I am a thirtysomething from London, with a cat, a husband, bookshelves which keep threatening to crush me under their load and chronic health conditions. Basically your average over stressed millennial. Welcome.
Happy release day to author Krista Luna! Grab your copy of Bound to the Orc Warlord or visit one of our Bookstagram hosts for a change to win a paperback edition!
Bound to the Orc Warlord: A Monster Fantasy Romance (Brides of the Moon Blade Clan Book 1)
Publication Date: April 4th, 2024
Genre: Monster Romance/ PNR
One wish changes my life forever. Now I’ve got an extra-grumpy “married at first sight” orc husband.
Getting caught blowing the whistle on a mob boss isn’t the worst part of my day. No, that would be getting sucked through a portal to Faerie. Or finding out I’m a witch who can fly… very, very badly. Or fighting off a soul-sucking fae who wants to drain me dry.
Or getting stuck in a tree, flashing an orc my hot-pink panties.
Actually, that last one might not be so bad. Dravarr’s scowls highlight his smoldering eyes and sharp cheekbones, and his touch makes me swoon. Especially since he has to hold me all day and night to keep me from floating away.
But the soul-sucking fae come back. And a meddling goddess plays matchmaker and marries me to the grumpy orc warrior! I don’t want to be Dravarr’s wife of duty. How can I become the bride of his heart?
Bound to the Orc Warlord is a steamy fantasy monster romance featuring a grumpy orc warrior who falls hard and a sunshiny heroine ready to soar. Welcome to the Moon Blade Clan, where heart-melting romance, toe-curling steam, magic, and adventure combine into stories you’ll devour.
Krista Luna writes steamy sci-fi & fantasy romance featuring otherworldly warriors and the strong heroines they can’t live without. She loves combining sizzling romance with pulse-pounding adventure.
She wants to leave her readers breathlessly turning the page, eager to see what’s next as danger closes in, but love—and a kick-ass couple—ultimately conquers all.
When she’s not writing, you can find Krista reading or watching her latest sci-fi or fantasy favorite, all while eating chocolate. Because there’s always chocolate.
On Tuesday the recipients of the Windham-Campbell Prizes were announced at Yale University. Eight writers will be awarded $175,000 each to support their work and allow them to focus on their creative projects.
The recipients are;
Deirdre Madden (Ireland) – fiction
– Kathryn Scanlan (United States) – fiction
– Christina Sharpe (Canada/United States) – nonfiction
– Hanif Abdurraqib (United States) – nonfiction
– Christopher Chen (United States) – drama
– Sonya Kelly (Ireland) – drama
– m. nourbeSe philip (Canada/Trinidad and Tobago) – poetry
– Jen Hadfield (United Kingdom/Canada) – poetry
The Windham-Campbell Prizes are a major global prize that recognises eight writers each year for literary achievement across four categories – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. With annual prize money exceeding $1.4m USD – and total prize money awarded over the past decade at over $18m USD – they are one of the most significant prizes in the world.
Michael Kelleher, Director of the Windham-Campbell Prizes, said:“Each year, I feel incredibly honoured to call the eight recipients: to be the messenger delivering the entirely unexpected and life-changing news that they have been awarded $175,000. It is clear – now, more than ever – how challenging working in the creative industries, around the world, can be. A Windham Campbell Prize is intended to offer financial security, and through this freedom, the time and space to write, to think, to create – all without pressure or expectation.”
theatrical scene over the past decade, Ireland’s Sonya Kelly, has been rewarded for her skill and elegance as a storyteller, crafting universal, dramatic experiences – as seen in her plays such as Once Upon a Bridge and The Last Return – that are simultaneously funny, farcical, thrilling, satirical and deeply serious.
The Windham-Campbell Prize 2024 selection committee – which remains anonymous – has given the following citations for Christopher Chen and Sonya Kelly:
“Christopher Chen challenges our relationship to truth and accuracy, spectatorship and performance, repeatedly disrupting our expectations of drama and form.”
“Sonya Kelly’s plays sparkle with the quirkiness of the everyday, exploding fleeting moments into lyrical revelations, as she grapples with human fragility and pathos.”
In Poetry, Trinidad and Tobago’s internationally renowned poet, novelist, playwright, and essayist, m. nourbeSe philip, has been selected for her diverse and rich body of work – including Zong! As Told to the Author by Setaey Adamu Boateng – that is deeply engaged with the complexities of art, colonialism, identity, race, and forgotten and suppressed histories, and that constantly pushes boundaries on the page and in performance. The United Kingdom and Canada’s Jen Hadfield – poet, bookmaker and visual artist – is also recognised for her exceptional poetry collections such as the T.S. Eliot award-winning Nigh-No-Place. Hadfield’s work is characterized by a deep immersion in the matters of language and place, the use of Shetlandic and Scots dialect, and a profound focus on ecological matters including an intense grief at the damage that humanity has done to the environment.
The Windham-Campbell Prize 2024 selection committee – which remains anonymous – has given the following citations for m. nourbeSe philip and Jen Hadfield:
“Inventing derelict tongues of refusal, m. nourbeSe philip breaks open and reimagines the horror of official speech and how it acts, creating a genre-obliterating poetry.”
“Jen Hadfield’s intricate poems slow down time, reveal overlooked details of the natural world, and forge complex relationships between language, history, and place.”
The Prizes were the brainchild of lifelong partners Donald Windham and Sandy M. Campbell. The couple were deeply involved in literary circles, collected books avidly, read voraciously as well as penning various works. For years they had discussed the idea of creating an award to highlight literary achievement and provide writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns. When Campbell passed away unexpectedly in 1988, Windham took on the responsibility for making this shared dream a reality. The first prizes were announced in 2013.
It’s 1911 and, against her mother’s wishes, quiet New Yorker Emma dreams of winning the right to vote. She is sent away by her parents in the hope distance will curb her desire to be involved with the growing suffrage movement and told to spend time learning about where her grandparents came from.
Across the Atlantic – Queenstown, southern Ireland – hotelier Thomas dreams of being loved, even noticed, by his actress wife, Alice. On their wedding day, Alice’s father had assured him that adoration comes with time. It’s been eight years. But Alice has plans of her own and they certainly don’t include the fight for equality or her dull husband.
Emma’s arrival in Ireland leads her to discover family secrets and become involved in the Irish Women’s Suffrage Society in Cork. However, Emma’s path to suffrage was never meant to lead to a forbidden love affair…
Maid of Steel is Kate’s first full length novel to be published. She also writes short stories and is presently drafting a second novel. She writes at a desk covered in to-do lists and lights candles in the hope the lists disappear in the shadows. She lives in East Anglia in the UK with her husband where they attempt to look after farmland for generations to come. A small, very small, dog can be frequently found on Kate’s lap. Otis is her first miniature dachshund.
My thoughts: I loved Emma, she has suffered a terrible loss with the death of her brother and then after the factory where she works catches fire, in a manner similar to the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, she loses her best friend too.
Sent to Ireland, where her grandparents emigrated from, to recover from her grief, she looks into her grandmother’s stories and becomes involved in the suffrage movement, as she was in New York.
I didn’t really warm to Alice, she’s cruel and capricious and treats Thomas appallingly, while there are reasons to some of her behaviour, it’s not enough. Although she thankfully redeems herself somewhat later on.
Both women’s lives intertwine as they live in Alice and Thomas’ hotel and as Emma extends her stay, having made new friends and become very involved in the fight for the right to vote. There are some sad moments and some shocking twists too, as both women try to live their lives on their own terms in a time when stepping outside of convention could be almost impossible.
Giveaway to Win a signed copy of Maid of Steel, candle and lipsil (Open to UK Only)
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
***Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared withthird parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize. ***
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
Tinker Bell, banished from her homeland for doing the unthinkable, selling the hottest drug in Neverland—pixie dust—wants absolution.
Determined to find a way home, Tink doesn’t hesitate to follow the one lead she has, even if that means seducing a filthy pirate to steal precious gems out from under his…hook.
Captain Hook believes he’s found a real treasure in Tink. That is, until he recovers from her pixie dust laced kiss with a curse that turns the seas against him. With his ship and reputation at the mercy of raging storms, he tracks down the little minx and demands she remove the curse. Too bad she can’t.
However, the mermaid queen has a solution to both of their problems, if Tink and Hook will work together to retrieve a magical item for her.
As they venture to the mysterious Shrouded Isles to find the priceless treasure, their shared nemesis closes in. However, his wrath is nothing compared to the realization that achieving their goal may mean losing something they never expected to find—each other.
Megan Van Dyke is a fantasy romance author with a love for all things magical and romantic, especially fairytales and anything with a happily ever after. Many of her stories include themes of family (whether born into or found) and a sense of home and belonging, which are important aspects of her life as well. When not writing, Megan loves to spend time with her family, cook, play video games, and explore the great outdoors. Megan currently lives with her family in Florida.
My thoughts: first of all, despite being inspired by Peter Pan, this is not suitable for children, there are sex scenes and adult themes (I have my doubts about J.M. Barrie’s book being for children, but that’s a post for another time).
Set before Pan, this finds Tinker Bell trapped in Neverland, desperate for a way back home, she sold her pixie dust to rescue her cousin Lily from Blackbeard the pirate and his crew, but was banned from the Sylvann Vale without a chance to explain herself.
Now she’s after a magical necklace that Captain Hook has, because the mermaids have agreed a trade that might get her home. But stealing from Hook has consequences too. Kidnapped and forced to accompany him to the mermaid lagoon in the hope of getting a curse lifted, the two find themselves drawn to one another.
Sent on another quest by those same mermaids, they try to resist the attraction but ultimately fail, falling head over wings, and hook, for one another. Blackbeard is on their heels however, and they will have to risk everything to stay alive and together.
This was a fun romp of a read, quite a spicy one too, with pirates and betrayal, lifelong friends and very demanding mermaids. Hook comes across as nowhere near the villain we all think of him as, and Tinker Bell is a kind hearted, brave and loyal pixie. Rather sweet, the love story too.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blogtour, but all opinions remain my own.
Happy release day to author C.L. Qvam! The Spindle of Life trilogy is complete now that Thread of Fortune is here!
Thread of Fortune (Spindle of Life Book 3)
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Greek Mythology
✨Star-Crossed Soul Mates
✨Sea Voyage
✨Love & Redemption
✨Emotional Scars
✨Prophecies
✨Touch Him & 💀
✨That’s My Fiancee!
✨Trauma Rep
✨Lore & Mythology
Fate must run its course.
A mother lived again. A sister died for love. Death followed the son, and a twist of fortune they had, when all united as one.
But for Caden, that twist cost everything that mattered and left him alone in Atropos’ clutches. With nothing for comfort but his own seething guilt and anger, Caden is rapidly descending into darkness.
Yet his chilled heart still beats with a flicker of hope that he will see his fated love again, be it in the land of the living or dead.
So when opportunity presents itself, he escapes with the remainder of their group and sets out to brave the Underworld itself, determined to be reunited with Sophie.
But will love find a way? Or will darkness be all that remains when Caden and his crew learn that Maddison might have read the prophecy wrong, that Sophie’s sacrifice might have been for nought, and that the end of Atropos’ reign might very well bring on the Apocalypse?
The fated heirs’ thrilling adventures come to an end in this gripping Spindle of Life finale featuring sea voyages, battles between good and evil, a trip to the Underworld, and star-crossed lovers caught in it all.
Author Notes:
This book contains dark content mostly suitable for upper young adults readers or above. Content warnings can be found on the author’s website. Reader discretion is advised.
British style and spelling is used.
Romance content rating system (RCRS) level: 4 toeing the line of a 5 (fade-to-black with some minor & soft on-page descriptions.)
C. L. Qvam has been lost and found on several occasions, and this time she’s been found by you!
Drawn to everything British and lore infused stories that explore the morally grey, Chase moved across the pond at a young age to write the story in her heart. Since then, the mixed-race, Norwegian author has identified as an English rose and defies the barriers of her first language and dyslexia to write in her preferred language on the daily.
While pieces of her debut trilogy were drafted all over the world, Chase now spends her day writing back home in Norway, living with a very patient boyfriend and furbaby.
Happy release day to author Jude Berman! This one sounds like a good read! Good and also a bit chilling! There’s also a chance to win 1 of 5 paperback copies. Be sure to enter below!
The Die: A Novel
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Genre: Techno-Thriller
Darah, a tech writer living in the democratic nation of California, is dismayed to see the game she’s helping develop for a Silicon Valley tech company has been tampered with. When her hacker friend Jedd investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy that could change the nation—and the world.
With a circle of close friends, Jedd digs deeper and deeper into the darknet and exposes the unthinkable: an app is being developed that uses quantum computing and neuroscience to alter people’s brains, totally unbeknownst to them. As the friends realize the devastating impact of this technology, they’re presented with a dilemma: stay quiet and stay safe, or risk their lives to stand up to the international authoritarian force behind this plot?
Combining activist, techno-thriller, and metaphysical fiction elements and scaffolded on three realities—the ancient wisdom of the Mahabharata, our current sociopolitical reality, and the near future—The Die is a fast-paced story about friendship, courage, and democracy.
Jude Berman grew up amid floor-to-ceiling shelves of books in many languages. In addition to a love of literature, her refugee parents instilled in her a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and social justice. Jude has a BA in art from Smith College and an EdD in cross-cultural communication from UMass Amherst. After a career in academic research, she built a freelance writing and editing business and ran two small independent presses. In her free time, she volunteers for progressive causes, paints with acrylic watercolors, gardens, meditates, and blogs at https://judeberman.org. Jude lives in Berkeley, California, where she continues to work with authors and write fiction.
To celebrate the upcoming release of the final book in the series on April 8th, we’re taking you back to The Curse of the Crow!
The Curse of The Crow: A Soulmate Romance (The Wicked Kingdom Book 1)
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Hidden Identities
Slow Burn
Delicious Angst
Morally Gray Fae MMC
Burn the World for Each Other
One Bed
Powerful but Awkward FMC
Denied Soul Mates
Destined to love each other. Determined to fight their fate.
Nava Forrest stumbled upon her soulmate when she was young. A brief meeting with a hooded stranger forever bound her to a wicked man she wanted nothing to do with. Running from his dark power, her parents escaped to the non-magical town of Willowbrook to keep her safe.
Now that they are gone, her life raising her younger brother and selling potions to wary townsfolk has been quiet… and magic-free. When the Society of Crows finds Nava, intent on imprisoning her, it forces her to flee to the forest, searching for the only person she was told can protect her.
Arkimedes is not what she expects, and her attraction to him is unnerving. As the chemistry between them grows, so does her power. But the secrets he keeps threatens to tear her world apart. With the Society closing in, it forces them to put aside their differences and fight to escape their oppressors. But will they escape destiny?
Escape to a new magical world in The Curse of the Crow! Action packed, sexy, and perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and C.N. Crawford.
Reader advisory: This book contains mature themes, adult language and intimate scenes.
The Curse of the Crow is the first book in a trilogy, based on the Wicked Kingdom verse.
From Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky comes a far-future epic that confirms his place as a modern master of science fiction, in which a political prisoner must unlock the secrets of a strange and dangerous planet.
The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison colony, and for inmates, the journey there is always a one-way trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist and political dissident. Soon after arrival, he discovers that Kiln has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot there.
In the midst of a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they go? If he can survive both the harsh rule of the camp commandant and the alien horrors of the world around him, then Arton has a chance at making a discovery that might just transform not only Kiln, but distant Earth as well.
Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, and headed off to university in Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself, he subsequently ended up in law. Adrian has since worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds and now writes full time. He also lives in Leeds, with his wife and son. Adrian is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor. He has also trained in stage-fighting and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind—possibly excepting his son.
My thoughts: sent to an off world prison camp on a planet 30 years from Earth, Professor Arton Daghdev and his fellow prisoners work in the dangerous wildness of Kiln – a planet with similar atmospheric conditions to Earth but with very different lifeforms.
The prisoners are assisting in an attempt to understand the science, but as Kiln doesn’t fit into the Mandate’s orthodoxy, and the “builders” of Kiln don’t resemble humans in any way, shape or form.
After their flyer is destroyed and they are attacked by one of the creatures of Kiln, Arton and his team must make the dangerous trek back to the camp. But during the long walk they begin to understand the truth of Kiln and its life.
At first I struggled to get into this book, but once I began to understand what was going on in the camp and what Arton and the others were up against in the form of the commandant and his war on Kiln’s wildlife, and how its many organisms worked together, I really began to get into the story. Especially after the Excursions team find themselves fighting for survival on the planet’s surface.
I found it an interesting warning against orthodoxy, political oppression and believing that everything must be as it is here on Earth, rather than accepting that some things are beyond our understanding if we don’t open our minds.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
A single biology teacher who’s sworn off men can keep it friendly with a hot doctor…or can she?
It’s been six months since Tanith Kerrigan decided to embrace singlehood for one reason—to be nothing like the woman she calls Deandra. Also known as her mother. When Tanith badly sprains her ankle while trying to photograph birds in a…naughty…moment, magnetic Dr. Luke Caldwell offers his expertise and more. But having Dr. Temptation around isn’t the type of medicine she wants or needs in her life.
A single sports medicine doctor can control his crush on a captivating teacher…or can he?
For six months, Luke Caldwell has been fighting serious interest in a woman who doesn’t like him…as well as desiring more than big city life. But after Tanith injures her ankle, he seizes an opportunity to help her outside the examination room. Surely the fine high school teacher will warm up to him after spending time together? Before Luke can process what little armor Tanith lowers, his practice is hit with a colossal problem that could ruin everything he’s built.
As Tanith and Luke ease into the realm of possibilities, they find themselves up against individuals who force them to face what they want and need most. Brains, quips, and brawn continue to merge beyond the classroom in Passion Under the Microscope, Book Two in the Smart is Seriously Sexy Series.
Christine Miles is a full-time writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An avid reader and writer since elementary school, Her passion for literature inspired her to pursue a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. Christine writes YA and Adult Contemporary Romances with sassy, independent heroines and swoony heroes who love them for their strength. When not writing romances, she loves traveling, binge-watching shows on streaming apps, reading mysteries and thrillers, listening to music, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and dog.
My thoughts: this is a really fun rom com about a biology teacher who sprains her ankle badly and the doctor who helps her out, and how they fall in like and then in love.
Tanith Kerrigan is a tough lady, she’s not planning on falling in love anytime soon and doesn’t want to end up like her much married mother, who is not a particularly nice woman. She’s put up walls to protect herself and doesn’t want to take them down.
But the dashing Dr Luke Caldwell is determined to take them down. Between painting walls and singing (badly), he has some pretty troubled problems at work to sort out but it won’t stop him from winning over Tanith. Especially since she lives in the same small town as his brother and his girlfriend – who is Tanith’s best friend and colleague. Could it be any more perfect?
This was sweet, fun and romantic, Tanith is a great character as is Luke, both of them seem like good people dealing with some difficult stuff, and in need of finding love and happiness.
We’re thrilled to share the cover for upcoming release The Island of Forever by Jeremy Harrison!
The Island of Forever
Expected Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/LGBTQ+
🌴Coming-of-Age
🌴First Love
🌴Hidden Identity
🌴Chosen One
🌴Friends to Lovers
He’s his own worst enemy—and their only salvation.
Seventeen-year-old Max Greenfell grew up hearing stories about the Island of Forever—a beautiful paradise of intrigue and magic that was once controlled by a destructive shapeshifter who killed everything in his path. When monsters roamed its sandy shores, and the island’s magic began to dwindle, a hero emerged to overcome the evil and restore the land.
But all good stories have an end—and fairy tales are just that—or so he thought.
When a strange storm sweeps through his town, Max finds himself washed upon the shores of the fabled utopia. Faced with bullying and overwhelming anxiety at school, he finds solace in the island’s allure, creating a better reality to confront. But his arrival has disrupted the world’s balance, threatening to unleash the shapeshifter once more.
With help from a snarky merman and a pistol-wielding fairy, Max must embark on a dangerous adventure to ensure the island’s safety. Returning home will be a challenging journey, requiring him to confront his deepest emotions, confide in his closest allies, and survive an encounter with his greatest foe: himself.
ramblingmads 