Well, that was fast. My first blogging break of the year is here. I contemplated whether I should continue to take breaks every 6 or so weeks and decided that, yes, I should. Not only do they give me a bit of breathing space, but it gives me time to really turn my focus back to my family. Also, as an introvert, interacting with people, even if it’s over the Internet, is exhausting and I really need to recharge. The most important thing I learned I needed to do was to just take some time to pause, to stop, to come to a standstill so I can look back and…
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Book Review: Master of Sorrows by Justin T. Call
Title: Master of Sorrows Author: Justin T. Call Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Publication date: February 25, 2020 Genre: Fantasy Summary: Annev wants nothing more than to become an Avatar, basically an Academy-trained thief who retrieves magical artifacts. But he has a secret that, if revealed, would absolutely spell his death. The only member of the Academy who lives with an outside mentor, he also trains to be a priest, but it only brings the different ideologies each brings into conflict. Annev, though is good at almost everything and, by being incredibly smart, he manages to achieve his goal, just in time for his small, hidden village to be attacked and his secret revealed. Described as the story…
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Book Blog Tour – Review: The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to participate in the book blog tour for The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet. Title: The Unwilling Author: Kelly Braffet Publisher: MIRA Publication date: February 11, 2020 Genre: Fantasy Summary: Judah’s sole job in life is to not die. To die would mean certain death for the Lord of the City’s heir. Born on the same night, Judah and Gavin share an incredible bond: they experience each other’s emotions and physical ails as though they were their own. If one is injured, the other displays the same injury. Judah is a young woman with no family, a foundling taken in at birth, a young woman Lord Elban, Gavin’s father, detests but cannot rid himself…
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Book Review: Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie
Title: Been There, Married That Author: Gigi Levangie Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Publication date: February 11, 2020 Genre: Women’s Fiction Summary: Agnes Murphy Nash has been married to big shot movie producer Trevor Nash for over a decade, but Trevor has decided he needs out of the marriage. Completely caught off guard, Agnes does the only sensible thing and chooses to fight tooth and nail for custody of their tween daughter Pep (short for Penelope), hoping that giving in on everything else won’t prolong their Hollywood-style divorce. Unfortunately, Trevor is determined to make her life a living hell, throwing wrenches into her life so he comes out looking his best. But, with a trio of Spanish…
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Book Blog Tour – Excerpt: The Third to Die by Allison Brennan
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to participate in the book blog tour for The Third to Die by Allison Brennan, the first book in a thriller series featuring a troubled female police detective from L.A. and an ambitious FBI special agent heading up the new Mobile Response Team. Title: The Third to Die Author: Allison Brennan Publisher: MIRA Publication date: February 4, 2020 Genre: Mystery and Thriller New York Times bestselling author and gifted storyteller Allison Brennan’s new standalone thriller features a troubled female police detective and an ambitious FBI special agent who wind up at the center of a ticking-clock investigation into a diabolical serial killer. Brennan’s novel will launch a book-a-year series featuring a fabulous…
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The Lily Cafe Digest #7
It’s that time again! Time for a break. Since my son will be off from school for the next 3 weeks, I’ll be taking the time off as well. Once again, this Digest comes at the start of my break, so I hope you understand why I’m not allowing comments. I don’t plan to be anywhere near WordPress for the next 2 weeks, though I’ll be around to write my upcoming posts during the third week, so I may stop in and say hi. My last break came after 9 weeks of blogging, so I was a little caught off guard when the past 3 weeks just sped by. In…
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The Bloggers I Love: Writers and Book Reviewers Edition
Last week I shared the blogs of four amazing ladies I absolutely adore for their authenticity. This week I’m returning to my roots as a lifelong reader and writer with some readers and writers I enjoy. Writers and Authors Jennifer M. Zeiger – I adore this lady. She writes choose your own adventure stories and encourages her readers to participate. Her stories are fun and entertaining and I’m always looking forward to the next one. She’s a lovely fantasy author who is so wonderful at providing constructive feedback, and I love her insight into writing! Her most recently published book is The Adventure, which has three fun choose your own adventures…
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Book Review: The Impossible Contract by K. A. Doore
Title: The Impossible Contract Author: K. A. Doore Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge Publication date: November 12, 2019 Genre: Fantasy Summary: Book 2 in the Chronicles of Ghadid series, it takes place a few years after the events of the first book, The Perfect Assassin. This time, the story is centered on Thana, cousin to the assassin introduced in the first book. As the Serpent’s Daughter, she has a lot to live up to, which is also why she was chosen for a special contract: to kill Heru Sametket, second marabi advisory to the Empress. It seemed simple enough, until the dead became reanimated, and bent on destruction and death. Seeking to complete her contract, Thana ends up…
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Book Review: Killer Domes and the Chosen One by Gibbo Gibbs
Title: Killer Domes and the Chosen One Author: Gibbo Gibbs Publisher: Self-published Publication date: July 5, 2019 Genre: Science Fiction Summary: Maz is a brilliant designer and clearly meant for more. She yearns for more beyond what her dome has to offer. While meeting with her best friend Hap in a seldom used garden, she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime to see what lies beyond the dome. Mitch is determined to save the people of his own dome, who are slowly being held hostage while their dome leader seems to be going mad. But Mitch needs help, which comes in the form of Maz and Hap as they can seek the information Mitch needs…
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Book Excerpt: Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow by Jeremy Boggess
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to present author Jeremy Boggess and his nonfiction book Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow! Title: Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow Author: Jeremy P. Boggess Publisher: Self-published Publication Date: August 6, 2019 Genre: Nonfiction In our world today there are monumental and exponential changes occurring. These changes are happening not just in the local, international, or global arenas, but even within ourselves. Let us explore the necessary actions and responsibilities that will help guide us into our future. It is important to look beyond isolationism or globalization. Politics, the different governments and cultures in the world, and our environment are significant contributing factors, but we…
