Lori has been in love with her best friend Aiden since college. Now Aiden (handsome, fair, All-American dream doctor) is getting married, and Lori desperately needs a date to the wedding. So she asks the best man, Jace (tall, dark, and brooding), to pretend their platonic friendship is something more not to have to face the worst day of her life alone. Fake dating one best friend to forget the other should be easy… Plot twist—it’s not. When Jace starts acting like the sweetest, most attentive boyfriend, Lori begins to wonder if she’s been seeing him wrong all this time? They’ve been an inseparable trio since freshman year, but now everything is changing — and that’s not even bringing Jace’s feelings into the mix. Basically? It’s complicated.
Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy and her first title for Boldwood, The Love Theorem, a Hollywood-meets-STEM romance was published in June 2023.
My thoughts: Lori loves Aiden, but Aiden’s marrying Kirsten, and Jace loves Lori, but they’re just friends…or are they?
When Lori asks her pal Jace to fake date till they get through Aiden’s wedding, she doesn’t realise that her friend has been in love with her since college, roughly the same length of time she’s been in love with Aiden, or is she?
Realising there’s more to Jace than she thought, and that he could be more than “just friends” totally blows Lori’s world view apart, maybe The One isn’t the friend she fell for all those years ago (Aiden) but the The One Next To Him.
With the humour and romance you expect from one of Camilla Isley’s delightful rom coms, this is Doctors Do Dating and Falling in Love, turns out they’re smart, just not when it comes to love!! Lots of fun and with a perfectly charming happy ever after.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Explore the hidden world of magnetic and mysterious villains, often cast aside and misunderstood in tales of mythology and folklore. Through the pages of Queer Villains of Myth and Legend, discover a diverse community of fascinating characters, ranging from seductive and cunning to powerful and awe-inspiring.
Experience the dark allure of Circe and Medusa through to David Bowie’s Jareth in Labyrinth and delve into their complex and multifaceted personalities and motivations. Take a deep dive into the intersection of queerness and villainy, re-examine some of our favourite characters, and discover why so many ‘bad’ characters are queer-coded.
From ancient mythology to contemporary pop culture, Queer Villains of Myth and Legend celebrates the fascinating stories of these often-overlooked characters.
Join Dan Jones on a journey of discovery, as he explores the hidden depths of queer villainy and sheds light on the queer identities of these compelling figures. It’s a powerful celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary complexity.
Dan Jones is a freelance writer and author based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from the UK, he has previously covered men’s style and grooming as an editor for several fashion and lifestyle magazines – including the New York Times’ Wirecutter – and ecommerce brands. A big myth nerd and martini fan, Dan has published books on both legendary queer mythological characters and cocktails alongside a series of fashion titles.
My thoughts: in this book each short chapter focuses on one character from mythology or pop culture that is either overtly queer or queer coded; historically there are times when being openly gay or trans was criminalised or put you at risk, even if you were producing art rather than bring queer yourself.
While some of the chapters feel a bit rushed and lack details, others are more thorough and use examples from the tales these characters come from and retellings or scholarly work, especially the mythic figures.
Some of the names will be familiar and others less well known, unless you’re a mythology nerd like me, and some, such as the Knights Templar, don’t really have much evidence – they didn’t leave records behind, so we have to go on rumour and theory.
It’s a nice volume collecting some interesting figures from history, mythology, literature and pop culture, from Circe to Buffy’s Dark Willow.
*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 thrilled to share the first novel in the Heroes of the Empire series, The Cavalier by Israh Azizi! Read on for more details!
Heroes of the Empire: The Cavalier #1
Publication Date: November 22, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
“For Fans of An Ember in the Ashes”
She calls the Empire home. He pledges to bring its downfall.
Death is Velamir’s close acquaintance. As a student in the Chishman academy, he cannot escape the brutal war. When he’s sent on a mission with three fellow academy cadets, Velamir returns to the Empire, the land of his birth. Calamity befalls the group as they trek through enemy territory, and Velamir learns a part of his past that makes the mission far more personal. Burdened with the deaths of the unavenged and the chance of losing his own life, Velamir must decide if revenge is worth the cost.
Natassa knows her role well: The silent and obedient girl. The one who looks away from the torture her father, the emperor, inflicts on the Empire’s inhabitants. The princess. But she’s a shackled prisoner, and somewhere under the mask is a spark of rebellion. When she learns of her father’s intention to marry her to a man she loathes, Natassa crafts a risky plan of her own—one dangerous enough to get her killed.
Two searching hearts. Two perilous paths. Velamir must find the courage to face his past and Natassa must find the strength to face herself before the war consumes them both.
Israh Azizi resides in the land of ten thousand lakes with her family and five cats. Since she was a little girl she has been a lover of words and fanciful tales. It was her dream to one day share a story of her own with the world. With sheer determination, lots of love, and a decent amount of caffeine, she managed to make that dream come true. Besides reading and writing, she has a dizzying number of hobbies, some of which include bossing around her younger siblings, experimenting with new baking recipes, and playing board games with her family and close friends. When life’s plot twists don’t cross her path and her fingers aren’t dancing across the keyboard building a fantastical adventure, she can usually be found in a quiet corner with a good book and a steaming cup of coffee.
If you enjoy a creepy paranormal horror, this one’s for you! Read on for more details about The Devil’s Pawn by Marilyn Levinson!
The Devil’s Pawn
Publication Date: January 22, 2024
Genre: YA Horror
After fifteen-year-old Simon Porte’s family is killed in an automobile crash, his father’s brother, whom he’s never met, brings Simon to live with him and his wife in upstate New York. Simon doesn’t trust Uncle Raymond, and for good reason. Raymond is dying and using his diabolical powers to take over Simon’s body. Simon must develop his own supernatural defenses to survive. With his dotty great-aunt, his young sister, and a pair of odd twins, he wages war against the evil Raymond and his cronies.
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for young readers. Her books have received many accolades.
Her books for young readers include NO BOYS ALLOWED, RUFUS AND MAGIC RUN AMOK, which was awarded a “Children’s Choice,” GETTING BACK TO NORMAL & AND DON’T BRING JEREMY.
Marilyn loves traveling, reading, knitting, doing Sudoku, and visiting with her grandchildren, Olivia and Jack, on FaceTime. She is co-founder and past president of the now defunct Long Island chapter of Sisters in Crime.
This week, we’re celebrating the long-anticipated release of In the Shadows by L.B. August! You are going to want to add this one to your TBR!
In the Shadows (The Amari Series #1)
Expected Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Enemies-to-Lovers
🔥Forced Proximity
🔥Forbidden Love
🔥Found Family
🔥Political Intrigue
🔥Elemental Magic
🔥Secret Identity
🔥Soul Mates
🔥Slow Burn
Damned by gods and threaded by fates, two mortals must embrace the darkness to find their true destinies.
Lilith Clarke is supposed to be dead: murdered by the vicious King Oren, her blood staining a field of daisies. But death would have been merciful.
After years of having no name, she is finally given a title: Queen of Umbra. But it will cost her everything. Lily is now bound to King Asher, the most powerful and brutal shadow divinus in all of Omnia. Forced to rule in secret, she slowly loses herself to the darkness. She fears it will swallow her whole.
Until he arrives, tugging an ancient thread deep within her soul.
Theodore Kincaid seeks justice in Umbra but falls captive to his sworn enemy, the ruthless King Asher. Trapped in the kingdom that killed his beloved, his fate seems sealed until a chance encounter with the secret Queen of Umbra offers him an opportunity he can’t resist.
Theo and the Queen each believe that they are in full control, but neither is prepared for what the fates have in store.
Amidst a realm on the brink of chaos, two souls collide in a heart-wrenching tale of unveiling secrets, conquering the darkness, and igniting a love that could save or destroy.
In The Shadows is the first book in a new series filled with forbidden romance, enemies-to-lovers, magical powers, fated mates, and political intrigue. It’s perfect for fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night, Fourth Wing, The Cruel Prince, One Dark Window, and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
In The Shadows features mature content and themes that is not suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, please visit L.B.’s Instagram.
Born and raised in Ohio, where she still resides with her spouse, young child, and sweet senior dog, L.B. August’s most significant memories are Cedar Point and failing Hooked on Phonics (true story). Thrill seeking and difficulty reading followed L.B. into adulthood until, in 2022, she discovered a genre that tapped into the excitement of escapism and world building while capturing her attention and turning her into a voracious reader of fantasy. As she devoured book after book, L.B. found herself desperately wanting to read more empowered female characters within the genre, so she set off to write her own. Encouraged by her best friend, she wrote her debut novel, In The Shadows. Now she can be found hyper-fixating on new projects, downing copious amounts of black coffee, and pretending to be a corporate professional, all while crafting intricate, rich stories with captivating characters that she hopes will pass on her newfound passion for reading.
Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the world on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, now long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, The Forcing.
But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, he knows that it is time to find out for himself.
Determined to learn what really happened during his mother’s escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku’s father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.
Canadian Paul E Hardisty has spent 25 years working all over the world as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has roughnecked on oil rigs in Texas, explored for gold in the Arctic, mapped geology in Eastern Turkey (where he was befriended by PKK rebels), and rehabilitated water wells in the wilds of Africa.
He was in Ethiopia in 1991 as the Mengistu regime fell, and was bumped from one of the last flights out of Addis Ababa by bureaucrats and their families fleeing the rebels. In 1993 he survived a bomb blast in a café in Sana’a.
Paul is a university professor and CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The first four novels in his Claymore Straker series, The Abrupt Physics of Dying, The Evolution of Fear, Reconciliation for the Dead and Absolution all received great critical acclaim and The Abrupt Physics of Dying was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and Telegraph Thriller of the Year. The Forcing (2023) was a SciFi Now Book of the Month, with The Descent out in 2024.
Paul is a sailor, a private pilot, keen outdoorsman, and lives in Western Australia.
My thoughts: The Forcing was a heck of a book and I thought a tough act to follow, but The Descent is incredible. Chronicling not only a sequel featuring Teacher’s step-son, but also exploring how a cabal of wealthy and powerful men helped destroy the world, this is timely, powerful and moving writing.
After the safety of their home is violated, his mother, brother and sister-in-law murdered and their toddler daughter kidnapped; Kewku, his wife and son board Providence, the boat that brought his family to Australia, and head out in search of answers.
Retracing elements of his family’s journey to safety, Kweku hopes to find members of his biological father’s family still alive and rescue his stolen niece. Fuelled by the mysterious Sparkplug’s dispatches from the past, and Teacher’s own account of the terrible climate catastrophe and war, Kweku creates his own narrative of this second voyage of hope.
Sparkplug was the assistant and sometime mistress of Derek Argent, one of the rich, morally corrupt men who orchestrated the events that have so divided the remnants of humanity. Kweku, Juliette and Leo will risk their lives, their family and their souls on this voyage into the unknown. There are dangers they could never have imagined lurking on the edges of what remains, desperate people and manipulative leaders, many of whom seem to offer much.
Kweku is reading an old copy of The Odyssey, and being a mythology nerd who studied that book, I can see the echoes of some of Odysseus’ misadventures in Kweku’s. As well as those of Teacher and his family in The Forcing. I could probably write whole essays on the similarities and comparisons in these three books, but here is not the place.
There isn’t a lot of hope for humanity here, stripped down to our basest instincts, it’s all murder and sex and violence and greed. Which is a little depressing. But when they return to Australia and the Aboriginal community there, amongst descendants of one of the oldest communities in the world, is hope for a better future. And there’s something incredibly powerful in that. This is a book that deserves to be on the bestseller lists and in readers’ minds for a long time.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Jackson and Lydia Hemsworth are pillars of the community, feted for having the perfect marriage and three wonderful children – Florence, Jessica and Ezra. But appearances can be deceptive.
Because behind closed doors Jackson Hemsworth rules his family with cruelty and control. His marriage is a sham; his children for years have cowed in fear. Until the day that Jackson and Lydia throw themselves off Newport Bridge in a joint suicide pact – the final cruel blow by Jackson to control his wife and torture his adult children.
As the Hemsworth siblings return to their family home, they must try to make sense of their parents’ last act. But there are many dark secrets waiting to be unearthed at Armett House.
Like, why are the townsfolk so suddenly hostile towards them? And who are the strangers who arrive at Armett House unannounced? And why has their mother’s body still not been found?
In the aftermath of their parents’ death, it becomes clear that something terrible is about to be exposed about the Hemsworths’ perfect parents.
J. A. Baker is a successful psychological thriller writer of numerous books, previously published by Bloodhound. Born and brought up in Middlesbrough, she still lives in the North East, which inspires the settings for her books. Her first title for Boldwood will be published in December 2022.
My thoughts: Florence, Jessica and Ezra gather at the family home after the funeral of their parents, dead in a terrible suicide pack. Things have changed in the village – people are hostile and their controlling father didn’t pay his bills before killing himself, leaving the people who worked for him in debt.
The siblings don’t feel welcome in the village, and have a lot of stuff to wade through in the house, their parents left a lot up in the air and all three have questions.
But as they sort through everything, more questions rear their heads – is their mother still alive? When handyman Coop takes off all of a sudden without a word, it seems suspicious. Then there’s a terrible accident that turns their world upside down and makes it more important than ever to get some answers.
Gripping, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming, this is an incredibly enjoyable and clever thriller.
*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 celebrating the release of Sadie Sterling’s debut novel, Wings of Starless Night. Read on for more details!
Wings of Starless Night (Kingsdaughter Book 1)
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
💕Enemies-to-lovers 🔥Slow burn (with so much tension) 👑Fae royalty 🦋Winged fae 🔪Knife to the throat (or knives…) 💥Touch *him* and you die 🏃Forced proximity (on the run together) 👏Morally grey MMC
To the fae of the Sorcen Court, Princess Allina Kingsdaughter is a traitor and a fugitive, inevitably claimed by the same madness that cost her father his crown and his life. Ensnared by the lies of her uncle, the reigning Sorcen King, they will never know the truth of her betrayal.
A traitor princess.
After the tragic deaths of Allina’s parents when she was five, her uncle ascended to the throne in the ensuing chaos, bringing peace and prosperity to Sorcen for the following fourteen years. Allina has always considered him her true father—until the day he orders her death and starts a war by kidnapping Prince Cohrven Nightheart, heir to the Liral Court, a wicked realm Allina’s only heard of in whispers.
A captured prince.
Everyone fears the Nightheart. When he was twelve, he earned his name and his dark reputation as a monster without mercy—or remorse. Since then, rumours of his unrivalled cruelty have only grown.
An evil that has been waiting…
When Cohrven is tortured by her uncle in a gruesome spectacle, Allina uses her hidden illusory magic to save him and escape, but not before his wings are shredded. As her uncle hunts them, time is running short before Liral retaliates in a devastating attack that Cohrven assures will annihilate Sorcen and everyone Allina loves along with it. To survive and preserve the Court that has forsaken her, Allina has to trust the Nightheart, even when he leads her to an ancient evil that could be their destruction.
Wings of Starless Night is an enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, romantasy debut that will captivate you all the way to its breathtaking conclusion.
Sadie Sterling grew up in Ontario, Canada, with three younger siblings who have always been her best friends. In university, while studying an entirely-unrelated field, she began to follow her dreams and started writing Wings of Starless Night, which would become her debut novel years later. When she isn’t writing, she loves reading, playing videogames, and spending time with her husband and their hilarious dog.
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.
Open your eyes. See the truth. Make a choice.
Nearly 30 years ago, the PEACE Project rose from the ruins of a global war to take power over a new America. Providing stability in exchange for absolute authority, the Project controls every aspect of citizens’ lives through each of its five units:
Protect
Enforce
Advance
Control
Eliminate
Raised in the Project since infancy, eighteen-year-old Zira has been trained as an assassin under the stern guidance of unit E-2’s Chairman Ryku. After she makes a careless mistake on an assignment, the chairman partners her with Jared, the best operative in her unit. Their partnership transforms into friendship as they work together and learn to rely on each other. But when misinformation causes a solo mission to backfire, Zira’s deepest loyalties and strongest relationships are tested in a place where even a hint of doubt can be perceived as treason.
The life she knows is falling apart, and nothing will ever look the same again.
T. A. Hernandez is a science fiction and fantasy author and long-time fan of speculative fiction. She grew up with her nose habitually stuck in a book and her mind constantly wandering to make-believe worlds full of magic and adventure. She began writing after reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings many years ago and is now happily engaged in an exciting and lifelong quest to tell captivating stories.
She is a clinical social worker and the proud mother of two girls. She also enjoys drawing, reading, graphic design, playing video games, and making happy memories with her family and friends.
My thoughts: Zira has been raised inside the PEACE Project, she knows no different, trained to assassinate the Project’s enemies for her Chairman – she’s one of the youngest so far. But after an accident on a job, she begins to see things from a different perspective. One that makes her ask questions.
It puts her relationship with Jared under strain and with the Chairman, who doesn’t trust her all of a sudden. Maybe the Project isn’t the force for good they’ve all been raised to believe.
The first in a protected series, this is a smart Dystopian read with a controlling power that might be taking it too far and a young woman who needs to find her own way in a world where all she believes might be false.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
Ash Carter returns to Israel on what should be a straightforward mission except for one small detail. Why did Alfred Duffy go AWOL from the British Army, go to Israel and then hand himself in at Acre Prison.
The mystery deepens when Carter finds that Duffy escaped just as he arrived.
The hunt begins but as the mystery unravels towards an exciting climax, it becomes unclear who is the hunter and who the hunted.
My thoughts: Ash Carter is dispatched to Israel, the newly formed country in former British Mandated Palestine, a country still riven with internal struggles.
He’s looking for a British soldier who’s gone AWOL, and been imprisoned in the old fortress prison in Acre, after handing himself in. But why did he go to Israel, only to hand himself in and where has he gone now? When Carter and Co turn up to take him into custody, he’s gone. And he’s escaped with another prisoner.
As Carter pursues him across the fledgling state, he uncovers a shocking and terrible series of deaths and an evil that goes right to the heart of the country, crossing all religious and ethnic lines.
I’m a big fan of Murray Bailey’s historical crime books, and of Ash Carter, so I was really excited to read this, and I wasn’t disappointed. Ash races back and forth across the desert, sometimes with others, often alone, despite having no real authority now the British have left, which brings him under suspicion at times. There’s a relentless pace as he’s up against it and the pressure of solving the case and finding Duffy is not exactly easy.
Ash of course wants to do the right thing, even if it means ignoring his orders, and luckily he’s the only one who knows exactly what’s happened. Which keeps the victims safe and Ash from getting locked up himself. Bring on his next high octane adventure!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
ramblingmads 