AUTHOR GUEST POST - ANA FAWKES, ALMOST TAKEN

When writing Almost Taken, I first started with the series title.

Two Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby

It’s something very different than the erotic romance I had been writing for so long. I wanted something that would be catchy and straight to the point. The fun after that is how to connect all these stories and topics. For example, in Almost Taken, the two lead characters – Jared and Becky – aren’t the ones getting married! In fact, it’s a mutual friend’s wedding that brings them together, again, after they encounter one another before.

The story was fun to write because it’s fast, flirty, and packed with romance. There’s no jumping straight to bed here. Mainly that’s because Becky has a relationship. Something Jared respects but pains him to see.

So, just how do they end up together? That’ll be your job to find out when you read the book!

Here’s an excerpt from Almost Taken (Two Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby)…

Two Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby

Book 1: ALMOST TAKEN

Jared Crowley was supposed to sell the apartment to the rich, powerful Harry Pitt and his beautiful girlfriend, Becky... not fall in love with Becky.

BOOK BLAST & $50 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY - THE HERO'S LOT BY PATRICK W. CARR

 

The Hero's Lot 

 Riveting Sequel from Christian Fantasy's Most Talented New Voice. When Sarin Valon, the corrupt secondus of the conclave, flees Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But other forces bent on the destruction of the kingdom remain and conspire to accuse Errol and his friends of a conspiracy to usurp the throne. In a bid to keep the three of them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol's home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom. But Errol is also accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon, and kill him. To enforce their sentence, Errol is placed under a compulsion, and he is driven to 

accomplish his task or die resisting.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

QUEEN NEFERTITI: LOST IN HISTORY

 (by guest blogger Ken Myers)

Often referred to as one of the most beautiful women in ancient history, the Queen Nefertiti ruled alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten, for a little more than a decade until she mysteriously vanished. Without tales of her demise, she was simply left out of the sacred texts without a single inscription bearing what had happened to this prominent figurehead in Ancient Egypt. What truly had happened to this once great and powerful Queen may never be discovered.

1. Birthright 
The exact lineage of Nefertiti is currently unknown, although there are many theories that have some basis behind who she was and where she truly came from. Commonly, she is referred to the daughter of the Pharaoh Ay, who ruled briefly 11 years after the demise of Akhenaten. Some speculate she was a Mitanni Princess as Amenhotep III was in direct communication with the Mitanni people. Others believe that she is the sister of the Pharaoh Akhenaten whom she married and became co-regent. Unfortunately, there is no real way to tell for certainty if there is any fact in these matters. Until her mummified remains are found and tested for trace DNA, these theories will be nothing more than that based on circumstantial evidence.

HAIR STYLE OF THE LADIES OF GAME OF THRONES

(by guest blogger Marcela De Vivo) Even before the television series aired, George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and the "Song of Ice and Fire" series had already been heralded as this generation's epic fantasy, a worthy successor to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. HBO's take on the books has only elevated the esteem of this notable series, and helped it become a global phenomena. With it's breathtaking scenery shot from around the world, it's detailed period dress, and delightful intrigue played out by amazingly well-casted actors, the show has been embraced by loyal fans of the books, which is not always the case. To emerge yourself into the Game of Thrones, here's a  tutorial by Healthy Hair Plus that teaches you how to easily recreate the elaborate hairstyles of the most noble ladies from the land of Westeros and the Free Cities.

JANE LARK, ILLICIT LOVE BLOG TOUR + HUGE GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Stop Eleven on the Illicit Love blog tour! Jane Lark is celebrating her first instalment in the Marlow Intrigues series with a HUGE giveaway - including a one night stay in London's Regency Hotel, Amazon gift voucher, signed copies of Illicit Love and plenty of swag!

SALT REDUX BY LUCINDA BRANT - BOOK REVIEW + DOUBLE GIVEAWAY

Book Blurb 

Jane and Salt—four years of Happily Ever After
Sir Antony Templestowe—four years of Exile
Lady Caroline—four years of Heartache
Diana St. John—four years plotting Revenge
The time has come...

How does a brother cope with life knowing his sister is a murderess? How can a nobleman have the life he has always wanted when a lurking evil consumes his thoughts and haunts his dreams? What will it take for good to triumph over evil?My review

Salt Redux is the sequel to a previous book by Australian author, Lucinda Brant, which I really loved and reviewed a couple of years ago. This means that for readers who like me enjoyed Salt Bride, the story continues…

Magnus and Jane, the Earl of Salt Hendon and his beautiful wife,  have been married for four years now and been blessed with the birth of beautiful children. Just when they feel safe and happy, Diana, Lady St John, reappears in their life. Four years ago Diana attempted to take Jane's place in Salt's life at any cost and by any means (see Salt Bride), and for her villainy was locked up and kept prisoner in a Welsh castle. However,  the real reason  of her absence from Polite Society has been kept secret as a mark of respect for her position, for the sake of her two young children and for  the bonds between families.

... BUT YOU MUST KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN UNRIGGED RACE ...

I have been having a nightmarish time these days with some of my best colleagues and my best students. Everything we had  taught our pupils and we strongly believed in was betrayed. 

We have always insisted in teaching them that rules exist and must be followed to guarantee everybody's rights. 

Together we have witnessed how many people just don't share that  fundamental belief. 

One of my colleagues wanted to share with our sweet,  very disappointed, hardworking students (girls) these words by Miriam Mafai (Italian journalist, writer, politician) which I totally agree with and I'm going to translate for you all:

CONQUISTARE IL SUCCESSO SENZA TRUCCHI NE' COLPE 
To achieve success  without tricks nor faults

Corri, bambina, corri, tu che hai buona la testa, le gambe e il cuore.
Run, little girl, run, you with a good head, good legs and heart
Corri senza rallentare davanti agli ostacoli, alla stanchezza, alla nostalgia
(che pure talvolta ti coglie) 
Run without slowing down before the obstacles, the tiredness, the nostalgia (which yet sometimes you feel)  
del tempo della lentezza e della protezione.
for  the time of slowliness and protection 

RICHARD III AND THE OTHER ANNE - AUTHOR GUEST POST BY ELIZABETH ASHWORTH

Hornby Castle

Much is made in fiction, and sometimes non-fiction, about the love between King Richard III and his wife, Anne Neville. But Anne Neville was not the only woman in Richard’s life. He had at least one mistress and two illegitimate children – John and Katherine.

Historian Rosemary Horrox has suggested that Katherine Haute may have been Richard’s mistress.  She received an annuity from Richard of 100 shillings per year for life. The reason for the grant is not recorded, but as Richard’s daughter was given the same name, Katherine, it led Horrox to suggest that Haute may have been the child’s mother.

FREEDOM TO READ GIVEAWAY HOP - CHOOSE YOUR BOOK, TAKE YOUR CHANCES TO WIN!

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop is the right occasion to add some new items to your wish list or TBR list! It's only one book for one winner and it's open worldwide. It'll start on July 2nd and end on July 9th.

After choosing the book you want,  take your chances in the rafflecopter form below. It's as simple as that! Thanks to Bookhounds YA and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for hosting this hop.  Don't forget to check out all the other blogs involved and ... good luck!

Are you ready?

Step 1. Choose your favourite e-book among the ones I have recently read, suggested and reviewed on FLY HIGH! (click on the links to read my posts and discover more about these books). 2 books are in Italian, 4 are in English.

BOOK BLAST - RISING SUN, FALLING STAR BY VICKIE HALL + $50 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

 Rising Sun, Falling Star 

Different eyes and skin Mock me from the mirror’s light Enemy am I. Dec 7, 1941 Today my life changed forever . . . I am no longer considered American, but by shear heritage I am now the hated enemy . . . The lives of Kenji and Aiko Onishi and their American-born children are about to unravel when the United States is thrust into war with Japan. Confronted by insurmountable prejudice and fear, the family is ripped from their California home without just cause by the American government and sent to an assembly center “for their own protection.” Forced to live in deplorable circumstances, every aspect of their lives regulated and controlled, the Onishi’s freedoms are stripped from their grasp as they struggle to survive behind barbed wire. It isn’t long before the mind-numbing confinement and feelings of helplessness begin to pit the family against one another. When sent to a relocation camp in the center of the Utah desert, they’re beset by ever increasing emotional and physical challenges, and Aiko is faced with her greatest yet: to mend the broken spirits of her family, or risk losing them forever. Based on true and tragic events that transpired during World War II, Rising Sun, Falling Star is a heart-rending story of one family’s struggle to survive uncalculated loss and emotional destruction.