The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning to review. For more information on the author, you may see his website.

Here is the book blurb.

A peculiar explorer and downtrodden acrobat span the globe on a building-sized hot air balloon, in search of a precious artifact and the murderous treasure hunter who seeks it.

Beatrix, a spirited but abused acrobat in a traveling circus, seeks more than her prison-like employment offers. More than anything, she wants to know her place in the world of the halcyon 19th century, a time when the last dark corners of the map were being sketched out and travel still possessed a kind of magic.

One night in Switzerland, the mysterious Colonel James Bacchus attends Beatrix’s show. This larger-than-life English gentleman, reputed to have a voracious appetite for female conquests, is most notable for traveling the world in a four-story hot air balloon called The Ox.

Beatrix flees that night to join the Colonel, and the two of them make a narrow escape—Beatrix from her abusive ringleader, the Colonel from a freshly-made cuckold. Beatrix, feeling the Colonel may have the answers to her problems, pledges to help him catch the criminal he seeks in exchange for passage on his magnificent balloon.

The criminal seeks a precious figurine, The Blue Star Sphinx, but he’s not alone. The Sphinx’s immense value has also drawn the attention of the world’s most deadly treasure hunters. A murder in Antwerp begins a path of mystery that leads all the way to the most isolated island on Earth.

What dangers await the Colonel and the acrobat?

Well this is certainly a unique storyline like no other. The book starts in 19th century Switzerland where “The Amazing Beatrix” is an acrobat in Ziro’s touring circus. After the performance in the Big Top, Ziro takes her to perform at a private dinner at Chartish Manor. Here she meets the Colonel James Bacchus, a jolly character with flowers in his hat, who travels the world in a multi-storey hot air balloon. My mind boggled at how many rooms were under this colossal balloon.

Beatrix makes up her mind to escape the circus from Ziro’s whippings and flees with the Colonel in his balloon, who is also running from an enraged Lord Chartish, having just slept with his wife. But he only permits her to stay one night, as he is on a mission to find a dangerous criminal. Bee persuades him that she can help.

From Switzerland, they follow a lead to Antwerp, where they meet the Colonel’s friends, Thelma and George, but too late. They find a murdered man and a clue. The trail leads through Spain, Gibraltar, Britain, Africa and on and on, meeting friends, foes and treasure hunters along the way. What will the outcome be?

I salute this author for his inspired creativity with this storyline. So far-fetched that this book stands in a genre of its own. I wasn’t sure what to think when I first read the blurb, but I definitely liked it.

The Colonel and the Bee is available on Amazon, currently priced at £12.95 in paperback or £3.99 in Kindle format. A fantastical adventure.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

Advertisements

My Earl’s Entrapment by Tammy Andersen

I have received a free e-copy of the book My Earl’s Entrapment by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Lord William Addington has been forced into retirement as one of the Prince Regent’s domestic spies. But he still has one case to solve while attending a house party when an adorably feisty lady enters his room in the middle of the night. He now has another delicious mystery on his hands. Why is Lady Roselyn Pennington snooping about?

This is the third book in the Wicked Lords of London series. You may see my reviews of the first two titles here and here.

The book begins when ex-spy for the Prince Regent, Lord William Addington is disturbed in his room, by someone picking the lock. He is sitting in a dark corner, so remains hidden and observes a young lady enter and start searching amongst his possessions. When he speaks, she is startled and drops the candle, setting her skirt alight. Lord William is quick to put out the fire before asking what she was doing.

Lady Rose wasn’t about to admit that she believed him a thief and that she was searching for her mother’s jewels, so she makes up an excuse. But Will is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, plus there is definitely an attraction between them.

My Earl’s Entrapment is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.14 in Kindle format. This is a nice short romantic story, when you want something light to read.

---

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Blood of the Red Rose by P J Gray plus giveaway

I have received a free e-copy of the book Blood of the Red Rose by P J Gray to review. This is Philippa’s debut novel.

Here is the book blurb.

Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, finds himself exiled in France when Warwick the Kingmaker puts Edward IV on the throne of England. Desperate to return the throne to the rightful King Henry VI, Beaufort finds himself caught between Henry’s bitter wife Marguerite of Anjou and the French ‘Spider’ King Louis until Edward and Warwick fall out in spectacular style and, at Louis’ urging, Warwick becomes their unlikely ally. Set on the rich stage of the Wars of the Roses, this is a tale of intrigue, love and war that can only end in tragedy.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory stories which are set at a similar time during the War of the Roses.

It was useful to have a list of characters and dates at the beginning of the book, but I still found it confusing to work out who was on which side, particularly with changes of allegiance. It was also a hard story to get into initially, but I did later find myself focussing on Kate and skimming through chapters that she didn’t feature in. Kate was the illegitimate daughter of Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick and we see an affectionate bond between the two of them. She seems to have achieved a closer relationship with her father than either of her half-sisters. However he still marries her off to Stephen Thevenot. Their marriage does not fare well and Stephen mistreats her. Luckily for Kate, she is soon widowed. After this she blossoms. You’ll have to read the book to find out who her next relationship is with.

This book is available on Amazon currently priced at £10.99 in paperback and is also available in Kindle format. An interesting historical read.

About the author

Philippa was born in Chichester and developed a passion for history whilst growing up in Cyprus and then North Yorkshire. She began writing when she was at junior school, winning the school prize for English, and wrote and illustrated her own stories which she read to her long-suffering friends. She started her first novel, Blood of the Red Rose, when her elder daughter was a baby and finally completed it twenty-eight years later. Philippa has two daughters, four grandchildren and a grand-cat and now lives in Cyprus with Paul, her husband of twenty-five years, three dogs and four cats.

Plus I’m hosting a rafflecopter competition to giveaway a paperback copy of this book to one lucky winner. Open to UK and US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway – Please click on the link to enter.

And you may see my other giveaways here.

---

I’m participating in the book tour and you may like to check out some of the other blog stops on the tour.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

At the Dark Hour by John Wilson

I have received a free e-copy of the book At the Dark Hour by John Wilson to review.

Here is the book blurb.

A loving affair is destroyed by the Blitz on London. Julia ends her relationship with Adam. Her concern is for her children and that, if she is divorced, she will lose them.

What is the nature of love? Does it have gradations? Love, and it’s textures, lie at the heart of this story. Love is where you find it. And sometimes it ambushes you.

And, often, it is hidden.

With 107 chapters, this is a very long book. We are introduced to Adam and Julia in the prologue, when Julia ends their affair in 1940. They had been meeting regularly at a London hotel.

Adam, a barrister is married to Catherine and the head of his Chambers is Jeremy Pemberton, Julia’s husband. But now Jeremy suspects and he petitions for divorce. So Adam has to leave both his home and Chambers. But he is taken under the wing of Roly Blytheway, who both defends Adam and gives him a job in his Chambers at Lamb Building.

As well as the divorce case, we also follow two cases that Adam is defending, both of which have relationships at their core.

The crux of the story is who loves who more. And we see lies and dubious evidence, all against the backdrop of the Blitz.

Although the book is very well written, it was not really my type of read. However I did enjoy how all the strands of the story are woven together.

At The Dark Hour is available on Amazon, currently priced at £4.07 in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. An interesting read.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

A Quiet Genocide by Glenn Bryant

I have received a free e-copy of the book A Quiet Genocide: The Untold Holocaust of Disabled Children in WW2 Germany by Glenn Bryant to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Germany, 1954. Jozef grows up in a happy household – so it seems. But his father Gerhard still harbours disturbing National Socialism ideals, while mother Catharina is quietly broken. She cannot feign happiness for much longer and rediscovers love elsewhere. Jozef is uncertain and alone. Who is he? Are Gerhard and Catharina his real parents?

A dark mystery gradually unfolds, revealing an inescapable truth the entire nation is afraid to confront.
But Jozef is determined to find out about the past and a horror is finally unmasked which continues to question our idea of what, in the last hour, makes each of us human.

Now we are all aware of Auschwitz and other horrors of the second world war, but I didn’t know that over 10,000 German disabled children were secretly murdered by the Nazi state with their parents’ ‘consent’, acquired deceitfully.

This story includes this sensitive topic. The book is set in Germany and begins in 1954 when Josef is at school in Munich. We are introduced to his parents Gerhard and Catharina, along with his father’s friend Michael who visits weekly. When Josef is beaten up for throwing a snowball at a window, Michael exacts revenge on the man.

In 1959, Josef goes to Berlin University but the night before he leaves home, his parents reveal that he is adopted. His parents are reluctant to reveal more about his past, but Josef, along with his Polish Professor, searches for more information. Meanwhile his parents relationship is unravelling, as his mother falls in love with another man. Michael spies on them and drops hints to Gerhard.

What will Josef discover?

This book is a different genre to what I would usually choose, but an interesting read.

A Quiet Genocide is available on Amazon, currently priced at £15.95 in paperback or 99p in Kindle format. An interesting tale.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

The Memory Tree by John A Heldt

Regular readers of my blog may remember that I have really enjoyed several books by John Heldt. So I was very pleased when John asked me to review his latest book, The Memory Tree. To find out more about the author you may visit his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Days after barely escaping 1889 with their lives, the Carsons, siblings from the present day, resume their search for their missing parents in 1918. While Adam and his pregnant wife, Bridget, settle in Minnesota, unaware of a wildfire that will kill hundreds, Greg seeks clues in his great-grandparents’ Mexico, where he finds love, danger, and enemies. At the same time, Natalie, the ambitious journalist, follows a trail to World War I France, and teen twins Cody and Caitlin rekindle a friendship with an old Pennsylvania friend haunted by her past. In THE MEMORY TREE, the sweeping sequel to RIVER RISING, several time travelers find answers and meaning as they continue the adventure of a lifetime in the age of doughboys, silent movies, and Model T’s.

The Memory Tree is the second book in the series – The Carson Chronicles. You may see my review of the first title River Rising here, This was a book I really loved.

This story works well as a stand-alone read, but even better as part of a series and I certainly can’t wait to read book 3. It starts where book 1 finished with the Carson family stepping through a time portal from 1889 to 1918. Apart from Bridget, whom Adam married in 1889, they really belong to modern day, but they are still trying to track down their missing time-travelling parents, Tim and Caroline.

By now, Tim and Caroline also know that their children are looking for them, so they in turn are looking to reunite with the rest of the family. Can they all manage to get together and return safely to 2018? Danger continues to pursue them, particularly Greg. Throw some romance into the mix too. Also Cody and Caitlin seek out their friend Emma from 1889, who is now married with grown-up children herself. Of course, they have to explain to Emma why they haven’t aged at all, but cover-stories are used as they interact with others, including their own ancestors. The portals only open on the solstices, so can Natalie travel as far as World War 1 France and get back in time?

Once again, John Heldt weaves fact in with fiction. Not just obvious events like Armistice Day, but things I hadn’t heard of but eagerly looked up on Wikipedia afterwards, like the Cloquet fire.

The one thing I did wonder about was when ancestors who were pictured in a wedding photo hanging at home in 2018 actually die before the wedding takes place. This is questioned but not explained. Has the timeline been altered?

The Memory Tree is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.54 in Kindle format. I really enjoyed this book and of course, it had some great twists. An amazing read which as usual lived up to my expectations of a John Heldt novel, As always I highly recommend this author and now I am eagerly awaiting book 3 in this series.

And you may be interested to see my reviews of some of John Heldt’s other titles.
The Mine
Indiana Belle
Hannah’s Moon

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

The Earl’s Forsaken Bride by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Earl’s Forsaken Bride by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Lord Callum Blackwood does not want a silly empty headed lass for a wife. He’s seen too much darkness, for such a woman. Nor does he have the patience or softness to woo a blushing bride. He needs a woman that can step into the role of wife and fill his obligation for an heir.

Lady Elizabeth has been ruined by her father’s gambling debts and is now a lowly laundress. But her fate cannot hide her beauty, her strength, or the lady that still lives within. And while she takes pride in her work, her ability to care for herself in a world that forces women to rely on men, she cannot deny that Callum could help her. Especially when her aunt falls gravely ill.

Neither wants love, but nor can they deny the attraction that sparks between them. Will those feelings, forge a bond or break their tentative agreement apart?

This is the sixth book in A Laird To Love series, of which I have previously read all the other titles. I had assumed that the series would have drawn to a natural conclusion with the fifth title, but no Tammy is back with yet another tale. This time with a more tenuous connection to the previous books, but an enjoyable read none the less.

Lady Elizabeth Chase has been taken in by her spinster aunt when her father committed suicide to escape going to the debtors prison. They survive by doing laundry but now Aunt Mary is ill.

She is surprised to return home and find a fine carriage outside their cottage. Lord Callum Blackwood has been brought here by her distant cousin Ewan, to ask her to marry him.

Why? What is his motive? Elizabeth values her independence. But what about Aunt Mary? Callum summons a doctor who diagnoses pleurisy.

Callum seems serious about his proposition. Will Elizabeth agree? He even cooks them all soup in the cottage and mends the roof himself.

The Earl’s Forsaken Bride is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.17 in Kindle format. The sixth title in A Laird To Love series, but works well as a stand-alone read. Another nice romantic predictable light-hearted quick read, so ideal summer reading.

Here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles in A Laird to Love series.
My Enemy, My Earl
Heart of a Highlander
A Scot’s Surrender
My Laird’s Seduction
Christmastide with my Captain

---

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

My Duke’s Deception by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book My Duke’s Deception by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

A mysterious man saves her life but can he save her heart?

Lady Eleanor McIntyre has been forgotten by society, unloved and left to ruin by her father. But just when she is at her lowest, she crosses paths with a mysterious man who saves her life. It is like a miracle but even more shocking is that he needs her help to find his lost sister.

Lord Matthew Evans, the Duke of Pennington, has an excellent reason for hiding his title from the lovely Ella. The only woman he had ever loved cared far more about his position than she ever did the man. Ella is too beautiful to be trusted with the knowledge he is a duke. But the longer he knows her, the more he wishes he hadn’t deceived her. Because as pure as her heart is, she could surely never love a man who lied about his identity.

This is the second book in the Wicked Lords of London series. You may see my review of the first title here.

The story begins with Matthew visiting the Kicking Horse Tavern in the London docklands in search of news about his sister who disappeared two years ago, believed to have boarded a ship from near there. He rescues a serving girl from ruffians there. This is Lady Ella McIntyre, who has fallen on hard times, since her father died and debtors seized everything.

Matthew offers Ella a temporary job to help him find his sister, but he does not let on that he is a duke. He also invokes the assistance of the Duke and Duchess of Langdon and the Earl and Countess of Sussex to help Ella. But he isn’t too happy when he realises they plan to find a husband for Ella. Why? It is not as if he wants to marry her himself does he?

My Duke’s Deception is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.14 in Kindle format. This is a nice short romantic story, when you want a light read between thrillers.

---

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

My Laird’s Seduction by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book My Laird’s Seduction by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Lady Ainsley McDougal has long been the bell of the ball. But there is one beau she cannot tame, which, of course, is her favorite kind. She’ll catch her man yet.

Laird James McPherson is a Highland Laird, an English Earl, a soldier of the Indian War, and a privateer for the British Navy simply for the joy of it. He’ll be damned before one tiny blond spitfire of a Scottish lass brings him to his knees and ties him down in wedlock. But even he can’t deny that he’s tempted…

This is the fourth book in A Laird To Love series, of which I have previously read and reviewed all the earlier titles including the introductory Christmas novella. Here are the links to my reviews of titles one, two and three.

Lady Ainsley and her mother have gone to stay with her cousin Clarissa and Ewan for the birth of baby Eva. But apart from time spent with the gorgeous baby, Ainsley is bored, so she is very interested when two eligible bachelors arrive, Lord Callum Tate and Laird James McPherson. Lord Callum is very friendly but she only has eyes for the rude arrogant Laird James. Meanwhile he considers her a vain peacock. But when she calls him James, rather than by his formal title, he becomes a different man and kisses her. She almost forgets how much she hates him. But he is so inconsistent, the next day avoiding her. Will they sort out their differences or not?

My Laird’s Seduction is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.89 in Kindle format. The fourth title in A Laird To Love series, but also works fine as a stand-alone read. As always with Tammy’s books, this is a nice romantic easy read to curl up with, in-between some thrillers.

---

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

My Duke’s Seduction by Tammy Andresen

I have received a free e-copy of the book My Duke’s Seduction by Tammy Andresen to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Can her gentle tenacity unlock a duke’s heart?

Lady Tricia Riley is the sweet daughter of a duke until her family’s ailments force her to breech societies’ dictates and go where no lady should… the docklands. When a tall, strong and handsome stranger helps to keep her safe, she agrees to keep their meeting, secret. She’s no interest in marrying a tall and darkly handsome stranger. Actually, she has no intention of marrying at all. Instead, she plans to dedicate herself to charitable pursuits.

Ryker Pembroke, Duke of Landon, will marry eventually, as duty requires him to do. But it is a fate, he regards with a certain amount of dread. That is, until an auburn haired minx bursts into his life. Her warmth, charm and giving nature draws him to her even as he attempts to maintain a safe distance. She is entirely wrong for him with her impulsive nature and blatant disregard for her own safety makes her a terrible choice for a wife… doesn’t it?

This is a stand-alone romance with a lovely HEA! The heroine does appear in the Earl of Sussex: Wicked Earls’ Club. And the books that follow will all be connected with the Earl of Sussex and his lovely bride, Tabbie.

This is the first book in the Wicked Lords of London series set in 1816. However Lady Tricia did briefly appear in The Earl of Sussex which I had read a few months ago. Her sister was the heroine in that book.

The story starts with Lady Tricia Riley alone at night in the London docklands, not a great place for a respectable young lady to be. She is searching for her cousin Fenton, who she is worried will die in the opium dens. But she is scared as some drunks emerge from a pub, leering and grabbing at her arm. Thankfully she is rescued by the mysterious Ryker, a gentleman who we later discover to be the Duke of Landon.

However she foolishly wishes to continue her search rather than be escorted to safety. So Ryker suggests that he will send someone to look for Fenton tomorrow instead. As they walk to where Ryker’s carriage is waiting, they hear a baby crying and Tricia picks up the abandoned infant. Another rescue. They take the foundling to an orphanage that her sister had opened, before they part ways close to Tricia’s home.

The next day she realises that she doesn’t know who Ryker is, so how will she know if Fenton has been found. She decides she will have to find Ryker to ask, but the only place that she knows to look for him is the docklands.

So having already narrowly escaped ruin once, she plans yet another night time escapade. What will happen this time?

My Duke’s Seduction is available on Amazon, currently priced at 99p in Kindle format. This is a nice romantic story, when you want a light read between thrillers.

---

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave