Release Blitz with Teasers: Resistance Training by Kayley Loring @GiveMeBooksPR

Resistance Training by Kayley Loring

Publication date: September 29th, 2025

Synopsis:

Vivian only has one big regret in life--and a million little ones if you count all the calories she didn't consume while she was living with the guy who dumped her. But Vivian is glad she moved to Portland with her ex. She's glad he left her for someone who lives in the city she moved from, because she can now eat her feelings and those feelings taste like wine, tacos, pastries, and gourmet ice cream.

She's even happy when her newly-engaged sister informs her that she's the toughest personal trainer in town to whip Vivian back into shape for her wedding, because it finally brings her face-to-face with that one big regret--her former best friend from high school.

Brad Mitchell, who claimed she broke his heart and disappeared after they graduated. Who never replied to all those emails about how much she regretted hurting him. The once-chubby, grumpy nerd who was the other person in their two-member book club. The one who now looks infuriatingly hot in a compression tank top and sweatpants.

Brad goes by Mitch these days. He has the same wry sense of humor, a lot of exciting new muscles, and one aggravating, old grudge. But as he puts Vivian through resistance training that tests his own stubborn resolve too, their old spark refuses to die--it just keeps doing more reps.

And those long-ignored emails sitting in Brad's archived inbox folder? They just might take these former best friends from enemies to loves and give them the second chance they deserve--if he ever reads them.

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Amazon Top 25 and USA Today bestselling author KAYLEY LORING had a fifteen-year career as a screenwriter in Los Angeles (under a different name) before moving to the Pacific Northwest to pen steamy romantic comedy novels. Now she's breathing cleaner air, writing dirtier words, and staring at her computer screen until her eyeballs dry out instead of getting facials and going to the hair salon. read or listen to Kayley's books when you want to laugh, warm your heart, and enjoy top-notch banter, strong heroines who need to be chased, lovable characters you'd want to know in real life, and swoon over perfectly imperfect boyfriends.

Learn more on her website.

Come join Kaylee in her Facebook reading group!

Follow Kayley on Instagram.

Listen to Kayley talk to the wildly talented narrators who narrate her audiobooks and her wildly talented author friends on the Multiple Eargasms with Kayley Loring podcast!

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: The Icing on the Cake by Grace Worthington @XpressoTours

The Icing on the Cake by Grace Worthington

Series: Love in Maple Falls

Publication date: September 24th, 2025

Synopsis:

Rule #1: Never fall for a hockey player. So why does my dating coach--who also happens to play hockey--make me want to break every rule I've set?

Neesha

It starts with one conversation with a stranger... and suddenly, everything changes.

He won't tell me what he does for a living, and maybe that should be a red flag. But after the hardest year of my life, my new neighbor feels like a lifetime--calm, capable, and always there when I need him.

When he offers to be my dating coach, I tell myself it's harmless. That he just wants to help.

But behind that cinnamon roll smile, he's hiding something--and I'm starting to fall for him anyway.

I told myself we were just friends.

So why am I dreaming about kissing the one man I swore I'd never fall for?

Lucian

Keeping my hockey identity secret was supposed to be temporary--just long enough to figure out my next move with the girl next door.

There's just one problem: she's sworn off hockey players for good.

She asked me to help her fall for someone else and be her dating coach.

But I'm the one falling now.

And when she finds out who I really am, I might lose the only woman who's ever made me want something more than the game.

I stopped pretending it was a fake date a long time ago.

But when our fun leads to feelings? That's the icing on the cake.

🧁Tropes in The Icing on the Cake

• Cinnamon roll hero
• Secret identity
• Neighbor romance
• Stars Hollow/Gilmore Girls vibe
• Cupcake baker heroine
• Handy hero who fixes things
• Forced proximity
• Practice dating/fake dating

The Icing on the Cake is a slow-burn, secret-identity hockey romance featuring a cinnamon roll hero who falls hard for the sweet cupcake baker next door.

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Excerpt

"You need practice dating. I could help." He shrugs. "No pressure. No commitment. Just proving it's possible to have a good time with a friend."

A friend--someone safe and harmless to my heart.

I stare at him. "You're joking, right?"

"I wouldn't joke about this. We could even go to a public place together if that makes you feel safer."

Most guys would be focused on convincing me they're fun or interesting, but Lucian's defense is that he's trustworthy.

And that's my issue.

"Think about it," he begins, not pressuring me at all. "You already know where I live. And with me, what you see is what you get--even when I'm sweaty and covered in sawdust--so there's nowhere to go but up."

I can't tell him that seeing him sweaty and covered in sawdust was actually, incredibly attractive.

I blink, stunned that he's actually serious about this proposal. "Does this mean you're my dating coach?"

"If you want me to be," he says, studying my face. "Though I have to ask what exactly you think you need to practice--because from where I'm standing, you seem to have the basics covered."

I let out a nervous laugh. "Are you kidding? I can barely string two coherent sentences together. Case in point: 'Hi-ho' was my greeting to you. No one wants to date the Seven Dwarfs."

He tilts his head, considering this. "I don't know. Snow White seemed pretty happy with them. And for the record, your 'Hi-ho' was actually kind of cute."

"Well, I feel like I've forgotten how to make conversation that doesn't revolve around cupcake orders," I admit. "Besides, you probably have women lining up to go out with you."

"Not really," he says quietly, before looking back at me. "You want to know what dating a good man looks like? I could show you."

My pulse skips a beat. "Show me how?"

"Well, we're alone. We've got time now." He pauses. "What if I gave you a quick demonstration, just so you know what to expect?"

Something flutters in my stomach. "A demonstration?"

"Just the basics. How a guy should treat you, what good conversation feels like, how to read the signals. Think of it as a preview of coming attractions."

This is definitely not what my friends had in mind when they said to flirt with Lucian.

Or maybe it is.

"Okay," I say before I think better of it. "Show me."

He catches my gaze while my heart dives off a cliff.

"If this were a date," he says, "the first thing I'd do is make sure you felt comfortable. That starts with eye contact."

His gaze remains on mine, never wavering. "Most people are afraid to really look at someone, but eye contact is everything. It shows you're present, that you're interested in the person, not just waiting for your turn to talk."

I find myself caught in his impossibly blue eyes, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"Then, if the moment feels right..." He reaches toward me, his fingers brushing mine. "Small touches. Like this."

I almost can't breathe as he gently takes one of my hands.

"Most people rush through moments like these," he says, his voice low. "But the small touches matter. They tell you everything."

"Like what?"

"Like whether someone's patient or impulsive." His thumb starts stroking slowly over my skin. "Or whether they're paying attention to how you respond."

I swallow hard, failing to hide that I'm totally entranced by this.

"What else?" I ask, not even caring if this is real or not. I'm here to practice--to master the art of whatever this is between us.

He moves closer still. "Proximity," he murmurs. "Letting someone into your space. Reading their response. And not moving away."

He's closer than ever now, and for one wild moment, I see him differently--not like someone I'm practicing with, but someone I'd actually want this to be real with.

"And then?" I ask, my voice barely audible.

His eyes graze down my face for just a second. The corner of his mouth quirks up. "And then... you always leave them wanting more."

GRACE WORTHINGTON eats, breathes, and geeks out over sweet romcoms. So it's no surprise that she believes that laughter and love are a cure-all for pretty much everything in life. After a short stint working in musical theatre (where she was often cast in comedic roles), she instills her books with witty banter, lovable characters, and a story that moves your heart and soul. Her inspiration includes quaint towns by the beach, romantic comedy movies from the '80s & '90s, and the crazy shenanigans of her family. Snag a free romcom on the author's website.

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: The Vanishing Castle by Marlena Cannon @XpressoTours

The Vanishing Castle by Marlena Cannon

Publication date: September 23rd, 2025

Synopsis:

A fantasy mystery with hooves and heart.

Simarron isn't a detective, he's just a centaur with a clipboard and a nose for trouble. He left his homeland to get a professional job in the city as a magical safety inspector. However, his new life isn't quite as he imagined it to be and his fellow housemates at Slant Row Boarding House (which is definitely not haunted) are shadier than an enchanted forest.

When a castle disappears and an alchemist ends up dead, Simarron must chose between the cozy, safe rule-bound life he's always dreamed of and the principles that won't let him walk away. He is a safety inspector, after all, and the city isn't safe with a killer on the loose.

A cozy mystery set in a richly imagining gaslamp fantasy world, The Vanishing Castle delights with magical intrigue, a quirky found family, and a centaur sleuth you won't soon forget.

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Excerpt

Checking my pocket watch, I scuffed the moisture off my hooves as I entered the brick building. Inside, a framed newspaper article announced the founding of the Magic and Alchemy Safety and Health Administration just ten years ago. But the smell of dust, lamp oil, and crumbling paper told a different story, one far older. I caught a dim reflection of myself in the glass--enough to see that my auburn mane looked presentable--but I smoothed it down anyway while I waited.

My gaze restlessly traveled the shelves containing old books and magical oddities, including a globe of the world adorned with dynamic swirls of clouds that flowed over the model. The morning light streamed in from the pair of narrow, floor-to-ceiling windows, brightening the dark wood and heavy silence of the interior.

I glanced at my pocket watch again--one minute until my appointment. Inconveniently, the desk positioned outside the director's office was unoccupied. Not a secretary in sight. Oh, no--they didn't expect me to interview for a secretary position, did they? 

An indistinct figure moved beyond the glass-paneled door. I shifted from hoof to hoof. What was I to do in this situation, knock or wait one more minute?

By the time I worked up the nerve to announce my presence, two more minutes ticked by. Dread slid its icy fingers into my chest, warning me that I was now late, and gave me the final push to act.

I reached forward to knock, pausing when I heard footsteps shuffle to a halt on the other side. I backed up awkwardly, my hooves clattering on the wood floor as the door swung outward.

"Hello, you must be Simarron! I'm Ken Moosekind, Executive Director of MASHA," said a squinty man with a bushy mustache whose robes smelled faintly of tobacco. "Come in, lad, and mind your head." He retreated behind his cluttered desk.

I ducked my head slightly, entering the office: a place of organized chaos. Books and files sat piled atop cabinets and shelves--even on the floor. Wood scraped on wood as I moved aside a chair and settled down on my haunches opposite the director.

Director Moosekind shifted a stack of papers aside. "So, Simarron, you want to join MASHA as a magical safety inspector, do you?"

MARLENA CANNON grew up reading "The Cat Who..." mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun and writing stories of her own. She kept writing intermittently over the years, eventually pursuing her dream by completing the DIY MFA program in 2023, where she drafted "The Vanishing Castle," inspired by one of her childhood projects. She also designing the cover using her background in graphic design. Marlena lives with her husband and their rescue rabbits.

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The Vanishing Castle Blitz

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