Thursday, November 14, 2024

Book Tour & Giveaway ~ Yule Tide by Brian Anderson

 

 

About the Book:

Publication Date: November 4, 2024

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Genre: Mystery. A hardboiled PI novel with a fallen angel protagonist

 

Following the death of Kris Kringle, the operation of Christmas is taken over by a shadowy organization known as the Company who shutter the toy line at the North Pole and reestablish their base in the newly minted city of Yule Tide. Suspecting their motives, the Archangelic Council recalls its liaison to Christmas—an angel named Harold. When Harold refuses to return to Heaven, he is stripped of his wings and is grounded on Earth. His influence gone, Harold is fired by the Company and becomes a none-too-successful private investigator. But when he is hired by the beautiful wife of a Company executive to locate her missing husband, Harold sees a chance at redemption.

Searching for the missing man, Harold uncovers secrets that the Company will protect at all costs. He must also balance his growing attraction to his client with a renewed hope of regaining his wings.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

Barnes & Noble Paperback

 

Excerpt:


“I have come to understand more than I once did about the nature of truth. Truth is, dare I say it, ‘fungible.’ Different versions are traded like tchotchkes as if none have any meaning except to distract… I’ve also found that people believe most ardently in what they wish were the truth. Whereas the actual truth, like the cry of a trapped miner, is but a muffled echo sounding from a cavern of the damned.”

 

Billy shuddered. “Anyway, you ain’t told me how the meeting with Elvin went.”

“You mean Santa?”

Billy wrinkled his nose. “I remember him as Elvin. And I told you, I can’t believe they couldn’t have come up with a better candidate for Claus than him.”

“You sound jealous.”

Billy’s eyes went wide with innocence. “Who me? Nah. You kidding? I mean, I do remember some years back when Elvin and I was both up for a promotion to line foreman. So, he plays the corporate game better than me. I got pride is what I got.”

“You definitely have something,” Angel agreed.

 Billy ignored him. “That Elvin? Always so smart, so perfect. Always working out. Always in tip-top shape. What’s with that anyhow? And his wife. She’s the same. All defined muscles, long legs, and those shoulders? Yowsa! I’ll bet she could clean and jerk a Buick.”

“Careful, Billy.”

“I mean, what’s it do to Kringle’s memory to have his successor and his wife on the cover of Shape magazine?”

“I think they are a very attractive couple.”

“The real Santa and Mrs. Claus was an attractive couple. They had natural beauty.”

“Kringle was morbidly obese and had a perpetually red nose.”

“Yeah, but he did it with class. Didn’t have to work out every day to impress everyone.”

“I don’t think the new Santa works out to impress everyone,” Angel said. “I think he does it for his health. Could be if Kringle had taken better care of himself, we’d still have him with us.”

Billy shook his head sadly. “I miss him, Boss. I really do. I mean, he fired me and all. But I miss him.”

“I do too, Billy.”

 

“The truth,” Angel answered, “does not depend on whether one believes it. The truth is the truth.”

Scratch chuckled. “You continue to surprise me, Angel. The truth is this. When presented with facts that are unsettling, most people prefer to believe in a comforting lie. Events of the last several years have proven that. The real truth is that believing in alternative, unsubstantiated facts is empowering. To claim without doubt that a lie is the truth both sets a person apart from the conforming crowd and binds them with others that profess to believe likewise. The lie makes them tribal. Powerful. It produces a kind of gleeful association. Believing in lies is a sort of alchemy—changing something, or someone, base into gold.”

 

About the Author:

Brian Anderson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota whose Dinkytown neighborhood provides the setting for his mystery series featuring private investigator Lyle Dahms. The Dahms novels spring from his lifelong love of mystery fiction, especially the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, as well as more contemporary masters like Robert B. Parker and G.M. Ford. He is a three-time finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association mystery and suspense contest.

Brian spent much of his professional career working to alleviate domestic hunger serving as the operations director of the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County as well as the manager of the Pike Market Food Bank in downtown Seattle. Married with three beautiful daughters, he now lives and writes in Ocean Shores, a small city on the Washington coast.

 

Contact Links:

Website: www.brianandersonmysteries.com

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/brianandersonmysteries

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22749823.Brian_Anderson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brianandersonmysteries

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brianandersonmysteries

X: www.x.com/RedmondBrian

 

Giveaway:


The author is offering an eBook copy of Yule Tide to one lucky winner.


Hosted By:


Quill and Ink Book Tours

https://quillandinkbooktours.com/

 

 

 

Monday, September 23, 2024

Check Out this Amazing Cover - Yule Tide by Brian Anderson

 Cover Reveal

Yule Tide

By

Brian Anderson

 

About the Book:

Publication Date: November 4, 2024

Genre: Mystery. A hardboiled PI novel with a fallen angel protagonist

 

Following the death of Kris Kringle, the operation of Christmas is taken over by a shadowy organization known as the Company who shutter the toy line at the North Pole and reestablish their base in the newly minted city of Yule Tide. Suspecting their motives, the Archangelic Council recalls its liaison to Christmas—an angel named Harold. When Harold refuses to return to Heaven, he is stripped of his wings and is grounded on Earth. His influence gone, Harold is fired by the Company and becomes a none-too-successful private investigator. But when he is hired by the beautiful wife of a Company executive to locate her missing husband, Harold sees a chance at redemption.

Searching for the missing man, Harold uncovers secrets that the Company will protect at all costs. He must also balance his growing attraction to his client with a renewed hope of regaining his wings.

 

About the Author:

Brian Anderson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota whose Dinkytown neighborhood provides the setting for his mystery series featuring private investigator Lyle Dahms. The Dahms novels spring from his lifelong love of mystery fiction, especially the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, as well as more contemporary masters like Robert B. Parker and G.M. Ford. He is a three-time finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association mystery and suspense contest.

Brian spent much of his professional career working to alleviate domestic hunger serving as the operations director of the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County as well as the manager of the Pike Market Food Bank in downtown Seattle. Married with three beautiful daughters, he now lives and writes in Ocean Shores, a small city on the Washington coast.

 

Contact Links:

Website: www.brianandersonmysteries.com

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/brianandersonmysteries

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22749823.Brian_Anderson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brianandersonmysteries

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brianandersonmysteries

X: www.x.com/RedmondBrian

 

Hosted By:




 

 

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Quill and Ink Book Tours Presents ~ A Governess Should Never... Lure A Spy - The Governess Chronicles: Book 4 by Emily Windsor #emwindsor @emilywindsorwritesregency #quillandinkbooktours @quillinkbooktours/ #quill_ink_tours

 


A Governess Should Never… Lure a Spy

(The Governess Chronicles – Book 4)

Emily Windsor

Genre: Regency Romance

Release Date: Thursday, 11th April 2024

Heat Level: Sensual. Moderate. Open door but romantic.

 

Notes: This book is written in British English spelling.

 


A Dangerous Spy. An even more Dangerous Governess. 

 

“So tell me, Miss Jones, why should I employ you as governess?”

A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess, unless…she wasn’t a governess at all.

Yet Amelia must secure this position by whatever means necessary as this gentleman, dubbed The Scandalous Hugh Cadwalader by fashionable society, is not all he seems. Behind the elegant finery and azure eyes is a dangerous warrior of a man, a tenacious spy for the Crown.

One who might just have turned traitor…

 

“Just one more question, if I may…”

With her perfect references and perfect demureness, Miss Jones appears…perfect.

Feminine guidance and distraction are required for his inquisitive ward while Hugh Cadwalader hunts a traitor in the alleys of London’s Rookery.

But can such perfection be all it seems? And was that a glimpse of golden fire within those amber eyes?

 

The Dangerous Spy and… The More Dangerous Governess.

One should never judge a governess by her perfectly forged references or a spy by his unblemished Hessian boots, for behind both facades lay passion untamed, subterfuge unbound and a quest for justice.

A battle of wits with only one winner… Love.

 

With theatres of glister and glamour, nights of shadow and menace, hairpins of poison, and…being pressed to a desk by a shirtless masculine chest, the vocation of governess has never been so perilous – to the heart.

 

The Scandalous Hugh Cadwalader first features in Book 2 of this series, A Governess Should Never... Deny a Duke. This is his story.

Contains sensual scenes.

Purchase Links:

Available in e-book and paperback.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 


Get The Governess Chronicles Series

A Governess Should Never… Tempt A Prizefighter – Book 1

A Governess Should Never… Deny A Duke – Book 2

A Gentleman Will Never… Forget A Lady – Book 3


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XB6NZ2B


Excerpt:


No. 14 Hanover Square, Mayfair, London. May 1817

 

“So tell me, Miss Jones, why should I employ you as governess?”

Curse it.

And Amelia lowered her gaze to the mahogany desk in order to portray thoughtful repose.

What a devious question.

Especially as there were countless reasons why the gentleman should, in fact, not employ her as governess.

She’d never educated a young lady in her entire twenty-four years of life, knew naught concerning the history of art, cared less about the proper use of semicolons, was quite hopeless at all musical endeavours and hadn’t the faintest idea what…tatting was.

Yet how arduous could it be to keep a fifteen-year-old girl occupied?

Just give her a book to read, surely?

So, with a surreptitious intake of breath, Amelia clasped her hands in what she judged to be a suitably demure fashion and raised her lashes to the gentleman who prodded her so.

A Mr Hugh Cadwalader.

His lustrous blue gaze caused that intake of breath to hitch somewhat, so she pursed her lips in a prim manner and sniffed. Governesses always sniffed. But as to his question… “I am well-versed, Mr Cadwalader, in all subjects that a young lady might have need of during her Season.”

Such as how to evade a marriage-obsessed mama at a ball, the varied usages for a yard length of silk sash and the extrication of oneself from the clutches of a lascivious duke with merely a dance card pencil.

“I see.”

Amelia thought that reply most enigmatic. “You have my references?”

“Yes,” he drawled, gathering the papers before him. “My man of affairs has attempted to verify these references, yet it seems your past employers are either not of the living or not currently residing within these isles.” With agile slender fingers, he leafed through them. “Lord Fowler is pursuing parakeets in the Amazonia, Lady Bassett is sifting through sand dunes in the former Mesopotamia, Lady Clifford is scouring Constantinople for the Ark and Lady Padgett is scouring Paris for her errant husband.”

Amelia held his gaze. “How unfortunate.” And tilted her head. “But if you find me acceptable on all other counts, might I suggest a period of probation until my references can be verified?”

That should give her enough time to search this townhouse, question the servants, note Mr Cadwalader’s movements and read any of his pertinent correspondence, all in order to write a comprehensive report for her superior at the Foreign Office.

For Amelia’s talents lay not in punctuation or musical endeavours but in subterfuge for the Crown…

 

About the Author

Regency Romance with Warmth, Wit & Well-tied Cravats.

Emily grew up in the north of England on a diet of historical romance and strong tea.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t study Regency slang, so she did the next best thing and gained a degree in Classics and History instead. This ‘led’ to an eight-year stint in engineering.

Having left city life, she now lives in a dilapidated farmhouse where her days are spent writing, fixing the leaky roof, battling the endless vegetation and finding pictures of well-tied cravats.

 

More about me can be found at:

https://www.amazon.com/author/emilywindsor

https://books2read.com/emily-windsor

https://facebook.com/AuthorEmilyWindsor

https://www.instagram.com/emilywindsorwritesregency/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emily-windsor

https://www.goodreads.com/EmilyWindsor

https://uk.pinterest.com/EmilyWindsorBks/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gehNKr

 

Guest Post:

Hatchard’s Bookshop


The Scandalous Hugh Cadwalader, hero of ‘A Governess Should Never… Lure a Spy’ attempts to trail his enigmatic governess on an exhaustive gallivant around London and one of the famed shops he is led past is…

Hatchard’s, which still exists today.


The oldest bookshop in the United Kingdom, Hatchard’s was founded in 1797 at No. 173 Piccadilly by John Hatchard, a publisher and anti-slavery campaigner. The iconic shop moved a few doors down (next to the prestigious department store Fortnum & Mason!) in 1801 and has been there ever since.

Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, was one of their first customers and it became the fashionable place to shop with the Duke of Wellington and Lord Byron frequenting it, no doubt to buy a book or ten!  It now holds three Royal warrants, denoting that the business supplies to the royal family. But which genre of books…? 😁

Arranged over five floors, the wooden bay windows, beautiful old central staircase with carpeted treads, creaking floorboards beneath and snippets of memorabilia on the wall makes this a must visit for all Regency fans and bibliophiles!


So if you enjoy a romantic tale set in Regency London with a dangerous spy and a more dangerous governess, check out ‘A Governess Should Never… Lure a Spy.’




Miss Amelia Jones needed this governess job more than anything, but not in the typical way you would think. Miss Jones was no ordinary governess she wasn’t a governess but a spy for the crown. She was hired to spy on Mr. Hugh Cadwalader, whom the home office had suspicions he was a traitor. So, after strategically getting rid of two governesses who were scheduled to interview and making a bargain with the third, to provide lesson plans in exchange for her salary, Miss Amelia began her post as governess for Hugh’s daughter Phoebe. Her pupil Miss Phoebe who was 15 years old was a sad and lost young girl who had lost both of her parents, and it was her father’s death that led Hugh into a private investigation. Claimed as a suicide, he knew better, no, he knew his good friend was murdered and he would leave no stone unturned until he found the truth. It’s not long before Amelia and Hugh begin falling in love through a series of tantalizing events. But will their blossoming love last the truth when their true identities and secrets are revealed?

 

Emily Windsor is an amazing storyteller. She takes you back in time to Regency England and weaves the reader along the streets of London where the smells, sounds, sights, and even the tastes come alive. Her novel is so historically accurate you truly feel like you are there. Also, her characters have such depth and are fully well-rounded that you know them intimately and want them to survive all obstacles and for Hug and Amelia to fall in love and sweet Phoebe to know what truly happened to her parents and find the young woman she’s truly meant to be. Truly one of the best historical romances of the year!


Giveaway:


Emily is offering a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card.

The giveaway is open internationally.

Runs from 12:00 AM EST April 10 – 12:00 AM EST May 3, 2024

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/30806ff51/?

 

Hosted By:

Quill and Ink Book Tours

https://quillandinkbooktours.com/

Join our team and become a Tour Host

https://forms.gle/J3ko5cnz87hr8eJc6

 

 

Sunday, August 8, 2021

5 Teacups for Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolfe - A Must Read!

 Book Review

Started Reading: August 2

Finished Reading: August 7




OMG, this book is riveting! It kept me on my seat the whole way through, I didn't want to stop reading, and I didn't! The main protagonist special agent Tess Winnett with the FBI has had a rough go with a trauma that occurred to her in the past which she has not revealed and the death of her partner and this has all taken a toll and begun to affect her work. So, she's sent on assignment to work with the local police department on a case coined Dawn Girl. She's soon drawn into a sadistic serial killer's world and finds out what he does to his victims and that there have been more in the past. She's soon on the hunt and won't stop searching for this killer and his latest victim before she too is killed, even if that means breaking FBI protocol!

As we go on a roller coaster ride with Tess as she tries to find and stop the madman we also learn a lot about her and finally what occurred to her. In the end, you will be surprised to learn who the killer is but I won't spoil that for you, you must read this book!

It is so incredibly riveting and just like Tess working long nights on her case, you too will be up reading long nights to find out what happens next! Amazing book and I can't wait to read the next in the series! Most highly recommend!

 


Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Author Spotlight & Review ~ The Way to London: A Novel of World War II by Alix Rickloff

The Way to London: A Novel of World War II

By

Alix Rickloff

About the Book:

 From the author of Secrets of Nanreath Hall comes this gripping, beautifully written historical fiction novel set during World War II—the unforgettable story of a young woman who must leave Singapore and forge a new life in England.

On the eve of Pearl Harbor, impetuous and overindulged, Lucy Stanhope, the granddaughter of an earl, is living a life of pampered luxury in Singapore until one reckless act will change her life forever.

Exiled to England to stay with an aunt she barely remembers, Lucy never dreamed that she would be one of the last people to escape Singapore before war engulfs the entire island, and that her parents would disappear in the devastating aftermath. Now grief stricken and all alone, she must cope with the realities of a grim, battle-weary England.

Then she meets Bill, a young evacuee sent to the country to escape the Blitz, and in a moment of weakness, Lucy agrees to help him find his mother in London. The unlikely runaways take off on a seemingly simple journey across the country, but her world becomes even more complicated when she is reunited with an invalided soldier she knew in Singapore.

Now Lucy will be forced to finally confront the choices she has made if she ever hopes to have the future she yearns for.




Oh, what a way to be swept in the past! I’m a huge lover of World War II and the many tragic tales of the survivors. This story is so well written and very well researched. One will not help but fall in love with the heroine, Lucy and want to see her find the life she so desires. She’s thrown through so many tragic events and through it all her heart sings to help those she meets along the way. I highly recommend this book!


About the Author:

 Critically acclaimed author of historical fiction and paranormal romance, ALIX RICKLOFF’s family tree includes a knight who fought during the Wars of the Roses (his brass rubbing hangs in her dining room), and a soldier who sided with Charles I during the English Civil War (hence the family's hasty emigration to America). Her latest novel, THE WAY TO LONDON (William Morrow), releases in September of 2017.




Connect with the Author: