We’re celebrating the release of Undead Gods by Caitlyn Battelle this week! This is one you’re going to want to bump up to the top of your TBR list!
Undead Gods (Book 1)
Genre: Romantic Fantasy / Dark Gaslamp Fantasy
Publication Date: October 1st, 2024
Readers are loving the…
Dark, moody gaslamp worldbuilding
Strong women
secrets and mysteries
forbidden magic
everyone’s favorite raccoon
feminine rage
WELCOME TO KAVA, WHERE THE UNDEAD GODS NEITHER HEAR NOR CARE…
Elysia Parker lives each day in fear it will be her last.
The magic the gods carelessly gifted mortals disappeared years ago, and Elysia Parker is all too familiar with what happens when someone is found to be harboring magic in her land. Death.
Cursed but hiding in plain sight within Kava’s royal court, Elysia has her eyes on the crown and its prince. But an unexpected change in her magic throws her carefully laid plans into chaos. In love with the man who could order her death, she searches for an answer to her curse before it’s too late.
From underground tunnels to pleasure houses and rebels who demand payment of the highest kind, Elysia will journey to the death realm and back to find her answers.
But is she willing to face the harsh demands of the truth?
Inspired by Hades and Persephone, Undead Gods is a dark, moody fantasy filled with magic, danger, and a love that may be the heroine’s downfall. Follow Elysia Parker into the soot drenched world of Kava as she navigates secrets, betrayal, and ultimately, finding herself amidst a world of lies.
The Dragon Favorite is the first book in a dark fantasy duology about broken promises, forbidden magic, and hopeless hearts with a strong focus on motherhood and navigating the treacherous waters of postpartum depression (oh, and dragons of course).
The Kickstarter campaign runs until October 5th. Both standard and illustrated versions will be available along with bookish goodies and some pretty awesome bonus rewards.
The illustrated version will not be published outside of Kickstarter.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE:
Robust world-building and lore…
A mother’s struggle with mental health…
Dark themes and equally dark villains…
Forbidden love and loyalty…
Spicy yet poetic adult themes…
An underground realm of magic and its wielders…
Reading between the strands of fate and prophecies
Dragons… (that’s a given)
Welcome to Jöro…
…a land once teeming with the majestic presence of dragons, known as the Draughtrìnd, now reduced to ashes by the insatiable greed of a malevolent king. Though the war between man and dragon has faded into the past, the lingering aversion towards magic and its wielders remains.
In the river city of Rau, Amalya dreams of adventure beyond her father’s cozy farm. When she stumbles upon a wounded dragon with the farmhand, Wesley, her dreams of adventure take flight. As the years pass, love and family gradually fade that memory into the background of her life, becoming the only remaining beacon of hope.
Now, Amalya finds herself trapped in the clutches of depression, forced to observe the vestiges of her joy in the eyes of her son. The realization that she will never genuinely reclaim that joy plunges her further into the depths of despair.
When a mysterious man arrives to help on the farm, Amalya feels an unexplainable sense of familiarity. Could he be her only chance to break free from the torment that has haunted her since motherhood? And what consequences must she face to reclaim her light?
Welcome to the tour for new release, Of Warriors and Sages by Jenn Lees! Read on for more details!
Of Warriors and Sages (Arlan’s Pledge #2)
Publication Date: September 20, 2024
Genre: Portal Fantasy Romance
A dragon egg to obtain and a Quest to win. A portal to master and a love to retrieve. A lineage to discover and a high kingship to secure.
Arlan has returned to Dál Gaedhle, taking Rhiannon’s heart with him. Two years have passed since the handsome Dál Gaedhle warrior travelled back through the portal to his own world, but daily Rhiannon waits for him to come and take her to her true home.
Rhiannon has mastered horse riding and martial art, and can now speak Gaelic.
She’s ready.
With the high king of Dál Gaedhle dead, slain by a mage-controlled fire-breathing dragon, Arlan must win the Quest and gain the high kingship to save his land from Ciarán Gallawain’s greedy desires.
The task for this Quest—to find a dragon egg—is the most difficult since the Dragon Wars. For millennia, the beasts have been scarce and the stuff of legend.
But a greater quest still dogs Arlan… to prove Rhiannon’s lineage. For if she is not noble, their relationship will be impossible.
Rhiannon has a mission of her own: to get to Dál Gaedhle, learn to be a warrior, and discover her place in the world of Dál Cruinne.
Frustrated by his master’s unfulfilled promises, Lord Ciarán plans his great and final battle while his mage Bram grows in skill and power.
But Rhiannon’s major challenge will be to keep her true feelings for Arlan in check.
If Arlan cannot beat his banished cousin, Dál Gaedhle will suffer the same fate as the east of Dál Cruinne and any thought of liberty and love be a mere fleeting wish.
A killer dressed as a plague doctor is prowling London’s docks.
Able seaman Humphrey Wilkes is dead, shot between the eyes by the murderer known as the Plague Doctor. When Samuel Pepys’s naval colleague, Robert Drake, finds a black cross daubed on his door, it marks him out as the next victim.
Pepys dispatches his inquisitors, Abby Harcourt and Jacob Standish, to the docks. Can they unmask the killer and save Drake’s life before he strikes again?
Death is a way of life to hardened seafarers. The dockyard is theirs – a dangerous domain of secrets, lies and grudges dating back to the grim days of the plague. Anyone could be the Plague Doctor. But who lurks beneath that ghastly disguise?
When the Plague Doctor targets Jacob himself, the battle to save Drake becomes personal.
Ellis Blackwood fell in love with the writings of Samuel Pepys, and the 17th-century England he inhabited, through the great man’s published diaries. The Samuel Pepys Mysteries are the result of that literary love affair.
My thoughts: The Great Fire of London is cooling, the buildings are smouldering and Samuel Pepys has a problem he needs his two inquisitors to look into.
Down in Deptford, at the docks, a world away from Pepys’ home and life at court, a murderer dressed as a plague doctor has been at work. Abby and Jacob are sent to investigate. It’s something of a closed world at the dockyard and hard work to get anything out of the residents. Life at sea and on the docks is hard and death happens suddenly, but even here, a murderer is a strange event.
Clever and full of historical detail – one of my favourite historical facts is that Pepys buried his cheese in the garden to save it from the Fire, and the flavour of 17th Century London, both familiar and completely alien at the same time.
This series just gets better with every book and Abby is really coming to the fore as a crack investigator, despite regarding herself as just a house maid. She really needs to talk to Pepys about a proper promotion and pay rise! Jacob is still a bit wet, and needs to stop worrying about what people think of him – Samuel Pepys clearly thinks he’s a man who’s going places.
It’s a good plot too, lots of suspects and twists and the duo find more than they expected in a dockside pub, clever little tattoos that lead them to gambling and other secrets.
Don’t forget to head to the author’s website for the free short story that started it all, when Samuel Pepys’ famous diaries go missing.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re proud to present the cover of the highly anticipated sequel to Every Dark Shadow by Sarah Zimm! Every Thread of Light is now available for pre-order and if you visit our Instagram page, we’re giving away 3 hardcover editions of book one!
Every Thread of Light: An Epic Dark Fantasy Romance (Whispers of Dust & Darkness Book 2)
Expected Publication Date: March 25, 2025
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Alliance with the villain
Developing powers
Willing cäptive
Mythical beasts and dragons
War for the throne
Tournament of heirs
Found and lost family
Magic guilds
Moon gods
Shadow magic / shadow-touched army
Portal magic
Tending to wøunds
Sharing warmth to stay alïve
Mild spice
Secret identities
Morally grey characters
War is a dangerous game.
Ophelia Dannan’s magic has reawakened, but at dire costs. Though she’s inherited the powers of a goddess, she’s haunted by the events in Wythe and the desperate choices she made to save the lives of her people.
As war breaks out in Magus, she and Falcon lick their wounds in the Underbelly, waiting for word on Hart and Rune. There, Ophelia plots to end the centuries-old battle for the throne by unearthing and destroying three elusive primordial relics—but she isn’t the only one who seeks them. If the Gray King retrieves the instruments first, the magic-born will rot in endless servitude, and if the relics fall into the Darkwielder’s hands, his vengeance may obliterate every mortal.
To save Magus from ruin, Ophelia finds herself making a bargain with a dangerous enemy—one that plunges her into a harrowing game of trust, politics, and dark secrets. To win, she’ll have to master her horrifying magic, mend her shattered soul, and decide how far she’ll go to shape her fate—or she and her kingdom will be destined for destruction.
In a war between gods and monarchs, one will rise.
For fans of thrilling, cunning fantasy like Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, SMJ’s A Court of Mist and Fury, Game of Thrones, and VE Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic
We’re celebrating the upcoming release of DOLL FACE by C. Hebert and D.J. Krimmer! Pre-order now or get your copy on October 5th!
Doll Face
Publication Date: October 5, 2024
Genre: Dark Romance/ Retelling/ Novella
Shall We Play A Game?
Amid the suffocating embrace of night,
I stumble upon him, a beacon of light.
The Boogeyman, a seductive terror,
Whispers haunting promises, cruel and fair.
Eyes that glint with otherworldly fire,
In his grasp, I’m consumed by dark desire.
A love twisted and sickeningly sweet,
Tangled in the depths of darkness, where nightmares meet.
Should I trust my button eyes,
Or should I doubt them and follow my firefly?
This story is a dark retelling created by two spooky queens who combined the iconic stories of The Nightmare Before Christmas (specifically Oogie Boogie) and Coraline into a mash up of spooky goodness filled with banter, chaos, and lots of spice.
Mental Abuse, Physical Abuse, Attempted Sexual Assault, Torture, Blood, Biting, Attempted Murder, Murder, Death, Detailed Sexual Scenes, Anxiety, Mention of Child Abduction and Death, Kidnapping, Unprotected Sex, Stalking, Somnophilia, Emotional Abuse, Needles, Sewing of Flesh, Mention of Rape, Sexual Abuse, Trauma, Profanity, Sexual Harassment, Slut Shaming, Violence, Dubious Consent, Desecration of a Corpse, Masturbation, Mention of Blood Orgies, Verbal Abuse, Taxidermy, Light Bondage, Virgin FMC, Sodomy, Rough Sexual Interactions, Removal of Eyes, Emotional Addiction, Intrusive Thoughts, PTSD Characteristics, Sex Addiction, Gambling, Body Modifications, Toxic Relationships, Body Horror, Dead Bodies, Emotional Scars, Emotional Trauma, Attempted Strangulation, Abuse of a Deceased Animal, Sexual Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation, Lying, Shared Trauma, Panic Attacks, and a Cliff Hanger Ending.
We’re proud to present the gorgeous cover for Of Hearts and Hunters by Cynthia Brubaker! Pre-orders are open now!
Of Hearts and Hunters (Fallen Crowns Duet Book 1)
Expected Publication Date: February 5, 2025
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Vampire & Werewolf Romance
Cover Designer: @asterielly
Publisher: @midnighttidepublishing
PRE-ORDER INCENTIVES
1. First 20 orders get a discount (from there, it goes up)
2. 30 orders: free art print
3. 50 orders: paperback giveaway
(Please attach screenshot of order to form!)
He’s a Vampyr. I’m a Korama. And I love him.
Tough-as-nails Verity ‘Veri’ Eadaoin has never trusted Vampyrs. They’ve killed everyone she loves. She finally gets an opportunity for revenge after a deadly Vampyr raid against her pack. Her new mission: retaliate against the Vampyr Queen by killing her newly-minted Prince. Simple enough. But Verity is unprepared for her encounter with the unsuspecting Vampyr.
Still reeling from his murder in Saguenay, Darren Pierce-Crané is freshly-turned and reluctant. He’s barely begun to adjust to his unlife when there’s a wolf at his door. Darren barters for his survival, resulting in a precarious pact with Verity. This deal uncovers sinister secrets that could spell the undoing of the entire city.
War is on the horizon, and time is of the essence. Verity and Darren will have to decide what is most important to them: their faction or each other.
Trigger warnings include but are not limited to: Fantasy violence, gore, death, blood, decapitation, homicide, physical assault, drowning, family dysfunction and violence, grief, anxiety/PTSD, SA (on page but attacker is thwarted), suicidal thoughts, survivor’s guilt, profanity, bullying, explicit sexual content, references to sexual activity, discrimination/fantasy racism, drinking/drug use, drunken assault.
We’re getting ready for the upcoming release of the next book in this series and thought it would be fun to recap Sincerely, Secretary of Doom! Besties, you still have 2 weeks to read this one before Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil comes out on October 16th!
Sincerely, Secretary of Doom (High Court of the Coffee Bean Book 2)
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Genre: Cozy Romcom w/ Fantasy Elements
Workplace romance
Amnesia
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Creepy Cathedral
Love/Hate Relationship
Fairy Newspaper
The High Court of the Coffee Bean returns with a sassy, wicked streak.
Months after the deadly assassins-turned-baristas left the Four Corners of Ever behind for good, Doom comes knocking at Mor Trisencor’s door. And it’s wearing stilettos.
When the Fairy Post gets an unexpected, grand following in the human realm for its vintage feel and whimsical words, Mor gets busier than ever typing out articles, following up on leads of fairy mischief, and everything else that goes along with being a faeborn reporter. But his heavy workload comes to a screeching halt when he spots someone in the human realm that shouldn’t be there—an old foe of his. One he thought he would never see again. One he’d prayed to the sky deities that he wouldn’t cross paths with after the day Mor abandoned the Shadow Army, leaving a trail of flames and destruction in his wake. For the first time since the Fairy Post was published, the newspaper gets put on hold and Mor goes hunting.
Mor can think of nothing else but stopping this foe before ripples of doom begin to stir up the human realm.
Violet Miller is a journalist with a mysterious past her amnesia forbids her from remembering. But when she gets let go from her job at the most prestigious news station in the city, her unexplained past becomes the least of her problems. She thinks it’s all over for her as a journalist, until she sees a job posting for a secretary position at a niche, laughable “old school style” newspaper called the Fairy Post.
The day Violet shows up at Mor’s house—or, creepy, dark cathedral is more like it—is the day that everything changes for her. Before Violet even has a chance to ask about the job, she’s mistakenly marked as Mor’s lover by his “enemies” and she finds herself in the crosshairs of a battle of inhuman creatures who’d rather “stab first and ask questions later.”
This marks the beginning of a love-hate relationship (mostly hate) between a fae assassin born of the Shadows, and a lipstick-wearing, mascara wielding human born to be in the spotlight.
While reading this second installment of the High Court of the Coffee Bean series, you may find yourself craving macaroons, listening to the wind for signs of fairy magic, and wishing you had a “creepy, dark, creaking, abandoned cathedral” of your own to call home.
My thoughts: this series is so much fun, it’s a bit silly but that’s all part of the fun. The fae cafe is still going well under the supervision and coffee making skills of the High Court of the Coffee Bean, Cress is hosting a bonkers YouTube channel, Mor is still publishing the Fairy Post and the knitting assassins are still over the road.
Mor’s past catches up with him in the form of another fae warrior from the Shadow Army, someone who really resents and hates him. And poor Violet Miller, who can’t remember anything that happened to her before she was 13, is caught in the middle.
All she wants is a job as a journalist, and to look into the spate of strange attacks leaving women with amnesia across the city. So she answers an ad in the Fairy Post and now she’s Secretary to Doom, hunted by fae warriors and even more confused than she’s ever been!
I loved it, I can’t wait for book 3. This is just such a funny, entertaining series, I love the characters, the fae are all completely hopeless and cannot cope with our world – they keep pledging vengeance and having battles in the street involving throwing baked goods. It’s just, very silly, very funny, very joyful. Read it!
Happy publication day to author V.M. Pire and congratulations on the release of Wings of Destiny! For a chance to win a signed paperback copy, visit our Instagram page!
Wings of Destiny : Embrace Your Wings, Beware Your Heart (The Erin Snow Series #1)
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Genre: Spicy Urban Fantasy
⭐️ FEISTY FMC
⭐️ FOUND FAMILY
⭐️ FATED MATES
⭐️ TOUCH THEM AND D!3
⭐️ MORALLY GREY
The time has come…and there’s nowhere to hide
Erin Snow, your average twenty-three year old book-obsessed college student, has her world turned upside down when people begin disappearing. Nightmares begin to stalk her day and night. Replaying bits of her past, bringing forward things that might’ve been better left unknown.
Will she discover the truth about what is happening to her, who she can trust?
As part of this Jack Jordan blogathon, I’m re-posting my review of his book Do No Harm.
MY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN. AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . . KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER.
The man lies on the table in front of me. As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him. As a mother, I know I must kill him. You might think that I’m a monster. But there really is only one choice. I must get away with murder. Or I will never see my son again.
I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES. WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?
My thoughts: I don’t have kids but I do know a fair few mums and I completely understand how dedicated and how much they love their children.
I don’t know however if they’d actually be able to kill for them as Anna is blackmailed into doing here. The people who took her little boy will kill him if the local MP makes it off her table. Doctors pledge to do no harm, but mothers will say they’d do anything for their child.
This is such a delicious and chilling set up and Anna can’t just leave it there. Especially when she doesn’t get her terrified son back straight away. Something else is in play here and it’s only by following every tiny lead (and dodgy nurse Margot) that she can finally get Zack back.
The cops are on the case so she also needs to throw them off the scent, survive a review at work, and keep her ex-husband from finding anything out. Easy peasy. Not like it’s oh, open heart surgery or anything.
I was totally hooked, the way the story plays out, the alternating viewpoints from Anna and Margot, as they’re pulled into a deadly world of crime and politics, it’s dark and clever and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
ramblingmads 