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Apr 25 - May 19
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Monday, May 13, 2013

Ben Kane on tour for Spartacus: Rebellion, May 15-June 7

Posted By amy @ 7:04 am | No Comments

Please join Ben Kane as he tours virtually for Spartacus: Rebellion from May 15 – June 7.

Publication Date: May 14, 2013Spartacus Rebellion
St. Martin’s Press
Hardcover; 464p
ISBN-10: 1250012775

Spartacus has already done the impossible—not only has he escaped from slavery, he and his seconds have created a mighty slave army that has challenged Rome and defeated the armies of three praetors, two consuls, and one proconsul. On the plain of the River Po, in modern Northern Italy, Spartacus has defeated Gaius Cassius Longinus, proconsul and general of an army of two legions. Now the road home lies before them—to Thrace for Spartacus, and to Gaul for his seconds-in-command, Castus and Gannicus.

But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. One of Spartacus’s most powerful generals has defected, taking his men with him. Back in Rome, the immensely rich Marcus Licinius Crassus is gathering an unheard-of Army. The Senate has given Crassus an army made up of ten legions and the authority to do whatever it takes to end the slave rebellion once and for all.

Meanwhile, Spartacus wants to lead his men over the Alps and home, but his two seconds have a different plan. They want to march on Rome itself and bring the Republic to its knees. Rebellion has become war. War to the death.

Praise for Spartacus: Rebellion

“The author comes into his own during the numerous battle scenes when his burly prose highlights the pain, brutality and chaos of ancient combat. Kane’s Spartacus is brave, vain, ruthless and sexy, a Superman for more savage times. The author is genuinely deserving of praise for taking on this mighty subject matter in such a bold and regularly entertaining fashion. Admirers of Kane’s work to date will not be disappointed and there’s every chance this latest instalment will attract plenty more.” (Daily Express )

“Kane succeeds in drawing a convincing picture of how it might have been, which is what a good historical novel should do.” (Historical Novel Society )

Praise for Spartacus: The Gladiator

Gritty, passionate and violent, this thrilling book is a real page-turner and a damn good read. It brings Spartacus – and ancient Rome – to vivid, colourful life (Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire )

Ben Kane manages to bring a freshness to the saga … Told with Kane’s usual panache and historical knowledge, this book is highly recommended (Kathy Stevenson, Daily Mail )

Eyes are merciless, blows are wicked and screams are piercing, but this is a compulsive if relentless story, vividly recounted in muscular prose. Definitely one for the boys (Daily Telegraph, 4 stars )

If you want to become familiar with the lanista and the rudus, to know your scutum from your licium, then Kane’s your man … plenty of action (Independent )

There is much to enjoy in this saga of the downtrodden triumphing temporarily over their oppressors, and the portrait of Spartacus as charismatic leader is a vivid one (Sunday Times)

About the AuthorBen Kane

Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin, and worked in Ireland and the UK for several years. After that he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for seeing the world and learning more about ancient history. Seven continents and more than 65 countries later, he decided to settle down, for a while at least.

While working in Northumberland in 2001/2, his love of ancient history was fuelled by visits to Hadrian’s Wall. He naïvely decided to write bestselling Roman novels, a plan which came to fruition after several years of working full time at two jobs – being a vet and writing. Retrospectively, this was an unsurprising development, because since his childhood, Ben has been fascinated by Rome, and particularly, its armies. He now lives in North Somerset with his wife and family, where he has sensibly given up veterinary medicine to write full time.

To find out more about Ben and his books visit www.benkane.net.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Wednesday, May 15
Guest Post & Giveaway at Historical Boys

Thursday, May 16
Interview at The Maiden’s Court

Friday, May 17
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Monday, May 20
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Tuesday, May 21
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry

Wednesday, May 22
Interview & Giveaway at Starting Fresh

Thursday, May 23
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Friday, May 24
Guest Post & Giveaway at CelticLady’s Reviews

Monday, May 27
Review at Bippity Boppity Book

Tuesday, May 28
Review at Okbo Lover
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, May 29
Review at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Thursday, May 30
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie

Friday, May 31
Review & Guest Post at Drey’s Library
Guest Post at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Monday, June 3
Review at Book Drunkard
Review at The Eclectic Reader

Wednesday, June 5
Review at A Book Geek

Thursday, June 6
Review at Freshscraped Vellum
Review & Giveaway at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Friday, June 7
Review at Impressions in Ink
Review & Giveaway at To Read or Not to Read
Interview at Freshscraped Vellum

Post Tour

Monday, June 17
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Evan Ostryzniuk on tour for Of Fathers and Sons, May 27-31

Posted By amy @ 12:57 pm | No Comments

Please join author Evan Ostryznuik as he tours virtually for Of Fathers and Sons, the follow up novel to Of Faith & Fidelity, May 27-31.

Of Fathers and SonsPublication Date: March 6, 2013
Knox Robinson Publishing
Hardcover; 330p
ISBN-10: 1908483156

Of Fathers & Sons is the second book in the English Free Company series set in the late Middle Ages. The English Free Company is led by Geoffrey Hotspur, an orphan-squire and ward of the mighty Duke of Lancaster, whose driving ambition is to become a knight and serve a great lord. Anyone who enjoys the stories of Bernard Cornwall and Jan Guillou will find more than an echo of their exuberant prose and lively characters in Of Fathers & Sons: Geoffrey Hotspur and the Este Inheritance. Supported with extensive research done by a professional historian, Of Fathers & Sons utilizes true personages and events to weave a vivid tapestry of this exciting time of transition.

Of Fathers & Sons: Geoffrey Hotspur and the Este Inheritance takes place in 1395 when the conflict between rival branches of the mighty Este family over the succession to the strategic Marquisate of Ferrara reaches its climax. The Este lands are vulnerable. The unexpected death of the powerful Marquis Alberto d’Este in 1393 has left his ten-year old son, Niccolo, as his sole direct heir. Though born out of wedlock, the pope himself legitimized the boy’s birth, but in an age when great lords ruled by the sword as much as by the laws of inheritance, having a boy lead the family can be a sign of weakness.

Made unhappy by the father, several Este vassals want to humble the son, and they see their opportunity in the essential weakness of Niccolo’s minority rule. Championing their cause is the head of a humiliated branch of the Este family who is not only a famous condottiere, but also a powerful captain of the ambitious lord of Milan. Fearing that civil war will lead to a shift in the already fragile balance of power in favor of the hated Milan, the city-states of Florence, Venice and Bologna combine to keep the Este inheritance in Niccolo’s hands. If Niccolo falls, the great powers of Italy will be plunged in to war.

Geoffrey and Niccolo are confronted by the same questions: How can an orphan find his place in a society informed by patriarchal relations? For how long must a son honor the wishes of his father? When does the boy become the man?

Before Henry won his miraculous victory at Agincourt, before the Borgias became infamous, before Constantinople fell to the Turks, there was Geoffrey Hotspur, a man as tall as Charlemagne and armed with a sword that rivaled Excalibur. With little money, fewer friends and no name, Geoffrey Hotspur has little choice but to forge his own path towards knighthood.

A thrilling continuation of the story of Geoffrey Hotspur and his English Free Company, Of Fathers & Sons: Geoffrey Hotspur and the Este Inheritance is at heart a squire’s tale of hope, adventure and ambition in a time of great uncertainty.

About the AuthorEvan Ostryzniuk

Evan Ostryzniuk was born and raised on the prairies of western Canada. After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with a B.A. in History and Modern Languages and an M.A. in Modern History, Evan crossed the ocean to do post-graduate work at the University of Cambridge, concluding four years of research with a doctoral thesis on the Russian Revolution. He then found his way to Eastern Europe, where he took up positions as a magazine editor, university lecturer and analyst in the financial services sector before rising in the ranks of the local publishing industry to become Editor-in-Chief of a popular weekly.

Evan Ostryzniuk currently resides in Kyiv, Ukraine near a very large candy factory. He has travelled extensively, including the locations of his novels. Of Fathers and Sons: Geoffrey Hotspur and the Este Inheritance is his second novel.

For more information, please visit Evan Ostryzniuk’s Website.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 27
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, May 28
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, May 29
Guest Post & Giveaway at The True Book Addict

Thursday, May 30
Review at vvb32 Reads

Friday, May 31
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Guest Post & Giveaway at vvb32 Reads

Post-Tour

Monday, June 3
Interview at Layered Pages

Tuesday, June 4
Review at The True Book Addict

Friday, June 21
Review at Luxury Reading

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Kate Lord Brown on tour for The Perfume Garden May 20-25

Posted By amy @ 1:16 pm | No Comments

Please join Kate Lord Brown as she tours virtually for The Perfume Garden, May 20-25.

The Perfume GardenPublication Date: April 1, 2013
Corvus Publishing
Paperback; 512p
ISBN-10: 1848879342

The Perfume Garden combines the gripping storytelling of Kate Morton with the evocative settings of Victoria Hislop to tell this sumptuous story of lost love and family secrets set between modern day Valencia and the Spanish Civil War. High in the hills of Valencia, a forgotten house guards its secrets. Untouched since Franco’s forces tore through Spain in 1936, the whitewashed walls have crumbled, the garden, laden with orange blossom, grown wild. Emma Temple is the first to unlock its doors in seventy years. Guided by a series of letters and a key bequeathed in her mother’s will, she has left her job as London’s leading perfumier to restore this dilapidated villa to its former glory. It is the perfect retreat: a wilderness redolent with strange and exotic scents, heavy with the colours and sounds of a foreign time. But for her grandmother, Freya, a British nurse who stayed here during Spain’s devastating civil war, Emma’s new home evokes terrible memories. As the house begins to give up its secrets, Emma is drawn deeper into Freya’s story: one of crushed idealism, lost love, and families ripped apart by war. She soon realises it is one thing letting go of the past, but another when it won’t let go of you.

About the AuthorKate Lord Brown 1

Kate grew up in the wild and beautiful Devon countryside. After studying philosophy at Durham University and art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, she worked as an international art consultant, curating collections for embassies and palaces in Europe and the Middle East. She is married to a pilot, and lives with her family in Qatar. Her debut novel ‘The Beauty Chorus’ was inspired by the many hours she spent on airfields in the UK, and the experiences of pilots in her family during WW2. Her second novel about the Spanish Civil War, ‘The Perfume Garden’, draws upon the years she lived in Spain, and will be published in paperback in April 2013 by Atlantic.

For more information please visit Kate’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also check out the Facebook and Pinterest page for The Perfume Garden.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 20
Review at The Little Reader Library

Tuesday, May 21
Guest Post at The Little Reader Library

Wednesday, May 22
Review at Lit Addicted Brit

Thursday, May 23
Review at Tiny Library

Friday, May 24
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Saturday, May 25
Review at Turning the Pages
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Post Tour

Tuesday, June 11
Review at Luxury Reading

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Mary Lancaster on tour for A Prince to be Feared, May 13-17

Posted By amy @ 11:08 am | No Comments

Please join author Mary Lancaster as she tours the blogosphere with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for A Prince to be Feared from May 13-17.

A Prince to be FearedPublication Month: April 2013
eBook; 343p
ISBN: 978-0-9573016-8-9

Europe’s most fearsome prisoner, Vlad Dracula, gifted military commander and one time Prince of Wallachia, the notorious Lord Impaler himself, is about to be released after twelve long years, in order to hold back the tide of Ottoman aggression. The price of his new alliance with his Hungarian captors is the king’s cousin Ilona.

Ilona does not wish to be married. In particular, she doesn’t wish to marry Vlad. Gentle, faded and impossibly vague, Ilona is hardly fit for court life, let alone for dealing with so difficult a husband.

But Ilona’s wishes have nothing to do with Vlad’s reputation and everything to do with a lifelong love affair that finally broke her. Ilona’s family blame Vlad; Vlad vows to discover the truth and sets out by unconventional means to bring back the woman who once enchanted him. Among court intrigues, international manoeuvrings and political deceptions, Vlad reveals himself more victim than villain. But he’s still more than capable of reclaiming his lost rights to both Wallachia and Ilona; and Ilona, when it counts, has enough strength for them both.

About the AuthorMary Lancaster

Mary Lancaster’s first love was historical fiction. Since then she has grown to love coffee, chocolate, red wine and black and white films – simulateneously where possible. She hates housework.

As a direct consequence of the first love, she studied history at St. Andrews University, after which she worked variously as editorial assistant, researcher and librarian. Although she has always written stories for her own entertainment, she began to make serious efforts toward publication in order to distract herself from a job she disliked. She now writes full time at her seaside home in Scotland, which she shares with her husband and three children.

Mary is the author of three historical novels: An Endless Exile – the story of Hereward, 11th century outlaw hero, A World to Win – a Scottish governess finds love in revolutionary Hungary and A Prince to be Feared: the love story of Vlad Dracula.

You can find more information on Mary Lancaster and her novels at her website. You can also connect with her on Facebook.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 13
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, May 14
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, May 15
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, May 16
Review at A Bookish Affair
Guest Post & Giveaway at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Friday, May 17
Feature & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Elle Marie on tour for Chronicle of the Mound Builders, May 13-24

Posted By amy @ 12:53 pm | No Comments

Please join Elle Marie as she tours virtually for Chronicle of the Mound Builders from May 13-24.

Chronicle of the Mound BuildersPublication Date: October 29, 2012
CreateSpace
Paperback; 416p
ISBN-10: 1479206652

Archaeologist Dr. Angela Hunter discovers an ancient codex at a Mississippian Indian dig site in the St. Louis area. Knowing the Mississippians, or Mound Builders, had no written language, she is determined to solve the mystery of the 700-year-old, perfectly preserved codex.

In the early 1300’s, an Aztec family is torn apart. A judge rebelling against the Aztec tradition of human sacrifice is cursed and escapes his enemies with his 12-year-old son. They travel from the Gulf of Mexico up the Mississippi River to settle in the thriving community of Migaduha, modern-day Cahokia Mounds, Illinois.

Angela recognizes the symbols as Aztec pictograms and begins to translate the story. However, other forces also want the codex and will do anything to get it. Can she learn the secrets of the chronicle before the tragic events of the past are repeated today?

About the AuthorElle Marie

Coming from a large family of readers, Elle Marie grew up with a love of reading. Her passion for reading led to a desire to write. After first publishing a nonfiction book, Living the Thin Life, she turned to fiction.

A visit to Cahokia Mounds sparked a fascination with the mysterious Mound Builders, about whom so little is known. What was their culture like? How did ordinary people live in the 14th century? What caused the civilization to vanish, seemingly overnight? She put her imagination to work and came up with a story line that put it all together. Extensive research enabled her to create a believable, engrossing world.

By day, she works in the information technology field at a large financial services firm. She is a graduate of the Missouri University of Science & Technology and lives in the St. Louis area with her husband. Chronicle of the Mound Builders is her first novel.

To purchase Chronicle of the Mound Builders:

Website: http://www.chronicleofthemoundbuilders.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chronicle-Mound-Builders-Elle-Marie/dp/1479206652

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chronicle-of-the-mound-builders-elle-marie/1113712738?ean=9781479206650

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009Z6MXPK

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chronicle-of-the-mound-builders-elle-marie/1113712738?ean=2940015914061

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/chronicle-mound-builders/id631871824?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 13
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Tuesday, May 14
Review at Cheryl’s Book Nook
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Wednesday, May 15
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Thursday, May 16
Review at The Book Garden
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, May 17
Guest Post at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, May 20
Review at Turning the Pages
Interview & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, May 21
Review at Words and Peace

Wednesday, May 22
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, May 23
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Friday, May 24
Review at Bibliophilic Book Blog

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

David Morrell on tour for Murder as a Fine Art, May 6 – June 7

Posted By amy @ 9:06 am | No Comments

Please join David Morrell as he tours for the release of Murder as a Fine Art from May 6 – June 7.

Murder as a Fine ArtPublication Date: May 7, 2013
Mulholland Books
Hardcover; 368p
ISBN-10: 0316216798

GASLIT LONDON IS BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES IN DAVID MORRELL’S BRILLIANT HISTORICAL THRILLER.

Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier.

The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey’s essay “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.” Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.

In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.

Praise for Murder as a Fine Art

“A literary thriller that pushes the envelope of fear.”
—Associated Press

“Morrell’s masterful blend of fact and fiction reads like a 19th-century novel, evoking 1854 London with such finesse that you’ll gear the hooves clattering on cobblestones, the racket of dustmen, and the shrill call of vendors.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“An epitome of the intelligent page turner.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

“David Morrell isn’t just one of the best thriller writers out there, he’s one of the finest writers alive today. A preeminent novelist as well as storyteller who, in Murder as a Fine Art, has crafted a masterpiece.”
—Providence Sunday Journal

“An exceptional historical mystery . . . page-flipping action, taut atmosphere, and multifaceted characters.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Morrell writes action scenes like nobody’s business.”
—New York Times Sunday Book Review

“Murder may be a fine art, but this author has also proven that writing is the finest art of all—and he is the master of it. . . . The scenes literally pull the reader back in time. . . . This is one thriller that it s beyond thrilling.”
—Suspense Magazine

Book of the Month—Bookmovement.com

Top Pick for May—RT Book Review

“Murder As a Fine Art by David Morrell is a masterpiece—I don’t use that word lightly—a fantastic historical thriller, beautifully written, intricately plotted, and populated with unforgettable characters. It brilliantly recreates the London of gaslit streets, fogs, hansom cabs, and Scotland Yard. If you liked The Alienist, you will absolutely love this book. I was spellbound from the first page to last.”

—Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling author of The Monster of Florence

“London 1854, noxious yellow fogs, reeking slums, intrigues in high places, murders most foul, but instead of Sherlock Holmes solving crimes via the fine art of deduction, we have the historical English Opium-Eater himself, Thomas De Quincey. David Morrell fans — and they are Legion — can look forward to celebrating Murder As a Fine Art as one of their favorite author’s strongest and boldest books in years.”

—Dan Simmons, New York Times bestselling author of Drood and The Terror

“Morrell’s use of De Quincey’s life is amazing. I literally couldn’t put it down: I felt as though I were in Dickens when he described London’s fog and in Wilkie Collins when we entered Emily’s diary. There were beautiful touches all the way through. Murder As a Fine Art is a triumph.”

—Robert Morrison, author of The English Opium-Eater: A Biography of Thomas De Quincey

“I enjoyed Murder As a Fine Art immensely. I admired the way Morrell deftly took so much material from De Quincey’s life and wove it into the plot, and also how well he created a sense of so many dimensions of Victorian London. Quite apart from its being a gripping thriller!”

—Grevel Lindop, author of The Opium-Eater: A Biography of Thomas De Quincey

About the AuthorDavid Morrell

David Morrell is the author of the classic espionage novel, The Brotherhood of the Rose, the basis for the only miniseries to be broadcast after a Super Bowl. He holds a PhD in literature and was a professor in the English department at the University of Iowa. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, Morrell is a recipient of the prestigious Thriller Master award from the International Thriller Writers organization.

For more information on David Morrell and his novels, please visit the official website. You can also follow David on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 6
Review at Sir Read-a-Lot
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading

Tuesday, May 7
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Thursday, May 9
Review & Giveaway at Book Addict Katie
Guest Post at The Lit Bitch

Friday, May 10
Review at The Lit Bitch

Monday, May 13
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Tuesday, May 14
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, May 15
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Thursday, May 16
Review at Impressions in Ink
Guest Post at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Friday, May 17
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, May 20
Review at Unabridged Chick

Tuesday, May 21
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court
Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, May 22
Review at Peeking Between the Pages
Interview at A Bookish Libraria

Thursday, May 23
Review at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Friday, May 24
Review at JulzReads

Monday, May 27
Review at From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, May 28
Review at My Reader’s Block
Feature & Giveaway at My Reading Room

Wednesday, May 29
Review & Interview at Layered Pages

Friday, May 31
Review & Giveaway at Psychotic State Book Reviews

Monday, June 3
Review at As I Turn the Pages
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, June 4
Review & Giveaway at Kinx’s Book Nook
Review at The True Book Addict

Wednesday, June 5
Review at Peppermint, Ph.D.

Thursday, June 6
Review at The Bookworm
Review at Bags, Books and Bon Jovi

Friday, June 7
Review at nomadreader

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