Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (December 13, 2022)
Length: (400) pages
Format: Hardcover, Trade paperback, & eBook
ISBN: 978-0764239502
Tour Dates: December 5 – December 19, 2022
BOOK DESCRIPTION
When all of Venice is unmasked, one man’s identity remains a mystery . . . 1807 When a baby is discovered floating in a basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn’t until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city.
1904 Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with regrets, he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city . . . and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato.
ADVANCE PRAISE
“This lyrical dual-narrative historical from Dykes (Set the Stars Alight) dives into the histories of Venice, Italy, and Venice Beach, California.”— Publisher’s Weekly
“Introspective, surprising, and achingly beautiful.”— Booklist starred review
“Dykes’s pen is fused with magic and poetry. Every word’s a gentle wave building into the splendor that is All the Lost Places, where struggles for identity and a place to belong find hope between the pages of a timeless story.”— J’Nell Ciesielski, bestselling author of The Socialite
“Luscious writing, authentic characters, and an ending that satisfies to the core of the spirit, this novel is another winner from Amanda Dykes.”— Heidi Chiavaroli, Carol Award-winning author of Freedom’s Ring and Hope Beyond the Waves
Amanda Dykes’s debut novel, Whose Waves These Are, is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, and the winner of an INSPY Award. She’s also the author of Yours Is the Night and Set the Stars Alight, a 2021 Christy Award finalist.
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the ARMADAS IN THE MIST by Christian Klaver Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: ARMADAS IN THE MIST (The Empire of the
House of Thorns #3)
The Black Shuck’s forces gather just
beyond the mist . . .
Captain Justice Kasric knows how
complicated family can be. The escalating Human-Faerie war has scattered and
wounded her siblings and transformed her parents beyond recognition. After
narrowly escaping yet another dangerous clash, fifteen-year-old Justice has had
enough. She’s determined to defeat the Black Shuck, the mysterious leader
controlling the Faerie invasion of London, but if Justice hopes to stand a
chance at victory, she’ll have to do the impossible: reunite her family and
lead them against the looming Faerie Armada.
With her mother and brother at the
helm of the enemy fleet, and the prophesized Seven Virtues slipping out of
reach, Justice more than has her work cut out for her. Even if she can save
England, the cost may be higher than she’s willing to pay.
Christian
Klaver has been writing for over twenty years, with a number of magazine
publications, including Escape Pod, Dark Wisdom Anthology,
and Anti-Matter. He’s the author of The Supernatural Case Files of
Sherlock Holmes series, but has written over a dozen novels, both fantasy and
sci-fi, often with a Noir bent. He’s worked as book-seller, bartender and a
martial-arts instructor before settling into a career in internet security. He
lives just outside the sprawling decay of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife,
Kimberly, his daughter, Kathryn, and a group of animals he refers to as The
Menagerie. He’s also a part of the Untitled Writer’s Group based in Ann Arbor
for the past decade or so with a bunch of equally starry-eyed dreamers and social
misanthropes.
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the MOTHER OF THE RIVER by Emily McPherson Pre-Order Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check
out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Inspired by traditional Irish
Mythology, Mother of the River tells the story of a 17 year
old girl in search of her missing mother when she stumbles upon a forgotten
legend.
Ianthe was only six years old when her mother vanished and the strange statue
appeared in the river near her home. Now, eleven years later, the statue stands
as a memorial and a place where Ianthe often visits to tell her mother about
her life. But when an old acquaintance returns to town and suggests the statue
isn’t just a statue, the presence of a mythical creature comes into question,
and Ianthe begins to wonder what really happened all those years ago.
With her best friend Fintan by her side, Ianthe searches for a lost legend and
discovers fantastical dangers, family secrets, and the magic of Ireland. But
finding the myth may not be enough to mend the past. And finding the truth just
may threaten her future.
May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know
where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far- Irish
proverb
Emily
McPherson is an author for young adult readers with several fantasy projects in
the works. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she strives to normalize
seeing characters of the rainbow on the page without harmful stereotypes. She
is an Irish dancer with a slight obsession with mythological creatures. She
lives in Connecticut with her husband, son, and – the real mythological
creatures – her two rescue pugs.
He’s a refreshingly different hero,
definitely not young and six-packed, but…
Retired reporter Jake Scott knows a
thing or two about exposing the truth and unmasking frauds. Unfortunately, he
walks a fine line between helping and interfering in investigations. Homicide
Detective Dani Perez, with whom Jake has a shaky personal relationship, doesn’t
always appreciate it, but he can’t seem to help himself.
The affable and shrewd, yet old
fashioned, Jake is hot on the trail of a case when a body discovered in a bog
and three suspects lead him to the doorstep of The Guardians of Truth, a shady
organization with an opportunistic and charismatic leader. While the
organization purports to offer everlasting support to its followers, Jake
discovers just the opposite is true.
Now Jake and an insider, Cassie
Wright, want to expose the leader and protect his followers from financial ruin
or worse. Their harrowing quest isn’t without peril, as one will disappear and
the other will be forced to fight for survival.
If you like your heroes to be, well,
like you and I, the second book in the Jake Scott Mystery Series will draw you
in and have you wishing you could dive in to help.
About Barry Finlay:
In 2009, Barry Finlay went up a
mountain as an accountant and came down as a philanthropist. After over thirty
years in various financial roles with the Canadian federal government, he took
his life in a different direction and climbed Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro at age
60 with his son Chris. The climb and their fundraising efforts to help kids in
Tanzania changed his life in a number of ways, including the start of his
writing journey. He wrote his first book, the popular Kilimanjaro and Beyond: A
Life-Changing Journey with his son in 2014.
He followed that up with the
hilarious travel memoir, I Guess We Missed The Boat, and then The Marcie Kane
Thriller Collection was born. Barry completed his debut fiction book, and the
first in the series, The Vanishing Wife, in 2014. His next novel, A Perilous
Question, was released in May 2016. His political thriller, Remote Access, was
released in April 2018. That was followed by a novella, Never So Alone, in May
2019. The fifth book in the Marcie Kane Thriller Collection, The Burden of
Darkness, was released in May 2020.
Each of the thrillers has a
socially relevant theme, and has achieved Kindle bestseller status.
Now, he’s introducing a new
character named Jake Scott in what will undoubtedly be a new mystery series.
The first in the series, Searching For Truth, was released in 2021.
Barry’s books have received
multiple literary awards and he was named to the Authors Show’s list of
“50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading” in 2012. In 2013, he
received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for his philanthropic work
in Africa. He lives in Ottawa, Canada with his wife Evelyn.
Sign up for Barry’s newsletter at
his website and receive a free download of An Interview With Marcie Kane.
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE YEAR OF THE BEAR by Douglas
J. Lanzo & Ambassador International Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my
post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
A remarkable story of a bear and the
coming-of-age journey of a teenage boy.
Thirteen-year-old Jason is on the
cusp of manhood, striving to fi nd his place at school and at home—especially
after his mother has abandoned them and his father is left to deal with his own
anger. When Jason and his father encounter a bear while out hunting, they shoot
and kill it, not realizing that they have left a cub without its mother. When
Sasquot of the Penobscot Tribe, a part of the Bear Family, discovers what they
have done, he decides that Jason needs a lesson in caring for God’s creatures.
Thus begins a year that Jason will never forget as he begins to care and train
the cub in order for it to survive. As Jason forms a bond with the bear, he, in
turn, learns valuable lessons for life.
“Fans of classic, enthralling
adventure (and I’m one) are in for a rare treat.”-Josh Lieb New York Times best-selling and Emmy Award-winning author of I am a
Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class
President
About Douglas J. Lanzo:
An award-winning and featured
inspirational author published in Vita Brevis Press’ bestselling 2021 poetry
anthology and Café Haiku’s upcoming 2021 Fifth Poetry Anthology and featured in
WestWard Quarterly’s Winter 2021 issue, since 2020 Douglas’ poetry has found
homes in thirty-eight literary publications across the U.S., Canada, England,
Wales, Austria, Mauritius, India, Australia, and The Caribbean. A graduate of
Harvard College and Law School, where Douglas enjoyed writing editorials for
The Harvard Crimson and articles for various other Harvard publications, he has
published professional legal articles throughout his career. A General Counsel
by day and writer by night, Douglas resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his
wife and twelve-year old identical twin boys, fellow published poets, enjoying
nature, traveling, biking, tennis, and chess.
Death on a Winter Stroll (Merry Folger #7) by Francine Mathews Format: eARC Source: supplied by publisher via Edelweiss Formats available: hardcover, ebook, audiobook Genres:holiday fiction, mystery Series:Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery #1 Pages: 288 Published bySoho Crime on November 1, 2022 Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository, Bookshop.org Goodreads
No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’ Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.
Excerpt
The first weekend of December had been Meredith Folger’s favorite time of year for as long as she could remember. People often say that about holiday traditions, of course, but Merry was convinced that nowhere on earth was the winter solstice heralded with such enthusiastic conviction as during the three days of Nantucket’s Christmas Stroll.
Anticipation started to rise all over the island in late November. The day after Thanksgiving, crowds gathered at the head of Main Street for the ceremonial lighting of the massive ever- green tree that shed its glow throughout the darkest hours of the year; the following weekend, Santa would arrive at the end of Straight Wharf by Coast Guard cutter. Waving from the back of an antique fire truck, he’d follow the Town Crier and a drum section of grade-school kids who’d been practicing with Ms. Benton the music teacher for weeks, parading up from the harbor and winding through town. Everybody standing on the curb—islanders, tourists, daytrippers—would fall in behind and follow the truck with guttural cheers. Eventually Santa would be enthroned next to the lighted town tree and take requests from a long line of children. This was what gave Christmas Stroll its name. It had been going on for half a century now, and although imitated by towns all over New England, Nantucket’s weekend remained unrivaled. People who loved the island arrived each year by land and sea, from all over the country and the world, to celebrate.
Over time the holiday had morphed into three full days of permission to wander amiably around town with steaming cups of cheer and weird hats, bells jangling from the ankles of elf booties. Over ten thousand tourists crowded the sidewalks of downtown. The shops and restaurants were full. People laughed freely and called jokes to friends across the brick sidewalks and paused in the middle of the morning to sit on available benches. They bought things they didn’t need, simply because they wanted them, then gifted them to others without a thought.
Costumed carolers sang on street corners. Tourists took selfies in front of window boxes and beneath mistletoe balls. A few of them found someone to kiss. They jostled each other good-naturedly, butting armfuls of colorful bags, as they trailed down the streets in their red and green Stroll scarves.
In lucky years, it snowed.
In less fortunate ones, it rained.
This year, the forecast was for Windy and Gorgeous.
Uniformed members of Merry’s police force would be up early and out on Main Street Saturday morning with sawhorses, barricading the heart of town against vehicular traffic. They’d stand in the crosswalks and near the sundial planter that sat right in the middle of the cobblestoned street. The Garden Association decorated the urn each year with fresh greens and red bows and tiny white lights. The police were there to maintain order and most of the Strollers were orderly, except for the occasional drunken jerk who vomited without warning on the uneven brick side- walk. Merry had observed the rhythms of Stroll her entire life, she reflected, and usually it never got old.
But this year, she was clenching her teeth and grinding her way through the holiday. This year, she was struggling to find the Joy of the Season. This year, she barely had time to care.
This year, she wasn’t merely another happy reveler hiding mysterious boxes on the top shelf of the spare bedroom’s closet, the scent of vanilla and cloves in her hair. She wasn’t pausing to rub pine or spruce branches on her early morning walks, so that the resinous oil lingered on her fingertips, or losing track of time while she snapped pictures of festive window boxes. This year, she was the Nantucket Police Department’s chief of police. And Christmas Stroll, to be completely honest, was shaping up to be a royal pain in the ass.
Francine Mathews was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written thirty books, including six previous novels in the Merry Folger series (Death in the Off-Season, Death in Rough Water, Death in a Mood Indigo, Death in a Cold Hard Light, Death on Nantucket, and Death on Tuckernuck) as well as the nationally bestselling Being a Jane Austen mystery series, which she writes under the pen name Stephanie Barron. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the THE DREAM HEIST by Christina Farley Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
“A high action adventure with
swoon-worthy romance and a mystery that will keep you turning the pages all
night long!” — Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling
author
Your dreams are no longer safe…
Eighteen-year-old Aria Hale loves her
job at her father’s dream therapy company where she enters dementia patients’
dreams to save their memories. But when their lab is ransacked, two technicians
are murdered, and her father is kidnapped, everything changes for her.
Determined to find her father, Aria
and her friends embark on a harrowing hunt across continents using the dreams
of their enemies to guide them. But this dangerous journey plunges her into a
world she never bargained for: deception, intrigue, and even love. As she races
to save her father and hunt down her enemies, she soon realizes she’s in fact
the one being hunted. And her dreams are the greatest danger of all.
In the vein of Inception meets The
Bourne Identity, THE DREAM HEIST propels readers into a
fast-paced adventure that will send them racing to the very end.
About Christina Farley:
CHRISTINA
FARLEY is the author of the bestselling Gilded series, THE PRINCESS AND THE
PAGE, and THE DREAM HEIST. Prior to that, she worked as an international
teacher and at a top secret job for Disney where she was known to scatter pixie
dust before the sun rose. When not traveling the world or creating imaginary
ones, she spends time with her family in Clermont, Florida with her husband and
two sons where they are busy preparing for the next World Cup, baking
cheesecakes, and raising a pet dragon that’s in disguise as a cockatiel. Visit
her online at ChristinaFarley.com.
CONNECT WITH
CHRISTINA
Join
Christina’s Newsletter: Exclusive access to videos, writing tips, giveaways and
book updates: https://tinyurl.com/ypb9pm9a
Join
Christina’s VIP Reader Club: Weekly update with insider news, exclusive
content, and giveaways! https://tinyurl.com/mryncvmf
24 years ago, Beau Garrett brawled
with and then abandoned his best friend to die a needless death. A deceitful
coverup that still haunts him to this day. Unbeknownst to the unscrupulous
nightclub owner, the dead man’s son, Sean Collins, is his cabaret’s best
bartender, hellbent on revenge. Can Sean uncover the truth and bring down Beau
before his own demise? Strap in for a fun and wild ride.
Dark…Humorous…Captivating. Magic Mike
meets Breaking Bad.
Bar Tales, A Bartender’s Story Vol.1, is a fast-paced, erotic dramedy featuring Sean Collins, accountant
turned bartender. Experience the decadence through the eyes of a former
industry insider, without the guilt, hangovers, and peril. Reader
indiscretion is advised.
Get the FREE Cocktail
Recipe & Companion Book at: https://BookHip.com/SQSSCSG
Join to get updates, chances to win merch and other great prizes.
About A J Anthony:
A J Anthony
is a San Francisco Bay Area native, where he bartended for over 15 years in a
variety of pubs, restaurants and night clubs. In Bar Tales – A Bartender’s
Story Vol. 1, he integrates and weaves his years of “interesting”,
real-world experiences into this work.
In addition
to this genre, he also has sci-fi and flash-fiction projects in the works. A J
is also a graphic designer and audio book narrator. In addition to writing, he
enjoys art, tennis and auto-crossing car racing.
He currently
lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife and three cats.
“I hope
you will listen to and/or read my novel entitled Bar Tales – A Bartender’s
Story Vol. 1. I filled it with many of my actual experiences I’ve accumulated
over the years in the trenches, woven into a compelling story with rich
characters. I call it my auto-barography. I’ve also created a companion book
loaded with lots of fun and interesting extras.”
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the SHADOW OF DEATH by Diane E.
Samson Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar
Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About the Book
Title: SHADOW OF DEATH (A Gems of Fire Companion Novel)
A homeless prince, a grueling mission, an unlikely hope
When unspeakable tragedy strikes Prince Jack’s family, he’s
left with one desire: vengeance. Now living in exile and serving a foreign
king, Jack perfects his talent with the sword. He’s sent to the desert for spy
and assassin training, dreaming of the day he’ll use these skills to drive a
dagger into Ingvar’s heart.
Jack plunges into his training and finds a new family of
sorts, whose morally gray members rid the city of vile criminals. But as the
desert Lord Anwar readies for battle, allegiances shatter, blood runs in the
streets, and the shadow of death looms near. During a last effort to complete
his seemingly impossible mission, Jack chances upon a slave girl with a
Northern accent and eyes so familiar that he makes a hasty vow.
He always thought he’d defeat his nightmares by becoming one.
Could that nightmare fade into a new dream? And could that strange slave girl
be at the heart of it all?
Diane E. Samson grew up on acreage
just north of Kansas City, Missouri, with horses and dogs in the backyard. She
later pursued her love of words and earned a degree in magazine journalism from
the University of Missouri-Columbia. After graduation she worked as a reporter,
managing editor, freelance writer and in public relations. After moving around
the country, she’s recently returned to the Kansas City area where she lives
with her husband, children and golden retriever.
She’s written fiction off and on
her whole life. Gems of Fire is her first series about a girl traveling a
journey of self-discovery in a world of powerful gems, supernatural forces,
epic battles and of course, handsome heroes.
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the THE DO-OVER by Lynn Painter Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: THE
DO-OVER
Author: Lynn Painter
Pub. Date: November 15, 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
In this riotous young adult romp for
fans of Recommended for You and A Cuban Girl’s Guide
to Tea and Tomorrow, a teen girl has the worst Valentine’s Day ever—only to
relive it over and over again.
After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby
escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of
Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s
back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next
day? Another nightmare V-Day.
Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from
as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition
to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick,
who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.
How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when
something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the
universe stops doling out do-overs?
Reviews:
“Painter
plucks readers’ every heartstring, from writing a sweet love story between two
teens with very different views on romance to honestly depicting how Emilie’s
parents’ messy divorce has impacted her feelings of self-worth. Italicized
confessions at the beginnings of various chapters prove there is a playful side
to Emilie that is further brought out by Nick, whose constant teasing leads to
flirty banter…unequivocally hilarious and delightful.” — Kirkus
Reviews
“Throughout, Emilie struggles to navigate her parents’ acrimonious
divorce, and the resulting financial precarity and blow to her self-worth. By
combining these personal trials with a lighthearted love story, Painter
delivers a thoughtfully elevated romantic jaunt.” — Publishers
Weekly
About Lynn Painter:
Lynn Painter
is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author who writes
romantic comedies for both teens and adults. She lives in Nebraska with her
husband and pack of wild children, and when she isn’t reading or writing, odds
are good she’s guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms.
Love, loved it! Groundhog Day Time Loop meets Rom Com. I’ve read oneother book by Lynn Painter, Better Than the Movies, and the Do-Over is just as well- written. Emilie is stuck in the worst Valentine’s Day ever and she keeps having to replay it all. She runs into her Chemistry partner Nick, literally, after several takes things start to improve. I loved their adventures in the city, their conversations and the obstacles they both have to overcome. Such a fun book!
Triggers: loss of a sibling, parental neglect, divorce. Content: kissing, sneaking out, underage tattoos, “F” word.
