#BookReview: The Nightshade God (The Nightshade Crown, #3) by Hannah F. Whitten @hwhittenwrites

The Nightshade Crown is in the hands of a ruthless god. Lore will stop at nothing to defeat him and save the troubled prince and tortured priest ensnared in his wicked plot, in this final installment of this lush, romantic, New York Times bestselling fantasy series from breakout star Hannah Whitten.

Lore has failed. She couldn’t save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn’t save her allies from being scattered across the continent—their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn’t save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn’t save herself. 

Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that’s captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount—the source of all the god’s powers—and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land. 

But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger… and to a woman who’s always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up.

#BookReview: The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by @hannahgparry

From the author of The Magician's Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.

#BookTour: The War in Heaven by @manosoteloartist @RABTBookTours

Fantasy / Adventure / Religious & Spirituality

After a third of Heaven's angels rebel, a fearful archangel struggles to save Heaven, humanity, and his older brother from absolute ruin.

Moving beyond that, The War in Heaven is an epic allegorical myth that explores humanity’s endless struggle with a multitude of psychological, ideological, and emotional conflicts. It ultimately presents a transformative journey of two brothers that discover peace in the face of addiction, diversions, anger, fear, and desire.

As mentioned, The War in Heaven is an allegory. It’s a story of one’s relationship with reality. It’s an invitation to look at our identities, our relationship with ourselves, other human beings, and the world around us. It’s about facing internal and external conflicts and ultimately obtaining peace.

#BookTour: @AnticipationDayBook by #JeffMichelson @RABTBookTours

Science Fiction

Date Published: December 3, 2024

 

 

2025 Book Excellence Awards Finalist in Science Fiction

“A musing science fiction novel about the future of AI, Anticipation Day follows a group of friends as they try to improve their lives through government-sanctioned fantasies." —Foreword Clarion Reviews

“A boundary-pushing plunge into a vividly imagined future, Anticipation Day poses powerful questions about identity, the human experience, and our digital destiny as a species, resulting in a provocative mixture of Black Mirror and The Surge.” —The Independent Review of Books

 

In the summer of 2026, amidst the sights and sounds of one of the oldest pubs in London, Dr. Joshua Lee receives a call that will alter his life for the foreseeable future—he’s asked to work on a clandestine project that will transform every American’s way of life.

Six years later, amidst the steel and glass canyons of the Denver suburbs, a group of friends assemble for dinner the night before their first escape into Anticipation Day, an immersive simulated experience that is promised to be an annual respite from the daily grind.

Amongst this group of friends are Alexandra, Eric, Patrick, Mike and MaryAnne, each at inflection points in their lives and each with their own life scars and unrealized dreams. As they prepare to plug into the simulation, they are forced to confront their own fears and desires, all while interfacing with their chosen simulated experience, blurring the lines between reality and the artificial dreamscape.

These experiences force the group to confront their deepest fears, chase exclusive happiness, and unlock truths buried within their souls. As they delve deeper into the algorithmic labyrinth, more truths about their existence are fully revealed.

However, the question begs: Will their journey lead to salvation, or will it unravel the very fabric of their existence?

 

Join this eclectic band of suburbanites as they look for meaning amidst the chaos of the digital age. Anticipation Day beckons, but not everything is as is seems in this electrifying tale of urban futurism.

#BookReview: Katabasis (Deluxe Limited Edition) by R. F. Kuang @kuangrf

Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

This title will be released on August 26, 2025.

#BookReview: Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth

Outside the last city on Earth, the planet is a wasteland. Without the Archive, where the genes of the dead are stored, humanity will end.

Passing into the Archive should be cause for celebration, but Antigone’s parents were murdered, leaving her father’s throne vacant. As her militant uncle Kreon rises to claim it, all Antigone feels is rage. When he welcomes her and her siblings into his mansion, Antigone sees it for what it really is: a gilded cage, where she is a captive as well as a guest.

But her uncle will soon learn that no cage is unbreakable. And neither is he.

From dystopian visionary and bestselling phenomenon Veronica Roth comes a razor-sharp reimagining of Antigone. In Arch-Conspirator, Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected.

#BookTour: The Belmont by #AnthonyCocco @AntonMauri58620 @RABTBookTours

Fiction

Date Published: February 28, 2025

Publisher: MindStir Media

The Belmont is a tale of a young man's struggles with a heartbreak he cannot get past, set against the backdrop of a bacchanalia-filled weekend centered around the 1998 Belmont Stakes horse race, which ended with a Triple Crown bid thwarted by a photo finish. During a long "weekend" spread out over six days and in three different states, a weekend fueled by alcohol and sexual tension, but also filled with reflective, heartbreaking, exhilarating, hilarious, and heartwarming moments, Tommy Cippolini embarks on a journey of self-discovery, experiencing just about every single human emotion along the way. In between episodes filled with anger and frustration, anticipation, anxiety, disappointment, sexual arousal and temptation, binge drinking, daringness and trepidation, hilarity and debauchery, and longing and sadness, Tommy confides in good friends, casual friends, strangers, and family members about his feelings and past trials and tribulations.

#BookReview: The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace @auraleewallaceauthor

An enchantingly warm and funny novel about family, love lost and found, discovering who you are, and how difficult it is to slay a vampire from the beloved national bestselling author of the TikTok sensation In the Company of Witches.

Cassie Beckett’s life is anything but magical. With a wild younger sister, three unruly kids, and an absent husband, she’s really not looking forward to the witching month of October. At least the gorgeous, foggy Prince Edward Island is always quiet.

That is, until the vampires arrive.

As the creatures sink their teeth into Cassie’s tenuous grip on normalcy, she’s forced to come face-to-face with long–disregarded family secrets. The legacy gifts her with power, but also a lofty rid the island of vampires, or let them win. (Both options suck, in more ways than one.)

Armed with her family, newfound friends, and a baby in a spectacularly garlicky onesie, Cassie must learn what it is to be a witch and how to fight for what she loves before time runs out. Because on Halloween night, the stakes will be higher than ever before...and it’s up to Cassie to finish what the witches that came generations before her started.

This title will be released on August 19, 2025.

#BookReview: Vamps: Fresh Blood by Nicole Arend

This “fast-paced and enthralling” ( The Sun , London) debut transports you to an elite vampire academy where a half vampire, half human struggles to hone his bloodthirsty side.

Nestled in the Swiss Alps, VAMPS is the ultimate academy for the children of the most wealthy and powerful vampire families. Unfortunately for Dillon, he’s an outsider—to be more specific, he’s a dhampir: a vampire that is half human.

If he wants to survive more than a single term, he’s going to need to embrace his fangs. But blood never lies and soon, it becomes clear there is something special and deadly flowing in Dillon’s veins. But as his power grows, so does the target on his back…

“An alluring and fast-paced read for fans of The Atlas Six , A Deadly Education , and True Blood ” ( Library Journal ).

#CoverReveal: Beloved Beauty by @authorgeorgiacates #GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Beloved Beauty

A Beauty Series Novel

Trilogy: Alex and Magnolia #3

Author: Georgia Cates

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Billionaire Romance/Damaged Hero & Heroine

Second Chance/Protective & Possessive Hero

Sports Romance/Found Family

Cover Design: Swoony Cover Designs

Release Date: July 15, 2025

BLURB

Some love stories are meant to weather the storm. Others are the storm.

Alex and Magnolia have survived lies, long-distance heartbreak, and the kind of silence that could’ve ruined everything. Now, they’re engaged and finally chasing forever—together.

But love isn’t always smooth sailing.

When Magnolia decides to trade her American roots for a life in Australia, it feels like the beginning of everything they’ve dreamed of. A home. A future. A second chance to build what was almost lost.

Until the past returns—with claws.

Tyson. Celeste. The paparazzi. The shadows they thought they’d outrun come roaring back, threatening not only their peace but their future.

And Alex is done running.

As the final showdown looms, Magnolia and Alex will have to fight harder than ever—for each other, for their privacy, and for the love that was always worth the war.

Because true love doesn’t cower.

It endures.

It defends.

It wins.

The epic conclusion to Alex and Magnolia’s trilogy delivers all the heat, heartbreak, and hard-won happily-ever-after readers have been waiting for.

#Teaser: Riot by @marteekakarland @changelingpress @RABTBookTours

 

(Kiss of Death MC)

 

Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap

Date Published: June 20, 2025

Violet Harrington has a haunted look about her that pulls at my protective instincts like nothing has in a long time.

 

Violet -- In my world, girls aren’t deemed useful for much other than to be married off, creating a tie to a rival family. I did my job. I married the man my family chose, and I got pregnant right away. Now my life is a nightmare, wondering if this is the day someone will kill me, or worse, take my son. When Caleb witnesses the abuse I live with, he gives me an ultimatum. Leave his father, or Caleb will kill the man himself. That’s when my lawyer introduces me to Quinn Devereaux, the man known as Riot. He asks me a question I’ve never heard before. What do you need, Violet?

Riot -- I was gone the first moment I laid eyes on the tiny woman with the suspicious twelve-year-old guarding her like a pit bull. She’s my service requirement assignment -- to protect her and her kid from her husband and father. Domestic abuse is never pretty, but her story hits way too close to home. I’ll watch over them, and in the end, I’ll do whatever it takes to prevent history from repeating itself. Even if it means I risk going back to prison.

 

Warning: Riot (Kiss of Death MC 4) deals with issues of domestic abuse that may be triggers for some readers.

#ReleaseBlitz for Luke by @authormelissabelle @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Luke

Series: Wild Men #9

Author: Melissa Belle

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Small Town/Cowboy Romance

Release Date: June 17, 2025

BLURB

She swore she'd never fall for him...but the super-hot cowboy is her new boss.

An enemies to lovers, close proximity, small town cowboy romance in the best-selling Wild Men series by USA Today bestselling author Melissa Belle.

I’m a cowboy through and through. My rodeo days may be over, but I live for the ranch.

I don’t have time for relationships. Or for romance.

Then she shows up in a torn wedding gown and covered in mud. She asks me for a few things that night, but the one I turn her down on is the one I can’t stop picturing.

Then she ends up working for me. And my simple cowboy life becomes sweet torture.

Can a runaway bride who pushes all my buttons have been the right woman all along?

#ReleaseBlitz for King of Power by @aleiakane_author @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: King of Power

Series: Club Velvet Petal #1

Author: Aleia Kane

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance

Tropes: Forced Marriage/Forbidden Love

Enemies to Lovers/Second Chance/Age Gap

Release Date: June 17, 2025

BLURB

A SVU meets The Sopranos dark mafia romance

One night at Club Velvet Petal was all it took to destroy everything I'd built. Now, I'm forced to marry the very man who ghosted me a year ago— a decision that could either save my life or end it.

As a SVU detective, I'm used to putting criminals behind bars, not sleeping with them. But Ezekiel King isn't just any criminal. He's a former mafia enforcer with a reputation that makes hardened men tremble. He claims this marriage will protect me from a local mafia lord who wants me dead, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm trading one form of danger for another.

The worst part? My body betrays me every time he's near. His commanding presence and dominant nature awaken desires I thought I'd buried long ago. Each heated glance, each possessive touch, reminds me of the passion we once shared—before he vanished without a trace.

But when the unthinkable happens, I'm forced to confront the brutal reality of Zeke's world. Now I must choose—maintain my integrity as a detective, or surrender to the darkness that surrounds him to save the only family I have left.

With rival mafia families closing in and threats lurking in every shadow, my heart and my badge are on opposite sides of a war I never wanted to fight.

In Zeke's world, love isn't just dangerous—it's deadly. And I'm beginning to fear it might be exactly what I need to survive.

In this game of shadows, will love be enough to save us, or will it cost me everything?

Author’s Note: This is Ezekiel and Evelyn’s story. A forced marriage, enemies to lovers, second chance, age gap, touch her and perish, emotional, angst-filled, dark mafia romance between a morally gray, possessive, former mafia enforcer turned vigilante and a strong-willed, independent SVU detective who’s struggling to regain her life after a failed, abusive marriage.

Trigger warnings can be found at the beginning of the book, before the start of chapter one. Please read before proceeding.

#BookReview: The South Wind (The Four Winds, #3) by Alexandria Warwick

From the bestselling author of The North Wind and The West Wind comes a sizzling fantasy romance novel inspired by Sleeping Beauty and the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo.

Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than three months to live before death claims her. Cursed as a child to die on her twenty-fifth nameday, she will do whatever it takes to secure her realm’s future, including an arranged marriage to Prince Balior, a handsome young noble from a neighboring kingdom. But another man vies for her attention as well: Notus, the South Wind, god of the desert breeze, and Sarai’s ex-lover.

Sarai is determined to stay away from the god who betrayed her and honor her father’s plan. But Prince Balior has an agenda of his own, and as Sarai learns more about her betrothed, she realizes he might be a dangerous threat to her people. So despite her hatred for Notus, she fakes their engagement to escape the arranged marriage and unearth Prince Balior’s true motives surrounding his obsession with the menacing labyrinth that sits in the palace’s grounds.

But darker forces are at work, and time is running out. Together with Notus, Sarai must face the horrors dwelling inside the labyrinth to save herself and her realm—but in order to succeed, she must confront her pain and the monsters she carries within herself…

The South Wind is a brand-new standalone fantasy romance novel featuring a fake engagement and second chance romance from TikTok sensation Alexandria Warwick. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Scarlett St. Clair and Raven Kennedy.

#BookReview: Januaries by @olivieblake

Januaries is a collection of new and iconic short stories and novellas from New York Times bestselling author Olivie Blake.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.

#CoverReveal for Until He Scores by @reevetl1 @boomfactorypub @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Until He Scores

A Happily Ever Alpha World Novel

Author: TL Reeve

Publisher: Boom Factory Publishing, LLC

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: M/M, Hockey Romance, Small Town

Friends to Lovers, Childhood Crush

Cover Design: RBA Designs & TL Reeve

Release Date: June 20, 2025

BLURB

All Thierry Thomas ever wanted was the moment he found his Boom. Too bad the person meant for him is out of his league and, most of all, straight. After a freak accident on the ice forces Thierry into medical retirement, he goes home to Murfreesboro to recover and begin the next chapter of his life—Defensive Coach for the Murfreesboro Mountaineers.

Pope Ellis never enjoyed staying in one place very long. After high school, he took off for parts unknown. His life in Murfreesboro left him claustrophobic, more so after his mother’s death. He never expected to return, let alone run into the one person who flipped his life upside down—Thierry Thomas.

At fourteen, they shared a kiss.

At thirty-five, they confronted their feelings by sharing a kiss in a heated moment. Is it love? Hate? Curiosity? None of that matters after a medical emergency had Pope rushing to Thierry’s side. Can Thierry and Pope push aside their trepidations and explore their budding feelings? Or will Thierry’s Boom remain unrequited?

Until He Scores is part of Aurora Rose Reynolds's Happily Ever Alpha World. If you loved Until July, then you will want to read Until He Scores.

#BookBlitz: For Our Friends the Animals by #RobertEchols @RABTBookTours

 

Cultivating a Reverence for Life

Christian Nonfiction

Date Published: July 31, 2024

Publisher: BookBaby

 

In For Our Friends the Animals, Robert Echols delivers a stirring spiritual call to action for Christians and all people of conscience to embrace a reverence for life in its fullest form.

Blending biblical truth, compassionate prayers, and the life-affirming philosophy of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, this powerful work urges readers to see animals not as commodities—but as beloved creations of God. In Part One, Echols explores the deep moral and spiritual responsibility we hold toward all creatures. In Part Two, he presents practical steps to confront today's most pressing animal welfare issues—from factory farming to environmental degradation.

Whether you're a lifelong advocate or someone opening your heart to new possibilities, For Our Friends the Animals invites you into a faith-driven movement of empathy and transformation. Through spiritual insight and practical guidance, the book empowers readers to become stewards of compassion, protecting both creation and Creator's intention.

“This book is not just a read—it’s a spiritual pledge. A call to embody Christ’s love by caring for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Join the movement. Embrace the message. Be the change.

#BookTour: Katy in Central Park by @ellaenglishauthor @authorella1 @RABTBookTours

 

Book 2 in the Kitty in the City Series

Children's Book

A chapter book for ages 5–7

Date Published: 06-18-2025

Publisher: Crimson Dragon Publishing

Broadway’s favorite singing cat is back on the scene—and this time, she’s headed to Central Park! In Katy in Central Park, Katy is ready for a quiet day with her owner Lilian… until their picnic basket is suddenly snatched.

With her best cat buddy Weasel at her side, Katy dashes through the park’s winding paths, determined to solve the mystery. But is everything really what it seems?

This charming chapter book, written and illustrated by Ella English, is full of fun, friendship, and feline flair—plus an important lesson about thinking twice before making snap decisions.

🎉 Bonus alert!

At the end of the book, young readers can dive into a bundle of Did You Know? facts about Central Park.

Did you know Belvedere Castle is perched high above Turtle Pond and used to house a weather station? Or that Central Park Zoo is home to snow leopards, sea lions, and red pandas? There are over 280 species of birds in the park, and the entire park is 843 acres—that's about 640 football fields!

 

✨ Book launches June 18—International Picnic Day!

Celebrate by grabbing a blanket, heading to Central Park, and sharing a storytime picnic with Katy the singing cat!

#BookBlitz: Grandma's Bucket of Mercy by #RobinCarole @robincarole58 @RABTBookTours

Children's Book

Date Published: May 28, 2025

Publisher: ‎MindStir Media

📘 Book Description for Grandma’s Bucket of Mercy by Robin Carole

You are never too old or too young to learn life’s lessons.

From multiple award-winning author Robin Carole comes a heartwarming true story that celebrates the power of love, forgiveness, and generational wisdom. Grandma’s Bucket of Mercy is a touching tale of one young girl’s summer with her grandmother in 1960s California—and the quiet but profound lesson that would change two lives forever.

Ten-year-old Carole is sent on a mysterious errand involving her grandmother’s elderly neighbor, not knowing her grandmother is teaching her about the gift of mercy. Years later, Carole finally understands the full impact of that experience when a stranger shares how her small, anonymous acts of kindness transformed a life.

Beautifully written and deeply personal, this story is a tribute to the grit and grace of the women who survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression and to the enduring strength of intergenerational bonds. Grandma’s Bucket of Mercy is perfect for readers aged 9–12—and for the childlike spirit in every adult who believes in the quiet power of compassion.

✅ True story based on real-life events

✅ Uplifting themes of family, kindness, and legacy

✅ Ideal for ages 9–12 and meaningful for all ages

🪣 Sometimes the smallest gesture can change everything.

#BookBlitz: The Weight of Loyalty by #MikeHMizrahi @mikehmizrahi.756 @RABTBookTours

 

Historical Fiction

Date Published: May 25, 2025

 

“My long-term survival is doubtful under any scenario. Yet, I already defied the impossible by escaping from a watery tomb and swimming to this very spot. But luck is finite—it always peters out.”

As the island of Kefalonia falls under the harsh occupation of Italian soldiers in 1941, British sailor Oliver Graham washes ashore, desperate to evade capture. Rescued by the fierce and determined Natalía Giannatos, he becomes entangled in a web of love, loyalty, and betrayal.

With her brother and fiancé lost to the conflict, Natalía is driven by vengeance against the occupiers and a deepening bond with Oliver. But when an Italian colonel fixates on her, she must navigate a dangerous game of deception to protect her family and village. As Oliver struggles with his hidden heritage and his growing feelings for Natalía, they are thrust into the heart of the resistance, where every choice could lead to freedom or devastation.

In a story that intertwines love and sacrifice against the backdrop of war, The Weight of Loyalty explores the resilience of the human spirit and the lengths one will go to for love. Will Oliver and Natalía’s connection survive the trials of conflict, or will the brutal realities of war tear them apart forever?