Friday, June 12, 2026

Release Blitz: The Distance Between Stars by Melissa Toppen

Title: The Distance Between Stars

Series: Wren Cove #1

Author: Melissa Toppen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Second Chance, Small Town Romance

Release Date: June 12, 2026

BLURB

Some loves are like the stars, brilliant for a time, but doomed to burn out in the end.

London Voss was the girl who couldn’t wait to get out of town, and that’s exactly what she did. At 18, she left behind her small-town coastal life, her overprotective family, and the boy who loved her too much to stand in the way of her dreams. But seven years later, her big city plans of dancing for The New York City Ballet have fallen apart, and having exhausted all other options, she’s forced to return home.

Wren Cove has changed a lot in her absence. The people. The places. And most notably, Penn Kade. The reckless boy she left behind is now the responsible, stone-faced man running his late father’s fishing company. He’s reliable, successful, and even more handsome than she remembered.

He’s also not exactly thrilled to see her again.

When London takes a temp job as his company’s bookkeeper to make ends meet, she and Penn are forced to put aside their differences and try to work together. But some things are simply easier said than done. Especially when old feelings start to resurface…

The Distance Between Stars is a standalone, small town, second chance romance.

GOODREADS

BOOKBUB

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Melissa Toppen is a USA Today Bestselling Author who specializes in Fantasy, New Adult and Contemporary Romance. She is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. She has a soft spot for romance and all things fantasy, and focuses her writing in that direction; writing what she loves to read. You can find more information about Melissa and her books at melissatoppen.com

AUTHOR LINKS

Book Blitz: IYSH by Greg Price

Fiction

Date Published: 04-17-2025

In 1940, Leo Butlion, a young Jew studying to be a medical doctor in Koblenz, Germany, has his future plans disrupted when Nazi forces destroy his family and their business. His heroic escape and commitment to survive drive him to overcome the greatest test man could ever encounter. Ivy Jacobson, a deformed yet highly talented fashion designer, works in a textile factory in Liege, Belgium that is ransacked by Nazi invaders. She escapes their brutality and meets Leo. Leo explains the Hebrew word IYSH which means "champion" and together they agree to persevere and champion the cause no matter how difficult it becomes. Their heroism and tenacity unfold in dramatic fashion as they are captured, separated and sent to concentration camps where their future survival is unclear. The story develops from WWII until the Yom Kippur War in 1973 which takes place in Israel.

About the Author

Greg Price is a writer, human resource expert and an ordained minister. He has traveled extensively throughout the world and shares his experiences by translating them into literary characters who inspire and motivate the reader. Greg immigrated to the United States from south Africa and currently lives with his wife in Mississippi.

Contact Link

Facebook

Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/IYSH

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Blurb Blitz Tour: Daisy's Creature by M.L. Knight

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M.L. Knight will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ashmore was like any other town.

It held secrets.

Legend says…only the blood of a Sanderson can revive it.

And it’s been sleeping for centuries.

Until Daisy.

When Creature awakens, the residents of Ashmore get more than they bargained for.

And he gets more than he can chew.

With every bite, he’s changing.

Into what?

The only thing he craves to be.

Daisy’s.

Read an Excerpt

Lucas waved a hand in a distinct direction she didn’t glance at. “Is it true, then? Y’all are the guardians or some shit over a petrified demon, and that’s why your mom needs to oversee the sale?” He tilted his blonde head. “You know, we used to come out here and dare each other to go up and touch it. The thing’s creepy as fuck.”

Sidney let out a nervous giggle, but she avoided looking where Lucas had gestured as well. “Very creepy. I don’t know how y’all sleep in the house knowing it’s in your yard.”

Daisy feigned nonchalance and shrugged, refusing to admit to herself or them that she found the thing fascinating in a macabre way

It truly looked like a demon from hell—minus the horns and tail. It possessed big, leathery wings that lay flush against its back, blending in with the black tattered clothes draping over its lean body, absent of any fat. Claws adorned its bird-like feet, the heels coming to a point that also had a claw.

Feet meant for grabbing prey off the ground.

She shook the thought off. Under the low moonlight, it would be hard to see the thing with its grey-black skin, arms tied and looped around the back of a twelve-foot-tall stake.

According to Mom, the thing had been there for generations, never moving and never changing. The townspeople knew all about it, and, obviously, the kids made a game out of approaching it.

About the Author

M.L. Knight is a self-published author who enjoys things that go bump in the night. Her favorite horror movie is Evil Dead 2 and her favorite holiday is Halloween. She channels her love for the strange and unusual by writing erotic, horror-inspired stories. When she’s not cooking up something dark and depraved, she’s tackling her never ending TBR, studying for her nursing degree or lifting heavy weights. And she’s got one question to ask you. What’s your favorite scary movie?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_mlknight/
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/daisy-knight
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/M.L.-Knight/author/B0FTT7DKR3

Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN gift card.

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Release Blitz: This Beautiful Lie by Taylor Sullivan

THIS BEAUTIFUL LIE

Taylor Sullivan

Release Date: June 11

Meet Taylor Sullivan:

Taylor is the proud mom of three (not-so-young-anymore) kids she loves more than life. She spends her days juggling their endless activities, hoping she looks presentable enough to be out in public, while writing stories inspired by the strangers she meets in her daily life. Maybe she's a little crazy, or maybe she just misses the Barbie games she played with her sister when they were young—but that's where her stories are born. It’s where they blossom and grow, and eventually breathe life onto the pages of her books.

Taylor is drawn to the complexity and flaws of people. She believes that a life well lived is full of mistakes and that beauty is always found in imperfection. And yes, she believes in happy endings. She’s been married to the love of her life for 21 years after kissing way too many frogs.

Connect with Taylor Sullivan:

https://www.instagram.com/taylorsullivan.author/

Blurb:

Welcome to the Suspicious Hearts series—where every story stands on its own, but the connections run deeper than you think. Each book follows a different couple with a complete, happily-ever-after.

Some secrets don’t stay buried.

They wait—quiet and patient—for the exact moment they can ruin you.

I learned a long time ago that surviving means keeping my heart locked down. No expectations. No hope. No love that asks me to trust like it won’t disappear. Because love doesn’t just leave scars—it takes pieces of you that never heal quite right.

Dean Weston intrigues me.

He’s successful. Steady. The kind of man who shows up without being asked.

Which is why, when he asks me to pretend to be his fiancée, I know right away it’s a terrible idea.

One week at a business retreat.

One carefully crafted love story.

One lie meant to protect us both.

The rules are simple.

Play the perfect couple.

Convince everyone we’re in love.

Walk away without getting hurt.

Only Dean doesn’t fake affection—he offers it easily. Gentle touches that linger longer than they should. Soft smiles meant just for me, like we share something no one else can see. Late-night conversations that stretch past midnight, where he listens in a way that makes me forget I ever learned how to be guarded. He makes me feel safe without promising anything at all, and somewhere along the way, the pretending turns into this beautiful lie I’m terrified to lose. I stop bracing for the fall I know is coming.

Because the truth always surfaces.

Lies unravel, no matter how carefully they’re told.

And some secrets don’t just hurt you.

They break you.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/04IxturM

Available in KU

Release Blitz: This Beautiful Lie by Taylor Sullivan

══. • RELEASE BLITZ •. ══

This Beautiful Lie

Suspicious Hearts Series

by @TaylorSullivan

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Add to Goodreads:

𝑳𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍, 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕...

✩ Fake Fiancé

✩ Found Family

✩ Small Town

✩ Slow Burn

✩ Forced Proximity

✩Secret Identity

✩Emotional Scars

1-Click on Amazon

US | UK | CA | AU

Kindle Unlimited

Blurb:

Some secrets don’t stay buried.

They wait—quiet and patient—for the exact moment they can ruin you.

Dean Weston intrigues me.

He’s successful. Steady. The kind of man who shows up without being asked.

Which is why, when he asks me to pretend to be his fiancée, I know right away it’s a terrible idea.

One week at a business retreat.

One carefully crafted love story.

One lie meant to protect us both.

The rules are simple.

Play the perfect couple.

Convince everyone we’re in love.

Walk away without getting hurt.

Because the truth always surfaces.

Lies unravel, no matter how carefully they’re told.

And some secrets don’t just hurt you.

They break you.

Start the Series:

Home to You -Book 1

AMAZON

Waiting for Tuesday - Book 2

AMAZON

#KindleUnlimited

Join the #BookTour

HERE

For more information on Taylor and her books:

HERE

Hosted by

Book Blitz: Miro: Embracing the Unknown by Enas Nour

Literary Fiction, Cat Fiction

Date Published: May 22, 2026

A deeply moving novel told through the eyes of a cat named Miro, who begins life in the fragile warmth of his mother’s embrace, only to be swept into a world shaped by separation, survival, love, and loss.

From one cramped apartment to another unfamiliar home, Miro is carried through the unpredictable hands of fate, drifting between tenderness and cruelty, safety and fear. Through the eyes of a growing cat trying to understand the strange creatures who control his world, he learns—step by painful step—what it means to trust, to survive, and to search for belonging in a world that rarely explains itself, and even more rarely shows mercy.

As he grows, Miro observes the humans around him with startling sensitivity: their loneliness, contradictions, tenderness, and hidden darkness. Through his innocent yet deeply perceptive voice, ordinary moments become profound meditations on fear, attachment, identity, and the search for home.

Both heartbreaking and tender, Miro: Embracing the Unknown is not merely the story of a cat—it is the story of any soul trying to find warmth and meaning in an uncertain world.

About the Author

Enas Nour is a physician and writer based in Germany, where she combines her medical career with a lifelong passion for literature and creative expression. Drawn to storytelling from an early age, she explores themes of human emotion, resilience, and connection through compelling and thought-provoking narratives. Her writing is marked by empathy, insight, and vivid detail, creating immersive stories that resonate deeply with readers and reflect the complexities of the human experience.

Contact Link

BookBuzz

Purchase Link

Amazon

Book Tour: A Change in Plans by Mike Martin

Food, family, friends and a few dead bodies…

RCMP officer Winston Windflower’s rare afternoon off gets interrupted when a hit and run turns into murder and he must pull together a team of Mounties from Newfoundland to resolve the crime. Following the money and fentanyl— and bodies—Windflower and his team join forces with police officers in southern Ontario to take down an international drug-smuggling ring.

Windflower must face personal doubts and fears when fellow Mountie Fil Romano is kidnapped. While the higher-ups at HQ make plans to give safe passage to the drug lords in return for Romano’s life, Windflower worries Romano will get caught in the crossfire. Windflower again looks to his friends and allies for help in the difficult hours and days ahead.

╰┈➤Book Details

Genre: Mystery
Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery/Police Procedural
Language: English
Pages: 278
Paperback ISBN: TBA

A Change in Plans is available at Amazon.

╰┈➤Here’s What Readers Have To Say!

“

╰┈➤Read if you love…

Mystery

̷̊̊̊̊̊ International Drug-Smuggling Ring

Kidnapping

Dead Bodies

Canadian Mounties to the Rescue

Edge of Your Seat Excitement

Excerpt:

Summer was nearing its end in the small town of Grand Bank on the eastern shore of Canada. Winston Windflower, husband, father and RCMP officer, was enjoying some quiet time while his wife, Sheila Hillier, and their two girls, Amelia Louise and Stella, were in St. John’s for their annual back-to-school shopping spree. He was alone except for his four-legged friends. Lady, an eight-year-old collie, was still frisky and ready to go for a walk as always. Molly, the cat, was ageless and just about lifeless as she sat in her bed waiting for the next treat to fall in front of her.

It was a fine, sunny day as Windflower looked out of their home onto the Atlantic Ocean. Because it was so nice, he had taken the afternoon off for picking berries. The summer had been unusually hot and sticky, and that meant the berries were out a little earlier than usual. His fervent hope was that his special picking spot had not been disturbed by early pickers trampling down bushes and limiting the harvest.

If things went well, he could pick a gallon of berries in a couple of hours, and if he was super lucky, Sheila would make something fabulous with the blueberries when she got back. Maybe a pie or even one of her blueberry specialties. Windflower salivated when he imagined all of that deliciousness. He grabbed a couple of Tupperware containers and a bottle of water and then headed for his favourite spot.

There was a congregation of berry pickers at the closest picking location, just past the clinic. Bent over, they paid him little attention. He didn’t mind being ignored. The area was too busy and crowded for him. He took the trail down by the brook and then up the hill to the lookout. He paused for a moment to take in the majestic view of Grand Bank. Windflower glanced over the brook to the town and the wharf, all the way to the craggy outcrop that the locals called the Cape. Then he continued on up over the hill and towards the other side.

He veered off the path about halfway down and was very pleased to find his desired location calm and untouched. He said a silent prayer of thanks to Creator and began his task. Some people would have thought of this as work, but Windflower found berry picking both meditative and spiritual. It reconnected him to the land and made him think of his early days growing up on the reserve in Pink Lake, Alberta. His Cree family would all go berry picking for the day, bringing a lunch and a kettle to make tea.

He soon had one container filled and was working on the second when his pocket buzzed. He checked the number on his phone. It was Corporal Samira Gupta, his right-hand assistant, calling from the bigger community of Marystown. He had made arrangements with his boss, Superintendent Ron Quigley, that he would take the job as acting inspector for the region as long as he could stay in Grand Bank and have an assistant in Marystown. Gupta filled her role perfectly.

“What’s up, Corporal?” asked Windflower.

“Sorry to bother you,” said Gupta. “Betsy said you were off. But I thought you should know. We had a hit and run in Marystown. Over near Walmart. A woman in her forties is in hospital. Sergeant Tizzard is on the scene.” Eddie Tizzard was one of Windflower’s long-time friends and co-workers. They’d been working together for the last 10 years in one way or another.

“That’s a dangerous area,” said Windflower. “How is the woman?”

“She was unconscious when they brought her to the hospital in Burin,” said Gupta. “But no other information so far.”

“And the driver?”

“We’re working on it. Tizzard has a team doing interviews from the scene.”

“It’s busy around there. Somebody would have seen something.”

“That was our thinking, too,” Gupta agreed. “If we don’t get anything back soon from the canvass, we’ll do a media hit.”

“Perfect. Keep me posted.”

Now that his reverie had been disrupted, Windflower packed up his stuff and headed back down to his car. He was driving towards home when he noticed the driver of a passing car flashing their headlights at him. He slowed down and pulled over and then went to see if they were okay. As he got closer, he squinted to see Moira Stoodley, co-owner of the Mug-Up Café, the best and only diner in Grand Bank, in the driver’s seat. She was also the wife of his best friend, Herb Stoodley, who was tutoring him in two very diverse subjects—classical music, about which Windflower knew next to nothing before he met Herb, and trout and salmon fishing, which he thought he had mastered but now realized he was only a beginner.

He assumed Moira had stopped him to say hello or to pass along a message from her husband. But it was much more serious.

“I saw Mike Winger, that crazy-looking guy, back on the road,” said Moira. “It looked like his wheelchair had tipped over. A few young fellers were helping him get back up. But he looked in bad shape. Had a cut over his forehead. I asked him if he was okay. He told me to mind my business and went on home. You might want to check in on him.”

It wasn’t exactly his job to look after wandering locals, but it had become expected of the lone police officer in the community. He may have the high and mighty title of acting inspector, but his day job consisted of part-time social worker, youth counsellor and senior companion when he wasn’t solving crimes or directing the limited amount of traffic that Grand Bank produced.

Helping citizens in distress certainly fell into his ‘other related duties’, and Mike Winger seemed to be in constant need of assistance of one kind or another. Mostly of his own doing.

Windflower knew a little about the man from his many interactions with him. Winger was an American and a veteran of the Gulf Wars. After he left the military, he got certified as a refrigeration mechanic and started wandering around, first in the United States and then into Canada. He ended up in the Grand Bank area working for fish plants and discovered a place where nobody really knew him but welcomed him anyway.

Mike Winger finally felt at home. He bought a house and found a girl who eventually moved in.

His life seemed perfect until… the crash that changed his life. His girlfriend was killed instantly as his car slid off the highway to avoid a moose one late spring morning. He was left with one leg paralyzed and the other badly damaged. Stuck with his feeling of loss and grief, he turned to alcohol and then drugs. Then he became mean and isolated. His scooter was his only escape, but even that turned out to be another source of problems.

Windflower had rescued him and the scooter more times than he could remember. From ditches by the side of the road. From a farmer’s field. From the pub, more than once, when he had been asked to leave, none too politely. One time from the cemetery, although Windflower wasn’t exactly sure how that happened. Mike Winger was certainly one of Windflower’s pet irritants in Grand Bank. But since neither of them were going anywhere soon, they had figured out how to survive, if not get along, together.

– Excerpted from A Change in Plans by Mike Martin, Ottawa Press and Publishing, 2026. Reprinted with permission.

Author Interview

Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?
MM: I was born in Newfoundland, on the easternmost tip of Canada. I now live and work in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.

What genre do you read? Who's an author you read? Name your top 5 authors.
MM: I read everything. I like mysteries, some fantasy and what I would call the classics. Favorite authors might be Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Donna Leon, Louise Penny

What book are you reading right now, and what do you like about it?
MM: Louise Penny’s Black Wolf is part of her Gamache series and it is super interesting and enjoyable.

Favorite sports.
MM: Baseball and basketball

Favorite thing about the state/country that you live in.
MM: It’s safe and clean and comfortable

How long have you been writing?
MM: All my life.

What inspired you to become a writer?
MM: I was a reader long before I became a writer. I admired the way that great writers could take me to imaginary worlds. I wanted to create that myself.

What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
MM: I’m a pure pantser. I write from what I call the creative current. That’s where all stories come from.

How do you celebrate finishing a book?
MM: Writing the end is usually satisfaction enough. I celebrate the launch of a book with a party and cake. Always have cake.

What would you tell a writer who is just starting? What program do you use for writing? What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book? What’s your writing software of choice?
MM: Be a great reader in order to be a great writer. And write for yourself first. Everything else will flow from that.

Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
MM: My partner, who is the real mystery fan in the family. She introduced me to the genre and has had always had my back.

How do you name your characters?
MM: Usually made up out of thin air, but I keep a list for each book so I don’t repeat. I also slip in at least one person I know, into every book. Just for fun.

Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?
MM: When I am writing a book I write first thing in the morning. I aim for 1,000 words a day. I don’t often get that early, so I go back until I get my word count.

Tell us about your current release.
MM: A Change in Plans is Book 17 in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.
In this book, what begins as a local tragedy soon reveals a trail of fentanyl, money, and bodies stretching across provincial lines. Windflower assembles a team of Mounties from Newfoundland and Labrador and joins forces with police in southern Ontario to dismantle an international drug-smuggling ring operating in the shadows.

AA: Thank you for joining me here at Always Reading!-Melissa

About the Author

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 17 books in this light mystery series with the publication of A Change in Plans.

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. All That Glitters was shortlisted for the LOLA 2024 Must Read Book of the year award.

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest Darkest Before the Dawn was released as an audiobook in 2024. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

Visit Mike’s website at https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com.

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

╰┈➤ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mike54martin