~Cover Reveal~ Honor

It's with great excitement that I bring you the cover reveal for Rachel Rossano's Honor! This book is great and I'm thrilled to be a part of its release!

– Book Blurb –

 The Earl of Dentin excels in his position as Securer of the Realm. But the king’s order to pluck an orphaned child from a loving home unsettles Dentin. When a dark-eyed woman challenges his honor regarding the mission, Dentin finds himself unable to justify his actions or get her out of his mind. Something about her lack of fear intrigues him.

 Lady Elsa Reeve attempts to avoid the marriage of convenience her brother and mother demand of her. She understands the need to pay off her brother’s massive debt. She only wants her family to consider her wishes in the process.

 As Elsa becomes further entangled in a snare of her brother’s creating, only one man defends her. But can she trust Dentin, her unlikely champion, and his motives? With a murderer on the loose, Elsa’s fate in jeopardy, and a traitor plotting against the king, Dentin finds his priorities shifting in an unexpected direction.

– Author Bio –

Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction. 

Rachel loves to interact with readers. 

~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ YouTube ~ GoodReads ~

– Buy Links – 

~ Amazon ~

~Cover Reveal~ The King of Anavrea

It's with great excitement that I bring you the cover reveal for Rachel Rossano's The King of Anavrea! This book is special to me for three major reasons: 

• Rachel Rossano happens to be one of my favorite authors.
• I beta read this story for Rachel. (Fabulous!)
• I designed the cover. (Makes sense to do a cover reveal, huh?) ;) 

Without further ado...

– Book Blurb –

A reluctant king, a blind queen, and a marriage that sparked a rebellion...  

Ireic Theodoric, King of Anavrea, constantly battles with his council over who will run the country. When the council insists on a treaty with Sardmara, he agrees. However, the treaty quickly becomes an arranged marriage. Ireic offers up himself for the sake of Anavrea. But after he signs, no princess appears.  

Lirth Parnan, only daughter of the King of Sardmara, survives alone in a cold, damp tower room. Baron Tor kidnapped her in an attempt to control her father. No one came to claim her. She suspects her father considers her flawed beyond use in his political games. 

After five years of waiting, her hope of rescue wanes with her health.  After Ireic fights his way into Lirth’s tower, he realizes the depths of her father’s deception. Instead of being an answer to his problems, Lirth creates new ones. The council will not accept her as queen, but Ireic has sworn an oath that he will marry her. His choice could cost him his throne, perhaps his life. 

– Author Bio –

Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virture set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction. 

Rachel loves to interact with readers. 

~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ YouTube ~ GoodReads ~

– Buy Links – 

~ Amazon ~ Smashwords ~ 

– Book Trailer –

~Book Review~ Loving Lucianna

Loving Lucianna 

A Hearts in Autumn Romance 

by Joyce DiPastena 

Genre: Medieval romance 

4.3 of 5 pearls 

WARNING: Mild violence, otherwise a totally clean and sweet read. 

 Disclaimer #1: I am friends with the author. The author is also a cover client of mine (yes, I designed this cover). The version I read was the beta version (arc), so there might be some differences now of which I am not aware. 

Summary: Lucianna has accepted the fact that she will never marry. There are things in her past she cannot undo, things that prevent marriage even if the right man comes along. When the right man does come along, it takes everything in her to resist him, and he refuses to take no for an answer.

The thing I love best about Joyce's books is the complete assurance that I will not encounter anything that makes me uncomfortable. I'll discover well-rounded characters, a well-researched corner of medieval history, and a sweet love story. This is certainly true of Loving Lucianna. And I love that this story is about a couple in the Autumn of their years.

I was immediately drawn to these characters and found myself eager to determine what this big secret was that prevented Lucianna from giving in to her desire to marry Sir Balduin. He was a charming man, and I felt the romance between them was believable and well-written. I enjoyed the flashback scenes, where we learned about young Lucianna. Ms. DiPastena did a fabulous job of easing the reader in and out of these scenes without disrupting the story flow. The end was satisfying.

I look forward to reading the final version of this story, which I'm sure is now a solid 5-pearl read. For the time being, I'll end this review here. :)

Disclaimer #2: I was not paid in any way for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own. The image does link to Amazon, and the link does contain my affiliate ID. I was given a copy of this book as a beta reader, not with the request for a review, but I decided to review it anyway. ;)

~Book Review~ Word and Deed

Word and Deed by Rachel Rossano 

My rating: 4.7 of 5 pearls 

Sensitive readers warning: None. There's no language, no graphic violence, and no graphic sex.

In case it matters to you: I know the author; she happens to be a good reading/writing/cover designing buddy of mine. So I got to read this before it came out and I liked it so much that I bought it. And no, I do not buy all the books written by my friends, just so you know. I'm too poor (i.e., cheap) for that.

That said, I loved it! It was sweet, gritty, fast-paced, and impossible to put down. Though there's no clear indication of time period or setting, it was not hard picturing a Medieval setting for this story.

My only complaint is I would have LOVED for it to be longer, with more tension (not that there isn't any--there DEFINITELY is), more mystery, just more, more, MORE! Ms Rossano does a good job of character-building despite the short length, so I have no complaints in that area. I just would have loved to spend more time with these characters.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book from Amazon. I was not paid in any way for my review. The opinions expressed here are my own. Purchasing through the Amazon link provided here will result in me earning a teeny, tiny commission. 

View all my reviews on Goodreads

~Book Review~ Margaret's Rematch

Margaret's Rematch by Farida Mastek 

fiction/romance/regency 

eBook (PDF) 

Get it from GirleBooks.com 

4.2 of 5 pearls 

Margaret's Rematch is a delightful Regency romp that reminds me greatly of Jane Austen's style of writing. I was amused throughout and at times, laughed outright at a description or two that were just too perfect in their delivery. Farida Mastek definitely has a knack for an Austenesque way of telling a story.

This is a totally CLEAN romance. I would definitely recommend this to any and all who enjoy Jane Austen.

**Disclaimer: I received this eBook from the author for the purpose of providing a review. I was not paid in any way and the opinions expressed here are my own.

~Book Review~ Bolt

Bolt by Dick Francis

My rating: 4 of 5 pearls

I liked this book. It held my interest which is a difficult accomplishment lately. I vaguely remember the main character, Kit Fielding, from a previous Francis book I read many years ago. (I'll have to go back and reread that one.) For this one, I liked the characters, the storyline, the climax, and the twist that, for some reason, I actually didn't see coming.

Warnings: Mild language

View all my reviews on Goodreads

~Guest Post~ Author Linda Weaver Clarke: Romance VS Mystery!

Today's post is by historical romance author Linda Weaver Clarke. She is here to talk about her new mystery series, The Adventures of John and Julia Evans and to celebrate the release of her newest mystery, Mayan Intrigue. Take it away, Linda! 

Romance VS Mystery! 

I have written five historical romance novels but have changed to mystery. The writing process between romance and mystery is quite a change with a completely different mind set. It’s so different from telling a love story. With romance, you plan out the plot around the meeting of a couple. As you write, you develop some sort of charisma between the characters, making the reader feel excited that one day they're going to hit it off and fall in love. You, as the reader, know what the outcome will be. But with a mystery, the reader is in the dark. The author has to come up with a plot that no one knows about until towards the end of the story and hope they haven’t figured it out. In a mystery, you may or may not allow your reader to know who the bad guys are, according to whether it’s just a mystery or mystery suspense. Do you know the difference between a mystery and a mystery suspense novel? In a mystery, when a knock is heard at the door, the reader doesn't know who's behind it. With mystery suspense, the reader knows who's behind the door and yells to the heroine, "Don't open the door!"

Anasazi Intrigue is the first book in a mystery adventure series called “The Adventures of John and Julia Evans.” It’s about a devastating flood that takes out several homes in a small town, the importance of preserving ancient artifacts, and a few puzzling and mysterious events. Julia is a reporter, and when she finds out about a possible poison spill that kills some fish and neighbor's pets, she has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Before she realizes what is happening, Julia finds out that this incident is much bigger and more dangerous than she thought. With dead fish, a devastating flood, and miscreants chasing John and Julia, they have their hands full.

Artifact theft is a very intriguing subject. That’s why I call it the Intrigue series. In my research, I found that archaeological thievery is becoming more and more of a problem every year. Did you know that looting is only second to selling illegal drugs? While researching the second book in this series, Mayan Intrigue, my eyes were opened to the problems they have in southern Mexico. When an ancient ruin is discovered, it doesn’t take long for thieves to take it apart. The reason why is because the Mayas used astrological alignments when planning their city. Looters have learned the layout of the Mayan cities so they know where to dig. With this knowledge, they can loot a sacred temple in a few days. I also found that artifact theft in Mexico has been taken over by drug dealers from Columbia. In other words, since organized crime has taken over, there is also an increase of violence.

Mayan Intrigue will be released on August 30th and I’m having a week long celebration with a book give-away at my Blog at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com. Mayan Intrigue is about the discovery of a priceless artifact that puts Julia’s life in great danger. While on assignment for the newspaper, John and Julia try to enjoy a romantic vacation among the Mayan ruins, but when Julia accidentally comes upon a couple suspicious men exchanging an item, she quickly turns and leaves but it’s too late. Before John and Julia realize what's going on, they find themselves running for their lives through the jungles of the Yucatan. To read an excerpt from each of my books, you can visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

Free eBook Download & a Paperback Giveaway

A free eBook anthology of young adult fiction was released today and two of my short stories are in it.

Unlocked is ten tales by nine authors; the only thing that binds them is a "key."

Back cover blurb:

Treachery in old London, a crop circle mystery, and a cyborg punished for gazing at the night sky open this collection of new stories that will intrigue teens and adults alike.

Fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and fanciful versions of school life--the motif they share is a key. Which key will unlock a mystery, free the trapped, comfort the rejected, or bring new resolve to a boy who has taken a wrong path? What treasures can we discover if we only find the right key?

Assassin's Keeper by Jaimey Grant
Crop Circles by Wendy Swore
Symbiote by Rita J. Webb
Where They Belong by Paige Ray
Survival by Jaimey Grant
Unlocking William by Jeanne Voelker
Shoshanna by K.G. Borland
The Key to a Good Education by Gwendolyn McIntyre
The Bookseller by Katrina Monroe
Her Father's Eyes by S.M. Carrière

To download, visit www.unlockedproject.com and click the "download" button.

To go along with that, Wendy Swore, one of the lovely authors/editors of the anthology, is giving away three paperback copies on her blog, Goddess of the Corn. 

Later, perhaps in September, I'll be hosting my own UNLOCKED giveaway. Besides a paperback copy of the book, I will be giving away a charm bracelet featuring a replica of the key the character, Sable, would have had in my Regency story Assassin's Keeper. I haven't worked out all the details of that giveaway yet but I'll keep you posted. :o)

~Year of the Historical~ May: Mr Malcolm's List

I know. It's July and this review is for my May read for the "Year of the Historical" challenge. Shameful, isn't it? You know what's worse? I didn't even finish a historical for June. 

Title: Mr. Malcolm's List 

Author: Suzanne Allain
www.suzanneallain.com

Genre: Romance/Regency 

Setting: England, 1818 

Rating: 3.8 pearls 

Warnings: NONE 

Synopsis: Mr. Malcolm has a list of requirements for a wife. When one young lady takes offense, she inveigles her school friend, Selena, to play a trick on Malcolm, so he can know how it feels to be judged and found wanting.

My two cents: What an adorable story! I enjoyed the characters' interactions even though I didn't get really attached to them. It's a nice, fluffy story, a pleasant few hours to relax and unwind. The writing style is easy to read and reminiscent of the older, traditional Regencies. This is definitely a story I'd have no problem sharing with my mom or my daughter (when she's interested in romances, that is). Very sweet, G-rated, and fun.

*Review is based on the paperback I purchased from Amazon. The views expressed here are my honest opinions of this work. Making purchases through any Amazon link here will result in me earning a small commission. 

~Year of the Historical~ February: Crocodile on the Sandbank

First, I know this review is late. I had so much going on in February that I failed to finish the book, let alone review it. This was the planned review for that month, however, so I'm marking this one as February's Year of the Historical review. Thank you for understanding. :o)

Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Setting: Egypt, late 1800s

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 4.8 pearls

Warnings: None.

Synopsis: Miss Amelia Peabody inherits a sizable fortune upon her father's death. Deciding to travel, she goes to Egypt where she falls in love with archeology and decides to stay. Unfortunately, someone seems intent on harming her, or at the very least, frightening her away.

My two cents: I mentioned in an earlier post that I loved this book when I was only a little over halfway through it. That opinion didn't change. At all. I LOVED this book! The main character, from whose 1st person POV we get the entire story, was so fun and interesting. Very much a spinster at 32, Miss Peabody is a no-nonsense type of woman with no high opinion of her looks and no illusions as to what draws men to her after her father's death. Early in her travels, she rescues Evelyn, a young woman who had been taken in by a charlatan and abandoned. Evelyn's character is opposite Peabody's and I think the two personalities play rather well off each other. It was a believable relationship.

Of course, there is a tiny element of romance present. The ladies meet two archeologists with whom they form a rapport...of sorts. I would have liked to see a little more romance but this book is not categorized as such. It was a very minor part of the storyline. Still, it was a wonderful mystery with enough misdirection to keep the reader second-guessing as to the villain's identity.

Overall, 4.8 pearls. I would recommend this to everyone, mystery readers, romance readers and especially those on the lookout for clean reads.

Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Publisher: Fawcett

Orig. Pub Date: March 1976

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Historical

(The following is for the current printing.)

ISBN: 0445406518

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages

List price: $7.99US

Rating: 4.8 pearls

Warnings: None.

What am I reading for March?

Another oldie, that's for sure. Moonlight Mist by Laura London, an out-of-print traditional Regency from 1979, coincidentally the year I was born. The pic here is a scan of the book I hold in my hands. It has a list price of $1.50, ISBN 0440154644.

I am halfway through this vintage tome and it is definitely what was popular/common in its time. The heroine is very young (17), the hero is a LOT older (over 30), and it is a little unclear as to why either one falls in love with the other. She is a bit of a headstrong brat and he is unfailingly patient. He'd make a very good father, I think. *cheeky grin*

They are married in the beginning, having been caught in a compromising position. I actually thought that particular scene was entertainingly done. But this is as far as my "currently reading" review can really go. The writing is typical of the decade, I believe. The prose can be rather purple at times and the vast age difference is something I seem to run into often in these older publishings. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm enjoying the story.