Autumn Chaos Olena Nikitin (Season’s War, #1) Publication date: September 1st 2022 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
A mystery of a monster on the rampage ignites the passionate love triangle between a witch and two warriors with a help of a mysterious cat.
After ten years of peaceful solitude, exiled-mage-turned-village-witch, Lady Inanuan of Thorn, has her life turned upside down when a half-dead warrior is dumped on her doorstep. Soon she learns that no good deed goes unpunished in the Black Forest—not even if your friend is Leshy, the Forest God himself.
Expelled from her position as a court mage for her sharp tongue, Ina’s had ten years to learn how to survive in a harsh environment. The forbidden healing she performs links her life energy with her unexpected guest Marcach, captain of the guards, and Ren, his best friend, a traveller from lands so far away that many consider them a myth.
With unnatural monsters on the loose and unrest in the capital, everything points toward rebellion, and clues that both men discover indicate Ina’s involvement. Ina learns her magic is not what it seems, and her past comes back to haunt her. An old mistake will see her dragged back to the court and thrown right into the middle of the political struggle. To make things worse, her heart succumbs not to just one man but two, and each expects the worst of her.
Will the woman who does not believe in love be able to choose? And can she clear her name and learn to control the Chaos before it burns the kingdom down?
Olena Nikitin is our pen name. We are an enthusiastic couple of writers who are fascinated by the fantasy/paranormal romance genre and decided to write a book we would love to read
Behind the Pen name:
Olga – is Polish, armed with a wicked sense of humour and typical Slavic pessimism she is the wicked witch from the East. She has written stories since childhood, initially mostly about her work. As an emergency physician, she always has a story to tell and often not much time to write.
Mark is a typical English gentleman whose charm, refined taste and an impressive collection of books were tempting enough to make Olga leave her homeland. Don’t tease him too much; this man has an impressive sword collection and he knows how to use it. He also can fix everything, including Polish syntax in English writing.
To Steal a Heart Jennifer Youngblood (Honeysuckle Island, #5) Publication date: August 10th 2022 Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense, Women’s Fiction
Coming home has never been so thrilling … or deadly.
When New York Times Bestselling author, Arden Chasing, returns home to Honeysuckle Island to attend a diamond exhibition held at The Oliver Hotel, she soon finds herself embroiled in a perplexing mystery that involves the charming and charismatic Garrett Singleton, a known jewel thief.
As the mystery deeps and danger closes in, Arden fears she might lose something even more valuable than the celebrated pink Finkle diamond—her heart.
Jennifer Youngblood is a USA Today Bestselling Author of clean romance, sweet romance, romantic comedy, and romantic suspense novels. For as long as she could remember, Jennifer has wanted to be an author. In those rare moments when she’s not dreaming up another story, Jennifer loves cooking, spending time with family, and occasionally breaking away from her hectic life to take spontaneous trips to exotic and sometimes not so exotic locations. She couldn’t survive in a world without chocolate, good books, family, and friends.
Thank you to Rachel from rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Starting Over in Bellbird Bay, the third instalment of Maggie Christensen’s series set in a little town in Queensland.
About the book:
Starting Over in Bellbird Bay
Following the death of her husband, Cleo Johansen and her daughter moved to Bellbird Bay determined to make a new start. Having carved out a new life, Cleo is shattered when a shadow from her husband’s past throws their lives into disarray.
Will Rankin has lived in Bellbird Bay all his life. Now widowed, the former surf champion runs the local surf school and enjoys a close relationship with his son. Content to lead a single life, the appearance of an undesirable stranger is quick to upset his peaceful existence.
While neither Will nor Cleo is interested in forming a new relationship, an unexpected attraction surfaces when a mutual friend suggests they spend more time together.
Set against a background of sun, sea and sand, can Cleo and Will find a way to move forward together?
A heart-warming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.
Starting Over in Bellbird Bay is the third book set in in this lovely, tiny community in Queensland Australia. Judging by the cover, it must be a place full of sunshine and marvellous views.
The previous two books told us the story of Aisla McNeil and Martin Cooper, and Grace Winter and Tom Crawford. If you’ve been following the seies, you’ll be delighted to see the familiar faces. If this is your first visit to Bellbird Bay, don’t worry, the story is completely self-sufficient.
Cleo Johansen lost her husband Stan to a heart attack and decided to move away from their community to Bellbird Bay where Cleo quickly found a job as a cafe manager and her daughter Hannah graduated from school and left for university. now Hannah is back and about to take up a teaching job, but Cleo’s independent daughter would like to spread her wings and leave home to rent a house with her school friends Nate McNeil and Owen Rankin.
Will Rankin is highly respected in Bellbird Bay- he built up his business from scratch and is also involved in several charities. Will’s life has been marked by tragedy as he lost his older son in and his beloved wife Dee within one terrible year. He is a kind and gentle person, focused on his surf school and Owen, so when a tourist starts giving him unwanted attention bordering on stalking, he is at a loss what to do in order to stop this harrassment.
Luckily, his best friend’s Martin Cooper’s new partner Aisla has an idea which can be best described as a fake relationship with her pretty and reserved friend-Cleo. Can Cleo put aside her apprehension and try to see Will for what he really is and not what reminds her of her late husband? And what about a stranger who has contacted Hannah on Facebook and would like to bring up past events Cleo knew nothing about? Does Cleo owe it to her husband to hear out this person whatever her own feelings are?
There’s another huge shadow threatening the paradise life in Bellbird Bay-a new development on the Dolphin Beach might bring new business to the community, but it will definitely ruin the unspoilt beauty of the area and will endanger the local fauna. Will knows it is important to use political, non-violent means to oppose this proposal and gets busy drumming up the support for this campaign.
Maggie Christensen’s characters are more mature and have a lot of life experience which influences their love story. They are self-sufficient, but at the same time they appreciate this second chance for building up a new relationship without losing precious happy memories of the past. If you are wondering about ‘the fake’ aspect and how it would work out in a small town like this, no, they decide to do it properly and take a risk, but be honest, because they are genuinely interested in spending time together.
Maggie Christensen’s writing has a lot of detail- we do get to know not only our characters’ subtle feelings and worries, but also their clothes and meals. On one hand, it allows the reader to feel completely immersed, on the other hand, the pace is very steady.
If you like reading about a small town with a friendly local community, eco issues, complex and everchanging dynamics between parents and grown-up children, and opening up to a new relationship after being widowed, this book is for you.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio –
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.
And the book I am waiting for is… A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
From the blurb:
In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.
East and West. Humans and Spirits. Breccans and Tamerlaines. The Isle of Cadence has always held itself and its residents in a tenuous balance. But now Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, has pushed everyone and everything in his path off-kilter in a bid to claim dominion over all.
In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the last role she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.
In the East, Jack is adrift without Adaira until he sings to the ember-weak fire spirits, acquiring a dangerous mission he never expected. One that is destined to lead him westward. Likewise, Torin and Sidra are consumed by a new mystery as sickness spreads first amongst the crops, and then to the people of the Tamerlaine clan. While Sidra desperately searches for a cure, Torin dares to strike a bargain with the spirits—a precarious folly anytime, but especially now as the days grow darker.
With the island falling further out of balance, humans and spirits alike will need to join together to face Bane, and Jack’s gift with the harp will be called upon once more. Yet no one can challenge the North Wind without paying a terrible price, and the sacrifice required this time may be more than Jack, Adaira, Torin, and Sidra can bear to pay.
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Expected Publication Date: December 06, 2022
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
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Earlier this year I read and reviewed A River Enchanted, the first book in this Scottish-folklore-inspired fantasy duology- you can find my review here.
Today I’m delighted to participate in the cover reveal for Under the Cloud, a brand new thriller by B.R.Erlank!
About the book:
Under The Cloud
They call themselves The Settlement Bureau. A faceless, soulless organization coercing Americans with threats to expose their improprieties and vulnerabilities. Inhumanely persistent, they’ve secretly driven hundreds of victims into bankruptcy, despair – and several even to suicide.
But when this organization tries to blackmail IT expert Terry Reynolds, they make a serious mistake. Terry is down on his luck. He is penniless, divorced and in a dead-end job. Yet, the abuse of his personal information stirs Terry out of his lethargy and he fights back. He embarks on a digital game of cat-and-mouse with the cold, calculating minds behind The Settlement Bureau – and in doing so, uncovers a sprawling criminal conspiracy.
Under The Cloud is a chillingly plausible new thriller by B.R. Erlank. With a plot ripped straight from the headlines, readers warn this book delivers a “roller coaster ride right up to the final pages.”
Boris Erlank grew up in Southern Africa and Namibia. He has lived and worked in places as diverse as Luanda, Cape Town, Singapore and San Francisco. Boris recently gave up his job as Global Privacy Manager with a Fortune 100 company to focus on writing full-time.
He has an extensive background in IT, data privacy and cybersecurity, and has drawn on that experience to craft his latest novel, “Under the Cloud”.
Boris lives with his family and two dogs in the foothills of Mount Diablo, east of San Francisco. In his spare time, he likes to cycle, hike, sing in a choir, and listen to audiobooks.
Happy Publication Day to Babel, a standalone fantasy novel by Kuang, R. F.!
Publisher: Harper Voyager
9780063021426, 0063021420 Publication Date: August 23rd, 2022
From the Blurb:
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.
Babel is the world’s center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar; translator; and the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of the Poppy War trilogy and the forthcoming Babel. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.
Happy Publication Day to Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood!
From the Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.
Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?
ISBN 9780593336847 Publication Date: August 23, 2022
About the author:
Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).
It’s Monday! What are you Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, a place to share and discuss what we’ve read in the past week and what we’re in the middle of or are planning to read this week.
What I read / listened to last week:
The Little Theatre on Halfpenny Lane by Claudagh Murphy
In the Pines by Kendra Elliot
Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
What She Found by Robert Dugoni- my first Dugoni and I really enjoyed it. Can’t believe I’ve just discovered Tracy Crosswhite series.
What I am reading/listening to now:
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
What I’m reading /listening to next:
Starting over in Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling series.
Solving a decades-old disappearance sets Tracy Crosswhite on a dangerous collision course with the past in a pulse-pounding novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
Detective Tracy Crosswhite has agreed to look into the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress. Solving the cold case is an obsession for Lisa’s daughter, Anita. So is clearing the name of her father, a prime suspect who became a pariah. After twenty-five years, all Anita wants is the truth—no matter where it leads.
For Tracy, that means reopening the potentially explosive investigations Lisa was following on the dark night she vanished: an exposé of likely mayoral graft; the shocking rumors of a reserved city councilman’s criminal sex life; a drug task force scandal compromising the Seattle PD; and an elusive serial killer who disappeared just as mysteriously as Lisa.
As all the pieces come together, it becomes clear that Tracy is in the midst of a case that will push her loyalties and her resilience to the limit. What she uncovers will come with a greater price than anyone feared.
Publication date: August 23rd, 2022 9781542008327 (ISBN10: 1542008328)
My thoughts:
This is my first book by Robert Dugoni and finally I can see why my blogger friends have been raving about this author for years! Although What She Found is the ninth instalment in his hugely successful Tracy Crosswhite series, it is possible to read it as a standalone. Most likely, you will want to pick up the previous books after reading this one anyway.
The beginning was very dynamic- an investigative reporter Lisa Childress gets a phone call from a mysterious source and heads to a secret meeting place in the industrial zone of Seattle. There she finds her contact has been murdered and she herself is attacked by a masked man. Lisa, a brilliant journalist described as socially awkward and possibly on the autism spectrum, has a two year old daughter Anita and husband Larry who often begged her to buy a pepper spray to protect herself and even started putting a can of bear spray in Lisa’s bag. Lisa reaches for the can….
Tracy Crosswhite is still getting used to working as a one-detective-investigative unit. Her new Chief of Police Weber is urging her ‘to showcase’ the importance of investigating cold cases in a press conference. Weber is mostly concerned with the public image and preventing the police department from being de-funded. She would like Tracy to focus on ‘easy’ cases, cases where there is DNA evidence that can be analysed by using new scientific advances. Lisa Childress’s case doesn’t fall into this category, but Tracy cannot resist Anita Childress’s pleas to look into her missing mother’s case. The police investigation was rushed and concentrated on her father who became the prime suspect. Anita, who is a reporter herself, has put together the notes from her mother’s cases, stories Lisa was actively pursuing at the time when she went missing. Tracy is sympathetic- she has a personal knowledge of what getting a closure means to he family of a victim. She is also intrigued by Lisa’s potentially explosive stories.
While the beginning was fast and action-packed, the rest of the book was more steady-paced with Tracy following various leads, hitting deadends, getting breakthroughs, hitting more deadends and so on. In a police procedural that focuses on an active case there is more tension and inherent urgency to catch the perpetrator(s). Things are different in a cold case investigation, where there are other factors to take into consideration such as statutes of limitation on prosecuting certain crimes and deceased witnesses.
This is a ‘high-content-density’ book. We take a look at police corruption- how it starts, how new police officers get involved, personal price of not coming forward and speaking up and how difficult it is to prosecute it. We also see how Tracy is juggling family life and motherhood with her highly-demanding job. Family is an important topic in this story, its ‘one-line-through’. Tracy can’t give up on bringing closure to victims’ families. Other characters also have to make difficult personal choices involving their families. There’s also another interesting topic touched upon- a court of law with its insistence on the right procedure Versus the court of public opinion, which can ruin someone’s life and turn them into a social pariah or it can force the guilty into confessing their crimes where it is impossible to get admissible evidence.
Tracy is a wonderful character and I would love to read the series from the beginning to appreciate the development she must have gone through. She is fair, loyal, and tenacious, and isn’t afraid to put her career on line for the sake of her principles. At the same time she is very wary of judging other people for their behaviour. It was great to see how much she values her family and her colleagues esp.Faz and Del who have taught her so much.
Definitely recommended to anyone who loves an interesting series of police procedurals with a strong female lead.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Artemis found the love of her life when she met Linda, but their passionate relationship fizzles when Artemis lands herself on the other side of the law. Pulling the pieces of her life together, Artemis rekindles her relationship with Linda, and together they raise a daughter.
Meanwhile, Grace, running from her past, starts a life with Thalia. At a pride parade, Grace spots someone who reminds her of Artemis, who she was briefly involved with in her youth. Old feelings are rekindled. A lifetime of rejection, abandonment, and fleeing rears its head. Now she must come to terms with her past, put her relationship with Artemis to rest–or risk losing everything.
Artemis and Grace embark on a journey of revolution, love, and marriage and discover that love finds us when we least expect it.
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Janet Mason is an award-winning creative writer, teacher, marketing professional, and occasional blogger for such places as The Huffington Post. Their book, Tea Leaves, a memoir of mothers and daughters, published by Bella Books in 2012, was chosen by the American Library Association for its 2013 Over the Rainbow List. Tea Leaves also received a Goldie Award. Their work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and their novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books – New York and Lisbon) was featured at the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair. Adelaide Books also published their novel The Unicorn, The Mystery late in 2020.
Loving Artemis appeals to a wide readership, with particular interest to the LGBTQA+ audience. As a love story and a coming-of-age narrative, it holds universal appeal. It is also an important slice of American history — enticing to those who have lived through it. It also attracts a younger audience who want to learn about the events that led to marriage equality.
Janet Mason (born 1959) is an American writer and poet. Her poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and essays have appeared in literary journals including the Brooklyn Review and the Exquisite Corpse.
Her work includes the poetry collections When I Was Straight (Insight to Riot Press, 1995), A Woman Alone (Cycladic Press, 2001), and the nonfiction work Tea Leaves: A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters (Bella Books, 2012).
Her novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders was published by Adelaide Books in 2018 and The Unicorn, The Mystery was published by Adelaide Books in 2020.
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