by Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Debbie Wiley Did you guys hear my loud squeals of joy over some of the recent urban fantasy novels? This summer has been the book equivalent of winning the jackpot as far as I’m concerned. Earlier this summer, we had Kim Harrison return with AMERICAN DEMON but now we have several of my other favorite authors also releasing books. Let’s face it… I’m not really going anywhere regardless (thanks, Covid-19) but who wants to leave the house anyway when such great books are at my fingertips? So let’s skip the chatter and my squeals of joy and jump right into the books! It’s been six years since we’ve had a new Dresden Files book from Jim Butcher. Six looooonnnng years. And now, we have PEACE TALKS out with BATTLE GROUNDS soon to follow in the same year! Ah, this almost makes up for some of the misery of 2020. In PEACE TALKS, various supernatural entities are gathering in Chicago in an attempt to broker a peace deal. The White Council is assisting with security, and Harry Dresden finds himself in a dubious position as his support within the Council is wavering. Worse yet, his vampire half-brother is…

Master storyteller Vito Zuppardo lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Born and raised in New Orleans, he knows the best places in the city and writes about them all. In his Voodoo Lucy series of books, he combines the intrigue of the historic French Quarter, New Orleans voodoo practices, Creole cuisine, and unique architectural styles. The characters in this series are multifaceted, intelligent, charming, daring, and outrageous. They provide interesting backdrops to settings of stories about murders, gangs, drugs, shady politics, along with fascinating relationships. The interactions between criminals, law enforcement officials, residents, and those who work and play in New Orleans offer a rich, captivating look at this distinct city. Here are quotes from the three books that describe the people, places, and stories that will keep readers engaged and wanting to know more about Voodoo Lucy. Tupelo Gypsy, book 1, June 2018 The French Quarter never slept. Jazz music wafted out of clubs until the first sign of morning, to be replaced by the much less agreeable clanks and screeches of a garbage truck picking up trash in the alleyway that separated Bourbon and Royal. Her real name was Lucinda Jones, and most recently, she was known as Voodoo…

chapter two HOT LUMBERJERK Blaire “My name is Blaire, not Alice, thank you very much.” I want to smack myself for that terrible, unimpressive comeback. I blame my inability to come up with something–anything–better on thinking we were in the middle of an earthquake, the loss of one of my precious unicorn martini glasses that I honestly cannot afford to replace, and this ax-wielding hipster. Oh, did I forget to mention that beyond the fact that he’s filthy and dressed like some kind of GQ lumber-jack, he’s also incredibly good-looking? “Well, Blaire, you’re standing in the middle of a construction zone, and I’m pretty sure those shoes don’t meet the required code, so you can march them right back out the door.” He uses the axe handle to point to my heels–which are adorable and surprisingly comfortable. I take a step back. “Pointing is rude.” Where the hell has my quick wit disappeared to? “So is trespassing.” “I knocked, more than once, but with all the racket going on in here it’s not really a surprise that no one heard me, is it?” I’m irritated and gathering steam, thanks to my embarrassment, residual fear, and frustration over the problems this…

Hi all! My Name is Mariah Ankenman and I’m so excited to be here today to share a little bit about my new book The Roommate Problem with the Title Challenge. This opposites-attract, sunshine-and-grump romcom will have you laughing out loud and falling in love! So let’s get to it! T is for Tired. What August is after hours of driving to his new apartment only to find out his new roommate is a woman! H is for Happy. Mo radiates happiness at all times from what August can tell, seriously does the woman eat rainbows for breakfast or what? E is for Early riser. Which Mo is not. How the heck does August get up so early without a caffeine IV? * R is for Roommate. She really needs one to help pay the rent, but she never expected her new one to be such a grump…or so sexy! O is for Opposites. From their cleaning style, to their extrovert/introvert tendencies to their taste in pizza, Mo and August couldn’t be more opposite. O is for Oops! Living with a roommate is tough, especially when you accidentally catch them in an…indecent situation. M is for Moira. Mo to her…

Wednesday, August 26 at 7pm CT, you can chat via Zoom with Jennifer Ryan, during the Fresh Fiction Virtual Book Club! Please check our Eventbrite page for more details and to register. Hope to see you there! *** 1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Waiting on a Cowboy 2–What is it about?  Tate McGrath and Liz Scott have been best friends since kindergarten. Tate can always count on Liz to have his back and give it to him straight, so he’s not about to mess a good thing up. Until he sees her with a new guy and she gives Tate the cold shoulder. Tate doesn’t think Clint is good enough for Liz, and when her relationship with Clint turns dangerous, he discovers that not only does he want to protect her, he wants to keep her because everything he ever wanted was right in front of him the whole time. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Tough 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Tate cares, and he’s persistent. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Each other and family. Readers will get a glimpse of the entire McGrath family. 6–What do you love…

Excerpted from the book MY LIES, YOUR LIES by Susan Lewis. Copyright © 2020 by Susan Lewis. From William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. *** Joely was on a train heading away from London still not sure what to expect when she arrived at her final destination. She was trying not to think about it too much, although creating scenarios for what lay in store was infinitely better–and probably healthier–than tormenting herself with what she’d left behind. Better still, at least for the moment, might be to create a little fantasy around the attractive bloke sitting opposite her. It was a good try, but it took next to no time for her mind to circle back to Callum, her husband, who’d left her two weeks ago. He’d actually left her. She’d never imagined he would, had always believed in their marriage so completely that she still couldn’t make herself accept it had happened. She wasn’t sure he’d accepted it either. “So what’s this assignment you won’t tell anyone about?” he’d asked when he’d called by the house only yesterday, using his key to come in as if he still lived there. His deep brown eyes had…

This has been a roller coaster of a year when it comes to books and reading. I don’t think a read a full book in the month of March, but I read over 10 books in July! With Fall quickly approaching, here are a bunch of wonderful and intriguing titles coming out this month through the end of the year, and I cannot wait for everyone to read them. AUGUST Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera – Two New Yorkers get together while they’re both working in Texas. There’s some workplace drama, instant attraction, and much more. Sexy, fun, and low angst. You Had Me at Holaby Alexis Daria – This felt like reading an entire season of Jane the Virgin. Clever, funny, and ultimately, uplifting. Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer – So we can’t go to hockey games, but we CAN read about them. badass ladies to boot? Sign me up. Also look for: Marriage by Arrangement by Sophia Singh Sisson, Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles *** SEPTEMBER When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole – I am not a thriller reader. I repeat – I am NOT a thriller reader. but I stayed up…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Marriage by Arrangement, the first in the Nights at the Mahal series from Harlequin Desire.  2–What is it about?  This is a second chance romance that explores the conflicting demands of cultural values, individual fears, and family obligations against falling in love.  The heroine Rani is an Indian American who struggles with her traditional Indian upbringing and her feminist beliefs. She’s still reeling from the community stigma of being divorced, the last thing she wants to do is fall in love with another Indian man with a traditional family. Arjun is the eldest son of a dynastic family and is arranged to be married to a business partner and family friend. Falling for Rani will rip his family apart. Both Arjun and Rani must find the courage to love, and to make the sacrifices necessary to see their love to fruition. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Conflicted. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  “He owns the room, even when it doesn’t belong to him.” The line is straight out of the book and perfectly described Arjun Singh.   5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  For Rani…

Hi, T. I.! Welcome back to Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and a little bit about your new book, SEA GLASS CASTLE. Thank you for inviting me again! I’m a storyteller and a daydreamer, and I have promised to never apologize for either. I’m from coastal South Carolina, so yes, I have a thick Southern twang and walk around barefoot more often than not. As you can imagine, Sea Glass Castle comes from my roots. Even though the Southern beach setting was easy enough, the characters weren’t so much. This story is the first one where I explore a divorcee and a widower. Sophia and Wes were a unique challenge, and it was so satisfying to give them a second chance at love. This is the final book in the Carolina Coast series. What has writing this series meant to you and what do you hope readers get out of it? This series explores romance, of course, but it also explores strong bonds of friendship. Readers will meet a young trio of women called the Sand Queens and also an older group called the Knitting Club. The two groups are quite different in dynamics, but the key elements of…

The idea of ROARING was very simple at first. I wanted to write a book in the 1920s and I had it in my head that I wanted the main character to be a singer in a speakeasy. But what gave it that special twist? What made it fantastical and not just historical? Then came the idea of using one of my favorite things ever–mythology. What if she was a siren? That monster in greek myths that lured sailors to their deaths. That’s when I realized I had a book… . . a siren in a speakeasy! Her siren song could lure patrons to her bar and keep them coming back, which is, of course, good for business. From there, I knew I wanted to weave in more monsters and create a historical world rife with the paranormal. I had ideas to use monsters like dragons, werewolves, minotaurs, krakens, gorgons, and the like. But they weren’t all from Greek mythology and I knew I needed something that tied this paranormal world together. I had to answer questions like…why were all these monsters running around in the world? What was their purpose? The more research I put into learning about these…