Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Blurb Blitz: Predestined

 



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rachel Byrne will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



Read an Excerpt

In the back of the rental SUV, my stomach burned, and a sour taste flooded my mouth. One week into summer break and my family was dumping me at this strange academy. While I struggled to find my purpose, they would be in Aspen, Emma Claire enjoying a ballet workshop while my parents lounged at the pool.

I had planned to hold my ground and insist on the rec center job, but then Dad got the red-light ticket. As I heard him slam his way through the front door, I raced to intercept him before he could start yelling.

I had briefly debated telling the truth—my anger at the stricken look on Noah’s face as pee ran down his legs and puddled on the floor. I imagined Dad puffing up with pride that I had stood up for a boy being bullied. That fantasy was discarded because I knew Dad wouldn’t get it. He and Mom had never experienced classmates jeering at them and the way it made you curl up inside and want to die.

I then considered accepting the consequences he started listing—no screens, no permit or license until I was seventeen, no allowance, etc. I could handle those but DJ wouldn’t stop until she knew why I had taken the car out in the first place. And that couldn’t happen if I wanted to surInstead of an explanation, I offered him a deal. If I agreed to go to Haverford Pines, he wouldn’t punish me, tell DJ, or ask any questions.

About the Author
Rachel Byrne, a Colorado native, is inspired by her state’s majestic landscapes. With a BA in psychology from Dartmouth College and a master’s in physician assistant studies from the University of Colorado, Rachel has forged a career in psychiatry and addiction medicine. Her role as an educator has fueled her passion for teaching and understanding human behavior.

Driven by a lifelong fascination with the complexities of human nature and a love for American history, Rachel enjoys a career that explores the depths of the human psyche. As a devoted mother and dog lover, she treasures family moments and indulges in hobbies like reading, writing, tennis, and travel. Rachel’s commitment to literature stems from her childhood as a shy bookworm, aiming to create engaging stories that resonate with readers and leave a lasting impact.

Website: https://rachelbyrneauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.byrne.969
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel byrneauthor
vivAmazon book page: https://www.amazon.com/Predestined-Rachel-Byrne- ebook/dp/B0DHSRYX5Z/

e the rest of high school.

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Sunday Post 121: September '25 Recap


Hello All ! I could come up with anything else, so here is the monthly recap.

Post Rewind 


📌 Sept. 10th = Book Blast: Wedding Planning

📌 17th = Book Blast: God's Coded Language 

📌 23rd = [double post day] Audiobook Release Blitz: Sail Away with Me ... TMST #33: Regarding Fictional Characters 

📌 24th = Book Blast: My Husband Almost Killed Me

📌 25th = Release Blitz: Finding Silence




Goodreads 


📚  Earl of Weston (by: Anna St. Claire) = moved to read shelf


📚 The Lady Courts a Marquess (by: Jillian Eaton) = moved to read shelf



Currently Reading 


📖 Crave (by: Tracy Wolff) = page 25



*** If you don't have anything to say about this week's topic, you can comment on any other part of the post or just say "hi".



*** I am always having to edit many of my posts. If I made any grammar mistakes, I will eventually fix them.



*** The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Release Blitz: Finding Silence

 

Title: Finding Silence Author: Freya Barker Genre: Romantic SuspenseRelease Date: September 25, 2025 Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

Phyllis (Phil) Dubois has long left her performing days behind, opting for a more anonymous role in the music industry instead. Something not everyone is happy about.

When the pressure for her to return to the stage mounts, she packs her things in an old RV and hits the road in search of some peace and quiet.

She thinks she’s found it when she rolls into the small town of Silence.

Former sheriff, Brant Colter, is still trying to get used to his abrupt retirement after a health scare last year. He’s not good with change and likes things just the way they are.

That’s why, when a purple-haired hippie moves into the empty house down the road, he’s convinced trouble won’t be too far behind.

He’s not wrong. However, it’s not his annoyingly cheerful neighbor he should be worried about, but the danger that follows her to town.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.

Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We've Read All Year Award for "Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Book Blast: My Husband Almost Killed Me

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Linda Beason will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.




"If you ever leave me, I will kill the kids then I will kill you." "I can't help but think of other women who may be facing similar situations, even now in a time and generation when these events can easily be exposed as much as they could be hidden. I wish I could reach each one of them, look into their eyes and tell them: you don't have to live like this. Life can be better; you can choose a different path. It's not easy, trust me, I know that more than most people do, BUT IT'S WORTH IT."This book is an autobiography about a woman raised on a large farm who learned to drive a large tractor at the age of seven, then spent many years plowing, planting and harvesting crops and taking care of the farm animals. After three years in the Marine Corps, she married her college sweetheart who became a drunk and abused her for seven horrible years before he almost killed her then disappeared. After she recovered she and her three kids fled to Florida to hide so he wouldn't find them and finish the job.

 



Read an Excerpt

The familiar sound of Brooke’s whimpers pulled me back from my reverie.

I had been lost in thought, absorbed by the gentle curves of the crescent moon above me, imagining myself perched on its silvery edge, far removed from my vulnerable and endangered earthly existence. Up there, I thought, the silence must be golden—no echoes of the chaos in the world down below, just the serene sights and sounds of the stars whispering the secrets of the universe amongst themselves. Down here, the silence was fleeting, often shattered by the cries of my youngest, the shouts of her older siblings, the barks of their father, and the relentless dinning of my own tormented thoughts.

Everything I’d done and endured in the past few years had been driven by a need to escape the noise, to find a sanctuary not just for myself but for my three kids: Bailey, Ryan, and Brooke. That was the least I could do for them; after all, I brought them into this tumultuous world. I made them the kids to a father who found joy at the bottom of a bottle and loved to vent his fury with a raised fist and cruel words—a man whose presence filled our home not with love but with dread and anxiety.

This night, like many nights in recent weeks, the cornfield was our little haven. I lay there with my three kids, all wrapped in duvets and blankets and shaded by the towering stalks that swayed gently above us, glancing at my wristwatch and wishing the night would age faster. We were within the hour when Phil typically returned home. His truck’s headlights were usually unmistakable. Had they slipped past while I was lost moon-gazing? If he were back home, I would have seen them piercing through the pitchdarkness as he drove along the gravel road leading up to the house. And if I didn’t see them, I would have heard the truck.

Some nights, Phil would leave the truck idling in the driveway before stumbling into the house and carelessly toppling anything in his path until he reached our bedroom upstairs, ready to unleash his drunken fury on me. On some other nights, he would fall asleep at the wheel after parking the truck and leave the headlights blazing until dawn. The latter was usually the best-case scenario for me and the kids, barring the nights when he simply didn’t come home. Each night spent in our household was like a scene out of a suspense thriller; I never knew which version of Phil would come through the door, if at all.

About the Author: Born and raised on an Indiana farm, Linda Beason was steeped in the rhythms of rural life and nurtured by the enduring love of a close-knit family.

From an early age, she embraced responsibility and excelled throughout her school years. As an alumna of Purdue University— where she earned degrees in both agriculture and accounting—Linda distinguished herself academically and professionally, later working for several corporate companies, most notably the Green Giant Company, and serving honorably in the Marine Corps.

Yet despite a childhood filled with warmth and promise, Linda's adult life took a harrowing turn when she entered a marriage that would test the very limits of her strength. For nearly a decade, she endured domestic abuse at the hands of a dangerous man whose fury was fueled by alcohol and an insatiable need for control. That turbulent period sent her racing through a whirlwind of experiences that would forever alter her path. Even in the darkest moments, however, Linda clung to her faith in God and the quiet confidence of a Midwesterner.

Linda passed away in 2024 while writing this book. Through these pages, she hoped to inspire women to overcome the challenges of toxic relationships and the hardships of motherhood, reminding them that even the deepest wounds can heal and that the promise of a brighter

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

TMST #33: Regarding Fictional Characters

 



Hello All !


Today's topic for TMST: Which fictional character do you wish were a real person?

There are actually two characters I wish were real and the are Batman and Wonder Woman. I think the world would be a better place if there Wonder Woman actually existed. And Batman? I mean, come on .... Batman. Most likely if those two existed then each of the villains would exist as well.


*** Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme host by That's What I'm Thinking About