#BookBlitz: Ceremony of Innocence by #StephenAsher @RABTBookTours #Giveaway

Literary / Historical Fiction

Date Published: 12-02-2025

Publisher: Scrivener Quill

It is June 1924 when an inquisitive but skeptical Gemma Danforth graduates from Wellesley College. Despite a loving family, an idyllic New England girlhood, and family summers in the Hamptons, little had assuaged her doubts Now, with college behind them, she and two classmates leave America bound for post war France where they will be immersed in the pulsating culture of European modernism. While in France, she reunites with her Paris based parents, and, in Nice, amidst its creative ferment, she falls in love with Rhys, a British aristocrat and ex-pat journalist. During this year spent along the Cote d’Azur, encounters with Sara and Gerald Murphy, Somerset Maugham, Zelda, Isadora Duncan and others, adds a depth and richness to the ambience of le midi. And so begins the process of displacing her doubts.

She and Rhys return to American where their values collide with antithetical and alien attitudes. It is these experiences that come to challenge long-held beliefs and provide a vivid counterpoint to their recent immersion in the Modernist aesthetic and world view.

Resolved to return to France, Gemma shares a final day in America with Gerald Murphy at his ocean front Hampton estate. As this unhurried afternoon unfolds, it becomes clear that Gemma’s skepticism and doubtfulness have been replaced with a clear-sighted maturity and hardened resolve. The next morning, aboard the Ile de France, Gemma and Rhys sail for France.

#ReleaseBlitz for Structure of Love by @sherwoodwrites #GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Structure of Love

Series: Gay 4 Renovations #2

Author: AJ Sherwood

Genre: MM Romance

Tropes: Chosen Family, Gay HGTV

Hurt/Comfort

Release Date: December 26, 2025

BLURB

Gage has a blueprint for his life all mapped out.

First, straighten out his little brother so Gage can finally stop being pseudo father to him.

Second, expand the company to have permanent crews.

Third, avoid any more hookup dates–he wants all or nothing.

The very sexy, tatted bar owner that slides into his life? Not part of the plan.

But god, Gage can go for some red line changes to make Logan part of it.

#BookReview: The Better Mother by @jennvdk @booksparks

Synopsis:
A woman ends up pregnant after a casual fling, but the father's girlfriend has much more sinister intentions in this plot-driven suspense debut. 

A modern spin on Fatal Attraction meets The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, perfect for fans of The Last Mrs. Parrish.

Still recovering from a devastating breakup, 34-year-old Savannah Mitchell has finally managed to put her life back together when she gets the shock of her life—after a brief fling with a man named Max, she is pregnant.

When she gets in touch to tell him, he reveals that he’s just gotten back together with his ex, Madison, and he will need time to break it to her. Surprisingly, Madison isn’t upset—in fact, she’s excited, and wants to help.

Max insists Madison has the best of intentions, but Savannah finds her efforts—popping by uninvited, demanding lifestyle changes, and pretty much trying to take over the pregnancy—anything but helpful. When Savannah finally stands up for herself, Madison’s treatment of her goes from casually cruel to downright dangerous.

All Savannah wanted to do was form a friendly co-parenting relationship with the father of her child—but his new girlfriend obviously has much more sinister plans in mind.

She has no plans to co-parent at all.

#BookBlitz: Rebel of the Forsaken: First Spark Johnathan Penberthy & Sarah Penberthy

Synopsis:
Nineteen-year-old Evelyn Cross has two lives.

By day, she’s just another girl in the fading town of Ashford—pulling espresso shots at Bean & Gone, pretending her dad isn’t dissolving into a bottle, and trying to remember what “normal” is supposed to feel like.

By night, she hunts monsters.

Under the radar of the town that pities her for the fire that killed her mother, Evelyn trains with Jacob Pierce (JP) —the ex-soldier who dragged her out of those flames and turned her into a weapon. Together, they track the demons that slip through the cracks, fighting back the darkness no one else can see.

Evelyn has always known she’s… different. She heals too fast. Hits too hard. Survives what should break her. But when a series of disappearances rocks Ashford and demons begin wearing the same burned symbol—and whispering her name—Evelyn realizes the monsters aren’t circling the town.

They’re circling her.

As an old cult called the Ashen Veil rises, their attacks feel less like battles and more like experiments—measuring her limits, pushing her fear, testing something inside her she doesn’t understand. And when a stranger with storm-grey eyes steps out of the shadows claiming to know what she is, Evelyn’s carefully controlled world fractures.

Her mentor is keeping secrets.
Her blood refuses to behave.
And something waiting in the dark has decided she’s the key it’s been hunting for.

To save the people she loves, Evelyn will have to face what really burned the night her mother died, and what’s been waking inside her ever since.

Because the Veil isn’t trying to kill her.

They’re trying to open her.

Rebel of the First Spark is the gripping first book in a dark supernatural fantasy series perfect for fans of Crescent City, The Mortal Instruments, and Fallen.

#BookBlitz: When the Clouds Are Shaped Like Lemons: A Collection of Stories & Essays by Raquel S. King

Synopsis:

When the Clouds Are Shaped Like Lemons is an eccentric, yet heartwarming collection that is consolation for the misfits, the artists and those who never quite fit the mold. 

These stories, essays and poetic writings help the reader to find humor in the absurd, comfort in curiosity, and reflection on the inevitability of mortality. The subtle highlights regarding social issues and cultural commentary help bring about varying perspectives. But most importantly, the writings here challenge the reader to explore emotional vulnerability, and endless compassion for both yourself, and others.

Prepare to laugh, cry and contemplate the universal feelings that humans share regarding love, loss and life itself.

#BookBlitz: Meet N' Gutted by Esther Strong

Synopsis:

Thirty-five-year-old romance author Rebecca Kamens is officially in a slump. Her debut novel flopped, and she’s moved back to her childhood home to help her mother. Lonely and bored, she logs into a '90s-style chat site for a nostalgic distraction.

There, she meets "Reds02." He’s young, British, and impossibly charming. Their connection is electric, a witty, transatlantic flirtation that quickly becomes intoxicatingly real. Just as Rebecca starts to fall, the fantasy shatters when he turns crude and demanding with a humiliating request then gaslighting her when she refuses.

She cuts him off for good. Or so she thinks.

Suddenly, Rebecca’s book becomes an overnight bestseller, landing her a spot at a literary festival in England. When she comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart online, she finds Mark is even more persistent and more devastatingly attractive in person. He’s determined to earn her forgiveness, even if it means taking extremely drastic measures.

But Mark has a violent enemy, and as Rebecca is pulled deeper into his world, she realizes the online betrayal was nothing compared to the real-life danger that has just made her its new target.

#BookBlitz: Edging Obsession: A Dark Wild Manic Erotic Ride by @deelishbaer

Synopsis:
Obsession. Rock and Roll. German Crime Lord. An emotionally fragile woman searching for herself in the most unlikely way.

What’s the best article assignment a journalist can receive? To tour with the world’s biggest international band! My job is on the line, so my boss offers me a last-ditch effort to prove myself. He assigns me a 'day in the life' article with The Coven. The greatest band ever!

Two weeks. A make-or-break opportunity.

When I meet the band, nothing could have prepared me for the instant attraction I feel toward the drummer, Miles; the most popular band member, whose stunning looks collect fans like flypaper.

I've never shied away from sex, so it doesn't take much for me to wind up in Miles’ bed, and that's where I remain for the rest of my two weeks on tour.

Times up!

The band moves on to the West Coast, leaving me depressed and vulnerable, spiraling into a dark place. Miles finds out and comes to my aid, and between my parents and him, they manage to help me find my footing again.

On the road to recovery, and my parents reveal some shocking news, while Miles’ secrets come to light. Trust is as fragile as a crystal glass. Miles is like my prescription drugs. He helps in the healing process but comes with side effects. His lifestyle is bad for my psyche, yet he’s already tattooed onto my heart.

My parents beg me to make a clean break from Miles.

But how do I give him up when it would be like giving up air?

Author’s Note: This is a full-length DARK erotic romance. This book is for those who enjoy DARK reads. Mental illness is prevalent in this love story between Miles and Jules. It’s an instant attraction, dominant alpha hero romance, smothered in smut, and topped with D/s. It contains adult content and triggers. Reader discretion is advised. If you want a list of warnings, please visit authordenisebaer.com. Since reviews are an issue on Goodreads, if you'd like to review, I'd appreciate it if you would post it to BookBub, TheStoryGraph, Instagram or any of the other platforms.