Caught in my spotlight today, thanks to R&R Book Tours, is Grave Secrets by Cassandra Aston. A dark urban fantasy/ romance, what would you sacrifice for the truth? Let’s read on!
Grave Secrets (Prophecies of Angels and Demons #1
Publication Date: April 24th, 2023
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy/ Fantasy Romance
What would you sacrifice for the truth?
Life feels infinite when you’re young, but Allie Graves knows all too well that she’s living on borrowed time. Six years ago, she made a deal to save her life in exchange for service to the angels.
It seemed like a sweet bargain when she made it, but what do seventeen-year-olds know about making life choices? Now her six years of service are up, and returning to her mortal life comes with some serious consequences.
To top it off, a mystery man has come into her life, but the angels aren’t fond of his brand of magic, so they’ve made it their mission to end him. How’s a girl supposed to get a date when the guy might not survive the week?
Allie has less than a month to uncover a family secret, save the hottie, and plan for life after angel duty. It’s a tall order.
Fans of J Bree and Patricia Briggs will be swept away by this urban fantasy romance full of dark magic, family secrets, and gut-wrenching twists. From the first page to the last, you won’t want to put it down. This book is recommended for 18+ due to its mature content.
Cassandra Aston grew up near Austin, TX, on a ranch just outside the city. She holds a BA in Communications and an MS in Psychology from USC.
Her love of reading and writing began when she was nine years old. She is a fan of all things fantasy but especially loves the Fae. Although her first series, Prophecies of Angels and Demons, doesn’t delve into the realm of the Fae, her 2022 NaNoWriMo project, which will be released in 2024, is an urban fantasy, stand-alone story that will take the reader deep into the world of Faerie.
Cassandra currently lives in Houston, TX, with her family of four.
A double-feature spotlight! I could not let this one get away! The cover drew me in to want to pick it up. As a bonus, there is to be a special hardcover edition upon release, too, which is just as alluring!
The Mark of Dreams and Darkness
Expected Publication Date: September 16, 2023
Genre: NA Fantasy w/ Sci-Fi Elements
“Am I a good person?”
After the devastating events of the Titan Games finale, Karalevine Ruzz and her Starseed family find themselves in a panicked frenzy to get their fellow Starseed teammate back from the clutches of the vicious Arianyte Empire. The prince, Malakyte Ardeen, hasn't stopped his relentless search for Kara, determined to make her his no matter the cost.
Haunted by the certain doom of her fellow Starseed, Kara makes a fateful decision –to enter the lethal Titan Games, a merciless competition where the stakes are life and death. The prize? A face-to-face reunion with her captured friend and the chance to confront the very enemy that threatens Earth’s very existence. With each step closer to her teammate's liberation and Earth’s freedom, the line between allies and enemies blurs with every heartbeat.
But the Titan Games are no ordinary contest, and its host is no mere prince. As Kara faces off against other deadly contenders, she simultaneously clashes with Malakyte in an entirely different arena–a battleground of the heart.
Amidst the heart-pounding action and pulse-racing intrigue, Kara finds herself at a crossroads. Good versus evil, nurture or nature, redemption and fate. Will she succumb to the darkness within her heart, or will she hold fast to the better nature she strives to embody?
Special Edition Cover
Along with the regular release, there will be a RARE AMAZON EXCLUSIVE Special Edition Naked Hardcover featuring special INKED edges printed directly onto the paper (these are not sprayed edges.). These will be LIMITED 1st edition, and only 1,000 copies will be available.
“The Mark of Dreams and Darkness” is the spellbinding sequel to the award-winning and bestselling novel “The Mark of Chaos and Creation.” A tale of forbidden love, pulse-pounding action, and the indomitable spirit of a heroine torn between duty and the tumultuous darkness of her heart. Will Kara unravel the mysteries that entwine her fate and bring about freedom, or will she succumb to the allure of a love that should be her downfall?
Prepare yourself for an enthralling journey where love and danger collide, and nothing is as it seems. Arabella K. Federico delivers a masterfully crafted tale that will leave you breathless, captivated until the final page, and yearning for more.
The Avengers meets Sailor Moon meets Arcane League of Legends in this mind-bending mashup of fantasy and science fiction in which a young woman must fight and lie and do whatever it takes to secure the thing she wants most: revenge. If you’re in the market for something different on your bookshelf yet keep the familiar tropes you love in fantasy fiction, like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fated mates, and found family, you’ll obsess over The Mark of Chaos and Creation until the very last page.
Where do you draw the line between fighting for the greater good and vengeance?
My name is Arabella K. Federico, and I am a passionate debut author. My YA novels explore the Sci-Fi and fantasy genres with a mind-bending metaphysical twist you’ll never see coming. Let’s just say nobody writes like Arabella.
If you want something different-yet with familiar tropes you crave-I’m your next favorite author. Don’t let the indie author thing fool you; my debut novel, “The Mark of Chaos and Creation,” was professionally edited by a talented industry pro who’s one of the developmental editors on Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, as well as Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King duology, and literally hundreds more traditional and indie books that are best-sellers.
As an author, coach, and teacher of all things writing craft, I hope to take my amazing readers on a ride they won’t soon forget. Storytelling is my passion. It lights me up like Christmas day and makes me more giddy than it probably should. Writing stories is my destiny, and I hope every new reader whose adoration I gain joins Arabella’s Army and follows me down the path of taking over the world. Because women who follow the status quo typically never break it, and over here, we shatter expectations.
After doing a Book Release Blitz for her soon-to-be released of Submit( Book One in the Nothing Lasts Forever Series) by Jillian D. Wray, I was happy to join in again with R&R Book Tours for the upcoming release of the second book in her Nothing Lasts Forever Series with Defy available July 24th! And look at this cover! Let’s delve in!
Defy (Nothing Lasts Forever #2)
Expected Publication Date: July 24, 2023
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Tropes:
🖤Age Gap 🖤Broody Possessive Alpha 🖤Fated Mates/Star-Crossed Lovers 🖤Tasteful Spice
My past got us captured. Her past could get us killed. And the clock is ticking.
That was then…
Abandoning my family and rejecting my duty was a calculated risk. I longed for freedom from the oppressive chains of the cartel and the suffocating walls of my family estate.
After my escape, I made a new home in Aruba, keeping to myself and staying under the radar. That is until I met Libby.
She was lonely. And broken. Our souls were the same. And from the moment her brilliant blue eyes connected with mine, I knew I would do anything to have her. Even when saving her meant losing the freedom I had fought so desperately to achieve.
…this is now.
Forgiveness is not given freely, and I’m lucky to still be alive.
My family doesn’t want to trust me… the son who ran away. But they don’t have a choice. As my parents attempt to stop the rapid fraying of their empire, my brother’s dangerous behavior seems focused on trying to destroy it – or me.
But I’m not the only one who’s in trouble.
My family wants Libby for something, and I need to learn their secret before it’s too late. Yet as I’m dragged deeper into my old way of life, the lines of loyalty start to blur.
Deception is everywhere. Truth is obscured. And monsters are not always what they seem.
To keep her safe, I will defy the rules. I will defy my family. I will defy anything that stands in my way.
Jillian has worked in the healthcare industry for over 10 years. With no formal education in creative writing, she sat down one night during the pandemic to give her mind a break from facts and sterile objectivity. In doing so, she discovered a love for losing herself in a story all her own. Even though she continues to work her “regular” job, she’s always planning, plotting, and scheming for ways to make her next characters fall in love.
Her characters are inspired by people she has met over the years and their stories could happen to anyone. Realistic, flirty, quick reads are what you’ll get when you crack open one of her novels.
When she isn’t working or writing, you can find her in her garden, on a plane, or 50ft below the surface of the ocean breathing bubbles and chasing fish. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and three step kids.
Today in the spotlight is the newly released epic fantasy Death’s Reckoning by Quinn Thomas. Love epic fantasy? Me too! Let’s read on!
Death's Reckoning (The Mortal Aspects Book 1)
Publication Date: July 18, 2023
Genre: Epic FantasyThe battle for power is fierce in a world where mortals wield the strength of dead gods in this first book of a high-stakes epic fantasy series from Quinn Thomas.
A thousand years ago, the immortals were slain, their power passed down to a chosen few known as aspects. The competition between noble families for control of these aspects has plunged the land into a never-ending cycle of war and bloodshed.
The Tevulun family has been driven to the brink of extinction by the most recent war. When Tarana Tevulun, who possesses the abilities of Calamity, learns of her family's intention to murder her, she flees with the assistance of a band of mercenaries. The Tevulun’s enemy, the Ma’isans, take advantage of her absence to advance and besiege the capital city of Vicrum. Tarana returns to fight for the city, but faces a difficult challenge due to the involvement of the mortal aspect of Death – thought to be the sole remaining neutral aspect.
Meanwhile, a young soldier named Micol deserts the army after his first taste of battle. When he ends up in the besieged city of Vicrum, he finds himself embroiled with a group of outlaws. Thrust into a world of thieves and rebels, he must confront his deepest fears and make a decision that will change his life forever.
Death’s Reckoning is a page-turning epic fantasy for fans of ensemble casts and character-driven plot twists, with echoes of Steven Erikson’s Malazan series. Join these mortals as they wield god-like power in a world where even the noblest intentions can lead to destruction.
Check out this gripping excerpt!
Excerpt from Death's Reckoning
Micol’s blood ran cold. He closed his eyes, concentrating on taking deep breaths. Please don’t let them see us, he prayed to Loss. Please, let them pass by. It’s not supposed to end like this. Please.
Another man stepped into view. Then a third. Their conversation continued, but Micol couldn’t focus on the words. He was too busy listening to the growing sounds of movement around them. The pounding boots and squelching mud hinted at a larger force than the three men who had already passed, although he could only guess at how much larger.
At least a half dozen more came into view, most of them near Asoka’s hiding place. The three who’d led the way were nearly out of sight; Micol could barely see their torches through the thick trees. To his left, a glint of light caught his eyes. When he followed it to its source, he nearly collapsed.
Silvery-blue armor covered the woman from head to toe, flowing around her like water. Every inch of skin was covered, leaving only a pair of thin slits for her eyes. She was close enough to Micol to touch. His entire body began to shake, demanding action.
He couldn’t be still anymore. His every fiber screamed one word: escape. He had to get out, but there was nowhere to go. The beating of his heart raged thunderous in his ears until it felt like the sound alone would betray him. Cold sweat beaded on his fevered skin. The aspect’s head swung in his direction.
Micol tried to bolt from the tree – away from the aspect – but she reacted faster than he would have thought possible. Her hand snapped out, stopping his momentum and taking the pair of them to the ground. He managed to twist in time to see her liberating a rusted dagger from its sheath.
From out of sight, he heard the groan of a bowstring. The aspect’s dagger plunged toward his chest, but before it could strike the tip of an arrow spiked through one of the slits in her helm. Its force pushed her off him, and Micol took his chance. He was on his feet in an instant, running away from the group of soldiers.
He met Asoka’s wide-eyed stare; the other boy still held his bow in a ready position. Time stood still for a solitary moment before Micol broke the contact.
Bodies thudded; wood cracked from out of Micol’s view. “Got him!” he heard someone say. “He doesn’t look like an assassin to me.”
Micol kept running. He heard the footsteps of several men behind him, but he didn’t dare stop to check their progress.
“Get the other one!” someone else shouted.
“Over there! He’s headed toward the undergrowth!”
Micol fell into a row of dense bushes, forcing himself through. Branches and thorns tore at his skin and clothes, but he paid them little mind. The men chasing him reached the bushes a moment after he broke through the other side.
His days on the streets of Vicrum came back to him, lessons born from a thousand beatings doled out by those older and larger. There was always someone faster, someone stronger. But Micol had had one advantage: he was willing to go further. A path ahead promised easy escape, but instead of heading for it he plunged deeper into the undergrowth.
A thick root tripped Micol, sending him toppling head-over-heels down a stream bed. He hissed as a flare of pain shot up from his ankle; he inched toward the running water, but a sound came a moment later that stopped him cold.
“Micol!” a distant voice cried. Asoka’s voice. “Help! Please help me!” The pitiful cry was like an icy knife plunged into his lungs.
He didn’t make it out, Micol thought. I didn’t even stop to think about helping him escape. He rose to his knees, taking stock of the situation. He’d lost his bow when the aspect had taken him, which left the small hunting knife on his belt as his only weapon.
“Help! Oh, aspects, please!”
Micol knew what he was supposed to do. The stories soldiers shared were full of such scenarios; if he had been the hero in one of those stories, he would have drawn his knife and carved a path of blood back to his friend to save him. The men searching for him were getting close, and he knew he had to make his decision soon.
A sound like an axe hitting a tree echoed through the forest, sending a morbid shiver down Micol’s spine. He summoned all of his courage, but it wasn’t enough. He turned back to the stream and jumped in, letting the water carry him away.
Quinn Thomas is an Epic Fantasy author and occasional pool shark from Denver, Colorado. When she’s not writing stories about people thrust into situations that turn them into heroes (or, more frequently, villains), she’s wrestling her 100-lb labrador retriever. Her favorite fantasy series of all time is Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
Things Quinn has tried exactly once and wants to mention because she thinks they make her seem cool: skydiving, surfing, paddle-boarding, yoga.
Things Quinn has tried several times and wants to mention because they make her seem less cool: eating Cheetos on the couch while wearing yoga pants, tripping on her own feet, and singing karaoke songs completely sober.
Looking for a book for your kiddos this summer? I’m joining along with R&R Book Tours for their Book Blitz for Dylan Dover Into the Vortexby Lynne Howard. Let’s get lost in a book!
Dylan Dover: Into the Vortex
Genre: MG Fantasy/ Middle GradeDylan Dover was an ordinary boy... until a fall into another realm transformed his fate - and the fate of this immortal realm - forever.
Dylan believes he is a typical twelve-year-old until he stumbles into a vortex that miraculously transports him to the immortal dimension, a parallel universe.
Dylan not only learns that he is a warlock, but he also discovers a twin brother, extraordinary powers, and a secret prophecy that seems to have Dylan and his family at its crux. Dylan, along with his brother and their new-found wizard friend Thea, begin to unravel the mystery that surrounds their birth and the danger that threatens immortals and humans alike.
In a stunning debut, Lynne Howard’s Dylan Dover: Into the Vortex casts a potent reader’s charm over all youngsters clamoring for a new supernatural hero.
Lynne Howard, author of the Dylan Dover: Into the Vortex series, is a writer, lawyer, and teacher. Passionate about serving her community and dedicated to social justice, she lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband, Andrew, and their children, Matthew, Jessie, and Dylan.
Today in the spotlight are Tim DeRoche and Daniel González, author, and illustrator of the best-selling Ballad of Huck & Miguel, returning with a book of verse that will delight anyone who loves Lemony Snicket or Shel Silverstein with Tales of Whimsy Verses Woe. Read on!
Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023 (In honor of Lewis Carroll’s birthday)
Genre: Children’s Humorous Poetry/ Grades 1 – 12
Publisher: Redtail Press
If your moral character is flimsy Or your wit be rather slow,
Oh dare not read these tales of whimsy For often do they end in woe.
Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe is quite possibly the most dangerous book of poetry ever written. Do you dare? It’s so good it will make you sneeze. What becomes of a girl who absolutely detests the color green? What about a king who joins a punk band? And the little boy who calls up God on the telephone? Monsters, bears, wizards, and talking vegetables―This book has something for everyone. Winner of the prestigious Baldersquash Medal, which honors the very best in highfalutin nonsense.
ADD To Goodreads
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Tim DeRoche emigrated to California to attend Pomona College, where he studied English literature. His first book, The Ballad of Huck & Miguel, was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, the LA Review of Books, and the Mark Twain Forum. It was also selected by the Pasadena Public Library as the “One City, One Story” book for the Summer of 2019.
He has served as executive producer and writer of the children’s science series Grandpa’s Garage, produced by Turner, and is a graduate of the PBS Producers Academy at WGBH in Boston.
Tim lives with his wife Simone and three young kids in the La Crescenta neighborhood of Los Angeles.
In conjunction with R&R Book Tours I am happy to be a part of the last leg of this book tour. SpotlightingBlind Pony, a memoir by Samantha Hart! As a bonus find out at the end how you could wind a signed copy!
Blind Pony
Publication Date: March 15th, 2021
Genre: Memoir/ Biography
When your mother names you after your father’s affair, you might wish you were living someone else’s life.
For Samantha Hart, growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania had been no childhood idyll but rather a violent, surreal nightmare. A twisted vision of pastoral life part Faulkner part Dante. At fourteen years old, she ran away in search of her father, a character she only knew as Wild Bill. Discovering he wasn’t the hero she dreamt he’d be, she was on her own.
Arriving in Los Angeles at the peak of LA’s decadence where money, drugs, and good times flowed, she floated through a strange new world of champagne-soaked parties, high-stakes backgammon tournaments, and a whirlwind of international escapades flogging nude photographs. When a wealthy playboy mistakes her Pittsburgh accent for being British, it begins a spiral of white lies leading Sam to question everything she thought she knew about herself and who she could be.
Blind Pony is a story of healing and hope, a coming of age narrative intersecting themes of recovery, redemption, forgiveness, and the struggle it takes to define life on your terms.
Excerptfrom Blind Pony
”A FAREWELL TO THE FARM”
I opened the door to the barn with a bit of trepidation. The smells that once pervaded my senses—new-mown hay, leather, and living animals—had turned to a dank, musty odor. I held Vignette’s hand as we stepped carefully past the empty stalls, ready for something sinister to jump out at any moment. We ventured toward a stable in the back, and above us was the plaque I carved with a wood burner, the name “Misty.” Misty was born when I was eight years old and was the offspring of my beloved pony, Princess.
“Follow me.” I darted up the narrow wooden stairs. Vignette stayed close on my heels as we headed to my grandfather’s abandoned workshop to rummage around for something to pry off the sign. The remnants of a moonshine distillery sat cloaked in dust in an open cabinet, and as I breathed in the musky air, I could feel my grandfather’s presence and hear the nasty whistling sound he made when he was coming for me.
“Mommy, are you crying?”
“No, honey, got some dust in my eyes. Let’s get out of here.”
I grabbed the crowbar, intent on rescuing Misty’s sign. It was a relic from my childhood, and I was unwilling to leave it to the wrecking ball.
“So, Misty was your pony, Mommy?”
“No, but she was my pony Princess’ baby, just like you are my baby. That’s why I got to name her and made this sign for her. Look, I have a scar on my finger where I burned myself making that sign.”
“That must have hurt. I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you, too.” Equal measures of joy and sorrow overwhelmed me, conjured by a place I thought I would never see again. We traipsed outside so I could stow the plaque inside the car, and Vignette spotted an old tractor.
“Look at this cool tractor, Mommy! Can I climb on it?”
“Yes, but be careful,” I said. My mind drifted. I could almost hear the chatter between my sisters and me as we saddled up at the corral to take our horses out for trail rides.
Princess was blind in one eye, so she kept a slower pace than the other horses as we galloped up past the oil rig with its rhythmic chugging and stench of old black oil. The sound of thundering hoofs would ring in my ears, and by the time we reached the top of Gobbler’s Knob, the view would be invisible through the thick cloud of dust, and I’d be as blind as Princess.
The past was so vivid, I almost forgot I wanted to capture this moment with Vignette. As I went back to the car to retrieve my camera, the familiar sound of the gravel crunching beneath my feet unspooled memories of a story my mother had repeated to me throughout my childhood.
Late one night, Bill Butter pulled into the gravel driveway well past midnight. Dean Martin’s just-released record “Volare” blared over the car radio. Bill continued his drunken crooning after turning off the ignition,
though, in his stupor, he left the headlights on. My mother, Clara, peered out the upstairs window to see her husband silhouetted by the car’s lights, stumbling up the stone path, cigarette dangling from his mouth, and a bottle of whiskey clutched in his hand. Annoyed and embarrassed by his returning from these late-night trysts with other women, which had become too frequent, she climbed back into bed, pretending to be asleep, and got tangled up in her oversized flannel nightgown.
A gust of frosty Pennsylvania wind followed Bill up the stairs to the bedroom. He pulled his pants down just far enough to expose his stiffened penis, then threw himself on top of his wife while endeavoring, with frustration, to unravel the nightgown.
Clara realized her best option for keeping their small children from waking was to make way for the inevitable drunken thrust between her naked thighs. When he found his way to an orgasm, he hollered out the name of his current mistress, Pammy Sue, and unceremoniously deposited the seed that would grow into a girl destined to be nothing but trouble. The first sign of said trouble began the very next morning with a dead car battery.
Nine months later, my mother gave birth to her fourth child on the first day of fall. Dad thought I would be a boy, and he named me Sam. Maybe he hoped I would be a boy so he could stop hearing about Pammy Sue. As luck would have it, he pulled four aces. I was his fourth daughter.
My mother’s frozen heart determined to immortalize her husband’s infidelity and spelled it out on the birth certificate. But for as long as I knew my dad, he never called me by any other name but Sam. I always thought the name suited me. My mother prodded me so often with the reason my name was Pammy that my official name repulsed me.
Vignette tugged on my sleeve and snapped me back to reality. “Mommy, mommy, can we go now? I’m hungry,” she moaned. “Me too,” I said, and we went back into the car. I threw my camera on the back seat along with the “Misty” sign, figuring I had enough memories of the place. Nothing could change what happened here.
As my daughter and I drove down Clever Road, I glanced back at the old farmhouse in the rearview mirror one last time. It would soon disappear forever, along with the lilac and forsythia bushes and delicate lilies of the valley that poked through the spring thaw each year. The springhouse and the old maple tree where I hugged my grandmother for the last time would be gone.
But they would live on in my memories, along with many things I wished I could forget
Samantha Hart’s career has spanned music, film, and advertising, earning her a reputation as an award-winning Creative Director. Her creative marketing campaigns brought prominence and Academy Awards to films such as Fargo, Dead Man Walking, and Boys Don’t Cry while earning cult status for independent features, Dazed and Confused, Four Weddings and A Funeral, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
With her partner, Sam built a successful company in the advertising industry, Foundation, with over forty employees and offices in Chicago and Los Angeles. Foundation earned distinction as an early disrupter of the traditional production and post-production models combining the two under one roof.
In 2017, Sam launched Wild Bill Creative which is a creative ideation company working with brand clients, non-profits, and start-ups.
Sam currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, director James Lipetzky, and their sons, Davis and Denham.
Like what you read? (Also read the one of the awesome reviews at Kristin’s Novel Café ) Click on the Link below to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of BLIND PONY by Samantha Hart!
Quinn Thomas is an Epic Fantasy author and occasional pool shark from Denver, Colorado. When she’s not writing stories about people thrust into situations that turn them into heroes (or, more frequently, villains), she’s wrestling her 100-lb labrador retriever. Her favorite fantasy series of all time is Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
Freelance Writer Janny(Jan Marie)C 