#BookReview: Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

Synopsis:
From critically acclaimed author Shveta Thakrar comes a beautifully imagined contemporary fantasy about two teens, one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape, who find themselves embroiled in a twisty world of court intrigue when they venture into a forest ruled by yakshas, mysterious woodland spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.

Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas to admit her into their enchanted forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.

After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.

Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman named Sulochana. In return for helping restore her reputation, Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.

But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.

#ReleaseTour: Every Other New Year's Eve by @michelledaytonwriter @indie_pen_pr

The point of magic is not to understand it. The point is not to waste it…

Paige Larsen is riding high on her future when she drops into a bar on New Year’s Eve 2019 for a celebratory drink. Will Weber, too, is excited about his life’s direction. Despite clashing personalities—and unexpected physical attraction—they quickly become friends while grooving to 1970s music in this unique joint.

But when Paige and Will each try to find the bar the following day, they realize the night was even more magical than they believed. It seems this bar appears for only a handful of hours every two years in an abandoned city lot on December 31. What’s more, Paige and Will are living in different timelines two years apart.

Over a span of eight years and a multitude of life changes, Paige and Will connect deeply in a fantasy situation that allows them to be their messy, imperfect, vulnerable selves.

Then suddenly, the enchantment—and the bar—disappear for good. Can love offer the magic they need to create a real-life happy ever after?

Every Other New Year’s Eve is a tender, heartwarming romance with a magical twist, perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Ashley Poston.

#BookBlitz: The Skeleton Faerie by @author_apmobley @XpressoTours #Giveaway Prize: ebook copy of The Skeleton Faerie

The Skeleton Faerie
A.P. Mobley
(Children of the Death Gods, #1)
Publication date: November 8th 2025
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Mythology

Faerie folklore meets a nuclear postapocalypse in this dark mythological fantasy woven with secrets, treachery, and star-crossed love.

Ninety-nine years after the Nuclear War of 1989, twenty-one-year-old Gus Brandon should only be interested in the survival of humanity and the expansion of his compound. But he’s obsessed with legends from the distant past, superstitions of an expired people.

While searching forbidden ruins for the scraps of stories lost to time, he stumbles upon a mysterious young woman covered in scars. Her name is Saoirse, and their meeting sets off a bloody chain of events—one in which Gus discovers that the folklore he loves just might be real, and that it’s tied to mankind in ways he could have never imagined.

Soon the lines between myth and reality blur, as do the lines between realms.

Gus will have to rely on his knowledge—and Saoirse—to survive the horrors awaiting him… in this world and the next.

#BookBlitz: The Love of a Dog by #JoProuty @RABTBookTours #Giveaway

A Chronicle of a Remarkable Retriever

Memoir/Love, Black Lab, Dog

Date Published: 02-14-2023

The decision to get a dog becomes a journey from high expectations through the reality of care giving and the fun of companionship to enduring love and finally loss. Dog lovers will see themselves and remember their beloved canine friends. They will wish they had known Tasha as they read about this quirky dog and her love of family and fun. Readers can applaud the transforming power of love.

#BookReview: Ward D by @fmcfaddenauthor

Synopsis:
Medical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward.

Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation.Reasons nobody can ever find out.

And as the hours tick by, Amy grows increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger.

Amy’s worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D.

And now she might never escape.

#BookReview: The Warbler by @sarahbethdurst

Synopsis:
From the author of The Lies Among Us comes a magical tale about mothers and daughters, choices and consequences, and the real meaning of home when every place feels like a cage.

Ten months. That’s the longest Elisa has stayed anyplace, constantly propelled by her fear that if she puts down roots, a family curse will turn her into a tree.

But she’s grown tired of flitting from town to town and in and out of relationships. When she discovers a small town in Massachusetts where mysterious forces make it impossible for the residents to leave, she hopes she can change her fate.

As Elisa learns about the town’s history, she understands more about the women in her family, who seem doomed to never get what they want. Now she believes she’s stuck, too—is that a patch of bark on her arm? But her neighbor’s collection of pet birds sings secrets that Elisa can almost understand—secrets she must unravel in order to be truly alive.

#BookTour: 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!