Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 3
November 15, 2025
Review: CUPCAKE DIARIES: EMMA ON THIN ICING by Coco Simon
Emma’s family was tight onmoney. To help out, she got a job walking dogs. But now it seemed she needed toearn more for a bridesmaid dress. More jobs, more money. But what happens whenit gets too much for her to handle? The tasks become overwhelming and thestress gets to be too much. Will Emma find a solution?
A delightfully fun graphicnovel with colorful illustrations!
Rating:4 stars
November 14, 2025
Blog Tour: THE SILENCE OF DECEIT by Jillian Eagan
A sheltered noblewoman is thrust into danger andunexpectedly rescued by a ruthless pirate captain. Together, they must survivebetrayal, uncover long-buried secrets, and face a tyrant whose power coulddestroy everything Rosalie loves.
The Silence of Deceit
The Deceit Trilogy Book 1
by Jillian Eagan
Genre: YA High Fantasy
The nation of Seity.
Four ruling families.
One merciless tyrant.
When Eldon Durane executes a noblefamily and extinguishes all magic, he ignites a war that spans generations.
Two decades later, Lady Rosalie Yorke and her best friend,Silence, are uprooted from their comfortable lives to escape the spreadingwar. But Rosalie's world shatters when ruthless raiders kidnap her—onlyfor her fate to collide with Crowe, the notorious pirate captain of the Deceit.
Crowe wants nothing to do with Seity’s political turmoil, but the thirst forrevenge leads him to Rosalie. Hoping to change his luck, he decides to extortRosalie’s father for a ransom.
Rosalie refuses to be anyone’s pawn, and Crowe has no patience for nobility. Asthe two bicker and dodge danger, Seity’s long-buried secrets begin to emergefrom the shadows.
With Eldon's deadly plan looming, Rosalie and Crowe must set aside theirdifferences. Should they fail, Rosalie may lose everything.
Perfect for fans of Adrienne Young's Fable and AmieKaufman's The Isles of the Gods, The Silence ofDeceit is a seafaring tale of betrayal, friendship, and survival. Amust-read for fans of pirate fantasy, enemies-to-lovers tension, and sweepingadventures filled with magic and rebellion.
What readers aresaying:
"War is a noble’s game; pirating is forrule breakers."
This line perfectly sums up The Silence of Deceit. We havepolitical intrigue. We have swashbuckling pirates. We have action. Wehave family secrets. And MORE!....Bring in Crowe, our dashing, cocky MMC andbook boyfriend for all you readers who need a charming pirate to fall in lovewith."
— Goodreads
"This is the kind of book where you feel every singleword that's on the page. I was right there with Rosalie when her whole lifetook a major twist, and I was there when she found herself. I think that's whatI will take with me from this book, Rosalie's strength and unwavering loyalty.It doesn't matter what life throws at her she will endure, and she will moveheaven on earth for the ones she loves."
— Goodreads
Jillian Eagan is an indie author from Massachusetts. Shereceived her BA in Creative Writing from Emmanuel College. Currently, she livesin Cape Cod, where she reads and writes on the beach. Her new book, TheSilence of Deceit, is the first of her Young Adult fantasy series.
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Follow the tour HERE for special contentand a giveaway!
Enter the The Silence of Deceit Giveaway
Blog Tour: A VERSION OF THE TRUTH by Marsh Rose
Do we spend our lives searching in vain for an answer,
or dowe find a version of the truth we can live with, and live with it?
A Version of theTruth
by Marsh Rose
Genre: Memoir
Over forty years, Marsh and her partner built a life definedby love, devotion, and independence. He supported her when she bought her homein California wine country, when she grieved the deaths of her parents, whenshe built her career as a psychotherapist, and even when she overcame alifelong fear of dogs to adopt a rescued greyhound.
They never married or shared a home—by choice. They were lovers and confidants,deeply committed to one another. Yet, they only met on Tuesdays and Fridays.
And then, one day, he vanished.
When Marsh finally tracked him down, she discovered the unimaginable: he hadsuffered a catastrophic stroke. His memory was gone. He could no longer speak.And he was living with a woman who knew him by a different name.
What was the truth? With him unreachable behind the devastation of his illness,and with the danger that exposing their relationship could cause irreparableharm, Marsh was left to confront a hall of mirrors—plagued by questions,silences, and uncertainty.
In the end, she discovered a universal reality: we all live with someunknowable mystery. The question is—do we spend our lives searching in vain foran answer, or do we find a version of the truth we can live with, and live withit?
Amazon * Sunbury Press * Bookbub * Goodreads
Marsh Rose is a freelancewriter, psychotherapist and college educator. Her short stories have appearedin a variety of publications including Cosmopolitan Magazine, the San FranciscoChronicle, Carve Magazine, Hippocampus Magazine, and New Millennium Writingswhere she took first prize for creative nonfiction in 2018. She lives in the north San Francisco Bay Area with her greyhound, Adin.
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Follow the tour HERE for special contentand a $20 giveaway!
Enter the A Version of the Truth Giveaway
Spotlight: The Abyss Borne Gods series by Kent Priore
Book 1: The Monsters Among Us
Seth’s life until now has been a product of a diabolical, evil Truman Show, his entire upbringing a façade orchestrated for malevolent purposes. After his beloved dies, he undergoes a demonic metamorphosis, which causes the world’s fictitious walls to crumble.
As he tries to piece a semblance of his life back together and move on, he meets friends who inspire, but even more harsh truths are revealed, perhaps too difficult to cope with.
The very existence of life and reality is exposed as a machination of grotesque gods. And to defeat them, Seth will have to fill his emptiness, for which there’s only two options…
Bring the world to ruin, or learn to transmute his pain into strength.
Fans of "Jerusalem" by Alan Moore, “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, or “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakovor will enjoy “The Monsters Among Us.”
Book 2: In the Wake of Gods
Standing amidst the destruction of Magistrum, great sorrow and guilt weighs upon Seth as he keeps the memory of his mistake close—to continue his growth, to remain good. A concern which lingers through the birth of his daughter, Persephone, labeled a True Born God by the personification of the White Abyss. And due to the sudden death of her uncle, Persephone’s abyssal powers emerge in a destructive way, tearing a hole through the fabric of the world. Thus, solidifying Seth’s worries of managing his own struggles while being father to a god who resembles his past far too much.
Feeling Persephone’s powerful aura pulsate through dimensions, both antagonistic forces begin pursuing her, wanting to eliminate a threat, and make her power theirs. Alongside these heavy stressors, Seth must also deal with the inevitability of Sasha dying the same mysterious way as the other Guild members.
The Earth devolves into a wasteland as the gods ravish the globe, devouring every human they can find. All the while Seth, Sasha, their daughter, and others lay in hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike back, to resist the will of the Abyssian gods—but can they without sacrificing everything they worked so hard to achieve? And will Seth, so burdened by his past actions, endure this, or will he devolve into the monster he once was…the monster he fears his daughter will also become?
Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9LJQP4R
November 13, 2025
Blog Tour: THE TOMATO JAM MURDER by Meg Benjamin
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Roxy’s spending her summer with burros and jam, but there’s a murderer in the mountains.
It’s burro racing season in the Rockies, and Roxy Constantine is all for it. Now if she can come up with a good recipe for tomato jam, her summer will be complete. But when Roxy finds a body on the burro race course, she’s suddenly plunged into a murder investigation. And when her innocent friend is accused of killing her ex, Roxy must challenge a corrupt police chief who wants to shut her up. Now she needs to find the real killer and save a neighboring town from a plot to ruin its mountain magic.
Read an Excerpt
Kennedy leaned close, eyes bright with malice. It’s hard to loom over someone as tall as me, but he was giving it his best shot. “You don’t get it, do you? This is none of your business. You don’t even live here. And you sure as hell don’t have any right to be sticking your nose into a police investigation. If I find out you’re stirring things up around here, I’ll throw you in a cell so fast your head will be spinning when you hit the floor.”
I was pretty sure he couldn’t do that legally. On the other hand, if he threw me into one of his cells, it might take me quite a while to get out of it. Logic argued for caution. Still, I hate being pushed around by guys who don’t have any right to push me around.
“All I’ve done is pass along information I’ve heard to people who might be interested. So far as I know, that doesn’t break any laws.”
“You. Don’t. Live. Here.” Kennedy snarled. “Like I said, this is none of your business. Keep out of it and keep your mouth shut.”
I gritted my teeth as I stared at him, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t get me into deeper trouble.
Kennedy straightened, his gaze still burning, then swept one arm across the surface of the counter, sending jars of jam flying in all directions. I glared at him, furious and horrified.
The corners of his mouth edged up ever so slightly. “Oops.”
About the Author
Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance and cozy mysteries. Meg’s cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Her Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing and from Meg’s indie line). Along with romance and cozies, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Meg’s indie line. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, the Carly Crown Jewel of Books from the Mid-America Romance Authors, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.
Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063609878239
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@megbenjamin1396
Website: http://www.MegBenjamin.com/
Amazon buy link: https://amzn.to/4oj93e5
Blog Tour: THE MARS MAN by Charles Anthony
Three StarZ corporation ships are sent to forge a newcivilization on Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off allcommunication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does -Commander John Santo - arrived back in an escape capsule: and he hasdisappeared.
The Mars Man
by Charles Anthony
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
In a world grappling with a climate crisis, a shrinkingpopulation and dwindling resources on Earth, billionaire Ezra Graff has foundedStarZ. Its mission: begin the first Martian colony. The three hundred pioneersof The Mars Man are the first to venture forth, forging a new civilization onthe rust-colored expanse of Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off allcommunication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who doesknow is the single occupant of an escape capsule that crashed into the Atlanticocean one year after the colony’s founding: Commander John Santo. To get thefull story, they must find him. With time running out until the second wavelaunches for Mars, only Commander John Santo knows what is happening to thefirst colony as they grapple with the harsh realities of their new home,confronting the strange environment outside and the forces of evil within.
The Mars Man weaves a tapestry of adventure, intrigue, andhuman resilience against the backdrop of a planet that challenges every notionof survival. With richly developed characters and a narrative that balancessuspense and wonder, Anthony creates an immersive experience that will leavereaders hungry to keep reading.
**On Sale Nov 9-16!**
Charles Anthony was born in the Hunter Valley, Australia, in1990. He moved to New Zealand in 2017, obtained a Master of Laws degree fromthe University of Auckland and then moved to the Waikato where he works as alawyer and is actively involved in his community.
In the summer of 2021 he began writing. Working in theevenings and on the weekends, he produces short stories, poems and novels. In2025 he launched his first novel, the Mars Man, on Amazon.
Charles Anthony lives in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Website * Facebook *Instagram * YouTube * Amazon
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $10 giveaway!
Blog Tour: HIPPIE MERMAID by Joanne Guidoccio
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Joanne Guidoccio will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
From sea to shore, betrayal follows her wherever she goes.
On Christmas Eve, psychic Kendra Adams reveals the secret she’s hidden for decades—she was once Rosina, a mermaid torn between sea and shore. Betrayed in her ocean kingdom and desperate to escape banishment, she persuades a politician to smuggle her into the human world. But freedom on land comes at a cost, as she soon finds herself ensnared in another web, this one spun by the politician’s power-hungry sister.
Read an Excerpt
A smile crept up on Aunt Lina’s face. “We have seven days to captivate your human.”
“What…How?”
“I heard all about the excursion from the Ettas,” Aunt Lina said. “They couldn’t stop talking about the attention you received from those four men. And that, my dear Rosina, is why Annabella is determined to get rid of you. She doesn’t want any reminders of a competition she didn’t win.”
“But I wasn’t competing. I said nothing and let the others pick their humans.”
“Ah, but the humans wanted you. And the one called Blake was not too happy when Annabella claimed him.” Aunt Lina spoke more briskly, “You made a good impression. You stayed much longer than the others, and you risked your life for a man.”
I shook my head. “I forgot about the time.”
“Something you cannot afford to do when you go up there tomorrow night.”
“I can’t go up there.”
“Did La Bella forbid you?”
“No, but I don’t want to upset her any further.”
“If she has mentioned Crete, she has already decided. You need to find a way out of this disaster. Go up there each night until you connect with the human. Persuade him to take you with him. If a human desires you, La Bella will not interfere. She will expedite the process.”
I tried to recall scattered bits of the conversation with Lloyd. At one point, he did mention wanting to take me with him, but there was uncertainty in his voice. He already had issues with the two women in his life.
“Cry,” Aunt Lina advised. “Humans cannot handle our tears. And if necessary, beg him to take you away.”
“His life is already complicated.”
“And yours is not?” Aunt Lina grabbed my shoulders. “This human is your only way out of this mess.”
About the Author:
Joanne Guidoccio enjoyed a rewarding career teaching mathematics, business, and co-operative education courses before retiring to pursue writing. A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she writes paranormal romances, cozy mysteries, and inspirational stories from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.
Website: https://joanneguidoccio.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joanneguidoccio.bsky.social
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest. jca/guidoccio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Joanne-Guidoccio/e/B00FAWJGCG
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hippie-Mermaid-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Hippie-Mermaid-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N
Cover Reveal: EXILE by AK Nevermore
Check out the cover reveal for this upcoming spicy dystopianromance!
Exile
The Price of Talent Book 5
by AK Nevermore
Genre: Spicy Dystopian Romance
Together or not at all.
On analternate earth, a cataclysm has altered a subset of the population. Talentsare persecuted for their psychic and physical mutations, giving rise to twoconflicting societies based upon maintaining genetic purity. And the Source, ashadowy corporate entity dependent upon the exploitation of captive Talents, ishunting them…
FlynnScot is spiraling.
After acataclysmic chain of events and devastating loss, Flynn’s grasp on reality isslipping. Backed into a corner by the Assembly and his sanity called intoquestion, the threat of exile and having his talent stripped endangers not onlyhim, but any chance he might have of getting his family back…if they’re notalready past saving.
Deepin stasis, Kara’s fate is uncertain.
Stolenaway and in the clutches of a madman, Kara’s future depends solely upon Titus’ssufferance. With unfettered access to her genome, his attention is fixated uponthe next iteration of Talents—especially after events in the North change herstatus from prize to bait.
Because Flynn is comingfor her, and he’s not coming alone.
**Releases January 8, 2026 – PreOrder Now!**
**Get started on the rest of the series while you’re waiting on therelease!**
Find out more at the Author’s Website!
https://aknevermore.com/books/
**FREEBIEALERT! - Get the prequel- Breeder FREE!!**
https://aknevermore.com/books/breaker/breeder/
AK Nevermore enjoysoperating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lentevery year. A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques,and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running downthe dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.
Unable to ignore thevoices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes ScienceFiction and Fantasy full time.
She pays the billsediting, wielding a wicked hot pink pen and writing a column on SFF. She alsobelongs to the Authors Guild, is a chapter treasurer for the RWA, teachescreative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bluesky * Tiktok
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Follow the reveal HERE for special contentand a $10 giveaway!
Enter the Exile Cover Reveal Giveaway
Book Blitz: ALL OR NONE by Clive Fleury
Date Published: 11-11-2025
Publisher: Epicenter Press
As the pressure mounts for a quick solution to the case, the detective finds that he too, is in the killer’s crosshairs. But Ryan is distracted from the investigation by a romantic encounter with an old university friend. He also worries about his mother, Mumta, and her new obsessive desire for grandchildren from her only son. Could this be linked to her recent medical tests? And there’s another pressing problem—the plague of rats in his apartment block.
Detective Ryan’s hands are well and truly full.
'All Or None' sees Detective Ryan back in the thick of things. His latest investigation into a mysterious death couldn’t come at a worse time. He discovers his mother is hiding a troubling secret and is further sidetracked by a new romance. Fans of who dunnit's, crime thrillers, and cop and detective stories will love this novel.
Clive's other books include 'Off Season' - book one in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series; 'Kill Code' - a dystopian science fiction novel set in a world facing climate change; ‘Scary Lizzy’ - a novel about an eight year old girl, who befriends an African child ghost – and the teen action adventure book; ‘The Boy Next Door ‘ - a story of what happens when a teenage girl has a crush on her next door neighbor, who isn’t all he seems. He also co-wrote ‘Art Pengriffin and The Curse of The Four’ - a young adult fantasy adventure about a teenage boy who discovers his father was Merlin the Magician.
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November 12, 2025
Blog Tour: VERB TENSES by MG da Mota
VERB TENSES
by M G da Mota
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GENRE: Psychological Thriller
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BLURB:
Thirty-four-year-oldRaquel Whiteman has it all: beauty, a high-powered career, a very rich fiancée,a loving brother and a stepfather she adores. Life is good. Until her mothercommits suicide. Clearing the paraphernalia of her mother’s life she finds oldphotographs and journals which plunge her into a search for the truth about herreal father and early childhood, forsaking everything including her engagementto travel a path she is powerless to resist. Like a giant wave the past travelsfast and comes crashing down on her, flooding her mind with incomprehensiblefragmented memories and continuous questions – What? Why? Why?
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ExcerptThree:
Ken’s journal, December 2017
In hindsight, I would have acted differently. Hindsight is agreat thing. It’s a shame we don’t have it when we most need it. We would thenbe able to weigh our decisions and ensure the future wouldn’t be negativelyimpacted. As it stands, regret sets in and regret is a useless feeling, as italways arrives too late. I wonder why we even have it within the range of ourhuman emotions. With her strict Catholic upbringing my darling Matilde wouldhave said that God decided humans needed to feel regret to enable them toeventually redeem themselves of their sins. She would have added that we arenot to question God’s reasons, as we don’t understand them. Sadly, I don’tbelieve in God. I believe in Matilde and my love for her. I believe in mychildren and the people I care about, which is probably the whole list of mybeliefs though actually that is not strictly true. I believe in science and thescientific approach. It is logical and based on fact and evidence.
All these thoughts however are irrelevant. They are justramblings of an old man with too much time on his hands.
I continue to worry about my children even though they arenow middle-aged and can fend for themselves very well. But I suppose that oncea dad, always a dad.
It is a warm day for December though grey and wet. I’msitting in the conservatory, looking at nothing in particular. I’ve tried toread but cannot concentrate. I can hear the noise from the television. It istuned into some sports channel. Not that I care about it; it’s all white noiseto me but it’s a company of sorts. A fake company of course but I got used toleaving it on all day after Matilde died and, somehow, I feel the need to hearit in the background. I dozed earlier, listening to its distant, monotonoussound. I dreamed that Matilde appeared at the door and called me in for a cupof tea. Then I woke up and of course there was no-one. Just the endless whitenoise of the TV. I decided to write down some of my thoughts after Matilde wasgone from me forever. It’s not for anyone to read but writing my thoughts makesme feel less alone in this house. In hindsight, as mentioned earlier, I’d havedone things differently.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
MG da Mota is Margarida Mota-Bull’s pen name for fiction. She is aPortuguese-British novelist with a love for classical music, ballet and opera.Under her real name she also writes reviews of live concerts, CDs, DVDs andbooks for two classical music magazines on the web: MusicWeb International andSeen and Heard International. She is a member of the UK Society of Authors,speaks four languages and lives in Sussex with her husband. Her website, calledflowingprose.com, contains photos and information.
Website:https://www.flowingprose.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/m.g.da.mota
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mgdamota/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarida-mota-bull/
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GIVEAWAY
M G da Mota will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to arandomly drawn winner.
