How I got this book:
Indie, small press and global literature.
Reviews of books I've loved, liked or loathed!
Sunday, 31 January 2021
Draden's Whale by Grant Pollerd
How I got this book:
Saturday, 30 January 2021
Secrets That We Keep by Linda Kage + #Giveaway + #Excerpt
Secrets That We Keep
Linda Kage
Publication date: January 28th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Gracen Lowe has a new life theory:
What you don’t know can’t hurt you.Which is exactly why he decides not to tell his twin sister, Bella, that he’s accidentally falling for the woman she hates most, the very woman who allegedly cheated with Bella’s last boyfriend and broke them apart.
Bella might be his best friend and ultimate confidante, but she’d legit cut off his favorite body part if she knew which woman he’d been craving. So even if his theory’s totally whack, staying quiet will definitely keep him safer.
Except he feels so guilty about it all.
Meanwhile, Bella’s heating up the sheets with one of Gracen’s best friends, and she can’t seem to reveal that little detail to her brother either, due to—you know—reasons.
When the truth is exposed, all bets are off. Shattered secrets will either set everyone free or wreck their relationships forever.
—
EXCERPT:
Pointing, I growled, “You…” and I stepped into her house, slamming the door behind me. “Liar.”
Eyebrows lifting, she set her hands on her hips and glared back. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” I charged. “I called you a liar.”
“I –”
“You said you wouldn’t freak out and start avoiding me. Well, where were you tonight?”
“I didn’t feel like—”
“Bullahit!”
“Oh my God. Will you stop interrupting me.”
“Sure. When you stop avoiding me.”
“I’m not—” This time, she cut herself off to glance skyward for assistance as she mumbled curses about me. Once she was calmer, she looked me in the eye. “I’m not avoiding you. The reason I didn’t go tonight had nothing to do with you whatsoever.”
I stepped closer to her, my eyes flaring. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
She gulped unsteadily—totally freaked out by my proximity—and then she jerked a step back.
I think that broke something inside me. She should never be too scared of getting close to me. It felt like the beginning of the end. I was going to lose her.
But once she had her space, she shot fire at me with her eyes, totally not intimidated at all. “Prove what?” she cried with a disbelieving snort. “That I didn’t go tonight because of—”
“Prove that you aren’t avoiding me,” I clarified.
She gurgled out an incredulous laugh. “How the hell does someone prove something like that?”
I shrugged. “Not my problem. Just get it done. Right now.”
Her eyes widened. “Right—”
“Now. Yes.”
“Right now?” she repeated, blinking at me as if I’d lost my mind.
I put my hand to my ear. “Is there an echo in here?” Then I glanced at the face of my watch. “Time’s ticking, baby doll.”
“Oh my God,” she exploded. She gave another dubious laugh. I couldn’t tell if she was getting a kick out of my stubbornness or if she was seriously annoyed by it. “You are such a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah,” I countered. “A pain in the ass that you’re avoiding.”
Her eyes narrowed. “This is getting ridiculous.” Darting her gaze around the room, probably looking for something heavy to hit me with, she groused, “I can’t believe you’re really making me do this.”
I yawned and reported, “Not convinced yet.”
“Oh, that’s it,” she snarled, fed up with my antics. Stepping close, she grabbed the front of my shirt. “You want to be convinced that I liked being with you, fine! I’ll convince you.”
I opened my mouth to tell her, no, I hadn’t mentioned anything about needing performance feedback. I just didn’t want her to hate me now. But she pulled me into her before I could say anything, and she plastered her mouth to mine.
Author Bio:
Linda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Most Kage stories lean more toward the lighter, sillier side with a couple meaningful moments thrown in. Focuses more on entertainment value and emotional impact.
Published since 2010. Went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children's literature from The Institute of Children's Literature. Then graduated with a Bachelors in Arts, English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.Now she lives with hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a cataloging library assistant.
Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion, character match Hagrid. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor...or Hulk (can't decide). Justice League Team Flash. Arrow Team Stephen Amell. Stranger Things obsessed. Heard Laurel, not Yanny.
Started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club. Then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now all over the place with her romance reading tastes.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Readers Group
GIVEAWAY!
Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Linda Kage / Romance fiction / Books from America
Friday, 29 January 2021
Feverfew by Anna Saunders
How I got this book:
Anna Saunders is the author of 'Communion', 'Struck', 'Kissing the She Bear', 'Burne Jones and the Fox' and 'Ghosting for Beginners.'
Thursday, 28 January 2021
Face Value by Gregory Landsman + #Giveaway + #FreeBook
Join us for this tour from Jan 11 to Jan 29, 2021!
Book Details:
Book Title: Face Value - DIY Secrets to Beauty and a Younger Face by Gregory Landsman
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18 yrs +), 67 pages
Genre: Beauty & Grooming; Health & Wellness; Self Help
Publisher: Hill of Content Publishing
Release date: 2018
Content Rating: G.
FIND SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS USED IN EXPENSIVE BEAUTY CREAMS IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN!
Following the success of the best selling first edition, the new revised version of Gregory Landsman’s Face Value is jam packed with simple DIY secrets to beauty and younger looking skin that can achieve powerful results in a very short time. Featuring an entirely new chapter on rejuvenating night serums, Face Value will change the way you think and approach beauty as you discover that utilizing natural ingredients can provide real and lasting solutions to give you a natural glow and a younger looking face.
Find recipes to…
• Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
• Stimulate collagen production
• Improve skin firmness and elasticity
• Protect skin from damaging free radicals
• Rehydrate, tighten and tone the face
• Restore the skin’s radiance and natural pH levels
• Reduce age spots, pigmentation and blemishes
With Face Value, you can achieve younger looking skin without having to leave your own kitchen!
Book Excerpt - FACE VALUE
The simple do-it-yourself treatments in Face Value target our greatest skin concerns such as reducing fine lines and wrinkles, improving firmness and elasticity and protecting skin from damaging free radicals.)
Every formula contains high doses of the most powerful ingredients such as Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Retin A and potent antioxidants used in the most expensive creams on the market.)
All are touted as anti-aging, stimulating skin cell regeneration and improving the texture of your skin. The good news is that most of it can be found in your own kitchen!)
In more than 30 years of dealing with faces every day, I worked across the globe in the fashion and beauty industry. I could see that the daily stresses of life show up on our faces, and have a profound effect on the way skin visibly ages, even on supermodels.)
With this in mind I put together Face Value; a complete skincare manual that offers real solutions and real choices that really work! Each of these treatments have been tried and tested by people from the four corners of the world and I have used them in my career for years with great success.)
Whether it is a treatment full of firming and plumping hydrators or smoothing exfoliators, these formulas will feed your skin from the outside in, restoring radiance and stimulating collagen production. With Face Value you can create a personalised plan for the issues that concern you most; whether it is saying ‘bye bye’ to age spots, fine lines, blemishes, sun damaged skin or uneven pigmentation.)
Without a doubt our faces say so much more about us than what we look like. They are a pure reflection of our health, vitality and spirit. Through my years of experience in the fashion industry.
I have come to believe that B.E.A.U.T.Y. is based on the principles of …
Balance, Enthusiasm, Acceptance, Understanding,Trust & You I believe that:
Balance in our lives unfolds from the inside out.
Enthusiasm lies within the way we think and feel about ourselves.
Acceptance is the path to making peace with ourselves and others.
Understanding ourselves gives us clarity and wisdom to know what we want, and importantly, what we don’t.
Trust attunes our heart and mind so we can nurture spontaneity and adventure in our lives, and know that…
You have what it takes to create the life and love you know you deserve and to never settle for anything less.
I took every photograph in this book as an expression of my belief that as in nature, where every flower is different from the next, we are a living embodiment that beauty is individual.
While Face Value is about learning to nurture your face and your body with great natural products that work, it is also about knowing that the beauty we find outside ourselves is a very small aspect of what lies within.
I have been fortunate enough to cross paths with people who have helped me understand this; each in their own way showing me that the essence of our beauty lies not in our physical characteristics alone, but in the heart of our character.
While I have seen supermodels in Paris dressed in Chanel and women in India dressed in rags, the one truth that reveals their beauty, regardless of who they are, is the truth of their smile.
So whether you are indulging in a skin rejuvenating bath or giving yourself a three-minute facial – Enjoy! After all, B.E.A.U.T.Y. is about good living and great loving, it is about feeling more, healing more, living more and loving more.
“You are whole and beautiful for no other reason than you are human.” - Gregory Landsman
Buy the Book:
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK ~ Walmart
B&N ~ Book Depository ~ Waterstones
BAM ~ IndieBound ~ Chapters Indigo
Add to Goodreads
Check Out The Entire 10 Years Younger Series:
- Get your skin back on track after the holidays with the most powerful anti-aging ingredients found in everyday foods.
- Fulfill a new years resolution to look your best self at every age with simple effective methods to achieve younger, healthier looking skin that will take years off the face.
- Spend some time nurturing yourself and take years off your face for next to nothing.
- This new year get the same results as expensive cremes without having to leave your kitchen.
Each book stands alone, focusing on a different method to achieving younger looking skin i.e. Face Value - DIY topical treatments; Face Fitness - facial exercise; and Face Food - anti-aging foods). Together they represent the ultimate guide to younger, healthier and more vital looking skin at any age.
“With knowledge and know how we can counteract and prevent premature
aging, as small changes make a big difference to the way we age over
time.”
Gregory Landsman
To receive a free copy of Gregory’s e-book, STOP SKIN AGING PREMATURELY, which includes a list of the most powerful cortisol lowering foods go to: https://gregorylandsman.com/
Meet the Author:
Gregory Landsman is one of the most noted global beauty and wellness experts in the world, a best selling author of nine books, and a TV host who specializes in using food to take years off the face naturally.
Having worked in the beauty industry for 30+ years Gregory believes that looking youthful goes well beyond waging war on wrinkles, and that how we age is 100% controllable. His natural methods are used globally by models, shown in universities and recommended by doctors.
Often referred to as ‘The Beauty Advisor’, Gregory’s books and global TV program Face Lifting Food show viewers how to create quick skin-boosting meals and powerful skin treatments using everyday foods to achieve younger, healthier looking skin at any age.
Gregory is a strong voice for inclusion. His book, Faith Lifting Prayers is a celebration of humanity and captures his journey of extremes; from Apartheid South Africa to working at the height of the fashion industry, and his fundamental discovery that regardless of what we do, how we look cannot be separated from how we feel. This is why all of his books, even those about looking younger, all feature his own quotes and philosophy about the importance of feeling good in our skin. His book A Lifetime of BEAUTY also shares messages for early teens and middle years about embracing our differences and our individuality; finding happiness; and standing strong in a world that often judges us for the way we look. This book is endorsed for inclusion in the education system.
connect with the author: website ~ podcast ~ goodreads
Jan 11 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 – Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 13 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / book excerpt / giveaway
Jan 13 - Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 14 – Library of Clean Reads – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 15 – Books, Tea, Healthy Me – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 18 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 20 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – book spotlight / book excerpt / giveaway
Jan 21 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / book excerpt / giveaway
Jan 25 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / book excerpt / giveaway
Jan 28 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 29 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway:
Win all 8 Gregory Landsman books valued at $190.00 including his latest book Stop Stress Fast (Open internationally until Feb 28)
Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Gregory Landsman / Self help books / Books from South Africa
Wednesday, 27 January 2021
A Rush Of White Wings by Pamela Ford + #Giveaway
Book Details:
Book Series: An Irish Historical Love Story
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 382 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Aine Press
Release dates: October 2020
Content Rating: PG-13: There are two pretty mild love scenes, short and not explicit. Virtually no swearing except the more common Irish versions: "Jaysus" or "Jesus, Mary and Joseph."
Book Description:
The best journey brings you home. Boston, 1849. Shattered by the devastating loss of his wife and children during the Irish famine, Sean Deacey has given up on love and happiness. So when he rescues an infant from an immigrant shipwreck, he gives the orphaned babe to his sister Kathleen and her husband. They raise the boy as their own – until Ailish Sullivan arrives two years later claiming the child is her last living relative and demanding his return. A legal fight ensues, and Sean befriends Ailish, determined to change her mind and keep her from destroying his sister’s family. But when friendship leads to understanding, he is torn between the desires of both families. And as his feelings grow for a woman he knows he should not want and can never have, he faces an agonizing choice – stand with his sister or follow his heart. Award-winning author Pamela Ford explores the bonds of family as she takes readers on an uplifting emotional journey through grief,
sacrifice, and the power of forgiveness.
Buy the Book
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK
A Rush of White Wings is the sequel to To Ride A White Horse, Pamela Ford's first historical fiction novel of the Irish Deacey family who immigrated to America in the 1840s to escape the horrors of famine in Ireland. To Ride A White Horse was very much Kathleen Deacey's story and, while she remains an important character, A Rush of White Wings puts her brother, Sean, more into the limelight. Sean's courageous act of rescuing a refugee baby from the sea after the boat it was on is destroyed by a storm, brings great joy to all the Deacey's but that happiness cannot last. Instead Ford takes readers on an emotional journey, reminiscent of Brecht's The Chalk Circle, as she pits two determined women against each other - each one convinced she can provide the better home for the baby.
Young Will is absolutely the star of A Rush of White Wings and I loved his scene-stealing antics which frequently inject a bubble of humour into what would otherwise be a very intense novel. Unfortunately I felt the ultimate conclusion to the story was telegraphed from far too early on so I didn't get a real sense of trepidation about Will's eventual fate, however I could completely empathise with both Kathleen and with Will's Aunt, Ailish, both of whom had equally valid reasons to want to raise 'their' child. Ford raises interesting questions about what determines personal identity and whether blood family connections are more important than financial stability. The bitter xenophobia experienced by Irish immigrants is also a strong theme of this novel with Ford ably portraying that many thousands found themselves not much better off on American soil than they had been in Ireland. The timeliness of reading A Rush of White Wings in the week of Joe Biden's inauguration wasn't lost on me!
Pamela Ford is the award-winning author of historical and contemporary romance. She grew up watching old movies, blissfully sighing over the romance; and reading sci-fi and adventure novels, vicariously living the action. The combination probably explains why the books she writes are romantic, happily-ever-afters with plenty of plot. After graduating from college with a degree in Advertising, Pam spent many years as a copywriter and freelance writer before inserting a plot twist in her career path and writing her first book. Pam has won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, the Laurel Wreath, and a gold medal IPPY in the Independent Book Publisher Awards. She is a National Readers' Choice Awards finalist, a Kindle Book Awards finalist, a Maggie Awards for Excellence finalist, and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist.
connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Jan 6 - Library of Clean Reads – book review of TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE / giveaway
Jan 6 - Viviana MacKade – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 7 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 7 - Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / giveaway
Jan 11 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / giveaway
Jan 12 – Working Mommy Journal – book review of TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE / giveaway
Jan 13 – Mystery Suspense Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 14 – Literary Flits – book review of TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE / giveaway
Jan 15 – Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE / giveaway
Jan 20 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 20 - Library of Clean Reads – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / giveaway
Jan 21 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 22 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review of TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE
Jan 25 – Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS
Jan 26 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 26 - Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 27 – Literary Flits – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / giveaway
Jan 28 – Pause for Tales – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / giveaway
Jan 28 - Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 29 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 29 - Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS
Feb 1 – Corinne Rodrigues – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / giveaway
Feb 2 – High Society Book Reviews – book review of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS / guest post / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway:
Win signed copies of To Ride A White Horse and A Rush Of White Wings. Open to the USA only from the 14th January to the 9th February.
Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Pamela Ford / Historical fiction / Books from America
Tuesday, 26 January 2021
Weekend Pass by Paul Cavanagh + #Giveaway
Book Details:
Book Title: Weekend Pass by Paul Cavanagh
Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 210 pages
Genre: Literary
Publisher: Not That London Writer
Release date: Jan 19, 2021
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. Includes some f-words, religious profanities, and mature themes (addiction, adultery)
Recommended, TheBookBag.co.uk
Book Description:
Who can forgive a mother who poisons her eight-year-old son? Even if it was an accident. Tasha thought she had everything under control – her family life, her career as a nurse – until her son got into her stash of painkillers. Now, during her first weekend home from drug treatment, she must come to grips with the damage she’s done and somehow pick up the pieces. Told from the points of view of four different family members, Weekend Pass is a story about the lies we tell ourselves and the people we love. And it’s about struggling to rise above the mistakes that threaten to define us.
BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK
Apple ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Angus & Robertson
Add to Goodreads
Weekend Pass is an intense domestic drama novel which explores the effects of addiction across extended families, and how patterns of self-destructive behaviour can be repeated down through multiple generations. The novel itself takes place over a single weekend - Tasha's first temporary release from Recovery House, a drug treatment facility - but manages to encompass years in the lives of her family. Weekend Pass is a gently paced novel which packs a lot of events into its pages. I was engrossed to the extent that I hardly noticed an afternoon passing me by. I didn't want to leave these people until their story had been resolved.
I thought Paul Cavanagh did a really good job of telling this story with the emotional sensitivity it needed, but also without pulling any punches when it came to portraying the realities of drug and alcohol addiction. He does resort to telling, rather than showing, a bit too often for my tastes in depicting Tasha's family's history, however I liked the characters he created. I felt he had a genuine understanding of their fraught relationships. I appreciated also the realism of their fractured communications. A myriad of reasons prevent these people from being open and honest with each other and, even when they believe themselves to be acting in everyone's best interests, the resulting crossed wires often lead to greater misunderstandings and frustrations.
For me, Weekend Pass was quite an emotional read. I could empathise with Tasha, despite what she had done, and also with Charlotte and Brenda. I think this novel would appeal to readers who also enjoyed Distorted Days by Louise Worthington and perhaps also Plumas de Muerte by Phil Motel.
Paul Cavanagh is a Canadian author whose debut novel, After Helen, won the Lit Idol competition at the London Book Fair in the UK and was published to rave reviews in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles. He’s been compared to Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler for his ability to be at turns funny and moving while exploring the paradoxes of modern family relationships. He lives in London, Ontario (not be be confused with that other London). Weekend Pass is his third novel.
connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Jan 12 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 - Olio by Marilyn – book review / giveaway
Jan 12 - Olio by Marilyn – book spotlight / author interview
Jan 13 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / giveaway
Jan 14 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 14 - Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Jan 15 – Westveil Publishing – book review / giveaway
Jan 18 – Welcome To MLM Opinions Reviews – book review
Jan 18 - Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 – RebeccaReviewedIt – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 - Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 20 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 20 - Books Beans & Botany – book review / giveaway
Jan 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 22 – taketwolu – book review
Jan 22 - Stephanie Jane – book spotlight
Jan 25 – The Bibliophilic World – book review
Jan 25 - Leels Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 26 – Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
Jan 26 - Instagram: All Booked Up Reviews – book spotlight
Jan 27 – I'd Rather Be At The Beach – book review / giveaway
Jan 28 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 – My Fictional Oasis – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 - Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight
Feb 1 – Corinne Rodrigues – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 - I'm Into Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book review / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway:
Win a signed copy of Weekend Pass. Open to the USA and Canada until the 8th February.
Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Paul Cavanagh / Contemporary fiction / Books from Canada
Monday, 25 January 2021
Dracula by Bram Stoker + #FreeBook
How I got this book:
Sunday, 24 January 2021
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
How I got this book:
Saturday, 23 January 2021
Sleep Well, My Lady by Kwei Quartey
How I got this book:
Friday, 22 January 2021
Murder: It’s All in Your Head by Cynthia Hilston + #Excerpt
Murder: It’s All in Your Head by Cynthia Hilston
Published on the 28th November 2020.
Excerpt
Meet the author
Author links:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads
Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Cynthia Hilston / Crime fiction / Books from America
Thursday, 21 January 2021
The Memory Man by Helen Smith
How I got this book: