Teatime and Books

Friday, June 26, 2026

Book Tour ~ Deadly Gold Rush - An Indie Retirement Mystery by Landis Wade

DEADLY GOLD RUSH

by Landis Wade

May 18 - June 26, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

THE INDIE RETIREMENT MYSTERY SERIES

Murder, mines, and missing millions—retirement just got interesting.

When a shady real estate developer is found murdered beneath Harriet Keaton’s family home—shot, stabbed, and surrounded by rare 1830s gold coins—her estranged twin brother Joey is the prime suspect. He insists he’s innocent...but won’t name the real culprit.

With Joey refusing to talk and millions missing from the retirement accounts, the future of the Independence Retirement Community is suddenly on the line. Now, whip-smart Harriet and her sleuthing partners—Craig Travail (savvy lawyer, reluctant romantic) and Yeager Alexander (conspiracy theorist, resident rabble-rouser)—must dig into the past to solve the crime.

Their best lead? A decades-old memoir from Harriet’s treasure-obsessed father and whispers of a long-lost gold hoard.

But treasure has a way of attracting trouble. As fortunes vanish and suspects multiply, the trio must untangle two decades of betrayal—before the killer strikes again.

Murder, mayhem, and the Carolina gold rush: welcome back to the Indie, where retirement is anything but quiet.

Praise for Deadly Gold Rush:

"Deadly Gold Rush is a satisfyingly complex entwining of events and personalities that proves hard to put down."
~ Midwest Book Review

"Deadly Gold Rush caught my attention from the first sentence and kept me transfixed to the very end. Couldn’t put it down."
~ Readers’ Favorite Reviews

"Lively mystery bubbling with unforgettable characters and historical spirit."
~ Booklife Reviews

"Mystery fans who love Richard Osman’s cozy Thursday Murder Club books will enjoy the similarly energetic take on mystery-loving retirees."
~ Kirkus Reviews

DEADLY GOLD RUSH Trailer:

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Legal Thriller, Historical
Published by: Lystra Books & Literary Services, LLC
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Number of Pages: 378 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 979-8992136357, Paperback
Series: The Indie Retirement Mystery Series, Book 2 | Each is a Standalone Mystery
Book Links: Amazon | KindleUnlimited | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub

Read an excerpt:

Chapter One

Death in the Passage

The narrow alleyway walls muffled the gunshot as uptown Charlotte slept. It was one thirty in the morning on Tuesday, April 1.

The phone call didn’t last long.

“It’s me,” the caller said. “I need your help.”

“I’m listening.”

“I have a body.”

“Whose?”

“Chance Landry.”

“Where are you?”

“Lincoln Street. Inside the Rivafinoli Passage in South End. Next to the Queen Charlotte mural.”

“Anyone with you?”

The caller explained who else was still there.

“You leave. Tell them to stay with the body and wait for my call. I need to think.”

Three minutes later, the call was made to the only living person remaining in the passage who could help.

“I am going to text you an address.” Next, they explained what to do with Landry’s body when they got to the address.

“Are you kidding? He’s already dead.”

But the person giving instructions had no sense of humor. “Just do it.”

A text message followed with the address.

The person who received the message knew how to follow directions and did as they were told.

Chapter Two

Vengeance is Sweet

The 11:15 p.m. email on Craig Travail’s phone read: Your friends are about to suffer financial ruin, untold heartbreak, and trials and tribulations. You have only yourself to blame.

What?

Travail read the email again, slower this time. He read it twice more. There was no author name. Just an unknown vengeanceissweet email address.

Travail exhaled. His email checking practice was a bad habit, a routine held over from his career when clients expected their lawyers to be available 24/7.

Nothing good ever came of his itch to scratch his email in-box for late-night messages, like now, when it would be twice as difficult to sleep after watching the late night local news—with its smorgasbord of crimes, collisions, and natural disasters—and reading this email.

One news story was about elder fraud, a reminder of how susceptible retirees are to financial fraud schemes. Was that what was coming for his friends at the Independence Retirement Community, which everyone called the Indie? Were the residents about to suffer financial ruin because of risky investments? If so, he’d be angry at the perpetrators for their heartless guile and frustrated with his friends for being so gullible.

The television show made the point, though, and he agreed, that adults spend most of their lives collecting assets to make retirement possible and the rest of their days worried if their accumulated treasure will last as long as they do, leading some retirees to make risky and uninformed choices with their nest eggs. Was that what his friends had done? Made bad choices with their money? Is that what the emailer taunted him about?

Travail’s instinct was to fire off a harsh response to the email with some choice lawyer-like words and warnings, but he ignored the bait—he suspected they wouldn’t respond anyway—and he punched the remote control instead.

The television screen faded to black, and his den fell silent, save for Blue’s rhythmic snores and his jerking legs. Travail’s black and tan coonhound must be dreaming, chasing ducks along the lake behind Travail’s cottage, as he was apt to do in real life, and as usual, failing to catch the waterfowl before they darted back into the water. Travail leaned over his club chair’s arm and let his free hand graze on Blue’s back until his pet stopped running in his sleep.

Maybe the email was a prank. Maybe, like him, a friend had become bored with life at the Indie. And yet, the email bothered him.

Whose lives—which friends’ lives—were about to be shattered? And how? And for that matter, why? And what did he have to do with it?

Since moving a year earlier into the Independence Retirement Community, Travail had made two best friends, Harriet Keaton and Yeager Alexander, and several other good friends. He’d met many other retirees, some whose company he tolerated and some whose company he could do without. Either way, he didn’t want to see anyone hurt. He certainly didn’t want his close friends to suffer, and he didn’t want to be the person responsible for their pain.

The flame on the candle he’d lit this morning was down to the base of the wick. He turned away from it, detesting the severe loneliness of March 31.

There was no logic for feeling so alone—what with all the crimes, court cases, and historic mysteries Harriet, Yeager, and he navigated since he arrived at the Indie and the time they spent together—but it was hard to control his feelings, especially the feeling of being by himself. A Jewish resident told him about the tradition of lighting a candle on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. It felt loving to strike the match in Rachael’s honor, but as day became night, Travail’s mood shifted. It had been three years to the day.

The flickering light had a strobe-like effect on the things that reminded him of Rachael: her furniture, her quilts, her artwork, her pictures. Travail missed Rachael’s kindness, her playfulness, her creativity, and the rituals they shared. The flicker made the past too present, making him long for another night and morning and day together. She was here, there, and everywhere, but nowhere at all.

Assertive is what he’d needed to be in the moment that changed everything. He and Rachael were in the mountains at a high-elevation rental for a getaway when a freak storm rolled in and dumped six inches of snow on the ground. Rachael decided to drive to the local general store to stock the pantry for their cozy weekend together. He had a work call and offered to go with her after he finished.

“It’s just snow,” she’d said.

“Okay, but be careful,” he’d responded.

“Always, dear.” Then she kissed him on the mouth, patted his bottom, and walked out of his life forever.

The news came in a phone call from the local police. First came the shock, then the grief, and then the Monday-morning quarterbacking. He should have insisted Rachael let him drive her. He should have done more to protect her. If he had, maybe she would still be here. Maybe the out-of-control delivery truck that hit the black ice would have killed him instead of her, or maybe Travail could have prevented the accident.

Spring in North Carolina was supposed to be about new beginnings, not endings, with the dogwoods and azaleas in bloom, but his eyes grew wet from the memories, and he felt a sudden heaviness in his body.

He looked at the email again and became resolute. For sure, he would not make the same mistake twice with the people he cared about. He would protect them.

But who was behind the email?

Whoever wanted sweet vengeance against his friends wanted vengeance against him too, because their pain would be his pain. The question for his lawyer brain—used to solving riddles for years—was: who despised them and him that much?

Like an unexpected electric shock, the answer startled him. This email was exactly the kind of plot his nemesis, Robert Elkin, would conjure. If Elkin hurt Harriet, Yeager, and his other close friends, he hurt Travail worse.

But wasn’t Elkin no longer a threat? They’d exposed his concealment of the truth about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, avoided death at the hands of his father, pushed him out of his Big Law leadership position, and seen to it that the state bar took his law license. Elkin no longer had big-time lawyer power. The only thing he had was anger, resentment, and a low-paying job as a paralegal with a former client, though Travail didn’t know the client’s name or their business. It was a sharp drop from the level of influence that had made the man dangerous, and yet, there was reason to be cautious. Elkin was cunning and would hold a grudge till death do they part.

Travail leaned his head back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling, and pondered the text again: financial ruin, untold heartbreak, and trials and tribulations.

Harriet was too smart to get caught up in a financial scam. Not so with Yeager. He was impulsive, likely to jump at the chance to possess something shiny because it might become shinier.

Travail pulled an olive-colored sweatshirt over his t-shirt, woke Blue, and took him into the backyard to do his business under the stars. While he waited, Travail glanced across Lost Cove Lake to Harriet’s cottage. He inhaled the fresh night air, and he marveled at the main building’s reflection on the lake’s surface. Harriet’s lights were out. She, an early riser, must be asleep.

Seeing Harriet’s peaceful cottage raised a question he’d been pondering. Should he ask her on a date? Carrie Roberts, the Indie Gossip Queen, thought so and often shared her opinion.

Most days, it seemed like the right decision not to ask Harriet—or anyone else, for that matter—on a date. Three years wasn’t that long, really, since Rachael died. And yet, here he was, caught in a web he’d spun for himself, trapped somewhere between what he no longer had and the companionship he wanted but resisted. Harriet was his friend. Should he keep it that way?

Harriet would most likely turn him down anyway. He was a project, and he knew it, starting with the lesson she’d had to teach him last year that retirement living is not life’s dead end but a fresh path forward. And now, with him being a sixty-six-year-old widower afraid to address his feelings, she’d be quick to beg off.

Blue finished up, and the two headed inside. His watch told him it was a new day. He blew out the dwindling flame on the candle and headed to his bedroom, where Blue was already curled up on the end of Travail’s queen-size bed. Wearing only striped boxers and a white cotton t-shirt, Travail pulled the covers up to his chin. With a good night’s sleep, he’d be fresh in the morning to put his effort into stopping Elkin. He still had his law license, after all, and as Yeager would tell him from time to time, “You ain’t dead yet.”

He closed his eyes and imagined tying a dry fly rig with two nymphs on a dropper line, the key to catching river trout on and below the surface at the same time. This falling-asleep system was better than counting backward from three hundred by threes. It worked its charm in less than five minutes.

Travail didn’t know when he dozed off that the murder train had left the station. He didn’t know when he began to snore that someone had already set the trap for his friends. And he didn’t know when he fell into a deep sleep that when the sun came up, he would ponder, and not for the first time, how he could have been so wrong to believe retirement living would ever be boring or lonely.

***

Author Bio:

Landis Wade is a recovering trial lawyer turned author who writes award-winning mysteries and legal thrillers with a historical bent. His publication credits include six works of fiction, eight non-fiction writing books, many short stories, and a podcast that produced 400 episodes of author interviews and writing discussions. His first novel in his Indie Retirement Mystery series, Deadly Declarations, won ten awards and Kirkus Reviews said of his second in the series, Deadly Gold Rush, that “Mystery fans who love Richard Osman’s cozy Thursday Murder Club books will enjoy the similarly energetic take on mystery-loving retirees.” Landis splits his time between Charlotte, Durham, and the North Carolina mountains. He is the recipient of the 2025 Founders Award for service to the Charlotte Writers Club and the literary community.

Catch Up With Landis Wade:

LandisWade.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @LandisWade
Instagram - @landiswrites
Threads - @landiswrites
YouTube - @authorlandiswade
Facebook - @authorlandiswade

Tour Participants:

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Book Tour ~ Human Trafficking Exposed by Maxwell Matewere

Stories of Exploitation and Survival

Nonfiction / Human Rights

Date Published: January 8, 2026

Human Trafficking Exposed rips the mask off human trafficking and throws it at your feet without sugarcoating the truth. The book drags you straight into the underground world where children disappear, women are broken, and men are reduced to disposable labour—all while society pretends not to see.

Drawing from more than 25 years on the frontlines, award‑winning human trafficking buster Maxwell Matewere delivers an unfiltered, boots‑on‑the‑ground investigation into one of the world’s fastest‑growing criminal enterprises worse than slavery.

This is not second‑hand reporting. It is not theory. It is truth wrestled directly from survivors, traffickers, migration routes, brothels, recruitment networks, fake job agencies, and the silent corridors where victims are bought and sold like livestock.

Inside this book, you will encounter:

• Real cases of children trafficked across borders under the guise of “education.”

• Young girls promised opportunity but delivered into prostitution and violent sexual captivity.

• Men trapped in forced labour, stripped of pay, papers, and hope.

• Criminal networks operating like corporations—efficient, ruthless, and invisible.

• Powerful insights into how traffickers weaponize poverty, trust, promises, and psychological manipulation.

• The myths Americans believe about trafficking—and the uncomfortable truths no one talks about.

• How victims become “assets,” broken down and exploited until nothing remains.

This book exposes the global machinery of exploitation—recruiters, transporters, corrupt officials, fake pastors, greedy relatives, organised syndicates, migration scammers, and sexual predators—all working together to turn human suffering into profit.

Introduction

Every one of us desires a good life. We all want to live well—have enough to eat, a steady income and everything we need to feel happy, healthy and secure. But in reality, this kind of good life isn’t always easy to come by. It is as elusive as ever.

Many people venture to faraway places hoping to find a life better than the one they know at home. Some make that decision on their own. For others, it’s a result of coercion.

Many people, especially from poor countries and rural ar-eas, flock to well-developed nations in hopes of starting a new life. But when that journey isn’t voluntary, it raises difficult ques-tions—like, why did you have to leave your home for a new, un-familiar place?

The problems that lead people to start a new life in an un-familiar place include unemployment, poverty, food insecurity, desperation from hardship, limited access to quality education, gender discrimination, domestic violence, dysfunctional family environments and the impact of conflict or political transition on their countries.

Others leave because legal migration opportunities are limit-ed or because they believe they can earn a better wage in another city or country. Others leave to escape prosecution or a political situation.

The dream of a better life is therefore a driving force for peo-ple to leave home and venture into new places. However, as they say, ‘not all that glitters is gold’, and for many people, such hopes are rarely fulfilled.

Instead, some end up in oppressive situations—forced into prostitution, trapped in poorly paid jobs with arduous working conditions or even becoming victims of organ trafficking.

I have been working in the anti-human trafficking sector for over 25 years, and throughout my career, I have seen firsthand the mental and physical destruction this crime causes its victims, many of whom are children.

However, although this crime is widespread across the world and within Southern African countries, it is not very well understood.

When people do hear about these cases in media reports, the focus is often on arrests in brothels, raids on farms by labour of-ficials or the apprehension of suspected traffickers at border con-trol points.

But reporting on the victims themselves remains limited, and they are often blamed for their own exploitation. Some are even led to believe they aren’t being exploited at all.

This is why I’ve chosen to share the personal stories of sever-al victims I’ve worked with over the years, with their permission. My aim is to shed light on how they came to be in situations of exploitation and to reveal the many often-overlooked forms this crime can take.

I want the reader to understand who these people truly are, how criminals deceived them and how their hopes for a better life were crushed.

They are not just crime statistics—they are men, women and children who have suffered deeply and, in many cases, continue with the impact of their ordeal.

This book is for everyone working in the anti-human traf-ficking field, for current victims and those at risk, and for anyone seeking to understand this horrific yet sadly widespread crime.

Although the cases outlined in this book are based on true events, I have changed the names of the victims and some loca-tions to protect their identities.

About the Author

Maxwell Matewere is an internationally recognized legal and crime prevention expert with 27 years of vast experiences in the areas of human trafficking and child protection. He is the founder of Eye of the Child, a child rights organisation in Malawi, and Malawi Network Against Trafficking (MNAT). In 2020, the US Department of State recognised him as a Global Hero for championing national responses against human trafficking and successful rescue and rehabilitation of victims. His expertise specializes in law reform, advocacy, training, research and designing responses against transnational organized crimes including supporting victims of human trafficking in Malawi and their families. Maxwell has committed his professional life to challenge those who benefit from the exploitation of victims around the world and is dedicated to ensuring survivors live in freedom.

Contact Links

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Release Blitz ~ Pillywiggin - Awakening The Complete Story ARC by Debbie Bishop

The Complete Story ARC

Epic Fantasy, Metaphysical Fiction, Fae Fantasy, Found Family

Date Published: Friday, June 26, 2026
Publisher: Angelgate Entertainment

Peter has spent his life hiding among humans.

A light fae raised at an elite academy, he thought his disguise was to protect his place in the human world. A betrayal and ominous nightmare cause sudden caution, but when a mystical creature he has never seen before warns he is in danger, Peter realizes he must flee. To maintain his cover, he creates a clone and sends him to his home in the mystical realm, then sets out to discover who is hunting him—and why.

CAPTURED. FORGOTTEN. FORGED.

Stolen fae young men face their final day before they become dragon food. Taken from their homes and imprisoned in a brutal mine, they have survived through secret training, strategy, inventive tech, and stubborn hope. They failed to escape before, with severe consequences.

A prophecy whispers that a girl will one day free them.

She doesn’t even know they exist.

At a Paris fashion show, Peter collides with a mysterious girl—and discovers she is his twin sister. Together they possess a dangerous power, and those who control the realms will do anything to claim it. Or destroy it.

PILLYWIGGIN Awakening is a contemporary epic fantasy that weaves dark mystery, military strategy, and technology into a world where power is never given—only built. For fans of Lord of the Rings and Fourth Wing.

This is no tale of a magical savior.
This is the story of stray kids who grow into warriors—and become their own heroes.

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Thursday, June 25, 2026

Book Blitz ~ The Engine in the Sky - The Dyson Bridge Series by V> G. Harrison

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. V.G. Harrison will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When Professor Meridia Vail’s space station is hurled across time and dimensions, she and the rest of the Bridgeway crew wake on an alternate Earth that's only five years into the future but looks like it's a century behind her technology. Their goal is to reclaim their crippled station, return to their dimension, and hope that a mysterious interdimensional illness doesn't kill her and her people first.

Stuck on a backwards version of her own planet, Meridia must deal with governments who want her technology and intelligence agencies who want control. Nobody trusts anyone, and the longer they delay, the closer the Bridgeway gets to a catastrophic reentry.

However, the greatest shock comes when Meridia meets her doppelganger, a brilliant mechanic with a loving family that leaves her heart aching for the life she could have had.

As time is running out for her crew and New Earth, Meridia faces an impossible mission: return to the station, save her crew, and prevent a global disaster. Duty first. Family second. When Meridia is thrust into a situation where the two become synonymous, she must decide how much she's willing to risk for a world she's sworn to save and a life she can never have.

Read an Excerpt

I followed her down the semi-busy hall until we arrived at a first grader’s room. Meridia peeked her head inside, smiled at the teacher, and motioned for a little girl to come into the hall. She beamed when she saw her mother and ran into her arms. When she saw me, she stopped, her dazzling light-brown eyes enlarged.

My heart swelled to the point that my gaze blurred with unshed tears. She was beautiful. She had olive skin and frizzy hair that barely stayed in place with two green barrettes to hold back the curly onslaught. Her smile was perfect, even with the one missing tooth in the front. I didn’t believe in instant love, but this little girl made me feel nothing less than that. Meridia—the other me—had a child. I mean, I knew she had a kid, but nothing prepared me for actually meeting her.

"Who’s that, Mommy?" she asked.

Meridia knelt. "Remember when I told you I had a twin sister who came from space and that’s why the reporters were at our house? Well, this is her. This is Astronaut Meridia. Meridia, this is my daughter Felicity."

The little girl let go of her mother before rushing to wrap her arms around my waist.

"I have two mommies now," she declared. "Best day ever!"

Oh. My. God. It took everything inside me not to cry happy tears. Her little arms spewing with love for someone she had just met was incredible. Who would ever deny this beautiful little girl?

About the Author: Amazon best-selling author, V.G. Harrison enjoys creating smart heroines who are more comfortable dealing with things like Fine-structure constant and quantum entanglement than the fallout from their conflict. She loves to write stories that leave her audience so engaged they can't sleep at night, thinking about the possibilities.

V.G. holds a Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering and a Masters in Information Technology. When she's not writing, she's an IT manager for a healthcare information systems company.

Her ever-growing list of hobbies include astronomy, attending comic cons, keeping an eye on the cryptocurrency and stock markets, hydroponics gardening, hiking, and connecting with her daughter, Collie, on a cool level.

Publisher: https://mochamemoirspress.com
Website: https://www.vgharrison.com/
Blog: https://www.vgharrison.com/blog-1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/booksbycoletteandharrison
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marciacolette

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Sky-Dyson-Bridge-Book-ebook/dp/B0H3LWYKRZ/ref=sr_1_1

Teaser ~ The Dark One by Angela Knight

BDSM Romance, Capture Fantasy

Date Published: June 26, 2026

Kaska means to make Matia the centerpiece in an erotic ritual to honor his Dark god.

Matia of Ruza is one of the legendary Battlemaids -- a woman warrior who has taken an oath of celibacy in service of the Maid of Light. When mercenary Kaska of Artane helps Matia defeat a gang of brigands, the two become partners.

Matia finds her oath of celibacy tested by her handsome Shieldmate’s erotic appeal. But Kaska means to do more than test her. He worships the Dark One, and he wants to make Matia the centerpiece in a sizzling erotic ritual in honor of his god.

But first, he must defeat her in combat -- and win her heart.

EXCERPT

Kaska of Artane slowed his stallion to an easy amble. Prince Britar's fortress lay a full day away, and he'd ridden poor Warbringer hard this past month. He knew the Prince awaited the intelligence he'd gathered as a spy in neighboring Trovan but laming his horse would serve no purpose.

Particularly with war on the horizon.

Besides, the last time Kaska had come this way, he'd had to battle the local brigands. Two fell to his blade before the rest fled, but that left five. And they might be in the mood for revenge. I don't care to ride headlong into an ambush.

"Whoreson bastards!" A woman's roar of fury brought Kaska's head up. He drew Warbringer to a prancing halt.

Swords clashed, interspaced with male taunts and laughter. The laughter had a distinctly ugly note. The woman swore again, an edge of grim desperation in her voice.

The thieves had found a new victim.

Kaska set his heels to Warbringer's flanks and thundered up the road toward the sound. Rounding the bend, he saw five men fighting a lone female traveler they'd managed to unhorse. He recognized the dented, rusted armor and unshaven faces; it was indeed the same band of thieves.

But their victim was no common woman. Her armor and sword marked her as a follower of the Maid of Light -- a female warrior. She was tall for a woman, with a lithe, muscular build and pretty breasts barely contained by her intricately embossed breastplate. Long black hair swirled around her face as she spun and hacked at her tormentors with a slim sword designed for a woman's hand.

One of the brigands already lay dead at her feet, but four others remained, odds too great even for one of the legendary Battlemaids.

A grin of sheer, savage joy spread across Kaska's face. With a howl, he drew the blade sheathed across his back and kicked Warbringer into a thundering charge.

The nearest of the brigands whirled too late. Kaska took his head with a single stroke.

Another of the men jumped at him, hacking for his thigh with an axe, but Kaska spun Warbringer aside and thrust his blade into the thief's chest. The man tumbled off the lethal point, gurgling out his life.

Meanwhile, the third brigand fell to the Battlemaid's sword. His head tumbled from his shoulders.

The fourth man looked from Kaska to the thieves' would-be victim, calculated the odds, and took to his heels.

Kaska snatched a dagger from his thigh sheath and hurled it at the coward with an expert flip of his wrist. The man went down, the blade buried to the hilt between his shoulder blades.

Scarcely breathing hard, Kaska turned to the maid. "Are you well?"

"Well enough." She studied him, her dark eyes level. There was a sharp and elegant beauty to her face, with its broad, high cheekbones and square little chin. Her lush mouth could inspire a monk to carnal fantasies.

"My thanks, warrior," she said at last in a low, husky voice, pushing the long black hair out of her face. "There were too many of them for me to best alone." She considered him, appraising the width of his chest and the strength of his sword arm. Female appreciation lit her gaze, mixed with a warrior's caution.

She had reason for that caution, for he meant to challenge her himself. He worshiped the Dark One, and his god relished nothing as much as the moans of a defeated Battlemaid.

Imagining the tight grip of her virgin ass, Kaska felt his cock swell behind his loincloth.

Give her time to rest, and then…

Of course, the maid might well kill him instead, but looking at her long legs and full, sweet breasts, Kaska thought it a chance well worth taking.

But as he opened his mouth to warn her of his intent, all color left the Battlemaid's face. Her eyes rolled up. Kaska threw himself from Warbringer's back as she collapsed in a heap.

Two long strides carried him to the maid's side. Dropping to one knee on the dusty road, Kaska began an anxious examination. He found no wounds on the front of her body, so he rolled her onto her back.

The maid groaned and lifted her head. "Wha -?"

"Seems one of your cur attackers landed a blow after all," he told her grimly. "There's a stab wound in your back just under your backplate, over your left hip."

"Aye," she said, letting her head fall. "One of them had a dagger."

"'Tis not deep, but it bleeds still," Kaska said. "I can treat it, if you permit."

"Aye," the maid said, breathing now in shallow pants. "My thanks."

Kaska nodded and rose to retrieve his pack of battlefield medicines from Warbringer. Well, he thought as he walked to his horse, I won't be challenging her any time soon. Not with that wound.

Later, perhaps. When he'd examined her, he'd noticed she had a truly delicious ass.

He wanted it.

About the Author

New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight has written and published more than sixty novels, novellas, and ebooks, including the Mageverse and Merlin’s Legacy series. With a career spanning more than two decades, Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine has awarded her their Career Achievement award in Paranormal Romance, as well as two Reviewers’ Choice awards for Best Erotic Romance and Best Werewolf Romance.

Angela is currently a writer, editor, and cover artist for Changeling Press LLC. She also teaches online writing courses. Besides her fiction work, Angela’s writing career includes a decade as an award-winning South Carolina newspaper reporter. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, Michael, a thirty-year police veteran and detective with a local police department.

Author’s Website

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Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

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Teaser ~ NITRO - Reckless Kings MC by Harley Wylde

(Reckless Kings MC 9): A Dixie Reapers Bad Boys Romance

MC Romance

Date Published: June 26, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press

She came back with a secret. He answers with a claim.

Willa -- I tell myself I’m here for one reason -- to survive. Not for him. Not for what we had. One night shouldn’t have mattered. But it did. Now I’m back, pregnant, and desperate, standing in the last place I should be. And the worst part? He sees me.

Nitro -- She thinks I won’t recognize her. Thinks I won’t put it together. She’s wrong. One look at her, at the curve of her stomach, and I know exactly what she tried to keep from me.

I don’t hesitate. I don’t negotiate. I claim her in front of everyone. She can be angry. She can fight. Doesn’t change anything. She’s mine. The kid’s mine. And I don’t let what belongs to me walk away.

Perfect for fans of dominant bikers, secret baby romance, and second chance love stories.

Excerpt

Willa

The gate loomed ahead, iron and intimidation. I adjusted my canvas bag higher on my shoulder. Dusk had settled over the compound. I’d rehearsed what to say fifty times on the bus ride over, how to stand, how to sound casual about a decision that had kept me awake for weeks. But now, with my heart hammering against my ribs and my hand resting protectively over the two lives growing inside me, the words dried up in my throat.

I hadn’t planned for this -- for any of this. One night with a man whose face I’d memorized in the dark, and then the positive test, and then the second one, and then the doctor’s office confirming what my body had already told me. I’d kept moving. Found a room in a house with thin walls and a landlord who didn’t ask questions. Worked shifts until my feet ached and my back protested. Except it hadn’t been enough. I could either pay rent, or eat. Most of the time, I didn’t make enough to do both. And all the while, the babies inside me grew, a reality I couldn’t walk away from no matter how much I sometimes wanted to.

I buttoned my coat one more time, checking that it covered the slight curve of my belly. Not that it mattered anymore. Four months in, there was no hiding what I’d come here to admit.

The Prospect guard stepped forward as I approached the gate, his expression caught between wariness and routine assessment. Young -- maybe twenty-five -- with a patch that marked him as not quite a full member. He had the careful stance of someone who’d been told to take his job seriously.

“This is private property,” he said, voice neutral. “You looking for someone?”

I’d expected this. Rehearsed for it. “I’m here about a job. At the strip club.” I kept my voice steady, pitched it to sound casual, like applying for work at an outlaw motorcycle club’s strip joint was something I did every Tuesday. “Someone told me you’re hiring dancers. I stopped by the strip club, but it looked closed.”

His gaze moved over me once, taking stock. I’d done what I could to look the part -- worn jeans tight enough to show the shape of my legs, a top with sleeves long enough to cover my arms but cut low enough to suggest what was underneath. Of course, my coat currently covered the top half of me. My hair was loose instead of pulled back the way it had been the night I’d met Nitro. The night this whole thing started.

“We don’t take applications at the gate,” the Prospect said, but his tone had softened slightly. Maybe he believed me. Maybe he just wanted to believe a woman with my face would want to take her clothes off for money. Men usually did.

“I was told to ask for Nitro,” I said, the name catching in my throat.

The Prospect’s expression changed -- a flash of something like recognition, quickly masked. “Nitro’s busy. Maybe you should come back another time.”

“I don’t have another time.” The truth of it slipped out before I could catch it. I took a breath. “Please. It won’t take long.”

He hesitated, clearly weighing options. I watched the calculation happen behind his eyes -- the balance between turning me away and the potential consequences if I was telling the truth about knowing someone important.

“Hold on,” he said finally, and reached for the radio clipped to his belt.

I shifted my weight, trying to ease the persistent ache in my lower back. The bag on my shoulder felt heavier by the second. The night I’d spent here had been warm -- hot with bodies and music and the specific heat of Nitro’s skin against mine -- but now the air carried a chill that cut through my jacket. Or maybe that was just fear, sending ice through my veins while my heart tried to beat its way out of my chest.

The Prospect was speaking into the radio, voice too low for me to catch the words. I turned away slightly, giving him the illusion of privacy, and that’s when I saw him.

Nitro.

He stood at the edge of the parking area, half-shadowed by the building. Even from this distance, I could read the lines of his body -- the way he held himself, alert without appearing tense. He’d been about to leave or had just arrived. It didn’t matter. What mattered was the way his gaze found mine across the open space, the way his head tilted slightly as recognition hit.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t move. My rehearsed speech, my careful composure -- all of it evaporated under his gaze. He was exactly as I remembered. Tall, solid, with that watchful quality that made him seem both completely present and somehow separate from whatever was happening around him. I’d spent four months trying to forget the feel of his hands and the sound of his voice, and here he was, real as anything, looking at me like he was trying to fit the pieces together.

Then his gaze dropped to my stomach.

Just for a second -- a quick, involuntary movement -- but I saw it. His expression didn’t change, but something happened behind his eyes, a recalculation. When he looked back at my face, his gaze had sharpened.

The Prospect was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it over the blood rushing in my ears.

Nitro straightened, said something to the men near him without taking his gaze off me. The Prospect fell back a step, his posture shifting subtly into something closer to deference. Nitro was moving now, crossing the open ground between us with the same measured confidence I remembered from that night. Not hurrying, but covering distance efficiently, each step deliberate.

He stopped three feet from me, close enough that I could smell the faint trace of cigarette smoke on his clothes, far enough to give me room to step back if I wanted to. I didn’t. My feet felt rooted to the ground, my body caught between fight and flight with nowhere to run.

“Nitro,” I said. Just his name, the way I’d said mine that night. Nothing attached to it, no explanation for why I was here or what I wanted or why the shape of me had changed since he’d last seen me.

He looked at me for a long moment, his expression giving away nothing. Then, without speaking, he tilted his head toward the gate and stepped aside, creating a path.

An invitation. Not a question.

I swallowed hard. This was it -- the moment everything changed. I’d thought about it for weeks, turned it over in my mind during the long nights when I couldn’t sleep, played out every possible reaction, every potential ending. But standing here now, with the reality of him in front of me and the knowledge of what I carried between us, none of those rehearsals mattered.

What mattered was the step forward. The commitment to whatever came next.

I moved past him through the gate, feeling the brush of air as he turned to follow. My back tingled with the awareness of his presence behind me, the same awareness I’d felt that night in the hallway when I’d followed him to his room. The same pull, complicated now by everything that had happened since.

The compound opened up around me -- the main building with its lit windows, the row of bikes gleaming in the fading light, the sounds of voices and music carrying on the evening air. It was exactly as I remembered and completely different, seen now with the knowledge of what had happened here and what it had led to.

I stopped a few yards inside the gate, suddenly uncertain. The bag on my shoulder felt heavy. The babies in my belly seemed to pulse with their own heartbeats, separate from mine but impossibly connected. I’d come this far. Made the decision. Stepped through the gate. But now, with the reality of it surrounding me, I couldn’t remember why I’d thought this was the right choice.

Nitro moved past me, not touching, but close enough that I caught the scent of him -- clean and sharp underneath the smoke. He glanced at me once, his expression still unreadable, and then tipped his head toward the main building.

“Come inside,” he said, the first words he’d spoken. Not a question. But also not a command.

I followed him across the gravel, my footsteps sounding too loud in my ears. The Prospect watched us go, his expression carefully blank. A few of the men near the building turned to look, curiosity quickly masked when they saw who was with me. I kept my gaze on Nitro’s back, on the straight line of his shoulders under his cut, on the measured certainty of his stride.

He held the door for me, one hand on the frame, not quite touching as I passed. The warmth inside hit me like a wall after the evening chill, along with the smell of beer and leather and the scent of a space lived in by too many people for too long. It was exactly as I remembered from that night -- the same low lighting, the same sense of contained chaos -- but empty now of the press of bodies, the crush of the party.

We were alone in the main room, or nearly. A man I didn’t recognize sat at the far end of the bar, nursing a drink and pretending not to watch us. Otherwise, the space was ours -- Nitro standing with his back to the door, me with my bag still on my shoulder and my hand still resting protectively over my stomach.

He glanced toward the bar and made a motion with his hand. The music died down a few seconds later. He looked at me for a long moment, his expression giving away nothing of what he was thinking. Then he reached for my bag.

I let him take it, my fingers slow to release the strap. As he lifted it, it felt like some small piece of the burden I’d been carrying grew lighter. Not the important one. Not the one that had brought me here. But something, at least.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice level.

I took a breath. “You know why.”

His gaze dropped to my stomach again, this time holding there. Yeah. He might not be able to see through my jacket, but he’d figured it out anyway. Why else would I show up here out of the blue? Sure, he’d used a condom, but those were never foolproof.

“Four months,” he said. Not a question.

About the Author

Harley Wylde is an accomplished author known for her captivating MC Romances. With an unwavering commitment to sensual storytelling, Wylde immerses her readers in an exciting world of fierce men and irresistible women. Her works exude passion, danger, and gritty realism, while still managing to end on a satisfying note each time.

When not crafting her tales, Wylde spends her time brainstorming new plotlines, indulging in a hot cup of Starbucks, or delving into a good book. She has a particular affinity for supernatural horror literature and movies. Visit Wylde's website to learn more about her works and upcoming events, and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter to receive exclusive discounts and other exciting perks.

Author on Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok: @harleywylde

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

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Release Blitz ~ A Weaponized Mind by Bruce M. Perrin

The Mind Sleuth Series

Murder Mystery

Date Published: June 23, 2026

Sometimes, Wilford DeBeer’s high-risk, high-reward financial plans worked, and when they did, the clients of DeBeer Wealth Management lauded his brilliance. Unfortunately, sometimes they didn’t, and people lost their businesses, their retirements, and sometimes their lives. So, when Henry Jansen, who was caddying a round of golf for DeBeer, pulled a gun and killed him, the reason seemed obvious.

It wasn’t. Jansen had never been a DeBeer client.

Four days later, Jansen was identified as the shooter. But before the police could locate and arrest him, he was found dead in an alley near downtown Denver. At that point, suspicion pivoted to DeBeer’s many disgruntled clients. One of them must have hired Jansen as their instrument of retaliation, then killed him to cover their involvement.

This theory, too, led nowhere as the investigation stalled after three months.

Frustrated by the apparent lack of progress on the case, Lauren Beckwith, Jansen’s cousin, hired Private Investigator Rebecca Marte to continue the hunt. And while Rebecca apparently retrod much of the same ground as the police detectives, she must have done something different, because before she knew it, she was fighting for her life in a diabolical trap set by Jansen’s killer.

About the Author

If you’re interested in what I’m like in something more detailed than what will fit in this space, I’d say, buy any of my books. That overly analytic guy (read geek) is me. OK, I’ve never saved the day like the heroes in my books, but we think alike. I’m interested in technology and psychology (my formal background) and enjoy writing about where they meet, now and in the future. In addition to pounding the keyboard, I like to tinker with home automation and I’m an avid hiker. When I’m not on the trails, you’ll find me at home with my wife and our dog in Aurora, CO. For a closer look at my writing life, book reviews, and progress on my upcoming novels, please join me at brucemperrin.com.

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Release Blitz ~ Perilous Shores - Book Two of The Sea Hawkes Chronicles by Thomas M. Wing

Book 2 of The Sea Hawkes Chronicles

Historical Fiction/Nautical Fiction

Date Published: June 23, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Vengeance is as dangerous to a cause as to the enemy.

The murder of his wife at the hands of British soldiers prompts American privateer Captain Jonas Hawke’s vow to make Britain pay.

A grief-stricken Jonas strikes deep into the heart of the enemy, driven by his personal vendetta. When he raids a port city, one of his men crosses an unthinkable line, which forces Jonas to come to terms with the anguish that distorts his definition of justice.

Concerned his wrath will bring irreparable harm to the cause for America’s freedom, Jonas grapples with his role as a warrior and as a man. When he learns the Royal Navy is hunting his ship, he fears his deadly decisions may have cost him and his crew everything. It’s too late to turn back. Instead, he must continue on and face the inevitable perils of war.

Perilous Shores is a gripping, action-packed, and historically authentic tale of revenge, survival, and one man’s relentless pursuit of his country’s independence.

About the Author

Thomas M. Wing, a Naval Academy and Naval War College graduate, retired after thirty-two years as a Navy Surface Warfare officer. A dedicated sailor for half a century, he created the Continental Navy Foundation, served as its executive director, and commanded its brigantine, Megan D.

Tom’s first novel, Against All Enemies, earned gold medals from the Military Writers Society of America and Literary Titan. In Harm’s Way, the first in the Sea Hawkes Chronicles series has also garnered several awards.

He resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter and a cat and a dog. Whatever free time he has is still spent on the water.

For more about the author and to follow his blog about nautical and naval trivia, visit his website ThomasMWing.com.

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Release Blitz ~ The Tales of Sidney and JoJo - Adventures in Thailand by Lauren Isaacson

Adventures in Thailand

Juvenile Fiction / Multicultural / Animals

Date Published: 06-23-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

Illustrated by: Megan Heller

Sidney and JoJo are off to Thailand, where Mama lives.

Join them on an adventure to faraway lands-by crate, van, car, conveyor belt, and airplane-as they discover the sights and sounds of a tropical new world. Along the way, they meet friendly Thai people, encounter a wise dog, and gaze in wonder at the golden Buddhas and temple cats standing guard. With a few bumps in the road-marked by meows, tail twitches, and new surprises-they journey onward until, at last, they arrive at their new home.

About the Author

Lauren Isaacson is an educator, business owner, and is excited to add children’s book author to her repetoire. Inspired by the real-life journey of her two adventurous cats during a move abroad, Lauren wrote this story to share with her students and families around the world. She is the founder of The Tutoring Hub: Tutoring & Advocacy, LLC, where she supports students, families, and educators. As her students learned about her two cats and their adventures, a desire grew to give them a story they could take home. Lauren is excited to continue the adventures of The Tales of Sidney and JoJo. You can contact Luaren at ljisaacson491@gmail.com.

Megan Heller is a Michigan-based contemporary artist who earned her BFA in illustration from the College for Creative Studies. Her work blends intricate detail with rich symbolism. Working primarily in mixed media, such as watercolors and colored pencils, with just a dash of digital magic, her pieces have been shown at Black Box Gallery’s Fantasy Exhibition in Dearborn, the Midland Center for the Arts, as well as galleries and exhibitions throughout Detroit and her hometown of Saginaw. This is her first foray into children’s book illustration.

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IG: @the.tutoring.hub, @teacher.lauren.ud

Facebook: Lauren Isaacson and The-Tutoring-Hub (page)

TikTok: @the.tutoring.hub_

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Purchase Today

https://mybook.to/TalesofSidneyandJojo

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Book Blitz ~ The Wednesday Box - A Dark Fable by Jonathan Kieran

The Wednesday Box
Jonathan Kieran
Publication date: June 18th 2026
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror

Some stories begin with “Once Upon a Time…”
This one begins with loneliness.

From the bestselling author of WistWood comes THE WEDNESDAY BOX, an illustrated supernatural horror novel for readers who love the haunting edge of stories like Coraline, The Thief of Always, The Graveyard Book, Neverwhere, and The Nest.

“At its heart, it’s a brilliant coming-of-age tale that isn’t afraid to get dark, showing the world through the eyes of a young girl dealing with heavy, adult-sized burdens.”

“Beneath all the strange events, this is also a story about exhaustion, poverty, protection, and the terrible compromises people make when they’re trying to survive. That emotional foundation makes the darker turns of the story hit much harder.”

May has learned to survive in a world of shrieking subway rails, soot-stained skies, and apartment hallways where silence, caution, and never asking for too much are simply facts of life.

But when a hulking stranger in a raincoat the color of broken promises begins to haunt her steps—on the train, in the tunnels, at her own door—May realizes that keeping quiet will no longer keep her safe.

Wednesday is the only day May cannot be alone.
The only night.

And when her weary mother leaves her with a new caretaker, May discovers that the tempting contents of an ancient box hold dangers far worse than anything she has ever feared

The greatest danger, however, is not what hunts her, but the impossible choice before her…
Tell the truth and risk losing the one person she cannot live without.
Or keep silent and face the darkness alone.

Because below the city, something is hunting.
And it knows her name.

“You’ll feel for May, just as I did. It’s quietly devastating in all the right ways.”

Goodreads / Amazon

Only 99c for a limited time!

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PRAISE for The Wednesday Box

“I was absolutely gripped by how this story manages to be both terrifying and incredibly moving. At its heart, it’s a brilliant coming-of-age tale that isn’t afraid to get dark, showing the world through the eyes of a young girl dealing with heavy, adult-sized burdens. It feels like a fever dream you don’t want to wake up from—part mystery, part dark fairy tale—and the pacing is just perfect. It never rushes; instead, it lets the mystery coil around you until you’re completely pulled in. If you’re looking for a book that challenges you and lingers in your mind long after you finish reading, this is it.”

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“From the very first page, The Wednesday Box pulls you into a world of creeping dread and unsettling wonder, masterfully balancing psychological darkness with raw emotional stakes. Thoughtful, tense, and hauntingly beautiful, this is a story whose rich atmosphere and emotional intensity will linger with you long after the final page is turned. You’ll feel for May, just as I did. It’s quietly devastating in all the right ways.”

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“With The Wednesday Box, Jonathan Kieran delivers a striking dark fable that effortlessly bridges the gap between coming-of-age fiction and sophisticated adult fantasy. While the story centers on a young heroine navigating a perilous world, its core themes—confronting class divide, deep-seated neglect, and the sheer psychological weight of enduring hardship—track directly with mature, real-world anxieties. Kieran weaves a starkly beautiful tapestry of gothic atmosphere and fairy-tale danger, prioritizing emotional realism over easy genre tropes. It is a sharp, unsettling, and lyrical read that will deeply resonate with anyone drawn to high-stakes psychological tension and evocative, atmospheric storytelling.”

Author Bio:

Jonathan Kieran is an author and illustrator with a passion for world travel and ancient history—and an occasionally bewildered grasp of the present. He lives in a rustic house in the woodlands not far from Big Sur, California, where he awaits the future confidently with plenty of firewood, a new cat named Beezley, mercurial internet access, a magical footbridge (troll-infested and everything), and a reasonable supply of Cabernet Sauvignon. There also appears to be a significant Pinot Noir backup; viticultural shortages are not to be countenanced.

Jonathan’s interests are eclectic. He is as likely to regale you with an account of his latest misadventures in the Midi-Pyrénées as he is to ask if you happen to have any spare cookies about the house—and if so, whether you might part with five of them. Nothing piques his interest like a good old-fashioned discussion about cryptozoology, Tuscan cuisine, classical English literature, the perils of pop culture, or the harrowing details of great white shark attacks.

In addition to running up and down various mountainsides to burn off calories accrued from the wanton consumption of baked goods, Jonathan enjoys a good party with people unafraid to laugh, and he veritably lives for bedtime.

He is the author and illustrator of The Wednesday Box, WistWood and the Enchanted Heritage Chronicles, with more adventures to come.

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