#Kensington Publishing

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Nothing Less Than Magic by Stacy Finz

An intriguing, intricately plotted, well written story that drew me in, made me wonder while becoming invested in the outcome of how it would all come together.

What I liked: * The way the story was told in three parts with the first as the set-up, the second that had me at times scratching my head, and the conclusion that provided hope for the future.

* Chelsea: had a great arc of growth through the book, I came away admiring her and her ability to survive while hoping her choices will see her thrive. I had times I wanted to sit her down and give her a talking to, though.

* Chelsea’s backstory and how it impacted her and her sister Lolly as I hope that they can bridge the estrangement gap that grew between them

* Uncle Sylvester: loving, responsible, caring, busy, in the movie business, there for those he cares about, may have found his soulmate in Wallace

* Ghost – the town that so impacted Chelsea’s future

* Thinking about the trauma Chelsea experienced and seeing it through my past as a neurosurgical intensive care head nurse decades ago

* Thinking about how fascinating the brain is, how it protects itself, and how it can heal

* Thinking about how this and another book read this week both are about TBI’s (traumatic brain injuries) and yet how different they were…and both so very enjoyable

* Thinking about “magic” and how important it is to life and how difficult it is for so many to find

* All of it except…

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about how selfish some people can be

* Thinking about a relative who was in a coma for decades and wondering what was going on  his mind during all of those years

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

BLURB

When a popular marriage counselor’s own marriage falls apart, she’s forced to question her methods—and discovers the magical ingredient she’s been missing all along—in the dreamiest possible way . . . Just one year ago, Chelsea Knight was living the life she’d always wanted. Marriage to the perfect guy, a thriving career, and a gorgeous condo overlooking San Francisco Bay. Then out of nowhere, her husband, Austin, left her. Ironic, because Chelsea fixes marriages for a living. In fact, she’s famous for her techniques. Naturally, she’s been using her expertise to win back her ex—and when he invites her for drinks, she’s sure her work has finally paid off. Until he announces he’s engaged. Devastated, Chelsea seeks refuge in the beloved small-town lake cabin she and Austin now take turns using. When she arrives, the streets are dazzlingly decked out for Halloween, the autumn leaves are exceptionally vibrant, and the locals are especially warm and welcoming. It’s downright magical—and so is Knox Hart, a talented jack-of-all-trades who’s fixing her roof. Chelsea is instantly drawn to him—and to the simplicity of country life. Slowly, she becomes immersed in the townspeople’s problems and finds a sense of belonging—leading her to reevaluate her own path . . . But something about the idyllic hamlet—and Knox—seems too good to be true. A trick more than a treat. And when she ultimately learns the truth, her heart is shattered. Miraculously, Austin is there to mend it. It’s everything she’d hoped for. Or is it? On the cusp of making all her dreams come true, Chelsea must find the strength to make an impossible choice . . .

[theclinch]

Wild Heart by Virginia Brown

Art by Oliviero Berni

Published 1986 by Kensington Publishing

ISBN 9780821717868

[thegirlwiththelantern]

Yet More 2024 Fantasy Books

. The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka | 16 / 01 / 24 – Tor “Murder owls are extreme,” Jude said. “What’s more extreme than murder owls?” Madigan Purdy is stuck in her hometown library. When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to…

[doodlesink]

Gingerbread Danger by Amanda Flower -- Book Review

Happy Thursday!  Gingerbread Danger by Amanda Flower has Bailey zipping around the village with Jethro trying to get her lengthy to do list completed.  See what I thought about the entertaining 9th An Amish Candy Shop Mystery.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2024/10/gingerbread-danger-by-amanda-flower.html

[michellegflye]

Another Branch of My Publishing Journey Begins with a Cover Reveal!

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: All the Dark Places by Terri Parlato

Author: Terri ParlatoPublisher: Kensington PublishingReleased: December 2, 2022Received: Own (Aardvark) Book Summary: Molly Bradley has a secret. Few people know this secret – the only exceptions being her family, including her husband. She’s managed to change her life, walking away from this secret. That is until the night her husband was murdered. Now everything is coming back to the…

[bargainsleuthbooks]

Book Reviews: The Faculty Lounge; After OZ; Charlotte Illes is Not a Teacher; Squanto: A Native Odyssey; Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp #NetGalley #ARCReviews #NewBooks

Time for another round-up of ARCs I've read lately. Most of these books have just been released! #NetGalley #ARCReview #Bookreview #Mariaanovelofmariavontrapp #charlotteilles #squanto #thefacultylounge #afteroz #gordonmcalpine

I’m cruising along and getting through all my Advanced Reader’s Copies from NetGalley and Edelweiss. In order to keep up with blogging about them all, I’ve decided to do more roundups like this. Most books can be found at the affiliate links below or try your local library when they are released! (Amazon US) (Amazon CA) (Amazon UK)  (AbeBooks) (Barnes & Noble) (Booksamillion)  (Audible.com)…

[cosybookclub]

Tourist Trap Mysteries

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store - Coffee, Books, and More - open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill's elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill - along with all of her problems ... and her enemies.

Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit - especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she's on the case - and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently ...

[protagonistspub]

Not How I Pictured It by Robin Lefler

Not How I Pictured It by Robin Lefler was a win from Goodreads and my first book by the author. It is marketed as romantic comedy, but this is a mistake. This is a mystery plain and simple. The premise is one that will have mass market appeal, former stars of a young adult reality, aka scripted, series reunite twenty years later. There is nothing unexpected about this, there is the washed-up…

[goodluckclove]

You Don't Need an Agent! Publishers That Accept Unsolicited Submissions

I see a few people sayin that you definitely need an agent to get published traditionally. Guess what? That's not remotely true. While an agent can be a very useful tool in finding and negotiating with publishers, going without is not as large of a hurdle as people might make it out to be!

Below is a list of some of the traditional publishers that offer reading periods for agent-less manuscripts. There might be more! Try looking for yourself - I promise it's not that scary!

Albert Whitman & Company: for picture books, middle-grade, and young adult fiction

Hydra (Part of Random House): for mainly LitRPG

Kensington Publishing: for a range of fiction and nonfiction

NCM Publishing: for all genres of fiction (YA included) and nonfiction

Pants of Fire Press: for middle-grade, YA, and adult fiction

Tin House Books: very limited submission period, but a good avenue for fiction, literary fiction, and poetry written by underrepresented communities

Quirk Fiction: offers odd-genre rep for represented and unagented authors. Unsolicited submissions inbox is closed at the moment but this is the page that'll update when it's open, and they produced some pretty big books so I'd keep an eye on this

Persea Books: for lit fiction, creative nonfiction, YA novels, and books focusing on contemporary issues

Baen: considered one of the best known publishers of sci-fi and fantasy. They don't need a history of publication.

Chicago Review Press: only accepting nonfiction at the moment, but maybe someone here writes nonfiction

Acre: for poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Special interest in underrepresented authors. Submission period just passed but for next year!

Coffeehouse Press: for lit fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translation. Reading period closed at time of posting, but keep an eye out

Ig: for queries on literary fiction and political/cultural nonfiction

Schaffner Press: for lit fiction, historical/crime fiction, or short fiction collections (cool)

Feminist Press: for international lit, hybrid memoirs, sci-fi and fantasy fiction especially from BIPOC, queer and trans voices

Evernight Publishing: for erotica. Royalties seem good and their response time is solid

Felony & Mayhem: for literary mystery fiction. Not currently looking for new work, but check back later

This is all what I could find in an hour. And it's not even everything, because I sifted out the expired links, the repeat genres (there are a lot of options for YA and children's authors), and I didn't even include a majority of smaller indie pubs where you can really do that weird shit.

A lot of them want you to query, but that's easy stuff once you figure it out. Lots of guides, and some even say how they want you to do it for them.

Not submitting to a Big 5 Trad Pub House does not make you any less of a writer. If you choose to work with any publishing house it can take a fair bit of weight off your shoulders in terms of design and distribution. You don't have to do it - I'm not - but if that's the way you want to go it's very, very, very possible.

Have a weirder manuscript that you don't think fits? Here's a list of 50 Indie Publishers looking for more experimental works to showcase and sell!

If Random House won't take your work - guess what? Maybe you're too cool for Random House.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Wild Lavender Bookshop by Jodi Thomas

Someday Valley #2

Witty, wild, and wonderful ~ This is a story that captured my attention on page one and held it till the very last page!

What I liked:

* Andi Delane: independent, intelligent, capable, feisty, loner, ex-military, undercover detective, in the crosshairs, grows a lot in this story

* Danny Davis: deputy, football player who could have gone pro, ex-firefighter, good with tech, has a “secret” job only hinted at, from a big family, building his someday dreamhouse that will fit his big dreams and his big body, more than he appears and in more than one way

* Noah O’Brien: bookstore owner, well educated, respected, left lucrative city job to find something he knew was missing and finds it before the end of the book

* Cora Lee Buchannan: first grade teacher, Bear’s youngest daughter, quiet, listens more than she speaks, knows what she wants

* Bear and Eliza’s story that warmed my heart and the surprise gift Andi finds to give to Eliza

* Catching up with characters from previous books and wondering who and what will feature in the next book of the series

* The smalltown community that seems to be the perfect place to live

* Too many things to itemize – loved it all except…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Having to wait for the next book in the series

Did I like this book? Definitely

Would I read more in this series? Without a doubt!

T

hank you to NetGalley and Kensington Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

From beloved New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas, a slow burn romance that’s the epitome of comfort reading. Perfect for fans of Robyn Carr and Susan Mallery! Return to the unforgettable world of Someday Valley, Texas, in this tender, uplifting novel of hearts in search of second chances. The trees that circle Someday Valley’s downtown of Honey Creek are dressed in their fall finest, providing a pretty backdrop for the local businesses—including the little bookshop loved by schoolteacher Cora Lee Buchanan. There in the cafe, under the watchful eye of owner Noah O’Brien, Cora Lee and her sister, Katherine, meet each Wednesday. Their talk mostly revolves around one their father, known to everyone in town as Bear. Both Cora Lee and Katherine believe it’s time Bear found love again, and they’re compiling a list of prospects in a secret notebook. They’ve no idea Bear is aware of their plan—or that he has a secret of his own. As for the sisters, Katherine, beautiful and self-absorbed, is in search of her third husband, while Cora Lee is in love for the first time. On warm nights, she climbs up to her building’s roof to chat with Noah and listen to the melody of the water below. Yet there is more intrigue afoot in Honey Creek . . . Andi Delane has arrived in town to hear the last wishes of the father she never met. She was shocked to get a letter from lawyer Jackson Landry, and has few expectations—of this mysterious will, or of Landry’s skill . . . But fall always brings changes, and this year there will be enough to alter not just the lives of those who call Honey Creek home, but the future of Someday Valley itself . . .

[vkelleyart]

WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON: COVER REVEAL

✨WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON✨— Coming MERMay 2025 in the USA and UK!

It’s with immense gratitude (and a racing heart) that I share the cover artwork for my debut historical romantasy, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON! Links to preorder the novel and add it on Goodreads are now live and linked below, with details about Digital and Printed ARCs coming soon. **Note: If you’re preordering — SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS for the upcoming preorder campaign!**

Add on Goodreads

I can’t overstate how grateful I am to Erewhon Books and Kensington Publishing for the joy of being able to fully illustrate a novel for adult readers! Thank you to my peerless editor Diana Pho and incomparable agent Saritza Hernández for embracing this book’s potential, as well as to the brilliant Cassandra Farin for her artistic oversight on this cover. I would also be remiss if I didn’t thank @argylefetish / @penpanoply and Alicia.MB.art on Instagram for their incredible beta help!

Finally, endless thanks to legendary authors TJ Klune and Freya Marske for their early praise of TIDES. I am undone with gratitude and just so humbled by their enthusiastic support of my work!

More details about the cover art, Benny & Río’s story, and what’s included in the hardcover edition will be coming soon. And in the meantime, I will be PINCHING MYSELF.

Preorder WTTHTM:

[theroyalweekly]

The official portraits published by Kensington Palace this year (2024) 👑📸❤️ -- Theroyalfamily.wcgcl 👑🇬🇧

[doodlesink]

Pumpkin Spice Puppy by Laurien Berenson -- A Book Review

Happy Thursday!  Pumpkin Spice Puppy by Laurien Berenson is a fun fall whodunit.  Stop by to learn more about the 30th A Melanie Travis Canine Mystery & what I had to say about it.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2024/08/pumpkin-spice-puppy-by-laurien-berenson.html

[michellegflye]

Winter Solstice Author Edition out now!

Welp, I did another thing. 🙂 Winter Solstice was my second book, published in 2011 by Lyrical Press, now part of Kensington Press. It was a fun story to write and I was thrilled to have two books published by Lyrical Press, but Winter Solstice, unlike Secrets of the Lotus, was never published as a paperback. So I’ve never had it at my store, so it really feels new! I was super hesitant to…

[cha-melodius]

2024 Writing Roundup

This one went around last year but I don't THINK I've seen it turn up this year? If it has, please excuse me, especially if you tagged me. 😂

This month marks the 36th month in a row that I've published at least one fic—since January 2022. Insane, I know, but I'm very proud of this streak, especially keeping it going in the midst of writing/posting long fics. I published 17 fics this year, which was considerably fewer than my 31 last year, but my wordcount was almost the same (more stats coming in my year in review at the actual end of the year). Here they are, by month!

JANUARY

Trying My Patience (Try Pink Carnations) (RWRB, E, 5.7k) Florist!Henry and cake artist!Alex have to work together for a wedding last minute

FEBRUARY

Ain't No Place for a Better Man (Lokius, M, 3k) Old west AU, the notorious bandit Loki tangles with gun-for-hire Mobius

MARCH

False Dichotomy (RWRB, E, 62k) You've Got Mail AU, indie bookstore owner Alex and corporate bookstore heir Henry fall in love over email

APRIL

So Close to Something Better Left Unknown (RWRB, E, 20.2k) CIA agent Alex and MI6 agent Henry unwillingly collaborate a mission where Henry gets dosed with a sex pollen drug

The Hazards of Unsolicited Toy Advice (RWRB, T, 2.2k) Henry gives Alex dog toy advice at the pet store.

The Impossible Soul (RWRB, M, 7.2k) Westworld-esque AU. First Son Alex falls in love with an android named Henry at Kensington Palace

MAY

No Ordinary Friend (The Pairing, M, 3.5k) The Calums' story, from Monaco to Palermo

JUNE

Kiss Me Like You Mean It (Firstprince Edition) Kiss Me Like You Mean It (Lokius Edition) Various kiss ficlets from tumblr prompts

Body and Soul(mate) (RWRB, E, 39k) Soulmate bodyswap AU featuring MI6 agent Henry and lawyer Alex, who gets unwillingly pulled into the thick of a mission

JULY

Our Get Along Oodie (RWRB, E, 7.7k) Grad student AU; 3 times Alex and Henry were forced to share the couples oodie and 1 when they shared because they wanted to

AUGUST

Tonight, You're Gold (RWRB, M, 6k) Olympics AU feat. beach volleyball Alex and sailor Henry, accidental roommates in the Olympic Village

SEPTEMBER

Flowers Only Grow Where There Are Seeds (RWRB, T, 4.1k) FSOTUS Alex falls in love with a White House gardener

OCTOBER

Infinitely Late at Night (RWRB, T, 2.7k) Alex is pretty sure the man at the Waffle House in the middle of the night is a vampire

NOVEMBER

Desperate Measures (Lokius, T, 5.3k) When a mission gone wrong strands them on a hostile planet, Loki pushes himself to his limits in order to save Mobius' life

DECEMBER

Since I Memorized Your Face (RWRB, E, 24k) Alex and Henry hooked up in college and find each other 20 years later—oh yeah, and they're soulmates

Not the Hero (RWRB, E, 61k) Fall Guy AU. Stuntman Alex and Director Henry are exes who have to work together on a movie, until the lead actor disappears

[Redacted] (TMFU) My fill for the annual TMFU winter holiday gift exchange.

Ok! Tagging a bunch of folks! @cricketnationrise @rmd-writes @clottedcreamfudge @tintagel-or-cockleshells @firenati0n

@blueeyedgrlwrites @iboatedhere @pippinoftheshire @porcelainmortal @thesleepyskipper

@kiwiana-writes @justabigoldnerd @three-drink-amy @eusuntgratie @faketrex

@orchidscript @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @14carrotghoul @sparklepocalypse @too-young-to-fall-in-love

@welcometololaland @indestructibleheart @myheartalivewrites @ninzied @suseagull5914

@leaves-of-laurelin @nicijones @mirilyawrites @onthewaytosomewhere @getmehighonmagic