Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Book Release and Giveaway: Under the Parisian Sky by Alli Sinclair


UNDER THE PARISIAN SKY
by Alli Sinclair

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: 7/25/2017


In the City of Light, one dancer must confront her fears about love and loss before she can step into a brighter future…
Lily Johannson has returned to Paris, the city that broke her heart and destroyed her ballet career, with two goals in mind: to overcome the grief surrounding her fiancé’s death, and to make amends with her estranged sister, Natalie, also a ballerina. But when Lily meets charming composer Yves Rousseau, he is convinced she has a third mission—as his muse…
Struggling to finish a score about an infamous Ballets Russes dancer from 1917, Yves believes Lily is meant to help him. Despite her resistance, she is swept once more into the exhilarating arms of the dance—and into Yves’ passionate embrace. But when her sister is cast as the infamous dancer and begins to imitate her tragic life, she soon goes missing. Now Lily and Yves must set out to find her—and along the way face their own demons, while also discovering that art, like love, should not be abandoned so easily…



Alli Sinclair is a multi award-winning author who spent her early adult years travelling the globe, intent on becoming an Indiana Jones in heels. She scaled mountains in Nepal, Argentina, and Peru, rafted the Ganges, and rode a camel in the Sahara. Argentina and Peru became her home for a few years and when she wasn’t working as a mountain or tour guide, Alli could be found in the dance halls dancing the tango, salsa, merengue, and samba.
All of these adventures made for fun storytelling and this is when she discovered her love of writing. Alli’s stories capture the romance and thrill of exploring new destinations and cultures that also take readers on a journey of discovery.
Alli volunteers as an author role model with Books in Homes, promoting literacy and reading amongst young people.



Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!





Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Book Release and Excerpt: Melisande by Philippa Lodge


Châteaux and Shadows, Book 5

Historical Romance
Date Published: July 19, 2017

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Lucas de Granville—pious, respectable, impoverished, lonely—will do nearly anything for the godfather who raised him, even though his godfather doesn’t seem to want to do anything for him.
Melisande—mundane, illegitimate, dirt poor, lonely—will do nearly anything to make sure her mother and brother have shelter and food, even though they are critical of her lack of magical talent.
When Melisande’s father, a pious comte, sends his godson Lucas to bring her to Versailles and help him train her to be a fine, staunchly religious lady, their attraction is immediate, but so is their distrust.
Her eagerness to get as much money as she can as quickly as possible gradually changes into a wish for something higher, better, and holier. Something that Lucas can help her achieve: love.


Other Books by Philippa Lodge:

The Indispensable Wife
Châteaux and Shadows, Book One
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: October 2015

Aurore was delighted when a marriage was arranged with the boy she loved, her older brother’s friend Dominique, Comte de Bures. But in a few years the first rush of joy has worn off, and their promising life seems ruined by loss, betrayal, and misunderstanding. One terrifying morning mercenaries overrun their château and usurpers take Aurore hostage. Miles away at Versailles, where he is required to dance attendance on Louis XIV, Dominique is nearly killed by a crossbow bolt. Escaping, Aurore travels with a troupe of itinerant musicians, hiding in the open while discovering hidden resources within herself. Dom sets out to find his wife. He needs his old life back. He needs revenge. But his lands, his title, and his honor mean nothing unless he can win back the love of his indispensable wife.

The Honorable Officer
Châteaux and Shadows, Book Two
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: April 2016
France, 1668

Hélène de Bonnefoi’s spirit has been squashed by the ever-critical aunt and uncle who raised her. Serving as nanny and stand-in mother to her cousin’s child has saved her from the convent, especially after her cousin’s death. When suspicious accidents threaten the toddler, Hélène overcomes her near-blindness to seek the help of the child's father, a colonel in Louis XIV’s army.
Jean-Louis, Colonel de Cantière, has spent his life proving his worth, integrity, and honor, first to his family and now in the army. When his daughter’s caretaker appears in his camp during a siege, claiming someone is trying to kill the girl, his loyalties are sorely tested.
Hélène must convince Jean-Louis the threat is real. But the true danger is to the heart of a shy young woman who has always loved her cousin’s husband from afar and to the colonel’s desire to resist complicated emotions.

The Chevalier
Châteaux and Shadows, Book Three
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: September 2016

Emmanuel, Chevalier de Cantière, youngest son of a baron, is happiest raising horses far from his complicated family. When news comes his mother is deathly ill, he races to her side only to find she has apparently recovered and moved on, leaving behind her companion, Catherine.
Catherine de Fouet blends into the background, saving up so she’ll never have to wait on waspish, scheming old ladies like the baronesse again. She has no interest in a resentful gentleman, estranged from his mother, no matter how broad his shoulders or intriguing the wounded soul behind his handsome face. She just needs someone to escort her back to Versailles.
But Catherine is suspected of poisoning the baronesse. She rebuffs a pushy courtier who tries to use blackmail to make her his mistress, and her reputation hangs by a thread.
The chevalier wants more than anything to protect this woman whose prickly exterior hides sweetness and passion. They need his family to help him through court intrigues—almost as much as they need each other.

Henri et Marcel
Châteaux and Shadows, Book 4
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: January 2017

Henri de Cantière has been surly since he returned from visiting his family at Versailles, but he doesn’t want to burden Marcel Fourbier, his longtime lover, with his problems. He can’t sleep and hurts all over at exactly the time when everything else seems to be falling apart.
Marcel can barely keep up with his usual duties of running their household and creating beautiful furniture in the de Cantière factory when more burdens fall on his shoulders. His estranged Huguenot family condemns him to hell but wants his help, a stranger attacks him in a dark street, an arsonist tries to destroy the factory, and Henri’s beloved sister-in-law, who has been like a sister to Marcel, is weakening after being in labor for several days.
Most of all, Marcel wants to find a cure for Henri, the man who holds his heart.


Excerpt

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago in France, there was a witch with no magic.

“Mélisande!”

The stranger’s shout echoed inside the damp walls of the tiny house she shared with her mother and her younger brother. If it were the house’s owner, who didn’t know they were squatting there, he wouldn’t have known her name. It didn’t mean the voice wasn’t trouble.

Her gut whispered unease. Well, who wouldn’t have a whisper of unease about a strange man shouting one’s name? In one’s home? After being the target of more than one lecherous oaf in the streets? And the target of religious people?

She leaned her scrubby straw broom in the corner and peeked up the hall, glad to be shrouded in darkness, grateful for the first time that there was no window except for the tiny, grimy one looking onto the narrow, dark street.

The front door stood open, letting in cold wind, the reek of filth, and weak evening light which left the man as nothing but a silhouette. Even so, Mélisande had another frisson of what her mother would have called premonition but was probably just fear. She was trapped in her house by a large, faceless man with a booming voice. What was not to frisson about?

She drew back into the room, hoping he hadn’t seen her. The front door scraped and thumped shut, leaving her in complete darkness. She waited, pressed against the wall much like the plaster: crumbling away from the inside. She held her breath and listened.

Maybe he’d left.

A footstep. Of course he hadn’t left; that would be too simple. This was more than her everyday fear: fear the other witches would discover she wasn’t one of them, fear they would starve, fear they would be arrested, fear a man would pull her into a dark room and rape her. Everything could go wrong in a heartbeat.

Footsteps in the front room, where her mother read palms and sold the potions her uncle —her half-brother’s uncle—made. She hoped the yelling man hadn’t tracked anything foul in, as she had just scrubbed those rotting floorboards. A pause as the man listened. At least there was only one man and Mélisande had a sharp pair of scissors, which rattled against the tabletop as she picked them up.

“Mélisande?”

The voice was softer now. Kinder. Lilting. Tempting. The man was going to try to lure her from her hiding place. She hoped he meant her no harm.

A scuff and heavier step as the man tripped on the uneven floor. He halted at the head of the hall, only a few feet from her.

“Ecoutez.” He cleared his throat, waiting for her to say she was listening.

Oh, she was listening, but she was hoping he would leave.

He cleared his throat again. She should offer him a tisane of ginger and honey. She shook her head at her rambling thoughts, swishing her hair against the wall.

“Right. I was told you were here. Your mother said you would welcome my news. I’m sorry, but… Well, my shouting is unforgiveable. Your brother and mother angered me on purpose, I believe. They said I wouldn’t find you unless you wanted to be found. I suppose it’s true, what with witchcraft…”

He paused, listening. Probably expecting her to blast him with a curse. Too bad the worst curse she had ever doled out was when she was ten and made her brother’s nose bleed. Of course, she’d hurled a cup at him at the same time.

“Your father wishes to claim you. I’m to take you to Versailles.”

About the Author


Philippa Lodge has a hundred stories in her head and a social media addiction.

She writes historical romance set in Louis XIV’s France; New Adult romantic women’s fiction set in small-town, small-college America; and contemporary romance with nerdy beta heroes and cranky heroines whose pasts can be healed with the love of a good man.

She lives with one husband, two cats, and three kids in the inland valley of California.

Contact Links


Purchase Links

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Book Giveaway and Excerpt: Erinland by Kathryn Berryman


Erinland
by Kathryn Berryman
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Two troubled young adults find themselves key players in a deadly game that spans the 21st century and the Viking Age.



Amy, finding it difficult to ‘fit in’, becomes increasingly obsessed with the virtual reality game Erinland. The VR characters and the mist of Erin begin to invade Amy’s dreams and her waking moments. She finds herself drawn into Erinland in 9th century Ireland. Amy becomes part of this mystical world as she joins in the struggle to defeat the Viking raiders. 


Richard has a complicated home life and feels he doesn’t belong anywhere. A series of events finds him desperate and living on the streets, where he finds himself dragged into 9th century Norway by a Viking warrior. Richard finds acceptance with the Vikings and joins them on a colonisation raid to Ireland.


Goodreads * Amazon


Excerpt:
Gradually, the tendrils of mist and the icy fingers lessened their hold. Amy chanted the words louder and with every fibre of her being. Finally the grip became a grasp, then it vanished. The voices trailed off, dissolving into an eerie wind—the catchcry of the boglands. A shrill sound, like the neigh of a horse, lingered then died away. Amy thought she heard the sound of a horse galloping in the distance.
She opened her eyes. Her face and body were dripping from the exertion of her experience. She got out of bed for a drink of water and it was then she noticed something strange. A faint glow emitting from the corner of her bedroom. It was coming from her laptop. The glow started blinking in a staccato rhythm, gaining brightness. Amy stared hypnotically into the strobe. The glow grew larger and brighter. An elec­tronic surge overflowing from the monitor and onto the floor. The tide edged its way across the carpet and came to rest at Amy’s feet. It started to rise from the floor, undulating and pulling, crashing against itself like a deadly rip in the ocean. Gradually the atoms composed themselves into the recognis­able form of an old woman.
The old woman looked like those Amy had seen on park benches, the kind that carried all their belongings in a couple of shopping bags. They were usually dirty, drunk, and abusive. This woman was approximately 160 cm tall; her hair was dark brown and it seemed to be caked in mud and dead leaves. Her skin was grey and very lined. Her unblinking eyes were dark brown. She stared at Amy steadily. The woman wore a simple brown tunic. It was well worn and patched in several places. Her hands were large and her nails were ragged and putrid. These hands had seen some very hard work in their time. She had an overall earthy smell, giving the impression of an ancient relic. For one so dishevelled, the old woman seemed to radiate a strength which commanded respect from those in her presence.
‘Oh … my ... god … shit!’ yelled Amy.
‘Be still! You shall not profane the higher power in my presence! Profane with your tongue no more, lest you block your path to the highest power,’ replied the old woman. ‘Ditto what I said before. Who are you?hissed Amy.
The old woman spoke, ‘Do not be afraid, small one. You are not in the land of the walking shadows. Your destiny weighs heavier than that. I am Heiran, Cailleach, or wise old woman.
‘I am old. I am as old as the earth, and older than mankind. I have come in many forms and returned many times through the ages. I have been ridiculed and even killed in ignorance, yet all who have known me have been made richer by my passing.’
The old woman’s clear eyes continued to stare into Amy’s. They bored into her thoughts, exposing her soul. Amy franti­cally backed towards the bedroom door. ‘Mum!’ Amy yelled. ‘Mum, Mum, Mum!’ Amy thought she might be asleep or hallucinating. She had heard of this sort of thing happening before. Her friend at school had a psychotic episode after taking some illicit drugs. She thought she could see spiders coming out of the walls. She ended up curling herself in a ball in the corner of the classroom screaming. But Amy had never touched any kind of drugs.
‘Your mother can’t hear you,’ said the old woman.
‘Mum! Mum, please come, I need you, I am so scared!’ Amy screamed.
‘Your mother cannot hear you,’ the old woman said calmly. ‘She has not been chosen by the Niamh of the Golden Hair. She is to remain on this earthly plane.’
Amy winced at the mention of the name ‘Niamh of the Golden Hair’. An unbelievable thought occurred to her. ‘No … no,’ she whispered.
Amy looked more closely at the woman. Bloody hell, this old bag is straight from the virtual reality world! Thinking quickly, she lunged towards her laptop and snapped off the ower switch. The computer sputtered, the light extinguish­ing with a visual ‘pop!’ Amy turned, satisfied that she was once again by herself.
Heiran stood peering at Amy with a quizzical expres­sion. She wasn’t going anywhere. ‘Child, why did you still the droning creature? Killing the droning creature will not rid you of me. It is a portal to Erinland. Do not be foolish, small one! I have come to you for a purpose. I am the messenger of Niamh of the Golden Hair. She is the mystical mistress and hand­maiden of the highest power. She has sought you out. Your strength is known to the Lady. She has witnessed your battle with the evil Bogg Demon. You have been tested and have overcome its tempting advances. You have proven your worth to the Lady. The darkness in your soul has succumbed to the clean brightness of the highest power, this time.’
Amy stood still, disbelief washing over her. She wondered how the old woman, the Cailleach as she called herself, knew about the nightmare she just had. Her skin crawled at the memory of the stinking, suppurating bog; the invisible icy fingers clutching and dragging her down into a world of darkness and evil. An involuntary shudder racked her body.
The old woman continued, ‘Tadhg the great and noble war chieftain is closely acquainted with you. You and the droning creature have sent him to his death many times by the steel of the Vikings’ blade. Now he has come to his last incarnation. If he dies and the sacred relics fall victim to the barbarians a final time, our way of worship and our way of life as we know it will be drowned in a black tide of paganism.
‘The holy objects must be saved and hidden, so that future generations can realise the dedication of the faithful. Their beauty must be emulated and revered as a mere shard of the glory of the highest power—that which you call God. Even now there is another from your world who is being wooed by the Raiders. Time is running short!’ cried the old woman.
‘But it’s only a stupid virtual reality world, it’s not real. It’s not my fault!’ Amy cried. She ran across the room and reached for the door handle. Heiran raised her hand. From her stubby dirt-grained fingertips came a light so dazzling that Amy’s eyes watered trying to fight the glare. The light sparked, crackled, and twisted past her to the door handle where it fastened itself—a supernatural forcefield that no human could break.

Be still! You cannot run from your fate. Face your destiny, lest it follow you until the end of your incarnations, festering and growing like a great mortal wound. The highest power will buoy you and deliver you to your fate.’ The dark eyes bored through Amy, compelling her to obey the Cailleach.


Kathryn is a Sydney author whose interest in history and mythology was the catalyst for her debut novel Erinland to become a reality. 



An adventure in the modern and ancient world, where the central characters seek acceptance and self-belief, the ‘players’ in Erinland find themselves in very different roles from their everyday life. Choices they make could mean the difference between life and death, with the consequences of these decisions reaching into their ‘real’ lives. 


Written in the Fantasy genre, Book I bridges the ages, drawing on contemporary life and 9th Century history to create an authentic experience for the reader. A visual writer, she explores the mythologies of ancient Norway and Ireland, giving a tangible view of everyday life and the impact of the Gods in these two cultures. 

Kathryn is married with three beautiful daughters. Amidst busy family life, she studied at University to become a Primary school teacher. When she is not teaching, she loves to write and dabble in other creative pursuits such as painting and drawing. She and her husband hope to realise their dream and move to the country one day – soon.





Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!





Friday, July 14, 2017

Book Review: Once Upon a Long Ago by Sharon Booth

Lexi Bailey and Will Boden-Kean have both appeared in the previous Kearton Bay books (it is not necessary to read those before this book but you should because they're fabulous). Will is now a Baronet and fully in charge of his family home after his father's death. Lexi works there now as they try to make the Tudor mansion into a profitable venture. However, complications abound. Will's cousin Nat shows up, a handsome bounder who connects with Lexi much to Will's dismay; Will has been in love with her forever and is patiently waiting for her to realize it though Lexi doesn't want a relationship, having seen her parent's bad marriage. She fine with simple sex with Nat who has his own plans for Will's inheritance.
I was happy that many of the characters from the previous books appear here as well as some new and interesting ones. Will is just a sweetheart though he's not a milquetoast either. Lexi is a bit immature in my opinion but she grows up over the course of the story, and I admit that I cried at the end. One of the many things I like about Ms. Booth's writing is that the characters are 'real' which means they don't always act as I might expect. They're individuals and Ms. Booth doesn't follow expected story lines but includes many an unexpected yet believable twist. For example, I thought I knew where the treasure subplot was going, but Ms. Booth wrote it in a much more satisfying way.
I only finished A Kiss From A Rose yesterday and fully intended to break away from this series so that I wouldn't read it all too soon as I don't want it over with, but I had to read Once Upon A Long Ago once I read the blurb. I stayed up way too late, but I'm so glad I did and that I found this author. I've been gushing about these books and author because I love the books and think many of my friends would enjoy them.
One point for American readers: these books are written and edited in English style. They're also set in Yorkshire (Kearton Bay is a fictional name for the very real Robin Hood's Bay) and the dialect reflects that setting. I hadn't come across a few phrases or words, but I could usually figure it out from the context. In my opinion, it just makes these books more unique and charming.

Link to Amazon

Monday, July 10, 2017

The Heroic Tales Bundle - Sword and Sorcery, Alternate Worlds and Lots of Adventure!




Imagine: you are seated about a blazing campfire, you and the other bards. Tales of Achilles, Beowulf, Alexander, Odysseus, Conan, Tarzan, Joan of Arc and other heroes are told, along with new ones that carry on with the Jungian archetypes so central to our very nature. Men and women who brave the unnatural, the fantastic, and the plain weird.

Without the circle of firelight, shapes of menace and strangeness stalk horrifically, but the heroic tales hearten us, and strengthen the entire tribe in both body and spirit to continue the battle of good and right, against the strange and evil. We all have the need, deep within us, for Heroic Tales!


On PreSale now at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and iBooks: All the links

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Resisting Mr. Rochester by Sharon Booth

Cara fell in love at a very young age with her own Heathcliff. Problem is, he turned out to be a bad poet who expects her to support him. She finally gives up on him and gets a new job in Yorkshire as a nanny to a young girl. Her new problem is that her employer is Mr. Rochester.
I loved this book so much. While the plot is a contemporary version of Jane Eyre, this book is so much more. Ms. Booth writes exceedingly well and is also very funny. The romance between Ethan Rochester and Cara takes some different and surprising turns while staying true to the original. The little girl is named Adele (as in the original), but I laughed out loud when I read the reason why. Same with the lunatic in the attic.
A terrific book from a terrific author. And I love the book cover!

Link to Amazon

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Book Review: Naked News for Indie Authors: How Not to Invest your Marketing $$$ by Gisela Hausmann

This book is packed full of good advice for new authors. It covers not only what might be a scam or waste of money, but also some good places to put your marketing dollars. There are a lot of good examples and ideas but don't expect a list of websites, etc. I don't like those anyway as they are often out-of-date.
There are a lot of good strategies here and suggestions on how to adapt them further. Marketing is hard work whether you're a new author or experienced, but this book will help you further down this path.

Link to Amazon

Book Review: Seducing Mr. Sykes by Maggie Robinson


Lady Sarah, or Sadie, Marchmain is immured in the little town of Puddling-on-the-Wold, a final attempt to curb her shenanigans before her father sends her to Bedlam. In reality, he wants her inheritance from her mother, and this is his attempt to get it if she won't marry the man of his choosing. Tristan Sykes is the head of the committee that runs the Puddling Rehabilitation Foundation and a bit of a stiff, not having gotten over his first marriage. These two are oil and water - or are they?

This is the third book I've read that takes place in the Cotswolds in the last month, and it is the best although I liked the other two very much. Ms. Robinson has written a delightful Victorian romance that made me laugh out loud several times at the goings on. Sadie and Tristan are a wonderful couple. I loved how Tristan realized why she acted out and helped her to use her brain rather than her fists over the course of the story. 

I'll definitely read more from this author; I already purchased the first book in the series and pre-ordered the next one. Definitely, an enjoyable read with excellent writing.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Summer Reads Blast and Giveaway!

WELCOME TO THE HOTT Summer Reads BLAST! 

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links!

Before you leave, don't forget to enter the Giveaway!!! 

 Romantic Suspense Romance Paranormal Cozy Mystery
  Romantic Suspense          Romance           Paranormal Mystery


 Mystery/Romance YA Romance Women's Fiction
Mystery/Romance      YA Romance        Women's Fiction


 Supernatural Thriller Romantic Suspense
Supernatural Thriller     Romantic Suspense 






Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Book Review, Excerpt, and Giveaway: The Tainted Love of a Captain by Jane Lark



Historical Fiction
Date Published: 12th May 2017
Publisher: HarperImpulse


A sensual, heartbreaking, romance
The sounds and scents of the Crimean War are strangling Harry Marlow, shutting him off and silently smothering his soul. But he is a soldier and that is his life, and he can see nothing else besides that. So why should he care when a woman watches him? His life is not one to share with a woman, other than for a few moments in his bed.

When a woman is already drowning so deeply in sin she is without any fear of judgement - what can it matter if she chooses to begin a new affair? It is like escape to choose her own man and Captain Marlow is the perfect candidate for a dalliance. All she has to do is obtain an introduction...

Review: Harry Marlow is a soldier returned from the hardships of the Crimean War and stationed at Brighton. On the beach, he meets a young woman, Charlotte Cotton, and the two gradually become friends. Charlotte is being kept by a retired Colonel, but Harry becomes more and more enmeshed in her life regardless of the impact on his career. 

This was an interesting book. I don't read a lot of Victorian romances, and the era is certainly different from Regency or Medieval romance stories. I found it a little slow in places because of some repetition; the reader is told over and over that Charlotte is a fallen woman, for example. I liked that Harry comes to understand what his father and brother have been preaching to him about fallen women through his relationship with Charlotte. I also liked that Charlotte comes to learn that her sacrifice was really for naught; she grows up as she understands that what happened to her was not her fault. 

Harry's family are a fascinating bunch of people. Not having read the previous books, I was confused by names and titles, but it really doesn't matter to this book and mirrors some of Charlotte's confusion. Charlotte uses the nickname 'Charlie' through much of the book which just a personal quirk, but I thought was too modern. Still, I enjoyed this story; I was given the book as an ARC for an honest review.




Jane began her first historical novel at sixteen, but a life full of adversity derailed her as she lives with the restrictions of Ankylosing Spondylitis. When she finally completed a novel it was because she was determined not to reach forty still saying, I want to write. 
Now Jane has been shortlisted for three reader awards, and become a bestselling author in the UK and the USA.

Contact Information
Twitter: @JaneLark

Purchase Links

Giveaway
Signed Print Copy of The Dangerous Love of a Rogue

Link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NDA4MjY0MDFhMDY3NGJmNzk2NDA5M2VhM2I4M2I2OjY1Nw==/?

Excerpt: 


She was there, with her maid. They were on the path at the head of the beach, a few yards away. He crossed the street. She walked towards him and intercepted his path. ‘Captain Marlow!’ she called. ‘Well met!’ She spoke as though she had not written and he therefore presumed the maid did not know that this interchange had been orchestrated.

He bowed, slightly. ‘Miss Cotton.’ What was the etiquette for a man’s mistress? He knew how to behave with whores and with respectable women, but a mistress was somewhere in between. ‘Would you care to walk with me?’ He lifted his arm, in the way he might have offered his arm to one of his sisters or cousins.

The maid held back to walk a few paces behind them as Ash looked up at him with eyes that asked why he had not walked on to the pebbles. Harry clicked the fingers of his free hand and tapped his leg to tell Ash to stay at his side.

‘I like your dog. What is her name?’ Miss Cotton said loudly. He presumed for the benefit of the maid as much as for an answer.

‘Ash. She was named by my niece.’

She looked at him as though the fact that he might have a niece was a bizarre thought. ‘Oh.’

He smiled. Her colour had been high since the moment they had faced each other, but now it became even redder.

‘Your dog has a very pleasant nature.’

‘Yes, she does.’

‘I am glad you came,’ she said in a quieter voice, leaning closer to him as he’d seen her do when she spoke to her maid. ‘It took me so much courage to write. But you have never looked at me here. Then you looked at me last night and I wrote in a rash moment because I have had a great desire to know the man with the lovely dog. I hope you do not think me too forward.’ Her back straightened when she had finished her conspiratorial whisper and her chin lifted high. There was a sense of dignity in her posture, no matter her status.

‘I was not sure that I would come.’

Her head turned and she looked at him about the rim of her bonnet, her fingers pulling on his arm a little. ‘I admire you as much as your dog. I have wanted to meet you as well as Ash.’

‘I am aware. I have seen you watching me.’ He breathed in. ‘It was flattering.’ He had not thought so a day ago and yet having seen the woman up close. Yes, the interest and attention of such a beautiful woman was flattering. Her large, expressive eyes, within the shadow of her bonnet’s brim, were particularly fascinating and the curls of her vibrantly coloured hair peeked from beneath the edges of the bonnet, providing a temptation to touch it.

She smiled. ‘I think it is lovely how you play with the dog. There seems such regard between you as you play. So, yes, I have been watching your games and admiring you and your affection for Ash, from a distance. It is very charming to watch. Your friend has looked back at me, but you have no more than glanced. You have given me no opportunity to compliment you before.’

‘I thought you were…’ He had been about to insult her and say that he’d thought her respectable, which would tell her that now he thought she was not. ‘I thought you someone different.’

‘Who?’

‘No one in particular, simply a young woman looking for a husband and I would make a poor candidate for that.’   

Monday, July 3, 2017

New Release and Book Review: The New Recruit by Elise Abram



When sixteen-year-old Judith meets Cain, she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Cain is the most beautiful human being Judith has ever seen, but he hides a dangerous secret. When Jo-Jo, Cain’s surrogate father, offers her a job, she accepts, unaware she’s been recruited as a pawn in Jo-Jo’s ecoterrorist plot. 

THE NEW RECRUIT is a timely story, exploring how, without love and support from those around them, our disenfranchised youth can be so easily misguided.








Review: Judith is the new girl at school. She's just come from an all-girls Jewish high school and doesn't fit in very well. But she makes a new friend right away and then meets a handsome older guy named Cain who recruits her for a job delivering packages. She finds out he is part of an eco-terrorist cult run by a charismatic leader named Jo-Jo, and that's when the trouble starts.
This YA story is a quick read. It is part of a proposed three-book series and ends on a cliffhanger. I'm not in the target audience, but I'm not sure how many YA readers will enjoy this story. It's written more for the parents of those YA readers with a lot of warnings about disenfranchised youth and the signs to look for.
It also contains a lot of YA tropes: it's written in first person POV, the heroine is the 'odd' girl with the funny sidekick, the hero is impossibly handsome who still 'falls in love' with the odd girl anyway, her mother is dead, they're fighting against the establishment, and so on. Judith, or Jude, is unbelievably gullible and won't listen to her father's advice while still giving a pass to Cain's obedience to his father figure, Jo-Jo.
It's very well-written and I did enjoy the book. My issues with it have more to do with my own personal reading preferences right now.

Link to Amazon

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Please vote in the IndieBRAG Cover Contest!



I'm excited my book The Black Swans has been chosen to participate in the IndieBRAG Cover Contest!

How It Works
5 book covers from each of 10 categories (genre/genre grouping) will be selected by our management and support team to have a chance to win an exciting group of prizes! These covers will be chosen based on several factors including;1) professionalism 2) visual appeal 3) creativity and 4) fit with the story/genre.

Everyone who visits our website can vote for the cover that they feel is the best one in each of the genres/genre groupings. Then they can vote for the one of those ten covers that is the best overall.
The author whose book is chosen as the best overall cover will receive an exciting group of prizes and each runner up author whose book was chosen as the best in its genre/genre groupings will receive a consolation prize. View the official rules here.

Please vote for one book in each genre and the best overall cover. Thanks for voting and good luck participants!