#BookReview: Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #4) by J. Bree @lexilikestoread

Synopsis: They say to keep your friends close but your enemies closer;

What if they’re one and the same?

The stable foundation I thought I’d built in the Sanctuary has been ripped away, and I find myself on the front lines of the war against the Resistance. I might have my Bonds on my side, but there are darker schemes in motion.

Can I prove myself and turn the tide to protect our most vulnerable, or am I nothing more than the monster they’ve always claimed I am?

Will we make it out of this without tragic consequences?

*Forced Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.

#ReleaseBlitz: The Neighbor's Secret by Diana Sussman @RABTBookTours @harborlanebooks

A Maddie Mystery series, Book 1

 

Middle Grade Mystery, Children’s Mystery

Date Published: 05/21/2024

Publisher: EverImagine Books (an imprint of Harbor Lane Books, LLC.)

 

Maddie’s life is a mess. Along with the usual hassles of eighth grade, her best friend Rachel has gone boy-crazy and seems drawn to a new crowd. To make matters worse, everyone’s teasing Maddie for impulsively breaking into her neighbor’s home when her imagination went wild thinking that she saw a mythical creature called a Yeti inside.

Then, the new neighbors pull into their driveway and Maddie thinks she sees a human hand push out the taillight of their car. Other strange events follow. Are they kidnappers? Spies? Maddie convinces Rachel to help investigate, hoping that working together will bolster their friendship. But that looks unlikely after both of them crush on the new neighbors’ son Alex.

Maddie is in a no-win situation. If she proves the new neighbors are spies, Alex will hate her. If she finds out they’re not spies and dates Alex, Rachel will hate her. But Maddie can’t resist solving a mystery and soon finds herself on a collision course with her best friend, her first crush, and the dangerous world of espionage. Her entire world – and her life – is at risk.

 

#BookReview: Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup

Synopsis: A desperate mother. A dubious escort. And a deranged author who won’t leave them alone.

Caroline Lindley is determined that her new romance novel will be her best one yet. Fantasy! Formal gowns! Fencing! And, of course, a twentysomething heroine to star in an enemies-to-lovers plot with all of Caroline’s favourite tropes.

But Lady Rosamund Hawkhurst is a thirty-six-year-old widow with two children, her sole focus is facilitating a peace treaty between her adopted nation and her homeland, and she flatly refuses to take the correct approach to there being Only One Bed.

What’s an author to do?

Based on her popular Fantasy Heroine YouTube Shorts series, Jill Bearup’s debut novel brings us the best of worlds both meta and medieval-inspired. Terry Pratchett aficionados will enjoy the political intrigue paired with convivial, tongue-in-cheek satire. And then there's the slow-burn, fade-to-black romance too . . .

If you loved Stranger Than Fiction and The Princess Bride, you will soon find yourself cheering on enemies-to-BFFs Rosamund and Caroline as together they learn what it means to be the hero of your own story.

#ReleaseBlitz: Hatfield 1677 by @LauraWriter2B #Giveaway @RABTBookTours

Historical Fiction

Date Published: May 21, 2024

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

 

Colonist Benjamin Waite, a devoted husband, father, and skilled military scout in King Philip’s War, reluctantly obeys orders to guide an attack against a camp of Algonquian Natives.

After the catastrophic event, Benjamin is burdened with guilt and longs for peace. But the Algonquians, led by the revered sachem Ashpelon, retaliate with vengeance upon Ben’s Massachusetts town of Hatfield, capturing over a dozen colonists, including his pregnant wife Martha and their three young daughters.

Hatfield 1677 is a tale of three interwoven yet diverging journeys of strength and survival: Benjamin, driven by love and remorse to rescue his family; Martha, forced into captivity and desperately striving to protect her children; and Ashpelon, willing to risk everything to ensure the safety and freedom of his people.

Based on the lives of the author’s ancestors, this riveting and unforgettable novel gives voice to three vastly different experiences in North America during a time before the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Then, the land was but a wilderness and a battleground; equality was not yet perceived as self-evident; and liberty and happiness were nothing more than dangerous pursuits.

#BookReview: Next of Kin (Next #1) by Hannah Bonam-Young

Synopsis: When people-pleasing Chloe learns that her birth mother has unexpectedly had another baby, she doesn’t hesitate to become a next of kin guardian. But when she fails to pass Child Protective Services’ financial evaluation, she is faced with a choice: see her baby sister placed in foster care or participate in CPS’ new initiative, TeamUp.

Enter Warren, a surly mechanic’s apprentice attempting to get custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother after failing CPS’ housing evaluation. The two strangers immediately clash but agree to live together until Warren can find housing elsewhere and Chloe can further grow her freelance career.

As their lives intertwine, Chloe and Warren both realise that they’re far more similar than they could have imagined. What started as forced begins to feel natural—and far less lonely. Chemistry soon intensifies beyond what either of them can stand, but they must each decide if what burns between them is worth risking their arrangement and, ultimately, the well-being of their siblings.

With banter, heart, and steam that will have the reader blushing, Next of Kin is a true underdog story of two young adults redefining what family can look like.

#ReleaseBlitz for Stay Anyway by Kaylee Ryan @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Stay Anyway

Series: Kincaid Brothers #7

Author: Kaylee Ryan

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Small Town/Blue Collar/Single Mom

Release Date: May 21, 2024

BLURB

Stella

Getting pregnant in college wasn’t part of the plan, but I’ll never regret giving birth to the best part of me. Even if my parents did disown me for it.

A fresh start in a small town seems like a good idea, until a handsome stranger shows me a little kindness and has me feeling things, I thought I’d never feel again… things I have no business feeling about a man I just met.

Every time I turn around, Maverick is there. One thing inevitably leads to another and my newfound friend comes with benefits. I'm doing my best to hold it all together, but the truth is, when I see him with my daughter, I know I've already fallen too far.

Maverick

From the moment Stella rolled into town, she's had my attention. Since that moment, I've been determined to befriend the sexy single mom who's down on her luck.

Stella has fallen on hard times, but something tells me she'll never take a handout. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try to help, so of course I put in a good word to get her a job. She’s smart enough to know I had a hand in it, but that’s what friends are for, right?

With each day that passes, Stella becomes more than just a friend. She's my best friend—who I apparently can't keep my hands off. She's worried we're complicating things, but screw that. Blurred lines or not, I ask her to stay anyway.

#BookReview: The Deer and the Dragon (No Other Gods #1) by Piper C.J.

Synopsis: The deities you call aren't always the ones who answer. Marlow needs to believe she's crazy. The alternative would mean embracing the gift―or curse―shared by her mother and she can see angels and demons, including a dark and haunting entity who's been with Marlow her entire life. At least, she believes that's all he is until a fae from the Nordic pantheon strolls into her life and informs her that she's been sharing a bed with the Prince of Hell. A Prince who's now gone missing. Before she knows it, Marlow is deeply entangled in a centuries-old war, stumbling straight into a battleground between mighty beings of myth and legend from powerful pantheons around the world. And who will come out on top may just depend on her and the love she never dared to believe in.