Dance For A Dead Princess by Deborah Hawkins

In January 1997, Princess Diana received a phone call telling her she would be assassinated. She recorded the information on a secret video tape, naming her killer and gave it to a trusted friend in America for safekeeping. It has never been found.

Diana's close friend, Nicholas Carey, the 18th Duke of Burnham and second richest man in England, has vowed to find the tape and expose her killer. After years of searching, he discovers Diana gave the tape to British socialite Mari Cuniff, who died in New York under mysterious circumstances. He believes Wall Street attorney Taylor Collins, the executor of Mari's estate, has possession of it. He lures Taylor to England by promising to sell his ancestral home in Kent, Burnham Abbey, to one of her clients, a boarding school for American girls. Nicholas has dated actresses and models since the death of his wife, ten years earlier, and has no interest in falling in love again. But he is immediately and unexpectedly overwhelmed with feelings for Taylor at their first meeting.

Taylor, unaware that Diana's tape is in her long-time friend and client's estate and nursing her hurt over her broken engagement to a fellow attorney in her firm, brands Nicholas supremely spoiled and selfish. She is in a hurry to finish the sale of the Abbey and return to New York. But while working in the Abbey's library, Taylor uncovers the diary of Thomas Carey, a knight at the court of Henry VIII and the first Duke of Burnham.

As she reads Thomas' agonizing struggle to save the love of his life and the mother of his child from being forced to become Henry's mistress, she begins to see Nicholas in a new light as he battles to save his sixteen-year-old ward Lucy, who is desperately unhappy and addicted to cocaine. But just as Taylor's feelings for Nicholas become clear and at the moment she realizes she is in possession of Diana's voice from the grave, she learns that Nicholas may be Lucy's father and responsible for his wife's death at the Abbey at the time of Lucy's birth. When Nicholas is arrested for Lucy's murder and taken to Wandsworth Prison, Taylor sets out to learn the truth about Nicholas, his late wife, and the death of the Princess of Wales.

Dance for A Dead Princess is a the story of two great loves that created and preserved a family that has lasted for five hundred years.

Finalist in Romance Category for Forward Reviews 2013 Book of the Year Award

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Genre – Contemporary Romance,Mystery

Rating – G

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Website http://deborahlhawkins.com/

The Curse Giver by Dora Machado

Lusielle’s bleak but orderly life as a remedy mixer is shattered when she is sentenced to die for a crime she didn’t commit. She’s on the pyre, about to be burned, when a stranger breaks through the crowd and rescues her from the flames. Brennus, Lord of Laonia is the last of his line. He is caught in the grip of a mysterious curse that has murdered his kin, doomed his people and embittered his life. To defeat the curse, he must hunt a birthmark and kill the woman who bears it in the foulest of ways. Lusielle bears such a mark. Stalked by intrigue and confounded by the forbidden passion flaring between them, predator and prey must come together to defeat not only the vile curse, but also the curse giver who has already conjured their demise.

Award-Winning Finalist in the fantasy category of The 2013 USA Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News

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Genre – Fantasy/Dark Fantasy

Rating – PG-18

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Website http://www.doramachado.com/

Living The Testimony by Deidre Havrelock

We testify in accordance with what we know and have experienced.

…It’s time to learn and experience more!

The first book in this thought-provoking series explained how testimony relates to the Bible; this book will help you understand how testimony relates to living. Living…The Testimony will not only encourage Christians to reflect on who they believe Jesus to be (and why they choose to believe this), but it will also correct current misconstrued ideas as to what the Christian testimony is all about.

- a testimony is not about church;

- a testimony is not about God;

- a testimony is not about faith in general terms;

- this book contains numerous testimonies that will strengthen your faith in Jesus.

A strong Christian testimony is one that continually grows in the knowledge of Jesus, continually shares that knowledge boldly, while at the same time performs good works based on Jesus’ teaching of love—all while abstaining from works of darkness.

Because a biblical testimony deals not only with our belief system, but also with the way we conduct our whole lives, our Christian testimony becomes our most valuable asset. It is life itself.

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Genre – Christian Living

Rating – G

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Website www.deidrehavrelock.com

This book will be on sale for $0.99 during the tour

Riddle Of The Diamond Dove (Arkana Mysteries #4) by N. S. Wikarski

THE ARKANA SERIES: Where Alternative History Meets Archaeology Adventure
Volume Four – Riddle Of The Diamond Dove

“From Kindle Nation fave N. S. Wikarski comes the long-awaited fourth book in her fascinating seven-part Arkana archaeology thriller series — with more of the wonderful characters, sly humor, intrigue and mayhem that come together to create the absorbing world of her intricate, fast-paced mysteries.” (Kindle Nation Daily)

Global Treasure Hunt
Where do you hide an ancient relic that has the power to change the course of history? As Cassie Forsythe and her Arkana team discover, you scatter clues to its whereabouts across the entire planet. Five artifacts buried among the rubble of lost civilizations point to the hiding place of a mythical object known as the Sage Stone. Thus far psychic Cassie, bodyguard Erik, and librarian Griffin have succeeded in recovering two of those artifacts.

Opposing Forces
Cassie and Company find their lives threatened at every turn by agents of a religious cult known as the Blessed Nephilim. The cult’s leader, Abraham Metcalf, wants to exploit the power of the Sage Stone to unleash a catastrophic plague on the world. The quest for the next piece of the puzzle has led both sides to Africa. They must comb an entire continent–their only lead a riddle carved onto a mysterious dove sculpture. Even as the Arkana team struggles to decipher the clue, new dangers hover over their colleagues at home.

Other Dangers
Metcalf’s child-bride Hannah has taken refuge at the home of the Arkana’s leader Faye while mercenary Leroy Hunt creeps ever nearer to her hiding place. His search for the girl brings him dangerously close to the secret location of the Arkana’s troves–a collection of pre-patriarchal artifacts which confirm an alternative history of the origins of civilization itself. While Hunt closes in on Hannah, Metcalf’s son Daniel dogs the footsteps of the Arkana field team in order to claim the next artifact before they do. Daniel recruits a clever ally along the way who might be more than a match for the opposing side.

Collision Course
When the forces of the Arkana and the Nephilim converge on a ruined city in a forgotten corner of the dark continent, the shocking outcome is beyond even Cassie’s powers to foresee. The quest for the Sage Stone will veer in an unexpected direction once both sides solve the Riddle Of The Diamond Dove.

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Genre - Alternative History Fiction

Rating – PG

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Review: My Mother Sang, The Devil Danced by Madison McGrath

I am kind of confused!  Read on to know more!

Original Title: My Mother Sang, The Devil Danced

Author: Madison McGrath

Publisher: Indie

Release Date: January 21st, 2014

Source: Review copy from the author

Genre: Contemporary Romance

NOTE: MAY CONTAIN TRIGGERS FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE.
RATING - PG15

Heston Island is prospering. It has welcomed its new Princess, Gemma Heston, and as she grows and discovers more about Heston Island, she is eager to follow in her father's footsteps. Her biggest goal in life is to one day unite the flourishing and modern South with the North, who has resisted change from the beginning. But to become Queen of Heston, Gemma needs to face her sly, manipulative uncle, Russell Heston. This is a confrontation she cannot avoid.

A fire, an escape and a death gives Russell a chance to be in control of the Island. Heston Island's fate hangs in balance, threatening to tip over the edge and into the depths of anarchy. This is not the dream Gemma's father, the King, envisioned for the future of the Island.

Russell is cunning enough to ensure that Gemma has no way to get to the throne but will Gemma manage to usurp him by the power of truth and fair rule?

REVIEW

This has been a long standing review for me.

It's kind of hard to review this book.

The reasons are:

1.  This plot is not unique.  But, it kind of feels good to see an ordinary story after a long time.  As much as it's great to see uniqueness in a plot, it's equally great to see my childhood plots of friendship, love and vengeance shaping into another book.

2.  The characters had done its part.  Gemma is not my favorite hard-core type, but she is a princess, who is someone ordinary, whose curiosity clouds her mind and whose fear makes her run away.  But, still there is something in her that makes her right her wrongs.  And I like her for it.  And I loved the character of both the heroes (Yes!), but we are not seeing much of them.. and hated those who you are supposed to hate (not giving away anything, see?).

3.  Towards the end, I can see why this book is titled like this.  First, I thought it was..well, something odd to keep book titles like this.  But, it dead-on defined the book in six words (oops, sorry, SPOILER).

4.  Have anyone read books like Champak, Chandamama and Tinkle when you were kids.  I was once crazy about those books.  I used to buy and read them like my life depended on it.  I still love them, but I have much more to read now, so I am in pause-as-kid mode.  But, this book somehow reminded me of those times and I am pretty sure it's the base plotline.  For that feel, I am really happy.

5.  I really really don't agree with this cover.  No, it's not bad, but this book cover could have been much better.  Usually, good book covers create the excitement in the story, without revealing anything about the plot.  And I usually find myself returning to see that cover again and again, while reading.  But, this time, all I was thinking was "why this cover"?  WHY?  Yeah, I judge books based on covers and yes, I know it's wrong, but I can't help myself.

6.  See, I really liked this novel and this novel gave me something that I didn't expect. Simple and straightforward story with all the emotions playing in it.  It surprised me!

7.  While this book started off with a blast (ALERT! It's BAD GUY ADULT!), the pace and action slowed down and it increased again toward the middle and just when I was reading so fast that I don't even notice what page I am in, the pace slowed down again.  I am a lover of fast-paced books and maybe it's my problem.

Do you see what my real problem is, now?

It is kind of difficult to review a book that you really loved, but has some minor flaws.

This book is going to be easy on you.  Generally, a light read means chick-lit and romedy for me.  But, this is neither, and I felt it to be light (except for the preface chapter perhaps and the middle part where 'that' tragedy happens?).

I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind the change in pace of the novel.

3.5 STARS!

The King of Sunday Morning by J.B. McCauley

The King of Sunday Morning is a geezer. Not in the traditional sense of the word as in old man. This geezer is a face, a wannabe, a top notch bloke. He is the greatest DJ that never was. He should have been. Could have been. Would have been. Now becoming a has-been.

Tray McCarthy was born into privilege but with the genetic coding of London’s violent East End. Having broken the underworld’s sacred honour code, it is only his family’s gangland connections that save him. But in return for his life, he must deny that which he has ever known or ever will be and runs to Australia where he is forced to live an inconsequential life.

But trouble never strays far from Tray McCarthy and eventually his past and present collide to put everyone he has ever loved in danger. He must now make a stand and fight against those that are set to destroy him and play their game according to his rules.

Set against the subterfuge and violence of the international drugs trade, The King of Sunday Morning is the tale of what can go wrong when you make bad decisions. Tray McCarthy has made some of the worst. He must now save those he holds dear but in the process gets trapped deeper and deeper into a world where he doesn’t belong.

“I want three pump-action shotguns, about twelve sticks of dynamite and a blowtorch”

THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, FREQUENT DRUG USE AND SEX SCENES – NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE

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Genre – Thriller, Action, Suspense, Gangster, Crime, Music

Rating – PG-18

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