We interrupt this book review blog for a book release update! A Churn in the Dark (Into the Churn #2.5) launched today and the blurb is below!
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Love and murder stir between the stars.
Four months after the Belethea Race Royale team’s narrow escape from Otho and Casolla’s dark syndicates, Sylvia Long, Grady/Guns, and Belethea’s newest doubles team arrive on Crion for its inaugural New Year Race. But with Sterling/Hart enjoying their own holiday back home, Sylvia struggles to balance her ever-growing duties as both team coach and manager.
Meanwhile, Agent Shiro Tanaka—Sylvia’s boyfriend and the Belethea royalers’ one-man security team—is determined to use this working holiday to propose to Sylvia under Crion’s aurora-bathed skies. But when the race takes a dark turn, all their plans go out the airlock as Shiro and Sylvia rush to save their royalers.
The bad blood is still thick in Casolla, and someone isn’t about to let Belethea forget it.
***
Ebooks of this novella are available on Amazon and Whimsical Publishing’s website! If you want to check out the A Churn in the Dark vibes on Spotify, you can find the playlist here. And you can also add it to your Goodreads, here.
Also, the cover reveal for Into the Abyss (Into the Churn #3), the last book in the trilogy, is scheduled for December 3rd and will release in March, so keep an eye out!
As always, thank you so much for reading and all of your support—your recommendations, ratings, and reviews give these books wings! (And if you’d like to receive updates like this to your email, you can sign up for my author newsletter here!)
We interrupt this book review blog for a book release update!
Into the Fire (Into the Churn #2) will be launching on 21 May, but preorders are now live and eARCs go out tomorrow! (Blurb below)
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The finish line was only the beginning.
Champion race royalers Ezren Hart and Foster Sterling never dreamed winning the Belethea Race Royale and solving their teammate’s murder would only be the start of their troubles. With legal proceedings taking an unfortunate turn, accusations of a sham race, and a divided Belethea of warring ideals, they find themselves in the middle of a storm once again.
However, when a mysterious private investigator shows up at their doorstep with news that Ezren’s long-missing father’s life hangs in the balance, she doesn’t hesitate to chart their course to the incendiary moon of Otho despite Foster’s misgivings. But after political violence separates the pair before they even get off the ground, Foster scrapes together a crew to go after her.
While Ezren and Foster race toward Otho, the growing ripples of corruption bring the system to the brink of war with the two of them balanced on the tipping point. As they run, drive, and fight across an explosive land scarred with bullets and death, they’ll have to decide what sacrifices they’re willing to make for a dangerous discovery in a world prepared to silence their voices forever.
Because on Otho, there are no winners—only survivors.
***
Ebooks are available for preorder Amazon here! If you want to grab the preorder incentives, you’ll need to order directly from Whimsical Publishing, here! (As of this writing, there should be some left, but they’re going fast!)
If you’d prefer to sign up for an advance review copy, you can apply here!
If you want to check out the Into the Fire vibes on Spotify, you can find the playlist here. And you can also add it to your Goodreads, here.
I’m so excited for eARCs to go out today and see what everyone thinks! As always, thank you so much for reading and all of your support—your recommendations, ratings, and reviews give these books wings! (And if you’d like to receive updates like this to your email, you can sign up for my newsletter on the homepage!)
If you want the gorgeous preorder incentives, be sure to preorder from Whimsical Publishing’s website before they sell out!
I’ve read quite a few of Karen McManus’s books now, and I think fans will definitely enjoy this latest one. The plot is pretty simple – three kids witness a murder, and there’s a lot of doubt as to if they told the truth. Brynn, determined to prove herself on her true crime internship, investigates.
As always, I really appreciated the quick writing style and the unexpected twists throughout the story. But, I wasn’t quite as drawn to these characters as I have been in past McManus books, and the relationship chemistry wasn’t quite there for me.
Would recommend for McManus fans and those looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven YA murder mystery.
I fear I might’ve been in a bit of a reading slump when I started Dyrwolf, but I did like all the elements. Strong female MC, sweet love interest, great writing, lots of action, interesting world dynamic between the Dyr and humans, and interesting political intrigue—but I think there was just something about the pacing and possibly the chemistry between Lea and Henrik that threw me off just a smidge. Even so, I definitely enjoyed this action-filled fantastical adventure, and would recommend to anyone looking for a fun YA fantasy with a wolfy twist.
I think this book has convinced me that I’m *really* not a paperback person. I’m always losing them, and after spending hours editing, revising, and beta-reading, I really just want to have someone read to me on an audiobook. While I’m not saying I’m moving exclusively to audiobooks… I think the paperback life might be behind me. Which feels weirdly bittersweet for some reason.
I loved Katherine Macdonald’s Thief of Spring duology, so I was absolutely ready to pick up another book for hers. A Curse of Hope and Shadows kind of reminds me of a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Downton Abbey. The romance is sweet and slowburn, and the plot closely shadows the source fairy tale, but (and this is a personal preference) there wasn’t quite enough tension for me. Adeline and Dimitri fall pretty steadily for each other throughout, although at times, I feel like Adeline was a bit motherly toward Dimitri. But as per usual, Macdonald’s writing is gorgeous and her characters are both likable and showcase a lot of depth. I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, character-driven Beauty and the Beast retelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Give me the frightening, monstery beasts that are something to fear.
Okay, Followed by Fire was so fun. I loved McKenzie Austin’s Panagea Tales, but I think this one tops it for me. McKenzie has such a gift for vibrant characters that jump off the page, and I especially loved these. I loved Esven, Balvo, and Elias so much it was honestly hard for me to pick a favorite. In a world of demons and magic, the strings that tied these characters together were tense, the banter was perfection, and Maritimus the cat was the cherry on top. Highly recommend for all fans of YA Fantasy.
What the Knocker-Upper Woke Up combines the darkness of both the modern era and times past into an atmospheric paranormal. The story starts in Victorian-era London as it follows a few characters who stumble upon the darkness awaiting in a derelict mental asylum. Fast forward to present day, and the evil of the place continues to cause trouble for the characters of the present.
The writing style here is both rich and evocative in describing the creepiness of the Sideways and its inhabitants. Tess and the other characters are likable and easy to root for, but I did feel like this one was a bit slower to develop. (However, as I usually prefer breakneck pace, I think this is definitely a personal preference. 😂) The ending was unexpected though, and I thought it perfectly wrapped up this spooky paranormal. Recommended for fans of unique, well-written YA paranormal.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
As a fellow not-morning person, being woken up at an ungodly hour is probably my villain origin story too. Just sayin.
I absolutely love when a book delivers on its premise, and this one is right on the money! We Could be Villains follows Rosemary, a huge Vigil & Ante (read: Marvel-esque) fangirl as she stumbles into the high-stakes reality behind her favorite movies. With her difficult home-life, cinematic passion, and quirky tagalong co-worker, Rosemary is definitely a character that you can connect with almost immediately, and it’s so fun to follow both her excitement and fear as she navigates the new and dangerous world of undercover superheroes. It was really interesting to see the Vigil & Ante world unfold before her, along with some twists that definitely caught me by surprise.
Interspliced with her narrative is an interrogation of Ironfall, the smooth villain of Vigil & Ante and Rosemary’s blackmailer. I absolutely loved seeing the contrast between his take on events and Rosemary, and the chemistry between them is intense! Let’s just say I’m a big Ironfall fan. The promise of a enemies-to-lovers romance is THICK and definitely has me checking for the release date of the sequel!
Definitely recommend for any superhero fans looking for a fast-paced romp through a world that you’ll definitely will want to jump into for yourself!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Throwback to that one time I was a superhero! It’s always a good time.🦸♀️
This book had so many elements that I enjoyed. The Italian vibes, the creepy darkness of the prose, and a plot of murder, princes of hell, and witches. I was totally on board. But, the MC, Emilia, kind of ruined it for me. Oh boy. Seriously, I could not Even with her. Though the audiobook was beautifully narrated, there were a couple times I had to pause it because Emilia was killing me. Again. The mental gymnastics she goes through to repeatedly end up at the wrong conclusion was exhausting, and her treatment of Wrath (who saved her life way too many times to count) was not cool. Seriously, run, Wrath. I’m sure there have to be other witch fish in the sea. So, great premise, great writing, but a nonsensical MC I really couldn’t find redeemable. But! That’s just my opinion, so if you’re into dark fantasy with strong Italian flavor, maybe give it a look!
Me & my Into the Churn copy! Are those hearts in my eyes?!?!
AHHHHHH! FINALLY! You all. I have been living with this secret since I first saw the cover in September, and it has been KILLING me. And then the ARC came last week, and I seriously wasn’t sure I was going to make it! Sorry, you’re going to have to forgive me for the caps everywhere but I’m so excited for this book release I can’t take it! 🤩
One thing I absolutely adore about Whimsical Publishing is how each one of their covers is a work of art. Non-figuratively. Micheline is an incredible artist, and I’m blown away with her ability to capture the feel of my romantic sci-fi in her artwork. Micheline’s passion for these characters and this story honestly makes me want to cry happy tears. This book incorporated so many of my experiences and feelings as an international/collegiate fencer and ultramarathoner, so it truly is a book of my heart, and I’m so excited to share with everyone!
Naturally, I have to tease with the blurb first though:
Earth was tame. Belethea is not.
Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s deadly storms with the dream of giving her backwater planet open teal skies. But when budget cuts threaten to shut down her mother’s lab, Ezren enters Belethea’s Race Royale, the system’s deadliest and most lucrative race. To win, she’ll have to run, drive, and fight her way across Belethea’s barren landscape while navigating its savage and volatile storms. With her planet’s future, and her family’s, on the line, she can’t afford to lose. But first, she’ll have to convince her handsome royale partner that their planet is worth saving.
Foster Sterling is a jaded ex-prodigy royaler still reeling from his partner’s death in a training accident. When Ezren Hart comes charging into his life, her passion reminds him of what he once loved about racing and his dream of returning pride to their planet. Still, no matter how fast they go, they can’t outrun the mysterious string of deadly accidents following them like a curse. As Foster falls harder for Ezren, he races to piece the clues together. But with time running out and their survival on the line, he’ll have to decide if their dreams are worth their lives.
Perfect for fans of underdog heroes, slow-burn romance, and high-stakes sci-fi, INTO THE CHURN races across a new planet of savage storms and dazzling tech. Fall in love with Ezren and Foster as they battle side-by-side to save their scrappy world on a ruthless interplanetary stage where appearances are everything, speed means survival, and the only thing deadlier than the storms are the other racers.
Two royalers, besieged by tornadic storms, running across a mauve, rocky terrain under a teal sky peppered with foreign planets
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Isn’t it beautiful!?!? 😍😍😍 And to make launch even BETTER, Whimsical Publishing is giving away some incredible preorder incentives – including artwork of scenes from the book!
Preorder incentives include character art of emotional scene in their royaler suits, awkward scene with a shirtless Foster, bookmarks of cover art, map art, and signed bookplate! Preorder incentives only available with orders through whimsicalpublishing.ca
Okay, is this even real life? Someone pinch me. I’m legit still in shock. To get in on all the amazing preorder goodies, you can preorder INTO THE CHURN from Whimsical Publishing’s site here.
You can also add Into the Churn on Goodreads here! Stay tuned to both my Instagram @hayleyreesechow and @whimsicalillustration for more character art and sneak peeks in the coming weeks!
All right. I have more secrets, but I thinks that’s all I can give away for now. Please excuse me while I go happy screech around the office for the rest of the day.
Totally not considering walking around like this for the rest of my life or anything… 😂
Hayley Reese Chow 