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.
Selina Dragavei wanders the northern wastes in fear of persecution from the Holy Roman Church. In Europe’s Dark Age, witchfinders scour the lands and traveller folk such as she are put to flame and suffering. On the ruthless steppes, she evades them but something far sinister will lay claim to her soul.
Returning to the world of men, a dark, transformed Selina has a thirst for blood and only the drift down through the centuries will quench it. But she won’t make that journey alone, as she determines to bring others to her. As a troupe of entertainers, they attend pageants, festivals, and even royal galas, where a family bound to darkness feed on unsuspecting mortals. Such debauchery, however, does not go unnoticed. Famed witchfinder, Desider von Brandenburg, becomes obsessed with bringing this band of vampire-devils to a righteous cleansing, and so a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.
Will the holy man bring God’s wrath down upon them, or will Selina and her nightwalkers battle the might of Heaven and emerge unscathed? Only instinct, cunning, and a little luck under the watch of a wolf moon will tell…
Beverley Lee is a bestselling dark fiction author who lives close to the dreaming spires of Oxford, England. Her work specialises in atmospheric horror, creeping dread, and broken boys – sometimes altogether – but are always filled with heart and the tenuous threads of relationships pushed to the brink. All the Feels all the time. Vampires are her first love and occasionally they stop whispering long enough for her to write other books. When she’s not writing you’ll find her rambling through the countryside, dreaming about male vampires kissing, and exploring time-worn graveyards.
My thoughts: Roaming Europe, a family of vampires has been lucky so far, they move on before anyone finds their victims, but their luck is running out. A team of hunters is on their trail and their leader has sworn not to stop until they, or he, are dead.
As the hunters harry their undead prey across Europe’s wintery depths, they must use all their skills to stay one step ahead of the men who see it as a holy duty to wipe out the creatures. The two parties clash and both sides suffer losses, who will prevail and at what cost?
A dark and bloody tale of monsters and men, wolves and snow. Selina is cunning and has stayed “alive” a long time but she and her family may just have met their match, can all her centuries of wandering last or will she be brought to an end?
There’s some clever twists in this story and fans of horror and folklore will enjoy it.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Digital editions of Ambition to Savor by B.B.E. Gwyn are now available on Amazon! This one looks so good!
Ambition to Savor: A Cozy Fantasy Adventure (The Lone Thorn Series)
Publication Date: February 7, 2025
Genre: Cozy Fantasy Adventure
Standalone adventure
3rd-person single POV
Low fantasy magic
Cozy cooking
Platonic chemistry
Mystical creatures
Bizarre ingredients
Dynamic combat
Fast-paced plot
When a quest for magical ingredients takes you from kitchen to adventure, you’d better save your appetite.
Dedicated and cautious restaurant owner Jonathan Tessier dreams of crafting legendary recipes—the fame and fortune that might follow is a pretty nice bonus. But it’s all he can do to keep his restaurant afloat. Stolen ingredients, a surprise visit from a food critic, and a damaged reputation put his business at risk.
Jonathan knows he needs to make a change. A big one. Before he loses it all.
He and his eager head chef, Elenora Kerras, soon set off to find the bizarre ingredients that might save his restaurant. This hunt takes them through towns and wilderness, where they encounter dangerous beasts and sly individuals. They face challenges more thrilling than even their busiest dinner shifts.
Each success brings Jonathan ever closer to his lofty goal—until he stumbles upon his most startling discovery yet.
Will his dreams be worth all their luster, or will the revelation shatter his culinary world?
A standalone fantasy adventure in the Lone Thorn series, Ambition to Savor is a fun and whimsical tale that explores a question you never thought you needed to ask—What if a restaurant owner had magical powers and a dream to find flavors from deep within a world of hidden quirks?
We’re thrilled to present the gorgeous cover for the second book in the House of Hyrax series, The Crown of the Dark Prince! You are going to want to pre-order this one!
The Crown of the Dark Prince (House of Hyrax Book 2)
Expected Publication Date: June 5, 2025
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Forbidden Love
Chosen One
Godly Magic and Prophecies
He’ll give up everything for her
Political intrigue
Found Family
Magical Trials
Unexpected Allies
“What do you want?” “You”
The Crown of the Dark Prince is the exciting sequel to the bestselling novel The Rose in the Shadows and promises readers a steamy story filled with magic, secrets, betrayals, and heart-pumping action.
Theadora Moore has finally found her place within the Athenian Court.
With her would-be assassin now imprisoned in the palace dungeon, the kingdom awaits her next steps—completing her trials, ascending to the Royal Council, and forging a powerful alliance through marriage. Yet, despite her willingness to embrace these new responsibilities, she is haunted by dark secrets.
Thea can’t stop dreaming of the Underworld, and she’s desperate to figure out what her ancestor, the God of the Dead, wants from her. Until she understands, she can’t trust anyone with the truth, not even Crown Prince Clayton Vail. As her secret meetings with Hyrax continue, they threaten everything she cares about, including her growing relationship with Clay, who is determined to uncover what she’s hiding—even if it risks tearing them apart.
When the legendary Sword of Zion is stolen from it’s archives, Thea must seek help from an unlikely ally and realizes that secrets have a way of surfacing and prophecies cannot be ignored. To protect the Mortal Realm and keep her friends safe, she must finally accept who she is and the destiny she was born to fulfill—before it’s too late.
A murder without evidence, a secret that could topple society and a cop with a bit of a coffee habit!
Three things were certain in the mind of Officer Theodore Night.
There’s a serial killer loose in Portstewart
His new friend is a werewolf
He’s in way over his head
When bloody paw prints at a crime scene leads Officer Night to consider the impossible, he must rely not only on his years of investigative experience, but on the local werewolf pack, for help.
An unlikely friendship gives Night the edge he needs to prevent an all-out war. Has Blair, the mysterious barista from Bean and Gone, caused him to bite off more than he can chew?
When modern blades break the God’s seal, it is up to Detective Theodore Night and his werewolf partner, Blair Blackwolfe, to save the North Coast from devastation.
Janeen is an Irish author born and raised on the scenic Causeway Coast. Curious, and with a great love for adventure, Jan spent her childhood climbing trees and talking to her imaginary friends, many of whom have now found a home in her writing.
She has a bachelor’s degree in advertising and works for gaming companies around the world. She is a lover of all things fantasy and aims to bring some magic to the places that she visits in her writing. Portstewart, Dublin and Chester City each feature prominently in both her travels and her writing, and her stories often draw from real life places that have captured her heart.
As an ultramarathon runner, Jan often writes on the go, using her trusty phone and stylus to craft scenes that come to her after hours on her feet.
She lives with her husband, Liam, their Border Collie-Cross, Zarya, and their Guinea Pig, (Peek-A) Boo, who they all fear will one day take over the world!
My thoughts: Turns out I’d read and earlier version of Strays before, and so I was really pleased to read it again and to read Fetch, the sequel, for the first time.
In Strays we meet PSNI Officer Theodore Night, who has 7 dogs and is always half asleep due to nightmares that stop him getting a good night’s rest. A strange murder scene, covered in giant pawprints, has him, as the animal expert, called out. But he’s at a loss until he rescues barista Blair Blackwolfe, who is having some sort of medical episode, and learns a huge secret, known to no-one in Blair’s life – he’s a werewolf, from a long line of them and they mostly live in a vast cavern network under the city.
And one of them is killing people.
Blair agrees to help Theo solve the case and stop the horrific murders, especially after meeting the young boy intentionally left alive to report a “really big dog” killed his family. Heartbreaking.
The duo have to involve the local packs, but things get a bit hairy and the case is way more complicated than a lone wolf.
In Fetch, still dealing with the repercussions of Strays, our detective duo are involved in another case with otherworldly connections. Someone, or something, is abducting children for a terrible reason. And it’s up to Blair and Theo to stop it. This time they need help from a few of their friends and colleagues (and Blair’s matchmaking sister Alice) to get to grips with the monstrous kidnapper.
Filled with references to Irish folklore and fantasy tropes (and with a very nice queer will they/won’t they – Blair’s gay but Theo?) this is a series which I really enjoyed and hope there’s more to come from it.
*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 the first book in a new duology by Kate Gateley, called Shadow of the Yew Tree!
Shadow of the Yew Tree (The Mythic Bones #1)
Expected Publication Date: Spring 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Dual POV
Grumpy/sunshine
Men in therapy
Open door romance
Canadian PNW backdrop
ADHD rep
Mentor/mentee
Unique magic system
One bed / forced proximity
Slow Burn
Druids & Science
FMCs who are 30+ (and MMCs who are 40+ 😉)
Who is patient number eighty-seven?
Shadow of the Yew Tree by Kate Gateley is the first novel in a contemporary fantasy and romance duology featuring an angsty Druid doctor and a sassy, enigmatic journalist who find themselves in an unexpected partnership. Secrets vine dangerously between them as they race to counter the rapidly growing threat to their hidden magical world …
The Mythic Bones Duology is a standalone series set in Gateley’s beloved “Lost Wells” world. It is perfect for A Discovery of Witches and Outlander fans with a modern Canadian twist.
Happy book birthday to author Allie Shante and congratulations on the release of Live Like Legends, the final book in the series!
Live Like Legends (Living Legend Book 3)
Publication Date: January 30, 2025
Genre: Fantasy Romance/ POC
angels/demons found family a fight for Heaven’s Gate hurt/comfort library spice I’ll always find you mental illness rep
Sometimes the light we seek…finds you instead
After the events in Purgatory, Dani hasn’t quite felt the same. She knows the fight for her soul—or whatever there is inside of her— isn’t over. Dani would take the realms by storm if she had her way, but the angel that has her heart would rather keep her all to himself. Nicholas just wants to keep her safe, but when a certain entity from her past pays a visit, the fate of her newly found family hangs in the balance. Dani can only ask herself one question when the time to stand arrives: What happens if she’s not strong enough to keep darkness out of Heaven’s Gate?
A final fight for happiness
Nicholas thought finally having Dani and getting the answers he was promised would be enough, but when his father revealed much more truth than he would have liked, he decided living in ignorant bliss was enough. The darkness that looms in his mind has settled but keeping Dani close and his father at arm’s length may prove to resurface old wounds. When things take a turn for the worst and his happiness is threatened, he will have to put his pride aside to ask for help. Nicholas will learn that the power to fight and win comes from the one thing he was born out of: love.
We have another great book recommendation for you. This one is a fantasy called Tarnished Relics by AJ Titter!
Tarnished Relics (A Children of Isteni Tale)
Tropes:
Prophecy
Chosen One
Justice v. Revenge
Fate v. Free Will
Justice is good. Revenge is power.
Amiir, one of the first born, seeks to dethrone his father Isteni, the creator. An ancient prophecy of Ouroby says there is a woman destined to bring Amiir victory. He has searched eons, waiting for a female seer born when the lorkiss and the swan are high in the night sky.
Attoria sees the future when she dreams. A rare gift in Halgrond, even rarer for a woman. When Attoria’s parents are cursed with a deadly illness, she is determined to get her revenge. But first, she needs to discover who is responsible.
As Attoria hunts for answers, she is pursued by zealots of Isteni that want to prevent the prophecy. And the only sure way to do that, is to kill her.
Is she the one Amiir has waited for? Can she evade those intent on stopping the prophecy? And what will be the cost for her revenge?
We’re getting ready for the release of book 3 in the HOTE series by touring all the books in the series over the next few months. This month, we’re shining the spotlight on The Cavalier!
Heroes of the Empire: The Cavalier #1
Publication Date: November 22, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
“For Fans of An Ember in the Ashes”
Tropes:
Multiple POV, Morally Gray MCs, Chosen One, Royal Intrigue, Warrior Training Academy, Hidden Powers, Mistaken Identity, Doppelgängers, Slow Burn Romance, Found Family
She calls the Empire home. He pledges to bring its downfall.
Death is Velamir’s close acquaintance. As a student in the Chishman academy, he cannot escape the brutal war. When he’s sent on a mission with three fellow academy cadets, Velamir returns to the Empire, the land of his birth. Calamity befalls the group as they trek through enemy territory, and Velamir learns a part of his past that makes the mission far more personal. Burdened with the deaths of the unavenged and the chance of losing his own life, Velamir must decide if revenge is worth the cost.
Natassa knows her role well: The silent and obedient girl. The one who looks away from the torture her father, the emperor, inflicts on the Empire’s inhabitants. The princess. But she’s a shackled prisoner, and somewhere under the mask is a spark of rebellion. When she learns of her father’s intention to marry her to a man she loathes, Natassa crafts a risky plan of her own—one dangerous enough to get her killed.
Two searching hearts. Two perilous paths. Velamir must find the courage to face his past and Natassa must find the strength to face herself before the war consumes them both.
The Spell Caster by Tamsin Hawthorn will be FREE on Amazon from Jan 20-24. Grab a copy now! You won’t regret it!
The Spell Caster: A Witchy Paranormal Romance (Spell Caster’s Familiar Book 1)
Publication Date: August 1, 2024
Genre: Paranormal Romance
🌙 Witches, angels, demons
✨ Smoldering slow burn
🌙 Epic conflict spanning several series
✨ Best friends to lovers
🌙 It’s forbidden
✨ He fell first, and he fell hard
✨ You better keep your hands off her
🌙 Found family
A failed spell caster.
Layla Rosen’s one purpose is to summon a demon familiar and become a spell caster—a powerful witch able to stand between the modern world of non-magical humans and the vicious creatures known as angels.
But when her summoning circle fails, she is left without a weapon at the worst possible time. The angels are stirring, tipping the balance of power in a war older than history.
With enemies closing in, Layla must find a way to fix her broken magic and put her life back together. She definitely doesn’t have time for this growing attraction to her childhood best friend—someone she’s forbidden to get involved with.
angels/demons
ramblingmads 