iRead Book Tours Anniversary Tour with Giveaway

iRead Book Tours is celebrating their 3 year anniversary and I am proud to say I have been taking part in these tours for almost 2 years.

iRead Book Tours is dedicated to helping bloggers have the best resources in a timely manners so that posting during a tour is easy and enjoyable. The disclosure of what a book's rating might be and why makes this the perfect way for bloggers to not request a book that may have content that I as a reader might not want to read.

I love the variety of books that iRead Book Tours offers as well as the format options in both text (physical or digital) and audio.

About iRead Book Tours:

At iRead, we give special attention to every book that tours with us. We are passionate about books and we customize all our tours because no two authors are alike.

We don't just market books. We help our authors get the best exposure with traditional tours consisting mainly of reviews. We work closely with our authors and pride ourselves on our highly individualized customer service.

All our staff are book bloggers and authors, so we understand the process and the hard work involved. We've built a solid relationship with our database of reliable book bloggers who are eager to read your books.

Welcome to the iRead experience!

About Laura Fabiani:

In 2008, Laura began blogging about books shortly after she published her first book. She started Library of Clean Reads, a book review blog, and discovered the joy of reviewing a variety of genres. Her children have joined her in this venture and they spend many happy hours reading books together. A Special Care Counselor by profession, Laura has co-led and developed programs for seniors with dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. She has a passion for the topic of neuroscience and wellness.

Throughout the years she has met and worked with wonderful publishers, both traditional and indie, as well as publicists and authors. Best of all, she discovered the world of book bloggers--a community of special people who spend their precious time sharing their love of books and all things related to books.

Taking part in book tours has always made Laura feel more connected to authors and the publishing field. She organized her own virtual tour when her book was published and she learned several things. As an author, it exposed her to actual reader views and social media. As a book blogger and book tour organizer, it taught her the amount of work it entailed. And she loves it!

You can find Laura blogging at Library of Clean Reads and Essentially Italian. She is the owner of iRead Book Tours,  Italy Book Tours, and Je Lis Blog Tours.

Giveaway:​

Win $50 cash or a Basic Virtual Book Tour Package

(2 winners, open int’l)

Ends Feb 4

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Check-out the entire anniversary tour here

The Kill Fee ~ Review

The Kill Fee
Poppy Denby Investigates #2
By Fiona Veitch Smith 

A missing Fabergé Egg, a shot guard, a couple of murders, an attempted murder, and a world teetering on the on the cusp of revolution.  Poppy Denby has stumbled into yet another mystery that could leave her in danger. What's an employee of The Daily Globe to do but try to make a name for both herself and the paper.

But when the official police investigation could implicate an employee of the paper - suddenly being in the middle of the story doesn't look so appealing.  And the investigation has the potential to become an international scandal with England's close ties to the exiled Romanov Royals. Could the stolen Fabergé Egg be the key to the entire mystery - one that has Russians on both sides of the Revolution claiming? 

But there is a far more sinister plot that could cost Poppy and those closest to her their very lives unless they learn the rules to political intrigue soon. Could the paper have the proof as to the whom the guilty party is? And can they save their lives by offering a kill fee for the very story that all are dying to hear...

Poppy Denby is a resourceful young woman who is trying to find her place in a world that is changing. The daughter of a minister and the niece of a suffragette - 1920's London is just the place to discover who she is. But does she want to embrace the "freedoms" so many are claiming or will she hold to the standards that she was raised with?

With a multiple of suspects this is a who-dun-it that will keep the reader guessing. I liked the back and forth aspect that took the reader to Russia in 1917 and then London in 1920 as the mystery and key characters are slowly revealed. This is a book that fans of historical fiction will enjoy especially those who enjoy the carefree years between the wars when people were trying to forget the turmoil that they had just experienced.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher through Kregel Blog Tours with no expectations of a review positive or otherwise. All expressed opinions are my own.


About the Book:

Poppy Denby, arts and entertainment editor at the Daily Globe, covers an exhibition of Russian art, hosted by White Russian refugees, including members of the surviving exiled Romanov royal family. There is an armed robbery, a guard is shot, and the largest Fabergé egg in the collection is stolen. While the egg itself is valuable, the secrets it contains within are priceless--secrets that could threaten major political powers.

Suspects are aplenty, including the former keeper of the Fabergé egg, a Russian princess named Selena Romanova Yusopova. The interim Bolshevik Russian ambassador, Vasili Safin, inserts himself into the investigation, as he believes the egg--and the other treasures--should all be restored to the Russian people.

Poppy, her editor, Rollo, press photographer Daniel, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. But soon the investigation takes a dark turn when another body is found and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect. The race is on to find both the key and the egg--can they be found before the killer strikes again?

Race to Win ~ Movie Trailer

RACE TO WIN

Stars Luke Perry and Danielle Campbell

Courage is all you need to win

Debuts on Digital HD February 3

DVD February 14

Heart-warming family movie 

celebrates love 

and the resiliency of the human spirit

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – (December 12, 2016) – Television favorite Luke Perry 

(“Riverdale,” “Beverly Hills 90210”) stars alongside actress Danielle Campbell 

(“The Originals”) in Race To Win, an uplifting family movie about courage and hope, 

that arrives on DVD on February 14 from Anchor Bay Entertainment, and available 

on Digital HD from Starz Digital February 3.  Race To Win is directed by Teddy 

Smith (A Gift Horse) and has been awarded a Seal of Approval from The Dove® 

Foundation. The cast includes Aiden Flowers who starred in this summer’s blockbuster 

movie Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children directed by Tim Burton, 

Candice Michele Barley (The Hollow), Thomas Francis Murphy (LBJ, Free 

State of Jones), and Amy Brassette (“True Detective”).

Hannah Rhodes (Campbell) is faced with the biggest decision of her life when she loses 

her father, Gentry Rhodes (Perry). After Gentry suffers an apparent heart-attack, the Rhodes 

family is left to pick up the pieces and continue running the horse ranch Gentry had worked 

his entire life to build. Meanwhile, a local resident claims Gentry owes him thousands 

of dollars which the family does not have. Hannah and her family quickly become overwhelmed 

with the financial crisis that is upon them and unsure how they will pay off the debt without 

having to sell the ranch. She must find the strength to face her fears and compete in the 

race of her life or her family will lose everything.

Race To Win will be available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment on February 14.

Of Stillness and Storm ~ Review

Of Stillness and Storm
By Michèle Phoenix 

Lauren's one goal in life was to be a mother, but somehow her goal - her calling got lost to her husband Sam's calling. While studying overseas Sam and Lauren were drawn to one another and after returning to their respective homes in the United States decided that they were to be together.

But when Sam's calling takes them and their son Ryan to the remote regions of Nepal - Lauren and Ryan are left for weeks at a time while Sam works in the Himalayas visiting remote isolated villages. Lauren and Ryan feel this neglect and after a couple of years the stress starts cutting the ties that have bound them together as a family.

When a dear friend encourages Lauren to reconnect with the world outside Nepal - Lauren reluctantly does. This opens the door for Lauren to connect with a childhood friend - Aidan.  But some doors should never be opened and Lauren is about to discover every choice has a cost - she just never realized just how high a price she and Ryan would have to pay.

Of Stillness and Storm is not a book I would have ever picked up to read myself , but I was surprisingly drawn into to the story of Lauren's life once I started reading. There is a back and forth between the present and pivotal moments in the past that have gotten Lauren, Ryan, and Sam to the point that they are now at. The cover is apt a stormy background and a cord that is no longer whole - the cover is Lauren and Ryan's life as they are lost to the drive of Sam's calling.  This book is a tragic story in that Sam is so caught up in his vision, in his goal that he can't and won't see the life that he is helping to crush. And unfortunately this is an occurrence one can see if one looks in the right direction. This is a moving story that is worth reading. 

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher through the Fiction Guild with no expectation of a review positive or otherwise. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Book:

“I felt torn between two worlds. 

Each with its own mystery. 

One more captivating than the other, 

but the other more real and breathing.”

It took Lauren and her husband ten years to achieve their dream—reaching primitive tribes in remote regions of Nepal. But while Sam treks into the Himalayas for weeks at a time, finding passion and purpose in his work among the needy, Lauren and Ryan stay behind, their daily reality more taxing than inspiring. For them, what started as a calling begins to feel like the family’s undoing.

At the peak of her isolation and disillusion, a friend from Lauren’s past enters her life again. But as her communication with Aidan intensifies, so does the tension of coping with the present while reengaging with the past. It’s thirteen-year-old Ryan who most keenly bears the brunt of her distraction.

Intimate and bold, Of Stillness and Storm weaves profound dilemmas into a tale of troubled love and honorable intentions gone awry.

Midnight Sisters ~ Review with Character Sketch, Giveaway and more

Welcome to the Midnight Sisters' Blog Tour and Giveaway! 

Learn all about author Sarah E. Boucher and her exciting new novel 

based on the classic fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Midnight Sisters
By Sarah E. Boucher

More than a decade ago Jonas Selkirk met Lady Ariela Spencer the eldest daughter of Lord Bromhurst.  Now assistant to the Head Gardener - Jonas is still in awe of Lady Ariela though any contact with any of the master's twelve daughters is strictly forbidden. But there is something about Lady Ariela and their few minutes of stolen conversations over the years that give added meaning to Jonas's life.

To Lord Bromhurst his daughters are a means to securing alliances and after his daughters' latest escapade he is determined to see them married as soon as possible. And Ari being the oldest is the most likely to be betrothed.

But the sisters latest escapade has Jonas worried - the girls disappeared during the night - their rooms empty - then only to be found within the confines of the house which had been thoroughly searched. But their reappearance only increases Jonas concerns. With Braden, a younger undergardener, Jonas determines to find out what the girls are doing and how best to protect them from themselves.

But the allure of the forbidden is a powerful draw and the tight hold their father has placed on them makes their nightly escapes all the more tempting. But their stolen moments of freedom may cost them more than they could ever imagine...

This is a delightful and lovely story that is from the perspective of Jonas. This is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses and it is enchanting with no magic involved. This is a story of family and love that the reader will want to share. This book is appropriate for most readers - and perfect for age 14 and up (or younger advanced readers).

I was provided a digital ARC of this book by the author with no expectations of a review positive or otherwise - all opinions expressed are my own.

Specialized Character Sketch

Meet Ariela:

    I clutched her hand between mine and blinked to hold back the tears. She shifted on her pillows, a
tiny sigh escaping. The angel smile lit her face but pain nestled in the fine wrinkles about her eyes.

    “Ari.” The word was barely more than a breath. “I’m so sorry, my darling. I wish I could stay.”

     I bit my lip to hold the sob in. She reached a shaking hand out to tuck an errant lock of hair
behind my ear.

    “But you are stronger than you think.” She cupped my chin in her palm and stroked a cool finger
over my cheek.

     A fat tear squeezed out and trickled down my cheek. She wiped it away.

    “You are strong enough for your sisters and your father, my dear.”

    A deluge of tears poured down my face. I choked out the words, “I can’t do it without you.”

    Pain dragged at her features as she leaned forward to place a kiss on my forehead. Her lips were
chilly against my brow. “You have a strong heart, Ari. Follow its call. It will not lead you amiss, my
love.”

    She sank back into her pillows and her eyelids flitted shut. The angel expression settled over her
face, banishing any hint of pain. The grip on my hand faltered.

   “Mother . . .” The word, laced with sorrow, fell from my lips. With Father already grieving her
loss and twelve daughters, the youngest still an infant, how would we survive without her?

About Midnight Sisters:

Do not meddle with the Master's daughters.

The words rattle around Jonas’ head. What is the punishment again? Death? Dismemberment? Jonas, the newest addition to the gardening staff, can’t recall the exact penalty for breaking the rule. What does it matter anyway? He would never dream of meddling with the Earl of Bromhurst’s haughty daughters.

Until he comes face to face with Lady Ariela Spencer, the eldest of the His Lordship’s daughters.

Her elusive smile and open manner cause him to question his convictions. In no time, he’s drawn into Lady Ariela's world of mystery and intrigue, a world where she and her sisters will do anything—including leaving twelve empty beds at midnight—to escape their father’s strict rules.

Only Jonas can uncover the truth and save them from their father’s wrath and their own folly, if he is willing to risk everything he’s ever worked for. 

Midnight Sisters is an imaginative fairy tale retelling that promises to delight and entertain readers. Midnight Sisters is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.


Author Spotlight:
Sarah E. Boucher is a lover of fairy stories, romance, anything BBC and Marvel, and really, really cute shoes. On weekdays she wears respectable shoes and serves as Miss Boucher, the Queen of Kindergarten. On school holidays she writes stories about romance and adventure. And wears impractical super cute shoes.


Sarah is a graduate of Brigham Young University. She lives and works in northern Utah. Midnight Sisters is her second novel. Visit Sarah at SarahEBoucher.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Amazon, or Goodreads.

Also by Sarah E Boucher:

Becoming Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books and things, iTunes, and Goodreads. For the duration of the blog tour (January 9-20, 2017) Becoming Beauty eBook will be 99 cents!

Thank you for dropping in! Don't forget to click below and enter the giveaway for a chance to win an Amazon Gift Card or a signed copy of Midnight Sisters! 

Also, if you don't already have a copy, download Becoming Beauty for 99 cents on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, etc. Clink on the links listed above.

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A Portrait of Emily Price ~ Review

A Portrait of Emily Price
By Katherine Reay

Emily Price has been sent to Atlanta for an emergency restoration - a house and a family have been affected by a fire that resulted in water and smoke damage.  But while she's in Atlanta Emily learns her own life is in need of restoration, but when she meets Benito (Ben) Vassallo her life takes a totally unexpected turn.

Within two weeks of their first meeting Emily and Ben have married and are on their way to his family's home in Italy. But life isn't how Emily envisioned it ~ happily ever after isn't the immediate result of saying I do.

Fixing things gives Emily a feeling of satisfaction but in Italy she has come across something she can't fix - herself.  But when the Vassallo family confronts a long hidden secret that finds Emily center stage she determines that before she can go further she must first find herself.  But will finding herself force her to leave what she has come to hold dear behind or will she embrace it more fully?

A Portrait of Emily Price is another delightful exploration of life and personal discovery from Katherine Reay. Everything is seen through Emily's eyes and her transformation as a person is seen through her artistic endeavors. But as Emily (along with the reader) discovers life can't restored to the original, the pains and joys make us who we are and as one character says they must be endured.

THe one thing I like with Katherine Reay's books is that they all are standalone books so when one reads one the story is complete. Though I have to be honest I would love to have the stories continue on just to see what happens next. The setting is contemporary though there are references to classical literature and art that help Emily discover herself. This is a book that ends on an up-note so that the reader is left satisfied and looking forward to the sunset (reference to several scenes in the book).  

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher through the Fiction Guild, no expectation of a review positive or otherwise was expected.  All opinions expressed are my own.



About the Book:
Art restorer Emily Price has never encountered anything she can’t fix—until she meets Ben, an Italian chef, who seems just right. When Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family, however, is another matter . . .

Emily Price—fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist—finds herself in Atlanta, repairing objects damaged in a house fire. As she works to restore the home and dreams of one family, she strives to keep the pieces of her own life in perfect order and secure her own happy ending—a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.

But Chef Benito Vassallo’s relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to reconnect with his brother and breathe new life into his aunt and uncle’s faded restaurant, Piccolo. And soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well—inviting her into his world and into his heart.

Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben’s proposal and follows him home. Upon landing in Rome, she is enchanted with Italy. But instead of allowing the land, culture and people to transform her, Emily imposes her will upon everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben’s tightly knit family. Only Ben’s father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily’s life and art begin to blossom, and Italy’s beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.

Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben’s world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible?

Never Forget ~ Review

Never Forget
Beacons of Hope #5
By Jody Hedlund

Abbie Watson will do anything to keep her Gramps on Rose Island and she is willing to admit it. Her marriage to her missing husband Nate is proof of just how far she'll go to keep him in his home. But when a fellow lighthouse keeper threatens to take Gramps position Abbie becomes desperate to find a solution.

When a stranger washes up on shore after a storm he offers her a possible solution ~ he has no memory of who he is and he assumes that that he is her no account husband. Can Abbie allow this stranger to continue in his mistake? Nathaniel is nothing like Nate - for one thing it is obvious that he comes from a different background based upon his appearance alone. But Nathaniel has an almost instant connection with Gramps that has a calming effect on him. And Nathaniel is determined to become a better man than he has been - he views his loss of memory and identity as a second chance to right the wrongs of his past.

But Nathaniel is more than just a washed up survivor, he is Nathaniel Winthrop III, former fiancé to Victoria Cole and the now reigning Bad Boy of Newport.  Can he truly change and if his memories return will the changes a simple life brings make a permanent change? Or will his former ways hold sway?

But when the truth becomes known everything could be lost. But who will lose more Abbie, Nathaniel, or Gramps? Time is not on Abbie's side and she needs to be prepared.

Never Forget is the fifth and final book in the Beacons of Hope series. Each story is complete in itself but there is a person who carries over tying the books together and there is a wooden cross which is a fixture throughout. If you haven't read the previous books you will have no problem reading this book from cover to cover. Readers who enjoy historical romance fiction will enjoy this newest offering from Jody Hedlund. The historical connections are discussed in the back of the book so that the reader can more fully grasp the setting of the book.

I was provided a digital ARC of this book by the author with no expectation of a positive review or otherwise - all opinions expressed are my own.



About the Book:

Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island

June 1880

Will she betray his trust to stay on the island she love?

Abbie Watson is content to spend her days clamming, crabbing, and
tending Rose Island Lighthouse. Her grandpa is the head light keeper, but
his senility may lead to their eviction. Since leaving the island would kill her
beloved Gramps, Abbie will do anything to keep him in the one place he
knows and loves.

Wealthy Nathaniel Winthrop III’s wild living has gained him a reputation as
the ‘bad boy’ among the elite social circles of Newport. After a blow to the head
in a yachting accident washes him up on Rose Island, Nathaniel has no memories
of his past.

Abbie tends the wounded stranger in her home only to realize he assumes they’re
married. Although she knows she needs to correct Nathaniel’s mistake, his presence
calms Gramps and provides a way to prevent eviction from the island she loves?

The longer the charade continues, the harder it gets for Abbie to tell Nathaniel the
truth, more so as she begins to fall in love. Everyone she’s ever loved has abandoned
her. Will Nathaniel leave her too, once he discovers he’s not really her husband?

About the Author:

Winner of the 2016 Christian Book Award and finalist for the Christy Awards, best-selling author Jody Hedlund writes inspirational historical romances for both youth and adults.

Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats.Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).

When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.