Review The Last Tiara Interview with author M.J. Rose

 Today on the blog I'm reviewing The Last Tiara by one of my most favorite authors, M.J. Rose and as a special treat M.J. sat down and chatted all about her new book. I know if you don't have it on your list after learning all about it you will.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-1952457098
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Release Date: 02-02-2021
Length: 437pp
Source: Netgalley/Publisher for review
Buy It: Amazon/B&N/IndieBound

Overview:

A provocative and moving story of a young female architect in post-World War II Manhattan who stumbles upon a hidden treasure and begins a journey to discovering her mother's life during the fall of the Romanovs.

Sophia Moon had always been reticent about her life in Russia and when she dies, suspiciously, on a wintry New York evening, Isobelle despairs that her mother's secrets have died with her. But while renovating the apartment they shared, Isobelle discovers something among her mother's effects — a stunning silver tiara, stripped of its jewels.

Isobelle's research into the tiara's provenance draws her closer to her mother's past — including the story of what became of her father back in Russia, a man she has never known. The facts elude her until she meets a young jeweler who wants to help her but is conflicted by his loyalty to the Midas Society, a covert international organization whose mission is to return lost and stolen antiques, jewels, and artwork to their original owners.

Told in alternating points of view, the stories of the two young women unfurl as each struggles to find their way during two separate wars. In 1915, young Sofiya Petrovitch, favorite of the royal household and best friend of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, tends to wounded soldiers in a makeshift hospital within the grounds of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and finds the love of her life. In 1948 New York, Isobelle Moon works to break through the rampant sexism of the age as one of very few women working in a male-dominated profession and discovers far more about love and family than she ever hoped for.

In the two narratives, the secrets of Sofiya's early life are revealed incrementally, even as Isobelle herself works to solve the mystery of the historic Romanov tiara (which is based on an actual Romanov artifact that is, to this day, still missing) and how it is that her mother came to possess it. The two strands play off each other in finely-tuned counterpoint, building to a series of surprising and deeply satisfying revelations.

Sophia Rose Reviews Sprinkles and Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett

Today once again I welcome Sophia Rose to the blog with her audio review of Sprinkles and Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett, book #1 in her Sugar Shack Witch Mystery series.
Enjoy!

Sprinkles and Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett

#1 Sugar Shack Witch Mystery

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Published: 2.9.21

ASIN:  B08SR6XQ6X

Time:  8 hours

Rating: 3.5

Format: MP3

Source:  Tantor Audio

Sellers:  Amazon / Kobo

Add To: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

They say you can't go home again. . .oh, if only that were true.

Thanks to a series of unfortunate events - and one backstabbing frenemy - home is exactly where I'm headed. back to Winterspell Lake, the small community in Eastern Washington where magic runs rampant and humans are outlawed.

Faster than you can say hocus pocus I'm unpacking my bags and settling into the guest room of my parents' house, trying to ignore the creeping sensation that I'll never break free again.

The one thing Winterspell has going for it is the sweets shop in the center of town, a bakery filled with magical creations designed to enchant the taste buds and charm even the pickiest of connoisseurs. Luckily for me, I get the friends and family discount since my parents own the famous Sugar Shack. If I want room and board, I have to frost cupcakes and sling macaroons with the rest of the fam.

Unfortunately, things in Winterspell aren't all sugar cookies and rainbows. According to the local news, a dangerous sea serpent has claimed the lives to three missing girls. The journalist in me has to have a look for myself, and what I find is something far more deadly.

Something that makes me wish I'd stayed in the bakery.

#Giveaway Showcase- The Things That Last Forever by Peter W.J. Hayes a Partners in Crime tour

Today is my stop on The Things That Last Forever by Peter W.J. Hayes blog tour don't forget to enter the Giveaway at the end of the post.
Enjoy!

 

Review Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders book 1 in the Witch Way Librarian series Kensington Publishers

Today I'm so happy to be sharing Angela's latest novel, and first in a brand new, Witch Way Library, paranormal cozy series.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  9781496728746
Publisher: Kensington Publishers
Release Date: 12-29-2020
Length: 336pp
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy It: Publisher/Amazon/B&N/IndieBound

Overview:

Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .

Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .

Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life. 

#AudibleReview Dark Prince’s Enigma -Dark Prince’s Dilemma- Dark Prince’s Agenda by I.T. Lucas

A few years ago a friend turned me onto The Children of the Gods paranormal romance series by I. T. Lucas and it has become one of my all time favorite series and it's impossible to review just one so here is the review for books 29-31.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B07VVMXWJG
Publisher: I.T. Lucas
Release Date: 08-05-2019
Length: 7hrs-47 mins
Source: Purchase Amazon/Audible

As the son of the most dangerous male on the planet, Lokan lives by three rules:
Don’t trust a soul.

ASIN: B07XVT2SV9
Publisher: I.T. Lucas
Release Date: 09-16-2019
Length: 7hrs-42mins
Source: Purchase Amazon/Audible

Would Kian decide that the benefits of trusting Lokan outweigh the risks? Would Lokan betray his father and brothers for the greater good of his people? Are Carol and Lokan truelove mates, or is one of them playing the other?

ASIN: B081BBP7KL
Publisher: I.T. Lucas
Release Date: 11-11-2019
Length: 8hrs-3mins
Source: Purchase Amazon/Audible

While Turner and Kian work out the details of Areana's rescue plan, Carol and Lokan's tumultuous relationship hits another snag. Is it a sign of things to come?

My Audible review(s):

Dark Prince’s Enigma
Dark Prince’s Dilemma
Dark Prince’s Agenda

 

This three book story is a game changer for this series when IT brings not just a doomer into the fold of the clan but one of Navuh’a sons and in true I.T. Lucas style fans will be forced to binge read them to find out how it all works out in the end. Readers will reconnect with old series friends and be privy to a very secret special ops assignment. They will also get up close and personal with Carol, the series bad girl turned bad-assed secret weapon and Lokan the Prince who fans love to hate. Readers will get non-stop action interspersed with Lokan and Carol’s love story and a rare look at Navah’s harem. Long time fans of the series may be able to skip around but new readers need to start with book one to get the whole story. And what a story it is.

The narration by Charles Lawrence remains the main reason I spend the extra cash to get this on audible. His deep, distinct clear baritone gives that something extra and is the absolute perfect choice for narrating these novels.

Carol has survived for centuries using her female wiles until she was abducted and tortured by an immortal sadist and after being rescued by the clan she’s determined to do her part for the clan by infiltrating the doomer’s island as a spy to finally bring them down. When the clan captures one of Navuh’s sons she’s prepared to use whatever it takes to get him to spill some doomer beans. What she didn’t expect was to find out that he was her true love mate, which just confirms that the fates have it in for her.

Lokan has had a lot to contemplate since his capture by the clan. He’s fallen for a beautiful immortal temptress who claims they’re fated mates, he knows he’s addicted to her but he doesn’t believe in the fates or fated mates. But when he meets the clan mother, the Goddess Annani who tells him she believes he’s the son of her sister Areana that he truly believes and knows he has no choice but to help Carol gain access to his father’s harem to rescue his mother.

 

About the author:
I.T. Lucas, the author of the Children of The Gods series, lives in Southern California with her five favorite guys. Ever since meeting the love of her life at a high-school party, she and her hubby have been doing everything together; from majoring in business and then starting and running their own, to raising four wonderful boys.

A voracious reader, her interests run the gamut from fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal romance, to forays into the mythologies and histories of ancient civilizations, philosophy, the nature of the universe – physical and metaphysical, and more.

Still, if not for her sons' insistence, she would've never thought of incorporating this fascinating trove of information into fiction. Of course, what they had in mind were not the smart yet steamy paranormal-romance novels she ended up writing… which they can't read… Their dad, naturally, reads everything, offers suggestions, and with the right incentives, proofreads.

Showcase The Mermaid and the Minotaur by Dorothy Dinnerstein with a new introduction by Gloria Steinem Other Press

Today I'm so so excited to be bringing my readers my feature on The Mermaid and the Minotaur by Dorothy Dinnerstein first published over forty years ago and is still so relevant today and in it's second reprint from my absolute fave indie publisher, Other Press.
My copy is high on my TBR shelf and I can't wait to read it and share my thoughts but until then delight in the showcase!

Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-1-63542-094-4
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 2-16-2021
Length: 336pp
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

One of the most significant and enduring texts in psychology and gender studies, now with a new introduction by Gloria Steinem.

Since its publication in 1976, Dorothy Dinnerstein’s The Mermaid and the Minotaur has been recognized as one of the most significant contributions to modern feminist thought. The book, translated into at least seven languages, is widely used in women’s studies courses and is an influential text outside academia as well. On a level with Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, it has remained intensely relevant to a wide audience due to its pioneering message of equality. In this work, Dinnerstein challenges the ideology underlying the female monopoly of childcare and demonstrates the importance of men taking a similarly active role in parenting. A seminal feminist text, The Mermaid and the Minotaur brilliantly integrates feminist theory with Kleinian psychoanalytical theory.

Showcase - Comes The War by Ed Ruggero A Tor/Forge new release

 Today I'm showcasing #2 in Ed Ruggero's Eddie Hawkin's series, Comes The War. Ruggero takes readers back to WWII Britan where Lieutenant Harkins is tasked with investigating the murder of an OSS operative.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  9781250312877
Publisher: Tor/Forge
Release Date: 02-09-2021
Length: 288pp
Eddie Harkins #2
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

Set against the heroism and heartbreak of WW II, former Army officer Ed Ruggero's Comes the War brilliantly captures the timeless stories of ordinary people swept up in extraordinary times

April 1944, the fifty-fifth month of the war in Europe. The entire island of Britain fairly buzzes with the coiled energy of a million men poised to leap the Channel to France, the first, riskiest step in the Allies’ long slog to the heart of Germany and the end of the war.

Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is tasked to investigate the murder of Helen Batcheller, an OSS analyst. Harkins is assigned a British driver, Private Pamela Lowell, to aid in his investigation. Lowell is smart, brave and resourceful; like Harkins, she is prone to speak her mind even when it doesn’t help her.

Soon a suspect is arrested and Harkins is ordered to stop digging. Suspicious, he continues his investigation only to find himself trapped in a web of Soviet secrets. As bombs fall, Harkins must solve the murder and reveal the spies before it is too late.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.