tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784137159448254562024-03-22T01:07:08.877-04:00BOOK LOVERS PARADISEDonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.comBlogger602125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-35807613657233471122018-05-05T10:57:00.001-04:002018-05-05T10:57:43.504-04:00Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently finished my NetGalley copy of Alison Weir's fabulous new novel JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN. Wow, what a fantastic story. I've always thought of Jane Seymour as a mousy, quiet woman. A woman who was the antithesis of Anne Boleyn. The calm after the storm. Well, this book throws all my preconceived ideas out the window. I have no doubt she was the calm after the storm that was Anne Boleyn, but she was no shrinking violet, either. The Jane Seymour portrayed by Alison Weir (one of THE BEST historical novelist I've ever read), is a calm, but highly intelligent young woman. One who happened to catch the eye of Henry. The only woman who was able to give him the son and heir he required and craved. She was full of life and joy, but the title tells it all. She was haunted. There is an element of the supernatural in this book. She is haunted by a dark figure; she feels partly responsible for the death of Anne and believes the dark figure might be Anne herself. We can't possibly know if Anne haunted Jane, but I personally believe Anne Boleyn to be enough of a scheming witch to be just the kind of person who would haunt her replacement.</div>
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This was a fantastic book to read. I am enjoying Alison Weir's series, and look forward to the next book. I anxiously await Anna of Kleve's story. While I loved reading about Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon, it's Anna of Kleve I can't wait to learn about! </div>
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5 + teacups</div>
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If you like Tudor history, you will love this story. I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Jane's story. Don't forget Alison Weir's previous two books in the Six Tudor Queens series:</div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-45876524397202597832017-03-21T11:14:00.002-04:002017-03-21T11:19:28.785-04:00ENEMIES OF VERSAILLES BY SALLY CHRISTIE<h3>
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The Enemies of Versailles
by Sally Christie</h3>
Publication Date: March 21, 2017<br />
Atria Books
eBook & Paperback; 416 Pages<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series:<br />
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The Mistresses of Versailles, Book Three<br />
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In the final installment of Sally Christie’s “tantalizing” (New York Daily News) Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, Jeanne Becu, a woman of astounding beauty but humble birth, works her way from the grimy back streets of Paris to the palace of Versailles, where the aging King Louis XV has become a jaded and bitter old philanderer. Jeanne bursts into his life and, as the Comtesse du Barry, quickly becomes his official mistress.
“That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute is quite another kettle of fish.”
After decades of suffering the King's endless stream of Royal Favorites, the princesses of the Court have reached a breaking point. Horrified that he would bring the lowborn Comtesse du Barry into the hallowed halls of Versailles, Louis XV’s daughters, led by the indomitable Madame Adelaide, vow eternal enmity and enlist the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette in their fight against the new mistress. But as tensions rise and the French Revolution draws closer, a prostitute in the palace soon becomes the least of the nobility’s concerns.
Told in Christie’s witty and engaging style, the final book in The Mistresses of Versailles trilogy will delight and entrance fans as it once again brings to life the sumptuous and cruel world of eighteenth century Versailles, and France as it approaches irrevocable change.
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2m5mwtx" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-enemies-of-versailles-sally-christie/1122858656;jsessionid=9349FF2CA37E7009985BAF7AE30C42B7.prodny_store02-atgap03?ean=9781501103025&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501103025" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-enemies-of-versailles" target="_blank">Kobo</a></h3>
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Praise for The Sisters of Versailles</h2>
“Such an extraordinary tale makes for compelling reading and, as the lead book in a planned trilogy, will draw in readers who are interested in royal lives before the French Revolution….historical fiction fans, unfamiliar with the history of the Nesle sisters, will be intrigued.” (Library Journal)<br />
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"Sally Christie's The Sisters of Versailles is an intriguing romp through Louis XV's France. Filled with lush backdrops, rich detail, and colorful characters, fans of historical fiction will enjoy this glimpse into the lost golden era of the French monarchy." (Allison Pataki, author of THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS )<br />
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“A stunning breadth of period detail, offered in a fresh, contemporary voice.” (Juliet Grey, author of the acclaimed Marie Antoinette trilogy )<br />
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“Tantalizing descriptions and cliff-hangers will leave the reader rapidly turning the pages in anticipation… A wickedly delightful read.” (New York Daily News)
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<i>MY THOUGHTS;</i><br />
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<i>Quite possibly, the very best of the three books. I had little knowledge of the Nesle sisters, learned a bit about Pompadour, but truly enjoyed the book about Madame du Barry. While all three books were very well written, Madame du Barry's story struck a chord in me. I loved and hated her at the same time. The author told the tale from the point of view of both Du Barry and of the kings daughter Adelaide. The daughters of France were not happy about their father's life choices, and Adelaide was totally vicious in her dealings with the young Jeanne Becu. I felt ashamed at the way the poor woman was treated and yet, still was able to feel sorrow towards the daughters who so wanted their father's love. We witness history happening through the eyes of these young women. Honestly, the guillotine was just a weapon from the past, one I'd read about and gave very little thought about....However, when the french reign of terror happens, it is all too real. I think I actually HEARD Jeanne cry out as she was being led to her death. I think she truly loved her Louis, I'm certain she also loved the things he gave her, but for a time, he was HER king, her friend, her lover. </i><br />
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<i>I think I felt the closest to the characters of this book. We go through to the French Revolution. We meet Marie Antoinette and we conclude the story of the French monarchy. Adelaide dies much later than the other characters in the story, and we are able to stay with her until the very end. </i><br />
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<i>If you enjoy french history, or just want a great story, read all three of these wonderful books by Sally Christie. </i><br />
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5 + teacups</div>
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<h2>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theenemiesofversaillesblogtour/03_sally-christie_author/" rel="attachment wp-att-10742"><img alt="03_sally-christie_author" class="alignright wp-image-10742" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/03_Sally-Christie_Author-200x300.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a> About the author</h2>
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Sally Christie is the author of The Sisters of Versailles and The Rivals of Versailles. She was born in England and grew up around the world, attending eight schools in three different languages. She spent most of her career working in international development and currently lives in Toronto.
Visit <a href="http://sallychristieauthor.com/" target="_blank">SallyChristieAuthor.com</a> to find out more about Sally and the Mistresses of Versailles trilogy.
You can also find her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sallychristieauthor/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13854110.Sally_Christie" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sally-Christie/e/B00WQ2PN66/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, March 15</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Fiction Obsession</a>
Interview at <a href="http://teresanoel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">T's Stuff</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, March 16</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://leeanna.me/" target="_blank">Leeanna.me</a>
Review at <a href="http://thelitbitch.com/" target="_blank">The Lit Bitch</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, March 17</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://toreadornottoread.net/" target="_blank">To Read, Or Not to Read</a>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://whatisthatbookabout.com/" target="_blank">What Is That Book About</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Saturday, March 18</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://staceyschneller06.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Books, Dreams, Life</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sunday, March 19</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, March 20</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Chick Who Reads</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, March 21</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, March 22</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.firstimpressionsreviews.com/" target="_blank">First Impressions Reviews</a>
Review at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, March 23</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Friday, March 24</span></strong>
Review at <a href="http://agelesspagesreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ageless Pages Reviews</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sunday, March 26</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://chantalgadoury.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Gadoury Dreamer</a>
Review & Interview at <a href="https://clarissareadsitall.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Clarissa Reads It All</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, March 27</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://thereadingqueen.com/" target="_blank">The Reading Queen</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, March 28</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
Review at <a href="http://luxuryreading.com/" target="_blank">Luxury Reading</a>
Review at <a href="http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Svetlana's Reads and Views</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, March 29</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://impressionsinink.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Impressions in Ink</a>
Review at <a href="http://bookaholicswede.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookaholic Swede</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, March 30</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.curlingupbythefire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Curling up by the Fire</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, March 31</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookramblings.net/" target="_blank">Bookramblings</a>
Review at <a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CelticLady's Reviews</a>
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<h2>
Giveaway</h2>
Five copies of The Enemies of Versailles are up for grabs during the blog tour! To enter, please see the Gleam form below.
<strong>Rules</strong>
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/teenemiesofversaillesblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-10744" target="_blank"><img alt="04_the-enemies-of-versailles_blog-tour-banner_final" class="aligncenter wp-image-10744 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/04_The-Enemies-of-Versailles_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="156" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-10156168149024020672016-11-04T08:09:00.000-04:002016-11-04T08:09:16.661-04:00ROMA AMOR: A NOVEL OF CALIGULA's ROME by Sherry Christie<h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/romaamorblogtour/02_roma-amor/" rel="attachment wp-att-10151"><img alt="02_Roma Amor" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10151" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/02_Roma-Amor.jpg" height="475" width="315" /></a></h3>
<h3>
Roma Amor: A Novel of Caligula's Rome
by Sherry Christie</h3>
Publication Date: April 15, 2016
Bexley House Books
Paperback; 496 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29796632-roma-amor" rel="attachment wp-att-9770" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-9770 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.roma-amor.com/excerpts/excerpt.php/Chapter-1-Hostage-1/">READ EXCERPT</a>.<br />
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Marcus Carinna hears a voice whisper, "Your turn," as he rides past his family tomb. An unseen presence also startles the Germanic priestess Aurima, whom he is bringing to Rome. But hardheaded Romans scoff at ghosts, and Marcus can't believe it's a warning from his brother, who killed himself three years earlier.
37 AD: To great acclaim, 25-year-old Caligula Caesar has become Rome's new master. No one is more pleased than Senator Titus Carinna, who helped him succeed to the throne. It's a shame the Senator's older son--Caligula's closest friend--committed suicide after being charged with treason. But that still leaves Marcus, his second son.
Headstrong and hot-tempered, Marcus would rather prove his courage by leading legions against Rome's enemies than take his brother's place. Yet when his father orders him to befriend Caligula, he has no choice.
Caught in a web of deceit, conspiracy, and betrayal, he will uncover a secret that threatens his family, the woman he desires, even his life... and may bring chaos to the young Roman Empire.
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<strong>"<em>The first installment in a page-turning saga that revisits the heroes and villains of the grandest city of the ancient world.... Comes alive with the long gone characters who were its lifeblood</em>" -Kirkus Reviews</strong></div>
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<strong>'<em>'Combines current political concerns, the wide lens of the serious historical novel, and emotional maturity and realism with an utterly splendid grasp of what it must have been like to live in Rome under Caligula's reign.</em>'' -Sarah Smith, Agatha Award winner and New York Times Notable author</strong></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2b2m4qs" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/roma-amor-sherry-christie/1123801012?ean=9780692596326&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780692596326" target="_blank">IndieBound</a></h3>
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<i>m</i>y <i>thoughts:</i></div>
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<i>This first installment takes us to the hills of Rome, to an ancient time and introduces us to people who quickly become like family. Marcus is an amazing character. He is passionate, intelligent and fascinating. Even Caligula, a character maligned by history, is larger than life in this book. </i></div>
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<i>It's a slow read, it must be to absorb all the details. Take your time reading to enjoy, sit back and be transported to Ancient Rome. Strangely enough, I see many parallels between ancient Rome and modern day America,hmm...can we learn from history?</i></div>
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<i>I look forward to the next installment in this series. Sherry Christie has created a story that captivates and enthralls.</i></div>
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/romaamorblogtour/03_sherry-christie/" rel="attachment wp-att-10152"><img alt="03_Sherry Christie" class="alignright wp-image-10152" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/03_Sherry-Christie.jpg" height="195" width="170" /></a></div>
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After earning a Phi Beta Kappa creative award in college for an early draft about a nobly born charioteer, Sherry Christie spent many years of research and revision developing ROMA AMOR into the story about fathers and sons that it wanted to be. It's a joy to immerse myself in the lives of first-century Romans--and a distinct change from my day job as a . In addition to writing, Sherry is a professional copywriter. She lives on the coast of Maine with a native-born Viking and two cats.
For more information, please visit Sherry Christie's <a href="http://www.roma-amor.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. You can also connect with her on <a href="https://twitter.com/sherryechristie" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1265725" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Monday, October 24</span></strong>
Kick Off at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, October 25</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Fiction Obsession</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wednesday, October 26</span></strong>
Review at <a href="https://kinxsbooknook.org/" target="_blank">Kinx's Book Nook</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, October 28</strong></span>
Guest Post at <a href="http://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/" target="_blank">What Is That Book About</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, October 31</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, November 1</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookfever11.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bookfever</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, November 2</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, November 4</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Svetlana's Reads and Views</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, November 7</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, November 9</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookramblings.net/" target="_blank">Bookramblings</a>
Review at <a href="http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Junkie Reads</a>
Interview at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, November 10</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Junkie Reads</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, November 11</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Beth's Book Nook</a>
Review at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a>
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<h2>
Giveaway</h2>
To win a paperback copy of Roma Amor: A Novel of Caligula's Rome by Sherry Christie, please enter via the Gleam form below. 2 copies are up for grabs!
<strong>Rules</strong>
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 11th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/alHzT/roma-amor" rel="nofollow">Roma Amor</a><br />
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/romaamorblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-10427" target="_blank"><img alt="04_roma-amor_blog-tour-banner_final" class="aligncenter wp-image-10427 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/04_Roma-Amor_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.jpg" height="176" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-13534702783334418272016-11-02T08:15:00.001-04:002016-11-02T08:15:59.911-04:00Cover Reveal--THE COMPETITION: DAVINCI'S DISCIPLES BOOK TWO!!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
COVER REVEAL!</h2>
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THE COMPETITION: Da Vinci’s Disciples Book Two!</h2>
Ready (willing and eager) to see the cover of the much-anticipated second book in the Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy? Well, we hope so, because here it is (be sure to read to the end of the post for an extra special bonus!).
But before we get to the gorgeous cover, here’s what the author has to say about the next book in this thrilling trilogy and its cover:
“I knew I wanted the second book in this trilogy to be a little more personal, get into the lives of these courageous women, and da Vinci himself, a bit more deeply. Oh, they are still daring to go where women had never gone before in the Renaissance, and they put everything on the line for the love of their art—their marriages, their family relationships, even their lives—to do it, to bring their work out into the open, no matter the consequence. Another form of art is explored through their eyes, through their hands. But in THE COMPETITION, I’ve pulled back more of the layers of their lives and the secrets they may hold. Love bursts to fulfillment, desire is ignited, disastrous illnesses change lives, and familial condemnations are shattered. All set amidst the glory that is Florence during the Renaissance.
These women are bold; there can be no doubt. But they are elegant women and this cover, like the first, captures that elegance to perfection. It is the seamless companion to the first, and they look dazzling together.”
Ready to see the cover? Not just yet. Here’s the official description first:
<em>A commission to paint a fresco in the church of Santo Spirito is about to be announced and Florence’s countless artists each seek the fame and glory this lucrative contract will provide. Viviana, a noblewoman freed from a terrible marriage, and now able to pursue her artistic passions, sees a potential life-altering opportunity for herself and her fellow artists. The women first speak to Lorenzo de’ Medici himself, and finally, they submit a bid for the right to paint it. And they win. The very public commission belongs to them.</em>
<em>But with the victory comes a powerful cost. The church will not stand for women painting, especially not in a house of worship. The city is not ready to consider women in positions of power, and in Florence, artists wield tremendous power. Even the women themselves are hesitant; the attention they will bring up) on themselves will disrupt their families, and even put them in physical danger.</em>
<em>All the while, Viviana grows closer to Sansone, her soldier lover, who is bringing to her a joy that she never knew with her deceased husband. And fellow-artist Isabetta has a flame reignited, sparked by Lorenzo himself.</em>
<strong><em>Power and passion collide in this sumptuous historical novel of shattering limitations, one brushstroke at a time.</em></strong><br />
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<strong>THE COMPETITION: Da Vinci’s Disciples Book Two goes on sale April 25, 2017. Pre-order a copy <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Competition-Vincis-Disciples-Book-Two/dp/1682308065/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477428405&sr=8-1&keywords=the+competition+donna+russo+morin" target="_blank">here</a>.</strong>
Add it to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32565575-the-competition" target="_blank">Goodreads shelf</a>!
Now, are you ready to see the cover?
Really?
Are you sure?
Here it is!
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Do you love it?!
Haven’t read the first book yet? Now’s your chance at a special reduced price.
<strong>For the next SEVEN days (beginning November 2 until November 9!), the Kindle version of PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY IS ONLY $.99…that’s a $7 savings!</strong>
<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Conspiracy-Vincis-Disciples-Book-ebook/dp/B01BN1QVJ8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1477428311&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Get your copy now</a>!</strong>
Read the first critically acclaimed book, fall in love with these daring women, and get ready to fight beside them for the right to be who they truly want to be in THE COMPETITION.
“Russo Morin’s elegant command of language and composition left me breathless, but the story itself, with its flawless depiction of power, corruption, defiance, intrigue, and retribution makes Portrait of a Conspiracy an absolute must read.” Flashlight Commentary
“...a page-turner unlike any historical novel, weaving passion, adventure, artistic rebirth, and consequences of ambition...a masterful writer at the peak of her craft.”—C. W. Gortner, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI
“This riveting book is filled with art, assassinations, retribution, and a sisterhood of fascinating women who inspire as well as entertain.”—Stephanie Dray, NYT Bestselling author of AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER
“In PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY, Russo Morin's prose is as sharp as a Medici dagger...Thwarting danger, finding love, and creating masterpieces, [these women] remind us just how powerful the bonds of womanhood can be.”—Marci Jefferson, author of THE ENCHANTRESS OF PARIS
“A 15th-century Florence of exquisite art, sensual passion and sudden, remorseless violence comes vividly to life in Donna Russo Morin's new novel.”—Nancy Bilyeau, author of THE CROWN
“In PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY, Russo Morin's rich detailing transports the reader to the heart of Renaissance Italy from the first page.”—Heather Webb, author of BECOMING JOSEPHINE
“Illicit plots, mysterious paintings, and a young Leonardo da Vinci all have their part to play in this delicious, heart-pounding tale.”—Kate Quinn, author of THE EMPRESS OF ROME SAGA
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About the Author<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/?attachment_id=10590" rel="attachment wp-att-10590"><img alt="03_donna-russo-morin" class="alignright wp-image-10590" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/03_Donna-Russo-Morin.jpg" height="150" width="150" /></a></h2>
Donna Russo Morin is the award winning of author of historical fiction. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, she lives near the shore with her two sons, Devon and Dylan, her greatest works in progress.
Donna enjoys meeting with book groups in person and via Skype chat. Visit her website at <a href="http://www.donnarussomorin.com/" target="_blank">www.donnarussomorin.com</a>; friend her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Donna.Russo.Morin?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DonnaRussoMorin" target="_blank">@DonnaRussoMorin</a>.
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Cover Reveal Hosts</h2>
<a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Book Nerd</a>
<a href="http://staceyschneller06.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Books, Dreams, Life</a>
<a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank"> Broken Teepee</a>
<a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> CelticLady's Reviews</a>
<a href="http://www.curlingupbythefire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Curling up by the Fire</a>
<a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Let Them Read Books</a>
<a href="http://www.passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank"> Passages to the Past</a>
<a href="http://somanybookssolittletimeblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> So Many Books, So Little Time</a>
<a href="http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> The Book Junkie Reads</a>
<a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> The Maiden's Court</a>
<a href="http://thereadingqueen.com/" target="_blank"> The Reading Queen</a>
<a href="http://unabridged-expression.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Unabridged Chick</a>
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<strong>Cover Reveal hosted by...</strong></div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-37574073876106483842016-10-31T08:28:00.003-04:002016-10-31T08:29:59.636-04:00<h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/asongofwarblogtour/02_a-song-of-war/" rel="attachment wp-att-10189" target="_blank"><img alt="02_A Song of War" class="alignleft wp-image-10189 " src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/02_A-Song-of-War.jpg" height="488" width="325" /></a></h3>
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<h3>
A Song of War: A Novel of Troy</h3>
by Christian Cameron, Libbie Hawker, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, Stephanie Thornton, SJA Turney, and Russell Whitfield
Foreward by Glyn Iliffe
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Knight Media, LLC
eBook & Paperback; 483 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Ancient History/Anthology<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31440732-a-song-of-war" rel="attachment wp-att-9770" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-9770 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a>
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Troy: city of gold, gatekeeper of the east, haven of the god-born and the lucky, a city destined to last a thousand years. But the Fates have other plans—the Fates, and a woman named Helen. In the shadow of Troy's gates, all must be reborn in the greatest war of the ancient world: slaves and queens, heroes and cowards, seers and kings . . . and these are their stories.
A young princess and an embittered prince join forces to prevent a fatal elopement.
A tormented seeress challenges the gods themselves to save her city from the impending disaster.
A tragedy-haunted king battles private demons and envious rivals as the siege grinds on.
A captured slave girl seizes the reins of her future as two mighty heroes meet in an epic duel.
A grizzled archer and a desperate Amazon risk their lives to avenge their dead.
A trickster conceives the greatest trick of all.
A goddess' son battles to save the spirit of Troy even as the walls are breached in fire and blood.
Seven authors bring to life the epic tale of the Trojan War: its heroes, its villains, its survivors, its dead. Who will lie forgotten in the embers, and who will rise to shape the bloody dawn of a new age?
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Song-War-Kate-Quinn-ebook/dp/B01JUYIEO0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470853408&sr=1-1&keywords=a+song+of+war+quinn" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-War-Kate-Quinn-ebook/dp/B01JUYIEO0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1470853539&sr=1-1&keywords=a+song+of+war+quinn" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-song-of-war" target="_blank">Kobo</a></h3>
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<i>my thoughts:</i></div>
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<i>Another winner for the fabulous H team. I LOVE anything to do with the Trojan War, and the story of the despicable Helen, (I usually dislike her character, no matter who tells the story). This</i><i> telling allows greater access to the minds of each character. We get the best from each writer. Each of the seven 'songs' or chapters is told from the unique viewpoint of a character. </i></div>
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<i>My personal favorites are the story of Cassandra, Priam's sad, mad daughter, and the story of Agamemnon. I almost feel sorry for him, a character I've come to loathe from other versions of the story. Hector is still, in my opinion, the most noble character of all, but Aeneas is a close second. I am not going to single out any particular author, just bear in mind that each chapter is a fascinating look into the mind of both the Trojans and the Acheans (greeks) At the end of the novel, each author explains how they created their individual character. If you have any preconceived notions or ideas, leave them behind when you begin this novel. It's a fun read. If you like good writing, a good story and the Trojan war, this one's a must read!</i></div>
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<h2>
About the Authors</h2>
<a href="http://www.hippeis.com/" target="_blank"><strong>CHRISTIAN CAMERON</strong></a> was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1962. He grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts, Iowa City, Iowa,Christian Cameron and Rochester, New York, where he attended McQuaid Jesuit High School and later graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in history.
After the longest undergraduate degree on record (1980-87), he joined the United States Navy, where he served as an intelligence officer and as a backseater in S-3 Vikings in the First Gulf War, in Somalia, and elsewhere. After a dozen years of service, he became a full time writer in 2000. He lives in Toronto (that’s Ontario, in Canada) with his wife Sarah and their daughter Beatrice, currently age four. And a half.<br />
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<a href="http://libbiehawker.com/" target="_blank"><strong>LIBBIE HAWKER</strong></a> was born in Rexburg, Idaho and divided her childhood between Eastern Idaho's rural environs and the greater Seattle area. She presently lives in Seattle, but has also been a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah; Bellingham, Washington; and Tacoma, Washington. She loves to write about character and place, and is inspired by the bleak natural beauty of the Rocky Mountain region and by the fascinating history of the Puget Sound.
After three years of trying to break into the publishing industry with her various books under two different pen names, Libbie finally turned her back on the mainstream publishing industry and embraced independent publishing. She now writes her self-published fiction full-time, and enjoys the fact that the writing career she always dreamed of having is fully under her own control.<br />
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<a href="http://www.katequinnauthor.com/" target="_blank"><strong>KATE QUINN</strong></a> is a native of southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Classical Voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance detailing the early years of the infamous Borgia clan. All have been translated into multiple languages.
Kate has succumbed to the blogging bug, and keeps a blog filled with trivia, pet peeves, and interesting facts about historical fiction. She and her husband now live in Maryland with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia, and her interests include opera, action movies, cooking, and the Boston Red Sox.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vickyalvearshecter.com/" target="_blank"><strong>VICKY ALVEAR SHECTER</strong></a> is the author of the young adult novel, Cleopatra's Moon (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2011), based on the life of Cleopatra's only daughter. She is also the author of two award-winning biographies for kids on Alexander the Great and Cleopatra. She is a docent at the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Antiquities at Emory University in Atlanta. The LA Times calls Cleopatra's Moon, "magical" and "impressive." Publisher's Weekly said it was "fascinating" and "highly memorable." The Wall Street Journal called it "absorbing."<br />
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<a href="http://www.stephanie-thornton.com/" target="_blank"><strong>STEPHANIE THORNTON</strong></a> is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel.
Her novels, The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora, Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt, The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan, and The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great, tell the stories of history's forgotten women.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sjaturney.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>SJA TURNEY</strong></a> lives with his wife, son and daughter, and two (close approximations of) dogs in rural North Yorkshire.
Marius' Mules was his first full length novel. Being a fan of Roman history, SJA decided to combine his love of writing and love of the classical world. Marius' Mules was followed two years later by Interregnum - an attempt to create a new fantasy story still with a heavy flavour of Rome.
These have been followed by numerous sequels, with three books in the fantasy 'Tales of the Empire' series and five in the bestselling 'Marius' Mules' one. 2013 has seen the first book in a 15th century trilogy - 'The Thief's Tale' - and will also witness several side projects seeing the light of day.<br />
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<a href="http://www.russellwhitfield.com/" target="_blank"><strong>RUSSELL WHITFIELD</strong></a> was born in Shepherds Bush in 1971. An only child, he was raised in Hounslow, West London, but has since escaped to Ham in Surrey.
Gladiatrix was Russ's first novel, published in 2008 by Myrmidon Books. The sequel, Roma Victrix, continues the adventures Lysandra, the Spartan gladiatrix, and a third book, Imperatrix, sees Lysandra stepping out of the arena and onto the field of battle.
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> Saturday, October 15</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
Review at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> Sunday, October 16</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://agelesspagesreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ageless Pages Reviews</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> Monday, October 17</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://leeanna.me/" target="_blank">Leeanna.me</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, October 18</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://abookdrunkard.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A Book Drunkard</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, October 19</strong></span>
Excerpt at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, October 20</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.peekingbetweenthepages.com/" target="_blank">Peeking Between the Pages</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, October 21</strong></span>
Review & Excerpt at <a href="http://silver-dagger-scriptorium.weebly.com/" target="_blank">The Silver Dagger Scriptorium</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Saturday, October 22</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/" target="_blank">100 Pages a Day</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, October 24</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://unabridged-expression.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Unabridged Chick</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, October 25</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://unabridged-expression.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Unabridged Chick</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, October 26</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Maiden's Court</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, October 28</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a><br />
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Monday, October 31</span></strong>
Review & Excerpt at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, November 1</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, November 2</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, November 3</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, November 7</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookish Affair</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, November 8</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, November 9</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://historicalreadings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Readings & Reviews</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, November 11</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://thebooktree.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Tree</a><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Saturday, November 12</strong></span>
Excerpt at <a href="http://thereadingqueen.com/" target="_blank">The Reading Queen</a>
Review at <a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a>
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<h2>
Giveaway</h2>
To win a paperback copy of A Song of War: A Novel of Troy by the H Team, please enter via the Gleam form below.
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– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/KqZBs/a-song-of-war" rel="nofollow">A Song of War</a><br />
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/asongofwarblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-10353" target="_blank"><img alt="03_a-song-of-war_blog-tour-banner_final" class="aligncenter wp-image-10353 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/03_A-Song-of-War_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="156" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-88018935146115407192016-10-04T07:57:00.000-04:002016-10-04T07:57:44.447-04:00Avelynn's story continues....<h3>
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<h3>
Avelynn: The Edge of Faith
by Marissa Campbell</h3>
Publication Date: September 26, 2016
eBook; 302 Pages
ASIN: B01KUC6N9Y
Genre: Historical<br />
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Romance/Medieval
Series: Avelynn (Book Two)<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31582355-avelynn" rel="attachment wp-att-9770" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-9770 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a><br />
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Avelynn: The Edge of Faith, a stand-alone Viking Romance from author Marissa Campbell.
It's the year 871. Charges of treason, murder, and witchcraft follow Avelynn into exile as she flees England with Alrik. Arriving in Wales, they find refuge among Alrik's friends in the Welsh nobility. Cast out by his half-brothers, Alrik seeks to regain his honor and earn favor with the gods. When war threatens, Alrik embraces gold and the opportunity for his crew to become mercenaries, aiding the Southern Welsh kings in their fight against Rhodri the Great.
Desperate to return home, Avelynn seeks to find a way to prove her innocence, but she is pitted against Alrik as their desires for the future clash. With battle looming, Avelynn's faith in their relationship is further tested through a bitter struggle with Marared, a jealous lover from Alrik's past. Marared's threats turn deadly, and Avelynn runs afoul of magic and sorcery, causing her to question her beliefs and role as priestess.
When Avelynn and Alrik are betrayed, Avelynn is captured and Alrik is charged with regicide. The two become separated, a chasm of greed, deceit, and ambition driving them apart. In an act of harrowing faith, Avelynn will stop at nothing to find her way back to Alrik and break them both free from Wales's bloodthirsty grasp.
AVELYNN: THE EDGE OF FAITH is a stand-alone novel and #2 in the Avelynn series<br />
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<i>my thoughts:</i><br />
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<i> I love the characters in AVELYNN, THE EDGE OF FAITH. Avelynn has grown into an amazing woman. I love her spunk and her take charge attitude. I love reading books about strong women. </i><br />
<i>As a reader I was captivated by the story of Alrik and Avelynn. I loved the manner in which Marissa Campbell combined the historical aspects of pagan religion and the new Christianity faith. This is a book full of twists and turns. There are obvious villains, characters I, as the reader, wanted to see destroyed. </i><br />
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<i>The book has a fulfilling end, but leaves enough open for a third installment. I reread the first book prior to reading THE EDGE OF FAITH. While this is a wonderful book on it's own, you will understand more if you read the books in order. I enjoyed Marissa Campbell's writing style and look forward to the next book.</i><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2d8taJE" target="_blank">Amazon (Kindle)</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/avelynn-marissa-campbell/1124574199?ean=9780986627224" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble (Nook)</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/avelynn-1" target="_blank">Kobo</a></h3>
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<h2>
About the Author</h2>
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theedgeoffaithblogtour/03_marissa-campbell_author-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-10167"><img class="alignright wp-image-10167 " src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/03_Marissa-Campbell_Author-1.jpg" height="206" width="220" /></a></h2>
Marissa Campbell is a published freelance author, and co-author of the award-winning, spiritual self-help book Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day. Her debut historical fiction AVELYNN, was published through St. Martin’s Press, September 2015. Look for the second book in the AVELYNN series, releasing Fall 2016. She is a proud member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America, Writer’s Community of Durham Region, and local critique group B7. When she is not writing, she is busy looking after her wonderful children, spending time with her fantastic husband, hanging out with her awesome friends, teaching yoga, dancing, laughing, and having fun!
For more information visit <a href="http://www.marissacampbell.com/">http://marissacampbell.com</a>. You can also follow Marissa Campbell on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marissa-Campbell-Author/297803293617830?ref=tn_tnmn" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/marissa_author" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5623914.Marissa_Campbell">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/107733414564782650407/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="http://marissacampbellauthor.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/marissaauthor/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marissacampbell_author/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, September 26</strong></span>
Review & Excerpt at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, September 27</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
Excerpt at <a href="http://whatisthatbookabout.com/" target="_blank">What Is That Book About</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, September 28</strong></span>
Excerpt at <a href="http://princessofeboligossipcorner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Never-Ending Book</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, September 29</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Chick Who Reads</a>
Review & Excerpt at <a href="http://silver-dagger-scriptorium.weebly.com/" target="_blank">The Silver Dagger Scriptorium</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, September 30</strong></span>
Excerpt at <a href="http://dianasbookreviews.com/" target="_blank">Diana's Book Reviews</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, October 3</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.curlingupbythefire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Curling up by the Fire</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, October 4</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wednesday, October 5</span></strong>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, October 6</strong></span>
Excerpt at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, October 7</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://thereadingqueen.com/" target="_blank">The Reading Queen</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sunday, October 9</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/" target="_blank">100 Pages a Day</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, October 11</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://staceyschneller06.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Books, Dreams, Life</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, October 12</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://kristinravelle.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Kristin Un-Ravelle'd</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, October 13</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, October 14</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://thebooktree.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Tree</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, October 18</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, October 19</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://www.susanheimonwriting.com/" target="_blank">Susan Heim on Writing</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Friday, October 21</span></strong>
Review at <a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CelticLady's Reviews</a>
Excerpt at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
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<h2>
Giveaway</h2>
To win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Avelynn: The Edge of Faith eBook, please enter via the Gleam form below. 1 gift card and 5 eBooks are up for grabs!
<strong>Rules</strong>
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open Internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/GJN15/avelynn-the-edge-of-faith" rel="nofollow">Avelynn: The Edge of Faith</a>
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theedgeoffaithblogtour/04_the-edge-of-faith_blog-tour-banner_final/" rel="attachment wp-att-10362"><img alt="04_the-edge-of-faith_blog-tour-banner_final" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10362" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/04_The-Edge-of-Faith_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="160" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-45455742764312599632016-09-29T08:58:00.004-04:002016-09-29T08:58:48.183-04:00Love's Prayer by Melissa Storm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PsEPysd5-ZxTeeBnLPBwpOnem8tauR78slangCXagHvVrbA4ELJEYVJuoEggYtCu7zxLUbDM3e9GUBisi4FpnjM_e9LIZ4dGqIw9FaS7A-bBKXg8U9liFezeMqAzhnZcrYdALXnBwXE/s1600/lovesprayer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PsEPysd5-ZxTeeBnLPBwpOnem8tauR78slangCXagHvVrbA4ELJEYVJuoEggYtCu7zxLUbDM3e9GUBisi4FpnjM_e9LIZ4dGqIw9FaS7A-bBKXg8U9liFezeMqAzhnZcrYdALXnBwXE/s640/lovesprayer2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Love's Prayer by Melissa Storm</span></div>
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The First Street Church Romance, Book One</div>
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Genre: Inspirational Romance</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amazon: <a href="http://amzn.to/2cMjcSh">http://amzn.to/2cMjcSh</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">iBooks: <a href="http://apple.co/2cX9gQl">http://apple.co/2cX9gQl</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">BN: <a href="http://bit.ly/2cnr9aj">http://bit.ly/2cnr9aj</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kobo: <a href="http://bit.ly/2cSd9JF">http://bit.ly/2cSd9JF</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>ABOUT THE BOOK:</u></span> </div>
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From acclaimed author Melissa Storm comes the first in a brand-new series of sweet and wholesome small-town love stories with the community church at its center…</div>
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Summer Smith is at a crossroads in life. Fresh out of college with no idea what comes next, she agrees to take over her aunt’s flower shop for the season. She arrives in the small, close-knit community of Sweet Grove, Texas, hoping to find some answers.</div>
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Ben Davis has lived in the shadow of his family’s mistakes for years. Forced to give up everything he ever wanted for himself, he begins to consider taking his own life in a final effort to end all the pain. A desperate plea sent to the God he isn’t even sure he believes in is soon answered by a series of miracles that bring Summer and Ben crashing into each other.</div>
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Love’s Prayer offers a dramatic story about two people who must find a way to believe in each other and in themselves in order to finally find the place where they belong. This novel of finding faith, hope, and—ultimately—love in the darkest of times is sure to tug at your heartstrings and leave you craving more from the First Street Church Romances!</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span></u></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeetTheStorms" target="_blank">FACEBOOK </a>~ <a href="http://www.melstorm.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> ~ <a href="http://bit.ly/2dckvtz" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/MeetTheStorms/" target="_blank">INSTAGRAM</a> ~ <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/MELSTORMAUTHOR/" target="_blank">PINTEREST</a></div>
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Melissa Storm is a mother first, and everything else second.
She used to write under a pseudonym, but finally had the confidence to come out
as herself to the world. Her fiction is highly personal and often based on true
stories. Writing is Melissa’s way of showing her daughter just how beautiful
life can be, when you pay attention to the everyday wonders that surround us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melissa loves books so much, she married fellow author
Falcon Storm. Between the two of them, there are always plenty of imaginative,
awe-inspiring stories to share. Melissa and Falcon also run the business Novel
Publicity together, where she works as publisher, marketer, editor, and
all-around business mogul. When she’s not reading, writing, or child-rearing,
Melissa spends time relaxing at home in the company of her two dogs, five
parrots, and rescue cat. She never misses an episode of <i>The Bachelor</i> or
her nightly lavender-infused soak in the tub.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Presented by:</div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-72272344585845780572016-09-29T08:53:00.000-04:002016-09-29T08:53:21.710-04:00Thief in the Myst by Ben Hale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxQ4V2ikEBlVNZrERNbeJLfoi2iuuhLDRB44enm3CnHzLg58rNTXXMqyrdURX32zTme7xNkpp0xH_mGrxa5SHFsd2nUeUjaVvlLj3NDhDXavkXg0BeAJ4oKF-gyjkXWF6B4zOQXNuCbk/s1600/Thief+in+the+Myst+cover+EBOOK+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxQ4V2ikEBlVNZrERNbeJLfoi2iuuhLDRB44enm3CnHzLg58rNTXXMqyrdURX32zTme7xNkpp0xH_mGrxa5SHFsd2nUeUjaVvlLj3NDhDXavkXg0BeAJ4oKF-gyjkXWF6B4zOQXNuCbk/s640/Thief+in+the+Myst+cover+EBOOK+low+res.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thief in the Myst by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheGatheringElseerianSequel/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Ben Hale</a></span></div>
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The Master Thief (Book 2)</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></u></div>
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Jack Myst infiltrated the Thieves Guild to avenge his mother’s murder, but never expected to find a home. Now a master thief, he grapples with his new identity as he unravels the secrets of the fallen Guildmaster. The trail of questions will lead to a shocking truth, that his foe is a remnant of an ancient race, the very devil of Lumineia.</div>
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Skorn.</div>
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Seething with hatred and cast out by the thieves, Skorn is not without allies. Forcing an assassin into service, he journeys to the forgotten fortress of Margauth, where a cult worships him as a god. With such an army at his command he seeks a return to power, and two keys that unlock a legendary vault.</div>
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The Vault of the Eternals.</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">BUY THE BOOK</span></u></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amazon: <a href="http://amzn.to/2dblq9S">http://amzn.to/2dblq9S</a></span></div>
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Free with Kindle Unlimited</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheGatheringElseerianSequel/?fref=ts" style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">FACEBOOK</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> ~ </span><a href="http://www.lumineia.com/" style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">WEBSITE</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> ~ </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_952935668"></span>TWITTER<span id="goog_952935669"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As an avid snowboarder from Utah, Ben grew up with a
passion for learning. This thirst for knowledge led him to sports, music, and
academic endeavors. After a year of college, he did volunteer work in Brazil
and became fluent in three languages. Graduating from the University of Central
Florida, he started and ran several successful businesses before publishing his
first novel in June of 2012. By the end of the year he’d sold almost ten
thousand copies of The Second Draeken War, and he began writing full-time. Now
spanning 10,000 years, ten titles, and two series, The Chronicles of Lumineia
represents a sprawling YA series that has sold over 100,000 copies, and
continues to expand its readership across all ages. Each of his books has been
inspired by his wonderful wife and five beautiful children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> To contact the author, discover more
about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, feel free to contact Ben via
his contact page. He loves to hear from readers and writers, and welcomes
feedback.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Master Thief (Book 1)</span></div>
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Amazon: http://amzn.to/29vYVJr </div>
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Free with Kindle Unlimited</div>
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Presented by:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9roMAOiUcnId9125Mo8uEFchRrT_Bvnyj_rKmbsvfSRkYAB7WlOYQxUcjW3E6sQJyyEJ6TUm8tqi8C3dpkIUVP5CXF_1iwQGM7bMBKJ0xmwdhrPJ39Kddkbk2W47Uo_7CTksAQ9Fmyg/s1600/RCPR+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9roMAOiUcnId9125Mo8uEFchRrT_Bvnyj_rKmbsvfSRkYAB7WlOYQxUcjW3E6sQJyyEJ6TUm8tqi8C3dpkIUVP5CXF_1iwQGM7bMBKJ0xmwdhrPJ39Kddkbk2W47Uo_7CTksAQ9Fmyg/s320/RCPR+Button.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-24623176712758619252016-09-27T14:37:00.003-04:002018-05-05T10:57:51.937-04:00THE BEAUTY SHOP cover REVEAL, featuring Suzy HendersonHello and welcome! Today, I’m thrilled to finally reveal the cover of my upcoming novel, The Beauty Shop. As the novel is set during the dark days of World War Two, the title might appear to be rather unusual. The beauty shop was a nickname for a ward at a small hospital in East Grinstead, a market town in southern England, where a maverick New Zealand plastic surgeon cared for severely burned airmen.
Such was the humour of the men there that one airman said to a visitor one day, “Stick around here long enough, miss and they’ll whip a piece off you and stick it on one of us.”
This was no ordinary hospital ward. There was beer for one thing, and pretty girls for nurses, music all day long and dancing. The air that flowed here drifted through smiles, laughter, love, and loss. And when surgeon Archie McIndoe spoke to each man, his eyes shone with such radiance, and his words sang with such confidence and compassion, instilling each man with fresh hope.
Based on a true story, via three interlocking experiences of WWII, The Beauty Shop explores the nature of good looks, social acceptance and the true meaning of ‘skin deep’.
<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/?attachment_id=10386" rel="attachment wp-att-10386"><img alt="02_the-beauty-shop_cover" class="alignleft wp-image-10386" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/02_The-Beauty-Shop_Cover.jpg" height="519" width="346" /></a></h2>
<h2>
The Beauty Shop
by Suzy Henderson</h2>
Publication Date: November 2016
eBook & Paperback; 350 Pages
Genre: Historical Romance
England, 1942. After three years of WWII, Britain is showing the scars. But in this darkest of days, three lives intertwine, changing their destinies and those of many more.
Dr Archibald McIndoe, a New Zealand plastic surgeon with unorthodox methods, is on a mission to treat and rehabilitate badly burned airmen – their bodies and souls. With the camaraderie and support of the Guinea Pig Club, his boys battle to overcome disfigurement, pain, and prejudice to learn to live again.
John ‘Mac’ Mackenzie of the US Air Force is aware of the odds. He has one chance in five of surviving the war. Flying bombing missions through hell and back, he’s fighting more than the Luftwaffe. Fear and doubt stalk him on the ground and in the air, and he’s torn between his duty and his conscience.
Shy, decent and sensible, Stella Charlton’s future seems certain until war breaks out. As a new recruit to the WAAF, she meets an American pilot on New Year’s Eve. After just one dance, she falls head over heels for the handsome airman. But when he survives a crash, she realises her own battle has only just begun.
Based on a true story, The Beauty Shop is a moving tale of love, compassion, and determination against a backdrop of wartime tragedy.
<br />
<h2>
About the Author<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/?attachment_id=10387" rel="attachment wp-att-10387"><img alt="03_suzy-henderson" class="alignright wp-image-10387" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/03_Suzy-Henderson.jpg" height="293" width="175" /></a></h2>
Suzy Henderson lives with her husband and two sons in Cumbria, England, on the edge of the beautiful Lake District, a rich and inspiring landscape of mountains, fells, and lakes. She never set out to be a writer, although she has always been a voracious reader.
Some years ago after leaving an established career in healthcare, Suzy began to research family history, soon becoming fascinated with both World War periods. After completing a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, she took a walk along a new path, writing from the heart. She writes historical fiction and has an obsession with military and aviation history.
Other interests include music, old movies, and photography – especially if WW2 aircraft are on the radar. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society. Her debut novel, The Beauty Shop, is to be released in November 2016.
For more information, please visit Suzy Henderson's <a href="http://www.suzyhendersonauthor.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. You can also connect with her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SuzyHendersonAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Suzy_Henderson" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/109057622139171622985" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/suzy39/">Pinterest</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10678540-suzy-henderson" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. Suzy also blogs at <a href="https://suzyhenderson.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://suzyhenderson.wordpress.com</a> and <a href="http://lowfellwritersplace.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://lowfellwritersplace.blogspot.co.uk</a>.
<br />
<h2>
Cover Reveal Hosts</h2>
<a href="http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/" target="_blank">100 Pages a Day</a>
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<a href="http://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Beth's Book Nook Blog</a>
<a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
<a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<a href="http://thelitbitch.com/" target="_blank">The Lit Bitch</a>
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<a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a><br />
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thebeautyshopcoverreveal" rel="attachment wp-att-10405" target="_blank"><img alt="04_the-beauty-shop_blog-tour-banner_final" class="aligncenter wp-image-10405 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/04_The-Beauty-Shop_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="178" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-85905395857018861182016-09-27T14:37:00.002-04:002016-09-27T14:38:25.958-04:00THE BEAUTY SHOP cover REVEAL, featuring Suzy HendersonHello and welcome! Today, I’m thrilled to finally reveal the cover of my upcoming novel, The Beauty Shop. As the novel is set during the dark days of World War Two, the title might appear to be rather unusual. The beauty shop was a nickname for a ward at a small hospital in East Grinstead, a market town in southern England, where a maverick New Zealand plastic surgeon cared for severely burned airmen.
Such was the humour of the men there that one airman said to a visitor one day, “Stick around here long enough, miss and they’ll whip a piece off you and stick it on one of us.”
This was no ordinary hospital ward. There was beer for one thing, and pretty girls for nurses, music all day long and dancing. The air that flowed here drifted through smiles, laughter, love, and loss. And when surgeon Archie McIndoe spoke to each man, his eyes shone with such radiance, and his words sang with such confidence and compassion, instilling each man with fresh hope.
Based on a true story, via three interlocking experiences of WWII, The Beauty Shop explores the nature of good looks, social acceptance and the true meaning of ‘skin deep’.
<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/?attachment_id=10386" rel="attachment wp-att-10386"><img alt="02_the-beauty-shop_cover" class="alignleft wp-image-10386" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/02_The-Beauty-Shop_Cover.jpg" height="519" width="346" /></a></h2>
<h2>
The Beauty Shop
by Suzy Henderson</h2>
Publication Date: November 2016
eBook & Paperback; 350 Pages
Genre: Historical Romance
England, 1942. After three years of WWII, Britain is showing the scars. But in this darkest of days, three lives intertwine, changing their destinies and those of many more.
Dr Archibald McIndoe, a New Zealand plastic surgeon with unorthodox methods, is on a mission to treat and rehabilitate badly burned airmen – their bodies and souls. With the camaraderie and support of the Guinea Pig Club, his boys battle to overcome disfigurement, pain, and prejudice to learn to live again.
John ‘Mac’ Mackenzie of the US Air Force is aware of the odds. He has one chance in five of surviving the war. Flying bombing missions through hell and back, he’s fighting more than the Luftwaffe. Fear and doubt stalk him on the ground and in the air, and he’s torn between his duty and his conscience.
Shy, decent and sensible, Stella Charlton’s future seems certain until war breaks out. As a new recruit to the WAAF, she meets an American pilot on New Year’s Eve. After just one dance, she falls head over heels for the handsome airman. But when he survives a crash, she realises her own battle has only just begun.
Based on a true story, The Beauty Shop is a moving tale of love, compassion, and determination against a backdrop of wartime tragedy.
<br />
<h2>
About the Author<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/?attachment_id=10387" rel="attachment wp-att-10387"><img alt="03_suzy-henderson" class="alignright wp-image-10387" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/03_Suzy-Henderson.jpg" height="293" width="175" /></a></h2>
Suzy Henderson lives with her husband and two sons in Cumbria, England, on the edge of the beautiful Lake District, a rich and inspiring landscape of mountains, fells, and lakes. She never set out to be a writer, although she has always been a voracious reader.
Some years ago after leaving an established career in healthcare, Suzy began to research family history, soon becoming fascinated with both World War periods. After completing a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, she took a walk along a new path, writing from the heart. She writes historical fiction and has an obsession with military and aviation history.
Other interests include music, old movies, and photography – especially if WW2 aircraft are on the radar. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society. Her debut novel, The Beauty Shop, is to be released in November 2016.
For more information, please visit Suzy Henderson's <a href="http://www.suzyhendersonauthor.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. You can also connect with her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SuzyHendersonAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Suzy_Henderson" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/109057622139171622985" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/suzy39/">Pinterest</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10678540-suzy-henderson" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. Suzy also blogs at <a href="https://suzyhenderson.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://suzyhenderson.wordpress.com</a> and <a href="http://lowfellwritersplace.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://lowfellwritersplace.blogspot.co.uk</a>.
<br />
<h2>
Cover Reveal Hosts</h2>
<a href="http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/" target="_blank">100 Pages a Day</a>
<a href="http://abookgeek-llm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Book Geek</a>
<a href="http://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Beth's Book Nook Blog</a>
<a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
<a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<a href="http://thelitbitch.com/" target="_blank">The Lit Bitch</a>
<a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Maiden's Court</a>
<a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thebeautyshopcoverreveal" rel="attachment wp-att-10405" target="_blank"><img alt="04_the-beauty-shop_blog-tour-banner_final" class="aligncenter wp-image-10405 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/04_The-Beauty-Shop_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="178" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-54014052155369304652016-08-16T09:54:00.001-04:002016-08-16T09:54:31.587-04:00The Secret Language of Stones by MJ Rose<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesecretlanguageofstonesblogtour/02_the-secret-language-of-stones/" rel="attachment wp-att-9137"><img alt="02_The Secret Language of Stones" class="alignleft wp-image-9137" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/02_The-Secret-Language-of-Stones.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
The Secret Language of Stones by M.J. Rose</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Publication Date: July 19, 2016</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Atria Books</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hardcover & eBook; 320 Pages</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Series: The Daughters of La Lune, Book Two</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27274426-the-secret-language-of-stones" rel="attachment wp-att-9080" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-9080 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a></div>
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As World War I rages and the Romanov dynasty reaches its sudden, brutal end, a young jewelry maker discovers love, passion, and her own healing powers in this rich and romantic ghost story, the perfect follow-up to M.J. Rose’s “brilliantly crafted” (Providence Journal) novel <i>The Witch of Painted Sorrows</i>.<br />
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Nestled within Paris’s historic Palais Royal is a jewelry store unlike any other. La Fantasie Russie is owned by Pavel Orloff, protégé to the famous Faberge, and is known by the city’s fashion elite as the place to find the rarest of gemstones and the most unique designs. But war has transformed Paris from a city of style and romance to a place of fear and mourning. In the summer of 1918, places where lovers used to walk, widows now wander alone.<br />
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So it is from La Fantasie Russie’s workshop that young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi now spends her time making trench watches for soldiers at the front, as well as mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. People say that Opaline’s creations are magical. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. The concept is too closely associated with her mother Sandrine, who practices the dark arts passed down from their ancestor La Lune, one of sixteenth century Paris’s most famous courtesans.<br />
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But Opaline does have a rare gift even she can’t deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. Certain gemstones, combined with a personal item, such as a lock of hair, enable her to receive messages from beyond the grave. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message—directly to her.<br />
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So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family. Full of romance, seduction, and a love so powerful it reaches beyond the grave, <i>The Secret Language of Stones</i> is yet another “spellbindingly haunting” (Suspense magazine), “entrancing read that will long be savored” (Library Journal, starred review).<br />
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<b>“<i>A spellbinding ghost story that communicates the power of love and redemption through Rose's extraordinary, magical lens</i>.” (Alyson Richman, internationally bestselling author of The Lost Wife)</b><br />
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<b><i>m</i>y thoughts:</b><br />
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<i><b>What a fabulous book! I love MJ Rose and I loved the first book in the series </b><u style="font-weight: bold;">The Witch of Painted Sorrows, </u> It focused on Sandrine and her connection to LA LUNE. This book is about Sandrine's daughter, Opaline, also a witch. Opaline is a jewelry maker, an artist, during the time of the Russian Revolution. Any book that features the Russian royal family is a book for me! Opaline is asked by the Dowager Queen to help determine if her grandchildren, children of Tsar Nicholas, were killed along side him, or if they are alive. </i><br />
<i>Opaline also uses her talents to 'speak' with the dead soldiers of WWI. She creates jewelry, adds a person piece from the soldier, usually a lock of hair, and the dead 'speak to her'. What a talent! </i><br />
<i>This book will keep you up at night. I started and couldn't put it down until I finished. That is usually the case with any book by MJ Rose, but this book was even better than her previous ones</i><br />
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<b>5/5 teacups for The Secret Language of Stones.</b><br />
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<b>I look forward to more from MJ Rose.</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1PThYz2" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-secret-language-of-stones-m-j-rose/1122858686" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Secret-Language-Stones/M-J-Rose/9781476778099" target="_blank">Books-a-Million</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781476778099" target="_blank">IndieBound</a></span></h4>
<h3>
About the Author</h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesecretlanguageofstonesblogtour/03_m-j-rose-author-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-9136" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="03_M.J. Rose Author" class="alignright wp-image-9136" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/03_M.J.-Rose-Author.jpg" height="186" width="215" /></a>M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed.<br />
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She is the author of more than a dozen novels, the co-president and founding board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Visit her online at <a href="http://mjrose.com/" target="_blank">MJRose.com</a>.<br />
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Connect with M.J. Rose on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMJRose" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/MJRose" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/mjroseauthor" target="_blank">Pinterest </a>and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/69003.M_J_Rose" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://eepurl.com/c61ak" target="_blank">Sign up for M.J. Rose’s newsletter</a> and get information about new releases, free book downloads, contests, excerpts and more.<br />
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<h3>
Blog Tour Schedule</h3>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, July 12</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://thelitbitch.com/" target="_blank">The Lit Bitch</a><br />
Review at <a href="http://carrieslager.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Mad Reviewer</a><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.peekingbetweenthepages.com/" target="_blank">Peeking Between the Pages</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, July 13</b></span><br />
Spotlight at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, July 14</b></span><br />
Spotlight at <a href="http://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/" target="_blank">Teddy Rose Book Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, July 15</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Dream within a Dream</a><br />
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<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Monday, July 18</span></b><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a><br />
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<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tuesday, July 19</span></b><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.firstimpressionsreviews.com/" target="_blank">First Impressions Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, July 20</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://dogsmomvisits.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Laura's Interests</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, July 21</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.read-love-blog.com/" target="_blank">Read Love Blog</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, July 22</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="https://novelersblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Nerd in New York</a><br />
Spotlight at <a href="http://www.iheartreading.net/" target="_blank">I Heart Reading</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, July 25</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a><br />
Spotlight at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, July 26</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Fiction Obsession</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, July 27</b></span><br />
Interview at <a href="http://www.firstimpressionsreviews.com/" target="_blank">First Impressions Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, July 28</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.creatingherstory.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Creating Herstory</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, July 29</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Beth's Book Nook Blog</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, August 1</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Junkie Reads</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, August 2</b></span><br />
Interview at <a href="http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Junkie Reads</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, August 3</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://dianasbookreviews.com/" target="_blank">Diana's Book Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, August 4</b></span><br />
Interview at <a href="http://dianasbookreviews.com/" target="_blank">Diana's Book Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, August 5</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Chick Who Reads</a><br />
Spotlight at <a href="http://whatisthatbookabout.com/" target="_blank">What Is That Book About</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, August 8</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://somanybookssolittletimeblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">So Many Books, So Little Time</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, August 9</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.worthgettinginbedfor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Worth Getting in Bed For</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, August 10</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a><br />
Review at <a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CelticLady's Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, August 11</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://www.girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Girls Just Reading</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, August 12</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://dianneascroft.com/blog/" target="_blank">Dianne Ascroft's Blog</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, August 15</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="https://fangirlsahead.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Fangirls Ahead!</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, August 16</b></span><br />
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a><br />
Review at <a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a><br />
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesecretlanguageofstonesblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-9828" target="_blank"><img alt="04_TSLOS_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter wp-image-9828 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/04_TSLOS_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="165" width="400" /></a></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-48733724605625953632016-08-02T11:40:00.000-04:002016-08-02T12:22:55.022-04:00Gioconda by Lucille Turner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBCEA51QQC4S5Bp34pAZYVz0cVz1Tju-5PNVfF07mzpbkZD9ffdSRSeszT2UIva2VmPIJvzrt394vFaO2-IgGkwzAME0Pa3-fmj2VyQ9h8iTsw4vULlM1qWsRgszw6v4nz2bR4ZYY2fce/s1600/15134708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBCEA51QQC4S5Bp34pAZYVz0cVz1Tju-5PNVfF07mzpbkZD9ffdSRSeszT2UIva2VmPIJvzrt394vFaO2-IgGkwzAME0Pa3-fmj2VyQ9h8iTsw4vULlM1qWsRgszw6v4nz2bR4ZYY2fce/s400/15134708.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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about the book:</div>
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<span itemprop="bookFormatType">Paperback</span>, <span itemprop="numberOfPages">304 pages</span></div>
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Published August 1st 2012 by Granta Books <nobr class="greyText" style="color: #aaaaaa;">(first published January 1st 2011)</nobr></div>
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ISBN</div>
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1847083595 <span class="greyText" style="color: #aaaaaa;">(ISBN13: <span itemprop="isbn">9781847083593</span>)</span></div>
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English</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">A solitary child, Leonardo's only intimate is Lisa Gherardini, the girl who spies on him in his workshop. Spurned by his tutor, he is sent by his despairing father to Florence as an apprentice. Under the guiding hand of Verrocchio, the master sculptor, he begins to make his name. But success requires sacrifice; Florence demands a level of conformity impossible for him. Forced to leave, Leonardo places himself at the service of the charismatic, power-thirsty Duke of Milan. His journey leads him back to Lisa and the portrait he has waited so long to paint, the culmination of his life's work.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">From the glittering court of the Medici to the mortuaries of Milan and the battlefields of the Po valley, Lucille Turner's powerful novel vividly imagines Leonardo's lonely struggle to convince others of his vision of the world.</span></div>
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m<i>y thoughts:</i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">An interesting book. Very well written. We get into the mind of Leonardo da Vinci. I realize this is historical fiction, but it reads like a biography. A man full of ideas and ambitions. I expected a bit more from Leonardo's time in Milan. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The main story focuses on the relationship/friendship between Leonardo and Lisa (Mona Lisa), throughout his life and his quest for knowledge. I was intrigued with the explanations of his human dissections, particularly interesting was the dissection involving a young, pregnant woman. He treated the bodies he dissected with reverence and care, while learning all he could about human anatomy for the advancement of knowledge. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Leonardo's interest in medicine, weaponry and science are all explained in this book. The one thing left out, was the sodomy incident in Florence that clouded his early years. He wasn't convicted but it is still worth mentioning in any book featuring Leonardo. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I would like to personally thank Lucille Turner for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to more books by her. </span></i><br />
<i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I enjoyed reading this book and give it 4/5 stars</span></i></div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-23144794179453575412016-05-24T21:57:00.001-04:002016-05-24T21:57:59.529-04:00Portrait of a Conspiracy, DaVinci's Disciples by Donna Russo Morin<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/portraitofaconspiracyblogtour/02_the-portrait-of-conspiracy/" rel="attachment wp-att-8845"><img alt="02_The Portrait of Conspiracy" class="alignleft wp-image-8845" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/02_The-Portrait-of-Conspiracy.jpg" height="491" width="325" /></a></div>
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Portrait of Conspiracy: Da Vinci's Disciples - Book One by Donna Russo Morin</h3>
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Publication Date: May 10, 2016</div>
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Diversion Books</div>
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eBook & Paperback; 290 Pages</div>
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Genre: Historical Mystery</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27133251-portrait-of-conspiracy" rel="attachment wp-att-8364" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-8364 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a></div>
One murder ignites the powderkeg that threatens to consume the Medici's Florence. Amidst the chaos, five women and one legendary artist weave together a plot that could bring peace, or get them all killed. Seeking to wrest power from the Medici family in 15th Century Florence, members of the Pazzi family drew their blades in a church and slew Giuliano. But Lorenzo de Medici survives, and seeks revenge on everyone involved, plunging the city into a murderous chaos that takes dozens of lives. Bodies are dragged through the streets, and no one is safe. Five women steal away to a church to ply their craft in secret. Viviana, Fiammetta, Isabetta, Natasia, and Mattea are painters, not allowed to be public with their skill, but freed from the restrictions in their lives by their art. When a sixth member of their group, Lapaccia, goes missing, and is rumored to have stolen a much sought after painting as she vanished, the women must venture out into the dangerous streets to find their friend and see her safe. They will have help from one of the most renowned painters of their era the peaceful and kind Leonardo Da Vinci. It is under his tutelage that they will flourish as artists, and with his access that they will infiltrate some of the highest, most secretive places in Florence, unraveling one conspiracy as they build another in its place. Historical fiction at its finest, Donna Russo Morin begins a series of Da Vinci's disciples with a novel both vibrant and absorbing, perfect for the readers of Sarah Dunant.
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<b><i>"A riveting page-turner unlike any historical novel you’ve read, weaving passion, adventure, artistic rebirth, and consequences of ambition into the first of a trilogy by a masterful writer at the peak of her craft."</i> -C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de’ Medici and The Vatican Princess</b><br />
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<b>my thoughts:</b><br />
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<tr><td colspan="1" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Portrait of Conspiracy is a book you cannot put down!<br /><br />First of all, I love anything to do with the Renaissance, the Medici family, and Leonardo da Vinci. This was a win-win for me. There was no way I wouldn't love this story.<br /><br />The characters are so multi dimensional, you feel like you actually know each and every one of them. Some you'll love, some you'll hate, but you will get to know everyone, except perhaps Lorenzo de Medici. His role, while pivotal, is small in the actual dialogue of the book. This is such a well woven story, any reader with any interest in renaissance italy will love this book!<br /><br />The women who become Da Vinci's Disciples are amazing. I loved Viviana, she was my favorite character. Women from all walks of life who become leaders, albeit underground, of a movement. Women, strong women, who led by a man without prejudice, will become masters at their craft.<br /><br />I can't wait for more by Donna Russo Morin.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZZnRS44-je-SFjkty3y1UiKfzvysxdYcPAIwqux06Gzn_onY-WADVbUjIBZM8hmbwlGXsO9dTor2ttFhHEDpBCJAAiau6bGH6xRnJiTNkmrf4nqGylQdGvLqHOH2carE1kyk5m1RTF6y/s1600/4great.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZZnRS44-je-SFjkty3y1UiKfzvysxdYcPAIwqux06Gzn_onY-WADVbUjIBZM8hmbwlGXsO9dTor2ttFhHEDpBCJAAiau6bGH6xRnJiTNkmrf4nqGylQdGvLqHOH2carE1kyk5m1RTF6y/s1600/4great.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1YJuasb" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/portrait-of-conspiracy-donna-russo-morin/1122936488?ean=9781682300602" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Portrait-Conspiracy/Donna-Russon-Morin/9781682300602?id=6467390135384" target="_blank">Books-a-Million</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781682300602" target="_blank">IndieBound</a></span></h4>
<h3>
About the Author</h3>
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/portraitofaconspiracyblogtour/03_donna-russo-morin/" rel="attachment wp-att-8846" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="03_Donna Russo Morin" class="alignright wp-image-8846" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/03_Donna-Russo-Morin.jpg" height="167" width="150" /></a>Donna Russo Morin is the award winning of author of historical fiction. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, she lives near the shore with her two sons, Devon and Dylan, her greatest works in progress.
Donna enjoys meeting with book groups in person and via Skype chat. Visit her website at <a href="http://www.donnarussomorin.com/" target="_blank">www.donnarussomorin.com</a>; friend her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Donna.Russo.Morin?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DonnaRussoMorin" target="_blank">@DonnaRussoMorin</a>.
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Blog Tour Schedule</h3>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, May 10</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://unshelfish.org/" target="_blank">Unshelfish</a>
Review at <a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Maiden's Court</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, May 11</b></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, May 12</span></b>
Review at <a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CelticLady's Reviews</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, May 13</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a>
Review at <a href="https://quirkyladybookworm.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">With Her Nose Stuck In A Book</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, May 16</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
Interview at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, May 17</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.cavehominemuniuslibri.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Seize the Words</a>
<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wednesday, May 18</span></b>
Review at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a>
Review at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, May 19</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.worthgettinginbedfor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Worth Getting in Bed For</a>
Interview at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, May 20</b></span>
Guest Post at <a href="http://layeredpages.com/" target="_blank">Layered Pages</a>
Interview at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, May 23</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, May 24</b></span>
Review at #<a href="http://www.redheadwithbook.com/" target="_blank">redhead.with.book</a>
Interview at <a href="http://readingthepast.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Reading the Past</a>
<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wednesday, May 25</span></b>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, May 26</span></b>
Review at <a href="http://puddletownreviews.com/" target="_blank">Puddletown Reviews</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, May 27</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, May 30</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookish Affair</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, May 31</b></span>
Guest Post at <a href="http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookish Affair</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, June 1</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Book Connection</a>
<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, June 2</span></b>
Review at <a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
Review at <a href="http://bookramblings.net/" target="_blank">Bookramblings</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, June 3</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Beth's Book Nook Blog</a>
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<h3>
Giveaway</h3>
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To enter to win an eBook of PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY by Donne Russo Morin please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below. FIVE copies are up for grabs!
<b>Rules</b>
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 3rd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/n47mU/portrait-of-a-conspiracy" rel="nofollow">Portrait of a Conspiracy</a><br />
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/portraitofaconspiracyblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-9492" target="_blank"><img alt="04_Portrait of a Conspiracy_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter wp-image-9492 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/04_Portrait-of-a-Conspiracy_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="154" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-87169327100021595352016-05-23T08:34:00.002-04:002016-05-23T08:36:36.575-04:00Hades and Persephone had a daughter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu20HECmX-qwvS9sPKBzp757W83aPbH_UThx6sbl6wQWUojT1AEWgTGdGBxbVYFqvZ4rApM3qrDJGVd1ZgFssxTk44GSa8nobM64sEc7-k6loJrggd2ciznIDgDF18Q4ljEZwkDasBH1n1/s1600/29360229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu20HECmX-qwvS9sPKBzp757W83aPbH_UThx6sbl6wQWUojT1AEWgTGdGBxbVYFqvZ4rApM3qrDJGVd1ZgFssxTk44GSa8nobM64sEc7-k6loJrggd2ciznIDgDF18Q4ljEZwkDasBH1n1/s400/29360229.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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(book info copied from Goodreads.com)</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Chrys has been in the Underworld for thousands of years, hidden away by her father, Hades, from all of the other gods. He's afraid that if someone finds out about her, they will destroy her because of the dichotomous power that she holds, the power of life and death. So she has remained in the Palace of Hades all her life, making very few friends and always bored out of her mind.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Huntley would have never guessed that after he died he would wake up with a beautiful girl standing over him. And that she would be the Dark Lord of the Underworld's daughter. Yet, for some reason, she keeps him around as her tutor, as if he knows anything about the world. But Huntley knows that all she really wants is a friend; being trapped in the Underworld can get pretty lonely. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">That is, until Chrys decides she wants to run away to the human world after a big fight with her mother Persephone. Chrys claims her father is just over reacting and that nothing bad will come of it. There's no way that the gods will notice she's there for only a couple of days...right?</span></div>
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my thoughts</div>
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I liked this book. It was quirky and fun. I don't care for some of the language. It's not necessary to drop the 'f bomb' to get a point across. I also don't care for the character of Persephone. The story of Hades and Persephone has always been one of my favorite Greek mythology stories. Hades, in my opinion, was one of the best of the Greek gods. He got a bad rap because he was the god of death, but he was the most honest, and faithful of the gods.</div>
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Chrys is the daughter of Hades and Persephone. She is the strongest goddess of them all, She has the combined power of both Hades and Persephone. She's stuck in the underworld because of her power. Well, you can imagine what happens. A young teenager who wants to see the world. She and two friends escape the underworld and end up in London. What happens is definitely worth a read!</div>
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This is the first of a series. I'll be looking forward to the next book in the series.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeeXJpEZwM-revoPBnrg6HvUuuLlblWGCl8Tq5BFnmYdSUkXqGJnySyE9P_YGNU3i2M569RSjfkyeiGfSrRkozjNTFbZ0Cn44iD26fcc0miV2r5w923iZRJMNtTr1Ul6D6AcsoV4mxsqt/s1600/4teacups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeeXJpEZwM-revoPBnrg6HvUuuLlblWGCl8Tq5BFnmYdSUkXqGJnySyE9P_YGNU3i2M569RSjfkyeiGfSrRkozjNTFbZ0Cn44iD26fcc0miV2r5w923iZRJMNtTr1Ul6D6AcsoV4mxsqt/s1600/4teacups.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-40636597180713964802016-05-17T23:02:00.003-04:002016-05-17T23:12:53.198-04:00Blog Tour By Helen's Hand (Helen of Sparta #2) by Amalia Carosella<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwv9b5eqGtUSlVIGAuKnfrQWmEGsUXTFfGRlSemSLdRbcUvsiYQO3qGubWxdgvCa4MJ_DHZESlvDUtEYmVnxh0FWIa_rC6dISzmuhmRp2H6TlrRmClYeko4kjHPR2UlayhPZQZGLQ7eCXq/s1600/02_By-Helens-Hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwv9b5eqGtUSlVIGAuKnfrQWmEGsUXTFfGRlSemSLdRbcUvsiYQO3qGubWxdgvCa4MJ_DHZESlvDUtEYmVnxh0FWIa_rC6dISzmuhmRp2H6TlrRmClYeko4kjHPR2UlayhPZQZGLQ7eCXq/s400/02_By-Helens-Hand.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4c4c; font-family: "merriweather sans" , "century gothic" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Publication Date: May 10, 2016</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4c4c; font-family: "merriweather sans" , "century gothic" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Lake Union Publishing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4c4c; font-family: "merriweather sans" , "century gothic" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">eBook & Paperback;</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4c4c; font-family: "merriweather sans" , "century gothic" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span><br />
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With divine beauty comes dangerous power.</div>
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Helen believed she could escape her destiny and save her people from utter destruction. After defying her family and betraying her intended husband, she found peace with her beloved Theseus, the king of Athens and son of Poseidon</div>
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But peace did not last long. Cruelly separated from Theseus by the gods, and uncertain whether he will live or die, Helen is forced to return to Sparta. In order to avoid marriage to Menelaus, a powerful prince unhinged by desire, Helen assembles an array of suitors to compete for her hand. As the men circle like vultures, Helen dreams again of war—and of a strange prince, meant to steal her away. Every step she takes to protect herself and her people seems to bring destruction nearer. Without Theseus’s strength to support her, can Helen thwart the gods and stop her nightmare from coming to pass?</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Helens-Hand-Helen-Sparta-ebook/dp/B015XWK88I?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&linkId=5d8db35a801ba33c30fa9c311e864288&qid=&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&sr=&tag=passagestothepast-20">Amazon Kindle</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1503933482/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&linkCode=sl1&tag=passagestothepast-20&linkId=16a7ebcf49c42a59be5f7a131e472963">Amazon (paperback)</a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/by-helens-hand-amalia-carosella/1122771992?ean=9781503933484&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads%2c%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads%2c%20IncM000027">barnes & noble</a> <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781503933484">IndieBound</a></div>
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My thoughts:</div>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">What a fabulous version of what might have happened to Helen.
I love the Iliad. Love everything about the classic novel. Amalia Carosella </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">has taken everything good about Helen's tale and enhanced it. She's brought </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">the characters to life. Helen is no squirming little twit, as she's been portrayed </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">in film, but a strong lead character. I must admit, I see Paris in a different light </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">after reading this book. I've always thought him a bit of a coward. Well, </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">thoughts can change. </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;"> Amalia gives a voice to those who may have lived so long ago.</pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;"> I can't subscribe to the idea that THE ILIAD is just a story. For me, it's a real </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">event. Actual people lived and died in Troy. Crazy, maniacal Agamemnon and </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">his equally crazy brother Menelaus were real people, in my mind. Ms. Carosella </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">has brought them to life! She has 'filled in the blanks' left by Homer. I love </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">the way each character is allowed to speak, we are allowed into the minds </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">of each character. We see their strengths and weaknesses. </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;"></pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">Does everything turn out well for Helen? I'm not going to say. What I will say</pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">is that I really enjoyed this book. Everything fits together. Just don't forget </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">to read <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/2015/04/helen-of-sparta.html">HELEN of SPARTA</a> first!</pre>
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about the author</div>
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Amalia Carosella graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelors degree in Classical Studies and English. An avid reader and former bookseller, she writes about old heroes and older gods. She lives with her husband in upstate New York and dreams of the day she will own goats (and maybe even a horse, too). For more information, visit her blog at<a href="http://www.amaliacarosella.com/" style="background: transparent; border: none; color: #e87c5f; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.amaliacarosella.com</a>. She also writes fantasy and paranormal romance as Amalia Dillin.</div>
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You can also connect with Amalia on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmaliaCarosella" style="background: transparent; border: none; color: #e87c5f; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8570972.Amalia_Carosella" style="background: transparent; border: none; color: #e87c5f; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodreads</a>, and Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/AmaliaTd" style="background: transparent; border: none; color: #e87c5f; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">here</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AmaliaCarosella" style="background: transparent; border: none; color: #e87c5f; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">here</a>.</div>
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Giveaway</h2>
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To win a $40 Amazon Gift Card, sponsored by Amalia Carosella, please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rules</strong></div>
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– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 24th. You must be 18 or older to enter.<br />
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.<br />
– Only one entry per household.<br />
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion<br />
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.</div>
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Enter the giveaway <a href="http://www.passagestothepast.com/search/label/Giveaway">here</a></div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-11644155125513997552016-05-08T09:06:00.000-04:002016-05-08T09:24:29.096-04:00The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie<h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/therivalsofversaillesblogtour/02_the-rivals-of-versaille/" rel="attachment wp-att-8835"><img alt="02_The Rivals of Versaille" class="alignleft wp-image-8835" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/02_The-Rivals-of-Versaille.jpg" height="466" width="300" /></a></h3>
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The Rivals of Versailles (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy #2)
by Sally Christie</h3>
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Atria Books
eBook & Paperback; 448 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25855582-the-rivals-of-versailles" rel="attachment wp-att-8364" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-8364 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a><br />
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And you thought sisters were a thing to fear! In this compelling follow-up to Sally Christie’s clever and absorbing debut, we meet none other than the Marquise de Pompadour, one of the greatest beauties of her generation and the first bourgeois mistress ever to grace the hallowed halls of Versailles.
The year is 1745 and Louis XV’s bed is once again empty. Enter Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, a beautiful girl from the middle classes. As a child, a fortune teller had mapped out Jeanne’s destiny: she would become the lover of a king and the most powerful woman in the land. Eventually connections, luck, and a little scheming pave her way to Versailles and into the King’s arms.
All too soon, conniving politicians and hopeful beauties seek to replace the bourgeoise interloper with a more suitable mistress. As Jeanne, now the Marquise de Pompadour, takes on her many rivals—including a lustful lady-in-waiting, a precocious 14-year-old prostitute, and even a cousin of the notorious Nesle sisters—she helps the king give himself over to a life of luxury and depravity. Around them, war rages, discontent grows, and France inches ever closer to the Revolution.
Enigmatic beauty, social climber, actress, trendsetter, patron of the arts, spendthrift, whoremonger, friend, lover, foe: history books say many things about the famous Marquise de Pompadour. Alongside Catherine the Great of Russia and Maria Theresa of Austria, she is considered one of the three most powerful women of the 18th century, and one of the most influential royal mistresses of all time.
In <em><strong>The Rivals of Versailles</strong></em>, Christie gets to the heart of Pompadour’s legendary relationship with Louis XV, France’s most “well-beloved” king. Pompadour was not only his mistress, but his confidante and influential political adviser for close to twenty years. Full of historical insight, decadence, wit and scandal, <em><strong>The Rivals of Versailles</strong></em> is about one woman’s trials and triumphs, her love for a king, and her role in shaping a nation.
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1SFnZNO">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rivals-of-versailles-sally-christie/1122340755;jsessionid=31A5A6B9DF77ADB5A6E8F35081FB2355.prodny_store01-atgap07?ean=9781501102998&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Rivals-of-Versailles-Sally-Christie/9781501102998?ref=grid-view">Book Depository</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501102998">IndieBound</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-rivals-of-versailles">Kobo</a></h3>
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The Mistresses of Versailles Series</h2>
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About the Author</h2>
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesistersofversaillesblogtour/04_sally-christie_author/" rel="attachment wp-att-7611"><img alt="04_Sally Christie_Author" class="alignright wp-image-7611" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/04_Sally-Christie_Author.jpg" height="237" width="158" /></a></h2>
I'm a life-long history buff - and I mean life-long. One of the first adult books I read was Antonia Fraser's masterful Mary, Queen of Scots. Wow! That book just blew my little ten year old mind: something about the way it brought the past right back to life, made it live again on the page. I date my obsession with history to that time, but I'd been writing ("writing") ever since I was able to hold a pencil.
If you'd told my 12-year old self that I'd not be a writer when I grew up, I would have laughed you out of the tree house. With a few detours along the way, to work overseas in consulting and development, as well as to go to business school, I've finally come full circle to where I think I should be.
I currently live in Toronto and when I'm not writing, I'm playing lots of tennis; doing random historical research (old census records are my favorite); playing Scrabble, and squirrel-watching (the room where I write has French doors leading out to a deck; I avidly follow, and feed, a scruffy gang).
For more information please visit Sally Christie's <a href="http://www.sallychristieauthor.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. You can also find her on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13854110.Sally_Christie" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> and <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/sallychristie52/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>.<br />
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Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sunday, May 1</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://abookdrunkard.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A Book Drunkard</a>
Spotlight & Giveaway at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, May 2</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://carolinewilsonwrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Wilson Writes</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, May 3</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Maiden's Court</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, May 4</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://toreadornottoread.net/" target="_blank">To Read or Not to Read</a>
Review at <a href="https://quirkyladybookworm.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">With Her Nose Stuck In A Book</a>
Review, Guest Post, & Giveaway at <a href="http://historyundressed.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">History Undressed</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, May 5</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bookish</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, May 6</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, May 9</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://leeanna.me/" target="_blank">leeanna.me</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, May 10</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://agelesspagesreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ageless Pages Reviews</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, May 11</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, May 12</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://thelitbitch.com/" target="_blank">The Lit Bitch</a>
Interview at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, May 13</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.redheadwithbook.com/" target="_blank">#redhead.with.book</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sunday, May 15</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Svetlana's Reads and Views</a>
Review & Giveaway at <a href="http://www.historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Fiction </a><br />
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my thoughts:<br />
<br />
Charming trip through France during the reign of Louis XV. (I'll be honest,<br />
I always get the Louis' mixed up).<br />
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In part one of this series, we met the Nesle sisters, former mistresses of Louis,<br />
in this book, we meet Madame de Pompadour. Jeanne Poisson. <br />
In her youth, a gypsy woman predicts that Jeanne will win the heart<br />
of a king. She takes this to heart and with the help of her mother and<br />
some powerful allies, she becomes mistress to the King of France. <br />
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We witness a young, innocent girl change into an older, wiser woman.<br />
One who deals with the court machinations on a daily basis, and<br />
emerges as the winner!<br />
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Jeanne is not loved at court. The snobby nobility looks down upon<br />
her because of her lack of noble breeding. They all consider her<br />
beneath them. Well, she has the last laugh, as one by one each of<br />
her enemies is banished from court.<br />
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She is charming and delightful. Louis, however, was a spoiled<br />
rotten brat who needed a mother more than a mistress. I spent a<br />
great deal of time hoping someone would just slap him. <br />
<br />
We watch as Jeanne becomes less of a lover, and more of a dear<br />
friend to a man-child who needs all the friends he can get. She was<br />
able to get through to him in a manner others could only admire. The<br />
only thing I found annoying was her lack of confidence in her<br />
perception of his love for her.<br />
<br />
Sally Christie has done a wonderful job of showing us court life<br />
at Versailles. She masterfully tells a story. I was enthralled and<br />
couldn't put this book down!<br />
I can't wait for the conclusion of this trilogy.<br />
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-83724258008380973052016-05-04T08:59:00.000-04:002016-05-04T09:01:08.845-04:00Lucille Turner's Giaconda: A Novel of Leonardo Da Vinci book blast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCF20TsKbF2cdmMWxx706Vz0Xr2pZ6b94kkEvOuI3Cm_lCbVNTEYt1UhMPK7Efus1DWJqKAVis3kLteP3URNmBpJpEMxlXagneuXl-3wT0IC3b0FPuKOV1ZYD3KJw7l8AyA-C7k9hjUHF/s1600/02_Gioconda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCF20TsKbF2cdmMWxx706Vz0Xr2pZ6b94kkEvOuI3Cm_lCbVNTEYt1UhMPK7Efus1DWJqKAVis3kLteP3URNmBpJpEMxlXagneuXl-3wT0IC3b0FPuKOV1ZYD3KJw7l8AyA-C7k9hjUHF/s640/02_Gioconda.jpg" width="409" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Giaconda: A Novel of Leonardo Da Vinci</span></div>
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Publication Date: August 1, 2012</div>
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Granta Books</div>
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ebook and paperback, 304 pages</div>
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Genre: historical fiction</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15134708-gioconda">Goodreads link</a></div>
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In a world where everyone wants to tell you how to think, what do you do when you know that they are wrong?</div>
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Anchiano 1452. A boy is born to a father who will never understand him. Unless he finds the power to become what he could be, he will remain what he is, the son of a notary from a hamlet in the hills, nobody. As he grows up out of step with everyone around him, Leonardo must follow his instincts if he is ever to fulfil the vow he makes: to save people from each other — to save them from themselves. But the time will come when he will have to make a choice. Does he share his knowledge and pay the price for it? Or does he do what his hands have always told him to do? Hide it.</div>
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He looks at his aching hands. Runs them over his bony face and rough beard. How long before his body gives up, and when it does, what of it? If he stops now, what will happen – will he live more? What is more, more of what?</div>
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<b>Praise</b></div>
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"Gioconda proposes an elegant solution to the problem of why the portrait of the wife of a silk merchant was never delivered ... Gioconda is a qualified success, scrupulous with its sources, careful with its conclusions." -<b>Financial Times</b></div>
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"An elegant, historical debut novel... cleverly constructed and imagined ... full of vivid characters and well-drawn incidents. Turner's careful research and graceful prose style make Gioconda a pleasure to read." -<b>Tina Jackson, Metro</b></div>
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"Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci's astonishing genius is brought to life in this vividly atmospheric novel. From his solitary childhood to the conception of his iconic masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, this richly imagined life story will inspire you to re-examine his ideas, drawings and paintings." -<b>Easy Living</b></div>
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"Lucille offers a fresh and intimate perspective on da Vinci's life ...From the first page she draws the reader in with such a natural easy style you feel you were observing Leonardo da Vinci as he really was." -<b>Bournemouth Echo</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About the Author</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlJw-V3X8AR2zaXiACx35B2r52YqJrrarIfOzgGyKht9MhJqX-5EWSo1d1lmQTNXOcOHrlWCd4jEkNmN89p9BgtPFFrJ4Vfcc2bVyfWSb1U7HzSqg8rbaWJVzSkD0xsXJ-ra6bllSTLPk/s1600/03_Lucille-Turner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlJw-V3X8AR2zaXiACx35B2r52YqJrrarIfOzgGyKht9MhJqX-5EWSo1d1lmQTNXOcOHrlWCd4jEkNmN89p9BgtPFFrJ4Vfcc2bVyfWSb1U7HzSqg8rbaWJVzSkD0xsXJ-ra6bllSTLPk/s320/03_Lucille-Turner.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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Author of Gioconda, a novel about the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, Lucille Turner is an international prize-winning novelist who lives between England and France. She has an MA in Comparative Literature and teaches part-time at university in France.</div>
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For more information please visit Lucille Turner's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Book blast schedule</span></div>
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Thursday, May 5</div>
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<a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/">Book Nerd</a></div>
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Friday, May 6</div>
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<a href="https://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/">Beth's Book Nook Blog</a></div>
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Saturday, May 7</div>
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<a href="http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com/">The Book Junkie Reads</a></div>
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Monday, May 9</div>
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<a href="http://princessofeboligossipcorner.blogspot.com/">The Never-Ending Book</a></div>
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Tuesday, May 10</div>
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<a href="http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/">100 Pages a Day</a></div>
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Wednesday, May 11</div>
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<a href="http://brokenteepee.com/">Broken Teepee</a></div>
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Thursday, May 12</div>
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<a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/">CelticLady's Reviews</a></div>
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<a href="https://quirkyladybookworm.wordpress.com/">With Her Nose Stuck In A Book</a></div>
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Friday, May 13</div>
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<a href="https://heatherosborneauthor.wordpress.com/">Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Giveaway</i></span></div>
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To enter to win a paperback copy of Gioconda by Lucille Turner please follow the link to enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form. Two copies are up for grabs!</div>
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Rules</div>
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– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on May 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter.</div>
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– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.</div>
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– Only one entry per household.</div>
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– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion</div>
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– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.</div>
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<a href="https://gleam.io/tTaxf/gioconda-book-blast"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Gleam contest entry site</span></a></div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-88666334770521688952016-04-29T09:13:00.000-04:002016-04-29T09:13:52.691-04:00Guinivere's story continues<h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/camelotsqueenblogtour/02_camelots-queen/" rel="attachment wp-att-9204"><img alt="02_Camelot's Queen" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9204" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/02_Camelots-Queen.jpg" height="499" width="333" /></a></h3>
<h3>
Camelot's Queen (Guinevere's Tale, Book Two)
by Nicole Evelina</h3>
Publication Date: April 12, 2016
Lawson Gartner Publishing
eBook;<br />
358 Pages
Series:<br />
Guinevere's Tale
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28589610-camelot-s-queen" rel="attachment wp-att-9080" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-9080 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a>
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<strong><em>History remembers Guinevere’s sin, but it was Arthur who transgressed first</em>.</strong>
Forced into a marriage she neither anticipated nor desired, Guinevere finds herself High Queen, ruling and fighting alongside Arthur as they try to subdue the Saxons, Irish and Picts who threaten Britain from every direction. Though her heart still longs for her lost love, Guinevere slowly grows to care for her husband as they join together to defeat their enemies.
Meanwhile, within the walls of Camelot their closest allies plot against them. One schemes to make Guinevere his own, another seeks revenge for past transgressions, while a third fixes her eyes on the throne. When the unthinkable happens and Guinevere is feared dead, Arthur installs a new woman in her place, one who will poison his affections toward her, threatening Guinevere’s fragile sanity and eventually driving her into the arms of her champion.
Amid this tension a new challenge arises for the king and queen of Camelot: finding the Holy Grail, a sacred relic that promises lasting unity. But peace, as they will soon learn, can be just as dangerous as war. As the court begins to turn on itself, it becomes clear that the quest that was to be Arthur’s lasting legacy may end in the burning fires of condemnation.
This highly anticipated sequel to <em>Daughter of Destiny</em> proves there is much more to Guinevere’s story than her marriage and an affair. See the legend you think you know through her eyes and live the adventure of Camelot’s golden days yourself – but prepared to suffer its downfall as well.
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1XQlZ8Y" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/camelots-queen-nicole-evelina/1123624182;jsessionid=3B52B30705211AD30F9434D3357F5C56.prodny_store01-atgap06?ean=9780996763134" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Camelots-Queen/Nicole-Evelina/9780996763134?id=6440704294609" target="_blank">Books-a-Million</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780996763134" target="_blank">IndieBound</a></h3>
<h2>
About the Author</h2>
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Nicole Evelina is a St. Louis historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. Her debut novel, <em>Daughter of Destiny</em>, the first book of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere’s life story from her point of view, has been short-listed for the Chaucer Award in Early Historical Fiction. <em>Camelot’s Queen</em> is its sequel.
Later this year, she will release Been Searching for You (May 10), a romantic comedy that won the 2015 Romance Writers of America (RWA) Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests, and <em>Madame Presidentess</em> (July 25), a historical novel about Victoria Woodhull, America's first female Presidential candidate, which has been short-listed for the Goethe Award in Late Historical Fiction.
She hopes to have the final book in Guinevere’s Tale available in late 2016 or early 2017.
Nicole is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere’s Tale trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research <em>The Mists of Avalon</em>.
Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for the The Historical Novel Society, and Sirens (a group supporting female fantasy authors), as well as a member of the Historical Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, Women Writing the West, Broad Universe (promoting women in fantasy, science fiction and horror), Alliance of Independent Authors and the Independent Book Publishers Association.
She spent 15 years researching Arthurian legend, Celtic Britain and the various peoples, cultures and religious practices that shaped the country after the withdrawal of Rome. Other historical interests include the Middle Ages and women who made their mark on history. She’s also a frequent visitor to Chicago, where <em>Been Searching for You</em> takes place.
Her website/blog is <a href="http://nicoleevelina.com/" target="_blank">http://nicoleevelina.com</a> and she can be found on <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleEvelina" target="_blank">Twitter</a> as well as on <a href="http://pinterest.com/nicoleevelina/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Evelina/477419575613360?fref=ts/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/nicoleevelina" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/nicoleevelina/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://nicoleevelina.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.
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<br />
<i>my thoughts:(<b><u>SPOILERS</u></b>)</i><br />
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<i>I just received this book, and I wasn't certain if I could finish it in time for this review. I shouldn't have worried. I couldn't put it down! My advice is to read the books in order, read Daughter of Destiny before reading Camelot's Queen. As a reader, you need to be introduced to the characters and witness their interactions and relationships to completely follow the story.</i><br />
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<i>I</i> <i>loved this book. It dealt with some frightening issues. Guinivere was wed to a man she didn't choose (yes, Arthur), abducted, violated, and forced to endure all sorts of mistreatment. She endures it all with the regal bearing of a true queen. Without giving away too much, yes, we meet Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table, we seek the Holy Grail, and we see the beginning of the end of Camelot. Through it all, we laugh and cry with Guinivere. She is the 'star' of this series. We've all read about Camelot through the eyes of Arthur, or perhaps Lancelot, but this is an amazing view from the Queen herself, a Priestess of Avalon. </i><br />
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<i>I highly recommend this series, for anyone with any interest in Camelot. This is not for the faint hearted. The scenes are not graphic, but some can be considered disturbing.</i><br />
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<i>I give this book a 5 teacup rating.</i><br />
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<br />
Blog Tour Schedule<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, April 25</strong></span>
Kick Off & Giveaway at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, April 26</strong></span>
Excerpt & Giveaway at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, April 27</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, April 28</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, April 29</strong></span>
Review & Excerpt, & Giveaway at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Saturday, April 30</strong></span>
Review, Excerpt & Giveaway at <a href="http://dogsmomvisits.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Laura's Interests</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, May 2</strong></span>
Review at <a href="https://heatherosborneauthor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, May 3</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">The Baking Bookworm</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, May 4</strong></span>
Interview & Giveaway at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, May 5</span></strong>
Interview at <a href="http://dianneascroft.com/blog/" target="_blank">Author Dianne Ascroft's Blog</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, May 10</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.curlingupbythefire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Curling up by the Fire</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, May 11</strong></span>
Review & Giveaway at <a href="http://singinglibrarianbooks.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Singing Librarian Books</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, May 12</span></strong>
Review at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, May 13</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
Interview at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, May 16</strong></span>
Review & Excerpt at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
Review at <a href="http://www.cavehominemuniuslibri.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Seize the Words: Books in Review</a><br />
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We are honored to include an excerpt from Camelot's Queen</div>
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<b>Preview of <i>Camelot’s Queen </i>by Nicole Evelina<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I made it to my
room and slammed the door. Alone at last, I leaned against the door, struggling
to catch my breath. Tears spilled over as the enormity of the day finally sank
in. I slid down to the floor and ran my hands through my hair. How could my
life have changed so much in only a few hours? I thought Arthur had grown to
love me, but he had just accepted a former lover back into his confidence after
only having been reunited with her for a few hours. What did that mean for my
marriage?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I didn’t know how
long I spent contemplating my situation, but just as quickly as the tears had
come, I started laughing. I was being ridiculous. Arthur had had to learn to
live with Aggrivane at court long ago. Granted he’d sent my former betrothed on
missions away from Camelot as often as possible, but he had still learned how
to cope with his presence. I was behaving like a child. Galen had been right
the day we argued in the forest so many years before. I really was worse than a
fisherman’s wife. And worse, I had changed little with the passage of time. I
stood, straightening my dress and mentally preparing myself to apologize to
them both. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
After a few deep
breaths, I went back down to the meeting room, expecting to find Arthur and
Sobian discussing the finer points of her new role. But to my surprise, the
room was empty. Octavia came in, holding a tray to collect the ale pitcher and
our used glasses. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
“Do you know where
Arthur went?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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She eyed me
carefully. “He is in his room. Alone.” She emphasized the word, knowing I would
wonder. “They told me about her new role. Are you in agreement that it is
wise?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I will be,” I
reassured her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Octavia made a
noise indicating she wasn’t so certain then busied herself cleaning up the table.
That was when I saw the lone sheet of paper. Thinking it to be notes from
Arthur and Sobian’s discussion, I bent over the table to get a better look. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My blood turned to
ice. The letters were formed of patterns made by varying lengths of horizontal,
vertical, and diagonal lines. It was written in Ogham, the ancient language of
the Druids, so it could not have come from Arthur. He hadn’t studied with them
long enough to have learned it. Plus, its message was not one a husband leaves
his wife.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I ran to Arthur’s
room, rubbing my hand over the goose-pimpled flesh of my arm. “You may wish to
rethink your decision,” I said as I entered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He looked up. “Why
is that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I held the paper
out to him. “This was left in the meeting room.” I shivered again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
He plucked the
paper out of my hand and turned it in several directions, trying to figure out
how to read it. “Ogham. That’s unusual. What does it say?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I grabbed it back,
irritated beyond decorum. After what had happened with the madman and Sobian, I
didn’t think I could take much more. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
“That’s the problem.
I think it’s a threat. ‘<i>My queen, you may
close your eyes to the one you scorned, but that will not keep me away.</i> <i>I will breathe your last breath so that you
will live on forever in me.’</i>”<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Arthur’s face
darkened. “Only one man could claim such a thing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I looked at him
quizzically, brow furrowing. “How do you know Sobian isn’t party to this? It
appeared right after she did in the very room she last occupied.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Arthur sighed,
clearly frustrated that I didn’t trust Sobian implicitly as he did. “Because
this isn’t her way. As she said, if she wished you dead, you would be. She has
no need for idle threats.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Who then?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
“Think about the
message.” His tone took on a condescending air I did not care for. “Someone you
once rejected? Who did you give up to marry me? You may not want to see it, but
the answer is right in front of you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
He didn’t have to
say the name. Suddenly I knew exactly who he blamed. His menacing gaze was
fixed on my former lover.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Guilty or not,
Aggrivane was in serious trouble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-18084058872501126982016-03-01T10:24:00.003-05:002016-03-01T10:27:25.009-05:00Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Original TitleLoving Eleanor</div>
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ASINB017HUG4LE</div>
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Edition LanguageEnglish</div>
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URLhttp://www.LovingEleanor.com</div>
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about the book</div>
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<b>When AP political reporter Lorena Hickok—Hick—is assigned to cover Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the wife of the 1932 Democratic presidential candidate, the two women become deeply, intimately involved. Their relationship begins with mutual romantic passion, matures through stormy periods of enforced separation and competing interests, and warms into an enduring, encompassing friendship that ends only with both women's deaths in the 1960s—all of it documented by 3300 letters exchanged over thirty years. </b></div>
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<b>Now, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert recreates the fascinating story of Hick and Eleanor, set during the chaotic years of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War. Loving Eleanor is Hick’s personal story, revealing Eleanor as a complex, contradictory, and entirely human woman who is pulled in many directions by her obligations to her husband and family and her role as the nation’s First Lady, as well as by a compelling need to care and be cared for. For her part, Hick is revealed as an accomplished journalist, who, at the pinnacle of her career, gives it all up for the woman she loves. Then, as Eleanor is transformed into Eleanor Everywhere, First Lady of the World, Hick must create her own independent, productive life.</b></div>
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<b>Drawing on extensive research in the letters that were sealed for a decade following Hick’s death, Albert creates a compelling narrative: a dramatic love story, vividly portraying two strikingly unconventional women, neither of whom is satisfied to live according to the script society has written for her. Loving Eleanor is a profoundly moving novel that illuminates a relationship we are seldom privileged to see and celebrates the depth and durability of women’s love.</b></div>
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<b><i>my thoughts:</i></b></div>
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<i>I approached this book with a certain degree of caution. While I love anything dealing with Eleanor Roosevelt, I was unhappy with the way this author portrayed Laura Ingalls Wilder in A WILDER ROSE.</i></div>
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<i>Well, this book was FANTASTIC!! A fictional view of the relationship between Hick, Lorena Hickock, and E.R.. This is a heartwarming book that explores a tragic relationship between two strong women. Hick is responsible for E.R. becoming the figure history remembers, the woman we all admire and respect.</i></div>
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<i>The readers learn about a difficult time in American history. We travel through the depression and into WWII. </i></div>
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<i>The research done by Susan Albert is obvious. The reader will sense her strong bond with the people in this novel. The writing is fantastic. We see two lonely individuals who become closer than sisters and find warmth with each other. This is a moving story of friendship, love and deep bonding. While we learn about Eleanor, this book is mainly about Hick. Definitely worth a read!!</i></div>
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Praise</div>
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“Albert captures Hick’s spirit with energetic prose, painting a colorful picture of her fascinating life together with and apart from Eleanor. Although this memoir is fictional, the author draws upon thousands of personal letters, first-person accounts by others, and further research to present a compelling possible narrative of the relationship between Eleanor and Hick. Albert’s illuminating afterword adds important context to her narrative choices, and a comprehensive bibliography will encourage additional research. This warm, extensively researched novel will entrance readers and inspire them to look further into the lives of two extraordinary women.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)</div>
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“Albert captures the turbulent thirties and forties with affecting detail, writing a novel notable not only for its emotional authenticity, but for its careful historicity. The nuances of Eleanor and Hick’s relationship are both moving and involving. Loving Eleanor is an intelligent love story with huge historical appeal.” —Foreword Reviews</div>
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“Susan Albert has done it again with another engaging, rich portrait, this time of women in love. Drawn from history, the love story of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok is full of excitement, drama and pathos. Both women of great intelligence and deep feelings, Eleanor and Lorena move from lovers to lifelong friends in the context of the most turbulent times of the 20th Century. As same-sex relationships finally move toward full acceptance in our culture, Albert’s book reminds us that love has always been love, no matter the partners.” —Robin Gerber, author of Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way</div>
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“Loving Eleanor, Susan Wittig Albert’s novelized memoir of Lorena Hickok’s intimate relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt, is both richly nuanced and impressively detailed. Drawn from the thirty years of correspondence Hickok donated to the FDR Library toward the end of her life, “Hick’s” voice felt utterly authentic to me, always real, raw and compelling. Hick is a dichotomy—a tough, streetwise Associated Press reporter, and a tender, devoted friend and lover. This is not only an important book, but a great read. Loving Eleanor deserves to be at the top of your reading list!” —Ellen Hart, author of The Grave Soul, a Jane Lawless Mystery</div>
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“Susan Albert has, with imagination and deep knowledge of the historical record, supplied the missing pieces of the love story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok. Here is everything we wish we knew. I couldn’t put it down.” —Leila Rupp, Professor of Feminist Studies, UC Santa Barbara,</div>
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“This birds-eye view of the FDR years is engaging from the first sentence. With Eleanor Roosevelt’s long-time lover as its narrator it navigates the catastrophes of the era and the heartbreak of women loving women in an unwelcoming time.” —Rebecca Coffey, author of Hysterical: Anna Freud’s Story</div>
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about the author</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Qmrzn_B9Y3CXtrMAovgDS9DM1c3420Cgo-LT7oE_f3iAGqr4tWQTht_BJBhGq1pe_3ATMp5um6bMKukKdYWg7aV9DK874UtJ9u86TGFbbrw_GogW5psVnR0zQYmC0is3fIDklr-T05W1/s1600/03_Susan-Wittig-Albert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Qmrzn_B9Y3CXtrMAovgDS9DM1c3420Cgo-LT7oE_f3iAGqr4tWQTht_BJBhGq1pe_3ATMp5um6bMKukKdYWg7aV9DK874UtJ9u86TGFbbrw_GogW5psVnR0zQYmC0is3fIDklr-T05W1/s1600/03_Susan-Wittig-Albert.jpg" /></a></div>
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Susan Wittig Albert is the award-winning, NYT bestselling author of the forthcoming historical novel Loving Eleanor (2016), about the intimate friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok; and A Wilder Rose (2014), about Rose Wilder Lane and the writing of the Little House books.</div>
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Her award-winning fiction also includes mysteries in the China Bayles series, the Darling Dahlias, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries she has written with her husband, Bill Albert, under the pseudonym of Robin Paige.</div>
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She has written two memoirs: An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days and Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place, published by the University of Texas Press.</div>
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Her nonfiction titles include What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest (winner of the 2009 Willa Award for Creative Nonfiction); Writing from Life: Telling the Soul’s Story; and Work of Her Own: A Woman’s Guide to Success Off the Career Track.</div>
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She is founder and current president (2015-2017) of the Story Circle Network and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.</div>
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For more information please visit www.susanalbert.com and www.LovingEleanor.com, or read her blog. You can also find Susan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/susan.w.albert">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SusanWAlbert">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SusanWittigAlbert01/posts">Google+,</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20828.Susan_Wittig_Albert">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/susanwalbert/">Pinterest</a>. Like the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LovingEleanorTheNovel/">Loving Eleanor page</a> on Facebook.</div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-87018858985402011432016-02-23T19:36:00.002-05:002016-02-23T19:37:59.575-05:00Daughter of Destiny GUINEVERE'S TALE...BOOK ONE<h3>
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Daughter of Destiny (Guinevere's Tale, Book One)
By Nicole Evelina</h3>
Publication Date: January 1, 2016
Lawson Gartner Publishing
eBook & Paperback; 326 Pages
Genre:<br />
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Historical Fantasy<br />
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<em><strong>Before queenship and Camelot, Guinevere was a priestess of Avalon. She loved another before Arthur, a warrior who would one day betray her.</strong></em>
In the war-torn world of late fifth century Britain, young Guinevere faces a choice: stay with her family to defend her home at Northgallis from the Irish, or go to Avalon to seek help for the horrific visions that haunt her. The Sight calls her to Avalon, where she meets Morgan, a woman of questionable parentage who is destined to become her rival. As Guinevere matures to womanhood, she gains the powers of a priestess, and falls in love with a man who will be both her deepest love and her greatest mistake.
Just when Guinevere is able to envision a future in Avalon, tragedy forces her back home, into a world she barely recognizes, one in which her pagan faith, outspokenness, and proficiency in the magical and military arts are liabilities. When a chance reunion with her lover leads to disaster, she is cast out of Northgallis and into an uncertain future. As a new High King comes to power, Guinevere must navigate a world of political intrigue where unmarried women are valuable commodities and seemingly innocent actions can have life-altering consequences.
You may think you know the story of Guinevere, but you've never heard it like this: in her own words. Listen and you will hear the true story of Camelot and its queen.
Fans of Arthurian legend and the <em>Mists of Avalon</em> will love <em>Daughter of Destiny</em>, the first book in a historical fantasy trilogy that gives Guinevere back her voice and traces her life from an uncertain eleven year old girl to a wise queen in her fifth decade of life.
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1QFvWWP" target="_blank">Amazon (Kindle)</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1KzHDw9" target="_blank">Amazon (Paperback)</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daughter-of-destiny-nicole-evelina/1123161390?ean=9780996763103" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></h3>
<h2>
Praise</h2>
"A gripping read that brings a wonderfully depicted Guinevere tumbling out of the shadows of myth." - Anna Belfrage, author of The Graham Saga<br />
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"Nicole Evelina shows a deep and passionate love for the Arthurian world, and her re-weaving of the story of Guinevere and Arthur makes for enjoyable reading. With more volumes to come, if you like stories of Camelot, ancient priesthoods, magical Avalonian dreams and embattled romance, this is for you." - John Matthews, author of 'Arthur of Albion' and 'The Camelot Oracle'.<br />
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"Colorful and exciting...love all the characters. You will have a ball with this book." - Serena Scott Thomas, actress and audio book narrator
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<i>my thoughts:</i><br />
<i>The King Arthur story is one most recognizable, from Disney movies to tales of a sword, from wizards to a certain lady of the lake. This is the story of Guinevere, prior to Arthur. Yes, he makes an appearance but not until late in the book. This is the first in a series. We meet Guinevere as a very young child, she is just arriving at Avalon on her way to becoming an Avalonian Priestess. </i><br />
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<i>This is a well written, fascinating book. Guinevere is young, innocent and full of life. Morgan, her arch nemesis, is also at Avalon. The perfect antithesis to Guinevere. We all know what will happen, however, reading this book makes the trip enjoyable.</i><br />
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<h2>
About the Author</h2>
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/daughterofdestinyblogtour/03_nicole-evelina/" rel="attachment wp-att-8637"><img alt="03_Nicole Evelina" class="alignright wp-image-8637" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/03_Nicole-Evelina.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></h2>
Nicole Evelina is St. Louis-born historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. Her first four books are coming out in 2016:
1. Daughter of Destiny (January 1 ñ This is the first book of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere's life story from her point of view)
2. Camelotís Queen (March 23 ñ The second book in the trilogy)
3. Been Searching for You (May 23 ñ a contemporary romantic comedy that won in the single title romance category of the 2015 Great Expectations Contest (sponsored by North Texas RWA) and the 2015 Gold Rose Contest (sponsored by Portland RWA) and is a finalist in five others.
4. Madame Presidentess (July 25 ñ Historical fiction about 19th century American Presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull, the first American woman to run for President)
She hopes to have the final book in Guinevere's Tale available in late 2016 or early 2017.
Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for the Historical Novel Society, and Sirens, a group supporting female fantasy authors, as well as a member of the Romance Writers of America, Women Fiction Writers Association, the St. Louis Writer's Guild, Women Writing the West and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She is one of only six authors who completed the first week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness in 2014. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.
Her website/blog is <a href="http://nicoleevelina.com/" target="_blank">http://nicoleevelina.com</a> and she can be found on <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleEvelina" target="_blank">Twitter</a> as well as on <a href="http://pinterest.com/nicoleevelina/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Evelina/477419575613360?fref=ts/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/nicoleevelina" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/nicoleevelina/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://nicoleevelina.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 8</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://carrieslager.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Mad Reviewer</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://unshelfish.org/" target="_blank">Unshelfish</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 9</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bookish</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 10</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.curlingupbythefire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Curling up by the Fire</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://toreadornottoread.net/" target="_blank">To Read, or Not to Read</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, February 11</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, February 12</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
Interview at <a href="http://dianneascroft.com/blog/" target="_blank">Author Dianne Ascroft's Blog</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 15</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://dogsmomvisits.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Laura's Interests</a>
Review at <a href="http://puddletownreviews.com/" target="_blank">Puddletown Reviews</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 16</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 17</strong></span>
Review at <a href="https://heatherosborneauthor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://passagestothepast.com/" target="_blank">Passages to the Past</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, February 18</strong></span>
Review & Interview at <a href="http://singinglibrarianbooks.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Singing Librarian Books</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, February 19</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 22</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.cavehominemuniuslibri.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Seize the Words: Books in Review</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 23</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">The Baking Bookworm</a>
Review at <a href="http://blackteaandmilk.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Hive at Black Tea & Milk</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 24</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, February 25</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a>
Review at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, February 26</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a>
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<h2>
Giveaway</h2>
To win a paperback copy of Daughter of Destiny (Guinevere's Tale, Book One) by Nicole Evelina please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below. Two copies are up for grabs!
<strong>Rules</strong>Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 26th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Only one entry per household. All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/daughterofdestinyblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-8763" target="_blank"><img alt="04_Daughter of Destiny_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter wp-image-8763 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/04_Daughter-of-Destiny_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="156" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-55758948240863008372016-02-16T04:43:00.000-05:002016-02-16T17:22:51.577-05:00The Vatican Princess A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia by C.W. Gortner<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thevaticanprincessbookblast/02_the-vatican-princess/" rel="attachment wp-att-8472"><img alt="02_The Vatican Princess" class="alignleft wp-image-8472" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/02_The-Vatican-Princess.jpg" height="493" width="325" /></a><br />
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The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia by C.W. Gortner Publication Date: February 9, 2016 Ballantine Books Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook 400 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
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<em>Infamy is no accident. It is a poison in our blood. It is the price of being a Borgia.</em> Glamorous and predatory, the Borgias fascinated and terrorized 15th-century Renaissance Italy. Lucrezia Borgia, beloved daughter of the pope, was at the center of the dynasty’s ambitions. Slandered as a heartless seductress who lured men to their doom, was she in fact the villainess of legend, or was she trapped in a familial web, forced to choose between loyalty and survival? With the ascension of the Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, the new pope’s illegitimate children—his rival sons, Cesare and Juan, and beautiful young daughter Lucrezia—assume an exalted position in the papal court. Privileged and adored, Lucrezia yearns to escape her childhood and play a part in her family’s fortunes. But Rome is seductive and dangerous: Alliances shift at a moment’s notice as Italy’s ruling dynasties strive to keep rivals at bay. As Lucrezia’s father faces challenges from all sides, he’s obliged to marry her off to a powerful adversary. But when she discovers the brutal truth behind her alliance, Lucrezia is plunged into a perilous gambit that will require all her wits, cunning, and guile. Escaping her marriage offers the chance of happiness with a passionate prince of Naples, yet as scandalous accusations of murder and incest build against her, menacing those she loves, Lucrezia must risk everything to overcome the lethal fate imposed upon her by her Borgia blood. Beautifully wrought, rich with fascinating historical detail, The Vatican Princess is the first novel to describe Lucrezia’s coming-of-age in her own voice—a dramatic, vivid tale set in an era of savagery and unparalleled splendor, where enemies and allies can be one and the same, and where loyalty to family can ultimately be a curse. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vatican-Princess-Novel-Lucrezia-Borgia/dp/0345533976/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442949660&sr=1-5&keywords=C.+W.+Gortner" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vatican-princess-c-w-gortner/1121955548" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780345533975" target="_blank">INDIEBOUND</a></h3>
<h2>
Praise</h2>
"Assiduously researched and expertly crafted . . . . This unholy plunge into Rome's darkest dynasty is wholly engrossing." - Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author "A spider web of Renaissance intrigue with a legendary cast . . . Impressive research, a lush background, and deft characterization make for a fascinating read." - Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author "Elegantly written and deeply researched . . . Renaissance Italy is vividly brought to life. I’m captivated by this knowledgeable author’s take on the controversial Borgias." - Alison Weir, NYT bestselling author <br />
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About the Author<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thevaticanprincessbookblast/03_cw-gortner-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-8473"><img alt="03_CW Gortner" class="alignright wp-image-8473" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/03_CW-Gortner.jpg" height="281" width="225" /></a></h2>
C.W. GORTNER holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco. After an eleven year-long career in fashion, during which he worked as a vintage retail buyer, freelance publicist, and fashion show coordinator, C.W. devoted the next twelve years to the public health sector. In 2012, he became a full-time writer following the international success of his novels. In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard at Hampton Court, learned about organic gardening at Chenoceaux, and spent a chilly night in a ruined Spanish castle. His books have garnered widespread acclaim and been translated into twenty-one languages to date, with over 400,000 copies sold. A sought-after public speaker. C.W. has given keynote addresses at writer conferences in the US and abroad. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights, in particular companion animal rescue to reduce shelter overcrowding. Half-Spanish by birth and raised in southern Spain, C.W. now lives in Northern California with his partner and two very spoiled rescue cats. For more information visit C.W. Gortner’s <a href="http://www.cwgortner.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>. You can also find him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CWGortner" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/cwgortner" target="_blank">Twittter</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/169656.C_W_Gortner" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/cwgortner/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/cwgortner" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. Sign up for C.W. Gortner’s <a href="http://www.cwgortner.com/contact.html#newsletter" target="_blank">Newsletter</a> for updates. <br />
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<i>my thoughts:</i><br />
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<i>** spoiler alert ** Wow!.. We hear from Lucrezia herself. I love novels of strong, independent women. Lucrezia fits that category. One of the infamous Borgia's. Illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia. She was used by her family as a pawn. Various marriages to enhance the Borgia's power. She begins as an innocent young woman, unaware of her father's machinations. She believes him to be just 'papa' who loves her and would never hurt her. </i><br />
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<i>Well, she quickly learns things are not as they seem. She is married off. Her husband murdered when he no longer is of value to the Borgia's. She is (in this fictional account) violated and abused. She grows up quickly. She becomes stronger and fierce. </i><br />
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<i>Lucrezia is an amazing character. Sometimes, I wanted to whack her over the head and scream at her, but most of the time I liked her. The book features all the Borgia's but centers on Lucrezia. We meet Juan, Cesare, Gioffre and Rodrigo himself. </i><br />
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<i></i><br />
<i>The Borgia's are an incredible family. I love the renaissance period. Can't get enough of the Borgia's, the Medici's, the Sforza's and all the other power families of renaissance Italy. This book will keep you on your toes. I couldn't put it down.</i><br />
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 15</strong></span> Blog Tour Kick-Off at <a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Maiden's Court</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 16</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a> Interview at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 17</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://unshelfish.org/" target="_blank">Unshelfish</a> Review at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, February 18</strong></span> Interview at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 22</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://luxuryreading.com/" target="_blank">Luxury Reading</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 23</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 24</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://thelitbitch.com/" target="_blank">The Lit Bitch</a> Review at <a href="http://www.historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Fiction Obsession</a> Interview at <a href="http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Oh, for the Hook of a Book!</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, February 25</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookish Affair</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, February 26</strong></span> Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a> Review at <a href="http://toreadornottoread.net/" target="_blank">To Read, Or Not to Read</a> Interview at <a href="http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookish Affair</a><a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thevaticanprincessblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-8986" target="_blank"><img alt="04_The Vatican Princess_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter wp-image-8986 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/04_The-Vatican-Princess_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="125" width="320" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-34236972366162472492016-02-03T19:22:00.001-05:002016-02-03T19:25:45.901-05:00THE SECRETS OF LIZZIE BORDEN<h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesecretsoflizziebordenblogtour/02_the-secrets-of-lizzie-borden/" rel="attachment wp-att-8296"><img alt="02_The Secrets of Lizzie Borden" class="alignleft wp-image-8296" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/02_The-Secrets-of-Lizzie-Borden.jpg" height="451" width="300" /></a></h3>
<h3>
The Secrets of Lizzie Borden
by Brandy Purdy</h3>
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Kensington Books
eBook & Print; 384 Pages
Genre: Historical<br />
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Fiction
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25476259-the-secrets-of-lizzie-borden" rel="attachment wp-att-7600" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-7600 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a>
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In her enthralling, richly imagined new novel, Brandy Purdy, author of The Ripper’s Wife, creates a compelling portrait of the real, complex woman behind an unthinkable crime.
Lizzie Borden should be one of the most fortunate young women in Fall River, Massachusetts. Her wealthy father could easily afford to provide his daughters with fashionable clothes, travel, and a rich, cultured life. Instead, haunted by the ghost of childhood poverty, he forces Lizzie and her sister, Emma, to live frugally, denying them the simplest modern conveniences. Suitors and socializing are discouraged, as her father views all gentleman callers as fortune hunters.
Lonely and deeply unhappy, Lizzie stifles her frustration, dreaming of the freedom that will come with her eventual inheritance. But soon, even that chance of future independence seems about to be ripped away. And on a stifling August day in 1892, Lizzie’s long-simmering anger finally explodes…
Vividly written and thought-provoking, The Secrets of Lizzie Borden explores the fascinating events behind a crime that continues to grip the public imagination—a story of how thwarted desires and desperate rage could turn a dutiful daughter into a notorious killer.
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<i>my thoughts:</i><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Insightful view of one of America's most infamous characters. I grew up in New England. Grew up skipping rope to "Lizzie Borden took and axe, gave her mother 40 whacks...".. I've read many books about the infamous murders and have even visited the famous house in Fall River.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeTextreview1484415706" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br />I love this telling of Lizzie's story. She has many demons which plague her existence from early childhood throughout her life. I know this is a fictionalized account. No one really knows what happened on that fateful day when Abby and Andrew were killed, but I truly like this version. This novel is gritty, gory and full of speculation. Very well written and well researched. Lizzie is a character you can actually like. Much different from other novels written about the Borden's. I hated Andrew, felt sorry for Abby, disliked Emma, but liked Lizzie. I felt sorry her as well. Living with Andrew was portrayed as being extremely difficult. He was verbally abusive towards her and mean as well as stingy.<br /><br />Brandy Purdy has done a remarkable job of telling Lizzie's story. This book is written as a diary. We hear the events from Lizzie's point of view. We hear of how her life is less than fulfilling. How Andrew denied his children even basic comforts, because they 'cost too much'. Lizzie holds nothing back. I loved this book and encourage anyone with an interest in the Borden murders to read!!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><i><br /></i></span></span><i>Isn't the cover of this book just chilling? She looks guilty!</i><br />
<i>I give this book 4/5 stars</i><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1OI6i0a" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-secrets-of-lizzie-borden-brandy-purdy/1121860427?ean=9780758288912" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Secrets-Lizzie-Borden-Brandy-Purdy/9780758288912?&a_aid=goodreads" target="_blank">BOOK DEPOSITORY</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-secrets-of-lizzie-borden" target="_blank">KOBO</a></h3>
<h2>
About the Author</h2>
Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels THE CONFESSION OF PIERS GAVESTON, THE BOLEYN WIFE (THE TUDOR WIFE), THE TUDOR THRONE (MARY & ELIZABETH), THE QUEEN'S PLEASURE (A COURT AFFAIR), THE QUEEN'S RIVALS (THE FALLEN QUEEN), THE BOLEYN BRIDE, and THE RIPPER'S WIFE. An ardent book lover since early childhood, she first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten years old when she read a book of ghost stories which contained a chapter about Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at <a href="http://www.brandypurdy.com/" target="_blank">www.brandypurdy.com</a>, you can also follow her on Facebook as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Brandy-Purdy-aka-Emily-Purdy-367511973400285/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Brandy Purdy aka Emily Purdy</a>.
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<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, January 26</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://julzreads.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Julz Reads</a>
Review at <a href="http://unshelfish.org/" target="_blank">Unshelfish</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, January 27</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://mytime2read.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Time 2 Read</a>
Review at <a href="http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/" target="_blank">100 Pages a Day</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, January 28</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Friday, January 29</span></strong>
Review at <a href="http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Chick Who Reads</a>
Interview at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 1</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Bookish Affair</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 2</strong></span>
Review at <a href="https://quirkyladybookworm.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">With Her Nose Stuck in a Book</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 3</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/" target="_blank">Broken Teepee</a>
<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, February 4</span></strong>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, February 5</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, February 08</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://brookeblogs.com/" target="_blank">Brooke Blogs</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, February 09</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://agelesspagesreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ageless Pages Reviews</a>
Interview at <a href="http://brookeblogs.com/" target="_blank">Brooke Blogs</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, February 10</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, February 11</strong></span>
Review <a href="http://abookgeek-llm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Book Geek</a>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Friday, February 12</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Women's </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">Perspective</a>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thesecretsoflizziebordenblogtour/03_tsolb_blog-tour-banner_final/" rel="attachment wp-att-8644"><img alt="03_TSOLB_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter wp-image-8644" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/03_TSOLB_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="176" width="400" /></a></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-74556979220132757752015-12-15T09:41:00.000-05:002015-12-15T09:41:11.838-05:00SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilnrjn-0GBaKhC-tEDn2VYV2zbhjX3kh4mFZAFN3JdwuXPbYA4H3TAfpXF32FDTYiJmKQmAYRa-SLg3Pjd_HOsAyaaaB9ZnXcQiBzI_fHCGGEa0BmHt5qMsmABMp_S82BmCknHylw_2tj/s1600/18629730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilnrjn-0GBaKhC-tEDn2VYV2zbhjX3kh4mFZAFN3JdwuXPbYA4H3TAfpXF32FDTYiJmKQmAYRa-SLg3Pjd_HOsAyaaaB9ZnXcQiBzI_fHCGGEa0BmHt5qMsmABMp_S82BmCknHylw_2tj/s400/18629730.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vaqLdQBIDP77dnNMi9wv_ei5LX7hZsZfVaGUn-sWRAo349HRRjp7lJNCBn6KY0_L1xUmW4zCxCAlqeYiBWEToBgDIOFDQvcD67aK8HaAetmCsokuQwbbbG72u-29rhto33d0_6oU8IO9/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vaqLdQBIDP77dnNMi9wv_ei5LX7hZsZfVaGUn-sWRAo349HRRjp7lJNCBn6KY0_L1xUmW4zCxCAlqeYiBWEToBgDIOFDQvcD67aK8HaAetmCsokuQwbbbG72u-29rhto33d0_6oU8IO9/s320/IMG_0179.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Hardcover, 272 pages</div>
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Published December 1st 2015 by Delacorte (first published January 1st 2011)</div>
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ISBN 0385744714 (ISBN13: 9780385744713)</div>
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edition languageEnglish</div>
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about the book:</div>
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Fear Not the Unexpected. </div>
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Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom.</div>
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As if leaving New York City and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad (DMS), weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past.</div>
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Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a strange picture of a red-haired lady are the first in a series of clues that takes the members of the Detective Mystery Squad on an amazing adventure.</div>
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<i>my thoughts:</i></div>
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<i>A fantastic book for kids of all ages. This book has everything a kid could want in a story! Adventure, strange old house with eerie sounds and strange happenings, good friends, and a detective agency! The characters are delightful and entertaining.</i></div>
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<i>This is a story that will be enjoyed by both boys and girls! My son and I both read this book several years ago, before the authors published this fantastic book. My son so loved the story, he was in the 5th grade at the time, he took it to school. His teacher loved the story and read the book to the class. She has since made it part of her reading and continues to read it each year to her class! I highly encourage anyone, adult or child, to get this book!</i></div>
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<i>Hopefully, the authors will write more!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuxFY3h8ovTHzpWycsxA5dSnIEyCltDFzvs7CPQmclrCOU3L5b2eGkqSJwz2NfGWKQH4KketLfZWbHnwczsWXiYvro-a5XTerZVz4JxjkYTaSuTR4-4yd5jEb54YIHC-vPNfX0KxDUhWP/s1600/teapot5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuxFY3h8ovTHzpWycsxA5dSnIEyCltDFzvs7CPQmclrCOU3L5b2eGkqSJwz2NfGWKQH4KketLfZWbHnwczsWXiYvro-a5XTerZVz4JxjkYTaSuTR4-4yd5jEb54YIHC-vPNfX0KxDUhWP/s1600/teapot5.jpeg" /></a></div>
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On a side note, for those familiar with our beyond 5stars book category,(books that are so good, they exceed the 5 star rating) THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW was our first initiate into this group. These are books that we at BOOKLOVERS PARADISE have deemed "spectacular, fantastic, and marvelous". </div>
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<a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/p/beyond-5-stars.html">http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/p/beyond-5-stars.html</a></div>
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you can purchase this book, hardcover or ebook on </div>
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Amazon</div>
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Barnes and Noble</div>
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<br />Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-35791064259378478272015-12-14T08:26:00.001-05:002015-12-14T08:26:38.613-05:00BECOMING GEORGE WASHINGTON<h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/becominggeorgewashingtonblogtour/02_becoming-george-washington/" rel="attachment wp-att-8527"><img alt="02_Becoming George Washington" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-8527" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/02_Becoming-George-Washington.jpg" height="475" width="317" /></a></h3>
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Becoming George Washington
By Stephen Yoch</h3>
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Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Paperback & Ebook; 382 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25878556-becoming-george-washington" rel="attachment wp-att-8364" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-8364 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://seizethedaybooks.com/excerpt/" target="_blank">READ EXCERPTS</a>.
George Washington, action hero . . .
Long before Washington was the old man on the dollar bill, he was a fatherless boy with few resources and even less education. So how did he become the most famous person in American history?
Becoming George Washington tells the story of a young man with boundless energy, bravery, and passion, who grew from a fatherless boy into a self-confident leader. At the same time, he struggled to suppress both an awful temper and his love for a married woman, Sally Fairfax. A courageous war hero, Washington rose to the pinnacle of Virginia politics. His experiences as a young man allowed him, decades later, to lead the Revolution.
This compelling historical novel reveals the person behind the famous face and how he grew to become America's leading Founding Father.
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<i>my thoughts:</i><br />
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<i>An ambitious tale of an ambitious character. George Washington before the Presidency, before the Revolutionary War. A tale of a talented, bright, motivated young man.</i><br />
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<i>This book takes place during Washington's early 20's. During his rise in the military. We see his relationships grow with his brother Lawrence, his friend Sally Fairfax and his dear mentor Colonel Fairfax. George suffers many failures as a military man. Not everything is roses and sunshine. We see his as an ambitious, sometimes angry man. One who will rush into war. He's not the patient successful Washington we all know and love.</i><br />
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<i>I recommend this novel to anyone who likes historical fiction and anyone who enjoys reading about the youth of our founding fathers.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-George-Washington-Stephen-Yoch/dp/1940014522/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1446820476&sr=1-1" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/becoming-george-washington-stephen-yoch/1122259518?ean=9781940014524" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Becoming-George-Washington/9781940014524" target="_blank">BOOK DEPOSITORY</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781940014524" target="_blank">INDIEBOUND</a></h3>
<h2>
About the Author</h2>
Steve doesn't golf or fish and is a below average hunter, but his love of history and writing compelled him to pick up his pen and tell the little-known stories behind the men that made American history. After years of extensive research, Steve wrote his first book on young George Washington.
Steve lives in a suburb north of St. Paul, Minnesota with his supportive wife and two fantastic teenage sons. He graduated with honors from Boston College and the University of Minnesota Law School. He has enjoyed over two decades of practicing law in the Twin Cities, helping individuals and businesses solve complex problems.
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<a href="http://seizethedaybooks.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveYochAuthor/" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a></h3>
<h2>
Blog Tour Schedule</h2>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, December 14</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, December 15</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Maiden's Court</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, December 16</strong></span>
Interview at <a href="http://layeredpages.com/" target="_blank">Layered Pages</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://historicalreadings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Readings and Reviews</a><br />
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<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, December 17</span></strong>
Guest Post & Giveaway at <a href="http://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/" target="_blank">Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More</a><br />
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<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Friday, December 18</span></strong>
Interview at <a href="http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flashlight Commentary</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, December 21</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bookish</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, December 22</strong></span>
Review at <a href="https://quirkyladybookworm.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">With Her Nose Stuck in a Book</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, December 23</strong></span>
Spotlight at <a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CelticLady's Reviews</a>
Guest Post & Giveaway at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, December 24</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Nerd</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Monday, December 28</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://justonemorechapter.com/" target="_blank">Just One More Chapter</a>
Spotlight at <a href="http://puddletownreviews.com/" target="_blank">Puddletown Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Tuesday, December 29</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.absurdbooknerd.com/" target="_blank">The Absurd Book Nerd</a>
Review at <a href="http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Svetlana's Reads and Views</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wednesday, December 30</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://luxuryreading.com/" target="_blank">Luxury Reading</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://www.absurdbooknerd.com/" target="_blank">The Absurd Book Nerd</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thursday, December 31</strong></span>
Review at <a href="http://jorielovesastory.com/" target="_blank">Jorie Loves a Story</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Let Them Read Books</a><br />
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<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/becominggeorgewashingtonblogtour/03_becoming-george-washington_blog-tour-banner_final/" rel="attachment wp-att-8707"><img alt="03_Becoming George Washington_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8707" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/03_Becoming-George-Washington_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="156" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-678413715944825456.post-47606390186834756292015-12-07T22:21:00.002-05:002015-12-07T22:22:42.025-05:00BOUDICA VS THE ROMAN EMPIRE<center>
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<h3>
A Year of Ravens: A Novel of Boudica's Rebellion</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by <b>Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, and Russell Whitfield</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Publication Date: November 13, 2015</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Knight Media LLC</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
eBook & Paperback; 440 Pages</div>
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Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27137503-a-year-of-ravens" rel="attachment wp-att-7600" target="_blank"><img alt="Add to GR Button" class="alignleft wp-image-7600 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Add-to-GR-Button.png" height="41" width="130" /></a><br />
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<b>Britannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Celt . . . and these are their stories.</b>
<i>A calculating queen sees the sparks of revolt in a king's death.</i>
<i>A neglected slave girl seizes her own courage as Boudica calls for war.</i>
<i>An idealistic tribune finds manhood in a brutal baptism of blood and slaughter.</i>
<i>A conflicted warrior hovers between loyalty to tribe and loyalty to Rome.</i>
<i>A death-haunted Druid challenges the gods themselves to ensure victory for his people.</i>
<i>An old champion struggles for everlasting glory in the final battle against the legions.</i>
<i>A fiery princess fights to salvage the pieces of her mother's dream as the ravens circle.</i>
A novel in seven parts, overlapping stories of warriors and peacemakers, queens and slaves, Romans and Celts who cross paths during Boudica's epic rebellion. But who will survive to see the dawn of a new Britannia, and who will fall to feed the ravens?
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<b>my thoughts:</b><br />
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<b>A brutal and gruesome story of war. Boudica vs the might of the Empire of Rome. This is not a romanticized story of a frail queen who revolts against big, bad Rome, but of an indomitable warrior queen who rises up and dares to challenge the empire. (think Star Wars with a different ending).</b><br />
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<b>For those who are unfamiliar with the history, Boudica is an Iceni (celtic) queen, wife of King Prastagus. He is a client king of Rome, meaning, he is allowed to remain in power as king as long as he bends to Roman will. He dies without a male heir, not a problem to the Iceni people, but a great problem to male dominated Rome. Boudica argues that she, as wife to the king, is the new ruler and will not bow down to Rome. The result? She is flogged, her two daughters raped. This sets the scene for a violent, brutal war.</b><br />
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<b>We watch this war progress through the eyes and writings of seven very talented authors. This is not a one sided book. We, the readers, are witness to the fears and desires of both the Romans and the Iceni. In fact, my favorite character, Andecarus, son of Duro, is an Iceni male taken as a 'hostage' to Rome. He is raised in a roman household as a foster son. He returns to the Iceni as an adult and is compelled to fight alongside the Iceni. He, having been raised a roman, is not trusted by his countrymen. Caught between two worlds, he exemplified courage, strength and honor.</b><br />
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<b>This is a tale told in multiple views, by very talented authors. Don't skip any of the stories, read them in order, as the expand upon the story with each passing page. </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://amzn.to/20PHHgq" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-year-of-ravens-eliza-knight/1122740953?ean=2940152727531" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/year-ravens-novel-boudicas/id1046038429?mt=11" target="_blank">ITUNES</a></b></span></div>
<h3>
A Year of Ravens Authors</h3>
<a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/ayearofravensblogtour/04_ayor-authors/" rel="attachment wp-att-8579"><img alt="Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, and Russell Whitfield" class="wp-image-8579 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/04_AYOR-Authors.png" height="76" width="400" /></a><br />
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Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E. Knight, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, & Russell Whitfield
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<h3>
Blog Tour Schedule</h3>
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, December 8</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://bookloversparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Lovers Paradise</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, December 9</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.imshelfish.com/" target="_blank">I'm Shelfish</a><br />
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<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thursday, December 10</span></b>
Review at <a href="http://www.boombabyreviews.com/" target="_blank">Boom Baby Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, December 11</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://historicalreadings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Historical Readings & Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Monday, December 14</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://www.historywomanperspective.com/" target="_blank">History From a Woman's Perspective</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Tuesday, December 15</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CelticLady's Reviews</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Wednesday, December 16</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Literary Vacation</a>
Guest Post at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Thursday, December 17</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The True Book Addict</a>
Review at <a href="http://www.onebookshy.com/" target="_blank">One Book Shy of a Full Shelf</a><br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Friday, December 18</b></span>
Review at <a href="http://brokenteepee.com/">Broken Teepee</a>
Review, Excerpt, & Interview at <a href="http://unshelfish.org/" target="_blank">Unshelfish</a><br />
<h3>
Giveaway</h3>
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a Celtic inspired set of silver tone metal and red Swarovski crystal beads, including a necklace, bracelet, and earrings inspired by the setting of A Year of Ravens! Please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.
Rules Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Giveaway is open to residents in the US and UK. Only one entry per household. All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
ñ Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/O6l0X/a-year-of-ravens-" rel="nofollow">A Year of Ravens</a><br />
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<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/O6l0X/a-year-of-ravens-" rel="nofollow"></a><script async="true" src="https://js.gleam.io/e.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/hfvirtualbooktours.com/ayearofravensblogtour/" rel="attachment wp-att-8427" target="_blank"><img alt="03_A Year of Ravens_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL" class="aligncenter wp-image-8427 size-full" src="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/03_A-Year-of-Ravens_Blog-Tour-Banner_FINAL.png" height="156" width="400" /></a>Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00894194282916956609noreply@blogger.com0