THE MENAGERIE

by Judy Willmore

 

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GENRE:  Historical Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

FranÇoise-AthÉnaÏs de Rochechouart de Mortemart had to have Louis, King of France, but his other mistresses stood in the way. Then she meets the very helpful sorceress and AthÉnaÏs gets her wish. But soon Louis hears tales of witchcraft and poison, a conspiracy spreading through his court—like the beasts in the Versailles menagerie, courtesans are clawing their way to his favor, and his bed. He orders Lieutenant General of Police Gabriel-Nicolas de la Reynie to investigate. Mysterious deaths mount while La Reynie presses on, hauling in witches, charlatans, and the nobility alike. Grimy fingers point to AthÉnaÏs, the King's mistress, with whispers of a black mass celebrated over her naked body. Then La Reynie discovers a plot to kill her.

 

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EXCERPT: They were about to alight when Athénaïs shrank back into the shadowed corner of the coach. “Look—could that be?” A man built with the broad shoulders and determination of a bull walked briskly past them towards the first coach in line.

 

Her maid gasped, but quickly squeezed Athénaïs’ hand. “I told you, madame, tout Paris consults the famous La Voisin. Come along, now.” In a rustle of brown silk, the laughing mademoiselle got out of the coach, followed by the wary Athénaïs.

 

They were greeted at the door by a girl of about fifteen, her frowzy hair peeking out of her lace-edged cap. “Bon soir, mesdames,” she curtseyed. “Please come into the parlor.” Light from a chandelier and a few candles pierced the shadows, reflected in a crystal ball on the tea table near the settee. Next to the crystal ball was a deck of tarot cards lying on a square of purple silk. “Please be seated,” the girl announced. “I will fetch my mother.”

 

“Isn’t this exciting,” whispered Mlle Claude as she looked around the room.

 

Athénaïs stared at the murky crystal ball. “How can anyone see anything in there?”

 

“Only someone with my gifts can see the future,” boomed a woman’s voice behind them.

 

Startled, both ladies turned to see La Voisin in the doorway. Although short and plump, she radiated authority in her magnificent sea-green velvet dress and crimson velvet cloak embroidered with hundreds of double-headed, wingspread eagles. Even her slippers were stitched with gold thread in the same motif. What stunned Athénaïs were the woman’s eyes: black as night, so piercing as to invade one’s soul.

                                                                           REVIEW

This story takes you into the court life of Versailles and believe me when I say I was shocked as what went on there. This story was truly interesting.  What one woman would do to get the man she wants. I loved the magic aspect of this story. The story had so much going on and I really enjoyed that so much. A well written story with excitement, magic, mistrust and a historical aspect. 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Judy Willmore is a former journalist, then private investigator, and now a psychotherapist who practices in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her historical mystery The Menagerie was published in 2021 by Artemesia Press, and she is now working on a sequel.

 

The book is on sale for only $0.99.

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Menagerie-Passion-Power-Poison-Court-ebook/dp/B08XQXMG6Q/ref=sr_1_1

 

Website: https://judywillmoreauthor.com/about

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005439187278

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20514500.Judy_Willmore

 

 

 

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The author will award a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter. Please use this code on your post:

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As The Secrets Turn

by B. Truly

 

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GENRE:   YA, Urban, Romantic Suspense

 

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BLURB:

 

When we collided, it turned into beautiful chaos.

I am patient and kind. I do not envy or boast.
He is not proud or rude. He is not easily angered and always protects.
I am not self-seeking, and he does not delight in evil.
Together we define the essence of Love. But even love has challenges.

After I unlocked the door to my darkest secret, I overcame a multitude of struggles, starting with his vindictive brother. When I fought for prosecution, I became a pawn in his brother’s game, but I prevailed.

Over the last year, Justin and I have been in the calm of our life. The key to weathering through obstacles is to find a balance between the good and the terrible. But to have and to hold from this day forth may not be in our future. A surge of turbulence is thrown in our path as we attempt to make it to the altar. If a tragedy occurs when you’re supposed to say, “I do”, is fate trying to tell me that our love isn’t meant to be?
Through the ripples of life, I discover family who can never seem to be happy for me, and secrets that aren’t mine to share.

A family member disappears, and someone must know of her whereabouts. When it turns out the only person who has a clue is my daughter, it puts a horrific spin on the situation. How can my daughter be involved or know the things that she does?
As the tides rise to threaten us, our fate hangs in the balance. How our journey ends on the other side of the tempest is yet to be told.

This novel can be read as a stand-alone. Books 1 and 2 do not have to be read first.

 

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EXCERPT:

The tremors begin lightly. Nothing concerning at first, but then they increase more and more by the minute.

 

Justin is sitting next to me, and his head snaps in my direction. He’s not a fan of flying. “Just turbulence,” I relay to him. He nods, although the creases on his forehead linger.

 

The plane jerks violently, causing me and many other people to gasp. After another sharp jolt, Justin grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly. I must admit, my concern is growing. I’ve flown less than a handful of times in my life and have never experienced turbulence this intense.

 

The pilot comes on overhead. “Everyone, please be seated and fasten your seatbelts. We’ve entered a storm, and we need to fly above it.”

 

The flight attendants stop serving drinks and snacks, returning quickly toward the front to buckle in.

 

One man decides not to listen. “I gotta take a leak,” he says, continuing to the restroom.

 

The plane takes a nosedive. This rapid movement startles me. We’re supposed to fly above the storm—not go downward. The guy who refused to sit regrets his decision. He’s flung over a seat onto another passenger. The person he’s on top of makes their unhappiness known, using a few choice words. Unfortunately, the man can’t move much with the gravity shift.

 

The plane levels out for a spell, only to yank swiftly downward again. My heart is pounding. Is the plane struggling through the storm, or it is malfunctioning?

 

At this point, I’m holding onto Justin’s hand as tightly as he’s clinging onto mine. Flying is supposed to be safe. Planes rarely crash. With the way the plane is shaking, I’m having a hard time convincing myself with the statistics.

 

Other passengers’ worry begins to show.

 

“What’s happening?” a man asks.

 

“Are we going to crash?” a lady gasps.

 

“Are we going to die!” another woman shouts.

 

“It’s going to be rough for a few minutes while I maneuver through the storm,” the pilot says overhead, trying to keep everyone calm.

 

With the plane on its chaotic course, his words aren’t reassuring. The plane jerks more intently, causing several people to scream. The hardhead who didn’t buckle up is holding onto the person he fell on top of for dear life. I think they’re too frightened to complain. Mixed emotions echo around me. Some passengers are swearing, others are freaking out. We’re all terrified now.

 

Justin and I glance at each other, of one accord. I can understand the meaning in his eyes without words. No matter the outcome—we’re in this to together. To have and to hold, through sickness and in health. That’s what we are here for.

 

The plane attempts to move upward, then it jolts viciously downward like a roller coaster plummeting over the peak. My stomach shoots to my mouth—suspended in mid-air.

 

At this point, I close my eyes and start to pray silently. I ask for forgiveness of my sins. I beg for this not to be the end, because my life is only beginning. If it’s the end—I pray for it to be quick.

 

I don’t care what anyone says—prayer works. The plane rises higher and higher. Finally, it crests the storm. The turbulence ceases and it’s like we’re in the calm of the eye. The pilot announces that we’ve cleared the terrible weather and apologizes for the scare. Everyone cheers—relief is circulating through the air.

 

My chest begins to feel lighter with each passing breath. I glance out the window in wonder. Where we are, the sky is filled with fluffy, white clouds. Below us, I see lightening flashing with grizzly, opaque clouds. It’s eerie watching the storm from above as it manifests. Thankfully, we’re no longer inside of it.

 

Justin finally releases my hand. “That was a close call.”

 

“Yeah, so scary. But we always make it through together.”

 

“Till death do us part.”

                                        

REVIEW

In this story, you will find Madison & Justin facing some dilemmas. Throughout it all these two stay strong and are there for one another. A marriage is coming soon for these two, but not yet. This story is part of a series but it can be read a a standalone. Another good one! A must read!

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

B. Truly has wanted to be an author since she was fifteen years old. She is grateful to have accomplished this dream. B. Truly has very vivid dreams and a wild imagination. She likes to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. She’s addicted to romance and gets a thrill out of suspense and sci-fi. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romance, sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal, and urban genres.

 

B. Truly likes to explore conflicted plots of romance with thrilling twists. She also loves creating impossible situations for her characters to grow from and try to overcome.

           

B. Truly has three wonderful children, and a husband who defines the person that she is today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Houston, Texas.

 

Book Title: As The Secrets Turn

 

Author Name: B. Truly

 

Release Day: January 2023

 

Book Social Link: 

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62829402-as-the-secrets-turn

 

Author Social Links: 

 

https://linktr.ee/authorb.truly

 

https://twitter.com/BrandyTruly

 

https://www.facebook.com/BTrulysFantasies

 

https://www.instagram.com/brandytruly/

 

https://www.tiktok.com/@authorbtruly

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/As-Secrets-Turn-Romantic-Stand-alone-ebook/dp/B0BL3ZZV9X/ref=sr_1_1

 

The book will be on sale for only $0.99.

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B. Truly will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a 10 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

So Close to Heaven

by Annette Oppenlander

 

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GENRE:   Historical Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

A harrowing tale of a single woman's fight to preserve her beloved abbey, a tale of courage and perserverance - based on a true story.

South Tirol, Sabiona Abbey, 1796: Magdalena, a Benedictine nun, lives with her fellow sisters at Sabiona Abbey, a secluded monastery atop a cliff high above the Eisack valley and only reachable by a strenuous climb. In this simple life of work, prayer and reading, Magdalena feels safe from the world, assured that her secret will remain hidden forever.

Until one-hundred-seventy Tirolian soldiers demand entry, Napoleon’s army is almost upon them. As the world, Magdalena has so carefully built, crumbles, she must make a choice: leave the abbey to join her sisters at the bishop’s summer residence or fight to save it—even if it may cost her everything.

 

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EXCERPT:

On an August afternoon that rendered the whole world a sauna, Abigail Trammell labored in her front garden, pruning back her roses now reduced by the unrelenting heat to a failure of withered blossoms and limp yellow leaves, though not even the Japanese beetles had been able to dull the thorns. Those remained sharp as ever.

 

She possessed shears some place that eluded her memory, so wielded the sharp butcher knife she liberated from her kitchen, a sin she’d only forgive herself. Startled, she nearly slipped and sliced her fingers when she heard the unfamiliar voice behind her.

 

“Miss Trammell?” A man’s voice only maybe, with a peculiar lilt, obviously not from around here.

 

“You’re a quiet one,” she said, turning to face the tall, gangly figure who’d snuck up on her. Abigail was proud that she had kept her acute hearing into her elder years while she had to shout at most of her friends, couldn’t fathom why she didn’t hear a car come up her drive or footsteps on the gravel. “Can I help you?” As much accusation as question. She assumed this was one more lost tourist, reduced to asking directions of a local because his GPS app was off-line.

 

The spinyspindly maybe-man - a closer look left her still not quite certain of the gender - said, “VonTrier. I reserved your room.”

 

Abigail remembered the name because it was odd. “Yes,” she agreed, “Wendl. You’re set for the week.” She subjected him to a frank inspection. How did he get here? I didn’t hear a car because there isn’t any. “Luggage?” She wouldn’t rent a room for a week to a man without luggage, and started to tell Wendl VonTrier precisely that.

 

“Here,” he said, lofting his suitcase as if it were empty.

 

Abigail wondered how she’d missed it. It was almost as if it didn’t exist before she named it.

 

She dropped her trimmings into the basket at her feet, waved her knife in the air, “I’ll show you,” she said, remembering to smile.

 

 

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REVIEW

So Close to Heaven was a beautiful story.

In this story it tells of a nun by the name of Magdalena. she is defending her home. It also shows about her life before she became a nun. I thought the story to be very interesting and incredible. Magdalena is a strong courageous woman. The story has its twist and turns that made some interesting and exciting times. I truly enjoyed this one. I look forward to reading more! 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Henry Mitchell reads and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

He has written five novels and two collections of short stories.

 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Mitchell/e/B00GZC7YWE/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

 

Website: http://henrymitchellbooks.com

Blog: https://droversgap.blogspot.com/

 

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Among the Fallen

by Henry Mitchell

 

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GENRE:   Magical Realism

 

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BLURB:

 

Not everything is what it seems.

Drovers Gap, population 703, appears to the tourists passing through as one more sleepy Appalachian village, just off the interstate, on the way to someplace spectacular and important. But there are simmering tensions and unspoken malice behind the seemingly placid facades, and a spark from afar will ignite an explosive and insatiable evil that hungers to devour the town and everyone in it.

 

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EXCERPT: 

On an August afternoon that rendered the whole world a sauna, Abigail Trammell labored in her front garden, pruning back her roses now reduced by the unrelenting heat to a failure of withered blossoms and limp yellow leaves, though not even the Japanese beetles had been able to dull the thorns. Those remained sharp as ever.

 

She possessed shears some place that eluded her memory, so wielded the sharp butcher knife she liberated from her kitchen, a sin she’d only forgive herself. Startled, she nearly slipped and sliced her fingers when she heard the unfamiliar voice behind her.

 

“Miss Trammell?” A man’s voice only maybe, with a peculiar lilt, obviously not from around here.

 

“You’re a quiet one,” she said, turning to face the tall, gangly figure who’d snuck up on her. Abigail was proud that she had kept her acute hearing into her elder years while she had to shout at most of her friends, couldn’t fathom why she didn’t hear a car come up her drive or footsteps on the gravel. “Can I help you?” As much accusation as question. She assumed this was one more lost tourist, reduced to asking directions of a local because his GPS app was off-line.

 

The spinyspindly maybe-man - a closer look left her still not quite certain of the gender - said, “VonTrier. I reserved your room.”

 

Abigail remembered the name because it was odd. “Yes,” she agreed, “Wendl. You’re set for the week.” She subjected him to a frank inspection. How did he get here? I didn’t hear a car because there isn’t any. “Luggage?” She wouldn’t rent a room for a week to a man without luggage, and started to tell Wendl VonTrier precisely that.

 

“Here,” he said, lofting his suitcase as if it were empty.

 

Abigail wondered how she’d missed it. It was almost as if it didn’t exist before she named it.

 

She dropped her trimmings into the basket at her feet, waved her knife in the air, “I’ll show you,” she said, remembering to smile.

 

 

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                                                                           REVIEW

Well, what can I say, Drovers Gap really drew me in! It is such a magical world with some much going on. The characters are phenomenal and really pack a punch. When I was reading, I felt in enthralled and only wanting to quickly turn the page to read more. I think the author has an amazing knack for creativity and imagination. This was one of the intense and incredible stories that I have read in a while. I highly recommend this one! I usually don't re-read anything, but I will be reading this one again!

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Henry Mitchell reads and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

He has written five novels and two collections of short stories.

 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Mitchell/e/B00GZC7YWE/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

 

Website: http://henrymitchellbooks.com

Blog: https://droversgap.blogspot.com/

 

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 Henry Mitchell will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In the year since he lost his wife in a tragic accident, Lester Lehman has found healing and purpose—helping construct Dale Kraybill’s new bulk store, enjoying the Kuhn sisters’ hearty meals, and settling in a tiny, built-for-one lakeside house. Falling in love again is surely not on Lester’s mind. Yet despite his firm “no,” two available ladies have set their kapps on the handsome widower—in a boisterous rivalry that weaves mayhem among Gloria’s wedding festivities.

A welcome escape comes from a fresh-faced newcomer. Marlene Fisher disarms Lester with her witty quips on his romantic predicament, while her sparkling eyes inspire surprising thoughts of a shared future. But the heartbreak that brought Marlene to Promise Lodge runs deep, and the pretty maidel believes she’s not meant to marry. In a season of vows to love and honor, scripture holds the key to building their happiness together: love is kind, and above all patient.

Read an Excerpt

Fully awake now, Lester swung his feet to the dock. When he could get a word in edgewise, he needed to deflate Agnes’s high-flying hopes in a hurry, because in her vivid imagination, she was already standing before the bishop with him, repeating her wedding vows. As he opened his mouth to speak, however, another urgent female voice hailed him.

“Lester! Lester Lehman, it’s me—your Elverta! I read about Gloria’s wedding in the paper, so it seemed like the perfect reason to come and see you!”

Lester moaned. His sense of freedom, peace, and unencumbered living had just hit another serious snag.

As the national newspaper for Plain communities, the Budget was a wonderful way to keep track of far-flung friends and kin, but he suddenly wished that Gloria—and Rosetta Wickey, their community’s original scribe—hadn’t been quite so descriptive in detailing the Lehman family’s relocation. The tiny town of Promise, Missouri was out in the middle of nowhere, yet Agnes and Elverta had apparently followed every line of the newspaper’s weekly reports right to his doorstep.

As Elverta Horst, dressed in deep green, strode toward his dock, her tall, skinny, ramrod-straight body reminded Lester of a string bean. He knew better than to express that opinion, of course, because the woman he’d broken up with to begin courting his Delores had never been known for her sense of humor.

“Wh-who’s this?” Agnes asked him under her breath.

Never one to beat around the bush, Elverta stopped a few yards from the dock. She glanced at Lester before focusing on the flustered woman beside him. “And who might you be?” she demanded with a raised eyebrow.

Lester answered as indirectly as possible, because he knew these women would soon find out every little thing about one another. “Elverta, this is Delores’s best friend, Agnes Plank. She lives down the road from our former home in Sugarcreek,” he explained hastily. “And Agnes, this is Elverta Horst—”

“And I was engaged to Lester before he took up with Delores,” Elverta put in purposefully. “First loves are often the strongest, ain’t so? The flame may flicker through the years, but it never really goes out.”

About the Author:

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband and their Border collie, Vera.

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The Warlock's Curse

by C. B. Oresky

 

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GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

 

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BLURB:

 

Clara and Angelica Grace have never met ghosts. They’ve never sailed on a tall ship, ridden wild unicorns, or fought with magical weapons. Instead, the teenage twins have a wretched existence, ignored by their troubled parents in a rundown home and tormented by the town’s snobs.

 

Everything turns topsy-turvy all of a sudden when discovery of an ancestor’s hidden journal with an odd key to an unknown door leads them into an entirely different realm.

 

The girls go on a thrilling oceanic voyage to search for mysterious whales, train with a seasoned warrior, and are befriended by a wise Master. But all is not a bouquet of lovely lilies…they are hunted by a cunning warlock and must rid themselves of The Warlock’s Curse.

 

 

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EXCERPT: 

Catapulted forward by the hurrying tide, Claudius’s ship now sailed upon the phantasm of a massive whale. The sleek vessel hung momentarily on the edge of the watery precipice of white light, then slipped straight down the monster’s wide-open chasm…

 

The massive leviathans crooned, their haunting voices echoing across the waters. The air melted where the white-edged waves lapped peacefully against the shore. A glowing, ethereal passageway opened before the girls.

 

The cool room grew cold, horribly cold. In the muted light, an ethereal form was materializing right before Clara’s eyes. It slowly took the shape of a slender woman dressed in a silken gown of forest green.

 

A ray of light beamed down from between the ever-moving shapeless clouds. Glimmering beneath this glowing light, Aomar rose tall upon his unicorn mount. “Let’s vanquish this monstrous rabble now and end this!” he called, mustering his troops.

 

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REVIEW
This book was so amazing. The characters really draw you in with their whimsical ways. Each page was filled with excitement and interesting times. I felt the author really poured their heart into this one. Such an enjoyable story. This is a new author for me and I look forward to reading more. This is a must read!

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Fascinated by the works of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, C.B. Oresky began writing her own fantasy novel, The Warlock’s Curse, after dreaming of being whisked off to an alien realm. Besides her debut novel, she has seen four of her short stories published in a small, national literary press: Conceit Magazine. When she’s not writing, she can be found wandering through the  woods, dancing flamenco, or planting flowers in her garden. She currently lives in a small town in Connecticut with her bodybuilder husband, their exceptionally naughty Scottish terrier and Siamese cat, ten chickens, Mr. Tiggy the hedgehog, and a yard filled with majestic flowers.

 

Website: www.cbOresky.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarlockscurse/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewarlockscurse/

Twitter: @cbOresky

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cboresky

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/c-b-oresky

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22747540.C_B_Oresky

 

 

 

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