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I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE FOREST WITCH by Britt Laux Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Author: Britt Laux

Pub. Date: February 1, 2021

Publisher: Magic and Moons Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 333

Find it:  Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read For FREE With A Kindle Unlimited Membership!

A warrior, her witch, and the spark that ignites a war.

Lanira na Caliri never expected to find a human in the North Forest of Unara, let alone a witch. When she discovers Siobhan unconscious by the portal that leads to her world, she soon learns of a prophecy that foretold her coming. A warning that a daughter of Unara will bring destruction upon the realm. The reign of blood will come again unless Lanira can stop it. With the little witch by her side, Lanira embarks on a journey across the clans of Unara to unite the people and save her realm from the Dark Karika’s return at all costs. Even if she must risk losing herself to the mysterious Minra na Goran in the process.

About Britt: 

Britt is an Ohio-based author and editor, and parent to three. They are inspired by the baby forest they live in, often found wandering through the trees thinking up new stories. You can catch them on Instagram – almost constantly – @authorbrittlaux or @magicandmoonspress, where they share inspiration for other indies.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a character art print, a custom candle, a signed paperback of THE FOREST WITCH, and a bookmark, US Only.

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Christmas Promise By Janice Carter Contemporary Romance Paperback & ebook, 216 Pages January 1, 2021 by Harlequin Heartwarming

The Christmas season…

Is perfect for new beginnings

After a tragedy seventeen years ago, author Ella Jacobs never wanted to come back to Lighthouse Cove. Not to the whispered rumors, the judgment or even to Ben Winters, the boy she loved. Now she’s returned in time for Christmas—and some much-needed closure. But old flames burn bright. Can Ella find her way back to Ben…or will the secrets of their past extinguish their love for good?

(Affiliate links included.) Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Bookshop | Book Depository | Harlequin Target | Walmart | BAM | IndieBound | Apple Books | Kobo | GooglePlay

About the Author

Writing has been a passion for Janice Carter since elementary school but her second career after teaching began with the publication of a Harlequin Intrigue, many years ago. Since then, she’s been very lucky to be able to do what she enjoys most – writing about the connections between people, their families and the places where they live. And of course, love is always at the heart of those connections.

Heartwarming Authors Blog | Goodreads | Twitter

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

Three winners will each receive print copies of His Saving Grace and Her Kind of Hero along with a $10 Amazon eGift Card (open to US/CAN)

Ends January 27, 2021

ENTER HERE

Review

The Christmas Promise is a redemptive story of a YA adult author who returns to the town of a tragic accident. Ella comes in search of closure and apologies. Her whole life she has carried the burden of being wrongly accused. As she returns, the town erupts in whispers, dirty looks and snubbing. It’s as if no time has passed. The Winters family has so much to discover and heal from as do the residents of their town. The Christmas Promise is a tale with a theme of forgiveness. The events allow many to experience growth and change. Lighthouse Cove is the perfect setting for this holiday romance–a tourist town divided between regular residents ad Summer vacationers. The plot is a bit repetitive in spots as so many characters have to work through and confess their secrets. By the end Ben Winters wins readers over. Good, clean Christmas romance in a beautiful setting. I received a complimentary copy for this tour.

Chain of Gold

The Last Hours #1

by Cassandra Clare

Hardcover

592 pages

Published March 3rd 2020

by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Amazon

Chain of Gold, a Shadowhunters novel, is the first novel in a brand-new trilogy where evil hides in plain sight and love cuts deeper than any blade. .

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that their own connection to a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

Review

How did I not know a Cassandra Clare book was exactly what I needed in life right now? My, oh my, I had forgotten how much I love the magic she weaves. Much like the Infernal Devices, Chain of Gold took me to the land of Shadowhunters, rich gowns and kick a heroines. Cassie brought me back to the escape we all seek and rekindled my first love, for reading YA. I may have to dust off my Mortal Instruments series and give them a re-read after seeing Magnus Bain and the Herrondales again. Chain of Gold was incredible. There were so many hidden gems of knowledge and wisdom in the story line, especially from silent brother Jem.

“Do not let those who cannot see the truth tell you who you are. You are a flame that can not be put out. You are the star that cannot be lost. You are who you have always been, and that is enough and more than enough.”- Jem.

I was immersed in London, in the Victorian taverns and downworlder hot spots. Cassie is a master at Fantasy. ( I ordered three more of her books today) Can not wait for book two of the Last Hours to come out in March. If you need to start off 2021 right, pick up this series.

Thank you McElderry books for the review copy!

Content: drinking, passionate kissing, LGBTQ relationships, moderate violence

About the Author

“Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts.”

Website:
www.cassandraclare.com

Blog:

http://cassandraclare.livejournal.com/

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Cassandraclare

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/cassieclare

Fire and Ice is hosting a spot on the BALLET ORPHANS by Terez Mertes Rose Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Author: Terez Mertes Rose

Pub. Date: January 2, 2021

Publisher: Classical Girl Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 372

Find it:  Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read For FREE With A Kindle Unlimited Membership!

It’s 1990, and New York soloist April Manning is trying to rebalance her world in the aftermath of her parents’ deaths. An offer to join the struggling West Coast Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start—a new life in San Francisco, an exciting step up in her career, and the hope of a redefined sense of family. But the other dancers are wary, clannish and tight-lipped, particularly about an incident that hastened the departure of their beloved artistic director, leading to the arrival of his replacement, the young, inexperienced Anders Gunst. And no one wants to talk about Jana, a former company member who defiantly walked out rather than work under Anders. It is Jana herself who offers April hints, and even friendship, where she reveals a loneliness and hunger to belong that newly orphaned April well understands. But there is something troubling about Jana, and what April doesn’t know could prove deadly.

A prequel to the Ballet Theatre Chronicles, BALLET ORPHANS explores the work and sacrifices required to arrive at the highest tiers of the professional ballet world, coupled with the primal, universal desire to belong, to love and be loved, and the lengths we’ll go to protect those we call family.

“A stimulating and entertaining tale in which passion and art intermingle.” — Kirkus Reviews

Review: Ballet Orphans highlights the highly competitive, all engrossing life of a professional ballerina. The main character loses her family figuratively, in pursuit of her dreams and literally. She has a lot of growth to make in this book from an unsure second to a principal dancer. I enjoyed the setting and the depth of the characters, as well as the realistic portayal of life as a dancer. It is a bit of a heavy read with many inner and personal battles. The terminology will be tough for those who are not familiar with ballet positions. There is a glossary for the readers at the back of the book. Overall, I thought the author did a great job of immersing us in the lives of two ballet companies and the transition from one to the next. Content: moderate swearing, drinking

About Terez: 

Terez Mertes Rose is a writer and former ballet dancer whose work has appeared in the Crab Orchard Review, Literary Mama, Women Who Eat (Seal Press), A Woman’s Europe (Travelers’ Tales), the Philadelphia Inquirer and the San Jose Mercury News. She reviews dance performances for Bachtrack.com and blogs about ballet and classical music at The Classical Girl. The author of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles and A Dancer’s Guide to Africa, she makes her home with family in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She loves good food, good wine, great books, and a good (but not too hard) adult ballet class. She’s proud to announce that Outside the Limelight, Book 2 of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles, was named a Best Book of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will win a 2 tote bags of Ballet Theatre Chronicles, the previous one, a finished copy of BALLET ORPHANS, a $25 gift card either to Amazon or Bookshop Santa Cruz, US Only.

1 winner will win a tote bag of Ballet Theatre Chronicles, a finished copy of BALLET ORPHANS, a $25 gift card to Bookshop Santa Cruz, US Only. 1 winner will win a tote bag of Ballet Theatre Chronicles, a finished copy of BALLET ORPHANS, US Only. 2 winners will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook of BALLET ORPHANS, International.

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the MATRIARCH by Adam Wing Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Author: Adam Wing

Pub. Date: December 1, 2019

Publisher: Adam Wing

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 124

Find it:  Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read For FREE With A Kindle Unlimited Membership!

The story is over. It’s already too late.

At the end of the Turkish War of Independence, a British soldier disobeys orders to return home. Setting out to explore a country he had only known as trespasser, he uncovers danger, mysteries, and magic—adventure, obsession, and true love.

One hundred years later, the soldier’s great-granddaughter sits at her great-grandmother’s deathbed while the old woman recounts this very tale; it is the last she will ever tell.

Secrets are revealed as past and present collide, and as one woman’s future draws toward its inevitable close, another finds hers thrown into uncertainty.

REVIEW: The title and cover brought me to read Matriarch, though I’ve never read any other works by this author. With folklore and fairy tale elements as well as a touch of supernatural, this novella is unique. I was drawn into the tale of wishes, true love and family. The ending is a surprise an the plot is twisty. Well written, new take on some well loved stories. So many unanswered questions! To be continued…perhaps?

About Adam: 

Man of many hats: teacher, engineer, editor, scholar, mountain climber, bar tender, student, world traveller, and through and above it all, writer, Wing has dedicated most his life to the craft of writing fiction.

Wing’s published works include the novel, Icarus, and a book of short stories, Apoca Lypse Sink Ships, and he has fantasy work on the way.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will win a finished copy of MATRIARCH, US/Canada Only.

2 winners will win an eBook of MATRIARCH, International.

Where We Begin

(The Berkshires #1)

By Janey King

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 250 Pages

November 1, 2020

Amazon

Fate never gives you everything you want. But sometimes, when you least expect it, you get exactly what (or who) you need…

Hannah’s life has suddenly become a lot less. Jobless, homeless, and boyfriend-less, that is. Now, all she wants is a fresh start—and her sister’s charming small town is the perfect setting for it. Finding a new romance is nowhere on her agenda. Too bad her heart (the stupid organ that beats a little faster every time her new boss is near) didn’t get the memo.

Collin hasn’t been lucky when it comes to romance, either. But knowing he’s not cut out for love doesn’t stop him from wanting his beautiful new employee with an intensity that terrifies him. He barely survived losing his fiancée. Losing Hannah…well, he’s afraid there wouldn’t be any coming back from that.

Can Hannah and Collin overcome the pain of their pasts—and the secrets they’re both still carrying—to take a shot at happily ever after? Or are they destined to remain star crossed forever?

Where We Begin, Book 1 in The Berkshires series, is a lightly angsty, sweet, new adult contemporary romance featuring a down-but-not-out heroine and the beaten-but-not-broken hero of her dreams. Get ready to fall in love with your next favorite book boyfriend.

Review

What a cliffhanger! Where We Begin is the first book I’ve read by author Janey King. Set in a small, but ritzy area centered around a coffee and donut shop owned by local singer Collin, it has coming of age elements. Both Collin and Hannah have begun the road to overcome loss and trauma, together they find belonging and healing. I loved both characters personalities which came shining through. The pacing is perfect and atmosphere great for the holidays. It is a bit angsty, with a dash of drama, but not over the top.

Content: drinking, mention of sex, triggers for alcoholism and loss. It feels like more of an adult romance read due to crude language and descriptions.

About the Author

Janey King is a New Adult romance author. Where We Begin is her debut novel.

She lives in New Jersey with her husband and young son in a historic house that was built in 1887. When she’s not writing, she can be found fixing or redoing something in her house, tending to her gardens and planter boxes, riding her bike all over town, and sitting on the beach during the warm summer months.

She must have lived a past life in the UK because her search for teahouses, plates of tiny sandwiches, and scones has become an obsession everywhere she goes.

Find out more:

janeyking.net

In 2020 ‘THE FORGOTTEN CAROLS’ Transitions from Stage to Screen

The 29th Year Brings a New ‘Reimagined’ Version of the Holiday Tradition to the Screen-Salt Lake City –Thanks to the pandemic, 2020 has brought an immeasureable number of changes to traditional holiday events, and even the timeless musical The Forgotten Carols could not escape its effects. Now in its 29thyear of consecutive performances, The Forgotten Carols will forego its usual stage performances, and instead, this year’s performance will be filmed and produced as audiences in order to keep the Holiday tradition alive. Michael McLean, a well-known performer, composer, songwriter, author and director initially developed The Forgotten Carols as solely a theme-driven album of new Christmas music. But he soon realized he needed a story to connect all the songs together. McLean wrote the interweaving story of a nurse named Connie Lou who cares for John, an elderly patient who shares the songs about those people he claims to have lived with 2,000 years ago. For his initial performances, McLean played all the parts to give people a sense of how families could present the narration at home hoping it would become a family tradition families.Over the years, McLean’s modest one-man show has evolved into a huge theatrical production performed for more than a million people throughout the world. The show has been presented throughout the United States and the world, including shows in Ireland, Germany, England and even Ukraine.

And now, after 28 years on the stage, The Forgotten Carols will be available to even more audiences through the film production! The production will be staged and filmed in September in Iron County, UT. “To produce a high-quality film version of this beloved show during a pandemic has been no small undertaking,” said Julie Ahlander, producer. “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to produce the show in Utah –home to many of our cast and crew, including the writer and star of the show, Michael McLean. And we have to thank the Utah Film Commission for its support, because without its support this production would not have been possible.” Perhaps prophetically, McLean had been working on adapting the stage version of The Forgotten Carols as a feature film for the past several years, and it was this process that inspired changes to the story he implemented last year. “After we wrote the screenplay for the film, there were so many elements we fell in love with that just had to be in the stage version,” said McClean. “And the changes we’ve made just feel right. They make the characters deeper, the story more spiritual, and the experience that much richer.”

SYNOPSIS

The Forgotten Carols stage performance tells the story of Connie Lou, a nurse whose empty life is changed when Uncle John, a new patient she is attending, recounts the story of Christ’s birth as told by little known characters in the nativity story. The accounts from the Innkeeper, the Shepherd and others help the nurse discover what the world has forgotten about Christmas, ultimately encouraging her to open her heart to the joy of this special season

DVD Purchase Link: https://forgottencarols.com/store/

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Finding Taylor (Love in Little River Novella) By Raneé S. Clark Contemporary Romance ebook, 74 Pages September 2020

When Gavin invites Taylor and her sister on an impromptu lunch, he doesn’t expect to find his soulmate. Like him Taylor loves exploring the world, but an offhand comment by Taylor’s sister about their roots in the small town of Little River worries him that pursuing a relationship with her might end up like all the others: him being pressured to give up the nomadic lifestyle he loves. Is the connection he feels with Taylor worth the risk of another broken heart?

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Excerpt

Gavin headed down to the restaurant to meet Taylor. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked down, trying to contain the excitement at seeing her again.

He arrived first and waved off the hostess’s offer to wait at the table, instead walking slowly around the lobby. He’d sat too much the last week anyway, not to mention the long flight from Rio.

“Gavin?”

He turned at the sound of Taylor’s voice, smiling as she hurried up to him. She hesitated long enough for him to note her bright yellow tank dress and flip-flops before she leaned forward and hugged him. He pulled her closer an instant later. The conversations they’d had every day melted any awkwardness that might have been between them.

“Our table is ready,” he said, keeping an arm around her waist as he turned to nod toward the hostess.

“Perfect. Did I keep you waiting?” She settled closer to him as he walked her back toward the restaurant. He liked the feel of his hand on her hip, her flowery scent light in the air around him now, her blonde hair brushing against his arm.

“Only a minute or two. It felt good to stretch my legs.”

“How long is the flight?” Now she slid her arm behind him, her fingers gripping the edge of his shirt.

“Almost twenty hours with layovers, but something I’m used to, of course. I swear I live half my life on planes.”

“Stop bragging.” She bumped him with her hip, and he laughed.

They reached their table, a small one on a wooden platform on the beach, the two chairs seated opposite each other. Taylor frowned at them before slipping from his embrace and sitting down. A gentle breeze blew by, and she tilted her head back, taking in a long breath.

“It’s wonderful. The ocean, the flowers, and the delicious food,” she said. “I’m glad I get to stay an extra couple days. It’s going to be hard enough to leave as it is.”

“There is something about a beach at sunset that just never gets old.” Gavin dropped into his own chair, only glancing at the menu before he’d already decided. Taylor had picked up hers and began poring over it, her sandaled feet tentatively sliding next to his. He slid his own closer, the feel of her skin against his leg making him ready to ditch dinner and head straight for the walk, where he might find a quiet space of beach and hold Taylor in his arms.

Dinner, thankfully, passed quickly, their conversation just as easy as it had been on the phone the last few days. It was natural to take her hand and help her up when they had finished, and then keep hold of it as they headed for the beach. Taylor slipped out of her flip-flops right away, holding them with her other hand as they walked.

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “It’s crazy how easy this is, right? Us?”

“Roxy did say we were soulmates.”

“I knew that from the minute you said you did freelancing so you could travel.”

“It’s sounds exciting at first, until I miss your birthday because I have a last minute meeting in Paris.” He stopped, not caring that they hadn’t really found a quiet place, that there were people scattered about on the beach still. He turned toward her, bringing his hands to her waist and looking down on her. They’d talked a lot about Gavin worrying that he wouldn’t find someone who understood his passion, that the wanderlust in his blood wouldn’t just evaporate someday when it was time to be responsible.

She hadn’t been afraid to admit that traveling and family didn’t come without complications, but she’d been insistent that a life where her children could experience all the things she’d grown up wishing for sounded fantastic. He wanted to look in her eyes now and see the same enthusiasm she’d expressed over the phone.

“Take me with you to Paris,” she said softly, running her hands up the front of his shirt and tilting her head back.

“What about the kids?” he asked, smiling as he leaned closer, making sure she saw the joke in his eyes.

“You’re moving fast, buddy. Sit back and enjoy this for a few minutes.” She moved her hands to the back of his head, pulling him down and meeting his lips with hers. They melted into each other, with their toes in the sand, and waves threatening to roll over their feet. And Gavin did just what he was told. He forgot about the future and what six months down the road might mean with Taylor, and he enjoyed the next several minutes. To their fullest.

Excerpted from Finding Taylor by Raneé S. Clark. Copyright © Raneé S. Clark.

About the Series

In this small town in Wyoming, there’s something magical to finding love.

Roxy’s Song, Book 1 – In a sweet story of second chance love, country music star Taggart Dubois comes home to win back his childhood sweetheart, Roxy.

Dating Dru, Book 1.5 – One magical kiss between Dru and Amber leads to 12 dates before Christmas and a holiday happily ever after.

Catching Coy, Book 2 – Basketball star Coy Jones is all set up to find love on the reality dating show “The Catch,” but his heart has other plans when he meets Bellamy.

Hallie’s Hero, Book 3 – Determined to save her show, TV star Hallie Butler comes to Little River for some magic of her own, and finds it when local doctor Nash rescues her.

June’s Forever, Book 4 – Billionaire businesswoman June St. Clair is ready to marry again, and when her late husband’s ghost gets involved, she ends up ditching her plans and falling for Wyatt.

Once you visit Little River, you’ll never want to leave this sweet little town where happily ever after is right around the corner.

(Linked to an Amazon affiliate link.) Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author

In a house overrun by boys, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Raneé loves football and enjoys watching (and playing!) other sports as well, like basketball and baseball. When she’s not chauffeuring three busy boys to various activities (and sometimes while she is!), Raneé is either writing, reading (usually romance), obsessing over clothes in the form of her online boutique, or figuring out how to get a Crumbl cookie in rural Wyoming. When her real-life love interest can drag her away from imaginary worlds, she doesn’t mind spending some time with him in the great outdoors that he loves.

Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule (Posts go live on the day they’re scheduled.)

December 8th: Launch December 9th: Krystal M. Anderson – Love’s Sweet Return December 10th: Julie Coulter Bellon – The Marquess Meets His Match December 11th: Delaney Cameron – Because You Loved Me December 12th: Rachelle Paige Campbell – Love Overboard December 13th: Raneé S. Clark – Finding Taylor December 14th: Chrissy Elliot – Finding Home on Winslow Island December 15th: Aspen Hadley – Suits and Spark Plugs December 16th: Shanna Hatfield – The Christmas Bargain December 17th: D. E. Malone – Love, Lies and Mistletoe December 18th: Melissa McClone – Sweet Yuletide December 19th: Sarah L. McConkie – The Promise of Miss Spencer December 20th: Kimberley Montpetit – Mostly Dangerous December 21st: Kate O’Keeffe – Dating Mr. Darcy December 22nd: Regina Scott – Always Kiss at Christmas December 23rd: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $70 (USD) Amazon eGift Card

Open to US and internationally to those who can receive the gift card through one of Amazon’s branches Ends December 27, 2020

ENTER HERE