Read my review of Sea & Ash by Isadora Brown #Fantasy #YoungAdult #BookReview

I'm pleased to share my review of a fabulous book, today! Scroll down to read what I thought about it, and to grab yourself a copy!

Sea & Ash
(Shadows & Ash, Book 1)
By Isadora Brown

Most genteel young women in Hannah Walker's position are looking for a suitor to provide the finer things in life. Hannah isn't one of them. She faces difficult challenges, not the least of which is a disappearing Pyrate Mage, the death of a beloved friend, and finding out exactly what her forbidden magick can do.

Surrounded by intrigue and deception, she must determine who is friend or foe before it destroys her and the people she loves.

In her darker thoughts, she wonders why after all she knows about sexy and alluring Adrian Blood, she still wants him.

Adrian Blood is no gentleman and he's familiar with the stench of evil and lies. He's been alive a long time. Someone is trying to sabotage his efforts to change an inhuman agreement made by despicable men in power.

As he races to find out who the traitor is, his instincts tell him Hannah is in mortal danger and needs his protection. Peril and treachery abound and it's a battle to the death as the bond between him and Hannah grows stronger.

Publication date: October 21st 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

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MY THOUGHTS

Hannah Walker has spent her entire life hiding that she has magick running through her veins. She can tell when people are lying, and her ability is one that she despises. In the world she lives in, those with magick, if caught, are likely to be burned at a Fire Consumption, restrained by iron chains to render their magick useless as they burned to death. But, when Jonathan Nox, a Pyrate Mage who has previously avoided capture, escapes death at the same time as Hannah loses control of her magick, the day before Hannah’s best friend, Claire, is found torn to pieces in the Forest of Legends, Hannah starts to think there might be more going on.

Adrian Blood might be, on the outside, a stubborn and successful businessman, but on the inside, he is so much more. Running a brothel in a town where such a service is otherwise unavailable is a business plan to combat all the other businesses, and yet, Adrian does not completely have control of his brothel, and he is not accustomed to doing as he is told. When Hannah Walker saves him from receiving a silver knife in his back, however unexpected such an action may be, he cannot deny the fact that he now owes her a debt. And what she asks for is something that he may or may not be able to achieve.

Hannah is a character I greatly admired. She is not as brave or bold as her elder sister, Lizzie, and she might obey the rules instead of breaking them every step of the way, but that does not mean Hannah doesn’t have a mind of her own. She is incredibly smart, and underestimated by everyone around her – that is until she comes face to face with Adrian Blood, who, although intimidating, is oddly charming, and captivates her attention. With Hannah’s determination to find out what happened to Claire, and her lack of faith in the Patrol to do what is necessary to find the truth, rather than simply slacking off and asserting their power wherever possible, as they were known to do, she takes it upon herself to do find out what actually happened. And, with Adrian Blood, the powerful and seemingly all-knowing man that he was, on her side, willing to help her to pay back the debt he owed after she saved his life, the truth seems to be reachable.

Adrian is the kind of person I wasn’t too sure about, to begin with, but grew to like as I read. He is not against using force when possible, or threatening to get his own way, but something changes when he meets Hannah. He has always been one to hide away feelings, for to simply not feel was safer than to let things like pity and pain get in the way of getting a job done, but Hannah brings out things, makes him feel things, that he is not entirely sure how to deal with. The two are rather distant through the book, and although they feel drawn to each other, there is more than one thing standing between them. But, when facts start coming to light, Adrian and Hannah start spending more and more time together, and, slowly, they start to grow closer.

This book is full of suspense, for it will reveal one character as someone you think you can trust, and then something will happen and you are not sure you can trust them again. Likewise, there are characters that you are certain are untrustworthy, who prove these ideas wrong and become people you can, perhaps cautiously, put some faith in. Both Hannah and Adrian are surrounded by people they cannot trust, and they are both in danger, although Adrian has a deeper insight into why some people are a threat to him than Hannah does. 

The aspect of fantasy in this book is weaved into the storyline perfectly. Humans are scared about what those with magick are capable of, and react with violence and destroy what they can get their hands on. But, people live below the radar, such as Hannah, and sometimes, even things thought to be scary bedtime stories turn out to be true. Hannah has always through Blood Mages were something her mother told her about to keep her out of the Forest of Legends, dangerous as it is, but with events unfolding as they are, Hannah learns things that question that logic, that might just be enough to prove that the scary stories are very much real, and very capable of hurting her.

This novel ends with strings left untied, and everything seemingly falling apart for Hannah. And, yet, it is not the kind of ending that leaves you without satisfaction, for it is the kind of book you want to spend more time in, and the ending leaves you with plenty of anticipation for book 2. Unfortunately, this book has only just been released, and I will be waiting particularly impatiently to continue reading about Hannah and Adrian, with my fingers crossed that the author will choose a happy ending for them! 

Full disclosure: I am an acquired taste. I'm a typical blonde Orange County suburbanite who says 'like' more than necessary, laughs loud and probably obnoxiously, and loves to dance in the rain. I'm a 28 year old college graduate with more than a few tricks up my sleeve, and I also happen to be a pretty big Ducks fan. Oh, and I'm a writer. Like, for real.

I don't speak in third person (normally) nor do I wear glasses (except when I'm feeling particularly mischievous). I'm lucky to have found my soul mate at the ripe old age of 22, even though he frustrates me on purpose to get a reaction out of me. We live near Disneyland, have two rambunctious female puppies, and have two beautiful girls. He has two amazing boys, and has gotten me hooked on Smallville, watching soccer (okay, okay FOOTBALL - FC Barcelona, baby!), and Cancun Juice.

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Read an excerpt from The Book Boyfriend by Jeanna Louise Skinner #TheBookBoyfriend #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @jeannalstars @UKRomChat @maryanneyarde

The Book Boyfriend

By Jeanna Louise Skinner

Let us find solace in the quiet…"

Emmeline always dreamed of being an author, finding comfort in words and between the pages of her beloved romance novels, but a mental health diagnosis leaves her blocked and unable to write. Then she inherits a crumbling, second-hand bookshop from a mysterious old friend and Emmy discovers that magic is real and maybe her fantasies about the heroes in her favourite historical romances aren't so far-fetched after all.

A handsome stranger–wielding a sword as dangerous as his Tudor past–appears in Emmy's bookshop asking for help. Together they must race against time itself to lift the curse imprisoning him in an ancient book. But when growing threats to her safety are proved real and not another symptom of her illness, Emmy must learn to trust her own voice again. Can she find the words to save Jonathan and her shop before tragedy strikes on the fateful final page? 

Romance-addict Emmy may be, but this damsel is about to kick distress into the Ever After.

Publication Date: 27^th October 2021

Publisher: Violet Gaze Press/Saga Egmont

Page Length: 340 Pages

Genre: Paranormal/Time-Travel Romance

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU

EXCERPT

“Em? Where do you want this one?”    

 

The voice came from the mass of black curls snaking from behind an enormous box.

Emmy ran the short space across the store to help her best friend, Lizzie, heave it on to the counter.     

“Thanks. What you got in there? A ton of books?”

“Funny.” Emmy swatted her on the upper arm. “Is that the last one?”    

“Yep, all done. And now I have my spare room back again… It looks great in here!” Lizzie scanned the store, grinning.    

Antique bookcases ran throughout the shop, along three walls and twisted around hidden corners. Maggie’s battered, oxblood leather armchair still took pride of place in the picture window, but now the green Gumtree sofa sat opposite, with a small, reclaimed pine coffee table in between. Daylight flooded through the sparkling glass and seeped into nooks and crannies. It had taken two weeks of shifting, lifting and cleaning, but thanks to Lizzie (and her spare room) and their mutual friend Dawn, the shop was finally ready for tomorrow’s reopening. The hard work was worth it. They’d salvaged everything they could, from the glitzy chandelier, splashing rainbow-filled sun arrows across the walls and the soft lamps dotted here and there, to the antique telephone in its original red box, which had once stood on the cobbled pavement outside like a sentinel before being rescued by a strident Maggie two decades earlier. Now a quirky reading nook, complete with book-laden shelves and cosy seat, it was Emmy’s favourite spot in the whole store. No longer dim and dingy, Adams' Antique Books was filled with warmth, light and wonder, and was – to Emmy’s mind at least – the perfect place to read and buy books.    

 

“Yeah, it does. Now all we need,” Emmy held up her hands to show her crossed fingers, “are customers…”     

“They’ll come, don’t worry.”    

“I do worry, but I’ve got to try.” Emmy caught a glimpse of herself in the cracked, gilded mirror behind the counter. Her face was a badly drawn caricature, distorted and gurning like her reflection in the funfair hall of mirrors she’d visited with her ex last year. She rearranged the frown etched on her gamine features into a smile, but there was nothing she could do about the haunted look in her dark eyes.     

“Maggie would be proud of you, Ems,” Lizzie said, meeting Emmy’s gaze in the mirror.    

“I hope so,” Emmy whispered.    

Lizzie rested her dark head against Emmy’s blonde one. This should have been a difficult feat, given their five-inch height difference, but Lizzie’s love of heels was legendary. Even her own mother had once joked that she should have been christened wearing Louboutins rather than baby booties. The disparity between the two best friends’ height wasn’t the only notable distinction in their appearances. Where Lizzie was brunette and pocket-sized petite, Emmy’s strawberry blonde waves topped the kind of body that fashion sites liked to market as “plus”. Emmy was nowhere near as reticent and preferred to think of herself simply as fat - and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that, thank you very much. 

But loving her looks hadn’t always come easy. There was a time, yes in her teens. when Emmy would have given anything to not stand out in every class photo, to not tower head and shoulders over most people in a room. But learning to not only accept her body, but to also rejoice in her showstopping-from-every-angle knockout curves, was just one of the many wonderful life lessons Maggie Adams had imparted about being a young woman growing up in a patriarchal society. Of course, the medication she’d recently started taking had made Emmy bigger than ever, but that was a pattern she’d settled to with relative ease. These days, her greatest bugbear about her size was that those same websites didn’t seem to cater for her tallness as well as her fatness, and she often ended up wearing so-called men’s clothes. But this wasn’t such a sacrifice. Emmy was fat and - haunted expression aside - she looked just as fabulous as any other woman, including her tiny-proportioned bestie Lizzie, who she now flung one long arm around to squeeze closer.

“I know so.” Lizzie affirmed. “Now, you know, I’m not into all these ‘Book Boyfriends’ like you, but if I was, this would be the first place I’d come to buy my smut. What could be more romantic?” She spun, arms flung out wide, like a euphoric Julie Andrews on a mountaintop.     

“It is not smut! Austen is not smut, the Brontës are not smut!” Emmy knew Lizzie was trying to distract her, but she couldn’t help reacting all the same.    

“Whatever, but you and I both know that even Maggie’s reluctance in the face of modernity gave way for more and more bodice rippers over the years. Even Breone agrees with me.” Lizzie nodded towards the ginger cat, who was attempting to curl his fat furry body onto a pile of vintage romance novels with limited success. Emmy sighed and grabbed the moggy before he could topple the stack and deposited him on the flagstone floor. The cat turned his squished face away in disgust and somehow slinked into a narrow gap between a bookcase and the wall, orange tail swishing in rebellion.    

“Romance novels can be super feminist, which you’d know if you’d read my dissertation, and as I’ve pointed out multiple times, bodice ripper is an outdated term that doesn’t help shift stock,” Emmy said, pouting as she turned back to Lizzie. “Plus, it sells, so maybe Maggie was on to something.”

“Let’s hope she was right.” Lizzie’s tone was a curious cocktail of doubt and delight as she picked up the book on the top of the pile. “Enchanted Paradise by Johanna Hailey,” she smirked, holding the book up for Emmy to see. 

The cover was your standard 1980s romance novel affair: an impossibly beautiful heterosexual couple in a passionate clinch, the woman’s nudity barely covered by a whisper-thin diaphanous veil, the man - all torso and rippling back muscles gripping her bare flesh in his hands. What set this particular cover apart, however, was its inclusion of a male and female deer, a unicorn and a rainbow in the pastel toned, other-worldly background. And Emmy loved every inch of it! She snatched it from her best friend’s hand with an exasperated tut and set it back on top of the stack as if it were as precious as a first edition Austen. 

“Don’t yuck someone else’s yum.”

“Whatevs,” Lizzie was unperturbed. She whipped her head to the door, dark curls bouncing.  “I think I’ve left something in the car. I’ll be back.” She tripped out of the shop before Emmy could respond.

Jeanna Louise Skinner writes romance with a sprinkling of magic. The Book Boyfriend is her debut novel and she is currently working on a prequel. She has ADHD and CRPS, a rare neuro-inflammatory disorder, and she is passionate about writing about people underrepresented in Romance, especially those with disabilities and chronic health conditions. She’s also the co-creator of UKRomChat, a much-lauded, Romance-centric live Twitter chat. She lives in Devon with her husband, their two children and a cat who sounds like a goat.

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Find out about the inspiration behind In a Grove of Maples (Sheltering Trees: Book 1) by Jenny Knipfer #HistoricalFiction #ChristianHistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @JennyKnipfer @maryanneyarde

 

In a Grove of Maples 

(Sheltering Trees: Book 1)

By Jenny Knipfer

Audio Narrated By Jenn Lee

"... a heartfelt tale of the struggles of married life on a nineteenth-century farm. Edward and Beryl are both relatable and sympathetic. Knipfer expertly captures the emotion and stress of their lives and relationship. It’s a touching and realistic portrayal of love, loss, and friendship." Heather Stockard for Readers’ Favorite five-star review

A HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE PERILS OF NEWLYWED LIFE AND ALL THAT COMES TO DIVIDE LOVERS

In 1897 newly married Beryl and Edward Massart travel more than one thousand miles from Quebec to farm a plot of land in Wisconsin that they bought sight-unseen. An almost magical grove of maples on their property inspires them to dream of a real home built within the grove, not the tiny log cabin they’ve come to live in. 

Misunderstandings and tempers get the better of them when difficulties and troubles arise. Just months after they wed, Edward leaves pregnant Beryl in the midst of the coming winter to tend the farm and animals while he goes to be a teamster at a northern Wisconsin logging camp. 

Will Beryl and Edward walk into the future together to build their house of dreams in the grove of maples, or will their plans topple like a house of sticks when the winds of misunderstanding and disaster strike?

Readers of Christian historical fiction, Historical fiction, Women’s fiction, and Christian historical romance will be endeared to this slice of late 19th century farm life.

Publication Date: 1st July 2021

Publisher: Jenny Knipfer--Author

Page Length: 264 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction

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Let me pass you over to Jenny Knipfer to find out about the inspiration behind In a Grove of Maples!

When I finished writing my By the Light of the Moon series, I knew I wanted to go a different direction for my next novel and make it a less intricately woven story and one inspired by family. 

I never knew my dad’s parents. They died years before I entered this world. Being the youngest of six children, and my dad being the second youngest of thirteen siblings, time kept us apart. Factor in that my dad hovered around the age of fifty at my birth. 

So, though my grandparents lived to be in their 90’s I missed getting to know them. 

All I have of them amounts to a few stories my dad told me and two photographs. One of them with a car they purchased in the 1930’s and one of them at my mom and dad’s wedding in the 1950’s.

Even my siblings don’t know that much about them. They were young when our grandparents passed. My brothers helped me fill in a few gaps of missing information, but when we pooled together all we knew, a lot of gaps and questions remained. And when you are young you don’t think about asking your parents about the details of their parents’ lives. I wish I’d asked more questions and listened better. 

I recall my dad telling me how grandma sold eggs to the store and saved her money to purchase special things for himself and his siblings. Out of the few times I saw my father cry, most of those were when he spoke of his mother. He had loved her greatly, and that told me all I needed to know about the kind of person she had been. 
I knew that she stayed home and tended the farm and children in the early years of marriage, so Grandpa could go be a teamster at a logging camp up north in Wisconsin. 

Dad never talked much about his father, but I gathered from what he did tell me that Grandpa had been a hard-working man but prone to temper, once in a while. I like to think that he and Grandma had forged a good life together through the years, despite the challenges.

Armed with a handful of historical facts, I began to wonder and ask myself questions about what the lives of my grandparents may have been like as a newly married couple, buying a farm in Wisconsin, their roots being from Quebec. What could have been their story began to formulate in my mind. Characters took shape and spoke, showing me a story of trials, tested love, heartache, and tragedy with an underlying current that in spite of or perhaps even because of the unforeseen events of life, dreams can come true. I hope readers find that true as they read In a Grove of Maples.

Jenny lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ken, and their pet Yorkie, Ruby. She is also a mom and loves being a grandma. She enjoys many creative pursuits but finds writing the most fulfilling.

Spending many years as a librarian in a local public library, Jenny recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disability. Her education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions.

She holds membership in the: Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, Wisconsin Writers Association, Christian Indie Publishing Association, and Independent Book Publishers Association.

Jenny’s favorite place to relax is by the western shore of Lake Superior, where her novel series, By The Light of the Moon, is set. A new historical fiction, four-part series entitled, Sheltering Trees, will be released in 2021 and 2022. Jenny is currently writing a novella series entitled, Botanical Seasons. 

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Read my review of Widdershins (Widdershins, Book 1) by Helen Steadman, narrated by Christine Mackie #Audiobook #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @hsteadman1650 @maryanneyarde

 

Widdershins

(Widdershins, Book 1)

By Helen Steadman

Narrated by Christine Mackie

The new audio book of Widdershins is narrated brilliantly by talented actor, Christine Mackie, from Downton Abbey, Coronation Street, Wire in the Blood, and so on.  

The first part of a two-part series, Widdershins is inspired by the Newcastle witch trials, where 16 people were hanged. Despite being the largest mass execution of witches on a single day in England, these trials are not widely known about. In August 1650, 15 women and one man were hanged as witches after a Scottish witchfinder found them guilty of consorting with the devil. This notorious man was hired by the Puritan authorities in response to a petition from the Newcastle townsfolk who wanted to be rid of their witches. 

Widdershins is told through the eyes of Jane Chandler, a young woman accused of witchcraft, and John Sharpe, the witchfinder who condemns her to death. Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane soon learns that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world. From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witchfinder and save in-nocents from the scourge of witchcraft. 

Praise for Widdershins

The Historical Novel Society said of Widdershins: “Impeccably written, full of herbal lore and the clash of ignorance and prejudice against common sense, as well as the abounding beauty of nature, it made for a great read. There are plenty of books, both fact and fiction, available about the witch-trial era, but not only did I not know about such trials in Newcastle, I have not read a novel that so painstakingly and vividly evokes both the fear and joy of living at that time.”

Publication Date: 25th June 2021
Publisher: Impress Books
Audiobook Length: 8.5 hours
Genre: Historical Fiction

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MY THOUGHTS

Losing his mother at birth, John Sharpe was left to a father who blamed him for his own mother’s death, and Dora Shaw, the midwife who had delivered him into this world. Neither was particularly preferable role models, as his father often beat John, and while Dora was an accomplished midwife, there were those who considered her abilities akin to those of a witch.

Jane Chandler is following in her mother’s footsteps, learning about the herbs and flowers of the world, and which could be used to revive health in those who lacked it. But there are those around her who would keep secrets from her, who would tell her not to eavesdrop and then speak in low voices so she could not hear. Jane is curious by nature, and if she wants to do something, the words of someone telling her not to only seem to spur her on, landing her in trouble more than once.

Following the stories of both these characters, we slowly learn who these people are, and how they are connected to the Newcastle witch trials, albeit their connections are very different. This book follows these two characters from the early years of their lives, for John, we see his life since his birth, and for Jane, since she was a child. As we watch these people grow up, it becomes very clear, very quickly, that they have different experiences in the world, which have led to very different viewpoints.

I adored Jane, she is a wonderful character and so incredibly kind. She is ready to rush to help anyone, no matter how much work it may cause for herself. There are those around Jane, as well, who help to give her the positive outlook on the world that she has—her mother in particular shows Jane how to grow into the kind spirit that she does.

John is a different character altogether. He had a difficult childhood, and when his uncle, a man of the kirk, takes him in, his life takes on a religious aspect as well. As he takes in his uncle's sermons, John tries to learn where he belongs, and what his role in this cruel world is. John is a character I can truly say I despised. He grows obsessed with witches, finding them and bringing them to justice, and his methods are not at all fair, nor are the results always true. John turns from an innocent boy, haunted by his father’s fists, into a man not unlike his father. He treats his wife terribly, and it was incredibly upsetting to follow his story as he abused so many, and that the women in this novel had little to no rights, as it was the time period. They were blamed for everything, even though most was not their fault, and anything they did could be twisted into a tale that could pronounce them as someone who consorted with the Devil.

Flipping between John’s chapters and Jane’s chapters, I found Jane’s turned into a small respite from the horrors of John’s, and yet, I was still kept on edge. There were things that Jane did, such as preparing herbs with her mother, and the ways she lived her life, that seemed perfectly natural but made me concerned for her after coming from a chapter about John. John taught me of all the terrible ways women were caught, tried, and murdered on suspicion of witchcraft, and I found myself finding the ‘witch’ mannerisms in Jane’s chapters. This made me hate John all the more, for he made me start searching, in the way that people did in history. If one man said someone was a witch, people were more than willing to believe it and find any excuse to prove it, even if there was no proof and the prejudice spread. John tried to spread this prejudice to me, and he was doing it through the words of a novel. This book is the kind that will play with your mind, and the realism depicted helps to twist your thinking, for you almost live the story among the characters.

 I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Christine Mackie, and she has done a fabulous job of transporting you into this world. The calmness of her voice, contrasting the terrors of the story, built more tension than I could’ve imagined possible, and although I usually much prefer reading than listening to stories, the audio version of this novel has added something to this novel that affected me all the more.

As this book draws to a close, you are left thinking that, finally, you will be able to relax, with every string tied up and that the story will be concluded nicely. However, out of the blue, you are hit with a plot twist and a cliffhanger all in one. It throws everything off course, and you are left, with no more story to listen to, desperate to know what happens next. 

If you are after a book to draw you in with the ambience of the words and trap you as if a spell has been cast, this is the one for you. And, if you want the tension to build even more, with the voice of Christine Mackie in your ears, grab the audiobook.

Dr Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. Her first novel, Widdershins and its sequel, Sunwise were inspired by the Newcastle witch trials. Her third novel, The Running Wolf was inspired by a group of Lutheran swordmakers who defected from Germany to England in 1687.

Despite the Newcastle witch trials being the largest mass execution of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hid-den histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in Widdershins and Sunwise, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.

The Running Wolf is the story of a group of master swordmakers who left Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive re-search and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook black-smith training, which culminated in making her own sword. During her archive research, Helen uncovered a lot of new material and she published her findings in the Northern History journal.

Helen is now working on her fourth novel.

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Christine Mackie has worked extensively in TV over the last thirty years in well-known TV series such as Downton Abbey, Wire in the Blood, Coronation Street, French & Saunders and The Grand. Theatre work includes numerous productions in new writing as well as classics, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors, Richard III, An Inspector Calls, and the Railway Children. In a recent all women version of Whisky Galore, Christine played three men, three women and a Red Setter dog! 

IMDB for Christine Mackie 

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Read an excerpt from Sea & Ash By Heather C. Myers #Fantasy #YoungAdult #Excerpt @XpressoTours

Sea & Ash

By Heather C. Myers

Seventeen year old Hannah Walker can tell when people are lying and she hates it. This magic has been with her since she was born and no one has taught her a thing about it or why she has it in the first place. The only thing she knows is that if it’s discovered, she will be put to death. Not even being the second daughter of Port Ankura’s manager will save her from the strict laws put forth by the regency concerning magic.

When Hannah’s best friend is found brutally murdered, Hannah vows to solve who committed such a vicious act no matter what the cost. She enlists the help of businessman Adrian Blood, a man as wicked as he is handsome, in hopes to use his vast resources to find the killer. He owes her a debt after she saved his life and exposed her magic to him in the process. They strike a bargain: help her find out what happened to her friend and she’ll use her powers to tell him who wants to kill him.

Clues begin to pile up, hinting that the murderer isn’t a man at all, but a Blood Mage. Blood Mages are thought to be stories that scare wicked children into compliance. They live on their ships during the day and terrorize land at night, feeding on blood of the innocent to survive.

As they chase down leads and sneak into the morgue in order to inspect the body, Hannah starts to feel things for Adrian she shouldn’t. Not only is Adrian dangerous, but there’s something she can’t quite put her finger on. More than that, Hannah knows Adrian is keeping a secret from her. Can she learn to trust him anyway, even knowing that whatever Adrian is hiding might be the key to everything?

SEA & ASH has the dark paranormal mystery of the STALKING JACK THE RIPPER COLLECTION by Kerri Maniscalo, and the forbidden romance of FROM BLOOD AND ASH by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It is the first in a trilogy.

Publication date: October 21st 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

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EXCERPT

“This is my bedroom,” he remarked, heading over to the trunks at the foot of the bed with a feline grace that was difficult to look away from. Each step he took, even as he walked away from me, was poignant and powerful. He commanded the room. 

My heart quickened, my eyes darted around, and I took a step back. Realization settled. I was in Adrian Blood’s bedroom all by myself, and the only way out was behind me.  

I took another step back, keeping my eyes focused on him the whole time. 

He opened the trunks and began to rifle through his things. The silence filled the room as I took another step back, the door hitting my back.  

Adrian turned. My eyes darted to his hands, noticing clothing in them. I shivered. I longed to get out of my wet clothes but doing so would mean my skin would be touched by something that had also touched Adrian’s. I hesitated.  

“Stubborn fool,” he said, taking a step towards me. “Does your pride know no bounds?” 

“This is not pride, but propriety,” I shot back. “It would be unseemly if I wore your clothes.” 

“Would you rather be unseemly or caught with a cold?” He dropped the clothes by my feet. “Tell me, how would you explain that to your father, when he expects you to be the good girl he thinks you are?” 

As much as I hated to admit it, Adrian was right. If I caught a cold, I would have no way of explaining myself. 

“Fine. Would you mind turning around?” I reached behind me and removed my dress. It easily came undone, leaving me in nothing but a corset and petticoats. I sucked in a breath and shot Adrian a glare. “Well?” 

“You may need assistance with your corset,” he pointed out. “The rain has a tendency to tangle things together.” 

I slid off my coat before reaching behind me to pull the lace from my corset just to prove him wrong before insisting he refrain from looking at me but found that the rain had made it more difficult to unknot. I clenched my teeth together to keep myself from grunting out loud and yanked. It refused to budge. My face turned red but I locked my jaw. I would not ask him for any sort of assistance. 

“Like I said, stubborn fool,” he muttered. “Hugstari.” 

His hands ghosted over my skin, moving my fingers off  the lace so my arm fell slowly down to my side. I should have pushed him away. I should have turned and walked out of the door.  

With nimble, strong fingers, he undid the knot and began to tug the lace out of the corset. A gentle coolness swept across my chest, and I sucked in my stomach, crossing my arms over my torso in hopes that they might assist with keeping me warm.  My spine straightened, alerted to the fact the corset itself had opened up in the back, leaving me entirely exposed. 

Without warning, a fingertip brushed my spine and my eyes snapped open as I let out a hiss. I glanced behind me, glaring. “Don’t touch me,” I snarled. 

He took a step back. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he said. “If I wanted to consume you, I would have already.” 

I shuddered. I had no doubt he would have. 

Full disclosure: I am an acquired taste. I'm a typical blonde Orange County suburbanite who says 'like' more than necessary, laughs loud and probably obnoxiously, and loves to dance in the rain. I'm a 28 year old college graduate with more than a few tricks up my sleeve, and I also happen to be a pretty big Ducks fan. Oh, and I'm a writer. Like, for real.

I don't speak in third person (normally) nor do I wear glasses (except when I'm feeling particularly mischievous). I'm lucky to have found my soul mate at the ripe old age of 22, even though he frustrates me on purpose to get a reaction out of me. We live near Disneyland, have two rambunctious female puppies, and have two beautiful girls. He has two amazing boys, and has gotten me hooked on Smallville, watching soccer (okay, okay FOOTBALL - FC Barcelona, baby!), and Cancun Juice.

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Check out the cover for The Liars Beneath by Heather L. Powell! #Thriller #YoungAdult #CoverReveal @XpressoTours @HeatherLPowell

The Liars Beneath

By Heather L. Powell

A romantically dark YA thriller set in the backdrop of Iowa’s suspenseful farmlands.

After a tragic accident ends her best friend’s life, 17-year-old Becca Thompson succumbs to grief the only way she knows how: by wallowing in it. She’s a fragment of the person she once was—far too broken to enjoy the summer before her senior year. But when Ben McCain, her best friend’s older brother, returns home, Becca must face her new reality head on.

She isn’t interested in Ben’s games, especially since he abandoned his sister during the months leading up to her death. But when he begs for her help in uncovering the truth about what really happened the night of his sister’s death, Becca finds herself agreeing, hoping to clear up rumors swirling in the wake of her best friend’s accident.

An unhinged ex-boyfriend, secret bucket lists, and garage parties in the place Becca calls home soon lead her to the answers she’s so desperate to unveil. But nobody is being honest, not even Ben. And the closer Becca gets to the truth—and to Ben—the more danger seems to surround her.

Clearing her best friend’s name was all she wanted to do, but Becca is quickly realizing that the truth she craves might be uglier than the lies her best friend kept.

Publication date: January 27th 2022
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

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Heather Powell is Midwestern-born author with a love of all things spontaneous road trips, TV shows that leave her questioning her morals, and book boyfriends. As a graduate of Black Hawk College, Heather took her degree in early childhood development, tossed it into the garbage, and is now living the dream writing young adult novels sprinkled with suspense and lots of kissing.

She’s currently living out her own version of a happily ever after with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband, their three hugely feminist daughters, and two fur babies with bad attitudes. When she’s not being a mom or writing books, you can find her drinking way too many energy drinks or crashing out on her sofa with a romance novel of some sort.

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