Giveaway – The Mark Of The Salamander by Justin Newland @partnersincr1me

The Mark of the Salamander

by Justin Newland

February 12-23, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland

1575.

Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder.

Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.

Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.

THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Fiction / Magical Realism
Published by: Book Guild
Publication Date: September 28, 2023
Number of Pages: 256
ISBN: 9781915853271 (ISBN10: 1915853273)
Series: The Island of Angels, 1 of 2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 19

Home at Last

26th September 1580

It was midway through the afternoon watch. On a Monday. It wasn’t any old Monday. It was a special Monday. Not because of an extra beer ration; nor because of the smell of fish emanating from the galley. No – it was because, on that autumn day, nearly all fifty-eight surviving crew members hung over the gunwale, their eyes dripping with expectation and glued to the horizon. On occasion, they glanced up at the topmast and the barrel man as if waiting for a message from the heavens. None came, even after they’d passed the Isles of Scilly. Nor did it come after they passed Wolf Rock. It surely wouldn’t be long in coming.

As the creaking of the sails ceased, the Golden Hind glided serenely through the waters as if drawn forward by a divine wind. Even the gulls stopped squawking. A light rain shower washed the decks. The men gazed at the white flecks on the waves.

Amidst the quiet, a cry went out, and travelled down the mizzenmast, across the poop deck and into the soul of each crew member. “Land ho!”

Nelan stood next to Fletcher, who raised his hands like an Old Testament prophet and cried out, “Oh, my God!” Then he knelt on the deck, hands clasped in a prayer of thanksgiving.

The other hands – all long-haired, heavily bearded, and stinking of piss, ale and perspiration – planted their knees on the deck. To Nelan, that moment felt portentous. It was one of collective bliss in which men of all ranks, natures and ages shared a sublime experience and encountered, perhaps for a few seconds only, the most concentrated religious feeling in the world: that of belonging to each other and to a land. Perhaps they didn’t know it fully, then. Maybe they had an inkling of it, as Nelan did. But at that moment, each of them knew that, through their voyage, their endeavours and their courage, they had unchained the shackles of the past, cut most of the remaining threads of the Gordian Knot of papal suppression, summoned the fresh, clean winds of the future, and set the people of England on a course towards the discovery of themselves and towards an exploration of the world and its peoples.

As the familiar jagged promontory of the Lizard hove into view, the hardy souls who’d survived unimaginable hardships together were stunned to silence. For once, their tongues stopped wagging. Where before they had been vocal in their japes and musical in their jaunts, now they were mute, stilled by the awe and wonder of seeing the distant contours of their land, their England, appear on the horizon. Their journey neared its end. They knew that another would begin as surely as God gave them the grace of another breath. They had not seen this land’s green pastures and gentle slopes for over a thousand days; 1,018, the pilot told them. England. Home at last. They would greet friends they had not seen for two years and ten months. See children who’d grown from suckling babe to infant. Meet mothers who’d given birth in the interim. Comfort wives grown old from the worry, and embrace daughters who’d married during their long absence. They’d clasp hands with their brothers, fathers and sons, and hold them close. Such were the anticipated joys of homecoming. Since they’d set out twice from old Plymouth – once when storms had forced them to return to safe harbour, and later when they’d finally embarked on that fateful day in December 1577 – this was a second coming.

Nelan swallowed hard. He licked his parched lips. While he didn’t expect anyone to meet him on the quay, he remained as excited as the native-born mariners to see old England. She was his home now. She had been a haven for Protestants from all over Europe fleeing the cruel persecution of the Inquisition. He couldn’t go back to Sangatte or Leiden. The angels of the island coursed through his blood and enriched his soul. He belonged to them, and they belonged in him.

From within him there arose a poem of persuasion, a song of softness, a dance of deliberation.

One question hovered on the lips of the crew. But none dared speak it aloud. Not Nelan, and, for once, not even Tom. But it demanded to be asked. The answer would decide their fate; particularly that of the officers and gentlemen and, most of all, of the admiral. He had to be the one to ask it.

***

Excerpt from The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland. Copyright 2023 by Justin Newland. Reproduced with permission from Justin Newland. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Justin Newland

JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. His stories explore the themes of war and religion, and speculate on the human’s spiritual place in the universe. Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.

  • The historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
  • The Coronation (Matador, 2019) was another historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.
  • The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
  • The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age.
  • His work in progress is the second in the series, The Midnight of Eights, the charting of the uncanny coincidences that led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada. Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin appears on LitFest panels, gives talks to historical associations and libraries and enjoys giving radio interviews and making podcasts. Born three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

    Catch Up With Our Author:
    www.JustinNewland.com
    Goodreads
    BookBub – @justinnewland
    Instagram – @drjustinnewland
    Twitter/X – @JustinNewland53
    Facebook – @justin.newland.author
    Pinterest – @jnewland0711

     

     

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    This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Justin Newland. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

     

     

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    Giveaway – The Mark Of The Salamander by Justin Newland @JustinNewland53 @iReadBookTours

     


    Author Justin Newland Guest Post for Sherry @ fundimental

    My latest historical fiction novel, The Mark of the Salamander, has just hit the shelves. It’s
    the first title in a two-book series, The Island of Angels, which tells the epic story and secret
    history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.

    This blog post is about the title, namely The Mark of the Salamander.
    First of all, what is a salamander? Well, it’s a spirit of fire.

    In Medieval times, Paracelsus, the great Swiss alchemist, identified the four beings or
    spirits of the elements. While the salamander is the fire elemental, gnomes inhabit the earth, undines swim in the waters of the oceans, and sylphs are air spirits.

    As a spirit of fire, the salamander is a lithe creature that occupied the other world, and so would only be appear to be seen those who had the eyes to see them. Just like the other
    three elemental spirits, the salamander had healing properties, and had to those it attended, it gave the power of foresight, and of insight into the future.

    Fire is fascinating. It lives, it’s alive. At the hearth, it warms, and yet it destroys. It melts, it smelts, and it cleanses. It houses the phoenix who rises from the ashes, it begets new
    birth, and yet Hell is full of the stuff.

    It’s the living fire, the fire that we breathe that’s inside the air, the flame of life and living.

    And there’s a ruby salamander mentioned in the novel. The idea of it came from this image of a ruby salamander pendant. Gold filigree set with rubies, it was recovered from a Spanish galleon off the coast of Northern Ireland some years after the Armada. So, although it was probably not part of the treasure taken by Drake from the Spanish ship, the Cacafuego, the fact that it was a salamander gave me the idea to use it in the novel.

    What about the mark, the mark of the salamander? What’s that?

    Well, I got the idea from the Ancient Greek myth about the warrior Achilles. The legend goes that his mother dipped him into the River Styx to make his entire body invulnerable, except for the part of his foot where she held him—the proverbial Achilles heel. That was his identifying feature, in his case, his weakness and ultimately, his destiny.

    In a similar way, Nelan, the hero of my novel, is born with three wavy lines beneath the middle finger of his right hand. That’s the mark of the salamander. That way, his supernatural powers, such as clairvoyance, ESP, and telepathy, can be identified with a physical feature, an actual mark on the body.

    Justin Newland
    5th October 2023


    Book Details:

    Book Title:  The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland
    Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  246 pages
    GenreHistorical Fiction and Magical Realism 
    Publisher:  The Book Guild
    Release date:  September 2023
    Content Rating: PG-13 +M. Mild sex and cruelty. Mature themes.


    Book Description:

    1575.

    Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder. Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind. Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.

    THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.



    Meet the Author:

    JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. His stories explore the themes of war and religion, and speculate on the human’s spiritual place in the universe.

    Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.

    The historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.

    The Coronation (Matador, 2019) was another historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.

    The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

    The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age.

    His work in progress is the second in the series, The Midnight of Eights, the charting of the uncanny coincidences that led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada.

    Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin appears on LitFest panels, gives talks to historical associations and libraries and enjoys giving radio interviews and making podcasts. Born three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.


    connect with the author: 
    website twitter ~ facebook instagram pinterest bookbub goodreads

    Enter the Giveaway:

    THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER Book Tour Giveaway



    MY JUSTIN NEWLAND REVIEWS

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    Giveaway – Holly Baubles And Murder by Victoria Tait @dollycas


    Holly, Baubles and Murder:
    A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth
    (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait

    About Holly, Baubles and Murder

    Holly, Baubles and Murder:
    A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth
    (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery)

    Cozy Mystery
    8th in Series
    Setting – Yorkshire, England
    Kanga Press (October 20, 2023)
    Number of Pages c. 240
    Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C9NXPJ1Xchirs

    A joyful Christmas festival turns deadly when a corpse ends up as the chilling centerpiece. Can an amateur sleuth unwrap the tinsel-tangled mystery before the merry cheer melts away?

    Talented antique enthusiast, Dotty Sayers, is thrilled to be organising a Christmas display at a Yorkshire country house. She enjoys decking the halls, but the season is far from jolly when the chief guide is found dead, her body as cold as ice.

    When cops dismiss the death, Dotty turns to her prickly American colleague, only to learn he has his own secrets to solve. But when he disappears, this amateur detective fears the festive charades have become far deadlier.

    Can Dotty string together the clues and bring to light the killer?

    About Victoria Tait

    Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. After following her military husband around the world, she drew on her life’s experiences, and a love of Agatha Christie, Father Brown, and Murder She Wrote, to write British-based cozy mysteries.

    Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful and quirky teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and realistic. As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world where you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

    Do you like tea, mysteries, and books? Then why not join Victoria’s TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and download the free prequel to the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries series as a gift by visiting VictoriaTait.com

    Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?

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    Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!

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    Giveaway – Murder At Midnight by Katharine Schellman @partnersincr1me

    Murder at Midnight by Katharine Schellman Banner

    Murder at Midnight

    by Katharine Schellman

    September 18 – October 13, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

    Synopsis:

    Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets.

    Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to a quiet Christmastide away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London. Not only will she be visiting the family of her late husband; she will be reunited with Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, finally returned after a long voyage at sea.

    But secrets aren’t only found in London. Jack’s younger sister, Amelia, is the center of neighborhood scandal and gossip. She refuses to tell anyone what really happened, even when an unexpected snowstorm strands the neighborhood families together after a Christmas ball. Stuck until the snow stops, the Adlers, Hartleys, and their neighbors settle in for the night, only to be awakened in the morning by the scream of a maid who has just discovered a dead body.

    The victim was the well-to-do son of a local gentleman–the same man whose name has become so scandalously linked to Amelia’s.

    With the snow still falling and no way to come or go, it’s clear that someone in the house was responsible for the young man’s death. When suspicion instantly falls on Jack’s sister, he and Lily must unmask the true culprit before Amelia is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit.

    Praise for Murder at Midnight:

    “Delightful . . . Historical mystery fans will devour this holiday treat.”
    ~ Publishers Weekly

    “A plummy period whodunit with a colorful collection of suspects.”
    ~ Kirkus Reviews

    Book Details:

    Genre: Historical mystery
    Published by: Crooked Lane Books
    Publication Date: September 2023
    Number of Pages: 320
    ISBN: 9781639104321 (ISBN10: 1639104321)
    Series: A Lily Adler Mystery, 4
    Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Penguin Random House

    Read an excerpt:

    Lily sat bolt upright. Where had the sound come from? It hadn’t been loud . . . another part of the house? For a moment, in the pressing silence, she wondered if she had drifted back to sleep without realizing it and imagined the whole thing.

    But a moment later, the sounds of a commotion rose just outside her window. Lily dashed to the window, throwing it open with some effort and peering out into the swirl of snow and early- morning light.

    The guest room she had been given was one of the smaller ones—the better to quickly heat rooms that hadn’t been prepared in advance—and as was typical for such rooms, it lacked a pretty view. Hers looked over what she realized after a moment must be the poultry yard. Darkly clad figures who she could guess were servants stumbled through the thick layer of snow that had fallen, trying to reach the two people in the middle of the yard.

    One Lily could see from her vantage only as a still, upright figure, hand outstretched and pointing toward the second person, who lay sprawled on the ground. The one on the ground was half covered by the ice and snow, unmoving.

    Lily grabbed the dressing gown from the chair, pulled on her shoes, and ran from the room. In the hallway, a few guests were poking their heads out of their doors, hair tousled and faces creased with sleep, inquiring grumpily if anyone had heard an odd noise.

    Lily didn’t stop to consider propriety or worry about what anyone else might think before she yelled “Jack!” as loudly as she could. She didn’t know which room he had been given, but a moment later, a door past the stairs was flung open and the navy captain’s head appeared.

    “What is it?” he demanded. He was already dressed and wearing his driving coat over his clothing. That was odd at such an early hour, but Lily didn’t have time to be surprised.

    “Downstairs.” In spite of the months they had spent apart, Lily knew she could depend on him to understand and act quickly. “Something happened. We have to help.”

    And in spite of those months apart, he didn’t stop to ask questions. More guests were emerging, summoned by Lily’s shout, and questions were beginning to fly back and forth as she dashed down the stairs, Jack on her heels.

    They didn’t need to wonder where to go; on the floor below, Mrs. Grantham was following a stately-looking woman who might have been the housekeeper or another upper servant. Their pace was just barely too dignified to be a run, but they couldn’t hide their worry as they disappeared down the steps to the kitchen. Lily and Jack hurried after them.

    The servants’ staircase was narrow and cold. At the bottom, servants clustered in the kitchen, talking in shrill, anxious voices as the cook tried to keep some order. The underservants glanced uneasily at Lily and Jack as they came into the kitchen, but no one seemed to know what to do or say. The door to the yard had been left wide open, and the wind blew in gusts of snow and icy morning light. Outside, more servants were gathered, though they parted like a wave as the housekeeper led Mrs. Grantham out to see what had happened.

    As Lily and Jack tried to follow, they were stopped by the frail but determined body of the butler, who interposed himself between them and the open door. “Madam, sir, perhaps you would care to return to your rooms? Breakfast will be ready shortly.”

    Jack drew himself up, clearly prepared to use his rank to push his way past the aging servant. Before he could say anything, though, and before Lily could think how to reply, Mrs. Grantham turned sharply.

    “What is . . .” She trailed off, eyeing Lily and Jack with trepidation. She looked ready to send them on their way with some commonplace assurance. But half a dozen emotions chased their way across her face in that moment, and she instead asked, “Mrs. Adler, how many of the rumors about you are true?”

    “That depends on the rumors,” Lily replied calmly, though her heart was pounding. Behind Mrs. Grantham, she could see the limbs of the eerie, still figure sticking out of the snowbank. “Though if you refer only to the ones that are most relevant at this moment . . .” She turned her gaze pointedly toward the body in the snow. “There is indeed some truth to them.”

    Mrs. Grantham hesitated, then seemed to make up her mind in a rush. She stepped aside, pulling the confused housekeeper with her. There were boots for the servants lined up next to the door, crusted with mud from repeated use. Lily pulled off her delicate evening slippers, slid her bare feet into the pair that looked closest to her size, and followed as she and Jack were ushered into the yard, their eyes fixed on what awaited them there.

    A man dressed in borrowed clothes, his skin white with cold, his hair thick with clumps of ice and snow. He could have fallen, hit his head, been caught in the storm and frozen. He could still be alive, in need of help. He could have had an innocent reason for being out in the storm.

    He could have. But this close, Lily could see the snow that had been kicked aside and trampled by half a dozen feet in the servants’ frantic attempts to clear it away. The icy powder was too thick on the ground for her to see the mud of the yard. But it was still stained with red and brown from where the man’s life had leaked away in the night.

    The once-snowy linen of his shirt was stained the same color, jagged and torn from the bullet that had ended his life. The gun that had fired it had been unearthed beside him, as snow-logged as his own body. The man’s frozen eyes and mouth were wide open, as though he had not believed until the last moment that whoever had faced him in that yard could be capable of the shot that had ended his life.

    ***

    Excerpt from Murder at Midnight by Katharine Schellman. Copyright 2023 by Katharine Schellman. Reproduced with permission from Katharine Schellman. All rights reserved.

     

     

    Author Bio:

    Katharine Schellman

    Katharine Schellman is a former actor and one-time political consultant. These days, she writes the Lily Adler Mysteries and the Nightingale Mysteries. Her books, which reviewers have praised as “worthy of Agatha Christie or Rex Stout” (Library Journal, starred review), have received multiple accolades, including being named a Library Journal Best Crime Fiction of 2022, a Suspense Magazine Best Book of 2020, and a New York Times editor’s pick in June 2022. Katharine lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia in the company of her husband, children, and the many houseplants she keeps accidentally murdering.

    Catch Up With Katharine Schellman:
    www.KatharineSchellman.com
    Goodreads
    BookBub – @KatharineSchellman
    Instagram – @katharinewrites
    Facebook – @katharineschellman

     

     

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    Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

     

     

    Join In for a Chance to WIN!

    This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Katharine Schellman. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

     

     

    Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

     

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    Giveaway – Death And The Sisters by Heather Redmond @partnersincr1me

    Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond Banner

    Death and the Sisters

    by Heather Redmond

    September 25 – October 20, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

    Synopsis:

    Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond

    The tangled relationships between Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary’s stepsister Jane Clairmont form the backdrop for an intriguing historical mystery, set in London in 1814, that explores the complex dynamic between sisters and the birth of teenaged Mary’s creative genius.

    London, 1814: Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont, both sixteen, possess quick minds bolstered by an unconventional upbringing, and have little regard for the rules that other young ladies follow. Mary, whose mother famously advocated for women’s rights, rejects the two paths that seem open to her—that of an assistant in her father’s bookshop, or an ordinary wife. Though quieter and more reserved than the boisterous Jane, Mary’s imagination is keen, and she longs for real-world adventures.

    One evening, an opportunity arrives in the form of a dinner guest, Percy Bysshe Shelley. At twenty-one, Shelley is already a renowned poet and radical. Mary finds their visitor handsome and compelling, but it is later that evening, after the party has broken up, that events take a truly intriguing turn. When Mary comes downstairs in search of a book, she finds instead a man face down on the floor—with a knife in his back.

    The dead man, it seems, was a former classmate of Shelley’s, and had lately become a personal and professional rival. What was he doing in the Godwins’ home? Mary, Jane, and Shelley are all drawn to learn the truth behind the tragedy, especially as each discovery seems to hint at a tangled web that includes many in Shelley’s closest circle. But as the attraction between Mary and the married poet intensifies, it sparks a rivalry between the sisters, even as it kindles the creative fire within . . .

    Praise for Death and the Sisters:

    Death and the Sisters is a terrific blend of gritty history with a mystery that will keep readers turning pages. Impeccably researched and imaginative, Redmond’s first Mary Shelley Mystery immerses readers in the drama of young Mary Godwin and her family, as well as her budding romance with Percy Shelley, as they work together to solve a wonderfully bookish murder. I thoroughly enjoyed this series kick-off and can’t wait for the next story!”
    ~ Susanna Craig, author of The Lady Knows Best

    Death and the Sisters is a rip-roaring murder mystery with twists and turns that introduces teenaged Mary Godwin, not yet the author of the immortal work Frankenstein, as an amateur detective. Redmond’s foray in the world of rational atheists in early 19th century London is a mesmerizing, forceful delight.”
    ~ Eilis Flynn, author of The Riddle of Rym

    “Crafted with vivid historical detail, an artfully twisted plot, and engaging characters, Death and the Sisters is an excellent start to what I hope will be a long-running series.”
    ~ Dianne Freeman, author of the award-winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries

    “It might be the way London comes to life in all of its dark and gritty complexities, or the dynamics between Mary and her step-sister, Jane, as they set out to find the killer of the man who they discover dead in the bookshop. Everyone is a suspect—even Percy Shelley who has caught the eye of the women in the household. Propulsive and immersive, Heather Redmond is at the top of her game until the intense and satisfying end.”
    ~ Mary Keliikoa, author of Hidden Pieces

    “An intrepid cast of characters, a stunningly atmospheric 19th-century London, and a riveting murder… Highly recommend.”
    ~ Melissa Bourbon, bestselling author

    Book Details:

    Genre: Historical mystery
    Published by: Kensington
    Publication Date: September 2023
    Number of Pages: 320
    ISBN: 9781496737991 (ISBN10: 1496737997)
    Series: Mary Shelley Mystery, 1
    Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Kensington

    Read an excerpt:

    “Come, Mary.” Jane flopped onto her bed. “Tell us a story about the prisoner ghosts wailing.”

    “I’ll have to think it up,” Mary said and then began to quote. “‘This relation is Matter of Fact, and attended with such Circumstances as may induce any Reasonable Man to believe it.’”

    “What’s that?” Jane asked. The floor creaked as she kicked off her slippers and knocked them to the floor.

    “Defoe, I think,” Mary said, already considering the form of her story. If only Mother had written such fanciful tales, to give her ideas on how to construct them. “I’ll consult his works in the bookshop for further inspiration. It seems like quite a good start to a ghost story.”

    Mary placed her slippers next to Jane’s and walked down in her stocking feet, hugging the wall so as not to set off the worst of the creaking stairs. If Mamma heard her, she’d be set to mending something. Her stepmother never thought about the cost of candles when she could make her daughters work themselves into exhaustion after dark.

    The bookshop’s interior door hung open. Very odd, as Mamma was particular about making sure that the smells of domestic life, particularly cooking odors, did not damage the books.

    Mary shrugged, glad she had come downstairs, because if Mamma had been the first to notice, she’d have no doubt blamed Mary. She lit the lantern kept in readiness for customers who wanted to browse in the dark corners.

    While she knew exactly where Defoe was kept, she first went to a back corner of the shop and dropped to her knees, then pulled out a much-loved volume that Mamma kept in stock because she knew that it sold, even though it was anything but highbrow or philosophical. Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest. Feeling a little breathless, like a Gothic heroine about to swoon, she opened the book to her favorite page. With the lantern held over the engraving, she examined the bare legs of the man removing a blindfolded girl from a house.

    She bit her lip as she looked over the engraved musculature, feeling a familiar shiver dance up through her body. Did Shelley have legs so magnificent? He certainly possessed the broad shoulders and narrow waist of the figure on the page. She set down the lantern when it shook in her hand.

    “Oh, to see a form like that,” she whispered to herself. None of her Scottish suitors had possessed a body she wanted to caress. As such, none of them had enticed so much as a kiss from her. After a last heated glance, she closed the book and tucked it away again.

    The next shelves were in front of the bow windows. The Juvenile Library was shelved there, at the perfect height for children. Works of historical merit were on the other side. Mary rose.

    Her foot twisted as she took the first step. She grabbed for the edge of the bookcase with one hand, the other gripping the lantern tightly. Her fingers were trembling by the time she righted herself. She reached down and swiped at her foot. Something sticky coated her fingers. What was on the floor?

    “Honestly,” she muttered to herself. More cleaning. She set the lantern on the bookcase and walked past the windows. Slatted lines from the shutters were illuminated by the oil lamp that burned all night at the corner of the road.

    Distracted by the sudden reflected light, she tripped again. “Blast,” she cried.

    When she tried to take another step forward, her way was blocked by something solid. Confused, she prodded it with her foot. It felt warm, dry, and slightly yielding. She backed up to take the lantern in her hand again, then cupped the side of it with her hand to keep the illumination from the road. When she reached the mass again, she held the lantern out over the floor.

    Her mouth dropped open when she saw what lay in front of her. A man, like something out of a painting of the French Revolution, was sprawled on the floor. Facedown. She swept the lantern over his body. Her hand shook as she saw first one knife, then another.

    The first was impaled in his back. The other, in the mysterious recesses between his legs.

    “Faith!” Wobbly, Mary blinked hard, then forced herself to kneel down beside the sprawled figure, to touch the man’s hand.

    Still warm. She squeezed it, feeling that strange sensation of callused male flesh under hers, then dropped the hand. What was she doing? Molesting a corpse?

    She scooted back, her eyes closed, then opened them again, feeling her lips tremble at the sight of the dark blue velvet coat, the dark stain around the knife gleaming wetly in the light. She knew that coat. Shelley! That fine figure of a man, ended so cruelly. They had just seen him leave not twenty minutes earlier. Had he been accosted in the street and dumped here?

    “I could have loved such a being.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she let them fall, keenly feeling her sensibility. Hadn’t he said he was a new father? And his poor young wife, not even twenty yet, a widow.

    “Mary?”

    Drat that Jane. Could she not offer up a moment’s solitude to anyone?

    Her stepsister’s footsteps came closer, along with the bobbing of a candle flame.

    “Don’t come any closer,” Mary warned. She set the lantern down.

    Ignoring her, Jane came down the space between the bookshelves and turned in the nook in front of the windows.

    “What are you doing?” she asked.

    Mary scrambled to her feet, hoping to block her sister’s view. The candle wavered as Jane took in the scene. She gasped loudly.

    “What,” Jane asked, “is that?”

    “Knives,” Mary said. “Murder has been done here.”

    “What?” Jane repeated, some frantic power coming into her voice. “Papa?”

    “No,” Mary said, grabbing the candleholder before the candle dropped. “Shelley.”

    She saw what was going to happen and held up her other hand, hoping to forestall it. But she failed, and Jane, coming closer, screamed. Mary bent under the onslaught and grabbed her sister’s hand.

    “Hush,” she begged, pulling her away. “We have to tell Papa before the watch comes.”

    Though Jane resisted, Mary pulled her through the bookshop, then forced her to sit on the steps and hold the candle while she went back for the lantern. She set it on the table in the hall.

    “Stay here,” she commanded.

    “But,” Jane whispered. “But the body.”

    “Papa will know what to do.”

    “But the watch.”

    “Papa should call them, not us. Do you want him surprised?”

    “The bookshop,” Jane said next.

    “Yes, it’s very bad,” Mary agreed.

    “It isn’t S-Shelley,” Jane stuttered. “He just left.”

    Mary pulled the handkerchief from her sleeve and tucked it into Jane’s unresisting hand. “It must be,” she said. “Who else? Cry quietly, please.” Hoping her sister obeyed, she picked up her skirts and ran up the steps to her father’s library.

    ***

    Excerpt from Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond. Copyright 2023 by Heather Redmond. Reproduced with permission from Heather Redmond. All rights reserved.

     

     

    Author Bio:

    Heather Redmond

    Heather Redmond is an author of commercial fiction and also writes as Heather Hiestand. First published in mystery, she took a long detour through romance before returning. Though her last British ancestor departed London in the 1920s, she is a committed anglophile, Dickens devotee, and lover of all things nineteenth century.

    She has lived in Illinois, California, and Texas, and now resides in a small town in Washington State with her husband and son. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers. Her 2018 Heather Redmond debut, A Tale of Two Murders, has received a coveted starred review from Kirkus Reviews.

    Catch Up With Heather Redmond:
    www.HeatherRedmond.com
    Goodreads
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    Instagram – @hiestandheather
    Twitter – @heatheraredmond
    Heather Hiestand Redmond’s Reader Group on Facebook

     

     

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    Review – Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott #DontLookAway #NetGalley @RachelAbbott

    I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott. This is my first Rachel Abbott book, but I have my eye on her.

    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    The Prologue is super creepy and I quickly began ‘flipping pages’. AND, I am going to start off by saying, if you don’t have blinds, curtains, drapes, or some kind of window covering and close them, especially at night, well…..read this. LOL

    Nancy Holland had never wanted to come back to Cornwall, but her Aunt Helen had passed away and left the cottage to her. Nancy’s sister, Lola, had disappeared here and she had nothing but bad memories. She was alone. Her mother had passed away and her father had died in a car accident. She carries the guilt of the disappearance and deaths on her shoulders.

    I had an instant dislike of her father, Ray. He heaps all the bad onto her, telling her it is her fault. He gives me the creeps and I wonder what the real story is. I think Rachel Abbott did a great job of describing him because I felt he was slimy, a snake, and I never waivered. Am I right? Am I wrong? I have to read on to find out.

    She is not in Cornwall long before the search for her sister, Lola, is reopened due to new evidence. There was also a body found in a cave and even more questions arise.

    Effie, I think she is a wonderfully developed character. Her personality comes through the pages and I love that she is there for Nancy.

    Stephanie and Gus have a crisis and I must say, I would have been furious. I don’t want to say why, BUT, men need to wear a condom! Take some responsibility for your actions. I am not liking Gus very much. I feel he is arrogant, egotistical and patronizing towards her.

    Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott started out slow for me. I kept getting the heebie jeebies though. I felt there were a lot of secrets, dangerous secrets buried in the pages. Men sure don’t come across as winners in this book. I felt rage, disgust, empathy, sadness, and hope, among a lot of other things as the story unfolded.

    I am trying to describe how dark and disturbing many facets of Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott are, without giving anything away. I had ideas of what was going on, some were right and some were wrong and some I totally missed the mark.

    The story is not over, and I saw that coming, sorta….so, I’ll be waiting for the next book.

    I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Don’t Look Away by Rachel Abbott.

    Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    She never wanted to come back. Now she’ll never leave.

    Nancy Holland’s sister disappeared on a holiday in Cornwall eleven years ago. She hasn’t been seen since, and Nancy never returned. Until now.

    Life has pulled her back to the seaside village and cottage where young Lola was last seen.

    Back then, Nancy couldn’t see what was right in front of her eyes. Can she now finally uncover what happened to her sister?

    But somebody doesn’t want her here, digging into the past. If she discovers the truth at last, they’ll never let her leave again.

    • Genre: Crime, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller
    • 400 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Expected publication August 3, 2023Series by Bookouture
    • Series: Stephanie King #3

    ABOUT RACHEL ABBOTT

    I was born and brought up in the north of England, and worked for many years as the managing director of an interactive media company. I wrote every day – everything from creative proposals to user manuals – but most exciting of all was writing interactive dramas – including for the Cluedo (Clue in the US) interactive games. I was fortunate enough to sell my company in 2000 and we moved to Italy where we bought and restored an old country house.

    I have published six full length novels and one novella, and my seventh Come a Little Closer is due for release in 2018. I now live on the beautiful island of Alderney in the Channel Islands, where I write full time.

    Website / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

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    Giveaway – The Widow Queen and Her Lover by Alan Gold @XpressoTours

    The Widow Queen and her Lover
    Alan Gold
    Publication date: September 1st 2023
    Genres: Adult, Historical

    No longer one of the spoils of war, Catherine, Queen of England and France, resolves to fight for her new life – on her own terms

    Catherine of Valois, daughter of the defeated king of France, looks down from the battlements as her future rides to greet her.

    As one of the spoils of war, she is to be married to her father’s enemy, Henry V of England. She is prepared to do her duty – what could be worse than continuing to live with her ailing father and cold mother – but she wasn’t prepared to fall in love.

    Henry is everything that she wanted in a husband, and a king. In him she finds a devoted lover and inspiring ruler. When he dies, shortly after she has delivered his heir, her future and that of her son is in doubt. Not only must she protect her baby, the young Henry VI, she must protect his legacy from the grasping and scheming of his uncle and protector.

    When Owen Tudor — Welshman, commoner, troublesomely attractive — stumbles into her lap, she sees her future. A man who will not lead armies, nor rule kingdoms. Instead, one who will devote himself to protecting what is hers. But he must sacrifice everything he has in order to marry her, and even that may not be enough to keep them all safe.

    Add to Goodreads

    EXCERPT:

    Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Gaspar saw movement. It was a woman coming up the steps from the rooms below in the castle. She’d heard the singing and wanted to see who was chanting. Monks? Townsfolk? Jongleurs? She didn’t look scared, and Gaspar recognised her immediately. It was the young and beautiful Catherine of Valois, only eighteen and the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Tall, majestic, regal, yet happy in her life, friendly, open, and warm … the very opposite of the mad father and especially the cold cow of a mother. God knows how she could be so happy and cheerful when she had a mother like that woman down below, that Bavarian bitch and a lunatic for a father.

    Author Bio:

    Alan Gold began his career as a journalist, working in the UK, Europe, and Israel. In 1970, he emigrated to Australia with his wife, Eva, and now lives in St. Ives, Sydney, where he divides his time between writing novels and running his award-winning marketing consultancy.


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    Giveaway – Earl Grey And Shallow Graves by Victoria Tait @dollycas


    Earl Grey and Shallow Graves: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
    (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) by Victoria Tait

    About Earl Grey and Shallow Graves

    Earl Grey and Shallow Graves:
    A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
    (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)

    Cozy Mystery
    1st in Series
    Setting – England
    Kanga Press (May 19, 2023)
    Number of Pages c. 240
    Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BXQL5YS5
    GoodReads Link Coming Soon

    A 30-year-old skeleton. A missing girl. Can a community police officer read the tea leaves or will a deadly secret remain buried for ever?

    Sergeant Keya Varma is delighted with her new part-time role as the Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer. She’s also fulfilling her dream of opening a small neighbourhood café. But she gets herself into a stew with renovation works when builders unearth a young girl’s remains.

    While Keya and her police colleagues gain ground reviewing the unsolved disappearance of a local girl, her brief taste of success turns to dust when a friend is found dead at her tea shop. Confusion over identities threatens to bury the investigation and our junior police officer is worried that justice won’t be served.

    Can Keya dig into the mystery and uncover the real culprit?

    Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel Café series. If you’ve enjoyed the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, then you’ll love meeting some of your favourite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.

    Buy Earl Grey and Shallow Graves and unearth a killer today!

    About Victoria Tait

    I was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. I’ve drawn on my experiences following my military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. My determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

    I hope you enjoyed Keya’s first book.  Why not join her and her friends as they solve more mysteries in my Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also based in the Cotswolds.  Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L

    Do you like tea, cakes and books? Then why not join our TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and receive your free book gift at  VictoriaTait.com

    Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?

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    Giveaway – A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen @dollycas @HastingSamantha


    A Novel Disguise (A Lady Librarian Mystery) by Samantha Larsen

    About A Novel Disguise 

    A Novel Disguise (A Lady Librarian Mystery)
    Historical Cozy Mystery
    1st in Series
    Setting – Imaginary English village, 1784
    Crooked Lane Books (May 16, 2023)
    Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
    ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639103465
    ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639103461
    Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B9WJ8FFT

    When Miss Tiffany Woodall assumes the identity of her half-brother after his death, she realizes she isn’t the only one with a secret to hide in this historical series debut, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Sherry Thomas.

    1784 London.Miss Tiffany Woodall didn’t murder her half-brother, but she did bury him in the back garden so that she could keep her cottage. Now, the confirmed spinster has to pretend to be Uriah and fulfill his duties as the Duke of Beaufort’s librarian while searching Astwell Palace for Uriah’s missing diamond pin, the only thing of value they own. Her ruse is almost up when she is discovered by Mr. Samir Lathrop, the local bookseller, who tries to save her from drowning while she’s actually just washing up in a lake after burying her brother.

    Her plan is going by the book, until the rector proposes marriage and she starts to develop feelings for Mr. Lathrop. But when her childhood friend, Tess, comes to visit, Tiffany quickly realizes her secret isn’t the only one hidden within these walls. The body of a servant is found, along with a collection of stolen items, and someone else grows mysteriously ill. Can Tiffany solve these mysteries without her own disguise being discovered? If not, she’ll lose her cottage and possibly her life.

    About Samantha Larsen

    Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, having tea parties, and chasing her four kids. She has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of North Texas, and the University of Reading (UK). She’s the author of: The Last Word, The Invention of Sophie Carter, A Royal Christmas Quandary, The Girl with the Golden Eyes, Jane Austen Trivia, The Duchess Contract, Secret of the Sonnets, The Marquess and the Runaway Lady, and A Novel Disguise. She also writes cozy murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen.

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    Giveaway – Then Came You by Dylan Allen @XpressoTours dylanallenwrit1

    Then Came You
    Dylan Allen
    Publication date: February 23rd 2023
    Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

    Most people dream of falling in love.
    But all I know of love is that it turns smart people into fools.
    So, I don’t dream, I work.
    And put distance between myself and the stain my father’s betrayal left on my family.

    When I land a high powered job in London,
    It feels like I finally have everything I want.

    Then comes Simon, the gorgeous architect with a filthy mouth
    who sets my body and my mind on fire.
    I surrender to the pull of attraction and the promise of pleasure in his heated gaze.
    But those smoldering dark eyes of his are also full of secrets.

    Playing with that kind of fire is a fool’s game. And I am no fool.

    So, when our night together ends on less than happy terms, I’m sure it’s for the best.

    When a work project brings us back together,
    I’m determined to keep Simon where he belongs – in my rearview.

    Fate, however, has a different plan.

    Simon breaks down my walls one sexy, wicked smile at a time.
    And I discover that behind his brooding, secretive facade, lies a heart of pure gold.
    Soon, all I do is dream…of his touch, his kisses,
    and of a love good enough and strong enough to last forever.

    But I’ve got secrets of my own.
    And when they rear their heads,
    nothing will be the same again.

    Goodreads / Amazon

    EXCERPT:

    I look at Simon, ready to make a quip about how they look like two kids sneaking off together. My words die in my throat at the unabashed desire in his eyes.

    He doesn’t say a word. There’s no need when that look says everything.

    He puts his hand out and I take it. As soon as our palms touch, I know I made the right decision. If this benign touch sends my senses into a tailspin, what’s he going to do to the rest of me?

    He links our fingers and brings my hand to his mouth. I shiver at the press of his warm lips and the heated promise in his eyes. I let him lead me out of the restaurant, across the street to catch the tube. But just when I dig out my fare card, he sticks his hand out to hail a black cab.

    We get in, and despite the roomy back seats, we sit next to each other, thigh to thigh, both facing forward but if the way the air in the cab cracks with chemistry and attraction is anything to go by, he’s as aware of me as I am of him.

    “Where to?” The cabbie’s barked question breaks our spell momentarily and we turn to look at each other. “Is my place okay?” I ask absently, my eyes glued to his mouth.

    He nods as if unable to speak. I rattle off my address to the cabbie, and he pulls away from the curb.

    “Addie,” Simon’s husky voice is tinged with urgency. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

    When I turn to him, his eyes are on my mouth. I lick my lower lip and he bites his.

    “So are you,” I confess in a whisper and the rush of anticipation makes my whole body tingle.

    “Princess, you’re killing me.” He lets out a soft groan and his head moves toward mine, and my eyes flutter closed.

    Time slows making me aware of every single fraction of every single second that passes before his lips finally touch me.

    They softly press to the corner of my mouth and every thought flees my mind. The touch is as light as a whisper, and yet I feel it all the way to the tips of my toes. He moves his lips across mine—brushing back and forth—and with every single touch, I am unraveling. And for once, the idea of coming apart doesn’t scare me.


    Author Bio:

    Dylan Allen is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author.

    She’s a Texas girl, with a serious case of wanderlust, Dylan’s travels influence her writing and she loves being able to take her readers on adventures from the comfort and safety of their favorite reading nook.

    A self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, Dylan creates stories where her characters unapologetically chase their own happy endings.

    When she isn’t writing or reading, eating or cooking, she and her family are planning their next adventure.

    Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter


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