Review: Undead Impact (Steel City Apocalypse #3) by A.M. Geever @amgeever1

Undead Impact

Steel City Apocalypse #3

by A.M. Geever

Published: August 19, 2026

Publisher: ZBZ-1 Press

Genre: Zombie, Apocalypse, Survival, Thriller, Dystopian, Science Fiction

 

Blurb:

A plane full of zombies is just the beginning.

When Araminta boards a flight to surprise her twin sister, she never expects a zombie outbreak to follow her into the sky. By the time the plane goes down, survival is all that matters.

Stranded in a collapsing, post-apocalyptic America, she has one goal: find her sister.

But Araminta is alone, out of place, and running out of time. Every mile brings new threats—from the undead to the desperate survivors fighting to stay alive—and every choice carries a cost.

Because in a world where trust can get you killed, going it alone might be even worse.

Perfect for fans who crave character-driven zombie apocalypse stories, intense survival journeys, and strong female leads forced to make impossible choices in a collapsing world—readers who love the emotional grit and human tension of The Walking Dead, the haunting depth of The Girl with All the Gifts, and the stark, high-stakes survival of The Road.

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My Review:

Undead Impact is the thrilling third installment in A.M. Geever’s Steel City Apocalypse series. This series gets better with each book, making this one my absolute favorite so far—though it is hard to choose! Don't get me wrong, I truly loved books one and two, as each installment brings something unique to the table.

The zombies in this series are some of the best I have ever encountered. They come a close second to The Walking Dead zombies, and the overall vibe of the book perfectly matches the intensity of that show. The characters are incredibly relatable and feel like people you would actually want to be friends with. Geever's storytelling and descriptive writing are so well done that I could effortlessly visualize the action, feeling like a participant in the story myself. There were moments I wanted to jump right onto the page to help Araminta and Chloe fight off the undead!

Araminta and Chloe have been through so much since their nightmare began with zombies on a plane. They didn't realize what they were dealing with at first, though it didn’t take Araminta long to figure it out. Luck was completely against them on that awful day. After their plane crashes into freezing water, the hotel room Chloe booked is given away to someone else right in front of them. All Chloe wants is to make it home to her sister and ailing mother, while Araminta just wants to reach her sister, Imogene. However, they soon realize those goals are on hold as the world is quickly overrun by zombies.

I cannot wait for the next book in this amazing series. I look forward to meeting new characters or learning more about the awesome ones we already know. Either way, I am completely hooked! I highly recommend Undead Impact—and the entire series—to all zombie apocalypse fans. Grab your copy today!

Check out all the books in the Steel City Apocalypse Series I’ve read.

Undead Menagerie #1

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BookBub

Undead Sanctuary #2

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

Undead Impact #3

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Everything That’s Left Behind by Kelly Lydick @RABTBookTours

Fiction/Science Fiction

Date Published: June 28, 2026

Publisher: Sapphire Stories

 

When Nichola Rodale stumbles upon information suggesting her father—a renowned scientist and brilliant puzzle maker—may not have died during The Great Drought, she embarks on a perilous journey across the desolate American Southwest to discover the truth.

 

About the Author

 

Kelly Lydick’s writing has appeared in Natural Awakenings, Co Yoga + Life, True Blue Spirit, American Art Collector, Western Art Collector, and many others. She has been featured on NPR’s The Writers’ Block and the Word podcast, and on iHeart radio. She is the author of the experimental Mastering the Dream, a contributing author to the anthology Dreams That Change Our Lives, and the author of Dream Incubation for Greater Self-Awareness: A Handbook. Everything That’s Left Behind is her first novel.

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Book Blitz: Lifecycle of Nations by Steve Jones @RABTBookTours

AI Governance, AI Charter, Artificial Power, AI Oligarchs, Democracy and the Future of Nations

Economic Policy, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence

Date Published: July 16, 2026

The Future Of AI Will Not Be Decided By Technology Alone—It Will Be Decided By Leadership

 

Artificial Intelligence is moving faster than any previous technological revolution. It promises extraordinary prosperity but also unprecedented risks. Will AI create a future of shared human flourishing or concentrate wealth, power and influence in the hands of a technological elite?

 

The Lifecycle of Intelligence is a groundbreaking guide for leaders, policymakers, business executives, educators and citizens who want to understand and shape the future of the Machine Age.

 

Written by economist and international analyst Steve Jones, this compelling book goes beyond the hype surrounding AI to explore the deeper economic, political and social forces redefining nations, democracy, labour markets and global power.

 

Rather than focusing solely on technology, this book asks the defining question of the 21st century:

 

How do we ensure Artificial Intelligence serves humanity, not the other way around?

 

Inside You'll Discover:

 

• The Big Picture - Understand the economic, geopolitical and historical forces driving the AI revolution.
• The Five-Stage AI Maturity Model - A practical framework that helps governments, organisations and nations understand where they are today and how to progress safe, responsible and human-centred AI governance.
• The AI Charter - Inspired by the Atlantic Charter, this bold vision establishes guiding principles for freedom, democracy, accountability, fairness and shared prosperity in the Machine Age.
• The Real Risks of AI - Explore the challenges of AI oligarchies, automation, job displacement, surveillance capitalism, misinformation, democratic erosion, systemic safety risks, environmental impacts and geopolitical competition.
• A Practical Roadmap for Action - Discover concrete governance models, implementation frameworks and policy recommendations that help leaders move from awareness to action.

 

Exclusive Bonus Included - When you purchase this book, you'll also receive the companion AI Governance Manifesto, Playbook and Policy Framework, a practical blueprint for implementing responsible AI governance.

 

This powerful companion includes:

 

• The AI Governance Manifesto
• The Lifecycle of Nations Maturity Model
• The Lifecycle of Intelligence Maturity Model
• The AI Charter for the Machine Age
• AI Governance Playbooks for governments, businesses and institutions
• Regulatory architecture and implementation roadmaps
• Board-level AI governance frameworks
• Labour transition and economic renewal strategies
• Metrics, checkpoints and governance tools
• International cooperation and treaty pathways

 

Together, these frameworks provides comprehensive blueprints for governing AI responsibly while encouraging innovation, protecting democracy and promoting long-term prosperity.

 

This Book Is For:

 

• Policymakers and Government
• Business executives adn Boards
• AI professionals, Technology Leaders
• Economists and Strategists
• Investors and Entrepreneurs
• Educators and students
• Anyone concerned about the future of democracy, work and human freedom in the age of AI

 

The Lifecycle of Intelligence explains how humanity must govern it.

It offers practical solutions—not fear.

It presents leadership—not ideology.

 

The Machine Age has begun.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform society.

 

The question is whether we will have the wisdom and the leadership to govern it.

Join the Movement for Just AI and Human Prosperity

 

Get your copy today to discover the roadmap for governing the Machine Age and help shape a future where AI works for humanity, not against it.

 

About the Author

Steve Jones is an economist, entrepreneur and international commentator on geopolitics, trade and global governance. He is the author of All to One: The Winning Model for Marketing in the Post-Internet Economy (McGraw Hill), and has advised governments, think tanks and global institutions. Steve has had a successful corporate career with British Airways, EDS, Avis and Accenture.

Steve’s Churchill World Order Series combines history, politics and global economics shaping today’s fragile world order. How Churchill’s fascination with America led to the strategic doctrine of the Atlantic Charter and to Bretton Woods, NATO, the IMF, the WTO and the UN. Trump’s Tariff Tsunami, covers the turbulent threat to rules-based world order today and is now followed by Lifecycle of Nations on how to fix and protect the future of world trade.

 

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Key 13: And other Stories by Rose Titus @XpressoTours

Key 13: And other Stories
Rose Titus
Publication date: October 6th 2017
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror

Rose Titus, author of The Vampire Next Door Trilogy, now brings together a collection of her best short stories. Here in this book you will find tales of vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, space aliens, and even a few angels. These stories answer questions such as where do we go after we die? What is the future of this planet? And what is the future of humanity? There are also stories of young runaways, old hippies, worried mothers, troubled families, love gone horribly wrong, selfish billionaires, people who find themselves suddenly homeless, old men with their recollections of days gone by, and girls gone wild! There may even be a murder or two.

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EXCERPT:

Author Bio:

Rose Titus resides somewhere in cold, dreary New England with two manipulative cats and a very out of date computer with which she creates horror and fantasy fiction. She also has a restored classic Buick to ride around in while in search of adventure.

For travel she has stayed the night in an allegedly haunted castle, has taken a boat ride on Loch Ness, and has visited the Bermuda Triangle -- without getting lost.

Her work has previously appeared in Lost Worlds, Lynx Eye, Bog Gob, Mausoleum, Weird Terrain, Descend, The Dead River Review, and other literary magazines. She also writes regularly for Blood Moon Rising Magazine.

When she's not working or writing or messing with her old car, she waits by the mailbox for her Fortean Times to arrive.

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Review: Ezra’s Secret by PD Alleva @PdallevaAuthor

Ezra’s Secret

by P.D. Alleva

Published: August 18, 2026

Publisher: Chamber Door Publishing, LLC

Genre: Psychological Horror, Horror

 

Blurb:

NYC. January, 1955.

Something is wrong with Ezra—and it isn’t the kind of wrong you can pray away.

Ever since her fifteenth birthday, the world has begun to slip. Questions about who she is are met with silence, while a strange hum follows her through the city and into her dreams. When a mysterious street vendor offers her a path to the truth, Ezra is drawn into the shadows of Central Park, where an ancient secret waits.

But some truths come at a terrible cost.

As Ezra peels back the layers of her reality, she uncovers a horrifying secret buried beneath years of silence and fear. And she soon learns that the greatest horrors aren't hiding in the shadows.

They're hiding in plain sight.

Ezra's Secret is a chilling psychological horror novel about identity, trauma, and the terrifying cost of uncovering the truth.

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My Review:

Once Ezra turned fifteen, her entire world turned upside down. Struggling with her own identity, she sought guidance from the adults around her, only to be met with an unsettling, absolute silence. It became clear that the adults in her life had been harboring dark secrets from her for her entire existence. Desperate for the truth, Ezra received an unexpected lifeline from a local street vendor who promised her the answers she so desperately sought. To find them, he claimed she only had to venture into Central Park, find a hidden cave, and locate a specific statue. Then, and only then, would everything finally be revealed.

As her family and community began claiming she "had the devil in her"—threatening to institutionalize her for a medical procedure meant to force a cure—Ezra fled. This terrifying ultimatum drove her straight into the shadows of Central Park in search of the truth. For such a short read, Ezra’s Secret packs an immense amount of depth into its pages without ever feeling rushed. The narrative takes its time slowly peeling back the mystery, keeping me completely hooked from the first page until the absolute last. It is a story that will undoubtedly stay with me long after the final page is read.

While Ezra’s Secret is a relentlessly brutal ride from the start, absolutely nothing prepares you for the devastating final act. P.D. Alleva masterfully pulls the rug out from under the reader with a mind-bending plot twist that changes everything you thought you knew about Ezra’s reality. It is a mind-bending surprise that doesn’t just aim for cheap shock value; instead, it brilliantly reframes the entire narrative and ties together her psychological trauma in a heartbreaking, terrifying way. Do yourself a favor and go in as blind as possible.

Relentless, beautifully written, and genuinely shocking, Ezra's Secret is a standout novella in contemporary extreme horror. P.D. Alleva handles a victim's deepest trauma with incredible psychological precision, culminating in a massive twist you won't see coming. It is a brilliant, blood-soaked triumph for seasoned horror fans.

Looking for your next unhinged, five-star horror read? Then you need to pick up Ezra’s Secret by P.D. Alleva. It is short, fast-paced, relentlessly brutal, and features a final twist that will completely shatter your mind.

Connect with P.D. Alleva

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: A Strange & Terrible Wonder by Nichole Louise @XpressoTours

A Strange & Terrible Wonder
Nichole Louise
Publication date: August 18th 2026
Genres: Adult, Historical

Eleanor Dare, daughter of Roanoke’s Governor John White, has no choice but to accompany her overly ambitious husband Ananias and her idealist, yet inexperienced father to England’s new colony. Manteo of Croatoan wants nothing more than to cast off his association with the English and return home. Haunted by memories of an unexplainable event, he sets out to find the truth about what was brought to Roanoke by the English two years before as a weapon against the Spanish.

Based on real people who vanished from history, Eleanor and Manteo form a taboo friendship as they work against unseen forces to end the violent and otherworldly attacks upon the settlement. In the midst of this survival scenario, both Eleanor and Manteo—once powerless and marginalized in England, emerge as unlikely leaders of the ravaged colony.

Blending 16th century science, occult, and the impacts of early colonialism, A Strange and Terrible Wonder reimagines what became of the Lost Colony.

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EXCERPT:

Prologue

“All down the church in midst of fire, the hellish monster flew, and passing onward to the quire, he many people slew.”

– Rev. Abraham Fleming, 1577

August 4, 1577
Bungay, England

At first, the congregants believe the slight rattling is only wind insisting upon the church door. A sudden summer tempest. Rain begins to patter above the nave, the sound not altogether unpleasant—soothing, even. A woman closes her eyes and exhales the stress of the morning as she focuses on the rhythm. Her peace is soon jilted by the growing tempest above, for the rain is now a wonderful force with no less violence than abundance. Her eyes snap open and roll to the vaulted ceiling. The great, forceful torrent empties above in what she imagines as glassy sheets pouring from the eaves. A low grumble of thunder. A child presses close to his mother. The two men kneeling at the altar do not flinch in their prayer; one for an abundant harvest season to pay his debts and another for a wife ailing in childbed.

Lightning flashes in brilliant brightness through the clouded, stretching windows. Silhouettes are carved out of the pews. A gust through the crack beneath the front door snuffs out the altar candles as if the tempest is compelling the congregants to sleep. They are all at once aware of the palpable darkness, so much so that one person cannot perceive another. The only light discerned by the congregants is not from the god hanging above them, but from the intermittent great flashing of fiery bolts.

The roar of the storm is so powerful now that the congregants shift with discomfort. A chill tightens the base of their spines as sweat springs on brows with each fearful heartbeat. The men kneeling in prayer do not relinquish their positions, though they see little, and their knees begin to ache against the flagstones. Instead, they press their eyes and hands tighter and pray now for the light to return. The only answer they receive is a terrible crack of thunder with such force and might that the congregants begin to believe doomsday has come.

The doors are thrown open as if by a blast of gunpowder. Lashing wind explodes down the nave, spraying hot rain onto the necks and backs of the congregants who dare not turn from the cross. The woman who had before held a moment of peace, presuming a gentle patter could not turn tempest, winces at the scalding sensation of boiling water against her bare skin. The church seems to quake and stagger as the scent of glowing iron, not unlike a blacksmith’s shop, permeates the darkened church.

The child clutches tightly to his mother when, amid twin lightning strikes, a great shape dashes down the nave toward the altar. The drops of rainwater on the flagstones sizzle as the thing passes in a hot rush of a blacksmith’s bellows. And with another flash of fire, the child sees it—they all see it: a great black dog with one ember glowing eye running with incredible haste. The woman muffles her scream as others bend beneath the flimsy pews as if a mere board of wood will save them from this devil.

The praying men feel great heat against their backs as if a bonfire has been lit before the altar. A sacrifice. Liquid fear runs down their legs, and still they dare not open their eyes nor pry their rigid hands apart. In another crack of thunder and lightning, the great black dog wrings both men’s necks backward in one clean instant. Its movement is so violent, so swift, that the dead men still kneel in prayer.

The child gasps when the lightning illuminates the whites of dead eyes in the heads bent unnaturally back. He buries his face in his mother’s skirts as her nails dig into his narrow shoulders. The beast turns on the congregation, its low growl indistinguishable from thunder, like a thousand carts moving across cobblestones. It stalks down the aisle, its bellows as hot as the summer sun’s rays. The congregants close their eyes against the darkness, press their slick palms together, and pray for their god to save them in his very house.

The beast chooses a man who dares glance up, for he believes he can slip out the door and escape this hell. Instead, the beast’s shining obsidian claws grip the man’s back in so forceful a manner that it is as if his entire body becomes drawn together and shrunk, as if it were a piece of leather scorched by hot fire. Wordless, he topples over with limbs trailing smoke.

The beast shifts into shadow, and the woman sitting next to the burned but still living man stumbles away from the charred flesh and wheezes for help. The rector, who has finally slid out of the shadows, catches her as she falls from the pew. He prays over her—whispering first, then increasing to test the roar around them. He exhorts the terrified congregants to prayer, and in their extreme distress, do so in darkness. The hot wind and scalding rain lash them, for the tempest has now fully invaded their sanctuary. Some congregants are frozen in terror, save their lips flapping desperate prayers, while others try in vain to crawl for the door.

In a flash, the beast materializes on the main beam above the congregants. Its searing talons set the old oak to smoldering as if coaxing a fire. Its ragged back chars the angel carved into the ceiling. The demon swings down through the church. Three lightning bolts follow the dog jumping from one man to another, then a lad, killing all three instantly. The dog dashes from the crumpled boy, and a deafening crack as if the earth has split in two cleaves the roof, and with it, the steeple. The cascade of stone rumbles down the side of the church, and for one striking moment of terror, a woman cries out that hell has opened to swallow the church whole.

The dog bounds for the next man. He dives away, yet not before his hand is burned by the scalding creature’s touch. In shock, the man lifts his charred hand to the burning sensation where his ear used to be. The creature blasts through the church doors, leaving a trail of scorch marks in the wood. The mischief thus wrought, the beast flies with wonderful force out of the churchyard in a hideous and hellish likeness.

Like a decimated forest in the aftermath of a windstorm, the congregants are left quivering. It’s clear to the man with the burned hand and missing ear that there are forces at work mightier than God, who could not protect his devout followers in His own house. Dazed, the man staggers out of the ruins with his compatriots. He looks to the rapidly clearing sky and resolves to find someone with knowledge of these unseen forces—and how to master them. A conjurer with the influence to pursue the arcane unhindered. What other reason could there be for such hell if not as a path to Providence for England? He will accept no other explanation.

Author Bio:

Nichole Louise is a speculative historical fiction writer and book reviewer (NicholeLouise.com). Raven Rock (2023), a prequel to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, was recognized by Writer’s Digest, the Historical Fiction Company, and the CIBAs. Her articles and book reviews have appeared in the Journal of the American Revolution. Her second title, A Strange and Terrible Wonder (2026) is a historical folk horror tale exploring the Lost Colony of Roanoke. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, gaming, and volunteering at Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society.

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Book Blitz: Dark Waters Series by Nick Haskins @IamNickHaskins @RABTBookTours

Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Date Published: 06-06-2023

Publisher: KCIN Entertainment Group, LLC

Books 1 & 2 (Book 3 releases September 8, 2026.)

The Dark Waters series follows the rise and fall of one of Philadelphia's most powerful families.

Judge Keenan Waters and his family have spent decades building a legacy of power, influence, and respect. But behind the perfect public image lie buried secrets, betrayal, and deadly consequences that threaten to destroy everything they've built.

As loyalties are tested and relationships crumble, the Waters family is pushed closer to the edge of ruin. With shocking twists and intense family drama, the Dark Waters series keeps the readers turning pages until the very end.

Perfect for fans of Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, the first two books are available now, with the shocking conclusion, Dark Waters 3, arriving September 8, 2026.

 

 About the Author

Nick Haskins is the author of the Dark Waters series, as well as novels She's Obsessed, Betrayed, My Husband's Wife, and On the Edge of Heat.

Known for his suspenseful storytelling and unforgettable characters, Haskins has spent more than a decade building a catalog of contemporary drama and suspense that has attracted readers across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he still resides, Haskins began his publishing career in 2011 and has remained committed to independently producing professional, reader-focused books. In addition to writing novels, he is creating film and visual media projects based on his work.

Haskins continues to connect with readers while developing new stories to expand his publishing catalog.

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: His Beautiful Game by Peyton Lux @XpressoTours

His Beautiful Game
Peyton Lux
(Lanark Soccer Club, #1)
Publication date: August 11th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

My childhood crush is my injured captain… and I’m the physio secretly keeping him on the pitch.

Rafe Calder is everything I learned not to want: flashy, reckless, adored, and far too beautiful. He is also hurt, lying about it, and somehow mine to fix.

I catch the limp no one else sees, then make the dumbest deal of my life. Private rehab, locked rooms, my hands on him daily, and one rule I keep pretending still matters.

At first, he pushes because he hates being handled. Then he listens when pain scares him, lets me see the lonely man under the captain’s armband, and looks ready to break when Donovan Reid makes me smile.

Somewhere between treatment lights, late-night checkups, and one reckless after-hours mistake that turns into more, I fall. Not for the fantasy I used to worship, but for the man who finally stops performing.

Then his injury truth explodes, and protecting him could cost me everything.

Worst of all, loving him might end his career.

Tropes: Childhood crush, star player x physiotherapist, secret injury, forced proximity, forbidden workplace romance, jealousy triangle
Spice level: High / explicit

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EXCERPT:

Jealousy

I watch every second of that embrace. Her face when he lifts her off the ground, her laughter, the ease of it. Nothing between Tess and me has ever been easy.

He was a good player. I said that myself. But tonight he saved the game in my place, and thirty thousand people cheered him while I stood there feeling like a man who had started the match and somehow still lost it. Then I see him holding Tess, my Tess, and she’s smiling up at him like she doesn’t know exactly what that does to me.

I find her in the hallway outside the locker room. She doesn’t slow when I fall into step beside her, but I catch the way she worries at her lip.

“Great game,” she says.

“Is that what you said to Reid when he had his hands all over you?”

Her head jerks toward me. “I thanked him for the hug, yes.”

I stop her with a hand around her wrist. “I saw the way he looked at you.”

“He was thanking me. I cleared him to play on a calf knock.”

My throat tightens. “I saw the way you looked at him.”

Her expression hardens. “And what about you? What about the pictures of you with that woman? So it’s fine for you to do whatever you were doing, but I can’t accept a thank-you hug from a player I treated?”

“That was weeks ago,” I snap. “Before you and I—”

“I saw you at Halo.” Her voice goes cold. “The night after I came to your house.”

I stare at her. “I was with the lads. We go for beers all the time.”

“From where I was standing, you had a woman on your arm. Then you went off with her afterward. And you’ve got the gall to stand here and act jealous over three seconds in a football stadium?”

“Why were you watching me at Halo?” I demand.

“I was out with Donovan and Layla,” she says sharply. “I wasn’t stalking you.”

The room seems to tilt. “You were out with him?”

“With him and Layla. As friends.”

That lands like a punch. She steps closer and jabs a finger into my chest, and I let her. “Besides, you have no claim over me. You said mine into a mirror after a quick fuck in the gym and then showed up in the press with some other woman. And you know what? You’re right. We’re nothing, officially, so don’t stand here making me feel guilty for doing my job.”

“Don’t say nothing,” I say.

“What are we then?”

The anger in her face cracks for a second, and there’s fear underneath it. “I’ve been lying to my employer about you. I’ve filed false assessments. I’ve let you into places that were supposed to be professional, and you—”

“I haven’t touched anyone else,” I say. “Not since you.”

That stops her.

“The photos were nothing,” I tell her. “What you saw at Halo was nothing.”

Tears gather at the corners of her eyes. “You told me—”

“And I meant it.”

I cup her cheek. “You’re mine, Tess.”

She shudders when I kiss her. She lets me pull her against the wall, lets me kiss her hard enough to make the hallway disappear. But then she presses a hand to my chest and pushes back, just enough to stop me.

I break away, breathing hard. “I haven’t wanted anyone else. Not once.”

Her jaw tightens. “You’re injured, Rafe. Publicly now. I have to file a real assessment this week, and whatever this is, I can’t let it affect that report.”

“It doesn’t have to.”

“It already does,” she says quietly. “Every decision I make about your hip, your minutes, whether you play the Founders’ Cup or Donovan does—it’s all compromised because I have feelings. About both of you. And I can’t fix that, so I need you to give me some room.”

Room. For him, too.

I take a step back. Then another.

“Okay,” I say.

Her face flickers. “Rafe—”

“I heard you.” I keep backing away. “Do your job, Montgomery.”

She turns and walks off, leaving me standing in the corridor with the feeling that I’ve just done the right thing, and somehow lost anyway.

Author Bio:

Trading boardrooms for bedrooms (of the fictional kind!), Peyton Lux is now fully dedicated to writing steamy workplace romance that leaves readers utterly satisfied.

Her former life in marketing taught her how to craft compelling narratives – a skill she now devotes entirely to her steamy workplace romance novels.

Peyton lives and breathes romance, infusing her stories with undeniable heat and fiercely earned happily-ever-afters.

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Teaser: Crows Calling by Bruce McConnell @RABTBookTours

An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Literary/Eco-Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Earth’s animals are fed up with humanity’s mindless damage to our common home. Will a young girl and her family heed their call?

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Before we go any further, I really should introduce myself. I am Koro—a lustrous female American Crow. Surely, when strolling in woods or along an urban lane, you have admired my family’s elegant, iridescent plumage and thrilled to our melodious song. You know of our prodigious memory, of our cleverness spearing hapless grubs from sodden logs with a favored twig.

The glint you see in my ebony eye is a tear shining for my grandmother—the earthly incarnation of generosity, whose bounteous lands and waters make room for every new arrival. Of late, however, one family—relative newcomers—has been pushing her limits, leaving their garbage everywhere and abusing the other guests. They run their noisy engines at all hours. Noxious smoke belches from their cooking fires. Every day, more and more of them come, crowding into other families’ spaces, destroying the homes of many of my friends.

Recognizing our Crow persistence, Grandmother Earth called us to help her get those inconsiderate tenants to clean up their act. Peering into the chasm of the coming Meltdown, I am proud to be on precious Grandmother’s team. My cawcus is responsible for majestic Northern California. The land we cover is a patchwork sprawl of asphalt and forest, garlic and strawberries, oranges and avocados, cattle and sheep raised sustainably and otherwise, bears guttering in their occult tongue, sweet jasmine brandishing her shameless perfume, and sixteen million busy humans.

Through wildfires, drought, floods, extreme heat, even earthquakes, Grandmother is pleading directly with humans. Some hear her message. Take Makah Andrews, professor of International Environmental Policy at Monterey University. Makah’s one of the good ones, trying to use the system to turn itself around. That’s the aim of “Team Grandmother”—a successful turnaround.

What’s that I hear? Ah, please allow me to introduce my most trusted teammate, Ursula, a beautiful California Black Bear who lives around here. Ursula, tell the folks what we’ve been hearing from other nonhuman parts of the natural world, from other planimals, as we call ourselves. Our fellow creatures are getting nervous. Some are angry. That’s why we’re organizing a Congress. …

About the Author

Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of his poems, Living from Here, was published by Anvil Press (US). He recently moved to Ashland Oregon to feel closer to his relatives in the natural world. Crows Calling is his first novel. He is working on a second novel set in Southern Oregon.

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings.

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

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Teaser: Horsfall by Jade Buchanan @RABTBookTours @changelingpress

Gay Paranormal Romance

Date Published: August 21, 2026

What started out as a regular job assignment quickly escalated into something more for Oliver Philip when he meets twin Shire horse shapeshifters Bayard and Marshall Stoddard.

 

Hired to perform a safety audit on Horsfall Ranch, Oliver never expected his life to be turned upside down, but he’s game for anything. Happily throwing himself into a relationship with both Bayard and Marshall, Oliver quickly discovers a world of intense pleasure, laughter and comfort.

Unfortunately, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon and Oliver must find the strength to fight for the two men he can’t live without.

 

EXCERPT

 

Excerpt from Tail of Two Brothers

Oliver Philip inhaled deeply, turning his head from side to side to capture as much of the scenery as he could. He couldn't imagine living out here. It was so crisp, so clean. And it was only about twenty minutes outside the city limits too. Hell, it took him longer than that to drive from one end of the city to the other.

He slowed his car, counting the kilometers as they clicked by. "Ten point five, ten point six, ten point seven, and there's the turn off. Exactly where he said it'd be."

Turning into the narrow paved lane, he left the gravel road behind. His client had given him exact directions to the ranch, directions Oliver had needed. It was a little too easy to get lost on the township roads out here. It didn't help that the damn signs were so small. He was used to driving out in the country, but still, this wasn't like trying to find some gas plant. It was kinda hard to miss those.

Horsfall Ranch might be close to the city, but it wasn't exactly easy to get to. Thick brush lined the lane he was practically crawling down, set at the base of tall trees that were obscuring his view to either side. At least the lane was in excellent condition, although he couldn't see anything in front of him but more trees.

He drove around a curve in the road, and suddenly the whole thing opened up. He had to stop the car just to take it all in.

Horsfall sat smack dab in front of him, down a slight incline. The rolling foothills were a picturesque backdrop, with the Rocky Mountains as a steady line marching across the back end in the distance. He could make out the white tops on the mountains; there were only a few wisps of cloud breaking up the blue sky. Great day to be out of the office.

"Damn, I love my job."

Pressing his foot down on the gas pedal, Oliver pulled up to the black wrought iron gate barring his path. Pressing the intercom beside his window, he waited, nervously tapping his fingers on the wheel.

"Hello?" a male voice responded.

"Hi. This is Oliver Philip. I'm here to meet with Bayard Stoddard."

"Sure thing. He's down at the main complex. I'll let him know you're here. Just keep on the road, and you can't miss him."

"Thanks."

The gate opened up slowly, and he made his way through. A small farmhouse sat to the left of the gate, with a big black dog lying on the front porch. He sleepily raised his head, watching Oliver drive past. Oliver chuckled, seriously tempted to stop the car and get out. He absolutely loved animals.

A second house sat back further from the road, a little bigger than the first. He wondered how many people actually lived here. Truth be told, he didn't know much about ranching life. He'd done a bit of research on the company before coming down here, like he always did before accepting a new job, but a website didn't give you much information about the day-to-day workings of a place. Besides, the Horsfall website talked more about their horses than anything else, and most of that information had gone right over his head.

Speaking of which, who knew there would be so many buildings? A large rectangular building stood in front of him, with several smaller ones set around. An empty paddock sat to the right, and he could make out an open barn with machinery just behind the main building. Several gas tanks stood beside the open barn. At least he knew what those were. He felt a little out of his element coming here.

A man stepped out of the large building in front of him. Spying the trucks parked to the right, Oliver pulled his little blue car between two dusty pickups. He opened the door, grabbing his briefcase from the passenger seat. The man had come around to meet him and was now standing at Oliver's back bumper.

Jesus, he'd like to have this man do more than just stand at his back bumper. He was tall, towering over Oliver by at least half a foot. Tanned and devastatingly handsome. Oliver just about swallowed his tongue looking at him. This was what Oliver fantasized about late at night when he was all alone. Fuck, the man was fulfilling almost every one of his dreams physically.

He had a black cowboy hat slanted low on his forehead, and his muscular frame was encased in dusty blue jeans and a worn blue plaid shirt. For a minute Oliver was certain the big man was going to pop the seams on that shirt. It strained across a colossal chest that just begged to be explored.

The cowboy held out one tanned hand. "Mr. Philip, I'm Bayard Stoddard. We spoke on the phone. Thanks for coming out here."

 

About the Author

Jade's writing is as eclectic as her reading tastes. She's also been known to accept writing challenges from friends and family just to see their reactions. She's a firm believer that love and romance are universal concepts, no matter a person's gender identity or sexual orientation.

 

Author’s Website

 

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

 

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