Welcome to the book trailer reveal for The Triangle of Hope by Michael Meyer! Read on for more details and have a watch!
Triangle of Hope
Genre: Literary Fiction/ Irish/ English Literary Fiction/ Romance
If one person can make a difference, just think what three can do. A tender story of love. Three strangers, each harboring a dark secret, become united by chance in a small Irish village, and the wonderful power of the human spirit comes alive.
If you believe that love and romance can happen in unusual circumstances, then this book is for you.
“If an author can make you cry for his characters then want to hug them close and then want to do an Irish jig with them to celebrate overcoming that much pain, then you know you have read a book that will stay with you forever.” – Wanda Hartzenberg, Wanda’s Amazing Amazon Reviewers
It is a “fantastic read that will pull at your heart.” – Lauren Alumbaugh, Goodreads librarian
Michael Meyer is the author of mysteries, thrillers, humorous fiction, and non-fiction: Love and romance, laughter and tears, thrills and fears.
He has resided in and has visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to his own published writing. He has literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. He has lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left him. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as he has aged.
Among the many unique things that have happened to him in his world travels, he has walked the streets of Istanbul with a detective, searching for a pickpocket who got him good. He has ridden on the back of a motorcycle in Tehran while the driver, who spoke not one word of English, pointed out all the sights to him. He has wrestled an Iranian soldier who tried to break into his hotel room in Tehran. He has had the paint completely stripped from his car as he drove across Saudi Arabia in a sandstorm. He has stood on the stage of a busy nightclub in Tokyo, singing “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes” to an audience feeling no pain from the Sake they were drinking. He has been chased by a family of mongooses (yes, that is the correct spelling) on the idyllic Caribbean island of St. Croix. And that is just the beginning of his long list of worldly adventures.
As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, he now lives in Southern California wine country with his wife, Kitty, and their two adorable rescue cats.
This trio of books is set in an alternate version of history where Wellington lost the battle of Waterloo and Britain became part of Napoleon’s empire.
1817 Cornwall and London
Heir to an aristocratic family scorched by scandal and scarred by war, the Earl of Lamorna (known to friends as Crow) is as dangerous as he is self-destructive. As a spy, he treads a fine line between loyalty and treachery, with a haunting secret in his past that threatens to destroy not only Crow himself, but those he loves. It’s only going to take a single spark to set his world aflame. So when Crow’s wild and impetuous young brother catches him in flagrante with their widowed stepmother, a lethal chain of events is set in motion.
Heiress Hester Harewood has problems of her own, on the run from the men who shot her father. The last thing she needs is to get involved with a complicated aristocrat, even if he does offer her his unconditional protection. But who is more dangerous? Those she is running from? Or Crow himself: charismatic, unpredictable, and yet with the capacity for such tenderness that Hester’s heart is in just as much danger as her life.
Game of Hearts was previously published as False Lights by K.J. Whittaker and on Kindle as Hester and Crow by Katy Moran
In high society England, gossip and scandal are traded over afternoon tea and the country is awash with rumour.
In Lady Hester’s opinion, it’s just typical that the wickedest gossip of all focuses on her beautiful, impossible husband Crow. Damaged aristocrat, soldier, spy, Crow loves Hester fiercely, but he has a wild past and rumours of a child with his black hair and grey eyes wound Hester more deeply than she is willing to admit. And yet London blazes with a far more lethal whispering campaign that threatens the safety of their own little daughter, Morwenna. Crow’s enemies want him tried for treason and soon Morwenna herself is in mortal danger. Hester may love Crow as much as he loves her, but now their baby’s life is at risk. There’s nothing she won’t do to protect their child. So when clever, worldly-wise Countess Lieven drops her guard and says, ‘Run… take your baby, Hester, and run,’ Hester does exactly that.
Accused of high treason, Crow will do anything to save Hester and Morwenna, even if that means accepting a final mission that might just end in losing them both for good.
1825 FONTAINEBLEAU, FRANCE
Clemency Arwenack never dreamed she would be appointed lady-in-waiting to the notorious Princess Royal. A soldier’s daughter, Clemency has aristocratic connections that she could quite frankly do without, and catering to the whims of an impetuous heir to the throne is the last thing she wants. Even so, Clemency’s ambitious godmother forces her to accept the position. Always a keeper of other people’s confidences, Clemency has a secret of her own, and Georgiana, Lady Boscobel, is only too ready to use it against her.
Worse still, the Honourable Lieutenant Colonel Kit Helford is now captain of the royal guard – and so Clemency can’t avoid the one childhood friend who might just see through her dangerous web of deceit. Kit Helford is just as wild and handsome as he’s always been. And Clemency knows only too well that he’s just as much trouble.
My thoughts: I loved this trilogy, I want more Hester and Crow and Kit and Clemency. I have questions – where on earth did Arkwright disappear to? Does Kitto retire his commission and rear horses instead? Is Clemency still running a book bindery? What happened to Nadezdha – did she become queen? There’s too many loose threads, book 4 please!
Alternate history novels are a lot of fun – all the what ifs, completely flipping things on their head. With Wellington a prisoner in the first book (Game of Hearts), all looks lost, but Crow, dashing, handsome, dangerous Crow is tasked with rescuing him and increasing his own infamy in the process. Hester provides some balance but those wild Cornish Lamorna men are tricky to tame.
I have a great love for Cornwall, my grandmother came from the West Country, and I’ve been to several of the places mentioned – I even own Lamorna pottery with its distinctive blue colouring. So I enjoyed going “been there!” as various locations enter the story. I’ve also been to France and Russia, I could easily picture St Petersburg (Wicked by Design) and the Neva River, frozen over and glittering. I think this added an extra dimension for me, but even if you haven’t a clue what any of these places might look like, Katy Moran brings the courts of Europe in all their gossiping, back stabbing delight to full life.
A big thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me these lovely books.
Click to go to review of previous title in this series – A Shape on the Air
The Dragon Tree (Dr DuLac series Book 2) A haunting medieval time-slip. Echoes of the past resonate through time and disturb medievalist Dr DuLac as she struggles with misfortune in the present. She and Rev Rory have escaped to the island of Madeira on a secondment from their posts, yet they are not to find peace – until they can solve the mystery of the shard of azulejo and the ancient ammonite. Viv’s search brings her into contact with two troubled women: a noblewoman shipwrecked on the island in the 14th century and a rebellious nun at the island convent in the 16th century. As Viv reaches out across the centuries, their lives become intertwined, and she must uncover the secrets of the ominous Dragon Tree in order to locate lost artefacts that can shape the future. For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
(for A Shape on the Air) “In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” -Historical Novel Society (for the series) “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – book tour reviewer “The idea of being able to ‘feel’ what happened in the past is enticing … The sense of the island is really wonderful … Julia brings it to life evocatively” – Joanna Barnden “an engaging and original time-slip novel that keeps the reader turning the pages…the characters are authentic and the mystery is neatly woven between the centuries … seamless time transitions” – Melissa Morgan Purchase
A sea boat in Madeira Madeira mountains Madeira boats in Camara Bay
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are evocative of time and place, well- researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books (Endeavour) for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon mysteries (Daughter of Mercia) where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
My thoughts: it took me a bit longer to get into this second time travelling adventure, perhaps because it opened on such sadness, or maybe because I haven’t been to Madeira (although I’ve certainly eaten the cake) and don’t know a lot about it or Portuguese history in general. Portugal is that bit further and seems to have wisely stayed out of various mix ups in history that England, France and Spain seemed determined to have. Sensible place really.
But as Viv starts to connect more with the island’s history, Ana and her descendants, finding out more about the turbulent past and the casual erasure of the (most probably) real original settlers – the Moors, and their influences, I enjoyed it more. Viv is reeling for a tragedy and she and Rory are drifting from each other, each in their own private pain.
Moving to Madeira might seem an extreme way to handle grief, but I can see the desire for a place that doesn’t hold the sad memories the way their home in the UK does. Viv’s research has moved forward too – into a later part of the medieval period- the reign of the English Edward III, who doesn’t come across too well in Ana’s memories, shared by Viv. His wife, Philippa of Hainault is an interesting figure and I would have liked a tiny bit more of her.
I didn’t embrace this book as enthusiastically as A Shape in the Air, which is a shame, although I did find it interesting and want to look at some wider medieval history. Book 3, The Rune Stone, will be reviewed later this week, so stay tuned.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
A Shape on the Air (Dr DuLac Book 1) A haunting Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance. Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the ‘dark ages’ unfold. How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past? Traumatised by betrayal, she slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, who is also battling treachery. Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined. And in the end, how can they help each other across the ages without changing the course of history? For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
“In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” -Historical Novel Society “Amazing …a really great book …I just couldn’t put it down” -Hazel Morgan “Well-rounded characters and a wealth of historical research make this a real page-turner” – Amazon review “Enthralling” -Amazon review “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – Amazon review “Viv/Lady Vivianne … lovely identifiable heroine in both time periods….I love her strength and vulnerability. And Rory/Roland is simply gorgeous!” – Melissa Morgan “gripping … a very real sense of threat and danger, an enthralling mystery … a wholly convincing romance, across both timelines” – Anne Williams Purchase
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are evocative of time and place, well- researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books (Endeavour) for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon mysteries (Daughter of Mercia) where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
My thoughts: if you’ve been loitering around here long enough you’ll know by now that I am a massive history nerd, I love historical fiction and have a particular passion for the period between the end of Roman occupation and the medieval period (I will not be using the term that rhymes with fark fages) as well as the medieval period itself. While there isn’t a huge wealth of recorded detail of the period, writing being very primitive, mostly done by priests (the Romans however kept very detailed records) and paper expensive. So we have to use our imaginations a fair bit.
Which is why we get such fun books, like this and Christina Courtney’s books (although they’re set a bit later when the Vikings were settling in Britain) complete with time travel and mythical figures who may or may not have been real to some extent (yes, I’m talking about King Arthur, especially as Viv in this book is related very distantly to Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, who gave him Excalibur).
Viv has just had her heart broken by a horrible little man, when she first starts to time slip, finding herself in the body of Lady Vivianne, a Briton, herself hostage to another horrid man, who plans to forcibly marry her and cement his theft of her lands, titles and people, after her parents’ brutal deaths. But both modern Viv and historic Vivianne are tough women, smart and capable and surrounded by good friends who want to help them get back what’s theirs.
Thankfully Viv’s friends don’t immediately think she’s lost it, although they’re a little sceptical, but less so once hunky vicar (a thing I have never seen despite a lifetime of involvement in various bits of the church, including working for it and being educated by it – supposedly) Rory steps into the frame. Turns out he’s a fellow time traveller, who’s own equivalent avatar is Sir Roland, Lady Vivienne’s handsome friend (convenient that!).
Look, I loved this book, it’s a lot of fun, there’s lots of history, some romance, the women aren’t soppy but strong and stand on their own two feet, with excellent pals around them (even if, like Tilly, they’re a bit nuts) and I can’t wait to share the rest of the series with you – book 2 tomorrow!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
We’re celebrating the upcoming release of These Darker Streets, the first book in a brand new series by Abigail Linhardt! Read on for more info and a chance to win a really cool giveaway. Don’t forget to pre-order a copy of the book.
These Darker Streets (Goddess Among Us #1)
Expected Publication Date: February 12th, 2022
Genre: Fantasy Romance/ Romantasy
Tragic loss. Eternal love. Ancient magic.
Brigit used to believe in magic and had hopes for a great future. Not any more. She has hunkered down to just get through life. Then a mysterious man appears, beckoning her out into a vulnerable relationship. He brings with him a life that doesn’t even exist in her reality. Plagued by visions of past lives, Brigit’s trust in a magicless existence is about to be shattered.
Every few lifetimes, Ildanach meets a woman who is the reincarnation of his love and together they can protect the earth. Now he has met Brigit, a woman hell-bent on denying anything that she cannot touch in this reality. When he sees the spark of his love in her, he knows she’s the one with whom he can stop the dark spirit for good. However, she is lost in the darkness that mortal life has given her.
The world is in danger from the fairy of the underworld who wants to stop the guardian and the goddess once and for all. In a battle of life or death, Idlanach must save the mortal world before time runs out and Brigit must decide once and for all if she can believe in something as mysterious and magical as love.
These Darker Streets is an addictive read that seamlessly weaves Celtic legend into a dark and dangerous urban fantasy filled with compelling characters, engaging action, and a love story powerful enough to survive centuries. Abigail Linhardt is a bold, new voice to watch.
– D.D. Croix, award-winner author of Dragonfly Maid
Abi has been a writer all her life, but is a mentor at heart. When she is not writing, you can find her slaying enemies online or hunting for the next bohemian adventure. She has published works of fiction, poetry, academia, and even won awards for her short stories in science fiction and horror.
Abi is also a proud mom of two…ferrets! She live streams on Twitch where you can enjoy her terrible gaming skills and join the live discussion. She works part-time as a freelance ghostwriter, editor, and audiobook narrator, hoping to one day make these passions her full-time job. She currently resides in Kansas.
She is one of nine children–all who share the creative spark.
When seven-year-old Fran first met Will they knew instantly that they were made for each other. For eleven years they were inseparable, but then, at the age of eighteen, Will just upped and disappeared. Twenty-five years later Will is back. Is fate trying to give them a second chance? Still nursing the heart break from all those years ago, Fran is reluctant to give Will the time of day. The price Will must pay is to tell the truth – the truth about why he left, the truth about why he’s back… And Fran has her own secrets to hide. The time has come to decide what Fran and Will really want from life – before it’s too late. Amazon
Clare Swatman is the author of three women’s fiction novels, published by Macmillan, which have been translated into over 20 languages. She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines. She lives in Hertfordshire.
My thoughts: this is a weepy, so have tissues on standby. My cat was actually quite alarmed and even came over to see if I was OK, and then demand food, so you’re warned.
Fran is fed up and sat in a cafe near work one day, the last thing in the world she expects to happen, happens. Her childhood best friend, first love, and fond memory, Will Poulton sits down next to her. Twenty-five years after disappearing to Australia and leaving her bereft. Now he’s back and wants to reconnect.
I really enjoyed this but it was very sad in places, thankfully Will’s adorable daughter and Fran’s grunting teenage son are there for a bit of light relief, bouncing on trampolines and providing some funny lines, otherwise this sweet love story would have been too bitter.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Hope rescues intensive farming animals from slaughter among many others in her growing animal sanctuary, but finds herself struggling to make ends meet. Compounded by frequent flooding, a constant drain on her resources, as well as the risk it poses to her animals, Hope puts out a desperate plea on national television for help.
Grant Marshall comes to her rescue, but there’s a catch. He’s a farmer – and Hope loathes farmers.
Grant offers Hope everything she could ever desire for her sanctuary, leaving her with a dilemma – does she go against her morals and beliefs to accept his charity or will she accept his challenge that he can convince her that he is a compassionate man – in more ways than one?
Neet has been a big fan of romance novels since she was a teen, borrowing books from her mother’s bookcase. Her love of reading laid the foundation for an interest in writing short stories, poems, songs, screenplays, stage plays and novels. Her background in nursing, lecturing and research has been invaluable when establishing a sound knowledge base for her writing, while her emotions are the driving force behind her work. Her love for animals is her greatest passion.
My thoughts: I love animals and one day would like to have enough space to house lots of rescue animals, but at the moment we just have one cat, who was abandoned as a kitten. So I really liked Hope and her sanctuary. Rescuing animals and giving them a safe and happy home to live out their natural lives in is a great thing to do.
I can also understand her ambivalence with Grant – I have family members who farm. But Hope’s passion and commitment to her animals help to change Grant’s mind about livestock farming, it helps that he falls in love and lust hard from the first moment. And that his sister Fi is on board too, since she co-owns the farm and their ready meals business.
But the path of true love doesn’t run smoothly and both Grant and Hope get things wrong and misread situations – they just need to sit down and properly talk to each other. Instead they just keep falling apart. Thankfully Fi is straight talking and gets them to sort themselves out. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a happy ending and the cats and dogs would be very confused after all the moving back and forth that goes on!
The royalties from sales of Hope and Sanctuary are being donated to Glendrick Roost Animal Welfare Centre.
Click on the image for more information and links to other stops on the tour.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
Excerpt On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… four migraine headaches, three massive ulcers, two aching ear drums, and a hole where my heart ought to be,” Maggie sang quietly to herself as though Max wasn’t sitting right there. She cracked herself up and switched off the unmarked Suburban’s FM radio with a flourish, and Max could swear he caught a whiff of cinnamon. “Maggie Kyle, your Christmas spirit confounds me,” he told his partner. He was pretending to watch a Buick creep down the street a little too slowly so she wouldn’t guess how attuned he was to the earnest timbre of her voice or the wry quirk of her lips. She was trying too hard to act casual with him, and he couldn’t figure out why. Maggie forced another laugh. “Christmas spirit,” she repeated, skimming the crossword puzzle in her lap before glancing back across the street at the rundown residence of Bobby King. Its peeling paint, once white, was now a weathered gray, and of the four green shutters meant to frame the front windows, two were broken and one was missing altogether. “What is a six-letter word for ‘lack thereof,’ Alex?” “Jeopardy’s not a crossword puzzle,” she said, making sure he saw her eye roll. “Dispatch, we need to put out an APB on Officer Kyle’s missing Christmas spirit." “You going to call in that Buick?” she changed the subject. “I wrote down the plates,” he lied, squinting to make them out so he could record the vehicle in his logbook. Maggie picked up the radio. “51-19?” “51-19, go ahead,” another officer responded from his own unmarked vehicle around the corner. “10-15 headed your way. Tan Buick, early 2000s model, traveling east. Manitoba plate: Yankee Lima Echo seven seven eight.” “Copy,” 51-19 replied. Maggie replaced the radio and turned her attention back to the crossword. “Frankie wants to enter that gingerbread contest, and her mom’s been playing Christmas carols since before Halloween. I’m not sure how much more I can take.” “Got it. No Christmas carols.” Max drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. When exactly had she lost her Christmas spirit? He could picture her as a little girl—in his mind she wore two long braids and was constantly shaking her bangs out of her eyes—staring up at the sky waiting for Santa to ride out of the stars like a meteor with the same patience she now bestowed on their stakeout. “But peppermint lattes are okay?” She grinned. “I’ll allow it.” “So you only hate Christmas a little bit then?” Maggie snorted. Time was, Max didn’t mind the odd stakeout. It beat writing parking tickets or chasing shoplifters through the snow. Play some tunes, shoot the shit, pee in a bottle if things got urgent. With the right partner it could seem like a day off. But everything was like eggshells with Maggie lately, and he couldn’t figure out when exactly things had changed. Today he felt a special kind of twitchy, the kind that made you want to peel off your own skin. Max loved the city—sometimes he hated how much he loved it—but sitting still all week, downtown where the Toronto high-rises blocked out the sky, he was starting to feel caged, like the buildings were closing in from every direction. Maybe he was psyching himself out after the whole ancestry test situation. The dichotomy of an Indigenous urbanite was turning his brain against itself. Maybe he just needed a vacation. “Do you believe in nature versus nurture?” he asked. “What, you mean like, mama tried but Bobby King was born rotten and no amount of church or cuddles or bedtime stories could have stopped him growing up to be a cop-killing gun runner?” “Something like that.” Maggie shrugged at him. “You missed a button.” She pointed at his shirt. “Girlfriend didn't catch that?” She was obsessed with the idea that he and Selina from next door shared more than a wall. It had only happened once—okay a handful of times. But it was five years ago, and there was no way Maggie could have known, except somehow she did. Even back then there’d been something, in his gait as he walked to the patrol car or a half-guilty look in his eyes; she had known, and if he protested now she’d take it as some kind of proof. Not that it should even matter. They were partners, not lovers, and he’d certainly been her shoulder to cry on when the asshat from college dumped her and split back to Edmonton. Max should have made a move on Maggie then, but he was still her TO and besides, he’d been a rebound before. He didn’t want to be one for Maggie, and she didn’t want him anyway. She’d been singularly focused on making detective since her first day at Fifty-One Division. Until, somewhere along the lines, she hadn't. And she was right about the button. His black undershirt was peeking through. Did he bother to look in the mirror this morning? After a dozen years on the job, he knew what he’d see. Not his father, not even his grandfather—just a sad imitation, like a kid who got the wrong size costume at Halloween. Her phone began to vibrate then, and she, too, silenced it without answering. “Your mom again?” he asked. She didn’t respond, which meant yes. “She giving you a hard time about staying here for the holidays?” “I’ll take ‘Does the earth orbit the sun?’ for a thousand, Alex.” “Weren’t you going to invite your folks out here for Christmas?” “That was last year.” An uncomfortable mixture of lust and shame surged through Max, from the tips of his ears to his belly, at the thought of last Christmas. He tried to remember her parents being in town, but all that came to mind was the department holiday party and sweaty fumbling in a dark interrogation room. And cinnamon. She had smelled like cinnamon then, too.
Rose Prendeville is a librarian and honorary Canadian with a passion for stories about found families and flawed people doing their best.
She’s been devising such tales for as long as she can remember, including secretly in the back of her tenth grade French class (Pardon, Madame Gonzales), and she went on to double-major in screenwriting and creative writing.
Hydrangeas are her lifeblood, hot baths and hiking are her solace. She adores baking (and mostly eating) macarons, and she can’t wait to share this and future books with you.
For your chance to win a $50 Amazon e-Gift Card, click the link below!Rafflecopter
My thoughts: this was a lovely story about family, friendship and crime at Christmas. Police officers Maggie and Max are after someone who sets off a fake bomb in a bus station locker, when they find a little boy hidden inside another locker. His older brother runs from them and Max pursues him across Canada, hoping to reunite the two boys.
Meanwhile Maggie hunts for the hoaxer, could it be connected to the case being built against local criminal Bobby King? And how does the stolen Robox kit from the local library fit in?
While investigating, both Maggie and Max are also wrestling with their feelings for each other, ten years working together and a year after an awkward hook up at the Christmas party, will they finally admit how they feel?
The way that Max is determined to reunite Henri and Oliver, chasing Oliver across the province to bring him back to Toronto and his little brother, while wrestling with the fact he’s adopted and doesn’t know whether he had a brother, is so powerful. Almost as though by bringing the two boys back together he can fix his own memories. Maggie is determined too, but she wants to catch the hoax bomber, and then King, but she’s also got little Henri to look after and is being hassled to apply for her detective’s exam.
They’re interesting and multifaceted characters, and they’re dealing with a lot of issues, both personal and professional. I also really liked the boys, the rookie, Hector, and Maggie’s detective friend Frankie. They keep the plot moving along at a nice pace in this quirky, hopeful Christmas story.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Born centuries apart. Bound by a love that defied time. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The runes were normally so reliable and she had never doubted them before. Madison Berger is visiting Dublin with her family for a Viking re-enactment festival, when she chances upon a small knife embedded in the banks of the Liffey. Maddie recognises what the runes on the knife’s handle signify: the chance to have her own adventures in the past. Maddie only intends to travel back in time briefly, but a skirmish in 9th century Dublin results in her waking up on a ship bound for Iceland, with the man who saved her from attack. Geir Eskilsson has left his family in Sweden to boldly carve out a life of his own. He is immediately drawn to Maddie, but when he learns of her connection to his sisters-in-law, he begins to believe that Fate has played a part in bringing them together. Amidst the perils that await on their journey to a new land, the truest battle will be to win Maddie’s heart and convince her that the runes never lie…
Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014), and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. Tempted by the Runes (time travel published by Headline 9th December 2021) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).
Giveaway to Win a signed paperback copy of Tempted By The Runes, a pair of silver Thor’s hammer earrings and a Thor’s hammer Christmas tree bauble (Open INT)
My thoughts: oh yes, the time travelling Viking romance series is back, following on from Tempted by the Runes and Whisper of the Runes , this time it’s Linnea’s younger half-sister Maddie who finds herself in the Ninth Century with a handsome (and infuriating) Viking to deal with. Geir rescues her from harm on the banks of the Liffey in Dublin and spirits her away to his planned new settlement in what’s now Iceland.
Bickering all the way, the pair fall hard for one another as they build a new community in sparsely populated land north of Reykjavik. Maddie has to reconcile her twenty-first century thinking with the realities of living in the past. And Geir has to understand that a thousand years from his time, women are very different. Luckily both his brothers are married to time travellers (Linnea and Sara).
I really enjoy this series and was delighted by this book as it joins the series, I love seeing the way each couple combines their knowledge and learns to live together in the past, with the odd trip to the present.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
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Welcome to the book tour for Sounds Like Love, a clean contemporary YA romance by Laura Ford!
Sounds Like Love
Publication Date: July 29th, 2021
Genre: YA/ Romance/ Clean YA
Wendy is a bright spark who wants to find love and travel the world, but she questions how her dreams can become a reality as her world changes around her.
When Wendy arrives at her beloved grandmother’s house to collect a box of keepsakes, she picks up more than she bargained for – a green-eyed tabby cat with amazing qualities. This is just the start of a high-speed adventure, leading Wendy towards bright new horizons… if only she’ll give the cat a chance…
As Wendy got up, something at the window caught her eye again. It was the cat – looking sad as she gazed in through the window. Her coat was beginning to get wet as light rain started to fall outside. Wendy felt a change inside of her. Suddenly she wasn’t thinking about how she felt anymore; she was wondering how the cat was feeling – she felt compassion for the cat. All through her childhood she had disliked cats because her parents had paraded them in front of her and it had made her feel second best. But now, this cat was looking for a friend. How could Wendy hope for people to understand her when she wasn’t trying to understand this cat?
“Empathy,” Wendy said out loud to herself. “That’s what the world needs. More empathy.”
Wendy walked towards the window and the cat looked up at her longingly. Her brown tabby coat was beginning to look almost black as the rain soaked it through, and her green eyes shone through the dim light, as though alight from within. She looked into Wendy’s eyes and Wendy looked back at her, really looked at her now, and saw the cat’s delicate face looking back, hoping to make friends. She noticed, for the first time, the cat’s white whiskers, her little pink nose, and the green collar that Grandma had given her.
Laura Ford writes novels, short stories and poems across a wide range of human and animal experience. As Laura is an avid cat lover, a number of special felines tend to find their way into Laura’s stories as well.
Laura graduated with an honours degree in British law while also writing fiction in parallel. Now based in California with her husband and two beguiling Siamese cats, Laura most enjoys using her imagination and memories to paint vivid stories. An avid traveler and seeker, Laura is always exploring new concepts for more stories to come.
ramblingmads 