Teatime and Books: November 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Fantasy & Sci-Fi for Christmas ~ The Turncoat King - The Rising Wave Series by Michelle Diener

On tour with Prism Book Tours

The Turncoat King

(The Rising Wave, #1)

By Michelle Diener

Fantasy, Romance

Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 312 Pages

January 12, 2021 by Eclipse

A thirst for revenge . . . Ava is committed to vengeance against the man responsible for the death of her parents. The same man, the Queen's Herald, kept her prisoner for two years, until she escaped with Luc, a warlord bent on vengeance just as fierce as her own. He's forged a powerful army of people from all through the region, called the Rising Wave, to march on the Kassian royal family and smash its corrupt power under the weight of their anger. But for Luc, just as for Ava, his true motive is a lot more personal.

A hidden magic . . . Luc suspects Ava has magical abilities, suspects he's benefited greatly from them, but he's no stranger to the burdens of power, and he's prepared to let her tell him in her own time—after all, she's his heart's choice and he will give her all the time she needs. Except time is running out for both of them. As they near the Kassian stronghold, forces from within their own camp and without will use every trick they have to stop both Luc and Ava and tear them apart.

A secret laid bare . . . Luc knows Ava has a secret she's keeping from him—but what he doesn't realize is she has many. And when those secrets are exposed, everyone will have to grapple with the consequences. Ava is prepared to sacrifice her happiness and even her life to save the Rising Wave and Luc—but she would prefer to use her heart and her head to outwit her enemies instead.

Author's note: The Rising Wave series begins with a prequel novella, The Rising Wave. It isn't necessary to have read The Rising Wave to enjoy The Turncoat King, but it will give readers a better grounding in the world of the story.

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Excerpt

The guard assigned to lead them to the Skäddar warrior paused to speak to someone in low tones. When he turned back to Luc and Dak, he was grinning.

“The Skäddar warrior is this way. He's sparring with one of our best fighters and we're hoping he wins.” His smile widened as he led the way.

“Why are you hoping he defeats one of your own?” Dak asked.

“Because she's from the mountain border with Skäddar, and has been teasing us steppe-dwellers about how the highlanders are superior. It will be very good to see someone land her on her arse.”

“None of you have been able to?” Dak lifted his brows.

The guard gave a grunt. “Not yet.”

Luc could tell they were close to the sparring match. The sound of cheers and whistles started up, and ahead of them was a circle of soldiers, all looking inward.

The guard led them around the side, to where the crowd wasn't as thick.

The sun had almost completely set, so two torches had been driven into the ground to illuminate the fighting ring, and the opponents were already circling each other.

The man was obviously Skäddar. Luc had met only a few of the northern dwellers before, but they all had markings on their faces like this one.

The Venyatux highlander was much smaller than her opponent, and had her back to them.

Luc felt the air freeze in his chest and throat as he recognized her hair first—a little longer than it had been since he'd last seen her a month ago but still much shorter than everyone else's.

Ava.

About the Author

Michelle Diener is the bestselling, award-winning author of historical, fantasy and science fiction romance novels. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds for her readers to escape into. She lives in Australia with her husband and children.

Tour Schedule
(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

November 28th: Launch

November 29th: Elayne Audrey Becker - Forestborn

November 30th: Michelle Diener - The Turncoat King

December 1st: Jes Drew - Agents Adam and Eve

December 2nd: Sharon Hinck - Windward Shore

December 3rd: Kara Linaburg - The Broken Prince

December 4th: Cathy McCrumb - Recorder

December 5th: Sandra Fernandez Rhoads - Realms of Light

December 6th: Chawna Schroeder - The Vault Between Spaces

December 7th: Melissa Wright - Beneath Stone and Sacrifice

December 8th: Kristen Young - Elite

December 9th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $50 (USD) Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 13, 2020

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Release Blitz ~ Sealed with a Yuletide Kiss - An Historical Romance Advent Calendar by Sophie Barnes

An Historical Romance Advent Calendar

Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Holiday Romance, Romance Anthology

Date Published: November 30, 2021

Allow yourself to be swept away as you count down to Christmas with this collection of twenty-four romantic short stories. From friends to lovers and instant romance to secret identities and so much more, these treats are sure to fill you with warmth this holiday season. So grab a hot drink, settle into your favorite spot, and indulge in the magic of happily ever afters.

Story titles:

December 1: A Drunken Christmas Escapade

December 2: A Royal Affair on Christmas Eve

December 3: A Duke Surrenders His Heart on Christmas Eve

December 4: A Highwayman Proposes on Christmas Eve

December 5: Caught in a Snow Storm on Christmas Eve

December 6: Rescued by a Duke before Christmas

December 7: A Kiss for Christmas

December 8: A Christmas House Party

December 9: Underneath the Mistletoe

December 10: Snowed In on Christmas Eve

December 11: An Unexpected Guest Arrives for Christmas

December 12: At the Christmas Ball

December 13: Trapped in a Carriage on Christmas Eve

December 14: By the Stroke of Midnight

December 15: The Duke Proposes on Christmas

December 16: A Scandalous Dare on Christmas Eve

December 17: A Secret Christmas Rendezvous

December 18: Stealing a Yuletide Kiss

December 19: A Shocking Revelation for Christmas

December 20: Stranded at an Inn during Christmas

December 21: An Unexpected Encounter with a Highlander

December 22: Reunited on Christmas Eve

December 23: Only a Duke Will Do for Christmas

December 24: A Christmas Wedding Gone Awry

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Sophie Barnes, has spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She's lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish and Romanian with varying degrees of fluency.

She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor's degree from Parson's School of design, but most impressive of all - she's been married to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three different dresses.

While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion - writing.

When she's not busy, dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family. She currently lives on the East Coast.

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Teaser Tuesday & Giveaway ~ Merry Christmas Eve! - Written by Adam Wallace & Illustrated by Lena Bardy

Children's Picture Book

Date Published: December 4, 2020

Publisher: Krueger Wallace Press & Riven Rock Projects

Christmas is coming and the Christmas spirit is nowhere to be found. There’s only one little elf with the get-up-and-go to find it. Meet Eve . . .

About the Author

New York Times, Amazon and USA Today Bestselling author who loves writing stories that make children laugh and get excited about reading and drawing and writing . I also love taking naps and listening to music. Not at the same time.

I have over 80 books published and out in the world, and love each one as if it were my child ... except if that child is like really naughty and always breaks my favourite things and writes bad words on the walls of our house.

None of my books are like that.

From How to Catch books to How to Draw books. From gross books to action and adventure books. From inspirational to just plain funny, there's something here for kids of all reading abilities, and all ranges of interests.

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Release Blitz ~ Spin the Bottle - The Summervale Series by L. L. Hunter

Title: Spin the Bottle
Author: L.L. Hunter
Genre: YA Contemporary Romantic Suspense, Mystery
Cover Designer: Emily Wittig
Publication Date: Nov. 30^th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR

Blurb:

It was meant to be the last party before the end of summer, the last party before the group of friends are split up forever.

But someone has other plans for them…

At a cabin in the middle of the woods, on a remote island, the friends gather for a party. Not knowing that for some of them, it could be the last one they’ll ever have.

The killer is out there and watching them, and they’ll bide their time before striking again.

After all, the secrets are out.

In the thrilling fourth instalment of the bestselling Summervale series,

Will the teens survive and make it back to town for graduation?

Will they be able to leave this cursed town behind?

Or will they perish before someone can raise the alarm?

NOW LIVE!

L.L. Hunter is the author of over 20 published works, including The Legend of the Archangel Series and The Garden of Eden. She has studied everything from veterinary nursing, forensic science, and dramatic arts, but has always known her true calling was to be an author.   She has been writing since her teens - everything from fan fiction, to song lyrics, to plays and musicals. When not working on her next paranormal romance, she can be found at home in Australia, reading somewhere comfortable with one or both of her “fur babies.” Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @llhunterbooks, and her blog - http://llhunter.blogspot.com.au.

Author Links:

Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads | Blog

Authorgraph | Smashwords | Bookbub | Newsletter | Instagram

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Release Blitz ~ The Reaping Season - The Reaper Chronicles by Apryl Baker

Title: The Reaping Season
Author: Apryl Baker
Genre: YA PNR/Horror
Publisher: Limitless Publishing, LLC
Cover Designer: Deranged Doctor Design
Publication Date: Nov. 30^th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb:
There is a fear of the dark that lives deep inside us all. It’s embedded into our primal instincts, and no matter how old we get, it never goes away. We can lie to ourselves, but we can’t lie to what waits for us in the night.

The townspeople of Jacob’s Fork, West Virginia know this all too well. Deep in the mountains there is a secret shrouded in the shadows, one that is whispered about to frighten and protected for reasons too unspeakable to bear the light of day.

A secret that emerges once every thirty years.

It’s called The Reaping Season.

Jacob’s Fork becomes a ghost town after sunset. Shops close, school functions are canceled, and you sit inside your home, praying it doesn’t know where you are and come for you.

And now, Ella Grace has landed herself smack in the middle of it all.

Will she learn the truth, or will The Reaping Season claim her instead?

NOW LIVE!

So who am I?

Well, I’m the crazy girl with an imagination that never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friends laugh at me when I scare myself watching them and tell me to stop watching them, but who doesn’t love to get scared? I grew up in a small town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me to go to sleep.

Now, I live in a small town in West Virginia where I entertain my niece and nephew and watch the cats get teased by the birds and laugh myself silly when they swoop down and then dive back up just out of reach. The cats start yelling something fierce…lol.

I love books, I love writing books, and I love entertaining people with my silly stories.

Author Links:

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Release Blitz ~ Hidden - Descendants by Lea Cherry

Title: Hidden
Author: Lea Cherry
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Editor: Monique The Editrix
Cover Designer: Starlight Designs
Publication Date: November 30^th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR

Good vs. Evil; Witch vs. Warlock; Pure vs. Tainted.

Being the last remaining descendant of a powerful magical race was not what Amy had in mind for her summer, but when her powers unlock after being attacked, there was no turning back to what she thought was normal.

She must learn how to control her powers, for a dangerous enemy has his sight set on her and he won’t stop until he has what he’s been after for four hundred years.

Not only does her life hang by a thread, but the balance of the world relies on her being ready for the fight of her life as the Tainted is coming for her.

And he wants her power, her magic... her soul.

For fans of Jana Oliver, C.L. Coffey and Jen L. Grey.

Get your copy now, dive down deep into the world of the Descendants and let your magic guide the way.

NOW LIVE!

Lea Cherry is an international bestselling author residing in South Africa with her husband and two daughters. With a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, she shares the spark of language in Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, and Thriller. When she is not crafting stories, she shares her time with her family watching movies, painting, and reading up a storm when she is not exploring the outdoors on camping trips. Her first book in the Descendant series is set to arrive in 2021 and is filled with magic and adventure that will keep you wanting more.

Author Links:

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TikTok | Street Team | Amazon | Goodreads | Bookbub

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Book Tour & Giveaway ~ How the Duke Saved Christmas by Anna Harrington

How the Duke Saved Christmas

by Anna Harrington

Genre: Historical Holiday Regency Romance

MERRY CHRISTMAS…
Two years ago, Lady Clara Marshall led a fairytale life. She was the toast of the ton, beloved sister to an earl, leading charity patroness, and deeply in love. A bright future lay in her grasp, until a tragic phaeton accident ripped it all away. Now, she’s lost the use of her right leg and never ventures from home. She’s lost all happiness and the love of her life. When she’s forced to travel north for the holidays, a fierce snowstorm, a damaged bridge, and her meddling brother all conspire against her to bring her under the same roof with the one man she never wanted to see again.

MARRY ME?
Michael Stanton, Duke of Wakefield, cannot believe his eyes when he sees Clara being carried into his country house to seek shelter from the storm. Two years ago, his heart nearly stopped when he watched the wreck, only for it to shatter completely when she broke off with him without explanation. Certain she blames him for her leg, he’s resigned to having lost her, until her brother asks for his help in showing her how to live again.

But the last thing Clara wants is to be trapped with Michael and all the ghosts of Christmases past. Will the duke be able to save not just Christmas, but also her life?

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Anna fell in love with historical romances—and all those dashing Regency heroes—while living in London, where she studied literature and theatre. She loves to travel, fly airplanes, and hike, and when she isn’t busy writing her next novel, she can usually be found in her garden, fussing over her roses. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon giftcard (WW),

Print books of the Lords of the Armory Series 1-3 (US Only)

-1 winner each!

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Book Tour & Giveaway ~ The Eagle's Lady by Miriam Newman

Historical Romance / Fantasy Romance

Publisher: DCL Publications

Date Published:10-22-2021

Son of an impoverished, dying chieftain, Ari raided for booty and slaves so he could feed his people. He was a heathen, probably a murderer, and it was a sin to lie with him.

EXCERPT:

Ari closed and bolted the door behind them as he usually did when they slept, but Maeve knew they would not be sleeping in the broad light of day, such as it ever was in the longhouse. By the light of the lamp, she watched him draw a square white cloth and a rare, expensive silk pouch from the cubbyhole where he kept clothes. It reminded her of the sunstone he had used on the ship, but she knew this was something entirely different.

Ari looked distant, hardly aware of her. Unfolding the cloth before the hearth, he laid it in a square, then shook the contents of the pouch gingerly onto it. A handful of fired clay tablets tumbled out with a tiny clinking noise. They bore markings that reminded her of chicken legs—scratchy, scrawling marks nothing like the figures Brother Ambrose had shown her on a manuscript.

The tablets that fell face down he ignored. From the others, he selected three, leaving others scattered randomly below them.

“This I cannot well explain to you,” he said, finally acknowledging her silent presence. “My father was many years teaching me to read the runes.” He frowned at the tablets. “These three show the past, the present and the future, but incompletely. The others help to show the wyrd—the path.”

“Path?”

He smiled, a little grimly. “My fate, perhaps. Only the Norns can say.”

Not one person attended their departure the next morning. It was as if the life of the keep would go on uninterrupted, in no way altered by their absence when Ari had given so many years of his life to it. Once more aboard Stormwind, wondering if sailing would be just the fact of her life with Vikings, Maeve watched the coast of heathen Norway retreating in the distance, shrouded in semi-darkness and mist.

“Come,” Ari said, gently, with an arm around her waist. To her other side, Birgitta stood, watching silently as Maeve had done. Maeve could not imagine what she must be feeling, watching the place that had been her home for so many years disappear forever.

“We have prepared a small place on the deck for you and Mother and the other women and children,” he explained. “You can take shelter there when you are too cold.”

Maeve suspected she would not be much warmer anywhere and she feared for Orm, cradled in her arms beneath her cloak. Fortunately, he was sleepy and did not appear much interested in the momentous events taking place around him.

Sealskin-clad men rowed from two sets of benches before setting sail, with heavily-swathed women and a few children huddled between them. Elsewhere, aside from crude privies that were essentially buckets, every space was crammed with sea trunks and goods lashed to the deck. Maeve knew from experience that those would break free nonetheless on heavy seas, some of them lost and others crushing the unwary or unfortunate. She realized Ari had given them shelter from those more than from the weather. From that, brooding and blowing, there was no escape. But she turned without a word, accompanying Birgitta and Orm into a wooden lair below the sail that she greatly feared would be her watery grave.

About the Author

Hailing from Pennsylvania, Miriam Newman has developed a prolific writing career that began in her twenties, although she published her very first novel some time later in 2009. She was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been her passion for as long as she can remember and she brings that background to her writing, along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services, and many trips to Ireland, where she nurtures her muse. Her published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. It was in Ireland that she wrote The King’s Daughter. Ireland is her favorite place in this world. “I connect there with something I can’t even explain,” she says fondly.

Miriam spent many years working in Social Services, and after retirement, she found herself working part-time in local government. Currently, she lives in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals. Her passion for animal rescue and fostering has included a number of fur babies, from horses to dogs to a pig that appeared on her porch one morning. Also a lover of great books, the one that she finds most responsible for her venture into fantasy and recommends is The Once and Future King by T.H. White.

Fans of Ms. Newman can follow her online at the following locations:

Website

Blog 1

Blog 2

Amazon Author Central

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