The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick has been officially released. Take a peek at the trailer and enter for a chance to win!

The Summer Queen 

Elizabeth Chadwick

About the Book

Young Eleanor has a bright future as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine. But when her beloved father dies, childhood is suddenly over. Forced to marry Prince Louis of France, she barely adjusts before another death catapults them to King and Queen. Leaving everything behind, young Eleanor must face the complex and vivacious French court – and all of its scandals.

About the Author

Elizabeth Chadwick (UK) is the author of 20 historical novels, including The Greatest Knight, The Scarlet Lion, A Place Beyond Courage, The Outlaw Knight, Shadows and Strongholds, The Winter Mantle, and The Falcons of Montabard, four of which have been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Awards.

Buy Links

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Books A Million     IndieBound

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The Memory Witch by Heather Topham Wood with Giveaway

The Memory Witch

by Heather Topham Wood

Series: The Memory Witch #1

Release Date: December 15th 2013

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Purchase: Amazon

Goodreads

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Ten years ago, Quinn Jacobs’ mother made a bargain with a local witch—steal away Quinn’s memories from the first eight years of her life and in return, Quinn would spend a year in servitude to the witch.

On Quinn’s eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to leave her home and friends behind. For the next year, she’ll live at the Chadwick House, learning everything she needs to know about being a spellcaster. As her powers grow, Quinn begins to unravel the secrets of the past and the reason her mother was so desperate to conceal the horrifying truth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. She’s the author of the paranormal romance Second Sight series and the standalone The Disappearing Girl.

Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor's degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.

www.authorheather.com | twitter.com/woodtop255 | facebook.com/HeatherTophamWood

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Review and Giveaway: The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy

The Boleyn Bride

by Brandy Purdy

Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 272p
ISBN-10: 0758273363

From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history’s most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own…

At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne–while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne…

When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances–and catches the lusty king’s eye. But those who enjoy Henry’s fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband’s machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one–and the Boleyn family’s fortune may be turning.

Praise for the novels of Brandy Purdy:

“Recommended for readers who can’t get enough of the Tudors and have devoured all of Philippa Gregory’s books.” –Library Journal on The Boleyn Wife

“Purdy wonderfully re-imagines the behind-the-scenes lives of the two sisters.” –Historical Novel Reviews on The Tudor Throne

Buy the Book

Amazon (eBook)

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Bookish.com
Books-a-Million
Google Play
IndieBound
iTunes
Kobo
Target

About the Author:

Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels THE CONFESSION OF PIERS GAVESTON, THE BOLEYN WIFE (THE TUDOR WIFE), THE TUDOR THRONE (MARY & ELIZABETH), THE QUEEN’S PLEASURE (A COURT AFFAIR), and THE QUEEN’S RIVALS (THE FALLEN QUEEN). An ardent book lover since early childhood, she first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten years old when she read a book of ghost stories which contained a chapter about Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at www.brandypurdy.com, you can also follow her, and her cat Tabby, via her blog at http://brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and weekly book reviews.

My thoughts:

I have to admit I have long wondered about the mother of my dearest Queen Anne Boleyn, the marvelously elusive, Elizabeth Boleyn, sister of The Duke of Norfolk, wife of Thomas Boleyn, mother to Mary, Anne and George and grandmother of Elizabeth I.  I was beyond thrilled to see that Brandy Purdy had taken on the exploration of this pivotal and often overlooked Tudor woman.  I am amazed how many novels have written Elizabeth Boleyn off completely, replacing her with a step mother, fondly referred to by one as Lady Bo, rather than dive into the deep end, as Purdy has done, and truly explored the maternal nature and character of the mother of one of England's most famous, and sadly most notorious, queens.

Brandy Purdy presents the character of Elizabeth Boleyn in her latest novel, The Boleyn Bride, as a complex woman.  A volatile mix of pride and beauty living a life of negligent self-indulgence, disappointment and ultimately bitter loss and self-blame.  We meet Elizabeth at the end of her life, full of bitter remorse for her own lost life, once so full of pride and promise, as she mourns the loss of two children and the hope of ever being a mother to the third.  She is a woman full of loathing and regret for what might have been and embitterment for not only herself but even more so for the father of her children, Thomas Boleyn, the man she was forced to marry and never liked, much less loved. 

As an avid reader of historical fiction and during my graduate studies in history I have always been confounded by the marriage of Elizabeth, beloved daughter of The Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Boleyn.  One would expect the daughter of one of England's foremost peers to marry well, perhaps royally well, and yet here we have Elizabeth, a beautiful and vivacious young woman, living at the Tudor court as maid of honor to the Queen, wedded to Thomas Boleyn.  At first glance one assumes it must have been one of the rare love matches of the time, but something about that just never sat well with me.  That being said, I can neither comprehend why Norfolk was persuaded, indebted to or coerced into the arrangement of the marriage.  Perhaps the reason is lost to time, but it certainly provides fodder for the novelist!    

Brandy Purdy gives us Elizabeth forced to marry Thomas Bullen, her spite filled name nickname for her unwanted, unloved and ultimately despised spouse.  Thomas goes so far as to encourage his wife to become mistress to King Henry, but Elizabeth denies him, out of devotion for Queen Catherine and a touch of spite.   Rather, Purdy gives us the character of Remi Jouet, as the man who becomes the true lifelong love for Elizabeth.  Remi Jouet is a man of whom I have never heard mentioned nor of whom I could find any evidence, but Purdy does note in Postscript, that Remi Jouet, was indeed a doll maker, a skilled artisan, whose few remaining creations can be found today in museums and private collections.   I was completely perplexed by the relationship of Elizabeth and Remi and as I read truly thought he was a fictional insertion by Purdy until reading the postscript.  Amazing, truly and to Purdy I raise a toast for her amazingly complex and skillfully crafted novel giving historical fiction readers a glimpse into the life of Elizabeth, mother and grandmother of Queens. 

Giveaway:

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Tour Page: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theboleynbridetour

Tour Hashtag: #BoleynBrideTour

The entire tour schedule with links follows:

Friday, February 14
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Monday, February 17
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, February 18
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, February 19
Spotlight & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Thursday, February 20
Review & Giveaway at Always with a Book

Friday, February 21
Review & Giveaway at WTF Are You Reading?

Monday, February 24
Review & Giveaway at The Most Happy Reader

Tuesday, February 25
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, February 26
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Review & Giveaway at Found Between the Covers

Thursday, February 27
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Friday, February 28
Review at Book-alicious Mama
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Monday, March 3
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict

Tuesday, March 4
Review & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Wednesday, March 5
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Thursday, March 6
Review & Giveaway at Griperang’s Bookmarks

Friday, March 7
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR

Hijack in Abstract by Larissa Reinhart with Giveaway

Hijacked in Abstract

by Larissa Reinhart

Genre: Humorous Cozy Mystery

Length: 257 pages

Release Date: December 18, 2013

Excerpt:

With my messenger bag bumping my back, I hugged my chest, figuring it best not to give an extra show to Shep and the boys. I followed Uncle Will down the hallway, waiting while he unlocked a door. The door opened and two faces turned to look at us. One I didn’t recognize, but judging by his despondent expression, I figured he was probably in a mess of trouble. The other person, another deputy, I identified immediately. Hard not to recognize those brown ochre curls with the highlights I had decided were transparent oxide-red lake. Or the lean, muscled body, much like Michelangelo’s David. Or by the strong jaw buttressing two adorable dimples that made a rare showing.

Unfortunately, I knew Deputy Luke Harper a little too well.

He gave me a scant nod and turned back to the perp.

My hand snuck back to my hair and yanked on a particularly tall cowlick in back. I gritted my teeth and gave myself a quick lecture not to make a scene. We had aired our irreconcilable differences behind the local roadhouse, Red’s County Line Tap, a few months ago and I had not quite recovered.

“That’s Tyrone Coderre,” said Uncle Will. “He’s going to give you a description to draw. We need a composite sketch.”

Uncle Will stopped me before I entered the room and pulled me to the side. “Can I leave Deputy Harper in there with you or do I need to call in another officer? Harper’s the one who picked up Coderre, so this is his investigation.”

“I’m quite capable of separating my personal and professional life,” I said, tilting my chin so I could eyeball Uncle Will. “You might want to ask the same of him.”

“I trust Luke not to screw up his job. You are another story.”

I gave him a “why, I never” gasp.

“I’m going to be watching through the two-way.” He tapped my messenger bag. “Lucky for you, I don’t know other artists to call during the middle of the night. Wouldn’t want to be accused of nepotism. But I want a sketch while the memory is still fresh in Coderre’s mind. Don’t disappoint me, Cherry.”

“So, this is an important investigation?” Excitement zipped through my veins and made my fingers tingle. “I won’t let you down. You can even deputize me if you want.”

Uncle Will chuckled. “Just draw us a good picture. That’s plenty helpful.”

“Yes, sir,” I said and snuck by him to enter the room. I nodded to the man in the black sweat suit behind the table and held out my hand. “Hello, Mr. Coderre. I’m Cherry Tucker, a local artist.”

“Don’t shake his hand,” barked Luke. “Are you crazy?”

Tyrone Coderre’s cuffed hands retreated below the table, and I blew out a hard breath.

Looked like it was going to be a long night. At least the criminal had manners.

Couldn’t say the same for the cop.

Buy links for Hijacked in Abstract:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

About the Author:

Growing up in a small town, Larissa Reinhart couldn’t wait to move to an exotic city far from corn fields. After moving around the US and Japan, now she loves to write about roughhewn characters that live near corn fields, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble.

HIJACK IN ABSTRACT is the third in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series from Henery Press, following STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (May 2013) and PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist. QUICK SKETCH, a Cherry Tucker prequel to PORTRAIT, is in the mystery anthology THE HEARTACHE MOTEL (December 2013).

Larissa lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website or find her chatting with the Little Read Hens on Facebook.

Connect with Larissa:

Website: http://larissareinhart.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RisWrites

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RisWrites

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5806614.Larissa_Reinhart

Giveaway:

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Book Spotlight: Einstein: Relatively Simple by Ira Mark Egdall

Einstein Relatively Simple: Our Universe Revealed in Everyday Language

Ira Mark Egdall

Author Bio:

Ira Mark Egdall is also the author of the eBook Unsung Heroes of the Universe and a popular science writer for DecodedScience.com. He is a retired aerospace program manager with an undergraduate degree in physics from Northeastern University. Mark now teaches lay courses in modern physics at Lifelong Learning Institutes at Florida International

University, the University of Miami, and Nova Southeastern University. He also gives entertaining talks on Einstein and time travel. When not thinking about physics, Mark spends his time playing with his grandchildren and driving his wife of 45 years crazy. 

Author Links 

Website: http://iramarkegdall.com/
(NOTE: A new web site is currently in progress)

Twitter: @IMEgdall
https://twitter.com/IMEgdall

Linkedin: Mark Egdall

Goodreads: Ira Mark Egdall

Book Genre:  Popular Science
Publisher:  World Scientific Publishing
Release Date:  February 24, 2014

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Indybound

Book Description:

Einstein Relatively Simple brings together for the first time an exceptionally clear explanation of both special and general relativity. It is for people who always wanted to understand Einstein’s ideas but never thought it possible.

Told with humor, enthusiasm, and rare clarity, this entertaining book reveals how a former high school drop-out revolutionized our concepts of space and time. From E=mc² and everyday time travel to black holes and the big bang, the book takes us all, regardless of any scientific background, on a mindboggling journey through the depths of Einstein's universe.

Along the way, we track Einstein through the perils and triumphs of his life — follow his thinking, his logic, and his insights — and chronicle the audacity, imagination, and sheer genius of the man recognized as the greatest scientist of the modern era. 

Excerpt:

Prologue

All knowledge begins in wonder.

Aristotle

In June of 1905, former high-school drop-out and lowly patent clerk Albert Einstein published a paper in the German Annals of Physics which revolutionized our understanding of space and time. What came to be known as the theory of special relativity predicted a strange new universe where time slows and space shrinks with motion.

In that same journal, Einstein proposed light comes in discreet packets of energy we now call photons. Along with Max Planck’s work, this insight sparked the quantum revolution. This in turn set off the greatest technological revolution in human history — enabling the invention of television, transistors, electronic digital computers, cell phones, digital cameras, lasers, the electron microscope, atomic clocks, MRI, sonograms, and many more modern-day devices.

Einstein’s follow-up article in September of 1905 proposed that mass and energy are equivalent. His famous equation, E = mc², came to solve one of the great mysteries of modern science — how the Sun and stars shine. Some four decades later, Einstein’s breakthrough ushered in the atomic age.

In December of 1915, Albert Einstein — now Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Berlin — surpassed his already staggering accomplishments. In the midst of the turmoil and hardships of World War I, he produced his life’s masterpiece: a new theory of gravity. His audacious general theory of relativity revealed a cosmos beyond our wildest imagination. It predicted phenomena so bizarre even Einstein initially doubted their existence — black holes which trap light and stop time, wormholes which form gravitational time machines, the expansion of space itself, and the birth of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago in the ultimate cosmic event: the Big Bang.

Not since Isaac Newton had a single physicist attained such monumental breakthroughs, and no scientist since has matched his breathtaking achievements. In recognition, TIME magazine selected Albert Einstein above such luminaries as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mohandas Gandhi, as the “Person of the Century” — the single individual with the most significant impact on the 20^th century.

Albert Einstein has long since passed from this corporal world. Yet his fame lives on. His discoveries inspire today’s generation of physicists — providing stepping stones to a new understanding of the cosmos and perhaps someday a unified theory of all physics. His brilliance, independence of mind, and persistence continue to be an inspiration to us all. He remains the iconic figure of science, whose genius transcends the limits of human understanding.

I wrote Einstein Relatively Simple to tell Einstein’s story — to hopefully provide the non-expert a clear, step-by-step explanation of how he came to develop both special and general relativity. My goal is a book which is comprehensive, fun to read, and most important, understandable to the lay reader . . .

So come explore how an unknown patent clerk came to develop a new theory of time and space, how he came to supplant the illustrious Isaac Newton with a new theory of gravity. Along the way we will examine the mind of Albert Einstein, who preferred to think in pictures rather than words, follow his thinking, his logic, and his insights.

To quote one of my students; “You’ll never look at the universe the same way again!”

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Release Day and Guest Post... THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS: FINAL ACT

Today is the release day for THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS: FINAL ACT and I'm thrilled to be able to help out and spread the word about its release with an awesome guest post from Mab, an excerpt and a giveaway.

As with the first two books in the series, this third and final book will be released first in serial format. But this time a new episode will be releasing each week for six weeks until the novel is complete!

For those who haven't yet stepped foot into the Cirque des Immortels, now is the perfect time to get started. In just six weeks the series will be complete and all three books will be available in their entirety to devour.

So be sure to check out all the details below for more information about this awesome series. If you’d like to know just a little bit more, there is a one week only tour going on right now, which includes its very own giveaway. So just head over to Rockstar Book Tours for the schedule so you can follow along.

And if you'd like the chance to win another prize pack, don't forget to enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Now, let me turn things over to Mab, Ringmaster extraordinare.

***

Hello, Lovelies,



The Final Act is here at last, ready to draw you in to that last bow over six deliciously tempting installments. Each week will take you deeper into the dark, debaucherous world of the Cirque des Immortels, right up until the thrilling conclusion. You thought you knew the Immortal Circus, but I can assure you, there's still much more to discover. Great lies and greater love, old flames and new foes...but I don't want to spoil it, not just yet.



So I'll leave you with this. Just a taste. Just in case you weren't ready to take the plunge.



The Big Top awaits...step right up.



-Mab



----



I hate how desensitized I've become to dead bodies.



It's not exactly a part of the gig, not really what I thought being the ringmaster for a circus would entail. But hell, Mab never left me a rule book when she handed me the job. I'm lucky she let me keep my head.



Melody stands beside me. It's 6:00 a.m., and she's in a loose cardigan and penguin-print pajama pants.



Despite the sleep in her eyes, there's an alertness to her I'm trying my best to imitate. She stares at the body lying prone in the parking lot like it's a science experiment gone awry, one that might blow up or sprout wings. I stifle a yawn with the back of my hand.



“Another evacuee?” I ask.



Not that there's any need to ask: the answer's an obvious yes. The bald guy sprawled on the ground can't be older than thirty: no bruises or blood, no obvious reason to croak. He looks like he just dropped dead. Which, seeing as he went against his contract by trying to leave, is precisely what happened.

***

About The Immortal Circus: Final Act

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS: FINAL ACT

Series: Cirque des Immortels #3

Release date: January 14, 2014 in serial format

Pages: 44 (episode 1)

Publisher: 47North

Formats: eBook



Description:



This book is a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost. This serial currently contains one episode out of an estimated six total episodes, and new episodes will be delivered every week.




Episode List

An additional episode will be delivered every week until the book is complete. New episodes will be added to the same book on your Kindle, keeping your place and retaining your notes and highlights. You'll be notified via email when a new episode has been delivered.



Episode 1: January 14, 2014. All is not well within the Cirque des Immortels: war is brewing, the troupe is angry, and without Kingston there, Vivienne's in over her head. But when an unexpected guest arrives, she realizes her problems have only just begun.



Episode 2: January 21, 2014. Now Vivienne must not only deal with a mutinous troupe, but her long-lost lover. To make matters worse, there's a new player in the game. And this opponent is hell-bent on revenge.

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***

About A.R. Kahler

Alex is many things, but first and foremost, he’s a Sagittarius.



Born in Iowa and educated across the States, he’s taught circus in Amsterdam and Madrid, gotten madly lost in the Scottish wilderness, received his Masters in Creative Writing from Glasgow University, and drummed with Norse shamans. Sometimes he also walks about on stilts. Or sews. Or hammers tiny pieces of metal into pretty shapes.



When he’s not writing or climbing in the rafters, he’s probably drinking coffee. And seeing as he currently resides in Seattle, there’s coffee aplenty.



He is represented by Laurie McLean of Foreword Literary.

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TUMBLR | GOODREADS

***

Other Books in the Series

Title: THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS

Series: Cirque des Immortels #1

Release date: December 4, 2012 (serial); January 29, 2013 (print)

Pages: 224

Publisher: 47North

Formats: Paperback, audio, eBook



Description:



Murdered contortionists aren't exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader, Mab, is the Faerie Queen of legend—and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts.



Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant, Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargained for.



The show's just beginning. Step right up...

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***

Title: THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS: ACT TWO

Series: Cirque des Immortels #2

Release date: June 11, 2013 (serial); August 20, 2013 (print)

Pages: 222

Publisher: 47North

Formats: Paperback, audio, eBook



Description:



Vivienne is almost content with her new life in the Cirque des Immortels. She has moved up from selling cotton candy to telling fortunes, she has a gorgeous, magical boyfriend, Kingston…and no one has been murdered since the clash between the otherworldly Courts. Her life under the faerie big top would be perfect, in fact, if not for the nightmares and visions that compel her to seek and confront her half-remembered past. But for Viv, not knowing her past may well be a blessing. There's a reason she ran away. But can she truly escape herself?.




The second act of the fantastically evocative Cirque des Immortels series, The Immortal Circus: Act Two draws readers further into a world that’s at once wonderful, seductive…and deadly.



Step right up…

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***

The Giveaway

The blast includes a giveaway for an awesome prize pack which includes a personalized copy of Act Two, a full set of trading cards and a signed bookplate.

• Giveaway is US Only.
• Prize will be shipped by the author.
• Giveaway Ends January 20th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...





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Spotlight: Lakeside University Cover-Up by Charles A. Taylor with Giveaway

Lakeside University Cover Up

Charles A. Taylor

Author Bio: Dr. Charles “Chuck” Taylor, author, speaker and diversity expert is currently a professor in the school of education at a Midwestern college. Although he has written and edited over 10 books, this is his first novel. Chuck has
also written a full-length children’s musical, a highly acclaimed documentary on the Milwaukee, Wisconsin civil rights movement and continues to serve as a national consultant to college campuses in the areas of racial diversity and inclusion. Please visit his website for additional information: http://drcharlestaylor.com/about/

Author Links - 

http://drcharlestaylor.com

www.linkedin.com/in/drcharlestaylor/

Book Genre: Mystery Thriller

Publisher: Roar
Enterprises, Inc.

Release Date: January,
2012

Buy Link(s): 
http://www.amazon.com/Lakeside-University-Cover-Charles-Taylor/dp/0935483535?tag=amazoniediscount01-20

Book Description:

A cross is burned in the yard of two black Lakeside University students. When campus officials call the incident a harmless prank, both black and white student organizations, launch a series of protests to force the administration into conducting a full investigation.

Instead, the administration devises a divide and conquer scheme to create a rift between black and white students. Feel the tension mounting as the students react to the Administration’s response to the incident. As black students turn up the pressure, the campus stands on the verge of a racial explosion. Campus leaders must find a way out of the
crisis so they seek the help of Dr. Wendell Oliver, the country’s leading expert in diffusing racial tension.

Watch Dr. Oliver as he masterfully guides the feuding students into looking beyond themselves on a weekend retreat that is filled with action, danger, sexual attraction, and racial conflict. Discover the hidden lessons that students learn about friendship, betrayal and forgiveness. Follow the love story as the plot unfolds. Experience this roller coaster ride of emotions for yourself! Learn the secret behind the cross burning as the leading character Gloria finds her voice.

Students come to realize that the cross burning is more than just about racism. Its wicked flames shed light on corrupt cops, complicit college administrators and misguided attitudes that point to a major cover up. When students finally piece the puzzle together, justice is
served but it comes with a steep price. Lakeside University will never be the same again.

Excerpt:

Enough was enough. Dean of Students, Todd Severson stormed into President David Horning’s office and slammed the door. “Sir, we need to do something!” Severson said, lowering himself into the chair across from Horning’s antique desk. “Your divide and conquer strategy is backfiring—we have to do something and do it fast, or this

university will explode!”  President Horning glanced up from his coffee. “That’s a bit dramatic, Todd, don’t you think?”

Severson leaned forward in his chair and pressed his palms against the desktop. “A black student has just been attacked!” he said.
“Classes are being disrupted. The police are running themselves ragged, trying to keep everything under control. Now we have threats of a major civil rights demonstration being held on our campus!”

Horning looked at Severson and frowned. “Why don’t you just calm down,”
he said. “We’ve weathered crises before. This isn’t any different.”

Severson stared back, his jaw askew. “Sir, I beg to disagree! We may have been able to smooth things over in the past, but this is very different. This could turn violent—even more violent than it already has become. And it's just a matter of time before the media plasters this mess all over the front page.”

Before Horning could respond, his phone rang. As he reached to answer it, Severson stood to leave. “Hold on Todd. Let me get this. This might be the call that will get us out of this damn mess,” Horning said, as Severson paced the floor.

***

Three
Weeks Earlier

It was a cool, cloudy Sunday night in early autumn. Two figures huddled in the shadows next to a small house, near the Lakeside University campus. They set to work quickly, and soon a sharp chemical odor drifted through the air.

“Man, this shit really stinks,” said the first one, muffling a cough in his gloved hand. “Are you sure this will work?”

“It has to,” said the second. “You heard what they said. We've got to take care of this tonight.” “Okay, okay,” said the first.
“Just light the damn thing so I can make the call and we can get the hell out of here!”

***

Inside the small house, Lakeside University student Ashante Melashe was working on a recording for her broadcast engineering class. Just as she hit the record button, the shrill ring of the telephone echoed through the house. 
"Oh, no!” she moaned, “I forgot to turn off the ringer!” She pushed her chair back from the table. “Well, that’s another sound bite down the drain." 
"I'm coming," she grumbled as the phone continued its loud summons.

"Hello?"

"Look outside,” said a gruff, male voice. “You’ll see how we feel about niggers at Lakeside University."

"What did you just say? Who is this?"

"Just look outside, bitch."

“Is this some kind of joke?” Ashante asked, but the only answer was the dial tone.

Shaking her head in disgust, she took a deep breath and stepped out into the
front yard. The shock of the flames sucked the air from her lungs in a choked gasp. A strange smell burned her eyes and throat. She stood frozen, glaring at the blaze of bright red and orange fire burning against the cold, black starless night.

Then the realization hit her with as much force as if someone had kicked her in the stomach. Suddenly she knew what she was staring at: a huge cross, whose wicked flames lit up the yard and filled her with soul wrenching horror.

"Oh, my God," Ashante whispered. 

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Review: Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb with Giveaway

Becoming Josephine

by Heather Webb

Release Date:  Dec 31, 2013

Page Number:  320

Publisher Link: Plume/Penguin

ISBN-10: 0142180653

ISBN-13: 978-0142180655

Synopsis:

SEX & VIOLENCE: There is a little of each, though I didn't go into great detail in either category.

Rose Tascher sails from her Martinique plantation to Paris to trade her Creole black magic culture for love and adventure. She arrives exultant to follow her dreams of attending Court with Alexandre, her elegant aristocrat and soldier husband. But Alexandre dashes her hopes and abandons her amid the tumult of the French Revolution. 

Through her savoir faire, Rose secures her footing in high society, reveling in handsome men and glitzy balls—until the heads of her friends begin to roll.

After narrowly escaping death in the blood-drenched cells of Les Carmes prison, she reinvents herself as Josephine, a socialite of status and power. Yet her youth is fading, and Josephine must choose between a precarious independence and the love of an awkward suitor. Little does she know, he would become the most powerful man of his century- Napoleon Bonaparte.

BECOMING JOSEPHINE is a novel of one woman’s journey to find eternal love and stability, and ultimately to find herself.

Purchasing Information:

B&N  Indiebound  Book Depository  Amazon  Books-a-Million

Author's bio:

Heather Webb grew up a military brat and naturally became obsessed with travel, culture, and languages. She put her degrees to good use teaching high school French for nearly a decade before turning to full time novel writing and freelance editing. Her debut, BECOMING JOSEPHINE will release December 31, 2013 from Plume/Penguin.

When not writing, Heather flexes her foodie skills or looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world. She loves to chitchat on Twitter with new reader friends or writers (@msheatherwebb) or via her blog, Between the Sheets (www.Heatherwebb.net/blog). 

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My thoughts:

Mon Dieu, where to begin?  I had no idea Rose, resurrected later by Bonaparte as Josephine, had such an interesting, turbulent, rich and yet chased seemingly by the demons of war and revolution, poverty, powerlessness and regret.  Few humans can imagine such highs and such lows within one lifetime and yet still have the strength and grace to remain a lady to the very end.  

Without a doubt this novel taught me so many things I did not know about Rose/Josephine and I have such a better understanding of not only the woman but the times.  I have to admit that Becoming Josephine taught me much about myself, about the strength of being a survivor, about the fickle nature of not only love but also power and popularity.  

I found Webb's Rose/Josephine superbly human for her gifts and her faults.  I felt her prose pulled me along at times and at others slowed so that I could take in the details and appreciate the circumstances of the event that would shortly affect our Rose/Josephine, for better or for worse.

It is a wonderfully written, historically accurate portrayal of a captivating and complex woman while remaining equally, and at times more so, captivating itself.  

Without a single moment's reservation I HIGHLY recommend Becoming Josephine.  It is a true masterpiece.  

Heather Webb, you have truly done justice to a long misrepresented and maligned woman whom I am sure raises a glass to you for your truly remarkable account of her life.

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