Wednesday, May 07, 2025

#BookReview: Hazelthorn by CG Drews @paperfury



CG Drews, acclaimed author of Don't Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.



#BookReview: Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa



The brutally engineered class divisions of Snowpiercer meets Rivers Solomon’s The Deep in this high-octane post-climate disaster novella written by Nommo Award-winning author Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Off the coast of West Africa, decades after the dangerous rise of the Atlantic Ocean, the region’s survivors live inside five partially submerged, kilometers-high towers originally created as a playground for the wealthy. Now the towers’ most affluent rule from their lofty perch at the top while the rest are crammed into the dark, fetid floors below sea level.

There are also those who were left for dead in the Atlantic, only to be reawakened by an ancient power, and who seek vengeance on those who offered them up to the waves.

Three lives within the towers are pulled to the fore of this Yekini, an earnest, mid-level rookie analyst; Tuoyo, an undersea mechanic mourning a tremendous loss; and Ngozi, an egotistical bureaucrat from the highest levels of governance. They will need to work together if there is to be any hope of a future that is worth living―for everyone.



#ReleaseBlitz for Mischief Vibes by @ash.marah.author @GiveMeBooksPR




Title: Mischief Vibes
Series: AZ Demons #3
Author: Ash Marah
Genre: MM MC Romance
Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Reunion
Release Date: April 23, 2025


BLURB

Noah
I was a gay cop living is small-town Arizona.
Growing up alongside my perfect twin had me always feeling inadequate.
My life was spiraling faster than I could keep up with, and I definitely wasn’t in control.
One day it all came to a head when I lost control. Instead of breaking up a fight, I joined in while on duty.
I needed help before I made more stupid decisions that might get me—or someone else—killed.
The only person I trusted to give me the tough love I needed was my cousin Shaylinn Walker.
Her family ran the AZ Demons Motorcycle Club. I wasn’t sure what happened there, but that little bit of darkness I had inside of me wanted to find out.
There was only one problem: I’d been crushing on Shay’s adopted straight brother for years. Could I keep my attraction to myself?
When it came down to it, could I really handle the change of scenery and what treading that dark road would mean for my career?

Levi
I had Daddy issues. They messed with my head. I’d grown up as part of the AZ Demons and had been adopted by the President. I had a found family of people who always had my back.
But I felt alone. I hadn’t found that person who fit me and could take on all that came with being part of a motorcycle club.
My family knew I was gay, but I kept that secret close to my chest. Coming out could be dangerous if my biological father found out. He was a nightmare who popped up at the worst times.
When Noah arrived, everything blew wide open. I had been making myself scarce to avoid his visits for years. He was a cop, and the MC did bad things. If I chased him, would I do time?
Resisting Noah was going to take all my strength, I didn’t know if I was up for the job!

Tuesday, May 06, 2025

#TeaserTuesday: Outcast by Jamie Targaet @RABTBookTours @changelingpress



Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense

Date Published: May 9, 2025

 

 

Anya’s his captive, but she’s always been mine. I’ll burn their empire to the ground to bring her home.


Anya -- I never forgot Jackson -- not when the foster system chewed us up and spit us out, and not when I was dragged into the nightmare world of Sebastian Six. Jackson was the one bright spot in my past, the only person who ever tried to save me. Now, trapped as Six’s captive, I’ve lost hope… until I see him again. Jackson isn’t just a memory anymore; he’s a badass biker called Outcast. He fights the brutal champion in Six’s underground ring, just to win a night with me. He’s risking everything to get me out. This time, I’m not letting him go.

Outcast -- She was everything to me once. The only thing that ever mattered. I tried to save her when we were young and failed. But when her photo turned up on a soldier tied to a fake gun deal, I knew I’d been given another chance. I tracked her to Louisville, to the syndicate, to the monster who owns her. If she had been safe and happy, I would’ve walked away. But she wasn’t. So I fought their champion in a cage match just to get close. Now I’m running with her again -- only this time, I’m ready to kill anyone who gets in my way for her. No one is taking Anya from me. Not now. Not ever again.


Trigger Warning: Outcast (Hounds of Hell MC 7) contains scenes of human trafficking, violence, physical abuse, rape, and vigilante justice that may be triggers for some readers. There’s also a strong alpha hero willing to risk everything to save his woman.

#ReleaseBlitz: Summer Fated to Be Mine by @BrandyTruly @RABTBookTours #Giveaway




YA, Coming of Age, Urban, Romance

Date Published: 05-06-2025

 

 

First Love is Overrated 

This summer these two broken souls discover if your second love can make you forget your first

 

Growing up, the Morelli brothers were close

Their kinship sinks deeper than the Titanic the summer they both fall for the same girl. Zakiah always felt Iliana Kaplan's heart belonged to him. All along, it has been their story, until fate removed the blindfold.

Everything falls apart when Zakiah realizes Iliana will never give him her whole heart. This time, the middle brother, Elijah, won't be able to repair the damage. A rift is torn amid all of them, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Two years later, when love comes knocking on his door, Zakiah strays from his motto. He can't pretend the connection he feels with Glory Glover isn't real. He just can't afford to fall victim to love again—already learned that lesson the hard way.

Life drops the other shoe. When his dad reveals who his betrothed is, there's no running from what fate has in store. Can your second love make you forget your first? Zakiah must decide if love only exists in fairytales. No matter what choice he makes, it won't be easy to find what's truly his to behold.

What happened in the spring might've made him forget his summertime dreams, but reality rarely has a silver lining.

#ReleaseBlitz for Vanished by @authorakevans @GiveMeBooksPR




Title: Vanished
Series: Harper Security Ops #20
Author: A.K. Evans
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Tropes: No Strings Affair/Opposites Attract
Kidnapping/Found Family/Small Town
Release Date: May 6, 2025


BLURB

Reagan Stuart is happy being alone. It’s hard to be disappointed if there aren’t any attachments.

Hart Anderson knows that love hurts. He learned it as a kid, he learned it again as a teenager, and he learned it from his time in the military.

Two broken souls, Reagan and Hart are on the same wavelength when it comes to relationships. It’s best to keep what they’ve got between them strictly physical.

But things change. When Hart heads to Reagan’s for a night of fun, she’s gone.

Vanished.

Hart knows that Reagan would never just disappear, and he fears she’s in real trouble. It’s a race against the clock to get her back. And Hart can’t screw this up.

Because even if he told himself she meant nothing to him, he knows it’s a lie. He’s in love, and Reagan’s the one who showed him how good it could be.

#ReleaseBlitz for Jilted by @vi_keeland @GiveMeBooksPR




Title: Jilted
Author: Vi Keeland
Publisher: Bramble/Macmillan
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Wedding Meet Cute/Pro Athlete Hero
He Falls First/Cocky Hero
Release Date: May 6, 2025


BLURB

Weddings. I spend every working minute talking and writing about them, when just the thought of one makes me want to scream. After my fiancΓ© abandoned me at the altar last year, my dream job at Bride magazine has turned into a reoccurring nightmare.

To add insult to injury, the bridezilla at my latest assignment, somehow roped me into filling in for a missing bridesmaid. Of course, I had to get paired with the most gorgeous groomsman. Wilder Hayes is perfect—except when he opens his mouth and we end up bickering all evening. That is, until the coat closet incident.

At least I’ll never have to see him again. Or so I think… Until I walk into work on Monday and find out Wilder isn’t just a jerk, he’s also my boss’s son. And I’ll be spending the rest of the season working with him at every single wedding I cover this year.

Can the jilted bride and the man who is afraid of love find a way to heal each other?