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Showing posts from June, 2020

Blog Tour: Out of Night by Kellie Butler

Out of Night by Kellie Butler Publication Date: June 24, 2020 Raleigh Hills Press Paperback & eBook; 328 pages Series: The Laurelhurst Chronicles, Book 4 Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis: How long can you run from yourself?         1968. In the continuing bestselling Laurelhurst Chronicles family saga series comes a gripping, moving tale of separation, self-discovery, new beginnings, and reconciliation.         Kate. A mainstay on Swinging London’s party circuit for years, Kate is plunged into a sordid world when Lord Elliott Cutterworth kicks her out of her home and takes custody of their daughter, Violet after she relapses on her journey to sobriety. Separated from her family, she’s determined to get clean and regain custody of her daughter. On the run from Elliott and her old life, she finds assistance in her reluctant brother-in-law, Edward Cavert, who is running away from some secrets of his own. Can she reconcile her past and fac

Hadassah, Queen Esther of Persia by Diana Wallis Taylor: A Book Review

Hadassah, Queen Esther of Persia Author: Diana Wallis Taylor Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Whitaker House Release Date: 2019 Pages: 304 Source: My personal collection Synopsis: One of the great heroines of the Old Testament, Hadassah was a beautiful, graceful young woman who put her faith in God and her guardian, her cousin Mordecai.     She dreams of marrying Shamir, a tall, handsome, studious young man who is the rabbi’s son. Her heart beats faster when she hears the sound of his deep voice as he reads the Torah. And she hopes that he will visit Mordecai soon to present a betrothal request.      Then, an upheaval in King Xerxes’s palace changes everything. Queen Vashti has been banished and an edict goes out for all qualified young virgins throughout the empire to be taken to the palace as he searches for a new queen.      Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. To hide her ident

Helen Had a Sister by Penelope Haines: A Book Review

Helen Had a Sister A Tale of Ancient Greece Author: Penelope Haines Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Release Date: 2020 Pages: 259 Source: My personal collection Synopsis: Helen of Troy's story is well known. Hers was the "face that launched a thousand ships", started a ten-year war and brought about Troy's destruction. But Helen had a sister.In a world where women were submissive, she ruled.In a world where women were loyal, she was unfaithful.In a world where honour and blood feuds abound, she exacted the ultimate revenge.Born into the Royal House of Sparta, her courageous spirit, passionate love and lust for life make her a unique heroine. Her character and her choices have fascinated people for centuries. Her story is one of betrayal, murder, adultery and revenge, set in ancient Greece at the time of the Trojan war.She is Clytemnestra, High Queen of Mycenae.       My Review: For centuries, Clytemnestra has had a horrible reputation in Greek mythology

Revenge of the Barbary Ghost (Lady Anne Addison Mysteries #2) by Victoria Hamilton: A Book Review

Revenge of the Barbary Ghost (Lady Anne Addison Mysteries #2) Author: Victoria Hamilton Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Romance Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing Release Date: 2019 Pages: 243 Source: Netgalley/Publisherin exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Fleeing the attentions of the handsome and commanding Marquess of Darkefell, Lady Anne Addison arrives on the doorstep of a dear friend seeking nothing but rest and relaxation, but soon finds herself putting her investigative talents to work after a sighting of the Barbary Ghost. Always a skeptic of the supernatural, Lady Anne immediately suspects the apparition is nothing more than a diversionary tactic to conceal smugglers on the beach below her friend’s house.      When the beguiling marquess follows her to Cornwall, Anne is distracted from her ghost hunt by his alluring kisses, until murder gets her attention. Forced once again to work with the marquess to uncover the truth behind a mystery

Cleopatra Victorious (Cleopatra Reimagined Book #2) by Helen R. Davis: A Book Review

Cleopatra Victorious (Cleopatra Reimagined Book #2) Author: Helen R. Davis Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction Publisher: Savant Books and Publishings Release Date: April 30, 2020 Pages: 364 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: CLEOPATRA VICTORIOUS is the alternative history sequel to Helen R. Davis' award-winning novel, CLEOPATRA UNCONQUERED (Savant 2015). Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt, has triumphed at the Battle of Actium, which in the annals of history cost her and her lover, Mark Antony, their lives. She has won the battle, but will she be able to win the war and create a new place for her, her dynasty and Egypt in the annals of history?        My Review: The Battle of Actium was one of the most pivotal events in Western history. The battle marked the beginning of imperial Rome. This battle was so important to Western civilization that many began to wonder what would have happened had Cleaopatra and Antony

Berenice II and the Golden Age of Ptolemaic Egypt by Dee L. Clayman: A Book Review

Berenice II and the Golden Age of Ptolemaic Egypt (Women in Antiquity) Author: Dee L. Clayman Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: 2013 Pages: 288 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis:  Berenice II (c. 264-221 BCE), daughter of King Magas of Cyrene and wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes, came to embody all the key religious, political, and artistic ideals of Ptolemaic Alexandria. Though she arrived there nearly friendless, with the taint of murder around her, she became one of the most accomplished and powerful of the Macedonian queens descended from the successors of Alexander the Great. She was at the center of a group of important poets and intellectuals associated with the Museum and Library, not the least of which was Callimachus, the most important poet of the age. These men wrote poems not just for her, but about her, and their eloquent voices projected her charisma widely across the Greek-speaking world. Though the range

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: A Book Review

Descendant of the Crane Author: Joan He Genre: YA, Mystery, Historical Fantasy Publisher: AW Teen Release Date: 2019 Pages: 416 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review Synopsis: Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own . Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she's thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father's killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer―a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.      Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira―a brilliant investigator who's also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too hi

Blog Tour: The Annie Oakley Mysteries Series by Kari Bovee

    Join us for this tour from June 22 to July 10 ,  2020 ! Series Details: Book Title :  The Annie Oakley Mystery Series by Kari Bovee Category :  Adult Fiction (18+), 83 to 332 pages Genre :  Historical Mystery Publisher :  Bosque Publishing Release dates:    Shoot Like a Girl (2019); Girl With a Gun (April, 2020); Peccadillo at the Palace (April 2020); Folly at the Fair (June, 2020) Tour dates : June 22 to July 10, 2020 Content Rating :  R for some swearing, violence, and mature themes. Book Details: Book Title : Shoot Like a Girl (A Pre-quel Novella to Girl With A Gun) by Kari Bovee Category :  Adult Fiction (18 + yrs), 84 pages Genre :  Historical Fiction Publisher :  Bosque Publishing Release date:    November 2019 Tour dates : June 22 to July 10, 2020 Content Rating :  R for Mature themes and some violence. No bad language. Book Description:      Shoot like a Girl depicts the historically fictive tale of a young Annie Oakley's stru

Guest Post: Who was Tituba? by Dave Tamanini

     Dave Tamanini sheds some light on a most fascinating subject - the Salem witchcraft trials. Several people are familiar with the basics of this disturbing period in colonial history. We’ve all heard about the false accusations, the outlandish interrogations, and the tragic executions. However, very few know how and why the witch hunts began. What, or rather, who, sparked them? Thank you, Mr.  Tamanini!   Who was Tituba? by Dave Tamanini      Ask just about anyone what they know about Salem in colonial Massachusetts and the most common answer is the witch hunts. But in the middle and late 1600s people knew Salem Town for its shipping. It was the first large seaport in the Massachusetts Bay colony. Salem seafarers and merchants played an important role as the Puritans grew wealth through trade between the mother country and the colony. As the town grew wealthier, it expanded as newcomers arrived and moved inland to establish fertile farms to feed the coastal population. S

Blog Tour: Isle of Gold by Seven Jane

Author: Seven Jane Narrator: Nicole B. Dolen Length: 7 hours 43 minutes Series: Daughters Jones Trilogy, Book 1 Publisher: Black Spot Books Released: May 4, 2020 Genre: Historical Fantasy   The year is 1716 - the Golden Age of the Pirates. An orphan who sleeps in the dusty kitchens of a quayside brothel, Merrin Smith is desperate to unravel the secrets of her past and find the truth about the events that brought her to Isla Perla as a child. Disguised as a sailor, she joins the crew of the pirate ship Riptide, helmed by the notorious Captain Erik Winters. Tenacious and rumored to be a madman, Winters is known as much for his ruthlessness as for his connection to the enigmatic and beautiful proprietress of The Goodnight Mermaid, Evangeline Dahl, who vanished from the island two summers before. This book is an epic, emotional adventure of two women - one desperate to save herself, and the other determined to be rescued - and the secret which binds the