#BookReview: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

She has power over death. He has power over her. When two enemies strike a dangerous bargain, will they end a war . . . or ignite one?

Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.

Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.

When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.

Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

#BookBlitz: The Roots Beneath Us by @JoeyJonesWriter @XpressoTours #Giveaway $25 Amazon gift card

The Roots Beneath Us
Joey Jones
Publication date: August 17th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Fate brought them together. Their pasts tried to tear them apart.

Leaving behind a career filled with danger and secrets, Piper Luck arrives in Duck, North Carolina, on her fortieth birthday, determined to build a new life. Starting with The Roots Beneath Us, a local course her friend and father figure swore would transform her, she embarks on a new journey. However, on the first day of class, only one other person shows up—a shy, guarded man.

Like Piper, Boone Winters just moved to the Outer Banks at the suggestion of his now deceased mentor and boss, who promised Boone a job when he arrived if he worked up the courage to leave an abusive relationship. The job: Build a luxurious oceanfront home. However, there are contingencies. He must attend The Roots Beneath Us program, have an accountability partner, and live alone.

With no other course participants, Piper becomes Boone’s accountability partner. Together, they work through the course by facing their fears, setting goals, overcoming obstacles . . . and forging an unlikely friendship that evolves into something deeper. Nonetheless, when their previous lives resurface and threaten the tentative roots they’ve planted, they must each courageously confront their past demons once and for all in order to claim their future.

#ReleaseBlitz for Enchanted Enough by Kelly Elliott @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Enchanted Enough

Series: Love in Montana #7

Author: Kelly Elliott

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Small Town/Western/Friends to Lovers

Release Date: August 6, 2024

BLURB

Finally returning home after years in Paris, ex-model Avery Littlewood never imagined a rerouted flight plan would land her on destiny’s runway. She’s seated next to a gorgeous stranger…and as he shares his story, it’s not long before she discovers why his arresting blue eyes look so familiar. There are several reasons why Beck should be off limits—he lives in Texas; he needs a friend, not a relationship; he's practically family—but none of that overshadows Avery's instant attraction for the man the moment she stepped foot on that plane.

Months after his mother’s death, old love letters have given Beck Dahlstrom the courage to seek out the Shaws, the family of the long-deceased father he never knew. He can't believe his luck when the most gorgeous creature he's ever seen sits beside him on the plane. When he discovers she's not only heading to the same small Montana town, but she's close to his father's family, it’s more like fate. There are several reasons why Avery should be off limits—she’s considerably younger; they’re from different worlds; her father might kill him just for looking at her—but every glimpse into her stunning turquoise eyes just makes him fall deeper.

Montana, the Shaw family, Avery…all of them soon have Beck enchanted enough to consider big changes. But his life in Dallas also has considerable pull, including a person…or two…unwilling to give up Beck so easily.

Each book in the Love in Montana series can be read as a stand alone. The author highly suggests for a better reading experience you read the books in order.

#CoverReveal for The Rules of Dating a Younger Man by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative

Photographer: Ren Saliba

Model: Shaun Collins

Release Date: September 15, 2024

BLURB

I was the last of my group of friends to find “the one.”

The guys would always tease me that I needed to hurry up and settle down.

But I was in no rush.

Until I met someone worth rushing for.

Alex was one of the weekend volunteers at Ryan’s House—a charity I founded to build housing near hospitals.

Little did I know she was the same person I’d been arguing with over email before the project started. At the time, I’d thought Alex was a dude.

In reality? She was a smoking hot blonde who captivated me from the moment we met in person.

Our chemistry was off the charts, and I fell hard pretty fast.

Unfortunately, Alex insisted I was too young for her. I hated that she felt that way. Because age was just a number.

Not only that, her words didn’t match the way she looked at me—like she was very interested.

I lived for the weekends we’d spend out of town volunteering. Alex and I side-by-side hammering during the day, while sharing intimate dinners together at the hotel at night.

Eventually, the walls she’d put up to protect her heart began to crumble.

Until fate threw us a doozy that I wasn’t sure we could come back from.

If I’d thought our age gap was the biggest hurdle, I didn’t know anything yet.

Rule number one for dating an older woman who insists you could never be together?

Don’t fall in love.

#BookBlitz: The Arrangement by Sonali Mishra @RABTBookTours

 

Multicultural Romance, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

Date Published: 08/13/2024

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

 

Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi and Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project, and lovers of rom-coms across all mediums.

 

On the eve of his 30th birthday, Arjun Chowdhury is handsome, successful…and single. When Arjun’s mother offers to set him up with an arranged marriage, he reluctantly accepts. However, he realizes that even a “straightforward” road to the altar has its bumps.

The biggest bump of all is Nisha Nandan, a failed romance novelist whose chance meeting with Arjun leads to an undeniable connection. With the date of his wedding quickly approaching, Arjun must decide: should he listen to his heart, or to his brain?

#BookBlitz: The Secret to Reversing Age by Dale Parkinson

 

Nonfiction / Motivational / Health

Date Published: July 30, 2024

Publisher: Mindstir Media

 

In this incredibly inspirational and motivational book, 68-year-old grandfather Dale Parkinson takes you on his personal journey of conquering obesity (70 lbs. overweight) and overcoming 8 major surgeries, total knee and shoulder replacements, cancer, and a grocery list of injuries. Dale not only reveals his secret for sculpting his new 68-year-old physique (shown on the cover) but also the secrets he used to biologically reverse his age from 68 to 54 based on medically proven "telomere tests" and how you can reinvent your life and easily do the same!

#ReleaseBlitz for The Night the Stars Went Dark by H. D'Agostino @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: The Night the Stars Went Dark

Author: H. D’Agostino

Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance

Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Grief

Release Date: August 12, 2024

BLURB

As the only child of world-famous pianist, Julian Vaughn, I was born into music. It wasn’t just what I did, it was it who I was. I began taking lessons at the tender of six. I was raised to follow in my father’s legacy. It wasn’t just that I wanted to be the best, it was expected.

I went to all the best schools, trained with the best teachers, and spent my summers at special camps. I was right on the cusp of graduating college with all my dreams coming true, when tragedy struck.

Grief caused me to give it all up and silence my talent… until he came into town. The boy I knew from years ago remembered the girl I used to be and was determined to help me find her… only I wasn’t sure I wanted him to.

Could I go back and love the one thing that made me remember?

#BookReview: A Burden of Ice and Bone by Kyra Whitton

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

A tale of courage, love, and self-discovery in a frozen kingdom, perfect for fans of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.

In the village of ice and darkness, Dira Cloon's entire existence relies on her ability to pull the trigger. But when she faces a majestic white bear, her resolve falters. The bear's presence stirs something deep within her - a force stronger than her love for her family, who believe that the only safe polar bear is a dead one.

It goes beyond the village legends of a lost world and a vanished civilization, the whispered tales of magic, and the ursine king's enchantment. This force resonates with Dira's heart, shattered and lonely. If she shoots the bear, her life will continue as it always has, with a piece of her soul and dreams forever lost. But if she lays down her weapon and follows the bear into the vast, frozen realm of snow, she may transform her people and their bloodlust.

Embark on a breathtaking journey with Dira as she uncovers a cursed life more beautiful than the one she leaves behind. In Kyra Whitton's mesmerizing novel, "A Burden of Ice and Bone," readers will find a gripping tale of self-discovery, courage, and love in the heart of a magical, frozen world.

Don't miss out on this captivating adventure. Immerse yourself in the world of "A Burden of Ice and Bone" today!

#BookReview: A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale The Selkie Wife.

When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she’s convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers—a young woman in labor, already drenched to the bone in the freezing cold and barely able to speak a word of English.

Although Jean is the only midwife in the village and for miles around, she’s at a loss as to who this woman is or where she’s from; Jean can only assume she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean’s questions continue to grow. Why has he kept his wife’s pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin’s open demeanor change completely the moment she’s in his presence?

Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people’s business, her growing concern—and growing feelings—for Muirin mean she can’t simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it’s too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean’s actions with their life?

#ReleaseBlitz for Fragments of You by Melissa Toppen @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Fragments of You

Author: Melissa Toppen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Love Triangle

Second Chance Romance

Release Date: August 16, 2024

BLURB

From USA Today Bestselling Author Melissa Toppen comes a brand-new, standalone, love triangle romance that explores the complexities of first love and what it means to truly follow your heart.

Time is a funny thing. It keeps moving even when it feels like everything around you stops. It is the catalyst for everything. How we grieve. How we heal. How we live. Time was the one thing I tried but could never escape.

Days passed in his absence. Months. Years. And I stood still. Stuck in the past. Paralyzed by the memory of him.

Nash Ketter had been my whole world for as long as I could remember. The person I loved with my entire being. He was the sun, the moon, and the stars. He was everything. And then one day, he was gone… Just like that. Like he had never existed at all. But I knew he had because I still carried fragments of him with me every single day—a reminder of what we had, and what he left behind.

I was so sure I would never find love again after that, that no one could fill the gaping hole Nash had left behind, but Felix Jensen changed all that. He was the last person I expected to fall for, but as it turned out, he was exactly what I needed.

He became the soothing balm to my gaping wounds. He became my friend, my confidant, and then eventually he became something more. Where Nash shattered me into a million tiny shards, Felix spent two years piecing me back together. Even though I was never truly whole after that, he never seemed to care. He loved me, and somehow that was enough.

Or at least I thought it was, until Nash stormed back into town after four years like a tornado, overturning all the carefully placed pieces of the life I had built without him. I hated him for what he did. I hated that he came back. But more than anything, I hated how much I didn’t actually hate him at all.

In the game of love and war, there are rarely ever winners. And when secrets are exposed and true intentions are revealed, I realize I stand to lose a lot more than I ever could have imagined possible.

#BookBlitz: Elements & the Fae by @JillianBea16304 @XpressoTours #Giveaway $20 Amazon gift card

Elements & the Fae
Jillian Beane
(The Elemental, #2)
Publication date: August 12th 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Dirrin is gone, but who took his books? And why?

Cleaning up after the last battle and establishing the newly formed Council of Erist is hard enough, but when Dirrin’s books turn up missing and a chunk of obsidian with a strangely familiar magical signature is found, how will Suleima and her friends figure this out?

When new information about Suleima’s past comes to light, how will her dynamic with her found family change?

Rejoin Suleima and her friends as they face a new threat and discover that Dirrin may have only been the beginning.

#BookBlitz: Son of the Siren by @kristinaebutke @XpressoTours #Giveaway $25 Amazon gift card

Son of the Siren
Kristina Elyse Butke
Publication date: July 2nd 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Sometimes love is a curse, a twisted, unnatural obsession.

Such is the dark magic of a siren’s song, the power of which half-siren Lirien witnesses for himself as he watches his mother sing his father, the King of Ardeth, into the sea. In a fruitless attempt to reverse his father’s fate, Lirien sings the siren song himself, not knowing its true power is seduction. Instead, he ensnares his stepmother, the Queen, with its hypnotic melody.

When Lirien refuses her desperate advances, she turns to forbidden magic to force her love on him. But wishing upon a havoc stone is an invitation to chaos. The queen’s own son and daughters, Lirien’s beloved siblings, are whisked away and transformed into animals. They flee the kingdom, and Lirien chases after them, his beautiful voice also gone.

Through elven mountains, fae forests, and siren waters, Lirien will stop at nothing to find and save his family. Threats come at him from all sides, but there are allies, too—Kitra, a shapeshifting fae fox who vows vengeance on the Queen for killing her brother, and Brandegil, an elf who can awaken the sacred sword Alibrandr to help break the spell on the children.

Together, they’ll bring the stars raining down from the heavens if that’s what it takes to save Lirien’s family, but there’s still the matter of breaking the spell on the Queen. And Lirien’s own deadly curse haunts him should he stray too long from the sea.

#BookBlitz: First Woman by Aren Cappella @RABTBookTours

 

John Christian (Illustrator)

 

Children's Book

Published: March 18, 2024

Publisher: MindStir Media

 

"I am a daughter of the Great Mother Wolf and all the Earth is my home."

Aren Cappella was a writer and artist who lived in the town of Sonoma in Northern California. She was an entrepreneur who owned and operated a small bakery in Sonoma with her business partner. Aren died of breast cancer in 1998 at the age of 42. Before her death she wrote this story, "First Woman." It is the story of the first woman on Earth's spiritual quest to find her place among the other animals on Earth and to discover the qualities that make her uniquely human.

#BookBlitz: The Unlikely Pair by Jax Calder @XpressoTours

The Unlikely Pair
Jax Calder
(Unlikely Dilemmas, #2)
Publication date: August 7th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

What happens when you find yourself stranded in the wilderness with your political enemy?

Getting stranded in the freezing wilderness with my archenemy wasn’t on today’s to-do list. But somehow, that’s where I’ve ended up.

Harry Matheson, my political rival, has always been smarmy, arrogant, and entitled. It figures that even this plane crash has barely ruffled his well-coiffed hair.

It’s all fine, though, because our pilot has gone to call for help and rescue should be imminent.

Fast forward a few frigid hours…

Umm…maybe it’s not so fine, because it appears our pilot is part of an international terrorist group intent on kidnapping us.

Now Harry and I have to flee through the wilderness—together.

Unfortunately, being adept at political debates and parliamentary procedures doesn’t exactly prepare you for the basics of finding food, keeping warm, and evading the local wildlife while playing high-stakes hide-and-seek with armed terrorists.

The only way Harry and I have any hope of surviving is to stick together.

The problem is, the line separating hate and love has begun to blur, and the last thing I need is to fall for my enemy.

The Unlikely Pair is an enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a romp through the political wilderness where hearts, quite literally, go off the beaten path.

#BookBlitz: Daddy, Take Me Away: A Daddy Dom Romance Anthology @XpressoTours

Daddy, Take Me Away: A Daddy Dom Romance Anthology
(Dirty Daddies 2024 Anthology Series, #2)
Publication date: August 16th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Bags are packed, flights are booked. Time to grab your passport, and Daddy’s hand!

The only thing Daddies love more than punishing naughty little girls…is rewarding good girls. And for these Daddies, that means a nice relaxing vacation.

But being on the go won’t save these babygirls if they decide to test their Daddy’s patience. And if they thought a sunburn was bad, it’s nothing compared to the burn Daddy’s hand will leave on their bottoms.

#BookReview: The Court that Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

An action-packed dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy, Krista Street, and Sarah J. Maas.


Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince...
“I can spin gold,” I lie.
With my life at stake, I have no other choice.
I get one chance to turn my lie into truth, and I’m shocked when I succeed. 
But now the cruel human king demands I become his wife—passing between his bed and being locked away in a tower, spinning gold until my last breath. 
My only way out is to summon him.
A brutal Fae prince.
The deal we strike is sickening, but it’s the only way I’ll live after I’m caught escaping. My new captor drags me back to his realm.
A place of profound beauty and savage cruelties.
As wicked fairies play sadistic games, the prince is my sole protector.
He’s not just protecting me, though. He’s guarding his own secrets.
I should hate him. But our pact shows me a side his court never sees.
There is more behind his monstrous mask.
I can’t stop myself from looking.
Especially when I learn what he really wants with me.


The Court that Bleeds Gold is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy. This enemies to lovers series has shades of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast, with a dark hero who will absolutely burn this damned world to the ground for our sharp-tongued heroine. Expect steam, violence and plenty of barbed exchanges.

#BookReview: Paris Adrift by E. J. Swift

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Paris was supposed to save Hallie. Now… well, let’s just say Paris has other ideas.

She’s linked to a hole in time and chosen by fate to prevent a terrible war. Tumbling through Paris’ turbulent past and future, Hallie changes the world—and falls in love.

But with every trip, she loses a little of herself, and every change she makes ripples through time, until the future she’s trying to save suddenly looks nothing like what she hoped for…

“An effervescent blend of revisionist history, fantasy and science fiction.” Washington Post

#BookBlitz: Mr. Absolutely Not! by @AlinaJWrites @XpressoTours #Giveaway

Mr. Absolutely Not!
Alina Jacobs
(The Seattle Svenssons, #1)
Publication date: August 6th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Armed with comfy pants, overpriced coffee, and a highly anxious emotional-support corgi, I prepare to face him.
Corporate boss.
Villain.

I step into his office. His perfect mouth twists into a sneer.
There is no heart of gold beneath that suit, just a big black pit. He’s a shark in the frothy waters of high-stakes finance.
He might be the quintessential asshole CEO, causing all in his path to quake in fear, but he’s never had to face down a basic bitch in her thirties.

I am exactly like the other girls—I adore Starbucks, greige home decor, and making snarky jokes with my bestie. I’ve even inherited a stalker from an ill-advised singles party.
Yeah, the stalker is… a problem, one I’m hoping will just go away if I ignore it.

I can’t ignore him, though.
He’s all broad shoulders and snide comments, picking apart everything about me as he circles me, going for the kill.
He would never fire me, though. There’s no fun in that. He wants me to quit, to have a mental breakdown.
Well, he can get in line behind my crazy gold-digging sister, my guilt-tripping mother, and the aforementioned stalker.

He pins me with his gaze.
I brace myself, waiting for the verbal blow to come…
Instead, he says, “I need a date tonight, and unfortunately, it has to be you.”

This is a full-length, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, complete with smokin’ hot-but-morally gray heroes, a smidge of suspense, and of course the perfect happily ever after!

#BookBlitz: Where Do I Belong? by Sarah Carrington @RABTBookTours

 

Memoir

Date Published: April 17, 2023

 

 

This is a memoir of Sarah Carrington. Born and raised in a religious community, Sarah knew nothing about the outside world. Everything she ate, wore, read, and did was governed by the beliefs of her community. A community she grew to call a cult.

Sarah spent most of her free time as a child in nature with her survival-enthusiast parents. She learned to survive and thrive in all seasons, with few supplies. Then her father died in a tragic accident.

As adolescence changed her body, it also changed the way some men treated her. At thirteen, needing to escape she left the commune. Woefully unprepared, with minimal education and no believable work skills, she teetered on the brink of homelessness. Her naivety drew her into a world of sex and drugs, without the rock and roll.

Despite enduring traumas and indignities, she became a sexually confident woman as she searched for a place to belong.

By age twenty-three, Sarah became an orphan, pregnant, a stepmother, and a guardian to her siblings. But the world wasn't done with her yet.

#CoverReveal: Whiskey and Warfare by E.M. Hamill @songmagick @XpressoTours

Whiskey and Warfare
E.M. Hamill
(The Team Huntress Flights, #1)
Publication date: September 15th 2024
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction

Running on caffeine and spite with nothing left to prove.

Maryn Alessi retired from mercenary service after her last assignment went horribly sideways and settled down on a quiet planet with the love of her life. Unexpectedly widowed, Maryn must fulfill a promise to return her mate’s ashes to zer home planet for funeral rites, but a brutal civil war has destabilized space travel.

Former Artemis Corps sisters-in-arms and their sassy ship, the Golden Girl, are up to the task, counting on luck and their rather sketchy cargo business to get Maryn passage through the contested star lanes. But when the crew of the Girl rescues survivors of a ruthless war crime, Maryn and her ride-or-die friends must take up their old profession to save the lives of innocents from a genocidal dictator.

WHISKEY AND WARFARE is the first of The Team Huntress Flights.