Cover Reveal: Old Flames by Libby Kay

Genre: Contemporary Small-Town Firefighter Romance

Best-selling author Libby Kay romances hearts with her sweet stories about family, friends, and love. Fans of Sherryl Woods’ Sweet Magnolias series are finding all the feels with Old Flames, the latest amazing story set in small town America. Don’t miss this enduring sweet romance!

Two high school sweet hearts, one charming small town, and flames of chemistry that are hard to deny…

Jessie “JJ” Mays has seen it all. Her job in the Peace Corps has put the world at her feet, with adventure calling with every new assignment. Yet after a decade of traveling, she’s become a little lonely—and unable to get over her first love. Soon an emergency phone call from home has her on the next plane, but will her heart survive this visit?

Malcolm “Smithy” Smith loves his smalltown life. His career as a fireman and EMT is fulfilling, his soap opera starlet mother keeps him on his toes, and he’s got a great group of friends. The only thing he doesn’t have—the love of his life by his side. No matter the distractions, he still misses JJ with a fierceness that consumes him.

When a call to a warehouse fire goes from routine to catastrophic, Malcolm is injured and unable to perform the job he loves. The only upside of having a building fall on him? His girl is back in Pinegrove ready to nurse him back to health. And hopefully, this visit is for good…

With some help from the residents of Pinegrove, JJ and Smithy will discover that sometimes, first love burns brightest.

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About the Author 

Libby Kay lives in the city in the heart of the Midwest with her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love!

When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband, traveling as far as their bank account will allow.

Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli where they recommend romance books and interview authors, influencers, and publishers. Check it out for your weekly dose of romance!

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Spotlight: Lost Heart in King Manor by Celeste Fenton

Some secrets are worth killing for.

And some hearts don’t break quietly.

At 45, Gabby Heart isn’t looking for drama—just quiet days on Dost Island running her village gift shop, teaching art, and keeping her past tucked safely away. But when her mother suffers a sudden health crisis, Gabby is pulled into a storm of family secrets, betrayal, and a dark legacy buried within the walls of the once-grand King Manor. 

What was supposed to be a safe place for her mother’s recovery becomes the backdrop for a chilling mystery. Strange incidents begin to unfold, and it becomes clear: someone inside King Manor has a deadly agenda. 

As a hurricane traps Gabby inside the sprawling estate, she’s forced to work alongside two very different men—her maddeningly attractive officemate and a charming new neighbor, both hiding dark secrets. One man may want her heart. The other may want her dead.

But can she trust her instincts before it's too late?

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About Celeste Fenton

You can follow the author at:

Celeste Fenton holds an M.Ed. and Ph.D. in education and has over thirty years’ experience in higher education. Her writing is fueled by a lifelong love of mystery, a fascination with the complexities of the human heart, and just enough real-world experience to keep things interesting. A widow, mother of adult twin sons, proud grandmother, dog lover, and semi-retired professor living in Florida, she weaves imagination with insight to create stories that are both emotionally rich and laced with suspense.

When she’s not writing, reading, or plotting her next twist, she’s often off exploring small towns across America—setting out solo for month-long adventures, much to the awe (and occasional alarm) of friends and family. Her latest obsessions include escape rooms, mastering the perfect miter cut for a DIY bathroom remodel, and making the impossible decision of where to travel next.

Website: https://celestefenton.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Celeste-Fenton-Mysteries-of-a-Heart

IG: https://www.instagram.com/celestefentonwrites/

Spotlight: The Tide Waits for No Woman Richard K Perkins

Historical Fiction, American Civil War

Date Published: September 16, 2025

Newlywed Abby Anderson is unsure whether to call herself a widow. In July of 1860, as the nation teeters on the brink of war, word comes that her merchant captain husband, Clifford, has been lost to the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Rejecting social expectations regarding proper mourning, Abby agrees to assist in an Underground Railroad operation out of her hometown of Woolwich, Maine. But an early October winter storm catches Abby and the fugitive slave family she’s smuggling, and they find themselves snowed in with Bill Boudreaux, an Acadian trapper and farmer, and two Abenaki teenagers in the remote Maine wilderness.

The unlikely companions must work together to ensure their survival through the long, harsh winter and find themselves growing closer, creating an unexpected family few societies would approve of—and leaving Abby with what feels like an impossible choice. When spring comes, she will continue her quest to see the fugitive family safely to Canada. And then, she must decide where she truly belongs.

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About the Author

Richard K. Perkins was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and grew up in two New England villages. He is a US Naval Academy graduate, a career naval officer, and a systems engineer in the aerospace sector. He earned graduate degrees from the National Intelligence University, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He has contributed nonfiction columns for The Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Review and published short fiction in Penn Union. He lives with his wife in Southeastern Virginia, where he spends his time penning historical fiction.

Connect:

Website: https://www.richardkperkins.com

BookBuzz: https://bookbuzz.net/historical-fiction-the-tide-waits-for-no-woman-by-richard-k-perkins/

Spotlight: The Rich Guy’s Wife by Bonnie Traymore

Genre: Psychological Domestic Thriller 

When a struggling young career woman gets swept off her feet by a wealthy, handsome guy, she ignores the nagging feeling in her gut that it’s too good to be true. But when she digs into his past, dark secrets emerge. And it might be more dangerous to get out.

Be careful what you wish for.

Mother’s voice rings in my ears as I stand perfectly still in the darkness, fearing that each breath I take will be my last. I’m crouched down in the closet with blood on my hands, my legs and back aching to move, even an inch.

But I can’t. One twitch, one cramp, and I’ll bang into a shelf and give myself away.

When Stefan Zeigler swept me off my feet four months ago, I had to fight the voice in my head telling me that my new boyfriend was too good to be true: handsome, wealthy enough to own a home in the Hamptons...and totally into me.

Or was that Lucy’s voice, my gal pal attorney friend who doesn’t need a man to live large? Or my mom’s voice, warning me of controlling prenups and the dangerous secrets of the superrich?

I’d always dreamed of a better life, and working my way there wasn’t going so well for me, with my pile of student loan debt, a rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan I could barely afford, and a stable but low-paying PR job.

Is it so bad that I dared to believe in a fairy tale ending, even after I found out about his felon brother? Or his nefarious business associate? Or the fact that his last girlfriend looked a lot like me—and seems to have vanished into thin air?

But now I see that fairy tales have a dark underbelly beneath the glitter, just like my life right now. I’m Erin. I got what I wished for. I’m a rich guy’s wife now.

And it just might be the death of me.

Rebecca meets The Boyfriend in this twisty, unputdownable domestic thriller full of psychological suspense, perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Kaira Rouda, Emily Shiner, Daniel Hurst, and Liv Constantine.

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About the Author

Bonnie Traymore is the Amazon bestselling author of ten domestic/psychological thrillers. Her thrillers feature strong but relatable female protagonists who peel back the layers of suburban American life and give readers a peek inside. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time.  

Bonnie loves Hitchcock movies, psychological thriller novels, coffee, and dark chocolate, not necessarily in that order and sometimes simultaneously. She has a doctorate in United States history and resides in Honolulu with her family. She's an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

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Spotlight: Scenes From a Song by Susan Sloate

Music Fiction

Date Published: 09-30-2025

Publisher: Covfefe Press

For anyone who's ever said, "They're playing my song!"

On Halloween Eve, 1961, in his dingy Bronx walkup apartment, seventeen-year-old Jimmy Welton hears the opening notes of a song in his head. Jimmy’s still mourning his firefighter father, who taught him to play the guitar but recently died in a house fire, leaving his family destitute. Jimmy takes this song, about all he misses from his life now, to the New York amusement park where he works after school. There, he meets Mark Morgan, a rebellious teen with his own band, who eventually invites Jimmy to join them. And the rest is rock'n roll history...

The GooseBumps become a worldwide phenomenon, and the songs they write and sing together become the backbone of rock musical history. And the song Jimmy first heard on Halloween, "Wrapped in Gauze", becomes the song that not only comforts him in that terrible time but also comforts others: Victoria, recently divorced and dealing with an unthinkable family tragedy; Carolyn, whose final flippant words to someone in pain can't be taken back; and Jack, battling back from unimaginable loss with the help of his cheeky therapist and a song he thinks he hates.

SCENES FROM A SONG is the story of a song that makes us smile, that breaks our hearts, that stays with us forever, and the very special band that started it all.

Excerpt

Mark went on, “Jimmy’s got a great new song we hope you’ll get up and dance to. It’s so new, we’re playing it here for the first time. I don’t even know it!”

     The audience chuckled—they clearly liked Mark—but Jimmy was suddenly nervous as Mark swung the microphone toward him. They’d liked the first songs, and Jimmy had kept up fine with Kellen on guitar, but he and Mark hadn’t sung harmony yet, and the new song that Mark had generously allotted lead to him wasn’t coming up till later. He had to put “Bawk Bawk” over.

     He took a deep breath and stepped up to the mike, trying to sound reassuring and confident. “Hi, folks. This is new, and, well, we hope you like it. It’s a dance song, and we’ll do all the moves up here, and you can just follow us. The song is called ‘Bawk Bawk’.”

    He did the four-count lead-in and Kellen came in behind him, with Mark backing him up. Hammy bashed out a steady rhythm, and Jimmy launched into the vocal, trying to pump up the energy with exuberant gestures. He strutted, he clucked, he waved, he pumped his elbows together like a chicken.

     The audience just about died laughing.

     No one clapped. No one stomped their feet. No one got up and danced.

     But they did laugh their heads off, all the time Jimmy was singing. They laughed so much they could hardly hear the vocal, though he kept going doggedly till the end. He remembered to do the high whistle and the click of his heels, and when he bobbed his head like a chicken for the final notes, the audience all but fell out of their seats. Jimmy began to feel like a fool.

     Hammy played the last beats on the drums, and Kellen finished strumming his guitar with a flourish.

     As the last notes died away, Jimmy gave an embarrassed nod to the audience. They finally stopped laughing.

     They began to clap.

     They began to cheer.

  In a moment, the room was echoing with stomping feet and yelling patrons.

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About the Author

SUSAN SLOATE is the author or co-author of more than 25 published books. This includes 3 editions of Forward to Camelot, a time-travel thriller about the JFK assassination that became a #6 Amazon bestseller, was honored in 3 literary competitions and was optioned by a Hollywood company for film production. She also wrote the autobiographical Broadway novel Stealing Fire, which became a #2 Amazon bestseller and Hot New Release, and Realizing You (with Ron Doades), for which she invented a new genre: the self-help novel.

Susan has also written young-adult fiction and non-fiction, including the children’s biography Ray Charles: Find Another Way, which won the silver medal in the 2007 Children’s Moonbeam Awards. Mysteries Unwrapped: The Secrets of Alcatraz led to her 2009 appearance on the TV series MysteryQuest for The History Channel. She has also been a sportswriter and a screenwriter, edited the popular Kyle & Corey young-adult book series, managed two political campaigns and founded an author’s festival to promote student literacy in her hometown outside Charleston, SC. She has appeared in multiple volumes of WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA, WHO’S WHO IN ENTERTAINMENT and WHO’S WHO AMONG AMERICAN WOMEN.

Visit her online at https://susansloate.com

Connect:

Website: https://susansloate.com

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

Twitter: @Susan_Sloate

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/233349.Susan_Sloate

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

Spotlight: The Magic of Painted Creek by Robyn Kilgore

Publication date: June 24th 2025

Genres: Adult, Magical Realism

Synopsis:

She only came back to settle a will, but her roots ran deeper than she bargained for…

Mabel Morrison considers herself fortunate to have a thriving art business at only twenty-five years old. After the sudden passing of her grandmother, Mabel leaves her mother, her only living relative, in Columbus, Ohio and finds herself back in Painted Creek, North Carolina to settle her grandmother’s affairs.

The longer she is stuck in town, the more she learns about her grandmother’s legacy and the family that came before her. As she starts to piece together a found family of her own, Mabel begins to embrace her other natural gifts within her paintings that she’s been denying for years. Suddenly, she imagines what life could be like in Painted Creek surrounded by friends, magic, and love. The future seems brighter than ever as she slowly begins to stray further from the path that was laid out for her when she was young.

But her newfound confidence is shaken when her new friendships are tested, setting off a chain of events that could change the course of Mabel’s life forever. Has Mabel inherited more than she bargained for? Or will she find the inner strength to embrace all of her gifts and hold on to everything she has never let herself want?

Excerpt

The alarm clock crashed to the floor as I smacked at it for the last time. “I’m leaving that damn thing here,” I grumbled to myself. I felt crazy for having such strong feelings about an inanimate object, but I hated that alarm clock. Sitting upright and running my hands down my face, I felt more like a zombie than a human girl. Woman.

Whatever. 

Unfortunately, I’d missed the off button for the alarm and the clock’s fall from the table hadn’t broken it or ripped the plug from the wall, so it was still happily wailing away from under the bed. And it didn’t sound muted. Oh no, now it somehow seemed to reverberate through the entire room as if the under bed acoustics were the perfect amplifier for my morning agony. Flipping myself over the edge of the bed and hanging upside down, I yanked the cord from the wall and huffed in relief at the sudden silence. Calling on core strength I absolutely did not have, I wriggled upright and collapsed back into the pillows. 

In the sudden stillness, I took a moment to really look around my bedroom in the apartment I’d had for the last five years, the first place I could call my own when I moved out of my mother’s house. Looking at it now though, I wondered if I really could call it mine. I paid the rent and other bills, sure, and maintained my responsibilities, and theoretically made all the decisions. But I felt no sense of “me” in this space. The walls were a dull builder grade beige, as was the carpet. Hell, even my comforter was a slightly darker shade of beige. The only pop of personality in the room was my dark purple sheets, and even they were hidden away when the bed was made. 

My mother had helped me choose the apartment, and all the things in it, when she finally conceded to my desire to move out at twenty years old. I had been financially self sufficient for a couple years, I was lucky in that way. My painting business had really taken off right after high school, and in a mere year I had acquired a nice little nest egg that continued to grow while I still lived at home. 

I shook my head, not wanting to mentally relive the fights we’d had when I told her I wanted a place of my own. But I couldn’t help but wonder as I looked around my bedroom if this is what I would have chosen for myself. Even the artwork, now carefully wrapped up and ready to move, was bland and muted in color. Neutral. Safe. 

I glanced back over at the offending alarm clock. My mother had even gifted me that alarm clock, saying that productive people got their day started early. “You started this.” I narrowed my eyes, pointed at it, and huffed. I realized the clock probably sounded louder because the room was now almost completely empty, and therefore echoey, not because the electronic device was actually yelling at me. 

After one more second of reflection, and one more glare at the clock, I squared my shoulders and got out of bed. “No time like a new beginning to change your interior design choices. And I’m more productive at night anyway.” With that, I headed to the shower, vowing to leave the alarm clock and all things beige behind in the move.

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About the Author

Robyn Kilgore lives in Tennessee with her husband, kids, dog and business manager (the cat). When she’s not working on a writing project or reading, you can find her chauffeuring her kids to activities… usually by way of a coffee shop drive through. Her love of vintage treasures, whimsical findings, and seeking magic in every day life led her easily to write magical realism novels. Robyn also has a small handmade jewelry and craft business, her first (and forever) passion turned business venture. She gives a nod to the experience of making jewelry in her first novel, The Magic of Painted Creek.

Connect:

https://www.instagram.com/robynkilgorebooks/

https://www.facebook.com/people/Robyn-Kilgore-Author/61572222146220/?_rdr

https://robynkilgorebooks.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55883183.Robyn_Kilgore

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