Tuesday, April 01, 2025

#BookReview: Dark Tides (Kingdom of Bones, #2) @kimberly.vale



When love is an anchor, the sea can swallow you whole.

Csilla Abado has a full plate after becoming the first Queen of Bones. While leading Cerulia, sending fleets to hunt for Dominic Rove, and recruiting new crews to the cause, she must also find a way to mend the lingering crack between Limbo and the mortal realm. Otherworldly creatures are spilling through, threatening more than just the island kingdom. When Lorelei and Nara go missing, the crew takes sail once again to find them and stop the worst of the villains, Magnus, before he can slip through the crack. As their leader, Csilla takes every decision head-on, but her sister's death weighs on her, and if she doesn't learn to let go, she could end up alone in her fight.

After the events at Crossbones, Kane Blackwater is desperate to find the traitorous Dominic Rove, but when his desperation sends him to Death's Cove, he's met by creatures that should be locked away in Limbo. He returns to Cerulia with this knowledge and an evil, magic-laced wound that’s slowly seeping through his body. When Lorelei suddenly goes missing, he joins the search, but his time is running out and he must decide what's more important to him: her life or his own.

Lorelei Storm isn't the same since her return from the realm of Limbo. A menacing and powerful magic rests under her skin, and she fears it as much as she craves its potential. She tries to keep this secret from her found family, but when she accidentally hurts someone, she finds she can no longer hide her ability. She flees only to be caught, alongside Csilla’s first mate Nara, by an Incendian Scout and taken as prisoner. But Lorelei finds out the scout is also an emberblood, and if she must, she will use her enemy to learn how to control her powerful new magic.

Jaron Thorne was raised to hate and hunt pirates. Becoming his fire god's champion and wielding his obsidian sword has given him even more purpose in ridding the kingdoms of every last pirate. Fighting runs through his veins, but when Magnus's whispers send him to steal away the only living stormblood, he ends up taking an extra captive: an archer whose frosty demeanor intrigues him as much as he hates it. But as he learns more about the world he thought he knew, Jaron must learn to control his inner-flames or risk burning down everything around him, including his chance of finding his lost brother.

As the war between gods and mortals builds to a crescendo, Csilla, Kane, and Lorelei must not only protect their world from destruction, but also their hearts from looming devastation. The seas darken and not everyone will survive the rising tides.



#BookRecommendations: The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos #1) by @say_shannon



If you're looking for a great fantasy read, I recommend The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. It’s a standalone epic fantasy with a richly built world, dragons, powerful female characters, and a deep exploration of magic and politics. It’s perfect for fans of intricate world-building, strong character development, and high stakes. It's a thrilling and immersive adventure that will keep you hooked from beginning to end!



#BookTour: The Orchestrators by @donhricik @RABTBookTours



 

Pre-Apocalyptic Science Fiction

Date Published: January 15, 2025

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group


 

The year is 2360. A select group of a half million humans, the only survivors of global warming and the "Race Wars", are living a Spartan lifestyle and exhibiting loss of memory and emotions resulting from mind-altering drugs created by world leaders known as the Orchestrators. The drugs markedly slowed metabolism and aging, making them ideal for prolonging the lives of humans requiring long periods of travel in space. Henry Shannon is being groomed as the next Orchestrator who will lead a mission to Jupiter, hoping to find an inhabitable moon that can accommodate the humans remaining on Earth. After discovering that the moons of Jupiter are uninhabitable, Henry reluctantly agrees to return to Earth, ultimately bolstered by news that global warming somehow has given way to global cooling. During the return trip home, his wife is killed when an asteroid collides with their spaceship. Depressed and increasingly concerned about survival of the human race, Henry presses on and successfully lands his group back on Earth, which bears little resemblance to the planet they remembered. The returning passengers encounter strange new animal species and are stunned to find that Earth has been repopulated by a group of humans previously known as Tunnel People because of their subterranean lifestyle. Their Supreme Leader, Lillian Goodman, a long-time opponent of the Orchestrators, somehow alters the Tunnel People who now have advanced technologies, an above-ground life of opulence, and apparent immortality. As Henry unravels the nefarious means employed by the Supreme Leader to create this Utopian state, he discovers why these new humans remain desperately dependent on his passengers for maintaining their immortal status, and must decide whether to cooperate or resist and face his own mortality.

#BookReview: If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley




Fate connects two people in life-changing ways in a deeply romantic and emotional novel about hope and second chances by the author of Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact.

Uncertain of what tomorrow brings, Elliott Holland decides to live it up—on the eve of a stem cell transplant to treat her leukemia. It’s destiny when she crosses paths with handsome and charming Jamie Sullivan. The chemistry is magic. So is a beautiful evening that ends with a bittersweet kiss goodbye and no expectations of ever seeing each other again.

One year later, Elliott’s future looks good. Her cancer is in remission. Her career in graphic design is taking off. And she’s finally met Carly, the young woman whose stem cell donation gave Elliott a second chance at life. Then, in a twist of fate both blissful and unfair, she meets Carly’s boyfriend. It’s Jamie, the man Elliott kissed like it was her last day on earth. Neither of them has ever forgotten it.

Now, the most difficult decisions of all lie ahead. Whatever risks there are to the heart, one need wins to grab hold of everything that can make someone feel alive again.


Monday, March 31, 2025

#BookBlitz: The Victorian Locket by #ElefairKing @RABTBookTours


 

A Galveston Historical Mystery

 

Cozy Mystery

 

Sarah Anne Law, affectionately known to family and friends as Sam, was playing the stalking game with her cat when she inadvertently discovered a secret compartment in her haunted Victorian home. Not only did Sam find a hidden treasure, but she also realized that their playful game aroused a long-dormant spirit. Perhaps the newly awakened spirit and one of the more disturbing hauntings in her beautiful home were connected. Did a murder occur? As Sam followed clues to unravel the 125-year-old mysteries, she unveiled the true horrors of Galveston’s deadly and gruesome past.



#SeriesBlitz for The Middleton Trilogy by Lisa Lang Blakeney @GiveMeBooksPR





OBSESSION

I can have anything I desire…but all I want is her.

Hunter Middleton
My name strikes fear when most men hear it, especially in the underbelly of the city.
Self-made billionaire.
Alpha Asshole.
Ruthless Negotiator.
Owner of a notorious Los Angeles Nightclub where life and death deals are made, and street justice is served.

Driven by a family tragedy that has haunted me all my life, I’ve never had any interest in a serious romance until the fateful night I clashed with a new spunky server with the face of an angel.
She has no clue who I am.
Her employer.
And I have no idea who she’s going to be.
My addiction.

Despite all our differences and the danger closing in on us, I’m ready to claim her after one interaction. There’s something about her I cannot resist, and we begin a rollercoaster ride of passion and danger, fueling my…obsession.

OBSESSION is a steamy, possessive, age-gap, suspenseful romance from USA Today bestselling author Lisa Lang Blakeney.

WARNING: Contains a ruthless billionaire with dirty intentions.

#ReleaseBlitz for Ruthless Oath by @ellajade818 @GiveMeBooksPR




Title: Ruthless Oath
Series: Cruel Empire #1
Author: Ella Jade
Genre: Dark Romance
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Mafia
Release Date: March 27, 2025


BLURB

Kidnapped by a savage enemy

As heir to the throne in a royal mafia family, it's my job to get the information needed to bring my father home. And that means kidnapping a rival's spoiled mafia princess daughter.

At the time, I don't know the man is in negotiations to marry her off to a brutal arms dealer, but when I discover how difficult of a captive she is, it kind of makes sense. Soon, she foolishly starts to see me as the lesser of evils, but while she seems willing to be my captive, she's mistaken to believe I'm doing her any favors.

I can't allow anything to distract me. Especially not some naΓ―ve woman who doesn’t realize we've just set off a mob war. Now the only way to stop what I started and be reunited with my father is to let her go.

Problem is, I've fallen for my hostage, and while I have the guts, power, and resources to keep her as a willing prisoner, if I make the wrong choice, it could cost my family’s empire everything.