Naughty Netherworld Press's Blog: Naughty Netherworld Press on Goodreads, page 43
December 2, 2024
My Calling: Chronicles Of An Alaskan Hospice Nurse #rabtbooktours
Insight and education for end-of-life care
Nonfiction
Date Published: 12/1/2024
The Chronicles are an essential and informative read for hospice nurses, caregivers and others interested in end of life. Journey through 29 amazing stories of an Alaskan Hospice nurse with incredible people and learn about pain, symptom management and grieving. Through their love and loss, find encouragement and inspiration in these real-life lessons on this specialty of nursing not taught in the classroom. Hospice . . . Hospitum . . . Hospitality
Early Reviews
“Esther’s book is a must read for any nurse across the lifespan. She has not simply put together a collection of powerful stories of dealing with death and the dying process, but each story closes with the pearls of wisdom each patient and family were taught about end of life. Esther shows us, story by story, that being there to provide for the needs of peace, comfort, and love of the patient and their families in those last moments is one of the most important vows a nurse can keep.”
Christi M. Angelo, APRN-BC, F/AC Hospice and Acute Care - Alaska
“This account of an experienced hospice nurse in rural Alaska is both inspiring and informative. Esther’s interactions with patients demonstrate both the depth of her humanity and experience with patients toward the end of life. For the intended audience of Hospice nurses and caregivers, it provides a framework and clinical information while maintaining a truly compassionate undertone. Other audiences will be moved, informed and inspired...”
Patty Hewson C.R.N.P. Adult Primary Care - Pennsylvania
“The Chronicles depict how cultural beliefs and traditions one is raised with can help bring peace to the patient in knowing what their final journey holds. Faith, hope, and love are epitomized through Esther’s work.”
Angela Watson, MSN, BSN, BA, RN Case Manager Indian Health Services - New Mexico
“You will find a treasure chest of valuable knowledge to support any of the disciplines of the Hospice team. Every chapter connects you with the real dynamics of individuals and families as they walk through the end stages of life. I warn you now, some of these insightful stories will bring a tear, but also provide real and helpful expertise that will further enable you to do your calling better.”
David J. Gibson - Ordained Minister and Hospice Chaplain - Indiana
About the Author
Esther Pepper, RN, BSN, is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse who was raised in Alaska and has lived there most of her life. She has 20 years of experience as a nurse, 16 of which have been in Hospice care. She found her calling and passion for end of life early in her nursing career. She is dedicated to training new nurses into the field of Hospice and works as a Hospice Case Manager in South Central Alaska.
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Max's Christmas Bunny Teaser Tuesday #rabtbooktours
Billionaire Daddy Doms -- Bunny (#1)
Erotica / BDSM
Date Published: November 29, 2024
This post contains material suitable only for readers 18+.
I never thought Bunny ears and a Bunny tail butt plug would be the start of a grand adventure.
It’s Christmas, and money’s tight, so I asked the agency for a new assignment. Still, I didn’t expect to wind up in a gilded Bunny cage in the home of an eccentric billionaire. While I’ve never met Daddy Jacob, he knows me -- he owns the Agency that sent me out on this assignment. Now I’m to serve as a Christmas present for a man in his household -- a Christmas present for Max.
I’m not certain how the rest of the week will go, but so far it feels like Max may just be the perfect Master for me. I have the feeling this assignment could be the start of the biggest adventure of my life.
Excerpt
Copyright ©2024 Wanda Violet O.
Christmas has never been my favorite holiday. Having said that, the job that had just fallen into my lap -- to be a Christmas Bunny for some rich guy with a pet-play kink -- was the best Christmas present ever. The money was nearly obscene, the anticipation of adventure intense.
This job included the possibility of kinky sex. I had been given the standard safe word and signed a contract outlining my limits, both hard and soft. Was it the safest thing I’d ever done? Not in the least. But, again, the money was good -- really, really good. If I was ever going to get out from under the mountain of medical bills I’d been left with after the crash that had put me in the hospital for a month and killed my mom, I had to get drastic.
Now I found myself was sitting on a huge, plush, overstuffed red beanbag in a very large cage, wearing a headband with bunny ears and a butt plug with a fluffy bunny tail. The cage had a big red bow wrapped around the middle, and it sat under a massive Christmas tree covered with sparkling, colored lights. I had several red and green fleece blankets and soft pillows in the cage so I was comfortable, but the room was warm to me even though I was naked.
It was early morning and once I’d readied myself, before I got into the cage, I’d been told it would be an hour before I’d be needed. I’d been given an alarm to press if I needed help before the client came for me, or if I felt threatened. Standard for this type of job with the agency. It was run by the ultra-wealthy and catered to the obscenely wealthy. I’d been skeptical when I’d first started, but the agency had never failed to keep me safe.
None of that meant I wasn’t a bundle of nerves, and getting more nervous the longer I waited.
Just as I was getting ready to hit the panic button, I heard footsteps coming. A man wearing black silk pajama pants and nothing else stalked down the stairs. He had long, shaggy hair, and a heavily muscled, sculpted body, reminding me of a predator moving through the jungle.
This man was classically handsome, with a strong jaw, straight nose, and piercing blue eyes. His cheeks were wide and masculine with dark stubble where he hadn’t yet shaved.
When he turned his head, his gaze landed on me and his movements stopped. He stared at me for a long time, not moving a muscle except to breathe. When he finally started moving again, he was focused squarely, intently on me. “I sincerely hope you’re my Christmas present, little Bunny.”
I knew better than to speak unless I had permission. It had been drilled into me from the second I’d been accepted to the program. The clients the agency served had specific tastes. They tried to match us to clients with similar tastes, but there was always a learning curve if I were staying more than a few hours. This job was supposed to last a week and could seriously bail me out, but I had to follow the rules precisely if I wanted to get the big payday.
The man knelt in front of my cage to get a better look at me. Those ice-blue eyes of his seemed to caress me as his gaze roamed over my body. “Be a good little Bunny. Turn around and present yourself. Stick that ass up in the air so I can have a look at you.”
I did as I was told without hesitation, presenting myself with my legs apart, ass in the air, and my chest on the floor. I knew what I looked like because I’d admired the plush, fluffy rabbit tail butt plug before getting in the cage.
“Hmm, you are quite the gift, aren’t you?” he said, his voice a low growl. “Who were you sent for, little Bunny?”
“I’m not sure, Sir. Only that I was to stay in the cage and await the Master’s pleasure.”
“Ah, Max!” the deep voice called from across the room.
I wanted to turn my head and look behind me but didn’t dare.
“I see you’ve found your present.”
“Daddy Jacob.” Max’s tone was subservient but in a different way than I’d ever heard before. The man was clearly a Dominant, but differed to this new man? “She’s mine?”
“If things work out and she agrees, yes. She’s yours. A gift from me and Kitten.”
I couldn’t help but shiver at the implication. It was an unusual sensation between fear and… interest? OK, that was disconcerting. I didn’t know this man and there was apparently at least one more person here.
I’m not sure what I expected, but there was a long pause and what Max said next both hurt and confused me. “Have I done something wrong, Daddy Jacob?” Where before there was amused interest and a healthy dose of lust in Max’s voice and his eyes when he’d first looked at me, now it was devoid of emotion.
“Max…” There was a note of censure between them, as if Daddy Jacob wasn’t happy with Max.
“But Kitten --”
“Kitten knows you need a pet of your own. She loves you as much as you love her and Andromeda. So do I.”
This seemed like a private conversation and I felt horribly out of place. I turned my face to the wall next to where my cage sat and stayed perfectly still.
There was silence while I heard someone unlocking the cage. The door slid open with a small squeak. “Come out, little one.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew without looking at him I didn’t want to disobey or ignore Daddy Jacob. Keeping my gaze lowered and my hands clasped in front of me, I scrambled to do as he’d ordered.
“Kneel and present yourself, sweet Bunny.”
About the Author
Welcome to Wanda Violet O.'s world of bedtime fantasy, where you'll find a variety of sexy creatures ready to drink their fill. Wanda specializes in extreme kink. Monsters, BDSM role play... she's got it all. Come take a look for yourself!
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
When Summer Is Gone Review #IndiGo
Title: When Summer is Gone
Series: The Likes of Us, Book Two
Author: Chris Simon
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 11/26/2024
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: No Romance, Male/Male
Length: 101700
Genre: Historical, Genre/lit, historical, family-drama, bisexual, coming of age, docker, male prostitution
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DescriptionLondon’s East End, 1930s
Young docker Alfie Atwood was born into a poor but happy family and he was blessed with matinee-idol good looks which draw people to him like moths to a flame. His appearance and sunny disposition may be widely admired and even envied, but he isn’t as carefree as he seems and has bitter experience of a darker side to youth.
When his father Bill is killed in a dockside accident, Alfie is forced to become the main breadwinner. He and his mother Alice are horrified to find that Bill owed money to some bad people—the notorious brothers Mosh and Solly Alexander. They “own” the district and now they want the debt repaid.
A docker’s weekly wage and the few shillings that Alice can scrape together are not nearly enough…until Alfie’s friend Frank whispers a solution in his ear. Has the time come for the young man to use what Nature gave him to solve their problems? And if he does, won’t he be letting himself in for a whole host of new ones?ExcerptWhen Summer is GoneChris Simon © 2024All Rights Reserved
Chapter OneA Trip to the Moon in a Hot-air Balloon
Wednesday, 23 July 1913
Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London was never quiet, but what peace there was that afternoon was shattered by Alice Atwood’s anguished cries, echoing across the alleys and yards as she endured a long and painful labour. Alice’s neighbours, Elsie and Pearl, sat outside their front doors, their faces grim. They’d fetched clean towels, boiled water, made tea for the anxious father-to-be and for Mrs Charles, who served as midwife to all the local women. There was nothing more to be done.
“Oh, Elsie! It’s been nigh on five hours now,” said Pearl, as though her friend could end their neighbour’s suffering.
“I know, duck. I’ve been sitting here right next to you the whole time.”
Elsie Jarvis was a short, stout woman in a pink-and-blue floral apron that fitted snugly around her plump figure. In contrast, Pearl Rogers was tall and thin; her apron could easily have been wrapped twice around her skinny frame. She picked up the broom leaning against her windowsill and restlessly swept some dust from the pavement into the gutter. After a few desultory thrusts of the brush she paused, leaning on it.
“You never know, Else, maybe this time…”
Elsie shook her head gravely. “Oh, I wouldn’t have thought so, my duck. I pray so, but there’s no sense in us getting our hopes up. If three of ’em have died already, stands to reason there must be summink very wrong, mustn’t there?”
Pearl nodded sadly. “Yes. Well, whatever ’appens, I ’ope to Gawd it ’appens soon.”
“I know. My Bert will be home from work shortly and he’ll be banging on the wall with his slipper if she’s still making this racket. He’s got no compassion in him at all.” Elsie’s round face expressed contempt, for Bert and for all men.
They looked anxiously up at the Atwoods’ bedroom window as the screams reached a new peak and, after a short, tense silence, were replaced by the thin piercing cry of a newborn.
“Aw!” the friends cooed in unison. They couldn’t help themselves. The gloom was magically dispersed, as though the infant had come into the world waving a wand.
As the crying grew stronger, Pearl said, “Well, it don’t sound like this one’s gonna snuff it any time soon, Else,” and she threw her skinny arms about her plump neighbour in celebration.
*
The bedroom was flooded with sunlight, the nets dancing softly in the breeze. Bill Atwood wouldn’t tell his wife that she looked “radiant”—they were past that now. Her hair was matted with sweat, her face pinched with premature grief, and no trite compliment would lift her spirits.
The yellow wooden cradle he had fashioned with pride for their firstborn stood at the foot of the bed. He had come to hate the sight of it, as though it were an open grave. If this went like the other times, he vowed he would burn it. He approached tentatively, fearing that what he’d see would break his heart. In the cradle lay a tiny scrap of a baby, barely asleep, for although his eyes were closed his limbs were restless. Bill was glad because it meant he was alive. He lifted out the little body which began to scream in protest, using lungs so small that Horatio, the Jarvis’s cat, basking on the scullery roof, didn’t even cast a languid glance upwards to see what all the fuss was about.
In Bill’s strong arms the baby relaxed; his blue eyes looked up towards his father for the first time and Bill could not at first speak for love. His voice cracked as he spoke. “’Ello, mate. ’Ello. My little boy. My son.”
He kissed the infant’s forehead and moved over to the side of the bed where Alice had turned her face towards the wall and was crying bitterly.
“I don’t wanna see ’im, Bill. Take ’im away.”
“But Alice, he’s all right and he’s beautiful.”
“I can’t. If I look at ’im I’m gonna love ’im, and he’ll just be taken like the others. It’s no use. I can’t go through that again.”
“Alice. I understand, darlin’. But he’s perfectly healthy.”
“’Ow d’you know?” She was tortured by the suggestion of hope.
“Well, Mrs Charles said…”
“She said that about the others,” she howled.
“It might be different this time, love.”
“It won’t be! I know it won’t! It isn’t meant to be.”
“It might be.” His voice became less gentle. “And even if it ain’t, if this little boy only has one hour on this earth, don’t you think he deserves an hour’s love?”
Yes. Even if it broke her heart. If it was the only thing that she could ever do for him then she had no choice. She turned towards her husband who placed the tiny bundle tenderly in her arms. If this little boy’s heart were to stop beating, then so would hers.
Bill left her alone with the baby. He also was suspicious of the hope welling up inside, but it wasn’t to be suppressed. Tears stung his eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile as he joined his neighbours outside and lit up a Senior Service.
“Aw! Congratulations, Bill.” Pearl beamed. “What yer gonna call ’im, d’you know?”
He cleared his throat. “Alfred Lansbury Atwood—Alfie,” he declared with pride. Just speaking the boy’s name out loud made him feel that it was
going to be all right.
“Lansbury?” said Pearl incredulously.
Bill shook his head. “You’d better ask the missus about that.”
Free use image from Pixabay
Ornery Owl's Review
Five out of Five Stars
This powerful, meticulously written coming-of-age story ought to become a classic. It never shies away from complex topics and provides realistic depictions of life for the working class in London during the first half of the twentieth century.
Despite living in impoverished conditions, the protagonist, Alfie, has a happy life. He is well-liked by family, neighbors, and peers. However, his innocent worldview is shattered when a family friend molests him.
Alfie finds that being perceived as attractive is a double-edged sword. His handsome face and charismatic personality draw people to him. However, he sometimes wonders if people want to know him or just want to use him.
Frank and sometimes profane narrative and discussion of difficult topics such as prostitution and sexual assault make the book suitable only for mature readers. I commend the author for their sensitive yet realistic approach to these issues. PurchaseNineStar Press | Books2Read
Meet the AuthorChris Simon is the youngest son of a headteacher and was born and brought up in North Wales. He attended college in Liverpool and Manchester studying Geography and English and returned to Wales to work at a holiday camp, doing everything from chalet allocations to scrubbing grill pans in the off season. He did this over three summers before moving to London to join the civil service, starting in North London benefit offices and ending with the Department for Transport in Westminster. As well as football and music, Chris has a great love of social history, particularly that of London. After visiting the capital at the age of twelve his desire to live there became the first certainty of his life. He settled in Walthamstow in East London and is a keen supporter of Manchester City and, of course, Wales. It had always been his intention to write a novel whenever he found the time—and now he has.Facebook | Instagram | ThreadsGiveawayOne lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!
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The Box Is Time Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Mastering the Ultimate Limit to Productivity
Nonfiction / Self-Help / Business/ Leadership
Date Published: October 30, 2024
Publisher: Mindstir Media
As we move through life, we have all known individuals who just seem to be the most incredibly efficient and productive members of an organization. Their projects are always completed on time, and they seem to leave work early with everything accomplished. They are never late for the operating room or with clinic visits. Even more rarely, we encounter leaders and organizations that seem to be able to excel in the same manner.
Often, however, we seem to be caught up in an endless cycle of losing time or not being able to find enough time to accomplish our mission in our personal or work life. Perhaps these individuals, leaders, and organizations, who seem to be superefficient, just understand time differently. Perhaps they understand time as the ultimate limit to productivity, a box that we are all forced to live and work in. They view this box as being filled with essential sand and potentially superfluous water. They know how to manage it and control the flow of water within their box. Conventional organizational structures, such as meetings, committees, surveys, and consultants, only waste time and limit productivity.
In his book, The Box is Time, Dr. Costabile presents an unorthodox and sometimes irreverent approach to time management for individuals, leaders, and organizations. By viewing time management in an entirely different construct, we will become one of the "two-percenters" who are actually able to always manage their Box of Time.
About the Author
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The County Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Medical Thriller
Date Published: November 7, 2024
For Sam Wyatt, his intern year was going to be the hardest year of his life. Profoundly affected by violence and death - and long before it was called PTSD or burnout - Sam and his fellow interns, Wilson Harrison, Gina Bautista, and Harry Martin must find a way to survive in THE COUNTY.
Doubting their choices, working 90 hours a week, lacking sleep, surviving on a diet of bad food and black coffee, each must learn to work in the understaffed, underfunded, and deteriorating hospital taking care of critically ill patients; for a system demanding they be constantly overworked if they want to become the doctors they promised themselves they would be.
Within this brutal system, Sam finds a mentor in Fish - his senior resident and the only one to tell him the actual rules to survive:
• Everyone will try to kill your patient, except you.
• It's OK to be wrong, but never unsure.
• Rebels are shot at dawn.
Fish should know. He had been through it just a year before. But would any of them make it out unscathed?
Set in the 1970's, this raw portrait of the birth of emergency medicine bears the roots of many of the problems underlying our broken medical system and our system of training doctors. Ones that have only progressively worsened since that time. But...
If you can persevere...
If you really follow Fish's rules...
Maybe you too can survive THE COUNTY.
About the Author
In a career that spanned 5 decades in emergency medicine, Dr. Zane Horowitz was there when the specialty began. He worked predominantly in county hospitals and trauma centers throughout his 45-year career. He has seen the best and the worst of healthcare delivery. Since those early days, he has held many roles in the field of emergency medicine. He directed pre-hospital ambulance systems, supervised a multi-county rural EMS system and an air-medical helicopter service, and worked in community and rural critical access emergency departments. Currently, he is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health Science University, and he practices medical toxicology as the Associate Medical Director with the Oregon Poison Center. With over 100 medical publications Zane Horowitz now has written a novel about the early days of emergency medicine called THE COUNTY.
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December 1, 2024
The Historic Homes Series Tour #GayBookPromotions
SERIES TOUR - THE HISTORIC HOMES SERIES
The Historic Homes Series by R.J. Koreto
Publisher: Level Best Books
Available in Kindle, Paperback and Audio
Series Blurb
Young architect Wren Fontaine specializes in restoring grand historic homes in the New York City area. She finds these homes contain mysteries, which also connect to modern crimes, all of them centered on the magnificent mansions. She's assisted by her girlfriend, chef/event planner Hadley Vanderwerf, a descendant of one of New York's great Gilded Age families.
They contain the same main characters, and can be read in any order.
Each book in the series ends with a solid conclusion.
Genres: Contemporary, Murder Mystery and Suspense, Romance
NOTE: All three books in this series take place in the present. However, my protagonists spend a lot of time researching and discussing characters who lived in the past.
Pairing: FF
The central romance is between the sleuth/protagonist, Wren Fontaine, and her girlfriend, Hadley Vanderwerf, which starts in the first book and grows and deepens throughout the series. A side romance exists between Wren's mentor, Professor Lavinia Suisse, and her wife, Angela, a prominent physician.
Overall Heat Rating for the series: 1 flame - The characters have active sex lives, but there's a kiss, fade to black, and then someone is making omelettes the next morning.
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BOOK DETAILS
BOOK 1
Book Title: The Greenleaf Murders
Length: 250 pages
Release Date: November 29, 2022
Tense/POV: third person, past tense
Tropes: Forbidden love, friends to lovers, love triangle, great families, righting past wrongs, obsessions
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness, the importance of family, class differences, revenge
As young architect Wren Fontaine renovates a Gilded Age mansion and starts a tenative romance with a member of the distinguished family that owns it, she finds that both old homes and new lovers can hide dark secrets.
Blurb
Young architect Wren Fontaine lands her dream job: restoring Greenleaf House, New York's finest Gilded-Age mansion, to its glory days. But old homes have old secrets: Stephen Greenleaf—heir to what’s left of his family’s legacy—refuses to reveal what his plans are once the renovation is completed. And still living in a corner of the home is Stephen's 90-year-old Aunt Agnes who's lost in the past, brooding over a long-forgotten scandal while watching Wren with mistrust.
Wren's job becomes more complex when a shady developer who was trying to acquire Greenleaf House is found murdered. And after breaking into a sealed attic, Wren finds a skeleton stuffed in a trunk. She soon realizes the two deaths, a century apart, are strangely related. Meanwhile, a distraction of a different kind appears in the form of her client's niece, the beautiful and seductive Hadley Vanderwerf. As Wren gingerly approaches a romance, she finds that Hadley has her own secrets.
Then a third murder occurs, and the introverted architect is forced to think about people, and about how ill-fated love affairs and obsessions continue to haunt the Greenleafs. In the end, Wren risks her own life to uncover a pair of murderers, separated by a century but connected by motive. She reveals an odd twist in the family tree that forever changes the lives of the Greenleafs, the people who served them, the mansion they all called home—and even Wren herself.
BOOK 2
Book Title: The Turnbull Murders
Length: 260 pages
Release Date: September 12, 2023
Tropes: Romance, past wrongs, class differences
Themes: Obsessive love, jealousy, family ties
Young architect Wren Fontaine, along with her girlfriend Hadley, renovates a 200-year old house for movie star Nicky Tallon, and finds a pattern of murder that connects a long-gone sea captain with Nicky's two enigmatic girlfriends.
Blurb
Movie star Nicky Tallon selects architect Wren Fontaine to renovate Turnbull House, where he'll be filming his next movie. Even to Wren, used to old homes, this one is a 200-year-old federal-style home on a private island in New York harbor, designed by the most celebrated architect of the day. But Turnbull House hides many secrets, such as the disappearance of the sea captain who built it. That's just a historical curiosity, until a studio executive no one likes is killed.
Wren just wants to keep her worksite safe, but then another murder occurs, and she starts noting eerie connections between the mysteries surrounding the Turnbull family and Nicky and his entourage. The handsome star seems to have two girlfriends, a childlike folk singer and a cynical fashion model. Meanwhile, renowned actress Veronica Selwyn renews a friendship with Wren's father, which Wren finds more disturbing than she wants to admit. She concludes it's time she and her girlfriend Hadley take the next step and find a place together, an exciting but stressful change.
As the attacks continue, Wren realizes she will have to solve the mysteries surrounding Captain Turnbull and Nicky Tallon. Turnbull House speaks of order and harmony, and Wren must dig deep to see how the house has affected its owners, old and new. Fortunately for her, the eminently practical Hadley is by her side, pepper spray at the ready—because a frighteningly clever killer is about to find that Wren is getting too close to the horrific truth.
BOOK 3
Book Title: The Cadieux Murders
Length: 238 pages
Release Date: October 15, 2024
Tropes: Forbidden love, great families, righting past wrongs
Themes: Obsession, the importance of friendship, the importance of family, the difficulties of coming out and LGBTQ acceptance.
As young architect Wren Fontaine, along with girlfriend Hadley Vanderwerf, works on a twisty modernist house, built 70 years ago by a renowned architect as a gift of love for its owner, the pair finds that not everyone appreciated that love—and someone is crossing the line into obsession.
Blurb
The ink is still wet on the contract, but Wren Fontaine is already running into trouble as she renovates Cadieux House, a modernist masterpiece on Long Island's exclusive Gold Coast. The home's architect was the brilliant and eccentric Marius Cadieux, her father's mentor, and Ezra doesn't want Wren to change as much as a doorknob.
And the home itself comes with a dark In 1955, it was the site of the never-solved murder of its owner, Dennis Blaine. Cadieux himself was alleged to be having an affair with Dennis's wife, the stunningly beautiful Rebecca. It seems like yesterday's headlines, but then someone starts killing people with a connection to the house. The home's new owner—bestselling novelist Bronwyn Merrick—may be using the house to launch a fictionalized account of the 1955 crime. But someone may not want to her to. Just how far will Bronwyn's armed bodyguard go to protect her?
As Wren untangles the threads, she finds they all lead back to the house. Rebecca apparently inspired the strange, yet alluring residence, and both the home and its mistress may have caused uncontrolled emotions that led to tragedy. Wren uses all her architectural skills to decipher the hidden message Cadieux cunningly wove into the home's design. She must think back 20 years to when, as a little girl, she met Cadieux. Deeply impressed with Wren, he gave her a clue about the house—and his unusual friendship with Rebecca. With her girlfriend Hadley at her side, Wren eventually solves the mysteries of the home and the people who lived there, develops a grudging respect for modernist architecture—and learns something about the difference between love and obsession.
About the Author
R.J. Koreto is the author of the Lady Frances Ffolkes mystery series, the Alice Roosevelt mystery series, and the Wren Fontaine Historic Homes series. His short stories have been published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.In his day job, he works as a business and financial journalist. Over the years, he’s been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, book author, and seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Like one of his heroines, Lady Frances Ffolkes, he’s a graduate of Vassar College.
He and his wife have two grown daughters and they divide his time between Rockland County, N.Y., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
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November 29, 2024
Vampire King's Consort Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Dark Vampire Romantasy
Date Published: October 25, 2024
When forbidden love ignites, ancient rivalries threaten to consume them all…
With loved ones exiled to memory, the three species were left with strained relations and an ever-growing hatred. For over a century, Humans, Vampires, and Lycans remained isolated from one another. Only the occasional meeting of the three leaders brought any sort of interaction between the species. That was, until one night…
With the horrors of her past descending upon her, Livia finds herself face-to-face with the castle of the vampire king, Orion. Despite the king’s desire to rid his castle of this human intruder, something compels him to keep her close, no matter what. Unfortunately, whereas fate can bring two souls together, it can also force them apart, but a forbidden love will not be broken so easily.
Enter a world of passion and peril in this dark romantasy vampire series.
Bound by fate, torn by prejudice—can love bridge centuries of enmity? Get your copy of Vampire King’s Consort today and witness a love that challenges fate itself!
About the Author
M.J. Sweets is an aspiring author that writes dark romantasy paranormal novels. At a young age she started her journey by filling notebooks with ideas and creating different worlds, leading all the way into her adult life. At first this was a hobby where she would decompress and relax but after many supporting figures in her life she gained the courage to put her work out there in the world.
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BEAcon of Love Review #IndiGo
Title: BEAcon of Love
Author: Jamie Sands
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 11/19/2024
Heat Level: 1 - No Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 45900
Genre: Contemporary Romance, romcom, gay, neurodiversity, comic-con setting, artists, TV stars, creatives, cosplay, costuming, online influencer, humor, friendship, game geeks, outing, coming out, introvert/extrovert, anxiety/panic attacks, autism representation, people pleasing
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DescriptionCole has come to BEAcon for one reason: the contest cup. He’s spent months knitting chainmail and perfecting his poses. With cosplay rivals to out compete and the chance to attend panels for his new favorite show, Cole can’t afford any distractions—especially not falling in love.
Milo, star of the viral breakaway TV show Dusk City, would rather be staked through the heart like the vampire he portrays than crammed into a convention center with thousands of fans. Sure, success is great—but not when the future of the show and your co-workers depend on him staying in the closet. The frenzied fan reaction is nothing short of overwhelming.
When Milo’s anxiety gets to be too much, Cole doesn’t hesitate to come to the rescue of his handsome TV crush. His unorthodox solution opens the doors to an unexpected—and undeniable—connection. Between signings, meltdowns, and the swirling microcosm of the huge fan convention, can Milo and Cole ever be in the same place at the same time again?ExcerptBEAcon of LoveJamie Sands © 2024All Rights Reserved
Cole
Cole Parrish could not contain his excitement.
They were checking into the hotel. After a year of preparation and multiple days stuck in the car with his best friend, the greatest fan convention of the year was happening: BEAcon.
Bryce had driven the last leg of their road trip and groaned softly as he stretched out his back. The drive to Nevada from California wasn’t super long, but they still liked to split it over a couple of days and take their time. Neither of them was fond of driving for over four hours at a time.
Cole looked around, bouncing on the balls of his feet. The people in the check-in lines were just like him. They wore superhero T-shirts, or shirts with Tolkien quotes, or even casual cosplays. Cole glanced down at his own—a Dusk City fan shirt. Dusk City was the hottest new TV show of the season. Chances were there’d be a lot of cosplayers inspired by the urban fantasy show and its handsome cast who would be appearing at the convention. Especially Caleb, the smolderingly gorgeous vampire lead character.
Cole had a large suitcase and three suit bags full of costumes carefully handcrafted over the last year. Bryce had a duffel bag with his two tried-and-true cosplays inside it. He helped lug Cole’s bags up to their room.
“I dunno why you have to be so extra every time.” Bryce rolled his eyes
“I have to be extra for the community.” Cole made his eyes wide and innocent. “I have fans, you know. And they deserve every piece of effort I put into this.”
Bryce knew he was teasing. “You have maybe ten fans. And they just follow you for the time you accidentally showed nipple in that one video.”
“How dare you?” Cole slapped at Bryce’s elbow, which wasn’t easy while holding the garment bags.
“I’m here to keep you grounded, my friend. Someone’s got to.”
“You’re not just here to keep me grounded.” Cole shifted his weight. “You’re here to stalk Zack as well.”
Bryce colored. “Zack is… I don’t know why you’d bring that up.”
“Uh, because you’ve been talking nonstop about him on the drive here, how hot he is, and how much you hope you get to see him? Even though he’s my deadly cosplay rival and not even that good-looking?”
Bryce couldn’t meet his eyes.
Cole decided to backpedal. He didn’t want to make his friend uncomfortable, so he changed the subject back to a safe topic: himself. “Well. As soon as I get a brand deal for my social media, I’ll be getting my own room. No more sharing with hobbit peasants like you any longer.”
“Honestly? I can’t wait,” Bryce deadpanned. “Want me to take some pictures of you with your nipples out? That should do it.”
Cole stifled his reaction. Snooty narcissists did not snort in public.
He said instead, “My skills at crafting a fantastic costume and my natural charm and gift of connecting to others are what draw people to me. Not that someone who turns up to every event as Bilbo Baggins since they were seventeen could ever hope to understand.”
“Bilbo’s a classic.”
“Bilbo is great, but your costume is vintage. The character is vintage. You’re only twenty-two, like me. Liven it up and stop playing a hundred-year-old character.”
“Yeah, well, my job doesn’t allow for frequent visits to the gym to get my body superhero-ready.” Bryce reached over and pinched Cole’s bicep. “So, I’m going with the hobbit.”
“We work at the same pizza place, and you barely have more hours than I do.”
“Whatever, pretty boy.” Bryce flapped a dismissive hand as the elevator reached their floor, and they piled out.
“I read another rumor for what the B-E-A stands for in BEAcon, by the way.” Cole scanned room numbers as they turned into a new corridor, searching for theirs.
“Yeah?”
“Boardgaming, Egames, and Anime convention.”
Bryce frowned. “This convention has been a thing since before egames existed.”
“Yeah, I still think it stands for Badass Elves and Aliens.”
Bryce laughed. “Broadcasted Entertainment and Assortments is the one I’m sticking to.”
“Why would they have an acronym for assortments?” Cole said as he unlocked their door.
They shuffled inside. Two twin beds, a tiny desk, and a chair filled the room, leaving only enough space for Cole to drag his suitcases in.
“I call dibs on the closet,” he said.
Bryce snorted, slinging his bag on the nearest bed. “Wardrobe’s all yours. I’m claiming the shower.”
“Good idea. I don’t mind rooming with a hobbit, but a smelly hobbit?” Cole pulled a face.
Bryce aimed a playful swat at him.
Cole ducked, immediately tripping over the bed. “Is it me, or do these rooms get smaller every year?”
“It’s you and your giant ego; it gets harder to squeeze into the room. That or inflation.” Bryce squeezed past Cole’s suitcase and into the bathroom.
“Inflation? That makes no sense.” The only reply was the sound of water hitting the shower floor. Cole looked into the wardrobe only to discover he had a major problem. The tiny closet was big enough to house three costumes. He had five.
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Ornery Owl's Review
Four out of Five Stars
When cosplayer Cole encounters popular actor Milo struggling with a panic attack, he helps Milo by loaning him his Spiderman costume so Milo can enjoy exploring BEAcon anonymously. Pushy photographer John wants to hook up with Cole and is incensed by Cole's interest in Milo. He sells a picture of Cole and Milo kissing to a tabloid site, which threatens to derail Milo's career.
This lovely m/m romance tackles essential issues, such as outing others and attempting to force a relationship where none is desired. It also discusses the fact that some people are pushed to remain in the closet even in an era when same-sex marriage is legal in many places.
The author does an excellent job of switching between Cole's and Milo's points of view. The story is well-paced, taking time to allow readers to become acquainted with the essential characters yet avoiding becoming mired in too much detail. The author also conveys the intensity of Cole and Milo's attraction to one another without being overly explicit in describing their physical interactions.
My complaint about the story is one I have with many modern gay romances. The desire to represent every identity under the rainbow seems forced. Also, although it appears to be here to stay, I don't care for the term queer, which has historically been used as an anti-homosexual slur.
Besides the two factors mentioned in the previous paragraph, I greatly enjoyed this book. I appreciated the thoughtful handling of issues such as social anxiety. Although the book discusses adult issues, it avoids explicit descriptions, making it an appropriate option and a potential conversation starter for teens and adults.
PurchaseNineStar Press | Books2Read
Meet the AuthorA number one bestseller on Amazon, Jamie (he/they) writes optimistic urban fantasy and romance, highlighting queer characters. They also dabble in short stories in all sorts of genres, notebook design, and tabletop roleplaying game design. Their work has been shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Award. Jamie grew up in Wellington, New Zealand, and was a library devotee and constant reader of fiction from a very early age. They now live in Auckland with their wonderful spouse. Jamie has visited Japan three times and would like to move into Tokyo Disneyland. Pen names include Jaxon Knight (contemporary rom coms) and Drake LaMarque (mostly paranormal historical, high steam).Website | Facebook | Instagram | TiktokGiveawayOne lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code! a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 26, 2024
Hunger Pre-Order Blitz #rabtbooktours
(Winter's Call 2)
Dark Fantasy Romance
Date Published: November 29, 2024
Publisher: Changeling Press
One witch, one cop, and an insane vampire hell bent on destroying them all -- if the demons don’t get them first.
Dr. Adriana Hill’s life is thrown into a frightening whirlwind when she meets the twin sister she never knew she had. Swept into a fight ages in the making, she joins forces with her sister’s friends to stand against a vampire hell bent on destroying the one who made them all.
Detective Logan Greer is hunting down a killer who seems to be targeting anyone associated with the beautiful and enigmatic Dr. Hill. Things are not what they seem, though. He’s determined to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart, no matter the cost.
Excerpt
Copyright ©2024 Carys Seraphine
“Did you hear?”
Logan Greer looked up from the mountain of paperwork on his long-suffering desk. “Hear what?”
His friend and fellow detective, Jan Summers, leaned on the side of his desk, arms crossed while she peered at him like he’d missed something. Had he?
“They found another body.”
“Okay…”
“Believed to be connected to your case.”
Now she had his attention. “What? Not that friend of the doc’s, was it?”
“No, but close enough to her to make the higher-ups leery.”
Logan stood and grabbed his coat. “Where?”
Jan handed him a slip of paper with an address on it. “Apparently, it’s a block or so away from Dr. Hill’s office.”
He grabbed his keys and headed out, his mind going in half a million directions at once. Whatever was going on, he didn’t doubt it had something to do with Dr. Adriana Hill.
The drive to her office didn’t take long, even without a siren. He parked in front of the building and noted the metal detector just inside the door. Not many health providers stuck their necks out for vampires, and those who did put themselves at the wrong end of others who would rather the vamps die final deaths. Logan had no qualms with vamps as long as they left him alone.
He spotted a few department vehicles along the busy street and started down the sidewalk in that direction, needing answers before he went inside to break yet more bad news to the doc.
“Ah, there you are,” one of the techs said as Logan approached.
“What’ve you got?”
The tech finished removing his gloves and tossed them into a biowaste bin. “Well, believe it or not, a vamp.” At Logan’s raised eyebrow, the tech just nodded. “Young one, in vamp terms. I’d say about twenty-five, maybe thirty? Female.” He led Logan to a black body bag and unzipped it.
The resemblance to Dr. Hill unnerved Logan more than he cared to admit. “Cause of death?”
“That’s just it,” the tech said, zipping the bag up. “We don’t know. We’re gonna have Tox run some tests, though. She wasn’t drained or burned or decapped.”
Logan sighed. “Keep me updated, especially with whatever Tox finds. I need to go have a chat with Dr. Hill.”
“Dr. Adriana Hill? The vamp doc? Think she’s involved?”
“I think she may be a target,” Logan said. “Gut feeling. I’ll be in touch.”
Logan went back toward Dr. Hill’s office and stepped inside. He placed everything on the scanner table and nodded at the guard. The detector beeped, but given his profession, the guard just waved him by. Logan gathered his things and walked up to the receptionist’s desk.
“Hello, can I help you?”
He handed a business card to the young woman. “I need to speak with Dr. Hill, please.”
“Oh, yes, Detective. Please have a seat, and I’ll let her know.”
Logan sat in a nearby chair before giving the decent-sized waiting room a cursory glance. A few patients sat scattered around the room, most of them on their phones.
“Detective Greer?”
Logan looked up and couldn’t help but be taken aback by those mesmerizing dark emerald eyes. He stood and offered his hand, which she shook. “I apologize for this unannounced visit, Dr. Hill. Do you have a moment?”
Though she seemed a bit apprehensive, Dr. Hill gestured toward the hallway. “Of course, follow me.” Once inside her office, she shut the door and sat behind her desk. “There’s been another murder.”
Logan blinked. “How --”
“Rumors spread like wildfire in the vampire community, Detective. Several of my patients have mentioned it this evening.”
Logan sat down and tugged out a battered notepad and pen. “That makes sense. I imagine losing one of their own would get them talking about it amongst themselves. Did you know her?”
“Not personally. She was one of Edith’s patients, so I never saw her in that capacity. What happened?”
“Her body was found about a block from here, stuffed behind a dumpster like a ragdoll. No blood loss, no burns, no evidence of even attempted decapitation.” He glanced up at her. “Dr. Hill, the fact that she resembled you a great deal is of particular concern.”
Dr. Hill leaned back, her expression pensive. “You think someone mistook her for me?”
“It’s not a guarantee, but the thought crossed my mind. Despite being a patient of Edith Tanner’s, the victim bears an uncanny resemblance to you, and the murder took place within a block of your office. I asked you before if Dr. Tanner had any enemies.”
Dr. Hill nodded.
“Now I’m asking that of you. Is there anyone who would want to harm you?”
She sighed and stood. “What I am about to show you is confidential, you understand. Patient-doctor privilege, HIPAA, you know the drill.” She retrieved a folder from a filing cabinet and set it on the desk in front of him. “The majority of our files are digital now, in an EHR program. Only the oldest are still in paper format.”
He opened the folder. “A patient file?”
“Yes.” She sat down again and leaned back in her chair. “About ten years ago, I had a patient come in who had been bitten. He was angry and quite combative. He seemed to think I could fix him.”
“Fix him?” Logan asked as he studied the black-and-white photo in the top right corner, affixed to the patient information form with a paperclip.
“Stop him from becoming a vampire,” Dr. Hill said.
About the Author
Carys Seraphine is an alter ego of gay romance author Mychael Black and fantasy author Katherine Cook. Carys adores paranormal anything, be it ghosts, ghouls, or goblins. Okay… maybe not goblins. Not even Carys can make THEM sexy.
Contact Links
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
November 25, 2024
Pilgrimage Through the Storm Teaser Tuesday #rabtbooktours
Poetry / Prayer
Date Published: Nov 20, 2024
Publisher: Serapis Bey Publishing
“One does not become enlightened by imagining oneself as a figure of light but by making the darkness conscious.”
Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
A deeper level of consciousness can only be birthed from a space of darkness, the void of all possibility, as all of life has arisen from nothingness. Such is the paradox of awakening. When you find yourself held in suspension, and when you are catapulted out of everything you know to be true, it is easy to forget the truth of who you really are.
However, no matter the outer experiences, your innermost essence is unchangeable.
A sense of isolation and separation are undoubtedly facets of the dark night, but in reality you are never alone. Many people have walked this path before you, there are those who are currently engulfed in its midst and those who will follow.
The pieces in this book landed as my own journey through the wilderness. Each fragment is a lived experience, and each lived experience is a mentor.
I offer you these words as your companion while you transition through your own inner shadows…may they provide comfort as you move through the deepest levels of release and find your way home, to a self-compassion you never knew existed.
EXCERPT
Introduction: The Womb
My eyes open with an unanticipated suddenness. I awaken with a fortress of pillows around me. Safe and secure in the silent darkness. There is a drop in my stomach, I remember. The self-created sanctuary of the womb a thing of the past. A dream shattered to pieces. The plug is out of the socket. I am switched off, absent from myself. Vanished, without a trace.
Did I ever exist? A deep detachment, an incongruence. A profound disharmony between the world inside me and the world around me. My skin is ripping at the seams, something inside me is desperate to get out. How will I lay this demon to rest? Feelings of fear grip my body and hold me hostage. Enveloped in a state of temporary paralysis; I am caged. The new day brings a promise of endless possibilities. I decide to return the gift unopened. Today’s forecast; winds of despondency.
The womb beckons me – again – but it is time to face another day. There are things that need to be addressed. Things which have to be done, no matter what my circumstance. Sunrise, an order that must be obeyed. The mundane rituals bear the load of climbing a mountain. I wonder, is the thought of doing something more of a burden than actually doing it? And yet, these daily undertakings throw me a life ring; prevent me from drowning. These banal everyday responsibilities; the key to my sanity. The ‘humanness’ of my situation, both a blessing and a curse.
As I make a cup of tea, my eyes blankly rest on the world beyond the window. The barren trees and haunting, lonely skies are in commune with my reality. Autumn has come and gone with not so much as a whisper. The jewelled colours now faded leave me with a hollow heart. I am smothered in hues of grey, inhabiting this spartan landscape of gloom. Even the bitter chill that seeps into my bones does not wake me from this century old slumber. Yes, autumn has abandoned me with not so much as a goodbye. I have abandoned myself, with not so much as a goodbye. A subliminal sadness only magnified by the disappearance of the sun. Like a hamster in a cage, in a nomadic frenzy, I senselessly move from one thing to the next, leaving behind a trail of unfinished tasks. And then I pause, frozen, the all too familiar feeling of worry swoops in unannounced and bullies me into submission. A crippling vacuum shadows me all day. It seems the entire world is going about their business and I am forced to remain stationary. I stand with my open wound; reticent in its nature.
Yes, I exist, but in name only; I am not living. I switch on the television, hoping the images on the screen will somehow reconnect me. But to no avail. The sounds that filter through the radio have the same effect. I remain, quite simply, totally disconnected.
What gave me pleasure, is now reduced to nothing but a chore. What I looked forward to, now makes me want to hide in a box. However, I continue to put one foot in front of the other. I will get through today; as I did yesterday. Dawn will keep its promise tomorrow and arise as it always does. Perhaps, this is what my Beloved calls, unconditional love.
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