Tag: 3

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The Art of Almost Losing It

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The Art of Almost Losing It
Alina Jacobs
(The Richmond Brothers, )
Publication date: August 4th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

There comes a time in every almost-thirty-year-old woman’s life when getting kidnapped off the street is preferable to admitting that the hot, rich boyfriend you’ve been bragging about for months does not, in fact, exist.

Yes, it’s terrifying being stuffed in the trunk of a Mercedes, but I would rather be locked in a stranger’s penthouse than sleeping on the floor of my parents’ apartment like the loser daughter I am.

Honestly?
It’s nice to get some alone time. And my own bathroom.

He bribes me with money not to call the police.

I scream at him for forcing me to go to brunch as his prisoner at the hottest restaurant in New York.

Now everyone in my parents’ aggressively posh Manhattan neighborhood thinks we’re dating.

Buckle up, buddy.
I have a full wedding itinerary to attend, and congratulations—you’re my fake boyfriend.

Unfortunately, my kidnapper is the worst fake boyfriend in the history of fake boyfriends.

He’s mean.
Aloof.
Emotionally unavailable.
And deeply offended by how much time I spend on my phone.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to ignore how yummy he smells, all muscular and tall as he fumes next to me in bed, furious because I asked him when the sexy portion of the kidnapping is going to happen.

It’s a fair question, though, right?!? I thought kidnapping came with benefits!

Guess my kidnapper didn’t want me that much after all.

Men lying about their desire for a relationship. Story of my life.

Now I’m trapped.
He’s miserable.

And somehow, this is starting to feel dangerously like a relationship.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

The one time a hot guy shows interest in me… and he’s a violent kidnapper.

My screams cut off as he tosses in my laptop case. It lands on my ribs, knocking the breath out of me. He shoves my legs fully into the trunk, then tosses in the barking Lulu, then slams the door.

I assume it’s a mistake.

The expensive German car. The bespoke suit. The cologne that smells like money and expensive scotch—Men like him don’t grab women like me.

So why did he just shove me, in all my pizza-sauce-stained, Costco-clothes glory, into the trunk?

I needed a boyfriend, sure, but I did not expect him to arrive via a felony crime.

The engine purrs.

Wait.

Am I really being kidnapped?

Like… for real?

Sleet rattles against the roof as the realization hits.

Oh.

Oh no.

I’m trapped in the trunk of a stranger’s car. A dangerous man. Being driven God knows where.

Sure, he’s attractive—but that is deeply unhelpful information right now.

I’ll never see my family again. Never eat a dollar slice of pizza again—

Wait.

I squint.

Window.

This isn’t a sedan. This is an SUV.

I’m not trapped.

I haul myself up and pop my head over the back seat.

“You’re a crappy kidnapper!” I scream.

“Shit!” he yells—and nearly plows into a parked truck. “You—!”

The car jerks to a stop at a stop sign. He throws it into park and starts climbing over the seats toward me.

“You can’t kidnap me,” I say, panic creeping in. “You don’t want me. I’m not a girl anyone kidnaps.”

My dog barks.

Emerald-green eyes catch the light.

“Sit down,” he commands.

“My mom is going to be really upset if I don’t come home tonight,” I blurt. “Let me go.”

The doors lock.

I fumble in my purse. Find my pepper spray.

“Yes!” I whisper. “I’m a strong, independent —”

I spray… myself.

“Water,” I gasp, coughing, wheezing, blind.

I suck in a lungful of peppery air and yank at the door handle, begging it to open.

Too late.

“Stupid fucking girl,” he snarls, grabbing my jacket and dragging me forward.

“You didn’t even handcuff me!” I wheeze.

He pauses. “You really don’t know when to shut up, do you?”

He loosens his tie.

I gulp.

“I cannot believe,” he sneers, “that I kidnapped the most unattractive woman in Manhattan.”

Oh.

So… not the future love of my life after all.

Author Bio:

I write the kind of books I love—romantic comedies featuring snarly guys with hearts of gold, kick-ass heroines, and a swoon-worthy happily ever after! Also wine. And cupcakes.

When I’m not writing I can be found drinking tea, surrounded by my massive to-be-read pile! So many books…

You can connect with me on social media or find information on my books at my website.

Sign up for my newsletter so that you can get information about new releases, giveaways, and more!

http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / X / Instagram / Bookbub


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All the Way to the Moon

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All the Way to the Moon
Rose Titus
(The Vampire Next Door, )
Publication date: April 3rd 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

An innocent girl, a vampire, an old lady, a ghost, and a werewolf must combine their talents to defeat an evil billionaire and his hired professional killer…

In Night Home: the Vampire Next Door Book 1, the fact that vampires truly exist was almost made public when a story presented as fiction seemed all too real to a vampire hunter.

In After Dark: the Vampire Next Door Book 2, a community of vampires quietly hiding on the west coast needed to defeat a serial killer before being blamed for his acts of terror, while at the same time one of them found himself falling in love with a suicidal young woman who expected him to kill her.

In All the Way to the Moon: the Vampire Next Door Book 3, vampires on the west coast consider whether to reveal their existence and communicate with others of their kind. Laura, no longer wishing for death, and finally finding happiness in her young life, discovers to her horror that her wealthy and powerful father intends to kill her. To survive she must flee her new home and leave her new friends, and travel far to find safety, unaware that a hired killer is not far behind.

Fortunately she has a werewolf to help protect her.

Goodreads / Amazon


Author Bio:

Rose Titus resides somewhere in cold, dreary New England with two manipulative cats and a very out of date computer with which she creates horror and fantasy fiction. She also has a restored classic Buick to ride around in while in search of adventure.

For travel she has stayed the night in an allegedly haunted castle, has taken a boat ride on Loch Ness, and has visited the Bermuda Triangle — without getting lost.

Her work has previously appeared in Lost Worlds, Lynx Eye, Bog Gob, Mausoleum, Weird Terrain, Descend, The Dead River Review, and other literary magazines. She also writes regularly for Blood Moon Rising Magazine.

When she’s not working or writing or messing with her old car, she waits by the mailbox for her Fortean Times to arrive.

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Bound Beauty

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Bound Beauty
Jennifer Silverwood
(A Wylder Tale, )
Publication date: July 14th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Forgotten gods haunt her steps, and the cursed prince she left behind isn’t done fighting for her soul.

Vynasha is bound to the prince of Bitterhelm. Even if she were to die, her spirit will remain trapped with him in the castle forever. But she won’t give in to Grendel without a fight. With the aid of an oracle, a witchling, and the wolf that claims her heart, Vynasha plans to claim her power as the curse breaker.

Ceddrych guards their nephew secretly while fighting to keep the feral beasts roaming their borders at bay. But the monsters are closing in, and the madness he has struggled with drives him to one desperate, unforgivable act.

A war is about to begin between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the cruel might of Bitterhelm. Beings of prophecy and legend unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a romantic gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

WYLDER TALES is a series of romantic dark fairy tales, set in the past of the wider Borderlands Saga, and includes:
•slow burn romantasy
•forced proximity
•enemies to lovers
•found family
•magical bonds
•wicked witches
•burly beasts
•morally gray characters

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

IN A FORBIDEN DREAM IN WYLDERLAND…

The journey seemed to take far longer than she remembered, and part of her feared the passage of time here compared to the world her body remained behind. Ceddrych had told her countless tales of the dangers of magick, of what happened when one dwelled too long in enchanted dreams.

Here the palace looked less like a ruin wrought from rampage. Candles gave off an unnatural silver glow and the hovering lights that had been trailing Vynasha seemed to thicken and gather as she lifted a hand to push open the doors to the throne room. They cracked open before her hand could touch the intricately carved wood.

Snow filtered in through the broken ceiling and rose vines curled over every surface, crawling up the obsidian columns and steps to the throne. Surrounding the steps, the shadow-spirits of beasts of every size and shape lounged and paced. Their forms flickered about the edges, and their eyes glowed brightly, turning to fix upon Vynasha as she slowly entered the hall.

Upon the throne, the thorned vines had dug into a hunched over man. His blood gleamed luminous violet, the same shade as hers was now.

With every step she took, the full wreck of his downfall became increasingly apparent. The shadow beasts at her back pressed closer, urging her forward. Vynasha clenched her fists and refused to climb the steps to face him.

“Grendel.” Her voice echoed like a plucked lute string through the cavernous hall.

Grendel shuddered and then raised his head and looked at her with dead violet eyes. “Vynasha.” The crack in his voice echoed clearly to her ears. His eyes widened when she remained, and his vine-wrapped hands clawed at the arms of his throne. “You have come at last.”

Her feet began to move of their own accord. She barely caught herself in time. She could not, would not go to him, and certainly never pity him. “What happened here? Why are my roses taking over like this?”

“Can you not guess, Vynasha” Grendel leaned forward, ignoring the press of the rose crowning his dark hair. “Vynasha, you have no idea how your absence has undone me. It has been pure torture to sense you but never able to touch you.”

“Good.” Vynasha took a single involuntary step up the stairs leading to his throne. His violet eyes flared wide with apprehension as she growled, “You and your monsters have made our lives a living hell, Grendel. It’s only fair I repay your bloody kindness.”

Grendel’s lips parted and his gaze took in the full measure of her with all the subtlety of a starving man. “Yet you are here,” he said, a new clarity brightening his violet gaze. His hands flexed against the arms of his throne. “You are truly here, and that means the spell has been broken.”

Vynasha flinched at his sudden smile and found herself unable to take a step back. Her feet drove her forward once more, and this time she had no power over herself to stop. “What are you doing to me?”

Grendel’s hand twitched and then she was flung forward. He groaned as he caught her, the thorns digging deeper into his flesh. She cried out as the same thorns cut her palms as she braced herself against his chest. “I have you, at last, I have you,” he said, eyes bright with unshed tears.

He was mad. No, she was mad. For the instant her hands found his flesh, a roaring wave of need assaulted her. She could rage at him and claim this was his need she felt, not her own. But this compulsion was familiar, forbidden and something she had fought desperately to forget in the past three moons.

“Grendel, let me go” she pleaded as she leaned into him, the pain of his thorns forgotten as he pulled her into his lap and began to press his lips over every part of her he could reach.

“How could I give you up my beauty, my love, my queen?”

She couldn’t breathe. The scent of roses, of life and death, of him were overwhelming. A part of her was starving, had been starving for months, she realized wish sickening clarity. “I hate you,” she sobbed as she tilted her chin and gave him further access to her neck. “If you pull me back here again, I will find a way to kill you, I swear it.”

“You cannot kill me without killing yourself, love,” he said with a laugh.

“Then we both die.” She shook her head but could not help tracing her nose along his neck, to draw in more of his heady scent.

“Vynasha,” he cried as her lips pressed to his pulse. “Please, Vynasha!”

But he was no longer tangible beneath her hands, the thorns no longer piercing them both. The painful aching need to mold herself to him faded just as she did, her hands disappearing before her eyes.

“Vynasha!” He cried with an agony she felt as her spirit was ripped free from Grendel’s nightmare. And the world around her dimmed, consumed by a cloud of inky ashes.

Author Bio:

Jennifer Silverwood lives in the middle of an enchanted forest surrounded by cursed books, nosy spirits, and mischievous goblins she calls her children. After beginning several nonsensical degrees, she found her calling helping other authors bring their books to life. Jennifer is the author of two fairy tale fantasy series: the Borderlands Saga and Wylder Tales. Because she wasn’t satisfied writing in one genre, she also invites you to explore uncharted space with the Heaven’s Edge Novellas—and dare to fall in love again with the standalone romance titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok


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Mack’s Horrible Hellacious Ghost Town

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Mack’s Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town
AJ Sherwood
(Wylder Tales, )
Publication date: June 12th 2026
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Romance

Apprentices, and two ghost towns, and almost-demons oh…no.

Mack doesn’t mind the apprentice part of this job; in fact, finding Gwyn is delightful, though he hates she grew up in such a haunted town with parents who don’t believe she’s a Medium.

Mack really hates the old mining ghost town is locked down with weird energy and none of the ghosts can see them, which makes passing them difficult.

Mack especially hates that in Black Rock there’s an almost-demon ghost inciting other ghosts to cause a mob, how is that allowed to be a thing?!

Who you gonna call for help when you’re the experts? Mack wants to know for a friend. (Him. He’s the friend.)

Tags:
Mack has found hell on earth, this was not on his bucket list, Accidental apprentice acquisition, Lachlan is back!, ghost gangs, chaos magician, Seiji is a new bonk bro, wedding, almost demons lurking, too much water and limestone for a medium’s peace of mind, uncharted haunted mines make Lachlan’s day, Eli is her usual scary self, Mack goes Wild West, Brandon can see ghosts here, that’s not a good thing, Brandon gets to have an apprentice too and can’t be happier, ghost pranks, Mack has picked too many battles, he’s putting some back, Ghost-hunting squad–assemble!

Tropes: MM Romance, Multicultural Romance, Ghost Town, Ghost Medium, Age Gap, Apprentices, Wedding, HEA

This is the fifth and final book in the series following a plot crossover with the Jon’s Mysteries Series. While it would be best to read the books listed in the below order, you can read Mack’s Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town without having read “Book 4” with minimal confusion. To read in series order, Book 1 – Brandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas, Book 2 – Mack’s Perfectly Ghastly Homecoming, Book 3 – Mack’s Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure, Book 4 – Jon & Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles, and Book 5 – This title.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:


Author Bio:

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.

She currently resides in Michigan with aforementioned dogs and cats. Being in snow country gives her the excuse to stay inside and watch bl dramas, which suit her perfectly.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / TikTok


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Arcanum: Secrets of the Madonna

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Arcanum: Secrets of the Madonna
Kelly O’Hearn
(Arcanum, )
Publication date: June 9th 2026
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Sometimes happily ever after takes more than one two three lifetimes.
The anticipated third book in the Arcanum series, the only book series channeled through the tarot.
____________________________________

Sarah Fuller has it all—a fragrance empire, a terrace overlooking Central Park, the perfect life. Until a frightening episode shatters everything she thought she knew. Now her husband’s iPhone location is mysteriously off, and the charming widower Harry is impossible to forget.

Haunted by the tarot’s tales of past lives and ancient secrets, Sarah is drawn to Rome—to galleries where Renaissance masterpieces seem to know her name, to shadows of the Inquisition where forbidden love once bloomed, to a truth hidden within the Vatican’s darkest corners.

Who is the woman in those paintings, gazing out across centuries? And why does Sarah recognize herself in her eyes?

From the elite Hamptons to the pyramids of ancient Egypt, from medieval French castles to the dangerous splendor of a newly built Vatican, one woman must unravel the mystery of her soul—before history repeats its most devastating mistake.

This is the story of Arcanum.

In a world where love transcends time, some vows are meant to be broken.
_____________________________________________________________________________

“Sensual, spiritually charged, and utterly unputdownable.”
Marisa Halstead
Founder and CEO of Seeded Sound

Advance Praise for Book Three in the Arcanum Series:
“Sarah’s journey reminds us that love does not vanish-it endures, waiting patiently for the moment we are ready to receive it again. This story left me with a deep sense of peace, wonder, and the quiet certainty that what is meant for us will always find its way home.”

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

JG Melon, June 13

“God, you look terrible.”

Max held Sarah at arm’s length, nose wrinkled, examining her as if she were Chinese takeout possibly left in the fridge too long.

She wrestled free and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Well…you look fabulous as always. Are those real glasses or just for effect? They’re…also fabulous.” She slid into a chair.

“They’re genuine tortoise shell. Vintage. Not cheap,” he said. “They’re for reading, but Lord, I’m going to have to take them off for this lunch. I don’t want to be able to see you this well. You need an Instagram filter or something.” He sat down, still eyeing her critically.

“Well, take them off then,” she said. “We certainly know the menu by heart. And I know, I’ve let myself go a little, missed a few waxing appointments and such. If this is what my eyebrows look like, you can only imagine the state of my—”

“Darling, we’re eating,” Max said. “Poor Carl, that’s all I can say. I bet he still looks polished as always.”

“Handsome as ever,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “Shall we order, seeing as I need to put on five pounds immediately?”

“And get to a salon this afternoon!” he said. “Nails, hair, Botox, the whole thing. You are the CEO of a luxury brand, for god’s sake. Thank goodness it’s summer and nearly everyone is out of town.” He waved over Charlie, their favorite waiter.

“The usual?” Charlie said.

“Yes, please, and stat! Sarah looks like she hasn’t eaten in weeks, doesn’t she, Charlie?”

“You two, always bickering like an old married couple,” Charlie said as he walked away, shaking his head.

Max turned to Sarah. “Now. Tell me about my godchild. How is she feeling?”

“Max, it’s incredible. Alex was in the ICU not six weeks ago, and she’s been fully cleared to go to sleepaway camp. The doctor told us that kids recover from her condition quickly, but if you’d asked me in the hospital whether she would make it to camp this year…I didn’t even know if she would make it home by now. It’s as if it never happened.”

“Sarah, that’s such great news,” Max said. “I called Alex the other day and all she could talk about was having gotten excused from the last two weeks of school. She was thrilled! Especially since having a sick twin sister didn’t get her brother the same dispensation.”

Sarah laughed. “Yes, Sam’s hoping for a dire illness, possibly in September.” She covered her face with her hands. “Actually, you know what, it’s too soon to joke about it.”

“Maybe this will help,” Max said as he filled her glass with red wine. They clinked glasses. “To health,” he said.

“To health.” They both took a sip.

“So let me get this straight,” Max said. “Alex has been back to normal for weeks. Carl has not a hair out of place. The camp bags are nearly packed. And you’re still a mess?”

Sarah covered her eyes again. “I knowwww. I just got so close to losing everything. It really rattled me, Max. Stuart and Sofia have basically been running the company for the past several weeks—and honestly everything is going fine. Gallica’s a hit, we had another great harvest of roses in France, my Arcanum core fragrances are doing well. Do you ever feel like your time has come and gone?”

“Sarah, you’re forty-one, even if you do look eighty right now.” Max patted her arm, then topped off her glass. “You’ve got a whole lotta living left to do. What happened to the Sarah who believed in past lives? The Sarah who slayed at that gorgeous launch party for Gallica? Who caught the eye of ‘Manhattan’s Hottest Bachelor’? He was obsessed with you.”

“Was obsessed?” Sarah said, blushing slightly. “I told you what happened in France? Our little tête-à-tête in the ancient forest?”

“And how you insisted that he go through with his engagement to Simone? Yes, you told me.” Max took a copy of the New York Post out of his tote and put his glasses back on. “Sweetie, he took your advice and ran with it. All the way to Harry Winston.”

Author Bio:

When Kelly O’Hearn first stepped off the train in the city of Florence, Italy, as a 20-year-old, she had the overwhelming instinct that she had been there before. In a place famous for its maze of medieval streets, O’Hearn navigated the city as if she had lived there for a lifetime. Born in New York City, O’Hearn first put her intuitive skills to work as a professional wine taster, instructor, and sommelier in the elite institutions of New York, Portugal, and Aspen. After raising her two children and enduring a personal health crisis, in 2012, she was drawn to begin reading the tarot cards, an ancient practice which does not presume to “predict the future” but offers a collection of stories, perspectives, and self-reflections that can guide one to become one’s most authentic self. O’Hearn is in high demand for her readings, with clients on every continent but Antartica. While most people were baking sourdough or riding their Pelotons during the Covid pandemic, O’Hearn used the tarot cards to channel her own past lives. Weeks of readings, all captured on video, yielded six storylines of herself as several powerful women over the millennia and around the globe: the same one soul, over time, persevering against all odds in the quest for happiness and the love of a soul mate. This time-bending saga inspired O’Hearn to conceive of a series of novels titled Arcanum. Book One: In the Temple Shadows is available now. Book Two: Whispers in the Forest will be released Spring of 2025.

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