Archive for the ‘Excerpt’ Category

Peek Inside And Giveaway ~ Bound Beauty By Jennifer Silverwood

Posted: July 15, 2026 in Contemporary Romance, Excerpt, giveaways
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Bound Beauty

By Jennifer Silverwood

 

(A Wylder Tale, #3)
Publication date: July 14th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Forgotten gods haunt her steps, and the cursed prince she left behind isn’t done fighting for her soul.

Vynasha is bound to the prince of Bitterhelm. Even if she were to die, her spirit will remain trapped with him in the castle forever. But she won’t give in to Grendel without a fight. With the aid of an oracle, a witchling, and the wolf that claims her heart, Vynasha plans to claim her power as the curse breaker.

Ceddrych guards their nephew secretly while fighting to keep the feral beasts roaming their borders at bay. But the monsters are closing in, and the madness he has struggled with drives him to one desperate, unforgivable act.

A war is about to begin between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the cruel might of Bitterhelm. Beings of prophecy and legend unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a romantic gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

WYLDER TALES is a series of romantic dark fairy tales, set in the past of the wider Borderlands Saga, and includes:
•slow burn romantasy
•forced proximity
•enemies to lovers
•found family
•magical bonds
•wicked witches
•burly beasts
•morally gray characters

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

IN A FORBIDEN DREAM IN WYLDERLAND…

The journey seemed to take far longer than she remembered, and part of her feared the passage of time here compared to the world her body remained behind. Ceddrych had told her countless tales of the dangers of magick, of what happened when one dwelled too long in enchanted dreams.

Here the palace looked less like a ruin wrought from rampage. Candles gave off an unnatural silver glow and the hovering lights that had been trailing Vynasha seemed to thicken and gather as she lifted a hand to push open the doors to the throne room. They cracked open before her hand could touch the intricately carved wood.

Snow filtered in through the broken ceiling and rose vines curled over every surface, crawling up the obsidian columns and steps to the throne. Surrounding the steps, the shadow-spirits of beasts of every size and shape lounged and paced. Their forms flickered about the edges, and their eyes glowed brightly, turning to fix upon Vynasha as she slowly entered the hall.

Upon the throne, the thorned vines had dug into a hunched over man. His blood gleamed luminous violet, the same shade as hers was now.

With every step she took, the full wreck of his downfall became increasingly apparent. The shadow beasts at her back pressed closer, urging her forward. Vynasha clenched her fists and refused to climb the steps to face him.

“Grendel.” Her voice echoed like a plucked lute string through the cavernous hall.

Grendel shuddered and then raised his head and looked at her with dead violet eyes. “Vynasha.” The crack in his voice echoed clearly to her ears. His eyes widened when she remained, and his vine-wrapped hands clawed at the arms of his throne. “You have come at last.”

Her feet began to move of their own accord. She barely caught herself in time. She could not, would not go to him, and certainly never pity him. “What happened here? Why are my roses taking over like this?”

“Can you not guess, Vynasha” Grendel leaned forward, ignoring the press of the rose crowning his dark hair. “Vynasha, you have no idea how your absence has undone me. It has been pure torture to sense you but never able to touch you.”

“Good.” Vynasha took a single involuntary step up the stairs leading to his throne. His violet eyes flared wide with apprehension as she growled, “You and your monsters have made our lives a living hell, Grendel. It’s only fair I repay your bloody kindness.”

Grendel’s lips parted and his gaze took in the full measure of her with all the subtlety of a starving man. “Yet you are here,” he said, a new clarity brightening his violet gaze. His hands flexed against the arms of his throne. “You are truly here, and that means the spell has been broken.”

Vynasha flinched at his sudden smile and found herself unable to take a step back. Her feet drove her forward once more, and this time she had no power over herself to stop. “What are you doing to me?”

Grendel’s hand twitched and then she was flung forward. He groaned as he caught her, the thorns digging deeper into his flesh. She cried out as the same thorns cut her palms as she braced herself against his chest. “I have you, at last, I have you,” he said, eyes bright with unshed tears.

He was mad. No, she was mad. For the instant her hands found his flesh, a roaring wave of need assaulted her. She could rage at him and claim this was his need she felt, not her own. But this compulsion was familiar, forbidden and something she had fought desperately to forget in the past three moons.

“Grendel, let me go” she pleaded as she leaned into him, the pain of his thorns forgotten as he pulled her into his lap and began to press his lips over every part of her he could reach.

“How could I give you up my beauty, my love, my queen?”

She couldn’t breathe. The scent of roses, of life and death, of him were overwhelming. A part of her was starving, had been starving for months, she realized wish sickening clarity. “I hate you,” she sobbed as she tilted her chin and gave him further access to her neck. “If you pull me back here again, I will find a way to kill you, I swear it.”

“You cannot kill me without killing yourself, love,” he said with a laugh.

“Then we both die.” She shook her head but could not help tracing her nose along his neck, to draw in more of his heady scent.

“Vynasha,” he cried as her lips pressed to his pulse. “Please, Vynasha!”

But he was no longer tangible beneath her hands, the thorns no longer piercing them both. The painful aching need to mold herself to him faded just as she did, her hands disappearing before her eyes.

“Vynasha!” He cried with an agony she felt as her spirit was ripped free from Grendel’s nightmare. And the world around her dimmed, consumed by a cloud of inky ashes.

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About Author Jennifer Silverwood:

Jennifer Silverwood lives in the middle of an enchanted forest surrounded by cursed books, nosy spirits, and mischievous goblins she calls her children. After beginning several nonsensical degrees, she found her calling helping other authors bring their books to life. Jennifer is the author of two fairy tale fantasy series: the Borderlands Saga and Wylder Tales. Because she wasn’t satisfied writing in one genre, she also invites you to explore uncharted space with the Heaven’s Edge Novellas—and dare to fall in love again with the standalone romance titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

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GIVEAWAY

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Bound Beauty Blitz

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Have You Seen Him By Kimberly Lee ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 14, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Mystery/Thriller, suspense
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Have You Seen Him by Kimberly Lee Banner

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HAVE YOU SEEN HIM
by Kimberly Lee
July 6 – 31, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:
What if everything you believed about yourself was totally wrong?

For David Byrdsong, life is a series of daily obligations. An attorney, he lacks both ambition and the ability to commit to a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Gayle. Abandoned by his family at an airport when he was eleven, he learned to blunt his feelings, despite his subsequent adoption by a loving couple. Until one day, when David discovers his own face in a missing child ad. Suddenly driven to uncover the truth about his past, he is forced to tap into his inner strength as he encounters corporate conspiracies, murdered bystanders, and distressing suspicions about the only family he’s ever really trusted. David enlists Gayle’s help—and the help of an unlikely stranger with secrets of his own—as he attempts to find his true family, whoever they are.

Have You Seen Him is a story of lost identity, dangerous secrets, and a deeply personal pursuit of the truth.

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Praise for Have You Seen Him:

Next Gen Indie Gold Award winner and IBPA Silver Award winner, Have You Seen Him has earned praise from readers and reviewers alike. “Lee debuts with a dazzling maze of courtrooms, kidnappers, and unsolved mysteries in this substantive thriller, boasting a rich ensemble cast.…Have You Seen Him is consistently sincere, never losing sight of its spirit, and always ensuring readers are both challenged and charmed right up to the final page.” ~ BookLife “…a slow-burning, emotional thriller that explores identity, trust, and the ripple effects of secrets long buried….This is a debut worth reading!” ~ Natasha Reed “I loved the numerous reveals, and some made me gasp out loud! I won’t give any spoilers, so I won’t ruin it for you. If you love to be kept guessing until the end…give this book a try.” ~ Julie Kodama “…delivers enough action to trigger a fight-or-flight response. The sparse touch heightens suspicion, palpable dread, and tension, fueling the overall pace….[E]veryone will stay engaged.” ~ C. Elyse, A Sip, A Shout Out, and a Sentence “Cleverly written and thoughtfully crafted, Lee’s debut is action-packed and entertaining with enough emotion and depth to hook you. Gayle was my favorite character—she kicks ass.” ~ Mystery Manon, The Cluesletter “…an impressively engaging, cleverly scripted, and simply riveting read from start to finish. Especially recommended for fans of unique suspense thrillers….” ~ Midwest Review “The plot contains action, mystery, murder, secrets, and lies. There’s potential here for a sequel, and I’ll be one of the first in line to read it.” ~ Stephen Christopher, Readers’ Favorite “The action and the mystery kept me reading. I had to know why he was missing.” ~ Briana Fitzpatrick “This book was one that definitely pulled me in as twists and turns unravelled. Overall it was a twisty search for truth, tangled in corporate secrets, buried trauma, and family drama.” ~ A.D. “I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing, the chapters were short and to the point and even though the storyline was intricate and multi-dimensional, it all came together.” ~ Jameelah Deleon​​​​​​​ ​

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HAVE YOU SEEN HIM Trailer:

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Book Details:

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Published by: Butterfly Effect Press Publication Date: July 1, 2025 Number of Pages: 270 ISBN: 9798991867214

Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Powells

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Enjoy this peek inside HAVE YOU SEEN HIM:

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About Author Kimberly Lee:

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Kimberly Lee

Kimberly Lee, JD, is a versatile writer, workshop facilitator, and editor with a passion for nurturing the imaginative spirit and helping others reveal their creative gifts. Kimberly holds degrees from Stanford University and UC Davis School of Law, along with certifications from Amherst Writers & Artists, SoulCollage®, Guided Autobiography, and the Center for Journal Therapy. Recent collaborations include Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, Hollyhock Retreat Center, and The Huntington. Kimberly’s stories and essays have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, and she has served on the staffs of Literary Mama, F(r)iction, and Carve magazines. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.

Catch Up Kimberly Lee:

KimberlyLee.me Amazon Author Profile Goodreads BookBub – @kimberlyylee Instagram – @klcreatrix

 

Tour Participants:

Click through the other tour stops for can’t-miss reviews, insider interviews, exclusive guest posts, and more chances to win! Click here to view the Tour Schedule  

 

Have You Seen Him… And This Giveaway?
This giveaway is hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Kimberly Lee. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

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Crater Girl By Polly Schattel ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 14, 2026 in Dark Fantasy, Excerpt, giveaways
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Crater Girl

By Polly Schattel

 

Publication date: June 28th 2026
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, LGBTQ+

Greta Tyler has issues. She’s broke, divorced, trans, recently defrocked from her Episcopal priesthood, and her underpaid assistant hates her. But hey, things could always be worse, right?

As a social worker in a small, northern Alabama city, Greta’s just trying to do a little good in the world, and also come to terms with a complicated new life, a demanding new career, and the crushing finality that her marriage to her childhood sweetheart is over for good. But when her friend Suhey fails to show for a party, Greta suspects the worst: Suhey’s either been deported or kidnapped. Thus begins an increasingly surreal odyssey through the inscrutable byways and backroads of contemporary rural America.

Tormented by self-doubt, and with a tendency to harm whatever she touches, Greta careens through a sinister underworld she never knew existed—billionaires and busboys, asteroids and assassins, human traffickers and misfit geniuses … and also an infernal plan to radically change the world.

But first, how to come up with the rent?

Crater Girl is Polly Schattel’s genre-jumping tale of gender politics, self-loathing, clandestine organizations, interstellar geology, thuggee death cults, and the search for personal redemption in the rusted over-sprawl of the meta-modern South.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“The first time I ever heard of the concept of the dead eye was in reference to a man I knew was troubled before I’d even reached my teens. Rick M. Scharpley, who his seventh grade homeroom class called Mr. Scharpley to his face but Prick Him Sharply behind his back, was a substitute who’d been brought in to take over after our regular history teacher had broken her back in a car accident. He’d taught us through the rest of that year, a mousy, chubby man with sensible hair, sensible glasses, and a perfectly sensible face. No one knew whether he had a wife or kids, or a family back home, and he seemed normal enough to his students, even funny sometimes, until you’d spent an afternoon or so with him. Then you’d start to notice how his eyes had grown soft and buggy and darkly fascinated with you, and how the little ironic twist of his smile rarely faltered. He knew his history, and he could sometimes make stuff like antebellum Alabama halfway interesting, but the various disparate parts of him commingled oddly, which pushed him almost into full-on creepazoid territory, and you found yourself wanting “to spend as little time in his presence as possible but unable to say exactly why. In class it wasn’t too bad; his cigarette prestidigitation and his day-drinker legerdemain made a decent distraction for the after-school detention crew. But we thought even then, even as kids, that beneath his southern gentleman’s surface, there flowed an underground reservoir rich with self-loathing, a vast subterranean sea of near-bottomless black pain.

We knew this, the whole town knew this, because one sunny Sunday in that summer of 2006, Mr. Scharpley left a note magneted to the front of his refrigerator, a very personal kind of mini-manifesto within which he detailed all manners of abuses, self- and otherwise. Then he carried half a dozen syringes loaded with a potent pesticide called chlordecone into the local farmer’s market, and began injecting random crates of peaches with them. Eight people, most of them kids and old folks, had fallen into foamy-mouthed convulsions before he’d pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the frontage road.

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About Author Polly Schattel:

POLLY SCHATTEL lives in the mountains near Asheville, NC with her wife and three vicious and savage but very adorable animals.

Website

 

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GIVEAWAY

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Crater Girl Blitz

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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San Quentin Exodus By Bill Smoot ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 10, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Historical
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What happens when a literature teacher channels her inner
Nancy Drew to break an inmate out of America’s most famous prison?

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San Quentin Exodus

by Bill Smoot

Genre: Historical Literary Fiction, Crime Drama

James, a still-water-runs-deep boy, struggles to navigate
the rough streets of Oakland, California, in the 80s. His only friend is a pit
bull he rescues from dog fighting. On the cusp of college, James commits a
crime that results in a prison term of thirty to life.

Allison, a young Indiana girl obsessed with Nancy Drew
novels, vows that her life’s mission will be to solve mysteries and help
people. Introverted yet daring, Allison moves to Berkeley to teach prep school
and volunteers as a tutor at San Quentin. She meets James when he is
approaching fifty, learns his story, and after his parole denial, channels
Nancy Drew to plan his improbable escape.

San Quentin Exodux is a braided novel about two people whose
lives cross in a quest to reset an ill-fated life. It is a story infused with
misfortune and pain, but also with hope and a fierce humanity.

“San Quentin Exodus, Bill Smoot’s deeply compelling
novel, introduces readers to the world of prison but really to the much bigger
world of his characters’ lives, inviting us to follow the trajectory of each as
it unfolds with surprise and mystery, love and loss. Like all good
literature, San Quentin Exodus ultimately asks us to reconsider
everything we believe—or think we believe. Smoot is the consummate storyteller:
restrained, wise, compassionate.”
—Lori Ostlund, author of Are You
Happy?

Amazon * Apple
* B&N
* Bookbub
* Goodreads

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Prologue

 

Wings 

In one week Allison Anderson will commit her first felony: section 4550 of the
California Penal Code, helping someone escape from a state prison. Almost
everyone who knows her would be stunned with disbelief. For her, it’s the
ultimate realization of who she is.

One autumn evening six years ago, Allison entered San
Quentin Prison as a volunteer tutor. Walking across the prison grounds, she
gazed at the forty-foot walls, the spirals of razor-wire,
and the imposing guard towers. She wondered how an inmate might escape. It was
her first time in a prison, and the question engaged her problem-solving mind.
She did not know that
one day she would devise an escape plan. She did not know that she would put
that plan into action. At the time, it was just a thought experiment, a
challenge for a woman whose childhood heroine was Nancy Drew, girl sleuth.

Allison’s most vivid memory of entering the prison that
evening was the birds. When she and her group rounded the hospital building and
walked across the yard, she saw geese and gulls scratching the ground on the
baseball field. It was mere minutes before the October sun would set, and their
white feathers glowed like gold. A single goose stretched his neck, dipped his
thick body, and with a push from his feet and a flapping of his great wings, he
rose from the ground and glided across the field, then soared over the wall.
Other geese did the same, their necks piercing the air like arrows. Sea gulls
followed. The walls and guard towers were mere landmarks below them, like trees
or outcroppings of rock, obstacles they cleared with ease. They didn’t need an escape
plan. They had wings.

 

The First Day and the Last

They
say that the two days of prison an inmate remembers most vividly are his first
and his last. Everything in between is a blur. James’ first day was 30 years
ago. His last—maybe—will be in one week. If Hemingway’s character could walk
away from war, James can declare his separate peace from prison. It’s time to
move on, regardless of what the parole board has ruled. It’s necessary. An
absolute must.

For society, James is a statistic, another Black man
languishing in prison, costing the state $75,000 a year. His escape—if it
succeeds—will save taxpayers money. For himself, it will be his personal
exodus, his promised land of another chance at life. If things go according to
plan, no one will know how he did it. He will just disappear, a man become a
ghost. Allison is a smart young lady, and he can’t find any flaws in her plan,
but he is haunted by that old saying: If it seems too good to be true, then it
probably is.

James is filled with yearning and fear. The greater danger
is not that he’ll get caught and have time added to his sentence—though that’s
a real possibility—but that the hope he’s allowed himself to feel will die.
That’s the greater risk. The loss of hope he could not bear.

He lies in his bunk, trying to conjure up positive images.
The thought of freedom makes his skin prickle. The shadows of the bars cross
his body, spill onto the concrete floor. He listens to the cell block tick with
sound, as if the walls are straining to breathe. He imagines a sea gull soaring
on the wind.

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Bill Smoot grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, and attended
Purdue University where he was editor of the campus newspaper, The Purdue
Exponent. Fired as editor by the university president, he was reinstated after
protest from students and faculty. He went on to graduate school at
Northwestern University, where he received a PhD in philosophy. He has taught
for four decades at levels ranging from sixth grade to university students. He
currently teaches courses at Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin and the Osher
Institute for Lifelong Learning at UC-Berkeley. His essays and short stories
have such publications as Ninth Letter, Crab Creek Review. The Nation, Literary
Review, Crab Orchard Review, Western Humanities Review, Narrative, and
Salon.com. His the author of Conversations with Great Teachers and a novel,
Love: A Story. Mr. Smoot currently lives in Berkeley, California, with his dog
Artemis. His website is https://billsmoot.net

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Enter the San Quentin Exodus Giveaway Here

 

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Peek Inside And Giveaway ~ After Dark By Rose Titus

Posted: July 10, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Romance
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After Dark

By Rose Titus

 

(The Vampire Next Door, #2)
Publication date: February 23rd 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

In Night Home: The Vampire Next Door Volume I, the fact that vampires truly exist was almost accidentally made public when a story presented as fiction seemed all too real to an amateur vampire hunter, who at the end, was made to remain silent about the secrets he discovered

But it doesn’t end there: the tale circulates as far as the west coast, where a small community of vampires have been quietly hiding; and to them, also, this story is too close to reality to be just a fantasy. But while they take the time to decide whether to attempt contact with their own kind so far away, they have their own local problems to deal with.

A savage and barbaric serial killer, suspected of being a vampire, lurks in their own city, stalking the innocent at night. Will the vampires be able to stop the killer before they are blamed for his acts of extreme horror?

And that’s not all. A beautiful yet tragic and suicidal young woman wanders like a lost angel from out of the darkness and into their midst, hoping a vampire will make her end swift and easy.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Alex drifted slowly through the back door to step down into the darkened entrance to the well-kept old building’s lower levels. On the upper floors there was an exclusive restaurant that catered to the wealthy and sophisticated; below, on the ground level there was a dance club, which attracted a completely different crowd of people—many with spiked purple hair. But under the dance floor, underground, there was served another kind of people. This dining area was not well known to many above ground.

He surveyed the area. A few tables were empty, but most tables had one or two people sitting and talking. And there she was, in the corner, alone, waiting for him. His sister Alexandra looked up and nodded to acknowledge him. He went to her table and sat down. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” she put her fine crystal glass down. “Jim Ellison left a message on my answering machine. I was surprised to hear from him after so long a time. He said, ‘I know you’re asleep but I’ve got some shocking news.’“

“What is it?” he knew that Jim called everything shocking, incredible, amazing, mind-boggling. That was his profession. He wrote for the tabloids, the ones that reported on flying saucers and Bigfoot.

“So, I kept calling, and finally got him,” she sighed. Alex noticed that she sighed a lot lately. “Says he’s got something he wants us to see. Well, you know, the business he’s in, he’s always looking for unusual things, searching the web for news of the odd.”

“Has he finally captured the Sasquatch?” he smirked. He did like Jim, but also enjoyed having a laugh at his line of work. That was how they met. Jim had been allowed to do “an article” for his so-called newspaper, the kind of tabloid newspaper people picked up in the supermarket checkout line and took home to read just for fun. The article was titled “Civilized Vampires Come Out After Dark.” It was agreed by the community to allow him to publish it because no one believed anything in that sort of newspaper anyway.

“No, he hasn’t captured the Sasquatch, and he hasn’t had a ride in a flying saucer either. He thinks he may have found more people like us.”

“Really? How? Someone write the editor of that cheap paper?”

“No. It’s… well, you know how some colleges have magazines that students write for? I guess nowadays they’re all online. Jim searches the internet for anything he could use, and he found this article by a college student on the East Coast. It’s a story about vampires, but not the movie kind. The characters in her story, they are very much like us, Alex. Living, breathing… and all the rest, stop aging after thirty, and then gradually lose tolerance for the sun, live to be about three hundred. He told me over the phone about it. I haven’t seen it. I asked him to send it, but he said he might be travelling through, so he might come by and drop it off. “

“Oh, well, we’ll wait until he shows up, then.”

She lowered her voice. “But that’s not the only reason I asked you to come by.”

“What?” He hoped it wasn’t bad news; her tone seemed serious.

“Someone seems to be watching us, Alex.”

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About Author Rose Titus:

Rose Titus resides somewhere in cold, dreary New England with two manipulative cats and a very out of date computer with which she creates horror and fantasy fiction. She also has a restored classic Buick to ride around in while in search of adventure.

For travel she has stayed the night in an allegedly haunted castle, has taken a boat ride on Loch Ness, and has visited the Bermuda Triangle — without getting lost.

Her work has previously appeared in Lost Worlds, Lynx Eye, Bog Gob, Mausoleum, Weird Terrain, Descend, The Dead River Review, and other literary magazines. She also writes regularly for Blood Moon Rising Magazine.

When she’s not working or writing or messing with her old car, she waits by the mailbox for her Fortean Times to arrive.

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After Dark Blitz

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Children Of Eternity By Macaulay Christian ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 8, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Science Fiction
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Children of Eternity: Being the First Part of the Apocalis

By Macaulay Christian

 

Publication date: March 10th 2026
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction

Thirty years ago, an impossible transmission pierced the cosmos. Hidden within it were instructions for a device no one fully understood—an extragalactic Telegraph built to answer the call.

On a distant world in neutral space, humanity and its former enemies resolved to build the device, a rare moment of unity and a calculated gamble that shared purpose might overcome politics.

The answer is not what anyone expected.

The colony is devastated. Reality fractures. Technology fails. People vanish without a trace—among them soldiers, citizens, and voices no civilization can afford to lose. Aboard the warship Banterra, Captain Heron Agathon is dispatched into the unknown to search for survivors and the truth behind the signal.

Beyond the galaxy’s edge, something older than civilization is observing humanity’s first steps into the uncharted—measuring what it will become when fear, power, and principle collide. The answers lie in the dark between stars. And the truth behind the signal is older—and nearer—than anyone suspects. There is no going back.

The human adventure is about to begin.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Bookshop

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Enjoy this peek inside:

P R O L O G U E

holindrian returns

A shimmering light fell all around Holindrian, hoisting him high into the sky, his feet dangling beneath. First, he could see just the top of the palace as he rose through the dense black smoke. A little higher and he could see the city itself. Fires burning, consuming whole wards at a time. The sounds were muffled, but he knew there would be the clanging of swords, the whizzing of arrows, and the miserable, painful screams of wretched, dying souls. Higher, Holindrian continued to rise. Boats had sunken in the harbor. The fighting on the rocky hills surrounding the town seemed to have calmed. A haboob traveled in a northeasterly direction, a transitory wall of brown, choking death.

The light continued to shine. All the colors of the rainbow streamed down, carrying him up, up into the clouds. He was higher than the mountains! There seemed to be no limits to his ascent. The definitions, the contours, the distinctive features of the land blurred together. Muted, people vanished into minute dark specks, fields became strokes of green, the clouds white wisps overlaying the canvas. He could see the whole of the blue world from up here….

Holindrian stood alone in a hallway with concave walls of a featureless white. He could not be certain what the material was. It was surely not any metal familiar to him. Everything seemed pristine. Not a blemish or scuff mark to be found. Feeling his eyes wince, he thought the white of the walls too bright, beyond adept description by man. No marble stone or cloud or snowflake compared. They seemed to be pulsating. Flashes of an even more intense white coursed through their…veins? As though the walls were alive, as though this vessel were alive.

The ceiling was black. Not just black but the absence of all light, the deepest shade of black imaginable. It contrasted brilliantly with the sterile surfaces of the walls. The black was not uniform in its composition, but rather composed of discernible shades of navy and violet and…were those stars? Stars sparkled and glimmered, specks of diamonds in a cave of darkness. It was remarkable how similar the ceiling was to the night sky.

When he looked down, and saw that the floor mirrored the ceiling, Holindrian first thought his heart might permanently lodge itself in his throat. The feeling of panic dissipated quickly, as he reassured himself something solid and firm was indeed beneath his feet.

“His reaction was much like your own.”

Holindrian looked up. He recognized that voice. “Uilliam?”

Uilliam’s long hair fell more than halfway down his back, wavy and rigid as though carved from marble, an ethereal white bearing just the traces of its past golden color. His face narrow and accented by sharp features framed by dark eyebrows. The eyes though, those magnificent eyes, were like windows into the past as well as portals to the future. They were an electric blue, the pupil an orb of mystical energy. Holindrian could see it all, the whole of the history of Uilliam’s race encapsulated within those eyes.

The Before…the Aeternam’s eyes could not or would not reveal the secrets pertaining to the Before, though there were shadows, vague, indefinite figures standing on the edge of history…something or someone had knowledge of the Before, and they were out there, somewhere. Uilliam had met them.

What could be seen was the ending that gave rise to humanity’s beginning. Space and time emerged from oblivion, a singular fixed point of eternity. There was no sound; it had not yet been invented. There was light of untold intensity, rings of magenta and sapphire clouds that swirled, intermingling, mixing. Then came flashes, all different shades of reds, oranges, yellows, and blues, rippling throughout the nebulous clouds like the pattering of rain on a pond. A wave of warm, tender, and loving heat washed over him. Holindrian could feel the fiery heat as birthing contractions on a boundless scale shuttled the first generation of galaxies into existence, infusing them with life, spiraling engines of genesis. Ah! There was the sound. It had finally caught up. It came as a rushing roar, a wind sweeping through streets and between buildings just as it would through ageless trees and over sky-kissing mountains.

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About Author Macaulay Christian:

Macaulay is a graduate of the University of Arizona where he received his bachelor’s degree in political science with an emphasis in American government and international relations as well as a minor in classical (Greco-Roman) history. He is also an alumnus of the fraternity Phi Delta Theta, where he served in a variety of leadership positions, including two terms as president. Macaulay received a master’s of legal studies from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law before beginning a career in the commercial construction industry. He has worked on a variety of projects, from airports to data centers. Macaulay lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and their two dogs. In March 2025, Macaulay released the science fiction novel “Holindrian & The Human Revolution”. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in public administration where he is researching the impacts of public education and policy shifts on the industry and investigating recommendations to rectify the on-going skilled labor shortage across the country.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook / Youtube

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GIVEAWAY

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Children of Eternity Blitz

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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You Had Me At Meow By Gracie James ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 7, 2026 in comedy, Excerpt, giveaways, Romance
Tags: ,
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You Had Me at Meow

By Gracie James

 

Publication date: July 7th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Some girls get fairy godmothers. Abby Thompson gets a talking cat with a British accent and absolutely zero chill.

After her latest blind date—arranged by her loving (but relentless) mother—ends in a concussion, a wine-soaked dress, and enough humiliation to power Manhattan, Abby decides she’s done with dating. Forever.

Too bad her cat, Mr. Whiskers, has other ideas. And he’s suddenly sharing them. Out loud.

“Honestly, Abby, your taste in men is almost as concerning as your taste in sweaters.”

His mission? Fix her train-wreck love life and help her land her dream job. His qualifications? None. He’s a cat. His methods? Questionable at best.

But somewhere between the disastrous first dates, ruthless office politics, and the unexpectedly charming veterinarian who might actually be worth shaving her legs for, Abby starts to wonder…

Is Mr. Whiskers a miracle? Or a catastrophe with whiskers?

Either way, her opinionated feline isn’t backing down. And if Abby wants her dream life, she might have to trust the one life coach she never asked for. Her cat.

You Had Me at Meow is a sweet, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about finding your voice, risking your heart, and one very determined cat who refuses to let his human settle for anything less than purr-fection.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Before I even reach the fridge, Mr. Whiskers has settled into his favorite spot on the couch while I gather the essentials of a proper pity party: a pint of mint chocolate chip, my largest spoon, and one of Dottie’s cosmic brownies. Ahhh, perfect.

Curling up next to my furry little roommate, I pull our softest blanket over my legs and queue up one of our favorite movies. Maybe watching someone else’s embarrassing moments will make me feel better about my own.

As the opening credits roll, I crumble Dottie’s brownie over my ice cream, letting out a contented sigh. At least dessert never disappoints.

“Why can’t I find love like in the movies, huh, buddy?” I ask, running my fingers through his soft fur. “You know, the kind where tripping in front of your dream guy leads to true love instead of a concussion.”

Mr. Whiskers blinks up at me, his eyes reflecting the TV’s flickering light.

“I mean, look at tonight,” I continue, digging into my brownie-ice-cream creation and regretting nothing. Well… except maybe going out in the first place. “Mom sets me up with someone who’s supposedly perfect for me, and he turns out to be a complete jerk. And then when I finally meet a genuinely nice guy, he’s my cat’s veterinarian and he’s already taken.”

I scratch under Mr. Whiskers’ chin, earning a faint purr.

“Maybe I should just give up on dating altogether,” I muse. “I mean, who needs romance when I have you, anyway? We could be two crazy cat ladies together. Well, one crazy cat lady and one crazy cat, but you know what I mean. No more terrible blind dates, no more falling head over heels, literally, for the wrong guys. Just us, some yummy snacks, and the sweet escape of a good movie night. What do you think, huh, buddy? Sound good?”

“Darling, that sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all night.”

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About Author Gracie James:

Gracie James lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their sweet rescue cat, Pinky, and absolutely loves the rain. When she’s not writing swoony, laugh-out-loud rom-coms sprinkled with a touch of magic, she’s usually hiking up a mountain or eating chocolate like it’s a personality trait. Her creative peak occurs somewhere between “I should go to bed” and “well, it’s basically morning now,” and she considers sunrise more of a suggestion than a deadline.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram

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GIVEAWAY

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You Had Me at Meow Blitz

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Shadows Of Frenchmen By Michael Rigg ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 6, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, thriller
Tags: ,
1

 

SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN by Michael Rigg Banner

SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN
by Michael Rigg
June 22 – July 31, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:
A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery

  On a frosty Sunday morning in February, Dr. Jonathan Gray, Coroner of Orleans Parish, faces a gruesome sight. A dead man splayed against the circular steel and cut-glass blocks of the city’s AIDS memorial in Washington Square Park has strange symbols carved into his forehead and chest. A coded note—a cipher—has been placed under one hand. The body mutilation and note are hallmarks of a serial killer dubbed by the news media as the “Mardi Gras Sweeper,” because he strikes during Carnival season and leaves coded manifestos taunting police and giving hints about his next victim. Hoping to avoid a panic during the city’s most profitable season, Mayor Max Jamerson asks Gray to investigate the murder “on the sly,” without formal assistance from the New Orleans Police Department. Time is of the essence as Gray races to figure out the cipher and track down the Sweeper in order to prevent additional killings—and save Mardi Gras.

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Praise for Shadows of Frenchmen:

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“A chilling, razor-sharp mystery set against the explosive energy of Mardi Gras. This cat-and-mouse hunt fuses cryptic clues, relentless suspense and rising terror into a tale that gives us a horrifyingly intimate glimpse into a killer’s mind. Dr. Jonathan Gray is a hero you won’t forget—and the Mardi Gras Sweeper is a nightmare you won’t escape.” ~ Kathleen Antrim, Bestselling Author, President-Outliers Writing University “Michael Rigg does it again, with another thrilling mystery that you won’t be able to put down featuring New Orleans Coroner Jonathan Gray. Shadows of Frenchmen takes readers into the darkest corners of New Orleans’ lush settings and spooky cemeteries as Gray and his colleagues hunt for a possible serial killer, all against the backdrop of raucous Mardi Gras celebrations. Rigg’s love for this extraordinary city shines through on every page, even as danger lurks among the Spanish moss and above-ground tombs.” ~ Ellen Byron, USA Today Bestselling & Agatha Award Winning Author “As a coroner, Dr. Jonathan Gray is the new Kay Scarpetta. In Shadows of Frenchmen, author Michael Rigg skillfully uses beads, beignets, bullets, bombs, and bodies to make New Orleans vivid and alive.” ~ John DeDakis, Former CNN editor, writing coach, and author of the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series, at johndedakis.com. “Great action from the get-go! Atmosphere, characters, and all the right ingredients. A great read by Michael Rigg!” ~ Heather Graham, New York Times Bestselling Author “Featuring smart and complex characters, Shadows of Frenchmen pulses with energy, taking the reader on a breathless chase for a serial killer terrorizing the city in the days leading up to a city-wide Mardi Gras celebration. Fans of the intrepid New Orleans coroner Dr. Jonathan Gray will not be disappointed!” ~ K.L. Murphy, Author of the Detective Callie Forde Mysteries, The Great Forgotten, and the award-nominated Her Sister’s Death

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Shadows of Frenchmen Trailer:

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Book Details:

Genre: Medico-Legal (Coroner) Thriller

Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: May 5, 2026 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 979-8898202354 Series: A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery, Book 2

Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Goodreads | BookBub | Level Best Books

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Enjoy this peek inside:

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Chapter One
Alpha and Omega Sunday, February 1, 2015 – 1:47 a.m.
Twenty-plus years with the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office taught Jonathan Gray to expect the unexpected. But Washington Square Park had always been a tranquil haven on the fringe of the French Quarter. So crime-scene tape draping the square’s wrought-iron fence presented the visual equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Moonlight filtering through stately live oaks cast eerie—almost funereal—shadows, adding to the dissonance. Fluttering in the nippy midwinter breeze, the neon-yellow ribbon communicated a mute warning. On this side, normalcy. On the other, insanity. Stepping into the dysfunction never got easier. Regardless, turning back wasn’t an option. As if speaking the incantation aloud would immunize him against the unfolding drama, he repeated his trite pre-crime scene mantra: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” His breath lingered in the frosty air before evaporating. After checking in with the uniformed officer monitoring access, Jonathan angled toward floodlights illuminating a temporary canopy above the city’s AIDS memorial. More tape—red as opposed to yellow—identified the innermost “Do Not Cross” perimeter. Crime scene technicians in white Tyvek protective suits busied themselves measuring and photographing what must be the reason he’d been summoned. A male corpse sitting upright on the ground—its arms and legs twisted at seemingly impossible angles—leaned against the memorial’s circular cut-glass and steel panels surrounded by a pool of thick, dark-crimson liquid. A curved, nearly rectangular piece of wood with brass edges—most likely a knife handle—protruded from under the right side of the dead man’s rib cage. A portion of his intestines spilled out of the wound. A second knife—its handle and part of its blade visible—had been thrust downward into the soft tissue between the left collarbone and neck. Cause of death seemed too obvious to require someone of Jonathan’s seniority. A first-year med student could have made the call. But markings carved into the dead man’s forehead and chest hinted at something more sinister. No wonder Mitch Broussard from NOPD had called him in the middle of the night. The man’s heavy flannel shirt lay open, exposing his chest and a series of capital letters etched into his skin. The letters—G I D I A I D I V—made no sense, at least not in English. A folded piece of paper with similar letters and other symbols, not quite readable from that distance, lay under the man’s left hand. Lack of blood covering the letters in the chest signaled they had been added postmortem. Jonathan focused on two marks in the man’s forehead. An uppercase “A” and what looked like an upside-down horseshoe—the Greek letter Omega—apparently cut while the victim was still alive. It couldn’t have been two years already. But there it was. Alpha and Omega. Jonathan bit his lip and cursed under his breath. Then, a silent prayer. Looked like the nightmare was about to begin—again. One of the CSTs stood and raised her clear face shield. “Hey, Doc. Welcome to Funsville.” Excerpt from SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN by Michael Rigg. Copyright 2026 by Michael Rigg. Reproduced with permission from Michael Rigg. All rights reserved.

 

 

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About Author Michael Rigg:

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Michael Rigg

Agatha and Anthony-nominated author Michael Rigg, a lawyer for more than four decades, writes mysteries and thrillers set in two very different locations: Virginia Beach (where he lives) and New Orleans (which he visits as often as possible “for research,” including participation in three Mardi Gras Krewes). He is a retired Navy Judge Advocate and a retired civilian government attorney, formerly working for the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel. He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and both the Sisters in Crime national organization and its Southeastern Virginia Chapter—Mystery by the Sea.

Catch Up With Michael Rigg:

www.MichaelRigg.com Amazon Author Profile Goodreads BookBub – @michaelrigg716 Instagram – @michael.rigg716 Threads – @michael.rigg716 X – @MDR102030 LinkedIn Facebook

 

Tour Participants:

Click through the other tour stops for can’t-miss reviews, insider interviews, exclusive guest posts, and more chances to win! Click here to view the Tour Schedule  

 

Beads, Beignets & Bookish Bounty
This giveaway is hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Michael Rigg. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

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SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN by Michael Rigg | Gift Cards Can’t see the giveaway? Click Here!

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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Slapshot Summer By G.K. Brady ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 4, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, Romance
Tags: , ,
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A jilted bride.

A wrecked goalie.

An unexpected kiss that changes everything.

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Slapshot Summer

A The Playmakers Series Novella

by G.K. Brady

Genre: Steamy Fake Dating Hockey Romance

A jilted bride. A
wrecked goalie. An unexpected kiss that changes everything.

I came here to reset.

After a season that pushed me to my limits, I needed sun, quiet, and
space—somewhere I could shut out the noise and get my head back under control.

Then Lexi Campbell sat beside me at the bar and asked for my help flirting with
another guy.

I said yes because it was supposed to be fake. A distraction. Something with
clear lines and no consequences. I’m good with pressure. I know how to stay
focused, how to hold my ground when everything’s coming at me fast.

What I didn’t expect was how easy it felt to want her.

One kiss blows past every boundary I set. Suddenly, I’m not playing defense
anymore—I’m all in, and I don’t know how to pull back. Lexi’s on a honeymoon
she’s taking alone, guarding a broken heart she pretends doesn’t still hurt.
I’m standing at my own crossroads, unsure where my future leads or if I’m ready
to risk wanting something real again.

It was supposed to be a fling. But wanting her is the one thing I can’t seem to
control.

For fans of fake dating, opposites
attract, and swoony NHL players who actually like to dance, Slapshot
Summer is a heartwarming romance with plenty of spice … and, of
course, a guaranteed HEA.

**PLEASE NOTE: This story was originally published as Sunsets,
Stick Saves, and a Honeymoon in the Love in Destiny Series. The content
has not changed. If you’ve read that version, then you’ve read this one as
well.**

 

Amazon * Bookbub
* Goodreads

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Since childhood, all sorts of
stories and characters have lived in G.K. Brady’s imagination, elbowing one
another for attention, so she’s finally giving them their voice on the written
page.

 An award-winning
writer of contemporary romance, she loves telling tales of the
less-than-perfect hero or heroine who transforms with each turn of a page. She
also writes historical fiction under the pen name Griffin Brady.

 G.K. is a wife and
the proud mom of three grown sons. When she’s not writing, she might be
reading, traveling, drinking wine, listening to music, or gardening—sometimes
all at once! She currently resides in Colorado with her very patient husband.

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Pinterest * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Enter the Slapshot Summer Giveaway Here

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Lady Petra And The Wolf By Anna Valleria ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: July 3, 2026 in Excerpt, giveaways, historical romance, Mystery
Tags: , , ,
0

 

 

Lady Petra and the Wolf

By Anna Valleria

 

(Lords Fall First, #2)
Publication date: July 2nd 2026
Genres: Adult, Gothic, Historical, Mystery, Romance

In Victorian London, Lady Petra, the daughter of the powerful and manipulative Earl of Kemberley, has spent her life as a silent pawn in her father’s political games. While the ton sees a perfectly poised debutante, Petra is secretly a woman of industry who runs a sanctuary for abused servants in a derelict London theatre.

Julian, the Viscount Wolfridge, known to the world as Wolf, is a cynical rake with a secret heart of gold and a childhood spent on the Bristol docks. When he proposes a fake courtship to Petra to stir her indifferent betrothed into action, he doesn’t realize he is stepping into a web of secrets far deeper than his own. As Petra’s world of mystery and Wolf’s path of redemption collide, they must decide if a marriage born of a trap can ever survive the truth.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

She shut her mouth abruptly, the sparks in her eyes extinguished as she retreated once more into the mask of a composed, distant lady. He despised when this happened, as it did ever so often when he approached her. He lived for the moments he could tease her, to break her composure, to see those eyes light up, even if it was in disdain or scorn.

Wolf knew himself to be an unrepentant rake, undeserving of John’s friendship or loyalty. Despite this self-knowledge, a fierce, uncharacteristic longing arose in him at that moment: he wished for someone to argue so passionately on his behalf, to proclaim him a good man.

Remembering himself, Wolf discarded such a maudlin thought.

“I am not obligated to explain my motivations to you, Lord Wolfridge.” Her tone was meticulously polite, yet beneath the kindness, he detected a veiled reproach that ignited his blood.

“And yet…” he went on as if he had not heard her. “Your white knight is not here. Nor has he been here in a very long time.” In her eyes, a battle of pride, hurt, and anger raged, and for a moment, he nearly regretted his casual cruelty. Yet, there was a purpose behind his malice.

“You more than anyone know he is busy.” Petra spoke quietly, her words clipped. “I have long wondered why you do not share the same sense of industry as Lord John.”

Indolent. The word lurked in their conversation and Wolf again regretted pushing this issue to the surface. A lord does not dirty his hands with work. He takes what he wants and leaves the work to others.

Ignoring his father’s tedious voice, which always stirred a confusing mix of feelings, he redirected his thoughts to his best friend, John Longley. John possessed all the virtues he lacked: he was honorable, kind, and diligent. He would despise him if John weren’t like a brother to him. Why did the notion of Lady Petra marrying John trouble him so much? It was none of his concern.

Yet, he couldn’t let it go.

“Has he not communicated that to you himself, Lady P?” he asked, relishing the way his lips popped on the P. He could swear he almost saw a tick of her jaw at his use of the sobriquet bestowed upon her by the gossip rags.

“As we have established, Lord John is very busy, my lord. He does not have time for frivolous goings on of the ton,” she said more firmly this time.

“And yet, my lady, I can see the small seed of doubt this might cause you.” He watched her jaw almost tick again, and for a brief moment, savored the victory of being right. “Does his absence not pain you, Lady P?” He wasn’t entirely certain of the outcome he wanted from his teasing, but he relished the rare opportunity to be able to read her expression.

Her eyes met his, and he was struck again by the intensity of her gaze as it searched his face. He felt her assessing his intent, seeking any hint of malice or desire to hurt her. In that moment, he understood that such an aim was entirely absent from his heart. Wolf could not quite articulate the purpose of his banter, but an instinct told him Petra and John would not suit. It was patently clear that John possessed not the slightest inkling of the gravity with which Petra had regarded their supposed understanding.

John’s ignorance was not due to neglect; in fact, he was one of the few gentlemen who didn’t seem inclined to constantly leave his wife behind. Rather, he had been distracted by some persistent, unspoken melancholy, as though his mind and heart were fixated entirely on someone or something else. Wolf suspected, however, that the cause of this melancholy was not Lady Petra, given that the look of longing vanished whenever her name was mentioned.

Staring into Petra’s mahogany eyes, a plan came to him. Devious, perhaps, a bit underhanded, but one that would prove to Petra that she and John would not suit.

“Let me court you,” he blurted out.

For once, Lady Petra’s entire face showed what she was thinking as her mouth fell into an almost perfect “O.”

She really was rather adorable. Where did that thought come from? “Adorable” was not in his lexicon. As she began to regain her composure and start to form a reply, Wolf followed his initial, impulsive request before she could respond. “Not a real courtship, mind you, just something to shake Lord John into the parson’s trap. Fearing he might lose you should hasten the nuptials, yes?”

In truth, this ruse would not hasten the betrothal, but help free John, and ultimately free Petra.

Why he wished her to be free, he was not going to examine too closely.

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About Author Anna Valleria:

Anna Valleria is an award-winning historical romance author who believes that everyone deserves to see themselves on the page. Her mission is to write steamy Regency and Victorian stories featuring socially active heroines and devoted heroes that reflect windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for all readers, including characters of different sizes, backgrounds, abilities, and neurodiversities. Her novel The Baron Takes a Wife was the 2025 winner of the Hearts Through History Romance Through the Ages Contest in the published Georgian/Victorian category.

Currently residing in a beautiful, historic city in the southeastern U.S. with her family and a rescue pup. If she’s not writing, she’s likely in a coffee shop, walking with her son or dog, or trivia with her team, Stone Cold Jane Austen.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram

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Lady Petra and the Wolf Blitz

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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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