A.E. Wasserman's Langsford Series Book Blast & Giveaway

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I am super excited to be kicking off A.E. Wasserman's Book Blast for her Langsford Series of Historical novels set in the late 1800s. You can read all about the books below and enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!


1884 No Boundaries: A Story of Espionage, and International Intrigue by A.E. Wasserman


Publication Date: April 29, 2015
Archway Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook; 382 Pages

Series: Langford Series, Book #1
Genre: Historical Fiction


Love, murder, sex, and terrorism swirl within a collapsed world economy.

No, it's not today.

It's London, 1884.

Recently married Langsford, born of wealth and privilege, is bound by the restrictions of Victorian society. Dynamite has been invented, but the term "homosexuality" has not and men can be arrested for either.

Langsford accompanies his visiting friend, HEINRICH, eighteen, who innocently flirts with young ANNA at London's Leadenhall Market.

What should be the end of the story becomes the beginning, for Heinrich falls in love with her, never part of the plan. Instead it becomes the catalyst for everything that follows when he flees Germany to return to her. Events unfold that expose terrorists, espionage and international intrigue.

Langsford walks a fine line as he crosses boundaries he never imagined, rubbing elbows with spies, killers and would-be assassins to save his friend, stop an assassination, and prevent a war.

“Wasserman’s writing is atmospherically rich. Very strongly recommended.” – Historical Novel Society, London, critical review of 1884 No Boundaries

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

1886 Ties That Bind: A Story of Politics, Graft, and Greed by A.E. Wasserman


Publication Date: November 3, 2016
Archway Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook; 320 Pages

Series: Langford Series, Book #2
Genre: Historical Fiction


It is 1886 as Englishman Lord Langsford travels by train to San Francisco. Newly widowed, Langsford is desperate to escape his grief, demons, and life in England. As Langsford completes the last leg of his transcontinental journey, his life unexpectedly changes once again when he crosses paths with Miss Sally Baxter, a beautiful rancher who packs a pistol in her purse.

Sally has made it her mission to find the men who robbed a train and killed her brother. Unfortunately, no one—not even the owners of the Southern Pacific Railroad—seem to care. Unable to resist her pleas, Langsford offers to help Sally and soon becomes entangled in a web of politics, corruption, and greed. As murder, threats, and attacks ensue that endanger both Sally and Langsford, influential men in both California and Washington, D.C. jockey for positions of power. Langsford, who finds himself oddly attracted to Sally, now must sort through criminals and politicians alike to discover the truth behind her brother’s death and prevent his own murder.

"The author has woven a complex net of intrigue and background to the murder that makes the entire book so much more than just a mystery. As the title appropriately states, this deals with issues of politics, corruption and greed in a very accomplished way. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Highly recommended." - Christoph Fischer, UK Reviewer Discovering Diamonds

Amazon | Barnes and Noble


1885: Crossings by A.E. Wasserman

Publication Date: October 5, 2017
Archway Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook; 142 Pages

Series: Langford Series, Book #3
Genre: Historical Fiction


Anna’s hand holding the letter trembled as her vision rocked, going in and out of focus. She felt as though she was falling backward and at the same time rolling forward, expecting to land face first on the floor. She put her hand on the table to brace herself. She no longer heard the song birds in the buckeye tree outside the window, or the hoof beats on the cobblestones passing the front door, or any sound at all.

The world around her ceased to exist—only the paper with Henry’s written words: his own account of what happened during the past year.

The entire time, she’d known he wasn’t telling her everything—but this—she could never have imagined any of it. The hard fact was, Henry will never escape the truth.

“1885 Crossings gives us another opportunity to return to the world of Henry, Anna, and Langsford. A.E. Wasserman’s writing is beautifully done—tense and uncomfortable. The ending gave me a chill.” -Chuck Sambuchino, Bestselling Author

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

The daughter of a newspaperman, A.E. Wasserman grew up in a household filled with books and stories. At age 14, she wrote her first novella and never stopped writing.

She is the author of a new mystery/thrillers series, the first of which takes place in London: 1884 No Boundaries, A Story of Espionage and International Intrigue. The second in the Langsford Series, 1886 Ties That Bind, A Story of Politics, Graft and Greed, has just been released.

Her work, critically acclaimed as “richly atmospheric,” is being noticed by readers and critics alike, and has garnered international attention, not only in the U.S., but Europe and the U.K. as well. She recently received top honors from Writer’s Digest for her work.

After graduating from The Ohio State University, she lived in London, then San Francisco. Currently she resides in Southern California with her family and her muse, a Border Collie named Topper.

For more information, please Visit the author’s web site at www.aewasserman.com. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway

During the Book Blast we will be giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on January 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Langsford Series Blast


Guest Post by Elizabeth Jane Corbett, author of The Tides Between (with giveaway)

Happy Friday, everyone! Today on the blog I am so excited to be hosting a guest post from Elizabeth Jane Corbett, author of The Tides Between!



‘Goodness!’ People say to me after reading The Tides Between. ‘You must have done so much research!’

Well, of course, historical fiction writers do mountains of research. It’s part of the appeal – that elusive desire to re-create the past. To this end, we read histories, documents, diaries, and proceedings, we visit museums, galleries and libraries, draw diagrams, pore over maps and images. This is normal, par for the course. However, at my book launch, I was asked to discuss the on-the-ground research I’d done for The Tides Between which, some may say bordered on the obsessive. Me, I prefer the term, full immersion.

The Tides Between is an immigration novel as you’ve probably worked out from the blurb, with both English and Welsh characters. My research was only in its infancy the first time I travelled to the UK. So, my visit had a huge impact on the eventual narrative. In a sense, I experienced my novel in reverse as a migrant returning to her birthplace. As the airplane began its decent into Heathrow I pressed my face to the glass and watched rows and rows of little brown houses with card table lawns come into view. When the lane wheels hit the runway, I began to cry. Not silently, in loud, painful chest wrenching sobs. I thought: If I die now it doesn’t matter, I’m home.

I fell in love with Covent Garden, on that first return visit, and my protagonist’s father became a theatre musician. Her stepfather, a more prosaic man, who worked in the fruit and vegetable market. While in Wales, I visited a mining museum, called The Big Pit, and felt the claustrophobia of going underground. My Welsh storyteller became a miner’s son from Cwmafan with dark secrets. He and his wife dwelled in cottages not unlike the ones I saw at The Museum of Welsh Life.


Hardly obsessive, I hear you say. Just plain good sense. Well, yes, but I may have returned to the UK once or twice (cough) since then. See, we have made an agreement, my husband and I, (which I’m sure you will agree is quite equitable). He earns the Frequent Flyer points and I spend them. This has given me ample opportunity to walk in the footsteps of my characters. I’ve been on a Thames River tour and watched the original Victorian warehouses slide past me. Visited Deptford and walked the route from the emigrant depot to the Deptford watergate. I’ve done a Covent Garden theatre tour and imagined the backstage theatre world. Taken communion in St Paul’s Covent Garden, as my characters would have done. I’ve visited the museum of London’s Docks and learned details about wherries and red-sailed sailing barges. Spent an afternoon in the Victoria & Albert archives looking through nineteenth century theatre play bills. I’ve visited Llyn y Fan Fach, the site of one of my storyteller’s tales. I drove past the village of Tre Taliesin. This lead to a much-needed re-work of my storytellers first story. How did this immersion help the final outcome? It certainly made the characters real to me, their journeys no longer simply words on the page. I hope that comes through in the novel.


The other aspect of my research (which may definitely fall into the obsessive category) involved
learning to speak Welsh. I’d read How Green was my Valley and realised Welsh people spoke English differently. I thought a term of Welsh classes would give ‘give me a sense’ of this difference. I had no idea The language would be so ancient, or beautiful, or so endangered. One term of lessons became two, then three, until I realised I didn’t want to stop. I’d fallen under the spell of the Welsh language– its words and sentences, the little accents over its letters, were like a soul song to me. Welsh has words like Gwdihŵ, which means owl and sounds like Toowit toowoo, and pilipala which means butterfly and sounds like wings fluttering, and corgi which means dwarf dog, and drewgi (skunk) which literally means stink dog. Buwch goch gota’r haf (for ladybird) which means short red cow of the summer.

While living in Wales for seven months (yes, still married, very understanding husband), I did a course on the Mabinogion, in Welsh. I also heard a man, who I suspect really was a fairy, talk about Welsh fairy tales, in Welsh. I wouldn’t have been able to attend these workshops without the language. Or had many of the amazing conversations and experiences. How did learning the language help me write the book. Tangibly, I let my wide-eyed wonder infuse my characters reactions. Speaking Welsh is like stepping through the barrier on platform nine and three quarters. A whole hidden world exists in that other language. I have stepped into that world. I hope it has added authenticity to my novel.


The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett

Publication Date: October 20, 2017
Odyssey Books
Paperback; 300 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Historical


She fancied herself part of a timeless chain without beginning or end, linked only by the silver strong words of its tellers.

In the year 1841, on the eve of her departure from London, Bridie's mother demands she forget her dead father and prepare for a sensible, adult life in Port Phillip. Desperate to save her childhood, fifteen-year-old Bridie is determined to smuggle a notebook filled with her father's fairytales to the far side of the world.

When Rhys Bevan, a soft-voiced young storyteller and fellow traveller realises Bridie is hiding something, a magical friendship is born. But Rhys has his own secrets and the words written in Bridie’s notebook carry a dark double meaning.

As they inch towards their destination, Rhys's past returns to haunt him. Bridie grapples with the implications of her dad’s final message. The pair take refuge in fairytales, little expecting the trouble it will cause.

Odyssey Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

About the Author


When Elizabeth Jane Corbett isn’t writing, she works as a librarian, teaches Welsh at the Melbourne Celtic Club, writes reviews and articles for the Historical Novel Society and blogs at elizabethjanecorbett.com. In 2009, her short-story, Beyond the Blackout Curtain, won the Bristol Short Story Prize. Another, Silent Night, was short listed for the Allan Marshall Short Story Award. An early draft of her debut novel, The Tides Between, was shortlisted for a HarperCollins Varuna manuscript development award.

Elizabeth lives with her husband, Andrew, in a renovated timber cottage in Melbourne’s inner-north. She likes red shoes, dark chocolate, commuter cycling, and reading quirky, character driven novels set once-upon-a-time in lands far, far away.

For more information, please visit Elizabeth Jane Corbett's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 4
Review at Back Porchervations
Feature at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, December 5
Guest Post at Booklover Book Reviews

Wednesday, December 6
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Interview at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, December 7
Review at Faery Tales Are Real

Friday, December 8
Review & Guest Post at Locks, Hooks and Books

Monday, December 11
Review at Creating Herstory

Tuesday, December 12
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Review at Singing Librarian Books

Wednesday, December 13
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Friday, December 15
Review at Carole Rae's Random Ramblings
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Giveaway

During the Cover Reveal we will be giving away a signed copy of The Tides Between and Bookplate! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

The Tides Between


Anna Belfrage's There is Always a Tomorrow Blog Tour & Giveaway


There is Always a Tomorrow by Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: November 5, 2017
Timelight Press
eBook & Paperback; ISBN: 9781788039666

Series: Graham Saga, Book #9
Genre: Historical Fiction/Time-Slip


There is Always a Tomorrow is the ninth book in Anna Belfrage’s time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

It is 1692 and the Colony of Maryland is still adapting to the consequences of Coode’s Rebellion some years previously. Religious tolerance in the colony is now a thing of the past, but safe in their home, Alex and Matthew Graham have no reason to suspect they will become embroiled in the ongoing religious conflicts—until one of their sons betrays their friend Carlos Muñoz to the authorities.

Matthew Graham does not leave his friends to rot—not even if they’re papist priests—so soon enough most of the Graham family is involved in a rescue attempt, desperate to save Carlos from a sentence that may well kill him.

Meanwhile, in London little Rachel is going through hell. In a matter of months she loses everything, even her surname, as apparently her father is not Master Cooke but one Jacob Graham. Not that her paternity matters when her entire life implodes.

Will Alex and Matthew be able to help their unknown grandchild? More importantly, will Rachel want their help?

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound


About the Author

Anna was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result she’s multilingual and most of her reading is historical- both non-fiction and fiction. Possessed of a lively imagination, she has drawers full of potential stories, all of them set in the past. She was always going to be a writer – or a historian, preferably both. Ideally, Anna aspired to becoming a pioneer time traveller, but science has as yet not advanced to the point of making that possible. Instead she ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for her most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career Anna raised her four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive…

For years she combined a challenging career with four children and the odd snatched moment of writing. Nowadays Anna spends most of her spare time at her writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and she slips away into her imaginary world, with her imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in her life pops his head in to ensure she’s still there.

Other than on her website, www.annabelfrage.com, Anna can mostly be found on her blog, http://annabelfrage.wordpress.com – unless, of course, she is submerged in writing her next novel. You can also connect with Anna on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, November 27
Review at A Holland Reads

Tuesday, November 28
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Excerpt at Locks, Hooks and Books

Wednesday, November 29
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Thursday, November 30
Feature at WS Momma Readers Nook
Excerpt at What Is That Book About
Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Friday, December 1
Review at Just One More Chapter

Sunday, December 3
Feature at T's Stuff

Monday, December 4
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, December 5
Excerpt at A Literary Vacation

Wednesday, December 6
Feature at The Lit Bitch

Thursday, December 7
Feature at A Bookaholic Swede

Friday, December 8
Review at A Bookish Affair

Monday, December 11
Feature at View From the Birdhouse
Feature at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Tuesday, December 12
Review at Beth's Book Nook Blog

Wednesday, December 13
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Thursday, December 14
Feature at Passages to the Past

Friday, December 15
Review at Book Nerd

Monday, December 18
Feature at A Book Geek

Tuesday, December 19
Review at CelticLady's Reviews

Wednesday, December 20
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Thursday, December 21
Review at Broken Teepee
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a paperback copy of There is Always a Tomorrow! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

There is Always a Tomorrow


2018 Release: The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis


Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Penguin Random House

Genre: Historical Fiction

In her latest captivating novel, nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis takes readers into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, fifty years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them.

For the nearly nine million people who live in New York City, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.

For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future, which she is certain will shine as the brightly as the constellations on the main concourse ceiling. It is 1928, and twenty-five-year-old Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. A talented illustrator, she has dreams of creating cover art for Vogue, but not even the prestige of the school can override the public’s disdain for a “woman artist.” Brash, fiery, confident, and single-minded–even while juggling the affections of two men, a wealthy would-be poet and a brilliant experimental painter–Clara is determined to achieve every creative success. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they’ll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression, an insatiable monster with the power to destroy the entire art scene. And even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.

Nearly fifty years later, in 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay’s life. Full of grime and danger, from the smoke-blackened ceiling to the pickpockets and drug dealers who roam the floor, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor hidden under the dust, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece–an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.

Available for Pre-Order on Amazon

2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - Sign Up Open!


Hello everyone & welcome to the Sign Up Page for the 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge!


I am thrilled to be hosting this challenge again at Passages to the Past! Sign Ups are open and ready for all that would like to join the challenge.

Here are the Reading Challenge details:

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:
  • Everyone can participate! If you don't have a blog you can post a link to your review if it's posted on Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon, or you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish.
  • Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please use the direct URL that will guide us directly to your review)
  • Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, History/Non-Fiction, etc.)
During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th Century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books

To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link in Mr. Linky below or just leave a link to your blog if you are not yet ready to post about it yet. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining, and link to your Facebook, Goodreads or other social media page where you will be sharing your reviews.

The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2018.

I look forward to having you join me in reading and enjoying the best in historical fiction over the 12 months.

Don't forget to grab the Reading Challenge Button to post on your blog. If you'd like a specific size, just let me know and I will send it over to you via email. Please share about the Reading Challenge to your fellow friends and readers using the hashtag below!

#2018HistFicReadingChallenge

If you have any questions or comments please leave a comment on this post or email Amy at passagestothepast@gmail.com.

What is your reading goal for 2018? What Reading Challenge level are you aiming for?


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2018 Release: The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

Author C.W. Gortner just unveiled his cover for The Romanov Princess: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna and it's a stunner! It releases on July 18th from Ballantine Books. I cannot wait to read this, it sounds amazing!


The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner


Publication Date: July 18, 2018
Ballantine Books

Hardcover & eBook

Genre: Historical Fiction

For readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir comes a dramatic novel of the beloved Empress Maria, the Danish girl who became the mother of the last Russian tsar.

Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.

Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie—now called Maria—must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.

Available for Pre-Order on Amazon

2018 Release: The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

Publication Date: February 20, 2018
Lake Union Publishing

Genre: Historical Fiction

From New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father’s hidden past to discover his secrets…

In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.

Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history—and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now…

Collins Hemingway's The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen Blog Tour & Giveaway

Happy Monday and welcome to kick off day for Collins Hemingway's Blog tour with HF Virtual Book Tours for The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen, the first book in Hemingway's series. You can read all about the book below and see which blogs will be hosting the tour, and don't forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy!


The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen: A Novel by a Gentleman Volume I by Collins Hemingway

Publication Date: June 20, 2015
AuthorHouse
Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook

Genre: Historical Fiction


Everyone should marry once for love - Even Jane Austen

Jane Austen, single and seemingly comfortable in the role of clergyman's daughter and aspiring writer in the early 1800s, tells friends and family to hold out for true affection in any prospective relationship. Everybody, she says, has a right to marry once in their lives for love.

But when, after a series of disappointing relationships, the prospect of true love arrives for her, will she have the courage to act? The Marriage of Miss Jane AUsten re-imagines the life of England's archetypal female by exploring what might have happened if she had ever married. It shows how a meaningful, caring relationship would have changed her as a person and a writer.

It also takes her beyond England's tranquil country villages and plunges her info what the Regency era was really about: great explorations and scientific advances, political foment, and an unceasing, bloody war.

In such times, can love—can marriage—triumph?

Amazon | Austen Books | Barnes and Noble

Praise

"What if Austen, who penned so many classic love stories, found her own romantic match? Ashton Dennis fits right into the Austen universe, while this Jane remains true to life, an intelligent and determined young woman. The writing is Austen-ian, and Hemingway has a talent for witty banter and wry observations that would make Elizabeth Bennet proud. An enjoyable first novel in an imaginative, well-researched series." —Kirkus Reviews

"A skillful portrayal of a ... literary icon takes this historical romance on an imaginative journey of the soul. … Insight and intuition, along with meticulous research, have created a believable version of her character in this tender story of Ashton and Jane. … Excellent character development enhances the plausibility of the scenario. Background, motivation, eccentricity—everything that constitutes a personality allow these fascinating people to step off the pages in lifelike form." —Julia Ann Charpentier, Foreword CLARION Reviews, 4 stars

"All readers of Jane Austen wonder what Jane's life might have been like had she married, or had money. The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen explores these intriguing possibilities. It also depicts Austen in a rapidly changing world, connecting her to important aspects of the era-war, slavery, indistralization, and new modes of travel. Heminghway's book raises many 'what if's' in his thoughtful and thought-provoking portrayal of Jane Austen falling in love." -Susannah Fullerton, author of A Dance with Jane Austen and Happily Ever After: Celebrating Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

"[An] engaging and remarkably convincing romance. … Wry, observant, laconic—much like Jane Austen herself, without ever dipping into pastiche or mimicry. … Hemingway, with the lightest touch, builds up a thoroughly convincing alternative history for Jane. … [A] thoughtful re-imagining of Austen’s love life." —Joceline Bury, Jane Austen’s Regency World

About the Author

Whether his subject is literature, history, or science, Collins Hemingway has a passion for the art of creative investigation. For him, the most compelling fiction deeply explores the heart and soul of its characters, while also engaging them in the complex and often dangerous world in which they have a stake. He wants to explore all that goes into people's lives and everything that makes tThe hem complete though fallible human beings. His fiction is shaped by the language of the heart and an abiding regard for courage in the face of adversity.

As a nonfiction book author, Hemingway has worked alongside some of the world's thought leaders on topics as diverse as corporate culture and ethics; the Internet and mobile technology; the ins and outs of the retail trade; and the cognitive potential of the brain. Best known for the #1 best-selling book on business and technology, Business @ the Speed of Thought, which he coauthored with Bill Gates, he has earned a reputation for tackling challenging subjects with clarity and insight, writing for the nontechnical but intelligent reader.

Hemingway has published shorter nonfiction on topics including computer technology, medicine, and aviation, and he has written award-winning journalism.

Published books include The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen trilogy, Business @ the Speed of Thought, with Bill Gates, Built for Growth, with Arthur Rubinfeld, What Happy Companies Know, with Dan Baker and Cathy Greenberg, Maximum Brainpower, with Shlomo Breznitz, and The Fifth Wave, with Robert Marcus.

Hemingway lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Wendy. Together they have three adult sons and three granddaughters. He supports the Oregon Community Foundation and other civic organizations engaged in conservation and social services in Central Oregon.

For more information please visit Collins Hemingway's website and blog. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 4
Kick Off at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, December 5
Guest Post at The Writing Desk

Wednesday, December 6
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Thursday, December 7
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Friday, December 8
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Review at Adventures Thru Wonderland

Sunday, December 10
Review at Clarissa Reads it All
Review at Carole Rae's Random Ramblings

Monday, December 11
Interview at The Book Junkie Reads

Tuesday, December 12
Feature at The Hungry Bookworm

Wednesday, December 13
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Saturday, December 16
Interview & Excerpt at T's Stuff

Monday, December 18
Review at History From a Woman's Perspective

Wednesday, December 20
Review at Faery Tales Are Real
Feature at A Literary Vacation

Friday, December 22
Feature at The Reading Queen

Wednesday, December 27
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Friday, December 29
Review at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Tuesday, January 2
Feature at Broken Teepee

Thursday, January 4
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews
Review & Excerpt at Books of All Kinds

Friday, January 5
Review at Birdhouse Books

Monday, January 8
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Wednesday, January 10
Review at Singing Librarian Books
Review at WS Momma Readers Nook

Thursday, January 11
Review at What Cathy Read Next

Friday, January 12
Review at Diary of an Eccentric
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away two paperback copies of The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on January 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen


The Tides Between Blog Tour & Giveaway


The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett

Publication Date: October 20, 2017
Odyssey Books
Paperback; 300 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Historical


She fancied herself part of a timeless chain without beginning or end, linked only by the silver strong words of its tellers.

In the year 1841, on the eve of her departure from London, Bridie's mother demands she forget her dead father and prepare for a sensible, adult life in Port Phillip. Desperate to save her childhood, fifteen-year-old Bridie is determined to smuggle a notebook filled with her father's fairytales to the far side of the world.

When Rhys Bevan, a soft-voiced young storyteller and fellow traveller realises Bridie is hiding something, a magical friendship is born. But Rhys has his own secrets and the words written in Bridie’s notebook carry a dark double meaning.

As they inch towards their destination, Rhys's past returns to haunt him. Bridie grapples with the implications of her dad’s final message. The pair take refuge in fairytales, little expecting the trouble it will cause.

Odyssey Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

About the Author

When Elizabeth Jane Corbett isn’t writing, she works as a librarian, teaches Welsh at the Melbourne Celtic Club, writes reviews and articles for the Historical Novel Society and blogs at elizabethjanecorbett.com. In 2009, her short-story, Beyond the Blackout Curtain, won the Bristol Short Story Prize. Another, Silent Night, was short listed for the Allan Marshall Short Story Award. An early draft of her debut novel, The Tides Between, was shortlisted for a HarperCollins Varuna manuscript development award.

Elizabeth lives with her husband, Andrew, in a renovated timber cottage in Melbourne’s inner-north. She likes red shoes, dark chocolate, commuter cycling, and reading quirky, character driven novels set once-upon-a-time in lands far, far away.

For more information, please visit Elizabeth Jane Corbett's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 4
Review at Back Porchervations
Feature at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, December 5
Guest Post at Booklover Book Reviews

Wednesday, December 6
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Interview at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, December 7
Review at Faery Tales Are Real

Friday, December 8
Review & Guest Post at Locks, Hooks and Books

Monday, December 11
Review at Creating Herstory

Tuesday, December 12
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Review at Singing Librarian Books

Wednesday, December 13
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Friday, December 15
Review at Carole Rae's Random Ramblings
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Giveaway

During the Cover Reveal we will be giving away a signed copy of The Tides Between and Bookplate! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

The Tides Between


2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: December Reviews


Welcome to the December link page for the 2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. This is the page where you will enter the links to your reviews during the month of December 2017.

* Get ready for the 2018 HF Reading Challenge, ladies & gents! Details coming soon! *

Links to previous months...

January 2017
February 2017
March 2017
April 2017
May 2017
June 2017
July 2017
August 2017
September 2017
October 2017
November 2017

Reading Challenge Instructions...

  • Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review). A direct link to your Goodreads review is also acceptable
  • Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, etc.)
  • Don't forget to look some of the other links that are present. You never know when you will discover new blogs or books!


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If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.






Kate Murdoch's Stone Circle Blog Tour & Giveaway

Happy Friday, everyone! Today on the blog I am kicking off Kate Murdoch's Blog Tour for her debut historical, STONE CIRCLE! And today is Publication Day, so please join me in saying....CONGRATULATIONS, KATE!! HAPPY RELEASE DAY!

We have a chance for you to win a copy, so be sure to enter our giveaway below, and don't forget to follow the blog tour to see reviews of the book and interviews with the author.


Stone Circle by Kate Murdoch

Publication Date: December 1, 2017
Fireship Press
eBook & Paperback; 286 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance/Fantasy


Is the ability to read minds a blessing or a curse?

When Antonius’s father dies, he must work to support his family. He finds employment as a servant in the Palazzo Ducal, home of Conte Valperga. Sixteenth-century Pesaro is a society governed by status, and Antonius has limited opportunities.

When a competition is announced, Antonius seizes his chance. The winner will be apprenticed to the town seer. Antonius shares first place with his employer’s son.

The two men compete for their mentor’s approval. As their knowledge of magic and alchemy grows, so does the rivalry and animosity between them. When the love of a beautiful woman is at stake, Antonius must find a way to follow his heart and navigate his future.

Praise for Stone Circle

"Murdoch presents a delightful romance, feathered with light touches of fantasy. The development of her love triangle is gratifying, and even secondary characters offer stark dramatic moments…" -Kirkus Reviews

"Kate Murdoch’s characters are so greatly human, that it’s easy to sympathise with them: to cheer them on during hard times and to admonish them for being foolish. Her characters’ interactions with each other and their individualities helped shape the book into something wonderful; at the same time she excels at pacing the story with her characters, all within a framework designed to help readers understand the world of seers and alchemy she has created." -Readers’ Favorite (5 Stars)

"Kate Murdoch's STONE CIRCLE is a stunning historical fantasy debut set in Renaissance Italy, packed with rich imagery, well-developed characters, and an enthralling plot. The execution of the love triangle is both captivating and refreshing, weaving love, jealousy, and rivalry into a complicated but realistic story of one young seer's journey into alchemy and adulthood. I can't wait to read more by Kate Murdoch." -Madeline Dyer, author of the Untamed series


About the Author

Kate Murdoch is a Melbourne-based writer and artist. Her short-form fiction is regularly published in Flash Fiction Magazine, Eunoia Review, Sick Lit Magazine, Ink in Thirds and Spelk Fiction. She also writes for her blog at https://kabiba.wordpress.com/.

Kate’s first novel is Stone Circle, a beautifully imagined work of historical fiction. An earlier version of Stone Circle was widely-acclaimed on the HarperCollins UK website, Authonomy, where it was chosen by the editors as the “one to watch” and ultimately ended up ranked 16th out of more than 10,000 manuscripts.

For more information, please visit Kate Murdoch's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, December 1
Interview at Passages to the Past

Monday, December 4
Feature at The Writing Desk
Feature at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, December 6
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Friday, December 8
Feature at A Literary Vacation

Monday, December 11
Interview at The Book Junkie Reads

Tuesday, December 12
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Thursday, December 14
Review at Book Nerd

Sunday, December 17
Review at Carole's Ramblings

Tuesday, December 19
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews

Thursday, December 21
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 3 paperback copies of Stone Circle! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US & Canada only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Stone Circle


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