Reviews!

To any authors/publishers/ tour companies that are looking for the reviews that I signed up for please know this is very hard to do. I will be stopping reviews temporarily. My husband passed away February 1st and my new normal is a bit scary right now and I am unable to concentrate on a book to do justice to the book and authors. I will still do spotlight posts if you wish it is just the reviews at this time. I apologize for this, but it isn't fair to you if I signed up to do a review and haven't been able to because I can't concentrate on any books. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. I appreciate all of you. Kathleen Kelly April 2nd 2024

14 September 2018

The Gold Pawn (An Art Deco Mystery) by L.A. Chandlar Book Tour and Giveaway! @LAChandlar


The Gold Pawn (An Art Deco Mystery) by L.A. Chandlar

About the Book

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Kensington 
(September 25, 2018) 
Paperback: 336 pages 
ISBN-10: 1496713435 
ISBN-13: 978-1496713438 
Digital ASIN: B078QSRGRY 
November 1936. Mayor La Guardia’s political future buckles under a missing persons case in New York City. Simultaneously, Lane unravels devastating secrets in the outskirts of Detroit. As two crimes converge, judging friends from enemies can be a dangerous game . . .
Finally summoning the courage to face the past, Lane Sanders breaks away from her busy job at City Hall to confront childhood nightmares in Rochester, Michigan. An unknown assailant left Lane with scattered memories after viciously murdering her parents. However, one memory of a dazzling solid gold pawn piece remains—and with it lies a startling connection between the midwestern tragedy and a current mystery haunting the Big Apple . . .
Meanwhile, fears climb in Manhattan after the disappearance of a respected banker and family friend threatens the crippled financial industry and the pristine reputation of Lane’s virtuous boss, Mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia. Fio’s fight to restore order leads him into more trouble as he meets a familiar foe intent on ending his mayoral term—and his life . . .
Guided by overseas telegrams from the man she loves and painful memories, only Lane can silence old ghosts and derail present-day schemes. But when the investigation awakens a darker side of her own nature, will she and New York City’s most prominent movers and shakers still forge ahead into a prosperous new age . . . or is history doomed to repeat itself?
Kensington and I have special thank you gift to anyone who pre-orders THE GOLD PAWN and registers here>>>http://sites.kensingtonbooks.com/lachandlar/

It’s a limited edition gold author card, swag and a Silver Gun bracelet :-).  

About the Author

L .A. Chandlar is the author of the Art Deco Mystery Series with Kensington Publishing featuring Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and a fresh take on the innovation and liveliness of 1930s New York City. Her debut novel, The Silver Gun released August 29, 2017, and the sequel, The Gold Pawn, will release September 25th, 2018. Laurie has been living and writing in New York City for 16 years and has been speaking for a wide variety of audiences for over 20 years including a women’s group with the United Nations. Her talks range from NYC history, the psychology of creativity, and the history of holiday traditions. Laurie has also worked in PR for General Motors, writes and fund-raises for a global nonprofit is the mother of two boys, and has toured the nation managing a rock band.
Author Links
Purchase Links
a Rafflecopter giveaway 
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
September 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, RECIPE
September 12 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 13 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW
September 14 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
September 15 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 16 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
September 17 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
September 17 – Handcrafted Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 18 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Ruff Drafts– RECIPE
September 20 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
September 21 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – GUEST POST
September 22 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 23 – Readeropolis – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 24 – My Reading Journeys – CHARACTER GUEST POST
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Thread for Pearls by Lauren Speeth Book Spotlight and Interview!


“Thread for Pearls: A Story of Resilient Hope” Lauren Speeth | Elfenworks Productions Paperback | 978-0-9997071-0-4 | $16.95 | Sept. 6, 2018 eBook | 978-0-9997071-1-1 | $9.99 | June 4, 2018 Historical Fiction | Coming of Age
Debut novel journeys through eras of political turmoil with a message of overcoming struggles while finding yourself
SAN MATEO, California – Set during one of the most politically divisive eras in American history, Thread for Pearls is a coming-of-age tale that takes the reader on a wild ride as they experience for themselves what it was like to be a child of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Readers follow young heroine Fiona Sprechelbach as she experiences bomb scares and be-ins, ashrams and acid trips, finding her path to adulthood.
“Those were unsettling times to grow up in, and many were left feeling a bit estranged and unseen, like unicorns,” author Lauren Speeth said, adding, “I wrote the book to help heal that feeling, while still honoring that unique element in us all.”
Like the book, the author book tour will celebrate resilient hope and post-traumatic growth. Author readings will take place at selected nonprofits whose issues resonate with the storyline in some way. All of the proceeds from audience purchases during those evenings will be gifted to the nonprofit host.
Lauren Speeth has shared her stories in film and print over the years with audiences around the world, to critical acclaim. Her diverse storytelling interests cover many mediums: from books about the American experience to 3-D films about Irish spirituality, to music about love and life. In this, her first novel, she shares what she has come to understand as the fundamental human experience of resiliency and hope. When not dreaming up stories, Speeth leads Elfenworks Productions, LLC, a pro-social business with internationally acclaimed media content, and The Elfenworks Foundation, where she has assembled a team of social entrepreneurs who work together daily on projects that foster the greater good.
About the Book
A near-death experience in a car with her mother; running from tear gas at a Vietnam War rally hand-in-hand with her pop; a year in India learning side-by-side the country's "untouchables;" the highs and lows of living on a rural Pennsylvania commune... and all before Fiona Sprechelbach's thirteenth birthday.
Set during one of the most politically divisive eras in American history, Thread for Pearls is a coming-of-age tale that takes us on a young heroine’s journey to faith and freedom amidst a turbulent family dynamic. Two decades of American history, 1962 to 1982, are conveyed through the eyes of young Fiona Sprechelbach. It’s a story of resilient hope that questions whether it’s the events of our lives that define us or the thread on which we choose to string them.
About Lauren Speeth

Master storyteller Lauren Speeth has cast her vision “beyond film and music” over the years with audiences around the world, to critical acclaim. Her interests run the gamut, from books about the American experience to 3-D films about Irish spirituality, to music about love and life. Nearly a dozen years ago, she penned her first book, a coffee-table book entitled Tracks of Hope: The Forgotten Story of America’s Runaway Train and How We Can Get Back on Course, illustrating it with her own photographs. Her second book, Intelligence & Compassion in Action: The Seven Pillars for Social Entrepreneurs, has been translated into Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Ukrainian. In her novel "Thread for Pearls," her first work of historical fiction, she shares what she has come to understand as the fundamental human experience of resiliency and hope. As with all her other works, hope is an abiding theme, and she brings it bear each day at Elfenworks Productions, LLC. 
An Interview with Lauren Speeth
1. How long did this book take to write?
It took about ten years. Why it took so long is that I had a lot of research to do, and I did it in fits and starts, also taking care of the other responsibilities of my life.
2. You have a very busy life. When do you make time to write?
I write on Fridays. I carve out the day and don’t go in to work at all.
3. Why did you write this book?
Why does anybody write anything? I wrote because it just had to be written. There was a story that wanted to be told and wouldn’t let me alone until I told it.
4. Any suggestions for would-be authors?
Get started. Just get everything down on paper. Then, you can edit later. Don’t be your worst critic.
5. What are your hopes for this book?
I love getting lost in a book, and entering another world. I wanted to try my hand at giving people that. My hope is that people will immerse themselves in the world of young Fiona Sprechelbach, and emerge with more hope – plus a few tools for life’s journey.
6. Who’s the audience?
Everyone... I hope. But seriously, maybe students who are the same age as Fiona towards the end of the book, or else people who’ve lived through the times I tell.
7. There are some very hard moments in the book.
Yes, there are. But then, every one of us faces hard moments. A book without them wouldn’t be very interesting or real. It certainly wouldn’t be a book that would interest me to write.
8. Why did you include the ones you did?
Fiona is a young girl, and as the #metoo movement has shown us this past year, it felt right to touch on something that’s so common as to be almost universal in our consciousness. But I could have chosen any number of other issues to write about the aftermath. What do you do with such experiences? That’s a key question explored in the book. I speak to students all over the world and some of them have faced things that are much worse than I depict in Thread for Pearls. Some are almost crushed by them. Others seem so lost and depressed. I think we could all use more stories of hope. I have tried to craft a book with post-traumatic growth, ending it on a strong note of hope.
9. Do you think a book set in the 1960s and ‘70s has relevance? Absolutely. I started
with the idea of focusing on a time in our American history that was quite difficult in a lot of ways, to bring an overarching message of transcending our circumstances that is always relevant. But as the writing progressed, I began seeing so many echoes from the ‘60s and ‘70s occurring today. There are protests, unrest, war... so many parallels to those days. Let’s see if the readers agree.
10. Why did you choose some of the character names that you did? I tried to choose
names that told you a little about the character you were meeting. For example, I had a lot of fun with a character who nicknamed himself “Cassowary” Cass. People who know their zoo animals understand that the cassowary is a bird that can be deadly, so this fellow was trying to say, “Look out!"
11. Last book to make you cry?
The book by Ursula LeGuin called No Time to Spare, because I was reading it at the time I found out she passed away. She was one of my favorite authors, growing up, and I’d so wanted to send her a copy of my book, imagining that somehow, she might say something kind to me about it. I miss her, even though I’ve never met her. Getting to know an author feels personal, somehow.
12. What genres do you avoid?
As a reader, I find I avoid horror. I have a vivid imagination, and my mind tends to run with the images I see, so I like to feed myself images of consolation, not desolation. That said, horror can be a great genre for really exploring some important social issues. In my own case, though, I opt for a sci- fi setting, because it helps me remember that what I’m seeing isn’t actually real.
13. What’s the most interesting thing you learned in a book recently? Madeleine
Albright’s most recent book, Fascism, A Warning, gave me a great new definition of the word. To her, a fascist is “someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary – including violence – to achieve his or her goals. So, a tyrant needn’t be a fascist, though a fascist is very likely a tyrant. I love language, and this definition really fascinated me.
14. Best book you’ve read about cooking?
Oh, that’s a funny question. It’s an open secret that I’m a terrible cook. I’ve actually shattered Pyrex with my attempts. My first cookbook was The Joy of Cooking, though “joy” and “cooking” don’t really go together in my mind. I love cleaning up after other people cook.
15. What’s something readers don’t know about you?
I have always had dogs, but I’ve always secretly wanted a kitten, even though I’m very allergic to cats. I just think they’re so adorable. I guess The Rolling Stones were right that you can’t always get what you want. I do have what I need though, with my two puppies, Ginger and Nutmeg. They’re the best.


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13 September 2018

A Penny Lost by Aspen Bassett Book Tour and Giveaway! @achickadee9 @iReadBookTours #APennyLost #AspenBassett

Book Details:
Book Title: A Penny Lost by Aspen Bassett
Category: YA Fiction, 232 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
Release date: Jan 13, 2018
Tour dates: Sept 3 to 14, 2018
Content Rating: PG (There's a kiss and some mild violence)

 Book Description:
Penelope Grace, usually forgotten under the shadow of her twin sister's perfection, tries her hardest to hide her freakish ability to see into anyone's soul.

 Until she senses an unusual energy like a human-shaped void in the universe. When Penny investigates the source, she gets tossed through a crack in time along with the cute boy next door. The Void follows them through history, increasing the dangers as if testing Penny. But what is it testing for? And why does it claim to know her better than even she knows herself? Even as Penny searches for answers, she must fight to survive the tragedies of both the past and future in order to get back home.
​Buy the Book:


Meet the Author:

Aspen Bassett works at a library, telling stories and suggesting books. When she's not working, she's usually sipping hot cocoa and wondering what would happen if she had superpowers. She's been published in multiple anthologies including Oomph: A Little Super Goes a Long Way and Inaccurate Realities.

 Aspen grew up learning about chakras and auras and the true power of imagination which slips into her writing whether she intend it to or not. In college, when she wasn't busy working on her degree in Creative Writing, Aspen also got her certificate in Women's Meditation (basically general energy work). Now, she's working toward a diploma in Integrated Healing Arts with a certificate in Hypnotherapy.
Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Sept 22, 2018


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The Legacy of Lies Series by Tara Leigh is coming soon! @InkslingerPR and @TaraLeighBooks.

Add LEGACY OF LIES to Goodreads: 

Goodreads ➜  http://bit.ly/2LEcx7Y

Money. Status. Wealth. Power.
I believed I was entitled to all of it.
My legacy.
Jolie Chapman.
I thought I was entitled to her, too.
My love.
In a scandal that set our families against each other, I lost.
My legacy.
My love.
Everything.
I was heir to a throne built on lies, my crown forged from corruption.
Stripped of everything I'd been raised to consider my birthright.
Including my princess—who wasn’t mine, after all.
I’ve spent the past decade rebuilding my life, on my own terms.
Money. Status. Wealth. Power.
They’ve been earned.
Screw me once, shame on you.
Screw me twice—
Who am I kidding? I don’t believe in second chances anymore.
Now I’ve returned to Manhattan for redemption, too.
Jolie wasn’t supposed to be here.
… And I wasn’t supposed to care.
THRONE OF LIES (prequel novella to Legacy of Lies)  by Tara Leigh is
releasing on October 11! 
Add THRONE OF LIES to Goodreads:
Goodreads ➜  http://bit.ly/2MlQgwm
I was called a prodigal son.
A scion of Midas.
I believed it. Why wouldn’t I?
Everything my father touched turned to gold.
The proof was all around me.
Luxury cars.
Elite schools.
A billion-dollar business.
Even my girlfriend, a Park Avenue Princess.
I reigned from a throne of lies.
My fall from grace… wasn’t graceful at all.
-------------

AUTHOR BIO:


Tara Leigh writes steamy contemporary romance featuring tortured heroes worth lusting after and the women they didn't know they needed. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, childre and fur-baby, Pixie.

AUTHOR LINKS:


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12 September 2018

The Thalanian Dynasty Forever Theirs Book Tour! @Katee_Robert #ThalanianDynasty @Barclay_PR

Have you discovered THE THALANIAN DYNASTY series by NTY Bestselling Author Katee Robert?
FOREVER THEIRS IS LIVE!
In FOREVER THEIRS an exiled prince, his bodyguard and the woman they can’t seem to leave alone, must return home to clear his mother’s name and reclaim his crown. Fans of Laura Kaye’s THEIR’S TO TAKE or Sierra Simone’s AMERICAN QUEEN will devour this cinderella-esque ménage.
Start reading the series for FREE! Download THEIRS FOR THE NIGHT, the novella that introduces you to Theo, Galen, and Meg for FREE at:


Add THEIRS FOR THE NIGHT and FOREVER THEIRS to your TBR pile on Goodreads then keep reading to get a sneak peek excerpt and your chance enter the giveaway to win one of TEN (10) eBook copies of FOREVER THEIRS!


Title: Forever Theirs
Author: Katee Robert
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Thriller/Menage
Release Date: September 10, 2018
Publisher: Indie
Series: The Thalanian Dynasty
Page Count: 73K
Format: Digital
ASIN: B07DP7HT14
Synopsis:
Meg Sanders enjoyed her wild night with a prince and his bodyguard—but now she’s moving on. She has enough problems without borrowing the kind of trouble Theo brings just by being who he is. But no matter how determined she is to leave that night a fond memory, she hasn’t seen the last of Theo and Galen…
Galen Mikos's life boils down to one goal. Keep Theo alive. But as long as Theo draws breath, he’s a threat to the powers that have taken over Thalania—and anyone they associate with runs the risk of becoming a target, too. Galen will never forgive himself if they let their selfish desire for Meg puts her in danger. But it might already be too late…
Theo Fitzcharles might be an exiled prince, but he doesn’t intend to stay that way. He’s only concerned with one thing—clearing his mother’s name and reinstating himself as Crown Prince of Thalania. There’s no room in that plan for distraction, especially when it makes him forget himself the way Meg does. But after spending one perfect night with her and his best friend, Theo has no intention of leaving her alone. 
Even if it damns all three of them in the process.
Available at:  


Enter to win one of TEN (10) eBook copies of FOREVER THEIRS!
Other books in The Thalanian Dynasty series
Theirs for the Night
THEIRS FOR THE NIGHT is a novella. Theo, Galen, and Meg's story continues in the novel FOREVER THEIRS.
Download at:
Theirs Ever After
Sometimes happily ever after isn't all it's cracked up to be...
Theo, Galen, and Meg's journey continues in THEIRS EVER AFTER as they navigate the new realities of their relationship.
Release date will be December 3rd.
More info coming soon!
About Katee Robert
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it 'a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension."  When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 
Connect with Katee at:



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