Crime Thriller Feature: Truthful Lies & Bent Realities by Stephen Foehr #mystery #crime #thriller #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

A Truly Believed Love Story

 

Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Date Published: April 30, 2026

 

In a time when mythology as propaganda shapes the systems of society and government, two unlikely souls come together to question the reality of it all—what’s going wrong in the world, whether anything’s right, and their own perceptions of honesty, dishonesty, and who they are.

Chillee and Gordie meet in Big Town, where their connection flourishes despite the recognition that they could each be fatal to the identities they’ve created for themselves. Chillee is a realistic idealist, a problem solver who puts her faith in the truth. Gordie, too, is an idealist, but he thrives on uncertainty, posing as a criminal to bring justice to white-collar crimes. They vow to hold one another accountable, to push each other through the steps to being a better person—the best person they’re capable of being.

In Chillee’s neighboring hometown, a county commissioner’s election will determine the fate of the rural community—and unknowingly put relationships to the test. When her best friend Willi asks Chillee to help her run against her ex-husband, she returns to Colton Center with Gordie…who has his own motives in mind.

As the couple continues to work with and against each other, Chillee and Gordie begin to see the deepening cracks in the perceived rights and wrongs of their world. No matter the outcome of the election, life as they knew it may not be the life they continue to lead.

Truthful Lies and Bent Realities is a thought-provoking ride into learning to understand the self and challenge the mind to keep asking the existential questions: Who are we? Who do we think we are? Who do we want to be? And do those identities intersect in the right places?

About the Author

Stephen Foehr, author of 14 fiction and nonfiction books, began his career as a police reporter in Chicago. His nonfiction books examines the relationship between music and culture, autobiography of the blues Taj Mahal, and travel. His fiction deals with submission and how to resist.

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Historical Romance Feature: The Hawk's Lady by Colleen Shannon #historical #romance #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Historical Romance

Date Published: July 4, 2026

A blond Barbary pirate captain of a xebec. . . Sinan Reis.

Who is he? Why did he desert his country?

His latest capture: a fine yacht. And its owner. . . Lady Victoria Grenville.

Who is she? Can an heiress to a fortune conform to harem life?

Amidst sea battles, kidnappings, and political menace from the Dey of Algiers, Sinan and Tory start as captor and captive. But their fierce battle of wills will transform them both.

Most importantly, if Tory can’t submit to him will he sell her at auction? Or can she escape before he does?

Kismet has other plans.

In 1799, Lady Victoria "Tory" Grenville, a willful English heiress, is captured at sea by Sinan Reis, a blond Barbary pirate captain secretly working for a cause he can't reveal. Aboard his xebec and within the walls of an Algiers harem, captor and captive wage a battle of wills that becomes a battle for the heart, set against real political intrigue between the new United States, the Dey of Algiers, and the warring Federalists and Democratic-Republicans of post-Revolutionary Philadelphia. Sweeping sea battles, kidnappings, and court machinations build to a richly satisfying historical romance grounded in meticulously researched 18th-century detail.

 

* New, expanded edition with a newly written epilogue extending the story into the events of 1814, bridging to the author's upcoming Regency-era trilogy.

* Bonus material: author's historical notes, a detailed bibliography/source list documenting the book's research, and a preview/teaser of Shannon's forthcoming "Fire, Wind and Earth" trilogy (Ashes, Burning Bright; Whirlwind, Burning Bright; Tiger, Burning Bright).

* Author Colleen Shannon was nominated by Romantic Times as Best New Historical Romance Author and has won/been nominated for multiple industry awards (including a Kiss Award) across an 18-novel career with over a million copies in print.

* Limited deluxe hardback printing released to mark the U.S. 250th anniversary with patriotic design features available on Colleen Shannon's author website.

The Hawk's Lady: a Deluxe 250th Anniversary Edition of Colleen Shannon's beloved 1989 Barbary Wars romance, now fully revised with new original content.

 

About the Author

Colleen Shannon grew up in Midland, Texas where the skies are as limitless as the tales told by its many colorful residents, dreamers and entrepreneurs all, with some scoundrels sprinkled in. Colleen grew up reading and writing stories of every kind. She wrote her first short story at eight, began a novel at 14 and read authors like Ayn Rand and Clive Cussler at 13. After college when she married and expected her first child, she used a scrap computer assembled by her engineer husband, to write her first novel, Wild Heart Tamed (not posted digitally because she considers it a learning experience).

She sold it herself to Berkley in less than a year, and at the age of 26 began a new career and never looked back. The strength of her first book led to her nomination by Romantic Times as Best New Historical Author. She went on to win and/or be nominated for many other awards, including a Kiss Award for all three heroes of her Fairy Tale trilogy written for Dorchester Books. One of her six completed scripts is a modern, very different version to her Georgian England set beauty and the beast novel The Gentle Beast. It has not been shown as it needs heavy revisions but she moves easily between scripts and novels, including original screenplays like Full Circle, currently revised after two Blacklist evaluations. In the last two years, she has become one of Film Freeways’ top winning screenwriters internationally, per Film Freeway management.

Her 18 single title releases have appeared on many bestseller lists; she has well over a million books in print. Colleen’s recent works include thrillers and screenplays that combine her favorite novel story elements: romance, suspense, history and action. Most recently, she published three Kensington Lyrical Press romantic suspense. The first in the series, Foster Justice, was released in December 2014 and ranked #1 on Amazon’s Western Romance list. Colleen converted the story to a novel from the original script version she wrote at UCLA’s Advanced Professional Screenwriting program.

Colleen Shannon graduated cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Archaeology and more recently earned her Master’s in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California. She currently lives in Austin, Texas.

 

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Reclaim by Heather Henderson #bookreview #nonfiction #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

How to Stop Scrolling Through Your Life and Start Living It

Personal Development / Digital Well-Being (Narrative Nonfiction)

Date Published: Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Publisher: Fernlight Books

 You’re not broken. You’re overstimulated.

They sat on the beach with their backs to the ocean, faces in their phones, watching clips of someone else’s vacation. As Heather Henderson stood a few feet away, ready to capture the perfect Cabo moment, she realized we were promised more: more connection, more freedom, more possibility — not a life spent refreshing feeds.

Handed devices before we were taught how to live with them, most of us inherited this algorithmic world. We learned to let notifications and endless recommendations choose for us in small, quiet ways, until the choices no longer felt like choices at all, and we found ourselves scrolling through life instead of living it.

The problem goes beyond casual screen time. It is unconscious time — the moments we surrender without realizing the cost.

Drawing from her years inside major tech companies, including Google and Uber, Heather Henderson invites readers to ask:

Did I choose this, or was it chosen for me?

If you feel wired but tired, connected but lonely, or busy but empty, this book is an honest look at how we lost presence — and a guide to reclaim it.

 

Review

There is much more to Reclaim than simply putting down your phone. Heather Henderson takes a broader look at what happens when our attention becomes something constantly competed for. 

With personal observations and insight drawn from Henderson's technology-industry background, Reclaim offers a timely examination of modern digital life.

A worthwhile reminder that attention is a limited resource—and where we put it matters.

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Literary Fiction Feature: Crows Calling by Bruce McConnell #giveaway #fiction #ecofiction #literary #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Literary/Eco-Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Earth’s animals are fed up with humanity’s mindless damage to our common home. Will a young girl and her family heed their call?

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

About the Author

Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of his poems, Living from Here, was published by Anvil Press (US). He recently moved to Ashland Oregon to feel closer to his relatives in the natural world. Crows Calling is his first novel. He is working on a second novel set in Southern Oregon.

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings.

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

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Christian Nonfiction Feature: Hello Peace by Beth McCall #bookreview #nonfiction #christian #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

Finding Freedom from Body Image Struggles Through Faith, Motherhood, and Surrender

 

Religion / Christian Living

Date Published: July 28, 2026

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

 

Hello Peace is a faith-filled journey for women navigating body image struggles, identity, and the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy and motherhood. Through a raw and honest personal story, this book invites readers to move from fear, comparison, and control into surrender, renewal, and lasting peace in Christ.

Blending Scripture, reflection, and practical journaling prompts, it equips women to break free from shame, rediscover their worth, and anchor their identity in God—not in appearance or performance.

For any woman who has ever felt at war with her body, this book offers hope, healing, and a reminder that God is not calling her back to who she was—but forward into who she is becoming.

Review

There is something particularly powerful about a book that acknowledges how much motherhood can change a woman's relationship with herself. 

Beth McCall's willingness to be vulnerable gives the book an authentic quality. This isn't a message about achieving some perfect version of yourself. Instead, it is about releasing the pressure to control everything and learning to trust God with the process. 

I appreciated how strongly the book centers identity in Christ rather than appearance. 

The Scripture passages and journaling exercises also give the reader opportunities to make the message personal. 

A thoughtful, faith-centered read for women learning to extend themselves the same grace they so readily give to others.

 

About the Author

 

 Beth McCall is a registered dietitian, sports nutrition specialist, and founder of Purposeful Fueling, where she helps individuals fuel their body, mind, and life with purpose. With over a decade of experience working with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, Beth is passionate about supporting both performance and whole-person wellness.

A devoted follower of Christ, her work is deeply shaped by her personal journey of healing from an eating disorder and finding freedom through God’s truth. Hello Peace is her debut book, inspired by her experiences in pregnancy and motherhood and her desire to help women anchor their identity in Christ.

Beth lives with her husband, son, and daughter, and enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with her family.

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Romantic Suspense Feature: Saving the Kids by Donna Del Oro #romanticsuspense #romance #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Saving La Familia Series, Book Three

 

Romantic Suspense

Date Published: May 1, 2026

Intrepid school teacher Dina Salazar and her P.I. friend encounter more than they bargained for as they locate some of the 350,000 illegal, unaccompanied minors who crossed over and were turned over to unvetted sponsors. Their aim is to rescue those who have fallen prey to evil drug and human traffickers and turned into slaves. Their quest to save one group of immigrant teenagers leads them to encounter one of the most clever and corrupt of L.A. businessmen, a man with no moral scruples who has become rich as a drug and human trafficker. Finding the proof leads them to a border Arizona ranch where they and the Task-Force team battle smugglers and coyotes working for a dangerous Mexican cartel, and Dina and Gil confront a cartel hitman intent on killing both of them.

About the Author

Donna Del Oro was a high school teacher of Literature and Writing and is now enjoying the freedom from classroom bells by writing novels and traveling the world.

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The Baal of Shangisha by O Mez #bookreview #fantasy #adventure #middlegrade #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Middle-grade fantasy Adventure, fantasy

Date Published: January 6, 2026

Publisher: MindStir Media

 

 

One boy. One impossible dream. One journey that could change his world forever.

When a mysterious force hurls young Chetanna into the home of an enigmatic old bird, he arrives carrying an extraordinary dream: to bring peace to the wicked and divided world around him.

Even Chetanna is unsure such peace is possible.

But when his mother tells him of a distant land of possibilities—a place where hidden answers may be found—Chetanna finally sees a path forward. As darkness spreads across the island he calls home, he begins a dangerous quest armed with only a slingshot, a mysterious name whispered by his mother, and the ancient power of the Eight.

Chetanna believes that courage, hope, and determination will be enough to complete his mission.

He is wrong.

Halfway through the journey, betrayal changes everything. The companions he trusted most abandon him, convinced that the quest is doomed. Left for dead and stranded in an unforgiving wilderness, Chetanna loses nearly everything he depended upon.

He should turn back.

He should surrender.

Instead, he holds tightly to the one thing no enemy can take from him: his dream of creating a better world.

Driven by resilience, courage, kindness, and an unshakable belief in what might still be possible, Chetanna presses forward. But when he finally reaches the legendary land he has risked everything to find, a devastating truth awaits—one powerful enough to destroy his mission and shatter everything he believes.

The Baal of Shangisha is a lyrical middle-grade fantasy adventure filled with mystery, ancient power, dangerous choices, unexpected betrayal, and unforgettable lessons about hope, sacrifice, selflessness, and perseverance.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

• Courageous young heroes and epic quests

• Magical lands inspired by rich cultural traditions

• Fantasy adventures filled with danger and discovery

• Stories about friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness

• Meaningful lessons about resilience, love, kindness, and hope

• Young characters who discover that even the smallest voice can inspire extraordinary change

Blending atmospheric storytelling, African cultural echoes, and timeless themes, O. Mez delivers a powerful debut novel for young readers who believe that courage is not the absence of fear—but the decision to keep moving forward.

How far would you go to save your world when everyone else has stopped believing?

Begin Chetanna’s unforgettable journey in The Baal of Shangisha today.

Review

Chetanna's dream of bringing peace to a troubled and divided world may sound impossible, but his willingness to pursue it becomes the driving force behind this imaginative fantasy adventure. 

The story does an excellent job of putting Chetanna through experiences that challenge not only his courage but also his beliefs. 

The themes of kindness, selflessness, perseverance, and forgiveness fit naturally into the adventure rather than feeling like lessons simply inserted into the story.

Ultimately, this offers middle-grade readers an adventure with genuine emotional depth. 

About the Author

 O. Mez is a Nigerian-born author whose storytelling is shaped by the rich oral traditions, cultural rhythms, and imaginative tales that surrounded him while growing up. Inspired by stories passed down through generations, he writes lyrical, atmospheric fantasy that explores courage, resilience, hope, and the quiet strength of those who dare to believe in a better world.

Now based in Colorado, Mez brings together African cultural echoes, timeless life lessons, and immersive fantasy adventure to create meaningful stories for young readers. His debut middle-grade fantasy novel, The Baal of Shangisha, follows a young hero on a dangerous quest filled with mystery, betrayal, ancient power, and the unshakable determination to change his world.

Through his writing, Mez hopes to encourage children to embrace kindness, perseverance, selflessness, and the belief that even the smallest voice can make a lasting difference.

When he is not writing, he enjoys watching football, spending time with his wife and daughters, and reading stories about forgotten lands, brave souls, and extraordinary journeys.

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