New Releases/#Free & Bargain Books for February 21st - February 27th #freebook #booksale #booklinkup #booklinky


Here are the New Releases / Free & Bargain Books, hosted by
Sharon over at Beck Valley Books, for this week! Check it all out below...

Authors please feel free to add your own books.
Readers please free to add your own finds.
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...

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(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!


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Come back and check out the new selection every week!

Check out an interview with the author... The Gatekeeper's Descendants by Johanna Frank (Interview & #Giveaway) #christianfantasy #yalit @celebrate_lit


Welcome to my tour stop! Check out the interview and enter the giveaway below...

The Gatekeeper's Descendants
(The Gatekeeper's Descendants #1)
By Johanna Frank
Christian Fantasy, YA
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 437 Pages
September 26, 2021 by Marrow Publishing

Summary

ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A CURSE

Hesitant to enter the kingdom, spirited and stubborn Pipiera grudgingly accepts a task to save a fledgling earth-dwelling boy, Matthew, from sabotaging his own future. Challenged with the pull of an obsessive emotion from her past life, she’s unequipped to handle the mission, let alone discern the perplexing interference from a rebel–an unearthly soul who takes great interest in both she and the boy and who relentlessly seeks to capture their affection.

As Matthew’s world spins throughout the cosmos, his mother’s world churns at his bedside while she awaits an unknowing outcome.

Who overcomes?

Who ends up cursed forever?

The Gatekeeper’s Descendants is an easy-to-read, thought-inspiring fantasy. The story weaves together adventure in the afterlife with growing faith and family drama.

BEAUTIFUL… TWISTED… LIVELY…

(Affiliate links included.)

Interview

What inspired you to write The Gatekeeper’s Descendants?

A number of things, really. But the primary inspiration came from a story my mother once shared. One sunny and warm Sunday after church, a direct ancestor of ours was viciously murdered by his own neighbor on his front porch, with an axe. (I know, horrible, right?) Rumors of hauntings carried through the generations. The murderous neighbor claimed his victim haunted him day and night. Years later, the ghost of an old woman, the victim’s mother, simply rocked in a chair behind the front porch following her own death.

It was the notion of unresolved emotions that got me thinking - just what happens if they are taken to the grave? Might emotions follow their owner, the one who has kept them held tight and secure for so long? Might they somehow get passed down to following generations? If those rumours of haunting were true, was it the traumatic wounds from anger, guilt and unforgiveness that kept the haunters tied to an earthly realm?

Months after my teenage daughter died of osteosarcoma, I too suffered intense emotions, predominantly grief. I would have given anything to have her return to me, somehow. But in a dream so profound, she came to me as a young child, crying. Wanting to come back, feeling terrible that she had left. She loved God and was a Christian, so I was confident in all those joyous people surrounding her, coaxing her to go along with them. I gave her encouragement, and in this dream, I confidently reassured her. “It’s alright, you can go with them. I’ll be along later. Don’t worry honey.” Psychologists and dream interpreters might have a heyday with this, but it certainly gifted me pause for thought. God’s ways are clearly not our ways and often can feel quite the opposite.

The Gatekeeper’s Descendants is not a story about my child. Nor is it about my ancestors. Directly anyway. Rather, the concept of simply imagining what that lively realm lying right alongside us might be like, as we journey on in our own earthly tours, was definitely a prompt. I must confide that although a fantasized environment was necessary for the story, I used a variety of Christian allegories where I felt they were fitting.

What one piece of advice would Pipiera give?

The advice she learned herself in the book – wisdom is truly meaningless unless you learn to digest it and then take your newfound lessons for a spin.

What part or aspect of this story do you love the most?

The idea that our lives truly are journeys, that we have a magnificent home awaiting us, a place where generations can unite. It’s the big picture, the really big picture, the one that counts – a free gift should we accept it. Keeping this in mind makes the small stuff disappear and clears up more room for laughter and joy in our lives.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep going. In your writing, be true to yourself. You have something to offer and if you are true to yourself, you will set it free. I used a pen name, not so much for unanimity, but to allow myself some room to breathe. To write without the boundaries I’ve placed upon myself over the years, to let thoughts flow freely without judgement. Sounds strange perhaps – but it was freeing.

What are you writing next?

Already started book #2! The Gatekeeper’s Descendants will be a series, although I haven’t made that official in the book’s metadata. This book #2 will include the same characters, only ten years later and set in the early 1980s. I have some intense plans for book #3 as well – but I am not quite ready to share.

About the Author


To Johanna Frank, retirement means the freedom to do what she simply loves—bringing family and friends together with good food. But even better is the space to pen creative, inspirational fiction; stories she hopes will touch the lives of her readers.

Johanna lives in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada with husband, Joe, cherishing and watching their children and their families as they churn through life and develop into their own wonderful characters.

At the time of publishing, Johanna’s The Gatekeeper’s Descendants was declared a Winner of The Word Guild’s 2021 Word Awards.

The Gatekeeper’s Descendants is Johanna Frank’s debut novel.

More from Johanna

Hey, hello! It sure is a pleasure to be here 😊.

I’ve always believed it’s a gift when others just happen to come into our lives. Sometimes it’s like a drift and ever so brief, maybe even digital. But always, I like to think anyway; it is for a reason. Sadly, we simply don’t see it that way.

That was just one premise for The Gatekeeper’s Descendants. There is so much more to our life journey than what we see and, therefore, what we could possibly appreciate.

According to some translators of ancient Greek (yes, I google the internet a great deal), the term we so often use today to explain chance happenings, coincidence, is derived from the word synkyrian – a combination of two words: sun and kurios. Sun reported as meaning “together with” and kurios reported as meaning “supreme in authority.” So, a chance happening, meeting someone along one’s path in life? …not an accident. The question becomes why.

As far as the story in The Gatekeeper’s Descendants goes, sure, I had a plot in mind. But those wonderful fictional characters came first, and I quickly discovered they had much to say about their own decisions and paths. Important to me was to incorporate realisms: personality traits, emotional challenges, tough situations and simply, life in general. And then place all such realities alongside characters from an ethereal and lively kingdom. Of course, what would a kingdom be without its rebels? This fantasized world in charge of intervening to make chance happenings actually happen, or, interfering to disrupt the course of one’s path? Well, what fun! I totally loved the adventure of writing this novel. But please, be rest assured. Faith is central in my life, and I did my utmost to treat it with great and utter respect.

And you are part of this equation. That is the most exciting part for me: your experience with the read. One reader told me how grateful she was after reading The Gatekeeper’s Descendants for the hope it gave, particularly as it came at such a perfect time—weeks following the loss of a parent. Another said it brought to her imagination the child she lost at infancy and the absolute joyous wonder of her lively existence now. Yet another felt the appreciation of having a chance at feeling a troubled teen’s point of view and the potential of very real battles that are not always visible. As one reviewer put it, “this is a story that has something to impart to even the most cynical among us.

Without readers, writers simply wouldn’t have much purpose. So, a heartfelt thank you. I hope you will give The Gatekeeper’s Descendants a chance even if it is a diversion from your normal genre.

I would absolutely love to connect and hear your experience with the story!

And may you journey well!

Johanna Frank

Tour Schedule


Texas Book-aholic, February 12

By the Book, February 12






deb’s Book Review, February 18




A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 22 (Spotlight)


Blogging With Carol, February 23

Wishful Endings, February 24 (Author Interview)

Tour-Wide Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Johanna is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed hardcover copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.


What connected with you in the interview?

Check out this mystery... The Lake Templeton Murders by HS Burney (#Giveaway) #mystery #books @prismbooktours

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to my tour stop! Enter the giveaway below...

The Lake Templeton
(Fati Rizvi Private Investigator Murder Mystery #1)
By HS Burney
Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Paperback & ebook, 341 Pages
October 27, 2021 by HS Burney

Summary

A body washes up on the shores of Lake Templeton, a small town on the coast of Vancouver Island. Sharon Reese, the victim, was a dedicated government employee. Everyone liked her, but no one knew much about her. Was she hiding something? Maybe a questionable past riddled with scandal. And did it lead to her plunge to death, in a drunken stupor, off the dock outside her secluded lakefront lodge? 
 
Was it an accident? A suicide? Or cold-blooded murder? Private Investigator, Fati Rizvi, is determined to find out. 
 
Fati arrives in Lake Templeton to find secrets that run as deep as the City’s sewers. Everyone is hiding something and nothing is as it seems. A cult escapee. A corrupt politician. A struggling airline. A multi-million dollar public-private project to revitalize the Lake Templeton waterfront. How are they all connected? 
 
As Fati valiantly unravels the knots, another body is found on the shore. Is it the same killer? And can Fati stop them before they strike again?

(Affiliate links included.)

About the Author


HS Burney writes fast-moving, action-packed mysteries set against the backdrop of majestic mountains and crystalline ocean in West Coast Canada. She loves creating characters that keep you on your toes. A corporate executive by day and a novelist by night, HS Burney received her Bachelors’ in Creative Writing from Lafayette College. A proud Canadian immigrant, she takes her readers into worlds populated by diverse characters with unique cultural backgrounds. When not writing, she is out hiking, waiting for the next story idea to strike, and pull her into a new world.


Tour Schedule


Tour-Wide Giveaway


One winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card and e-book of The Lake Templeton Murders by HS Burney

Ends March 2, 2022

 
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Does this sound like something you'd like to read?

A sweet second-chance romance... Everything by L.M. Karen (Review & #Giveaway) #christianromance #christianfiction #romancebooks @celebrate_lit


Welcome to my tour stop! Read my review and enter the giveaway below...

Everything
(Oak Street Trilogy #3)
By L.M. Karen
Christian Contemporary Romance
ebook, 315 Pages
November 5, 2021

Summary

A sweet second chance romance of healing as two childhood friends find their way back to each other.

Alison and Grady met in kindergarten and quickly became inseparable. They grew up together as best friends until a series of misunderstandings drove them apart just as they graduated high school. Ten years later, a chance meeting throws Alison and Grady together again. It might take him a minute, but Grady discovers he still knows Alison like the back of his hand.

As Grady and Alison reconnect they find the second chance at love they always wanted and the healing they never knew they needed.

This is the third and last book in the Oak Street Series Trilogy. Each book can be read separately as standalone books but are better when read together.

(Affiliate link included.)

My Review

EVERYTHING is one of those stories that grows on the reader as it unfolds. The characters are delightful with plenty of wonderful family involvement and a sweet romance. Fans of the series will love getting to see how Grady's and Alison's story ends.

The start of this story completely drew me in with the characters randomly meeting after ten years and the glimpse of heartache and love that still existed. I remembered the characters in their younger versions from the prior books in this series, so I was curious how they had turned out as adults and how their story would end. I did feel Grady and Alison felt a bit one dimensional as characters for the first half of the story. However, they both became more alive the second half as they worked through some difficulties and towards their happily-ever-after. The big family dynamic was a fabulous part of this story that I loved with all the teasing and laughter and love. Then there was the ending that left my heart warm and content.

There were a few phrases that resonated with me. This one especially:
Healing often teaches you more about yourself and what you can endure, and it's possible that is the purpose. It's possible that sometimes things cause us such physical and emotional pain in order for us to heal. So that despite everything, we overcome. The human mind and body are resilient that way.

There were parts that felt like some additional editing was needed. I also would have liked more character development particularly in the first half of the book. I felt a specific co-worker and family was missing in the end. But these would be my only complaints.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This story started a bit slow for me, but the second half was enjoyable all the way to the very sweet end. If you enjoy second-chance romances full of laughter and family, definitely add this one to your list!

Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Excerpt

I take a deep breath before venturing back out to the popular establishment from the restroom, then begin to edge past the crowd back to the front where my date agreed to meet me before proceeding to a table for dinner. I haven’t gotten many steps before I hear a high-pitched squeal calling my name.

“Alison! Alison McKay!”

My shoulders tense. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I turn and find a beautiful brunette with glowing green eyes bouncing toward me.

“I just knew that was you!” she cries, scooping me into a huge hug.

Although at least eight years younger than me, Lily Knight towers over me. The last time I saw her was my high school graduation day. She was only around ten at that time but already my height. It’s been ten years since then, and she’s grown into a beautiful young woman. My heart aches unexpectedly, and I am shocked to find myself glad to see her.

“Lily, it is good to see you,” I say sincerely when she lets me go.

She squeals exuberantly, “Gosh, Alison, you haven’t changed a bit. Still so beautiful. How are you? Why did you stop coming around? We all miss you so much.” Lily hugs me again and, without allowing me to answer any of her questions, keeps talking. “Ohmigosh!” She pulls away from me and takes my arm excitedly. “Grady is going to die when he sees you!” she exclaims, pulling me toward the opposite corner of the bar from where I had previously been sitting.

My feet and my heart concurrently and instantaneously stop, and I pull my hand away from Lily’s. Of all possible scenarios, likely and unlikely, I would have placed seeing Grady Knight tonight as the single most unlikely thing to happen, only short of actually enjoying my date tonight. I am not prepared. The thought of facing Grady Knight, the only man I’ve ever loved, and therefore the only one to have shattered my heart, tonight? On monthly date night? When I have likely been spontaneously canceled on and left alone in a pretentious fusion restaurant? I shake my head in horror and back away. I feel conclusive in stating there is nothing more abhorrent that could happen.

Lily turns and blinks at me in surprise at my abrupt stop. “He’s this way, Alison. He’ll definitely want to see you,” she says with a worried frown “Are you okay? You look pale…well, even more pale than you usually are. Not that you’re normally pale, you just have a naturally alabaster complexion.” She adds the last with an envious smile.

“I…I am sorry, I have to go,” I stutter and turn quickly toward the door, making a run for it before Grady sees me, or I see him.

“Alison McKay,” a friendly voice calls appreciatively through the crowd. My actions freeze. I inhale a panicked breath as my heartbeat thunders at what I’m sure is an unhealthy speed due to the adrenaline and norepinephrine flooding my system. I force myself to turn around.

The crowd easily parts for Grady as he makes his way to me. He is below average height for a Caucasian American male yet he has a presence people notice. The last time I saw him was our high school graduation day. His light brown hair is the same, but instead of it being shaggy and long, it’s neatly cut and combed. The freckles on his face have lightened but his eyes are the same warm brown. His face is more chiseled, I notice. In truth, all of him appears to be more sculpted than the last time I saw him.

Deep breath. I can do this. “Hello, Grady.” I’m pleased my voice is even despite my insides quaking violently.

Other Books in the Series

(Linked to my reviews.)

About the Author

LM Karen writes contemporary Christian fiction romance. As a longtime lover of words, she can generally be found behind her laptop or with a book in her hand. A graduate of Toccoa Falls College, her heart is in the mountains. She eventually made use of the voices in her head by putting them on the page.

Tour Schedule


Texas Book-aholic, February 23

Wishful Endings, February 23

Genesis 5020, February 24




deb’s Book Review, February 27




A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 3 (Spotlight)

Living’ Lit, March 3





Tour-Wide Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, L.M. is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!


Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.


Have you read any of the books in this series? What did you like about the excerpt?

I Can't Wait for... The Do-Over by Bethany Turner (Can't-Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday) #CWW #WOW #sweetromance #cleanromance #books


Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you're continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

Tag me on your CWW posts on Twitter (@wishfulendings) and I'll like and retweet!

I think the cover of this book is just adorable and full of whimsy. It's also from an author that I've been meaning to read for some time. I also have been in the mood for light and sweet romance or seriously intense fantasy or sci-fi, so this checks one of those boxes for me. It's my pick this week...

The Do-Over
By Bethany Turner
Adult Sweet Contemporary Romantic Comedy
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 320 Pages
March 15, 2022 by Thomas Nelson

Summary

Sometimes dreams come true. Other times, the best outcome begins with an epic fail.

Career-driven McKenna Keaton has devoted her life to attaining the senior partnership at her law firm. So asking a man on a date should be nothing. But the past four days have been the worst of her life and have called everything she thought she knew about herself into question. Besides, she can’t remember her last real date—one that didn’t involve using a blind date as an opportunity to get a stranger’s perspective on effective cross-examination techniques. (It’s like sharing fondue with a jury!)

But a real date? And with shy, nerdy Henry Blumenthal—McKenna’s high school rival for valedictorian who once took three hours to beat her at chess? Scratch that. He’s Hank Blume now, the famed documentarian, Durham’s darling son, who has attained all his dreams and more. He also happens to look like he stepped out of an Eddie Bauer catalog.

Whereas McKenna is a disgraced workaholic from New York on unpaid leave, accused of a white-collar crime she would never commit, succumbing to panic attacks, watching her dreams unravel. At age thirty-eight—and destined by the family curse to die before she turns forty, it appears—it’s absolutely the wrong time to have a major crush on a man. Especially one who treasures his memories of McKenna as the girl Most Likely to Succeed.

(Affiliate links included.)


Will you be reading this one?

Check out this excerpt... KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss (Excerpt & #Giveaway) #middlegrade @prismbooktours

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome! Read an excerpt and enter the giveaway below...

KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue
(KidVenture #1)
By Steve Searfoss
Middle Grade Fiction, Contemporary
Paperback & ebook, 125 Pages
January 26, 2020 by Steve Searfoss

Summary

Chance Sterling launches a pool cleaning business over the summer. Join Chance as he looks for new customers, discovers how much to charge them, takes on a business partner, recruits an employee, deals with difficult clients, and figures out how to make a profit. He has twelve weeks to reach his goal. Will he make it? Only if he takes some chances.

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

(Affiliate links included.)

Excerpt

Dad was the first to get home. I told him all about my adventures at Larry’s house. I slowly unfurled the $20 bill I had tucked into my pocket and showed him my very first payment ever from a real customer. He told me he was proud of me and gave me a big high five. That made me happy.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” I said. “I need a new net. Ours broke while I was cleaning Larry’s pool.”

“Good thing you just got paid,” my dad said. “You should be able to find a nice net for under $20.”

“What!” I exclaimed. “What do you mean?”

“Well you need a good net if you’re going to be in the pool cleaning business, right?”

“But...but.”

“Yes?” My dad raised an eyebrow dramatically. I hate when he does that.

“Well...well, I guess I just assumed you’d buy another one.”

“Oh I will,” my dad said.

Whew. That was close. “I thought you meant that I had to buy it.”

“I’m buying a new net for our pool, but you need to buy one for your pool cleaning business.”

“What? Why can’t I just use yours?”

“Because I don’t want to have to keep buying a new net every time it breaks while you’re cleaning somebody else’s pool.”

“But—“

“If you’re going to have a pool cleaning business, you need to buy your own equipment.”

“But those cost money. A lot of money!”

“Good thing you’re making $20 every time you clean a pool,” my dad smirked.

“But why does that mean I have to buy my own equipment?”

“You were the one who said you wanted to be an official vendor, remember?”

“Yeah…”

“Well a vendor has his own on equipment and tools to do the job.”

So this is what my dad meant. I have to admit, I did not see this coming. “But I don’t want to spend all my money on nets and buckets!”

“You don’t have to spend all your money, just some of it. If you want to have a business, then you have to make some investments. Spend money now on tools, so you can do more jobs and make even more money later. That’s how it works.”

“Oh.”
 
“Or do you want to just go back to cleaning our pool for $10?”

“Maybe,” I said grumpily. No one said anything about having to buy equipment.

“It’s up to you, Son.”

”Maybe I don’t want to make investments,” I cried out. “I’m just trying to buy a bike!”

“Sounds like you have some thinking to do, buddy.”

“This is harder than I thought,” I said. “I don’t want to work all summer and at the end all I really have are a couple buckets and nets.”

“Well then you need to track your expenses carefully and keep an eye on your bottom line.”

“My bottom what?”

“Your bottom line,” my dad said. “Your profits.”

“What’s that?”

“Well your top line is the money you get from doing these jobs. It’s your revenue. And from that you have to subtract your expenses. What’s left at the bottom is the money you get to keep. That’s your profit.”

“Why can’t I just keep all the money at the top?”

“Because money doesn’t grow on trees.”

“No, but it does grow in my dad‘s wallet.”

He laughed. “I wish Son. I have to do the same thing, keep an eye on our expenses and make sure we’re spending less than we make. I will buy a net for our family pool from my top line and you’ll buy a net for your cleaning business from yours.”

“I need to think about this,” I said defiantly. “Maybe I have no business being in business. Maybe I should just spend my summer playing soccer and eating ice cream.”
 
“Maybe,” my dad said. And then he picked up the newspaper and resumed reading.

Excerpted from Kidventure: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss, Copyright © 2022 by Steve Searfoss. Published by Steve Searfoss.

About the Author


Steve Searfoss: I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they'd ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, "Let's pretend you have a business that sells..." and off we'd go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.

I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.

I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.
 

Tour Schedule


Tour-Wide Giveaway


One winner will receive a print copy of KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue and a $15 Amazon gift card (US, UK, Canada only)

Ends March 2, 2022

 
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What did you think of the excerpt? Would you or someone you know enjoy reading this one?

An entertaining read for Austen fans... Jane and the Year Without Summer by Stephanie Barron (Review) @SBarronAuthor @soho_press @Austenprose #JaneAndTheYear #HistoricalMystery #NewBooksn#BookTwitter #JaneAusten #StephanieBarron #BookTour #AustenprosePR


Welcome to my tour stop! This was such a fun read! Find my full review below...

Jane and the Year Without Summer
(Being a Jane Austen Mystery #14)
By Stephanie Barron
Historical Mystery, Austenesque
Hardcover, Audiobook & ebook, 336 Pages
February 8, 2022 by Soho Press

Summary

May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet's daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain—cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.

Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own—some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life.

Advance Praise

“Outstanding...Barron fans will hope Jane, who died in 1817, will be back for one more mystery.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“No one conjures Austen's voice like Stephanie Barron, and Jane and the Year Without a Summer is utterly pitch-perfect.”— Deanna Raybourn, bestselling author of the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

“…a page-turning story, imbued with fascinating historical detail, a cast of beautifully realized characters, a pitch-perfect Jane Austen, and an intriguing mystery. Highly recommended.”— Syrie James, bestselling author of The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen

“Jane and the Year Without a Summer is absolute perfection. Stephanie Barron expertly weaves fact and fiction, crafting a story that is authentically Austen in its elegance, charm, and wit. The characters and setting will enchant you, and the mystery will keep you guessing to the last page. This Regency-set gem is truly a diamond of the first water.”— Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author of The Siren of Sussex

(Affiliate links included.)

My Review

JANE AND THE YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER is an historical mystery set in a spa town where Jane Austen and her sister visit to hopefully help with Jane's health. There are various characters they meet, particularly those who they board with, and soon a bit of mystery unfolds that deepens as the story goes. Fans of Austen and historical fiction with a bit of mystery will find much enjoyment from this story.

I've been a Jane Austen fan for most of my life and it was interesting to step into a story where she is the main character. I felt like the author did a wonderful job in depicting and fictionalizing Jane's life and adding a touch of romance as well as a mystery. The characters were all interesting in their own ways with realistic beliefs and behaviors for the time period (much of which were not positive towards females). I haven't read the other books in the series and didn't feel lost in any way reading this one. The story started off fairly slow for me and took me about 100 pages in to finally feel invested. However, after that, I found it to be quite diverting being in Jane's mind as she put all the little pieces of the puzzle together. I also felt the author did a good job giving plenty of red herrings. The story pulled on my emotions, particularly in regards to what I know comes next in Jane's life.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an evenly paced story with interesting characters and a bit of a mystery to solve. Between the writing style, characters and plot, it's a book that readers will remember long after they've finished. An overall entertaining read for Austen fans.

Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Austenprose, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author


Francine Mathews was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written twenty-five books, including five novels in the Merry Folger series (Death in the Off-Season, Death in Rough Water, Death in a Mood Indigo, Death in a Cold Hard Light, and Death on Nantucket) as well as the nationally bestselling Being a Jane Austen mystery series, which she writes under the penname, Stephanie Barron. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado.



Have you read any of the books in this series? Does it sound like a book you'd enjoy?

New Releases/#Free & Bargain Books for February 14th - February 20th #freebook #booksale #booklinkup #booklinky


Here are the New Releases / Free & Bargain Books, hosted by
Sharon over at Beck Valley Books, for this week! Check it all out below...

Authors please feel free to add your own books.
Readers please free to add your own finds.
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!


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Come back and check out the new selection every week!

Read an excerpt from this YA thriller... Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith (Excerpt & VISA Gift Card #Giveaway) #yalit #yabooks @prismbooktours

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to my tour stop! Read an excerpt and enter the tour giveaway below...

Discovery of the Five Senses
(The Urban Boys #1)
By K.N. Smith
Young Adult, Adventure, Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Paperback & ebook, 340 Pages
September 3, 2015 by Two Petals Publishing

Summary

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory superpowers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys be able to defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late?

(Affiliate links included.)

Excerpt

Officer Johnston, a seasoned, burly patrol cop, opened a large filing cabinet and pulled out a thick folder. Reading glasses rested midway down his nose. The dent between his eyebrows deepened as he perused the contents of the folder, including a photograph of a young man in his late teens with short, curly hair.

He read the bold headline sprawled across a yellowed newspaper clipping—‘Murder in Danville

Heights: First in Over 30 Years’.

The name of the victim was Ross Dawson.

Johnston had been the first officer on the scene. He remembered it clearly. He had never seen anything like it—a young man bloodied, bruised, and choked to death inside the preserve. He felt deep sorrow for the victim and was still haunted by the traumatic sight.

Shocked bystanders had watched as first responders secured the scene. He recalled pained faces in the crowd whispering and wondering about what had happened.

Excerpted from Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith, Copyright © 2022 by K.N. Smith. Published by Two Petals Publishing.

About the Author


K.N. Smith, winner of the “Best of” in the category of “Outstanding Young Adult Novel” at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, is an author, screenwriter, and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. She inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits. She lives in California with her family. Visit K.N. Smith at www.knsmith.com.

 
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What did you think of the excerpt?

I Can't Wait for... The Letter from Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd (Can't-Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday) #CWW #WOW


Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you're continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

Tag me on your CWW posts on Twitter (@wishfulendings) and I'll like and retweet!

I love this author and her historicals. Her upcoming release is my pick this week...

The Letter from Briarton Park
(The Houses of Yorkshire #1)
By Sarah E. Ladd
Christian Historical Romantic Suspense
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 336 Pages
March 1, 2022 by Thomas Nelson

Summary

In Regency England, one letter will alter a young woman’s fate when it summons her to Briarton Park—an ancient place that holds the secrets of her past and the keys to her future.

Cassandra Hale grew up knowing little about her parentage, and she had made peace with the fact that she never would. But Cassandra’s world shifts when a shocking deathbed confession reveals a two-year-old letter from Mr. Clark, the master of Briarton Park, with hints to her family’s identity. Stung by betrayal, she travels to the village of Anston only to learn Mr. Clark has since passed away.

James Warrington is a widower and the new master of Briarton Park, where he lives with his two young daughters, his sister, and his mother-in-law. When Cassandra appears at his doorstep with a letter from the previous owner and then proceeds to assist his family in an unexpected way, he is honor bound to help uncover the answers she seeks.

The more time Cassandra spends in Anston, the more she begins to suspect not everything—or everyone—is as they seem. As details emerge, the danger surrounding her intensifies. Using wit and intuition, she must navigate the treacherous landscapes between truth and rumor and between loyalty and deception if she is to uncover the realities of her past and find the place her heart can finally call home.

Sarah Ladd’s latest Regency romance, first in the new Houses of Yorkshire series, combines mystery and intrigue with the best of historical storytelling.

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Will you be reading this one?