The Spotlight Is On Zarik by Mystee Ryann @XpressoTours

Zarik
Mystee Ryann
(To Meet a Highlander Series, #1)
Genres: Historical, Romance, Time-Travel

Meet Zarik MacKinnon, soon-to-be chief of his clan. Stubborn, unrelenting, and not in need of love. For years he’s been told by the clan’s druid that someone will come to save him. Someone for him to love. He shrugged his shoulders and continued on in his protection of his clan. Never wanting to be chief, Zarik is surprised when Tsarina Fraser arrives and is said to be the one he must marry. The catch? She’s from the future.




Author Bio:

After 14 years of book and product reviews, I have finally got my own books in the works.

Website / Goodreads / TikTok / Instagram



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I Was In The Moment – Operation S&D by Janelle Taylor & Ashley Fontainne #AshleyFontainne

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am so excited to get my hands on Operation S&D by Ashley Fontainne and Janelle Taylor. This is the second book n the series and I have high expectations, seeing the first book was amazing, Operation DFC.

I am writing this review, without the benefit of a blurb or synopsis. I have already met some of the characters and know some of what is going on, but I am not sure what to share and what to keep to myself. So, here goes….

The characters are damaged and carry a lot of baggage, much of it through no fault of their own. In 1944 soldiers were experimented on. Could it be passed on to their children? The young men had no idea what life had in store for them, but they man up and do what must be done.

“That’s some paranormal, genetically fucked up shit for sure. I mean, cue the Twilight Zone theme…”

After reading the first book, I knew they would be out for revenge and would make the cartel pay. Along the way Rafe inserts himself into a situation to save an innocent, pregnant woman. I wept WITH him on more than one occasion. The guilt he carries is a heavy load. I hope he learns to ask for help, but right now he is on his own. My heart broke for him. The voices in his head….

Eduardo has no clue the creature he created is on a lethal prowl.

Rabid Wolfe three; cartel zero. I’m on a roll.

S&D: Those we seek…we will destroy. Those who betray them will pay the ultimate price. The problem is, who is the betrayer? There’s always one in the bunch. I thought of one person and….well…I’m not telling, but I was right and it will cost someone their life.

The action began from the opening pages, but when they got to Central America it ramped up to a frenetic pace. My head was spinning, waiting, anticipating the bad to come. The mental and emotional turmoil the four team members go through brings forth many emotions. The richness and depth of the characters make them come to life on the pages. I feel empathy, sorrow, anger, rage, fear, and compassion. I want them to come out of the war they are fighting whole, with hope and a future in store for them.

The ending…awesome! Yeah, I may have been able to figure it all out, but I never even tried. I was so into what was happening in the moment, I let the authors lead me where they wanted me to go. I never paid attention to where I was in the book. A lot of the time I will check to see how much I’ve read, how much I have left, but this time, I was in the moment and stayed there.

I found moments where the authors could have ended the book, but they kept giving me more and it kept getting better and better, leaving me very happy. I love it. That is the excellence of this powerhouse team, Ashley Fontainne and Janelle Taylor.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Justice is blind. Vengeance sees only red. I did not learn of the cold-blooded assassination of several CIA agents, who were part of the team on our previous mission, Operation DFC , until it was too late. Spencer “RedDog” Watkins and I are still alive, but our loved ones paid the ultimate price for being a part of our lives, leaving us heartbroken and consumed by an unquenchable thirst for revenge. Black Viper and Raccoon survived the first round of murders orchestrated by the de Santos cartel and were assigned to join us on a total black op, which I nicknamed Operation S&D – Seek and Destroy. With new cover identities issued by the Agency, we slip into Central America under the guise of Lobos del Diablo – Devil Wolves Motorcycle gang. Our mission in Nicaragua, which is a tinderbox embroiled in the illicit drug trade and the internal battle between the Sandinista regime and the Contra rebels, is to report on other field operatives who are suspected of going rogue. The unofficial mission is to take down the de Santos drug cartel and leave no survivors. The men Spencer and I used to be died with the slaughter of our loved ones, leaving us nothing more than snarling beasts stalking prey, undetected, until it is too late for the cartel to plan a counterattack. We are deadly, cold-blooded killers with nothing to lose—alive only to kill those responsible for creating us—and the damage to my soul is so severe, I trust no one. If successful in destroying our enemies, do we dare hope their annihilation heals our traumatic pasts, or is there not enough humanity left to salvage?

  • Genre: Conspiracy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
  • 373 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication October 31, 2023 by Georgia Girl Press
  • Series: Operation S&D

In honor of the upcoming release, the first book, Operation DFC, will be FREE on Amazon October 30-November 3, 2023, so grab your free copy, stay up all night reading, and then dive right into Operation S&D!

ABOUT JANELLE TAYLOR

The legendary Janelle Taylor was born on June 28, 1944 in Athens, GA. In 1965, she married Michael Taylor with whom she had two children, Angela Taylor-MacIntyre and Alisha Taylor Thurmond. Ms. Taylor attended the Medical College of Georgia from 1977 to 1979 and Augusta State University from 1980-1981. She withdrew from the latter after she sold her first two novels. Today, she is the author of thirty-nine novels, three novellas, and many contributions to other collections. There are thirty-nine million copies of her works in print worldwide and she has made The New York Times Bestseller List eight times. Ms. Taylor’s works have also been featured ten times on the “1 million +” bestseller’s list at Publisher’s Weekly.

Some of Ms. Taylor’s most recent books include By Candlelight, Someday Soon, Lakota Dawn, and Lakota Winds (due out in paperback in May 1999). She has also made contributions to other books including The Leukemia Society Cookbook, Christmas Rendezvous, and Summer Love. In addition, readers can see her as co-host of the QVC/TV Romance Book Club Show.

Ms. Taylor’s interests include collecting spoons, coins from around the world, ship models, dolls, and old books. She loves to fish, ride horses, play chess, target-shoot, travel (especially in her motorhome and out West), hunt for Indian relics, and take long walks with her husband. Reading, in particular books set before 1900 and current Biographies, Thrillers, Horror, or Fantasy novels, is also one of Ms. Taylor’s favorite activities. She is also extremely active with charity work and was even featured on the cover of Diabetes Forecast in February of 1998.

She lives in the country on seventy-nine acres of woods and pasture with a lake and a catfish pond. She writes her novels in a Spanish cottage which overlooks a five-acre lake, a working water mill, gazebo, and covered bridge.

Website

ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE

Ashley Fontainne

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne enjoys stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters lurking within each of us. She writes in numerous genres including mystery, suspense, horror, sci-fi and sometimes poetry.

Ashley lives in Arkansas with her husband and is the proud mother of one son and grateful daughter of co-author, Lillian Hansen. To learn more about her books please visit https://ashleyfontainne.net/

Website  / Facebook  /  Pinterest / Bloglovin

MY ASHLEY FONTAINNE REVIEWS

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Giveaway – A Lesser God by Don Hackett @GoddessFish



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Don Hackett will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

As a young man, Dion Athamas was spiritually summoned to rapture then tenured god status. He had been endowed with all the benedictions to achieve sacredness: a devout flock, the power to heal and a covet for control. He also held a deep desire and ability to influence justice and universal liberty. The setting: the fictional town of Forgedmont, Mississippi, in the 1950s. Against great opposition he strived to become a new-age god; the earth was his oracle. He found faith-based conviction to be lacking in reason and truth. He chose to maintain an instinctive path to holiness. Regrettably for him and his followers, there were a great many roadblocks. He was forced to face off against the church, community, prejudice, family and scheming dreams influenced by fallacious spirits, all set forth to hamper his ascension to divinity.


 


Read an Excerpt

Test-tube love,
your hands are full,
your mind
is empty,
your pride can kill.
Pressure for life within the womb
With no clearance from God
On the road to the tomb.
Inside,
Outside,
No reason to stay,
A meaningful art in an
Inartful way.
Bring into light!
From
The darkness
Of blood,
The unwanted bare
With a shield from above.

I still had no idea who could be sending these poems. One wouldn’t have to be a Scotland Yard detective to figure out that the same person wrote both of these ludicrous poems. Who and why was a complete mystery to me. I was not an old man, and I knew nothing about any abortions. I was positively sure that my mom wasn’t having an abortion. I thought someone might be trying to be ironic, or just a pain in the rear—the latter being more likely.

About the Author:I have been writing poems and short stories for most of my life. It was not until I retired from my government position working with Special Needs individuals that I was able to focus on writing full time. The treatment of Special Needs people fostered in me a search for the explanation for the absence of morality in mankind. I have degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Calgary, Alberta.

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJXBLWKZ/ref=sr_1_1
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tw6639Hac

a Rafflecopter giveaway About the Author:I have been writing poems and short stories for most of my life. It was not until I retired from my government position working with Special Needs individuals that I was able to focus on writing full time. The treatment of Special Needs people fostered in me a search for the explanation for the absence of morality in mankind. I have degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Calgary, Alberta.

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJXBLWKZ/ref=sr_1_1
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tw6639Hac

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Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

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Giveaway – The Lady And The Rogue by Ruth A Casie @RuthACasie @CaffeinatedPR

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Feisty and passionate. He’ll enjoy making her fall in love with him…or die trying.

In the shadowy depths of London, Lady Euphemia Brandt, a renowned concert pianist, is mistaken by an English nobleman for his intended rendezvous. She defends herself, losing her reticule in the process. Reluctantly, she takes coins from her attacker and secures a carriage home. Their eyes lock, and they share a searing kiss, altering their lives forever.

At an affair honoring the Prime Minister, Euphemia discovers that the rogue who accosted her is a much sought-after, wealthy member of society. Struggling to resist his attraction, she battles memories of their kiss.

Cayden Whitford, the Duke of Thornton, seeking a woman with vital information, mistakes Euphemia for his contact and is surprised by her swift blow and the ensuing kiss. Intrigued, he vows to find her. At a dinner party, Thornton leans she is the daughter of a trusted advisor and masquerades as a suitor to discover her allegiance.

As Thornton unravels Euphemia’s wit, logic, and passion, his initial mission falters. He’s fallen in love with her.

About the Author

RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author of historical swashbuckling action-adventures and contemporary romance with enough action to keep you turning pages. Her stories feature strong women and the men who deserve them, endearing flaws and all. She lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at an international bank where she was a product/marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now-writing romance. She hopes her stories become your favorite adventures.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Newsletter

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Giveaway – Conecuh by Herb Hughes @ireadbooktours




Book Details:

Book Title:  CONECUH (A Civil War Novel) by Herb Hughes
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  340 pages
GenreHistorical Fiction 
Publisher:  Books From The Pond
Release date:  April 2019
Content RatingPG-13 + MThere is mild profanity. There is a rape scene that is handled without vulgarity.
 


Book Description:

Bronze Medal winner, 2020 eLit Literary Awards, Historical Fiction.

Emily Rose roams through a country ravaged by war, a damaged land where the very grass blades drink the blood of brothers, cousins, and friends. Protected only by her wits and Nathaniel Whiteeagle, a slave with Cherokee blood, Emily swears she will find her fiancé and buy his freedom. Facing danger at each turn, every clue she follows leaves her another step behind. Will she ever find Caleb? Can Caleb endure the unthinkable cruelty of civil war prisons long enough for her to rescue him? Or will she and Nathaniel meet a violent end?

Conecuh (Cah-NECK-ah ) is a story woven around and through the actual events in the mysterious and ironic life of Private Caleb Garner, CSA, during the most tumultuous time in American history. Whatever happened to Caleb? History has left us blind, but there are clues. Conecuh explores one very real possibility.

Buy the Book:
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add to goodreads


Meet the Author:

Author Herb Hughes worked in the computer industry for over two decades and then built a successful private business before retiring to write novels.

“I write in the present, but my stories are about the past and the future: historical fiction and science fiction. I find both fascinating.”

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ goodreads
Tour Schedule:
Sep 5 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlights / guest post / giveaway
Sep 5 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Sep 6  Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Sep 6 – 
JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder – book review / giveaway
Sep 11  fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 12  Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
Sep 12 – Bigreadersite – book review
Sep 13 – Pick a Good Book– book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Sep 14 – Leanne Bookstagram – book review
Sep 15  The Sexy Nerd Revue – book spotlight
Sep 19 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Sep 20 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 22 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
Sep 25  Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
Enter the Giveaway:

CONECUH Book Tour Giveaway




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Giveaway – Precious Burdens by Avery Sterling @PumpUpYourBook @AverySterling17

Title: Precious Burdens

Author: Avery Sterling

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Pages: 324

Genre: Historical Romance

BOOK BLURB

Sarafina di Ramonicci sets sail for America as the promised bride in an arranged political marriage.
Taken prisoner at sea, she clashes with her captor and demands freedom, only to discover he is planning her future husband’s demise, with her as a pawn in their deadly feud. The challenge of escape tests her loyalty to family, human decency, and love.

Captain Nye Tarquin is a dangerous man. Left to die on the streets of New Orleans, he swears retribution on the man responsible. When he makes Sarafina part of his plan, he isn’t prepared for the fiery vixen aboard his ship, nor his desire to claim her as his own. When passion overtakes honor, he’s torn between his heart and his need for justice.

EXCERPT

A grin formed on his lips. “She belongs to me now,” he said, his voice was as cool as his expression. “And when Cornell comes for her, I’ll be waiting to return the favor… only I’ll succeed, where he did not.”

   Sarafina’s fingers curled around her goblet. “What makes you think he’ll come for her?”

   “He has several reasons to take the bait. Cornell will demand satisfaction for his humiliation.”

   “His humiliation?” She sat up straighter. “What about hers? Do you understand what people will think when they find out she was held hostage here? If her intended is murdered and she’s left stranded, this will leave her utterly alone. What will become of her, then?”

   “She’ll marry someone better than the likes of Cornell, I hope,” he replied dryly.

   She slammed her goblet down and flew to her feet. “And who would want her?”

   He remained seated. “I’m doing her a great service,” he said calmly, leaning on the arm of his chair. “You have no idea the kind of life she would’ve been subjected to.”

   “So, you’re her savior now?”

   The captain pushed off his chair, and straightened to his full height. She kept her glare locked with his, but keeping it steady was becoming as difficult as her breathing. “Maybe,” he said.

   “That’s an absurd notion,” she replied.

   “Is it?” he asked. He stepped towards her, and she stepped back in unison, until the back of her legs hit the chair.

 ABOUT AVERY STERLING

Avery Sterling’s love for the romance genre began in her teen years when she picked up her first novel. She was captivated by the sweeping scale of emotions brought about by the words. The experience catapulted her towards learning the art of wielding a breathtaking adventure, with a love that felt authentic. Wanting to inspire people with her own thoughts and words, she finished her first novel at sixteen. It was a step towards understanding the essence of what she wished to create.

Most of her youth was spent traveling, searching out the romance and beauty in her everchanging world. From the waves that crashed against the rocky shores of Downeast, Maine, to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, she discovered that love was universal, apparent in its grandest and simplest of forms. Her goal is to write novels an audience can relate to, one that conveys the truth and nature of love… with all that steamy romance.

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Giveaway – Moccasin Trace by Hawk MacKinney @GoddessFish



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on he tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It is July of 1859, a month of sweltering dog days and feverish emotional bombast. Life is good for widower Rundell Ingram and his hazel-eyed, roan-haired son, Hamilton. Between the two of them, they take care of Moccasin Hollow, their rustic dogtrot ancestral home, a sprawling non-slave plantation in the rolling farming country outside Queensborough Towne in east Georgia. Adjoining Ingram lands is Wisteria Bend, the vast slave-holding plantation of Andrew and Corinthia Greer, their daughter Sarah and son Benjamin.

Both families share generations of long-accepted traditions, and childhood playmates are no longer children. Against this rustic idyll of hard work and gracious living comes inflexible discord and divided loyalties that mutilate ties of blood and bond, tearing at their lives as smoke and battle no longer so faraway crashes and maims ever closer. Ahead of the on-coming ranks of Blue, foragers and bumlers burn, loot, scavenge and kill. Hamilton faces agonizing sacrifices with dreadful consequences. With little else than his wits, he tries anything to protect Sarah, their unborn child, his sickly father, and Sarah’s family.


Read an Excerpt

Back at his post behind the oaks, it wasn’t long before the Trace crowded up with a hodgepodge mishmash of wagons and carts headed as far from Augusta as they could get. As he silently watched, it seemed the whole of the Parish was on the move. His thoughts jarred by the hurried plunge of a rider coming toward him through the canebrake. He dropped to one knee, his rifle to the ready, just as Nat and one of Ben’s mules busted into the clearing.

Nat hauled up, slid off the mule, “Mister Ben said to git the word to you — Yankie patrols spotted this side of Sandersville. They burnin’ ever’thing, barns, houses, killin’ what they don’t take. Tearin’ Jericho out’a ever’thing they git their hands to.”

Hamilton grabbed his mare’s reins, pulled into the saddle, “Get back to the Bends. Tell Ben you found me, and Nat — keep a sharp eye out. Advance lookouts could be anywhere.”

Hamilton, off in a mad tear, nudged the mare faster. Wind whistled in his ears, low hanging limbs slashed his sweaty face, horses’ hooves flinging clods high behind him. Yankies moving that fast wouldn’t ask questions; they’d burn, move on, Sarah and their child be refugees like the pitiful wagons he’d seen. He reined up next to the porch, his horse skidding as he swung out of the saddle.

Bessie was on the front porch, “See you comin’ fast.” Pistol in her hand, she threw quick glance out across the fields. “Nat find you?”

“Yeh…he’s on his way to let Ben know…they might be making a wide sweep into Augusta from this side.”

“Missy’s cramps reg’lar, an’ you be the only help. Yankie or no Yankie, Missy an’ that chil’ in her belly need both of us.”

“If it’s their main bunch they’ll have bummers way ahead of their army.”

“Lordy mercy — nobody gonna stop that ceptin’ the Lord.” Bessie shoved her pistol deep in her pocket. “Don’t matter how many trompin’ ’bout, ain’t nobody gittin’ twixt me’n Missy an’ her chil’. When the Lord say that baby come, fightin’ gonna wait, but Jehovah sure gonna have a handful.”

“I’ll keep watch out by the barns.”

Bessie started inside and stopped, “Maybe watchin’ from the barn ain’t the best next thing. Mistress Corinth’a be upset we don’t let her know her grandchil’ comin’ so she can come help. When she do, young Benjamin alone in that big house settin’ there all big an’ white. You knows what I means — Yankies cain’t miss it. Bein’ hot-headed he won’t budge, an’ now ain’t the time for bein’ spiteful ’bout which soldiers got the most bullets — git shot dead. You’n me both know how that cut down Mistress Corinth’a.”

“Might be best to get Mother Greer here while we can,” said Hamilton fighting his own fear.

“If Mistress Corinth’a come she best while it daylight. Missy’s cramps likely won’t be reg’lar for a spell. ‘Fore things git busy, time is now to hotfoot over there, an’ git back here quick-like.”

“Tell Papa where I’m headed.”

“Don’t need tellin’ Mister Rundell, he been up ‘fore daybreak, his gun primed and ready. We manage…you make double-sure your butt git back here in one piece.” Shook her head, “Sweet Lord…what a mixed-up world you bringin’ this chil’ into.”

Hamilton was into the saddle. Gave the mare her head, didn’t bother with gates, jumped the fences, pushed her to a full-out gallop. He stayed clear of the Trace, cleared hedgerows and fences, splashed through slough bogs. Before he realized it, he burst through a squatter’s camp, scattering pots, pans, campfires, ramshackle shelters, and stampeded several horses. Startled poachers reached for rifles. He spurred the mare and disappeared into the brush, leaving them with nothing to aim at. Racing faster, he finally caught glimpses of the white unperturbed columns of the Bends. As he came out onto the wide buggy approach to the house, he glanced behind, making sure no one was on his tail.

About the Author:
In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk MacKinney has authored several works of fiction—historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his protagonist in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series: Hidden Chamber of Death, Westobou Gold, Dead Gold, Curse of the Ancients, and Blood of the Dragonfly.

Hawk’s science fiction novels include The Bleikovat Event, Vol I in The Cairns of Sainctuarie Science Fiction Series, followed by Vol II, The Missing Planets, and Vol III, Inanna Phantom.

Hawk MacKinney served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel. He now makes his home in Augusta, Georgia, where he writes full-time.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/698008.Hawk_MacKinney
Website: https://www.hawkmackinneyauthor.com/
Buy Links: https://www.amazon.com/Moccasin-Trace-Hawk-MacKinney-ebook/dp/B0CB24VY52
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moccasin-trace-hawk-mackinney/1008084042

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Giveaway – The Queen Of The Poor by Alan Gold @xpressotours #alangold #thequeenofthepoor

The Queen of the Poor
Alan Gold
Publication date: August 9th 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical

Angela Burdett-Coutts was a wealthy woman who used her money, class and prestige to make a tangible difference for those less fortunate. She would become one of the most outspoken and dedicated philanthropists of her day. Throwing herself into the causes she valued the most, her charity work became renowned, earning her recognition from none other than Queen Victoria herself.

Coutts the bank was founded in 1692 but really took off when Thomas Coutts took over at the beginning of the 19th Century. He made a fortune, and left it to his second wife, 40 years younger and an actress. When she died, she left it all to Thomas’ granddaughter, Angela Burdett-Coutts.

Suddenly, Angela became the second wealthiest woman in England after Queen Victoria. She had to hire bodyguards to keep fortune hunters away. But because of her wealth and also because her father was a radical politician, she moved in the most interesting circles of Victorian society, where she met and has numerous affairs with famous people, like the chemist Michael Faraday and many others including Charles Dickens and the Duke of Wellington.

She caused something of a scandal with her radical lifestyle, but because of her wealth, and the fact that she spends most of her money on charity, opening schools for impoverished children, helping Dickens with the housing for the poor, housing prostitutes and getting them off the streets she’s almost beyond criticism…. until, at the age of 66, she caused absolute shock and outrage, because she chose to marry her 29-yearold secretary called William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett. Whilst this in itself does not appear particularly shocking, as he was, like her father, a Member of Parliament, the astonishing age gap left society aghast. Whilst she was sixty-seven, he was just twenty-nine years old.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

When Harriot Mellon Coutts and the duke had married, it had caused a sensation, mainly because he was twenty-three years younger than she was. Also, despite her previous marriage to the late Thomas Coutts, she was still known far and wide in British aristocratic society as ‘the actress’. Appearing at the reading of his wife’s will wasn’t something which the duke would countenance, not with all her damnable relatives pointing and sniggering.

Explanation (On her death in 1837, her property and fortune went to her step granddaughter, selected as heir after careful scrutiny of the possible recipients, who as a condition of the inheritance adapted her name to Angela Burdett-Coutts.[7])

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 – 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.

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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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Review & Giveaway – The Genes Of Isis by Justin Newland @JeanBookNerd

MY REVIEW

I had to stop when I saw the vibrant yellow cover and see what The Genes Of Isis by Justin Newland was about. Then I saw angels and grabbed it. The Genes of Isis by Justin Newland wasn’t quite what I though it would be and it took me a while to get into it, but it is worth a read if you are into science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. I love when I can recommend a debut novel.

My name is Akasha. I am mother of you all. You are the children of angels. And this is out story.

The Helios is a tribe of angels that, like I have seen before, think they have all the answers. They came to Earth to move humans to a new stage of evolution by delivering the Surge.

Horque comes to Earth with the Solarii, another tribe of angels to fix what the problem the Helios created when they made the hybrids.

Akasha has a premonition that foretelsl of all their extinctions with a great flood. So many moments reminded me of a religious and an Egyptian story.

I am not a church goer, but I have enjoyed some Christian books and those with a religious tone. The Genes of Isis by Justin Newland is one of those. Many things sounded familiar, especially the polluting of religion for personal reasons. Political intrigue and revenge are alive and well. Is this where pyramids came from? I would think they would be more aware of Karma. 🙂

Issa made a deal with the devil and, at first, I though she was just a nice person. As the story comes together, I find she is so much more. Who knows what would have happened without her.

The Genes Of Isis by Justin Newland is hard for me to rate. I wasn’t very far into the book and wondered if this would be one of those I wouldn’t finish. I was confused. Not just by the names, which I create my own way of pronouncing them in my head, making the reading easier, but figuring out what was going on…Is it Gods and angels? Is it aliens? A third or half of the way through, the religious tones emerged and things were coming together. All in all, I would recommend if this is your type of story and like immersing yourself in a fantasy world of fantasy.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Genes Of Isis by Justine Newland.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Akasha is a precocious young girl with dreams of motherhood. She lives in a fantastical world where most of the oceans circulate in the aquamarine sky waters.

Before she was born, the Helios, a tribe of angels from the sun, came to Earth to deliver the Surge, the next step in the evolution of an embryonic human race. Instead they spawned a race of hybrids and infected humanity with a hybrid seed.

Horque manifests on Earth with another tribe of angels, the Solarii, to rescue the genetic mix-up and release the Surge.

Akasha embarks on a journey from maiden to mother and from apprentice to priestess then has a premonition that a great flood is imminent. All three races – humans, hybrids and Solarii – face extinction.

With their world in crisis, Akasha and Horque meet, and a sublime love flashes between them. Is this a cause of hope for humanity and the Solarii? Or will the hybrids destroy them both? Will anyone survive the killing waters of the coming apocalypse?

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE 

Praise for THE GENES OF ISIS

“The novel is creative, sophisticated, brilliant! I couldn’t ask for a more Egyptian-esque book!” —Lauren, Books Beyond the Story

“The book is exquisitely written, with good characterization and a compelling plot… Thoroughly recommended.” —Jennifer’s Reviews  

ABOUT 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 supernatural thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

His work in progress is a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age. The Mark of the Salamander (to be published September 2023) takes us across the open seas of discovery with Sir Francis Drake while The Midnight of Eights culminates the series with 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.

PHOTO CONTENT FROM JUSTIN NEWLANDWEBSITE: 

Website / Facebook / Instagram

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  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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