Review: GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi

Publication Date: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (Kindle)/Harper Audio (Audiobook)
483 pages/11 hours, 6 minutes


WWII Historical Fiction

Synopsis

"G.I. Brides" weaves together the real-life stories of four women who crossed the ocean for love, providing a moving true tale of romance and resilience.

The “friendly invasion” of Britain by over a million American G.I.s bewitched a generation of young women deprived of male company during the Second World War. With their exotic accents, smart uniforms, and aura of Hollywood glamour, the G.I.s easily conquered their hearts, leaving British boys fighting abroad green with envy. But for girls like Sylvia, Margaret, Gwendolyn, and even the skeptical Rae, American soldiers offered something even more tantalizing than chocolate, chewing gum, and nylon stockings: an escape route from Blitz-ravaged Britain, an opportunity for a new life in affluent, modern America.

Through the stories of these four women, G.I. Brides illuminates the experiences of war brides who found themselves in a foreign culture thousands of miles away from family and friends, with men they hardly knew. Some struggled with the isolation of life in rural America, or found their soldier less than heroic in civilian life. But most persevered, determined to turn their wartime romance into a lifelong love affair, and prove to those back home that a Hollywood ending of their own was possible.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I just love WWII history! There is such an amalgamation of beauty and romance, horror and desolation that I seem to be transfixed with these stories no matter what angle they take. In GI Brides we get another interesting angle (and one I haven't read yet): that of the English women who fell in love with the American men that flooded their shores and that left behind everything to follow these men to a country they knew so little about. What makes this story that much better is the fact that it's all true!

GI Brides shares the experiences of four English women during the war and after as they moved to America with their G.I.s. Each chapter concentrates on one woman's story and the chapters alternate between women. I was impressed with how well the stories flowed together, showing the similarities within each storyline as well as how each woman's situation was unique, and it really read more like a novel than what I've experienced with more bland, facts-driven nonfiction (which is a good thing!). What I enjoyed most of all was the fact that the stories weren't sugar-coated to give "happily ever after" situations. These women sacrificed a huge amount, leaving behind everything they had to follow these men they really didn't know very well. None of the men were exactly who they said they were and these women had to face the realities of men suffering with alcoholism, gambling addiction, overbearing families and even infidelity. What I was left with was a remarkable appreciation for what these women endured and how they never gave up on working for the life they wanted for themselves and their children (if they had any), whether that was with these G.I.s or not. These women were survivors.

My biggest complaint with G.I. Brides isn't really the story but the narrator of the audiobook (I switched back and forth between the Kindle version and the Audible version). While she did a good job of guiding the story along with her inflections and pacing she didn't really distinguish much between the various characters' voices. While I know it would be incredibly difficult to differentiate between this many people I have heard it done before and, for the most part, the women all sounded the same and the men all sounded the same. I will also say that there are some delightful pictures of the women and their families, which I very much enjoyed, but they were lumped all together at the end of the eBook. I would have preferred them disbursed throughout when the actual people were being discussed so I could visualize them while reading, not after I was finished.


I think G.I Brides does a wonderful job of giving a well rounded look at what these English women gained and lost by following their hearts to America. It isn't overly romanticized or exaggerated, it is real life with all its ups and downs. I would probably recommend the print version if you are like me and love having pictures throughout showing the people being discussed (I assume the print version does this), but if this isn't an issue for you I would highly recommend getting the story whichever way you can. I look forward to reading more about G.I. brides and that's because of what I learned here.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I like it a lot! It fits the story perfectly, showing the American GI passionately kissing his bride before the statue of liberty, which has its own meanings of liberty and freedom as well as representing the land the women struggled to get to. I love the muted coloring as it makes me think of an old photograph as well.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

*The Kindle and Audible audiobook versions of GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love used for this review were my own purchases*

 

 

 



TLC Book Tour: Review of The Sisters of Versailles + Giveaway!!

Publication Date: September 1st, 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 432

The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy (Book One)

Historical Fiction



Carefully researched and ornately detailed, The Sisters of Versailles is the first book in an exciting new historical fiction trilogy about King Louis XV, France’s most “well-beloved” monarch, and the women who shared his heart and his bed.

The Sisters of Versailles centers on the (relatively, at least for the genre) overlooked period of early 18^th century France. The French Revolution and Marie Antoinette have been extensively written about; it’s time for fans of that time period to step further back in time and to explore the reign of Louis XV (1715 – 1774) a time of increasing social turbulence and change that sets the stage neatly for the Revolution that follows.

Synopsis

Goodness, but sisters are a thing to fear.


Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters—Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne—four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail.

Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife. The race is on to find a mistress for the royal bed as various factions put their best foot—and women—forward. The King’s scheming ministers push Louise, the eldest of the aristocratic Nesle sisters, into the arms of the King. Over the following decade, the four sisters—sweet, naïve Louise; ambitious Pauline; complacent Diane, and cunning Marie Anne—will conspire, betray, suffer, and triumph in a desperate fight for both love and power.

In the tradition of The Other Boleyn Girl, The Sisters of Versailles is a clever, intelligent, and absorbing novel that historical fiction fans will devour. Telling the story of a group of women never before written about in English, Sally Christie’s stunning debut is a complex exploration of power and sisterhood—of the admiration, competition, and even hatred that can coexist within a family when the stakes are high enough.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I have to admit up front that I haven't read very extensively about French history. British history has always been my favorite and with the exception of books centered around Marie Antoinette and/or The French Revolution I haven't had that many novels set in France cross my path. This being said I was delighted when I saw TLC Book Tours would be doing a blog tour for The Sisters of Versailles. How could I NOT want to read a novel that promises to be a well researched peek into the scandalous court of King Louis XV, something I knew so little about? Decadence, intrigue and plotting sisters...I'm all in! I'm happy to say that the synopsis lived up to it's promises and thoroughly immersed me in the plotting, grasping and sometimes devastating world of the Nesle sisters and their time at court.

These sisters had an upbringing I would expect for those of their background: distant parents, an education more in the ways of being a proper woman of fortune than of intellect, the prospect of advantageous marriages. Where what I consider "normal" for women such as these began to veer off was the fact that four of the five sisters so easily found themselves the mistresses of the King! Now, I can see one sister falling into the King's bed and would have been satisfied with Louise's story of her rise in favor and devastating fall, but the fact that her sisters schemed their way in for their own selfish, or naïve, reasons was just delightfully scandalous. This whole concept just drives the point home that regardless of familial love and devotion, the prospect of advancement can warp someone's actions and the greed, jealousies and natural competitiveness of sisters can be amplified and deformed into something quite ugly. I also enjoyed seeing how the more innocent personalities they developed in the nursery were so corrupted by the adult world they were born into....the court didn't make the women who they became but sort of exaggerated the negative aspects of their personalities. I've never come across sisters quite like these!

The chapters alternate between sisters (the first and last being from Hortense's point of view, which is interesting as she was the only sister not to land in Louis XV's bed and was the last surviving sister) and gives a front row view into not only each of their inner machinations but into the toll the court takes on their personalities over time: Louise, the eldest, was a loving, sweet yet gullible young woman until the court intrigue and betrayal of her sisters broke her spirit; Pauline, the headstrong and fiercest sister only became meaner with the court's influence; ever jolly and lazy Diane became more gluttonous in the opulence that surrounded them; and littlest Marie-Anne, always cunning, sharp and pretty, was able to further hone her skills at manipulation until she became the cruelest of them all. Only Hortense, the most pious and virtuous of the sisters, seemed to escape the court relatively unscathed, but even this might be biased as she is the one leading the story. I found their journeys not only surprising and fascinating to watch but somewhat sad, as none were really able to live full, happy lives even with all their wealth and influence.

The only small qualm I have with the story was that it felt somewhat repetitive at times. Yes, I know that Louise is easily manipulated and somewhat over-emotional, that Hortense is sanctimonious and that Diane is a horrible writer and eats a lot. I didn't feel these traits needed to necessarily be mentioned as much as they did, however I can't say it necessarily pulled down the writing too  much either. It simply had me rolling my eyes from time to time, which may have been the point as I can see the other sisters doing that as well when discussing it.

Overall this is a remarkable and fascinating look at a pack of sisters that found their way into the heart of the French court but seem almost lost to history. I am so glad Sally Christie let them tell their story and I am now thoroughly intrigued by French history. This makes me that much more excited when I know there are two more novels to come out about more of Louis's mistresses, and not only am I excited to learn about them but to see how Louis's personality might change over time as he indulges even more in his need for new women and an end to his easily triggered boredom. A wonder beginning to a very promising series.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

This cover grabbed me from the first moment I saw it! It just screams luxury and indulgence to me, with the pink brocade and glittery gold accents and the peek of who I think is Pauline (the second oldest Nesle sister) under the pink is perfect. Pink and gold happen to be two of my favorite colors together as well so this seems made for me :).


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of The Sisters of Versailles in exchange for an honest review! Be sure to continue below for information on the author, the blog tour and how you can grab your own copy!

 

 

 

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Sally Christie was born in England of British parents but grew up mostly in Canada. As a child she moved around with her family and then continued her wandering as she pursued a career in international development; she’s lived in 14 different countries and worked in many more. She’s now
settled in Toronto and loving it.

Sally lives and breathes history; ever since she read Antonia Fraser’s masterful Mary, Queen of Scots when she was 10, she’s been an avid history junkie. She wishes more attention and technical innovation was devoted to time travel, because there is nothing she would rather do than travel back in time! Writing historical fiction is a poor substitute, but it’s the best one we have at the moment.

When not reading and writing history, she’s a tennis and Scrabble fanatic.

You can find out more about Sally Christie and her books on her website and Goodreads.

 

Giveaway Time!!

 

 

I am so excited to be able to offer one copy of The Sisters of Versailles up for giveaway (US/Canada only)!! All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the giveaway form HERE. Please be sure to leave both your name and your email on the form so I can contact you if you are my winner (no email address, no entry!). For extra entries  you can follow the blog in various ways (all links are on the right hand sidebar) and leave the name/email you follow with on the form. That's it!

 

 

I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner on September 18th, 2015 and will announce the winner here as well as email the winner for their mailing address. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I have to pick another winner. If you have already won this giveaway on another site please let me know so I can pick a new winner and give someone else a chance to win a copy of this great book.

 

 

Good Luck!!

 

 

The Sisters of Versailles Blog Tour Schedule

 

 

Monday, August 17th: Broken Teepee
Tuesday, August 18th: The Reading Date
Wednesday, August 19th: Scandalous Women
Wednesday, August 19th: Raven Haired Girl
Monday, August 24th: Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, August 25th: Curling Up With A Good Book – “Sister” Bio **
Wednesday, August 26th: Stephanie’s Reviews… 100 Pages a Day
Thursday, August 27th: Historical-Fiction.com
Friday, August 28th: Bibliophilia, Please
Monday, August 31st: The Maiden’s Court
Monday, August 31st: Peeking Between the Pages “Sister” Bio**
Tuesday, September 1st: Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, September 2nd: Life is Story
Thursday, September 3rd: Book Dilettante
Friday, September 4th: Books Without Any Pictures
Monday, September 7th: A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, September 8th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, September 9th: Read. Write. Repeat.
Thursday, September 10th: Lavish Bookshelf
Friday, September 11th: A Literary Vacation
Monday, September 14th: Ace and Hoser Blog – Review and “Sister” Bio **
Tuesday, September 15th: Living in the Kitchen With Puppies **
Wednesday, September 16th: The Baking Bookworm  **
Thursday, September 17th: #redhead.with.book – Review and “Sister” Bio **
Monday, September 21st: Snowdrop Dreams of Books – Review and “Sister” Bio **
Tuesday, September 22nd: Books a la Mode – author guest post & giveaway
Monday, September 28th: Pingwing’s Bookshelf **

 

 

 



 



Spotlight on Orphans, Assassins, and the Existential Eggplant by J.T. Gillett

Publication Date: February 19, 2015
Homunculus Press
Formats: Kindle eBook, Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0692391662
Pages: 279

Genre: Historical Fiction


Orphans, Assassins and the Existential Eggplant explores the quirky side of historical fiction. The novel takes you on wild ride through the early 13th century with a female alchemist, orphan teenager and a 600-year-old, shrunken eggplant that can speak to whomever wears it. In search of the fabled Lost Stone of Eden, they cross Europe and the Mediterranean with the Children’s Crusade, hijack a caravan in the Sahara desert, live with hashish-fueled Assassins in the mountains of Persia and rediscover paradise on the island of Bahrain.

Excerpt

 

 

Aaron and the girls slept for a few hours during the hottest part of the day, then rode through the evening and the entire night, taking only a few breaks to rest the camels. They didn’t catch up to any slow-moving caravans, come upon an oasis or see fires in the night. Everything around them seemed the same, day after day. Same mirrored sky. Same scorching sun. Same sound of camel farting and plodding. Same sad, ivory scent of emptiness.

 

“Are we dead?” asked Donatelle as they shared the last of the water. They were sitting atop a tall dune and could see nothing but more dunes in every direction.

 

“Do you feel dead?” Aaron had to ask, knowing that in the middle of this terminal landscape, it was a good question.

 

“I can’t tell because I don’t know what it’s like to be dead, but it might be like this. Just nothing,” Donatelle shrugged.

 

“Death is much different—and much luckier,” guessed the eggplant.

 

Aaron hoped the eggplant was right, but he chose a different answer for Donatelle. “Whenever I’m not sure, I listen for my heartbeat. The pounding inside me says I’m alive in this world and even though we’re in a dead place, we’ll survive. We’ll find something soon, or something will find us.”

 

Something took the form of a humming dark cloud on the horizon. They watched as it grew darker, stretched across the dunes and started to roar like steady, rolling thunder.

 

 

 

Praise for Orphans, Assassins, and the Existential Eggplant

 

 

“Good stories rise and fall like empires in the endless pursuit of happiness, like armies of lovers marching to paradise – good stories change the world.” So begins Part One of Orphans, Assassins and the Existential Eggplant. This book is such a good read. I read it on the plane to Hawaii, and it soared with me through the sky. My wife kept asking what was so funny as I giggled and laughed in my seat. This story changed me, in that flying is such a drag these days, and this book kept coming up with surprises, weaving together stories of gods, goddesses, orphans and assassins, the pursuit of the unattainable, and existential conundrums.

I have had the opportunity to read some of Mr. Gillett’s poetry (especially “This is My Last Poem” – I hope this is not his last novel), and in this novel, he brings his poetic ability to sublimely transport the reader to new views of the mundane, new opportunities for transformation, and new ways of understanding my own self. What more could I ask for in a book.

Steal this book if you need to, but get it and read it with joy.” – Paul Rerucha, Amazon Reviewer


“I don’t read a ton of books for pleasure but I did read this one on the recommendation of a friend. It kept me captivated and I ended up finishing it in 2.5 days. This is the kind of book that makes me want to read more often.” – B. H., Amazon Reviewer

 

 

 

Buy the Book



 

 

AMAZON (KINDLE) | AMAZON (PAPERBACK)

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

 

J.T Gillett holds degrees in philosophy and journalism from the University of Oregon and studied at Naropa Institute’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. His stories and poems have appeared in a variety of Literary Journals, including City Lights Journal, edited by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.


For more information please visit the Orphans and Assassins website and blog.

Orphans, Assassins, and the Existential Eggplant Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 7

Review at Book Nerd

Tuesday, September 8

Review & Giveaway at Laura’s Interests
Spotlight at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, September 9

Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, September 10

Review at Boom Baby Reviews
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Friday, September 11

Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Sunday, September 13

Guest Post & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

 

 

 

 



Spotlight on The Hidden Hills Saga: Ice Whispers by K. Willow

Print Pub Date: November 21, 2014 | CreateSpace
eBook Pub Date: December 19, 2014 | Book Baby


Genre: Historical Fiction



Slavery of a different kind, beyond physical chains, leads to a different type of escape . . .


Marissa Kristofferson can taste freedom. Her long years of suffering at the hands of her sadistic husband, Lance, are coming to an end as he lies dying. But she is stunned when he reveals the contents of his will and what she must do to keep Kristofferson Plantation, and how he plans to keep her bound to him even beyond the grave.

The beautiful slave Lolley has always envied Marissa’s life, and after learning that the master has also ordered her freed after his death, she is determined to reach for the life she wants by becoming the mistress of Marissa’s son, Shane, though she does not realize the lengths Marissa will go to to prevent the match, or the far-reaching consequences that will follow.

And Shelby, the plain and dutiful slave of free blacks, is unwittingly caught in the shocking drama that unfolds as a family is torn apart. Used as a pawn in a game of rivalry, deception, and betrayal, hers is a fight for survival while attempting to remain true to herself.

Three women—so very different but each carrying dark secrets that are closely intertwined, caught in a world between slave and free, a world which is becoming more fragile and precarious as war threatens and alliances shift, and each harboring seemingly impossible dreams of a better future.

In this first book of a dark historical saga, K. Willow paints a lush, emotional portrait of scandal, murder, injustice, and the ties that bind in the antebellum South.

Praise For Ice Whispers

“K. Willow’s historical novel, Ice Whispers, book one of The Hidden Hills Saga, is breathtaking beautiful and stunningly sad all at the same time. It’s really the story of two women, Agatha and Shelby, who are slaves in the Kristofferson and Franklin households respectively. They’re both amazingly strong, selfless and wise women who come from two succeeding generations of slaves. While all the drama and action in the tale revolves around the Kristoffersons and the Franklins, it was the story of those two larger-than-life women that kept me enthralled. Willow adroitly uses them as a lens for the reader to view the affairs in Hidden Hills, and it works magnificently. I just finished reading Ice Whispers, and I’m totally floored by this work. It’s marvelous and is very highly recommended.” -Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite


“Part historical romance, part mystery, K. Willow’s book Ice Whispers is an entertaining and immersive read. Readers get to take the role of the voyeur as they explore the inner workings of the Hidden Hills society. Every member of the town has a role that they play, but each has their own secrets that they are trying to keep hidden. Willow’s novel is a quick and fun read that is full of vibrant characters. It is the perfect book for those who like to be in the know of the juiciest gossip or those who enjoy the drama of the workings of high society in mid-1800s America. I thoroughly enjoyed Ice Whispers, and I hope I get the opportunity to read more of Willow’s Hidden Hills novels.” -Tania Staley for Readers’ Favorite

Buy the Book

 

 

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO

 

 

About the Author

 

 

K. Willow is a novelist and award-winning writer with a background in television, film, theatre, and website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

soap operas. She writes dark historical and urban fantasy and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband. You can learn more about K. Willow on her

 

 

 

The Hidden Hills Saga: Ice Whispers Blog Tour Schedule

 

 

 

Monday, August 31

Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Tuesday, September 1

Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Wednesday, September 2

Review at A Book Geek

Friday, September 4

Review at Book Nerd

Tuesday, September 8

Guest Post at Shelf Full of Books

Wednesday, September 9

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, September 10

Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Friday, September 11

Review at Queen of All She Reads

Saturday, September 12

Review at A Fold in the Spine

Sunday, September 13

Interview at A Fold in the Spine

Monday, September 14

Review & Guest Post at Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, September 16

Review, Interview & Giveaway at Singing Librarian Books

Thursday, September 17

Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Friday, September 18

Tour Wrap-Up & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

 

 

 



Spotlight on Jeep Tour by Gail Ward Olmsted

 

 

Publication Date: August 11th, 2015

Publisher: Booktrope Editions

175 pages

 

 

 

The road to romance can get pretty rocky!

 

 

 

When her marriage falls apart and she loses her job, Jackie Sullivan decides to start over among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Is she chasing a dream or Rick, the dreamy tour guide she just met?

 

Jackie’s efforts to reinvent herself in the tight-knit desert community are complicated. Does Rick want a relationship or just a friend with benefits? In the case of her ex, absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Is it her imagination or is Rob more amazing than ever? Fueled by an unflagging sense of humor and lots of caffeine, Jackie sets off to discover a whole new life- she’s had her happy, now she wants her ever after.

 

 

Praise for Jeep Tour

 

 

"One of the Best Women's Fic Books I've Read This Year! Jeep Tour is an emotionally rich journey for its heroine and for the reader, as well. There are humorous high points and poignant low ones along the way. I wasn't quite sure where Jax was going to end up. What was she going to do for a career? Would she and Rick be able to make a go of a relationship, or would Jackie get a second chance with her former husband? There are no easy answers, which is why I kept frantically turning pages to find out what happened!

I'm so happy to have discovered Gail Olmsted's work as I really enjoy her witty, observational writing style. I eagerly await her next book and recommend this one to anyone looking for an entertaining read with a likable, three-dimensional heroine who feels like a friend." - BrainyBlonde, Amazon Reviewer

 



"Jeep Tour is told in first person with lots of humor. Jackie sounds so real, I had to go back to the front to be sure the book was a novel and not an autobiography. Sedona was on my “bucket list” before I read this book, and now it’s there even more so. I don’t recall if Ms. Olmsted mentioned the fact that Sedona is built on a vortex of ley lines, energy lines that criss-cross the Earth, or the spiritual importance of those vortices, but that’s one reason I want to go. She did describe the red rocks, and the incredible sunsets, and… She managed to make me homesick for a place I’ve not yet been to.

Oh, and again, Jackie’s story is funny and warm and witty, too.

If Sedona is on your bucket list, but you don’t have the money to get there, and you want a great read along the way, I suggest you take a Jeep Tour." - Rochelle Weber, Roses & Thorns Reviews



"I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this quick read. It is witty, engaging and funny. Gail Ward Olmstead's writing style really pulls you in, I would recommend this high on your summer reading list- good book club material as well. It leaves you thinking about your priorities in life, disguised as a story about one woman's mid life crisis." - suec., Amazon Reviewer

"Jeep Tour" Takes It's Own Tour! 

 

 

 

 

After a "real" Sedona jeep tour driver read and loved Gail Ward

Olmsted's novel he decided to share it with some of his fellow drivers...and the reading continued! Here are some fun photos they took as they enjoyed "Jeep Tour"!

 

 

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon

 

 

About the Author

 

 



My first visit to Sedona, AZ prompted me to start writing JEEP TOUR, my first novel. I fell in love with the red rocks and blue skies. My second novel is Guessing at Normal, a rock and roll love story. I am currently working on a sequel to JEEP TOUR, which will be based in Ireland. A hopeless

romantic, I am married to the love of my life. I am mom to two young adults and three cats, and I enjoy reading, music and travel.

I am a professor in the School of Business & Information Technology at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA. I was the recipient of the Deliso Endowed Chair Award and was recently recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Department of Higher Education as one of “29 Who Shine”.

 

 

Learn more about Gail on her Amazon author page and connect with Gail on Twitter, Facebook or through email.  

 

 

 



Spotlight on The Outlander King by Hilary Rhodes

Publication Date: June 1, 2015
Amazon/Smashwords
eBook: 476 Pages
ASIN: B00XM9QJ1K

Genre: Historical Fiction


The story of The Lion and the Rose and the Norman Conquest continues in this spellbinding new historical fiction series from author Hilary Rhodes, pulling back the curtain on the lives of two remarkable women connected across centuries: Aislinn, a seventeen-year-old English girl caught up in the advancing army of the “outlander king,” the man who will become known to history as William the Conqueror. Thrust into the center of the new Norman court and a dizzying web of political intrigue and plotting princes, she must choose her alliances carefully in a game of thrones where the stakes are unimaginably high. Embroiled in rebellions and betrayals, Aislinn learns the price of loyalty, struggles to find her home, and save those she loves – and, perhaps, her own soul as well.

Almost nine hundred years later in 1987, Selma Murray, an American graduate student at Oxford University, is researching the mysterious “Aethelinga” manuscript, as Aislinn’s chronicle has come to be known. Trying to work out the riddles of someone else’s past is a way for Selma to dodge her own troubling ghosts – yet the two are becoming inextricably intertwined. She must face her own demons, answer Aislinn’s questions, and find forgiveness – for herself and others – in this epically scaled but intimately examined, extensively researched look at the creation of history, the universality of humanity, and the many faces it has worn no matter the century: loss, grief, guilt, redemption, and love.

Buy the Book

 

 

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | ITUNES | KOBO

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Hilary Rhodes is a scholar, author, blogger, and all-around geek who fell in love with medieval England while spending a year abroad at Oxford University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in history,
and is currently preparing for doctoral studies at the University of Leeds, fulfilling a years-long dream to return to the UK. In what little spare time she has, she enjoys reading, blogging about her favorite TV shows, movies, and books, music, and traveling.

For more information please visit Hilary Rhodes’ blog.

The Outlander King Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, August 24

Spotlight & Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, August 25

Review at Based on a True Story

Wednesday, August 26

Spotlight & Excerpt at To Read, or Not to Read
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Thursday, August 27

Review at 100 Pages a Day

Friday, August 28

Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Monday, August 31
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Tuesday, September 1

Spotlight at The True Book Addict

Wednesday, September 2

Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, September 3

Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Guest Post at Books and Benches

Friday, September 4

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Saturday, September 5

Review at A Fold in the Spine

Monday, September 7

Review & Excerpt at Queen of All She Reads

Tuesday, September 8

Review at Book Nerd

Wednesday, September 9

Spotlight & Excerpt at Historical Fiction Connection

Thursday, September 10

Review at Yelena Casale’s Blog

Friday, September 11

Spotlight & Excerpt at The Lit Bitch

 

 

 

 





Guest Post by Mira Day, Author of Playing House

Hi everyone! My name is Mira Day and my debut novel, Playing House released on Sept. 1st. Colleen has been amazing enough to let me chat with you guys about it a little today. J

 

Playing House is about a girl named Hannah Bishop. She’s a hard-working, independent woman who feels like she’s just spinning her wheels. She needs something to push her to follow her dreams of becoming a chef. She finds out that her boyfriend of two years is cheating on her and she finds that this small act has turned her whole world upside down. Realizing she may be in danger, she discovers the safety of Caleb Matthews, a successful lawyer with secrets of his own.

 

Passion is the underlying theme for this story. I love the idea that we all have a passion that drives us, even if you haven’t found it. What’s so awesome about passion, is that you don’t have to be good at it. You just have to love it. I have a passion for music. Music is tied into everything I do…but I can’t sing nor play any instrument. Doesn’t stop me from loving it.

 

Hannah has a passion for food but has never taken the steps to follow that passion. She allows fear to hold herself back and I think it’s sad when people do that.

 

If I’ve learned anything through the publishing Playing House, it’s this. No matter what, at one point in your life, you must do something to put yourself out there. Take that passion of yours and do one thing with it. Paint a picture and hang it proudly in your home. Jump on stage and do karaoke (have a beer or two before if need be). Just do something that makes you a little vulnerable. Some people will love what you do, others don’t. But that’s okay. Do it for you so that at the end, you’ll never ask “what if”. I’ve been very lucky in my life that I’ve had a few of these opportunities. The feeling you get when you walk away from those experiences are life changing. Make sure you have a good support group and you’ll never regret it. Trust me.

 

Much Love!

 

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Publication Date: September 1st, 2015

Publisher: Inkwell International

Pages: 317

 

 

 

Sometimes you have to do things differently in order to be happy.

 

Hannah Bishop thinks her life is going along as planned….until she discovers that her boyfriend, Connor, is cheating on her.

 

She has no idea that breaking up with him will lead her to the happiness she deserves—even when Caleb Matthews, the city’s most eligible bachelor and a regular at the café where Hannah works, steps up to help her.

 

Hannah uncovers secrets about the man she’s running from and the man who has become her hero, realizing that not everything in life is black and white.

 

Combining love and action, Playing House explores the secrets people keep and the personal choices everyone must make to achieve happiness.

 

 

 

**Note: This story contains strong character appropriate language, violence and sexual situations.**

 

 

 

 

Buy Playing House on Amazon

 

 

 

About the Author 

 

Mira Day is a New Adult Romance writer, born in the Carolinas with a passion for food. She loves
the outdoors, NFL football and exclamation points! You'll usually find her working, writing or catching up with Friends on Netflix.

Find out more about Mira on her website and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.