Author: sharisakurai

Shari Sakurai is a British author of paranormal, horror, science fiction and fantasy novels that almost always feature a LGBT protagonist and/or antagonist. She has always loved to write and it is her escape from the sometimes stressful modern life! Aside from writing, Shari enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to (loud!) music, going to rock concerts and learning more about other societies and cultures. Japanese culture is of particular interest to her and she often incorporates Japanese themes and influences into her work. Shari loves a challenge and has taken part and won the National Novel Writing Month challenge ten times!

New Release Blitz: Dream Swimmers by Jo Carthage

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Title: Dream Swimmers

Series: The War Between Cedar and Oak, Book Two

Author: Jo Carthage

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 07/29/2025

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male, Female/Female/Male (Female/Female interaction)

Length: 47400

Genre: Historical Fantasy, anti-colonialism, bisexual, conflict, dark lord, dark prince, East Africa, Fantasy, historical fiction/1800s, hurt/comfort, insurgents, lesbian/sapphic, lit/genre fiction, mages/magic users, pirates, porqué no los dos, romance, sexual assault, torture/whips, woman mage, Yemen

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Description

Every night, Noor saves a drowning prince.

In her dreams, she finds him drifting deeper, ever farther from the midnight stars of a half-remembered Gaza. She hauls him to the surface, forces him to breathe, to talk, to tell her where he is.

He doesn’t know.

Noor awakens on the Cormorant, a once-and-future pirate ship searching for Rami, the former prince of Yemen whom she aims to rescue from his British captors before it’s too late. While Rami fights to survive the secret British prison, Noor will have to use her magic, cunning, and skill to find him. But she won’t be alone. Her found family is with her. Lovers, inventors, pirates, rebels, and deserters, they all must come together as they hunt the Arabian Sea for the lost prince.

Dream magic connects Noor and Rami, but in the end, what saves him won’t be magic or science or even love, but the stars themselves.

Dream Swimmers is book two in the War Between Cedar and Oak Quartet and reading the books in order is advised.

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Book Review: The Power of Three by Teri Polen

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The Teller family believe their financial fortunes are finally changing for the better when they inherit a large centuries old property, which has been the home to generations of Tellers before them. However, with the house comes a vengeful spirit who has vowed to destroy the entire Teller line. Brothers Beck, Gid and Lex soon learn that they are the only ones who can put an end to the curse and save their family from following the same fate as their ancestors before them.
As the paranormal activity ramps up and becomes increasingly threatening, the brothers begin to uncover the mystery that will be the key to saving them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping and page turning young adult novel. It immediately reminded me of everything I loved from the genre growing up and once I started reading it, I found it impossible to put down.

The Teller family’s bond was powerful, and it was clear how much their loved each other, but there was enough sparring and quips between the siblings to craft believable relationships. The origin of the curse was well developed and incorporated plenty of supernatural lore as well as a few new twists.

Each family member had their own unique strengths that contributed to the battle against Cora. There was plenty of well-crafted action scenes balanced with time taken to build on existing relationships and create new ones.

Lovers of the paranormal and young adult genres will enjoy The Power of Three as much as I did!

New Release Blitz: Black Leather Night by Will Okati

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Title: Black Leather Night

Author: Will Okati

Cover Art: Bryan Keller

Genres: Action Adventure, Box Sets, Dark Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Paranormal, Romance, Sci-Fi

Themes: 2nd Chance Romance, Alternative Universe, Dark Romance, LGBTQ+ Gay, New Adult, Second Edition, Vampires, Voyeurism and Exhibitionism

Series: Dante’s World (#6)

Book Length: Box Set

Page Count: 299

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Synopsis

Dante’s World. A dystopian off planet colony where life is hard and the supernatural exists side by side with everyday drama — or not so everyday. Joy and pleasure must be paid for at a high price, and to feed from a human means death — or worse.

But sometimes the line is crossed, and vampires fall in love with mortal men — or men lose their hearts to the nightwalkers. Anything can happen, and often does…

Publisher’s Note: Black Leather Night and Other Tales includes the previously published novellas Black Leather Night, Into the Shadows, The Hunter, Tale of the Night, Memory, Don’t Look Now, Sixty-Nine Reasons, and Missing Pieces.

Continue reading “New Release Blitz: Black Leather Night by Will Okati” →

Book Review: Artemis by Andy Weir

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I thoroughly enjoyed this action packed thriller set on the fictional lunar city of Artemis.

Artemis has its own economy and like on Earth there are rich and poor elements of society. The protagonist Jazz is in the latter category.  As well as her day job, she works as a smuggler procuring banned items for the city’s inhabitants. Unable to refuse the offer of a lifetime, when a job turns bad Jazz finds herself on the run from assassins whilst trying to fix the mess she has made.

This novel would translate well into a TV series. It has everything; action, thrills, mystery, a strong female lead and a great cast of supporting characters!

Book Blast: Death & Maia by A.C. Jolly

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BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Death & Maia

Author and Publisher: A. C. Jolly

Cover Artist: Alyssa Winans

Release Date: April 24, 2025

Tense/POV: first person, present tense, single POV.

Genres: FF Dark Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal

Tropes: Fated mates

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: Approx 35 000 words/184 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited and Paperback

Amazon US | Amazon UK | BookShop.org

Can love truly conquer death when mortality stands in the way?

Blurb

A lush, sapphic romantasy.

In the shadowed streets of plague-ridden Athens, Maia lies on the brink of death. When the grim reaper appears to claim her, Maia makes a bold request: a kiss.

Ancient and enigmatic, Lady Death has guided countless souls into the unknowable afterlife. But Maia is different. Her resilience and humour—and that kiss—awaken a desire that Death has never known. What begins as a moment of terrified curiosity deepens into a passion as tender as it is consuming.

Continue reading “Book Blast: Death & Maia by A.C. Jolly” →

Book Blast: The Man in Black by L.R. Liverpool

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BOOK BLAST

Book Title: The Man in Black

Author: L.R. Liverpool

Publisher: Black Cab Productions / Texas Poetrope

Cover Artist: Gabriel Sanche

Release Date: November 22, 2022

Tense/POV: First person, past tense, single POV

Genres: MM Historical Romance/Thriller

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, dangerous environment, solving mysteries

Themes: Old West, outlaws, mysterious pursuer, hurt/comfort, murders, emotional traumas, scary dreams

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 897 pages in Kindle format

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Smashwords | Google | Apple | Kobo

Indigo | Angus& Robertson

Who will be safe when a dream figure becomes real?

Blurb

Naive dreamer Fenimore James goes west to become a famous outlaw, but his fantasies of glamorous robberies quickly evaporate when he joins the Red Evans gang, finding himself caught in a strange and bloody game, where gang members are suddenly being murdered one-by-one at the hand of a mysterious pursuer, who leaves cryptic signs scarifying their bodies. As his nights become plagued by a bizarre dream figure––the Man In Black, he also begins to question his sexuality, falling for a fellow male gang member, whom he feared just recently.

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New Release: The 39 Steps: A Contemporary Reimagining by L M Somerton

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NEW RELEASE

Book Title: The 39 Steps: A Contemporary Reimagining

Author: L M Somerton

Publisher: Totally Entwined

Cover Artist: Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Release Date: May 20, 2025

Tense/POV: third person, present tense

Genres: Contemporary MM Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Tropes: Peril, self-sacrifice, accidental hero

Themes: Saving the world

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 50 955 words

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

First for Romance | Pride Publishing

Uncover the conspiracy, outrun the enemy, and trust no one—survival is the ultimate test.

Blurb

Oberon Wycherley never thought his dull London life could take a deadly turn—until a frantic neighbour, American journalist Art Carew, claims to have uncovered an international conspiracy. A Greek industrialist is marked for assassination by a shadowy cabal called the Black Stone and that’s only the beginning.

When Carew is found dead in his flat, Oberon finds himself the prime suspect—and the only one who can stop the plot. Fleeing to the rugged Scottish Highlands, Oberon must decipher Carew’s cryptic notebook while dodging assassins and evading the police. Along the way, he forms an unlikely partnership with the enigmatic Syd Whatten, a man whose charm is matched only by his secrets.

As the Black Stone’s sinister plan accelerates, Oberon and Syd race against time to unmask the conspirators. From explosive escapes to a high-stakes standoff on a storm-battered coastline, every step brings them closer to the truth—and deeper into danger.

Will they foil the plot in time? Or will Oberon become another casualty of a deadly game?

A gripping blend of espionage, danger, and unexpected alliances, The 39 Steps will leave you breathless to the last page.

Continue reading “New Release: The 39 Steps: A Contemporary Reimagining by L M Somerton” →