Monthly Archives: June 2012

Awards

As you know, I decided to become an award free blog when I moved my blog to WordPress.  I have received a couple of awards in June and I’d like to share with you a little more about the people who gave them to me.

Thanks to Joanna Gawn (who is co-author of The Lazuli Portals) for awarding me the ‘sunshine award’.

I first met Jo through a shared interest of healing (recommend you check out her Winter Jasmine Reiki website – lots to browse through and much inspiration) and when I realised she was writing a book … well, excited doesn’t quite cover it.  I was fortunate enough to review The Cordello Quest in December 2011 and am keeping tabs on her WIP for the second in the series Mosaic of Light.  The Lazuli Portals website has lots of information and is often interactive.  Go have a browse :)

Thanks to Donna Trinder for awarding me the ‘Inspirational Blogger Award’.

Donna guested recently on my blog, you can check out her post again here.  Feel a bit of a fraud for having this award actually as if anyone is inspirational it is Donna!  Donna is relatively new in starting out on her writing journey.  She’s fab to Twitchat with and is a very thoughtful woman.  She has two blogs.  You can find her blogging on ‘Lost and Found’ and newly created book blog ‘Room for reading’.

Thank you Jo and Donna! x

Cover reveal! A Meeting of a Different Kind by Linda MacDonald

I’m excited to be able to share with readers the cover and synopsis for A Meeting of a Different Kind (which is the sequel to Meeting Lydia but can also be read as a stand alone read).

Published: 01/11/2012
ISBN: 9781780883250
Format: Paperback

Taryn thinks about Mr Perfect Edward Harvey and the news that he will be visiting London over the next few weeks. Marianne keeps saying he isn’t the philandering type; that she feels totally secure in emailing him because there is no hidden agenda. Taryn doesn’t believe a word of it. There isn’t a man alive who doesn’t have the potential to philander, given the right material to philander with…

When archaeologist Edward Harvey’s wife Felicity inherits almost a million, she gives up her job, buys a restaurant and, as a devotee of Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, starts turning their home into a small eco-farm. Edward is not happy, not least because she seems to be losing interest in him.

Taryn is a borderline manic-depressive, a scheming minx, a seductress and user of men. Edward and Taryn don’t know each other but they both know Marianne. To Edward, Marianne is a former classmate who sends him crazy emails. She is Taryn’s best friend, and when Marianne meets Edward, she tells Taryn how wonderful he is and that he is not the philandering type. Taryn sees a challenge and concocts a devious plan to meet him during a series of lectures he is giving at the British Museum. When Edward and Taryn’s paths cross, questions of friendship, loyalty and betrayal are played out against a backdrop of mental fragility and the destabilising effects of a large inheritance…

Set in Broadclyst and Beckenham, with a chapter on the Isles of Scilly, A Meeting of a Different Kind is the stand-alone sequel to Meeting Lydia, continuing the story from the perspectives of two very different characters. Like its prequel, it will appeal to fans of adult fiction, especially those interested in the psychology of relationships.

I reviewed Meeting Lydia in October 2011, you can read my review again here (apologies for the formatting – it was imported from my Blogger blog) and it was a four-fairy rating from me.  I’m really looking forward to A Meeting of a Different Kind!

 

Jera’s Jamboree review: Dinner at Mine by Chris Smyth

Dinner at Mine by Chris Smyth

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (12 April 2012)

Language English

ISBN-10: 0857205056

ISBN-13: 978-0857205056

 When Rosie decides to get her friends together for their very own version of Come Dine With Me she’s bursting with excitement, even though her husband Stephen is less than keen. But Rosie is adamant. Four couples, each hosting a dinner party on a different night of the week, with a prize at the end for the best one. It’ll be a good laugh, won’t it? And a great way for everyone to get to know each other. What could possibly go wrong? What Rosie doesn’t anticipate are the lengths her fellow hosts might be prepared to go to in order to claim the prize — outlandish recipes, rare ingredients sourced from abroad, and a chocolate tart that looks just too good to be homemade…But perhaps she should be more worried about the mounting tension between the guests, as backbiting breaks out over the appetisers and a glass of wine too many leads to indiscreet flirtation. As the pressure in the kitchen rises, relationships begin to crack under strain, high-minded principles collide and the oven gloves come off…But that’s all part of the fun. Isn’t it?

 

The reader begins the round of dinner parties with Rosie and Stephen.  While Rosie and Stephen are cooking, we get a brief look into what is happening with the other hosts. Right from the beginning, the cracks are beginning to show, not only under the tension of wanting to be the best but also the problems in their relationships.

The four dinner party hosts characters are stereotypical.  Rosie and Stephen have a young son and are settled into early middle-age;  Matt and Charlotte are both single with the type of selfishness that only comes from living alone;  Justin and Barbara are vegetarians and protestors;  Sarah and Marcus are the professional couple.

Narrated in the third person, this allows us to hear each characters thoughts as well as being present in their lives.  It was interesting to see just how differently they perceived each other!  I thought the author portrayed the characters brilliantly.  We can all identify with the type of people they are and become emotionally involved with them.

As their stories being to emerge, the tensions and conflicts under the surface reach the light of day at each dinner.  By the time the third dinner party was over, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen at the final dinner!  What would be the outcome?

Dinner at Mine is a clever concept and well executed.  For me, it wasn’t about the competition but about the depth of the characters and how something as simple as a dinner party can provoke such emotions and open eyes to reality!  A debut novel,  I’ve enjoyed everything about this book and will certainly be watching out for further novels from this author.

Buy it and spread the word

A nice touch from the publishers, if you want to try your own Come Dine with Me-style dinner party, you can download a party pack so you can join in the fun!

I would like to thank the publishers, Simon & Schuster UK for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

You can find out more about the author on his author page with Simon & Schuster UK.

Jera’s Jamboree: Exclusive film clip! Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness and giveaway

I’m excited to be able to share with Jera’s Jamboree readers an exclusive film clip from Deborah Harkness.

Photo courtesy of publishers

Deborah Harkness is the author of the All Souls trilogy and in the film clip she is talking to UK book bloggers, introducing new characters in the second book in the trilogy, Shadow of Night.

 

 

 

Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.
Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.

Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers… 

Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew once more in this stunning, richly imagined, epic tale.

 

If you missed my review you can read it here.

I am fortunate enough to be able to offer a giveaway of two SIGNED copies of Shadow of Night courtesy of Caitilin at Headline.

To enter, just leave a pick me comment below and I will use random.org to choose two winners.

The giveaway is open to UK readers only and will close for entries midnight 4th July 2012.

Good Luck

 

 

Jera’s Jamboree: Guest Author Lorin Barber plus Giveaway

I’d like to welcome author Lorin Barber to Jera’s Jamboree today.

Photo courtesy of author

Lorin Barber has an MBA from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in Japanese Language. He has had a successful career in Manufacturing Management, travelled the world in business assignments and run his own company. He has six children and so far eight grandchildren. He lives in a small town outside of Seattle with his wife of 38 years. In his spare time you might find him panning for gold in the wilds of Washington State.

Publisher: Sweetwater Books (13 Mar 2012)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1599559293
ISBN-13: 978-1599559292

“The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow” is the story of a brain so powerful it can stop a speeding vehicle or heal internal bleeding.

“Orphaned at the age of two when his father shot his mother, Copernicus H. (Nick) Stringfellow is a genius of unprecedented capacities. Educated in Medicine, Engineering and almost every other scholarly discipline at America’s leading Universities, Nick goes quietly about the country performing miraculous feats. He devotes his life to saving others and combating evil while striving to remain conspicuously anonymous.”

Barber’s novel brings Copernicus to Seattle where opportunities for changing lives, including his own are abundant. He makes family of friends and friends of acquaintances as all learn that when it comes to his activities you “just don’t ask”.  

“As the story unfolds Nick is held at gunpoint by a grungy teenage hitchhiker he has picked up. Nonchalantly letting his mind wander to happier hitchhiking adventures Nick is threatened with death by the greasy youth. As the trigger is pulled the kid finds himself shot in the leg and the weapon moved to Nick’s hand. Expelled from the car with his wound healing, a $100 bill in hand and an admonition to “never use a gun again” the adolescent sees Nick calmly drive away leaving him a lonely walk back to civilization.

In his disguise as a ‘Nurse at Large’ Nick enters the society of Harborview Hospital in Seattle. The mini civilization of the Institution includes patients to be healed, coworkers to elevate and protect, and arrogant doctors to be put in their place. Nick embarks on his errand using telekinesis, mental marvels and common sense, all the while munching on the Twinkies that seem to impart supernatural skills to his already impressive intellect.

Lorin says: I began writing “Copernicus” during a period of unemployment in 2004. I got re-employed then inherited a construction related business which went under during the recession in 2010. With a lot of free time on my hands again I was able to finish and have accepted for publishing the manuscript for “The Secret Life”.

I’m now working, though greatly under-employed and am hoping that success with “The Secret Life” will allow me to quit my day job and finish a sequel that I have begun as well as several others in a series about “Copernicus”.

I know Jera’s Jamboree readers will join me in wishing Lorin success with his writing career.

Contact details:

Email: lorin@lorinbarber.com

Facebook: Lorin Barber

Twitter @lorinbarber

Goodreads: Lorin Barber

LorinBarber.com

“The Secret Life” can be purchased at Amazon COM, Amazon UK Kindle and Amazon UK Paperback

Or at Barnes and Noble and many other .coms around the world.

It is also available through many retail book outlets.

Lorin is generously offering one of my readers an e-copy of ‘The Secret Life’  To enter just leave a comment saying who is your favourite superhero and why.  Giveaway is open internationally and closing date is midnight 4th July 2012.

Good luck!


Jera’s Jamboree review: White Wedding by Milly Johnson

White Wedding by Milly Johnson

Paperback: 464 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (26 April 2012)

Language English

ISBN-10: 0857208969

ISBN-13: 978-0857208965

It’s the day they’ve always dreamed about. But will it turn out to be a nightmare …? Bel is in the midst of planning her perfect wedding when disaster strikes and everything she thought she knew is turned on its head. Can she hold it all together and, with the help of her friends, and a mysterious man she meets unexpectedly, turn disaster into triumph? Bel’s friend, ice-cream parlour owner Violet, is engaged to Glyn, who is besotted by her although Violet fell out of love with him long ago. But however trapped she feels in the relationship, she can’t quite say the words, ‘I don’t want to marry you anymore.’ Then, just when she’s about to give up and resign herself to married life, she finds love in the most surprising of places. Will duty rule her heart or will she allow herself to be swept off her feet? Max was planning a quick registry office do with her fiancé Stuart until she sees a TV programme about traveller brides and becomes determined to have the most extravagantly glitzy wedding ever. But in all the excitement has she lost sight of what’s really important? Does she want the wedding more than she wants the groom? And as all three friends find the dress of their dreams at the White Wedding bridal shop, its owner, the lovely Freya, guarantees that her gowns will bring them happiness – though maybe not quite in the way they expected …

In the Prologue of White Wedding, it’s February and the fifth time that Bel, Max and Violet have bumped into each other in the bridal shop White Wedding.  Chapter One begins three months later and the women have all become friends.

Bel’s wedding is first and the reader intuits that during those three months something has happened – she’s not as excited and buzzing as she was in the Prologue.  Leading up to her wedding (and throughout the book), the strands of Max and Violet’s lives are woven through.  Written in the third person this allows the reader to get to know the women, their fiancés and their lives.

Bel’s wedding is explosive! What a wedding to start with! I loved the wedding cake … She flees to the Bronte cottages on the Moors that are owned by her father to gather herself together.  It is here she meets the mysterious man alluded to in the synopsis.  The antagonism and Bel’s eventual return to her life are brilliantly portrayed.  Max’ wedding is next followed by Violet’s.  There are realisations and trauma leading up to each of them.

In the background is White Wedding owner Freya. There is a lot of intrigue surrounding her.  No-one knows for sure her background.  The part she plays in the story is very subtle but causes major changes that alter paths – and is magical!

All the characters are believable and easy to identify with.  I actually don’t have a favourite … because they are all brilliant (I’m including in this the characters readers are meant to dislike).

There are many levels to White Wedding.  Although the main theme is the weddings, I became engrossed in all the women’s lives.  There is much depth and I think all women should have a ‘Freya’ in their lives before their marriages … Milly Johnson explores step-families, manipulation/obsession, insecurities, mental illness/Alzheimer’s and expectations. I LOVED the metaphysical aspect :)

Milly’s different length of chapters enhances the flow of the tale being created.  You’ll find Milly’s humour sprinkled throughout alongside plenty of tension.  There were a few surprises for me – I knew something was coming from Bel’s wedding being written up in the Melbourne Star but never guessed how that fitted in.  What a shocker! I also wasn’t expecting Glyn to go that far … or Bel’s ‘husband’ Richard’s secret … and what a brilliant ending!

I’ve been so engrossed in Bel, Max and Violet’s lives:

Buy it but be loathe to share your copy … it’s a keeper!

I would like to thank publishers, Simon & Schuster UK, for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

White Wedding is available to purchase:

Amazon Paperback £3.86  

Amazon Kindle £4.99

The Book Depository Paperback £6.02 

And all book retailers

You can find out more about Milly Johnson on her website.  Milly tweets and you can find her on Facebook.

Jera’s Jamboree review: The Quintessential Gemini by Linn B Halton

The Quintessential Gemini by Linn B Halton

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 391 KB

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing  (5 Jun 2012)

Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.

Language English

ASIN: B0089E3YS4

For twenty-one years, the focus of Katherine Dale’s life has been her work. Love interests and hobbies came and went, but what has always been there for her was her nine to five habit. Until she’s replaced. With her confidence dented, Katherine is angry at life and at herself. 

She’s ignored hints of “changes to come” in her horoscope forecasts, written by the wonderful and renowned astrologer, Mark Ainsley-Thomas. 

Mark is now an “A” list celebrity in the UK and his new Agent is determined to raise his profile in America, so he has to take on the new, but talented, astrologer James Kingman to help him run his web-site.

Katherine lives her life according to her daily horoscope. When Katherine finds James has been writing her daily horoscopes rather than Mark, Katherine’s life explodes in confusion and, unexpectedly, love as the three lives become inextricably tangled. 

Now Katherine has to learn that the stars might be telling her that love is going to feature in her life, but when Katherine finds herself implicated in the headlines ‘Mystic Love Triangle Surprise’ she’s just as surprised as everyone else! None of the men in her life are love interests – so what exactly does fate have in store?

We first meet Katherine as she’s laying under her kitchen table after an accident.  The reader gets a glimpse into Kat’s personality … and shows us she’s a woman who likes to be organised!  It’s the first day of her new life.  The reader is introduced to how she feels about astrology as a support in her life – and then we’re seamlessly led on to astrologer Mark Ainsley-Thomas and how his life is changing into that of a celebrity (after new agent Harriet has taken over).  The resultant interviews and book signings means he needs someone to join his team – enter James!

What follows is an entertaining glimpse into our three main characters lives.  Kat as she finds herself in the limelight as Camsworth’s spokesperson for the village’s Writers Circle … and the international spotlight; Mark whose speech at the Town Hall sparks the media into hot pursuit; James who is on his own journey of healing emotional childhood wounds and needing to believe in himself.

Narrated in the first person from each of our main character’s perspectives, this allows the reader to identify with who they are and where they are in life.  This could have been confusing but not only does each character have their own chapters, each character’s ‘voice’ is so different – so if you put the book down mid-chapter there is no problem in remembering who you are with.  Each chapter has it’s own sub-title which gives us a teaser as to what could be coming …

The writing style is well-paced and easy to read.  I thought the sub-plots weaving through the story added depth.  The breast clinic scene is portrayed so well – the atmosphere is palpable.  James’ relationship with his elderly neighbour Jake is heart-touching and I just loved that on the first Tuesday of every school holiday is ‘Girls Day’ for Kat, her sister Cassie and her two children.

Astrologically themed, there is factual information as well as the forecasts that Kat shares with us.  If you have no interest in Astrology, don’t let that put you off … the astrology is the foundation for a contemporary romance that encompasses village life and some brilliant characters.  Although Kat has been ‘knocked’ from her redundancy it is James who we see growing as a character.  I always enjoy seeing a character develop … and it’s a refreshing change for it to be a male lead :)

The ending? A triple celebration … which leaves you with that feel-good factor.

Buy it and spread the word

If you’re looking for a book to escape from reality for a few hours then The Quintessential Gemini will fulfil that.  At the time of my review retailing on Amazon in Kindle format for £2.68, you’ll get a lot of story for a small cost!

I would like to thank the publishers, Sapphire Star Publishing, for providing me a review Kindle copy in exchange for an honest review.

Recently I took part in the blog tour for The Quintessential Gemini.  If you missed my Shaz’ Stars special interviewing lead Katherine Dale, you can read it again here.

Disclaimer: The author has become a friend over the past year however my review is objective and I have received no monetary compensation.

Linn B Halton is one of 30 showcased authors with Loveahappyending.  To find out more about her you can visit her website, tweet with her  or ‘like’ her author page on Facebook.

Jera’s Jamboree review: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

‘It is never what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different – unimagined, unprepared for, unknown…’ What if our 24-hour day grew longer, first in minutes, then in hours, until day becomes night and night becomes day? What effect would this slowing have on the world? On the birds in the sky, the whales in the sea, the astronauts in space, and on an eleven-year-old girl, grappling with emotional changes in her own life..?

 

One morning, Julia and her parents wake up in their suburban home in California to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth is noticeably slowing. The enormity of this is almost beyond comprehension. And yet, even if the world is, in fact, coming to an end, as some assert, day-to-day life must go on. Julia, facing the loneliness and despair of an awkward adolescence, witnesses the impact of this phenomenon on the world, on the community, on her family and on herself.

 

When I saw The Age of Miracles on Netgalley in March I just had to request it.  Having thought about and discussed in the past how our lives would change if gravity, the magnetic poles and nature started to change, I was intrigued to see how the author had created a story around something similar.

The story is narrated in the first person by 11 year old Julia. We begin the journey at the news that the earth’s rotation has slowed on it’s axis by 56 minutes and therefore earth has gained an extra 56 minutes a day.  Doesn’t sound so bad … 56 minutes.  But that is only the beginning of what is to be known as ‘the slowing.’

It is a reflective account as Julia tells us it remains preserved in her memory even all these years later (which gives the reader hope that something came along that made a positive difference).

Through Julia’s eyes we not only get to experience the changes that occur on a survival level but also, very poignantly, we are taken through life with her family, her friendships and community.

There are hooks that intrigue the reader, such as the landscape still looked the same on day the news broke but not so later … you want to find out how, what changed?

It is hard for Julia to separate life as it is to how it could have been.  Did everything that happen to her and her family have anything to do with ‘the slowing’ or would it have happened anyway?  What directly affected everyone and what would have happened had it not occurred?

When a natural celestial event happens, everyone is totally panicked … These people are waiting for changes to start and everything is seen as a threat – everything they believe in their world is changing.  They are living on the edge in an anxious state, which reflects in their actions!  The ensuing chaos is exactly how we would react …

The majority of people follow Government guidelines when the decision to stay living on ‘clock time’ is announced, taking measures so that this would be possible.  Interestingly, those who chose not to were seen as outsiders and life in the community was deliberately made difficult so they would move.  Communities sprang up and one in particular ‘Circadia’ in the desert is glimpsed into as Julia and her family search for a missing family member.

As the earth’s rotations slows, nature starts responding.  There are a couple of poignant scenes that will touch you.

Even living amongst the uncertainty and the changes that happen as the days and nights get longer and longer … life still ‘happens’ to Julia.  A lot of the experiences are shared with boyfriend Seth, not all of them positive!

There are no neat ends all tied up at the end of The Age of Miracles. We don’t find out why this is happening on a scientific level as no-one knows … despite the technological/scientific knowledge in the world (hence the title!).  The story for me is about survival on a practical level and how humans adapt while still living an ‘ordinary’ life.   A very ‘Uranian’ experience!

The Age of Miracles is Karen Thompson Walker’s debut novel.  It will be interesting to see what she creates next!

Buy it and spread the word

I would like to thank the publishers, Random House, for approving my request on Netgalley.

You can find out more about the author on The Age of Miracles website.

Jera’s Jamboree review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy 2) by Deborah Harkness

Hardcover: 592 pages

Publisher: Headline  (10 July 2012)

ISBN-10: 0755384733

ISBN-13: 978-0755384730

It began with A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.

Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.
Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.

Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers… 

Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew once more in this stunning, richly imagined, epic tale.

 

The first book in the trilogy, A Discovery of Witches, was one of my top 10 fiction reads for 2011.  Purely because I loved it so much I was a bit ambivalent when Shadow of Night came round on my reading schedule.  Would it live up to my expectations?

Chapter One carries on exactly where we left off with Diana and Matthew.  We knew they had timewalked but didn’t know if they’d reached their destination (what a cliffhanger!).  Arriving safely in Matthew’s home, the Old Lodge, the first person they meet in 16th century Oxford is Christopher Marlowe (Kit) quickly followed by the rest of the group of men from The School of Night.  The reader quickly becomes immersed while Diana is adjusting to the fashions and expectations of 16th century England.

After the timewalking, Diana’s powers have undergone another change.  Their attempts to find someone to train Diana do not turn out well (they are forced to flee!) but they eventually find a ‘constituency’ of witches in London who can tell Diana what her powers are and begin her training on how to use them.  I really enjoyed this thread of the story.  Some of the scenes are amazing!

Matthew is a prominent figure in society.  The De Clairmont family are well known and his father Phillipe holds a lot of power.  It is not long before Phillipe summons them to the family chateaux in France.  Traumatic for Matthew, it is here that Diana is tested and Matthew finally finds peace.

Once again they are forced to leave … and this time go to Elizabethan London!  Queen Elizabeth sends them to Prague to bring back her alchemist but they also want to go there because they think the manuscript, Ashmole 782, is there.

The characters we meet through the 16th century are brilliantly portrayed.  There are characters who cause immense tension (Father Hubbard) and also those who bring heartache (when they have to leave to go back to their own time).  Prominent members of history are key figures.  The historical aspect is very well researched.  You really do feel as if you’re living through the 16th century.  There are a couple of characters that appear (who are important to Diana) and I loved the way they were part of the whole.

Diana’s character really grows in strength throughout Shadow of Night.  We also get to see a different Matthew as he takes on his 16th century persona.  Their love for each other changes and grows and is also a major thread in the story.  It is still very deep and intense.

At relevant times we dip back into the present with something from the 16th century as the trigger.  Diana and Matthew spend a lot of time in the past and therefore some of their actions effect the present.  This gave everyone in the present clues.  There is a very poignant moment attached to one of these items. I thought this added yet another exciting aspect to the story.

Ashmole 782 wasn’t quite what I expected it to be!  DNA once again plays an important part in the story – I can’t say why – no spoilers!

The ending … Diana still has something to discover and there is intrigue waiting to be discovered …

I was determined to savour every page but the story held me in its grip … there is just so much to pull you in I just couldn’t help turning the pages as fast as I could.  I feel bereft now I’ve finished!

Shadow of Night can be read alone as the back-story is revealed at relevant times.  However, I do highly recommend you read A Discovery of Witches first – there is so much you would be missing.

No surprises at my rating:

Buy it but be loathe to share your copy … it’s a keeper!

I would like to thank Caitlin Raynor from Headline  for providing an uncorrected proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Discovery of Witches is available to purchase:

Amazon paperback £4.31

Amazon Kindle £4.99

The Book Depository £5.98

And all bookstores

Shadow of Night is available to pre-order:

Amazon hardback £8.83

Amazon Kindle £8.99

The Book Depository hardback £12.74

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo courtesy of publishers

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and have lived in western Massachusetts, the Chicago area, Northern California, upstate New York, and Southern California. In other words, I’ve lived in three out of five time zones in the US! I’ve also lived in the United Kingdom in the cities of Oxford and London.

For the past twenty-eight years I’ve been a student and scholar of history, and received degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Davis. During that time I researched the history of magic and science in Europe, especially during the period from 1500 to 1700. The libraries I’ve worked in include Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the All Souls College Library at Oxford, the British Library, London’s Guildhall Library, the Henry E. Huntington Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Newberry Library—proving that I know my way around a card catalogue or the computerized equivalent. These experiences have given me a deep and abiding love of libraries and a deep respect for librarians. Currently, I teach European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

My previous books include two works of non-fiction: John Dee’s Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature (Cambridge University Press, 1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (Yale University Press, 2007). It has been my privilege to receive fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Humanities Center. And I was honored to receive accolades for my historical work from the History of Science Society, the North American Conference on British Studies, and the Longman’s/History Today Prize Committee.

In 2006, I took up my keyboard and entered the world of blogging and Twitter. My wine blog, Good Wine Under $20, is an online record of my search for the best, most affordable wines. These efforts have been applauded by the American Wine Blog Awards, Saveur.com, Wine & Spirits magazine, and Food & Winemagazine. My wine writing has also appeared on the website Serious Eats and inWine & Spirits magazine.

My career in fiction began in September 2008 when I began to wonder “if there really are vampires, what do they do for a living?” A Discovery of Witches is the unexpected answer to that question. The book debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, and was also a bestseller in the UK, France, and Germany. Thirty-eight foreign editions and translations will be published. The story of Diana and Matthew will continue in the second and third books of the All Souls Trilogy.

* Exciting News * Warner Brothers Pictures has secured the film rights to the All Souls Trilogy.  Work is currently underway to adapt the first book, A Discovery of Witches, for the screen.  Denise DiNovi and Alison Greenspan are producing the film.  Playwright David Auburn, who has received both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, has been hired to write the screenplay. (Taken from the author’s website.)

Find our more about Deborah Harkness on her website.  You can tweet with her and find her on Facebook.

Blog Tour: Shaz’ Stars special: Quintessential Gemini by Linn B Halton

Shaz’ Stars interviews Katherine Dale – The Quintessential Gemini! plus a giveaway

Welcome to Shaz’s Stars!

Using sun sign astrology I have been interviewing Love a Happy Ending Authors to see how the traits of their sun sign affect their craft.

Today author Linn B Halton asked if I would interview Katherine Dale, who is The Quintessential Gemini.  Of course, I couldn’t resist…..

In the hot seat today I would like to welcome: Katherine Dale

Katherine, thank you for letting us have a peek at what’s been happening for someone who IS ‘The Quintessential Gemini’.

Gemini’s are adaptable and versatile, has that helped in what has been a difficult time for you personally?

Hi Shaz, so lovely to meet you! It has been a tough time since I was made redundant from a job that was my whole life; it shakes your world. Even though my horoscopes had been dropping hints, I supposed I didn’t really want to face up to the facts. Of course I adore astrologer Mark Ainsley-Thomas and should have known better. Similar to you, he too has a reputation for being spot-on with his forecasts. I’m such a typical Gemini in many ways, that’s why Linn B Halton calls me ‘The Quintessential Gemini’ (laugh)! And you are right, I’m usually quite proud to consider myself both adaptable and versatile, but recently I seem to be constantly struggling to find the next step to take me forward.

Ah, that would be one of the negative traits of the sun sign Gemini, an ability to become uncertain of yourself and to withdraw.

I didn’t know that! It could explain a lot of things. I decided to turn my back on accountancy and now I’m writing a book, but perhaps that’s not helping me either as I spend a lot of time on my own. Well, I have my cat No. 4 to keep me company of course. The problem is he’s not used to sharing the house with me during the day and I feel as if I’m invading his territory! Thinking about it though, I think you might be right there – I am getting rather withdrawn.

Gemini’s are usually very sociable and are at their best when they are able to shine in the company of others. Perhaps you need to get out a bit more whilst you are adjusting to your new life?

You sound just like my sister, Cassie. She even held a dinner party and invited a tall, handsome stranger to make up the foursome, together with her darling husband Sean.  His name was James, bit of a floppy hair thing going on with him but he seemed nice enough. The problem was that it all felt so awkward and the poor guy left on the pretext of an emergency call from an elderly neighbour. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough and I felt really awful because it was entirely my fault. He started talking about the fact I’d lost my job and then I felt that everyone was feeling really sorry for me – I wasn’t very nice to him I’m afraid. I haven’t had much luck with love so far, never met ‘the one’ and I certainly wasn’t ‘shining’ the night I met James.

Gemini’s are said to be skilled in the arts of language – in speech and writing so that should stand you in good stead for your writing. 

I hope so, although I’ve just had a blazing row with a guy on Mark Ainsley-Thomas’ website. I get my forecasts daily by Email and it’s the first thing I do in the morning, check to see what sort of day is ahead of me. Just after I was made redundant something changed, I just couldn’t understand what Mark was trying to say. So I Emailed him, the problem was I found out he doesn’t write the daily ones anymore, a Mr Kingman writes them. I didn’t mean to be rude to him, but my life is in pieces and how on earth am I supposed to know what to do next if I can’t understand what he’s trying to tell me? I feel everything is falling apart, I just hope other Gemini’s aren’t going through the same thing.

You shouldn’t worry too much, Gemini is a mutable sign (which means change) and Gemini’s are chameleon like, changing their personas to fit with whomever they are with.

Really? You think so? That’s heartening. I’m trying so hard to adjust to this new life and I hate upsetting anyone. I know that Mark Ainsley-Thomas is now a celebrity and I realise he doesn’t know me at all, but he has been a huge part of my life.  I just can’t warm to the new guy, so I have to live governed by Mark’s monthly forecasts, when he’s doing the readings and telling me what to do next. I hope they don’t sack Mr Kingman because I made a fuss. Maybe I’m trying too hard and I should relax a bit and let my instincts take me forward, let the chameleon take over! It’s been so good talking to you Shaz, you’ve really cheered me up!

You mustn’t forget that those born with their sun in the sign of Gemini are said to be restless. 

I suppose you are right there. I so wanted to find love but now I’ve given up on that too. I’ve never felt more restless than I do now, perhaps the book I’m writing will be the start of something new and exciting for me. Who knows, it might fill that empty little part of me that longs to meet someone special; perhaps my ‘someone special’ is a character in my book!

Well, good luck Katherine and remember, Gemini’s are all about duality, the twins, yin and yang. You have everything you need to get what you want out of life, if it’s a little out of kilter at the moment it’s only a passing phase.

Note from author Linn B Halton: Thank you Shaz, I’ve been a little concerned about Katherine recently. Who lives their life according to their horoscope? It’s crazy! But I think you’ve given her confidence the boost she needs. I’ll send you a copy of The Quintessential Gemini and you can find out how it all ends …

PS. When you did my ‘Shaz’ Stars’ chart and sent me your interview questions I felt like an open book. You knew exactly what to ask. If they sack Mr Kingman perhaps Mark Ainsley-Thomas will offer you a job instead (laugh). Thank you for a fun interview and for inviting me to your wonderful blog today.

The Quintessential Gemini is published by Sapphire Star Publishing 7th June 2012.

For twenty-one years the main focus of Katherine Dale’s life has been her work.  Love interests and hobbies came and went; but always there for her, her only constant – other than her cat delightfully named No. 4 – was her nine to five habit.   Until she’s replaced.

Her confidence is dented and she’s angry; at life and at herself.  She’s failed to grasp the office politics that were going on around her and ignored hints of ‘changes to come’ in her horoscope forecasts. Forover twenty years she has followed Mark Ainsley-Thomas, a renowned Astrologer in the UK and USA.  His daily forecasts direct the way she lives her life as a typically complex Gemini.  Mark is now an ‘A’ list celebrity and his new Agent is determined to raise his profile in America, so he has to take on James Kingman to help him run his website.

Katherine is totally confused by James’ forecasts.  After a couple of Email exchanges, James admits he’s writing the daily forecasts now instead of Mark and advises her ‘it’s probably best not to get too bogged down with the minute detail’.  Katherine explodes and drafts a reply, letting out all of the hurt and anger she’s been bottling up.  She feels better afterwards and instead sends James a much friendlier Email, acknowledging Mark has a unique style and wishing him luck.  To her horror she receives a tirade back from James and realises she sent the wrong Email !

The story is told through the eyes of Katherine, Mark and James.  Gossip results in all three being named in a national newspaper headline ‘Mystic Love Triangle Surprise’.

The problem is, what will Mark’s wife say when she hears this shattering news – especially as it isn’t true?  What will Katherine’s family think now she’s a scarlet woman?  And as for James, well – can it possibly get any worse?

The Quintessential Gemini is available to purchase from Amazon:

Kindle £2.68

Paperback £9.41

To find out more about Linn and her novels:-

Linn’s Website: http://linnbhalton.co.uk/
Amazon UK (buy) - http://amzn.to/kvB3YA
Amazon US (buy) - http://amzn.to/kiUKfZ
Twitter Account @LinnBHalton: http://bit.ly/ksXMDS

Loveahappyending.com Author Page: http://loveahappyending.com/linn-b-halton/

To enter to win an e-copy of The Quintessential Gemini, just leave a pick me comment.  The giveaway is International and closes midnight 22nd June 2012.  Good luck!