#BookReview: And Then She Vanished (Joseph Bridgeman #1) by @nickjoneswriter

Synopsis: He only looked away for a second.

Still haunted by the disappearance of his little sister Amy over twenty years ago, Joseph Bridgeman's life has fallen apart. When a friend talks him into seeing hypnotherapist Alexia Finch to help with his insomnia, Joseph accidentally discovers he can time travel. His first trip only takes him back a few minutes, but his new-found ability gives him something he hasn't felt for the longest time: hope.

Joseph sets out to travel back to the night Amy went missing and save her. But after several failed attempts, he discovers the farther back he travels, the less time he gets to stay there. And the clock is ticking.

With the help of Alexia, Joseph embarks on a desperate race against the past to save his sister. Can he master his new skill and solve the mystery of Amy's disappearance before it's too late?

Previously released as The Unexpected Gift of Joseph Bridgeman this updated version includes extra chapters, new plot lines and even deeper character development. It makes way for an expanded vision of The Joseph Bridgeman Series, with the first four books released in 2021 and 2022.

#BookBlitz: A Shadow in the Light by @kearytaylor @XpressoTours #Giveaway $20 Amazon gift card

A Shadow in the Light
Keary Taylor
(Parallel Verse Guardians, #1)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

“You went and fell in love with an ultralight? That’s like a spider falling in love with a butterfly.  They’re both arthropods, but the entire universe knows they don’t belong together.”

I needed an out.  I needed to be someone who wasn’t trapped in Las Vegas, marooned in the LightVerse where I didn’t belong.  I went to that club looking for nothing and everything, and there he was.  Jaxon’s hands on my hips were just what I needed, and for one night, it was easy to be someone I wasn’t.

Then our signals went haywire.  We’ve been looking for the gatekeeper for a long, long time so we can go home to the DarkVerse.  We test every new ultralight in hopes they will be the key.  It’s my job to bring them in.

It feels like a cruel joke when it’s him.  Turns out Jaxon Gray comes from one of the most dangerous crime families in Sin City.  I’m not the only one after him.  The other ultralights want him just as bad, and they’ll kill me to get to him.

Now we’re on the run together.  He should be scared.  He’s seen me shift, and it’s not sparkly or pretty.  But he doesn’t cower when he sees my darkling from—my shadows, my claws, my fangs.  With a hungry gleam in his eyes, he asks to know more.

This is dangerous.  He’s about to manifest.  And as soon as he does, his biggest impulse will be to kill me.  But it’s too late for my heart, I can’t walk away.  So, the million-dollar question is: will what’s building between us be enough for him to overcome his instincts?

#BookBlitz: Absolution by Marla Holt @XpressoTours #Giveaway $25 Amazon gift card

Absolution
Marla Holt
(Lightning Crashes #2)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Lightning crashes.

The tower falls.

Rachel Ferrer thinks she’s already hit rock bottom, but then the ground crumbles beneath her feet. Alone, she is finally forced to face the darkness she’s been avoiding. Rachel doesn’t dare hope the spark of light in the distance might include Nicolas, even when she can’t forget the feel of his lips on hers.

Nicolas Rivera has always been the stable one. He is who others come to when their worlds shatter, but suddenly his life is the one in ruins. He doesn’t hope to connect with Rachel in the aftermath, but he discovers her in the last place he expected to. Uninhibited at last, the electricity between them finally ignites.

Is their flame enough for Rachel and Nicolas sift through the rubble, rebuild, and finally emerge, together, into the light?

Absolution is Volume 2 of the Lightning Crashes Duet and should be read after Temptation. Melt into this forbidden, slow-burn duet with a guaranteed happily ever after today.

#BookReview: A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon

Synopsis: An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered.
But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome's darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.

#BookReview: Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology #2) by @CNHolmberg

Synopsis: Dead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn’t a puzzle to Elsie Camden. But to reveal a master spellcaster as the culprit means incriminating herself as an unregistered spellbreaker. When Elsie refuses to join forces with the charming assassin, her secret is exposed, she’s thrown in jail, and the murderer disappears. But Elsie’s hope hasn’t vanished.

Through a twist of luck, the elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey helps Elsie join the lawful, but with a caveat: they must marry to prove their cover story. Forced beneath a magical tutor while her bond with Bacchus grows, Elsie seeks to thwart the plans of England’s most devious criminal—if she can find them.

With hundreds of stolen spells at their disposal, the villain has a plan—and it involves seducing Elsie to the dark side. But even now that her secret is out, Elsie must be careful how she uses the new abilities she’s discovering, or she may play right into the criminal’s hands. 

#CoverReveal: Gutter Girl by @LynnRushWrites @KellyAnneBlount @entangledteen

Synopsis: Star football player Jace Rovers has a secret. And not just any secret—a shocking secret… He writes romance. The kind with swords. And dresses. And kissing.

Nobody knows. Not the other kids at Twin River High. Not his overbearing parents. And certainly not the millions of fans who’ve read his book on the writing platform Scribbles. And that’s the way he plans to keep it.

Except suddenly one of the other football players grabs his notebook in jest and starts reading a kissing scene out loud…and Jace knows he’s busted.

But then McKenna Storm, resident goth girl who avoids the spotlight like a virus, snatches up the notebook and tells everyone she's the author. And lucky for Jace, she later agrees to continue the ruse...for a price.

Heck, he'd give her anything not to reveal his secret. But when they start to fall for each other, he knows he'll have to keep the biggest secret of all—his darkest character is based on her…

#BookBlitz: Guiding Gaia by @TishThawer @XpressoTours #Giveaway

Guiding Gaia
Tish Thawer
Published by: Amber Leaf Publishing
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

She awoke to save us, but it may already be too late.

The world is in chaos. Stars are falling from the sky. Floods, hurricanes, and fires rage across the land. And the only being strong enough to stop it is stuck in teenage form … again.

Reborn, Gaia has come to Earth to battle through the strife and discover if the world is worth saving.

Tasked with guiding her, it falls to me to help her weather the storms, and hopefully, find a place where she can be at peace. But time is running out, and her patience is waning. Now, I fear if the human race doesn’t destroy the world … she will.