Pride of Lyon's

Let's say hello to Jenna Jaxon today. Jenna's doing a Virtual Book Blast Tour for Pride of Lyon's, a Historical Romance available June 29, 2022 from Dragonblade Publishing. The Book Blast Tour will take place June 27, 2022 to July 1, 2022. 

 

Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4271/

Blurb

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made... unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.

 

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

 

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

 

No good deed goes unpunished…

 

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

 

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

Excerpt

“I can be very generous with you if you are equally generous with me.”

Then, quicker than a striking snake, he sank his mouth onto hers. 

Completely shocked, Honoria couldn’t think what to do, leaving Lord Danford to take full advantage of her paralyzed body. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he plundered here and there, then pushed incredibly deeply into her throat until she almost gagged. Meanwhile, he slid his hands up onto her breasts, squeezing them until they ached, even through her clothing. At last, he released her right breast and that hand suddenly tried to worm its way underneath her skirts, his fingers brushing her knee, her thigh…

That touch, on her most intimate flesh, acted as a bucket of cold water thrown in Honoria’s face. She gasped as though coming up for air and was suddenly free of the deadly paralysis. Rearing back, she brought her arms up between them, planted her hands squarely on his chest, and heaved him across the carriage into the opposite corner. His head hit the windowpane with a crack, eliciting a groan from the man.

Lord Danford slowly sat up rubbing the back of his head. He cocked his head and frowned, like a puzzled hound. Without hesitation, Honoria grabbed the door handle, wrenched it downward, and threw it open.

The cobbled pavement flew by with dizzying speed, but she had no other choice. Taking a deep breath, and sending up a fervent prayer, she jumped.

Author bio and links

Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including two vocal cats, one almost silent cat, two curious bunnies, and a Shar-pei mix named Frenchie.

Blog:  www.jennajaxon.wordpress.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Jenna_Jaxon

Instagram: passionistimeless

TicTok: @jennajaxon1

BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B2B8KLB3

 

A little scare

 On the first day of this month, I had my 4-monthly CT scan, to check out how the medication is working. After some hours, the oncologist told me she'd seen a 5 mm spot on my liver. The rest of the scan was good: the metastases on my pancreas and lungs are almost gone. 

The news was a bit scary, but dr. Bambust told me not to panic. She'd ask for a MRI scan to get a clearer picture. The dark spot could be a cyste or a metastasis. Unfortunately, the MRI scanner in our hospital is fully booked day and night (it's a new model and it services a broad area, not only Dendermonde) and getting an appointment could take some time. I got one for June 23rd, last week Thursday. Three weeks of not being fully at ease...

The scan took place in the late afternoon, so I could only contact dr. Bambust the day after. On Friday afternoon I heard that everything is ok. No metastasis! Needless to say I had a very good weekend. My sister was relieved as well. 

Tomorrow I'll have to go to the day clinic to have my regular bloods check, and then I'll hear a bit more from the doctor.

The Chasm

Today we welcome author Branwen OShea. Branwen is doing a virtual book blast tour for The Chasm,  a YA Science Fantasy Hope Punk available June 24, 2022 from Sigma Orionis Publishing. The Book Blast Tour will take place June 24 - 30, 2022. 

 

Branwen OShea will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4253/

Blurb

They thought the biggest problem they faced was each other.

 

After Bleu, Rana, and their new friends narrowly prevent war between the star beings and humans, they hope the upcoming negotiation will secure the peace. Newly emerged from their subterranean haven, the Northern Haven humans are clearly not suited to Earth’s ice age, and require assistance from the enlightened star beings to survive long term on the Surface. But Commander Savas doesn’t trust the suspiciously kind star beings and their unexplainable abilities. When both sides reluctantly negotiate a joint mission to find the other Havens, Bleu must somehow cooperate with the manipulative commander to keep his friends safe.

 

As their team confronts unexpected dangers, Bleu and his teammates begin to suspect the star beings don’t know as much about the Surface as they claimed, while Rana is torn between remaining true to her nonviolent ways or becoming more human to survive. When an unnatural predator attacks, even the nearly all-knowing Kalakanya can’t explain it. Now the team must pull together or their new discovery will pull them apart, limb by limb.

Excerpt

Neviah gaze narrowed. “You do know you’re doing a good job, right?”

He snorted. “So far, we’ve managed not to kill each other.”

“Considering Savas tried to nuke them a few weeks ago, that’s a huge accomplishment.”

He laughed, but she was right. It was amazing they hadn’t yet attacked each other. “Okay, let’s hope we can all continue to stay alive.” He turned to leave, then spun back. “Listen, if the choco doesn’t work to keep you awake while piloting, call back to me, and I’ll come entertain you. All right? 

Her smile was radiant. “Entertain me? Hmm. That sounds good. A whole lot better than stressing about flying across an ocean that hasn’t been crossed in centuries. Perhaps I should just give the choco back to Savas now? 

“Noooo. Choco is too amazing to lose.”

“Oh, so now we’re sharing it, eh?” She poked him with her stylus. “You want some of my choco?”

“Only a fool would say no to that.”

“Hmm. To the choco or to sharing it with me?” She lifted an eyebrow expectantly.

He shrugged and looked away, too riffled by her mood to answer properly. Her persistent flirting embarrassed him, and she always interpreted that to mean he liked her back. “I need to help pack up.” He left before she saw him blushing. Ugh.

Author bio and links

As a young girl, Branwen wanted to become an ambassador for aliens. Since the aliens never hired her, she now writes about them.

 

Branwen OShea has a Bachelors in Biology from Colgate University, a Bachelors in Psychology, and a Masters in Social Work. She lives in Connecticut with her family and a menagerie of pets, and enjoys hiking, meditating, and star-gazing. Her published works include Silence of the Song Trees, The Calling, The Cords That Bind, and The Chasm.

 

 

Website: www.branwenoshea.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/branwenoshea

Instagram: www.instagram.com/branwenoshea

Facebook: www.facebook.com/branwenoshea

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/branwenoshea

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/branwenoshea 

The Chasm (Book 2) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFPHQVN

The Calling (Book 1) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735915998

The Cords That Bind (Book 1.1) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CSK4813

Last weeks of June

The schoolyear - next year's will be the last we have to reckon with school holidays - nears its ending. The kids are into their end of year exams and the schools will officially close on June 30th. Then come two months of vacation.

In the French-speaking part of Belgium, Wallony, the vacation will last not so long. The Walloons have chosen another holiday planning. They'll start the new schoolyear half August, but then have a longer autumn break (two weeks instead of one in Flanders) and an equally long spring break. 

Flanders will probably never launch this scheme. Most people here like their two months of holidays (I remember, as a kid, I was quite fond of it) - teachers need it to reload their batteries and kids want to forget school for a while.

The past week the weather was extremely hot and on Friday we experienced the hottest June 17th ever, since they began marking the temperatures in the 1830's. The temperature rose well over 30° Celsius. We got a thunderstorm on Sunday, which broke the heat, but now the weather is improving once more and it looks as if more warm days are coming our way. I won't commplain!!!

Visit to Antwerp

 A couple of times a year we spend a weekend in Antwerp. This was the city where our  maternal grandmother was born, and from early on we we headed to '''t Stad" when we needed something that could not be attained in Dendermonde.

This habit has stayed on all these years. We just love Antwerp. It's a big town with a beautiful historic center. It offers history, old mansions and musea, entertainment (Antwerp Philharmonic, opera, theater, musical theater, lots of shops (from cheap ones to high end ones like Philippe Patek, Delvaux, etc.), has lots of hotels, restaurants and cafés.

We always stay at the Hilton Old Town near the Groenplaats, right in the medieval center of town. We have a couple of restaurants there which we frequent, and a cafe (De Post) at the square where we like to linger with something cool (or warm) to drink. 

We spent the previous weekend once more in Antwerp. The occasion? We attended a concert with the Royal Philharmonic which played the music of Bond. And of course, I did a lot of shopping! I urgently needed some sun tops and a couple of dresses. I found what I was looking for, and even some more... Well, you have to spend your money on something, right?

It was a spendid weekend. The weather was great, sunny all the time and the temperature still moderate. The stay at the hotel was also great, no noise from other rooms so we could sleep well. And everything back to normal, as if corona never existed.

Rose Hawthorne : The Irish Wanderers

Let's say hello to Shannon O'Gorman today. Shannon is doing a virtual book blast tour for Rose Hawthorne; The Irish Wanderers, a mystery available now. This book blast tour will take place between June 6th-10th, 2022. 

The author will be awarding a $40 Amazon or Barnes&Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4226/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="28e4345f4226" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_6f4ebn6k">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Blurb

Rose Hawthorne: The Irish Wanders follows Rose, a celebrity author in her early seventies, who dislikes the limelight but does like Hermes scarfs, round violet sunglasses, and old colonial hotels. One day, she receives a letter asking her to visit Newgrange, Ireland and discover something that has been hidden there for a thousand years.

 

She asks her granddaughter Samantha to accompany her, but she hadn’t expected her to continually post photos of their progress on her Instagram account. An encounter with an old love and an unexpected discovery leads Rose deeper into the past, where she finds she must make a hard decision about her future.

Excerpt

Sam glanced at her grandmother’s well-lined face. It was flushed and her green eyes were shining. It was nice to see her so excited and not worrying about books or people following her around Toronto.

Rose turned to her large floral Louis Vuitton bag, snapped it open and reached her hand inside.

“Let’s take a look, shall we.”

“This is so exciting!” said Sam peering inside.

“KNOCK. KNOCK.”

Sam gasped involuntarily, turned her gaze away from the bag and looked to her left. The guide from Newgrange was standing under an umbrella and banging on her window. What did she want? Had she realized that her grandmother had taken something?

It was a good thing the windows had fogged up a little; the woman couldn’t see inside very well.

Rose snapped her bag shut, and Sam carefully rubbed her hand on the steamy window. A woman’s grim ruddy face and large nose pushed up against the window.

Sam rolled down the window a little. “Um, what can I do for you?” she asked stiffly, feeling the first stirring of panic start to bubble up down in the pit of her stomach.

“I was wondering if I could have a word with you,” the woman said.

Sam gulped and glanced at Rose, who gave her a look that said it wasn’t time to explain anything.

“About what?” Sam said to the woman cautiously. 

“It’s about something that was found in Newgrange. I’m glad I caught you before you drove off.”

Author bio and links

Shannon O’Gorman is a retired ESL teacher who has recently completed  her second walk on the Camino de Santiago. She is currently training her dog to accompany her on a Camino one day.  She lives in California with her husband and daughter when university is not in session.

 

https://www.shannonogorman.com/ 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60653477-the-irish-wanders

https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Hawthorne-Book-Irish-Wanders-ebook/dp/B09VSCWKDL

https://www.instagram.com/ogoreads/ 

https://www.facebook.com/shannonogormanbooks

 

Long weekend at Versailles

These are pretty busy tides for us. We've been (or are going to) abroad for every week now. The past (long) weekend we spent in Versailles, France. We stayed at the Trianon palace Hilton hotel, right in the middle of the former royal domain. I was able to exchange saved up Hilton Honors points to book the room for free for 3 nights - otherwise the price would have been a bit too steep!

Although - the palace of Versailles was a bit of a disappointment. I had thought it would be grander, more imposing. Only the Hall of Mirrors was up to standard. Chris and I have seen more beautiful palaces in other countries, like Schönbrunn in Wien, Austria or Hampton Court in the UK.  Only the gardens came up to our expectations.

Nevertheless, we had a nice stay. I can get used to some luxury! When I'd win the lottery, I'd use my money to travel first class all the time. But I'm never going to win a lottery, I'm not a lucky person. And the most important thing, health, can't be bought. Last Thursday I got some unexpected and a little worrying news concerning my cancer treatment. I have to undergo more scans to know more. So as long as I don't know how long I still have, I'm going to enjoy every day to the best of my ability. I still feel more or less healthy (always wake up with hurting feet, but that can be helped by paracetamol, and needing a toilet every now and then) but have lost all of my fat and am little more than a walking skeleton. 

Murderous Interruptions

Today we welcome C.J. Carson. The author is doing a virtual book blast tour for Murderous Interruptions, a paranormal mystery available now from Rustic Barn Publishing. This book blast tour will take place between May 30th and June 3rd.

                                     

C.J. Carson will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4186/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="28e4345f4186" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_ms9cqle7">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Blurb

The paranormal mystery The Veils of Parallel Times continues with “Murderous Interruptions”. Allie Callahan’s nemesis is a challenging and formidable adversary.

Travel with Allie as she finally accepts and embraces her ancestral gifts to stop her archenemy who would have her destroyed for his own lust of power. Explore the depths of her relationship with this rival in this life and beyond the veil.

Excerpt

I wasn’t traveling long when darkness settled over the woods, and the air became chilled and damp. I was getting nervous that I might not find my way back out of the woods in the dark. I stopped at a brook to give my horse a quick break and a cool drink. As I raked my fingers through his mane, something caught his attention. Nodding his head, he whinnied. When I looked up, I spotted a campfire in the distance. As I walked him in that direction, I found a heavyset elderly woman with long dark braids sitting at, and stoking the fire. Moving in for a closer look, she wore a dress made of brown suede and was wrapped in an animal skin blanket, shielding her from the cold.

I didn’t recognize her, but somehow, she was oddly familiar to me. Without speaking a word, she reached out, beckoning me. I could feel a connection that drew me in as I slid down from my horse and joined her. She opened the blanket and, as I sat down, she held me in her arms to warm me by the fire. I was suddenly in my youth again, swept up in warmth and safety I hadn’t felt for a very long time.

Raising her arm, the woman drew my attention to the flames, and as I stared into the blazing fire, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. It was as if it was speaking to me, its warmth drawing me in.

“This is your truth, my daughter of my daughter’s son. You are at your best and can do your work in this lifetime when you accept that you are one with the earth, fire, water, and elements. Only when you embrace them, can you move toward your true destiny. You are a rare spirit in that you are blessed with many gifts that you are yet to discover and recognize. Yours is not an easy path unless you embrace it. I am always here; you have only to think of me, and I will be in your thoughts to help you, as are all your ancestors.

“Little Bird, you have traveled and lived in many times and dimensions. Think of time as a path that runs horizontally, but many paths are layered, one on top of the other, in a horizontal pattern.

“You have the ability to move through them, not only in time, but from one dimension to another. It was the element of water in the stream that brought you to me. Keep your routes planted firmly into the earth, for that will ground you and keep you balanced. Tonight, I want you to look into the dancing flames and listen to them speak to you. It is past the time for you to begin to understand your truth, my dear. You do not have the luxury of putting it off any longer.”

Gazing into the flames, I saw visions of a young woman riding my white horse. As the horse moved up a hill and into a green meadow, the young girl was now a young woman. As I studied her, she looked nothing like me, but I felt like I was watching my memory unfold. She was riding on a horse with a knight that looked like he was from medieval times. As the horse reached the top of the meadow, I knew the woman in the vision was an image of me, and when the valiant knight turned to me, a chill coursed through my entire body. Although his face was unfamiliar, his deep blue eyes caught me off guard. Those eyes, those beautiful eyes. I would know them anywhere.

 

Author bio and links

CJ Carson was inspired by a great story from a very early age. What brought her to this juncture in life and encouraged her to put pen to paper are the many rich experiences and opportunities of her life's journey. 

While working in the medical field, she explored energy work and became a Polarity Therapist and Reiki Therapist.

Exploring acting brought her into the theatre world both on the stage and behind the scenes.

Painting introduced her to a group of artists that shared her passion for bringing a scene to canvas.

Her love of singing allowed her to travel twice to Europe as a soloist with conductor Sonja Dahlgren Prior, who inspired her to do something, she never dreamed possible. 

CJ Carson has always wanted to write. Now she is introducing to the world her second published book, "Murderous Interruptions," from her trilogy, Veils of Parallel Times.

 

https://www.cjcarsonauthor.com/  

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Murderous-Interruptions-Audiobook/B09W8PH9JH

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murderous-Interruptions-Veils-Parallel-Times-ebook/dp/B09F6VLM48

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murderous-interruptions-cj-carson/1140201732