#BookReview: King of Wrath (Kings of Sin #1) by Ana Huang

Synopsis: She’s the wife he never wanted…and the weakness he never saw coming. 

Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant. 

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally. 

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—
until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows. 

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.  

There’s only one problem: now that he has her...he can't bring himself to let her go.

***
Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn't her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty. 

Craving his touch was never part of the plan. 

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy billionaire/arranged marriage romance. It contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and mild violence. Recommended for mature readers only.

#CoverReveal: Scattershot by Larry Chrysler @RABTBookTours @PublishingAcorn

 

My Journey from the Projects to Paris to Rodeo Drive

Memoir

Date to Published: September 10, 2024

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

 

Larry Chrysler’s life takes a dramatic turn when a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger disrupts his day. From that moment, the son of a bipolar mom and a homophobic dad decides he must follow his heart and forge his own path to success if he is to achieve his fashion design dreams. Armed with only a high school diploma and “angels on his shoulders,” Larry befriends wayward princesses, dresses A-list actors and rock music royalty, and embarks on jet-setting adventures his younger self hardly could have imagined.

Scattershot: My Journey from the Projects to Paris to Rodeo Drive tells the unforgettable story of a Jewish gay boy who leaves the oppressiveness of the Minneapolis projects to pursue a glamorous career in design among elite fashion circles in America and Europe. At times funny, wise, and heartfelt, this is a story of coming out during the repressive 1950s and of eventually finding true love. In this wryly candid and inspirational memoir, Larry proves that no dream is impossible with a little daring and panache—and, of course, a fabulous wardrobe.

#BookReview: The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

Synopsis: A stunning debut novel and an impressive feat of storytelling that pulls together mythology, magic, and ancient legend in the gripping story of a mother’s struggle to save her only daughter

Nadine is a jinn tasked with one job: telling the stories of the dead. She rises every morning to gather pomegranate seeds—the souls of the dead—that have fallen during the night. With her daughter Layala at her side, she eats the seeds and tells their stories. Only then can the departed pass through the final gate of death.

But when the seeds stop falling, Nadine knows something is terribly wrong. All her worst fears are confirmed when she is visited by Kamuna, Death herself and ruler of the underworld, who reveals her desire for someone to replace her: it is Layala she wants.

Nadine will do whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe, but Kamuna has little patience and a ruthless drive to get what she has come for. Layala’s fate, meanwhile, hangs in the balance.

Rooted in Middle Eastern mythology, Rania Hanna deftly weaves subtle, yet breathtaking, magic through this vivid and compelling story that has at its heart the universal human desire to, somehow, outmaneuver death.

#TeaserTuesday: Morgue by Marteeka Karland @RABTBookTours @changelingpress

 

A Bones MC Romance

Iron Tzars MC, Book 11

 

Motorcycle Club Romance

Date Published: June 14, 2024

Publisher: Changeling Press

 

Dorothy: Spring Break turned into my worst nightmare. Drugged and held against my will, the brutality I witness seems too horrible to be real. Unable to escape, unable to do anything other than await my fate, I nearly gave up hope. Then he burst through the door like an avenging angel. My very own angel of death.

Morgue: I’m a straight-up killer. It’s what I’ve trained for my entire adult life. I got my road name because I’ve put more men in the morgue than all my brothers combined. So when we rescue a group of women being held by human traffickers, I did what I do best. I killed. But not for all the women we rescued. For her. Dorothy. My very own angel of mercy. Now that I have her, I’ll do anything to keep her. I just hope she can accept what I am and not condemn my soul to hell.

 

WARNING: Morgue includes scenes of graphic violence and adult situations including those that may be triggers for some readers. There’s also a protective hero, a determined heroine, and an eventual happy ending. No cheating, as always.

#BookReview: A Happier Life by @kristywharvey @GalleryBooks

Synopsis: A tender and touching novel about a young woman who discovers the family she has always longed for when she spends a life-changing summer in North Carolina.

Present Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. Keaton’s grandparents died in a tragic car accident before she was born, so she’s eager to learn more about the family she never met. But even though she has help from her charming next-door-neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, Keaton soon finds that she has more questions than answers.

1976: After meeting her adoring husband Townsend, Rebecca “Becks” Saint James abandoned the life she knew and never looked back. Forty years later, she’s made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.

As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations. For fans of Summer of ‘69 and The Notebook , Last Summer on Sunset Lane explores the power of family, the bonds of friendship, and the boundless nature of love.

#BookTour: ALLA Iconic New Look of Dior by Dr Berlin Irishev @RABTBookTours

Iconic New Look of DIOR

 

Nonfiction

Date Published: March 18, 2024

Publisher: ‎ MindStir Media

 

Today, it is difficult to imagine a fashion show of a high-end brand without the presence of Asian and Black models. However, until the mid-20th century, it was considered a taboo. Who were the pioneers to break this barrier and tread this new and difficult path?

For the very first time in the history of high fashion, a model with a non-European appearance graced the runways - Alla Ilchun. Discovered by Dior himself, she was described by him as "one of the born mannequins". In the United States, she held the esteemed title of Ambassador for the House of Dior.

Since 1947, the creative concept behind Dior's New Look was often perceived as a new trend in fashion. This book presents a much broader context of the New Look concept that includes a human component: a new type of model. A woman for whom this fashion design was created. Alla was an Asian beauty whose body perfectly corresponded to the aesthetic of the New Look. Her impassive, distant, and notably aristocratic expression captivated the couturier's attention.

However, the story of her appearance at Dior has remained a mystery until recently. Her name was doomed to be forgotten. This amazing story of the Muse of Dior as a bearer of multiculturalism is explored in our books "L'Énigme d'Alla. Muse de Dior" (2021) in French and "A Pearl of the Orient at Dior" (2022) in Chinese. The value of these books along with their English counterparts lies in the fact that we rely on official documents, unique photographs, and diverse sources of information about Alla's saga. The story of Alla Ilchun, as an Icon of the New Look and Muse of the great couturier, is a story of wisdom and foresight of the legendary architect of fashion and elegance, Christian Dior.

#ReleaseBoost for Xander: Helen of Troy Retelling by Drethi A. & Nenia Campbell @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Xander

Helen of Troy Retelling

Series: Forbidden Ice –

Hockey Gods of Olympus #1

Authors: Drethi A. & Nenia Campbell

Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Hockey Romance/Reverse Age Gap

Breeding/Forbidden Love/Stepmother Romance

Release Date: June 1, 2024

XANDER HELEN OF TROY RETELLING (SERIES: FORBIDDEN ICE – HOCKEY GODS OF OLYMPUS #1)

BY DRETHI A. & NENIA CAMPBELL IS NOW AVAILABLE.

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED FOR ONLY 3 MONTHS!

BLURB

She fought battles for others… and never expected someone to wage a war for her.

Calm. Calculating. Disciplined.

Xander Maxwell thrives on controlling his emotions. The ruthless hockey player leaves it all on the ice but is levelheaded outside the rink. Until he comes face to face with his estranged father’s beautiful young bride.

Jordan—a walking wet dream with heart-stopping curves, a sunshine smile, golden hair, and bright blue eyes.

He shouldn’t be enticed. His only goal is to no longer live under his father’s thumb. It doesn’t matter that Jordan is the most beautiful woman on earth or that she radiates like the sun itself.

There is only one problem. She is everywhere—in his thoughts, in every bone, even in his blood. She has snuck into his dreams, and he can’t wrench her out.

***

Successful, affectionate, and warm.

Jordan Banks makes a career out of selling the perfect life. With clients consisting of the wealthy and famous elite, there is no room for error. Perfection is everything, especially to her controlling husband.

The only part of her life she hasn’t perfected is the one that matters the most—family.

When Xander returns home after years, it’s an opportunity to cement the close-knit family dynamic she has always craved. After all, she is closer to him in age than her husband.

The unlikely bond she forges with Xander isn’t part of the plan, though. Nor does she expect to see the same suffocating loneliness reflected in his eyes, the one she’s found within her marriage.

But their undeniable connection comes at a cost. A series of devastating secrets comes to light, shattering her not-so-perfect life and leaving only Xander to shield her from the glancing blows.

Jordan is used to fighting battles for her clients but it’s Xander who wages a war for her.

Xander is a steamy reverse age-gap hockey romance. This book is inspired by Helen of Troy. It includes explicit content and only recommend for mature readers.