Vanessa Kelly's The Highlander Who Protected Me Blog Tour & Giveaway

Hello, dear readers! Today on the blog I am hosting the lovely Vanessa Kelly, who has a new book out today....The Highlander Who Protected Me. This is the first book in her new series, Clan Kendrick. You can read all about the book below and enter to win an awesome prize package! Be sure to also check out the stops on Vanessa's Blog Tour with HF Virtual Book Tours.


The Highlander Who Protected Me by Vanessa Kelly

Publication Date: October 30, 2018
Kensington Books
Paperback & eBook; 352 Pages

Series: Clan Kendrick, #1
Genre: Historical Romance/Scottish



Bestselling author Vanessa Kelly returns with an enthralling new series about the men of the Kendrick clan—and the women who claim their hearts...

Lady Ainsley Matthews, heiress and darling of the ton, was expected to make a magnificent match. Instead she’s hiding on a remote Scottish estate, terrified that her vicious former fiancĂ© will use her pregnancy to force her into marriage. One man can help her—Royal Kendrick, son of a distinguished Highland clan. Though a mistake drove them apart long ago, Royal is the only person Ainsley trusts to protect her baby—even if that means agreeing to never see either of them again . . .

Scarred in body and soul by war, Royal suddenly has a purpose—caring for an innocent babe and thereby helping the woman he can’t stop loving. But when Ainsley ultimately returns to Scotland, determined to be a real mother to her child in spite of the risk, there’s only one solution: marriage. And only one likely outcome: surrendering to the desire that’s simmered between them for so long, no matter how dangerous it may be...

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Google Play | IndieBound | Kobo

About the Author

Vanessa Kelly is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of The Improper Princesses series, The Renegade Royals Series and The Stanton Family series, in addition to other historical romances. Named by Booklist as one of the "New Stars of Historical Romance," she is a Maggie Medallion winner and is well known for developing vibrant Regency settings, appealing characters, and witty storylines that captivate readers.

When she's not dreaming up plots for her next Regency historical novel, Vanessa is writing USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance with her husband under the pen name of V.K. Sykes.

You can find Vanessa at vanessakellyauthor.com or at vksykes.com. For all of Vanessa's latest news and contests--and to receive a free story--please sign up for her newsletter on her website.

Clan Kendrick Facebook Group | Facebook Author Page | Pinterest | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, October 30
Feature at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 31
Review at Bibliophile Reviews

Thursday, November 1
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Friday, November 2
Feature at Donna's Book Blog
Excerpt at Clarissa Reads it All
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Monday, November 5
Review at Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, November 6
Feature at The Lit Bitch
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews

Wednesday, November 7
Feature at Maiden of the Pages

Thursday, November 8
Review at A Bookish Affair

Friday, November 9
Excerpt at Bookfever
Interview at Passages to the Past

Monday, November 12
Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Tuesday, November 13
Review at Pass Me That Book

Wednesday, November 14
Feature at The Book Review
Review at The Reading Woman

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a print copy of Three Weeks with a Princess and The Highlander's Princess Bride, plus a magnet, signed cover flats and a free digital download of the anthology, The Dukes of Vauxhall! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 14th. 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 Highlander Who Protected Me


Review & Giveaway: A Torch in His Heart by Anna Belfrage


A Torch in His Heart by Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: August 31, 2018
Timelight Press
eBook & Paperback 514 Pages

Series: The Wanderer, Book One
Genre: Romance/Erotica/Paranormal

In the long lost ancient past, two men fought over the girl with eyes like the Bosporus under a summer sky. It ended badly. She died. They died.

Since then, they have all tumbled through time, reborn over and over again. Now they are all here, in the same place, the same time and what began so long ago must finally come to an end.

Ask Helle Madsen what she thinks about reincarnation and she’ll laugh in your face. Besides, Helle has other stuff to handle, what with her new, exciting job in London and her drop-dead but seriously sinister boss, Sam Woolf. And then one day Jason Morris walks into her life and despite never having clapped eyes on him before, she recognises him immediately. Very weird. Even more weird is the fact that Sam and Jason clearly hate each other’s guts. Helle’s life is about to become extremely complicated and far too exciting.

My Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

No one does passion and romance quite like Anna Belfrage! Breaking away from her historical series, Belfrage is back to wow readers with a unique story of love, revenge, drama, and doing whatever possible to be with your soulmate...even live through countless lives to find them again.

Helle, Jason, and Sam are trapped in an endless loop of reincarnation. Connected by an invisible thread, each man on their own mission with Helle caught between them - one man who wants to posses her and one who simply wants to love and protect her. Through Anna's masterful storytelling readers are taken on an adventure of the senses. Intrigue, danger, sexiness - this book has it all in spades!

"You used to wear it longer." Helle touched his hair. "It used to be long enough to braid." Now where did that come from? Her hand trembled as she lowered it.

"And you used to braid it, remember?"

No of course she didn't. She'd never met him before, except that she was swamped by an image of him sitting in front of her, and she working her way through his hair. It was hot and dusty, in the distance she could see the dark blue of the sea, and...I'm going crazy, she thought, stumbling down to a nearby bench. She just had to sit down before she fainted or something.

If you're looking for a fun escape from the world then I highly recommend A Torch in His Heart! Grab a soft blanket, a yummy hot chocolate and settle in with this exciting book - you can thank me later! Be prepared for sexy times ahead!

Available on Amazon


About the Author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history and writing.

Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. (Medieval knight was also high on Anna’s list of potential professions. Yet another disappointment…)

With Jason and Helle, Anna has stepped out of her historical comfort zone and has loved doing so.

Find out more about Anna by visiting her website, www.annabelfrage.com, You can also connect with Anna on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, October 9
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Wednesday, October 10
Review at Oh, October

Thursday, October 11
Interview at Let Them Read Books

Friday, October 12
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Monday, October 15
Review at A Holland Reads

Friday, October 19
Feature at A Bookaholic Swede

Sunday, October 21
Review & Guest Post at Clarissa Reads it All

Tuesday, October 23
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Thursday, October 25
Review at Donna Louise

Friday, October 26
Review at Broken Teepee

Monday, October 29
Review at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 31
Interview at Passages to the Past

Friday, November 2
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, November 7
Feature at Just One More Chapter

Monday, November 12
Review & Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads

Friday, November 16
Review at The Book Mind

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away one eBook and one paperback copy of A Torch in His Heart! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 16th. 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.

A Torch in His Heart


Cover Reveal: At The Mountain's Edge by Genevieve Graham

Happy Monday, dear readers! Today I am so excited to be hosting the Cover Reveal for At the Mountain's Edge! Isn't it beautiful?

At the Mountain's Edge will be out on April 2, 2019 from Simon & Schuster.


From bestselling author Genevieve Graham comes a sweeping new historical novel of love, tragedy, and redemption set during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush.

In 1897, the discovery of gold in the desolate reaches of the Yukon has the world abuzz with excitement, and thousands of prospectors swarm to the north seeking riches the likes of which have never been seen before.

For Liza Peterson and her family, the gold rush is a chance for them to make a fortune by moving their general store business from Vancouver to Dawson City, the only established town in the Yukon. For Constable Ben Turner, a recent recruit of the North-West Mounted Police, upholding the law in a place overrun with guns, liquor, prostitutes, and thieves is an opportunity to escape a dark past and become the man of integrity he has always wanted to be. But the long, difficult journey over icy mountain passes and whitewater rapids is much more treacherous than Liza or Ben imagined, and neither is completely prepared for the forbidding north.

As Liza’s family nears the mountain’s peak, a catastrophe strikes with fatal consequences, and not even the NWMP can help. Alone and desperate, Liza finally reaches Dawson City, only to find herself in a different kind of peril. Meanwhile, Ben, wracked with guilt over the accident on the trail, sees the chance to make things right. But just as love begins to grow, new dangers arise, threatening to separate the couple forever.

Inspired by history as rich as the Klondike’s gold, At the Mountain’s Edge is an epic tale of romance and adventure about two people who must let go of the past not only to be together, but also to survive.

Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Barnes and Noble | Chapters Indigo | Kobo



About the Author

Genevieve Graham is the bestselling author of Tides of Honour, Promises to Keep, and Come from Away. She is passionate about breathing life back into Canadian history through tales of love and adventure. She lives near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit her at GenevieveGraham.com or on Twitter @GenGrahamAuthor.

Suanne Schafer's A Different Kind of Fire Book Blast & Giveaway!


A Different Kind of Fire by Suanne Schafer

Publication Date: November 1, 2018
Waldorf Publishing
Paperback & AudioBook

Genre: Historical Fiction


Ruby Schmidt has the talent, the drive, even the guts to enroll in art school, leaving behind her childhood home and the beau she always expected to marry. Her life at the Academy seems heavenly at first, but she soon learns that societal norms in the East are as restrictive as those back home in West Texas. Rebelling against the insipid imagery woman are expected to produce, Ruby embraces bohemian life. Her burgeoning sexuality drives her into a life-long love affair with another woman and into the arms of an Italian baron. With the Panic of 1893, the nation spirals into a depression, and Ruby’s career takes a similar downward trajectory. After thinking she could have it all, Ruby, now pregnant and broke, returns to Texas rather than join the queues at the neighborhood soup kitchen. She discovers her life back home is as challenging as that in Philadelphia.

A Different Kind of Fire depicts one woman’s battle to balance husband, family, career, and ambition. Torn between her childhood sweetheart, her forbidden passion for another woman, the nobleman she had to marry, and becoming a renowned painter, Ruby’s choices mold her in ways she could never have foreseen.

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | BookBub | Waldorf Publishing


Praise

"Writer Suanne Schafer spins a unique tale of a turn of the 19th century Texas heroine and her way of artistic expression. Her paintings shock her contemporaries and the love she's drawn to shocks herself. A Different Kind of Fire depicts the journey of a determined woman to meet life on her own terms." --Pamela Morsi, USAToday Bestselling Author of 26 books including The Cotton Queen and Bitsy's Bait & BBQ

"If you love historical novels about women who throw off the shackles of feminine convention, then this book is for you. In spare but sensuous prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and E. Annie Proulx, Schafer brings Ruby Schmidt to life--a woman who doesn't belong in the late nineteenth century but gradually finds her place in the twentieth. You can't help but root for Ruby as she grows from Texas farm girl, to a freethinker and lover of men and women in Philadelphia, and finally into a consummate artist. This is a powerful and deeply satisfying read." --Helena Echlin, co-author of Sparked and author of Gone

"An exceptional first novel. Schafer has woven a cohesive tale from disparate elements--a stark life in the rugged countryside of 1890s Texas vs the gentility of an arts academy in the East; a traditional marriage and motherhood vs a secret and haunting sexuality. Unequivocally recommended!" --Michael R. Hardesty, Author of Amazon Best Seller, The Grace of the Ginkgo

"With rare artistry, Schafer paints a life both creative and cursed in A Different Kind of Fire.--Willa Blair, Award-winning Amazon and Barnes & Noble #1 bestselling author of His Highland Love, Highland Troth, Highland Seer, and ten other books

"The saga of a young woman determined to follow her dream, whatever obstacles cross her path." --MJ Fredrick, author of A Texas Kind of Love, Smitten in a Small Town, and twenty-five other books, a two-time Epic Awards winner and a four-time RWA Golden Heart finalist

Suanne Schafer's A Different Kind of Fire is a powerful story of a Gilded Age artist who brooks convention both in her art and her love. Read this book: It has both the depth of emotion of a modernist novel and the epic scope of a historical saga.--Alicia Rasley, author of The Year She Fell, an Amazon bestseller

"I absolutely LOVED A Different Kind of Fire. Suanne Schafer is a passionate writer with a gift to transport the reader back to the 1800's. With her book in one hand and my iPad in the other, I learned so much about artists and their work. Ms. Schafer's words are so visual, I actually watched the story play out with every riveting page I turned. Fantastic character development. There was no stone left unturned. "A Different Kind of Fire" gets a standing ovation and five stars from me. Five stars." --Tracy Stopler, Award-winning author of The Ropes That Bind

"I was amazed by Suanne Schafer's poetic and laconic turns of phrase. She has the gift of being simultaneously ornate and succinct, which is no easy task." --Joshua Mohr, Author Sirens, All This Life, Fight Song, Damascus, Termite Parade, Somethings That Meant the World to Me

"Told in a rich, sensual, style, A Different Kind of Fire is a book about reconciling the irreconcilable. It is a book about boundaries: the dilemmas they place upon those would dare rise above them. The book is also a study in contrasts rather than a polemical treatise. Is Ruby a heroine or a victim?--a free spirit or a narcissist? These questions are ultimately left to the reader to decide." --James Hanna, Author of The Siege, Call Me Pomeroy, and A Second, Less Head and Other Rogue Stories.

"Suanne Schafer's A Different Kind of Fire tackles the sensitive subject of bisexuality in 19th century America with grace, compassion, and empathy through fully developed characters in a story readers will cherish long after the book ends." --C.S. Fuqua, author of Walking after Midnight ~ Collected Stories

"An evocative and compelling story of a Texas-bred ranch girl-to-woman straddling the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and her conflicting and sometimes illicit desires for her art, her lovers and the freedoms some women were just beginning to glimpse. Ferberesque in scope, A Different Kind of Fire harbors the twists and turns of a thriller and the braided threads of explosive affairs that cannot possibly coexist. Schafer's marvelous book exudes undiminished spirit in the face of terrible loss." --Guinotte Wise, author of Night Train, Cold Beer, winner of H. Palmer Hall Award

"Insightful, loving, and endearing, A Different Kind of Fire, will draw you in and keep you spellbound. Suanne Schafer weaves Ruby Schmidt's journey from love in rural Texas to art school in sophisticated 1890s Philadelphia. Ruby's struggles and triumphs over 100 years ago ring true to the challenges still faced by 21st century women." --Kristine Mietzner, Founder, The Women Veterans Writing Workshop of California

About the Author

Suanne Schafer, born in West Texas at the height of the Cold War, finds it ironic that grade school drills for tornadoes and nuclear war were the same: hide beneath your desk and kiss your rear-end goodbye. Now a retired family-practice physician whose only child has fledged the nest, her pioneer ancestors and world travels fuel her imagination. She originally planned to write romances, but either as a consequence of a series of failed relationships or a genetic distrust of happily ever-after, her heroines are strong women who battle tough environments and intersect with men who might—or might not—love them.

Suanne completed the Stanford University Creative Writing Certificate program. Her short works have been featured in print and on-line magazines and anthologies. Her debut women’s fiction novel, A Different Kind of Fire, explores the life of Ruby Schmidt, a nineteenth century artist who escapes—and returns—to West Texas. Suanne’s next book explores the heartbreak and healing of an American physician caught up in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, October 29
Book Nerd
Creating Herstory
A Chick Who Reads
Passages to the Past
The Reading Woman

Tuesday, October 30
Jathan & Heather
CelticLady's Reviews
The Book Junkie Reads
Svetlana's Reads and Views
Historical Fiction with Spirit
So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, October 31
A Book Geek
Umut Reviews
100 Pages a Day
Just One More Chapter
What Is That Book About

Thursday, November 1
Tea Book Blanket
Amy's Booket List
Donna's Book Blog
Clarissa Reads it All
What Cathy Read Next

Friday, November 2
The Writing Desk
Puddletown Reviews
Hoover Book Reviews
Locks, Hooks and Books

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away A Fiery Bookish Prize Pack, including a literary scarf, beaded velvet bookmark, a copy of A DIFFERENT KIND OF FIRE & $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to readers in the US 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

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Guest Post & Giveaway: War King by Eric Schumacher

Hello, dear readers. Today on the blog I am hosting the wonderful Eric Schumacher with a fascinating guest post as part of his War King Blog Tour! We also have a chance for you to win an eBook!


Christianity, Hakon and the Viking Age

A blogger recently asked me about the role of faith in my novels. It's an interesting question, and one I wanted to give some attention to here.

To answer the question simply and directly, faith plays a major role in my novels, not because I am particularly religious, but because in the Viking Age, religion, faith and life were entwined.

In Germanic and Scandinavian culture, gods and spirits played an integral part of life. They were everywhere. They were the reason for the landscape and geography. They controlled the weather, the seas, the crops. Appeasing or pleasing those gods and spirits was a daily occurrence. Though it took a vastly different form, it could also be said that Christianity and “God” were ever-present in the mind of those living in Christianized parts of the world.


The period after the fall of the Roman Empire and up through the Middle Ages was a time of religious change and upheaval. By the beginning of the fourth century, persecution of Christians had ended in the Roman Empire, and support for the religion was spreading. There was a Christian presence in Ireland by the year 400, and Clovis I, ruler of the Franks, was baptized on Christmas Day, 496. However, Christianity's spread was not without difficulties. The old gods were still a strong force in parts of England, Saxony, Scandinavian and other regions; while Islam was sweeping into the fallen Roman empire from the east.

In 793, the Vikings arrive in dramatic fashion. "In this year dire forewarnings came over the land of the Northumbrians, and miserably terrified the people; these were extraordinary whirlwinds and lightenings, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. A great famine soon followed these omens; and soon after that, in the same year, the havoc of heathen men miserably destroyed God’s church on Lindisfarne. . .” (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).

At first, the raiders targeted churches and monasteries, which were, for the most part, unprotected and rich in gold, silver, and slaves. It is not hard to see how the Christian priests, and through them, the people, must have thought the raiders who killed, pillaged and burned these centers of faith were godless men and (pun intended) hell bent on destroying the church.


While the Vikings must have known of Christianity and heard of its spread, their attack on churches did not seem to be motivated by a desire to destroy the Christian faith. The raids seemed more practical than that. The churches and their unprotected wealth were easy prey. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that the raiders were even willing to adopt the new faith if it could help them in some way, such as get them safely across an ocean, or earn them victory in battle, or, as with some of their leaders, earn them riches in land and gold through alliances.

Given all of this, to exclude faith from my novels would be to paint an inaccurate picture of the Viking Age. Only I took it a step further. I chose Hakon Haraldsson as my protagonist. Why? Because in many ways, Hakon is the embodiment of the religious struggles of the time. He is a boy raised in a heathen home until he was eight, then shipped off to the Christian court of Wessex to be fostered, then brought back to the North to fight his pagan brother alongside his pagan people for the High Seat of the land. Can religion, faith, and plot get any more entwined than that? Ok, maybe they can, but you get the point.

The tricky bit was determining just how religious to make Hakon, and what I eventually landed on was a character whose faith would evolve. In the first novel, God's Hammer, Hakon practices much of the teachings of modern Christianity, particularly “love thy brother” and "love thy enemy". In the Viking Age, there is no indication that kings adhered to this teaching, and plenty of evidence to suggest the opposite. Yet, Hakon was young and untested, so I chose to make him a naĂŻve idealist driven by a singular mission to become the first Christian king of the North, a mission planted in his impressionable mind by his powerful foster father, King Athelstan. I did this because I wanted to pit Hakon against Erik and through that rivalry, point to the larger theme of good versus evil that was the backdrop of that time.


In Raven's Feast (the second novel), life’s harsh realities test Hakon spiritual resolve at every turn. Those tests leave him with a singular choice to make: stand fast in the face of the challenges or give into the demands of his people.

With War King, we see Hakon as a middle-aged man. Like a stone that has long been smoothed by the flow of water, so too has Hakon’s rough edges softened with the passage of time. But does he ultimately crack under the strain? You will need to read the novel to find out.


War King by Eric Schumacher

Publication Date: October 15, 2018
Creativia Publishing
eBook; 279 Pages
ASIN: B07GT3DB13

Series: Hakon's Saga, Book 3
Genre: Historical Fiction/Vikings


It is 954 A.D. and a tempest is brewing in the North. Twenty summers before, Hakon Haraldsson wrested Norway’s throne from his murderous brother, Erik Bloodaxe, but he failed to rid himself of Erik’s family. Now the sons of Erik have come to reclaim Erik’s realm and avenge the wrong done to their father and their kin.

They do not come alone. With them marches an army of sword-Danes sent by the Danish King, Harald Bluetooth, whose desire to expand his realm is as powerful as the lust for vengeance that pulses in the veins of Erik’s brood.

Like storm-driven waves, the opposing forces collide in War King, the action-packed sequel to God’s Hammer and Raven’s Feast.

Available at Amazon

Praise for the Hakon's Saga

"I was swept up in the action and enthralled by the descriptions of Hakon’s struggle." -Roundtable Reviews

"I highly recommend this historical fiction novel, both for its entertaining story and historical information." -Historical Fiction Review-

"A story of war, family, sacrifice, honor ... one that keeps your blood pumping and your fingers turning pages rapidly. I can't wait to dig into the next." -Goodreads Review

About the Author

Eric Schumacher was born in Los Angeles in 1968 and currently resides in Santa Barbara, CA with his wife, two children and dog. He is the author of two historical fiction novels, God’s Hammer and its sequel, Raven’s Feast. Both tell the story of the first Christian king of Viking Norway, Hakon Haraldsson, and his struggles to gain and hold the High Seat of his realm.

More information on Eric and his Hakon Sagas can be found on his website. You can also connect with Eric on TwitterFacebookGoodreads, and AuthorsDB.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, October 15
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, October 16
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Wednesday, October 17
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Friday, October 19
Interview at Dianne Ascroft's Blog

Monday, October 22
Guest Post at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 24
Excerpt at Tea Book Blanket

Thursday, October 25
Interview at Maiden of the Pages

Monday, October 29
Review at Hoover Book Reviews

Wednesday, October 31
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, November 2
Feature at Donna's Book Blog

Tuesday, November 6
Review at The Coffee Pot Book Club

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away ten copies of War King (ebooks and paperbacks)! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to readers in North America and Western Europe.
– 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

War King Launch Giveaway


Book Review: The Price of Compassion by A.B. Michaels {with giveaway}


The Price of Compassion by A.B. Michaels

Publication Date: August 27, 2018
Red Trumpet Press
eBook; 296 Pages

Series: Golden City, Book #4
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery



April 18, 1906. San Francisco has just been shattered by a massive earthquake and is in the throes of an even more deadly fire.

During the chaos, gifted surgeon Tom Justice makes a life-changing decision that wreaks havoc on his body, mind, and spirit.

Leaving the woman he loves, he embarks on a quest to regain his sanity and self-worth. Yet just when he finds some answers, he’s arrested for murder—a crime he may very well be guilty of. The facts of the case are troubling; they’ll have you asking the question: “Is he guilty?” Or even worse…”What would I have done?”

"[The Price of Compassion] is chock-full of details about California in the earliest part of the 20th century, and it showcases the rampant prejudice against Chinese immigrants that pervaded the West Coast during the period. In accessible and absorbing prose, the author also describes the arcane medical practices of the era [with] a sufficient number of high stakes moments to keep the tale suspenseful and engaging throughout. [It's] a well-thought-out legal drama, full of intrigue and duplicity." -Kirkus Reviews

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo


My Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of my absolute favorite things is finding a new author to love, and I can now report that author A.B. Michaels is newest on my list of favorites!

I wasn't sure what to expect with The Price of Compassion. It's set in San Francisco, which is a setting I haven't read a lot of in historical fiction, and was actually what drew me to read it most. What's great about Michaels' series is that all of the books are set in San Francisco and can be read as stand-alone novels. I already bought the first book, The Art of Love, and will be picking up the others soon.

The Price of Compassion tells the story of Tom Justice, a well-loved and highly capable doctor. When we first meet Tom he is in jail, awaiting his trial for murder. Throughout the book readers are taken through Tom's life - his childhood, his work with the Chinatown Free Clinic, being a railway Surgeon, and his experience during the 1906 Quake. I loved that each chapter starts off with a quote from someone that knew Tom.

Combining the history of San Fran, the medical practices of the day, the discrimination of the Asian population at that time, and the fascinating details of being a Railway Surgeon (which I had no idea existed), and a murder mystery, A.B. Michaels has masterfully crafted a fascinating historical novel that I absolutely adored. Michaels' writing is exceptional. I loved the characters, especially Tom and Katherine (and Katherine's mother).

Captivating me to the very end, The Price of Compassion will be a book that I won't soon forget. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series. I am obsessed now!

About the Author

A native of northern California, A.B. Michaels earned masters' degrees in history and broadcasting, and worked for many years in public relations and marketing. Now that she's an empty nester, she has time to write the kinds of stories she loves to read. Her historical series, "The Golden City," follows characters who make their way in turn of the twentieth century San Francisco. "I love creating flawed characters I can relate to, who have to make difficult choices, and who long for happiness like the rest of us. So much was happening in the early 1900's that help shape my novels. Once I tear myself away from the underlying research, they are fascinating stories to write."

Currently Ms. Michaels lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and two furry creatures who are unclear on the concept that they are just dogs. In addition to writing, she loves to read and travel. A dabbler in fabric art, she also plays bocce in a summer league. Her latest stand-alone novel, "The Price of Compassion," is Book Four of the "Golden City" series. It's scheduled for release this summer and will be followed by Book Five, "Josephine's Daughter."

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, October 23
Review at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 24
Feature at What Is That Book About

Monday, October 29
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, October 30
Feature at Just One More Chapter

Thursday, November 1
Review at A Darn Good Read

Friday, November 2
Guest Post & Excerpt at Jathan & Heather

Monday, November 5
Interview at Passages to the Past

Thursday, November 8
Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads

Friday, November 9
Review at Book Nerd

Monday, November 12
Review at What Cathy Read Next

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour 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 November 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents 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.

The Price of Compassion




K.A. Servian's A Pivotal Right Blog Tour & Giveaway


A Pivotal Right by K.A. Servian

Publication Date: August 15, 2018
Paperback & eBook

Series: Shaking the Tree, Book #2
Genre: Historical/Romance/Victorian


Florence struggled for breath as she stared into the face of a ghost. "Jack?"

Twenty years after being forced apart Jack and Florence have been offered a second chance at love. But can they find their way back to each other through all the misunderstandings, guilt and pain?

And what of their daughter, Viola? Her plan to become a doctor is based on the belief she has inherited her gift her medicine from Emile, the man she believed was her father. How will she reconcile her future with the discovery that she is Jack's child?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

As a life-long creative, Kathy gained qualifications in fashion design, applied design to fabric and jewelry making and enjoyed a twenty-year-plus career in the fashion and applied arts industries as a pattern maker, designer and owner of her own clothing and jewelry labels.

She then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills accumulated over the years'design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few.

Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a manuscript. Writing quickly became an obsession and Kathy's first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from the original manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.

Kathy now squeezes full-time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing in around working on her novels, knocking out the occasional short story, teaching part-time and being a wife and mother.

For more information please visit K.A. Servian’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Sign up for K.A. Servian’s newsletter to receive news and updates.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, October 22
Feature at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, October 23
Excerpt at Donna's Book Blog

Thursday, October 25
Feature at What Is That Book About

Monday, October 29
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Friday, November 2
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books
Excerpt at Introvert Booklover

Sunday, November 4
Excerpt at T's Stuff

Monday, November 5
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, November 6
Review at What Cathy Read Next

Thursday, November 8
Review at A Darn Good Read

Friday, November 9
Guest Post at Jathan & Heather

Monday, November 12
Feature at Maiden of the Pages

Friday, November 16
Review & Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads

Monday, November 19
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Tuesday, November 20
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 10 eBooks of The Moral Compass, the first book in the Shaking the Tree series! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents 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.

A Pivotal Right


E.M. Powell's The Monastery Murders Blog Tour & Giveaway


The Monastery Murders by E.M. Powell

Publication Date: September 27, 2018
Thomas & Mercer
Paperback & eBook; 288 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1503903241

Series: Stanton and Barling #2
Genre: Historical Mystery


Their lives are ones of quiet contemplation—and brutal murder.

Christmas Eve, 1176. Brother Maurice, monk of Fairmore Abbey, awaits the night prayer bell. But there is only silence. Cursing his fellow brother Cuthbert’s idleness, he seeks him out—and in the darkness, finds him brutally murdered.

Summoned from London to the isolated monastery on the Yorkshire Moors, Aelred Barling, clerk to the King’s justices, and his messenger Hugo Stanton, set about investigating the horrific crime. They quickly discover that this is far from a quiet monastic house. Instead, it seethes with bitter feuds, rivalries and resentments. But no sooner do they arrive than the killer strikes again—and again.

When Barling discovers a pattern to these atrocities, it becomes apparent that the murderer’s rampage is far from over. With everyone, including the investigators, now fearing for their lives, can Barling and Stanton unmask the culprit before more blood is spilled?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Chapters | IndieBound

About the Author

E.M. Powell’s historical thriller Fifth Knight novels have been #1 Amazon and Bild bestsellers. The King’s Justice is the first novel in her new Stanton and Barling medieval murder mystery series. She is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers’ The Big Thrill magazine, blogs for English Historical Fiction Authors and is the social media manager for the Historical Novel Society.

Born and raised in the Republic of Ireland into the family of Michael Collins (the legendary revolutionary and founder of the Irish Free State), she now lives in North-West England with her husband, daughter and a Facebook-friendly dog.

Find out more by visiting www.empowell.com. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, October 22
Feature at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 24
Review at Donna's Book Blog

Saturday, October 27
Feature at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Monday, October 29
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, October 30
Feature at What Is That Book About

Monday, November 5
Excerpt at T's Stuff
Review & Excerpt at Locks, Hooks and Books

Friday, November 9
Feature at The Book Junkie Reads

Thursday, November 15
Review at Hoover Book Reviews

Monday, November 19
Guest Post at Jathan & Heather

Wednesday, November 21
Review at What Cathy Read Next

Thursday, November 22
Review at Jaffa Reads Too

Monday, November 26
Review at Curling up by the Fire

Wednesday, November 28
Review at Rachael's Ramblings

Thursday, November 29
Review at Impressions In Ink

Friday, November 30
Review at A Darn Good Read

Monday, December 3
Feature at The Lit Bitch
Review at Maiden of the Pages

Tuesday, December 4
Review at A Book Geek

Wednesday, December 5
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Thursday, December 6
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, December 7
Review at Bookramblings

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 6 copies of The Monastery Murders by E.M. Powell! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 7th. 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 Monastery Murders


Book Blast: D.K. Marley's Child of Love and Water

Child of Love and Water by D.K. Marley

Publication Date: October 19, 2018
The White Rabbit Publishing
eBook; 291 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction


The year is 1722. A child is born on the isolated island of Ospo off the Georgia coast. In the midst of General Oglethorpe's vision for this new land, and the emerging townships of Frederica and Savannah, four lives entwine together on this island like the woven fronds in a sea-grass basket - the orphaned Irish girl born free of hate or prejudice, a war-ravaged British soldier seeking forgiveness and absolution, a runaway Gullah slave girl desperate for a word of kindness on the wind, and a Creek Indian warrior searching for answers about this intrusion onto his homeland. What they learn from this wild innocent girl, and from each other, will change their lives forever.

A new birth, a new country, and the elements - Water, Wind, Fire, and Earth - entwine to teach one thing: Love conquers all. Love sees beyond borders. There is no ignorance in love.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

D. K. Marley is a historical fiction writer specializing in Shakespearean themes. Her grandmother, an English Literature teacher, gave her a volume of Shakespeare's plays when she was eleven, inspiring DK to delve further into the rich Elizabethan language. Eleven years ago she began the research leading to the publication of her first novel "Blood and Ink," an epic tale of lost dreams, spurned love, jealousy and deception in Tudor England as the two men, William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe, fight for one name and the famous works now known as the Shakespeare Folio.She is an avid Shakespearean / Marlowan, a member of the Marlowe Society, the Shakespeare Fellowship and a signer of the Declaration of Intent for the Shakespeare Authorship Debate. She has traveled to England three times for intensive research and debate workshops, and is a graduate of the intense training workshop "The Writer's Retreat Workshop" founded by Gary Provost and hosted by Jason Sitzes.She lives in Georgia with her husband and a Scottish Terriers named Maggie and Buster.

For more information, please visit D.K. Marley's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule

Friday, October 19
Passages to the Past

Saturday, October 20
A Darn Good Read
Donna's Book Blog

Monday, October 22
A Book Geek

Tuesday, October 23
Curling up by the Fire

Wednesday, October 24
Bri's Book Nook

Thursday, October 25
Pursuing Stacie

Friday, October 26
The Book Junkie Reads
What Is That Book About
View from the Birdhouse

Monday, October 29
Book Nerd
Clarissa Reads it All

War King by Eric Schumacher: Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers! Today on the blog I am hosting author Eric Schumacher! Eric is currently on Blog Tour for the last book in his Hakon's Saga trilogy, War King, and I have an excerpt and giveaway for you!


War King by Eric Schumacher

Publication Date: October 15, 2018
Creativia Publishing
eBook; 279 Pages
ASIN: B07GT3DB13

Series: Hakon's Saga, Book 3
Genre: Historical Fiction/Vikings


It is 954 A.D. and a tempest is brewing in the North. Twenty summers before, Hakon Haraldsson wrested Norway’s throne from his murderous brother, Erik Bloodaxe, but he failed to rid himself of Erik’s family. Now the sons of Erik have come to reclaim Erik’s realm and avenge the wrong done to their father and their kin.

They do not come alone. With them marches an army of sword-Danes sent by the Danish King, Harald Bluetooth, whose desire to expand his realm is as powerful as the lust for vengeance that pulses in the veins of Erik’s brood.

Like storm-driven waves, the opposing forces collide in War King, the action-packed sequel to God’s Hammer and Raven’s Feast.

Available at Amazon

Praise for the Hakon's Saga

"I was swept up in the action and enthralled by the descriptions of Hakon’s struggle." -Roundtable Reviews

"I highly recommend this historical fiction novel, both for its entertaining story and historical information." -Historical Fiction Review-

"A story of war, family, sacrifice, honor ... one that keeps your blood pumping and your fingers turning pages rapidly. I can't wait to dig into the next." -Goodreads Review

Excerpt

Slowly, he slid from under the bearskin and sat on the edge of his bed. As he worked the stiffness from his muscles, he became aware of the sounds and smells of early morning: the faint scent of beeswax candles that had long since surrendered to the night air; the stale stench of the previous night’s feast; the snores of his hirdmen in the great hall; the fragrance of his mistress Gyda, who lay curled under the bearskin beside him.

He pulled on his clothes, then crept from the room, past his slumbering warriors, and out into the receding darkness. The night sentries mumbled a greeting to their lord as Hakon passed through the north gate of the palisade surrounding his hall and worked his way down a well-worn path to one of two burial mounds that sat like warts on the top of the nearby hill. No one knew for sure who was buried in the mounds, though the skalds liked to say they covered the remains of the first owner of the estate — a king named Augvald — and his son.

Winter had not yet released its purchase on the land, and the frost-covered grass glistened and crunched as Hakon climbed the mound and sat on its crest. He gazed out at the waking world with eyes that watered from the air’s chill. Below him, the waters of the bay quivered in the gentle breeze and lapped against the two warships tied to his dock. Beyond the bay, the Karmsund Strait stretched north and south toward the sea like a dark vein. And beyond the water, east, stretched the rolling hills and valleys and waterways of Rogaland, the fylke to which Hakon’s estate at Avaldsnes belonged. It was only a fraction of the realm he controlled — a realm that now reached from the snow-mantled fylke of Halogaland far to the north, to the rocky tip of Agder in the south, to the forested border of the Uplands far to the east. All of it was under his control or the control of his oath-sworn jarls, and most of those were his kin.

He rewarded the jarls richly for their fealty and in exchange, they fought vigorously to keep peace in the realm. But peace was never constant so long as men sought fame and silver and land. It mattered not that Hakon had restored trust in the laws that his brother Erik had spurned or that, in recent years, he had built a system for coastal defenses to protect his people. Raiders still came to his shores. Men still stole and murdered each other. And feuds raged on. It was the way of things, he knew. Yet the strife left in its wake an older king with streaks of gray in his sandy hair, scars on his body, and lines of worry etched on his face.

Time brought with it more than just physical strife. It brought hard memories of people and places that cut just as deeply as any blade. Memories such as Hakon’s childhood love, Aelfwin, who long ago had sacrificed herself for the sake of Hakon’s army. Memories of his long dead foster-father, King Athelstan, who had raised him as a Christian in Engla-lond and was the first to plant the seeds of kingship and legacy in Hakon’s youthful mind. Memories of his kinsman and counselor, Jarl Tore the Silent, with his damaged throat and his big heart that had just stopped beating in his chest not one moon before. A man whose life he would soon celebrate on the northern island of Frei. Memories of his half-brother Erik, with his wild orange curls and mighty axe and brood of sons — sons who even now terrorized the Northern seas, gaining wealth and power and men, and who would eventually bring their death to Hakon’s realm in full force. Hakon wiped the sleep from his face with a calloused hand and the memories vanished.

A tempest was brewing. Hakon could feel it in his bones, and in his gut, and in the ravens that landed each morning for the past month on the burial mounds where he now sat. Ravens were the messengers of Odin, who brought the news of the world to the Alfather’s ears. Though Hakon clung to a different faith, he had lived long enough to know that the earth held its own secrets and that something was amiss — something beyond his control. Something greater than winter’s thaw and spring’s bloom. The elders, who for decades had held the North in balance, were dying; the young and the brash were gaining strength. Old. Young. Order. Chaos. Like storm-driven currents, the opposing forces were colliding, and when they did, Hakon would have no choice but to face the tempest and resist.

About the Author

Eric Schumacher was born in Los Angeles in 1968 and currently resides in Santa Barbara, CA with his wife, two children and dog. He is the author of two historical fiction novels, God’s Hammer and its sequel, Raven’s Feast. Both tell the story of the first Christian king of Viking Norway, Hakon Haraldsson, and his struggles to gain and hold the High Seat of his realm.

More information on Eric and his Hakon Sagas can be found on his website. You can also connect with Eric on TwitterFacebookGoodreads, and AuthorsDB.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, October 15
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, October 16
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Wednesday, October 17
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Friday, October 19
Interview at Dianne Ascroft's Blog

Monday, October 22
Guest Post at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 24
Excerpt at Tea Book Blanket

Thursday, October 25
Interview at Maiden of the Pages

Monday, October 29
Review at Hoover Book Reviews

Wednesday, October 31
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, November 2
Feature at Donna's Book Blog

Tuesday, November 6
Review at The Coffee Pot Book Club

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away ten copies of War King (ebooks and paperbacks)! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to readers in North America and Western Europe.
– 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

War King Launch Giveaway


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