Love is complicated.
Please come out and enjoy the many authors and food truck vendors at this
one of a kind festival. Taking place at the Gala Event Center at 1801 Bush
River Road in Columbia, participants can enjoy a wide range of cuisines while
engaging with authors of various genres. There will be something for everyone!
The event runs from 11:00 a.m. until 3 p.m on Saturday, July 27th.
Get FREE tickets at www.thebookbutler.com/events
Hope to see you there!
I must admit I’m bias to any Tayari Jones novel. All of her books hit you in the heart and leave you in a puddle of feelings days after finishing the story. Kin is no exception.
The story of two motherless girls that are best friends since birth and take two different paths pulls you into their lives from page one. I rooted for them both to succeed and cheered as they conquered obstacles and setbacks along the way. I didn’t even realize how invested I was in these two fictional characters until the end of the story left me devastated.
I loved everything about this book. Kin, at it’s core, is the story of friendship and realizing that all kin folk isn’t limited to the family you were born into.
A graduate student who murders bad men in the name of feminism? Sign me up. This is my kind of carrying on.
Yrsa, the graduate student, is bored and tired of dating. Actually, she’s tired of men. Bad men who take advantage of women, including the married professor dating one of her friends and planning to steal that friend’s work.
When she runs into that very professor and witnesses his death, an urgency awakens in her and a thirst for murder is born. Or maybe it’s something that’s been a part of her DNA all along. Family secrets come back to the forefront involving her beloved grandmother and her mother.
Things are hinted at but never fully specified, which is intriguing and a little frustrating for this reader. I could imagine all sorts of scenarios, not sure of which one to believe.
Yrsa’s past trauma explains her actions, but the ending of the book felt incomplete to me. I love when a story doesn’t spell out every detail, but I needed a little more as the ending felt abrupt.
Overall, this is an awesome original story, and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Available for preorder – Publishes May 5, 2026
Checklist for life? Completed. But Carmen Miller never imagined an affair being part of it. Yet, here she is, sneaking around with her much younger, irresistible co-worker, Braxton Frazier.
The setting? A high-powered corporate office, where temptation and ambition collide. Carmen, the MBA-educated executive, and Braxton, the brilliant up-and-comer, are both entangled in a dangerous game of love and desire. But when their secret love threatens to unravel both their careers and her marriage, they must make a choice: walk away or risk everything for a chance at happiness.
With twisted fate lurking in the background, will Carmen and Braxton succumb to the temptation or find the strength to resist?
Fans of steamy office romances will devour this sinful tale of forbidden love.
Amazon: https://a.co/d/gF9k2Xh
Everywhere else: https://books2read.com/u/mdxw5O
#authormichelledrayford#settlingup#romance#youngermanolderwoman#officerromance#soulmates#newrelease
Murder By The Book
A team of ghostwriters retreats to a luxury villa in Jamaica for a high-stakes writing sprint, only to find themselves trapped under the rule of a tyrannical publishing queenpin. When their editor drops dead at the dining table, secrets, betrayals, and buried motives unravel in a string of mysterious incidents and accidents.
Publisher: Black Odyssey Media
Trade distribution: Kensington Publishing.
Pre-Order: Link coming soon.
The Author:
National Bestselling Author, J.L. Campbell, lives in Jamaica and writes across several genres. She is a certified editor, and book coach, who has produced over forty books. When she’s not writing, Campbell adds to her extensive collection of photos featuring Jamaica’s natural beauty. Visit her on the web at www.jlcampbellwrites.com
Connect with her on social media via Sociatap. https://sociatap.com/JL_Campbell
#coverreveal #iamblackodyssey #jlcampbell #murderbythebook #mystery
Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.
I hope people say that I made them feel seen.
What about you?
The Writer Behind the Book
I’ve always said the mind of a writer is a terrible place. I didn’t know exactly how terrible until I started coming up with the punishment Geneva laid out for her daughter’s attackers in Flames of Wrath. With that said, let’s take a look at how the writing process unfolds—depending on what I’m writing, of course.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
Most times, I start writing before I do any research. Some books demand a little and some, a lot. It was easy enough to start writing Flames of Wrath without any research, but the level of injuries Alexia suffered meant finding out medical terms and consulting the people in that field to get my facts straight. Also, the technological mishaps required a fair amount of research to get the details right and for me to write them in a convincing way. My son, who’s a techie, helped with this.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I used to be a voracious reader, but to be honest, I don’t read as much as I used to. Time seems to be in shorter supply the older I get. These days, in between the episodes of crime drama, I try to get my reading in. I’m an eclectic reader, but romance is my favorite genre and going deeper, romantic suspense is my jam. I also enjoy historical fiction set in the far east. A good thriller cleanses my palate in between reads.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I can have the television on when I write, but can’t have music playing. If I do, I’ll be engaging in more singing than writing. I enjoy singing and as long as I know the words, I’ll be belting them out with the artist. For me, music is a recipe for not getting much writing done.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
My habits have changed and I try to stay true to one book. If I have more than one deadline, or I’m stymied by a plot point, I’ll jump to another book and brainstorm or write a chapter or two. Otherwise, I like the idea of finishing one thing before I start another. That doesn’t always pan out, but I try to cultivate good habits.
Do you see writing as a career?
I definitely do and would love to be able to write full time. The challenge is being able to write the way I used to, in that I set a regular publishing schedule. In the last few years, I’ve not been as faithful with publishing as I was in the past, but I’m trying to switch that up and get back on track. It’s very easy to go down a side road and forget what the endgame is supposed to be when there are so many shiny, new things begging for attention in a day.
The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge.
Flames of Wrath
by J.L. Campbell
Genre: Crime Thriller
A mother’s quest for justice turns into a race against time to stop insidious murders that mysteriously begin populating throughout the city. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware will be enthralled by this emotionally chilling thriller!
The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge!
In less than twenty-four hours—before Alexia Leighton is scheduled to return to Miami from spring break in Jamaica—a group of friends betray her in a grisly assault that stops a heartbeat away from murder. The seventeen-year-old prays for the mercy of death. She survives. While on the road to recovery, Alexia’s attackers become victims of mysterious acts of violence, leaving authorities confounded and racing against time to prevent another deadly attack. Concern looms, as the perpetrator has proven to be two steps ahead of them at every turn.
When the attention swings to Alexia’s mother, a cyber-security expert, the family closes ranks. Geneva Leighton must quickly eliminate herself as a suspect, but not without handing down more punishment. The offenders fear for their own safety and the secrets that plague them. Can they trust the police to find the killer before someone else dies, or has their fate been sealed—leaving them with no place to run, and no place to hide . . .
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads
Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flames-Wrath-J-L-Campbell-ebook/dp/B0BZ3579DM
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/flames-of-wrath/id6446507924
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1143144070?ean=9798985594164
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/flames-of-wrath
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/flames-of-wrath-by-j-l-campbell
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123453746-flames-of-wrath
About the Author
National Bestselling Author, J.L. Campbell lives in Jamaica and writes across several genres. She is a certified editor, and book coach, who has produced over forty books. When she’s not writing, Campbell adds to her extensive collection of photos featuring Jamaica’s natural beauty.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Author Links
Website: http://www.joylcampbell.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jlcampbellwrites
X: https://twitter.com/JL_Campbell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jl.campbell
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-l-campbell
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-L.-Campbell/author/B004S148VO
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1091161.J_L_Campbell
In less than twenty-four hours—before Alexia Leighton is scheduled to return to Miami from spring break in Jamaica—a group of friends betray her in a grisly assault that stops a heartbeat away from murder.
Alexia’s mother, a cybersecurity expert, will stop at nothing to secure justice for her daughter. The perpetrators soon find themselves with no place to run and no place to hide from this mother’s vengeance.
Flames of Wrath will be published by Black Odyssey Media and distributed by Kensington Publishing.
My Review: Whoa! This book grabs you by the heart in the first chapter and leads you down a journey of revenge. And you will happily follow along as you root for Alexia and her mother to get a measure of justice. As you watch Geneva advocate and fight for her daughter, you imagine yourself doing the same. When she uses her computer skills to gather evidence against the perpetrators, you nod along. But you soon learn that Geneva will stop at nothing and everyone will feel the heat from her wrath.
This book is an excellent introduction into the thriller verse for author J. L. Campbell. I eagerly await the next installment.
November 28, 2023. Get it now so you’re ready to go on an adventure of revenge!
Pre-Order links: Amazon – http://microlinks.io/FlamesofWrath
Apple – http://microlinks.io/FlamesofWrathAP
Barnes & Noble – http://microlinks.io/FlamesofWrathBN
Kennedy Ryan has revealed the gorgeous cover for This Could Be Us!
Releasing: March 5, 2024
Cover Designer: Natasha Cunningham
“Heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.” ―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?
For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.” ―Entertainment Weekly
Pre-order your copy today!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3OEGFnF
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/TCBU
Apple Books: https://bit.ly/43W2HGX
Nook: https://bit.ly/3KsY6VM
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3YrvyBS
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3Oo4FKg
Get an exclusive edition paperback with a one-time only printing at Barnes & Noble!
Once these are gone…they’re gone!
Pre-order your signed copy from Page 158 Books!
Read the first excerpt from This Could Be Us on Cosmo!
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3QFT8sP
Meet Kennedy
A RITA® and Audie® Award winner, USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish, and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts. Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, TIME, O magazine, and many others. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.
Connect with Kennedy
Website: https://kennedyryanwrites.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7429243.Kennedy_Ryan
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kennedy-Ryan/author/B00HBHK09Q
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor
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Text KennedyRyan to (678) 647-7912