Guest Post: Jennifer Hotes

Weaving the supernatural into a contemporary story.

At its core, Four Rubbings is a story of friendship, unceasing love and the innocent mistakes that scar us forever. When the reader meets Josie Jameson, it has been six years since the death of her mother. She leads her three best friends to the same historic Seattle cemetery where her mother is buried to make tombstone rubbings on Halloween night. Under the guise of fun, Josie hopes their field trip will connect them with the spirits. She asks her friends to seek a grave using their hearts, then try to connect with the deceased before taping paper on the grave’s face and rubbing it with black chalk. The friends journey four ways into the cemetery grounds. Josie, intending to rub her mother’s grave, is distracted by a stray cat and follows him into a part of the cemetery that people call the “Ghost Forest.” Instead of rubbing her mother’s grave, she feels called to a grave like no other. No name or date is carved into the strange blue stone. Instead, it is decorated with unusual symbols. And with that simple action, rubbing that grave with chalk, Josie unleashes an ancient magic.

In the months to come, while her friends uncover mysteries associated with their graves, Josie is terrorized by nightmares and dark visions and feels sick with guilt that she didn’t try harder to connect with her mother on Halloween.

When I first drafted Four Rubbings, I dragged my daughters to countless cemeteries to find the actual graves, tombstones and names that appear in the book. Three of the graves came quickly, but the fourth one never felt quite right. It felt forced, and too cozy and too tidy. I was forcing myself on the story, so I pulled back and left the book alone for a time. Then, I had a nightmare like none other. I woke up coated in sweat and with a picture of a black-haired woman racing through my brain. In the dream, I crouched behind a bush and watched her bury something secret below a massive cedar tree. I could only grab fuzzy details because the moonlight was bright, but not bright enough to see clearly what it was she buried.

When I woke, I knew I’d been introduced to the fourth grave in Four Rubbings. It was the grave that should have never been touched, the mistake. Josie will pay for that mistake for years to come and readers will have to follow the trilogy to its end to see whether dark magic or light will win out and if Josie can survive the battle.

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About the author:

Encouraged by her mother-in-law, Elizabeth A. Hotes, who told her to create something Jennifer Hotesand share it with others, Jennifer writes and illustrates to keep her memory alive.

To date, Jennifer’s favorite medium is pen and ink, but she also loves to paint a wall or canvas.

Her works have been featured at benefit art auctions, adorned the walls of public spaces, graced  homes and enhanced books with vibrant covers and internal illustrations.

Four Rubbings is Jennifer’s first novel, though she’s busy writing the second book in the Stone Witch Series presently. Four Rubbings is great for readers that enjoyed the Harry Potter series, and has been a fun book club pick across the country. The author loves Skyping into book clubs, so email her and ask – she may just surprise you with a cyber-visit!

Social Media links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

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Four Rubbings

 

Title: Four Rubbings, The Stone Witch Society Book 1

Author: Jennifer L. Hotes

Genre: young adult gothic thriller

Publisher: Booktrope Publishing

 

 

 

Halloween.

The night the barrier between the dead and the living is as thin as muslin. Fourteen-year old Josie, haunted by the death of her mother, leads her best friends to an ancient cemetery to rub graves. Convinced she will come away with proof of her mother’s spirit at last, the evening takes an unexpected turn as the teens gravitate four ways into the haunted grounds.

Set against the backdrop of the rainy Pacific Northwest, four graves will be rubbed, touching off a series of events that will rattle their once mundane lives. From the lonely World War II hero to an accused witch, the people buried beneath the stones have stories that need an ending.

The journey to unravel the mysteries leaves the friends wondering if the graves would’ve been better off left alone.

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Book links:

Goodreads

Amazon

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Giveaway

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***All images and wording were provided by the publisher. Moonlightreader is not responsible for this giveaway.***

Review: Is This What I Want?

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Four difficult months have passed since Beth’s husband Rick discovered her affair with a former student. The couple has worked hard in therapy to salvage their marriage and understand their roles in everything that happened. Things are looking up until Dave reappears, awakening Beth’s fantasies of what could have been had she taken their affair to the next level. Now that she is faced with another opportunity, Beth battles an even more impossible dilemma than the first time she was caught in Dave’s web.

Amidst the trouble in her marriage and pressure to shield her children from the discord, Beth is also called upon to help her two best friends, both with serious problems of their own. The stress sparks temptation to seek comfort in her favorite vices. But she knows she can’t hide if she wants to save what matters most. The question is, what does she want?

(Blurb from Goodreads)

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****This is book two of a series so this review will definitely be a spoiler if you have not read book one, Is This All There Is?****

See my review for Is This All There Is?

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As you read in the synopsis, Beth and Rick are working things out, and then BAM, Dave ends up in Beth’s class!!  Beth is honest to Rick about it though, but it obviously doesn’t help their marriage.  But just like the title suggests, Beth really still doesn’t know what she wants.

You know if you’ve read the first book, right before Beth was about to sleep with Dave, Rick called so it never happened.  So Beth has been building up that moment in her head.  The thing is, the grass usually seems greener on the other side doesn’t it?  Usually your imagination is way better than the real thing. But Beth still isn’t seeing clearly, and one of her new friends isn’t really the best influence which also doesn’t help her out.

So, I was shocked at what happened in this book, to be honest.  I wasn’t expecting it.  But again, that’s what makes it so good.  And just like the first book, I totally didn’t agree with Beth’s decisions.  But again, that’s what makes it a good book.

So yes, I really liked it and definitely recommend.

My Rating: 4 stars 

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***I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.  I work for Booktrope Publishing which is also the publishing company of this book.  However, I receive no monetary or any kind of compensation for sales of this book, or for writing a positive review.  This review was my honest opinion.*** 

Guest Post: Hannah Fielding

Writing Rafe

Burning Embers is a contemporary historical romance novel set in 1970s Kenya. It tells the story of the developing love and passion between Coral, a naive, young English girl returning to the place of her birth, and Rafe, the handsome but tortured womanizer to whom Coral is inextricably drawn.

It’s a story of long, hot African days and sultry nights; of slumbering beasts and awakening desires; of intrigue and darkness; of journeys beginning and ending; of growing up and letting go; of falling in love, and following your heart. 

A passionate romance novel requires the kind of hero that makes your knees tremble, and in Burning Embers I endeavoured to create just that with the character of Rafe de Montfort. Here’s how I first describe him in the book, when he is a stranger to the heroine, Coral:

He was tall, dark, and lean. In the moonlight, the eyes that viewed her with slow appraisal seemed black, but she guessed that in daylight they would have reflected other tones. His  was not an outstandingly handsome face; it held something stronger, more powerful than conventional good looks: a blatant sensuality, a charismatic magnetism that drew her attention despite her desire to ignore him.

Image provided by Hannah Fielding

Image provided by Hannah Fielding

I believe that first and foremost, the hero must be attractive. He does not have to be a beautiful man; indeed, sometimes the most appealing leads aren’t. But he must exude magnetism, be eminently male with an edge of machismo, and physique matters. More important than looks, though, is character – which shines through appearance to make for a truly knee-melting hero. He must have charisma; he must be the kind of man who, when he enters a room, has such a commanding presence that you can’t help but look his way. He must have principles, confidence, and strength of character. He must have wit – an easy smile. He must be kind, and compassionate. But above all else, he must be passion incarnate! That is Rafe de Monfort.

In the book, Rafe is a successful entrepreneur who runs a nightclub and a plantation. He is also a man with a notorious reputation for womanising, and it is well-earned. He keeps a mistress, the sultry dancer Morgana, and yet still pursues Coral. And in addition to this ‘bad boy’ behaviour, rumours abound that Rafe is ruthless and not afraid to get his hands dirty. Coral’s old nanny, Aluna, is convinced he was complicit in the death of her father. Is he only interested in Coral now in order to get his hands on the family plantation?

I loved writing Rafe – he reminds me of Heathcliff: a tortured soul. He is an alpha male, and seemingly so strong and tough, but beneath the surface he is vulnerable and struggling so much with his emotions. I think it is just this combination of strength and vulnerability that is irresistible and goes straight to my heart. Would you agree?

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Hannah Fielding bio:

Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, she lives the dream: she writes full time, splitting her time between her homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.

To date, she has published two novels. Burning Embers is a vivid, evocative love story set against the backdrop of tempestuous and wild Kenya of the 1970s, reviewed by one newspaper as ‘romance like Hollywood used to make’. The Echoes of Love is a story of passion, betrayal and intrigue set in the romantic and mysterious city of Venice and the beautiful landscape of Tuscany.

 

Social Media Links

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

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NEW BURNING EMBERS COVER

 

 

Coral Sinclair is a beautiful but naïve twenty-five-year-old photographer who has just lost her father. She’s leaving the life she’s known and traveling to Kenya to take ownership of her inheritance – the plantation that was her childhood home – Mpingo. On the voyage from England, Coral meets an enigmatic stranger to whom she has a mystifying attraction. She sees him again days later on the beach near Mpingo, but Coral’s childhood nanny tells her the man is not to be trusted. It is rumored that Rafe de Monfort, owner of a neighboring plantation and a nightclub, is a notorious womanizer having an affair with her stepmother, which may have contributed to her father’s death.

Circumstance confirms Coral’s worst suspicions, but when Rafe’s life is in danger she is driven to make peace. A tentative romance blossoms amidst a meddling ex-fiancé, a jealous stepmother, a car accident, and the dangerous wilderness of Africa. Is Rafe just toying with a young woman’s affections? Is the notorious womanizer only after Coral’s inheritance? Or does Rafe’s troubled past color his every move, making him more vulnerable than Coral could ever imagine?

Find the Book

Goodreads

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

***Images and wording for this post were provided by the author.***

Review: Is This All There Is?

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Beth Thomas’ seemingly perfect life is about to take a detour. At thirty-five, she’s married to her college sweetheart, has two adorable kids, and finds fulfillment teaching part time at the local university. 

But when a friend persuades her to go dancing on a rare night out, a chance meeting with a handsome former student changes the course of her life. Loud music, too much to drink, and the thrill of feeling young again lead to an unforgettable kiss that was never supposed to happen. Beth feels wanted again, listened to, cared for, but she knows it’s wrong. 

She tries to put the memory behind her, but he pursues her, drawing Beth back to temptation. As she travels deeper into Dave’s world, Beth struggles to choose between what her mind says is right and what she truly craves.

(Blurb from Goodreads)

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It’s funny how as you grow up your tastes change. Maybe you start to like coffee when  you hated it before.  Healthy food is more appealing.  And the genres you read switch as do the phases in life.  I’m not really a *Women’s Fiction* reader, but this book hit home with me on so many levels.

As I was reading it, I felt like, oh my God, someone who feels like me!  And I’m not talking about the cheating aspect AT ALL.  I’m talking about the loneliness of motherhood.  The part of motherhood that no one seems to talk about.  Because it is lonely, especially if you don’t take time for yourself to take care of you; and that is what started Beth’s dilemma.

I really enjoyed this book and was easily pulled into Beth’s world and thoughts.  I definitely did not agree with her choices, at all.  But if I did agree with what she did all the time, that would be a pretty boring book now wouldn’t it.

Thank you Patricia Mann for helping me get lost for a little while.  I definitely recommend.

My Rating: 4 1/2 stars 

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Find the Book

Amazon

Goodreads

***I downloaded this book for free on Amazon while it was on promotion. I also want to disclose that I work for Booktrope Publishing, the same company that published this book. I do not get compensated in any way for writing a positive review of this book. My thoughts are entirely my own and not swayed in any way.***

Spotlight: Eliza Bluebell

Image provided by the author

Image provided by the author

 Eliza Bluebell is a magical and heart-warming a middle grade fantasy. In the picture postcard village of Blossom Brook, Eliza Bluebell arrives changing the lives of the locals forever. With the help of her playful shadow, Eliza transforms an empty shop on the High Street into the heart and soul of the village. Find out how and read this fantastical story about friendship, butterflies and fairy cakes. 

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Excerpt

Eliza Bluebell became best friends with her shadow at a very young age. Having spent her life travelling from place to place, she never stayed anywhere long enough to make friends. As soon as she found someone she liked, Eliza would suddenly find herself on an adventure to somewhere new. She wasn’t able to take friends with her on her travels. But her shadow would go with her wherever she went.

When they were small they would play hide and seek. Her shadow was very good at hiding. She could slip down cracks in the floorboard or merge with another shadow in the room. When on quests to find sweets, Eliza would send her shadow ahead to see if there was anyone coming. Fortunately, only Eliza could see her shadow doing these things. Her shadow was invisible to other people – unless of course, her shadow was doing what normal shadows do.

Eliza spent her youth moving from home to home and from family to family. She grew up to be a magical girl and, with the help of her shadow, she could do wondrous things. As soon as she was old enough, they set out into the world looking for her real family.

They would visit big cities and small hamlets, staying long enough to make things better for those whose paths they crossed.  They would watch over each other on their many journeys. Like best friends, they were inseparable and together they were a team. Really, they were one and the same. And so, it was the village of Blossom Brook that was to become home for Eliza Bluebell and her shadow. But just for a while.

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Praises

A pure delight for middle school readers and adults young at heart.” Sheri, Goodreads

 “I’d recommend Eliza Bluebell to folks who like uplifting short stories with a touch of humor and magic.” Patricia, Goodreads

I loved A. J. York’s creativity. I’m so glad someone is writing sweet children’s/young reader stories that are full of goodness.”   Angie, Goodreads

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Find the Book

Goodreads

Amazon

Amazon UK

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Eliza’a story has a link to the author’s other books about a girl called Delilah Dusticle who has special powers in eradicating dust.

Book one – Delilah Dusticle 

Amazon

Book two – Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventure

Amazon

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Author Bio

A. J. York is the author of the middle grade fantasy series called The Delilah Dusticle Adventures.A.J. York  profile picture Born in Gothenburg, Sweden and raised in the UK, A.J. York’s first love was telling stories through drama. 

 

“I have always enjoyed making up characters and their life storis, therefore I jumped at the chance to study theatre at the University of Brighton.  I later trained as a drama teacher and I have a Master’s degree from Goldsmiths. I have gone back to my roots and I now live in Gothenburg. People have told me they love reading my stories and I hope you have fun reading them too!” A.J. York 

 
Links

www.ajyork.com 
Facebook
Twitter
Watch Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventure book trailer! http://youtu.be/kBheXFxFpbI

 

***Images and wording for this book spotlight were provided by the author.***