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Highland Renegade
by Cynthia Breeding

Publication Date: September 21, 2020
Entangled Amara

Series: Children of the Mist, Book One
Genre: Historical Romance

 

 

Emily, the Dowager Countess of Woodhaven, has received title to lands in the Highlands—MacGregor lands—and after surviving an abusive marriage, she’s determined to make a new start…without a man. She just has to win over the handsome Scottish laird whose family has lived there for centuries. How hard could it be?

When Ian MacGregor heard that the Sassenach countess was actually laying claim to his lands, he figured to scare the aging widow away by showing her the hardships of living in the Highlands. She’d leave before the first snowflake fell. But he never imagined that the widow was young and beautiful and more territorial than a she-wolf. No matter, he’ll prove that a fragile, London woman like her would never survive life without her servants…and if he happens to give her the coldest and most remote rooms, all the better.

Despite his best efforts to freeze her out, things between them heat up. But Highlanders hate the Sassenach, so Ian faces a dire choice—his clan or the irresistible English aristocrat who seems to have taken not only his lands, but also his heart.

“Lush, evocative, and sizzling-hot.” -Ann Major, USA Today bestselling author

About the Author

An avid reader of anything medieval, Cynthia Breeding has taught the traditional Arthurian legends to high school sophomores for fifteen years. She owns more than three hundred books, fictional and non-fictional, on the subject. More information on Arthur, Gwenhwyfar and Lancelot can be found on the Historical Account link.

In addition, she has won numerous awards including the Holt Medallion, Beacon Contest, Barclay Gold, More Than Magic and Ancient City Romance Authors.

Cynthia lives on the bay with her Bichon Frise and enjoys sailing and riding on the beach.

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 21
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Wednesday, September 23
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Thursday, September 24
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Review & Excerpt at SplendeurCaisse

Friday, September 25
Review at Historical Romance Lover

Monday, September 28
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Wednesday, September 30
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Monday, October 5
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, October 6
Review at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Wednesday, October 7
Interview at Books & Benches

Friday, October 9
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Probably at the Library

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Highland Renegade

The Tory
by T.J. London

Audiobook Publication Date: August 31, 2020

Narrated by: Shane East, Tara Langella, Patrick Zeller, Marnye YoungLength: 15 hrs and 15 mins

Series: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga, Book #1
Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

His king or his conscience…which will he choose?

It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

“The pages fly as you immerse yourself in this fantastic adventure.” – RT Book Reviews

Amazon | Audible

About the Author

T.J. London is a rebel, liberal, lover, fighter, diehard punk, and pharmacist-turned-author who loves history. As an author her goal is to fill in the gaps, writing stories about missing history, those little places that are so interesting yet sadly forgotten. Her favorite time periods to write in are first and foremost the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, the Russian Revolution and the Victorian Era. Her passions are traveling, writing, reading, barre, and sharing a glass of wine with her friends, while she collects experiences in this drama called life. She is a native of Metropolitan Detroit (but secretly dreams of being a Londoner) and resides there with her husband Fred and her beloved cat and writing partner Hamilton.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Thursday, September 24
Review at Passages to the Past

Friday, September 25
Feature at Coffee and Ink

Sunday, September 27
Feature at The Lit Bitch

Tuesday, September 29
Feature at What Is That Book About

Thursday, October 1
Review at Novels Alive
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews

Friday, October 2
Review at Amy’s Booket List
Interview at Books & Benches
Review at Carole’s Ramblings

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away an Audiobook + paperback copy of The Tory by T.J. London to one lucky winner! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Tory Audiobook

Her Accidental Highlander Husband
by Allison B. Hanson

Publication Date: September 28, 2020
Entangled Amara
eBook; 277 pages

Series: Clan MacKinlay, Book One
Genre: Historical Romance/Scottish

 

 

Marian Fletcher Blackley, Duchess of Endsmere, has been on the run from the English Crown for weeks since killing her abusive husband…no matter that it was self-defense. She has only one safe place to go—the MacKinlay clan in Scotland, where her sister is the laird’s wife.

War Chief Cameron MacKinlay has vowed never to marry after witnessing his widowed mother’s grief. He has his lands and his clan, and that’s enough for a good life. When one day a sprite of a lass comes running out of the forest with hounds nipping at her heels and an English bounty hunter not far behind, he feels compelled to save her by claiming the disheveled duchess is his wife. But he certainly didn’t intend to marry her for real!

And now he’ll do anything to protect her…

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

One very early morning, Allison B. Hanson woke up with a conversation going on in her head. It wasn’t so much a dream as being forced awake by her imagination. Unable to go back to sleep, she gave in, went to the computer, and began writing. Years later it still hasn’t stopped.

Allison lives near Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her contemporary romances include paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery suspense. She enjoys candy immensely, as well as long motorcycle rides, running and reading.

Watch an interview with the author here.

She would love to hear from you. Click here to leave a message.

Sign up here for her newsletter to be informed about new releases as well a deleted scenes and pre-release excerpts.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 28
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Wednesday, September 30
Review at Novels Alive

Friday, October 2
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Sunday, October 4
Review at Tangents and Tissues

Monday, October 5
Review at SplendeurCaisse

Wednesday, October 7
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews

Friday, October 9
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Monday, October 12
Feature at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, October 14
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Thursday, October 15
Review at Bitch Bookshelf

Friday, October 16
Review at Coffee and Ink
Interview at Books & Benches

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 16th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Accidental Highlander Husband

Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl
by The Quill Collective

Authors: Joana Starnes, Amy D’Orazio, Jenetta James, Karen M Cox, Christina Morland, Elizabeth Adams, Beau North, J. Croft, Leigh Dreyer, Christina Boyd

Narrator: Elizabeth Grace

Audiobook Publication Date: August 31, 2020
The Quill Ink, LLC

 

 

“Obstinate, headstrong girl!”

For over 200 years, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

In this romance anthology, 10 Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. In Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her – her Mr. Darcy – all with humor and her sparkling charm. “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, in January 1813, and we think so too!

Foreword by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Tessa Dare.

Stories by: Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

Each anthology in the Quill Collective series is a standalone book.

Available on Amazon

Praise

“A wonderful collection for Elizabeth Bennet admirers everywhere.” –Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author

“The Quill Ink has done it again, in a splendid anthology of new stories reimagining the most delightful creature ever to appear in print.” –Devoney Looser, author, editor, Guggenheim Fellow

“Austen fans, you are in for a treat.” –Marilyn Brant, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of According to Jane and The Knight Before Christmas

“…enjoy following one of Jane Austen’s favourite heroines as she is superbly portrayed across a selection of tales set from the Regency era to the present day.” –Cass Grafton

“…all beautifully written. Each one feels true to the time in which it is set…a fun and interesting collection of stories that take a different look at characters we all know and love.” –Readers’ Favorite

“Edited by Christina Boyd, Elizabeth, Obstinate Headstrong Girl is an endearing and spunky anthology of short stories by a group of fine writers whose understanding of Elizabeth shines. Readers will fall in love with our obstinate, headstrong girl in all her many avatars including suffragette, a football expert and speech pathologist in training, a stage actress breaking into films at Pemberley Pictures, a teenage Elizabeth looking for love in the wrong places as well as much older and wiser Elizabeth who muses on the love of her life, Mr. Darcy. A cozy and heartwarming read, Elizabeth, Obstinate Headstrong Girl is a worthy companion to Boyd’s earlier anthology The Darcy Monologues.” –Soniah Kamal, award winning author of the novel Unmarriageable, Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan

About the Narrator

Originally from the East Midlands in the UK, Elizabeth Grace now lives in South London (via two years in Amsterdam). She is a full time actor, voice over artist, and narrator.

Elizabeth began her professional performing career a little later in life and has been studying at Identity School of Acting in London since 2019. Prior to that, she had a career agency side in Marketing which explains her penchant for client services.

Since 2019, she has been growing her professional portfolio on top of the amateur theatre work she began in her formative years. She has now been a part of many projects from short films and web series to audio dramas and audiobook narration.

https://www.elizabethgraceofficial.com/

From Christina Boyd

This Dream Team of authors–Elizabeth Adams, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes–joined me on another adventure with no promise of success but countless hopes. Like many journeys, we encountered unexpected turns, and even a few disappointments, but “it was our business to be satisfied” and prefer to “think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” I am forever indebted for their creativity, inspiration, great suggestions, and adherence to schedule. And for bolstering my own offering of an Elizabeth story. I can easily count you all as my friends. I am really proud of their work and how well this collection of stories came together.

In my previous anthologies, we were blessed to have such stellar Austen academics like Dr. Claudine DiMuzio and Dr. Devoney Looser write our forewords, and it was doubly important to find someone who really understood Austen, especially Elizabeth Bennet, for this project as well. I had heard that New York Times and USA Today bestselling Regency romance author Tessa Dare had once upon a time written Jane Austen fan fiction. When author Beau North suggested we ask her to write the foreword, there was a resounding “Yes!” You might say we were audacious to even ask but, in the temperament of Lizzy Bennet, our “courage always rises…” When she ardently accepted, you can imagine us: “What delight! What felicity!”–well, more like fangirl squeals! Tessa’s love of Elizabeth Bennet and her deft understanding for the scope of this anthology left me wholly gratified, knowing we asked the right person to introduce this fifth anthology of the QuillCollective series.

We hope this homage to one of Jane Austen’s best-beloved heroines will not disappoint, especially those that suggested an “Elizabeth” anthology back in 2017. Like Darcy, we “had never been so bewitched by any woman” and writing this collection has been diverting/gratifying/delightful. Please accept these stories in the same affectionate spirit they were written. Elizabeth:Obstinate Headstrong Girl is dedicated to “the Elizabeth Bennet in all of us” because I’d like to think she resides in our hearts, even if but a little spark of courage, wit, loyalty–and whether we reveal her to the outside world or not, she is there inspiring us to find our own felicity and dignity. –Christina Boyd, editor

Follow the Authors

Elizabeth Adams https://eadamswrites.com
Christina Boyd https://www.thequillink.com
Karen M Cox https://karenmcox.com/
J. Marie Croft https://jmariecroft.wixsite.com/j-marie-croft
Amy D’Orazio https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100030788056041
Leigh Dreyer https://m.facebook.com/authorleighdreyer
Jenetta James https://m.facebook.com/jenettajameswriter
Christina Morland https://christinamorland.wordpress.com
Beau North http://beaunorthwrites.com
Joana Starnes http://www.joanastarnes.co.uk/news
Tessa Dare https://tessadare.com

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 28
Review at Bookworlder

Tuesday, September 29
Excerpt at Novels Alive

Thursday, October 1
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews

Saturday, October 3
Feature at Coffee and Ink

Sunday, October 4
Review at A Book and a Latte

Tuesday, October 6
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Wednesday, October 7
Review at Probably at the Library

Thursday, October 8
Excerpt at Bitch Bookshelf

Friday, October 9
Review at Novels Alive
Interview at Books & Benches

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Flirtation and Folly
by Elizabeth Rasche

Publication Date: November 10, 2020
Quills and Quartos Publishing
Paperback & eBook; 326 pages

Series: A Season in London, Book One
Genre: Historical Romance/Victorian

Marianne Mowbrey is a responsible country rector’s daughter who longs for the novelty and excitement she reads about in novels. When her crusty Aunt Harriet agrees to give her a Season in London, Marianne vows to dazzle the world, win a husband, and never go home again. But the Londoners who determine social success are inclined to pass over plain Marianne in favor of her beautiful, reckless younger sister.

In a world of ambition, fashion, flattery, and deceit, how can Marianne stay true to her real self—when she is not even sure what that real self is?

About the Author

After acquiring a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Arkansas, Elizabeth Rasche taught philosophy in the U.S. and co-taught English in Japan. Now she and her husband live in northwest Arkansas, the ‘garden of America.’ (At least, she has only ever heard Arkansas called so.) She dreams of visiting Surrey (if only to look for Mrs. Elton’s Maple Grove), Bath, and of course, London. When she has a Jane Austen novel in one hand, a cup of tea in the other, and a cat on her lap, her day is pretty much perfect.

Elizabeth Rasche is the author of The Birthday Parties of Dragons and her poetry has appeared in Scifaikuest. Flirtation & Folly is her first historical fiction novel.

Book Blast Schedule

Wednesday, September 23
The Lit Bitch
McCombs on Main
Robin Loves Reading

Thursday, September 24
Historical Fiction with Spirit

Friday, September 25
Austenprose
Probably at the Library

Saturday, September 26
Reading is My Remedy

Sunday, September 27
Bookish Rantings

Monday, September 28
Books, Cooks, Looks
Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

Tuesday, September 29
Donna’s Book Blog
Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, September 30
Bookworlder
Passages to the Past

The City of Palaces
by Michael Nava

Publication Date: September 15, 2020
Amble Press
Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook

Genre: Fiction/Literary/Hispanic & Latino/Historical/Cultural Heritage/Gay

 

 

In the years before the Mexican Revolution, Mexico is ruled by a tiny elite that apes European culture, grows rich from foreign investment, and prizes racial purity. The vast majority of Mexicans, who are native or of mixed native and Spanish blood, are politically powerless and slowly starving to death. Presiding over this corrupt system is Don Porfirio Díaz, the ruthless and inscrutable president of the Republic.

Against this backdrop, The City of Palaces opens in a Mexico City jail with the meeting of Miguel Sarmiento and Alicia Gavilán. Miguel is a principled young doctor, only recently returned from Europe but wracked by guilt for a crime he committed as a medical student ten years earlier. Alicia is the spinster daughter of an aristocratic family. Disfigured by smallpox, she has devoted herself to working with the city’s destitute. This unlikely pair―he a scientist and atheist and she a committed Christian―will marry. Through their eyes and the eyes of their young son, José, readers follow the collapse of the old order and its bloody aftermath.

The City of Palaces is a sweeping novel of interwoven lives: Miguel and Alicia; José, a boy as beautiful and lonely as a child in a fairy tale; the idealistic Francisco Madero, who overthrows Díaz but is nevertheless destroyed by the tyrant’s political system; and Miguel’s cousin Luis, shunned as a “sodomite.” A glittering mosaic of the colonial past and the wealth of the modern age, The City of Palaces is a story of faith and reason, cathedrals and hovels, barefoot street vendors and frock-coated businessmen, grand opera and silent film, presidents and peasants, the living and the dead.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Awards and Honors for The City of Palaces

• Winner of the International Latino Book Award for Latino Fiction, 2015.
• Commended in the Latino Books into Movies Award for Drama, 2014.
• Runner-up for the International Latino Book Award for Historical Fiction, 2015.
• Short-listed for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, 2014.

Praise for The City of Palaces

“The characters are so real and the story so compelling.” ―OutSmart

“This tender and unusual love story of two wounded souls caught up in the swelling tide of profound social, political, and cultural changes forms the nucleus of the epic story of an entire nation teetering on the brink of rebellion.” ―Booklist

“A magnificent epic about family, politics, art, revolution, and hope. This is a masterly work of old-fashioned storytelling, rich and spacious and moving, a novel that deserves to be compared to The Leopard, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Doctor Zhivago, but with its own intimacy and grandeur. I fell in love with these people and did not want to say goodbye to them.” ―Christopher Bram, author of Exiles in America

“An extraordinary portrait of one of the most critical periods in Mexico’s history. Nava breathes life into the stories of political, cultural, and social revolutionaries as they navigate change in their country and within themselves. This is a breakthrough novel.” ―Rigoberto González, winner of the 2020 PEN/Voelcker Award

“So compelling is Nava’s writing and storytelling that the reader yearns for more. . . . It’s enjoyable to relish the rich lyrical texture and substance of this new novel, and revel in its many special qualities.” ―Somos en Escrito

“The huge achievement of The City of Palaces―aside from its portrayal of the history and grandeur of Mexico and Mexico City, aside from a story of great beauty and profound humanity―is its powerful integration of a central historical event on our continent into our American consciousness. The City of Palaces is, indeed, a masterwork.” ―Lambda Literary

“From the extraordinary first sentence, I was caught up in the confident and visionary storytelling of Michael Nava’s The City of Palaces. Nava guides us with a remarkably sure hand into this fevered dream of love and history. He has crafted a world as coherent, precise, and compelling as Gabriel García Márquez’s imaginary Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude and with the depth politics of the best US–Mexico border fiction that explores the liminal histories of our most wounded frontier.” ―Tim Miller, author of 1001 Beds

About the Author

 

Michael Nava is the author of an acclaimed series of seven crime novels featuring gay, Mexican-American criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios. The Rios novels have won seven Lambda Literary awards and Nava was called by the New York Times, “one of our best.” In 2001, he was awarded the Publishing Triangle’s Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award in LGBT Literature. A native Californian and the grandson of Mexican immigrants, he divides his time between San Francisco and Palm Springs. You can learn more about him at www.michaelnavawriter.com. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew
by Denise Heinze

Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Blackstone Publishing
Hardcover, eBook, AudioBook; 176 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

Determined to set the historical record straight, and clear her conscience, Temperance Flowerdew — the wife of Virginia’s first two governors — puts quill to paper, recounting the hardships that nearly brought the Jamestown colony to its knees, and the extraordinary sacrifice of her servant girl, Lily.

When she steps aboard the Falcon in 1609, Temperance Flowerdew was not only setting sail from England to the distant shores of America, she was embarking upon a future of opportunity. She didn’t yet know how she would make her mark, but in this new place she could do or be whatever she wanted.

Willing as she is to brave this new world, Temperance is utterly ill-equipped to survive the wilderness; all she knows is how to live inside the pages of adventure and philosophy books. Loyally at her side, Lily helps Temperance weather pioneer life. A young woman running from lifelong accusations of witchcraft, Lily finds friendship with Temperance and an acceptance of her psychic gifts. Together, they forge paths within the community: Temperance attempts to advise the makeshift government, while Lily experiences the blossoming of first love.

But as the harsh winter approaches, Lily intuitively senses a darkness creep over the colony and the veneer of civilized life threatens to fall away — negotiations with the Indians grow increasingly hostile and provisions become scarce. Lily struggles to keep food on the table by foraging in the woods and being resourceful. Famine could mean the end of days. It’s up to Lily to save them both, but what sacrifice will be enough to survive?

A transporting and evocative story, The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is a fiercely hopeful novel — a portrait of two intrepid women who choose to live out their dreams of a future more free than the past.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise

‘Denise Heinze has written a stirring novel about America’s first pioneers, with particular attention to the women whose pluck and forbearance made it all possible. Temperance Flowerdew’s ‘Brief and True Report’ retells the story of America’s first colony, established by English settlers in 1609, all but destroyed by Powhatan Indians twenty years later, then rescued from oblivion by remnants of Britain’s exploratory fleet. In that saga, Heinze manages to preserve the formal language of the period with a storytelling appetite for narrative, complete with native savagery, thwarted romance, the harsh realities of seventeenth-century ocean travel, and the unpredictable currents that made such explorations so daunting and so frequently fatal.’ –C. Michael Curtis, Fiction Editor Emeritus, The Atlantic

‘With a poet’s tongue and painter’s eye, Denise Heinze summons the wonder, horror, and selfless grit of the women who pioneered a new world. Temperance Flowerdew makes compulsive reading.’ –Elizabeth Cobbs, bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair

‘With careful research, and lyrical and evocative writing, Denise Heinze’s The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew transports the reader to the harrowing seventeenth-century Jamestown settlement. The richly imagined story of two pioneering women who escape a stifling old-world existence, only to face a tempest at sea, and land in a new world of hunger, thirst, and desperation, is captivating from first page to last. Temperance and Lily represent the untold stories of the heroic American Founding Mothers.’ –Tracey Enerson Wood, author of The Engineer’s Wife

‘The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew by Denise Heinze is a vivid novel about the winter of 1609-10 in Jamestown, Virginia, America’s first colony. A relentless drought preceded the winter, and a siege by natives of the region blocked access to food. Through the voices of Temperance and her housemaid and friend, Lily, Heinze takes us into the desperate days of what became known as ‘the Starving Time’ in sometimes ruthless detail. This richly researched novel, in an elegant narrative using the vernacular of the seventeenth century, is a must-read for those who love historical fiction and for all who enjoy a compelling drama well told. I read this captivating book straight through.’ –Anna Jean Mayhew, author of Tomorrow’s Bread, The Dry Grass of August, and a third novel in progress.

‘A literary thriller. This remarkable novel infuses the history of the Jamestown experiment with the tale of two women, a mistress and her servant, who find in one another the full measure of sacrifice and survival. This story is spun of silk and rendered in blood.’ –Elaine Neil Orr, author of Swimming Between Worlds

‘In this vividly imagined historical novel, Denise Heinze gives voice to one of the few survivors of the darkest period (1609-10) in the life of the Jamestown colony. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is not only an unforgettable account of the extreme hardships faced by the colonists but also the moving story of two remarkable young women who faced the challenges with courage and ingenuity.’ –Nancy Grayson, executive editor emeritus, University of Georgia Press

‘Denise Heinze skillfully resurrects a forgotten life, and puts her heroine where she belongs — at the center, not the sidelines, of early Jamestown history. Wonderfully inventive, briskly plotted, and rich with historical detail, this fact-filled novel will delight readers of historical fiction and women’s history alike.’ –Kate Bolick, bestselling author of Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own

‘At the end of Denise Heinze’s compelling new novel, main character Temperance Flowerdew wonders ‘what goes missing when the women are nowhere to be found as actors in history.’ Heinze has created a character whose life answers that question. A product of the English landed gentry, Flowerdew endures the Starving Time in the early days of the Jamestown colony. Surrounded by desperation and death, she manages to prevail, eventually documenting her story of survival and salvation using a quill from a Christmas goose. Although this book is a novel, it is a powerful, truthful, richly detailed portrayal of the daily struggle to survive in early seventeenth-century Virginia.’ –Fred Sauceman, associate professor, East Tennessee State University

‘An enthralling tale of female strength and courage against seemingly impossible odds. Denise Heinze’s Temperance is a complex, nuanced character (as is her maid, Lily, a real treat), and the world we see through her eyes is fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. The research is impeccable but sits lightly on the narrative. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is more than an engaging tale of a pivotal time in America’s history — it draws the women who lived it out of the shadows and, finally, lets them take their rightful place at the center of the story.’ –Meg Keneally, author of Fled

About the Author

Denise Heinze, a former literature professor and a PhD graduate of Duke University, writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is the author of the novel Sally St. Johns and her work has appeared in Now and Then, Thought and Action, Reunions, Wow! Women on Writing, THEMA literary journal, and Gemini Magazine; her story The Grid, was a quarter-finalist for the Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award. The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is her second novel and was a finalist for the University of New Orleans Press Publishing Lab Prize. A descendant of Louisa May Alcott, she lives in North Carolina.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 21
Review at The b00kreader
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Tuesday, September 22
Feature at Coffee and Ink
Guest Post at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Wednesday, September 23
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Thursday, September 24
Review at Novels Alive

Friday, September 25
Review at Bookworlder

Monday, September 28
Review at Jorie Loves A Story

Tuesday, September 29
Review at Amy’s Booket List

Wednesday, September 30
Feature at The Lit Bitch
Review at Books and Zebras

Thursday, October 1
Review at Bri’s Book Nook

Friday, October 2
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Saturday, October 3
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Tuesday, October 6
Review at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 7
Review at Rajiv’s Reviews

Thursday, October 8
Review at A Book and a Latte
Feature at Books In Their Natural Habitat

Friday, October 9
Feature at History from a Woman’s Perspective
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 5 paperback copies of The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Temperance Flowerdew

The Pharaoh and the Librarian
by Amber Polo

Publication Date: April 9, 2020
Wordshaping Press
Paperback & eBook; 317 pages

Genre: Alternate History/Historical Fiction

 

 

What if Cleopatra faked her death and escaped on a pirate ship? While her sister sailed for Wales with the most valuable ancient books from her Library of Alexandria? And they both landed in an imagined new world filled with crypto-creatures and historical humans?

Trekking the desert of 1st century New Mexico, Cleo from the Yucatan and Alex from Nova Scotia, they’d need bravery and help from friends and lovers to evade inner demons and determined villains across an uncharted wilderness filled with crypto–creatures and historical humans.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Amber Polo, constantly asking “What if…?” has a hard time writing in one genre at a time. Best known for The Shapeshifters’ Library urban fantasy series which asked what if librarian dog-shifters faced book-burning werewolves, she shares her love of libraries and fascination with creatures and places, real and not-so-real in The Pharaoh and the Librarian.

Author of award-winning fantasies and Arizona romances, Amber relaxes stressed writers and readers. Her book, Relaxing the Writer offers a catalog of suggestions and simple exercises while her calming CDs help almost anyone relax and find restful sleep.

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The Paris Affair
by Susanne Dunlap

Publication Date: September 30, 2020
Paperback & eBook; 244 pages

Series: Theresa Schurmann Mystery, Book 3
Genre: YA/Historical Fiction

 

 

Apparently, false rumors about Marie Antoinette are all the fashion in 1783.

Marie Antoinette is facing hostility from the populace, inflamed by rumors circulated in pamphlets throughout Paris. The rumors claim that she has dozens of lovers, drinks the blood of poor people, holds satanic masses at Versailles, and more, when nothing could be further from the truth. On the advice of the handsome, enigmatic Captain von Bauer, Joseph II–emperor of Austria and Marie Antoinette’s brother–decides that mystery-solving violinist Theresa Schurman is the ideal candidate for a spy to discover the source of these vile slanders.

Theresa is only too glad to get away from Vienna for a while, unwilling to commit herself yet to marrying Zoltan–a Hungarian baron she met when she was fifteen–and running out of reasons to postpone her decision. She is eager, too, to explore a new musical scene and broaden her artistic education. But when the captain confounds her expectations and places her as a bookkeeper in the establishment of Rose Bertin, milliner to the queen, she begins to lose hope that she will ever achieve her musical aims–or the emperor’s goal of exposing the pamphleteers.

A chance encounter with the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, an extraordinary black violinist and expert swordsman, sets Theresa on the path to unraveling the mystery. But will the chevalier’s patron, the powerful duc de Chartres, confound her efforts and put her–and the captain’s–lives in danger?

Be prepared for music, mystery, love, and murder in this riveting tale of pre-revolutionary Paris.

“The settings and situations are enchanting and varied; Dunlap is adept at on-the-fly description and at lacing intrigue with romance…Dunlap proves an arresting tour guide through this rich milieu, summoning up the past without slowing down the storytelling. Author and protagonist alike boast an epigrammatic wit. The touch is light, but the scenery and chatter are sumptuous…Theresa stands as a fascinating protagonist, a woman whose nimble navigation of society’s expectations and several burgeoning romances are exciting and inspiring, even more so than the sleuthing that drives the novel’s plot. The people she encounters are likewise memorable, complex, and surprising, especially the chevalier…This sparkling historical mystery conjures up the salons, fashion, and gossip of Marie Antoinette’s Paris, with a winning emphasis on the power of music and the roles that society allowed women.” – The BookLife Prize

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

Susanne Dunlap is the author of nine works of historical fiction. A graduate of Smith College with a PhD in Music History from Yale University, Susanne grew up in Buffalo, New York and has lived in London, Brooklyn and Northampton, MA. She now lives in Northampton with her long-time partner, Charles, has two grown daughters, three granddaughters, a grandson, a stepson and a stepdaughter, five step-grandsons and one step-granddaughter—that’s a total of four children and eleven grandchildren!

In her spare time she cycles in the beautiful Pioneer Valley.

For more information, please visit Susanne Dunlap’s website. You can follow author Susanne Dunlap on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, and BookBub.

Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, September 30
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Review at Little But Fierce Book Diary

Thursday, October 1
Review at Pursuing Stacie

Friday, October 2
Feature at I’m Into Books
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Monday, October 5
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Tuesday, October 6
Review at YA, It’s Lit

Wednesday, October 7
Review at Amy’s Booket List
Review at Books and Zebras

Thursday, October 8
Excerpt at Turn The Page

Friday, October 9
Review & Excerpt at Bookworlder

Sunday, October 11
Review at Bitch Bookshelf

Monday, October 12
Review at Nursebookie

Tuesday, October 13
Review at Rajiv’s Reviews

Wednesday, October 14
Review at Book Bustle

Thursday, October 15
Guest Post at Novels Alive
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Friday, October 16
Review at Passages to the Past
Guest Post at The Intrepid Reader

Saturday, October 17
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, one lucky reader will win signed copies of all 3 books in the Theresa Schurmann Mystery series! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 17th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Paris Affair

Friday, August 7, 2020

Cecilia Rene on Blog Tour for The Bachelor Duke, September 7-14

Posted By amy @ 9:29 am | No Comments

The Bachelor Duke
by Cecilia Rene

Publication Date: July 25, 2020
Paperback & eBook; 296 pages

Series: The Bachelor Series, Book 1
Genre: Historical Romance

 

 

The Bachelor Duke meets a beautiful, curvaceous lady.

Remington Warren, The Duke of Karrington, lives his life by the name society has thrust upon him. Having witnessed cruelty against the fairer sex with his own eyes, he vows never to marry to prevent himself from becoming like the monster who raised him. After ten years of being The Bachelor Duke, his life is irrevocably changed when he sees Lady Olivia St. John across the ballroom floor.

Having lived a sheltered, pampered life, surrounded by her loving family, Lady Olivia St. John longs to know passion and love. She is beautiful, bold, and has a rather large dowry. According to society, she would be a diamond in the first water of this season if it wasn’t for her one flaw.

Will she find all she longs for and more in the arms of The Bachelor Duke, or will heartbreak be her demise?

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Cecilia Rene is a creative, happy, and outgoing Detroit native who majored in Broadcast Communication at Grambling State University. Immediately following her graduation, she started her new life in New York City. As a self-proclaimed New Yorker, her stimulating and diverse career in advertising sparked a drive for hard work and dedication. Her love and passion for writing followed her from childhood through adulthood, where she wrote short stories, poems, and screenplays. Always an avid reader, she stumbled across a book that ignited a deeper need for more and joined a fandom of like-minded individuals. Cecilia and her family made a huge move five years ago to the great state of Texas, where she currently lives with her loving husband, wonderful son, and spoiled fur baby, Sadie. Cecilia Rene loves romance, humor, and all things spicy. For this reason, she will always give you a Happily Ever After.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 7
Excerpt at SplendeurCaisse
Review at Probably at the Library
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Tuesday, September 8
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Wednesday, September 9
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Thursday, September 10
Review at Bitch Bookshelf

Friday, September 11
Review at Novels Alive

Saturday, September 12
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Monday, September 14
Review & Interview at The Romance Dish

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on September 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Bachelor Duke