Medici's Daughter...available for pre-order

The wait is over. Sophie Perinot, author of The Sister Queens, has a new book available for pre-order! Medicis Daughter travels forward three-hundred years from Perinot's last novel to the intrigue-riven French court of Charles IX, spinning the tale of beautiful princess Marguerite who walks the knife's edge between the demands of her serpentine mother, Catherine de Medicis, and those of her own conscience. This is a coming-of-age story that will remind audiences that, when it comes to the 16th century, the Valois are even sexier than the Tudors' and just as treacherous.



 

Publication Date: December 1, 2015 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Formats: eBook, Hardcover Genre: Historical Fiction     Winter, 1564. Beautiful young Princess Margot is summoned to the court of France, where nothing is what it seems and a wrong word can lead to ruin. Known across Europe as Madame la Serpente, Margot's intimidating mother, Queen Catherine de MÈdicis, is a powerful force in a country devastated by religious war. Among the crafty nobility of the royal court, Margot learns the intriguing and unspoken rules she must live by to please her poisonous family. Eager to be an obedient daughter, Margot accepts her role as a marriage pawn, even as she is charmed by the powerful, charismatic Duc de Guise. Though Margot's heart belongs to Guise, her hand will be offered to Henri of Navarre, a Huguenot leader and a notorious heretic looking to seal a tenuous truce. But the promised peace is a mirage: her mother's schemes are endless, and her brothers plot vengeance in the streets of Paris. When Margot's wedding devolves into the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul. MÈdicis Daughter is historical fiction at its finest, weaving a unique coming-of-age story and a forbidden love with one of the most dramatic and violent events in French history.

Praise for MÈdicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois

"This is Renaissance France meets Game of Thrones: dark, sumptuous historical fiction that coils religious strife, court intrigue, passionate love, family hatred, and betrayed innocence like a nest of poisonous snakes. Beautiful Princess Margot acts as our guide to the heart of her violent family, as she blossoms from naive court pawn to woman of conscience and renown. A highly recommended coming-of-age tale where the princess learns to slay her own dragons!"--Kate Quinn, Bestselling author of LADY OF THE ETERNAL CITY

 "The riveting story of a 16th century French princess caught in the throes of royal intrigue and religious war. From the arms of the charismatic Duke of Guise to the blood-soaked streets of Paris, Princess Marguerite runs a dangerous gauntlet, taking the reader with her. An absolutely gripping read!" --Michelle Moran, bestselling author of THE REBEL QUEEN

 "Rising above the chorus of historical drama is Perinot's epic tale of the fascinating, lascivious, ruthless House of Valois, as told through the eyes of the complicated and intelligent Princess Marguerite. Burdened by her unscrupulous family and desperate for meaningful relationships, Margot is forced to navigate her own path in sixteenth century France. Amid wars of nation and heart, MÈdicis Daughter brilliantly demonstrates how one unique woman beats staggering odds to find the strength and power that is her birthright." --Erika Robuck, bestselling author of HEMINGWAY'S GIRL

MÈdicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois Available for Pre-Order at

Barnes & Noble Amazon IndieBound

About the Author

SOPHIE PERINOT is the author of The Sister Queens and one of six contributing authors of A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii. A former attorney, Perinot is now a full-time writer. She lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her three children, three cats, one dog and one husband. An active member of the Historical Novel Society, Sophie has attended all of the groupís North American Conferences and served as a panelist multiple times. Find her among the literary twitterati as @Lit_gal or on facebook at www.facebook.com/sophie.perinot.author.

MÈdicis Daughter Pre-Order Blitz Schedule

Monday, June 8 The True Book Addict Peeking Between the Pages So Many Books, So Little Time Tuesday, June 9 Unshelfish 100 Pages a Day A Book Drunkard The Reading Queen The Never-Ending Book Wednesday, June 10 Broken Teepee Passages to the Past Just One More Chapter Historical Fiction Connection Historical Readings & Reviews Thursday, June 11 A Bookish Affair Let Them Read Books Caroline Wilson Writes Svetlana's Reads and Views Friday, June 12 Boom Baby Reviews CelticLady's Reviews Book Lovers Paradise What Is That Book About

RETRUN TO THE OUTER BANKS HOUSE

About Return to the Outer Banks House

Publication Date: December 10, 2014

Kill Devil Publishing

Formats: Ebook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

She was the spirited daughter of a North Carolina plantation owner, and he was a poor fisherman who she tutored on the porch of her family’s Nags Head cottage. When we last saw Abigail Sinclair and Ben Whimble at the close of The Outer Banks House, they’d overcome their differences in life stations and defied convention to begin their new life together.

But now it’s seven years later, and Return to the Outer Banks House finds the couple married and in hard times—riddled by poverty, miscarriages, and weakened family ties. The strong bonds that once held them together have eroded over time, and their marriage threatens to unravel, particularly when relationships from the past and ambitions for the future find their way into the mismatched couple’s present predicament.

Can their love survive? Or are the challenges they face insurmountable? Return to the Outer Banks House carries readers back to 1875 to answer these questions and explore the ebb and flow of a rocky marriage set against the enchanting North Carolina shoreline. Replete with history, intrigue, and plenty of maritime drama, it’s an evocative tale of struggle in the Reconstruction-era South.

Praise for Return to the Outer Banks House

“…Set between 1875 and ’76, Ducharme’s story—this being the sequel to The Outer Banks House (2010)—is about love and its many faces, from young and reckless to unrequited. Specifically, she explores the unlikely passion that forms between smart, affluent Abigail Sinclair and uneducated, penniless Benjamin Whimble. The people of this tightknit island community on the Outer Banks, off the coast of North Carolina, are connected by their collective poverty and abiding love for the sea. Outsiders are generally unwelcome…” – Kirkus Reviews

Buy Return to the Outer Banks House

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

About the Author

Diann was born in Indiana in 1971, but she spent the majority of her childhood in Newport News, Virginia. She majored in English literature at the University of Virginia, but she never wrote creatively until, after the birth of her second child in 2003, she sat down to write The Outer Banks House. She soon followed up with her second book, Chasing Eternity, and in 2015 the sequel to her first novel, Return to the Outer Banks House.

Diann has vacationed on the Outer Banks since the age of three. She even married her husband of 10 years, Sean Ducharme, in Duck, North Carolina, immediately after a stubborn Hurricane Bonnie churned through the Outer Banks. Conveniently, the family beach house in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina provided shelter while she conducted research for her historical fiction novels.

She has three beach-loving children and a border collie named Toby, who enjoys his sprints along the shore. The family lives in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, counting down the months until summer.

For more information visit Diann Ducharme’s website. You can also follow Diann on her blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

my thoughts

Unique.  While I don't always expect a 'happily ever after' I was unprepared for the ending of this story.  I enjoyed reading about Abby and Ben in  THE OUTER BANKS HOUSE, and I was looking forward to reading about their wonderful life together.   Well, things don't always go as planned.  Abby and Ben face many trials throughout their married life.   We also meet a new character, Eliza Dickens.   I don't like her.  Didn't like her from the first page.  Makes it somewhat difficult to read the story when you increasingly dislike one of the main characters.   

Without going into too much info and spoiling the ending, I must say this is a well written book.  I had a mental image of each character and 'heard' each speak while reading this story.  It is written from the viewpoint/narration of each of the main characters.  

I think, while I found the ending tragic, each of the characters would have been happy with his/her decisions.  As with the first novel, the descriptions of the Outer Banks are fabulous.  

A perfect ending to Abby and Ben's story, and a perfect beach read.

OUTER BANKS....BEAUTIFUL PLACE, WONDERFUL BOOKS.

About The Outer Banks House

Publication Date: June 8, 2010
Crown Publishing
Formats: Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance



  As the wounds of the Civil War are just beginning to heal, one fateful summer would forever alter the course of a young girlís life.

In 1868, on the barren shores of post-war Outer Banks North Carolina, the once wealthy Sinclair family moves for the summer to one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head. Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful, book-smart, but sheltered by her plantation life and hemmed-in by her emotionally distant family. To make good use of time, she is encouraged by her family to teach her fatherís fishing guide, the good-natured but penniless Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. And in a twist of fate unforeseen by anyone around them, there on the porch of the cottage, the two come to love each other deeply, and to understand each other in a way that no one else does.

But when, against everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled in Abby's father's Ku Klux Klan work, the terrible tragedy and surprising revelations that one hot Outer Banks night brings forth threaten to tear them apart forever.

With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of Americaís most beautiful and storied communities.

Download the Lost Chapter of The Outer Banks House.

Praise for The Outer Banks House

"...There's real darkness on the edge of this romance that hurls the lovers toward tragedy, as if the price to re-enter the innocence of Eden might afford Abby nothing but despair. This 2010 debut novel and portrayal of the historical Outer Banks offers a terrific option for beach reading; it's the sort of novel that can be charming without requiring an abundance of character complexity and depth. Abby's evolution ultimately parallels the positive aspects of how the South reconciled to change after the Civil War, a change that required a culture of ignorance to wash out to sea"  Style Weekly Review

"It's 1868, and the natives of North Carolina's Outer Banks think the Sinclair's summer residence on the beach at Nags Head is right peculiar. Seventeen-year-old Abigail Sinclair is enlisted by her parents to teach Ben Whimble, her father's fishing guide, to read. Abby is being courted by medical student Hector Newman and is appalled at the dirty and perpetually barefoot Ben. But Abby is also restless and slowly sees in Ben more than just a willing pupil. Ben might be getting sweet on his teacher as well, but her father has involved him in a matter that doesn't sit right with the Banker, knowing that freedmen and runaway slaves have long lived contentedly out on Roanoke Island. It's just three years since the end of the war, and for some, that isn't long enough. VERDICT First novelist Ducharme has laced her novel with the sounds and the smells of the North Carolina shoreline. Racism and Southern tradition run along parallel paths in this affecting debut, where gentlemen can be less than honorable and enslavement doesnít always involve chains. Highly recommended for fans of Southern fiction." - Bette-Lee Fox  Library Journal, Starred Review

"A heart-felt and engrossing novel about the coming of age of two very different young people in the South just after the Civil War: a curious upper-class girl from an almost bankrupt plantation and a handsome young barefoot fisherman made of sand and seawater who comes to her to learn to read. What they learn from each other about tolerance and caring in those turbulent times will change their lives forever. A beautiful sense of this place by the sea, of a country in conflict, of death and redemption, and of new love." - Stephanie Cowell, Author of CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET and MARRYING MOZART

"The Outer Banks House is a beautifully written and deeply moving story of a sheltered young woman's awakening to life, love and the injustice of discrimination against former slaves. In theme and impact, shades of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn; in the evocative setting and fresh voice, a unique novel all its own."-
Karen Harper  Author of THE QUEEN'S GOVERNESS

Buy The Outer Banks House

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Crown Publishing
IndieBound

About Return to the Outer Banks House

Publication Date: December 10, 2014
Kill Devil Publishing
Formats: Ebook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance



  She was the spirited daughter of a North Carolina plantation owner, and he was a poor fisherman who she tutored on the porch of her familyís Nags Head cottage. When we last saw Abigail Sinclair and Ben Whimble at the close of The Outer Banks House, theyíd overcome their differences in life stations and defied convention to begin their new life together.

But now it's seven years later, and Return to the Outer Banks House finds the couple married and in hard times riddled by poverty, miscarriages, and weakened family ties. The strong bonds that once held them together have eroded over time, and their marriage threatens to unravel, particularly when relationships from the past and ambitions for the future find their way into the mismatched coupleís present predicament.

Can their love survive? Or are the challenges they face insurmountable? Return to the Outer Banks House carries readers back to 1875 to answer these questions and explore the ebb and flow of a rocky marriage set against the enchanting North Carolina shoreline. Replete with history, intrigue, and plenty of maritime drama, itís an evocative tale of struggle in the Reconstruction-era South.

Praise for Return to the Outer Banks House

"...Set between 1875 and 1876, Ducharme's story this being the sequel to The Outer Banks House (2010)is about love and its many faces, from young and reckless to unrequited. Specifically, she explores the unlikely passion that forms between smart, affluent Abigail Sinclair and uneducated, penniless Benjamin Whimble. The people of this tightknit island community on the Outer Banks, off the coast of North Carolina, are connected by their collective poverty and abiding love for the sea. Outsiders are generally unwelcome..." - Kirkus Reviews

Buy Return to the Outer Banks House

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound

About the Author

Diann was born in Indiana in 1971, but she spent the majority of her childhood in Newport News, Virginia. She majored in English literature at the University of Virginia, but she never wrote creatively until, after the birth of her second child in 2003, she sat down to write The Outer Banks House. She soon followed up with her second book, Chasing Eternity, and in 2015 the sequel to her first novel, Return to the Outer Banks House.

Diann has vacationed on the Outer Banks since the age of three. She even married her husband of 10 years, Sean Ducharme, in Duck, North Carolina, immediately after a stubborn Hurricane Bonnie churned through the Outer Banks. Conveniently, the family beach house in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina provided shelter while she conducted research for her historical fiction novels.

She has three beach-loving children and a border collie named Toby, who enjoys his sprints along the shore. The family lives in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, counting down the months until summer.

For more information visit Diann Ducharme's website. You can also follow Diann on her blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.


my thoughts:

To begin, let me say I read this book very quickly to get the review done in time.  I enjoyed what I read and would like to reread it at a slower pace.

This is quite an interesting story.  North Carolina, Nags Head.  A beautiful place.  After reading this story, I want to go visit!  Diann Ducharme's descriptions are colorful and just amazing.  Can't wait to see the area for myself.

The timing of this book, post civil war, 1868, a country in chaos.  (I've not read a great deal of historical fiction focusing on this time frame), young 17 year old Abigail loves the Outer Banks.  Her family has lost a great deal of their wealth after the war.  She decides, under duress, to teach a young man named Ben to read and write.  Ben is socially 'beneath' Abigail.  Predictably, Abigail and Ben fall in love.

During the post war period, Abigail is shocked to discover her father, as someone who has lost just about all he possessed, is a racist and a KKK sympathizer.  Racism is a modern term for an age old problem.   It is handled with care and honesty in this novel. The characters are charming and realistic, I found myself caring for both Ben and Abigail. 

This is an interesting story.  A perfect read for the beach....perhaps even while on the Outer Banks!
I'm starting the second book now!

The Outer Banks Series Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 25
Spotlight & Giveaway at Raven Haired Girl

Tuesday, May 26
Guest Post & Giveaway at Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, May 27
Review (Book One) at Back Porchervations

Thursday, May 28
Review (Book One) at In a Minute

Friday, May 29
Interview & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession
Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Saturday, May 30
Spotlight at Becky on Books

Sunday, May 31
Review (Book One) at Book Nerd

Monday, June 1
Review (Book Two) at Let them Read Books
Spotlight at I'd So Rather Be Reading

Tuesday, June 2
Review (Book One) at Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, June 3
Review (Book Two) at Back Porchervations

Thursday, June 4
Spotlight & Giveaway (Book One) at View from the Birdhouse

Friday, June 5
Review (Both Books) at Bibliotica

Sunday, June 7
Review (Book One) at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, June 8
Review (Book One) at Ageless Pages Reviews
Guest Post at Curling Up With A Good Book

Tuesday, June 9
Review & Giveaway (Book One) at A Literary Vacation

Wednesday, June 10
Review (Both Books) at Unshelfish
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Thursday, June 11
Review (Book Two) at Book Lovers Paradise
Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, June 12
Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes

Sunday, June 14
Review (Book Two) at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, June 15
Review & Giveaway (Both Books) at Genre Queen

Tuesday, June 16
Interview at Books and Benches
Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, June 17
Review (Both Books) at Luxury Reading

Thursday, June 18
Review (Book One) at Books and Benches
Interview at Layered Pages

Friday, June 19
Review (Book One) at Build a Bookshelf
Review (Book Two) at Ageless Pages Reviews

Shirley Jane Mysteries

Today we feature the works of a young author who writes mysteries for children. 

           (from Amazon's author page)

 Brianna Benji is a young woman with high functioning autism who likes to read, draw, and write. she has published 6 Children's books under Brianna Benji and 4 YA and Adult books under B.C. Benjamin. She has 2 cats and a pit bull and currently lives with family in Whitinsville,MA.  To learn more about Brianna Visit www.Booksbybriannabenji.weebly.com, like the BooksByBriannaBenji facebook page or go on my blog @ Tumblr.com/booksbybriannabenji

now about the book:

Paperback, 26 pages

Published March 14th 2014 by Createspace

ISBN 1496199197 (ISBN13: 9781496199195)

seriesShirley Jane Mysteries #1

Shirley Jane Holmes is the Great, Great granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes who solves mysteries with her friends, Janice Dickinson and Joshua Edgar Poe. join them as you read about how they solved the case of the missing Golden Monkey that was stolen from Franklin D. Roosevelt History Museum in the hometown of Buckleville, Vermont.

my thoughts:

This is a quick, cute story written by an incredible young lady. Brianna Benji is a young woman with autism who wishes to create stories showing others with autism that anything is possible. 

The Shirley Jane stories are easy to read, quick and fun. Shirley is the great great granddaughter of Sherlock, who along with her friends Janice Dickinson (descendant of Emily) and Joshua Edgar Poe (Poe's descendant) solve mysteries. The Mystery of the Golden Monkey is the first in a series by this prolific writer.

The stories are easy to read and perfect for young readers, looking for something interesting and quick.

buy on amazon

link to Brianna's Amazon page.

other title's by Brianna

I had an opportunity to communicate with Brianna.   She is a delightful young woman who graciously answered a few of my questions.

BLP:  What encouraged you to write for children:

BRIANNA: What encouraged me to write kids books was last year when my brother brought home my dog Fredo, who was 3 months old at the time.  I had an idea to write a picture book about feelings starring my cat, Rascal, and my new puppy Fredo, The book was titled RASCAL AND FREDO ARE FEELING.  Since the release of Rascal and Fredo Are Feeling, I decided to write a mystery series for kids that takes place in the 21st century, so I decided to create the Shirley Jane Holmes mysteries which involves Sherlock Holmes great great granddaughter.  When I started designing Shirley I thought of my 13 year old cousin Ashley, who is around the same age as Shirley.  That's why in every book of the series you'll see a redhead on the cover.

BLP:  What message do you hope your books will send to kids?

BRIANNA: I want to give kids the confidence to learn to read and show kids who have high functioning autism or any other disability that they are like everybody else on the planet.  I have ADHD pervasive developmental delay and oppositional defiant disorder which are all disorders on the autism spectrum  We need to stand up to those who judge young people with a disorder or disability to show we are not stupid and incapable of doing anything! We have to be proud of who we are and what we are good at.  That's my message to all kids!

BLP:  Well said Brianna!  And you are absolutely right!  Good luck with Shirley Jane and your other books!

Anne Boleyn's last hour on Earth

Publication Date: May 19, 2015 MadeGlobal Publishing eBook; ASIN: B00X806742

Genre: Historical Fiction

The last hour of Anne Boleyn's life... Court intrigue, revenge and all the secrets of the last hour are revealed as one queen falls and another rises to take her place on destiny's stage. A young Anne Boleyn arrives at the court of King Henry VIII. She is to be presented at the Shrovetide pageant, le Chateau Vert. The young and ambitious Anne has no idea that a chance encounter before the pageant will lead to her capturing the heart of the king. What begins as a distraction becomes his obsession and leads to her destruction. Love, hate, loyalty and betrayal come together in a single dramatic moment... the execution of a queen. The history of England will be changed for ever.

Praise for Phoenix Rising

"Compelling, captivating and moving." Claire Ridgway, The Anne Boleyn Files "Thought provoking, esoteric and heart wrenching." - R.J.Askew, blogger, reviewer, author and journalist

Phoenix Rising Available at

Amazon

About the Author

Deb Hunter publishes as Hunter S. Jones. Her best-selling novel, "September Ends" won awards for Best Independently Published Novel and Best Romance, based on its unique blending of poetry and prose. Her story "The Fortune Series" received best-selling status on Amazon in the Cultural Heritage and Historical Fiction categories. She has been published by H3O Eco mag, LuxeCrush, Chattanooga Times-Free Press, and is now a freelance contributor for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. She has recently been accepted into the prestigious Rivendell Writers Colony. Her arts, music and culture blogs on ExpatsPost.com are filled with eclectic stories regarding music, writing, the arts and climate awareness. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her Scottish born husband. Her undergrad degree is in History with an emphasis on the English Renaissance and Reformation. For more information please visit Hunter S. Jones' website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Phoenix Rising Blog Tour

Tuesday, May 19 Review at 100 Pages a Day Wednesday, May 20 Guest Post & Giveaway at The Anne Boleyn Files Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book Thursday, May 21 Review at Book Drunkard Friday, May 22 Spotlight at A Literary Vacation Spotlight at What Is That Book About Saturday, May 23 Spotlight at Curling up by the Fire Monday, May 25 Review at JulzReads Spotlight at Just One More Chapter Tuesday, May 26 Review at Book Lovers Paradise Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews Wednesday, May 27 Review at Book Nerd Guest Post at The Readers Hollow Thursday, May 28 Review at Bookramblings Friday, May 29 Review at The Reading Queen Saturday, May 30 Review at Historical Fiction Obsession Spotlight at Beth's Book Nook Blog Sunday, May 31 Review at Genre Queen Spotlight at Unshelfish


my thoughts:

First of all, let me begin by saying I love the cover!!! Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour together....two Queens of Henry.

Now, on to the book.  Amazing doesn't begin to describe this well written story. Much has been written about Anne, about her life, about her death but never from the viewpoint of everyone in her circle, and never occurring in the last hour of her life. Yes, I said the last hour!. This book delves into the feelings, ideas and views of the individuals, both friend and foe, who surrounded Anne Boleyn during her life.  Each chapter is a viewpoint of a different individual discussing their emotions during the time leading up to Anne's execution. We hear from Henry, Anne herself, Jane Seymour, Thomas Cromwell, Elizabeth Boleyn (mom), Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury), and incredibly, the executioner (swordsman) sent from Calais to execute Anne. We read the great reverence Henry placed in the astrologer and her 'charts'. Some of the characters loved Anne (very few), most were not her loyal supporters. I loved the manner in which the author portrayed Jane Seymour.  Not the sweetest individual.

The author was somewhat sympathetic towards Anne. The only way to describe Anne is regal. She behaved like a Queen.


To say I loved this book is an understatement. A well written book about individuals that fascinate me and many others. If you have any interest whatsoever in Tudor history, read this book. You will not be disappointed