Saturday, November 16, 2019

Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: Beneath London's Fog by Iona Caldwell @ionacaldwell7 @XpressoTours


Beneath London's Fog by Iona Caldwell
Publication date: October 30th, 2019
Publisher: FyreSyde Publishing

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
Jonathan is the immortal master of Raven Hollow Manor--a decrepit mansion riddled with superstition, murder and restless ghosts. Beneath it lies a restless malice.

Its previous owner driven mad, violently kills his guests with a rusted ax, creating the perfect venue for Jonathan to seclude himself in a prison of his own device.

When the streets of London begin to run red with blood; the bodies exhibiting disturbing signs and baffling wounds, the identity of the killer remains elusive to police.

The bodies are ust the beginning of Jonathan's troubles. A mysterious letter accusing Jonathan of committing the murder appear, raising suspicion in the police. Hidden beneath the mangled bodies, Jonathan soon realizes he is being forced to face demons he thought died in a forlorn past he attempted to escape.

One thing Jonathan knows for certain: He must deal with the demons of his past if he is to survive his future. Not only him but those he has come to love as well.

For fans of Jim Butcher, Stephen King, Darcy Coates, and Nick Cutter.


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Excerpt
I. The Streets Ran With Blood

I want it known before this tale begins--I am not a hero but a villain. I want no sympathy from whomever reads this recalling of my story; no mourning for the tragedy that befell my life. I am not an innocent man but a sinner forced to face the ravaging demons and ghosts of his own creation.

My story began as many do--a lie, a fire and murder. One of my kind murdered the woman I loved in the coldest of blood in one of history's darkest times at the behest of a possessive noble.

After a run in with him in Nottingham, I soon found myself fleeing for my life from hunters, framed for a murder I had not committed.

Forgive me, I am getting ahead of myself.

Let me begin where this part of my story took place.

A bloody civil war ravaged London followed shortly by the Great Fire of 1666. A glorious time for me and those like me to take advantage of the chaos and remain hidden in the shadows.

I managed to pursue the one responsible for nearly getting me killed two centuries prior to the plague which befell London before the fire.

Within the shadows of the flickering flames of St. Peter's Cathedral, I struck him down and departed the city, thus avoiding my demise.

I had yet to escape him, however, when his vengeful spirit devouring the souls of the innocent in a mad bloodlust.

Though greatly injured, I managed to drive his spirit to my new home Raven Hollow Manor in London, imprisoning him in stone coffin in the crypt beneath it.

Peace resumed in my life and nobles of all kinds enjoyed lavishly hosted parties within the halls of my estate.

Unfortunately, the short lived splendor at the hands of the hauntings filled the ears of the locals and my beloved home decayed into a tangled web of blood-filled rumors and superstition.

My once glorious halls became infested with dust, its crystal chandeliers covered with cobwebs, their spiders fat on the insects buzzing around the decay and mold-covered wallpaper.

Yet, there I remained as it proved a decent place to not only contain my greatest sin but served also as a castle of solitude.

The tides of time swept by in a cacophony of modernization and the movement from superstition to things only mortal science could explain.

I still needed to venture into the city, not only to feed but also to purchase other items needed for everyday living.

It wasn't until the winter of 1910 that my silence would be disrupted in the form of a girl named Holly, a young street urchin accused of theft. I took her with me after using a bit of "persuasion" on the local officers to let her go.

They did not need to know where I would take her and she soon grew into a wonderful messenger on my behalf. She became a rather attractive young woman with bouncy blonde curls who kept me company with stories of what went on in the city.

I am sure, at one time, she became infatuated with me. It did not surprise me. To mortals, my kind held a certain allure they found difficult to ignore. I ended her infatuation quickly following a stern talking to and dousing with cold water.

One day, while in my labyrinthine garden, Holly came to me in tears.

When the people of London learned where Holly lived, the townsfolk dubbed her a practioner of black magic.

One day, I found Holly sitting on one of the marble benches in the garden, sobbing. I picked a flower and put it in my daughter's hair, sitting next to her beneath the statue of a praying angel.

"You need not worry about them, dearest. Mortals are always quick to place labels on what they do not understand."

Holly sniffled and sobbed, wiping her nose and offering me a smile. "But why do they avoid this place, Jonathan?"

"Mortals fear what they cannot comprehend. Pay them no mind. You are a wonderful young woman," I purred, brushing a blonde curl from her face.

The words appeared to have placated her as she smiled and joined me in a moonlight stroll through the garden.







Iona Caldwell is the lover of all things arcane, folklore, nature and magic. She is the author of the British Occult Fiction, Beneath London's Fog set to be published by FyreSyde Publishing October 2019. Her second title, Hell's Warden is forecasted to release in February of 2020. When she's not busy weaving worlds of the arcane and dark, she's spending time out in nature. An avid lover of books, Iona claims her biggest inspirations are H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Edgar Allen Poe.

She believes storytellers should tell the stories they want to tell. As such, most of her titles are stand-alone novellas she hopes will leave her readers immersed in magical worlds.

She is also an extremely active book blogger who will review primarily horror, suspense, supernatural thriller, mystery, and occult/gothic fiction.



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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Review: The Highland Duke by Amy Jarecki @amyjarecki


Title: The Highland Duke

Author: Amy Jarecki

Series: Lords of the Highland #1

Publication date: March 28th, 2017

Pages: 384

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
RT Reviewers' Choice Award winner

She'll put her life on the line for him...
When Akira Ayres finds the brawny Scot with a musket ball in his thigh, the healer has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save his life. Even if it means fleeing with him across the Highlands to tend to his wounds while English redcoats are closing in. Though Akira is as fierce and brave as any of her clansmen, even she's intimidated by the fearsome, brutally handsome Highlander who refuses to reveal his name.

Yet she can never learn his true identity.
Geordie knows if Akira ever discovers he's the Duke of Gordon, both her life and his will be forfeit in a heartbeat. The only way to keep the lass safe is to ensure she's by his side day and night. But the longer he's with her, the harder it becomes to think of letting her go. Despite all their differences, despite the danger--he will face death itself to make her his...


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Review:
Men in kilts have quickly become an unusual fascination of mine. Maybe it's the fact I used to date a guy from Scotland and know exactly how swoonworthy that accent can be, or it could be just the rugged manly time that makes a girl swoon. Either way, I have really enjoyed my dip into historical fiction, especially when it comes to SCOTTISH historical fiction. When I stumbled across one of Amy Jarecki's novels on NetGalley I was curious to see how much history was added to the romance to make the stories so delectible by so many readers. My journey within Ms. Jarecki's pages had begun.

Akira has known struggles. She has known what it was like to question the source of her next meal and the struggle to survive with the gypsy stigma attached to her name. The only way to eck out an existance in her world is as a healer to the fallen soldiers and Highlanders. It was there that she met Geordie. He was wounded from a musketball to the leg and the odds of him surviving were dwendling before Akira's eyes. She was determined not to lose him and so she set about ensuring his health and well-being on his voyage home. She had no idea who he was and only assumed that he was a Jackobite who found himself in the line of fire at the wrong time. Little did she know that the man hiding his identity was the Duke of Gordon. Facing a bloodhound of a soldier following their every move, the elements, and the wildlife were nothing compared to the mounting desire she found with every adventure her and Geordie faced. An attraction bloomed that Akira struggled to dampen as she and her patient became closer and closer.

Geordie aka the Duke of Gordon knew it was wrong to have secrets from the healer who had tended his wounds, risked her life for his, and kept him warm when the fever chills set in, but for her safety he had to keep his lips sealed. If ever the soldiers who tracked them caught her, he wanted her to not have a true name to attach to the man she helped. The last thing he wanted was the spunky lass with the dark locks to be hung for providing assistance to a Jackobite traitor. Eventually the option of silence disappated and all that was left was the growing admiration and warmth for the gypsy rose. But how can a man of his station even think about being with a woman of her status without making both their lives harder? Can love be enough to overcome one's station?

This book was the best balance of romance, history, and action. Between the historical references to the Jackobite uprising in Scotland to the blossoming love between a Duke and a commoner the pages would not stop turning for me. I devoured the book in only a few days time. Akira was the perfect mix of innocent chastity and smoldering temptress (without even trying to be). I loved her even more than I loved the male lead. While Geordie was dreamy, he kept sticking his foot in his mouth which made my fingers itch to smack him upside the head. His missteps with Akira would have cost him if she wasn't so devoted and loyal a woman. The two complimented themselves immensely.

The Highlander Duke will curl your toes and make you ponder the wonders of history while drooling for an unusually beguiling romance between two star-crossed lovers. 



Friday, November 8, 2019

Release Blitz with Teasers: Crazy for Loving You by Pippa Grant @ReadPippa @GiveMeBooksBlog


Crazy for Loving You by Pippa Grant
Series: Bluewater Billionaires #4
Publication date: November 8th, 2019

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
Is there anything hotter than a growly, overprotective Marine cradling a baby? My melting ovaries don't think so.

When you work hard and have the bank account to prove it, you're entitled to play hard. I've seen some crazy things. I've caused some crazy scenes. And there's no shame in my game.

But I'm still knocked off my stilettos when an insane chain of events leads to me inheriting a baby. The craziest part? The baby comes with a by-the-books, no-nonsense retired Marine who's so regimented that I wouldn't be surprised if he irons his boxer shorts.

Parenting? Bring it on. I don't need sleep--I once started my day with business meetings in Cairo and ended it three days later at a club in Melbourne. Changing diapers? Please. It can't be any more challenging than changing out of Spanx on the back of a moving motorcycle. Training the little guy to run the family's real estate empire? He'll be all our bosses by the time he's four.

But living with my new co-guardian? The gruff, muscled tattoed former military man who manages to check all my boxes while trying to sneak under my skin?

He needs to go.

Because the longer he stays, the more layers he's peeling off my heart.

But love isn't something that's ever diluted my gene pool, and I like my life just fine without it. I have awesome friends, this adorable baby and an obscene amount of money. Who needs love?

Turns out... maybe me.

Crazy for Loving You is a larger-than life ride through accidental parenthood featuring a fun-loving billionaire playgirl, a crusty Marine with a gooey center, a horny dolphin, the world's most obscene pool, and all the fun you'd expect from a world built by Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley, Kathryn Nolan, and Pippa Grant.


Available at:






The Price of Scandal by Lucy Score (Bluewater Billionaires #1) - 
The Mogul and the Muscle by Claire Kingsley (Bluewater Billionaires #2) - 
Wild Open Hearts by Kathryn Nolan (Bluewater Billionaires #3) - 


About the Author:

Pippa Grant is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes romantic comedies that will make tears run down your legs. When she's not reading, writing or sleeping she's being crowned employee of the month as a stay-at-home mom and housewife trying to prepare her adorable demon spawn to be productive members of society, all the while fantasizing about long walks on the beach with hot chocolate chip cookies.



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