I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BALLAD & DAGGER by Daniel José Older Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Author: Daniel José Older

Pub. Date: May 3, 2022

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 384

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

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Daniel José Older’s music-and-magic-filled YA urban fantasy about two teens who discover each other and their powers during a political battle within a unique diaspora community.

Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matisse’s island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal’s sinking escaped to New York.

While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday finding a way back home, Mateo–now a high school junior and piano prodigy living with his two aunts (one who’s alive, the other not so much)–is focused on one thing: getting the attention of locally-grown musical legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago.

But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the night of the celebration, Mateo’s life is forever changed when he witnesses a brutal murder by a person he thought he knew.

Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans. Deadly secrets are unraveled and Mateo awakens a power within himself–a power that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking the dark mystery behind his lost homeland.

From the author of the award-winning Shadowshaper Cypher series comes the first novel in the Outlaw Saints duology–a brilliant story that will transport readers to a world where magic, myth, and gods reign over the streets of Brooklyn.

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About Daniel José Older:

Daniel José Older is a New York Times best-selling author and story architect. He has published fourteen novels and numerous short stories and essays, and he is a regular comics writer for Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures and Marvel. He won the International Latino Book Award and has been a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the Mythopoeic Award, the Locus Award, the Andre Norton Award, and the World Fantasy Award. You can find his thoughts on writing, read dispatches from his decade-long career as an NYC paramedic, and hear his music at http://danieljoseolder.net, as well as on YouTube, @djolder on Twitter, @danieljose1 on Instagram, and @danieljoseolder on TikTok. He and his family live in New Orleans.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of BALLAD & DAGGER, US Only.

Title: Bloomsbury Girls: A Novel

Author: Natalie Jenner

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Publisher: ‎St. Martin’s Press (May 17, 2022)

Length: (368) pages

Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook 

ISBN: 978-1250276698

Tour Dates: May 2-29, 2022

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Natalie Jenner, the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, returns with a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world in Bloomsbury Girls.

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare bookstore that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager’s unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:

Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiancé was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances–most of them well justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.

Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she’s been working to support the family following her husband’s breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she’s working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time–Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others–these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

BOOK TRAILER

AUDIOBOOK

Narrated by esteemed stage and screen actress Juliet Stevenson, enjoy the full unabridged edition of Bloomsbury Girls. “Stevenson delivers the satisfying triumph at the end with perfect polish.” —AudioFile Magazine

AUDIOBOOK EXCERPT 

ADVANCE PRAISE

“Jenner follows The Jane Austen Society (2020) with another top-notch reading experience, using the same deft hand at creating complex, emotionally engaging characters [against] a backdrop chock-full of factual historical information… Fans of Christina Baker Kline, Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff [will] appreciate this gem.” —Booklist (starred review)

“An illuminating yarn… Fans of emotional historical fiction will be charmed.” —Publishers Weekly

“Bloomsbury Girls is an immersive tale of three women determined to forge their own paths in 1950s London. Jenner has proven to be a master at spinning charming, earnest characters and paints a vivid picture of postwar England. I wanted to stay lost in her world forever!” —Stephanie Wrobel, internationally bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold

“Bloomsbury Girls is a book lover’s dream, one of those rare reads that elicits a sense of book-ish wistfulness and nostalgia. Jenner has created a colorful cast of characters in a story about friendship, perseverance, and the ways that determined women can band together in a man’s world. You’re in for a treat.” —Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

“In a London still reeling from the ravages of World War II and the changes war has brought to English society, three young women take their futures into their own hands. With Bloomsbury Girls, Natalie Jenner has penned a timely and beautiful ode to ambition, friendship, bookshops, and the written word.” —Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library

“In post-war London, Bloomsbury Books survived The Blitz until Vivien Lowry, Grace Perkins, and Evie Stone set off their own bomb on the stuffy all-male management. What ensues is the most delightful, witty, and endearing story you will read this year. Natalie Jenner, bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, proves that she was not a one hit wonder. Like Austen, her second book is even better than the first.” —Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It  

PURCHASE LINKS

PRINT & DIGITAL BOOK

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB

AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

A MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR NATALIE JENNER

Dear readers, I am immensely grateful for the outpouring of affection that so many of you have expressed for my debut novel The Jane Austen Society and its eight main characters. When I wrote its epilogue (in one go and without ever changing a word), I wanted to give each of Adam, Mimi, Dr. Gray, Adeline, Yardley, Frances, Evie and Andrew the happy Austenesque ending they each deserved. But I could not let go of servant girl Evie Stone, the youngest and only character inspired by real life (my mother, who had to leave school at age fourteen, and my daughter, who does eighteenth-century research for a university professor and his team). Bloomsbury Girls continues Evie’s adventures into a 1950s London bookshop where there is a battle of the sexes raging between the male managers and the female staff, who decide to pull together their smarts, connections, and limited resources to take over the shop and make it their own. There are dozens of new characters in Bloomsbury Girls from several different countries, and audiobook narration was going to require a female voice of the highest training and caliber. When I learned that British stage and screen actress Juliet Stevenson, CBE, had agreed to narrate, I knew that my story could not be in better hands, and I so hope you enjoy reading or listening to it. Warmest regards, Natalie

AUTHOR BIO

Natalie Jenner is the author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. A Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel, The Jane Austen Society was a USA Today and #1 national bestseller and has been sold for translation in twenty countries. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer, career coach and, most recently, an independent bookstore owner in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs. Visit her website to learn more.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Review

Bloomsbury Girls is an intimate look inside a London bookstore. The daily comings and goings of famous authors, American customers, and elite society. Three women are set to make their mark in the workplace of the 50’s, typically dominate by men. They must overcome prejudice, rude interactions and insinuations of crime. One has lost her fiance to war,another is unable to gain a prestigious position in the academic world, and another is a wife and mother. When their general manager Mr. Dutton suffers an epileptic seizure, the bookstore employees are shuffled into new positions.

I listened to the audio book via Netgalley’s shelf app. The narration was a bit slow for my taste, so I upped it to 1.5 speed. I’m so glad for this feature! It was a pleasant way to pass the day. English accents, rich characters with quirks and the building of a publishing empire. Historical fiction set in postwar England for lovers of all things bookish. Thanks to Netgalley and Austenprose PR for the complimentary audio book for review!

Title: The Murder of Mr. Wickham

Author: Claudia Gray

Genre: Historical Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Austenesque

Publisher: ‎Vintage (May 3, 2022)

Length: (400) pages

Format: Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook 

ISBN: 978-0593313817

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A summer house party turns into a thrilling whodunit when Jane Austen’s Mr. Wickham—one of literature’s most notorious villains—meets a sudden and suspicious end in this brilliantly imagined mystery featuring Austen’s leading literary characters.

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. In this tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang. 

ADVANCE PRAISE

“Had Jane Austen sat down to write a country house murder mystery, this is exactly the book she would have written. Devotees of Austen’s timeless novels will get the greatest possible pleasure from this wonderful book. Immense fun and beautifully observed. Delicious!” —Alexander McCall Smith

“What a splendid conceit! . . . Gray provides plenty of backstory and enough depth to her characters that even those who mix up their Pride and Prejudice with their Sense and Sensibility will delight in the Agatha Christie–style mystery. . . . There’s so much fun to be had in this reimagined Austen world—and the mystery is so strong—that one can only hope, dear reader, that more books will follow.” —Ilene Cooper, Booklist (starred review) 

“[An] enchanting mystery. . . . Gray perfectly captures the personalities of Austen’s beloved characters. This is a real treat for Austenites.” —Publishers Weekly

“Who would NOT want to read a book in which one of literature’s most notorious rakes meets his final demise? . . . A delightful Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen romp.” —Laurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB

AUTHOR BIO

Claudia Gray is the pseudonym of Amy Vincent. She is the writer of multiple young adult novels, including the Evernight series, the Firebird trilogy, and the Constellation trilogy. In addition, she’s written several Star Wars novels, such as Lost Stars and Bloodline. She makes her home in New Orleans with her husband Paul and assorted small dogs. 

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Review

Fans of Jane Austen will enjoy following the lives of the characters as they grow into marriage and family. Mr. Darcy, Mr, Wickham, the Knightleys are all included in the lineup. The Knightleys are hosting a house party with bachelors and debutantes as well as married guests. Claudia Gray fleshes out each character and their interactions, inner thoughts in varying perspectives. Each carries their own story line. Pride and Prejudice meets Clue in a whodunnit mystery. Readers will have to tease out motive, inner conflict and marital strife.

I enjoyed hearing from all of our beloved literary heroes and villains. In the beginning it took me a bit to sort out who is who and what is what, but things smooth out as the story develops. It is interesting to trace their lives forward to see how relationships evolve over time. Atmospheric tension and conflict with an air of mystery spur on the slow moving plot. Readers of Emma and Austen will love this! Thank you to the author, publisher and AustenPR for the complimentary copy of The Murder of Mr. Wickham for the tour.

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the SHOWMANCES AND STAGE KISSES by Suzanne de Planque Writing As Bowden Walker Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Author: Suzanne de Planque Writing As Bowden Walker

Pub. Date: March 22, 2022

Publisher: Bond Street Publishers

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

Bright lights. Big city. The drama is just beginning.

NYC, 1984. With an off-the-scale IQ, Sebastian Weiss can do anything except talk to girls. And with his future meticulously planned by his multi-millionaire parents, all the seventeen year old nerd can see in front of him is Harvard and bone-crushing boredom. So hanging around the set of his best friend’s smash-hit soap is everything he wants… especially after a gorgeous bad girl is cast as his buddy’s kissing co-star.

Sam Macaulay can’t believe her luck. After drug use, a rotten boyfriend, and self-sabotage all but killed her career, the desperate young woman is elated to land a coveted gig making out with the guy every teenager dreams of. But despite their instant chemistry and off-camera carousing, she finds herself mysteriously drawn to his geeky rich-kid pal.

Deliberately blowing his college applications, Sebastian resists leaving the carefree life behind even as he watches the beautiful actress fall hard for his friend. But Sam feels torn in two when a personal tragedy brings her closer to both guys and she can’t decide between the teen idol and the last virgin standing.

Will a complex emotional triangle ruin everyone’s chance at happily ever after?

Showmances and Stage Kisses is the page-turning first book in the YA Heights High coming of age series. If you like MTV-era antics, confused teenage romance, and the struggle of youth to find themselves, then you’ll love Bowden Walker’s nostalgia-filled tale.

Buy Showmances and Stage Kisses to cue lights, camera, and action today!

Reviews:

“Welcome to the world of teenage acting, where it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Showmances and Stage Kisses showcases behind the scenes drug and alcohol use (ouzo, anyone?), oh-so-complicated teen relationships with accompanying hormones, and show business antics. Join teen heartthrob and star of Heights High, Nicholas, and his Harvard-bound best friend Sebastian, as they navigate life among dysfunctional adults and girls galore, amidst a world of chaos in the 1980s.  This story is both frantic and heartwarming with an exceptional cast of characters.” —San Francisco Book Review
 
“A highly entertaining and nostalgia-rich work of young adult fiction, Showmances and Stage Kisses is refreshingly honest about the adult nature of teenage years. Never condescending to teen readers, Bowden Walker has a knack for portraying the messes that teens get into, as well as the resilient ways they pick themselves back up again, in this captivating young adult novel set against a uniquely evocative backdrop.” —SPR

REVIEW: Showmances and Stage Kisses has a lot to process. Set in 1984, it follows the career and personal life of a teenage heart throb actor along with his small circle of friends. Exposed to cocaine, absent parents, mental illness and loss the three friends navigate the last year of high school. There is heaviness as they cope with how to reconcile the Hollywood lifestyle with real life choices like college and running away from home. I found some of the glossy fake persona image of the MC similar to Beverly Hills 90210 or Saved by the Bell. It is tough to see how self- absorbed some of the characters actions are and how they have to self sabotage or survive. Younger readers may miss a few of the 80’s references (Benetton). Overall, I stayed interested until the very last page, but it is a heavy read. Thanks to the author for the advanced reading copy for tour. Content and trigger warnings: cocaine usage, domestic violence, abusive parents, swearing, sex, neglect.

About Suzanne de Planque Writing As Bowden Walker:

Suzanne de Planque is a writer, actor, and stay-at-home mom. Theatrical credits include off-Broadway and other New York, regional, and tours; everything from Shakespeare to Sondheim.
She has sung on Broadway. The New Amsterdam, not the street. Though she has probably sung on the street, too.

A few highlights from her years in the theater include enacting what must be every Grimm fairytale in her years as the self-proclaimed Queen of Children’s Theater, playing cut-rate Disney princesses at birthday parties, inspiring a generation of high school students as the DON’T example in a series of job-seeking educational videos, and breaking her neck falling out of a giant teapot dressed as the Dormouse.

The latter resulted in a career change to playwriting and a healthy respect for teacups. Her plays have been commissioned and performed in New York and regionally.

She lives in a little White House in Brooklyn with her husband and son, an impressive array of costumes, swords, and Original Broadway Cast albums, and a world-class collection of children’s books. She is an avid collector of antique and vintage children’s literature, a devotee of War of the Roses and Tudor history, and a fan of literary tourism, in person and on Pinterest.

She has never passed a wardrobe without checking, just in case.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the NOVA’S BLADE by Will Scifi Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

About The Book:

Author: Will Scifi

Pub. Date: January 29, 2022

Publisher: Will Scifi

Formats: Paperback

Pages: 356

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

THIRTY-TWO WOMEN. ONE ARENA. A BATTLE TO THE DEATH.

After a long war, corporations have replaced countries. Sports are fought to the death. The most popular game is Last Valkyrie, a live tournament where women kill each other for marriage into a powerful family.

For Nova, living in poverty with her mother and sister is a harsh reality that she cannot escape. But when she is kidnapped and forced to fight on the show, her world changes. If she refuses to fight, the bomb in her head goes off. Now winning means her freedom.

With death lurking at every moment, Nova has no idea if her next fight will be her last. But one thing she knows for certain: only one is making it out alive.

Perfect for fans of Hunger Games, The Selection, and The Princess Trials. You won’t want to put down this exciting page-turner!

Excerpt:

Bellona’s up. She marches to the ring to a dead crowd. She has  no entrance music or theatrics. She focuses on the ring, holding  only a shield. 

“Bellona is an interesting Valkyrie,” the commentator Fox states. “The sheer power she has makes up for her lack of personality and words. We saw that during the 1^st round.” 

“Power worked for her before, but it ain’t gonna cut  it in the ring,” the other commentator Brom says. “You need  patrons, proper training, and great equipment, if you want to  survive this. That lone wolf act can only get her so far. Today  we’re going to see it end.” 

Pyro shoots up from the top of the ramp. From the fire steps  out Hybris in a fire proof suit. She takes off her suit and helmet,  revealing her armor. In her hand is a long metal chain hooked to  a curved blade. Dancing to the ring, she swings the blade in the  air, hurling words to the crowd. 

“I’m on fire tonight! I’m the baddest on this show!  Nobody can touch me!” she boasts. 

The crowd throws roses at Hybris. She earned a handful of  patrons for her brashness, claiming the Valkyries are nothing  to her. The internet lit up with fans and critics when she  mocked Bellona’s late mother who had committed suicide. 

Her armor is bright and thick, providing protection for her body.  The suit, weapon, and even the pyro is paid for by her patrons. I  can only imagine how plain my entrance will be. 

“Compared to what Hybris has, Bellona might as well have brought a slingshot!” Brom laughs. 

Hybris shoves her blade to the camera. 

“I’ma cut her up,” Hybris teases. 

They meet in the center of the ring, face to face before the  bell. Bellona keeps her head down as Hybris dances up and  down, amusing the crowd. 

“Tell mommy I said hi,” Hybris laughs. 

They go back to their corners, and the bell rings. Hybris swings  the blade. Bellona puts the shield up, taking the hit. Before  Hybris can pull it back, Bellona grabs the chain and yanks it  forward, propelling Hybris towards her. Hybris screams in fright.  Bellona decks Hybris in the face with the shield, knocking her to  the ground covered in blood. Hybris’ teeth fly out. The crowd  awes as Bellona mounts Hybris and bashes her face in with the  shield. 

“Oh god!” Fox shrieks. 

“Bellona is turning Hybris’ face into a mud hole!” Brom yells. 

Bellona brings the shield down on Hybris’ throat, slicing her  head completely off. Hybris’ head rolls as blood spurts out her  body, painting the canvas. Bellona lifts Hybris’ head in the air, roaring with her bloody shield. The crowd erupts with cheers.  Fox comes up to Bellona with a microphone. 

“Bellona, how-.” 

Bellona storms past him with her trainer. The camera rolls back  to Fox. 

“Well like they say, actions speak louder than  words,” he states. 

Blaze enters the ring. He picks up Hybris’ head by the hair and swings it in the air. “Who wants her head?!” he yells. 

The crowd goes ballistic as he tosses it to them. The camera shows the crowd fighting over the head.  I’m in disbelief at the entire fiasco. As a kid it was a spectacle, but knowing I’ll be in it soon, is  unbelievable. I finally see the nature of this show for what it is. It’s barbaric and so are the people  cheering it on. Maximus turns off the tv. 

“Come on, continue with your training,” he states.

About Will Scifi:

Will Scifi is a pen name for an author from California. He loves reading and writing mainly science fiction that touches on themes surrounding American culture. He draws inspiration from the over 500 movies he has watched in the last 5 years, books, tv shows, and real life. When he is not writing, he can be found in the gym or watching movies at home or in the theaters. He thanks all of his fans for their support and highly encourages anyone who has read his work to always leave a review.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of NOVA’S BLADE, US Only.