Day: February 10, 2021

Posted on

Spotlight: The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola + Giveaway

Muldoon Tour Banner
Join us for this tour from Feb 1 to Feb 26, 2021!

 

Book Details:

Book Title: The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola – the most famous woman you’ve never heard of by Melissa Muldoon
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 345 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Publisher:  Matta Press
Release date:  December 2020
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. includes mature themes (suicide, adultery, sexual relations, murder)

Book Description:

Set in the sixteenth-century, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola tells the story of a woman’s passion for painting and adventure. In a world where women painters had little to no acknowledgment, she was singled out by Michelangelo and Vasari who recognized and praised her talent. Gaining the Milanese elite’s acclaim, she went on to become court painter to Spanish King Philip II and taught his queen to paint.

One can’t live such an extraordinary life without having stories to tell, and tell them Sofonisba does to Sir Anthony Van Dyke, who comes to visit her toward the end of her life. During their meeting, she agrees to reveal her secrets but first challenges the younger painter to find the one lie hidden in her tale. In a saga filled with intrigue, jealousy, buried treasure, unrequited love, espionage, and murder, Sofonisba’s story is played out against the backdrop of Italy, Spain, and Sicily. Throughout her life, she encounters talented artists, authoritative dukes, mad princes, religious kings, spying queens, vivacious viscounts, and dashing sea captains—even a Barbary pirate. But of all the people who fell in love with Sofonisba, only one captured her heart. The painter may have many secrets but the truth of her life is crystal clear from the beginning.

Always a strong, passionate woman with a dream, she was an intelligent artist who knew her self-worth and in the end, as Michelangelo had done for her, Sofonisba passed her brush to a new generation.

 Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N ~  Bookshop 
Autographed from Author
Add to Goodreads 

You May Also Enjoy:

 

 

 

Book Details:

Book Title: Eternally Artemisia—some loves, like some women, are timeless by Melissa Muldoon
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 305 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Publisher:  Matta Press
Release date:  March 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. includes mature themes (suicide, adultery, sexual relations, murder)

Book Description:

They say some loves travel through time and are fated to meet over and over again. For Maddie, an art therapist, who wrestles with the “peculiar feeling” she has lived previous lives and is being called to Italy by voices that have left imprints on her soul, this idea is intriguing. Despite her best efforts, however, proof of this has always eluded her. That is, until one illuminating summer in Italy when Maddie’s previous existences start to bleed through into her current
reality.

When she is introduced to the Crociani family—a noble clan with ties to the seventeenth-century Medici court that boasts of ancestors with colorful pasts—she finally meets the loves of her life. One is a romantic love, and another is a special kind of passion that only women share, strong amongst those who have suffered greatly yet have triumphed despite it. As Maddie’s relationship develops with Artemisia Gentileschi—an artist who in a time when it was unheard of to denounce a man for the crime of rape, did just that—Maddie discovers a kindred spirit and a role model, and just what women are capable of when united together.

In a journey that arcs back to biblical days and moves forward in time, Maddie encounters artists, dukes, designers, and movie stars as well as baser and ignoble men. With Artemisia never far from her side, she proves that when we dare to take control of our lives and find the “thing” we are most passionate about, we are limitless and can touch the stars.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Audible
B&N ~  Bookshop ~ BookBub
Autographed from Author
Add to Goodreads 

Book Details:

Book Title: Waking Isabella—because beauty can’t sleep forever by Melissa Muldoon
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 271 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Publisher:  Matta Press
Release date:  November 2018
Format available for review:  ebook (mobi for Kindle, epub), and audiobook (audible download
Tour dates:  Feb 1 to Feb 26, 2021
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. includes mature themes (suicide, adultery, sexual relations, murder)

Book Description:

Waking Isabella is a story about uncovering hidden beauty that, over time, has been lost, erased, or suppressed. It also weaves together several love stories as well as a few mysteries.

Nora, an assistant researcher, is a catalyst for resolving the puzzle of a painting that has been missing for decades. Set in Arezzo, a small Tuscan town, the plot unfolds against the backdrop of the city’s antique trade and the
fanfare and pageantry of its medieval jousting festival.

While filming a documentary about Isabella de’ Medici—the Renaissance princess who was murdered by her husband—Nora begins to connect with the lives of two remarkable women from the past. Unraveling the stories of Isabella, the daughter of a fifteenth-century Tuscan duke, and Margherita, a young girl trying to survive the war in Nazi-occupied Italy, Nora begins to question the choices that have shaped her own life up to this point. As she does, hidden beauty is awakened deep inside of her, and she discovers the keys to her creativity and happiness. It is a story of
love and deceit, forgeries and masterpieces—all held together by the allure and intrigue of a beautiful Tuscan ghost.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Audible
B&N ~  Bookshop ~ BookBub
Autographed from Author
Add to Goodreads 

Meet the Author:Melissa Muldoon is the author of four novels set in Italy: Dreaming Sophia, Waking Isabella, Eternally Artemisia, and The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola. All four books tell the stories of women and their journeys of self-discovery to find love, uncover hidden truths, and follow their destinies to shape a better future for themselves.

Melissa is also the author of the Studentessa Matta website, where she promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog written in Italian and English (studentessamatta.com). Studentessa Matta means the “crazy linguist” and has grown to include a podcast, Tutti Matti per l’Italiano and the Studentessa Matta, YouTube channel, Facebook page and Instagram feed. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Programs, which she co-leads with Italian schools in Italy to learn Italian in Italy.

Through her website, she also offers the opportunities to live and study in Italy through Homestay programs. Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history, and European history from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master’s degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence. She is an artist, designer, and illustrated the cover art for all four of her books. Melissa is the managing director of Matta Press

Connect with the author: 

Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads

Tour Schedule:Feb 1 – The Pen and Muse Book Reviews – spotlight of all 3 books / giveaway
Feb 1 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – spotlight of all 3 books
Feb 2 – Working Mommy Journal – review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 2 – Books for Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 3 – Working Mommy Journal – review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 3 – Books for Books – review of Isabella
​Feb 4 – I’m All About Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 5 – History from a Woman’s Perspective – review of Sofonisba
Feb 8 – Olio by Marilyn – review of Sofonisba / author interview / giveaway
Feb 8 – Literary Flits – review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 9 – History from a Woman’s Perspective – review of Artemisia
Feb 10 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 10 – Gwendalyn’s Books – review of Sofonisba / author interview / giveaway
Feb 11 – History from a Woman’s Perspective – review of Isabella
Feb 11 – Books for Books – review of Artemisia
Feb 12 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 12 – Stephanie Jane – spotlight of all 3 books / giveaway
Feb 15 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 16 – Deborah-Zenha Adams – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Feb 16 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – review of Sofonisba / guest post / giveaway
Feb 17 – Gwendalyn’s Books – review of Isabella
Feb 17 – Locks, Hooks and Books – review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 17 – Splashes of Joy – spotlight of all 3 books / author interview / giveaway
Feb 18 – Locks, Hooks and Books – review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 18 – Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – review of Artemisia / giveaway
Feb 19 – 30-something Travel – review of Sofonisba / guest post / giveaway
Feb 19 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – review of Sofonisba
Feb 22 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – review of Isabella
Feb 22 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 23 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – review of Artemisia / giveaway
Feb 23 – Jazzy Book Reviews – spotlight of all 3 books / giveaway
Feb 24 – Library of Clean Reads – review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 25 – Olio by Marilyn – review of Artemisia / giveaway
Feb 26 – High Society Book Club & Reviews – review of Sofonisba + spotlight previous books / guest post / giveaway
Feb 26 – 30-something Travel – review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 26 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – review of Artemisia

 

Enter the Giveaway:

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Spotlight: Mischief Island + Giveaway

mischief island DB banner
Mischief Island
by Daneal Brown
Genre: Erotic Romance

“Strengthen relationships with Insane O _ _ _ _ _ S”

This ad in the daily newspaper was all it took for two couples to go on a vacation of a lifetime.

Time away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday grind can always bring two hearts back to one.” – Whit Lafleur

 

The McDonald’s and The Lafluer’s seem to have it all — a loving relationship, a wonderful home and some awesome friends, that is always there for them no matter what.

Lauren, the ambitious beauty, worked hard at her job, always bringing work home, trying to be recognized as more than just a pretty face. Unknowingly she was neglecting her husband Leroy in the bedroom and it began pushing him towards a young beauty at his job.

With Whit working more overtime than he’s ever worked in their twenty plus years of marriage to his loving wife Suzanne the spontaneousness in their sex life was slowly fading away.

With a headline like “Insane O _ _ _ _ _ S,” how could the feisty buxom blonde Suzanne, pass up this opportunity, no matter how tasteless Lauren thought it was, she had to see what it was all about. After an intense morning workout and a regular day at the office, Suzanne and Lauren went to one of their favorite eateries for lunch. Before their food could hit the table Suzanne had already made the call and gave some mysterious woman all of their business. Now all they had to do was convince their husbands.

Join Suzanne and her best friend Lauryn as they pull their husbands into a wild adventure on an island where love reigns supreme, but mischief rules.

The couples let their hair down and find multiple ways to strengthen their relationships with drinking, dancing, romance and oranges?

From the creative mind of Daneal Brown Mischief Island, will display and test friendship, love, and marriage in this spicy novel.

 

 
 
 

Daneal Brown has been creative all of his life, but he didn’t start focusing his creativity on writing until he began attending high school in Atlanta, GA. His writing started out as poetry, which later became raps. Being a huge rap music fan, Daneal tried his hands at many rap styles, but storytelling became his signature style. His love for storytelling intensified in college when he was a student at Grambling State University.

After graduating and entering the real world, Daneal got away from writing his tales, but his writing was revived after seeing a writing challenge on Facebook. He hopes that his writing takes people into a zone where they lose themselves and rekindle lost emotions. When asked about his writing style, he said it’s out the box, spontaneous, entertaining, and he doesn’t plan on sticking to one genre.

 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
 
$25 Amazon

Posted on

Spotlight & Excerpt: Clover + Giveaway

clover Tour Banner

Clover
by Nicole Kilpatrick

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/ romance
Publisher: Fire and Ice Young Adult Books
Date of Publication: December 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68046-983-7
ASIN: 1680469835
Number of pages: 270 pages
Word Count: 77K
Cover Artist: Ashley Redbird Designs

 

Sometimes the best of luck can be the worst of curses.

When a handsome leprechaun reveals himself to Clover O’Leary on her eighteenth birthday, she is faced with three hard facts. One: he is the reason for her remarkably charmed life; Two: her luck has now taken a turn for the worse. Three: her name is a curse; a malicious gift from the powerful leprechaun who named her while she was still in the womb.

In order to get her life back and undo the evil spell, she must travel to Ireland to seek the only creature who may be able to help: the Seelie Queen. With her intriguing leprechaun in tow, Clover crosses into the Faerie Realm, where fairies and mythical creatures abound and where finding her luck may ultimately lead to finding her love.

Amazon      BN     Smashwords     Google Play     Apple      Kobo


Excerpt from Chapter One:

The room smelled of sweat, cigarette smoke, and a tad bit of spilled beer drying on hot concrete. The stench of inebriated desperation was palpable. Theirs hadn’t been the only poker game when Nick O’Leary first came into the gambling den, but now everyone had gathered around their table to watch. Everyone looked so strange to him all of a sudden, as if his frayed nerves had somehow made everything sharper and more focused. The lad in the pale blue suit, too handsome. The lady who smelled of lilacs, what was up with those ears? The whole lot of them seemed caricatures of their former selves, and in the center, staring at him with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen was Alistair.

“I don’t enjoy waiting, my friend.” He smirked as he theatrically drummed his fingers on the table.

Alistair wasn’t Nick’s friend at all. He had just met the guy that day at a Las Vegas casino. He had cajoled him into a private poker game, and Nick had been too much of a gambler to resist. There was something about him that was hard to say no to. He was expertly groomed, immaculately dressed, and extremely good-looking, and yet for all these attributes, he somehow looked out of place. He was like a Picasso in a sea of wallpaper. Nick found himself wanting to be in the man’s presence.

Next thing he knew, Nick was in a gambling den ten blocks off the strip, in what would appear to be an oddly high stakes game of poker, face to face with the mysterious Alistair.

“See, I’m not sure I understand,” Nick stammered.

“It’s quite simple really. We’ve, shall we say, upped the ante? Money is so passé nowadays, don’t you think? My preferred currency is luck.”

The last word drew a collective gasp from the now captivated crowd.

“Look, I really don’t know where you’re going with this…”

“Pretend that I may give you luck and pretend that I too may take it away. Upon this premise, my friend, we shall place our final bets. If you win, I am prepared to offer a lifetime of providence. If I win, you will surrender said providence to me, commencing immediately until the day of your death.”

 

About the Author:

Nicole Kilpatrick was born and raised in the sun-kissed Philippines islands, but now works and lives in the asphalt jungle that is New York City. A lifelong lover of books, she read the Godfather when she was twelve and instantly fell in love. While she still enjoys the occasional gangster novel, she has since discovered her true passion in young adult fantasy. Mario Puzzo was quickly replaced by J.K. Rowling in this author’s heart. 

When not writing, she can be found lounging in a cabin by a river, curled up at home reading a book, or concocting recipes in her cozy kitchen in Brooklyn, where she lives with her husband. Clover is her debut novel.

Website

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Goodreads

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Scroll Up