Wrap up: Books 2020 pt2

This is another wrap up to catch up with the rest of the books read in 2020.

America's First Daughter
by Stephanie Dray
Historical, USA | Published: 2016 | Goodreads | my rating: 4 my two-bits: For the most part I liked this story. Some of it new to me as I did not know much about Jefferson's personal life. With Patsy and so many children, I wonder why she never opted for the birth control option she knew of. While the story got tedious at times, it works if you are in the mood for soap opera-like drama of that time period.

The Devil And The Dark Water
by Stuart Turton
Historical, Mystery, Thriller | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: 4 my two-bits: Enjoyed the old-ish sea-faring vibe.

Long Bright River
by Liz Moore
Mystery, Thriller | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: 4 my two-bits: It turned out better than expected. I was dreading how it might end which is most likely why it took me so long to finish. Sure had a couple twists. So glad it turned out the the way it did.

~*~ * header image source: reading woman

Cover reveal: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie (with giveaway)

America's First Daughter
by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
-Historical
Release date: March 1, 2016
Pre-order:
Amazon | B&N
iTunes | Kobo
Goodreads
Book Cover Tour

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.

Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

About Stephanie:

STEPHANIE DRAY is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for a RITA Award and won the Golden Leaf.

As STEPHANIE DRAVEN, she is a national bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and American-set historical women’s fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.

Find out more about this book and Stephanie:
Goodreads
Website
Blog
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter @stephaniehdray

About Laura:

LAURA KAMOIE has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Find out more about this book and Laura:
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Twitter @laurakayeauthor

--~ Book Cover Reveal Tour Giveaway ~--
WIN access to a Digital e-Galley at Edelweiss

For 10 readers

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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* heads-up courtesy of Tasty Book Tours

Winner for Song of the Nile

Here are the winners for giveaways that
ended October 23, 2011

Thanks to all contestants!


Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
Winner: Melanie of Melanie's Book Addiction

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* to see the original giveaway offer, click on the prize title links

* I will email winners for mailing addresses.
Winners, feel free to contact me with your info if you don't get my email
or if you are just too darn excited and want to let me know -- like NOW ;-D

* contest policy

* keep in touch with my giveaways and learn about other book giveaways by joining the GoodReads Book Giveaways group

* if not this time, maybe next time

--> check out the current giveaways and upcoming events on my sidebar

Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

Song of the Nile
by Stephanie Dray

Visit Stephanie:
Book Excerpt
Website
Blog
Facebook
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Shelfari
Twitter

Just released: October 2011
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Fantasy, Historical
Paperback: 416 pages
Rating: 5

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

Sorceress. Seductress. Schemer. Cleopatra's daughter is the one woman with the power to destroy an empire...

Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.

The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra's daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother's throne be more than she's willing to pay?

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): wedjat-painted eyes
Enjoyable read with rich historical details and drama in a post-Cleopatra world.

Well, the character IS a Cleopatra, but the daughter with her own brand of female power.

Sprinkling of magic and romance also included.

--~ Book Giveaway courtesy of author ~--
signup to win this book

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* review copy courtesy of author

* read Stephanie's guest post for October Trix-n-Treatz which include characters from this book

-+0+o+ October Trix-n-Treatz schedule +o+0+-

The Roman Princess Diaries by Stephanie Dray

BEFORE we enter the imaginarium of dr viiiii this week we must make a couple stops.

This C A R N I V A L E tent holds a bit of history...

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Stephanie Dray
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
The Roman Princess Diaries
Being the Daughter of Augustus
by Stephanie Dray

The star of my new novel, SONG OF THE NILE, is Cleopatra Selene. However, another young woman plays a very prominent role, and that is Julia, the daughter of Rome’s first emperor. Though their parents were mortal enemies, in my novel, the two teenaged girls form a strong bond of friendship.

On the surface, they don’t seem to have much in common. Where Selene is serious and careful, Julia is witty and reckless. Where Selene is thought of as a royal captive, the daughter of an Egyptian whore, Julia is known as the revered daughter of the emperor, a veritable Roman princess whose children will one day rule Rome. And yet, the two have more in common than most people know.

Selene’s mother is dead and Julia’s mother might as well be, since her father banished her mother from her life. Both girls live at the mercy of the emperor who sees them both as useful pawns in his dynastic schemes--trophies to reward the loyalty of his generals and cronies. While both girls are whip-smart and have an aptitude for politics, Augustus values only their wombs. He controls their sexuality, dictates their love lives, and tries to smother their spirits.

So how much of this is true to history? Almost all of it.

The historical Julia was taken away from her mother at birth and raised by Augustus and his wife Livia. It’s said that she lived a dreary childhood of spinning wool and weaving cloth, but once she reached her teen years, she was married off to her first cousin Marcellus, the heir apparent. Whilst Marcellus was alive, the handsome teens seemed like a romantic pairing, so when Marcellus died young of some mysterious ailment, leaving Julia a young widow, she won the people’s sympathy.

Pretty, witty, educated and fashionable, the emperor’s daughter was popular with the people. Perhaps some of them pitied her when she was next married off to her father’s general, Agrippa, a man who was much older and had already been married twice before. Though Julia was one of the most educated women in the Roman empire, her mission was to provide sons who could be adopted by the emperor to take over after he died.

In terms of breeding, Julia seems to have taken the duty seriously and performed with grace. She gave birth to three sons and two daughters, thus ensuring that the Julio-Claudian dynasty would survive. Though she gave her body to the husband her father chose for her, it seems clear that she considered her heart to be her own to give as she pleased. It’s said that she kept a lover and when someone asked how her children all looked so much like Agrippa, she intimated that she waited to be pregnant before engaging in adultery, saying, “I never take on new passengers unless the cargo is already full.”

Julia’s story has a dramatic ending--one that I won’t reveal here lest I give spoilers that might ruin the enjoyment of my readers. Let it suffice to say, she’s one of the most interesting “bad girls” of the ancient world, and that’s probably why I love her!

~end

Guest post by Stephanie Dray, author of Song of the Nile
© 2011. All rights reserved.


Stephanie graduated from Smith, a small women’s college in Massachusetts where–to the consternation of her devoted professors–she was unable to master Latin. However, her focus on Middle Eastern Studies gave her a deeper understanding of the consequences of Egypt’s ancient clash with Rome, both in terms of the still-extant tensions between East and West as well as the worldwide decline of female-oriented religion.

Before she wrote novels, Stephanie was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the transformative power of magic realism to illuminate the stories of women in history and inspire the young women of today. She remains fascinated by all things Roman or Egyptian and has–to the consternation of her devoted husband–collected a house full of cats and ancient artifacts.

Visit Stephanie:
Book Excerpt
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Stephanie Dray
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~

READ more about the story here...

--~ Book Giveaway courtesy of author ~--
Song of the Nile
by Stephanie Dray
signup to win this book
Sorceress. Seductress. Schemer. Cleopatra’s daughter has become the emperor’s most unlikely apprentice and the one woman who can destroy his empire…
Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.

Forced to marry a man of the emperor’s choosing, Selene will not allow her new husband to rule in her name. She quickly establishes herself as a capable leader in her own right and as a religious icon. Beginning the hard work of building a new nation, she wins the love of her new subjects and makes herself vital to Rome by bringing forth bountiful harvests.

But it’s the magic of Isis flowing through her veins that makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra’s daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother’s throne be more than she’s willing to pay?

Berkley Trade October 2011 (Trade Paperback)
# ISBN-10: 0425243044
# ISBN-13: 9780425243046

GET a copy:
Amazon
B&N
IndieBound
Constellation Books
Powell's

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* image source art of the Strangeling

-+0+o+ October Trix-n-Treatz schedule +o+0+-

Giveaway: Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

MAGIC from past and present is in the air...

--~ Book Giveaway courtesy of author ~--
Song of the Nile
by Stephanie Dray
Sorceress. Seductress. Schemer. Cleopatra's daughter is the one woman with the power to destroy an empire...

Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.

The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra's daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother's throne be more than she's willing to pay?

Win a copy of this BOOK!

Open to US and CANADA ONLY.

Offer ends: October 23, 2011

TO DO:
Per request of the author must JOIN at least one of the following and tell me which:

Stephanie's Newsletter

Stephanie's Twitter

or Stephanie's Facebook

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

~*~
* image source

-+0+o+ October Trix-n-Treatz schedule +o+0+-

In My Mailbox - 9.4.11

Bought:

Die for Me
(Revenants)
by Amy Plum
-paranormal, YA

Free from Kindle: beware some free offers are limited

The Nemesis Worm
by Guy Haley
-action, mystery, novella

For Review and giveaway:

Zombies Don't Cry
by Rusty Fischer
courtesy of the author
Thanks Rusty!
stay tuned: giveaway for this during September Zombies

Song of the Nile
by Stephanie Dray
courtesy of author
Thanks Stephanie & Shelly!
release date: Oct 4, 2011
stay tuned: giveaway goes up in October

Give Me
by LK Rigel
courtesy of author
Thanks LK!
-fairy tale

Free from Netgalley: got mine, get yours!

Dead of Night
A Zombie Novel
by Jonathan Maberry
release date: Oct 25, 2011

The Black Stiletto
by Raymond Benson
-thriller, YA

Pirate King
A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
by Laurie R. King

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Won from contest:

Vampire Bites
by Katie Salidas
Thanks to The Worm Hole

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Bookie Brunch schedule
Now follow me to the second Bookie Brunch meeting for a bit of chit chat and find out my answer to the Bookie Brunch Question of the day at Natalie of Songs and Stories.

Bookie Brunch Question of the day:

What is one book that made you cry, and what was it that affected you about that particular story?

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* get a heads up on free or discounted ebooks from Books on the Knob

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways to you

* image from Leafcutter Designs - world's smallest postal service and you can get a letter kit at Chronicle Books

* In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. A post where we share books acquired via mailbox, library, store, etc.