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Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Release Blitz for Twined Fates by K. Bromberg
Release Blitz for Crash Course by Piper Lawson
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Book Review for Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas
Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas
Published: October
20, 2026 by William Morrow
Genre:
Historical Fiction,Historical Romance
In Victorian England, no woman—not even a brilliant economist like Reina Martin—is allowed to open her own bank account. Men will take care of everything, women are told. But Reina knows better. As the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish immigrant mother, she’s haunted by the memory of living with unpaid grocer’s bills and no coal for the hearth.
So together with her mentor, the powerful banker William Farlow, Reina will build the first all-women’s bank, where women can manage their own financial security.
At home, Reina’s domestic staff of recently paroled prisoners are building new lives and becoming a found family. But soon Reina is shocked to discover that her enigmatic butler, John Pembroke, is an undercover police detective. He’s been assigned to investigate Farlow, who’s suspected of financial crime on a scale so massive, it could destabilize the British economy. Pembroke needs Reina’s expertise for a high-stakes nighttime heist to obtain incriminating evidence.
Now Reina faces the agonizing choice of betraying her mentor or turning her back on thousands of working-class families who stand to lose everything. Either way, her dream of the women’s bank may be over.
But courage and sacrifice aren’t limited to the battlefield—they also occur at the kitchen table, where women who believe in compassion and community are working to remake the future. And when the stakes are highest, Reina knows to trust her heart as well as her intellect.
Based on real-life trailblazers such as Mary Paley Marshall, Britain’s first female economist, and financial titan Hetty Green, Queen of Lombard Street brings to light the hidden history of extraordinary women whose achievements should be celebrated. How can we know who we are, if we don’t know who we were?
My Thoughts: There
needs to be more women like Reina Martin.
Women who do not let society tell them where they belong. Women who do not stay in their station in
life. Women who are willing to take on
anyone who tells them what to do with their lives. Women like Reina Martin. This woman can do anything and proves it
over and over again.
I loved everything about this story. Reina’s respect for her employees, even if
they are paroled people, was perfect. It
added twists and turns along with laughs and cringes that kept me
entertained. I liked that each character
has their own story but together they form a family that protects and watches
out for each other.
Queen of Lombard is a historical fiction book that I enjoyed
from the beginning to the end. The characters
are wonderful, the story is fun, and I was invested through the entire book.
Thank you William Morrow for a copy of the book via
NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon
Meet the Author(taken from her website): Lisa
Kleypas graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. Her
novels are published in forty different languages and are bestsellers all over
the world. She lives in California with her husband, Gregory.
Monday, October 19, 2026
Release Blitz for A Very Irish Scandal by Anya London
A Very Irish Scandal by Anya London is now live!
Three years ago, a car accident shattered Oliver Icefall’s face, career, and life. Now he’s in Ireland to find the man responsible and make him pay.
Addison Yarrow spent her life cleaning up her brother’s messes. When Kyle vanishes, leaving his young daughter’s future uncertain, Addy follows his trail straight to Oliver’s door—the man her brother destroyed, who has every reason to hate her.
Oliver hasn’t left the house in months. The blinds stay closed. The world stays out. Until Addison.
With a custody hearing looming and a brother who doesn’t want to be found, Addy needs Oliver’s help. But the closer they get to Kyle, the harder Oliver finds it to hate a Yarrow.
Download today!
Amazon US: https://bit.ly/4f5Qmr2
Apple Books: https://bit.ly/4i2NQVc
Nook: https://bit.ly/3W7DR8A
Kobo: https://bit.ly/4ysq4aZ
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4ylVxfs
Book Blitz for Dead Man’s Trigger: A Max Maguire Vampire Novel by Kat Huddleston with a GIVEAWAY
Dead Man’s Trigger: A Max Maguire Vampire Novel
Kat Huddleston
Publication date: October 5th 2026
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Who Knew Immortality Could Be So Short?
When high school history teacher Max Maguire begins to suspect one of his brightest students is in trouble, he ends up walking down the wrong alley. Suddenly, he’s staring down the fangs of a beautiful, powerful, and utterly merciless vampire named Jade.
As Max’s life takes a dark turn he’s forced to learn how to survive in Jade’s twisted world. But if Jade thinks her hostage is going to play nice, she really should have read his resume. This former Special Forces sniper might just have to dust off some very lethal muscle memory.
While Max plots exactly how to kill the most dangerous predator on the planet, he discovers there’s another group of vampires that have their own plans for Jade. Before he knows it, Max is caught in the crosshairs of a vampire war that neither side can afford to lose.
And there’s one thing neither side knows… Max has a secret of his own.
CONTENT WARNING: This is NOT a romance. The novel contains mature content intended for readers 18 and older. This is a gritty, fast-paced genre hybrid combining vampires with dark urban fantasy, tactical military thriller action, and sarcastic humor, with a wisecracking protagonist at its center. There is explicit sexual material, including non-consensual sex, graphic violence, torture, adult themes, and visceral horror elements. In other words, my vampires don’t sparkle.
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EXCERPT:
Max Maguire just got a brutal lesson from his captor, Jade, after his arm was exposed to the sun. He’s left burned and sick. The only one who can help him is the vampire who hurt him.
Max faded in and out of consciousness for hours, as the pain from his arm and the demands from his hunger took turns pounding through him like two enormous drums vying for attention. When he felt the sun leave the sky, the hunger reared up.
He tried to sit up, but his body started to shake. He felt like he was going to die, even though he figured a vampire wouldn’t die from a little sunburn. But he didn’t have any control over his body and every time he moved or touched his arm, pain seared through him. Eventually he stopped trying to get up or move and decided to wait it out. And suddenly there she was, Jade, looking down on him like an angel… or at least an angel from hell.
“What’s wrong with me?” Max asked.
“It’s sun poisoning. You’ll feel better after a bite.”
He closed his eyes as his body began to shake again. Max knew that she could bring him one of his former students at that moment and he’d kill them. His body would take over, the desire ripping right through his heart. And just as Max was focusing every ounce of his being on hating Jade, she sat down on the bed next to him and pulled him into her arms. Tenderly, almost lovingly, she rocked him like a mother would a sick child.
“It’s going to be okay. Drink me, Max,” she said.
He looked up at her surprised. Jade laughed.
She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead and then turned her head to the side, exposing her neck for him. Max’s body took over and in an instant he wrapped his hands around her and crushed her into his body, his fangs sinking into her neck. His mind went blank as he drank her deep and hard, extreme pain mingling with intense pleasure driving his senses to places he’d never been before. Better yet, he could feel her pleasure in his act.
When his mind came back to him, Max kept waiting for her to push him away, but she didn’t. When he finally stopped, he lay back wiping the blood from his mouth. She watched him with her cobalt blue eyes, like a curious cat wondering what he might do next. She’d gone from being pink and warm to pale and cool.
“Do you feel better?” she asked.
Max nodded. “Thank you.” It was a kind of twisted logic that would have him thank her for helping him considering she hurt him in the first place. Regardless he’d go with it. He had to make Jade believe she owned him body and soul, and there was no time to start like the present.
He was still in some pain, but Max felt much, much better. He rolled over to look at her, resting his head on his good arm. “You’re beautiful.”
“And you’re an idiot.”
“Okay,” he said.
“When I was holding your hand, you could have twisted out of the sun. You could have screamed, begged me to stop. Any number of things. But you didn’t. You just endured the pain. Why?”
“If I had done those things, would you have stopped sooner?”
“Probably not,” Jade said.
“Maybe I was trying to impress you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“And what do you think?”
“I think… you weren’t going to let me beat you.”
“You’ve already beaten me,” Max said as he played with her long, blonde hair rubbing a strand over his lips.
Jade laughed and shook her head. “Not yet. But I will… Do you want to continue with lessons on the Saracen Lance?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“Why is more like it.”
“I don’t think learning how to handle myself in this environment will hurt me.”
“It might not help you either… You’re a very interesting former human. Not always too bright though.”
“Somehow I don’t think being bright is a requirement for this job.” Max let his eyes run down the length of her body. She was wearing the T-shirt and jeans from earlier. He really wanted to take them off.
Jade touched his chest and her power flowed through him like an electric current. “I suppose not.” Jade pushed him onto his back and Max stopped talking. He didn’t want to think any more. He just wanted to let the feeling of her power flow through him. At that moment he didn’t even have the energy to hate her.
Author Bio:
Kat Huddleston has never met a perfectly ordinary day she couldn't improve with a vampire, a monster, or an alien invasion.
The result is Dead Man’s Trigger, the first book in her Max Maguire Vampire series, about a former Special Forces sniper turned high school history teacher turned vampire. He has military training, a talent for sarcasm, and a complicated relationship with being dead. Or is it undead?
Kat likes her supernatural creatures intelligent, her heroes complex, and her humor dark. Her vampires don't sparkle.
A Chicago-based writer, teacher, and award-winning artist, Kat spent a couple of decades writing about sci-fi TV and movies for the Syfy Channel’s website and Sci Fi Magazine. She's also written short stories and screenplays, taught fused glass, and created artwork that can be found in several galleries. Occasionally, she pretends she can concentrate on one thing at a time.
When she's not writing, painting, or melting glass in the name of art, Kat lives with her two cats, Jax and Nicky. They provide moral support, quality control, and unsolicited keyboard supervision. So far, neither has offered to help with marketing.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter
GIVEAWAY
Dead Man’s Trigger Blitz
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Friday, October 16, 2026
Spotlight for Theo & Maurice by Brandon Bestenheider
Theo & Maurice by Brandon Bestenheider
Published: February
26, 2026 by Brandon Bestenheider
What happens when a boy who dreams of flying meets a cloud
who longs to explore life on the ground? An unlikely friendship begins!
Theo and Maurice discover they have exactly what the other
needs. Maurice agrees to take Theo soaring through the sky, while Theo promises
to introduce his new friend to the world below. Together, they marvel at
dinosaurs, watch street-corner magic, and explore town, with Maurice cleverly
disguised as a man with a fluffy white beard.
But their greatest discovery isn't about the places they
visit. It's realizing that even the simplest moments can be special when shared
with a friend. And when their adventures can't go on forever, their story
touches on the feelings that come with change and missing someone you love.
Filled with imagination, silliness, adventure, and hope, Theo
& Maurice is a children's read-aloud especially suited to ages 5–8.
Jonathan Strailey's illustrations add another layer of fun, with hidden clouds
waiting to be discovered throughout the book.
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3VN8pML
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249351591
Brandon Bestenheider is a writer, producer, director, and
author whose work spans film, television, audio storytelling, screenwriting,
and fiction.
His screen credits include writing for Marvel Studios:
Legends, Marvel Studios: Assembled, and Disney Gallery: The
Mandalorian. He also co-created, wrote, and directed the scripted podcast
series Ronstadt.
Beyond the screen, Brandon writes short stories, novellas,
and books across a variety of genres and audiences. He lives in Los Angeles,
where he remains, in his own words, a “pizza-familiar primate” prone to
conjuring stories—unassisted by droids.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Now Available!! Brighter Than the Stars by Elizabeth O'Roark
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Book Review for Chasing Smoke by Piper Rayne
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Book Review for The Awakening: Or The Plight of Vampire Christian Du Mauré by Denise Rago
The Awakening: Or The Plight of Vampire Christian Du
Mauré by Denise Rago
Published:
October 13, 2026
Genre:
Vampire, Historical Fiction
destiny has actually left him no choice at all. Told in vignettes over the course of a decade in eighteenth-century France, Christian’s story is one of love, legacy, and his very life lost to betrayal, and the way he rose damaged but restored from the ashes of his mortal past.
My Thoughts: I
enjoy vampire books, there was a time when
that was all I read. I have since
branched out but I still look for unique vampire stories. This one caught my attention due to the
historical fiction aspect of the story.
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres right now. Put a vampire in a historical fiction book
and I knew I would love it…spoiler! I
did love it.
Author Denise K Rago wrote a novella that told a full
story. The characters were well
developed and easy to relate to. The story moved along at a steady pace with
enough detail that I could see the book in my head as I read the words.
Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange
for my honest review.
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Book Review for Home for the Homicides by Elle Cosimano, Hannah Morrissey
The
Holly & Mark Mystery Series #1
Home for the Homicides by Elle
Cosimano, Hannah
Morrissey
Published: October
13, 2026 by Minotaur Books
Genre: Christmas, Cozy
Murder, Romance
When Special Agents Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd report to the idyllic town of Christmas to investigate a very less than idyllic murder, they’re in for more than the average whodunnit.
Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth—after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn't exist?
The stakes are the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town's entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes—and there's only one spot.
Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it's not only their jobs on the line, it's their hearts, too—regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer—without killing each other—is on.
Co-authored by New York Times bestseller Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan series) and USA Today bestseller Hannah Morrissey (Black Harbor series), Home for the Homicides is a sexy, light-hearted romp, with a dash of merriment and murder.
My Thoughts: A
murder in the town of Christmas and they bring in the SBI to solve the crime
before the Jingle Bell Jubilee festival. The murder is the reason Mark and
Holly go to Christmas but there is so much more to their story.
This book had me laughing, smiling, and enjoying reading. The characters were
quirky, fun and relatable. The town of Christmas was over the top but full of
small town charm. I love seeing Mark and Holly make their way around town,
questioning residents, visiting the shops, trying to figure out who the
murderer is and why they killed the visitor to town. There were a few times
that I felt Mark and Holly were missing obvious clue, they were SBI agents, how
could they miss so many clues.
The narrator has some fun quips. I am not sure I have ever read a book that had
a narrator, that was unique and something that did not actually add to the
story but made me smile a few times.
Thank you Minotaur Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest
review.
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon