About the Book: 
Publication Date: December 1, 2014
Carina Press
eBook; ASIN: B00OHV6MFA
Series: Goddess Born
Genre: Historical/Paranormal/New Adult/Romance


Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London’s most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.

But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?

With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid’s fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.


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Review: 
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Goddess Born (see my review here) and devoured this book. A Grave Inheritance picks up a few months after the end of the first book, making it seem like I never left Selah's world.  Selah's betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan has returned to London, leaving Selah behind in the Colonies with one of his men, James. Henry must find a way out of his betrothal to the King's daughter, Amelia. When Selah finally arrives in London to join Henry, she leaves behind a mysterious attack by a large white dog in the Colonies.  Selah wants nothing more than to marry Henry and return to her home so she can refuel her powers in Brigid's waters.  However, as soon as Selah arrives in London, trouble begins following her around. 

A Grave Inheritance was filled with action right from the start.  I'm glad more of Selah's powers were explored as well as introducing more characters that are Goddess Born.  It was interesting to hear more of the history of Brigid's people and the other gifts they possess.  It was also quite a surprise to me to see how Kari wrapped these characters together so they would be in close contact with Selah and she didn't even know.  It was an even greater surprise to see how they were connected to Selah.  Selah faces troubles from both the natural and supernatural in this installment; even though the issues stemming from the supernatural were much more dangerous, Selah's interests lie deeper with solving her natural troubles first as these would stop her from marrying Henry.  The love story that continued between Selah and Henry was sweet and devastatingly romantic.  The ending of the book leaves off with a cliffhanger surrounding Selah's issues with the supernatural, so I can not wait to dig into the next book. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author: 
Kari Edgren is the author of the Goddess Born series. In 2010 and 2011 she was a semifinalist for the Amazon Break Through Novel Award. In 2013, she was a RWA Golden Heart finalist. Ms. Edgren enjoys writing both historical and contemporary fiction, so long as there’s a spark of paranormal. She resides on a mountain top in the Pacific Northwest where she spends a great deal of time dreaming about the sun and torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts.

For more information please visit Kari Edgren’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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About the Book: 
Publication Date: October 15, 2014
Blank Slate Press
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 324
Series: Althaia of Athens Mystery
Genre: Historical Mystery

READ AN EXCERPT.

All Althaia wants on her trip to Delphi is to fulfill her father’s last wish. Finding the body of a woman in the Sacred Precinct is not in her plans. Neither is getting involved in the search for the killer, falling for the son of a famous priestess, or getting pulled into the ancient struggle for control of the two most powerful oracles in the world. But that’s what happens when Theron, Althaia’s tutor and a man with a reputation for finding the truth, is asked to investigate. When a priest hints that Theron himself may be involved, Althaia is certain the old man is crazy — until Nikos, son of a famous priestess, arrives with an urgent message. Theron’s past, greedy priests, paranoid priestesses, prophecies, and stolen treasures complicate the investigation, and as Althaia falls for Nikos, whose dangerous secrets hold the key to the young woman’s death, she discovers that love often comes at a high price and that the true meaning of family is more than a bond of blood.

Review: 
Althaia of Athens is on a pilgrimage to fulfill her deceased father's last wishes. However, when they arrive in Delphi, the body of a young women is found upon an alter and Althaia's tutor, Theron is asked to investigate.  Althaia, trained in Egypt in the art of autopsia, assists with the cause of death.  When it is discovered that the woman was connected to the Pythia of the Oracle of Gaia, Althaia, Theron and her slaves and plunged into the ongoing conflict between the Oracle of Apollon and the Oracle of Gaia.  Althaia has also been having a disturbing dream about a young man; when she meets the young man in her dreams, Nikos, the pieces start falling together for the mystery of the woman left on the alter. 

My favorite part of this historical mystery was Althaia's character.  She is an intelligent, spunky and does not allow her position as a woman in her time to get in her way.  Althaia also had a very modern voice and way of thinking which made it easier to connect with her. The history behind the Oracles of Delphi engaged me more than the mystery in this story.  The Oracles were once real women, usually a peasant woman, chosen for the Gods to speak through, the parts of the story concerning the traditions of the women surrounding the Oracle were what really transported me back to ancient Delphi.  The mystery in the story took a back seat for me, it was a little slower moving and didn't hold as much mystique as the characters trying to solve it. However, in the end, the solution did surprise me and I ended up loving how the guilty parties were revealed.  


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author: 
Marie Savage is the pen name of Kristina Marie Blank Makansi who always wanted to be a Savage (her grandmother’s maiden name) rather than a Blank. She is co-founder and publisher of Blank Slate Press, an award-winning small press in St. Louis, and founder of Treehouse Author Services. Books she has published and/or edited have been recognized by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), the Beverly Hills Book Awards, the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction, the British Kitchie awards, and others. She serves on the board of the Missouri Center for the Book and the Missouri Writers Guild. Along with her two daughters, she has authored The Sowing and The Reaping (Oct. 2014), the first two books of a young adult, science fiction trilogy.Oracles of Delphi, is her first solo novel.

For more information visit Kristina Makansi’s website and the Blank Slate Press website. You can also follow Krisina Makansi and Blank Slate Press on Twitter.



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Read an Excerpt: 
Delphi in the Region of Phokis
in the Month of Mounichion in the First Year
of the 110th Olympiad (340 BCE)

Chapter One

Nikos’s heart pounded against his rib cage like a siege engine. He pressed his back into the stone wall, closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. He couldn’t believe he’d been such a fool. “Next time I’ll surrender the prize,” Charis had always promised. Next time he would claim it, he always hoped. But instead….

He pulled himself to the top of the wall and lay flat. The moment of escape calmed him. The gates of the Sacred Precinct were locked, and he’d had to climb out the same way he’d climbed in. On the way out, though, he wasn’t carrying a body.

About the Book: 
Publication Date: October 30, 2014
JWD Press
Formats: Ebook, Paperback
ISBN: 978-1503038844
Pages: 196
Genre: Historical Fiction

Iona Mueller arrives alone at the Willard Asylum for the Insane in this epic tale that spans a century. Through the Mueller family we take a deep look at what it means to be mentally ill in the year 1915 and in the present day.

By the time she reached fifteen years old, Iona had failed to become a “proper young lady” which profoundly concerned her parents. Her one and only friend, Hetty, the family maid, warned her not to disobey them but Iona couldn’t help herself. Iona’s quirk of counting steps may have been overlooked but when her mother and father learned of her exploits in the woods near her home in Ithaca, New York, she was taken to the town doctor. The doctor took one look at her self-cut short, mangled hair, learned of her bizarre behavior, and declared her insane.

At Willard Asylum on Seneca Lake there were plenty of activities to occupy her, including the job she procured working in the barn. Besides, she knew she was not anything like the crazy patients that banged their heads against the cinder walls until they bled or ran naked through the hallways. She was disobedient, that was true, and she would change. If only her parents would accept her correspondence and allow her to return home.

Iona’s new roommate, Cat, made every night a fight for survival. When Iona was caught trying to run away she was sent to the second ward, where her fate was sealed. Subject to tranquilizers and hydrotherapy, ice baths and physical beatings, Iona had only one thing on her mind. She had to stay away from the back building. Once you were placed there you were never seen again.

Iona met James at the institution’s barn. His kindness made the deprivation more bearable. He recognized that the violet hollows beneath her eyes, the bruises on her arms, and her apparent unraveling were the effect of the second ward. A plan was put into place, one that would remove Iona from harm’s way permanently.

In present day, it is Jenna, a young relative of Iona’s, who is plagued with mental illness. Jenna’s odd behaviors, bizarre language, and confusion disrupt her once perfectly normal life. Jenna’s family members trace their roots back to Iona in hopes of understanding their predisposition to mental illness. The journey leads them to an amazing discovery of the suitcases left behind by hundreds of patients at the Willard Asylum.

Review:
Iona Mueller grew up in an affluent home in Ithaca, NY in the early 1900's.  Iona's mother wanted her to be the perfect young lady with skills in cooking, sewing, and keeping the house so Iona would be ready to marry.  Iona however, would rather set traps for animals like her brothers and take care of the chickens.  Iona had other quirks that made her parents upset and caused her to not make friends at school, she always counted her steps and had only befriended the maid, Hetty. When Iona has an outburst, her parents deliver her to the Willard Asylum.  Iona has a difficult time at Willard, but also learns how to deal with her illness.  She finds meaning working in the stables and befriends James, a farm hand. When Iona's life becomes endangered at Willard, her and another inmate, Cat, make a break for town and escape the harsh treatment at Willard. Years later, Iona's great-granddaughter, Jenna is starting to display strange behaviors. Jenna went from being an extrovert, to being afraid of everything and licking different surfaces.  Jenna's grandmother remembers Iona's own mental health issues and goes on a search for any information about Iona that might be able to help Jenna.  She is able to locate Iona's actual suitcase from when she was first brought to the asylum.  

I was first drawn to this book because it is set near where I live and I know of the Willard Asylum.  I also have experience working with people who happen to have mental health diagnosis.  The aspects of the links with the suitcases found at the Willard also drew me in (I've included more information on the suitcases below, they really exist!) .  Iona's story was intruiging; at first she seems like a perfectly normal girl who is a bit on the tomboy side, who likes to count things and who has very strict parents.  Iona is endearing, even when she is skinning a rabbit; she is helping to feed Hetty's family.  I felt for her when she had trouble making friends at school and when she is sent to Willard.  When the seriousness of her mental health issues are revealed, it is a shock.  I can tell that the author did a lot of research into the Willard Asylum and the treatment of the patients there.  Iona's experience probably mirrored many of the real life patients that were kept there.  Iona was lucky and made an escape from the Willard with the help of Cat, Iona was able to live her life with the person she fell in love with working at Willard.  I was a little disappointed in the instant love connection between James and Iona, but it did enable Iona's character to continue her story through her great-granddaughter.  I did appreciate the comparisons and contrasts of the mental health system in the past and present with Iona and Jenna's stories.  Our medical treatment for people with mental health diagnoses has improved greatly, but still carries a terrible stigma that both Iona and Jenna's families felt.  I really wanted the discovery of Iona's suitcase to lend more to the story and maybe reveal more secrets to her past, but the story was still rewarding.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author: 
Julie Dewey is the author of four novels, including Forgetting Tabitha: The Story of an Orphan Train Rider, One Thousand Porches, The Back Building, and Cat, Book 1 of the Livin Large Series. Two have been on Amazon’s Top 100 Book List. She resides in Central New York with her husband and two children.

For more information please visit Julie Dewey’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook.

Read an Excerpt: 
I did not understand what it meant to be mentally ill. I felt fine, unabridged in both mind and body. I was aware of myself and my surroundings and didn’t suffer any breaks from reality. I didn’t feel overly sad or happy, or even angry. My parents simply didn’t understand me. I liked my new haircut and the freedom from its previous weight around my neck, and I saw no reason why I shouldn’t wear it short. I did my counting in my head so no one was bothered. I wouldn’t miss the constant nagging to be a perfect young lady, but I would miss Hetty. She was the only friend I had in the world and I made a vow to follow the doctors’ orders so that I could get back to the farm, andback to her. 

The drive to Willard took less than one hour. The hospital was situated along Seneca Lake and was quite pretty if not for the imposing barbed wire fencing all along the north side.

“The fence was put in place to keep the thieves out.” The larger of the two men with the twitchy nose said, sensing my distress. He told me that the gardens had been thinned out by thieving migrant workers and that they had to put up the fence to keep them from whittling downthe food stores. Also, in recent years people came in droves to witness the lunatics in the asylum as if they expected to see patients with two heads. I felt satisfied but stunned by this honest answer, and suddenly grateful for the fence. I didn’t wish to be heckled by oglers.

About the Book: 

Publication Date: December 2, 2014
Secant Publishing
Formats: eBook, Hardcover
Genre: Historical Fiction


Set in 7th century England, The Oblate’s Confession tells the story of Winwaed, a boy who – in a practice common at the time – is donated by his father to a local monastery. In a countryside wracked by plague and war, the child comes to serve as a regular messenger between the monastery and a hermit living on a nearby mountain. Missing his father, he finds a surrogate in the hermit, an old man who teaches him woodcraft, the practice of contemplative prayer, and, ultimately, the true meaning of fatherhood. When the boy’s natural father visits the monastery and asks him to pray for the death of his enemy – an enemy who turns out to be the child’s monastic superior – the boy’s life is thrown into turmoil. It is the struggle Winawed undergoes to answer the questions – Who is my father? Whom am I to obey? – that animates, and finally necessitates, The Oblate’s Confession.

While entirely a work of fiction, the novel’s background is historically accurate: all the kings and queens named really lived, all the political divisions and rivalries actually existed, and each of the plagues that visit the author’s imagined monastery did in fact ravage that long-ago world. In the midst of a tale that touches the human in all of us, readers will find themselves treated to a history of the “Dark Ages” unlike anything available today outside of textbooks and original source material.

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Review: 
A young boy is given to Redestone monastery in 7th century England. Winwaed's father has made a promise during the war that his next born son would go to God, so Winwaed is donated at a young age. As the country encounters wars, plagues and political upheaval, Winwaed watches from the confines of the monastery grounds. As he grown Winwaed earns the position as the one to climb a nearby mountain to deliver supplies to a monk who has decided to live as a hermit. The hermit becomes a father figure to Winwaed, teaching him about nature and deep prayer. Winwaed begins to enjoy his trips up the mountain. When Winwaed's biological father arrives at the monastery, Winwaed becomes torn. His father delights him with stories of war and his mother; then he asks Winwaed to pray for the fall of another at the monastery. Winwaed becomes confused and begins to question his life. 

Written as a confession from the perspective of a young boy, Winwaed's perspective becomes a window into life in the Dark Ages, written with a simplistic beauty that brought to life the everyday workings of a monastery. Through Winwaed's sin of questioning his religion, he is forced to write his confession, which becomes an autobiography of his time at Redestone. Since Winwaed is looking back on his childhood, the writing has a wonderful sense of nostalgia. One of the first scenes, when Winwaed is first dropped off at the monastery and a Brother makes a snowman with Winwaed to comfort him, drew me in with. His time spent with the hermit was also endearing and provided some of my favorite parts of the story. Through his time at the monastery, Winwaed lives through many events, written with historical accuracy, Winwaed recounts surviving a plague, the rise and fall of Kings and Queens and the impacts of the political upheaval on the monastery and the nearby town. Though this story takes place in a monastery, there is actually not an overbearing religious tone, which I am glad for. Also, since the writing is from Winwaed's perspective, simply recounting the facets of his life, there is no huge climax or large mystery, but rather just the examination of his life and what has caused Winwaed to question his teachings.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

About the Author: 
William Peak spent ten years researching and writing The Oblate’s Confession, his debut novel. Based upon the work of one of the great (if less well known) figures of Western European history, the Venerable Bede, Peak’s book is meant to reawaken an interest in that lost and mysterious period of time sometimes called “The Dark Ages.”

Peak received his baccalaureate degree from Washington & Lee University and his master’s from the creative writing program at Hollins University.  He works for the Talbot County Free Library on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  Thanks to the column he writes for The Star Democratabout life at the library (archived at http://www.tcfl.org/peak/), Peak is regularly greeted on the streets of Easton: “Hey, library guy!”  In his free time he likes to fish and bird and write long love letters to his wife Melissa.

For more information please visit William Peak’s website.

About the Book: 


From the bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes a story of the heartbreak and healing power of family. New to a small town, Jackie and Paula envision a quiet life for their kids: a young adopted son and two teenage foster children, including the troubled Star. However, they quickly butt heads with their neighbor, Clementine, who disapproves of their lifestyle and is incensed when Star befriends her spirited horse, Comet. Haunted by past tragedy and unable to properly care for Comet, Clem nevertheless resents the bond Star soon shares with the horse. When Star disappears with Comet, the neighbors are thrown together- far too close together. But as the search for the pair wears on, both families must learn to put aside their animosity and confront the choices they've made and the scars they carry. Plumbing the depths of regret and forgiveness, The Language of Hoofbeats explores the strange alchemy that transforms a group of people into a family.



Review: 
Jackie and Paula move their family, an adopted son and two foster children away from the city to a rural area where Paula will be the veterinarian.  They expect some trouble with their different lifestyle, but they find trouble too quickly within their only neighbor, Clementine.  Clementine, who disapproves of pretty much everything, does not like that a married lesbian couple now live across the street, she does not like that they have foster kids of varying nationalities and she especially does not like that one of their newer foster kids, Star, has taken a liking to her daughter's horse, Comet.  Clementine's daughter passed tragically, and Comet is Clementine's last tie to her only child.  Star has an instant connection with Comet, and instinctively knows that the horse is not well taken care of and does her best to give Comet what she needs.  When Star and Comet both disappear, the two families are thrown together and forced to overcome their differences and heal. 


A heart-warming and intensive family drama that deals with grief, loss, healing and forgiveness.  The Language of Hoofbeats had me hooked from the first chapters.  The point of view switches from Jackie to Clementine, the two characters who need to let go of their faults and the faults in others.  Clementine is such an interesting character, I just had to know what her story was.  Watching her transformation and healing process was amazing.  The interactions between Clementine and Paula and Jackie's family were beautifully written and very raw, there are no perfect solutions here, just real people dealing with a lot of different emotions.  Star's relationship with Comet was touching and was a wonderful device for understanding and healing.  As a horse lover, I had no trouble relating to Star's feelings for Comet.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.    

About the Author: 
I'm the author of 24 published and forthcoming books.

My newest releases are Where We Belong, Don’t Let Me Go, Walk Me Home, When I Found You, When You Were Older and Second Hand Heart. Forthcoming is Take Me With You (June '14) and a young readers' edition of Pay It Forward (8-12). 

Newer novels are Becoming Chloe, Jumpstart the World, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills The Day I Killed James, and Diary of a Witness. 

Both Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA’s Rainbow List. Jumpstart the World was chosen as a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards, received a third place Rainbow Award for Young Adult/Coming of Age Fiction and a tie for first place in Bisexual/Transgender Fiction. Love in the Present Tense enjoyed bestseller status in the UK, where it broke the top ten, spent five weeks on the national bestseller list, was reviewed on a major TV book club, and shortlisted for a Best Read of the Year Award at the British Book Awards. Where We Belong won two Rainbow Awards.

Older works include the story collection Earthquake Weather, and the novels Funerals for Horses, Pay it Forward, Electric God, and Walter’s Purple Heart. 

Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries. The mass market paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. It is still in print, and was re-released in a trade paperback edition in April of 2010.




Goodreads:  http://www.amazon.com/Language-Hoofbeats-Catherine-Ryan-Hyde/dp/1477824685/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1403209791&sr=8-1

Author's website:  http://www.catherineryanhyde.com

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/cryanhyde

About the Book: 
Publication Date: December 16, 2013
Mockingbird Lane Press
Formats: eBook, Paperback, Audio Book
Pages: 276
Genre: Historical Fiction/Short Stories

The eleven long short stories in “Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads combine history, mystery, action and/or romance, and range from drug trafficking using Guatemalan hand-woven wallets, to an Antebellum U.S. slave using codes in her quilts as a message system to freedom; from an ex-journalist and her Hopi Indian maid solving a cold case together involving Katchina spirits, to a couple hiding Christian passports in a comforter in Nazi Germany; from a wedding quilt curse dating back to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, to a mystery involving a young seamstress in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; from a 1980’s Romeo and Juliet romance between a rising Wall Street financial ‘star’ and an eclectic fiber artist, to a Haight-Asbury love affair between a professor and a beautiful macramé artist gone horribly askew, just to name a few.





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Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads is now in AUDIO!!! Listen to narrator, Suzie Althens, breathe life and depth into these stories!
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Review: 
Sewing Can be Dangerous and Other Small Threads is a collection of eleven short stories that are tied together by the theme of sewing.  As with any short story collection, there were some stories that I enjoyed more than others; but, overall this is a strong collection.  Each story is strongly character driven and many of the stories showcase  women's strength, intelligence and motivation through history and throughout the world.  Each character had a unique voice and took me to a different place and time.  My favorite stories throughout the collection often wove together past and present through an object.  

The very first story, Sewing Can Be Dangerous, introduced me to a Russian-Jewish immigrant family with a young girl named Sarah.  Discouraged at the lack of work for his family, the father takes his frustration out on Sarah, who has managed to find a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  When tragedy strikes the factory, Sarah takes the opportunity to turn her life around.

Lettie's Tale tells the story of a young, deaf slave on a plantation in the south.  Lettie is given the task of sewing special quilts, when she discovers the true meaning of the quilts, Lettie's talents and desires grow.

In World War II Germany, The Comforter serves a special purpose to 50 Jewish people.  Hans painstakingly forges passports as his wife sews them into the batting of the quilt.  When Kristallnacht happens, the comforter happens to play an important role.  


Emma works for Lord and Lady Buckingham. They prepare for a royal visitor and want Emma to sew a gift to present to the King.  As Emma and Lady Buckingham learn that danger awaits, the pillow Emma will sew turns from a gift into a warning. 


This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.  

About the Author: 
S.R. Mallery has worn various hats in her life.

First, a classical/pop singer/composer, she moved on to the professional world of production art and calligraphy. Next came a long career as an award winning quilt artist/teacher and an ESL/Reading instructor. Her short stories have been published in descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.

“Unexpected Gifts”, her debut novel, is currently available on Amazon. “Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads”, her collection of short stories, Jan. 2014, both books by Mockingbird Lane Press.

For more information please visit S.R. Mallery’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

About the Book: 
Publication Date: September 7, 2014
Metropolis Ink
Paperback; 338p
ISBN: 098072192XGenre: YA Historical Fiction


A Queen fights for her life.
A King denies his heart and soul.
A girl faces her true identity.
All things must come to an end—all things but love.

The Light in the Labyrinth, a young adult novel, depicts the lives of women in the patriarchal society of the Tudors, a time when aristocratic families commonly traded them for favour and status. Told from the perspective of a teenage Katherine Carey, niece of Anne Boleyn, this is a story of a girl who becomes a woman in the court of Henry VIII, the bloody tyrant remembered so well by history.

Unhappy at home with her mother, who has remarried, Kate receives permission to go to court to attend her royal aunt. In the past, Kate idolized her aunt from a distance; now given a place amongst her aunt’s trusted women, she becomes an eyewitness to the intrigue and heartache of Anne Boleyn’s final months as queen.

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Review: 
Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn wants nothing more than to leave her impoverished family home in the countryside and join her Aunt Nan at court. When her mother and stepfather finally agree to let Kate go, Aunt Nan, also known as Queen Anne welcomes young Kate with open arms.  However, court life is not all fun and games as Kate imagined.  Danger, lies and secrets are what Kate finds instead.  Queen Anne has already fell out of favor with the King, Kate is unable to walk alone through the castle and everyone but Kate seems to know the secret behind her and her brother Henry's true parentage. After Queen Anne has an unsuccessful pregnancy and fails to give the King a male heir, conditions at court turn worse for the Boleyn family and Kate chooses to stay with her Aunt through her final days.

Written for a young adult audience, The Light in the Labyrinth was also a pleasant read as an adult.  From the unique point of view of Mary Boleyn and King Henry's daughter, Kate, a character is created that sees Queen Anne in only a positive light. Kate's character is younger and naive to court life, everything that she discovers is new and different.  She handles herself well, but not without some mistakes along the way.  What I loved most about her character was that Kate was not afraid to speak up to her father, the King. Kate also discovers love for the first time with an age-appropriate romance with Francis Knollys. Since this is a young adult book there is not as much court intrigue, deception and plotting adult books; however, the main historical events portrayed are accurate.  Overall, this is a Tudor book I would have have enjoyed reading when I was a teen. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

About the Author: 
Wendy J. Dunn is an Australian writer who has been obsessed by Anne Boleyn and Tudor History since she was ten-years-old. She is the author of two Tudor novels: Dear Heart, How Like You This?, the winner of the 2003 Glyph Fiction Award and 2004 runner up in the Eric Hoffer Award for Commercial Fiction, and The Light in theLabyrinth, her first young adult novel.

While she continues to have a very close and spooky relationship with Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder, serendipity of life now leaves her no longer wondering if she has been channeling Anne Boleyn and Sir Tom for years in her writing, but considering the possibility of ancestral memory. Her own family tree reveals the intriguing fact that her ancestors – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Wendy is married and the mother of three sons and one daughter—named after a certain Tudor queen, surprisingly, not Anne.

Wendy tutors at Swinburne University in their Master of Arts (Writing) program. She also works as a literature support teacher at a primary school.

For more information please visit Wendy J. Dunn’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

About the Book: 
Publication Date: December 10, 2013
Cedar Pocket Publishing
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 490

Series: Iceberg Trilogy
Genre: Historical Fiction


READ AN EXCERPT.

Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, fifteen year-old Rebecca Crowe’s fascination with icebergs leads her to save a shipwrecked survivor, Samuel Dalton, the nineteen-year old son of a Toronto medical family.

Love sparks in the crystal cave of an iceberg but is thwarted by an unreasonable father and the Great War that drags Samuel and his brother, Matthew, to the Western Front as medical officers. Knowing Rebecca is home and safe in Newfoundland brings Samuel great comfort. But as the war moves towards its final harrowing days, they both discover that tragedy and terror can strike anywhere, setting their love on an unforeseen path.

Only when Samuel and Rebecca can fully come to terms with such devastating loss and their impossible choices can their love soar. With an emotional intensity reminiscent of The Bronze Horseman, Seldom Come By, named after an actual place in Newfoundland, is an unforgettable journey across waves and time and the full spectrum of human emotions.

Review: 
Rebecca Crowe and her family live in a small town in Newfoundland.  Rebecca loves to watch the icebergs float by on the ocean.  One day while spotting icebergs, Rebecca sees a small boat floating, when she paddles out to get the boat, she finds a shipwrecked man.  When the man, Samuel,  wakes, Rebecca is the first person he sees.  Samuel feels indebted to the Crow family for his survival and stays to help them throughout his recovery.  Though Samuel is nineteen and Rebecca is fourteen, Samuel finds common ground with Rebecca.  When the Great War begins, Samuel must return home to Toronto. However, the Crowe family and Rebecca stay in his mind and Samuel returns to them three years later to find a grown Rebecca and renew their spark.  

An absolutely astonishing, epic historical romance.  As someone who is not always fond of romances, this book kept me interested the whole way through.  The beautiful descriptions brought me to the distinct landscape of the Newfoundland coast, also the details of different icebergs brought out their beauty, uniqueness and made them a gorgeous setting for a romance.  The characters are developed with intensity and emotion. Rebecca is joyful, adventurous and hard working with a strong sense of wonder, making her easy to identify with and ride her wave of emotions as the book advances.  The historical aspects of the story were also gripping.  It was interesting to see Canada's involvement in the Great War and the impacts it had on the country.  There is also a point of view from the trenches, read through Samuel's brother, Matthew's point of view that is raw and honest. Seldom Come By is an emotional roller coaster of a story that is high in anticipation from page to page.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review. 

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About the Author:
Australian-born Sherryl Caulfield is a marketer, writer and traveller. After twenty years working for some of the world’s leading technology brands and a stint with Outward Bound, she longed to write about the human experience and the redemptive qualities of nature.

In 2006, haunted by an encounter with a woman she met in Canada, Sherryl started what has now become known as The Iceberg Trilogy. From her home in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, she distilled the lives of three generations of women – Rebecca, Evangeline and Lindsay – over the course of a century. In the telling of their stories she crafted a series rich in landscapes – of sea, land and the human soul.

For more information please visit Sherryl Caulfield’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.