#BookBlitz: The Forged Empire by @samantha_gillespie_ @XpressoTours $20 Amazon gift card

The Forged Empire
Samantha Gillespie
(The Kingdom Within, #3)
Publication date: July 15th 2025
Genres: Historical Romance, Young Adult

She married a prince. She loved a soldier.
Now she must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to save them all.

As the specter of war looms, Meredith Ethan, and Connor are thrust into a final, desperate struggle for freedom. With Stonefall reclaimed and the plague’s grip finally broken, they must now race to forge new alliances before Theros-the ruthless King of Talos-brings his twisted vision of an empire to life.

But Theros’s ambitions run deeper than conquest-and Meredith is at the heart of his plans.

As betrayals mount and loyalties are tested, she finds herself caught between the prince she married and the soldier she never forgot.

And beneath the weight of destiny, Meredith must decide who she truly is:
a queen who must learn to believe in her own strength… or a pawn in a game she can no longer control.

In a war where survival means sacrifice, the price of freedom may be everything.

The final battle is here. And only one legacy will endure.

#BookTour: A Crown of Deceit & Ruin by @author_jessaca_willis @rrbooktours

A Crown of Deceit & Ruin

Release Date: July 7, 2025

Genre: Sapphic Fantasy Romance

Rapunzel + Persephone

Bi FMC (ends up with girl)

Undead/revenant princess

Star-crossed fates

Enemies-to-lovers

The slowest slowburn

Forbidden romance

Dancing in a moonlit ballroom

Courtly intrigue

Dark magic

Fairy tale retelling

Grumpy/sunshine energy

A curse that turned all the kings and queens into monsters

Two daughters — one of loss and love, the other of vengeance and darkness — drawn together by the hands of fate.

For nineteen years, Kestrel Graeme has been locked away in a tower, fed stories of cursed beasts and corrupted magic. But when she escapes, she discovers the real threat isn't monsters—it's the royals who rule through lies and bloodshed. Captured and taken to Irongate, Kestrel must fight for her father's life and master the strange magic awakening inside her...before it's twisted into a weapon by the very crown she's come to fear.

But she's not the only prisoner behind Irongate's fortified walls. Slain in battle and resurrected years later, Princess Elora has spent her second life in chains. Promised a throne but given a leash, she's ordered to keep Kestrel close and steer her toward breaking the curse. Elora will play her part...but only if it brings her the one thing she truly craves: freedom.

Monsters still haunt the realm, but Kestrel and Elora refuse to be their prey. If they want a future beyond the ruins they inherited, they'll have to wield the power within them—before their kingdoms crumble.

A Crown of Deceit & Ruin is a slow-burn sapphic fantasy romance perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings, dark magic, and star-crossed fates—featuring a Rapunzel-esque runaway with the heart of a hero, a distrusting princess of death, enemies-to-lovers tension, courtly intrigue, sapphic/bi longing, found family, ancient curses, and the dangerous temptation of forbidden power.

#CoverReveal: Never Lost by #AaronCAnderson @RABTBookTours

 

General Fiction

Date Published: October 23rd, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Zane Carter and his sons, eleven-year-old Ty and thirteen-year-old Joseph, venture one hundred miles into the Idaho wilderness with only a knife and the knowledge of their Nez Perce ancestors. Danger awaits at every deadfall and lurks in every snowy shadow as the boys hunt, fish, make weapons, and build shelter, learning to survive, taking only what they need from the land, and leaving no trace.

During their eighteen-day journey, Zane’s determination to fulfill a promise to his grandfather, an Indigenous warrior who exemplified the tenets of a wise and spiritual existence, is thwarted by a fatal encounter that transports Zane into an ancient realm as he straddles the thin line between life and death.

He wonders what has become of his boys. Have they learned enough patience, resourcefulness, and courage to complete this rite of passage? Will they make it out of the wildlands alive? Or will the unforgiving forces of the natural world take them too far from home to ever return?

#BookBlitz: Recycled Brain by @t_yonemura @RABTBookTours

 

Part One

Sci-fi Manga

Date Published: January 25, 2025

 

Recycled Brain delves into a world where humanity has unlocked the ability to create custom life forms, including Pegasus or Dragon. The story follows Hayate Yamano, a guide in a unique "theme park" where visitors can interact with fantastical creatures.

However, the idyllic setting is shattered when a group of cultists launches a surprise attack, sparking a conflict that threatens civilization itself. As tensions rise and hidden truths come to light, Hayate finds himself at the forefront of a moral and existential crisis.

As civilization teeters on the brink of chaos, Hayate and his friend, Vine, must grapple with profound ethical questions and make decisions that will shape the course of humanity's future. "Recycled Brain" expertly blends cutting-edge scientific concepts with thrilling narrative twists, offering readers a thought-provoking exploration of the boundaries between science, ethics, and human nature.

Recycled Brain is a must-read for fans of science fiction and speculative thrillers, offering an unforgettable journey into a world where the line between reality and imagination is blurred. Be prepared to be immersed in a riveting tale of adventure, discovery, and the power of choice.

#CoverReveal for Until Presley by @e.m.shue and @boomfactorypub

Title: Until Presley

A Happily Ever Alpha World Novel

Author: E.M. Shue

Publisher: Boom Factory Publishing, LLC

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Age Gap/OTT Alpha/Insta Love

Found Family/He Falls First/Afraid to Commit

Cover Design: RBA Designs

Photographer: Lindee Robinson

Models: Sabree & Tommy

Release Date: July 18, 2025

BLURB

Award-winning author E.M. Shue returns with another installment in the Happily Ever Alpha World, created by USA Today and New York Times best-selling author Aurora Rose Reynolds.

Ham Martinez never expected a traffic confrontation to change his life.

When a sexy little blonde cuts him off and blows him a kiss, Ham assumes it’s just a playful invitation. But the moment he looks into her eyes, everything shifts. She’s his. He doesn’t care that her sole focus is her doctoral studies. Ham is determined to prove that he’s her future and the one she can trust with her heart.

Presley Blanchard has one goal. Earn her doctorate and finally gain her father’s approval.

She also wants to avoid her cruel stepsister, who finds great joy in bullying her. But when Presley accidentally cuts off a black lifted Jeep, she apologizes with a pucker of her lips, thinking that’s the end of it. She never expects the driver to chase after her, or for him to be a tall, sexy, alpha male who won’t leave her alone. He promises to make her his priority, something she’s craved for a very long time. Giving Ham a chance and losing her heart wasn’t in her plans, but now she can’t imagine a life without him.

When Presley catches the attention of a deadly enemy, Ham will stop at nothing to protect her. As the danger surrounding Presley grows, their love will be tested by the deadly waters threatening to tear them apart. Ham and Presley will have to fight through the darkness to dive into their BOOM, no matter what stands in their way.

If you loved Until Hanna, you won’t be able to put down Until Presley.

#BookTour: Where Fireflies Dwell by @authorsjwon @rrbooktours

Where Fireflies Dwell

Release Date: January 2025

Genre: YA Time Trave Romance/ LGBTQAI+/ K Drama Vibes

Enemies to lovers

Best friends to enemies

Time travel

BL, LGBTQ Rep

Family

Time travel is not a choice. It’s a curse.

Ri Yunho and his best friend, Jo Wooju, have it all. With the immense fame and wealth that come with being two of the most popular Korean Hallyu actors in their generation, the pair jump from one wild success to another. But when Yunho’s life is shattered after a heinous allegation by Wooju leaves him in prison, he’s forced to grapple with the reasons behind his best friend’s betrayal.

As if to salvage his life from the ruin it has become, Yunho mysteriously meets a magical entity and is transported back to his teens, where he is given one chance at redemption—to reshape his future and uncover the truth behind Wooju’s backstabbing.

Caught up in a mounting conspiracy that will force Yunho to reconsider everything he knew about his former best friend, he’ll need to delve into the past and find the shadowy figure pulling the strings that led to his imprisonment.

Can Yunho unravel the web of secrets behind Wooju’s betrayal? Or has his fate already been decided?

Where Fireflies Dwell is a story about friendship, family, and youth. But most importantly, it’s about what it means to love unconditionally.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

#BookBlitz: Once Upon a Blue Moon by #AveryArujo @RABTBookTours

Paranormal Romance/Mystery

Date Published: July 1, 2025

Magic, mystery, and enemies-to-something-much-sweeter collide in this cozy paranormal romance full of heart, humor, and hexes.

 

Hazel Thornton is a small-town witch with a knack for brewing potions, botching spells, and annoying her grumpy werewolf neighbor, Blake Carter. But when a magical mishap leaves them trapped in each other’s bodies, they’re forced to work together—awkwardly, sarcastically, and very much against their will.

To make matters worse, Moonridge is on edge. Wolves are acting strange. Magic is going haywire. And beneath Hazel’s apothecary, something old and dangerous is waking up. As Hazel and Blake stumble through spellwork, supernatural politics, and a suspiciously perfect wellness guru with a shady agenda, one thing becomes clear: this body swap isn’t their biggest problem.

As Hazel and Blake race to reverse the spell, they uncover secrets that could tear the town apart. But the deeper they dive into the mystery, the more they realize their biggest problem might not be magic... it might be how much they’re falling for each other.

#TeaserTuesday: Xavier by @marteekakarland @RABTBookTours @changelingpress

Kiss of Death MC

 

Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap

Date Published: July 18, 2025

Xavier may be an ex-con, but he’s strong, protective, and totally sexy. He’s my hero.

 

Tillie: At the lowest time in my life, I realize I might have gained my very own guardian angel. I never saw Xavier as more than a friend, but then he went to prison for me. I’ll never forget his sacrifice. He’s the one person I can tell anything, the one person I trust above all else. He’s also the man I’ve built up in my little fantasy world as being the perfect husband. Only problem is, I forgot he’s still a killer. How can I be with a man who’s capable of taking a life? I’m torn between my growing feelings for him and my fear of what it means to love a man like Xavier.

Xavier: Did I have to kill the man who beat Tillie? No. But I’m headed to prison anyway, so why not get an added bonus? Tillie defended me to anyone who would listen, but I still never expected she’d be almost religious in coming to see me every Saturday. I also didn’t expect to fall in love with the beautiful, spirited woman. Seeing her smile now is worth the extra time I’m spending away from my brothers in Kiss of Death and the comfort of home. Unfortunately, my little Tillie is a magnet for trouble. Good thing she has me to protect her, because there is nothing I won’t do for Tillie. Nothing. If I have to kill for her again, so be it. Anyone who touches her is dead. May God have mercy, because I won’t.

 

Warning: Adult situations, graphic language, and violence, which may be a trigger for some readers.

#TeaserTuesday: Illusionist by @lauriebuchanan.author @RABTBookTours

 

A Sean McPherson Novel, Book 5

Mystery/Thriller/Private Investigator

Date Published: 04-15-2025

Publisher: SparkPress

A contemporary crime thriller perfect for Louise Penny and Robert Dugoni fans, Illusionist presents PI McPherson with an impossible dilemma: kill an author at a writing retreat in the Pacific Northwest, or let a college student die.

When an illusionist arrives at Pines & Quill, one of the retreat’s owners vanishes—right in front of witnesses who see nothing. Meanwhile, crime boss Georgio Gambino tightens his grip, blackmailing a writer into murder and framing Sean McPherson. His threat is clear: obey, or your daughter dies.

As McPherson investigates, he uncovers a brewing power struggle—Carmine Fiore, Gambino’s second-in-command, is staging a coup. While Gambino’s network traffics drugs, weapons, and humans, Fiore manipulates the Sureños gang, planting evidence to shift blame.

Desperate to turn the tide, McPherson seeks a dangerous alliance. But when deception is the game, only illusion can outmaneuver the truth. Enlisting the retreat’s eclectic writers—including a NASCAR driver, a triathlete, a house-flipping architect, and a magician with secrets of her own—McPherson sets the stage for the ultimate trick: survival.

#ReleaseBlitz for 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

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.

#ReleaseBlitz: Trouble at the Winston Hotel by #JSKeim @RABTBookTours

A Mouse Mystery

Children's Book, Middle Grade

Date Published: July 15, 2025

 

After his father’s death, Theodore has the task of caring for his mother and thirteen siblings by working as a doorman for the mice at a glitzy seaside Florida hotel where the rich and famous come and go.

The moment Theodore sets eyes on petite, lovely Lila, he vows to do anything to win her heart. When the hotel owners threaten to close it down after unexpected bad publicity hurts their business, Theodore is drawn into the mystery of who is causing the movie stars at the hotel to become ill.

Intent on saving the hotel, winning Lila’s affection, and keeping his family safe, Theodore sets out to solve the mysteries behind the dangerous situation. Being a detective can be a hard business, and he ends up with a few surprises of his own.

 

A unique little story for all … man and mouse. Another book by J. S. Keim full of fun, fantasy, and danger.

#BookBlitz: Little Did We Know by @caradeewrites @XpressoTours #Giveaway An apparel swag gift set

Little Did We Know
Cara Dee
(The Mclean Tales, #1)
Publication date: July 11th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

The Mclean Tales #1 • BDSM • Friendship • Found Family • Humor • Origin Story

At Mclean House, everyone knows about the eight founding members. If you need help with anything in the community, you send them a message or approach them at the house. Lucas is the kind Daddy Dom with patience for days, Macklin the funny switch who sure knows how to switch sides as well, and Greer is the primal Master with a huge heart and a devil on his shoulder. Colt has that devil on his shoulder too, actually. Lucian, another Master, is into high protocol and creative punishments. Penelope loves to host events and runs a tight ship. Last but definitely not least, the men who came up with the idea to start a community. River and Reese are the scary, sadistic twin brothers—until you get to know them and see the sweethearts under the ink, of course.

The eight founders find their happily ever afters in the Game Series, but this book isn’t about that. It’s about what happened before. The story very few know so far. How they met, how they became friends, and how they started exploring together.

So let’s go back to the beginning. It’s a cold night in Baltimore, and Lucas is about to catch the scowl of someone at an event where he feels completely out of place.

Author’s note: Are you new to the Game Series? This is the perfect book to jump right in and get to know the main characters.

Disclaimer: No fighter pilots or Marines were injured by each other’s insults in the making of this book, River apologizes in advance if he offended any vampires or people from Chicago, and Lucian solemnly swears that his cleaning service didn’t find anything embarrassing at his place after the night they all remember, except possibly something that belongs to Greer.

Disclaimer two: Sorry for lying. River isn’t apologizing for anything.

#BookBlitz: Your Aging Body by #BruceCarlson #Giveaway @RABTBookTours

and how to care for it

Nonfiction / Aging / Self-Help

Date Published: 06-12-2025

Publisher: The Woodtick Press

Written in understandable language, this book describes the ways in which our body changes with age and outlines some practical ways to counter many of these changes. It begins by discussing the aging process in general terms and why some people seem much younger than others of the same chronological age. After a presentation of general characteristics of the aging body, subsequent chapters focus on what lies behind the aging of specific parts of the body and how the reader can counteract or slow down the aging process through lifestyle changes. The text illustrates how some seemingly quite different aging changes, for example skin wrinkles and high blood pressure, are due to very similar underlying mechanisms. Although not focusing on disease, the book deals with a number of conditions, e.g., hypertension, arthritis, Type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, which affect many older adults. A concluding chapter pulls together many of the details presented earlier in the book and offers some practical advice for navigating the aging process.

As both a professional anatomist and a gerontologist, the author is well qualified to write a book on the aging body. Forty years as a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, he served as Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and also Director of the Institute of Gerontology. For several decades he conducted research on the aging of muscle. He is a past-president of the American Association of Anatomists and of the Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Neurobiology Chairpersons.

#Teaser: The Plight of the Pudgy by @tammywaldochauthor @RABTBookTours

 

Health & Fitness Diet & Nutrition / Weight Loss Humorous Memoir

Date Published: 07-29-2025

Publisher: BookBaby

Studies have shown that laughter and music are proven ways to facilitate healing. Author Tammy Waldoch uses this potent secret sauce in her book Plight of the Pudgy: Stories, Inspirations, and Preposterous Parodies for the Slim at Heart. From weight loss drugs, chronic diets, and toxic body shame, the book is an open invitation to connect authentically with someone who deeply understands the plight. Her own pilgrimage to finding self-love and a place to "fit in" includes a near-death car accident, a bipolar diagnosis that turned her life upside down, and a lifelong struggle with poor body image.

Waldoch authentically pours her heart and soul into sharing raw stories and songs filled with deep faith, side-splitting humor, and a resounding message that we are all perfectly made in God's eyes.

Tammy writes this book not only as a testimony of her faith but also to share her private path of redemption and healing.

Among the pages, readers will also enjoy fiction stories designed to encourage laughter and reflection, along with some preposterous (and creative!) parodies that provide a backdrop of humor to lighten the burdens of The Slim at Heart.

#BookReview: The Night & Its Moon (The Night & Its Moon #1) by Piper C.J.

Farleigh is just an orphanage. At least, that’s what the church would have the people believe, but beautiful orphans Nox and fae-touched Amaris know better. They are commodities for sale, available for purchase by the highest bidder. So when the madame of a notorious brothel in a far-off city offers a king’s ransom to purchase Amaris, Nox ends up taking her place — while Amaris is drawn away to the mountains, home of mysterious assassins.


Even as they take up new lives and identities, Nox and Amaris never forget one thing: they will stop at nothing to reunite. But the threat of war looms overhead, and the two are inevitably swept into a conflict between human and fae, magic and mundane. With strange new alliances, untested powers, and a bond that neither time nor distance could possibly break, the fate of the realms lies in the hands of two orphans — and the love they hold for one another.

#BookReview: A Spell for Change by @nicolejarvis

In this sumptuous, atmospheric historical fantasy set in post-WW1 Appalachia, three outcasts with misunderstood magical gifts search for their place in the world while battling the dark forces circling their community. For fans of Alix E. Harrow, Susanna Clarke and Kirsty Logan.

Kate has always been troubled by visions of the future. No matter what she does, her disturbing premonitions are always realized—often with terrible consequences. But Kate has swirling, romantic dreams of a strange boy, and a chance meeting in the woods.

Oliver returned from the Great War disabled, disillusioned, and able to speak to the dead. Haunted by the death of his best friend and his traumatic memories of the trenches, Oliver realizes that his ability to communicate with spirits may offer the chance of closure he desperately seeks.

Nora Jo’s mother and grandmother were witches, but she has never nurtured her own power. Always an outsider, she has made a place for herself in the town as Chatuga's schoolteacher, clinging to the independence the job affords her. But when her unorthodox ideas lead to her dismissal, salvation comes in the form of a witch from the mountains who offers her a magical apprenticeship.

Rumours of a dark force stalking the town only push Kate, Oliver and Nora Jo onwards in their quest to determine their own destinies. But as they close in on their goals, each will have to consider whether what they seek is worth the price.

#BookReview: House of Beating Wings (The Kingdom of Crows #1) by Olivia Wildenstein @olives21

Free the crows, Fallon, and they will make you queen.

Until an oracle predicted my regal future, I’d never imagined myself rising above the curve of my round ears. After all, I was the magicless halfling loved by beasts but loathed by every pure-blooded faerie at court. Well... by all but one. 

Dante Regio, prince of Luce, had owned my heart since he gave me my first kiss. If gathering a slew of iron relics could help me overthrow the current monarch and crown his brother to rule at my side, then treasure hunting I’d go.

If only the oracle had warned me what winged demon I was releasing into the world.

And that I’d become this demon’s obsession.

Fans of Sarah J. Maas and Mary E. Pearson will devour this epic fantasy romance full of deceit, betrayal, and false loves that could swallow a person whole.

#BookReview: A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic (Adenashire #1) by @jpennerauthor

A human, a dwarf and an elf walk into a bake-off…

In the heart of Adenashire, where elfish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, Arleta Starstone, a human confectionist works twice as hard perfecting her unique blend of baking and apothecary herbs.

So when an orc neighbor secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Elven Baking Battle, Arleta faces a dilemma.

Being magicless, her participation in the competition could draw more scowls than smiles. And if Arleta wants to prove her talent and establish her culinary reputation, this human will need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.

While competing, she'll set off on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships and romance, while questioning whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize.

Escape to for a delightful cozy fantasy where every twist is a treat and every turn a step closer to home.

#BookReview: Longshadow (Regency Faerie Tales, #3) by @oliviaatwaterauthor

Proper Regency ladies are not supposed to become magicians – but Miss Abigail Wilder is far from proper.

The marriageable young ladies of London are dying mysteriously, and Abigail Wilder intends to discover why. Abigail's father, the Lord Sorcier of England, believes that a dark lord of faerie is involved – but while Abigail is willing to match her magic against Lord Longshadow, neither her father nor high society believe that she is capable of doing so.

Thankfully, Abigail is not the only one investigating the terrible events in London. Mercy, a street rat and self-taught magician, insists on joining Abigail to unravel the mystery. But while Mercy's own magic is strange and foreboding, she may well post an even greater danger to Abigail's heart.

From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a queer faerie tale romance full of love and defiant hope. Pick up LONG SHADOW, and return once more to Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England.

#BookReview: The Last Raven (The Ravens #1) by Helen Glynn Jones

I’ll be forced to take the crown, simply because of who my parents are. Never mind that my skin, my eyes, the way I move, everything will give me away for what I am.

Human.

In a world ruled by vampires.

As sole heir to the House of Raven, there is nothing Emelia can’t have. The only problem is, she doesn’t want it.

But when a new guard enters her closed-off existence, she sees a way out. As rebellion and dark forces swirl around her, Emelia has a choice to make – leave everyone she loves behind, or stay and accept her destiny…