The Talent Throne ~ Cover Reveal

 Today I'm thrilled to share the cover for

Nadine Brandes' upcoming release

The Talent Throne!

Did you read Wishtress when it came out in 2022? Have you ever wondered what else happened in Winterune? Wonder no more when The Talent Throne releases in May 2027. 

About the Book:

Seven years ago, time stopped. Cairden “Runt” Vorst has been trapped in the Stillness ever since.
 
When he finally unlocks the Talent to get time moving again, the crown of Winterune is within his reach. But Winterune law says that before he can become king…Cairden must marry. In ten days.
 
Lieve deWindt has no intention of becoming a bride. In fact, she has quite a different goal: putting an arrow in Cairden Vorst’s heart. Unfortunately, sneaking into the schloss to end his life lands her among the twelve women competing to become his queen.
 
War is coming to their shores in ten days’ time. Lieve is the only one who knows, and she’s determined to deliver a murdered prince as a peace offering. But it turns out assassination is not as simple as it sounds, especially when her Talent bonds with Cairden’s.
 
Together, they may be the only way to save the kingdom…if they can manage not to kill each other first.

This is a no-spice Young Adult royal fantasy where a prince has to choose a bride…but the girl he chooses is tasked to assassinate him to stop a war.

THE TALENT THRONE is available to pre-order today on Kickstarter only!

Preorder through Kickstarter

To Win a Wager ~ Release Day

It's Release Day!

   To Win a Wager
Best Laid Plans #3
Grace Hitchcock

As the third and final book in the series, one would think that Tess would have an easier path to finding love than her friends, but hers just might be the most fraught with danger. It seems the truths she's always accepted about herself are about to be turned over all topsy-turvy, her father's life is in danger, and she is on the run. And her only hope at setting things right is slipping away.

Okay, this book keeps building danger and feelings of betrayal on top of each other as Tess grapples with who she really is and her feelings regarding Jamie Malcom the former spy who has tracked her escape and who may be her only hope for the future, a future neither of them expected or wanted-at first.

To Win a Wager is filled with the unexpected, though not necessarily in a bad way. But when tragedy strikes, they must discover who is behind it if they have any hope for a future. 

Okay, I got such mixed feelings about Tess's father from concern to well-he-got what-was-coming and back again through the cycle. And then Jamie's cousin, totally ugh! While Jamie, even while hunting Tess, came across as someone with integrity, with lines that wouldn't be crossed. 

This was a good read and one that could be enjoyed without reading the first two books in the series. I recommend it to fans of clean, no/low spice romance, who want faith elements driving their main characters. Overall, a good and enjoyable read.

I was provided a complimentary copy with no expectations. All thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the Book:

A Regency-era enemies-to-lovers romance set in the magnificent Scottish Isles

Tess Hale has always been taught to fend for herself, but she never needed to until the night bounty hunters come knocking. It’s 1813 in Great Britain, and Tess’s best laid plans crumble when her father sends her alone in the dead of night to an island cottage to escape them. She finds herself in a world of warring clans she didn’t know existed.

After a decade as a spy separated from his clan, Jamie Malcom has a duty to fulfill as next in line as chief—but his absence means he must earn his people’s loyalty. He pursues a treasure stolen from his clan long ago, and it leads him straight to Tess.

As Tess grapples with her past, Jamie vows to protect her future—but lies revealed shatter the trust they had been building. For purposes beyond themselves, they are thrust into a marriage neither of them wanted . . . at first.

In the finale to the Best Laid Plans series, Grace Hitchcock invites readers to the sweeping Highlands and beautiful Scottish Isles with a romance guaranteed to delight.

Available to purchase at:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook 

About the Author:

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of the Best Laid Plans series and other historical novels and novellas. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing and a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in history. She lives near New Orleans with her husband, sons, and daughter. 

Connect with her online at gracehitchcock.com.

The Beastly Curses have been revealed!

Beastly Curses have been revealed!

The covers are not to be missed. 

(Full disclosure: as one of the authors, I am biased)

What are the Beastly Curses?

The Beastly Curses were each written as part of an Arista Challenge (organized by Kendra Ardnek), and each belongs to the author's own series and world. They're connected by one thing only: they're each retellings of Beauty and the Beast, and they will be released one day at a time at the very end of December!

Featured books are:
The Beastly Cinderella by Kendra Ardnek @fairytalearista December 28, 2026.
Bound by a Rose by Meagan Myhren Bennett @bloomingwbooks December 29, 2026.
Bride of the Jackal by Wyn Estelle Owens @wordsmithofwhimsy December 30, 2026.
Blossom, Beauty, Beast by Sarah Pennington @sarah.taleweaver December 31, 2026.

You can request to review these books via the following form: https://forms.gle/Van5vUjAn52yV7ra

The Christmas Courier ~ Review

The Christmas Courier

By Roseanna M. White

For Madeleine (Mado) Perrin, Christmas this year will be very different. Her father's death has marked her family, and she wants to be there for her mother, so the time off from teaching will allow them to be there for one another. And it will allow her to pass on information to the French Resistance in the papers she has managed to smuggle home hidden in the essays she needs to grade. 

But when childhood friend Daniel Raymond shows up in her family's apartment seeking help, Madeleine and Daniel have a second chance at a future together. But in occupied France, second chances are hard to come by with betrayal lurking just around the corner. And Daniel's Jewish heritage and ties to the Resistance make him the perfect target for betrayal.

With the future she has long dreamed of about to be stolen away, Madeleine, along with her family, plots the perfect way to rescue Daniel and the future that is slipping away. 

The Christmas Courier is a quick read and one that, if you are like me, will keep you reading. This book is set at Christmas, which gives it an added attraction. The fact that it is based on true events from World War Two added a historical factor that I loved. This book gives a rollercoaster of emotions as Madeleine and Daniel navigate the world in a state of chaos, hate, fear, and hope. Determination drives them to right the wrongs that have come upon them. I loved the faith elements that were present throughout and the importance of waiting on God's timing in all things. 

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

1943. 

Lyon, France. 

After bidding her students farewell for the holidays, Madeleine Perrin is looking forward to a quiet, simple Christmas at home with her mother. With the war raging on and rations tight, she knows it will be up to her to make the day festive and find special ways to remember the papa she lost and honor his love for Christmas. But first, Madeleine must smuggle secret messages hidden in her students’ essays to the Resistance network. She never expects the person waiting to receive them is her childhood best friend, the man who broke her heart.

Daniel Raymond has thrown himself into his work as a courier for the Resistance, carefully concealing his Jewish ancestry that, if discovered by the Nazis, could put his life at risk. Haunted by regret about the day Madeleine professed her love, and he turned her away, Daniel longs to make things right. When he sees her again, he dares to hope for reconciliation―and realizes the love he once denied has only grown deeper.

As Christmas nears and Daniel recovers from a wound sustained in a courier run, forgiveness and romance soon blossom between Daniel and Madeleine, and the two begin planning a future together. But when a mission goes wrong, and Daniel is captured by the Gestapo, Madeleine must turn to her Resistance allies―and a centuries-old law―to attempt a dangerous rescue before it’s too late.

Boots and Roses ~ Review

Boots and Roses: A Retelling of Puss in Boots and Beauty and the Beast 

The Roumaterra Chronicles #6

By Erin Halbmaier

Narrated by Elaine K. Schultz

The Roumaterra Chronicles are best enjoyed by reading or listening to them in order. You don't have to, but some aspects of the story make more sense if you do. Boots and Roses is the sixth book in the series and is an enjoyable mashup of Beauty and the Beast and Puss in Boots. This book covers much of the same time period as book five Trials and Command and these two stories are definitely intertwined (not saying more in case you haven't read it).

Liesl thought Tobias had feelings for her and was interested pursuing a relationship with her, but then he left without revealing his heart in search of a missing princess (from book 4 Arrows and Gems). Tobias's only companion was a black cat, whom he talks to, constantly.

When Liesl finds herself separated from her travel companions, she is thrust into a world cut off from everyone and everything she knows. At least Tobias's beloved cat, Puss is still at her side. But there is a murderous ogre called Beast, a village of suspicious people, and a magical barrier keeping her trapped in this valley.  But Liesl is determined to think positive thoughts-- Tobias isn't dead, Beast isn't as violent as the villagers think, and she will escape this valley.

Beast has been told he murdered all the men in the village 20 years ago, but his memories of the past are hard to recall. When Leisl stumbles into the valley she brings a change with her. She is not frightened of him, well not very frightened, and he'll do anything to keep her and her cat safe.

This was an enjoyable retelling of Beauty and the Beast that gave a unique twist by adding in the retelling of Puss in Boots. The two interwoven stories blended into the Roumaterra Chronicles story world in an altogether satisfying way. These books are definitely ones for the reread/relisten to shelf. Yes, they are that good and there are always little hints one has missed in the past that afterwards, I'm like, "Oh!" And comparing Liesl to her older sister Katy (book 2 Songs and Spun Gold and book 3 Spirits and Pacts) it is obvious they are sisters.  So maybe you should read the previous stories first to fully enjoy the experience of Boots and Roses.

I also enjoyed this book as an audiobook (purchased) and the audio was so good, The narrator does the voices so that one can recognize the different characters. I did listen at 1.25 times so it better matched my reading speed, but even at the slower speed of 1.00 it did not drag. Excellent and highly recommend for those commuting or suffering from eye fatigue after a day at the computer.

I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of the digital book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Liesl is determined to find the man who broke her heart. 

Getting trapped in a cursed valley with a dangerous ogre isn’t part of the plan.

Tobias gave Liesl a reason to hope when he offered her the rose from his waistcoat, but then he volunteered to search for the missing princess he’d been half-heartedly pursuing. Liesl refuses to admit she cares, but when she learns he’s vanished without his beloved cat, concern overrides her hurt. Something is wrong, and she’ll track him down to ensure he’s safe – and to demand the answers she deserves.

Beast has no memory of who he is, only the desperate need to complete a task the valley’s magic won’t let him leave to finish. When Liesl appears with a familiar cat at her heels, eerily realistic dreams begin to trouble him. They feel like memories, but they can’t be. Because in the dreams, he’s human.

Liesl struggles to believe the villagers’ claims that Beast is violent, but she has a reason for ingratiating herself to him: she believes he knows something about Tobias. He isn’t averse to her company, but the mission Beast can’t recall doesn’t allow for a future with Liesl. And if he could remember, he wouldn't confess the reason.

Because some secrets must be kept. Even if his silence costs him the woman he loves.

Fans of K.M. Shea and Melanie Cellier will love this clean fantasy romance retelling of Puss in Boots x Beauty and the Beast, where quiet connection, magical mysteries, and impossible choices take you on an emotional journey. Pick up Boots and Roses and fall into a cursed valley where the truth can be dangerous – and love demands everything.

Available from Amazon