#BookReview: Distance (#BeneaththeMask #1) by @authorlunamason #LunaMasonMafia @KensingtonBooks @btc_books

Look Beneath the Mask with Booktok sensation Luna Mason’s scorchingly intense dark mafia romance series featuring elite criminal families, morally gray anti-heroes, and breath-stealing tension for fans of J.T. Geissinger, Sav R. Miller, Sophie Lark, Rina Kent, and Shantel Tessier.

Keller
From a poor, underground street fighter, I rose to fame as the world heavyweight boxing champion. No one knew I was also a monster who hunted in the shadows. Trapped in the mafia until my debts were paid. A simple deal held my freedom- unify my belts. It seemed simple until an enchanting British firecracker landed on my lap, knocking me sideways. Wanting her was dangerous for us both, but I took her anyway. Leaving me with the choice, fight for my freedom or hers. When the truth is unmasked, could she still love me? Would love be enough to battle our demons and come out on top?

Sienna
Newly single and focusing on building my life in New York, I’ve sworn off men for the foreseeable. No one had ever stuck around long enough to let me believe in fairytales anyway. That was until him. He tried to hide himself from me but I couldn’t stay away. When the mask shattered and the truth was revealed, could I still stay? Even if it meant my life was at stake. Could we get past our fear of love and fight for our Happily Ever After?

#BookRecommendation: Thorn (Dauntless Path, #1) by @booksbyintisar

A princess with two futures. A destiny all her own.

Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.

When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl. 

But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.

With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.

Includes The Bone Knife, a bonus short story set in the world of Thorn.

#BookTour: The General (@heroes_of_the_empire, #2) by Israh Azizi @rrbooktours

The General (Heroes of the Empire Book 2)

Publication Date: November 2023

Genre: YA Fantasy/ Epic Fantasy

THE EMPIRE IS CRUMBLING, AND THE FATE OF A KINGDOM RESTS IN THEIR HANDS.

Tropes:

Morally Grey Characters, Mistaken Identity, Royal Intrigue, Multiple POV, Chosen One, Slow Burn Romance, Found Family, Warring Kingdoms, Forbidden Love, Hidden Powers, Character Driven

Mordon dedicated his life to his father; his only dream was to prove himself worthy of Verin’s general. But with the ruthless Tariqin attack comes a brutal awakening. Captured by enemy forces and dragged into a war camp full of the people he was trained to kill, his hopes of proving himself worthy are dashed to pieces. When the enemy offers him a chance for a grand future, he’s faced with a test that stretches him beyond his limits.

Coralie’s burden has never been heavier. After the Dark Lord Prolus’s recent assault and her uncle’s declining health, it is up to her to keep her kingdom together. The inevitable return of the Tariqin army lurks at their doorstep and her time is running short. Coralie turns to the newest residents of Verintown for assistance. Branded traitors and hated by many in the castle, they may very well be her downfall. Using their pledge for change in her favor, she tasks them with a mission most would consider a death sentence.

Two determined warriors separated by a river of blood. Mordon must risk everything to become the man he yearns to be, and Coralie must fight to become the queen she was born to be.

#BookRelease: Masquerade of Bones by @jemberhintz @rrbooktours

Masquerade of Bones Publication Date: February 25, 2025 (Print, ebook and audio) Genre: Fantasy Romance Tropes: 

Enemies to lovers

Villain gets the girl

Shadow daddy

Heists

Royalty,

Found family

Quest

One bed/horse/tent

Magic

Outlaws

Dragons

Vibes:  Six of Crows (but make it spicy) x Beneath Black Sails (but wild west outlaws instead of pirates) A Blood Oath ~ A Botched Heist ~ A Dangerous Deal with the Enemy Everly Thorn knew she was doomed when she came down with witch fever. She’s spent the last ten years hiding her symptoms and will do anything to keep her cursed gift a secret for fear of being conscripted into the military and used as a weapon to hunt others like her. Reeling from the death of her parents and a broken betrothal, she’s racked up a fortune in gambling debts. Her job at the Menagerie of Magical Beasts doesn’t pay enough to keep the collectors from threatening to take her home—the only thing she and her brother have left. Silas Drake is an infamous outlaw in need of a witch with a unique set of skills and exactly the kind of man Everly has vowed to stay away from—tall, dark, and deadly. He’s determined to steal a powerful dragon relic being held in the Menagerie’s vault. When he discovers Everly’s secret, the ruthless shadow summoner presents her with an impossible choice—swear a blood oath to him and help his crew steal the relic in exchange for paying off her debts or be handed over to the crown. Everly, however, is done with men who want to control her and refuses to accept her fate without a fight. 

#CoverReveal: Ruthless Bonds (Hearts of Mayhem Series #1) by @authordaniantoinette @RRBookTours

We're proud to reveal the cover and blurb for Ruthless Bonds by Dani Antoinette. This will be the first in a brand-new series!

Ruthless Bonds (Hearts of Mayhem Series #1)

Series of standalones. No cliffhangers

Genre: Dark romance/ Bratva / Mafia Romance

Designer:

Paperback: Yosbe Design

Ebook/Hardcove: Dani Antoinette

Bratva dark romance

Enemies to lovers

OTT possessive/jealous hero

Forced marriage / Blackmail

Age gap

He falls first

Primal play

Badass FMC who likes to break rules...and enjoys her punishments

Look at her and you lose your eyes

"Such a good f*cking girl*

Mystery / thriller / suspense

Six years ago, I thought I could escape the devil.

I was dead wrong.

Kreos Zokrov has found me, and this time, running from him isn’t an option. New York’s most feared mafia boss swears I’ve stolen from him, and to spare my family, he demands the one thing I swore I’d never give.

My freedom.

I’ve spent my life fighting and clawing my way through the streets to protect my siblings. I was so close to a new life, until Kreos dragged me back into his world of power and mayhem. But the worst part isn’t the constant danger…it’s that I feel safer with the monster than anywhere else.

He doesn’t just love. He possesses.

He doesn’t just protect. He destroys.

And when he says I belong to him, he means forever.

But with enemies closing in, and the past refusing to stay buried, the war between us threatens to burn everything to the ground.

If I want to survive this time, I’ll have to make a choice…

Embrace his darkness or be consumed by it.

I ran from him once.

He’ll never let me do it again.

#ReleaseBlitz for Rio's Release by @authornicolejames @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Rio's Release

Series: Saint's Outlaws MC: Las Cruces Chapter #1

Author: Nicole James

Genres: MC Romance/Romantic Suspense

Tropes: Age Gap/First Love/She's Mine/Revenge

Touch Her and Die/Protective, Possessive Alpha

Release Date: February 24, 2025

BLURB

FROM WALL STREET JOURNAL AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, NICOLE JAMES COMES A STEAMY, AGE GAP, MC ROMANCE.

The MC President and the innocent girl who brought him to his knees. A tale of obsession, revenge and redemption.

Las Cruces, New Mexico…

The sun rises over the rugged mountains to the east and sets over the muddy Rio Grande River to the west.

An hour from the Tex/Mex border, it was a quiet town until the rumble of our motorcycles rolled in and we took control.

Now the Saint’s Outlaws run this town and everything in it.

No one does business without the MC’s okay.

We take a cut of everything, and in exchange, we offer protection.

If you need something, you come to us.

We own the law, we own the mayor, and if you come to our town, we’ll own you, too.

Rio—

As enforcer of the Saint’s Outlaws' Mother Chapter, I was sent to Las Cruces, NM to set up a drug connection with the Mexican cartel.

When the deal went south, and the drugs and money were stolen, I made sure our chapter got its money back.

The personal cost to me was high, and I spent ten long years in prison for my MC.

Now I’m going back to the town that convicted me and sent me away.

With the blessing of our Saints Outlaws mother chapter and with those brothers brave enough to join me,

I’m going to set up my own chapter, take the town over and make it ours.

Revenge will be mine, and it will be sweet.

Las Cruces, I'm coming for you.

And then I’m coming for the sweet angel who testified against me.

#BookDiscussion: Are Audiobooks Really Reading?

Welcome to Our Weekly Bookish Discussion!

Every week, we dive into a new topic in the bookish world, exploring everything from reading habits to the latest trends in literature. Whether you’re a fan of fiction, non-fiction, audiobooks, or any genre in between, this is the space to share your thoughts, ask questions, and connect with fellow book lovers. So grab a cup of tea (or coffee), get comfy, and join the conversation—because here, every opinion is valued, and every bookish discussion is worth having!

#BookBlitz: Dragon Flight (A Dragon Soul Press Anthology) @therealcie @RABTBookTours

Fantasy

Date Published: January 23, 2025

Publisher: Dragon Soul Press

 

Caution: Dragons ahead.

Prepare to delve into fiery worlds full of dragons. From hatchlings to ancients. From tame to wild. Many have their own goals, and most want to see the world reduced to ash. To reshape the world in their own reptilian image. Others struggle to survive, but heroes rise among them.

Which side will you choose?

Featuring 27 stories by the following authors: Vicki Erwin, Bruce Buchanan, Demi Michelle Schwartz, Sadie Lielle, Andreas Flögel, Desirae Gracyn, C.L. Hart, Kristen Argyres, Sandy R. Stuckless, Jessica Lee Minneci, Rae Evans, S.E. Reed, Larry Hodges, David O'Mahony, Mae Thorn, M.L. Quinn, Racquel Sims, Sierra Jackson, Daniel DiQuinzio, Ana Cordoba, Gabriella Balcom, D.J. Elton, Ann Stolinsky, Charles Barouch, Arwyn Sherman, Kiera Kearsey, Binod Dawadi, and J.E. Feldman.

#BookTour: Doing Good & Doing Well by @MikeKaufman_ @RABTBookTours

 

Nonfiction / Leadership

Date Published: 12/24/23

 

 

INSPIRING HELPING PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME LEADERS IN THEIR ORGANIZATIONS

 

This book is the product of a 30-year career (and counting!) focused on doing good in the world, spent on trying to improve the quality of life of self and others, and dedicated to fulfilling the needs of those most in need.

In it, Michael shares his personal experiences with organizational leadership and his insights on what makes a good leader in the helping professions, incorporating anecdotes, case studies, and current cultural profiles to illustrate his points and arguments.

Though not a memoir, each chapter of this narrated guidebook reflects the author’s viewpoints on the essential and extolled roles helpers hold in the workplace and why their particular contributions and talents have never been needed more and should be valued like never before.

People who do good in the world can also do well—more than that, they deserve to do well on the basis of their altruism and commitment. If you’re looking to advance your helping professional career while simultaneously advancing the human condition for the people you serve and for society at large, you’ll find much in these pages that speaks to you … and hopefully inspires you to make even more of a difference than you already are.

#BookRecommendation: The Bone Knife (Dauntless Path, #1.5) by @booksbyintisar

Rae knows how to look out for family. Born with a deformed foot, she feigns indifference to the pity and insults that come her way. Wary of all things beautiful, Rae instantly distrusts their latest visitor: an appallingly attractive faerie. Further, his presence imperils the secret her sister guards. But when the local townspeople show up demanding his blood, Rae must find a way to protect both her sister’s secret and their guest. Even if that means risking herself.

The Bone Knife introduces Rae, the heroine of The Theft Of Sunlight (March 2021). Look for The Bone Knife at the back of your copy of Thorn (HarperTeen/Hot Key 2020).

#BookReview: Youngblood by Sasha Laurens

High school sucks. Especially for the undead.

“This is the lesbian vampire boarding school story I've always needed, but it's smarter, nastier, and more fun than I ever could have dreamed." —Kylie Schachte, author of You're Next


Kat Finn and her mother can barely make ends meet living among humans. Like all vampires, they must drink Hema, an expensive synthetic blood substitute, to survive, as nearly all of humanity has been infected by a virus that’s fatal to vampires. Kat isn’t looking forward to an immortal life of barely scraping by, but when she learns she’s been accepted to the Harcote School, a prestigious prep school that’s secretly vampires-only, she knows her fortune is about to change.
 
Taylor Sanger has grown up in the wealthy vampire world, but she’s tired of its backward, conservative values—especially when it comes to sexuality, since she’s an out-and-proud lesbian. She only has to suffer through a two more years of Harcote before she’s free. But when she discovers her new roommate is Kat Finn, she’s horrified. Because she and Kat used to be best friends, a long time ago, and it didn’t end well.
 
When Taylor stumbles upon the dead body of a vampire, and Kat makes a shocking discovery in the school’s archives, the two realize that there are deep secrets at Harcote—secrets that link them to the most powerful figures in Vampirdom and to the synthetic blood they all rely on.

#BookReview: Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne

The sleepy little farm that Laurel Early grew up on has awakened. The woods are shifting, the soil is dead under her hands, and her bone pile just stood up and walked away.

After dropping out of college, all she wanted was to resume her life as a tobacco hand and taxidermist and try not to think about the boy she can’t help but love. Instead, a devil from her past has returned to court her, as he did her late mother years earlier. Now, Laurel must unravel her mother’s terrifying legacy and tap into her own innate magic before her future and the fate of everyone she loves is doomed.

#BookReview: Our Crooked Hearts by @melissaalbertauthor

Secrets. Lies. Bad choices. Dangerous magic. . . . This is Our Crooked Hearts, a contemporary fantasy "so precise and enthralling that the only explanation is that Albert herself is a witch" (Booklist, starred review)

On the way home from a party, seventeen-year-old Ivy and her soon-to-be ex nearly run over a nude young woman standing in the middle of a tree-lined road. It’s only the first in a string of increasingly eerie events and offerings: a dead rabbit in the driveway, a bizarre concoction buried by her mother in the backyard, a box of childhood keepsakes hidden in her parents’ closet safe. Most unsettling of all, corroded recollections of Ivy and her enigmatic mother’s past resurface, with the help of the boy next door.

What if there’s more to Ivy’s mother than meets the eye? And what if the supernatural forces she messed with during her own teen years have come back to haunt them both? Ivy must grapple with these questions and more if she’s going to escape the darkness closing in.

Straddling Ivy’s contemporary suburban town and her mother’s magic-drenched 1990s Chicago, this bewitching and propulsive story rockets towards a conclusion guaranteed to keep readers up all night.

#BookReview: My Imaginary Mary (Mary, #2) by @CynthiaHand, @BrodiAshton, Jodi Meadows

It’s aliiiiiiiive! The bestselling authors of My Lady Jane are back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley.

Mary may have inherited the brilliant mind of her late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but she lives a drab life above her father’s bookstore, waiting for an extraordinary idea that’ll inspire a work worthy of her parentage—and impress her rakishly handsome (and super-secret) beau, Percy Shelley.

Ada Lovelace knows a thing or two about superstar parents, what with her dad being Lord Byron, the most famous poet on Earth. But her passions lie far beyond the arts—in mechanical engineering, to be exact. Alas, no matter how precise Ada’s calculations, there’s always a man willing to claim her ingenious ideas as his own.

Pan, a.k.a. Practical Automaton Number One, is Ada's greatest idea yet: a machine that will change the world, if only she can figure out how to make him truly autonomous . . . or how to make him work at all.

When fate connects our two masterminds, Mary and Ada learn that they are fae—magical people with the ability to make whatever they imagine become real. But when their dream team results in a living, breathing, thinking PAN, Mary and Ada find themselves hunted by a mad scientist who won't stop until he finds out how they made a real boy out of spare parts.

With comic genius and a truly electrifying sense of adventure, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn history on its head in this YA fantasy that’s perfect for fans of The Princess Bride and A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

#BookReview: Blade Breaker (Realm Breaker #2) by @victoriaaveyard

The fate of the world rests on a blade's edge.

Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword.

But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.

Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.

Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.

But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.

Books, Life, and a Little Bit of Chaos with @ReaderLatte

✨ Welcome to This Week’s RoundUp! ✨

Get ready for Books, Life, and a Little Bit of Chaos with @ReaderLatte—your double dose of bookish chatter, life updates, and everything in between!

📅 Saturdays are all about reflection—I’ll be rounding up the week’s highlights, from the books I’ve devoured to the little moments that made life interesting. Then, on Sundays, I’ll give you a peek at what’s coming next—upcoming reads, site updates, and whatever chaos the new week has in store.

With daily posts back in full swing, I’m just filling up the calendar and embracing the whirlwind! So grab a coffee, settle in, and enjoy my rambling bits of bookish and life musings. Let’s chat, share, and make this space as lively as our TBR piles! 📚☕✨

#ReleaseBlitz for The Drummer's Heart by @penelopewardauthor

Title: The Drummer's Heart

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Rockstar Hero/"My Wife"/Small Town

Close Proximity/Slow Burn/One Bed

Release Date: February 23, 2025

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…

Don’t say her name.

That was the one rule my bandmates followed, because they knew how much it messed me up to think about her, especially on tour.

My ex, Nicole.

The one who got away and the woman who still owned every piece of my heart.

After our divorce, I threw myself into the rock scene, trying to forget my heartbreak.

Three years after we split, a phone call from Nicole changed everything.

She told me her grandmother wasn’t doing well.

Mimi was still family to me, and she apparently had one wish before dying: to spend time with us—Nicole and me.

With Mimi’s caretaker away on vacation, it would be the ideal time for us to move in with her for a couple of weeks.

Of course, I couldn’t refuse.

But there was a catch.

Nicole apparently never told her that we’d gotten a divorce.

She hadn’t believed Mimi could handle it, because her grandmother loved me so much.

So, not only would I have to see Nicole again, but I’d be pretending to still be her husband.

Two weeks in a tiny house in a small town with the woman who broke my heart. Or was it me who broke hers?

It was complicated.

And it was about to be a heck of a lot more complicated sharing one bed in the guest room with a woman who wasn’t mine anymore.

#ReleaseBlitz for Ink & Stardust by Melissa Toppen @melissa_toppen @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Ink & Stardust

Series: Ink & Ashes #1

Author: Melissa Toppen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Trope: College Romance

Release Date: February 21, 2025

BLURB

Fate is a funny little thing.

It had a good laugh when I found my boyfriend of four years in bed with my best friend.

It was rolling on the floor when the same backstabbing beasts stole my dream school, landing me in a different state, where I didn’t know a single soul.

You’d think after all that, it’d cut me a break, right?

Wrong.

Enter its next jest, and this one’s a doozy.

Kai Elliot. Campus womanizer. Self-proclaimed bad boy. And the new bane of my existence—but not for the reason you might think.

Kai is as beautiful as the ink that mars his skin. Perfect lines. Vibrant colors. Designs as intricate as the man who bears them. I knew from the first moment I laid eyes on him that he was dangerous. A man who would destroy everything I stood for, stripping me bare for the world to see, and that’s exactly what he does.

I don’t love him. Hell, I don’t even like him. But that doesn’t stop me from injecting him into my veins like he’s my own personal brand of narcotics. Nothing can top the high he gives me, which is why I keep coming back for more, even when I know I shouldn’t.

And just when I think maybe fate isn’t that bad after all, it goes and gets my traitorous heart involved. Because the only thing worse than loving a man who betrays you- is loving a man who will never love you back.

If fate is real, I’m pretty sure it hates me.

Books, Life, and a Little Bit of Chaos with @ReaderLatte

✨ Welcome to This Week’s RoundUp! ✨

Get ready for Books, Life, and a Little Bit of Chaos with @ReaderLatte—your double dose of bookish chatter, life updates, and everything in between!

📅 Saturdays are all about reflection—I’ll be rounding up the week’s highlights, from the books I’ve devoured to the little moments that made life interesting. Then, on Sundays, I’ll give you a peek at what’s coming next—upcoming reads, site updates, and whatever chaos the new week has in store.

With daily posts back in full swing, I’m just filling up the calendar and embracing the whirlwind! So grab a coffee, settle in, and enjoy my rambling bits of bookish and life musings. Let’s chat, share, and make this space as lively as our TBR piles! 📚☕✨

#BookReview: Dirty Lying Wolves (The Enchanted Fates #3) by @sabrinablackburry

From the author of Dirty Lying Faeries and Dirty Lying Dragons comes a new installment in the Enchanted Fates series in which a young woman involuntarily finds herself in the company of a rogue pack of wolves, with plenty of troubles of their own.

When Juniper stumbles across a small group of strangers during her morning power walk, she jumps in to help an injured member of the party. However, her act of kindness backfires when she’s savagely bitten by what turns out to be a very ill werewolf.

The pack’s acting leader, Dom, gives June a choice: she can return to the human world post-transformation or she can join the pack. Either way, she’ll never be the same again. 

June will have to decide if she wants to face her new reality and take her place with Dom in the pack or risk tearing everything apart.