Book Spotlight Thursday: Scars of Sacrifice and Seduction by J. Ember Hintz

Catching my reader’s eye this Thursday is Scars of Sacrifice and Seduction by J. Ember Hintz. Book two in the Dark Eden sci-fantasy series, where the lines between enemies, allies, loyalty, and love blur beyond recognition.

Birth made her a slave. Love made her a martyr. He’ll make her his queen...

SCARS OF SACRIFICE AND SEDUCTION 

Publication Date: October 28, 2023
Genre: Sci-fi Fantasy with Spice/ Enemies to Lovers
🖤Enemies to Lovers
💘Fated Mates
📜 Ancient Prophecy
🌶️ Cult Rituals
💕 Multiple Couples
🪦Touch Her and 😵 Vibes
🫶🏻 Found Family
💀Afterlife Mythology
🤐 Forbidden Knowledge
👽 With with x2 🍆
💥 Supernatural Powers
😈 Villain’s POV
➕Addiction & Recovery Rep

Birth made her a slave. Love made her a martyr. He’ll make her his queen.
Welcome to Eden. Born without magic into a brutal world where mage abilities determine survival, Vaza didn’t think her life as a breeder-queen could get any worse.
Not until a cult leader declares her identical twin must be sacrificed to resurrect a dead god. Vaza plans to destroy the prophet’s credibility by seducing him into breaking his sacred vows. To get close enough to ruin him, however, she’ll need to infiltrate The Order and do the one thing she fears most-open her heart and allow Brex to claim more than just her pleasure.
Meanwhile, in the prison world of the dead…
All his life, Liam Riley has been told he’s an abomination. Turns out it’s true. He never asked to be cursed with the powers of a living god, but now that he has them, he’ll use every one of his new gifts to protect his soul-bonded mate. Even if it means locking her up to keep her from discovering the truth about the entity holding them hostage.
Too bad Renae has no intention of being kept in a cage. Not when she sacrificed everything to save him. The version of Liam she finds in the Void isn’t the same man she fell in love with. A decade of solitary confinement in the Void has turned him into something more. Something inhuman.

Okay, put this one under my Christmas tree! Told in two colliding and scorchingly hot timelines that will leave readers questioning who the real monsters are.

Scars of Seduction and Sacrifice is currently available on Amazon

Amazon ( Link may earn author commission)

But.. Before it all began there was.

Available on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J. Ember Hintz writes sci-fi and fantasy romance. She loves building dark contemporary worlds and lush alternate realities ripe with mythology and magic.

You’ll meet ghosts, gods, and monsters in her stories, but never a damsel in distress.
Her debut novel was a 2022 Book Life Prize by Publisher’s Weekly Quarter Finalist and 2021 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence Finalist.

Fun Facts: J. Ember is her real first initial and middle name. She goes absolutely feral from enemies to lovers, grumpy protector/bodyguard romance tropes, and whatever the opposite of a meet-cute is. A meet-disaster? She also believes the villain or antagonist is the most important character in every story.

She lives near the ocean with her husband, two rescue poodles, and the occasional ghost. Her alter ego enjoys a successful career in the wedding industry. Job perks include an unlimited supply of cake, champagne, and IRL HEAs. When she’s not making dreams come true, or breathing life into fictional characters, you can find her in the studio throwing paint at a canvas and hoping for the best.
To learn more about her upcoming releases, visit https://jemberhintz.com/ or follow her author life shenanigans on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Find all her social links at

J. Ember Hintz

Book Spotlight Thursday: Song of Dark Tides by Beka Westrup

In today’s spotlight is a twisted take on the Little Mermaid tale, with a delicious cover to boot. Let us now fall under the Song of Dark Tides by Beka Westrup.

SONG OF DARK TIDES

Publication Date: November 28, 2023
Genre: Very Dark Fantasy Romance / Fairy Tale Retelling

Viola is a sea witch cursed by Triton. Cast aside from the glittering city of Atlantis, she starves for power and a real life above the surface-two hungers her curse will never allow her to satiate. She patrols the sea she’s claimed for her own and the nearby human city, feeding on unjust men and oceanfolk alike.
When she meets Aric, Triton’s firstborn son and heir to the throne, she decides to forge her own future from his suffering. She could finally be free of her curse… if she can only manage to trick the heartless siren out of his soul.

Available NOW on click my affiliate link below

Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beka Westrup is a genre-hopping author of fantasy and romance. The Seldom Wings is her second full-length novel. She lives in the PNW with her husband and two children, collecting more books than she’ll ever be able to read and drinking copious amounts of iced coffee.

Book Spotlight Thursday: The Audient and the Phantom Night by Sadie Hewitt

Caught in Today’s spotlight is the recently released pirate fantasy The Audient and the Phantom Night by Sadie Hewitt. Let’s read on me harties!

The Audient and the Phantom Night (The Aeglecian Seas #1)
Publication Date: November 21, 2023
Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Pirate Fantasy
☠️ Grumpy/ Sunshine
☠️ Touch Her and D$%
☠️ Forced Proximity
☠️ Cursed Ships
☠️ Outlawed Magic
☠️ Spicy
The Legend of the Flying Dutchman meets Beauty and the Beast in this action-packed fantasy filled with searing romance, outlawed magic, and seafaring danger.

Fenna Terrigan never expected to leave her seaside village. She was too quiet, too gentle, and far too kind to take on life outside of the bookshop she works at. But when her brother shows up on her doorstep begging for aid, with a pirate lord hot on his tail, Fenna will do anything to protect him.
Devlin Cato is the captain of a cursed ship and can step foot on land for one day every seven years. Once again, he’s found himself using it to chase a deserter across the continent. His hunt is short-lived when Fenna agrees to take on her brother’s twenty-five-year debt in exchange for leaving her smoldering city to heal.
As Fenna spends more time aboard The Phantom Night with the ship’s mysterious and seductive captain, she soon finds herself caught between loyalty to her brother and her fiery passion for Devlin Cato. But the path to ending the curse isn’t as easy as it seems when Fenna’s dark secret is discovered– a secret that threatens the very foundation of the continent’s stability and one that anyone would be willing to kill for.
Add to Goodreads

Available now on Amazon

About The Author

Sadie Hewitt is the author of stunning, fantastical mysteries that keep readers on their toes. She is an avid fantasy and thriller reader. Sadie is especially passionate about diverse representation and mental health recovery in fiction, allowing her to create wonderfully vivid and relatable characters who jump off the page.

When she’s not writing or working as a full-time respiratory therapist, she travels the world, spends time with her two dogs and husband, and scarfs pizza like it’s going out of style.

Learn more about Sadie at Sadie Hewitt

Book Release Blitz: The Death Bringer by Christy R. Harrill

Celebrating the release of the third installment in the Blood Vier series Death Bringer by Christy R. Harrill. Let’ check it out.

The Death Bringer (The Blood Vier Series #3)

Publication Date: November 21, 2023

Genre: YA: Epic Fantasy

A Shadowy Throne.

A Lurking Assassin.

A Game of Survival in a Harrowing War.

Still reeling from the events that transpired in the tower, Vladimir struggles between doing what is right or what is easy for the kingdom, and Taryn is left questioning her future and its consequences. When an attack upends the security of the capital, her mother’s past comes haunting, trapping Taryn in a game of riddles that leads to imminent death. Loyalties are tested while destruction closes in, and the hungry beast of war prowls about, devouring every shred of hope and demanding the greatest of sacrifices.

Available today on Amazon  Get a  Signed Edition * Or visit the website The Blood Vier

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christy R. Harrill is the book-loving and anything medieval fantasy-obsessing author of the Blood Vier series. She lives in Oklahoma where she enjoys hiking with her dog Hank and devouring every book she possibly has time for. Christy loves winter and still hopes to attain the dream of getting snowed in with four feet of snow one day. She thinks that the only good thing about summer is wearing sandals, and has a weakness for buying pretty notebooks—even though she already owns far too many blank ones at home.

Follow Christy at Christy R. Harrill

Book Spotlight Thursday: Kindred Spirits by Lynn Eldridge

Who says the spookiness has to end on Halloween? In the spotlight, today with its beautiful cover and alluring tale is the newly released Kindred Spirits by Lynn Eldridge.

Kindred Spirits
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
Genre: Paranormal Romance

A captivating paranormal romance that embarks on a journey of newfound love… and the everlasting effects of grief.
After a devastating accident, young billionaire Jack Malone is left wanting for the family and life he lost. Closing his heart off to the world in fear of feeling the same heartache, he has become a notorious recluse and landlord to several houses in St. Augustine. But despite his best efforts to keep people at arm’s length, his carefully constructed world is about to crumble.
When teacher Sydney Crane blows into town, she doesn’t expect her first encounter with her landlord to involve property vandalization—and unexpected nudeness. Off to a rocky start, she is determined to change Jack’s opinion of her. But after the unexplainable shakes her world and she finds herself in his protective embrace…she worries she may have ventured too far.
As Jack and Sydney’s connection deepens, so do their supernatural encounters. Navigating past heartache and an increasingly haunted house, their pursuit of love becomes a race against time that even they fear they won’t survive.
Will Jack and Sydney be able to unravel an ancient murder before their chance at love evaporates faster than a fleeting apparition?

Get swept away by this heart-wrenching paranormal romance that showcases the strength of one couple’s resolve and their key to happily ever after. 

OUT NOW AND AVAILABLE HERE AND ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Eldridge is a former president of the West Virginia Chapter of Romance Writers of America and earned an honorable mention in their Golden Heart Contest. Lynn is the author of several historical and contemporary romance novels, including Desire in Deadwood, Remember the Passion, Tame the Wild, and Skyrocket to Surrender. Her latest novel, Hearts and Mountains, is a 2023 Spur Award Finalist. In addition to her writing career, Lynn is a licensed clinical therapist and dedicates one day a week in an outpatient behavioral health facility in Charleston, West Virginia.

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

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

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.

Book Spotlight Thursday: Tethered by Elayna R. Gallea

Having spotlighted the release of book three (Treasured) I was more than delighted to spotlight and go back to where it all began with Elyana R. Gallea’s Amazon #1 best seller in YA dark fantasy Tethered by Elayna R. Gallea.

Tethered (The Binding Chronicles #1)

Publication Date: February 1, 2023

Genre: Dark Romantic Fantasy/ Upper YA
🦇Vampires
🦇Magical Bindings
🦇Arranged Marriage
🦇Only One
🦇Tormented Hero

What could be worse than an arranged marriage to a vampire prince?
When Luna is sold into marriage to the Prince of Darkness, she thinks she knows what to expect. Arranged marriages happen all the time, right? Wrong. No one could have prepared her for the reality of being married to the vampire prince.
Ever since the day he was Made, Sebastian has been living according to Queen Marguerite’s rules. After all, he’s only alive because of her. When she orders him to marry and Bind himself to Luna, a human hailing a neighboring kingdom, he has no choice. He agrees to the marriage but never expects to feel anything for Luna.
When their Binding Ceremony goes awry, and they are magically Tethered, everything is thrown into upheaval. Unable to leave each other’s presence, they must learn to live with each other. Or die.
Tethered is a slow-burn arranged marriage epic romantic fantasy and is filled with forced proximity, magical bindings, vampires, and world-building.
Tethered takes place in the same world as Of Earth and Flame. It can be enjoyed on its own or alongside The Ithenmyr Chronicles.

NOTE**This series is upper YA/NA and has moderate steam. There are some instances of violence, language, and mature situations. Recommended for ages sixteen and up.

Available Now on AMAZON

Add to Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elayna R. Gallea is a whimsical weaver of words, creating tales of romantic fantasy. Nestled in the enchanting land of New Brunswick, Canada, she lives with her husband and two younglings. When she’s not writing fantastical stories, she eats copious amounts of chocolate and cheese, reads every day, and plays with her cats and dogs.

Elayna R. Gallea

Book Review: The Crimson Maiden: Swordmaster Legacy Book 1 by M.V. Grimm

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The Crimson Maiden: The Swordmasters' Legacy

Published: August 25, 2023

Genre: Action fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Swords and Sorcery

In the Kingdom of Ariandor, where wonder and fascination reign, an extraordinary institution awaits those fated for greatness. The Academy of Swordcraft, Heincraft, perched on the enchanting island of Aegis, unveils its marvels amidst a cluster of floating islands. It is at Heincraft that Arianna, a spirited sixteen-year-old girl, seeks to prove herself and uncover the truth behind her father's disappearance.

As Arianna embarks on her journey, a mysterious legacy begins to unfurl, revealing her true purpose. Prophecies of an impending darkness loom, threatening to cast the realms into everlasting night. Fueled by her unyielding determination to find her father, Arianna must decipher the enigma left for her—the ancient prophecy and the secrets woven within the Swordmaster's Legacy.

Join Arianna, along with her classmates and her mischievous flying mythical beast companion, Red, as they venture through exhilarating trials, and treacherous landscapes, and confront mystical creatures within the depths of the Stonevent Cavern. They will navigate the perilous cliffs of Beast Canyon to explore a hidden dungeon before journeying into the dark depths of the Mystical Forest to seek the guardians of the elements.

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

REVIEW

Written like an epic manga The Crimson Maiden: Swordmasters’ Legacy Book 1 is an epic fantasy adventure with a hint of mystery. I totally fell into the magical world of Ariandor and its floating archipelagos. Here we meet 16-year-old fiery redhead Arianna on her way to Heincraft Academy of Swordcraft to become a master swordsmaster. While there Arianna has an ulterior motive to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of her father who attended the Academy himself.

Looking through the school archives leads to her father’s journal, meeting a mystical beast named Red, and a map that could lead her and her new friends to the mystery of what happened to Arianna’s lost father. But also stumbling into a power Arianna didn’t know she had as an evil plot brews to unleash a dark entity that was banished long ago.

M.V. Grimm does a phenomenal job of world-building as you feel completely immersed in this fantasy world via your imagination. His characters while classic are likable, and Grimm delivers a plot twist revealed in the epilogue that I did not see coming. It made me giddy with glee as I just love it when an author pulls the rug out from under me.

There were parts though that I thought dialogue might have fit in better than just written out like a recap. Otherwise, this was a fun escape read and I am eager to return to the world of Ariandor to find out what happens next!

About The Author

M. V. Grimm is an author with a love and passion for mystery and fantasy stories. He currently works doing odd jobs while concentrating most of his attention to a flourishing writing career.

The Immortals Chronicle – Thomas Blackwing and the Crystal Heart is M.V Grimm’s first fantasy series of a pair of fourteen-year-old orphans who compete with others for a throne left vacant after the murder of a royal dynasty.

The Swordmasters’ Legacy – The Crimson Maiden is M.V Grimm’s second fantasy series of a sixteen-year-old girl blessed with a remarkable destiny who went on a mission to locate her missing father while demonstrating her value amidst her time at the Academy of Swordcraft, Heincraft.

His hopes for the future are to carry on writing fantasy novels full-time and to bring them to as broad an audience as possible. When he has some time to himself he enjoys fishing, which helps to clear his mind of troubles and all thoughts for a few hours, before dreaming up new stories and adventures.

Follow M.V. Grimm at Immortals Chronicles