Spotlight: Song of the Heart Scale by Karina Espinosa

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Cover Designer: Covers by Christian

Publication Date: Aug. 22, 2025

You’d think surviving dragons, doppelgänger drama, and a fated twin flame bond would earn a girl a break—but no, not in Elaria.

I’m Cat, and I’ve officially hit the third act of my fantasy nightmare. There’s famine sweeping the land, war brewing like a badly-timed sequel, and—plot twist!—Damien Drakonar, the infuriatingly hot dragon prince I may or may not love, is now facing off against his own brother, Crown Prince Thorne. Yeah. Family dinners are awkward.

Oh, and did I mention the whole “I’ve been promised to another” situation? Because nothing says “happily ever after” like a surprise royal engagement and a kingdom on the verge of collapse.

As swords clash and secrets surface, I’m stuck between two worlds—my old life in L.A., with takeout and traffic, or this new one where I might just help shape the fate of an entire realm… and maybe even find my own. But choosing love over everything? That’s a risk even Hollywood couldn’t choreograph.

This is it—the final battle, the last song. So buckle up. Things are about to get dragon-level dramatic.

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About the Author

Karina Espinosa is the Urban Fantasy Author of the Mackenzie Grey novels and The Last Valkyrie series. An avid reader throughout her life, the world of Urban Fantasy easily became an obsession that turned into a passion for writing strong leading characters with authentic story arcs. When she isn't writing badass heroines, you can find this self-proclaimed nomad in her South Florida home binge watching the latest series on Netflix or traveling far and wide for the latest inspiration for her books. Follow her on social media!

Connect:

Web: https://www.karinaespinosa.com/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rQFsj2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7784354.Karina_Espinosa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarinaEspinosa/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TweetsByKarina

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/karinaespinosa/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instabykarina/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karina-espinosa

Spotlight: Not That Sea-rious by Victoria Jayne

Release: August 19, 2025:

Genre: Contemporary Rom/Com

Tropes: Vacation (Cruise Ship) Romance; Plus Size Lady; Golden Retriever; Fling

What happens on the ship, stays on the ship... until it doesn’t!

One cruise.

One weekend.

One date.

Endless possibilities.

Boarding the boat for a bachelorette weekend, Marissa planned to celebrate her friend’s last days of being a single. All her focus was on the bride-to-be. Until they played roulette with the sexy ginger.

Unexpectedly cruising alone, Beau anticipated spending several days blackout drunk mourning the loss of his engagement. A vivacious bridal party had other plans. Captivated by Marissa, he forgot to be sad and had a wild weekend of love, lust, and liberation!

Their electric connection sparks a desire neither were prepared for, but their whirlwind romance is supposed to end when they reach the shore. Vacation flings can’t last forever.

Right?

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About the Author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorvictoriaj/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorvictoriajayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.jayne.7982
Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaJayne

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorVictoriaJ
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18610623.Victoria_Jayne
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-jayne
Website: https://www.authorvictoriajayne.com/

Spotlight: Lost Before I Could See by Victoria Molta

Navigating My Way Through Mental Illness

Self-Help

Date Published: March 28, 2025

Publisher: MindStir Media

Victoria Molta is a person who has lived with a diagnosed serious mental illness for over forty years. But more than that, she is a writer who has chronicled her life journey in her book, "Lost Before I Could See: Navigating My Way Through Mental Illness." In her book, she has chosen to write about her adventures and challenges, and though there have been setbacks, losses, and failures along the way, she never gives up. She continues to grow and learn, no matter how terrifying it can be to start new episodes of life with very little knowledge or experience, as well as a disability. She never ceases to go forward, with strength and courage, and wants the reader to know that whether living with a disability or not, life is hard. But the main point she wants to make clear is that she never gives up and never loses hope.

Victoria takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic tour beginning with her childhood in southern California, living in the San Gabriel Valley with her family. She describes her father's mental illness and alcoholism, and how, eventually, she succumbs to mental illness as well, as a young adult. She describes her family as one born of privilege and wealth, though definitely not exempt from tragedy and dysfunction. Through all her breakdowns and setbacks, she continues to rise and find meaning from chaos. From that, she develops empathy for people who have been marginalized by society and finds deep connections. In her 30s, she marries Bill, a man she had met in a halfway house where they both were living during the 1980s. It turns out to be a wonderful life partnership where they support each other in their work experiences as well as find joy in adventurous travel experiences.

Later in life, they buy a house and settle down near the shore of Long Island Sound with their rescue dog, Mandy. They appreciate the simple things in life. Peace that once seemed boring is now so appreciated because drama, which had dominated her life for so many years, no longer matters to her.

Excerpt

California Dreams

In 1963, my parents chased a dream to start a new life out west in the valley of the San Gabriel mountains on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I would see moving lights wave across the dark sky like a welcoming hand signaling a movie premiere. My parents chose southern California not to be stars but to gravitate to a place of make-believe; a place where they too could pretend.

I started my new life as a two-year-old playing in a wading pool or a sandbox in our backyard. My parents brought us to Disneyland for the first time. We also piled in the car to the beaches along the Pacific Ocean where the powerful waves crashed onto the sand like explosions.

As parents of three small children, my mom and dad made the decision to move away from tony Winnetka, Illinois on the north shore of Lake Michigan outside Chicago. Both sides of my parent’s families had originated from the Chicago area.

 I was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1961, two years after the birth of my brother Ben. My sister Amy was born two years after me. When she was an infant, my father had been fired from his position as a lawyer at a law firm in the city. After that, he agreed to work as a trust officer at the First National Bank of Chicago where his father-in-law was Vice-President. Unfortunately, my dad didn’t get along with his supervisors and colleagues. He fled to bars on his lunch breaks for several hours. He never fit in and was ultimately fired from that position as well.

So, my parents decided to make a geographic cure to California and start over in a new place with a blank slate without the baggage and high expectations from their prominent parents and other relatives. They could redefine themselves. They bought a luxury ranch house and settled in a wealthy town called San Marino. We were now halfway across the country, on the west coast of the United States.

From the outside, we fit in and appeared successful. We were of the same race, class, religion and educational background as most of the others; white, upper middle class, Christian, col-lege-educated. These classifications were what defined success in mid-20th century America. We appeared to meet the standards of the American dream. We were supposed to hold the key to the magic kingdom; open the door and the room was golden. We were supposed to have the power to do anything we wanted to do and be anything we wanted to be. We were supposed to be the leaders, the movers and shakers; or so it was drilled into the heads of people in our town.

I cherished certain memories of growing up in California. My maternal great-grandmother Mersey was the only one other relative who lived near our family. I loved her dearly. I also had many friends growing up including Bonnie, my best friend with whom I shared many happy experiences.

However, there were also underlying disturbances, turmoil and trauma. Beneath the surface of my own mind, trouble was brewing. Mental illness and inner disturbance, likely inherited from my dad, would ultimately take over my life and veer me in a direction I could never have imagined.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Victoria Molta is an author, mental health advocate, and television producer at East Haven Connecticut Public Television. With over four decades of lived experience with serious mental illness, Victoria brings a deeply personal and empowering perspective to her work. Her memoir, Lost Before I Could See: Navigating My Way Through Mental Illness, chronicles a lifetime of challenges, recovery, and hope.

Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Vermont and has written extensively about mental health recovery, housing advocacy, and social inclusion. Her essays have appeared in mental health journals, anthologies, and newspaper editorials across the country.

She was the first person in recovery to be openly hired by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Connecticut, where she coordinated over 130 public presentations in a single year. She later worked as a peer mentor at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health and held support roles at mental health clubhouses, warmlines, and public housing sites.

Victoria also created and hosted the award-winning cable show You and Your Mental Wellness, highlighting the voices of Connecticut’s mental health leaders and community members. The show became a valuable resource and was featured on the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services website.

She lives with her husband of over 30 years and their rescue dog, Mandy, near the tranquil shores of Long Island Sound. Today, she continues to advocate for awareness, dignity, and healing for all those impacted by mental illness.

Spotlight: Hero Ever After by Kait Nolan

Release Date: August 22

I never meant to be anyone’s heroine.

Not when I became the acting mayor of my hometown after the flood. Not when I kept my law practice afloat out of a booth in my grandmother’s diner. And definitely not when my secret romantasy novels went viral.

Nobody in Gibson Hollow knows I’m the author behind the pen name. And nobody was supposed to kiss me at that book convention—least of all my brother’s best friend, cosplaying the hero he doesn’t know I modeled after him.

Now Ramsey Shaw is back in town. Volunteering. Smiling at me like I’m not on the verge of shattering. Like he remembers the kiss. Like he sees the truth.

I’ve spent my whole life being strong. Quiet. In control. But for the first time, I don’t want to be any of those things.

I just want to be his.

In a town held together by hope and heart, it’s the people who show up that make it shine.

Buy on Amazon

Meet Kait Nolan

Kait Nolan is a USA Today best selling, RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author who calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin', and can wield a 'Bless your heart' like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world's most perfect food. When she's not writing, reading, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and the four-), you can find her obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off. 

Keep up with Kait Nolan and subscribe to her newsletter: https://kaitnolan.com/newsletter/

For more on Kait Nolan & her books, visit here!

Connect with Kait Nolan: https://kaitnolan.com/contact/

Spotlight: Have You Seen Him by Kimberly Lee

For David Byrdsong, life is a series of daily obligations. An attorney, he lacks both ambition and the ability to commit to a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Gayle. Abandoned by his family at an airport when he was eleven, he learned to blunt his feelings, despite his subsequent adoption by a loving couple.

Until one day, when David discovers his own face in a missing child ad. Suddenly driven to uncover the truth about his past, he is forced to tap into his inner strength as he encounters corporate conspiracies, murdered bystanders, and distressing suspicions about the only family he’s ever really trusted. David enlists Gayle's help—and the help of an unlikely stranger with secrets of his own—as he attempts to find his true family, whoever they are.

Thrilling, exploratory, and propulsive, Have You Seen Him is a story of lost identity, dangerous secrets, and a deeply personal pursuit of the truth.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Kimberly Lee, JD is the author of the riveting thriller Have You Seen Him. A versatile writer, editor, and creativity coach, she has a passion for nurturing the imaginative spirit and helping others reveal their own inner wisdom. Kimberly is an Amherst Writers & Artists affiliate and serves on its board. She is a certified facilitator of SoulCollage®, Journal to the Self, and Guided Autobiography, as well as a joyful meditation teacher and Groove Method provider. A teaching artist with Hugo House, Women On Writing, The Writing Salon, and Loft Literary, Kimberly has led events at numerous retreats and conferences. Recent collaborations include Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, Arts & Healing Initiative, the Expressive Therapies Summit, and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. Kimberly’s writing has appeared in a variety of publications and anthologies, and she has served on the staffs of Literary Mama, F(r)iction, and Carve Magazines. Kimberly trusts in the magic and mystery of miracles and synchronicity, and believes everyone is creative and has unique gifts to share. Connect with Kimberly on Instagram @klcreatrix or at KimberlyLee.me.

Spotlight: Offside and Off-Limits by Kate O’Keeffe

(Love in Maple Falls)

Publication date: August 20th 2025

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Synopsis:

I survived chronic illness and a cheating ex. Surely I can resist one charming hockey player…right?

Clara
Working as the social media manager for a pro hockey team is all fun and games—until you trip into the arms of their biggest flirt during a livestream. Now the fans are shipping us, my boss is thrilled with the engagement, and I’m stuck dodging feelings for Cade Lennox, aka the certified charmer. The problem? My contract says he’s off-limits. My heart, unfortunately, didn’t get the memo.

Cade
I came to this small town to turn over a new leaf. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. All bets are off the second Clara Johnson literally stumbles into my arms and straight into my heart. She’s focused, loyal, and the most beautiful challenge I’ve ever met. All I have to do is prove I’m worth the risk.

Offside and Off-Limits is part of the Love in Maple Falls sweet hockey romcom multi-author series. It’s a forbidden love story between one flirty hockey player and the team’s social media manager in this small town romance with all the sizzle and chemistry, but none of the spice.

Welcome back to Maple Falls—the small town where hockey players fall in love! This is a multi-author series of seven full-length books that could be read as standalones, but we think you’ll enjoy them best in order.

Excerpt

Clara falls into Cade’s arms on the ice

“Oh, man, this is awesome!" Joel declares, holding my phone in his hands. "You guys look sick! Even you, Clara."

I let out a surprised laugh at Joel's comment when Asher calls, "And now turn!" and as I do my legs fly from underneath me, and my breath wooshes out as I scrunch my eyes shut, bracing for the impact of cold, hard ice against my poor, under-protected butt.

But the ice-cold contact fails to happen, and when my eyes spring open I see Cade, his eyes wide with alarm as large, strong arms pull me against his firm body.

He grins down at me as my heart beats out of my chest.

I tell myself it's because I almost fell, but being in Cade's arms feels...well, it feels pretty dang amazing.

Not that I'm going to tell him that.

"Thanks," I mumble, the heat rising in my cheeks as I gaze up at him, at total odds with the cold of the arena.

"My pleasure," he replies, and the way he says those two words sends a flash of something hot through me that I've got to work hard at resisting.

But resist it I must, no matter how good this feels.

I haven't been held by a man since Dwayne left me for my friend. And that was years ago.

I heave out a breath as I drag my gaze from his. I need to remember that this guy is a total player, and I don't mean just on the ice. He probably catches falling women in his big, strong arms every day of the week—and I bet most of them don't even bother to resist the heat this feeling elicits.

But I'm not one of those women, and I refuse to act on my physical attraction for this man. There are so many reasons, the non-fraternization clause in my employment contract being right at the top of that list.

Throwing away my new job because I'm attracted to one of the players? Not going to happen.

"You guys, I'm getting so many likes on this!" Joel calls out.

Wait. Likes?

I snap my attention to Joel, who's still holding up my phone, pointing it straight at Cade and me. "Cade, would you mind putting me down? Like now."

"I'll do you one better," he replies as he glides me smoothly back toward the bench, still holding me close in his arms. Holding me in one arm, he pulls open the door, and returns me to my feet—which I note are now trembling.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Kate O’Keeffe is a USA Today bestselling author known for her fun, feel-good romantic comedies brimming with humor, heart, and happily ever afters. A native of New Zealand, Kate has crafted numerous popular series, garnering a devoted international readership.

With a flair for witty banter and irresistible heroines navigating the ups and downs of modern dating, Kate’s novels showcase strong friendships, comedic entanglements, and the of course sometimes bumpy but always hopeful road to love.

When she’s not writing, Kate can often be found reading romcoms, binging her favourite shows, or spending time with her friends and family in the beautiful Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand.

Connect:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8195990.Kate_O_Keeffe

https://kateokeeffe.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kateokeeffewriter/

https://www.facebook.com/kateokeeffeauthor

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-o-keeffe

https://x.com/kateokeeffe4

Offside and Off-Limits Blitz