The Conquerors Wife by Stephanie Thornton Blog Tour!

Publication Date: December 1, 2015

NAL/Penguin Group LLC.
eBook, Paperback; 496 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

A novel from the acclaimed author of The Tiger Queens, for readers looking for “strong and determined female protagonists” (Historical Novel Society) and “a sprawling historical saga” (Renee Rosen)…

We are the women who loved Alexander the Great. We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers.

And without us, Alexander would have been only a man.

Instead, he was a god.

330s, B.C.E., Greece: Alexander, a handsome young warrior of Macedon, begins his quest to conquer the ancient world. But he cannot ascend to power, and keep it, without the women who help to shape his destiny.

His spirited younger half-sister, Thessalonike, yearns to join her brother and see the world. Instead, it is Alexander’s boyhood companion who rides with him into war while Thessalonike remains behind. Far away, crafty princess Drypetis will not stand idly by as Alexander topples her father from Persia’s throne. And after Alexander conquers her tiny kingdom, Roxana, the beautiful and cunning daughter of a minor noble, wins Alexander’s heart…and will commit any crime to secure her place at his side.

Within a few short years, Alexander controls an empire more vast than the civilized world has ever known. But his victories are tarnished by losses on the battlefield and treachery among his inner circle. And long after Alexander is gone, the women who are his champions, wives, and enemies will fight to claim his legacy…

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel.

“The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora,” “Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt,” and “The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan” are available now. “The Conqueror’s Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great” will hit the shelves in December 2015.

For more information please visit Stephanie Thornton’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

My Review

Alexander the Great was the King of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon in the 300's BC. He was a great military man, having virtually no losses in battle. Alexander conquered Persia in the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. A lot of cities were named after him and becoming one of the most influential men in history.

 Hephaestion, the son of a Macedon nobleman, was Alexander's friend and close advisor and he plays a pivotal role in this story. Hephaestion and Alexander were friends throughout their lives. He married Drypteis and became part of the royal family.

Drypteis was the daughter of Stateira I and Darius III of Persia. Her family which included her mother, her sister Stateira, and her grandmother Sisygambis were captured by Alexander and kept with him for a great period of time. Even though Darius III tried on numerous occasions to ransom his family, he was not successful.

Roxana was a Bactrian princess and wife to Alexander. It was rumored that she killed  Stateira II. After Alexander's death, she gave birth to Alexander.

Olympias was queen consort to Phillip II and Alexander's mother. She was a very influential woman of her time.

Thessalonike was a princess of Macedon and step daughter of Olympias who raised her after her mother died, therefore, she was also a half-sister to Alexander.

These characters from history along with many more make this novel a treat to read, it brought back a lot of memories of Greek history to me as I had alway loved this period in history. I read a lot of Greek history in high school. This novel is impeccably researched by the author and she is definitely well versed in this time period. I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel that I have read of Stephanie Thornton and intend to read more.

I received this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my thoughts.

Unwrapping Noel by Jennifer Theriot Spotlight and Giveaway!

The Daddy Diaries by Joshua Braff Spotlight, Guest Post and Giveaway!

I am pleased to welcome Joshua Braff, author of The Daddy Diaries to Celticlady's Reviews today! I asked how he got into writing and how he chooses what to write, it is always interesting to ask an author these questions. There are always unique answers!

From Joshua:

How I Got Into Writing, And How I Choose What To Write

       I got bit by the writing bug in the third grade. I wrote a poem about my new puppy and remember being somewhat thrilled that my attempts to vividly evoke this dog forced my teacher’s hand on my shoulder. She’d never once touched me after a math quiz. In fact, during math, her look was one of concern. I became aware that my ability to write and my inability to conquer math made me somewhat unique. New York University accepted me with the promise I’d visit their learning center and ask for help if needed. Instead, I just aimed for essay exams, classes with final papers instead of final exams and actual creative writing courses. I took one math course in college and worked my ass off for a B+. Done.

       After college I decided I’d follow in my older brother Adam’s footsteps and leave the country for awhile. We both used our matured Israeli Bonds from our Bar Mitzvah's to fund post-college journeys. His had him climbing the Himalayas, disappearing from contact for three weeks, leaving my parents to call the American Embassy to ease their fears. He was fine, survived it all and came home talking of his amazing days. Three years younger I knew I’d be headed off to, but knew I wanted to try to settle somewhere and make money also. I heard there were kids taking their American diplomas to Japan and getting good paying jobs as teachers of English to Japanese salary-men and their families. So I chose Tokyo. Within a week I had one of those good paying jobs in a school. I also took on tutoring and that paid 80 bucks an hour for an English lesson to a four-year-old. “This is called green, Yuri. This one is blue.” Cha-ching! It was a very freeing time for me, living this independently, as a foreigner, an amazing lesson for a white American, heterosexual male from a mid to upper-class suburban upbringing. I was in the minority, and there was no escaping it. There was a lot to write in my journal at night. My roommate was a friend from home, a coincidence. She had lived in Japan before and was headed there once again. We decided to share an apartment. That fall she asked if I wanted to see what a synagogue in Tokyo looked like. A religious upbringing had me finished with Judaism, but I was curious as hell as to what a Japanese Rabbi might sound like. He wasn’t Japanese but an expat with a beard and a nice singing voice. The congregation was mostly westerners that had married Japanese women who either converted or were just playing along. I noticed, sitting there, the Torahs, the Judaic scripture that stood in an arc behind the Rabbi. I decided to give them voices, to allow them to speak as inanimate objects. The idea stayed with me all the way back to the apartment so I grabbed my journal and began to write. The Torah had just arrived in Japan and was telling the one next to him about his journey.

       “We were all in Israel, waiting for placement. Moishe (name of one of the Torahs) was given a gig in Jerusalem. Top notch assignment, we all wanted Jerusalem. Then Itzak gets Manhattan, Ethan gets Toronto and two seconds later I’m headed to Tokyo of all places. Tokyo?! How many Jews are in Tokyo? My kingdom to be sent to Crown Heights!” He goes on to try to escape his lame placement and gets caught trying to board a train in Shinjuku Station.

I read this piece to my roommate and she gave me huge feedback, saying, wow, you’re a real writer. I kept journaling, actually finding my voice, loving the endorphin release of writing a well-oiled sentence, one that might make people laugh, even think. I kept going at night, finding myself lost in it, my hand starting to ache as the words found their way out. I was also reading a lot at this time fostering my intake of words and letting my thoughts filter into my journaling.

       Once back in the United States I continued to teach English to Japanese business men in New York. When students wouldn’t arrive for class I’d pull the journal out and write creatively, attempting characters that spoke and interacted with other characters. I also remember wanting to impress my reader, my girlfriend at the time. She was a book freak, an English major at Colgate and she and I fell for each other before I left for Japan. Upon arriving home, we moved in with each other and married in 1995. At the time, computers were very antiquated but in homes for the first time. It was 1992. I had to place a floppy-disc into the face of the thing and remove it before plugging another one in. The bottom line was the end of the writing- journal and the beginning of being able to edit with great ease. Writing was about flipping paragraphs and sentences and now it was made a breeze. Everything technology would bring in the next 20 years would assist the creative writer in all ways. How anyone edited a three hundred page manuscript on a typewriter is beyond me. Let alone, communication with publishers through snail mail.

       I started writing what looked like short stories. It was my hobby, but I could sense that it defined me, made me different than those that didn’t communicate this way. I wrote about five different things and my older brother, Adam, wanted to read them. I handed them to him and his reaction was the beginning of everything for me. I admired his brain and his assessment of art in all aspects. He was an art major in college and possessed an even quicker and more poignant sense of humor than mine. He encouraged the hell out of me by reacting so positively. In hindsight, I see myself getting serious right about here, where it becomes a duty, in a sense, to tap into what it is I do better than the dude next door. I started spending more time on the computer. My wife is loving what I’m doing, encouraging the crap out of me. It’s good, keep going, funny, smart, what a great character. From here you can watch the film, The World According to Garp, to see what we looked like. I started to pull the humor out of my pieces, aiming for poignancy in the ethos of it all, hoping my characters would be written well enough to walk off the page and join us for dinner. My wife would read everything I wrote first, leaving me to pace like Garp, praying she’d finish the piece with tears in her eyes, maybe a knowing, upbeat grin, “You did it again.” I became a professional writer because my wife was falling even more in love with me after reading my fiction. We will be married forever.

       My wife is currently the brains behind our publishing company, Prince Street Press. After two novels with Algonquin Books, my wife, who’s been in the digital publishing industry for 20 years, approached me with the idea of forming our own press. She knew The Daddy Diaries was very current, a book about a current day family in a time where traditional marital roles are evolving in positive, nurturing ways. I’m working now on a sequel. My first.

About The Daddy Diaries

The Daddy Diaries is a humorous and poignant novel about a relationship between a stay at home dad and his two preteen kids. When his wife goes to work full time in a beach town in Florida, Jay must acclimate to life in the south. With a rich but stupid older brother, a lunatic townie friend and a teen son who’s ready to know what a “threesome” is, Jay’s world is thrown about as far as California to Florida.

Social Links:

Webpage:           http://joshuabraff.com/

Blog:                      http://joshuabraff.com/blog/

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

Twitter:                https://twitter.com/joshuabraff

Where to Purchase:

Amazon.com

About Joshua Braff:

Joshua Braff is the author of three novels, The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green, Peep Show, and The Daddy Diaries, published May 5, 2015. The Daddy Diaries is a memorable take on contemporary fatherhood and a clear-sighted look at how the upending of traditional marital roles can affect the delicate balance of familial love. Braff's work can also be found in The Huffington Post and in multiple anthologies. He has an MFA from St. Mary's College and lives in Northern California with his wife and two children. Visit his website for more information.

Giveaway:

1^st Prize: Kindle Paperwhite plus ebook or paperback copy of The Daddy Diaries

2^nd Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of The Daddy Diaries

3^rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of The Daddy Diaries

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Finders Keep Her By H.B. Stumbo Cover Reveal!

Finders Keep Her

By H.B. Stumbo

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Thriller

A continuation of the Hide and Seek Her series

I had survived time. Above everything I had been through, every bruise, cut, blow to the head or blow to the heart, nothing left a scar quite like that of time. It was unreal to me that I was even still breathing. I felt like breathing was a chore, one that I could have and should have given up but by some crazy divine power, I was meant to live. Time was the enemy. Time was the hardest thing I would have to get through. I was haunted.

Haunted by two ghosts and time.

Jackson Greene; the worst part of my life that would never let me be. Vance Wait; the best thing that ever happened to me that left a sour taste in his wake. Two ghosts with two different motives. 

I may be surviving time, but I had a feeling that time was going to eventually kill me.

Website: http://www.hbstumbo.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HBStumbo

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1XJ68YA

Woodie Specs Men’s Walnut Wood Watch Giveaway!

One Lucky US or Canadian Winner will receive a Woodie Specs Men’s Walnut Wood Watch valued at $109.00.

Traditional Red Mulberry Scented Candles Review and Giveaway #EnlightenedAmbience

TRADITIONAL, SCENTED VOTIVE CANDLES, RED MULBERRY, LONG-BURNING, MADE IN U.S.A., BULK SET OF 24 This fruity wild red mulberry blend with tangerines and cherry scent will fill your home with a sweet tangy fragrance. Candles set the mood and stage any event, and ours are: Ideal for making a room feel comfortable and cozy Long burning (14-16 hours) The perfect gift for a house warming, hostess, and adult birthday or for any holiday occasion. These candles are full of fragrance.

The first English Colonist to explore what is now know as Virginia mentioned the abudance of red mulberry trees and their fruit beginning american's love of this native fruit making this traditional fragrance enjoyed by Americans for many generations.

These candles are made to be placed in a votive holder with a two-inch opening. The wicks should be trimmed to 1/4 of an inch to achieve the best burn time. 

http://www.amazon.com/Enlightened-Ambience-TRADITIONAL-MULBERRY-LONG-BURNING/dp/B00R0HT50W

My Thoughts

I received a 24 count package of Traditional Red Mulberry Scented Candles for review from #EnlightenedAmbiance. That said, I love candles, any kind and size. Candles give me a comfortable and cozy feeling, plus they help if the power goes off.

These Traditional Red Mulberry Scented candles are strong in smell, pleasantly so, although I did notice that they do not smell the same way burned as unlit. Not sure why that is but they are still nice smelling candles.  These are a votive size so make sure you use that size holder, nothing smaller. 

I love these candles and I think that they will last a very long time making this a great purchase if you are looking for a gift for Christmas. This Mulberry fragrance is perfect for the holidays!

As stated before, I received a 24 ct. Carton of the candles for review and was not monetarily compensated for my thoughts.

And now for the Giveaway! I am authorized to give away one 24 ct carton of the Traditional Red Mulberry Scented Candles

To Enter, just tell me your plans for Christmas, US only please, plus leave an email address so I can contact you should you win. Giveaway Ends 12/15

Thank you and Good Luck!

Wakey Coffee - Box of 12 Single Serve Coffee Review !#naturecups Plus a Three Count Kcup

About the Product

• RICH, FLAVORFUL BOLD ROAST - 12-Pack box of single-serve cups of best-selling coffee blend "Wakey Bold"
• KEURIG 2.0 COMPATIBLE - Works in ALL K-Cup "single serve" style brewers -including all of the original Keurigs, and the new Keurig 2.0
• 100% RECYCLABLE - Made in the USA from ALL recyclable materials, you can enjoy your coffee AND do your part to help our environment.
• PIQUE OF FRESHNESS - One of the biggest keys to great flavor is freshness.  We've minimized the time between harvesting, roasting, grinding and sealing, so you'll only receive FRESH-HARVESTED ground coffee in each and every cup.
• "BEAN-TO-SEAL" QUALITY - Responsibility is taken in EVERY stage of our coffee-making process.  Our #1 priority is that your coffee is grown, harvested, roasted, and packaged responsibly, and with the utmost care - both for you and the environment.

http://www.amazon.com/Wakey-Morning-Coffee-Keurig-Recyclable/dp/B016FSA48S

My Thoughts

I received a 12 count and a 3 count sampler for review at a nominal cost to me. Hubby and I are both coffee snobs, meaning we don't drink the usual storebought coffee that tastes like restaurant coffee which is not very good. We actually have two separate coffee makers in the house. He has a regular drip grind and I have my Keurig, which I love. I only usually drink one or two cups of coffee daily but when I have a cup of coffee I need one that is dark roasted and a full bodied bold flavor.

Wakey Wakey is just the thing to have since I do love a good dark rich flavor. Another reason that this is a great coffee and company as they are doing what they can with the recyclable cups to help save the environment. We all have to do what we can. Thes kcups are Keurig compatible so they are perfect!

I liked this coffee and will probably order more. Like I said I received the product for review at a nominal fee.

Letters from a Patchwork Quilt by Clare Flynn Spotlight!

Publication Date: Sept 2015 (eBook) | Oct 2015 (PB)
Cranbrook Press
350 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

In 1875 England, a young man, Jack Brennan, from a large and impoverished Catholic family refuses to be pushed into the priesthood and runs away to fulfil his dream of becoming a teacher.

Jack falls in love with Eliza Hewlett, but his dreams and plans are thwarted when his landlord’s daughter, Mary Ellen MacBride, falsely accuses him of fathering the child she is expecting.

Rather than be forced to marry his accuser, Jack decides to run away to America with Eliza. Just as they are about to sail, Jack is arrested and dragged from the ship, leaving Eliza alone en route to New York with just a few shillings in her pocket.

PRAISE

“The story is different, original and touching. It’s interesting to read how the lives of Jack and Eliza unfold in different countries. The plot is powerful, the characters are well sketched, memorable, and their personalities will remain in the minds of readers even after they finish the story. It’s a story of love loss and tragedy; a heartbreaking and moving tale where readers will wish to see Jack and Eliza reunited and happy together. The narration is descriptive; it also speaks about the society that existed during that age and pulls readers into the story. It’s well written and the story is not predictable, making it a engaging read.” -Readers’ Favorite (5 Star Medal)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Clare Flynn is also the author of A Greater World, set in Australia in 1920 and Kurinji Flowers, set in India in the 1930s and 40s. She is a graduate of Manchester University where she read English Language and Literature.

After a career in international marketing, working on brands from nappies to tinned tuna and living in Paris, Milan, Brussels and Sydney, she ran her own consulting business for 15 years and now lives in West London. Co-founder of the popular website, Make it and Mend it, and co-author of the 2012 book of the same name, Letters From a Patchwork Quilt is her third novel.

When not writing and reading, Clare loves to splash about with watercolours and grabs any available opportunity to travel – sometimes under the guise of research.

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Retribution By: Natasha Knight Cover Reveal!

Title: Retribution

By: Natasha Knight

Publication Date: January 12, 2016

Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Adam

Payback’s a bitch — or it would be for Elle.

Fifteen years ago, my sister was kidnapped. For months, she’d endured hell. Somehow, she’d survived it. Someway, she’d escaped her captors. But it hadn’t mattered. In fact, it had been like losing her twice, because six weeks after she came home, she was dead, and the man responsible was alive and well, oblivious to her fate, ignorant to what he had coming.

Fifteen years I’d been waiting for this moment, all that time, planning, preparing, readying to put things into motion. To finally make the SOB pay for what he’d done.

Killing him was too easy. Too quick. No. There was a much better way to exact revenge.

Take what he loved best.

Break it.

Break her.

I just didn’t realize that in the process of destroying the girl, I’d destroy myself.

Elle

“I only want your pain.”

I hadn’t understood what those words meant, not really. Not until he made me understand.

I noticed Adam the very first day he moved into my building. He was a badass on a bike in a thousand-dollar suit. When he looked at me, it was with a hunger just this side of obscene. One glance from him and I was lost.

Our meetings were strange, accidental. Too coincidental. There was something about Adam. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.

Something I couldn’t resist.

He told me I didn’t know him. He warned me to run as far from him as I could. He was moody. Dark. I’d found it romantic. I didn’t know, and I wouldn’t realize until it was too late that he’d meant for me to heed his warnings. That some part of him had hoped I would run, that I would escape him.

For too many years, vengeance had fueled him. It had taught him hate. The object of that hate? My father. And me? I was the means to my father’s end. Adam would destroy my father by destroying me. 

I accused him of being a monster, of being no different than those who took his sister, but even in the harshest moments, all I could see in his eyes was pain. And like a fool, all I wanted was to touch that darkness.

To make it light.

Retribution is a full-length, complete Dark Romantic Suspense novel. No Cliffhanger. Intended for mature readers. 

Other Books by Author

(Click for more information and to purchase)

Natasha Knight is the author of several BDSM and spanking erotic romances all of which explore the mind of the Dominant male and the submissive female, discovering just beneath the surface of each story that key element of love. Her characters are as human as she: powerful but vulnerable, flawed, perhaps damaged but with an incredible capacity to love.

Sign up for Natasha's Newsletter to get all the information on her newest releases!

Social Media Links 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Natasha-Knight-Author-Page-386742471394951/?ref=hl Twitter - @NatashaKnight13 
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6478732.Natasha_Knight

Cover Reveal for Jackson Stiles by Jo Richardson!

Jackson Stiles

Road To Redemption Series #1

by Jo Richardson

Publication Date: June 2016

Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations

Genre: Romance/Action

Jackson Stiles is used to having bad days, but they’ve been especially bad since a certain tabloid reporter seems to have it out for him. Emma Green doesn’t mean any harm. She simply sees it as her duty to report the misdeeds of certain Private Detectives who charge too much in a society where people need more superheroes and less villains; something even Jackson has convinced himself he deserves to be called, deep in his gut. When the two of them realize they’re investigating the same suspicious circumstances, Emma makes Jackson an offer he only wishes he could refuse. But can the man who trusts no one allow the one woman he can’t stand help him get to the bottom of a murder he feels responsible for? Exposed and unsure, these two unexpected allies come together to unmask the mysteries cloaked in plain sight while uncovering secrets within each other. A lost soul and a seeker of truth travel down the road to redemption and discover more than they bargained for.

Other Books by Author

(Click for more information and to purchase)

DreamCast

A movie fanatic, a writer of stories, a lover of life. I grew up in Maryland with four siblings, three parents and an endless number of cousins within the vicinity – but it was too cold up North for this thin blooded girl. So today, I live in Florida with my two girls and a husband that shares my same sense of humor and basic take on life as we know it. Life is too short to put dreams on the back burner. I write both contemporary and paranormal stories that include mystery, suspense, humor, action, romance, and anything else I can think up.

Social Media Links
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JRRichardsonFics
Twitter - @JoFictionFreak
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/JRRIchardson
Website - http://jowrites.weebly.com
Google + - https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JoWriter/posts