Does the Dog Die
Spoiler--Not a Freaking Chance We're Offing A Puppy
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Y’all,
The dog.
Recently, an author’s LOUD hot take was pride that they gratuitously kill animals in their stories, because “real life” and “gritty storytelling”, blah, blah. The author topped off their opinion with some equally poorly thought out sentiments toward pet owners, especially those of the canine variety.
Really, my dude? Read the room.
There’s actually a database called Does the Dog Die. Type in a book or movie title, and find out if the dog, cat, bunny, horse (looking at you The Neverending Story) dies before you pick up the book or click on the movie and add a little more unwanted trauma to your day.
Look, the real world is tough enough. So be assured—no dog, horse, cute fruitbat kid, or adorably furry critter is ever getting sacrificed in any of my story worlds.
For those who decided to try out the summer bingo challenge along with me—I redeemed last weeks abysmal performance, reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, a creepy-brilliant magical tale set in an imaginary university’s graduate school, and a gender-flipped version ofMaleficent/Sleeping Beauty, The Maleficent Faerie by Rebecca Kenney, and heartily recommend both.
Don’t forget SBTB is also offering reader prizes to go along with the card, if you needed more incentive to add to your TBR pile.
REGION TWO UPDATE: Unfortunately Shadow Agent has been delayed until later this year. So, don’t panic if you receive a pre-order cancelation notice from Amazon. When it releases, it will be at .99 THE FIRST WEEK, as a thank you for your patience.
A stalker, an Alpha, and an Enforcer walk into her bar. And the world as she knew it was never the same.
When a midnight assault leaves tough, independent bar owner Mackenzie Wolfe fighting for her life, everything she thought she knew about the world changes. The hot bartender she's lusted after is so much more than he appears. Her stalking ex-boyfriend is no longer her biggest problem. And she is no longer human.
Tall, dark, and all hard body, Riley Fitzgerald is a bartender in the human world—and the enforcer of the Alabaster Wolf Pack. When his sexy boss is attacked and changed into a shifter, Riley is responsible for teaching her everything there is to know about being a wolf. What he doesn't expect is just how explosive their passion is now that he can reveal his secrets.
But not everyone is happy that Riley and Mackenzie have become so close— rivals to become Mackenzie’s mate and old family feuds emerged to tear them apart. Against all odds, can Riley win Mackenzie for himself and keep peace within the Pack?
BUY HERE
Betty Lennox is an elemental witch in a desert town that gives Hades a run for its money in summer.
Her magic is tied to the land under a paranormal seniors' trailer park she inherited from her mother, land that hasn’t fully accepted her. Because of this, her power has become unpredictable, unreliable, and unbelievably inconvenient.
Small-town trailer parks don’t pay much, so when a job pops up to find a missing beta wolf—an octogenarian lothario with a shoebox of questionable toys and a little black book filled with juicy tidbits about the town’s senior ladies— she takes it. As Betty delves deeper into the investigation, she attracts the attention of a dangerous stalker and a deadly alpha wolf.
To track down the missing Casanova and avoid her enemies, she’ll need to rely on her partners—a magical cat named Fennel and Cecil, a homicidal garden gnome with a penchant for explosives—her retired necromancer best friend, a graveyard demon she doesn’t trust, and the sexy-as-sin son of her worst enemy.
BUY HERE
Handsome, heroic, mysterious … and bossy.
That’s all Danni knows about the man who saves her. With murderous gunmen on her trail, she has to run, hide, or figure out who they are before they kill her.
As a shapeshifter mercenary, Mac is used to dangerous situations. Gunmen? Chaos? Just another Tuesday. However, he never expected to fall for the feisty damsel he just rescued.
Nightfair mercenaries do not take kindly to threats against those under their protection, especially potential mates. The men after Danni have no idea of the beast they've awoken within Mac.
Mac is a Nightfair mercenary, and they always take care of business.
BUY HERE
FAMILY. CAN'T LIVE WITH 'EM... CAN'T KILL 'EM.
The last person Alastair Stone wants anything to do with is his twin sister Acantha. Having her consciousness stuffed inside another body has done nothing to improve her.
So when one of the Windermere druids reaches out to him with news that Acantha’s disappeared—and by the way, she’s also losing her mind—he’s in no particular hurry to help track her down.
The only problem is, while he wouldn’t put Acantha out if she were on fire, her growing madness is already threatening innocents.
When he reluctantly heads to the Middle East with Verity and Ian to locate her and bring her home, he discovers she’s formed an alliance with a dangerous enemy—and their plans might end up costing him something worse than his life.
If all this isn’t enough to keep him busy, he’s discovered a hidden room in the Surrey house—one that holds secrets as potentially perilous as they are intriguing.
BUY HERE
After twenty years, coming back to Japan for a funeral is hard for organized crime specialist Naomi, especially with that overbearing family of hers, their mysteries and ridiculous paranoia.
A ladies' night is the perfect way to chill out, but when Mr. Tall, Dark and Cocky sits down across her table, she realizes she could use something stronger than alcohol to relax.
Tsutaya can't wait to start his last job. It's the key to his freedom after two centuries spent shackled inside a human body, enslaved to the petty wishes of despicable and spineless crime lords. Witty and pretty, Naomi is a welcome distraction before he can get his hands on the profile of his final bounty.
Neither Naomi nor Tsutaya can imagine what that their passionate night together is about to unleash.
BUY HERE
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
FREE
The hardest part of being in the wedding party? Facing the man who broke your heart.
Tyler Reyes has his life perfectly arranged—except for his love life, which he's kept carefully vacant since college. When he agrees to be his sister's "man of honor" at her destination wedding, he's blindsided by the best man: Nate Summers, the ex who shattered his heart three years ago.
Trapped at a picturesque mountain resort for four days of wedding festivities, Tyler and Nate must put on happy faces while navigating unresolved feelings and undeniable chemistry.
As the wedding forces them together, old wounds reopen—but so do possibilities. Sometimes, a weekend can change everything.
FREE HERE
Join me in my reader group to talk hot coffee, hotter characters, and some cute critters.
