Spotlight: Under Cover of Chaos by Liz Wanic with Rebekah Wanic

A serial killer hides behind an untouchable global institution. A broken system fails the victims. One woman vows to uncover the truth.

When young women are found dead in the capital of the Central African Republic, United Nations official Stella Fairmont is reminded of the unsolved disappearance of a friend. As she investigates, she uncovers what may be a chilling pattern: similar deaths in another UN location.

The deeper she digs, the more twisted the view becomes and Stella finds herself up against a system built on compromise, in which accountability is often an illusion. When the truth gets blurred and personal histories can be hidden, the only way to survive is to trust her instincts. But as friendships run thin and time runs out, she must navigate a minefield of lies, moral complexity, and buried secrets all while trying to stay ahead of someone who would kill to keep the truth hidden.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Authors

Liz Wanic worked for the United Nations for almost a decade in New York and in multiple field missions, including Syria, Mali and the Central African Republic before moving into cybersecurity. Her experiences have given her a sharp eye for detail and a deep understanding of the inner workings of power in complex situations.

Rebekah Wanic, Liz's twin sister, is a social psychologist, university professor and mindset coach. She focuses on the intricacies of the human condition and the complications of balancing competing demands.

Connect:

Website: www.lizwanicauthor.com and www.sistersliterature.com 

Instagram: @lizwanicauthor    https://www.instagram.com/kathiegio1/

Spotlight: The Rising by Whitney Fitzsimmons

In a town scarred by floodwaters, the past refuses to stay buried.

When a catastrophic flood rips through the rural town of Birradurra, a shocking cold case is discovered. Unearthed from the mud are the skeletal remains of a baby.

Shaken by this and haunted by her traumatic past, journalist Bec Carter is consumed with getting justice for the victim.

But when her friend Harry who vowed to help with the investigation vanishes in violent circumstances, authorities look to Bec for answers.

Now the prime suspect in Harry’s disappearance, Bec must fight to clear her name and uncover the facts before another flood hits.

But nothing is straightforward, and someone will do anything to keep the past from resurfacing.

Twisty, atmospheric and utterly gripping, The Rising is a heart-stopping thriller where every secret comes with a cost and some truths are better left hidden.

Buy on Amazon | Audible | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Whitney Fitzsimmons is an award-winning journalist, television presenter and author, who is best known for her work at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where she spent more than a decade presenting the 7pm News, Business Today, Lateline Business, The Drum, and The Midday Report.  She was also a senior producer on the ABC’s national current affairs program Lateline and a contributor to One Plus One, where she interviewed high-profile figures including Brené Brown and Tony Bennett.

Whitney was awarded journalism fellowships from the East West Centre at the University of Hawaii and the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre. She has a Masters of Arts: Journalism from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelor of Arts: Theatre and Performance from Western Sydney University.

The Rising is her debut novel.

You can find her @whitneyfitzsimmons on Instagram and Facebook.

Her website is: https://whitneyfitzsimmons.com/

Spotlight: Bad Decisions & Back Roads by Zoe Forward

(Southern Veterinary, #2)

Publication date: August 3rd 2026

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The problem with bad decisions is you never stop wanting them.

I used to be the rebellious girl from the wrong side of the fenceline. He was the local hellraiser nobody could tame. While our families carried on a feud older than indoor plumbing, we fell for each other.

Then my vicious father found out. To save Timothy’s life, I broke his heart and disappeared.

Now over a decade later, I’m back as a large-animal veterinarian, working at his brother’s clinic and treating everything from prize dairy cows to Timothy’s homicidal llama. Avoiding him should be easy.

It isn’t.

He’s a single dad running two businesses, still infuriatingly irresistible, and determined to make me pay for every year he spent hating me.

The problem? I never stopped loving him. But if he learns why I really left, I could lose him forever.

Excerpt

“Yesterday…I wrecked you?” She gave me a look I remembered. Her green eyes flared. I was about to lose this fight in a way I’d never recover from.

She slowly unzipped her coveralls. My brain immediately abandoned ship. Not helped by the fact that traitorous memory chose this exact moment to replay yesterday’s rainstorm in vivid detail.

Meanwhile, in real time, she peeled the coveralls down and somehow stepped out of them while keeping her socks from touching the ground—a feat of female sorcery I could neither explain nor stop watching.

Underneath was a tight white shirt that clung in ways that should probably require a warning label, a permit, and possibly a pastor on standby.

My eyes briefly closed. Opened. She was still there.

Beside me, Cody made a small choking noise.

I cut him a glare.

He didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed.

Then—because she enjoyed cruelty—she lifted both arms and twisted her hair into a messy bun. Which did things. Terrible, magnificent things to her chest. 

Her mouth curved like she knew exactly what she’d done. She pulled a scrub top out of the duffle and pulled it down over the tight shirt. Without a word, she packed the supplies into her duffel, casually picked up the dart rifle from the ground, and started walking up the hill like she hadn’t just detonated every functioning brain cell in a fifty-yard radius.

Then she tossed over her shoulder—

“I’m back, Timothy Hurst. End of story.” A few steps later she said, “You’re welcome…for dealing with your dangerous llama.”

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Zoe Forward is a parent, wife, veterinarian, and unapologetic chocolate lover. She writes spicy paranormal and contemporary romances that blend action, adventure, humor, and a touch of magic.

Zoe lives in the South with a lively menagerie of four-legged beasts and two slightly wild kids.

Connect:

https://www.zoeforward.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorzoe.forward/

https://www.instagram.com/zoeforward/

https://www.zoeforward.com/contact/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6591244.Zoe_Forward

Bad Decisions & Back Roads Blitz

Spotlight: Sacked by Aleatha Romig

Release Date: July 27

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

Second chance romance. Football dynasty. High-stakes betrayal.

My life, my career, my future—was built on the Hubbards’ legacy: honor, heritage, tradition.
Or so I believed.

Now it’s all falling apart.

The Coopers aren’t just a football team.
They’re power, secrets, and emotional warfare.

Under the bright lights of Crystal Light Stadium, the real game is finally clear.

This isn’t just about the Super Bowl—
It’s about protecting my family’s dynasty at any cost.

And this is when he walks back into my life.

The man from my past.
My biggest regret… and my greatest weakness.

He wants a second chance.
A place beside me in a game ruled by loyalty, lies, and betrayal.

But in this world, trust is a risk.
And desire is a liability.

Because what we share…
It’s explosive. Dangerous. Impossible to ignore.

And it might be the one thing that brings everything crashing down.

Because football isn’t just a game.

It’s power. It’s legacy. It’s survival.
And I’ll stop at nothing to keep it alive.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

From New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a steamy, addictive football romance packed with power plays, betrayal, and jaw-dropping twists.

SACKED is Book 3 in The Coopers series, ends on a cliffhanger, and must be read in order: INTERCEPTED → RUSHED → SACKED → SCORED.

Buy on Amazon | Audible | Bookshop.org

Meet Aleatha Romig

Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Together with her high-school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years, they've raised three children. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns or her new lighter side, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams! 

Keep up with Aleatha Romig and subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.aleatharomig.com/contact

To learn more about Aleatha Romig & her books, visit here!

Connect with Aleatha Romig: https://www.aleatharomig.com/contact

Spotlight: Saving Forever by Kat Mizera

Release Date: July 30

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

One year.
One contract.
One fake wife I can’t let go of.

As a professional hockey player, I don’t lose—and I don’t do relationships. But my family demands a wife, and I don’t need the distraction.

So I buy one.
One year.
Two million dollars.
No feelings.
It should’ve been simple.

Except she’s everything I didn’t plan for—smart, tempting, impossible to ignore.

My teammates love her. My family is convinced. And I can’t keep my hands off her.

She was only supposed to be temporary.

But now she’s mine.

I don’t share.
I don’t lose.
And I won’t let her walk away.

Buy on Amazon

Meet Kat Mizera

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kat Mizera was born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of Wanderlust. She's lived from coast to coast, and everywhere in between, but home is wherever her family is. A devoted mom and wife to her wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat loves to travel the globe with her adventurous, hockey loving family. Greece is at the top of that list. She hopes to one day retire there, spending her days writing books on the beach.

Kat is former freelance sports writer who now writes steamy hockey romance about her favorite fictional teams, the Las Vegas Sidewinders and the Lauderdale Knights. The library of novels she's penned also include sexy contemporary stories about baseball stars, alpha sex club owners, bodyguards, rock stars, and royalty. Regardless of genre, her books about bad boys with hearts of gold will steal your breath, rock your world and melt your heart.

To find out about Kat Mizera’s upcoming releases and giveaways, sign up for her newsletter here

For more information on Kat Mizera and her books visit: https://katmizera.com/

Connect with Kat Mizera: https://katmizera.com/pages/contact-kat

Spotlight: I've Got a Crush on You by Lauren Blakely

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, the next standalone small town romance in her bestselling Darling Springs rom com series! This spicy, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, workplace, forbidden small town romantic comedy answers the question: what happens when the guy you had a super hot one-night-stand with turns out to be your grumpy new boss/landlord! I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU is now available in all formats and free to read in Kindle Unlimited! Check out the excerpt below, and one-click your copy today!

My secret workplace romance starts innocently enough at a birthday party.

But when a rowdy partier knocks me into a lake and a sexy stranger comes to my rescue – my night becomes one to remember.

A night so steamy I almost forget why I’ve sworn off men after a failed workplace romance.

Trouble is, the brand new doggy daycare in Darling Springs that I’ve contracted with is owned by none other than my sexy stranger. Thanks, fate.

Sawyer turns out to be a total grump in a tailored suit, no matter how sunshine-y I am. Even when he squeezes that hard body past me as I bring donuts to work. Or when he pretends he’s not roaming his dark eyes over me as I teach Fido to sit, stay and come.

But I’m focusing on my shiny new future—my dog-training business is suddenly the hottest thing in town, thanks to a new actress client. And when I’m roped into a charity dance number, I smell an opportunity, especially when I learn my hot landlord has an alter ego and a fandom.

Turns out Mr. Serious Boss is up for dance lessons.

Then the entire Dirty Dancing experience.

Giving into our chemistry once won’t hurt. Two might be pushing it. By the seventh, it’s undeniable–I’ve got a crush on him too.

Excerpt

SAWYER

“Just like I remembered.”

Her shoulders shudder, and she sounds buzzed as she asks, “Yeah? What did you remember?”

“How good you taste. Your cinnamon scent. The way you melt when I kiss your neck,” I murmur against her soft skin, kissing the column of her throat now.

“It’s my lotion. It’s from Kind. All my lotions are. And bodywashes. I love them,” she says, breathless, babbling as she mentions the brand too, like I needed to know that. It’s sexy, though, the fact that she’s not thinking clearly enough to edit her thoughts. She’s just rambling as I kiss her. And it feels like a peek behind the curtain into her feminine world.

“Drives me crazy,” I say as I travel back up her neck, finding her mouth once more and sealing my lips over hers.

She claws at my shirt as I kiss her. I thread my hands through her hair. The song ends. The car’s quiet for a beat, the only sounds the rustling of clothes, the slide of our mouths, the staccato breaths.

When the next Sam Cooke tune begins, I stop pretending I’m willing to let this night end in the car. I break the kiss, run my thumb across her top lip, then nod toward her home. “What’s it going to be?”

She nibbles on the corner of her bee-stung lips. That just-been-kissed look is real good on her. “What are you offering?”

“You want me to surprise you again, Chloe?” A tremble seems to rush through her. I can hardly wait another second. “Let me come inside, sweetheart.”

Buy on Amazon | Audible | Bookshop.org

About the Author

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party. 

Connect w/ Lauren:

Website: laurenblakely.com 

NL Signup: http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurenBlakelyBooks

Instagram: http://instagram.com/laurenblakelybooks

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenblakelybooks