Tag: #BookTours

Posted in #BookTours

Land of Two Moons

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Political unrest, war over valuable mines, forbidden love, and a homesick dragon bound in chains threaten the land of two moons.


Land of Two Moons

by D.L. Gardner

Genre: YA Epic SciFi Fantasy Adventure



“The gritty reality of trench warfare and the smoky chaos of riots is striking in D. L. Gardner’s Land of Two Moons…a rich and ambitious fantasy novel that successfully builds a world trembling on the brink of magical and political upheaval. This is a delicate, intricate novel that rewards patient reading.” – Independent Book Review

 

Arthur and Hallie are twin siblings, son and daughter of the Duke of Lodesmoor. Humble teenagers who befriend the village people and sympathize with their grievances. Their father, Lord Balmier, whose duchy is approaching financial collapse, uses his subjects as pawns in a battle over a string of valuable mines.

Lord Balmier sees his son’s sympathy toward the serfs as an alliance against him and soon acts to squelch Arthur’s sedition.

Hallie clings to a forbidden love, and both siblings must resist their father’s harsh rule.

All the while they are unaware that their mother keeps a mystical dragon named Killian, bound in chains by a spell, whose fate will affect them all.

As the twin moons approach a rare and magical eclipse, alliances shift, secrets unravel, and Arthur and Hallie must choose between loyalty, freedom, and sacrifice to save their people and themselves.

 

“With strong pacing and a cast of memorable characters – including a homesick dragon, this is the perfect book for fans of the ‘fantasy’ genre. Highly recommended!” – The Wishing Shelf

 

 

***Check out the kickstarter campaign!**

 

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Land of Two Moons will be a limited edition leather hardcover signed and numbered, a special edition case laminate hardcover, an eBook, and a paperback with printed edges. A rigid slip case is available for the hardcovers. 

 

***Check out the kickstarter campaign!**




Prologue

     Pattin didn’t know what they were fighting for. All he knew was that when their commander yelled the order he was to let loose his arrows toward another trench opposite theirs somewhere in the Red Sands desert. Rumor was they were fighting over mines, dukes, power, and money. Nothing he’d ever be privy to. It didn’t matter. He was here because he’d been conscripted.

He’d been in this trench for nine days straight. Hot, drenched in sweat, sick to his stomach, and with little to eat or drink. Tired of swatting flies and stepping over the bodies of his comrades, he was ready to leave. No one wanted to be here, especially not the lads from Bidsworth, and especially not on the front lines.

He spat the dust out of his mouth and bit another piece of jerky.

“When is she going to come for us?” he asked his friend.

“Tonight, they said. Maybe,” Ivan whispered.

“What do you mean, maybe? She promised.”

“She can only take five at a time.”

“Bloody Marks, she’s been here every night for a week. What’s she going to do, get everyone but us? The more people who leave, the less chance of survival for those who stay. I’m too young to die in this rat hole.”

Ivan shrugged—a hint that he wasn’t happy about the situation either.

“We could try and make a run for it on our own,” Pattin whispered, his lips barely moving, glancing around the desolate countryside.

Over the sand, the heat waves danced, crafting a mirage of water, a deceptive illusion that only a fool would pursue. Bait for the enemy. Pattin licked his lips, wishing for a drink of cool water from the springs in Bidsworth, his homeland, a wealthy duchy whose stone structures mirrored the color of the red earth. Here in the wasteland, iron ore poisoned the vegetation, and there was nothing but dust as far as the horizon. The soldiers hated this place, and rumors of desertion were burning the ears of the agents at base. The officers were watching the troops like hawks.

“Fool. We’d have bolts in our backs, dead. Is that what you want? If I’m going to desert, I’m doing it with Kezia.” Ivan wiped the sweat from his brow; his face caked with red earth. Even his eyelashes were laden with dirt.

“What makes her so special that she can get us out with no one noticing?”

Ivan snickered and glared at him. “She’s the duke’s daughter, remember? Plus, she’s smart, crafty, and wicked.”

“Duke sabotages his own army through his daughter!” Pattin mumbled.

“Stop complaining or she’ll never come and get you.”

Pattin wiped his brow, his mouth fixed in a frown. She might not come for him at all. It’s everyone else’s luck to be saved by a duchess.

“Heads up!” The dreaded warning arrived just as a flurry of bolts blotted out the sun.

Pattin covered his head with his shield. Ivan lifted his own targe to cover his body while the plummeting projectiles thundered on it.

“Move!” came the command.

Like a terrified beetle, Pattin crouched on the ground and joined the others, locking his shield with Ivan’s as the company crawled through the trench, hands and knees bleeding, while avoiding the corpses of friends who didn’t survive. Away from the onslaught they moved, abandoning their supplies. Someone would be sent back for them when the sun settled on the horizon and the two moons rose.

Soon everyone here would have to leave the trenches and charge at the enemy. That was a standard maneuver, and it was just a matter of time. Hand to hand combat would kill him, Pattin was certain. With practiced ease, he could loose an arrow, always striking the mark. But his end would come by the cold steel of a sword. He hoped it would be tomorrow. He wasn’t ready to die today.

Maybe Kezia would draw his name and come for him tonight. Maybe he would live through this bloody war, after all.





D.L. Gardner is an award-winning author, artist, filmmaker, and screenwriter with over 28 published works to her credit. Writing and painting are her passions and fantasy her forte. When she’s not pounding keys on the computer, she’s canning salsa, picking apples, listening to the voices of critters in the woods, or watching flowers grow. She loves visiting far-off lands through books by both reading and writing.

 

Her genres include all fantasy, historical, and mystery.

 

Get to know D.L. through her websites and blogs or send her a message her on Kickstarter.

 

Currently a FINALIST (2025 March) in the Cannes World Wide Film Festival for her screen adaption of her book An Unconventional Mr. Peadlebody.

 

Other awards include Wishing Shelf book Award 2023 for audio, B.R.A.G. Award 2022 for the Cho Nisi series, Book Excellence Award 2019 and 2015 for Ian’s Realm and Cassandra’s Castle. Best Screenplay adaptation from her book Dylan at the Paris Screenplay Awards, Mile Hill International Screenplay Awards, L.A. Edge Awards, European Cinematography Awards, and Moondance Film Festival. Best Screenplay Award for adaptation from her book An Unconventional Mr. Peadlebody at Veers Film Festival, Best Screenplay Award for adaptation of Ian’s Realm at the Twin Falls Sandwiches Film Festival and many more.

  

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Posted in #BookTours

Red Queen, Yellow King

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Welcome back to Wonderland.

Nothing here survives unchanged.


Red Queen, Yellow King

The Book of Alice #1

by Jack Finn

Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy, Alice in Wonderland Retelling


This is book #1 of The Book of Alice duology.

Wonderland has fallen. And something older than kings has taken its place.

Alice returns to consciousness in a ruined palace, her body broken, her mind fractured, her sister enslaved by a queen who wears a crown of thorns and a smile of knives. The Looking Glass is shattered. The Hatter has turned. The White Queen is dead.

But beyond the bloody thrones and broken teacups lies something even stranger—an echo of a play that should never be performed, whispered by a masked god in yellow.

To save what little remains, Alice must navigate a sea of madness, hunt down a missing monarch, and confront the truth behind her own unraveling story.

Some fairy tales end in fire. Others in silence.

  

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The Red Queen played the long game. She murdered the White Queen and spared Alice, Ava, Hatter, and Lady Cheshire the purge that followed; even Tinker was allowed to live just long enough to complete his devices for the journey. Holding Ava and the Cheshire girls hostage, even releasing the giants, was all part of a plan the Red Queen had mapped out in her mind well in advance. She wanted the Azure Queen dead and the Red King back. Now all her pieces were in play on the chessboard.

Like every game, chess had rules.

Alice never played by the rules.

She would make her own rules.

She would beat the Red Queen at her own game.

Alice doing Alice things.




Jack Finn is a horror author and active Horror Writers Association member living in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two fiendishly clever dogs. He is a lifelong believer that the Tooth Fairy proves you can trade body parts for cold, hard cash.

His books by the include, The Wolves of Kalinin werewolf duology: Prey Upon the Lambs (Anuci Press 2025) and The Desolation of Hunters (Anuci Press 2025); the horror collection They Come When You Sleep (Velox Books 2025), a re-envisioning of the Dracula mythos in the standalone novel The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad (Anuci Press 2024), and the folk horror collection, Legend of the Deer Woman (Crow Street Press, 2023).


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Posted in #BookTours

The Memories We Made

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

The Memories We Made: Remembering Us: Part I of II
Cara Dee
(The Game Series, #16)
Publication date: March 6th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

The Game Series, #16 • Standalone • Duet • Book 1 of 2 • Hurt/Comfort • Family • Dom/Dom • Opposites Attract
Ash and Nathan’s story begins on a blistering day in Philadelphia, with a rough-around-the-edges scaffolder yelling outside the office of a trauma specialist. Psychology major Nate decides to give this brute a piece of his mind.

The friends who told me to move on didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. Moving on wasn’t happening—and I knew that better than anyone after being trapped at the bottom of a heartbreak for an excruciating year now, where I had nothing but crippling anxiety and our memories to torture me. Everything we’d built, the family we’d created, the pictures, that damn National Parks passport, the ring on my finger, echoes of laughter and promises… I’d been there, watching you, being your test subject, as you’d become the rope rigger you were today. With amusement glinting in your eyes, you’d called me the OG bondage bunny. Me, the primal predator, who thought about chasing brats through the woods, your bondage bunny.
We’d given each other laugh lines. We’d loved so damn hard. We’d stood in front of our friends and family and vowed to fight for us forever.

Almost twenty years together. Four beautiful children.

What the hell happened, Nate?

You didn’t have to tell me. I already knew. I was a coward. I’d let my fears hold us back.

The question now was if I still stood a chance, because…frankly, living without you was impossible.

I’d do anything to get you back.

The Game Series is a BDSM series where romance meets the reality of kink. Sometimes we fall for someone we don’t match with, sometimes vanilla business gets in the way of kinky pleasure, and sometimes we have to compromise and push ourselves to overcome trauma and insecurities. No matter what, one thing is certain. This is not a perfect world—and maybe that’s why the happily ever after feels so good.

Goodreads / Purchase

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EXCERPT:

If his boss got off work at five PM, the yuppie should work similar hours, right?

I checked my watch and then squinted up at the building.

Five minutes past five.

A breath gusted out of me, and I ran a hand through my hair.

This was stupid. I should just head home, get out of my work clothes, and take a long shower.

And yet…I couldn’t shake the urge to smooth things over with the yuppie. In all the chaos earlier, and the damn heat, I’d misinterpreted what Garcia had said. Now I could recall his saying that several people had complained about the noise, and I’d applied it all to this suit guy. But all he’d mentioned was my creative use of words. He hadn’t technically bitched about the noise.

Hold up, is that him?

I held up a hand to shield my eyes from the late-afternoon sun, and I zeroed in on the guy coming out from the building.

It was him. He had put on his messenger bag, and he had a bike helmet in one hand.

Totally fit my impression of him. Yuppie on a bicycle.

I cleared my throat and trailed closer as he aimed for the row of bikes next to the stairs.

“Oi. Glasses.” I figured it was a better nickname than Yuppie.

Hey, it worked.

He threw a frown over his shoulder.

I gestured at myself. “The paste-eater from earlier.”

The frown faded, but he definitely nailed the standoffish vibe. “Now I remember.”

Okay, he had the biting, dry sense of humor down.

“I cut the goddammits and motherfuckers to a minimum after our productive chat,” I offered.

He unlocked his bike and stuffed the chain into his messenger bag. “My boss mentioned an improvement.” He side-eyed me. “Did you just get off work?”

“Half an hour ago,” I replied. “It’s possible I felt bad for how I acted earlier, so I decided to see if you were on your way out too.”

“I am. After a lovely day here, I’m looking forward to my evening shift at a hotel in Center City,” he drawled.

Oh damn. “That blows. I’m sorry about today, man. I won’t piss you off tomorrow, I promise.”

“Are you sure? You seem to have a knack for it.” He put on his helmet. Then he sighed and pulled out his bike. “Maybe I could’ve handled things better too.”

I smiled. “Water under the bridge.”

Except, now I kinda wanted this little meeting to run longer. He really was hot, and considering he’d checked me out before, it didn’t seem unlikely he was gay. A guy had to give it a go, didn’t he? My weekend was open.

“So, uh…do you have enough time to get something to eat before work?” I asked. “There’s a place down the street. They water down anything alcoholic, but their chips and guacamole are out of this world.”

He knitted his brows together. “You wanna spend happy hour with me?”

I’d prefer a date, but we could call it happy hour between two strangers.

“Of course.” I shrugged. “I obviously want a moment to explain myself. I didn’t fucking eat paste as a kid. I ate crayons.”

Fuck yeah, he actually smiled. “Okay. Happy hour sounds good.”

Fucking A.

Author Bio:

Romance Across the Spectrum.

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

~Cara.

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Posted in #BookTours

Forbidden Bases

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Some rules were made to be broken.


Forbidden Bases

Bridger City Falcons Book 1

by Alexa Fauli

Genre: Sweet Fake Dating Sports Romance



CARTER

I’m Carter Blake—star first baseman for the Bridger City Falcons. Fame, money, women… I have it all.

Except the one woman I was never supposed to want.

Darcy Simmons is my best friend’s little sister. Off-limits. Always has been. But when she comes back to town, every line I drew years ago blurs fast. One bad night, one viral photo, and suddenly we’re pretending we’ve been secretly dating.

It’s fake. Temporary. Harmless.

Until it isn’t.

DARCY

Carter Blake was my teenage crush—the one I never got over. Now he’s a professional baseball star with a reputation that screams heartbreak.

Faking a relationship with him should be easy. Safe. No feelings allowed.

But the longer we pretend, the harder it becomes to ignore what’s always been there—and the more I risk losing my heart to the one man who could destroy it.

FORBIDDEN BASES is a sweet baseball romance featuring fake dating, brother’s best friend, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

Some rules were made to be broken.


WHAT READERS WILL LOVE

✔ Fake dating
✔ Brother’s best friend
✔ Sweet and emotional romance
✔ No cheating
✔ Slow-burn tension
✔ Guaranteed HEA
✔ Perfect for fans of Hallmark-style romance with a sporty twist

 

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

 




Carter


I pulled into the players’ lot at Falcons Stadium, my truck’s tires crunching over the gravel as I found my usual spot. The afternoon sun bathed the stadium in golden light, and I could already smell the freshly cut grass as I grabbed my gear from the passenger seat. Practice days had their own rhythm, different from game days—less pressure, more fine-tuning. I stretched my arms over my head, feeling yesterday’s game still lingering in my muscles. Coach Miller would be waiting, probably already pacing the field with that damn whistle, ready to critique every move we made.

The locker room buzzed with the usual pre-practice chatter. I nodded to Rivera at his locker across from mine.

“Blake! How’s that shoulder feeling?” he asked, tossing me a roll of athletic tape.

I caught it with one hand. “Better than your batting average.” I grinned to soften the jab.

“You’re an asshole,” he laughed, pulling his practice jersey over his head.

I changed quickly, my movements practiced after years of this same routine. The smell of liniment and sweat permeated the air, familiar and oddly comforting. I laced up my cleats, grabbed my glove, and headed for the dugout.

The late afternoon sun hit me full in the face as I stepped onto the field. I paused at the top step, taking it in—the emerald expanse of the outfield, the reddish-brown dirt of the infield, and the crisp white baselines freshly laid down. This view never got old. A baseball field was the one place in the world that made perfect sense to me.

“Blake! Stop admiring the scenery and get your ass over here!” Coach Miller’s voice cut through my moment. I jogged over to where the team was gathering along the first-base line. Coach stood with his arms crossed, his Falcons cap pulled low over his eyes, that perpetual look of mild disappointment etched on his face.

“Alright, listen up,” he barked, not bothering to raise his voice—he never needed to. “Infielders with me. Outfielders with Coach Taylor. Pitchers to the bullpen with Ramirez. We’re working on fundamentals today because apparently, some of you forgot what those are during yesterday’s game.”

A few guys chuckled. We’d won yesterday, but it had been sloppy—three errors and some baserunning mistakes that had Coach’s veins popping out of his neck by the seventh inning.

I followed the rest of the infield to our positions. The dirt felt firm under my cleats as I took my spot at shortstop. Coach Miller stood at home plate, fungo bat in hand.

“Let’s go! Double plays. Martinez to Blake to Thompson.”

He smacked a grounder toward second base. Martinez fielded it cleanly, pivoted, and fired the ball to me. I caught it as I glided across second, tapped the bag with my foot, and threw to first in one fluid motion. The ball hit Thompson’s glove with a satisfying pop.

“Again!” Coach called, already sending another one.

We fell into rhythm. Ground ball, scoop, throw, catch, pivot, throw, catch. My body knew what to do without my brain getting involved. The sun warmed my back, and sweat began to trickle down my spine. I loved this—the mechanical precision of it, the way my muscles remembered every movement.

“Blake! Watch your footwork on that double play!” Coach Miller’s voice cut through my flow. “You’re getting lazy with the pivot. Do it again.”

I didn’t argue. Coach’s eyes missed nothing. Instead, I reset my position, adjusted my stance slightly, and waited for the next ball.

“He’s on your ass already?” Thompson called from first base.

“When is he not?” I shot back with a grin.

The next grounder came hot, a tough short-hop that I had to charge. I scooped it cleanly, stepped on second, and fired to first—textbook.

“Better,” Coach Miller said, which from him was practically a standing ovation.

We worked through the drills for another twenty minutes. The rhythm of practice wrapped around me like a comfortable blanket—the crack of the bat, the calls from teammates, the thud of balls hitting gloves. My shirt stuck to my back with sweat, and dirt collected in the creases of my palms.

“Water break, then switching to situational defense,” Coach announced, blowing his whistle.

I jogged to the dugout, grabbing a paper cup and filling it from the cooler.

“Looking smooth out there, Blake,” said Diaz, our catcher, as he filled his own cup.

“Thanks, man. How’re the pitchers looking?”

“Chen’s slider is nasty today. Cruz is still fighting his control.”

I nodded, draining my cup and crumpling it. The water was cold against my throat.

“Blake!” Coach Miller appeared at the dugout steps. “I need you to work with Rodriguez on his transfers. Kid’s got good hands but he’s fumbling the exchange.”

“Sure thing, Skip.”

Rodriguez was our rookie second baseman, called up just last month when Pearson went on the injured list. Good kid, quick feet, but still learning the ropes.

I found him by the batting cage, nervously fielding grounders from one of the assistants.

“Hey, Rodriguez,” I called, trotting over. “Coach wants us to work on transfers.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” His eyes widened slightly. Working directly with a veteran always made the rookies nervous.

“Relax, I don’t bite. Much.” I grinned, positioning myself next to him. “Show me what you’re doing.”

The assistant coach hit him a grounder. Rodriguez fielded it well but fumbled slightly as he moved the ball from his glove to his throwing hand.

“I see the issue,” I said. “You’re rushing it. Let me show you.”

I nodded to the coach, who sent a grounder my way. I fielded it smoothly, transferring it to my throwing hand in one fluid motion.

“See how I let the momentum of the ball carry into my throwing hand? You’re trying to force it.” I demonstrated again. “It’s all about rhythm. Like dancing with a pretty girl—you’ve got to feel the flow.”

Rodriguez nodded earnestly. “Can I try again?”

We worked for another fifteen minutes, his transfers gradually becoming smoother. Coach Miller watched from a distance, his arms crossed but his scowl a little less severe.

“Better, kid.” I clapped Rodriguez on the shoulder. “You’ll get it.”





Alexa Fauli is a devoted sports romance author whose passion for the Atlanta Braves and love of hockey inspire her vibrant stories of competition and connection. When she’s not dreaming up unforgettable characters who play hard for both love and victory, Alexa enjoys sipping toasted white mochas, watching anime romances, and cherishing time with her family. Her life is a delightful blend of heart, heat, and the magic that happens both on and off the page.

 

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Posted in Cover Reveals

How to Love a Prince #CoverReveal

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

How to Love a Prince
Hayden Stone
(Being Royal, #2)
Publication date: June 1st 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

What happens when a playboy prince must find a respectable husband to redeem himself and secure the monarchy’s future when he unexpectedly inherits the throne?

When London-based playboy Prince Theodor learns he’s about to inherit the Danish throne, he must clean up his scandalous image by finding an appropriate husband. But his planned redemption arc to audition fake boyfriends to fake marry creates another set of problems, until a fateful trip to Corfu, Greece, leads him to Greek Prince Stefanos, of the former Greek monarchy, and challenges his guarded heart as sparks fly.

It’s too bad they accidentally sink a yacht, which inevitably leads to more scandal, and they must start apart. However, Theodor and Stefanos can’t stop thinking of each other, leading to heated, secret encounters between Greece and England guaranteed to set the tabloids alight once their secret is revealed…

How to Love a Prince, Book 2 in the Being Royal Series, is a light-hearted royal rom-com featuring fake dating, opposites-attract, and forbidden love.

For fans of Red, White & Royal Blue, Boyfriend Material, and The Unlikely Heir.

Goodreads / Amazon


Author Bio:

More animal than mineral, Hayden Stone is a writer of fun queer fiction, especially with kissing. He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, and has previously lived in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK. He likes strong coffee and is owned by two cats. You can find out his latest news on Twitter or Instagram, or at his website: haydenstonebooks.com

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