Thursday 30 September 2021

By Mistake by Sigal Ehrlich - Sales Blitz

 


BY MISTAKE, a steamy standalone romantic comedy in the Poison & Wine Series by Sigal Ehrlich, is available now and FREE for a limited time only!


About BY MISTAKE:

You've Got Mail meets Grey's Anatomy in this sweet slow-burn, virtual meet-cute romance. There's so much going on in Anna's life. Teaching countless hours at the studio and nurturing the three major relationships of her life - her group of tight-knit friends, all while attempting to not screw up this whole adulthood thing leaves very little time to waste on yet another dating app. At this point, a relationship is off the menu. Being "self-partnered" is more than enough. A serious relationship has been crossed off Liam Brody's list of goals, at least for the foreseeable future. Completing his residency and becoming a trauma surgeon is his only priority. Casual relationships, his friends, and books are the only things he's willing to lose his precious free time to. When an accidental email starts a deep online connection, both Liam and Anna dive in with zero concern . . . because there's really no harm in getting close to someone who you'll never meet in real life, right? Wrong. When a turn of events brings their "safe" virtual connection to an unexpected face-to-face, Anna and Liam learn their online chemistry pales in comparison to the real deal. A realization that brings along the bazillion-dollar question - what do you do when you meet The One at the most impossibly wrong time? 
  ** by Mist@ke is book 1 in a standalone series with connected characters, but independent storylines.

Download your FREE copy today!

Amazon | Apple Books | B&N | Kobo

Add to Goodreads

Giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 paperback copies of BY MISTAKE a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the Author

Sigal Ehrlich is a bestselling author of refreshing, fun, and sweet romance books. She loves books, cold weather, and the occasional bubbly drink. Living as an expat for most of her life, Sigal has been lucky enough to visit many exotic places and meet some unique people from all corners of the world, while experiencing the sweet triumphs and travails of trying to acclimate to new "homes." Currently, Sigal calls the Czech Republic home where she lives with her husband and three kids.

Connect with Sigal

Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter

More Than Possess You by Shayla Black - Blog Tour

 

I persuaded my best friend that I should be her first…

More Than Possess You, an all-new friends to lovers steamy novella in the A More Than Words series from New York Times bestselling author Shayla Black and 1,001 Dark Nights is available now!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shayla Black returns with a new story in her More Than Words series.

I’m Hayes Elliott. Since second grade, I’ve had one best friend, Echo Hope. When she graduates from college, of course I have to give her something amazing. Since I’ll be on a business trip to Maui, I’m bringing her along for a week of fun and sun. But once she sheds her long skirts, serious buns, and combat boots for bikinis, I can’t deny how stunning she is…and I can’t stop wanting her. Worse, she’s determined to lose her V-card—and has asked one of our man-whoring buddies to pluck it.

I’ve got to step in.

It’s underhanded, but I offer to do the job properly. Since I’m no one’s Prince Charming, I have no intention of following through. Suddenly, the kisses start and the clothes come off…and I can’t remember why I’m not supposed to make her mine in every way. Or why I shouldn’t be in love with her. But if I want Echo for more than a vacation fling, I’ll have to fight. And she’s about to find out how determined I am to upgrade my best friend to wife.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


Grab your copy today exclusively on Amazon!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3x4CtkW
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MorethanPos

Add More Than Possess to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3BzbXDU

Excerpt

I scowl. Echo almost sounds like… No. She can’t possibly speak from experience. Who the hell would she be in love with that I don’t know about?

Then I remember she’s “talking” with Xavian.

I freeze.

Anyone who called me a player would label Xavian Costa a man whore. She can’t have real feelings for him.

Can she?

If I confront Echo head-on about how stupid falling for Xavian is, she’ll bristle. So I try to be sneaky. “I haven’t talked to X much lately. What’s up with him?”

“Besides finals, nothing new. But he’s stoked that we’ll all be boarding the plane for Maui on Saturday. He was thrilled that, despite being an intern, he was included in the bonus trip for top performers.”

Xavian is killing it in the office. He’s got a natural gift for making money, so I’m not surprised. But she sounds almost proud of him, like a girlfriend.

“And thanks again for taking me along as your plus one. I’m so excited I bought two new bikinis!”

For Xavian to look at? The thought makes me frown even more. But I act casual.

“Of course. Hey…” I bump shoulders with her. “You’re my bestie. I had to give you a graduation trip worth remembering.”

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. The plane ticket alone must have cost a fortune. But I promise, I won’t keep you awake at night snoring.” She winks.

“You don’t snore, shortcake.” I’ve been camping with her about a million times, so I know. But by now, she’s usually found half a dozen activities for us to appreciate the scenery and make memories—a nature reserve, a challenging hike, a sunrise picnic on the beach—something. But we’re six days away from the biggest vacation of our lives, and not a word. “Tell me what you have planned for paradise.”

“Sun and water!” She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, like she can already smell the ocean.

“I meant for us.”

Echo turns to me with a shrug. “I thought we’d chill. Besides, I wasn’t sure how much you’d have to work.”

“I only have two mixers all week. We’ll have tons of time for other stuff.”

“Oh. Good.”

But her voice suggests that isn’t good at all. What the hell is up? Does she have some surprise for me and doesn’t want me guessing, like Christmas before last?

“So we’ll think of some things,” I prod her. “Right?”

“Sure.”

Her easy reply should make me feel better. Instead, I’m wondering if she’s planning to enjoy paradise with someone else.

Like Xavian.

Fuck, I know I’ve been busy lately and spending a lot of my free time with Jayci—mostly because she’ll try anything in bed and could suck the brass off a doorknob—but the thought of Echo and me drifting apart fills me with something like panic.

“What do you say we have a pre-trip graduation party on Friday night? We don’t leave until two in the afternoon on Saturday, so—”

“I can’t.” Echo tears her gaze away. “I’ve got…something else.”

Like? Her vague refusal fills me with dread. “A date?”

“Not exactly.”

Shifting closer, I take her chin in my hand. “Then what? Talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Nothing. I just need to, um…take care of something before we go.”

 

About Shayla Black

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly eighty novels. For over twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.
Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eight years.
Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her daughter, and two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.


Connect with Shayla
Facebook: http://bit.ly/37I9BDl
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2S748PE
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2vBsY2N
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/36LoQdb
YouTube: http://bit.ly/36HKhfo
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2SerYsQ
Website: http://bit.ly/2S7fq6L
Stay up to date by signing up for Shayla’s mailing list:
http://bit.ly/38g4sCV

For More information about 1001 Dark Nights Visit:
Facebook: https://bit.ly/37fl0uT
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Y7uBQp
Website: https://bit.ly/2AIIr3A
Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights releases, join their newsletter today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu

Tuesday 28 September 2021

2021 New Releases Weekly - September 28th

 Hello everyone!!

Well, it's time for this week's new releases post. This time we look at books published in the week of September 28th. There are a lot of books that are in my most anticipated list, but as I said before this list is of course incomplete as it includes only books that I am interested in and the majority of them are in the Fantasy genre.




Let's start...

Once Upon A Broken Heart (Once Upon A Broken Heart #1) - Stephanie Garber

From Stephanie Garber, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval, Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first book in a new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after. 
Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well. 
But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr

Thirteen-year-old Anna, an orphan, lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople in a house of women who make their living embroidering the robes of priests. Restless, insatiably curious, Anna learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds a book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. This she reads to her ailing sister as the walls of the only place she has known are bombarded in the great siege of Constantinople. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, miles from home, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the invading army. His path and Anna’s will cross. 
Five hundred years later, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno, who learned Greek as a prisoner of war, rehearses five children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege. And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father. She has never set foot on our planet. 

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

The Last Graduate (The Scholomance #2) - Naomi Novik

A budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education, the start of Naomi Novik's groundbreaking crossover series.

At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year--and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules . . .




Genre: YA Fantasy
Sequel to : A Deadly Education
Publisher: Del Rey Books

Steelstriker (Skyhunter #2) - Marie Lu

As a Striker, Talin was taught loyalty is life. Loyalty to the Shield who watches your back, to the Strikers who risk their lives on the battlefield, and most of all, to Mara, which was once the last nation free from the Karensa Federation’s tyranny. 
But Mara has fallen. And its destruction has unleashed Talin’s worst nightmare. 
With her friends scattered by combat and her mother held captive by the Premier, Talin is forced to betray her fellow Strikers and her adopted homeland. She has no choice but to become the Federation’s most deadly war machine as their newest Skyhunter. 
Red is no stranger to the cruelty of the Federation or the torture within its Skyhunter labs, but he knows this isn’t the end for Mara – or Talin. The link between them may be weak, but it could be Talin and Red's only hope to salvage their past and safeguard their future. 
While the fate of a broken world hangs in the balance, Talin and Red must reunite the Strikers and find their way back to each other in this smoldering sequel to Marie Lu’s Skyhunter. 
Explosive action and swoon-worthy suspense collide in this riveting conclusion to the Skyhunter duet from #1 New York Times–bestselling author Marie Lu.

Genre: YA Fantasy/Science Fiction
Sequel to: Skyhunter
Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Dark Rise (Dark Rise #1) - C. S. Pacat

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember, and they keep their centuries-long vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. 
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark. 
As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities, and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the dark fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.

Genre: YA Fantasy / LGBTQ+
Publisher: Quill Tree Books

The Bone Ship's Wake (The Tide Child #3) - RJ Barker

The sea dragons are returning, and Joron Twiner's dreams of freedom lie shattered. His Shipwife is gone and all he has left is revenge.

Leading the black fleet from the deck of Tide Child Joron takes every opportunity to strike at his enemies, but he knows his time is limited. His fleet is shrinking and the Keyshan's Rot is running through his body. He runs from a prophecy that says he and the avian sorcerer, the Windseer, will end the entire world.

But the sea dragons have begun to return, and if you can have one miracle, who is to say that there cannot be another?





Genre: Fantasy
Sequel to: The Bone Ships
                  Call of the Bone Ships
Publisher: Orbit


These are some of the new releases of this week.
Are you excited about them?
Do you have other ones on your radar that I should know of?

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina





Saturday 25 September 2021

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic by Rebel Girls - A Review

 


Hello everyone!!

Today we are reviewing  Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic, which is a non-fiction book for young readers and it will be released on September 28th by Rebel Girls .

This is the latest installment in the Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls series and it features 100 barrier-breaking Black Women and girls who showcase the spirit of Black Girl Magic. 
The stories are very inspiring and they are well written with all the important information for the reader.

Rating: 4 Stars

About the book
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic celebrates the lives and accomplishments of 100 barrier-breaking Black women and girls who showcase the spirit of Black Girl Magic. Edited by award-winning journalist Lilly Workneh, with a foreword by CaShawn Thompson, creator of the hashtag #BlackGirlsAreMagic, the book includes stories of real women from all walks of life written in fairy tale style. Arranged in alphabetical order by first name, each brief biography is accompanied by a vibrant full-page illustration.

Contemporaries like tennis player Naomi Osaka, astronaut Jeanette Epps, and filmmaker Ava DuVernay join historical figures like aviator Bessie Coleman, Empress Taytu Betul, and journalist Ida B. Wells. Readers will also meet chess champion Phiona Mutesi, video game designer Muriel Tramis, punk rocker Poly Styrene, and chef Leah Chase.

The book exclusively features the work of Black female and non-binary editors, authors, and illustrators as they drive the stories of these phenomenal women from around the world and throughout history.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina

Thursday 23 September 2021

A Lair So Primal by Zoey Ellis - Book Tour

 

She trespassed on his land. Now she is his to keep.
A Lair So Primal, an all-new fantasy romance filled with magic from author Zoey Ellis is available now!

From a dark, magic-ravaged world comes an enthralling new fantasy romance series. Five brothers, last of an ancient Alpha bloodline, each bound by fire and blood to their majestic dragons.

While travelling to a dragon lord’s lair, Elora crosses forbidden land belonging to the lord’s brother, a viciously territorial alpha named Zendyor.

Known for his legendary temper, Zendyor and his bonded dragon are feared across the realm… and now, because of one mistake, she must be turned over to him.

Though she has suffered tragedies through a long-waged war that would make most crumble, Elora is the ultimate optimist and looks to the future with hope.

But nothing prepares her for the seductiveness of his fury.

Terrified, she tries to avoid him and shine a light against the darkness that permeates his lair, but the alpha will not allow it.

His dark attentions turn into a carnal obsession.

Soon she is caught in his storm, unable to tell the difference between his never-ending fury and his primal hunger for her.

When a sudden opportunity arises to escape him, Elora discovers secrets about herself that crush her eternal optimism.

But Zenyor will not allow her to evade his claim. As his rage reaches heights that threaten the realm, he wants everything she is.

He may be the final battle she cannot survive.

A LAIR SO PRIMAL is the third book in The Last Dragorai, an adult fantasy romance series. This series can be read as standalones but will be better enjoyed if read in order. Includes romance of a dark nature and a HEA.

Start reading today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VMHemv
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ALairsoPrim
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3yKeCsm
Nook: https://bit.ly/3lVJLpd
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3ACn6lV
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3g0dfOZ

Add A Lair So Primal to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3lXvrg0

Start the series with A Lair So Sinful!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dppgwV
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/LairSoSinful
Apple Books: http://apple.co/3pynLPF
Nook: http://bit.ly/3pzs1y2
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ZrTtTM
Google Play: http://bit.ly/3ujxTzp

Add A Lair So Sinful to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/37tc3PV

Excerpt

“Trust is unnecessary when there are consequences for undesirable behavior,” he said, his mouth tight and his eyes dark, “or for not abiding by the rules.” 

Elora could barely focus on what he was saying. Agonizing pain rocked her to her core, making her breathless. Her mind swam, trying to make sense of what was happening. She’d always been able to handle everything with a smile on her face, taking life as it came, looking for reasons to be bright and hopeful in the harsh realities of the Twin Realms. But in just the few hours she’d spent in this beast’s lair, she knew she would struggle to do that here. He sought pain and punishment. It was only severe loathing for him that would keep her sane. This man truly was a beast.

She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing heavily and biting her lip, trying to come to terms with the pain, and she settled her dazed mind so she could ask for a healer, but when she opened them again, the beast was watching her closely, his eyes once again on her neck. Suddenly, he leaned forward toward her… too close.

Elora couldn’t get away. She tensed again unsure of his intentions, but as he lowered his face, aiming for her neck, disbelief embraced her at what he was doing.

“Don’t,” she tried to snap at him.

He ignored her and nestled his nose close to the base of her neck.

Elora wished she had the strength to kick him, push him away from her, but strangely, a large part of her craved what he was about to do.

Slowly, the beast scented her, running his nose up the length of her neck and releasing a rumble of pleasure as he did. A deep involuntary shudder gripped Elora’s body, followed by a beam of desire that stung her nipples and sent a rush to her stomach. For a moment, the dizzying agony of her arm dulled, faded into the distance in favor of the alpha’s proximity and expression of sexual interest. A moan escaped her lips as her slick began to gather between her legs, and she breathed in his complex, heady scent, greedy for more.

So that’s what it felt like. Mama told her an alpha scenting an omega was an intimate and private gesture between a couple who were potentially compatible. It was an alpha’s way of determining the true scent of an omega, but was only something he would do if she was attractive to him. During the war, most alphas didn’t bother. They weren’t looking for compatible omegas—once they managed to get one, the most important thing was getting between her legs, not scenting her neck. It was somewhat old-fashioned—a sign of a respectful courtship, and despite how much she hated this beast, this behavior pleased her.

“Your scent is spectacular,” the beast murmured, his voice beautifully husky.

The tang of her blood in the air pierced the blanketing comfort of his scent, disoriented her. All she could do was gurgle in response.

The dragorai was already undoing her furs.

About Zoey Ellis

Zoey Ellis writes dark, magical, fantasy romances about tortured, possessive, alpha anti-heroes and the sassy heroines who belong to them (even if they don’t want to!). Filled with passionate, carnal steam, Zoey’s stories feature couples that go through tough journeys and make mistakes but ultimately have to grow for each other to survive the dark worlds they inhabit.
Described as ‘deliciously dark’ and ‘unputdownable’, Zoey’s thrilling, fantastical romances come complete with roller-coaster twists and turns, unique worlds, and happy endings.
Zoey is a Londoner, cat mama, and proud romance and epic fantasy addict. She loves jealous/possessive heroes, sexual tension that jumps off the page, and memorable, magical worlds. She reads most genres of romance and has a special love for the ‘true mates’ trope and dark angst. However, she enjoys all different genres of fiction, usually on the darker side.
When not working on her stories, Zoey is usually gaming, buddying reading with friends or stumbling upon new and ridiculous ways to mess up a date!

Connect with Zoey
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3efpbbT
Dark Halos Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/2Wanne3
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OhNb3y
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/3gUPuWR
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3iVLYNq
Website: www.zoeyellis.com

Tuesday 21 September 2021

2021 New Releases Weekly - September 21st

 Hello everyone!!

Well, it's time for this week's new releases post. This time we look at books published in the week of September 21st. There are a lot of books that are in my most anticipated list, but as I said before this list is of course incomplete as it includes only books that I am interested in and the majority of them are in the Fantasy genre.


This week there are a lot of sequels that come out.

Let's start...

A Song of Flight (Warrior Bards #3)- Juliet Marillier

A young warrior who wields both the power of her music and the strength of her sword faces a grave threat in this enthralling historical fantasy. 
Bard and fighter Liobhan is always ready for a challenge. So when news arrives at Swan Island that the prince of Dalriada has gone missing after an assault by both masked men and the sinister Crow Folk, she's eager to act. 
While Liobhan and her fellow Swan Island warriors seek answers to the prince's disappearance, the bard Brocc, Liobhan's brother, finds himself in dire trouble. His attempts to communicate with the Crow Folk have led him down a perilous path. When Liobhan and her comrades are sent to the rescue, it becomes clear the two missions are connected--and a great mystery unfolds. 
What brought the Crow Folk to Erin? And who seeks to use them in an unscrupulous bid for power? As Liobhan and Brocc investigate, it will take all their strength and will to continue pursuing the truth. With the safety of their loved ones in the balance, the risks they must take may cost them everything.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Sequel to: The Harp of Kings
                  A dance with Fate
Publisher: Ace Books

Into the Dying Light (The Age of Darkness #3) - Katy Rose Pool

Following the destruction of the City of Mercy, an ancient god has been resurrected and sealed inside Beru's body. Both are at the mercy of the Prophet Pallas, who wields the god’s powers to subjugate the Six Prophetic Cities. But every day, the god grows stronger, threatening to break free and sow untold destruction. 
Meanwhile, far away from Pallas Athos, Anton learns to harness his full powers as a Prophet. Armed with the truth about how the original Prophets killed the god, Anton leads Jude, Hassan, and Ephyra on a desperate quest to the edge of the world. With time running out, the group’s tenuous alliance is beset by mounting danger, tumultuous romance, and most of all by a secret that Anton is hiding: a way to destroy the god at the price of an unbearable sacrifice. But the cost of keeping that secret might be their lives—and the lives of everyone in the Six Prophetic Cities.  
The Age of Darkness trilogy is perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Children of Blood and Bone, and An Ember in the Ashes.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Sequel to: There Will Come A Darkness
                  As the Shadow Rises
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1) - Xiran Jay Zhao

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. 
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​ 
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin Teen

She Who Rides the Storm - Caitlin Sangster

In this atmospheric YA fantasy that is Wicked Saints meets There Will Come a Darkness, four teens are drawn into a high-stakes heist in the perilous tomb of an ancient shapeshifter king. 
Long ago, shapeshifting monsters ruled the Commonwealth using blasphemous magic that fed on the souls of their subjects. Now, hundreds of years later, a new tomb has been uncovered, and despite the legends that disturbing a shapeshifter’s final resting place will wake them once again, the Warlord is determined to dig it up. 
But it isn’t just the Warlord who means to brave the traps and pitfalls guarding the crypt. 
A healer obsessed with tracking down the man who murdered her twin brother. 
A runaway member of the Warlord’s Devoted order, haunted by his sister’s ghost. 
A snotty archaeologist bent on finding the cure to his magical wasting disease. 
A girl desperate to escape the cloistered life she didn’t choose. 
All four are out to steal the same cursed sword rumored to be at the very bottom of the tomb. But of course, some treasures should never see the light of day, and some secrets are best left buried…

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

The Bronzed Beasts (The Gilded Wolves #3) - Roshani Chokshi

In love they breathed. In destiny they believed. In the end, will divinity be their demise? 
After Séverin's seeming betrayal, the crew is fractured. Armed with only a handful of hints, Enrique, Laila, Hypnos and Zofia must find their way through the snarled, haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Séverin. 
Meanwhile, Séverin must balance the deranged whims of the Patriarch of the Fallen House and discover the location of a temple beneath a plague island where the Divine Lyre can be played and all that he desires will come to pass. 
With only ten days until Laila expires, the crew will face plague pits and deadly masquerades, unearthly songs and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself... but at a price they may not be willing to pay. 
Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with the final riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Sequel to: The Gilded Wolves
                  The Silvered Serpents
Publisher: Wednesday Books

Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. 
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over. 
But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life. 
When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days. 
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.

Genre: Fantasy / LGBTQ+
Publisher: Tor Books

Horseman - Christina Henry

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says it's just a legend, the village gossips talking. 
Twenty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow Boys", reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the sinister discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

Genre: Retelling / Fantasy/ Horror
Publisher: Titan Books

These are some of the new releases of this week.
Are you excited about them?
Do you have other ones on your radar that I should know of?

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina






Saturday 18 September 2021

On These Black Sands (Aisling Sea #1) by Vanessa Rasanen - A Review

 


Hello everyone!!

Today we are reviewing On These Black Sands by Vanessa Rasanen which is the first book in the Aisling Sea series. It is a new adult fantasy adventure that was released on August 2021 by Crab Apple Books. 

Books that take place on a ship and especially a pirate ship have become some of my favourites. This one was no exception. I really liked the story and the world building and I loved the characters. Aoife and Declan's slow burn romance was one of my favourites and I also loved Tommy. Declan in particular I really enjoyed because he is the hero that doesn't want to be a hero.
I liked the twists and turns in the story and the ending left me wanting book 2 asap.

Rating: 4 Stars

About the book:
An heir on the run

In one month, Aoife Cascade will turn twenty and take her seat on the Council of Cregah, an honor she’s been preparing for her whole life. But when she lets a secret slip to her mother with devastating consequences, all her plans for the future crumble. Believing her people to be better off without her, she flees Cregah, stowing away aboard a pirate ship bound for dangerous waters.

A pirate captain who needs her help

Captain Declan McCallagh is young compared to the pirate lords, but after twelve years on the grueling sea, he has earned a well-respected ship and the attention of the lords, who’d like nothing better than to see his ruin. All he wants is to leave the Aisling Sea—and his past—behind him. But when his sister demands he find the enchanted dagger her rebel faction needs to overthrow the ruling Council, he’ll have to decide whether to cast off all family ties or take the perilous voyage to waters guarded by sirens, only passable with the help of the last remaining fae, currently imprisoned by the Council.

With murder and betrayal at every turn, can Aoife and Declan learn to rely on one another? Or will the secrets they carry destroy their people—and each other?

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina

Wednesday 15 September 2021

2021 New Releases Weekly - September 14th

 Hello everyone!!

Well, it's time for this week's new releases post. This time we look at books published in the week of September 14th. There are a lot of books that are in my most anticipated list, but as I said before this list is of course incomplete as it includes only books that I am interested in and the majority of them are in the Fantasy genre.




Let's start...

Defy The Night (Defy the nights#1) by Brigid Kemmerer

From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption, the prince desperately holding it together, and the girl who will risk everything to bring it crashing down. 
The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand. 
King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents' shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King's Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion--it's the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.  
Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most--but it's still not enough. 
As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King's Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it's even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first. 
Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer's captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

The Wisdom of Crowds (First Law World #10 / The Age of Madness #3) by Joe Abercrombie

Chaos. Fury. Destruction. 
The Great Change is upon us... 
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds. 
With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies... while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance. 
The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together...

Genre: Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
Sequel to: A Little Hatred
                 The Trouble With Peace
Publisher: Gollancz

The Hollow Heart (Forgotten Gods #2) by Marie Rutkoski

Intrigue, romance, and magic abound in the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s Forgotten Gods duology. 
At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty. 
In the Herrani court, rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind, so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies. 
Sid doesn’t know that this queen is Nirrim, who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her. Can Sid save Nirrim from herself? Does Nirrim even want to be saved? As blood is shed and war begins, Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want…for the gods have their own plans.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Sequel to: The Midnight Lie
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux


And on September 17th

Empire of Dragons (Cursed Empire #1) by Rachel L. Schade

Fans of lush world-building, morally grey characters, enemies to lovers, and forbidden romance will devour this epic YA series. 
Save the empire...or let it burn. 
Revenge failed her... 
Three years ago, Lo’laeni Nolanhou did the unthinkable, slaying the empress of the cruel Alrenian Empire and freeing her people, the Forwyn slaves. But the price of revenge wasn’t freedom, only guilt. Vowing to never kill again, Lo dedicated her life to the god Elhani, serving as a nun within the Circle of Serenity to fight against the injustices still wrought against her people in the torn capital of Alrenor. 
Then Caesiem, a handsome and mysterious Teramese boy aligned with an underground Forwyn vigilante group, flips her world upside down. The unrest growing within Alrenor is worse than Lo realized. Corruption is everywhere...and the Forwyn vigilantes want an empress slayer. 
Revenge fuels her... 
For years, Empress Jaliana, Daughter of Karye, has been a captive in her own palace. A prisoner to her mother’s killers. A powerless pawn, alone and unable to take back her throne, her dragons, or her kingdom. 
Until one night a never-before-seen gift manifests itself within Jalie. It’s terrifying. Brutal. Everything she has ever needed. But the Forwyn won’t give in easily. They task Kovi, a young soldier, to watch over her, and he challenges everything she’s ever believed about her enemies... 
One empire. An age-old hatred. Two girls who will risk anything—even their souls—for their people.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Dragon Shadow Publishing


These are some of the new releases of this week.
Are you excited about them?
Do you have other ones on your radar that I should know of?

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina

Tuesday 7 September 2021

2021 New Releases Weekly - September 7th

Hello everyone!!

Well, it's time for this week's new releases post. This time we look at books published in the week of September 7th. There are a lot of books that are in my most anticipated list, but as I said before this list is of course incomplete as it includes only books that I am interested in and the majority of them are in the Fantasy genre. 




Let's start...

The Bones Of Ruin (The Bones of Ruin #1) - Sarah Raughley

An African tightrope walker who can’t die gets embroiled in a secret society’s deadly gladiatorial tournament in this thrilling historical fantasy set in an alternate 1880s London, perfect for fans of The Last Magician and The Gilded Wolves.

As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is used to being strange. She is certainly a strange sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret that even “strange” doesn’t capture…​ 
She cannot die. 
Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. But that mission gets more complicated when she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam seems to know much more about her than he lets on, and he shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives…and who doesn’t. 
To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a macabre competition made up of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion, and in return he promises her the one thing she wants most: the truth about who she really is. 
If Iris wants to learn about her shadowy past, she has no choice but to fight. But the further she gets in the grisly tournament, the more she begins to remember—and the more she wonders if the truth is something best left forgotten.

Genre: Historical fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions—including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.  
Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she’s not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, two of the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture—by any means necessary.  
With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

Genre: YA  Mystery
Sequel to: The Inheritance Games
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina - Zoraida Cordova

The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers. 
Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly’s daughter, Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, the four descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.

Genre: Fantasy / Magical Realism
Publisher: Atria Books

The Last Legacy - Adrienne Young

New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with The Last Legacy, a captivating standalone about family and blood ties, reinventing yourself, and controlling your own destiny.

When a letter from her uncle Henrik arrives on Bryn Roth's eighteenth birthday, summoning her back to Bastian, Bryn is eager to prove herself and finally take her place in her long-lost family. 
Henrik has plans for Bryn, but she must win everyone’s trust if she wants to hold any power in the delicate architecture of the family. It doesn’t take long for her to see that the Roths are entangled in shadows. Despite their growing influence in upscale Bastian, their hands are still in the kind of dirty business that got Bryn’s parents killed years ago. With a forbidden romance to contend with and dangerous work ahead, the cost of being accepted into the Roths may be more than Bryn can pay.


Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix (Remixed Classics #1) - C.B. Lee

Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in this YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island.

1826. The sun is setting on the golden age of piracy, and the legendary Dragon Fleet, the scourge of the South China Sea, is no more. Its ruthless leader, a woman known only as the Head of the Dragon, is now only a story, like the ones Xiang has grown up with all her life. She desperately wants to prove her worth, especially to her mother, a shrewd businesswoman who never seems to have enough time for Xiang. Her father is also only a story, dead at sea before Xiang was born. Her single memento of him is a pendant she always wears, a simple but plain piece of gold jewelry. 
But the pendant's true nature is revealed when a mysterious girl named Anh steals it, only to return it to Xiang in exchange for her help in decoding the tiny map scroll hidden inside. The revelation that Xiang's father sailed with the Dragon Fleet and tucked away this secret changes everything. Rumor has it that the legendary Head of the Dragon had one last treasure—the plunder of a thousand ports—that for decades has only been a myth, a fool's journey. 
Xiang is convinced this map could lead to the fabled treasure. Captivated with the thrill of adventure, she joins Anh and her motley crew off in pursuit of the island. But the girls soon find that the sea—and especially those who sail it—are far more dangerous than the legends led them to believe.

Genre: YA Fantasy / Historical
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Leaders: My First Leaders - Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara & Lisbeth Kaiser

This all-new board book primer—from the multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series—introduces the youngest dreamers to the world’s best-loved leaders.

“Hello little leader! Let’s learn about braveness, and boldness, and kindness. There’s plenty of leaders who were once young like you.” 
Including cherished favorites, as well as some new, leaders from the series, introduce your baby to great leaders from history and today. With all-new lyrical text that is fun to read out loud to baby, this inspiring board book includes colorful, captivating illustrations of Rosa Parks, Greta Thunberg, Martin Luther King Jr., Malala Yousafzai, Harriet Tubman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mahatma Gandhi, and Corazon Aquino. 
Leaders is the perfect first empowerment primer for babies and toddlers.

Genre: Picture Books Children
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Ltd

And on September 9th...

Greek Myths: A New Retelling, with drawings  by Chris Ofili -  Charlotte Higgins

In this spellbinding new collection, Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of the most enduring stories of all time.

Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan war and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens. There are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals.This is a world of extremes, and one that resonates deeply with our own: mysterious diseases devastate cities; environmental disasters tear lives apart; women habitually suffer violence at the hands of men. 
Unlike in many previous collected myths, female characters take centre stage - Athena, Helen, Circe, Penelope and others weave these stories into elaborate imagined tapestries. In Charlotte Higgins's thrilling new interpretation, their tales combine to form a dazzling, sweeping epic of storytelling, and a magnificent work of scholarship and imagination. 
With a series of original drawings by Chris Ofili.

Genre: Mythology
Publisher: Jonathan Cape

These are some of the new releases of this week.
Are you excited about them?
Do you have other ones on your radar that I should know of?


See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina