Book Review: Enemies of the Crown by Peter Gibbons
We are pleased to be welcoming back Peter Gibbons to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book in the Saxon Warrior series, Enemies of the Crown.
A weakened crown. A country besieged by Vikings, suffering under the oppression of a powerful church.
994AD
King Aethelred the Unready’s rule falters. Policies recommended by the controlling bishops invite more attacks upon his Saxon kingdom as Sweyn Forkbeard, Viking battle-king of the Danes, grows in power; bloodthirsty for conquest.
Beornoth, Viking-killer and kings thegn believed his days in the shield wall to be over until summoned by the king to enforce a policy of retribution against his enemies.
In a time of shifting loyalties, alongside a savage warband of cruel Norman warriors, Beornoth embarks upon a brutal quest to rid England of King Aethelred’s so-called Viking enemies.
However, when this murderous campaign leads to the door of an old friend, Beornoth must choose sides, as his loyalty to king, country, and his brothers of the sword are put to the test.
Can Beornoth triumph over insurmountable odds in this shield splintering battle for the future of England itself?
*****
Enemies of the Crown continues the story of Beornoth, a fierce Saxon warrior and King’s Theign.
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Book Review: The Lavender Bride by Alexandra Weston
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Alexandra Weston back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Lavender Bride.
An English rose with American dreams
Audrey Wade longs to escape her domineering father and the bleak streets of post-war Yorkshire. Hollywood glitters with glamour, freedom, and the promise of a life with her best friend Freddie. But when Freddie abandons her, Audrey is left to chase her dreams alone.
A Heartthrob with secrets
Rex Trent is more than Hollywood’s leading man. Charismatic and dangerously handsome, he’s adored by millions and watched by powerful enemies in a paranoid 1950s America. One wrong move could destroy him.
A romance born of ambition and betrayal
When Rex proposes, Audrey is swept into Hollywood’s glamour and high-stakes secrets. But she soon discovers Rex’s dark side and faces a choice: cling to a man who may never love her, or risk everything to forge her own path?
A gripping new historical novel from a wonderful new voice. Perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Wendy Holden and Allison Pataki.
*****
Audrey Wade has long held a dream to leave Sheffield for the promise of a great life in Hollywood, escaping post war Britain and her oppressive father forever.
After a few months of a new life in the US, Audrey catches the eye of film star, Rex Trent. Soon, she is caught up in a whirlwind of a life with him but is it what she really wanted?
by Book Review: The Viscount’s Pearl by Melissa Addey
I’m pleased to be welcoming Melissa Addey to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Viscount’s Pearl.
He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience.
She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all.
Fate has other plans in store for them both.
Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of society, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.
When the two meet in Margate, will their initial dislike of one another turn into something important?
While Laurence finds his life growing shallow, Frances wonders if love might be worth making a bold move for. Can she find her way into Laurence’s heart, and will he undertake to love her, just the way she is?
A warm-hearted Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional discovery, as two opposites find they might just attract. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… who knows what the tides will bring for Laurence and Frances.
*****
Frances wants a quiet life. She doesn’t even want to marry, content to live a spinster life. However, as her forth season beckons without a hint of a marriage proposal, her parents are putting pressure on their daughter. After all, the Ton has expectations for its unmarried ladies.
I love a novel based in the regency period. I am excited to be part of the blog tour for The Viscount’s Pearl. I have also not read anything from Melissa Addey before so it was a chance to discover a new author in the process.
by Book Review: Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall by Sharon Booth
I’m so delighted to be welcoming Sharon Booth to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall.
The first in a delightfully warm, cosy and romantic new series with a fantasy twist, for fans of the BBC series ‘Ghosts’.
Can Callie give some needy ghosts their happy-ever-afterlife, while making Rowan Vale her own forever home?
When cash-strapped single mum Callie visits the beautiful Cotswold village of Rowan Vale on a school trip with her daughter, she is enchanted. It’s run as a living museum, with a steam railway, vintage teashop, Elizabethan manor house and old water mill allowing tourists to see history in action.
But there’s more to Rowan Vale than meets the eye…
To Callie’s surprise, the owner of the village, elderly Sir Lawrence Davenport, requests a meeting with her. It appears Callie has been observed talking to several villagers she shouldn’t be able to see – as they’re ghosts.
Sir Lawrence then makes an astonishing offer: to sell Callie the whole estate for a tiny sum, if she agrees to protect the village’s present tenants and make sure the headstrong ghosts are represented too.
With a spectral lord of the manor and his imperious wife, a naughty 1940s schoolgirl and the man who once taught William Shakespeare among them, it seems Callie’s role as owner wouldn’t be easy.
And that’s without the added complication of Lawrie’s disinherited grandson, the gorgeous Brodie.
Rowan Vale and Callie may need each other. But is this a match made in heaven or hell?
Fans of the BBC’s Ghosts, or books by Lucy Jane Wood, Laurie Gilmore and Heidi Swain will love this heart-warming and magical novel.
*****
As a child, Callie could see and communicate with ghosts but the ability disappears when her family are not supportive. However, when her visit to the village of Rowan Vale re-awakens her gift, her life quickly changes forever.
The premise of this book caught my attention and so I leaped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall, This was also the first book I’ve read by Sharon Booth.
by Book Review: The Last Mrs Sinclair by T.J. Emerson
Please join me in welcoming T.J. Emerson to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, The Last Mrs Sinclair.
What would you give for the perfect life?
Leah Williams knows exactly what she wants from life – comfort, luxury and security. All the things she would have had if her childhood hadn’t been derailed by her father’s bad decisions. And then she meets Miles Sinclair. After the death of his wife last year, Miles is ready to start living his life again, and Leah knows just how to help him… what could be so wrong with that?
When Miles takes Leah to his chateau in the South of France, she’s excited to get a taste of the life she deserves, even if it means enduring the presence of Miles’ cousin Vivienne, who seems determined to insert the memory of his dead wife into every conversation.
But the Chateau Clairvallon has a history, not least as the place where the last Mrs Sinclair died. And as Leah discovers more about the accident that took her predecessor’s life, she begins to realise that the family she’s set her sights on isn’t quite what it seems.
What happened that summer?
Was it really an accident?
And is Leah in danger?
*****
Leah Williams is looking for a life of comfort and security. What’s wrong with that? With Miles Sinclair, she thinks she may have found that, despite the age gap. When he takes her to his family estate in France and proposes, the life she is seeking is in her reach.
The only obstacles… Mile’s cousin, Vivienne and the ghost of the last Mrs Sinclair.
This was the first chance I’ve had to read any of T.J. Emerson’s novels. The premise sounded so good and I’m delighted to have been invited onto the blog tour for this book and couldn’t wait to get started. I am going to try and review this as spoiler free as I can.
Leah Williams wants secrurity and comfort. She wants to marry for that rather than for love. Not my idea of a happy life but it’s not sometihng I am going to judge the character for. Throughtout the book, the voice of her mother appears in her head, motivating her in her quest for a comfortable life. The ghosts of parents like that can and does have an influence on our main character.
by Book Club
