Teera, A Life of Hope and Fullment by Teera De Fonseka Spotlight!

Book Information

Paperback: 234 pages

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 22, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1502309599
• ISBN-13: 978-1502309594
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Purchase at Amazon:

About Teera: A Life of Hope and Fulfillment

Teera’s life was beautiful. Having grown up in the splendor of a beachside paradise, Teera settled down in a good home with the love of her life and their two gorgeous children. Filled with love, joy, and a promising future, Teera’s world was nearly perfect, until the night her husband was violently murdered while the two of them lay in bed sleeping. The assailant intended to kill her too, but Teera survived. Devastated by loss and disfigured from a gruesome facial wound, her infants still to care for, Teera learned to endure and to carry on. Yet the murder was only the beginning. It would be years before Teera escaped the turmoil she faced in Sri Lanka, finding refuge for her family in a far away land. This is Teera’s life of hope and fulfillment, a declaration of faith and of love. Honest, inspiring and heart-rending, Teera’s is an incredible saga set against an enchanting tropical landscape tainted by bloodshed and betrayal.

About the Author

Teera de Fonseka is a mother, a grandmother, and a writer living in Los Angeles, California. In her free time she enjoys reading, writing and walking her dog, Tigger. Writing especially has become a hobby for Teera in recent years, as she has worked to publish her memoirs. She loves to spend her days, as she puts it, “writing her heart out.”

Writing has brought Teera a great deal of peace and she wants to encourage others to write their hearts out too. She hopes that her story can touch and inspire others. After having had a chance to tell her tale, Teera wants to keep helping people. She finds inspiration in the talent that she sees in the people around her. She wants to encourage these people to do everything that they can with these talents, and to live up to their potential; to trust in God’s plan for them.

Book Excerpt

As we excited out the back of the house, the familiar scent of salty wind brushed quickly against my face. Past the fence surrounding the backyard you could still see the water and the overturned boats along the shore. The three of us made small talk. After a few minutes, Sirimathi began to feel more comfortable and asked, “Why haven’t you kept in touch with us?”

I was stunned by the question. Words of rage bubbled up inside of me. “Well, after everything that had happened.” I said.

Before I let myself go on, I chose to stop. She wasn’t worth it. And my anger would have accomplished nothing. Besides, so long as I take the higher road, she can’t touch me. Sirimathi and I stared blankly at each other as the conversation trailed off.

This is a spotlight, not a review.

The Tears of Dark Water by Corban Addison Spotlight!

Today I am happy to have at Celticlady's Reviews, a spotlight for The Tears of Dark Water by Corban Addison with review to follow at a later date!

Book Details Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 13, 2015) Language: English ISBN-10: 0718042204 ISBN-13: 978-0718042202

Daniel and Vanessa Parker are an American success story. He is a Washington, D.C. power broker, and she is a physician with a thriving practice. But behind the gilded façade, their marriage is a shambles, and their teenage son, Quentin, is self-destructing. In desperation, Daniel dusts off a long-delayed dream of theirs—a sailing trip around the world. Little does he know, the voyage he hopes will save them may destroy them instead.

Half a world away, on the lawless coast of Somalia, Ismail Adan Ibrahim is living a life of crime in violation of everything he was raised to believe—except this: the love and loyalty driving him to hijack ships for ransom and to plot the rescue of his sister, Yasmin, from the man who murdered their father. There is nothing he will not do to save her, even if it means taking innocent life.

Paul Derrick is the FBI’s top hostage negotiator. His twin sister, Megan, is a celebrated defense attorney. They have reached the summit of their careers by savvy, grit, and a secret determination to escape the memory of the day their family died. When Paul is dispatched to handle a hostage crisis at sea, he has no idea how far it will take Megan and him into the past—or the chance it will give them to redeem the future.

Across continents and oceans, through storms and civil wars, their paths converge in a single, explosive moment. It is a moment that will test them, and break them, but that will also leave behind an unexpected glimmer of hope—that out of the ashes of tragedy and misfortune the seeds of justice and reconciliation can grow.

About the Author

Corban Addison holds degrees in law and engineering from the University of Virginia and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He began to experiment with writing at the age of fifteen, about the same time he developed an interest in international travel. His early works were mostly essays, reflections and travelogues, but his true love was fiction. For eight years he searched for a story with wings. In the end, the story found him.

In the summer of 2008, Addison’s wife gave him an idea that he found irresistible—a novel on the global trade in human beings. Despite the increasing demands of career and family, he embarked upon an odyssey that took him to India and Europe and into the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. In immersing himself in the world of modern-day slavery, he spent time with experts and activists in the field and went undercover into the brothels of Mumbai to meet trafficking victims firsthand.

Out of this journey, A Walk Across the Sun was born. It is a novel that brings together three of Addison’s great passions—storytelling, human rights, and the world and its cultures—in a narrative that enlightens while it entertains. Addison is a supporter of international justice causes, including the abolition of modern slavery, and he is committed to broadening this support through the publication of A Walk Across the Sun.

Sorrow Lake By Michael J. McCann Review with Giveaway!

Today I am featuring Sorrow Lake by Michael McCann on Celticlady's Reviews along with Tribute Books. Please welcome Mr.McCann and his new crime novel! Plus there is a $25 Gift Card or Paypal Cash, open internationally. Scroll down to enter the giveaway!

Price/Formats: $5.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Genre: Murder Mystery
Pages: 316
Publisher: Plaid Raccoon Press
Release: April 30, 2015
ISBN: 9781927884027

Sorrow Lake Book Summary:

Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police is called in to investigate when a man from the village of Sparrow Lake is found shot to death, execution-style, in a farmer's field in rural eastern Ontario.

Leading an inexperienced team of detectives, she probes beneath the wintry surface of the township to discover the victim had a dark secret--one that may endanger others in the community as well.

For young and enthusiastic Detective Constable Kevin Walker, the chance to work with Ellie March is an honour, until the situation turns ugly and unexpected betrayal threatens to destroy his promising career.

My Review
"His breath visible in the early morning air, Detective Constable Kevin Walker made his was down the hill and across the farmer's field toward the body. There was a crust on the snow from freezing rai that had fallen tow days ago, and hos books punched crisp holes as he followed the footprints of the old man who'd spotted something in the middle of his field just after dawn and had come down to investigate."

Thus starts Sorrow Lake by Michael McCann. Sorrow Lake has a reputation; there have been other deaths on this lake. In the sixties, there was a boating accident that killed a man and some kids. There was a murder-suicide where a man killed his wife, his five children and himself. Looters killed a couple, a man and wife. Thus giving the lake it's name, Sorrow Lake.

An elderly man sees something out of his kitchen window and goes to investigate and sees a body lying in his field. The man is William (Bill) Hansen, and he was shot execution-style.

Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police has been called to help with the investigation in the man's death. Ellie has a complicated life, her children won't speak to her because she has always been involved in her work, so the children live with their father. We learn a bit about Ellie, but it is her skills as an investigator and not her private life that is important to the book. We do learn a little about her private life, and I feel that as the series goes along the reader will learn more about Ellie.

Young and talented Detective Constable Kevin Walker feels that working with Ellie March is an honor as she does have a reputation as being an exceptional investigator. He is inexperienced but makes up for his lack of experience with his enthusiasm.  I like his character; he is a likeable and honest cop. He is a bit naive, though, in that he shares and seeks answers from his mentor, Chuck Waddell, who was in the position that Kevin now holds, retired and now running a security firm. Can Chuck be trusted?

There are also a lot of other characters that play pivotal roles in the investigation. Some that will surprise you. Just who was Bill Hansen, what was he involved in and why was he murdered. Clues abound, and investigators are stymied trying to put these clues together as with each suspect is interviewed, they end up at a standstill in the investigation. It takes another detective to start putting the clues together, except he is hoping to advance his career if he is successful with his investigation.

I have read a few other books in Mr.McCann's Donaghue and Stainer Crime series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think this new series, March and Walker Crime series is off to a great start in this first book. Well written, understandable and suspenseful. You can't go wrong reading this and Mr.McCann's other novels.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.

The blog tour's official site is:
http://sorrowlakeblogtour.blogspot.com

Amazon buy links
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UZBQ6XE?tag=tributebooks-20Barnes and Noble buy linkhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sorrow-lake-michael-j-mccann/1121716996?ean=9781927884027

Michael J. McCann's Bio: 

Michael J. McCann was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) with a major in English Literature from Trent University in Peterborough, and a Master of Arts in English from Queen's University in Kingston, ON.

He served as Production Editor of Criminal Reports (Third Series) at Carswell Legal Publications (Western), where he was also Co-ordinator of Law Reports, before joining Canada Customs, now the Canada Border Services Agency. While at CBSA he was a training specialist, project officer, and national program manager before leaving public service to write novels full time.

Mike now lives and writes in Oxford Station, Ontario. He is married to supernatural novelist Lynn L. Clark. They have one son.

Mike is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and the Horror Writers Association.

He is an author of crime fiction and supernatural thrillers. His Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series includes Blood Passage, Marcie's Murder, The Fregoli Delusion, and The Rainy Day Killer. He is also the author of the supernatural thriller The Ghost Man and the first March and Walker crime novel Sorrow Lake.

Michael J. McCann's Web Site: 
http://www.mjmccann.com/

Michael J. McCann's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-J-McCann/130617140389341

Michael J. McCann's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MichaelJMcCann1

Michael J. McCann's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4724806.Michael_J_McCann

Michael J. McCann's Mystery Blog:
http://michaeljmccannsblog.blogspot.com/

Michael J. McCann's Supernatural Blog:
http://wallsofnightmare.blogspot.ca/

Michael J. McCann's Pinterest: 
http://www.pinterest.com/michaeljmccann/

Sorrow Lake Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499018-sorrow-lake
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Sorrow Lake blog tour site:
http://sorrowlakeblogtour.blogspot.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Planters of the Crown by Patrick Highers Spotlight with Review!

Today it is my pleasure to feature Planters of the Crown by Patrick Highers, a historical novel about the Reformation and Ireland. Mr. Highers has also graciously given me three copies of the 1st book in the series for a giveaway! All you need to do to win is tell me your favorite historical person and why in the comment section below the post. That is it, of course, please leave me a way to get in touch with you should you be lucky enough to win. 

Book Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Tate Publishing (April 7, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1634499360
• ISBN-13: 978-1634499361
• 
  

The Book
Cora came from nothing but experienced everything in a time of piracy, legend, and brutal persecution. Propelled by forces beyond her control, Cora endures the life of a planter in 16th century Ireland only to discover that those she trusted most would betray her. Her story is about powerful women and a man who could change her fate forever. Ireland's story is about the rule of Queen Elizabeth and those that opposed the monarchy. Grit and intensity, turbulent times of high adventure and drama, mire Cora's life with an uncertain fate. Will her every hardship bring an equal or greater blessing? She did not know, but she was ready to fight for all that she had learned to love. It was the Reformation; it was Ireland.

The Author
Patrick Highers has recently completed his first novel, 'Planters Book of Cora' and is working on his second novel in this series, 'Planters Book of Barbarians'. He is a North Carolina native and history enthusiast. Patrick holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and currently works in public service.
http://patrickhighers.tateauthor.com/ Purchase Links Available in Paperback, Kindle, Nook.
                                      Amazon
                                      Barnes and Noble

Patricks author page at Amazon
                                     Goodreads
                                     Facebook

My Review!
Gerald Fitzgerald, the ninth earl of Ireland, is imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason. He has just been made aware that his heir, Thomas, is dead. King Henry VIII, Gerald thinks has gone mad, he believes the imposters and pretenders. They want to turn his country against the crown and lead Ireland to war. It was the Reformation; It was Ireland.

Twenty years later:
Cora is a young woman living above a pub on Newgate Street in London. She works at the pub, she is part of the place, no one pays attention to her. She is pregnant and sold into slavery. Soon she is on a ship on her way to Ireland to work as a planter. On the ship, she meets two young men Eon and Randolph, whose lives will be intertwined with hers throughout the novel.

Miquel Avaje Fernandez is a man who is devoted to the Pope, captured by the Spaniards and sent to the shipyards at Southsea Castle. He is devoted to the Pope, who is his benefactor. He was with the Pope when word came of the fall of Queen Mary and the rise of Elizabeth I. He escapes and heads to Monmouth where he seeks the remaining monks who survived to keep the flames of the Romain faith burning. He finds them and makes them his 'apostles...to help him fulfill his mission.

Many other characters fill up the pages of this historical novel. Captain Roderick, the captain of the ship Cora, is on, Henry, his wife Emma and their daughter Agnes, Grace O'Malley, Irish female pirate and so many others. I love historical fiction, and I found Planters of the Crown to be well researched and tells the story of Irish freedom and how they fought the English Queen to keep their land and faith. Strong women dominate the story as they also fight for what they believe in. Victims and heroes alike tell a story that will keep you up at night. I look forward to the next in the series! Wonderful story!

I received a copy of the book for review and was not compensated in any way.

Read an Excerpt:
An excerpt from the chapter, Brittle Ground:     Ice covered everything in a crystalline film of intricately woven fibers, forming as the morning dew refused to evaporate and steadfastly clung to solid form. It was the coldest day of the season—a frost that came with a freezing that would last for months. The penetrating chill reached down into the earth without mercy to lock every living thing that might crawl or burrow in perpetual dormancy. This was a day that the dead would be counted and the living would blunder through the momentous task of breaking earth and picking stones. The planters were hauling the bodies out of the small community, and up onto the hilly ground outside the town of Carraigaholley. Richard rode behind, sickened with each turn as the thumping misshapen wheel banged down, jarring the corpses with unmerciful regularity. The canvas tarp had worked itself loose again and was flapping in the wind. His horse strained to break free and run past an outstretched arm that jutted out of the pile. The cold gray forearm disappearing in a mass of hair and bloody cloth that hinted of the gruesome cargo. He knew they were stacked under the tarp like cordwood, one atop the other. The cracked wood of the oxcart bowed at the sides, and he turned his eyes to avoid looking at the backs of the women marching up ahead. “Seven, not counting the girl,” Richard told Darby, the husky farmer who galloped up beside him. Darby was his friend; he was trusted among the chiefs, and Richard was grateful for his presence today. “Seven of our men, or seven in all?” Darby asked. “Seven of the English and one little girl. The mother’s up ahead.” Darby shook his head sadly. He was a broad-shouldered man with gentle blue eyes and a graying red beard that extended all the way down to his navel. “Where is the little one? How old was she?” Darby asked as his eyes showed a remorse that indicated a fatherly concern. “Her mother took her . . . last night, alone. The woman wrapped the girl’s body, couldn’t have been more than eight or nine years old.” Richard had not noticed the child among them; he remembered only the two boys, but he knew of the girl now. “I gave the mother what she needed.” Anything he thought to spare her more grief. Darby began to say something, his questioning eyes giving tell to the thoughts that Richard answered before he could speak. “The mother said she needed a knife and cloth and would accept nothing else.” Darby looked at the back of the women’s heads. They looked beaten, inconsolable. “Strange. Does she not have a man to comfort her, to help her?” Darby asked, noticing Emma Colley walking alone way ahead of the rest and carrying a handbag that seemed lavishly out of place among the mourners. Richard knew where her husband was but didn’t answer; the sickness of his wife’s attack had finally hit him. “What happened? What went wrong?” Darby asked. Richard was fixed in a position now because of Grace, his mind not really hearing what Darby was saying. “I’ll help them. I’ll help the women put these poor souls to rest,” Darby said, knowing his chief was preoccupied. “There are some that are able to dig, Darby. They are at the gravesite now, pulling the sod and piling the stones. Best leave them alone.” The two men watched on horseback from a distance as the planters made it to the summit and joined the men to bury their loved as well as the crew of theHumbart Keel.

Today I am featuring Sorrow Lake by Michael McCann on Celticlady's Reviews along with Tribute Books. Please welcome Mr.McCann and his new crime novel! Plus there is a $25 Gift Card or Paypal Cash, open internationally. Scroll down to enter giveaway!

Price/Formats: $5.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Genre: Murder Mystery
Pages: 316
Publisher: Plaid Raccoon Press
Release: April 30, 2015
ISBN: 9781927884027

Sorrow Lake Book Summary:

Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police is called in to investigate when a man from the village of Sparrow Lake is found shot to death, execution-style, in a farmer's field in rural eastern Ontario.

Leading an inexperienced team of detectives, she probes beneath the wintry surface of the township to discover the victim had a dark secret--one that may endanger others in the community as well.

For young and enthusiastic Detective Constable Kevin Walker, the chance to work with Ellie March is an honour, until the situation turns ugly and unexpected betrayal threatens to destroy his promising career.

My Review
"His breath visible in the early morning air, Detective Constable Kevin Walker made his was down the hill and across the farmer's field toward the body. There was a crust on the snow from freezing rai that had fallen tow days ago, and hos books punched crisp holes as he followed the footprints of the old man who'd spotted something in the middle of his field just after dawn and had come down to investigate."

Thus starts Sorrow Lake by Michael McCann. Sorrow Lake has a reputation, there have been other deaths on this lake. In the sixties, there was a boating accident that killed a man and some kids. There was a murder-suicide where a man killed his wife, his five children and himself. Looters killed a couple, a man and wife. Thus giving the lake it's name, Sorrow Lake.

An elderly man sees something out of his kitchen window and goes to investigate and sees a body lying in his field. The man is William (Bill) Hansen, and he was shot execution-style.

Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police has been called to help wih the investigation in the man's death. Ellie has a complicated life, her children won't speak to her because she has always been involved in her work, so the children live with their father. We learn a bit about Ellie, but it is her skills as an investigator and not her private life that is important to the book. We do learn a little about her private life, and I feel that as the series goes along the reader will learn more about Ellie.

Young and talented Detective Constable Kevin Walker feels that working with Ellie March is an honor as she does have a reputation as being an exceptional investigator. He is inexperienced but makes up for his lack of experience with his enthusiasm.  I like his character; he is a likeable and honest cop. He is a bit naive, though, in that he shares and seeks answers from his mentor, Chuck Waddell, who was in the position that Kevin now holds, retired and now running a security firm. Can Chuck be trusted?

There are also a lot of other characters that play pivotal roles in the investigation. Some that will surprise you. Just who was Bill Hansen, what was he involved in and why was he murdered. Clues abound, and investigators are stymied trying to put these clues together as with each suspect is interviewed, they end up at a standstill in the investigation. It takes another detective to start putting the clues together, except he is hoping to advance his career if he is successful with his investigation.

I have read a few other books in Mr.McCann's Donaghue and Stainer Crime series and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think this new series, March and Walker Crime series is off to a great start in this first book. Well written, understandable and suspenseful. You can't go wrong reading this and Mr.McCann's other novels.

I reviewed a copy of the book for review purposes only.

The blog tour's official site is:
http://sorrowlakeblogtour.blogspot.com

Amazon buy links
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UZBQ6XE?tag=tributebooks-20Barnes and Noble buy linkhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sorrow-lake-michael-j-mccann/1121716996?ean=9781927884027

Michael J. McCann's Bio: 

Michael J. McCann was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) with a major in English Literature from Trent University in Peterborough, and a Master of Arts in English from Queen's University in Kingston, ON.

He served as Production Editor of Criminal Reports (Third Series) at Carswell Legal Publications (Western), where he was also Co-ordinator of Law Reports, before joining Canada Customs, now the Canada Border Services Agency. While at CBSA he was a training specialist, project officer, and national program manager before leaving public service to write novels full time.

Mike now lives and writes in Oxford Station, Ontario. He is married to supernatural novelist Lynn L. Clark. They have one son.

Mike is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and the Horror Writers Association.

He is an author of crime fiction and supernatural thrillers. His Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series includes Blood Passage, Marcie's Murder, The Fregoli Delusion, and The Rainy Day Killer. He is also the author of the supernatural thriller The Ghost Man and the first March and Walker crime novel Sorrow Lake.

Michael J. McCann's Web Site: 
http://www.mjmccann.com/

Michael J. McCann's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-J-McCann/130617140389341

Michael J. McCann's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MichaelJMcCann1

Michael J. McCann's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4724806.Michael_J_McCann

Michael J. McCann's Mystery Blog:
http://michaeljmccannsblog.blogspot.com/

Michael J. McCann's Supernatural Blog:
http://wallsofnightmare.blogspot.ca/

Michael J. McCann's Pinterest: 
http://www.pinterest.com/michaeljmccann/

Sorrow Lake Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499018-sorrow-lake
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Sorrow Lake blog tour site:
http://sorrowlakeblogtour.blogspot.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enchantress of Paris: A Novel of the Sun King's Court by Marci Jefferson Spotlight with Giveaway!

Publication Date: August 4, 2015,
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press Hardcover & eBook;
 336 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

READ AN EXCERPT.

   
 
Fraught with conspiracy and passion, the Sun King's opulent court is brought to vivid life in this captivating tale about a woman whose love was more powerful than magic.
The alignment of the stars at Marie Mancini's birth warned that although she would be gifted at divination, she was destined to disgrace her family. Ignoring the dark warnings of his sister and astrologers, Cardinal Mazarin brings his niece to the French court, where the forbidden occult arts thrive in secret.
In France, Marie learns her uncle has become the power behind the throne by using her sister Olympia to hold the Sun King, Louis XIV, in thrall. Desperate to avoid her mother's dying wish that she spend her life in a convent, Marie burns her grimoire, trading Italian superstitions for polite sophistication. But as her star rises, King Louis becomes enchanted by Marie's charm. Sensing a chance to grasp even greater glory, Cardinal Mazarin pits the sisters against each other, showering Marie with diamonds and silks in exchange for bending King Louis to his will.
Disgusted by Mazarin's ruthlessness, Marie rebels. She sacrifices everything, but exposing Mazarin's deepest secret threatens to tear France apart. When even King Louis's love fails to protect Marie, she must summon her forbidden powers of divination to shield her family, protect France, and help the Sun King fulfill his destiny.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKS-A-MILLION | INDIEBOUND | MACMILLAN

ADVANCE PRAISE

“Told with vivid historical detail and packed with court intrigue, this is sure to please fans of royal fiction.” — Library Journal

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Years after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, immersing herself in a Quality Assurance nursing career, and then having children, Marci realized she’d neglected her passion for history and writing. She began traveling, writing along the way, delving into various bits of history that caught her fancy.

The plot for GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN evolved slowly after a trip to London, where she first learned about the Stuart Royals. Marci is a member of the Historical Novel Society. She resides in the Midwest with her husband, making hair-bows for their daughter, trying not to step on their son’s Legos, and teaching a tiny Pacific Parrotlet to talk. For more information visit Marci Jefferson’s website.
You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

BOOK BLAST SCHEDULE

Tuesday, August 4
Unabridged Chick
Wednesday, August 5
Unshelfish Beth's Book Nook Blog
Curling up by the Fire
Thursday, August 6
Book Lovers Paradise
History From a Woman's Perspective
Friday, August 7
100 Pages a Day
Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Saturday, August 8
Historical Readings & Reviews
Sunday, August 9
Book Nerd
Monday, August 10
Genre Queen
Tuesday, August 11
A Chick Who Reads
To Read, Or Not to Read
Wednesday, August 12
A Literary Vacation
So Many Books, So Little Time
Thursday, August 13
Broken Teepee
CelticLady's Reviews
Friday, August 14
A Book Geek The Lit Bitch
Saturday, August 15
The Maiden's Court
Sunday, August 16
Ageless Pages Reviews
Monday, August 17
Luxury Reading
Boom Baby Reviews
Tuesday, August 18
A Bookish Affair

GIVEAWAY

To enter to win a signed copy of Enchantress of Paris: A Novel of the Sun King's Court, please enter via the GLEAM form below.

Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on August 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open internationally. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the Sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Enchantress of Paris

Rainy Day Women by Kay Kendall Review!

Book Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Stairway Press (July 7, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1941071171
• ISBN-13: 978-1941071175

It's August 1969--right after the Manson murders in LA and the big rock concert set for Woodstock. Ditching her hopes for the concert, the intrepid amateur sleuth Austin Starr, infant in tow, flies across the continent to support a friend suspected of murdering women's liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver.
Then her former CIA trainer warns that an old enemy has contracted a hit on her. Her anxious husband demands that she give up her quest and fly back to him.
How much should Austin risk when tracking the killer puts her and her baby's life in danger?

Praise for Rainy Day Women
"Determined to clear a close friend who’s suspected of murdering a popular feminist leader, Austin Starr struggles to balance family and personal independence. Vivid detail of the 1960s and a clever plot make Rainy Day Woman an outstanding follow-up to Kay Kendall’s strong debut, Desolation Row.  Austin Starr is a memorable protagonist and Kendall’s skill at crafting a compelling mystery kept me turning the pages!"
- Robert Rotstein, author of The Bomb Maker’s Son and Corrupt Practices
 
"Kay Kendall’s second Austin Starr mystery will have you believing it’s 1969 all over again. In a book where the musical references mean you’ll find yourself humming tunes now known as “classic vinyl”, Kendall peppers her work with references to the times which make the decades disappear – and she respects her readers enough to not overdo it. Her sense of place as she allows the mystery to unfold within Vancouver’s University of British Columbia, beset by the rain for which the “wet” coast is known, is pitch perfect. Hot diggity - a thoroughly enjoyable read. Now I’m off to dig out my Bob Dylan albums and find an old bra I can burn."
- Cathy Ace, Author of The Cait Morgan Mysteries, and the WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries
 

"Feminism, the '60s, murder, and a friend in big trouble. Austin Starr is back to help, leaving her husband behind but bringing her baby along. Rainy Day Women is an entertaining and fast-paced mystery set in a turbulent time. Right on!"
- Bill Crider, Anthony Award-winning author of The Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery Series
 
"An exciting jaunt back to the days of flower power and Women's Lib, Kay Kendall's RAINY DAY WOMEN explores serious issues that still resonate today, nearly fifty years later. Austin Starr's second mystery (after 2013's DESOLATION ROW) packs danger and lots of heart, and hits all the right notes in depicting the late sixties. Austin is a smart, relentless sleuth with a baby on her hip and a Makarov pistol in her macramé purse. Right on, sister!"
- James W. Ziskin, author of the Ellie Stone Mysteries, STYX & STONE, NO STONE UNTURNED, and STONE COLD DEAD 

Kay Kendall writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the sixties. A reformed PR executive who won international awards for her projects, Kay lives in Texas with her Canadian husband, three house rabbits and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to her bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she's a Bob Dylan buff too.

RAINY DAY WOMEN published on July 7--the second in her Austin Starr Mystery series. The E-book and paperback are available now, and the audio-book will be soon.

She says, "In my mystery series featuring Austin Starr, amateur sleuth, I explore what life was like for a typical young woman--not a headline maker, not a Hanoi Jane or Angela Davis, but a moderate who nonetheless got swept up by history's tides during the turbulent sixties. All that turmoil lends itself to drama, intrigue, and murder."

Stairway Press published Kendall's debut mystery, DESOLATION ROW. in 2013, as well as RAINY DAY WOMEN. DESOLATION ROW was a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award in 2014 presented by Killer Nashville. A short story "Strangers on a Plane" launched in January 2015, on Kindle. It is part of a collection of 13 Kindle stories called THE PROMETHEAN SAGA.

Kay is a member of Mystery Writers of America and serves as secretary of its Southwest Chapter. Also a member of International Thriller Writers, she is a contributing editor to its monthly online magazine, THE BIG THRILL. Other organizations she belongs to include Crime Writers of Canada, Writers League of Texas, Houston Writers Guild, and the Texas Association of Authors. She earned degrees in Russian history and studied the Russian language in the Soviet Union, which accounts for her being a student of the Cold War and aficionado of Russian culture.

Other URLs
https://www.facebook.com/KayKendallAu...
http://www.amazon.com/Kay-Kendall/e/B...
https://twitter.com/kaylee_kendall 

My Thoughts
It is a time of women's freedom, a time of Woodstock, Charles Manson, and the Apollo moon landing. It is 1969 an amateur sleuth, Austin Starr, along with her infant son, are on their way to clear her best friends name. Her friend, Larissa is a suspect in the death of a woman's activist leader, she served the tea that was poisoned, at a meeting that all the women were. Austin and her husband David moved to Canada because they didn't believe in the Vietnam War, so David was a draft dodger. Austin had worked with the CIA, in the previous book Desolation Row, so she had some detective skills. Her husband is not real crazy about her gallivanting off to Seatle to help out her friend but he 'allows' her to go. The only way she can go is take their three-month son, Wyatt, along with her. This had to have been a lot harder to do in 1969 then it is now. 

This is a time where women are still under their husbands thumb, but this is a also a time when all of how a woman is treated is changing, they are now able to pursue an education and work outside of the home. There is a big movement across the country at this time of women's liberation. There are men who do not agree that a woman should have these types of freedom. I was 16 in 1969 and by the time I was 18 women's lib was full blown. I got on the bandwagon; it was exciting. Also, this was a magical time, a lot of changes in the world going on.

Austin arrives to help find out who killed Shona and why. She is told by her previous mentor not to investigate, but she does not comply, she tries but is too determined to find out what is going on and when another female college student is found murdered, Austin feels that these two cases are intertwined as Shona had been friends with the second victim. The race is on, and when Larissa is beaten up, things get real for Austin, and it makes her more determined, against her husband's wish.

I enjoyed this story; It brought back a lot of memories of a turbulent era. I could just hear Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, and Janis Joplin, long flowing hair and flower power. Watching the news with daily broadcasts of war images when I came home from school. That aside, I also enjoyed the plot, women's lib mixed with a murder mystery, active women who are determined to do what they feel is right. I look forward to Austin's growth as a character in the next installment of this story.

I received a copy of the book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.