We’re celebrating the release of The Unknown Daemon by MM Parks this week!
The Unknown Daemon (Omnis Book 2)
Release Date: January 25, 2026
Genre: Dark Romantasy
✨️ Witches & Daemons
✨️ Forbidden love
✨️ Morally grey MMC
✨️ Touch her and die
✨️ Good girl goes bad
✨️ Found family + Non-binary rep
✨️ Mysterious Gods
A new path…
After Ena’s bold decision to join Ty in the Underworld, she must navigate her status as the only witch in a society of daemons. Charged with posing as his witch-slave for her own safety, she learns to embrace her dark side, all while grappling with the guilt of her decision to leave her sister and Coven behind.
A growing love…
After waiting for nine years, Ty finally has what he’s always wanted—Ena. As their trust and bond grows, Ty must grapple with his many conflicting responsibilities to his people, to Ena, and to himself. Can he have everything he wants or is hope for the future only a delusion?
An unknown future…
As Ena and Ty work together with daemon and witch allies alike, they must find a way to break the bond to Iblis, setting right that which the witches broke centuries ago. But as they uncover more about the amulet, the ritual, and the very Gods they worship, they find that everything is not as simple as it once seemed. Together, can they forge a new future, for their peoples and themselves, or will their differences forever keep them apart?
Three dead bodies. Two murders. One missing Bonfire Night effigy.
With Bonfire Night looming, Aldermaston, the Eighth Marquess of Mortiforde, is feeling the heat.
Not only has someone stolen Mortiforde Millie—the town’s beloved fifteen-foot Bonfire Night effigy—just days before the town’s annual firework celebrations, but developer Rupert Rinde wants to torch Mortiforde’s heritage by building a waste incinerator on the historic Mortiforde Meadows.
The locals are outraged, as is Rupert’s father, Sir Hugo, who owns the meadows. So when Sir Hugo is found dead, skewered by a medieval dagger, his widow begs Aldermaston to investigate.
Meanwhile, Sir Hugo had promised Aldermaston’s wife and her Ladies’ Legion the meadows for their new eco-friendly burial scheme. Now they’re desperate to plant their first body in the ground before the deal goes up in smoke.
So, when Aldermaston uncovers who stole Mortiforde Millie and why, he realises the waste incinerator project is designed to ignite some explosive repercussions.
Can Aldermaston unmask a killer and save the Mortiforde Meadows before Bonfire Night erupts into chaos? Will the Ladies’ Legion bury a body before their dreams go up in flames? And can Aldermaston rescue Mortiforde Millie’s hidden secret before the fireworks begin?
Simon Whaley lives in rural Shropshire, having escaped from Greater London in the late 1990s. His first published piece was a word search puzzle, aged 17, and he’s since written over 1000 articles in publications as varied as BBC Countryfile, Country Walking, Cheshire Life, The People’s Friend, The Daily Express, The Observer, Outdoor Photography, Coast, The Simple Things and Writing Magazine.
His first book, One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in September 2003, and spent three weeks on the UK’s Top Ten Non-Fiction paperback bestseller lists. (Lifetime sales now exceed over a quarter of a million copies.) He became a full-time writer in January 2004. He’s since written over a dozen non-fiction books, and recently published the third novel in his Marquess of Mortiforde cosy crime series.
My thoughts: This was a fun and funny mystery, there’s all sorts of chaos going on. The Mortiforde Meadows are the best site for a massive incinerator, according to some, the Ladies’ Legion have been told they can have them for their green burial site, and this leads to murder. But whodunnit? And why?
There’s also a giant effigy to find, someone leaves a tank in front of the gates, and BANG, a protest group, are getting a bit out of hand. There’s one very stupid policeman but thankfully Aldermaston, the Marquess, is on hand to sort it all out, and find his missing brother as well.
*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 announce the release of In the Name of Pride! We’re also gifting a lucky reader a PR box!
In the Name of Pride (Vows & Valor #2)
Release Date: January 27, 2026
Genre: Adult Fantasy w/ Romance
Mental health rep
Wounded MMC
Princess/knight slow burn
Mild spice
Mr. Darcy hand flex
Fueled by spite
Unsexy forced proximity
Chaotic cousins
Genderfluid rep
Quid pro quo coercion
Sinister magic
What happens when the Happily Ever After comes with consequences?
After a lifetime of separation, Kaleela now reconnects with her elven family inside the Sun’Din Forest as a beloved member of the royal family. But not everyone supports a greater union between the elven and human lands, and a fission enters the great forest.
Dimitar now serves as a knight in the city of Blackburn, his life’s dream come true. Everyone he cares about thrives, yet his life darkens with the weight of failure. All he wants is Kaleela’s nearness, their growing love a beacon in his shadows.
When extremist exiles overtake the elven kingdom, Kaleela doesn’t hesitate to return to the forest. She must ensure her family’s safety, and Dimitar insists on protecting her. An unthinkable threat rises from within, and an exile sets his special attention on Kaleela. Dimitar must overcome his inner demons and find a way to reach Kaleela before her greatest wish becomes their worst nightmare.
IN THE NAME OF PRIDE is the highly anticipated sequel in the award-winning Vows & Valor adult fantasy trilogy. What happens when the Happily Ever After comes with consequences? Intense yearning, a battle of the wills, the most hate-able villain, and an unhealthy amount of stakes await readers in this page-turning, emotionally devastating sequel to IN THE NAME OF HONOR.
The note on the envelope was addressed to a man who had been officially dead three years earlier. It read: “To Ed Constance. If you’ve come this far, that is your name.”
He had another name only yesterday… He had a wallet with credit cards, a driver’s license and a social security car to prove it. He had a photograph of a woman who, only last night, he could not remember. But now he did: Sarah, his wife.’
In the early hours of a summer night, seven drugged children are found dumped beside a highway in northern Maine. There’s no record of their disappearance. No therapy or hypnosis can release them from their amnesia. They are the Apostles, created by a sinister organisation with one terrifying endgame in mind.
Ed is one of those abandoned children, locked away for years and then set free on an unsuspecting world. As his college days approach and with only fragments of memory left, his life implodes when an old adversary calls upon him. Suddenly the true purpose of his whole existence is revealed. He does the only thing he can. He runs…
Special plans have been devised for Ed Constance, but he isn’t like the others. He knows what his pursuers want. Will he have the strength to deny them their ultimate goal?
Oliver Johnson’s expertly-paced, high-concept thriller grips from its opening pages to its spectacular finale.
OLIVER JOHNSON is an editor of commercial fiction and non-fiction and has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including John Grisham, Iain Banks and Michael Crichton. He is the author of several fantasy novels and children’s books. He spends his time between London and a writing bolthole in East Sussex. Caller Unknown is his first thriller.
My thoughts: This is a strange and at times bewildering book taking in the supposed CIA MKUltra experiments, terrorism, brain washing and mind control. It all moves at an incredible pace.
Ed was one of seven children found abandoned by the side of the road, he was maybe nine years old, and could recall nothing of his life before that moment. Adopted by a couple in Boston, he’s exceptionally bright and capable, excelling at school. But he has no friends beyond the owner of the bait and tackle shop by Lake Tranquility in Maine, where his adoptive parents have a house.
When things from his past start to enter into his present on his first day at college, he runs, assuming a new identity and moving to Florida, as far as he can go.
Building an entirely new life for himself as a successful lawyer, marrying and believing himself safe from the mysterious organisation that had him as a child, he manages to live quietly for some years. Then things take another strange turn and he must turn to his only friend, Vietnam vet Jerry Dove once more for help.
There are so many twists and turns, so many threads in this rather brilliantly written book, I was completely hooked and could not put it down. And the ending! Oh, so intriguing.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
“And I thought you were my savior in my darkest hour. How very wrong I was.”
1794: Devastated by the violent disappearance of her husband, Charles Sharpe, Eliza struggles to save Pleasant Hall from the hands of crooked creditors and the governor’s greed. In the aftermath of the attack, her husband’s enemies have branded him a traitor and declare him dead.
But an unlikely source carries knowledge that he still lives, and he alone knows who has taken Charles. Eliza’s desperation drives her to form an alliance with the king of the underworld himself: Captain Hiram Bruin, a notorious man who is more pirate than privateer.
Eliza’s death has been ordered by Lord Dunmore, and Bruin himself tasked with the deed. But Hiram Bruin has never been a man to follow orders. He offers her passage on his ship, the Fortuyne, and his personal protection. In her hour of distress, Eliza accepts—for she has no other choice.
Bruin takes Eliza on a wild and dangerous voyage from the island of New Providence to the wild and untamed Saba, and finally to England, where her journey started three years ago.
Eliza endures her new sinister reality, one where death creeps ever closer, and quickly learns that the only monsters at sea are men. Ensnared by the salt air and damning secrets, one thing is startlingly clear: Bruin wants to take everything she holds dear. For the roots of revenge lie deep…
Will Eliza be able to save the life of her husband before it’s too late? What price is she willing to pay for his freedom? And can she escape this unimaginable nightmare, fueled by a man of unspeakable cruelty?
Gina Giordano always had an insatiable curiosity and a penchant for history. Born in New York City, she is a writer, artist, and a conjurer of the past. She holds a BA in history and a master’s degree in historical fiction from New York University, and has traveled to over sixty-five countries across the globe. When she is not climbing ancient ruins or exploring forgotten palaces, she enjoys swimming with sharks in remote pristine waters. Her debut novel, Strange Eden, was longlisted for the 2023 Bath Novel Award.
My thoughts: Eliza and Charles finally found a way to each other, only to be ripped apart by the events on the island. She’s been told that he’s dead, but refuses to believe it. Pirate Hiram Bruin tells her he knows where Charles is, abducts her onto his ship the Fortuyne and they set sail.
Bruin is a terrifying character, and his crew of reprobates isn’t any better. But Bruin has a personal vendetta against Charles which he keeps from Eliza, all the while attempting to convince her to give up her search and marry him.
As they traverse around the Caribbean and then across the Atlantic to England, Eliza must brave events that would destroy a weaker woman. Murder, rape and intense cruelty, are all part of life aboard the ship.
Meanwhile Charles is suffering through his own hell, held prisoner in South America by a dangerous criminal who makes his prisoners fight each other. He knows that he needs to stay alive and make his way to Eliza and Philippe, wherever they are.
This final chapter in Charles and Eliza’s story is probably the most shocking, the crimes of the Bahamas governor, Lord Dunmore, are mounting and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Charles and Eliza are incredibly strong and brave people, they suffer terribly at the hands of their enemies and must overcome all obstacles to find their way to safety and keep their son well.
Gripping, shocking and full of drama, this brings the Strange Eden trilogy to a sensational end, where it began, in an English country garden.
*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 missing boy. Three extraordinary children. And a darkness that will stop at nothing.
Fourteen-year-old Ollie Cruise is missing. He was last seen two nights ago, down by the river, with an older boy. DCI Bob Foreman suspects something very nasty has happened to him – and there’s only one person who can uncover the truth: Ellie McEwan, a healer with a rare psychic gift.
At her Surrey healing centre, Ellie is already alarmed by two new cases. Five-year-old Harry sketches WWII bomber planes with uncanny technical precision. Eight-year-old Christopher writes chilling stories of events before they actually happen.
When the body of a teenager is found on a lonely forest road, Ellie realises the boys are connected to something very dangerous. All leads point to an isolated mansion deep in the woods, home to the mysterious Eleventh House – and an extraordinary secret.
To save the children – and those she loves – Ellie must lead a perilous rescue. But it will take every ounce of her courage, and stretch her ability to its limits.
I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the Sixties and Seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working- class kid from the Garden of England!
I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early Eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!
And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, and three Springer spaniels and four little rescue, Breton spaniels. I had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now I write full-time, and as my partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; my choice of genre is a no-brainer! I have an on-tap police and judicial consultant, who makes exceedingly good tea!
I have set my crime thrillers here in the misty fens because I sincerely love the remoteness and airy beauty of the marshlands. This area is steeped in superstitions and lends itself so well to murder!
I am lucky enough to be one of the amazing Joffe Books team of authors and am really enjoying being able to spend time doing what I love… writing!
My thoughts: I really like Joy’s crime books and while this features a few police officers and a missing boy, mostly it’s about young people with extraordinary gifts, that might be able to change the world.
At her health centre, Ellie helps people with different conditions, she can see their aura, which helps her fine tune their treatment plans, helping heal them in ways they might not entirely understand.
When her friend’s grandson starts writing a book using language far beyond his years, a bit like automatic writing or stream of consciousness but this actually makes sense, she’s concerned. He says his “friend” is telling him what to write. She realises that this isn’t fiction – it’s really happening.
Then there’s five-year-old Harry, drawing exceptional images of WW2 planes and occasionally speaking in the voice of an adult, one who has clearly seen true horrors.
She also meets a little girl carrying something malevolent and cruel, a girl she desperately wants to help.
When she and her friends learn about the Eleventh House – a place of sanctuary for children like these – she knows they must accompany their charges there – if they can. Evil is gathering and the children must be protected at all costs.
I wasn’t entirely sure about this at first, but Joy’s writing is always compelling and the plot draws you in, whether you believe in spirits and psychic gifts or not, you want the children to be safe, and for good to prevail over evil. I think that’s something most of us want.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Family, fashion, fiascos—this is how to be fabulous.💃🏼
Busy mum. Fashion guru. Domestic disaster waiting to happen?
When Annie Valentine agrees to help her best friend Svetlana pull off a charity fashion show, she thinks it’ll be a breeze. After all, no one knows couture quite like Annie, so how hard can it be?
Answer: very. With no venue, no clothes, and definitely no showstopper, Annie’s in danger of her first ever fashion fail.
And just when the wardrobe rails are about to collapse, her family life does too. Daughter Lauren is home from New York with a broken heart, son Owen is off to university with an empty wallet, and Annie is hanging on by a thread.
But when a mystery donation arrives to save the day—and Annie—it feels like she might just pull it all together. That is, until Owen goes AWOL and everything unravels.
Carmen Reid is the bestselling author of numerous women’s fiction titles including the Personal Shopper series starring Annie Valentine. She lives in Glasgow with her husband and children.
My thoughts: You know how sometimes you just need a good, fun read? Well, this is that book. I really enjoyed it, I love Annie Valentine anyway, and I needed something fun, funny, a little frivolous and joyful. A book about fashion, family and the chaos that is life? Yes, thank you!
It’s the perfect pick me up book and just made me smile. So grab a copy and enjoy!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
This isn’t the fairytale you remember from your childhood. If you are looking for a Beauty and the Beast story with a dark mafia romance twist, this is for you!
Beauty Meets the Beast (Fairy Tales From the Underworld Book 1)
Release Date: February 24, 2025
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance/ Traumance
💜Dark mafia romance
💜Beauty and the Beast retelling
💜 Forced proximity / captor x captive
💜 Morally black MMC
💜 Touch her and die
💜 I’d burn the world for you
💜 Cat and mouse
💜 Emotional Angst
A traumance. A tragedy. A love story.
Fairy tales weren’t always about finding true love with Prince Charming. Once upon a time, they were dark stories about innocence lost, seeking through veiled attempts to make sense of life’s unfathomable hardships. Unfit parents turned to evil stepmothers, kindly neighbors became fairy godmothers, while alluring but dangerous men were presented under the guise of the Big Bad Wolf. Through their trials, the heroes were forever changed. For better or worse.
It is a tale as old as time. Good girl meets bad boy; the pure faces the corrupt. Loosely inspired by classic tropes, Fairy Tales From the Underworld breathes new life into age-old motifs, casting them against the backdrop of modern times. Beasts and monsters no longer lurk in shadows but now inhabit our protagonists, who are plagued by the ceaseless whispers of their inner demons.
A Bedtime Story is not a romance, but a raw erotic tale chronicling the twisted love affair between two profoundly broken souls: the child of the moon and the child of the underworld. Their paths were never meant to cross… And yet, by a twist of fate, Beauty meets the Beast, plunging into a world of lies, deceit and debauchery, where her only salvation lies in the hands of her captor.
As Part I of the Fairy Tales From the Underworld saga, this first installment delves deeply into the psyche of its characters, offering a poignant exploration of the relentless pull between torment and passion in the aftermath of trauma.
(Please note, this book contains graphic sexual content and deals with heavy subject matter, suitable for readers 18+.)
Please note all these topics are treated with tact and respect. They are there to help better understand the main characters, their behaviour and choices, and ultimately what shapes their dynamic.
Kidnapping, captivity, dubious consent, murders and sex-trafficking, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, drug use and addiction. Please note that book 1 does NOT end in HEA, it actually ends on a sad cliffhanger. But the series as a whole will end in HEA
Sunday lunch goes cold when a body is discovered in a charming Somerset mill… Julia Ford — part-time PI, full-time chaos magnet — and her terrier, Rumpkin, are in the picturesque village of Ablebridge for a family meal. But instead of enjoying roast pork, they find themselves staring down at a body, wedged awkwardly in the local heritage water mill.
The police soon write it off as an accident, leaving the mill at risk of closure. But Hannah, a local volunteer at the mill, is not convinced. With no faith in the local law enforcement, she and the mill trust committee hire Julia to uncover the truth. Soon, Julia and Hannah are knee-deep in village politics, cider scandals and bickering committee members. But with threats of more ‘accidents’ on the horizon, they must solve the mystery before another body turns up.
A charming, witty cozy mystery full of eccentric villagers, rural mischief and a dog with no boundaries.
Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Jeanne M. Dams and Faith Martin.
Jon Harris grew up in the West Country just outside Bristol before moving to Cardiff to study physics and then Durham where he studied for a PhD in astronomy. After spending a few years staring into space he returned to the West Country for work and took up writing. His first novel, Murder on a Country Lane, was published in 2023. He now lives in a village in North Somerset with his wife, son and pet tortoise. He’s happy to report that the village is far less murderous than its fictional counterpart.
My thoughts: The Water Mill of the title is used by a small collective of community businesses to sell their produce and by one to actually mill flour, unfortunately their handy man is found dead in the mill pond, meaning the police shut everything down.
So now, the sellers must find a new market, and the police, who don’t seem that interested in the case, are in control. Hiring a PI seems like a good idea, maybe Julia and her very nosy dog might get answers faster than the distracted detective supposedly on the case.
I enjoyed this crime caper, I liked Julia and Hannah very much, as they attempt to get to the bottom of who on earth might want to kill a genial carpenter and Hannah tries to decide whether she’s actually attracted to a rich celebrity farmer (read less annoying Clarkson) or just overwhelmed.
*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 announce that Visions of Eterna by Samara Kalz in now available! This will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Inheritance Games, The Cruel Prince, and Six of Crows.
Visions of Eterna
Release Date: January 21, 2026
Genre: Dark Portal Fantasy/ Mature YA
Rivals to Lovers
He falls first
Found family
Slow burn
Forced proximity
Self Discovery
Adventure
Prophecy
Portals
Elemental Magic
Banter
Grumpy and overprotective MMC
Mia has always sensed something just out of reach, like a word on the tip of her tongue, or a dream forgotten too soon.
On her twenty-first birthday, she wakes with no memory of the night before. It isn’t the first time. Blackouts. Visions. A growing feeling that she doesn’t fully belong in the life she’s living. When her parents confess she’s adopted, with no record of where she came from, the unease sharpens into something else, a pull she can’t ignore.
Then she meets a stranger, and everything begins to unravel—a history Mia never knew, a city hidden from the world, and a journey that will take her beyond the world she thought she belonged to.
Eterna was once a place of wonder, a city that never stopped blooming. Now, the magic that sustained it is fading. The land is cracking. And Mia may be more entangled in its fate than anyone is prepared to admit.
With her best friend by her side, and resentment simmering among those she meets—especially a man whose bitterness runs deeper than she understands—Mia must now navigate a world that remembers her, even if she doesn’t remember it.
Some answers come looking for you. Some places never let you go. And some destinies are written long before you’re ready to claim them.
ramblingmads 