Now, they’ve been summoned to stop a force older than the gods themselves.
Stone Hearts
Olympian Awakenings Trilogy Book 1
by
CB Samet
Genre: Greek Mythology Urban Fantasy Romance
Madison was cursed to destroy with a glance—until a prophecy calls her to fight beside the one man who sees through her walls… and into her heart.
Cursed to turn the living to stone, Madison has spent her life avoiding others—until a prophecy drags her to Greece to join a team of strangers to help stop an ancient evil. Among them, she meets Rex, a battle-scarred archaeologist with the power to heal and secrets of his own.
Together, they must survive deadly skirmishes, outwit mythical creatures, and recover the Armor of Achilles from the heart of Daedalus’ labyrinth.
The deeper they go, the more the maze twists not just the path, but their minds.
Failure isn’t an option. Succeeding might cost them everything.
Magic. Monsters. A love forged in fire. The battle is only beginning.
When a titan’s power surges, mortals pay the price—and the Olympians must answer the call.
Layla, Tyler, and the other Olympians are thrust on a perilous quest across the Mediterranean and into the sunken heart of Atlantis to reclaim Poseidon’s trident. Their sea voyage is fraught with danger with deadly monsters and diabolical magic at every turn. Only by learning to trust—and love—each other can they hope to survive.
Layla’s storm powers are tied to her heart, and to master them, she must first confront the emotions she’s spent years guarding. Tyler, a shapeshifter whose might can rival the fiercest beasts, may be the key to her
control—but breaking through the walls around her heart won’t be easy. Their past mistakes still linger, and some wounds run too deep for even the strongest powers to heal.
Adventure, danger, and passion collide in this electrifying continuation of the Olympian Awakenings trilogy.
A titan is rising. And this time, the world may not survive.
Fire-wielder Zoey has spent her life afraid of her own power. Ancient soldier Alexios has spent centuries believing he was nothing more than a weapon. Together, they’ve survived monsters, gods, and impossible quests—but nothing prepares them for Kronos’s final move.
As fractures tear open between worlds, monsters pour into the mortal realm and the boundary between life and death begins to collapse. When a desperate sacrifice strands Zoey in the Underworld itself, ancient warrior Alexios must defy gods, fate, and death to bring her home—before she loses her memories… and herself.
The final battle will demand everything from all six champions who have fought side by side: fire and storm, stone and steel, courage, sacrifice, and unbreakable trust.
Because defeating a Titan will take more than power.
It will take a family forged in battle—and two souls willing to burn for each other and the world they refuse to lose.
The explosive conclusion to the Olympian Awakenings trilogy delivers epic Greek mythology, found family, and a sweeping romantic finale where love and legend collide.
Zoey has always felt the burn of something more beneath her skin—an untamed fire that refuses to be extinguished. After years of hiding her power, she’s finally found belonging and a chance to be normal… as a stunt
double on a Hollywood set.
Layla is the picture of grace and fame, a star with a global following. But behind the camera, she’s hiding a dangerous secret: she can control the weather.
When a monstrous creature straight from myth attacks during filming, Zoey and Layla are forced to reveal their powers—and discover they’re not alone. Chosen by ancient forces, bound by a forgotten legacy, the two women must join forces to face a truth that will shatter everything they thought they knew.
Christina is a four-time award-winning author in thriller, romantic suspense, and fantasy. She is a mother of two energetic boys. She is a lover of suspense, adventure, and happy endings. She writes action and adventure in fantasy, thrillers, and romantic suspense genres. Her novels have empowered women overcoming powerful obstacles and the strong men who support them.
Favoritequote, ‘She needed a hero. So she became one.’ –Robin Reed
Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.
Ever since being sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, Julian has been able to see and communicate with the spirits of passed brujx. And that would be okay, if it allowed him to be part of his new boyfriend’s community. But Julian’s also seeing other things: shadows in the corner of his eyes, glowing eyes in the dark, and “dark spots” on people – gaping, black gashes that are somehow wrong. He did ask his new magical boyfriend about it, but Yadriel has never heard of anything like it either, and he’s so busy with his new Brujx responsibilities, trying to figure out where all the new malingos are coming from, that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time together they have.
Then, a strange new brujx shows up. Ángel, as a nonbinary brujx, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Ángel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian, who wants to move away from hurting others.
With the shadows growing darker, and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.
Aiden Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author celebrated for writing heartfelt, genre-blending young adult fantasy that centers queer and Latinx characters. Their debut novel, Cemetery Boys, became a New York Times bestseller, was a finalist for the Lodestar Award, and was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
They have since authored multiple bestsellers, including Lost in the Never Woods, The Sunbearer Trials, and its sequel Celestial Monsters. Aiden is a passionate advocate for trans and Latinx representation in literature, and has taught with organizations such as Tin House and Lambda Literary. Their work is widely praised for its joyful defiance, immersive worldbuilding, and celebration of chosen family. Aiden holds an MFA in Creative Writing and lives in Portland, Oregon.
Off The Rails – A Wilderness Survival Adventure by Susan Count
About Off The Rails
Off The Rails – A Wilderness Survival Adventure Middle Grade Fiction Reading age: 8 – 12 years 2nd in Series Setting – Montana Publisher: Hastings Creations Group Publication date: September 1, 2026 Print length: 204 pages Paperback ISBN-10: 1952371236 ISBN-13: 978-1952371233 Digital ASIN: B0HD9R8HW1
After planning a fun experience for a year, two Texas cousins make their first trip to Montana. When their train stalls, the boys leap from it into the white wilderness, beginning a perilous run for their lives.
As a blizzard hits, the boys spend a miserable night trying not to freeze. They struggle along the tracks to find shelter, but a disaster leaves them exposed to the elements and every famished wild creature.
Frustrated by their too-real situation, Davy and Anderson struggle to endure. Instead of vacationers at a wolf sanctuary, they become players in an unplanned survival experience.
Just because your cousin jumps from a train in the wilderness doesn’t mean you should too.
Susan Count is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Texas Association of Authors. She takes studying the craft of writing seriously. Revision is her super-power.
Ms. Count has published Texas Boys Adventures, Dream Horse Adventures, and Dream Pony Riders. All series are for young readers ages 8 – 14.
Susan is a lifelong equestrian and owned by a Rocky Mountain Horse that is kind-hearted enough to take her on long, forested trail rides. She says the only thing more fun than riding might be writing adventure stories for children.
Answer to why did I write Off The Rails
Ten of my novels are horse books for girls. But on the rare occasions that I do an event book table, I’m inevitably asked if I’ve written any books for boys. So, I wrote this two-book series (Texas Boys Adventures) because you asked and kept asking. You and my four grandsons. Finding wholesome books that will engage 8- to 12-year-old boys is a parental challenge.
I’m so old school. Let the kids keep their childhood for as long as possible. I believe in protecting their young hearts and minds. Give them adventures where they learn to build friendships and be the hero of their own stories. Capture their interest and then encourage and strengthen them to grow into the heroes they are destined to be.
While searching for her missing boss, a Wyoming Deputy Sheriff accidentally discovers a secret facility and conspiracy of silence surrounding a series of mysterious deaths in Deadhorse, Alaska.
The Weight of Cold Things
by
Lisa Towles
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Arctic Noir
Wyoming Deputy Sheriff Gree Gooding has one mission: find her missing boss. The trail leads four thousand miles north—to Deadhorse, Alaska, an oil-drilling outpost clinging to the edge of the Arctic Circle. A place where daylight is rationed, where the cold can kill in minutes, and where her husband AJ, a petroleum geologist, vanished six months ago.
The clues don’t just point to her boss’s disappearance. They reach back into Gree’s own past— to the Wyoming ranch she left behind, to the family secrets buried in its soil, and to the grief frozen like permafrost inside her.
When the investigation cinches around a decades-long cover-up — a black ops program called Arc Dominion — Gree realizes someone’s been waiting for her. Someone knew she’d follow the thread. This was never about a missing sheriff. It’s about the conspiracy AJ died trying to expose — and whether she can finish what he started.
The cold doesn’t forgive. It doesn’t forget. And it’s about to give up its dead.
For fans of Yellowstone and The X-Files — where neo-Western grit meets a decades-long government conspiracy buried beneath the Arctic ice.
They gutted an iceberg with two sticks of dynamite, forty years ago when the shabby construction camps rose on the iconic Dalton Highway. Oil was struck in Prudhoe Bay in 1968, setting off an irreversible string of events: an ecological nightmare, an eight-billion-dollar pipeline transporting crude oil 800 miles south from the North Slope to Valdez, and passage for seventy thousand oil workers to the most menacing outpost on earth: Deadhorse.
A stolen scrap of bread. Chronic insomnia. Drug abuse. One worker snapped, nicking dynamite from the munitions depot, flailing his arms, all the while forgetting how fast the detonating cord burns to the quick. The shock wave bulleted shards of ice in every direction, thrusting the assailant twelve feet in the air in a whirl of fire and black smoke. He became the first prize, the Number One. His victim, the second man, escaped.
It took two days for the particles to clear the air, finally revealing an exquisite, dome-like crevasse in the ice the depth of five residential garages — one after the other in a long, hollow train. Except this garage had no yard outside because nothing grew in this place but resentment. No gas grill on a redwood deck, no family huddled in the adjacent house. Only the unrelenting cold and ice: on the floor, walls, ceiling. He loved it that way, the Caretaker, the exclusivity of his access and the singularity of his dark secret.
That spring, the suited men came in droves sporting fine clothing and city shoes to explain the gravity of their problem, which later evolved into their pitch. Well, their problem had just solved itself, hadn’t it? No one knew about this place and nobody but him would ever find it. Some secrets were just not for sale.
Chapter 1
Present Day December 18 – Inglewood Ranch, Cody, WY
I could feel it in my bones, this unspeakable energy of change. Not a buzz, it was more like a low hum I could almost hear when I closed my eyes and got real still. I’d woken with it today, of all days, this visceral knowing that despite the regularity of my errand, it would have a disruptive impact on my life, such as it was. My work in Jackson, a five hour drive from our family ranch in Cody, was an odd arrangement to begin with, and the two-bedroom condo I rented near the Teton County Sheriff’s Office was uninhabitable without AJ. Even still, there was something else in the air today. Cholo, our ranch hand and my lifelong friend, sensed something too, though it wasn’t his way to articulate his thoughts. Instead, he put cinnamon in the coffee, his quiet way of offering comfort. I could smell it the whole way in from the barn.
I’d gone out before first light, watching the fluff of gray dawn cover my beloved Inglewood, hoping to shake the image of a recurring dream and to brush AJ’s quarter horse, Rain. At first, it was to console him, knowing horses had unique and profound ways of grieving. Lately, though, the cold vigil seemed more about me. Rogue, the word had been coming to me since AJ’s death — a blurry dream-hand opening to a tiny piece of paper on which a single word was written. Was it him reaching out from his watery grave? What did it mean?
Cholo passed me a cup when I reached the kitchen, shutting out the ten-degree wind chill behind me. I unzipped my coat and sipped quietly just inside the door, letting the hot coffee slide down my throat, waiting for whatever his face was preparing.
“Been three weeks now.”
I nodded, three weeks since Sheriff Peter Barrett disappeared — my boss, mentor, now another silent ache in my heart.
“I heard about the fire,” he added. “How many is that now?”
“Does it matter?” I asked him. “Seven.”
“You think they’re connected. Don’t you?”
I shrugged, pretending. But any sane person would. “I’m not an arson investigator. Bryce at the State Fire Marshal’s Office is looking into it.”
“Really?”
I laughed. “Come on. Bryce has a good team working for him. I know two of those guys.”
“They haven’t been out here since Thanksgiving.” Cholo stared back, thick brows angled over large, black eyes.
“I know, okay? What do you want me to do? I’m not the sheriff.” The words caught in my throat.
“You never know about people,” he said with that quiet wisdom I’d never seen in anyone else, like he understood the longings in my heart for answers that hadn’t yet come. Peter Barrett, Jackson’s most beloved sheriff, vanished three weeks ago today.
Cholo was right about Bryce, too. Interagency politics aside, I’d need to call and follow up on the arson investigation they said they were running. Add it to the growing list.
He took a long sip, still watching me.
“Well, spit it out already,” I said.
“I can’t take you to the airport.”
“It’s alright, I’ll get an Uber.”
Cholo’s jaw was set tight but his eyes were uncertain, like he was trying to think of an excuse but couldn’t do it.
“What’s the big deal?”
“Woody’s gonna take you.”
“Woody!” My voice cracked like a whip. I set the cup on the counter with a clunk and rezipped my coat. Ah…the cinnamon. Son of a bitch.
“He wants to talk to you.”
“Does he now?” I grabbed the warm mug for reinforcement and sucked down the last three gulps. “Does he want to talk about how he stole two of our horses, stole money from me? He robbed us, Cholo, all of us. And by doing so, he broke something precious.” I didn’t like the sound of that word, precious. Made it seem like Woody was important to me, and despite the intrusive logic of that truth, there was no place for Woody here anymore.
“He says he’s sorry.”
“Not to me he didn’t. Besides, sorry’s just a word.” Already mad at seven in the morning, great. I zipped my coat and turned my back to him, facing the door. “A real apology is a change in behavior.” My eyes were wide as I waited for him to take my challenge. To come to Woody’s rescue, explain how the drugs made him do it or the excuse-of-the-day.
Still fuming, I left via Uber at 7:30 a.m. without another word to either Cholo or my dad. Woody could kiss my ass as far as I was concerned. I’d have to pay for my cold heart, of course. The world has a quiet way of keeping score.
***
By 3:00 p.m., I was standing on the corner of Wave and McClellan Streets in Monterey, California. Eleven hundred miles away in historic Cannery Row, a sliver of sea was visible between the brownstones on Lighthouse Avenue. The sun felt warm on my face and bare arms. Mid December in California, I’ll be damned. A premonition, I couldn’t put my finger on it, made me take notice, warning me to be careful. Something bad was coming.
Ash was right, I was loath to admit. There were holiday decorations and tacky music everywhere, but it just didn’t feel like Christmas in a hilltop penthouse overlooking the ocean, waves beneath me reflecting a cloudy sky. The beauty of California’s coast was unmistakable, but in my heart, Christmas was indelibly marked by snow.
“Is that you?” Cholo asked me later, answering his mobile on the third ring.
“I guess. Some version of me, anyway.”
“What are you doing out there, Gree? You hate California.”
He knew, of course; we’d discussed it back and forth for weeks. Why go now, why go at all? After being on and off the market for ten years, my mother’s condo had finally found a buyer. I came here to sign papers, to once again acknowledge the sting of her death and bring my feet one step closer to the present. But that wasn’t what he was asking. Like all Cholo’s questions, they were part real world and part spirit world. I knew what he meant. I just wasn’t sure I was willing to answer yet.
“How’s Dad?” I deflected.
“He’s concerned about how it will look to the community, you leaving town after Peter’s disappearance.”
“I don’t recall asking his opinion.” He was right, though. It was too sudden, but it would be a short trip. Besides, everything was broken right now anyway.
“No, but he’s always willing to share it, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” I laughed.
“He’s splitting wood right now,” Cholo said.
“Great idea for a man who just had a heart attack.”
“Come on, it was a mild one. He didn’t even know he was having it. Besides, it’s gonna be zero tonight. We’ll be using that wood.”
I guess I shouldn’t complain. The fact that they were staying in the same house, after such a long standoff, was nothing short of miraculous and I had nothing to do with it. Maybe the rock of resentment got too heavy to haul around anymore. I was dying to know who thawed first, but I’d never ask. You didn’t do things that way out here. Not in Wyoming, not in this family.
“Could you make sure he’s got a jacket on? For God’s sake keep an eye on him. If left to his own devices he’d chop wood in a—”
“Gretchen.”
It was my dad’s voice now, Ash Gooding, former Sheriff of Park County, who to this day insists on calling me by my birth name instead of the nickname my mother gave me.
“How’s sunny California?”
It was meant as an insult. Everyone in town got lots of mileage from the fact that I wasn’t a native of Wyoming, even though I’d lived there since I was five.
“It’s midnight, Wyoming time. What are you doing up this late? Do you miss me that much?” I joked to an awkward silence. I rambled on for a while, telling him about the dark orange sunset I’d seen from the balcony after signing a four-inch stack of papers. Hadn’t they ever heard of digital copies? Apparently, this mortgage company insisted on paper-everything. Ash listened. I heard the clinking of ice in his glass. Would this be his third or fourth by now? I decided not to mention the wood chopping.
“You didn’t tell her?” he mumbled to Cholo. “Mmm.”
“Tell me what?”
A murmur of conversation in the background. Maybe his hand was covering the phone. And maybe this was what Cholo was hiding from me this morning.
“Dad, what is it? Tell me.”
“I can’t. Gotta show you. Guess we’ll have to wait till you get back.”
Sonofabitch. I knew my dad, and that meant no manipulation or psychology would wriggle out of him whatever he was keeping from me. After signing over ownership of what had been my mother’s dream home, I left the key with the bankers and took with me a cedar box of my mother’s mementos, which I would undoubtedly squirrel away somewhere and forget about for the next decade. All the better, right? Avoidance, since AJ’s death six months ago, had become a sort of new religion. Didn’t avoidance almost always turn to cancer somewhere down the road?
When I got back, I didn’t bother going home first before looking for Ash. He’d planted an evil seed of dread and apprehension, and he knew it too. Maybe punishing me for something; he’s a Gemini after all. I flew into Cody from San Francisco instead of Jackson, where I’d worked for the past twelve years as deputy sheriff under Peter Barrett, one of the kindest men I’d ever met. Why did I feel like Ash’s secret had something to do with him? The buzzing in my bones this morning…maybe that was the warning. Jesus, no. Not that. The vague comfort of the word missing was too hard to give up.
Three in the afternoon to Ash Gooding meant five o’clock somewhere. There’s this ratty bar on the edge of town called Stagecoach, Ash’s favorite. Drafty as hell with dusty floors, swivel stools, and random darts scattered on the floor looking for their board, threatening tetanus. Weird part about it was that the owner isn’t a wrinkled prune of a man but someone belonging on the cast of Below Deck, a body intended for board shorts, tanned legs and a white polo shirt hauling up ropes with three-ply triceps. He was trying to be unassuming in a plain brown t-shirt stretched out at the neck, pretending he didn’t care about his looks. His artificially whitened smile betrayed the deception – laughing eyes with something sinister behind them, a joke no one knew about but him.
“How’s it going?” the guy asked.
I exhaled. “G&T, please. Been a long day.”
“Coming up.”
When Runway Model set down the glass, I suddenly didn’t feel like talking. The weight of air travel, of the milestone I’d crossed and today’s sad anniversary, burned behind my eyes. They watered as I took the first swallow. I turned on the stool to look around. Ha, I knew it.
“Ash,” I said, walking across the creaking floorboards. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.”
“Drinking here alone, that’s what.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You can come to my house in Jackson and drink with me. Wouldn’t that be nicer?”
He laughed. “Not necessarily. Besides, too long a drive.”
“Look, you can stay here and punish yourself for Mom’s death all you like. I know what day it is.”
The slap of the men’s room door distracted us from the tension. It was a sad old story with no ending. I smelled Cholo’s Irish Spring soap behind me. I turned, my left arm involuntarily reaching for him, tugging the frayed edge of his Carhartt jacket.
“Well.” I stood back a ways. “You two got real chummy in the one day I left town.” They were looking sideways at each other in some silent communication. Ranchers at a bar in the middle of the afternoon; it didn’t make sense. “What’s the deal?”
Cholo nodded. “You’d better sit down.”
Lisa Towles believes stories hold the world together – and the best ones expose what we hide even from ourselves. She builds that belief into her main characters – Mari Ellwyn, Angus Mariner, Kurt Farin – each one drowning in dark secrets, running from unthinkable truths. The award-winning author of 14 mystery thrillers, her books pull readers into worlds of global espionage, fringe technology, and shadow governments. Her titles include Terror Bay (NYC Big Book Award), Codex (BookFest First Place), The Ridders (American Fiction Award), and her E&A Series thrillers Hot House and Salt Island both reached Amazon Kindle #1 Bestseller. Her next thriller, The Weight of Cold Things – described as Yellowstone meets The X-Files – publishes in August 2026. When she’s not writing, she interviews authors on her Story Impact Podcast and coaches writers on how to be visible and memorable to readers. Follow her to get notified of new releases.
A chilling thriller set in the darkest and coldest spot on Earth!
The Weight of Cold Things by Lisa Towles is a chilling new thriller (pun intended) set in the remote Alaskan outpost of Deadhorse above the Arctic Circle. When the sheriff of Teton County, Wyoming, goes missing and his wallet is discovered near an unknown deceased white male at a far northern Alaskan oil drilling facility, it falls to Deputy Sheriff Gretchen “Gree” Gooding to travel there to identify the body. Deadhorse, Alaska, located 13 hours north of Fairbanks, is the same location where, only a year earlier, her own husband had gone missing, presumed drowned, his body never recovered, and the last place Gree wants to go. However, the sheriff was not only her boss but also her mentor and best friend.
Once on the ground in Fairbanks, she connects with Alaska State Trooper Matt DeGuerre, who is working the case, but the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the wallet and the body have since come into question. And then, more people start disappearing.
While the initial introduction of the main character and her family and friends felt a little unclear, it took a while to establish their relationships; the investigation kicked off immediately. The sheriff had already been missing for three weeks when the story opened, and a notification about his wallet arrived at the Sheriff’s Office in Jackson. Because of this late-breaking clue, there is an urgency to the investigation, a feeling of catching up that never abates. The remote Arctic location with its unimaginable cold and eerie perpetual darkness makes for a truly atmospheric setting and one that works against the characters as they seek answers.
As bodies, witnesses, and others disappear in Alaska, events back home complicate matters and long-held secrets come to light. But even with the stress and emotional burden on her shoulders. Gree finds the strength to continue searching for the truth. I was especially intrigued by the story element that her deceased husband was trying to communicate clues to her from beyond the grave. With all the twists and turns, I stayed engaged from start to finish and was ultimately surprised by the final resolution.
I recommend THE WEIGHT OF COLD THINGS to readers of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense.
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where the pancakes are fluffy, the bacon is crisp,
and murder should not be on the menu…
A Pinch of Assault
Sunny Side Up Mysteries Book 3
by Misty Simon
Genre: Small Town Cozy Mystery with a dash of Romance
Welcome to the Sunny Side Up Diner, where the jukeboxes jive and the secrets thrive…
With things at her Sunny Side Up Diner sailing along smoothly for once, Jax Tapman has turned her attention to her personal life. It’s time to meet the boyfriend’s mother in person. And while Jax isn’t totally certain she’s up to the challenge, she agrees to show Eliot’s mom around a local retirement home. It sounds innocent enough, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to sell the woman on the idea of moving to be closer to her son. But instead of making her case, when Jax enters the model apartment, she and her potential in-law find one dead body and a whole lot of secrets!
Suddenly it’s up to Jax to discover who the retirement home killer is—a task that only gets harder when someone from Eliot’s past shows up and might know far more about the crime than she’s letting on.
The Sunny Side Up Diner is jumping with gossip, Jax and her best friend Dani are running interference, and Eliot’s mom is calling all the shots. But sorting out chaos and minimizing damage is something Jax has grown accustomed to, if she can only get a clue.
“This new series is off to a great start. Misty does an excellent job showing readers all the details of the small town, the diner, and a cast of entertaining characters.”
~ Kings River Life Magazine
“Readers cannot help but fall in love with this first book!!! Simon has you laughing out loud… I, for one, look forward to more books in the series!!!!”
“We’re looking for the model apartment,” I said. “If you could point us in the right direction?”
“Of course,” said a guy who came up from behind to join the others. He was wearing a hoodie also emblazoned with the company logo of a big, branchy oak tree with a smiling face. “Right behind you.”
I turned around, and sure enough, when I looked at the sign on the wall to my right, it had a big arrow and the very helpful words “Model Home” in a polished silver that must have cost a pretty penny. But for what they charged to live here, that was probably a drop in the bucket of the money they made on a monthly basis.
“Much appreciated.”
“No problem,” he said, saluting me, and then he caught up with the others.
“We have our direction now from the guy who must not realize it’s warm enough to not need a sweatshirt.”
“Not everyone is as hot as you are,” Eliot said with a chuckle.
“Ha!” I did appreciate that he thought I was hot, of course, but I was fighting a blush that he’d said it in front of his mom.
“Nicely done,” Dot said, patting her son’s arm.
“Let’s carry on.” I cleared my throat and prepared to make the idea of living here irresistible, or at least get mother and son to laugh while trying. “Here we have state-of-the-art facilities and comfort like no other place in the world. The programs and activities are top of line, too. You will only be bored here if you want, or actively make an effort to be bored, because we can schedule your every second before Wheel of Fortune comes on, if you so desire.”
Dot snickered, and even Eliot laughed at that.
“Please follow me to our version of paradise.”
I inserted the key into the lock and twisted, but I didn’t feel any resistance or hear the deadbolt click. I turned the doorknob anyway, thinking maybe the door was just that well-oiled.
Opening the door into the really beautiful suite of rooms, I was already half in love with the teal carpet and the rose-colored walls. The tan furniture they’d chosen to place in the living room was set off nicely with pastel throw pillows, light wood side tables, and a coffee table. The sliding glass door to the left let in ample sunlight without being blinding and bathed the whole area in a golden glow that warmed the room. The effect was truly lovely.
It was obvious I wasn’t alone in thinking so either, since Dot was already oohing and ahhing from the doorway. As she stepped in, I moved out of the way in case she wanted to make a beeline for the kitchen. The breakfast bar fronting the kitchen was big without being massive and separated it from the living room while keeping the floor plan open for entertaining.
I was hoping she’d love the space as she moved around the end of the bar, but when she stepped into the kitchen, she drew to an immediate halt and barked at us to call 9-1-1.
Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time.
Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania, where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at misty@mistysimon.com.
The riveting story of imprisoned knight-brother Richard Fitz Simon continues as Prince Nevsky seeks peace between his country and the Baltic crusaders.
Soldiers of Christ is the second suspense-filled novel in author Jon Byrne’s riveting historical fiction series, The Northern Crusader Chronicles, about a betrayed and dispossessed English lord, Richard Fitz Simon, and his adventures as a knight-brother with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, fighting in the Baltic Crusades. Severely wounded and captured in a disastrously failed battle against the Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky, he is allowed to pen his memoirs as a memento to be sent to his son, a child begotten during his youth in Lübeck. As his extraordinary tale is revealed, it captures the interest and imagination of the young prince, who eventually draws the recovering Richard into his negotiations for peace between his county and the crusaders from the Latin Church.
The story unfolds in dual timelines: during Richard’s current situation as a prisoner in the summer of 1242 and his earlier life while a sergeant-brother in the Order of the Swordbrothers in Riga, Livonia, from 1205 through 1209. The author’s depictions of medieval life are fascinating, creating vivid, immersive impressions of brutally harsh times. The living conditions, for not only the brothers but the entire populace, are stark, with food, shelter, and safety always at the minimum. The daily routine of life in the Order is rigid, relieved only by the chance to wage war. Well-choreographed battle scenes put readers smack in the middle of the chaos, brutality, death, and destruction.
The imprisoned Richard, looking back and dictating his words to the disgruntled Irish scribe, Fergus, is an old man at 53, while he is only 16 and a survivor of his first battle against the pagans when his narrative picks up. While nominally viewed as a boy by the Order, he is still expected to work, fight, and potentially die like the older men. Richard is relentlessly persecuted by his master, Rudolf, and Wolfgang, a fellow sergeant-brother, throughout his service, and he plans and retaliates whenever possible, with the help of sympathetic companions. He is often in trouble with the Order’s command as a result of his temper and his reactions to the constant provocations. Although they are a religious order of fighting knights, the Swordbrothers are often accurately described as no better than a band of brigands. Their mission to convert the pagan populations of faraway lands as part of the Northern Crusades in the Baltics is questionable, especially when viewed through a modern lens. There is a lot of death and destruction wreaked in the name of Christ.
To aid in readers’ enjoyment, the author has provided a comprehensive list of characters appearing or mentioned in the book, many of whom are actual historical figures. Chapters are grouped into parts and anchored in time and place by the associated dates and settings of the ensuing events. While this is the second book in the series, the author provides a very good recap of the story to date, so new readers will still enjoy and understand this compelling page-turner. However, the previous novel, Sword Brethren, was a 5-star read for me, and also a riveting tale of family, betrayal, and resilience, and not to be missed by readers who enjoy compelling sagas of action-filled historical fiction.
I recommend SOLDIERS OF CHRIST to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the relatively ignored Northern Crusades.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
Fascinating tale of a dispossessed English lord and his journey to knighthood as a Christian warrior-monk.
Sword Brethren is the first book in author Jon Byrne’s fascinating 13th-century-set crusades series, The Northern Crusader Chronicles, which follows the life of a young, dispossessed English lord, Richard Fitz Simon, from the murder of his father to joining the Livonian Order of Swordbrothers to defend and advance the easternmost boundary of Christendom in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Fourteen-year-old Richard and his father’s loyal steward, Wilhelm Weber, flee their home in England only steps ahead of assassins sent by his treacherous Uncle Gilbert, who murdered his own brother for his land, money, and title. The two fugitives escape to Lübeck, where Wilhelm’s brother still operates the family salt business, only to find Everhard is very resentful of Wilhelm’s past. Penniless, he and Wilhelm depend on Everhard’s grudging goodwill to subsist until Richard’s secret relationship with Everhard’s daughter, Elsebeth, is revealed and changes everything. Fleeing for his life, Richard finds passage on a ship bound for Riga and a life in the service of the Livonian brothers of the sword, whose mission is to safeguard the recently established outposts and assist in converting the local pagan tribespeople to Christianity.
The story is told by 53-year-old Richard Fitz Simon, a prisoner of Prince Alexander Nevsky, captured after the battle on the ice of Lake Peipus. Severely wounded, he must recover before he can be ransomed back to his order, and as his convalescence progresses, he dictates the story of his life to an Irish scribe provided by the prince who is mightily intrigued by his past. Richard complies to pass the time and, hopefully, have the resulting memoir sent to the son he left behind when he fled Lübeck.
Richard is an engaging, relatable character, frustrated by circumstances that never should have been. At 14, he is an earnest young man, desirous of gaining the approval of his emotionally distant and dismissive father and following in the noble path laid out for him from birth. However, Richard has a fiery temper that often overrides his good sense, landing him in serious trouble many times over the course of his life. Yet, no matter what, when danger appears, he invariably chooses the road of honor. His story is filled with obstacles created by encounters with those who have chosen otherwise, whether because of jealousy, greed, pride, or prejudice, and they do their utmost to harm him or worse.
The plot moves swiftly, with a ton of action in a very short timeframe, as only two years pass in the tale of his past, and it concludes when he is 16. The author creates a vivid, vibrant medieval backdrop for Richard’s tale, whether in London or on the fringes of civilization. The settings are so well drawn that readers will almost feel or see or smell the character’s surroundings.
I recommend SWORD BRETHREN to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the Baltic region crusades.
A neglected dog brings two misfits together in this adventure for middle schoolers who love animals and stories where the kids take charge.
For Caleb, September is off to a rough start. His parents have split up, he’s moved to a new town, and—worst of all—he misses his dog. Valery is his new neighbor, but apart from being in the same class, they have nothing in common. Valery is lonely and hurt since her best friend abandoned her for a boy, and she thinks Caleb is just obnoxious. Under normal circumstances, they’d never be friends. But these aren’t normal circumstances.
There’s a hurricane coming, and Valery and Caleb are both worried for Lyra, their neighbor’s terribly neglected dog. None of the adults in their lives will do anything, so they hatch a plan to rescue her themselves, no matter how risky.
Dani Jansen is an English and drama teacher who lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. She performed (as a teacher) in her school’s glee show for eight years. Yes, there is probably video evidence of this. No, she will not point you in the direction of where to find it. Dani helped found her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and has only occasionally subjected her students to the Bard. Her writing has appeared in This Magazine, Lunch Ticket, The A3 Review, and Fiction Southeast. She has also contributed to Maman Loup’s Den. Her debut novel, The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life, came out September 22, 2020.
Love Next Door: A ‘90s Anthem Duet Eve Kasey & Melanie A. Smith Publication date: September 1, 2026 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
One volume, two steamy interconnected romances set in 1995 Seattle
Come to My Window Hazel Bell has lost everything — her job, her apartment, and her future in Seattle. Now her whole world is a thrift-store wardrobe, a family of houseplants, and a stranger in the opposite window who knows exactly what to say.
They exchange notes instead of names. Confessions instead of introductions. And somehow, the man she’s never met becomes the one person she can’t live without.
Gideon Sarkis knows the truth would end them before they ever begin.
He knows exactly who Hazel is. But she doesn’t know him — or how badly he once hurt her. The more notes they write, the harder he falls. But with his obligations pressing in and her options disappearing, their time is running out.
Some windows are meant to be opened.
But some secrets can shatter everything.
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door Ben Pedersen is a ghostwriter stuck crafting someone else’s thrillers when a misdelivered package introduces him to the mystery of unit 203 — and its elusive occupant, Heaven Lee.
Lee is a software engineer burning the candle at every possible end, helping build one of the first online bookstores. She doesn’t have time for nosy neighbors. She barely has time for sleep. But the guy upstairs keeps getting her mail, and he’s funny, patient, and her dog likes him more than the UPS guy. So maybe one coffee not-date won’t kill her.
The neighborly arrangement that follows becomes something neither of them planned. But Lee won’t admit what’s in the misdelivered packages, and Ben’s writer brain won’t let a mystery rest. When curiosity crosses a line, both must decide what matters more: protecting their secrets or fighting for what they’ve found.
Love Next Door is two warm, witty nostalgic love stories about the secrets we keep, the walls we build, and the people worth tearing them down for.
Hazel is parked in a chair in front of her window, arms around her knees as if she needs the extra support. Our gazes collide across the space between us. Even with the tiny smile she offers, she looks small and lonely, and it breaks my heart.
There is no note. Just her.
After a long moment in which we just share space, she unwinds her arms and turns to her kitchen table. Her hair falls across her face as she scribbles out a note. I watch as she tucks long locks behind her ear, and wish it’s my fingers instead.
Coffee shop? her note says. She’s drawn a steaming mug beside the words.
I nod.
And wait.
Her next note is unexpected. I saw you at the grocery store yesterday.
My stomach flips. Seriously? In the same building twice in as many days? I wonder how often that’s happened without our knowledge. Maybe we’ve been circling around each other for months, just out of reach.
And? She’d seen me and done nothing about it. Why?
A bit of her sparkle returns as she shares a small, sly smile. AndI still think you’re incredibly handsome.
I chuckle softly, but I won’t let her slide. Talk to me, Picasso.
Her smile fades. Nodding, she turns her attention back to her art supplies. Her words against the glass are navy blue and stark. It’s been an invisible day. Ever feel invisible?
I don’t. My size and coloring make me stand out. I’ve never felt invisible, but I’ve never truly felt seen, either. Not until eye contact with my neighbor was all I had.
I shake my head before bending down to write the next note. I may not have seen you, but I see you. I make the last three words bold, going over the letters several times. Then I make a second sign. You shine, Hazel. Even in the dark.
Thank you, she doodles out, including leaves and buds around the letters. Then another. You have a way of helping me heal. A broken heart held together by stitches.
“Killing me, Picasso,” I breathe. That is the greatest compliment she can give me, especially knowing what I do.
You get me through the day, Hazel. Even before I knew you, you were the reason I smiled.
She puts her hand on her heart, and I swear I feel myself fall.
Smiling, Hazel writes another note and holds it up to the window. Do I get to know your name?
With those words, I hit the earth.
I refuse to let my panic show on my face. Thinking quickly, I scrawl out a desperate reply. If you’ve named all your plants, I know you’ve named me, too. What do you call me?
She visibly cringes, and heaves an exaggerated sigh I can see across the alley and holds her confession up to the window.
Fred.
I blink. As in Flintstone? Why?
Hazel is slow to reply, but I don’t mind because I have her pursed lips and another peek of her clavicle to focus on. Because you’re too sexy for your shirt.
It takes a few seconds to process her words. Then I burst out laughing, harder than I have in weeks. Not Flintstone, then. Right Said Fred. The guy with the truly obnoxious song.
Still chuckling, I glance down at my exposed abs, loving that she appreciates my hard work, loving even more that “too sexy” is how she thinks of me.
Despite the crazy day, despite the secret I’m holding in my heart, I make sure that Hazel knows that the feeling is mutual.
I let desire take over every part of me, slowly, like a trickle of light rain. I allow heat into my gaze. Leaning forward on the shelf, I let my muscles pop and eyes roam. I take her in as I share my more lascivious thoughts through body language.
For her, I strip myself bare, deeper than flesh. I stop hiding how I see her. And I drink down what I witness across the way.
A flower opening in the sun.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Eve Kasey writes for a design firm by day and reads (and writes!) indie romance novels by night. Her contemporary romances balance swoon and steam while aiming to teach readers something new. She loves romance for the hope the genre conveys as well as the amplification of the simple truth that everyone everywhere deserves a happily ever after – however that looks to them. Eve lives in and loves the Pacific Northwest.
Melanie A. Smith is an award-winning, international best-selling author of steamy romance with smart, self-sufficient heroines and strong, swoony book boyfriends with hearts of gold. A former engineer turned stay-at-home mom and author, when Melanie is not lost in the world of books, you’ll find her spending time with her husband and son, crafting, or cross-stitching.
Eat, Drink, and Get Buried (A Coffeehouse Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
About Eat, Drink, and Get Buried
Eat, Drink, and Get Buried (A Coffeehouse Mystery) Cozy Mystery 22nd in Series Setting – New York Publisher: Berkley Publication date: September 22, 2026 Print length: 400 pages Hardcover ISBN-10: 0593642317 ISBN-13: 978-0593642313 Digital ISBN-13: 978-0593642320 ASIN: B0GC3CJTMX Audiobook ASIN: B0GTS1W181 MP3 CD ISBN-13: 979-8228950139
When the Village Blend caters a glittering rooftop party, their creative coffee concoctions are eclipsed by a shocking murder in this thrilling new Coffeehouse Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.
Years ago, when master roaster Clare Cosi was a newly divorced mom raising her daughter, Joy, Ava Welsh became Joy’s best friend. Now the painfully shy girl next door has grown into a successful New York businesswoman, and Clare is delighted to be catering Ava’s coffee-themed party, especially when her boyfriend, Ryan, confides his plan to propose that very night.
Then a scream shatters the celebration. A woman is thrown off the balcony to her death, and Ryan–who abruptly flees the party–is accused of murder. Clare vows to help Ava clear his name.
Her digging uncovers suspicious connections to a deadly event from which a teenaged Joy and Ava barely escaped with their lives. The stakes rise ever higher as a ruthless killer attempts to keep the ugly truth buried–even if it means sending Clare and her caffeinated crew six feet under.
CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries, now celebrating more than 20 years in print, and the national bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. With more than one million books sold, their works have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech; received multiple Best of Year selection honors from reviewers; and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together, wrangle their rescue cats, drink a lot of java, and cook like crazy. Connect with Cleo at CoffeehouseMystery.com
The Book & Tote Bag King Sumo giveaway PRIZE PACKAGE!
The package includes a signed copy of EAT, DRINK, AND GET BURIED, along with a large, canvas Coffeehouse Mystery tote bag, and set of signed Cleo Coyle recipe cards.
Boys' Mom Reads! 