Book Spotlight: Twice Upon A Time by Hope Irving

Author: Hope Irving
Publisher: Self
Date of publication: March 2016

Once upon a time, there was the wandering soul of Morgann, an 8th century Irish calligrapher-monk longing to be reunited with his soul mate. Deirdre was his forbidden love, a witch with whom he wrote a coveted book. 
Under her spell, the souls of the star-crossed lovers travel from bodies to bodies until they find each other. Eventually. 
That became his quest: unearth her new body and trigger her memory, for she is clueless about whom she once was. Unfortunately their story didn't get a chance to become a fairy tale yet it still turned out as a famous urban legend referred as The Black Angel Book. 

Twice upon a time, not so long ago, there was me, rational and devastated Rose. I needed to get a grip, said my French mum after my year of numbness due to a painful break-up that led me to cut my wrist daily, to feel something, anything. So she sent me off to the free-spirited village of Provincetown, Massachusetts, to spend the summer with my American relatives. And just like that, I wasn't myself any longer. Because someone pulled me out of the darkness and bewitched me, somehow. 

I couldn't wait to jump his bones… but why was he holding back? He couldn't wait to welcome me into his world… but was I ready to question my convictions and acknowledge that my self-inflicted cuts were now healing in record time? How could I have imagined he was longing for his own unorthodox fairytale to come true? Frantically. 

Get your copy today!

Purchase Links

Amazon (Kindle) B&N Nook Kobo iBooks

About the author:

Hope Irving is the proud mother of a lovely and witty young lady, and the lucky wife of a loving and supportive husband. She's a debut indie author who lived in Paris, France, most of her life and also in the US, where she graduated with a master degree.

She loves Nutella and Camembert cheese (not together), carrot cake and cinnamon Altoids.

Her favorite fictional characters are Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris) and Sean Bateman (The Rules of Attraction, Bret Easton Ellis).

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Blog Tour: A Scandalous Proposal by Kasey Michaels

Author: Kasey Michaels
Publisher: Harlequin
Date of publication: April 2016

The drama of London’s Little Season continues in this vibrant new series by USA TODAY bestselling author Kasey Michaels featuring three courageous war heroes surrendering at last to love… 

Who would have thought a man could tire of being fawned over and flirted with? Ever since Cooper Townsend returned from France as a hero with a new title, he has been relentlessly pursued by every marriageable miss in London. Perhaps that’s why the unconventional Miss Daniella Foster is so appealing. She doesn’t simper or flatter. She only wants him to help unmask her sister’s blackmailer, and Coop has never been so intrigued…

Let every other woman in London fight over His Lordship’s romantic attentions. Marriage is the last thing on Dany’s mind…at least until she samples his illicit kisses. Now, as a mutual enemy races to ruin Coop’s reputation and Dany’s family name, an engagement of convenience will spark an unlikely passion that might save them both.

A Scandalous Proposal is the first book that I have read by this author.  I know it won't be my last.  I definitely enjoyed reading this historical romance.  In it, Cooper and Dany find themselves in the same predicament.  Someone is blackmailing them and if they don't find out who it is in time, the scandal would be devastating.

The thing I liked most about this one was the characters. Dany was a breath of fresh air.  She is how I would have liked to have been during that time.  Not one for social norms, she speaks her mind and isn't afraid to think or "be" outside the box.  I thought she was a great match for Cooper.  The banter between the two was amusing and fun to watch.  The peripheral characters were equally as strong and entertaining.  The race to find the blackmailer was really fun to read as well.

I definitely recommend giving this one a try. It is the second in this series, but I thought it held up well as a stand alone.  

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About Kasey Michaels

USA TODAY bestselling author Kasey Michaels is the author of more than one hundred books. She has earned four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and has won an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award and several other commendations for her contemporary and historical novels. Kasey resides with her family in Pennsylvania.

Connect with Kasey

Website | Facebook

Kasey Michaels TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, April 4th: Romancing the Readers

Tuesday, April 5th: The Sassy Bookster

Wednesday, April 6th: Booked on a Feeling

Thursday, April 7th: A Chick Who Reads

Monday, April 11th: Reading Reality

Tuesday, April 12th: Romantic Reads and Such – spotlight

Wednesday, April 13th: Open Book Society

Thursday, April 14th: A Night’s Dream of Books

Thursday, April 14th: Let Them Read Books – review of An Improper Arrangement

Friday, April 15th: Let Them Read Books

Monday, April 18th: Romancing the Book – review of An Improper Arrangement

Monday, April 18th: Romancing the Book

Tuesday, April 19th: Mom in Love with Fiction

Wednesday, April 20th: BookNAround

Thursday, April 21st: From the TBR Pile

Monday, April 25th: Romantic Historical Reviews

Monday, April 25th: Books that Hook

Tuesday, April 26th: Puddletown Reviews

Wednesday, April 27th: The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, April 28th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

by:  Katarina Bivald
published by:  Sourcebooks Landmark
publish date:  January 19, 2016

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. 

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town.
Right off the bat, I love the cover of this book.  Just that will make me at least pick it up.  The blue and yellow are so pretty!  The font is beautiful and the white looks really good against the blue.  Whoever designed it did a fantastic job.  

I loved this book.  Sara is a quiet lady from Sweden who has never done anything, until she saves up her money to travel to Iowa to visit her pen pal.  However, when she gets there, she finds out Amy has just died.  Instead of going back home, she decides to stay, and live in Amy's house.  The townspeople insist because that's what Amy would have wanted.  When Sara runs out of things to do, she decides to open a bookstore in Amy's honor.  However, this little thing gets this sleepy little town riled up in ways no one would have ever expected.  

This book is such a fun read.  I will definitely be recommending this one to anyone who asks.  I think it will be a big hit this summer for all the beach readers.  The book clubs will love it too.  Any book lover will love all the literary references throughout the book.  Go check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Blog Tour: Spotlight of Rare Objects by Kathleen Tessaro

Author: Kathleen Tessaro

Publisher: Harper

Date of publication: April 2016

In Depression-era Boston, a city divided by privilege and poverty, two unlikely friends are bound by a dangerous secret. . . .

Maeve Fanning, a first generation Irish immigrant, was born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston’s North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and headstrong, Maeve is determined to better herself despite the hardships of the Great Depression. However, she also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin—a rebellious appetite for experience that soon finds her spiraling downward in New York City. When the strain proves too much, Maeve becomes an involuntary patient in a remote psychiatric hospital, where she strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic young woman, who, like Maeve, is unable or unwilling to control her unladylike desire for freedom.

After her release, Maeve returns to Boston to start over again, landing a job at an antiques shop catering to the city’s wealthiest and most peculiar collectors. Run by an elusive English archeologist, the shop is a haven for the obscure and incredible, supplying one-of-a-kind artifacts to its customers while providing Maeve with unique access into the world of New England’s social elite. While delivering a purchase to a wealthy family, Maeve is introduced to beautiful socialite Diana Van der Laar—only to discover she’s the same young woman from the hospital.

Reunited with the charming but increasingly unstable Diana and pursued by her attractive brother James, Maeve becomes more and more entwined with the Van der Laar family—a connection that pulls her into a world of moral ambiguity and deceit. Bewitched by their wealth and desperate to leave her past behind, Maeve is forced to unearth her true values and discover just how far she’s willing to go to reinvent herself.

A rich, universal story of ambition, transformation, desire, and betrayal, Rare Objectsis acclaimed writer Kathleen Tessaro’s finest work to date.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Kathleen Tessaro

Kathleen Tessaro is the author of Elegance, Innocence, The Flirt, and The Debutante. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and son.

Find out more about Kathleen at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Kathleen’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, April 12th: BookNAround

Wednesday, April 13th: Books and Bindings

Thursday, April 14th: Kritters Ramblings

Friday, April 15th: View from the Birdhouse

Monday, April 18th: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, April 19th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, April 20th: The Feminist Texican [Reads]

Thursday, April 21st: Curling Up by the Fire

Friday, April 22nd: Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, April 25th: Always With a Book

Tuesday, April 26th: West Metro Mommy

Thursday, April 28th: #redhead.with.book

Friday, April 29th: For the Love of Words

Monday, May 2nd: Puddletown Reviews

Tuesday, May 3rd: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Wednesday, May 4th: The many thoughts of a reader

Thursday, May 5th: Time 2 Read

Friday, May 6th: A Literary Vacation

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts

Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Berkley
Date of publication: November 2015

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

I'll be honest, I was a bit hesitant to read this book.  I have enjoyed this author's earlier fantasy trilogies. But her last one, "The Cousin's O'Dwyer" series (starting with Dark Witch), I couldn't even finish.  I was completely underwhelm by the first two books and I didn't bother with the last one in the trilogy..  I am happy to say, that Ms. Roberts is indeed back to her good writing form with a great start to a new fantasy series.  Stars of Fortune is what Dark Witch could have been. In this new series, six strangers are drawn together to search for three stars that were formed for a goddess queen.  There is a dark force who wants the stars for her own. It is up to them to save the world from living in darkness.

What I loved about this book was the characters.  All of them have a special gift, but those gifts aren't revealed all at once.  I'm not going to give them away because it would definitely ruin the story.  There are a couple of surprises.  I think my favorite character was Annika.  Her personality does across as naive and very rose colored, but once you realize where she comes from, it all makes sense.  She was a breath of fresh air and added in a lot of comic relief.

I thought the plot in this one was strong.  Each of the six characters were well fleshed out. I also loved the world that Ms. Roberts has built in this one.  This is not a repeat of the "Circle Trilogy".  It's very different.  In fact, I think I may just end up liking this one better in the end.  Here's hoping the next book, Bay of Sighs is equally as strong.

Hard Ever After by Laura Kaye

Author: Laura Kaye
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date of publication: February 2016

Justice served. Honor restored. Team reunited. 

After a long battle to discover the truth, the men and women of Hard Ink have a lot to celebrate, especially the wedding of two of their own—Nick Rixey and Becca Merritt, whose hard-fought love deserves a happy ending.

As Nick and the team shift from crisis mode to building their new security consulting firm, Becca heads back to work at the ER. But amid the everyday chaos of demanding jobs and their upcoming nuptials, an old menace they thought long gone reemerges, threatening the peace they’ve only just found.
Now, for one last time, Nick and Becca must fight for their always and forever, because they know that when true love overcomes all the odds it lasts hard ever after.

Hard Ever After is the follow up short story to the Hard Ink series.  I have really enjoyed this entire series so it was nice to have a "what happened" after book to wrap everything up.  Nick Rixey and Becca Merritt were the first couple in the series and the ones that kicked off the story arc of Nick and his buddies clearing their name.  

I don't want to give away too much of what happens, but they do all get even better HEAs than in the last book of the series.  If any characters deserved it, they all did.  What I loved even more was the how the author showed the reality of the aftermath of going through trauma. Becca went through a lot and once the dust settled, it started catching up with her.  I loved how everyone rallied around her in the end.

As I said, this was a great follow up to the series. I often hate to leave characters from a series that I enjoy, so getting a sneak peek into how they are all doing is a real treat.  If you haven't read the Hard Ink Series, definitely start with the first one, Hard as It Gets.  You won't be sorry.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

by:  Allen Eskens
published by:  Seventh Street Books
publish date:  October 14, 2014

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson.  Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory. 

I read The Guise of Another, also by  Allen Eskens, and I was expecting a little bit more involvement by the detective in this story.  The Guise of Another is like a companion book to The Life We Bury.  Each book has a different detective in it, but the two detectives are brothers.  Anyway, the first book I read was all about the detective, so I figured he would play a bigger role in this book.

This book isn't so much about Joe Talbert writing the biography of Carl Iverson.  It turned out to be more of Joe's investigation into Carl's murder conviction.  He becomes obsessed with proving Carl is innocent.  Joe is also dealing with an alcoholic mother who is determined to ruin everyone's life.  He also has to keep an eye out on his autistic brother.  All this going on while he is falling in love with his next door neighbor.  

This was a great story.  It was well written and the clues were handed out at just the right pace.  The mystery lovers will enjoy this book.

Darkness by Karen Robards

Author: Karen Robards
Publisher: Gallery Books
Date of publication: March 2016

BOOM. That’s the sound that changes everything for Dr. Gina Sullivan, a renowned ornithologist on a group research grant trip on the remote island of Attu, Alaska. When an everyday outing turns sinister at the onset of one of Attu’s infamous storms, Gina expects thunder and lightning—but what she doesn’t see coming is the small jet plane that drops out of the sky and into the water mere feet from her boat. Even more unprecedented: there’s a sole survivor from the crash, and he needs Gina’s help. But it turns out that rescuing the stranger and getting them both out of the oncoming storm is just the beginning. Because the more Gina learns about James “Cal” Callahan, he of brooding eyes and muscled frame, the more she fears—for herself, and for him. 

Darkness was non-stop action with two great main characters.  I really enjoyed this latest book from this author. Gina is on an island in Alaska researching birds, when a plane falls out of the sky right near her boat.  She rescues the lone survivor (Cal) and realizes that he is a dangerous man and her only chance at survival.  

I thought this was a solid adventure.  There wasn't a lot of mystery really, it was mostly thriller.  The little bit of mystery kept me guessing until the reveal right at the end.  I was surprised that the one twist I was waiting for never showed up. So, maybe that was a twist in itself? I enjoyed Gina and Cal together.  Even thought their attraction was fast, it wasn't filled with a lot of angst. Their loves scene were some of the hottest ones I have seen this author write in a while.  I loved the part where Cal points out that how she acts is "you with me".  Such a sweet line.

Throwback Thursday: Her Best Friend's Lover by Shiloh Walker

Author: Shiloh Walker
First published in 2003 by Ellora's Cave

Dale Stoner loved women, and women seemed to love him right back. He danced around the line that led to seriousness, but any time one woman got too close, he two-stepped back, quick and pretty as you please. He’s fallen in love before and he doesn’t want to go that route again. No woman was ever going to get close to him again.

The only exception is his best friend, Lauren. She’s the only one who really matters. But she’s his friend…and guys don’t sleep with their best friends, do they?

Lauren wasn’t the kind of woman to believe in love at first sight, but then she met Dale. He’s everything she shouldn’t want—a flirt, a woman chaser…and he’s also in love with somebody else.

But one hot, steamy night changes everything…

I usually like this author's books, so I was eager to read this early one as it is being reissued this week in print and ebook form.  In Her Best Friend's Lover, Lauren has been in love with Dale for five years, but he has kept her in the friend zone.  He has never been able to get over his first love from high school.  One night changes everything for both of them.

Normally, I like friend's to lovers stories.  But, I had a hard time getting behind this one.  Their first time together Dale is totally drunk and doesn't remember who he slept with.  I thought it was a little icky that she cleaned up the evidence so that he would never know.  Then she finds out she is pregnant and keeps it from him.  Even after he realizes he loves her and marries her.  I'm not really a huge fan of secret baby story-lines in general.  I also never felt the connection between Dale and Lauren.  

This isn't a bad one, but it's not her best.  Her later stuff is much better.

Blog Tour: Book Spotlight for The Good Traitor by Ryan Quinn

The Good Traitor

by Ryan Quinn

on Tour April 5 - May 13, 2016

The US ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash just days after a news article links Chinese spies to US business interests. The American intelligence community is left scrambling to investigate possible connections between the crash and a series of other high-profile deaths. On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new assignment: find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller Published by: Thomas & Mercer Publication Date: April 5, 2016 Number of Pages: 334 ISBN: 978-1503954625 Purchase Links:

Author Bio:

A native of Alaska, Ryan Quinn was an NCAA champion and an all-American athlete in skiing while at the University of Utah. He worked for five years in New York’s book-publishing industry before moving to Los Angeles, where he writes and trains for marathons. Quinn’s first novel, The Fall, was an award-winning finalist for the 2013 International Book Awards.

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This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Ryan Quinn. There will be 1 winners of 1 $10 Amazon.com US Gift card. The giveaway begins on April 5th and runs through May 13th, 2016.

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Spotlight: One Flew over the Banyan Tree by Alan Jansen

Author: Alan Jansen
Publisher: iUniverse
Date of publication: September 2015

How does a young boy find his way after his father loses a critical job and abandons his family in a small island town? In Alan Jansen’s stunning historical fiction debut, One Flew over the Banyan Tree, clever eleven-year-old Rohan grapples with this loss as he finds himself navigating a new world among a cast of colorful characters.

Set on the fictitious island of Victoria (resembling Post-Colonial Sri Lanka), One Flew over the Banyan Tree takes readers through a panoramic journey of life in the 1960s.

Centered on young Rohan through a memorable stay at his Grandmummy’s house in Jellicoe Junction, in One Flew Over the Banyan Tree readers meet loveable and unforgettable characters like Bellakay, the walking encyclopedia; Salgado, a droll glutton; Sonny, owner of the illegal dilapidated restaurant called Nameless; “breakfast-eaters” who enjoy a good session of camaraderie and banter at the illicit eatery; an anthropomorphic canine who ruminates on the human race; headless ghosts who hover above the town’s beloved banyan tree; and many other captivating personalities.

No longer belonging to a functional family, Rohan must come to terms with his transformation into an independent young boy during his surreal stay in impoverished Jellicoe Junction, a lively hub in the island’s capital city – Portopo. After experiencing many perspectives and personalities, will he learn to forgive and transcend — or will he blend into the pauperized place he’s found himself situated in?

The past comes alive in One Flew over the Banyan Tree as generational and class conflicts intensify in the wake of 1960’s counterculture. With great heart and humor, Jansen’s debut is a gripping exposition of the far-reaching impact of British colonization, the ongoing disparities of destitution, and one young boy’s navigation of divided loyalties and decisions that will change the course of his life forever.

In One Flew over the Banyan Tree, Jansen draws inspiration from the wit of O. Henry, the clandestine world-building of Roald Dahl, and the comical storytelling of P.G Wodehouse. This book is a delight for fans of historic fiction, those who enjoy deep character development, and anyone spellbound by the characteristics of post-colonialism.

One Flew Over the Banyan Tree is available via Amazon

About the Author:

Alan Jansen was born and raised in British Colonial Ceylon (later Sri Lanka). He studied at the renowned St. Joseph's College in Colombo and currently lives in Stockholm, Sweden after emigrating there as a young man. Giving up a long-time senior position in a Swedish telecom company, Alan decided to concentrate on a writing career. One Flew over the Banyan Tree is his first novel.

One Flew over the Banyan Tree [iUniverse] paperback is available at most online booksellers including Amazon, iUniverse, Adlibris, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, (Bowker),  Scribd, Chapters Indigo ca, etc, as of September 24, 2015. The e-book is also available at most of these and other online booksellers.


Website: www.alan-jansen-books.com