Passions

Passions By Sheritta Bitikofer
Publication date: January 10, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Summary:

His world was dark until she brought the light…

Chloe Kaspin has two dreams. Find a quiet place to recover from an abusive ex-boyfriend, and to make a living as a writer. The first dream is fulfilled when she inherits her beloved aunt’s cabin in the Georgia mountains. Now the second dream is up to her. Then she finds mysterious notes critiquing her work. Has a dangerous stranger managed to invade her refuge? Or is her cabin as haunted as the townsfolk say it is?

Gavin Caras immigrated from England to Georgia in 1733. While pursuing his dream of being a writer, his entire family is wiped out by a mysterious infection. Only Gavin survives, not only alone, but with a hunger that can only be satisfied by blood. For generations, he’s managed to hide in the basement of the cabin he built. But now his cabin is occupied by a woman who shares at least one of his passions: the world of the written word. Late one night, he finally reveals himself to her, not a ghost, but a man driven by an unholy hunger, a passion he would die to end if he could.

The autumn winds may be chilly but Gavin warms Chloe’s heart. Then children go missing in the nearby town. Has Gavin been lying to Chloe? She’s willing to help him find a way to end his blood-lust, but the cost may be too high. Chloe and Gavin can’t rewrite the past. Can they survive to write a new future together?

—

EXCERPT:

Her eyes shifted toward her desk on her way to the kitchen, and her heart jumped against her ribcage as she saw more writing on her notepad.

Another letter. This one was longer.

Chloe was jolted awake once more, just as she had been the day before. The disquieting thought rammed through her sleepy head that the locks hadn’t worked. Without taking the time yet to read the letter, she checked the windows and the doors. Again, there was no sign of forced entry.

Chloe’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought it over. With the locks on the two doors, there was no way the intruder could have broken in, written that note, and then returned the locks to their original positions on their way out. The same went for the windows. How were they getting inside?

Daring Destiny (Charming Irish, #2)

Daring Destiny (Charming Irish, #2) By Kaylene Winter
Publication date: January 13, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Summary:

Daring Destiny is a sweltering saga of billionaire intrigue, opposites-attract, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers with an unexpected life-changing twist.

Before I founded my AI tech company, I spent my high school years silently pining over Astrid Gustafsson, the unattainable ice-blonde beauty. Fast forward a decade and I’m shocked when she asks to collaborate on a secret project. The opportunity is too enticing to pass up.

Our newfound friendship quickly ignites into a wildfire of desire, and my passion for Astrid intensifies, leaving me eager to risk everything for our future. The challenge is, relentless demands of my high-stakes empire threaten to smother the flames of our burgeoning romance.

When fate dramatically intervenes, will a life-changing twist dare us to embrace our destiny?

—

EXCERPT:

“So…” she says quietly. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah.” I brace myself for what’s coming next.

The end. This is probably the last time I’ll ever see Astrid. My heart is breaking into a million pieces and I’m not sure how to stop her from…

Without thinking, I reach out and take her hand, comforted by how natural it feels. She doesn’t pull away, just flicks her eyes up to me and blinks rapidly. As if she’s trying to stop from crying. My heart thunders in my chest. She moves in closer.

Where the Road Ends

Where the Road Ends By Kathryn Beck
Publication date: January 13, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Summary:

Bartender Mara Sawyer has sixty days to turn her life around. If she can’t, Mara will lose the chance to regain custody of her daughter. 

Never having envisioned her life as a living, breathing, public service announcement for the Wyoming judicial system, Mara embraces the judge’s harsh rebuke. Finding a steady job will be easy, finishing school will be easy. Eluding the distraction of the new swaggering Texan, Luke Whitten, will be anything but easy.

With all her cards on the table, Luke and Mara build a strong friendship and along the way, she gives herself permission to fall in love again. When Mara’s ex offers up full custody in exchange for betraying Luke, Mara must choose — her daughter’s happiness, or her own.

—

EXCERPT:

New guy held up his finger for the fourth time in an hour.

She swept his plate and silverware into the dirty dishes bucket and pulled the handle to deliver him another beer. “Are you sure you don’t want a shot of something?” She waved at the collection of liquor bottles behind her. “Your something unpleasant is going to get expensive at some point.”

He ran his finger along the grain of the wood, up the condensation of the glass. His hands were large and calloused. Workingman’s hands.

Refusing to bite, or speak apparently, he looked up and smiled.

A Guide to Fake Dating Your Enemy

A Guide to Fake Dating Your Enemy By Nikki Bright
Publication date: January 9, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Summary:

Samuel Warner is rich, charming, the CEO of his family’s business, and the guy I’ve hated since grade school. Now, thanks to one of my more questionable ideas, he’s also my new pretend boyfriend.

Our families have been at each other’s throats for three generations, fighting over the future of our small town. The Warners are all for bulldozing and modernizing every corner of Fox Creek, while my family is determined to preserve our quirky little town and its quaint ways. But even without the family feud, Samuel’s charm and charisma (and his maddening smirk) would still get on my nerves.

Samuel is insufferably smooth, his favorite hobby is teasing me even though he’s able to charm the most cantankerous granny in the county, and he’s spine-tinglingly handsome. Worse yet, he knows it!

But when my brother falls head over heels for a Warner girl, I’m desperate to find a way to unite our families. So, I propose a totally sane, not-at-all-ridiculous plan: Samuel and I will pretend to be in a serious relationship, faking our way to family peace and town harmony with a Romeo-and-Juliet-style performance (minus the tragedy at the end).

First problem with this fantastic idea? Samuel agrees way too quickly, which screams that he’s got a hidden agenda. And yet, he’s so perfect in the role of doting boyfriend, I can’t figure out what his angle is.

Second problem? This relationship might be fake, but my heart didn’t get the memo. Every “date” and impromptu public display of affection Samuel insists on performing stirs up feelings I’m not prepared for. Soon enough, I’m wondering if I can really end this without a total family feud—or losing my heart.

A Guide to Fake Dating Your Enemy is a laugh-out-loud small-town romantic comedy full of swoon-worthy moments, sizzling kisses, and a romance that’s anything but fake. It’s a closed door romance with mild swearing/language.

—

EXCERPT:

Samuel Warner is rich, charming, the CEO of his family’s business, and the guy I’ve hated since grade school. Now, thanks to one of my more questionable ideas, he’s also my new pretend boyfriend.

Our families have been at each other’s throats for three generations, fighting over the future of our small town. The Warners are all for bulldozing and modernizing every corner of Fox Creek, while my family is determined to preserve our quirky little town and its quaint ways. But even without the family feud, Samuel’s charm and charisma (and his maddening smirk) would still get on my nerves.

Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver

Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver By D. Wallace Peach
Publication date: January 9, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Summary:

“Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”

In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breathtaking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.

But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.

With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.

In the lyrical fantasy tradition of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, D. Wallace Peach spins a spellbinding tale of magic, resilience, and the transformative potency of tales—a tapestry woven with peril and hope set against the frigid backdrop of an eternal winter.

—

EXCERPT:

A wicker basket of colorful spools rested at my feet. I picked through the bewitched thread my mother had hand-spun long before my birth. No matter how many seasons passed, the spools unwound and unwound, and I no longer fretted about reaching their ends. There was no end to magic, no end to the seasons, no end to my place on the cusp of two worlds.

A delicate pink caught my eye, a color crafted from the cherry blossoms bordering my garden. I held it against the tapestry, testing its suitability for flowering plum trees and coral bells I’d stitch into the meadows and along the forest’s edge.

Lost and Found Cowboy (Lassiter Ranch. #4)

Lost and Found Cowboy (Lassiter Ranch. #4) By Jennie Marts
Publication date: March 11, 2025
Buy Link: Pre Order
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Summary:

He came to find a family. He never expected to find love.

After meeting the three half-brothers he never knew existed, cowboy Mack Lassiter decides to stay and try to build a new life in the small Colorado mountain town of Woodland Hills. But he didn’t expect to find another family in Lorna Gibbs, the sweet single mom and local coffee shop owner, whose strength and warmth instantly captivated him.

Lorna’s not looking for love—her heart had been trampled by the snake who’d walked out on her and their two kids, and now her only focus is on giving her son and infant daughter the stable life they all deserve. The last thing she needs is a man breezing into town and stirring up feelings she’s locked away for years. But Mack isn’t just any man—he’s steady, kind, and a little broken, just like her.

Mack didn’t come to town expecting to fall in love, but Lorna and her kids stir something deep inside him. As he starts to find a place in their lives, both Mack and Lorna must confront the scars of their past. As Mack grapples with fitting into a new family, Lorna must decide if she’s ready to open her heart and find the courage to let a new kind of love into her life.

Romancing the Rogue (Charming the Damsel, #2)

Romancing the Rogue (Charming the Damsel, #2) By A Fantasy Romance Anthology
Publication date: April 27, 2025
Buy Link: Pre Order
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Summary:

Welcome to Romancing the Rogue: Volume 2 – Charming the Damsel

What happens when the villain decides to play the hero’s game? Welcome to a world where charm, wit, and cunning take center stage, and the damsel isn’t as helpless as she seems. In this volume, the most notorious rogues set their sights on winning the heart of the woman they never thought they’d love.

From dark lords with hidden tenderness to charming scoundrels who can’t resist a challenge, this collection of clean, closed-door romances explores the art of wooing the unsuspecting damsel. These villains know how to spin a tale, outwit their enemies, and—most importantly—captivate the woman they desire.

In Romancing the Rogue: Charming the Damsel, passion brews as dangerous allure meets irresistible charm, and love blooms in the most unexpected places. Get ready to fall for the villains who dare to win it all—and the women who just might let them.

After all, isn’t there a little bit of villainy in every love story?

The Magical Tea Shop (Charmed Love, #1)

The Magical Tea Shop (Charmed Love, #1) By Aimee O’Brian
Published by: Tule Publishing
Publication date: January 7, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Summary:

In the small town of Hazard, finding your soulmate might require magical intervention.

Ivy Wayland has a bet with her sister, who says you can’t have it all—success in business or love, but not both. Since opening her tea shop, Ivy knows where her priorities should be, but she has her heart set on her landlord. All her life, she’s heard the family lore about how their antique cookie press infuses homemade cookies with so much love that the recipient will fall head over heels for the giver. Ivy decides to take the chance.

Jaxon Langford is ready to move on. The only thing stopping him from selling up is concern about how some of his small business owners would fare with a greedier landlord. When one of his enthusiastic tenants brings him a tin of delicious-looking cookies, he’s charmed. He takes the cookies to his baseball team’s practice, only to watch them be devoured without getting so much as a bite.

Suddenly, Ivy has her pick of the town’s eligible bachelors—except Jaxon. How can she prove her sister wrong and win Jaxon’s heart?

—

EXCERPT:

Ivette Wayland caught her breath. With the sun shining down on him, Jaxon Langford always caught her just a little unawares. He only lived upstairs, but every morning she found herself anticipating his first appearance of the day. She gazed through the plate glass window of her cozy tea shop as his little black Scottie dog scampered to keep up with his long strides. Jaxon halted just outside her door.

Would he enter?

She ached to run her fingers through that molasses-brown hair, still damp from the shower and sparkling like sugared ginger crinkles. It was ridiculous how much she yearned to touch him. He was her landlord, for goodness’ sake. Ivy reined in her longing. Jaxon paused on the sidewalk and quickly stepped over to hold open the door for the tiny, elderly Hazel Bestwick, president of the Hazard Historical Society.

Lost and Stolen Gods (Labyrinth of Gods, #1)

Lost and Stolen Gods (Labyrinth of Gods, #1) By Debbie Cassidy
Publication date: April 4, 2025
Buy Link: Pre Order
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romancebr

Summary:

Gods aren’t born, they’re made.

I should have died the same night that a monster murdered my grandmother, but I was saved, stolen from my world, and thrown into a realm ravaged by an endless war between ancient gods called Asura.

I’m told that I’m a demigod, that there are others like me, brought to this world to replenish their dwindling numbers. They want us to prove we’re worthy of ascension and fight alongside them.

But I don’t give a damn about their war. All I want is vengeance on the monster that killed my only family. A monster from their world. And if the only way to kill it is to become a god, then I’m all in.

But the path of ascension is paved with dangerous tests, culminating in a lethal trial called the labyrinth of gods.

Only an ancient fire elemental has the power to help me survive it.

His wicked mouth sets my pulse racing, and his dark threats turn my blood to ice. Charismatic and terrifying, he attracts and repels me in equal measure, and I have no doubt he’d snap my neck in a heartbeat if freed from the magical bonds that compel him to aid me.

He hopes to be my undoing, and if I’m not careful I may not make it to the labyrinth alive.

To claim the vengeance that I desire I’ll need to protect my body and shield my mind, but most of all I’ll need to guard my heart.

Enter an Otherworldly realm filled with gods, monsters, and mystical beings. Opposites attract and love and conflict collide, in this forced proximity romance.

Author Bio:

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head - in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / X

—

Avenge Me

Avenge Me By Tamela Miles
Publication date: December 30, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Horror, Paranormal
Summary:

Hands Clean: Afterburner
A costly mistake, that set in motion a horrific chain of events, seemingly have Lili paying for eternity. One being, walking the world’s oldest streets and dirt pathways, has the power to save her – if there is any of her soul left to save.

Witch Bitch: Assassin
To the people in Mason’s world, Luna deserves every bit of sympathy as his grieving girlfriend. But does she, really? A long buried and probably best forgotten secret fuels the fire of a vengeance that keeps Mason alive and guarantees the demise of unfortunate others.

GPS
Zayne is having a bad week. He’s lost his girlfriend, his part time job, and he’s failing two classes. The only bright spot in his life is time spent in his car, talking with his technologically enhanced GPS. The navigation system seems to truly know and understand him. It also knows things, dark things, that may put him on the path towards an evil force that just won’t quit.

XO
Lauryn is not the girl she used to be. Her demanding life as a struggling, single mom takes its toll and leads to a night out with friends and poor choices – choices that open a door to an otherworldly force that’s straddling the fine line between not so good and ungodly.

Hotel Paper
Las Vegas is losing its charm, but Zach and Paris decide to stick around for one more unforgettable night of sin. He finds himself in her embrace in the darkest of ways and begins to question how well he knows Paris – and how well he knows himself.

**This is a short story collection that is closely related to Tamela’s last release, Kiss Me Deadly

—

EXCERPT:

(from the short story, “Hands Clean: Afterburner”)

Perry, as he was better known, stood on a grassy hill, overlooking the expanse of the beach and the churning waves just past sunset. Warm fur rubbing against his ankles reminded him he wasn’t alone, and he looked down with a gentle smile. A black cat weaved her away around his legs, purring loudly and looking up at him expectantly.

“Calling you “Cat” sounds straight ridiculous, but you refuse to tell me your name.”

I Love That Girl

I Love That Girl By Hannah R. Goodman
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: January 1, 2025
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Summary:

Once called the four-headed monster in high school, only to be decapitated by the disaster of coupling up, four childhood friends have healed their wounds and found their way back to each other in college—or so they thought.

Now, months before they enter the “real” world, decapitation once again is imminent by way of: a rejected proposal, a birth control fail, an almost ménage a quartet, and a secret (and-thought-to-be-impossible) hook-up. 

Everything explodes over the course of a Christmas vacation in Florida, leaving the survival of these four friendships, once again, on the brink.

—

EXCERPT:

We locked eyes for a moment, the dim light and dark shadows between us. Her wavy sunset-blonde hair was in a messy bun, with tendrils falling around her face. I wanted to let her hair down, scoop it up with my fingers, inhale the flowery scent of her shampoo. I didn’t move a single part of me except my eyes, which traced the dotting of piercings up her left ear and then roamed across to her smallish nose that had just a blush of light freckles that matched her hair and down to her button-shaped mouth.

“Okay,” she said, her shoulder sliding out from the old sweatshirt that she cut the hood off of. I wanted to kiss her shoulder so badly, I had to put my hand over my mouth and pretend to cough.

Take Me Home for Christmas (Chances Inlet Contemporary Romance, #5)

Take Me Home for Christmas (Chances Inlet Contemporary Romance, #5) By Tracy Solheim
Publication date: December 12, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Summary:

In the quaint coastal town of Chances Inlet, Christmas is a time for rekindling lost connections . . .

Elinor “Elle” McAlister is on the brink of a big-time promotion that will finally put her on equal footing with her overachieving siblings. The catch? She has to babysit a notoriously prickly war reporter who’s late delivering his memoir. As if that weren’t enough, her editor banishes them both to Elle’s hometown on the Carolina coast to get the job done. Spending the holidays in Chances Inlet might have been fine—if only she hadn’t wrecked the most important relationship in her life during her visit last Christmas.

Deputy Sheriff Hayden Lovell has known Elle was his person ever since she swiped his purple crayon back in kindergarten. Through every twist and setback, her steady friendship has been his anchor, especially after he returned from combat with wounds that run deep. But everything changed last New Year’s Eve when Elle surprised him with a kiss, stirring feelings he didn’t realize he had. Now that she’s back in town and keeping her distance, Hayden wonders if that moment meant as much to her as it did to him.

Chances Inlet has a knack for bringing people together. With Christmas around the corner, can Elle and Hayden rewrite their story before the holiday spirit fades? Join them in a heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and the magic of second chances in a town that knows how to celebrate Christmas like no other.

—

EXCERPT:

“Do you know who Everett West is?” Madelaine asked.

Everyone with access to a television knew who Everett West was. He’d been a globe-trotting war reporter for the past thirty-five years.

“He’s writing his memoir,” Elle responded. “We are serializing it in the magazine. The number of readers downloading the chapters has quadrupled over the past three months.”

Helen beamed at her. “Impressive. You know your stats about other aspects of the magazine besides your own.”

“The serialization is meant to whet the appetite of readers in hopes of getting them to order the book when we release it in July,” Madelaine explained.

A Christmas Dream (Hudson House Holiday, #1)

A Christmas Dream (Hudson House Holiday, #1) By Shanna Hatfield
Publication date: November 14, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Summary:

He came to build the house of his dreams, but found a home for his heart.

After an extensive search for the ideal location to build a house he’s spent years designing, Brant Hudson knows he’s found the perfect site the moment he sets foot on the land near Silver Bluff, Oregon. However, frustrating delays leave him laboring alongside the very crew he hired to finish the house in time for Christmas. His work leads the woman who catches his eye to believe he’s a carpenter rather than the owner of the grand manor.

Holland Drake grew up on a farm, but she aspires to secure a position as a housemaid at Hudson House. While delivering lunch to her brother at the worksite, the door opens to a job when Holland encounters a strikingly handsome carpenter whose charm captivates her. Soon, Holland discovers the enchanting man is none other than the owner of the house and her new employer.

As the holiday season arrives amid a flurry of excitement and possibilities, Holland and Brant face choices that could change their lives forever. Will fear hold them back from stepping into the future together, or will their Christmas dreams of love come true?

A Christmas Dream is the first book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.

—

EXCERPT:

Another thirty minutes passed, during which time Brant envisioned thick slices of smoky ham encased between fluffy biscuits hot from the oven as he worked. He was just about to suggest to Remington they take a break for the noon meal when a woman as pretty as any Brant had ever encountered breezed into the room carrying a large basket covered with a blue-checkered cloth.

“Denver! I thought I’d never find you in this colossus of a house. I saw Colin outside, and he said you were in the library, but so much has changed since the last time I was in here, I thought I might wander around lost until you starved to death.” The woman’s gaze shifted from the carpenter on the second floor, taking in Brant and Remington as they hastily stood. “Oh, hello.”

It’s Mother-Pucking Christmas!

It’s Mother-Pucking Christmas! By Alina Jacobs
Publication date: November 21, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Summary:

When your grandmother stalks the star hockey player on the rival team because “You need a husband, Dakota—you’re not getting any younger!” it’s Christmas crazy on ice.
It is not, however, the start of our great love story.
I don’t date guys on that team.
He doesn’t do casual, drunken hookups, which is all the captain of the Icebreakers is getting from moi.

I give him the finger and tell him I hope he loses his teeth out there.
He smirks and wins the game because both this Christmas season and this hockey season are a fucking scam.

Then my younger, much dumber brother informs me that he owes his bookie a bunch of money and really needs the Icebreakers to lose their next game, and could I pretty please be an amazing big sis and date their captain then break his heart so he’ll suck and lose the game—otherwise little bro will get killed, or worse, our mom will find out.

As much as I eye roll my overly large, overly loud family, I’d do anything for them.
Including date the captain of the Icebreakers.

Barf.
Ryder is a Boy Scout. He doesn’t swear. He uses words like ma’am and sir. On our date, he opens my door, pulls out my chair, and helps me with my coat. He even volunteers at the local animal shelter and loves handmade sweaters.
No, it is not cute! Three warm, gooey cinnamon rolls dressed up as a six-five, hot AF hockey player are not my type.
At all.
Nope.

Santa better bring me something nice this Christmas for all my pain and suffering!

In bed though?
Let’s just say sleeping with the captain of the Icebreakers… is not going to be a problem.

—

EXCERPT:

“You’re stalking my client,” Hudson yelled at the old woman, who was completely unfazed by his anger.

My teammates’ eyes bugged out like the pugs’, then they all collapsed, howling with laughter, at my feet. Even Coach snickered into his gloves.

“You’re the Crusher?” My mouth dropped open. “You’re the one who’s been stalking me for the last five months?”

“Stalker? Pshaw!” Granny Murray was offended. “I’m not stalking anyone.”

Inked in Blood and Memory

Inked in Blood and Memory By Allison Ivy
Publication date: December 3, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Horror, LGBTQ+, New Adult
Summary:

Recluse Sophie Vanguard’s winter cabin retreat turns ominous when blue flowers mysteriously appear. They’re everywhere. On her front porch, in kitchen cabinets, and even on her pillow. It isn’t long before chilling whispers echo in the halls, and her journal repeats seven unsettling entries.

Enter the bloodied and beautifully eccentric Ly Thi Ren. Though Ren seems familiar, Sophie refuses to believe the girl’s insistence that they are trapped inside a book.

In a land of fiction, truth and lies blur together, clear decisions are marred by doubt, and shared family trauma lurks just below the surface.

Can Ren and Sophie make it out alive? Or will they end up nothing more than words inked in blood and memory?

With elements of gothic horror, splatterpunk, romance, and fantasy, Inked in Blood and Memory is a self-aware LGBTQ+ horror that wraps its clutches around the reader and doesn’t let go.

—

EXCERPT:

You never forget your first ritual sacrifice. So why had I? That seems like something you’d remember. It’s not something most American families gather for.

Hey, Má. Could you pass the rau răm? Oh, and what time is the sacrifice tonight?

And yet, I had forgotten. I had forgotten the little things, too. My mother’s laugh, her abrupt chortles that often devolved into giggles. My childhood nickname.

My Only Friend, the End

My Only Friend, the End By Steven Owad
Publication date: December 2, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic
Summary:

Everyone in town has dropped dead. Maybe everyone everywhere has. Surviving the flash extinction was easy. The hard part—living alone—starts now.

—

EXCERPT:

I spent the next two days nursing a chill fever and watching the fires engulf pockets of the city—more slowly than you might expect, with prodigious walls of steam wherever fire met the Missouri floodwaters. Despite the vivid show, there was something anticlimactic about the way the town died so gradually after everyone in it had died so fast.

The amoxicillin and painkillers aided the convalescence, but they did nothing for my mental health. Whether awake or asleep, I obsessed over my wife and son. I also immersed myself in a sea of questions that had no answers, questions that begat other questions, borne of illness of the body and mind. Some of the more obvious ones:

Murder at Pelican Lake (Marjorie Mathison Hance)

Murder at Pelican Lake (Marjorie Mathison Hance) By Beth Ford
Publication date: September 10, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery
Summary:

When 34-year-old Carley Norgren loses her high-profile job and her partner in the span of a few short months, she returns to the place that feels most like home – her childhood cabin on Pelican Lake, Minnesota. 

She hadn’t been back since her father’s death from a heart attack two years earlier. When a teenager is abducted, it becomes clear that her once-sleepy lake community has its share of secrets – and someone who will kill to keep them hidden.

In this almost-cozy mystery, one small community learns that the view from the dock isn’t always what it seems. This book is the first book of the North Lakes Murder Mystery Series.

—

EXCERPT:

PROLOGUE

Monday

Three men sat in a large white van parked on the road bordering Long Lake, watching three teenage girls spill out of a school bus. The light breeze off the lake and the scent of lilacs in the air were a sharp contrast to the sweat and grease inside the vehicle. The girls walked up the road, laughing and shoving each other playfully. One of the men said, pointing, “That’s her. The one on the left with long brown hair.” The other two nodded.

The orange school bus accelerated in the distance and disappeared into the bright blue sky, leaving the three girls in its wake. They lived four blocks from each other in Vergas, Minnesota. Friends since kindergarten, now they were sophomores at Frazee High School, about eight miles away. Eleanor leaned into Lindsey. “Hey. I saw Paul today.”

Love Between Times

Love Between Times By Beth Ford
Publication date: November 27, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Romance, Time-Travel
Summary:

When Ashley’s conventional 21st century life falls apart, she returns to England to write the book she shelved years ago, determined to take control of her life.

Meanwhile, in 1377 Wiltshire, Thomas fights his family’s desire that he become a priest and plots to chase his dream of knighthood instead. While Ashley and Thomas search for answers, Thomas suddenly appears in the modern day.

Unable to communicate, his first encounter with Ashley ends with the police demanding his immigration papers. All Thomas wants is to return to the world he understands, but he and Ashley are drawn together again and again. How will they find the answers Thomas needs before the authorities close in without losing each other forever?

 

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EXCERPT:

Neither of them said a word. They stood in shock, each assessing the other.

Ashley stared at the young man’s strange clothes. He wore a long, blue shirt over—were those tights?—and oddly shapeless leather boots. Everything he wore appeared homemade. The leather crossbody bag he wore was the only thing he had of decent quality.

She lifted her gaze to his face. His eyes immediately captivated her. They were the most gorgeous shade of blue she had ever seen. His face wasn’t bad either. His hair was thick and a bit long. Even beneath the beard she could tell he had a strong jawline and fine cheekbones. He appeared her age or a bit younger.

Made To Last (Love At Last, #5)

Made To Last (Love At Last, #5) by A.S. Kelly
Publication date: December 4th 2024

Purchase Link: Amazon  
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tommy O’Doherty, and I’m madly in love.

Too blunt, you say? Seriously, why lie? Everyone seems to know about it already. The gossip about my major crush on my best friend’s neighbour has spread like wildfire. And I have to admit, I didn’t do anything to stop it.

Not everyone is as good at pretending to be a playboy—even if the most they can handle is a PlayStation—like my weird colleagues and messy friends. Not everyone can keep it together when they meet the sweetest, most sensitive, and most wonderful creature on Earth.

Too bad she doesn’t see herself that way. Too bad she doesn’t believe my words, my kisses, my caresses, or my romantic gestures. Too bad she’s not ready to believe that what we have is real and that I’m not just her backup boyfriend, but the man who truly wants to be with her.

Even though I keep telling her that we are made to last, I’m starting to think she will never believe me unless I am willing to show her in a dramatic and obviously questionable way that I’m serious and that there is no better man for her than me.

Each book in the Love At Last Series is standalone:

– Last Call
– About Last Night
– One Last Kiss
– The Last One
– Made To Last

Exceprt:

I walk into her place and shut the door, but I linger in the doorway as Ivy heads to the kitchen. She returns two

minutes later with a vase full of flowers. She places them on the coffee table next to the couch and then looks at me.

“Did you really say you’re into me?”

Elf Against the Wall (The Wynter Brothers, #2)

Elf Against the Wall (The Wynter Brothers, #2) By Alina Jacobs
Publication date: November 12, 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Summary

When you kiss your perfect boyfriend under the mistletoe…only for your cousin to scream to the family that you stole her man, Christmas is OVER.

In my defense, I didn’t know my boss—yup, boss. Buckle up because this is messy—was my cousin’s newly minted and totally lying fiancé. I thought he was the Nutcracker Prince come to finally show my family that I, too, was worthy of putting the star atop the Christmas tree.

I was so wrong.
Now my entire family thinks I’m a ho ho ho.
I’m at the top of the naughty list, not in a fun Elf on the Shelf way, but rather in a snide-comments-at-brunch and sitting-at-the-kids’-table kinda way.

I have to clear my name, or Christmas is ruined. Again.
What better way than to blackmail my family’s number one sworn enemy?
Anderson Wynter is this desperate elf’s last hope. Six-foot-five, ethically challenged, with washboard abs and a death wish, Anderson is the perfect weapon to expose my ex and help me get back in my family’s good graces.
That is, until the weapon massively backfires… and no, not like that.

Anderson goes full Nightmare Before Christmas and shows up at my family’s annual holiday party in nothing but tattoos and a motorcycle helmet and tells everyone we’re dating.
Yep, that kicks me off the naughty list and sends me straight to the Grinch’s garbage dump.

Now I’m chained to a motorcycle-riding bad elf with terrible morals and an even worse attitude—one who sticks his hand down my shirt in the middle of my parents’ posh country club and tells me to ride him like I do his bike.
When I slap him, he just smirks and asks if I fluff my marshmallows while fantasizing about betraying my family with him.
As if.

No way am I sleeping with the man my entire family hates.
Because that won’t just ruin Christmas.
It’ll ruin the rest of my life.

Naughty elves of Christmas checking in! We’re drunk caroling, eating cookies at midnight, surviving family drama, and drooling over hot, unattainable men who are oh so wrong for us. This standalone holiday romantic comedy has all the Christmas cheer you can fit under the tree and a happily ever after guaranteed!

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EXCERPT:

There was a man—a huge man!—in my father’s study, all in heavy black motorcycle gear, a helmet hiding his face.

Snowball had her needle-sharp teeth latched onto the robber’s pant leg, and he was batting at her roughly, trying to knock her off.

“Don’t you hurt my dog!” I screamed, picking up a priceless wood statue my parents had brought back from their anniversary trip to Japan and racing after the attacker.

He grunted in surprise but raised his arm too late to block the statue from crashing into his motorcycle helmet, shattering the tinted visor.