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Monday, June 26, 2023

Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty – Spotlight

 


Today, I’m shining a spotlight on Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty. This book won the Book Blogger Novel of the Year Award 2022 (BBNYA 2022).

I’m hoping to read it someday – but obviously it’s not today. (When I do, I’ll update this blog post with the review link.)

So, check out the book and keep reading to learn more about BBNYA.

 

Book info:

Length: 240 Pages

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy, Middle Grade

Date Published: 5 July 2021

Publisher: Soaring Skies Publishing

 

Blurb

A sinister plot. A hidden city in the sky. A boy with an impossible choice.

Twelve-year-old Toby has little time for friends or football since his mum fell ill. All he wants is to stay at home and keep an eye on her.

But mysterious things are happening beyond his garden hedge. Who is the figure at the window behind the barbed wire fence? And why is there a strange woman in his attic with a broken broom and bothersome pet bat?

Toby becomes entangled in an adventure of flying dogs, sparking hiccups and dangerous escapes. An innocent, young witch has been captured by a secretive organisation which will stop at nothing to find out how magic works. Toby must rescue her and time is running out.

Add the book on Goodreads.

Grab Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty via Amazon Canada, Amazon US, or Amazon UK.

 

About the author

Sally Doherty lives in leafy Surrey with her husband and three-legged (but speedy) rescue dog. After studying French and German at university, she worked for a year in London before unexpectedly falling ill with M.E.

Being stuck at home and often in bed for sixteen years, however, has lit a cauldron of stories bubbling inside her imagination.

Sally’s debut book and the first in a trilogy, Toby and the Silver Blood Witches, was a finalist for The Wishing Shelf Awards 2021 and shortlisted for both The Selfies and The Rubery Book Awards 2022.

Connect with Sally Doherty by checking out her website and subscribing to her newsletter, following her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

What is BBNYA?

The Book Blogger Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is an annual competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you’re an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com and follow them on Twitter.  

BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Friday, June 23, 2023

Lost and Found by Natalie Shampanier – Children’s Book Review

 

Blog cover with the text Lost and Found by Natalie Shampanier, illustrated by David Pavon


Lost and Found by Natalie Shampanier is a children’s poetry and picture book, illustrated by David Benitez Pavon.

The story is about a toy dinosaur that’s abandoned and left at a toy shelter. It attempts to escape but despite a lot of hard work, the escape plan fails. The toy dinosaur then receives a surprise and everyone gets a happy ending.


Here’s the synopsis:

Forgotten toys at a summer camp ground

Are tossed into the camp’s Lost and Found.

But Dino Boy refuses to spend his days on a shelf

He sets out to escape and find a home for himself.

A ballerina, a hippo, and a mood ring tag along

On this great adventure to find where they belong.



 

Lost and Found is written in the form of rhymed quatrains and it’s simply beautiful. I absolutely loved it! And I think parents will be reading this rhymed story to their children over and over again.


Though it’s a quick read, Lost and Found handles several important themes, including abandonment, friendship, team work, and family.


The illustrations by David Benitez Pavon are beautiful.


Overall rating: 10 stars!


About the author

Natalie has been rhyming ever since she was small,

And she’s still only pushing five feet tall.

She couldn’t keep rhyming while working as a shrink,

Somehow patients prefer prose when feeling on the brink.

She went on to write movies inspired by her childhood,

In a little-known town called Hollywood.

Her last film, “Paper Spiders” was a critical success,

But her kids are her greatest achievement nonetheless.

Raising her three wildlings is always a riot

She enjoys absolutely no peace and quiet.

Her nonverbal 10-year-old who speaks only in signs

Inspired this picture book with limited lines.

Thank you for giving Natalie’s bio a look,

Hope you enjoy reading her latest book.


Connect with author Natalie Shampanier via Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Add Lost and Found on Goodreads and get it via Amazon.

  

Note: I received a free copy of Lost and Found from its author Natalie Shampanier. This did not impact my review in any way. 

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How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder – Spotlight & Blog Tour

Today, I’m hosting a spotlight for a new author for me. Spotlights on the Nadaness In Motion book blog usually feature books I’d like to read but don’t have the time to. This is one of them.

Meet How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder.

As always, check out the book synopsis, learn more about the author, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.  


How the Murder Crumbles

Book 1 in the Cookie Shop Mystery series

Author: Debra Sennefelder

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication date: 20 June 2023.

Number of pages: 304 pages (Hardcover)

ISBN-10: 1639102809

ISBN-13: 978-1639102808

Digital ASIN: B0BG13HTC6

 

Synopsis:

Debra Sennefelder whips up cookies and crime in a delicious new cozy series, perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Peg Cochran.

Wingate, Connecticut, is famed as one of the top ten shopping destinations in the state, and home to Mallory Monroe’s beloved Cookie Shop—a place where patrons are greeted with the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cookies that are as beautifully decorated as they are insanely delicious.

But things aren’t going so smoothly for Mallory. Her two employees are a disaster in the kitchen, she catches her boyfriend with another woman, and she’s seen having a fierce argument with food blogger Beatrice Wright, who accuses Mallory of stealing her cookie recipe. Then Beatrice turns up dead in her kitchen, flour outlining her body and a bloodied marble rolling pin nearby. Mallory immediately becomes suspect number one, her sales plummet, and she desperately tries to clear her name—but that’s not the only murder the killer is baking up.

Debra Sennefelder has cooked up a perfect recipe—endearing characters, a picture-perfect evocation of small-town life, and a quaint sweets shop. And just when things get a little too comfy, there’s always a murder or two for good measure.

 

About Debra Sennefelder

Image for author Debra Sennefelder
Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series, and the Cookie Shop mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession.

Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie, and Billy.

Connect with the author via her website, on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBubYou can also subscribe to her newsletter.  


GIVEAWAY

As part of this blog tour, there is a giveaway. Enter using the link or Rafflecopter widget below.

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