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Spooky Book Review: Bunso Meets A MuMu Written and Illustrated by Rev Valdez

Hosted by Indie Promotions

As we get deeper into the spooky season October also marks Fillipino American History Month.  Now what better book to review then than Bunso Meets A Mumu by Rev Valdez!

BUNSO MEETS A MUMU

Genre: Children

Published: May 30, 2023 (Paws Publishing)

Meet Bunso, a boy with a really scary problem. It’s the Mumu, the Filipino version of the Boogeyman, who likes to frighten kids who don’t do as they are told by their elders! The Mumu will not let Bunso draw (on the walls), eat ice cream (before dinner), or play video games (his older brother’s). But Bunso has had enough! Gearing up to fight back against this destroyer of fun, Bunso makes surprising discoveries about the Mumu (and himself) in this fun, comic-like picture book that introduces children to Filipino culture and words.

Get Your Copy now on AMAZON and Barnes & Noble

REVIEW

Bunso has a problem his older sister keeps telling scary stories and is now telling him the MUMU is going to get him if he doesn’t behave. Same with his Mom and Dad, The MUMU will get you if you don’t behave! His older brother just won’t let him play with his video games. Is this the curse of the MUMU? Wait what is a MUMU? Bunso is about to find out!

This book is the most adorable ever! While targeted at young children this book can be loved by all ages.  I read it to my book-loving ten-year-old twin boys and they really loved it. I confess I loved it!

Drawing from Filipino heritage and folklore Valdez creates a book for the whole family. Children will like the cool comic book-like drawing and Valdez writes with child-like dialogue that will reel young readers in. Parents and maybe older kids with like the worked in Fillipino culture and words therefore expanding their minds or finding a kindred spirit in Bunso’s world being Fillipino-American. Bunso Meets A MuMu looks like it’s the first in a series of Bunso Meets stories introducing other mythical monsters from Filipino culture. I for one can’t wait.

My rating 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Rev Valdez is a Filipino-American illustrator based in San Francisco, CA. He’s passionate about introducing young readers to the myths and mythical creatures of Filipino culture through fun and funny visual storytelling.

Follow Rev on Facebook and Instagram

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Book Spotlight Wednesday: The Secrets of Jane by Charlotte Mallory

It’s not Thursday, but I am joining rrbooktours for the blog tour for The Secrets of Jan by Charlotte Mallory. Let’s read on!

The Secrets of Jane: Forgotten (Improper Bastards Series #1)

Publication Date: September 19, 2023

Genre: Dark Romantasy

🗝️ Enemies-to-Lovers
💀 Empath Daddy
🗝️ Everyone is Morally Grey
💀 EPIC Pirating World
🗝️ Secrets and Mysteries
💀 One bed/ One Horse
🗝️ Captor becomes Protector
💀 Steamy, Angry Scenes until Alphahole Catches Feelings First

“I’m a disciplined man, Jane. I can stay here for as long as you need before the lesson sinks in that you don’t run from me while in my charge.” — Soren.

He’s a Mercenary with powers that allow him feel the hearts/desires/fears of others.
She’s his target, and must guard her identity at all costs.
My village is aflame, and a deadly legend becomes my captor.
I’m to appear before the most elite faction of mercenaries and warlords, commanded to answer for a crime they refuse to explain. Even if my only guess for why they want me is wrong, they cannot have me. I’ve sworn to never return to Skull’s Row, home to thieves and killers; the graveyard of my childhood.
He plans to unbury every memory until my soul is stripped bare: Soren, my captor, is strangely fascinated by me. By what I hide. Of the scars I have.
I’m unwillingly drawn to him. To his brutality. He harbors the same viciousness that coats my veins. He even seems persistent in taking me for himself…
He’ll either be my reckoning, or my undoing.

Think the Witcher Meets Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s a dark fantasy romance duet full of foul language, sensual scenes, and improper bastards.

Add to Goodreads.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Charlotte Mallory is eager to share her love for Dark Fantasy Romance stories, and dabbling in a few Contemporary Romances. What she enjoys most is taking well-loved tropes and adding her own take on them. Right now, she greatly enjoys anything with Fantasy or Contemporary with an Alpha male lead, paired with a female lead who can absolutely handle her own! In her spare time, she enjoys nature, bonsai trees, coffee, and taking random art classes.

Learn more about Charlotte at Charlotte Mallory

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Spooky Book Spotlight: Till Death Do Us Part by RE Johnson

It’s that most wonderful time of the year again! HALLOWEEN! Today starts my Spooky Book Spotlight Series where I spotlight some spooky reads you might want to check out.

Today in the spooky spotlight is Till Death Do Us Part by RE Johnson.

Till Death Do Us Part (A Monster Horror Romance)

Publication Date: October 30, 2023

Genre: Monster horror romance, Gothic romance, gothic fiction

Getting engaged is a big deal in my family, and I’m only doing it because my dad insisted. Big money has big responsibilities.

And, you know, I’m willing to keep up appearances to get them off my back so I can focus on more important things- namely ridding this planet of some scum.

The guy’s hot has a huge, spooky mansion, and keeps to himself. So what’s the harm in playing along?

Trouble is I had no idea when we said “till death do us part,” he’d take it so literally.

Good thing I’m not your typical bride.

Pre-order today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lover of dark, decadent, and deadly romances, RE Johnson has been a passionate storyteller and fantasy fan since they were in elementary school. In fact, they wrote their first novel in fifth grade.

Now, they use their Creative Writing degree to create stories that profess love, respect, and triumph over evil and contain strong female characters who are always ready to throw down – both in and out of the bedroom.

Currently, they reside in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they spend their free time playing Dungeons and Dragons, wrangling their two rambunctious children, and reading all the smut, fantasy, sci-fi, and mythology they can get their hands on.

Follow RE at  rejohnsonbooks.com  and on all social media

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Book Spotlight Thursday: Cynosura 99 by Sam Weiss

Shining a light this week we are happy to spotlight the release of Cynosura 99 by Sam Weiss. Think Stranger Things meets Donnie Darko. So happy book release week to Sam Weiss and let’s check out Cynosura 99.

Cynosura 99 (The Altered Planes #1)
Publication Date: October 9, 2023
Genre: Dark Fantasy w/ Sci-Fi Horror Elements

“The night the moon bleeds is the night the world will end. There’s death in the moon. And the moon is you.”
Atra Hart has spent the last seven years locked away in Vanishing Plains Psychiatric Hospital. In that time, her shadow has transformed into its own entity and is growing stronger by the day, threatening to devour her mind. She calls that shadow Dread, and only her missing father knows what it is.
When a fire breaks out at the asylum, Atra makes her way to freedom just in time to see an electric-purple rift sunder the sky. Like Dread, the rift is only visible to her.
Atra’s already loose grip on reality unravels when she learns the rift is a gateway to the world of the dead. And the Queen, an ancient evil lurking on its fringes, wants Dread for her own.
Even worse, Atra can’t tell if any of this is really happening. She might have escaped one asylum, but the closer she gets to unearthing answers about Dread, why her father knows it’s there, and its role in the Queen’s plans, the more she risks getting trapped inside her own mind forever.
Maybe some truths are meant to stay buried.

Now Available on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sam was named after a dog, a fact her mother disputes to this day.

While she’s terrible at writing “About Me’s “, she’s been told she’s great at writing about what fictional people do. The more miserable she can make them, the better. Her love of horror films from the 80s, sci-fi shows from the 90s, and alternative music from the 00s have inspired her to write what she’s calling “Dark Science Fantasy” although she’s kind of making that up as she goes along.

When she’s not ready to pull her hair out after discovering another plot hole she’s created, she goes camping with her husband as far away from society as possible. So far, this tactic has been mostly successful, and she’s only had to physically converse with a grand total of nine people this year. Next year, she hopes to get that number down to six.

Visit Sam and her works at Sam Weiss

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Book Review: If Only My Eyes Could Speak by Nicole Sadiee

Hosted by Indie Promotions

If Only My Eyes Could Speak

Published: (February 2018)

Genre: Memoirs,  Poetry by women

“If Only My Eyes Could Speak” is an important book that entails the struggles of a young black girl growing up in a broken home. It is a book made to represent the mistreatment and misinterpretation of adolescents who are forced to grow up in toxic environments. The book contains personal poems and letters that speak on behalf of sexual abuse, abandonment, miscarriage at a young age, and sexual conquests. This book is only a taste of what Nicole has seen and experienced through her own eyes.

Available Now on Amazon

REVIEW

 A silver winner of the Global Ebook Awards and Winner of the Dan Poynter Legacy Award If Only My Eyes Could Speak is a gut-wrenching read. A short but powerful read this book speaks volumes.

Reading like we are peeking into a young girl’s journal Sadiee shares her personal poetry, and prose (letters) she wrote as a young girl going through physical and sexual abuse trying to make sense of it all.

 Her writings start at the age of 14 and go through to 17, and the words and things Sadiee writes should not be in the mind of a child so young.  Yet, her prominent piece “Letter To My Mother” written at the tender age of 14 explains it all.  

It took me a couple of days to recover after reading this book. Haunted by the eloquence of young Sadiee’s words you FEEL each syllable she writes, and the therapeutic release she feels as she writes them. 

A beautiful piece to show we can overcome. We can take the bad and make it good.

My overall rating is 5 stars and beyond.

Purchase now on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicole Sadiee is an upcoming model, author, and entrepreneur. Growing up in Georgia with a broken family and a love for writing helped produce her first book at 18. “If Only My Eyes Could Speak” is just a taste of how Nicole has experienced life beginning at the ripe age of 14. She lets you into her world raw and see how her childhood has shaped her into the young woman she is today.

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Book Spotlight: How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster) by Marie Cardno

The title of this book says it all as to why I am spotlighting this baby. In celebration of its sequel release book 1 How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster) by Marie Cardno is currently on tour with @rrbooktours and is on SALE NOW for only .99 cents!

How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster)

Publication Date: July 2022

Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance/ Sapphic Romance/ Romcom

Life is tough when you’re an eldritch abomination.

Trillin isn’t technically a person. She’s a tiny breakaway piece of consciousness from the all-devouring Endless, doomed to eventually rejoin it. But when a human witch stumbles into her world, Trillin suddenly has a new reason to figure out individuality–one shape-shifting tentacle at a time.

Sian is sure important magical discoveries are just around the corner if she can just get her portals to work reliably. Reaching the dimension of the Endless without being eaten on sight is a dream come true, and Sian is determined to explore every bit of it. For science, of course, not for the strangely adorable life-form who keeps popping up and trying to… flirt?

But Trillin’s world can be a dangerous place, and keeping Sian safe might risk drawing the attention of the Endless itself–which will swallow Trillin up along with all her dreams of humanity. Together, can this unlikely duo escape the Endless, figure out the optimum number of appendages, and maybe even find love?

Add to Goodreads

Get it HERE!

How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster) is a sapphic cozy fantasy romance between a witch scientist and a shape-shifting Cthulhu monster. HEA guaranteed!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marie Cardno loves cozy fantasy. She lives halfway between the sea and a French bakery on the south coast of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, and writes stories about love, magic, and strange and wonderful worlds.

Follow @ Marie Cardno

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Book Spotlight Thursday: Blood Red Steel by Damien Larkin

Sci-fi readers alert! Happily caught in my spotlight this Thursday is Blood Red Steel by Damien Larkin.

Blood Red Steel (Big Red Book Series)

*Standalone Adventure

Publication Date: October 3, 2023

Genre: Science Fiction

Blood alone decides the fate of Mars
For two years, the Mars Expeditionary Force has held the line against the last remnants of the Third Reich. McCabe, Jenkins, and the Second Battalion long for home. Reinforcements have arrived, but the veterans of the MEF have one final mission. Defend Forward Base Zulu at all costs.
While Generalfeldmarschall Brandt plans a decisive showdown at Forward Base Zulu, Reichsführer Wagner celebrates the activation of the first generation of the Hollow Programme. Surrounded and cut off, McCabe and Jenkins once again find themselves in league with the MAJESTIC-12 operatives known as the Black Visors. Now the future hinges on the sacrifices of a few determined soldiers.

BUY HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction and fantasy author. His novels Big Red and
Blood Red Sand was published by Dancing Lemur Press and went on to be
longlisted for BSFA awards for Best Novel. He spent seven years in the Irish Reserve Defence Force and currently lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Follow Larkin at Damien Larkin

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Book Review: River Guardian (Book 6 in ‘The Council of Twelve’ Series) By A. J. Alexander

Hosted by Indie Promotions

Freshly released (September 26th) and my favorite cover so far in this series continue the journey with Heaven and Hell in River Guardian.

River Guardian Council of Twelve Book 6

Release Date: September 26th 2023

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Angel fantasy, romance

Dr. Eavan Delaney is frustrated. It is her destiny to reunite her people and work hard to protect the rivers and waters of the world, but she has no help whatsoever. So she has lived among humans for decades, undiscovered and in peace, but she knows this is wrong: she should be taking action.

Then comes the fateful day she calls for support one last, desperate time — and is heard.
With the support of ‘The Council of Twelve’, Eavan continues to work for the safety of Nature. But no one has foreseen that the ‘Other Side’ has been sabotaging her efforts. The challenge before her is suddenly much greater, and the consequences of failure even more dire than she ever imagined.

Will Eavan be strong enough to save the waters from the fire?

Available now on Amazon

REVIEW

I am loving this series so far and book six does not disappoint. In book six we meet Eavan a farie and guardian of the rivers living life on earth while trying to do her duties. Nature though is failing and Eavan needs help but no one has answered in the decades she’s been down here on earth. Trying one last time someone finally answers. The daughter of Pan Zepheria. Realizing danger is brewing in the nature world Eavan is entrusted a protector in Archangel Tsechirel and both are instantly drawn to each other. Could Eavan be the one promised?
Time is running out and Eavan and Teschirel must gather the arguing nature spirits if balance is to be restored to nature and not be engulfed by the powers of hell.


Out of all the books I think River Guardian is my fave. I love Eavan and Tsechirel as characters plus their dynamic together. I also loved how Alexander weaved in them being cat parents. Fun fact Alexander is a pet parent herself.


Again Alexander shines in her writing with a flowery fantasy that I just love. Alexander creates a world that you’ll love jumping back into. While you can read River Guardian without reading the others in the series I suggest reading the previous books to capture the feelings and emotions of all the characters.

My rating 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A.J. Alexander is a fantasy author working on a paranormal romance series, called ‘The Council Of Twelve’ series. She has written short stories and poetry in the past. Some of her poems can be read on her blog ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest.

In her rare free time, she is spending extreme time reading, excessive pool swimming, and playing monster-monopoly. Her strongest support system is her sister, friends, and cat.

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Book Spotlight Thursday: Where Did the Wind Go by J.M. Failde

Lastly on my Thursday Book Spotlight triple-header just in time for October I am featuring Where Did the Wind Go by J.M. Failde. 

Where Did the Wind Go?
Genre: YA Horror
Ages: 14 - 18

With the help of the newly formed Ghoul Gang, self-proclaimed ghost hunter Simon Woo soon learns that his new town of Ravenswood, North Carolina, is riddled with ghouls. But something even more nightmarish is lurking within the woods. And it has its eyes on Simon.
After moving with his family, Simon discovers that his new town is better fitting for a survivor in a horror movie rather than a junior in high school. He quickly befriends two other outsiders—Miles, the equally horror-obsessed new kid from New York City, and Riley, the resident goth girl with a secret.
As the brutal murders continue, the Ghoul Gang must discover the truth behind the ghoul in the woods in order to save Simon from becoming the entity’s new host.

AVAILABLE HERE

Add to Goodreads

About The Author

Author Page photo-cmyk (1)

J. M. Failde spent just over one hundred fortnights rigorously studying the complexities of the English language at Florida International University. While she is not conjuring up stories, she can be found searching for el chupacabra, befriending the ghost in her house, or dying her hair a new shade of blue. Failde currently resides in her gothic manor on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, with her partner, Mike, and her familiar—the round but feisty calico cat, Maki.

Follow J.M. @ J.M. Failde