Thursday, September 17, 2026

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth by Holly Bell (September 14-18, 2026) #WitchyCozyMystery #ParanormalCozyMystery #BritishUrbanFantasy #UrbanFantasyMystery @sharonledwith @Saphs_Books


About Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth:


Amanda Cadabra’s life LOOKS perfectly normal...
But looks can be very deceiving.

In the picture-perfect English village of Sunken-Madley, a young covert witch is laying
low. Amanda Cadabra has her reasons.

Orphaned when her family’s van mysteriously plunged over a Cornish cliff many years before, Amanda is keeping herself to herself, quietly working for her grandfather’s furniture restoration company, hoping the world will leave her alone.

However, soon Amanda’s peace is disturbed by the arrival in the village of the inquisitive Inspector Trelawney, dogging her footsteps as he investigates the strange fate of her family. But the persistent detective becomes the least of her problems, as a restoration job at the Tudor manor propels the young witch into a swirl of mystery and intrigue.

Events quickly conspire to drag Amanda into the building’s murky past and its even more dangerous present. Armed only with her wits, her grumpy feline familiar, Tempest, and a wand, Amanda Cadabra is going in.

A body, ghosts, hidden passageways, and a host of unanswered questions soon emerge. Can Amanda dodge the inspector long enough to solve the Manor’s many mysteries and unravel her own past before the scandal of murder engulfs the village?


Follow the tour to read exclusive excerpts, interviews, and spotlight posts:


Meet the Author:


Cat adorer and chocolate lover, British author Holly Bell’s life changed in a day. A best-
selling author friend convinced Holly that she could write cozy mysteries, after many years
experience with non-fiction, photography and video making.

Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was
the godmother of the Cozy Mystery. Her love of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings meant that
her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal. Since then, the
series has grown to include the genre of urban fantasy mystery.

Having derived immense delight from the adventure of writing Amanda Cadabra and The
Hidey-Hole Truth, its 8 sequels and 1 prequel to date, Holly has more in the pipeline, with
the 10 th book in the series now in the making. The third in the series Amanda Cadabra and
The Flawless Plan has just come out on Audible in audiobook format, joining the first two
books. The World of Amanda Cadabra shop for bookish gifts on Redbubble has just begun
rolling out its Sunken Madley School collection.

Holly lives in London, somewhere near the place that inspired her quaint, peculiar but
apparently perfectly normal fictional village. Readers will know better.

Her favourite feline is a black cat called Bobby. He is black. Like her favourite hat. Purely
coincidental.

Holly loves to hear from readers. Find her on the contact page of the amandacadabra.com
website, or on Facebook as Holly Bell Author. She always responds in person.

Links:


Tuesday, September 15, 2026

#BookReview: Unorthodox (A Kendra Spark Novel, Book One) by S. Peters-Davis #ParanormalSuspense


Unorthodox
A Kendra Spark Novel, Book One
S. Peters-Davis

Genre: Paranormal Suspense -Thriller Romance - Supernatural

Publisher: Books We Love Publishing

Date of Publication: September 15, 2017

ISBN 978-1-77362-303-0
ISBN 978-1-77362-304-7
EPUB 978-1-77362-300-9
Kindle 978-1-77362-301-6
WEB 978-1-77362-302-3


About the Book:

Kendra Spark, suspense-mystery romance author and communicator with the dead, is requested to hop on the first flight to D.C.

Jenna Powers, FBI criminal analyst and estranged best friend of Kendra, gets ghosticized in a fatal accident before relaying all the details of the FBI killer case.

Derek Knight, a dedicated FBI Special Task Force agent, takes lead on the case.

The investigation into the FBI agent killings continues as Kendra, Jenna – yes, even after death – and Derek work together on the case before Director of the Special Task Force Jackson Powers’ number is up. He’s Jenna’s father and the end-game of the killer’s target list.

Somehow the elusive killer remains undetected, until Kendra’s unique ability produces results and a final possibility at stopping his killing spree before it’s too late.

My Review:

Kendra Spark is a Michigander that can see ghosts.  When her estranged best friend Jenna, an FBI criminal analyst summons her to D.C. Kendra is shocked to learn why.  Jenna is on a case trying to find a murderer taking out FBI agents who have worked with her father.  She wants to use Kendra's unique abilities to help track down the monster.  Before they get much more involved in the conversation, Jenna rushes into the street to save a boy and is mowed down by a car.  Now, Jenna must do all of her analyzing from the ghostly plane as she helps Kendra and FBI Task Force Agent Derek Knight chase down the murderer.

Unorthodox is an interesting novel that combines a ghost whisperer, an FBI agent, and a ghost into a crime solving team.  Kendra tries to keep her abilities to herself since almost everyone who discovers her secret either calls her a liar or a freak.  As the book progresses, Derek become more open minded about Kendra.  Jenna is able to help in dangerous situations by using a skill that she now has as a ghost.  Derek does the best he can in such trying circumstances that continue to hit close to home.

The author built up a low key romance but unfortunately I didn't really hop on board the relationship train.  It wasn't really believable to me.  I didn't feel any chemistry between Kendra and Derek - none at all.  I liked the characters as individuals but Kendra and Derek didn't spark for me.  Jenna's character flitted in and out as necessary and I found her to be nice and determined.  She wanted to protect her father at all costs and she paid the biggest price.  

The world building and character development was good and believable. I felt that the author's detailed descriptions of the setting, characters, and scenes were adequate and I was able to visualize the whole story from layouts to character details.  At certain points I felt like I was there in the story.  You'll be engaged from the very beginning.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Rating:


Review previously posted on Sapphyria's Books.


This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.


Monday, September 14, 2026

#ExclusiveExcerpt ~ Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth by Holly Bell (September 14-18, 2026) #WitchyCozyMystery #ParanormalCozyMystery #BritishUrbanFantasy #UrbanFantasyMystery @Saphs_Books


About Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth:


Amanda Cadabra’s life LOOKS perfectly normal...
But looks can be very deceiving.

In the picture-perfect English village of Sunken-Madley, a young covert witch is laying
low. Amanda Cadabra has her reasons.

Orphaned when her family’s van mysteriously plunged over a Cornish cliff many years before, Amanda is keeping herself to herself, quietly working for her grandfather’s furniture restoration company, hoping the world will leave her alone.

However, soon Amanda’s peace is disturbed by the arrival in the village of the inquisitive Inspector Trelawney, dogging her footsteps as he investigates the strange fate of her family. But the persistent detective becomes the least of her problems, as a restoration job at the Tudor manor propels the young witch into a swirl of mystery and intrigue.

Events quickly conspire to drag Amanda into the building’s murky past and its even more dangerous present. Armed only with her wits, her grumpy feline familiar, Tempest, and a wand, Amanda Cadabra is going in.

A body, ghosts, hidden passageways, and a host of unanswered questions soon emerge. Can Amanda dodge the inspector long enough to solve the Manor’s many mysteries and unravel her own past before the scandal of murder engulfs the village?

Exclusive Excerpt:

Excerpt 1 — Senara meets Trelawney

‘Fresh blood,’ observed Mrs Cadabra.
Detective Sergeant Thomas Trelawney looked at her doubtfully. She registered that he was in his late thirties, tall, light-haired, grey-suited and attractive in a manner appropriate to a policeman.
‘Do come in.’
He stepped over the threshold and into the clean, bright hall. She closed the door behind him.
Trelawney’s boss, Chief Inspector Hogarth, was on the verge of retirement and had sent his junior to acquaint himself with a case that had remained open for 28 years.
Mrs Cadabra led the way into the living room, gestured to the sergeant to sit down, then decisively pulled a photo album from one of the stacked bookshelves flanking the brick fireplace. She laid it open on his knees and pointed to a portrait of a power-dressed couple holding a baby.
‘1987. Our darling Amanda, held by my obnoxious daughter,’ she uttered in clipped tones.

Follow the tour to read exclusive excerpts, interviews, and spotlight posts:


Meet the Author:


Cat adorer and chocolate lover, British author Holly Bell’s life changed in a day. A best-
selling author friend convinced Holly that she could write cozy mysteries, after many years
experience with non-fiction, photography and video making.

Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was
the godmother of the Cozy Mystery. Her love of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings meant that
her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal. Since then, the
series has grown to include the genre of urban fantasy mystery.

Having derived immense delight from the adventure of writing Amanda Cadabra and The
Hidey-Hole Truth, its 8 sequels and 1 prequel to date, Holly has more in the pipeline, with
the 10 th book in the series now in the making. The third in the series Amanda Cadabra and
The Flawless Plan has just come out on Audible in audiobook format, joining the first two
books. The World of Amanda Cadabra shop for bookish gifts on Redbubble has just begun
rolling out its Sunken Madley School collection.

Holly lives in London, somewhere near the place that inspired her quaint, peculiar but
apparently perfectly normal fictional village. Readers will know better.

Her favourite feline is a black cat called Bobby. He is black. Like her favourite hat. Purely
coincidental.

Holly loves to hear from readers. Find her on the contact page of the amandacadabra.com
website, or on Facebook as Holly Bell Author. She always responds in person.

Links:

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

#BookReview ~ Shadow's Protection by Chelle Bliss (Hurricane Heat, Book 1) ~ #MCRomance #Romance #OneYearAnniversary

Shadow's Protection by Chelle Bliss

One Year Anniversary!

 


About the Book:

ASIN: ‎ B0F4QXCN1F
Publisher: ‎ Bliss Ink
Publication date: ‎ September 2, 2025
Print length: ‎ 302 pages
Purchase from Amazon
Add to Goodreads

About the Book:

Shadow isn’t the type to mingle with people outside his world unless they owe him or the club something. But when his eyes land on a beautiful woman in need of a place to stay, he offers her shelter from the coming storm without a second thought.

Violet James needs a fresh start. She’s planned every detail—new job, new house, new city. But the one thing she didn’t expect was a hurricane to throw a wrench into everything. Stranded in a new city with no open hotel rooms for miles, she’s intrigued when a handsome biker offers her a safe place to stay.

Shadow never expected the woman to come with baggage in the form of an obsessive ex-boyfriend who will stop at nothing to get her back, including showing up at his club’s compound.
What starts off as a little fun to pass the time as a hurricane decimates the area around them turns into something deeper than either of them could’ve imagined. And Shadow will do anything to keep Violet safe, even if that means risking his life to save hers.

My Review:

Shadow’s Protection is the first book in the Hurricane Heat MC series and what a fantastic start to a new series. I’m a huge fan of MC romance and Shadow’s Protection checked all the boxes. Broody hero. Strong heroine. Crazy ex. Full protection. I loved Shadow and Violet. I was pulled into their story and captivated by their personalities, drama, romance, and complications. Their chemistry sizzles, the passion is raw, and emotions permeate the pages. I couldn’t put this story down. Perfectly composed, paced, and written, Shadow’s Protection will pull you in and keep you engaged.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Rating:


Review previously posted on Sapphyria's Books.


This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.