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Giveaway: The Chalice (The Crown #2) by Nancy Bilyeau
The Chalice is the second book in The Crown series, and though it is part of a series, this book could easily be read as a stand alone. Joanna is a nun in the Tudor period who is fighting against a deadly prophecy that implies she is the ‘one who will come after’ and restore the Catholic faith in England. Will Joanna embrace her destiny or continue to fight against it and what will happen to those that she loves? Will she destroy everything she holds dear to escape the prophecy? Thanks to the publisher, I am ecstatic to be able to offer a paperback copy of The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau for…
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Special Feature: Paperback Release: The Chalice (The Crown #2) by Nancy Bilyeau
Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing Nancy Bilyeau’s thrilling historic fiction novel The Chalice! I am excited to announce Touchstone Books is now releasing The Chalice in paperback! (On-sale March 18, 2014; $16.00 paperback; 978-1-4767-0866-9; Touchstone Books). I am also posting a giveaway for the paperback novel so check my giveaway posting for details! The Chalice is the second in Bilyeau’s The Crown series. In The Chalice, Bilyeau returns to the story of Joanna Stafford, a young aristocratic nun whose cloistered way of life came crashing down when King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries.
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Review: The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin
In the Lake District of northern England, the estranged Earl of Askew has returned to his crumbling country estate after years abroad. He has run out of money and needs to start selling off some of his belongings to pay for his eccentric life style and habits. He places a call to a well respected auction house in London, Hardy’s, and Gerald Stanton and his apprentice Joanna (Jo) Roswell, are dispatched to the estate to evaluate some of the finer pieces. Jo’s mother has just died in a terrible plane crash and she welcomes the opportunity to throw herself back into her work. When Jo and Gerald arrive at the…
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Review: The Queen’s Dwarf by Ella March Chase
In the court of King Charles I, his homesick bride, Henrietta-Maria, longs to be back in the comfort of her French court. To distract herself she has created a kind of sideshow to entertain herself with. The Royal Menagerie of Freaks and Curiosities of Nature is a collection of sorts that consist of a giant, two other dwarfs, a rope dancer, an acrobat, animal trainer, and a special dwarf dubbed Lord Minimus. Lord Minimus is actually Jeffery, a dwarf who has been trained by one of the most dangerous men at court, the Duke of Buckingham, to be a spy. The Duke of Buckingham has taken Jeffery from his meager existence…
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Giveaway: Prize Pack The Girl on the Golden Coin by Marci Jefferson
Come meet the women who captured the heart of a British monarch and refused to give herself to him completely. This is a charming tale of love and political intrigue all set during the Restoration. Thanks to the publisher, I am ecstatic to be able to offer a copy of The Girl on the Golden Coin by Marci Jefferson along with a pair of sterling silver pearl drop earrings that resemble the ones on the cover of the novel….all for your enjoyment! Giveaway runs 2/10/14 to 2/17/14 Winners will be announced 2/18/14. (how to enter) On this blog you must leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway. Your comment MUST include your…
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Review: Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart by Marci Jefferson
Being the king’s mistress was considered the pentacle of a courtesans career. It was an offer that once made, could catapult the woman into a position with a lot of power and influence. A king’s mistress could be in both the king’s bed and his head. When the king tired of his mistress a suitable match would be found for her and once her favor went so did her influence. For Frances Stuart this was a position she didn’t want to leave to the king’s whim. Many women were lucky to get this offer from the king once, very few got the offer from more than one king on more…
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Announcement: Winner The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey
And the winner of The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey is….. Christine K (Re-Tweeted about the giveaway) The winner will be notified via email. Thank you to everyone who entered and a huge thank you to the publisher for making this giveaway possible!
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Giveaway: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey
Are you going through Downton Abbey withdrawals? I don’t know about you but I know I am! If you are longing for more history and mystery from this exciting era in English history this book is going to be exactly what you are looking for! Thanks to the publisher, I am ecstatic to be able to offer a copy of The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey for your enjoyment! Giveaway runs 1/23/13 to 1/29/14 Winners will be announced 1/30/14. (how to enter) On this blog you must leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway. Your comment MUST include your email so I can contact you….if you do not enter an…
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Review: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey
Non-fiction books are often a double edged sword for me. I love that I get the historical information and facts about a period in history or a specific person etc, however often the material is presented in a very scholarly manor and can at times be on the dry side. However ever once in a while I get a non-fiction book for review that really catches my eye and that was the case with The Secret Rooms but Catherine Bailey. This book promised a Downton Abbey-esque, real life mystery in the upper echelons of WWI English society…how could I pass it up? This story roped me in almost immediately.
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Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
In the exotic vacation destination of Monte Carlo, we find a quiet and insecure woman on holiday. The young lady is a companion to a wealthy eccentric woman. While in Monte Carlo the young lady meets a dark, mysterious widower named Maxium de Winter. They fall in love and marry almost immediately. Maxium is a wealthy man who’s wife just passed away back in England. The circumstances surrounding her death don’t sounds sinister in nature but they are horrific. Supposedly the first Mrs de Winter was killed in a boating accident. Many years his junior, the new Mrs de Winter returns with Maxium to his country estate of Manderley on the…