Sapphyria's Books
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Essentials of Homicide (The Aromatherapy Apothecary Series) by Kim Davis
Essentials of Homicide (The Aromatherapy Apothecary Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting - California
Publisher : Harbor Lane Books, LLC.
Publication date : September 8, 2026
Print length : 284 pages
Paperback ISBN-10 : 1963705521
ISBN-13 : 978-1963705522
Digital ASIN : B0H2468WHQ
Hollywood has descended on Oak Creek Valley to film a murder mystery. Carissa Carmichael, owner of the Aromatherapy Apothecary, has a front-row seat to the bad-boy leading man’s escapades as she works with the production to bring soothing essential elements to the stressed-out crew.
When the movie set becomes a true crime scene, Carissa’s best friend becomes the star suspect. Instead of enjoying the thrills of lights, camera, and action, she’s thrust into untangling the secrets of the glamorous actors who all seem to hide something. While working behind the scenes to sniff out clues and clear her best friend’s name, Carissa must apply pressure and find the killer before someone else is written out for good.
Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series, along with The Board Game Chronicles, a middle-grade fantasy series. She is also one of the bloggers at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, where she indulges her passion for food and creating unique cupcake flavors. She lives in Southern California with her husband and very rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines… that is, when Missy lets her sit down to write. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
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Non-Fiction, Memoir
About the Book:
Follow the true story of two young yet disparate Brits as they venture east to Hong Kong to join the colonial police out there. Initially bought-in to the adventure, bright lights and the hedonistic pleasures of the Exotic East, Alan and Bob are thrown into a world somewhat divergent to the picture painted whilst under training. They begin to butt heads with corruption, colonial excess, privilege and protectionism and run into connivers, skivers and survivors.
The story follows the two young, relatively naive men along their journey from their eight-month police training to their posts as policemen. It is filled with colourful incidents and exotic tales, with liberal doses of tongue in cheek humour and literary licence thrown in, you'll scarcely believe what they encountered.
About the Author:
Victor Blair is a well-travelled, humorous, rather overly-free spirited ‘baby booming’ Brit, who is luckily still imbued with an energy belying his years, so hence the slightly provocative gesture above, showing him probably disagreeing with something or someone, yet again… our apologies! He has worn ‘many different hats’ in UK banking, and in a host of overseas appointments, including ten years in the colonial Hong Kong Police Force, the tourism sector in Asia, and subsequently in worldwide oil and gas exploration and logistics, and finally, engineering consultancy. An as yet unappreciated comedic wit and poet, with a bright, if latent, creative spark, and with early roots in Gloucestershire and Africa. He is now semi-retired in north Thailand, where he busies himself with his sugar cane plantation, scripting away at night time, and as the patriarch of his local wife’s ever-increasing, extended family.
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Purchase Link:
Young Adult Fiction, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary Romance, Magical Realism, Contemporary Fiction
Date Published: May 30, 2026
About the Book:
At eighteen, Solehn has everything figured out. A thriving social life in New York, a close-knit circle of friends, and a future she's carefully imagined. But when her family unexpectedly falls apart, she's uprooted from everything familiar and forced to spend her final semester of high school in Austin, Texas. Determined not to disappear into a life she never chose, Solehn reinvents herself. She trades vulnerability for sharp edges, falls into friendships that demand more than they give, and slowly becomes someone she barely recognizes. Then there's Alexander. Quiet, observant, and seemingly immune to Solehn's carefully constructed defenses, Alexander is the boy next door who sees the person beneath her performance. Their unlikely connection grows through rooftop conversations, shared silences, and an understanding neither knows how to ask for. But when tragedy strikes, Solehn discovers that a mysterious yellow umbrella holds an impossible promise: the chance to go back and change everything. Armed with knowledge of what lies ahead, Solehn sets out to rewrite the past. Yet the closer she gets to saving the person she loves, the more she questions whether love means holding on, letting go, or accepting what cannot be controlled. Because second chances aren't always gifts. Sometimes, they come with a price.
Seasons of Blooming is an emotional coming-of-age novel exploring messy girlhood, complicated families, friendship breakups, first love, grief, and the desire to undo our greatest regrets. Blending contemporary realism with magical realism, Doreen Otaru explores what it means to lose yourself, find your people, and discover that growing up isn't about becoming perfect. It's about learning when and how to bloom. For readers who love complex characters, slow-burn romance, found family, unexpected twists, and stories that linger long after the final page.
About the Author:
Doreen Otaru is a multidisciplinary storyteller and creative strategist whose work explores human connection, culture, and the evolving relationship between media and community. Drawing from experiences across storytelling, design, and collaborative creative spaces, her work is rooted in curiosity, emotional honesty, and a deep appreciation for the ways stories shape how people see themselves and each other.
The Shadowless
R.J. Garcia
(At the Corner of Eden and Darkness, #1)
Publication date: November 26th 2025
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Modern Faerie Tale Meets Murder
Mae Dawson returns to her family’s cabin in a mysterious forest to search for her missing sister. One night, she goes to sleep in her bed only to awaken in the depths of the woods surrounded by eerie and indiscernible voices that lead her to her sister’s grave.
A year has passed. Mae has pieced her life back together. She has a supportive boyfriend and is completing her first semester in college. However, everything begins to unravel when strange late-night calls come from the beyond, and a malevolent force begins to invade her friends.
Adding to her unease is the presence of a mysterious stranger, Brandon Sills, who seems to lurk in the shadows, watching her every move. Despite the warning bells ringing in her mind, Mae feels an inexplicable attraction to him.
As mortal and magical forces conspire against them, Mae must trust Brandon to uncover the secrets of the fae. Secrets that will change her life forever, if she even survives.
The Spellbound
R.J. Garcia
(At the Corner of Eden and Darkness, #2)
Publication date: December 2nd 2026
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Magic Meets Mayhem
Back in Willows End, Mae and Brandon find themselves in the thick of things after kidnapping her ex. As they attempt to banish a changeling, Mae begins to question her sanity, and the threat of a serial killer draws ever closer.
Even sleep offers no reprieve. Mae can no longer find Emmie in the Garden—her dreams of wonder have become nightmares. Before long, she discovers her sister is lost in Limbo.
One night, Mae is alone in the cabin when she hears someone breaking in. Her only hope is her possessed ex—chained in the spare room. Mae is forced to choose the lesser of two evils. Once Mae makes her choice, the changeling assumes human form, an ancient prophecy stirs, and nothing is as it seems.
Haunted by fear and doubt, Mae clings to her love for Brandon, the last sure thing in her life, and her greatest hope of saving her sister. But are things really as certain as they seem?
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SNEAK PEEK QUOTES:
The Shadowless:
“I pulled myself out of a dream and glared with a pirate eye at my buzzing phone. Then I caught sight of Emmie’s name flashing on the screen. There would be nothing unusual about it except, of course, it’s the middle of the night and my sister’s dead.”
The Spellbound:
“It was more than the way his blue eyes twinkled, and how his mouth moved like honey. It was more than him being handsome, kind, and magical. It was the feeling I had, a connection I can’t quite explain.”
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Meet the Author:
R.J. Garcia is a wife, and proud mom of two smart kids. She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!
GIVEAWAY!
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