Ander Forrest renounced blood magic to become a nurse-healer in his rural hometown, far from the drama of wizardry and espionage his sister Kate craved. When Kate goes missing in action, Ander finds himself the legal guardian of her gifted twins and receives a cryptic warning from Kate’s husband to protect them before he, too, disappears.
Six months later, his former lover crash lands in the kids’ bedroom via a spell only Ander’s sister could have cast. Druid Cai Piper doesn’t remember how he got there, but he knows he never stopped loving Ander, and that he was sent to protect him and the twins. Cai is strangely drawn to Forrest House and the land it stands upon.
With the secrets of a clandestine wizards’ order hanging between them, Cai and Ander must remember how to trust each other as sinister forces move against the Forrest family—magical terrorists who want to exploit their rare sorcery and bring the world to its knees.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Elisabeth “E.M.” Hamill is a nurse by day, unabashed geek, chocoholic, sci-fi and fantasy novelist by night, weekends, and whenever it’s possible to steal quality time with a laptop.
Lisa lives with their family, two dogs, and a cat in the wilds of eastern suburban Kansas, where they fend off flying monkey attacks and prep for the zombie apocalypse.
Gifted a copy to review, Red Summer is filled with a unique, gritty Southern Gothic flair, set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans. Red Summer gives you hints of a high school Harry Potter orPercy Jackson.
Red Summer (Stone and Scale Book 1)
Published: August 4, 2025
Genre: Urban fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy/ Paranormal fantasy
Ages: Older Young Adult/ Adult Readers
Synopsis –
Seventeen-year-old Wilder Ansley is being followed. By who? He hasn’t got a clue. By people and creatures no one else can see. That’s a good enough place to start.
To make matters worse, he’s also able to do things that make no sense at all — like unintentionally setting fire to his foster brother’s bed, without the help of a lighter or matches.
Wilder prides himself that recently, aside from a few unfortunate incidents, he’s been able to keep whatever happens when he loses his cool mostly under control. That is until a freak lightning storm alerts the mysterious New Orleans Council to his whereabouts.And his burgeoning abilities.
Within hours, Wilder is thrown headfirst into a whole new world, hidden behind a Shroud, and it feels more like home than he cares to admit. Despite his initial hesitations, Wilder finds friendship, and maybe something more, among these new strangers. But it turns out uncovering his place in the Eadar might be harder than he thought. Wilder must force himself to face the truth about who everyone else believes him to be—all while a decades long war escalates within and beyond the Shroud, threatening not only the Eadar and his new found friends, but the human world he’s left behind.
REVIEW
Red Summer: Stone and Scale is “Harry Potter” meets “Percy Jackson” on Bourbon Street. Our hero here is Wilder, an orphan with a reputation for so-called trouble. Things happen around Wilder, and oh, there are those creatures he sees that no one else can. When another episode occurs, landing a foster sibling in the hospital, Wilder’s future looks slim. When he decides to run away, only to encounter and follow an annoying owl, Wilder enters into a whole new realm, and that is in the midst of a war to discover who and what he is. It’s up to Wilder now and his newfound friends to help protect the magical worlds as well as learn more about himself.
Red Summer was a fun read. It reminded me of a darker take on Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, yet it was its own thing as well. Our protagonist, Wilder, is a good character, and I love his progression as a character so far. Lee also creates a lovely world-building, with the human realm and the magical realm, filled with lycans (werewolves), fae, vampires, witches, halfbreeds, and more. If you feel you’ve outgrown “Harry Potter” or “Percy Jackson?” Graduate to the grit and magic of Red Summer: Stone and Scale.
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ana Lee is the debut author of Red Summer—the first novel of the upcoming dark, gritty, and fast-paced epic contemporary fantasy series, Stone and Scale.
Ana lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she spends her time reading, writing, or dreaming about reading and writing.
Her influences include (but are definitely not limited to) Cassandra Clare, Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Follow Anna and her books at @analeewriters on Instagram.
Book spotlighting today is the celebration of the release ofGrave-Reaping Guardian (Book 3 in the series) by Everlyn C. Thompson. Come join me!
Grave-Reaping Guardian (Grave Reaper Series Book 3)
Publication Date: March 25, 2024
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Features ⭐ Curvy FMC ⭐ Forced Proximity ⭐ Family Found ⭐ One Bed ⭐ Touch Her & ☠ ⭐ Fae Guardians ⭐ Surly Vampires ⭐ Homeless Shifters ⭐ Broken Ghosts ⭐ Evil Fae Queen When the gate between Earth and Fairie blows up and traps Theodora Edwards in the mystical realm, she must work together with her guardian and the dark prince to locate and safeguard a magical key that powers the Light Court. While learning to properly use her fae magic, Theo is forced to fend off an abduction attempt by wraiths, locate a missing castle, tame a dragon king, and have a friendly chat with the dead queen. But with all of Theo’s efforts going toward protecting those she loves, she struggles to find time to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship—and the insecurities that come with it.
WARNING: This book contains triggering themes including low self esteem, infertility intimate scenes this book is recommended for 18+
Born and raised on the beautiful Canadian prairies, Everlyn prefers to spend her time outdoors with her family kayaking, skating, fishing, and hunting. She loves reading and writing about vampires, witches, fae and zombies that get to find their own version of happily ever after.
A perfect fall read in the spotlight today is Reign of Inception by J.C. Blacklock.
The title and cover lured me so lets read on and its currently on a blog tour hosted by R&R Book Tours. Let’s read on!
Reign of Inception (Elderwood Series #1)Publication Date: February 1, 2023
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Fantasy Romance
Are you prepared to venture into a world you never knew existed?
A world of hidden secrets and untold stories of myths and legends long passed. Forgotten or believed to be just that… stories. For once you open your eyes to the impossible, everything becomes probable.
Like most good stories or life altering events, it begins with one action, one decision…
One stupid mistake.
That’s all it took to turn 17-year-old heiress to the family business Rayna Caliburn’s life upside down. After being shipped off to a private Academy halfway across the world, she soon realizes that life isn’t all fun and games. Especially when a shocking turn of events lands her and her companions in a land that shouldn’t exist.
Thrust into a turbulent pursuit of rectification, in a race against time with an unlikely group of beings from myths and legends, Rayna must face unimaginable dangers, uncontrollable magic, and irrepressible temptations that begin to wage war against everything she’s been led to believe about herself, her beliefs, her reality and even her sanity.
Reign of Inception is the first book in the crossover Elderwood Series. An Urban Fantasy meets Epic Fantasy Romance with Celtic Mythology and Arthurian Legend retellings. The main character is YA but the book is intended for older readers due to darker themes, language and scenes of sex and violence. Some readers may find certain scenes disturbing.
AVAILABLE NOWFree on KU and Available in paperback!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.C Blacklock is an Indie Author with her debut novel being Reign of Inception, the first book in her crossover Urban Fantasy Romance series Elderwood Series. She currently lives with her fiancé and two children along the coast of eastern Canada. She writes books with action, steam, tension, and plot twists in a range of different genres.