Book Title: The Sight of Heather

Author: Ally Stirling

Publication Date: September 15^th, 2023

Publisher: Author Ally Stirling

Page Length: 338

Genre: Historical Women’s Fiction / Scottish Folklore

Twitter Handle: @authorAllyS @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @authorallystirling @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #ScottishFolklore #BlogTour #CPBC #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/blog-tour-the-sight-of-heather-by-ally-stirling.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Sight of Heather

Ally Stirling

Blurb:

For centuries, the fae folk and spae women of Scotland were feared – and persecuted.

Life in the 1800s countryside, with its unforgiving climate, was both magnificent and harsh – testing cultures, beliefs and the loyalties of crofters.

The first in this series, The Sight of Heather, begins a journey of allegiance, sacrifice, and fortitude in a land of bold, resilient women.

Jessie’s ideal life spirals when she learns she is a first daughter in a biological line of ‘spaes’ endowed with unique gifts of spiritual sight and healing, aided by powerful ancestral stones.

Backed by a vindictive priest intent on charging Jessie with murder and witchcraft, the new owner of the Cruachan Manor plots to rout the spaes and destroy their beloved forest.

Despite grave warnings and family conflict, Jessie determinedly pursues her skills and powers, plunging her family and village into danger.

Resolute in uplifting her fellow women, Jessie consults her stones.

Faced with those who deem her evil, she must choose to relinquish her craft, or sacrifice herself to protect her culture and kin – and Lily, the next first daughter – the future of the spaes.

Snippet 2:

Charles folded his arms and a smirk crept out from under his moustache. He cocked his head. “Why do people live here if they struggle to make a living?” 

The vice returned, squeezing the strength from Angus’s voice. “We’ve lived here for centuries … we have no desire to live anywhere else, this is our home.” 

The words floated over Charles’s head, missing his ears by a country mile. “Why would the previous owners be happy with such an unprofitable arrangement?” 

The words escaped from Angus’s mouth before he could arrest them. “Because they were Scottish.”

Buy Links:

Universal Link: https://mybook.to/The_Sight_Of_Heather

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CFVV28FV

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144046886?ean=2940167577664

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/fr/en/ebook/the-sight-of-heather

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/fr/book/the-sight-of-heather/id6465249946

Author Bio:

Ally Stirling is a Fiction writer of Scottish origin, currently living in Cape Town with her Braveheart husband, awesome children, the happiest dog in the world, and her menacing cat (aka ‘Devil Cat’).

An unexpected gift resulting in a prophetic message prompted Ally to give her passion for writing the time it demanded, and in 2018 she joined Cathy Eden’s Working with Words writers group. She credits the love, support, and inspiration of this group of talented women, her ‘writing tribe’ for encouraging her to put words on paper. She also joined (ROSA,) and while Romance is not her genre, this association has been an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into the indie publishing world.

Allowing her imagination freedom to roam resulted in various short stories, before one in particular rooted itself, evolving into her first full-length novel. This book has now become first in a series, with the second and third ready to follow, four and five in the planning stage. Who knew her characters would be so demanding.

Her love of writing fiction stems from her belief that it transports us to magical places when life gets too real.

Addicted to her friends, coffee, every colour of wine, and any type of chocolate, she describes her clan as the family and friends who have built her castle and keep her sane, without whom she’d be short on humour and drinking games.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.authorallystirling.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorAllyS

Facebook: https://facebook.com/authorallystirling

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorallystirling

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-sight-of-heather-a-journey-of-loyalty-sacrifice-and-fortitude-in-the-face-of-persecution-by-ally-stirling

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ally-Stirling/author/B0CG6TJT5T?

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3P9HmWl

Book Link

From Amazon:

Life has been rough for Abby. Then, just as her bills start to pile up, she finds a diamond necklace on the floor of her local market. What seems to be a solution only adds to her troubles as Abby struggles with doing what she thinks is right or doing what she needs.

My Review:

Bravo! In my opinion, this short story is a perfect read for anyone age 12 and up, especially women. Not only is book about great love and great loss, it’s chock full of wonderful sentimental moments and memories, and more. The ending came aa a truly pleasant surprise. Five shiny gold stars!

Book Link

From Amazon:

When Amanda Garrett stumbles across a strange artifact in the woods, she has no idea of the dangerous secret it holds. The teen soon discovers that she has unwittingly released Erol, an imprisoned jinni, and whether she likes it or not, they are bound together until death. Amanda’s life soon begins to spiral out of control and she finds herself orphaned, kidnapped, and thrust into a terrifying reality. Her captor is convinced that Erol knows the whereabouts of a powerful relic which has been hidden from him and he wants the pair to retrieve it. Still reeling from her loss, and hoping to be spared further pain, Amanda agrees. As the pair set off on their journey and Amanda learns more about the existence of the realms and the magical beings which reside within them, the clearer it becomes that nothing is quite as it seems. After Amanda discovers the power of the relic that her captor seeks, the only thing she knows for certain is that her true suffering has only just begun, because no matter how great the sacrifice, she can never allow the relic to fall into her captor’s hands. Rise is a fast-paced introductory novel to an alternate world where mundane humans are oblivious to the existence of the realms that separate them from other magical races. When she feels, the darkness closing in around her, Amanda is not sure if she can hold onto a single speck of light, and soon she comes to understand that some secrets are better left buried. (YA Dark Fantasy)

My Review:

This book is great for those who like reading dark young adult books. This is not my own preference to read, but I buy and read many genres of books as I prefer to be well-rounded in the books I read. This book has multiple realms or planes of different beings. One girl, a human, ends up in more than one realm after her father dies in a house fire. She must remain strong throughout the narrative and be willing to open her eyes to the different environments and beings that reside in them. Examples are human plane, arcane plane, Jinn plane, dark and more. Some beings can be trapped in a bottle, and others can handle large black diamonds, which gives strength and power to those allowed to hold them. Included in this novel, book one of four, are a myriad world’s unseen by most. Goddesses created planes from clay and added their own preferred beings. Not all beings like each other, and the Goddesses try to outdo each other during creation. The book is chock full of unimaginable beings and their powers, or lack thereof. Five shiny gold stars.

Book Link

From Amazon:

An exciting story of love, romance and tear-jerking reality, from international bestselling author, Lizzie Chantree.

Have you ever felt invisible?

Working as a stationery supervisor and a sitter to a pair of internet famous, delinquent dogs, wasn’t how former cyber-specialist, Olivia, imagined her life turning out. Sitting in a tiny cubicle with a decrepit computer and being overlooked had suited her for a while, but now she was fed up, lonely and determined to make the world ‘see’ her again.

Heartbreaker, Darius, wants to fill Olivia’s days with romance and adventure, but their love of technology has taken them on very different paths, forcing her to leave her past behind.

Gorgeous undercover policeman Gabe, is steadfast in finding out if Olivia is part of an online scam. Someone is stealing money from high profile men, but something doesn’t feel right and he suspects someone else is manipulating her life. But why?

Can true love blossom from the most deceptive of starts? Can someone who feels lost, find a way to flourish against all odds?

My Review:

This novel is truly an unusual romance, which is a good thing. Not one, but several romances going on amid a delicious and compelling narrative filled with hackers, police, dogs, millions of dollars, and did I say it’s also rather salacious at times? I loved the way the use of computers was used for both good and bad. IT has come a long way, yet oftentimes, IT think they have everything covered, only to find out that it wasn’t and their companies ripe for hackers. The story is hilarious as well. Five stars.

Media Kit

Book Title: The London Forgery

Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery

Author: Heidi Eljarbo

Publication Date: 29^th August 2023

Publisher: self-published

Page Length: about 252

Genre: Historical Mystery / dual timeline historical fiction

Twitter Handles: @HeidiEljarbo @cathiedunn

Instagram Handles: @authorheidieljarbo @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #TheLondonForgery #fabiolabennett #DualTimelineMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/07/blog-tour-london-forgery-by-heidi-eljarbo.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The London Forgery

A Fabiola Bennett Mystery

Heidi Eljarbo

Blurb:

1973. Art historian Fabiola Bennett sees herself as a prudently observant deer who becomes a daring and even mischievous lioness if the situation calls for it. And that’s exactly what’s required when greedy criminals steal, forge, and tamper with treasured artwork. When the crooks add murder to their list of crimes, the chaos is complete.

A mysterious note is delivered anonymously at the door of the National Gallery in London, and the director immediately calls Fabiola’s office in Oslo and pleads with her to come without delay. The message is confusing, but it seems one of her favorite eighteenth-century portraits is in trouble.

Fabiola hops on the first plane and meets up with her vibrant side-kick Pippa Yates and the ever-loyal Detective Inspector Cary Green from New Scotland Yard. But she is not naïve enough to think untangling the purpose and meaning of the mysterious note will be as simple as a walk in Hyde Park. These things never are.

1750. Newly married Robert and Frances Andrews, members of the landed gentry of Suffolk, England, hire young and talented Thomas Gainsborough to paint their wedding portrait. Their desire is a lovely conversation piece showing their wealth and class, an artwork to remember them by for generations to come.

Little do they know the gifted artist portrays their personalities exactly how he perceives them, and the artistic symbolism is not as flattering as they’d hoped for. Even the looming clouds in the distance promise a troublesome future.

This is the first book in a new dual timeline series by Heidi Eljarbo—an intriguing spin-off from the much-loved Soli Hansen Mysteries.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Rhys Bowen, Kathleen McGurl, Kate Morton, and Katherine Neville will love this cozy historical art mystery, which takes the readers back to the nostalgia of the groovy seventies and the classical Georgian era of the eighteenth century.

Guest Post – The London Forgery

Dual timeline novels are a lot of fun to read. Most often, they fall into the historical fiction category…or at least one of the stories does. Many dual timeline books have one part in the present and the other part in a chosen time in history. My books’ main story is often set in the past, and the second story even further back in time.

For me it’s a win-win situation. I love history; art history, clothing history, how people related to each other in a different time, social life, superstition, beliefs, habits, politics between countries, the difference between aristocrats and poor people, and good and bad… The list is endless.

Imagine walking into a village two hundred years ago. What would you see, hear, taste, feel, and smell? Horses’ hooves clip-clop on the street, a young boy shouts the news from a corner, a woman stirs a pot of pea soup, another has a pan with fried fish to sell. A dog runs down the street with a string of sausages in his mouth, the butcher after the hound, and a group of young boys after the butcher. Church bells peel, and garbage in the back street stinks. The novel should grab you and take you on a journey into that world as if you were there, living the story.

When I research, I read original books from the era I’ve chosen, peruse countless articles, study old paintings, read historical fiction, and look up details about anything from potatoes and hats to the political status of the country.

The London Forgery’s main story takes place in 1973. Fifty years or more is considered historical fiction. I was a young teenager in 1973. Does that make me historical? The fun thing is that I can remember much from that time. I often wore long skirts and dresses and loved my orange platform shoes. The music was fabulous, and some of my favorites were Petula Clark, Cliff Richard, and Glenn Campbell. Back then, my bedroom had green walls and sported a bright-orange plastic lampshade. A small transistor radio tuned to Radio Luxembourg sat on the windowsill. Still, I researched many things to make sure I nailed the feeling of that decade.

Our protagonist is a Norwegian art historian called Fabiola Bennett. With her art expertise and knack for solving mysteries, she is called upon by the director of the National Gallery in London to help him understand why someone has left a mysterious, anonymous note at his doorstep. A famous Georgian painting from 1750 could be in trouble.

The second story in The London Forgery takes the reader back to the talented painter Thomas Gainsborough at the time when he was asked to paint a portrait of newlyweds Robert and Frances Andrews. There’s much information about both Gainsborough and the sitters. I listened to lectures and discussions about the artist and the painting named Mr. and Mrs. Andrews. I was touched to learn about how gifted he was, and the great love he had for his wife Margaret.

So, The London Forgery’s double plot has two parallel storylines that intersect. They may differ in time periods, characters, and settings, but they become unified through Thomas Gainsborough and his painting. Fabiola jumps in with both feet, starting a chase to find out what happened to the painting. Beside her are her two best friends, the vibrant Pippa and Cary, who happens to be a detective inspector at New Scotland Yard. Fabiola is quick, clever, and spontaneous, but sometimes ridiculously courageous…in fact, too much so for her own safety.

Happy reading!

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LjPX1

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C53S311M

Amazon US: https://www.amzn.com/B0C53S311M

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C53S311M

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C53S311M

Author Bio:

Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don’t want to go near.

Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have fifteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.

Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeidiEljarbo

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorheidieljarbo/

Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/heidieljarbo/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/heidi-eljarbo

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Eljarbo/e/B073D852VG/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16984270.Heidi_Eljarbo

Book Link

From Amazon:

Darcie Quinn

I don’t date. I don’t need to date. Tis something I’ve believed my entire life. After escaping from my past and my hometown, I didn’t think I’d meet anyone who could change that but I didn’t bank on coming face to face with an Adonis in a suit either. I’m supposed to resist him but with his sparkling ocean eyes drawing me in, I don’t think I can.

Denny Blanc

No commitments, no feelings and no complications – rules I’ve sworn by my whole life. Rules that help to keep my shadows at bay.

Until an Irish siren calls to me and makes me want to break free from my rules and make her mine, always.

One word fills my thoughts, makes me feel whole and terrifies me at the same time: MINE!

Author’s Note: A steamy, love at first sight story, with a few unexpected twists thrown in along the way.

*Trigger warning – This book contains discussions of violence, depression and panic attacks. It also has parental abuse – parent to adult and past parental abuse as well. There is a guaranteed HEA though.

My Review:

I expected some sort of love story, and I did find that, and much more. Attraction at first sight does happen with some couples. Try thinking this story has multiple love stories throughout the narrative. Ugliness rears an ugly head here and there throughout as well. With huge love comes huge loss. No, that is left for the next reader to find out. Toss in a bit of Irish, and I’m a bit Irish, a madman, crazy lunatic of a father who never was (a bit of mystery here for you). Right now, I’m yearning for some new baby sniffs. The past is hard to let go of, but you will read how that past is overcome. FYI: The f word is used throughout, so that is added for those who don’t like reading books with that word. Five shiny gold stars!

Media Kit

Book Title: The Traitor Beside Her

Series: The Justine Byrne Historical Mysteries

Author:  Mary Anna Evans

Publication Date:  June 6, 2023

Publisher:  Sourcebooks

Page Length:  346

Genre: Historical Mystery

Twitter Handles: @maryannaevans @cathiedunn

Instagram Handles: @maryannaevans @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/06/blog-tour-traitor-beside-her.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Traitor Beside Her

Mary Anna Evans

Audiobook narrated by Kimberly M. Wetherell

Blurb:

“Evans’s characters are vividly drawn, elevating this story and its revelations about women’s little-celebrated contributions to the war effort.”— Washington Post

“An exciting read with historical tidbits, a hint of danger, and a touch of romance.”— Kirkus Reviews

The Traitor Beside Her is an intricately plotted WWII espionage novel weaving together mystery, action, friendship, and a hint of romance perfect for fans of The Rose Code and Code Name Helene.

Justine Byrne can’t trust the people working beside her. Arlington Hall, a former women’s college in Virginia has been taken over by the United States Army where hundreds of men and women work to decode countless pieces of communication coming from the Axis powers.

Justine works among them, handling the most sensitive secrets of World War II—but she isn’t there to decipher German codes—she’s there to find a traitor.

Justine keeps her guard up and her ears open, confiding only in her best friend, Georgette, a fluent speaker of Choctaw who is training to work as a code talker. Justine tries to befriend each suspect, believing that the key to finding the spy lies not in cryptography but in understanding how code breakers tick. When young women begin to go missing at Arlington Hall, her deadline for unraveling the web of secrets becomes urgent and one thing remains clear: a single secret in enemy hands could end thousands of lives.

“A fascinating and intelligent WWII home front story.” —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author for The Physicists’ Daughter

Excerpt:

When Angels Fly 

Justine’s Guardian Angel in The Traitor Beside Her

by Mary Anna Evans

When writing for a blog with the name When Angels Fly, I thought the ideal topic would be my protagonist Justine Byrne’s guardian angel, her godmother Gloria Mazur.

Justine was introduced in The Physicists’ Daughter, a book that had the perfect name because Justine’s entire life course was set because she was the daughter of two physicists, but there were actually more physicists in her life. Her parents were friends with the most famous scientists of the 1930s, including Albert Einstein, but their best friend was Gloria Mazur, who had earned her doctorate in physics alongside Justine’s mother Isabel. When Justine’s father Gerard accepted a job as a professor in New Orrleans, Gloria moved there, too, taking a job teaching at a nearby women’s college. She built a house down the street from Justine’s family and she was there for all of her goddaughter’s growing-up years.

Gloria had her struggles, as she had emigrated alone to America from Poland when she was only fifteen, supporting herself as a seamstress as she learned English and went to night school. When Justine was a child, she watched her mother comfort Gloria through periods of deep depression, when she missed her faraway family and wondered what the approaching war in Europe would mean for them. Losing Isabel and Gerard was yet another blow to her emotional health, and it cost her Justine, too. Justine was only eighteen, and she couldn’t face Gloria’s pain and her own, too, so she ran. For three years, she avoided Gloria, but as The Physicists’ Daughter began, she went to her godmother and made peace.

By the time of The Traitor Beside Her, Gloria finally has a job where her skills are appreciated. Instead of teaching part-time, only allowed to take the classes the men didn’t want, she has her own lab where she trains American spies to recognize and defend themselves against the enemy’s dangerous new weapons, and she has a hand in developing a few new weapons of her own. Horrified that her goddaughter has been put into a dangerous job with almost no training and little ability to defend herself, Gloria fills the role of a spy’s fairy godmother, putting cutting-edge weapons in Justine’s hands and telling her how to use them.

In the more traditional role of a godmother, she also gives Justine advice about her on-again-off-again romance. In short, she tells her that it is very difficult to love a spy. Would you ever be sure who would be waking up beside you?

Gloria is brilliant, loving, protective, and shrewd. Everybody should have a guardian angel like her!

Buy Links:

Universal Link:  https://books2read.com/u/4XwxG1

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traitor-Beside-Her-Novel/dp/1464215588

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGYPLMTH

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Traitor-Beside-Her-Novel/dp/1464215588

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Traitor-Beside-Her-Novel-ebook/dp/B0BGYPLMTH

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-traitor-beside-her-mary-anna-evans/1143344440

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-traitor-beside-her/mary-anna-evans/9781464215582

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-traitor-beside-her

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-traitor-beside-her-mary-anna-evans/18743820

Audio Buy Links:

Audiobooks.com: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/672506/

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Traitor-Beside-Her-Audiobook/B0BVDLCL7J

Author Bio:

Mary Anna Evans is an award-winning author, a writing professor, and she holds degrees in physics and engineering, a background that, as it turns out, is ideal for writing her Justine Byrne series, which began with The Physicists’ Daughter and continues with her new book, The Traitor Beside Her. She describes Justine as “a little bit Rosie-the-Riveter and a little bit Bletchley Park codebreaker.”

Mary Anna’s crime fiction has earned recognition that includes two Oklahoma Book Awards, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards Gold Medal, and the Benjamin Franklin Award, and she co-edited the Edgar-nominated Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.maryannaevans.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryannaevans

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-anna-evans-a7642810/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannaevans/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-anna-evans

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mary-Anna-Evans/author/B001JP9ZY2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12395.Mary_Anna_Evans

Book Link

From Amazon:

Ages 4-9 ◆ An empowering adventure ◆ Amazing illustrations

Join Olivia as she sets an example for young dreamers, reminding them that their imagination knows no bounds and their artistic endeavors hold endless possibilities.

This book empowers young minds to embrace their inner strength and embark on a colorful expedition of self-discovery. It nurtures the spirit of bravery, inspiring children to fearlessly explore the world around them and harness their unique talents and skills. Through Olivia’s captivating journey, kids will learn that by unleashing their creativity, they can unlock the door to their own joy, find their rightful place, and pave their own path to success.

Join Olivia on a colorful adventure as she discovers the power of art in a new land. With her brush and imagination, she finds a voice that helps her overcome challenges and make new friends. A heartwarming tale that celebrates creativity, friendship, and the joy of self-expression.

As Olivia’s journey unfolds, young readers will be captivated by the power of her imagination and the magic that comes to life on each page. Through her art, she not only conquers her fears but also learns the value of friendship and the strength that comes from embracing one’s unique talents.

This book not only sparks the imagination but also serves as a guiding light for children facing the challenges of relocation and adapting to new environments. Through Olivia’s experiences, young readers will find comfort and inspiration in navigating the hurdles of language barriers, making new friends, and understanding different cultures.

With its beautiful full-color illustrations that breathe life into every page, this book creates a visual feast that will enchant both children and parents alike. And that’s not all! Filled with clever read-aloud rhyme, each line dances and sings, capturing hearts with its playful and rhythmic flings.

My Review:

I found this illustrated children’s book to be a pure delight. We start with a girl who loves to paint. She painted delightfully. And she had friends until…the day her family moved to a foreign land and a language she didn’t know. Without friends, she was full of despair until she remembered her art. She started painting again, the things and colors she saw. Low and behold kids flocked to see her art… but that wasn’t enough. They wanted to learn how to paint, thus she became the kids teacher of art and she gained many new friends.

Book Link:

From Amazon:

Join Julianna as her Papi tucks her into bed and tells her bedtime stories. Her favorites are always about her Papi’s grandparents. He tells her of his camping trip as a child. Of all the wondrous sights to see. Trees that you cannot see the top of and the mountains they sit on that make them look so tiny. Large flowing waterfalls that catch the light during the day and shine for all to see. Large meadows to walk through and see all the animals running around. And the most beautiful clear river you have ever seen. Join Julianna as she learns of how much love and happiness those camping trips meant to her Papi. And drift off with her as she dreams of everything she learned. These stories are actually bedtime stories of the author’s grandparents. Sharing his memories as they would have been told to his daughter who was lost during pregnancy. Join him as he honors his passed loved ones by making sure their stories are never lost.

My Review:

Join Julianna as her Papi tucks her into bed and tells her bedtime stories. Her favorites are always about her Papi’s grandparents. He tells her of his camping trip as a child. Of all the wondrous sights to see. Trees that you cannot see the top of and the mountains they sit on that make them look so tiny. Large flowing waterfalls that catch the light during the day and shine for all to see. Large meadows to walk through and see all the animals running around. And the most beautiful clear river you have ever seen. Join Julianna as she learns of how much love and happiness those camping trips meant to her Papi. And drift off with her as she dreams of everything she learned. These stories are actually bedtime stories of the author’s grandparents. Sharing his memories as they would have been told to his daughter who was lost during pregnancy. Join him as he honors his passed loved ones by making sure their stories are never lost.

Book Link

From Amazon:

For Position Only, the sequel to Camera Ready, is an evocative tale of one man’s sin and redemption—woven into the fabric of the advertising business, where lies run rampant and the truth is manipulated.
Craig Keller is LA’s preeminent ad man: wealthy, powerful, and a notorious playboy. At least, that is what he’d like everyone to think. In reality Craig’s business is plummeting at the hands of blonde bombshell and spurned ex-girlfriend Hayden Towne. He is also haunted by the gruesome death of his brother, which occurred under suspicious circumstances. Craig’s only chance to salvage his career is to propose a partnership with longtime rival Warren Mitchell, his former mentor, whose business Craig cavalierly took down in the past. Although Craig’s advertising prowess can catapult Warren’s business to the top of the market, Craig’s womanizing reputation comes with a price. Craig is specifically warned to avoid Jane Mercer, Craig’s ex-lover, and Warren’s agency partner. Craig has privately carried a torch for Jane for years—despite her visceral hatred of him. Her presence is a painful reminder that he lost the one woman he always wanted because he treated her so badly. As the barriers between them slowly break down, Craig is now faced with the ultimate dilemma: if he dives into a relationship with Jane, his livelihood is in jeopardy. If he rejects her, he will miss out on his one true love.

My Review:

I must first write, that Adele Royce nailed what most simply can’t do. I can write, as well as many other writers, do and write from the viewpoint of a man here and there in a novel. But Royce nailed this entire book from a man’s point of view, and not only that, but this man had many issues in his personal life that most men don’t have. He has survivor’s guilt over the death of his older brother. While he slept, his brother was tossed off a yacht and chopped into pieces. That does sound graphic and morbid, but our MC was only 17 at the time. As for the rest of that part of the story, you, the reader, will have to find out for yourself. With traumatic loss comes mental health issues. Trust me, I know of what I just wrote, but this novel isn’t about me. Sure, there are numerous high points in this novel as well as really bad low points in Skid Row. Our MC is a successful millionaire, so how did he end up in Skid Row? Driving a Bentley no less? I leave all of those details and a lot more for the readers. Five shiny gold stars for a book that should have ten of them.