Please join E.M. Powell as she tours virtually for The Fifth Knight, from April 15 – May 10.

Publication Date: January 22, 2013
Thomas & Mercer Publishing
Paperback; 390p
ISBN-10: 1611099331

To escape a lifetime of poverty, mercenary Sir Benedict Palmer agrees to one final, lucrative job: help King Henry II’s knights seize the traitor Archbishop Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. But what begins as a clandestine arrest ends in cold-blooded murder. And when Fitzurse, the knights’ ringleader, kidnaps Theodosia, a beautiful young nun who witnessed the crime, Palmer can sit silently by no longer. For not only is Theodosia’s virtue at stake, so too is the secret she unknowingly carries—a secret he knows Fitzurse will torture out of her. Now Palmer and Theodosia are on the run, strangers from different worlds forced to rely only on each other as they race to uncover the hidden motive behind Becket’s grisly murder—and the shocking truth that could destroy a kingdom.

About the Author

E. M. Powell was born and raised in Ireland, a descendant of Irish revolutionary Michael Collins. At University College, Cork, she discovered a love of Anglo-Saxon and medieval English during her study of literature and geography. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Manchester Irish Writers, the Historical Novel Society, and International Thriller Writers. A reviewer for the Historical Novel Society, she lives today in Manchester, England, with her husband and daughter.

For more information, please visit E.M. Powell’s website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, April 16
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Wednesday, April 17
Review at Sir Read-a-Lot

Thursday, April 18
Review at Turning the Pages

Friday, April 19
Interview & Giveaway at Sir Read-a-Lot

Monday, April 22
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, April 23
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, April 24
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, April 25
Review at The Lit Bitch
Interview at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Friday, April 26
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Monday, April 29
Review at A Book Geek

Tuesday, April 30
Guest Post at Kinx’s Book Nook

Wednesday, May 1
Review & Giveaway at Book Addict Katie

Thursday, May 2
Review & Giveaway at Just One More Chapter

Friday, May 3
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie

Monday, May 6
Review at Layered Pages
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves

Wednesday, May 8
Review at West Metro Mommy

Thursday, May 9
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Friday, May 10
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Please join author Michelle Diener as she tours virtually for Daughter of the Sky from April 8-19.

Publication Date: March 8, 2013
Paperback; 340p
ISBN-10: 0987417622

The Victorian Empire has declared war on the Zulus if they don’t accede to their outrageous demands. The clock is ticking down to the appointed hour. With no idea why the British are marching three massive columns of men and guns towards them, one Zulu general is prepared to take an impossible risk. But the life he’s gambling with isn’t his own . . .

The sole survivor of a shipwreck off the Zululand coast, 15 year-old Elizabeth Jones is taken in by the Zulus, the people of the sky. Six years later, her white skin becomes useful to the Zulu army as they try to work out why the Victorian Empire has pointed their war-machine at the Zulu nation. Elizabeth is suddenly Zululand’s most important spy.

While infiltrating the British camp, Elizabeth’s disguise as a young soldier is uncovered almost immediately by Captain Jack Burdell. However, he believes the tale she spins of searching for a missing brother and shields her from discovery, allowing her to bunk in his tent and giving her a job as his batman. Burdell is war-weary and disillusioned – no longer willing to follow regulations at all costs.

But as Elizabeth and Jack explore their growing attraction to each other, the two armies move towards their inevitable clash. Elizabeth is torn between the guilt of betrayal and her fierce loyalty to her Zulu family, and when Zulu and British meet on the battlefield, both she and Jack find their hearts and their lives caught in the crossfire.

About the Author

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction. Her Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series starts with IN A TREACHEROUS COURT. Set in the court of Henry VIII, it features the real historical figures of artist Susanna Horenbout and Henry’s Keeper of the Palace of Westminster and Yeoman of the King’s Robes, John Parker. It was followed by KEEPER OF THE KING’S SECRETS, also featuring Susanna Horenbout and John Parker, and DANGEROUS SANCTUARY, a short story with the same characters, set between the two books, is currently available as an ebook only.

A new historical novel, set during the Napoleonic Wars in London in 1811, THE EMPEROR’S CONSPIRACY, was released on November 27th, 2012.

Michelle also contributed a short paranormal story to the ENTANGLED Anthology entitled BREAKING OUT. All the proceeds of the sale of ENTANGLED go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Michelle grew up in South Africa, and now lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

For more information on Michelle Diener’s novels, please visit the official website. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 8
Review at Reflections of a Book Addict
Review at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Tuesday, April 9
Review, Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, April 11
Guest Post at The Reading Reviewer
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Friday, April 12
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Guest Post at A Bookish Libraria

Monday, April 15
Review at Bitches with Books

Tuesday, April 16
Review at Turning the Pages
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Thursday, April 18
Review at A Bookish Affair

Friday, April 19
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Please join Amanda Scott as three of her historical romance novels, Dangerous Illusions, Border Bride and Highland Fling, are featured around the blogosphere from April 2-May 3.

Dangerous Illusions

Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Open Road Media
eBook; 344p
ASIN: B00BPJOC40

The first book in Amanda Scott’s acclaimed Dangerous series journeys from the battlefields of Waterloo to the ballrooms and boudoirs of London, where a deadly deception unfolds . . .

Engaged by proxy to a man she’s never met, Lady Daintry Tarrant is dismayed when the war hero returns, introducing himself as her fiancé, Lord Penthorpe. She cherishes her independence and has turned away many suitors, but this one she must marry. Penthorpe is completely captivated by Lady Daintry—but he’s not who he claims to be.

Penthorpe and Lord Gideon Deverill fought together at the battle of Waterloo, and when Penthorpe fell, Gideon assumed his identity in order to see the beautiful Lady Daintry. Gideon knows there’s bad blood between Lady Daintry’s family and his own, but he’s smitten with Daintry and determined to reunite the bitterly feuding clans. When a ghost from Gideon’s past appears, he could lose everything—including Daintry’s love.

Border Bride

Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Open Road Media
eBook; 344p
ASIN: B00BPJOBT6

Set in treacherous sixteenth-century Scotland, the first volume of Amanda Scott’s Border Trilogy tells the unforgettable story of a woman sworn to defy the knight she is forced to wed—only to discover a love she’ll do anything to claim

As Mary, Queen of Scots, languishes in the Tower of London as a prisoner of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, war tears Scotland apart. To save her beloved homeland, a proud Highland beauty named Mary Kate MacPherson must wage her own battle when she’s forced into wedlock with a knight, Sir Adam Douglas, from the barbaric borderland of Tornary.

Even as she succumbs to her seductive husband’s sensual demands, Mary Kate vows never to give him her heart. She will belong to no man. But Adam burns with something deeper than desire. Sworn to carry out a long-awaited revenge, he won’t rest until he has vanquished his enemies. Accused of treason, the last thing he expects is to lose his heart to the woman he’s determined to tame but never to love: his own wife.

Highland Fling

Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Open Road Media
eBook; 421p
ASIN: B00BPJOCPE

Forbidden passion has never been more dangerous—or more irresistible—in the first novel of bestselling author Amanda Scott’s spellbinding Highland series

Scotland, 1750. In the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion, Maggie MacDrumin vows to keep fighting to liberate her people. But the intrepid Scotswoman is risking her life for a dangerous cause. When her latest mission lands her in a London courtroom on a trumped-up larceny charge, she has only one hope of survival. Enlisting the aid of Edward Carsley, the powerful fourth Earl of Rothwell, is a two-edged sword. The seductive aristocrat who awakens treacherous desire is her clan’s mortal enemy—a man she can never trust.

Edward will do whatever it takes to quell another bloody uprising. But how can he fight his passion for the rebellious Highland beauty in his safekeeping? As their lives come under siege, Maggie lays claim to the one thing Edward vowed never to surrender: his heart.

Review Blurbs/Praise for Author

Highland Fling:
“[Scott is] a true master of the Scottish historical romance.” —Romance Reviews Today

Border Bride:
“Hours of reading fun.” —Catherine Coulter, author of the Bride series

Dangerous Illusions:
“Amanda Scott has an uncanny knack of picking up her readers and plunking them down right in the middle of her storyworld.” —Romance Reviews Today

About the Author

A fourth-generation Californian of Scottish descent, Amanda Scott is the author of more than fifty romantic novels, many of which appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Her Scottish heritage and love of history (she received undergraduate and graduate degrees in history at Mills College and California State University, San Jose, respectively) inspired her to write historical fiction. Credited by Library Journal with starting the Scottish romance subgenre, Scott has also won acclaim for her sparkling Regency romances. She is the recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award (for Lord Abberley’s Nemesis, 1986) and the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award. She lives in central California with her husband.

For more information on Amanda Scott’s novels, please visit the official website.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Wednesday, April 3
Review at The Picky Girl Blog (Highland Fling)
Review at Books Like Breathing (Dangerous Illusions)

Thursday, April 4
Interview at A Bookish Libraria

Friday, April 5
Guest Post & Giveaway at In the Hammock Blog

Monday, April 8
Guest Post & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, April 9
Review at Just One More Chapter (Border Bride)
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves (Highland Fling)
Interview at Tribute Books

Wednesday, April 10
Feature & Giveaway at A Writer’s Life: Working with the Muse

Thursday, April 11
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves (Border Bride)
Review at Flashlight Commentary (Dangerous Illusions)

Friday, April 12
Feature & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Monday, April 15
Review at Romantic Historical Lovers (Dangerous Illusions)
Guest Post & Giveaway at History Undressed

Tuesday, April 16
Review at Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind (Highland Fling)

Wednesday, April 17
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! (Border Bride)
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie (Dangerous Illusions)

Thursday, April 18
Review at Books Like Breathing (Highland Fling)
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves (Dangerous Illusions)

Friday, April 19
Review at A Chick Who Reads (Dangerous Illusions)

Monday, April 22
Review at Peeking Between the Pages (Highland Fling)
Guest Post & Giveaway at Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind

Tuesday, April 23
Review at Flashlight Commentary (Border Bride)

Thursday, April 25
Review at From the TBR Pile (Border Bride)
Review at Peeking Between the Pages (Border Bride)
Review at Romantic Historical Lovers (Highland Fling)

Friday, April 26
Interview at From the TBR Pile

Monday, April 29
Review at Books Like Breathing (Border Bride)
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! (Dangerous Illusions)

Tuesday, April 30
Review at Romantic Historical Lovers (Border Bride)

Wednesday, May 1
Review at WTF Are you Reading (Highland Fling)
Interview at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Guest Post at Flashlight Commentary

Thursday, May 2
Review at WTF Are you Reading (Border Bride)
Interview & Giveaway at Ramblings from This Chick

Friday, May 3
Review at Starting Fresh (Highland Fling)
Review at WTF Are you Reading (Dangerous Illusions)
Review & Giveaway at The Bookworm (Highland Fling)

Please join Barbara Kyle as she tours virtually for the release of the fifth book in her Thornleigh series, Blood Between Queens, from April 29 – May 17.

Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 448p
ISBN: 0758273223

Following her perilous fall from a throne she’d scarcely owned to begin with, Mary, Queen of Scots, has fled to England, hoping her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, will grant her asylum. But now Mary has her sights on the English crown, and Elizabeth enlists her most trusted subjects to protect it.

Justine Thornleigh is delighting in the thrill of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to her family’s estate when the festivities are cut short by Mary’s arrival. To Justine’s surprise, the Thornleighs appoint her to serve as a spy in Mary’s court. But bearing the guise of a lady-in-waiting is not Justine’s only secret. The weight of her task is doubled by fears of revealing to her fiancé that she is in truth the daughter of his family’s greatest rival. Duty-bound, Justine must sacrifice love as she navigates a deadly labyrinth of betrayal that could lead to the end of Elizabeth’s fledgling reign…

Compelling and inventive, Blood Between Queens artfully blends history’s most intriguing figures with unforgettable characters, bringing to dazzling life the fascinating Tudor era.

Praise for Barbara Kyle

“Kyle illuminates the world of queens Mary and Elizabeth, exploring their rivalry from its beginning through the eyes of a young woman torn between loyalty to her queen and a growing friendship with the enemy. Well-drawn characters and real-life events merging with fiction vibrantly bring history to life in an exciting, accessible way. Kyle knows what historical fiction readers crave.” RT Book Reviews

“Blood Between Queens is part of a sweeping saga yet it gifts the reader with an intimate look into the minds and hearts of the royal and great of Elizabeth’s England. I felt carried away to Tudor times, caught up in the emotions and deep decisions we all must make. Blood Between Queens is a beautifully written and compelling novel. Again, Barbara Kyle reigns!” New York Times bestselling author, Karen Harper, author of The Queen’s Governess

“Blood Between Queens is a masterful commingling of fact and fiction, effortlessly transporting readers to the perils and passions of Tudor England. Gaspworthy treachery and the poignant sweetness of steadfast love make this a book of quickly and eagerly turned pages. Justine Thornleigh is a heroine to root for and to love.” Sandra Byrd, best-selling author of Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I

“An all-action thriller, bringing to life the passion and perils of the Tudor period.” Lancashire Evening Post on The King’s Daughter

“Riveting…adventurous…superb!” The Historical Novels Review on The Queen’s Gamble

“A complex and fast-paced plot mixing history with vibrant characters” Publishers Weekly on The King’s Daughter

“An exciting tale of the intrigue and political manoeuvring in the Tudor court.” Booklist on The Queen’s Captive

“Boldly strides into Philippa Gregory territory…sweeping, gritty and realistic.” The Historical Novels Review on The Queen’s Lady

“Bursts with energy…a smart and original historical thriller.” Historian Mathew Lyons, author of The Favorite, on The Queen’s Lady

About the Author

Barbara Kyle is the author of the acclaimed Tudor-era “Thornleigh” novels Blood Between Queens, The Queen’s Gamble, The Queen’s Captive, The King’s Daughter and The Queen’s Lady which follow a rising middle-class family through three tumultuous Tudor reigns. She also writes contemporary thrillers. Over 400,000 copies of her books have been sold in seven countries. In July 2013 Barbara will be a speaker at Ontario’s world-renowned Stratford Festival with her talk “Elizabeth and Mary, Rival Queens: A Study of Leadership Lost and Won” about the cousin-queens Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots featured in Blood Between Queens.

Barbara has taught writers at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and is known for her dynamic workshops for many writers organizations and conferences. Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a twenty-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the US.

For more information, please visit Barbara Kyle’s WEBSITE.  You can also find her Facebook and Twitter.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 29
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, April 30
Review at Bitches with Books
Review at The Broke and the Bookish

Wednesday, May 1
Guest Post & Giveaway at The True Book Addict

Thursday, May 2
Review at The True Book Addict
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Friday, May 3
Review at Let Them Read Books
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, May 6
Review at Broken Teepee
Review at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Tuesday, May 7
Review & Guest Post at The Lit Bitch
Guest Post & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, May 8
Review at One Book at a Time
Review & Giveaway at Always with a Book

Thursday, May 9
Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Review & Interview at A Bookish Libraria
Review & Giveaway at Book of Secrets

Friday, May 10
Review, Guest Post & Giveaway at Drey’s Library
Interview at The Maiden’s Court

Wednesday, May 15
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Guest Post at The Musings of ALMYBNENR

Thursday, May 16
Review at Turning the Pages

Friday, May 17
Review at Enchanted by Josephine
Guest Post at Turning the Pages

Post-Tour

Monday, June 10
Review & Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Join Julie K. Rose as she tours virtually with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for Oleanna from April 1-10.

Publication Date: September 5, 2012
Paperback; 274p
ISBN-10: 1105361411

Set during the separation of Norway from Sweden in 1905, this richly detailed novel of love and loss was inspired by the life of the author’s great-great-aunts.

Oleanna and her sister Elisabeth are the last of their family working their farm deep in the western fjordland. A new century has begun, and the world outside is changing, but in the Sunnfjord their world is as small and secluded as the verdant banks of a high mountain lake.

The arrival of Anders, a cotter living just across the farm’s border, unsettles Oleanna’s peaceful but isolated existence. Sharing a common bond of loneliness and grief, Anders stirs within her the wildness and wanderlust she has worked so hard to tame.

When she is confronted with another crippling loss, Oleanna must decide once and for all how to face her past, claim her future, and find her place in a wide new world.

 

Praise for Oleanna

“This is a novel of quiet depth that evokes strong imagery; it is a story that is stark and humble and at the same time, finely drawn. The awe-inspiring scenery, the backbreaking work, and, at the same time, the appeal of and sense of belonging the women feel for their home are brightly painted through the author’s judicious use of language. A beautiful story.” – Historical Novels Review

“This is a wonderfully quiet, beautiful, emotional novel of family, love, and identity. When this book ended, I contemplated flipping back to the start in order to begin again. I absolutely didn’t want to leave the characters I had come to like so much…There’s elegant restraint in how Rose articulates love and loss, passion and madness, the rhythm of farm life, the quietude of rural Norway…Even if you aren’t typically a historical fiction fan, consider this novel — it’s a wonderful snapshot of a place and a time set in tradition but uprooted by enormous transition. A story of ordinary women, unique and astounding in their own way, that will charm and captivate.” – Unabridged Chick

“Oleanna is a fabulous character. She’s strong but personable and definitely the sort of character that you find yourself rooting for…Historical fiction lovers will eat this book up!” – A Bookish Affair

“I was touched by this book, by it’s very poignant starkness. As I wrote in a twitter feed: ‘Oleanna: a gentle tale with quiet depth, atmospherically stark yet richly detailed like the culture and people of Norge herself. Beautiful.’ The prose was simple yet expressive; no fancy writing gimmicks or extraneous details, but every word was carefully chosen…Overall, I recommend Oleanna. I truly enjoyed this tale and still experience flashbacks of some of the scenes from the book.” – Andrea Connell, The Queen’s Quill Review

“I thoroughly enjoyed every word and highly recommend it as a fascinating read giving insight into a lesser known country and period in history.” – Historical Novel Review

“Reading Oleanna was like taking a breath of fresh air. Julie has crafted a compelling story that takes place in Norway in 1905 and evokes a strong tie between a family and everyday life of the farm they work and live on. She also creates a strong sense of place and culture that blends beautifully with the story. ” – Layered Pages

“The imagery was unbelievable! I could almost feel the cold Norwegian air, even see my breath as Oleanna and I sat around a fire…This is a story about Oleanna coming to terms with herself, and it was a pleasure to be with her on her journey. I would indeed recommend this book. I haven’t read anything at all about Norway at the turn of the century until this book, and the author represented the fear and excitement of change so well. Very good read.” – McArthur Book Reviews

“Oleanna is written with beauty in lyrical prose. It is an intense story of a woman who faces her ghosts, her true desires, struggles to have trust where none has existed before and to allow herself the freedom to choose. This historical fiction novel is an indepth study of an woman who outwardly lives a simple life, but owns a complicated heart. I especially found this novel enticing as it was based on a time and place in history which I’ve not seen explored before. Highly recommended.”
Darlene Williams Historical Fiction Reviews

About the Author

I’m an author of historic and contemporary fiction, and I’m particularly interested in the intersection of the spiritual and secular, the supernatural and the everyday, the past and the present, and the deep, instinctual draw of the land.

I am a proud member of the Historical Novel Society, current co-chair of the HNS Northern California chapter, and former reviewer for the Historical Novels Review. I earned a B.A. in Humanities (SJSU) and an M.A. in English (University of Virginia), and live in the Bay Area with my husband and our cat Pandora. I love reading, following the San Francisco Giants, and enjoying the amazing natural beauty of Northern California.

Oleanna, short-listed for finalists in the 2011 Faulkner-Wisdom literary competition, is my second novel. The Pilgrim Glass, a finalist in the 2005 Faulkner-Wisdom and semi-finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, was published in 2010.

For more information, please visit Julie Rose’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads and Pinterest.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 1
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, April 2
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, April 3
Review, Interview & Giveaway at The Lit Bitch

Thursday, April 4
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, April 5
Guest Post at So Many Books, So Little Time

Monday, April 8
Interview & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, April 9
Review, Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, April 10
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Please join Melika Dannese Lux as she tours the blogosphere for City of Lights from April 8-12.

Publication Date: October 23, 2012
Books in my Belfry, LLC
Paperback; 166p
ISBN-10: 0615708269

What would you risk for the love of a stranger?

Ilyse Charpentier, a beautiful young chanteuse, is the diva of the 1894 Parisian cabaret scene by night and the unwilling obsession of her patron, Count Sergei Rakmanovich, at every other waking moment.

Though it has always been her secret desire, Ilyse’s life as “La Petite Coquette” of the Paris stage has turned out to be anything but the glamorous existence she had dreamt of as a girl. As a young woman, Ilyse has already suffered tragedy and become estranged from her beloved brother, Maurice, who blames her for allowing the Count to drive them apart.

Unhappy and alone, Ilyse forces herself to banish all thoughts of independence until the night Ian McCarthy waltzes into her life. Immediately taken with the bold, young, British expatriate, Ilyse knows it is time to choose: will she break free and follow her heart or will she remain a slave to her patron’s jealous wrath for the rest of her life?

Praise for City of Lights

“This debut novel about the extraordinary chanteuse Ilyse Charpentier is as irresistible as a glass of champagne by the Seine. Combining romance, adventure, and the crystalline lights of a bygone era, this sparkling tale sweeps the reader into the foibles and glamour of 19th century Paris, and the bold heart of a woman who must risk everything for love. Ms. Lux enchants with her talent; I’m looking forward to reading more from this lovely young writer.”

– C. W. Gortner, bestselling author of The Last Queen, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, The Tudor Secret, and The Queen’s Vow

“City of Lights: The Trials and Triumphs of Ilyse Charpentier is a triumph for its young author. You are immediately pulled into this debut novel and held there by the breathtaking pace set by Miss Lux. It is the story of chanteuse, Ilyse Charpentier, who has had more heartache than a 21-year old should have to bear: the death of her parents in a ship accident; abuse at the hand of her guardian; and estrangement from her beloved brother because of a misunderstanding. Lifted out of poverty by her patron, Count Sergei Rakmanovich, she becomes the darling of the 1894 Parisian cabaret scene, but the count’s patronage comes with a price: his desire to possess her, mind, body and soul.

This is a remarkable debut, especially when you consider that the novelist is very near to the age of her heroine. Her broad knowledge of history and the arts is evident, and her enthusiasm for her subject leaps off of every page. A spectacular first effort.”

– Mary L. Simonsen, author of Searching for Pemberley, A Wife for Mr. Darcy, and numerous other bestsellers

About the Author

I write historical fiction, suspense, supernatural thrillers, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, short stories—you name it, I write it! I love to read just about anything and everything and am particularly fond of historical fiction, the classics, mysteries, epic fantasy, history, and non-fiction. I am also a classically trained soprano/violinist/pianist and have been performing since the age of three. Additionally, I hold a BA in Management and an MBA in Marketing.

I am a HUGE fan of Psych, most British drama, comedy, and mystery shows, and am always up for a movie quote challenge. Jaws is my favorite movie of all time, with The Lord of the Rings being a very close second. Tell me something about yourself, and I’ll most probably be able to “Six Degrees of Separation” it back to Gandalf.

Lastly, I love to spend time with my family and friends, and I absolutely adore traveling. Not only is it great to experience other cultures, but travelling expands my horizons as a writer and sets my imagination reeling with a million different ideas for stories. If I hadn’t decided to become a writer (And there’s a Gandalf story for that, too.), I would have become a marine biologist, but after countless years spent watching Shark Week, I realized I’m very attached to my arms and legs and would rather write sharks into my stories than get up close and personal with those toothy wonders.

I am currently working on the sequel to my supernatural thriller/historical novel Corcitura, a collection of comedy/horror/fantasy stories set in Eastern Europe in the 1800s, and the first book of a planned fantasy duology. To learn more, please visit www.booksinmybelfry.com.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 8
Review at A Bookish Affair

Tuesday, April 9
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, April 10
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, April 11
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Friday, April 12
Review at Unabridged Chick
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Please join Delancey Stewart as she tours virtually for Through A Dusty Window: New York City Stories, 1910-2001.

Publication Date: November 15, 2012
CreateSpace
Paperback; 108p
ISBN-10: 0615731023

It’s impossible to live in a city like New York without feeling the presence of those who have preceded you – on those streets, in those subway cars, in that apartment. The city thrums with vibrations of lives and eras passed, and traces of that history are left imprinted in tangible ways everywhere we look.

Through a Dusty Window is a collection of ten short stories spanning a century of lives inhabiting one New York City brownstone on the Upper West Side. They are the culmination of the author’s experience in that city, during which she wondered constantly who had occupied her apartment before her, and what stories they might have lived.

Ten vignettes offer historical perspective on real events from Prohibition to World War II; the Vietnam-era Summer of Sam killings to John Lennon’s murder.

Through a Dusty Window allows us to be voyeurs, seeing the fascinating lives of others as they experience the history that New Yorkers today hear whispers of around every corner.

Praise for Through a Dusty Window

“I found this series of short stories to be delightful and read them in one sitting. I was impressed with the author’s free flowing style which captivated me and drew me into the imagery of the book. I was particularly aware of the evolution of the social culture and I felt that the transition between the times of each story was handled well.” – Jean Roberts, Amazon Review

“Every story was very well written (my favorite involved the Hindenberg) and my only complaint is that a few of them, such as the last one, ended too soon. This is a compliment, however, because it means I wanted more, much more.” – John Darling (Author Jack Point) – Amazon Review

About the Author

Delancey Stewart is a fiction writer living in Southern Maryland. She’s a military spouse and the mother of two small boys. When not writing, she can be found ballet dancing, eating ice cream, playing video games or building with Legos.

For more information, please visit Delancey Stewart’s website. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 1
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, April 2
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Wednesday, April 3
Review & Giveaway at The Bookworm
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, April 4
Guest Post at Jenny Loves to Read
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Friday, April 5
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Monday, April 8
Guest Post at Broken Teepee

Join Maryanne O’Hara as she tours virtually for the paperback release of Cascade from April 29 – June 7.

Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Books
Paperback; 384p

A Slate Magazine “Best Books 2012″
A People Magazine “People Pick”
A Library Journal 2012 “Best Bet”
Boston Globe “Best of the New, 2012”
A Massachusetts “Must Read, 2013”

During the 1930s in a small town fighting for its survival, a conflicted new wife seeks to reconcile her artistic ambitions with the binding promises she has made.

Fans of Richard Russo, Amor Towles, Sebastian Barry, and Paula McLain will devour this transporting novel about the eternal tug between our duties and our desires, set during in New York City and New England during the Depression and New Deal eras.

It’s 1935, and Desdemona Hart Spaulding has sacrificed her plans to work as an artist in New York to care for her bankrupt, ailing father in Cascade, Massachusetts. When he dies, Dez finds herself caught in a marriage of convenience, bound to the promise she made to save her father’s Shakespeare Theater, even as her town may be flooded to create a reservoir for Boston. When she falls for artist Jacob Solomon, she sees a chance to escape and realize her New York ambitions, but is it morally possible to set herself free?

Praise for CASCADE

“The protagonist is Desdemona Hart, a woman drowning in the choices she’s been forced to make: a marriage of necessity to save her father’s legacy and put a roof over his head as he dies……trouble escalates, and so will the rate at which you turn the pages. Cascade is perfect for sitting by the fire on a chilly day contemplating the immutability of things.” –Slate: 2012 Best Books, Staff Picks

“When state engineers created the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930s, four Central Massachusetts towns disappeared beneath the waters. In her debut novel, Cascade, Ashland resident Maryanne O’Hara chronicles the fate of one such (fictionalized) town and its inhabitants, notably Desdemona Hart Spaulding, an ambitious artist trapped in a loveless marriage. O’Hara, a former Ploughshares fiction editor, shapes her protagonist’s story to pose questions like: If art is not lastingly valuable, what is? Ponder that over your next glass of tap water.” –Boston Globe, Best of the New, 2012

“Gorgeously written and involving, Cascade explores the age-old conflict between a woman’s perceived duty and her deepest desires, but in O’Hara’s skilled hands the struggle feels fresh and new.” –People Magazine

About the Author

Maryanne O’Hara was the longtime associate fiction editor at the award-winning literary journal Ploughshares. She received her MFA from Emerson College fifteen years ago, and wrote short fiction that was widely published before committing to the long form. She lives on a river near Boston.

For more information on Maryanne O’Hara, please visit her website.  You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and GoodReads.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 29
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, April 30
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, May 1
Review & Giveaway at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Thursday, May 2
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, May 3
Review at Tiny Library

Wednesday, May 8
Review & Giveaway at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Thursday, May 9
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review & Giveaway at The Relentless Reader

Friday, May 10
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Monday, May 13
Review at Write Meg

Tuesday, May 14
Review at Kinx’s Book Nook
Review & Giveaway at Bippity Boppity Book

Wednesday, May 15
Review at Raging Bibliomania

Thursday, May 16
Review & Giveaway at Ageless Pages Reviews

Friday, May 17
Review & Giveaway at The Blue Stocking Society

Monday, May 20
Review at Amused By Books
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Tuesday, May 21
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, May 22
Review & Giveaway at The Worm Hole

Thursday, May 23
Review at A Book Geek

Friday, May 24
Review & Giveaway at The Picky Girl

Monday, May 27
Review & Giveaway at The Novel Life

Tuesday, May 28
Review & Giveaway at Always with a Book
Review, Guest Post & Giveaway at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, May 29
Review at Turning the Pages

Thursday, May 30
Guest Post at The Novel Life

Friday, May 31
Interview & Giveaway at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Monday, June 3
Review at Words and Peace

Tuesday, June 4
Review at Historical Tapestry & Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Giveaway at Words and Peace

Wednesday, June 5
Review & Giveaway at A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, June 6
Review at The Little Reader Library

Friday, June 7
Review at A Novel Review
Review & Interview at A Bookish Libraria

Please join Sandra Byrd as she tours the blogosphere for Roses Have Thorns, from April 9 – May 17.

Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Simon & Schuster
336p

From the acclaimed author of To Die For comes a stirring novel told that sheds new light on Elizabeth I and her court.Like Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, Sandra Byrd has attracted countless fans for evoking the complexity, grandeur, and brutality of the Tudor period. In her latest tour de force, she poses the question: What happens when serving a queen may cost you your marriage–or your life?

In 1565, seventeen-year-old Elin von Snakenborg leaves Sweden on a treacherous journey to England. Her fiance has fallen in love with her sister and her dowry money has been gambled away, but ahead of her lies an adventure that will take her to the dizzying heights of Tudor power. Transformed through marriage into Helena, the Marchioness of Northampton, she becomes the highest-ranking woman in Elizabeth’s circle. But in a court that is surrounded by Catholic enemies who plot the queen’s downfall, Helena is forced to choose between her unyielding monarch and the husband she’s not sure she can trust–a choice that will provoke catastrophic consequences.

Vividly conjuring the years leading up to the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots, Roses Have Thorns is a brilliant exploration of treason, both to the realm and to the heart.

Praise for Roses Have Thorns

“In Roses Have Thorns Sandra Byrd has given the reader another amazing heroine to tell the intimate story of England’s greatest queen, Elizabeth I. What a unique point of view and deeply moving story Helena von Snakenborg provides. Byrd is especially adept at blending political and private lives. This is a timeless women’s friendship novel as well as a poignant love story to cherish–both the roses and the thorns.” – Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Mistress of Mourning

“There is something golden about this tale of Elin, an eager young woman in a strange land, diligent in her duty but alive to love. A tale gracefully told, even as it renders the terrors of treachery that form the crucible of Elin’s hard-won wisdom. A heartfelt story of loyalty, longing, life-long friendship, and the many seasons of the heart.” – Barbara Kyle, author of The Queen’s Gamble and Blood Between Queens

“Beautiful prose and masterful research combine to bring this fascinating tale to life, treating the reader to fully realized characters and providing an original window through which we can view Elizabeth’s court. Ms. Byrd’s work will stand as an unforgettable contribution to Tudor fiction.” – D.L. Bogdan, author of The Forgotten Queen

About the Author

Sandra Byrd has published more than three dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including the first book in her Tudor series, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. Her second book, The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, illuminates the mysteries in the life of Henry’s last wife.

For more than a decade Sandra has shared her secrets with the many new writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children.

Connect with Sandra Byrd: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, April 9
Review & Giveaway at Bippity Boppity Book

Wednesday, April 10
Review at Layered Pages
Review & Giveaway at My Reading Room

Thursday, April 11
Review & Giveaway at CelticLady’s Reviews
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, April 12
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Monday, April 15
Review at Unabridged Chick

Tuesday, April 16
Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, April 17
Review & Giveaway at One Book at a Time

Thursday, April 18
Review & Guest Post at A Bookish Libraria

Friday, April 19
Review & Giveaway at Bloggin’ ’bout Books

Monday, April 22
Review at Peppermint, Ph.D.

Tuesday, April 23
Review & Giveaway at Julz Reads

Thursday, April 25
Review at Book Drunkard
Guest Post & Giveaway at Tanzanite’s Castle Full of Books

Friday, April 26
Review & Giveaway at The Musings of a Book Junkie

Monday, April 29
Review at The Broke and the Bookish

Tuesday, April 30
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, May 1
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, May 2
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading
Interview at A Chick Who Reads

Friday, May 3
Review at Drey’s Library
Review at Book Dilettante

Monday, May 6
Review & Giveaway at Ageless Pages Reviews
Interview at Reading the Past

Tuesday, May 7
Review & Giveaway at The Eclectic Reader

Wednesday, May 8
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Thursday, May 9
Guest Post & Giveaway at Tina’s Book Reviews

Friday, May 10
Review at The Bookworm
Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Monday, May 13
Interview & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, May 14
Review & Giveaway at Always with a Book

Thursday, May 16
Review at Bitches with Books

Friday, May 17
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict