#blogtour Cressidas Circle  by Mikala Ash

Steampunk Adventure Romance

Date Published: September 11, 2026

In a world overthrown by witchcraft, a giant love has been lost. Can
Cressida be saved?

 

Mourning the loss of her husband, Cressida Troy is on her way to Earth. Her
mission; to meet the Queen of England and cement relations between the
Lunarians and humans to present a united front in the approaching war with the
Martians. For Cressida, the mission has a much deeper and personal meaning.
Being human, as well as the Lunarian Empress, Cressida is plagued by doubt and
guilt and seeks redemption for what is seen by many as the betrayal of her
species. Matters are complicated when she is kidnapped by the pernicious
witch, Lady Neva, who is hell-bent on revenge against Queen Victoria. Armed
with unlimited magical power, Lady Neva is planning to usurp the crown and
rule both Earth and space.

Meanwhile Jacob McLeary, Cressida’s former fiancé, is under the
watchful and lascivious eye of Lavinia Branscombe, a Lunarian agent. Knowledge
of the dark secret at the heart of the Lunarian society fuels Jacob’s
loathing of the aliens, but with so much at stake, can love overcome the
barrier of hate? Will Cressida find redemption?

EXCERPT

 

Like a child’s toy, the cradle of humanity filled the bridge windows
with brilliant colour: blue, green, and brown, flecked with white, a gemstone
set against the black velvet of space. If only people could know how
insignificant this world was in the scheme of things, floating silently in the
incomprehensible emptiness.

Pointless philosophising distracted me for only a moment. My heart trembled
with anticipation. I was nearly home.

The Lunarian crew, in their natural form, goblin like, winged with leathery
skin and large bright eyes, ignored my presence, as they should. Though they
were experienced, with hundreds of trips behind them, piloting a spacecraft
was not something to be taken lightly, especially with me on board creating
the expectation that everything should be executed perfectly.

I would have put them at ease, but that would have been churlish of me, I
realised. They wanted to impress me, and lowering expectations would have been
like a slap in the face, a sign of patronising condescension on my part. Not
an endearing action no matter how well intended.

I turned my thoughts back to the sparkling globe before us, and the people who
awaited me. I’d read how the ancients believed that the souls of the
dead fled their bodies and ascended to the moon, a way station before
reincarnation, or their ultimate disposition in paradise or the underworld.
Little did they contemplate that souls from that grey desert of a world would
descend upon the Earth and conquer it.

I had to be careful how I approached not just the Queen, and her parliament,
but most importantly the bureaucracy which ruled from the shadows and exerted
more power than she could ever hope to wield. I hoped they understood we
humans were a conquered species. Of course, behind the mask of cheerful
bonhomie and expressions of respect as they delivered begrudging cooperation,
there would be fear and hatred. From that febrile soup simple
misunderstandings could bubble up and poison the nascent relationship.

The politicians had wanted a state visit to impress everyone with the
importance of our relationship, and to thank me for using our power to save
them from their European enemies. Though our reasons differed, I agreed with
Her Majesty that ostentatious displays of pomp and ceremony were unnecessary.
She wanted to maintain her image of the Warrior Queen and didn’t want to
share the adoration of the crowds as the saviour of the Empire. She feared the
loss of face if I was seen as an equal.

I wanted none of that either, feeling as disloyal as I did for my part in what
was fundamentally the takeover of her empire. I requested a low-key, quiet
visit. A gentle introduction back into human society. One in which I would not
feel such a fraud. With Her Majesty’s relieved endorsement, my desire
had carried the day.

The other vexed issue was the taking of her son the Prince of Wales by Lady
Neva. I had to placate and convince her that we were doing everything we could
to return him to her. Though she detested the Prince — after all he had been
intimately involved in several assassination attempts, and she had come so
close to strangling him with her own hands — he was her son.

Randolf, my bodyguard and general factotum on this mission, floated at my
side. “My lady,” he said softly into my ear. “Amanda has
prepared a meal.”

“Thank you, Randolf.” I had skipped breakfast, and as always, my
body servant had correctly anticipated my needs. I was indeed feeling hungry.

Randolf was a handsome, powerfully built, athletic man. His bright azure eyes
reminded me so much of Jacob’s. My body stirred, my nipples hardened,
and my quim throbbed. He and his female counterpart, the stunningly beautiful
Amanda, had pleasured me delightfully and often since we had left the moon,
and I had gratefully surrendered myself to them. That train of thought pushed
the need for food aside. I wanted to be pleasured again.

I took Randolf’s proffered hand, and we glided to the access chute that
led “down” to the passenger quarters. His body heat pulsed through
his tunic and through my gown to warm my flesh. He wore no pants, and his
stiff cock swayed enticingly as he propelled himself before me. Amanda was
awaiting us, naked and undeniably aroused, the nipples of her ample breasts
pink and erect. I gave her an encouraging smile to confirm my thoughts were of
a similar nature.

Being firm, she countermanded my desire with the advice that I needed
sustenance. She offered a full English breakfast: steaming scrambled eggs,
kippers, ham, bacon, and sausages, kidneys, mushrooms, and fried tomatoes. A
feast for a multitude. With a petulant pout, I took a dainty bite of each and
finished with a cup of tea and a slice of toast. I’d maintained a
salacious gaze which lingered on her almond-shaped eyes and gave rise to a
pink flush to her cheeks. When I’d finished, I gracefully dabbed my
mouth with a napkin and took Randolf’s cock in hand.

“Keep the food warm, and join us,” I told Amanda. “I may eat
some more later. My current appetite, though, is for the diverting pleasures
of unbridled fornication.”

Making love when one has no weight, once the initial challenges are overcome,
is a sublime enterprise, more like an ethereal ballet of the most intimate
kind. Holding your partner in a close embrace, limbs entwined, his cock held
snugly by one’s tight sheath, so that you become as one, spinning,
rotating, pirouetting like a ballerina celebrating a mind-shattering climax.

 

About the Author

Aussie Mikala Ash used to be a mild-mannered training & development
consultant by day, and a wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night.
Now she is a brazen full-time writer and nature photographer who is
concentrating on having among other things, “… bags, and bags of
fun!” Mikala can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

Author on Twitter


Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress


RABT Book Tours & PR

#blogtour Dark Ugly Places by  Ashley Mansour

Some wounds don’t heal. They take over.

A Beverly Hills psychological thriller about grief, female
rage, fractured identity, and revenge.

Dark Ugly Places

by Ashley Mansour

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Domestic Suspense

Some wounds don’t
heal. They fester. They whisper. They take over.

In Dark Ugly Places, trauma isn’t something you
survive — it’s something that survives you.

Thirty-four-year-old Nicola Holiday loses everything in a
hit-and-run: her husband dead, her body broken, her fourteen-year-old daughter
Emmy forever changed. With no one held accountable, she spirals into grief,
panic attacks, and financial ruin — awakening a hereditary darkness she’s spent
her life trying to outrun.

That darkness has a voice now. Her name is Martha, and she
aches for revenge.

As Nicola’s grip on reality loosens, Martha slips into
another life — one of wealth, glamour, and moral rot. When she crosses paths
with the wife of a famous actor, Nicola’s suspicions ignite.

Pulled between vengeance and annihilation, Nicola and Martha
collide with a woman whose secrets may be the key to everything — or the thing
that destroys them both.

Dark, provocative, and deeply unsettling — a haunting
psychological portrait of female rage, obsession, and the terrifying lengths
the mind will go to survive unbearable pain.

Because sometimes the most dangerous place isn’t the past.
It’s inside your own head.

 

“A suspenseful and relentless tale of troubled
Californians.”

– Kirkus Reviews

 

“A tense, viciously readable psychological thriller about
the violence that lurks beneath polished surfaces.”

 – BookLife Reviews

 

“With fast-paced thrills and gripping psychological drama,
Ashley Mansour’s Dark Ugly Places serves up vengeance for morally complex
characters.” – Indiereader

 

**Releases September 15 – PreOrder Now!**

Amazon * Author’s Site * Apple
* B&N
* Google
* Kobo * Bookshop.org
* Bookbub
* Goodreads

 



PROLOGUE

No one likes to be kept in the dark.

In the dark, everything is murky, even the Los Angeles sky.

But the day of Nicola’s accident, I had a pretty clear view of
things. It tends to be that way—clear—when Nicola isn’t.

Nicola, Ben, and their daughter, Emmy, were walking holding
hands, something the three of them hadn’t done since Emmy was a little kid. I
felt the itch in Nicola’s palm, like she didn’t want to hold hands. But Emmy
insisted. She was between them, arms outstretched, making that little humming
sound she sometimes made when she was nervous or lost in thought. Ben walked on
slightly ahead, his head down, eyes focused on the phone in his hand. I could
almost hear his teeth grinding.

Up ahead, the road was clear. The sun covered everything in
butter-yellow light. Crows perched in the bare-barked trees and made long,
scratchy cries like a group of smokers laughing. They rustled leaves and
crossed the pavement before them. But the trees were still, like the air had
been sucked out of the city. Up ahead, the road was clear.

The three of them approached the corner, Emmy and Nicola
chatting aimlessly. Ben narrowed his eyes and squinted at the screen as if the
sky was too bright. He stepped out into the road first. Emmy, next. She skipped
slightly—braids flying—and pulled her mom’s arm.

Nicola looked up and saw one of the crows overhead, its beak
open, making a dreadful sound. When she looked back at the road, her gut pinged
with a horrible dread she couldn’t place.

Then she—we—saw it.

From the middle distance, something large and hurtled into
view, its body glinting in the sun. Emmy screamed. Nicola tried to pull her
back, but one by one, her fingers slipped out of her grasp.

It was too late.

Nicola’s body collided with the big, thing, and in the
next moment, she was airborne, tumbling through the air as if she had been
taken by a tornado. Her thoughts spiraled with her, spinning out of control.

I’m going to die.

I’m going to live.

Don’t let me die.

I’m going to die.

She kept spiraling, around and around, until I stopped her with
a simple suggestion: Breathe, Nicola. Breathe. We have this power, those of us
who live in the darkness.

The asphalt grated her spine. It must have hurt, but Nicola did
not cry. Perhaps because the air was too full of Emmy’s screams.

She rolled to her left, her left arm pinned against her chest
like a piece of limp fabric. Her left leg lay stretched out before her
perfectly straight, but dead. Cold. Frozen in place. She rolled to her side and
saw Emmy, blood coating half of her face as though she were wearing a mask.
Five feet away, Ben lay in the road unmoving, his body contorted, his face
turned away.

Overhead, the stretch of blue sky angled down Beverly Boulevard
and went on forever. Cars passed, some honking, others slowing to stop and help
or to get a better look. Nicola grunted and heaved herself along the ground,
her jaw gritting with pain. She reached for Emmy, reached for Ben.

The body of the car stirred. A door opened. A black
polished shoe emerged onto the asphalt as the driver leaned out, then
disappeared again as the door shut. I heard the engine as the car started and
rolled backwards, slow at first, then picking up speed until it was gone.

 



Ashley Mansour writes dark, cinematic psychological suspense
and domestic suspense about dangerous relationships, buried truths, and the
chaos waiting beneath the surface of ordinary lives.

#blogtour The Human Language by Penny Newton Hurley

Develop psychological safety, improve your relationships, transform your
life. Launching The MECAnism, a practical framework

Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Business, Parenting, Mind/Body/Soul,
Inspirational

Date Published: September 2026

Publisher: Serapis Bey Publishing

 


TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE WITH THE WAY YOU SPEAK

As human beings, we have a deep need for social connection, yet our primitive
fight-or-flight response can be a major barrier to achieving it, leading to
misunderstanding, conflict and disconnection.

Fortunately, there is a solution.

The Human Language delivers a compelling message. By replacing our habitual,
learned patterns of communication we can experience greater understanding,
empathy and connection in our relationships, transforming our lives.

Through easy-to-follow chapters, this book introduces The MECAnism, to calm
your instinctive reactions, gain emotional clarity and develop psychological
safety. It gives you the practical tools and techniques to listen, speak and
act in your daily life with compassion, for yourself and others, enabling you
to meet your needs with confidence.


“I will recommend using The Human Language 1000 times. It helps me
verbalise my feelings and work through moments of overwhelm. There are
applications across all areas of life.It can, and will be, a transformative
book.”

Pam Bryant, Oxford, UK


“Penny uses just enough science to help the reader understand why they behave
the way they do while focusing on simple techniques to get to the heart of
change.


The Human Language should be required reading for anybody who has to work or
live with other people, which is most of us.”

Diana D’Ascoli, Philadelphia, US

About the Author

 

 Penny Newton-Hurley is the founder of CommPassion Ltd. She has worked with
large private organisations in the UK and globally, and in the public sector
across the areas of government, military, healthcare and education for more
than 30 years. CommPassion provides training in interpersonal communication
skills, resolving conflict between individuals and building psychological
safety within teams for higher workplace and relationship performance.

In 2025, her company launched their first four online courses, taking their
expertise and experience from the world of business directly to individuals in
all areas of their lives. This book reveals the details behind her courses and
supports the learning of improved communications skills.

Communication has been a fascination for Penny since childhood, when she spoke
with her father in Morse Code! After a few exciting years spent working in
International Marketing, Penny had an opportunity to be involved in the
nascent field of Internal Communication where she began to understand the
importance of humanto-human connection in the workplace. In 2005, she was
introduced to the teachings of nonviolent communication. From that moment on,
it became her purpose to spread this message as far as possible, a mission to
change the way we talk and listen and communicate with each other; to change
the way the world speaks.

Today, she is a trainer of compassionate communication techniques, Workplace
Mediator, Certified Psychological Safety Facilitator with the Fearless
Organisation; as well as a UK Samaritans Listening Volunteer. Penny holds a BA
(Combined Honours) in Modern Languages (French/Spanish) with Politics,
Economics and Linguistics.

 

Contact Links

Website

Instagram: @pennynewtonhurley

Facebook: Penny Newton-Hurley

LinkedIn: Penny Newton-Hurley

TikTok: @pennynewtonhurley

YouTube: Penny Newton-Hurley

Purchase Today

RABT Book Tours & PR

#blogtour Fluentin Faux Pas by Daniela Hristova

A Guide to Accidentally Getting Everything Wrong

Memoir, Non-Fiction

Date Published: September 7, 2026

Two degrees. Zero English.

A night shift in an abandoned psychiatric hospital.

You learn to laugh. Fast.

Arriving in England for a fresh start, the author quickly discovers that the
English language is a minefield of polite confusion, baffling idioms, and
linguistic traps. Without the vocabulary to express who she is, daily life
becomes a high-stakes game of translation roulette at the absolute bottom of
the career ladder.

Spanning decades through the beating heart of the British workforce—from
factory lines and catering at Heathrow to securing film sets and government
buildings—her biggest opponent isn’t the long hours; it’s the English
dictionary.

Navigating professional environments with a mismatched vocabulary leads to
spectacular, unintentional blunders. From mixing up sound-alike words to
translating idioms far too literally, every shift becomes a lesson in how
easily things get lost in translation.

Yet, behind the comedy lies a deeply personal struggle: the quiet isolation of
startincover. When pressure peaks, remarkable encounters and a profound return
to faith offer a path to true transformation.

Fluent in Faux Pas is a warm, witty, and wonderfully honest memoir—a
celebratory story of resilience and an inspiring reminder that the best parts
of life are often found when we are completely lost in translation.

About the Author

 

 Daniela Hristova arrived in the UK with an English vocabulary consisting of
little more than “teabag” and a background as a multi-media journalist,
actress, and singer who had spent years working in television, radio,
newspaper, and stage in her home country. With a diverse professional journey
that later ranged from wielding a mop to building a career in leadership and
court security, she has navigated life’s twists with a steady faith, a sharp
eye, and a wonderfully dry sense of humor. Channeling her unique experiences
and cultural blunders into the written word, she has penned a witty tribute to
the resilience it takes to start over. When she isn’t writing or tackling new
adventures, she enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, Dea. Fluent
in Faux Pas is her debut memoir.

 

Contact Link

BookBuzz

Purchase Link

Amazon

RABT Book Tours & PR

#blogtour Turtle Lake by Robert Milne

 

Crime Thriller / Suspense

Date Published: 09-07-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

Turtle Lake is a gripping tale of revenge, survival, and the intricate
interplay between human nature and the natural world. The story follows Jim
Peters, the comptroller at Ramsey Motors, who uncovers a corrupt scheme by the
company and its insurer, U.S. Underwriters, to defraud employees of their
retirement and insurance benefits before moving operations overseas.
Infuriated, he devises an elaborate extortion plan to expose their corruption
and protect the employees through a spectacular plot that ends up achieving
national headlines. To accomplish his plan, Peters uses simple, everyday
methods and lessons learned from alpha predators in the natural world.

About the Author

Bob Milne has been hailed throughout his 60-year career as one of the
best ragtime/boogie-woogie piano players of all time. A solo concert
performer, he traveled all over the world playing for dignitaries and
celebrities as well as small town audiences. He was given the title of
National Treasure by the Library of Congress and deemed an Ambassador of Music
by the U.S. Department of State.

Bob’s extraordinary musical abilities were the subject of numerous brain
studies, which have inspired a popular RadioLab podcast.

Little did they know that Bob was also a talented writer.

For years he wrote articles about his saloon-playing days for music
publications. Many of these stories were compiled into a book called The
Journeyman Piano Player: Adventures in Gracious Dining. Bob has written reams
of poetry, some of which became lyrics to songs that he composed. The longest
piece of poetry he ever wrote was the lyric book for The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow, a grand opera he composed and orchestrated.

Mr. Milne has been fascinated by nature his entire life. At a young age he
realized that instincts are present in all species of birds, mammals
(including humans), and literally every living thing in nature. He has used
this information countless times over his lifetime to predict what the human
species will do in future situations.

Bob is now retired from the long piano tours and is enjoying his woodland
home. Today he spends his time studying nature in the woods. Signed copies of
his book may be purchased through his website.

Contact Links

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/TurtleLake

Amazon

RABT Book Tours & PR

#bookreview Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes

Synopsis:

Gabby’s world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents’ arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer, and words that carried her away might allow her to soar. Written in vivid, accessible poems, this remarkable verse novel is a celebration of imagination, of friendship, of one girl’s indomitable spirit, and of a teacher’s ability to reach out and change a life.

Review:

This was an okay quick read. It’s about a young girl named Gabby who needed an escape from her parents arguments and she falls into daydreaming. Her new teacher at school actually encourages the daydreams and asks her to write them down. Turns out Gabbys daydreams paid off because it turned her into a really good writer. 

This story is written in verse one of my favorite writing formats. But overall very quick just under 100 pages.

Rating:

3 ⭐⭐⭐