Today's Featured Books

Congratulations to Annalisa Crawford and Vine Leaves Press on the release of One Tuesday, Early, a work of speculative fiction that has been described as "both familiar and nightmarish." 

"An intriguing and haunting story about a woman, a man, and a decades-old mystery." ~Alison Moore, author of The Retreat

One Tuesday Early

You’re on your own and you shouldn’t be. Your partner is missing. The streets are empty. Even the birds have disappeared. What do you do?

It’s 6:05am one Tuesday morning, and Lexi Peters is alone. Her partner, her friends, her neighbours have all vanished without a trace. The entire town is deserted. Gathering every ounce of courage, she sets out to explore the streets, seeking any sign of life. Her only companions are a coy black cat and a lurking fog that seems to follow her every step.

On the same morning, her partner Finn awakens to an empty house. Recalling the blazing argument they had the night before, he assumes Lexi has snuck off somewhere to cool down. But she doesn’t return.

Time passes. Or not. Lexi is stranded on that Tuesday morning, while Finn hurtles through the years at increasing speed.

Can Lexi and Finn be reunited, or is it already too late?

Praise for One Tuesday, Early
"A spooky and impossible situation that steals up on you until you’re questioning your own life choices." ~Roz Morris, author of Ever Rest

"From its beguiling opening to its heart-stopping conclusion, One Tuesday, Early gently leads us into a world both familiar and nightmarish. Eerie, atmospheric and immediately gripping, there's as much delight to be found in what's held back as there is in what's revealed." ~Charlie Carroll, author of The Lip

Free online: Coffee and a Short Story. Hosted online by the New York Public Library, this series invites booklovers to join an online discussion of a selected short story. This week, the NYPL staff will discuss "A Report for an Academy" by Franz Kafka. Tuesday, May 14, 12-1 PM EDT. 

"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." ~Franz Kafka

Author K.T. Raine is known for writing "sweet and clean romance with a dollop of suspense." Today, LitNuts is pleased to feature the first three books of the Huckleberry Ridge Romance Series: 

• A Country Kind of Love
• Big Love in a Small Town
• Better Late than Never

Read on to learn more about each of these fun reads and the author.

Bonus: Visit K.T. Raine's website to read a free excerpt of Tell Me Another Lie, Book 4 in the Huckleberry Ridge Romance Series!

A Country Kind of Love

After single mom and reporter CeCe Bixby has her name leaked in connection with a dangerously controversial story, she and her young son flee 400 miles from Boise to small town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, for a fresh start. 

But life’s never simple, and CeCe is dismayed to find her troubles have followed her. Help may come in the form of her handsome, state-trooper landlord Shane Wickham and his surprisingly supportive family. But does she dare share the truth with him? 

Praise for A Country Kind of Love
"I LOVED this book! It’s like wearing your favorite pajamas and a cup of hot chocolate." ~Ann M Diener, BookSirens

"Such a sweet romance with realistic characters." ~Amazon Review

Big Love in a Small Town

Sweet and gregarious Penny Barron was just sure handsome Gus Amherst was finally “the one.” But once his protective streak evolves to controlling and then abusive, she decides enough is enough.

When her childhood friend, CeCe, gets in an accident and needs some temporary care, Penny figures this is her chance. She leaves Gus a goodbye note and flees Boise for small town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, to be near CeCe and make a fresh start.

When Gus decides he’s not ready to let Penny go and shows up in Huckleberry Ridge unannounced, CeCe’s neighbor, police officer and confirmed bachelor Josh Wickham, comes to her rescue. Both are surprised by the spark of attraction that steadily grows between them. But Penny is carrying a secret guaranteed to wreck any new relationship…which is exactly what happens when she finally reveals it to Josh.

Is there still a shot for love to bloom? Or has Penny’s deception ruined her second chance forever?

Better Late than Never

Kara Grissom has spent twenty years in hiding. Ever since suffering a severe facial burn the night after her college graduation, her only refuge has been the childhood home she shares with her mother. She’s long since given up on any possibility of finding love, so when a handsome stranger suddenly invades her safe place, she’s stunned by the sudden awakening of desires she thought had died long ago. 

Dawson Wickham loves life as a bachelor. He has everything he needs with his own home, a great family, and the perfect job. But he also loves mysteries, so when he stumbles across the reclusive Kara and she flees from him, her bizarre reaction is a puzzle he just has to solve. 

Kara knows that no man who sees her face could ever love her, so she does her best to rebuff Dawson’s interest. But he’s not the type to give up easily, especially once he begins to fall for her charm, wit, and intelligence. But will his love be enough to break through Kara’s phobia of rejection and convince her to trust him? Or is she destined to live out her days alone? 

About the Author

      

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on The Shimmering Circus from author Annie Dewell, a series that throws readers into a macabre world of secrets and magic, set against the evocative backdrop of a Gilded Age circus.

If you've ever wondered what it was really like to travel with carnies or fall in love under a big top, then the Shimmering Circus series is for you. Perfect for fans of Caraval, Miss Peregrine, and The Night Circus.

"A glistening, deliciously dark page-turner." ~Laura J., Bookstagrammer

Avery's Ghost

The circus keeps its secrets.

When seventeen-year-old Evelyn is accidentally poisoned, her only hope for an antidote is to sign the curious contract of Hart's Circus—the same place her brother vanished.

As she investigates her new canvas home, she’s consumed by questions no carnie will answer: why do the performers lie about their uncanny performances? What caused the “hideous” scars of Essence, the sideshow freak who draws portraits so vivid they nearly leap from the page?

Terrified into attempted escape by the tempestuous Manager Hart, Evelyn is stopped by paralyzing pain. Undeterred, she’ll cajole and blackmail her way to the truth behind the circus mysteries and her brother's disappearance—truths that will uncover long buried secrets and catapult her into the crossfire of a plot with explosive consequences.

Praise for Avery's Ghost
"A literary-fiction style of puzzle box." ~Goodreads Review

"Vivid characters, an evocative setting, and a twisting narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat." ~laura.j_official, Bookstagrammer

"If you love melting pots of genres, you will surely enjoy it. Avery's Ghost is at the same time a history novel, a fantasy novel and a mystery novel." ~@ablueboxfullofbooks, Bookstagrammer

Avery's Rings

A new season, a new mission...

It is 1913, and Evelyn has spent the winter testing the boundaries of her newly complicated relationship with her mother—while trying to pry from her the secret to reaching her homeland. Determined to break the binding on the circus and free her fellow travelers, she finds an unexpected ally in enigmatic mentor Eptzeig Whitley, who informs Evelyn that she’s been offered a job as secretary to the mysterious circus manager.

But like everything at the circus, the perilous and painful crossing is not as simple as it seems; the portal lies between two continents in her mother's world, and the circus manager is presenting his own set of challenges. As she embarks on a tour across the Midwest, Evelyn must prepare both her body and mind for a long-distance swim, all while testing the boundaries of her new magical abilities, making new allies, and navigating some very confusing feelings for a fellow performer.

Avery's Trinket

A world to discover… an impossible heist…

Evelyn has reached Kasiit, and now faces her most daunting challenge yet: a formal dinner with the family of her beau.

But she and her friends are soon forced to flee this relative safety for the capital of Birandii, where they’re embroiled in a scheme involving rival newspaper moguls, bitter ex-spouses, and the theft of one of the most valuable necklaces of the new world—an artifact with unique magical properties which just may be the key to their safe return home.

Third in the Shimmering Circus series, Avery’s Trinket plunges readers into an awe-inspiring but treacherous new world, illustrated in the style of turn-of-the-century Yellow Journalism comics.

Avery's World

The samarinh has begun...

Evelyn kicks off the religious festival with a brand-new face, fresh identity, and singular mission: to coerce the elected monarch into releasing the circus binding.

Thrust into a world of lavish dinner parties, masquerade balls, and dangerous duplicity, she navigates the complex social code of upper crust society while struggling with recent trauma and crippling social anxiety—and sharing a titillating bed with her fiancé for their political "Tour of Beds."

But someone is poisoning politicians, and colored rain falls in random spurts—bizarre occurrences that may herald the Apocalypse. As their task grows nearer, Evelyn begins to wonder whether she is saving the circus…or dooming the world.

The Shimmering Circus Series

About the Author

    

Free online: The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Sante Fe, New Mexico, is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and her contributions to American Modernism. The museum website offers creative activities, stories, and education about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, along with several virtual exhibits available through Google Arts and Culture. 

"My painting is what I have to give back to the world for what the world gives to me." ~Georgia O'Keeffe

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Jason B. Baker, a history-buff-turned-author who has been praised for his Western-style historical adventure novels. Read on to learn more! 

Special Offer: The e-book edition of The Ace's Bounty is free through May 10 and the newly released The War Remains is only 99 cents. Get both of these Civil War era Western-style adventures for less than $1!

The Ace's Bounty: The Barber Brothers' First Adventure

In the aftermath of the Civil War, brothers Elijah and Moses Barber return home, haunted by shadows of the past.

Once fierce cavalrymen, their transition to civilian life is marred by poverty, loss, and a hostile reception from a town that remembers their wartime deeds with mixed emotions. With their farm failing and prospects dwindling, the Barbers possess little more than a set of lethal skills—horseback riding, sharpshooting, and tracking the lawless.

Their fate takes a twist when an enigmatic, one-armed U.S. Marshal offers them a perilous opportunity. For Moses, it's a chance to harness their deadly talents and secure a livelihood; for Elijah, it's a desperate attempt to leave their past behind. But when they discover their target is a criminal from their own haunted history, the mission becomes a dark journey fueled by justice and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.

Now, as the brothers grapple with their complicated relationship, reconcile with a childhood mentor, and question the true identity of the mysterious U.S. Marshal, they must traverse treacherous terrain, both external and within, to find the peace and prosperity that has eluded them since the war's end.

Praise for The Ace's Bounty
"This novel captures the reader from the first paragraph. Traditional Western readers should love this novel with its good pacing, plenty of action, and a hint of romance." ~Ron Schwab, bestselling author of Old Dogs and The Accidental Sheriff

"Pure historical adventure...between two brothers set in the Civil War time period. The historical realism truly brings this story to life." ~Amazon Review

The War Remains: The Barber Brothers' Next Adventure

In the shadow of a nation's rebirth, two brothers ride against the echoes of war.

In this sprawling Western saga of renewal, justice, and revenge, readers can gallop back into the gritty world of the Barber Brothers. In the raw aftermath of the Civil War, America labors to mend its divided heart, but in Omaha, the peace Elijah and Moses Barber worked so hard to achieve is razed by a vengeful blaze.

As the transcontinental railroad pioneers a new frontier, echoes of war give rise to a brutal gang hell-bent on keeping the past's violent embers alight. The brothers, alongside an eclectic posse—including a formidable woman claiming her legacy, a hardened Confederate sniper, and a resolute Black Union veteran—must carve their own justice in the untamed wilderness of Nebraska.

Faced with lawlessness that no badge can tame, the Barber Brothers must forge their own path to justice. Together, they embark on a harrowing journey through the untamed West, confronting the ghosts of their pasts. As they traverse this rugged landscape, they are tested to their limits, their bonds of loyalty and survival put to the ultimate test.

The War Remains is a tale of grit, brotherhood, and the quest for justice that fans of Ron Schwab, CJ Petit, and Robert Vaughan will love. Ride once more with the Barber Brothers as they confront the unforgiving wilderness of the American West and the turbulent tides of history that refuse to be tamed.

About the Author

        

LitNuts subscribers are eligible for a free subscription to Foreword Reviews Online, a great source of quality reviews of independently published books. We recently learned that the discount code we were providing to new subscribers was not working, so Foreword Reviews gave us a new discount code—which means that LitNuts subscribers, new and old, can now get Foreword Reviews Online free for one year! Here's what to do:

• Go to Foreword Reviews
• Click on the "Online Only" option
• At checkout, enter discount code DIG-SUB

"The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy

They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago, bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise from the ashes. If you loved Ender's Game, Starship Troopers, and Old Man's War, you'll love Earthrise, a new military science fiction series from a USA Today bestselling author. "A classic readers will remember for years." ~Nicholas Smith, author of Hell Divers. 4.2 stars, 8,000+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW /