Today, I have a dramatic women's fiction novel to share in our book review spotlight. If you enjoy a complex family drama, Higher Love should be on your summer reading list! Learn about Higher Love and author Joanne Kukanza Easley, read my thoughts on the book, and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

​Joanne Kukanza Easley, a retired registered nurse who worked in the cold, stark environment of operating rooms and the highly charged setting of psychiatric facilities, now resides in the Texas Hill Country. There, she crafts fiction centered on complex women of the twentieth century. Her debut novel, Sweet Jane, garnered multiple accolades, including the adult fiction prize at the Texas Author Project, and was a finalist for prestigious honors like the Sarton Award and the Eric Hoffer Award, among others. Her second book, Just One Look, was selected as a May 2022 Pulpwood Queen Book Club Pick. Her third novel, I’ll Be Seeing You, revisits characters from Sweet Jane. Her fourth novel, Higher Love, a continuation of her third, is slated for release in Spring 2025. Easley’s award-winning short stories and poetry have been featured in various anthologies.

connect with the author:  website ~ X ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

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Enter the Giveaway 

Book Title:  THE PERFECT MOTHER by Desiree Moodie
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 
Genre: Thriller
Publisher:  Twisted Thoughts Publishing
Release date:  May 2025
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: The book has a few "f" words, one or two religious profanities and a few crude terms. There is no sex, but there is violence. Mature themes include pregnancy loss.

Desiree Moodie has been writing since before she could talk — seriously. As a kid, she spent weekends scribbling on notebook paper and stapling the pages together into makeshift books.

Now, she crafts dark, twisty stories featuring morally complex characters and impossible-to-put-down plots. Her writing is influenced by her travels, old-school noir films, and pro-wrestling (yes, still). She loves difficult women, villains who might just have a point, and snappy dialogue.

When she's not writing, Desiree is watching reruns of Perry Mason, working on her Lauren Bacall impression, or pulling Tarot cards. She’s got a soft spot for readers who love clever, gritty stories with a little bite — so don’t be shy. Drop her a line (just not in all caps).

connect with the author:  
website  ~  X/twitter  ~  facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ goodreads ~ bookbub

 

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Enter the Giveaway

THE PERFECT MOTHER by Desiree Moodie Book Tour Giveaway

This morning, I have the first book in a fiction series to share! Learn about Dangerous Times and author William Kinsolving in this book blitz spotlight. 

Fiction

Date Published: May 1, 2025

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group

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This book's background is the prophetic but overlooked decade of American history, 1846 to 1856, from the Mexican War to the presidential election of James Buchanan. The decade was a foreshadowing of our national cataclysm. Underlying every social aspect was the nation's fatal flaw, slavery, that perverted the Constitution on which the Enlightenment ideals of a "United States" were based. And on every day, similarities to the distortions of the present decade are obvious.

I chose a Southern ethos, finding an unexpected woman to suffer and survive the decade; and three brothers, each of whom carves a unique path through it, one as a fugitive unjustly accused of murder and slave-stealing, one as an enigmatic operative across the jagged spectrum of antebellum party politics, and the eldest who inherits his family's storied tobacco plantation as its lands burn out.

The story is told chronologically, the fiction adhering to the history. Should a question arise as to which is which, any event of historical significance - no matter how bizarre or implausible -- did indeed happen.

The novel echoes ethnic truths as they were at the time. I write of intimacies as well as horrors found in historical records. Both public and private relations were often infused with their own destruction -- as were the expanding "United States" in that decade, and I fear in this one.

About the Author

After a questionable academic career at Stanford (I mean, how practical is a double major in Drama and Far Eastern Theology?), Kinsolving fled to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to play Richard II. He then attended The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art for polish. Returning to New York, he appeared as an actor under-, off- and on Broadway, as well as a saloon singer in foul Greenwich Village nightclubs. For creative diversion during these years, he acted and/or directed back in Oregon, at the Stratford (CT) Shakespeare Theater, Harvard, Dartmouth, Café La Mama, then went out and won the Best Actor of the Year award from the San Francisco Chronicle for performing at the Berkeley Rep.

Ineluctably transitioning to a second career, Kinsolving wrote a play with 84 speaking roles, was awarded a Ford Foundation Playwriting Grant, and had the play produced by the Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Festival. This led to the first of some 54 films on which he worked for every major studio (and several distinctly minor ones) in Los Angeles, London and Rome (ask him about Zeffirelli sometime) as screenwriter and script doctor. Suspecting that such a life was leading to the utter corruption of his soul (not to dare mention his body), he retreated to Carmel to write the first of five novels (a NY Times best-seller, a couple of Literary Guild Main Selections, he adds humbly, but only if asked).

While serving on the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of the Arts, he regressed happily to nightclub and fundraising performances, accompanied by the likes of Peter Duchin and Emmanuel Ax, singing at the Algonquin Hotel’s late lamented Oak Room and for one of the late Brooke Astor’s better birthday parties among many other less name-dropping venues.

Last year, he directed a musical for which he wrote the book and lyrics in the nave of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral about Johann Sebastian Bach and his family. Bach provided all the music, and proved to be very easy to work with. THAT WEEK WITH THE BACHS had the best voices in the Bay Area, including the ineffable Frederica von Stade.

He began work on the historical novel DANGEROUS TIMES between the diversions above. He knew the history, but even so, was startled by how constant the similarities are in that destructive time to what’s going on in this one.

Connect with the Author

Website

Buy the Book

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

This morning, I have a sea adventure romance in our preorder spotlight. Learn about North Storm and author Will Okati and preorder the book.

A Gay BDSM Sea Adventure Romance

Action Adventure, BDSM, Gay Romance

To Be Published: May 30, 2025

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North, a rural water farmer, has come to the big citta to be trained in the art of deep-water treasure diving. A man can make enough in a season to take care of his family for years -- except as a novice and a country boy, North can't find anyone willing to teach him the job.

That is, until he finds a mentor in the wild, sexually charismatic "Storm." Storm promises to teach North everything he knows, from navigating the dangers of the hunt to submission in bed -- but only if North is willing to give himself over completely.

Praise for North Storm

"Will Okati has once again written a book that will capture you attention from the first page, with the rich world in which this story unfolds and with the lava hot sensuality that the characters express. The love that these two share will leave you flushed and reaching for something to cool down!"

--Sabella, Joyfully Reviewed

About the Author

Willa Okati (AKA Will) is made of many things: imagination, coffee, stray cat hairs, daydreams, more coffee, kitchen experimentation, a passion for winter weather, a little more coffee, a whole lot of flowering plants and a lifelong love of storytelling. Will's definitely one of the quiet ones you have to watch out for, though he -- not she anymore -- is a lot less quiet these days.

Connect with the Author and Publisher 

Will on Facebook

Will on Instagram

Will on Goodreads

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

Pre-Order Today

Looking for a young adult fantasy adventure for your reading list? Today, I have Madagascar Maruaders: In Pursuit of Precious Plunder by author B.K. Boshell! Learn about the book and author and buy it today on Amazon!

Young Adult Fantasy Adventure

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In the heart of Madagascar’s wild forests, danger lurks—and survival depends on courage, loyalty, and the strength of brotherhood.

When a ruthless gang of fossae ambushes a sifaka family home, two friends witness their families being taken hostage. Slick and Isaiah—spared from the tragedy—rally themselves and unexpected allies, vowing to embark on a daring rescue mission.

Their journey is treacherous, filled with shifting shadows, fierce enemies, and heartbreaking choices. But in the face of overwhelming odds, these young heroes discover that true strength lies in camaraderie, resilience, and daring to hope when all seems lost.

Madagascar Marauders: In Pursuit of Precious Plunder is a thrilling young adult fantasy adventure packed with action, suspense, humor, and heart. Dive into a world where danger and wonder collide, where adolescent bravery meets gritty survival, and where the wild and mysterious island of Madagascar springs vividly to life.

Perfect for fans of animal fantasy, high-stakes adventure, and unforgettable friendships.

 Adventure. Brotherhood. Survival. The fight for family begins now.

For readers ages 13+ who love:

• Action-packed animal adventures
•  Heartfelt themes of loyalty and courage
•  Gritty yet heartwarming coming-of-age journeys
•  A deep dive into Madagascar’s fascinating wildlife

About the Author

I am B.K. Boshell, I research and sponge off my parents because $14 is still the minimum in Florida. I am currently a sophomore in high school, play varsity basketball, and enjoy spending time in nature. Writing is a passion of mine.

 My journey began at the age of nine with a summer experiment into writing that evolved into a passion, which I pursued increasingly as the years progressed. My writing process revolves around noise-cancelling headphones, owl hours, a lot of paper, and a ballpoint pen. I draw my inspiration from the myriad places of research I have found myself in over the years. Creating characters and giving them life is incredibly fulfilling as you channel personal experience, the experience of others, and stories of old into forming something that you hope is compelling.

 Truthfully, I want people to enjoy the book for what it is, but also learn of the arcane and intriguing world that is Madagascar. Whether it be the elephant birds that weighed up to one ton, or the merciless feline-esque fossae, I want people to be thrilled about the bizarre and intriguing facts the island has to offer.

Connect with the Author

Website

Instagram: @bkboshell

Amazon

B&N