Saturday, August 29, 2026

#BookReview ~ Dungeons & Dimwits by James Mascia ~ @rararesources #D&D #GraphicNovel

Dungeons & Dimwits


Dungeons & Dragons meets Jumanji in a hilarious fantasy adventure where the players are trapped inside the chaotic world they created. Now every bad roll, terrible plan, and overpowered enemy is dangerously real.

When a group of tabletop role-playing gamers suddenly find themselves pulled into their own fantasy campaign, the adventure stops being imaginary and starts being a matter of survival. Thrown into a world filled with monsters, magic, absurd dangers, and enemies far beyond their level, these unlikely adventurers must figure out how to stay alive long enough to find a way home.

But this is not the polished fantasy epic they imagined. This is their game world―complete with ridiculous choices, bizarre characters, unpredictable rules, and all the chaos that comes from years of questionable decisions around the gaming table. As the party stumbles from one disaster to the next, they must rely on teamwork, quick thinking, and a little bit of luck to survive the fantasy world they helped create.

Funny, fast-paced, and packed with tabletop gaming humor, Dungeons & Dimwits is a wild fantasy comedy for longtime RPG players, fantasy fans, comic readers, and anyone who has ever wondered what would happen if the game suddenly became real.

My Review:

Dungeons & Dimwits is a fun twist on roll-playing games. A group of friends casually gathered together suddenly find themselves transported into the middle of their game. Danger abounds. Chaos unfolds. Teamwork is a must.

I loved Dungeons & Dimwits. The vibrant and visually appealing illustrations, fun and adventurous plot, and interesting characters make this unputdownable. I read it in one sitting. The story captured my attention and kept me engaged with the antics before and after the group of friends were pulled into their campaign.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


My Rating:


About the Series:

Dungeons & Dimwits is a fantasy comedy series about a group of gamers trapped inside their own tabletop role-playing campaign. This first volume begins their journey as they discover that their imaginary world is now very real―and very dangerous. The series follows the party as they face monsters, magic, rival adventurers, impossible quests, and the consequences of their own chaotic storytelling. Readers should begin with Volume 1, which introduces the characters, the world, and the hilarious disaster that launches the adventure.


Purchase Links:



Meet the Author:


James Mascia is the founder and publisher of Dren Productions, where he creates sci-fi, horror, and fantasy comics and novels packed with imagination, humor, and thrills. He is the author of titles including Flesh-Eating Cheerleaders, Dungeons & Dimwits, The Poe Murders, and High School Heroes. When he’s not writing strange and exciting stories, James works as a high school English teacher in Maryland. A lifelong fan of Comic Cons, cheesy sci-fi and horror movies, and Dungeons & Dragons, he brings his love of genre storytelling into everything he writes.

Social Media Links – Facebook/Instagram - @DrenProductions

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Thursday, August 27, 2026

Sapphyria's Book Promotions is Seeking Tour Hosts! #InfluencersWanted #BookLoversNeeded #Books #Readers


Do you love books? Do you love to host authors and books on your blog, website, and/or social media outlets?

Please consider joining my promotions team!

I provide standard materials, info for Instagram and TikTok, and an HTML for each tour.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2026

No Straight Lines to the Stars by Ken Kisco ~ @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #NoStraightLinestotheStars #KenKisco #Nonfiction


No Straight Lines to the Stars by Ken Kisco


An Unlikely Journey from Lifeguard Tower to Launchpad

 

Narrative Nonfiction/Inspirational

Date Published: August 4th, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing


No Straight Lines to the Stars is the inspiring true story of a young lifeguard who dared to believe his life could reach far beyond the horizon.

On the beaches of Southern California, Ken Kisco learned that preparation saves lives. From rip-current rescues to split-second emergencies, he discovered that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it. Those early lessons in resilience and composure pushed Ken to believe he could accomplish anything . . . including his lifelong dream of reaching the stars.

Through relentless perseverance and unwavering faith, Ken rose into the heart of America’s most advanced space and defense programs, contributing to human spaceflight initiatives and supporting groundbreaking technologies. His unusual start as a lifeguard helped advance his career, distinguishing him from his Air Force and Navy peers. Yet, his toughest challenges were personal—he faced deep disappointment when a space mission was canceled and learned lessons about trust and integrity from a romance-turned-ruse.

Ken’s journey reveals that success is rarely linear. Setbacks became launchpads, adversity became refinement, and purpose became a compass. Part memoir, part inspiration, and part behind-the-scenes look at America’s quest for the stars, this is the unforgettable story of a man who proves that bold dreams, combined with grit and heart, can launch an ordinary life into an extraordinary one.


 

About the Author:


At ten years old, Ken Kisco dreamed of becoming a rocket scientist, a goal that shaped his life. He earned multiple degrees, including master's degrees from the University of Southern California in systems management and from San Jose State University in industrial psychology.

As an aerospace systems engineer for NASA, Rockwell International, and Boeing, he developed new technologies and earned recognition as an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Fellow.

Ken now shares his passion by mentoring USC engineering students, inspiring them to dream boldly. When not traveling, he and his wife enjoy San Diego's beaches, where they live.


Contact Links:

Website

Instagram: @Kennasaman


Purchase Link:

Amazon

 

RABT Book Tours & PR

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Tuesday, August 25, 2026

The Filbert Steps (The Telegraph Hill Mysteries) by Lila Blake ~ #CozyMystery

The Filbert Steps (The Telegraph Hill Mysteries) by Lila Blake

About The Filbert Steps:

 

The Filbert Steps (The Telegraph Hill Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Setting - California

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sutro House Press

Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 31, 2026

Print length ‏ : ‎ 301 pages Digital

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8951746016

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0H52YDTRG

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A body on the steps. A neighborhood that saw nothing.

Vivian Salvatore came back to Telegraph Hill with a cat, a divorce settlement, and a book she cannot seem to write.

At fifty-two, newly single and trying to rebuild her life, she has settled into the rhythms of San Francisco’s most beautiful staircase: coffee at the corner café, morning walks on the Filbert Steps, old neighbors on three corners, and the comforting illusion that everyone knows everyone.

Then, on a bright October morning, Vivian finds one of the city’s most ambitious developers dead on the third landing.

The police are ready to call it a fall. But Vivian spent twenty-seven years reading teenagers’ faces for a living, and she knows when a story does not fit. A coat buttoned wrong. A cigarette ground out where it should not be. Storefronts quietly sold to a post-office box in Delaware. And a neighborhood full of people who had reason to want one man gone.

As Vivian begins asking questions, she discovers that Telegraph Hill has been keeping secrets for years — about money, loyalty, grief, and who really gets to call a place home.

The Filbert Steps introduces Vivian Salvatore, a sharp-eyed, warm-hearted sleuth who notices everything and forgives almost as much.

Perfect for readers who love older women sleuths, atmospheric San Francisco mysteries, neighborhood secrets, found community, and fair-play cozy mysteries with literary depth.

About Lila Blake:

Lila Blake writes San Francisco neighborhood mysteries about foggy stairways, old houses, found family, and the secrets people keep when a place begins to change. Her Telegraph Hill Mysteries begin with The Filbert Steps, a literary cozy mystery featuring Vivian Salvatore, a fifty-two-year-old former teacher rebuilding her life after divorce. Lila is published by Sutro House Press, an independent fiction imprint based in San Francisco.

Links: 

Website: lilablake.com 

Purchase Link: Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

August 24 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
August 24 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
August 24 – Books1987 - SPOTLIGHT
August 25 – Christy's Cozy Corners – RECIPE
August 25 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
August 25 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
August 26 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 26 – Sarandipity's – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 27 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
August 27 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 28 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
August 28 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT
August 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 29 – Ruff Drafts – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 30 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 30 – Book Hookup – REVIEW
August 31 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
August 31 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT

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Sunday, August 23, 2026

The Secret in the Sampler: A Plain Truth Mystery by Abigail B. Hartwell ~ #CozyMystery

The Secret in the Sampler: A Plain Truth Mystery by Abigail B. Hartwell

About The Secret in the Sampler:


The Secret in the Sampler: A Plain Truth Mystery

Amish Adjacent Cozy Mystery with Slow-Burn Romance

1st in Series

Setting - Ohio

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plain Truth Press

Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 31, 2026

Print length ‏ : ‎ 358 pages

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GX372D82

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What would you do if the family heirloom hidden in your aunt’s estate could expose a stolen inheritance—and make you the next person someone needs silenced? Two years after losing her husband, Nora Bell returns to the quiet Ohio Amish-country town of Briar Creek to settle her late aunt’s estate. She expects dusty type drawers, unpaid bills, and enough sympathy casseroles to survive a minor siege. Reopening The Bell & Quill, Aunt Lenora’s old letterpress and stationery shop, is supposed to be a temporary project—not the beginning of an entirely new life. Then Nora discovers an antique hand-stitched sampler concealed inside a cedar trunk. Its mismatched initials, reversed border, and nearly invisible name suggest that the sampler is more than a family keepsake. It may be the only surviving record of a child erased from Briar Creek’s history—and an inheritance quietly stolen decades ago. Before Nora can uncover what her aunt knew, a local estate appraiser is found dead. He had been asking questions about the sampler, searching for a missing auction ledger, and meeting privately with someone determined to keep an old land transfer from being examined too closely. Now Nora is following a trail of altered records, old letters, disputed property, and carefully guarded family secrets. Her unexpected ally is Eli Yoder, a reserved Amish widower and auction clerk who knows Briar Creek’s family histories almost as well as he knows when people are refusing to tell the truth. Eli’s dry humor and steady presence make him useful. The grief he recognizes in Nora makes him dangerous in an entirely different way. As suspicion spreads through the Amish farms, antique shops, auction houses, and polished tourist businesses surrounding Briar Creek, Nora realizes the sampler does not simply reveal what happened in the past. It threatens someone’s money, reputation, and future. And the person who killed to keep its secret hidden may already know Nora has begun to unravel the pattern. Readers will discover:
  • A clever, emotionally grounded amateur sleuthwhose knowledge of printing, paper, handwriting, and design helps her notice what others overlook.
  • An atmospheric Amish-country settingfilled with rural roads, estate auctions, quilt work, family businesses, and small-town secrets.
  • A layered, low-gore cozy mystery involving an antique sampler, a hidden heir, altered records, and a disputed inheritance.
  • A clean, chaste slow-burn romance between two widowed people rebuilding their lives through trust rather than instant attraction.
  • Warm community characters and lightly witty dialogue without turning the mystery into slapstick.
  • A satisfying standalone investigation that opens the door to more secrets from The Bell & Quill.
The Secret in the Sampler is the first novel in The Plain Truth Mysteries, a gentle Amish-adjacent cozy mystery series about old objects, hidden histories, rural grudges, and the truths people leave behind on paper and cloth. Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower’s Assaulted Caramel, Laura Bradford’s Hearse and Buggy, and Vannetta Chapman’s Falling to Pieces.

About Abigail B. Hartwell:

Abigail B. Hartwell writes gentle Amish-adjacent cozy mysteries rooted in the small towns and wooded backroads of east-central Ohio. Though she is not Amish, she lives near Amish communities and draws inspiration from the region’s quiet rhythms, close-knit families, old stories, and rural traditions. She shares a modest home on five wooded acres with her long-haul truck driver husband. They have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. When she is not writing, Abigail enjoys church activities, family time, and the peaceful beauty of the Ohio countryside.

Social Media Links:


Purchase Links – Amazon Book Amazon Series

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

August 18 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea - SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 19 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 20 – Boys' Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 22 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
August 22 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
August 23 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 24 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 26 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 27 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 28 – Sarandipity's – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 28 – Book HookUp – REVIEW
August 29 – Romance Novel Giveaways – SPOTLIGHT
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This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.