Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Falling Into Magic (+ Giveaway)

It’s a pleasure to be a part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for author Elizabeth Pantley’s FALLING INTO MAGIC, the first installment in her new Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series.

Falling into Magic  

By Elizabeth Pantley
*Cozy Mystery
*1st in Series: A Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Book
*Independently Published (November 15, 2020)
*299 Pages
*Digital ASIN: B08MCRCW9J

When Hayden was a child, she lost her cat. Adults told her the cat has escaped the house and ran away, but she knew the truth. The mirror had taken her. She knew because the mirror had given her a glimpse of an alternate world and had nearly pulled her in, so she was certain the cat had suffered that fate.

Twenty years later Hayden discovers the true secret of the mirror when she is thrust into it by a mysterious villain. She learns of a world she never knew existed, and a family she never knew she had. But danger brought her here, and it followed her. And now, Hayden is on a mission to see that the threat is removed, so that she can begin her magical, meaningful new life in this enchanted world.

         


           "A magical, delightful tale that held my attention with a quirky cast of characters, engaging dialogue, a pleasantly appealing universe, and an intriguing plotline that I could not put down. I can’t wait to see where we go with Hayden’s next adventure."  — Dru Ann, MWA Raven Award winner

          “What a captivating read! . . . I couldn't put it down. A great story, full of interesting people and places to get to know, with surprises around every corner.” — Linda C. Goodreads reviewer

          “The world-building and magic system is fascinating. Destiny Falls is a wondrous place that seems to cater to citizens’ wants and needs. I love that it is almost a character in its own right, and I was intrigued by the constantly changing world. Vivid imagery paints a clear picture of Destiny falls and its inhabitants. Falling into Magic is a dynamic introduction to the Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series.” — Julie Petitbon 

FALLING INTO MAGIC is available at Amazon.

Meet the Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages.

She lives near Seattle and is the mother of four and nana to one. This is her first work of fiction.

For more about Elizabeth and her writing, you can connect with her on the following sites:
Website:  https://www.nocrysolution.com/books/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethPantleyNoCryAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethpantley/
Pinterest:  ht https://www.pinterest.com/nocrysolution/_saved/
Blog:  https://elizabethpantley.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to follow Elizabeth’s tour by visiting the blogs below. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway. If the widget doesn’t show up, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Have you ever thought about traveling through a mirror and where it would take you?

November 16 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

November 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

November 18 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 18 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

November 19 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

November 20 – I'm All About Books -SPOTLIGHT

November 21 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 22 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

November 23 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews -SPOTLIGHT

November 24 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 25 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST

November 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

November 27 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 28 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

November 29 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Once Upon A Mail Order Bride (+ Giveaway)

I’m delighted today to share with you an excerpt from author Linda Broday’s just released, ONCE UPON A MAIL ORDER BRIDE, the fourth installment in her Outlaw Mail Order Brides series.
 

Once Upon a Mail Order Bride

by Linda Broday
*Series: Outlaw Mail Order Brides #4
*Publication Date: 11/24/2020
*Genre: Historical Western

An outlaw falls for his mysterious mail order bride in this sweeping western epic by beloved author Linda Broday.

Accused of crimes he didn’t commit, ex-preacher Ridge Steele is forced to give up everything he knew and make his home with outlaws. Desperate for someone to confide in, he strikes up correspondence with mail-order bride Adeline Jancy, finding in her the open heart he’s been searching for. Upon her arrival, Ridge discovers Addie only communicates through the written word, but he knows a little of what trauma can do to a person and vows to stand by her side.

Addie is eager to start a new life with the kind ex-preacher and the little boy she’s stolen away from her father—a zealot priest of a terrorized flock. As her small family settles into life at Hope’s Crossing, she even begins to find the voice, and confidence, she’d lost so long ago.

But danger is not far behind, and her father will not be denied. While Addie desperately fights the man who destroyed her childhood, a determined Ridge races to the rescue. The star-crossed lovers will need more than prayers to survive this final challenge…and find their way back to each other again.

ONCE UPON A MAIL ORDER BRIDE is available for purchase at the following links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2M22BYz

B&N: https://bit.ly/2X7YIb2

Apple: http://apple.co/2GD8xs8

Kobo: http://bit.ly/356oFMh

Bookshop: http://bit.ly/2GyUVhq

BAM: https://bit.ly/3canRGc

Walmart: http://bit.ly/3k4LFPV

Books2Read: http://bit.ly/38lQTo6

Now an excerpt for your reading pleasure. 

Ridge glanced at the woman sitting next to Josie with a black lace scarf covering her head and obscuring most of her face. She seemed to huddle deeper into the folds, as though wishing to escape his notice. 

He started around the wagon to help his bride down and introduce himself when Luke Legend steered him away from the others. 

Luke kept his voice low. “There’s something you need to know before you meet Adeline.” 

His chest tightened. Was she disfigured? Was that the reason for the veil? “What’s that?” 

“She can’t speak.” 

Shock jolted Ridge. “What do you mean she can’t talk? Can’t for a medical reason? Did someone cut out her tongue?” 

He’d heard how bad prison was and had once met a convict who shook and jerked all the time. Someone had used him as a test subject for a new device, rigged up with paper soaked in saltwater and something to do with zinc and copper. 

A search of his memory brought no recollection of Adeline mentioning this in the few letters they’d exchanged. 

“Nothing like that,” Luke assured him. “It’s more like she won’t try. The doctor at the prison said they kept her in isolation for the whole three years as part of her punishment. With no one to talk to, she seems to have forgotten how. Anyway, she’s going to require a lot of understanding.” Luke shifted and the silver conches running up the sides of his black pant legs flashed in the sunlight. “There’s more.” 

Good Lord, what else? What did that prison do to her? 

“Someone’s hunting her.” 

A wave of fury crashed over Ridge. His voice held a sharp edge. “Who? And for what reason?” 

“Don’t know, but Adeline does. I was waiting for her at the prison and overheard two men talking about her. One said the best time to grab her was when she came out, and that the money for the job would keep them well off.” Luke grinned. “I took her out the back way.” 

“Dammit!” Ridge studied the faint bruises on his friend’s jaw that said he’d had to fight to keep Adeline safe. Anger rose. Ridge clenched his fist. Whoever wanted to harm her would now have to deal with him. 

“When they realized what we’d done, they chased us. I was barely able to get her onto a train to Fort Worth.” Luke paused. “Wish I knew more.” 

“Makes two of us.” 

“The question is…do you still want to marry a hunted woman? One who might never speak?” 

Here was an excuse if he wanted to take it. It was unlikely that anyone would fault him for it. Only one thing wrong with that—he wasn’t happy the way he was. He needed more from life than merely existing from one day to the next. And what about Adeline? His rejection might finish the process of destroying her. Plus, she needed protection—and that was something he at least knew how to give. 

“Yes, I’ll marry her—if she’ll have me.” 

Luke slapped his back. “Then I’ll introduce you and we’ll plan a wedding.” 

Ridge took some nervous breaths and matched Luke’s stride as they moved toward the wagon. Luke helped her down. She didn’t lift her head. Ridge, well over six feet, towered above the slim, petite woman. 

Adeline wore a simple dress of blue calico that hugged in all the right places. Ridge grew warm thinking about running his hands over those curves. The strands of blond hair poking from the heavy black scarf were golden in color, deep and rich. 

Luke put an arm around her. “Miss Jancy, meet your bridegroom, Ridge Steele. I personally vouch for his character. I’ve fought by his side and know he’s a good man to have around. He’ll fight for you until you’re strong enough to do it yourself.” 

She stood rooted in silence. Ridge wished he could see her face. 

“That’s a promise, Miss Adeline.” Ridge cursed his suddenly raspy voice. She struck him as a wounded, exhausted little wren, battered by heavy storms. “Thank you for coming. I’m only an outlaw, a wanted man with little to my name. But everything I have is yours—if you want it.” 

She lifted her head and removed the black scarf. Kissed by the sunshine, her hair curled around her shoulders and flowed down her back. Emerald eyes stared up at him, framed by thick dark lashes and a jolt raced through him. 

Here stood the brave, determined woman he’d seen under a Fort Worth night. 

Ridge sucked in a breath. He’d been right in thinking she’d be pretty in the daylight. By God, she was beautiful. Although the others stood there, they’d somehow melted away. Adeline was the only person he could see. Shoulders squared, her determined gaze bored into him and her chin raised a notch. Despite everything, she had fight left in her. He’d probably find out how much if he didn’t watch it. 

Did she recognize him as well? Her expression didn’t indicate if she did. But then it’d been dark that night, and his Stetson had shielded most of his face. 

He brought her hand to his lips and cleared his throat. “Miss Adeline, I’d be honored if you’d be my wife. Will you accept my proposal?” 

One jerk of her head confirmed her answer. 

“Is tomorrow too soon? Or would you rather wait a few days?” 

Panic crossed her face. Taking the paper and pencil Luke handed her, Adeline wrote, Tomorrow.” 

***

Excerpted from Once Upon a Mail Order Bride by Linda Broday. © 2020 by Linda Broday. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Meet the Author

At a young age, Linda Broday discovered a love for storytelling, history, and anything pertaining to the Old West. After years of writing romance, it’s still tall, rugged cowboys that spark her imagination.

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Linda has won many awards, including the prestigious National Readers’ Choice Award and the Texas Gold.

She resides in the Texas Panhandle where she’s inspired every day.

Her love of history and the Old West was born from watching TV westerns and visiting museums and libraries. She has always been an avid reader and books opened up entirely new exciting worlds that seemed limited only by her imagination.

Cowboys have always fascinated Linda and she often thinks she was born 150 years too late. She loves writing about those men, their ladies, and the struggles they endure in trying to carve out a small place to call home.

For more on Linda and her writing, visit her website at https://lindabroday.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope the excerpt entices you to pick up this book. Also be sure to enter the giveaway below. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t show up, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Isn’t there just something magical about the old west and the love stories inspired by it?

 
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 23, 2020

The Waltz of Devi's Creek (+ Giveaway)

The Waltz of Devil’s Creek
BY Justine Carver
* Publication date: October 20th, 2020
* Genres: Adult, Historical

Judith Campbell is dying, and she cannot take the painful truth about where her son came from to the grave with her. While on her deathbed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1994, Judith tells him the tragic story of his conception, and which of two men his birth father could be: the young man who professed his love to her, or the pastor who assaulted her.

Set in the Deep South in 1947, The Waltz of Devil’s Creek digs into the dark crevices of racism and women’s rights during a heated political climate in an era of segregation. Combined with Judith’s lack of social stature, and at a time when reporting sexual assault was unheard of, every injustice is stacked against her from the very beginning.

But there is a light in Judith’s young life: her best friend, Joseph Bird, who has loved her since childhood. Joseph stands up for Judith when no one else will and proves that even in the darkest of times, a light is always burning.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

The sound of trickling water hit the floorboards beneath me; I sucked in a sharp breath and froze.

Joseph’s eyes strayed downward; his brows crumpled in his forehead, and he gawked at me like I’d grown a third eyeball. “Are you…peein’?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe such a thing.

“No…I uh…” I couldn’t get the words out, but I sure knew what was going on. I gripped my belly with both hands and sat down on the edge of the bed, fluid dripping down my legs—I’d swore I’d never wear a dress again, but I couldn’t fit into pants anymore. “I think I’m gonna have a baby now, Joseph.”

His eyes darted back and forth from my face to the puddle on the floor; he looked as white as the sheet I’d just dressed the bed with.

“Oh, umm…what do you…oh shit, Judy, I don’t know what to do. I’ll go get—.” He started for the door to fetch my pa.

“Joseph, remember what we talked about,” I said, stopping him in his tracks. “You can do this.”

“I remember a brief conversation about who’s gonna deliver this baby,” he said with sarcasm. “But I also remember tellin’ you ain’t no way in hell I can do it. You gotta go to the hospital.”

The first wave of pain struck me like somebody done hit me across the lower back with a two-by-four. “Ahh! Oh no, Joseph, this…ahhh!” I gritted my teeth so hard that pain shot through my jaw and into the top of my head. “I can’t go to the hospital…please, you promised.”

“What?! I did no such thing!”

“Yes, you did! You said: ‘I swear on my life I’ll deliver the baby if nobody else is around to do it’—can’t go back on it now.”

He threw his hands up in the air. “Well yeah, I may’ve said that, but it was only to get you off my back about it—I can’t deliver a baby!”

“You’re gonna have to!” I cried out in pain again and fell back against the bed; I didn’t know why, but for a moment, I thought about how I’d just made the bed and was annoyed by the awful timing.

I heard my pa’s voice from the doorway—he was like the dead arisen, as I hadn’t heard him say much in so long. I clamped my jaw down again, eyes closed so tightly I saw spots dancing on the inside of my eyelids.

Meet the Author

Justine Carver was born and raised in the Southern United States on a heavy dose of creek-wading, lightning-bug-catching, and Saturday morning cartoons. She is a full-time writer, all-the-time reader, and every now and then, she pulls her head out of the clouds long enough to remember how much better it is up there.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Doesn't this sound like one of those stories that will tug on your heart-strings and have you holding your breath that everything is going to turn out all right for the protagonist?

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:
XBTBanner1

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

The Madness of Mercury (+ Giveaway)

It’s a pleasure to be a part of author Connie di Marco’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for her latest release, THE MADDNESS OF MERCUTY, the first installment in her new Zodiac Mystery series.
 

The Madness of Mercury

By Connie di Marco
*Traditional Mystery
**1st in Series: Zodiac Mystery
*Publisher: Suspense Publishing (October 8, 2020)
*Paperback: 268 pages
*ISBN-10: 0578752654
*ISBN-13: 978-0578752655
*Digital ASIN: B08K3JT8P1

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti never thought murder would be part of her practice. But when a disastrous Mercury retrograde period hits, her life and practice is turned upside down, along with that of many of her colleagues who practice in the city. San Francisco has fallen under the spell of the Prophet’s Tabernacle, a religious cult that has descended upon the city. Reverend Roy, a Mercury-ruled, silver-tongued preacher offers a message of love and charity to the less fortunate, but Julia soon learns that the Reverend’s charity doesn’t extend to anyone who stands in his way. The Reverend is waging war on sin as he perceives it, targeting psychics, Wiccans, mediums, astrologers, gays, and anyone else he considers an abomination unto the Lord.

Driven from her apartment, Julia seeks shelter with her client and friend, Dorothy. Dorothy has separated from her spouse and is caring for her two elderly aunts at their home on Telegraph Hill. Dorothy’s aunt, Evandra, appears stricken with dementia and her other aunt, Eunice, has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy. When Eunice disappears, Julia’s sure that she is headed for Prophet’s Paradise, a supposedly idyllic community north of the city. Julia fears that Eunice is being misled and will be in danger. She determines to rescue Eunice and take on the Army of the Prophet.

Julia learns once more what she already knew –that Mercury wasn’t just the messenger of the gods; he was a trickster and a liar as well.

 

THE MADDNESS OF MERCUTY is available at Amazon.

 


Here’s an excerpt for your reading pleasure.
 

There are those among us who prey, who hunt under the guise of trust.  They kill not just the physical body, but the psyche, the dream of the soul.  They are the clever ones, the dexterous and silver-tongued.  They sway the weak, the old, the gullible and the infirm.  They are the tricksters of the universe and work through enchantment. 

They are ruled by Mercury, a god of great cunning, a thief and a prowler.  With no place of his own, the ancients ascribed to him rulership over borders, secret passageways, and crossroads where suicides are buried.  He alone escorted souls to the underworld because only he could move freely in the world above and the world below.  In our time, he leads unwary travelers astray to meet their own twisted shadow in the dark night. 

It was a new client whose predicament recalled this mythology to me.  My name is Julia Bonatti – Julia Elizabeth Bonatti -- and I’m an astrologer.  For too long, I had worked with practical daylight interpretations of the natal chart.  For too long, I had happily delineated charts concerned with mundane issues.  What’s the best time to plan our trip?  When should I invest?  I’ve thought of returning to school, can I afford it?  It was Evandra Gamble and her family and the events surrounding them that indelibly marked me, that caused me to know the dark side of the god. 

*                 *                 *
Long fingers gripped my wrist with a surprising strength.  “She’s trying to kill me.”  A network of veins on Evandra’s hand bulged like blue worms burrowing under the dry parchment of her flesh.  Evandra Gamble was the elderly aunt of my longtime client, Dorothy Sanger, the very she to whom Evandra referred. 

I straightened in my chair.  “You can’t mean that.” 

“Hah!”  Evandra replied.  “You think you know her?  My charming niece!  Believe me, you don’t!”  Her face shifted.  Her watery blue eyes held my gaze.  “I am afraid, Julia.”  Her voice quavered.  “Please help me.  That’s why I needed you to come here today for my reading.”  Her grip on my wrist tightened. 

I sighed inwardly.  I’d formed a few rules over the course of my practice.  Number one is that my clients come to me for readings.  For professional reasons, it’s important that I work on my own turf.  If a client is new, or not referred by someone I know well, I might arrange for a private room at the Mystic Eye, an occult shop in North Beach owned by my friend Gale. 

Today, I was breaking that rule.  Evandra was on the verge of turning ninety and had suffered a fractured hip.  She was on the mend, but mobility was still difficult.  Dorothy had asked me to visit the rambling house on Telegraph Hill for her aunt’s sake.  I complied, imagining my new client’s questions would fall in the category of health or decisions over her final wishes.  I certainly never expected Evandra to accuse her own flesh and blood of murder. 

“Dorothy’s devoted to you.  She’s taken a leave from nursing to stay here with you.  Why do you say that?”  I replied with disbelief. 

Evandra’s eyes shifted and grew wary, her expression closed.  She sniffed.  “I hoped that you of all people would listen and believe me.”  She released my hand.  Her arm was frail, as if muscle had separated from bone.  Her thin shoulders and collarbone looked as light and hollow as a bird’s.  She slumped back against the flowered cushions on the large armchair and closed her eyes. 

Evandra’s natal Sun and Mercury were under the sway of a Neptune transit.  I knew she’d be physically depleted, her normal energy sapped.  For an elderly woman recovering from a fracture, I was concerned.  Neptune’s effect on her Mercury, the planet related to mental acuity, could cause confusion, perhaps even delusions.  Was the Neptune transit signaling the start of some form of elder senility?  I just wasn’t certain. 

“Please believe me, Evandra.  Your thinking is affected during this time.” 

“You mean you think I’m losing it, don’t you?”  She glanced at me sharply. 

“No.  I don’t think that.  But anyone, at any age, would be affected.  Please, please reserve judgment, especially of Dorothy, until this time period is over?”  I watched her carefully, not sure how to put my fears into words.  “There is another thing I should mention.  Illnesses can be extremely difficult to diagnose under this planet’s transit.”  I didn’t want to frighten her, but I had to be as honest as possible.  “One worry is that you could have an adverse reaction to medication.” 

She pursed her lips and continued to stare at me, an expression I was sure was designed to engender guilt.  My answer hadn’t satisfied her.  I mentally reviewed my work on her chart.  Had I missed anything?  Was it my own insecurity? Or was I just being guilted? 

“I’ll tell you what.  I’ll have a further look and check your lunar returns for the next couple of months.  The lunar return chart describes the current month, based on the Moon’s return to its natal position, and I’ll see if there’s a period of time during this transit that’s more threatening.” 

“My niece is your client.  You have her chart, don’t you?” 

“Yes.  Of course.” 

“Have a look at that too.  Please.  Before it’s too late.” 

I couldn’t respond.  The thought that Dorothy would ever harm her aunt was outrageous and unthinkable.  The woman I knew was a highly regarded and experienced nurse.  She had devoted her life to taking care of people.  And now she had put her work on hold to care for her aunts -- Evandra and her younger sister, Eunice. 

Evandra sat forward in her seat.  “I need Luis.  Can you fetch him, dear?  Just pull that tassel over there.”  She pointed to a length of cord near the canopy bed that undoubtedly connected to a series of bells below. 

I rose and passed by the window.  Luis was below in the garden, trimming a hedge.  He was the sisters’ valet, gardener, chauffeur and all around gofer.  A short man, thickly built, with graying hair, he maintained a gentle and long-suffering demeanor as he was called upon often for any number of odd jobs. 

“Damn and blast this hip.”  Evandra fidgeted in her chair.  “I hate being so helpless.”

I pushed open the casement window and waved to Luis.  He nodded and wiped his brow with a red bandanna, holding up a calloused finger to indicate he’d be upstairs in a moment. 

“Old age is not for sissies, Julia.”  She grimaced in pain.  “Why, when I was young, I could party, as they say, with the best of them.” 

Luis arrived a few moments later and knocked.  I hurried to the door and opened it.

“There you are, Luis.”  Evandra raised her arms.  “Help me to the bed.”  He lifted Evandra’s slender form with ease and deposited her gently on the large bed, then covered her with a crocheted quilt.  Her complexion had grown pale. 

“I’ll be working on the back lawn, Miss.  But you pull the cord if you need help.  Miss Dorothy can call me. 

“Thank you, Luis.  Please tell that niece of mine to stop baking and do something useful around here.  For all we know, she’s slipping arsenic into those blasted cookies she’s always making.” 

“I will tell her, Miss.”  Luis smiled and winked at me as he shut the door behind him. 

Evandra leaned her head back and pulled the quilt up to cover her arms.  “I have to rest now, dear.  Will you come see me again?” 

“I’ll stop by again, if you like.  Perhaps tomorrow.” 

“Thank you.”  She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. 

I had been dismissed.  I gathered up my notes and charts and stepped softly across the heavily draped bedroom and pulled the solid oak door shut behind me. 

Meet the Author

 

Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti.  The Madness of Mercury, the first book in the series was re-released in October 2020.

Writing as Connie Archer, she is also the author of the national bestselling Soup Lover’s Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime.  You can find her excerpts and recipes in The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook.  Connie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime.

For more on Connie and her writing, you can connect with her on the following sites”

Website: http://www.conniedimarco.com
Blog: http://www.conniedimarco.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zodiacmysteries/ (Connie di Marco Author)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/askzodia
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1r4fl4U

 

Thanks for stopping by today. You can learn more about Connie and her new book by visiting the following bloggers. Be sure to enter the giveaway below. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t work, you can still enter by clicking HERE.


Do you follow the zodiac signs? Isn’t it fun getting a glimpse inside a story through an excerpt?

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 6 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 7 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 8 – Off

November 9 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

November 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book - SPOTLIGHT

November 11 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 11 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

November 12 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews - CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 13 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW, GUEST POST

November 14 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

November 15 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT

November 16 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT

November 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 18 – Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST

November 19 – Socrates Book Reviews- REVIEW 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

It’s time to immerse yourself in a delightful novel filled with love, family drama, and just a touch of magic that will make you want to book a flight to Italy faster than you can say “Ciao, Bella!”

New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Lori Nelson Spielman takes readers on a whirlwind adventure across the Italian countryside that will make you laugh, cry and root for a cast of strong women out to change their own destinies—and find themselves in the process—in her glowing new novel, THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY (Berkley Trade Paperback).

Emilia Fontana lives a very ordinary life in her small Brooklyn apartment, surrounded by the family and friends she has always known, earning her keep at the Fontana family bakery—and that’s how she likes it. She is a second-born daughter—and the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse dictates that second daughters will never find long-lasting love or amount to much, anyway. So, Emilia is content to spend her days quietly, living out the only life she’s ever known.

Enter eccentric Aunt Poppy, the black sheep of the family. Emilia knows she’s not supposed to speak to the woman who betrayed her nonna many years ago, but when Poppy calls out of the blue and offers an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy for Emilia and her cousin, Lucy—the 20-something generation of Fontana second-born daughters—she can’t exactly turn down the opportunity of a lifetime.

It’s not long before Emilia and Lucy learn that the vivacious Aunt Poppy, who dresses in colorful scarves and lives life to the fullest, has ulterior motives for this trip. The real reason for their adventure: she’s determined to break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all and live out the rest of her days with the man she fell in love with many years ago.

Overflowing with imagery of Venice, Tuscany, and the Amalfi coast, a bit of history, all-too-relatable and hilarious moments, and touching family tenderness, this book is a delight. Now is the time to dip in and allow Lori Nelson Spielman to take you along on this exciting journey – Buon Viaggio!

Meet the Author

Lori Nelson Spielman is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author whose novels have hit #1 in six different countries.

Formerly a homebound teacher in an inner-city school district, she holds master's degrees in speech pathology and guidance counseling.

She lives in Michigan with her husband.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Doesn’t this sound like a fascinating story and who doesn’t love a trip to Italy even if it is just in a book?