Welcome to Cottonmouth by Jay S. Bell ~ Audiobook Review

What does the US government do with spies and special operators when they pass their expiration date? They retire them to a small town deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas, where they’re certain to cause no trouble.

A collection of broken spies, former double agents, and retired operators lives in secrecy, under the watchful eye of the government in the small, deep-woods town of Cottonmouth, Texas.

Devlin Mahoney is the de facto mayor of these special citizens, charged with keeping them in seclusion, hidden from the world, which he does from the office of the town’s only motel.

But the peace of this sleepy village is shattered when a pair of women, on the run from a vicious criminal, drops into Mahoney’s lap and he’s forced to choose between doing what’s right and doing what he’s told.

The Man by the Sea by Jack Benton ~ Audiobook Review

John "Slim" Hardy, heavy drinker and disgraced soldier turned bumbling private detective, is hired to investigate Ted Douglas, an investment banker who slips out of work every Friday to visit a desolate cove on the Lancashire coast. There, he walks to the shore, opens an old book, and begins to read aloud.

His wife thinks he's having an affair.

Slim thinks he's insane.

The truth is more incredible than either could imagine.

AVR Weekly News ~ 635th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by 
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. 
~ Recap the past week ~ 
~ Show what's upcoming ~ 
~ Share news ~ 
~ Display book hauls ~

The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour Spotlight: Jump by D.L. Orton

The multiverse is collapsing. The time machine is broken. And humanity’s last hope? Might already be dead.

Seven months after the EMPs brought the world to its knees, a handful of scientists are racing against extinction—and each other. Somewhere in a flooded skyscraper lies a wormhole generator that might be able to undo the apocalypse. If they can find it. If it still works. If it doesn’t kill them first.

Meanwhile, Diego Nadales wakes in a cell, his face bloodied and his memories fractured. He's being accused of terrorism, treason, and time travel. The last one, at least, is true.

Isabel is trapped inside a biodome ruled by the man she once trusted. But her bees—microscopic drones designed to save the planet—have been hijacked and weaponized. If she doesn’t find a way out soon, her creation will wipe out the last threads of life on Earth.

Old friends return. New enemies rise. And somewhere in the chaos, one small spark of hope just might be enough to ignite a revolution.

The clock isn’t ticking. It’s blowing up.

BBNYA2025 Blog Tour Book Review ~ 14th Place Finalist: A Gift of Words by Rosalind Dando

A magical gift is more trouble than it's worth...

Cam has plenty of things to worry about. His best friend might have broken someone’s fingers, the class bully won’t leave him alone, and staying under the radar of his teachers is much harder than it ought to be. He definitely doesn’t need magic to make his life any more complicated.

Which is good, because when he does write his name in Libris Sapientia—the book of wisdom—a whole lot of nothing happens. He is a failure, and even a book agrees. Then, Loman Lykill joins their class, bringing a whole new brand of chaos to Highgrove Secondary.

Cam has his magical gift, whether he wants it or not.

A Gift of Words is the first book in The Gifts Trilogy by Rosalind Dando.

BBNYA2024 Blog Tour Book Review ~ 3rd Place Finalist ~ Trial of the Alchemist by Trevor Melanson

Aurora’s greatest entrepreneur has been murdered, and only the truth will save Alchemist Ortez from the gallows.

Facing a heated courtroom of strangers, he must now recall the events that brought him here as a fellow alchemist probes his memory. Such is the job of alchemists: administering elixirs in order to see into the minds of men. Their dreams. Their nightmares. Their secrets.

But while everyone believes him guilty, Alchemist Ortez knows what they do not.

He was hired by the victim for a job unlike any they could imagine. Nor would they ever guess what other mysteries lie buried beneath the mountain metropolis of Aurora, a cave-enclosed city where countless gas lamps illuminate the endless night.

The Night Circus meets Inception in this mind-bending fantasy mystery. Ranked one of the 20 Best Completed stories on Royal Road and both a SPFBO and BBNYA semi-finalist, Trial of the Alchemist is "a beautifully written tale of memory and murder... that will keep readers glued to the pages until the final twist is revealed." (Before We Go Blog)

AVR Weekly News ~ 634th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by 
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. 
~ Recap the past week ~ 
~ Show what's upcoming ~ 
~ Share news ~ 
~ Display book hauls ~

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ BBNYA2025 Blog Tours: Finalists 17 & 16

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

Silver Spells by Kate Moseman ~ Audiobook Review

Luella Campbell is having the weirdest day ever. Getting fired from her job at the sunscreen factory for no good reason is bad enough, but when a mysterious dog brings a tempest into her former workplace, Luella’s life is completely upended by the sudden gift of wild and windy magical powers.

With the help of her ride-or-die best friends, her motorcycle-riding mother, and a romantic blast from the past, Luella must find a way to make ends meet while unlocking the mysteries of her newfound magic...and the secrets hidden in the picturesque town of Sparkle Beach.

Sometimes, an empty nest means it’s your turn to fly.

BBNYA2025 Blog Tour Spotlight ~ 15th Place Finalist: By Hook & Crook by S. G. Karam

What if robbing a vault earned you a standing ovation?

In the city of Azoria, heists are a sanctioned sport, a dazzling spectacle where only the boldest thieves thrive. And Lars Harrow is the best.

But Lars wants more than fame. He wants the heist that will cement his legacy and put him beyond the reach of the city's power brokers. When a shadowy patron offers him a job targeting Cecil Thume—the ruthless mastermind who controls every theft in Azoria—Lars sees his shot at something bigger.

Yet the deeper he digs, the more dangerous the game becomes. A brutal murder sends a clear Thume isn’t just profiting from the city’s underworld... he is the underworld. And he’ll do whatever it takes to keep control.

As the line between thief and pawn blurs, Lars must decide how much he’s willing to risk. The city, his crew, and his own future hang in the balance.

If you enjoyed books like Six of Crows, Mistborn, or The Lies of Locke Lamora, you won't be able to put down this electrifying tale of ambition, greed, betrayal, and redemption.