September 2019 Books I’m Excited About

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019 sophrilreads4 Comments

Hey Everyone!

A new month a new set of releases. There are 12 books that are coming out this month that I am excited about. September is the month that all the books are coming out!

The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden
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Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school and a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories—the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.

Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking all of his readers–and his profits. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the rights of the less-fortunate.

Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered.

For the first time, Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line.

Expected publication: September 3, 2019

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
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The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.

For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.

Expected publication: September 3, 2019

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
(The Age of Darkness #1)
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The Age of Darkness approaches.
Five lives stand in its way.
Who will stop it… or unleash it?

For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.

All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:

A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.

One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer? Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Children of Blood and Bone, and An Ember in the Ashes.

Expected publication: September 3, 2019

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
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Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

Expected publication: September 3, 2019

Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barrow
(Kingdom of Souls #1)
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Magic has a price—if you’re willing to pay.

Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. But each year she fails to call forth her ancestral powers, while her ambitious mother watches with growing disapproval.

There’s only one thing Arrah hasn’t tried, a deadly last resort: trading years of her own life for scraps of magic. Until the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, and Arrah is desperate to find the culprit.

She uncovers something worse. The long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring. And if he rises, his hunger for souls will bring the world to its knees… unless Arrah pays the price for the magic to stop him.

Expected publication: September 3, 2019

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
(Serpent & Dove #1)
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Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

Expected publication: September 3, 2019

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalo
(Stalking Jack the Ripper #4)
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In the shocking finale to the bestselling series that began with Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the depraved, elusive killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer—or see their fateful romance cut short by unspeakable tragedy.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have landed in America, a bold, brash land unlike the genteel streets of London they knew. But like London, the city of Chicago hides its dark secrets well. When the two attend the spectacular World’s Fair, they find the once-in-a-lifetime event tainted with reports of missing people and unsolved murders.

Determined to help, Audrey Rose and Thomas begin their investigations, only to find themselves facing a serial killer unlike any they’ve heard of before. Identifying him is one thing, but capturing him—and getting dangerously lost in the infamous Murder Hotel he constructed as a terrifying torture device—is another.

Will Audrey Rose and Thomas see their last mystery to the end—together and in love—or will their fortunes finally run out when their most depraved adversary makes one final, devastating kill?

Expected publication: September 10, 2019

Realm of Knights by Jennifer Anne Davis
(Knights of the Realm #1)
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Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.

In the kingdom of Marsden, women are subservient to men and land can only pass from father to son. So when Reid Ellington is born, the fifth daughter to one of the wealthiest landholders in the kingdom, it’s announced that Reid is a boy.

Eighteen years later, Reid struggles to conceal the fact she’s actually a young woman. Every day, her secret becomes harder to keep. When one of Marsden’s princes sees her sparring with a sword, she is forced to accept his offer and lead her father’s soldiers to the border. Along the way, she discovers a covert organization within the army known as the Knights of the Realm. If Reid wants to save her family from being arrested for treason and robbed of their inheritance, she will have to join the Knights and become a weapon for the crown.

To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.

Expected publication: September 10, 2019

The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas
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CHINA, 484 A.D.

A Warrior in Disguise
All her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his own duel.

Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families send one soldier to fight the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan’s father cannot go. Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the army as a man.

A War for a Dynasty
Thanks to her martial arts skills, Mulan is chosen for an elite team under the command of the princeling–the royal duke’s son, who is also the handsomest man she’s ever seen. But the princeling has secrets of his own, which explode into Mulan’s life and shake up everything she knows. As they cross the Great Wall to face the enemy beyond, Mulan and the princeling must find a way to unwind their past, unmask a traitor, and uncover the plans for the Rouran invasion . . . before it’s too late.

Inspired by wuxia martial-arts dramas as well as the centuries-old ballad of Mulan, The Magnolia Sword is perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh, Marie Lu, or Kristin Cashore–a thrilling, romantic, and sharp-edged novel that lives up to its beloved heroine.

Expected publication: September 10, 2019

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forled
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‘Millions of young women look to Marie Forleo as their inspiration for empowerment and achievement’ Oprah Winfrey

‘Smart, funny, and as brilliant as it is straightforward. LOVED it!’ Brené Brown, author of Daring Greatly

Let’s be honest – none of us were given an owner’s manual at birth. If you’re having trouble solving a problem or making a dream happen, the problem isn’t you. It’s not that you’re not hardworking, intelligent or deserving, but that you haven’t yet installed the one key belief that will change everything.

And that belief is that everything is figureoutable.

Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to moonwalk, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, travel the globe, or solve world hunger, Everything is Figureoutable will train your brain to think more creatively and positively – especially in the face of setbacks.

Inside, you’ll learn:

* The simple practice that makes it 42% more likely you’ll achieve your goals
* How to overcome a lack of time and money
* How to find two free hours a day
* What to do if you’re multipassionate and want to follow all your dreams
* How to deal with criticism, haters and imposter syndrome
* How to tell the difference between fear and intuition
* A fail-proof test to make the right decisions, especially in high-stakes situations

Everything is Figureoutable is more than just a fun phrase to say. It’s a philosophy of relentless optimism. A mindset. A mantra. A conviction. And it’s about to make you unstoppable.

Expected publication: September 10, 2019

Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan
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From Annie Sullivan, author of A Touch of Gold, comes Tiger Queen, a sweeping YA fantasy adventure that tells the story of a fierce desert princess battling to save her kingdom. Fans of Rebel of the Sands and Meagan Spooner will devour this retelling of Frank Stockton’s famous short story, “The Lady, or the Tiger?”

In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.

But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.

Expected publication: September 10, 2019

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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Gothic, intoxicating, feminist, darkly provoking and deeply romantic – this is the breathtakingly imagined untold story of the brides of Dracula, by bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave in her much-anticipated YA debut.

They say the thirst of blood is like a madness – they must sate it. Even with their own kin.

On the eve of her divining, the day she’ll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community.

Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn’t understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts.

They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate…

Expected publication: September 19, 2019

Are there any books that you are looking forward to this month?

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Book Blitz: Wonderland Academy by Melanie Karsak

August 31, 2019August 29, 2019 sophrilreadsLeave a comment

Wonderland Academy: Book One by Melanie Karsak
Publication date: August 27, 2019
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Retelling, Young Adult

Welcome to Wonderland Academy. Don’t lose your head.

Getting into Wonderland Academy is easy:

You must be a little mad.

You must follow the white rabbit.

You must find the key to enter Wonderland.

You must not be named Alice or risk being beheaded by order of the Queen of Hearts.

We might have an issue with that last one.

My name may be Alice, but Wonderland Academy is everything my real life isn’t. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to ride a jabberwocky, train with a vorpal sword, cast spells using a teacup, or shapeshift into a fairy? As long as no one figures out my real name, I should be fine.

The only problem? Aden, the Queen of Hearts’ son, is quickly becoming my best friend. And then there’s Corbin. Brooding, surly, tattooed, and definitely not my type, I can’t stop thinking about him. But Corbin has secrets of his own, and Wonderland and secrets don’t mix.

How I’m going to pass my classes and protect my secret like my life depends on it is beyond me. But I better find a way. Because in Wonderland, no Alice is safe.

Wonderland Academy re-imagines the fantastical world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland for a fresh, new adventure. Combining whimsy, magic, and a splash of steampunk, New York Times best-selling author Melanie Karsak invites you into this beautifully re-envisioned fairy tale adventure.

* * *

Wonderland Academy is a college-level academy novel. It contains a slow-burn (not rh) romance. The novel is clean aside from mild language. This is Book 1 in a planned trilogy. Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger (Frodo didn’t reach Mount Doom in a day, after all).

Trigger Warning: This novel also includes references to a school shooting.

Goodreads / Amazon

Excerpt

Setting my bag in a chair by the window, I pulled on my coat. It was pouring. Drops rolled down the windowpane, distorting the view of the sidewalk below. As I pulled my jacket on, however, I noticed someone on the sidewalk below. He was looking up at the window. I couldn’t make him out clearly, but from what I could see, he was wearing some kind of period costume and a top hat. He had long, pale blond hair that almost looked white.

“You all think I’m a lunatic? There’s some guy standing outside in the rain in a Victorian get-up and top hat.”

“What?” Mom asked. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know. Just some rando guy standing in the rain,” I said then turned, zipped up my coat, and grabbed the bag.

Nurse Gilman stepped to the window and looked outside. “It’s really coming down,” she said, eyeing the sky. She then strained her neck to the left and right. “Your mystery man must have gone back inside.”

“He was right there,” I said.

A sick feeling rocked my stomach. No, no, no. He was there. Dammit, he really was there. I edged toward the window and looked outside. I was right. The man was standing right there, looking up at the window.

He waved at me.

“Where?” Nurse Gilman asked, looking up and down the sidewalk.

“There,” I said, motioning hesitantly.

“I must have missed him,” Nurse Gilman said with a shrug.

I stared at the man.

He waved again.

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

“Yeah,” I said. “Maybe they’re doing a show in the children’s wing or something,” I muttered then turned from the window.

I didn’t want Nurse Gilman to see my face.

Mom, however, caught my eye. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she gave me a hard look.

I dropped her gaze.

I absolutely, positively, did not want to have that conversation on the way home.

“I’m ready,” I told Mom.

“Good. Let’s get you the hell out of here.”

“Be well,” Nurse Gilman said. She motioned to the nurses’ station. The door to the waiting room unlocked with a click. Nurse Gilman motioned to us that we were free to go.

Mom and I headed down the dim hallway of the fifth-floor psych ward. The narrow hall felt like it was a million miles long. It wasn’t until we were safely inside the elevator that I finally exhaled.

“Your phone,” Mom said, handing it to me.

I had a few missing calls, messages from old friends, but there wasn’t anyone I wanted to talk to anyway. I stared at the screensaver, which had a picture of Nicholas and me. The photo had been taken just before homecoming, before everything went to shit. We’d gone for a hike that day. The autumn leaves in the background were bright orange and burnt red. We were both bundled up, our cheeks red, faces pressed together. We’d spent the entire hike planning a future that would never come to pass.

I turned off my phone and stuck it in my pocket.

Mom punched the elevator button for the ground floor.

I kept my eyes on the lights above the door, praying Mom wouldn’t ask anything.

It wasn’t until we’d passed the second floor that Mom whispered, “Lacey, are you seeing—”

“I’m fine. Really. I’m fine.”

She didn’t answer, which told me she knew well-enough I was not fine.

They’d been popping up in my periphery more frequently for the last two weeks. People who were there then not there. Flickers of light. Shadows that whispered. Otherworldy shapes. Their presence wasn’t anything new to me. While I was more prone to see them during times of stress, they’d been there all my life. I knew that if I really looked, I’d see them. It was better to ignore them.

A mermaid had taught me that.

Mom and I headed to the front of the hospital. I couldn’t wait to get away from the terrible hospital smell. A weird mix of the scents of bleach, chrysanthemums, green beans, and Band-Aids perfumed the place. It was enough to make a person gag.

Raining or not, I was relieved when the hospital doors opened. I inhaled the sweet scent of the rain-soaked air. Mom’s rusted-out Mustang sat waiting just outside.

“Okay. Let‘s run for it,” Mom called, and we sprinted to the car.

Holding my plastic bag above my head, I ran, flinging open the door of the vehicle. But just before I climbed inside, I cast a glance down the sidewalk.

The man was still standing there. He pulled something from his pocket and tapped on it. He waved to me, a broad smile on his face.

“Lacey, you’re letting the rain in,” Mom yelled.

I slipped into the car, slamming the door behind me.

Mom revved the engine then drove off, her nineties rock springing to life. I leaned forward and clicked off the music. The last thing I needed was the dulcet tones of Nirvana shouting at me post suicide watch.

Sighing, I leaned back into the seat and closed my eyes.

Why was I seeing them again?

The white-haired man had been pointing at a pocket watch. A pocket watch.

What in the hell did that mean?

I hadn’t meant to kill myself.

Not this time.

It figured. On the morning I’d been discharged from the psych ward, I was beginning to lose my mind.

Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, The Celtic Blood Series, Steampunk Red Riding Hood, and Steampunk Fairy Tales. The author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Southern New Hampshire University.

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Cover Reveal: Playing with Fire Box Set @ToniCoxAuthor and @Shalini_G26

August 30, 2019August 29, 2019 sophrilreads5 Comments

Playingwithfirenewbanner copy

PLAYING WITH FIRE BOXSET HAS GONE THROUGH THE EXTREME OF REBRANDING THEIR COVER. All 12 USA and international bestselling authors are proud to introduce to you our NEW Playing with Fire Boxset.

OLDNEW

It doesn’t matter who you think you are…falling in love with the wrong person can have dire consequences.

They say love conquers all, but in the paranormal worlds of these twelve USA Today and international bestselling authors, falling in love means playing with fire…

Someone’s about to get burned.

Dig into hours of forbidden love, lust, and heat as these heroes and heroines long for their beloveds, break taboos, and fight for the ones they never should have chosen—but could never resist. This boxed set is bursting at the seams with romance grounded in all things magical—from dragons and sexy shapeshifters, to angels, warlocks, and uninhibited masters. We have something to strike everyone’s fancy. There are 1000s of sizzling pages full of forbidden love and the trials these gorgeous paramours face to fulfill their deepest desires.

Authors in the Playing with Fire set include:

Adrienne Woods – USA Today bestselling author
Carlyle Labuschagne – USA Today bestselling author
Kristin Ping – USA Today bestselling author
Ashlee Nicole Bye
Toni Cox
Carissa Andrews
Kathrin Hutson
Kat Stiles
Majanka Verstraete
Kat Parrish
Karen M. Bryson
Monique Singleton

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Waiting On Wednesday: Realm of Knights by Jennifer Anne Davis

August 28, 2019August 4, 2019 sophrilreadsLeave a comment

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday was a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Each Wednesday you got to highlight a book that you were really looking forward to. Unfortunately, the original creator is no longer able to host the meme and it has now linked up with Can’t Wait Wednesday over at Wishful Endings.

This week I’ve chosen: Realm of Knights by Jennifer Anne Davis

Realm of Knights by Jennifer Anne Davis
Fantasy

Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.

To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.

Expected publication: September 10, 2019

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Blog Tour: Song For A Lost Kingdom, Book II by Steve Moretti @morettisteve and @Shalini_G26

August 23, 2019 sophrilreads2 Comments

Song For A Lost Kingdom, Book II by Steve Moretti
Historical Fiction, Fantasy
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Music is not bound by time.

And Adeena Stuart is not bound by anything that will stop her from saving the man she’s fallen in love with, even though he’s been dead for almost three hundred years.

In Book II of the Song for a Lost Kingdom trilogy, her music provides the portal to James Drummond who is fighting alongside Prince Charles Edward Stuart in the 1746 Jacobite uprising. Though their cause is doomed, and James is destined to die shortly after the Battle of Culloden, Adeena’s determination never wavers.

Left behind in the present, Adeena’s friends and families are equally determined to return her to 2019.

Throughout it all, the music sweeps across those in both the past and present in this novel of history, fantasy, romance and science fiction.

Love never surrenders.

Book 1 on Amazon | Book 2 on Amazon

Excerpt

Adeena collapsed onto the bed in her private chamber at Hamilton Palace.

The recently widowed Lady Anne Hamilton had shown her to the room and asked a servant to draw her a hot bath. It was the best Christmas present anyone could possibly give her, she thought. The cold from every part of her body ached for the balm of something warm.

A hot bath and clean clothes awaited her and the thought of them made all her pains a bit more tolerable.

When the bath was ready, with fragrant perfume and oils, and most importantly with steaming water, she let herself enjoy the feeling that transcended any bathing experience she had ever had before. It felt like a tiny part of the future had slipped back into the past.

As she closed her eyes she thought of James and about her situation. For anyone knew, she was Katharine Carnegie, sister of George and Sir James Carnegie. Her aunt was Lady Margaret St. Clair, who still fought to retain her hold on Kinnaird Castle against the attainder of her first husband’s estates and titles.

She wondered about Katharine Carnegie. Have I become her? What happened to her or have we somehow switched places in time? Are we the same person, the same soul, the same spirit?

“Lady Katharine?”

It was the servant who had drawn her bath, knocking on the door.

“Yes?”

“When you are complete, I will aid you to dress for dinner. Lady Anne has seated you with the Duke of Perth,” the servant announced through the door.

“Thank you, I’ll be don.. uh complete, in a few minutes. That work?”

There was a pause. Adeena realized that sometimes her vocabulary confused those around her.

“I will return presently,” she servant responded.

Presently? Adeena smiled.

She closed her eyes again. The Duke of Perth, James Drummond – the man who perhaps loved Katharine and perhaps, her. But he seemed to be keeping his distance. He was unlike any man she had ever known in her own time. How much was him and who he was as a person? Or was it just the culture and time they were in – 1745 Scotland?

It was probably impossible to separate the two, and she had no plan for how she could save him from dying a few days after his 33rd birthday, less than five months from today. Stories she had listened to her from her grandmother, about the misery of ‘Ashlynne’ had always gripped Adeena as a moving tale from a faraway place and time. But now she was in the story, not just listening to it.

Adeena had become the woman in her grandmother’s dreams.

Katharine, not Ashlynne. Determined, not afraid.

She would change history.

Or die trying.

Review

Okay, so you will have to bear with me for a moment because I read book 1 and 2 back to back. So this is going to be a fairly quick overview. This is a historical fantasy with romance that takes place in both 1745/46 and 2018/19. Adeena in the present day is a Cellist / Katharine (1745) is a Cellist and a Composer and is in the middle of the Jacobite rebellion with a brother on each side. Katharine’s heart belongs to James Drummond a Jacobite who is leading an army for the Prince to take back Scottland. In Present-day Adeena is in a coma with growth in her brain that began happening when she started traveling back in time.

Let me start by saying that this is a very well researched book. As someone who loves history I appreciate how much research has to have gone into it. In this book you will be submerged into the rebellion of 1745/46. I enjoyed the writing of the book I feel the writing style was perfect for the subject matter.

The time travel element was interestingly done Adenna does not physically go back in time. Her consciousness is what travels through time and into Katharine Carnegie. However there were times that I found the change of POV jarring because you are also changing time periods to. I’m not saying it was done badly I just learned that I did not like it.

One thing that really bothered me is that the names Adenna and Katharine were interchanged in the 1745 timeline I know they are the same person but it gave me pause more than once because at that time she is supposed to be Katharine. So when a section stated out as Adenna I thought we were going to move back to present day.

I know I have said this before, I am not a fan of cliffhangers. Yes I have a few exceptions to this but as a general rule I don’t like them. Reading books 1 and 2 back to back wasn’t bad but then this ends in one too.

All in all this is a good book if you like time travel and books focused around war/rebellion.

Author Bio

AUTHOR PIC
I am an author in Ottawa, Canada. I have a varied background in business, journalism and education.

I love history, and the people who have lived fascinating and sometimes very ordinary lives in extra-ordinary times. I’m drawn to music and the arts, as well as scientific discovery, politics and science fiction, especially time-travel.

My novels combine my interests in stories that put characters within a realistic world that just happens to include elements that challenge our perceptions of reality.

I am currently completing my first trilogy, Song for a Lost Kingdom, and will be starting a new series in 2020.

Blog Tour

AUGUST 19
Amanda www.writewhereiread.wordpress.com
Alakhnanda www.thebookxpert.wordpress.com
Maya www.mayabhat.com
Jolie www.readwithme.wordpress.com

AUGUST 20
Rekha www.thebookdecoder.com
Nina www.thecozypages.wordpress.com
Lori harris www.lorisbookshelfreads.wordpress.com
Amy www.zanybibliophile.wordpress.com

AUGUST 21
Jessica www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
Lili www.lilisblissfulpages.wordpress.com
Mani www.manisbookcornerblog.wordpress.com
Yesha www.booksteacupnreviews.wordpress.com

AUGUST 22
Nicole www.thebookwormdrinketh.com
Noriko www.bookfiendsite.wordpress.com
Jacquie www.jacqbiggar.com
Didi www.didoviatt.wordpress.com

AUGUST 23
Dora www.swiftcoffee.blog
Maham www.allaboutmakk.wordpress.com
Mary www.sophrilreads.com

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New Releases

Blog Tour: Awakening: A Christmas Episode by C. S. Johnson

August 23, 2019August 17, 2019 sophrilreadsLeave a comment

Awakening

If you loved The Starlight Chronicles, then this graphic novel version of Awakening: A Christmas Episode, will make a really fun addition to your collection. You can also try an win yourself a copy below!

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Awakening: A Christmas Episode by C. S. Johnson
Illustrator: Eko Bambang
Publication Date: April 25, 2019
Genre: Graphic Novel/ Urban Fantasy
Length: 72 Pages

Christmas is a time for miracles, but miracles have always bothered Hamilton Dinger.

This Christmas Eve, he has only two reasons to be cheerful: Rachel’s Café is open late, and he has a special present for Gwen Kessler. So even if he has to sit through a session of Grandpa Odd’s ramblings, he knows he’ll have some holiday mocha and a chance at finally telling Gwen how he feels about her. His fledgling hope is lost the moment when a new demon monster begins attacking the Star of Hope. Now, not only does Hamilton have to transform into his city superhero self to fight it, he has to deal with Starry Knight, too. Can Hamilton find a new reason for hope this holiday, or is it too much to ask for one more Christmas miracle?

Find out in this short story set between the Book 1 and Book 2 of the Starlight Chronicles from C. S. Johnson, now with illustrations by comics artist Eko Bambang.

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Excerpt

Sample

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Author Bio

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C. S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me

CS Johnson | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

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New Releases

Blog Tour: The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen

August 21, 2019August 17, 2019 sophrilreads2 Comments

TheDevils

I’m very excited to share this book with you all today! The Devil’s Apprentice in the first book in the incredibly imaginative, and wonderfully entertaining, YA Fantasy series, The Great Devil War.

There will be exclusive content and a giveaway so be sure to read on!

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The Devil’s Apprentice (The Great Devil War #1) by Kenneth B. Andersen
Genre: YA Fantasy

Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?

Even though the story (mostly) takes place in Hell and deals with themes like evil, death and free will, it is also a humoristic tale about good and evil seen from a different perspective. A tale that hopefully will make the reader – young or old, boy or girl – laugh and think. – Kenneth B. Andersen

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Excerpt

“You’re fairly young, aren’t you?” A forked tongue moistened his scaly fingers, and he flipped through more pages. “How old are you?”

“I’m thirteen.”

“Thirteen?” the beast mumbled, clearly impressed. “It’s not very often they come to us so young. You must’ve done something really horrific.”

“What do you mean?” Philip shook his head. “What is this place?”

“This place?” The monster raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Oh well, evilness and stupidity often go hand in hand.” His crooked smile revealed pointed teeth, and his gruff voice lowered to a hiss. “This, my boy, is the outer court of Hell. That—” he directed a hooked nail at the black gate, “is Hell.”

“Hell?” Philip whispered, and he saw it all again in his mind. The cat that had spoken to him. The shove to his back that had sent him hurtling into the street. Sam’s triumphant howling. The sound of squealing brakes. The car and the elderly man behind the wheel. And the darkness that had followed.

A dream, he’d said as he stood at the top of the long stairwell, knowing deep inside that it was a lie. This was no dream.

The car hit me, he thought. It hit me, and I’m dead. I died, and now I’m in… in…

“Hell?” he repeated, totally confused. How could he be in Hell? Only evil people went to Hell. Right? “I’m in Hell?”

“You need to say that three times before it sinks in?” the demon said, skimming through his book. “But it could be worse. Plenty others have to say it many more times before it sinks in. Ah, here it is! Let me see.” From the breast pocket of his robe he drew out a pair of silver-framed spectacles and put them on. The demon scanned the page quickly, using his finger as a guide.

“Just like I said,” he shouted angrily, pounding the book with his balled fist. “No one was supposed to enter tonight! Not for a few hours anyway, when an entire troop of politicians were to arrive!” The creature shook his head resignedly. “Well, since you’ve already spoiled my night off, I might as well send you straight to your punishment. What is your name, kid?”

Philip didn’t reply, but stared at the demon, dumbstruck.

“Wake up! We don’t have all night. Eternity waits. Your name?”

Philip cleared his throat timidly. “Philip.”

“Philip, Philip, Philip,” the demon mumbled, riffling back and forth a few pages. He wrinkled his brow. “That’s odd. Last name?”

Philip told him his full name, and once again the demon searched in his book. The wrinkles in his brow deepened, and his yellow nails scratched at his scalp. Then he shook his head and clapped the book shut with a sigh. “That name isn’t in the registry. Some dumb fool has made a mistake, kid. You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I’m not?” Philip said and felt a warm relief spreading through him. Then his eyes fell on the inky, thick darkness that enveloped the walls of Hell, and his sense of relief vanished. “Then where should I be?”

Available on Amazon!

The Great Devil War Books 1 – 3

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Author Bio

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I WAS BORN IN DENMARK ON A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT IN NOVEMBER 1976 …

… and I began writing when I was a teenager. My first book was a really awful horror novel titled Nidhug’s Slaves. It didn’t get published. Luckily.

During the next 7 years, I wrote nearly 20 novels–all of which were rejected–while working as a school teacher. The rest of the time I spent writing.

In 2000 I published my debut fantasy book, The Battle of Caïssa, and that’s when things really took off. Since then I’ve published more than thirty-five books for children and young adults in genres ranging from fantasy to horror and science fiction.

My books have been translated into more than 15 languages and my series about the superhero Antboy has been adapted for film, which is available on Netflix. An animated tv series is currently in development.

A musical of The Devil’s Apprentice opened in the fall 2018 and the movie rights for the series have also been optioned.

I live in Copenhagen with my wife, two boys, a dog named Milo and spiders in the basement.

About THE GREAT DEVIL WAR: The Great Devil War was published in Denmark from 2005-2016, beginning with The Devil’s Apprentice.

Welcome to the other side!

Kenneth B. Andersen | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Blog Tour

TheDevils

August 19th
Reads & Reels (Review) http://readsandreels.com
The Magic of Wor(l)ds (Interview) http://themagicofworlds.wordpress.com
Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/
Gwendalyn’s Books (Review) https://gwendalynbooks.blog/

August 20th
YA/NA Book Divas (Excerpt) http://www.yabookdivas.com/
Ity Reads Books (Review) http://www.ityreadsbooks.home.blog
Reviews and Promos by Nyx (Review) https://nyxblogs.wordpress.com/
Quirky Cats Fat Stacks (Review) https://quirkycatsfatstacks.com/

August 21st
B is for Book Review (Excerpt) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com
An Ocean A Glimmer (Review) http://anoceanglimmer.wordpress.com

August 22nd
Jaunts & Haunts (Review) https://jonathanpongratz.com/
Shalini’s Books and Reviews (Review) https://bookreviewsbyshalini.com/
The Bookworm Drinketh (Review) http://thebookwormdrinketh.wordpress.com/
I Love Books and Stuff (Excerpt) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

August 23rd
Breakeven Books (Excerpt) https://breakevenbooks.com
Entertainingly Nerdy (Review) https://www.entertaininglynerdy.com
Cats Luv Coffee (Review) https://catsluvcoffeez.blogspot.com/

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Book 1 on Amazon | Book 2 on Amazon

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Available on Amazon!

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