Spotlight: The Shores of Our Souls by Kathryn Brown Ramsperger

Multicultural Family Saga / Fiction

Date Published: 4-21-2026

Publisher: Ground One Press

She’s a sheltered American. He’s a Middle Eastern diplomat. Can their love lead to lasting peace overseas?

New York City, 1981. Dianna leaves her small southern town for the bright lights and rich culture of the Big Apple and a prime job at the Met. Sparks fly when she crosses paths with a charming Lebanese diplomat. A shared night of passion launches her into an exciting romance and opens her eyes to a bloody conflict far from home. But as warring factions take hold overseas, she can’t shake the feeling that her new love is hiding dark secrets.

Qasim has never known peace. When he gets the chance to bring his country’s troubles before the United Nations, he abandons his family obligations to heal his war-torn homeland. But his true mission takes a detour when he falls for a beautiful American woman. Against the urging of his closest friend and mentor, he wants to share his heart and hopes with her.

In the face of cultural barriers and mounting war, can Dianna and Qasim find the strength to stand up for their love and a lasting peace?

Excerpt

February 13, 1981, New York City

Dianna scans the bar through strobe-lit smoke. A haze casts a film on the room’s mirrored walls, hung to give the illusion of space.

“Are you sure this is where you want to be tonight?” Sophia waves her elegant hand through the smoke and lights a cigarette. She feels a pang of guilt for dragging Sophia here. Two decades older, Sophia is more fairy godmother than buddy.

“Sorry,” is all Dianna shouts over the din and shrugs. She catches her stomach sticking out ever so slightly in one of the mirrors and takes a deep breath to pull it in.

“Dianna, I’m afraid I can’t stay much longer,” Sophia says.

Doubting she has the courage to stay here alone, Dianna ponders her options. She looks up at the scum-covered ceiling and asks for inner strength. The subway will close soon, and she has no car.

Then she sees him.

He wears a European suit. An expensive watch with a black face and gold hands glints on his right wrist. Not much taller than she, but wiry, he seems at once exotic and familiar: olive skin graces distinct, proportionate features. His dark hair reminds her of her mother’s, and his graceful stance, her father’s. He moves with a purposeful gait, arms relaxed, head tilted slightly to the right. He seems part of a world she has yet to experience.

The man circles her, moving through the crowd, around chatting couples, each time drawing nearer, until he stands before her, touching her forearm. “Have you seen a woman...?” he begins.

Dianna misses the rest of his sentence because of the blaring music, his accent, and the word “woman.” He could be fibbing to make himself appear less threatening. Or maybe he has been stood up. “Look around you,” she says and laughs. “Women everywhere. What did she look like?”

He moves in closer and speaks directly into her ear so she can hear him. Dianna shivers as she catches a whiff of his cologne. Her eyes catch his. With his tailored suit and self-possessed energy, he almost fits right in. Yet his eyes betray him. This man has suffered. She knows all about pretending. She’s hooked.

Dianna gazes at the green stone with a pang of pride. She doubts this man wants to hear much about her college days or the job that put her through school. “Yes,” she replies.

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About the Author

KATHRYN BROWN RAMSPERGER is an award-winning author, editor, and creativity coach. A former National Geographic writer and researcher and humanitarian staff member for the International Red Cross, she has lived and worked in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, regions that deeply inform her storytelling. The Shores of Our Souls is a Foreword Indies finalist and a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Literary Competition. She’s a recipient of the Hollins University Fiction Award.

Having firsthand experience in the places she writes about, Kathryn brings a unique authenticity to her stories, blending rich cultural details with the universal themes of love, redemption, and peace. She studied creative writing at Hollins University, and publications management at George Washington University. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband. They have two adult children, off to their own world adventures, but still parent a feisty feline. Next on their bucket list: Croatia, Portugal, or Tanzania!

Connect:

Website: https://kathrynbrownramsperger.com

Twitter: https://x.com/KathyRamsperger

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16909806.Kathryn_Brown_Ramsperger

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

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kathyramsperger5

Spotlight: Twenty Something Else by Stephanie Mack

Publisher: Tyndale Fiction

Pub date: June 9

On the eve of her fortieth birthday, a woman wakes up from a pickleball accident with the unexpected chance to relive her twenties in this sparkling novel from a fresh, new voice.

Sutton Layne is almost-forty and fabulous, with a happy marriage, three beautiful children, and a successful interior design business. But there’s plenty of chaos behind the scenes of early midlife. Her preteen son is going off the rails, her husband is bailing on the party he was supposed to throw her, and that thriving business? If she can’t land her next big client, it might all come crashing down. Then a surprise DM from someone in her past sends her spiraling into what-ifs. What if she settled down too young? Walked away from her big break? Never had her great adventure?

Despite her simmering mini-crisis, Sutton can’t wait for the birthday luncheon and pickleball tournament her friends have planned in her honor. But when an accident on the court knocks her out cold, she wakes up somewhere else . . . and is offered the chance to do it all over again. She can revisit her twenties―out of order and on her own terms. And this time around, anything goes: cities, careers, friendships. Even love.

From star-studded Hollywood nights to the jungles of Nicaragua, from the heat of Coachella to the snowy summit of the Matterhorn, Sutton chases the life she fears she might have missed, with unexpected results.

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About the Author

Stephanie Mack is an author with a passion for storytelling—on the page, on the mic, and beyond. Her novels blend women's fiction and romantic elements with meaningful insights for readers navigating the complexities of modern life. Stephanie lives in Orange County, California, with her husband, three daughters, and beloved mini Bernedoodle.

Spotlight: Deceptive Inheritance by Jennifer Anne Davis

(Remnants of the Lost, #1)

Publication date: June 9th 2026

Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Laney Lake transfers to Stonemore University with a plan: two years of freedom before real life drags her back home. After a lifetime of overprotective parents and careful rules, she’s determined to finally live by making friends, saying yes more often, and experiencing the things she’s always been told to avoid.

Then Rowan Ward notices her.

To the rest of campus, he’s the rugby captain. He’s charming, confident, and impossible to miss. To himself, he’s a werewolf barely maintaining control. Rowan is the next alpha, bound to a future already chosen for him. His girlfriend is perfect on paper. She’s from a powerful bloodline, unquestioned loyalty, and the one his father expects him to marry. It should be enough.

It isn’t.

Laney pulls at him in a way nothing ever has, stripping control down to instinct and want. He knows he should stay away. Instead, he watches her. Circles her. Fights urges that feel older than reason.

Laney doesn’t know what he’s hiding. She only knows that when he’s near, her body wakes up and she’s warm, restless, and painfully aware of how badly she wants him to touch her. As Laney leans into her stolen freedom and Rowan teeters on the edge of breaking every rule he’s sworn to follow, old laws begin to strain. Because Laney isn’t ordinary. And if Rowan’s world discovers why she matters, choosing her could cost him everything.

She wanted two years of fun.

He was never supposed to want her.

But some instincts don’t care about rules.

And some sparks are born to burn.

Excerpt

I opened the door, got out, walked around the front of the car, and stood there staring at the empty field before me. 

Then I fell to my knees and screamed. It seemed as if something were clawing inside me, begging to be set free. That only frightened me even more.

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked, coming to my side and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “You’re scaring me.”

Tears streamed down my face. It took me a minute before I could answer. “That makes two of us. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know what I am. My own parents are lying to me.” I’d never been so afraid in all my life.

“What are we going to do?” Sarah asked.

I loved that there was a we in this. It made me feel less alone. “Right now, we’re not going to do anything. We’re still investigating because we don’t have enough information to know how to move forward.”

“Are you going to talk to your mom?”

“Eventually. But not yet. I don’t want either of my parents to know I suspect something.”

“Okay.” Sarah stood and pulled me to my feet.

And then I remembered what Adan had asked about whether my parents were my biological parents. “First, I need to see who I’m living with.”

“This is seriously like something out of a movie,” Sarah said. “Like this is insane.”

I happened to agree with her. It all seemed so surreal, that I was having trouble believing any of it myself. “I’m going to need you to be quiet about it.” We got back in the car. “Don’t talk to anyone about this. Promise me.”

“I promise I won’t say anything.”

I pulled back onto the street and started driving toward my house, wondering who and what I was.

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About the Author

Jennifer Anne Davis is the bestselling, award-winning author of YA fantasy and NA paranormal romance. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. She lives in the San Diego area with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband and their rambunctious, spoiled GSP. 

Her three adult children are in college and graduate school. When she’s not writing, Jennifer can be found reading, crocheting, or baking sourdough bread. 

Jennifer has always loved writing stories where the stakes are high and the tension is even higher. 

Awards:

Cage of Deceit: Winner 2018 Kindle Book Awards

The Key: Finalist 2014 USA Book Awards 

The Voice: Finalist 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

The Voice: Winner 2013 San Diego Book Awards

Connect:

https://jenniferannedavis.com/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-anne-davis

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466369.Jennifer_Anne_Davis

Deceptive Inheritance Blitz

Spotlight: A Botanist's Guide to Tradition and Treachery by Kate Khavari

Brilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh has set sail on her first research expedition, but it’s disrupted by accusations of murder when one of her fellow scientists is murdered in this daring fifth installment.

Saffron Everleigh is newly engaged and full of optimism as she sets off on the adventure of a lifetime for any scientist: a research expedition. She sails to newly formed Turkey with her fiancé, Alexander Ashton, and a bevy of fellow researchers under the watchful and reformed eye of Dr. Henry. With only two other women on board, Saffron soon finds she is right back in the same infuriatingly misogynistic environment that marked the earliest days of her career. Only this time, Saffron is determined to show everyone, including Alexander, that she can handle the trials of an expedition.

And trials she has in spades. Before the expedition team has even arrived, Saffron has managed to find an enemy in historian Joseph Clark, who frequently torments the assistant that Saffron has taken under her wing, Martin Neill. But when Martin unexpectedly dies, Saffron is targeted as the main suspect.

Falling ruins, venomous snakes, and mysteriously blocked passages are the least of Saffron’s worries. With unexpected help from a familiar face, Alexander and Saffron have to work fast to prove not only that Saffron is innocent but that they both have nothing to do with a larger conspiracy at play among the expedition crew.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audible | Hardcover | Bookshop.org

About the Author

USA Today bestseller Kate Khavari is the author of fiction ranging from historical mysteries to high fantasy epics. She has her parents to thank for her fascination with historical mysteries, as she spent the majority of her childhood memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips. She lives in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband and children and a lovely garden that contains absolutely no poisonous plants.

Spotlight: Hott Hotter Hottest by Serena Bell

(Hott Springs Eternal, #5)

Publication date: June 9th 2026

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Real bodyguard. Fake boyfriend. Unexpected benefits. Trouble guaranteed.

Tucker: Autumn Sato is a happiness influencer. And I’m…well, let’s just say my brand is more big gray stormcloud. If life were going to plan, the closest I’d get to her would be scrolling past her posts as fast as my thumbs could fly.

But my sister needs help, so I agree to bodyguard Autumn at her sister’s wedding. One thing leads to another, and suddenly I’m pretending to be her new boyfriend in front of all her friends and family.

It’s a hot mess, made worse because I swore I’d never do this again. Never get close to someone I was guarding. Never fall for someone whose safety was in my hands. Never let distraction get in the way of my job.

Unfortunately, this entire week is nothing but distractions: trapped in a car with my smoking hot client, only one bed in our hotel room, only one tent on the wedding camping trip… all before the bachelor–bachelorette prom. Meanwhile, someone seems to have it out for Autumn… or my family… or both.

As things heat up between us, I’m left with one question: Can I keep my heart—and the people I care about—safe?

A spicy, small-town, bodyguard, fake relationship, grumpy-sunshine romantic comedy with a hint of danger and a lot of heart.

Excerpt

“I told her we met at the hotel bar,” she says. “At a conference.”

My brain gets stuck, like someone’s jammed a pole into an old-fashioned steam engine.

There are so many things wrong with this situation, I don’t know where to start.

But the biggest of all is that Autumn Sato is…

Hot.

It hit me like a ton of bricks when I stepped into the room.

Long dark hair, dark eyes, gorgeous smooth skin, and a soft wide mouth painted glossy red in a way that instantly made me think of things I shouldn’t be thinking about. Since I couldn’t look at her mouth, I let my eyes drop, and that was a mistake, too, because I’m a sucker for willowy, for small, secret curves, tits you can cup completely in your hands.

So when she says that she told her sister we met at the hotel bar at a conference, I can see it way too easily.

The two of us side by side in a dark bar, heads tilted toward each other, her lips tilted up in a suggestive smile. The incline of her head as she suggests we go upstairs. The elevator door closing, her crossing the space between us to rise up onto her toes, my hands closing around her slim hips, drawing her abruptly, possessively, against me, the give of her mouth as I take it, hungry.

And then I push it all away—her pretty smile, her slim hips, the feel of her body against mine, the softness of her mouth, my ravenousness.

I hate myself because the last thing, the very, very, very last thing I want is to have any feelings—even the basest, least romantic ones—for another client.

It cannot happen.

Then I fully absorb what she’s said, and: “Wait a second.”

Her eyebrows go up.

“What kind of conference?”

She bites her lip.

“Autumn. What kind of conference.”

“A by-invitation-only Happiness Extravaganza.” She barely whispers it.

“You told your sister I was at a happiness conference.”

She winces. “I didn’t realize you were going to turn out to be—” She traces her hands as if outlining the contours of my body in space. I ignore the way that lights my skin on fire and instead focus on the absolute depths of bullshit she’s taken us to.

“A grumpy asshole who doesn’t talk,” I finish for her.

“I wouldn’t have put it that way⁠—”

“But you think it.”

“I prefer not to use labels.”

I scowl. This woman. At least there’s that. At least there’s the fact that in a million years, I could never fall for someone like her, all sunshine and roses and I prefer not to use labels. All It’s gonna be great!

Spoken like someone who’s dodged all of life’s bullets.

I shake my head, not bothering to hide my exasperation. “Okay. You’re not labeling me. But you decided to tell your sister, before you met me, that I was someone who would show up at a happiness conference.”

Something hardens in her gaze. “Wishful thinking,” she says, words sharp.

Ah. So she’s not all sweetness and light.

But then, like a curtain coming down on the moment of honesty, she smiles, bright and perky again. “I guess we’ll have to work on your…grumpies.”

“My—” I can’t even repeat the word.

“You know, jolly you out of them. You can’t be grunting at everyone. No one will believe you’re my type.”

Ouch. Not that I care.

“What is your type, exactly? Wait, I know the answer to this—Buddy the Elf.”

The smile slips a little. “No one wants Buddy the Elf for a romantic partner.”

 “He gets the girl in the end.”

“It’s a Christmas movie.”

“So Dani Rojas from Ted Lasso.”

Her gaze skids away.

“Nailed it, huh?”

“What about you?” She squints at me. “Cruella de Vil? Cersei Lannister? No, wait. I’ve got it: blond, busty, and looks up at you in adoration.”

“Annie Wilkes in Misery,” I say. “Can’t argue with bondage.”

I might be baiting her. It’s possible that, against my will, I’m amused by this. It’s possible that for the first time in a long time, I’m curious about what’s going to happen next, like this is a movie I’ve found myself in, written by someone else.

It’s possible that for the first time in a long time, I feel alive, something I can’t name surging in my blood.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell writes contemporary romance with heat, heart, and humor. A former journalist, Serena has always believed that everyone has an amazing story to tell if you listen carefully, and you can often find her scribbling in her tiny garret office, mainlining chocolate and bringing to life the tales in her head.

Serena’s books have earned many honors, including an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Apple Books Best Book of the Month, and Amazon Best Book of the Year for Romance.

When not writing, Serena loves to spend time with her college-sweetheart husband and two hilarious kiddos—all of whom are incredibly tolerant not just of Serena’s imaginary friends but also of how often she changes her hobbies and how passionately she embraces the new ones. These days, it’s stand-up paddle boarding, board-gaming, meditation, and long walks with good friends.

Connect:

https://serenabell.com/

https://www.facebook.com/serenabellbooks

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CornerSmartSexy/

https://twitter.com/serenabellbooks

https://www.instagram.com/serenabellbooks/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6600927.Serena_Bell

https://serenabell.com/newsletter/

Hott Hotter Hottest Blitz

Spotlight: Lead Me Home by Catherine Bybee

Series: Queen Anne Hill #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Workplace, He Falls First, Slow Burn, Green Flag Hero

Release Date: June 9, 2026

When spreadsheets are safer than people, falling in love becomes the ultimate risk in this powerful novel of trauma, healing, and unexpected courage from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee.

Luna Canning trusts numbers more than people—and for good reason. As a forensic accountant who specializes in exposing fraud, she knows numbers never deceive, unlike the toxic family she’s spent a lifetime trying to escape. Now living in her grandmother’s Victorian home, Luna has built a carefully ordered life behind walls she thought were unbreakable.

When her car is stolen from an airport parking lot, former FBI agent turned PI Nate Warren steps in to help—and proves more dangerous to her defenses than any thief. Despite Luna’s ironclad rules about mixing business with pleasure, their chemistry ignites, and for the first time, she considers letting someone past her guard. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, Luna’s manipulative mother arrives unannounced, dragging with her a dangerous man and decades of unresolved trauma that threaten everything Luna has built.

Now Luna must confront the ghosts of her past—both metaphorical and possibly literal, as strange occurrences in her historic home suggest she’s not alone. With a violent threat looming and her heart on the line, Luna discovers that sometimes the hardest person to trust is yourself.

Excerpt

Five minutes past nine, Luna walked into the law offices of Allen and Associates. She paused at the reception desk and started to unbutton her coat. 

“Hi Melinda.”

“Hi.”

“Marcus is expecting me. Is he in his office or the conference room?”

“They’re in the conference room,” she said.

They? Great . . . nothing like being late for more than one person.

Luna shrugged out of her coat.

Melinda stepped around the desk to take it. “No need to stress.”

“I hate being late. This jerk bumped into me, my coffee ended up on the street . . .” Luna pulled in a deep breath, stood tall, and pasted on a small she didn’t feel.

Melinda laughed. “I’ll bring coffee to the room.”

Luna sighed. “I could kiss you.”

“Not in the office,” Melinda teased.

Swiping a strand of soaked hair back, Luna made her way to the conference room.

Just outside the open door she heard voices.

“She elbowed me, her coffee took flight, and she had the audacity to act like it was my fault.”

Luna froze in the doorway.

Dark roast venti guy had his back to her.

Marcus stood to his left, shaking his head. “It feels like most people are walking around in a daze. Heads in their phones, earbuds blasting music. No one pays attention anymore.”

“Tell me about it.”

The fake smile she’d painted on only moments ago slid from her face. Seriously? This guy blamed her?

The nerve.

“There she is. My secret weapon for numbers,” Marcus boasted once he caught sight of Luna standing there.

Slowly, Mr. Venti turned.

A sinister feeling of joy bloomed in Luna’s chest as recognition hit his eyes.

Unaware of the silent communication between her and Venti, Marcus made the introductions. “Nate Warren, this is Luna Canning.”

She placed her purse on the conference table and reached out to shake his hand. “Hello, Mr. Warren. You look familiar. Have we met before?”

His hand was warm, despite the fact that they’d both just come in from the cold.

“If we did, I, ah . . . certainly didn’t catch your name.” Nate gave her hand a little extra squeeze before letting her go. “Marcus has told me a lot about you.”

“All good I hope.”

To Nate’s credit, he didn’t break eye contact, even when her smirk of a smile said ten times more than her words did.

“Singing your praise, Luna. If I could sing,” Marcus said as he patted her shoulder in a warmer welcome than a handshake.

“You’re too kind.”

That made him laugh. “Since when are you humble?”

It was then that Luna purposely looked away from Nate. “I have to try once in a while.”

“Sit, sit.”

Luna moved to a seat opposite Nate.

Marcus sat at the head of the table.

“I’m sorry for being late. It’s a little . . .” She glanced at Nate. “Hectic out there.”

Amusement swam in Nate’s hazel eyes without the least bit of shame.

“So I’ve heard,” Marcus said.

Melinda walked into the room, a cup of coffee in her hand. She sat it in front of Luna with a small caddy filled with cream and various types of sugar.

“Thank you.”

“Can I get anything for you, Mr. Warren?”

Nate cleared his throat. “Ah, no. I’m good.”

Luna glanced at Nate’s Starbucks cup before doctoring her coffee to her liking.

Melinda closed the door behind her when she left.

“I’ve already told Nate about your prowess with numbers. You won’t find a better forensic accountant in the state.”

This time, Luna accepted the praise without humility.

“Nate is our new consultant. He worked as a criminal fraud investigator for the federal government. Now he works independently as a private investigator using those same skills.”

Luna lifted the coffee to her lips and talked over the rim of the cup. “You’re a little young to be retired from the Feds.”

“I was more interested in the private sector with more room to do my job than bureaucratic red tape allowed.”

Luna sipped her coffee, then put the cup down.

“And more lucrative,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “No one likes to wait for Congress to approve their paycheck.”

“Their loss, our gain,” Marcus said. “And I have a feeling that with the two of you, we’ll be an unbeatable team.”

Luna placed her fingers on the charm she had hanging from her neck and slowly slid it along the chain.

Marcus handed them each a folder. “Our client is Joel Mercier . . .”

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About the Author

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written nearly 50 books that have collectively sold more than 11 million copies. Her titles have been translated into more than 20 languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the popular Not Quite, Weekday Brides, Most Likely To, First Wives, D'Angelos, Heirs, and Queen Anne Hill series. 

Connect:

Website: https://catherinebybee.com/

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