May 2025 Book Blogger Posts Round Up

A collection of blog posts by book bloggers

Welcome to another Book Bloggers Round Up post! Let's see what book bloggers posted about during May.

I introduced this feature here on the blog in May 2021 to showcase blog posts by other book bloggers and as it continues to be a popular series I've decided to continue again this year too. 

Each month I'll include a wide variety of content so there's something for everyone. You'll find book reviews, interviews, discussion pieces and more...

So if you're looking for new bookish content to read and/or want to discover some new book bloggers to follow, look no further!

Why I do this feature: 

Scanning through various social media feeds to find suitable content can take up valuable time and so I figured I'd make it easier and put together a collection here on the blog.

It's also a way for me to highlight some of the other great book bloggers out there and help promote books and reading at the same time. 

How it works:

Each month I do a post via my Twitter, where I offer the opportunity for book bloggers to submit posts published during that month for inclusion in this round up. I do this every month.

Want to be included in future round ups? Follow my Twitter profile and keep an eye out for the submission tweet.

May 2025 Book Blogger Round Up

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out the April Round Up for even more great bookish posts by different book bloggers. 

Books: First Lines Fridays 30th May 2025

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? 

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page 
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first 
• Finally… reveal the book!

My Pick For This Week

The first lines of the book:

And the book is...

• 
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CR81NTNC
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Heroic Rose Publishing
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 27, 2024
• 
  

Book synopsis for The Mystery in the Margins by L.L. Gray

A quaint bookshop, a sprinkle of magic, and a dash of mystery.

Harper Sullivan yearns for a place to call home, preferably with a delightful bakery nearby. When news arrives that she's inherited her great-grandmother's bookshop in the charming town of Havenwood, Harper eagerly seizes the chance. Unbeknownst to her, the quaint bookshop carries more than just shelves of stories—it harbors inherited mysteries and a touch of magical mayhem.

But instead of the cozy haven she envisioned, Harper finds herself entangled in inheritance drama, a surprising cousin rivalry, and a daring book thief on the loose. Can she use her wits and witchy powers to untangle the mystery and safeguard her dreams from unraveling before they even begin?

Where to find The Mystery in the Margins by L.L. Gray online: 

 

 The Mystery in the Margins Amazon affiliate link

 The Mystery in the Margins on Goodreads

Book Spotlight: Demon Storm Series by Valerie Storm

Today I'm part of a virtual book tour organised by The Write Reads for Demon Storm Series by Valerie Storm. The tour for ‘Demon Storm Series ' will run from 28th May - 1st June 2025. 

Interested in featuring your book? You can book a Book Spotlight post to showcase your work to my readers.

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

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Genre: Fantasy

Age Category: Young Adult

Number of Books: 8 

New to virtual book tours? Check out my book Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.

Book synopsis for Demon Storm Series by Valerie Storm

The Demon Storm series follows Kari Kasente, the wolf demon destined to destroy the world. While battling an innately crueler self, a Shadow Witch intent on controlling her, and a series of other enemies, Kari must learn to trust herself and those around her. Only then can she find her light and save the world.

The final book in the series, Fate of the Storm was released on May 13, 2025.

Birth of the Storm by Valerie Storm (book 1) 

You can find the spotlight post I did for this book here. 

For wolf-demon Kari, these define her every waking moment. Her parents are dead, slaughtered by human hands, forcing their only daughter to masquerade among their killers to save her own skin. Now she dwells among them, hiding her lightning-based abilities and plotting a terrible revenge, believing her schemes are all she's good for now. But when she discovers unexpected solace among a group of humans who look past her monstrous nature, Kari finds herself questioning everything. Her mission. Her dreams. Even the hatred festering in her heart.

Is it possible for a creature like Kari to find happiness in a world that despises her?

Or will the specters of her past force her down the path of vengeance in the end?

Storm & Shadow by Valerie Storm (book 2)

But for the wolf-demon with lightning in her fists, resurrection is no reprieve from exile. After old witch Zina revives her, Kari must conceal her true nature better than ever before, lest her slayers find her breathing and put her down for good. And since she can no longer return to what she once knew, Kari finds herself adrift—in search of purpose.

She gets it when Zina entrusts her with the Lapis Anima, a gem imprisoning the soul of wicked woman, Raven. This brings her into conflict with Raven herself, who’s still very much a threat without her soul… and has devious plans in mind for Kari’s destructive abilities.

Will the wolf-demon succumb to Raven’s cruel temptations?

Or will Kari turn to an unlikely ally for help—the very man who killed her, one year ago?

Where to find Demon Storm Series by Valerie Storm online: 

 

Demon Storm Series Amazon affiliate link

Demon Storm Series on Goodreads

About the author, Valerie Storm

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

She can be found on Twitter @Valerie_Storm

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You might also like: Book Spotlight: Choices Meant for Gods by Sandy Lender

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Book synopsis for The Magdalenes by Jeanne Skartsiaris

The Magdalenes is a story of redemption and reinvention.

Jude Madigan is a successful plaintiff's attorney who lived out a nightmare and spent years keeping it hidden. After being raped and impregnated by a Catholic priest when she was fourteen, she has spent years creating a new life, now driven to get justice for her clients.

She buries her past, and her emotions, under a solid veneer of ambition, but just as she's about to bring her biggest litigation case to trial, a strange assignment is forced upon her. Her law firm is given a huge commission to handle the estate of a recently deceased woman, with the catch that Jude, and no one else, must act as trustee. The terms require her to oversee the construction and finances of a Catholic halfway house for prostitutes.

Jude fights against this agreement since she turned her back on the church years ago and intends to keep it that way. Her boss insists she complies, not knowing about her past-or the pain of having her daughter taken from her arms minutes after the birth by a nun.

Damaged and patched together with anger and shame, Jude is reluctant, but becomes involved with a group of nuns and the prostitutes they're trying to help.

But the mystery remains as to why the stranger specified her, a litigation attorney, not an estate attorney, to handle the case. Though Jude struggles both personally and professionally, she discovers that what she feared most was what she needed to heal. Every belief is tested, and a lost dream is realized.

Where to find The Magdalenes by Jeanne Skartsiaris online: 

 

The Magdalenes Amazon affiliate link

The Magdalenes on Goodreads

About the author: Jeanne Skartsiaris

Award winning author, Jeanne Skartsiaris, spins stories about life, digging into the soul her characters while they deal with real life challenges. Many readers identify with her stories, making them laugh as well as cry. 

By day, Jeanne Skartsiaris works as a sonographer in an Ob/Gyn’s office. Working in sonography helped her get her BA degree in photography, with a goal to get a Masters in Medical Illustration. After graduation, she was offered a job as a medical/legal photographer for a plaintiff's law firm. Instead of completing the graduate program, she worked as a photographer and art director for seventeen years in the legal community. 

She attended creative writing courses at Southern Methodist University. Her novel, ""Dance Like You Mean"" It is a coming-of-middle-age story. Also the author of YA novels, ""Surviving Life"" and ""Snow Globe"". The Magdalenes speaks of shedding the past and reinventing oneself after a trauma.

The Magdalenes won first place in the San Antonio’s Writer’s Guild in 2019 and received a five-star review with Reader’s Favorites in 2019. It was long listed in the Page Turner awards 2023. Dance Like You Mean It was a finalist in the humor category in the 2017 Best Book Awards by American Book Fest and received five stars at Reader's Favorites Awards.

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You might also like: Book Spotlight: Choices Meant for Gods by Sandy Lender

If you'd like to support me, donating goes a long way to helping with the running of this blog. Thanks for your support 💗

Donate now