Monthly Archives

July 2015

spotlight July 30, 2015

Spotlight: The Lady Bornekova by Sara Turnquist

02_The Lady BornekovaPublication Date: July 14, 2015 (tentative)
Publisher: Clean Reads (formerly Astraea Press)
Format: eBook

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

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The red-headed Karin is strong-willed and determined, something she inherited from her father. She tries to keep her true nature a secret to avoid being deemed a traitor by those loyal to the king. Karin and her father butt heads over her duty to her family and the Czech Crown. She is then sequestered to the Royal Viscountís hunting lodge.

Not aware of everything that is happening, she becomes the target of an individual with murderous intent. Her heart soon becomes entangled though her father intends to wed her to another. The turmoil inside Karin deepens and reflects the turmoil of her homeland, on the brink of the Hussite Wars.

The Lady Bornekova Available at

Amazon

About the Author03_Sara Turnquist_Author

Sara resides with her family in Middle TN. Though she has enjoyed her career as a Zoo Educator, Sara’s great love of the written word has always drawn her to write. An avid reader, she has been, for many years, what she terms a “closet writer”. Her travels and love of history have served to inspire her to write Historical Fiction. Sara has made several trips overseas to the Czech Republic for short stints in the summer over several years. Her time among the Czech people and the landscapes of the country inspired her and greatly influenced her work on her debut novel, The Lady Bornekova, set in the Czech town of Hradec Kralove.

For more information please visit Sara Turnquist’s website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

The Lady Bornekova Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, July 6
Spotlight & Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, July 7
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Spotlight at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Wednesday, July 8
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Friday, July 10
Spotlight & Excerpt at The Never-Ending Book

Sunday, July 12
Review at Carole’s Ramblings

Monday, July 13
Review at Book Nerd
Excerpt at To Read, or Not to Read

Tuesday, July 14
Interview at Library Educated

Wednesday, July 15
Excerpt at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Thursday, July 16
Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Monday, July 20
Guest Post at Unshelfish

Tuesday, July 21
Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, July 22
Character Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, July 24
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Monday, July 27
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, July 28
Review at Genre Queen

Wednesday, July 29
Interview & Excerpt at Jorie Loves a Story

Thursday, July 30
Review at Bookramblings

Friday, July 31
Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Giveaway

To enter to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, please enter via the GLEAM form below.

Rules

ñ Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on July 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
ñ Giveaway is open internationally.
ñ Only one entry per household.
ñ All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
ñ Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

The Lady Bornekova

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reviews July 14, 2015

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

allegiantAllegiant (Divergent 3) by Veronica Roth

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. (back cover)

Why I had to wait so long to read this because I don’t remember what happened in Insurgent any more! Or maybe it was a good thing because I can’t help but to feel disappointed… I loved Divergent and liked Insurgent so I’m just so sad that it ended like this.

In this book we have dual pov between Tris and Tobias/Four. And I can’t believe what I read. Where did this wimpy, whining, insecure mess come from? All Four’s chapters are basically one big whiny fest where he does one bad decision after another. That’s like a another person altogether from Four at Divergent. And apparently Tris can do no wrong in this book which was annoying as well.

We finally see the world outside and I wasn’t impressed. There are no factions but the life still isn’t that different and they still deal with pretty much same problems.

So yeah, disappointed is the word of the day… Maybe if I hadn’t loved Divergent so much this would have been better.

2,5/5

Published: Katherine Tegen Books (October 22, 2013)
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 532
Source: library

reviews July 10, 2015

Sword of the Gladiatrix by Faith L. Justice

01_Sword of the Gladiatrix Cover

Sword of the Gladiatrix by Faith L. Justice

Two women. Two swords. One victor.

An action-packed tale that exposes the brutal underside of Imperial Rome, Sword of the Gladiatrix brings to life unforgettable characters and exotic settings. From the far edges of the Empire, two women come to battle on the hot sands of the arena in Nero’s Rome: Afra, scout and beast master to the Queen of Kush; and Cinnia, warrior-bard and companion to Queen Boudica of the British Iceni. Enslaved, forced to fight for their lives and the Romans’ pleasure; they seek to replace lost friendship, love, and family in each other’s arms. But the Roman arena offers only two futures: the Gate of Life for the victors or the Gate of Death for the losers.

I’ve never read anything about female gladiators so that was new. I’ve never been huge fan of Romans and this didn’t make me like them more… Afra comes from Kush and Cinnia is a Celt from Britain so we get a look to two very different cultures.

I wish there would have been more fighting scenes. We see how Afra and Cinnia becomes slaves, we follow their lives in slavery but the actual gladiator stuff is pretty small part of the story. They were both likeable but I think they fell in love rather too quickly. I liked the parts with Boudica and I wish there would have been more of her.

It was great to read about something that hasn’t been widely written about and you can tell the author has done her research.

3,5/5

Published: Raggedy Moon Books (May 2015)
Format: eBook
Pages: 260
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

About the Author02_Faith L. Justice_Author

FAITH L. JUSTICE writes award-winning novels, short stories, and articles in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has appeared in Salon.com, Writerís Digest, The Copperfield Review, the Circles in the Hair anthology, and many more. She is a frequent contributor to Strange Horizons, Associate Editor for Space and Time Magazine, and co-founded a writerís workshop many more years ago than she likes to admit. For fun, she digs in the dirtóher garden and various archaeological sites.

For more information visit Faith L. Justice’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Sword of the Gladiatrix Blog Tour

Monday, June 29
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Guest Post at The Writing Desk

Tuesday, June 30
Guest Post at I Heart Reading
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, July 1
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Thursday, July 2
Review at Book Babe

Friday, July 3
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Monday, July 6
Review at Book Nerd

Tuesday, July 7
Interview & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, July 8
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, July 9
Review at Genre Queen
Review at Boom Baby Reviews
Guest Post & Giveaway at Unshelfish

Friday, July 10
Review at Bookramblings
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

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