September 9, 2019 – Jacquie Biggar-USA Today Best-selling author

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author update #Reviews – M.J. Mallon, Mary Adler, Jacquie Biggar and Deborah Jay.

Sally Cronin shares a fabulous review for Tempted by Mr. Wrong along with a wonderful assortment of other great books on Smorgasbord!

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Welcome to the first of the Cafe Updates this week with recent reviews for authors on the shelves.

New Feature

At the end of the post I will share any offers that the authors on the shelves have on their books. If you can let me know a week in advance that would be great so I can include in one of the updates.

On with the recent reviews…..

The first author with a review to share is Marjorie Mallon for The Curse of Time : Book One – Bloodstone a YA fantasy and science fiction adventure.

About The Curse of Time

On Amelina Scott’s thirteenth birthday, her father disappears under mysterious circumstances. Saddened by this traumatic event, she pieces together details of a curse that has stricken the heart and soul of her family.

Amelina longs for someone to confide in. Her once carefree mother has become angry…

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September 9, 2019

Jacquie Biggar6 Comments

The Liar’s Sister by @SarahDenzil #Suspense #BookReview

A SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCE. A VILLAGE FULL OF SECRETS.

Ten years ago, a boy named Samuel Murray went missing from the quiet village of Buckthorpe and was never seen again.

Rosie Sharpe cried over her missing friend for weeks after.
But her little sister Heather knows that Rosie’s tears hide the truth.
Because the night Samuel was last seen, Heather watched her older sister climbing back through the window of their childhood bedroom. Her jacket torn, her eyes wild and her body trembling with fear.

Heather never told anyone what she saw, but secrets can’t stay buried forever…

A decade later, Rosie and Heather return to the home they grew up in when their mother falls ill. But when their house is ransacked and they receive a threatening note, it becomes clear that someone in the close-knit village doesn’t want them there.

When Heather finally confronts her sister about what really happened on the dark, rainy night Samuel vanished, Rosie’s version of the truth is more shocking than she could ever have imagined. But can she trust her sister? And who broke into their house that night? As the lies of the past begin to unravel, they have the power to put the lives of both women in terrible danger…

Biography

Sarah A. Denzil is a British suspense writer from Derbyshire. Her books include SILENT CHILD, which has topped the kindle charts in the UK and Australia, as well as being a top ten Amazon bestseller in the US. SAVING APRIL and THE BROKEN ONES are both top thirty bestsellers in the US and UK Amazon charts.

Sarah lives in Yorkshire with her partner, enjoying the scenic countryside and rather unpredictable weather. She loves to write moody, psychological books about ordinary people in extraordinary situations.

Find out more at: http://www.sarahdenzil.com/
Join the newsletter for updates: http://eepurl.com/cwAmZD
Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahadenzil
Email: sarah@sarahdenzil.com

My Review

Jealousy is the root of all evil
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Two young sisters, Rosie and Heather Sharpe, befriend an ostracized boy and their lives are forever changed.

Rosie is older than her sister and new friend Samuel Murray. She is flamboyant and often impatient with Heather’s more mindful ways. With another long and boring summer on the way, the girls are excited to work on the Murray’s farm for seed money. This starts a relationship between Heather and Samuel that grows over the next few years.

As a teenager, Rosie’s nervous energy transmits itself into sometimes promiscuous behavior and earns her condescending looks from the villagers. None of that matters to her though, what does is her growing attraction to Samuel.

Things come to a head one night when Rosie stumbles home claiming Samuel tried to rape her. Heather is shocked and horrified and not sure who she should believe, her boyfriend or her sister?

Then Samuel goes missing.

Ten years later, Heather has returned to the village to care for her cancer-ridden mother. She reaches out the the sister she’s had little to do with for the last decade, all the while fighting the mistrust she’s carried in her heart since Samuel’s disappearance.

After their mother dies the girls begin the task of going through her things, but some of their findings raise more questions about the past. Heather is obsessed with learning the truth, but at what cost? If Rosie killed Samuel she could go to jail, and if she didn’t…

This book started out so good for me. It travels between the early years when the girls met Samuel and later, when everything falls apart. I enjoyed the tension and mystery aspect between Rosie and Heather, but it soon became repetitive. There were some questionable elements introduced about halfway through the story and from there on it just got weird for me.

The author does a good job of reeling in the reader, but in my opinion she dropped too many hooks to make this a truly great novel.

I give The Liar’s Sister 3.5 lovely kisses

⭐⭐⭐

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

September 9, 2019September 7, 2019

Jacquie Biggar17 Comments

Evermore by @JodyHedlund #Ya #Historical #EverTour @PrismBookTours

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Always (The Lost Princesses #0.5) By Jody Hedlund Christian YA Historical Romance Paperback & ebook, 136 Pages August 13th 2019 by Northern Lights Press

A fierce elite guard. A loyal lady in waiting. They must work together to save three princesses from certain death.

On the verge of dying after giving birth to twins, the queen of Mercia pleads with Lady Felicia to save her infant daughters. With the castle overrun by King Ethelwulf’s invading army, Lady Felicia vows to do whatever she can to take the newborn princesses and their three-year old sister to safety, even though it means sacrificing everything she holds dear, possibly her own life.

Gravely wounded in battle and knowing all is lost to his enemy, the king of Mercia tasks Lance, one of his fiercest elite guards, to protect his family along with keys to an ancient treasure. As Lance makes plans to sneak the princesses out of the capital city, he doesn’t need or want Lady Felicia’s help.

With the dark enemy in pursuit, Lance and Felicia must put aside their differences to outrun King Ethelwulf and prevent him from killing the princesses. In a desperate attempt to hide the young girls, Lance and Felicia agree to a marriage of convenience, a decision that will change their lives—and hearts—forever.

(Affiliate links included.) Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository Also FREE through KindleUnlimited

Excerpt

“I shall ride the final course.” I grabbed the great helm. “You know I have the better chance at vanquishing Lord Mortimer.”

“No, Adelaide.” Mitchell reached to divest me of the helmet, but I sidestepped him and thrust it on before he could wrest it away.

“I shall pretend I am you, and Lord Mortimer will be none the wiser.” My voice was hollow against the conical metal hood that covered my entire head except for the narrow eye slits and the small pricked breathing holes. I fumbled at the leather chinstrap, determined to tie it into place before Mitchell stopped me.

“Adelaide,” he said in a puff of exasperation. But his voice wasn’t as angry as it was frustrated. Whether he said so or not, I understood him. He was irritated more with himself than with me. Thus far during the jousting tournament, he’d tied with Lord Mortimer, which meant if we didn’t win the fourth and final course, we’d go home without the coveted purse of gold.

If we returned to Langley without the gold, the physician wouldn’t come to heal Aunt Susanna, and we would forfeit the expensive medicine she so desperately required.

Evermore (The Lost Princesses #1) By Jody Hedlund Christian YA Historical Paperback & ebook, 222 Pages August 27th 2019 by Northern Lights Press

An ancient key. A secret treasure. And a princess destined to use them both to fight evil and restore peace.

Raised by a noble family, Lady Adelaide has always known she’s an orphan. Little does she realize she’s one of the lost princesses and the true heir to Mercia’s throne…until a visitor arrives at her family estate, reveals her birthright as queen, and thrusts her into a quest for the throne whether she’s ready or not.

Unable to tolerate King Ethelwulf’s cruelty and lawlessness, Christopher Langley left Mercia years earlier, training a group of rebels in neighboring Norland. When he returns home after his mother’s death, he discovers that not only is Adelaide all grown up, but she’s also the rightful queen of Mercia.

When King Ethelwulf discovers Adelaide’s location, he’ll stop at nothing to capture her and the key she holds to the ancient treasure. Christopher is just as determined to protect Adelaide so she can lead the growing rebellion. When feelings ignite between the two old friends, forces threaten to destroy their love and rip them apart forever.

(Affiliate links included.) Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository Also FREE through KindleUnlimited

Other Books in the Series

Coming late September and October. Pre-order now! (Affiliate links included.)

About the Author

Jody Hedlund is a best-selling and award-winning author who loves fairy-tales and happily-ever-afters. She makes her home in Midland, MI with her husband and five teen-aged children. When she’s not writing another of her page-turning stories, you can usually find her sipping coffee, eating chocolate, and reading.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│Instagram│BookBub

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive the prequel and all three books in The Lost Princesses series (Always, Evermore, Foremost and Hereafter) in paperback or ebook (winner’s choice, if winner is outside the US ebooks only) Ends September 25, 2019

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