#bookteasers

[delphina2k]

Redid one of my favorite pages from the first chapter of Sombulus for the new omnibus edition that's on Backerkit right now! Still one of my favorite comic bits of dialogue. We love a stupid disaster wingboy.

[nealshustermanreal]

Something exciting is brewing… ALL BETTER NOW is just around the corner. Here’s the scoop—are you ready for what’s next?

[clinko]

Mizuhana (水花) -- Post Card Series - The World of When Red Meets Blue

Kofi preview---Access More world building notes like this on Kofi!

[xariaseesred]

Novel by Xaria Ryu

chapter one

GENESIS

Brief: In the opening chapter of 'Cursed Shores', we're introduced to a world brimming with challenges – a cityscape plagued by the consequences of unchecked super-powers. Keitaro, navigating a hazardous environment, seeks refuge in a bar, surrounded by a populace drowning their sorrows in a daily struggle for survival. As the night grows darker and the rain starts pouring mercilessly, we witness a mysterious encounter, a brief yet intense confrontation, and a glimpse into the Keitaro's internal struggles. We are then taken to a basement filled with aged books, where a complicated dynamic with Haruki, is explored. The chapter ends where stage is set, not with grandeur, but with a quiet intensity, inviting us to a world where survival is an art and secrets lurk in the shadows.

CHAPTER LIST:

chapter two: FLAME

Chapter starts below the break: keep reading! :)

Monsters, genetically modified plants trying to kill us all, abuse of power that leads to massacres and wars or incurable diseases, would all be perfectly good and logical reasons as to why I am plastered at a bar scanning for someone who might know a way off this island. The people here are nearly all understandably drunk out of their minds, none of them able to live their daily lives for longer than a work day. Children darting between tables without supervision, while lurking hazards stand poised to exploit even the slightest misstep. The place is loud, save for the moments when someone gets too reckless with their curse and gets dragged off the premises. The silence that washes over the room feels like a cold blade threatening to slit your throat. At least to anyone with something to hide. Once that is revealed, you can kiss this hell goodbye and welcome another one right after hours and hours of wishing you were never born. 

Gloves hide my curse, but my temper needs more than gloves to be concealed, and it is rising by the second. The alcohol stench and the soldiers posted up in every corner of the place are not helping. 

“Fresh meat, huh?” a velvety voice asks in a hushed tone standing next to me. 

“Walk along,” I nearly snarl, keeping my head down and not sparing them a glance. Whoever it is does not let up and slides closer to me, alcohol reeking off their person. 

“I know what you are,” they go on, voice sounding almost like purring now that we are standing shoulder to shoulder. With swift movements, I have spun them around, grabbed both their hands and pinned them behind their back under the bar’s edge so no unwanted eyes witness what just went down. It is a woman covered in rain protective gear looking a little younger than she sounded. Former military employee I would assume. No one else could get their hands on anything like that. Half my body covers hers and I tighten my grip around her wrists. 

“Eager to end up in jail I see,” she laughs. Drunk, I make out of her behavior. I will spare her the questioning and I tell her as much until I have convinced her that she is out of her mind. I let her go, leaving her giggling by the bar as I walk out into the neonate night. Cannot risk someone taking her seriously. I would rather have my trial that is barely two days away than get beaten to death in a jail cell. 

With no plan to ever return and risk my identity being outed, I make my way to a place I have learned to love and despise.

♦

The basement, crammed with thousands of books, exudes an icy chill between its shelves covering just a few square meters. I wish slamming the book shut in frustration was enough. Throwing it across the room would be a crime in here. Burning it up into ashes is out of the question, but painfully desired. You cannot win in this dreadful city, let alone the whole Island. Leaving is not an easy feat either. 

The flame dancing between my index finger and thumb, dies down gradually, turning a transparent pastel blue as it gets smaller and morphs into faint smoke. Rather than reigniting the flame, I allow the darkness to envelop me, accompanied by a deafening silence. I sit there by my miserable self until I hear indistinct footsteps grow louder and louder evoking a curse from deep in my chest. I don’t have the patience for this right now. I glance towards one of the shelves. It doesn’t take long for the inconvenience to step into my little corner and lean onto one of the coarse wooden shelves sporting a sad smile. Calling him an inconvenience is wrong on my part but not entirely untrue. I try too hard, way too often to avoid him only to have my night end like this. 

“You okay in there?” he asks after a heavy sigh. His tone is just light enough to come across as friendly. It has been a skill people have to learn to master around me since they know better than to step out of line with me. 

“I’ll need you to keep your mouth shut.” In the weak light that is seeping through the window from a street light, his staple black cap casts a dark shadow across his face at all times so all anyone ever sees is his mouth, which is now shaping a strained line in reaction to my words. 

“Always a ray of sunshine, yeah? I’ll need you to leave. Now.” Too pure for his own good. 

I am a walking hazard to these preserved books. I should in fact not be here in the first place, is what he should say. He is just too nice to say it. 

“Haruki…” I know it is nothing I can say that really helps my case but it is not like me to hold back what I truly feel around anyone either. Be it complaints or hateful remarks. There is not much on the good side of things around this one since his very existence has been a deep sorrow to endure dating back years. The only defense my brain seems to have against that is spite. 

“Light this candle, will you. Can’t see shit in here.” My body temperature and temperament is irregular as it is, but right now I can feel the blood sizzling far beyond its boiling point. He knows better than anyone that riling me up could have dire consequences. None that I will ever be proud of. That should also keep him away from me. Why he lets me stick around is beyond my ability to comprehend. Words do not suffice these days, but I’m willing to bet good fortune that unimaginably mean things would come out of my mouth to someone who’s never truly wronged me. 

After much inner turmoil I decide to light his candle. Haruki had started getting antsy as well, eyes glowing a terrifying dark red shining through the shadow as if ready to strike any second. People might think he is perfect but even he is not immune to impatience. 

“That’s not really your color, Ki,” I tell him under my breath, but still making sure I also don’t cross his boundaries. That nickname is one I gave him when we were just toddlers, playing in the tunnels under the city, both of us, along with a couple dozen other kids, having been strictly told to never show our faces on the surface until we were deemed ready. We were naive souls back then. Not our fault, but we could’ve never guessed what challenges awaited us. 

“What on earth did I do to get you actually talking, huh?” Fake smile or not, it could rival the sun in its brightness, teeth gleaming like the most expensive pearls. In the dim light of his candle the sharper angles of his youthful face get the spotlight. No wonder people idolize him the way they do. It’s almost aggravating how beautiful he is. Sometimes I think holding a grudge towards him for that reason would make more sense. That him always turning heads, getting what he wants all the time and people praising him for damn near everything is annoying enough. Him in his whole casual suit and tie get-up should be annoying enough.

“I’ll leave,” I exhale sharply before I make a fool of myself. While I grab my things I see Haruki’s eyes lose their color and disappear behind the shadow, his smile fading back into a strained line.

“Help me put these books back, Keitaro,” he utters firmly and I get the feeling that he could sense I did not want to be around him anymore. “Please?” The place is a mess and it is too late to argue with anyone at this hour.

I sort the books for him to the best of my ability, just to make it easier for him to put them back on the shelf. They are all old and torn. Most of them are missing pages, some have been found under water so the pages are uneven with the black words faded. Haruki finds this aspect of the library-keeping very intriguing. As illegal as it is for him to keep these books here in this region, he would protect them with his life and he has made that much unmistakably clear for me. He knows this place as well as his own bedroom. Down to every nook, secret passage and whatever people back then decided to hide within the books. Even theft is completely out of the question since he would know within a second if a thought like that appeared in someone’s head.

As we inch closer to being done with the books, my thoughts drift deeper into darker territory, further down memory lane and I once again see how close Haruki was to losing everything he ever held dear. Haruki senses the shift in my aura and makes the mistake of looking up and meeting my eyes. His now gleaming a concerned gray. The candle that he had set on the table lights up the rest of his face. Big innocent eyes asking questions I cannot answer and the burn mark I feared making an appearance from his temple down to his cheekbone. Still covered in angry, deep scars. The work of which I caused.

Until now, the anger I held earlier had started to subside. Now it awakened like a tiger held captive for too long, ready to kill anything that moves. I freeze for a second knowing that if it gets too intense, I am totally in the wrong place. I put the last book into Haruki’s cart to dart out of the library and into the night’s thunderstorm. Before Haruki gets completely out of earshot for me, I hear a barely audible “good night” as an overdue apology is stuck, heavy on my tongue. 

Heavy raindrops fall against my hair feeling cold everywhere it is parted as I make my way off the streets out toward the fields. The houses there are safer since these thunderstorms are constant. Sometimes accompanied with rain and sometimes not. They destroy more in a matter of minutes than what we can build in years, and that’s not to mention the relentless flooding this city goes through weekly. It has been like this for years and years so it is hard to remember what a normal day was like. 

As I approach the coast, a sense of unease washes over me like the tidal wave crashing against the shore. Something is different tonight, as if the air itself is charged with an electric energy that prickles my skin and sets my nerves on edge. It’s eerily quiet and in the distance I hear the whispers of patrol getting closer. Not a good sign.

And then, I see it.

Hovering above a small lonely piece of land on the horizon, a strange craft hangs suspended in the air like a phantom from another world glowing red. Its sleek contours are illuminated by the faint glow of the city lights, casting eerie shadows that dance across the water's surface.

My heart pounds in my chest as I watch in awe and terror, the sound of helicopters cutting through the air like a knife. With trembling hands, I raise my scope to get a better look, my breath catching in my throat as I witness the craft unleash three beams of light that stretch for miles in every direction.

I duck behind a nearby rock, my heart racing as adrenaline courses through my veins. This is no ordinary sighting; this is a warning, a sign that something far more sinister is at play.

As the echoes of the craft's arrival fade into the night, I know that I can no longer ignore the call to action. Whatever awaits me once I am away from this island, I must face it head-on, for the fate of my sister and those I hold dear hangs in the balance. But come hell or high water, I will not rest until I uncover the truth behind this mysterious intrusion and put an end to the chaos that threatens to consume us all...

>>> CHAPTER TWO <<<

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

She's in danger... can he save her?

Isla They can laugh at me all they want. But treasure hunting is my passion. Could I find the last piece of the puzzle at Danger Bluff?

About The Authors: Becca Jameson is a USA Today bestselling author of over 100 books. She is most well-known for her Wolf Masters series, her Fight Club series, and her Surrender series. She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and Goldendoodle. Two grown kids pop in every once in awhile too! She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM. A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.  During the day -- which never starts before ten in the morning! -- she can be found jogging, running errands, or reading in her favorite hammock chair! 

Becca loves chatting with fans on social media! Reach out, and she will respond! Ever just gone for it? That's what USA Today Bestselling Author Pepper North did in 2017 when she posted a book for sale on Amazon without telling anyone. Thanks to her amazing fans, the support of the writing community, Mr. North, and a killer schedule, she has now written more than 70 books!

Enjoy contemporary, paranormal, dark, and erotic romances that are both sweet and steamy? Pepper will convert you into one of her loyal readers. What's coming in the future? A Daddypalooza!

Stay up on the latest news and get insider updates and previews of Pepper's stories... http://BookHip.com/FJBPQV

Connect With Becca & Pepper:

beccajameson.com 4peppernorth.club

[sunnyanddumb98]

BLURB TEST 1 "Emma, a cynical film editor, takes a spontaneous trip to Spain with her emotionally unstable college friend, Valentina, where, during the hot summer, her resourcefulness is tested as old and new friends challenge her rigid ideals, offering rewarding opportunities in her career and personal life, leading her to assert herself against her grief, fears, and ideals of loyalty, friendship, and life plans."

[pumpupyourbook]

📽Watch Jens Boele’s URBEX PREDATOR Book Teaser Trailer!

https://youtu.be/av01SUpU-n0?si=zmaR5EKaZLBjDggG

[tastoryteller]

Discover more

This week marks the reveal of The Shogan. I’ve begun ramping up my social media platforms to give everyone a look into the upcoming release. This has been a long time coming if I say so myself. From writing in the wee early hours to sometimes getting no sleep at all, I am happy to say, the release is making its way to the light soon. Beyond the pages is a universe waiting to be explored! Sign up…

[nealshustermanreal]

Just 5 days to go! Are you ready for 'Break to You'? This introspective love story, which I co-authored with Debra Young and Michelle Knowlden, unfolds in a juvenile detention center. Step into the intense journey of two teens daring to love against all odds. Secure your copy today! Pre-order links below.

📚 Bookshop → https://bit.ly/4aiHhYz

📚 B&N → https://bit.ly/3TXsfBA

📚 Amazon → https://amzn.to/4azg5Ez

🙌🏼 HarperCollins → https://bit.ly/4cGBltL

[spencerrussellsmith]


“And on the sixth day…” I forgot to post 😅 Whoops. Swipe for another little teaser from my novel “The Shattering”, the final book in the Awakening the Lightforged trilogy, releasing 1.31.23. You can order it via the link in my bio! Keep reading for a short summary: (Spoilers for the first two books) The world is ending a week ahead of schedule. Operation Exodus has begun. Kojatere has been found out by her rivals within the Imaia, and she has given the signal to the Remnant to attack the Imaia’s capital and leave Efrumani for their new home. While Kojatere faces down the God-King she once lived to serve in an attempt to free both the rebels and her fellow undead warriors from his grasp, her children Estingai and Koruuksi rush to steal the Imaia ships that will allow them to escape to a new home among the stars. #sciencefantasy #sciencefantasybooks #spaceopera #spaceoperabooks #bookreleasecountdown #bookteaser #theshattering #efruumani #spencerrussellsmithauthor #kindleunlimited https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4scrgL4xz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ksfd892]

Reading The Holy Barbarians and thinking about how it's set in Venice Beach and how Rory couldn't read it after Jess went there, and even if she didn't know it's where he ended up, it's become a sad association because of the 'booktease' thing. And how when Jess walks around there he thinks of the places mentioned in the book and his heart hurts because he can't show any of them to Rory, and Venice Beach feels hollow.

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

He's too smart to need anyone... except for her.

Love a rockstar romance?

Preorder Noah: Smoke and Mirrors by Quinn Marlowe now!  https://geni.us/QMSmoke

Noah I never expected this life to be an easy one. My band needs a new deal, and our next tour is our best and maybe only time to find it. I've got plans, though. Good ones. I just need everything to go right. Molly Rush, my best friend and Girl Friday, was supposed to be on hand to help me with them. But when she gets a new job as a magazine photographer, that goes sideways. When she returns to photograph our tour, she's suddenly mouth-wateringly sexy. Confident. Shining. Irresistible. And I can't keep my hands off her. No matter how much I know I have to. Molly Noah Michael has been my best friend since we were kids, growing up in the same orphanage, and I'd be lying if I said I never loved him. Honestly, I've loved him my whole life, and it's always been a bad idea. Which is why I take a new job, far from him and his bandmates. But when my new employer sends me right back to him, camera in hand, he starts looking at me different. Looking at me like he actually wants me. But I'm too smart to give in to that sort of thing. I know him too well to take the risk. At least my brain does. My heart, on the other hand… Noah: Smoke and Mirrors is the third installment in the Trouble Next Door series, and promises angst, spice, a damaged rockstar and the girl he secretly loves, and a guaranteed HEA. Tissues not included!

About Quinn:

Quinn Marlowe is the bestselling author of the Rossi and Southern Heroes series and a certified California girl. After studying English and film at UCLA, she decided to pursue storytelling full time. She loves red wine, cheesecake, perfect hash browns, really good punk rock, fast cars, autumn, and cooking, but she is most likely to be found spending time with her horses, snuggling her dogs, or taking orders from her small army of cats. She is a professional eye roller with a penchant for swearing like a sailor, and some of her favorite people (her nephews) are convinced she is a spy. She makes her home in San Diego with her prized collections of books and lipstick, neither of which ever fail to lift her spirits when she's feeling down. 

Follow Quinn Online! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qoxxq9 BookBub: https://bit.ly/3x9iX9Y Facebook: https://bit.ly/3BpUy2g Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Qvq2s2 Instagram: http://instagram.com/quinn.marlowe.smokeshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quinnmarloweauthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/quinnmarlowe Web: https://quinnmarlowe.com 

[nelllover]

This is all so true! Logan constantly gaslights Rory, makes her doubt herself, talks her out of her feelings and ends up making her feel unsure of herself, he literally toys with her and plays mind games with her at first and ghosts her leaving her wondering what she has done wrong. He makes her feel so bad about herself while at the same time not being able to leave him even when he does. Exactly like Dean is shitty but Logan is so so shitty and people overlook his red flags so often and pretend he's perfect. Like yeah they had a few cute moments and where he wasn't a total ass but the overall time of there relationship he was horrible to her and he did cause her to start changing herself for him to the point where she started to feel lost! He cheats on her then gaslights her and invalidates her feelings for it! Like some people may or may not view it as cheating but the fact of the matter is Rory felt cheated and he completely invalidated her! He blame shifts all the time. The conversation where he starts yelling at her in the pub about "I didn't tell her to quit Yale you did that" like she wasn't even talking about him but he made it all about himself flipped it around to make it like "don't you dare blame me" she wasn't even blaming him. I could go on and on about all the reasons Logan makes me so mad! It's so cathartic that you feel the same! Sorry about my long rant I saw your tags and yeah it's all so true!

First of all, never apologize for ranting it's my favorite thing and second I agree 100% with you!!

The scene with Rory crying on the bathroom floor will always make me sad and the fact that I've seen so many of the Rogan shippers talk about that scene like it's proof that he's the bf that Rory loved the most (no I'm not kidding they really count that scene as a win) when personally I think it's the start of the toxic cycle that is their relationship.

The cycle is: They get together something happens they fight instead of dealing with it Logan ghosts her and then he shows up out of nowhere and expects everything to go back to normal (and sadly most of the time Rory lets it slide :( )

My biggest problem with Dean is that he gives me the vibe that at any second he could get physically abusive but at least in canon he doesn't do anything as bad as Logan (altho he definitely manipulated the hell out of Rory and Lindsey in the S4 arc) and like I get why he's the most hated but at the same time, I really think that title should go to Logan (Dean's biggest crime in canon is having absolutely no personality).

Honestly to me, any cute Rogan moment gets overshadowed by the fact that Logan treats Rory like a rug 99% of the time (also most of those moments are so cringy like the 'workdork' thing were the S7 writers trying so badly to make them have a 'booktease' scene I'm sure of it)

On the Rory changing thing I agree 100%. Rory in S5 was trying to play a role she was trying so badly to be what she thought Logan wanted that she lost herself (which I think contributed to the breakdown that she had in S6) and Logan didn't even realize because let's be honest he doesn't know her! The man didn't even know her birthday!!

And yes people need to understand that if to Rory it felt like cheating then it was cheating (granted I don't think there is any way to not make it sound like cheating but don't ask them to make sense) and his weird Ross Geller like speech doesn't change that!!!

The scene in the pub is so funny to me in the sense that she didn't say shit about him she was talking about herself but he got so butthurt! like damn you called yourself out! she didn't have to say anything!

The thing is that yes, Rory is an adult and she made a choice but that does not change the fact that Logan was more than happy about it he didn't try to talk to her about it. I'm not saying that he should have dragged her back to Yale but he didn't try and as her boyfriend, he needs to be real with her and call her out when she's doing something stupid! (and guess who actually does that)

See no reason to apologize about the length of your rant I did worst!!

[drewchial]

THE DEVIL’S VALENTINE Short Story Trailer

THE DEVIL’S VALENTINE Short Story Trailer #MortalKombat #booktrailer #bookteaser #booktube #shortfiction

Centuries ago, the demon goddess Mahthildis was kicked out of hell. She’s been fighting her way back ever since. The tides of battle turn when her lover goes missing. Desperate to be reunited, Mahthildis must steal the skull of St. Valentine if she’s ever going to see her lover again. We invite you to join us on this unholy heist we’re calling THE DEVIL’S VALENTINE. A short story that takes you…