Archive for December 6, 2024

 

All the King’s Men

by Empress Chang

 

(Kingdom of Lies & Truths, #2)
Publication date: December 4th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mafia, Romance

I married him for safety.
He married me for love.
That is where our problems lay.

He thought he knew me. He didn’t.

Our love was never a fairy tale. Our stories were dark and twisted and morally gray, with survival being our motive.

That meant watching out for myself first and last. But being Marcello’s wife is harder than I thought. In our story, I am the villain, while he played the knight, my protector.

*All The King’s Men is the second book in the Kingdom of Lies & Truths series and can be read as a standalone. It is a dark new adult mafia romance that includes scenes that may be disturbing to some. Recommended for readers 18+.

Goodreads / Purchase

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“The house is being sold.”

“Excuse me!” Shocked, I spun around.

“Be careful.”

“My house! You put my house up for sale?! My family possessions. My things!”

“Your things are here, Eden. I had them moved here, and I had your family things moved to storage until you decide what to do with them.”

“I want them in the fucking house I grew up in! Who the fuck told you to move my things and sell my home!”

“Your grandfathers and I agreed that now that you are a married woman, the house was not needed.”

“You mean, they told you to get rid of it and you agreed? Without consulting me!”

“Pussyc ¾”

“Do not call me that!” I snapped, pointing at him.

As if weighing me and my anger, Marcello nodded. “They thought it best that we get rid of it because it represents the house of a traitor to this family, and your grandfathers do not want that shame to follow you. That is why I agreed, Eden.”

Shame. That was what would follow me forever. Shame and being the daughter of a traitor. The only thing saving me was my mother’s side of the family, and Marcello, whether I liked it or not.

How did everything go to shit? Bending to hug my knees, I hid my face to hide my tears. How did I go from being free and running one of the biggest businesses in the underworld to being a traitor’s daughter and jobless.

I had been so careful in my life. Only for it all to be fucked up by someone else and their mistakes.

“Eden,” Marcello whispered my name, crouching on the floor.

Allowing the comfort of his hand rubbing my shoulders, I sniffed and wiped at my tears before facing him “Sins of the father, right…”

“I’ll carry your sins for you.”

Huffing a chuckle, I pressed my forehead to the side of his face. “If only you could.” As I pecked his kiss, I was reminded of the sweet boy I had taken advantage of.

I gave in to the distraction he offered and opened my lips, melting into our first kiss in years.

He tasted of coffee or chocolate, I couldn’t tell. Only that the second I gave permission, his tongue swept over mine in a slow, cautious dance, and we stared at each other, measuring and deciding if it was safe to continue or stop.

But stopping was not an option. I didn’t want to stop. His mouth felt too good, too warm, too familiar to stop, and I knew he felt it too. The fire that blazed in his eyes told me as much, and I tilted my head for him and closed my eyes.

As our slow, sensual kiss deepened, Marcello’s fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer. Our tongues slid together, lips pressing and nibbling, igniting a yearning that pulsed through me. Overwhelmed, I shifted, straddling his lap, his growl vibrating against my lips as he pressed me down onto his arousal.

“No,” I whispered, breaking away abruptly. “We are still fighting.”

His frustration was palpable as he gripped the back of my neck. “We’re not fighting now, are we?”

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About Author Empress Chang:

Writing under the pen name Empress Chang, she is referred to as an overly dramatic, outgoing yet shy individual by her friends and family. Half Chinese Jamaican, Chang was born and raised in Jamaica.
Writing stories about her dogs and princesses at a young age, Chang discovered romance books in high school and started writing her own believing that romantic happy ever afters are necessary for a healthy and happy life.
She is a huge believer in the simple things in life, and her life’s main goal is to be happy. This includes sunny beaches and junk food (of course)!
When Chang is not writing, she is usually reading, watching a series that has hooked her attention and demands to be binged, or is spending time with her supportive, loving husband.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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Mistletoe, Mutts, and Murder (Samantha Davies Mysteries)
by S.A. Kazlo

 


Mistletoe, Mutts, and Murder (Samantha Davies Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – The series takes place in Wings Falls, New York, a small town in upstate New York about 45 minutes north of Albany
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gemma Halliday Publishing (December 3, 2024)
Digital ~250 Pages
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D9ZKS19S

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Christmas is coming and children’s book author, Samantha Davies, and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, are caught up in the holiday festivities in beautiful upstate New York. Sam’s parents, Chuck and Barbara, who have been enjoying their retired life in sunny Florida, have flown into Wings Falls to spend the holidays with Sam and meet her new boyfriend, Detective Hank Johnson. Sam is also busy hosting this year’s Christmas party for the Loopy Ladies, Sam’s rug hooking group.

The Loopy Ladies know how to party and are enjoying an evening eating, drinking, and making merry… until Santa crashes the party. Unfortunately, this Santa is Sam’s next-door neighbor who her parents have had a long-running feud with. When not playing the local mall’s not-so-jolly old St. Nick, Leo Sayers is a newspaper reporter, and he announces to the group that he’s written a damning article accusing Sam’s dad and his close friend, Herb Feinstein, of some very shady dealings in their past. To preserve peace on earth—and among the Loopy Ladies—Chuck and Herb escort Leo from the party.

Only, not long after being sent on his way, Santa is found dead—lying in the snow, run over by a plastic reindeer, with a string of Christmas lights around his neck! Are Sam’s father and Herb now on the naughty list? If Sam can’t prove them innocent of murdering Santa, she’s afraid their stockings will contain handcuffs and a one-way ticket to prison this year!

About S.A. Kazlo

Syrl, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two lively dachshunds. She writes the Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her loveable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing she is busy hooking, rug hooking that is, and enjoying her family. Her newest book, number six in the series is, Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder. 

Author Links: Website / Blog / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NSmashwordsKobo

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December 2 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

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Sought By Destiny

by Monica Ageno

 

(CHRONICLES OF THE FATES, #2)
Publication date: December 1st 2024
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

A Betrayal
Forced to betray her fated mate—a man she despises as much as she craves—Feylin is thrust into a world where dark magic is used without restraint and her survival depends on her cunning alone. As she struggles to guard her secrets, the new mate bond begins to fracture her resolve, threatening to tear her apart from the inside.

One truth remains: nothing is more dangerous to her than him. Olron, The Dark Mage. The exiled King of Gravindale. He has plans of his own for Feylin, twisted ambitions that go far beyond the bond they are forced to share. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

Olron

She was supposed to be a pawn, she has turned herself into a Queen. An important piece in a dangerous game. A choices that he intends to take full advantage of. After all, he is best known for capitalising on his opportunities.
He has plans for her. Ones that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that their enemies are not prepared for.

Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s “Blood and Ash” series, Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses”series. This fantasy romance will captivate readers who crave stories of enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, strong heroines, slow-burn tension, and dangerous, seductive anti-heroes

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Storm stood at the edge of Skyreach, his eyes scanning the charred landscape. The ground, once lush and green, was now a scorched black sea. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt wood. The ruins before him stood as silent witnesses to the battle’s wrath, skeletal remains stark against the early morning sky.

Every crack in the earth, every smouldering ember, was a testament to the destructive power he had wielded. For weeks he had been consumed by a rage so intense it charred him from the inside out, a bitterness that pulsed in his veins like a poison. Never had he felt this hollow in his life. An emptiness so profound it had taken control of his mind.

The betrayal of his mate that had ripped his heart in a million pieces. Ever since he had met Feylin, he had kept her at arm’s length simply to prevent this kind of attachment to her. It would seem that she did not need the mate bond consummated to have control of his heart.

Feylin…

Just the thought of her name had his anger steaming as he recalled the moment he had realized that by some fate-cursed magic, she had discovered a way to break their bond. That was bad enough, but then the same cursed magic had bonded her to Olron, for a reason only she understood.

Storm steeled his heart at the thought of her. It was not merely her betrayal that fuelled the flames within him; it was her choice, even if it was a choice that consumed his mind in scorching fury. She had chosen Olron. His once best friend. Someone who had once been so close they had been like brothers.

“Storm.” Alaric approached cautiously, sensing his state of mind. His friend had been handling him with gloves lately. Storm knew he had been volatile, and Alaric had given him more leeway than he would have any other mage.

“Why are you still out here? It has been a hard-fought victory. You have earned a rest.”

“Victory?” Storm chuckled bitterly. They had won Skyreach back from Olron after weeks of Storm ploughing through enemy troops with his magic unleashed at its fullest potential.

He had been single-minded. Kill, destroy, get to Olron…but the bastard had not been at the battlefield. He had not shown up for weeks. He had left the trolls, dark Fae and the undead to fight his battle. Was he too occupied with his new mate to remember that they were at war? Storm punched a tree in frustration as he began to pace, the red haze starting to rise in his mind. He knew what it was. The mate madness.

This was one of the reasons he had not wanted to consummate his bond with Feylin. He had never wanted to ever be controlled by the whims of the Fates.

His father had suffered the mate madness after his mother had died. Very few resisted it. Even fewer survived it. Olron was the one person in recorded history to have survived it without a tether, but even then, he was barely sane. Those that survived with their minds intact had important tethers, like children or other loved ones. Clearly his feelings for Irina had not been as strong as he had thought if he was being driven to the brink of insanity.

Irina had been his long-time companion, since childhood. He had thought he was in love with her, one of the reasons why he had rejected his mate bond with Feylin. Now he had no choice of what to feel—jealousy was a living flame in his chest.

Last night he had felt her, Feylin, and for the first time in a long while, his soul had calmed.

Storm had been in the middle of battle, and it had woken him up like a jolt of pure lightening straight to his veins. He had no idea how she had so easily broken their bond and in the same manner, restored it.

The madness was slowly receding with every beat of his heart as he felt her warm, fresh presence down the bond. She was pure and clear like dew in the morning. He had missed her anchoring him.

He had never wanted this weakness. Never wanted to be shackled by bonds beyond his control. Yet, here he was. Storm lifted his face to the smoke-stained sky and roared, the sound carrying the potency of his fury.

He had tried to prevent this. Had refused to make her his weakness, but none of it mattered. He now understood what the bond was. The mate bond was not just some magic that linked them together. Rather, she was the other half to his soul, blackened though it was.

“Storm, old friend,” Alaric said calmly. “Steady your heart. We will find her.”

“I will know no rest while my mate lies beside another man,” Storm snapped. He couldn’t dwell too much on that imagery. He had already put Alaric through enough as it was.

It had been this way ever since he had first discovered that Feylin was missing.

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About Author Monica Ageno:

MONICA AGENO is a Melbourne based Author and illustrator.

She has a genuine love for life, and her passion, drive, and wild imagination seep onto every written page. She also paints in her spare time.

She writes both childrens’ books under the pen name Ageno H Monica and New Adult romance books under her name Monica Ageno.

She believes in the importance of reading to children from an early age to help build their confidence and her children’s books are both imaginative and lesson based.

When it comes to her New Adult books Monica writes with such a ferocity that once you enter her world, you never want to leave.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.