so real and brave. He takes on subjects other writers might avoid, and he writes the hell out of them." --New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer Niven on Nick Lake