Happy Thanksgiving

💛🧡🤎🍂🍂🍂🍂💛🧡🤎🧡💛🍂🍂🍂🍂🤎🧡💛 

Hi all! Sorry I've been quiet on the blog, I've been hosting a giveaway over on my Instagram page.

It's my 3rd annual Booksgiving!

Each day I share a book series or an author I'm so thankful for. 

I'm giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card* at the end of the celebration so you have plenty of time to enter! The giveaway ends Monday, December 1st! www.instagram.com/b.haney.946

Comment daily for more chances to win! 

Giveaway ends Monday, December 1, 2025!

*Due to Amazon restrictions, giveaway is for US readers only*

**Instagram/Meta is not responsible for this giveaway**

💛🧡🤎🍂🍂🍂🍂💛🧡🤎🧡💛🍂🍂🍂🍂🤎🧡💛 

This year has been so hard for so many people. I know I've struggled mentally, physically, and emotionally. I am so thankful that I have the ability and the freedom to run a blog and share my reviews of all the wonderful books I've read and experienced. This is a blessing and a privilege I do not take for granted.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and blessed holiday.

 💛🧡🤎 Elizabeth 🤎🧡💛

Veterans Romance Reading Recommendations

 Since it's Veterans Day, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite romance reads featuring military veterans. Each story moved me in one way or another and changed me in ways I can't even describe. 

Thank you to the authors who recognize the importance of military representation in literature. Thank you for bringing these characters to life and humanizing the trials and tribulations and the struggles active duty soldiers, veterans, and their families face every day while championing their strength and perseverance. 

🔹🔹🔷Heart of a Hero series by Laura Trentham🔷🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔷Worth the Fall by Claudia Connor🔷🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔷New Orleans series by Karen Rose🔷🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔷SBG series by P.A. DePaul🔷🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔷Hard Ink series by Laura Kaye🔷🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔷Nick & Noel's Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall🔷🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔷Deep Ops series by Rebecca Zanetti🔷🔹🔹

What are some of your favorite books featuring the military, soldiers, or veterans?

Please share with us!

Review: Jingle Spells by Emily Grimoire

Jingle Spells is Book 2 in Emily Grimoire's Oak Haven series.

Oak Haven is a magically spelled small town full of witches. This is a fun-loving paranormal romance series. Jingle Spells is set at Christmas time and is currently on sale for 99 Cents through several retail sites! 

Grab your copy today HERE*

About the Book

Delilah hates Christmas. She’s a strong independent witch who has finally left her hometown of Oak Haven and is off forging her own path. But an emergency drags her back just in time for the holidays.

Jasper is a human who also hates Christmas. He’s attempting to avoid festivities when he stumbles into the magical world of Oak Haven – a place which definitely isn't supposed to exist – and sees things which should be impossible.

When chaos erupts in the town, Delilah and Jasper must join forces to restore order. They should be the perfect team. Their only problem? Their growing attraction to each other might be distracting them from their work…

Perfect for fans of:

Forced proximity ☀️

Witchy aesthetic 🔮✨

Cozy small town 🍂☕

Sisterhood and found family 👯

My Review

This is my first read by Emily Grimoire and I was pleasantly surprised by the playfulness of the storyline and the witty banter of this colorful cast of characters.

I’ve neither watched Gilmore Girls or Charmed so I’m not sure I can cosign on the promise that this book is perfect for those particular fans. But what I can say is that Jingle Spells has loads of surprises, merriment, Christmas cheer, and a sense of community that’ll warm your heart and tickle your funny bone. 

I liked the attention to detail of Oak Haven’s origin story and enjoyed reading about the unique twist the author took on witch folklore. 

Delilah and Jasper had pretty good chemistry. They complemented each other well, but I would’ve liked to have a little more romance in the story. They are great partners in mischief though and made my heart happy as often as they tore it in two.

What I really loved was the special bond between Delilah and her sisters, Scarlett and Luna. They are wickedly fun, equally stubborn, and so loveable. 

Jingle Spells is a delightful read full of whimsy, witchery, and wonder. It was a joy to read and I’m looking forward to the next book. 

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books

Kobo | Google Play

About the Author

Emily Grimoire is the author of Impractical Magic. She was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. After graduating with a degree in History from the prestigious Smith College, she found solace from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in her storytelling. In addition to her writing, Emily is known for her philanthropy and dedication to various charitable causes. She serves on the boards of several cultural institutions and volunteers as a docent at a local whaling museum. Despite her success, Emily remains devoted to her ungrateful daughter and a granddaughter who turned out much better than expected.

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

New Release: The Bridge Kingdom Deluxe Hardcover Edition by Danielle L. Jensen

The first novel of the bestselling Bridge Kingdom series, now in a stunning deluxe hardcover edition, featuring:

♦ Designed sprayed edges

♦ A deluxe jacket with new cover art

♦ A full-color illustrated book case with new character art

♦ A new interior black-and-white map

♦ Designed endpapers

♦ A spine design that will stretch across future deluxe hardcover editions in the series

These edges are GORGEOUS!!!

And an equally gorgeous print on the hardcover!

About the Book

Begin a sweeping, sizzling fantasy romance filled with political intrigue and passionate love, from the New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood.

A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees.

The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom of Ithicana enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara’s homeland. So when she’s sent there as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses—and the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. As her feelings for her husband transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save . . . and which she’ll destroy.

Also includes the bonus chapters from the paperback reissue: “The Wedding” from Ahnna’s point of view and “The Capture” from Jor’s point of view

Excerpt

 

1

Lara

Lara rested her elbows on the low sandstone wall, her eyes fixed on the glowing sun descending over the distant mountain peaks, nothing between here and there but scorching sand dunes, scorpions, and the occasional lizard. Impassable for anyone without a good camel, the correct provisions, and a healthy dose of luck.

Not that she hadn’t been tempted to try more than once.

A gong was struck, the reverberations echoing over the compound. It had called her to dinner every night for the last fifteen years, but tonight it rattled through her like a war drum. Lara took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then turned, striding across the training yard in the direction of the towering palms, her rose-­colored skirts whispering against her legs. All eleven of her half sisters were converging on the same place, each dressed in a different gown, the color carefully selected by their Mistress of Aesthetics to complement their features.

Lara detested pink, but no one had asked for her opinion.

After fifteen years caged within the compound, tonight would be the sisters’ last here together, and their Master of Meditation had ordered them to spend the hour before dinner in a favored location, contemplating all they had learned and all they would accomplish with the tools they’d been given.

Or at least, what one of them would accomplish.

The scent of the oasis drifted over Lara on the faintest of breezes. The smell of fruits and leafy things, the char of cooking meat, and, above all, water. Precious, precious water. The compound was located on one of the few springs in the midst of the Red Desert, but far off caravan routes. Isolated. Secret.

Just the way their father, the king of Maridrina, liked it. And from what she’d been told about him, he was a man who always got what he wanted, one way or another.

Pausing at the edge of the training yard, Lara brushed the bottoms of her feet against her calves, dusting off the sand before sliding on delicate, high-­heeled sandals, her balance as steady as though she wore combat boots.

Click, click, click. Her heels echoed the frantic beat of her heart as she walked down the pathway of mosaic tile and crossed the small bridge, the gentle sound of stringed instruments rising above the gurgle of water. The musicians had arrived with her father’s entourage to provide the entertainment for tonight’s festivities.

She doubted they’d be making the return journey.

A bead of sweat trickled down her back, the strap holding a knife against her inner thigh already damp. You will not die tonight, she silently chanted. Not tonight.

Lara and her sisters converged on the center of the oasis, a courtyard encircled by the spring, which turned it into an island of greenery. They walked toward the enormous table draped with silk and heavy with the silverware required for the dozen or more courses waiting in the wings. Servants, all of them mute, stood behind the thirteen chairs, eyes fixed on their feet. As the women approached, they drew the chairs back, and Lara sat without looking, knowing the rose-colored cushion would be beneath her.

None of the sisters spoke.

Underneath the table, Lara felt a hand grip hers. She allowed her eyes to flick to her left, briefly meeting Sarhina’s gaze, before returning to her plate. All twelve of them were the king’s daughters, now twenty years of age, each born by a different one of his wives. Lara and her half sisters had been brought to this secret place to undergo training that no Maridrinian girl had ever before received. Training that was now complete.

Lara’s stomach twisted sour, and she dropped Sarhina’s hand, the feel of her closest sister’s skin, cool and dry relative to her own, making her want to be sick.

The gong sounded again, and the musicians went silent as the girls rose to their feet. A heartbeat later, their father appeared, his silver hair gleaming in the lamplight as he traversed the path ­toward them, his azure eyes identical to those of every girl present. Sweat ran in rivulets down Lara’s legs even as her training had her take in every detail. The indigo of his coat. The worn leather of his boots. The sword belted at his waist. And, as he turned to walk around the table, the faintest outline of the blade hidden along his spine.

When he sat, Lara and her sisters followed suit, none of them making a sound.

“Daughters.” Leaning back in his chair, Silas Veliant, the king of Maridrina, smiled, waited for his taster to nod, then took a long mouthful of wine. All of them mirrored the motion, but Lara barely tasted the crimson liquid as it crossed her tongue.

“You are my most prized of possessions,” he said, waving his glass to encompass them all. “Of the twenty of my progeny who were brought here, you are all that survive. That you do, that you thrive, is an achievement, for the training you’ve received would’ve been a test for the best of men. And you are not men.”

It was only that very training that kept Lara from narrowing her eyes. From showing any emotion at all.

“All of you were brought here so that I might determine which of you is best. Which of you will be my knife in the dark. Which of you will become queen of Ithicana.” His eyes had all the compassion of one of the scorpions in the desert. “Which of you will fracture Ithicana’s defenses, and, in doing so, allow Maridrina to return to its former glory.”

Lara nodded once, all of her sisters doing the same. There was no anticipation. At least, not for their father’s choice. It had been made days ago, and Marylyn sat at the opposite end of the table, her golden hair braided like a crown at her brow, her dress lamé to match. Marylyn had been the obvious choice: brilliant, gracious, beautiful as the sunrise—­and as alluring as the sunset.

No, the anticipation was for what would come next. The choice had been made as to who would be offered to the crown prince—­king, now—­of the kingdom of Ithicana. What remained unknown was what would become of the rest of them. They were of royal blood, and that made them worth something.

All the sisters, Marylyn included, had gathered close on a pile of pillows the last two nights, each of them speculating as to their fates. To whom of the king’s viziers might they be wed. To which other realms might they be offered as brides. Neither the man nor the kingdom mattered. What every girl cared about was that it would be freedom from this place.

But all those long nights, Lara had rested on the outskirts, offering nothing, using the time to watch her sisters. To love them. To remember how she had fought each of them as often as she had hugged them tight. Their smiles. Their eyes. The way, even past childhood, they nestled together like a pile of puppies newly away from their mother.

Because Lara knew what the others did not: that their father intended for only one sister to leave the compound. And that would be the future queen of Ithicana.

A salad garnished with cheese and vibrant fruit was placed before her, and Lara ate mechanically. You will live, you will live, you will live, she chanted to herself.

“For as long as memory, Ithicana has placed a stranglehold on trade, making kingdoms and breaking them like it were some dark god.” Her father addressed them, his eyes flaring bright. “My father, and his father, and his father before him all sought to break the Bridge Kingdom. With assassins, with war, with blockades, with every tool at their disposal. But not one of them thought to use a woman.”

He smiled slyly. “Maridrinian women are soft. They are weak. They are good for nothing more than keeping house and raising children. Except for you twelve.”

Lara didn’t blink. None of her sisters did, and she wondered for a breath whether he realized that every one of them was considering stabbing him in the heart over the insult of his words. He should know well that every one of them was capable of doing it.

Her father continued, “Fifteen years ago, the king of Ithicana demanded a bride for his son and heir as tribute. As payment.” His lip curled up in a sneer. “The bastard is a year dead, but his son has called in his due. And Maridrina is ready.” His eyes went to Marylyn, then to the servants moving to clear the salad plates.

In the shadows of the growing night, Lara sensed movement. Felt the presence of the mass of soldiers her father had brought with him. The servants reappeared with steaming bowls of soup, the scent of cinnamon and leeks drifting ahead of them.

“Ithicana’s greed, its hubris, its contempt for you, will be its downfall.”

Lara allowed her eyes to leave her father’s face, taking in each one of her sisters. With all their training, all their knowledge of his plans, he never intended for any of them, save his chosen one, to live an hour past this dinner.

The soups were placed before them, and every one of her sisters waited for their father’s taster to take the first mouthful and nod. Then they picked up their spoons and dutifully began to eat.

Lara did the same.

Excerpted from The Bridge Kingdom (Deluxe Edition) by Danielle L. Jensen. Copyright © 2024 by Danielle L. Jensen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Purchase Links

Penguin Random House*

About the Author

Photo: © Marwa Hurley

Danielle L. Jensen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood, A Curse Carved in Bone, and the Bridge Kingdom, Dark Shores, and Malediction series. Her novels are published internationally in twenty-one languages. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her family and guinea pigs. Learn more at danielleljensen.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Nalini Singh's Cover Reveal: Archangel's Eternity (Guild Hunter #18)

OMG! Nalini Singh just released the cover of Archangel's Eternity and it is absolutely STUNNING!!!

Sadly, Archangel's Eternity is the final book in Nalini's Guild Hunter series and it's only fitting that it should have the prettiest cover!!! Thank you to Tony Mauro and Rita Frangie for this masterpiece! 

🤍💜💛🖤💛💜🤍ARCHANGEL'S ETERNITY🤍💜💛🖤💛💜🤍

Coming May 2026

Elena and Raphael return for the hauntingly poignant conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s genre-defining Guild Hunter series.

A thousand years.

It’s been a millennium since Elena’s fateful first meeting with Archangel Raphael. She has survived war and loss, experienced beauty and cruelty. But no matter what, she has always held on to her mortal heart, as she and Raphael have held on to each other. Passionate and vibrant, they’ve built a life that has stood the test of time, growing ever stronger with each turn of the sun.

But change is coming—of a magnitude they could have never imagined—and it will forever alter the trajectory of their existence.

Even as they grapple with the cataclysmic shift in their personal lives, the Cadre of Ten, which has maintained a hard-won peace for centuries, begins to simmer with dangerous fault lines. The specter of madness looms in one archangel, the promise of war burns between two others, and in darkness far from mortal and immortal eyes stirs an ancient, slumbering power.

Suddenly, the future is terrifyingly uncertain . . . at the very moment that Elena and her archangel need to protect a treasure infinitely more precious than eternity.

🤍💜💛🖤Pre-order Links🖤💛💜🤍

North America (more links to follow)*

Ebook 

Kindle | KindleCa | AppleBooks | AppleBooksCa | Bookshop | Kobo | NOOK 

Mass market paperback

Amazon | AmazonCa |B&N | BAM | Bookshop | Indigo

Audio: links to follow

International (more links to follow)*

Ebook 

AppleBooksAu | AppleBooksNZ | AppleBooksUK | GooglePlay

KindleAu | KindleUK | Kobo

Paperback

Booktopia | Waterstones

Audio: links to follow

🤍💜💛🖤About the Author🖤💛💜🤍

Photo: © Sharyn Barratt

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the temples of Japan, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer.

She is the author of the Psy-Changeling novels, including Primal Mirror, Resonance Surge, and Storm Echo. She is also the author of the Guild Hunter series, including Archangel’s Lineage, Archangel’s Resurrection, and Archangel’s Light, and three stand-alone thrillers: There Should Have Been Eight, Quiet in Her Bones, and A Madness of Sunshine. Learn more at nalinisingh.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Read-Along Review: Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews

I am so excited to be taking part in Books of My Heart's annual Read-Along! 

This year, the blog picked The Edge and Innkeeper Chronicles series by Ilona Andrews!

Sweep in Peace is the second book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series and is an exciting story full of action, adventure, subterfuge, and surprises!

About the Book

From the New York Times #1 bestselling author, Ilona Andrews, comes a fun and action-packed new adventure in the Innkeeper Chronicles! We invite you to relax, enjoy yourself, and above all, remember the one rule all visitors must obey: the humans must never know.

Life is busier than ever for Innkeeper, Dina DeMille and Sean Evans. But it’s about to get even more chaotic when Sean’s werewolf mentor is kidnapped. To find him, they must host an intergalactic spouse-search for one of the most powerful rulers in the Galaxy. Dina is never one to back down from a challenge. That is, if she can manage her temperamental Red Cleaver chef; the consequences of her favorite Galactic ex-tyrant’s dark history; the tangled politics of an interstellar nation, and oh, yes, keep the wedding candidates from a dozen alien species from killing each other. Not to mention the Costco lady.

They say love is a battlefield; but Dina and Sean are determined to limit the casualties!

 

My Review

My review is showcased on Books of My Heart blog for the final book of  The Edge and Innkeeper Chronicles series! There are also a couple of amazing giveaways!!! Check out the review HERE

Purchase Links

Ilona Andrews Website*

Want to join the fun? Visit Books of My Heart's blog post HERE!

Don't forget to enter the giveaways!

About the Author

“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

They have co-authored several bestselling series, including the #1 NYT bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles, which they post as a free weekly serial. For complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at Ilona-andrews.com.

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Review: My Big Fat Vampire Wedding by Jessica Gadziala

The perfect fake relationship, spooky, sexy romance you NEED!

About the Book

Pandora has real problems. She still lives with her parents, she’s working a dead-end job and, oh yeah, she’s a vampire who must get married by her birthday in three months’ time or she won’t inherit the ancient family fortune.

One slight catch: she’s single.

She manages to find her perfect fake husband: her work crush, Victor, a PhD student with mountains of student debt. She can marry him, inherit, pay off his debt and divorce him. It’s a foolproof plan – well, unless Victor discovers she’s a vampire…

But the road to the altar won’t be an easy one for this vampire and human couple. Pandora’s little crush on Victor is growing, and with their big fat vampire wedding looming, will their promise of ‘till death do us part’ be fake after all?

My Review

My Big Fat Vampire Wedding tickles the funny bone and the imagination in this quirky and unique twist on vampires and the fake dating trope!

Normally, I steer clear of the fake dating/fiancé stuff because it starts the relationship off on a lie and peeves me off, but something about the blurb snagged my attention and I had to find out more.

I couldn’t really find the words to eloquently describe my feelings so I just went with bullet points of all the reasons why I loved the book (and why you should read it)!

🦇Funny and heartfelt
🦇Loads of laughs 
🦇Big, boisterous family
🦇Wonderfully crafted characters
🦇Meddling relatives
🦇Talking raven
🦇Vampires
🦇Loads of otherworldly creatures
🦇Quirky, fun-loving
🦇Heartwarming
🦇Slow burn
🦇Bucking traditions
🦇Challenging the status quo
🦇Forging your own path
🦇Being true to yourself

I absolutely loved this book and I hope the author has more stories planned in this enchanting paranormal universe.

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by Avon Books UK via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links

Harper Collins Website

About the Author

Jessica Gadziala is a USA TODAY Bestselling author of over 100 romance novels. She is a big believer in strong heroines, well-rounded side characters, and heroes who know how to treat their women. 

Jessica lives in New Jersey with her parrots, dogs, rabbits, and a whole flock of chickens and ducks. Learn more at jessicagadziala.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.