The Queen Of Warriors

#TheQueenofWarriors #ZenobiaNeil #HFVBTBlogTours 

The Queen of Warriors
by Zenobia Neil

Publication Date: September 19, 2019
Hypatia Books
eBook & Paperback; 363 Pages

Series: Alexandra of Sparta, Book One
Genre: Historical Fantasy

Alexandra of Sparta vowed her sword and her heart to the goddess Artemis. And the goddess blessed her. But no warrior lives at peace, and soon, Alexandra loses her title, her troops, and all she holds dear, including the man who holds her heart.

Cursed by a Babylonian witch, she is forced to return to a city she once conquered to make amends, but is captured by the powerful Persian rebel, Artaxerxes. As his prisoner, she awaits judgment for her crimes. But Artaxerxes is not what he seems. With death approaching, Alexandra must face her violent past and discover the truth of her captor’s identity before it’s too late.

Available on Amazon

 “The Queen of Warriors is a full-blooded adventure into the ancient and mythological world of the warrior queen, Alexandra of Sparta. Imaginative, exciting, and alluring! -Margaret George, author of Helen of Troy

 “A surprising tale of retribution but also of redemption. Sexy yet thoughtful . . . unexpectedly moving.” -L.J. Trafford, author of The Four Emperor Series

A sizzling epic that will tempt you into the Hellenistic age. Neil s writing is smooth, and anyone would be hard-pressed not to fall in love with her kick-ass heroine, Alexandra of Sparta! -Adam Alexander Haviaras, Eagles and Dragons Publishing

TW: Adult Fiction

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

Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the Author,

Alexander, The Queen of Warriors has conquered and risen to unimaginable heights with her army. To have it all comes crashing down and Alexandra finds herself broken and seeking forgiveness and all those she has lost.

She finds herself at the temple of the triple head Goddess Hecate, the keeper of the crossroads, the goddess of all witches.

Opening the gate of the underworld she realizes she has to go back to her beginnings to find the answers she seeks. It will not be an easy journey but she starts out in hopes of reaching a state free of the curse that haunts her.

The books well developed portrait of people and their actions during this time table was fabulous. The authors creating a mercenary leader as the main protagonist was so cleverly done. Alexander, Is one strong warrior Queen that is absolutely phenomenal.

Returning to a city she once conquered but Inevitably lost. To make atonement for her past sins.

Once there she is captured by the powerful Persian rebel, Artaxerxes, the Golden Lynx of Ghagae.

The Terror of East, a Greek woman mercenary, fighting for a Greet King. She is now bond and blindfolded waiting judgement for her crimes and atrocities she has committed against Persian subjects, and her own Spartan Generals.

Zenobia, delivers a compelling, intriguing, and well-written read here with absolutely fantastic characters that totally captivated and fascinated me. The strength of this novel handsdown is the author’s fabulous characterizations. This faced past twisty book will definitely have you guessing. The romance is dark and lustful, paring perfectly with the timeframe of when the story takes place.

Zenobia Neil, delivers once again a stunning masterly written novel that will catapult you into Hellenistic age. Bold, gripping, captivating,

Zenobia Neil was named after an ancient warrior queen who fought against the Romans. She writes about the mythic past and Greek and Roman gods having too much fun. She lives with her husband, two children, and dog in Los Angeles. The Queen of Warriors is her third book.

Visit her at ZenobiaNeil.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 16
Review at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, September 17
Guest Post by Reading the Past

Wednesday, September 18
Excerpt at Bookish Rantings

Thursday, September 19
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Friday, September 20
Review at Passages to the Past

Monday, September 23
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Tuesday, September 24
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, September 25
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective

Thursday, September 26
Review & Guest Post at A Bookish Affair

Monday, September 30
Review & Excerpt at Clarissa Reads it All

Tuesday, October 1
Feature at I’m All About Books
Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Wednesday, October 2
Review at book frolic
Review at Al-Alhambra
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, October 3
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink

Friday, October 4
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 2 eBooks and 2 paperbacks of Psyche Unbound and The Jinni’s Last Wish! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on October 4th. 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.

The Queen of Warriors
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Farewell My Life

#FarewellMyLife #CynthiaSallyHaggard #HFVBTBlogTours 

Farewell My Life
by Cynthia Haggard

Publication Date: April 7, 2019
eBook & Paperback; 586 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Angelina led a life which required her to fib. When Angelina, the black sheep of the Pagano family, meets the mysterious Mr. Russell, she has no idea that she has seen him before…in another country. And so begins Farewell My Life, a novel in three parts, which spins an operatic tale of dangerous love and loss.

The Lost Mother, the first part of this novel, slices back and forth between time and space, opening in the charming village of Georgetown, Washington D.C. while reflecting a family’s troubled past in the lovely village of Marostica in the Italian Veneto.

An Unsuitable Suitor, the second part of the novel, is a Cinderella-ish tale with not-so-charming princes who inhabit the edgy setting of 1920s Berlin.

Farewell My Life, the last part of the novel, set again in Berlin, Germany, during the dark 1930s as the Nazis gain power, takes comfortable lives, assumptions and civilizations and crumbles them into ash

Amazon | IndieBound

Praise for Farewell My Life

“A unique, deftly scripted, and extraordinary novel by an author with a distinctive narrative storytelling style that will hold the readers dedicated attention from beginning to end, “Farewell My Life: Buona Notte Vita Mia” is an impressive and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. One of those rare novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished.”–Mid-West Book Review

“The author knows her characters very, very well; this shows in the consistent and very individual way they act. This is not a plot-driven story; it’s character-driven. In this book, the characters are the jam which holds everything together. The best example of this is Grace, the talented violinist, who, simply, jumps off the page. I loved her.”–Wishing Shelf

“This is not your typical mystery; it’s for fans of thrilling action and historically­-inspired events…Contra to the status quo of the genre, the men are the romantics – though in a deranged manner – and the women showcased are the core strength of the novel.”–BookLife Prize.

“The author…adeptly summons the era in all its manners and details with her descriptive prose…Her omniscient, third-person narrator effectively flits through the heads of various characters, offering momentary glimpses of their inner lives.”–Kirkus Reviews

“I loved the elaborate descriptions of all the places in this book. This is the kind of book that shows instead of just telling. The characters are very well-developed and interesting to read about. Angelina is a fascinating character, as is Grace. Along the duration of the book, Grace learns a lot about herself. I was amazed by her quiet yet vibrant personality, and her brilliant talent.”–Pavani Mathur (The Voracious Bibliophile)

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

Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the Author,

Farewell My Life is a coming of age period drama, the book is set in between World War I and World War II.

Written in third person narration the author has creatively set the novel into three distinctive parts. The opening of the book is set in Georgetown, Washington DC

Angelina, a single mother to Violent and Grace is the black sheep of the Pagano family. She does not follow the norm. Her morals are questionable to say the least. A chance meeting she finds introducing handsome Nicholas Russell to her daughters. This sets in motion some dramatic events, when Mr. Russell attention toward Angelina’s youngest daughter Grace is unnerving and slowly he becomes sinisterly obsessive…. Grace, Angelina’s younger daughter, whose fabulous talent for the violin promises a shimmering career, takes her from the states to the turbulent political climate leading up to the beginning World War II Berlin Exquisitely written with vibrant characters This book has left a lasting impression on me. The storyline captivated me, and held my attention with interesting content.

The author has masterly written a heartfelt, moving, powerful, thought-provoking, book A book that is definitely going to be a reread for me, the writer’s voice is so captivating. I really enjoyed the well researched content historical events interwoven with fictional characters.

Farewell My Life is one of THREE books awarded the “Best Books” honor in Historical Fiction for the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs (NABE) Pinnacle Award.

A little History

The book contains the story of the Oster Conspiracy, one of about 20 attempts to assassinate Hitler between 1934 and 1944

The Oster Conspiracy (German Septemberverschwörung, eng. September Conspiracy) of 1938 was a proposed plan to overthrow German Führer Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime if Germany went to war with Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland. It was led by Generalmajor Hans Oster, deputy head of the Abwehr and other high-ranking conservatives within the Wehrmacht who opposed the regime for behavior that was threatening to bring Germany into a war that they believed it was not ready to fight.[1] They planned to overthrow Hitler and the Nazi regime through a storming of the Reich Chancellery by forces loyal to the plot to take control of the government, who would either arrest or assassinate Hitler, and restore the exiled Wilhelm II as Emperor.

About the Author

Cynthia graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, in June 2015.

Her first novel, Thwarted Queen, a frustrating tale (hence the title) of Lady Cecylee Neville (1415-1495) who was nearly crowned Queen of England, was shortlisted for many awards, including the 2012 Eric Hoffer New Horizon Award for debut authors. To date, sales have surpassed 38,000 copies.

Her forthcoming novel, Farewell My Life, is a Cinderella-ish tale with not-so-charming princes who inhabit the edgy setting of 1920s Berlin.

When she’s not annoying everyone by insisting her fictional characters are more real than they are, Cynthia likes to go for long walks, knit something glamorous, cook in her wonderful kitchen, and play the piano. You can visit her at www.spunstories.com. You can also find Cynthia on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 9
Interview at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, September 10
Feature at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Thursday, September 12
Excerpt at A Darn Good Read

Friday, September 13
Excerpt at Maiden of the Pages

Monday, September 16
Review at girl-who-reads

Tuesday, September 17
Feature at Beth’s Book Nook Blog

Wednesday, September 18
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books

Thursday, September 19
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Saturday, September 21
Excerpt at Broken Teepee

Monday, September 23
Feature at The Book Junkie Reads

Tuesday, September 24
Review at Unabridged Chick

Friday, September 27
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink

Sunday, September 29
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Monday, September 30
Interview at Unabridged Chick

Saturday, October 5
Review at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, October 8
Feature at I’m All About Books

Wednesday, October 9
Excerpt at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals
Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away two eBooks of FAREWELL MY LIFE! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on October 9th. 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.

Farewell My Life
https://js.gleam.io/e.js

Releases Day

The Immortal City

Anxiety, Yoga Poses, and the Lost City of Atlantis: Author Amy Kuivalainen Gets Up Close and Personal With Her Characters and the Inspiration Behind Her New Fantasy Release THE IMMORTAL CITY

The Immortal City is out in the world at last! I wanted to share a bit of background and inspiration for the main players in The Immortal City, Penelope and Alexis. Don’t worry, I’m going to make these as spoiler free as possible, while giving you a bit of insight into who they are and how they wandered into my brain and developed into the characters you’ll meet in the book.

Penelope Bryne started as a panic attack.

I had been thinking about writing an Atlantis book for a while, and having a female archaeologist as my protagonist, and I’d been working for universities/academia and had an insight into the daily struggles but didn’t have a feel for her just yet. Then life got in the way.

I’m not a sharer, but I’m comfortable enough to say I was not in a good place anxiety wise in early 2017. My workplace wasn’t a healthy one so I knew that it needed to change, and I was locked into a contract until May and thought I could keep it together and wait it out. In April, I started having public panic attacks. In restaurants that were too crowded, on the train going home from work etc and then as I sat holding in tears in the bathroom of a stranger’s house, at a party I’d been convinced to go to…there was Penelope. Anxiety filled and in the darkest place, feeling like a failure and unable to even control her own mind and body.

I started writing her, and I felt like if I could write a character and how she dealt with her anxiety, maybe I could figure out my own. Pen was doing yoga and meditation, so I got back into it and man, has it helped on so many levels. I’m not saying Penelope is a reflection of me, or that her triggers are the same, but writing her struggles as I went through my own was therapeutic. It still is. I wanted a character who had the panic attacks and anxiety, but still got up and did what she had to and manage it as best as she could. I wasn’t thinking of an audience at the time I planned and wrote The Immortal City, I was thinking how as a reader I don’t see people with anxiety being the heroes. Yeah, sure, there are some that I’ve found where the character has anxiety, but it tends to mysteriously get cured pretty early on when they find the right man/place they belong/the ‘source’ of their anxiety like magical interference. I’m going to tell you right now—Penelope’s anxiety doesn’t go away through the whole series because you don’t get cured of that shit, you only learn to manage it.

Penelope has an impossible dream—to find the historical Atlantis. This dream has shaped her life in all aspects as a daughter, an academic and as a woman. It’s impacted her relationships and drives her waking moments. I wanted a character to get a glimpse of achieving that dream and having it taken away, her hard work and research panned, and her grant money gone. I work in a creative industry, so I know a little bit about having the impossible dream, especially when it gets trodden on. I was also working closely with academics and seeing firsthand how they spend so much of their professional life trying to get grants, publish articles and get recognition for the work that they do and have the means to continue it. I’ve seen people burst into tears when they’ve been denied grant funding because it means they have to leave their research and go back to teach in order to pay the bills. I’m not saying that there’s something wrong with teaching or it’s a lesser vocation because it’s not, but I wanted to share this side of academia because you never see Lara Croft or Robert Langdon being forced to say no to an adventure because they don’t have the cash or means of obtaining it.

Penelope is absolutely the kind of person obsessed with her dream enough to leave her holiday to go to Venice because something pertaining to her research has turned up at a crime scene. While I don’t like to inflict talk of ‘themes’ onto readers, obsession in all its forms plays a big part in the Magicians of Venice series, and nearly every single character in is obsessed with something.

Okay, I don’t think I can say tooooo much more about Pen without giving out spoilers apart from adding she’s an Aussie and an only child. For a bit of fun, I’ve created a yoga flow for her that you can find below. It’s not intensive, as she uses yoga to calm down, and I’ve enjoyed putting this one together for anyone who’s interested.

FYI: I’m not a yoga teacher, this is for fun, please practice safely.  

• Mountain

• Forward Fold

• Plank

• Upward Dog

• Downward Dog

• Warrior 2

• Reverse Warrior

• Crescent pose

• Mountain

(seven rounds, three breaths per pose)

Developing Penelope and Alexis was night and day by way of process, but I love them both like crazy. They’ve really pushed me as a writer and have helped me through the last few years of anxiety and growth.

I hope you love them as much as I do!

Alexis Donato started as a dream.

Before I had Penelope, I had Alexis. Penelope made me work to see her character and her motivations clearly, Alexis was a god damn freight train of ‘Here I am. Try to understand me at your peril. No, I’m not changing because you want me gentler, or easier, or less complicated.’ Alexis turned up in a dream, in fact a bunch of dreams. And yes, I know how lame this sounds, and yes, just because I had a cool dream doesn’t mean it makes a cool story. Dreams can be pretty bullshit but bullshit fertilises.

Dream 1, came about as all of the Atlantis and research primordial ooze was percolating in my brain. In the dream I knew I was someone else. I wasn’t *me* but I was in Venice at night and someone stepped from the shadows and stabbed me as I was admiring the view from a bridge. I toppled into a canal and when I came to, I was in a stranger’s house and that stranger was Alexis, who told me he was a magician from Atlantis. For those who’ve read The Immortal City this scene may seem familiar although not in this form. It’s because I couldn’t leave this moment out of it. Alexis had arrived and I woke up thinking I really shouldn’t eat so much before bed, but this character refused to go away. The following week I had about three different dreams including having coffee with him in the San Marco piazza. The bastard wouldn’t leave me alone and I knew in my bones I had one of my main characters. The weird thing was, once I had Alexis, every bit of random research I had scattered through notebooks all clicked into place. He was the keystone, the spider in the web, and the plot connected in the most surprisingly creepy way. Writing this series has been like that from day 1 and even now I’m in my third book things keep connecting randomly.

Alexis is a great character and one of the most fun I’ve ever gotten to write. I love writing about magicians and magic in general, so building the myth of Atlantis up around Alexis and the other magicians was such a blast. His duty has been to protect the other magicians and prevent mankind from learning the truth about Atlantis, so you can imagine him butting heads with Penelope who’s determined to discover the truth. He’s a general, a big brother, a son and he does his best to keep the other magicians in line. I really loved being able to use him as my storyteller, and crafting mini stories and memories was a way I could go to Atlantis without losing the book completely to full fantasy territory. Alexis has lived a LONG time, and there’s so much room as a writer to play with and use to develop layers and motivations.

I recently saw a reviewer describe Alexis as ‘part romance, part violence’ and its pretty spot on. He’s a scholar and a warrior. He doesn’t always play well with others but he’s loyal and fierce and damn charming when he wants to be. I’m shamelessly in love with Alexis. I’ve also created him a yoga flow because the poor guy has a lot on his hands.

Alexis’s ‘I’m Trying Not to Murder These Magicians’ Yoga Flow

• Mountain

• Forward Fold

• Plank

• Upward Dog

• Downward Dog

• Warrior 2

• Reverse Warrior

• Crescent pose

• Mountain

(seven rounds, three breaths per pose)

Developing Penelope and Alexis was night and day by way of process, but I love them both like crazy. They’ve really pushed me as a writer and have helped me through the last few years of anxiety and growth.

I hope you love them as much as I do

About the author:

Amy Kuivalainen is a Finnish-Australian writer who is obsessed with magical wardrobes, doors, auroras and burial mounds that might offer her a way into another realm. Until that happens, she plans to write about monsters, magic, mythology and fairy tales because that’s the next best thing. Amy is the author of The Magicians of Venice series, The Firebird Fairytales Trilogy and The Blood Lake Chronicles series that mash up traditional tales and mythology in new and interesting ways.

About The Immortal City

Dr. Penelope Bryne is ridiculed by the academic community for her quest to find the remnants of Atlantis, but when an ancient and mysterious script is found at a murder site, she flies to Venice determined to help the police before the killer strikes again.

Read an excerpt of The Immortal City

https://issuu.com/bhcpress/docs/immortal_city_a_kuivalainen

Praise for The Immortal City

“Fans of fantasy, murder mysteries, and romance will admire Kuivalainen’s skill…” —Publishers Weekly

“Magic. Mystery. The Lost City of Atlantis. What more could you want? Amy Kuivalainen has truly impressed me with the amount of research that went into this book. Her approach to explaining the theory of Atlantis is unique and captivating.” —The Book Lyst

“…a rapid-paced, suspenseful, gripping, well-written and perfectly executed fictional fantasy/ thrilling murder mystery.” —LuluinHollywood.com

“…an exciting and page turning novel which draws from many influences to create a new take on the Legend of Atlantis.” —Crime Classics

“…combines both present day Venice and the myth of Atlantis flawlessly. Full of mystery, danger, intrigue, magic, and romance… I anxiously await the next installment.” —Just Jaime’s Reviews

“I loved this new take on the lost city [of Atlantis]. The addition of magicians was brilliant. The heroine was smart and strong…the book was filled with magic and took a legend and [turned it on its head] in a wonderful way.” —The Book Dragon

“…diligently brings the real world into fantasy, in a breath-taking way.”  —Radzy Writes and Reviews

What’s next in The Magicians of Venice series

The thrilling story of Penelope and Alex continues in Sea of the Dead, book two of The Magicians of Venice series, available fall 2020 from BHC Press.

For more information on The Immortal City, including where to purchase and a free digital promo pack with posters, visit her publisher’s website.

WindBorn

Mary Fan

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It’s cover reveal day for Windborn (Fated Stars, #1) by Mary Fan! This sweeping YA fantasy will be released on February 11, 2020 by Snowy Wings Publishing. An epic adventure across an enchanted fantasyland, this story follows air nymph Kiri on her desperate journey to escape from dark magicians. The cover painting was done by Anne Drury, with titles by Story Wrappers.

And here is the full wrap for the hardcover:

DESCRIPTION

The Age of Fire is coming. It’s written in the stars.

Trapped by dark magicians, the air nymph Kiri is running out of time. Like the rest of her kind, she’s bound to her homeland, and if she doesn’t return in seven days, she’ll die. Her only hope is in the magicians’ young apprentice, Darien, whose fierce gaze belies a kind heart. Despite her warnings, he helps her escape, and Kiri soon finds herself fleeing from relentless pursuers who will stop at nothing to recapture her and kill the boy who dared defy them.

With the magicians hot on their trail, Kiri and Darien embark on a treacherous journey through dangerous lands. But she soon learns that there’s more at stake than her own life. An ancient evil is stirring, one foretold to consume the world with fire. And Darien is at the center of it—though how, she doesn’t know.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on her life, and unless she can make it back to her land, she won’t live long enough to unravel the dark puzzles surrounding the intriguing, secretive young man—or stop the monstrous force bent on destroying everything.Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36668159-windbornABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Fan is a YA and sci-fi/fantasy author based in New Jersey. Her books include Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon (YA steampunk fantasy, Page Street Publishing), the Starswept trilogy (YA sci-fi, Snowy Wings Publishing), the Flynn Nightsider series (YA dark fantasy, Crazy 8 Press), and the Jane Colt trilogy (a space adventure series from Red Adept Publishing comprising Artificial Absolutes, Synthetic Illusions, and Virtual Shadows). In addition, she is the co-editor of the Brave New Girls YA sci-fi anthologies about girls in STEM, which aim to encourage girls to explore STEM fields and raise money for the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund.

When she’s not writing, she can usually be found at choir rehearsal, at the kickboxing gym, or falling off a flying trapeze.

Website: www.MaryFan.com
Facebook: facebook.com/mfanwriter
Twitter: @astralcolt
Instagram: @astralcolt

Relic

The Relic Trilogy

Book 1

Title: Relic

Author: Bronwyn Eley

Publisher: Talem Press

Publication date: 12 September 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Where to Buy:  Book Depository | Amazon

In the city of Edriast, there is no deadlier duty than to serve as the Shadow.

As the personal servant of the powerful Lord Rennard, the Shadow’s life is all but forfeit. Rennard possesses one of five rare and dangerous Relics – a jewel that protects his bloodline, but slowly poisons everyone else in its proximity. When the current Shadow succumbs to its magic, nineteen-year-old blacksmith Kaylan is summoned to take his place.

It’s an appointment that will kill her.

As the time Kaylan has left ebbs away, hope begins to fade… That is, until she discovers a plot to destroy all five bloodlines in possession of the Relics.

A rebel force plans to put an end to Rennard’s rule and Kaylan suddenly finds herself embroiled in a cause that might just be worth fighting for. But no cause is without its costs…

As her life hangs in the balance and rebellion bears down on Edriast, Kaylan must decide where her loyalties lie – and how she’ll leave her mark on the world.

Relic is the absorbing first novel in The Relic Trilogy, a thrillingly dark YA

Thank you Caffeine Book Tours and Talem Press for a review copy in exchange for my honest review and the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour

In the city of Edriast, there is no deadlier duty than to serve as the Shadow.

As the personal servant of the powerful Lord Rennard, the Shadow’s life is all but forfeit. Rennard possesses one of five rare and dangerous Relics – a jewel that protects his bloodline, but slowly poisons everyone else in its proximity. When the current Shadow succumbs to its magic, nineteen-year-old blacksmith Kaylan is summoned to take his place.

It’s an appointment that will kill her.

As the time Kaylan has left ebbs away, hope begins to fade… That is, until she discovers a plot to destroy all five bloodlines in possession of the Relics.A rebel force plans to put an end to Rennard’s rule and Kaylan suddenly finds herself embroiled in a cause that might just be worth fighting for. But no cause is without its costs…As her life hangs in the balance and rebellion bears down on Edriast, Kaylan must decide where her loyalties lie – and how she’ll leave her mark on the world. I loved the overall premise of the novel, and the quick pace it kept me engaged. I absolutely enjoyed every page of wonderful book. I have a feeling that it’s definitely going to make impression on fans of Ya and Ya Fantasy.

Bronwyn Eley, debut Ya Fantasy is going to blow you away.

This imaginative fast action incredible storyline is a must read for Fantasy and Ya Fantasy readers.

Relic is the absorbing first novel in The Relic Trilogy, a thrillingly dark YA fantasy series. I am impatiently waiting for the next installment.

Bronwyn joined the military right out of high school, where she learnt (among other things) to disassemble and reassemble a rifle blindfolded. After that, she spent a lot of her time travelling around the world. Her favourite places (so far) are Scotland, Mongolia, Iceland, and Ireland.

Bronwyn finally found her natural habitat when she landed her first job in the publishing industry. While she has always been a writer, it was only when surrounding herself with books that she realised her life’s dream was to become an author. Relic is her first novel.

Bronwyn lives in Sydney and spends her time eating chocolate, reading and practicing her martial arts.

Bronwyn lives in Sydney and spends her time eating chocolate, reading and practicing her martial arts.

Author website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Follow the Blog tour and Join the Twitter Chat!

Blog tour Schedule: https://shutupshealea.com/2019/09/16/relic-tour

Six Goodbyes We Never Said

SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID

by Candace Ganger

on sale September 24, 2019

I want thank the publisher reaching out to me for this incredible book tour.

Thank you so much for opportunity

Title: Six Goodbyes We Never Said
Author: Candace Ganger
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 320

Goodreads

@candylandgang @WednesdayBooks

Two teens meet after tragedy and learn about love, loss, and letting go

Naima Rodriguez doesn’t want your patronizing sympathy as she grieves her father, her hero—a fallen Marine. She’ll hate you forever if you ask her to open up and remember him “as he was,” though that’s all her loving family wants her to do in order to manage her complex OCD and GAD. She’d rather everyone back the-eff off while she separates her Lucky Charms marshmallows into six, always six, Ziploc bags, while she avoids friends and people and living the life her father so desperately wanted for her. 

Dew respectfully requests a little more time to process the sudden loss of his parents. It’s causing an avalanche of secret anxieties, so he counts on his trusty voice recorder to convey the things he can’t otherwise say aloud. He could really use a friend to navigate a life swimming with pain and loss and all the lovely moments in between. And then he meets Naima and everything’s changed—just not in the way he, or she, expects. 

Candace Ganger’s Six Goodbyes We Never Said is no love story. If you ask Naima, it’s not even a like story. But it is a story about love and fear and how sometimes you need a little help to be brave enough to say goodbye.

“Naima is diagnosed by the author with obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, while Dew is diagnosed with social anxiety. These issues are explored with humanizing examples that invite empathy. Sure to be reassuring to those working their way through grief.”

– Publishers Weekly on Six Goodbyes We Never Said

“Candace Ganger weaves a beautiful story of loss, grief and the struggle to move on in Six Goodbyes We Never Said. One of the realest voices of our generation, Ganger infuses this story with relatable, flawed teens who must learn how to cope in this world or be lost forever. I laughed and cried while reading and this book will stick with me for ages.”

– Jessica Burkhart, editor of Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles on Six Goodbyes We Never Said

“Smart, raw, often biting in its reflections of the haves and have-nots, this debut will appeal to fans of John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines…You’ll find yourself not only wanting to (re)study chemistry but learning what you get in life isn’t always what you deserve—sometimes it’s more. [A] must-have for every shelf.”

—Patty Blount, award-winning author of Some Boys

“A stunning and brilliantly crafted debut that peels back layers to the raw and the real. Birdie + Bash = 2 characters impossible not to fall in love with.”

—K.M. Walton, author of Empty and Cracked

“THE INEVITABLE COLLISION OF BIRDIE & BASH is part love story, part page-turner, and part intricate character study. Ganger writes her characters with great care, and the beautifully structured story is filled with giant truths and tiny, perfect details. Falling for this book was quick, thrilling and, yes, inevitable.”

―Corey Ann Haydu, author of OCD Love Story and The Careful Undressing of Love

“Smart, emotionally rich, and beautifully written, THE INEVITABLE COLLISION OF BIRDIE & BASH is an unforgettable, heartfelt novel―realistic YA at its best.”

―Jamie Kain, author of Instructions for the End of the World and The Good Sister

Content Warnings: mental illness, suicide attempt, self-harm, death of parents

Chase light like a firefly in darkness.”

That’s the thing about absence – it sinks into your skin, clinging to the bone until it’s so much a part of you, you can no longer tell where it ends and you begin.”

I want thank St. Martin’s Publishing Group an imprint Wednesday Books, for reaching out to me for this Book Tour.

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

Candace Ganger’s Six Goodbyes We Never Said, is a profoundly emotional story touches on some deep and critical topics.

The novel is raw, heartbreaking with creative spot on dialogue about two flawed teens struggling under the weight of tragedy and lose, while coping with some serious issues. This a powerful unflinching in your face moving testament of connecting with others, and ultimately finding forgiveness. The authors writing captivated me in this exceptional touching heart wrenching story. With just enough humor to keep glued to the pages.

Candace Ganger, uses blunt humor in thought provoking book. Some of the best parts of this wonderful read are in the small moments in this unconventional storyline. On thing that really stood out for me was how the author included therapy as a positive tool in this novel.

The author carefully alternates the dual protagonists points of view. The writing style reveals the way Naima navigates through her OCD, anxiety and depression, and PTSD, and Dew handles his social anxiety while struggling within their grief, loneliness, and sorrow

Namia -has OCD GAD and is suffering the loss of her father.
Dew -has PTSD and is suffering the loss of both of his parents.
This book takes a look at how differently we deal with grief and mental illnesses. 
Dew Desperately trying to reach out to his neighbor Namia. While Namia struggles with letting down her guard.

This well written contemporary story will touch your heart in so many ways. 

This is a novel I won’t forget this.

 #OwnVoices mental health

About the Author:

Candace Ganger is the author of Six Goodbyes We Never Said and The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash as well as a contributing writer for HelloGiggles and obsessive marathoner. Aside from having past lives as a singer, nanotechnology website editor, and world’s worst vacuum sales rep, she’s also ghostwritten hundreds of projects for companies, best-selling fiction and award-winning nonfiction authors alike. She lives in Ohio with her family.

Twitter: @candylandgang + @WednesdayBooks

Link to retailers: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250116246

Julian Fox The Dream Guardian

Continue reading “Book Tour” →

Watch the official trailer for The Harp of Kings

To celebrate the release of Juliet Marillier’s anticipated new novel, The Harp of Kings, here’s the official book trailer!

Tags: Book trailer, Fan Art, Fan Trailer, Fantasy, Fantasy novel, Juliet Marillier, Official, The Harp of Kings, Video, Watch

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

The Harp of Kings

The Harp of Kings was one of my most anticipated reads of the year for me.

Juliet Marillier’s new novel The Harp of Kings marks the promising beginning to an entirely new series focused on warrior bards in an ancient Ireland. Though some of the main characters have ties to her previous Blackthorn & Grim series.

This work is first installment in a new Warrior Bard Series

Juliet Marillier’s writing style grips you from the start with a mixture of magical Celtic atmosphere, gripping storyline, slow-burning romance.

A young woman is both a bard–and a warrior–in this thrilling historical fantasy

Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and a rare talent on the harp.

18-year-old girl Liobhan who is attending Swan Island to learn how to fight and spy. Swan Island is an organization of warriors for hire. Liobhan hopes to join their ranks if she can prove her skills exceptional. Her training gets interrupted when she is asked to go on a mission to locate a missing item. This is a trial and Liobhan along with her comrades must prove to the Swan Island Elders they have what it takes to get the job done. Liobhan ends up uncovering many truths in her journey along with the fact the Otherworld

The books intriguing storyline with characters that are complex and intriguing,

Strong fearless women are again at the forefront – with Liobhan just as kick-ass And definitely holds her own.

#JulietMarillier, #Fantasy, # #PanMacmillan #gwendalyns_books_

Juliet Marillier’s new book, The Harp of Kings is superb Celtic fantasy blended with sweeping historical magical realism. The book is Captivating with rich gorgeous writing.

Her book are so enjoyable they have become rereads for me.

Juliet Marillier was born July 27, 1948 in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up surrounded by Celtic music and stories. Her own Celtic-Gaelic roots inspired her to write her first series, the Sevenwaters Trilogy. Juliet was educated at the University of Otago, where she majored in music and languages, graduating BA and a B Mus (Hons). Her lifelong interest in history, folklore and mythology has had a major influence on her writing.

Juliet is the author of seventeen historical fantasy novels for adults and young adults, as well as a book of short fiction. Juliet’s novels and short stories have won many awards.

Juliet lives in a 110 year old cottage in a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. She shares her home with a small pack of waifs and strays – she is a foster carer for an animal rescue group. She has four adult children and seven grandchildren. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.) 

A Treason Of Thorns

A Treason of Thorns

by Laura E. Weymouth

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: September 10th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

A Treason of Thorns

(9/10/2019)

Content Warnings

A Treason of Thorns portrays characters dealing with anxiety, emotional and physical abuse (non-graphic) and gaslighting. It also contains mild body horror.

Violet Sterling has spent the last seven years in exile, longing to return to Burleigh House. One of the six great houses of England, Burleigh’s magic always kept the countryside well. And as a child, this magic kept Violet happy, draping her in flowers while she slept, fashioning secret hiding places for her, and lighting fires on the coldest nights to keep her warm.

Everything shattered, though, when her father committed high treason trying to free Burleigh from the king’s oppressive control. He was killed, and Vi was forced into hiding.

When she’s given a chance to go back, she discovers Burleigh has run wild with grief. Vines and briars are crumbling the walls. Magic that once enriched the surrounding countryside has turned dark and deadly, twisting lush blooms into thorns, poisoning livestock and destroying crops. Burleigh’s very soul is crying out in pain.

Vi would do anything to help, and soon she finds herself walking the same deadly path as her father all those years before. Vi must decide how far she’s willing to go to save her house—before her house destroys everything she’s ever known.

We’ve never been free, Violet. Would you even recognize us, I wonder?

Praise For A Treason Of Thorns

“A Treason of Thorns is a fierce and haunting book that grew brambles around my heart and held me captive. I could not escape the power of its wild magic, or the raw, indomitable spirit of its heroine as she fought to redefine the meaning of home.”
–Margaret Rogerson, New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens & Sorcery of Thorns

“A piercing, luminous tale of legacies and devotion, and the many faces of home: a place you remember being loved, a place you fight to protect, and a place that may eat you alive.”
–Rosamund Hodge, author of Cruel Beauty

“Lyrical and inventive, this story of heart and home, of love lost and found again, is sure to stay with readers long after the last page is turned.”
–Megan Bannen, author of The Bird and the Blade

“A Treason of Thorns is an original, engrossing YA fantasy that explores the bonds of family, the cost of freedom, and what truly makes a home. Built like a rolling clap of thunder, Weymouth’s tale is spun of dark magic, unspoken love, and finding the balance between fate and freedom.”
–Sarah Henning, author of Sea Witch & Sea Witch Rising

“With lush prose and an eye for atmospheric detail, Weymouth adeptly spins a tale in which the heroine is torn between passion and purpose, destruction and duty.”
–Publisher’s Weekly starred review

“Rich in language and imagery with characters readers want to get to know better, this title’s a keeper.”
–Booklist

“Weymouth’s prose is lush and evocative, filled with palpable descriptions and compelling mystery.”
–Kirkus

indiebound | amazon

Thank You so much Harper Teen and Edelweiss Books, for this early Arc, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own @gwendalyn_books_

Thank You so much Harper Teen and Edelweiss Books, for early ARC

A broken girl is just the thing for a broken house

Violet Sterling has spent the last seven years in exile, longing to return to her home, Burleigh House. One of the six great houses of England, Burleigh’s magic always kept the countryside well. And as a child, this magic kept her happy, draping her in flowers while she slept, fashioning secret hiding places for her, and lighting fires on the coldest nights to keep her warm.

Laura Weymouth’s gripping, A Treason of Thorns is a masterfully captivating, and gripping tale. I really enjoyed this utterly unique., this atmospheric historical fantasy. Weymouth spellbinding storyline progression, kept me interested from start to finish.

The main character, Violet Sterling is from a long line of caretakers of the magical house of Burleigh. It’s legacy demands devotion from its caretakers. They must forfeit family, love and sometimes life for the sake of the dark magic of the House.

Weymouth luminous fantasy of unspoken love, and the cost of freedom is one that you will not forget.

I have to say, I am a new fan of Weymouth Books. This is definitely a Book I am going to purchase a paper copy

What really stood out for me was the books premise, it is is unique in that it brings us to a world built entirely around this house,

@gwendalyn_books_ #ya #yafantasy #Ireadya

Laura Weymouth is a Canadian living in exile in America, and the sixth consecutive generation of her family to immigrate from one country to another. Born and raised in the Niagara region of Ontario, she now lives at the edge of the woods in western New York, along with her husband, two wild-hearted daughters, a spoiled cat, an old soul of a dog, and an indeterminate number of chickens. She is represented by the inimitable Lauren Spieller of TriadaUS.

#WithKissesFromCecile #JanAgnello #AnneArmistead #HFVBTBlogTours

Hi everyone!

Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of With Kisses from Cécile by Jan Agnello & Anne Armistead , which is being hosted by HFBT

With Kisses from Cécile by Jan Agnello & Anne Armistead

A heartbroken Maggie travels to Paris to visit the grave of her great-grandmother’s French pen pal Cécile and uncovers 100-year-old secrets that give her courage to rebuild her own life.

NOW

Maggie Ruth Mitchell’s failed attempt at reconciliation with her unfaithful husband has left her more confused than ever—and with a consequence that will change her life forever. Heartbroken, Maggie travels to Paris to visit the grave of Cécile, the French pen pal of her great-grandmother Ruth. Reading Cécile’s letters and learning about Ruth’s past gives Maggie not only an understanding of the strength and courage of the women in her family—all sharing the name Ruth—but also allows Maggie to find her way forward.

THEN

In the year 1919 following World War 1, two young girls, Ruth and Cécile, find each other through a Pen Pal program between American and French students. In their letters they share their dreams and bare their heartaches. A tragic death of a loved one has torn Ruth’s family apart, leaving her with a dark secret to hide. Cécile, having survived the bombs that devastated Paris, is battling against consumption. Ruth draws courage from her pen pal’s inspiring letters, each signed With Kisses from Cécile, to face what fate brings.

Available on Amazon

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

Maggie Ruth Mitchell {Maggie}, is completely heartbroken her marriage is on verge of collapsing. Her husbands infidelity and recent developments have left her devastated.She accepts her family’s invitation to travel with her beloved grandmother, Grams.

Maggie’s grandmother has asked her along to pay homage to a hundred year old friendship between Maggies great-grandmother mother, Ruth and a Parisian pen pal, Cécile.

With Kisses From Cécile, is a heartbreaking, heartwarming hopeful story that explores love, loss, and hardship, the relationships that bonds people together.

Ruth Calderhead Carlock And Cécile Cosquéric frienship is documented in over 100 letters and served as the inspiration for this captivating novel.

What really stood out for me and what I really loved about this story was the compelling and emotional layered dual timeline and how they connected the story and the family also with an amazing friendship. We see the historical side to the story and then a modern side to it. Each are strong, interesting stories with their conflicts and heartache that shaped one families history. Maggie learns of devastating one-hundred-year-old secrets involving loss and forgiveness. Revelations about her family’s past challenge Maggie’s decision to face her future alone.

With Kisses From Cécile, captures something extraordinary here as well as fully capturing my heart. I was immediately taken with this story and found myself totally mesmerized and in awe of long distance friendship between Ruth And Cécile. The Author’s ability to weave such a fantastic story that is based on real-life people and their lives. This incredible storyline is a page turner with a wonderful heartwarming storyline of heartbreak and strength.. and ultimately in the end forgiveness.

There are some books that the storyline tugs at your heartstrings, this is one!

I absolutely loved this book, and recommend it to everyone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Star Book

Photo Credit: Sitting Pretty Photos

JAN AGNELLO comes from several generations of hobbiest antiquers. Her love of stories behind the antiques inspired her in 2013 to form Storyology Design, now Storyology Design and Publication. The necklaces Jan crafts from antique coin purses have generated a loyal customer following and garnered attention from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, jewelry network executives, and TV and film costume designers. Her love of books, romance, history, and unique jewelry design led her to collaborate with author Anne Armistead to offer a series of historical novels, each paired with heirloom quality jewelry named for the female protagonist. The first in the series, WITH KISSES FROM CÉCILE, is a story of love and redemption drawn from Jan’s family history. It is paired with THE CÉCILE JEWELRY COLLECTION. Visit storyologydesign.com to learn more about Jan and Storyology.

ANNE ARMISTEAD is a writer of historical romance. She earned her English literature degree from the University of Georgia and her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. Her background includes project management with AT&T and teaching English at the middle, high, and college levels. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Georgia Writers of Romance. WITH KISSES FROM CÉCILE is her second romance, following the publication of DANGEROUS CONJURINGS (Soul Mate Publishing, April 2018). Anne writes for and serves as an editor for Storyology Design and Publication. Visit annearmisteadauthor.com to learn more about Anne and her novels.

Blog Tour Schedule

Saturday, September 7
Feature at I’m All About Books
Review & Interview at Passages to the Past

Monday, September 9
Review at my.boys.mom
Excerpt at A Darn Good Read

Tuesday, September 10
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Wednesday, September 11
Excerpt at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Thursday, September 12
Review at Maiden of the Pages
Excerpt at Short Book and Scribes
Excerpt at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Friday, September 13
Review at Amy’s Booket List
Excerpt at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Monday, September 16
Review at Jessica Belmont
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, September 17
Review at Melissa Reads

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of With Kisses From Cecile! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on September 17th. 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.

With Kisses From Cecile
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The Necromancer’s Bride
Kat Ross
(Gaslamp Gothic, #4)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: May 31st 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Retelling

Forgiveness is not Gabriel D’Ange’s strong suit.

A self-appointed soldier of God with a penchant for ruthlessly punishing his enemies, he vanished after Anne Lawrence stabbed him with his own dagger.

The smart thing would be to let him go.

Unfortunately, Anne’s life isn’t just lonely without Gabriel. It’s insufferably boring.

Determined to heal the rift between them, she goes in search of her tempestuous former lover, black parasol in hand and daeva magic crackling at her fingertips. But Gabriel has his own plans afoot and Anne finds herself drawn into one of his tangled webs, much against her better judgment.

Gabriel’s nemesis has reappeared in Brussels, a vile slaver who’s plundering the Congo Free State with the blessing of King Leopold. Gabriel might be willing to give Anne a second chance, but not until Jorin Bekker’s head is lying at his feet.

Back in London, the quasi-reformed necromancer Balthazar sets his sights on the same quarry. He holds a very personal grudge against Bekker — and killing him might be the only way to keep Gabriel D’Ange from Balthazar’s own throat.

When the hunters collide at a lavish gala thrown by the king, Anne learns just how far she’ll go to save the man she loves.

Note: The Necromancer’s Bride is the sequel to A Bad Breed, which should be read first.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Author Bio:

Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
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The Necromancer’s Bride

The Necromancer’s Bride
Kat Ross
(Gaslamp Gothic, #4)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: May 31st 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Retelling

Forgiveness is not Gabriel D’Ange’s strong suit.

A self-appointed soldier of God with a penchant for ruthlessly punishing his enemies, he vanished after Anne Lawrence stabbed him with his own dagger.

The smart thing would be to let him go.

Unfortunately, Anne’s life isn’t just lonely without Gabriel. It’s insufferably boring.

Determined to heal the rift between them, she goes in search of her tempestuous former lover, black parasol in hand and daeva magic crackling at her fingertips. But Gabriel has his own plans afoot and Anne finds herself drawn into one of his tangled webs, much against her better judgment.

Gabriel’s nemesis has reappeared in Brussels, a vile slaver who’s plundering the Congo Free State with the blessing of King Leopold. Gabriel might be willing to give Anne a second chance, but not until Jorin Bekker’s head is lying at his feet.

Back in London, the quasi-reformed necromancer Balthazar sets his sights on the same quarry. He holds a very personal grudge against Bekker — and killing him might be the only way to keep Gabriel D’Ange from Balthazar’s own throat.

When the hunters collide at a lavish gala thrown by the king, Anne learns just how far she’ll go to save the man she loves.

Note: The Necromancer’s Bride is the sequel to A Bad Breed, which should be read first.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

The Necromancer’s Bride.

Gaslamps Gothic Series, is a Victorian-era paranormal fantasy series

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

The Author Kat Ross’s Victorian-era paranormal fantasy series The Necromancer’s Bride is the sequel to A Bad Breed, And takes off just as A Bad Breed Ended.

Anne Lawrence is a daeva, who has the ability to use elemental magic.

The man She is in love with was almost killed by her hand. Will he able to forgive Anne? Gabriel is a Necromancer A self-appointed soldier of God with a penchant for ruthlessly punishing his enemies. Anne goes against her better judgment and is drawn into a Gabriel vengeful web.

The Necromancer’s Bride, catapultes you into a dark Victorian era. The authors writing flows, and the characters are well developed along with notable sub characters. The book is a creative blend of turn of the century Victorian with a lot of fantasy_magical realism.

Kat Ross delivers such a wickedly delightful, gripping and immersive tale that totally sucked me right into this hauntingly dark gothic suspense novel. Once I started reading this one it was hard not to get totally wrapped up in Jane’s fascinating, snarky, obsessive and audacious character. Making it quite the deliciously fun, compelling and an all consuming page-turner. 

Imaginative and captivating the ending was perfect and sets up for a continuation this amazing series.

Highly recommend this book and it’s series to anyone who enjoys a great storyline and incredible writing

I am definitely looking forward to the next installment in this series., Kat Ross has become an auto-buy for me!

Gaslamps Gothic Series, is a Victorian-era paranormal fantasy series

by author Kat Ross.

Books Include:

The Daemoniac,

The Thirteenth Gate, A Bad Breed

The Necromancer’s Bride

?????

Author Bio:

Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
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Kingdom Of Souls

Title: King Of Souls

Author: Rena Barron

Print Length: 487 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen (September 3, 2019)

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Print Length: 487 pages

THERE’S MAGIC IN HER BLOOD.

Arrah is a young woman from a long line of the most powerful witch doctors in the land. But she fails at magic, fails to call upon the ancestors and can’t even cast the simplest curse.

Shame and disappointment follow her.

When strange premonitions befall her family and children in the kingdom begin to disappear, Arrah undergoes the dangerous and scorned process of selling years of her life for magic. This borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal and a danger beyond what she could have imagined. Now Arrah must find a way to master magic, or at least buy it, in order to save herself and everything she holds dear.

An explosive fantasy set in a world of magic and legend with a twist you will never see coming.

****

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

Conntent warning about assault. Without getting too spoiler-y, there are several women characters whose past magical, psychological, and physical abuse at the hands of a powerful man is described obliquely, but it’s clear that the women are deeply traumatized by it. So much so that it fuels the motivations of one woman in particular and sets in motion the plot of the novel.

Kingdom of Souls Kingdom of Souls is a gripping, riveting, and ambitious dark fantasy epic. This is the first of a planned trilogy, but there is so much plot crammed into the first book. Vivid, magical, and utterly thrilling. Kingdom of Souls is a story of a girl born to a powerful bloodline of witchdoctors with no powers of her own who discovers that she may be the only one who stands a chance to save her kingdom from being ruined …but she finds this battle to be more personal than she expects.

The authors truly excels is in worldbuilding and character development. The stage she sets is as lush as a jungle and unforgiving as a desert. This is no homogeneous fantasy land. Inspired by West African mythology, Barron infuses her world with a rich tapestry of ideas.

The main protagonist, Arrah, has no magic. Every year she attends a ritual that should reveal her powers, and every year she leaves as magic-less as she arrived. Her father, Oshe, is a skilled herbalist and potion-maker and her mother, Arti, is the third most powerful person in the kingdom. Her father’s love and her witchdoctor grandmother’s compassion make bearable her mother’s seething disgust at her daughter’s shame, as does the affection shared between her and Rudjek, the son of the king’s right hand also known as her mother’s nemesis.She is willing to sacrifice everything for her people, even when they despise her.

Throughout it all, she remains true to who she is while growing into a better version of herself.

Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Arrah’s world is shattered. Children have been disappearing, and fear and distrust is spreading across the city. The temple priests cannot locate them and the orishas—the gods her people worship—are not responding to prayers.

When a friend of Arrah’s is taken, she makes the ultimate sacrifice and trades years of her life to cheat her way into possessing magic. What she discovers next propels her down a path she cannot escape from and a destiny she is ill-prepared for. The Demon King, believed to have been killed by the orishas millennia ago, is rising once more and Arrah’s fate is tied to his. Before this is over, she will lose everything and everyone she loves, maybe even herself.

Throughout it all, she remains true to who she is while growing into a better version of herself.

*They are some uneven pacing issues that should have been addressed before publication, but over all it was a solid ya fantasy.*

Have a wonderful day.

#TheSecretLifeofMrsLondon #RebeccaRosenberg #HFVBTBlogTours 

The Secret Life of Mrs. London
by Rebecca Rosenberg

Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Lake Union Publishing
eBook & Paperback; 348 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

San Francisco, 1915. As America teeters on the brink of world war, Charmian and her husband, famed novelist Jack London, wrestle with genius and desire, politics and marital competitiveness. Charmian longs to be viewed as an equal partner who put her own career on hold to support her husband, but Jack doesn’t see it that way…until Charmian is pulled from the audience during a magic show by escape artist Harry Houdini, a man enmeshed in his own complicated marriage. Suddenly, charmed by the attention Houdini pays her and entranced by his sexual magnetism, Charmian’s eyes open to a world of possibilities that could be her escape.

As Charmian grapples with her urge to explore the forbidden, Jack’s increasingly reckless behavior threatens her dedication. Now torn between two of history’s most mysterious and charismatic figures, she must find the courage to forge her own path, even as she fears the loss of everything she holds dear.

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Praise for The Secret Life of Mrs. London

“An impressively original and exceptionally well-crafted novel by an author who is a master of character- and narrative-driven storytelling, Rebecca Rosenberg’s The Secret Life of Mrs. London is an inherently riveting and thoroughly reader-engaging story from beginning to end and feature[es] many an unexpected plot twist and turn.” —Midwest Book Review

“Interesting, and based on the actual lives of the participants…Learning more about Jack London was enjoyable, as well as seeing early feminist examples.” —Historical Novel Society

“…Rosenberg paints an immensely intriguing portrait of a marriage and tells it in an accomplished lyrical prose that captures each moment with poetic intensity.” —Prairies Book Review

“The Secret Life of Mrs. London is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the marriage of Jack and Charmian London, both fascinating and complicated characters with rich inner lives that Rosenberg conveys in crisp yet poetic prose. This contemporary historical fiction raises questions that are still relevant today about what makes a good marriage, and whether creativity and stability are incompatible. A rich, resonant, deeply satisfying novel sure to delight and leave readers thinking long after they put it down.” —Malena Watrous, author of If You Follow Me and Sparked!, and director of the Stanford Continuing Studies Program in Novel Writing

“The Secret Life of Mrs. London is a heart-wrenching portrait of a marriage between two people who utterly depend on one another, but ultimately aren’t enough for each other. With skillful precision of language, Rosenberg weaves a narrative that defines the complexities of love, passion, and art. This is a perceptive, deeply moving novel by a great new talent about a couple who has gone unnoticed in historical fiction until now. Anyone who has ever loved another person will want to read this book.” —Victoria Kelly, author of Mrs. Houdini: A Novel

“One of Houdini’s best kept secrets was his affair with Charmian London in 1918. Now Rebecca Rosenberg tells the story using an elegant blend of fact and fiction, creating a Houdini book like no other. The Secret Life of Mrs. London is a true peek behind the curtain and a page-turner.” —John Cox, Wild about Harry

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

The secret life of Mrs. London by Rebecca Rosenberg Is an alluring fictionalized account of Charmaine London and her legendary husband Jack London. Rebecca Rosenberg delivers quite the fascinating, intriguing, vulnerable, lifelike, and beautifully written read here with deep and realistic characters, a brazen and dynamic premise and an extremely spellbinding and enthralling storyline.

What really stood out about this novel for me was how realistic and raw these characters were written. I could see myself and others in probably every single one of these characters in this story. I thought the inner thoughts of Charmian and dialogue was absolutely spot on. With skillful narration the author gives the reader an insight Into almost two years in the life of Charmian Kittredge London. Through Mrs. London’s voice we get a glimpse of what it must have been, being a strong a creative determined female living in the shadow of her famous husband.

We are introduced to other famous figures of the past, all weaved perfectly into the absorbing in storyline. The reader is shown how Charmian and Bess Houdini, the wife of the world-renowned Harry “Handcuff” Houdini, despite being exceptional women in their own rights, have put aside personal ambition to support their celebrated husbands. Through trials and heartbreak we see Charmian character development as the progressive of the plot.

A passionate look of a woman struggling to find herself during a time when woman still did not have a right to vote. Set to the backdrop of America on the verge of enter a world war.

The author respectively includes some of political aspects of that time period. The author interweaves superb well researched historical details to capture the enduring life Mrs Charmian London.

Rebecca Rosenberg has written an incredible American historical fiction, where the characters the come to life within the pages of enjoyable and highly entertaining read.

What a joy to was for me to read this book. Like most authors their personal and sometimes chaotic life we only get a glimpse of every know and then.

I own most Jack London work. From novels to his short stories I especially enjoyed how each chapter opens with an extract from the real Jack London’s writing.

About the Author

A California native, Rebecca Rosenberg lives on a lavender farm with her family in Sonoma, the Valley of the Moon, where Jack London wrote from his Beauty Ranch. Rebecca is a long-time student of Jack London’s works and an avid fan of his daring wife, Charmian London. The Secret Life of Mrs. London is her debut novel.

Rebecca and her husband, Gary, own the largest lavender product company in America, selling to 4000 resorts, spas and gift stores. The Rosenbergs believe in giving back to the Sonoma Community, supporting many causes through financial donations and board positions, including Worth Our Weight, an educational culinary program for at-risk children, YWCA shelter for abused women, Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center to provide performances for children, Sonoma Food Bank, Sonoma Boys and Girls Club, and the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home.

For more information, please visit Rebecca’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook and Goodreads. Visit the Facebook page for The Secret Life of Mrs. London.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 2
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Tuesday, September 3
Review at Melissa Reads

Wednesday, September 4
Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads

Thursday, September 5
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Sunday, September 8
Review at My Reading Chronicles
Review at Oh the Books She Will Read

Tuesday, September 10
Review at Diana_bibliophile

Thursday, September 12
Excerpt at I’m All About Books

Friday, September 13
Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Tuesday, September 17
Review at Hooked on Books

Wednesday, September 18
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Friday, September 20
Review at Orange County Readers

Monday, September 23
Review at Jathan & Heather

Wednesday, September 25
Review at Red Headed Book Lady

Thursday, September 26
Review, Q&A, & Excerpt at Nursebookie

Friday, September 27
Review at Macsbooks

Monday, September 30
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, October 2
Review at gatticus_finch

Friday, October 4
Review at Coffee and Ink
Interview at Jathan & Heather

Saturday, October 5
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Monday, October 7
Review at rebecca.is.reading

Wednesday, October 9
Review at This Biblio Life

Thursday, October 10
Review at Peaceful Pastime

Friday, October 11
Review at Hopewell’s Public Library of Life

Saturday, October 12
Review at WTF Are You Reading?

Monday, October 14
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 3 signed paperbacks + swag and 7 eBooks! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

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Mrs. London
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