Even more steamy slow burn romance than Book 1 (but still a subplot)
Only one tent
Plot twists that make you go๐ฑ
Feels like an action movie Itโs ๐น๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ with the found family & humor of ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ , the ragtag team & heists of ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐, the mind-bending plot twists of ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ , & the quirky, fast-paced action of ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐.
Penny finally has the one thing sheโs always wantedโher brother, back from the dead.
Problem is, he hates her gutsโand he should, after the tragedy she brought upon him. Voted โmost likely to stab someone in the faceโ in high school, making nice was never Pennyโs strong suit. But for her little brother? Sheโd do anything.
Even team up with the ever-present thorn in her side and her brotherโs favorite human being on f*cking planet Earth, Mal, the giant, hulking, infuriating general. And, unfortunately, her general.
Iโd rather punch myself in the face than work with that thunderous oaf.
The Lies That Hide Within is perfect for fans who wonder what it would be like if Black Widow and Captain America ended up togetherโฆBook 2 of The Darkness Duology blends Resident Evil with the humor & found family of Zombieland, action/adventure like Kingsman: The Golden Circle, unlikely allies & heists like Baby Driver, and mind-bending twists like Shutter Island.
Today, I’m sharing the cover for the first book in Josie’s upcoming trilogy – Kill Me Quick.
Art by Nel Kingman @moth.deity
The pirates of Charleston’s Golden Age aren’t as dead as you might think.
In her centuries-long life, Kulika Yadav has chalked up more than her fair share of regrets. Deserting the crew of former pirate king Bartholomew Roberts is not one of them. She vowed she would never return to his Charleston mansion, knowing that doing so would mean captivity or death. Now, two hundred years after she left, she has no other option: her new master is dying, and the person who holds the key to his cure has disappeared on Bartholomew’s turf.
But Kulika isn’t the only woman on a mission in South Carolina. Patience Quick has been searching for her best friend for six months now, along with enough other missing people to fill a whole deck of cards. She’s willing to do just about anything to find her friend, even if it means following a midnight lead to a colonial-era mansion, where a never-ending pool party is about to turn sinister.
While Kulika knowingly confronts the man who gave her immortality, Quick is left scrambling to understand the nature of the creatures whose nest she has unwittingly disturbed. When the two women’s paths cross, blood will fly.
Kill Me Quick is the first book in Josie Jaffreyโs QuickSilver series, a sapphic dark fantasy series set in Charleston, South Carolina.
Alone in the desert and covered in blood, Josiah Dennis comes across an abandoned town, and two unlikely storytellers burdened with sharing its historyโpast, present, and future. Rogue gangs of vampires, young witches, flayed cadavers, giant lizards, and men with dark hearts dwell in these pages, looming over Buzzardโs Edge, a town full of people struggling to survive in an unforgiving Arizona frontier. So, sit down a spell, and settle where the daybreak ends.
Brennan LaFaro is a music teacher by day, horror writer by night, living in southeastern Massachusetts with his wife, two sons, and his hounds. He is the author of the Slattery Falls trilogy, the Buzzardโs Edge Saga, as well as Illusions of Isolation and Last Stay. You can read his short fiction in various anthologies and find him on Twitter at @brennanlafaro or at http://www.brennanlafaro.com
My thoughts: a series of short stories featuring the residents of the terrifying frontier town of Buzzard’s Edge, related to a lost traveller by Coyote and Vulture as they lead him across the desert.
Each story features horrifying creatures, some of them in human form. There are murders, creatures that literally appear out of the ground, vampires, and other nasties, all terrorising the brave (foolish?) inhabitants of this desert town.
I don’t know the other Buzzard’s Edge books, and it might be helpful to read them first, but not essential. I read this as a standalone collection and was quite happy with it as that. Although I now want to read the other stories, I especially want to know more about Alice.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Moscow, 1958. At the height of the Cold War, MI6 secretary Lois Vale is on a deep cover mission to identify a diplomatic traitor. She can trust only one man: Johann, a German journalist also working covertly for the British secret service. As the trail leads to Vienna and the Black Sea, Lois and Johann begin an affair but as love grows, so does the danger to Lois.
A tense Cold War spy story told from the perspective of a bright young working class woman recruited to MI6 at a time when men were in charge of making history and women were expendable.
Authentic and historical details are provided by the 1958 diary kept in Moscow by the authorโs own mother, who worked for British intelligence.
Deborah Lawrenson spent her childhood moving around the world with diplomatic service parents, from Kuwait to China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore. She read English at Cambridge University and worked as a journalist in London. She has written eight novels and her writing is praised for its vivid sense of place.
The Art of Falling was a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick in 2005. The Lantern was published to critical acclaim in the USA, chosen for the Channel4 TV Book Club in the UK and shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year 2012. Her novel 300 Days of Sun, set in Portugal, was selected as a Great Group Read for the WNBA National Reading Group Month in October 2016 in the USA. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages.
Giveaway to Win 2 x Paperbacks of The Secretary by Deborah Lawrenson (Open to UK Only)
My thoughts: This was utterly gripping and really, really good. I’ve had a bit of a love of Russian history since my A Levels and a very memorable trip to the country (the hotel we stayed in is mentioned in the book!) and it was interesting to read something set during an infamous period of timeย – when the Cambridge spy ring was being unmasked.
It was also really interesting to have the story from a female perspective, inspired by the author’s mother’s own role as a secretary at the British Embassy and as an MI6 operative. Most spy thrillers are full of gungho action and men who are either very dashing or the extreme opposite (like Jackson Lamb from Mick Herron’s Slough House series), they are very rarely female.
Lois is indeed a secretary, but she’s also under orders from MI6, and her job is a cover. She’s been sent to see if she can work out if anyone on the embassy staff might be passing information to the Russians. She’s been told not to trust anyone but German journalist (and fellow spy) Johann.
At times she feels completely out of her depth, and her very strange flatmate and colleague doesn’t help matters. There are important things to do, possible defectors to locate, Russian tails to shake off, and the very real possibility of romance.
Things do go somewhat awry, and far from anyone she can ask for advice, Lois has to essentially wing it. But can she do the job?
I really liked Lois, I liked her determination, the way she wanted to stay the course, even when things were going wrong all over the place. She’s level headed and practical, willing to improvise to get the job done. A really enjoyable, intelligent 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.
*Terms and Conditions โUK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachelโs Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winnersโ information. This will passed to the giveawayorganiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachelโs Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
The gorgeous and spicy new romance from Emma Orchard, perfect for everyone waiting for their next Bridgerton fix!
June, 1817
Sir Dominic De Lacy โ one of the seasonโs most eligible gentlemen โ has recently proposed marriageโฆ to a woman he scarcely knows. But his fatherโs choice for him, Miss Maria Nightingale, seems amiable, and at 29, Dominic cannot live the life of a bachelor forever. He hopes he can provide a happy future for her as they learn to care for each other.
Maria, however, has other ideas. Midway through their engagement celebrations, she confesses to Dominic that she is not Maria at all, but her identical twin sister, Margaret. Maria has disappeared, and Margaretโs been persuaded to take her place until sheโs found โ and for that she needs Dominicโs help. The pair quickly find they make a formidable team, but with just three weeks to avoid the biggest scandal of the season, time is against them.
But even if they find Maria, can they really hope the wedding will happen? Because, as they are starting to realise, chemistry canโt be arranged โ and Sir Dominic might just be engaged to the wrong Miss Nightingaleโฆ
Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because sheโd read all the childrenโs books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasnโt stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.
My thoughts: This was lots of fun, and as Francis (the twins’ brother) pointed out, has something of Twelth Night about it, what with twins swapping places, as well as misunderstandings, blackmail, potential scandals, a doddering buffoon, a fortune gone awry, and love finding a way.ย
When Meg pretends to be her missing twins sister Maria, she finds that Sir Dominic de Lacy might just be rather the one for her, than for her sister. Who is fine, just didn’t quite get around to letting anyone know.
As Meg and Dominic untangle the web of lies, blackmail, misunderstandings and money their families are wrapped in, they discover that most of their relations are pretty good people and that they can resolve things so everyone gets what they need and want most. Including themselves.
Super enjoyable, funny, romantic and entertaining. What more could you 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.
Lucia loved her brother Dinu to the depths of her soul, but she also worried about him. He was intelligent yet ambitious, resilient yet hot-headed, and there was a dark side to him that could lead him into terrible trouble one day.
Sicily, 1943: Lucia and her twin brother Dinu have always been inseparable, but their bond is threatened when Gero, the son of close family friends in America, arrives in their village. Although she finds herself developing feelings for him, Lucia worries about Geroโs dangerous connections and their influence on her brother. As the chaos of World War II closes in, Lucia must navigate love and loyalty to make a difficult choice. Will she risk that the consequences of her decision could bring untold horrors and affect her family for decades to come?
2005: When Jess inherits a baglio, an ancient feudal farmhouse in Sicily, from the grandmother she never knew, sheโs determined to uncover the truth about her familyโs hidden past. Following the death of her parents and on the brink of divorce, Jess travels to the island alone. There, with the help of a charming Sicilian, she embarks on a quest to unearth a web of long-buried secrets.
But answers come at a price, and Jess must decide if sheโs ready to confront a truth that could change everythingโฆ
Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a Siberian cat. Siobhan was born of English parents in Hong Kong, attended boarding school in Australia, and then moved to the UK โ where she taught modern foreign languages in a Welsh high school. She now spends her time writing page-turners and living the dolce vita sweet life near Venice. Her novels are compelling, poignant, and deeply moving, with strong characters and evocative settings, but always with romance at their heart.
My thoughts: Sicily in the Second World War, at one point fighting alongside the Germans, then later, with the Allies. A Sicilian friend once told me Sicily is a bit like Italy, but better.
Lucia worries about her twin brother being drawn into the circle around the local Cosa Nostro don, but is powerless to stop it from happening, her family are poor and Dinu sees become one of the Mafia as an easy way to make money, not thinking of the violence and crime involved. As Lucia worries, she also falls for Gero, the son of old family friends.
Jess is getting to know the area of Sicily her grandmother came from, but she has so many questions. She knows nothing about her mother’s family, a rift before she was born means she is in the dark completely. Learning about Lucia and Gero, and about her great-uncle Dinu will draw her into a terrible tale of family division that lasted generations. She’s also distracted by a handsome Sicilian of her own, just as she’s ready to move on after her divorce.
As the two women’s stories slowly collide, bringing the past into the present, can Jess heal the wounds of the past and fulfil her grandmother’s wish that she find a home and happiness in Sicily?
Charming, romantic, and shocking too, this was a great read, 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.
Check out this amazing cover for upcoming Horrormance, Vessel by Poppy L. Roberts — Available June 6th!
Vessel
Expected Publication Date: June 6, 2025
Genre: Paranormal/Horrormance
Cults
Ritual Sacrifice
River Baths
Morally Gray FMCs
Hand Necklaces
Dark Secrets
Forced Proximity
Demons and Dark Magic
The hollow waits.
Harper is lostโdrowning in a life that feels hollow, disconnected, and disenchanting. Technology, consumerism, and monotony have drained the world of meaning, leaving her restless and yearning for something real. Then one day in her search for feeling, she stumbles across an obscure online forum whispering about Saintโs Hollow, an off-grid commune hidden deep in the mountains. They promise her a detox from the bog of her overwhelming life and reconnection with herself. They promise belonging.
Desperate for escape, Harper sells everything, erases her old life, and follows the invitation that simply reads: Weโve been waiting for you.
Saintโs Hollow is beautiful, untouched by the decay of modern life. Its people are warm, and its leader, Naamah, is intoxicating. But the deeper Harper sinks into their world, the more her reality fractures. Strangeness seeps into every crevice of life in Saintโs Hollow. Shadowed figures haunt her movements and the darkness whispers back.
As Harper unravels, she faces an impossible choice: fight for her fading humanity or surrender to the darkness that has always been waiting.
Because Saintโs Hollow doesnโt just want her dreams.
It wants all of her.
COMING SOON!
CW: This book is intended for adults and may contain graphic or distressing content, including graphic on-page violence, death, gore, and explicit sexual content. A detailed list of content notes can be found at authorpoppyroberts.com.
A man on the hunt for a traitor. A woman in search of the truth.
Gabrielle Mercer is in trouble. Her cousin is missing, her fatherโs death looks like murder, and now there are rumours she is spying for the French. With no one to turn to, dare she accept help from a man she doesnโt like?
Jack Ashdown is on a mission to unmask a ruthless spy. Could it be the reclusive young Frenchwoman who has made no secret of her contempt for Englishmen like himself? Perhaps Gabrielleโs predicament will be the perfect opportunity to win her trust and do some spying of his own.
Getting close to oneโs enemy is a dangerous option, but the stakes for Jack and Gabrielle are too high to ignore. Will their gamble to trust one another lead to disaster, or will they discover that neither of them is what they seem?
Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, youโll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentlemanโs Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Pennyโs debut novel and the first of her Gentlemen Series. Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).
My thoughts: I really liked Gabrielle, not least because she shares a last name with my great-grandmother who was also French. She’s a survivor, and despite coming from an aristocratic background isn’t afraid to work hard and support herself and other refugees from Napoleon Bonaparte’s France.
When her cousin Michel disappears, leaving her sick uncle worried, she wants to find him, and her new friend recommends asking her dashing nephew Jack to help. Jack is however on the trail of a spy. Could it be Gabrielle?
As the duo (and Jack’s delightful aunt) head to Bath and then Cornwall on Michel’s trail, can they resist the connection between them and can Jack resist the urge to demand Gabrielle tells him where her allegiances truly lie?
A fun romp around the English countryside hunting spies, pretending to be a married couple and drinking the gross Bath waters, bickering all the way! A delight.
*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 celebrating the release of Fallen Kainat, a dark romantasy with Snow White & the Huntsman vibes!
Fallen Kainat (Fallen Shu’al #1)
Publication Date: March 17, 2025
Genre: Dark Romantasy
๐ก๏ธ Mild Enemies to Lovers
๐๏ธ Military x Secret Agent
๐ Snow White and The Huntsman Vibes
๐ซ Magical Beings
โค๏ธโ๐ฅ Forced Proximity
๐ He Falls First
๐ฅ Feminine Rage
๐๏ธPolitical Romance
โจMuslim/Desi Rep
Mirror, mirror on the wall, He’s the devil whoโll burn them all, She’s the moth drawn to his flame, And I’m just here to watch their gameโฆ
Huzayn Sinwar is the kind of killer I admire. Swift. Talented. Ruthless.
The Ifritin are, after all, the most malevolent of the Djinn โ known for their immense strength and ability to wield fire. Huzayn has been stranded on Earth ever since the destruction of the portal to our homeland, Qafriya. So he needs something, badly.
And I need him.
Sergeant Kainat Pirani is a betrayed woman in search of new beginnings. Despite her motherโs warnings, she follows her military instinctsโand Huzayn chooses Kainat to be his personal security detail. So much the better. She may just be the missing key toโฆeverything.
And I? I am Ramad. This is the beginning of my revenge.
Fallen Kainat is a steamy dual POV, dark dystopian romance with revenge vibes, soulmates, and magical beings.
Co-Authors Jayne Starwing and Vilyn DeVine join forces, writing as Sera Foxe, your next fav Romantasy author! Blood Iron & Bone is now available!
Blood Iron and Bone: A Fae Fantasy Romance (The Lightbringers, Book 1)
Publication Date: March 21, 2025
Genre: Romantasy
Aurelia, a mortal girl, hears a strange call in the night and is compelled to answer…
In another world, Andar, betrothed to the future High Queen of รithrim, can’t understand why his supposed fated mate looks so right, but feels so wrong…
Duty, fate, blood iron and bone collide under a cursed sky…
In a kingdom on the precipice of the fulfillment or failure of its most famous prophecy, thrown together by fate and terrifying circumstance, a motley band of Fae and Human alike must come together for the good of the realm, even as the darkness that covers the land threatens to become permanent.
Fans of Rebecca Yarros, Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas, and Jennifer L. Armentrout will love this epic Fantasy Romance series featuring fated mates, found families, and chosen ones โ Lightbringers โ prophesied to break a darkness that threatens everything.
ramblingmads 