Posted in #BookTours

Bad Decisions and Back Roads

Bad Decisions & Back Roads: Second Chance Veterinary Romance
Zoe Forward
(Southern Veterinary, )
Publication date: August 3rd 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The problem with bad decisions is you never stop wanting them.

I used to be the rebellious girl from the wrong side of the fenceline. He was the local hellraiser nobody could tame. While our families carried on a feud older than indoor plumbing, we fell for each other.

Then my vicious father found out. To save Timothy’s life, I broke his heart and disappeared.

Now over a decade later, I’m back as a large-animal veterinarian, working at his brother’s clinic and treating everything from prize dairy cows to Timothy’s homicidal llama. Avoiding him should be easy.

It isn’t.

He’s a single dad running two businesses, still infuriatingly irresistible, and determined to make me pay for every year he spent hating me.

The problem? I never stopped loving him. But if he learns why I really left, I could lose him forever.

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EXCERPT:

“Yesterday…I wrecked you?” She gave me a look I remembered. Her green eyes flared. I was about to lose this fight in a way I’d never recover from.

She slowly unzipped her coveralls. My brain immediately abandoned ship. Not helped by the fact that traitorous memory chose this exact moment to replay yesterday’s rainstorm in vivid detail.

Meanwhile, in real time, she peeled the coveralls down and somehow stepped out of them while keeping her socks from touching the ground—a feat of female sorcery I could neither explain nor stop watching.

Underneath was a tight white shirt that clung in ways that should probably require a warning label, a permit, and possibly a pastor on standby.

My eyes briefly closed. Opened. She was still there.

Beside me, Cody made a small choking noise.

I cut him a glare.

He didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed.

Then—because she enjoyed cruelty—she lifted both arms and twisted her hair into a messy bun. Which did things. Terrible, magnificent things to her chest.

Her mouth curved like she knew exactly what she’d done. She pulled a scrub top out of the duffle and pulled it down over the tight shirt. Without a word, she packed the supplies into her duffel, casually picked up the dart rifle from the ground, and started walking up the hill like she hadn’t just detonated every functioning brain cell in a fifty-yard radius.

Then she tossed over her shoulder—

“I’m back, Timothy Hurst. End of story.” A few steps later she said, “You’re welcome…for dealing with your dangerous llama.”

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Zoe Forward is a parent, wife, veterinarian, and unapologetic chocolate lover. She writes spicy paranormal and contemporary romances that blend action, adventure, humor, and a touch of magic.

Zoe lives in the South with a lively menagerie of four-legged beasts and two slightly wild kids.

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Posted in #Anthology

Detroit Noir

This drive through the dark streets of the Motor City “is one of the best in Akashic Books’ noir series. You cannot go wrong with this anthology.”—Reviewing the Evidence
 
From crime stories in the classic hard-boiled style to the vividly experimental, from the determination of those risking everything to the desperation of those with nothing left to lose, Detroit Noir delivers unforgettable tales that capture the city’s dark vitality.
The collection includes stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Loren D. Estleman, Craig Holden, P.J. Parrish, Desiree Cooper, Nisi Shawl, M.L. Liebler, Craig Bernier, Joe Boland, Megan Abbott, Dorene O’Brien, Lolita Hernandez, Peter Markus, Roger K. Johnson, Michael Zadoorian, and E.J. Olsen.
 
“Few cities are as well suited to the genre as Detroit, with its embattled inner city and history of urban decline and blight, and the editors have assembled a talented lineup to do it justice.”—Publishers Weekly

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

A Murderous Plot

Unravel the secrets of this gripping cozy bookish mystery novel! (The Bookstore Mystery Series)

She writes murder msyteries, and now she has to solve one…

“Wow!” Reader Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Oustanding” Reader Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Great reading!” Reader Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When an amnesiac man covered in blood mysteriously appears in the woods during her morning run, retired amateur sleuth, Jen, promises to stay away from the case. She has a murder mystery to write, and absolutely no interest in being involved in another case with the Riddleton police force. She just wants to run her bookshop, and write her next book, in peace.

But when the body of the millionaire developer Simeon Kirby turns up – the man who has been threatening Jen’s bookshop for years – Jen is thrust into the spotlight of a murder investigation once more.

When a police officer is wrongly accused of Simeon’s murder, Jen knows something’s not right. Every second counts as she races to find the real murderer before they can strike again. But can she right the wrongs of this murderous plot?

This bookish cozy mystery is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Ellery Adams, and will leave you guessing right up until the final page.

Readers are loving A Murderous Plot!

‘This an excellent, fun story which I highly recommend’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NetGalley reviewer

‘I’ve quickly become a huge fan of this series, and A Muderous Plot did not disappoint me.’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NetGalley reviewer

‘I really enjoyed everything about this story, and I absolutely recommend it’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NetGalley reviewer

Posted in #Anthology

Wall Street Noir

This anthology explores the dark side of finance from Manhattan to Bangkok and Tel Aviv, featuring new stories by Jim Fusilli, Lauren Sanders and more.
 
Wall Street often looks like a gleaming world of high-end professionalism where decisions to buy or sell are guided by expertise, formulas and dispassionate strategy. And sure, that’s one version of Wall Street. Let’s call it the CNBC edition. But this book is about another place, just beneath that shiny surface: a place where fear and greed have always held sway. Think WorldCom or Tyco; think Enron. Think Gordon Gekko.
 
Wall Street Noir illuminates a place whose boundaries have spread well beyond Trinity Church and the East River. In today’s global economy, Wall Street is everywhere: a borderless, virtual city encompassing Midtown Manhattan, Main Street, U.S.A., the maquilas of Honduras, the office towers of Shanghai, and the brothels of Bangkok. It’s a shadowy metropolis, as the stories in this exciting collection reveal, and one that’s far more Jim Thompson than Warren Buffet.
 
Wall Street Noir includes brand-new stories by John Burdett, Henry Blodget, Peter Blauner, Jason Starr, Megan Abbott, Reed Farrel Coleman, Stephen Rhodes, Twist Phelan, Tim Broderick, Jim Fusilli, David Noonan, Richard Aleas, Lawrence Light, James Hime, Mark Haskell Smith, Peter Spiegelman, and Lauren Sanders.

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

Sentenced to Murder

An absolutely charming, gripping, cozy bookshop-set mystery novel (The Bookstore Mystery Series)

She’s written murder mysteries before, but can she solve this real life cold case?

“you won’t want to put it down!” Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Full of twists and turns!” Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Just as Jen sits down to start writing her next murder mystery novel, she stumbles across a chilling real-life case: a man who claims he’s been wrongly convicted for murder.

Time is running out for Jaylon as he needs a kidney transplant to save his life, something he’ll never receive while he’s in prison for murder.

Jen’s amateur sleuthing skills are pushed to their very limit as time is ticking to solve Jaylon’s case and save his life. Can she save him before his sentence to murder becomes a sentence to death?

This bookish cozy mystery is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Ellery Adams, and will leave you guessing right up until the final page.

Readers can’t put down Sentenced to Murder!

‘I was hooked from page one’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Once again Sue Minix surprised me!’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I recommend this book to any mystery lover!’ NetGalley review