Release Blitz: The Light After the Orange by Beverley J Hall

 

 

The Tundra Stone Series, Book 1

Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Post-Apocalytic Fantasy, Dystopian

Date Published: July 19, 2022

Publisher: Leirsinn Publishing

 

Eighteen-year-old Alex Chegasa, one of the first generation to be raised on post-apocalyptic Earth, was taught to embrace her magical gifts.

After the Orange, as the planet burned, magic trickled in. The bombs that had wiped out most life ripped open the barrier between worlds. Can the next generation, connected to the magic, be the solution to mankind’s problems or are they destined to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors?

Did the Orange, the very thing that ravaged the planet, also provide the solution? Or is magic more than a coincidence?

While Alex searches for somewhere to belong, in Massachusetts, she questions if survival is enough when she comes to understand that magic, used by the wrong people, could be more dangerous than the power of the generations before her.

Meanwhile, in a parallel story, we meet eight-hundred-year-old Fae, Billey NicNevin. With a past she doesn’t remember, she struggles to fit into Nuadh Caled (New Scotland) as it rebuilds itself. When she meets a woman whose soul calls to her, will she find her missing piece or tumble into insanity?

Are their destinies connected?

WHAT IF THE FANTASTICAL STORIES FROM ALEX’S CHILDHOOD WERE TRUE?

Other Books in The Tundra Stone Series

 

The Light of the Crann

The Tundra Stone Series Book 2

Coming October 18, 2022

Alex Chegasa’s new life as a princess is soon derailed and she is forced to hide on the Bassett moon. Here, her romance with Iggy blossoms but doubts haunt her, as she realizes the magical universe of Spirismus may not be as perfect as it appears.

Meanwhile, as Alex as she learns about her new home in the collection of planets and moons that form the magical universe of Spirismus, Billey NicNevin has reunited with her love, Geilis. Having regained her memory, she sets out to guide Alex on their joint destiny. But, knowing the price she must pay for her connection to the Crann, she must decide if love is worth more than destiny.

Hiding in the shadows, one person is determined to stop Alex’s destiny. Do Alex’s secrets threaten everybody around her?

Can they stop somebody who can’t be found?

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About the Author

Beverley J. Hall was born in Kent, England, although her family returned to Scotland before her second birthday, which explains her accent. She grew up in North Lanarkshire, surrounded by rolling Scottish hills with her nose in a book.

She returned to South East England to study Art and Design at both Winchester School of Art and Central St Martins, in London. It was here she discovered her love of story-telling, as she realized that, no matter the medium, it was something her ADHD brain could thrive in.

After teaching for many years, she was diagnosed with a chronic illness and found her voice. She finally took the massive leap and returned to study an M.A. in Creative Writing to develop her skill and embraced her love of books, both reading and writing.

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Release Blitz: The Governess without Guilt by Katherine Grant

 

 

The Prestons, Book 2

 

Historical Romance, Regency Romance

Date Published: July 15, 2022

 

 

One bored governess, one handsome doctor, and unlimited unchaperoned nighttime activities. What could possibly go wrong?

Sophia Preston wants adventure, excitement, and self-determination. She hired herself out as a governess to gain independence, and now she has it at Robin Abbey: every day, she gets to mind the Cosgrove children, eat the Cosgrove’s food, and live by Cosgrove’s rules.

When John Anderson arrives as accoucheur ahead of Lady Widlake’s next baby, Sophia immediately sees the potential for excitement. Who wouldn’t want to seduce the handsome young doctor who is guaranteed to move on once Lady Widlake’s baby is born?

John doesn’t mind flirting with the intriguing governess - as long as they aren’t caught. He has goals, and they don’t include ruining his reputation. Still, he must admit that Miss Preston is everything he ever wanted in a woman: smart, beautiful, unlike anyone else he has ever met…

When counterfeit bank notes surface in town, the authorities suspect someone at Robin Abbey is the criminal. Suddenly, both Sophia and John are put under the microscope. They have no choice but to band together to find the true culprit. The only question is: will they find true love, too?

 

The Prestons Series:

The Baron Without Blame, Prequel

Compromised over nothing, will this fake engagement lead to something?

The Viscount Without Virtue, Book 1

When she discovers her family's enemy is hiding in plain sight, what choice does a lady have but to seduce him?

The Governess Without Guilt, Book 2

One bored governess, one handsome doctor, and unlimited unchaperoned nighttime activities. What could possibly go wrong?

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About the Author

Katherine Grant writes Regency Romance novels for the modern reader. Her writing has been recognized by Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and the National Indie Excellence Awards. If you love ballgowns, secret kisses, and social commentary, a book hangover is coming your way.

While studying creative writing at Northwestern University, Katherine worked as a developmental editor for several small presses before moving to New York. Her short stories have been featured in several literary magazines, and she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2018.

Her ideal day includes a cup of tea, a good book, and a board game with her patient husband. Find out more at www.katherinegrantromance.com

 

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Trad Tuesday: Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill sung by Capercaillie

 

The full name of the military officer who is the subject of this song is Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill (this translates to, “Alexander the son of the Coll the Left-Handed MacDonald”). He was born in Scotland but buried in Clonmeen, County Cork, Ireland in 1647 after the Battle of Knocknanuss. This was during the Irish Confederate Wars, between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliamentarian forces.

Though the Irish lost, Alasdair Mac Colla’s bravery became well-known. After repeated attacks, his ranks continued to reform and continue fighting. After surrendering to a promise of quarter, he was shot anyway as a prisoner, causing even more bitterness towards the loss of such a famous leader.

In Ireland and Scotland, Gaelic melodies were composed in his honor, called “praise poems.” They commemorated him in the tradition of the Hebrides and Highlands, turning his deeds into tall tales now equitable with mythology for the Irish people.

The song was from the 1640s but Capercaillie is a traditional Gaelic band named after the turkey-like bird that used to proliferate the Highlands.

Book Review: The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

 

I always think I've read all the books by my favorite authors but every once in a while a book by Alice Hoffman or Anne Tyler or Mary Balogh shows up from their back catalog that I've never seen before. The Ice Queen is one of those books, and a lovely story it is.

The protagonist loves books, especially fairy tales (Grimm, not Andersen), so when her mother leaves for a party, this eight-year-old girl makes a wish and her mother dies in an accident. Later, the girl's grandmother is the recipient of another wish. As a young woman, our unnamed heroine makes a third wish and is struck by lightning.

These circumstances cause her to believe she is unworthy of love:

“At night I told myself a story, wordless, inside my head, one I liked far better than those in my books. The girl in my story was treated cruelly, by fate, by her family, even by the weather. Her feet bled from the stony paths; her hair was plucked from her head by blackbirds. She went from house to house, looking for refuge. Not a single neighbor answered his door, and so one day the girl gave up speaking. She lived on the side of a mountain where every day was snowy. She stood outside without a roof, without shelter; before long she was made of ice—her flesh, her bones, her blood. She looked like a diamond; it was possible to spy her from miles away. She was so beautiful now that everyone wanted her: people came to talk to her, but she wouldn’t answer. Birds lit on her shoulder; she didn’t bother to chase them away. She didn’t have to. If they took a single peck, their beaks would break in two. Nothing could hurt her anymore. After a while, she became invisible, queen of the ice. Silence was her language, and her heart had turned a perfect pale silver color. It was so hard nothing could shatter it. Not even stones.”

This is a dark story just like the Grimm fairy tales our heroine loves. It is also a story of opposites: life and death, ice and fire, dark and light, fairy tales and chaos theory. There's a lot of symbolism and touches of magic. But it's also a story of redemption and sibling love. I loved this book. It's definitely one to reread.

Preorder Blitz: Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss by Cherie Colyer

 

One Scoop or Two Series - Standalone

Paranormal Romance

Date Published:  August 24, 2022

Publisher:  The Wild Rose Press

Roman Briggs built a life for himself in Siren’s Cove. He restored the Sugar Cones Ice Cream Parlor and turned it into a popular stop along the boardwalk. He has everything he needs until a certain blue-eyed woman wanders back into his life.

Seer and witch Peyton Woods isn’t sure why her latest visions feature a man and boy she’s never met. Determined to find out, she casts a spell that leads her to a small beach town in Maine and, to her utter surprise, the man who broke her heart eight years earlier.

Peyton's left with one question. Why didn't her magic show her him?

About the Author

Professional network technician by day, novelist by night, Cherie lives a quiet life in the Chicago suburbs with her charming husband. She has four amazing sons who she loves dearly. Cherie magically weaves together stories with a paranormal twist. She’s the author of the Embrace series, Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t, and Friends to the End. She waltzed into the adult novel world with Merry Little Wishing Spritz. She’s delighted to be back with Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss.

 

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Book Review: I love this series!

The Poison Song by Jen Williams

Well. I am very rarely reduced to this kind of overwhelming emotional state by a book or series, but Jen Williams has done it with this very excellent series. Over the course of the three books, the stakes have risen like a tidal wave that has finally crashed down in the last few chapters of The Poison Song. I simply love these characters; good and bad, their redemption arcs or character growth have had me engrossed all along the way. Noon, Tor, Vintage, those wonderful war-beasts, and all the others fighting for Sarn and Ebora, I'm going to miss you a lot. The story has been superb, unlike anything else I've read. This is dark fantasy at its best, with a ray of hope shining for the reader. The bittersweet ending was correct though it made me sad. I can't say much because of spoilers, but I do urge anyone who loves a good story with great characters to pick up this trilogy. I give it all the stars. P.S. I love the book covers too

Book Review: Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen

"What else is a library, but a temple of truth? What other function do books have, the great ones, but to change the reader? Books to comfort. But most of all, books to disturb you forward." I'm a lover of books of magical realism (Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin may be one of my most favorite books), so Harry's Trees is perfect for me. I will venture that it might also be a perfect story for most readers. It begins very sadly for both Harry and Amanda, our protagonists, who've both lost their spouses. Oriana, Amanda's daughter, seeks solace for the loss of her father in fairy tales, aided by the "witchy" local librarian. Their lives collide a year later as each of the three tries to find a solution for their grief. This is a beautiful story, set against the backdrop of the Endless Mountains in Pennsylvania. I was surprised to find it an actual place and perfect for Harry who has loved trees most of his life. Every character has an important place in the book and multiple stories weave their way through the story. Even the minor characters have satisfying endings, which one doesn't always find and I enjoy. And of course, there's a lot of symbolism and magic - not overt, no wands or mystical spells - but the best and worst part of fairy tales: red coats, portentous feathers, heroes and villains, and significant coincidences. This is one of those books I'll reread. It's a wonderful story about hope and love. “Because it’s worth it. Worth the risk and the pain. Of all the glorious enchantments of this world—spring, snow, laughter, red roses, dogs, books—love is by far the best.”