M.J. Mallon – The Curse Of Time – Paperback Book Release #BlogTour

A few short months ago, a dear blog pal of mine, M.J. Mallon, better known as Marje from Kyrosmagica blog, published her first ever eBook: The Curse Of Time – Book one – Bloodstone.

I’m not jealous or anything, but sitting there looking at my 17-year-old WIP, I am always in awe of my pals getting things finished, and to publishing stage!

Anyway, MJ (Marje’s alter ego as she loves Superheroes!) spent a long while researching her facts and locations for this book, and the time came in August 2017, to press publish.

I was honoured to host her on her first blog tour too! Read more here.

Her blurb reads as follows:

Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who’s imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house. When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden pathway where she encounters Ryder, a charismatic, but perplexing stranger.
With the help of a magical paint set, and some crystal wizard stones she discovers the truth about a shocking curse that has destroyed her family’s happiness.

I was finally able to read it the other week, and as a relative newcomer to YA fiction, I found it intriguing.

My reviews on Goodreads and Amazon give Marje’s book – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It took me a short while to get into the swing of the story, but once I was there, I really enjoyed the tale.
Drawn into the life of the main character, Amelina, you are quickly whisked off into a world filled with supernatural happenings, people in mirrors and crystals. Lots of crystals!
There is an element of change evident in Amelina as the book progresses, showing her development as a person who is capable of having a huge effect on those around her, as she learns of the powers she has had bestowed upon her.
I didn’t like Ryder… not that you are really meant to. Ryder is someone who she meets, and who influences her negatively. The fact that I didn’t like him shows that his character was written well within the story.
Over all, a book brimming with supernatural happenings, a mysterious cottage and a family problem that needs solving.

Available to buy here!

And now, this month actually, the paperback is finally ready to be unleashed to the public, with some exciting additions, in the form of some illustrations of key characters in the book by the extremely talented Carolina Russo.

The artwork below will be included in the paperbacks, but in black and white… how exciting to find a fellow artist to imagine your characters for you!

I know you are clamouring to hear more about Marje, so I’ll hand over to her…

I am a debut author who has been blogging for three years at my lovely blog home Kyrosmagica: https://mjmallon.com. My interests include writing, photography, poetry, and alternative therapies. I write Fantasy YA, middle grade fiction and micro poetry – haiku and Tanka. I love to read and have written over 100 reviews: https://mjmallon.com/2015/09/28/a-z-of-my-book-reviews/
My alter ego is MJ – Mary Jane from Spiderman. I love superheroes! I was born on the 17th of November in Lion City: Singapore, (a passionate Scorpio, with the Chinese Zodiac sign a lucky rabbit,) second child and only daughter to my proud parents Paula and Ronald. I grew up in a mountainous court in the Peak District in Hong Kong with my elder brother Donald. My parents dragged me away from my exotic childhood and my much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. In bonnie Edinburgh I mastered Scottish country dancing, and a whole new Och Aye lingo.
As a teenager I travelled to many far-flung destinations to visit my abacus wielding wayfarer dad. It’s rumoured that I now live in the Venice of Cambridge, with my six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and my two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing my author’s mind has taken total leave of its senses! When I’m not writing, I eat exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surf to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out, I practise Tai Chi. If the mood takes me I snorkel with mermaids, or sign up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes.

Marje can be found on various Social Media sites:

Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Collaborative blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
My Facebook Authors/Bloggers Support Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829166787333493/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
Tumblr: http://mjmallonauthor.tumblr.com/

I hope that I’ve whet your appetite Peeps, and that you will take a chance on a fabulous paperback edition of The Curse Of Time!

Marje and her book will be touring several blogs in April and ending with Neverland Blog Tours. http://neverlandblogtours.weebly.com/

Blog Tour Hosts

#BookReview – Time To Lie by Phil Taylor

Hey Peeps!

It’s me, back with another review for a book by one of my blog buddies!

Phil Taylor

This time it’s Phil Taylor who gets the Ritu Review Treatment!

Time to Lie (Landon Bridges' Story Book 1) by [Taylor, Phil]

I treated myself to this book on my birthday last year… the 3rd September, and it has been patiently waiting for its place to come as I work my way through my To Be Read pile… Which happened to be the Easter weekend!

First, the blurb…

Remember that time you dated that complete nutcase and said to yourself, I wish Future Me would have come back and warned me about this. Remember when you and your drunk friends said, If it’s such a bad idea, someone would come back from the future and stop us, right before it blew up in your face and got you in trouble? It would be great to have someone from the future to guide your life, wouldn’t it?

Landon Bridges’ life hasn’t always been perfect, but now he’s in college and determined to make a fresh start and transform himself from high school geek to college chic…well less geeky guy. He’s finally attained his life-long goal of studying physics in college under a renowned professor. He’s met the girl of his dreams and made friends with some of the cool frat guys. Things are going great, until He shows up.

A mysterious stranger intervenes to help Landon out of a terrible, possibly life changing situation, but what does he want? Why does he keep showing up? Who is he? Landon’s esteemed professor suddenly seems like a flake. Landon’s briefly idyllic college world seems to be spinning out of control. Landon needs to control his world and in the process of regaining his sanity and his grip on reality, he discovers that he has talents and allies that he never imagined. But is what they’re telling him the truth?

The truth is just the lie we’ve chosen to believe, and yours may be different than mine.

So, a book all about time travel – not usually my thing but I have to be honest with you, since I started blogging, I have discovered that there are a huge amount of genres out there that I haven’t explored, so I can’t say I don’t like, if I haven’t tried! I am already a YA Fiction convert, why not try a little science fiction, peppered with some comedic interludes and romance too?

What did I think?

Well, read the review for yourself!

 

I’ve just finished Phil Taylor’s Time To Lie, and I’m not gonna lie… I really enjoyed it!
Took me a little while to totally get into it, but that was just because I was trying to get my head around the whole Time Travel thing… But once things clicked in my head, I was there!
Landon Bridges is a nerdy kid who’s had a tough childhood after losing his dad… But he’s off to college to better his life… until his meeting with an esteemed, but kooky, physics professor, and the prospect of time travel. Seriously, if you knew how to go back in time, what would you change, and how would it change you?
There’s love, there’s drama, there’s humour. And there are sequels to come too, which I am eagerly waiting for!

Amazon review: here

GoodReads review: here

And my rating?  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

C’mon Phil… when’s the next one out? (Not putting pressure on you or anything…!)

What I’ve Been Reading – #Reading #BooksToRead

I have been busy this year doing all sorts, from blogging to work life and being mummy and wife too.

But one thing I don’t like to let fall by the wayside is reading.

I have been busy reading too.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had as much time to review the books of my fellow Indie Authors, as I usually try to, but I wanted to add a little round-up of the books I have read, and these are all ones I recommend!

Buster and Moo by Geoff Le Pard

With their relationship under pressure, is adopting a dog the best decision for Mervin and Landen? As they adapt to fit the animal into their busy lives a chance encounter with Dave and Sheri, the dog’s previous owners, develops into something more and the newfound friendship is tested to the limits.

Life is complicated when Landen loses her job following the discovery of her affair with a colleague and then she becomes involved in a police investigation into alleged money laundering and drug dealing at her old firm. She tries desperately to keep the sordid truth from Mervin as events begin to spiral out of control.

As the four lives overlap and criss-cross the one constant is their shared love of the dog named Moo. But the problems mount up. While Sheri and Mervin grow close as they struggle to help each other, it is the unlikely alliance between Sheri and Landen that leads to the dramatic climax. However, there is only room for one hero in this story – who will it be?

Check it out, and other books by Geoff here.

What’s In A Name? Vol 1 and Vol 2 by Sally Cronin

 

 Vol 1

Twenty colourful stories of people who have been given the names of the great and legendary and find it a challenge sometimes to live up to them.

 

 

 

Vol 2

Our legacy is not always about money or fame, but rather in the way that people remember our name after we have gone. In these sixteen short stories we discover the reasons why special men and women will stay in the hearts and minds of those who have met them. Romance, revenge and sacrifice all play their part in the lives of these characters.

 

Get them here.

No More Mulberries by Mary Smith

No More Mulberries bookcover

Set in Afghanistan, British-born Miriam finds her marriage to her Afghan doctor husband heading towards crisis. She has to journey into her past to understand how unresolved issues are damaging her relationship. It is a story of commitment and divided loyalties, of love and loss, set against a country struggling through transition.

Buy it here.

 

The Fall of Lilith by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

The Fall of Lilith (Fantasy Angels Series) by [Quiroz Vega, Vashti]

In The Fall of Lilith, Vashti Quiroz-Vega crafts an irresistible new take on heaven and hell that boldly lays bare the passionate conflicted natures of God’s first creations: the resplendent celestial beings known as angels.

If you think you know their story, think again.

Endowed with every gift of mind, body, and spirit, the angels reside in a paradise bounded by divine laws, chief of which are obedience to God, and celibacy. In all other things, the angels possess free will, that they may add in their own unique ways to God’s unfolding plan.

Lilith, most exquisite of angels, finds the rules arbitrary and stifling. She yearns to follow no plan but her own: a plan that leads to the throne now occupied by God himself. With clever words and forbidden caresses, Lilith sows discontent among the angels. Soon the virus of rebellion has spread to the greatest of them all: Lucifer.

Now, as angel is pitted against angel, old loyalties are betrayed and friendships broken. Lust, envy, pride, and ambition arise to shake the foundations of heaven . . . and beyond. For what begins as a war in paradise invades God’s newest creation, a planet known as Earth. It is there, in the garden called Eden, that Lilith, Lucifer, and the other rebel angels will seek a final desperate victory—or a venomous revenge.

Buy it here.

The Heart Stone Chronicles – Book 1: The Swamp Fairy by Colleen Chesebro

The Heart Stone Chronicles: The Swamp Fairy by [Chesebro, Colleen M] Fourteen-year-old Abigale Forester, recently orphaned and a ward of the State of Illinois moves from Chicago to Florida to live with her aunt, her last living relative. Magnolia Forester becomes her legal Guardian, and together they claim an ancient inheritance; land that belonged to Abby’s mother’s family for generations.

Holding onto the only piece of her mother Abby has left, a calcite pendant and her mother’s most sacred possession, she discovers the truth of her legacy. The pendant is more significant than she could possibly imagine. Forged from a giant mystical heart-shaped stone found on the very swamp land Abby now owns, it holds the power of her ancestors.

But with that power comes greater responsibility, one that pits her against Rafe Cobb, a greedy land developer, who will stop at nothing to own Abby’s swampland.

As Abby learns to be part of a family again and explores her love of horses with friends, Savanna, and Blake, the swamp slowly gives up some of its secrets. She is summoned by a primaeval nymph, who teaches Abby that her true destiny is to protect the nymphs from evil in an ever-changing modern world.

Can Abby save the swamp and the Naiad Nymph Clan from certain destruction before it is too late?

Buy it here.

Hope you find something you might enjoy reading within these books!

 

Anna by Amanda Prowse #BookReview @MrsAmandaProwse

A little while before Christmas, I received an email from an author, Amanda Prowse, requesting me to read one or possibly two new books of hers, with a view to receiving quotes about the book, to go on the paperback covers, and/or the author website.

I wasn’t sure initially, as I never know what time I have available, but then I thought, “Why not?”, and the thought that she had chosen me, among so many fantastic book reviewers meant I felt, I really wanted to do this!

And I did a little of my own research – to say I was honoured to have been asked by an author of Amanda’s calibre to read her books, would be a total understatement!

I mean she has books in real-life bookshops!!!! Check out the whole lot on the Waterstones website here!

(Not taking anything away from all us Indie Authors at all, but I was so flattered!)

So, a couple of weeks ago, a parcel arrived, with my special edition copy of Anna enclosed.

20180128_110442

Anna is the first of a two-part love story.

The tag-line is “There are two sides to every love story.”

The blurb reads:

Anna Cole grew up in care, and wants to start a family of her own. Theo Montgomery had a loveless childhood and wants to find his soulmate.
Then, one day. Theo meets Anna, and Anna meets Theo,
Each shows the other how to love. And each somws the other what heartbreak feels like…
This is Anna’s story.

What can I say? I had to get to it as soon as I could, and I was not disappointed!

I loved it!

20180128_101419

I don’t want to give too much away, but here is a small taster and my review!

Anna is a young child, living with her single mother, and Joe, her older brother. She is surrounded by love, despite not having her father around, and can’t wait to get married and have children herself. She even names them, Fifi and Fox, and writes letters to them periodically.

Tragedy steals her mother away from her, and after a short while, her brother is taken from her too.

Anna spends time with an aunt who doesn’t really want her there, and ultimately ends up in care, after trying to find her estranged father. The only information she has is a name, a profession and the knowledge that she was conceived in love.

Life isn’t easy for Anna, but she pulls herself along, grasping opportunities and building a small but steady life for herself.

After one failed relationship, she meets Theo, a man from a totally different background. A man who loves her passionately, but who has his own past demons to conquer, and they ultimately colour the path of their love.

I was pulled into the life of a woman who had encountered so much tragedy, watched, and felt, her emotional turmoil as she battled from one disappointment after another.
I cheered when she found her Prince, I cried when that happy ending didn’t come…
The letters to Fifi and Fox were a genius addition, the build-up of hope from a small child, all the way to an adult who wants nothing more than to be a mother.
This is not a classic story of love, showing that not all endings are necessarily fairytale based, and happily ever after, but rather filled with a hope of something better to come.

And my rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anna is available from March 8th, and you can preorder by clicking here right now! (I highly recommend you do, ASAP!)

I am really looking forward to reading the second book, Theo, which is out in April!

I was provided with a copy of the book in exchange for honest comments regarding the story.

About Amanda:

Amanda has always obsessively crafted short stories and scribbled notes for potential books, but it wasn’t until she was forty that she began writing full time. The result was Poppy Day, the story of an army wife, whose incredible love for her husband gives her the courage to rescue him from hostages in Afghanistan. This was followed by the number 1 bestseller What Have I Done? Amanda now has ten novels and four novellas published.
All of Amanda’s books in the No Greater Love series share common themes in that they are contemporary love stories, the main characters are women, just like you and I, who find themselves in extraordinary situations for love.
Her new series is the No Greater Courage series, tales of women facing the trials that life throws at them and having to dig deep to find the will and strength to succeed. This series includes the A Mother’s Story and Perfect Daughter, which continue to receive brilliant reader and press reviews.
Amanda’s ambition has always been to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…
Currently, Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband and their 18 & 19 year old boys Josh and Ben.

Follow Amanda on Twitter @MrsAmandaProwse, or join Amanda on Facebook.

Check out her website: http://amandaprowse.org/

Colleen’s 2018 #Book #Reviews – “Poetic RITUals,” by Ritu Bhathal – colleenchesebro.com

Please head on over to Colleen’s blog, where she has left a most wonderful review of my Poetry collection Poetic RITUals.

Thank you Colleen! ❤

via Colleen’s 2018 #Book #Reviews – “Poetic RITUals,” by Ritu Bhathal – colleenchesebro.com

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