Avery Arujo is here to tell us about Date Night With Death, Welcome to Moonridge book 2, paranormal mystery romance.
Read on for details...
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Welcome to Moonridge, Book 2
Paranormal Mystery/Romance
Date Published: September 23, 2025
Welcome to Moonridge, where the ghosts have come out to play and Death
just checked into the local B&B.
Running a B&B in a town cursed by magical drama wasn’t Mina
Cartwright’s dream job, but it’s home. After all of the werewolf
debacle over the summer, business has flatlined, and she’s barely
holding on financially. Her last hope? A surprise booking from the cast of The
Real Vampire Wives of Obsidian Hills, who are bringing their reality-show
chaos (and impeccable fashion) to Moonridge just in time for the Halloween
festival.
But the real trouble begins when Dex Grimm, a mysterious, breathtakingly aloof
man with a cane and a suspiciously deathly aura, checks into Room Ten. He says
he’s a writer. Mina suspects he’s hiding something … like
the fact that he might actually be the Grim Reaper.
As ghostly activity spikes, magical boundaries fray, and her guests (living
and otherwise) cause mounting mayhem, Mina finds herself caught between a
brewing supernatural crisis and a man known primarily as Death who somehow
makes her feel more alive than she has in years.
Add in a reality TV crew, rampaging ghosts, and the underlying danger of an
ancient evil reawakening in Moonridge, and Mina’s fall season is about
to be to die for.
About the Author
Avery Arujo is the pen name of a socially anxious, awkward, and proudly
introverted author of the paranormal mystery/romance series Welcome to
Moonridge. Avery lives in the northern U.S., where the scenery is beautiful,
the weather perfect, and the food divine. When not writing, you’ll find
Avery watching a horror movie or trashy reality TV or reading under a blanket
with a cup of coffee, and the world’s sweetest dog trying to prove that
they are more interesting than any old book.
For more information about the Welcome to Moonridge series, or to sign up for
the newsletter, visit welcometomoonridge.com.
Marlena Cannon is here to tell us about her fantasy cozy mystery The Vanishing Castle.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Marlena Cannon
Matthew Lett
Publication date: September 23rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Fantasy
A fantasy mystery with hooves and heart.
Simarron isn’t a detective, he’s just a centaur with a clipboard and a nose for trouble. He left his homeland to get a professional job in the city as a magical safety inspector. However, his new life isn’t quite as he imagined it to be and his fellow housemates at Slant Row Boarding House (which is definitely not haunted) are shadier than an enchanted forest.
When a castle disappears and an alchemist ends up dead, Simarron must choose between the cozy, safe rule-bound life he’s always dreamed of and the principles that won’t let him walk away. He is a safety inspector, after all, and the city isn’t safe with a killer on the loose.
A cozy mystery set in a richly imagined gaslamp fantasy world, The Vanishing Castle delights with magical intrigue, a quirky found family, and a centaur sleuth you won’t soon forget.
Checking my pocket watch, I scuffed the moisture off my hooves as I entered the brick building. Inside, a framed newspaper article announced the founding of the Magic and Alchemy Safety and Health Administration just ten years ago. But the smell of dust, lamp oil, and crumbling paper told a different story, one far older. I caught a dim reflection of myself in the glass—enough to see that my auburn mane looked presentable—but I smoothed it down anyway while I waited.
My gaze restlessly traveled the shelves containing old books and magical oddities, including a globe of the world adorned with dynamic swirls of clouds that flowed over the model. The morning light streamed in from a pair of narrow, floor-to-ceiling windows, brightening the dark wood and heavy silence of the interior.
I glanced at my pocket watch again—one minute until my appointment. Inconveniently, the desk positioned outside the director’s office was unoccupied. Not a secretary in sight. Oh, no—they didn’t expect me to interview for a secretary position, did they?
An indistinct figure moved beyond the glass-paneled door. I shifted from hoof to hoof. What was I to do in this situation, knock or wait one more minute?
By the time I worked up the nerve to announce my presence, two more minutes ticked by. Dread slid its icy fingers into my chest, warning me that I was now late, and gave me the final push to act.
I reached forward to knock, pausing when I heard footsteps shuffle to a halt on the other side. I backed up awkwardly, my hooves clattering on the wood floor as the door swung outward.
“Hello, you must be Simarron! I’m Ken Moosekind, Executive Director of MASHA,” said a squinty man with a bushy mustache whose robes smelled faintly of tobacco. “Come in, lad, and mind your head.” He retreated behind his cluttered desk.
I ducked my head slightly, entering the office: a place of organized chaos. Books and files sat piled atop cabinets and shelves—even on the floor. Wood scraped on wood as I moved aside a chair and settled down on my haunches opposite the director.
Director Moosekind shifted a stack of papers aside. “So, Simarron, you want to join MASHA as a magical safety inspector, do you?”
Author Bio:
Marlena Cannon grew up reading "The Cat Who..." mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun and writing stories of her own. She kept writing intermittently over the years, eventually pursuing her dream by completing the DIY MFA program in 2023, where she drafted "The Vanishing Castle," inspired by one of her childhood projects. She also designed the cover using her background in graphic design. Marlena lives with her husband and their rescue rabbits.
The late Linda Beason wrote My Husband Almost Killed Me, a memoir about the domestic violence she suffered.
There's also a great giveaway.
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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Linda Beason will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
"If you ever leave me, I will kill the kids then I will kill you."
"I can't help but think of other women who may be facing similar situations, even now in a time and generation when these events can easily be exposed as much as they could be hidden. I wish I could reach each one of them, look into their eyes and tell them: you don't have to live like this. Life can be better; you can choose a different path. It's not easy, trust me, I know that more than most people do, BUT IT'S WORTH IT."
This book is an autobiography about a woman raised on a large farm who learned to drive a large tractor at the age of seven, then spent many years plowing, planting and harvesting crops and taking care of the farm animals. After three years in the Marine Corps, she married her college sweetheart who became a drunk and abused her for seven horrible years before he almost killed her then disappeared. After she recovered she and her three kids fled to Florida to hide so he wouldn't find them and finish the job.
Read an Excerpt
A few weeks ago, after one of Phil’s drunken rages, I decided that the kids and I would start camping out in the cornfield surrounding the house to avoid getting in his way. The plan was simple: we’d head out about an hour before he typically staggered home and stay hidden and out of sight until we were sure he had returned and passed out in bed. After that, we would crawl back into the house, get tucked in, and wake up the following day when Phil would have recovered from his stupor, and we could go back to being a regular family until we had to do it all over again at night. This way, we could avoid the brunt of his tirades and tantrums, and, most importantly, I could retain some semblance of peace, normalcy, and quiet for myself and my kids.
So far, it had been working.
As far as the kids were concerned, any chance to camp out in the fields was a fun opportunity they couldn’t miss. They were now used to the earthy, starchy, grassy smell, the sound of crickets chirping, and the occasional rustle of small rabbits nearby scurrying through the underbrush. Bailey and Ryan usually wore themselves out singing nursery rhymes and playing with their toys under the tent. Then, using a dim flashlight, I read bedtime stories to them while cradling Brooke and rocking her to sleep. When they were all fast asleep, I would keep watch, waiting for Phil to arrive and timing our return to the house.
The plan was working, but tonight, Brooke’s feeble cries threatened to disrupt it. She had initially fallen asleep in my arms, but for some reason, her eyes opened back up moments later, and since then, she’d been crying and refused to go back to sleep. I tried to cradle her even more, hoping the cry would let up, but it only grew louder. I wasn’t worried about a neighbor hearing us and calling the cops to report a lost, crying baby in the fields; the house closest to our field was a good half-mile away. I was more worried about Bailey’s and Ryan’s sleep being interrupted and the possibility of Phil’s sudden return.
About the Author: Born and raised on an Indiana farm, Linda Beason was steeped in the rhythms of rural life and nurtured by the enduring love of a close-knit family.
From an early age, she embraced responsibility and excelled throughout her school years. As an alumna of Purdue University— where she earned degrees in both agriculture and accounting—Linda distinguished herself academically and professionally, later working for several corporate companies, most notably the Green Giant Company, and serving honorably in the Marine Corps.
Yet despite a childhood filled with warmth and promise, Linda's adult life took a harrowing turn when she entered a marriage that would test the very limits of her strength. For nearly a decade, she endured domestic abuse at the hands of a dangerous man whose fury was fueled by alcohol and an insatiable need for control. That turbulent period sent her racing through a whirlwind of experiences that would forever alter her path.
Linda passed away in 2024 while writing this book. Through these pages, she hoped to inspire women to overcome the challenges of toxic relationships and the hardships of motherhood, reminding them that even the deepest wounds can heal and that the promise of a brighter tomorrow is always within reach.
Christa Nardi is here to tell us about The Itch of Greed, Izzie Di Sante Mysteries #6, cozy mystery.
There's also a great giveaway.
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The Itch of Greed
Christa Nardi
(Izzie Di Sante Mysteries, #6)
Publication date: September 22nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery
A dark cloud hangs over baseball season in small town Rosedale when star pitcher Randy Kampton is taken out of the game for good.
The DA is determined to pin the crime on Cole Rigley, a friend’s brother and fellow pitcher, citing the fierce competition for a major league trade as his motive for murder. Rigley’s brother, asks Henry and reluctant restaurant owner Izzie Di Sante to help prove his innocence. Adding fuel to the fire, Kampton stole Rigley’s girlfriend months earlier.
While Kampton’s pitching skills are universally acknowledged, no one, not fans or teammates, has a kind word to say about him, making for a long list of suspects. Rigley, on the other hand, is respected for his talent and team spirit. The wild card is another pitcher recovering from a car accident, whose open roster spot has all three men vying for the same prize.
In Rosedale, loyalty to the minor league team runs deep, and Izzie’s digging into the players’ pasts draws resentment from fans, police, and management alike. When the team’s PR person is targeted after meeting with her, the threats become all too real. The closer Izzie gets to uncovering the truth, on and off the field, the higher the stakes, and the more dangerous the game becomes.
An alert sounded on my phone as I entered Cenare, the Italian restaurant I owned with my sister Chloe. While Chloe was a foodie, I took care of the business side of things. Before our parents died, I freelanced as a journalist following homicides in New York City.
I was committed to the restaurant and Chloe, but my passion was murder, so I kept the homicide alerts coming. Occasionally, if one sparked my interest, I took some time to search out my next story. Homicides provided a rush the restaurant business didn’t give me. I put my things down on the small table in the kitchen area and pulled up the message.
“Breaking news! The Rosedale Thorny Bats will be hurting this season. Their best pitcher, Randy Kampton, died under suspicious circumstances. His body was discovered by the custodians in the Thorny Bats locker room early this morning. Stay tuned for details.”
The announcement prompted me to check my other sources for unsolved homicides, although I’d never heard of the Thorny Bats or Kampton. I assumed if the man was a pitcher, the sport was baseball. It was spring and our guests or employees occasionally mentioned baseball. Growing up, Chloe and I spent most of our time in the restaurant. We lived and breathed Cenare.
My escape was writing. I knew from experience that the death of those close to you changed your life. My stories focused on the impact of a sudden death – usually a homicide – on those left behind. I found less resistance from law enforcement when I focused on cold cases or those that were stalled. Most often, my casual interviews with those who knew the victim provided clues to the killer.
Unfortunately, sometimes the killer targeted me. Having lived in New York City for five years, I was prepared for that, even in small town Pinewood, Maryland, where murders rarely happened. With the first ever murder in our small town a few years back, I clashed with the local police detective when the immediate conclusion was a burglary, and I disagreed. For the record, I was right.
With the murder of an athlete, Kampton’s death would likely be quickly solved if the alert was any indication. Not finding anything else of note in the alerts, I went through my morning routine of checking income, paying bills, placing orders, and taking inventory. At least I used my degree in business management. I preferred taking care of those tedious tasks before anyone else arrived.
As usual, Chloe arrived with a breakfast treat as I finished the accounting and started the inventory.
“Good morning, Chloe. Those look and smell delicious.”
“Thanks, Izzie. Help yourself. I got this idea in my head and combined ingredients from an apple brownie recipe and a cinnamon streusel cupcake. Ryan assured me they were more than edible.” With money from the estate and the restaurant, Chloe had completed her training at the culinary institute nearby. In and out of the restaurant, she often created dishes. Breakfast for me and whomever else wanted a taste tended not to be traditional Italian. For the restaurant, she kept with the family tradition and stuck to Italian dishes.
I chuckled. “I don’t know how you can cook here all day and then try out new things when you get home.”
“Well, Ryan brought some work home that he needed to get done like yesterday. Only he didn’t get the assignment until that morning.” She shrugged. “I got creative in the kitchen while he worked.”
Since she and Ryan married a few months ago, she hadn’t been as creative with her morning treats, though I could always count on her to provide my breakfast. When she took a week off for her honeymoon, I had to fend for myself, usually stopping at the local bakery on my way to work.
“It’s delicious! Not quite brownie and not quite muffin. Still very moist and I’m a sucker for cinnamon and apples. I’ll have to freeze some of these for the next time I see Henry. Now that he’s taken the detective exam and he may be working part time in Franklin, I hope to see him more often.”
Henry and I had started off as friends and our relationship moved forward from there. He was always a willing assistant and backup when I pursued a story. Helping me out prompted him to pursue his private investigator credentials.
“Speak of the devil.” I showed Chloe the phone, took the container of treats, and sat down at the table.
“Hi, Henry. How are you?”
“Good. I may have a case for you and wanted to give you a heads up. Do you have a few minutes?”
I grabbed a piece of paper off the nearby printer. “Sure. What’s going on?”
“You know the guy who always gives me a hard time about driving an automatic or having a family car? Phil Rigley?”
“Dark hair, hazel eyes, not quite as tall as you, and maybe a year or two younger. A southern twang.”
“That’s him. He called this morning, wanting my opinion. His brother, Cole, plays ball with the Thorny Bats. Cole contacted Phil this morning. Something about a player dying and the police interviewing everyone. Phil didn’t have many details, but he wanted me to look into it.”
My phone pinged with an alert. “I caught one announcement earlier and then another just came in. A custodian found Randy Kampton, a pitcher for that team, dead this morning. It was a sports broadcaster the first time, the usual police blotter the second time. Nothing else. Where did the Thorny Bats come from? Is there a new major league team in Maryland?”
“No. The Baltimore Orioles is the only major league team. The Thorny Bats is a triple-A minor league team out in Rosedale. The players are good and some eventually get picked up by a major league team. I played in college and a few of my teammates went on to the minor leagues. We lost touch but I may see if I can locate them.”
“The news I caught indicated a suspicious death. Thorny Bats is a weird name for a team though.”
“Minor league teams often have interesting names, usually related somehow to their location and often suggested by fans. Rosedale, thorns, and baseball bats – Thorny Bats. Makes perfect sense to me.” He chuckled. “Keep me posted. If it’s a homicide, Phil thinks his brother will be a person of interest. Both Cole and Kampton are pitchers, and Kampton stole his girlfriend.”
“Both would give Cole two motives. I’ll call you after lunch with any updates. Katie just walked in. Right now I best finish the inventory and start the lunch prep.”
Katie was a chef-intern from the culinary institute. We’d hired two to help Chloe and relieve her of 12-hour days. A brunette in her mid-twenties, Katie stood a good six inches shorter than my five foot ten, with the figure of someone who competed in gymnastics through high school and still used her gym membership. She added to Chloe’s energy in the kitchen. Chloe hummed and listened to her favorite tunes when not directing Katie. They worked well together and became fast friends.
Jerry, another intern, comes in mid-afternoon, when Katie leaves. Jerry towers over Katie at six foot. Husky, he looks more like a bodyguard than a chef. Before switching careers after twenty years, Jerry worked for stuffed-shirt lawyers as a paralegal. He burned out about the time his mother became ill. He started as a server and moved into the second intern position. Jerry’s personality and age lent itself to being a calming influence in the kitchen.
“Katie, be sure to try Chloe’s latest breakfast treat, but save some for Henry, please.”
She laughed. “Will do.”
Inventory done, I moved to the restaurant side. As I dressed tables, Jennifer, the manager, joined me. She became the manager when the original manager left. A long-term employee since before Chloe and I took over, Jennifer was in her mid-thirties, older than both Chloe and me. She continued in the role of server most often, but also helped with training new servers, and took on hostess responsibilities when I took time off to chase down a story.
As the waitstaff filtered in, I raced upstairs and put on a dress, a throwback to when our parents were alive. Our mother thought it added an element of class and set Cenare apart from fast-food places. As I reentered the kitchen area, I took a deep breath. I might not be a foodie, but the smell of the spices made me smile.
Lunch went smoothly and I fidgeted at the hostess stand. I wanted to check my computer and phone for any updates on the Kampton death. It had been months since a case grabbed my attention. This time, it sounded like Henry and his buddy wanted me involved. I wasn’t too sure how the league, minor or otherwise, would appreciate me asking questions. Sometimes questions uncovered secrets best left untold, at least from their perspective.
Author Bio:
Christa Nardi is an accomplished author of cozy mysteries with an edge - still no graphic violence or sex or profanity, but touching on social issues. Christa's background is in higher education and psychology, much as her protagonists, Sheridan Hendley in the Cold Creek and Sheridan Hendley mystery, along with Stacie Maroni in the Stacie Maroni mystery series. She has always loved mysteries - reading them, writing them, and solving them. She reviews books on her blog, predominantly cozy mysteries.
Christa is a member of Sisters in Crime and can be found on occasion at Bouchercon, Killer Nashville, or Malice Domestic. She writes four series: Cold Creek Cozy Mysteries, Sheridan Hendley Mysteries, Stacie Maroni Mysteries, and the Izzie Di Sante mysteries. Christa also collaborates with Cassidy Salem in writing the Hannah and Tamar Mysteries, featuring teen sleuth sisters.
When not writing or reading, Christa and her husband enjoy travel, their three grandchildren, and their dogs. Christa supports dog rescue and local shelters.
Andrea Jones is here to tell us about Hook & Jill, The Hook & Jill saga book 1, literary fiction.
Read on for details...
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Literary Fiction
In celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th – We
present Hook & Jill, Book One of the The Hook & Jill Saga
An ageless fable grows up...
Wendy Darling learns. What appears to be good may prove otherwise, and what
seems to be evil…is irresistible. In this startling new vision of a
cultural classic, Wendy intends to live happily ever after with Peter Pan. But
Time, like this tale, behaves in a most unsettling way.
As Wendy mothers the Lost Boys in Neverland, they thrive on adventure. She
struggles to keep her boys safe from the Island’s many hazards, but she
finds a more subtle threat encroaching from an unexpected quarter.…The
children are growing up, and only Peter knows the punishment.
Yet in the inky edges of the Island, the tales Wendy tells to the Lost Boys
come true. Captain Hook is real, and even the Wonderful Boy can’t defend
his Wendy against this menace. Hook is a master manipulator, devising
vengeance for his maiming. Insidious and seductive, Hook has his reasons for
tempting Wendy to grow up. Revenge is only the first.
Deepening the characters so artfully sketched by J.M. Barrie, Hook & Jill
reveals the dark side of innocence at which Barrie hinted in the figure of
Peter Pan. It brings alive a daring Wendy who asks questions and seeks truth;
it delves into the man, Hook, the iconic villain. Striding from fairy-tale and
thrusting into reality, Captain Hook becomes a frightening force indeed.
About the Author
Andrea Jones is the author of the Hook & Jill Saga, an award-winning
series of Neverland novels for adult readers.
Jones graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she
studied Oral Interpretation of Literature, with a Literature Minor. In her
career in television production, she worked for CBS and PBS affiliates, and
corporate studios, also performing as on-camera and voice-over talent.
Jones is an editor of the Reginetta Press Classics Restoration program, which
seeks to preserve the integrity of beloved old manuscripts before they are
lost to time. The first project in the program is Peter and Wendy: The
Restored Text. In tribute to J.M. Barrie, Jones corrected alterations made by
modern publishers, returning Barrie’s timeless tale to its exact 1911
first edition text. This book is the basis of the Hook & Jill Saga, and
Jones remains true to J.M. Barrie’s vision of his Neverland and its
inhabitants.
Andrea Jones is known around the world as Capitana Red-Hand of the web-based
pirate brotherhood, Under the Black Flag. She is also a member of the pirate
re-enaction troupe, the Brethren of the Great Lakes. Her home port is near
Chicago.
Sunny Hart is here to tell us about her slow burn reverse harem (MFMMM) romance Duality, The Archers book 1.
There's also a great giveaway.
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She's their executive assistant by day, and the city's
vigilante by night.
Duality
The Archers Book 1
by Sunny Hart
Genre: Why Choose RH Romance
Executive assistant
by day… vigilante by night…
Evelyn Harper lives a double life. By day, she is the
unassuming assistant to the Stone brothers and their best friend, efficiently
managing their security firm’s operations. By night, she runs the Archers, a
vigilante organization delivering justice for those that the legal system
fails.
For years, she’s successfully kept her two lives separate,
using the information she’s privy to at the security firm to save more lives
with the Archers. But when a threat targets her men, Evelyn’s two worlds
collide. Evelyn must reveal her true identity and harness all her skills and
resources if she’s going to keep them alive.
But when the four men discover her betrayal, will they let
her help them or will they turn her and her organization over to the very
corrupt system that Evelyn fights?
Duality is the gripping first book of three in The Archers
series, full of action, intrigue, and romance as Evelyn fights to protect her
loved ones and uphold her brand of justice. It is a MFMMM slow burn
contemporary romance with dark themes but is not a dark romance. If you love
strong female characters and a harem that adores their FMC, this is the book
for you!
Sunny Hart lives in the rolling hills of the Kentucky
Bluegrass. She has spent her entire life expressing herself through writing and
short stories until one NaNoWriMo she challenged herself to write a book to
share with the world. By Her Sight is the first book Sunny has published but is
one of many floating around in her head. When not writing, Sunny is spending
time with her dogs and horse and working her ‘day job’ as a business strategy
consultant.
Ivy Barrett is here to tell us about Their Reluctant Mate, dark romance, shifter romance.
Read on for details...
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Dark Romance, Shifter Romance
Date Published: January 24, 2025
They tamed her in public. They'll claim and share her in private.
Within moments of being given as a mate to three fearsome shifters, Lexie was
stripped bare, spanked for her defiance, and then brought to a shameful climax
with their whole village watching.
But as she's carried off with her punished ass still sore inside and out, it's
not what these savage beasts did to her in public that's on her mind.
It's what they're going to do to her once they have her all to themselves.
Publisher's Note: Their Reluctant Mate is a stand-alone romance which is the
first book in the Rydarian Mates series. It includes spankings and rough,
intense sexual scenes. If such material offends you, this might not be the
book for you.
About the Author
Ivy writes sci-fi and paranormal erotica with strong romantic themes. She
lives in beautiful Boulder, Colorado and enjoys hearing from readers. Contact
her through her website. ivybarrett.com
