#BookBlitz: The Philosopher’s Guide to Life, Suffering and Kidney Stones (But Mostly Kidney Stones) by @kidneystonesocrates @RABTBookTours

 

Nonfiction / Health

Date Published: June 5, 2025

 

 Let’s face it—life throws rocks at all of us. Sometimes metaphorical, sometimes literal, and occasionally they hit you directly in the kidneys.

 

Welcome to the survival guide you didn’t know you needed—for pain, philosophy, and the Dirty Rotten Bastards known as kidney stones.

 

Written by Dr. Carmin Kalorin, a board-certified Urologist and Navy Veteran with a sharp sense of humor and a well-loved copy of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, this book is equal parts medical manual, philosophical deep-dive, and brutally honest pep talk. From ancient Greek tragedy to Zen detachment, from Schopenhauer’s existential gloom to modern pain meds that actually work, Dr. Kalorin arms you with science, insight, and just the right amount of sarcasm to help you endure the worst pain imaginable—and maybe even grow from it.

 

Inside, you’ll discover:

●  Why kidney stones hurt so damn much (hint: it’s not just the jagged edges)

●  How to suffer like a philosopher—or just survive like a human

●  What Stoics, Buddhists, and Navy SEALs can teach us about pain

●  How to stop these unholy invaders from ever coming back

 

Whether you’re mid-attack, recovering, or just preparing for the day your body decides to throw a mutiny, The Philosopher’s Guide to Life, Suffering, and Kidney Stones offers clarity, catharsis, and some much-needed laughs—because if suffering is inevitable, we might as well face it with wisdom and a plan.

 

Grab some water (seriously, hydrate), settle in (writhing optional), and turn the page. You’re not alone!

#BookBlitz: That Boy by @briarblackbooks @XpressoTours #Giveaway Prize: a PR box

That Boy
Briar Black
(The Cheshire Set, #3)
Publication date: November 6th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance, Suspense

Building an impossible tea farm in the Cheshire countryside was Sofia’s second chance. A way to prove herself. A fresh start. She knew it would be graft. She anticipated a degree of isolation. But with Christmas imminent and the farm failing, her thoughts have grown darker. She’s searching for something — an ineffable force to make this year the magical wonderland she always craves and never finds.

Yet with the farm failing there’s no time to fix her ailing social life. Sofia resigns herself to another lonely holiday.

Enter Matt.

Delaware Grange’s twenty-one-year-old assistant gamekeeper. Nice enough, a bit dopey.

As she hunkers down for winter, Sofia thinks she’s prepared for everything. Nothing could prepare her for Matt. For the abrupt awareness of him. For the way he’s far more capable than he seems. Thoughtful. Considerate. Quietly intelligent.

Way sexier than he appears.

Suddenly impossible to ignore.

But Matt isn’t what he seems. A darkness runs beneath Delaware Grange — insidious, creeping, buried deep.

Sofia was little more than a challenge, a box for Matt to check, an assignment to complete. Until he fell.

Hard.

Now all he sees is her. All he wants is her. And all he knows is she has no idea who he truly is. While Sofia fights her feelings in the face of forbidden fruit, and Matt wrestles with the reality of his true purpose on the estate, the pair fall into an intoxicating, passionate, volatile romance.

As winter deepens and Christmas closes in, two lonely souls struggle to find peace in each other, and trust becomes the most dangerous choice on the estate.

Falling for Matt threatens everything Sofia has worked so hard to build. Falling for Sofia might just be the making of Matt.

That Boy is a high-heat, secret-identity romance where desire, deception, and devotion collide in a snowy small-town Christmas.

While not required, it is highly suggested to read Nightshade before That Boy.

Author’s Note: Each novel in The Cheshire Set can be read as a standalone, but the following order avoids spoiling the reading experience of earlier books.

Recommended Reading Order for The Cheshire Set:

Bane
Nightshade
That Boy

Eve Was Framed, a prequel novella to Bane, isn’t strictly part of The Cheshire Set but is available for free download on the author’s website.

#BookTour: Lost by @LM_Preston @RABTBookTours

The Mistfits Series, Book 1

Fantasy

Date Published: October 1, 2025

Publisher: Phenomenal One Press

Penelope Pawn had an addiction. She liked candy, sword-fighting shadows, and boys. Still, something was seriously wrong and she couldn’t put her finger on it. Being homeless wasn’t as bad for her as it was for most. She had a way of collecting kids that turned into family, like brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, every time another kid agreed to come with her to the hiding place she’d created, a rush of power would surge through her like she’d consumed a drug, sealed a deal, or done something wrong. There was one guy, though, who wouldn’t come. When Terek showed up at her doorstep, a place well hidden from most others, and demanded she heed his warning, it was the first time she feared an enemy's strength. Was he a challenge that could become her savior, revealing the truth of her past to her? Could this boy show her how to repair the fiber of the world she’d unknowingly ripped apart, causing a catastrophic end to the home she’d built for herself and the lost ones?

#BookReview: Variation by @RebeccaYarros

Synopsis:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother’s eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she’s sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she’s tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under.

As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He’s always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau…until the night he left for basic. After the biggest regret of his life, the secrets he keeps mean he can never be with the one woman he wants more than his next breath.

When Hudson’s niece shows up on Allie’s doorstep, desperate to find her birth mother, Allie finds herself in an unimaginable position. Allie and Hudson’s past and present might be endlessly complicated. The thread that tied them to each other all those years ago may have unraveled, but the truth could pull them back together, or drive them apart forever.

#BookReview: The Tale of Kore (The Fruit of Life and Death, #1) by Amanda L. Rautio

Synopsis:
In the heart of academia, Corey, an ambitious master’s student, yearns for a life beyond the confines of dusty books and lectures. After making a fateful wish, Corey becomes a key player in a cosmic drama that unfolds following a re-enactment of an Ancient Greek mystery cult dedicated to Demeter and Persephone. 

Whisked away to the shadowy depths of the Underworld, Corey discovers a world teetering on the brink of chaos. Dark forces stir, with ancient gods either missing or perishing. To restore balance, Corey must brave the labyrinthine passages of the Underworld, confront mythical beasts, and uncover long-buried truths to revive the goddesses of justice, memory, and spring—before true darkness takes hold.

#Teaser: Shadows Over Cozumel (Echoes of Fortune) by #DavidRLeng @RABTBookTours

Mystery, Thriller

Date Published: November 11, 2025

 

What would you risk to uncover a secret buried for over 150 years?

From bestselling and multi–award-winning author David R. Leng comes the next pulse-pounding installment in the Echoes of Fortune series.

His debut, Echoes of Fortune: The Search for Braddock’s Lost Gold, captivated readers and earned a 4.5-star rating on Goodreads. Now the adventure continues with a brand-new novella that plunges deeper into history’s deadliest secrets.

When historian Jack Sullivan, Smithsonian curator Emma Wilson, and fellow former Navy SEAL Steve Johnson set out for a Thanksgiving dive off Cozumel, they expect nothing more than warm waters and forgotten wrecks. Instead, they uncover a Confederate ghost ship that vanished in 1865—along with a sealed brass tube containing secrets powerful enough to change history.

But they’re not alone. Shadowy mercenaries and a black-hulled yacht stalk their every move, determined to silence them before the truth surfaces. From dazzling reefs to the back alleys of Veracruz, Jack and his team are forced into a deadly game where history isn’t past—it’s a weapon.

Some secrets don’t want to be found. And some will kill to stay buried.

Perfect for fans of Steve Berry, Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, and James Rollins, Shadows Over Cozumel delivers nonstop action, historical intrigue, and a mystery that spans centuries.

#BookReview: Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams @reallyshanora

Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author Shanora Williams comes an emotional page-turner about two people still reeling from tragedy who look to each other for the strength to move forward.

It’s been months since her dreams of forever were brutally shattered. Seven long months since her husband and soulmate, Lew, died in her arms, leaving her to carry on. Alone. And Davina Klein-Roberts still isn’t sure how to move forward.

To escape her anguish, Davina throws everything into work, pushing Golden Oil Co., her self-built skincare line, to become a viral success. Now she’s poised to clinch a major endorsement deal too. But it’s bittersweet without Lew by her side.

A meeting with Deke Bishop, the hot NBA star she’s courting for her brand, leaves Davina flustered. With his dimpled smile and warm handshake, Deke’s a natural pitchman. And he’s clearly interested—not only in her lotions.

Davina soon discovers that Deke’s more than just another player and carries his own pain. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her guilt. Will the pain of a future already lost keep her from embracing hope for a new one?