Thursday, August 20, 2026

Book Blitz - Aurora Rift: A Man Out of Time by Thomas LeBrun


AURORA DRIFT:
A Man Out of Time
by
Thomas LeBrun

Science Fiction
Publication Date: July 18, 2026
Page count: 276 pages

SYNOPSIS:

Dr. Kyle Richards thought he was chasing wonder.

An Evolutionary Anthropologist, respected lecturer, martial artist, husband, and father, Kyle journeys to Northern Norway in search of the breathtaking Aurora Borealis and the ancient petroglyphs of Alta. But beneath the dancing northern lights, something impossible happens. A violent geomagnetic phenomenon tears Kyle from the modern world and hurls him across the corridors of time.

What begins as scientific fascination quickly becomes a desperate fight for survival.

Thrown into the Stone Age among primitive hunters, Kyle unknowingly leaves behind clues that will survive for thousands of years. He battles Viking warriors, walks beside Silk Road caravans, witnesses the rise of empires, and survives civilizations most people only read about in history books. Along the way, he encounters moments that forever alter him—including an unforgettable friendship with a young boy who will one day become Genghis Khan and a journey east with Marco Polo toward the legendary court of Kublai Khan.

But every jump through time comes at a cost.

As Kyle struggles to survive brutal landscapes, ancient warfare, and the terrifying instability of the auroral corridor itself, the man he once was slowly begins to disappear beneath scars, grief, and centuries of memory. Meanwhile, back in present-day Pennsylvania, his wife Samantha refuses to give up hope. Alongside archaeologists and scientists searching for answers, she uncovers ancient carvings, unexplained historical anomalies, and evidence suggesting Kyle may still be alive somewhere… in another time.

AURORA RIFT: A Man Out of Time is an epic blend of historical adventure, science, survival, and emotional human drama. Spanning thousands of years of civilization from Stone Age Norway to the Persian Empire of Xerxes, from Viking seas to the vast Mongol world the novel asks a haunting question:

If time itself opened before you… Would you ever truly find your way home again?

 CLICK TO PURCHASE!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Thomas LeBrun began his martial arts training in the early 1970s, inspired by Bruce Lee and Joe Frazier. He formally studied Judo, Tae Kwon Do, and Okinawan Kenpo, later expanding into Yoshitsune Ju-Jitsu under Sensei Michael DePasquale Sr. and Jr., as well as Aikido, Arnis, pressure-point applications, and boxing. His dedication earned him rank in multiple disciplines.

LeBrun’s path led him to the Close Protection field, where his martial arts knowledge evolved into specialized training in defensive arts, non-traditional weapons, and personal security. He has protected high-profile clients such as Bill Gates, Elton John, and Whitney Houston, working in more than 45 countries. In 2009, he created LeBrun’s American Combatives, a modern system bridging traditional martial arts with real-world application, later authenticated by Grand Master Ron Van Clief and Shidoshi Glen Perry.

A recognized authority in defensive arts, LeBrun earned his 10th dan in Hogoshin-Do in 2022 and has been honored with multiple awards, including Security Expert of the Year (2021) and induction into the Ultimate Warrior Class (2022). He is also a multi-award-winning, #1 international best-selling author of Hiding in Plain Sight and the Cameron Stone series and was named Best Action & Thriller Author in Alabama, United States of 2025.


RABT Book Tours & PR

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Everything That's Left Behind by Kelly Lydick


Everything That's Left Behind
by
Kelly Lydick

Fiction / Science Fiction
Publisher: Sapphire Stories
Publication Date: June 28, 2026
Page count: 302 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

When Nichola Rodale stumbles upon information suggesting her father—a renowned scientist and brilliant puzzle maker—may not have died during The Great Drought, she embarks on a perilous journey across the desolate American Southwest to discover the truth.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kelly Lydick’s writing has appeared in Natural Awakenings, Co Yoga + Life, True Blue Spirit, American Art Collector, Western Art Collector, and many others. She has been featured on NPR’s The Writers’ Block and the Word podcast, and on iHeart radio. She is the author of the experimental Mastering the Dream, a contributing author to the anthology Dreams That Change Our Lives, and the author of Dream Incubation for Greater Self-Awareness: A Handbook. Everything That’s Left Behind is her first novel.


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RABT Book Tours & PR

Universe Tour & Giveaway: The Fractured Arcana by Steven J. Morris



Two series, one shattered universe: 
an ancient war that forged magic, 
and the modern invasion that it made possible.




Mother of Trees
Thaumatropic Roots Book 1
Part of the Fractured Arcana Universe
by
Steven J. Morris


Genre: Epic Fantasy


A dying goddess. A fractured prophecy. A magicless elf who shouldn't exist.

Elliah has spent her entire life being told what she is—bereft, wrong, a mistake the world would prefer to correct. Drifting from town to town with a mother who won't explain why they keep running, she has no magic, no place, and no future. Then a single misstep draws the attention of those who've been looking for her, and everything her mother was hiding comes apart.

She isn't ready for what she learns. But ready was never an option.

Mother of Trees is the thrilling first book in the Thaumatropic Roots epic fantasy series. Enter a world of dangerous magic, ancient powers, and one impossible girl who refuses to stay down.

 

Amazon * BookBub * Goodreads




Elliah ~ 1

My mother told me many times that all adolescents feel like they don't belong, but… I really didn't. So I spent my free time away from other elves, on my own but for the animals… they didn't understand how broken I was. And I was quite pleased with my current find, so I snarled when a noise behind me scared away the drakeling that had settled in my hands. Black with a pattern of red scales along its spine, its body the thickness of my finger, it took flight with a flurry of thin leathery wings and disappeared behind a massive brown trunk.

"The real ones are much more intimidating," said an unfamiliar voice.

Time slowed as I tensed to run, shocked that I'd let my guard down so much that anyone had gotten that close. How many lurked behind me? On the outskirts of town, in the thick of the woods near the river, I had expected solitude.

"Stay, Bereft. I am not afraid," said the voice. His words provoked me.

"No one's afraid of me," I blurted. Bitterness stained my words as surely as the pollen of the bloodcups had stained my ragged clothes.

I turned away from the vanished drakeling to focus on the intruder who'd scared it away. A man. No, I corrected myself, someone my age. Someone not quite old enough for adults to consider one of their own, but too old to call a child.

But not Bereft. No other elf shared that with me.

The newcomer was slightly taller than me with a thin frame, his light hair hanging long, wild, and tangled. He was new to the village—I would have noticed an elf with skin so light. I'd heard whispers of him at school. Kethryllia had called him Salt-kissed, and I'd wondered what that meant, but his light skin answered that question. He'd undoubtedly caught whispers about me, heard of my… condition. Bereft. Yet at that moment, I thought only of the hours of coaxing I'd spent to draw the little drakeling into my grasp, and that the stupid elf had scared it away. I wanted to punch him.

"Maybe they should be," he said, taking a step back, though it would have taken me two leaps to get to him, and he'd have me pinned in one, if he had any skill with magic at all. But I'd prepared a leap already, only not in his direction. As I sprung away, he continued, raising his voice, "And you're right, they're not afraid of you."

I landed with a tree between us. His magic wouldn't be able to snag me there. Unless he was very good at it.

"They're afraid of what you represent."



Continue the Thaumatropic Roots Series

Magic is as natural as breathing in Elliah's world — except to her. Born without a single spark in a war that runs on it, she has nothing but her will and her refusal to accept the limits everyone else has already decided for her. This is what happens when the world writes you out of the story, and you refuse to leave.

 

Get them:

Mother of Trees

Bones of Cenaedth

Secrets of Deara

Shepherds of Truth


The Guardian of the Palace
The Guardian League Book 1
Part of the Fractured Arcana Universe
by
Steven J. Morris


Genre: Urban Fantasy


Magic isn’t real.
Red Hernandez is very sure of that.

She wants a quiet life after Special Forces—just a steady security job at a half-finished Manhattan skyscraper.

But then a sister tower implodes in a way physics can’t explain.
Witnesses report creatures in the smoke.
And something hunts her in the tunnels beneath.

Red wants answers. What she gets instead is an elf with a sword, a troll with a wry sense of humor, and a dwarf who believes every battle requires an audience. They insist an ancient enemy has crossed into our world—and Red becomes an accidental gatekeeper simply because she’s standing on the fault line when it cracks open.

As a hidden war erupts in the shadows of New York City, Red must decide: run from the past that nearly destroyed her… or fight for a world she’s only just beginning to believe in.

A veteran with nothing left to lose.
A threat born of magic and shadow.
A team she never saw coming.

The Guardian of the Palace launches the action-packed Guardian League series—perfect for fans of urban fantasy, modern-world magic, found family, and heroines who refuse to back down.

 

Amazon * BookBub * Goodreads



Prologue

Corpses patterned the ground as far as my eye could see, a patchwork quilt of death.

I stood atop a skeletal tower, overlooking the broken ruins of an ancient civilization, so very far from home. I envisioned the beauty that the soaring arches once held, the bridges between the constructs reaching out with broken arms, buildings leaning against one another like ancient lovers in a final embrace. Crumbled remains powdered the bases of former statues, and, everywhere, all of it was littered with the dead.

Like a phoenix, I stood, bathed in fire. An Angel of Death. Not the Angel of Death—he was an ass.

A part of me wanted to go down and see for myself. Maybe just to make sure… to make sure I had done my job… and killed everyone that used to inhabit that world. The magic I was wielding should have destroyed them all—something inside of me could feel that it had—but I wanted to see it.

Yet I knew that was unrealistic. I didn't have the time. There were other worlds that needed my infection, and Earth was on my shortlist.

  

Chapter 1

Red - Day 20, Sunday, the day after the attack

"Ms. Hernandez?" a muffled voice called from a distance, accompanied by a gentle rapping on a door. My consciousness registered the interruption as a nuisance and pulled me back under.

What seemed like seconds later, the rapping came again, more insistent. "Ms. Hernandez."

Ms. Hernandez was my mom… why were they bothering me?

Then a scraping sound, and an alarmed voice. "Ms. Hernandez! Are you okay?"

Some scrambling, some grunts, more scraping… shit, I was going to have to wake up. Why couldn't they just let me sleep?

I tried to answer, but my throat was dry and nothing came out. Coughing, I attempted to sit up, not wholly returned from my trip to dreamland. "I'm here. I'm okay." Was I though? I wasn't sure.

I was in my flat. Not the desert. My door was partway open, and a slightly overweight man had paused in the act of pushing his way in. I recognized him, but his name escaped me. Swinging my legs off my cot, I did a quick modesty check. I was fully dressed, though rather tragically, in some semblance of civilian fatigues—muddied, disheveled, and a little bloody.

The reason came screaming back to me. There had been creatures, unearthly monsters, in The Palace. They'd done things I could not explain by any of the rules I knew. And they'd beaten the hell out of me and then patched me back up in a matter of seconds. I'd blown the head clean off of one of them and fled the scene.

Not my smartest move.



Continue The Guardian League Series!


Earth, through its technological advances, supports nearly eight billion souls; from a cosmic perspective, that makes it ripe for the picking. 'Red' Hernandez, trying to put a questionable military life behind her, finds herself caught in the middle of stopping an apocalyptic invasion of Earth. But to do that, she has to figure out who the good guys are, and how she can combat forces in which she does not believe.

 

Get them:

The Guardian of the Palace

Stars in the Sand

We’re Going On An Elf Hunt

The Song Unsung

Get the Box Set Here



Steven J. Morris writes fantasy where magic runs deep and the consequences run deeper. By day he's an engineer and father of three in Austin, Texas. He's the author of eight novels across two completed series — the epic Thaumatropic Roots and the urban Guardian League — both set in the shared Fractured Arcana universe. Find him at sjmorriswrites.com.

 

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Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Review Tour & Giveaway - Dragonslayer's Valkyrie: The Legend of Sigurd and Brynhildr by Jennifer Ivy Walker


 Dragonslayer's Valkyrie:

The Legend of Sigurd and Brynhildr

by
Jennifer Ivy Walker

Historical Romance
Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications
Publication Date: June 21, 2026
Page count: 388 pages

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

SYNOPSIS:

Last of the Völsung line of kings descended from Odin, Sigurd is one of the elite SjĂłrĂşlfar—the fearsome Sea Wolves of southern Norway. Endowed with the divine blood of the wolf, he seeks glory at the SĂłlhjarta Summer Solstice Tournament to avenge his father’s death.

Brynhildr, daughter of the Raven King, is the Sun Falcon shieldmaiden and gifted seeress who has glimpsed her fate as a Valkyrie in a seiðr vision. When her father decrees she must wed the tournament’s champion, she summons Freyja for guidance—only to learn her future is bound to Sigurd.

As the Norns tighten the intricate threads of fate, Brynhildr must guide Sigurd toward his destiny as a dragonslayer—by defying the web of wyrd and incurring the wrath of Odin.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!


ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

The SĂłlhjarta Tournament

As the setting sun lit the evening sky and glistening fjord with brilliant shades of crimson fire, Brynhildr’s gaze wandered to the drakkar ship whose fierce blue dragon prow was etched with snarling silver wolves.
 
That is his ship. The fearsome warrior known as Sigurd Sea Wolf.
 
He’d caught her attention the very first day of the competition, for not only did he stand half a head taller than all the other warriors, his blue grey wolfskin cloak, shimmering in the summer sun, had given him the otherworldly air of a god. Deep blue gems glittered in his braided blond hair, pulled back from his rugged face and tied with leather at the nape of his corded neck. Lapis lazuli stones glinted in his golden beard, braided like his long thick hair. As Brynhildr had sat beside her faðir on the elevated dais to watch the competition, a sizzle of seiðr had shivered up her spine when he’d removed his wolfskin cloak and tunic.
           
Dark blond hair and blue tattoos covered his rippled chest, and for the first time in her entire life, Brynhildr had shared Astrid’s fascination for the spear-throwing event.
 
Even his spear had caught her attention.
 
The pale wood of his impressive weapon had been painted with blue swirling waves and silver snarling wolves, like his magnificent drakkar longship. And when he’d hurled the spear farther than any other competitor, a thrill of triumph had coursed through her veins, as if she had thrown the weapon herself.
 
That night, at the feast, her searching gaze had found him seated among the SjĂłrĂşlfar, the firelight in her faðir’s royal hall wreathing Sigurd’s wolfskin cloak in shimmery sapphire. He’d pierced her with fierce lupine eyes and seared her soul with a scorching smile.
 
All week long, she’d watched him. He ran more swiftly and swam more surely than the other warriors, as if he were indeed a Sea Wolf. Tonight, at the feast, her faðir would present gifts to the ten competitors—including Sigurd from SjĂłborg—who had won the preliminary trials and would therefore advance to the next round of events in the Summer Solstice Tournament.
 
There would be a thrilling competition of three skálds, each vying for the prestigious title of Skáld of the Sólhjarta Tournament.
 
And after the bountiful feast, guests would dance around a bonfire beneath the stars.
 
Brynhildr’s legs trembled under her silk gown at the thought of being in the Sea Wolf’s arms.
 
If just looking at him sends shivers of seiðr up my spine, what will it be like to touch him?
 
A shudder of anticipation shook her whole body.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval Celtic, Nordic, and paranormal romance, as well as contemporary romance, historical fantasy, and WWII romantic suspense.

A former high school teacher and college professor of French with an MA in French literature, her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, including Celtic myths and legends, Norse mythology, Viking sagas, and Nordic lore.

List of Books by Jennifer Ivy Walker
 
The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven
The Lady of the Mirrored Lake
The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight
Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle
A Celtic Yuletide Carol
The Witch of the Breton Woods
Flames of Flamenco
Amour in Avignon
Dragon of Denmark
Wolf of the Nordic Seas
Falcon of the Faroe Islands
Dragonslayer’s Valkyrie: The Legend of Sigurd and Brynhildr



REVIEW:

5 stars!

A masterpiece of reimagining a Nordic folk legend. 

Dragonslayer's Valkyrie: The Legend of Sigurd and Brynhildr is the debut novel in author Jennifer Ivy Walker's exciting new Viking Dragonslayers series, and is a masterful reimagining of a renowned Nordic folk legend. While retaining the bones of the ancient story, Walker's lyrical prose, attention to historic detail, and creativity make the tale her own. 

Told in the alternating points of view of the two fated lovers, the story begins with Sigurd's final trial of ability, strength, stamina, and determination before he is enrolled in the ranks of the elite Sea Wolves of his stepfather, King Alfr. His successful narrative is followed by Brynhildr's introduction and her fantastical summoning of Freyja for the goddess's confirmation of Brynhildr's future as a shieldmaiden rather than the simpering prize of a tournament victor. These wonderful openings set the stage for what's to come and define their early strengths of mind and body. 

Readers are treated to the innermost thoughts and desires of these two earnest and deserving young people, establishing their worthiness for what will become a legendary love story. The author excels at delivering meaningful thought processes and dialogue that sounds natural, authentic, and makes sense. However, the author's skills truly shine in incorporating perfectly appropriate, timely descriptions of settings, rituals, and the characters' daily lives without bogging the story down in minutiae. The research that must have been done is evident in the vivid, precise details organically blended into every scene. 

Sigurd and Brynhildr's attraction blossoms into aching longing, and their union and fulfillment are accomplished openly as part of the story, so be prepared if full disclosure makes you uncomfortable. The same care used to depict daily life or religious ceremonies is applied to revealing the pair's emotional and physical relationship. 

The plot moves at an exciting pace as the characters are introduced and the scenes are set. Sigurd's and Brynhildr's hopes, dreams, pride, and longing will become yours as events intervene between these two classic fated mates. If their story weren't legendary before, it certainly would be now. 

I recommend DRAGONSLAYER'S VALKYRIE: THE LEGEND OF SIGURD AND BRYNHILDR to readers of historical romance, historical fiction, fantasy romance, and folktale retellings.




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Jennifer Ivy Walker will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.



Book Review: Sword Brethren (The Northern Crusader Chronicles, #1) by Jon Byrne

Sword Brethren (The Northern Crusader Chronicles, #1)Sword Brethren by Jon Byrne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fascinating tale of a dispossessed English lord and his journey to knighthood as a Christian warrior-monk.

Sword Brethren is the first book in author Jon Byrne’s fascinating 13th-century-set crusades series, The Northern Crusader Chronicles, which follows the life of a young, dispossessed English lord, Richard Fitz Simon, from the murder of his father to joining the Livonian Order of Swordbrothers to defend and advance the easternmost boundary of Christendom in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Fourteen-year-old Richard and his father’s loyal steward, Wilhelm Weber, flee their home in England only steps ahead of assassins sent by his treacherous Uncle Gilbert, who murdered his own brother for his land, money, and title. The two fugitives escape to LĂĽbeck, where Wilhelm’s brother still operates the family salt business, only to find Everhard is very resentful of Wilhelm’s past. Penniless, he and Wilhelm depend on Everhard’s grudging goodwill to subsist until Richard’s secret relationship with Everhard’s daughter, Elsebeth, is revealed and changes everything. Fleeing for his life, Richard finds passage on a ship bound for Riga and a life in the service of the Livonian brothers of the sword, whose mission is to safeguard the recently established outposts and assist in converting the local pagan tribespeople to Christianity.

The story is told by 53-year-old Richard Fitz Simon, a prisoner of Prince Alexander Nevsky, captured after the battle on the ice of Lake Peipus. Severely wounded, he must recover before he can be ransomed back to his order, and as his convalescence progresses, he dictates the story of his life to an Irish scribe provided by the prince who is mightily intrigued by his past. Richard complies to pass the time and, hopefully, have the resulting memoir sent to the son he left behind when he fled LĂĽbeck.

Richard is an engaging, relatable character, frustrated by circumstances that never should have been. At 14, he is an earnest young man, desirous of gaining the approval of his emotionally distant and dismissive father and following in the noble path laid out for him from birth. However, Richard has a fiery temper that often overrides his good sense, landing him in serious trouble many times over the course of his life. Yet, no matter what, when danger appears, he invariably chooses the road of honor. His story is filled with obstacles created by encounters with those who have chosen otherwise, whether because of jealousy, greed, pride, or prejudice, and they do their utmost to harm him or worse.

The plot moves swiftly, with a ton of action in a very short timeframe, as only two years pass in the tale of his past, and it concludes when he is 16. The author creates a vivid, vibrant medieval backdrop for Richard’s tale, whether in London or on the fringes of civilization. The settings are so well drawn that readers will almost feel or see or smell the character’s surroundings.

I recommend SWORD BRETHREN to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the Baltic region crusades.



View all my reviews

Monday, August 17, 2026

Book Blast & Giveaway - The Call to Authorship: How and Why to Write, Publish, and Promote a Nonfiction Book by Tim Lindsay


The Call to Authorship:
How and Why to Write, Publish, and Promote a Nonfiction Book
by
Tim Lindsay

Nonfiction
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: November 2, 2025
Page count: 298 pages

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tours.

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SYNOPSIS:
Embrace the call to authorship: 10 steps to leverage the power of a book!

Books help people—they inform, inspire, and engage. Books are also a powerful force for those who write them. Publishing a book builds your authority, sharpens your thinking, and opens doors to media exposure, speaking engagements, partnerships, and more.

Despite the greater accessibility of publishing than ever before, many would-be authors hesitate. They get stuck with self-doubt or believe producing a book is incompatible with a busy life. They may start writing but don't finish. Or they finish but don't publish or market their books.

The truth? With a little dedicated time, consistent effort, and the right guidance, anyone can publish a book that changes lives for the better. And they should.

Put down your phone. Take the leap from consumer to creator!

This step-by-step guide will show you how to:
- Use a one-page tool to clarify your goals, target audience and plan.
- Craft an outline that drives your manuscript forward.
- Overcome mental roadblocks and craft habits to finish your first draft in months, not years—even with a busy schedule.
- Select a publishing model, refine your manuscript, and make informed design and distribution decisions.
- Employ promotional strategies to achieve goals that transcend royalties.

Become more than you are. Have courage. Commit to growth by authoring a book, strengthening your ability to serve. Write with purpose. Publish for impact!

Bonus for book professionals: Special content for book coaches, editors, and ghostwriters—those helping ordinary people become extraordinary authors.
CLICK TO PURCHASE!

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READ AN EXCERPT:

We live in an age of swipes, scrolls and soundbites, where attention is fragmented and surface-level engagement is the norm. In such a world, choosing to sit down and write is bold indeed.

Writing a book is an act of meaning-making. It’s how we wrestle with ideas, make sense of experience, and speak into the noise with words that are considered and enduring. It takes courage to believe that your words matter. It takes character to see them through and shape them into a book.

That journey often begins with a spark. Maybe you’ve been through something, built something, learned something—and now you feel the quiet tug: This should be a book.

But with that tug often comes hesitation: Who am I to write this? Will anyone care? I’ve heard those doubts from countless aspiring authors through my work at Tellwell, where we’ve helped thousands turn that first spark into a finished book. And I’ve watched them write anyway. What followed was often extraordinary.

For Cindy Cherry, that moment came unexpectedly. For years she resisted writing a book about her father, Don Cherry, the outspoken hockey commentator who became a household name in Canada. She feared a memoir about her dad might seem biased, or worse, opportunistic. But everything changed when a Google Alert lit up her phone screen: a news organization was praising the Western Hockey League for cutting ties with Don following what she calls “Poppygate,” and for erasing his name from an organ-donation campaign he had helped champion, raising nearly half a million dollars. This cause was close to Cindy’s heart. As a teenager she had donated one of her kidneys to her younger brother.

She realized that the public narrative was being written in a way that dishonoured the man she knew and loved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tim Lindsay founded Tellwell in 2015. Since then, he and his team have guided some 5,000 authors including entrepreneurs, professional speakers, coaches, consultants, experts, course creators, community builders, religious and nonprofit leaders, Indigenous organizations, athletes, influencers, and everyday citizens.



GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Tim W. Lindsay will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.


Sunday, August 16, 2026

Book Review: The Mysterious Case of the Missing House (Redemption Detective Agency Mystery, #4) by Michele Pariza Wacek

The Mysterious Case of the Missing House (The Redemption Detective Agency Book 4)The Mysterious Case of the Missing House by Michele Pariza Wacek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How can an entire house go missing?

The Mysterious Case of the Missing House is the fourth book in author Michele Pariza Wacek’s wild and wacky Redemption Detective Agency Mystery series, and this time Emily, Aunt Tilde, and her friends are tasked with locating a house that’s gone AWOL. A local woman who won big in the lottery returns home to Redemption, Wisconsin, when the niece who was housesitting for her as she traveled the world stops responding to her phone calls. But once she’s back in town, she discovers that not only is her house gone, now the site of the country club’s new tennis courts, but the niece hasn’t been seen by her family in over a year! She hires the Redemption Detective Agency to get to the bottom of things and bring her niece back home.

Emily has her work cut out for her on this bizarre case and must do some soul-searching as she contemplates leaving the agency for a “real” job with the school district, working with her boyfriend Jerome. However, she has to decide if returning to the work life she had before is actually what she wants for her future.

The plot moves at a fast pace as Emily, Aunt Tilde, and Mildred unravel the clues around Meli Clark’s missing house, which the other ladies seem to think smacks of alien abduction and other bizarre possibilities. They enlist the services of their favorite attorney, Nick Stewart, and the chemistry between him and Emily sparks, even as he tries to avoid direct eye contact and conversation with her. Still, they make a great team as they investigate what happened to Meli’s niece, Brandy. As things begin to fall into place, Nick’s contact at the Redemption Police Department, Officer Brandon Wyle, and a crossover character from the author’s Charlie Kingsley series joins the case. Together, they tease out the truth about what happened in a dramatic and shocking final reveal.

I recommend THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE MISSING HOUSE to readers who enjoy humorous and paranormal cozy mysteries.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.



View all my reviews

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Book Tour & Giveaway: Secrets of the Cryptids by Sharon Buchbinder


She never belonged to the pack—until fate led her to him.


Secrets of the Cryptids
Cowboys and Cryptids Book 1
by
Sharon Buchbinder


Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romantasy



She never belonged to the pack—until fate led her to him.

Cybersecurity expert Hayil Rufus Rose has spent her life hiding one impossible truth: she’s a werewolf who has never shifted, a failure by her pack’s rules and a woman on the brink of exile. A solo hike in Glacier National Park is meant to clear her head—but instead, a chance meeting with Will Penn, a guarded federal agent with powerful instincts and secrets of his own, changes everything.

As Hayil becomes entangled in a missing persons case involving Will’s brother, she uncovers corruption, cartel money laundering, and violence threatening the Blackfeet Nation. She forms an unexpected bond with a Bigfoot family, who are not monsters, but an ancient people who recognize her latent power. Through trauma, loyalty, and near‑fatal danger, Hayil finally undergoes her full transformation, claiming her identity at last.

Secrets of the Cryptids launches a thrilling paranormal romance series about found family, fierce hearts, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.

 

Amazon * Books2Read * BookBub * Goodreads




Hayil had the advantage of excellent night vision—super vision compared to other humans. Plus, she possessed an almost uncanny ability to connect with most wild and domestic animals. Hayil mentally grimaced. She could also thank her grandmother for her long overdue ability to shift. What would it take to trigger her body into the lupine version of herself? Was it like a growth spurt that hadn’t hit her body yet? Or was Hayil destined to remain the one person in her pack who wasn’t able to wolf out? 

Once again, her mother’s constant refrain came back to her: “You’re a late bloomer, like your grandmother. She was older than you when she shifted. All in good time. You’ll see.” 

Sure, Mom. 

Hayil knew her mother wanted the best for her, but found her cheerfulness a bit forced. Beneath her mother’s optimism, Hayil sensed an undercurrent of concern about her thirty-year-old daughter’s ability to integrate into the red wolf clan. This missing piece of Hayil’s identity called to her like a siren’s song, demanding she complete herself. Would she ever be a true part of the pack? Or would she forever be the unmated one? What then? She was an anomaly, something the pack didn’t tolerate well. Tradition dictated that if a pack member didn’t shift by the end of their third decade, they were banished.

A chilling thought struck Hayil mid-stride. 

If I don’t shift this year, will they force me out of the pack? 

They were the only family she’d ever known. Her mother would fight for her to stay and would probably win. But at what cost? 

Hayil would be an outcast. She’d never be invited to pack meetings, deliberations or celebrations. Those were reserved for shifters. If she married a non-shifter, the pack would drive her out, of that she was sure. What if her offspring were able to shift? Would that make things better? Would the pack let her stay then? It wasn’t as if she could go to a genetic counselor and ask for a DNA test for werewolves. 

The thought of losing her extended family through no fault of her own made her gulp back tears. Angry at herself for allowing her thoughts to go down that dark rabbit hole, Hayil reminded herself she was a scientist. Review the facts, not the fears. 

Fact one: Grandma had been in labor with Hayil’s mother when she’d shifted for the first time. 

Fact two: The majority of the pack members had shifted when they’d hit puberty. 

Fact three: Hormones! It had to be related to hormones! The rush of hormones at puberty and the flood of pregnancy hormones had to be related somehow. 

Hayil was long past puberty and the associated mood swings and acne, thank you very much. She was not ready to be pregnant. For starters, she would need a romantic partner in her life. She’d had zero luck on that score so far. 

“I still have time. It’s not too late. I won’t give up hope.” 

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Hayil double-checked her wild animal deterrents. All in place. Then she tugged her knit cap down over her ears and pulled her hands-free headlamp into place. She zipped her fleece jacket against the breeze and adjusted her twenty-five-pound backpack. With an altitude gain of almost nineteen hundred feet, she planned to take her time, pacing herself for the strenuous four-hour hike. She grasped her lightweight hiking poles and took a last look up at the stars. Time to see that spectacular view at the top. 

As promised by the trail blog, the dirt path was well maintained. The morning air was cold and crisp, layered with the woodsy scent of damp earth and pine needles. An owl hooted, and Hayil spotted movement in the brush between the thick pines beside the trail. Her headlamp reflected in the eyes of small critters, all of whom skittered deeper into the woods. 

For three hours, all she heard was the crunch of her hiking boots on dirt and gravel, the rasp of her own breaths, the glug of water when she drank and the jingle of her bear bells. She looked at yet another incline on the trail and decided she needed a hiking song for inspiration. 

“Country roads, take me home,” she sang, belting out “Mountain Mama”—and something crashed through the bushes ahead on the trail. Something large. 

She froze. 

An enormous black bear stood on its hind legs at the top of the hill. 

Shit, shit, shit. If only I could shift, shift, shift! 

The animal had its back to her, but if it got her scent, it could turn and charge at her in a flash. 

Heart pounding like a jackhammer, she placed her hand on the bear spray. 

A breeze sprang up, making her eyes water with its intensity. The good news was that it meant she was downwind of the bear. The bad news was that the air smelled like a wet dog had rolled in a dead animal. The worst news was that the bear turned and looked right at her. 

Omigod. It’s not a bear. What the heck is it?







Sharon Buchbinder is an award-winning author who has been writing stories since she could hold a pen. The paranormal romance genre is her writing home, a place where the impossible is simply the beginning, where women find their power in the most extraordinary circumstances, and where love is always worth the danger of seeking it.

A Maryland-based author with a background in healthcare and higher education that has informed her vivid, grounded storytelling, Sharon is drawn to heroines who have been underestimated — women who carry something extraordinary inside them and spend the whole book learning to trust it. Sharon believes passionately that readers deserve stories where the heroine doesn’t just survive — she transforms. When she’s not writing, Sharon can usually be found unplugging in her garden, obsessing over cryptid mythology, and convincing her pets they are not, in fact, supernatural.

 

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