by Philip Eliot | Dec 18, 2025 | Contemporary Romance |
Mamma Mia meets The Bachelorette after a romance author’s viral dating confession sets off a holiday showdown when three exes crash her Christmas retreat, determined to win her back. From Karen Schaler, a Christmas romance bestselling author and the Emmy Award-winning writer of Netflix, Hallmark, and Lifetime holiday movies.“A wonderful festive setting…The cast is charming and the atmosphere’s enchanting.” – Publishers WeeklyBestselling romance author Riley Reynolds built her brand on love, but lately she’s single, out of inspiration, and her latest books are falling flat. When her agent pushes her to host a holiday fan retreat at Christmas Lake Lodge, Riley’s forced to fake festive cheer.When a live TV interview backs her into a corner about how she can write about love when she hasn’t found “the one,” Riley blurts out that her past relationships inspired her books. The host twists her words into her having one great love. The clip goes viral, and suddenly the internet’s obsessed with finding the mystery man.Riley’s three exes each think it’s them. They all crash her retreat, determined to win her back, sparking a full-blown Bachelorette-style competition, with outrageous Christmas dates and a blizzard of unresolved feelings.How can she choose? Every date feels like déjà vu, every kiss a question mark. For once, Riley can’t write her way to the perfect ending. This Christmas she has to live it, changing everything she believes about second chances.BONUS CONTENT: Christmas Ever After includes an exclusive excerpt from Schaler’s royal rom-com, A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale, along with delicious exclusive Christmas recipes and holiday activities.Full of humor, heart, and hope, Christmas Ever After is perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Jenny Hale, Susan Mallery, RaeAnne Thayne, and Sarah Morgan.READERS LOVE KAREN SCHALER’S FEEL-GOOD CHRISTMAS ROMANCE CHRISTMAS EVER AFTER!“Karen Schaler writes stories that are bursting with Christmas charm!” —Jenny Hale, USA Today bestselling author“This is potentially the best Christmas book that I have ever read. It is a Hallmark movie meets the Bachelorette. It has an amazing cast of characters, a sweet romance, a beautiful small town and Christmas magic. I would love to see this as a movie, it is sure to be a fan favorite.” – Denise, NetGalley“Get ready for an explosion of Christmas cheer! Christmas Ever After is an abundantly fun and heartwarming Christmas romance! I loved reading about all the special Christmas activities. Kudos to Comet, the dog who was always there to save the day. I loved this story!” – Margie, NetGalley“I could not have loved this book more. Seriously, go buy this right now if you love Christmas and romance! The characters were amazing, the feel-good Christmas spirit was everywhere!” –BreeAnn, NetGalley“Well this is definitely a 5-star Christmas themed read…It would make a perfect Christmas movie!” –Claire, NetGalley“Christmas Ever After is a funny, uplifting, and heartfelt Christmas romance about finding your Christmas spirit, possible second chances in love, and finding a love “spark”, that proves that anything is possible at Christmas.” Stacy, NetGalley“This book was perfect. The setting was magical. A real love story. I loved the traditions, the recipes, and the crazy sweaters. Need a lift? This might help.” – Mary Ann, NetGalley
by Philip Eliot | Dec 18, 2025 | Cozy Mystery |
Get Up and GhostUSA TODAY Bestselling Author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson introduces another midlife psychic medium into her book portfolio with newbie medium, Chantilly Adair. In this first installment, a trip down a flight of stairs and a bump on the head give Chantillythe gift. Now she’s seeing spirits hanging from rafters and rushing home to make her son dinner.Pour yourself a cup of tea and sit tight, because I’ve got a crazy ghost story for you. Truth is, it’s not a story. It’s reality. My reality.I’ve got a secret – I can see ghosts. It’s been that way ever since I took a fall down a flight of stairs and hit my head on the fancy marble floor of the Castleberry Historical Society. Since then, these apparitions just keep showing up, and they’ve got some hefty demands.One ghost in particular haunts the local BBQ joint in our quant small-town, which, in her defense, used to be her house. She’s been dangling from a rafter ever since her father found her there over one hundred years before. Nobody but me seems to see her, and figuring out what she wants is no easy task. But when the restaurant owner is found dead, and I was the last person with him, I need my ghostly ally to help me track down the real killer. The only way to do that is to uncover the truth about her own untimely demise.These days, my life is a juggling act between raising my tween son alone (while his father cozies up with the woman who wrecked my life), my new job managing the historical society, and the ghosts that haunt me twenty-four-seven. Talk about a sudden midlife change! At least there’s a charming detective who gets my heart racing every time I see him. But I’ve got a job to do, and I won’t let any distractions get in the way. (Maybe) And I’m not doing it alone. My new friends, a crowd of eccentric Southern ladies (one who only wears Dolly Parton wigs), help me solve these ghostly crimes while gathering at the town’s gossip hub, the Community Café.I’m Chantilly Adair, and I’m your connection to the dead.If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries with a touch of the paranormal, and middle aged amateur sleuths, then the first book in my series, the Midlife in Castleberry Cozy Mystery, is right up your alley.Ghosts are People tooWelcome to Castleberry, Georgia where the tea is sweet, and ghosts are everywhere.There’s nothing like a surprise reunion with your best friend!But the bag full of cash she brings along, as well as her husband’s corpse sure put a damper on the celebration.Now I’m stuck solving a murder for which said bestie’s been accused. I know she’s innocent, but I need to prove it without letting my detective love interest discover my secret.I see dead people.If you like Southern paranormal cozy mysteries, you’ll love the Chantilly Adair series!Praying for PeaceTalking to ghosts can be killer.Castleberry, Georgia is a small Southern town with a ton of history, and that history includes a lot of ghosts. How do I know? Because I can see them.And trust me, that’s not always a good thing.As the city’s historical society manager, I spend a lot of time in old buildings, and old buildings are filled with dead people. Take the Baptist church on the outskirts of town. I’m in the process of certifying it as a historical building.And not only is it full of ghosts, but…surprise!…there’s a body in the basement. And I’m the one who found it. Now I’ve got to pick through the history of a long ago fire and decipher the clues I’m getting from some very stubborn spirits, all while dodging someone – dead or alive – who wants me to mind my own business…And will do whatever’s necessary to keep me quiet.If you like southern paranormal cozy mysteries, you’ll love this stand-alone story!
by Philip Eliot | Dec 18, 2025 | General Nonfiction |
Dan Broderick was one of California’s most successful attorneys; his wife, Betty, a beautiful socialite. But when Betty discovered Dan’s hidden life, the façade of LaJolla’s golden couple was shattered. What followed was a vicious five-year battle that finally ended in a shocking double-murder.A Harvard Law School graduate, Dan manipulated the law to strip Betty of everything she loved: her home, her friends–even her children. When she frantically tried to fight back, he had her committed to a mental hospital. His new wife, Linda, even sent the once-beautiful Betty wrinkle cream ads and weight loss pamphlets.Consumed by hatred and thoughts of revenge, Betty’s rage exploded on the night of November 5, 1989. Before the sun rose the next day, Dan Broderick and his gorgeous new wife were dead–their bullet-riddled bodies wrapped in the blood-soaked sheets of their bed.Hell Hath No Fury is a shocking story of wealth, passion, revenge, and a woman driven to murder.
by Philip Eliot | Dec 18, 2025 | Dark Romance |
The ultimate forbidden love: a Mafia Boss and his captive.I’m a man without mercy. A Mafia heir.Brutality was all that ever made sense to me…Until I saw him.Unfortunately, he happens to be the sole witness to my latest crime.That should mean one thing.Elimination.But one look into those pleading blue eyes, and I lost myself.I let a beauty live…But – beast that I am – I’ve locked him away.Little by little, he charms his way out of his cell and into my bed, until I begin to wonder which of us is the real prisoner.After all, I’m the one trapped by my own brutal heart.And that oh-so-innocent beauty I took and kept?He has secrets of his own.Secrets that could destroy me.***His Brutal Heart is the second book in the West Coast Mobsters series. Follow the men of the Los Angeles underworld in this page-turning romantic suspense series as they find love, danger and mystery in the most unexpected places.Each book in this series tells the love story of a different couple who find their happy ending, as well as a resolution to the mystery they’re investigating, but there are cliffhangers to the wider suspense plot for the series.Content advisory notes are available to view on the Copyright page via Look Inside or by downloading the sample.
by Philip Eliot | Dec 18, 2025 | Womens Fiction |
Oprah Magazine calls it one of 16 Books by Caribbean Authors to add to your Reading List.Yahoo! and In The Know named it as one of 10 Must-Read books by Caribbean Authors.JAAWP Finalist.Silver Medallist.“A perfect read. ‘The Girl with the Hazel Eyes’ is well-written and compelling. I give this novel 5/5 stars.” – Bekah’s Bookshelves.Politics, poverty and puberty combine in this beautifully written coming-of-age tale that examines the bonds of womanhood, feminism and pre-independence life on a small island. Almost fifty years after Susan Taylor was exiled from Barbados for her famous whistle-blowing novel, ‘The Unspeakable Truth’, she contacts a young writer to pen her biography. Susan is crotchety and unpleasant but Lia Davis is broke so she has no choice but to stay and write Susan’s biography. As Lia starts to unravel the reclusive author’s life, she realizes that some things just don’t add up. Susan has been hiding a massive secret for decades and Lia is determined to find out what it is. The Girl with the Hazel Eyes is an endearing historical fiction that tugs at your heart with its examination of love, lies, and loyalty.EXCERPT. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Kenneth’s eyes lit up mischievously as he contemplated me quietly for a moment. “Be honest: if someone had a gun to your head and threatened to shoot if you didn’t eat one, would you choose the fried biscuits or the fish dumplings?” “I’d eat the bullet.” Our eyes met as we tried to stifle our laughter but it didn’t work. Kenneth and I broke into a fit of giggles. He smiled broadly, staring at me for a while. It made me a little nervous to have him watching me like that. I turned away and looked towards the horizon.The sun was setting just over the vast cane fields in the distance. It was late October and by then the land was stripped bare of canes and stretched as far as the eye could see. It was amazing to see it from that height and take in the majesty of the sunset from such a miraculous vantage point. “Did you ever notice how the sunlight changes from white during the daytime to that pretty gold when it sets? The way it paints everything in the world in a colour that isn’t orange or yellow or pink but a soft blend of all three?” Kenneth raised one eyebrow at me thoughtfully, both surprised and confused by what I was saying. He turned to the cane fields and a look of awe and comprehension dawned on his face before he smiled broadly. “Yeah. I don’t think I ever noticed that before, you know. Did you read that in one of those old books I always see you with?”I laughed. “No, I noticed it right before I climbed the tree.”“Hmm…”“What?”“Are you sure you didn’t read that in a book?” he asked me again.I glared at him. “I told you I didn’t.”Satisfied, he nodded sagely and then surprised me by saying, “You should write down the things you say. You describe something really hard in just a few words. It would have taken me about ten hours to explain that sun thing.” I felt quite pleased with myself at this nice compliment from a boy. A blush crept up my cheeks and he didn’t even try to make me feel embarrassed about it. He just took two more broken crackers from his pocket and handed me one. We sat there as quiet as anything while the light waned and the crickets turned up the volume on their chirping but little did Kenneth realized that he had watered the seed that my mother had planted in my mind. Writing was my gift and when someone is truly talented, their gift comes so effortlessly that it’s easy to take it for granted. Even now, decades later, I still can’t believe that Kenneth honed in on that aspect of my personality so easily. At that moment something clicked between us. Just like the knack that Kenneth saw I had for writing, our friendship came to us effortlessly.
