#BlogTour: The Wrong Envelope by Liz Treacher @liztreacher @LoveBooksGroup #TheWrongEnvelope

#BlogTour: The Wrong Envelope by Liz Treacher @liztreacher @LoveBooksGroup #TheWrongEnvelope

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Book Synopsis:

Summer 1920 and two different lives are about to collide.
Evie Brunton is a hard-working Devon post lady. She spins along country lanes on her bicycle, delivering letters from a heavy post bag. Bernard Cavalier is a lazy London artist. He swans around Mayfair, quaffing champagne with the smart set. So when Bernard is packed off to Devon to prepare for an important exhibition, and drops like a meteor into Evie’s sleepy village, there is bound to be trouble. Away from the distractions of London, Bernard is supposed to be painting, but the countryside has its own charms, in particular his young post lady…
Light and witty, and full of twists and turns, The Wrong Envelope captures the spirit of another age, when letters could change lives.

The Wrong Envelope is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

This was a wonderfully heart warming story which I so enjoyed! The book just appealed to me as who can resist a slightly old fashioned, quirky love story. It’s very easy to read and I was quickly drawn into the story and the lives of Evie & Bernard.

The setting of the book is brilliantly described and I loved the small village setting with the great variety of characters living there. It all sounded wonderfully idyllic and I found myself wishing I lived there.

I quickly warmed to Evie and Bernard as I learnt more about them. The love story between the two of them was quite realistic as it’s not all plain sailing with lots of twists that keeps them, (and the reader) on their toes. Some of the misfortunes that happen were very amusing and I found myself laughing out loud whilst reading them. I was firmly on their side and so wanted a happy ending for them.

This was a fantastic romantic comedy which I found hard to put down. The writing and great descriptions makes you think that you are there experiencing everything alongside the characters. I found myself quite sad to finish the story and leave everything behind so was very excited to learn there was a sequel. I’d love this to be made into a film as I think it would be fabulous on the big screen.

Huge thanks to Kelly from Love Books Group for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re looking for a fun, easy holiday read then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Liz is a writer and an art photographer. She lives in the Highlands of Scotland beside the sea. Her love of images influences her writing. 

Her debut novel, ‘The Wrong Envelope’, is a romantic comedy, set in Devon, England, in 1920. It tells the story of Bernard, an impulsive artist and Evie, his determined post lady. Light and witty and full of twists and turns, ‘The Wrong Envelope’ captures the spirit of another age – when letters could change lives.

The sequel, ‘The Wrong Direction’, follows Evie and Bernard to London, and charts their further adventures in Mayfair’s high society. Wild parties, flirtatious models, jealous friends – Bernard and Evie must negotiate many twists and turns if they are to hold on to each other.

For more information visit: liztreacher.com
Follow on Twitter: @liztreacher
Facebook: @LizTreacherAuthor
Instagram: @liztreacher

#BlogTour: The Liberty Girls by Fiona Ford @Fionajourno @arrowpublishing @Rachel90Kennedy #TheLibertyGirls #5Stars

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Book Synopsis:

March, 1942: new mother Alice Milwood is itching to return to her job as a shop assistant at Liberty’s.

Despite her husband still being missing in action, Alice is determined to give baby Arthur the best possible start. She soon settles back into the rhythm of life on the shop floor, and the Liberty Girls rally to help keep everything on an even keel.

But when the American GIs start swarming into London, there are more complications to come. And each of the Liberty Girls has their own impossible storm to weather.

As they each fight their battles on the home front, only their close friendship will give them the strength they need to carry on.

The Liberty Girls is published on the 16th May 2019 in ebook and paperback. You can pre-order your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I was a huge fan of Christmas At Liberty’s so was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Liberty Girls the next book in the series.

It was like I’d never left as this story starts pretty much straight after the last one and I loved being thrown back into the wonderful world of Liberty’s. I found myself wishing that I was able to work there, particularly if it meant I could be friends with the fantastic ladies who also work there. Their close friendship and the way they support each other was brilliant to read about, particularly as they were all faced with some terrible situations.

This book follows new mother Alice as she tries to balance motherhood with returning to work. She wasn’t my favourite character in the first book so it was great to learn more about her history and discover the human side of her. I actually found myself warming to her as I discovered more about her history and what she had been through. She’s a tough, strong lady when she wants to be and I enjoyed reading about her journey through out the book.

The author does a fantastic job of setting the scene so that the reader really feels they are there in world war two experiencing everything alongside the characters. I loved the fabulous descriptions of the dances that were held, the way all the citizens of London banded together to learn simple skills to help in a crisis and the nerve wracking descriptions of the bombing raids that had me holding my breath as I hoped one of my favourites weren’t about to be killed. Although I knew about clothes being on the ration during the war I hadn’t heard anything about utility fabric before so found it quite fascinating to learn more about that and how shops used it to their best advantage. It lead to a few wasted hours on the internet looking up more about it!

This is the second book in the Liberty series but it can easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained. One of the things I like most about this series is that the author doesn’t do huge recaps at the beginning of the book which can be frustrating. Instead she only tells you the information when you need to know it which makes it seem much more natural. I’m really hoping this isn’t the last book about The Liberty Girls as I so love this series. It’s only 1942 in this book so I’ll keep my fingers firmly crossed!

Huge thanks to Rachel from Arrow publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

As a child, Fiona’s mother used to joke that wherever there was a book, Fiona wouldn’t be far behind. With a passion for reading from practically the moment she was born, it was inevitable Fiona would become a writer. Sure enough after studying English Literature at university, Fiona became a local and national journalist before making her move to books where she began ghost writing fiction for celebrities (too famous to name, of course). One day, some bright spark suggested she write her own stories rather than those of celebs and suddenly an idea was born.

Now, Fiona’s passion for writing currently sees her penning the World War 2 Liberty Girls series for Arrow. She also writes contemporary women’s fiction for Aria under the name Abby Williams. 

She lives in Berkshire with her husband, two cats and has an unhealthy attitude towards exercise and chocolate – believing one must surely cancel out the other. If you’d like to find out more about Fiona you can follow her on Twitter @fionajourno or visit her at facebook.com/fionafordauthor.

#BlogTour #Giveaway: Son Of The Moon by Jennifer Macaire @jennifermacaire @AccentPress @rararesources #SonOfTheMoon #TimeForAlexandra

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Book Synopsis:

Can you face the consequences of cheating the Fates?

Alexander the Great journeys to India, where he and Ashley are welcomed with feasts and treachery.

With their son, Paul, being worshiped as the Son of the Moon, and Alexander’s looming death, Ashley considers the unthinkable: how to save them and whether she dares to cheat Fate?

Son Of The Moon is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this series so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest book Son Of The Moon.

Once again the author has written an intriguing duel time line story based on real historical events. I’ve always been fascinated about Ancient Greece so I found the historical details in this book really interesting. This was especially so as the author focuses more on what life was like then and the different relationships people could have rather than the famous battles, although those do feature. I was surprised how relaxed everything was back then, especially when the author contrasted it to the present day.

I enjoyed revisiting all the characters I had grown fond of in the previous books and to learn more about them. Alexander and Ashley’s relationship has to evolve to fit into the new time they find themselves in and it was interesting to see how they managed to do this. They are a very believable couple whose love for each other is very obvious and I found myself hoping they would find a way to prevent Alexander’s death.

This was another great addition to a very strong, absorbing series and I’m excited to read more. This is the third book in the series and it is perhaps better to try and read them in order as the books follow on from one another.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

Giveaway:

Win a $10 Amazon voucher and one of the lovely mugs below, click on the rafflecopter link.

*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

About The Author:

Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She loves cooking, eating French chocolate, growing herbs and flowering plants on her balcony, and playing golf. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modeled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.

#BlogTour #GuestReviewer: Labyrinth Junction by Hayley Davenport-Smith @davenport_smith @matadorbooks @annecater #5Stars #LabyrinthJunction #RandomThingsTours

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Good morning everyone! Today I’m delighted to welcome back my fantastic guest reviewer Hannah for her turn on her first blog tour. Hannah is 9 years old and has been a huge bookworm since she was small. She’s actually been learning how to write reviews at school so she was very pleased to be asked to review this book.

Labyrinth Junction is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

Before I share Hannah’s review with you, here is a little bit about the book.

Book Synopsis:

Little does Ben envisage this is what awaits him as he escapes the clutches of two bullies and climbs into the dark and gloomy cave. That’s when he discovers it, deep inside…Labyrinth Junction, a gateway to other worlds! Once he gets past the old witch standing guard, he’s led down a dark tunnel by a peculiar talking dog into the strange and magical land of Numblebrook and his adventures truly begin!

With his life in peril and trapped in Numblebrook, Ben befriends a pretty orphan girl called Amy and her pet dragon. Together, they and the strange Moonbeamer people set off on a series of dangerous missions in an effort to solve a riddle, free the land of the evil King and get Ben back home.

Labyrinth Junction is an exciting and fast moving fantasy story full of perilous adventures and heart warming friendships. It is a story about the sheer bravery and determination of a young boy who is prepared to risk his life if it means finding his way home. It will appeal to 8 – 12 year olds with a taste for adventure and excitement.

Hannah’s Review:

“Ben’s heart pounded in his chest as he ran, and he gasped for breath. Little did he realise, that within the next few minutes, his life would no longer resemble normality as he knew it.”

Labyrinth junction is a wonderous book, full of magic and adventure is definitely a book to add to your list. It’s an adventurous book that really transports you into a world of your own.
This is the first book Hayley Davenport-Smith has written, accompanied by Erin Melissa Davenport-Smith illustrating intricate and meaningful pictures.
This book’s style is similar to The Wishing Chair and The Magic Faraway Tree adventures, both by Enid Blyton, and I think would appeal to anyone aged 7-10 years old.
The adventure is set around rightfully returning the magical orbs powers to the Moonbeams and a riddle to solve throughout the book. Will you be able to do it?
The main characters are the Giddle, Ben an earthing child, Amy who is the fantastical child of Numblebrook and of course the rightful Moonbeamer Haligan Lexin. They each have bags of personality but my favourite character is Hal as he was kind, adventurous, fair and has two pet dragons called Sissy and Kamar.
The use of Hayley’s genius writing skills were so powerful, that in every scene she wrote about you felt like you were living out the same adventures the characters were.
Labyrinth Junction was so amazing I simply could not take my eyes off it and read it in 2 ½ days! Even though this book is brilliantly written sometimes when you had different characters doing different things it felt like the characters Hayley wasn’t focusing on as much almost got forgotten.

Overall, I loved this book and would give it a rightfully earned 5 stars.

Thank you, Hayley, for giving me the opportunity to read your book.

Hannah Savage, aged 9.

About The Author:

Hayley is originally from Stockport, Cheshire, but relocated to the coast of North Wales in 2010 and now enjoys living a few minutes walk from the Irish Sea. She graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with an honours degree in Accountancy, and later studied for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education in Manchester. Whilst teaching in Wales, she completed a ‘Post Graduate Certificate in Bilingualism in Education’.

Hayley is a qualified primary school teacher and mother of five children. She has spent many years watching youngsters become absorbed in fiction books. Inspired, she decided to write her own debut children’s fantasy novel.

This was a personal book for Hayley, not only because her twelve year old daughter illustrated it and designed the cover, but because of the young minds she hopes to capture: I wrote this book after being inspired by my own children and the children I have taught as a primary school teacher over the last fifteen years, explains Hayley. Being a teacher is rewarding, but often emotionally challenging and you meet children from all walks of life. Every child has their own individual strengths and weaknesses, but I find that all children have one thing in common … a love of fiction books. I wanted to create a story that would mesmerise children and carry them away into another exciting, fantasy world.

Labyrinth Junction is the first book in a planned series.

Hayley’s interests include spending time with her children, wildlife, walking her two collie dogs, learning Welsh and, of course, reading!

#BlogTour: Death And The Harlot by Georgina Clarke @clarkegeorgina1 @canelo_co @ElliePilcher95 #DeathOfAHarlot #LizzieHardwicke

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Book Synopsis:

A gripping historical crime debut from an exciting new voice.

‘It’s strange, the way fortune deals her hand.’

The year is 1759 and London is shrouded in a cloak of fear. With the constables at the mercy of highwaymen, it’s a perilous time to work the already dangerous streets of Soho. Lizzie Hardwicke makes her living as a prostitute, somewhat protected from the fray as one of Mrs Farley’s girls. But then one of her wealthy customers is found brutally murdered… and Lizzie was the last person to see him alive.

Constable William Davenport has no hard evidence against Lizzie but his presence and questions make life increasingly difficult. Desperate to be rid of him and prove her innocence Lizzie turns amateur detective, determined to find the true killer, whatever the cost.

Yet as the body count rises Lizzie realises that, just like her, everyone has a secret they will do almost anything to keep buried…

Death & The Harlot is available in ebook now for the fantastic price of £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Death And The Harlot is a hugely entertaining, atmospheric and gripping book that I thoroughly enjoyed!

The author does a great job of bringing the eighteenth century to life with all its seediness, rough justice and fear so that the reader feels like they are really there watching everything unfold. Its interesting to read about how people had to live in that era and what counted as justice which seemed to be quite skewed against the poor.

I absolutely loved the main character Lizzie. She’s rude, crude and some of her observations are utterly hilarious! The reader is given access to her inner most thoughts which allows us to understand her more. This also leads to some of the funniest parts in the book as you are able to learn what she really thinks. I warmed to her instantly and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to her.

The actual murder mystery is very interesting and takes the reader on a journey through eighteenth century London. Through this the reader learns more about what life was like at that time as the investigation takes Lizzie to some interesting places! There were lots of false leads which kept me on my toes and made it hard for me to guess who the murderer was which always adds to my enjoyment of the book.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her. I hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of Lizzie as I thought she was a fantastic character. This book reminded me a little bit of Crimson And The White not just because it’s about prostitutes but also because of the strong, funny main female character and the easy flow of the book. If you liked that book I think you’ll also enjoy this one.

Huge thanks to Ellie from Canelo publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Georgina Clarke has a degree in theology and a PhD in history but has only recently started to combine her love of the past with a desire to write stories. Her Lizzie Hardwicke series is set in the mid-eighteenth century, an underrated and often neglected period, but one that is rich in possibility for a crime novelist.

She enjoys running along the banks of the River Severn and is sometimes to be found competing in half marathons. In quieter moments, she also enjoys dressmaking.

She lives in Worcester with her husband and son, and two extremely lively kittens.

#BlogTour: The Forgotten Sister by Caroline Bond @Bond2Caroline @CorvusBooks @annecater #TheForgottenSister #RandomThingsTours

#BlogTour: The Forgotten Sister by Caroline Bond @Bond2Caroline @CorvusBooks @annecater #TheForgottenSister #RandomThingsTours

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Book Synopsis:

To lose your family is heart-breaking.
To be forgotten by them is unforgivable.

Cassie and Erin are sisters. They are close – in age, looks and personality – but there is one crucial difference: Cassie is adopted.

At seventeen, Cassie sets out to find her birth mother. She is hungry for the truth, but she discovers her adoption was far more complicated than even she could have imagined. In uncovering her past identity Cassie learns her adoptive parents have kept a terrible secret from her her whole life, which now threatens to destroy everything she has ever held dear.

A heart-rending, profoundly moving novel about protecting the ones you love from the secrets that will hurt them most, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes.

The Forgotten Sister is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Forgotten Sister is a heartbreaking and emotional page turner. It’s quite an intense read at times but is also an incredibly absorbing one.

The plot covers a lot of questions regarding family and loyalty that makes for a very interesting read. It starts off quite slowly but soon gathers speed as we learn more about Cassie and her biological family. The last part of the story is especially full of drama and intrigue which made the book hard to put down. There were some quite dark moments but these were contrasted nicely with some much lighter ones which stopped the book becoming too dark and gritty.

Cassie was a very interesting, though complicated character, that I couldn’t decide whether I liked or not. On one hand I felt quite sorry for her as it must be hard to not know where you come from but on the other she annoyed me by her attitude towards both her sister and her adoptive parents. She seemed a clever girl who was obviously adored by her adoptive parents and I felt quite frustrated that she listened so much to Leah. There were some great secondary characters too who were very well evoked, including some great baddies who were out to manipulate Cassie.

Overall I thought this was a very interesting read which I will be thinking about for a while to come. I particularly liked the way the nature/ nurture debate was included into the story as that is something that’s always fascinated me. Could Cassie have ended up like Leah if she hadn’t been adopted? The writing style was very clever and I liked how the author shows the same situation from different points of view as this showed how differently people can interpret things.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from her. I think this would make a great book for a book club or buddy read as there is lots to discuss.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Kirsty from Corvus books for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Caroline Bond was born at the seaside and still feels happiest when walking into a headwind with the prospect of fish and chips on the near horizon. She had a fulfilling career in research before becoming a writer. 

Her debut, The Second Child, was inspired, in part, by her experiences working with, and raising, a disabled child. Her second, The Forgotten Sister, reflects her belief that our life chances are hugely impacted by our upbringings. 

She is a slow, but tenacious runner and not a bad cook. She prefers red to white wine.

#BlogTour: Night By Night by Jack Jordan @JackJordanBooks @AtlanticBooks @CorvusBooks @theotherkirsty #NightByNight #5Stars #mustread

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Book Synopsis:

‘If you’re reading this, I’m dead.’

Rejected by her family and plagued by insomnia, Rose Shaw is on the brink . But one dark evening she collides with a man running through the streets, who quickly vanishes. The only sign he ever existed – a journal dropped at Rose’s feet.

She begins to obsessively dedicate her sleepless nights to discovering what happened to Finn Matthews, the mysterious author of the journal. Why was he convinced someone wanted to kill him? And why, in the midst of a string of murders, won’t the police investigate his disappearance?

Rose is determined to uncover the truth. But she has no idea what the truth will cost her…

Night By Night is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.89. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I’m such a huge fan of this author so I was incredibly excited to be invited onto the blog tour for his latest book the brilliant Night By Night. Jack Jordan is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and his books are the ones I tend to recommend most to people.

I loved the main character Rose who I quickly fell in love with and felt incredibly sorry for. She’s been through a really hard time and it was heartbreaking to see how much she’d been let down by her family and friends. It was great to follow her as she tries to find and help Finn Matthews. She gets quite obsessed with doing so and I found myself getting quite worried about what she is getting herself into.

The other characters in this book are also brilliant creations that were very well developed. The author knows how to write emotional characters and baddies very well which helps make this a fantastic read. I didn’t know who to trust and kept trying to guess what would happen and who was responsible but was normally completely wrong.

Once again the author has written a gripping, tense, twisty thriller that I managed to read in a few days. I found myself completely caught up in the story and kept trying to read a few more pages. Just when I thought I’d figured out how everything was going, something would happen and the story would go off in a whole new direction. The ending was especially epic and took me completely by surprise, I was literally on the edge of my seat whilst reading it (my husband actually asked me if I was ok) which is a sure sign of a truly amazing book!

Huge thanks to Kirsty from Corvus books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which is going on my keep forever shelf. If you want a fantastic, gripping thriller you need to read this book!

About The Author:

Jack Jordan is the global number one bestselling author of Anything for Her (2015), My Girl (2016), A Woman Scorned (2018), and Before Her Eyes (2018). 

To find out more about Jack, enter numerous annual giveaways to win signed copies of his books, and be one of the first to hear of new book releases and news, follow him here:

Facebook: JackJordanOfficial

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @JackJordan_Author

Goodreads: JackJordanOfficial

#BlogTour #Extract: Retriever Of Souls by Lorraine Mace @lomace @AccentPress @rararesources #RetrieverOfSouls #DISterling

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Good morning everyone I’m excited to be on the blog tour for Retriever Of Souls by Lorraine Mace today and I have a great extract to share with you all.

Retriever Of Souls is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

Before I share my extract with you here is a little bit about the book.

Book Synopsis:

‘Gritty and gripping’ – Colette McCormick, author ofRibbons in Her Hair. 

The first title in a dark and gritty crime series. 

Brought up believing that sex is the devil’s work, a killer only finds release once he has saved his victim’s souls. Abiding by his vision, he marks them as his. A gift to guide his chosen ones on the rightful path to redemption.

Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is out to stop him, but Paolo has problems of his own. Hunting down the killer as the death toll rises, the lines soon blur between Paolo’s personal and professional lives.

Extract:

Background info: D.I. Paolo Sterling is exhausted and in desperate need of sleep. His phone keeps ringing and he can see from the display it is his ex-wife. He switches the phone off and falls asleep.


He woke up to a furious hammering on his door and wondered where the hell he was. Barely awake, he staggered to the door and opened it. Lydia pushed her way in.
“This place is a tip. Don’t you ever tidy up?”
Paolo peered at his watch. “Yep, good idea. Tell you what, I’ll do that tomorrow, but right now I’d rather know what the hell you mean by waking me up. It’s gone eleven!”
“Since when do you go to bed this early? Besides, you’re still dressed, so it’s as well I woke you.”
“And now that you have, why are you here? Sorry, sit down. I’ll just move that stuff,” he said, pointing to a battered armchair hiding under a heap of papers and clothes. “If it’s about Katy’s row with Father Gregory, don’t worry about it. I promised Katy I’d go and smooth things over tomorrow.”
Lydia crossed to the armchair, but stopped at Paolo’s words. She looked at him, eyebrows almost disappearing into her hairline.
“You think you can smooth this over? You must be joking.”
“No, why would I joke about that? I know Katy was in the wrong for yelling at Father Gregory in front of the class, but I bet you’ve already dished out masses of punishment. Where is she, by the way?”
“She’s at home. In her room in disgrace. I called my sister and she came over to stay with Katy until I get back. If you’d answered your phone I wouldn’t have needed to make the trip, would I?”
Paolo sat down at the tiny kitchen table’s only chair and faced Lydia. “Okay, I should have answered the phone, but I was tired, Lydia, and needed some sleep. We could have dealt with this tomorrow.”
“No, we have to deal with it now.” She stopped speaking as a look of understanding swept across her face. “Katy didn’t tell you, did she?”
“Tell me what?”
“What she actually said to Father Gregory. No way would you be so calm about it if she’d told you the truth. I had to force it out of her, but I assumed she’d at least been honest with you.”
“Lydia, just get to the point, will you. Stop being so bloody dramatic.”
She laughed. “You think I’m being dramatic? Katy has me beat hands down in the drama stakes. She said, in front of her entire class no less, that Father Gregory was a sexual pervert and probably the person the newspapers are featuring in their lurid headlines. In short, dear Paolo, your daughter accused a priest of being the murderer of those dead prostitutes.” She smiled, but there was no humour in it. “Still think you can smooth it all over tomorrow?”

About The Author:

When not working on her crime novels, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers’ Forumand is head judge for the Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions.

A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer’s ABC Checklist. Other books include children’s novel Vlad The Inhaler – Hero in the Making, and Notes From The Margin,a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.

Find her at:

Website: http://www.lorrainemace.com

Blog: thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lomace

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lorraine.mace.52

#BookReview: The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller @LindaLaelMiller @HarlequinBooks #TheYankeeWidow #hisfic

#BookReview: The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller @LindaLaelMiller @HarlequinBooks #TheYankeeWidow #hisfic

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Book Synopsis:

A richly layered, emotional novel about one woman’s courage and the choices she must make in the face of a dangerous war. 

Caroline is the young wife of Jacob, who together live on a farm raising their daughter just outside of Gettysburg. When Jacob joins the Northern army, no one anticipates he will not return. Then Caroline gets word that her husband is wounded, and she must find her way alone to Washington City and search among the thousands of casualties to find him. 

When Jacob succumbs to his injuries, she brings his body home on the eve of the deadliest battle of the war. With troops and looters roaming the countryside, it is impossible to know who is friend and who is foe. Caroline fights to protect those she holds most dear while remaining compassionate to the neediest around her, including two strangers from opposite sides of the fight. Each is wounded… Each is drawn to her beauty, her kindness. Both offer comfort, but only one secretly captures her heart. Still, she must resist exposing her vulnerability in these uncertain times when so much is at risk. 

In The Yankee Widow, gifted storyteller Linda Lael Miller explores the complexities and heartbreak that women experienced as their men took up arms to preserve the nation and defend their way of life.

The Yankee Widow is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Yankee Widow is a stunning piece of historical fiction. I was immediately drawn into the story and the time of the American Civil war. I didn’t know much about this period in history so I found all the historical details really fascinating.

The story is told from multiple points of view from people on both sides of the conflict which helped increase my understanding of the personal impact of the war on the normal people who had to live through it and fight in it. It was often the case that friends and family were fighting against each other which made for quite emotional reading at times.

I didn’t realise that the Civil War started due to Lincoln wanting to abolish slavery but enjoyed learning more about the treatment of slaves at that time, the cruel slave catchers and the underground railroad which I found incredibly intriguing. It’s astonishing to think about how people were treated just because of the colour of their skin and some of the passages relating to this were quite uncomfortable to read about, especially as I soon grew incredibly fond of both Enoch and Jubie.

This was a gripping and thoroughly absorbing story that I found very difficult to put down. There is lots going on, not just to do with the war but also the lives of the main characters as they deal with life during the war. The characters are all incredibly well drawn and developed throughout the book, though they are all very sympathetic ones making it difficult to choose sides! I so enjoyed going on a journey with them and found myself quite sad when the story ended and I had to leave them behind.

Huge thanks to Harlequin publishers for my copy of this book via Edelweiss.

About The Author:

The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.

Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.

Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.

More information about Linda and her novels is available at http://www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.

#BlogTour #GuestReviewer: Diary Of An Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney @wimpykid @PuffinBooks @LoveReadinguk #5Stars

#BlogTour #GuestReviewer: Diary Of An Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney @wimpykid @PuffinBooks @LoveReadinguk #5Stars

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Good morning everyone I’m pleased to finally be able to share Hannah’s review of The Diary Of An Awesome Friendly Kid today. Hannah is 9 years old and a truly avid reader. She’s huge fan of the Wimpy kid books so she was very excited to get a chance to review this book and devoured it in a day!

Diary Of An Awesome Friendly Kid is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

Book Synopsis:

A BRAND NEW DIARY OF A WIMPY KID STORY that will have you rolling with laughter, from number one bestselling author Jeff Kinney!

Hi my name is Rowley Jefferson and this is my book. Now I have a diary just like my friend Greg…

Rowley’s best friend Greg Heffley has chronicled his middle-school years in thirteen Diary of a Wimpy Kid journals. Now it’s Rowley’s turn to give his side of the story.

But Rowley has agreed to tell Greg’s story along the way, too. (After all, Greg says one day he will be rich and famous and the world will need to know how he managed it).

But Rowley’s stories about Greg might not be quite what his friend had in mind . . .

The opening of Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid was originally published as the NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING World Book Day 2019 title – Diary of Greg Heffley’s Best Friend.

Hannah’s Review:

A fun and creative adventure story!

This book is written from a different point of view, the author normally writes about Greg Heffley, but has now written in Rowley Jefferson’s voice, who is Greg’s best friend. This book is about all the fun adventures Greg and Rowley spend together, especially Halloween which is their favourite time of year.
You do not need to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one. I felt the style of writing varied to Greg’s diary but that was nice for a change and gave me a feel for what Rowley’s personality was like.
A valuable lesson in this book is “there are two sides to every story”. We learn about friendship and that different people like different things and its not always about you. Greg and Rowley own opposite personalities, like a Horrid Henry and Perfect Peter to give a comparison. If you like Horrid Henry I would recommend this book for you.
The book contains many of the same comic style drawings (seen in Diary of a Wimpy Kid) which I like because they are funny and add more detail to the text. I would recommend this book to mostly the ages 7-13 years old.
I really enjoyed reading this book, the author makes the story fun and creative with the illustrations. I would give it a rightfully earned 5 stars.

Hannah Savage, age 9

About The Author:

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book. Jeff has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time magazine’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story.