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Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Now Available!! Sweet Oblivion by Bella Matthews
Book Blitz for Nocturne by Tricia D Wagner with a GIVEAWAY
Nocturne
Tricia D. Wagner
Publication date: April 14th 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
In NOCTURNE, sixteen-year-old Livi learns the truth of who she is—a Siren, her people known only to legends. She must learn to master her powers of influence, strength, and destruction to stop a warmongering Admiral from drafting her best friends, capturing and killing her people, and decimating her homeland of Nocturne.
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EXCERPT:
Livi stood before the tavern’s bleak threshold, its heavy door cobbled of wrecked ships.
She peered through its ragged window, quieting the wiser part of her, an inner voice calling for her to turn back. And truly, she was stunned that she’d mustered the daring to try this.
There were dozens of men here—sailors all brooding over their flagons, many looking to be harboring grudges.
The tavern’s splintery walls were studded with trophies—toothy payaras, dry in their death throes, tacked beneath golden portraits of infamous Korps Mariner ships and their dread captains.
The men frequenting this sand-dusted, fish-pongy tavern—The Orphic, were the sun-beaten sailors and damaged soldiers of Merritaine, mercenaries and relieved fighters who’d reached the shore of old age still breathing.
No one dared step a toe in The Orphic unless he bore epic tales—bloody acts of acclaim on the baleful blue seas.
Many here had killed. Some for honorable causes in noble wars, yes. But they’d killed.
For all their savagery, though, they were brave.
Livi had heard enough stories to understand them as uniformly dauntless and skilled. If anyone could help her skip Merritaine’s coast and reach Nocturne, he’d be drinking here.
Through the brume of pipe smoke, she measured each face for hints of affability. Or at least for traces of good humor—signs that someone might consider her offer. If she could just single out one sailor more approachable than not, perhaps she could move to him unnoticed.
But that wouldn’t happen. Women scarcely set foot here, and sixteen-year-old girls certainly didn’t.
A few of the sailors came across as jovial—but even they harbored an undercurrent of trouble in their looks, their ease striking like a gusty southerly bathing the seaside, forecasting a typhoon’s assault.
The afternoon seemed all at once to grow late, a shaft of misted sunlight sluicing through the windows and casting the place in watery relief.
In fixing on that panorama of ocean, Livi could almost see Nocturne’s peaks in the deep west, its moonstone shores marbled with the shadowy ash given by its volcanic chain.
Those heights, she had to reach. For it was said that Nocturne’s high places were hived with sea caves—chambers shining with waters rumored to have healing properties.
Some believed those springs could stave off even death.
Livi eased from her jacket a small jar of pearls, each perfect, as plump as a blueberry—these a mere sampling of the trove she’d collected. They ought to be more than enough to buy passage to Nocturne from someone here bearing the skill, and the gall, and the ship, and the time to set sail for the Isles, along with some assurance that he could ferry her through storms, over waters where lurked sharks and killer whales and squids that tore up boats, and finally beyond the dread Maelstroms.
Livi had imagined this moment many times—making her bold approach in The Orphic, striking a deal. She’d imagined that arriving at this brink would feel like the onset of her escape.
But in finally standing here, readying to approach men alleged to be the most barbarous in Merritaine, the idea seemed beyond reckless.
Célian, her best friend—maybe more—would be sick at the thought of her here. And truly, in darkening this threshold, she felt she was skimming the rim of the Maelstroms, those great whirlpools unceasing in their churning, twisting what strayed near straight down in a tempest, claiming ships and seafarers alike as a part of themselves.
The bright Merrow Ocean glinting in, though, delivered some steadfastness. For at the sight of its rolling, Livi could gather a sense of what it might feel like, teaming with someone here, cruising on his scabrous ship to the treacherous west.
A man seated at the tavern’s back corner stood out a touch.
He looked a decade younger than the rest, and he had all his limbs, which was saying something. He seemed not resentful, or affable, or angry—just somber. His solemnity made it clear that he wanted to be left to himself.
But it also lent an impression of patience. Maybe he’d listen.
She edged open the tavern’s door and crept in. She eased behind a column in the entryway and held still.
She’d have to get to the somber man quick. If she drew too much attention, the barkeep—a tall man, his eyes sharp to check all the action, his manner busy and swift with his bottles—would cast her out before she could lay down one word of her offer.
Or worse—he’d let the men handle the disruption.
Livi stepped from the shade, into the amber light of the tavern.
Author Bio:
As a young reader, writers were like gods and goddesses to now author Tricia D. Wagner. She never could have imagined weaving tales like her favorite storytellers, until a fateful April dinner conversation with her husband about a lecture he attended got her mind whirling. By the end of that summer, she’d written 400,000 words: a speculative fiction trilogy. Wagner felt as if she’d emerged from a cocoon as some new sort of creature. She was hooked.
It was important to Tricia to sharpen her skills, and she immersed herself in workshops, guides, and writing communities, learning from editors how to hone her craft. She did this for years, and the result is her newly released novella The Strider and the Regulus, two independently published novelettes, four soon-to-be published novellas, and five as yet unpublished novels. She found writing to be a method for becoming the person she felt she was born to be. Wagner finds that writing inspires her to be a better person, truer to herself.
The ideas and substance of Tricia’s writing comes from a very deep place that is strongly stimulated by setting. Often, when she has completed a story, she feels as if she’s been to her story world, whether it’s on the map or not. She likes to believe all the places she writes about exist somewhere, somehow.
In writing her stories, Wagner was surprised and delighted to discover how real the characters become to an author; that for many writers, their characters end up as their most treasured friends. She loves to delve into them to mine their natures, secrets, and desires—to tell their stories with the legitimacy they deserve. In studying her characters, she finds she has the opportunity to shape herself, inching closer to the person she wants to become.
Wagner believes revision is magical in its power to make a good book great, and early drafts are only the beginning of a story’s journey. Any idea can wind up a good story, but with reflection and time and improvement, it can become art. Once Wagner completes a revision project, it feels miraculous how many fresh approaches have manifested and how much truer the story feels.
Wagner hopes her readers feel enchanted when they read her stories; that after completing one, it seems they’re drifting out from under a spell. This is exactly how she feels when she finishes writing a story. She hopes to that her writing might expand their minds, spirits, and worlds a bit, and she hope they fall in love with her characters and are moved by her artistry of language.
When she isn’t writing poignant works of literary fiction, Wagner is a Director of Adult Education – ESL Programs at a community college, a job and staff that she loves. In her spare time she enjoys refining her writing craft to discover new angles and landscapes that might enrich her writing palette. One such example is a recent course she took in learning to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, something that’s sure to end up in a story at some point. Wagner lives in Rockford, Illinois, with her husband and three darling cats.
GIVEAWAY!
Nocturne Blitz
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Book Review for Just This Once by Lena Hendrix
King Family #1
Just This Once by Lena Hendrix
Published: March
31, 2026 by Kensington
TROPES : 
One Night
Stand, 
Forbidden, 
Boss's
Daughter, 
Jealous MMC,
Meet
Cute, 
Firehouse
Banter
Taken from Goodreads: In a rugged small town on the coast of Michigan where heartbreak lingers but love always finds a way, sparks fly between a fireman and the daughter of the fire chief after an unforgettable one night stand. Fans of Lucy Score’s Knockmeout Series, Elsie Silver, Carley Fortune, and B.K. Borison will swoon over book 1 in Lena Hendrix’s bestselling Kings Series!
Cocky, pierced firefighters are perfect for late-night rom-coms, but in real life they’re nothing but trouble. Especially when you find out they work for your dad—after you’ve already slept with them.
Moving to my parents’ small town was supposed to be the fresh start I was looking for. When a disastrous Valentine’s Day leads to an unexpected encounter with a sexy stranger, it ended with the hottest night of my life.
I didn’t think I would ever see Whip again.
Imagine my surprise when one of my sixth-grade students has a medical emergency and it’s Whip who shows up, looking hot as hell, to save the day. I should be embarrassed at how we left things, but instead I’m furious he doesn’t seem to remember me.
So I scrape my pride off the floor, lift my chin, and pretend there’s nothing between us. But that can last only so long. Stolen glances melt into forbidden touches, and once we give in to temptation, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
Nothing has ever felt so right, but my guarded heart won’t let me believe in happily ever after with a man like him. Opening up to Whip may be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and every time we agree to one last time, we both know it’s a lie.
How many times can we keep telling ourselves just this once before we realize that, when it comes to love, once is never enough?
My Thoughts: Holy hotness. A firefighter and the Chief’s daughter hook
up, not knowing their connection. It is
only a one time hook up right? Oh, not
even close. The attraction is
undeniable.
I could not get enough of these two. Emily and Whip are perfect for each other,
even though they do not want to want each other. I loved their first hook up, oh really, I
loved all their hook ups, but really I loved them trying to figure out how to
not be together. Their dislike for each
other is obvious, but their like for each other is even more obvious. I love that they try so hard to stay away but
seem to keep getting in each other’s way.
Just This Once is a fun, steamy, sexy romance. The story went as expected. The author, Lena Hendrix, throws in a
mystery that leaves me wanting to read the next book in this series.
Thank you Hambright PR 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
When she’s not writing or devouring new novels, you can find her hiking, camping, fishing, and sipping a spicy margarita!
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Release Blitz for Non Pucking Stop by B. Celeste
Non Pucking Stop by B. Celeste is now live!
Thomas Moskins is a notorious playboy with a bad reputation. And considering his current marital status, that means he's riddled with scandal.
Except, maybe the MVP award-winning hockey player isn't at all what he seems behind closed doors.
When he's forced to hire a PR firm to help clean up his reputation following his latest transgression, he meets his match in Winter Bronte - a girl ten years younger than him with a sad past and guarded demeanor of her own.
And when she learns his biggest secret regarding his marriage, it can ruin both of them if they succumb to the growing feelings they have for one another.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/4qvUk0R
Amazon Worldwide: https://geni.us/NonPuckingStop
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/49rpEru
Meet B. Celeste
B. Celeste is a new adult and contemporary romance author that gives voices to raw, realistic characters with emotional storylines that tug on the heartstrings.
She was born and raised in upstate New York where she still resides with her four-legged feline sidekick, Oliver “Ollie” Queen. Her love for reading and writing began at an early age and only grew stronger after getting a BA in English and an MFA in English & creative writing. When she’s not writing, she’s working out, binge-watching reality game shows, and spending time with her friends and family.
Connect with B.
Website | https://authorbceleste.com/
Goodreads | https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18835116.B_Celeste
Amazon | https://bit.ly/3D6fC12
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/authorbceleste
Facebook Group | https://www.facebook.com/groups/1175412705973920
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/authorbceleste/
Bookbub | https://www.bookbub.com/authors/b-celeste
Newsletter | https://view.flodesk.com/pages/61e1953b6758a3ddd643f2ddSpotlight for Save the Date by Mallory Kass
Save the Date by Mallory Kass
Published: April 14,
2026 by Atria Books
Genre: Contemporary
Romance, Rom Com
The Bride: Beautiful, seemingly carefree Marigold, is tired of being treated like a shallow it-girl. That’s one of the many reasons she’s excited to marry Jonathan—the handsome, kind, respectable doctor of her dreams. So, when a shocking secret from her past threatens to ruin her wedding, she’ll do anything to make it disappear...even if it means tracking down a man she vowed to avoid forever.
The Maid of Honor: As the bride’s best friend, all Natalie wants is for this wedding to go off without a hitch. There’s only one problem: Natalie has secretly been in love with the groom since college. When Marigold disappears, Natalie is forced to ask whether she can keep burying her feelings for the sake of friendship...or if she’s ready to risk everything to pursue her own happy ending.
The Sister: Olivia has spent her life cleaning up Marigold’s messes. So, she’s determined to keep the wedding on track for the sake of their mother, who’s battling cancer and longs for one last perfect weekend. But when Jonathan’s best man—a prickly academic with a heart of gold—ropes her into a fake dating scheme, sparks unexpectedly fly. Will Olivia sacrifice her own happiness again, or could this fake relationship turn into the truest choice she’s ever made?
Heartwarming, hilarious, and sparklingly romantic, Save the Date will have you cheering for love in all its messy, unexpected glory.
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon
Monday, April 13, 2026
Release Blitz for What Lasts by J. Bengtsson
What Lasts by J. Bengtsson is now live!
Falling in love is the easy part.
It's the late 80s when wealthy East Coast socialite Michelle Carver meets Scott McKallister, sun-crusted California local and frontman of an underground heavy metal band who flirts like he's got nothing to lose. It's instant chemistry. And when Scott promises a night she'll have to lie about later, Michelle can't resist.
"From the day I met Scott, life asked me to choose."
Michelle's status-obsessed family has plans for her that don't include marrying down. When the secret romance is discovered, Michelle must decide between the future she was raised for and the man she'd risk everything to keep. Their story ends the way every romance promises: with a happily ever after.
But that was only the beginning.
Told across multiple eras, What Lasts is a story about love that survives beyond the honeymoon phase: when kids arrive, money gets tight, and real life moves in. Marriage isn't about finding "the one," or even learning to pee with the door wide open. It's about choosing the same person, again and again. Scott and Michelle think they've figured that part out...
...until the day one of their children doesn't come home.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: https://bit.ly/4aLSJOX
Audio: https://bit.ly/4chkVbX
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4b0Hr8x
Meet J. Bengtsson
J. (Jill) Bengtsson is the bestselling author of the Cake Series. She writes contemporary novels focused on love, humor, passion, and family. Her heroines are strong, nurturing, and quirky while her heroes are what dreams are made of - gorgeous, committed, and in need of a little saving. A native Californian, Jill's novels are set under the glittering lights of the West Coast entertainment industry. They are for the dreamer in all of us.
Connect with J.
Website | jbengtssonbooks.com
Goodreads | https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15258209.J_Bengtsson
Amazon | https://www.amazon.com/J-Bengtsson/e/B01GTFTM8K
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/jbengtssonauthor
Facebook Group | https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebananabinder
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/j._bengtsson/
Bookbub | https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-bengtsson
Newsletter | https://jbengtssonbooks.com/newsletter