Skye Olson is a psychic like her mother, and her grandmother before her, but a bad break up with the man she thought was her soulmate has left her confidence in her abilities shaken. While she's in crisis, a real estate tycoon from Atlanta swoops in with his eyes on her shop.

Colton Hayes spent his mortal life plundering royal ships with his pirate crew, but one holy relic changed everything. Now he and the rest of the crew protect the port of Savannah from their captain who traded his cutlass for a fountain pen.

When Colton discovers the captain wants to build a hotel in the heart of historic Savannah, he sets out to stop him, but nothing could prepare him for the sexy smile and violet eyes of the Magnolia Mystic.

Due to a bad breakup, psychic Skye Olson’s confidence has been shaken. Once a pirate, Colton Hayes is now a protector of the port of Savannah but he is not prepared for the sexy smile and violet eyes of the Magnolia Mystic.

This romance is sweet and adventurous as Skye and Colton work through not only their emotional issues, but secrets that change Skye’s reality and a captain intent on Skye’s shop. The story is short and fast paced with lots of intrigue, sizzling chemistry and swashbuckling fun with a few surprising twists just to keep readers on their toes.

Lisa Kessler has taken what would usually be in a historical romance, sexy pirates, (oh my!), and put them in a clever paranormal romance with a few twists. The concept is fascinating and the characters are strong and charming, and I really wish this story had been a bit longer because it was quite a delightful introduction to the Sentinels of Savannah series and I am looking forward to reading Pirate’s Passion which releases in October.

Magnolia Mystic

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34094376-magnolia-mystic

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/magnolia-mystic-by-lisa-kessler

is the 1st book in the Sentinels of Savannah series

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/series/204734-sentinels-of-savannah

& #10 in the Magnolias and Moonshine series

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/series/201939-magnolias-and-moonshine

#2 Pirate's Passion - Coming in October.

Magnolia Mystic is available in ebook at:

Amazon US - https://amzn.to/2NyT7mC

​Amazon UK -https://amzn.to/2uTQUdB

B&N - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1125684422?ean=9781640636415

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/magnolia-mystic-2

A-AU - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07F67WM72?tag=entangpublis-20&name=Magnolia%20Mystic

A-CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07F67WM72?tag=entangpublis-20&name=Magnolia%20Mystic

iBooks - http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781640636415?name=Magnolia%20Mystic&uo=8&at=1010lsQz

Entangled Publishing - https://entangledpublishing.com/magnolia-mystic.html

GPlay - https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lisa_Kessler_Magnolia_Mystic?id=eI1iDwAAQBAJ

“Tour’s up on the bow.” A tall shadow fell over her.

She didn’t take her eyes off the river. “I know, thanks.”

His boots thumped on the deck behind her. “I wasn’t givin’ directions.”

She sighed and glanced over her shoulder. Her gaze traveled up his body, way up, to focus on his dark eyes. “I just need a minute.”

He shook his head, crossing his tan muscled arms over his broad chest. “Plenty of minutes are available with the tour. This area’s off-limits.”

He was just doing his job, but her tolerance for men was at an all-time low at the moment. “I’m not going to touch anything.”

His eyes moved to her feet and back to her face. “Seems you already are.”

Heat burned in her cheeks. “What is it with you men thinking you can just make a law and judge us when we question it?” She jammed the ring in the pocket of her jeans. “I’m sick of your shit. So if you want me to move, you’ll have to do it yourself.”

He raised a brow. “You finished?”

His calm only fueled the tempest inside her. “No, actually, I don’t think I am.” She matched his posture: chest out, arms crossed. “My family’s been in Savannah since it was settled. I know the pirate stories, and I didn’t buy a ticket for a tour and ‘swearing in’ ceremony under the pirate mast. Forgive me for wanting a few minutes peace with the Savannah River.”

He pointed to a sign.

Area is for Crew Only

A spark lit in his eyes. “If you’d been sworn in, you might be able to sway me to let you stay.”

She blew out a frustrated breath, her hands falling to her sides. “Look, I just wanted to toss my engagement ring into the river without getting arrested for littering. I figured no one would see me from up here.”

He relaxed his stance a little. “Must be an idiot to allow a fiery lass like you to get away.”

“Please don’t get flirty.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not in the mood.”

A hint of a smile curved his lips. “Wasn’t flirtin’, just stating a fact.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Speaking of facts, you should pawn the ring. Feedin’ gold to the fish won’t cure heartache.”

Lisa Kessler is an Amazon Best Selling and award winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror as well as the Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal and Best First Book. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award. When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego. You can learn more at http://Lisa-Kessler.com

Website - http://lisaslair.com/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3023842.Lisa_Kessler

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LdyDisney

Pintrest - https://www.pinterest.com/ldydisney/

InstaGram - https://www.instagram.com/LdyDisney/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/LdyDisney/

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-kessler

Newsletter: https://goo.gl/1dXHJ1​

After a very long wait for post office reasons (stupid missing email notification), I finally have my copy of The Hanging Tree!

Now, I'm not sure whether I want to dive right in or finish The Obelisk Gate first. Or draw it out and read it slowly... I have a lot of library books to read too (including Fahrenheit 451).

There was a really long wait for this one, so the only other Peter Grant I have to look forward to is the second graphic novel collection in December.

Decisions, Decisions...

A friend of mine at work accidentally (ACCIDENTALLY!) got a signed copy of Rat Queens Volume 2. She doesn't keep many of her books or collect editions, so she gave it to me! Such a perfect way to start the week!

It's been a long time since I read a book and had no complaints. A lot of times I find myself entertained by the story, or transported by the writing, or I love the characters, but… there's always a "but." Not here. This book has no "buts." I loved it. I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the romance, I loved the writing. I got to the end, breathed a happy sigh, and then, instead of turning to the next book in my mountainous TBR pile, I zoomed back the progress bar on my kindle app and read the last third of Truly all over again, just to savor it. 

I love Ruthie Knox, and I'm pretty sure this is her best work yet. It starts with the heroine, May, in a Manhattan sports bar. She's a fish out of water: she's only been in New York a few weeks, having moved to finally be with her long-time boyfriend, a football quarterback who used to play for the Packers in May's native Wisconsin but who now plays for the Jets. -But that relationship is suddenly and abruptly over as a result of his very poorly executed, mortifyingly bad marriage proposal, to which May did not react well. She left him, but moments later she got mobbed by paparazzi (because he's a famous football star) and simultaneously mugged, and now she's alone in a strange city with no money, no phone, no ID, and a single pair of ugly shoes. 

Other writers would have taken this premise and wrung every once of humiliation and debasement, leaving May a broken, pathetic woman (I'm looking at you, Kristan Higgins), but not Ruthie Knox. May is desperate and embarrassed, yes, but even at her worst she's got starch in her spine and wits in her head. She is nobody's doormat. 

At the bar, May meets Ben, a cranky-faced grump who is the very definition of 'unapproachable.' He is a successful chef forced into temporary unemployment by the non-compete agreement he signed when he let his ex-wife buy him out of their restaurant and their marriage, and he's still wrestling with the anger management issues that led to the demise of that prior life. He snaps and barks and growls like a wounded animal poked with a stick, but for all of his prickliness, he is wonderfully self-aware, and he always apologizes and tries to make things right. 

Since May can't fly home without ID and she can't replace that until businesses open after the Labor Day weekend, Ben spends the long weekend showing her around the city, but for May, these days of aimless tourism are revelatory as she discovers how brave and strong she can be on her own, and decides what kind of person she wants to be moving forward. She falls in love with Ben, of course (and he with her), but she's not willing to let him use her or take her for granted, which has been the problem with ever other relationship she's ever had. 

At the end of the weekend, not ready to say goodbye yet, Ben offers to drive May home to Wisconsin. Here, the Ben and May's cozy new-infatuation bubble crashes hard against the reality of May's family: her sister, Allie, days away from marrying the perfect man (but having serious second thoughts), her mother, who still cherishes the hope that May will come to her senses and get back with the quarterback, her father, who hides in the basement watching football. Going home could have pushed May back into the box of old habits, but instead it only strengthens her new-found self-confidence. She doesn't want to be the sensible sister anymore, the good girl who does as her mother wants, who takes the 'smart' career path instead of taking the risks that speak to her soul, the trophy wife who marries the rich man who will always provide for her.

Her sister Allie's relationship is perfect on the surface (just as May's relationship with Dan-the-footballer appeared on to outsiders), but is fundamentally broken. By contrast, May and Ben's love seems all wrong -- too fast, too sudden, the future too uncertain, threatened by his anger and by her need to smooth over all tension -- but it's real and wonderful, and May and Ben just need to learn to trust it, and to trust each other. 

***I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Looking back, I *think* I've actually only given two five-star reviews to my Netgalley reads thus far. (Hey, it's not that bad-- I'm not exactly a Netgalley veteran.) As it turns out, both books came out last week.

I don't want to get in the business of advertisement and whatnot, but I figured it was worth a mention, especially since my reviews were a while ago (a little over a month and around a fortnight, respectively). Both have pretty extensive excerpts available if you want to give them a try. I checked and the excerpts are pretty representative of the books; if you're intrigued, you may want to take a look.

California Bones probably will appeal most to fans of LA noir authors such as James M Cain. It involves a magical heist. I love heists. It also has a thoroughly weird magical system. I love weird magical systems. Here's my review.

Here's a three-chapter excerpt.

I tend to summarize books in terms of music. California Bones is Assassin's Creed's "No Mistakes."

Girl with all the Gifts is utterly spectacular, and is the first book in I-don't-know-how-long that put me a hair's breadth away from crying at the gym. I did apparently look upset enough that a girl on a treadmill next to me kept looking over worriedly. Here's my review.(If you're in the UK, you've had this for months, but we unlucky Americans only got it a few days ago.) 

They've pulled down the extended preview that used to be available on various booksellers' sites, but here's a ten-chapter excerpt. (I find it really hard to read on that yellow background, but whatever, there's always copy-paste or printview.)

There's also a Goodreads giveaway up right now.

In terms of music, Girl with all the Gifts is James Newton Howard's "London"/"Solomon Vandy" from Blood Diamond.

I promise I won't bombard you with book ads or anything. It just seemed like a fortuitous coincidence.

Here's to a future of Netgalley five-stars!