04/23/26 ~ The Avid Reader

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Review: Daughter Seven (Phaethon Corp. #7) by Jaxon Reed @AuthorJaxonReed

4:30:00 AM Aramis Station, Daughter Seven, Jaxon Reed, Miner War, Phaethon Corp., Phaethon Expansion, Review, Science Fiction, Space Marine, Space Opera, Surplus Marines, Tinkers Guild, Top Duck No comments

Daughter Seven

Phaethon Corp. #7

by Jaxon Reed

Published: April 23, 2026

Genre: Space Opera, Science Fiction, Space Marine

Blurb:

The Miner War rages on, but more and more attention by all sides is being paid to Phaethon Corp. on Aramis Station. For one thing, Duck and his team have now interfered with all the major players in this conflict. But they’ve gained some strong allies as well. Among them are the Tinkers Guild and their mysterious leader, Daughter Seven. As war spreads throughout the region, Duck flexes his muscles. But now he’s starting to look for the true powers lurking behind all these curtains . . .

Don’t miss the seventh installment of this fast-release, high-octane space opera! Featuring fist fights, bar brawls, and high-tech hijinks, Phaethon Corp. Space Marines will protect their interests on the frontier at all costs!

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ BookBub

My Review:

Daughter Seven is the seventh installment in the Phaethon Corp. series by Jaxon Reed. The story opens as passengers are transferred to Aramis Station, introducing us to the seventh daughter and skilled leader of the Tinkers Guild, Tess, among the passengers.

The Miner War continues, but the Phaethon Corp. Space Marines are determined to safeguard their interests on the frontier at all costs. A man arrives at Aramis Station with the intent to cause harm and hinder the planet's development, or at least delay it in various ways. I can imagine he would use any method he could to support his agenda.

One of the aspects I enjoyed the most was the leadership dynamics among the seven daughters and how it functions. Additionally, I am fascinated by the bots and all that they can do. I love watching them in action, performing tasks that only they are capable of. I also enjoy the combat scenes and the bar fights.

This novel completely sucked me into its world, and I had to know how the chaos resolved. I was completely submerged in this world; it feels like exploring a living, breathing place rather than just reading a book.

I couldn’t put this down. The characters have truly gotten under my skin, and I'll be first in line to see what chaos or victory awaits them next. I cannot recommend Daughter Seven highly enough, an incredibly detailed, gripping, and utterly immersive space epic that immediately secures its place as a modern classic.

Check out all the books in the Phaethon Corp. series I’ve read.

Surplus Marines #1

Top Duck #2

Miner War #3

Phaethon Expansion #4

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

Aramis Station #5

Tinkers Guild #6

Daughter Seven #7

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

Connect with Jaxon Reed

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ BookBub ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Book Tour + #Giveaway: Your Joyful Years by Professor Joyce Harper @ProfJoyceHarper @RABTBookTours

4:00:00 AM Book Tour, Giveaway, Professor Joyce Harper, Reading Addiction Book Tours, Self Help, Women Health, Your Joyful Years No comments

Empowering good health and happiness beyond 50

Self help, Women Health

Date Published: 20 March 2026

“An uplifting and empowering guide to later life that blends lived experience with science and practical wisdom, encouraging us not merely to age, but to thrive. I read this book as a middle-aged man and loved it … it is beautifully reassuring, humane, and optimistic.”

— Professor Chris van Tulleken, Clinician, Academic, TV Presenter, UK

Aged 50+ is a pivotal stage in many women’s lives. We are entering post-menopause—free from reproductive hormones, periods, and contraception. Children may be leaving home, careers may be shifting or winding down, and there is the dawning realisation that we may have 20 or 30 healthy years ahead of us. This is not an ending, but a powerful new beginning. This stage of life offers an opportunity to reconnect with yourselves, to rediscover what truly matters, and to prioritise self-love and self-care without guilt. This book brings you the wisdom of 50 inspiring women who share their lived experiences with honesty and generosity. Their stories offer guidance, reassurance, and permission to live authentically on your own terms. Together, they show how this stage of life can be rich with meaning, purpose, freedom, and joy. These are Your Joyful Years.

Professor Joyce Harper is a down-to-earth expert in reproductive and women’s health, with almost 40 years’ experience listening to women and translating science into practical, evidence-based guidance. She has published widely about women’s health and is passionate about helping women thrive. Joyce combines research, real-world experience, and a deep belief in living life to the full, and she practices what she preaches. This book is the second in her trilogy: Your Fertile Years; Your Joyful Years; and Your Final Years.

Interview with Joyce Harper

Do you have a routine or something you do to get you in the mood to write?

I had hoped that I might spend some time alone by the sea while writing much of this book, as I think that would have helped me work more quickly and with greater focus, but it never quite happened. My life is very full and varied, so most days involve a lot of juggling. What I need most in order to write is silence and a clear head. I am not someone who can write all day without a break.

Do you have a special song, drink, or food you enjoy while you are writing?

No, not really. I need silence when I write, so music does not help me. I also do not drink tea or coffee, so for me writing is much more about having the right mental space than any particular ritual.

How do you know what to write?

I tend to wait for inspiration to come to me. My writing often begins with an idea, a conversation, or a theme that keeps returning to my mind. Once that happens, I usually know I need to follow it.

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

Ideally, I like to write in blocks of about two hours. I often start first thing in the morning, as soon as I wake up, when my mind is freshest. Then I usually go to an exercise class at 9.30 for 90 minutes, which helps clear my head. After that, I may return to writing in shorter bursts throughout the rest of the day, fitting it around everything else I do.

Do you do anything special to celebrate after writing “the end”?

Not really. Finishing a book feels satisfying, of course, but I do not have a particular celebration ritual. But I do like to give talks and do events to discuss the book. My last book came out in lockdown so this was not possible in person. I did a few online events but they lacked the magic. So this time around I did a really big book launch event with over 100 people, and dancing. And now I am embarking on a book tour.

How long does it take you to write a book?

The first book I wrote entirely on my own took 34 years. I started writing it in 1987 and it was finally published in 2021. My latest book was much more focused and took two years from idea to publication.

What is the most difficult part of writing a book?

The hardest part is finding enough uninterrupted time. I have a full-time job as a professor, along with many other commitments, so writing had to fit around a very busy life. At the same time, I also have three children who needed me, so it was not always easy to balance everything.

About the Author

Joyce Harper is an internationally renowned and award-winning educator, author, women’s health coach, podcaster, academic, public speaker, and scientist. She is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London in the Institute for Women’s Health, where she leads the Reproductive Science and Society Group. She has published more than 250 scientific papers and regularly gives keynote lectures at international conferences.

Joyce is deeply passionate about empowering women to live their best lives through good health and happiness. Her last book, Your Fertile Years, published by Sheldon Press in 2021, explores women’s health from puberty to menopause. In Your Joyful Years, she shares the wisdom of 50 women over 50 who are thriving, to empower women to lead a life of good health and happiness. She has started writing her next book, Your Final Years, about the end of life.

Her podcast Why didn’t anyone tell me this? is ranked in the top 10% of podcasts globally on Listen Notes and is listened to in more than 90 countries.

Joyce gives many public talks. She regularly appears in the press, on radio and TV. She is a regular guest on various BBC programmes including Women’s Hour and the BBC World Service. She has been a guest on Brian Cox’s Infinite Monkey Cage and his radio show A Question of Science and she explained sex to Philomena Cunk, in Cunk on Life.

As co-founder and co-lead of the UK Menopause Education and Support Programme (InTune) with Dr Shema Tariq and the International Reproductive Health Education Collaboration (IRHEC), Joyce is dedicated to improving reproductive health education for all ages. She collaborates with schools across the UK and globally to deliver impactful programs that promote knowledge and understanding.

An avid cold-water swimmer, Joyce is also a founding member of the research network SwimHer, which investigates the links between women’s health and cold-water swimming. Her groundbreaking work includes publishing the world’s first study about how cold-water swimming affects menstrual and menopause symptoms.

Since 2016 she has run a local women’s group in Saffron Walden, The Purple Tent.

Contact Links

Website

YouTube

Instagram: @ProfJoyceHarper

Blog

Facebook: Global Women Connected

TikTok: @ProfJoyceHarper

University College London Profile

Purchase Today

Book Blitz: Imagine: Toward a Brotherhood of Man by William Mile @RABTBookTours

3:30:00 AM Book Blitz, Imagine: Toward a Brotherhood of Man, New Thought, Philosophy, Philosophy of Good and Evil, Reading Addiction Book Tours, Religion and Spirituality, Social Sciences, Social Theory, William Mile No comments

Philosophy, Philosophy of Good and Evil, Social Sciences, Social Theory, Religion and Spirituality, New Thought

What if everything you believe about what life should be like is a carefully orchestrated lie?

For millennia, humanity has stumbled through darkness, divided by wars, hatred, and inexplicable suffering. We’ve blamed politics, religion, economics—but what if the real reason has been hiding in plain sight and this knowledge could change everything? Imagine the possibility of exposing hidden forces that have manipulated civilizations, sparked genocides, and turned brother against brother. Imagine how much better your life could be if you had knowledge powerful enough to fuel culture, unite humanity, and create meaning in people’s lives for generations to come. Author William Mile unveils a forbidden truth that explains why good people constantly find themselves at war with each other while evil seems to flourish unchecked. This isn’t just another self-help book or philosophical treatise—this is the missing piece, a revolutionary theory.

In this book, you’ll discover:

why 80% of humanity shares an invisible bond that transcends race, religion, and nationality
the shocking truth about the 20% operating by entirely different rules
how to identify the hidden manipulators who profit from human division
the secret to transforming conflict into unprecedented global cooperation
why this knowledge has been suppressed—and what happens when it spreads

Mile’s 8:2 theory doesn’t just explain the world’s chaos—it gives you the formula for ending it. Are you brave enough to see past the illusions that have trapped humanity for generations?

The awakening begins now. Will you join the brotherhood or remain blind to the battle raging around you? Are you one of the 8s…or the 2s?

As a graduate of William Paterson University in NJ, William earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. With over twenty years of meditation experience, as well as having had opportunities to sit with well-known masters, William felt the need to forge his own way, abandoning his commitments to traditional religious circles, so as to pursue his curiosities no matter where they led. As he puts it, “There’s a freedom achieved only when an individual is true to himself, one seldom found in groups."

Contact Links

Purchase Links

Review Tour + #Giveaway: Swept Away by Jo Hiestand @JoHiestand @GoddessFish

3:00:00 AM A McLaren Mystery, Giveaway, Goddess Fish Promotions, Jo Hiestand, Mystery, Review Tour, Swept Away No comments

SWEPT AWAY

Jo A. Hiestand

GENRE: Mystery

Blurb:

Dan Winter asks his friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, to discover what happened to his wife, Ellie, who disappeared on the third day of the couple's holiday on Bow Island. Dan thinks she was swept away by rough ocean waves. Perhaps, but after three weeks there is no sign of her, alive or dead.

McLaren's inquiry seems to be going along swimmingly until the police suspect Dan of killing Ellie and hiding her body. Now McLaren has to dive deeper for the truth. Was Ellie really swept away or did she disappear of her own volition, perhaps helped by a wildlife expert who knows all the hiding place on the island? Or there's the Chaucer-spouting war veteran who seems eager to help with anything. Or did Dan actually murder her?

Purchase Swept Away

Trade Paper – Amazon

Hard Cover – Amazon

Ebook – Amazon, B&N, BookBub, and Kobo

Excerpt:

"We aren't getting along all that well. It was scaring me. I thought we needed to do something to fix our problem before it got unfixable." Dan's thumb traveled up the pipe's black stem before he clutched the entire pipe and settled it onto the ashtray. "I booked a week's holiday on Bow Island in Cumbria. You know it?"

"Just of it. If I'm thinking of the correct spot, it's close to the mainland. In the southwestern part of the county, right? In the Irish Sea," McLaren answered, looking up from his notetaking.

Dan nodded. "That's the place. We've been to the island many times. Ellie loves it. Both as a child, and then in later years, before our marriage, she used to spend entire summers there, first with her parents and then during her university hols." He sighed, as though envisioning what that carefree time might have been like. "Most years, as a couple, we spent a week or more there. I wanted to vary our itinerary occasionally, see something else, like Scotland or the Isle of Man or Cornwall, but she wasn't interested. So, to keep her happy, we took every holiday on Bow Island."

"That was quite magnanimous of you, Dan."

Dan shrugged, as if stating he had no other choice, and looked like he was steeling himself for giving the full recitation. "That's the major reason for dropping by this evening, as you suspected. The problem concerns Bow Island and Ellie. She's gone missing."

My Review:

Dan and Ellie Winters take annual trips to Bow Island. Ellie has a fondness for the island and its various tourist shops. She enjoys strolling along the beach, unlike Dan. On the third day of their visit, she sets out for a walk on the beach and does not return.

Dan is anxious about her disappearance and has been searching for her for three weeks. Unsure of what to do next or whom to contact, he reaches out to a high school friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, for assistance in locating his missing wife. Dan and McLaren deliberate on the possible circumstances surrounding Ellie's disappearance and formulate several theories.

McLaren expresses concern regarding the duration of Ellie's absence, as it could impact the investigation. One possibility for Ellie's disappearance is that she may have drowned. Alternatively, she might have encountered a gentleman friend on the beach and left with him. There is also the chance that someone abducted her, or perhaps Dan himself was involved in something sinister.

From the moment I started reading Swept Away, I was immersed in its narrative, as the reality around me faded away. I felt as though I was part of the lives of McLaren, Dan, and Ellie. I could visualize Ellie walking along the beach, with the waves crashing against the shore, either relishing her day or feeling despondent as she sought clarity. I could picture McLaren as he interrogated the locals, attempting to piece together what might have transpired with Ellie.

I wholeheartedly recommend Swept Away to all mystery enthusiasts! Be sure to pick up a copy of Swept Away today!

About the Author:

Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries) and a Missouri-based cozy mystery series (Cookies & Kilts Mysteries) that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.