SPOTLIGHT - DARK FANTASY - BOUND BEAUTY (Wylder Tales, #3) by Jennifer Silverwood

Bound Beauty

Wylder Tales, #3

by Jennifer Silverwood

Date of Publication: July 14th 2026

Genre: Dark Fantasy / Fairy Tales

Publisher: SilverWoodSketches

ISBN: 979-8186406099

ASIN: B0GY9XF3LC

Number of pages: 390

Word Count: 96,456

Cover Artist: Qamber Designs and Media

Tagline: Forgotten gods haunt her steps, and the cursed prince she left behind isn't done fighting for her soul.

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Vynasha is bound to the prince of Bitterhelm. Even if she were to die, her spirit will remain trapped with him in the castle forever. But she won't give in to Grendel without a fight. With the aid of an oracle, a witchling, and the wolf that claims her heart, Vynasha plans to claim her power as the curse breaker.

Ceddrych guards their nephew secretly while fighting to keep the feral beasts roaming their borders at bay. But the monsters are closing in, and the madness he has struggled with drives him to one desperate, unforgivable act.

A war is about to begin between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the cruel might of Bitterhelm. Beings of prophecy and legend unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a romantic gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

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Excerpt
IN A FORGOTTEN CASTLE IN WYLDERLAND…
Alone with Grendel, the man she had been tempted to love, the prince she loathed, Vynasha didn’t want to wake up. Let her sleep for a thousand years like the cursed princess, Morana. Let these walls crumble, the rose garden spread throughout the keep with thorns and vines to keep the world out forever.
“I know you are awake, Ashes.”
Vynasha opened her eyes. The prince stood before the hearth, his back to her. He hadn’t changed clothes since she had last seen him. Yet his faintly luminous skin had dimmed from bronze to the dull gray she remembered. “What happened?” she asked.
“A fever in your sleep. Odym says it was the runes.” Grendel’s shoulders hunched as he hung his head. “I should not have come, I know this. But I…” he twisted to face her. “Forgive me, Vynasha, but I cannot stay away from you any longer. I could feel your pain through the bond, yet there was nothing I could do to stop her,” he growled. “Do not ask me to leave you again, I beg of you.”
Vynasha should have been disgusted, but she was coming to accept the fact that Odym had been right. No matter how she truly felt, they needed each other. And she could not deny the way his words danced about her mind and breathed life back into her limbs.
“I wish I could tell you I was different,” he continued, “before my mother cursed me. But the truth is, I was always a monster.” Grendel drew his shoulders back and lifted his chin, pushing away from the fireplace mantel. He shook his head and held his hands before him, palms upturned. “I never wanted to be my father. I shall not make his mistakes, and so I will be honest with you, Ash. No more secrets.”
She shuddered and desperately wished she could bathe, could banish dreams of Nymwe and be rid of the prince. The dread she felt before only grew as Grendel paused, clenching his fists as though steeling himself for words he could not take back.
“I owe you everything, so much more than you know. When you willingly accepted the curse, you took some of the monster into you. I have not been forced to change into a beast ever since. It has given me time to remember myself in your absence, who I was and who I hope to be.”
Vynasha ground her sharp teeth. So they not only shared a bond with his spirit, but she had taken part of his beast? That they were forced to share something she had learned to take pride in made her ill.
Whatever he saw in her face must have pained him, enough for him to turn away. “Forgive me. I shall go. I should have never hoped…” He shook his head, dispelling whatever he might have said as he took two more steps to the door.
She traced the tip of her tongue on her lip, tasting the blood she spilled to forget. His hand was on the doorknob when she said, “Wait.” The strength behind her command surprised her and caused the prince to freeze in place.
Vynasha lifted her hand with surprising ease. “Stay?”
We need each other.
His graying skin flickered to golden life as he turned with hope burning in his violet eyes. “Always.”
At his word, his promise, Vynasha released the breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Even then, a small corner of her mind railed against her actions, at the feelings she couldn’t seem to control. It must Grendel’s influence, his feelings trickling through their bond.
This is wrong.

Still, she couldn’t deny how the persistent itch beneath her skin abated with him beside her, holding her hand. It shouldn’t have mattered. Truly, she hated how easily she gave in to these feelings. She could never tell him. Grendel had bound her life to his. Even if she were to leave, to beg the wylderfolk to take her back into their home, she would never be rid of him. And the longer she remained in the prince’s castle, the less she wanted to be free.

Author Info

Jennifer Silverwood lives in the middle of an enchanted forest surrounded by cursed books, nosy spirits, and mischievous goblins she calls her children. After beginning several nonsensical degrees, she found her calling helping other authors bring their books to life. Jennifer is the author of two fairy tale fantasy series: the Borderlands Saga and Wylder Tales. Because she wasn't satisfied writing in one genre, she also invites you to explore uncharted space with the Heaven’s Edge Novellas—and dare to fall in love again with the standalone romance titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight.

Newsletter - https://bit.ly/3TjItYg
Website - http://jennifersilverwood.com
TikTok - http://www.tiktok.com/@jennifersilverwood
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/silverwoodj
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/jennifersilverwood
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0085GOKJ8

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COVER REVEAL - ROM-COM - CAPTAIN MEETS CAPTIAN by Lottie McLaren

Captain Meets Captain

by Lottie McLaren

Publication date: November 16th 2026

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

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Atlas

Did I mean to rant on TV about the inconvenience of sharing the ice with San Jose’s brand-new women’s hockey team? 

No, of course not. I’m not an idiot, whatever my second-grade teacher might have written in my quarterly progress reports. 

But I probably should have noticed my teammates’ frantic arm movements. And I definitely shouldn’t have blurted out that I’m actually supportive of women’s hockey because I’m dating Diana Marsh, the captain of the San Jose Pumas.

Because the fact is… we’re not dating. Even if maybe, we sort of did, uh, sleep together. Before I ghosted her. 

But now our teams’ billionaire owner is eager for our ‘romance’ to be public, and since my face is all over his health app, I can’t say no to him. 

Besides, the Pumas will get publicity, and my reputation as captain of the San Jose Jackals will be salvaged. 

Hopefully. 

Once I explain the fake dating plan to Diana.

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COVER REVEAL - CONTEMPORARY LGBTQ+ - FIDNING ZAIDE by Kim Deister

Finding Zaide

by Kim Deister

Publication date: October 19th 2026

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

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Life had gotten comfortable for Amara Addison, maybe too comfortable. Fabulous job, great friends, even an amazing ex-boyfriend who was her ride or die for life. Then Zaide Rossi sauntered into her life and suddenly everything changed. But no matter how crazy life became, finding Zaide made every last moment of chaos worth it.
___

This book, from concept to edit to design, was created without the use of generative AI.

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Author Info

My name is Kim and my last name, Deister, is pronounced “Die-ster.” I always tell my husband I should have kept my married name, Ingram. So much easier to to pronounce!

I am a writer thoroughly in love with words. Reading them, writing them… I love that words can take you outside of your world and let the unimaginable become imaginable. I love them so much that I decided I needed to create some worlds and stories of my own!

Besides being a writer, I am an Army veteran (and Army wife) and a mom to four sons. I grew up in northern New York in a tiny college town called Potsdam. Over the years, our Army life has taken us all over the place and I have been lucky enough to work and live in some pretty amazing places. Right now we live in Hawaii on the island of O’ahu, minutes from the North Shore.

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - URBAN FANTASY - DEAD MAN'S TRIGGER (Max Maguire Vampire Novel, #1) by Kat Huddleston

Dead Man’s Trigger

A Max Maguire Vampire Novel, #1

by Kat Huddleston

Date of Publication: October 5th 2026

Genre: Urban Fantasy Vampire Thriller

Number of pages: 378

Word Count: 119,000

Cover Artist: BRoseDesignz

Tagline: Former Special Forces Sniper. High School History Teacher. Vampire.

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Who Knew Immortality Could Be So Short?

When high school history teacher Max Maguire begins to suspect one of his brightest students is in trouble, he ends up walking down the wrong alley. Suddenly, he's staring down the fangs of a beautiful, powerful, and utterly merciless vampire named Jade.

As Max's life takes a dark turn, he’s forced to learn how to survive in Jade's twisted world. But if Jade thinks her hostage is going to play nice, she really should have read his resume. This former Special Forces sniper might just have to dust off some very lethal muscle memory.

While Max plots exactly how to kill the most dangerous predator on the planet, he discovers there’s another group of vampires that have their own plans for Jade. Before he knows it, Max is caught in the crosshairs of a vampire war that neither side can afford to lose.

And there's one thing neither side knows... Max has a secret of his own.

CONTENT WARNING: This is NOT a romance. The novel contains mature content intended for readers 18 and older. This is a gritty, fast-paced genre hybrid combining vampires with dark urban fantasy, tactical military thriller action, and sarcastic humor, with a wisecracking protagonist at its center. There is explicit sexual material, including non-consensual sex, graphic violence, torture, adult themes, and visceral horror elements. In other words, my vampires don't sparkle.

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Excerpt from Dead Man’s Trigger

Max Maguire thought vampires were the stuff of horror movies and campfire stories. Then he was turned into one. Now he’s trapped by Jade, a beautiful and terrifying vampire who is trying to turn him into a monster. Max is discovering that being a vampire isn’t anything like the legends and that Jade will stop at nothing to break him.

He found himself falling into thoughts of the past as melancholy memories washed over him. His family, his friends, the kids at school, Crystal’s loss of a normal life, it all took hold of him while the hunger began to pound through him. The hunger that would only be satisfied at the cost of another life.

Max studied the kitchen door. Presumably it led outdoors. At least that was implied by the fake light coming through the fake window in the door. What would happen if he just opened the door and took a walk in the sun? Would the sun set him on fire or turn him into dust in an instant?

He could feel the sun just outside the door. Waiting for him. Waiting to embrace him and end the insanity. Or maybe it was all an elaborate joke. Maybe his buddies were waiting for him on the other side of the door, waiting for a big laugh at how they got him with the biggest practical joke in the history of the world. That had to be it. Vampires couldn’t really exist. Max ran his tongue over his fangs. Nope. Vampires couldn’t possibly exist.

Max felt her. Jade was standing only a few feet from him. She seemed positively overdressed in her T-shirt and jeans. The clothes didn’t quite look right on her. She looked so much better naked.

“Curious about the sun?” she asked.

“It’s not the sun. It’s just a lighting fixture that simulates the sun.”

“But the sun rests right outside this door.” Jade walked up to the door and pressed her body against it. “Can’t you feel it?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to walk out into it?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Jade turned around to face him and leaned against the door.

“It’d be so much easier, wouldn’t it?”

“Absolutely.”

She smiled easily at him. “Can I show you something?”

Max laughed. “Yet another offer I can’t refuse.”

Jade walked past him and then turned back and held out her hand. Max got up and put his hand in hers. She glanced back at him with such a magnificent smile, a lover promising sweet and loving things. He wanted to forget about the evil buried beneath her surface.

She led him to the foyer, with its grand stairway. She pulled him into an embrace and he looked down into her eyes. Max held her around the waist and he couldn’t have refused her anything at that moment. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Jade kissed him so tenderly and softly, he didn’t want the kiss to stop. Ever. But she pulled away and wistfully went to the big window.

Max knew this was the only window in the house that was real. A steel covering was lowered from some hidden place in the wall each morning before sunrise. For the first time, Max noticed that one tiny sliver of light escaped through the side of the covering. It was about half an inch around and the beam was strong, as if the sun was in just the right position to give it its maximum strength.

The beam was between Max and Jade.

“Jade, what...” he started.

She slowly shook her head and put her finger up to her lips signaling him to be silent.

She held her hand out and waited for Max to take it. Now Max understood. It was another lesson. Max smiled and took her hand. Jade let the light slide over her hand as she pulled Max’s hand toward it. She stopped and held her hand steady in the beam with Max’s hand less than an inch away from the light. He’d almost expected her hand to burst out into flames, but there was no change in the appearance of the skin or sign that she was suffering any kind of discomfort.

However, somehow Max knew when she began to tug on his hand he was going to have a different reaction to the tiny spot of sunlight. As his hand entered the light, he instantly felt a burning sensation. He flinched, trying to pull his hand away, but she held onto him keeping his hand steady. Finally, she stopped. The beam immediately began burning through his forearm like acid. Max felt the flesh begin to burn and burst into flames catching his shirt on fire. Teeth clenched, Max refused to scream as the fire danced over his skin.

He let his mind go someplace, as he’d learned all those years ago to do. It was Japan this time during the 1600s when peace was established under the Tokugawa shoguns after constant warfare. The pain ripped through his arm, but he held on to the shoguns. He wasn’t going to give in.

Max knew when some evil son of a bitch wanted to hurt you, you just couldn’t let them win. He unclenched his teeth and let his eyes bore into hers.

Author Info

Kat Huddleston is a Chicago-based writer, teacher and artist who loves all things sci-fi. She was an entertainment journalist for the Syfy Channel’s website and for Sci Fi Magazine a while ago, and has always had a deep addiction to writing, teaching and creating art.

Kat is an award-winning painter and fused glass artist who taught fused glass, and her art can be found in several galleries.

While Kat has mostly lived in a fantasy land, she’s made a living as a journalist and dabbled in short story and screenplay writing. 

Dead Man’s Trigger is Kat’s first novel in the Max Maguire Vampire series.

Kat lives with her two helper cats, Jax and Nicky.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Kat Huddleston . . . 

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?

I have a degree in Journalism from Northern Illinois University and I wrote for the Syfy Channel’s website and for Sci Fi Magazine as an entertainment journalist for a couple decades. My writing style is pretty straight forward and accessible. I like to combine dark supernatural action with humor, build strong character relationships and focus on emotionally direct storytelling. I also often write from a male protagonist’s POV. I don’t know why, it just seems natural to me.

Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

Dead Man’s Trigger: A Max Maguire Vampire Novel is book 1 in the series. I’m working on Book 2, which is Kill Radius, and that will open up Max’s story even more. I also have an outline of Book 3, Terminal Eclipse. Beyond the Max Maguire Vampire series, I’m putting together a non-fiction book about my book publishing journey called 30 Days or Die! How Not to Fall off the Amazon Cliff. And I have another book series in the works called The Jake Casper Supernatural Mysteries. So there’s a bunch of projects in the works.

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?

This year, I’d like to find a narrator for Dead Man’s Trigger for an audio book. And also get a good draft on the non-fiction book. By this time next year, I’m hoping to have book 2 published.

If you could spend one-week with 5 fictional characters, who would they be and where would you spend that time?

I’ve been reading all The Dresden Files and the Joe Ledger series of books. So Harry Dresden and Joe Ledger, although I suspect the entire week would be end of the world action stuff, so it’d be pretty exciting and scary. I think early Anita Blake would be fascinating, as well as Sookie Stackhouse. And I think Lestat from Interview with a Vampire. And wouldn’t Buffy the Vampire Slayer be fun too. They’re all pretty much trouble magnets so it would be a busy week.

If you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern, and spend one full year. Where would you go and what would you do with this time? Outer Space. I’m a scifi girl. I’d like to travel to distant planets and hang out with the Firefly crew as they got into trouble. So add Captain Malcolm Reynolds and the crew to the fictional characters above.

https://www.facebook.com/SciFiKat/ 

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COVER REVEAL - CONTEMPORARY - GRAY MATTERS by Jessica Buss

Gray Matters

by Jessica Buss

Release Date: October 19th 2026

Cover Design: 907 Publishing, LLC

Genre/Tropes: Medical Romance; Off limits; Sunshiny dental hygienist with brain tumor vs. OCD Neurosurgeon; Instant connection; One kiss changes everything; Gold retriever vibes 

Destined to be together, an extremely driven neurosurgeon and a smiley dental hygienist have their meet-cute in her ICU room after she undergoes a craniotomy. At first glance, the attraction he feels for her is unmistakable. They share a connection that’s more than just physical. Thankfully, she isn’t his patient.

After several chance run-ins, Grayson learns how incredible Kaitlyn is. She’s not like anyone else he’s ever met. From their first kiss, he knows one thing: what’s happening between them is something special. He wants more, but does she feel the same?

Kaitlyn knows Dr. Grayson Michaels is different, but to her, pursuing something with him rides the line of being taboo. He works with her doctor, but that fact doesn’t diminish her excitement when he asks her out. The chemistry between them is stifling, and stretches beyond anything cellular. She wants to explore it, but will he?

“Their story wrecked me in the best possible way. Their romance will live in your heart long after you read the last page.” ~ Lorey Loves to Read

“Couldn't put this book down. Loved every second.” ~ Goodreads/DG

“There were scenes that made me smile, and others where I was literally holding my breath because I needed to know what happened next. It was nice to read a story that didn’t take that predictable turns if you know what I mean 😉 Would absolutely recommend reading this one! If you enjoy small-town romance, medical, emotional storytelling, and a story that grabs you from the very beginning, definitely add this to your TBR!” ~ GoodReads/Stephanie

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