#BookReview: Sweet Escape (Hawthorne Vines #2) by @meredithwild @jillianliota

Synopsis:
A free-spirited singer falls for her best friend’s brother—and discovers her muse—in a heartfelt novel about finding love in unexpected places by Jillian Liota and #1 New York Times bestselling author Meredith Wild.

After a heartbreaking betrayal, singer-songwriter Vivian Walsh needs a getaway. Her best friend Murphy’s family vineyard is the perfect refuge to focus on her new album, free from unnecessary distractions—like men. Few are more tempting than Murphy’s workaholic brother, Memphis. He’s infuriatingly handsome, and Vivian can’t resist teasing him whenever she gets the chance.

Memphis has a lot on his plate with his struggling family business. The last thing he needs in his life is a spitfire like Vivian. They have nothing in common but the heat between them. The good news is that neither of them are looking for a relationship. Just release from the pressure. One no-strings night with Vivian couldn’t hurt. Or two. Or three. Maybe a distraction is exactly what they need.

When Vivian’s life back in LA comes calling, both realize their feelings might have grown far more than they planned. They will have to Is it time to say goodbye? Or can their sweet escape turn into their forever?

#BookReview: Obsession Falls (The Haven Brothers #1) by @clairekingsleybooks

Synopsis:
He’ll risk it all to protect her.

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why.

It’s bad enough that she’s back in Tilikum. But Audrey’s good at making the best of things and her new job at the small-town newspaper is just a way to get back on her feet.

Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven.

She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it.

She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it, or why.

For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.

She’s just the girl next door. Fine, the frustratingly hot girl next door. But Audrey is all sunshine and her goofy dog isn’t any better. Josiah is too stoic. Too solitary. Too guarded. He doesn’t need a woman in his life, especially one who threatens to crack his heart wide open.

But Josiah is a protector and he can’t let Audrey’s troubles go unanswered, even if he has to risk everything—his life and his heart—to keep her safe.

Author’s Note : a grumpy loner meets his match in a sunshiney dog lover who’s a little down on her luck. And once he falls, he falls HARD. It’s small-town romantic suspense with CK’s signature humor, endearing characters, and heartwarming happily ever after.

Obsession Falls can be read as a stand-alone.

#BookBlitz: Not That Orange! by @badams11_1_24 @RABTBookTours

Children's Book

Not That Orange is a delightful and colorful tale about self-acceptance, diversity, and embracing what makes us unique!

Carrot is on a mission—he’s searching for his orange! But there’s just one problem… he’s green! With the help of a friendly orange from a nearby tree, Carrot embarks on a journey across the farm, asking the other crops for help. But as confusion grows, Carrot soon discovers something surprising—carrots can be all sorts of colors, not just orange!

Through fun, playful storytelling and charming illustrations, Not That Orange teaches young readers (ages 3-5) an important lesson: being different is not just okay—it’s something to celebrate! In a world that often focuses on fitting in, this book encourages little ones to embrace who they are and appreciate the beautiful diversity around them.

Perfect for preschool and kindergarten-aged children, Not That Orange is a wonderful addition to any home or classroom library, inspiring kids to be confident in themselves while learning about colors, friendship, and the joy of being uniquely you!

#BookBlitz: Selected Misdemeanors by @suewilliamsilverman @RABTBookTours #Giveaway

Essays at the Mercy of the Reader

Creative Nonfiction; Essay Collection; Flash-Essay Collection

Date Published: September 1, 2025

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

The essays in Selected Misdemeanors are unapologetic word grenades lobbed into an otherwise complacent forgetfulness. Throughout the collection, Sue William Silverman focuses on pivotal, often fleeting moments that defined the course of her life, such as a fraught family vacation; an evening watching the Chippendale dancers’ extravaganza; a Pac-Man-and-bourbon-fueled rumination on failed relationships; and the way melodramatic movies such as Rome Adventure shape an adolescent’s idea of love. Ranging from short to flash to micro length, these emotionally courageous writings imbue minimalist forms with maximalist emotions and an unrepentant, no-holds-barred attitude. Each action explored in this collection produces the Butterfly Effect—seemingly quotidian events rippling into emotional tsunamis.

#BookBlitz: Delivered by #JamesMondesir @RABTBookTours

Literary Fiction

Date Published: May 15, 2025

 

 

 Delivered is a moving, contemporary novel about Jean Valeur, a Haitian American NYU grad student whose life is derailed after he’s wrongly arrested during a party sting. After a harrowing stint at Rikers Island, Jean is released under a COVID-19 emergency order into a city unrecognizable from the one he once knew. Now a food delivery worker, he must rebuild a broken life, reconnect with estranged loved ones, and face the friend who betrayed him.

Told entirely in Jean’s raw, lyrical voice, Delivered is an unforgettable story of redemption, justice, and self-forgiveness.

 

“Freedom, it suggests, is not the absence of bars, but the hard-won choice to forgive not just others but also oneself.” — Publishers Weekly

#BookTour: Your Aging Body & how to care for it by #BruceCarlson @RABTBookTours

and how to care for it

Nonfiction / Aging / Self-Help

Date Published: 06-12-2025

Publisher: The Woodtick Press

Written in understandable language, this book describes the ways in which our body changes with age and outlines some practical ways to counter many of these changes. It begins by discussing the aging process in general terms and why some people seem much younger than others of the same chronological age. After a presentation of general characteristics of the aging body, subsequent chapters focus on what lies behind the aging of specific parts of the body and how the reader can counteract or slow down the aging process through lifestyle changes. The text illustrates how some seemingly quite different aging changes, for example skin wrinkles and high blood pressure, are due to very similar underlying mechanisms. Although not focusing on disease, the book deals with a number of conditions, e.g., hypertension, arthritis, Type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, which affect many older adults. A concluding chapter pulls together many of the details presented earlier in the book and offers some practical advice for navigating the aging process.

As both a professional anatomist and a gerontologist, the author is well qualified to write a book on the aging body. Forty years as a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, he served as Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and also Director of the Institute of Gerontology. For several decades he conducted research on the aging of muscle. He is a past-president of the American Association of Anatomists and of the Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Neurobiology Chairpersons.

#BookTour: Beyond the Border Forest by @into_the_bookish_wild @quillsandcosmos @rrbooktours

Welcome to the tour for Beyond the Border Forest by Molly Haniszewski. Read on for more deets on this gorgeous Snow White & Rose Red retelling! 

Beyond the Border Forest: Into the Prawdziwy Las

Series: The Immortal Seasons Cycle Book 1

Expected Release Date: September 30, 2025

Genre: LGBTQIA+ Snow White & Rose Red retelling

🍄 Fairytale retelling
🌈 Queer Rep
❤ Plus Size Heroine
🌲 Enchanted Forest
💙 Trans Love Interest
😂 Hilarious Banter
🦌 Slavic Folklore
☕ Studio Ghibli Vibes
💪🏻 Unlikely Heroes
🩷 Sapphic Romance
🌟 Riddles
❄ Seasonal/Elemental Magic

Two kings rule the ancient woods—the Oak King in summer, the Holly King in winter—and no mortal may cross into their realm without leave. But when eighteen-year-old Rowan Gwózdek’s sister vanishes, Rowan defies the old laws and enters the forbidden forest, desperate to find her. She isn't alone for long. Keziah, a trans (and very handsome) hunter with a shadowy tie to the Oak King, offers his help—and a perilous path to the Bear Maiden, a creature said to grant wishes. Together, Rowan and Keziah face mossmen, a wood dragon, and other servants of the forest kings.

But danger lurks deeper still. Caught between the warring Oak and Holly Kings, Rowan is forced to take sides in a battle far older and fiercer than she ever imagined. Saving her sister could cost her everything—including her way home.