Discover the Reign of Silver and Stardust by Diana A. Hicks & Tour Giveaway

Reign of Silver & Stardust
Diana A. Hicks
(Stardust Trilogy, #1)
Publication date: August 27th 2026
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

My twin sister was murdered. To find her killer, I had to die.

CATALINA
I was never supposed to exist.
As the mortal spare to an immortal sister, I lived in the shadows
until Ry was murdered by a weapon that shouldn’t exist.
Now, justice is all I want.
To find her killer, I must take her place in the Queen’s Elite Cadre
and become the very monster everyone fears.
But becoming a weapon means losing my humanity…
and losing the one man I can’t resist.

VALOREK
The immortals bleed my world dry while my sister rots from the inside out.
I swore to burn their reign to the ground,
until I met her.
Sterling is the enemy,
a silver-blooded soldier of the regime that destroyed my family.
But the electricity between us is undeniable.
We are on opposite sides of a brewing war,
and falling for the enemy is a dangerous mistake
neither of us can afford.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

The simulation brings me back with a jolt. I land on the floor on all fours, choking on the saltwater burning my throat. Like before, once my brain catches up with reality, all the pain goes away. I hang my head and breathe easy.

If that isn’t a miserable attempt, I don’t know what is. Ry passed this level on her first try. This military stuff came naturally to her. When we were kids, the placement test put Ry and me in the Military Sector, but I never belonged or excelled the way she did.

The sleek white walls shine bright around me. Seconds later, Captain Weston’s boots come into view. When I glance up, he cocks an eyebrow at me with both hands braced on his hips. He blows out a breath, and I swear a tinge of pity flashes across his face.

“I didn’t pass your test.” I sit back on my ankles, shaking uncontrollably.

“Everyone dies in the simulation. You did better than I expected.” He scratches the stubble on his chiseled jaw. “But I do have my work cut out for me.”

“Am I in?” I meet his gaze.

“Have you talked to anyone since the accident?”

The accident? My jaw clenches.

“No.” I assume he means cadets from my unit. To Captain Weston, Valorek and his friends didn’t count.

“Good.” He clears his throat. “Because I have a proposal for you.”

When I open my mouth to speak, he brings his index finger to his lips and shakes his head once. Of course, he doesn’t want to hear about how Ry’s death wasn’t an accident. We have been doing the same song and dance for weeks. This time, I do as he asks and keep quiet, but only because it looks like I am about to get what I want—an opportunity to join the Queen’s immortal army, where I’ll have the ability to look into Ry’s murderer myself.

“You need something from me.” I meet his gaze.

“We need you to take your sister’s place as a lieutenant in the Queen’s army. You still need a lot of training before you can join Ry’s unit, but we have a bit of time.”

“Wait. What?” I gape at him as my heart thrashes in my ears. “That is not what I wanted at all.”

“I gave it some thought.” He swallows. “It’s all I can offer. It’s the only solution, really.”

“Do you have any idea how insane this sounds?” I scoff. “Ry told me everything about the QEC simulator seven years ago. This was the easy part and I still died. How am I supposed to be her when I know nothing about her world? She had her own life outside of me.”

“That’s why I’m here. I’ll be your guide.” His eyes soften.

“So what, Captain Weston? Do I now get to call you Cap or Eli?”

“You can call me whatever you want.” He offers a crooked, sexy smile. “In fact, I think that if you call me Eli in private, the transition will be easier for you.”

“Eli?” I meant to be sarcastic, but he is completely serious with his answer.

Author Bio:

Diana Hicks writes dark, emotional romance where obsession runs deep, secrets cut sharp, and love always comes at a price.

Her books blend steamy billionaire drama with forbidden marriages, high-stakes betrayal, and antiheroes who will burn the world to protect what’s theirs. Best known for The Empire Trilogy, Diana’s stories deliver heart-pounding romance with morally gray men, strong heroines, and just enough heat to leave you breathless.

When she’s not writing about power and passion colliding, she’s probably sipping coffee like it's a love language, sweating off a plot twist at yoga, or posting angsty book teasers on TikTok.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

GIVEAWAY!

Reign of Silver & Stardust Blitz

—

Book Tour Stop/Giveaway: From the Depths of the Stars by CD Clark

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.D.Clark will be awarding a digital copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Jordan Blue works to survive on the oppressive, corporate colony world, Shoar. A random, near-fatal encounter puts her in the company of Kuvett, a space faring creature of the stars. While Jordan tries to figure out the inscrutable Cosmari, Kuvett sneaks about the dilapidated Outskirts to find out just what happened to the planet, what secrets the impenetrable Meritopolis hides, and why it is there.

Read an Excerpt

Kuvett let go and hovered back to let Jordan continue.

“Yet, the reason why I have such a hard time accepting it is because—” the tears returned as she looked out to the doorway—“there was a time when I didn’t live here alone.”

“I assumed as much. Their presence still lingers here and on you.”

Jordan nodded. “We were together for about six years until one day, she just up and vanished. I don’t know where she went to, I don’t know if she is even still alive, but the fact she never told me where she even left hurts. It hurts a lot.”

“And you fear it may happen once more.” Kuvett leaned against the wall.

“Yes,” Jordan looked to the floor while she sobbed, ashamed. “That, and I don’t know how much time I have left before my lungs give out. Why would anyone want someone whose body’s falling apart? I don’t know for certain, but that’s what it felt like when Violet left.”

Kuvett was silent a moment before she reached up and wiped away the moisture on Jordan’s face. When she opened her eyes, Kuvett pressed her forehead against Jordan’s. “There is much I wish to tell you and how I disagree with how you see yourself. But for now, we are not safe here. If there is anything I can do to assist you, tell me and I will.”

Jordan sniffed again, nodding as she disengaged from Kuvett’s touch. There was still much to do.

About the Author: From his youngest days, C.D. Clark has always loved stories and the worlds they could take him to. His writing career began with original, fan-based fiction which led to his passion for writing. Over the past twenty-five years, C.D. Clark has developed his craft, all the while celebrating his successes and reveling in any spectacular failures, using them as learning experiences. Ever eager to learn, he continues leaping towards the future while creating fantastic new worlds and passing along poignant messages through his books.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CDClarkNovelist
Mastodon: https://mas.to/@CDClarkNovelist
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/bass_prefect
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cdclarknovelist
Website: https://www.cdclarknovelist.com/

 

Enter to win a copy of the book.

Book Tour Stop/Giveaway: 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 white 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, white 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 white 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.

Tropes:

Unreliable narrators; multiple POV; fractured identity / alter ego; trauma and grief; female rage; revenge; morally gray women; abusive celebrity marriage; obsession; betrayal; buried secrets; mother-daughter relationship; wealth and class divide; Beverly Hills and Los Angeles setting; cinematic suspense. 

Giveaway

$100 Amazon or Paypal

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://www.silverdaggerbooktours.com/darkuglyplaces

About the Author:

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. 

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Book Review: Nobody's Quest by Alyssa Day #NobodyChroniclesSeries

 

Nobody's Quest by Alyssa Day

Romantasy

Release Date:June 2nd, 2026

Entangled: Red Tower Books

All buy links HERE

#NobodysQuest

 #NetGalley.

When an indentured servant, who has felt like she was invisible and a nobody, is chosen by an imprisoned goddess for a quest to free her, Soli finds herself alongside a company of warriors who will help her and slowly become a found family she has always wanted amid the dangers that stalk them.

My Rating for Nobody's Quest: 5 Stars and a Recommended Read

**Note this is a spicy romantasy at times.**

Soli is a nobody, indentured to the sisters of the library and when she is taken to the King's throne room, she is mystified at what the heck is going on. When she is chosen by an imprisoned goddess to go on a quest for three ancient keys to save her world, Soli is even more dumbfounded. She's a nobody, someone who is overlooked and ignored, a GreyMind that is the lowest of the low in her world. But alongside her is a company of unique and complex warriors who will join her on this quest because danger is at the doorway for there is a goddess who is determined to stop them at every turn with her army. Soli, Prince Kaeleen and company race against the clock and as secrets from her fellow questers start to reveal themselves, Soli finds a found family she always longed for and hope to want. But danger is after them from all sides and as they get closer to their goal, the battles become more dangerous to everyone. 

My Review of Nobody's Quest:

Nobody's Quest by Alyssa Day is full of spice, adventure, unique & complex characters and a storyline that takes the reader on a journey that will keep them glued to the pages till the very end. I picked this book up on a whim and I am so glad I did because OMG! it's amazing, at time humorous, filled with characters that are complex and uniquely their own person and a setting that captivated me right from the beginning. This is the first foray into romantasy for this author and she does an amazing job with Nobody's Quest. Her characters are all uniquely alluring in their own way. Soli is what's called a Gray Mind in her world and one that is not welcome or even tolerated. Prince Kaeleen is  a prince without a country and add uin a few more characters to Soli's quest and you get a wildly intriguing group of main characters that keep the reader glued tot he story. I loved every minute of this book tot he point where I stayed up to the wee hours just to see how this first book in the Nobody Chronicles ends. 

Nobody's Quest is action packed right from the start. I found Ms. Day's storytelling fun and at times  heartfelt, especially as she has Soli explain what Gray Mind is to her fellow travelers, making them aware of what may happen when that happens to her. Drawing on personal experience of Depression, she delivers a complex, slightly broken character in Soli that eventually finds her strength along the way to be more than what others have labeled her as being. This is what makes Nobody's Quest more than a traditional romantasy epic story to something more real in my opinion. 

Nobody's Quest is a delight to read and yes, there are some spicy scenes between Soli and her love interest, Prince Kaeleen, that will make you blush but you can't help but root for her and everyone around her. So run, don't walk to grab this book as Alyssa Day is a powerhouse in creating complex characters with hearts of gold and story that will resonate with you. Now I hope I don't have to wait long for book 2.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Book Tour Stop: If I didn't Have You by Giulia Lagomarsino

Title: If I Didn't Have You

Series: The Last Best Place for Love Book 7

Author: Giulia Lagomarsino

Genre: Small Town Romance

Tropes: Second Chance; Later in Life; Is It Over?; Rediscovering Love; First Love

Release Date: August 24, 2026

I lost my heart a long time ago to one woman.

The love of my life.

The mother of my children.

I could weather any storm with her by my side.

But I lost sight of that somewhere along the way.

Holding her in my arms as she nearly died tore me to shreds.

I vowed a long time ago that I would never let anything happen to her, and I failed.

And now she was ready to leave.

Not because I didn’t protect her, but because I lost sight of who we were.

That was all about to change.

Because if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that life just wasn’t worth living without her by my side.

 

I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.

HOSTED BY: