#BookReview: We All Fall Down (The River City Duology #1) by Rose Szabo

The first book in a dark fantasy YA duology by the author of What Big Teeth, about the power and danger of stories and the untold costs of keeping magic alive, perfect for fans of Aiden Thomas and Marie Rutkoski.

In River City, where magic used to thrive and is now fading, the witches who once ruled the city along with their powerful King have become all but obsolete. The city's crumbling government is now controlled primarily by the new university and teaching hospital, which has grown to take over half of the city.

Moving between the decaying Old City and the ruthless New, four young queer people struggle with the daily hazards of life―work, school, dodging ruthless cops and unscrupulous scientists―not realizing that they have been selected to play in an age-old drama that revives the flow of magic through their world. When a mysterious death rocks their fragile peace, the four are brought into each other's orbits as they uncover a deeper magical conspiracy.

Devastating, gorgeous, and utterly unique, We All Fall Down examines the complex network of pain created by power differentials, even between people who love each other―and how it is possible to be queer and turn out just fine.

#BookBlitz: The Truth of ISS by Rose Marie Ezell @RABTBookTours

 

(How to Become a Better Person)

Children's Book / Inspirational

Date Published: November 4, 2024

 

 

Iss, an eight-year-old boy, has some lessons for us all. Things he has learned in a very short time through experiences.

These lessons include finding your purpose, the Golden Rule, being honest, smiling, having hope and faith, forgiveness leads to happiness, telling people you love them, keeping a positive outlook, people you love are always in your heart, and salvation.

Let’s find out what Iss has learned, and maybe we can learn too and become better people. The world needs better people, don’t you agree?

#BookReview: Rise of the Snake Goddess (Samantha Knox, #2) by Jenny Elder Moke @jennyeldermoke

Samantha Knox is back for another adventure in this 1920s female-driven mystery-adventure series!

Sam Knox’s second adventure takes her to the island of Crete, just off the coast of Greece, where she discovers the ancient Snake Goddess’s golden girdle in the depths of a cave shrine that has been buried for decades. After having been belittled by her archaeology professor throughout her first college semester, Sam knows this triumph will prove her worth in the field, but before she can take credit for the find, the girdle is stolen and the island is hit with a series of earthquakes that don’t feel quite geological.

Soon Sam, Bennett and Jo are embroiled in a wild hunt―one that takes them to tiny island shops, a glamorous auction party and a near fiery death―to find the girdle before someone can use it to raise an ancient goddess from her slumber. The final battle features gryphons, a labyrinth, the minotaur of legend and lots of snakes. Lots.

#ReleaseBoost for Stroke of Lust by Lilah Lance @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Stroke of Lust

Series: Titan Security #3

Author: Lilah Lance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Second Chance, Reverse Age Gap

Forced Proximity, Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine

Workplace Romance, Opposites Attract

Release Date: February 13, 2025

BLURB

I chose him.

Ruthless. Relentless. Ravenous.

Kellan Watts was supposed to stay in my past.

One mistake. One mission.

One moment of weakness.

I built walls around my heart, fortified them with steel, secrets, and lies. But now he's back—more dangerous than ever, determined to prove he’ll stop at nothing to make me his.

As Titan's deadliest operative, I know better than to trust easily, take a chance on anyone.

But with every heated touch, every kiss, my defenses crumble. And when a mission brings our past crashing into our present, I have to choose: keep my secrets or risk my heart.

Because this time? If I lose him again, it'll destroy us both.

And I have no intention of ever letting that happen.

Stroke of Lust, the third installment in the Titan Security series, brings a protective Alpha and his sassy counterpart back together in a second-chance romance. Filled with steamy, sultry moments and irresistible chemistry, it’s a reunion that will keep you hooked on Titan.

Warning: This book contains explicit content, violence, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers.

#BookReview: Wildbound (Forestborn #2) by Elayne Audrey Becker @elayneabecker

The thrilling follow-up to Elayne Audrey Becker's debut YA epic fantasy, Forestborn, full of forest magic and a kingdom on the brink of war.

With the assassination of Telyan's king, the time for peace has passed.

Determined to make up for his failure to procure the stardust, Helos finds work as a healer at Fendolyn's Keep, the military garrison to which Telyan's exiled royals--and half its civilians--have fled. Racing against the Fallow Throes' ticking clock, he endeavors to repair his relationship with Prince Finley and fight off the gathering shadows in his head, as the base around him prepares for war.

Half a continent away, his sister Rora is doing everything she can to reawaken the land and end Eradain's slaughter of magical beings. Still reeling from the revelation that Eradain's violent monarch is her half-brother, she journeys to the kingdom determined to infiltrate his court in disguise--and finds the seeds of rebellion are already stirring.

With a magical illness running rampant and the continent arming for battle, the three realms' long-feared destruction seems inevitable. But the two shifters they believed would bring about Alemara's ruin may in fact hold the key to its survival.