TO STEAL A MAN’S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION
Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground.
When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence.
A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.
Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.
Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.
For fans of Steve Cavanagh, Linwood Barclay and Gillian McAllister, introducing the latest novel from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.
My thoughts: Neve has been handed the biggest case of her career – defending a man accused of murdering his family and burning his house down to cover up his crimes. Then she is told that she must get him convicted. His late wife’s family are willing to kill her’s to ensure this happens. They’re positive he’s guilty, and even if he isn’t, tough.
Neve is placed in a difficult position, an impossible one. Her client insists he’s innocent but Neve becomes less sure as the case goes on. Can she throw the trial and have an innocent man locked up or is he as guilty as his wife’s family says?
Clever, gripping and full of twists, this is another brilliant thriller from Jack Jordan, with a fascinating, conflicted protagonist and a complex moral dilemma at its heart.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Feisty country girl Annabeth Hope has sworn off men since her ex abandoned her. Juggling three resentful step-teens, a hyperactive toddler, a smallholding, and a herd of rescued llamas, she has her hands full. With the roof about to collapse on her crumbling New Forest home, she is desperate to find a way to hold her patchwork family together. The last thing she needs is an attractive distraction moving in next door.
Burnt-out inner-city doctor Rick Mahon has left London and his medical career behind in a moment of professional crisis. A malpractice lawsuit is on the horizon, and the cancel culture mob are snapping at his heels. His plan to stay under the radar is thrown off course when he meets his new neighbour and sparks start to fly. Annabeth and Rick couldn’t be more different, but maybe they hold the key to each other’s happiness…
“What more could we want from life? Family, friends, llamas, and hope… An excellent read.” Jenny Kane, author of the bestselling Mill Grange Series.
A former GP surgery manager, school librarian and art teacher, Alice May is mum to four not-so-small children. She is married to the most patient man on the planet, and they live in the New Forest. Alice started writing in 2016 and she enjoyed playing with words so much that now she can’t stop.
Choosing a publishing route for your manuscript, by Alice May
The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope is the first book in ten years of writing that I haven’t taken down the self-publishing route. Instead, I was offered a publishing contract by The Book Guild. While I have enjoyed the freedom of self-publishing in the past, it has been an enlightening experience working with talented publishing professionals on this new release.
My first book was a memoir. The House That Sat Down Trilogy is based on the time that my house fell down out of the blue one day and I ended up living in a tent in the garden with my children because our house insurance company refused to cover us. Once we had rebuilt our home and moved back in, I started writing to get my head around how that situation had unfolded. Before long I had a manuscript. I decided to self-publish through Amazon KDP. Every part of the process of putting that book together was driven by me. I had to source editing advice, cover creation expertise, technical advice, marketing advice, and then put it all together. There it was. My book. Publishing it had taken me on a huge journey of discovery. A journey that had inspired me to make writing my full-time career.
Having been bitten by the writing bug, I decided I wanted to write fiction. I wasn’t naïve, though, I knew I had a lot to learn. A whole series of writing courses followed, and then a period of time submitting manuscripts to agents and publishers with the inevitable painful rejections. Developing my work through constructive feedback was an enlightening process. Eventually the day dawned when an email fell into my inbox that wasn’t a rejection. My dreams had come true. The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope had found a home with a publisher. I had to read that acceptance email several times before I could believe it.
Given that self-publishing gives you complete creative control, I was more nervous than I expected handing over my Annabeth Hope book baby to the control of others, but I haven’t been disappointed. At each stage of the editing, typesetting, cover creation, production and marketing process I have been supported by positive and very patient publishing professionals. I ask a lot of daft questions. They explain everything clearly and help me negotiate my way. I thought I would not get any say in layouts, cover design or the overall look of my book, but that hasn’t been the case. My opinion counts too. I was even allowed to contribute some artwork to the cover. The silhouette of Annabeth with her daughter Grace that appears on the front cover is taken from a sketch I did of my daughter and granddaughter; and that makes me feel really connected with every part of the book.
Now, the question in the back of my mind is which route should I take with future books? (The sequel to The Mid-Life Trials of Annabeth Hope is nearly finished.) The short answer is: both.
On the one hand, I like the control and speed of self-publishing. On the other, I could get very used to the support and teamwork involved in working with a publishing house. I think it is good to have options, and depending on the needs of whichever project I am working on, I am open to using both publishing routes again. The important thing is to get stories out into the world for readers to enjoy.
I really hope you enjoy The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope. A story of families, friends, hope and love. There are llamas in it too. What more could you want?
Welcome to the tour for Bound Across Time by Annie R. McEwen. Read on for more details!
Bound Across Time
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Genre: Romance w/ Supernatural Elements/ Witches
For Fans of A Discovery of Witches & Practical Magic
CeCe Gowdie. Historian, rational, scorns the paranormal. When her boss orders her to convert her Welsh castle tours to ghost walks, she thinks that’s the worst that can happen. It is, until one midnight in the castle tower she meets Patrick—handsome, passionate, dead since 1761.
Patrick O’Loinsigh. Bastard son of an earl, brought from Ireland only to be murdered by his half-brother. The moment Patrick sees CeCe he claims her as his own, a claim neither of them understands but can’t resist.
CeCe’s body won’t survive loving a ghost, but losing him will tear her heart to pieces. Patrick can’t bear watching CeCe die by inches, but releasing her will hurl him back to a hellish half-life without her. Is there hope in the prophecy of an ancient Irish seer? The spells of Welsh witches? Or is the alchemy of love enough to bridge time and defeat death?
Happy publication day to author Elsa Jacobs and congratulations on the release of Runaway Hearts!
Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger
Publication Date: November 1, 2025
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Bad Boy & Good Girl (Turns Bad-Ass)
Action & Suspense
He Gives Her Control
Slow Burn
Dark Vibes
Marianne, a young woman hungry for a fresh start, can’t wait for her beach house getaway. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she picks up a mysterious hitchhiker on the way.
The irresistible stranger is the sole heir of a Japanese organization, and despite Marianne’s own anxiety struggles, she can’t say no to someone in need. As they travel together, swapping past traumas and dreams, love sparks. To heal her troubled mind, she must embrace her true desires, no matter how twisted they seem.
But as love deepens, an enemy from the man’s past threatens to pull them apart. In the midst of looming danger, Marianne must choose between sticking to her anxious ways or diving into the unknown for true love.
Get ready for a wild ride where each page brings new revelations and perils, leading to a destination unlike any other.
Runaway Hearts is a slow burn, steamy, contemporary romantic suspense with morally questionable characters and dark themes. HEA.
Runaway Heart is a spicy romantic suspense on the unconventional side. This novel contains themes and content that some readers may find disturbing or unsettling. It explores dark and intense subject matter, including but not limited to suicide, domestic violence, abuse, addiction, and mental illness. Reader discretion is advised. No cheating or non-con between MCs. For a list of all TW, please refer to the author’s website at Trigger Warnings.
Look at this COVER! It’s fantastic, and it sounds so good too! Make you add this to your TBR and pre-order today!
The Bombshell’s Advocate (A Hellion Harlot Novel)
Expected Publication Date: February 6, 2025
Genre: Cover Reveal: The Bombshell Devil’s Advocate by Nikkita Bell – Genre: Neo-Gothic Noir/Urban Fantasy w/ Horror and Romance
Forbidden romance
Touch HIM and 💀
Work Rivals to Lovers
Angels & Demons
Deadly ultimatums and dark twists and turns
Late 90’s-Early 2000’s nostalgia
Alt Rock/Goth vibes
Six sunrises. Six sunsets.
Six days. That’s how long October Winters has to collect and deliver a thousand souls.
After a year on the run, Lucifer’s right-hand-witch finds herself knee-deep in the tawdry trenches of Hollywood, seeking refuge in the neon-lit chaos to escape the consequences of her actions. But her immortality comes with a price, and the Devil has come to collect: one soul for every year she has taken breath. Anything less and she can kiss this world goodbye.
With monsters lurking around every corner, October finds herself in a high-stakes race against time. As the deadline looms, her past comes crashing back in the form of Declan Lovejoy, a demon hunter who is as formidable as he is handsome. Driven by his own vendetta against the forces of evil, Declan enlists her help in a covert mission, one that complicates her impossible task and may soil her reputation within the Underworld.
In a city where danger and desire intertwine, October faces the battle of a millennium to save her soul. Will she manage to outwit the Devil and reclaim her life, or will her forbidden love be her undoing?
All artwork & Illustrations done by Nikkita Bell. This novel was developed from Nikkita Bell’s novella ‘Bound in Pincers,’ originally published in 2024.
We’re thrilled to present the cover for Autumn Death by L.A. Brown! This will be the first book in a witchy series called Bird Girl Witches! Pre-order this beauty today and visit our Instagram to enter a magical giveaway!
Autumn Death (Bird Girl Witches Book 1)
Expected Publication Date: November 13, 2024
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy/ Witches
Tropes:
The Supernatural, The Outsider, First Love, Love is the Answer, Coming of Age, Ancient Secrets, Backing into Darkness, Body Switching, Dark Family Secrets, Crime in the Family, Found Family, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Creepy Settings, A Foreboding Atmosphere, Mysterious Things are Happening, Magical Secrets, Fantastical Creatures, Magical Systems, Training Sequences, Powerful Artifacts, High Stakes, Happy Ending, Hereditary Witches, Hauntings
In book one of the Bird Girl Witches series, the mystical realm of The Korvids is being terrorized by a dark force, and a young, psychic girl may be the only one who can stop it.
Arabel Spade is just 17 years old, but holds the gift of extraordinary supernatural abilities. When a series of brutal murders rock her hometown, she is determined to use her powers to solve the crimes and protect her people.
But tracking the killer puts her on a collision course with the sinister Dorojenja – evil sorcerers intent on putting an end to her investigation, if not her life. As the bodies pile up, Arabel must navigate a web of secrets, betray her cold-hearted grandmother’s wishes, and forge alliances with mysterious magical factions like the Travelers.
Join Arabel’s epic journey of magic, danger, and self-discovery, as she battles for the ultimate fate of The Korvids.
Three murders which happen off-page, but the bodies are found on the page. These murders are not described in detail, but it is mentioned that the bodies are naked and posed in a sacrificial manner. There is also a murder by drowning, body possession, and a murder by a vicious Death Ribbon spell. There are also ghostly attacks on our heroine and a kidnapping. There is a lot of romantic desire, but no sexual activity outside of kissing.
We’re celebrating the one year anniversary of Death Rattle by Carter Pugh this week!
Death Rattle Publication Date: September 10, 2023 Genre: Murder Mystery/ Urban Fantasy 🔪🫀Murder Mysteries 🏰Urban Fantasy 🕵️Hidden Identities 👩❤️👨He Falls First 🌶️ Spicy 🧚♂️ The Fae 🛏️ One bed 🫦Forced Proximity 🌪️Twists 🫶🪄Fated Mates 🌏Parallel Worlds 👯♀️👬Multiple POV 📚 Start of a Trilogy 🥺😢Depression/Anxiety Rep
Murder Mystery meets Urban Fantasy in this coming-of-age tale where nothing is as it seems.
Meet Clarke Carpenter, a thirty-year-old nanny and student who desires a life more substantial than her own, full of magic and wonder. After moving to the city, hoping to overcome her insecurities and claim a more vibrant life, her world unexpectedly upturns when she is accused of murdering her roommate. Clarke’s dreams of a fairytale existence are obliterated…or are they?
Follow along in this thrilling first instalment of the Death Book series as Clarke discovers the mystery of who she is.
My thoughts: Clarke’s life seems to be going well, until she finds her roommate dead, and as the only suspect, everything goes wrong. Her best friend goes missing and the police think she’s involved in that too. Until a strange man convinces her to run away with him, and gives the cops an alternative suspect.
But there’s more to this than a straightforward crime thriller, whole other dimensions as Clarke’s unlikely rescuer is from another world, and maybe so is Clarke …
Hers to Claim, the highly-anticipated sequel in the Scorching in Sin City series is now available!
Hers to Claim (Scorching in Sin City Book 2)
Publication Date: October 30, 2024
Genre: Monster Romance/ PNR/ Urban Fantasy
Soulbonds ⛓️
Polyamory 💞
Emotional Scars 💔
Healing Together 🩹
Forbidden Love 💗
Grumpy/Sunshines ☀️
Touch Them and Die 💀
Found Family 😊
Sword Crossing ⚔️
Spicy, Fast Burn 🌶️
Discovering Her Power ✨
Secrets and Intrigue 🔍
It’s Good To Be Queen
Embracing Femdom
Shadow Daddy
A Little Light Stalking
She Likes It When He Watches
He’d Burn the World for Her
Breeding Kink (no pregnancy)
The Hottest Unicorn You Have Ever Met
Something ancient slumbers under Las Vegas.
After Mari’s cruel father was killed by her gargoyle crush, she thought the takeover of his criminal empire would be easy, but she was wrong.
In the aftermath of the conflict, Mari and her monster boyfriends discover that the true threat has been lurking under the city all along, and that Mari has been feeding him with her magic for years. Calling out to the creature in her moment of need might have been the only way to escape, but it also might have been a mistake.
Because he says he’d burn the world for her and that rings true.
His disturbing visits happen with increasing frequency and during her most private moments with her lovers—but she can’t deny her attraction to the danger he poses, even when he threatens the city and with it the people who work for her that she’s sworn to protect.
The mysterious figure tempts her toward the darker side of desire, calling to something primal and hidden within her that she doesn’t understand. How long can she resist his tantalizing offers? More than anything, she fears starting down the same path of brutality and violence that her father once walked.
Hers to Claim is the scorching second book in a series that explores the intimate lives of the paranormal denizens of Sin City. If you enjoy spicy, fast burns with a side of action, a sassy heroine discovering her power, and partners who love to share, this book is for you.
We are celebrating the release of Creatures of Chaos by Julie Hall this week! Read on for more details and visit our Instagram for a chance to win a fantastic giveaway!
Creatures of Chaos
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Best Friend to Lovers
Forbidden Love
Fake Dating
Secret dating
Not The Chosen One
Morally Gray MMC
Secretive MMC
Deadly Competition
Magic-less FMC in a Supernatural World
All the Supernatural Creatures
Perfect for fans of forbidden love, high-stakes games, and everything supernatural. Creatures of Chaos is a fast-paced YA urban fantasy series that’s being called The Serpent and the Wings of Night meets Crave.
There’s only one rule in chaos: win or die trying.
Chaos, the vicious supernatural competition where heroes are born and riches are won.
To most, it’s just an urban legend whispered in the darkest shadows, but that all changes when my best friend drags me into a savage world where vampires, shifters, and fae compete for glory and fame.
As a creature without magic, I’d be a fool to enter Chaos, but the prize—a dagger of untold power—could change my powerless existence. With that dagger, I could wield magic, earn respect, and maybe, just maybe, win the heart of the dragon heir… it’s a risk I have to take.
Now, I’m pitted against beasts in a ruthless battle with no powers, no plan, and an infuriatingly attractive ally who’s just as likely to slit my neck as save it. Every round of Chaos leads me closer to seizing my deepest desires or losing everything.
In Chaos, survival is the only rule. And winning is all that matters.
Checkout girl Bea Jordan has a knack for stumbling into trouble. Even so, nothing can ruin her picnic in the allotment with her best friend, green-thumbed Ant.
With the annual Kingsleigh Flower and Produce Show approaching, she feels he’s had little time for her. Especially with the drama of a prize-winning tomato thief on the loose.
But a grizzly discovery is waiting for them by the pumpkin patch . . .
The body of Dylan Bradley, their old history teacher. Someone stuck a trowel in his head and left him for dead.
But who would want to hurt Dylan? Bea has a feeling it has something to do with the ruby ring he dug up in the allotment.
Then the discovery of a second body throws the townsfolk into full-blown turmoil. Now Bea must juggle small-town secrets, rivalries and murder with her growing feelings for Ant.
Can she dig up the truth before the killer strikes again, or has Bea finally planted the seed for her own demise?
AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING COZY MYSTERY FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS AND LOVEABLE CHARACTERS.
Meet the workers of Kingsleigh Costsave. There’s Bea, a maths whizz with a heart of gold. Ant, a hapless high-school drop-out. And wisecracking Dot, in her late fifties and always beautifully coiffed.
I’m a fiftysomething author of psych thrillers and cosy crime books for adults and thrillers for young for adults. I live in Bath, England, and have a husband, two grown up children and two dogs. I’ve been a full-time writer for 10 years, before which I had ‘sensible’ jobs.
I’m now writing crime for adults. My cozy crime series, The Supermarket Mysteries, is now published as ebooks with Joffe Books. The first novel in the series is The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery.
My debut psychological thriller, Safe With You, is published by HQ Digital and is out now.
For young adults, I have published the Numbers trilogy, The Drowning and Water Born with Chicken House UK. The first book came out in the UK in 2009 and the USA in 2010. My Numbers books explore the gift of being able to see death dates. If you looked in somebody’s eyes and saw the date of their death, would it change the way you felt about people? They’ve been published in 26 countries and optioned for film.
My thoughts: I like this series, I like Bea and Dot very much, but it was interesting to have a book that was focused a bit more on Ant and the other male staff members at Costsave, as well as some of the other characters.
Ant and Bob have been helping their friend Charles out with his allotment, and getting giant marrow Marvin ready for the local produce show and competition. Ant has been spending a lot of time there after work and bonding with the other growers, especially retired teacher Dylan. His genuine horror at finding Dylan’s body, locked in his shed with a trowel to the skull is awful. But he determines to find out who killed his friend and why.
Bea doesn’t want anything to do with it, understandably, but gets drawn into the case anyway. Dylan was a local councillor and wanted to open a town museum to showcase the history. She’s fascinated by this aspect of his life and agrees to find out more.
The whole gang become part of the investigation and the allotments are central to what they uncover as is Dylan’s passion for local history. The town might not seem like an interesting place to many, but all the intrigue and murder they uncover suggests otherwise!
A smart and witty crime novel with really great characters, always a pleasure to read.
*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 