Always Reading

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Cover Reveal: Christmas in the Shadows by J.A. Owenby

CHRISTMAS IN THE SHADOWS

J.A. Owenby

Release Date: November 11

Meet J.A. Owenby:

International bestselling author J.A. Owenby grew up in a small backwoods town in Arkansas where she learned how to swear like a sailor and spot water moccasins skimming across the lake.

She finally ditched the south and headed to Oregon. The first winter there, she was literally blown away a few times by ninety mile an hour winds and storms that rolled in off the ocean.

Eventually, she longed for quiet and headed up to snowier pastures. She now resides in Washington state with her hot nerdy husband and cat, Chloe (who frequently encourages her to drink). She spends her days coming up with ways to torture characters in a way that either makes you want to throw your book down a flight of stairs or sob hysterically into a pillow.

J.A. Owenby writes new adult and romantic thriller novels. Her books ooze with emotion, angst, and twists that will leave you breathless. Having battled her own demons, she’s not afraid to tackle the secrets women are forced to hide. After all, the road to love is paved in the dark.

Her friends describe her as delightfully twisted. She loves fan mail and wine. Please send her all the wine.

Connect with J.A. Owenby:

https://linktr.ee/JAOWENBY1

Blurb:

Twelve days of Christmas. Zero days of mercy.

One, two, he’s coming for you.

Christmas has always been about family.

Then he decided to make mine part of his game.

Twelve days until Christmas. Nine gifts on his list.

Three, four, blood on the floor.

Every box arrives wrapped in ribbon, addressed to

someone my little lamb loves and filled with the

one thing that can still destroy them.

Five, six, his dirtiest tricks.

A memory he stole.

A secret he kept.

A wound he knows exactly how to reopen.

Seven, eight, seal your fate.

He calls himself the Pied Piper.

He thinks he can pull every person Ella fought

to save back into the darkness they crawled out of.

Nine, ten, I’ll make him beg for the end.

He forgot who he’s playing with.

I’m Death. I’ve spent years teaching monsters what happens

when they touch what’s mine.

Eleven, twelve, I am his personal hell.

I have until Christmas morning to cut the strings before he tears

my family apart. Because if I fail, he won’t just take her from me.

He’ll make sure she watches everyone she loves fall first.

I’m not running out of patience.

I’m running out of mercy.

Christmas in the Shadows is a pitch-black Christmas dark romance featuring a possessive serial-killer vigilante, obsessive devotion, touch-her-and-die protection, a found family under siege, twisted gifts, buried secrets, psychological suspense, vengeance, and a countdown to Christmas morning.

Christmas in the Shadows is Book 5 in the Shadows series and is NOT a standalone. It is highly recommended to read Books 1–4 first due to significant spoilers.

PreOrder Link:

https://a.co/d/00HLzrAu

Cover Reveal: Sunny Undone by S. Cole

SUNNY UNDONE

S. Cole

Release Date: October 22

Meet S. Cole:

Scarlett Cole is a contemporary romance and romantic suspense author who calls both Toronto, Canada and Manchester, England home. A born city dweller, she periodically quashes the urge to live in the country by hiking up a mountain to remind herself that living away from people would terrify the pants off her.

She believes everybody deserves their love story to be told and loves her heroes on the rough and rugged side…and usually tall (because she married one of those 6ft 6” men you read about in romance!). She’s an A-type personality and Scorpio star sign, so good luck getting her to do anything she doesn’t want to.

When she isn’t writing, she’s happy to talk hot men and expensive shoes while drinking a cold gin and tonic. Don’t bring up olives. As far as Scarlett is concerned, they are the devil’s food. As long as you don’t bring up olives, she’s happy to hear from any time.

Connect with S. Cole:

https://www.instagram.com/scarlettcole/

Blurb:

The happiest biker falls for the most academically brilliant, socially awkward woman he’s ever met in this electrifying small-town, opposites-attract romance from USA Today bestselling author Scarlett Cole, writing as S. Cole.

SUNNY

I thought my job was protecting the men who ride beside me.

Then I met the brilliant, socially awkward Dr. Della Hart.

She’s the smartest person I’ve ever known. She can explain why alligators are ecological engineers, identify a bird by its call, and somehow make a patch of mud sound like the most important place on Earth.

Me?

I once tried to microwave a Pop-Tart still in the wrapper.

While Della notices every bird, every flower, and every tiny change in the water that tells her someone is poisoning an entire ecosystem, she doesn’t notice the men following her, or the ones lying to her.

Good thing I do.

She says she doesn’t need protecting.

That’s cute.

Because somewhere between making her laugh, listening to her passionately explain why wetlands are worth saving, and watching her fight for a place everyone else has forgotten, she became my favourite person.

Everyone thinks I’m the funny one, the laid back one, and they’re right.

Until they come after Della and give me a reason to show them who I really am.

Pre-Order Link:

https://books2read.com/sunnyundone

Cover Reveal: Hate You Harder by Elle Winters

HATE YOU HARDER

Elle Winters

Release Date: October 27

Meet Elle Winters:

Elle Winters is a romance author living out her own age-gap romance in the heart of the south. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, binge watching shows she’s already seen 15 times, and waiting until the last minute to ask her husband if they can get tipsy on rosé at the restaurant down the street.

Connect with Elle Winters:

https://www.instagram.com/authorellewinters/

Blurb:

Griffin Calloway was the ultimate thorn in Claire Ryan’s side. Claire didn’t care that he was her brother’s best friend. She didn’t care that he tried to apologize for hurting her years ago. All Claire cared about was getting over the snarky, tattooed, incredibly talented annoyance of a man who was about to start a national tour with his rock band.

Griffin Calloway was tired of apologizing to his best friend’s little sister for something that happened years ago. However, Claire could hold a grudge like no one else, and her icy demeanor was here to stay. That was, until a drunken night filled with tequila and dopamine shattered a barrier that the two had put up years ago… Just an accidental double-tap that put a crack in a hatred-filled foundation.

And then, as fate would have it, Claire joins the band on their tour as their social media manager, meaning Griffin would always be just a few feet away. Always.

As the tour starts, Claire and Griffin find themselves in situations they shouldn’t, bringing to light feelings beneath the surface that may have really never been that deep to start. Through shows across the country, stolen glances, heated nights, explosive arguments, and a sort of comfort you find with someone you’re truly meant to be with, Claire and Griffin begin to reconnect in ways they soon realize were inevitable from the beginning.

Can Claire and Griffin put aside their animosity for the person they really love? Will the start of a secret romance jeopardize Claire’s relationship with her brother and Griffin’s relationship with his best friend?

Hate You Harder is a story about love, forgiveness, and the dangers of stalking your best friend’s little sister’s social media page with tequila in your system.

Pre-Order Link:

https://a.co/d/0iDKg6fH

Release Blitz: His Last Will by Alex Evans

HIS LAST WILL

Alex Evans

Release Date: September 16

Meet Alex Evans:

Alex Evans writes dark romances that are drenched in yearning. She daydreams of possessive characters and their happily ever afters.

Alex was born and raised in Central Ohio. She has since relocated to a warmer climate and lives with her husband in Charlotte, NC. Her love of romance began at a young age when she would steal her mom's Harlequin novels. Thanks, mom!

When she's not writing, you'll find her testing new recipes and mainlining caffeine.

Connect with Alex Evans:

https://www.alexevansauthor.com/

Blurb:

I vow to make your life a living hell.

In his last will and testament, he signed me over to him.

Now I’m contracted to marry my dead boyfriend’s stepbrother. The new heir of The Araneae Order.

The man determined to ruin me - dismantle me, piece by piece - is now my fiancé.

A bastard claimed only for the blood running through his veins.

Aiden. Reaper for The Order.

Known for stalking his prey from the shadows.

Injecting them with his venom. Playing with his victims. Reveling when they break.

A predator hellbent on seeking his revenge.

Whose sole focus is now on me.

Joining him in the shadows might be the only way I survive.

Til death do us part.

Buy Link:

https://mybook.to/HisLastWill

Available in KU

Release Blitz: Hostile Takeover by Emma Lee Jayne

HOSTILE TAKEOVER

Emma Lee Jayne

Release Date: September 16

Meet Emma Lee Jayne:

I write the kinds of books I want to read. Fast-paced books with lots of world-building, snarky heroines, and swoony heroes. I love story, pop culture, gossip, and baked goods. I’m a modern-day hippy and certified LEGO nerd.

I live in the Austin, Texas hill country, with my geeky husband and two extremely geeky kids. We have dogs, chickens, cats, and more LEGOs than should be allowed by law.

Connect with Emma Lee Jayne:

https://www.instagram.com/emmaleejaynewrites/

Blurb:

Kitty Biedermann has three rules for a layover in a bar she already hates:

Don't stare at the gorgeous cowboy across the room
Don't go home with him
Never, ever see him again.

She breaks all three.

It doesn't matter. He's a stranger in a state she's sworn off for good, and by morning she'll never see him again.

Except two months later, the CEO of FMJ walks into her boardroom to buy out her family's failing jewelry empire. And he's the cowboy from the bar.

Ford Langley isn't broke. He isn't a stranger. And he's not going anywhere.

The only problem?

She's carrying his baby. She can't read a word of the contract he wants her to sign. And according to the tabloids, she's already a gold-digging disaster who can't run her own company.

Ford's job is to fix things that are broken and then move on. Kitty is the first thing he's ever wanted to keep.

Too bad "hostile takeover" was supposed to mean her company. Not her heart.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/00qL0U0Y

Available in KU

Week Blitz and Giveaway: The Safe Room by Sarah A. Denzil

Thriller

Date Published: 09-10-2026

When I was fifteen years old, I made a mistake. I trusted the warm smile of a stranger called Peter Harlow, and accepted a ride home in his car.

It would be the last moment of my life I’d ever feel safe again.

The trauma of what happened that night will never leave me—and it was only the beginning. For the last nineteen years, I’ve been trapped in a nightmare of blocked numbers, violated restraining orders, and the compulsion to scan every face in every crowd, waiting for the day when his will be among them.

But I've also spent the time preparing. My home has become a fortress, with reinforced doors, perimeter cameras, and a safe room in the cellar. I've even taught my seven-year-old daughter how to call for help. When I finally have to face Peter Harlow again, I’ll be ready.

Or so I thought.

Because on the night of a furious snowstorm, a terrified stranger arrives at my gate. Emily is barefoot, bruised, and desperate for help—claiming her husband just tried to kill her.

To let her in from the storm would mean breaking every rule I've made to protect myself and my daughter—but could I live with myself if I didn’t?

But what follows is everything I've lived in fear of for all these years. First, the lights go out. Then, the internet dies. Next, the phone line goes dead—and finally, I find myself trapped inside my own safe room, watching through a camera feed as the man who stole my life for two decades walks the halls of my home, playing happy families with my little girl.

I built this fortress to keep him out. Now, it’s the only thing keeping me from protecting my child.

The Safe Room is a heart-stopping psychological thriller by bestselling author Sarah A. Denzil, the "mistress of twists." Essential reading for fans of Alice Feeney, Freida McFadden, and Caroline Kepnes.

About the Author

Sarah A. Denzil is a million copy bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. Her books include number one bestseller Silent Child, which was a Goodreads Choice semi-finalist in 2017. Her books have been published in several different languages and have appeared on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.

Sarah lives in Yorkshire with her husband and cats, enjoying the scenic countryside and rather unpredictable weather. She loves to write moody, psychological fiction with plenty of twists and turns.

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Book Tour: Freedom's End by SE Estes

Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Date Published: May 5, 2026

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group

Freedom’s End is a mythic sci‑fi/fantasy saga about a reincarnating rebel fighting to break cycles of oppression across lifetimes. Born a slave in the mines of Septra, Paintr rises again and again—across bodies, eras, and worlds—to confront a necromancer who seeks to enslave every sentient mind. Blending science fiction, dark fantasy, and supernatural western elements, the story explores identity, liberation, trauma, and the cost of reclaiming one’s soul. With its emotional depth, genre fusion, and expansive worldbuilding, Freedom’s End speaks to readers who love character‑driven epics, mythic resonance, and stories about resilience in the face of impossible odds.

Excerpt

Alone

We were pulling back in teams of two after a raid on a village, and I wondered aloud in the gray night, “Why do they fight?” I wasn’t expecting an answer, but my partner drew close.

“Perhaps to protect their homes.”

I didn’t understand. “Home?”

She glanced at me with sadness in her eyes. “Home is your family.”

I still didn’t understand. “Family?”

“Those you love.”

“Love?”

We walked on in thoughtful silence for a moment, and her eyes were distant when she answered quietly, “Love is something worth dying for.” We continued walking, then she paused and put a hand on my shoulder. “Worth living for.”

Quotes

“Love is something worth dying for... worth living for.”

“We are Galach; we are warriors.”

“My blood is your blood.”

“We are one, you and I.”

“The idea of freedom burned in me more fiercely than my hunger to kill.”

“I was going to be free, no matter what it cost.”

About the Author

SE Estes is a sci‑fi and fantasy author whose work blends mythic symbolism, emotional depth, and genre fusion. A multicultural military‑brat upbringing and early career in computing shaped SE’s fascination with identity, technology, and transformation. Now based in Indianapolis, SE writes expansive, character‑driven universes—including Freedom’s End, the first book in a multi‑volume saga about liberation and the soul’s long journey across lifetimes.

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Pages

Wednesday, September 16, 2026