#BookReview: Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed #1) by Katy Rose Pool

Synopsis: In this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families. 

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

#BookTour: Shooters! by Thomas A. Burns, Jr. @RABTBookTours #Giveaway

A Natalie McMasters Mystery, Book 8

Crime Fiction

Date Published: 1/8/2024

Publisher: Tekrighter, LLC

 

Award-winning author Thomas A Burns Jr. spins another mind-blowing tale about twentysomething detective Natalie McMasters and her unlikely family that’s torn from today's headlines This time Nattie is preggers (?!) and unsure of the father. The candidates? Her husband Danny, the love of her life, or her biological father, who cruelly had his way with her.

Complicating the situation, her Uncle Amos's 3M Detective Agency is hemorrhaging money, and even the estate that houses Nattie, the agency and the fam is at risk.

Her quakeworthy solution? An infamous social media influencer and unapologetic misogynist is bringing his totally unwoke nude beauty pageant to Capital City and wants to hire 3M to provide security for its million-dollar prize. Her hormones raging, Nattie gets it that a cool mil would make all her money troubles vanish. But she doesn’t know that a malevolent enemy from her past is back and gunning for her…

Meanwhile, her foster son Eduardo has his own problems. Humiliated at school, he falls under a deadly influence that sends him racing toward an unimaginable act of violence that will change his young life forever. The astonishing ending is like nothing you've ever seen in contemporary crime fiction and will totally leave you reeling.

You'll truly get why Natalie McMasters is "a detective for the new millennium".

#BookReview: The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

Synopsis: Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls--or half-Black girls--without believing there is an angel to be saved. 

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone—or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours. 

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

#BookReview: The Third Daughter Betrayal Prophecies #1) by Adrienne Tooley

Synopsis: " Immersive and intense; hand this royal fantasy to readers of Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns  and Victoria ­Aveyard’s Red Queen series. " — SLJ
 
A sweeping YA fantasy about legacy, betrayal, sisterhood, and politicizing emotion in the quest for power—all balanced by a slow-burn LGBTQ romance.
 
For centuries, the citizens of Velle have waited for their New Maiden to return. The prophecy states she will appear as the third daughter of a third daughter. When the fabled child is finally born to Velle’s reigning queen all rejoice except for Elodie, the queen’s eldest child, who has lost her claim to the crown. The only way for Elodie to protect Velle is to retake the throne. To do so, she must debilitate the Third Daughter—her youngest sister, Brianne.

Desperate, Elodie purchases a sleeping potion from Sabine, who sells sadness. But the apothecary mistakenly sends the princess away with a vial of tears instead of a harmless sleeping brew. Sabine’s sadness is dangerously powerful, and Brianne slips into a slumber from which she will not wake. With the fates of their families and country hanging in the balance, Sabine and Elodie hurry to revive the Third Daughter while a slow-burning attraction between the two girls erupts in full force.

A must-read for fans of the BookTok sensations  ​Red Queen  by Victoria Aveyard,  Dance of Thieves  by Mary E. Pearson, and  These Violent Delights  by Chloe Gong.

#CoverReveal for Boss of Attraction by Kimberly Knight & Rachel Lyn Adams @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Boss of Attraction

Series: Forbidden #3

Authors: Kimberly Knight & Rachel Lyn Adams

Genre: MM Romance

Tropes: Boss/Employee, Age Gap, Opposites Attract

Cover Design: Nicole, IndieSage

Photographer: Wander Aguiar

Release Date: March 29, 2024

BLURB

Declan can’t resist the temptation of his much older boss, but a stolen kiss while trapped in an elevator becomes a ticking time bomb ready to blow up their careers and personal life.

Sean Ashford, a senior partner at a prestigious law firm, became a widower five years ago when his wife of twenty years passed away. Since then, he’s put all of his time and energy into his career and hasn’t wanted to date, nor does he believe his heart is ready to move on. Little does he know that the young, eager, male attorney he hired will change his mind.

Declan Rivers’ dreams of creating a better life for himself and providing for his mom are finally within his grasp when he gets hired at one of the best criminal law firms in Boston. The only problem is he can’t stop lusting after his new boss. As someone who is used to random hook-ups, he soon learns it’s not only his job at stake but also his heart when he wants more with the one man he can’t have.

Long hours in the office, the occasional flirtatious banter, and a fainting spell leaves Sean questioning his sexuality, and Declan hopeful that his crush will turn into more.

When Sean’s children learn about his workplace romance, Declan is accused of being a gold digger, leaving him and Sean to decide if they want to keep their relationship strictly professional or continue to give into their forbidden desires.

Don’t miss out on this boss/employee romance filled with all the GFY, age gap, opposites attract goodness.

#BookBlitz: Disenchanted by Brianna Sugalski @XpressoTours #Giveaway Audiobook copy of Disenchanted

Disenchanted
Brianna Sugalski
(A Lay of Ruinous Reign, #1)
Publication date: January 23rd 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

The Princess Bride and Buffy the Vampire Slayer meet Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass in this Breton-inspired fantasy debut brimming with wry humor, epic adventure, and an irresistible romance.

Lilac Trécesson is a prisoner in her parents’ castle after a most wicked secret was revealed on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. Years later, her Accession looms upon her father’s decision to abdicate, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming noble bent on snatching her throne, she prepares for the worst… Until a letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, containing a curious offer to banish her curse forever.

She begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande, only to find herself cornered by a bloodthirsty barkeep who demands her help in exchange for protection against the even deadlier forces of the woods.

With only the protection of her inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the sardonic stranger who inserts himself on her quest—Lilac must find the impious enchantress and return in time to claim her crown. Pity the fool to underestimate the girl with subpar blade skills but the spite to make up for it.

This is the tale of a cursed princess,
A crestfallen killer,
The town that wants them to burn,
And the witch who can save them both.