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FAVORITE COVERS: April 2026
Let’s give those beautiful book covers some love!
Every first Tuesday of the month, I post some of my favorite covers and then pick the cover of the month.
This post was inspired by the monthly favorite covers post by Joyfully Jay.
COVER OF THE MONTH
Do you agree with my choices? What’s your pick for the best cover of April?
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Precog’s Perception by Emily Carrington (Excerpt)
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MUSIC MONDAY: Going Shopping by The Strokes
Pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
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PROMO BLITZ: Under His Rule by Davidson King
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RELEASE BLITZ: Fight Me, Break Me by Kimberly Knight & & Rachel Lyn Adams
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COVER REVEAL: Marriage Market Misadventures
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NEW RELEASE: Save The Date by Sophia Soames (Excerpt)
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MANGA: Omaede Dame Nara Moudameda
Omaede Dame Nara Moudameda – Sonoo Michiru
Best friends turned lovers in a single night…?
“The only one who can ever be with someone like me is you!!” Office worker Isejima suddenly goes down on his knees to propose to bar owner Yakumo, his best friend of ten years.
Jilted by his bride-to-be before their wedding, Isejima pleads his case about being single for the rest of his life and his fear of dying alone. Taken aback by Isejima’s ardent words, Yakumo nonetheless feels moved enough to unthinkingly accept!
If You Can’t Do It, It’s No Good Anymore is a best-friends-to-lovers romance with understated charm.
Isejima views marriage as social security. Freshly dumped by his fiancee and terrified of lifelong loneliness, he begs his best friend Yakumo to date him with marriage in mind. Having been a steady, reliable presence for a decade, he claims Yakumo is the only one for him. Isejima earnestly proposes, and Yakumo agrees.
This is a refreshingly straightforward story of two adults approaching dating and marriage with clear heads. Despite having no experience with men, they tackle hurdles and expectations sensibly, treating dating as a natural extension of their bond.
What will hit you straight to the kokoro are the zingers of care and affection, dropped so casually you’d almost miss it. For two men who had never been in love, these two aced the boyfriend roles effortlessly.
One zinger is how Isejima quietly makes sure not to repeat his past relationship mistakes, ensuring his ring and proposal to Yakumo is perfect. He even organized a flashmob for the occasion when he learned Yakumo loves them. The way he always declares Yakumo is the only one, or else he’s doomed, completely slays!
Another is how Yakumo prepares elaborate bento boxes for the workaholic Isejima. He even surprised Isejima by showing up in his office dressed to the nines, delivering bento when he learned Isejima’s co-workers gossiped about an “ugly boyfriend”.
Everything is done in a matter-of-fact, slice-of-life style, which only highlights the depth of Yakumo and Isejima’s connection. The third-person commentaries add a layer of humor, either showing how clueless Isejima could be or Yakumo’s hidden intentions.
Their relationship speaks of long years of friendship and trust. It’s a comfortable companionship and a blossoming passion. It’s the perfect example of the joys of dating one’s best friend.
Bonus couple is Iku, a fellow bartender, and Mito, his hikikomori artist boyfriend. These two have a unique dynamic, and I want their story.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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REVIEW: Stolen Magic by Ava Marie Salinger
The Mage and His Brute: Stolen Magic – Ava Marie Salinger
Magic defines who they are. But what happens when that power can be stolen?
In a Victorian London where magical privilege divides society, Duke Evander Ravenwood and Viggo Stonewall have forged more than just an alliance—they’ve fallen in love. But their happiness is short-lived when a new threat emerges from the shadows of London’s magical society.
A renowned professor from the Royal Institute for the Arcane has vanished, leaving behind whispers of forbidden magic and mysterious experiments. As Evander begins to investigate, complications arise with the arrival of his enigmatic former lover from Paris. An expert called in to help, Leon Beaulieu brings old emotions and new secrets to light and soon becomes a source of jealousy for Viggo.
Meanwhile, troubling rumours reach the Nightshade network: thralls linked to noble families are disappearing across London. Determined to track down the perpetrator, Viggo and his friends are drawn into a perilous hunt for an elusive adversary working from the shadows.
Realising their cases are intertwined, Evander and Viggo join forces to unravel the mysteries behind the professor’s disappearance and the missing thralls. But their search soon plunges them into a web of conspiracies rooted in decades-old betrayals and ambition—where nothing, and no one, is quite as it seems.
As allies become adversaries and the true mastermind closes in, Evander and Viggo will need their wits—and their trust in each other—if they’re to survive the darkness gathering around them.
Stolen Magic is a spellbinding tale of magic, mystery, and romance that will captivate readers from the first page to the last. Perfect for fans of historical fantasy and LGBT romance, this second instalment in The Mage and His Brute series promises an unforgettable journey through a London where love and magic intertwine in the most unexpected ways.
Stolen Magic is the second book of the historical fantasy series The Mage and His Brute by Ava Marie Salinger. It picks up where Arcane Entanglement left off, with dark mages exploiting magicless thralls for nefarious reasons.
Scotland Yard’s Special Arcane Investigator Duke Evander Ravenwood and his team are tasked with finding missing professors from the Royal Institute for the Arcane. Meanwhile, his lover Viggo Stonewall and Nightshade investigate the disappearance of thralls, only to discover the two cases are connected.
I’m glad the main case isn’t a murder mystery, which is a nice change from the usual police procedural. Viggo and Evander initially pursue separate leads until the overlap becomes clear.
Just to spice things up, Evander’s ex and fellow Special Arcane Investigator, Comte Leon Beaulieu, enters the scene to assist, as one of the missing professors was from France. This got Viggo’s hackles up.
Viggo and Evander were refreshingly drama-free despite Leon’s efforts to rekindle old flames. Amid frantic investigations, it’s super sweet how they always make time to be together at the end of their busy day. They’re total relationship goals!
The only sour note is Jasper, Evander’s manservant, who is creepily invested in his master’s sex life. His salacious comments quickly turned from gag to grating
The atrocities done to the downtrodden thralls were even more horrific in this installment. They were used as experimental human conduits to transfer magic, which led to agonizing deaths.
While the villains and twists are somewhat predictable and the fight scenes less intense than in book one, the case itself is compelling. And Evander unleashing his archmage powers to their fullest was glorious!
The unexpected teamwork between Viggo and Leon was a fun bonus. They might actually become friends if they keep this up.
Stolen Magic continues the fight for justice against overprivileged mages. Though lighter on surprises and action, overall, it still delivers heart, thrills, and magic.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Conduit
Artist: The Spill Canvas
Album: ConduitP.S.
The Mage and His Brute is best read in order.
Watch a kungfu-fighting archmage and a trainstopping brute get twisted up in each other in Arcane Entanglement
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Stolen Magic. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
STOLEN MAGIC: Amazon UK | Audiobook
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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SOUNDTRACK: Conduit by The Spill Canvas
Soundtrack to The Mage and His Brute: Stolen Magic by Ava Marie Salinger
Conduit by The Spill Canvas for a book about magical conduits and social injustice.
This is an official signal out to the ether
I am but a vessel for your song
This disbelief is now somehow typical procedure
Need not be special to belong, to belong
Anyone, anything
Somewhere out there listening
Cover me in all your glow, high up over the trees
Everything in every way
Powers that be operate
I’d rather die high on my feet, than live like this on my knees
