INTRODUCTION

Hi everyone My name is Victoria Zumbrum, 40 years old, married 14 years with 1 son. This is my very first blog. So bear with me. I have always wanted to have my own blog. I have always loved to read. I enjoy getting lost in a good book.
I love becoming part of the story and characters. I am hoping to bring my love of books to my readers.

I love reading different genres such as paranormal, young adult, romance, romantic suspense, mystery, Christian fiction, some horror, etc. The list goes on. I started reviewing books a couple of years ago and have done reviews for different blogs and even some authors. I really have enjoyed reviewing books and I will continue to do so. If anyone is interested in me reviewing a book for them, please contact me. I still have a lot to learn regarding my own blog so bear with me. I welcome and appreciate all followers.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Libby Kay Flash Point Cover Reveal and Giveaway

 



A flash of attraction, the potential for more.


Flash Point

Pinegrove FD Book 4

by Libby Kay

Genre: Small-Town Firefighter Sweet Romance


A flash of attraction, the potential for more.

Best-selling author Libby Kay’s sweet fireman romance Flash Point is a bad boy redemption story perfect for fans of B.K. Borison’s Lovelight series.

Javier “Javi” Ortiz never has trouble finding a date. The confident fireman enjoys the perks of no-strings hook-ups and his bachelor lifestyle. Yet when a certain blonde moves to Pinegrove, the idea of casual dating fizzles out. Javi is finally ready to settle down, but will he be able to charm his way into her life? Or will his reputation ruin his chance at real love?

Lola Peabody has given up on love. She doesn’t have time for men and their empty promises, especially with her hands full being a single mom and running her own photography business. Her plans do not include finding a man, even a charismatic fireman who treats her and her daughter like queens.

But Pinegrove is a small town, and the pair can’t stay away from each other. From photoshoots and romance book club to quiet walks in the woods, Lola and Javi spend more and more time together.

Could this be happily ever after? Or will their romance burn out faster than a five-alarm fire?

 

**Releases June 23, 2026 – PreOrder Now!**

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

 




While you’re waiting on the release, get started on the rest of the series!

Find them on Amazon!


Libby Kay lives in the city in the heart of the Midwest with her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love!

When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband, traveling as far as their bank account will allow.

Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli where they recommend romance books and interview authors, influencers, and publishers. Check it out for your weekly dose of romance!

 

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads



Follow the reveal HERE for special content and a giveaway!


Enter the Flash Point Cover Reveal Giveaway Here


Sunday, May 24, 2026

Andrea Ezerins When the Forest Dreams Book Tour and Giveaway

 


What if the life you were meant to live was waiting just outside your door?


When the Forest Dreams

by Andrea Ezerins

Genre: Romantic Women’s Literary Fiction



For fans of L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, a contemporary retelling of the beloved romance that follows a sheltered young woman’s quest for love in New York City—and her search for a rare and elusive bird in the deep Arkansas forest.

What if the life you were meant to live was waiting just outside your door?

New York City, 2013. Emma Jablonski’s life is as dry as the day-old bread at her family’s bakery. Living with her parents and grandmother, she clings to the only escape she knows: a recurring dream that feels more real than her waking world. But when Emma’s eyes are open, she’s reminded of what’s out of reach—Jake, the enigmatic boy-next-door.

After a life-changing diagnosis forces her to face her fears, Emma decides it’s time to truly live—before it’s too late. With Jake and his vibrant friend Vee, she dives into a whirlwind of experiences: a fake engagement, dazzling parties, and an obsession with the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that may not even exist.

But as her daring adventure is coming to an end, Emma begins to embrace a future she never thought possible. Dreams and reality aren’t supposed to mix . . . are they?

A modern retelling of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, this gentle story of love, resilience, and the beauty of the unknown reminds us to seek joy in the most unexpected places.

 

What Readers are saying:

“Birds anchor nearly every part of the novel...Emma connects to the myth of Halcyon and Ceyx, lovers who were turned into birds so they could stay together. That story threads through Emma's dreams and later through her waking choices."-Book Trib Review by Caroline Belina

“When the Forest Dreams is magical, a delightful tale with a setting that feels real and characters that live in your heart long after you turn the last page of the story.” – Five Star Readers’ Favorite

Ezerins offers up a contemporary fairytale spiced with a sexy romance, family drama, and the search for a possibly extinct woodpecker. If you're looking for a heart-warming story of self-discovery (with birds!), this one delivers. – Pam McGaffain, author of Shade of Wings

 

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Simon & Schuster * Bookbub * Goodreads

 




from Chapter 25: Christmas

In this scene, a quiet Christmas moment between Jake and Emma becomes something more—a gift, a memory, and an unspoken fear of what’s to come.

 

When Jake and I step out onto Fifth Avenue, the cold whips through our bulky coats. The air has that expectant heaviness that feels as if it will snow at any moment. We hurry home and make hot chocolate. My boxes of cookies are hidden away, ready for tomorrow.

“I have something for you,” I say shyly as we sit in the living room, sipping our hot chocolate. “I don’t want to give it to you at your parents'. Do you want it now or tomorrow morning?”

Jake looks up from his mug; he has a chocolate mustache. “Now, please,” he blurts.

I go into Vee’s room, where I hid Jake’s present, and pull it out from under her bed. I carry it back to the couch and hand him the wrapped gift, and he grins, “I love surprises.”

He tears open the wrapping, revealing the framed collage inside. There is a Snowy Owl in the center and then in seven smaller pictures around the edge: there is a yellow-rumped warbler, a palm warbler, a northern cardinal, a white-throated sparrow, a black-capped chickadee and a dark-eyed junco. The last one is a lovely wood thrush to commemorate the job he got me.

“These are the birds we’ve seen when we were together in the park, not the actual picture as I don’t have a camera, but pictures of the birds plus, of course, the wood thrush,” I babble. “I know you hate John Foster, but you seem to like birds, and I thought this could be something for you to remember me by―you know, for when this whole thing is over.” I wave my hands nervously then clasp them at my chest, waiting.

Jake tilts his head and replies, “I love it. You are right. I do like seeing birds with you.” His expression shifts. “But let’s not talk about this whole thing being over. That will just make me sad.”

My heart swells, “Deal.”

We sit sipping our cocoa and talk about each of the birds. I made myself the exact same collage, something to brighten my room when I’m back at my parents’, alone again. I’ll remember each bird sighting. This moment, too. I’m already storing it away, something to take out and examine when the days grow long.

 

Continue the story in When the Forest Dreams





After spending three decades in the insurance industry, Andrea Ezerins traded risk assessments for plot twists. Andrea lives in Hebron, Connecticut, with her husband and is the proud mom of two daughters and identical twin sons. When she’s not writing, she’s raising bluebirds and monarch butterflies, running, or flowing through yoga—often while plotting her next book.

Friday, May 22, 2026

Tina Holland How to Love a Lord Book Tour and Giveaway

 


He thought he loved her sister—until one night changed everything.


How to Love a Lord

A B.A.D. Guide Book 2

by Tina Holland

Genre: Historical Regency Romance


Book Two in A Bold & Adventurous Debutante's Guide. New Reader? Book 1, "How to Marry a Major," is on Sale! Start there.

After a night of mistaken identity and unexpected passion, Arabella Kendall vows to keep her secret, especially from Viscount Pierce Ellis, the man who unknowingly claimed her heart. With her twin sister, Amelia, eager for a London Season, Arabella escapes to the Scottish countryside, determined to avoid scandal and matrimony.

Pierce, Viscount Kernwith, has always believed he loved the poised and perfect Amelia Fitzwilliam. But when he learns it was Arabella he spent that fateful night with, everything changes. Realizing the truth, he's determined to make Arabella his bride.

But Kernwith is on the brink of ruin, and as they work together to save the estate, buried secrets emerge. As the past is revealed, Arabella must decide: can she trust the man who mistook her for someone else, or will pride keep them apart forever?

 

Amazon * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads




Arabella in another man’s arms unsettled him more than Amelia’s wedding. How could that be? He’d once believed his heart belonged to Amelia. But she'd married Devonhold, and instead of breaking him, it had brought anger and now… relief. That was the truth, wasn’t it? A quiet, undeniable sense of rightness had settled over him then, but now a storm raged at the idea of losing Arabella. It wasn’t just an obligation that pulled him toward her. It was the realization that he may have loved her all along.

A flash of light blue caught his eye when she sailed through the doorway, mercifully alone. She looked thin. Perhaps she wasn’t well.

As he traversed the room toward her, she lifted her gaze and met his. Her stare reminded
 him of a doe ready to flee. “Would you care for the next dance?” he asked once he reached her
 side.

Arabella crossed her arms. “I heard you abused Charlotte’s feet last night, so I think not.”

“A turn in the garden, then.”

“That wouldn’t be proper.”

Was she truly going to pretend nothing had passed between them? Damn it, he wouldn’t be dismissed like some unwanted suitor. “We must speak to one another,” he fairly shouted over
 the music, drawing eyes to them.

Her cheeks flushed, and her mouth formed an ‘O’, before she turned on her heel and left,
 her bottom a dancing curve of pale blue silk as she fled. Once she reached the edge of the
 ballroom, he discreetly followed her.

Arabella darted down the hall, opened a door at the end, and entered a room.

Pierce glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one followed them. Once at the door, he
 stopped with his hand on the handle.


Get book 1 on sale for a limited time!

Find it on Amazon here!



Tina Holland was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and now calls the Red River Valley of North Dakota home. Living on a hobby farm, she draws inspiration from wide prairie skies, quiet country roads, and the rich history that often finds its way into her stories.

Published since 2005, Tina writes character-driven fiction filled with heart, tension, and emotional depth. Her Regency romances, including How to Marry a Major and her newest release, How to Love a Lord, blend wit, longing, and resilience in tales of bold heroines and honorable heroes. She also writes paranormal and cozy mysteries under the pen name Kaye Maxx.

In addition to writing, Tina is an engaging speaker and workshop instructor. She teaches her F.E.A.R.S. workshop (available online or in person) and enjoys connecting with readers through libraries, book clubs, signings, and virtual events. She is a member of Writer Zen Garden, Moorhead Friends Writing Group, and F-M Word Weavers.

Press kits, review copies, and promotional materials are available upon request.

For booking inquiries, interviews, or events, please contact:
krissyg@rrt.net

 

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Goodreads


 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


Enter the How To Love a Lord Giveaway Here


Book Blast Her Silence by S.T. Ashman



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S.T. Ashman 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.



Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter Lacey was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive. Covered in his blood. And completely mute.

She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.

Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.

But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.

So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.


Read an Excerpt

I strode past carts and nurses, straight down the hall, and yanked open the door to room 12. But I wasn't ready for what was waiting inside. My body jerked back as my hand shot up to my neck. "Dear God."

Lacey sat upright on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. A doctor stood over her, shining a light into her eyes. Two nurses flanked him.

I almost didn't recognize her.

Her hair was soaked in dried blood. Matted. Tangled with dirt and leaves. Thick blood streaks ran down her neck and across her temple like Viking war paint. Her face and arms looked like someone had tried to wipe her clean with a wet napkin and given up halfway. Just smears of pink and red everywhere.

The bandage on her forehead was already smudged with red too.

Her eyes met mine. Brown, blank, dull. Nothing behind them.

"Sweetheart!" My voice fell apart. Tears burst out of me as I crossed the room in two desperate strides and grabbed her. Held her. Pressed her to my chest so tight nothing could tear her away again.

Not even the nurse who latched onto my arm.

"Ma'am, you can't be in here right now." Her voice was sharp and demanding.

I didn't move.

The other nurse came at me from the side. Hands on my other arm.

"You need to wait outside," she said, yanking at me.

"Get off me," I growled.

About the Author: S. T. Ashman is an American-German author who calls the beautiful U.S. Seacoast home. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she spent years working as a psychotherapist in the criminal justice system. The work gave her a rare window into the human mind, both the beautiful and the deeply shadowed. It's no wonder readers often say her characters feel real enough to step off the page.

When she's not crafting her next twisty tale, you'll find her chasing after her kids, nose-deep in a book, or curled up late at night with a horror movie and a husband who always falls asleep on the couch before the scary parts.

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashmanbooks
Instagrm: https://www.instagram.com/booksbyashman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094353614873
Website: http://www.ashmanbooks.com
Link to ARC on Netgalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/830451
Goodreads giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250496134-her-silence

Amazon preorder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX371KS8
Apple Preorder: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6762005159
Barnes and Noble Preorder: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-silence-s-t-ashman/1149881409

Monday, May 18, 2026

Tamela Miles A Hundred Black Sunrises Book Tour and Giveaway

 


Keeping secrets keeps you alive.

Sienna would know.


A Hundred Black Sunrises

A Friday the 13th Story

by Tamela Miles

Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance


A hundred different ways to break your heart, a hundred different ways to take your last breath. Sienna and Finn are exploring their strange attraction to each other until strange becomes something sinister. The clock is ticking as they fight to unravel the mystery of what draws them together on fateful Friday, the 13th.

 

What readers are saying:

A Hundred Black Sunrises is a haunting and emotionally charged horror short that blends reincarnation, cursed love, and inevitable tragedy. The story follows Sienna and Finn, two souls drawn together across lifetimes, only to face the same dark fate again and again. What begins as an intriguing connection quickly spirals into something far more sinister, as the truth behind their bond unravels. Though short, the narrative delivers a powerful mix of supernatural horror and tragic romance.

 – Alicia Dean, Goodreads Reviewer

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads





A loud cracking sounded across the room and a huge, sil- ver gilded mirror fractured in half, splitting apart their reflec- tions. Elijah grabbed her hand and spoke softly. "Let me get you away from here, Poppy."

As they moved toward the dining room entrance, one of the kit- chen servants appeared. Her brown eyes widened and then narrowed at the scene laid out before her. She hastily wiped her hands on her white apron and latched onto Poppy's other hand.

"Run far, far away from this cursed place. Take nothing with you. His evil was contained while he was alive, but his death means..." she trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.

"What...what did he mean by "a hundred black sunrises?" Poppy asked in a tremulous voice.

 The servant smiled sadly. "Nothing good, you can believe that." She gestured towards the hallway leading to the front door as a dozen other servants from the kitchen suddenly crowded around them. "Now, go! Take her and go!"

Elijah needed no further encouragement and pulled a dazed Poppy down the hallway, already filled with black smoke. As he opened the heavy door, she looked back one last time to say goodbye to every- thing she had ever known, and her gaze lit on Christianpaul's smiling portrait of himself as a much younger man. She shivered as Elijah led her out the front door and she clutched his arm fearfully. Poppy knew every brushstroke of that painting and never in her life had the bastard worn a smile in it.






Tamela Miles is a California State University San Bernardino graduate student with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and a former flight attendant. She grew up in Altadena, California in that tumultuous time known as the 1980s. She now resides with her family in the Inland Empire, CA. She’s a horror/paranormal romance writer mainly because it feels so good having her characters do bad things and, later, pondering what makes them so bad and why they can never seem to change their wicked ways.

She enjoys emails from people who like her work. In fact, she loves emails. She can be contacted at tamelamiles@yahoo.com or her Facebook page, Tamela Miles Books. She also welcomes reader reviews and enjoys the feedback from people who love to read as much as she does.

 

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


Enter the A Hundred Black Sunrises Giveaway Here


Thursday, May 14, 2026

Celaine Charles When June Haunts May Book Tour and Giveaway


One visible spirit.

Two phantom thieves.

Three courageous friends.


When June Haunts May

The Haunting of Pinedale High #10

by Celaine Charles

Genre: Cozy YA Paranormal Ghost Story




June Brookes has haunted the library at Pinedale High for decades, without attention. Until one day, new sophomore, May Blakely, notices. Could this be June’s chance to cross over to the hereafter? If only she knew what needed to be finished from her old life.

Angsty May prefers solitude. Her deadbeat dad may have ditched her in this small town, but she has no interest befriending this strange girl, or the cute boy across the street.

June’s hereafter hustle goes haywire when two phantom soldiers plot to hijack her passage to peace, at the expense of hurting fellow students. June saves May’s life, igniting their joint efforts to protect the school. Can May help June to her happily ever afterlife?

  

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads





“Have you ever seen her in a class?”

What was he getting at? “We don’t have any classes together. But I don’t have any classes with you either.”

“Okay, so how about the fact that she was cold as ice when I touched her shoulder?”

The chills she’d sensed from June had felt like relief in the blazing sun, but she had noticed them. “What are you saying?”

Reid pulled her underneath a yellowing oak in an empty yard. Ignoring her look of annoyance, he glanced over his shoulders before whispering low and close to her ear. “Did you know Pinedale High is haunted?”

First the woods and now the whole school? May stepped back, hands up in feigned surrender. “Okay-okay, I get it. Prank the new kid. You know, I’m sorry I even thought about checking in on you. I don’t have time for this.” She about-faced and strode down the sidewalk without him.

“Wait, what? I’m not pranking you.” He caught up in only a few strides, his long legs veering her off to the side. “Please, hear me out.”

May’s mind flipped through any example of a high school boy wanting her to hear him out. This had to be a trick. “No, you listen to me. I’ve been the new girl far too many times than I care to count. And I get it. I’m easy prey…perhaps even a challenge.” She thumped him in his too-close-to-her chest. “But I’m not playing.”

“I think June’s a ghost. I’m not kidding or pranking you. And I need you to listen.”

Flashes of her strange interactions with her new friend…if she could even call her that…flickered through May’s mind. They’d only known each other for a couple of days, but she had sensed something off.

She turned away from him, trying to put everything together. Bouts of June’s chilliness, yes. But earlier, it had been strange how fast she’d flown down the spectator stands. Before that, she struggled to push open the main school doors.

May had attributed June’s glossy hollow eyes to the lighting, but maybe it was because of something else. She closed her own eyes for clarity, kicking her foot into the grass. Maybe allergies?

She tucked her hair behind her ear, running the strands between her fingers as more details registered. June’s peculiar way of speaking was odd, and her clothes that first day, like a blast from the past. She was still wearing her penny loafers…with pennies inside.

May dropped her backpack, shook her head at Reid, who was waiting for her to process. But her brain wasn’t cooperating. “Ghosts?” The word spat off her tongue like she’d swallowed a flick of her cat’s tail.

“I know I sound insane. I’m not. I promise.” He glimpsed her with creamy brown eyes. They were the color of Great-Grandma’s sweet tea, and she was overheating inside and out, ready for a tall glass.

“Is this why you’ve been crying at the pond during lunch?”

“What?” His face scrunched, cheeks burning past the eighty-degree temperature outside to a brighter shade of full-blown embarrassment. “No. I mean—I’m not crying at the pond. What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

They stood at an impasse, shock etching along both their eyebrows and drawn lips. Her mind raced for something to say, and if she had to guess, he was in the same boat.




Don’t miss the rest of the Haunting of Pinedale High books!

Find them on Amazon



Celaine Charles lives in the enchanted Pacific Northwest, teaching elementary school by day and writing by the stars at night. She’s an award-winning, multi-genre author who balances her dual life creating poetry, fantasy, and contemporary romance shorts, while blogging about her journey on Steps in Between. In addition, she’s embarking on the world of children’s picture books.

She’s published collections of poetry through Egret Lake Books and Palmetto Publishing Group, and fiction through The Wild Rose Press and Eliza Storm Books.

Celaine is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Storyteller Academy, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and reads poetry regularly with the Museum of Northwest Art, Writing’s on the Wall series.

 

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


Enter the When June Haunts May Giveaway Here