Cover Reveal: The Forgotten Bruja by Johanny Ortega

Welcome to the cover reveal of The Forgotten Bruja by Johanny Ortega. I loooove this cover. What do you think?
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The Forgotten Bruja by Johanny Ortega
Publication date: March 16 2027
Genres: Gothic, Horror

Freedom has always meant leaving.

For Isadora Espinal, escape was the only way to survive the life her mother tried to force upon her—a legacy built on silence, blind obedience, and a responsibility Isadora never agreed to carry. So she left Willowshade behind and built a future far beyond her mother’s reach.

Twelve years later, Altagracia Espinal is dead, and Isadora has been summoned home.

What awaits her is not an explanation but a trail of unfinished warnings, fractured family histories, and whispers that seem to seep from the walls themselves, blurring the line between guidance and manipulation. The deeper Isadora searches, the more she suspects her mother’s secrets were never meant to protect the family. They were meant to bind it.

Now the house remembers her. The land is watching her. And the inheritance Isadora once rejected may not allow her to leave a second time.

Set in late-1960s Ohio, The Forgotten Bruja is a slow-burn gothic horror novel steeped in Dominican folklore, Spanglish dread, and magical realism. It is a story of inherited obligation, buried history, queer love, and the devastating cost of deciding which parts of a legacy deserve to survive.

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Author Bio:

Johanny Ortega is a Dominican American author who writes across genres—blending psychological horror, literary fiction, magical realism, and thrillers that punch you right in the gut. Whether writing about haunted hills, generational trauma, or the quiet unraveling of everyday life, her stories center marginalized voices, morally complex women, and the messy truth about survival.

She is the founder of Have a Cup of Johanny, a creative platform where she blogs, podcasts, and advocates for inclusive storytelling. Her award-winning middle-grade and adult fiction has resonated with readers who crave depth, grit, and emotional honesty.

When she’s not writing, she’s raising kids in a blended military family, reading books that wreck her soul in the best way, and saying what others are afraid to.

Website / Instagram / TikTok / Goodreads

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Portraits of Eleanor by Mary Ann Cappiello

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read.
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Portraits of Eleanor: Medieval Warrior Queen by Mary Ann Cappiello

Expected publication: June 22, 2027 by Holiday House

Monster. Temptress. Murderer. Queen. Who was Eleanor of Aquitaine, really?

The juicy rumors abound: Eleanor had an affair with her uncle. Eleanor rode through town topless on a horse. Eleanor controlled her sons like puppets.

These salacious lies and half-truths about Eleanor of Aquitaine have piled up for centuries. Why? Because a woman with power threatened the status quo of medieval Europe. Can’t have that! Stifling her success, gossipy myths transformed Eleanor from a trusted mother to an adulteress, from a tough negotiator to a nightmarish shrew.

But there is a more compelling version of Eleanor’s life buried beneath these stories. In fact, the legendary Queen of England and France survived kidnapping, shipwreck, and starvation; she commanded military power and political influence throughout the 12th Century and was the wealthiest landowner in Europe. No big deal... (Actually: a really big deal!)

This sensational read tears away years of mistruths to reveal an impressive feminist icon. Full-color photographs, royal family trees, and historical artifacts are interspersed among engaging chapters that unpack the myths behind Eleanor’s legacy. Perfect for fans of Candace Fleming’s The Family Romanov or Amy Butler Greenfield’s The Woman All Spies Fear.

I've been wanting to read a nonfiction about Eleanor of Aquitaine for ages and this 2027 release looks and sounds great. I can't wait!!!

What book are you awaiting today?

Audiobook Review: Locusta by Emily Dexter

Title: Locusta
Author: Emily Dexter
Series: The Poisoned Empire Duology #1
Publication: September 15, 2026 by Hay House LLC
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Find it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo
Rating: 3/5★

Circe meets The Lost Apothecary in the first book of this historical fantasy duology featuring Ancient Rome’s most infamous poisoner who changed the course of history to save the woman she loved.

Born in the ancient region of Gaul, Locusta is the last of her kind—a Druid whose communion with the spirit world grants her the dangerous gift of identifying and wielding deadly substances. When Roman soldiers attack her home and slaughter her mother, Locusta is captured and enslaved, taken to the heart of the empire where political plots abound and death commands a high price. Guided by Arawn, the god of death, she must learn to survive within the brutal, glittering world of ancient Rome.

Her strange talents soon catch the attention of the Roman elite, and she becomes ensnared in a double life—poisoner by night for the cunning Antonia Augusta, and lady-in-waiting by day to Livia, the Emperor’s ambitious cousin. As Locusta plants the seeds of revenge against those who destroyed her home, her connection with Livia deepens into a passionate, forbidden romance that threatens them both. Surrounded by danger and deceit, Locusta’s poisons become their only protection against the increasingly unstable Emperor Caligula and the enemies lurking in every shadow.

Locusta reimagines the rise of one of history’s most complex women through a lens of myth, power, and feminine rage. Rich with ruthless twists, deadly magic, and a sapphic love story that burns from sweet to spicy, this is a story of survival, defiance, and the dangerous alchemy of love and death in a world ruled by men.

Locusta by Emily Dexter is a historical fantasy set in ancient Rome during the reign of emperor Caligula and Claudius.

I was really looking forward to this book because I'm very intrigued by the historical figure of Locusta. Historian don't actually know a lot about her, only what the ancient Roman sources say about her and as we all know how they thought about people from outside their Empire. I liked how the story started and enjoyed reading about Locusta becoming a Druid even though the circumstances of it were quite sad. I also liked her connection she forms with the god of death. However this is where my interest kinda of stopped.

I feel like as soon as Locusta was brought to Rome and she met Livia (cousin of the emperor) that she was instantly obsessed with her and that she sort of disappeared inside the obsession. I also didn't like how things evolved with Agrippina and how the author made her a villain.

This said, the audiobook was quite good. I enjoyed the narrator and it was quite suspsensful at times. However, I'm not sure I'll be picking up the second book of the duology.

About the author:

Emily Dexter is a writer and creator whose work explores the intersection of history, mysticism, and the human spirit. Emily is a deep believer in the magic and power of fiction to change the world and has yet to find something she likes more than creating it. She has cultivated an expansive international audience of readers and viewers across multiple social platforms, where she shares insights on history, mythology, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. Through her writing, she seeks to uncover the wisdom and resilience of women whose stories have been lost to time, inviting readers to see the ancient world, and themselves, through a lens of wonder and truth. When not doing magic, reading, or creating you can find her somewhere in the forests of Lake Tahoe, with her three children, wonderful husband, and stick hoarding dragon dog. 

Website | Instagram  | TikTok | Patreon