Birthday Bash: Celebrating a Reader with Books (Part 1)
- BirdieMama
- Feb 19
- 32 min read
To celebrate my birthday this year, I came up with the fantastic idea of organizing a book drawing, which I hoped would not only be a fun way to mark the occasion but also foster a sense of community among readers and authors. The concept was simple yet exciting, I would randomly select five books from a pool of submissions, purchase them, read them, and then share my thoughts through reviews. To kick off this initiative, I reached out to my network on Threads, inviting both authors and avid readers to submit titles they loved or had discovered, particularly from authors active on the Threads platform. The response I received was nothing short of overwhelming. It was heartwarming to see so many people eager to participate, and the enthusiasm circulating amongst myself, the readers, and the authors was palpable as we approached the date of the drawing. To enhance the overall experience and make it visually appealing, I took the time to create individual ticket entries for each book using Canva. Each ticket featured a photo of the book's cover, along with its title and the author's name, making the process feel special and personalized.
When the day of the drawing finally arrived, I was charged with excitement. My family and I carefully folded each ticket and placed them into a beautiful glass container, ensuring that everything was randomized. After shuffling the entries thoroughly, we began the drawing process. Each of us took turns drawing a ticket, with the exception of my child, who was thrilled to draw two tickets since there were only four of us present. This small twist added an extra layer of joy to the occasion. After the drawing concluded, I felt inspired to take my involvement further. I decided that throughout the year, I would continue to purchase, read, and review the remaining entries, reading them between my usual ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy). I am a realistic person, and I fully understand that it may not be feasible to read and review every single one of these fantastic books within the year 2025. However, I am committed to going through the entire list eventually, as a way to honor the thoughtful contributions of each participant who chose to be part of my birthday celebration. Their willingness to share their beloved titles with me as an emerging book blogger means a great deal.
I hope that by sharing these book entries with you, my readers, you might discover a title or two that piques your interest. My goal is to encourage you to support these wonderful authors alongside me. Every book symbolizes not only a story ready to be shared, but also ideas, emotions, and experiences waiting to be explored. So, as we embark on this literary journey together, I wish you all happy reading!
-Science Fiction-
The Ones Left Behind by Daniel Camposano
Publication Date: November 15, 2024
Description
Humanity abandoned the Earth in search of new worlds to conquer, leaving the Earth to fall into ruin. Calamity from the skies rendered large areas unlivable for the people left behind. The remnants survive any way that they can.
Generations later, a lone survivor wanders the ruins. Haunted by his past, and hunted by the same, he avoids all contact with other people. Until one day, he hears a voice calling out to him from the darkness.
Alone for as long as she can remember, and longing for companionship, another survivor calls out in hopes of someone answering her call. Until now, those calls have only echoed in empty silence.
Separated by the wasteland, but connected through a radio, she will do anything that she can to help him survive. With the help of his new companion, the man must learn how to overcome his past in order to create a new future.
They are, The Ones Left Behind.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, The Ones Left Behind, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/8NASn5d>.
-Action Romance-
Skylark by Megan Michelle
Publication Date: December 13 , 2024
Description
Being the first female Navy SEAL is no easy job, but someone's got to dismantle the patriarchy. Rachel Ryker, call sign ‘Skylark,’ can out run and out gun just about anybody, and with her second in command, Christopher Williams, by her side, she’s practically unstoppable.
Christopher would follow Rachel to hell and back… or maybe just to the Middle East. When a top-secret malware code is stolen from the CIA, Rachel and Christopher lead their SEAL team through the Middle East in an attempt to recover it.
They both have their own reasons for fighting, but as the team gets closer to finding the stolen malware, Rachel discovers that the man they're looking for may be closer to her than she thinks. Will Rachel’s obsession with completing their mission override her common sense and causes her to lose sight of what is really important- keeping women and children safe from the oppressive patriarchy they are all living in?
With secrets, pride, and a strict no fraternization policy keeping them apart, falling in love would mean sacrificing everything Rachel and Christopher have worked for. But when Rachel gets injured in combat, everything changes. Now Rachel will have to choose: does her devotion to the Navy outweigh her love for Christopher?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Skylark (The SEAL Saga Book 1), Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/9Sw8SP5>.
-Science Fiction ROMANCE-
Ice Planet Octogenarians: Haroom's Harmonance by Opal Mason
Publication Date: November 10, 2024
Description
Ice Planet Barbarians Meets Golden Girls!
You’d think being eighty-five years old would protect you from being kidnapped by sex-trafficking space aliens. But you’d be wrong.
Because my friends and I took out the slave traders only to crash-land on an ice-ball of a planet called “Oog.”
The natives here are huge and purple, with feet like beaver tails, two thumbs on each broad hand, and towering antlers. You wouldn’t think they’d be interested in a quartet of eighty-somethings, but their tribe is really short on females.
Also, their saliva contains a chemical that, when applied to the right location, turns back the clock on these rickety old bodies.
Before you judge us, let me ask you this: What if you were standing so close to the Grim Reaper you could see the whites of his eyes? And what if a strapping young fellow came along and offered you the chance to be twenty-five again?
Do you really think you’d turn that down?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Ice Planet Octogenarians: Haroom's Harmonance, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/4z7kYHP>.
-Romance-
A Young Thug's Kryptonite by Ke'Asia Morris
Publication Date: January 20 , 2025
Description
When twenty-eight-year-old Zaire Isaac meets the captivating Jetaime Harrell on a week-long cruise, neither of them is prepared for the sparks that fly. What begins as a chance encounter quickly turns into a whirlwind of passion and connection. But when the ship docks, they go their separate ways, thinking they’ll never see each other again.
For Zaire, the cruise was a brief escape from the chaos his life had become. Joining the Navy right after high school helped him leave behind the criminal life of his youth, but a devastating turn of events forces him back to his hometown—and dangerously close to the streets he once swore to leave behind.
Jetaime, freshly out of an eight-year relationship, is focused on starting over. Raising two children that aren’t her own and stepping into her dream job as a nurse, she doesn’t have time—or trust—for love. But when fate brings her and Zaire back together, their connection proves impossible to ignore.
As their love deepens, Jetaime’s jealous ex refuses to let go, threatening not only her safety but the stability Zaire has worked so hard to build. Now, Zaire must confront the dangerous world he left behind, risking everything to protect the woman who has become his kryptonite.
Will their love be strong enough to overcome the ghosts of Zaire’s past and the dangers of Jetaime’s present? Or will the streets claim him once again—this time for good?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, A Young Thug's Kryptonite, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/j02921z>.
-Action Romance-
Drift by Anita Morenos
Publication Date: February 14, 2025
Description
Drift is a story of personal healing, reclaiming identity, and being loved with a romantic MM ending.
After an earthquake, 27-year-old Damian Palomo is in a coma and wakes up as his boss's new custom Audi RS4. Damian's also stuck in Southpoint, the Central Valley town he ran away from almost a decade ago.
Relying on his boss, 25-year-old Ethan Reynolds, proves difficult as Ethan's gotten himself involved in the local, dangerous racing scene—and he owes people a race. He must put up his shiny new car, now possessed by his assistant, Damian.
They must work together to keep Ethan and the car out of criminal hands. Damian unravels as he faces the traumatic past he spent years suppressing and hiding from Ethan, the only person he can depend on.
Before purchasing, please read the Important Reading Note using the Look Inside feature or visit www.anitamorenos.com/Drift for important content information.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Drift, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/1B1r0mT>.
-Paranormal Fantasy-
Mors Obliviscens by Allyson McCollum
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Description
What happens after death?
Flit has no idea who she is. She doesn't remember her name, how she got here, or where "here" is. When she encounters the Grim Reaper who tells her that she has died and is now in Purgatory-unlike other souls who pass on to Heaven or Hell-her only real option is to leave with him. He gives her a name and takes her with him to an abandoned cabin, where she tries to recover her memories. As she helps him retrieve the souls of the dead, she starts to wonder what really happened to her: Was she supposed to die? What happened to her family? Did someone kill her?
As they reap more passing souls and face new creatures, she has more questions than answers. There is a war brewing, and Flit finds herself caught in the threads of a battle between angels and demons, descending into the depths of Hell to save someone she thought was a myth. Will she help the angels and prevail? Or will she learn that the secrets of death are darker than she could've imagined?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Mors Obliviscens, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/aZwD32K>.
-Romantic Comedy-
Swiped Right by LS Phoenix
Publication Date: January 31, 2025
Description
In Swipe, Chat, Repeat, Theo, Paisley’s charismatic best friend, is searching for a no-strings hookup on a popular app for gay men. Picky and unimpressed, he’s ready to swipe left on everyone—until he finds a profile that intrigues him: an artsy, enigmatic photo captioned, “Just here to peel back the layers… if you’re worth it.” The cheeky banter that follows with Memphis leads to something far deeper than Theo ever anticipated.
Could the guy who wasn’t supposed to matter end up being his perfect match?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Swipe Right, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/0r5kBUO>.
-Action Fantasy-
The Portrait by AK Lukacs
Publication Date: January 17, 2025
Description
Nia has spent her life as a servant, cleaning the palace for a tyrannical queen. A life she thought she could not escape…until she found an old portrait. Then, she realized her life was a lie: she wasn’t a servant – she was royalty. With this new information, Nia now has to not only find herself again, but find a way to get her family, and her kingdom, back.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, The Portrait, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/13YYECx>.
-Mystery, Thriller, Suspense-
Spy Notes by Judy Hutson
Publication Date: February 12, 2025
Description
Music, Mayhem, and Missions...
When music publicist Johnny Harrington isn't managing her superstar client Naive, she's enjoying Christmas on her family's idyllic island home in Barbados. But this year's holiday harmony is shattered when an undercover detective turns up dead, and Johnny's new romance with charming businessman Henley becomes entangled in a web of suspicion.
Using her backstage pass to Europe's most exclusive social circles through Naive's tour, Johnny becomes an unlikely spy in designer heels. As she juggles a volatile artist with her secret mission, she uncovers a deadly network of drug trafficking that hits dangerously close to home. In a world where every VIP party could be a cover and every intimate encounter could be a setup, Johnny must figure out who's playing her before she becomes the next victim.
From private island paradises to high-stakes concert venues, this glamorous thriller proves that in both the music business and espionage, the most dangerous notes are the ones you don't see coming.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Spy Notes, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/e5GnEKR>.
-Romance-
Mending Broken Roads by Elizabeth Woodrow
Publication Date: November 1, 2021
Description
If you are tired of romance novels with unrealistically “perfect” protagonists, then this story of love triumphing over self-doubt is for you…
Callie St. Claire is from an abusive household and is overweight and self-doubting. But with a good heart, God, and prayer, she escapes the prison she knows as Indianapolis, Indiana and heads to the quaint, Hallmark-esque, bayfront town of Edenton, North Carolina in hopes of finding herself and her place in the world. When Callie arrives in Edenton and gets to know some of the locals, she finds everything she never knew she wanted or needed.
Colt Andrews is a local Edenton rancher who has not fully come to terms with his father’s death, the sudden departure of his mother, and the loss of his girlfriend to another man. He takes solace in running Redemption Ranch, a place where horses and people alike can find redemption from whatever ills life had thrown their way. When Colt meets Callie, he finds everything he never knew he wanted or needed.
Colt eventually offers Callie a job and a cabin at Redemption Ranch, where she quickly bonds with a horse named Warrior over their similar pasts of being abused by people who were supposed to love them. As Callie and Colt spend more time together, electricity sparks between them. But they both have past hurts that cause insurmountable insecurities. Can they move beyond this to mend their broken roads and live together in the love God has for them, or will they instead continue keeping each other at arm’s length? Find out here, in Book 1 of the Edenton Bay Romance Series.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Mending Broken Roads Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/cXVDs8U>.
-Contemporary Romance-
Never Chosen: The Baker, the Genius and the Rockstar by Jennifer Cleveland
Publication Date: September 25, 2024
Description
Come closer…
Don’t tell anyone, but I’m hopelessly in love.
He’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.
He’s smart and kind. He’s gorgeous and talented. His soul is beautiful and tortured, and I want to worship every inch of him until the day I die, but I’m me.
Wallflower.
Nerd.
Damaged.
What would a man like him want with me?
Never Chosen: The Baker, the Genius, and the Rockstar is part one of an interracial romance trilogy. Triggers within this book include: mental illness, attempted suicide, recounts of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.
Tropes included in this story:
*Love Triangle
*Age Gap
*Insta-love
*Darker Themes
*Obsession
*Virginal Wallflower
*Curvy Heroine
*Morally Gray Hero
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Never Chosen: The Baker, the Genius and the Rockstar, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/9Kh5iTH>.
-Magic Romance-
Keeper's Reign by Eliza Leone
Publication Date: December 6, 2023
Description
When Onnie's grandfather asked her to inherit his legacy, she wasn't expecting a magical bookshop, a talking cat with an attitude, and a town full of fantastical beings. Except that's exactly what she got. Alku is a quaint town nestled in the forested mountains of the Pacific Northwest, and it carries with it secrets. Many of them. It's where the current Keeper protects and curates the world's written knowledge archive, and Onnie's elderly Grandfather happens to be the current one. The bookshop has chosen her to be next. Onnie's tossed into the magical deep end but finds more allies than expected. A story about self-acceptance, family, and learning to lean on others, Keeper's Reign is the first part in a trilogy following the final Keeper and the dangers she faces.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Keeper's Reign: The Final Keeper Trilogy (Chronicles From Alku Book 1), Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/4dIopEX>.
-YA Dystopian Romance-
The Inflictor by M.J. Bavis
Publication Date: November 29, 2024
Description
Seventeen-year-old Eryna never wanted to hurt anyone.
But behind the walls of her gilded cage, she hides a chilling secret: she is an Inflictor. The ability to cause pain is woven into her very being. And when the Directorate conscripts her, they will use her for their dark purposes; they will force her to comply.
Eryna knows escaping her fate is impossible.
Until she meets him.
Only he can tell her how to evade capture. If she can get him to set aside his hatred for her.
With the odds stacked against her, Eryna must find a way to gain his allegiance before it’s too late—or risk becoming the monster she vowed never to become.
The Inflictor transports readers to a near-future dystopia—a world ravaged by relentless natural disasters and ruled with an iron grip by the Directorate.
It is a gripping tale of resilience and survival, where impossible choices have the power to shape destinies and shatter lives.
Will humanity be the price of survival? And can love truly exist amidst distressing circumstances? Dive into the riveting world of The Inflictor!
CLEAN ROMANCE NOVEL: no swearing, no spice. As the novel is set in a dystopian world, some themes may be upsetting for very young readers.
Perfect for fans of Shatter Me, Us Dark Few, and Divergent.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, The Inflictor: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance, Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/3kklJyT>.
-Mystery-
Margaret Leaving by Rosemary Hayward
Publication Date: March 26, 2017
Description
When her stepmother, Margaret, suddenly leaves home, seventeen-year-old Jenny North does everything in her power to keep her own life on track, even if that means leaving her home and her father. But as time passes Jenny's need to understand why Margaret walked out on her family becomes ever stronger.
Family secrets, hidden love and some lesser known events of the second world war intertwine in this twentieth century family saga set in Maidenhead, Oxford and Paris.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Margaret Leaving, Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/cz53Hi9>.
-Action Fantasy Romance-
Built on Bones & Ruins by Felicity Wilson
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Description
A never ending battle...
Norvailia, also known as the Mountain of the Gods, has been coveted for centuries by each of the fae kingdoms. After all, it is the source of their magic, and those who hold the mountain as their territory claim the most of its power. Fifty years ago, the Air Fae launched a war against the kingdom of Land Fae who lived upon Norvailia, taking its magic for themselves. The Land Fae have long since disappeared.
A change in the air...
With the Air Fae prince coming of age at twenty-five, the fae prepare for the traditional marriage trials, a fight to the death to find their next queen. When Ryn is entered into the trials for the chance to become Queen of Norvailia, there are only a few things that could get in her way. Like the fact that she is the only human competing against the deadly, air wielding fae. Or that she is just an ill conceived back up plan in a life long scheme to take the mountain from the Air Fae. With an overwhelming sense of duty to her people and an acceptance of her fate, Ryn enters the trials with the end goal of taking Norvailia right out from under the Air Fae’s control and cutting off their connection to its magic. With the unrest in Norvailia and an alliance forming between the Water Fae and Fire Fae on the other side of the continent, Ryn finds that the fates have quite the sense of humor.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Built on Bones & Ruins (The Norvailian Chronology Book 1), Amazon website, Accessed 09 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/6qbR1D0>.
-LGBTQ+ Fantasy Romance-
Shadow's Wound (Elemental Thrones) by Saria Bryant
Publication Date: January 28, 2025
Description
With the realm teetering on the brink of magical annihilation, Callith Ratearynn, the reluctant heir to the Sun Throne, is thrust into power centuries too soon. With his father dead and corruption tearing the kingdom apart at the seams, Cal must battle rising racial tensions and unravel a dark conspiracy. Justice, a manipulative human official, has stirred hatred between humans and the magical community, using enslavement collars and control over the Black Sun—an elite group of soldiers loyal to the Shadow Throne.
Just as civil war seems inevitable, Cal's Fate string—a magical bond tying him to his soulmate—leads him to a grim prison where he finds Haru, his bonded, broken and tortured. But Fate has more in store. Cal discovers he is bound not to one, but two: Rashi, a fox shifter, and Haru, a fierce dragon warrior. Together, this reluctant triad must face cult attacks, dark rituals, and the creeping Wound, a void threatening to consume their realm.
Cal’s new reality is one of impossible choices—between duty and heart, loyalty and passion. As war looms, the only hope lies in Cal’s ability to trust in his newfound soulmates and uncover the depths of the corruption before it’s too late.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Shadow's Wound (Elemental Thrones), Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/bMEZqHg>.
-Billionaire Romance-
Broken Pieces by Yinn Quirós
Publication Date: July 25, 2024
Description
Aria
My life’s nowhere near perfect. Sure, being a top curator in the industry should be a big deal, but it’s like walking a tightrope between my true passion and trying to pick up the broken pieces of my life.
Then there’s Damian Romano, the source of my frustration. He’s an arrogant, self-centered, ruthless businessman. Yet, the more time I spend with him, the line between his true self and the facade he presents to the world blurs. I hate it. Hate not knowing who the real version of him is.
I hate everything about it. Everything but him.
Damian
My life’s a chessboard of calculated moves—it’s how I’ve thrived, after all. The world sees me as a cold, self-centered businessman who’s got it all figured out. Little do they know, it’s a carefully crafted act to shield the broken pieces of my life that I’ve been desperately trying to piece together on my own.
Then there’s Aria Petrov, the source of my undoing. Her fire, kindness, and dedication start breaking down my carefully crafted walls. The more time I spend with her, my control unravels. Yet, I can’t seem to stay away from her. I hate it. Hate not being in control. Hate that she’s the exception to the rules I set.
I hate everything about the chaos she brings. Everything but her.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Broken Pieces (Windy City Billionaires #1), Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/eujd0TU>.
-Memoir-
Kruella: A Daughter's Tale by S.K. Hope
Publication Date: July 6, 2018
Description
Sharron tells her harrowing story of her childhood growing up disadvantaged, severely neglected and abused by her mother. This gripping, honest, deep and graphic account catalogues the errors and failures, which allowed the abuse to go on and leave scars into her adulthood. She decided to write this book to reveal the real devastation childhood trauma can have throughout a victims life but with hope and the realisation you are not alone and not to blame, greatness can be achieved. This moving and heart breaking story shows the courage, strength and determination of a woman not wanting to be defined by her past, to be freed and let other victims know that through adversity you can succeed. Cover illustrator: Marshall Gilchrist ~ constancedegaulle.com
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Kruella: A Daughter's Tale, Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/hzHSCQX>.
-LGBTQ+ Fantasy-
A Curse of Blood and Power by Viviene Noel
Publication Date: August 3, 2021
Description
Engulfed in darkness, she will stumble upon her own.
On Fanhalen, world-walking was once a coveted gift wielded only by the Castellain line. But their line is long gone, and since the sudden disappearance of magic at the beginning of the Shadow War, it is only a whispered memory.
In Mahena’s world, twenty-first century Earth, magic doesn’t exist. But when she awakens in another realm, it rapidly becomes clear that whatever magical fragments remain, they react to her.
Plagued by dreams and visions of a past she doesn’t remember, and a cruel voice at the back of her head that isn’t hers, she has no choice but to place her trust in the two secretive, mysterious twins who took her in.
With a death warrant on her head, Emmerentia has been in hiding, with the help of her twin, Fàaran, since the war began. When she learns that a part of her memory might have been stolen from her, she decides to come out of the shadows in search of answers. With a complicated past and twisted emotions, the twins’ unwavering loyalty will be put to the test in the face of this new threat.
To find the answer to the mist surrounding Mahena’s true identity, they all must travel to the Scholar-Kingdom, where the last spell cast still holds and the world’s most coveted collection of knowledge resides. But through a land ravaged by spreading Shadows, will they find their way through the dark?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, A Curse of Blood and Power: an epic romantic fantasy adventure, Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/ggRvd63>.
-Erotica/Romance-
Nanny to the Mafia by Sophia Raz
Publication Date: March 1, 2024
Description
He offered me a crazy deal I couldn’t refuse. Even if I knew I made it with the devil within him.
Antonio
All I wanted was a nanny, until she walked in and breathed a need into me. I craved her as my wife even if it was only a marriage of convenience. I would make sure she would never leave me even if I had to tie her to my bed. As long as she stayed with me.
Divya
I went to him to fulfil my financial needs. I didn’t know he would disrupt my world. Then I discovered the darkness within him and knew he wasn’t the type to walk the moral line. Yet, I stood and watched… even as he burned me.
Can Divya forgive Antonio’s secrets and accept him, even though his darkness is far greater than any of her nightmares?
Nanny to the Mafia, the standalone first book in The Shadows of Cosa Nostra Chronicles, is a Mafia, forced marriage, enemies to lovers, interracial romance featuring a possessive consigliere and his innocent British-Indian nanny. While this spicy, dark mafia romance promises a HEA, readers may find some themes concerning. Use the preview feature for details. Please note that this book is written in British English.
Author's note: The prologue and a small part of chapter one is written in a third person POV from side characters. The rest of the book is written in first person dual POV.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Nanny to the Mafia: Enemies to lovers Mafia Romance, Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/cOpdL5U>.
-Science Fiction/ Fantasy Erotica-
Death Defiant by Charlotte Chaos
Publication Date: August 24, 2024
Description
They say God is a woman, well what about Death?
Amara's life takes a turn when she decides she needs to go grocery shopping. For better or for worse, that remains to be seen. Enter the deadly trio:
Ethan: a warm-hearted pyschopath.
Tristan: cold as ice, with a penchant for guacamole.
Caden: the light in the storm.
The attraction is instantaneous, overwhelming, and they swear she is the missing piece to their apocalyptic puzzle.
Can they truly help her figure out who she is? Because, according to them she's the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse. And it seems neither Heaven nor Hell wants her to remember it.
Death Defiant is a why choose, paranormal romance. It is dark in some places, and touches on senstive topics that may be triggering. Please be aware of this going in.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Death Defiant, Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/8e3HXhN>.
-YA Paranormal Romance-
Death Callers by Raven Hudgins
Publication Date: October 28, 2024
Description
Aislin Gray has finally turned eighteen, the pivotal moment in a banshee's life, but with it comes her first Death Call--visions of someone's death. It isn't just anyone's death--it's Kaelin's, the human who left so long ago. Now he's back and Aislin will do anything to keep it that way, even if it means starting a war.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Death Callers, Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/61e6zjp>.
-Dystopian Science Fiction-
Diamond in the Rough by Jayden Thompson
Publication Date: August 12, 2024
Description
WELCOME TO THE WASTELANDS
It’s been thirty years since the devastating Virus hit, leaving the world in shambles. In the newly formed Safe Zones of America, the key to survival is to stay behind the Zones’ impenetrable walls—and out of the mutant-infested lands beyond.
Former assassin Ethan Ellis used to answer directly to the president. When he is betrayed by another agent and convicted of his crimes, he finds himself facing exile as punishment. Thrown into the cold reality of day-to-day survival—fighting both the mutants and the rogue groups of exiles that roam the wastelands—Ethan finds it hard to put the past behind him as he struggles to come to terms with the betrayal that knocked his world upside-down.
Then he meets Laiken. Bubbly, charismatic, and always wearing a smile, Laiken annoys Ethan to no end. But when a band of exiles threatens both of their lives, forcing them together, Ethan realizes that he might need Laiken more than he thought.
In this debut novel by Jayden Thompson, Ethan is forced to decide if living is enough—or if enjoying the life he has is the true key to survival.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Diamond in the Rough (The Wastelands Series Book 1), Amazon website, Accessed 10 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/6c8gNia>.
-Historical Fiction Mystery-
The Girls From Alexandria by Carol Cooper
Publication Date: April 29, 2021
Description
Nadia needs help getting out of her hospital bed, taking her pills. One thing she doesn't need help with is remembering her sister. But she does need help finding her. Stuck in a London hospital, 70-year-old Nadia is facing the rest of her life spent in a care home unless she can contact her sister Simone... who's been missing for 50 years.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, The Girls From Alexandria, Amazon website, Accessed 14 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/6Cn6xcM>.
-YA Poetry-
Laconic by Avery Jensen
Publication Date: August 31, 2024
Description
Laconic is a heartfelt poetry collection for those who have loved fiercely, lost deeply, and found strength in their own vulnerability. Journey through words that echo the ache of heartbreak and the warmth of healing, touching on themes of love, loss, and the unbreakable resilience we carry in life’s hardest moments.
With each poem, Laconic invites you to reflect, to feel, and to heal. If you’re seeking words to accompany you through pain, joy, or transformation, this collection is here for you. Let Laconic be the quiet companion you didn’t know you needed—one that speaks volumes in every verse.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Laconic: Words that Speak Volumes, Amazon website, Accessed 14 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/1STCRDo>.
-Women's Poetry-
Five Dreams by Elizabeth Michaud
Publication Date: September 20, 2023
Description
Elizabeth Michaud’s debut collection creeps into consciousness the way echoes of place and people weave through slumber—a storied patchwork recollecting love and loss and longing. With narrative lyricism and an imaginative prowess for keen social commentary and the observational (extra)ordinary, Michaud spins whispered bedside prayers, love potions, campfire-cautionary tales, ghostly forms, and meter and verse. From our daydreams, waking dreams, “take these reckless sighs I breathe / and this weakness in my knees” dreams, to our anxiety-fueled, “she chants her words for all to hear / And one by one, they fall in fear” lore, Five Dreams lures us with both the threat and promise of waking, while reminding us not all nightmares fall away with the sleep from our eyes.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Five Dreams, Amazon website, Accessed 14 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/gONi2PP>.
-Fantasy-
Through Mists of Time by EJ Lindell
Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Description
When everything you thought you knew to be true changes with just one book...
Annika thought she lived a seemingly ordinary life until she finds herself thrust into an extraordinary world. While in a bookshop in Scotland, a mysterious book transports her to the city of Asthemar in Tir Siorghlas. As she unravels the secrets of her past she also finds out her magic has been spellbound and her ancestry hidden. Along the way, a love lost centuries ago is reignited and a destiny she never knew she had comes into focus.
Damien, the brooding Elven king of clan Tempestus, has waited for his soul bond for a lifetime. When Annika finally appears through the portal, his heart races with longing. But as he tries to help her remember their shared past, he is scared to be hurt again; realizing that he could lose her once more.
As Annika's memories awaken, so too does a powerful force. Tir Siorghlas is a land of shadows and secrets, and a sinister evil threatens to consume everything. Can Annika unlock her forgotten powers and embrace her rightful place before it's too late? Or will the darkness of Tir Siorghlas claim her and the love she's finally found?
BOOK 1 OF THE SOULBINDING CHRONICLES
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Through Mists of Time, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/cwEKP3n>.
-Contemporary Romance-
Doc Hollywood by Quinn Hart
Publication Date: September 25, 2024
Description
She saves lives. He plays the hero. But can they write their own love story?
Dr. Clara Upford is no stranger to pressure in the operating room, but nothing prepares her for the day Hollywood superstar Taylor Anderson steps into her hospital. He's there to shadow her as research for his new role as an anaesthetist, but from the moment they meet, sparks fly.
Taylor is charming, down-to-earth, and more interested in Clara than any script. As they spend time together, the connection between them deepens. Yet Clara can’t shake the doubts lingering from her last relationship—one that ended in heartbreak when her ex cheated. How can she trust a man whose life is full of temptation and attention from millions?
Caught between her growing feelings and her fears, Clara must decide if she’s willing to take a chance on love again, or if Taylor’s fame makes him unreachable. Taylor, on the other hand, is ready to prove that his interest in Clara is as real as it gets—if only she’ll let him.
In a romance where two worlds collide, can they find a way to make it work, or will their love story fade to black?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Doc Hollywood, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/fwNvFlh>.
-Religious Historical Fiction-
Finding Juniper by Cindy Thomson
Publication Date: January 2, 2025
Description
For Patrick Doyle, the claim that time heals all wounds is a cruel lie.
In 1920, returning from WWI, Paddy finds Ireland creeping toward civil war. Invisible borders separate people, including Paddy and his pregnant girlfriend. With few prospects, Paddy sails to America. However, America is far from the land of opportunity he'd hoped for. And worse, his girl refuses to follow him because of her political involvement.
Thirty years later, Patrick has moved on with his life, building a new family. A letter arrives, suggesting the child he'd assumed died may be alive. Patrick's American daughter Mardell pushes him to find out what happened to her sister, named Juniper. Patrick anxiously sails to Ireland.
Juniper endured a childhood in institutions, and when she's released, she moves on without the parents who left her. Operating an apothecary out of an inherited cottage where villagers are slow to trust outsiders, Juniper finally finds a home when her grandmother arrives. Just as she feels comfortable and content, her father shows up at her door, bringing shocking news about her mother.
Finding Juniper invites readers on a journey of confronting the past, healing from old traumas, and redefining what family truly means.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Finding Juniper, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/alKOQTw>.
-Historical Romance-
Redeem Me by Miranda Faye
Publication Date: November 15, 2024
Description
Evelyn Mayhew knows two things.
That it should be a blessing to be raised by a man of the Lord.
And that it should be a privilege to be betrothed to a man of power.
But when her awakening thoughts lead her not only away from the blind obedience she has been raised for but also toward a stranger offering her a glimpse of freedom, Evelyn is put at a crossroads.
Should she choose the shelter of a life confined, or risk the unknown with the man who would set her world — and her heart — on fire?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Redeem Me, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/eB2uHsZ>.
-Psychological Thriller-
Small Town Secrets by R.C. Brown
Publication Date: December 20, 2024
Description
This is a dark read.***TW: teenage abduction, strong sexual violence, strong violence, graphic murder/death***
A quiet mountain town is rocked by the sudden disappearance of 17 year old Carly. No one knows what happened to her, or do they? The case goes cold and people seemingly move on. As fate would have it her best friend, Caroline, and boyfriend, Will, grow closer and eventually marry building the perfect life, all the while Carly is alive and living hell on earth. When letters arrive from the grave, the secrets of a small town can only stay hidden for so long. The kind of secrets that intertwine families in ways no one ever imagined. When Carly resurfaces all of the towns evil secrets are exposed; there is hell to pay. Everyone she loved and trusted wasn’t who she thought they were and the ties that bind them all start to unravel. The Carly that everyone loved is not the same Carly that
comes back. This will not be a happy reunion. Truths will be told, lies exposed and
retribution will be handed down.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Small Town Secrets, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/dUQZTkV>.
-Children's-
Ella Learns to Dance by Stenetta Anthony
Publication Date: December 2, 2022
Description
Ella dreams about taking a ballet class, but when her friends tell her elephants don't dance ballet. She wonders if she will ever learn how to perform her favorite ballet dances. Ella's story will twirl her way into your heart.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Ella Learns to Dance, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/gxBSG0e>.
-New Adult Contemporary Romance-
On the Outside of Everything by Tiffany Renee
Publication Date: September 13, 2024
Description
First Love Gets a Second Chance
The day Camden Pierce showed up at the ranch was the day everything changed for Emma. He was a boy with a past and she was a girl with insatiable curiosity. Together they were everything, but he knew his love was toxic, and that leaving her would be the best and worst thing he’d ever done.
Five years passed without a word. She was convinced he was gone forever. Emma’s life was changing anyway, but when Camden returned, it was thrown into utter turmoil.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, On the Outside of Everything, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/9UY27rA>.
-Memoir-
Jimmie's Japan by Jimmie W Harp Jr
Publication Date: December 10, 2024
Description
In the summer of 2003, Jimmie Harp embarks on a homestay trip to Japan. Settling into the charming, historic city of Ogaki, he becomes a part of the Tanaka family, whose warm hospitality introduces him to the rhythm of daily Japanese life.
As Jimmie navigates strange customs, savors exquisite cuisine, and explores awe-inspiring locations, he finds himself immersed in a world both mysterious and enchanting.
Amidst a hectic touring schedule, Jimmie’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he meets Kaori, a shy local girl with a kind heart.
Their connection grows, intertwining joy and sorrow as Jimmie learns to embrace love and face loss in a foreign land "Jimmie’s Japan” is a captivating true memoir of self-discovery, cultural immersion, and the poignant beauty of life's fleeting moments.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Jimmie's Japan, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/8KZOuml>.
-YA Christian Science Fiction-
City of End by Katelyn Pfeiffer
Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Description
The year is 4085. Aoire, a young woman with a hidden past, is living in secret in the underground cavern City of End. A great evil has been growing, waging war on the human race since the day a nuclear genocide eradicated the surface of the Earth in 3080.
Now on End’s most important day of the year, Aoire must reveal herself not only to all of End, but to the dark forces as well.
Can she find a way to save her city, while also navigating the destiny forced upon her and her desire to finally have a life to call her own?
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, City of End, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/ePrqtUT>.
-YA Poetry-
Lost in Time by Z' Rya S.
Publication Date: July 5, 2024
Description
In this poetry book, enter a realm of darkness where endless possibilities await, and unfamiliar places call on the heart to embrace the unknown.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Lost in Time Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/4kCfcBu>.
-Self-Help/
Enlightenment-
Beyond the Traps by Mandakini Tomar
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Description
Are you ready to break free from traps holding you back to reach your true destiny? Beyond the Traps is an enlightening guide to unlocking your true potential. Mandakini Tomar reveals how to recognize and overcome hidden traps that hinder your growth, empowering you to make wiser decisions and align with your true destiny. In "Beyond the Traps," discover the critical mistakes to avoid on your journey to personal growth, make wise decisions in life with better choices to unleash your true destiny. This book enhances your ability to read people and situations.
This book serves as a roadmap for anyone feeling stuck or uncertain in their life journey. The earlier you recognize these traps, the sooner you can transform your life into one of meaning and fulfilment. By understanding these common traps, you can navigate life with intention, increase your awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and surroundings.
If you’re ready to transform your life by coming out of a lot of life traps and embrace the wisdom within, grabbing a copy of "Beyond the Traps" could be your first step toward a more fulfilling future. Join Mandakini on this enlightening journey and discover how to sidestep the traps and move towards your true destiny.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Beyond the Traps: A Journey to enlightened living, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/39tgjz6>.
-Collection of Short Stories-
Trespassers by Áine Greaney
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
Description
Are you ready to break free from traps A woman travels from her Massachusetts home to her native Irish village to care for her estranged and sick father. Back in her childhood home, she comes face-to-face with previously unspoken losses.A wealthy couple travels to Cape Cod to spend their 52nd summer on the wife's ancestral estate. On their private beach above Nantucket Sound, the husband must confront the realities of their long marriage and its social-class tensions. A widow agrees to sell her west-of-Ireland farm to move to an in-law apartment attached to her daughter--and the daughter's American family's―Dublin house. In her new urban home, Grandma must confront the family's abusive past and her adult daughter's refusal to forgive or forget. An Irish immigrant takes her American-born teen to a raucous Boston house party. At that party, the teenager discovers that her mother had lied about her child's birth father―a lie that will permanently divide the mother and daughter. As these 11 stories zig zag back and forth between coastal Massachusetts and rural Ireland, "Trespassers" brims with each character's attempt to reconcile past and present, place and displacement and loss and hope.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Trespassers: and Other Stories, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/8Y7iteR>.
-Speculative Dystopian Women's Fiction-
The Lottery by AM Joy
Publication Date: September 28, 2024
Description
The Lottery is a dark feminist dystopian tale that unapologetically explores the intersection of politics and reproductive rights. Thought-provoking and chilling, it demonstrates how choices outside of our control can make us who we are, while our actions have the power to change our destiny.
From the Back Cover
Australia has banned babies, and one reluctant woman must decide if reproductive freedom is worth fighting for.
Brilliant scientist Alice Avery has never wanted children. When she falls pregnant accidentally, she doesn’t consider Australia’s mandated abortion laws an abuse of women’s rights. Instead, they’re a relief and a safety net for her.
Until the government decides that Alice and her baby are special. Too special for her baby not to be given a chance at life.
Prohibited from seeking an abortion, Alice and her unborn baby become unwilling participants in The Lottery, a brutal and secretive competition to see which woman will carry Australia’s next quarter baby to term.
Held against her will and forced to endure rounds of gruelling and invasive tests, Alice must fight for survival while coming to the realisation that her country doesn’t care about women.
Alice must finally face the truth—she may be the only woman in history who can do anything about it...
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, The Lottery, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/2nHFGd2>.
-Contemporary Fantasy-
Lahaina Noon by Trista Ricketts
Publication Date: November 12, 2024
Description
What do you do when your charming new boyfriend turns out to be a dragon?
Widowed mother Bridget feels like her dreams are coming true when Vaughn, the man she’s been crushing on, finally asks her out. But when she discovers he’s actually a dragon and she’s a magic wielder, her whole life turns upside down.
Destined to save the world from an ancient and malevolent force known as the Shadow Claw, Bridget is thrown into a world of magic. With the help of her best friends and her dragon boyfriend, Bridget must learn to harness her newfound abilities and confront the shadows threatening to engulf their world.
While navigating the complexities of her heart, the bonds of friendship, and the weight of her destiny, Bridget and her allies must stand together to fight the Shadow Claw.
Will she embrace her destiny and save those she loves, or will the darkness consume them all?
Lahaina Noon is the first in a thrilling shifter fantasy romance series perfect for fans of Dragon Bound, Death Before Dragons, and The Treasure of Paragon. Grab a copy today to dive into a world of magic, shadows, and enigmatic dragons!
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Lahaina Noon (Modern Legends of Dragons & Shadows, Book One), Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/eqnzFGr>.
-Historical & Contemporary Fiction-
Their Times Our Times by T. Patrick Graves
Publication Date: October 10, 2024
Description
Is it historical fiction? Contemporary fiction? Or something beyond? Their Times: Our Times defies easy categorization. Spanning from 1967 to 2028, this compelling narrative captures the essence of an era and the story of a generation. Meet Denny, a young man thrust into the horrors of the Vietnam War right after high school. After surviving a harrowing firefight in which his best friend Billy is killed, Denny takes on a new mission. He travels to Texas to support Billy’s widow, Lisa, and her infant son, Jimmy. Denny and Lisa navigate college, law school, and medical school, eventually marrying and building a life together. Through love, loss, and resilience, Their Times: Our Times is a poignant tale of two people bound by tragedy but determined to create a future.
Source Citation:
Amazon.com 2025, Their Times Our Times, Amazon website, Accessed 17 February 2025, <https://a.co/d/6KPeB90>.
So there you have it, friends! That was the first 41 entries into the highly anticipated Birthday Book Bash drawing. Within this impressive array of titles, there are literally books catering to every kind of reader imaginable. Whether you are a fan of heartwarming romances, thrilling mysteries, or thought-provoking non-fiction, you will find something that tickles your fancy. This selection includes a plethora of intriguing books that encourage you to step outside of your usual genres and explore new literary landscapes. Imagine diving into a fantastical world filled with magic and adventure when you typically gravitate towards realistic fiction, or perhaps unraveling the complexities of a historical narrative that opens your eyes to a different time and place. The possibilities are endless, and I encourage you to be adventurous. I dare you to take that leap into the unknown!
As you embark on this literary journey, make sure to stay tuned in and keep an eye out for part 2 of this article, where I will dive into more captivating entries that await you. This next segment promises to unveil additional treasures that will surely enhance your reading list and inspire your next bookish adventure. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you! If you decide to pick up any of these literary gems, or if you have already had the pleasure of reading any of them, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below. Your insights and experiences are invaluable to our community of readers, and together, we can foster a dialogue about the power of books and the stories they tell. So, let’s connect and celebrate our shared love for reading!
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