#BookReview: The Two-Date Rule (Smokejumper #1) by @tawnafenske

Synopsis: Willa Frank has one simple rule: never go on a date with anyone more than twice. Now that her business is providing the stability she’s always needed, she can’t afford distractions. Her two-date rule will protect her just fine…until she meets smokejumper Grady Billman.

After one date—one amazing, unforgettable date—Grady isn’t ready to call it quits, despite his own no-attachments policy, and he’s found a sneaky way around both their rules.

Throwing gutter balls with pitchers of beer? Not a real date. Everyone knows bowling doesn’t count.

Watching a band play at a local show? They just happen to have the same great taste in music. Definitely not a date.

Hiking? Nope. How can exercise be considered a date?

With every "non-date" Grady suggests, his reasoning gets more ridiculous, and Willa must admit she’s having fun playing along. But when their time together costs Willa two critical clients, it's clear she needs to focus on the only thing that matters—her future. And really, he should do the same.

But what is she supposed to do with a future that looks gray without Grady in it?

#BookBlitz: Baptism of Fire by @jessiethomas520 @XpressoTours #Giveaway

Baptism of Fire
Jessie Thomas
(Playing With Hellfire, #1)
Publication date: March 31st 2020
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Welcome to Perdition Falls, New York: where arson is considered a recreational activity, the abnormally hot climate makes everything unbearable, and according to one origin story shrouded in myth and legend, our city is an actual Hellmouth.
I’ve learned those infernal tales aren’t just a cheap marketing ploy to lure in tourists and paranormal frauds.
It’s Hell. We’re literally sitting on top of Hell. Fire, brimstone, actual demons–the works.
When an incendiary–the name other pyromancers have given to the infestation of Hellfire-wielding demons–kills my closest friend and fellow firefighter, I’m left with a rare power I barely understand. It’s the only reason I survived. It also makes me a target, something to be coveted by those who know Perdition Falls’ most dangerous, well-kept secrets.
While a demonic arsonist puts the city’s resident pyromancers on edge, I’m reunited with my long-lost childhood friend Javier, who shares the same strange power that runs through my veins. With him, I find my footing in a place I thought I knew and buried memories from our past start to resurface. As our ragtag group comes together, we become the last defense against the incendiaries’ corrupt hold on the city…one completely disastrous mission at a time.
But taking down this homicidal demon with a flair for pyromania might mean trusting one of their own.
BAPTISM OF FIRE is a thrilling, slow burn urban fantasy perfect for fans of McKenzie Hunter, Annette Marie, C.N. Crawford, and K.F. Breene.

#BookBlitz: Essence of the Angels by @PaganMalcolm @XpressoTours #Giveaway

Essence of the Angels
P.S. Malcolm
(The Starlight Chronicles #2)
Published by: Parliament House
Publication date: March 31st 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
After the Urenphians take over their home, Lucy and her entourage are forced to retreat to the Angel Sanctuary. But with Valarie missing, Lucy is oblivious to the lies and secrets staring her right in the face. After a shocking revelation, she realizes just how much danger she and her friends are in.
Meanwhile, Valarie finds herself in enemy territory. Her newly found Shadow heritage and ties to Reina aren’t the only dark secrets in her past…she may not make it out of Urenphia the same as she once was…
The exciting next installment in The Starlight Chronicles Series will reveal truths to a world they thought they knew—but will they survive?

#BookReview: The Spectrum of Sex by Hida Viloria; Maria Nieto

Synopsis: This transformative guide completely breaks down our current understanding of biological sex and gender diversity.

Introducing readers to seven variations of human sex, commonly considered intersex, the book challenges the myth that sex and gender are binary and explores the inherent diversity of biological sex and its relationship to gender identity and expression, and the impact this has on society. Examining historical, linguistic and socio-cultural understandings of sex and gender, as well as genetic and scientific definitions, the book is an important resource for dismantling gender and sexuality-based discrimination and promoting understanding and inclusivity.

Co-written by one of the world's leading intersex activists and a highly respected scholar in biological sciences, and accompanied with detailed anatomical illustrations throughout, this pioneering text is the essential introduction to gender and sex diversity for gender studies, women's studies, biology and genetics courses, as well as professionals working with intersex and trans communities.

#NerdBlast: THE STAR DUNES by @truditrueit @JeanBookNerd #Giveaway

Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado at the Explorer Academy, where he and 23 other kids from around the globe are training to become the next generation of great explorers. But in addition to making new friends and attending cool classes, Cruz must also unlock clues to his family’s mysterious past and tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him … and why? Secrets creep out from the shadows and leave Cruz with more questions than answers in this fourth title in the hit series.

A major discovery forces the Explorer Academy into the limelight in The Star Dunes, but Cruz has much more on his mind than 15 minutes of fame. A new face on board the ship brings Cruz's worlds colliding, and someone close to Cruz ends up on the brink of death. En route to Africa to dispense life-saving medications to gorillas, thwart pangolin poachers and capture images of the last known cheetahs in Namibia, Team Cousteau is now down a major player, and Cruz can't help but be preoccupied by the hole in his life. The discovery of his mom's next clue leads him to the most exotic location yet--a vast desert--with no other information to lead the way, while an unlikely ally helps Cruz pursue another piece of the puzzle. Just as things seem like they might turn out alright, Dr. Fanchon Quills has a technological breakthrough which gives Cruz a glimpse into the past and reveals more about his future than he may really want to know.

#BookBlitz: The Ticket by @FredShack @RABTBookTours

Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Black Opal Books

The Ticket is the story of a frantic and perilous search for a missing lottery ticket worth $241 million. The lives of a corrupt gambler, a retired detective, and a woman in hiding intersect as the ticket is about to expire.

Channing Booker, a compulsive gambler, drug abuser, and philanderer whose marriage is failing, finally gets lucky and wins the Mega Millions lottery. Expecting an imminent divorce, and hoping to hide his new fortune from his wife Susan, Channing devises a scheme to have a friend claim the $241-million jackpot and secretly return the money to Channing after the divorce is final. But Susan flees with all of her possessions, including the rare book in which Channing hid the winning lottery ticket. With time running out before the lottery ticket expires, Channing launches a desperate search to find Susan, but she’s covered her tracks well, fearing his retribution. In need of money to fund her furtive new lifestyle, Susan begins selling off her worldly goods, including her rare books, unleashing a chain of events that puts not only her life in danger, but that of her new love as well…

#CoverReveal for Plaything by Cole Denton @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Plaything
Series: Club Oxygen #2

Author: Cole Denton

Genre: Dark Romance with BDSM
Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations
Photo: Wander Aguiar
Model: Eddie Wess

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Blurb

I used to have everything. Then my everything was ripped away from me. Now, instead of the warmth of his love, I feel the coldness of his loss. The darkness that remains in me is frightening. 

I don't want to feel anything. The cold has a nice numbing effect. I've decided to embrace it. I've also decided that even though I no longer feel, I do still need. I need to bind, flog, and Dominate younger men. 

Especially one in particular. I know he thinks he can change me. Thaw my frozen heart. He cries so beautifully for me; I could almost believe in love again. But I could never love another man the way I did my husband and Master. Not even my eager young submissive. He will never be my love...only my Plaything.