Tuesday 30 April 2019

Release Day Spotlight & Review: Anything But A Duke by Christy Carlyle



ANYTHING BUT A DUKE
Avon Books | On Sale: 4/30/19
Mass Market | ISBN:  9780062853974 |$7.99
Also available in E-Book | E-Book ISBN:  9780062854001



Self-made man Aidan Iverson has seen more closed doors in his thirty years than he’s ever cared to count. As a member of the elite Duke’s Den, he has all the money he could possibly need. However, the one thing he can’t purchase is true power. If roguish Aidan can’t buy his way into society’s hallowed halls, he’ll resort to a more extreme measure: marriage.
Brought up to be a proper lady, the only thing Diana Ashby desires is to be left alone. Knowing his desire to enter her world, Diana strikes a deal to arrange Aidan’s marriage to the perfect lady—as long as that lady isn’t her. As Diana and Aidan set out to find him an aristocratic match, neither are prepared for the passion that ignites between them or the love they can’t ignore.

* Publishers Weekly: “Fans of historical romance with strong, intelligent heroines will adore this novel, in which emotionally vulnerable, highly motivated characters complete the sensuous story.” Full Review
* Kirkus Reviews: “Mature, interesting, and romantic protagonists elevate a familiar story.” Full review




Anything But A Duke is the second novel in the Duke's Den series and a standalone. 

Aiden Iverson has achieved much during his life, despite his poor upbringing. He's rich and successful, however, without a title, he's unable to achieve the social status he needs to further his business ambitions. So, when it's suggested to him to find a wife from a noble family, he decides the idea has merit. If only, he could get the young woman who saved his life, out of his mind! 

Diana Ashby has had a charmed life and upbringing and privileged education. She's inherited her late father's enthusiasm for inventions and she's determined to follow her dreams to become a renowned inventor. However, with family funds at a critically low level, she agrees to marry if she fails to secure an investor for her latest invention. With a coveted invitation to the Duke's Den to present her current idea to them, she comes face to face with the gentleman she saved...the one she can't get out of her mind. Her bid fails, but after a proposition, she can't refuse, the result far exceeds her wildest dreams. 

Slow burn romances are a favourite of mine and Diana and Aiden spend most of their time trying to ignore their desires for each other. Both hope to gain what they want as they work together, but the result is the opposite either expected...or was it? 

Set during the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, I particularly enjoyed getting to know Diana Ashby. A woman who enjoyed creating inventions rather pursue activities more associated with young ladies of the time. Within the novel, the author mentions in passing, a Lady Lovelace, a woman acquainted with Aiden Iverson. Even without the mention of this name, I have wondered if this pioneering woman (presuming it's a reference to Lady Ada Lovelace) was the inspiration for the character of Diana. Their work and interests differ, but both were actively working and researching in a world dominated by men. Truly inspirational and an added dimension to this story I appreciated. 

Overall, a well thought out and enticing narrative with a sizzling undercurrent of romance. This is my first novel by this author and I definitely need to read more in this series. 

***arc received courtesy of Avon via Edelweiss+***




Fueled by Pacific Northwest coffee and inspired by multiple viewings of every British costume drama she can get her hands on, USA Today bestselling author Christy Carlyle writes sensual historical romance set in the Victorian era. She loves heroes who struggle against all odds and heroines who are ahead of their time. A former teacher with a degree in history, she finds there’s nothing better than being able to combine her love of the past with a die-hard belief in happy endings. For information please visit: http://christycarlyle.com/


PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES
A DUKE CHANGES EVERYTHING (ISBN: 9780062853950)


Monday 29 April 2019

Spotlight: Karma, The Fallen Angel Series #2 by S.C. Cunningham



Karma by S.C. Cunningham

At the age of four, Amy was taken… She survived.
A week later, another little girl was taken…She didn't.

Angry that a bad man has gotten away with murder, feisty young Amy Fox makes a deal with the heavens. When she dies, if she’s been a good girl, would they let her sit on a cloud for a while, invisible, and get the bad people who slip through God’s fingers?

Her deal and God long forgotten, career girl Amy mysteriously dies. Her lifeless body is found beneath a London underground commuter train.

She awakens in the afterlife to discover an international network of like-minded souls who’ve all made the same deal. A sophisticated MI5-esque justice machine sits in the skies. The only evidence they leave behind during their earthly visits is a small white feather sashaying to the ground.

Amy hates rules, she may be a new Angel but for how long?  Abusing her powers, lusting after her partner, avenging personal scores, protecting the underdog, dishing out unauthorized karma on terrorists, traffickers, abusers, hunters, bullies, bitches and competing Warlords will have her thrown below ground.

In a chaotic world of vendettas, jealous ex's on her heels and powerful adversaries trying to close her Unit down, Amy has never worked so hard in her entire earthly life. She has to wonder if making the deal was a mistake.


THE DEAL
THE FALLEN ANGEL SERIES
by S C Cunningham

Feisty Amy Fox hates rules, she's a new Angel, but for how long? 
Abusing her powers, lusting after her partner, avenging personal scores, protecting the underdog, dishing out unauthorized karma on terrorists, traffickers, abusers, hunters, bullies, bitches and competing Heaven v Hell Warlords... will have her thrown below ground.

The Deal is blissfully raw and absolutely perfect. 5 for days.”
Completely different from anything I have ever read; it is an outstanding book.”
It got me! It's been a very long time since I have read a book that I, A. Couldn't put down and B. I didn't want it to end!"
"Plots intertwine twist and turn, it's addictive.”
"Hard to put down - a must read that keeps you guessing."

Author of THE FALLEN ANGEL SERIES Cunningham creates adrenaline-charged paranormal crime rom thrillers, with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes. Having worked in the industries she writes about, her novels offer a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction.

Abducted as a child she survived. Every night for months afterward she prayed to the heavens asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in THE FALLEN ANGEL SERIES. First in series THE DEAL is free. Standalone Book II, KARMA is her latest release. She is currently working on Book III, CALLING.

An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has worked in the exciting worlds of music, film, sports, celebrity management and as a Crime Investigator for the British Police (Wanted & Absconder Unit, Major Crime Team, Intelligence Analyst, Investigations Hub).

She supports Veterans, MH and Animal causes, is the proud mother to Contemporary Artist Scarlett Raven, loves coffee, chocolate, Prosecco, shabby chic'ing and beach walks, and is owned by three soul-soothing dogs.

Giveaway to Win a Signed Copy of Karma by S. C. Cunningham (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Saturday 27 April 2019

Competition Time and Price Reduction: Summer on the Italian Lakes by Lucy Coleman


The fun part about being an author is that you get to spend your days in some wonderful locations, even if it’s virtually! But the only way to be able to sit down and really share with the readers what the experience is like, is to visit in person.
Lake Garda is a place I have visited several times over the years, and it will always be one of my all-time favourite holiday destinations. Whether you fly direct or are planning a grand European tour by road – it is a dream destination.
The villa featured in Summer on the Italian Lakes is fictitious but based on a composite of two properties in which I have stayed. But the descriptions of being up in the hills and the trips taken are real-life experiences.
Italy is an overload of stimuli – everywhere you look, every breath you take in, and everything you touch, fills your heart with love for the vibrancy and warmth of this beautiful country. It’s full of passionate people – for love and life. Fiery temperaments, fabulous food and wonderful wines; flavours that literally grab you with their freshness and taste. Wonderful music and art; scenery that will make your jaw drop; beautiful architecture around which to saunter and so many hidden gems to discover.
But up in the hills where it’s quieter, it’s the perfect place to reconnect with the inner you. For me a holiday has to combine everything – lots of exciting things to experience, but also some time to relax and chill.
So, it was the perfect setting for this book and the only sadness for me, was that I didn’t get to do a research trip! I didn’t need to as all of those memories are locked inside my head, and my heart – but, oh, Italy is calling me loud and clear! If you haven’t been, please do add it to your list of must-sees and Lake Garda is the perfect place to begin.

Do you love a competition?
Hello lovely readers and bloggers!
To celebrate the price drop to 99p I will be running a competition on Twitter for one lucky person to win some goodies - an Aria tote bag, two beautiful hand-made Italian soaps and a limited edition mug!
No purchase is necessary to join in – just RT one of my lovely blogger’s Tweets for the 99p promo including @LucyColemanAuth and #SummerOnTheItalianLakes, to take part.
If you have already read/reviewed Summer on the Italian Lakes and take a photo of it on your reading device and/or send a link to your review in your Tweet - IF YOUR NAME is the ONE drawn by the third party, I will add two signed paperbacks from my backlist to the prize!
Don’t forget to include @LucyColemanAuth and #SummerOnTheItalianLakes so we can include your Tweet in the competition. Thank you so much for dropping by and good luck!


Terms: Competition closes noon GMT 29 April 2019; international; anyone can enter; prize to be provided by the author; prize winner will be announced on Twitter by @LucyColemanAuth and on Lucy and Linn’s website (competition page) at noon on 30 April 2019 after being selected at random by a third party.

Summer on the Italian Lakes
Bestselling Brianna Middleton has won the hearts of millions of readers with her sweeping - and steamy - love stories. But the girl behind the typewriter is struggling... Not only does she have writer's block, but she's a world-famous romance author with zero romance in her own life.
So the opportunity to spend the summer teaching at a writer's retreat in an idyllic villa on the shores of Lake Garda - owned by superstar author Arran Jamieson - could this be just the thing to fire up Brie's writing - and romantic - mojo?
Brie's sun-drenched Italian summer could be the beginning of this writer's very own happy-ever-after...
Escape the January blues with this sun-drenched, heart-warming story from the bestselling author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove.

Price drop: only 99p - grab your copy now!

From interior designer to author, Linn B. Halton - who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman - says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’
Linn is the bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and is excited to be writing for both Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus) and Harper Impulse (Harper Collins); she’s represented by Sara Keane of the Keane Kataria Literary Agency.
When she’s not writing, or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.
Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been short-listed in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.
Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.
Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.






Friday 26 April 2019

Release Day Review: Bridesmaids by Zara Stoneley

Bridesmaids by Zara Stoneley

Meet Rachel, the beautiful bride with BIG plans for the perfect day! The venue is a castle and the dress is designer.  It’s just a shame her husband is a rat.
Maddie and Sally have only one thing in common – they both love the same man!

Beth is a newly single mum with a mystery baby daddy.  Surely the father isn’t someone the girls all know?

And then there’s 
Jane, the glue holding them all together, but being dumped doesn’t make her the happiest bridesmaid…especially with gorgeous flatmate Freddie complicating things.
Will the bride say, ‘I Do!’?  Or will her bridesmaids save the day…and find love along the way?    
The most hilarious, feel-good rom com of the year!

 Amazon      iBooks      Waterstones 


It's wedding season...!
Jane doesn't dislike weddings but she's not a fan either. Her attitude isn't surprising when you learn her ex dumped her before their wedding on her hen night. Therefore she's trying her best to be happy for her best friend, Rachel and agreed to be the chief bridesmaid to boot after the unexpected wedding announcement. However, fate steps in to alter the course events for better and for worse.

Fast-paced, there's never a dull moment as friends come together to celebrate the wedding yet as the big day gets nearer secrets are exposed with startling consequences. Many characters are involved in the wedding shenanigans, all who have a story to tell. They are relatable in their own way and equally likeable. Like reality, expect clashes of personality as well as a deep sense of sisterhood. Additionally, a shout-out to the mums too...I love their attitude!

Throughout the novel, several plot lines running alongside each other, offering insight into the backgrounds of all the bridesmaids and their relationship to the bride. The main spotlight shines on Jane and her life post-non-wedding and how she's rebuilding her life. It's a time for her to re-evaluate her own situation with surprises along the way as unexpected changes give her a chance to fulfil her own dreams.

Ms Stoneley is a new to me author and I liked how she managed to keep the narrative flowing with so much happening at any given time. Laugh a minute, Bridesmaids is a fun packed, humorous caper which will have you turning the pages furiously until you reach the more than satisfying, happy conclusion.

***arc received courtesy of HarperImpulse via NetGalley***


Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Date.

Born in a small village in the UK, she wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true. 

She writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say 'ahhh'.

Zara now lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Zara’s bestselling novels include 'No One Cancels Christmas', 'The Wedding Date', 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'.





Spotlight: Caught in a Web by Joseph Lewis



Caught in a Web by Joseph Lewis

The bodies of high school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador. Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs, shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially George or members of his family. The three detectives come to realize that the ring has its roots in a high school among the students and staff.





Amazon US      Amazon UK      Barnes andNoble 
Joseph Lewis has written five books: Caught in a Web; Taking Lives; Stolen Lives; Shattered Lives, and Splintered Lives. His sixth, Spiral into Darkness, debuts January 17, 2019 from Black Rose Writing. Lewis has been in education for 42 years and counting as a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator. He is currently a high school principal and resides in Virginia with his wife, Kim, along with his daughters, Hannah and Emily. His son, Wil, is deceased.
Lewis uses his psychology and counseling background to craft his characters which helps to bring them to life. His books are topical and fresh and appeal to anyone who enjoys crime thriller fiction with grit and realism and a touch of young adult thrown in.




Twitter at @jrlewisauthor

Thursday 25 April 2019

New Release Spotlight: Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr.



Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr.
 

A beaten homeless vet. Three cops gunned down. A multistate manhunt. The trial of the decade.
A new kind of legal thriller
When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.
A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.
Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.
Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?



N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).
In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.
Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc. http://plainofjars.net
His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.
His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

http://www.author-n-lombardi-jr.com/