Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Young Adult Fiction Spotlight: Dear Hero by Hope Bolinger & Alyssa Roat

This morning, I have a young adult fiction book to share! Check out Dear Hero, learn about authors Hope Bolinger & Alyssa Roat, and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.  



Book Title:  DEAR HERO by Alyssa Roat & Hope Bolinger
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  394 pages
Genre:  YA Romance, Superheroes, Chat Fiction, Humor
Publisher:  Torchflame Books
Release date:  October, 2024
Content RatingPG-13 for MCU-level superhero violence; PG when it comes to language and sexual content (kissing).
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About the Book


There's an app for everything--even meeting a new nemesis.

Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world—at least, until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new villain to fight, and fast. Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.

Enter Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains. The two match right away, and after throwing punches at each other behind coffee shops, practicing their fight choreography, and hiring henchmen to do their bidding (mostly just getting them coffee), they realize they have a lot more in common than names that annoyingly rhyme. After all, they're still rising through the ranks in their respective circles, and their reputations need good press.

But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Can a hero really trust a villain to do the right thing? And can a villain trust a hero not to screw them over? As darkness from the past threatens them both, they may need each other for the fight to come—one with much higher stakes than their choreographed meet-ups on weekends.

Told entirely through texts, transcriptions, and direct messages, this darkly humorous chat fiction rom-com goes behind the scenes of the superworld.
 
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Meet the Authors

Alyssa Roat lives in the cornfields of Indiana, but she hopes to soon discover a portal to a fantasy world where she will run a bookshop for magical creatures. For now, she is an award-winning multi-published author and has worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as an editor, agent, writer, and publicist. She and her partner have four black cats who allegedly have never been fed in their lives and occasionally help her write by walking across the keyboard. Her name is a pun, which means you can learn more about her at www.alyssawrote.com or on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as @alyssawrote.

connect with the author: website X/Twitter ~ instagram ~ facebook goodreads


Hope Bolinger is the author of more than 25 books, including the award-winning Blaze trilogy, and has contributed to many more. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of 300+ authors. She has won awards for her essays, poetry, children’s books, novels, and plays. She’s a theater nerd and spends too much time hiking and petting her fat cats, Freya and Odin. She can be found online @hopebolinger and @hopekbolinger.

connect with the author: website X/Twitter ~ instagram facebook ~ goodreads

 
Enter the Giveaway

DEAR HERO by Alyssa Roat and Hope Bolinger Spotlight Book Tour Giveaway



Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular Feature: A Prophecy Awakened by Angie Barton

Today, I am joining the Haunted Halloween Spooktacular with another fun post! Take a few minutes and check out another great fantasy novel, A Prophecy Awakened, and get some Halloween-party inspiration with a fun vampire-themed punch recipe from the author Angie Barton!




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Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
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About the Book


A Prophecy Awakened
Immortal Wounds Series
Book Two
Angie Barton

Genre: Fantasy Fiction/Magical Realism
Publisher: Angie Barton 
Date of Publication: June 13, 2024
ISBN: 979-8990647220
ASIN: BOD73FHPSH
Number of pages: 448
Word Count: 104,000
Cover Artist: Donnell McKenzie

Tagline: The time has come for the two worlds to collide the prophecy has spoken.

Book Description: 

Family. Destiny. Magic. Lore.

Forced to leave behind her only known family, on the night of her eighteenth birthday Charlotte Delgado flees through the invisible veil that has granted her safety since birth, with only an age-old diary to guide her. Given less than a day to read the four-hundred year-old tales scripted amongst its pages, she barely understands the predetermined path her ancestor writes of, let alone believes it.

However, despite the dangers the journal warns of—supernatural creatures that will hunt her along her journey—it’s the ominous twist of fate that surrounds the last bloodline witch in her family that fills Charlotte with the most fear.

Is she that witch or merely a pawn moving the prophecy forward?
 
 
Buy the Book


 
Try this Fun Halloween Recipe!

 
Vampire Punch

I LOVE all things vampire and I LOVE to host!
 
Planning and setting up the décor is just as much fun as the event itself, and this punch looks great on the table!

It is perfect for Halloween parties and can be made for  kids or adults! It’s the perfect blend of sweet and tart, and its deep red color makes it both fun and delicious! 

*If you’re familiar with using dry ice, it can be added for a spooky effect!




Ingredients: 

• 2 liters ginger ale or club soda, or lemon lime soda (Sprite or 7Up)
• 1 quart black cherry juice
• 2 pints (32 ounces) Pomegranate Juice 
• 16 ounces frozen cherries 
• alcohol your choice (I typically add Vodka)
 
Instructions: 

1. Combine the juices and ginger ale together in a large punch bowl. If you are using alcohol, add it now.
2. Add the frozen cherries and stir.
3. Serve with ice and any decorations you may have for your spooky punch! I’ve used plastic vampire teeth and my guests thought it looked “fang-tastic!”
 


About the Author

Award winning author, Angie Barton, published her first novel, Immortal Wounds, in 2022. Angie’s love for writing centers around the fantasy genre, but she also enjoys writing thriller and romance. Her passion for reading, which led to her love of writing, began in elementary school with the Scholastic Book program. Her parents, who are life-long avid readers, have been a huge influence on her reading. Therefore anything and everything Angie could get her hands on she read.

Angie has been an early childhood educator since 1986 and hold a B.S. in Child Development. Her love for literacy has continued throughout her career, not only for herself, but also with the children she has cared for and taught. What Angie is most passionate about is helping others discover the excitement that reading brings. Her greatest desire in writing is to create and bring joy and entertainment to everyone she touches.

Currently, if Angie isn't reading at least three books at a time or working on a rough draft for her next book, she can be found outdoors gardening, woodworking, or relaxing by her pond. She shares that she's a Capricorn, tried and true, drinks way too much tea, and that her "to be read" pile of books can spike at any time.








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Friday, October 25, 2024

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular Spotlight: Immortal Wounds by Angie Barton

Today, I have a fun Halloween post to share! Check out Immortal Wounds, learn about author Angie Barton & add her fun Halloween Spooky Cookies onto your to-do list this week too! 




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Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  
 

About the Book

 



Immortal Wounds
Immortal Wounds Series
Book One
Angie Barton

Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Magical Realism
Publisher: Angie Barton 
Date of Publication: April 22, 2022
ISBN: 979-8990647206
ASIN: BOD9XTF25K
Number of pages: 392
Word Count: 93,000
Cover Artist: Donnell McKenzie

Tagline: Did Isobel make an error in landing in the wrong time, or was it part of her destiny?



After witnessing the brutal deaths of her mother and husband, Isobel overhears a confession from one of the murderers, a ruthless vampire who claims to be her father. For fear that she and her unborn daughter’s death could come next, Isobel uses the only magic she possesses and summons a portal to take her two hundred years in the past to revisit an ancestor in Scotland who she believes may know the truth of her parentage. However, in her haste, Isobel lands in the wrong century. Before she realizes her mistake, she stumbles upon a family: a ferocious Highland warrior and his two sisters.

Isobel could not have prepared herself for what she discovers during her stay: the vampire who claimed to be her father, alive three hundred years in the past! With the help of Meg, the youngest sister, and Mariam, both women’s ancestor, Isobel finds herself belonging in a world she never dreamed of—one entangled with vampires and webbed with revenge, curses, and a prophecy that has dictated all of their lives for the last four hundred years. 

Did Isobel make an error landing in the wrong time, or was it part of her destiny?

Buy the Book


Fun Halloween Spooktacular Recipe
Spooky Cookies

I LOVE baking, especially around the holidays! 

Every October I make these amazing double chocolate  chip cookies and it’s easy to say that they are a hit  with both children and adults! They are soft and chewy  with just the right amount of chocolate, but it’s the candy eyeballs that are the star of the show!
 


INGREDIENTS
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• optional: black food coloring
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
• Candy Eyeballs for topping the cookies

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars. You can add black food coloring at this time to get a deeper shade of black in the cookies. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the egg and vanilla, scrape down the bowl if needed.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the mixer on low speed just until mixed. Mix in the milk on the lowest speed and fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the baking sheets. Flatten slightly. Top cookies with candy eyeballs. 

Place cookie sheet in freezer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. ENJOY!



About the Author

Award winning author, Angie Barton, published her first novel, Immortal Wounds, in 2022. Angie’s love for writing centers around the fantasy genre, but she also enjoys writing thriller and romance. Her passion for reading, which led to her love of writing, began in elementary school with the Scholastic Book program. Her parents, who are life-long avid readers, have been a huge influence on her reading. Therefore anything and everything Angie could get her hands on she read.

Angie has been an early childhood educator since 1986 and hold a B.S. in Child Development. Her love for literacy has continued throughout her career, not only for herself, but also with the children she has cared for and taught. What Angie is most passionate about is helping others discover the excitement that reading brings. Her greatest desire in writing is to create and bring joy and entertainment to everyone she touches.

Currently, if Angie isn't reading at least three books at a time or working on a rough draft for her next book, she can be found outdoors gardening, woodworking, or relaxing by her pond. She shares that she's a Capricorn, tried and true, drinks way too much tea, and that her "to be read" pile of books can spike at any time.









Enter the Giveaway
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Historical Fiction Review: Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes

This morning, I have a historical fiction novel to share! Check out Sunny Gale, learn about author Jamie Lisa Forbes, and read my thoughts on the book!


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Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  
 

About the Book

 


It's 1895 and fourteen year old Hannah Brandt is struggling with the hard life on a new Nebraska homestead. When her imagination is captured by a wild filly she becomes obsessed with horses, which opens the door to her destiny. Just four years later she enters the first Cheyenne Frontier Day rodeo where she wins the relay race and her fate is sealed. She gives herself a new name, Sunny Gale, and pursues a rodeo career, much to the disgust of her young husband and her very proper mother. Sunny defies convention with every move as the drive to compete takes over her life, leaving everything else behind, including husbands and children. It is a rough life she has chosen, but she craves the glory of the spotlight and refuses to bow to the expectations for a woman in her time.

​Award winning author Jamie Lisa Forbes has once again brought us complex characters in a story based on real women and the early days when rodeo was wide open for them to become stars. It is a story of the social mores of the times and of a woman determined to defy them no matter how high the personal cost or where that choice might take her.

 

My Review

 

Realistic Historical Fiction with a Strong Female Lead. I knew little about rodeo life, horses or even life in historical Nebraska--but this book transported me to the life and times of Sunny Gale perfectly from the very first pages. From the harsh life and challenges to the main character's dreams, goals and strength, the author navigates Sunny's story from the days of her youth to her older years. Sunny's story feels so real that I had to double-check that it wasn't based on a real character, incorporating real diaries or stories from a real person. While Sunny is fictional, the author takes readers on an emotional journey to another time and place.

 

Strength, Perseverance, and Reflection. The book combines a young girl's story of struggle and triumph to achieve goals in the male-dominated rodeo world and an older woman's reflections on those accomplishments, losses and memories. Readers will find characters to love and hate throughout Sunny's story and a setting that immerses readers immediately into each page. The novel is well-developed, with a believable cast of characters and an even storyline that remains engaging from the first page to the last.

 

Would I Recommend Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes? If you're a fan of historical fiction, women's fiction, westerns, or memoirs, this book offers a unique blend of genres that will transport you to the past. It's an emotional journey that will have you cheering for Sunny and a satisfying conclusion, all while tugging at your heartstrings. More than just a story, Sunny Gale also serves as an educational tool, shedding light on the challenges faced by a woman breaking barriers in a different era and place. I found the book engaging and look forward to reading more from this author.


Buy the Book
 

 

 Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a ranch in the Little Laramie Valley near Laramie, Wyoming. She attended the University of Colorado where she obtained degrees in English and philosophy. After fourteen months living in Israel, she returned to her family’s ranch where she lived for another fifteen years.

In 1994, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2001, she graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law and began her North Carolina law practice.

Forbes’ first novel, Unbroken, won the WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction in 2011. Her collection of short stories, The Widow Smalls and Other Stories, won the High Plains Book Awards for a short story collection in 2015.

Forbes’ novel of rural North Carolina in the segregation era, entitled Eden, was published in 2020. Her historical novel about women bronc riders in the early days of rodeo, entitled Sunny Gale, was published in May 2024 by Pronghorn Press.

Ms. Forbes continues to live—and write—in North Carolina.


Connect with the author:   website  ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ X ~  goodreads 

 

Monday, October 21, 2024

Book Release Spotlight: Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel by Judith Keim

This morning, I have a romantic, women's fiction novel to share in our book release spotlight! Check out Nightcaps at the Beach House Hotel and learn about author Judith Keim!

 

The Beach House Hotel, Book 9


Romantic Women's Fiction

Date Published: October 21, 2024

 

 

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Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  
 

About the Book

 

Another favor can mean another problem for Ann and Rhonda ...

When Ann and Rhonda receive a request from the vice-president to provide a private space at the hotel for a nighttime talk show host having difficulties, they’re worried. Trouble always happens when they do something for her. Sipping nightcaps, they watch Darryl Douglas’ show and decide to allow him to rent one of the guesthouses at the same time their beloved daughter-of -heart, Tina Marks, is renting the house next door along with her personal trainer, Abbie Hathaway. When Darryl’s ex-wife appears at the hotel a lot more than the usual problems appear, leaving Ann and Rhonda to fight for the hotel’s reputation.

A light "beach read" with humor sprinkled in for readers’ enjoyment featuring two women, Ann and Rhonda, whom readers adore. Be sure to read all the books so far in the series – Breakfast at The Beach House Hotel, Lunch at The Beach House Hotel, Dinner at The Beach House Hotel, Christmas at The Beach House Hotel, Margaritas at The Beach House Hotel, Dessert at The Beach House Hotel. Coffee at The Beach House Hotel, High Tea at The Beach House Hotel, Nightcaps at the Beach House Hotel, and Bubbles at the Beach Hotel coming soon. Two more books, Canapes at the Beach House Hotel and Sea Breezes at the Beach House, follow.

Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings. Be sure to check out her other delightful books and series that readers adore.


Check out the Complete Series!

 

The Beach House Hotel Series


Breakfast at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 1


Lunch at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 2


Dinner at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 3


Christmas at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 4


Margaritas at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 5


Dessert at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 6


Coffee at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 7


High Tea at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 8

 

Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 9


Bubbles at The Beach House Hotel

The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 10


Series on Amazon


About the Author

Judith Keim, A USA Today Best-Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.

She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their adorable dachshund, Wally, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she loved the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.


Buy the Book

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Google

Kobo


RABT Book Tours & PR

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Dark Fantasy Romance Teaser Tuesday Spotlight: Dark Legion by Isabella Jordan

Today, I have a dark fantasy in our book teaser spotlight! Check out Dark Legion and learn about author Isabella Jordan!


 

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Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  
 

About the Book

Dark Fantasy, Romance, Horror

Date Published: October 18, 2024

 

 

Darkness is falling...

Things at Woods University are not what they seem. When Joey Sumner's roommate Maria joins the growing ranks of blazer-wearing supergeeks who roam the campus in emotionless packs, Joey begins to think she has a problem. Then Joey stumbles upon a secret ritual being performed on campus, and her world is turned upside down. Joey and her boyfriend Will are forced to fight for their lives against an ancient evil cult that is preying on the student body. To make matters worse, their boss is one of them, and his obsession for Joey goes way beyond thinking she has a cute ass...

 

Evil is growing...

A year after the mysterious death of her husband Terrence, Ada Ross is still seeking answers. When handsome detective Eric Perfater comes back into her life offering a chance to unravel the mystery of her husband's demise, Ada is more than ready to help. She's also willing to throw off her endless loneliness and wantonly offer herself to sexy Eric in bed... But a dark shadow falls across their chance at happiness. Ada is a pawn in a desperate man's ploy to hang onto the past and take control of a secret society whose very existence threatens the entire world.

Can the forces of evil's hungry claws be defeated? Or will they all be consumed by the Dark Legion?

 

Publisher's Note: This duet contains the previously published novellas Legion: University and Legion: Adult Education.

  

 

Meet the Author

Isabella Jordan is the alter ego of an otherwise stressed out web designer, programmer, and internet junkie. When she's not trying to perfect her own personal caffeine IV drip, she enjoys spending time with her family, doing volunteer work, and writing. She loves creating new stories of all kinds and chatting with readers and friends.

Isabella would love to hear from her readers!

 

Author Website

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

 

Buy the Book

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