Sprinkles and Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett ~ Audiobook Review

They say you can't go home again. . .oh, if only that were true.

Thanks to a series of unfortunate events - and one backstabbing frenemy - home is exactly where I'm headed. back to Winterspell Lake, the small community in Eastern Washington where magic runs rampant and humans are outlawed.

Faster than you can say hocus pocus I'm unpacking my bags and settling into the guest room of my parents' house, trying to ignore the creeping sensation that I'll never break free again.

The one thing Winterspell has going for it is the sweets shop in the center of town, a bakery filled with magical creations designed to enchant the taste buds and charm even the pickiest of connoisseurs. Luckily for me, I get the friends and family discount since my parents own the famous Sugar Shack. If I want room and board, I have to frost cupcakes and sling macaroons with the rest of the fam.

Unfortunately, things in Winterspell aren't all sugar cookies and rainbows. According to the local news, a dangerous sea serpent has claimed the lives to three missing girls. The journalist in me has to have a look for myself, and what I find is something far more deadly.

Something that makes me wish I'd stayed in the bakery.

Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace ~ Audiobook Review

A lady never reveals the true extent of her decay...

Hannah Miles lives a quiet existence, helping her parents conduct research into a most terrible affliction - until a gruesome murder during her best friend's engagement party pulls her from the shadows. With her specialist's knowledge and demure disposition, Hannah is requested to aid the investigation.

Except Hannah discovers her role is to apologise in the wake of the rude and disgraced man tasked with finding the murderer. The obnoxious Viscount Wycliff thinks to employ Hannah purely as a front to satisfy Whitehall, but she'll have none of that.

The two must work together to find the murderer before the season is ruined. But the viscount is about to meet his greatest challenge, and it's not a member of the ton with a hankering for brains.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ BBNYA2025 Blog Tours: Finalists 15 & 14

 

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Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

Ghostly Gossip by Nellie H. Steele ~ Audiobook Review

She lost her parents, but gained a grandmother, but is something more sinister lurking in the shadows.

Uprooted from her life, Carly Ravenspell is forced to move to Thornwood Estate with an enigmatic grandmother she never knew. When the grieving teen arrives, she finds an unexpected solace in the woman and the stories she shares.

As Carly delves deeper into the tale surrounding Maple Mansion, a house where spirits roam free, she begins to forge a bond, not only with her grandmother, but with history’s mysteries and the allure of the supernatural. Plunged into spectral stories that span centuries, will Carly discover the secrets hidden in the manor as well as the ones hidden in plain sight?

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.

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.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ The Write Reads Blog Tour: Lianna and the Hombit by Valinora Troy

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Spotlight ~ Arvia: Fangs of the Frost by D.H. Willison

Being sent on a quest to save an entire city and granted the city’s full resources is a grand honor. Unless that city is Xin, with no resources to speak of.

A magical secret from Xin’s past threatens the city’s future, and Darin must lead a rag-tag group to a frigid city at the end of the world to save it. Their dilapidated old trade schooner may be haunted, but it survived conversion into the world’s first harpy aircraft carrier. And more importantly, it was cheap.

Can a misfit crew of humans and monsters overcome creepy creatures, mysterious magical phenomena, and the whims of the Empress of the Ice? How does a couple get alone time on a ship, when one of them is the size of the ship? And will Darin and Rinloh finally put the naughty in nautical?

Join Arvia's most eclectic heroic duo for adventures on the high seas! Caution: may contain questionable relationship advice, gratuitous human + nonhuman cuddle sequences, and/or singing.

BBNYA2024 Blog Tour Spotlight ~ 2nd Place Finalist ~ A Necromancer Called Gam Gam by Adam Holcombe

A grandmotherly necromancer seeking resolution for her past with the help of her loyal entourage: an undead cat and a spectral knight.

A girl on the run from the Eternal Empire for the mysterious power she possesses.

When a chance encounter pulls them together, Gam Gam will do what it takes to protect Mina from the rogue sergeant hounding her–including raising the dead. As long as they're dressed for the occasion.

Cover Reveal ~ Arvia: Fangs of the Frost by D.H. Willison

Being sent on a quest to save an entire city and granted the city’s full resources is a grand honor. Unless that city is Xin, with no resources to speak of.

A magical secret from Xin’s past threatens the city’s future, and Darin must lead a rag-tag group to a frigid city at the end of the world to save it. Their dilapidated old trade schooner may be haunted, but it survived conversion into the world’s first harpy aircraft carrier. And more importantly, it was cheap.

Can a misfit crew of humans and monsters overcome creepy creatures, mysterious magical phenomena, and the whims of the Empress of the Ice? How does a couple get alone time on a ship, when one of them is the size of the ship? And will Darin and Rinloh finally put the naughty in nautical?

Join Arvia's most eclectic heroic duo for adventures on the high seas! Caution: may contain questionable relationship advice, gratuitous human + nonhuman cuddle sequences, and/or singing.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ BBNYA2024 Blog Tours: Finalists 4 & 3

 

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Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

BBNYA2024 Blog Tour Spotlight ~ 5th Place Finalist ~ Madame Eldridge's Wayward Home for Unruly Boys by Benjamin Ryan

Deep in the heart of Virginia’s dense backwoods, the Wayward Home for Unruly Boys hides more than just troubled youth. Under Madame Eldridge’s watchful eye, three strict rules govern their behavior

1. What happens here stays here.

2. You must complete all eight steps—no exceptions allowed.

3. Forget your name; you’ll be known only by your problem.

But, there’s one unspoken rule that sends shivers down the boys' never enter the forbidden third-floor bedroom of the boy who vanished, leaving nothing behind but whispers.

When Vandalize and Stealer defy this warning, they uncover a treasure trove of bewitched artifacts, each with a strange and powerful ability. Using these relics, the boys tackle Madame Eldridge’s whimsical—and often bizarre—challenges, only to learn magic always demands its price.

Amidst the chaos, Fibbsy stumbles upon a peculiar object that sends him hurtling back in time, revealing an unfathomable truth about Madame Eldridge, the eerie town, and the missing boy’s fate. But who will trust the words of a liar?

Bound by the house’s darkest mysteries, Fibbsy, Defiance, Slob, and Secret form an unlikely friendship as they race to unveil the shrouded secrets surrounding the Wayward Home. Together, they confront their deepest fears, uncovering that the real magic lies in facing their own personal demons—and each other.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ BBNYA2024 Blog Tours: Finalists 8 & 7

 

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Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

BBNYA2024 Blog Tour Spotlight ~ 7th Place Finalist ~ Glunda the Veg Witch by Keith W. Dickinson

“A witch’s boots told the story of her life. They showed you where she’d been, where she was going, and what kind of a witch she would be when she got there. And, most importantly, they were proof that said witch was not someone to be trifled with. She was to be listened to, and obeyed, and yes sometimes even feared, because her wisdom was hard earned and her wrath swift and mighty. They would have to be, for her to have lived in such boots for so many a year. No one trusted a witch in brand new boots, and rightly so as far as Glunda was concerned.”

Glunda Ashwillow is on top of the world. About to become head witch, and the youngest ever Guardian of the Golden Key, the only thing standing in her way is her old enemy, the Drupe Mages. They have the key, and they're not willing to give it up without a fight.

With a coven of quarrelsome witches to contend with, and a fief full of farmers on the verge of revolt, can Glunda beat the mages and get the key before she runs out of veg? Or is there a cold, hard, carrot-less winter ahead for all concerned?

A tale of heroism and hotpots, Glunda The Veg Witch is a fun fantasy adventure everyone can enjoy.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour: The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

 

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The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour Spotlight: The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

Welcome to a fantasy world where edible magic is the hottest commodity, traded between those who can pay or - in the case of Jude Ripon, the youngest thief in Farrowfell - those who can steal it!

Twelve-year-old Jude Ripon has never been taken seriously by her family of magic-stealing masterminds. To them, she's just the youngest, only good for keeping watch while they carry out daring heists.

Desperate to prove her worth, Jude decides to steal valuable magic from the fanciest house in town . . .

But Jude's stolen prize was protected by a curse which threatens to wreak havoc on the family business.

While attempting to untangle the mess she's made (and wondering why anyone would want to curse an honest thief trying to earn a living), Jude discovers just how far her family will go to stay at the top of the criminal world.

Suddenly, her quest to become a true Ripon isn't straightforward any more . . .

BBNYA2024 Blog Tour Spotlight ~ 10th Place Finalist ~ The Last Lunar Witch by S.F. Henne

I only wanted to control my magic, but a single potion catapulted my life into chaos…

I’m Nyssa Thornheart, a witch with broken magic. I escaped to the big city to pursue my passion for alchemy, and hide from my coven until I fix my powers.

If my unstable gifts are exposed, they will be stripped away. To live without magic, that’s a fate worse than death. So I drank a long-forgotten potion in a desperate bid to harness my volatile powers.

But when I’m cornered by thugs, I unleash a rare and dangerous magic, tearing the veil between our world and a demonic realm. My new powers are growing stronger and resist every attempt to subdue them.

Now I’m a hunted witch, pursued by both demonic creatures and authorities determined to protect our realm from the threat I pose.

Can I master my magic, or will I have to sacrifice my powers before the city falls to demons?

For fans of Heather G. Harris and Lindsay Buroker, The Last Lunar Witch is the first book in the Lunar Order Chronicles. An urban fantasy series filled with strong women, found family, inner growth, and cozy vibes mixed with heart-pounding action. Dive into S.F. Henne’s gripping adventure now!

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ BBNYA2024 Blog Tours: Finalists 12 & 11

 

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Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

The Starlight Witch by Kim Richardson ~ Audiobook Review

Accepting my new gig could be my doom…

After fifteen years of marriage, I catch my husband cheating on me. What do I do? I laugh, which probably wasn’t the reaction he expected.

And then I laughed some more.

So, when a job comes my way from The Twilight Hotel—a paranormal hotel in midtown Manhattan that serves as a sanctuary and residence—I take it.

Cue in tattooed, sexy as sin, grumpy restaurant owner Valen, who can’t do drama or high-maintenance women. The problem? He’s cruel and dangerous.

And he’s hiding something.

Rumors arise of a dark spell that would mean the hotel's closure, and I don’t know who I can trust. Do I have what it takes to fight this new evil? We’ll see.

Brace yourselves. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Starlight Witch is perfect for fans of urban fantasy, mystery, slow-burn romance, and humor. Get ready for this heart-pounding and laugh-out-loud magical adventure!

BBNYA2024 Blog Tour ~ 12th Place Finalist ~ Undine's Blessing by Tessa Hastjarjanto

A dutiful daughter, a mystical archipelago, and a hidden power waiting to command the tides...

Marella spends her days caring for her sick mother and selling her father's fish. Bound by duty and love, she dreams little of adventure. But when her mother must travel to the city for treatment, her father takes her out to sea, despite her fear of water.

A storm steers them to Emberrain, home to a tribe of magical nymphs and a place of secrets, where Marella discovers a startling truth: her father is a frequent visitor to these mysterious islands. Soon she learns that Emberrain isn't the only secret he had kept from her.

Marella has the power to control water and communicate with aquatic animals.

Overwhelmed by the magical but dangerous islands, and the secrets of her father, Marella must learn to harness her powers to save herself and her new aquatic friend before they are separated from their parents forever.

Undine's Blessing is a journey of wonder, where fears are faced and mysteries unravel, and a young girl learns that true adventure begins when you dare to embrace who you truly are.