Title:Azreya
Author: Tricia Copeland
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Myths & Legends
Editor: Jo Michaels, Indie Books Gone Wild
Illustrator: Matt Maes
Publication Date: August 23rd, 2022
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Reviews & PR
Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Azreya by Tricia Copeland, illustrated by Matt Maes
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastian by Jeanne Roland
Reviewers are raving, calling this book "swoonworthy" and "one of the best books I've read in a long time." Take a peek inside this historical fiction, Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastian by Jeanne Roland.
Monday, May 2, 2022
Thoughts on All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Considered by many the greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front is Erich Maria Remarque’s masterpiece of the German experience during World War I.
I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. . . .
This is the testament of Paul Bäumer, who enlists with his classmates in the German army during World War I. They become soldiers with youthful enthusiasm. But the world of duty, culture, and progress they had been taught breaks in pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches.
Through years of vivid horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another . . . if only he can come out of the war alive.
“The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure.”—The New York Times Book Review
(affiliate link included)
**My thoughts**
This is one of those books that was required reading back when I was in high school that has held up for me well into adulthood. I've read it several times, though probably not in the past decade (until recently). As I approach middle age, I think it has an even more profound effect on me.
What drew me to this book in my teen years still holds true. You almost forget that this is told from the point of view of a German soldier - one of our enemies in the Great War (aka WWI). Instead it personifies almost any soldier - the chaos and destruction of battle, the importance of friendship, the fear and hunger of the unknown, the frustration of not really understanding what you are fighting for while someone else - in a safe place - is calling the shots.
The horrors of trench warfare are tastefully, yet explicitly described in such a way that you feel as if you are there, but still have the protection of not being there. Remarque, through Paul, waxes rather poetically about all of the trials and tribulations of being on the front and how it changes a man. I'm often moved by the sincere and intense emotions - and abrupt lack thereof. Paul becomes almost a friend. And though he is the enemy as a German soldier, my humanity roots for him and his friends to come out of it okay in the end
It's been over 100 years since World War I ended, of course, but I still think this is an important book to continue reading from a history perspective, but also a human perspective.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Read an exclusive excerpt from Gouster Girl by David E. Gumpert
Welcome to the excerpt tour for Gouster Girl by David E. Gumpert! I have an exclusive excerpt for you to check out today. And then be sure to follow the rest of the tour to read even more of them and download your own copy! Leave questions and comments for the author along the way. And of course, best of luck entering the giveaway!
Gouster Girl is the coming of age, risky affair between Valerie Davis a cute black girl from the South Side of Chicago and nerdy white Jeffrey Stark.
While the two are somewhat smitten they are late to realize that falling in love on Chicago’s South Side in 1963 is a highly risky business for an interracial couple.
Opportunities arise for both of them to help one another out of tough fixes—he saves her from attack at an all-white amusement park and she saves him from injury in a racial brawl at their high school. But as their romance becomes more serious, so do the racial dangers. White police target Valerie as a prostitute and black gang members see Jeffrey as trying to sexually exploit a black girl. Seemingly inevitably, the blossoming romance collides head on with the realities of Northern-style racism one hot summer afternoon at one of Chicago’s most beautiful Lake Michigan beaches, when a racial protest turns ugly, confronting the couple with terrible choices.
Read an exclusive excerpt:
Not only had the seniors heard about the fight but they treated me like a hero. They spoke in soft tones so as not to stir up gousters who might be nearby. Like Mel Graham, a dark-haired broad-shouldered handsome senior who also happened to be captain of the swim team, president of the honor society, and had pretty Shirley James as his steady girlfriend.
“Way to stand up and fight, Jeff, I heard you gave it to that mother.” The admiration in his bright and glowing baby blue eyes was sincere. “Very groovy.”
“I don’t know about that,” I responded, feeling awkward, since he was one of the coolest white kids in school and I had never before had a real conversation with him. What was the cool thing to say, to do? I tried to be valiant despite my personal shakiness. “Who knows, maybe some of them will think twice before picking a fight.”
The swim team was the only varsity sport dominated by whites. I assumed that was because whites tended to gravitate toward water during the summer—parents sent their kids to summer camp, where they had swim lessons, or retreated to summer houses at the Indiana and Michigan Dunes on Lake Michigan. Nate, Lee, and I had gone together to a YMCA camp on a small lake in a tiny town in Michigan for month-long periods each of three summers beginning when we were ten. The Negro kids, meantime, spent most of their summers hanging around city basketball courts or baseball fields.
I had no idea if it was the cool thing to do, but so long as I had Mel’s attention, I decided to inquire about his college plans. I had heard he was headed to Brown University in the East after graduation.
“I hear you’re going to an Ivy League school next year,” I offered. I could see the surprise flash in his blue eyes that I had such inside information.
“Yeah, I’m going to Brown. They want me to be on their swim team.”
I don’t know what made me ask him my next question, except that it fit into my own worries about the disintegration of our neighborhood: “Is your family moving out of South Shore after you graduate?”
Now he was looking at me in a serious way, almost as if he was trying to look inside me. “Who told you that?” he asked.
“No one. I was just wondering. So many people are leaving South Shore, I just wondered if you were, since you are graduating.”
“Yeah. My parents want out. I’m the youngest in my family, last to graduate. So it’s a good time to be leaving. I can’t say I’ll be real sorry. Maybe if more people had stood up to all this crap, like you did today, we wouldn’t be running. But not many stood up, so here we go.”
Book Links
About David E. Gumpert
David E. Gumpert grew up on the South Side of Chicago, in South Shore and Hyde Park. In the years since graduating from the University of Chicago, he has attended Columbia Journalism School and worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and an editor for the Harvard Business Review and Inc. magazine. He has also authored ten nonfiction books on a variety of subjects—from entrepreneurship and small business management to food politics. His most prominent titles include How to Really Create a Successful Business Plan (from Inc. Publishing); How to Really Start Your Own Business (Inc. Publishing); Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Food Rights (Chelsea Green Publishing), and The Raw Milk Answer Book (Lauson Publishing).He spent ten years in the 1990s and early 2000s researching his family's history during the Holocaust. The result was a book co-authored with his deceased aunt Inge Belier: Inge: A Girl’s Journey Through Nazi Europe (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing).
He spent much of the last half-dozen years going back to his own roots in Chicago to research and write the historical novel, Gouster Girl. While some of it stems from his own experiences growing up in South Shore and Hyde Park, he also conducted significant additional research to complete the book in late 2019.
Author website http://www.goustergirl.com/
Twitter: @davidgumpert
David E. Gumpert will be awarding a $25 gift card to Garrett Popcorn, then a Water bottle with Chicago flag for a second winner, and a Mug with Chicago flag for a third winner, all randomly drawn via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
A Drummer in Red by Gordon Saunders
YA Historical Fiction
Published Date: 1-8-20
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC
Lewis Elliot and his mother, Stella, are forced to flee their Baltimore home for the modest farm of their cousins in Gloucester County, Virginia. They arrive just as the feared Lord Cornwallis and the hated Colonel Banastre Carleton take up residence in Gloucester Point and across the York River in Yorktown. The war heats up as Cornwallis fortifies Yorktown and Carleton begins foraging raids in Gloucester County.
Then, while Lewis and his cousins, Lloyd and Tetty, are off to Gloucester Courthouse to try to sell enough tobacco to provide for the family, Carleton raids the farm and Stella receives a life-threatening injury.
Through battle, betrayal, unexpected alliances, and, apparently, the Hand of God, Lewis and his cousins and friends take a role in the events leading to Cornwallis’s surrender on October 19, 1781, after the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.
About the Author
Contact Links
Publisher Links
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Read an excerpt from Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake #FantasyForChristmas19
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Through the White Wood
By Jessica Leake
Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 416 PagesYoung Adult Historical Fantasy
April 9th 2019 by HarperTeen
The Bear and the Nightingale meets Frostblood in this romantic historical fantasy from the author of Beyond a Darkened Shore.
When Katya loses control of her power to freeze, her villagers banish her to the palace of the terrifying Prince Sasha in Kiev.
Expecting punishment, she is surprised to find instead that Sasha is just like her—with the ability to summon fire. Sasha offers Katya friendship and the chance to embrace her power rather than fear it.
But outside the walls of Kiev, Sasha’s enemies are organizing an army of people bent on taking over the entire world.
Together, Katya’s and Sasha’s powers are a fearsome weapon. But as their enemies draw nearer, will fire and frost be enough to save the world? Or will Katya and Sasha lose everything they hold dear?
Inspired by Russian mythology, this lushly romantic, intensely imaginative, and fiercely dramatic story is about learning to fight for yourself, even when the world is falling down around you.
(Affiliate links included.)
Above me, my golden eagle let out a soft cry, and as I glanced up at her, my spirits lifted ever so slightly. Elation, I’d named her long ago, because she never failed to bring me joy. Now she followed the sleigh from the sky, and I suspected she was my only remaining friend and ally.
After the horror of what had happened in the village, it was almost difficult to be afraid of what awaited me with the prince. Almost, but not quite. Rumors hammered at my thoughts as the sleigh traveled farther and farther into the deep woods that surrounded my home.
People disappearing into his castle, never to return. People with abilities beyond human limits. People like me.
Worse still was the knowledge that I went to him having committed crimes whose punishment was death.
You deserve it, the nasty part of my mind said to me, the one that sounded like the village children I grew up with. It will be a fitting punishment for what you’ve done.
We will not execute you as you deserve, the village elder had said, dressed in his long black shuba—the bearskin coat he was so proud of. Instead, we will hand you over to the prince. He’s always searching for people with your abilities, he’d said with a look of disgust. Let him deal with you as he sees fit.
Standing in the elder’s own izba, the clay oven blazing with a warm fire that could do nothing to pierce my frozen skin, I had paled at the announcement.
But Babushka—I’d stuttered, trying to think of anyone who could save me.
She has agreed to it, Elder Anatoly had interrupted, his voice brooking no argument.
Beside me, Andrei, one of the men who held my ropes, leaned toward me. They say the prince will cut your heart out and eat it. I had looked at him, this man I’d seen walking cheerfully to work in the lumber mill every day of my life, with eyes wide with fear. He’d looked back at me with a terrible sneer instead of a smile. And you will deserve it, Ice Witch.
Other Books by the Author
(Linked to Amazon affiliate links.)
About the Author
Jessica Leake is the author of the adult novels Arcana and The Order of the Eternal Sun, both with Skyhorse. She worked for years as a psychotherapist, but even though she loved her clients, she couldn’t stop writing. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, four young children, lots of chickens, and two dogs who keep everyone in line. Beyond a Darkened Shore was her YA debut and is followed by Through the White Wood. Visit her at www.jessicaleake.com.
Tour Schedule
(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)
December 1st: Launch
December 2nd: Rebecca Belliston - Heart of Red, Blood of Blue
December 3rd: Morgan L. Busse - Flight of the Raven
December 4th: Jes Drew - Tales of Parallel Worlds
December 5th: Ronie Kendig - Brand of Light
December 6th: Alisha Klapheke - Fate of Dragons
December 7th: Jessica Leake - Through the White Wood
December 8th: Belle Malory - Electric Skies
December 9th: Melissa McShane - Burning Bright
December 10th: Jennifer Silverwood - Blackbriar Cove
December 11th: Melissa Wright - Shadow and Stone
December 12th: Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive an Amazon Fire Tablet and a $50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally (as long as winner is eligible to receive prizes)
Ends December 16, 2019
Friday, November 29, 2019
Read an exclusive excerpt from In Between Days by Anne Jamison
In Between Days by Anne Jamison is a highly rated YA novel that takes us back to the 1980s. A lot of issues faced by teens then are the same as today, and yet it was a completely different time. Reviewers love the nostalgia in this one. I have en exclusive excerpt for you to check out before you download your own copy to take a trip into the past. Be sure to follow the tour to read even more and then let the author know what you think along the way. And of course, there's a great giveaway at the end!
In Between Days
Chicago suburbs, 1985. The high school. The mall. The blood-stained Mercedes. Misogyny. Homophobia. Class warfare. Cocaine.(And the first semester isn’t even over yet.)
The Jocks with their pastel Izods. The Barbies. The loser Burnouts.
High school in the 1980s had rules. Barbies and Jocks can mix. Barbie cheerleaders steer clear of the losers. Punks want to burn it all down.
Samantha Ward doesn't love the rules, but she plays to win. So when a snarky Burnout goes after her in a face-off, of course she fights back. Of course she fights mean. She may not get his sex joke, but she knows he made one. About her. In front of the entire cafeteria. And what's worse, she feels a tingle when she looks at bad-boy Jason.
How could she know her mean girl put-down would launch a war? Or that the school she knows hides a darker world she never even dreamed of?
In Between Days is a pitch-perfect story of first love, friendship, and enemies; of loyalty, betrayal, and the power of secrets. This darkly funny, suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of The Outsiders and The Breakfast Club.
"GRIPPING AND UNPUTDOWNABLE." --Christina Lauren, international bestselling authors of Dating You/Hating You “THIS WAS a bittersweet tumble into eighties high school nostalgia, with all the angst, sexual tension and emotional confusion involved with first love, and so well done it was a non-stop read to the end.… (Oh, and one of the best first kisses I have EVER read...),” says one reviewer
Author's Note:
This is a historical novel that contains period language that is, and was then, and should be, offensive.
Read an excerpt:
”Looks like Teen Barbie would like to see how Devlin dives,” sneered Skinny. “She can’t even look him in the eyes. She’s all trembling.”
Never had a chicken breast been so entirely engrossing.
The rest of the swim team had taken notice, and Dave got up. “You know, scum like you don’t get to talk to girls like these. Scum like you don’t even get to look at them. So, beat it.”
Skinny shrugged into his torn-off jeans vest, pretending to shiver. “Ooh, Jason. Swimmers have threatened us.”
“Run for your lives, boys, while there’s still time.” Falsetto sneers from the background. More boys in army pants or beat-up jeans and plaids moved in to where Skinny Nowlin and Jason Devlin were squaring off against the Barbies and the swimmers.
Jason just laughed. “Swim boy, unwind your Speedo from your dick and chill. Dudes. No lunch rumble today. See,” and he looked at Samantha again, “Barbie here is safe from me. I don’t really dive in shallow water. I just don’t find it’s worth the time and . . . ” He took a deep breath, then blew the air slowly into his slouchy hair, showing his tongue between his teeth before finally saying, “ . . . effort.”
Samantha hoped only that an enormous hole would open where she was sitting and swallow her. Into hell. Which would be better than the cafeteria.
But then Jessica nudged her foot. Message taken. Some burnout had gotten the better of her, in front of a big audience. It couldn’t stand. Because girls could smell blood in the water like sharks. They were always circling. If they smelled blood they went for it. Even if they were your friends, instinct would take over. And if they weren’t your friends, they were waiting for it, any opening to the kill.
Guys were no different. They were just looking for an opening of a different kind. Samantha repressed a shudder. She could shudder later. Response required. Now.
Buy Links
(affiliate links included)
About Anne Jamison
Anne Jamison is the author of three critical books, including Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World. She lives in Salt Lake City with her dogs, her son, and an avant-garde poet. She is an English professor, but not the kind that corrects your grammar (unless she is actively grading your paper). In Between Days is her first novel.Social Media Links:
www.annejamison.net
https://www.facebook.com/annejamisonauthor/
https://twitter.com/prof_anne
https://www.instagram.com/annejamisonauthor/
Anne Jamison will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Monday, September 9, 2019
Read an excerpt from Evermore by Jody Hedlund with Giveaway
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Always
(The Lost Princesses #0.5)
By Jody Hedlund
Christian YA Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 136 Pages
August 13th 2019 by Northern Lights Press
A fierce elite guard. A loyal lady in waiting. They must work together to save three princesses from certain death.
On the verge of dying after giving birth to twins, the queen of Mercia pleads with Lady Felicia to save her infant daughters. With the castle overrun by King Ethelwulf’s invading army, Lady Felicia vows to do whatever she can to take the newborn princesses and their three-year old sister to safety, even though it means sacrificing everything she holds dear, possibly her own life.
Gravely wounded in battle and knowing all is lost to his enemy, the king of Mercia tasks Lance, one of his fiercest elite guards, to protect his family along with keys to an ancient treasure. As Lance makes plans to sneak the princesses out of the capital city, he doesn’t need or want Lady Felicia’s help.
With the dark enemy in pursuit, Lance and Felicia must put aside their differences to outrun King Ethelwulf and prevent him from killing the princesses. In a desperate attempt to hide the young girls, Lance and Felicia agree to a marriage of convenience, a decision that will change their lives—and hearts—forever.
(Affiliate links included.)
Evermore
(The Lost Princesses #1)
By Jody Hedlund
Christian YA Historical
Paperback & ebook, 222 Pages
August 27th 2019 by Northern Lights Press
An ancient key. A secret treasure. And a princess destined to use them both to fight evil and restore peace.
Raised by a noble family, Lady Adelaide has always known she’s an orphan. Little does she realize she’s one of the lost princesses and the true heir to Mercia’s throne…until a visitor arrives at her family estate, reveals her birthright as queen, and thrusts her into a quest for the throne whether she’s ready or not.
Unable to tolerate King Ethelwulf’s cruelty and lawlessness, Christopher Langley left Mercia years earlier, training a group of rebels in neighboring Norland. When he returns home after his mother’s death, he discovers that not only is Adelaide all grown up, but she’s also the rightful queen of Mercia.
When King Ethelwulf discovers Adelaide’s location, he’ll stop at nothing to capture her and the key she holds to the ancient treasure. Christopher is just as determined to protect Adelaide so she can lead the growing rebellion. When feelings ignite between the two old friends, forces threaten to destroy their love and rip them apart forever.
Read an excerpt:
“We need this victory more than any other.” I stiffened my shoulders as Mitchell began to thread the belt from my cuirass to the cross-shaped hole at the base of the helm. Though I couldn’t see Mitchell anymore, I sensed his troubled gaze upon me. With the customary Langley brown hair and eyes, he was small of stature for a man, more scholarly and interested in his studies than in tournaments. However, like any good nobleman’s son, he’d been trained to use both his mind and body.
Much to the chagrin of my aunt and uncle, I’d trained right alongside Mitchell and my other cousins. Aunt Susanna oft lamented I was too much like my cousins and that she’d failed to raise me as a proper lady. I oft replied I would have it no other way.
The great helm lay heavy against my chain mail hood and padded coif. I was smaller than Mitchell, but we were close enough I’d jousted in his stead at tournaments. Always in the past, I’d enjoyed the challenge of taking part in competitions disguised as Mitchell. And always in the past, he’d humored my whims, relieved to escape his obligations.
(Affiliate links included.)
Other Books in the Series
Coming late September and October. Pre-order now! (Affiliate links included.)
Jody Hedlund is a best-selling and award-winning author who loves fairy-tales and happily-ever-afters. She makes her home in Midland, MI with her husband and five teen-aged children. When she’s not writing another of her page-turning stories, you can usually find her sipping coffee, eating chocolate, and reading.Tour Schedule
Tour Giveaway
Ends September 25, 2019
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Read an excerpt from Illusions by Madeline J. Reynolds with Giveaway
Welcome to the blog tour for Illusions by Madeline J. Reynolds! I have an excerpt for you today to entice you to download your own copy. If you follow the tour, you'll see more excerpts, book reviews, and other fun. Please remember to also enter the giveaway!
Illusions
by Madeline J. Reynolds
Genre: YA Fantasy/Historical VictorianRelease Date: November 6th 2018
Entangled Teen
Summary:
Dear Thomas,
I know you're angry. It's true, I was sent to expose your mentor as a fraud illusionist, and instead I have put your secret in jeopardy. I fear I have even put your life in jeopardy. For that I can only beg your forgiveness. I've fallen for you. You know I have. And I never wanted to create a rift between us, but if it means protecting you from those who wish you dead—I'll do it. I'll do anything to keep you safe, whatever the sacrifice. Please forgive me for all I've done and what I'm about to do next. I promise, it's one magic trick no one will ever see coming.
Love,
Saverio
Purchase links available HERE!
Read an excerpt:
I feel dreadful for what I am about to write, but being that this journal is meant for no eyes but my own… I shall confess, part of me wished that his bones truly had broken after his fall. It is terrible for me to wish injury upon the man, truly. But my dread in anticipation of this performance far outweighs any guilt plaguing my dark thoughts.
Mother and Father have retired to their bedroom for the night, so I shall get in some more practice. I was contemplating using a vase as my subject once again, but with the risk of having it fall to the floor and shatter, it would be best to use a small candle.
There are two scenarios:
One, I fail like I did in rehearsal today and make a fool of Neville.
Or two, even worse…I succeed.
I have to at least try to get this down. There is no reasoning with the man, and surely, if my secret does not kill me, he will.
About Madeline J. Reynolds
Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter
GIVEAWAY (Two print copies – US only)
Blog Tour Organized by:
Friday, October 5, 2018
Friday, July 27, 2018
The Heart of Aleppo by Ammar Habib with Giveaway
The Heart of Aleppo
After standing for over 7,000 years, Aleppo's ruin came overnight. Separated from his family during the night the rebels attacked the city, thirteen-year-old Zaid Kadir is lost in the middle of a war zone. Alongside his friends, he is forced to survive the dangers of a civil war he does not even fully understand. Zaid witnesses the destruction of the brutal Syrian Civil War as it grows more deadly by the day and rips his city apart. However, as he braves this destruction, as he desperately tries to survive this catastrophe, he discovers something. Zaid realizes that it is in the darkest hours when humanity's spirit of hope burns brightest.
Goodreads * Amazon
About Ammar Habib
Ammar Habib is a bestselling and award-winning author who was born in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1993. Ammar enjoys crafting stories that are not only entertaining but will also stay with the reader for a long time. Ammar presently resides in his hometown with his family, all of whom are his biggest fans. He draws his inspiration from his family, imagination, and the world around him.
Social Media Links
Website: www.ammarahsenhabib.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ammarahsenhabib
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmmarAHabib1 @AmmarAHabib1
Blog: www.ammarhabibblog.wordpress.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Ammar_Habib
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ammar.a.habib/ @Ammar.A.Habib
Contest!
In conjunction with the release of The Heart of Aleppo, I am running a giveaway from July 26th to August 3rd. The prize of the giveaway is a signed copy of my national award-winning novel, Memories of My Future. Memories of My Future is a historical/inspirational novel that was published in 2016. It received several accolades after its release, including the Independent Press Award in May 2017.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake with Giveaway
Congratulations to Jessica Leake on the release of Beyond a Darkened Shore. Today you can check out an excerpt and rave reviews of this new YA historical fantasy. Be sure to pick up a copy! You can even pick up a signed one. Just note that some of those buy links may be affiliate links, which can earn me a few pennies toward maintaining my websites, but at no additional cost to you. Also be sure to enter the giveaway that includes a $25 Amazon gift card!
Release Blitz for
Release Blitz for
Beyond a Darkened Shore
By Jessica Leake
Beyond a Darkened Shore
by Jessica Leake
Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 384 pagesYoung Adult Historical Fantasy
April 10th 2018 by HarperTeen
The people of Mide have always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn but the entire world.
Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle, the two might have a chance to save their world.
With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love...even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all.
Praise for the Book
"Beyond a Darkened Shore is thrilling and romantic. This is a must-read for lovers of fantasy, mythology, and folklore." - Kody Keplinger, New York Times bestselling author of The DUFF and Run
“With undead armies, flesh-eating spirit horses, and a powerful heroine, fantasy, romance, and historical-fiction readers will have a great time.” - Booklist
“While Morrigan and Odin are terrifying, raven-haired Ciara is the star. Beautiful, strong, and independent, she is the perfect warrior princess. Epic historical fantasy filled with deadly creatures, simmering romance, and nonstop action.” - Kirkus Reviews
Grab a signed copy from Fiction Addiction
Other books links
Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Indiebound│Powell's│Book Depository│Target
Excerpt
The waves viciously beat against the worn rock, sending sprays of white water into the air. It should have been deterrent enough, but the Northmen were relentless. Their longship had already landed. Men poured from its side like a wave of death. As I took in the square sail—white with a crimson skeletal dragon—my heart beat a furious rhythm in my chest. I’d fought countless Northmen in battles throughout our kingdom, but the sight of that sail still made every muscle in my body clench in warring fear and anger—and memory.
My clansmen’s blood staining the earth red—
—my sister’s hand in mine as we tried to escape—
—her eyes wide as the blood trailed down her throat, and me, screaming, screaming—
I shook my head, banishing the memories before they could weaken my mind further. Sleipnir snorted and pawed the ground in response. Like other horses, he could sense my emotions. But unlike other horses, my apprehension only made him bolder.
Fergus wheeled his horse over to me and spat on the ground. “Let us pray the blood of the raiders will flow this day.”
I glanced at the men assembled beside me and frowned. A Northman longship of the size of the one on our shore could hold at least sixty men, far more than our own crew. “The battle can go no farther than this cliff—not this time.”
“I will cover you as best I can,” Fergus said. “You search for their leader.”
I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword. My arm muscles tensed, and my heart pounded. Anticipation of the battle was always the hardest: the prickling adrenaline, the torrent of memories, the cold dread. I endured it all because my sisters and mother were huddled in fear in their room. We were the only things preventing them from being killed.
I snapped my attention back to the battle. The Northmen had begun the treacherous climb to our stronghold. With any luck, we would pick them off as they emerged at the top of the cliff. The Northman raiding strategy was always to ambush. Instead of recognizing such actions as dishonorable, they seemed happy to live to fight again. They wouldn’t expect us to be waiting for them, and if we could defeat their leader quickly enough, they might retreat. There was no dishonor in retreat in their eyes either, not when their strategy to ambush meant they were usually slinking into a castle and catching its warriors unawares.
Holding the high ground was our advantage. We had to make it count.
With a shout, the first man made it to the top. He showed a momentary flash of surprise that we were lying in wait for him, but he recovered quickly. Battle-axe raised and shield in front of his chest, he charged. More of the enemy followed, their armor and long beards making them indistinguishable from one another. My clansmen made rivers of their blood.
About Jessica Leake
Release Blitz Giveaway
1 winner will receive a copy of Beyond a Darkened Shore + $25 Amazon Gift Card
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Ends April 14th
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Monday, March 26, 2018
Review of Everything We Lose by Annette Oppenlander
Welcome to the review tour for Everything We Lose by Annette Oppenlander. It's about two teenaged friends from opposite backgrounds who get separated by tragic circumstances and lead parallel lives during the Civil War. Check out an excerpt from the book as well as my review. Grab your own copy for 99 cents for a limited time. You can also leave a comment for the author as you move along the book tour to enter the giveaway for a $15 gift card.
Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you choose to make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites. Also note that I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Everything We Lose
Two friends--one black, one white.
Torn apart by an attack gone wrong.
One escapes into war, the other is sold into slavery.
Told from alternating viewpoints, one black and one white, Surviving the Fatherland author Annette Oppenlander delivers another stunning historical tale set against the epic backdrop of the American Civil War--a breathtaking examination of the power of hope and friendship, and the endurance of the human spirit to find a way home.
On sale for 99 cents during the tour!
Read an excerpt:
Adam rushed to the opening that was closest to the stables and peeked out. Nathan’s mother, wearing a gown of crisp cotton with a soft pattern of cornflowers, its blue reminding Adam of his own mother’s eyes, stood waiting outside. She held a dainty umbrella of cream-white lace to shade out the sun and a pair of riding gloves. “If you don’t come soon, I must go back inside,” she said, her voice almost too quiet to hear. “It is dreadfully hot today.”
“You think she look in here?” Tip whispered.
Adam shook his head and kept watching the yard. His mind screamed leave. Yet he stood with indecision. He couldn’t go outside while Janet Billings was near. Thoughts of what he’d done roiled inside his head, panic drying his mouth.
To his relief, Janet Billings slowly wandered back toward the main house when Wilkes crossed her path. She was too far for Adam to hear, but Wilkes’s voice boomed easily across the lawn. “Sure, M’am, I’ll be happy to search for him. Give me a few minutes…I’ll be right back.”
To Adam’s horror, Wilkes headed straight toward the stables and then made a sudden turn toward the grain shack. Obviously it was well known that Nathan Billings liked to torture Tip.
Adam leaped from the window, grabbed Nathan’s feet and pulled him toward a stack of burlap sacks. He had mere seconds to hide them both. From the corner of his eye he saw Tip turn on his side, pretending to be asleep. Desperately yanking at the sacks to make space, he pushed Nathan, who felt soft as a bag of flour, and himself into the opening and cowered low.
The door flew open. “Mr. Billings, are you in here?” Wilkes rushed to Tip’s cot. “You awake, Boy?”
Tip grumbled and rubbed his eyes. “Something wrong?”
“Have you seen Master Nathan?”
Tip shook his head, his brown eyes wide. “No, Sir.”
“I wonder why the shack was unlocked,” Wilkes mumbled as he turned and walked back out.
“They pick up wheat for the kitchen earlier,” Tip offered, but the overseer was already gone, the chain rattling on the outside.
Adam slowly rose as Tip sat up on his cot. Their eyes met.
They’d both be hanged come morning.
**My thoughts**
Civil War stories have intrigued me since I was a kid. I will never be able to understand how one human could think he owned another human as property. I have never understood the hatred between people based on their skin color. And I can't imagine what it would be like to be on a battlefield like that, especially when you may be fighting against your best friends or brothers. And then the horrors of the injuries and amputations.
Oppenlander's characters look like they should be on opposite sides, but instead they are best friends. This happened between slaves and sympathizers, but could be dangerous, especially when living in a state that is so split in loyalties. Tip and Adam have long been friends. The two of them end up in a situation that spells disaster for both of them and they start to go down different paths. Following Adam's story gives you some insight into what it was like being in the army. Following Tip's story gives you some insight into what it was like being a slave. Both of their stories are rooted in fact and based on real battles that took place.
I enjoyed those aspects of the book, but felt that some of the dramatic twists and turns were a bit more modern than historical. That's not to say that those things didn't happen then. I guess I'm just not used to reading them in an historical novel. That being said, those dramatic twists did make me think of some of those grand tales like North and South and Gone with the Wind, with a slight update in a couple of topics. For some readers, this will be perfect. Worth a read as now I am craving more Civil War stories. And I am curious about some of her other stories.
About Annette Oppenlander
Annette Oppenlander is an award-winning writer, literary coach and educator. As a bestselling historical novelist, Oppenlander is known for her authentic characters and stories based on true events, coming alive in well-researched settings. Having lived in Germany the first half of her life and the second half in various parts in the U.S., Oppenlander inspires readers by illuminating story questions as relevant today as they were in the past.
Oppenlander’s bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, was elected to IWIC’s Hall of Fame, won the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award and is a finalist in the 2017 Kindle Book Awards. Her historical time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves actual historical figures and events into her plots, giving readers a flavor of true history while enjoying a good story. Oppenlander shares her knowledge through writing workshops at colleges, libraries and schools. She also offers vivid presentations and author visits. The mother of fraternal twins and a son, she recently returned to her home, Solingen, Germany where she lives with her husband and old mutt, Mocha.
Social Links:
Website: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annetteoppenlanderauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoppenlander
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/annoppenlander
Blog: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com/blog/
Annette Oppenlander will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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