Book Tours

The Duke’s Wicked Wife by Elizabeth Bright

Happy Friday,
Today, I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of,The Duke’s Wicked Wife
by, Elizabeth Bright, which is being hosted by HFBT!

The Duke’s Wicked Wife
by Elizabeth Bright

Publication Date: March 16, 2020
Entangled Scandalous

Series: Wicked Secrets, Book 4
Genre: Historical Romance

 

 Sebastian Sinclair, the Duke of Wessex, is not in love with Eliza Benton—nor anyone else, for that matter. But he must marry and produce an heir, and love is not required for either. His future duchess must be of high birth and good nature, a lady unlikely to snipe at him over breakfast. In short, the complete opposite of Eliza. So who better to help him find a bride?

Eliza Benton is not in love with the Duke of Wessex. He’s infuriating, arrogant, and an ass of the first order. Not that she has any intention of marrying anyone now that her secret dream is on the cusp of becoming reality. A husband would ruin all her careful plans. But she’s all for finding her nemesis the perfect bride, anything to get him from underfoot so she can focus on her writing.

Thank goodness Sebastian and Eliza aren’t in love. That would be disastrous.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

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

Elizabeth Bright, The Duke’s Wicked Wife, is witty and enticingly provocative.

Sebastian Sinclair, Duke of Wessex, Earl of Badington, and Knight of the Garter,has a life changing epiphany, after almost choking on a strawberry.He makes the incredible decision, to actually find a suitable wife and end his rakish bachelor days. He must procure wife posthaste, and produce an heir.

His request is just an eligible candidate that meet certain criteria for marriage, with the ultimate outcome, eventually an heir. Love is not a requirement.

Sebastian is renowned philanthropist he seeks out his beautiful friendly adversary, Miss Eliza Benton. Eliza and Sebastian have back story, that has developed from the previous books. They now enjoy a relaxed friendship, with witty sarcastic banter.

The Duke of Wessex was far too handsome for his own good. Perhaps otherwise intelligent ladies would be less tempted to fall into his bed if his eyes did not remind them of chocolate, sweet and sinful..”

Everything seems to be going just as planned, in six months Eliza will turn twenty-two years old. With this upcoming birthday she will inherit Hyacinth Cottage and 5 thousand pounds from her deceased parents. Eliza has chosen spinsterhood over having a family of her own. Not wanting to succumb to the same fate as her mother and step-mother. She is determined not to become derailed from making her secret dream a reality.

Eliza is sent a note for a meeting, at the house call, Sebastian request her help in pursuing a eligible bride. He has decided to plan a house party at his home, Pervale Hall in Derbyshire. Sebastian wants Eliza to make a list of 3-4 marriageable young women, with flawless reputations, for him to invite to his party and from which he will choose his bride.

I devoured this one as fast as I could and was completely drawn into the lives of these characters. I turned those pages as fast as I could, feeling completely immersed into the characters within this book.

This witty slow burn romance, completely captivated me. A delightful read, that you will have laugh out loud moments, as this tension filled budding romance slowly develops. I loved how their relationship develops over time from friends to lovers, as the storyline unfolds. I was captivated with Sebastian and Eliza as they allow the door to their hearts to open, in this heartwarming historical romance.

Elizabeth Bright is truly an engaging author, if you haven’t read any of her books,

I definitely recommend you do so. The supporting characters are definitely worth noting with interesting. The author does a superb job in writing diversity into her compelling regency period novel. Eliza’s friend, and companion, is Riya Kukherfee, a young woman from India. This adds even more depth to her lovely novel.

The Duke’s Wicked Wife, lives up to every promise, newcomers, and friends that have enjoyed the Wicked Series, will be enthralled by this lovely new addition.

Eliza sighed, Of course I’m not in love with him. I never intended marriage. I just wanted a kiss, is all.” Wanted was a pale, flimsy word to describe her feelings at that moment. She had needed a kiss with such overwhelming ferocity that for a moment, nothing else mattered. She had needed his kiss more than her solitary mornings, more than Hyacinth Cottage, more than the air she breathed.”

Have a wonderful day!!

@a_bright_lizzie @entangledpub #bookreview #historical #romance

About the Author

Elizabeth Bright is a writer, lawyer, and mother living in Washington, D.C. Her debut historical romance, Twice As Wicked, was published October 2017 with Entangled Publishing. Stay tuned for more of the Wicked Secrets Series!

Elizabeth loves large dogs and large coffees. She is an avid outdoor enthusiast, and when she’s not writing, lawyering, or mothering, she can be found as high in the mountains as she can get.

She firmly believes that love is the greatest adventure of all, but rock climbing is a close second.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, March 16
Review at Rachkmc
Review at Historical Romance Lover

Tuesday, March 17
Feature at Momfluenster
Excerpt at Captivated Pages

Wednesday, March 18
Review & Excerpt at andreajanel_reads

Friday, March 20
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Saturday, March 21
Review at Journey in Bookland

Sunday, March 22
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Tuesday, March 24
Review at Rose is Reading

Thursday, March 26
Excerpt at The Lit Bitch
Feature at What Is That Book About

Friday, March 27
Feature at I’m Into Books
Review & Excerpt at Historical Graffiti

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on March 27th. 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.

Duke’s Wicked Wife
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Book Tours

Witches of Ash and Ruin Book Tour

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, Witches Of Ash and Ruin, by E. Latimer, which is being hosted by FFBC !

Witches of Ash and Ruin

by E. Latimer
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 3rd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer
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Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy and A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.
Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.
And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer’s motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don’t stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.
With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that’s impossible to put down.

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

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎. 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚗.” —𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙰𝚜𝚑 & 𝚁𝚞𝚒𝚗

@theffbc @elatimerwrites

A perfectly dark contemporary witchy read of covens of witches banding together to stop a serial killer. Unleashing the power from the ancient Celtic Gods.

WITCHES OF ASH AND RUIN follows seventeen-year-old Dayna coping with her OCD Struggles to fit in and survive in her small Irish town. Dayna has been recently outed, for being bisexual, and the return of her long-absent mother,

A budding romance along with strong friendships, Witches of Ash and Ruin is a deeply immersive witchy read. The fast paced action plot line, with some memorable twists to keep you on your toes.

The backdrop is a small Irish town with a hardcore fanatical church, lots of witches, Celtic mythology, murder-mystery, along with well developed diverse characters – great LGBTQ representation, along with mental health issues.

A stunning plot-driven storyline with a great cast of characters that I liked and felt connected with. The writing flows perfectly and the author is able to balance the large cast of multiple POV’s.

E. Latimer Is able to pull you into the romance, enemies-to-lovers plot line. A budding relationship between Dayna and Meiner, who seem to be rivals, but take on a more romantic turn, as the book progresses the sparks fly.

The rivalry between the two covens makes the book believable, with authentic teenage dynamics. But eventually the two covens join forces and come together with a common goal, to ultimately stop the vile Butcher.

A captivating paranormal mystery, along with a stellar coven of witches,

The LGBTQ +OCD and multigenerational characters really makes this book amazing

“There was a little witch in every woman, but not every woman was a witch.”

Themes explored in Witches of Ash & Ruin

1) Sexual Identity

2) Mental Health

3) Physical/Emotional Abuse

4) Homophobia

5) Weaponizing of religion

The first in a trilogy this was engaging and intriguing witchy read.

I will definitely be reading work from this highly talented author.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E. Latimer is a fantasy writer from Victoria, BC. Her middle grade novel,The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray was published by Tundra Books, and was recently nominated for the Red Maple Fiction Award.
In her spare time, she writes books, makes silly vlogs with the Word Nerds about writing, and reads excessively.
Her latest novel, Witches of Ash and Ruin, will be released Spring/Summer 2020 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

March 16th

March 17th

A Dream Within A Dream – Review
QueerBookReport – Review
The Book Lyst – Review
& She Reads – Review + Favourite Quotes

March 18th

BookCrushin – Guest Post
Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Favourite Quotes
Books and Zebras – Review
Books, Tea, Healthy Me – Review
The Baroness of Books – Review

March 19th

L.M. Durand – Interview
Gwendalyn’s Books – Review
Becky’s Book Blog – Review
BiblioJoJo – Review
The Bibliophagist – Review

March 20th

Camillea Reads – Review
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Playlist
Libri Draconis – Review
Emelies Books – Review + Dream Cast
Story-eyed Reviews – Review

March 21st

Books.Bags.Burgers – Review + Favourite Quotes
The Paperback Voyager – Review
iamlitandwit – Review + Favourite Quotes

March 22nd

Shelf-Rated – Guest Post
Confessions of a YA Reader – Review + Favourite Quotes
Portrait of a Book – Review
Not Just Fiction – Review + Favourite Quotes
YA on my Mind – Review
Book Tours

Requiem, Changing Times By R. J. Parker

Hello Bookish Friends,

Today I have A Ya Book Review

Clint and Corbin are having a weird day. Best friends for life, things are getting a little strange around their town, and at school. When they’re followed by a strange man looking for Clint and later attacked by an imp, it makes sense to retreat to the safety of home. But when strangers from another world, Banks and O’Neil, arrive with their medley of allies, things get even weirder. Why are they here? What do they want? And what is The Requiem that everyone keeps talking about? As Clint and his friends and family are drawn deeper into a thrilling adventure, only one thing is for sure. They may not be getting out alive. And class with Mrs Christenson will seem like a walk in the park after this.

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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.

Requiem, Changing Times by R.J. Parker is a creative YA, Science Fiction / Dystopian fantasy adventure book

“Have you ever had a bad idea that you dismiss at once because it was a terrible idea?” Corbin asked Clint. “Well this was one of those ideas that I should have dismissed.

Clint’s life is about to change, school seems like any other day where Mrs. Christenson targets him for the principal’s office.

Something definitely is going on when, two groups of fantasy creatures have crossed over into his world. Each of them searching for Clint Holden, what could possibly tie him to the mysterious Requiem.

Today is one very odd day for Clint and his very best friends, Corbin Jenkins. When suddenly from nowhere a stranger attacks, They try to investigate what is actually going on around their town.

Thats when they come to realize that two different groups of fanatical creatures have crossed over into their world. Each of them searching for Clint and his ties to the mysterious Requiem. Clint has to keep up apparence…even with his home dynamics being a little chaotic and he is always seems to be getting into trouble at school.

This an exhilarating book faced paced with intriguing twists that keeps glued to the pages. Full of magical creatures action sequence drama. Parker’s exceptional dialogue is phenomenal, along with perfect comic timing makes for an enjoyable read. The writing was easy to follow and the author uses innovative narration in the way he allows the reader to be front and center. I don’t want to give to much away, if you are a inhaler of books, like I am you get my meaning right away.

The world building is magical and captivating and vibrant characters are three dimensional.

All in all it’s an riveting exceptional Young Adult book.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next installment.

R. J. Parker
Russell Parker was born in Bountiful, Utah. As his father was safety manager he had to move around until his senior year of high school, when he came to Cache Valley, Utah to stay. He married the most wonderful woman in the world and they are the parents of four fantastic kids, with one crazy dog. Russell played all kinds of sports and was an outdoors man until an accident brought him to writing. A writer since high school, encouragement brought his stories to life.
Connect with Russel: Website  Facebook  Goodreads.
Book Tours

Confessions of a Sheba Queen Book Tour

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, Confessions of a Sheba Queen.
by Autumn Bardot which is being hosted by HFBT!

#ConfessionsofaShebaQueen #AutumnBardot #HFVBTBlogTours

Confessions of a Sheba Queen
by Autumn Bardot

Publication Date: March 10, 2019
Cleis Press
eBook & Paperback; 384 Pages

Genre: Historical/Erotica

 

 

With a host of unforgettable characters and unbridled sensual escapades, Confessions of a Sheba Queen is a triumphantly erotic retelling of an indomitable woman prevailing in a man world.

During a raging sandstorm along a riverbed in the ancient lands of Saba, a powerful jinni born of smokeless fire gives birth to a half-human daughter. Bilqis does not inherit her mother magical abilities, but the fire of her jinni blood does imbue her with other powerful gifts. As she undergoes her rites of womanhood and her insatiable sexual hunger is awakened, it becomes clear this is the key to her great destiny prophesied at her birth. But it could also lead to her total undoing.

Bilqis comes to understand that her supernatural talents have the power to make men, and women, and nations prostrate themselves in utter devotion to her. When tragedy strikes, she leaves her home to seek revenge against the tyrannical god-king whose reign is a plague upon his land and people. Armed with only her body, courage, and wits, she quickly masters the art of seduction, all the while resisting the mind-consuming call to stay locked in an endless cycle of carnal passion.

Destiny soon intervenes, and what began as a quest for vengeance becomes a mission to heal the land of Saba from a twisted, corrupt regime and to see it become the wealthiest kingdom in all the land. Yet, it is only after meeting the already legendary and wildly attractive King Solomon that Bilqis discovers her greatest battle is not with others, but with herself.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

CONFESSIONS OF A SHEBA QUEEN

BY AUTUMN BARDOT

*Historical Erotica*

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.

Autumn Bardot newest novel, is a captivating historical erotica.

Confessions of a Sheba Queen, is the phenomenal empowering story of Bilqis, a half Jinni. Bilqis who’s mother is a Jinni and her father an unknown human. This cinnamon hued, breathtaking golden eyed girl, who’s life was foretold to have a Great Destiny, by an Oracle. Residing in a small village of the kingdom of Saba, her mother spares nothing in her education. Tutored in mathematics, history, geography and economics, including in the sexual arts.

When her Jinn, momma is brutally murdered under the orders of a tyrannical corrupted King. Bilqis rises up with newfound strength and seeks vengeance on those who have committed this unthinkable crime along with the compassion to heal the land of Saba.

Seeking a trade deal for her people during a visit the fabled king of Solomon, she brings a decadent caravan of riches the likes of which is astounding.

This is richly descriptive book that is both passionate as it is engaging. Bardot, has truly created a whole new genre in writing, historical erotica, with a touch mystical realism. A bold astounding seductive tale bring to life an historical legendary Queen of Sheba. The books pace was brisk and vividly rendered, you will be completely carried away. The characters are well developed and narration is fluid.

Exquisitely written this page turner of a book is by far one of my favorites by this brilliant author.

Historical Fiction
~ The Impaler’s Wife
~ Dragon Lady
~ The Emperor’s Assassin

Historical Erotica ( Cleis Press)
~ Legends of Lust, Erotic Myths from around the World
~ Confessions of a Sheba Queen

About the Author

Autumn Bardot writes historical fiction and historical erotica. Her debut historical fiction is THE IMPALER’S WIFE. Her debut historical erotica is LEGENDS OF LUST.

Autumn, a pen name, has worked as an educator for more than sixteen years. She teaches literature, writing, and the magic of words. She has a passion for history and a special affinity for the unsung courageous females that history has neglected. Or misunderstood. Autumn lives in Southern California with her husband and ever-growing family. She wishes she was one-tenth as brave as the women she writes about.

Historical Fiction
~ The Impaler’s Wife
~ Dragon Lady
~ The Emperor’s Assassin

Historical Erotica ( Cleis Press)
~ Legends of Lust, Erotic Myths from around the World
~ Confessions of a Sheba Queen

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, March 10
Review at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, March 11
Review at Books and Zebras

Thursday, March 12
Feature at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Friday, March 13
Review at @bookishbellee

Monday, March 16
Review at YA, It’s Lit

Tuesday, March 17
Feature at Donna’s Book Blog

Wednesday, March 18
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Friday, March 20
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Monday, March 23
Feature at I’m All About Books

Wednesday, March 25
Review at Nursebookie

Thursday, March 26
Review at Jessica Belmont

Friday, March 27
Feature at Curling up by the Fire

Monday, March 30
Review at Historical Graffiti

Tuesday, March 31
Review at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, April 1
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of Confessions of a Sheba Queen! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on April 1st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
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.

Confessions of a Sheba Queen
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Book Tours

ALYCAT AND THE TOURNAMENT TUESDAY by Alysson Foti Bourque

Hello Bookish Friends,
Today I have something really special, a book review / author interview / giveaway for, The Alycat and the Tournament Tuesday !
Join us for this tour from March 17  to April 6, 2020!

Book Details:

Book Title:  Alycat and the Tournament Tuesday by Alysson Foti Bourque
Category:  Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  32 pages
Genre:  Children’s Picture Book
Publisher:  Mascot Books
Release date:   March 17, 2020
Content Rating:  G

Book Description:

A “Mom’s Choice Award Winner”! Alycat’s brother, Bugsy, is playing in a
golf tournament with some of his friends, and wants to use his lucky
ball to win the game. But when Alycat forgets his lucky ball at home,
Bugsy learns what luck is really all about. Can Bugsy win the tournament
without his lucky ball? Alycat and the Tournament Tuesday is part of
the Alycat Series: alycatseries.com.

Buy the Book

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.

Alycat and the Tournament Tuesday Is the 4th book in the delightful Alycat series by the Louisiana writer, Alysson Foti Bourque.

Starting the day off Alycat and her Bugsy race each other down the stairs. Busy won but not by much because Alycat was slowed down by her her brothers lucky ball.

Bugsy has complete faith in the luck of his black starred golf ball.

When Mom, Dad and the children are loaded up in car, bugsy realizes that he doesn’t have his lucky ball. His mother tries to explain to him that hard work and practice is all he needs to have a good game. Bugsy is not deterred so Alycat is sent back into the house to retrieve it for him.

Joining friends on the golf course and play 18 holes of golf, Bugsy plays well, but some things come to light. He realizes that he can make his own luck. With dedication and practice and hard work you can achieve one’s goals.

This a warm-hearted and entertaining story, with important message for children was such a fun read.

The illustrations are bright and eye catching to a young reader. The simple but engaging storyline keeps young readers attention. It was a joy to read to some of the young ones at my local library. They really enjoyed the captivating tale and lovely characters.

The Alycat’s ABC’s of Golf is wonderful extension to the book. Which helps open ended questions about the game of golf with engaging vocabulary.

  
 Alycat has been included in the Oscars Celebrity Swag Bag and made her way to the hands of some popular celebrities. Who are some of the famous faces that have read and/or endorsed The Alycat Series? 

 

We’ve been so fortunate to have our books in the hands of some really inspiring people. These include:

o Youtube Storytime by Celebrity Stylist Lindsey Dupuis Bledsoe
o A Thank You letter from Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
o Virtual Storytime by First Lady of Louisiana, Donna Edwards
o Thank You post by Gia Poeme, Former Bella on The Young and the Restless,
o Thank You letter from Joanna Gaines.
o Instagram Post by Michelle Stafford, Phyllis Summers on The Young and the Restless
o Instagram Post by Lilly Melgar, Emmy nominated Actress/Director, and Emmy winning Producer

 

 Do you have a specific thing you do during your writing time? I fix a large cup of coffee, sit in my office, open my window, and write in total silence. My cats, Phoebe and Tiger usually run in and sit on the window ledge as I start writing or roll around and play. I get so much inspiration from watching these cats interact— so it’s perfect for the Alycat series. 

 

 What made you write a book about cats? Of course, I love cats. They are tenacious, fearless, and confident. When a problem occurs–which they often do for cats, they are determined to figure out a way to resolve it or move past it. Humans can learn a lot from cats, so they are perfect characters for books!

 

 

 If you could go back in time, where would you go? I would go back to AD 27-29. 

 

 Favorite travel spot? Capri, Italy
Meet the Author:

Alysson Foti Bourque is the author of the award-winning Alycat series.
Alysson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from
the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Juris Doctor degree from
the Southern University Law Center.

After practicing law for six years, she traded in writing trial briefs
for writing children’s books. Alysson enjoys public speaking
opportunities at schools, conferences, and festivals nationwide. She
hopes to inspire people of all ages to follow their dreams and believe
in themselves wholeheartedly.

AWARDS & HONORS

The Alycat Series has won several prestigious awards including:
Three Mom’s Choice Awards®
Benjamin Franklin Digital Award, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Best Book Award Finalist
NY Big Book Award
Reviewed by Midwest Book Review
Southern Festival of Books Panelist
Louisiana Book Festival Featured Author

Connect with the author: Website  ~  Twitter   Facebook  ~  Instagram ~ Pinterest

Tour Schedule:Mar 17 – Working Mommy Journal – book review / giveaway
Mar 17 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Mar 18 – The Pen and Muse Book Reviews – book review / author interview
Mar 18 – Gwendalyn’s Books – book review / author interview / giveaway
Mar 18 – Books, Dreams, Life – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Mar 18 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Mar 19 – Over Coffee Conversations – book review / giveaway
Mar 19 – eBook Addicts – book review / giveaway
Mar 20 – A Mama’s Corner Of the World – book review / giveaway
Mar 23 – StoreyBook Reviews – book review / giveaway
Mar 24 – Svetlana’s reads and views – book review
Mar 24 – Laura`s Interests – book review / giveaway
Mar 25 – Library of Clean Reads – book review / guest post / giveaway
Mar 25 – Rosco’s Reading Room – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Mar 26 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Mar 26 – T’s Stuff – book review / author interview / giveaway
Mar 27 – Books Direct – book review / guest post / giveaway
Mar 30 – She Just Loves Books – book review / author interview / giveaway
Mar 31 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
Apr 1 – Bookworm for Kids – book review / giveaway
Apr 2 – Pickagoodbook.com – book review / author interview / giveaway
Apr 6 – My Journey Back-The-Journey Back – book review / giveaway
Giveaway:

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Book Tours

Ever Alice ~ Book Review

Ever Alice
H. J. Ramsay
Red Rogue Press
Published August 1, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About Ever Alice

Description

Advance Praise

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 maddening wild psychological continuation, of a beloved classic. Or a re-imagined sequel.

When the book opens the year is 1888, and fifteen Alice Liddell is in the Warneford Asylum in Oxford. Her inventive ramblings have caused her parents a lot of sorrow and heartache. Having exhausted all avenues by taking her to every doctor in Oxford. The last doctor to evaluate Alice, is Dr Longfellow, who comes to the absurd conclusion that she is unmistakable “Mad”…. Or isn’t she?

Perhaps her close to death drowning, and all her delusional talk, might or might not be real. A brilliantly executed book with delightful delightful darker narration is told in two POV’s, Alice’s and Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts.

A romp back down the rabbit hole with some of the same cast of characters but they have evolved a bit. The creative world building is in magical and inventive. The dialogue is rich and holds the readers attention, with perfectly engaging satire.

The Queen of Hearts is cleverly depicted, I loved her paranoid point of view. It really add depth to the storyline and gives this novel a twisted perspective.

The book hooked me from the start and never slowed down, with its steadily-paced, absorbing, plot line.

I was enthralled with foreshadowing ending, it wasn’t rushed. It was delivered with impeccable timing.

Book Tours

The Lost History Of Dreams Book Tour

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, The Lost History
by Kris WaldHerr, which is being hosted by HFBT!

#TheLostHistoryofDreams #KrisWaldherr #HFVBTBlogTours

@kriswaldherr @AtriaBooks @hfvbt  

The Lost History of Dreams
by Kris Waldherr

Paperback Publication Date: February 18, 2020
Atria Books
Hardcover & eBook; 336 Pages

Genre: Historical/Gothic/Mystery

 

 A post-mortem photographer unearths dark secrets of the past that may hold the key to his future, in this captivating debut novel in the gothic tradition of Wuthering Heights and The Thirteenth Tale.

All love stories are ghost stories in disguise.

When famed Byronesque poet Hugh de Bonne is discovered dead of a heart attack in his bath one morning, his cousin Robert Highstead, a historian turned post-mortem photographer, is charged with a simple task: transport Hugh’s remains for burial in a chapel. This chapel, a stained glass folly set on the moors of Shropshire, was built by de Bonne sixteen years earlier to house the remains of his beloved wife and muse, Ada. Since then, the chapel has been locked and abandoned, a pilgrimage site for the rabid fans of de Bonne’s last book, The Lost History of Dreams.

However, Ada’s grief-stricken niece refuses to open the glass chapel for Robert unless he agrees to her bargain: before he can lay Hugh to rest, Robert must record Isabelle’s story of Ada and Hugh’s ill-fated marriage over the course of five nights.

As the mystery of Ada and Hugh’s relationship unfolds, so does the secret behind Robert’s own marriage—including that of his fragile wife, Sida, who has not been the same since the tragic accident three years ago, and the origins of his own morbid profession that has him seeing things he shouldn’t—things from beyond the grave.

Kris Waldherr effortlessly spins a sweeping and atmospheric gothic mystery about love and loss that blurs the line between the past and the present, truth and fiction, and ultimately, life and death.

Now available in paperback!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Praise for The Lost History of Dreams

Scheherazade-like haunting Waldherr writes that love stories are ghost stories in disguise. This one, happily, succeeds as both. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

An unexpected delight that grows steadily more compelling as its pages fly by. Booklist

A sensual, twisting gothic tale that embraces Victorian superstition much in the tradition of A.S. Byatts Possession, Diane Setterfields The Thirteenth Tale and Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights. BookPage

Eerily atmospheric and gorgeously written, The Lost History of Dreams is a Gothic fairy-tale to savor. Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK and THE HUNTRESS

The Lost History of Dreams is a dark, shimmering gem of a novel, glittering with love lost, secrets kept, and long-buried truths revealed. Wonder, memory, death and passion haunt every page of Kris Waldherr powerhouse Gothic debut. Greer Macallister, bestselling author of THE MAGICIANS LIE and WOMAN 99

Brooding, romantic, and thoughtful, The Lost History of Dreams is a rare bird in that it shines throughout with wit. I loved every page of it. Erika Swyler, bestselling author of THE BOOK OF SPECULATION and LIGHT FROM OTHER STARS

With luminous prose, stunning poetry and a fascinating cast of characters, Waldherr weaves a wonderfully atmospheric tale. Not to be missed! Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME and THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS DAUGHTER

A riveting, addictive read. Sarah Waters fans will be entranced. Mary Sharratt, author of ECSTASY and DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL

A novel of haunting mystery and passion reminiscent of Wuthering Heights and Byatts Possession. Crystal King, author of FEAST OF SORROW and THE CHEFS SECRET

An atmospheric tale of lost love, family secrets, and an inquiry into how our own histories define us, I relished every poetic page. Heather Webb, international bestselling author of LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS and THE PHANTOMS APPRENTICE

“With beautiful prose and poetry, Waldherr weaves a darkly seductive Gothic tale of love, art, death, and obsession. You’ll want to keep reading this one late into the night. Alyssa Palombo, author of THE SPELLBOOK OF KATRINA VAN TASSEL

A sumptuous feast for all the senses. Clarissa Harwood, author of IMPOSSIBLE SAINTS and BEAR NO MALICE

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.

Thank you Amy of HFBT, along with Atria Books, and the author, Kris Waldherr, for giving me an opportunity to read this beautiful novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kris Waldherr’s latest novel, The Lost History of Dreams is a forbidding historical mystery that brings to mind some of classical gothic-romance of the past.

When famed the Byronesque poet Hugh de Bonne, whose last work was titled,

The Lost History of Dreams, is discovered dead, his cousin Robert Highstead, who is a post-death photographer, {daguerreotype}, is tasked by his estranged brother to deliver Hugh’s body to his old home in the moors of Shropshire England. Robert’s simple task is to deliver the body to a stained glass folly the author had built to hold the remains of his wife, Ada.

Ada’s niece, Isabelle, however has never gotten over the death of her aunt Ada, and she refuses to allow Robert into the folly….unless he allows her to tell Ada’s story over the course of five nights.. reminiscent of a major female character and the storyteller in the famed, One Thousand and One Nights.

There is a slow burning creepiness to story line that meticulously builds with intensity as the story goes on. Like the best classical writers of this genre, the author takes her time building up to the story itself. This allows the full effect of creating uneasiness for the reader. The book is hauntingly eerie, full of beautiful lyrical prose set in Victorian England, Kris Waldherr masterfully complex inventive storyline is full of multilayered stories within stories. The book is spine-tingling and very mysterious. The beautiful dark imagery is breathtaking, creating a dream like atmosphere.

This mesmerizing top notch, gothic historical novel, is the perfect tension filled read. An compelling well written plot line with twist that keep guessing. A captivating tale of obsessive love, grief, mystery, that unfolds ingenious. Making this a stellar book, and one of my favorites by far this year.

I am now a dedicated entranced fan of Kris Waldherr, and I am looking forward to reading anything this author writes from now on.

Book Quote:

“All houses have a story to tell, Isabelle began. Some houses are akin to fairy tales, as many claim of Ada’s Folly. Other houses are structured like poems, with rooms devoted to beauty but lacking in function. However, only a few houses offer ghost stories. They’re built to be trampled by sorrow and loss. And that’s what you’ll find deep within the very walls and doors of Weald House: a ghost story begun from love.

About the Author

Kris Waldherr books for adults and children include The Lost History of Dreams, Bad Princess, Doomed Queens, and The Book of Goddesses. The Lost History of Dreams received a Kirkus starred review and was called “an unexpected delight” by Booklist. The New Yorker praised Doomed Queens as utterly satisfying and deliciously perverse. The Book of Goddesses was a One Spirit/Book-of-the-Month Club Top Ten Most Popular Book. Her picture book Persephone and the Pomegranate was lauded by the New York Times Book Review for its quality of myth and magic. Her fiction has won fellowships from the Virginia Center of the Creative Arts, and a works-in-progress reading grant from Poets & Writers.

As a visual artist, Waldherr is the creator of the Goddess Tarot, which has a quarter of a million copies in print. She has had illustrations published as greeting cards, book covers, and in calendars and magazines. Her art has been exhibited in many galleries and museums including the Ruskin Library, the Mazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Kris Waldherr works and lives in Brooklyn in a Victorian-era house with her husband, their young daughter, and a very vocal Bengal cat.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, March 13
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review at Tales from the Book Dragon

Saturday, March 14
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Monday, March 16
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Tuesday, March 17
Review at Clarissa Reads it All

Thursday, March 19
Review at YA, It’s Lit
Review at Older & Smarter

Friday, March 20
Review at Donna’s Book Blog

Sunday, March 22
Review at Historical Graffiti

Tuesday, March 24
Review at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Wednesday, March 25
Interview at Jorie Loves A Story

Thursday, March 26
Review at Books and Zebras

Saturday, March 28
Review at Nurse Bookie

Monday, March 30
Review at Jorie Loves A Story

Tuesday, March 31
Review at Passages to the Past

Giveaway

To celebrate the paperback publication of The Lost History of Dreams, Kris is offering an exclusive blog tour giveaway of some of her most popular publications! The collection includes an autographed copy of The Lost History of Dreams paperback, a Goddess Tarot deck, a Sacred World Oracle deck, a hardcover of Bad Princess, and a teaser booklet of Doomed Queens. Retail value $75. Giveaway ends 3/31/2020. US only.

To enter the giveaway, click HERE.

Book Tours

The Deep Book Tour + Book Review

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of The Deep
by Alama Katsu which is being hosted by FFBC !

The Deep
by Alma Katsu
Publisher: Transworld Digital
Release Date: March 10th 2020
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction, Adult
 photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpgImageImageImageImageImage

Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.
This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner’s illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers – including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher – are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.
Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not – could not – have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .

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 Deep, is based on Violet Constance Jessop, on the incredible survivor of both the Titanic and the Brittanic

The Deep, by Alma Katsu

An astonishing type of paranormal that will have wide appeal among historical fictional readers

Stunning atmospheric prose and exquisite imagery, Katsu captivates the reader in such a way with the history of the RMS Titanic and its sister ship the HMHS Brittanic.

This haunting story grabs the the reader complete attention. As this erie tale unfolds you will be immersed into the lives of the passengers and crew. Giving the reader just enough historical details entwined in to her own creative imagination.

In 1912, Annie Hebbley, an eighteen year old Irish girl escaping a scandal is eager to leave her small Irish Northern town, travels to Southampton England. Annie than takes a job as stewardess aboard the disastrous, Titanic.

The luxurious and decadent, ill fated ship contains everything imaginable for the privileged. Annie Along within Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, are in the mind set that something sinister is going on with disappearances . . . Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

This paranormal infused historical fiction novel is told in dual timelines- 1912 aboard the Titanic and 1916 the Britannic

Four years later, hiding from the world within a psychiatric hospital, Annie struggles with her past and all that she has been through. After receiving correspondence from her friend, Violet Jessop, another survivor of the Titanic. Annie has agrees to work as a nurse on board the Britannic (the Titanic’s sister ship). The Britannic has become a war hospital ship during wartime. A stark difference than the majestic Titanic.

It also has eerily identical layout as the Titanic, along with a deeply unsettling ghostly presence of a man. One Annie thought she had lost, who she has been thinking of is completely drawn to. Readers will slowly come to understand the true nature of Annie’s often strangely odd behavior.

The authors impeccable character development is what makes this book a phenomenal book. I was completely engaged with the storyline right from the start and the pace and tension didn’t slow down until I closed the book. What a wonderful read with intriguing meticulously plotted mystery, along with notable researched historical elements.

“A ship so massive, and here we are, trapped on it, nowhere to run.” She shivered “One is always trapped within oneself though”

ImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageAlma Katsu is the author of The Hunger, a reimagining of the story of the Donner Party with a horror twist. The Hunger made NPR’s list of the 100 Best Horror Stories, was named one of the best novels of 2018 by the Observer, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books (and more), and was nominated for a Stoker and Locus Award for best horror novel.
The Taker, her debut novel, has been compared to the early works of Anne Rice and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander for combining historical, the supernatural, and fantasy into one story. The Taker was named a Top Ten Debut Novel of 2011 by Booklist, was nominated for a Goodreads Readers Choice award, and has been published in over 10 languages. It is the first in an award-winning trilogy that includes The Reckoning and The Descent.
Ms. Katsu lives outside of Washington DC with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. In addition to her novels, she has been a signature reviewer for Publishers Weekly, and a contributor to the Huffington Post. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Writing Program and Brandeis University, where she studied with novelist John Irving. She also is an alumni of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.
Prior to publication of her first novel, Ms. Katsu had a long career in intelligence, working for several US agencies and a think tank. She currently is a consultant on emerging technologies. Additional information can be found on Wikipedia and in this interview withOzy.com.

March 10th

March 11th

Kait Plus Books – Interview
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Playlist + Dream Cast
Buried Under Books – Review

March 12th

Mythical Books – Guest Post
Bookishaestha – Review + Favourite Quotes
dinipandareads – Review + Favourite Quotes

March 13th

L.M. Durand – Guest Post
Alys in Bookland – Review
Gwendalyn’s Books – Review + Favourite Quotes
Mahkjchi’s Not-So-Secret Books – Review + Favourite Quotes

March 14th

The Reading Corner for All – Review + Playlist + Favourite Quotes
Bookishly Nerdy – Review
Story-eyed Reviews – Review + Favourite Quotes

March 15th

Hooked on Bookz – Review
Foals, Fiction & Filigree – Review + Favourite Quotes
Books.Bags.Burgers – Review + Favourite Quotes
Northern Plunder – Review
Books_andPoetrii – Review + Favourite Quotes

March 16th

Captivated Reading – Review
Your Words My Ink – Review + Favourite Quotes
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review

BoundbyWords – Review + Favourite Quotes

Book Tours

Welcome to MERMAID MOON by Susann Cokal Official Blog Tour

#Giveaway Review MERMAID MOON by Susann Cokal @CokalSusann @MermaidMoonBook @Candlewick

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher:
Candlewick (March 3, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1536209597
ISBN-13: 978-1536209594



Praise for MERMAID MOON


“Susann Cokal’s latest miracle, Mermaid Moon, springs from the tides where Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid once swam — and walked to land. But she delivers something even more rich and strange, and a mermaid heroine who will swim away with your heart.” —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Egg & Spoon

“Cokal’s moody and sea-drenched tale weaves touches of Hans Christian Andersen with a dash of Pied Piper, using language that gorgeously sets each scene, including the exceedingly creepy bone vault … Lyrical, complex, and occasionally dark.” —School Library Journal

“Cokal creates a well-developed matriarchal mermaid mythology in which women couple, bonded by love and respect, and men are largely unnecessary. Through several voices and richly detailed prose, these markedly different worlds overlap and diverge to impart a nuanced exploration of power, family, faith, and love.” —Publishers Weekly

“Mermaid Moon is an action-packed tale of parental abandonment, familial longing, treachery and dark magic with an appealingly determined heroine.” —BookPage

“A beautifully told, immersive story that layers fairy-tale elements with more modern themes, allowing for a different experience with every reread.” —Shelf Awareness

In the far northern reaches of civilization, a mermaid leaves the sea to look for her land-dwelling mother among people as desperate for magic and miracles as they are for life and love.

Blood calls to blood; charm calls to charm.
It is the way of the world.
Come close and tell us your dreams.
—The Mermaids

Sanna has been living as a mermaid — but she is only half seavish. The night of her birth, a sea-witch cast a spell that made Sanna’s people, including her landish mother, forget how and where she was born.




Now Sanna is sixteen and an outsider in the seavish flok where women rule and mothers mean everything. She is determined to go to land and learn who she is. So she apprentices herself to the ancient witch, Sjældent, to learn the magic of making and unmaking. With a new pair of legs and a mysterious quest to complete for her teacher, she follows a clue that leads her ashore on the Thirty-Seven Dark Islands. 

Her fellow mermaids wait floating on the seaskin as Sanna stumbles into a wall of white roses thirsty for blood, a hardscrabble people hungry for miracles, and a baroness of fading beauty who will do anything to live forever, even at the expense of her own children.

From the author of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book The Kingdom of Little Wounds comes a gorgeously told tale of belonging, sacrifice, fear, hope, and mortality.

You can purchase Mermaid Moon 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.

The roses are pouring forth a deeper scent, one that plunges to the bottom of the belly. It is the best scent, and the red is the most beautiful color, any of these poor people have known in their lives. And the cause of it all–that stranger, the pale-haired, blue-robed girl–now lies in the rose vine’s embrace, with thorns in her skin, her own blood glittering richer than Baroness Thyrla’s jewels. Richer even than the red of the roses. The people break out both laughing and weeping. When at last they can speak, they cry, “Miracle!’ 

MERMAID MOON by Susann Cokal delivers a lovely immersive retelling, matriarchal mermaid mythology. Where women are bonded couples, While men are largely unnecessary. The tale follows Sanna, a half-landish mermaid who leaves her flok to seek her human mother. Being advised by the ancient, riddle-tongued sea witch Sjældent. Sanna seeks out a castle ruled by ageless and unkind Baroness Thyrla.

Thyrla, is dark and deadly witch who has amassed great power by doing unspeakable crimes of stealing powers and youth….even from

This engaging book is with its richly detailed prose, is complex and provocative. This ya fantasy, fiction tale unfolds with darkish undertones, is a stunning atmospheric read. As the plot takes some notable twists, Sanna, finds herself betrothed and no where closer to finding the treasure that Sjældent requires as payment.

A suspenseful, vivid, richly detailed, with interesting and compelling characters and vibrant world building.

Photo Content from Susann Cokal

Susann Cokal is a moody historical novelist, a pop-culture essayist, book critic, magazine editor, and sometime professor of creative writing and modern literature. She lives in a creepy old farmhouse in Richmond, Virginia, with seven cats, a dog, a spouse, and some peacocks that supposedly belong to a neighbor. She is the author of two books for young adults and two for regular adults.

Susann’s previous book, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, received several national awards, including a silver medal from the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award series. It also got starred reviews in Kirkus, School Library Journal, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and Publishers Weekly, and praise from Booklist, The New York Times Boook Review, and other venues. It was #3 on the Boston Globe list of best YAs of the 2013 and won an ALAN citation from the National Council of Teachers of English.

      
WEEK ONE – REVIEW & INTERVIEWS
MARCH 2nd MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
MARCH 3rd TUESDAY Life Within The Pages REVIEW
MARCH 4th WEDNESDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW & INTERVIEW
MARCH 4th WEDNESDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT
MARCH 5th THURSDAY TTC Books and More GUEST POST
MARCH 6th FRIDAY A Dream Within A Dream EXCERPT
MARCH 6th FRIDAY Pandora’s Books GUEST POST 

WEEK TWO – REVIEWS
MARCH 9th MONDAY Nay’s Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
MARCH 10th TUESDAY A Bookish Dream REVIEW 
MARCH 11th WEDNESDAY Lenissahh Reads REVIEW
MARCH 11th WEDNESDAY J.R.’s Book Reviews REVIEW 
MARCH 12th THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW
MARCH 13th FRIDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW
MARCH 13th FRIDAY Gwendalyn’s Books REVIEW

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

Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

– 5 Winners will receive a Copy of MERMAID MOON by Susann Cokal.

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Book Tours

A Murderous Relation Book Review

A Murderous Relation 
Deanna Raybourn
Series: VERONICA SPEEDWELL MYSTERY, A (#5)
FOn Sale Date: March 10, 2020
Hardcover  | 320 pages

Synopsis:

Veronica Speedwell navigates a dark world of scandal and murder in this new adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, known as the Club de l’Etoile, and the proprietess, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve the jewel from the club before scandal can break.

Worse yet, London is gripped by hysteria in the autumn of 1888, terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper–and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.

Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore’s high class brothel, where another body soon turns up. Many secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family–and it’s up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth, before it’s too late for all of them.

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

London, 1888. A royal scandal, a murdered madame, and the most notorious serial killer in history call Veronica Speedwell to the aide of the royal family yet again. 

Veronica Speedwell and Stoker Templeton-Vane have courted around their passionate feelings.

It’s Autumn, and the lepidopterist adventuring Veronica Speedwell, steps off a train from Cornwall straight into a London who is being terrorized by Jack the Ripper.

A Murderous Relation is the 5th for Deanna Raybourn’s daring heroine aided as always by natural historian, explorer, and taxidermist Stoker. Veronica is the unacknowledged daughter of the Prince of Wales while Stoker is the son of a viscount

A late Victorian tale of frolicking, murder with lots of mayhem, these two detectives will delve into a case involving the royal family in a sordid scandal.

The joy of seeing these two highly eccentric characters working again together as they launch investigation into a could be heist which leads them into a world that Veronica has no knowledge of. but she is all intrigued to explore.

With each revelation they uncover, they are brought further into a web of deceit and treachery where their well being is threatened. A Murderous Relation is the fifth book in the Veronica Speedwell series and this story is a game changer in many ways.

Once again Deanna Raybourn, has written a positively enthralling, riveting tale.

a true page turner of book

Book Tours

Book Review: A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell navigates a dark world of scandal and murder in this new adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, known as the Club de l’Etoile, and the proprietess, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve the jewel from the club before scandal can break.

Worse yet, London is gripped by hysteria in the autumn of 1888, terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper–and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.

Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore’s high class brothel, where another body soon turns up. Many secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family–and it’s up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth, before it’s too late for all of them.

 

“He was not another half, for I was whole unto myself. But he was my mirror, and in him I saw reflected all that I liked best in me. I saw honesty and pride, loyalty, and a willingness to stand, however difficult, in service of one’s principles.”

After the ending of A Dangerous Collaboration, I was not sure what to expect, relationship wise, between Veronica and Stoker. They had both finally accepted that they were drawn to each other in more than a partnership capacity and I was eager to see how that unfolded in A Murderous Relation. Even in their acceptance, there was complexity and simplicity woven with insecurities. What did take place was adorable, frustrating, and in the end, swoon worthy. Both Veronica and Stoker were deeply passionate characters who were also deeply emotionally scarred and there was an element of vulnerability that needed to be addressed internally before any progress could be made. I loved the emotional journey! Focusing on the mystery, there is very little sleuthing, not exactly a whodunit. Expect more along the lines of political machinations and surprising betrayal. I will say that I did enjoy the nods to the Whitechapel murders, along with the characters introduced from that quarter. They were impactful in their brief time in this story. Overall, A Murderous Relation was a delightful historical mystery with witty banter and plenty of escapades and exploits that kept this story moving at a fast clip.

About Deanna Raybourn

A sixth-generation native Texan, New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn grew up in San Antonio where she met her college sweetheart. She married him on her graduation day and went on to teach high school English and history. During summer vacation at the age of twenty-three, she wrote her first novel, and after three years as a teacher, Deanna left education to have a baby and pursue writing full-time. Fourteen years and many, many rejections after her first novel, she signed two three-book deals with MIRA Books.

Book Tours

The Henna Artist Book Review

Hello Bookish Friends,

Today I have a wonderful historical fiction book review

After fleeing an arranged marriage as a fifteen year old to an abusive older man, Lakshmi Shastri steals away alone from her rural village to Jaipur. Here, against odds, she carves out a living for herself as a henna artist, and friend and confidante to wealthy, upper caste women. Surviving by her wits and talents, she shares her knowledge and keeps their secrets in a delicate balancing act amid the changing 1950s social mores brought about by Indian Independence. Vulnerable to opinion and innuedo, at any point her intentions might be misunderstood, and she could fall prey to a damaged reputation or worse. Still Lakshmi manages to save to build a house with the dream of bringing her aging parents here to live with her and redeem herself in their eyes. Then one day her ex-husband arrives in town seeking her out with a girl in tow, a sister she did not know she had. Her sister is both passionate and reckless by nature, and all of a sudden the caution that Lakshmi has carefully cultivated is threatened, along with her livelihood. But she preseveres, and in doing so manages to lift up the others around her with her success.

 

Lakshmi’s tenacity and spirit see her join the ranks of other brave women of historical fiction, such as Farough Farrokhzad in Jasmin Darznik’s Song of a Captive Bird.With gorgeous prose and urgent themes, the novel will captivate readers of Shobha Rao’s Girls Burn Brighter, and those who seek a narrative both compelling and necessary.

BUY LINKS:

Harlequin

Indiebound

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Target

Walmart

Google

iBooks

Kobo

 

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 Henna Artist by Alka Joshi writes a thought provoking, emotional novel.

Alka Joshi has meticulously brought the rich Indian culture and landscape literary to life within these vibrant books pages.

Joshi brings the northern central city of Jaipur completely to life with her elegantly written prose. In this captivating historical fiction takes place a few years after Indian Independence. In the 1950’s India as a whole is undergoing an extensive climatic challenge, with conflict between modern and traditional thinkers. To epic divisons of classes.

The main protagonist, Lakshmi is known for her exquisite henna designs and makes her living by being a henna artist to the women in the village. She also is familiar with certain herbal remedies, a very lucrative secret side business providing women with a way to get rid of unwanted pregnancies.

Lakshmi has escaped an abusive husband and is cautious in keeping her name clear of any gossip. She ultimately longs for a home of her own, and with her wealthy clientele she just might have it. until a young sister she never knew she had shows up in town with her ex-husband. Lakshmi’s life is thrown into upheaval and her hard won business threatened, as she struggles to incorporate her sister into her carefully balanced life could threaten her dreams.

I was completely immersed in Lakshmi’s life and her struggles as tries to raise herself up become a woman of independence.

The Henna Artist is a brilliant captivating atmospheric detailed first novel.

I would recommend this thought-provoking novel for readers who enjoy Historical Fiction.

Alka Joshi is a graduate of Stanford University and received her M.F.A. from the California College of the Arts. She has worked as an advertising copywriter, a marketing consultant, and an illustrator. Alka was born in India, in the state of Rajasthan. Her family came to the United States when she was nine, and she now lives on California’s Monterey Peninsula with her husband and two misbehaving pups. The Henna Artist is her first novel. Visit her website and blog at thehennaartist.com

 SOCIAL:

Author Website: https://thehennaartist.com/

TWITTER:

FB: @alkajoshi2019

Insta: @thealkajoshi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18257842.Alka_Joshi

 

Book Tours

Book Review – Blame the Dead by Ed Ruggero + Giveaway

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher:
Forge Books (March 3, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250312744
ISBN-13: 978-1250312747



Praise for BLAME THE DEAD

“The title of this riveting, finely crafted novel may be Blame the Dead, but I blame author Ed Ruggero–for keeping me up at night, reading “just one more” chapter then another and another. Whether your interests lie in a well-wrought mystery, a classic cop story, historical settings or first-rate military fiction, this thoroughly enjoyable novel set during World War II checks the block. Great pacing, compelling characters, solid research and a fiendishly clever plot add up to non-stop reading excitement.” ―Ralph Peters, author of Cain at Gettysburg and Judgment at Appomattox

“This book is a lot of fun, written with an insider’s feel for the U.S. Army and its history.” ―Thomas E. Ricks, author of The Generals and Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq

“Ruggero’s story sets itself apart with the vividly rendered field-hospital setting and the focus on the battle-hardened nurses. A solid choice for WWII-thriller fans.” ―Booklist

“At the start of this exceptional WWII mystery and series launch, Lt. Eddie Harkins, an MP who was once a Philadelphia beat cop, comes across a murder scene near Palermo, Sicily…. Ruggero plays fair with his readers and makes the carrying out of a homicide inquiry in wartime both exciting and plausible.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Ruggero uses his military expertise to create a vivid and unconventional setting for a murder mystery, crafting an intriguing quagmire of institutional corruption to challenge his everyman hero.” ―Library Journal

The nurses of the US Army’s Field Hospitals, mobile units that operate just behind the battle lines, contend with heat, dirt, short-handed staffs, the threat of German counterattack and an ever-present flood of horribly wounded GIs. At the 11th Field Hospital near Palermo, Sicily in the bloody summer of 1943, nurses also live with the threat of violent assault by one of their own–at least until someone shoots Dr. Myers Stephenson in the head.

Enter Eddie Harkins, a tough former Philadelphia beat cop turned Military Police lieutenant, who is first on the scene. Although he has never been a detective, Harkins soon finds himself the lone investigator, either because the Military Police are under-staffed or because someone in power thinks this rank amateur will never get close to the real killer. When the hospital commander tries to derail Harkins’ investigation by transferring or harassing key witnesses, it becomes clear to Harkins that the unit is rotten to its core, that the nurses are not safe, and that patients who have survived Nazi bullets are still at risk after they arrive at this place that is supposed to save them.

Harkins fights–and worries that he is losing–multiple battles. He is driven to give hope to nurses who just want to do their life-saving work, to right at least a few of the wrongs around him, and to do penance for sins in his own past. The one bright note for Harkins is a rekindled relationship with Kathleen Donnelly, a nurse from Harkins’ old neighborhood; but even that is complicated when Donnelly becomes a victim.

You can purchase Blame the Dead 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.

Sicily 1943

A brutally honest start to a incredible World War II historical fiction series.

Eddie Harkins, a formal,Philadelphian beat cop, whom has turned Military Police lieutenant, arrives first to a murder scene near Palermo, Sicily.

At first light, amongst the confusion of a German air raid someone shot Capt. Meyers Stephenson, a surgeon. A close range shot to the back of the head, leaving him with his brains splattered. Exhausted from the rigors of war at lack of sleep, Harkins wishes he had paid more attention to the detectives state side. Hawkins soon discovers more than one person could have a motive, and all isn’t right surrounding this war time hospital.

This raw, edgy, dark, distressing, and compelling mystery that absolutely enthralled me. I was immediately taken and entranced with how the writing pulled me into this riveting WWII novel. The dialogue was exceptional with enigmatic narration that I couldn’t put this book down. A fast paced adrenaline rush plot, and vivid atmospheric imagery that depicted the chaotic elements and drama surrounding a wartime hospital setting. From the realistic underlying issues to the military politics, and the unflinching dynamics of war time.

Ed Ruggero, doesn’t hold back, giving the reader everything you could want in a thrilling thought provoking storyline.

If you enjoy historical war fiction, this is a novel you need to read. I can’t express enough how much I enjoyed reading this book.

Photo Content from Ed Ruggero

Ed Ruggero has studied, practiced, and taught leadership for more than twenty-five years, helping organizations develop the kinds of leaders people want to follow. His client list includes the FBI, the New York City Police Department, CEO Conference Europe, the CIA, the Young Presidents Organization, Forbes, the SAS Institute, Hugo Boss USA, CitiFinancial, and Time, among many others. He has appeared on CNN, The History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and CNBC and has spoken to audiences around the world on leadership, leader development and ethics. Ed is a senior advisor to McKinsey & Company and has been a panelist for The Washington Post’s On Leadership series. He also has been a guest speaker at Harvard Business School and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Ed is the author of eleven books, including Duty First: West Point and the Making of American Leaders, a study of leader development at the US Military Academy; and Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault Into Fortress Europe, July 1943, which became a one-hour docudrama on The History Channel. Ed is also the co-author of The Leader’s Compass, a fictional story of how one leader developed a personal leadership philosophy. His most recent book is The First Men In: US Paratroopers and the Fight to Save D-Day.

After his graduation from West Point, Ed received his commission in the United States Army and served as an infantry officer in a variety of leadership positions, followed by an assignment teaching at West Point. After his service, Ed continued to share his insights about leadership, leading to his career as an author, public speaker, and trainer.

Ed is the founder and principal of The Gettysburg Leadership Experience, The Concord Leadership Experience, The Valley Forge Leadership Experience and the Normandy Leadership Experience, four distinct experiential learning programs in which participants walk the grounds of great military struggles and learn battle-tested leadership lessons that will help them meet today’s business challenges.


        
WEEK ONE
MARCH 2nd MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
MARCH 3rd TUESDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT
MARCH 4th WEDNESDAY Ya It’s Lit REVIEW
MARCH 5th THURSDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW
MARCH 5th THURSDAY TTC Books and More EXCERPT
MARCH 6th FRIDAY BookHounds INTERVIEW 

WEEK TWO
MARCH 9th MONDAY A Dream Within A Dream EXCERPT
MARCH 10th TUESDAY Insane About Books REVIEW 
MARCH 11th WEDNESDAY Gwendalyn’s Books REVIEW
MARCH 12th THURSDAY Casia’s Corner REVIEW
MARCH 12th THURSDAY Zenithmeridian REVIEW 
MARCH 13th FRIDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

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

–Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

– 5 Winners will receive a Copy of BLAME THE DEAD by Ed Ruggero

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Book Tours

Blog Tour (Review): The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz

I’m very excited to be a part of the Harlequin Trade Publishing 2020 Spring Reads Blog Tours.

First up is The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz. 

The Grace Kelly Dress : A Novel 

Brenda Janowitz

On Sale Date: March 3, 2020

9781525804595, 1525804596

Trade Paperback

$16.99 USD, $22.99 CAD

Fiction / Contemporary Women

336 pages

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.

BRENDA JANOWITZ is the author of five novels. She is the Books Correspondent at PopSugar. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Salon.

A dress originally fashioned as a copy of the gown that Grace Kelly wore on her wedding day becomes a pivotal family heirloom tying three generations in this delightful book.

The Grace Kelly Dress is set to three different time frames 1958, the 1980s & 2020. The story follows three generations of woman within a family centered around one family heirloom… a wedding dress.

Janowitz, writing flows seamlessly and effortless, allowing the reader to become fully immersed into these woman’s lives.

Rose, a humble seamstress employed by the esteemed Madame Michel in the late 1950s in Paris. Is selected to fashion a dress after the iconic dress worn for the legendary Grace Kelly.

Joan, a college student at NYCU in the 1980s wants to know exactly what happened to her sister. Joan struggling with the loss of her sister and her engagement and upcoming wedding.

Sixty years later, an independent tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname “Rocky”. Present day, Rocky’s upcoming nuptials are marred by the pressure to wear the family’s heirloom gown.

In this captivating book, the past will be confronted as family secrets unfolds.

Janowitz Has written a dynamic book that will hook you from the beginning and hold your attention all the way through to the end.

Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris—and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love.

Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly—look-alike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride’s handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice, one that could put all she’s worked for at risk: love, security and of course, the dress.

Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname “Rocky,” has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there’s just one problem: Rocky doesn’t want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn’t her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan’s heart. But what she doesn’t know is why Joan insists on the dress—or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother’s life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.

As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress’s history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky’s wedding, they’ll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple Books

Indie Bound

Harlequin Trade Publishing

Books-A-Million

Kobo

The mother of the bride, as a bride herself
Long Island, 1982

She loved the dress. She loved the veil that went with it, too, though she wasn’t sure if it could be salvaged. It was showing signs of age, its edges curling and tinged with brown. But that wouldn’t dull her excitement.

Today was the day she would be trying on her mother’s wedding dress. Even though Joanie had tried it on countless times as a child—it was a favorite rainy-day activity with her mother—today felt different. She was engaged, just like she’d dreamed about ever since she could remember. When she tried the dress on this time, it was for keeps. She was completely in love with the dress.

“Let me help you get it on,” Joanie’s mother said, her French accent coming through. It was always more pronounced when she was feeling emotional. With her American friends, Joanie noticed, her mother always tried to sound “American,” softening her accent and using American expressions. But when they were alone, she could be herself. Let her guard down. Joanie knew exactly who her mother was, and she loved her for it.

Her mother handed Joanie a pair of white cotton gloves and then put on her own set. The first step in trying the dress on, always, so that the oils in their hands wouldn’t defile the fabric. She laid the large box on her bed and nodded her head at her husband, her signal to give them privacy. The door closed to Joanie’s childhood bedroom, and she and her mother were alone.

The white cotton gloves were cool and smooth on her skin. Joanie opened the box slowly. So slowly. It was sealed with a special plastic that was supposed to keep it airtight so that the dress would not oxidize and turn yellow. She and her mother laughed as they struggled to set the dress free. The last time she tried the dress on was the summer before her sister died. It was after Michele’s death that her mother brought the dress into the city so that it might be cleaned properly and preserved for just this day. At the time, Joanie hadn’t understood the connection between her sister’s sudden death and her mother’s tight grip on family heirlooms, but now, a year into her psychology degree at NYC University, she understood. It was so hard to hold on to things that were important to you, things that mattered, and preserving her wedding dress, this memory, was her mother’s way of taking control of something. It was something she could save.

The dress was just as beautiful as she’d remembered. Crafted from rose point lace, the same lace used on Grace Kelly’s iconic wedding dress, it was delicate and classic and chic and a million other things Joanie couldn’t even articulate.

“Go on,” her mother said, holding the first part of the dress—the bodice with the attached underbodice, skirt support, and slip—out for her to take. As a child, it had thrilled Joanie to no end that the wedding dress her mother wore was actually made up of four separate pieces. It was like a secret that a bride could have on her special day, something that no one else knew.

“I couldn’t,” Joanie said, hands at her side. Knowing how carefully preserved the dress had been, what the dress had meant to her mother, it was hard for Joanie to touch it. She didn’t want to get it dirty, sully its memory. “It’s just so beautiful.”

“It’s yours now,” her mother said, smiling warmly. “The dress belongs to you. Put it on.”

Joanie kicked off her ballerina flats, and her mother helped her ease the bodice on. Joanie stood at attention as her mother snapped the skirt into place, and wrapped the cummerbund around her waist. Joanie held her hands high above her head, not wanting to get in the way of her mother’s expert hands, hands that knew exactly where to go, fingers that knew exactly what to do.

“You ready in there, Birdie?” her father yelled from the hallway, impatient, his French accent just as strong as the day he left France. Joanie always loved how her father had a special nickname for her mother. When they first married, he would call her mother GracieBird, a nickname of Grace Kelly’s, because of the Grace Kelly–inspired wedding gown she wore on their wedding day. Eventually, it was shortened to Bird, and then over time, it became Birdie. What would Joanie’s fiancé call her?

Joanie inspected her reflection in the mirror. Her shoulder-length blond hair, recently permed, looked messy. Her pink eye shadow, which had always seemed so grown-up on her sister, made her appear tired and puffy-eyed. But the dress? The dress was perfect.

Her mother opened the door slowly, and her father’s face came into view. His expression softened as he saw his daughter in the wedding dress. She walked out into the hallway, towards him, and she could see a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

She turned to her mother, about to tell her that Daddy was crying, when she saw that her mother, too, had teared up. Joanie couldn’t help it—seeing her mother and father cry, she began to cry as well. She could never keep a dry eye when someone else was crying, least of all her parents, ex-pats from Europe who hardly ever cried.

Michele’s presence floated in the air like a haze, but no one would say it. No one dared mention that she would have worn the dress first. Should have worn the dress first.

“And look at us,” her mother said, her hands reaching out and grabbing for her husband and daughter. “All of us crying like little babies.”

All three embraced—carefully, of course, so as not to ruin the dress.

Her father kissed the top of her head. “Give us a twirl.”

Joanie obliged. The dress moved gracefully as she spun. Joanie curtsied, and her father gently took her hand and kissed it.

“I know what you’re thinking,” her mother said, her voice a song.

“What?” Joanie asked absentmindedly, while staring at her reflection in the mirror. She knew the first thing she’d change—the sleeves. The dress needed big, voluminous sleeves, just like Princess Diana had worn on her wedding day.

“Or I should say who you’re thinking about,” her mother said, a gentle tease.

“Who?” Joanie asked, under her breath, twirling from side to side in front of the mirror, watching the dress move.

“Your fiancé,” her mother said, furrowing her brow. “Remember him?”

“For sure,” Joanie said, spinning around to face her mother. “My fiancé. Yes. I knew that. And, yes. I was.” But the truth was, she had completely forgotten.

 

Excerpted from The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz. Copyright © 2020 by Brenda Janowitz. Published by Graydon House Books.

 

Brenda Janowitz is the author of five novels, including The Dinner Party and Recipe for a Happy Life. She is the Books Correspondent for PopSugar. Brenda’s work has also appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Salon, Redbook, and the New York Post. She lives in New York.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: http://www.brendajanowitz.com/

Facebook: @BrendaJanowitz

Twitter: @BrendaJanowitz

Instagram: @brendajanowitzwriter

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/241404.Brenda_Janowitz

Book Tours

Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

by Christina Boyd, Tessa Dare, Elizabeth Adams, Karen M. Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, Joana Starnes

Publication Date: March 2, 2020
The Quill Ink, LLC

Genre: Historical Romance

 

 

“Obstinate, headstrong girl!”

For over two hundred years, the heroine of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

In this romance anthology, ten Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. In ELIZABETH: OBSTINATE, HEADSTRONG GIRL, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her—her Mr. Darcy—all with humor and her sparkling charm. “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, January 1813―and we think so too!

Foreword by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Tessa Dare.

Stories by: Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

Available on Amazon

Praise

“A wonderful collection for Elizabeth Bennet admirers everywhere.” –Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author

“The Quill Ink has done it again, in a splendid anthology of new stories reimagining the most delightful creature ever to appear in print.” –Devoney Looser, author, editor, Guggenheim Fellow

“Austen fans, you are in for a treat.” –Marilyn Brant, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of According to Jane and The Knight Before Christmas

“…enjoy following one of Jane Austen’s favourite heroines as she is superbly portrayed across a selection of tales set from the Regency era to the present day.” –Cass Grafton

“…all beautifully written. Each one feels true to the time in which it is set…a fun and interesting collection of stories that take a different look at characters we all know and love.” –Readers’ Favorite

“Edited by Christina Boyd, Elizabeth, Obstinate Headstrong Girl is an endearing and spunky anthology of short stories by a group of fine writers whose understanding of Elizabeth shines. Readers will fall in love with our obstinate, headstrong girl in all her many avatars including suffragette, a football expert and speech pathologist in training, a stage actress breaking into films at Pemberley Pictures, a teenage Elizabeth looking for love in the wrong places as well as much older and wiser Elizabeth who muses on the love of her life, Mr. Darcy. A cozy and heartwarming read, Elizabeth, Obstinate Headstrong Girl is a worthy companion to Boyd’s earlier anthology The Darcy Monologues.” –Soniah Kamal, award winning author of the novel Unmarriageable, Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan

From Christina Boyd

This Dream Team of authors–Elizabeth Adams, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes–joined me on another adventure with no promise of success but countless hopes. Like many journeys, we encountered unexpected turns, and even a few disappointments, but “it was our business to be satisfied” and prefer to “think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” I am forever indebted for their creativity, inspiration, great suggestions, and adherence to schedule. And for bolstering my own offering of an Elizabeth story. I can easily count you all as my friends. I am really proud of their work and how well this collection of stories came together.

In my previous anthologies, we were blessed to have such stellar Austen academics like Dr. Claudine DiMuzio and Dr. Devoney Looser write our forewords, and it was doubly important to find someone who really understood Austen, especially Elizabeth Bennet, for this project as well. I had heard that New York Times and USA Today bestselling Regency romance author Tessa Dare had once upon a time written Jane Austen fan fiction. When author Beau North suggested we ask her to write the foreword, there was a resounding “Yes!” You might say we were audacious to even ask but, in the temperament of Lizzy Bennet, our “courage always rises…” When she ardently accepted, you can imagine us: “What delight! What felicity!”–well, more like fangirl squeals! Tessa’s love of Elizabeth Bennet and her deft understanding for the scope of this anthology left me wholly gratified, knowing we asked the right person to introduce this fifth anthology of the QuillCollective series.

We hope this homage to one of Jane Austen’s best-beloved heroines will not disappoint, especially those that suggested an “Elizabeth” anthology back in 2017. Like Darcy, we “had never been so bewitched by any woman” and writing this collection has been diverting/gratifying/delightful. Please accept these stories in the same affectionate spirit they were written. Elizabeth:Obstinate Headstrong Girl is dedicated to “the Elizabeth Bennet in all of us” because I’d like to think she resides in our hearts, even if but a little spark of courage, wit, loyalty–and whether we reveal her to the outside world or not, she is there inspiring us to find our own felicity and dignity. –Christina Boyd, editor

Follow the Authors

Elizabeth Adams https://eadamswrites.com
Christina Boyd https://www.thequillink.com
Karen M Cox https://karenmcoxauthor.wordpress.com
J. Marie Croft https://jmariecroft.wixsite.com/j-marie-croft
Amy D’Orazio https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100030788056041
Leigh Dreyer https://m.facebook.com/authorleighdreyer
Jenetta James https://m.facebook.com/jenettajameswriter
Christina Morland https://christinamorland.wordpress.com
Beau North http://beaunorthwrites.com
Joana Starnes http://www.joanastarnes.co.uk/news
Tessa Dare https://tessadare.com

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, March 2
Passages to the Past

Tuesday, March 3
Bookish Rantings

Wednesday, March 4
YA, It’s Lit
@momfluenster

Thursday, March 5
Historical Graffiti
What Is That Book About

Friday, March 6
Nursebookie
View from the Birdhouse

Saturday, March 7
Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Sunday, March 8
Journey in Bookland

Monday, March 9
Gwendalyn’s Books

Tuesday, March 10
Bookfever

Wednesday, March 11
andreajanel_reads

Giveaway

#OmgItsOHG (as in Oh-my-gosh, it’s Obstinate Headstrong Girl)

One book (e-book, paperback, or Audiobook of your choosing) from EACH of the eleven authors’ backlist are up for grabs. Ends March 31.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE