Book Blitz of Love at the Fiesta- A Kwentitas Romance Anthology. (#Contests- Win An Ebook of the Anthology- 11 winners.)

Love at the Fiesta: A Kwentitas Romance Anthology
(Kwentitas Romance Anthologies, #3)
Publication date: May 26th 2026
Genres: Adult, Romance

Return to Hacienda Luz—the world of Pasko Na, My Love and Forevermore—as the beloved Moore family opens the gates once more for a dazzling Santacruzan Fiesta in the heart of Napa Valley.

For two vibrant days, the vineyard comes alive with music, food, pageantry, cultural traditions, and unforgettable moments beneath the spring sky. But amid the beauty and celebration, hearts are on the line.

Some will fall in love.
Some will fall back in love.
And some will risk it all for the love they’ve been waiting for.

From acclaimed and bestselling Filipino American authors comes Love at the Fiesta, a joyful romance anthology filled with family, longing, second chances, and love.

 

Featuring stories by the Kwentitas:
Cat Santos
Celeste Dador
Elle Cruz
June Gray
Kaye Rockwell
Liz Durano
Maan Gabriel
Maida Malby
Mia Hopkins
Preslaysa Williams
Tif Marcelo

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple Books / Kobo

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SNEAK PEEKS:
Rice – Mia Hopkins

“Look at us,” she whispered. They were wet up to their thighs. Their clothes and shoes were a mess of sand and seawater. Ace’s wet T-shirt clung to his torso. Pinky longed to strip it off him, to run her hands all over his skin.

“Guess we didn’t see that coming,” he said, breathless.

Overthinking was her specialty, but right now she didn’t allow herself to think at all. Pinky reached forward and placed her hands on his chest. She looked up at his lips. The wind almost carried away her whisper.

“Can I?”

Ace nodded slowly.

Blood rushing, she kissed him. A gust of cold wind whipped at them, but Ace’s lips were as warm and soft as she’d hoped. She tasted salt and smelled his skin—woodsy and clean, with something delicious in the background. Tea with honey. A gingersnap? No—hot salabat. Spicy and sweet.

When Ace finally closed his eyes, Pinky embraced him, and her brain lit up like a chandelier. She felt everything—his hands on her waist, the soft moan in his throat as she lightly pressed the tip of her tongue against his. He held her tightly, quieting her nerves but setting a fire deep inside her. The wind cut through her wet skirt and bit at her bare skin. The waves crashed. In the distance, seagulls called to each other, back and forth.

After a long, long time, Pinky broke their kiss. She snuggled against him and closed her eyes, overwhelmed with pleasure. His arms were cold, but his chest through the T-shirt was hot, and his heart was beating fast. They both could feel that he was hard as a rock, but he didn’t push himself against her. Horny, but polite—a refreshing combination.

“Do you…” she trailed off.

“Do I what?”

She winced. “Please don’t judge me.”

He stroked her hair. “I won’t.”

“Do you…live nearby?”

—

Bring Back The Love – Tif Marcelo

Two days of pretending.

That was all Emmy Briones had to endure. That shouldn’t be hard, right? After all, she’d done harder things in life while on stage as a wedding singer, as a mother to actual grownups, and as a wife in a twenty-two-year marriage that was in a weird stage of limbo.

Granted, it was two days under the watchful eye of the legendary Lola Naty, her husband’s grandmother and matriarch of the famous Hacienda Luz.

No big deal.

Emmy employed the box breathing she’d learned in couples therapy—because yes, she and Aaron were at that stage—and crossed over the threshold of Hacienda Luz while dragging their carry-ons, where the glimmer of the marble floors and the sparkle of the chandelier above took her breath away.

Already decorated for the fiesta, a traditional Santacruzan, the lobby was filled with multicolored flowers. People milled about, talking in hushed voices, many of whom wore shirts that bore the familiar logo of Hacienda Luz.

A step behind Aaron, she swallowed against the enormity of it all. Living in the DC area hadn’t exposed them to this grandeur on the daily, unlike the rest of the Briones and Moore families living in and around the Bay Area. Though she and Aaron had been engaged here, Emmy only kept up with the property’s happenings through social media posts from Aaron’s family.

At the remembrance of their engagement, of Aaron getting down on one knee and pledging his life to her, her chest welled with sorrow.

“Em.” In front of her, Aaron offered his hand. His brown eyes had a message in them, though she couldn’t quite discern his intent.

They’d been in sync, in their thoughts, in their hearts, and in their voices, until they weren’t.

Emmy was just hoping they could pull off this ruse, collect their fee, go back home to their life, and somehow move on from it. It was Aaron who was worried. That his family—specifically Lola Naty—would notice that she and he were not the happy couple everyone made them out to be.

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Love at the Fiesta Blitz

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Book Blitz of The Flames of Soulflare by La Kayshal. (#Contests- Enter to win Paperback copy of The Flames of Soulflare (USA, UK, Canada or Australia only) -3x ebook copies of The Flames of Soulflare (INT))

The Flames of Soulflare
La Kayshal
(Hell’s Fire Dragon Series, #2)
Publication date: May 27th 2026

Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Fourth Wing meets From Blood and Ash in this Dark Paranormal Romantasy where dragons fear prophecy—and love may be the final weapon.

Everin Haydon was stolen, tortured, and reshaped into the dreaded Hell’s Fire Dragon, bound as a weapon for a Dragon Council that calls itself righteous.

Across the realms, Lord Tynan, the Demon of Darkness and Chaos, has ascended. His arrival heralds the Three Days of Darkness, and he will burn heaven and earth to reclaim what fate bound to him—his power, his vengeance.
But one question if the demon has risen, where is the god meant to stop him?

As the dragon world waits for divine intervention, Everin must decide whether she will remain a weapon—or become the fate of the realms.

 

 

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EXCERPT:

Dark themes including captivity and experimentation

Emotional conflict and intense character struggles
Violence and battle scenes
High-stakes situations involving power and survival

This book is best suited for readers who enjoy emotionally intense, character-driven romantasy.
Read Before You Decide

Before committing, please read the prologue.

This will give you a clear sense of the tone, pacing, and writing style.

Prologue:
Present Day

The moon hung quietly above Helldreth Fort, its pale glow spilling through the tall windows and brushing the chamber with soft silver. A cool breeze drifted in and stirred the white curtains, their edges sweeping lightly across Everin’s skin. She pulled her silk gown closer, grateful for the warmth of the room. It felt comforting, far more so than the terrible, dark place she had left behind.

Her steps carried her to the mirror in the corner. The reflection staring back looked thinner, as if her body had been carved down to something she hardly recognized.

The neckline of her nightie dipped too low to her liking, drawing her eye to the faint scars across her chest. The lamp light traced their uneven lines, pale and unsettling.

She touched them gently. Everin barely remembered how or when she got the scars.

She pulled the outer robe around her until it covered more of her chest. At least the scars were low enough to stay hidden unless she wore something too revealing.

A sound of footsteps behind her made her turn.

Tariel Fenwick, her first love, stood at the doorway.

Everin froze for a moment. He looked different—stronger, more defined, more man than the boy she remembered. His dark hair rested just above his shoulders with two thin braids at the sides of his head, framing a face sharpened by a faint stubble. His amber eyes, once so warm, now carried a deeper, shadowed intensity.

His shirt hung open across his chest, revealing sculpted muscle that rose with each slow breath, and a leather gauntlet, more like an open finger glove, hugged his left hand like a seamless extension of his skin.

Her gaze lingered longer than she meant it to. He saw that. A slow, knowing smirk touched his lips.

She straightened quickly. “We need to talk, Tariel.”

“Yes,” he replied, approaching her, “but not now.”

“There is a lot I want to understand,” she said quietly. “So much I don’t remember.”

“Later.” He reached her, lowering his voice. “I’ve long waited for this moment with you.”

He stepped closer.

She stepped back.

“You waited for me?” she whispered, searching his face.

“I did,” he said. “More than you know.”

He brushed a fingertip along her arm. She stiffened but felt a flicker of the old pull toward him, a warm memory trying to surface. Her eyes drifted briefly to his lips, those that she had kissed in the past, before she forced herself to look away.

His smirk deepened. “Are we shy now, Everin?” he murmured, amusement warm in his voice.

“It has been a while,” she managed. “Things are not the same.”

“We are,” he said, touching her jaw. “You still feel this.”

She backed away again, but he followed, closing in until she had no space left. Her leg hit the edge of the bed. She lost her balance and stumbled, falling backward onto the soft covers. Instantly, she pressed her elbow into the mattress as she tried to push herself upright and pull her short nightie into place, but she barely had a second.

By the time she braced herself, Tariel was already on the bed. One knee pressed into the mattress, and in a swift movement, he trapped her between his legs. His body loomed over hers, leaving her nowhere to go. His hand slid behind her back and pulled her closer. The other moved to her neck, his fingers settling at her pulse, firm enough to hold her from looking away.

His control was precise and deliberate.

“Tariel—” She sucked in a breath, fear slipping into her voice. “What are you doing?”

His lips hovered above hers, so close she could taste the hint of warmth in each breath he released.

“You belong to me,” he whispered, his voice shifting, deepening, curling around her like smoke. His eyes burned brighter, molten gold spilling across the darkness of his gaze. “You always have.”

Everin’s heart thrashed in her chest. Something ancient stared back at her through his eyes—something demanding, something claiming.

She tried to pull away. “You’re frightening me.”

He leaned closer, lips brushing the edge of her jaw. “You love me,” he whispered.

“You always have. And you will give yourself to me again.”

His mouth dragged slowly toward hers, teasing, commanding, his breath warm against her parted lips.

“I want you,” he said, low and certain. “I want all of you.”

“No.” Everin gasped, turning her head away as panic surged. “Stop. You’re not—”

His fingers tightened at her neck.

He didn’t stop. The Tariel she loved would have.

“I am yours,” he murmured.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Then her voice broke in a whisper—

“You’re not him. You’re not Tariel.”

The room fell silent. And everything inside her knew she was right.

Author Bio:

La Kayshal is an Australian writer of romance, YA, and children's fantasy novels. She lives with her husband, daughter, and a playful Malshi puppy in the coastal plains of the Sunny State.

Her debut novel, The Lost Crown, is an adventure romance set in the exotic landscapes of India. She also created the much-loved Sylph Series, a whimsical children’s collection that introduces readers to the amazing world of Sylphs, with each book carrying a gentle moral lesson.

A lifelong fan of wizards, magic, dragons, swords, and elementals, she poured all these passions into her YA fantasy Ariston Baker in the Weird Picture Book, a fast-paced journey filled with realms, riddles, action, and adventure.

Her latest project is the Hell’s Fire Dragon series. Book 1, The Flames of Darkness, is a YA Romantasy full of dragons, and Book 2 is set to be released soon.

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The Flames of Soulflare Blitz

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Book Blitz of A Hundred Black Sunrises by Tamela Miles.(#Contests- Win An Amazon Gift Card.))

A Hundred Black Sunrises: A Friday the 13th Story
Tamela Miles
Publication date: March 13th 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense

A hundred different ways to break your heart, a hundred different ways to take your last breath. Sienna and Finn are exploring their strange attraction to each other until strange becomes something sinister. The clock is ticking as they fight to unravel the mystery of what draws them together on fateful Friday, the 13th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Alisha gave her a knowing look and stood to light the candles in the center of the table. She used a remote to dim the lights in the room and sat down. The flickering light gave her brown skin an eerie glow as she chanted softly, summoning any spirit that may be nearby.

Sienna carefully studied Finn’s face. He turned his gaze from her aunt and smiled at her. 

She impulsively grabbed his hand, and he squeezed hers in response. “You good?’

Before he could reply, a cold breeze chased the warmth from the room. Alisha shivered noticeably as she continued chanting. She abruptly went silent for long moments, eyes closed. 

When she opened them, tears trailed down her cheeks. “So much sadness,” she murmured.

Sienna eagerly leaned forward. “What’s sad, Auntie? Who are you talking about?”

Alisha remained quiet, shaking her head slowly. “He…loved her very much. Too much to 

let her fly free, as she should’ve.”

Finn and Sienna exchanged confused looks. “Who?” she asked.

“Poppy,” Alisha said gently, swiping the tears away with a quick hand. “I’m learning her story from the spirits.” She started to speak again and paused, her eyes going wide in alarm. “No! 

Not him. Anyone but him.”

“Who are you talking about? What are the spirits telling you?”

Author Bio:

Tamela Miles is a school psychologist with an Ed.S and PPS credential and a graduate of California State University San Bernardino and California State University Dominguez Hills. She is also a former flight attendant. She grew up in Altadena, California in that tumultuous time known as the 1980s. She now resides with her family in the Inland Empire, CA. She's a horror/paranormal romance writer mainly because it feels so good having her characters do bad things and, later, pondering what makes them so bad and why they can never seem to change their wicked ways.

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A Hundred Black Sunrises Blitz

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Book Blitz of Mr. Emotionally Un Stable by Alina Jacobs. (#Contests-wi a signed copy of Mr. Emotionally Unstable.)

Mr. Emotionally Unstable: A Romantic Comedy
Alina Jacobs
Publication date: May 5th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Someone is breaking into my house… and cleaning my kitchen.
At first, I think I’ve lost my mind. Then I decide it’s kinda nice—until the death threats start.

But worrying about stalkers is for people with disposable time.
Which I do not have, thanks to my entire family showing up unannounced to move in with me.
Yay! Surprise houseguests!

As a mature adult woman in her thirties, my stalker is the closest thing to a relationship I’ve had in years. No one’s lining up for a curvy woman with a bad attitude, bras with holes in them, and zero tolerance for man-children.
And no, Mom, I don’t need you giving my number to every creepy guy you meet at the grocery store.
I’m perfectly happy being single. I have my café, my neurotic overweight border collie, and the shadowy figure peering into my window. I don’t need a man.
Except… I do need to find my newly single little sister a boyfriend-slash-meal-ticket so she (and the rest of my houseguests) will move out.
I’d toss her to my mystery stalker, but he did my laundry, and I’m not ready to give up on those perks yet. Besides, I’ve already got the perfect man for her: billionaire, hot, and way out of my league.
Better yet, I no longer have a crush on him, at least not since Fitzgerald Svensson served me eviction papers with a side of insults disguised as flirting.

Now he keeps showing up at my sister’s dates.
Yes, it’s a group activity. We’re recreating our toxic childhood dynamics here, m’kay?
Which means he must be interested… right?
Only problem—he’s hanging around me instead of her.

But it’s an even bigger problem when I wake up one night pinned by a six-foot-five male with his hand over my mouth, his knee spreading my legs, whispering in my ear, “Surprise, Creampuff.”

This is a standalone romantic comedy with a food delivery addicted dog, a hilarious Granny and a heroine of a certain age who has lowered her standards. HEA guaranteed!

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I follow their horrified gaze. “Creampuff,” I say, voice low, jaw locked so tight it might crack, “you sicced your granny on me? And here I thought you liked me.”

I’m not flirting.

I’m furious.

Because my lobby—my tower—is full of topless senior citizens with knitting needles, terrifying half my hotel clients. I take pride in my hotels. French antiques sourced myself, bespoke carpeting, and my hand-selected marble foyer backdrop a dozen bare breasts swaying like revolutionary flags.

“I’ve cast three hundred stitches of rage!” her grandmother roars, holding up a half-finished scarf like a battle banner.

“Get rid of them,” I snarl at her.

Winnie takes a nervous step back, eyes wide.

Good—she should be nervous.

“You stole my café,” she fires at me.

“And you threw coffee on me.” My voice is cold. Sharp. “Get these women out of my tower. Now.”

She hesitates. Like she’s considering taking their side.

Of course she is.

“Maybe they have a point,” she mutters.

I stare at her.

“Are you going to whip your shirt off and join them?” I snap.

Her face goes strawberry-jam red as my eyes drag—slowly—from her chest back to her mouth.

Her breath catches.

I feel it.

I ignore it.

“I wouldn’t. This is—we’re in public.”

I give her a sharp smile. “Do that,” I offer, “and I might let the protest continue.”

She swallows hard.

I step up to her, crowding her with my height. Sure, flirting’s fun, but this is business.

Her eyelashes flutter.

“And here I thought,” I say, “I was one of your biggest clients.”

Her face blanches. Sure, the fresh-pastry budget is an insignificant line item to me, but to her small business? It’s a lifeline.

She looks like she wants to die.

Good. Let her feel the pressure. She’s not the only one who can be cornered. If she loses this hospitality contract, she’s finished. We both know it.

But only I know that I won’t rip up the contract.

Set her free?

Never. She belongs to me. Wholly.

She just doesn’t realize it yet.

I follow her as she rushes toward her grandmother, my hands jammed in my pockets, in full control as I slowly trail her.

Over by the fireplace, two elderly women string up a knitted banner.

KNOTS NOT HOTELS!

“You need to grow a pair,” her granny is shouting at her. “You can’t let a man treat you like shit and still expect to hit that.”

My eyebrow lifts.

Winnie glances back at me. “He’s not hitting anything.”

“If you don’t get these half-naked elderly women out of my tower, I might.”

“Gran…” Winnie begs.

Her granny steps into my space, hands up for a fistfight.

“You’re a bully.”

“Booo!”

“Bread, not beds!”

“Crochet, don’t pay!”

The topless women encircle us.

I squeeze my eyes shut. If they’re not Winnie’s, I don’t want to see them.

“He acts like he’s never seen tits before,” Granny Frances huffs. “Maybe you should fuck the neighbor’s son, Winn.”

My eyes snap open. Straight to Winnie.

Heat. Anger. Something darker. “Is that why you refused to go on a date with me, Creampuff?”

Her chin lifts. “No. I refused because I hate you.”

I exhale, steady, even. Then I reach up and undo my tie. Watch her eyes bug out as she realizes what I’m doing.

“NO CROISSANTS, NO PEACE!”

I twist off my dress shirt. It’s not lost on me that her gaze slides down my face to my collarbone, down my chest, down…

The chanting starts to trail off.

“Are we sure he needs to be protested?”

Author Bio:

I write the kind of books I love—romantic comedies featuring snarly guys with hearts of gold, kick-ass heroines, and a swoon-worthy happily ever after! Also wine. And cupcakes.

When I’m not writing I can be found drinking tea, surrounded by my massive to-be-read pile! So many books...

You can connect with me on social media or find information on my books at my website.

Sign up for my newsletter so that you can get information about new releases, giveaways, and more!

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Mr. Emotionally Unstable Blitz

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Book Blitz of Shopping for a Highlander's Baby by Julia Kent. (#contests- Win An Amazon Gift Card.)

Shopping for a Highlander’s Baby
Julia Kent
(Shopping for a Highlander, #4)
Publication date: March 30th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

The best early strike o ’ma life wasna on the pitch. It was in bed with Amy on our honeymoon.

Dinna ken how we turned our elopement, honeymoon, and conception into a hat trick, but there ye go.

One minute we’re swimming in champagne and red satin sheets, the next we’re staring at a due date that lands right when I’m supposed ta start my big sportscasting gig in London.

Amy’s glowing. She’s also got that fire in her — the kind that makes her tell my billionaire uncle exactly where ta shove his branding campaign, quit her job at eight months pregnant, and rearrange our entire life plan on a Tuesday.

The grandmums are suspiciously quiet, which is more terrifying than when they’re at each other’s throats.

Then it happens. The wee one decides ta make an entrance four weeks early — while I’m three thousand miles away, live on air, with a producer who willna let me leave.

So I do what any McCormick would do.

I coach ma wife through labor in one ear, commentate the match in the other, and let a billion people watch me choose my family over my career on live television.

It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s pure chaos.

It’s the match of our lives.

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—

EXCERPT:

Amy

Ceramic tile is hard and very cold.

I find that out when my toes turn into icicles as I stand holding a plastic wand that says PREGNANT, like the world’s bossiest fortune cookie.

PREGNANT

The condo holds the aroma of last night’s roasted garlic pizza, which felt like a good option at nine p.m. Now? Not so much. A breath of ocean air wafts in through the cracked-open window.

Boston hums outside.

Inside, I am a statue with messy sex hair and a pee stick screaming my future and… oh, my God.

The word grandmonsters rings through my head like Quasimodo clanging the Notre Dame cathedral bell. Our mothers ruined our wedding, crashed our elopement, and now here we stand, five weeks later, married and—

PREGNANT

I breathe in, out, forgetting the rhythm as my distracted brain tries to fill a whiteboard. An Airtable. Every Kanban board. All the Excel spreadsheets, every last one of them.

Hamish wraps around me from behind, lifting me before my feet realize it. He is warm and tall and smells like soap and sleep, and his forearms around my ribcage are so solid, so sure of where they belong, that my body gives up its panic and leans back into him before my brain can file an objection.

Beware the boundless optimism of a man who once insisted a vibrating bed should be on our wedding gift registry.

And that guests should throw quarters instead of rice.

“I canna believe it,” he says into my ear, voice hushed. “We’re havin ’a wee bairn.”

“Hi,” I say to my husband of five weeks, who hit the bullseye with the first married shot, dammit. “Yes. Apparently.”

Years ago, back when I hated him, I called Hamish “sex on a stick.”

Now I’m holding the sex stick, all right. I just never thought it would be white plastic and determine my fate.

Hamish lets go, walks away, and comes back into the bathroom carrying a chilled bottle of Champagne. It’s the bottle we brought back from our honeymoon in Love You, Maine, from the heart-shaped-everything suite. He holds it up, eyes shining.

“Breakfast o ’champions?”

“No, love.” I put my hand on his. “I can’t drink that now.”

A microsecond of confusion crosses his face, then he executes a pivot that would impress his old coach.

“Aye. Well then, coffee it is.” His auburn brows drop. “Unless ye canna have coffee?”

“I will always have coffee.”

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com

 

 

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Book Blitz of The Cardinal Code by Avery Sterling.(#Contests)

The Cardinal Code: Absolution
Avery Sterling
(The Cardinal Code, #2)
Publication date: April 17th 2026
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

The Cardinal Code: Absolution continues the dark, seductive saga of the Cardinales—an elite society of vampires whose influence shapes governments, history, and the hidden world beneath human civilization.

Paislee Sullivan never wanted power. She only wanted Michael. But loving a man born into a secret dynasty of blood and control means standing in the shadow of everything he represents.

When Michael Chamberlain is summoned to London, he’s pulled into a political struggle rooted in ancient bloodlines and forbidden truths. As old laws are challenged and long-buried secrets begin to surface, Paislee finds herself no longer at the edge of his world—but at its center.

The deeper she is drawn into Cardinales society, the more dangerous her presence becomes. To some, she is leverage. To others, a threat. To Michael, she is the only thing that has ever mattered.

Bound by love and hunted by forces determined to preserve the Order’s control, they must confront a truth the Dominium has spent centuries suppressing.

Because some bloodlines were never meant to merge.

And loving each other may cost them everything.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

Paislee leaned her head on Michael’s shoulder.

“You didn’t look surprised by that envelope.”

“Because I wasn’t.”

“What is it?”

“An invitation,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers and brushing her knuckles with his lips.

Her head lifted. “An invitation for what?”

“To Etxe Bakarra.”

“What’s that?”

“A celebration they hold every year—but barely understand. It was hand-delivered. Required my signature. Which means I must attend or face consequences.”

She studied the envelope, running her fingers over its embossed seal. “It’s beautiful. What is Etxe Bakarra?”

“A celebration of unity. Of peace.”

“Are you required to attend every year?”

“No.”

“Then why now?”

“Because the harvest moon aligns with the autumn equinox. It’s incredibly rare.”

She blinked. “Harvest moon, autumn equinox . . . the Order sounds mystical.”

He chuckled. “It’s their favorite bedtime story.”

As the car hummed down the avenue, she turned the envelope over in her hands.

“You didn’t even open it.”

“I know what it says.”

“I’ll open it, then.”

Her eyes skimmed the elegant script inside. Then she paused. “Michael . . . why is my name on it?”

He went still.

“Right under yours. It says the invitation extends to ‘Michael Chamberlain and companion, Paislee Sullivan.’”

He reached over and took the invitation from her hands. His easy charm shuttered, replaced by something darker. Calculating.

Michael stared out the window for a long moment.

“They want to see you,” he said quietly.

Paislee frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t know.”

A pause hung between them.

She rested her head against his shoulder, listening to the steady thud of his heart beneath the fine weave of his jacket. He didn’t speak again, but he didn’t have to. She could feel it in the way he held her hand tighter than before—the silent promise tucked into his touch.

Whatever this celebration meant, whatever game the Order was playing, she was now a part of it.

Author Bio:

Avery Sterling's love for the romance genre began in her teen years when she picked up her first novel. She was captivated by the sweeping scale of emotions brought about by the words. The experience catapulted her towards learning the art of wielding a breathtaking adventure, with a love that felt authentic. Wanting to inspire people with her own thoughts and words, she finished her first novel at sixteen. It was a step towards understanding the essence of what she wished to create.

Most of her youth was spent traveling, searching out the romance and beauty in her everchanging world. From the waves that crashed against the rocky shores of Downeast, Maine, to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, she discovered that love was universal, apparent in its grandest and simplest of forms. Her goal is to write novels an audience can relate to, one that conveys the truth and nature of love… with all that steamy romance.

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The Cardinal Code: Absolution Blitz

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Book Blitz of A Tiny Little Favor by Peyton Banks.(#COntests)

A Tiny Little Favor
Peyton Banks
Publication date: April 17th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

From USA Today bestselling author, Peyton Banks, comes a steamy rom com about second chances, accidental families, and the most unexpected proposal of all.

He was supposed to be a one-night stand… Now she’s asking him for baby number two.

Five years ago, Tachina Winston made one impulsive decision—a one-night stand with her former client, Vic Maxwell. The result? The world’s cutest little boy and an unconventional but surprisingly seamless co-parenting setup. No drama, no strings, no regrets.

But Tachina has a tiny little problem…

She wants another baby.

Dating apps? Disasters. Blind dates? Even worse. There’s only one man she trusts enough to do this with again: Vic.

Vic isn’t looking for love after a messy breakup. But when Tachina proposes her plan, he can’t deny it—he’s tempted.

And if he agrees, it will come with one condition: he wants to experience everything he missed before.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

Because soon, things get complicated. They’re having adult spend-the-night dates, sharing kisses that last too long, and stirring up feelings neither of them expected.

Then Vic’s ex returns wanting him back, they are forced to decide: was this just a favor with benefits… or the beginning of something real?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Okay. What is going on? You’re in a mood!”

“A mood?” Tachina looked up from the menu at her longtime friend. There goes that nose of Addison’s. She had figured out that Tachina was keeping a secret.

“A mood. An energy. An aura. Something is going on in that big, beautiful head of yours.” Addison folded her arms across her chest and stared at Tachina.

“My head is not big,” Tachina muttered. She shrugged. “I’m just hungry.”

“Nope. That’s not it. You’ve got that look on your face. It’s the ‘I’ve been thinking too much about something ’expression.”

“Do I really have a ‘I’ve been thinking too much about something ’look?” Well, that was news to her. Tachina reached up and tucked her thick hair behind her ear.

“Yes, ma’am. Your forehead gets all serious. A long line appears across it.” Addison drew a line across her own forehead.

Tachina grimaced and waved her off. “Stop trying to read my face.”

“Just spill it already.”

Monica, one of their favorites waitresses, arrived at the table. She wore bright-pink lipstick, short pixie blonde hair, and had a personality big enough to fill the café. She pulled out her notepad and flashed them a grin.

“What can I start you with, darlin’? Tea? Coffee? Wine? A little Jack?” She chuckled and motioned to Addison and Tachina. “You two are over here whispering fierce, and by the looks of it, you should order the Jack.”

“It’s her.” Addison pointed to Tachina. “She’s the problem.”

“Woooow…” Tachina shook her head. How was she the problem?

“She sure threw you under the bus. Bless her heart. What’s wrong, babe?” Monica turned her kind eyes on Tachina. She had been working at The Iron Kettle for as long as Tachina and Addison had been coming there. She always tried to help and offer motherly advice. She was in her early sixties and didn’t bite her tongue when it came to nonsense.

“Nothing is wrong,” Tachina said quickly.

Two sets of eyebrows lifted at her.

Liars were rarely safe around women who made it their business to be in other’s people’s business. A best friend and a waitress were two of the most dangerous species to try to get away with something. They would figure it out.

“It’s no big deal,” Tachina stressed, but it seemed neither of them believed her.

“Well, I see she doesn’t want to talk in front of me. Let me take your order so she can spill her guts to you, Addy.” Monica turned to Addison who promptly gave her order.

Tachina glanced back down at the menu. Mind made up, she waited her turn.

“And Miss Tachina, what will you be having?”

“I’ll take the Reuben with extra cheese, extra mustard on the side, make sure they give me the biggest slice of pickle they have, and no chips, I’ll have the house fries instead, please.” She placed her menu back down on the table and again found two sets of eyes on her. She shrugged, unapologetic. “I said I was hungry. Oh, and for a drink, I’ll have a Diet Coke.”

“Really? A diet?” Addison muttered.

“Shut your face.” Tachina blew a kiss at her bestie who rolled her eyes at her.

“I don’t judge. I’ll get your order in and I’ll be back with your drink, babe.” Monica offered her a wink as she collected their menus. She spun on her heel and beelined it through the busy establishment.

“Okay. Now spill it.” Addison was not going to let up on her.

Tachina blew out a deep breath.

It was now or never.

Author Bio:

USA Today best selling author, Peyton Banks, is the alter ego of a city girl who is a romantic at heart. Her mornings consist of coffee and daydreaming up the next steamy romance book ideas. She loves spinning romantic tales of hot alpha males and the women they love. She currently resides with her husband and children in Cleveland, Ohio.

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GIVEAWAY!

A Tiny Little Favor Blitz

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Book Blitz of Royal Mayhem by Samantha Jayne Grubey.(#contests--PR box giveaway (UK only) -Amazon gift card (US)

Royal Mayhem
Samantha Jayne Grubey
Publication date: April 15th 2026
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Part one of a duet.

Melinda Brown doesn’t want much in life, graduate university and survive.

Prince Alexander has everything, surrounded be riches and spoilt to the core. Everything he’s ever wanted has been at the tip of his finger due to his prestigious status as future King of England.

Despite coming from two different worlds, they share the same university. One day everything changes when the two crash into each other’s lives, literally.

As they both enter each other’s worlds, they’re forced to make compromises for the sake of their growing attraction.

Will Melinda and Alexander be able to win people with their love, especially when it becomes clear that they both hide secrets? Or will Prince Alexander by denied for the first time by the first woman that he truly wants? Not everything is as it seems in Royal Mayhem.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Rolling onto my side, I was met with thin air falling to the floor letting out a groan as I hit the floor.

How did I fall out of bed?

I opened my eyes seeing I was in the living room. The memories of last night finally came rushing back to me. We had been binge-watching my favourite reality television show and fell asleep.

Looking behind me, Alex was still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful. With him asleep, I had time to admire him without him knowing it. It had taken a bit for Alex to get comfortable after the incident again. I could tell he was fighting with himself. There must’ve been a huge part of him that wanted to run and hide, whilst the other part of him wanted to stay.

What scared me the most is that I wanted to know both of those parts of him. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I wanted to know it all. I wanted to know him.

Then, there’s the secret.

Could I cope with not knowing what his secret was?

It was obvious he had one, no adult had a grown babysitter without a reason. The security that had suddenly appeared around the campus, it all coincides with when Alex started at university.

I couldn’t figure out what the reason was.

Did he have a famous and important family?

Was he secretly a political figure?

Would I end up hurt?

I wanted to google him so bad. I reached for my phone, opening up the browser and stared at it.

Could I break my promise?

I told him I wouldn’t.

I let out a groan, throwing my phone back on the sofa.

I stood up, made my way to the bathroom, and showered quickly. I wrap the towel around me heading to the bedroom changing into some clean clothes. My body ached so much. Sleeping on a small sofa with someone else was not the best way to sleep.

After finishing getting ready, I made my way downstairs, Alex was still asleep on the sofa, and into the kitchen. I grabbed a can out of the fridge, opening it and taking a small sip.

Maybe I should prepare some breakfast.

I know Alex brought breakfast things I couldn’t believe he went shopping for me. I don’t think anyone would top what he did for me. I walked into the living room and saw he was sitting up looking confused.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” he said. “I was really confused about where I was then.”

“Do you often wake up at random houses not knowing who you’re with?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not happened in a few years,” he admitted. “Do you have plans today?”

I shook my head.

“Do you want to go on that date?”

“I’d love to.” Butterflies filled my stomach, this was my first real date.

“Great,” he smiled. “I’m going to go home and then I’ll come pick you up” he looked at his phone “around midday if that’s alright with you?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I said. He stood up, stretching his arms out.

I made my way over to the door and let him out. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Yes, you will. Just so you know, I had fun last night,” he said.

“Me, too.”

He got into his car and drove off.

I headed into the living room, grabbing my phone.

Megan answered straight away. “If this isn’t life or death, I’m going to fucking kill you, Melinda,” she mumbled.

“Does Alex asking me on a date count?”

Author Bio:

Samantha Jayne Grubey is an author of new adult romance.

When she's not writing or reading, she will be playing sims or doing some diamond art and if she isn't doing any of that she could be pole dancing or most likely working.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / X

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY!

Royal Mayhem Blitz

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Book Blitz of The Magical Library by Aimee O'Brian.(#Contests.)

The Magical Library
Aimee O’Brian
(Charmed Love, #4)
Publication date: April 16th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

In the small town of Hazard, the past never stays buried—and love may be the most powerful magic of all.

Whitney Hopewell, Hazard’s newly elected mayor and former librarian, is determined to protect the town she loves. When a smooth Boston developer offers a sleek solution to Hazard’s affordable housing crisis, she’s cautiously hopeful. Derrick Cross is charming, intelligent, and undeniably intriguing. Convincing the local innkeeper to rent him a room feels practical. Helping him with his historical research feels personal.

But Derrick hasn’t come to Hazard to help. He’s returned to settle a centuries-old score. His family’s downfall is tied to the town’s founding, and transforming Hazard’s quaint charm into soulless urban sprawl is his long-planned revenge. Falling for the woman fighting to save it threatens everything.

As Whitney and Derrick grow closer, sensing a deep connection neither can explain, secrets surface. A hidden tunnel, a looming hurricane, and a magical heritage quilt that reveals dreams of true love force them to confront history, heartbreak, and desire.

This enchanting small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance weaves family feuds, magical realism, and heartfelt emotion into a story about forgiveness, fate, and choosing love over vengeance.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

Whitney looked up and up at the tall, dark-eyed man before her, and her heart beat just a tad faster…well, galloped actually, even as she sought to rein in her reaction. What was it about this man?

The man of her dreams.

She shook her head at the thought. Ridiculous! Obviously, she needed more sleep. She drew in a sharp breath and gripped her desk to pull herself together.

“Good afternoon, Mayor Whit.” The quick flash in his dark eyes told her he was mocking her. But to be fair, she had mixed feelings about the moniker she’d been gifted by the town.

She gave a small headshake. “Stop.” She motioned at the guest chair. “Have a seat, Mr. Cross.”

His eyes took in the vinyl-upholstered, armless chair. It wasn’t the most inviting, looking as if it was there by design to discourage lengthy visitations.

With a glance at her, he sat, leaned back, and steepled his fingers.

Aware of his penetrating gaze, Whitney looked down and arranged the papers scattered over her desk into neat little piles. “I haven’t finished studying the bids yet. Your visit is premature.” She swallowed, hard.

He raised a brow.

Whitney cleared her throat. “What I mean…”

“I know exactly what you mean.” He directed his attention on her now neat stacks of documentation. “Do you have any questions? Concerns I might…alleviate?”

Whitney caught her breath and stopped herself from leaning forward. He was being persuasive, cajoling, and for an instant, it had worked.

And that just irked her.

Oh, not that he’d employ tried-and-true sales techniques on her, but that such behavior was beneath him. She recognized in him a strength and a clarity of thought that rivalled her own. The man exuded decisiveness. This conciliatory manner didn’t suit, not at all, and worse, it chafed at her.

Fine…he wanted to play? She would take charge of the meeting. “Tell me why you believe H.A.S. Homes is our best option for the housing mandate?”

He raised a brow and launched, running down the superiority of the company over all others. This was better; biased, certainly, but a presentation of definitive ideas on what H.A.S. would bring to the community of Hazard.

And yet, even when he was outlining all the reasons she should choose his bid over all the others, something tickled the back of her mind until, in a flash, it became clear why it wasn’t quite right. Everything he said only highlighted what Mackenna had called his designs—cookie-cutter. “Your designs are unimaginative.” The words popped out at his pause before she could edit her thoughts. With the words flung out there, his pause lengthened, and Whitney held her breath. Would he fill the silence?

Or should she?

Before she could come up with something to say to lessen the impact of her last comment, he spoke. “Is that what you need? Imagination?” She heard the subtle teasing, as if she had missed entirely what she should have been focused on. “How about, instead,” and now his tone grew serious, “how about homes people can afford?” He had a point, and Whitney was willing to concede him that, but she missed the enthusiasm he had exhibited before, and his next words dampened his entire presentation, as recrimination hovered within them. “This town has imagination to spare. What you need is the practical.”

Did she? Because Whitney felt like she lived her life in the practical and what she craved was creativity. She released a slow sigh. She couldn’t help it. She tried to keep the disappointment off her face. Ah, well, balance then, she thought. What she said was, “Is that right?”

Silence stretched between them.

Whitney felt unbalanced suddenly, talking to him alone in her office. What had been businesslike before now felt intimate, just the two of them intent on each other. She found herself hyperaware of his masculinity, seated as he was, a mere three feet from her on the other side of her teakwood desk. She gave a tiny cough. “Well, I need more time, and the council hasn’t met to discuss the bids yet. We will vote.”

“At the next city council meeting.” His gaze on her was unwavering.

“Of course.”

“In a month.”

She nodded.

“So…”

He was watching her, waiting. She shifted in her chair. Suddenly, despite the air conditioning blasting out of the vents, the room was too warm, the heat of summer overwhelming. She had no idea now what she could give him. It wasn’t her place to make promises on how the council would vote. She…needed a moment. “I’m going to walk to the library and let everything you shared with me settle in. I’ll consider your points and study the bids again tonight.”

“Over dinner?”

Her eyes jerked back up to his, even as they both stood. She placed a hand on her desk to maintain her balance. “Dinner?”

Author Bio:

Having lived in both California and Texas, award-winning author Aimee O’Brian now resides in the beautiful wine country where she writes dark, sexy, funny romance. With her three children grown and experiencing their own adventures, she and her husband are free to explore the world. When she’s not reading, writing, or planting even more flowers in her garden, she can be found stomping through ancient ruins and getting lost in museums.

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GIVEAWAY!

The Magical Library Blitz

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Book Blitz of The Essence of his soul by Mya Kay.(#Contests- Wn an ebook copy of The Essence of His Soul-5 winners.)

The Essence of His Soul
Mya Kay
Publication date: March 20th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When Essence Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Music Group, steps into Mocha Tea & Trends—a new upscale coffee shop in Old City Philadelphia—she’s focused on business, not romance. But when she overhears the manager scrambling after an artist cancels last minute, Essence seizes the opportunity to showcase her newly signed songstress.

That’s when she meets Shane Bishop.

Philadelphia’s basketball sensation and the shop’s owner, Shane is instantly drawn to Essence. Their eyes meet, sparks fly—and Essence immediately shuts it down. A ball player is the last thing she needs distracting her from her purpose. But Shane can’t ignore the connection he feels as he watches her confidently seal the deal for her artist.

Later, one bold DM changes everything.

What begins as a cautious friendship between two preacher’s kids slowly unfolds into a God-ordained romance neither of them expected. But just as their bond deepens, their lives are shaken by family secrets, resurfacing past relationships, and a devastating incident that threatens to destroy both of their careers.

As rumors swirl and pressure mounts within the entertainment and sports industries, Essence and Shane must decide if their love is strong enough to withstand the weight of old wounds, public scrutiny, and painful truths.

Will they be able to hold on to what God brought together—or will the cost be too great?

Goodreads / Amazon / Girls Anthem

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EXCERPT:

I looked at his face, then slowly walked over to him.

“Clayton wants to know when you guys can do dinner.”

My heart dropped in my stomach. I had been ignoring Clayton, literally not responding to any of his messages, but I also hadn’t blocked him.

“Babe, it’s not like that.”

He placed my phone down. “What is it like, Essence?”

I raised an eyebrow. Since we’d been dating, he barely called me by my first name.

I walked over to him, grabbing his hands. He let me. “My father thinks Clayton is the guy I should be dating. I told him I was dating but haven’t told him who, but my mother knows. Clayton and I went on a date four years ago and I haven’t talked to him since. My father thought giving him my number when he ran into him was a good idea.”

He stared at me intently. This was the first time he was looking at me, and I didn’t feel the warmth I usually felt. “Baby, I promise, you have nothing to worry about.”

“You know Rayna DM’d me about a week after we started dating. I blocked her because, even though we weren’t that deep yet, I knew we were on to something.”

I swallowed. I knew he was all in when we were on our third date. Shane was a one-woman type of man. I picked up my phone and blocked Clayton in front of him. Then I showed him the text thread.

“You can see I never even responded.”

“Then why not block him sooner?” he said, scrolling through the texts.

I started chewing on my bottom lip. I brushed my hair behind my ears, trying not to speak too soon.

“If I’m honest, this is scary for me. I’m afraid that this thing with you and I won’t work out. That’s not to say Clayton was a backup, because he knows that even if he was the last man standing, there would never be an us. Trust me.”

He smirked, placing the phone back on the counter. “He’s that bad?”

“Horrible.”

I laughed. He was still staring at me, but his smile faded.

“I don’t always feel safe,” I continued, hoping the rest of this would come out making sense, “and some of it has to do with what happened when I was younger. I also feel like my father’s controlling ways plays into how unsafe I feel. It’s like he would never let anyone else hurt me, yet he does it all the time; and then, there’s what my ex did.”

His face scrunched up. “Dixon?”

Author Bio:

Mya K. Douglas (Mya Kay) is an Amazon bestselling author, dynamic speaker, magazine publisher, and literary leader born and raised in North Philadelphia. Since 2012, she has authored and published fifteen books spanning genres from Christian romance to memoir.
In 2017, she co-authored Before Empire with Andria Mayberry, mother of Empire actor Bryshere “Yazz The Greatest,” featured on The Real. In 2022, she was selected as a semi-finalist for America’s Next Great Author, standing out as one of only 100 from over 800 applicants to pitch to judges including Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Victoria Christopher Murray.
That same year, Mya made history as the first Christian romance author signed to B. Love Publications. Her work includes The Storms of Love series, Fumbled Your Heart, and The Essence of His Soul. She has earned nominations including Christian Fiction Author of the Year by AAMBC (2023) and Best Christian Book for The Essence of His Soul at the 2024 Literary Gem Awards. She is currently signed to Black Legacy Publishing under B. Love Publications.
Beyond writing, Mya is the founder of Girls Anthem Magazine, a faith-forward media company inspiring girls and women to pursue purpose without compromising their values.

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GIVEAWAY!

The Essence of His Soul Blitz

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Book Blitz of Maiden Tomb by Cynthia Sally Haggard. (#Contests- Win a paperback copy of the book- 2 winners.)

Maiden Tomb
Cynthia Sally Haggard
(Twelve Cursed Maidens, #1)
Publication date: February 5th 2025
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Historical, Retelling, Romance

 

Follow twelve princesses down a dark tunnel into a grove of jeweled trees to a too-placid lake, where a prince will row you across to a gleaming castle to dance the night away. This historical fantasy—a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses folktale—drifts backwards in time from the Early Middle Ages of Sicily to the Bronze Age of the Trojan War. It is perfect for fans of Circe and Spinning Silver.

Sixteen-year-old Justice wants to release her sisters from the jaws of Father’s imprisonment. But what can she do? The easiest way would be to find suitors for them.

However, that is not so easy, for Justice’s elder sisters are strange. What with All-Gifted’s madness, Protectress’s hair writhing with snakes, Death-Bringer’s grief (not to mention her strange name), Shining’s scandalous doings, Maiden’s tart tongue, Shadow’s crippling shyness, no sensible man would want her sisters as wives. Which leaves Justice, the seventh daughter, the one who possesses a quiet authority.

Maiden Tomb, Book One of the Twelve Cursed Maidens series, is a clean enemies-to-lovers romance.

The original fairytale—about twelve young ladies dancing all night—sounds so jolly doesn’t it? But I don’t think Twelve Dancing Princesses is about dancing at all.

I think it is about death.

Why do I think that? Well there appear to be some elements to the tale that go back, way back, hundreds, no, thousands of years, back into the Ancient World.

First of all, being rowed across a body of water sounds like a thread of Greek Mythology found its way into this tale. It is very reminiscent of Charon the boatman rowing the souls of the newly dead across the River Styx.

Then there are those jeweled trees. Where do they come from? Several scholars believe that element of the story comes from the Tale of Gilgamesh, which may have been originally composed around 1800 BCE. It tells the story of Gilgamesh, a King of Uruk a city-state in Sumeria, who is grieving for the death of his best friend. According to scholars, Gilgamesh ruled the Kingdom of Uruk in around 2700 BCE.

Then there are the princesses themselves. Have you ever wondered why their are twelve princesses? Again, the answer points towards the ancient kingdom of Sumeria, which existed in what is now present day Iraq, beginning in around 6,000 BCE. The Sumerians were renowned astronomers who used a base-12 numerical system, unlike the base-10 or decimal system we use today.

And so, there you have it. When you dig below the surface, a charming story from Europe has roots in the Middle East and seems to be thousands of years old!

And so, when I came to write Maiden Tomb, a piece of women’s fiction that explores the all-too-often captivity of women, I put back all those elements. We have the Gilgamesh epic, and elements of Greek Mythology, complete with snakes, ancient gods, and powerful goddesses. And far from being a jolly novel about young people dancing, as the title suggests, I made it a book about death.

I hope you find this coming-of-age novella as enjoyable to read as I found it fascinating to write.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

In the past week or so since we’ve arrived, life has taken on a predictable rhythm. I spend the mornings entertaining the ladies of the castle, with the lyre, my singing, playing knucklebones, and listening to their gossip. Truth to tell, nothing they say is particularly interesting as high-born ladies spend their time inside. When they are not diverting themselves with such pastimes as I provide, they are spinning, weaving, running the household, and caring for their children. They talk incessantly about their children. They know little of the outside world.

I escape after the midday meal, taking advantage of the ladies ’habit of resting as the sun’s chariot crests at the highest point of the day. While they sleep, I head out into the scorching countryside looking for Father.

We sit together in the shade, while Father does some task, usually repairing something, while I tell him everything I’ve learned the evening before. It is not that hard. Because I am small, and people are now familiar with my face, no one pays me any mind as I take my seat at the bench that runs along the side of the huge table where all the working folk of the castle eat their meals.

Father has told me never to be inquisitive, but I am dying to know more about the twelve mysterious ladies locked up in the castle tower, the ones people whisper about behind their hands when they think no-one is noticing.

As the light of the sun drains from the sky, as the king’s men sink lower onto wooden benches eating dish after dish, quail, pheasant, peacock, duck, eggs, bread, olive oil, wine, and olives, the noise of seven hundred men sharing jokes, laughing, and swilling wine reverberates around the hall.

Finally, I can take it no more.”Is it true what they say about the King’s daughters?”

The grizzled stranger on the bench next to me wipes the grease off his mouth with the back of a hand and spits out an olive pit.

“Where’ve you popped up from? You shouldn’t be here. You’re only a young lad.”

I am used to these remarks. After I left home I took a ship that was blown off course, taking me west to the land of the Italoi. I had to beg for money in the streets and in the taverns and it was not long before I heard news of Father, who was sailing to the west of this land.

And so I made my way across steep mountains before coming down to a lush plain. Playing my lyre to entertain strangers I followed their directions to the sea, to a wide bay within sight of a simmering, high, conical-shaped mountain.

And there, in a tavern, I met Father.

Now we are traveling home together. But Father is not here on the bench beside me, as he should be, but outside at a nearby farm pretending to be a stable hand.

This is one of Father’s clever strategies. He is a master at extracting information. He calls his strategy “divide and conquer” and it means that I have to use my lyre to find a berth for the night in some local chieftain’s house. This is not usually difficult, especially if there are ladies around because for some reason they always want to pet me.

Meanwhile, Father finds work on the outside as a shepherd, farmhand, or stable boy. By concealing his origins and pretending to be dumb, drunk, or both, Father is able to overhear a great many things. We have a plan to meet every day at noon, I escaping the blandishments of the ladies to visit the local farm for milk, cheese, eggs where I could happen upon the new stable boy, farmhand, or shepherd.

The only fly in the ointment is my age. I am only twelve years old and to my great annoyance, I look it. So Father made me memorize some phrases to offer when this issue arises.

“Father is here with me, but is suffering with an ache to his belly.”

One sentence is usually enough for most people. Father has instructed me never to offer explanations that are not asked for as it only makes people more curious.

But the fellow is staring at me, waiting for more.

I turn my eyes down. “Father told me to eat supper and then berth with him in the stable yard.”

“He’s the new stable hand, is he?”

I nod.

“Much good he’ll be with a bellyache.”

I look up. “Do you have a remedy for that good sir?”

Father always stresses the importance of asking for advice when a conversation turns sour, as it flatters the vanity.

The fellow hawks and spits, rising from his seat. “You’ll have to go to the kitchens for that, son.” He ambles off.

Author Bio:

Cynthia Sally Haggard was born and reared in Surrey, England. About 40 years ago, she surfaced in the United States, inhabiting the Mid-Atlantic region as she wound her way through four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer, and novelist.

Her first novel, Thwarted Queen, a saga set in 1400s England with a Game of Thrones vibe, won the 2021 Gold Medal IPPY Award for Audiobook. Her second novel, Farewell My Life, a dark historical about a hidden murderer, won the 2021 Independent Press Award for Women’s Fiction and was the 2019 Distinguished Favorite for the New York City Big Book Award.

Cynthia graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, in June 2015.

When she’s not annoying everyone by insisting her fictional characters are more real than they are, Cynthia likes to go for long walks, knit something glamorous, cook in her wonderful kitchen, and play the piano.

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GIVEAWAY!

Maiden Tomb Blitz

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Book Blitz of Nerdy Girl Nell by Lindsey Gray. #Contests- Win An Amazon Gift Card and Swag.)

Nerdy Girl Nell
Lindsey Gray
(Nerdy Girl Novels, #2)
Publication date: March 17th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Nell De Lacy loves small things like story time, a well-stocked bookshelf, and evenings with friends. Relearning how to date after grief was supposed to be the hardest thing.

Enter professional wrestler Chance Robicheaux. Towering, tender, and utterly relentless about keeping her safe. The two become friends first, spending nights learning each other’s quirks. Between hospital rooms and poker nights, the two find something electric and real.

Nell’s life suddenly fractures with a violent assault, a cache of stolen images, and a blackmailer who won’t be denied. As the threat tightens and the press draws near, Nell’s voice, literally and figuratively, fails her at the worst possible time.

With the De Lacy family company’s December board vote approaching, Nell faces a critical challenge that threatens to upend her life. The outcome of the vote carries the risk of awarding a coveted contract to the wrong people, forcing Nell to balance family loyalty, legal danger, and a secret that could change everything.

Nell and Chance’s is a story about rebuilding, of finding courage in therapy and friendship, and discovering there’s strength in asking for help. Nell’s fight becomes Chance’s fight, and soon they choose to fight evil together. Will justice arrive before the quiet she loves is gone forever?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

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EXCERPT:

“This honey pot just got a whole lot sweeter.” Chance Robicheaux licked his lips and tossed in a few plastic chips. The cards in his hand were the best he’d held the entire night.
He peered around the table of friends as they partook in their newly minted Wednesday poker night. Rob Breyer, Chance’s closest friend and wrestling tag team partner, concentrated on his hand. Rob’s girlfriend, Emma MacLean, rolled her eyes at Chance’s comment, then winked at him when she glanced his way. The dealer and his new sidekick, Seamus De Lacy, took a sip of his drink while the rest of the players made their decisions.
Chance’s eyes landed on the last member of the table; he bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from moaning. Emma’s roommate, Nell De Lacy, stared at him with a slight look of awe mixed with determination, which he found fucking irresistible. The woman had driven him mad since their first meeting over a bowl of potato salad to his crotch. No matter what the situation, one glimpse of Nell, her auburn hair in those cute as hell space buns and perfectly pouty lips, had him hard in three seconds flat.
“I fold.” Rob placed his cards on the table and slumped in his chair.
“I’ve got nothing.” Emma tossed in her cards, then slid her arm around Rob’s shoulders. “This isn’t our night.”
Chance lifted his eyes to Nell’s. “What about you, Nell?”
The corner of Nell’s lips that Chance spent hours fantasizing about curled upward. “I’ll see you.” She tossed in enough to match Chance’s bet. “And I’ll raise you.” She counted out the rest of her chips and placed them in the pot.
Chance could tell she was confident about the hand she possessed. She had her tells as much as anyone else did. The smirk she wielded always made him pull out of the game. Not tonight, though. She’d gone all in, but he’d go a bit more.
“All right.” He determined the required chips to call but decided to raise to find out what she had to offer.
“You can’t do that!” Her confidence turned to anger.
“I sure can. I’m willing to make a deal if you think your hand is still as worthy as it was a moment ago.” Chance’s heart thumped in his chest while he stared her down, praying she would give in.
“What kind of deal?” she asked.
Chance grabbed the pad of paper and pen beside him and wrote down what he wanted. He slid it to her.
She picked it up and read his chicken scratch. “This…” The words clogged her throat as heat moved up to color her face.
“You place that in the pot. I win; you deliver. You win; you can rip it up.”
Nell opened and closed her mouth, then pressed her plump lips in a firm line. She pushed the slip across the table. “I call. Show me what you’ve got.”
Chance peered into her brilliant emerald eyes as he laid each card down one by one. Her face paled. “Royal flush.”
“Damn,” she murmured, and she laid her cards down face up.
“Full House. Not bad, but not good enough tonight.” Chance licked his lips in anticipation of his winnings.
Emma glanced between the two. “What did he win?”
Nell placed her palms on the table, her cheeks tinged pink. “A kiss.”

Author Bio:

Lindsey Gray is a writer, an over-thinker, and a chronic list-maker, but her passion for writing stories you'll love always tops the list. Her author journey began in 2010 with the publication of her first novel, and she has spent the last decade creating worlds for readers to play in. In addition to her own work, Gray utilizes her skills formatting novels for other authors and hosts the weekly show, Gray Matters, on TMV Cafe Internet Radio. She lives and writes fueled by iced tea, her handsome hubby, and the beautiful chaos of mothering her children.

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