After Paris by Renny DeGroot Blog Tour!

After Paris by Renny deGroot

Publication Date: July 8, 2016
Paperback & eBook; 364 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

From Shortlisted Author of the 2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, Renny deGroot comes a new Historical Fiction.

Liesbeth Zwart forges her identity with courage and aptitude while nursing in France during WW1. As Liesbeth Bos, she feels that identity melting away; the skills she needed as a nurse in Paris are of little use to her as a wife and mother in post-war Netherlands.

As she grapples to adjust to her new reality, she is confronted with a shocking discovery that sends her fleeing with her young daughter to start a new life in Canada. The New World forces Liesbeth to reassess her own life and beliefs, but will it be enough to save her fractured family?

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

About the Author

Renny deGroot is a first generation Canadian of Dutch parents. She is a published poet, song lyricist and novelist. Her debut novel, Family Business, was shortlisted in the Literary Fiction category, for the 2015 Emerging Writer Prize. She studied English Literature at Trent University.

Her strong Dutch roots continue to influence her while the love of her Canadian homeland with its beauty and freedom, flavors all that she does.

Renny lives in rural Ontario, Canada with her Great Pyrenees and Chocolate Lab.

For more information, please visit Renny deGroot’s website. You can also find her on Facebook.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 19
Interview at Nerd in New York
Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, September 20
Guest Post at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium

Wednesday, September 21
Review at Curling up by the Fire
Guest Post at What Is That Book About

Thursday, September 22
Review at A Book Drunkard

Friday, September 23
Review at Books, Dreams, Life

Saturday, September 24
Review at Queen of All She Reads

Monday, September 26
Guest Post by The Writing Desk

Tuesday, September 27
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, September 28
Spotlight at The Book Tree

Thursday, September 29
Review at Book Nerd

Friday, September 30
Review at Back Porchervations
Interview at Library Educated

Giveaway

To enter the After Paris Blog Tour Giveaway please enter via the Gleam form below.

– 3 winners will receive a copy of Family Business by Renny deGroot (2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist)

– 3 winners will receive a copy of the CD Macushla by renown Irish Tenor, Jimmy Carton (features songs from the era in which After Paris takes place)

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on September 30th. 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.

After Paris

@P_Creeden Chronicles of Steele: Raven Free Ebook Blast!

This is the complete Steampunk Fantasy novel – all four parts of the serial in one volume! Human life has value. The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor. The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint. Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed. Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.

Amazon

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Pauline Creeden

Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.

Follow Pauline Creeden: Website | Facebook | Twitter

#MoBPromos To Dance Again and Esmeralda and the Second Suitor by Hebby Roman Promo Tour!

TO DANCE AGAIN & ESMERALDA AND THE SECOND-HAND SUITOR  by Hebby Roman

The Sweetheart Kiss by Cheryl Ann Smith Cover Reveal!

 

Inside the Book:

Title: The Sweetheart Kiss

Author: Cheryl Ann Smith

Publisher: Lyrical Shine

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Format: Ecopy 

Jess Lucas works hard at the all-female PI firm Brash & Brazen, and after a brush with death, she’s determined to play hard too—preferably with a certain detective on the Ann Arbor police force . . .

Jess was stuck at a frenemy’s wedding, playing bridesmaid in a mustard-yellow monstrosity, when chaos erupted. First the bride’s ex tried to stop the wedding. Then someone really put a damper on the big day by sending a bullet through a stained glass window and into one of the groomsmen. At least her ugly dress came in handy to stop the bleeding . . .

While the poor guy is rushed to the ER, Jess gets grilled by a gorgeous cop who’s not thrilled to learn she’s part PI and part pit bull. But he has to admit she’s highly observant . . . and he observes that she’s pretty hot, too.

The thing is, Jess was walking up the same aisle as the victim, and Sam suspects she was the real target. It’s more than professional duty that makes him want to protect her—if he doesn’t arrest her first for interfering in his investigation . . .

   

MEET THE AUTHOR

A fan of romance fiction since the dark ages, author Cheryl Ann Smith loves to throw her heroines into danger, just to see what they’ll do. Her dream of publication came true in 2011 when the first in her historical romance series came out with Berkley Sensation. And starting on September 13th 2016, she’ll launch an exciting a new contemporary romance series with Kensington’s Lyrical Press. These books will mix her crazy sense of humor with the adventures of a trio of female private investigators, who are the kick-ass heroines Cheryl has always wanted to be.

While growing up, Cheryl never dreamed of being a writer. Then one afternoon she got a crazy idea and decided to write her own book. It took over five years, a marriage, and the births of her children to finish the manuscript. It was a hundred pages too long and thin on plot, but she took immense satisfaction in her accomplishment.

Naively, she was sure that book would sell to great fanfare. Agents and editors were less than enthusiastic. Thankfully, she stumbled onto Romance Writers of America soon after and that book got filed away forever. Since then her plots have improved and her page counts and writing time per book have been cut considerably. Cheryl lives in Michigan with her family, two cats and a very hairy dog. She enjoys outdoor adventures and traveling, when she has the time, and hopes to make her first visits to Europe and Australia in the very near future.

Visit her at http://www.cherylannsmith.com

   

Tour Schedule

Inkslinger's Opus

Literal Exposure

I’m Shelf-ish

The Hype and the Joomla

A Title Wave

Voodoo Princess

Books, Dreams, Life

My Bookish Pleasures

Celticlady's Reviews

Harmonious Publicity

Write and Take Flight

Celticlady's Reviews

From Paperback to Leatherbound

As the Page Turns

Lover of Literature

The Writer's Life

Bound 2 Escape

Book Cover Junkie

@douglaselyse The Christmas Eve Letter By Elyse Douglas Blog Tour!

The Christmas Eve Letter

By Elyse Douglas

Genre: Time Travel Romance/Women's Fiction

30-year-old Eve Sharland is browsing a Pennsylvania antiques store when she discovers an old brass lantern tucked away on a shelf.  She lifts it and sees something behind one of the sooty glass panes. To her surprise, she finds an unopened letter stuck inside.

The letter is postmarked December 24, 1885, and it is addressed to

Evelyn Sharland in New York City. Eve gasps and drops the letter.  That’s her name!  The letter is addressed to someone with her name in 1885: Evelyn Sharland.

Eve purchases the lantern and the letter, and returns to her New York City apartment.  Later that evening, she opens the letter and reads it, astounded by its contents.  She stares at the lantern in wonder and alarm, deeply moved by the story of a tragic romance.

A few days later, following a request in the letter, Eve cautiously lights the lantern.  To her utter shock, she finds herself in the past—in 1885 New York City.  Eve is thrown into a life far beyond what she could have ever imagined, as she gets involved with one of the richest families in New York City, and meets the handsome Patrick Gantly.  She must struggle to survive and return to her own time, even as her destiny is changed forever. 

Author Bio

Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the husband and wife writing team of Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse began writing poems and short stories at an early age, and graduated with a degree in English Literature. Douglas grew up in a family of musicians, astrologers and avid readers, and played piano professionally for 15 years. His great grandfather lived to be a 134 years old, and was the oldest man in the world when he died in 1922.  Their cat, Sir Eaton, loves to take sips from a good glass of Pinot Noir.

Some of Elyse Douglas' novels include: "The Other Side of Summer," "The Christmas Bridge," "Wanting Rita," "The Christmas Diary" and "The Summer Diary." They live in New York City.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elyse.authorsdouglas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/douglaselyse

www.elysedouglas.com

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2byGqaA

Cascadia by H.W. "Buzz" Bernare Review!

Release: July 11, 2016

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

ISBN: 978-1-61194-679-6

Price: $15.95

Kindle Price:  $7.55

Pages: 234

Distribution: Amazon/Ingram  

eBook Distribution: Kindle, Nook

Publicity Contact: MindBuck Media

Advance Praise for Buzz Bernard’s Cascadia

“In Buzz Bernard’s heart-pounding, gut-wrenching Cascadia, something wicked this way comes. Problem is, what’s coming is literally earth-shattering, and there’s no stopping it.”

• Reed Farrel Coleman, NYT bestselling author of Where It Hurts

"His story is riveting, scary, and entirely believable...  Cascadia is a compelling, page-turning thriller with the ring of truth.”  

• Jerry Thompson, author of Cascadia’s Fault

Praise for Buzz Bernard’s Eyewall, a Kindle

#1 Best Seller

“Readers will be amazed at how many lives are affected by a very deceptive force of nature.  Bernard’s story is very entertaining and a great read and it will captivate your imagination and attention from the very first paragraph.”

-  Sabrina Cooper, RT Book Reviews

“Eyewall is a well written and very gripping thriller.  This book is hard to put down.  [It] races along just like the hurricane that is bearing down on St. Simons Island.   It is an excellent thriller ….” Kathryn Poulin, Mysteries Etc.

The Book

Dr. Rob Elwood, a respected geologist, has studied the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a dangerous fault off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, for years. Now he’s having repeated nightmares of a massive earthquake and tsunami striking the region. Knowing he’s placing his reputation and career at risk, he goes public with his premonitions.

The quake fails to occur and Rob fears he’s lost everything. But the disaster does strike, just not when expected, and Rob finds himself not only vindicated, but hurled abruptly into a life-and-death rescue mission with his private aircraft.

Rob’s story intersects with several others, including that of a retired fighter pilot attempting to make amends to a woman he jilted twenty-five years earlier, and another of an elderly black man searching for legendary buried treasure along the rugged Oregon coast. 

The Author 

H. W. "Buzz" Bernard is a best-selling, award-winning novelist. 

His debut novel, EYEWALL, which one reviewer called a "perfect summer beach read," was released in May 2011 and went on to become a number-one best-seller in Amazon's Kindle Store.

PLAGUE ("One of the best thrillers of 2012″--novelist Al Leverone) came out in September 2012 and won the 2014 EPIC eBook Award in the suspense/thriller category.

SUPERCELL ("Races along with the speed of a twister"--novelist Michael Wallace) was published in late 2013 and became a best seller on Kindle as well as the winner of the 2015 EPIC eBook Award in the suspense thriller/category.

Buzz’s fourth novel and third in his "weather trilogy," BLIZZARD ("A terrific book"--novelist Deborah Smith) was released in February 2015. It led to his nomination for a 2016 Georgia Author of the Year award.

CASCADIA ("heart pounding"--Reed Farrel Coleman, NYT best-selling author WHERE IT HURTS) will be released in July.

Before becoming a novelist, Buzz worked at The Weather Channel as a senior meteorologist for 13 years. Prior to that, he served as a weather officer in the U.S. Air Force for over three decades.  He attained the rank of colonel and received, among other awards, the Legion of Merit.

His "airborne" experiences include a mission with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, air drops over the Arctic Ocean and Turkey, and a stint as a weather officer aboard a Tactical Air Command airborne command post (C-135).

In the past, he's provided field support to forest fire fighting operations in the Pacific Northwest, spent a summer working on Alaska's arctic slope, and served two tours in Vietnam. Various other jobs, both civilian and military, have taken him to Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Panama.

He's a native Oregonian and attended the University of Washington in Seattle where he earned a bachelor's degree in atmospheric science; he also studied creative writing.

Buzz currently is vice president of the Southeastern Writers Association. He's a member of International Thriller Writers, the Atlanta Writers Club, and Willamette Writers.

He and his wife Christina live in Roswell, Georgia, along with their fuzzy and sometimes over-active Shih-Tzu, Stormy. Buzz is represented by Jeanie Loiacano of the Loiacano Literary Agency.

Buzz's Website can be found at www.buzzbernard.com.

The Review

Everytime I read one of Mr. Bernards books, I am amazed at how knowledgeable he is and how he can write a story that could very well and most likely will happen. 

"The Cascadia subduction zone, a 680-mile fault that runs 50 miles off the coast of the Pacific Northwest -- from Cape Mendocino in California to Vancouver Island in southern British Columbia -- has experienced a cluster of four massive earthquakes during the past 1,600 years."

Cascadia starts out in the Clatsop Indian Village, January 1700, which is along the Oregon Coase near present day Seaside.  Legend has it that Thunderbird and Whale is a story about a massive earthquake, Thunderbird and the huge tsunami, Whale that follows. This is a story that has been handed down amongst the tribe for over 300 years and it is predicted that another quake and tsunami is due again.

Dr. Rob Elwood, a respected geologist has studied Cascadia extensively and is having nightmares about a huge earthquake. It is not a nightmare that happens once but happens frequently so it is actually a premonition. He wants to go public with his premonition but who will believe him? He struggles with this information but eventually does go public with it. People, of course, do not believe this will happen. Rob has predicted that this phenomenon will happen on the July 4th holiday. The holiday comes and goes and nothing happens until the next day.

Rob and his son are caught in the hugest earthquake to take place but narrowly escape in an airplane. The devastation is horrible, the worst that anyone can imagine in the US. Rob ends up in a rescue mission that could not only kill him but the woman that he has rescued.

With a cast of characters that you will like, a retired fighter pilot and the woman he jilted twenty-five years ago, to a black man who is looking for buried pirate treasure, you will get swept up, literally, into another nail-biting, edge of your seat story about nature's fury. Not only will you get involved in the story but you may even learn a bit of the force of nature that are earthquakes and tsunamis. 

Like I said before, once I get into one of Buzz Bernard's books, they are hard to put down. Well researched and edge of your seat unputdownable! If you like a story that is exciting, you absolutely have to read Cascadia. I loved it!

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. 

EverydayHappy Monthly Kit Giveaway!

Celticlady's Reviews Welcomes you to the EverydayHappy Monthly Kit Giveaway!

Thank you to the sponsor of this giveaway: EverydayHappy

Hosted by: Lil' Blog and More

If you're a fan of monthly kits, that help you save, you're going to love EverydayHappy! EverydayHappy sells monthly kits for diapers, wellness, and family - And the great thing? They're all designed to help you save on monthly costs! 

Lil' Blog and More recently reviewed their diaper kit, and was really impressed! You can check out her original review, by clicking HERE.

GIVEAWAY!

EverydayHappy has kindly agreed to give away one monthly kit, to one lucky winner! Enter for your chance to win, with the form, below:

Entry-Form

 

 Disclosure: The bloggers involved in this giveaway were not compensated, and are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter this giveaway. This giveaway starts September 23rd, 2016, and will end on October 7th, 2016 at 11:59 pm. The winner will be emailed, and have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen. Once a winner is drawn and confirmed, the name will be announced on the GiveawayTools form.

Jumbo Caramel Banana Muffins!

When waiting around killing time to go to a High Kings concert, I went into a bookstore and found the Taste of Home Fall Baking magazine. Inside were so many wonderful recipes that I didn't know which to choose first. Since I had some bananas waiting for me to do something with, I made these muffins. These have to be the best banana muffins I have had. So moist. I didn't make the big ones but made smaller ones to cut back a bit on the calories of each one. So good!

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling

YIELD:6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• CARAMEL ICING:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon 2% milk
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

• 1. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened.
• 2. Fill paper-lined jumbo muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 3. For icing, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag and drizzle over muffins. Yield: 6 muffins.

Nutritional Facts

1 each: 490 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated fat), 46mg cholesterol, 364mg sodium, 89g carbohydrate (62g sugars, 2g fiber), 5g protein .

© 2016 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC

For the Love of Grace by Andy Blackman Book Tour!

Book details Paperback: 222 pages Publisher: Clink Street Publishing (27 Sept. 2016) Language: English ISBN-10: 1911110535 ISBN-13: 978-1911110538

Blurb

Grace Backer had a life full of tragedy. But despite everything, she raised her son, Tom, with her secret intact. Tom is a prodigal child, destined to escape the slums of the East End of London for a better life; circumstances will make him flee his loving mother and their home much sooner than expected. Tom starts a new life in Odessa, Russia, and with the help of new-found friends starts a business. At last, he is finally accepted into a new and loving family, but one which holds its own dark secrets. A chance meeting with the son of a duke of the realm leads to close friendship and a new business partnership. When Tom decides to move his company to London and have his regal new friend run it, the firm thrives. However, not everything is as it seems, and Tom?s business soon conceals dangerous secrets of its own. Years later, when Tom finally decides to return to London, he is a wanted man, one hunted by the intelligence agencies. If he is finally to be reunited with his beloved mother and his best friend, he must fight to put the past behind him. But keeping secrets is never easy.

Purchase from Amazon UK

Purchase from Barnes & Noble

About Andy Blackman

After serving in the British Army for over twenty-five years in the Parachute Regiment, Andy Blackman today lives in Bedworth, Warwickshire and works within in the IT sector. In his spare time, he can be found visiting his three daughters and grandchildren.

The story starts off with Tom Sharapova the main character coming back to England after many years of absence.

Whilst the Intelligence services are wondering why a top assassin like Tom Sharapova has come to the UK, Tom remembers his birth and upbringing in the East end of London by his mother Grace.

Then the book changes to Grace’s story and goes back to when Grace was a Nurse during the War.  Grace married and loses her baby and husband to the War.

One day another nurse Julie who is her best friends comes and tells Grace she is pregnant, unlike Grace Julie is not married, so Julie moves in with Grace to have the baby.  Julie leaves the baby with Grace and flees.

Many years later when Tom is fourteen, the police arrive telling Grace Tom has been accused of murder, Grace does not believe it, but meets Tom that night in their secret place, and she believes him, before Grace met Tom she went to the dock and spoke to Ivor Sharapova the captain of a Russian cargo ship, who was the young sailor who she had met during the war, he agrees to spirit her son out of the country.

Once in Russia Tom with his new friend set up a haulage company, Tom eventually falls in love with his sister and they marry Tom taking her surname.  Tom’s friend is killed in a bomb explosion, Tom finds out from Natasha’s Uncle Vlad who survived the explosion that he is head of the Odessa Mafia family and they were after him, Vlad asks Tom to run the “family Business”, while he is in hospital, Tom agrees and soon becomes a ruthless enforcer for the family.

They try and kill Vlad again, but Tom saves him, only to have his wife and daughter killed by the fleeing assassins.  Tom makes a vow of vengeance over his family’s grave, going to Belize to track down the first killer.  Tom starts his quest for vengeance.

After Tom is settled in Belize, he saves the life of Grenville Hampton the second son of a Duke, they become best friends, Grenville decides to stay and have an adventure with Tom, eventually Grenville learns that his older brother has been killed and he is now the next in line for the Dukedom, and must return home.  After Tom’s Belize contact is killed Tom and Grenville hatch a plan for Grenville to take over Tom’s old company and set it up in the UK and still secretly track down those that killed Tom’s family.  Tom learns the UK/American intelligence agencies called it Operation Bloodstone when they tried to kill his uncle.

Eventually, Tom is left with one name on the list of those involved in Operation Bloodstone, and she is now the head of MI5 in the UK.

Tom evades the British intelligence agencies whiles he is in the UK, being hidden by Grenville.

Eventually, Tom is reunited with Grace, as they try and plan how to kill the head of MI5 Toms learns from Grace that she is, in fact, his birth mother and she can get him close.

Tom meets Alice, who is Grace’s helper, and they become close, eventually they come up with a plan and once it is all over Tom asks Alice to return with him to Belize.