Spotlight & Playlist: Blade & Thistle, by Jacinda Hale

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Title: Blade & Thistle
Series: Itheni Bound Book One
Author: Jacinda Hale
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Tropes: #WhyChoose, MMFM
Release Date: May 18, 2023
Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations

 

Her father’s army came to conquer their homeland, but the barbarians of the Harrows will be the ones to conquer her.

Vasenia has hated her life in Eretamia ever since her father, Imperator Supreme of the Sadoran Army, forced her to join him on his military campaign. The cold, gloomy, backwater colony provides none of the high society of the capital. When her betrothed retrieves her for their wedding in the imperial city, Vasenia assumes the gods have finally shined their favor upon her.

Until her caravan is attacked along the forbidden, northern border and Vasenia finds herself in a hell far worse than Eretamia at the mercy of three ruthless warriors. No, not warriors–Harrow demons.

Barbarians. Savages. Harrow demons. Warriors Marek, Gaeb, and Ryfin know their people, the half-fae Itheni, are known by many names. Few who live south of the magical border that protects their home understand the Itheni, least of all the Sadoran invaders.

But when the three warriors rescue a Sadoran woman on their trek home, they discover she’s more than just another invader. She’s half-fae too, a descendent of the lost women whose connection to their people was severed by a curse a thousand years ago.

When an ancient bond links her to them, Marek, Gaeb, and Ryfin realize they have no choice; they must bring their enemy home. But if they want to keep her, they’ll have to claim her and reconnect her to the fae by the only means they have: pleasure.

 

 

 

 

Jacinda Hale writes steamy romance and resides mostly in her head where it’s always a crisp, fall day and all the lovers are at least a little bit enemies first. When real life beckons and she has to leave behind her fantastical worlds, she can be found hoarding the mango Jolly Ranchers and explaining to anyone who will listen that watching Dateline and reality dating shows has taught her three things: (1) always ask for a lawyer, (2) never date a pharmaceutical rep, and (3) don’t trust anyone who says they’ve learned something from watching Dateline and reality dating shows.
 

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Book Blitz, playlist & Author Interview: Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft, by Mandy M. Roth

cloudy with a chance of witchcraft

Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft Cover

Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft
(Grimm Cove Book 1)
by Mandy M. Roth
Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Romance

When it rains, it pours…and sometimes love finds you even when you can’t find yourself.

Fate has given me a second chance at the happiness I once knew in the odd Southern town of Grimm Cove. But only if I can come to terms with some rather eye-opening revelations. Supernaturals are a real thing. I’m a witch. My high school sweetheart, who happens to be the Chief of Police in Grimm Cove, is my fated mate and a wolf-shifter. Ghosts exist and can be very nosy and meddlesome. Someone is murdering witches left and right. And last but not least, my ex-husband’s barely legal arm candy is taking fatal attraction to new levels of Hell.

I’m no shrinking violet, and with the help of my best friends, I’m going to live life on my terms–come Hell, high water, or magikal mishaps.

Catch while it’s free! Amazon US / UK / CA / AU


Author Interview:

Q: What was your inspiration for the Grimm Cove series and its unique setting?

A: I’ve lived in a lot of small towns in my life. Using one as a backdrop for the Grimm Cove series felt right. I loved how everyone knows everyone, yet there are so many secrets that are just below the surface. I married this with my obsession with gothic literature, classic Hollywood horror films, old television shows like The Addams Family, The Munsters, and Bewitched, and my overall quirky sense of humor. The end result was Grimm Cove, and I couldn’t be happier.

Q: Can you tell us more about the protagonist of the series and what readers can expect from her journey?

A: Poppy Proctor is the protagonist of Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft. If the last name sounds familiar, it’s because I borrowed it from the Salem Witch Trials. Not only were a number of the accused from the Proctor family, but also the name of an area where some believe the executions might have actually taken place rather than Gallows Hill summit. Poppy comes from a long line of powerful witches but never believed her grandmother and grandfather’s talk of it. She just assumed they were eccentric. All that changes for her when she finds her marriage of nineteen years coming to a fast end and finds herself the target of an evil entity out to steal her powers.

Q: The book deals with a multitude of supernatural beings and elements. How did you approach this in the book?

A: In approaching the supernatural elements of the book, I wanted to create a believable and relatable world. Anyone who has read my work knows I put countless weeks and often months into reaching everything that goes into the story. The supernatural elements were no different. I researched different types of supernatural creatures and their powers and tried to incorporate that in a way that was both authentic and exciting.

Q: One of the prominent themes of the book is love. Can you tell us more about the romantic aspect of the book?

A: The romantic aspect of the book is a big part of the story and deals with the concept of fated mates. Readers learn straightaway that Poppy has been burned by love more than once. Her first love, her teenage sweetheart, broke her heart and never spoke to her again. Then, her husband of nineteen years announced he wasn’t in love with her anymore and was seeing someone else. Thankfully, Poppy has two besties who are basically her ride-or-die bitches (or, in this case, witches), willing to do anything for her. Even if that means uprooting their lives and moving with her to the tiny town of Grimm Cove to start over at the age of forty. Poppy isn’t looking for love after having two rather unpleasant experiences, but Fate steps in, giving her a second chance with her first love.

Her teenage sweetheart is now the sheriff of Grimm Cove, and she’s quick to learn there is more to Brett Kasper than meets the eye.

Q: Can you give us a hint of what readers can expect in the next book of the series?

A: I can’t give away too much without spoiling Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft, but readers can expect more danger and mysteries in Grimm Cove, as well as get a front-row seat as Dana, one of Poppy’s ride-or-die-witches, learns that supernaturals are real and that she just so happens to be a fated mate of one. Hexing with a Chance of Tornadoes also has a deeper exploration of the other supernatural beings in the town and how they fit into the larger narrative. Additionally, readers will be taken deeper into the gothic literature angle that is unfolding within the series world.



Author Bio: 

Mandy M RothNY Times & USA Today bestselling author Mandy M. Roth®  loves 80s music and movies and wishes leg warmers would come back into fashion. She also thinks the movie The Breakfast Club should be mandatory viewing for…okay, everyone. When she’s not dancing around her office to the sounds of the 80s, she’s busy writing paranormal operatives and kick-butt urban fantasy heroines.

Mandy’s Website
Mandy’s Newsletter
Mandy’s Facebook Reader Group
Mandy’s TikTok
Mandy’s Instagram
Mandy’s Twitter

Spotlight, Spotify Playlist & Author Interview: Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck, by Mandy M. Roth

thunder with a chance of lovestruck

thunder with a chance of lovestruck cover

Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
(Grimm Cove Book 5)
by Mandy M. Roth
Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Romance Novel

When Detective Drest Bright meets his newest charge, sparks literally fly. There is no denying the instant attraction he feels for Rachael Frankenstein. But she’s off-limits, and he knows as much. Her family has been a thorn in the side of the Nightshade Fae Hunters for over a hundred years, and they aren’t about to let him run off into the sunset with her without a fight. But if it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight they’ll get because this lovestruck Fae will do anything he can to be with his mate again.

Amazon Buy Links: US / UK / AU / CA / DE


Author Interview:

Q: Can you tell us a little about your newest release, Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck?

A: I’d love to! Thank you for asking! Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck is the fifth book in my Grimm Cove series. It follows the nearly forty-year love affair of Detective Drest Bright and Rachael Frankenstein.

 

Q: Frankenstein? Like Mary Shelley’s classic tale? 

A: Yes! Exactly like that! I took inspiration from Shelley’s work because I have a deep love for her novel. Rachael is a descendant of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. In my books, the Frankenstein family has been under the watchful eye of the Nightshade Fae Clan. They’re known for policing supernaturals. They imposed sanctions on the Frankenstein family after Victor created a monster and brought it to life.

The Nightshade Fae strictly prohibit any kind of romantic relationship between their Hunters and their chargers. Since Drest is Rachael’s assigned Hunter, no hanky-panky is allowed between them. Spoiler alert: there is totally hanky-panky between them.

 

Q: What part of the book was the most fun to write?

A: I loved getting to write scenes with the villain. I’ll often go back in when the book is at the halfway point to make a villain even more wicked. It’s also fun to write scenes that include characters from previous books in the series world. I like to do updates about them this way.

 

Q: How much research did you need to do for your book? 

A: There was a ton of research that went into it, but I love doing research, so I don’t mind. If anyone is interested, I have the sources I used listed on my website in a blog post.

 

Q: Why did the book order change for the Grimm Cove series? 

A: Originally, Willa and Jonathan Harker’s story was going to come after Starry with a Chance of Nightshade (book four), but that book took on a life of its own. By the time it was finished, it was painfully clear to me that Drest and Rachael needed to have their story told before Willa and Jonathan.

 

Q: Are Will and Jonathan still getting a story? 

A: For sure! It’s titled Wind with a Chance of Wolfsbane, and I’m hoping to release it very soon.


Spotify Playlist for Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck


Author Bio: 

Mandy M RothNY Times & USA Today bestselling author Mandy M. Roth®  loves 80s music and movies and wishes leg warmers would come back into fashion. She also thinks the movie The Breakfast Club should be mandatory viewing for…okay, everyone. When she’s not dancing around her office to the sounds of the 80s, she’s busy writing paranormal operatives and kick-butt urban fantasy heroines.

Mandy’s Website
Mandy’s Newsletter
Mandy’s Facebook Reader Group
Mandy’s TikTok
Mandy’s Instagram
Mandy’s Twitter

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