We’re touring The Ninth Realm this week! If you’re looking for an epic romantasy with a Norse twist, this one’s for you!
The Ninth Realm (The Norse Realms Saga Book 1)
Release Date: May 21, 2026
Genre: Norse Romantasy
Lethal trials
Ruthless gods
Norse legends
Companion beasts
Star-crossed romance
Forbidden love
Bonded mates
Political intrigue
Mythological creatures
Forced proximity
A high-stakes romantasy where The Hunger Games meets Norse mythology, packed with deadly trials, dangerous intrigue, and a slow-burn romance where your greatest enemy may be your only ally.
Nine realms. One bond. No escape.
For ten thousand years, a Keeper has stood between Earth and the chaos of the Norse realms, holding back cunning gods, legendary creatures, and beautifully wicked fae. But Saga knows nothing of this until her dying father calls her home to Iceland and leaves her his title, his secrets, and a fate she can’t refuse.
She discovers she’s bound by magic to Kalen, a mysterious fae who despises her fragile humanity because when she dies, so does he. So when the Norse gods resurrect the Tournament of Realms, a brutal contest where champions fight for the role of Keeper, Saga must obey the call, and Kalen becomes wholly infested.
To survive the trials, Saga must master her fighting skills and tether with her companion beast while navigating the intrigue of the gods. Yet her greatest challenge may be resisting Kalen, who could either save her heart or shatter the world she’s fighting for because desire is as lethal as the gods’ games.
A must-read for readers who love plot twists, dangerous trials, Norse legends, companion beasts, and star-crossed romance. Perfect for fans of Demi Winters and Danielle Jensen.
Lesley seems like a perfectly normal woman. Until you ask her to leave.
Gillian wants to do right by her elderly Aunt Myra. A safe nursing home. Daily visits. A peaceful final chapter for the woman who has been like a mother to her. A plan that’s derailed when a stranger turns up on the doorstep claiming to be Myra’s long-lost niece, Lesley. She says she’s here to look after Myra.
Within days, Myra’s bank accounts are being drained and Lesley has taken full control of the house. And Gillian—the woman who has always been there for Myra—isn’t allowed through the door.
When she demands to see her aunt, the threats begin. Smashed windows. A slashed tire. Headlights chasing her down a lonely country road. But Gillian isn’t backing off.
Suspicious that Lesley isn’t who she says she is, Gillian digs into her past. And discovers a secret far more horrifying than anything she could have imagined.
A chilling, twist-laden thriller about the people we let through the door, and what they take when we do.
Don’t Let Her In – the shocking psychological thriller, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Shari Lapena, and Lesley Pearse.
I hail from Mayo in the west of Ireland, although I spent much of my life away, in the US, UK, Europe, Jersey in the Channel Islands and various parts of Ireland. In my younger years I was incredibly restless. I left home and school at 16 and spread my wings.
I’ve had over forty jobs, everything from barman, labourer, staff newspaper reporter, soldier in the Irish army, station foreman with London Underground, mason, and many more besides. I returned to education as a mature student in the early noughties and hold a BA in history and sociology from the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, and an M.Phil in creative writing (first class honours with distinction) from Trinity College Dublin.
Since 2005 I’ve been a civilian employee of the Irish police, An Garda Síochána. However, I’ve been on extended sick leave since 2015 following a mystery illness which struck while travelling in Spain. It almost killed me. The doctors never got to the bottom of it and they call me the Mystery Man. But every cloud has a silver lining. It has given me the time to write.
Although I’ve been writing all my life, most of my output languishes in the bottom of drawers. Under my real name, Michael Scanlon, I was published for the first time in 2019 by Bookouture with the first of three crime novels.
Working with Inkubator is a great opportunity because I think I’ve learned something since becoming published and I want to put it into practice. It is a new departure and I have adopted a pseudonym because the books are so different. I hope readers like them.
My thoughts: Poor Aunty Myra, her nieces by marriage have always been there for her, especially Gillian, but now her long-lost niece has arrived from Scotland with her brutish husband and grown up grandsons to “look after” her. Gillian is immediately suspicious.
They won’t let her visit, the formerly impeccable house is a mess, then Myra ends up in hospital after a fall. She’s not with it and seems incredibly groggy and sleepy. The nurse at the hospital is suspicious too.
Gillian has been dealing with several scary things, her windows are smashed, her tyres slashed and she feels terrified, she’s positive it’s the Cuckoos (as she calls them) but has no proof. Until a chance phone call with Myra’s great-nephew fills her in. Now to try and get the police to do something.
There’s also a little time for romance too, in the form of hunky farmer Paddy, who comes to her aid at the Thursday night dance in the community centre. Gillian doesn’t feel so alone with him around, and her sisters are on side too. Can they save Aunty Myra from her so-called niece before it’s too late?
I was hooked, Gillian just wanted the best for a woman she’d known and loved her whole life and Lesley was a bit suspect from the off, she certainly had all the answers. Her family are awful and Myra’s lovely home is soon a total mess, a far cry from the way it is right at the beginning. It was just a shame no one official took a closer look at the family before moving on. A clever and nasty woman vs a kind and trusting one. It never ends 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.
DETECTIVE KATE HAMBLIN IS FIGHTING FOR HER CAREER – AND MAYBE HER LIFE – IN THE GRIPPING CRIME THRILLER FROM A FORMER POLICE OFFICER.
Elderly Agnes Everard never stood a chance. The car slams into her at breakneck speed, then vanishes in a cloud of billowing smoke and burned rubber.
Hours later, two officers knock on Detective Kate’s door. A witness swears it was Kate’s vehicle that hit Agnes Everard – and the evidence agrees. Kate knows it’s a lie. But before she can fight back, she’s suspended, her badge stripped away, her reputation in tatters.
With the help of her loyal husband Hayden – the only person who believes she’s innocent – Kate sets out to investigate. A tip-off leads to a rented flat in Highbridge – and a body at the foot of the stairs, neck snapped, eyes staring. Kate realizes Agnes wasn’t the only target.
Someone is orchestrating this. Someone who’s watching Kate closely.
Someone who knows exactly how to destroy her – and is prepared to kill anyone who gets in the way.
With her career on the line and the net tightening, Kate must uncover who wants her ruined – before she becomes the next body on the floor.
David Hodges served in the Thames Valley Police, from the rank of Constable to Superintendent, retiring after thirty years with the force. During that time, he gained wide experience in numerous operational and management roles, including both urban and rural policing, membership of the tactical Support Group, an authorised firearms and public order unit, and departmental and operational command. Prior to his retirement, he was appointed the force Press, Public Relations Officer and completed his career as the head of Corporate Communication.
A prolific writer, with fifteen crime novels published so far, including ten in his Somerset Murder Series, David is a member of the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers and Crime Readers Associations and International Thriller Writers.
An active supporter of public libraries, and keenly interested in wildlife and the countryside, he is married, with two daughters and four grandchildren, and now lives in beautiful Pembrokeshire, where he can fully indulge his passion for writing.
My thoughts: Framing a police officer for the hit and run of an elderly lady was never really going to work. Detective Inspector Kate Lewis is too clever and too determined to just roll over and take the blame. She knows she’s innocent, and she’ll do whatever it takes to prove it.
With the help of her loyal husband (and fellow police officer) Hayden, she’s soon tracking down answers, even if some of her senior officers would rather see her go down for it.
There’s lots of twists and turns as Kate digs into the case, determined to prove her innocence and stop whoever it is that’s out to destroy her. They don’t seem to want her dead, but her career and life in ruins. Who could be so motivated?
A smart and engaging investigation, a clever and dogged protagonist, a psychopathic criminal, it’s a heady mix and a great 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.
January 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades. But for Samuel Pepys, the darkest days are yet to come.
When a strange young man turns up at his office on Seething Lane asking for help, Samuel Pepys is too distracted to take him seriously. Nell Gwyn is about to make her scandalous return to the stage and he wouldn’t miss it for all the world.
But in the cold of a winter’s dawn, tragedy strikes. Called upon to investigate the brutal murder of a libertine aristocrat, Pepys discovers that the dead man is connected to his mysterious visitor in the most shocking way possible.
A trail of secrets leads Pepys from the backstreets of London to the glamorous world of the theatre, where nothing is quite as it seems. But whatever the dangers, he may find that the deadliest threat lies closer to home…
Reimagining one of Britain’s greatest historical figures through a 21st century lens, Seething Lane sees the return of infamous diarist Samuel Pepys, complete with his trademark audacious wit, keen eye for observation and gripping historical adventure.
My thoughts: Samuel Pepys is a fascinating person, he lived through a tumultuous time in history and luckily for us, documented it all in his famous diaries.
This book, the sequel to The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, sees him during the time he served in the Admiralty offices, but also imagines him working for a secret organisation serving Charles II, as an investigator. There weren’t really police at the time so he isn’t stepping on any toes as he looks into two murders.
It also features the king’s most intriguing mistress, actress Nell Gwynn. She’s a lot of fun, as I imagine the real Nell probably was. She plays a fairly important role in the story, helping Pepys go undercover at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The Duke of Monmouth, Charles’ illegitimate son, is implicated in a plot to get himself on the throne as Charles had no legitimate children with his wife. His best friend is one of the murder victims that Pepys and his colleague Will are trying to find the killer of.
Pepys is also investigating a non-conformist preacher, Wrath, who is very fire and brimstone and possibly preaching sedition at the same time.
As Pepys investigates, all the threads start to slowly come together and he finds that his investigations have connections. His wife Elizabeth is unwell and her poor health worries him, but the work distracts him from his concerns.
It’s a really enjoyable and interesting book, I like the characterisation of Pepys and how he handles his work, although his official job gets badly neglected, but since it’s on the king’s business he gets away with it. I felt bad for Elizabeth, Pepys isn’t really there for her and medicine in the 17th century was really primitive.
The court is full of fascinating figures, most of them real, and I liked the way Jewers portrays the king and Nell, as well as Lady Castlemaine, the outgoing mistress. Jewers does a great job of bringing the world of Restoration London to vivid life.
I hope there’s more cases for Pepys and the other characters, he’s an astute investigator, putting things together, often without much evidence.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for reading and reviewing, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re thrilled to present the book trailer reveal for Loyal Liars by R.M. Carpus – Coming June 2027!
Loyal Liars
Expected Release Date: June 8, 2027
Genre: Dark Academia Villain Romance / Suspense Horror
Tropes & Themes:
Villains
Morally gray
Enemies to lovers
Touch her and 💀
Class divide/class differences
Secret societies
Broken bad boy
Strong FMC
Family secrets
Rags to riches
It was all a bet
Dark elite underworld
Wealth and power
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who’s the greatest liar of them all?
When the Reapers unleash a new wave of terror on Abingdon University’s elite, ivy-shrouded halls, Lukas Godfrey, the drop-out son of the school’s esteemed English Chair, is ordered by his father to retaliate against their leader. Confronting the Reapers is the last thing he wants to do, but their latest attack threatens the only home he’s ever known, and what Daddy wants, Daddy gets. As Master of Abingdon’s oldest and most powerful secret society, Liam Godfrey makes the rules, and only fools disobey.
Until Lukas meets the girl who makes him want to break free for good from his father’s tyrannical reign and start creating the blueprint for his own destiny. Lana Cameron is everything Lukas isn’t, and a raging storm he never saw coming. As he fights his desire to choose Lana over the privileged life Liam has mapped out for him, he discovers the one thing they have in common might be the key to saving them both.
Rum and Roses is a spicy dark romance novella with phantom of the opera vibes and it’s on tour all this week!
Rum and Roses
Release Date: June 6, 2026
Genre: Dark Romance
Biker x ballerina
Cinnamon roll stalker
Consensual BDSM + dom/sub relationship
Forced proximity
He ☠️ every douchebag that hurts her
He kidnaps her to ‘protect’ her
They’re baristas together
He’s tatted, pierced & plays violin
Meet Silas: an ordinary man whose world spirals into darkness the moment he lays eyes on Rosalie. Her radiant smile, that infectious laugh, and carefree spirit ignite a burning fixation within him. What begins as innocent admiration quickly morphs into a twisted obsession. One where he lurks silently in the shadows of her life, convinced that their connection is fate.
When Silas kidnaps Rosalie to shield her from a world he believes threatens to tear them apart, a complex relationship takes shape within their hidden refuge. Fear gives way to understanding, and love begins to bloom in the unlikeliest of places. Rosalie, initially terrified, starts to see glimpses of Silas’s desire to love and be loved; no matter how dark the path may be.
As they navigate a maze of fear, passion, and obsession, their story challenges the very meaning of love, blurring the lines between devotion and danger.
Dark, seductive, and utterly unpredictable; this is a story where love knows no bounds, even if that love is deep rooted from obsession.
Hunted (The Giving Chronicles #2) Reluctant allies to lovers Only one bed “I’ll protect you” Only one horse Wound tending Fated mates Slow burn (but it pays off) Groveling Touch her and dîé (and he means it)
Nothing is as it seems.
The Giving Season has ended, but the onset of winter hasn’t brought Wren peace. The king is still after her, and he has more reason than ever to want her dead. In possession of magic she shouldn’t have, she’s desperate to flee the capital.
And there’s just one person who can help her: Gabriel Moreau, the Hunter who chased Wren across the country, duty-bound to bring her to justice. Forced to make the most difficult decision he’s ever faced, Gabriel chooses to break his oath and vows anew to protect Wren. Now, he too will be hunted.
Together, Wren and Gabriel race across the kingdom to escape the king’s wrath. But the cost of safety is steep, and life on the run is more dangerous than ever. Even with the Hunter by her side, their bond growing stronger with each obstacle, Wren is all too aware that everything, especially the notion of safety, is a lie.
Simon Maltman is the author of novels, novellas and short stories, released with various publishers. An Amazon Bestseller from Northern Ireland he writes a range of crime fiction thrillers.
A regular guest at festivals and events, he is the tour guide for Belfast Noir, and also a well known book reviewer for the likes of ITV and online journals.
An established ‘Ulster Noir’ author, he also writes American-set high concept thrillers.
My thoughts: A collection of short and clever crime stories, some very brief, others a few pages. One even features the current President of US (or does it?)
This was an enjoyable read, I liked how the stories were self-contained but some of them could also be snippets from larger narratives. Short stories are not easy things to write and make them interesting on their own, but this collection manages that with ease.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Seven assassins. One election. The fate of the British Empire hangs in the balance. Felix Grey returns in a high-stakes historical mystery of power, politics and murder.
Prime Minister Felix Grey is still reeling from the fallout of his last ordeal, which left his home secretary dead and his own reputation in tatters. With a general election looming, a fragile Labour party emerging, and an odious Tory leader waiting to seize power, he would rather retreat than fight. Duty, however, and the quiet pressure of King Edward VII, leave him with no choice.
As tensions rise at home, danger gathers abroad. In India, demands for independence grow louder, and a shadowy group of seven assassins is dispatched to strike at the heart of the British establishment. Their targets include senior politicians and even the king himself. The message is clear: empire will not be preserved without bloodshed.
Relying on his wits and a loyal circle of allies, Felix must uncover the conspiracy before it tears the country apart. Felix Grey and the Seven Assassins is the second novel in this historical crime series, combining political intrigue, real historical figures, and a high-stakes assassination plot into a fast-paced, witty caper that will delight fans of classic historical mysteries and intelligent, plot-driven fiction.
My thoughts: Prime Minister Felix Grey is up for re-election, and then he’s warned that a team of assassins from India are in Britain with the hope of striking a blow for independence and he’s on their list.
With the help of his friends and loyal steward Humphrey, Felix plans to find the potential killers and stop their plan, protecting the king and staying alive himself too.
There’s a visiting Swami as well, and while he purports the importance of ahimsa (non-violence to all living things), Felix isn’t sure that he isn’t involved in some way.
I really enjoyed this book, Felix is a great protagonist and his friends are all fascinating too – especially Alfred, the young man Felix rescued in the previous book. He’s investigating the secret office through the Downing Street fireplace, as it seems someone else has been accessing it. He’s also taken up photography, accompanying Felix on his campaign as his official photographer, and learning to read thanks to Felix’s housekeeper.
This book covered a complicated period of time, as India attempted to wrest control of its destiny from the British, and the principles of non-violent protest clashed with those who were willing to do anything to achieve their goals.
Felix is much more moderate than the real politicians of the time, and more willing to listen to people and understand their point. He might not be able to do much as the rest of the Establishment was against home rule for India, but he’s not completely beyond redemption. I’m looking forward to the next book.
*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 Bounty of Blood and Nails by N.K. Brown this week and we have a deluxe special edition to give away too!
The Bounty of Blood and Nails (The Devil’s Huntress Book 1)
Release Date: March 2026
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Feminine Rage
Morally Grey Characters
Dark magic
Forbidden magic
Grumpy x Sunshine
Love Triangles
Spicy Romance
Hidden Villains
Tam is a heartless, ruthless bounty hunter—or so her handler would have you believe.
With her ability to use forbidden blood magic, Tam tracks and captures her prey. The same blood magic that curses her to a life of servitude under a cruel handler—one wrong move and not only her life, but her family’s will be at stake. But when she’s sent to a remote, superstitious northern town where even a glimmer of magic will send you to the gallows, she’s forced to confront the darker consequences of her work.
After the murder of her bounty, innocent townspeople are blamed—and Tam’s conscience begins to stir. But there’s no turning back. Her handler raises the stakes, and her next mission is even more dangerous: infiltrate the royal castle and capture the enigmatic Prince Bellinor. Disguised as a maid, Tam is drawn into a world of deadly secrets, where her words are whispered into the prince’s ears through an ancient magic she’s never faced before.
To get close to the prince, she befriends his loyal bodyguard, Clement, but the deeper she digs, the more she realizes that Clement’s destiny is tied to the prince. With time running out and the castle tightening, Tam is forced to watch the trial of the people blamed for her own prior actions. But will she complete the mission—or risk it all as she falls in love with the person whose life she must destroy?
In this fast-paced, thrilling tale of magic, betrayal, and forbidden love, Tam will have to decide if being the bad guy is worth losing everything.
ramblingmads 