#ShootheHorsesFirst #LeahAngstman #HFVBT #historicalfiction #shortstories #coverreveal

Shoot the Horses First: A Collection of Histories by Leah Angstman

Publication Date: February 28, 2023 Kernpunkt Press Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook; 238 pages

Genre: Literary / Historical / Short Stories

***Finalist for the Shorts Award for Americana Fiction***

Through a historian’s lens and folkloric storytelling, the pieces in SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST revel in the nuances, brutality, mythology, and tiny victories of our historical past. A launderer takes us inside the linens of the richest families in early Baltimore. A child on the Orphan Train has his teeth inspected like a horse. Civil War soldiers experience PTSD. While one woman lands on an island of the Wampanoag tribe, a woman 200 years later finds Apache in a harsh frontier. Children survive yellow fever, the desert heat, and mistaken identities; men survive severed fingers, untested medicines, and wives with obsessive compulsive disorders. Frederick Douglass’ grandson plays violin at the World’s Fair on Colored American Day, a woman with disabilities is kept hidden away like she doesn’t exist, and a botanist is denied her place in a science journal because she is female. Themes of place, war, mental illness, identity, disability, feminism, and unyielding optimism throughout harrowing desperation resurface in this collection of stories that takes us back to time immemorial, yet feels so close, and all too familiar.

Available for Pre-Order

Praise

“I’m astonished by the historical breadth in this collection of stories and by the sensibility that unites them. It’s a thrill to be dropped, so vividly, into such a wide variety of settings and periods—and even more of a thrill to discover the strong new voice of Leah Angstman. Read it!”
—Ethan Rutherford, author of FARTHEST SOUTH and THE PERIPATETIC COFFIN AND OTHER STORIES

“In SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST, Leah Angstman blasts readers from the Twitterfied nowscape into the manifest past—to an America connected by the burgeoning railroad and shattered by civil war. As inventive and complex as the era itself, these sixteen fictions of nineteenth-century friction contain surprises on every page. Whether it’s an impromptu snowball fight on a battlefield during a ceasefire or a wayward orphan finding hope at the end of the line, Angstman astonishes us with complicated characters and crystal-clear prose. She is the literary heir to Shelby Foote, Willa Cather, and E. L. Doctorow. Get off the internet and read this book!”
—Ryan Ridge, author of NEW BAD NEWS, HUNTERS & GAMBLERS, AMERICAN HOMES, SECOND ACTS IN AMERICAN LIVES, WEIRD WEEKS, and OX

“Rudyard Kipling said, ‘If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.’ Nothing demonstrates the wisdom of that better than SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST by Leah Angstman. This is an immersive, expansive, and unforgettable collection of fictional histories. Drawn from various points in America’s past and clearly well researched, these stories are harrowing and hopeful by turns. All through, there are unexpected kindnesses and betrayals and acts of heroism and transformation. Characters so deeply wrought they seem to leap off the page. Soaring and vast and lyrical, this book is a must-read.”
—Kathy Fish, author of TOGETHER WE CAN BURY IT, RIFT, and WILD LIFE

“Angstman’s work is a joy to read. These characters see their worlds in the way that we see ours: naturally, and independent of the vastness of time in which life eventually situates itself in memory. Each one of these stories breathes troubling, beautiful life into the history that inspires it. The exhaustive research that must have gone into this collection lives in an easy harmony with the stories it undergirds, and it’s Angstman’s chief achievement here to strike that balance with poise and grace. Fear, love, heartache, and wonderment: it’s all right here, between both worlds.”
—Schuler Benson, author of THE POOR MAN’S GUIDE TO AN AFFORDABLE, PAINLESS SUICIDE

“SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST puts the ‘story’ in history. With scholarly rigor and the soul of a bard, Leah Angstman weaves tales of defiance and resilience that bring the past to life and show us what endures.”
—Jennifer Wortman, author of THIS. THIS. THIS. IS. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE

About the Author

Leah Angstman is also the author of the historical novel of seventeenth-century New England, Out Front the Following Sea, available now from Regal House, and the novel of the French Revolution, Falcon in the Dive, forthcoming from Regal House in spring 2024. She serves as the executive editor for Alternating Current Press and The Coil magazine and is a founding Quartermaster member of the American Battlefield Trust. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Nashville Review. She’s recently been a finalist for the Laramie Book Award, Chaucer Book Award, Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Da Vinci Eye Award, Clue Book Award, Richard Snyder Memorial Prize, Cowles Book Prize, and Able Muse Book Award; a semifinalist for the Goethe Book Award; and longlisted for the Hillary Gravendyk Prize. This is her first collection of short stories.

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Giveaway

Enter to win an ARC of Shoot the Horses First & horsey prize pack!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 26th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Shoot the Horses First Cover Reveal

#TheNursesSecret #AmandaSkenandore #HFVBTBlogTours

The Nurse’s Secret by Amanda Skenandore

Publication Date: June 28, 2022
Kensington Books

Genre: Historical Fiction

From acclaimed author and registered nurse Amanda Skenandore, The Alienist meets The Light of Luna Park in a fascinating historical novel based on the little-known story of America’s first nursing school, as a young female grifter in 1880s New York evades the police by conning her way into Bellevue Hospital’s training school for nurses…

In the slums of 1880s New York, Una Kelly has grown up to be a rough-and-tumble grifter, able to filch a pocketbook in five seconds flat. But when another con-woman pins her for a murder she didn’t commit, Una is forced to flee. Running from the police, Una lies her way into an unlikely refuge: the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital.

Based on Florence Nightingale’s nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. Where once nurses were assumed to be ignorant and unskilled, Bellevue prizes discipline, intellect, and moral character, and only young women of good breeding need apply. At first, Una balks at her prim classmates and the doctors’ endless commands. Yet life on the streets has prepared her for the horrors of injury and disease found on the wards, and she slowly gains friendship and self-respect.

Just as she finds her footing, Una’s suspicions about a patient’s death put her at risk of exposure, and will force her to choose between her instinct for self-preservation, and exposing her identity in order to save others.

Amanda Skenandore brings her medical expertise to a page-turning story that explores the evolution of modern nursing—including the grisly realities of nineteenth-century medicine—as seen through the eyes of an intriguing and dynamic heroine.

“A spellbinding story, a vividly drawn setting, and characters that leap off the pages. This is historical fiction at its finest!” – Sara Ackerman, USA Today bestselling author of The Codebreaker’s Secret

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REVIEW BY COFFEE & INK

I expected an entirely different story from the one I actually read, and much better than what I’d imagined. 

Una Kelly is a compelling character, a strong yet poor woman in New York City during the Gilded Age. She works hard, she’s good at what she does, and she’s a thief.

Barney, a local newspaperman, knows who knows what and comes to Una for information. She can make him blush and stammer, but they share information about a strangler on the loose in the neighborhoods.

Here’s what I love about Amanda Skenandore writing—the absolutely seamless merging of history and story, matching the characters to their time eloquently. From the squalor of the urban tenements to the scrubbed clean wards of the hospital. Conversations are natural and steeped in accents and knowledge but not so esoteric as to lose the reader. I guess that’s what I like, the ease and naturalness of the writing.

Rags to—if not riches, to a better, more useful life, where Una’s old skills are hammered into new ones. A murder mystery with excellent sleuthing, and a light romance woven throughout. Double highly recommended. 

About the Author

Amanda is the author of Between Earth and Sky, winner of the American Library Association’s 2019 Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction, and The Undertaker’s Assistant, released from Kensington in July 2019.

She grew up in the mountains of Colorado and sang and danced her way through 68 cities on both sides of the Atlantic with the service organization Up with People before starting college. Her love of historical fiction started early with the stories of Kenneth Thomasma, Mark Twain, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

When she’s not writing, Amanda works as an infection prevention nurse. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their pet turtle Lenore.

Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction writer and registered nurse. Between Earth and Sky was her first novel. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Readers can visit her website at www.amandaskenandore.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BookBub, and Goodreads.

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Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of The Nurse’s Secret by Amanda Skenandore!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Second Life of Mirielle West

#TheOath #TheValley #AMLinden #HFVBTBlogTours

The Oath by A.M. Linden

Publication Date: June 15, 2021
She Writes Press
Paperback & eBook; 336 pages

Series: The Druid Chronicles, #1
Genre: Historical Fiction

In the wake of a betrayal that threatens an end to their way of life, the last members of a secluded pagan cult send the youngest of their remaining priests in search of Annwr, their chief priestess’s sister, who was abducted by a Saxon war band fifteen years ago. With only a rudimentary grasp of English and the ambiguous guidance of an oracle’s prophecy, Caelym manages to find Annwr living in a hut on the grounds of a Christian convent.

Annwr has spent her years of captivity caring for the timid Aleswina, an orphaned Saxon princess who was consigned to the cloistered convent by her cousin, King Gilberth, after he assumed her father’s throne. Just as Caelym and Annwr are about leave together, Aleswina learns that Gilberth, a tyrant known for his cruelty and vicious temper, means to take her out of the convent and marry her. Terrified, she flees with the two Druids–beginning a heart-pounding adventure that unfolds in ways none of them could have anticipated.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise

“Linden’s well-researched tale eloquently brings to life a lesser-known period of transition in Britain…The author has created a strong foundation for her series with well-developed characters whom readers can embrace…[a] layered, gripping historical fiction…”
–Kirkus Reviews

“A fantastic well-crafted, well-written historical novel, about early medieval Anglo-Saxon Britain and with great characters! 5 stars”
–Readers’ Favorite

“Linden uses a fairy tale-like style almost as though this story has been passed down orally over the centuries. Though the kingdoms are fictional, Linden’s tale draws on meticulous historical research, especially in her dramatization of the Christian persecution of the druids.”
–Booklist

“The story rolls along at a lively pace, rich with details of the times and a wide cast of characters….Those interested in goddess-worshipping religions will be drawn to the novel. Any reader curious about 8th-century Britain will enjoy Linden’s innovative focus on the little-known Druids as well as early medieval Christians. Her plotting, shifting points of view of the three engaging protagonists, and evocative writing style make The Oath a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!”
–Historical Novels Review

“The Oath urges readers along on a richly textured quest among the Saxons and Celts of 8th-century Britain. Young and rather humorously naïve Druid priest-healer Caelym swears to ‘rescue’ a damsel in distress who turns out to be neither a young damsel nor in distress. With a feminist slant, this engaging tale brings the conflict between Druids and early Christians to vivid life through sympathetic and well-rounded characters. I particularly enjoyed the ironic voice of the aging midwife Annwr. Brava!”
–Sara Stamey, author of The Ariadne Connection

“Thrilling historical fiction with heart and soul.”
–Tim Pears, author of The West Country trilogy

“The Oath will appeal to a wide-ranging readership, reflecting Linden’s rich imagination and gift for weaving tales within tales evoking the romance of medieval Britain. Vibrant, determined, and relatable characters with disparate ethnic and religious identities discover their own strengths, and each other’s, as the intricate and engaging plot unfolds.”
–Anne Marie Tietjen, PhD, clinical psychologist and instructor at Western Washington University

“Linden’s knowledge and passion for history is soaked into every word of The Oath, combined with an obvious skill at storytelling. Linden succeeds at every level, but the world building is truly spectacular. Historical fantasy is hard to do well, but Linden makes it look easy. What could be dry details are presented so effectively that the world is elevated to almost being a character of its own. And in a cast of characters as well drawn as these, that’s saying something. I can’t wait to see what else this skilled author comes up with!”
–Bishop O’Connell, author of the American Faerie Tale series

The Valley by A.M. Linden

Publication Date: June 28, 2022
She Writes Press
Paperback & eBook; 464 pages

Series: The Druid Chronicles, #2
Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval

Llwddawanden is a hidden sanctuary where remnants of a once-powerful pagan cult carry on their ancient ritual practices, supported by a small but faithful following of servants, craftsmen, and laborers.

Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears.

Herrwn, the shrine’s chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cult’s previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their order—two tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.

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Advance Praise

“A. M. Linden brings her imagined druid community to life with a skillful combination of research and informed guesswork. The Valley provides an intriguing glimpse into an 8th century Britain that might have been.”
–Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters and Warrior Bards series

“With the attention to detail, explanation of ancient rituals, and the mythology within the clan’s legends, this novel builds a community, exploring a people about which little is actually known. It’s an extraordinary portrayal, breathing life into a long-dead civilization….Highly recommended!”
–Chanticleer Book Reviews

About the Author

Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the East Coast before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program related materials. The Oath is the first installment of The Druid Chronicles, a five-volume series that began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Retired from nursing, she lives with her husband, dogs, and cat in Bellingham, WA.

Blog Tour Schedule

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Review at Jorie Loves a Story (The Oath)

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Interview at Books and Benches

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Review at Pursuing Stacie

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Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

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Review at Bookworlder
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Review at Potpourri of Opinions

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Guest Post at Jorie Loves a Story

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Excerpt at What Is That Book About

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Giveaway

Two readers will win copies of The Oath & The Valley by A.M. Linden!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Oath

#DenyaDuke #EmilyWinsdor #HFVBT

A Governess Should Never…Deny a Duke by Emily Windsor

Publication Date: July 7, 2022

Series: The Governess Chronicles – Book 2
Genre: Regency Romance

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

A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess but for Isabelle, a lady with impeccable references and tightly pinned hair, it barely raises a brow.

But this rugged Welsh duke of an employer is unlike any other: dubbed Mean, Moody & Mysterious in gossip columns, he’s known to scowl a path through London society. And why have three governesses fled his employ within the last twelvemonths?

“I appoint you as governess. When can you start?”

Rhys Cadogan, the Duke of Aberdare, never procrastinates. And besides, with a house party to be hosted at his coastal estate, the sole purpose of which is to find him a wife, he’s in somewhat of a rush.

But this drab-gowned paragon of a governess is unlike any other: lauded in her references, she exudes composure and intelligence, a perfect fit for his troubled niece. So why do Miss Beaujeu’s eyes also flash with a wild silvered gleam?

The Prudent Governess and the Passionate Duke.

One should never judge a duke by his Mean, Moody & Mysterious reputation or a governess by her tightly pinned hair, for beneath both tamed façades lay wildness and shared passions – not to be denied.

With forbidden kisses on stormy nights, a house full of prospective brides, a scandalous rake of an heir, dragon folklore and cinnamon biscuits, the vocation of governess has never been so thrilling…

A witty, romantic and heart-warming stand-alone Regency romance.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

The Governess Chronicles

1 – A Governess Should Never…Tempt a Prizefighter
2 – A Governess Should Never…Deny a Duke

Praise

“…well-written, nicely paced, and has a well-done mystery seamlessly woven into the romance. Rhys and Isabelle’s romance is a slow-burning love story, filled with secrets, great secondary characters, intrigue, warm love scenes, surprising revelations, and finally, a truly lovely HEA ending complete with an epilogue…In my opinion, this is one of this author’s best books to date and I highly recommend it!” -Flippin’ Pages ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Aberdare is an English duke for the crown but a welsh Earl first for his people, one with dragon legends in his veins. And while St George tamed the beast, the wildness still flows in his blood… a must-read story with lovable characters who fight together to make their HEA a true thing.” -Elodie’s Reading Corner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I would suggest you not start the book at night (FYI – you can’t put the book down).” -Marjay’s reading blog⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“This book will bring you to tears: from yearning, from heartbreak, and most of all, from love.” – @sammstormborn⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

About the Author

Emily Windsor 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.

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Coffee and Ink

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Pursuing Stacie

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Giveaway

Enter to win an eBook of A Governess Should Never…Deny a Duke + a $30 Amazon Gift Card!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 23rd. You must be 18 or older to enter.

A Governess Should Never Deny a Duke

#DarkBlueWaves #KimberlySullivan #HFVBTBlogTours

Dark Blue Waves by Kimberly Sullivan

Publication Date: May 27, 2022

Genre: Time Travel Romance/Regency

When you wake up in Bath, England two hundred years in the past, how far can a love of Jane Austen get you?

Janet Roberts dreams of an academic career in literature, so she can hardly believe her good fortune when she’s accepted into a Jane Austen graduate seminar in Bath, England. Settled in Georgian splendor among her seminar colleagues, Janet and her classmates live, eat and breathe Jane Austen.

An accident interrupts this idyll when Janet regains consciousness in her own room—back in Regency England. For a scholar of nineteenth-century literature, this should be a dream come true.

But Janet quickly learns there’s a world of difference between scholarly knowledge of the written page and maneuvering real life as a reluctant time traveler.

Her burgeoning friendship with Emma Huntington eases her entrée into nineteenth-century society. However, Emma’s brother, the handsome, proud and frustratingly magnetic Sir Edward, is far less welcoming.

While desperately attempting to make sense of her dilemma, Janet treads a thin line between trying to blend into her new world and not being unmasked as the imposter she is. Can she find the way to return to her twenty-first century life before her secret is discovered? After working so hard to create a rewarding nineteenth-century life for herself, does she even want to?

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Praise

“Sullivan has crafted a detailed and immersive time-traveling romance populated with colorful characters and plot twists that would make Jane Austen proud.” -IndieReader Review

“A transporting drama of love, desire, and hope. Sullivan’s deft, assured narrative is interwoven with wry humor and shrewd observations as she delves into love, passion, courage, integrity, honor, duty, and sacrifice. The assured prose, visceral images, and sharp dialogue create a suitably period feel, and the swift plot advances unpredictably. Janet is an endearing heroine, and her inner turmoil at the core of the story is beautifully conveyed. Steeped in period feeling and written with intelligence and authenticity, this time-travel tale makes for a winner.” -The Prairies Book Review

“A captivating story about finding love and discovering where you belong. Sullivan’s novel is absolutely enchanting, and it’s a joy to see Janet reassess her contemporary prejudices, offering a compelling take on both the time period and on period literature. Dark Blue Waves is an effortlessly charming novel about following your heart, which is recommended for all fans of Austen and historical romance.” -Self-Publishing Review

About the Author

Kimberly grew up in the suburbs of Boston and in Saratoga Springs, New York, although she now calls the Harlem neighborhood of New York City home when she’s back in the US. She studied political science and history at Cornell University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, from Bocconi University in Milan.

Afflicted with a severe case of Wanderlust, she worked in journalism and government in the US, Czech Republic and Austria, before settling down in Rome, where she works in international development, and writes fiction any chance she gets.

She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and The Historical Novel Society and has published several short stories and two novels: Three Coins and Dark Blue Waves.

After years spent living in Italy with her Italian husband and sons, she’s fluent in speaking with her hands, and she loves setting her stories in her beautiful, adoptive country.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, June 27
Feature at Bookworlder
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Guest Post at The Romance Book Fairy

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Excerpt at Books Blog
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Review at Books, Writings, and More

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Excerpt at Reading is My Remedy

Tuesday, July 5
Review at Michelle the PA Loves to Read

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Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of Dark Blue Waves by Kimberly Sullivan!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Dark Blue Waves

#JourneysBookBlast #JeanneRoland #HFVBT

Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastian by Jeanne Roland

Publication Date: November 13, 2021
Nepenthe Press

Genre: Renaissance Historical Fiction/Young Adult
Series: Archers of Saint Sebastian, Book One

A barracks full of beautiful boys. A girl in disguise, living among them.

It’s the 14th century, and the longbow is king. But in the northern European principality of Ardennes, archery isn’t just the nation’s defense. It’s the national obsession.

MEET THE JOURNEYS

12 young Journeyman archers, the best in the country
2 years of public competitions, in which looks count almost as much as ability
6 will win a coveted membership in the Archers’ Guild of St. Sebastian
1 will become the prince’s new Guardsman

MEET MARIEKE

15-year-old Marieke is as obsessed with St. Sebastian’s as everyone else in Ardennes. Only it’s the middle ages, and girls just don’t become elite archers. Except Marieke’s prospects as a girl aren’t promising either, after a well-timed kick from a mule has left her with a face that’s badly scarred and ruined for marriage. But when circumstances force her to leave her old life behind and flee to the guild for refuge, there are only two things Marieke really knows about the place. One is that a mysterious accident ended her own father’s time as a Journey. The other?
There are no women allowed inside St. Sebastian’s.

Marieke knows disguising herself as a boy and infiltrating the guild means embarking on a dangerous deception. But it may be her only chance to find out the truth about her father’s past and to stop a murderous plot from coming to fruition. When the dashing young Journeyman Tristan takes her under his wing as his squire, she’s got to stay – at least long enough to help him beat out his brutal arch-rival to win the competitions.

Keeping her identity a secret will be hard. Living in close quarters with a pack of gorgeous boys? That will be harder still. But the hardest thing of all will be keeping the vow she makes for herself: to see Tristan become the next Guardsman, without ever letting him find out she’s a girl – a girl, who loves him.

Part Robin Hood and part Princess Bride, with a pinch of Mulan and a dash of Cyrano de Bergerac in the mix, The Archers of St. Sebastian I: Journeys is a humorous action and adventure saga inspired by late medieval/early Renaissance Belgium and packed with romance, wit, and longbow archery. Perfect for adults who love young adult themes, Journeys is an escape into the past that reads more like romantic historical fantasy than pure historical fiction.

Unrequited love? Ugly heroines who stay ugly? Friendship, coming of age, romance, adventure, and plenty of archery competitions? A unique setting inspired by the glorious city of Bruges, with a richly imagined, immersive world set within the walls of a male-only archers’ guild? Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastianhas it all, so if you’re looking for a great escape, don your disguise and join Marieke as she enters the forbidden world of Saint Sebastian’s, and prepare to fall in love with the Journeys – that is, the twelve best and most beautiful archers in all of Ardennes, the Journeyman archers of St. Sebastian’s.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Roland hails from Davis, California, where she spent most of her youth lounging at the pool, soaking up the sun, and daydreaming. She had a key ring that read ‘I’m running away to join the circus,’ and her favorite moment of the day was when the local movie theater went dark, and the slogan ‘escape to the movies’ appeared on the screen. As an adult, her passions include all things melodramatic and beautiful — everything from classic movies, British romantic poetry, ancient tragedy and epic, to Italian opera. She is now a professor of Classics in a small midwestern town, where she lives with her Greek husband, her fraternal twins, and a Bernese mountain dog named Franco Corelli.

Visit www.jeanneroland.com and www.nepenthepress.com for more about Roland’s upcoming projects. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

#ADeadlyLegacy #MaliaZaidi #HFVBTBlogTours

A Deadly Legacy by Malia Zaidi

Publication Date: March 15, 2022
Paperback & eBook

Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: A Lady Evelyn Mystery, Book 6

A few months after the Carlisle Detective Agency opened its doors, Lady Evelyn and her partner, Hugh, are twiddling their thumbs. The cases are slow to trickle in, leaving the detectives feeling uninspired. So, when Evelyn’s Aunt Louise asks her to join the local chapter of the Women’s Institute, she has no excuse to decline the invitation. Yet what she expects to be a tedious gathering, turns out to be anything but. She meets former suffragettes and outspoken women, eager for change, forcing Evelyn to reexamine her own prejudices. A decidedly less welcome surprise is the body she comes across only a few days later. Evelyn need hardly be a professional detective to recognize a murder when she sees one. Amid planning her wedding and navigating family affairs, she sets out to solve the case. The investigation takes Evelyn and Hugh into the past, examining the war years, which left the present far from untarnished. Is the victim’s history connected to her death? Could her involvement in the war have given someone a motive for murder? The questions pile up, and Evelyn and Hugh must race against the clock to discover the truth, before more lives are lost, not least, their own…

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Target | Walmart

excerpt

Prologue

She heard them coming through the fog that clouded her mind, made her eyes swim and head throb. The footsteps were heavy, brutal in their approach. Pushing herself up, a spasm of pain ran like a hot poker down her left side and she gasped and pressed her lips together. I will not scream. I will not scream. Tears shot to her eyes, but she swallowed the sob of agony in her throat.

            Steeling herself for the door to open, for it to begin anew, she sat as straight as she could, favoring her right side on the stiff straw mattress. Her brow was damp with perspiration. She could taste the salt on her upper lip. Her bare arms were covered in gooseflesh. Though she had hardened herself for this very occasion, the calm she hoped would descend upon her did not come. Her heart beat an angry rhythm in her chest. Counting in her mind, she waited, eyes closed. The steps grew closer. One, two, three. . . She opened her eyes. They were moving away. Her chest felt tight. Something was wrong. What was happening?

            A door creaked somewhere down the hallway. The sound of movement, a scuffle. Raised voices and the unmistakable snap of leather against flesh. A cry. A howl. That voice . . .

            No. No!

            She flew at the closed door, but misjudging her strength and the ferocity of her injury, collapsed before crossing half the short distance. What had she done? She had known the moment the words passed her lips it would be her greatest regret. Yet the hope her betrayal came too late lived inside her until this moment, which proved the opposite true. Pressing her hands to her face, she could hold in her sobs no longer. The pain, the exhaustion and now this, this shattering confrontation with her own weakness, her moral failing was too much to bear. The ground was cold and welcoming as she lay down, and she could not imagine finding the strength ever to rise again.

            Time became liquid, flowing around her until she lost her grip on it entirely. Hours passed, then days. Meals were brought, more questions asked, more bruises added to join the map of blue and green patterning her body, tattoos of her mistakes.

            She did not beg. Whatever semblance remained of the dignified, clever woman she may once have been left a trace. Whatever clarity her mind possessed was focused on one fact alone, her guilt. Bruises could fade and sores heal, there was no balm to soothe away the damage she had caused. Every time her mind reached this conclusion anew, she sank into a heap of despair on the ground. The cold did not touch her anymore. The gnawing hunger in her belly felt like her just deserts as did the shock of pain burning an eternal flame along the length of her body. And yet . . . had there not been a sliver of hope, just the tiniest fragment, she might have dashed her head against the wall and been done with life, with suffering and pain.

            One night – this much she could tell from the tiny, filthy window set high into one wall – her door was opened. She lay on her mattress. The sound of the key in the lock, the metal bolt scraping back made her open her eyes, crusty with sleep and blink into the dim room.

            “Aufstehen!” came the barked command, and a torch beam sliced through the darkness, bringing tears to her eyes. The man in the doorway was tall, his voice young as he ordered her to get up. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as she made no move to obey. Let him command all he wanted, what could he do that had not already been done?

            “Los, aufstehen!” he shouted once more, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder. Nervous. She did not recognize him. He was a new arrival.

            “Warum?” she croaked, conjuring a smile to her cracked lips. It had its intended effect and, riled, he stepped forward.

            “Der Kommandant fordert es!“ So he had sent for her once more. She wondered what he could want. Hadn’t she given them enough? Hadn’t they wrung her dry like a limp cleaning rag? Curiosity got the better of her, curiosity and a vague hope that she might be able to alter what she had done.

            Slowly, she peeled herself from the misshapen mattress she called a bed and, leaning towards her right, pushed herself up to stand. Her whole body pulsed with pain, and she bit down so hard she could taste the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. The young man was impatient and though the lethargy in her movement was not by choice, she took some pleasure in making him squirm. By the time she reached the door, her legs trembled and her hands were slick. She gripped for the doorframe, but the soldier, either impatient or taking pity on her, took hold of an arm and lent her support. He was younger even than her, she noticed. Just an overgrown boy like so many of them.

            By the time they reached a spare room up two flights of stairs, the young man was more or less carrying her. She was deposited on a hard, wooden chair in front of the window. It looked onto a closed courtyard, illuminated by cold light. The flagstones were slick with water. It must have rained. She knew nothing of the outside world, the whims and wiles of the weather. Her back was to the door, still she felt his presence even before he made himself heard. The commander was a man with presence, whatever that meant. He was tall and lean, but filled a room to the point that she could hardly find the air to breathe when he was there.

            “What do you want?” she asked, trying to steel her voice, to sound hard and bored, knowing the sorry sight she presented, emaciated and pale, told a different story.

            “He stepped into the room, his hat tucked under his arm. “You gave me something, so I thought it is only right I should return the favor.”

            He was standing behind her now, his powerful hand resting on her shoulder. She tried to shrug it off, but he only let out a low chuckle at her feeble attempts. Bending down, he whispered into her ear and pointed into the courtyard.

            “Look.”

            Indeed, as he entered the room, her focus had shifted and it was only now she noticed the commotion in the space below. Her breath caught in her throat.

            A man was being led out between two soldiers. He was barefoot, his hands bound and face bloodied. She would have recognized him in a crowd of a million. She reached out, but glass and space separated her from him. Look up, she thought, then immediately shrank back. No, no he must not see her, must not know who brought him to this place.

            “Now, now, so squeamish all of a sudden?” the voice in her ear whispered. Her chair was pushed forward so close she was trapped in front of the window.

            One of the soldiers had produced a black sack he pulled over his captive’s head before marching him to the wall. She could not bear it, yet she could not tear her eyes away, willing fate to intervene, wishing the God she had forsaken herself would show his mercy after all.

            The soldier walked back. The second drew a pistol.

            A shot.

            A scream.

            Silence.

About the Author

Malia Zaidi is the author of The Lady Evelyn Mysteries. She studied at the University of Pittsburgh and at the University of Oxford. Having grown up in Germany, she currently lives in Washington DC, though through her love of reading, she resides vicariously (if temporarily) in countries around the world.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Thursday, May 19
Review at Passages to the Past

Monday, May 23
Excerpt at Heidi Reads

Friday, May 27
Excerpt at The Caffeinated Bibliophile

Monday, May 30
Guest Post at The Cozy Book Blog

Tuesday, May 31
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Thursday, June 2
Guest Post & Excerpt at Older & Smarter

Saturday, June 4
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective

Monday, June 6
Excerpt at bookworlder

Thursday, June 9
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink

Giveaway

Enter to win all 6 books in the Lady Evelyn Mystery series!

Book One: A Poisonous Journey
Book Two: A Darker Shore
Book Three: The Study of Silence
Book Four: The Golden Hour
Book Five: The Quality of Mercy
Book Six: A Deadly Legacy

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on June 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

A Deadly Legacy

#ShadowsintheMindsEye #JanyreTromp #HFVBT

Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp

Publication Date: April 19, 2022
Kregel Publications

Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on–responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand–but that everyone is learning to fear.

Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?

Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds–or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?

Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors list.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review from Coffee & Ink

A sailor named Sam comes home after World War II has ended on a Greyhound bus. He brings with him harsh memories, memories so bad he can barely see the man he was before he left home. One thing remains—he loves his wife and daughter, even if they hardly recognize him, either.

The family works hard to come together again, but so much has happened, it seems like the war isn’t over yet in Sam’s mind, and he sometimes can’t tell friend from foe.

When the enemy comes for him in the guise of a friend, and an old enemy tries to save him, Sam has to choose between what he knows is true and what he fears.

This is a well-written historical fiction with authentic voices. I highly recommend this novel to readers who love stories written from family histories, as this one is. I do love a good Afterword, too.

Praise

“Readers will enjoy this emotional exploration of a soldier’s journey as he returns home to his family’s farm after fighting a war in the Pacific. This story examines not only the traumatic impact on his own psyche but on the lives of all who love him most. With alternating points of view, Tromp weaves a complex historical tale incorporating love, suspense, hurt, and healing―all the elements that keep the pages turning.” — Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Perennials

“Oh my! What a story! Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is a stunner of a debut novel. Sam and Annie’s love is beautifully rendered, Sam’s combat fatigue (what we now call PTSD) is compassionately portrayed, and Janyre Tromp’s writing effortlessly captures the Southern voice. And the last half of the book is one dangerous, breathtaking twist after another, as Sam’s worst nightmares come to pass. A compelling look at a town struggling to find its soul and a wounded couple struggling to reclaim their love. Not to be missed.” — Sarah Sundin, ECPA best-selling and award-winning author of Until Leaves Fall in Paris

“An achingly poignant tale of rediscovering love and trust between wounded hearts. Love, forgiveness, and danger weave together in Tromp’s emotional tale where the greatest of battles are fought in the mind. Beautiful in description with complex characters, readers will not forget this emotional journey.” — J’nell Ciesielski, best-selling author of The Socialite

“Stunning and compelling, Janyre Tromp’s Shadows in the Mind’s Eye kept me turning pages. With a cast of true-to-life characters, pitch-perfect narrative, and a plot that will keep the reader wondering what is true (and what is imagined), this novel is not to be missed. Intense and full of heart, Tromp delivers a fresh voice in the world of fiction.” — Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds and the Pearl Spence Series

“With twists and turns as unexpected as an Arkansas thunderstorm, Tromp brilliantly explores the things war can change and the important things it can’t.” — Lynne Gentry, USA Today best-selling author of Lethal Outbreak

“A hair-raising, mind-bending psychological thriller, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp deftly explores a marriage torn asunder by war. Is a marriage worth fighting for when you cannot see the people your husband is fighting, or when you even become the one he is fighting? Tromp’s nuanced empathy elevates this story to another level and blurs the line between villain and hero, causing readers to ponder the lengths they would go to protect themselves, even against the ones they love.” — Jolina Petersheim, bestselling author of How the Light Gets In

“Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is an intense, beautifully written novel about secrets and sacrifice. A story about poignant trauma and truth potent enough to heal a broken family. A fabulous debut!” — Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of The Winter Rose and Catching the Wind

“With pitch-perfect dialect, lyrical prose, and homespun wisdom, Tromp delivers a slow boiling mystery that dares to ask the deepest questions about faith, love, suffering, evil, and hope.” — Elizabeth Musser, award-winning author of The Promised Land

“Tromp’s debut novel is the perfect blend of historical fiction and psychological thriller. Shadows in the Mind’s Eye hooked me early on and kept me enthralled until the very end. A story of war, of heartache, of love and healing, this novel will appeal to a broad swath of readers. Tromp is a new author to watch!” — Kelli Stuart, award-winning author of The Fabulous Freaks of Monsieur Beaumont

Author Janyre Tromp

In case we get to meet in person some day, you pronounce that first name Jan-air. Kind of like the stove. I’m a developmental book editor by day and a writer at night.

And that all happens from my kitchen table when I’m not hanging out with my husband, two kids, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog. Unfortunately, I spilled coffee on my super cape and then the dryer ate it. So you’ll just have to imagine I can do it all!

I have four traditionally published books—a WWII era novel, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye; a juvenile fiction, That Sinking Feeling; and two board books in the All About God’s Animals series—and 2 indie books—Wide Open, a historical novella and It’s a Wonderful Christmas, a Christmas novella collection (coming October 2021).

But my passion is writing about the beauty of the world—past and present—even when it isn’t pretty.

After all, isn’t it the beauty in the world that gets us through the day?

Hopefully after you hang out with me for a bit, we’ll be able to see things a little more clearly, find a little bit of meaning, and make a bigger impact.

With me what you see is what you get…all the Beautiful, all the Ugly, all the Me.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 2
Review at Bookworlder

Tuesday, May 3
Guest Post at Heidi Reads

Wednesday, May 4
Review at Dive Into a Good Book

Thursday, May 5
Excerpt at What is That Book About

Friday, May 6
Review at Ms. Darcy Reads

Monday, May 9
Review at The Page Ladies

Tuesday, May 10
Excerpt at Books & Benches

Wednesday, May 11
Excerpt at Books, Cooks, Looks
Review at Cover Lover Book Review

Saturday, May 14
Review at Girl Who Reads
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Monday, May 16
Review at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, May 18
Excerpt at Lisa Everyday Reads

Friday, May 20
Review at Coffee and Ink
Review at The Cozy Book Blog
Interview at Jathan & Heather

Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on May 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Shadow’s in the Mind’s Eye

#Book Review A Disturbing Nature by Brian Lebeau

Suspenseful new novel draws inspiration from history’s infamous crimes

The new psychological thriller, “A Disturbing Nature,” explores ethics, psychology and social justice while investigating a series of murders in New England 

RAMONA, California – This spring, author Brian Lebeau will release his debut novel, “A Disturbing Nature” (May 10, 2022, Books Fluent), a psychological and insightful thriller about a prolific killer and investigator in post-Vietnam War-era New England.

When FBI Chief Investigator Francis Palmer and Maurice Lumen’s paths collide, a dozen young women are already dead—bodies strewn in the woods across southern New England. Crippled by the loss of their families and haunted by mistakes, they wrestle with skeletons and ghosts neither understands. Who is destined to pay for the sins of their fathers, and who will pay for their own? 

Under a celebrity veneer, the Beast in Palmer simmers. Called back from an investigation that’s gone dry in Seattle to his field office in Boston, he’s assigned to a case closer to home. Without closure and carrying the scars of every predator he’s hunted down, Palmer’s thrust into a new killer’s destructive path and forced to confront his own demons. 

On the surface, Mo Lumen seems an unlikely suspect. Abandoned by the Great Society and sheltered from the countercultural revolution, he’s forced to leave Virginia under the shadow of secrets and accusations. Emerging in Rhode Island, burdened with childlike innocence, reminders of the past threaten to resurrect old carcasses.  

A psychological thriller set in the summer of 1975, “A Disturbing Nature” explores the concept of two deaths, blurring the line between man and monster.

“A Disturbing Nature”

Brian Lebeau | May 10, 2022 | Books Fluent | Historical Fiction / Mystery / Suspense

Paperback  | 978-1-953865-49-6 | $19.99

Ebook  | 978-1-953865-50-2 | $9.99

Review by Coffee&Ink

A good, complicated fictional crime story with a narrative that has the feel of true crime. The main characters are a detective who hunts serial killers, at great cost to his soul, across the country, and a damaged young man searching for a good job, friends, family, and connections in a cold world that has treated him badly.  A well-written, edge-of-your-seat story, led by characters who are driven to discover who is killing young women in a small college town. Vibrant writing and realistic settings—recommended.

About Brian Lebeau

One month after The Beatles arrived, with much fanfare, in America, Brian Lebeau was born, unceremoniously, in Fall River, Massachusetts, home of the infamous Lizzie Borden. After being awarded an “A” in high school English once and denied a career in music for “lack of talent” repeatedly, he taught economics at several colleges and universities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island before moving to Fauquier County, Virginia, to work as a defense contractor for two decades. In the psychological thriller “A Disturbing Nature,” Mr. Lebeau merges three key interests: a keen fascination with everything World War II, a morbid curiosity surrounding the motivations and mayhem of notorious serial killers, and a lifelong obsession with the Red Sox. “A Disturbing Nature” is Mr. Lebeau’s first book.

Q&A with Brian Lebeau

Why did you become a writer? Were you always interested in writing?

I write because I’m an explorer at heart. From the age of eleven, I’ve always wanted to explore and share my adventures. And while I’ve traveled much, the most extraordinary places I’ve visited lie within. So, I write, and I share, just as I’d hoped, only the perspective is different. The stories that have been with me for years—the ones I couldn’t share over lunch or at a house party—I knew would require my full attention when the time came to put ink to paper. And even though it took almost a quarter of a century in the business world to get there, I finally found myself alone at the keyboard in late 2017. Physically, I’ve aged, but inside, I’m still that eleven-year-old explorer hoping to one day write a literary masterpiece. 

What draws you to the page and motivates you to write?

I’m motivated to write by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge—to understand what motivates myself and others and what conditions those motives. I enjoy introspective studies wrapped in psychological thrillers and dark romances—the ones that bare the writer’s soul. So what draws me to the page is a constant need to place myself under the microscope and evaluate what I’m thinking, why I’m thinking it, and how thinking about it influences my mood and behavior. If I write my thoughts down on paper, I’m exorcising the unnecessary or misguided ones and focusing on the ones that matter. I write because it’s therapeutic. I read because it’s comforting. 

Who are you now that you’re a writer? What new persona have you taken on?

After decades spent chasing security, I decided to shed my skin and slink into the world of storytelling, using whatever platform I’m granted to raise questions of individual and social conscience in a non-threatening way. Weaving one’s thoughts into a story permits the writer to question the status quo and tilt the conventional, so I’m hoping whatever audience comes along on my adventures will also seek to understand the questions they raise. 

Having done a lot of soul-searching as part of the writing process, my view on leadership has changed significantly. I no longer believe leadership comes from financial, political, or social influence, corporate structures, political systems, or social status, all enslaved by market forces, public rhetoric, and conventional wisdom. Instead, true leadership comes from the independent voice that recognizes all members of society on the same plane, in the same service class, and with the same baggage. I’d like to unpack some of that baggage and maybe help others do the same. I’m ready to be a guide through our collective journey; travels between dark and light, humor and profound. 

www.booksforward.com

3401 Dauphine Street

Suite E

New Orleans, LA

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#theSignoftheWeepingVirgin #AlanaWhite #HFVBT #historicalfiction #coverreveal

The Sign of the Weeping Virgin by Alana White

Paperback Publication Date: May 2, 2022

Series: The Guid’Antonio Vespucci Mysteries, Book 1
Genre: Historical Mystery/Fiction

Florence, 1480: Guid’Antonio Vespucci is back in town. One man. One clue. One last chance to save the Republic.

Florentine investigator Guid’Antonio Vespucci returns to Italy from a government mission to find his dreams of peace shattered. Marauding Turks have abducted a young girl and sold her into slavery. Equally disturbing, a revered painting of the Virgin Mary is weeping in Guid’Antonio’s family church. Are the tears manmade or a sign of God’s displeasure with Guid’Antonio himself?

In a finely wrought story for lovers of medieval and renaissance mysteries everywhere‚ Guid’Antonio follows a spellbinding trail of clues to uncover the thought-provoking truth about the missing girl and the weeping painting’s mystifying tears‚ all pursued as he comes face to face with his own personal demons.

“Color, intrigue, and elegant prose bring the 15th-century City of Flowers to life.” —Brenda Rickman Vantrease, Bestselling Author of The Illuminator and A Far Horizon.” -Historical Novels Review Editor’s Choice

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

Alana White is the author of the Guid’Antonio mystery series set in Renaissance Florence, Italy. The next title in the series, The Hearts of All on Fire, is coming soon. Like Guid’Antonio, Alana loves dogs. While he dwells in 15th-Century Florence with his brave cane corso Italiano, Alana currently lives in Nashville, TN with her husband, their cat, and two boisterous schnauzer boys.

For more information, please visit Alana White’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Cover Reveal Schedule

Monday, May 2
Booking With Janelle
Bonnie Reads and Writes

Tuesday, May 3
The Page Ladies

Wednesday, May 4
Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Thursday, May 5
Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Friday, May 6
Jessica Belmont

Saturday, May 7
Passages to the Past

Monday, May 9
Bookworlder

Tuesday, May 10
Historical Fiction with Spirit

Wednesday, May 11
Reader_ceygo

Thursday, May 12
Coffee and Ink
Impressions In Ink

Friday, May 13
Pages and Paws

Giveaway

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Sign of the Weeping Virgin by Alana White!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on May 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Weeping Virgin Paperback Cover Reveal