Author: Gwendalyn’s Books

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, Crimes and Survivors

by Sarah Smith, which is being hosted by HFBT!

#CrimesandSurvivors #SarahSmith #HFVBTBlogTours

Crimes and Survivors
by Sarah Smith

Publication Date: April 15, 2020
Make Light Work LLC
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook; 394 Pages

Series: A Reisden and Perdita Mystery, #4
Genre: Historical Mystery

It’s 1912. America. The land of Jim Crow, of lynchings and segregation. And a young society woman has just discovered that the grandfather she barely knows may be black.

She has a family. She has a child. If she’s black, her friends will deny they know her. Her marriage will be illegal. Her little boy will never be a full citizen of America.

She can’t be black. She’s experienced prejudice before. Never again. It will not happen to her or to anyone she loves.

She follows her grandfather onto the newest, safest, biggest ship in the world, to learn the truth. The right truth, the one that will save her family.

But after the iceberg, she finds the truth is far more complicated than black and white. More inspiring, more loving. Far more dangerous… And what she’ll need to find is not a convenient truth but a new America.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise

“The Titanic still cruises our imaginations…And she has secrets. Sarah Smith knows them and knows how to tell them in this riveting, page-turning novel, a tale unraveling from out of the ignorant past, through that terrible moment of truth on the Titanic, and on toward a hopeful future. Read it and be enthralled.” — WILLIAM MARTIN, New York Times bestselling author of Cape Cod and Bound for Gold:

“You may think you know everything there is to know about Titanic, but Sarah Smith’s ‘Crimes and Survivors’ carves out a space of its own—while, in the same breath, demarcating a huge swath of America’s history and painting a resonant vision of its future. The result is suspenseful, insightful, moving and highly recommended.” — LOUIS BAYARD, bestselling author of Courting Mr. Lincoln

“For those of us who have been hoping for a new tale of intrigue featuring Sarah Smith’s star-crossed couple Alexander Reisden and Perdita Halley, the wait is over! Smith’s new installment, Crimes and Survivors, takes readers aboard the Titanic and to Jim Crow-era America for a thrilling and romantic literary mystery that unflinchingly examines issues of race and identity, love and family, and the danger and beauty of uncovering long-hidden truths.” — SARAH STEWART TAYLOR, author of the Sweeney St. George mysteries and The Mountains Wild

“Come for the rich prose, meticulous research, and vibrant characters. Stay for the heart-stopping mystery. Sarah Smith’s fresh take on the doomed Titanic sailing is filled with twists and turns and will enthrall both new readers and longtime fans of the Vanished Child series!” — EDWIN HILL, Edgar and Agatha-nominated author of Little Comfort and The Missing Ones

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

The fourth book, Crimes and Survivors, is Sarah Smith newest installment in the Reisden and Perdita series.

An enthralling meticulous researched novel of intrigue. Alexander Reisden and Perdita Halley, emotionally riveting mystery. The book touches on some thought provoking issues of family and identity and racism.

Perdita Halley a concert pianist, is determined to know her heritage. But it comes with a cost. Set in the America turbulent times when when just drop of African American can have devastating consequences. unraveling the past she seeks out a passenger on the same ship that could be her father.

Incredible book you be completely immersed within pages. When post civil war Jim Crow Laws have a long reaching arm.

I was captivated by the star crossed romance and the books twist. The setting aboard the Titanic is a perfect for enjoyable historical fiction novel. Creative writing with impeccable narration, Sarah Smith draws the reader as the mystery unfolds seamlessly.

About the Author

Sarah Smith started telling stories as a child in Japan. Her sitter would tell her ghost stories at night, and the next morning she’d act them out on the school bus for an audience of terrified five-year-olds. Back in America, she lived in an unrestored Victorian house, where every morning she would help her grandmother haul coal and break sticks into kindling to light the household stove. She’s loved storytelling and history ever since.

She studied English at Harvard, where she spent Saturdays in the library reading mysteries, and film in London and Paris, where she sat next to Peter Cushing at a film show and got to pet Francis Bacon’s cat. While teaching English, she got interested in personal computers (she and two friends bought 3 of the first 5 PCs sold in Boston). She realized that software could help her plot bigger stories, and she’s never looked back.

Her bestselling series of Edwardian mysteries, starring Alexander von Reisden and Perdita Halley, has been published in 14 languages. Two of the books have been named New York Times Notable Books. The Vanished Child, the first book in the series, is being made into a musical in Canada. The fourth book in the Reisden-Perdita series, about the Titanic, will be published April 15, 2020. Crimes and Survivors. You can preorder it now from your favorite bookstore.

Sarah’s young adult ghost thriller, The Other Side of Dark, won both the Agatha (for best YA mystery of the year) and the Massachusetts Book Award for best YA book of the year. Her Chasing Shakespeares, a novel about the Shakespeare authorship, has been called “the best novel about the Bard since Nothing like the Sun” (Samuel R. Delany) and has been turned into a play.

Sarah lives in Boston with her family and not enough cats.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Wednesday, April 15
Review at Passages to the Past

Thursday, April 16
Review at Books and Zebras

Friday, April 17
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Feature at What Is That Book About

Saturday, April 18
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Sunday, April 19
Review at Jessica Belmont

Monday, April 20
Review at Captivated Pages

Tuesday, April 21
Feature at I’m Into Books

Wednesday, April 22
Guest Post at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Saturday, April 25
Excerpt at Historical Graffiti

Monday, April 27
Instagram Feature at Just a Girl and Her Books

Wednesday, April 29
Interview at Passages to the Past

Friday, May 1
Review at YA, It’s Lit

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of Crimes and Survivors! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 1st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

Crimes and Survivors
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Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of,

Gathering Storm by Sherilyn Decter, which is being hosted by HFBT!

Gathering Storm
by Sherilyn Decter

The Rum Runner’s Chronicles

Publication Date: February 29, 2020
Paperback & eBook; 433 Pages

Series: Rum Runners’ Chronicles, Book One
Genre: Historical Fiction

#GatheringStorm #SherilynDecter #HFVBTBlogTours

She left criminal life behind. Will her new business venture send her to sleep with the fishes?

Florida Coast, 1932. Edith Duffy might be grieving her gangster husband’s death, but she’s no damsel in distress. Leaving the sordid world of Philadelphia bootlegging, she settles in a small town outside Miami and buys a speakeasy. But when she launches a lucrative rum-running operation, indignant locals conspire to destroy her.

Edith lands squarely back in gangland culture, with a Bible-thumping preacher campaigning to shut her down and smugglers resentful of her skill. And now she must forge alliances and make unlikely allies just to survive. Luckily, her mentor is none other than the wife of the notorious Al Capone…

Will Edith’s fondness for underworld profits lead her to a dead end?

Gathering Storm is the first book in the Rum Runners’ Chronicles, a fast-paced historical women’s fiction trilogy. If you like atmospheric settings, mob stories, and independent heroines, then you’ll love Sherilyn Decter’s Prohibition-era adventure.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Gathering Storm by Sherilyn Decter, is the first installment in highly anticipated series, The Rum Runners Chronicles.

In 1932, Edith Duffy arrives in sunny Florida, all the way from Philadelphia, after excepting an invitation from Mae Capone, wife of the notorious mob gangster Al Capone. Just six months widowed, Edith was married to Philadelphia’s King of the Bootleggers. Mickey Duffy, a mobster who was heavily involved in the bootlegging industry.

Hoping to leave heartache behind, and feeling pensive and restless, the life of idleness is not something that appeals to her. By taking her destiny in her own hands, with incredible strength and determination she hopes to exceed in a male dominated business.

Opening a speakeasy is a dangerous business in the criminal world during prohibition. When all she wants is a good place to offer her customers a little bootleg liquor. Following her dreams, she makes up her mind to purchase one in the backwoods of the Florida marshes of Coconut Grove.

She settles on and purchases Gator Joe’s, and with some renovations it could be the perfect joint. But everything is not as simple and easy as Edith hopes it will be. What with the local boss and his cronies do everything to sabotage Edith attempts to get her place off the ground. The towns people are too excepting either, they don’t exactly roll out the the red carpet for Edith.

But, this one tough dame, and when she sets her mind to something, their is no one, or nothing she can’t accomplish.

Sherilyn Decter, delivers an intriguing, unique and enthralling story here that was so irresistibly written. I absolutely loved Edith’s voice and thought she was such a fantastic character. The novel is written in third person, with little passages of first person. Giving the reader an insightful opportunity to be more in tuned to the characters themselves. The author writing is vividly descriptive, bringing this iconic era in our history stunning to life in atmospheric imagery.

So if your into American historical times, and prohibition, along with a stellar strong woman. This fast paced historical read will be the perfect book for you.

Sherilyn Decter is a writer, researcher, and lover of historical fiction. Her work is set in the Roaring Twenties and if you like feisty and determined heroines, complex cover-ups, Prohibition stories about criminal underworlds, police and political corruption, then you’re going to love Sherilyn’s grand gangster tales.

For more information, please visit Sherilyn Decter’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Pinterest.

Wednesday, April 15
Review at YA, It’s Lit

Thursday, April 16
Excerpt at I’m Into Books
Review at Tales from the Book Dragon
Excerpt at Books in their Natural Habitat

Friday, April 17
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Interview at Historical Graffiti

Monday, April 20
Review at Books and Zebras

Wednesday, April 22
Review at Passages to the Past

Saturday, April 25
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Monday, April 27
Review at Bookish Bellee

Tuesday, April 28
Review at Donna McCabe

Friday, May 1
Review at Nursebookie

Tuesday, May 5
Review at The Magical Pages
Review at WTF Are You Reading?

Wednesday, May 6
Review at Momfluenster
Review at Jessica Belmont

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of Gathering Storm! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

Gathering Storm
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Print Length: 674 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1461177367
Publisher: The Wild Harp & Company, Inc. (November 28, 2017)
Publication Date: November 28, 2017
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English

Praise for LARK’S LABYRINTH

“Politics and religion collide as Spellman delivers another fast-paced, suspenseful, and totally enjoyable thriller… The author constructs a blistering story–replete with political and religious intrigue–that never slows down and will keep readers turning the pages of this spectacular thrill ride.” ―Publisher’s Weekly

Praise for CATHY CASH SPELLMAN

“…Almost impossible to put down. The Author has the ability to produce one powerful scene after another and the action draws you helplessly on…” ―Publisher’s Weekly on So Many Partings“…A cross between The Thorn Birds and Ragtime…” ―ALA Booklist on So Many Partings“Flows along with an inexorable narrative current that propels the readers from one involving episode to the next.” ―Booklist on So Many Partings“An energetic plot that never takes a breather.” ―Kirkus Reviews on Paint the Wind“A western extravaganza.. a plot teeming with outsize characters.” ―Publishers Weekly on Paint the Wind“I have never read a book or connected with an author who has touched me so deeply – as a mother, a grandmother, and another psychic kindred soul!” ―Elizabeth Taylor on Bless the Child“This book has really touched my heartstrings as both a mother and grandmother. And Cathy Cash Spellman is one hell of a writer!” ―Maureen Stapleton on Bless the Child“With a seductive, at times spellbinding style, author Spellman (An Excess of Love) incorporates ancient myths into an entrancing romantic thriller.. Spellman succeeds in capturing the reader’s close attention as an unrelenting sense of foreboding drives the narrative forward with power.” ―Publisher’s Weekly on Bless the ChildThe Spear that pierced Christ’s side on the Cross has played a secret, but major role in history. Charlemagne, Constantine, Otto the Barbarian, The Knights Templar and Adolf Hitler all owned it… and believed it gave them the power to rule the world.What if they were right?The first time Dr. Cait Monahan ever heard of the Spear of Longinus was the night her husband was murdered because of it. That was when the terror began.…right before the U.S. Government, the CIA, Neo Nazis, the Vatican and a secret cabal of 13 powerful global manipulators sent their assassins after her and her 9 year old.

 …just before a lethal secret propelled her across Europe following a riddle that hadn’t been solved since the Holocaust.

…just before Cait Monahan became entrapped in an interdimensional labyrinth that her own husband may have helped design.Now she’s a player in a game that has led to mystery, magic, mayhem and murder for over 2000 years, and only the help of a tribunal of long dead men may be able to save her.Vibrant and cerebral, filled with intrigue, Conspiracy Theory and more ancient secrets than the Dead Sea Scrolls, Lark’s Labyrinth pits characters you’ll care about against a mystery you’ll want to solve.Inside Lark’s Labyrinth is a secret men have killed for …now a woman, her sister, her child and their small band of friends are all that stand between us and the dark, insidious power that’s a hairsbreadth away from ruling the world.

You can purchase Lark’s Labyrinth at the following Retailers:

  

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

A thrill ride of a page turner, Cathy Spellman has once again created a stunning book.

When Jack Monohan, along with his parents are murdered. His wife, Cait and Lark are thrown into a fast paced, suspenseful tale. On the run Lark and her mother are running from the dark forces that killed Jack. With secret society and a ancient relic, the infamous spear that pierced side of Christ, The Spear of Longinus.

It’s believed to posses incredible powers…a stunning tale that keeps you flipping those pages all the way through to the end.

Photo Credit: Dakota Cash

Multiple 

Her books range through several genres: contemporary, historical, mystery, mystic and romance. Several take place in two time-frames, both current and historical.

Bless the Child was a Paramount movie in 2000, starring Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits, and Paint The Wind has been optioned for film and TV.

Cathy is an Astrologer, Martial Artist (Black Belt Goju Ryu Karate) and has expertise in Chinese Medicine, several alternative healing modalities and many metaphysical disciplines.

She has written for Self, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Mademoiselle, Cosmo, Penthouse, Mode, Kung Fu and many other magazines about women, health, empowerment, sexuality, spiritual philosophy and Astrology. She blogs for The Huffington Post and The New York Times.

        

WEEK ONE – REVIEW AND INTERVIEWS
APRIL 13th MONDAY JeanBookNerd GUEST POST
APRIL 14th TUESDAY TTC Books and More GUEST POST
APRIL 15th WEDNESDAY BookHounds INTERVIEW
APRIL 16th THURSDAY A Dream Within A Dream EXCERPT
APRIL 16th THURSDAY Reading Adventures of a Book Dragon REVIEW
APRIL 17th FRIDAY Life Within the Pages REVIEW
APRIL 17th FRIDAY Gwendalyn’s Books REVIEW & GUEST POST

WEEK TWO – REVIEWS
APRIL 20th MONDAY Nay’s Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
APRIL 21st TUESDAY Ya It’s Lit REVIEW
APRIL 22nd WEDNESDAY Insane About Books REVIEW
APRIL 22nd WEDNESDAY Books and Zebras REVIEW
APRIL 23rd THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW
APRIL 23rd THURSDAY Author Kelly Riser REVIEW
APRIL 24th FRIDAY Movies, Shows, & Books REVIEW
APRIL 24th FRIDAY Casia’s Corner EXCERPT

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Elysium Girls by Kate Pentecost. 

This tour is being hosted by Fantastic Flying Book Club.
Elysium Girlsby Kate Pentecost
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: April 14th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

In this sweeping Dust Bowl-inspired fantasy, a ten-year game between Life and Death pits the walled Oklahoma city of Elysium-including a girl gang of witches and a demon who longs for humanity-against the supernatural in order to judge mankind.

When Sal is named Successor to Mother Morevna, a powerful witch and leader of Elysium, she jumps at the chance to prove herself to the town. Ever since she was a kid, Sal has been plagued by false visions of rain, and though people think she’s a liar, she knows she’s a leader. Even the arrival of enigmatic outsider Asa-a human-obsessed demon in disguise-doesn’t shake her confidence in her ability. Until a terrible mistake results in both Sal and Asa’s exile into the Desert of Dust and Steel.

Face-to-face with a brutal, unforgiving landscape, Sal and Asa join a gang of girls headed by another Elysium exile-and young witch herself-Olivia Rosales. In order to atone for their mistake, they create a cavalry of magic powered, scrap metal horses to save Elysium from the coming apocalypse. But Sal, Asa, and Olivia must do more than simply tip the scales in Elysium’s favor-only by reinventing the rules can they beat the Life and Death at their own game.

GIVEAWAY
Prize: Win a copy of ELYSIUM GIRLS by Kate Pentecost (US Only)
Starts: 8th April 2020
Ends: 22nd April 2020
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ELYSIUM GIRLS by @katepentecost

#ElysiumGirls #witchyreads

This stunning western style dystopian, is one uniquely compelling Dust Bowl-inspired fantasy. A Wild Wild West of a fantasy that plunges the reader into 1935, Oklahoma where a high stake ten year game between Sister Goddesses one of Life and the other of Death… a book of survival or annihilation, witchy girls, and goddesses.

On the pivotal day April 14th, 1935 A powerful devastating dust storm changes the Oklahoma Panhandle. Leaving in it’s wake an unfathomable destruction to the landscape and its survivors.

The sister Goddesses of Life and Death set a challenge to those remaining to establish order, building a city and tithing of third of their harvests crops for 10 years. The time is drawing near and the fate of the people are at hand and will be so determined by the Goddess Themselves

Elysium, a walled city of of an alternative Oklahoma, is under the leadership of a powerful witch, Mother Morvena. Strategically set apart from the world, ELYSIUM and it’s survivors struggle under desperate post apocalypses circumstances. Just staying alive is feat in its self, when death by the dust-sickness, that causes you to cough up mud is spreading everywhere. and no one knows how to stop it.

The struggles are real in treacherous society where food is rationed, along with the decline of religious beliefs, to dealing with racism. Ultimately the city must go head to head in a battle against the supernatural soldiers sent by Life and Death.

Sal Wilkerson won’t be a pawn in this game, our exceptional heroine, is an outcast in Elysium. Ever since she was a child she had false visions of rain. She is chosen by witch, Mother Morvena, to be her successor. But when a series of events happens, Sal is faced with exile, when she falls from grace. Accompanied with Asa, a demon turned human.

Outcasted in a desolate desert, the two saddle up to a misfit girl gang witches. Sal comes into her own, when she is excepted within the exiled girl gang and their witchy leader Olivia Rosales. They join forces together and create a cavalry of magic powered scrap metal horses to fight to save Elysium.

Wow, this was an exceptional creative novel, with its intriguing characters,and vibrant world building. The Magic System was enjoyable and easy to comprehend, the characters were well fleshed out.

This a stunning steampunk badass book about girl power and friendship. I was completely engaged and immersed into this neck-breaking paced Ya Fantasy!

Kate Pentecost was born and raised on the Texas/Louisiana border, where ghosts and rural legends lurk in the pines and nothing is completely as it seems.

She holds an MFA in Writing for Children &Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She was recently nominated for a Rhysling award for her poem “Small Town Witches.”

Her debut novel, Elysium Girls, is forthcoming from Disney Hyperion in 2020 in print and audio formats.

She is obsessed with the Romantic Poets and can be identified by the enormous tattoo of Percy Bysshe Shelley on her arm. She lives in Houston (H-Town, Space City, etc.)

April 8th

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Welcome Post

April 9th

Kait Plus Books – Mood Board

Library of a Book Witch – Review

Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Playlist + Dream Cast

Write, Read, Repeat – Review

Bookishaestha – Review + Dream Cast + Favourite Quotes

April 10th

Bibliobibuli YA – Top 5 or 10 List

Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Favourite Quotes

A Dream Within A Dream – Review

Confessions of a YA Reader – Review

Camillea Reads – Review

Allisa White’s Book Blog – Review + Favourite Quotes

April 11th

NovelKnight – Meet The Characters

A Court of Coffee and Books – Review + Favourite Quotes

The Desert Bibliophile – Review

The Layaway Dragon – Review + Favourite Quotes

Captivated Reading – Review

April 12th

A Book Addict’s Bookshelves – Top 5 or 10 List

L.M. Durand – Review

Shelf-Rated – Review + Favourite Quotes

Enthralled Bookworm – Review

The Perks of Being Noura – Review + Favourite Quotes

April 13th

Wishful Endings – Interview

The Reading Life – Deleted Scenes

Foals, Fiction & Filigree – Review + Favourite Quotes

It Starts at Midnight – Review

PopTheButterfly Reads – Review

The Paperback Voyager – Review + Favourite Quotes

April 14th

Utopia State of Mind – Official Book Playlist

Dazzled by Books – Review

Books.Bags.Burgers – Review + Playlist

Gwendolyn’s Books – Review

Book-Keeping – Review

Review & Giveaway: The Socialite by J’nell Ciesielski

#TheSocialite #JnellCiesielski #HFVBTBlogTours #HistoricalFiction,

The Socialite
by J’nell Ciesielski

Publication Date: April 14, 2020
Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins
Paperback, eBook, AudioBook; 368 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Historical/20th Century

Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis.

As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.

Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Socialite
by J’nell Ciesielski @jnellciesielski

Thank you to the author, J’Nell Ciesielski, and to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review.

Set during the turbulent times of 1941, World War Two,

The Socialite, by J’Nell Ciesielski, is an absolutely wonderful historical fiction, full of high society and espionage.

Kathleen “Kat” has convinced her father the retired Colonel,Sir Alfred Whitford, to allow her to travel to German occupied Paris. Kat hopes to bring her younger, reckless sister Eleanor “Ellie”safely back home. Convincing Ellie may prove harder than Kat actually once thought. Ellie is enjoying her life in Paris, along with her very attentive German boyfriend, Eric von Schlegel. Living with Eric von Schlegel offers Ellie the perfect escape from the long reaching arm of her parents. Embracing the notoriety and being the center of attention Ellie is naive and not everything is not what it seems and Eric has own agenda.

The storyline really picks up when Kat is introduced to a Mr. Barrett Anderson.

Barrett is a Scottish bar owner, Kat meets when Barrett while sneaking into a Nazi party her younger sister is hosting.

I loved the overall premise of the novel, and the quick pass kept me completely engaged. There was some really good twists and a blossoming romance that I adored. The page turning adventure will have flipping the pages as fast as you can. The novel was exciting and the execution seamless, Ciesielski delivers an impeccably researched WWII romance.

About the Author

With a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. Winner of the Romance Through the Ages Award and the Maggie Award, she is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle.

Learn more at www.jnellciesielski.com. You can also find J’nell on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, April 1
Review at Passages to the Past

Thursday, April 2
Review at Nurse Bookie

Friday, April 3
Review at YA, It’s Lit

Sunday, April 5
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Monday, April 6
Review at Tar Heel Reader

Tuesday, April 7
Review at Books and Zebras

Wednesday, April 8
Review at Amy’s Booket List

Thursday, April 9
Review at Tales from the Book Dragon
Excerpt at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Friday, April 10
Review at Donna’s Book Blog

Monday, April 13
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Tuesday, April 14
Review at The Lit Bitch
Review at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 5 copies of The Socialite! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on April 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Paperback giveaway is open to the US only.
Only one entry per household.
All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

The Socialite
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Hello Bookish Friends, Today, I have a wonderful book to share with you.

Brighton, England 1820 

Amelia Moore wants only one thing–to secure the future happiness of her younger sister, Clara. With their stepfather’s looming death, the two sisters will soon be on their own–without family, a home, or a penny to their names. When an invitation arrives to join a house party at Lakeshire Park, Amelia grasps at the chance. If she can encourage a match between Clara and their host, Sir Ronald, then at least her sister will be taken care of.

Little does she know that another guest, the arrogant and overconfident Mr. Peter Wood, is after the same goal for his own sister. Amelia and Peter begin a rivalry that Amelia has no choice but to win. But competing against Peter–and eventually playing by his rules–makes Amelia vulnerable to losing the only thing she has left to claim: her heart.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND

AUDIBLE | GOODREADS

 EARLY PRAISE: 

“…readers will find it easy to invest in practical, business-minded Amelia as she learns to follow her heart. This gentle love story is a treat.”—Publisher’s Weekly 

“An immersive drama…Walker effortlessly amplifies the decorum of Regency England with chic wit and delightful characters.”—Booklist

“Charming, beautifully written, and hopelessly romantic. Sure to be a new favorite.”—Julianne Donaldson, best-selling author of Edenbrooke

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker is a delightful read!

A beautifully written Regency Proper Romance that completely swept me off my feet. This lovely exquisite detailed book brings the theme family to the forefront. Along with a delightful romance that had me swiftly turning the pages.

Set in 1820 England, Amelia and Clara Moore live with their dying stepfather, after their mother has passed away. With their impending stepfather death, one them needs to secure a mariage post hast. Facing complete destitution because neither of them will be able to inherit. Excepting an invitation to stay with a wealthy family’s, the Demsworth family, who are hosting a house party. Amelia knows this maybe the only chance to secure her sister’s future, and a home for both of them.

But nothing seems to go as planned upon arrival they realizes that Clara has competition for the gentleman she has heart set on, Sir Ronald Demsworth.

Miss Georgiana Wood the sister of Peter Wood. Peter has just come into his inheritance, and is equally wanting to aid his sister in acquiring her hearts desire, That being Ronald Demsworth.

The seamless narration is seen through our heroine Amelia eyes. Being the oldest, Amelia is protective and completely loyal to her sister, Clara.

Peter and Amelia both are strategically help their sisters in the matchmaking. This puts them constantly in each other’s company.

The chemistry between Amelia and Peter was captivating and engaging, and their lively banter adds to enjoyable storyline. I loved reading every minute of this budding romance, and the characters were believable and enduring. The writing flows perfectly.

This heartwarming, proper romance is definitely one you won’t forget.🌸

AUTHOR BIO:

Megan Walker was raised on a berry farm in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where her imagination took her to times past and worlds away. While earning her degree in Early Childhood Education, she married her one true love and started a family. But her imaginings of Regency England wouldn’t leave her alone, so she picked up a pen and wrote her first novella, A Beautiful Love: A Regency Fairy Tale Retelling which was published in 2019. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and three children. Lakeshire Park is her debut novel. 

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, Sensational by, Jodie Lynn Zdrok. which is being hosted by FFBC !

@torteen @jlzdrok @theffbc

by Jodie Lynn Zdrok
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: February 12, 2019

A YA murder mystery in which a young reporter must use her supernatural visions to help track down a killer targeting the young women of Paris.

Paris, 1887.

Sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize each day’s new arrivals, a task she finds both fascinating and routine. That is, until the day she has a vision of the newest body, a young woman, being murdered–from the perspective of the murderer himself.

When the body of another woman is retrieved from the Seine days later, Paris begins to buzz with rumors that this victim may not be the last. Nathalie’s search for answers sends her down a long, twisty road involving her mentally ill aunt, a brilliant but deluded scientist, and eventually into the Parisian Catacombs. As the killer continues to haunt the streets of Paris, it becomes clear that Nathalie’s strange new ability may make her the only one who can discover the killer’s identity–and she’ll have to do it before she becomes a target herself.

Thanks to The Fantastic Flying Book Club and the author for providing me a review copy of this book in exchange for this honest review!

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

When I come across an exceptionally well written series, I can’t stop talking about it! Jodie Lynn Zdrok, is one master storyteller,

Sensational, is the second novel in Jodie Lynn Zdrok’s Spectacle series. The spectacular time of 1889 comes riveting to life in this stunning, impressive next installment!

Paris in the Belle Époque in 1889, is the year of the Exposition Universelle.The Eiffel Tower, debuted and the Exposition was held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Storming of the Basilica, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

Set to the backdrop of a provocative, harsh and vibrant atmospheric richly detailed setting of Paris during this incredible exposition. The narration will completely catapulted into this immersive, Parisian, Ya historical fantasy.

Nathalie Baudin, is a French girl with an incredible gifted insight, she and other like her are known as an insightfuls. This allows her to witness an atmospheric scene of how one has died if she is placed in front of a dead body, or touches the departed. She sees completely through the murderer’s eyes, but like all gifts this one come with a dire cost.

She still writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize each day’s new arrivals. Nathalie is still using her powers as an Insightful to help out at the morgue with murder investigations.

When outing with her friends, Simone, and Louis to the The Palis des Beaux Arts, at the worlds expo, and a detached head is cleverly placed on displays, among the sculptures of the Galerie Rapp. This is just a a start to a series of violent beheading. that will grip the city.

This is a wonderful thrilling read, and at times you will forget you are reading a young adult novel. The historical elements are impeccable, the writing flows perfectly. The romance is depicted well balanced. The author allows our delightful, heroine, Nathalie growth and she is easily relatable to. This one spectacular, splendidly written book that I am so glad to have had the chance to read.

The ending tied up nicely for me, I definitely could see this as a series instead of a dualogy.

Both books Spectacle (#1), and Sensational (#2) are some of the best Tor Teen has published in a long while.

 

“This wasn’t having a vision or reading a book. This wasn’t attending an execution. This was seeing something appalling and uncomfortably compelling.”

Jodie Lynn Zdrok holds two MAs in European History and an MBA. She enjoys rooting for Boston sports teams, traveling, doing races (to offset being a foodie), and posting cat photos to Instagram. She works in technology and lives in North Carolina by way of Massachusetts.

April 6th

Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

Bookish Looks– Spotlight

Back Shelf Books– Review & Favorite Quotes

A Dream Within A Dream– Review

April 7th

Beckybookstore– Review

Sometimes Leelynn Reads– Review

Bookishly Nerdy– Review & Favorite Quotes

April 8th

Kait Plus Books– Interview

Gwendalyn’s Books– Review

A Bookish Dream– Review

April 9th

Books, Tea, Healthy Me– Interview

@momfluenster– Promo

Books Over Everything– Review

Grownup Fangirl– Spotlight

Ya It’s Lit– Mood Board

April 10th

Utopia State of Mind– Guest Post

Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

The Reading Corner for All– Review & Favorite Quotes

The Reading Life– Spotlight

Eden
by Brennan McPherson

Publication Date: April 1, 2020
McPherson Publishing
eBook & Paperback; 332 Pages

Genre: Biblical/Historical

 #Eden #BrennanMcPherson #HFVBTBlogTours

“You want me to tell of how I broke the world.”

It’s the year 641 since humanity was formed in Eden, and after Eve passes away, Adam is the only man left on earth who remembers everything from the beginning of the world.

When Enoch, God’s newly appointed prophet, decides to collect the stories of the faithful from previous generations, he finds Adam in desperate need to confess the dark secrets he’s held onto for too long.

Beside a slowly burning bonfire in the dead of night, Adam tells his story in searing detail. From the beginning of everything, to how he broke the world, shattered Eve’s heart, and watched his family crumble.

Will Enoch uncover what led so many of Adam’s children away from God? And will Adam find the redemption and forgiveness he longs for?

Praise for previous work by Brennan McPherson

“Brilliant, erudite, breathtaking.” – Tosca Lee, NYT best-selling author

“I think we’ll be hearing more of Brennan and his stories.” – Charles Martin, NYT best-selling author

“A soul-searching, heart-rending, deeply satisfying story.” – Mesu Andrews, ECPA Book of the Year award-winning author of Love Amid Ashes

“How do you take a centuries-old story and put a new spin on it, inviting readers into an evocative world they thought they already knew? Brennan McPherson figured out the way. Flood will entertain you, yes, but also take you deep into your soul and make you ponder both the vastness and the intimacy of God.” – James L. Rubart, Christy Book of the Year award-winning author of The Five Times I Met Myself

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Eden by Brennan McPherson, is a creative historical biblical fiction. Seen through the eyes of Adam’s POV, we are given a richly detailed account of Adam and Eve from the beginning of Genesis. The author gives you an imaginative additions to make for a intriguing powerful storyline.

The appointed prophet Enoch, being the the only man in the last six centuries to have direct communication with God. Requesting Adam to recount in details of the very first beginnings of the world for man and woman. From the wonders of Eden, and being surrounded by Gods love, to falling away from Gods Grace. Adam and Eve’s tale unfolds within this thought provoking novel. Enoch the prophet listens to the breakdown of the relationship that Adam had with God, and Eve. Will Enoch gain the knowledge that he seeks and this uncover what has led so many of Adam’s children away from God? Will Adam receive forgiveness and the redemption his heart desires for?

About the Author

Brennan McPherson writes epic biblical fiction with an imaginative twist. With heart-pounding plots and lyrical prose, McPherson crafts a different sort of biblical fiction for readers who like to be challenged to think.

Website | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 6
Review at YA, It’s Lit
Review at History + Fiction + Adirondack Spirit

Tuesday, April 7
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Wednesday, April 8
Review at Jessica Belmont
Review at McCombs on Main

Thursday, April 9
Review at The Nerdy Bookworm

Friday, April 10
Review at NurseBookie

Saturday, April 11
Feature at What Is That Book About
Interview at Passages to the Past

Sunday, April 12
Review at Tales from the Book Dragon

Monday, April 13
Review at Historical Graffiti

Tuesday, April 14
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks

Wednesday, April 15
Review at Books and Zebras

Thursday, April 16
Review at The Caffeinated Bibliophile

Giveaway

To celebrate the publication of Eden, Brennan is offering a paperback copy of every book published by McPherson Publishing (with the exception of EDEN), including the 3 Psalm Series novella books, one by Mesu Andrews, one by Carole Towriss, one by me; a copy of FLOOD: The Story of Noah and the Family Who Raised Him and BABEL: The Story of the Tower and the Rebellion of Man; and a non-fiction book The Simple Gospel and How it Works in Us.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on April 16th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open to US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

Eden Blog Tour
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Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, Witch of the Wild Beast
by, Catherine Stine, which is being hosted by HFBT!

#WitchoftheWildBeasts #CatherineStine #HFVBTBlogTours

Witch of the Wild Beasts
by Catherine Stine

Publication Date: March 11, 2020
Konjur Road Press
Paperback & eBook; 294 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy

When Evalina is imprisoned for witchcraft, will her supernatural bond with animals be her curse or salvation?

In 1854, Evalina Stowe witnesses the murder of her brother by Dr. Dowdrick, an enraged client at the tailor’s where they work. Desperate to stop him, she rouses a swarm of wasps that sting the doctor while she stabs him with scissors, and then flees. At a subsequent job when birds race to her defense, Evalina is declared a witch and sent to Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary.

While imprisoned, Evalina is horrified not only to learn that Dr. Dowdrick is still alive, but he’s experimenting on inmates. Determined to get inside his Eclectic Medical School, to expose his nefarious activities, she’s passionate about protecting fellow prisoners, especially Lewin, a child thief who knew her brother, and Birdy, a kind, resilient Welsh man serving time for a worker’s death while blasting granite for the railroad.

Evalina, her friends and her “wild beasts” work against time to unmask Dowdrick’s crimes when she participates with him in a symposium, showcasing Philadelphia’s premium doctors. If they fail, not only will the doctor’s evil deeds continue unchecked but Evalina and her crew will surely be hung. Actual historical figures such as Dr. Thomas Mutter and Charles Dickens spice up this fantastical thriller brimming with historical gems set in Philadelphia’s renowned penitentiary. Won a second place spot in The 2019 Valley Forge RWA Sheila contest.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Witch of the Wild Beast by Catherine Stine is a captivating historical, paranormal/mystical, fiction.

1854 Philadelphia, Evalina Stowe, is working at a tailor shop along with her brother. The shop owner is absent more often than not. Leaving Eva to attend the front desk and her younger brother to work in the back of the store. Evalina life changes in an instant, when a customer named, Dr. Dowdrick enters the tailor shop. Demanding and malicious, Dowdrick attacks her brother, in her heightened state, she summons a swarm of wasp who attacks the doctor. Evalina does the unthinkable and stabs him, with a pair of scissors. Leaving behind her dead brother and the doctor, she runs for her very life. With little food or shelter, Evalina barely stays alive on the streets. When a chance for real pay and food and lodging becomes available, she grabs this opportunity, to have a similarly outcome as she had with the doctor.

This time charges of murder and witchcraft are brought against her. She sentenced to Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary. Coming to terms with her unexplained powers that enable her to summon small animals and insects.

In confinement in the prison certain things comes to light, and a revelation that the sinister Dr. Dowdrick is very much alive and experimenting on inmates at the Eclectic Medical School.

Evalina and her new found friends must band together to shed light on the

Dr. Dowdricks vile and evil ways to his own peers at the Philadelphia’s premium doctors showcase.

This magical infused historical fiction by the immensely talented author, is one I couldn’t put down. The author has created an enduring heroine. I devoured this one as fast as I could and was completely drawn into the life, of Evalina Stowe.

A wonderful protagonist that touches your heart with the compassion she shows to people around her as puts aside her own discomforts to go above and beyond for others. The storyline and three dimensional characters keep the books pace brisk, as you are invested as the tale unfolds. Catherine Stine, writing is smooth an effortless, making for a creative and engaging story.

A Memorable and delightful book, which completely captivated me. This is my first read by this notable author and definitely won’t be my last.

About the Author

Catherine Stine is a USA Today bestselling author of historical fantasy, paranormal romance, sci-fi thrillers and young adult fiction. She lives in Manhattan, grew up in Philadelphia and is known to roam the Catskills. Her most recent novel, Witch of the Wild Beasts won a second prize spot in the 2019 Valley Forge RWA Sheila Contest. Other novels have earned Indie Notable awards and New York Public Library Best Books for Teens. Before writing novels, she was a painter and children’s fabric designer. She’s a visual author when it comes to scenes, and she sees writing as painting with words. She loves edgy thrills, perhaps because her dad read Edgar Allen Poe tales to her as a child. Catherine loves spending time with her beagle Benny, writing about supernatural creatures, gardening on her deck, traveling and meeting readers at book fests.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | BookBub

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 6
Review at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, April 7
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Wednesday, April 8
Review at Books and Zebras

Thursday, April 9
Feature at I’m Into Books

Friday, April 10
Review at YA, It’s Lit

Monday, April 13
Review at Captivated Pages

Tuesday, April 14
Guest Post at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, April 15
Review at Historical Graffiti

Thursday, April 16
Review at The Nerdy Bookworm

Friday, April 17
Review at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Monday, April 20
Review at The Magical Pages

Tuesday, April 21
Review at Momfluenster
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Wednesday, April 22
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Review at Foals, Fiction and Filigree
Review at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a signed copy of Witch of the Wild Beasts + an eBook of Witch of the Cards + $40 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on April 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

Witch of the Wild Beasts
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Hello Bookish Friends,

Today I a have a wonderful book review,

.:｡✿*ﾟ‘ﾟ･✿.｡.:* *.:｡✿

The Queen of Paris

A Novel of Coco Chanel, by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Taken from Authors website

Synopsis from Goodreads

Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel is revered for her sophisticated style–the iconic little black dress–and famed for her intoxicating perfume Chanel No. 5. Yet behind the public persona is a complicated woman of intrigue, shadowed by mysterious rumors. The Queen of Paris, the new novel from award-winning author Pamela Binnings Ewen, vividly imagines the hidden life of Chanel during the four years of Nazi occupation in Paris in the midst of WWII–as discovered in recently unearthed wartime files.

 

Coco Chanel could be cheerful, lighthearted, and generous; she also could be ruthless, manipulative, even cruel. Against the winds of war, with the Wehrmacht marching down the Champs-Élysées, Chanel finds herself residing alongside the Reich’s High Command in the Hotel Ritz. Surrounded by the enemy, Chanel wages a private war of her own to wrestle full control of her perfume company from the hands of her Jewish business partner, Pierre Wertheimer. With anti-Semitism on the rise, he has escaped to the United States with the confidential formula for Chanel No. 5. Distrustful of his intentions to set up production on the outskirts of New York City, Chanel fights to seize ownership. The House of Chanel shall not fall.

While Chanel struggles to keep her livelihood intact, Paris sinks under the iron fist of German rule. Chanel–a woman made of sparkling granite–will do anything to survive. She will even agree to collaborate with the Nazis in order to protect her darkest secrets. When she is covertly recruited by Germany to spy for the Reich, she becomes Agent F-7124, code name: Westminster. But why? And to what lengths will she go to keep her stormy past from haunting her future?

“Through meticulous research, Ewen vividly brings the enigmatic Coco Chanel back to life. The Queen of Paris is multilayered and compelling, the characters lingering, like the delicate scent of Chanel No. 5, long after the final page.”
-Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry and Wild Rose

“Pamela Binnings Ewen has managed the rare feat of mixing history, biography, and fiction as she deftly explores the events that shaped Coco Chanel’s life. The Queen of Paris brings Paris alive during World War II with exacting and fascinating details as Ewen explores the constantly evolving complexity of Chanel’s enigmatic character. The Queen of Paris is the most engrossing novel I’ve read all year. I loved this book. I wish I had written it.”
-Bev Marshall, author of Right as Rain, Hot Fudge Sundae Blues, Walking through Shadows, and Back Home

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel is revered for her sophisticated style–the iconic little black dress–and famed for her intoxicating perfume Chanel No. 5. Yet behind the public persona is a complicated woman of intrigue, shadowed by mysterious rumors. The Queen of Paris, the new novel from award-winning author Pamela Binnings Ewen, vividly imagines the hidden life of Chanel during the four years of Nazi occupation in Paris in the midst of WWII–as discovered in recently unearthed wartime files.

The Queen of Paris by Pamela Binnings Ewe, is one stunning historical fiction.

Bringing the harsh realities of living in German occupied France. Like so many people during WW2, The lines of each individual situation was different. Black and white of moral and social issues blurred causing the grey to over flow.

This a thought provoking novel, of the iconic Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonheur.

Pamela Binnings Ewe, writing captures the incredible Coco as she is living at the Paris’s Hotel Ritz in the spring of 1940, during the German occupation. Coco is approched by a commanding officer of the Reich’s to become a spy. Seeing this as an opportunity to finally take back control of her company. Her motivations for being a collaborator and somewhat ruthless way of rising above to success.

This was a fast me, I flipped the pages, taking in Pamela Binnings Ewen wonderful absorbing story. Meticulously researched The Queen Of Paris, is an excellent historical fiction, with riveting atmospheric details.

Thanks to #BlackstonePublishing and #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review #thequeenofparis

Pub. Date 4/7/2020

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book

Pamela Bennings Ewen,

You can order your copy here through Pamela’s website.

Happy reading Booklings!

Series: Explorer Academy (Book 4)
Hardcover: 216 pages
Publisher: Under the Stars (March 17, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426336810
ISBN-13: 978-1426336812

Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado at the Explorer Academy, where he and 23 other kids from around the globe are training to become the next generation of great explorers. But in addition to making new friends and attending cool classes, Cruz must also unlock clues to his family’s mysterious past and tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him … and why? Secrets creep out from the shadows and leave Cruz with more questions than answers in this fourth title in the hit series.

A major discovery forces the Explorer Academy into the limelight in The Star Dunes, but Cruz has much more on his mind than 15 minutes of fame. A new face on board the ship brings Cruz’s worlds colliding, and someone close to Cruz ends up on the brink of death. En route to Africa to dispense life-saving medications to gorillas, thwart pangolin poachers and capture images of the last known cheetahs in Namibia, Team Cousteau is now down a major player, and Cruz can’t help but be preoccupied by the hole in his life. The discovery of his mom’s next clue leads him to the most exotic location yet–a vast desert–with no other information to lead the way, while an unlikely ally helps Cruz pursue another piece of the puzzle. Just as things seem like they might turn out alright, Dr. Fanchon Quills has a technological breakthrough which gives Cruz a glimpse into the past and reveals more about his future than he may really want to know.

You can purchase Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes at the following Retailers:

 

NERD BLAST SCHEDULE:
http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2020/03/nerd-blast-explorer-academy-star-dunes.html

Photo Credit: Bill Trueit

Trudi Trueit is a gifted storyteller for middle-grade audiences. She has written more than 100 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including The Sister Solution, Stealing Popular and the Secrets of a Lab Rat series. Trueit lives in Everett, Washington.

       

– 1 Winner will receive the entire Explorer Academy Series.
Book 1: EXPLORER ACADEMY: THE NEBULA SECRET
Book 2: EXPLORER ACADEMY: THE FALCON’S FEATHER
Book 3: EXPLORER ACADEMY: THE DOUBLE HELIX
Book 4: NEW! EXPLORER ACADEMY: THE STAR DUNES
Plus
Explorer Academy Code-Breaking Activity Adventure
Explorer Academy Ultimate Activity Challenge
BONUS: Explorer Academy Field Journal.

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02/11/20

In the Shadow of the Sun

In the Shadow of the Sun, Book #1

by E.M. Castellan

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 

Pages: 352

Amazon, Goodreads

It’s 1661 in Paris, and magicians thrill nobles with enchanting illusions. Exiled in France, 17-year-old Henriette of England wishes she could use her magic to gain entry at court. Instead, her plan is to hide her magical talents, and accept an arranged marriage to the French king’s younger brother.

Henriette soon realizes her fiancé prefers the company of young men to hers, and court magicians turn up killed by a mysterious sorcerer who uses forbidden magic. When an accident forces Henriette to reveal her uniquely powerful gift for enchantments to Louis, he asks for her help: she alone can defeat the dark magician threatening his authority and aid his own plans to build the new, enchanted seat of his power – the Palace of Versailles.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

We were royals. Our happiness was irrelevant.” Castellan,

Step into the stunning French royal life during 1661. A young English princess Henriette marries prince Philippe, the younger flamboyant brother to the newly crowned Sun King, Louis XIV of France. Henriette, must move through political intrigue, in lavishly, decadent court life. Seventeen years old Henriette has been an exiled English princess, newly reinstated when her brother King Charles II, was eventually able to be crowned King of England.

You are thrown right into a beautiful, vivid and established world with fully fleshed out characters, with courtly drama and magical realism.

This book was so entertaining and extremely hard for me to put down. I raced through this one! With unique descriptive prose, Castellan deftly weaves threads of historical iconic characters with a creative magical system that makes for a captivating tale.

Magic requires three components:

A wielder-magiciens

A conduit

And a source

Castellan delivers a well-written, unique and twisty read here that had me completely enthralled and questioning everything that was happening within the pages of this book.  The way that the details were revealed to us was extremely well done and the setting was spellbinding. Character development and complex relationships, and the setting and time period are brought to life with rich and unique details.

One of my favorites by far, and I am excited for the next installment.

Today is my stop on this Historical fiction, mystery book tour. Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours for my gifted review copy of HOUSE OF LIES by @terrylynnthomasbooks –

Publication Date: March 4, 2020

About The Book:

From the USA Today bestselling author of THE SILENT WOMAN comes a new Cat Carlisle mystery!

In a time of war, nowhere is safe…

While World War Two rages, Cat Carlisle runs a women’s refuge to protect beaten wives. But when one of the women is found dead in the woods behind the house, Cat’s world shatters.

Was the killer a violent husband seeking revenge? A secret lover? Or is something more dangerous at play? Because Cat and her fiancé Thomas have a secret: they’re hiding a precious golden chalice, keeping it locked safely away from the plundering Nazis until the war is over. But someone wants that treasure, and no one will be safe until they get it…

About The Author:

Terry Lynn writes the Sarah Bennett Mysteries, set on the California coast during the 1940s, which feature a misunderstood medium in love with a spy. The Drowned Woman is a recipient of the IndieBRAG Medallion. She also writes the Cat Carlisle Mysteries, set in Britain during World War II. The first book in this series, The Silent Woman, came out in April 2018 and has since become a USA TODAY bestseller. The Family Secret released to critical acclaim in March 2019. When she’s not writing, you can find Terry Lynn walking in the woods with her dogs or visiting historical cemeteries in search of story ideas. http://www.terrylynnthomas.com/

From the USA Today bestselling
author of THE SILENT WOMAN comes a new Cat Carlisle mystery!

In a time of war, nowhere
is safe…

While World War Two rages,
Cat Carlisle runs a women’s refuge to protect beaten wives. But when one of the women is found dead in the woods behind the house, Cat’s world shatters.

Was the killer a violent husband
seeking revenge? A secret lover? Or is something more dangerous at play? Because Cat and her fiancé Thomas have a secret: they’re hiding a precious golden chalice, keeping it locked safely away from the plundering Nazis until the war is over. But someone wants
that treasure, and no one will be safe until they get it…

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

House of Lies, by Terry Lynn Thomas is the third installment in the Cat Carlisle mystery series. It can be enjoyed as a stand alone or within the series.

Terry Lynn Thomas has written an intriguing historical mystery. The third book in the Cat Carlisle mystery series does not disappoint.

Rivenby, England 1942 Cat and Charles are engaged. Cat Carlisle, a wealthy widow, uses much of her inheritance to run a women’s refuge for abused women. Some of the husbands of the women that are staying in the house of refuge are enraged and are seeking vengeance. Thomas Charles serious war injury has left him sidelined. Doing what he can, has agreed to help Stephen Templeton, an historian who has devoted his whole life to smuggling artefacts out the destructive reach of the long arm of the Third Reich. Charles is working for the constabulary, and has agreed to store one of these artefacts, a chalice covered in precious gems that belonged to a church.⠀⠀

In a series of events, a lady that is in residence at Cat’s charity house is murdered things start to become dangerous and everything is not what it seems. The complexity of betrayals and suspense makes for one thrilling read.

Terry Lynn Thomas, House of Lies is wonderful historical mystery, with danger and intrigue. Well developed fleshed out characters and fluid writing adds to this delightful book. The unexpected twists keeps you glued to pages from start to finish .

The Cat Carlisle SERIES is one highly recommend.

1. The Silent Woman

2. The Family Secret

3. HOUSE OF LIES.

by @terrylynnthomas @hqdigital

@suzyapprovedbooktours

About The
Author: 

Terry Lynn writes the Sarah
Bennett Mysteries, set on the California coast during the 1940s, which feature a misunderstood medium in love with a spy. The Drowned Woman is a recipient of the IndieBRAG Medallion. She also writes the Cat Carlisle Mysteries, set in Britain during World War
II. The first book in this series, The Silent Woman, came out in April 2018 and has since become a USA TODAY bestseller. The Family Secret released to critical acclaim in March 2019. When she’s not writing, you can find Terry Lynn walking in the woods with
her dogs or visiting historical cemeteries in search of story ideas. http://www.terrylynnthomas.com/

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Hello Bookish Friends, today I am featuring a stunningly illustrated graphic novel,

GOTHAM HIGH BY MELISSA DE LA CRUZ & THOMAS PITILLI 

Gotham High

by Melissa de la Cruz & Thomas Pitilli
Publisher: DC Ink
Release Date: April 7th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Sequential Art, Superheroes, Comics

Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex and Eliza and The Witches of East End comes a reimagining of Gotham for a new generation of readers. Before they became Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker, Bruce, Selina, and Jack were high schoolers who would do whatever it took–even destroy the ones they love–to satisfy their own motives.

After being kicked out of his boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight–but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes … and where everyone is a suspect.

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies–all within the hallways of Gotham High!

Thank you to DC Comics and MBC Communications for my review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Melissa de la Cruz (The Queen’s Assassin, 2020, etc.) is a stunning writer who cleverly brings a whole new enjoyable twist to the Gotham characters. I definitely will be recommending to my graphic novel enthusiast readers and comics lovers. Mainstream readers will want take a break from their normal genre, and sink into this #DCComics

This graphic novel grabs your attention with impeccable imagery, along with an imaginative beginnings of favorite Batman comic book characters.

When Seventeen year old Bruce Wayne, is got kicked out a fancy boarding school. The one his Uncle Alfred, sent to following the of his parents. Bruce is back in Gotham City, living once again in his family’s home and attending Gotham High.

The storyline is intriguingly puts Batman, the Joker, Catwoman, and other cast members favorites, into a teenage setting, giving them more of an interesting backstory.

A chance meeting with a childhood friend Selina Garcia Kyle, and an invitation to a party… and the adventures take off.

This suspenseful darkish and ominous graphic book, with it’s gorgeous,vividly, stunning, illustrations definitely set above the rest. I enjoyed the creative diversity and thought it’s depiction was done spot on and cleverly.

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.