“They say there’s a fine line between love and hate, but what about the fine line between love and fate?”
This gorgeous book is hitting retailers on April 23rd but you can preorder it now!
Emma (The Sisters of the Moon Book One)
Expected Publication Date: April 23, 2024
Genre: Shifter Romance/ Romantasy
Book Boyfriends
Feisty Females
Lovers to Enemies. (Yes you read that right!)
Mine/ touch her and 💀
Spicy
Best friends
Betrayal
Multiple POV
Werewolves
They say there’s a fine line between love and hate, but what about the fine line between love and fate?
The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways. Christian Korbin has always been destined to be the Alpha of the Rosawood Pack, but the question lingers: What is he willing to overcome to secure the role?
The Goddess creates many roads to destiny, but she leaves it up to her creations to choose which one they take.
When the unwritten rule of fate didn’t pan out, Christian was willing to walk the walk and take the long road. Well, he thought he was. Him and Emma were never fated, but that doesn’t mean they were never meant to be… Does it?
GLH is a sucker for romance and loves a happily ever after. So if you take a chance on them, they’ll guarantee added drama, book boyfriends, and feisty females who may be princesses but are never damsels in distress.
“A Prayer for Junie is a compelling and atmospheric story about friendship, love and the lengths people will go to in order to save those they care about.” Caroline Bishop, The Other Daughter, The Lost Chapter
Newly married Junie has found love but she has no idea who her husband really is. When her life is in danger, there is only one way this relationship can end.
Philomena has known Junie’s abusive husband, Gregory, since they were children and has grown to fear him. Set apart from the rest of the village community on a secluded plain, the women develop a strong bond. While Philomena plots to run away with her, Junie hopes the child she is carrying will change her husband’s violent behaviour.
When Philomena’s friendship is put to the test, she soon discovers how far she will go to protect her friend. Now a death on the plain and Junie’s disappearance has the whole village talking.
Can Philomena live with what she has done and will she ever let go of Junie’s memory?
In this powerful novel of lies, love and compassion a mystery unravels.
Fran Clark writes Women’s Fiction, both contemporary and historical. Her first novel was published by Indigo Dreams in 2014. In the same year she achieved a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA from Brunel University. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize. In February 2024, her Island Secrets Book Series will be published, starting with Holding Paradise Book 1.
Originally from London, Fran moved to the English countryside with her musician husband. A musician herself, Fran teaches vocals and leads a local choir. She has two sons.
Fran also writes under the pseudonym, Rosa Temple, writing contemporary fiction and published by HQ Digital and Simon & Schuster UK
My thoughts: set in 1950s Dominica, this is a love story, a story about survival, about a crime and about finding a way out.
When Philomena meets Junie, brought to her village by the glowering boy next door, Gregory, a man who has never cared for his neighbours, there’s an instant connection between the two women. But Gregory, violent, drunk and insanely jealous doesn’t like the friendship between them and uses his fists to control his wife.
Philomena is determined to save her friend, to help her get away from the abuse and fear she lives in. Her own life, marriage to her colleague at the school and plans to move to New York, offer a possible way out for Junie.
As Gregory seems to get worse, becoming more aggressive and controlling, landing Junie in the hospital, Philomena realises her feelings are deeper than friendship for Junie, and that she would do almost anything for her.
Things take a darker turn and Junie vanishes, leaving Philomena frantic. But she’s due to leave for the US and can’t find her friend anywhere. She may never know what happened to Junie.
Moving, intelligent writing with compelling and interesting characters, A Prayer for Junie is timeless and powerful story telling.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Welcome to the tour for Once and Future Queen by C.M. Hano. Read on for details!
Once And Future Queen (Constellina Book 1)
Publication Date: August 2022
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Unfated Fated Mates
Touch Her/Him &
Dragon Shifters
Rivals to Lovers
Spice
A war is brewing…
Twenty years ago, training for war and the looming siege of the Sagittarian Court began for the humans of Constellina.
Present-day…
Twenty-four-year-old Gwen is determined to take her place as Queen and lead her armies into battle against the Dracane Kingdom. King Outher, the ruler of the Dracane Kingdom, has slaughtered, invaded, and placed many dragon shifters throughout the human realm, ready to take it over when the time is right.
When a marriage proposal from the Lirian Court Prince is discussed, Gwen must prepare for a masquerade with the help of her two best friends; Princess Victoria and Princess Dilliha. A handsome stranger approaches her for a dance and initially whisks her off her feet. Upon leaving the ballroom to have a private conversation, Gwen finds herself in a perilous situation where she has to fight for her life.
Alexxander
As the infamous Mafia King of the Sagittarian Court cities, Alexxander reigns over his territory with three laws: don’t break any of his rules and you will meet the god of death.
When a proposition from a human prince turns into a command from his father, Alexxander finds himself at the palace on the night of a masquerade ball. Using his shifter powers, he glamours his wings and horns in order to find the human he was sent to kill.
This is an enemies-to-lovers dark fantasy romance novel at 70,000 words. There are trigger and content warnings at the very beginning of the book, so please read those before diving into this action-packed, magical, steamy adventure.
My thoughts: this is very spicy, instead of making plans our protagonists spend all their time having sex, which means they’re often on the back foot when it comes to trying to stop Alex’s father, the evil Outher Pendragon from declaring war and murdering everyone.
Gwen is pretty fiery, despite supposedly being human, while Alex is trying to free his inner dragon, locked up since his mother’s death twenty years before. It also seems that they’re mates (in the SJM sense) even though they’re not very keen on each other.
Very loosely inspired by the Arthurian myths, this is the first in the series, with Outher’s children rebelling against their father and his reign, and the princesses of the other lands wanting to stop him too.
When famous TV chef Matteo McLeish turns up at the Old Forge Café and offers chef Charlie Hunter a place in his kitchen for the duration of Hampden Green’s local opera festival, she thinks it’s because he rates her cooking skills. In fact it’s because he’s heard she’s good in a crisis. The wholesome star of Nonna’s Kitchen is being blackmailed by one of his team. Tempted by an improbably large pay cheque and the boost to to her CV, Charlie accepts his offer. Does the threat lie close to home, or back in Italy with Matteo’s culinary roots? And can Charlie find the blackmailer before she’s swept up in an avalanche of death and scandal?
Alex Coombs was born in Lambeth in South London and studied Arabic at Oxford and Edinburgh Universities. Murder on the Menu was his first book in the new series: the Old Forge Café Mysteries. Alex lives in the Chilterns.
My thoughts: this was a fun murder mystery set in the world of quality chefs and restaurants. Matteo McLeish is a TV chef with a well known back story, and a problem. He tells fellow chef, and amateur detective, Charlie Hunter (our protagonist and narrator) that he’s being blackmailed about his wife’s dodgy history, but when the bodies start piling up, it’s clear there’s more going on, and he won’t go to the police.
Charlie is trying to make the most of working with Matteo, but he’s hardly around and for the most part she likes his team, none of them seem to be blackmailer material. She’s starting to suspect something else is going on.
Throw in an enraged female Hell’s Angel, a creepy maitre’d, a handsome ex, a very efficient front of house manager, lots of delicious food and a lot of opera too. This is lots of fun, and really enjoyable. I liked Charlie a lot, I haven’t read book one in this series, but I will do now and eagerly await the next one!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Isla Belthare lives an ordinary life in her small village of Lockhurt. Since losing both her mother and the man she loved two years ago, all she wants is stability and peace. But her world is forever changed when her family is attacked on a journey away from home and she must travel to the Aataran mountain range to find them.
Across the realm, four ancient beings who control the elements of nature are awakening.
After a civil war that tore the humans apart, the elementals entered a thousand year slumber. Now, they are being summoned to prevent a dark force that is greedy for power and threatening to overturn the balance of nature.
When Isla’s path crosses with one of these elementals, she finds her fate is more entangled with theirs than she had ever imagined. As she risks it all to follow the elementals on their journey to defeat the unknown foe, she discovers that not everything may be as it seems. Isla is torn between protecting her loved ones or following her heart down a dangerous path of power and magic, of truth and lies.
What will they sacrifice to stop the coming storm?
Long Live is the first book in the Elementals of Iona duology, an epic fantasy romance that follows the journey of a young woman overcoming loss and anxiety and four immortal beings learning how to forgive and love again after their dark past. This enemies-to-lovers series is full of morally grey characters, witty banter, unique elemental magic, romantic tension, and twists you won’t see coming. Long Live is perfect for lovers of epic quests and character-driven stories, especially fans of Carissa Broadbent, Elise Kova, and Sarah J Maas.
V.B. Lacey is an office manager by day and an avid reader-turned-writer by night. She grew up on stories of magic, love, and sarcasm, and equips her writing with all three. She lives in Texas with her supportive husband and two rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing about morally grey characters and far-off kingdoms, you can find her reading (mostly fantasy and contemporary romance), playing board games, or spending time with friends.
Follow on Instagram: @vblacey.books
My thoughts: I really liked Isla, she’s a determined, smart and despite feeling out of her depth, she tackles every new challenge and complication that comes her way. Not knowing that her ancestors were powerful and important, and not fully understanding the elementals history means she’s in the dark about quite a lot but gamely fights on, because her family are at risk and they matter the most to her. I also loved her friend Bri, who’s fierce and protective of Isla.
I found the elementals a bit less engaging, there’s a lot of back story there, and not knowing all the ins and outs of their history, puts the reader in the same place as Isla a lot of the time.
It starts off slow and then as the four elementals connect again, the plot really picks up, especially once they work out who the “dark god” is and what they’re hunting for.
It’s a fun, fast paced, complex fantasy, complete with confusing romantic options and mysterious plots and villains.
Journey back to this magical world where things are a bit darker, stakes are higher, and more whimsical magic ensues. Heart of a Liar is book 3 in the Royal Blood Series and continues the adventure with Mellana and friends! Below are a few things you can expect in this next installment!
Heart of a Liar (Royal Blood Series #3)
Author: @adinachiles
Publisher: Forever Young, an imprint of @neverandeverbooks
Cover Designer: @coverdungeonrabbit
Release Date: August 15, 2024
💙Darker Vibes
💙Mind Manipulating Triplets
💙Enemies to Lovers
💙Betrayal
💙Elevated Powers
💙Mirages
💙Reunited With Old Friends
💙Sibling Rivalry
💙Duals
💙Masquerade
💙Magical Deals
💙Forbidden Magic
💙Magical Objects
💙Royal Politics
The tongue may spew lies, but the heart is where they are kept.
When Opal’s deadly mirror spits Mellana out in the worst place imaginable she comes face to face with the man who has haunted her dreams, and once again, she finds herself separated from those she trusts the most. Forced to earn her keep under the new ruler, she and Krispin are sent to the desert of Luxuria, where wicked triplets terrorize the land. The triplets, with a talent for mind games, toy with their new guests, and Mellana will soon learn that the heart is both a magnificent and lethal thing to possess.
As Mellana faces the blistering heat, Jewels and the others move deeper into the icy terrain of Harmeaneous. Sought out by the Kolectin, an organization formed to uphold The Common Laws, group members face imprisonment for unlawfully using their powers. To rescue their friends, and steal an article while they’re at it, Jewels and Minnie team up with unexpected allies. But when betrayal swoops in it will cost them their plan, and possibly a life.
Friendships will be tested, lives will be lost, and hearts will be broken. Can Mellana and her friends make it through unharmed?
Worthy of Fate by A.N. Caudle is now available! If you love an intriguing magic system, dark forces, spirits, and forbidden fated mates, this one’s for you!
Worthy of Fate (Realms In Peril Book 1)
Publication Date: April 11, 2024
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance/ Spicy
▪︎Forbidden fated mates 🥵 ▪︎Badass, stabby FMC⚔️ ▪︎Stalker Shadow daddy 😏 ▪︎Touch her and ☠️ ▪︎Morally grey characters 🩶 ▪︎Found Family 🫶 •Marked by the Gods❌️
The Gem
Marked by the Gods, Kya is forced to partake in a Trial for a chance to be deemed Worthy. If she succeeds, she’ll be gifted great powers. If she fails, she could lose her life or worse. But that’s only the start of her worries. Now, the same plague that took her home is spreading and threatening the fate of the realm. Can Kya survive the Trial of the Gods and gain the needed power to rid the world of the growing threat before it’s too late? Or will she be drawn to what awaits her in the shadows?
The Shadow
Ryker has waited a long time for her—his mate. Now he’s found her. He plans to claim what is rightfully his, but dark forces threaten to destroy his Nation should he embrace the bond he so desperately desires. Unable to escape the drive to be near her, he waits for his precious gem, lingering in her shadow.
Worthy of Fate is the first book in a new adult, dark fantasy romance series with an intriguing magic system, dark forces, Spirits, and forbidden fated mates.
Paisley, Scotland, 1697. Thirty-five people accused of witchcraft. Seven condemned to death. Six strangled and burned at the stake. All accused by eleven-year-old Christian Shaw.
Bargarran House, 1722. Christian Shaw returns home, spending every waking hour perfecting the thread bleaching process that will revive her family’s fortune. If only she can make it white enough, perhaps her past sins will be purified too. But dark forces are at work. As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the witch burnings approaches, ravens circle Bargarran House, their wild cries stirring memories and triggering visions.
As Christian’s mind begins to unravel, her states of delusion threaten the safety of all those who cross her path. In the end she must make a terrible choice: her mind or her soul? Poverty and madness, or a devil’s bargain for the bleaching process that will make her the most successful businesswoman Paisley has ever seen?
Her fate hangs by a thread. Which will she choose?
An eerie tale of lies, deception and the supernatural from award-winning author Victoria Williamson.
My thoughts: inspired by a true case in 17th century Scotland, Red Runs the Witch’s Thread follows Christian Shaw as she attempts to set up a business in Paisley, her father and brothers are dead and as the eldest, she is trying to revive her family’s fortunes and provide for her mother and sisters.
Her family is looked on with suspicion because as a child Christian claimed to be cursed by witches and accused 35 people of witchcraft, leading some to be burnt at the stake (which only happened in Scotland, in England they were hung).
Christian is having flashbacks to that time and the events that led to so many deaths by her hands, albeit indirectly. It’s causing her to hallucinate and act very strangely, frightening not only herself but her family and servants. She’s also becoming increasingly obsessive over the bleaching process for the thread her livelihood depends on. As she unravels, her past revisited, she starts to realise the truth of whose influence she has really been under.
Christian isn’t a hugely sympathetic character, her single mindedness and high handed way of talking to everyone – servant and family members isn’t very pleasant and it’s no surprise her sisters aren’t that fond of her. But her clearly troubled mind and conscience, are no surprise either. Eleven year olds tell lies, but the fact that so many adults, including supposedly educated ones, believed the terrible things she said is shocking.
There is an ongoing movement in Scotland to have the victims of the witch trials, Christian really did exist and really did have 35 people condemned to death, pardoned by the state and removed from the lists of convicted and executed criminals. Most of the “witches” were guilty only of poverty and of their circumstances. I would probably be among their number if I was in the 16th and 27th centuries so I have a lot of empathy for these men and women.
Victoria Williamson brings that era of superstition and suspicion vividly to life in Red Runs the Witch’s Thread as Christian attempts to rebuild her family fortune and her reputation.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
You can bury the dead. But you can’t bury the past.
Jane’s father was murdered in cold blood at the family home. The killer was never found.
In the years since, Jane has done everything in her power to stay away from that house. To forget the nightmare and get on with her life.
But now she has to go back.
Her mother is ill and Jane must care for her. Her husband Joe goes with her but soon after they arrive at her family home, he begins to act strangely. Adding to her unease, Jane’s brother Dan is openly hostile.
Increasingly unnerved, Jane feels compelled to uncover the secrets of the old house. And discovers that her father may have been killed by someone close to her. Someone who’s been hiding in plain sight all these years.
Now it’s a race against time. Can Jane discover the shocking truth about her father’s death before it’s too late? Can she right the wrongs of the past?
Kevin is a Guidance Counselor by day and a psychological thriller author during his off hours. He puts an original slant on some common experiences and creates engaging stories with a personal twist. Kevin lives in Dublin, Ireland with three great kids, a frenetic Westie, Alfie, and a wife who makes him laugh, which is really all he could ask for.
My thoughts: moving in to her childhood home to care for her ailing mother brings all sorts of memories back for Jane, not least the murder of her father on the driveway, never solved, it still haunts her.
Her husband Joe resents being expected to help care for his mother-in-law and has plenty of secrets of his own, as their marriage struggles, he withdraws further.
Then there’s Jane’s odd brother Dan, always in his cycling gear, despite supposedly having a high flying finance job, he has plenty of time to pop in at random points during the day, make creepy comments and then cycle off.
As the family soldier on, Jane’s mother’s health continues to fail, she drinks too much despite the medication she’s on and her memory wanders, does a care home feature in her future sooner rather than later?
Joe confides in Dan, which can’t end well, and Jane wants to confront her husband about his secrets. As things come to a head, will Jane finally learn the truth about her dad’s death and will everyone survive the answers?
Gripping and full of twists and turns, this is a sinister and tragic family 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.
Welcome to the tour for Calliope Wakes by Constance Kersaint! Read on for more details!
Publication Date: February 23, 2024 Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
The gods are alive, and they’re in Michigan.
Something is wrong in Bellhaven, and Callie doesn’t know how to stop the nightmares. She just wants to be safe in her small city by Lake Michigan, but there are strangers in town and evil around the corner. Is she causing the troubles or is there something more sinister? Erik has come back into her life and seems to know more about her bursts of insanity than her, but she doesn’t know if she can trust him or if he’s trying to distract her. Then buildings are collapsing, wolves are attacking, people are dying and only Callie can save them. Will this time be different? Will they finally live to see the sun rise on All Hallows’ Eve?
My thoughts: blending Celtic (Irish and Welsh) with Norse mythology is interesting, all these reincarnated gods and frost giants roaming around, desperate to break a curse thousands of years old, mostly by murdering one of both of two teenagers, none of whom asked for any of this, to escape their fates.
Callie is 18, trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and then she’s told that she’s the reincarnation of the Welsh goddess Branwen – doomed to fall in love with a Viking god’s reincarnation and get him killed by his own family, thus creating this looped curse that has kept them all trapped for centuries. Oh, and she can’t leave town – the curse won’t let her.
Her childhood best friend Erik is the other half of the doomed couple, but they haven’t even spoken in four years, so how can they be fated to fall in love? And her whole family turn out to be gods too – at first she thinks she’s losing the plot, but a blow to the head brings back her memories.
Callie is determined to figure a way out of the curse for everyone, a way that doesn’t require her or Erik to be murdered, even if his cousins are gunning for her, and his ex-girlfriend Helena – who’s also Hel, goddess of the underworld. Lovely.
As Samhain approaches and Callie and Erik become even more entwined by the curse, Callie must figure out how to survive, even if Ragnarok will come for them sooner or later instead.
It’s helpful to know a bit about mythology reading this, I’ve read the Mabinogion, the Welsh myth cycle, some Irish myths and Norse myths before, all of which was a bit helpful, as the three overlap a bit here, which is a little confusing at times. Especially as more gods and monsters come to town, but I liked Callie and Erik, as well as Erik’s brother, who was always making stupid jokes.
ramblingmads 