I’m so sorry that this tour and others was late due to a tragedy I faced. I appreciate this opportunity and all views are my own.
The Poppy Field
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Young nurse, Gemma, is struggling with the traumas she has witnessed through her job in the NHS. Needing to escape from it all, Gemma agrees to help renovate a rundown farmhouse in Doullens, France, a town near the Somme. There, in a boarded-up cupboard, wrapped in old newspapers, is a tin that reveals the secret letters and heartache of Alice Le Breton, a young volunteer nurse who worked in a casualty clearing station near the front line.
Set in the present day and during the horrifying years of the war, both woman discover deep down the strength and courage to carry on in even the most difficult of times. Through Alice’s words and her unfailing love for her sweetheart at the front, Gemma learns to truly live again.
This is a beautifully written epic historical novel that will take your breath away.
My thoughts on this book was it was beautifully written and the timelines wove together perfectly creating a magnificent read! I loved how the author released this novel at the time of the 100th year anniversary of WW1.❤ If you enjoy a fiction novel that has great characters, dialogue and interwoven timelines you will find this as a beautiful and bittersweet delight. The author did great a great job to portray moments that were realistic yet “the norm” during times of war and crisis but throughout this story you see strength and that is enough in itself! A great read that I needed because of the depth and it had the ability to make me feel alive during my own tragedy. ❤❤
Author Bio – Deborah Carr lives on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands with her husband, two children and three rescue dogs. She became interested in books set in WW1 when researching her great-grandfather’s time as a cavalryman in the 17th 21st Lancers.
She is part of ‘The Blonde Plotters’ writing group and was Deputy Editor on the online review site, Novelicious.com for seven years. Her debut historical romance, Broken Faces, is set in WW1 and was runner-up in the 2012 Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition and given a ‘special commendation’ in the Harry Bowling Prize that year. The Poppy Field is her second historical novel.
This novel was part of a blog tour and even though I’m late to the game, I wanted to share all the other fantastic bloggers that took part and a big thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources
Reads & Reels has a new book available for review! Aggravated Momentum by Didi Oviatt is available to read in exchange for an honest review! There is no set deadline, I just ask that you read and post your review by the end of December. Once published, you will need to cross-post your review on Goodreads, Amazon etc… This book is available in all digital formats.
Not everything is as it seems in what appears to be an average family. When danger lurks close to home, skeletons emerge, and the darkest of secrets surface, causing twisted desires to become reality. It’s been a year since Markie’s best friend was brutally murdered in her own home. The killer was never found, and has decided to return for more. The people in Markie’s life are being picked off one at a time, as the killer watches her dismay, relishing every moment. Will Markie and her sister Kam break free from the clutches of death, or will the twisted family secrets cause a roadblock in their escape?
Aggravated Momentum offers the perspective of some very diverse and unique characters, including fun, witty personalities to fall in love with, along with an intellectual killer to die for. You may be surprised as to whom exactly you can relate. Is it the cold, calculated murderer? Or is it Markie or Kam, the independent sisters, guilty of nothing more than getting tangled with the wrong people at the most inopportune times? The deeper you dig into the psyche of another, the more breath taking are the secrets you will find.
How cool is this cover?! I’m thrilled to host this reveal today, and tell you all about Theresa Braun’s first full-length novel, Fountain Dead! Theresa is also giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card, so be sure to enter at the bottom!
Sorry for the lateness. It seems WP deleted my scheduled post.😔 Thanks so much for this opportunity.
Fountain Dead Expected Publication: Mid-November Genre: Mature YA Horror/ Paranormal
Mark is uprooted from his home and high school in the Twin Cities and forced to move with his family into a Victorian in Nowhere-ville. Busy with the relocation and fitting in, Mark’s parents don’t see what’s unfolding around them—the way rooms and left behind objects seem alive with a haunted past.
Of course, Mark keeps his ghostly encounters to himself, all the while sinking deeper into the house’s dark, alluring, and ultimately terrifying history. As romantic entanglements intensify, the paranormal activity escalates. Past and present come together. Everything is connected—from the bricks in the walls to the hearts beating in their chests, all the secrets of Fountain Dead are finally unearthed. Coming Soon!
Excerpt
The vapor wafting from the stagnant pool smelled like the rancid rot from inside a carcass. Mark felt he breathed in fire. The gooey surface boiled and foamed as if a prehistoric substance. His heart stopped as something emerged. A goopy and gnarled dome became a sickly face. The eyelids still closed, the rest of the form rose, covered in green. A tattered dress clung to the feminine curves. The cloth slipped from the shoulders, drawing his attention to her skin. The texture made him gag. A sour taste of bile filled his mouth. His skin contracted as he contemplated her spongy flesh. Her black eyes sprang open like a demonic doll’s. Her inhuman gaze stabbed his very core, and he knew he was facing a soul-less being. The eyes burned like hot stove burners. A decomposing hand extended toward his throat. Mark woke, wet with perspiration. His pillowcase and sheets were damp, as if he’d taken a swim in the fountain. That idea made him unable to breathe. His heartbeat sped along at a rate close to heart attack status as he tried not to blow a gasket about the evil that lie in wait. He whipped his pillow from behind his head and squashed it to his chest. No one would grasp what he’d been feeling—or what he’d been seeing. His lip trembled. Something—a fiend, a spirit, the fountain—wanted to hurt him. Mark’s chest compressed. The devil on his shoulder advised him that his mother had to be right. All of the metal music, the cartoons, the swearing, had been an invitation for demons and darkness. Forget the fact that none of his friends had ever mentioned opening some gateway to hell. These dark forces had chosen him. He lied back, exhaustion sinking him deeper into the mattress. After pulling the blood warm sheets up to his chin, he shunned the moonlight streaming into the room. The crooked claws of the branches squealed against the half-open windowpane. Summer’s hot breath puffed into the house. Mark didn’t have to strain to hear its griping—the sighs of the woodwork and the building’s various joints. The door to the servants’ quarters was open again. However, that bothered him less and less. A perfume of fragrant flowers sent him to sleep.
About the Author
Hmmm. What’s this? Looks like Ms. Braun left her computer on and her Goodreads bio open.
This should be fun.
What can we say about Theresa? I mean other than the fact that she’s weirdly obsessed with smiley faces :-). Like, seriously obsessed >:-*. It’s kinda scary :-O.
I think she thinks she’s from Renaissance England or Venice or something. I never could figure out which one it was. (She’s really bad at doing accents.)
She likes romance novels and crime TV, which are pretty much the same thing when you think about it. Ha! Am I right?
She has a hell of a singing voice. Seriously. It’s, like, seventh circle of hell bad.
She likes editing. A lot. Just wait till she get’s aload a this.
Cats. Shoes. Chips and salsa. In that order.
Yeah, that last part didn’t make sense to me either. Theresa Braun *There will also be a blog tour for Theresa’s book starting Nov. 12th to Nov. 16th. If you would like to participate, please fill out the sign up form Giveaway Time! For your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift card, click the link to enter! Good luck!
3 Card Spread Tarot Reading:1st Card~The Situtation-The Fool, 2nd Card~The Advice-The Ace of Wands,3rd Card~The Outcome-The World
A Quick Weekly Reading: I pulled such great cards when thinking about everyone that has supported me and wanted to share. The Fool lets us know that there is a new start, journey, or beginning to look forward. So the situation is you will be faced with a new experience, and with the Ace of Wands as the Way to handle it, it wants you to know to be passionate, be willing and take inspiration to this new journey you are starting or are on because your Outcome and reward is the World.❤❤❤ The World is successful completion. You will master what is needed and with this wonderful achievement and opportunity. It’s a wonderful feeling to succeed at our tasks and I hope that if this resonates with you that you have great sucess because you deserve it!❤
I just want you all to know I appreciate you all during this hard time and all your thoughts and prayers have meant the world to me. I appreciate this opportunity more than words can comprehend.❤❤❤I will be visiting as much as possible and I’m sorry for my slacking of duties. I have been having WordPress issues and if you are on any device and my header or format looks messed up if you are able to will you send a screenshot to daniellepirok88@gmail.com or on my social medias.😊 I have been battling back and forth with WordPress about my issues with this premium theme they gave me but I need to show screenshots and have been trying to fix the blog catch up on my readings and it’s been hard to put in my reviews with the current situation I am in. Please continue to have me in your thoughts as I face some scary issues.❤
I want to give thanks to the great Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for allowing me to be part of this opportunity. I apologize about this late post. I am still facing some tragedies within my family but still wanted to share about this awesome book. I hope to be hopping everyone’s way soon and miss you all!
Strand of Faith
When the choice is between love and life, how can anyone decide?
A girl and a monk, both with extraordinary mental powers, have compelling reasons not to fall in love. But those from whom they expect support are manipulating them both because their choices will have consequences for the rest of the world.
After a stormy youth, Brother Prospero has found comfort and fulfilment in the monastery. That is, until he discovers something that forces him to reconsider his whole vocation. To follow his heart, he’ll have to face his demons again, outside the security of the monastery. Is it worth the risk? Can he beat them this time? Or will they finally destroy him?
Orphaned and mistreated, Leonie has found sanctuary and safety at the abbey. All she wants is to learn how to manage her unusual abilities so that she is not a danger to those around her. When she comes into contact with Prospero everything threatens to spiral out of her control. Whether she leaves or whether she stays, how can she possibly avoid destroying – yet again – those she has come to care about?
Abbot Gabriel is faced with an impossible choice. He can do nothing and watch the world descend into war. Or he can manipulate events and ensure peace – at the cost of two lives that he is responsible for. He knows what he has to do but is he strong enough to sacrifice those he loves?
Rachel J Bonner is the author of the four book Choices and Consequences series, the first of which, Strand of Faith, is due out in November 2018.
Getting a degree in engineering, followed by a career in accountancy is probably not a conventional path to becoming an author, particularly in paranormal romance. Rachel says that, although accountancy isn’t anything like as boring as everyone thinks, writing is a lot more fun. When not writing, she can be found walking in the beautiful countryside near where she lives, which has influenced much of the scenery in her books, or shooting things with her local archery club. Target shooting only, honest. Nothing to worry about.
She also enjoys swimming, eating chocolate chip cookies and growing aromatic herbs, especially thyme and rosemary. It’s no coincidence that her heroine likes the same things.
I am so happy to share this really cool book with you and reveal its amazing trailer! If you like the cover, wait to you see this! There is also a chance to win a digital copy of Dead Steam, so make sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom!
Title:
Dead Steam: A Chilling Collection of Dreadpunk Tales of the Dark and Supernatural
Expected Publication Date: October 1st, 2018
Genre: Anthology/ Dreadpunk/ Dark Steampunk/ Horror
I would like to thank Shannanigans @ Reads & Reels and the author for giving me this opportunity. I’m sorry for my posts being late and that I haven’t been my usual blogging self but family tragedies and hurricane florence has taken its toll to my mobile home. But enough about me, I want you to check out this trailer reveal!❤💛❤
Reader beware: to open this tome is to invite dread into your heart. Every page you turn will bring you closer to something wicked. And when the dead begin to rise from the steaming pits of hell, only then will you discover that it is already too late. Your life is forfeit.
Featuring an introduction by Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Eterna Files and Strangely Beautiful saga, DeadSteam plays host to the scintillating writing of David Lee Summers (Owl Dance, The Brazen Shark), Jen Ponce (The Bazaar, Demon’s Cradle), Wendy Nikel (The Continuum), Karen J Carlisle (The Adventures of Viola Stewart), Jonah Buck (Carrion Safari), and more…
With seventeen chilling tales of Dreadpunk, Gaslamp, and Dark Steampunk, DeadSteam will leave you tearing at the pages, desperate for more. For within these pages, the dead rise from their graves to haunt the London Underground, witches whisper their incantations to the wind, a sisterhood of bitten necks hunts fog-drenched alleyways lit only by gaslight, and only one thing is certain: that dread will follow you until you turn that final page.
And that sinking feeling in the pit of your chest? That fear that something is following you, watching you, hunting you? It is not for nothing. Look over your shoulder, dear reader. Watch behind you. Listen to the whispers in the darkness.
But know this…it is all inevitable.
Burke Street Station
The city was frost and fog. Icy crystals formed on the windows of the train station. Breath drifted up in a hazy clouds like puffs of
smoke as Theodore tried to warm his hands, blowing hot breath onto his stiff, cold fingers and rubbing his hands together vigorously. When that failed, he thrust them back into his coat pockets, cursing under his breath. His threadbare coat offered little warmth. Drafts of wind found their way through the broken stitching and the tears in his sleeves like rats scrambling through the cracks in the station walls. A discarded page of newsprint, caught in the rushing wind, tumbled and turned in the air and landed, crumpled and torn, at Theodore’s feet.
He stooped over, picked it up, and glanced at the engraving of a wanted man. Even without a skill for reading, he knew what name was printed beneath the picture of masked man on the page. Anthony Tidkins.
Wanted, he read. That was one word Theodore recognized. Crimes was another, and then, finally…murder.
Rubbish. The newspapers always tried to make villains out of the radical thinkers of the world. The Resurrectionists, who named their organization after the sack-em-up men who provided the anatomists with subjects for their scientific endeavors, were scientists. They had provided the world with aether, revolutionizing air travel. They had brought Prince Charles back from the brink of death. They had devised the engines for the London Underground. Anthony Tidkins himself promised to cure death. Yet the newspaper men still called for his blood. Theodore balled up the page and shoved it in his pocket.
He pulled out his trick coin as he approached the gate. The station master was asleep at his booth, a little dribble of spit running down his chin. Typical. Thoedore stuck his coin in the machine, waited for the gate to open, and then, with a light tug on the fishing line threaded through a little hole in the tip of the coin, it popped back out. Easy. He was in before anybody noticed what he had done. He pocketed the coin and started down the hallway.
Tap-tap, clack, tap-tap, clack, his shoes beat a rhythm on the stone steps. The sole of his left shoe was beginning to wear, and the heel of his shoe tapped against the heel of his foot as he walked. He puffed on his hands again, and peeked over his shoulder. No one was after him. He had done this trick a thousand times before. So why did he feel like there was someone watching him?
Clack, tap-tap, clack. Again, he glanced over his shoulder. The odd double-rhythm of his broken shoe was suddenly unnerving in the deserted station. Where were all the other passengers? Nice folks avoided this place like the plague, especially after midnight. The oil lamps that lit Burke Street Station were so routinely out of oil that he could hardly find his own feet in front of him, but still, Theodore expected to see other passengers. But where were the other vagrants? They should be sleeping in the dark corners of the hallway under blankets made of rags. And the boys from the blacking factory should be heading home from their long shifts, fingers stained black with powders and oil. But there was no one. Only the rats skittering through rat tunnels to keep him company.
Tap-tap, clack, tap-tap, clack.
Another set of footsteps began to follow his own, beating out a different rhythm. A steady tap, tap, tap, tap. He paused to listen, and nothing but silence greeted him. He glanced over his shoulder. Nobody there.
He continued onward, and again, a second set of footsteps started up behind him. He paused to listen. This time, they didn’t stop.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Whoever it was, they were getting closer. Closer and closer, louder and louder, tapping out a steady rhythm as they approached down the long, dark hallway. He could almost make out the solitary figure in the gloomy, hazy light, but then the fog grew thicker, and whatever he thought he’d seen was gone. The footsteps kept on getting louder, though, and closer. He turned and ran down the hallway.
A long flight of steps delved deeper into the darkness of Burke Street Station, down, down toward the platform. The train was already rumbling, announcing its approach. It vibrated through Theodore’s toes to the tip of his spine, rattling his bones.
He grabbed the railing all but flew down the staircase. The rumble of the train grew louder and clearer.
“Shit,” Theodore cursed. Taking the steps two at a time, he hurtled down the steps and didn’t stop when he reached the bottom.
Nails on a blackboard. The tines of silverware scraping against a ceramic plate. The screaming madmen at Newgate Asylum. The anguished cry of a mother weeping over her stillborn babe. Theodore had heard these sounds all, but not one compared to the shrill screech of an automatic train rolling into Burke Street. Iron wheels grinding against iron tracks. Hot metal sending up sparks, belching out steam as black as sin. The carriages rattling and clanging against one another. The hiss of hot coal burning in the engines. The shriek of brakes as the train ground to a halt. If it went on long enough, it would surely drive a man mad. Theodore covered his ears with his hands, pressing them against his head to muffle out the deafening noise, and waited for the thundering train to come to a halt.
When it did, he realized it must have drowned out the sound of the steadily approaching footsteps he’d heard in the hallway, because he could hear them again, and they were closer. So close he half expected to feel someone’s hot breath on his neck. He whirled around, but there was no one there. Silence greeted him like an old friend. His heart hammered against his chest.
“There’s no one there,” he muttered to himself. But he didn’t sound convinced.
A smell lingered in the air, as if something foul had passed through. The smell was familiar enough, the breath of a man with rotting teeth. It was a foul, cloying stench. He spun around again, and this time found himself face to face with the man to whom those dreaded footsteps belonged.
Only he wasn’t a man. Not really.
About the Author
Bryce Raffle writes steampunk, horror, and fantasy. He was the lead writer for Ironclad Games’ multiplayer online game Sins of A Dark Age and is the founder of Grimmer & Grimmer Books. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Hideous Progeny: Classic Horror Goes Punk, Denizens of Steam and Den of Antiquity. His short story, The Complications of Avery Vane, was awarded Best Steampunk Short in the Preditors and Editors Reader’s Poll in 2016. He lives in beautiful Vancouver, Canada, where he works in the film industry.
Author Links:
Giveaway Details:
Bryce is giving away a digital copy of Dead Steam to one lucky winner. The giveaway will run from Sept. 17th to Sept. 20th so make sure you enter!
I want to give a big thanks to Shalini @Digital Reads Blog Tours. I apologize for this tour and others being late due to Hurricane Florence and a family member being admitted to ICU and another one very ill but I appreciate this opportunity and all views expressed are my own.
Music is not bound by time…
Adeena Stuart is a struggling cellist ready to give up on her dream of landing a spot with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. All that changes when she receives a musical score, lost for almost 300 years in a Scottish castle, sent by her dying grandmother.
When the score is played on the oldest surviving cello ever made in the UK, the music connects Adeena directly to the past as Katharine Carnegie, struggling to find words to complete her symphonic tour-de-force in the midst of 18th Century political rebellion that is tearing apart Scotland and England.
But Adeena is not a scientist or historian. What she wants more than anything is to create and compose. As she is buffeted back and forth between the past and present, she grows to want more of the past, even though the promise of her most yearned-for professional dream is coming true.
With a clear voice that sets us in modern day Ottawa and old world Scotland, Song for a Lost Kingdom, Book I, begins a journey of discovery between two women who share the same musical soul and love for the same doomed man.
BOOKLINKS
Read for FREE with Kindle unlimited. Paperback version also available. Or, get the FREE 10k word Prequel to the Song for a Lost Kingdom Series.
KATHARINE’S ONLY CONCERN was for the new life taking hold in her womb. Only yesterday she had felt its first wondrous kick and now it stirred again, as his dirty fingers penetrated her roughly.
“Ahh,” the drunken Redcoat grunted. “Ye want it, don’t ya bitch?”
Katharine struggled to break free of his choking hold around her neck. But he only gripped tighter and pushed his thick fingers into her deeper. She felt another tiny kick in her belly as if in response to the gross violation.
“Stop!” she cried. “You’re hurting the baby!”
The soldier laughed and withdrew his fingers. “Yer traitor’s bastard?”
He kept one hand around her throat as he raised the other, showing her the filthy fingers that he had used so horribly inside of her. He brought them to her lips and her stomach wrenched.
“My brother’s coming.” She gathered all her strength into a warning glare.
He ignored the threat and shoved two foul fingers into her mouth, feeling around her tongue. “The Captain knows what you’ve done. And with who.” He paused a moment before retracting his fingers to her bottom lip, peeling it down as if he were examining an animal.
“Yer a strong wench. But I’ll no marry you, like he asked me to.” He let go of her and stood up. “I like your music, and I just want to ride you. My mate wants a turn too.” He started to unbutton his tunic and she knew she had to do something. Her mind was racing.
Her tone softened. “Can I undress first?”
He grinned, exposing his jagged brown teeth. “Yeah. Like ta see what I’m getting.” He sat down on the bed and began to remove his boots.
Katharine looked around to see where she had left her violoncello. She had brought it upstairs after tonight’s performance in the main hall of the Inn. Now it sat in the corner of the room and the bow lay on the table beside it, near a candle that provided the only light. She began to undress, a plan forming in her mind.
“Come over here wench,” the Redcoat called to her. He lay flat on the bed, his engorged organ standing at attention. “Get on me.”
She blew out the candle, gathered herself and walked slowly towards the man who waved his organ like a sword, grunting for her. The room was dark with only a faint moon outlining her shape. She came to the bedside, sickening herself with a faltering smile, displaying her bare breasts and crotch to him. As he reached to pull her on top of him, she took the bow from behind her back and in one swift movement, drove the end of it into his right eye.
He screamed in agony as she jumped away.
Katharine grabbed her dress off the floor, bolted out the door, down the stairs and out of Culloden House into the cold Scottish night.
This was a fantastic historical fiction! It had great characters and a great storyline. I truly enjoyed it during this hectic week and would definitely recommend it to those whom enjoy the genre.❤💛❤
AUTHOR BIO
I have always been drawn to passion and creativity in all its forms. I am equally fascinated by the mechanics of the universe and the characters of history. I have a special affection for the power of music which I believe is the universal language of human emotion.
My writing journey started in journalism, public relations and advertising then continued into software development (yes that involves writing)! Recently I finished a screenplay and my first novel, and am now embarking on this a full-time career.
I grew up in London, Ontario and also lived in Pompano Beach, Florida as a teenager. I moved to Ottawa and attended Carleton University many years ago and now live just south of the city with my wife, daughter and four dogs with attitude.
I look forward to your feedback. Sign up for my mailing list at stevemorett.ca and I’ll send you a FREE copy of the Prequel to the Song for a Lost Kingdom series
