The spooky season is here! My dark heart can delight…it’s officially the season of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and all sorts of supernatural monsters that go bump in the night. I’ll be honest with you; I love to read paranormal romances and romantasy books ALL YEAR LONG…but I’m always extra motivated and intrigued by these books as we lead up to Halloween. So, what are a few of the spooky reads that are currently on my TBR list? Well… Several fabulous authors have books in a collected that is literally called “Scared Sexy”—and I can’t wait to read these books. I’ve currently got HOT FOR SLAYER by Ali Hazelwood on my e-reader. It’s going to be my reward read this weekend. As someone who used to be addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there is no way I was going to miss this story. And how can I not read THE WITCH QUEEN OF HALLOWEEN this October? Kresley Cole always delivers an outstanding paranormal read. I’ve been wanting to curl up with this book for quite some time. Spooky season will make this one extra fun for me. Finally, how about a little zombie scare? Jeneva Rose’s DATING AFTER THE END…

The importance of “setting” in a novel came to me as I was sitting at the News Café in South Beach. I was sipping a cappuccino when I noticed a beautiful young girl hurrying into a glamorous hotel. She was struggling with her shopping bags and handed them over to the doorman, flashing a dazzling smile before she disappeared inside. It was obvious she was a resident, not a guest, at the hotel. She was as much a part of the South Beach ambiance as the pastel-colored hotels, the European style outdoor cafes, the tang of salt in the air and the swaying palm trees. Somehow, I knew I’d tie it all together in a book and I did, in a book called GOLDEN GIRL. The plot and the characters grew out of the setting. Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef Mystery series could only take place in Washington, DC. Ms. Hyzy, author of HOME OF THE BRAISED has created an attractive heroine, Olivia (Ollie) Paras and offers a tantalizing peek at life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As executive chef, Ollie’s world is the White House kitchen, along with her crew of talented cooks and her devoted staff. Politics is an integral part…

What is the title of your latest release?LADY DARLING INQUIRES AFTER A KILLER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Lady Bridgerton meets The Thursday Murder Club How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I thought a Victorian-set mystery series with an older protagonist (she’s FIFTY! Quelle horreur!) would be super fun because that was the time when Sherlock Holmes was first being published. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Bold, eccentric, and beyond giving a care what people think What’s something you learned while writing this book?That women “of a certain age” are fun to write! Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I edit as I write, and end up with one draft that is the only and final version. What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?A really good Margarita pizza….or crab legs Describe your writing space/office!My office is a loft in our upper floor. It has huge windows on two walls and floor to ceiling bookshelves on the other two. I use a treadmill desk when I write most of the time. Who is an author you admire?Nora Roberts/JD…

Hi, I’m Jamie Adams, and if you’ve been following along, you know I love a good mystery. There’s something irresistible about an intricate puzzle, a trail of clues, and that heart-pounding moment when everything falls into place. One of my favorite mystery elements is the idea of small towns with big secrets. On the surface, these places seem like picture-perfect—charming main streets, friendly neighbors, and a sense of community where everyone knows everyone. But beneath that idyllic façade, secrets lurk. And when those secrets start to unravel, the results can be explosive. September is the perfect month for mysteries like these. The days are getting shorter, the air a little crisper, and a cozy blanket and cup of tea practically beg for a book filled with twists, turns, and a dash of small-town intrigue. Mysteries to Fall into This SeptemberSeptember always feels like a fresh start. The days grow shorter, the air turns crisp, and I find myself reaching for a cozy blanket, a warm drink, and—you guessed it—a mystery novel. There’s something about autumn that makes the perfect backdrop for a good whodunit. This month, I’m spotlighting mysteries that capture that seasonal charm: the bustle of back-to-school, small-town festivals,…

This month, my guest is Rachel Linden. Rachel is the bestselling author of seven works of women’s fiction and is known for writing uplifting novels that feature delicious food, second chances at life and love, served up with a touch of magic. Her new novel, THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE, set on a picturesque olive oil farm in Italy, will be published by Berkley on September 30, 2025. Thanks for joining me today, Rachel! Can you share a little about your new novel THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE?Absolutely! Here’s the story in a nutshell: A magical cookbook and a summer on her family’s Italian olive farm help a brokenhearted social media chef cook up a satisfying new life in this delectable novel about three generations of strong women, a second chance romance with the handsome olive farmer next door, and a lost recipe that can show you the happiest moment of your life! What drew you to write this particular story?I really wanted to explore a story about a woman who is letting grief and fear of loss hold her back from embracing what she most values in life. I also really love Italy and wanted to set…

Excerpt from HENRY’S SALVATION by V.I. Davis Henry  A seagull’s call pulled me from my slumber, and I cracked open one eye, my face buried in the pillows. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I was still dreaming because a goddess was standing before me. Dressed in my tunic and nothing else, Sophie was drinking coffee, her stunning hazel gaze fixed on me. “Good morning,” I drawled, lifting my head off the pillows. My lips stretched in a lazy smile, revealing my fangs. “Good morning,” she replied before taking another sip. Her golden-brown hair was tousled, and I could smell the salty sea air clinging to her skin. I could also smell my scent mixed in with her floral aroma. Seeing her in my clothes, smelling like me, felt surreal. I still found it hard to believe she was mine. Mine…mine… The word echoed in my head as I let my gaze roam over every inch of her magnificent body before I forced it back up to her face.  “What are you doing?” I asked, low and thick. I knew my eyes had turned darker as desire for her had invaded my blood.  “Enjoying my coffee before…

What is the title of your latest release?THE LAST KNIGHT – The Cursed Kingdom Series What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?On the verge of being consumed by the darkness inside him, Gunther Janssen turns to the one woman who might save him… even if she fears him. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?This is the last book in the Cursed Kingdom Series, so the location was pretty much a given. The hero becomes the ruler of the Dark Realm, which is a gloomy place, full of torture and evil. I set this ugly dark realm in opposition to the human realm, which is in a small colorful village in Scotland. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Gunther is a troubled, tortured hero. At the same time, he is kind and does what he can to help others. I would love to hang out with him. Not sure what he would enjoy doing, maybe walking through modern day Netherlands, where he is originally from. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Resilient, Strong and Brave What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned a lot about Dutch history. I’ve…

Andre Gascon explains the paradox of his home, Belle Vista: I dwell in an isolated house that is both my refuge and my prison, a mansion that should long ago have sunk into the Louisiana swampland. But because it’s the only place I can live, I must continue to breathe life into it. My abode is a strange blend of the old and the new. My computer sits on the antique rolltop desk in my office. The modern device is my lifeline to civilization, a tool that opens the knowledge and the skills of the modern world to me. It’s also the source of my livelihood because I use it to manage my investments. Belle Vista occupies a plot of Louisiana bayou land that has been in my family for almost 200 years. My grandfather was the master of the house when a voodoo priestess named him a murderer and threw a curse onto him and all the first-born sons of his line. I am the current recipient, doomed to roam the bayou at night. If I try to escape from this patch of land, I will die. There is only one way to break the curse, through the love…

Excerpt from CLIVE CUSSLER THE IRON STORM by Jack Du Brul 1 March 1917 The Irish Sea England emerged from over the murky horizon, the line between earth and sky partially hidden by shifting bands of rain. The coast was dark and barren, but so very welcome after a stormy passage across the Atlantic that tested even Isaac Bell’s notoriously iron stomach. Technically he hadn’t spotted England but rather Anglesey Island, off the north Welsh coast, that helped mark the passage into the Mersey estuary and the port city of Liverpool. Since the start of the war, the docks of Southampton on England’s south coast had become Military Embarkation Port No. 1 and were used exclusively for pouring men and materiel onto freighters and troopships bound for France and the front lines and for seeing the return of the countless wounded. As a result Liverpool had become the principal port for all transatlantic traffic. Bell had been bound for Liverpool once before, but had never made it, as the Lusitania had been torpedoed as she turned northward around the southern tip of Ireland and the sheltered waters of the Irish Sea. He reasoned that even with the Germans once again…

What is the title of your latest release?A SPELL FOR MIDWINTER’S HEART What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A magic-averse witch returns to her hometown for the holidays to help her former coven save the town’s local winter festival from corporate buyout. But the only way to help means reconciling both with her magic and her annoyingly handsome former childhood rival. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?As a Pacific Northwest native, I am heavily biased toward setting stories here (when I’m writing things that take place in the real world, anyway!) There’s not enough in the way of books set in the PNW, and as someone to knows it intimately, I feel a calling to change that. We have an actual “holiday town” (Leavenworth, WA) that was part of the inspiration for Elk Ridge, as well. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Without a doubt. I could see us going out and raising money for/spreading awareness of good causes together. Or just having a cup of wassail and enjoying the snow. Though I’d probably also spend a good deal of our time together trying to convince her to be kinder…