Tag: #bookreview

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Last to Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn

LAST TO FALL

by Lynn H. Blackburn

March 2 – 13, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LAST TO FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #3) by Lynn H. Blackburn on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find the book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Promoamp giveaway. Enjoy!

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Book Description

She’s caught in a deadly game. He’s the only one who can help her win.

Bronwyn Pierce has poured everything into The Haven, her family’s exclusive mountain resort in Gossamer Falls. But when financial discrepancies surface and the numbers suggest something far darker than simple mismanagement, she’s forced to call on the one person with the skills to help her: Mo Quinn, a former Army intelligence officer, her first love, and the last person she ever wanted to trust again.

Mo has spent years avoiding the woman he once loved and the secrets that tore them apart. But when Bronwyn calls, he can’t walk away–especially when it’s clear someone wants her gone for good. As they dig deeper into the treacherous motives behind a blackmail scheme, their proximity reignites long-buried feelings neither of them are ready to face. And when the evidence points to an unexpected culprit, Mo faces an impossible choice: trust the proof in front of him or trust his heart.

With danger closing in and no one else to turn to, Bronwyn must break years of silence with Mo to uncover who’s trying to destroy The Haven. They’ll have to risk everything–including their hearts–to expose the truth before it’s too late.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236304619-last-to-fall?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=P9RNiFVYk9&rank=2

Last to Fall

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Romance
Published by: Revell
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780800745387 (ISBN10: 0800745388)
Series: Gossamer Falls, Book #3

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

LAST TO FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #3) by Lynn H. Blackburn is the exciting third book in the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series. This series enters around a multi-generational family in Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. Each story features a new complete couple’s romance, but the suspense and crimes in the town continue over all the books as well as many of the characters, so I feel it is best to read them in the order published.

Bronwyn Pierce successfully runs the Haven, an exclusive mountain resort for her extended family. Recently though she has felt unsettled and felt watched as well as feeling there is a problem with some of the resorts accounts. She feels she has no choice but to ask for help from the one man she felt she could never trust again.

Montgomery “Mo” Quinn is a former Army Intelligence officer and now works personally with computers in criminal investigations. Even with all the mistrust, hurt, and noncommunication between them, Mo can do nothing but help the one woman he has always loved. As they investigate, their feelings reignite. But as Mo delves into the Haven’s files, he discovers blackmail payments and money laundering and is put in an untenable situation of trusting his heart or trusting the files. They are in the crosshairs and must risk everything before a killer succeeds.

This is my favorite of the three and they all have been very good. I have been waiting to discover Bronwyn and Mo’s backstories, and I really enjoyed the alternating chapters that revealed everything. Besides being an overall lovely book about forgiveness, family, and love, the author intricately ties the H/h romance story with all the innocence of their childhood infatuation, the perceived betrayals, and then adult forgiveness and understanding into the full family history seamlessly. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes and just kissing between the H/h. The suspense is well paced with plenty of action and ties together all the missing pieces from all criminal activities from the previous books as well.

I highly recommend this captivating and heartfelt addition to the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series.

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Excerpt

ONE

Present Day

Whoever said blood was thicker than water hadn’t known about the Pierce family.

Bronwyn Pierce could think of several people she could trust more than her own family, and one of them despised her.

But he was the one she needed now.

He would come. She knew it in a place deep in her core. Despite the pain they’d inflicted on each other for the past seventeen years, he would come.

“This is so messed up.” She muttered the words into the silence of her office, then clamped her mouth shut.

For all she knew, someone was listening.

She propped up her elbows on her desk and rested her face in her hands. Her head ached. Her heart was . . . numb. It had been bruised and beaten so often in her almost thirty- four years that even the magnitude of this current betrayal barely registered.

The light tap on her office door jolted her from her musing, and she barely stopped the scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. Who was wandering around The Haven at three in the morning?

She slid open the middle drawer of her desk and rested her left hand on the small gun she kept there. And wasn’t that just a kick in the pants? She was the CEO of an exclusive resort. She prided herself on how the staff protected the celebrities, politicians, and uber- wealthy visitors who rested in blissful slumber in the elegant cabins that dotted the property. They knew no paparazzi would approach them and no one would harm them while they were here.

But she couldn’t expect the same level of security for herself.

She gripped the gun.

“Ms. Pierce? Are you in there?” The deep voice of Randall, one of the night watchmen, filtered through the thick door.

“Yes. Come in.”

He eased the door open and took one step inside. “Ms. Pierce, are you okay?”

She understood the confusion on his face. She put in well over sixty hours a week, sometimes closer to eighty, but even she didn’t make a habit of being in her office in the middle of the night.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” She didn’t owe him an explanation, but she gave one anyway. Or part of it. “I thought of something that needed to be done on this computer.”

It was no secret that The Haven computer network carried some of the most advanced security available and that some information couldn’t be accessed from remote locations. Not even by her.

“Gotcha.” Randall’s tense smile sent a chill skittering across her skin. “I guess it’s in the air tonight. Mr. Pierce is in his office as well.”

The chill turned into an arctic blast.

“Which Mr. Pierce?”

“Nathan.”

“I see.”

Randall regarded her with an expression she couldn’t decipher. Was it concern? Distrust?

“If it’s all the same to you, ma’am, I’m going to stay in this area for a bit. I’d appreciate it if you’d allow me to escort you back to your home when you’re done here.”

And that didn’t sound ominous. Not at all.

Did he want to see her safely back to her home? Or did he want to take the opportunity to . . . what? What would he do? Surely the situation hadn’t devolved to the point where physical violence was on the table.

Her home was tucked away in an unobtrusive corner of The Haven property. Out of sight of the guests and staff, and off limits to all, but close enough for her to be available in case of emergencies. She’d always appreciated her own private haven at The Haven. But if Randall meant her harm, how long would it be before anyone found her?

She gave herself a mental shake. Randall was good people. He was looking out for her. Nothing more. She hoped.

“Sure. I’ll probably be another ten minutes. I need to send a few emails.”

Randall lowered his head. “In that case, I’ll wait outside.”

With that, he stepped back and closed the door.

Now what?

Her cousin Nathan was in his office on the other side of the property doing who knew what at 3:00 a.m. Probably plotting world domination. Or her painful death. Or both.

After she’d run away at sixteen, Nathan became the heir apparent to their family’s business. He was the golden child. The future of the family. And then he managed to get himself sideways with a guest and had to hide out in Europe for a while.

While his life was spiraling out of control, Bronwyn’s had come together. She finished her degree, worked in the industry in several resorts around the world, and returned to Gossamer Falls, determined to atone for her sins.

Neither she nor Nathan had expected the CEO position to ever be hers, but it was now, and she had no plans to let it go.

Her extended family had never been tight- knit. She’d grown up with competition as the name of the game. She didn’t know exactly when it started, but over the past few years, the Pierces had somehow fractured into separate, warring factions. There was no trust. No love. No sense of togetherness.

Lord, how did we get here? And how do I get out of this mess?

She didn’t know the answer to the first question, but she knew the answer to the second. Or, at least, she knew the first step on the path.

She twisted back to her computer and typed out an email.

With shaking fingers, she hit send, gathered her things, including her weapon, and walked out to meet Randall.

Even after close to two decades of hostility, she knew that while the one person she needed right now wouldn’t speak to her, he would keep her secrets and do everything he could to keep her safe.

And there was no turning back now. She’d placed the charges and lit the fuse. Her walls were coming down. She had to trust that he’d stand with her when the last one fell.

Last to Fall • Lynn H. Blackburn Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group © 2026 used by permission

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Author Bio

Lynn H. Blackburn is the award-winning author of Never Fall Again, as well as the Dive Team Investigations and Defend and Protect series. She loves writing swoon-worthy Southern suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters by putting them into terrifying situations while she sits at home in her pajamas. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children.

Social Media Links

LynnHBlackburn.com
Subscribe to Lynn’s Newsletter
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @lynnhugginsblackburn
BookBub – @LynnHBlackburn
Instagram – @LynnHBlackburn
Facebook – @LynnHBlackburn
Pinterest – @LynnHBlackburn

Purchase Links

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/Lt9tkcRZ

Kindle – https://pictbooks.tours/0thgmVlg

BN – https://pictbooks.tours/LsxDnLJW

BookShop.org – https://pictbooks.tours/M0xOT6Bw

Christianbook – https://pictbooks.tours/9ZXnsUqt

Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/UX1l9ccJ

BookBub – https://pictbooks.tours/GzMqrP5B

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PROMOAMP GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/l14J6rCk

Feature Post and Book Review: That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse

Book Description

Theodore Copeland has created a fabulous life in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, where he shares a fabulous pink mid-century home with three fabulous friends: Barry, a former actor still clinging to his youth, his hair, and the memory of the dream role that killed his career; Ron, an uprooted Christian from the Midwest with a big heart but no one to give it to; Sid, who, after coming out late in life, has never found love. Teddy is the caustic, unspoken leader of “The Golden Gays”—the foursome’s monthly drag tribute to The Golden Girls. Despite their foibles and bickering, they have turned their golden years into a golden era.

But the harmony of their desert enclave becomes a carousel of emotional baggage when Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, shows up on their doorstep, her dramatic teenage granddaughter in tow. While Teddy keeps Trudy at arm’s length, she manages to wheedle her way into the lives of the Golden Gays, until the real reason for her visit is revealed and the secrets they’ve all been keeping from each other unravel faster than a hastily stitched hemline.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/232737568-that-s-what-friends-are-for?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=qRpszGheVN&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR by Wade Rouse is a wonderful look at a family made not born written also as a beautiful homage to the Golden Girls sitcom. This LGBTQ+ fiction novel takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with witty and sharp dialogue and characters that could walk right off the page.

Teddy, Ron, Sid, and Barry are mature gay friends living together in a pink mid-century home in Palm Springs. The four came from different professions and parts of the country to make a safe home for themselves in their golden years. While they all get along, like any family, they have their problems, too. They perform together every month as The Golden Gays, which is based on a script written from an original episode from the Golden Girls sitcom but is also updated.

Teddy is Dorothy. He runs the mid-century vintage clothes store, Dorian Gay, and is a widower. He lost his husband to suicide. Ron is Rose. He is an exceptional interior designer and the mother hen of their home. Ron grew up in a Christian home and still deeply believes, he just does not go to a traditional church. Sid is Sophia. He is the oldest of the group, Jewish, and still practices as an attorney parttime. He lived his life hiding his sexuality and raised a family as expected in his time but came out and divorced once his children got older. Barry is Blanche.  He is a very fit actor who is afraid of aging. He writes the episodes for their shows and has never emotionally dealt with having his character cut from the original Golden Girls pilot.

While each is dealing with their own mortality, they are also dealing with the changing society, not only in the general population, but in the gay community of as well. Teddy is hiding a secret and before he can even emotionally deal with that, his ultra conservative sister and her young, goth granddaughter show up at their home and shake everyone and everything up. Soon secrets begin to surface and relationships alter. Can this chosen family survive?

I loved this novel so much. There is so much love, caring, crying, anger, and perfectly cutting dialogue. Being of a certain age myself and having worked in the bar and restaurant industry my entire life, these characters are wholly and partial reminders of many of my friends and co-workers. This story made me laugh out loud, and feel rage at the injustices that still abound, but it ultimately is a story of love and family and left me with a smile on my face and a full heart.

I highly recommend this beautifully written LGBTQ+ fiction novel.

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About the Author

I am the USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and internationally bestselling author of 18 books, including five memoirs and thirteen novels. I also write fiction under the pen name, Viola Shipman, as a tribute to my working poor Ozarks grandma, whose family stories, heirlooms and love inspire my novels. I was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards in Humor (I lost to Tina Fey) and was named by Writer’s Digest as “The #2 Writer, Dead or Alive, We’d Like to Have Drinks With” (I was sandwiched between Ernest Hemingway and Hunter Thompson).

That’s What Friends Are For is inspired by The Golden Girls, and this novel is like the sitcom in that it lessens life’s pain with laughter, it breaks down walls and unites with humor. Moreover, it’s ferociously funny (money back guarantee you will laugh on the first page!), hopeful and heart wrenching, a story about what so many of us have endured in this life to find friendship, love and respect. The novel has already been praised by #1 New York Times Jodi Picoult “Hilarious, tender, devastating!), the New York Post (Full of heart, humor and friendship, quick witted and heartfelt … buy one for yourself and another for your BFF) and named a 2026 Most Anticipated Read by Zibby Owens.

This marks the twentieth book I’ve written and my twentieth year as a published author, and I feel as if this is not only the book I was meant to write but also the right moment for this story – inspired by The Golden Girls – of friendship, family, faith, aging and acceptance. This novel is a HUGE departure for me in in career – my first novel under my own name – and I wrote this story because it called to my soul, and I knew that I needed to follow my heart. I’ve learned that sometimes the greatest moments in our lives happen when we are most terrified – as writers and souls – and that if we can just corral that fear and walk through the fire to emerge on the other side – heart racing, a bit scorched –what we dreamed of and fought so hard to achieve has the chance to change the world. I believe this novel does. When you think of the show or hear the lyrics to the song, and smile, that is the spirit that this novel captures.

Social Media Links

Website: https://waderouse.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wade.rouse.9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorwaderouse/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/that-s-what-friends-are-for-by-wade-rouse

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Hakuna Matata: Paradise can be Hell by Stewart Giles

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HAKUNA MATATA: Paradise can be Hell (A Jan Norge and Hilda Baker Thriller Book #1) by Stewart Giles on this Books ‘n’ All Blog Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

The first in the new series featuring detectives Jan Norge and Hilda Baker.

It starts with a body in a burned out car.

Jan Norge, recently transferred from Norway hits the ground running with his first case on UK soil.
The body in the car is just the start of a journey to hell and back.

As Jan and Hilda dig deeper into the cause of the burned out car, they find themselves drawn into a world of secrets, lies and murder.

Everything leads back to one family. On the surface, the Hunts are a normal, middle-class unit, but they’re anything but. All of them are keeping secrets from the others, and when these secrets turn deadly, Jan and Hilda run out of places to look.

In a case that has its roots on the paradise island of Zanzibar, Jan Norge and Hilda Baker have to disregard everything they believed about human nature in order to beat the most dysfunctional family either of them have ever come across.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245951080-hakuna-matata?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=sT2D0tSaPV&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

HAKUNA MATATA: Paradise can be Hell (A Jan Norge and Hilda Baker Thriller Book #1) by Stewart Giles is an intriguing first crime thriller/British police procedural book in a new series featuring DS Hilda Baker and DC Jan Norge, a new transplant from Norwegian law enforcement, in the small town of Hartlepool, England. This is an interesting read with unique new characters, so you are going to want to start this series right here from the beginning.

Each chapter goes back and forth between the members of the Hunt family and the Hartlepool detectives. Starting with the dysfunctional Hunt family and their vacation in Zanzibar and at home in England, the discovery of a burned-out car containing a burned body. Hilda is a brash and talented DS who is paired up with the new member of their team, DC Jan Norge, who is a very talented detective, but he keeps secrets and is a Taylor Swift music lover. The two shouldn’t work, but they do. Lies, secrets and murder are a tangled web that Hilda and Jan must pull apart to get to the truth and find a killer.

This is an intriguing and fascinating start to this new series. The Hunt family is severely twisted and amoral. I liked how their story unfolded in opposing chapters with the investigation into their lives. I admit that the beginning of the book was a bit confusing, but once the investigation began to pull me in, I was hooked. Hilda and Jan are characters that always surprised me. Hilda seems very outspoken to be a small-town detective, but it worked because she also showed empathy when needed. Jan made me laugh with his Swiftie addiction, but as we learn of his past, it is heartbreaking. I am excited to read the next book in this series. Mr. Giles always gives me an intricately plotted crime thriller/police procedurals with surprising twists and these two new characters are going to be interesting to follow and see how they develop.

I highly recommend this riveting new crime thriller/British police procedural!

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Author Bio

After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.

In 2013 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.

3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series.

The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.

I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series and was published in July 2018.

After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brings together the brooding, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor. Dropzone followed shortly after and the third in the series, The Raven Girl finished things off.

Miranda is something totally different. What was to be a stand-alone psychological thriller, it is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before. The ending begged for a sequel and, Mistress was born. Medusa completes the Miranda trilogy.

There are now 25 DS Smith books available with many more planned for the future.

I wanted a break from the crime thriller genre so I came up with The Divide – a macabre horror tale of survival, but crime will always be my true love.

A new series featuring Irishman, DI Liam O’Reilly begins with Blood on the Island, and that was followed by ten more mysteries set on the island of Guernsey.

When I’m not writing I love sailing, guitars and jumping out of perfectly good planes. I’m lucky to have a huge lake on my doorstep as well as a world-class skydiving drop zone.

Social Media Links

Website: https://stewartgiles.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hakuna-Matata-Paradise-Norge-thriller-ebook/dp/B0GDCWYCD6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CICZE087Z5IH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OunjhqP9

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: For the Honor of the Empire by Andrew J. Harvey

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FOR THE HONOR OF THE EMPIRE (The Honor Trilogy Book #2) by Andrew J. Harvey on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Haunted by the horrors of war and the weight of her new role as envoy to the Sultan Line, Margaret Peric reaches her breaking point. But with the support of her estranged mother, her devoted sister Louise, and a slowly healing bond with Markus Ackov and his daughter, Jessie, Margaret begins the long road to recovery.

Meanwhile, on the volatile world of Sultan, Jade Carvello and her partner Carlos Babineaux uncover a terrifying plot: eco-terrorists are preparing to unleash a devastating weapon-one that could destabilize the entire Cross-Temporal Empire. As Carlos walks a dangerous line between spycraft and exposure, Jade must protect Margaret, now a symbol of diplomatic hope, from enemies closing in on all sides.

But when a deadly bombing rocks the Sultan capital and Margaret is taken hostage, survival becomes uncertain. The conspiracy leads back to a line thought lost to history-and to a biological weapon born from its ancient secrets.

As the C-TE prepares for war, For the Honor of the Empire delivers a gripping story of political intrigue, emotional resilience, and interdimensional conflict-where loyalty and love must stand against terror, and redemption comes at the highest cost.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242874015-for-the-honor-of-the-agency?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=FRukz4A4Jr&rank=1

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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Version 1.0.0

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FOR THE HONOR IF THE EMPIRE (The Honor Trilogy Book #2) by Andrew J. Harvey is the second exciting book in this sci-fi trilogy and it is so much more than middle book filler. The political intrigue, plot twists and surprises continue, along with the romances. Once you figure out the worldbuilding of multiverses, these books contain everything a good suspense thriller gives you and more.

As all the main players continue to try to discover who is biologically sabotaging the Mainline’s crops, this book focuses more on the action and political intrigue in the Sultan Line multiverse.

The book opens with Margaret Peric being discovered having attempted suicide due to her unresolved PTSD from the war. Margaret is asked by the First Leader to be the new diplomatic Ambassador to the Sultan Line and she believes she cannot handle the assignment on her own, but she also cannot refuse. With the support of Markus Ackov and his daughter, Margaret is thrown into a hornet’s nest of intrigue, political double cross, and anarchists. A bombing in the capital with hostages taken ratchets up the stakes and the tension.

This book in the trilogy focuses on Margaret and while it starts with her succumbing to her PTSD and insecurities, she then must attempt to find her warrior strength and determination, real or not, to carry on and lead. I loved reading more about Jade and Carlos’ relationship and their work to uncover who wants to destroy the Mainline, but while Margaret and Jade had two intertwining plotlines in the first book, I feel this book is much more focused on Margaret’s character arch and the political intrigue/thriller plotline. An intricate plot with plenty of action and fully developed characters had me wanting to not put this book down. I also had more understanding of the multiverse worldbuilding in this book, which made it even more enjoyable.

I highly recommend this intriguing second book in the Honor Trilogy and cannot wait to read the next!

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About the Author

Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. Reading in turn led to writing, with the first draft of The Portal Adventures originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth with his wife, one dog, and sixty four gold fish.

Andrew is presently the Principal of Hague Publishing, established in 2011 as an independent publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Registered in Western Australia, it publishes original work by Australian and New Zealand authors.

Andrew’s first published short story (A Messenger to the Dragon) appeared in Aurealis – Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1992. His most recent was the award winning 1827: Napoleon in Australia, which appeared in Sea Lion Press’ anthology Alternate Australias released in 2020.

His first novel, Nightfall (book one in the Clemhorn Trilogy) is an adult, alternate history set against the backdrop of the Cross-Temporal Empire and its fifty-four separate lines. Nightfall was released by Zmok Books in 2019. The series is distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Trouble on Teral and Crisis at Calista Station, the first two books in his new middle-grade, Science Fiction adventure series, The Portal Adventures, were released by Canada’s Peasantry Press in 2020. The open ended series is a combination of Caroline Lawrence’s Roman Mysteries and Andre Norton’s juvenile speculative fiction.

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is working on completing a number of additional series of trilogies based on the Cross-Temporal Empire.

Social Media Links

Website: https://andrewjharvey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewJHarveyAuthor

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/andrew-j-harvey

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Play with Fire by Sophie L. Henderson

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for PLAY WITH FIRE (Vancity Fire Book #1) by Sophie L. Henderson on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

I may look dainty, but I’m just as tough as every other firefighter. That might all go up in flames when my ex walks into the fire hall…

As the only woman in the fire hall, I’ve worked hard to earn my crew’s respect. But my plan to pass probation without drama goes up in smoke the moment my ex-boyfriend Brodie – the hottest reporter in town with serious Clark Kent energy – makes me the star of his latest feature.

The fire hall is in trouble, and the only way to save it? Prove the city needs us: telling my story in the process. As Brodie and I are forced to work together, I can’t help but notice his attempts to impress me. But it won’t work. I’ll never forget how he broke my heart when he dumped me three years ago.

When I take a risk at a call out and recklessly enter a burning room to rescue a young mother, the first person to come to my rescue is Brodie and I feel the heat between us as he manhandles me back to safety. I can’t start things up again with him…can I?

The captain’s ‘no-dating’ rule means my job is as much on the line as my heart. I’m the one keeping the city safe from danger, but Brodie makes me feel protected in a way I’ve never known before.

Can I say no to my smoking hot ex to save my career or will playing with fire mean I’m going to get burned again?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244527610-play-with-fire?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=leRDptXG6Q&rank=1

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0G4D3ZKS2social

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

PLAY WITH FIRE (Vancity Fire Book #1) by Sophie L. Henderson is the first book in a new steamy contemporary romance series. This an emotional and sexy second chance romance with a female firefighter heroine, a hero who is a local newspaper writer, and extended family drama.

Savannah is working her dream job as a firefighter in Vancity. She is still on her initial probation, and it is all going well until her captain tells her she is going to be shadowed and then featured in a newspaper article to promote their small community fire house. This is a problem because her rich father does not know about her career change and the reporter writing the feature is her college boyfriend who dumped her and broke her heart.

Brodie is finally going to get the promotion to feature writer for his paper if he can write a great article about the local fire house. He is willing to do anything for that promotion, even though it will probably involve his bully of an older firefighter brother. What he does not expect is that his article will feature the new female firefighter who just happens to be the girl he left behind.

This romance is well written with an interesting dynamic between the hero and heroine. Savannah is a tough, dedicated firefighter who felt well researched and her reason for becoming one was very emotional. Brodie is the black sheep of his firefighter family and has had his self-worth badly damaged over the years by his father and older brother and yet he continues to strive for what he wants. Both are dealing with parents that interfere, not in a good way, and they need to learn to communicate not only between themselves as adults, but to also stand-up to the interfering parents. There are several smokin’ hot sex scenes, but they are not gratuitous, and a few where quite entertaining. There is a lot going on in this plot, but the author does a nice job of bringing everything together in the end. I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series.

I recommend this second chance, sexy, contemporary romance.

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About the Author

Sophie L. Henderson writes steamy romcoms full of chaos, heart, and characters who swear a little too much to be considered polite. Originally from a tiny village in England, she spent seventeen years wrangling jazz hands as a drama teacher before finally listening to the voice in her head (the one telling her to write, not the one asking for another snack). She now lives in Vancouver with her husband, where she’s embraced views of snowcapped mountains from the beach, over-invests in the hockey, and talks to hummingbirds like they’re her best friends.

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Feature Post and Book Review: Illusions of Trust by Jeffrey S. Stephens

Book Description

Russell Palmer, a young New York City attorney, is well-known for taking on unusual and high-risk cases alongside his private detective associate, Robbie Whyte. When the wealthy and alluring Christina Franco approaches him to represent her during divorce proceedings, he finds her story impossible to resist.

As Christina recounts the abuse she has suffered, Palmer’s protective instincts kick in. His interest deepens when she mentions a dangerous associate of her husband—someone Palmer has clashed with before.

Soon, a series of events begins to unfold that may or may not be related to Christina and her influential family. There is the apparent suicide of a prominent lawyer. That is followed by a murder for which another of Palmer’s clients is charged. Then, a federal investigation into a major pharmaceutical company is tied to Christina’s husband.

As Palmer and Whyte work to solve an increasingly complex puzzle, they follow a trail that leads them from New York’s underground to the rarified world of the ultra-rich—and even into the halls of Congress. Along the way they encounter a cast of intriguing individuals, including Christina’s parents—an influential politician and his reclusive wife; an attractive journalist with a personal interest in Palmer; and a number of others populating their client’s world.

As they peel back layers of deceit and corruption at every turn, Palmer and Whyte must navigate a treacherous path to protect their clients—and themselves—while ensuring that justice, in all its forms, prevails.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/232832404-illusions-of-trust?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=WfRQcC5CU3&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ILLUSIONS OF TRUST by Jeffrey S. Stephens is a twisted and engrossing legal/political thriller featuring an unusual New York City attorney and his private detective partner. This novel moves between the rich and powerful of Manhattan and Washington D.C. to a connected criminal boss and disposable criminals. This is a standalone novel that was difficult to put down.

New York City attorney Russel Palmer believes in justice for all and is known for taking on unusual cases from all strata of society with or without the ability to pay. Palmer is idealistic, a brilliant lawyer, naïve in his relationships with women, and a germaphobe. His partner, private detective Robbie Whyte is a tough retired NYC detective and like a father figure to Palmer. Palmer’s private practice is rounded out with Maurine, his secretary/office manager who is the sometime needed conscience of the group.

Palmer rarely takes on divorce cases, but when wealthy and alluring Christina Franco shows up with a story of abuse and threat, Palmer takes her case against Whyte’s warnings. Palmer gets pulled into a web of seemingly unrelated government subpoenas, illegal corporate maneuverings, murder, and underworld ties he as digs into this seemingly straight forward divorce case. Palmer and Whyte dive into trying to bring all the information into order, but everyone in this case seems to be keeping secrets and the lies are flowing.

I found this book very compelling with memorable characters and an intricate criminal legal plot with twists and lies abounding from the ultra-rich of Manhattan, corporate manipulation and corruption, and the connected and disposable in the NY criminal underworld. Palmer and Whyte are wonderful protagonists individually and perfect together as a powerhouse team. This story is very investigative leaning, rather than courtroom legal drama which I really enjoyed. I would love to see this book become a series because I want more of these characters and was sorry when the book ended.

I highly recommend this engaging legal/political thriller!

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About the Author

A native New Yorker, now living in Connecticut, Jeffrey Stephens is the author of the Jordan Sandor thrillers, TARGETS OF DECEPTION, TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY, TARGETS OF REVENGE and ROGUE MISSION; the murder mystery CRIMES AND PASSION; the international treasure hunt FOOL’S ERRAND; the Nick Reagan espionage adventures THE HANDLER and ENEMIES AMONG US; and the first book in his new legal thriller series, ILLUSIONS OF TRUST.

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