JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder

Crashers by Lindy S. Hudis Publication date: April 27th 2022 Genres: Adult, Crime, Mystery How far would you go to get rich? What if you were desperate? What if you were completely out of options? Would you cut in front of a sparkling, new Mercedes on the busy L.A. freeway and slam on the brakes? What if it were that easy? Enter the world of Crashers… The con is simple: Get in a car accident. Collect the insurance blood money. What could go wrong? That’s what Shari believed when she found herself in dire need of cash. When Shari meets the sexy and mysterious Bryce, he teaches her all about how to be a “capper.” Soon Shari has more money than she knows what to do with. But as Shari becomes more and more obsessed with her strange new world, she discovers there’s no such thing as easy money. And what started out as a simple payout soon turns into a deadly game… Goodreads / Amazon — Only 99¢ for a limited time! — EXCERPT: For KXXX TV and KXXX AM Radio News, this is Katie Carlson with ...

So Now What, Harnessing Grief After Life’s Major Losses by Alexandra McGroarty Genre: Self Help Publisher: Atmosphere Press Date of Publication: April 25 2023 ISBN-13: 978-1639888825 Number of pages:112 Word Count: 20,000 Cover Artist: Jenna Gelow Designs What Does it Mean to Harness Grief? When faced with the tragic loss of a loved one, we can find a path that strengthens us, utilizes our experiences, and continues a meaningful relationship with that person.  Author Alexandra McGroarty learned how to do so and is now gratified to share her insights. With her earned understanding, Alexandra offers her judgment-free, open-hearted, and fair-minded approach to living with and moving through grief, in whatever form it may take, in whatever way you choose. Amazon   Guest Blog by Alexandra McGroarty What inspired you to write this story? I never thought I would be writing about grief…much less my own. As I know now, grief is inevitable. At some point in our lives—often unexpectantl...

The Highlander’s Enchantress by Violetta Rand Published by: Entangled: Amara Publication date: May 29th 2023 Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance If her cruel and domineering father were to be believed, Kali Bane is the worst of women. Defiant. Independent. Were it not for her beloved younger sisters, she would have sought her freedom long ago. When she refuses to wed an old, wine-soaked English lord, her father bans her to the McKay clan in the Highlands, warning them that she’s a witch. There is no welcome at the McKay castle—only an aging laird prone to fits of temper who believes that Kali is, in fact, a witch. A sorceress. Here she is little more than a hostage, kept from sight from almost all but Adam McKay, the laird’s son, whose hypnotic green eyes make her long for something forbidden. It’s almost enough to make her abandon all thoughts of escape. Kali is the only one who can protect her sisters from their father’s greedy machinations. But the longer she remains imprisoned in ...

Scrooge’s Folly – Saving Jacob Marley by David Weinberg Genre: Romantic Comedy/Paranormal Romance Publisher: Old Fezziwig Press Date of Publication: May 23rd, 2023 ISBN: 9798218104054 ASIN: BOBRZ457N4 Number of pages: 285 Word Count: 80,000 Cover Artist: Nicole Collis Love and redemption are always possible…even for the dead. Award-winning, but down-on-her-luck playwright, Andrea Smilow, is commissioned by The Playhouse in Connecticut to save it from bankruptcy with a new work.   When she arrives, she discovers that The Playhouse is inhabited by the spirit of the real Jacob Marley, and he wants her play to be about him…to set the story straight about how Dickens ruined his life with A Christmas Carol.  Andrea believes he needs to be reunited with the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge, who lives in the caretaker house.  It is all Scrooge’s idea.  He has been working with Andrea’s roommate, the most powerful witch in North America, to win a second life for Marley from Go...

The Roast Iconic Oracle Deck by Marcella Kroll Genre: Body/Mind/Spirit / Tarot Publisher: Sterling Ethos Date of Publication: May 9, 2023 ISBN: 9781454948759 ASIN: 1-4549-4875-2 Number of pages: Kit: 64 pages, 30 illustrated cards + booklet Cover Artist: Marcella Kroll Sassy, snarky, and hilariously harsh, this oracle deck will tell it like it is. When you do your one-card draw for the day, looking for a sign from the cards, what happens when you pull Fashion Witch? Bitch? Influencer? Red Flag?  This intentionally sassy 30-card deck from well-known witch Marcella Kroll is a great way to get real talk from the Universe.  Don’t settle for being coddled by the Rider-Waite-Smith. This deck will not hesitate to throw shade or tell you you’re trying too hard. If you’re tired of the mystic limitations of the Lenormand, get wrecked by Kroll’s hilarious hand-drawn illustrations.   Direct, full of salt, and contemporary in its presentation and affect, The Roast Iconic is just ...

  Women’s fiction/historical fiction/folklore Date Published: May 9, 2023 Publisher: Tantor Media Narrator: Allyson Voller Run Time: 10 hours When their Ukrainian grandmother is lost on a trans-Atlantic Flight, two sisters are swept into a quest across eastern Europe to find the woman who had always told more tales than truths. From Poland to Slovakia to Hungary and beyond, Larissa and Ira navigate the steps of Ukrainian folk dance, the cliff-side paths of Slovak Paradise National Park, and the stark realities of war, folktales, and feminism, all for the sake of chasing who they're starting to believe is a true Baba Yaga. Understanding their family's roots has never been more clear. The setting's mythic properties drift like ghosts in the humid air, hinting of the folktales the sisters whisper like codes of bravery. The nesting dolls they discover reveal how each woman becomes stronger when tucked one, within anoth...

Curses and Chaos by Annie Anderson (Arcane Souls World: The Lost Witch, #1) Publication date: May 23rd 2023 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy If the ABI finds me, I’m dead. Agent or not, when your dad is the head of the most notorious arcane crime family in the country, no one believes you when you say you didn’t open that gate to Hell on purpose. Now, I’m practically glued under enough null wards to hide a god and stuck with a stupidly sexy shifter of a jailer who hates my guts. When my former employer comes sniffing around, not only does my captor keep me alive, but we find out that our pasts are far more connected than either of us realize. And the lies we’ve been told could kill us both. Goodreads / Amazon EXCERPT: “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” a rumble came from the dark recess of the doorway at my right, a familiar voice that should in no way be here. The athame in my hand was at Theo Acosta’s gut before I ever really gave my hand the command to move. Theo...