We’re proud to present the cover for the next witch tale in the Bird Girl Witches series, Winter Murder!
Winter Murder (Bird Girl Witches Book 2)
Expected Publication Date: April 16, 2025
Genre: Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery
Tropes:
The Supernatural, Gothic Vibes, Witches, Animal Familiars, Mediums, Ghosts, Murder Mystery, The Chosen One, Hereditary Magic, Supernatural Detective, Summoning Evil, Ancient Curses, Magical Systems, Seances, Haunted Mansions, Poltergeists, Creepy Settings, Foreboding Atmosphere, Mysterious Things Are Happening, Backing into Darkness, High Stakes, Coming of Age, Family Secrets, First Kiss, First Crush, Ancient Secrets, Body Switching, Fantastical Creatures, Alternate Dimensions, Good vs Evil
In Winter Murder book two of the Bird Girl Witches series, ghosts have invaded Talus Hall and renowned 15-year-old medium Francesca LeGentil is just the person to exorcise them.
But she’s also been secretly hired to investigate a murder which happened next door at Talus Manor, a place where evil has taken root ever-more deeply.
Delving into the cursed history of the duelling Durr-Iggsby’s, Francesca uncovers a pattern to the persecution, tying it to the roots of the Dorojenja.
But when her sleuthing awakens a more ancient evil, no one in The Korvids is safe.
Starting now till February 15th, The Atlas Cliffs series (ebooks only) is on sale! Wandering Souls (book one) is free, Seeking Haven (book 2), is $0.99, and Braving Storms (book 3) is $1.99!
We’re also giving away all 3 signed books plus merch to one lucky winner in the US or Canada!
ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Atlas Cliffs series is a completed upper young adult to new adult, supernatural fantasy trilogy. These books are for readers who loved the soul mate vibes of shows like Vampire Diaries, but with witchy magic and ghosts, found family, and a strong FMC who must learn to trust after betrayal. If you adore the trope where the love interest calms her inner storm, you will discover a second chance, friends-to-lovers slow-burn romance woven within the pages, starting with Wandering Souls, gaining momentum in Seeking Haven, and ending with an emotional conclusion in Braving Storms.
When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected.
She, once again, feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present.
Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life?
Again, lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both, without changing the course of history.
Dr Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners.
Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher.
Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’
My thoughts: and so we come to the last book in this series, The Rune Stone. Viv and Rory are back from Madeira and adjusting to life in their Derbyshire village when an unusual discovery in the churchyard sets off Viv’s time travelling adventures once more. This time Lady Vivianne is in trouble, faced with invaders, an advanced pregnancy and war rumoured to be coming from all directions, she reaches through the centuries to her descendant for strength. And despite the worry she might drop the baby while having one of her turns, Viv answers. The carved stone in the churchyard might just refer to Lady Vivianne. But what does eccentric Ivy have to do with it all and can Viv stop a predatory parishioner stealing her husband at the same time?
I really enjoyed this series, the blend of historical fiction and modern day Time Team style investigations – especially once Tilly gets involved. I liked the linking of ancient traditions with more modern ones and the need to put things back where they belong so the dead can rest easy.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Grace Hastings’s dream job at the popular ‘true love’ dating app, Fate, has turned into a nightmare. Her boss is a leech, her career is stagnating, and her fiancé has just brutally dumped her. Her hope for finding her own love story is waning, and she feels like a fraud for promoting a concept she no longer believes in.
When the company’s CEO offers her an opportunity to earn a big promotion, she resolves to fight her imposter syndrome to show she deserves a seat at the table.
The opportunity?
To launch a brand-new app focusing on IRL dating and genuine connection.
The problem?
She must develop and test drive a series of ‘first dates’ with the other person gunning for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft.
During their disastrous hikes, dangerous cooking classes and steamy yoga sessions, they begin to realise their stark differences may just be surface level and Eric might just be the perfect person to challenge Grace’s perceptions of love, dating culture and self-worth.
Annabelle Slator grew up writing stories in the depths of the British countryside. After achieving a degree in creative writing spent most of her late teens and early twenties writing social media and blog posts for start-ups and tech companies in London. Nowadays, if she isn’t spending time writing, you can almost always find her obsessing over niche internet drama, practicing her fencing parry or mooching around vintage fairs and flea markets with her husband and two mini dachshunds, Gruffalo and Gryffin. The Launch Date is Annabelle’s first book, inspired by her time working at a globally popular dating app.
My thoughts: Grace has a horrible boss, but having been offered the opportunity to pitch for a new concern at the parent company, she just might be able to get away from the woman who treats her like a skivvy.
Unfortunately it means working with her workplace nemesis – Eric Bancroft. And it gets worse, they’re going to have to test run some fun dates with potential business partners in order to develop the idea further. Which is a lot of enforced time with someone you can’t stand. Except that isn’t exactly true…
Fun, funny and quirky, this was an enjoyable workplace, enemies to lovers romance, that would make a great rom com film, a sort of 2025 Bridget Jones.
*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 present the cover for Aurora’s Amulet by Angela van Liempt, a prequel in the Atlas Cliffs series!
Aurora’s Amulet (Atlas Cliffs Series)
Expected Publication Date: May 1, 2025
Genre: YA Supernatural Fantasy
Cover Designer: @heygigicreatives
A life bound to magic and a mystical amulet from a century old witch. But in a hidden world divided by light and darkness, her gift is not without sacrifice.
Maddie Harlow lives a quiet life in the coastal town of Atlas Cliffs with the love of her life and their son. She keeps her supernatural abilities a closely guarded secret until she must bury more than her magic…
Aurora’s Amulet is a dual point of view between Maddie Harlow and Enid Morana, along with a glimpse into Aurora’s beginnings, with witchy magic, encounters with familiar characters—dead, alive… and once upon a time alive. This story unravels the mystery of where Drew Harlow’s internal struggles and heartache started, with a new understanding of how she became the strong young woman she is throughout the Atlas Cliffs series.
Welcome to the tour for Somnus’ Palace by C.V. Vobh. Read on for more details and pre-order a copy today!
Somnus’ Palace: A Humorous and Romantic Alternate World Fantasy
Expected Publication Date: September 26, 2025
Genre: Fantasy/ Humorous
Tropes:
Dreams; past, present and future; forgetting and remembering; love and choice.
Proto wakes up in the misty halls of the palace of Somnus, the Lord of Dreams. Why is he there? Who knows? But as long as he’s there, he’s been given a job—to visit sleeping people’s dreams and try to make sure they turn out properly. By guiding dreams to the right conclusions, Somnus and his crew of dream visitors help keep the world from going off the rails.
During his adventures as a dream visitor, Proto fails, makes a fool of himself, and—against all odds—makes friends too. And maybe more than friends . . . ? It’s hard to tell. There’s something off in how people here are looking at him. There’s something he’s not understanding.
And there are other things none of them understand—for instance, the ominous reddening of the skies and streaking lights that keep appearing in the dreams they visit. What’s coming for them? What’s coming for the world?
We have a fantastic book rec for you today AND an amazing international giveaway! The Moon’s Daughter is an absolute must read and is available to read now on Kindle Unlimited!
The Moon’s Daughter (Moon & Sands Book 1)
Publication Date: December 16, 2024
Genre: Romantasy/ Low Spice
🔥 Forbidden Love
💫 Slow-Burn Romance
🕯️ A Mysterious Prophecy
🐪 Medieval Arabia inspired worldbuilding
⚔️ “Don’t Touch Her!”
👑 A Fiery Crown Princess FMC
💥 A Jealous Warrior MMC
💔 Betrayal
She was destined to rule. He was destined to ruin her plans.
In a world where kingdoms rise and fall like shifting sands, Princess Layna stands on the edge of ruin—caught between her kingdom’s survival and the pull of her heart.
The desert kingdom of Alzahra is on the brink of war. As crown princess, Layna’s future has been shaped by duty, especially her responsibility to forge a strong alliance through political marriage. But everything changes when the handsome Prince Zarian arrives at court—dark, dangerous, and impossibly infuriating. A warrior shrouded in mystery, Zarian’s arrival shatters her orderly life and forces her to question her destined path.
As Layna’s fate intertwines with Zarian’s, a mysterious prophecy looms ever closer, threatening to unravel the entire Continent. The lines between lover and enemy blur, and one wrong move could cost her everything—her crown, her kingdom, and her forbidden love
In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation and sets her traitorous heart racing.
Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission – to bring evil men to justice while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously challenges his every order.
Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?
Darcy McGuire is an award-winning New Zealand-born writer now living in the Pacific Northwest. She will write a five-part Victorian romance series for Boldwood, focused on a group of ‘Deadly Damsels’.
My thoughts: Queen Victoria’s Deadly Damsels are back, although Penny doesn’t start out as one. She’s genuinely a maid, from London’s tough streets, who gives as good as it gets, determined to get her mother out of debtors’ prison by exposing the Devil’s Sons, especially the Marquess of Stoneway, her current employer, and claim the reward money her police contact has promised her.
That’s before she meets the new Marquess. His father might have been rotten to the core, his brother heading the same way before his death, but Liam is not quite what Penny expected.
There’s an instant spark between them, but would it be right to take advantage of that? A lord seducing his maid would be as Penny expects, and might get her the information she needs, but what if it’s more? Can a Marquess marry a girl who grew up with nothing?
There’s lots of misunderstandings, double crossings, outright interference from familiar faces to fans of this series, a horrible butler, a secretly rather nice housekeeper, and Penny might just be my favourite. She’s streetwise and brave, taking on potential rapists with a set of brass knuckles and her wits, thankfully Liam is pretty charming and a better man than she first believes.
And with some new friends, Penny might just be able to bring the Devil’s Sons and their kidnapping ways to an end.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Three newlywed couples arrive on Bali’s Honeymoon Island expecting two weeks of bliss. Some of them will die.
Bestselling author Jane E. James’ twistiest thriller ever.
White beaches, endless cocktails . . . and murder.
Which of the couples will make it off the island alive? Samantha: ‘Nathan hired me as his children’s nanny. Now I’m the third Mrs Price. Nathan collects wives like he collects designer suits . . . and tires of them just as quickly. Whatever happens, he must never find out my secret.’
Angelika: ‘My handsome new husband worships the ground I walk on. He’s accepted my past. But no one else on the island can know what I used to do for a living.’
Timothy: ‘I love our son — but I wish we hadn’t brought him on our honeymoon. His tantrums are ruining everything. What my husband doesn’t know is that I’ve been here before . . .’
Welcome to Honeymoon Island. Where secrets come to die . . .
Jane E. James is a bestselling author who likes to create chilling reads that appeal to fans of psychological suspense thrillers, mysteries, and dark fiction. Her novels are packed with plot twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. All of them are standalone novels. Jane is an animal lover and lives with her cat, Hero, in a small country village near Stamford, Lincolnshire in the UK, which is known for its quirky tea shops and cobbled streets. Rebecca, Carrie, The Woman in Black and Wuthering Heights are among some of Jane’s favourite reads.
My thoughts: Nobody at this luxury honeymoon resort is entirely happy to be there and a lot of them are keeping secrets from their new spouses.
Before the honeymoon is over, quite a few people will be dead, and their killers may not be facing the justice they deserve. It’s a complicated mess, as it turns out several of the guests (and even some of the staff) know each other from before they arrived in this idyllic paradise, and in most cases, before they got married.
As everyone’s dirty little secrets start to come tumbling out, someone takes it into their own hands to keep things quiet. And the reverberations through the resort are shocking. Who will survive the honeymoon from Hell?
Gripping, darkly humorous at times, twisted and highly enjoyable.
*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 for The Sundered Stars by H.E. Bauman and we can’t wait for the tour later this year!
The Sundered Stars (The Starborne Saga Book 1)
Expected Publication Date: May 19, 2025
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy
Tropes & Story Elements:
-Bounty hunter FMC with chronic pain
-Green flag fire daddy MMC with tattoos and healing magic
-She’s grumpy, he’s more sunshine
-Ragtag found family
-Space empires at war
-Magic and energy weapons
-Ancient gods & divine artifacts
-Dislike to allies to slow burn lovers
-Epic battles
-She’s overly protective of her ship
-He falls first
-Mutual saving of asses
-Dual POV
Betrayal is just the beginning…
After a decade of hunting the Federation’s deadliest criminals, Mora “Mo” Cevi is done risking her life—but she needs a way out. So, when a lucrative military contract lands in her lap, she takes it despite her mistrust of the government.
Steadfast leader Ezra Lyre has dedicated sixteen years to the Federation Space Command, climbing the ranks to become one of the military’s most revered Vanguards. But when he’s assigned to protect a group of archaeologists on a remote dig, he’s confused. The Federation is at war, and he should be on the front lines, not babysitting scholars.
Mo has been fighting Ezra’s orders for days, until a group of traitors steal a treasured artifact, and he needs her to help him bring them to justice. With the Federation rejecting their concerns, they pursue the thieves on their own.
But as their manhunt tangles them in a web of dangerous conspiracies, Mo and Ezra find themselves racing to stop a threat that could destroy the Federation—if their enemies don’t destroy them first.
ramblingmads 