Tag Archives: contemporary and literary fiction

Giveaway – Make Me Wilder by Serena Bell @serenabellbooks @XpressoTours

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Make Me Wilder
Serena Bell
(Wilder Adventures, #1)
Publication date: May 20th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

This tent is too small for the both of us. And I like it that way.

Gabe
I was minding my business. Literally. I promised my dad I’d take care of the Wilder family adventure business in our little Oregon town of Rush Creek, which also means looking out for my mom, my sister, and my rowdy co-workers, AKA my brothers.

Now the business is in trouble. Overnight, Rush Creek has become a spa-and-wedding destination, and the new tourists aren’t interested in getting dirty—or at least not in the woods.

Then Lucy comes to town, all blond hair and silky blouses and spike heels. It’s her job to give Wilder Adventures a makeover. Camping to glamping, rafting to paddle board yoga, fishing trips to girls’ night sunset cruises. If she gets her way, Wilder Adventures will become Wilder Romantic Adventures.

Lucy hates small towns, getting messy, and anything involving the woods or the water—which pretty much makes her Not My Type.

That doesn’t explain why when I see her, I can’t look away. Why when I touch her, I can’t stop. And why, even though I know no one can talk a city girl into small town life, I’m still trying.

She’s driving me wild. All I can do is make her wilder.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

Here I am again, Mr. Fixer, with the fire-starter.

I still have ulterior motives, too. Not gonna lie. I like being her hero—I have since that first day with the ducks. Sometimes, like when I was cooking fish the other night, or when I was building my shelter earlier, I catch her watching me. With wonder in her eyes.

I’ve had women look at me that way before. But it’s different with her. Having someone I admire so much look at me like that cracks me open.

I feel like I’d do almost anything for that look in her eyes.

Plus, I like to mess with her.

“So, look, you want to put the drill rod in the opening, here—” I murmur. “And then apply just the right amount of pressure.”

I meet her eyes. They’re wide. Her cheeks are pink, too.

“You’re doing that on purpose.”

“Of course I’m doing it on purpose. I’m making a point. It’s all about the friction. And the technique.”

“Gabe,” she grumbles, but she traps her soft lower lip between her teeth, and her breath is quick.

“All that rubbing,” I murmur.

I watch the flush cover her throat, and hope the way I’m squatting conceals my raging erection.

“What’s basically happening here is that the two pieces of wood stop knowing where one ends and the other starts. Their molecules mix. And that’s combustion. Heat. Flame.”

On that note, the wood smolders and I tease it to life with my breath, adding tinder, fanning the flames.

Of course, I narrate what I’m doing, too, checking to make sure she’s with me.
The flush, and the way she’s torturing that soft lip, tells me she is.

“What did I say?” I tell her. “Stick with me, and you’ll be just fine.”

“Or dead from sexual frustration,” she mutters.

I grin. “Stay patient, baby.”

“You know I only brought one change of underpants, right?”

“I can’t help it if you underestimated me,” I tell her.

She turns a shade pinker, and I get to test out how hard it’s possible to become without being touched.

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell writes contemporary romance with heat, heart, and humor. A former journalist, Serena has always believed that everyone has an amazing story to tell if you listen carefully, and you can often find her scribbling in her tiny garret office, mainlining chocolate and bringing to life the tales in her head.

Serena’s books have earned many honors, including an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Apple Books Best Book of the Month, and Amazon Best Book of the Year for Romance.

When not writing, Serena loves to spend time with her college-sweetheart husband and two hilarious kiddos—all of whom are incredibly tolerant not just of Serena’s imaginary friends but also of how often she changes her hobbies and how passionately she embraces the new ones. These days, it’s stand-up paddle boarding, board-gaming, meditation, and long walks with good friends.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter


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Giveaway – Grave Robbing and Other Hobbies by Jayce Carter @GoddessFish

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Grave Robbing and Other Hobbies by Jayce Carter

GENRE: Contemporary Paranormal Erotic Romance

BLURB

Abandoned at three—whose parents want a kid who sees ghosts?—I learned the world is quick to punish misfits. I try my best to be a normal, boring human, but the call of the supernatural just won’t be ignored.

When a stranger shows up on my doorstep in the middle of the night, it’s no sexy tryst. Instead, I’m off to the graveyard, digging up the corpse of a murder victim at the demand of the local vampire coven—and that small felony is just the start.

The spirit of the woman has gone missing, something that shouldn’t be possible, and everyone is looking to me for answers. There’s Kase, a vampire who’s both terrifying and secretive. Grant, a mage with a bad attitude and a lot of power. Troy, the possessive werewolf-detective next door and Hunter, a mysterious bad boy who isn’t even close to human.

It’s a race not just against time but against everything to figure out where the spirits are going, who’s behind it and if I can trust the men who now share my bed.

And all because of a little grave robbing…

Buy Links: Amazon / B&N

EXCERPT

I took the stairs carefully, gripping the railing as I went, trying to peer into the darkness of my living room.

Was it Kase? Had he decided he didn’t care for a human telling him what to do or where to go? Or perhaps Troy figured waiting until morning for something between an apology and a lecture was just too far.

Except, I knew it wasn’t them. I could feel it deep in my bones, the way I knew when the sun rose without looking outside, the way I knew when a predator was staring at me.

Whatever was here wasn’t anything as trivial as a vampire or werewolf.

And what sort of screwed up world did I live in where vampires and werewolves were trivial?

When I reached the ground floor, that chill worsened. I struggled to breathe, and the darkness wasn’t run of the mill, as if someone forgot to turn on a light. It was deeper, as though light wasn’t just absent but devoured. Something was there inside it, shifting, staring back at me.

My wrists burned, as if fire licked along the edges of the scars there. It crept up my arms, searing me, and when I would have screamed, someone closed their hand over my mouth.

“Trust me, you don’t want it to hear you.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jayce Carter lives in Southern California with her husband and two spawns. She originally wanted to take over the world but realized that would require wearing pants. This led her to choosing writing, a completely pants-free occupation. She has a fear of heights yet rock climbs for fun and enjoys making up excuses for not going out and socializing.

Links: Website / Facebook / Instagram

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Giveaway – Mad Dog by Ophelia Bell @OpheliaDragons @XpressoTours

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Mad Dog
Ophelia Bell
(Second Skin, #1)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Not even the king of Los Angeles’s underground can stop me from loving Celeste.

Arturo Flores could make me disappear with a snap of his fingers, and nearly did. Limping away from a beatdown when I was seventeen didn’t change the fact that his daughter was worth the pain. Running into her in my tattoo shop twelve years later, she still makes my blood run hot with a glance.

But I’m not that clueless teenage boy anymore. And Celeste isn’t the only one I want.

Leo is a temptation I crave, but in our world, admitting desires like mine could get me killed. The gangbanger is as ruthless as he is beautiful, yet he can’t see anything beyond Celeste. That hurts like hell to admit, but I would sooner die at her crime lord father’s hands than let either of them get hurt.

I’m prepared to let them have each other when Leo comes to me with an offer. One that could connect the three of us in a way that flies in the face of the world we live in. His proposal ignites a fire in my veins. If it fails, we’ll all get burned, but for a man with nothing to lose, I’m just desperate enough to take that chance.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

My pulse speeds up at the mere mention of what we did back then. “I thought we knew each other well enough.”

He tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling. “Maybe conversations aren’t really our thing.” Then he spears me with a sharp look that makes my insides go molten.

“Maybe not.” My heart pounds so hard it’s difficult to breathe. My feet have a mind of their own when I start to walk again. I pass by him, feeling his gaze on me all the way as I head around the corner and through the door to the locker rooms.

The space smells musty and old, a mix of stale sweat and lemon cleaner. There are no showers—just two rows of lockers with benches in front and a restroom with a trio of toilet stalls and a row of sinks beyond another door. The boys’ side is a mirror to the girls’ side, though less used due to the majority of students being female. The gleaming chrome of brand-new locks on the lockers catches the sparse light from a high window.

I pause in front of the locker at the far end. This was where it happened. My eyebrows twitch at the etched lines engraved into the metal in the center of the locker: M + C. Reaching out, I trace the letters. They weren’t there before. Did he come back? Or did these initials belong to some other lovesick teenage girl?

His intense gray eyes are fixed on my fingertips. He closes the distance, takes my hand, and raises my fingers to his lips.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, finally able to say to him what I never had the chance to until now. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself for a more detailed apology, but all thought disappears when he hauls me close and slams his mouth onto mine.

Author Bio:

Ophelia Bell loves a good bad-boy and especially strong women in her stories. Women who aren’t apologetic about enjoying sex and bad boys who don’t mind being with a woman who’s in charge, at least on the surface, because pretty much anything goes in the bedroom.

Ophelia grew up on a rural farm in North Carolina and now lives in Los Angeles with her own tattooed bad-boy husband and four attention-whoring cats.

If you’d like to receive regular updates on Ophelia’s publications, freebies, and discounts, please subscribe to her mailing list: http://opheliabell.com/subscribe/

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Giveaway – Forging Monsters by Annie James @charmony777 @GoddessFish

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FORGING MONSTERS, Part 1 by Annie James

GENRE:  Literary thriller

BLURB:

A modern and beautiful Frankenstein’s Monster fights for the right to carve her own destiny in the human world of New York City.

A talented young dancer tired of witnessing violent crimes against women go unpunished and takes matters into her own hands.

A young woman tries to escape her past in the anonymity of New York but finds out that she cannot escape the scars on her soul, which drives her to shocking acts of violence.

Watch for Forging Monsters Part 2, coming soon.

EXCERPT

“This body looks as if it has been chewed on–the edges of the throat lacerations are ragged and similar to a previous body that was brought in bearing the same type of teeth marks. A computer 3D model of the wounds on the second body, in front of me, determined the wounds to be made by the teeth of a large canine. However, The DNA test of the saliva left behind has been inconclusive.”

Dr. Violetta paused the tape recorder. “I have never seen anything like it,” she said to her assistant Andrew. “Take a look at the slide I have on the microscope. You’ll see.”

Andrew studied the cells on the microscope and wrote some notes in his typical scrawl that only he could read while Dr. Violetta started recording again. 

“Cells separated from a human body die in moments. These cells scraped from the saliva on this body’s wounds have continued to divide and multiply, indicating that the cells are still living. Also, the DNA strands continually rearrange their structure without any outside influence. This is why it has proved impossible to conclusively determine which type of animal caused the damage to this body.” She stopped the recorder.

“This has to be kept out of the media,” she whispered, shaking her head in horrified disbelief.

“Where did this one come from?” Andrew asked, looking up from the microscope.

“He was found in Central Park.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Annie is the author of the Tales of Origen series and several short stories. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two fun-loving cats who inspired the feline characters Dirtbag and Scumbucket. She has an adult daughter who is also a writer, and a grandson. Her influences and favorite writers include:

  • Frank Peretti
  • Mary Wollencroft Shelley
  • Apryl Baker
  • Dean Koontz
  • Alexandre Dumas
  • Linda Joyce
  • Mary Ramsey
  • Lance Sheridan poetry

She has lived in New York and Louisiana and loves Cajun cooking. She has had several people tell her that she should open a restaurant, but she loves writing too much to make time for it—running a restaurant is a TON of work. She has an associate degree in Administrative Assistance, majoring in writing, and business administration.

Social media links

  • Website: https://anniejamesauthor.com/home
  • Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/charmony777
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anniejamesauthor/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annie.james.author/
  • Newsletter signup: http://anniejamesauthor.com/newsletter-sign-up-form/

Book purchase links: Smashwords / Amazon

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

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Dog Girl by Gabi Justice @gabi_justice @YABoundToursPR

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Book Tour & Giveaway! 
Dog Girl
by: Gabi Justice 
YA Contemporary Fiction 
Tour: March 8-12 


Summary: Dog Girl is Fangirl meets Pit Bulls and Parolees.

Saving the dogs who end up at Delray Dog Rescue is Kendall’s life. It’s the perfect job for a girl with severe social anxiety.

Delray Dog Rescue doesn’t just rescue dogs, it’s a second chance for felons, like her dad. Losing the rescue means losing Kendall’s home, her sanctuary, the dogs she loves, her identity and her dad, all over again.

But money’s tight, and soon, Kendall must decide between keeping a roof over her head and saving the rescue.

When a video of Kendall’s harrowing rescue of a pit bull from the path of an oncoming train goes viral. Suddenly, everyone wants a piece of Kendall, making her anxiety worse. But this is an opportunity to put the rescue in the spotlight and secure the donations needed to save it.

Can she overcome the social paralysis that’s plagued her all her life? Can she ignore negative comments on social media about her looks and smell? Can she accept help from a boy who really sees her, even though she can’t understand what he could possibly see in her?

DOG GIRL is the story of a teen girl who wants to save the world, and ends up saving herself in the process.



For a Book Club Kit, follow this link! 
https://www.gabijustice.com/book-club-kit  

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1951710053?tag=&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

B & N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dog-girl-gabi-justice/1137266628?ean=9781951710057

Target: https://www.target.com/p/dog-girl-by-gabi-justice-paperback/-/A-81646408#lnk=sametab



Giveaway Prizes! 
Enter to WIN! 

GRAND PRIZE – Dog Girl t-shirt! (U.S. Only – sizes s-xl)


1st Prize:  $10 Amazon Gift Card! (International) 


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About the Author:

Gabi Justice is the author of Dog Girl, her teen and young adult contemporary romance debut set to publish in the fall of 2020. She is the mom to three dogs and one stray cat named Luna Buna. She lives in Florida with her husband and children. You’d be hard-pressed to find a tennis court in the state that she hasn’t visited, having three competitive junior players in the family. She spent most of her adult life writing editorial copy for local magazines after graduating from the University of South Florida. Florida provides the settings for all her coming-of-age stories that highlight bullying, misjudgment, acceptance, and teen anxiety. Her main characters are goal-oriented teenage girls with a drive that can be fierce and dangerous.


Author Links:

Website: https://www.gabijustice.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabijustice/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yagabijustice

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20495013.Gabi_Justice

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabi_justice




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Tour created by YA Bound Book Tours 



Giveaway – The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis @darcy_author @iReadBookTours

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Join us for this tour from Feb 1 to Feb 12, 2021!

Book Details:

Book Title:  The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  246 pages
Genre: Literary fiction, historical fiction, religious historical fiction
Publisher:  Tellwell
Release date:   2020
Format available for review:  print, and ebook (mobi file (for Kindle)
Will send print books out:  USA and Canada
Tour dates: Feb 1 to Feb 12, 2021
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. Includes some f-words, religious profanities, and mature themes (addiction, adultery)
“A fast-paced and richly engaging story about an intriguing historical figure… Ellis writes all of this with marvellous gusto that’s more reminiscent of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (2009) than of a more traditional Tudor novel.” – Kirkus (starred review)

“In this beautifully detailed, thrilling historical novel, author Tim Ellis brings back to life the largely forgotten Juan Luis Lives, a Spanish Jew and leading Renaissance humanist…This enthralling story is sure to please lovers of high drama, international intrigue, momentous history and psychological thrillers.” – Blueink (starred review)

“With its clear portrayal of inner conflict, The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives is a provocative, multicolored historical novel that examines hidden faith… Ellis’s intricate biographical novel approaches the Spanish scholar and Renaissance humanist through absorbing journal entries.” – Foreword Clarion

“A fast-moving, highly enjoyable historical drama, which features one of Western civilization’s most interesting men during the dazzling age of the Renaissance. Ellis draws his characters so wonderfully, and none is better than the lead. The smart, charming, and earnest humanist is depicted as the embodiment of a better world to come.” – Indiereader Review
Book Description:

The Secret Diaries Of Juan Luis Vives chronicles the epoch-making adventures of Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives. The novel begins as Vives writes in self-imposed exile in Bruges, Spanish Netherlands in 1522. He is on the run from the Spanish Inquisition which has devastated his Jewish family in Valencia. Later, Thomas More invites Vives to the English court to tutor princess Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The plot reaches its climax as Vives navigates the murky world of English politics during the reign of King Henry VIII, ever trying to negotiate an escape from Spain for his family, and for the Jewish people. The early modern period in Europe was a time of incredible instability. Economic depressions were the norm in Northern Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, and large swaths of England and France. Wars were endemic, with power politics and religion playing leading roles in massive bloodletting. Despite the darkness, great men and women of courage and intellectual curiosity also defined the age as one of scientific discovery, humanism, and scholarship. One of the great titans of the early modern period was Spanish scholar Juan Luis Vives. In the novel, Vives is the embodiment of the cosmopolitanism of the intellectual elite during the Renaissance. As a secret follower of Judaism, and thus a major outlaw according to the thinking of his own Catholic monarch, Vives walks a swaying tightrope. He was a genius and a philosopher who had a lot to say (he has since been dubbed ‘The Godfather of Psychoanalysis,’ Zilboorg 1941, and the ‘Father of Psychology,’ Watson, 1915), however, if he speaks too loudly not only his survival but that of his entire people hangs in the balance. Along the way, the reader is given close up and intimate and unique views of well-known figures such as Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More and his devoted daughter, Margaret Roper.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
Add to Goodreads


Meet the Author:

Tim Darcy Ellis (BA BSc, MHSc) is a writer, physiotherapy business owner and formerly a professional archaeologist. Tim studied Archaeology at the University of York (BA Hons 1988) and as a professional archaeologist, worked on sites throughout England and Wales. He held posts at the Museum of London and the British Museum’s medieval galleries. Tim is currently Managing Director and Principal Physiotherapist of Excel Physiotherapy and Wellness. He qualified as a physiotherapist at the University of East London in 1998. He moved to Sydney in 2000 where he completed his master’s degree in 2002. Tim is chief writer of Excel Life magazine: writing and teaching extensively on health and wellness and specializing in the treatment of complex hip and pelvic pain.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ twitter
 

Tour Schedule:
Feb 1 – Working Mommy Journal – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Feb 2 – She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 2 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 3 – Lisa’s Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 3 – Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – book review / giveaway
Feb 4– Pine Enshrined Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Feb 5 – Corinne Rodrigues – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 8 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review / giveaway
Feb 8 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 9 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Feb 9 – StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Feb 10 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 11 – I’m Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 12 – Library of Clean Reads – book review / author interview / giveaway
Feb 12 – Bigreadersite – book review / giveaway


Enter the Giveaway:

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  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Weekend Pass by Paul Cavanagh @cavanaghpaul @iReadBookTours

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Join us for this tour from Jan 12 to Feb 1, 2021!

Book Details:

Book Title:  Weekend Pass by Paul Cavanagh
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  210 pages
Genre: Literary
Publisher:  Not That London Writer
Release date:   Jan 19, 2021
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. Includes some f-words, religious profanities, and mature themes (addiction, adultery)
Weekend Pass packs a lot into fewer than two hundred pages. The dialogue never stutters. The writing is tight and clean and elegant with hidden depths that give pause for reflection and thought. It covers important, difficult themes in a compassionate, humanist way. It was an absolute pleasure to read.
Recommended, TheBookBag.co.uk

Book Description:

Who can forgive a mother who poisons her eight-year-old son? Even if it was an accident. Tasha thought she had everything under control – her family life, her career as a nurse – until her son got into her stash of painkillers. Now, during her first weekend home from drug treatment, she must come to grips with the damage she’s done and somehow pick up the pieces. Told from the points of view of four different family members, Weekend Pass is a story about the lies we tell ourselves and the people we love. And it’s about struggling to rise above the mistakes that threaten to define us. 


BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon
Apple ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Angus & Robertson
Add to Goodreads



Meet the Author:

Paul Cavanagh is a Canadian author whose debut novel, After Helen, won the Lit Idol competition at the London Book Fair in the UK and was published to rave reviews in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles. He’s been compared to Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler for his ability to be at turns funny and moving while exploring the paradoxes of modern family relationships. He lives in London, Ontario (not be be confused with that other London). Weekend Pass is his third novel.

connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
 
Tour Schedule:

Jan 12 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 – Olio by Marilyn – book review / giveaway
Jan 12 – Olio by Marilyn – book spotlight / author interview
Jan 13 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / giveaway
Jan 14 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 14 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Jan 15 – Westveil Publishing – book review / giveaway
Jan 18 – Welcome To MLM Opinions Reviews – book review
Jan 18 – Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 – RebeccaReviewedIt – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 – Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 20 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 20 – Books Beans & Botany – book review / giveaway
Jan 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 22 – taketwolu – book review
Jan 22 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight
Jan 25 – The Bibliophilic World – book review
Jan 25 – Leels Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 26 – Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
Jan 26 – Instagram: All Booked Up Reviews – book spotlight
Jan 27 – I’d Rather Be At The Beach – book review / giveaway
Jan 28 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 – My Fictional Oasis – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight
Feb 1 – Corinne Rodrigues – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 – I’m Into Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
 

Enter the Giveaway: 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 


 

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis @darcy_author @iReadBookTours

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.


 

Join us for this tour from Dec 7 to Dec 18, 2020!

Book Details:

Book Title:  The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  246 pages
Genre: Literary fiction, historical fiction, religious historical fiction
Publisher:  Tellwell
Release date:   2020
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. Includes some f-words, religious profanities, and mature themes (addiction, adultery)
“A fast-paced and richly engaging story about an intriguing historical figure… Ellis writes all of this with marvellous gusto that’s more reminiscent of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (2009) than of a more traditional Tudor novel.” – Kirkus (starred review)

“In this beautifully detailed, thrilling historical novel, author Tim Ellis brings back to life the largely forgotten Juan Luis Lives, a Spanish Jew and leading Renaissance humanist…This enthralling story is sure to please lovers of high drama, international intrigue, momentous history and psychological thrillers.” – Blueink (starred review)

“With its clear portrayal of inner conflict, The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives is a provocative, multicolored historical novel that examines hidden faith… Ellis’s intricate biographical novel approaches the Spanish scholar and Renaissance humanist through absorbing journal entries.” – Foreword Clarion

“A fast-moving, highly enjoyable historical drama, which features one of Western civilization’s most interesting men during the dazzling age of the Renaissance. Ellis draws his characters so wonderfully, and none is better than the lead. The smart, charming, and earnest humanist is depicted as the embodiment of a better world to come.” – Indiereader Review

Book Description:

The Secret Diaries Of Juan Luis Vives chronicles the epoch-making adventures of Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives. The novel begins as Vives writes in self-imposed exile in Bruges, Spanish Netherlands in 1522. He is on the run from the Spanish Inquisition which has devastated his Jewish family in Valencia. Later, Thomas More invites Vives to the English court to tutor princess Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The plot reaches its climax as Vives navigates the murky world of English politics during the reign of King Henry VIII, ever trying to negotiate an escape from Spain for his family, and for the Jewish people. The early modern period in Europe was a time of incredible instability. Economic depressions were the norm in Northern Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, and large swaths of England and France. Wars were endemic, with power politics and religion playing leading roles in massive bloodletting. Despite the darkness, great men and women of courage and intellectual curiosity also defined the age as one of scientific discovery, humanism, and scholarship. One of the great titans of the early modern period was Spanish scholar Juan Luis Vives. In the novel, Vives is the embodiment of the cosmopolitanism of the intellectual elite during the Renaissance. As a secret follower of Judaism, and thus a major outlaw according to the thinking of his own Catholic monarch, Vives walks a swaying tightrope. He was a genius and a philosopher who had a lot to say (he has since been dubbed ‘The Godfather of Psychoanalysis,’ Zilboorg 1941, and the ‘Father of Psychology,’ Watson, 1915), however, if he speaks too loudly not only his survival but that of his entire people hangs in the balance. Along the way, the reader is given close up and intimate and unique views of well-known figures such as Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More and his devoted daughter, Margaret Roper.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
Add to Goodreads


Meet the Author:

Tim Darcy Ellis (BA BSc, MHSc) is a writer, physiotherapy business owner and formerly a professional archaeologist. Tim studied Archaeology at the University of York (BA Hons 1988) and as a professional archaeologist, worked on sites throughout England and Wales. He held posts at the Museum of London and the British Museum’s medieval galleries. Tim is currently Managing Director and Principal Physiotherapist of Excel Physiotherapy and Wellness. He qualified as a physiotherapist at the University of East London in 1998. He moved to Sydney in 2000 where he completed his master’s degree in 2002. Tim is chief writer of Excel Life magazine: writing and teaching extensively on health and wellness and specializing in the treatment of complex hip and pelvic pain.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ twitter
 
Tour Schedule:
 
Dec 7 – Working Mommy Journal – book review / giveaway
Dec 8 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Dec 8 – I’m Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 9 – Lisa’s Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 10 – Pine Enshrined Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Dec 11 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review / giveaway
Dec 14 – Bigreadersite – book review / giveaway
Dec 14 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 15 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Dec 15 – She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Dec 16 – Corinne Rodrigues – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 16 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Dec 17 – StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Dec 17 – Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – book review / giveaway
Dec 18 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 18 – Library of Clean Reads – book review / author interview / giveaway
 

Enter the Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 


 

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Books From The Backlog – Nan’s Story by Paige Farmer #booksfromthebacklog #PaigeFarmer

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Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Nan's Story

Amazon / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

How can you possibly win when you are your own worst enemy? Nancy Elaine Bower (Nan to those who know her well) weathers a childhood overshadowed by her father’s alcoholism and mother’s martyrdom only to be thrust into an adulthood littered with landmines of self destruction. Each erratic decision she makes twists and contorts her life in unthinkable ways, until finally she’s left in a crumpled heap on her mother’s doorstep. It’s 1960, two years later, and Nan still meets each day as if a stranger intent on doing her harm. Hiding in plain sight from the world outside, she spends most of her time trying to win back the affections of her young son while thwarting her mother’s ceaseless interference. As she begins to fantasize of a life more normal, the serendipitous return of an old friend breathes a spark of hope into this possibility. Before she can allow herself to consider walking away from her past though, Nan must escape the unyielding bars of circumstance that surround her, and while she’ll be required to relive her greatest nightmare in order to do so, there is no guarantee of her release.

Goodreads ratings: 3.75  · 67 ratings  ·  23 reviews

I added Nan’s Story by Paige Farmer to be Goodreads TBR on 10.25.20 and downloaded from Amazon on 10.27.12. I am not sure why I downloaded this or when/if I’ll read it. Maybe I won it? And I do try to read everything I win. I can’t bring myself to remove a book that I have on my Kindle, so it will remain. Besides, it may catch someone else’s eye, and isn’t that what we all want? More books? HA HA HA

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Our Friendship Matters by Kimberly B Jones @KimberleyBJones @iReadBookTours

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Join us for this tour from Nov 11 to Dec 1, 2020!

Book Details:

Book Title:  Our Friendship Matters by Kimberly B. Jones
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  221 pages
Genre:  Contemporary/Social Issues
Publisher:  Rhetaskew Publishing Company, LLC
Release date:   October, 2020
Tour dates: Nov 11 to Dec 1, 2020
Content Rating:  Rated G.





“Engaging and heartfelt. Our Friendship Matters opens and continues much needed discussions for young people and their families. Read and discuss!” Rita Williams-Garcia, NYT Bestselling Author
Book Description:

Leah and Sasha are 17-year-old friends who had been close to one another since elementary school, but as the summer approaches they find their friendship tested in ways they never anticipated. Following graduation, Sasha’s privileged life and perception of the world around her is suddenly altered when an old childhood friend persuades her to join in a campaign against an injustice after his best friend is killed by the police. But joining the protest has unforeseen consequences for Sasha, distancing her from Leah, who becomes jealous of Sasha’s new friends and finds herself on the opposing side, protesting alongside her group of new white friends. As the tension mounts between the two bitterly opposed factions, a tragedy strikes and threatens to make Sasha and Leah enemies. Can they find a way to resolve their differences, putting them to the side and learn to accept each other’s viewpoints? Or is their long friendship finished for good?
 
BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon ~ B&N
Add to Goodreads
 

Meet the Author:

Kimberley B. Jones is a small country girl from St. George, SC. She followed her heart in college writing children books. Recently she decided to challenge herself and branch off to novels. She is your typical nomad who moves from place to place. Not by choice, but her husband serves in the military. She has a bachelors and masters in early childhood education. Kimberley is represented by Rhetaskew Publishing company and is best known for her debut novel, Our Friendship Matters. When she is not writing, she is either thinking of another topic or reading. She loves writing , it gives her a chance to escape into another human character and express herself, other than being your typical mother and wife. If you don’t want to be on her bad side, then she needs her white chocolate mocha every morning. Some days Folgers breakfast blend coffee is okay.

Connect with the Author:  website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
 
Tour Schedule:

Nov 11 – Working Mommy journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 11 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 11 – Lisa’s Reading – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 12 – Over Coffee Conversations – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 13 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 16 – Character Madness and Musings – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 17 – My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 18 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight
Nov 19 – mama_and_the_bookworms – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 20 – Rajiv’s Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 23 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 24 – Library of Clean Reads – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 25 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 25 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 26 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 27 – Buried in Books – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 30 – Books Tea Healthy Me – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Dec 1 – Instagram: All Booked Up Reviews – book spotlight

Enter the Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for stopping by fundinmental!