Smorgasbord Book Promotion – Air Your Reviews – Shehanne Moore, Bette A. Stevens and Lorinda J. Taylor | Smorgasbord

Welcome to the first of the review posts for the week and this is open to any author with a recent review and they do not need to be in the cafe and bookstore.. although that is something they may wish to do anyway.

The first featured author is Shehanne Moore with Splendor ( London Jewel Thieves Book Two) which was published in May this year.

About Splendor

The only thing he hates more than losing at chess is marriage…

For Splendor, former servant to London’s premiere jewel thieves, pretending to be someone else is all in a day’s work. So when she learns of a chess tournament—a men’s chess tournament—with a ten thousand pound prize, pretending to be a man is the obvious move. The money will be enough to set her fiancé up in his own business so they can finally marry, and more importantly, it’ll pay off her bills and keep her out of debtor’s prison. But she doesn’t plan on her opponent, the rakish Kendall Winterborne, Earl Stillmore, being a sore loser—and a drunken one, at that. But before she can collect her prize, she finds herself facing the most merciless man in London across a pair of dueling pistols at dawn. Chess may be Splendor’s game, but she’s never fired a pistol before. And dressed as a man with ill-fitting shoes on the slippery grass and borrowed glasses that make it hard to see, she’s certain she’s finally tipped her own king.

Bitter divorcee Kendall Winterborne, Earl Stillmore, is the ton’s most ruthless heartbreaker. And he’s got three pet peeves: kitchen maids, marriage…and losing. So when he realizes the “man” opposite him has entered the chess tournament under false pretenses, he’s in the perfect position to extort the little chit. But that’s before the exasperating woman begins to slip beneath his skin, and soon all he can think about is slipping beneath her skirts. But the confounded woman is engaged to someone else, and worse—she’s nothing but a former kitchen maid, just like the one that lured his father into the marriage that ruined the family name. And his ex-wife taught him more than he cared to know about why marriage was the worst kind of checkmate of all…

A recent review of the book

Shopaholic meets My Fair Lady By Amazon Customer on July 1, 2017

I just love Ms. Moore’s cheeky heroines, and Splenour is no exception. How can you not like a woman whose name is Dora and she therefore decides to name herself Lady Splendora? She’s an honorary member in the London jewel thieves’ guild known as the Starkadder Sisterhood, but not a thief herself. In fact, she wants to help the poor, marry her sweetheart Gabriel and buy him a ministry.

Gabriel, as it turns out, is no sweetheart at all. But then neither is the Earl of Stillmore, a man who calls his servant an “overstuffed seal”. He reserves even better names for Splendor. Mostly he calls her names in his head, but sometimes he does so to her face… usually when she’s being a brat, which is quite often.

While Gabe shows his cowardly and whiny nature, the earl drives Splendor up the wall by “training” her to win a chess tournament even though she is obviously better than him at the game.

With shades of Shakesperean cross-dressing comedy and scenes that reminded me of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady and Confessions of a Shopaholic as Splendor by turns participates in a men’s chess tournament and then tries to pose as an aristocrat at high society balls, this novel had me laughing out loud throughout. It was also extremely touching when I realized how much these two have suffered for love (and their own stubbornness).

I would highly recommend Splendor as a fast-paced, funny and romantic read!

Read the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Splendor-London-Jewel-Thieves-Book-ebook/dp/B071S9W9WN

Also by Shehanne Moore

Read all the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Shehanne-Moore/e/B00CMBK7BW

Read more reviews and follow Shehanne on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7029905.Shehanne_Moore

Connect to Shehanne via her blog: https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/

Next author with a book that continues to receive outstanding reviews is Bette A. Stevens and Pure Trash: The Story

About Pure Trash: The Story

It’s PURE TRASH (Historical Fiction/short story), a Compelling Prequel to the novel DOG BONE SOUP. The year is 1955. Remember the Good Old Days? You know, the 1950s and ‘60s, when America was flying high. The All American Family lived a life filled with hopes and dreams and life’s necessities too. Shawn Daniels isn’t your typical American Boomer Boy. No, Shawn is a poor boy. He can’t join Boy Scouts or sports teams. There’s not even enough money for necessities. Besides, Shawn doesn’t have time for that. But when chores are done, there’s always fishing!

In this short story, Shawn and Willie Daniels are off on a Saturday adventure in search of trash to turn into treasure. It is going to be a great day. Shawn is sure of it. No school and no bullies to remind him that he’s not one of the crowd. This is a story about bullies and what it’s like to be bullied (and not just by kids). It may redefine your definition of bullying. If you were a child who was thought of as “different” in some way, you know what bullying is about: torment, persecution, intimidation, to name a few of its synonyms. For Shawn and Willie, their difference was based upon the social status of a dysfunctional family and the alcoholism and abject poverty in which they grew up.

The most recent review

A pure delight By D.E.Howard on 15 July 2017

This is an adorable short capturing a single day in the life of two young brothers. Life for Shawn and Willie is clearly never the easiest but on this lovely Saturday they get to spend time just having fun and enjoying themselves… well mostly.

The thing I think I liked mostly about this story was the “voice” in which it was told. This was not an author telling us about the boys day – this was a young boy describing his day with his brother – Bette A Stevens really captured that boys spirit perfectly.

A great little read and it has certainly made me want to read “Dog Bone Soup” some time soon

Read all the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TRASH-Historical-Fiction-Short-prequel-ebook/dp/B00EH0RV6K

Also by Bette A. Stevens

Read all the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Bette-A.-Stevens/e/B009GOYT1M

Read more reviews and follow Bette on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6037707.Bette_A_Stevens

Connect to Bette via her website: https://4writersandreaders.com/

Now time to share the early reviews for the latest book by Lorinda J. Taylor and The Man Who Found Birds Among the Stars: Part Two- Wounded Eagle

About the book

In this second part of the biography of Capt. Robbin Nikalishin, three threads remaining from “Eagle Ascendant” are followed to their conclusion. First, the question of cause and responsibility for the space disaster that formed the climax of Part One must be determined through a Government hearing and a trial. Second, the mystifying behavior of Prf. Karlis Eiginsh that resulted in the disaster must be explained. Third and most important, the Captain must recover from the devastating aftereffects of the disaster. The resolution is bittersweet – will the Captain ever become capable of coping fully with the damage that was done to him?

Early reviews for the book

Another tour-de-force of insight…By Amazon Customer on August 1, 2017

In the second book of this series we re-join Robbie and his remaining crew for a journey into his mind rather than the stars. This is a long journey and it is a long book and, once again, I find myself astonished at the level of detail Ms Taylor records in her novels with pin-point accuracy. She is to be congratulated. Although, in truth, I am not fond of the flawed hero, I really enjoy all the characters around him and always finish a book by this author as I am never quite sure where it will take me. Ms Taylor has created another tour-de-force of insight, moments of profound depth (e.g. Robbie’s tribute speech) which move as well as inspire. I look forward to book three.

Robbie – a character full of human fraility painted in words fashioned with much sympathy and depth. By NeilAplin on July 20, 2017

Part Two of the epic story of Robbie and his encounters with the stars, and his inner demons. Lorinda has once again delved into the life of our space captain and exposed a character full of human fraility with sympathy and depth. His thwarted ambitions, and his drive and passion to overcome these hurdles despite the pain and disappointment, keeps us turning the pages hungry for resolution.

A selection of other books by Lorinda J. Taylor