Read an excerpt from Potion: A Witchy Fairy Tale by Dorlana Vann #YoungAdult #UrbanFantasy @DorlanaVann @GoddessFish

Potion: A Witchy Fairy Tale

By Dorlana Vann

#WitchesBeBitches

A Contemporary Retelling.

Eight years ago, the wicked witch held Hansel Lucas Jaeger and his sister, Melrose, captive. They barely escaped with their lives. Now, with high school, a garage band, and a part time job, Lucas finally feels normal.

But everything changes when Lucas sees his awkward, loner sister, hanging out with Star, one of the hot and hated popular girls known as The Bitches. At first, he’s just confused, but when he sees the tarot cards between them, he’s reminded of the curse the witch cast on Melrose.

His fears escalate when Star warns him about two witches from school who plan on using his sister for a ritual. Lucas wants to trust Star; he needs someone to confide in since Melrose thinks his fear of witchcraft is irrational. But Star is unpredictable and has toyed with his emotions before.

As Lucas searches for answers, more mysteries begin to unravel about Melrose’s childhood, Star’s motives, and his own family legacy. Lucas will have to make life and death decisions; but whom can he trust, and how do you rescue someone who doesn’t want to be saved?

Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy

Page Length: 247

Grab a copy HERE!

EXCERPT

“You might have something I want.” 

Her voice was definitely flirty, but Lucas had no idea what Star was all about. “Oh, really. And what is that?”

“Did you happen to find my tarot card?”

Uh-oh. The easiest answer would be “no,” however, Melrose would probably rat him out anyway. “It’s hard to explain, but I needed to get it out of the house.”

“So, it’s in the garbage?”

“Not exactly.” He stared at the dancing flames. “I burnt it.”

After a long silence, he looked at Star. Where she had been overly relaxed earlier, she now sat up straight with her arms crossed. Even in the dimly lit room, he could see that she thought he was crazy. Fair. In retrospect, his actions did seem a bit extreme. 

“You burnt my card?” she finally asked as a breeze came through the open window and blew out the candles. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Melrose can’t be around that sort of thing,” he mumbled

“Allergies?”

Lucas took the sarcasm he deserved and walked to the window. “Sorry. Just tell me how much I owe you.” He was going to shut the window before relighting the candles, but suddenly, Star’s hand was on his arm. 

“You don’t owe me anything,” she said. 

“No?” He turned around, and Star was standing right there, the curves of her body enhanced by the shadows. 

Dorlana Vann loves taking elements from fairy tales (characters, mood, moral, plot) and mixing them with a paranormal element and then dropping them in a contemporary setting. 

She has several supernatural fairy tale inspired stories, including novels, a short story collection, and Kindle Vella series. Her latest adventure is A Witchy Fairy Tale series; book 1: Potion. 

Besides writing, life is all about family, food, book-club, BBQ team, festivals, trivia (even though she's horrible at it), and drinking on patios – All of which she shares on Instagram 😊 

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Read an interview with Rayna York, author of The Right Kind of Unexpected #YoungAdult #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance

The Right Kind of Unexpected

By Rayna York

Tess hasn’t experienced many kindnesses in her eighteen years. When her boyfriend abandons her at a small-town gas station, it’s just one more crappy event to add to the pile. Without a car, money, or cell phone, her options are limited, and calling her parents isn’t one of them. So when the family that owns the business throws her a lifeline, she grabs hold. Because even the worst situations can have a silver lining, and this one is a town called Jasper Creek, a diner everyone calls Earl’s, and a young mechanic named Colten Reed.

Rayna York’s standalone novel gives readers the small-town romance they crave with enough feels to make the heart sing. It’s the perfect feel-good, summer romance.

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Page Length: 329

Grab a copy HERE!

INTERVIEW

Writing Interview questions.

What inspired you to write this book?

A dream. All three of my novels are based on dreams. If anyone reads the novel and is interested on the dream that prompted it all, go to https://www.raynayork.com/ and click on the book’s image.

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?

There are several enjoyable side characters and a surprising turn of events that had me in tears every time I was revising the scene.

If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why? 

Self-reliant, adaptive, and cautious: She had to deal with an abusive mother and a distant father, but raised by a caring nanny. Because she came from wealth, she traveled extensively with her parents and spent summers away from home at camp.

What was the most challenging part about writing your book? 

Building the connection between Colton (her love interest) and Tess (protagonist). I wanted the instant attraction, but have the relationship build slowly. 

Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?

No. there wasn’t anything that was removed, it was more of a fork in the road. How to end the story. Was it going to be an easy happily ever after all in the same summer, or (I don’t want to give it away) something else.

What are you currently working on?

I have three works in progress at the moment all in varying degrees of completion. A young adult, new adult, and women’s fiction: all three are romance and a little darker than the one I just released.

What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?

I would tell them to keep writing. Don’t worry if it’s good enough—especially the first draft, which is supposed to suck. Each novel you write, will be better than the one before, we grow with repetition. Don’t heed the reviews unless there is something that’s constructive and you deem it useful—it’s best not to read them at all. And the number one most important thing is when it comes time to query agents with your manuscript, don’t let the rejections disturb or trouble you in any way. Your novel may not be what they’re looking for and not a reflection on the quality of the book. You can always self-publish. 

Personal Interview questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing? 

I read a lot, exercise every day, play pickleball, visit with friends, watch movies.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

A psychologist. I was always listening and advising friends through their lives. It came natural to me. I made it through three years of university, then took a break, found love, got pregnant, and could never make it back. 

What’s for dinner tonight?

Burgers. We’re having friends over.

What would you rather be eating?

I’m not too particular. I love my gluten-free pizza though.

What would be a perfect day? 

Having a fist-pumping, butt-wiggling, yeah-ha writing moment. That could entail an awesome scene, paragraph, sentence or solving a plot hole with a genius fix.

What is the best part of your day? 

All of it, unless the writing isn’t there and then it would be everything but.

Either or!

Tea or coffee: Neither

Hot or cold: Hot

Movie or book: Book, but it’s a toss-up.

Morning person or Night owl: Night owl

City or country: Country

Social Media or book: Book!!!!

Paperback or ebook: Paperback, but only because it’s easier to find and re-read a scene. I mostly read eBooks though. It’s easier on my wrists (lighter) and it’s better for the environment. We need our trees. Replanting, if they do it, takes at least twenty years to grow to any substantial height. 

Rayna York grew up with hippie parents that moved a lot. Where change was the norm, books were her constant—a way to escape. As an adult, many careers came and went, but writing has always been her passion. Her books tend to be based on dreams, and since that’s the way inspiration strikes, she wakes up every morning and writes them in her notebook with barely an eye open. When she’s not tucked away in her writing shack, she’s pursuing other passions, like chocolate, reading, or movies/TV series.

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Read an excerpt from Promenade (The Dark Nocturne, #3) by Morgan Shamy #Paranormal #YoungAdult @MorganShamy @XpressoTours

Promenade
(The Dark Nocturne, #3)
By Morgan Shamy

When time isn’t on your side…

With Vincent gone, November is left exposed. Having lost everyone she loves, she’s desperate to find a new life. It could’ve been possible—until a group of Shadow Fae who blames her for Vincent’s death. Now, her only chance at survival is to deliver to them a live Vincent or face her own fate. Problem is, the dead can’t be brought back to life. So her only choice is to travel back in time and find him.

In London, 1901, Vincent and November reunite. But he isn’t who she thought he was. He’s a rake, an aristocrat, with no recollection of her. But that isn’t all her troubles. A Shadow Wraith is on her back, trying to take her back to her own time, and the Shadow Fae are still hunting her down. November must find a way to make Vincent remember who she is and change the future, before time, and her death catches up with her.

Publication date: July 26th 2022

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Young Adult 

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EXCERPT

The music ceased, and a new song begun. The melody pulsed with a strong first beat of three, slow and intricate, the different harmonies weaving together. 

The waltz. 

No. 

Her heart sped, beating in time with the beat. 

She couldn’t dance this dance with him. 

Vincent placed one hand behind her back, his palm flat against her bare skin, and stretched her other arm out to the side, pulling her in close. His back was straight, his eyes connected with hers. 

The dancers around them started the waltz, and he started his own steps, leading her around the room. The intimate dance pulled them closer together, bringing them inches apart. 

“You ran off last night without a word,” he said, voice low. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never had such a thing happen to me before. A lady climbing up the side of my house, appearing in my bedroom, only to disappear without a word. There had to be a great reason, and now I’m intrigued.” 

His stare cut to her core, and she could barely find her voice. “I… I got the wrong house,” she said. 

He let out a soft chuckle. “I highly doubt that. You called me Vincent.” 

Her lips tightened. “Fine, I did want to speak with you. But I didn’t think you’d be consorting in such… awful behaviors.” 

His brows lifted together. “Awful? My dear, have you never spent time alone with someone you fancied? I’d hardly describe that as awful.” 

 

Morgan Shamy is an ex-ballerina turned YA writer. She has been immersed in the arts since the young age of 4, where she performed various roles alongside a professional ballet company for over seven years, and has danced on prestigious stages like soloing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has taught hundreds of girls in her fifteen years of teaching, where some of her students have received full-ride scholarships to schools like School of American Ballet, the Harid Conservatory, Kirov Academy of Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, to name a few.

Morgan discovered writing when her three-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. It was through that experience which instilled the need to share art and magic with children through words on the page.

Morgan is also an accomplished concert pianist. She was the first girl in Utah to receive the 75 pt. Gold Cup in the Utah Federation of Music in piano solo/concerto competition. Morgan currently lives with her X-Games gold-medalist husband and four children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Read an excerpt from Two Boy Summer by Melissa Chambers #ContemporaryRomance #YoungAdult @MelChambersAuth @XpressoTours

Two Boy Summer

By Melissa Chambers

Two boys, one boardwalk, and her sweetest summer ever

Jules Jarvis never asked to be a rags-to-riches cliché. Since moving from simple Sugarbush Island, Florida five years ago to elite Greenwich, Connecticut, she has done little but miss the life and the true friends she left behind, especially Adrian Ryker. With one touch of her knee against his, her then twelve-year-old heart was stolen and never returned.

Now seventeen and headed back to Sugarbush for the summer, Jules hopes to reconnect with her old life by working at the candy apple stand on the boardwalk and reuniting with the friends she left behind, particularly Adrian. The only problem is she ghosted them all five years ago when seeing their pictures and posts became unbearable. Now she’s back and ready to eat a big ole crow sandwich with an extra-large side of groveling. It’ll be worth it to follow the hope of discovering where that magical knee touch might lead.

But Heath Townsend, the irritating boy interning with her stepdad for the summer, won’t quit popping up at the exact wrong times, making it twice as hard to connect with Adrian. Jules is here to rebuild her life—not fall for a preppy, cocky, Yale-bound jerk, no matter how charming that quirky smile of his can be.

For fans of Jillian Dodd, Beth Reekles, Jenny Han, and anyone who loves a great YA love triangle romance!

Publication date: July 19th 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult 

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EXCERPT

“Your mom’s really young, isn’t she?” Heath says.

“Yeah. She had me when she was sixteen.”

“She looks like she could be your sister.”

“Yep,” I say, that being exactly the eighteen hundredth time I’ve heard that.

I reach for my suitcase, but he lifts it and heads up the stairs. “I’ll take it up for you.”

I hesitate before following him. Craig would sooner gouge his eyes out than have something happen to me on his watch, so he must trust this guy implicitly. But that’s not to say I do.

Heath stops at the top of the stairs and scoots to the side. “Lead the way.” I poke my head into each of the rooms, Heath doing the same. “This one looks out on the pool and it’s got its own bathroom,” he says.

I had already pretty much settled on that one, so I shrug and head inside.

He points to the window on the far wall. “It’s got a view of my room too.”

I lift my eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

He hefts my suitcase onto a bed and then points again. “My family’s in that one.” He squints one eye. “My room’s right there. The blinds are pulled right now, but I’ll be sure and lift them, especially when I get out of the shower.”

I peer at him, starting to seriously question Craig’s judgment.

“I’m kidding. One of us had to break the ice. You’ve been looking at me like I’m a serial killer since before you got in the car. I don’t bite…unless you want me to.” He waggles his eyebrows and then picks up a decorative shell and inspects it.

I eye him. “Who are you?”

His lip quirks up in a smile, his gaze still focused on the shell. “Such disdain already. I must be doing something right.”

“You want me to dislike you?”

“Oh no. That’s impossible. I’m far too charming for that.”

I try to make out if he’s being irreverent or if he’s a cocky a-hole. I can’t tell yet. I plop down on the bed. “So, you’re starting the apprentice program, huh?”

“For the summer, yeah.”

I frown. “You mean you’re not doing the full five-year plan? The high school to college to real life program?”

“Nah. Just the summer. Just to occupy my time and keep me out of my parents’ house. What about you? What’s your gig this summer?”

“I’m working at the boardwalk. My uncle manages the place.”

He nods, picking up a turtle knick-knack from a bookshelf and then setting it back down. “Sounds fun,” he says with sort of a sigh, and again, I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or serious. “What’s there to do around here?” he asks peering out the window at the pool.

“Have you never been here before?”

“Nope. Just got here yesterday. Spent last night right out there.”

I rest my hands on my hips. “Why are you so familiar with this house? Don’t you live at the one next door?”

He shoots me a dry look. “My family’s over there.”

I nod, like I get it, but I really don’t. I’ve got a great family. I’ve got two of them actually. Craig and my mom are always including me in everything they do, and when my dad is in town, we do all kinds of stuff together. I guess I never went through that whole my family sucks phase. Because my family’s kind of awesome, even after what I’ve put them through the past five years.

He drops his hands down to his sides. “Well, it’s been stimulating.” He goes to head out of my room.

“Hey,” I say, at my limit with trying to figure this guy out. “Are you an asshole or are you just hard to read?”

He huffs a little laugh and then looks me up and down. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

 

Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She has served as president for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of the Love Along Hwy 30A series, the Before Forever series (YA), and Courting Carlyn (YA).

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Read an excerpt from The King’s Inquisitor by Tonya Ulynn Brown #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @MrsBrownee2U @maryanneyarde

The King’s Inquisitor

By Tonya Ulynn Brown

The queen of Scotland is dead. Her almoner’s son, William Broune, has fulfilled his father’s wish that he should serve the king, James VI, at court. William finds himself caught between loyalty to the king or loyalty to his conscience. As William is forced to serve as the king’s inquisitor in the North Berwick witch trials, he must make a decision. Will he do what the king asks, and earn the wife, title, and prestige he has always desired, or will he let a bold Scottish lass influence him to follow his heart and do the right thing?

If William doesn’t make the right choice, he may be among the accused.

Publication Date: July 1, 2022

Publisher: Late November Literary

Page Length: 369

Genre: Historical Romance

Grab a copy HERE!

EXCERPT

It took only a minute or two to change my clothes, and I was soon on my way back to the gathering. However, a slight lifting of the hair on the back of my neck indicated to me that I was not alone in the hallway. I turned and looked over my shoulder just in time to see Francis Stewart, the Earl of Bothwell, stepping out into the dim light. Candlelight bathed his face in a warm glow, but there was nothing warm about his company. I stiffened at the sight of him and resumed my walk toward the hall. 

“William Broune, just the man I wanted to see.” He caught up to me and matched his stride with mine, keeping pace with my quickened steps. 

“Bothwell, what are you doing here? I’m sure you did not receive an invitation to the queen’s birthday celebration.” 

“Ah, is that what is going on? And here I thought perhaps it was a welcome home party for me. I’ve been abroad, you know.” 

I didn’t bother to answer him. His company was about as welcome as a burr in one’s shoe. Only, the burr could be removed and discarded. We could never seem to rid ourselves of the earl completely.   

I sighed. “What do you want?” 

He chuckled, scratching his chin. “Such a friendly greeting from an old friend. I’m touched.” 

I stopped abruptly and turned to him. He took two steps further before he realized I had paused. “I would hardly call you an old friend. I don’t make a habit of befriending men who make sport of kidnapping our king and terrorizing the nobility.” 

A grin crept up his face, but the look in his menacing eyes was anything but jovial. “Aren’t we the sycophant. You are no more noble than the Holyroodhouse maid your father married.” 

I drew my clenched fist back. I didn’t like to fight but speaking of my dead mother was too much. He flinched but smiled again when he realized I hesitated. He was an earl after all, and I merely a servant of the crown.  

“You’ve gone too far.” 

“Oh, come now, William. You know I meant no offence. I’m merely pointing out that you are not nobility and therefore shouldn’t be troubled when one of the noble class is ruffled. I know I’m not bothered, and I’m as noble as they come.” He inspected the nails on his upturned hand, and I started walking again.

When I didn’t speak, he hastened his pace to catch up. “I was hoping to speak to you about a business proposition. Then again, perhaps you are too busy with the witch trials.” 

I ignored him. It unnerved me how much this man always knew about the king’s business. Besides, I was too busy. There had been many more arrests and another interrogation awaited me tomorrow with Doctor Fian. But I wasn’t about to tell him that.

“It is a chance to make a lot of money, and I thought perhaps you would be just the person to assist me.” 

“Not interested.” 

“But there may be a wench or two in the kitty as well.” 

“Still not interested.” 

He reached out and grabbed my arm, stalling me once more. “Since when is William Broune not interested in a good roll in the hay and a chance to make some loot?” 

“Since I am actively pursuing Lady Beatrix Ruthven, and I have no desire to attach myself to the likes of you.” I jerked my arm from his hand which still held fast to my coat.

“Lady Beatrix? Ah, but she is a fine, fine prize.” His voice turned husky, and he cocked his head.

“Yes, a marriage to her will certainly enhance your prospects. But this is money in your pocket, man. Immediate money. And there’s no need for her to know about the wenches.” He lifted and dropped both eyebrows in one swift motion, and I caught a glimpse of how persuasive he was capable of being.       

“I’ll go into business with you when hell freezes over.” I was just inches from his face, close enough to smell the whisky that clung to his breath. I tapped the side of his face playfully, then resumed my walk. He did not follow. 

“I can barely resist your sweet talk, Broune,” he called as I continued walking. “But when you realize that you need a little capital, and your new bride is suffering from a headache again, as all new brides do, come find me. I’ll be more than happy to accommodate you.” 

“I suggest you make yourself scarce, Bothwell.” I called over my shoulder. “If His Majesty were to find you here, you may not escape as easily as you did at your last trial.” 

Tonya Ulynn Brown is an elementary school teacher. She holds a Master’s degree in Teaching and uses her love of history and reading to encourage the same love in her students. Tonya finds inspiration in the historical figures she has studied and in the places she has traveled. Her interest in medieval and early modern British history influences her writing. She resides in rural southeastern Ohio, USA with her husband, Stephen, two boys, Garren and Gabriel, and a very naughty Springer Spaniel. 

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Read my review of The Girl from Bologna (Girls from the Italian Resistance) by Siobhan Daiko #WWII #ItalianHistorical #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @siobhandaiko @maryanneyarde

The Girl from Bologna 

(Girls from the Italian Resistance)

By Siobhan Daiko

Bologna, Italy, 1944, and the streets are crawling with German soldiers. Nineteen-year-old Leila Venturi is shocked into joining the Resistance after her beloved best friend Rebecca, the daughter of a prominent Jewish businessman, is ruthlessly deported to a concentration camp.

In February 1981, exchange student Rhiannon Hughes arrives in Bologna to study at the university. There, she rents a room from Leila, who is now middle-aged and infirm. Leila’s nephew, Gianluca, offers to show Rhiannon around but Leila warns her off him.

Soon Rhiannon finds herself being drawn into a web of intrigue. What is Gianluca’s interest in a far-right group? And how is the nefarious head of this group connected to Leila? As dark secrets emerge from the past, Rhiannon is faced with a terrible choice. Will she take her courage into both hands and risk everything?

An evocative, compelling read, “The Girl from Bologna” is a story of love lost, daring exploits, and heart wrenching redemption.

Publication Date: 29th June 2022

Publisher: Asolando Books

Page Length: 300 Pages

Genre: 20th Century Historical Fiction

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MY THOUGHTS

In 1944, Bologna is becoming increasingly unsafe to remain in. German soldiers walk the streets, and bombs are regularly dropped, killing hundreds of innocents. Leila Venturi remains in the city with her brother when their parents leave to stay somewhere safer. The city is her home, where her brother, best friend, Rebecca, and sweetheart, Paolo, live. 

But Rebecca is a Jew, and while she has taken every precaution to pretend that she is not, her family is deported, and all that Leila knows is that she has been taken to a concentration camp. With her best friend’s life in danger, Leila cannot simply sit around and wait for the Allies to take Bologna from the Germans – she must step in and help the process. There is a group of gappisti that Paolo has joined, and Leila makes her desire to join them very clear.

In 1981, Leila takes in an exchange student, Rhiannon, in a bid to not feel as alone in an empty house. While Rhiannon is staying, Leila decides that she should make an account of what she lived through during the war, for there was recently a terrorist attack on a Bologna station and has brought the memories back into her mind. But, as she records the events she experienced, the past seems to be coming back in more ways than one. Rhiannon and Leila’s nephew, Gianluca, find themselves in the middle of things they can’t quite understand, and somehow, it all connects into the things Leila is recording.

This book has an entirely different approach to the dual-timeline aspect than previous books I have read by this author. Instead of different chapters for the past and the present, although the present is still at least 40 years ago, we only see the past through Leila’s recordings. She dictates her story to a recorder, which is when we find out about her past. Most of the story is actually set in the 1980s, although, as always, the past is never gone, and things Leila has seen in her life are prevalent to everything that Rhiannon and Gianluca are experiencing. 

I loved Leila, she is an absolutely lovely person. The effort she goes to, to make sure Rhiannon is comfortable, shows how much she cares. She spends hours preparing wonderful meals, to introduce Rhiannon to Italian culture, and answers all of her questions and more. Rhiannon is also a character I absolutely adored. She came to Italy to better her speaking abilities in Italian, but she finds so much more than practice in Leila’s house. Leila and Rhiannon become like family in the few weeks they are together, and knowing each other certainly changes the paths their lives take. 

By showing the past through Leila’s recordings, you might assume there wouldn’t be much of a connection to the past, with a lack of details of the events, and emotions lost in the format. This is not the case. Instead, the emotions are shown through Leila, for even nearly forty years on, she still feels what she felt then. She still feels the love for Paolo, and still grieves for those she lost. It is almost more emotional because the emotions were so strong at the time, they are still present in Leila’s life, and still affecting her. 

I can’t talk about everything that happens with Rhiannon too much, because I don’t want to give away the plot. She meets another exchange student, although Marie is from France, not Wales like herself. While it seems logical that Marie and Rhiannon would become good friends, as they’re both strangers to Italy, and learning together, Rhiannon can’t help but feel wary towards Marie. There is something off about her, and the more Rhiannon learns, the more questions she faces. There is a mystery, and it is shocking to read it unfold, for you only learn the truth near the very end of the book, so you are kept guessing within minimal solid information for a while. 

With the mix of culture, history, and mystery, this is a book that has a bit of everything, and has combined them all perfectly. Once again, Siobhan Daiko does not disappoint. I have read all the books (so far) in the ‘Girls from the Italian Resistance: Heart-breaking page-turners, based on actual events in Italy during World War 2’ series, and I have loved every single one of them. I look forward to seeing what else this author writes!

Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a rescued cat. After a life of romance and adventure in Hong Kong, Australia and the UK, Siobhan now spends her time indulging her love of writing and enjoying her life near Venice.

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Have a look at The Girl from Oto (The Miramonde Series, Book 1) by Amy Maroney and narrated by Meg Price #Renaissance #WomenArtists #HistoricalMystery #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @wilaroney @maryanneyarde

The Girl from Oto 
(The Miramonde Series, Book 1)
By Amy Maroney
Narrated by Meg Price

A Renaissance-era woman artist and an American scholar. Linked by a 500-year-old mystery…

The secrets of the past are irresistible—and treacherous.

1500: Born during a time wracked by war and plague, Renaissance-era artist Mira grows up in a Pyrenees convent believing she is an orphan. When tragedy strikes, Mira learns the devastating truth about her own origins. But does she have the strength to face those who would destroy her?

2015: Centuries later, art scholar Zari unearths traces of a mysterious young woman named Mira in two 16th-century portraits. Obsessed, Zari tracks Mira through the great cities of Europe to the pilgrim’s route of Camino de Santiago—and is stunned by what she finds. Will her discovery be enough to bring Mira’s story to life?

A powerful story and an intriguing mystery, The Girl from Oto is an unforgettable novel of obsession, passion, and human resilience.

Publication Date: 20th September 2016

Publisher: Artelan Press

Page Length: 524 Pages

Audio Length: 15 hours 23 minutes

Narrator: Meg Price

Genre: Historical Mystery

The Girl from Oto • Mira's Way • A Place in the World

Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. When she's not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Amy's new series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, features ordinary people seeking their fortunes under the rule of the medieval Knights Hospitaller in Rhodes, Greece. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s readers' group at www.amymaroney.com.

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Read my review of The Right Kind of Unexpected by Rayna York #ContemporaryRomance #YoungAdult #NewAdult

The Right Kind of Unexpected

By Rayna York

Tess hasn’t experienced many kindnesses in her eighteen years. When her boyfriend abandons her at a small-town gas station, it’s just one more crappy event to add to the pile. Without a car, money, or cell phone, her options are limited, and calling her parents isn’t one of them. So when the family that owns the business throws her a lifeline, she grabs hold. Because even the worst situations can have a silver lining, and this one is a town called Jasper Creek, a diner everyone calls Earl’s, and a young mechanic named Colten Reed.

Rayna York’s standalone novel gives readers the small-town romance they crave with enough feels to make the heart sing. It’s the perfect feel-good, summer romance.

Publication date: June 18th 2022

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

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MY THOUGHTS

Tess is already regretting jumping in the car with her boyfriend to head to Disney World. She already wishes the trip was over, and that she didn’t have to spend any more time with him. But, it seems, her wish comes true in the most infuriating way.

When they stop at a gas station, so Tess can use the bathroom, she doesn’t expect to find herself stranded, her boyfriend having driven off with her car, and all her belongings, such as her phone and purse, in it. It is just her luck that her boyfriend also filled up the car’s tank with fuel before driving off and not paying, so not only is Tess stranded, but she is stranded with a debt to pay and no way to pay it.

Luckily for her, the family running the gas station/diner/mechanics shop are the kindest people Tess has ever come across in her life. Even though she already owes them money, they feed her, and make sure she is okay. And, when it becomes apparent Tess’s boyfriend will not be returning, they set her up with a job, and a place to stay for the time being.

After growing up with a family that provided Tess’s every materialistic need, rather than her emotional ones, watching the interactions between the family she finds herself with is strange. Twyla runs the diner, Earl cooks, and yet, the married couple clearly love each other, a far cry from the relationship between Tess’s parents. Their children: Colton, the mechanic, and Josie, the twelve-year-old genius, who is more than happy to help out. The relationship between all of them is so easy, so loving, and they are welcoming and accommodating, something Tess doesn’t think she really deserves, considering how much she has already inconvenienced them.

And yet, the more time she spends with them, working in the diner to pay her way, the more Tess feels at home. She feels more at home among these near strangers than she does in her own home. It helps, of course, that Colton is incredibly attractive. Tess and Colton’s relationship is an incredibly slow burn. Tess knows immediately that she is attracted to him, but he seems to be holding back. A fear of falling too deep into what can only be a short-term relationship keeps them apart. Tess is supposed to be leaving at the end of summer to go to university, but in the meantime, she longs for a relationship with Colton that doesn’t seem to be about to happen.

I loved every singly member of the family Tess finds herself with. Twyla and Earl take Tess in like a daughter, quickly looking past the fact that she started working for them to pay back a debt, and making sure she is comfortable, fed, and happy. Josie is a chatterbox, and incredibly loveable. She is a massive help to her mother, especially, and there is no better person to help Tess feel at home. And then there’s Colton. Despite his welcoming and easy-going nature, he is closed off, and definitely holds back from letting Tess properly get to know him. He knows she is only passing through his life, and he knows that if he lets himself get attached, it will only hurt that much more when she goes. Regardless, spending time with her is something he clearly enjoys, and the more he introduces her to the town, the more Tess starts questioning whether she really wants to go to university, or if she wants to stay.

Of course, this book is not without it’s drama, and there was one event in particular that had me physically holding my breath for fear of what might happen. The characters felt so real, and I felt like I was there with them, which amplified the dramatic moments ten-fold. In the same way, I grew incredibly attached to the characters. 

It is not an exaggeration to say that I read this book in a day. Every spare moment, I picked the book back up, and it was difficult to put it down when I had to do things. The whole atmosphere this book created was addicting, and I felt the loss when it was over. I will definitely be reading this book again, and looking up more books by this author to get lost in.

Rayna York grew up with hippie parents that liked to adventure. Where change was the norm, books were her constant—a way to escape. As an adult, many careers came and went, but writing has always been her passion. Everything I knew to be true is her first published novel.

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Check out the cover for Shy Girls Can’t Date Billionaires by Milly Rose #Romance #YoungAdult #RomCom @XpressoTours

Shy Girls Can’t Date Billionaires

By Milly Rose

I was born shy. And near him, I fall apart. No wonder he can’t stand the sight of me.

After a fire destroys our home, my family is taken in by a billionaire tycoon. His mansion has countless bedrooms, yet my room is next door to his son, Thomas Ashworth III. Yes, he’s as pompous as the name suggests. And, for some reason, he hates my guts.

Even though his arrogance drives me crazy, his chiselled features turn me into a stammering, awkward mess. I hate being stuck with someone I can’t stand. And when he does something unexpectedly kind, it confuses my heart.

When I bump into him in the middle of the night, I’d never guess it lead to us sharing secrets.

He’s impossible to get out of my head. But he wouldn’t consider dating someone like me. Would he?

Publication date: September 5th 2022
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Young Adult

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Milly Rose is an animal-loving romance enthusiast with a swoon-inducing book formula. Shy girl + hot guy + first kisses. Her YA sweet romance books will have you falling in love every instalment. Milly Rose is the quintessential shy girl, who you can contact via her mailing list and reply to her monthly email blasts! Milly spends her days vying for her cat’s affection, dreaming up her next book boyfriend, and writing a fun meet-cute under candlelight with a lovely brewed cup of tea.

Join Milly Rose’s Mailing List Here >> [https://bit.ly/3BJHiUW](https://bit.ly/3BJHiUW)

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Read my review of More Precious Than Gold (The Hearts of Gold Trilogy, Book 2) by Renee Yancy #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @YancyRenee @maryanneyarde

More Precious Than Gold

(The Hearts of Gold Trilogy, Book 2)

By Renee Yancy

A young woman refuses to become a pawn in her grandmother’s revenge scheme and forgoes a life of wealth and royalty to pursue a nursing career as America enters WWI and the Pandemic Flu of 1918 wreaks havoc in New York City.

Publication Date: 28th June 2022

Publisher: Vinspire

Page Length: 345 Pages

Genre: Historical Romance

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MY THOUGHTS

With the arrival of a letter, everything that Kitty had thought she had known about her mother changes. Kitty had always thought her grandmother was dead, but that is simply not true – her grandmother is, indeed, alive, and an incredibly wealthy member of high society. With her health failing her, Kitty’s grandmother wants to meet her only grandchild, but Kitty's mother is reluctant to let bygones be bygones. She does not trust that her mother has honest intentions, but she cannot let her personal feelings get in the way of Kitty's chance to meet her grandmother.

However, Kitty's grandmother has an agenda, and Kitty cannot immediately see that this seemingly loving old woman does not necessarily have her best interests at heart.

This novel initially focuses on Kitty's relationship with her grandmother. There are a few scenes where Kitty feels totally out of her league, for she has grown up in a very different world to the one her grandmother lives in, and she must relearn even the simplest things to fit in –  for example, how was she to know that there was a right and wrong way to eat peas? But her upbringing has given her self-assurance, and she isn't shy to call things out when it is deserved.

The second half of this novel is when the story really takes off, and the book becomes impossible to put down. Kitty is accepted into Bellevue Hospital's nursing program, and leaves the life of wealth and comfort her grandmother would provide in favour of becoming a nurse. I really enjoyed reading about how hospitals were run in the early twentieth century, which is a subject I don’t think I have come across in a book before, especially from the perspective of a nursing student. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the other students, especially Annabelle. And of course, one must not forget the dashing Dr Samuel Hayden, who can’t seem to take his eyes off of Kitty. In addition to getting to know the nurses, I also loved reading about some of the patients under their care, especially Mr Eisenmenger, who absolutely does not want to be in the hospital any longer, and is constantly trying to make a break for it so he can go home.

This novel focuses first and foremost on Kitty’s life, but it would be impossible to ignore the time period this book is set in. Kitty’s father enlisted, which helps to remind the reader that this is not only a period in time when a pandemic is raging, and nurses are fighting to save the lives of the sick, but the world war is still going ahead. It has, however, been pushed a little to the background, which differs from other books I have read set in this period. For Kitty, the world war is not the most important thing happening, and she chooses to focus on the things that, to her, are more important, such as trying to keep patients alive, and spending time with Samuel.

The reality, and horrors, of the flu pandemic of 1919 has been captured within the pages of this novel. The devotion of the nurses, doctors, and staff in this book does not come as a surprise, especially considering the parallels you can draw to the covid-19 pandemic the world has gone through only 100 year later. Although there were many saddening aspects, the lining up of bodies outside the morgue and houses because there was not enough room was especially heartbreaking. I did not know much about the flu pandemic of 1919, it is a specific topic I have never come across in any books before, all I knew is that it killed missions of people. However, it seems that the flu wasn’t generally the cause of death, but the secondary pneumonia that followed. The immense suffering of so many people was difficult to read about at times, for the author does not sugarcoat the reality of what living through this pandemic was like. This is something to bear in mind when you read this book.

I thought the author has created a very believable world and I did, despite all the heartbreak, really enjoy Kitty's story. She is a character that initially captured my interest but by the end of the novel, she had earned my respect. This is a novel that I can see myself reading again and again.

Renee Yancy is a history and archaeology nut who works as an RN when she isn’t writing historical fiction or traveling the world to see the exotic places her characters have lived.

A voracious reader as a young girl, she now writes the kind of books she loves to read—stories filled with historical and archaeological detail interwoven with strong characters facing big conflicts. Her goal is to take you on a journey into the past so fascinating that you can’t put the story down. 

When she isn’t writing, Renee can be found in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and a rescue mutt named Ellie. She loves flea markets and collecting pottery and glass and most anything mid-century modern.

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