#BookReview: Wicked Serve (Beyond the Play #4) by Grace Reilly

Synopsis: He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival…but he’s bringing the heat for me.

Nikolai

Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.

Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.

Izzy

I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn’t an option.

But when Nik crashes back into my life, I can’t stay away from his broody charm. I’m determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.

As we fall deeper into a place we can’t come back from unscathed, we’ll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.

Filled with swoons, spice, sports, and koalas, Wicked Serve is a don’t-miss new adult college sports romance.

#BookBlitz: The Rumble and the Glory by @JAHuss @XpressoTours #Giveaway $250 Amazon gift card and a Rumble book box

The Rumble and the Glory
JA Huss
Publication date: June 27th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Deep in the hills of West Virginia, three small towns have found a way to flourish in the face of extreme poverty. Disciple runs a side-show tent revival that brings in millions of dollars a year. Bishop flaunts traditional ways in the vein of Colonial Williamsburg, luring weary city people to the slow-living lifestyle. And Revenant offers them an experience of sin filled with tattooed bikers and live-music dive bars.
It’s a sacred trinity that worships the almighty dollar and everyone plays their role like a well-trained Broadway actor. But these hills have secrets, and so do the people.
Collin Creed is a killer, but he’s Lowyn’s killer. And after a twelve-year separation, she wants him back. To the untrained eye, Lowyn is the good girl to Collin’s bad-boy reputation. But to those in the know, she’s just like everyone else up in these hills—not as wholesome and pure as she looks.

*****
The Rumble and the Glory is a cinematic and spicy second-chance romance wrapped up in a cloak of mystery and suspense. It honors the themes of found family, redemptive anti-hero, and is filled with bigger-than-life, morally-grey characters against a backdrop of deceit and deception.

TROPES:
Morally Grey
Enemies to Lovers
Found Family
Anti-Hero
Small Town Secrets

#BookReview: Rebel Sisters (War Girls #2) by Tochi Onyebuchi

Synopsis: In the epic, action-packed sequel to the “brilliant” (Booklist, starred review) novel War Girls, the battles are over, but the fight for justice has just begun.

It’s been five years since the Biafran War ended. Ify is now nineteen and living where she’s always dreamed–the Space Colonies. She is a respected, high-ranking medical officer and has dedicated her life to helping refugees like herself rebuild in the Colonies.

Back in the still devastated Nigeria, Uzo, a young synth, is helping an aid worker, Xifeng, recover images and details of the war held in the technology of destroyed androids. Uzo, Xifeng, and the rest of their team are working to preserve memories of the many lives lost, despite the government’s best efforts to eradicate any signs that the war ever happened.

Though they are working toward common goals of helping those who suffered, Ify and Uzo are worlds apart. But when a mysterious virus breaks out among the children in the Space Colonies, their paths collide. Ify makes it her mission to figure out what’s causing the deadly disease. And doing so means going back to the corrupt homeland she thought she’d left behind forever.

#CoverReveal for In Fine Form by Shannyn Schroeder @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: In Fine Form

Series: The Doyle Family #2

Author: Shannyn Schroeder

Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Brother's Best Friend, Fake Wedding Date

Older Woman/Younger Man, Single Mom

Cover Design: The Killion Group

Release Date: July 2, 2024

BLURB

He was in fine form until life—and love—threw him for a loop...

Declan Doyle is ready for a change. He’s finally going to put his couch-surfing, job-hopping, responsibility-free days behind him. So, when his best friend’s sister offers room and board in exchange for home repairs, he jumps at the opportunity. Falling for her wasn’t part of his plan. But that’s exactly what he does...

As a divorced single mom with a dilapidated house, Renee Griggs has more responsibility than she can handle. So, even though Declan has always been more charming than reliable, she needs his help. She does not, however, need to fall into bed with him. Or so she keeps telling herself...

One fake wedding date (with only one bed), a ton of chemistry, and a surprisingly intense emotional connection later, Declan’s ready for happily ever after. But can he prove to Renee that he’s a risk worth taking?

There’s only one way to find out...

In Fine Form, book 2 in The Doyle Family series, is a spicy, opposites attract, older woman/younger man, brother’s best friend contemporary romance that can be read as a standalone. Join the Doyles in the Chicago neighborhood full of big, Irish families and happily ever afters.

#BookReview: Beyond the Ruby Veil (Beyond the Ruby Veil, #1) by Mara Fitzgerald

Synopsis: A dark, queer YA fantasy that's perfect for fans of the Three Dark Crowns series. After Emanuela Ragno kills the one person in Occhia who can create water, she must find a way to save her city from dying of thirst.

Cunning and unapologetic, Emanuela Ragno is a socialite who plays by her own rules. In her most ambitious move yet, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn’t care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn’t want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she’ll have it all.

But Emanuela has a secret that could shatter her plans. In her city of Occhia, the only source of water is the watercrea, a mysterious being who uses magic to make water from blood. When their first bruise-like omen appears on their skin, all Occhians must surrender themselves to the watercrea to be drained of life. Everyone throughout history has obeyed this law for the greater good. Everyone except Emanuela. She’s kept the tiny omen on her hip out of sight for years.

When the watercrea exposes Emanuela during her wedding ceremony and takes her to be sacrificed, Emanuela fights back…and kills her. Before everyone in Occhia dies of thirst, Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds their city to uncover the source of the watercrea’s power and save their people—no matter what it takes.

#PreOrderBlitz for Buried Truths by Michelle Grey @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Buried Truths

Series: Long Shot #4

Author: Michelle Grey

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Mystery

Tropes: He Falls First/Rivals/Sworn Off

Relationships/Forced Proximity/Protector

Release Date: July 2, 2024

BLURB

Her sister’s death haunts her dreams. Now, her own nightmare is about to begin.

Olivia Kai’s professional life is in shambles, she’s living out of a suitcase, and none of it matters. Her baby sister is dead. And when Annie’s spirit begins to visit Olivia’s dreams, it’s clear her soul isn’t at rest. Riddled with guilt, Olivia makes it her mission to change that.

When her journey takes her to a Civil War era home with secrets of its own, she’s certain she’s on the right path. But the untimely passing of her host leaves her at the mercy of the haughty new owner, whose only goal is to get her off the property.

Cam Tate is focused on forging his future as a documentary film producer and leaving behind the ghosts of his past. When he’s summoned home to Atchison, Kansas to claim an unexpected inheritance, his goal is to minimize the distraction. But after he meets a captivating woman with an incredible tale, he recognizes a glimmer of opportunity. Her story, if true, could catapult his career to new heights.

As layers of deception and danger unfold, Olivia and Cam face challenges that threaten their ambitions and their lives. Can learning to trust each other be the key to discovering the truths they seek?

Buried Truths blends a touch of paranormal with just enough spice in this fast-paced romantic mystery.

#BookReview: The Book of Sam by Rob Shapiro

Synopsis: Sam, the unchosen one, ventures to Hell to rescue his best friend.

Seventeen-year-old Sam Sullinger lives in the shadow of adolescence. Lost among his overachieving siblings and chided by his stern father, Sam finds himself the daily target of bullying. His only solace is his best friend and crush, Harper.

In a grand plan designed to help Sam confess his love to Harper, he sets off a series of events that lead to her being kidnapped to Hell. Racked with guilt, Sam makes a bold decision for the first time in his life: he’s going to rescue his only friend. 

Sam is thrust into a vivid world fraught with demons, vicious beasts, and a falling city. Every leg of his journey serves to remind him that he isn’t some brave knight on a quest — he’s an insecure teenager who is yearning to make his mark on at least one world.