@LoveBooksGroup – Page 2 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Audiobook Review: Vows of Gold and Laughter, Tale One of the Immortal Beings by Edith Pawlicki and narrated by Zachary Zaba

Blurb

The meeting of four lonely immortals will change them – and the world.

High in the Heavens, an immortal court celebrates the betrothal of Jin, Goddess of Beauty, and Xiao, God of Pleasure. But as soon as the vows are made, the Sun Emperor collapses from a death curse.

Raised away from the Sun Court after her mother’s murder, Jin is called a useless goddess, but she is now the emperor’s only hope. The curse’s cure is locked in the Underworld, and even though the court dismisses him as a hopeless alcoholic, Xiao vows to help his betrothed find the lost key.

They hire a thief who is more interested in stealing the groom than recovering the key, and begin their search at the legendary grave of the Great Warrior – only it turns out he never died. Tens of millennia old, he is a master of everything but his own heart.

Their journey takes them from the icy peaks of the White Mountain and the lush banks of the Kuanbai River to the palace of the Sea Dragon and the halls of the Moon Deer, through court intrigue and bloody battles, power struggles and magical traps. The Heavens, Earth, and the Underworld will forever celebrate their triumphs – and mourn their mistakes.

Buy Links

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56935634-vows-of-gold-and-laughter

https://amzn.to/3h6O8eh

Author Bio
Edith Pawlicki lives in Connecticut with her husband, twin sons, dog, and rabbit. She fell in love with words in fourth grade and finds writing necessary to free the worlds and characters in her head. When she isn’t busy being a mom and author, she enjoys cooking and crafts. In addition to the Immortal Beings series, she has also written a YA science fiction novel, Minerva.

Review: Adventure Dayze, by Wayne Mullane

**Buy Links**
**Amazon**
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-Dayze-Overcoming-limitations-Irelands

Blurb

Hiking is the gateway to adventure.

Being in the Great Outdoors is great for the mind, body, and soul. And the even better news? It needn’t involve much more than putting on a pair of trainers and heading out your front door.

In Adventure Dayze, author Wayne Mullane recounts his hiking experiences in Britain and Ireland with his friends, including overcoming limitations walking at altitude and having a dodgy sense of direction!

This book aims to help you get started… or, if you’re a seasoned hiker, to encourage you to hike with renewed vigour. This story shares insights and discusses the benefits of hiking, including fitness, friendship, courage, mental health, and…err…the joy of eating.

Adventure Dayze will inspire you to overcome your limitations and get outdoors to enjoy all the unique beauty that is on offer. Even pandemic lockdowns won’t be able to suppress your exploration, as the author found out, there are many ways to bring the outdoors inside when there’s no other choice.

Author Bio
I live in Maidenhead, England. I’m a local council worker. My main hobbies are hiking, writing and playing board games. I also like spending time with family and friends. As well as writing about my hiking adventures, I write short stories and poems that appear on my website. I enjoy reading books on travel and fantasy novels.

Blog Tour Calendar: SWOP: The Satsuma Sized Secret, by Lucy Noguera

Extract Post: Discerning Grace, by Emma Lombard

Blurb

As the first full-length novel in The White Sails Series, DISCERNING GRACE captures the spirit of an independent woman whose feminine lens blows the ordered patriarchal decks of a 19th century tall ship to smithereens.

Wilful Grace Baxter, will not marry old Lord Silverton with his salivary incontinence and dead-mouse stink. Discovering she is a pawn in an arrangement between slobbery Silverton and her calculating father, Grace is devastated when Silverton reveals his true callous nature.

Refusing this fate, Grace resolves to stow away. Heading to the docks, disguised as a lad to ease her escape, she encounters smooth-talking naval recruiter, Gilly, who lures her aboard HMS Discerning with promises of freedom and exploration in South America.

When Grace’s big mouth lands her bare-bottomed over a cannon for insubordination, her identity is exposed. The captain wants her back in London but his orders, to chart the icy archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, forbid it. Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam gallantly offers to take Grace off the fretting captain’s hands by placing her under his protection.

Grace must now win over the crew she betrayed with her secret, while managing her feelings towards her taciturn protector, whose obstinate chivalry stifles her new-found independence. But when Grace disregards Lieutenant Fitzwilliam’s warnings about the dangers of the unexplored archipelago, it costs a friend his life and she realises she is not as free as she believes.

DISCERNING GRACE is historical women’s fiction that will appeal to fans of Claire Fraser from Outlander and Demelza Poldark from Poldark—in other words, fans of feisty historical

Book Links (Amazon, Goodreads etc.):

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/discerning-grace

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/au/book/discerning-grace/id1554795710

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/discerning-grace

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/discerning-grace-emma-lombard/1138874059?ean=2940165134050

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Emma_Lombard_Discerning_Grace_The_White_Sails_Seri?id=yaYkEAAAQBAJ

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YKDHD9Y/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645105805/

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645105805/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0645105805/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57177943-discerning-grace

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/discerning-grace-the-white-sails-series-1-by-emma-lombard

Extract Post: The Unknown Man, by Natalie Hanson

Blurb

The imbalance between matter and antimatter allowed the big bang to produce the entire universe. Born with a physical abnormality, imbalance is something Zalla Bennbett understands. Her ability to sense out lies gives her an advantage on FBI investigations, but her jaded spirit puts her at odds with most everyone she encounters. The agent’s marriage and career are on the rocks.

Zalla is assigned to work the kidnapping of an FBI informant’s young twins. With no evidence or leads, her suspect is deemed ‘The Unknown Man’. What she discovers makes her question her purpose in the universe. She’ll have to fight against her instincts to find the girls before the kidnapping turns into murder.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3dodT7V

Extract Post: Hope in Liverpool, by T N Traynor

Blurb

Can an alliance of convenience heal two broken hearts?

Liverpool, 1958. Hope Bennett longs to feel safe and wanted. Loyal to an alcoholic mother who gambles away all her hard-earned wages, she’s devastated by the announcement her family is moving and she’s not to follow. But her despondent plan to fling herself off the ferry and succumb to the freezing River Mersey is interrupted by a handsome older man.

John Walker expects to live out the rest of his days drowning in grief, isolated and lonely after the loss of his childhood sweetheart. When he spots a young woman in distress he is immediately drawn to help her.

Can the fragile dream of a better life out of the slums provide the security and companionship they both crave?

Hope in Liverpool is an emotional foray into historical women’s fiction. If you like compellingly complex characters, light humour woven through heart-wrenching drama, and gripping romantic overtones, then you’ll adore T N Traynor’s poignant story.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3j1ZJg5

Book Blitz: Siggy Loves Sausages, by Brian Frederick

Blurb

A little dachshund ensues on a chase of something sparkly floating through the sky, vowing to return it to its rightful owner. Follow Siggy as he dashes through the village, saying hello to his friends and neighbours, but staying focused on the task at and. Will Siggy be able to keep his promise?

Come along for a joyful, rollicking tale with vibrant illustrations, sharing in the happiness and beauty of everyday life. Young children will enjoy the escapades of sweet little Siggy while learning lessons about keeping promises and unexpected rewards.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3joLnVC

Author Bio

Children’s book author Brian Frederick knew he wanted to be a writer at a young age, having won prizes and praise for his early stories. When he writes, he finds himself entering a bubble and his mind wanders in an imaginary world, providing him with great creativity.

Review: Billy Plonka and the Grot Laboratory, by Ian Billings

Blurb

Billy Plonka – the Prince of Stink, the Monarch of Muck, the Sultan of Slime, the Duke of Dregs and the King of Kak. He’s the most extraordinary maker of GROT in the entire world, and he’s invited 5 individuals (Orson Ploop – An overweight kazoo playing protégé; Victoria Scabb – 259th in line to the English throne; Viola Mudguard – 11-year-old, ex-Wollywood star; Spike Peecee – A self-obsessed dweeb who can never disconnect from the Internet; and Marley Suckett – An anti-hero), to visit his world-famous Grot Laboratory, and step into an adventure they will never forget!

Your tour is about to start. Don’t wander off . YOU! Yes, YOU! I’m talking to YOU! Mr. Plonka would hate to lose you along the way… READ IT!!!  BILLY PLONKA AND THE GROT LABORATORY- the 100% unofficial official parody of one of the greatest children’s stories of all time.

This modern re-telling of the Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ stays true to the wonderful wit of Dahl, but brings the tale into the modern age with a lovely twist at the end. Each character meets their grotty fate as they go on their tour of The Grot Laboratory – as the name suggests, a disgusting place full of scumpiddlinoxious fumes and materials. Words reminiscent of Dahl fill the pages – Whi-ffi (it’s like wifi only smellier), whazzplop and picklescooper to name but a few.

Blog tour calendar: Billy Plonka and the Grot Laboratory, by Ian Billings

Children’s Picture Book Review: D.M. Mullan’s Curious Tales – Hector, by D.M. Mullan, Illustrated by Kirsteen Harris-Jones

Blurb

If something is missing, and you’re feeling blue, you could learn from Hector, who feels this way too.

This little genius lives in an upside down boat, and he grunts from his hill like a grumpy old goat:

“Hector van Groat needs no one but Hector, because he is a genius, a crazy inventor!”

Book #1 in the D.M. Mullan’s Curious Tales series.

D.M. Mullan’s Curious Tales

D.M. Mullan’s Curious Tales is a series of peculiar modern fables from author D.M. Mullan and illustrator Kirsteen Harris-Jones.

With a classic rhyming style and wonderfully quirky illustrations, each book centres around a unique little individual and tells their story all whilst