Oh my...it's been a while since I read a book that made me cry. I'm counting this one as one of my favorite reads in 2019. Check it out and enter to win a copy! But hurry, the giveaway ends very soon. Book Details:

Book Title: The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani
Category: Adult Fiction, 399 pages
Genre: Literary
Publisher: Lake Union
Release date: September 2018
Tour dates: June 3 to July 12, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 (There are some non-explicit sex scenes)

Book Description:

An Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller!

From the bestselling author of Trail of Broken Wings comes an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream.

Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past. Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture. But it is Ravi—her grandmother’s former servant and trusted confidant—who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya’s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation.

​Through her courageous grandmother’s arrestingly romantic and heart-wrenching story, Jaya discovers the legacy bequeathed to her and a strength that, until now, she never knew was possible.



Oh my...it's been a while since I read a book that made me cry. Well, Sejal Badani succeeded in doing just that with The Storyteller's Secret. I enjoy books set in India and this one was quite atmospheric, taking me back to when India was under the British occupation. The story has a dual timeline, with Jaya who lives in present-day New York City and Amisha, her grandmother, who lived during the 1930s in a small village in India.

Jaya is experiencing grief after her third miscarriage and the painful separation from the husband she loves. She decides to travel to her grandmother's hometown after her mother receives a letter with the news that Jaya's grandfather is dying. Jaya has a strained relationship with her mother who refuses to go back to India. She doesn't understand her mother's closed personality and longs for a better connection with her. Once Jaya is in India, she meets Ravi, one of India's untouchables who had once been her grandmother's servant. Ravi is now an old man who slowly unravels the story of Jaya's grandmother and passes on her legacy.

I loved Amisha's story because she was a woman ahead of her time, struggling to explore her gift of writing at a time when women were considered inferior. This is a story about mother and daughter relationships, about the grief of miscarriage and how it affects couples, about searching for one's roots and heritage, about exploring one's culture, and about friendship and love.

If you love literary fiction or women's fiction with strong female characters, The Storyteller's Secret will take you to a small village in India where a woman tried to make a difference although stuck in tradition and her female role in a patriarchal society. I loved this book and was so overcome with emotion with that heartwrenching ending. I'll count this as one of my favorite reads of 2019. I am now a fan of Sejal Badani and have her first book Trail of Broken Wings on my TBR list.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Details:
​
Book Title: Fern (The Montgomery Sisters Book 1) by Kat Flannery
Category: Historical western romance, 182 pages
Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Publisher: Picco Press
Release date: April 4, 2018
Tour dates: July 1-31, 2019
Content Rating: PG + M (The occasional swear word, not the F-word, mild violence)

Book Description:

Can one woman heal the heart of a lawman? A gardener who uses plants to heal, Fern Montgomery is an outcast who refuses to be pushed out of town. When her friend is murdered and all fingers point to Fern as the only suspect, she must find a way to prove her innocence while fighting off unwanted feelings for the sheriff. Sheriff Gabe Bennett has his mind set on arresting Sarah Fuller’s killer. But his key suspect isn’t what he expected. He soon realizes there is more to the quiet gardener than he’d first anticipated. As passion blooms, Gabe is forced to face his feelings—and the woman who has stolen his heart.


I've discovered a new Canadian author whose historical western romance books are so much fun to read. I've read all three books in the series and enjoyed every single one. The first book introduces us to Fern, the first-born of the three sisters. Fern is the serious sister who feels responsible for taking care of her sisters (as first-born myself I can totally relate!) especially since they lost their parents to tragic circumstances.

Fern is an intelligent woman who has the gift of using plants to heal. She is independent, strong and courageous. When Gabe, the new sheriff, begins to investigate a murder that points to Fern as a suspect, they are thrown together and feelings blossom despite their being at odds with each other.

Flannery starts all her novels with action, pulling the reader in quickly with never a dull moment until before you know it, you've read the whole book! Despite this being a short novel, the characters are well-developed, the pace is excellent, the dialogue realistic moving the plot forward. I did wish this was a longer novel because I loved the characters, the setting and the plot.

Best of all this was a clean romance novel. Although labeled a romance, there is plenty of action, a good plot, and a murder mystery rendering this book a fun page-turner. If you're looking for a quick read with a strong female lead character, look no further.

My review of Poppy, the next book in the Montgomery series will be posted next week.
​
To read reviews, please visit Kat Flannery's page on iRead Book Tours.

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author: 

Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in her novels. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. A member of many writing groups including the National Romance Writers of America (RWA), Kat enjoys promoting other authors on her blog. When she’s not busy writing or marketing Kat volunteers her time to other aspiring authors. She’s been published in numerous periodicals throughout her career and continues to write for blogs and online magazines. A bestselling author, Kat’s books are available all over the world. The BRANDED TRILOGY is Kat’s award-winning series. With seven books published, Kat continues to write two novels a year.
​
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I love books that bring awareness and help us to understand the world around us. In this case, it's the world of sharks and their important role in the ocean ecosystem. Check it out and enter to win a copy of this book!

Book Details:

Photo Credit: Debra Somerville

Today I'm spotlighting a book that got me curious about one's "setpoint weight". My hormones are a little crazy these days and I'm hoping this book will enlighten me. Check it out and enter to win a copy!

Book Details:

Book Title: The Setpoint Diet by Jonathan Bailor
Category: Self-help/ Weight Management, 311 pages
Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Publisher: Hachette Books
Release date: December 2018
Tour dates: June 17 to July 12, 2019
Content Rating: PG+M

Book Description:

Join the 27,000 people who have achieved dramatic and long-term weight loss with The Setpoint Diet, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Calorie Myth.

Your body fights to keep you within a range of about 15 pounds--also known as your "setpoint weight." New research reveals that you can lower your setpoint and end that battle for good by focusing on the quality of calories you eat, not the quantity. With The Setpoint Diet, you will reprogram your body with a 21-day plan to rev up your metabolism, eliminate inflammation, heal your hormones, repair your gut, and get your body working like that of a naturally thin person--permanently.

The Setpoint Diet is a lower-carb menu that focuses on specific anti-inflammatory whole foods, including tons of produce, nutritious proteins, and therapeutic fats. Its creator, Jonathan Bailor, founded SANESolution, a weight loss company that has reached millions of people. Proven to help you lose weight naturally and maintain it, The Setpoint Diet is your new blueprint for healthy living.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Details:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is the third book by Melissa Muldoon and I can say that it's her best one yet! Read what I thought of the story and then enter to win a copy!


Book Details:

Book Title: Eternally Artemisia : Some loves, like some women, are timeless by Melissa Muldoon
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 312 pages
Genre: Fiction General, Fiction Women
Publisher: Matta Press
Release date: March 2019
Tour dates: June 3 to 28, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (The themes of the book deal with rape and overcoming sexual abuse. It is a book about female empowerment and how with the right tools, and support women may rise above past tragedies to build a better future for themselves.)

Book Description:
​
They say some loves travel through time and are fated to meet over and over again. For Maddie, an art therapist, who wrestles with the “peculiar feeling” she has lived previous lives and is being called to Italy by voices that have left imprints on her soul, this idea is intriguing. Despite her best efforts, however, proof of this has always eluded her. That is, until one illuminating summer in Italy when Maddie’s previous existences start to bleed through into her current reality. When she is introduced to the Crociani family—a noble clan with ties to the seventeenth-century Medici court that boasts of ancestors with colorful pasts—she finally meets the loves of her life. One is a romantic love, and another is a special kind of passion that only women share, strong amongst those who have suffered greatly yet have triumphed despite it.

As Maddie's relationship develops with Artemisia Gentileschi—an artist who in a time when it was unheard of to denounce a man for the crime of rape, did just that—Maddie discovers a kindred spirit and a role model, and just what women are capable of when united together.

In a journey that arcs back to biblical days and moves forward in time, Maddie encounters artists, dukes, designers, and movie stars as well as baser and ignoble men. With Artemisia never far from her side, she proves that when we dare to take control of our lives and find the “thing” we are most passionate about, we are limitless and can touch the stars.


This is the third book by Melissa Muldoon and I can say that although I enjoyed her first two novels immensely, this one truly showed how far Muldoon has come as a writer. This book is her best one yet! The story grabbed my attention from the beginning and it kept me in suspense until the last page.

The story is divided into 5 sections, beginning with a scene from Biblical times. It then shifts to modern times and we meet Maddie (Maddalena), an art therapist, who decides to spend the summer in Italy where she meets the Crociani family. Up to this point in the novel, Maddie keeps getting the "feeling" that she has lived a past life and from this point on we are transported back to the 17th century where she meets Artemisia  Gentileschi. This is where the reader can tell that Muldoon is an art historian because she vividly brings to life Artemisia, a woman painter like no other. This novel aroused my curiosity about this artist that I felt compelled to do some research on her. I wanted to learn more about this amazing woman.

The story then shifts to the 1930 epoch, which was my favorite setting of the novel. Once again, Muldoon has a way of bringing her characters to life. Although I thought that this book would include time travel or time slip, it's more of a reincarnation for Maddie. So, in essence, we meet three Maddalenas, each similar in character, but distinctly different people who have lived in different time periods, but who each were inspired by Artemisia, and who experienced the love of a man named Matteo. It's the story of these four women linked by art, the strength of friendship, and the love of a man.

I thought the ending was unique and ties into the modern part of the tale, although the modern part feels incomplete. We know what happens to the Maddie in the 17th century and the 1930s but not the original Maddie of modern times.

If you love art history, strong female characters and stories with a fantastical element to them then I urge you to look for Muldoon's books. They transport you to Italy, to the Renaissance period and to the lives of unforgettable women.





Praise for Eternally Artemisia:

“A true Renaissance woman, Melissa Muldoon weaves her passions for art and Italy into a stirring saga that sweeps across centuries. As her time-traveling heroine Maddie reconnects with kindred souls, we meet Artemisia Gentileschi, the 17th-century artist who overcame rape and ignominy to gain respect and acclaim. Historic figures such as Galileo and Mussolini also come to life in this intricately plotted novel, but the women who defy all constraints to take control of their destinies are the ones who prove to be eternally fascinating.” -- Dianne Hales

What a lovely story! Melissa weaves the lives of 4 women across time, all with some connection to Artemisia Gentileschi, a 16th century Italy painter. They represent the feminine strength that arises from life challenges, each with their unique intelligence. Underlying their stories is the idea that love transcends all, even time, love is timeless. As with her other books, Melissa fills the story out with interesting facts and references to the Italian life, culture and it's history, her attention to detail is immaculate. I loved all of the many connections in this story that tied it all together, very cleverly done. Wonderful read, I would highly recommend it. – Lize, Amazon Reviewer

Melissa Muldoon does a phenomenal job blending fiction, romance, art history, and the Italian language into this gem. For fans of historical fiction, romance, and time travel, I strongly recommend this novel. –Exemplary Editing, Amazon Review

Ever since I started reading books by Lauren Carr, I've been wanting to read her very first book It's Murder My Son. Of course, as expected, this was a great start to a series I now love.

Book Details:

Book Title: Nightfall (Book 1 in the Clemhorn Trilogy) By Andrew J Harvey
Category: Adult Fiction, 250 pages
Genre: Science Fiction Military, Alternate History
Publisher: Zmok Books, an imprint of Pike and Powder Publishing Group LLC
Release date: February 2019
Tour dates: June 3 - 14, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 (My book includes some violence and adult themes including one off-camera torture scene)

Book Description:

After eighty years of war the remnants of humanity on the Nayarit Line struggled to survive in sealed domes, surrounded by radioactive wasteland and genetically engineered viruses. It was in the last, desperate years of the war that the first trans-temporal portal was developed at Chiqu, a small research facility on the west coast of North America. As the domes finally failed and civilization collapsed around them, Iapura led fifty-three survivors to found a new empire on a parallel Earth; an Earth where, in 1884, Russian and English armies faced each other across America’s Great Plains, totally unprepared for the technology of the invading Nayarit. The Cross-Temporal Empire now encompasses fifty-four parallel Earths. But with its ruling Council riven by dissent the death of First Leader Manet, sets the Council into a slow and irrevocable slide into civil war.

A war that threatens not only the lives of the Clemhorn siblings: Conrad, Arnold, Donald, and Ivy; but the very future of the Empire.


When I first started reading this novel, I was wondering if it was the same book as what the description says about it. It has a strong beginning as we are introduced to the four siblings: Conrad, Arnold, Donald, and Ivy. The story is told through the eyes of these four main characters in alternating chapters. I enjoyed these main characters and thought they well-developed but was quite confused about the setting, the timeline and what was really going on. I think there wasn't enough world building for me.

There are a lot of characters that are introduced and I had a hard time keeping them straight. A character list at the beginning of the book would have been useful, rather than at the end of the book since I was reading an ebook version.

Overall, for me, this story is propelled by its characters and not the plotline. Alternate history is not easy to achieve and must be written with the understanding that the reader is aware of what is currently happening in both timelines. Less mundane dialogue and more descriptions of place and time would have helped with pacing and overall interest of the plot.

To read reviews, please visit Andrew J. Harvey's page on iRead Book Tours.






a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Details:

Book Title: Velvalee Dickinson: The "Doll Woman" Spy by Barbara Casey
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 184 pages
Genre: True Crime / Historical / Biography
Publisher: Strategic Media Books
Release date: April 2019
Tour dates: May 27 to June 7, 2019
Content Rating: PG - Velvalee Dickinson is appropriate for all ages.

Book Description:

Velvalee Dickinson was born in Sacramento, California, graduated from Stanford University, married three times, and then in the early 1930s moved to New York City where she eventually opened her own exclusive doll shop on the prestigious Madison Avenue. It was there that she built her reputation as an expert in rare, antique, and foreign dolls. She traveled extensively around the country lecturing and exhibiting her dolls while building a wealthy clientele that included Hollywood stars, members of high society, politicians, and other collectors.

​When medical bills started to accumulate because of her husband’s poor health and business started to fail with the onset of World War II, she accepted the role as a spy for the Imperial Japanese Government. By hiding coded messages in her correspondence about dolls, she was able to pass on to her Japanese contacts critical military information about the US warships. After surveilling Velvalee for over a year, the FBI arrested her and charged her with espionage and violation of censorship laws. She became the first American woman to face the death penalty on charges of spying for a wartime enemy.

Velvalee Dickinson: The “Doll Woman” Spy is a carefully researched glimpse into the “Doll Woman’s” life as a collector of dolls, and as the highest paid American woman who spied for the Imperial Japanese Government during World War II.
​
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you love contemporary women's fiction and a good family drama, this one is a perfect summer read. So check it out, along with my review and the author interview. There's also a chance to win a copy of the book!


​Book Details:

Book Title: What We Do for Love by Anne Pfeffer
Category: Adult Fiction, 227 pages
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Publisher: Bold Print Press
Release date: May 21, 2019
Tour dates: May 20 to June 14, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (My book has a few instances of the F-word and Sh--- and one somewhat explicit sex scene)

Book Description:

“If Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore Girls was dropped into a thriller, it might resemble this appealing novel.” --Kirkus Reviews

Thirty-eight-year-old Nicole Adams has given up on finding love. Instead, the single mother focuses on the things she cherishes most—her sixteen-year-old son Justin, her friends, and her art. When she convinces a prominent Los Angeles museum to feature a piece of her work, a large-scale installation, she thinks her life has finally turned a corner. Then Justin brings a girl, Daniela, home to live with them. Daniela’s angry parents have thrown her out of the house because she’s pregnant with Justin’s child.

​Shattered, Nicole takes Daniela in and, in so doing, is drawn into the inner circle of Daniela’s family—a frightening world of deceit and violence. Nicole struggles to keep life going as normal. Forced to deal with people she doesn’t trust or like, fearful for the future of both her son and the grandchild they’re expecting, Nicole wonders if she can do what she tells Justin to do: always have faith in yourself and do the right thing. ​

What We Do For Love won the Chick Lit category and made finalist for Best Cover Design/Fiction in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

Although labelled a fantasy novel, Song of Atlantis is also historical, sci-fi and somewhat of a thriller. Enter to win a copy!

​Book Details:

Book Title: Song of Atlantis by Brian Power
Category: Adult Fiction, 322 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Brian J Power
Release date: December 2014
Tour dates: May 13 - 24, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (No explicit sex scene or excessive profanity)

Book Description:

A shocking discovery leads one scientist down a dangerous path in Brian Power’s compelling debut novel, Song of Atlantis.

When Amon Goro, the master architect of Atlantis, discovers a way to harness the earth’s forces into an infinite source of clean energy, it seems destined to change civilization as we know it.

But 4,500 years later, Atlantis exploration team leader Palen Golendar is brutally captured by a Native American tribe in modern-day South Dakota—derailing any hope Atlantis held of utilizing its energy secrets.

Eight thousand years in the future, Native American anthropologist Gordon Tallbear and his team of highly skilled researchers stumble across a connection between the recent discovery of Golendar’s remains and an intricate cavern system deep in the mountains of Antarctica…a connection that finally reveals the Atlantean secret of perpetual energy.

While Tallbear and his team plan to recreate the energy source that will change the world, a wealthy group with deep ties to carbon-based fuel producers decides this newfound energy source must be destroyed—and they will stop at nothing to assassinate the researchers in order to bury what they know.

Can Tallbear’s newfound knowledge survive?


Although labelled a fantasy novel, Song of Atlantis is also historical, sci-fi and somewhat of a thriller. It has three timelines, beginning its story 12 500 years ago in Atlantis, then 8000 years ago in North America and finally present day America where most of the story takes place. The story had a slow start for me, but it became clearer as I progressed into the book. This was very much a "good versus evil" story, with strong elements of native American spirituality versus Satanism.

I must applaud the author on his imagination and the story's clever and intelligent plot. It was complex and well thought out. Fans of the legend of Atlantis will enjoy the portrayal of this technologically advanced civilization and their hidden world in the mountains of Antarctica. The story, however, was bogged down by writing that told the story rather than showed it. At time I felt like I was reading a history book or a journalistic account rather than a fantasy fiction novel. Professional developmental editing would have helped to make this novel exciting and better paced.

I liked the main characters, particularly Gordon Tallbear. He propelled the story forward. The bad guys, especially Tilcotan made my skin crawl. The ending was good and bittersweet. Love always conquers.

I have always been fascinated by the Biblical account of the Queen of Sheba. If you like historical fiction set in the ancient world, this one is a good one.

Book Details:

Book Title: Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba by Marc Graham
Category: Adult Fiction, 400 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Blank Slate Press
Release date: April 16, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are rape scenes and violent war scenes)

Book Description:

Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife, and mother of Israel’s first kings.

When Makeda, the slave-born daughter of the chieftain of Saba, comes of age, she wins her freedom and inherits her father’s titles along with a crumbling earthwork dam that threatens her people’s survival. When she learns of a great stone temple being built in a land far to the north, Makeda leads a caravan to the capital of Yisrael to learn how to build a permanent dam and secure her people’s prosperity.

On her arrival, Makeda discovers that her half-sister Bilkis (also known as Bathsheba) who was thought to have died in a long-ago flash flood, not only survived, but has become Queen of Yisrael. Not content with her own wealth, Bilkis intends to claim the riches of Saba for herself by forcing Makeda to marry her son. But Bilkis’s designs are threatened by the growing attraction between Makeda and Yetzer abi-Huram, master builder of Urusalim’s famed temple. Will Bilkis’s plan succeed or will Makeda and Yetzer outsmart her and find happiness far from her plots and intrigue?