My Current Read for Hispanic Heritage Month

I went to B&N yesterday in search of The Hacienda by Isabel Canas to read it for a book club for work. I will be the person discussing the book and starting the conversation about the story. So join me in celebrating HHM and pick up a Latin X author to read.

Good Reads Blurb

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

Author Biography

Isabel Cañas is a Mexican American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, Turkey, and New York City, among other places, she has settled in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage.

Cover Reveal: Wicked Knight by Diana A. Hicks

BOOK DETAILS:

Wicked Knight 2
by Diana A. Hicks
(Knight Duet, #2)
Publication date: November 7, 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Maxim Belov is Papa’s favorite son.

Like his father, Maxim is ruthless and always gets what he wants. He wants me.

He doesn’t even care that our families are mortal enemies,
or that I’ve never seen his face.

Because of him, I’m forced into a marriage with a stranger.

On our wedding night, when I finally come face to face with my worst enemy, my entire life is turned upside down.

Authors Note: Wicked Knight is book two in the Knight Duet, set in The Society World. And it’s best enjoyed if you read book one first.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123719142-wicked-knight

Pre-orderhttps://amzn.to/3RhaAUB

AUTHOR BIO:

Diana A. Hicks is an award-winning author of steamy romantic suspense and science-fiction romance.

When Diana is not writing, she enjoys hot yoga, kickboxing, traveling, and indulging in the simple joys of life like wine and chocolate. She lives in Atlanta and loves spending time with her two children and husband. Connect with Diana on social media to stay up to date on her latest releases.

Author links:
https://www.tiktok.com/@dianahicksauthor
https://amzn.to/3vY39WD
https://www.instagram.com/dianahicksauthor
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diana-a-hicks
https://www.facebook.com/DianaHicksAuthor/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DianaSexyReaders/
https://twitter.com/diana_hicks
https://dianaahicks.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17596254.Diana_A_Hicks

Review: The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

GoodReads Blurb:

Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer.After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.In this masterful standalone sequel to her haunting New York Times bestseller, The Family Upstairs, Lisa Jewell proves she is writing at the height of her powers with another jaw-dropping, intricate, and affecting novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Another fabulous continuation to this story. Revenge comes in many forms. Sometimes bad things will happen to evil characters and those victims will live freely from their revenge. I loved that the characters got closure and were able to move on from their terrible pass. Lisa knows how to tangle the reader in these true life situations that will transport them to the horrors people live behind closed doors. Can you fight your way free?

Author Biography

LISA JEWELL was born in London in 1968.Her first novel, Ralph’s Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared.Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two teenage daughters and the best dog in the world.

Cover Reveal: The Cold Ride by Anya Summers

BOOK DETAILS:

The Cold Ride
Anya Summers
(SEALs on Wheels, #2)
Publication date: September 19, 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Duty. Honor. Sacrifice.

My faith in humanity is all but gone. Whatever goodness I had in me was eliminated long ago.
All I know is war.

Then I meet her. My best friend’s ex-wife. She lights up my darkness.

I crave her sunshine like an addict. I want to bask in it.
But she’s forbidden. I can’t touch her.
I can’t love her – doing so would only drag her into hell with me, and betray everything I hold sacred.
I might have lost my humanity, but I refuse to sacrifice my honor…

Until a single misstep damns us both.
And now I can’t let her go.
I’ll fight anyone to claim her and keep her – even her.

Dive headlong into this grumpy/sunshine forbidden romance, where a Navy SEAL falls for his best friend’s ex-wife.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145489133-the-cold-ride

Pre-order:

Amazon https://amzn.to/3Op9PFV
Nook https://bit.ly/3OpyrP1
Kobo https://bit.ly/3qj23W4
Apple https://apple.co/3OLG4Ay
Google https://bit.ly/3OJXqxA
Universal https://books2read.com/u/bPLZOx

AUTHOR BIO:

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

Author links:
Website: www.anyasummers.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
Twitter: @AnyaBSummers https://twitter.com/anyabsummers?lang=en
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anyasummersauthor/
Newsletter https://anyasummers.com/newsletter/

Cover Reveal: The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick

BOOK DETAILS:

The Cruel Dark
by Bea Northwick
Publication date: October 31, 2023
Genres: Adult, Gothic, Romance

Synopsis:

Millicent Foxboro is haunted.

Not by ghosts, but by the anguish of her past and the uncertainty of her future. After all, even in the progressive year of 1928, most people would balk at hiring a woman who’d spent two months in a mental ward for traumatic amnesia. So when an uncommon assistantship to a reclusive Professor of mythology falls into her lap with an ungodly salary attached, her desperation for stability overrides her cautious nature.

To Millie’s dismay, the widowed Professor Callum Hughes and his estate, Willowfield, are more than she bargained for. The once magnificent home, known for its sprawling gardens and dazzling parties, is falling to pieces after the death of the professor’s fragile wife. What’s more, the staff has been reduced to the only three people not frightened away by rumors of ghosts, leaving the halls empty and languishing in bitter memories.

The professor himself is a grim, intense man with unclear expectations, unpredictable moods, and hungry eyes that ignite Millie’s own dormant passions. The closer she finds herself drawn to Professor Hughes and his strange world of flowers and folklore, the more the house closes in, threatening to reveal her secrets. But the professor is keeping secrets of his own, and the most dangerous of all is hers to discover.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181977823-the-cruel-dark

Pre-orderhttps://amzn.to/45c5AER

AUTHOR BIO:

Bea Northwick is a lover of magical, spooky, and romantic things. She owns too much perfume, can’t pick an aesthetic, and loves 80s movies. She lives with her husband, children, dogs, and a black cat in the sunny American South where she dreams daily of Irish cottages and rain swept Scottish castles. 

The Cruel Dark is her debut novel.

Author links:

https://www.instagram.com/beanorthwick/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/bea-northwick?list=about

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40737388.Bea_Northwick

Cover Reveal: Petulant Shadows by Martha Sweeney

BOOK DETAILS:

Petulant Shadows
by Martha Sweeney
Publication date: October 17, 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller

Synopsis:

Dedicated to: those who have been abducted, trafficked, abused, and murdered; the families who have lost someone; and the sheepdogs who fight to save them. May your souls find peace.
………………………………………….
There is a sinister evil hidden in the shadows. Some do not know of its existence yet others are haunted by it every waking moment and every sleepless night.

The legends say that it arrives quiet like the wind, lurking in the shadows as the darkness sets upon the earth each night. It leaches into towns through the smallest of cracks and festers, growing like a fungus that makes everything rot in its path.

A sudden opportunity to flee presents itself to Paisley. Something within her commands her to run. As if guided by the hand of God, she finds shelter in the town of Biernhard and through a man named Grayson.

As Paisley begins to come to grips with her past and embrace a new life for herself, the shadows creep back into her life and the town she calls home. Will this darkness conquer Biernhard and claim Paisley once again, or does the town have its own fortitude against the darkness that it is rumored to have battled and defeated many generations before?

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60433973-petulant-shadows

AUTHOR BIO:

Martha Sweeney is a BESTSELLING author who writes in a variety of genres: romance (contemporary, romcom, suspense, paranormal and historical), suspense, fantasy, thriller, coloring books, and soon, science fiction. She strives to push herself as a storyteller with each new tale and hopes to push her readers outside of their comfort zone whether it be genre or the stories themselves.

With a B.S. in Psychology, Martha utilizes her knowledge of human and animal behavior successfully in the business world and in her writing to present realistic characters and situations. She’s been creative since she was little, always drawing, coloring or making crafts, so her venture into being an author was a natural transition.

Author links:
https://www.marthasweeney.com/
https://www.instagram.com/marthasweeneyauthor/
https://twitter.com/MSweeneyAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarthaSweeney/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13453575.Martha_Sweeney

Cover Reveal: The Boyfriend Countdown by Tori Samuels

BOOK DETAILS:

The Boyfriend Countdown
by Tori Samuels
Publication date: November 7, 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Margo Diaz has a reputation as a workaholic. Everyone knows where she eats her lunch — at her desk, and where she spends her Friday nights — at the office. But when her ex-boyfriend announces his engagement to the same woman who broke up their relationship, she finds herself tangled in a lie. Because what’s worse than working with your ex, is telling everyone you have a boyfriend when you don’t.

Forced to plan a New Year’s gala to impress a client, Margo finds herself promising everyone will meet her plus one. And with her name in the running for a promotion, she really can’t screw this up. She has to find a boyfriend, and a twelve-day online blind dating service is just the ticket she needs.

Everything is fine, Margo has a plan. That’s until she discovers her blind-date is Richard, the tall, sarcastic man she bumped into a few weeks ago. Not needing any distractions, she’s determined to keep the lie going to show everyone she can have it all — a career, a family, a (fake) boyfriend. Except, Richard isn’t what she thought and her attraction for him grows harder to ignore. Yet Margo is committed to keeping herself away.

How will Margo convince everyone she’s been dating a man she’s never met? Can she risk telling the truth or will she let her lie hurt more than her reputation? With a week left before the gala, the boyfriend countdown is on.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195470093-the-boyfriend-countdown

Pre-order:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/44W6iG8

AUTHOR BIO:

Tori Samuels, author of the HoliFATE series, can be found sipping peppermint mochas, snuggling with her dogs, and dreaming up the next perfect contemporary romance novel. A native resident of Bolton, Canada, Samuels uses her hometown as the backdrop for her witty and swoon worthy cast of characters. Looking for your next holiday-themed read, then grab your favorite dessert coffee and get cozy.

Author links:

https://twitter.com/TSamuels_author

https://www.instagram.com/torisamuels.writes/

https://www.tiktok.com/@torisamuels.reads
https://torisamuels.com/

Cover Reveal: Dirty Daddies 2023 Anniversary Anthology

BOOK DETAILS:

Dirty Daddies 2023 Anniversary Anthology
Publication date: October 17, 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Another year, another round of smoking hot daddies and sassy brats giving them a run for their money.

Packed with stories from your favorite names and rising stars in the Daddy genre, this anthology has something for all the Daddy lovers out there! Whether it’s a strict Dom who loves to be called Daddy as he lavishes his partner with pleasure, or a Daddy looking for a Little one to rely on him for all their most private, personal needs, there’s a story for everyone in these pages!

Pre-orderhttps://amzn.to/3QIpWkX

Cover Reveal: Defying Evil: A Dark Romance Thriller by Abbie Roads

BOOK DETAILS:

Defying Evil: A Dark Romantic Thriller
by Abbie Roads
(Blood is Thicker Than…, #1)
Publication date: October 17, 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

Synopsis:

He’s the son of a serial killer.
She’s his father’s only surviving victim.
He’s obsessed with her.
She’s frightened of him.
Before it’s all over they’ll need each other to survive.

Cain Killion’s life has revolved around blood. From a childhood of torture by his father, to his gruesome ability to solve crimes. When a current case is directly connected to his past, there’s only one person with answers.

But she isn’t talking, and the bodies are stacking up. The only solution… Kidnap her.

Defying Evil is the first book in the Blood is Thicker Than Series of dark romantic thrillers. It features a man tortured by his past who never thought he was capable of love. If you devour edge of your seat thrillers and romance novels, you’ll love a series that combines both in a roller-coaster ride of mind games and tragic love.

Read this dangerously dark romance today!

Trigger warning: Depictions of violence.

Previously published until the title Saving Mercy.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165909431-defying-evil

Pre-order:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QizR00

AUTHOR BIO:

Abbie Roads is the best-selling author of the Fatal Dreams Series and the Fatal Truth Series. Her novels have been finalists in many prestigious contests including The Golden Heart, The Greater Detroit Booksellers Best, The Oklahoma National Readers’ Choice Award, The Write Touch, The Strut Your Stuff Contest, The Aspen Gold Contest, The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, The Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award, The Midnight Sun, The Kathryn Hayes Contest, The Chanticleer, The Daphne du Maurier, The National Readers’ Choice Award, The New England Readers’ Choice Contest, The Beverly Award, and The Maggie Award. Her debut novel Race the Darkness was Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick for Fall and Never Let Me Fall is an Amazon Editor’s Pick.

By day Abbie Roads is a mental health counselor always focusing on the bright side. By night she writes on the dark side, putting her characters through the wringer before she gives them their happily-ever-after. She loves a good inspirational quote and is a fan of true crime.

Author links:
https://www.abbieroads.com/
https://www.facebook.com/abbieroads2
https://twitter.com/Abbie_Roads
https://www.instagram.com/Abbie_Roads/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8179024.Abbie_Roads

Cover Reveal: Cosplay and Confrontation by Sarah Zane

BOOK DETAILS:

Cosplay and Confrontation
by Sarah Zane
Publication date: September 26, 2023
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Pride and Prejudice meets the legends of King Arthur in this sapphic rivals-to-lovers, sweet romantic comedy packed with plenty of banter and tension.

Obstinate and headstrong cosplayer Elaine Knight prided herself on two things; her quality cosplays and being a good judge of character. Gwendolyn Reid took both of those from her. They used to be best friends, until Gwen broke their best friend’s heart and skipped town. At least with Gwen out of the way, Lanie was a shoo-in to win the upcoming cosplay contest.

Except now Gwen’s back.

Gwendolyn Reid should be thinking about meeting her fans, winning the cosplay contest, and dancing at the ball. Instead, all she can think about is Lanie, their unresolved issues, and her unrequited feelings. Unfortunately, there’s no denying that the only feeling Lanie has for Gwen is hatred.

Lucky for them both, it is a truth universally acknowledged that rivals are bound to fall in love.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/193545915-cosplay-and-confrontation

Pre-order:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rSOLjB

AUTHOR BIO:

Sarah is an author of happy endings for traumatized queers. She is a bisexual feminist and a licensed therapist. Her books often deal with themes of feminism, trauma, sexuality, and mental health. She lives in New England with her husband and 2 black cats named Gatsby and Mr. Darcy. When she isn’t writing, she can be found perusing a book in her home library that features over 400 books, making chaotic book themed videos for TikTok (aka Booktok), taking forest walks, visiting castles, planning exotic trips she can’t afford, or cuddled up with one of her cats crying over fictional characters or yelling at them about how badly they need therapy.

Author links:

https://beacons.ai/libraryofsarahzane

https://www.instagram.com/libraryofsarahzane/

https://www.facebook.com/libraryofsarahzane

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22308720.Sarah_Zane