Book Review: A Fated Reckoning: An Epic Fae and Vampire Romantasy Standalone by Jamye Smith

A Fated Reckoning: An Epic Fae and Vampire Romantasy Standalone
by Jamye Smith
June 24, 2026
🌟 EPIC FANTASY WORLD: Multi-species cast (pixies, ice dragons, siren priestesses, beasts) - Post-war landscape - Magical Wastelands - Political intrigue
📖 FORMAT: Complete standalone with HEA - No cliffhanger - First Person POV

✨TROPES AND SPICE: ✨

💔 Hate-to-Love Romance - Former lovers must learn to trust again
🔥 Fated Mates/Soul Bond - Destined for each other but torn apart by betrayal
🗡️ Second Chance Romance - 200 years of separation, one chance to make it right
🧛 Vampire x Fae Warrior - Forbidden love between two powerful species
⚔️ Forced Proximity - Curse requires constant touch to survive trials
🐌 Slow Burn - Emotional walls crumble piece by piece
🎯 Touch Her and Die - Overprotective MMC who'd burn the world for her
😈 Morally Gray Hero - Vampire with secrets and a dark past
👑 Powerful Heroine - Fae warrior who rules a free city
🌶️ Spicy Romance - explicit intimate scenes
🔮 Quest/Trials Structure - Four deadly trials to recover soul fragments
💀 Deadly Stakes - World-ending consequences if they fail
😏 Banter and Wit - Sharp dialogue and tension-filled exchanges 

In this hate-to-love fated mates romantic fantasy (romantasy) - a vampire and fae warrior must survive deadly trials to break a soul-shattering curse in this slow-burn second chance romance.

I loved him once. Now I cling to the hate, currently measured in the inches of steel I've driven into his chest.

Two centuries ago, Mikael didn't just break my heart - he shattered us. The vampire I trusted above all others betrayed me and ignited a war that left our people in ruins. To end the slaughter, I bargained with the Fates and drained the land of magic, and broke myself in ways time can't mend. What survived was a fae warrior turned city ruler, burying her past beneath liquor, duty, and the bond I severed.

When Mikael returns, alive when he shouldn't be, I do what any rational woman would: stab him in the heart.

But death isn't on the table for him. He's come back with a confession, and a curse - the amulet he stole came with a price. The one you love most will die.

My soul has fractured into four pieces. To break the curse before it kills me, we must recover each fragment. Riddles sear themselves into our skin, igniting with every touch - skin to skin, bond to bond - dragging us into the closeness I swore never to endure again.

As the curse frays, so does the magic suppressing our bond, unraveling every feeling I've spent two centuries trying to destroy. Each fragment recovered cracks the walls I've built wider, revealing truths I buried beneath denial and rage.

When the final riddle is solved, I'll face the cruelest truth of all: breaking the curse may cost me the person I love most.

I'm terrified it's still him.

📚 PERFECT FOR FANS OF:
Quicksilver by Callie Hart - When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker - Serpent and Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent - Smoke and Scar by Gretchen Powell Fox - No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

CONTENT WARNINGS:
Violence - War trauma - On-page character death - Explicit sexual content - Grief - Betrayal - Blood - Torture (off-page) - Themes of sacrifice and loss

This is Book 1 in an interconnected series of standalones featuring different couples in the world of Eidrfall. Each book has a complete HEA and can be read alone, but characters appear across stories 

Amazon 

A Fated Reckoning: An Epic Fae and Vampire Romantasy Standalone by Jamye Smith is a very delightful vampire/Fae romance. I love it when the Fae and my Vampires get together, in all the ways! 

This story really is a true standalone, you can read it and enjoy it for all that it is. Tons of romance and so much spice at times I was having a dang hot flash! Certainly not for the faint of heart. 

Talk about an adventure! Seemed like one long fun quest that takes the reader all over the world created. Having two people who love/hate each other and are forced to touch because of this curse! I can't even imagine, but didn't need to since you get all the drama here. 

Loved the back and forth dialog between our leading couple. What a fun all around story for anyone who loves a good fantasy with action and romance! 

Getting 4 and 1/2 Sheep

 

 

KD

About the Author:
website
Jamye Smith, a Las Vegas-raised author diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, has a penchant for daydreaming about fantastical worlds. She loves traveling, having traversed thirteen countries thus far, and has lived in multiple states. She co-hosts the podcast 'Indie Odyssey: A Writer's Journey,' exploring the intricacies of indie publishing. Jamye holds a Master of Business Administration, currently works as an Agile Team Lead for a tech consulting firm.

When June Haunts May (The Haunting of Pinedale High #10) by Celaine Charles + giveaway

One visible spirit.

Two phantom thieves.

Three courageous friends.

When June Haunts May (The Haunting of Pinedale High #10) 
by Celaine Charles
Genre: Cozy YA Paranormal Ghost Story
June Brookes has haunted the library at Pinedale High for decades, without attention. Until one day, new sophomore, May Blakely, notices. Could this be June’s chance to cross over to the hereafter? If only she knew what needed to be finished from her old life.

Angsty May prefers solitude. Her deadbeat dad may have ditched her in this small town, but she has no interest befriending this strange girl, or the cute boy across the street.

June’s hereafter hustle goes haywire when two phantom soldiers plot to hijack her passage to peace, at the expense of hurting fellow students. June saves May’s life, igniting their joint efforts to protect the school. Can May help June to her happily ever afterlife?

Amazon-Apple-B&N-Bookbub-Goodreads

“Have you ever seen her in a class?”

What was he getting at? “We don’t have any classes together. But I don’t have any classes with you either.”

“Okay, so how about the fact that she was cold as ice when I touched her shoulder?”

The chills she’d sensed from June had felt like relief in the blazing sun, but she had noticed them. “What are you saying?”

Reid pulled her underneath a yellowing oak in an empty yard. Ignoring her look of annoyance, he glanced over his shoulders before whispering low and close to her ear. “Did you know Pinedale High is haunted?”

First the woods and now the whole school? May stepped back, hands up in feigned surrender. “Okay-okay, I get it. Prank the new kid. You know, I’m sorry I even thought about checking in on you. I don’t have time for this.” She about-faced and strode down the sidewalk without him.

“Wait, what? I’m not pranking you.” He caught up in only a few strides, his long legs veering her off to the side. “Please, hear me out.”

May’s mind flipped through any example of a high school boy wanting her to hear him out. This had to be a trick. “No, you listen to me. I’ve been the new girl far too many times than I care to count. And I get it. I’m easy prey…perhaps even a challenge.” She thumped him in his too-close-to-her chest. “But I’m not playing.”

“I think June’s a ghost. I’m not kidding or pranking you. And I need you to listen.”

Flashes of her strange interactions with her new friend…if she could even call her that…flickered through May’s mind. They’d only known each other for a couple of days, but she had sensed something off.

She turned away from him, trying to put everything together. Bouts of June’s chilliness, yes. But earlier, it had been strange how fast she’d flown down the spectator stands. Before that, she struggled to push open the main school doors.

May had attributed June’s glossy hollow eyes to the lighting, but maybe it was because of something else. She closed her own eyes for clarity, kicking her foot into the grass. Maybe allergies?

She tucked her hair behind her ear, running the strands between her fingers as more details registered. June’s peculiar way of speaking was odd, and her clothes that first day, like a blast from the past. She was still wearing her penny loafers…with pennies inside.

May dropped her backpack, shook her head at Reid, who was waiting for her to process. But her brain wasn’t cooperating. “Ghosts?” The word spat off her tongue like she’d swallowed a flick of her cat’s tail.

“I know I sound insane. I’m not. I promise.” He glimpsed her with creamy brown eyes. They were the color of Great-Grandma’s sweet tea, and she was overheating inside and out, ready for a tall glass.

“Is this why you’ve been crying at the pond during lunch?”

“What?” His face scrunched, cheeks burning past the eighty-degree temperature outside to a brighter shade of full-blown embarrassment. “No. I mean—I’m not crying at the pond. What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

They stood at an impasse, shock etching along both their eyebrows and drawn lips. Her mind raced for something to say, and if she had to guess, he was in the same boat.

Don’t miss the rest of the Haunting of Pinedale High books!

Find them on Amazon

About the Author:

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Celaine Charles lives in the enchanted Pacific Northwest, teaching elementary school by day and writing by the stars at night. She’s an award-winning, multi-genre author who balances her dual life creating poetry, fantasy, and contemporary romance shorts, while blogging about her journey on Steps in Between. In addition, she’s embarking on the world of children’s picture books.

She’s published collections of poetry through Egret Lake Books and Palmetto Publishing Group, and fiction through The Wild Rose Press and Eliza Storm Books.

Celaine is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Storyteller Academy, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and reads poetry regularly with the Museum of Northwest Art, Writing’s on the Wall series.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter the When June Haunts May Giveaway Here

Book Review: Wrathful and Avenging Gods (Labyrinth of Gods Book 4) by Debbie Cassidy

Wrathful and Avenging Gods (Labyrinth of Gods Book 4)
by Debbie Cassidy
April 4, 2026
The road to freedom is a river of blood.

I was tricked. Betrayed. And now the primordial evil has the throne. The asura and my closest friends are in his control, and the sky world is in lockdown with me trapped outside of it.

Only the deva can stop him now, but the key to summoning them is inside the royal domain. Someone needs to activate it. That someone will have to be me.

But the power he wields is immense, and his true goal is a mystery that I don’t have time to unravel.

I need allies.

I need an army.

And I need a way back into the royal domain.

My task feels impossible, but with the help of a few unexpected allies I might just be able to pull it off.

The primordial evil stole my throne, my people, and the man I love.

I plan to get them back starting with my Araz.

By the time I'm done, evil will tremble at the sound of my name.

Join Leela and Araz in the final thrilling instalment of the Labyrinth of Gods. 

Amazon 

Wrathful and Avenging Gods (Labyrinth of Gods Book 4) is the final book in a romantasy series by Debbie Cassidy. The book takes off right from where I assume the last installment left off. It was tricky to follow at times without the backstory, but it does get high marks for being so much fun!

I was lost from the start, but hung in there until the pages started to take flight and the characters really dug in. It would have been a good idea to start at book 1, but this was the review copy I got and so there ya go!

TONS of action and adventure, loved all the different takes of good vs evil and reading the characters as they overcome some hard obstacles. Things don't go as planned for sure, but the story never felt forced or rushed.

Overall, I really liked this one and maybe a spin-off from this point could be in the works. But start this series at book 1, just so you can enjoy it fully! 

Getting 4 Sheep

 

 

 KD

About the Author:
website
Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

Gossiping About Grimoires (Whispering Witch Book One) by Mildred Abbott

Gossiping About Grimoires (Whispering Witch Book One)
by Mildred Abbott
March 10, 2026
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Wings of Ink Publications, LLC
ISBN: 979-8243417433
ASIN: B0GJTS4272
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: 103,600
Cover Artist: Christian Bentulan
Maeve Hawthorn writes about witches for a living. They want her to stop.

When a book signing ends in her abduction, Maeve’s only priority is escaping with her corgi, Mischief, alive. That urgency deepens when she learns her captors are real witches, furious that Maeve has been exposing their secrets to the world.

Before Maeve can make sense of how her fiction has become reality, she’s caught in the middle of a murder that leaves her marked by magic she doesn’t understand. When a dying witch’s power floods into her, Maeve becomes the prime suspect in a crime she didn’t commit—and a target for every supernatural being certain she knows too much.

Turns out, magic isn’t a gift. It’s a liability. And clearing her name may cost Maeve far more than her safety.

With danger closing in and no clear allies other than Mischief, Maeve must navigate a hidden supernatural world that wants her silenced… or dead.

Amazon

Book 2 Releases April 30, Book 3 Releases June 30

Excerpt:
Turning from dawn breaking over the Quarter, I crossed over to the canopy bed where Mischief was having a completely different experience.

After my thousandth time pacing the room, Mischief had crawled on top of the mountain of decorative pillows placed against the headboard and fallen asleep. As normal, she’d started off in a dignified little ball, resting her head on top of her fluffy tail. Barely ten minutes had passed before she flipped onto her back, front legs curved at her chest and hind legs spread in a most un-ladylike manner.

Without thinking, I mimicked her—flopping to the mattress on my back with a cry of terrified frustration.

Mischief snorted in surprise and tried to twist around onto her feet. Instead, she sank between the pillows. She only disappeared for a heartbeat before she thrust her head through a gap at the bottom and shook off a little trail of drool left over from her nap.

“Sorry, sweet girl.”

Mischief only groaned, yawned.

Despite everything, she could still make me laugh. I curled onto my side, snagged under her front legs, heaved her free from the pillow avalanche, and pulled her to my chest.

“Oh, Mischief, what have I gotten us into?”

She snuggled against me and in answer issued a long, relaxed sigh.

“You know, I’m always amazed how much you understand what I’m saying and what’s going on around us. However, you seem completely clueless at the moment, which is surprising.” I buried my face in the large white patch of fur at the back of her neck, tears stinging my eyes. “Although I have to admit, I wish I were clueless right now too.”

Mischief exhaled, sounding annoyed, then squeezed her way out of my embrace, trotted about a foot across the mattress, and plopped down, staring at me.

I laughed again. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to insult you or anything. I only…”

The expression in her eyes brought me up short and ushered back the memory beside Eudora’s body. How in the world had I forgotten?

“I could have sworn you talked to me earlier.”

Her annoyed expression deepened.

I leaned closer. “Are you irritated because that’s ridiculous or because I’ve been too busy being a stress-mess to remember until now?”

She glared, though not necessarily angrily, but more like another flash of what I thought was annoyance. She leaned closer so her nose almost touched mine and held my gaze, staring so hard had it been anyone else, it would have felt invasive and too personal.

But it was Mischief, so I stared right back. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.”

She blinked, then stared again.

“You are!” I gasped at the realization. “You are trying to tell me something. Actually, trying to say something… right?”

Though I couldn’t hear even the faintest reply, the expression in her dark eyes was a resounding Yes. Truthfully, it was probably more of a Duh!

“Okay.” In my excitement, I attempted to push aside being captured and my probable purging and scurried up into a sitting position on the bed.

That was instantly too high, so I repositioned to my knees, leaning forward and resting on my forearms, returning our faces to eye level.

Again, I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I got the impression she was laughing.

Strange. Although I suddenly realized how I must look spread over the bed with my rump up in the air. “Kind of like you when you want to play, huh?”

Her eyes twinkled.

Another thrill shot through me.

I had always felt a bond between us and frequently had the impression we could read each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s emotions. But I’d heard other people who loved their dogs say similar. I figured every doggy parent felt that. But this was different, even though I couldn’t hear any words like I thought I had at the cathedral. This was new, even for us.

“Okay… what’s different from earlier?” I thought back to the moment at the cathedral, trying to recall. She’d been on my lap, and I’d buried my face in her fur, as I so often did for comfort. But… I’d just held her a moment ago. Just had my face buried in her fur while I tried not to cry.

Before I could sit up, drag her into my lap, and try again, Mischief drew closer once more and pressed her forehead to mine.

I started to argue, to tell her of my plan of recreating the scene. However, she seemed to know what she was doing better than I did, so I held my position.

Mischief pushed a little harder against my forehead and took a long, slow breath, then released it. Her breath didn’t smell minty fresh or anything, but the warmth washed over my cheeks and felt as familiar and safe as home.

I attempted a slow breath of my own, but it shook.

Mischief did it again.

So did I—longer, deeper, and slower that time. The tightness in my throat lessened, and the claws gripping around my heart loosened ever so slightly.

Safe.

I scrambled back, startled, as I hadn’t really expected it to work. “You said that, right? Not just my imagination?”

Her scowl was all the answer I needed.

“Okay, you did say it. That’s… amazing. And I love you think we’re…” My turn to scowl. “Wait a minute. Do you really think that, or is safe the only word you can say?”

Her chuff upgraded from mild annoyance to exasperation.

“All right.” Despite our situation, I chuckled, because talking or not, Mischief was Mischief.

I wasn’t entirely convinced, but whether because of hope or delusion, I wanted to find meaning.

“All right, let’s say you really are talking and I can hear you. We’ll go a step further and believe you’re choosing to say safe because you truly think we are.”

She blinked. Maybe confirmation? That seemed like a good sign.

“Great, so… you believe we’re safe.”

Reality broke through. I was sitting here talking to my dog. Although I always talked to Mischief—all the time—I’d never expected her to answer back with actual words.

Was I losing my mind?

Mischief growled softly.

“Okay, good point. We’re surrounded by witches. Plus, black cats, otters, alligators, and opossums while we’re at it. Not a huge leap that you might start talking.”

Her growling stopped.

“I’ll take that as agreement.” I couldn’t help but grin at her, then reached out and stroked her beautiful face. “So you think we’re safe. I guess that’s good, but there’s not a single thing that’s happened that leads me to believe that. Why in the world do you think we’re safe?”

Mischief’s tail began to dance behind her head. Magic.

I gasped again. “You can say more than safe.”

Her wagging ceased instantly.

“Sorry.”

She sighed.

“You think we’re safe because of magic. I don’t see how.” I continued to pet her and try to parse through things out loud, attempting to make sense of it. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m over the moon it’s all real, but magic is what put us in danger—it’s definitely not protecting us.”

Mischief shook her head, pulling away from my touch. She seemed to consider for a second, then stretched out one of her white little paws and placed it on my hand resting against the bedspread.

Magic.

My heart thrilled again at hearing her voice—which mostly sounded like my own voice, my thinking voice or conscience… but… different.

“Yeah, I get it. There’s magic. But it’s being used against us, Mischief, not—”

Magic. She batted my hand with her paw. Maeve. Magic.

“You said my name!” I gasped again and yanked my hand away, covering my heart like a parent whose baby just said “Mama” for the first time.

She rolled her eyes, which… wasn’t new.

“Sorry.”

She scooted close enough to touch again.

Maeve. She glared again. Magic.

Mischief shook her head in what looked like frustration. I didn’t get the sense she was frustrated at me that time, however.

She gave a little hop, then looked back at me before covering my hand with her paw once more. Magic. Maeve. She tapped my hand, one of her claws accidentally—or maybe not so accidentally—scratching my skin. Magic Maeve. Magic Maeve.

“Uhm…”

Mischief shut her eyes, and her tiny little caterpillar brows furrowed like she was straining. Maeve. Is. Magic.

She opened her eyes, looking deep into mine again. Maeve. Magic.

About the Author:
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Mildred Abbott writes cozy mysteries filled with humorous and complex characters. Whether brimming with magic or simply an above-average dose of curiosity, Mildred's amateur sleuths solve murders with the cutest sidekicks ever. Fifteen years as a special education teacher and a lifetime of loving rescue dogs result in creating adventures with a ton of heart and the need for lint rollers.

Brake Me by Athena & Marluxia Bliss

We're touring April release, Brake Me by Athena & Marluxia Bliss. Guaranteed to rev engines and curl toes!

Brake Me
by Athena & Marluxia Bliss
April 24, 2026
Genre: Very Spicy MM Paranormal Romance

• Possessive Love Interest
• Only One Who Understands Me
• Slow Burn to Obsession
• Forbidden Love
• Found Family (Garage Edition)
• Touch-Starved Meets Touch-Hungry
• Machine With A Soul
• Love from the first Vroom

“Fucking Fox was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The shadows of the car wrapped around me, through me, surrounding every nerve with heat and motion. I knew how to drive him, and Fox clearly knew how to drive me crazy.” 

 

Buying a 1992 Mustang was a stupid idea, and Al knew it, but he had loved that car from the very first moment he’d laid eyes on him. He’d never expected that the car would love him back, until a dark, shadowy figure appeared in the passenger seat beside him, eager to show Al his gratitude. Al's new car, Fox is a jealous, possessive, powerful machine that adores his new owner and will happily distract Al from his driving, but when the two are forced apart, both will have to make sacrifices before they can be reunited.

Please be sure to read the content warning carefully!

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New Release: Two's A Charm by Heather Spellman

Wicked meets Gilmore Girls in the cozy new romantasy

Two's A Charm
by Heather Spellman
May 5, 2026
'A charming and cozy read' – The Sun

Sisters by chance; rivals by choice. A bookish cozy fantasy about two witches uncovering dark magic in a small town, for fans of Emily Grimoire and Erin Sterling.

Sisters Effie and Bonnie might both be witches, but they’re worlds apart. Reserved and bookish, Effie finds solace in library corners, while Bonnie knows all about being popular. They strive to stay away from one another - a challenging task in the confines of their small hometown, Yellowbrick Grove.

When their estranged Uncle Oswald draws Bonnie into a magical scheme under the guise of helping the locals, Bonnie readily agrees. But it turns out no good deed goes unpunished – Oswald’s real motives are truly wicked.

Within a day, Bonnie’s spells start misfiring and Effie notices something sinister taking root.

Can they unite to reverse this magical mishap? Or is life as they knew it over for good?

Amazon 

About the Author
Heather Spellman is an Australian author based in southern California. She has slept in a cemetery, has a friend who was bullied by a prince and has lived in a haunted house in a haunted town. Two's A Charm is Heather's second published book for adults.

Transcendence by Katrina Kimball + Excerpt

Transcendence
by Katrina Kimball
April 28, 2026
Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Rowan Prose Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-961967-80-9
ASIN: B0F711QN1B
Number of pages: 348 pages
Word Count: 85,482
Cover Artist: Rowan Prose Publishing
When a demonic entity seeking revenge starts tormenting her family, a young woman must rediscover their shared past and embrace her own divine power in order to save not only those she loves, but the creature bent on her destruction.

If you asked Alexis Ferelli what her biggest challenges are in life, she’d say it’s parenting her daughter, Luna, running her masseuse practice, and deftly avoiding conversations about marriage with her partner, Jack. At least, that was the case before she attended a séance. Now, the spirits are trying to contact her and there’s a demonic entity in her daughter’s closet.

Determined to find answers, she turns to the psychic from the séance and the spirit world for help. As she dabbles in the hereafter, she not only discovers another dimension filled with angelic guides, magic, and wonder, but also learns the shocking truth of her connection to the creature tormenting her daughter.

As the dark entity grows bolder and sets its sights on Jack as well as Luna, Alexis realizes that to save them all, she has to face the creature she once betrayed to bring it out of the darkness and back into the light.

Fans of Alix Harrow’s Starling House or Neil Gaiman’s Coraline will enjoy Transcendencs by Katrina Kimball.

Amazon-Books2Read

Excerpt:
Luna woke to a tapping sound coming from her closet. She knew closets weren’t supposed to make tapping sounds. She also knew that’s where monsters hid, in the back of dark closets or under your bed. Maybe that’s where aliens hid, too—waiting to catch you in your sleep.

The silvery light spilling through her parted curtains and pooling on the floor did little to soften the shadows. Through the gloom, she could see the outline of her closet. The door was shut. She cast a wary glance at the windowsill and the visible line of salt that gleamed in the faint moonlight. The salt was undisturbed, her window still closed against the night.

Tap, tap, tap.

She ducked under the covers and scooted to the far side of the bed. Tucked into the corner with her back pressed against the wall, she peeked out from under the blanket, her eyes glued to the closet.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound came again, swiftly followed by the soft click of the closet door as it started to inch open.

As she lay there, huddled in the darkness, too scared to breathe, a tall shadow, darker than the shades of night in which it had hidden, slowly stepped forward. Its red eyes reminded her of Aunt Dani’s cawing raven, the one with eyes like fire that scared you when you walked in the door. But these eyes were worse. Bright red flames surrounded a pupil an even deeper shade of red. And they were looking straight at her.

Frozen in fear, she watched as it glided closer, its footfalls silent, its eyes terrible and bright.

“Hello, little doll,” it whispered.

Luna couldn’t tell if the thing had a mouth, for its entire face was black except for its terrifying eyes, but she heard the words just the same. A little voice in the back of her head was screaming at her to move, but it was too late, the thing was now between her and the door.

She remembered the bowl of salt on the nightstand next to her bed and finding her voice, tried to be brave.

“I am not a doll.”

“Oh, sweet child,” it sighed as it stepped into the puddle of moonlight, impossibly tall and darker than the nighttime shadows, “I shall make you my little doll. That’s all you’ll ever be.”

Its long arms ended in hooked fingers that looked as sharp as claws. Beneath eyes of flame ran a jagged slit where its mouth should be, as if someone had tried to draw a mouth, but had gotten it all wrong.

The scream that had been building for some time in the back of Luna’s throat finally worked its way free as the creature reached for her, talons grasping, eyes of flame leaping in the night.

She lunged for the salt next to her bed. Flinging the bowl itself at the creature, her eyes widened as it sailed right through it as if were truly just a shadow. Grains of salt flew through the air as the bowl shattered violently against the hardwood floor.

The creature jerked its head in the direction of her mother’s room and stared, its slash of a mouth widening into a gaping smile that made her stomach hurt. She could hear her mother’s footsteps racing down the hall.

Its head swiveled back in her direction, eyes alight with fire as its hideous smile somehow grew. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

“I’ll be seeing you little doll,” it whispered as it glided soundlessly back into her closet and snapped the door shut.

About the Author:
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Rowan Prose Publishing
A horror enthusiast and lover of all things mysterious and unknowable, it was only a matter of time before author Katrina Kimball picked up her pen and mashed the paranormal, fantasy, and horror genres into one with her debut novel “Transcendence.” When she isn’t working on a novel or binge-watching shows about Bigfoot, ghosts, or aliens, she’s probably thinking about any one of those three things. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two children and her adorable Boston Terrier, Beaux.

Book Review: The Sea Spinner (Reign of Remnants) by Julie Johnson

The Sea Spinner (Reign of Remnants)
by Julie Johnson
April 28, 2026
Genre: Romantasy
Blazing with reawakened magic, a young woman challenges the tides of fate in this highly anticipated sequel to the #1 Sunday Times bestseller The Wind Weaver.

Rhya Fleetwood is tired of being a pawn in other people’s wargames.

The fledgling wind weaver wants—needs—to master her magic before anything else is taken from her. She’s already lost her friends, her newfound home…will she lose Penn too? There’s no denying the scorching heat between them but, in the aftermath of battle, the Remnant of Fire burns more than anything to rebuild his kingdom and sate his inextinguishable need for revenge.

And he’s not the only one whispering to Rhya across the wind. From the distant island city of Hylios, another voice calls. Another bond pulls.

King Soren, Remnant of Water, is as different from Penn as sparks are from mist. The more insight he offers into the magic that binds them together, the more confused Rhya feels—about her future as a Remnant, about her deepest desires, and about her role in the coming war.

Torn between fire and sea, between the king who could break her heart and the king who understands her potential, Rhya will have to finally step into her power…or risk losing it altogether.

Amazon

I didn't read the first book in this new series, The Wind Weaver, so I may have lost a bit going into this one. Sometimes I need all the back drama and character building, sometimes I can just jump right in. It's a toss-up. But, with all that said, this was a very good book!

TONS of action, just how I like it! Love a great adventure tale that takes you all around the story world. Loved reading about the complex and diverse characters, both fire and water, trying to make it work in a world that is out to get them. Some hard decisions that draw our leading pair even closer just sucks you further.

Really enjoyed the magical nature; the pictures painted on the pages were so vivid and lifelike. At times, I swear some Enya was playing in the background of my mind, just adding to the overall whimsical journey.

Enjoyed this one from the start, can't wait to read the next! 

Getting 5 Sheep

 

 

KD

About the author
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JULIE JOHNSON is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wind Weaver. When she's not writing, Julie can most often be found sitting on the beach near her home in her native Massachusetts, adding stamps to her passport, drinking too much coffee, and avoiding reality by disappearing between the pages of a book. She published her debut novel on a lark, just before her senior year of college, and she's never looked back. Since, she has published twenty other novels, which have been translated into more than a dozen different languages and appeared on bestseller lists all over the world.

You can connect with Julie on her Instagram (author_julie), in her natural habitat (the bookstore), or in her exclusive reader group (The Johnson Junkies).

Book Review: A Crime Through Time (Miss Darcy Investigates Book 1) by Amelia Blackwell

A Crime Through Time: The Pride and Prejudice Mystery With A Time Travel Twist (Miss Darcy Investigates Book 1)
by Amelia Blackwell
July 10, 2025
Pemberley, 1799. When Miss Georgiana Darcy attempts to escape an unwanted marriage proposal, she isn’t expecting to end up quite so far from home. But after encountering a mysterious object in the nearby woods, she finds herself transported almost two hundred years into the future.

Saltram, 1995. At a grand country house where a film crew are busy shooting the latest Jane Austen adaptation, a terrible crime has been committed. And Miss Darcy – newly arrived, impeccably dressed and thoroughly confused – is the only witness.

It soon becomes clear that, somehow, Georgiana was meant to solve this riddle. With the help of a distractingly handsome Irishman named Quinn and a border collie named Watson, she sets out to stop the killer before they can strike again. But trouble is brewing back at Pemberley and time, it seems, is not on her side . . .

Amazon

June 25, 2026

I really enjoyed reading the book- it was written in the 18th century style jargon and the late 1990's. You have to read it to really get the style and language. The story was witty and fast, and I liked the short paragraphs- you had a real understanding of the switching between the time frames- never got lost in nether land. I hope George and Quinn reunite. Love the note left at the end. All in all, I will read any of Ms. Blackwell's work. It was a very fast and enjoyable read.

I am looking forward to reading the next Miss Darcy Investigates- "The Haunting of a Bronte". 

I give it 4.5 Baaarts, as I really enjoyed the original style of writing, but it may not be for everyone. But be sure to give it a chance if you come across a copy of the Miss Darcy Investigates series.

About the Author:
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Amelia Blackwell has a master’s degree in Creative Writing, a corn snake called Colin, and a deep love of the works of Jane Austen. Although the Boleyns appear in her family tree, it’s through marriage, not blood, which is probably just as well. Georgiana Darcy’s most persistent suitor, Baron John de Halighwell, takes his name from one of Amelia’s distant great-grandfathers, who lived in a mansion that even Lady Catherine de Bourgh would admire. Amelia lives with her husband and children in a tiny house by the sea in Cornwall.

NA Urban Fantasy: Nearly Werewolves by Harper A. Brooks

Nearly Werewolves
by Harper A. Brooks
April 25, 2026
Genre: NA Urban Fantasy
Cover Designer: Covers by Christian
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR
They say a werewolf’s first shift is like a meeting of two souls.

I wouldn’t know.

The moon never called to me. Moonlocked, they call it—a were without a wolf. No bite, no claws, no strength. As a pureborn werewolf, daughter of the alpha, I’ve kept that shameful secret buried from everyone.

Except Grayson. He knows the real me.

He wasn’t born a were. He was bitten and turned, so we both know what it’s like to not really fit in. But when he gets sick with moon madness, his only hope is a powerful shaman who might know the cure.

To make matters worse, the packs have hired a hunter to track down all the moon-mad wolves and eliminate them before the disease spreads any further.

And Grayson is next on his list.

To save my friend and the rest of my kind, I’ll have to find a way to unlock the beast inside me. But what if, in the end, I’m the true monster everyone should be running from?

NOW LIVE & AVAILABLE ON KU!

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Harper A. Brooks lives in a small town on the New Jersey shore. Even though classic authors have always filled her bookshelves, she finds her writing muse drawn to the dark, magical, and romantic. But when she isn't creating entire worlds with sexy shifters or legendary love stories, you can find her either with a good cup of coffee in hand or at home snuggling with her furry, four-legged son, Sammy.

She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

RONE Award Winner
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
International Bestselling Author

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Excerpt: Stay at Castle Dracula…and Other Short-Short Stories by Jim Nemeth + giveaway

Stay at Castle Dracula…and Other Short-Short Stories
by Jim Nemeth
Genre: Horror Short Stories
Do you enjoy a good drabble? No, not America’s most popular word game—that’s Scrabble. No, not those cute, furry little creatures from Star Trek—those are tribbles. A drabble is a form of intense fiction writing consisting of 100 words. Not 100 chapters, not 100 paragraphs, nor even 100 lines. 100 words. Exactly.

Author Jim Nemeth loves the format and is an accomplished dabbler in drabbles. “Whenever I explain to friends what a drabble is,” Nemeth relates, “I get the exact same expression of disbelief: ‘100 words?’ In fact, I took these reactions and wrote a drabble about it, “Impossible Assignment,” which leads off the collection.”

Stay at Castle Dracula and Other Short-Short Stories, a chapbook, collects 26 tales, 23 of which are drabbles. With the three other stories, the author “splurged” and indulged himself with an additional 100-200 words.

Other tales of five score words include “Disgruntled,” where a joyous family Christmas celebration turns horrific when a little boy doesn’t get the toy he wanted; “Love Potion” relates what happens when a witch’s magic works too well. And in the title story, another young English traveler debates his decision in staying in Count Dracula’s centuries’ old castle.

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It’s What’s Inside That Counts

“Why does Christy have to come over to play,” six-year-old Chloe asked in the petulant voice in which she exceled. “She’s ugly and I hate her!”

“Chloe!” the girl’s father shouted in reprimand. “Don’t talk like that. Christy may not be the prettiest of girls, but ‘beauty is only skin deep,’ as they say. It’s what’s inside a person that counts.”

Later that afternoon in her room, Chloe lay aside the dripping, red-drenched scissors with which she’d used to slice open Christy’s midsection. Closely examining its contents, she frowned in confusion. “I don’t see what’s so special about her insides…”

About the Author:
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In 1993, Nemeth won first prize in a national magazine’s short story writing contest for which legendary authors Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch were judges. The award held special meaning for Nemeth, as Bloch remains his favorite writer and main literary influence. Nemeth is the author of two additional books: It Came From...The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Films and Robert Bloch: An Unconventional Bibliography, as well as being the webmaster of The Robert Bloch Official Website (robertbloch.net).

A long-time community activist, the author is particularly committed to the cause of animal rescue. He lives in the historic harbor town of Marblehead, MA. 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway! Enter the Stay at Castle Dracula Giveaway Here… If You Dare…

Riley Doesn't Want To Fight Evil by D. R. Mills

Riley Doesn't Want To Fight Evil
by D. R. Mills
October 13, 2025
Genre: thriller, supernatural, dark humor
Riley Thomas is the main character of this story – whether he likes it or not.

Riley Thomas has always been a normal, regular, average guy. He has a crappy job, a few friends, and a boring homelife–and that’s just fine with him.

Unfortunately for Riley, fate has other plans.

Death gods, immortal psychopaths, haunted dolls, and serial-killer neighbors are only a handful of his problems. So far, he’s managed to sidestep his responsibility as the main character, but all that changes when he finds himself wrapped up in a prophecy that holds the fate of the world in the balance.

An ancient force of Hell is rising up. Reckoning is coming.

The path of a hero is a hard one, but with enough tenacity and quick thinking, Riley might be able to stay completely out of it. Or at least, he’s going to try.

 

About the Author:
D. R. Mills is a young-adult horror author who is currently hard at work on his debut series, MONSTERS. He was born and raised in Wyoming, where he’s still lurking around somewhere. When he isn’t writing, he’s playing video games a borderline unhealthy amount or spending time with his beautiful wife.

Scifi/Fantasy: Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens

WITCH QUEEN RISING is an addictive, unforgettable debut novel that combines hints of horror and romance with thrilling paranormal fantasy. 

Witch Queen Rising 
by Savannah Stephens
April 21, 2026
Genre: Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
A reclusive witch who fled the burden of her bloodline rises to be the greatest among them in this lush and haunting fantasy debut.

For New Orleans witchkin, there is no greater honor than to become the Prime—chosen to rule. But the title is meant to pass between two rival Houses of magic, not to the wayward daughter of the former Prime who died under mysterious circumstances.

As a girl, Seraphine Barreau was dubbed the Tick Witch for her ability to feed on magic and make it her own. Even among those who alter fate and manipulate reality, she was a powerful outcast feared and misunderstood by her people. Now dragged back to continue the legacy that nearly destroyed her, Phine has her work cut out for her. She must earn the respect of her people, navigate the politics of the paranormal communities residing in her city, and heal a broken heart, all the while battling a parasitic curse poisoning witchkin. Between her werewolf ex, power-hungry vampires, and the skeletons in her family’s closet, Phine must learn to make peace with her past to save her—and all of witchkin’s—future. 

 Praise for WITCH QUEEN RISING
“Witch Queen Rising is a fantastical novel, perfect for readers who want to immerse themselves in the world of witches and their paranormal friends–and enemies. This debut, equal parts enthralling and frightening, sets you squarely in the magical city of New Orleans. Phine is the outcast protagonist whose compelling story is complicated by all manner of threats, betrayals, and lost love. I cannot wait for the second book of this duology and what's sure to be a spellbinding conclusion!”

–Del Sandeen, author of This Cursed House

Amazon

READ CHAPTER 1 

About the Author
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Savannah Stephens is a genre-blending fiction author, most notably dark and paranormal fantasy. She proudly creates the representation she did not have growing up. Her protagonists are warriors, queens, assassins, witches, dragon riders, and more. She hopes to not only give readers fantastical worlds to escape into, but tools to survive the real world they inevitably return to once the pages stop turning. Savannah lives in Central New York with her feline familiar, Sir Beaumont of Fluffbottom. When not writing, she indulges in any one of her ever-expanding hoard of hobbies.

Urban Fantasy: Battle Beyond the Veil by Cassie Sanchez + giveaway

Two worlds.

One forbidden relic.

A battle for survival or ruin.

 

Battle Beyond the Veil
by Cassie Sanchez
Genre: Urban Fantasy
April 14, 2026 
The Celestial War shattered the Heavens; after millennia, the battle still rages.

On the most important day of Zahra’s career at the Gallery of Time Museum, everything unravels. A mysterious package arrives from her estranged father, and the Atar’zul, a relic that could secure her promotion goes missing. While betrayal festers within the museum, a long lost love returns, throwing Zahra’s world into chaos.

Kyden, a warrior angel and demon slayer, has guarded the spiritual realm for centuries. When a famous archaeologist and forbidden artifact vanish, Kyden is forced to protect a human, a job he vowed long ago to never do again.

Together, Zahra and Kyden must face rising demon threats and the cursed magic of the Atar’zul. As darkness closes in, they join forces to defend both realms and find that ending the battle beans trusting each other. Sacrifices must be made—the cost of which might be their very souls.

Welcome to the battle for humanity's future—a story of loyalty, temptation, and the fragile line between light and shadow.

**NEW RELEASE – GET IT NOW!**
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About the Author:
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Cassie Sanchez is the award-winning author behind the Darkness trilogy—a whirlwind of fast-paced fantasy romance where danger dances with desire and magic always has a price. Based in the enchanting Southwest, she lives with her husband and two crazy labs named Bullet and Scout. When she’s not writing happily-ever-afters, she can be found wielding a Pickleball paddle or cuddling with her nogs for an afternoon nap.

At the heart of Cassie’s stories are characters who stumble, fall, and rise again—wrestling with forgiveness and searching for redemption. Step into her world, where every story casts a spell and love conquers all, even the shadows. 

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway! Enter the Battle Beyond the Veil Giveaway Here