Spotlight! MADAME PRESIDENTESS - NICOLE EVELINA

MADAME PRESIDENTESSBY NICOLE EVELINA

Publication Date: July 25, 2016
Lawson Gartner Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction

*Winner: U.S. Women’s History category – 2015 Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction

Forty-eight years before women were granted the right to vote, one woman dared to run for President of the United States, yet her name has been virtually written out of the history books.

Rising from the shame of an abusive childhood, Victoria Woodhull, the daughter of a con-man and a religious zealot, vows to follow her destiny, one the spirits say will lead her out of poverty to “become ruler of her people.”

But the road to glory is far from easy. A nightmarish marriage teaches Victoria that women are stronger and deserve far more credit than society gives. Eschewing the conventions of her day, she strikes out on her own to improve herself and the lot of American women.

Over the next several years, she sets into motion plans that shatter the old boys club of Wall Street and defile even the sanctity of the halls of Congress. But it’s not just her ambition that threatens men of wealth and privilege; when she announces her candidacy for President in the 1872 election, they realize she may well usurp the power they’ve so long fought to protect.

Those who support her laud “Notorious Victoria” as a gifted spiritualist medium and healer, a talented financial mind, a fresh voice in the suffrage movement, and the radical idealist needed to move the nation forward. But those who dislike her see a dangerous force who is too willing to speak out when women are expected to be quiet. Ultimately, “Mrs. Satan’s” radical views on women’s rights, equality of the sexes, free love and the role of politics in private affairs collide with her tumultuous personal life to endanger all she has built and change how she is viewed by future generations.

This is the story of one woman who was ahead of her time – a woman who would make waves even in the 21st century – but who dared to speak out and challenge the conventions of post-Civil War America, setting a precedent that is still followed by female politicians today.

AMAZON | ITUNES | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

About the Author

Nicole Evelina is an award-winning historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. Her most recent novel, Been Searching for You, a romantic comedy, won the 2015 Romance Writers of America (RWA) Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests.

She also writes historical fiction. Her debut novel, Daughter of Destiny, the first book of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere’s life story from her point of view, was named Book of the Year by Chanticleer Reviews, took the Grand Prize in the 2015 Chatelaine Awards for Women’s Fiction/Romance, won a Gold Medal in the fantasy category in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and was short-listed for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction. The sequel, Camelot’s Queen is out now.

Nicole is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere’s Tale trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.

Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for The Historical Novel Society, and Sirens (a group supporting female fantasy authors), as well as a member of the Historical Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, Women Writing the West, Broad Universe (promoting women in fantasy, science fiction and horror), Alliance of Independent Authors and the Independent Book Publishers Association.

Her website/blog is http://nicoleevelina.com and she can be found on Twitter as well as on Pinterest,Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Tumblr.

Please Pass The Books offers a spotlight of this novel. You may follow the official book blog tour through the blogger links below. Enjoy!

Monday, July 25
Tour Kick Off at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, July 26
Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, July 27
Spotlight at Broken Teepee

Thursday, July 28
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Friday, July 29
Spotlight at A Bookaholic Swede

Monday, August 1
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, August 2
Guest Post & Excerpt at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium

Wednesday, August 3
Review at The Book Junkie Reads

Thursday, August 4
Interview at The Maiden’s Court

Monday, August 8
Review at The Book Connection (First Chapter Review)

Tuesday, August 9
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Saturday, August 13
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Tuesday, August 16
Review at First Impressions Reviews

Wednesday, August 17
Review at Creating Herstory

Thursday, August 18
Spotlight at What Is That Book About
Guest Post at Creating Herstory

Friday, August 19
Review at Diana’s Book Reviews

Monday, August 22
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Spotlight at To Read, Or Not to Read

Tuesday, August 23
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Wednesday, August 24
Review at Book Nerd
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, August 25
Review at Bookramblings

Friday, August 26
Review at A Bookish Affair

My Dog Has Died: What Do I Do? - Wendy Van de Poll

My Dog Has Died: What Do I Do?
Wendy Van de Poll

Would you like a special way for healing pet loss?
Have you experienced the death of your dog and are you dealing with pet loss grief?
Are you feeling alone and out of sorts while coping with the loss of a pet?
Do you want to keep a connection with you dog on a spiritual level?

The good news there is a book to help you right NOW!
Healing pet loss is not as difficult when you have this book on hand.

Does the following sound familiar for what you are experiencing?

You just arrived home and in an instant, you realize that something is very different. Your house is quiet and there is a cold feeling of emptiness. These feelings are taking on a life of their own, and suddenly reality hits you! Your dog is not bounding through the house to greet you. Your dog is no longer enveloping you with unconditional love, kisses, and endless joy. Devastated you ask yourself, “What am I going to do?” The answer to this question and the good news is that Wendy is sharing her new book with you as she supports you through your pet bereavement journey. Offering you tools and compassionate guidance to help you heal from the trauma of pet loss. Sharing helpful ways to deal with all the changes that you are going to experience immediately after the death of your dog. Plus, special ways to prepare for the future. If your dog has died and you are experiencing grief, having difficulty making important decisions, and you want to do something special to not forget the life you shared with your dog then this book is for you.


Please Pass The Books Review

My Dog Has Died: What Do I Do? Making Decisions and Healing the Trauma of Pet Loss by Wendy Van de Poll, MS, CEOL, is the second book in The Pet Bereavement Series, following My Dog Is Dying: What Do I Do?: Emotions, Decisions, and Options for Healing. An expert in pet loss grief support, Van de Poll helps readers come to terms with the gravity of emotions they experience while grappling with the death of their beloved companions. Offering guidance and compassionate reassurances that most of what a reader is feeling is natural, she then reaches further, covering all the necessary requiem from helping children understand, making funeral and memorial arrangements, whether or not a reader might be ready to get another dog, and many other areas. These insightful and compassionate chapters include examples, case studies, and questionnaires at conclusion to help assess where in the grieving process a person may be. Van de Poll ultimately allows readers insight on her expertise as a medium, educating those grieving on spiritual connections and afterlife.

My Dog Has Died: What Do I Do? Making Decisions and Healing the Trauma of Pet Loss by Wendy Van de Poll is a jewel of a guide for anyone who has lost their dog, but will certainly prove useful even to those who are grieving over the loss of their cat, or another adored pet. Van de Poll writes with the compassion and caring one needs during a time such as this, and she achieves this while affirming her authority the field. It's really important that people in these circumstances feel that the pain they are experiencing, and how they are coping with it on an individual level, is normal. Van de Poll validates the grieving process and allows readers with additional tools to assist them on the journey. Nobody ever wants to think about their need for a guide such as this one, but it will prove to be an invaluable source to those who read it.

Review written for Readers' Favorite.

Goodreads    Amazon     

Hi, I'm Wendy...

My life crumbled on December 9, 2013, when I got the news that my partnership with Marley (our Samoyed) was going to end. Marley had cancer. “She might only last another week or two, maybe a month,” he said. In fact, he was surprised she was still alive at all.

I was devastated. What was I going to do? I was losing my best friend, teacher, partner, and guide. How was I going to survive without her? My husband and I saw the CAT scan and the big honking tumor, but there was no way I was giving Marley up without a fight.

During those last ten months of “Marley Time,” I had two goals . . .

One was to do everything I could to keep Marley happy and comfortable. The second was to take the lessons Marley had taught me about how to be joyful and find a way to continue to integrate them into my life without her.

On September 22, 2014, our eyes connected as did our hearts. Marley asked me to allow her to move on. We both knew it was time.

I finally understood her lessons of unconditional love, and I was ready to face the world without her.

As she took her last breath, I knew exactly why Marley was put into my life. She helped me learn to stand on my own. And even though she wouldn’t be coming home with me again, I could choose to be happy by remembering to come home to myself!

Thank you, Marley!

Website     Twitter     Goodreads

Spotlight! THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER: A HIRO HATTORI NOVEL - SUSAN SPANN

THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER: A HIRO HATTORI NOVEL
BY SUSAN SPANN

Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Seventh Street Books
eBook & Paperback; 230 Pages
Series: Hiro Hattori Novels/Shinobi Mysteries
Genre: Historical Mystery

Autumn, 1565: When an actor’s daughter is murdered on the banks of Kyoto’s Kamo River, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo are the victim’s only hope for justice.

As political tensions rise in the wake of the shogun’s recent death, and rival warlords threaten war, the Kyoto police forbid an investigation of the killing, to keep the peace–but Hiro has a personal connection to the girl, and must avenge her. The secret investigation leads Hiro and Father Mateo deep into the exclusive world of Kyoto’s theater guilds, where they quickly learn that nothing, and no one, is as it seems. With only a mysterious golden coin to guide them, the investigators uncover a forbidden love affair, a missing mask, and a dangerous link to corruption within the Kyoto police department that leaves Hiro and Father Mateo running for their lives.

“In The Ninja’s Daughter, Susan Spann’s poetic voice brilliantly captures the societal disparities, political intrigues, and martial conflicts of sixteenth-century Japan through the persevering efforts of ninja detective Hiro Hattori to solve a murder authorities consider of no consequence.” -JEFFREY SIGER, International Bestselling Author

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | ITUNES |INDIEBOUND | KOBO

About the Author

Susan Spann is the author of three previous novels in the Shinobi Mystery series: Claws of the Cat, Blade of the Samurai, and Flask of the Drunken Master. She has a degree in Asian Studies and a lifelong love of Japanese history and culture. . When not writing, she works as a transactional attorney focusing on publishing and business law, and raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium.

For more information please visit Susan Spann’s website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Please Pass The Books offers a spotlight of this novel. You may follow the official book blog tour through the blogger links below. Enjoy!

Monday, July 25
Review at The Readers Hollow
Review & Giveaway at Lampshade Reader

Tuesday, July 26
Review at Reading the Past

Wednesday, July 27
Review at Nerd in New York

Thursday, July 28
Spotlight at Cafinated Reads
Spotlight at Susan Heim on Writing

Friday, July 29
Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Monday, August 1
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Tuesday, August 2
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Review at Booklover Book Reviews

Wednesday, August 3
Guest Post at Diana’s Book Reviews

Friday, August 5
Spotlight at The Bookaholic Swede

Sunday, August 7
Review at Carole’s Ramblings

Monday, August 8
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, August 9
Spotlight at Just One More Chapter
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, August 10
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Friday, August 12
Spotlight at Laura’s Interests
Spotlight at Life of a Female Bibliophile

Monday, August 15
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, August 16
Review at Writing the Renaissance
Guest Post at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, August 17
Review at Book Nerd
Interview at Writing the Renaissance

Thursday, August 18
Review at Layered Pages

Friday, August 19
Spotlight at Christy’s Cozy Corners

Monday, August 22
Review at Queen of All She Reads
Guest Post & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Tuesday, August 23
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, August 24
Review at Beth’s Book Nook Blog

Thursday, August 25
Spotlight at The Recipe Fairy

Friday, August 26
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Introducing The Work of Author Richard Masefield!

Please Pass the Books is thrilled to introduce new readers to the work of historical fiction author Richard Masefield!

The White Cross

Publication Date: September 24, 2014
Red Door Publishing Ltd
eBook & Paperback; 496 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

The White Cross is a whole new reading experience; a book that brings something entirely original to historical fiction. Set in the late twelfth century at the time of King Richard I’s crusade to win back Jerusalem from the Saracens, the story deals with timeless issues – with the moralities of warfare and fundamental religion, the abuse of power, the heights of martial fervour and the depths of disillusionment The writing blazes with colour (literally in the case of the printed edition, which makes groundbreaking use of colour throughout). It pulses with life, capturing the sights and sounds, the very smells of medieval life. At the novel’s heart is the relationship between Garon and Elise – the story of an arranged marriage which rapidly develops into something deeper, to challenge a young husband’s strongly held beliefs and set him on a long and painful journey to self-realisation, to break and finally restore a woman’s spirit as she battles for recognition and for justice in a brutal man’s world. And then there is the Berge dal becce; a character who is surely more than he appears? The only way to uncover all the secrets of The White Cross is to read it!

Chalkhill Blue

Publication Date: April 30, 2014
Red Door Publishing Ltd
eBook & Paperback; 352 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Chalkhill Blue is an award-winning novel of the First World War, and of so much else besides. A grand romance in the English narrative tradition, it spans more than two decades, from the Edwardian heyday through the cataclysm of the ‘war to end wars’ to the uncertain new world of the 1920s. As a study of deception and self-deception, it traces the lives of two women who have dared to flout the rules of their society, and those of the men who love them; the double strands of a remarkable love story which concludes with a heart-stopping double-twist that makes it literally unforgettable. But far more than a romance, this is also a descriptive novel of tremendous scope, transporting the reader from the parched drove-trails of Queensland to the horse-drawn congestion of Edwardian London; from the snow-capped cordilleras of the Andes to a truly astonishing underground city deep in the chalk of Artois. The timeless downland landscapes of Sussex and the little blue butterfly that haunts them are horrifyingly contrasted with the man-made desolation of their notorious counterparts across the Channel at Arras and on the Somme. Based on a true story, Chalkhill Blue is compulsory reading for anyone with a taste for the authentic and the unusual.

Painted Lady

Publication Date: April 30, 2014
Red Door Publishing Ltd
eBook & Paperback; 240 Pages
Genre: Historical Romance

From her luxurious mansion in St James’s, London, Milady looks back through the years – to hear the church bells ringing in celebration of Wellington’s great victory at Waterloo, at the time when she left clacking tongues behind her in the Sussex village of Alfriston for adventure and employment in fashionable Brighton, the ‘second capital of England’. There as the seventeen-year-old Sary Snudden, with her reputation already ruined, she becomes a prostitute, the ‘Painted Lady’ of the title. Yet even Regency conventions are to prove too narrow for a girl of Sary’s flamboyant character. Caught up in a passionate affair with young David Stanville, heir to Lord Southbourne’s great estate of Hadderton, she and her lover cross the Alps on a perilous journey by coach and sled to the excitement of a popular revolution in Turin and an erotically charged idyll in the Italian lakes. But the question of how she’ll cross the greater gulf, which lies between her humble origins and the noble status David seeks for her, remains the central problem of Milady’s life. Moving from the great military encampments of Napoleonic Sussex to the pleasure grounds of nineteenth century Europe, from the practical routines of a well-run brothel, to the elegant manners of St James’s, Painted Lady spans a colourful half-century of European history. A delightful, romping adventure, the novel introduces an unforgettable new heroine to historical fiction.

Brimstone

Publication Date: May 1, 2014
Red Door Publishing Ltd
eBook & Paperback; 288 Pages
Genre: Historical/Romance/Adventure

Brimstone is a story of temptation, ambition and their consequences. The year is 1793. The Terror is at its height in France, Britain is at war with her old enemy once more, and along the coast of Sussex the smugglers’ trade in spirits and tobacco is flourishing. The novel’s two heroes are brothers bound by love, but separated by opposing characters which come to represent two the two faces of eighteenth century England – its brutality and its enlightenment. For the reckless Aaron Corbyn, there are adventures to be had and profits to be made from contrabanding. While his elder brother Rafe, a sobrely steadfast physician, runs the family estate of Chalkdean, Aaron builds an illegal empire as master smuggler across the Channel, at Fecamp in Normandy. Ellin Rimmer, daughter of a ‘fire and brimstone’ preacher, marries one brother to escape the loneliness of life in a parsonage, only to find herself hopelessly attracted to the other – and to be compelled through him to an impetuous decision that will have drastic consequences for all three. Sweeping from the open downland and flintstone villages of Sussex to the coast of revolutionary France, from Newgate prison and the subhuman conditions of a convict transport ship to the penal colony of New South Wales, Brimstone weighs the destructive aspects of sexual obsession against the healing power of generosity to bring its heroine an unexpected redemption.

About the Author

Richard Masefield comes from a family of writers – John Masefield was his cousin – and with a love of animals and the outdoors he decided at a young age that he would farm and write, if necessary both at once.

It took years of hard work before Richard could realise his dream, and in fact his first published novel was written while milking a herd of Friesian cows. He still lives on his farm in Sussex with his wife Lee and together they spend as much time as possible with their large family of children and grandchildren.

You can visit Richard’s website at www.richardmasefield.co.uk.

Please Pass The books offers a spotlight of these books. You may read blogger reviews and follow the official book blog tour below. Enjoy!

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, July 15
Review at Back Porchervations (The White Cross)

Monday, July 18
Review at Historical Fiction Obsession (The Painted Lady)

Wednesday, July 20
Review at Back Porchervations (The Painted Lady)

Tuesday, July 26
Review at Back Porchervations (Chalk Hill Blue)

Monday, August 1
Review at Back Porchervations (Brimstone)

Wednesday, August 3
Review at Book Nerd (The White Cross)

Tuesday, August 9
Review at Book Nerd (The Painted Lady)

Wednesday, August 10
Review at Diana’s Book Reviews (Brimstone)

Thursday, August 11
Review at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium (The Painted Lady)

Saturday, August 13
Review at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium (The White Cross)

Monday, August 15
Review at Broken Teepee (The White Cross)

Spotlight! THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES - M.J. ROSE

THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES
M.J. Rose

Publication Date: July 19, 2016
Atria Books
Series: The Daughters of La Lune, Book Two
Historical Fiction/Fantasy

As World War I rages and the Romanov dynasty reaches its sudden, brutal end, a young jewelry maker discovers love, passion, and her own healing powers in this rich and romantic ghost story, the perfect follow-up to M.J. Rose’s “brilliantly crafted” (Providence Journal) novelThe Witch of Painted Sorrows.

Nestled within Paris’s historic Palais Royal is a jewelry store unlike any other. La Fantasie Russie is owned by Pavel Orloff, protégé to the famous Faberge, and is known by the city’s fashion elite as the place to find the rarest of gemstones and the most unique designs. But war has transformed Paris from a city of style and romance to a place of fear and mourning. In the summer of 1918, places where lovers used to walk, widows now wander alone.

So it is from La Fantasie Russie’s workshop that young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi now spends her time making trench watches for soldiers at the front, as well as mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. People say that Opaline’s creations are magical. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. The concept is too closely associated with her mother Sandrine, who practices the dark arts passed down from their ancestor La Lune, one of sixteenth century Paris’s most famous courtesans.

But Opaline does have a rare gift even she can’t deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. Certain gemstones, combined with a personal item, such as a lock of hair, enable her to receive messages from beyond the grave. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message—directly to her.

So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family. Full of romance, seduction, and a love so powerful it reaches beyond the grave, The Secret Language of Stones is yet another “spellbindingly haunting” (Suspense magazine), “entrancing read that will long be savored” (Library Journal, starred review).

“A spellbinding ghost story that communicates the power of love and redemption through Rose’s extraordinary, magical lens.” (Alyson Richman, internationally bestselling author of The Lost Wife)

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKS-A-MILLION | INDIEBOUND

About the Author

M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed.

She is the author of more than a dozen novels, the co-president and founding board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Visit her online at MJRose.com.

Connect with M.J. Rose on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Sign up for M.J. Rose’s newsletter and get information about new releases, free book downloads, contests, excerpts and more.



Please Pass The Books offers a Spotlight of this book. The official book blog your can be followed below. Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 2
Interview at The Book Junkie Reads

Wednesday, August 3
Review at Diana’s Book Reviews

Thursday, August 4
Interview at Diana’s Book Reviews

Friday, August 5
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Monday, August 8
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, August 9
Review at Worth Getting in Bed For

Wednesday, August 10
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, August 11
Review at Girls Just Reading

Friday, August 12
Review at Dianne Ascroft’s Blog

Monday, August 15
Review at Fangirls Ahead!

Tuesday, August 16
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Review at The True Book Addict