book giveaway – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Extract from ‘The Hostage of Rome’, by Robert M. Kidd – Giveaway!

The Hostage of Rome

217 BC. Rome has been savaged, beaten and is in retreat. Yet, in that winter of winters, her garrisons cling on behind the walls of Placentia and Cremona, thanks to her sea-born supplies. If he could be freed, a hostage of Rome may yet hold the key to launching a fleet of pirates that could sweep Rome from the seas. For that hostage is none other than Corinna’s son Cleon, rival heir to the throne of Illyria, held in Brundisium, four hundred miles south of the Rubicon.

But Hannibal is set on a greater prize! Macedon is the great power in Greece, feared even by Rome. Its young king, Philip, is being compared with his illustrious ancestor, Alexander the Great. An alliance with Macedon would surely sound the death knell for Rome.

Given Hannibal’s blessing, Sphax, Idwal and Corinna face an epic journey against impossible odds. Navigating the length of the Padus, past legionary garrisons and hostile Gauls, they must then risk the perils of the storm-torn Adria in the depths of the winter. If the gods favour them and they reach the lands of the pirate queen, only then will their real trials begin.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/

US – https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/

TBR Pile Review: Gender – A Graphic Guide, by Meg-John Barker & Jules Scheele PLUS BONUS GIVEAWAY

45014042 — Paperback, 176 pages
Published November 7th 2019 by Icon Books
ISBN13: 9781785784521
URL
http://iconbooks.com/ib-title/gender-a-graphic-guide/

Blurb

Join the creators of Queer: A Graphic History (‘Could totally change the way you think about sex and gender’ VICE) on an illustrated journey of gender exploration.

We’ll look at how gender has been ‘done’ differently – from patriarchal societies to trans communities – and how it has been viewed differently – from biological arguments for sex difference to cultural arguments about received gender norms. We’ll dive into complex and shifting ideas about masculinity and femininity, look at non-binary, trans and fluid genders, and examine the intersection of experiences of gender with people’s race, sexuality, class, disability and more.

Tackling current debates and tensions, which can divide communities and even cost lives, we’ll look to the past and the future to ask how might we approach gender differently, in more socially constructive, caring ways.

Promo and Giveaway!: Last Star Standing, by Spaulding Taylor

PAPERBACK
978-1-78965-097-6
198 × 129 mm
4 February 2021
£10.99 / $14.99 / C$19.99 /€11.66
EBOOK
978-1-78965-098-3
ePub
4 February 2021
£5.99 / $7.99 / C$10.99 /€6.66

Dystopian/speculative fiction for readers of sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers and
dystopian fiction. Aimed at readers of novels by Neil Gaiman, J.G. Ballard (or
Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go)

It is the 23rd century. Aiden, imprisoned, stares up into a tiny square of sky. A prominent member of the rebellion, he expects to be executed. Aiden is
battling the Xirfell rulers, whose King oppresses many planets, the Earth
included.
But the Xirfell have executed their king and installed a new ruler. The populace riots. Amid the tumult, Aiden is sworn in, the leader he’s always longed to be.
Never one to fit in, he must re-discover himself, as an indigenous Australian, as a fighter, as a lover – and as a leader.

Giveaway!

https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js

AUTHOR DETAILS

Alice McVeigh (writing as Spaulding Taylor) was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Southeast Asia. After surviving her teenage years in McLean,
Virginia, and achieving an undergraduate degree in cello performance at the internationally renowned Jacobs School of Music, she came to London to study cello with William Pleeth. There she worked for over a decade with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique. Alice was first published in the late 1990s when her two contemporary novels (While the Music Lasts and Ghost Music) were published by Orion to critical acclaim.

Book Spotlight: Eucalyptus Street Green Curse, by Sherrill Joseph

To celebrate the release of the next exciting book in the Botanic Hill Detectives mystery series, Eucalyptus Street: Green Curse is going on tour!

We have an excerpt for you to read and a chance to win a signed, personalized paperback copy of the book, and some matching book swag!

Extract and Giveaway Post: Hunter’s Secret, by Val Penny

Hunter’s Secret

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu found a corpse, but when Hunter arrives it has disappeared, and all is not as it seems.

Hunter recalls the disappearance of a dead body thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is called in but sees no connection – it is too long ago. Hunter is determined to investigate the past and the present with the benefit of modern DNA testing.

Tim has other problems in his life. His father, Sir Peter Myerscough, is released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter. Will Hunter accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer?
Hunter’s own secret is exciting and crucial to his future. Will it change his life? And can he keep Edinburgh safe?

Purchase Link – http://mybook.to/hunterssecret

Extract and Giveaway: Secure The Shadow, by Marion Grace Woolley

Secure the Shadow

In 1824, a young man buttons up his redcoat and goes to war. Amidst the blood and devastation, he discovers a magical power which can save memory from the ravages of time.

1867 and a woman, living above a watch shop, meets two men who will change her life forever. As she ventures further into a world of séance and mysticism, she must decide whether to trust her own eyes.

In the present day, a rebellious artist finds herself photographing stillbirths for a living. At Little Angels, it’s not about what you can take from a picture, but what you can give.

The story of three lives, spanning the history of photography and our relationship with mortality.

Secure the shadow, ere the substance fades.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secure-Shadow-Marion-Grace-Woolley-ebook/dp/B08BZY6VZ7

US – https://www.amazon.com/Secure-Shadow-Marion-Grace-Woolley-ebook/dp/B08BZY6VZ7

Review and Giveaway: The Black Madonna of Derby, by Joanna Czechowska

The Black Madonna of Derby

During and after the Second World War, 200,000 Poles were given leave to remain in the UK as thanks for their help during the conflict – this book is a fictional account of just one of those families. Set during the 1960s and 1970s, The Black Madonna of Derby traces the story of the Baran family living in a provincial town in England. Their seemingly ordinary existence hides secrets of past betrayal, madness, and tragedy.

The story focuses on three generations: the elderly grandmother whose proud Polish patriotism hides dark events from the past that affect the present, the mother whose tries to meld her past life in war-torn Poland and Germany with her new life in England and the granddaughter who lives a double life culturally and linguistically – Polish at home and English outside.

The swinging sixties in London is vividly recreated, as is the hardship of life under communism in the Poland of that time. This book is unique in that there are no other novels dealing with the story of second generation Poles in the UK. It is a story that deserves to be told, a story of a group of people who have had little attention in the literature. Listen to what they have to say.

Purchase Links

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Black-Madonna-of-Derby-Audiobook/B086Q88GLF

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Black-Madonna-of-Derby-Audiobook/B086Q7QGFG

Promo Post: The Telephone Call, by Michael Pakenham

Introducing The Telephone Call by Michael Pakenham. A thriller I’d have been happy to review but my calendar was full. So instead I’m hosting a promo for the book and a chance to win a copy of the paperback. Have a read and see if it grabs you.

The Telephone Call

When Rosemary Sherwood overhears a disturbing conversation between her husband, Harry Sherwood and an unknown caller, she has no idea that her life’s about to change forever. Fleeing to France for fear of her own safety, Harry threatens to kill their son if she ever dares to breathe a word of anything she overheard.

Torn between hiding out in France and re-connecting with her estranged son, Rosemary returns to England twelve years later believing that she and her son are now out of danger…

A web of deceit and lies has been woven over the years to cover up the antics of Harry and his friends, who are no strangers to violence and murder and who will stop at nothing to ensure they aren’t exposed.

Private Detective Daniel Appleman takes on the case, but can he track down these men before they wreak havoc on the Sherwood family?

Giveaway to Win 5 x Paperback copies of The Telephone Call (UK Only)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494337/

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Telephone-Call-Daniel-Appleman-Thriller/dp/1913208133/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Telephone-Call-Daniel-Appleman-Thriller/dp/1913208133/

Book Guild: https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop-collection/fiction/thrillers/the-telephone-call/

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-telephone-call/michael-pakenham/9781913208134

Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/the-telephone-call,michael-pakenham-9781913208134?term=9781913208134

Author Bio –

Michael Pakenham is part of a well-known Irish literary family. Generations of his family lived at Langford Lodge on Loch Neagh outside Belfast. His father was killed in the Second World War and the estate was sold. His mother then took Michael and his sister to Tucson Arizona until the end of the war. On returning to England, his mother bought a farm in Hampshire and Michael has lived in the county ever since. Having served in the Grenadier Guards – the fourth generation to do so – Michael returned to take over his mother’s farming enterprises until he sold his farming interests in 1990 and started his writing career. This will be his eighth book and the second in the Daniel Appleman series. He lives outside Winchester with his wife. He has three children and a string of grandchildren.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.michaelpakenham.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1742594.Michael_Pakenham

Promo Post: ‘The Oath’, by Michael L Lewis

The Oath
THREE JUNIORS
A BLOOD OATH
A DEADLY OUTCOME
1955. The polished veneer of a boys’ boarding school in Northern England masks a cadre of wickedness. Seniors viciously torment any junior they deem unfit. Jonathan Simon, in his first term is warned that there are three monsters in his dorm; seniors Flicker, Sleeth and Tunk, and that the code of conduct mandates no snitching.
Simon befriends two other juniors; pixie-faced Ian Gracey and witty, grossly overweight Arthur Crown. During a cross-country run, the three friends take a short cut and stumble into the cadet rifle range. Corps Sergeant Sleeth puts them through a degrading punishment using human excrement. The three juniors swear a blood oath never to allow another bully to abuse them.
Will this oath be their downfall, or will they make it through the school year? Snitching could have serious consequences but keeping silent will break their blood oath.
As Simon, Gracey and Crown try to survive this perilous journey, the constant threat of harm brings their friendship ever closer…

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oath-Michael-L-Lewis/dp/1912575868

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Oath-Michael-L-Lewis-ebook/dp/B07NPZ8M88

Book Guild: https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop-collection/fiction/teens-young-adult/the-oath/

Blackwell’s: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Oath-by-Michael-L-Lewis-author/9781912575862

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-oath/michael-l-lewis/9781912575862

WHSmith: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-oath/michael-l-lewis/paperback/9781912575862.html

Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childrens/the-oath,michael-l-lewis-9781912575862

Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping): https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Oath-Michael-L-Lewis/9781912575862

Author Bio –

Michael L. Lewis was born and raised in England. After preparatory school in London, he was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham. Michael now lives in Los Angeles, California, has a law degree, and writes full-time. He was on the Board of Trustees for several schools and has been a member of the same book club for twenty-five years.

Social Media Links –

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44252300-the-oath

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

Giveaway to Win 3 x Paperback copies of The Oath by Michael L. Lewis (UK Only)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494283/?

Blog Tour: ‘When The Waters Recede’

This month’s first blog tour – there will be three in June. This week we have a crime novel set in the North-West, and there’s a chance to win all six of the author’s books. Just scroll down for details.

When the Waters Recede

When a car is pulled from raging floodwaters with a dead man in the front and the decapitated body of an evil woman in the boot, Cumbria’s Major Crimes Team are handed the investigation.

The woman is soon recognised, but the man cannot be identified and this leads the team and their former leader, Harry Evans, into areas none of them want to visit.

Before they know it, they’re dealing with protection scams and looking for answers to questions they didn’t know needed to be asked.

Purchase Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Waters-Recede-Harry-Evans/dp/1910720968/

About Graham Smith

Graham Smith is a time served joiner who has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000, he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.

He is an internationally best-selling Kindle author and has four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team, and three novels, featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder.

An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009

Graham is the founder of Crime and Publishment, a weekend of crime-writing classes which includes the chance for attendees to pitch their novels to agents and publishers. Since the first weekend in 2013, eight attendees have gone on to sign publishing contracts.

Graham can be found at

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

Twitter
https://twitter.com/GrahamSmith1972

Website
www.grahamsmithauthor.com

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of When the Waters Recede, Graham Smith is offering one lucky reader the chance to win all six books in the Harry Evans series.

To enter, simply sign up for his newsletter via the link provided before the 5th of June 2018 and you’ll be entered into not just this competition, but all competitions that he runs. Entrants from the whole world are welcome.
http://blogspot.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8bbfc9a3acb79a408253510a8&id=48d2dc65e5