Always Reading

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Cover Reveal: Thorns of War by Eva Winners

THORNS OF WAR BY EVA WINNERS

Release date: July 1st

Genre/Tropes: Mafia romance with Jane Eyre vibes / Single dad / Touch her and die / Morally grey mmc / Age gap

Book 8 of the Thorns of Omertà Series

Photographer: Wander Aguilar

Cover Designer: Eve Graphic Design

Model: Andrew Biernat

We are thrilled to share the cover reveal for THORNS OF WAR by Eva Winners, releasing July 1st!

Make sure to preorder this all-new dark mafia romance TODAY!

Pre-order TODAY!

https://amzn.to/4bSaY6a

BLURB

I spent my life mending fractured minds. Yet he was undoing mine,slowly, thorn by deliberate thorn.

I knew Greece was a mistake. But how do you resist the ghosts that have whispered your name for years, patient and unrelenting?

I never intended to step onto a battlefield of broken hearts and broken minds, yet there I stood, entangled in a silent triangle where every truth was a weapon and every silence a wound.

Each choice I made drew blood.

I was caught in the thorns of war, bound by invisible threads that kept those I loved forever just beyond my reach. The more I resisted, the deeper they cut. The harder I pulled, the more fate tightened its grip.

I began this story believing restraint was virtue, that love was mercy. I was wrong. Morality, I learned, is a luxury afforded only to those untouched by desire.

And Violet Freud was no Jane Eyre.

My conscience answered only to those I loved. And when this war ended, I would not emerge unscathed, but I would emerge victorious.

MEET EVA WINNERS:

Eva Winners released her first novel Second Chance At Love in 2020 and has been writing feverishly ever since. She writes about everlasting romance for every century focusing on characters emotional development and always guarantees an HEA.

She loves yoga, wine and her kiddos. In her spare time, she seeks adventures either hiking through trails, yoga or exploring the beaches.

Writing books has always been her passion and she brings real life to the forefront in everything she writes about.

Deeply passionate characters and stories will draw you in and you'll never want to leave.

Follow her on social media to stay up to date with all her new releases!

CONNECT WITH EVA WINNERS:

FB group: https://bit.ly/3gHEe0e

FB page: https://bit.ly/30DzP8Q

Insta: http://Instagram.com/evawinners

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eva-winners

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/evawinners

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/evawinners

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvaWinners

TikTok: https://bit.ly/40IPbpM

Pinterest: https://pin.it/1vq7GIf

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3HCeoJF

Newsletter sign up www.evawinners.com

Author Spotlight with Review: Jerold Last (Tapas and Treachery)

Tapas and Treachery

Jerold Last

Here is a brief description from Amazon:

Roger is hired by a cruise ship line to investigate the murder of a passenger from one of their boats during an onshore excursion to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, an autonomous Basque Republic in Northwest Spain. From Santiago’s sacred old church with its shrine to Saint James to modern Amsterdam and back, it’s not going to be easy. With unexpected twists and turns, the plot takes you on a wild ride filled with danger, intrigue, and treachery. Fans of suspenseful thrillers that keep you guessing should buy this e-book or paperback or download their Kindle Unlimited copy from Amazon Kindle today!

Tapas and Treachery Book Links:

Kindle E-book, Audible, paperback, Kindle Unlimited

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My Review

I picked this e-book through the Kindle Unlimited program.

The description of the countries Roger was in was done perfectly. They made me feel like I was actually there. Twists and turns made me want to know who and why. It kept me hooked from the first page to the last page.

CAWFILE: 9.29

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!

Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

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Author Interview

Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?

JL: I’ve lived most of my life in Davis California, near Sacramento.

What genre do you read?

JL: Mostly mystery and thriller novels, non-fiction: scientific journals.

Who's an author you read? Name your top 5 authors.

JL: Michael Connelly, Ross MacDonald, Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker,

and James Lee Burke.

What book are you reading right now, and what do you like about it?

JL: The Waiting by Michael Connelly. Plot, characters, setting are all 5-star, as I would expect from Connelly, and the storyline is the basis for the popular Renee Ballard TV series.

Favorite sports.

JL: As a spectator, pro football and youth soccer. To do myself, basketball, sailing.

Favorite thing about the state/country that you live in.

JL: California has a lot to offer, including good climate, great out of doors for seeing and doing things (mountains, oceans, wine making and tasting, the best [by far] public university system in the world, and lots more.

How long have you been writing?

JL: Non-Fiction (scientific papers), since graduate school a long time ago.

Mystery/thriller novels and novellas, almost 15 years.

What inspired you to become a writer?

JL: My wife encouraged me to try this as a way of eventually keeping busy after retirement.

What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

JL: In my head before I begin, definitely a plotter. Once I actually begin writing that first draft, a pantser. At some point the story takes over and writes much of itself.

How did you come up with the ideas for your series?

JL: I usually start with interesting places I’ve lived, or visited, or with German shorthaired pointers, which we breed, show, and hunt, so I know the breed very well, featured. All of the books are written as standalones.

How do you celebrate finishing a book?

JL: No specific ritual….taking my wife Elaine to dinner or starting to write the next book usually. Then there’s that whole advertising and sales thing to keep me occupied if I’m not writing another book, or (before I recently retired) working at my full-time job as a professor and researcher at the University of California’s Davis campus.

What would you tell a writer who is just starting?

JL: “Don’t quit your day job!”

What program do you use for writing?

JL: Word.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

JL: “Stick with it; it’s hard work. And develop a thick skin. Assume that all the criticism you get is intended to be helpful, even if it sounds harsh.

What’s your writing software of choice?

JL: Word for writing, Amazon for formatting and cover design.

How do you organize everything and find the time to sit down and write?

JL: I’ve never really figured this part out. Just do it however and whenever I can.

As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?

JL: Definitely a dog----almost certainly a German shorthaired pointer.

Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?

JL: My wife, Elaine.

How do you name your characters?

JL: Pretty much at random on the spur of the moment.

Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?

JL: No. It’s different every time. Lots of chaos usually.

Tell us about your current release.

JL: [Inspired by a visit we took as tourists to Santiago de Compostela

and Amsterdam a year and a half ago]

Visit Santiago de Compostela at the end of the Pilgrimage Trail

in Spain, one of the holiest Catholic shrines in the world

and the destination for tens of thousands of pilgrims who

walk hundreds of miles as an act of piety and meditation.

Roger, a private detective, is hired to solve the brutal,

execution style, murder of an American tourist during

an excursion there. With unexpected twists and turns,

the plot takes fans of suspenseful thrillers that keep you

guessing on a wild ride filled with danger and intrigue.

Tapas and Treachery, a standalone novel available in

e-book, audiobook, and paperback formats, can also be

downloaded free from Kindle Unlimited. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZQ7P3YF

Also worldwide at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DZQ7P3YF

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DZQ7P3YF

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DZQ7P3YF

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About the Author:

Jerold Last is a Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) at the University of California's Medical School at Davis, near Sacramento in Northern California. Jerry writes fast-paced mystery books (tough and sometimes violent thrillers that follow the cozy conventions of no graphic sex and no bad words), published on Amazon Kindle. He and his wife Elaine, lived previously in Salta, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, which provided the settings for several of the earlier Roger and Suzanne mysteries. Jerry selects the most interesting places that he has lived in or visited for Roger and Suzanne to solve miscellaneous murders. A few of these book are also cross-listed on Kindle in the relevant travel categories (eg, Peru for The Surreal Killer and Spain for Tapas and Trachery) and seven feature dogs (which Amazon's algorithm assigns to the "cozy mystery" category, which they most certainly are not), so pretty much all of the books are hard to classify as a single specific genre. He and Elaine also breed prize-winning German shorthaired pointer dogs. Elaine provides technical advice for Jerry’s dog-related novels as well as editing for all of the books.

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Author Spotlight with Review: Serena Sinclair (The Perfect Neighbor)

The Perfect Neighbors
Serena Sinclair

Here is a brief description from Amazon:

he looks exactly like me. Same face, same scar, same life. And now she's stealing everything that's mine.

When Madisyn Holmes moves in across the street, I can't shake the feeling that this isn't coincidence. She copies my garden design, my home décor, even my professional strategies. It's like watching someone erase me in real time.

My husband thinks I'm paranoid. My neighbors think I'm losing it. But I know what I'm seeing.

I start gathering evidence—photos, notes, proof of her systematic theft. Because someone has to stop her before she takes everything.

The question is: how far will I go to protect what's mine? And when the truth finally comes out, will I be the victim... or the monster?

A twisted psychological thriller that will have you questioning everything you think you know.

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My Review

I purchased this book back in October 2025. I believe it was a First Read through Kindle Prime.

Wow. I’m not sure how to write this review, but wow!! The twist! Wow!!

CAWFILE: 8.86

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!

Book Tour and Giveaway: The Love of a Dog by Jo McCauley Prouty

A Chronicle of a Remarkable Retriever

Memoir/Love, Black Lab, Dog

Date Published: 02-14-2023

The decision to get a dog becomes a journey from high expectations through the reality of care giving and the fun of companionship to enduring love and finally loss. Dog lovers will see themselves and remember their beloved canine friends. They will wish they had known Tasha as they read about this quirky dog and her love of family and fun. Readers can applaud the transforming power of love.

Excerpt

Thanksgiving came and the day proceeded at its usual pace. Bob didn’t like for me to spend the day in the kitchen, which suited me fine. I didn’t want to spend the day in the kitchen, so we generated lots of shortcuts in creating the traditional dinner. I used an oven bag to reduce roasting time of the turkey. Boxed stuffing and gravy mix hastened preparations. Dishes and pans piled up in the sink as the prepared recipes went into the oven. Aromas forecasting the delicious meal to come wafted throughout the house. I removed the turkey from the oven and set it on the counter. Just as I removed it from the oven bag the carbon monoxide detector shrieked in the bedroom.

I flew down the hall to the bedroom and opened a window. “This can’t be happening!” I hurried through the house opening more windows. When I returned to the kitchen, Tasha stood staring at the turkey on the floor. She gazed at me with surprise. “How did that happen?” she seemed to ask. I snatched it up and wiped it off. I finished the mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and rolls and we enjoyed a fine dinner with pumpkin pie for dessert.

I told this story to a friend in the presence of my son, who said, “I never heard that story before.”

“No,” I laughed, “because I wiped off the turkey and we ate it!”

About the Author

Jo McCauley Prouty spent her formative years in West Virginia and Virginia, where she attended the College of William and Mary. She is a former educator and now applies her nurturing skills to flower gardening and entertaining her grandchildren. She resides in Minnesota with her orange tabby, Cooper. Her work has appeared in "The Journal of The Braxton Historical Society" and the "Journal of Opinions, Ideas and Essays."

Contact Links

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Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/TheLoveofaDog

Amazon

Author Site

Teaser: Death and Live in the City of Dreams by Nicholas Deitch

Literary Fiction

Date Published: April 16th

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Jaded city planner Townsend Meadows looks out across Evermore Valley with the ghost of his dead friend by his side. “Do you ever wonder,” Fen asks, “what this city will look like five hundred years from now?”

Their city is teetering on the brink of collapse, and the mayor’s answer is a gleaming new auto mall at the valley’s edge. For Townsend, it’s the death of everything a city should be. Struggling to regain his passion and forced to choose between compliance and conviction, he must risk his career to fight for a more hopeful and verdant future.

From an architect’s vision at the dawn of the twentieth century, to a rancher’s dynasty scarred by violence and greed, to a city founder’s hidden message of hope, this story about the rise, fall, and reawakening of an American city reaches far beyond the present. A timely, sweeping novel of memory, corruption, and resilience, Death and Life in the City of Dreams asks, “What legacy will we choose to leave for our children?”

Excerpt

City of Evermore

Stop the Bleeding

At the civic center, Townsend rides his bike through the parking court, past rows of cars arrayed between the building’s stucco wings. He locks his bike and slips his helmet off, and his phone begins to vibrate. He takes the phone from his pocket and looks at the screen. Dad. The vibrations persist.

Townsend doesn’t want to answer. He knows the call will be difficult. Everything with Dad has become difficult. He swipes the screen with his thumb.

“Hey, Pop. How’re you doing?” He braces himself.

“Townsend? Townsend? It’s me, Dad. Are you there?”

“Hi, Dad. Yeah, I’m here. Everything okay? I’m about to go into a meeting—”

“I can’t find your mother. Is she there with you?”

Ugh. “Dad, mom’s been dead for thirty-five years—”

“She was here this morning. She woke me. She was here . . .”

“Pop, we’ve talked about this. Sometimes you see her in your dreams. It’s okay. It’s nice that you see her.”

“Well, I just thought she might be with you, and—”

Townsend glances toward the building. A gathering is pressed at the entrance, troubled by something he can’t see.

“Dad, I have to go into this meeting now. But I’ll call you when it’s over, all right?”

“I can’t find her, TomTom. I can’t find her. She was here, and we were—”

A woman’s voice intrudes on the call. “Mr. Meadows, it’s Dorthea Wickem. Your father woke this morning very confused. More than usual. We’re taking good care of him, but he’d like to see you when you’re able.”

“Of course, of course. I’ll be there this afternoon. And thank you.” Townsend ends the call with a long, guilt-ridden sigh. He glances toward the entrance. Something isn’t right, but the sun is in his face, well above the valley’s rim, hot and dry. He grabs his water bottle and takes a swig. He pours the rest over his head, letting the water trickle down his face and back. A moment of tepid relief. He closes his eyes and considers the opportunity, to ditch the meeting and see his dad. The meeting will be difficult. Time with his dad will be difficult.

He mops himself with his shirt and makes his way toward the entrance, where gawkers press close to stare at a grim warning scrawled in red paint across the automatic doors, which slide open and shut, open and shut, pulling the words apart and pushing them together.

Stop the bleeding—motherfuckers!

A woman turns to him with a pained look. “What does it mean?”

Townsend stares at her, searching for an answer. He has no idea. “It means somebody’s angry, and they wanted us to know.”

About the Author

Nicholas Deitch is a writer, architect, and advocate for social justice whose fiction explores the intersection of cities, history, and human resilience. His passion for storytelling began when a colleague recognized the emotional depth of his nonfiction work. Since then, he has honed his craft, publishing short stories in Litro Magazine, Club Plum, and Santa Barbara Literary Journal. His short story “Grace Eternal” won Best Fiction at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference (2019).

Death and Life in the City of Dreams, his debut novel, is deeply influenced by his experiences in nonprofit leadership and the design of inclusive communities and urban places.

Originally from Los Angeles, he now lives in Ventura, California, with his wife and creative partner Diana.

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Book Blitz: Eternal Dominion by Dan Hardez

The Eden Vault, Book One

Epic Fantasy

Date Published: September 12, 2025

Publisher: MindStir Media

In a continent shaped by ancient secrets and forgotten science, power is measured not only in armies—but in monsters.

For centuries, the Kingdom of Valkalor has ruled through terror, harnessing prehistoric creatures to crush rivals and expand its dominion. Bound beneath the reign of the ruthless King Gadrion, the realm teeters on the edge of total war. When a new external threat emerges—one powerful enough to destroy the fragile balance restraining Gadrion’s ambition—the king seizes his moment.

But his plans begin to unravel when his daughters, Kendra and Cerelia, uncover the horrifying truth behind their father’s designs.

Forced into exile and hunted across savage lands, the sisters must navigate a brutal world of political intrigue, assassins, mercenaries, and carnivorous saurians. Their only hope lies in the Eden Vault—a legendary and ancient chamber rumored to wield power over creation itself.

As rival kingdoms march toward genocide and war threatens to consume the known world, impossible choices loom:

● Will uniting their father’s enemies ignite an even greater catastrophe?

● Can the Vault stop the coming war—or unleash a force far worse?

● And who is truly manipulating events from the shadows of Valkalor’s rise?

Blending epic fantasy, science fantasy, and high-stakes thriller pacing, Eternal Dominion launches The Eden Vault Series—a sweeping saga of dynastic power struggles, dinosaur-driven warfare, dark magic-adjacent mythologies, and deeply personal journeys of love, loyalty, and rebellion.

Perfect for readers who love:

● Epic fantasy with political intrigue

● Dark fantasy with moral complexity

● Monster and dinosaur-driven worlds

● Strong heroine-led narratives

● High-action, cinematic storytelling

⚠️ Content Warning: Written for mature adult readers. Includes graphic violence, trauma, war, strong language, an intimate scene, and occasional drug use.

The war is coming.

The Vault is real.
And time is running out.

About the Author

Dan Hardez is an epic fantasy and science-fantasy author, lifelong learner, and storyteller whose work blends cinematic action, political intrigue, and speculative science into immersive secondary worlds.

An avid reader from childhood, Dan’s imagination was ignited early by novels that fused science, history, and suspense—sparking a lifelong fascination with worldbuilding and high-stakes storytelling. He completed his first novel-length story at age eleven and dreamed of crafting sweeping epics that explored power, discovery, and the cost of ambition.

Life eventually pulled him away from writing as he pursued a career and raised a family, but during the COVID pandemic—amid isolation and personal transition—Dan returned to the page after nearly two decades away. What began as an experiment quickly reignited his creative drive, evolving into The Eden Vault Series, a sprawling saga shaped by years of lived experience and deep research.

Dan is the author of Eternal Dominion, the flagship novel of the series, along with three prequel anthologies—Spectra, Cinderr, and Azemar—with the sequel, Fallen Crescents, currently in progress. His stories draw heavily from history, politics, paleontology, anthropology, and emerging scientific concepts, woven into dark, character-driven fantasy worlds.

A self-described “pantser,” Dan writes without rigid outlines, allowing characters to steer the narrative in unexpected directions. He often says he knows how the saga will end—but not always how the characters will get there.

By day, Dan balances a full-time career and raising two incredible kids. By night, he continues building the world of Valkalor, driven by a passion for storytelling and a deep appreciation for the readers who step into his worlds.

When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys traveling, following professional sports, and escaping into Colorado’s outdoors.

Readers can explore more about The Eden Vault Series, upcoming releases, and exclusive content at danielhardez.com, and connect with him on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and beyond.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2026