I’m Giving Away a Box of Royalty-Themed Romance Novels!

Daughter of Destiny is part of this month’s Ever After Box, and I’m celebrating by giving one away!

July is all about kings and queens, princes and princesses. Give yourself the ROYAL treatment with great romantic reads featuring royalty past and present along with themed gifts that will make you feel like queen (or king) for a day. This month features books and goodies from Vanessa Kelly, Jennifer Faye, Gwen Hayes, me, and more.

You can enter just by commenting to let me know you are interested. I’m taking entries through end of day Tuesday, July 18. Then I will use a randomizer to pick a winner and will announce it here. If you win, I’ll send you the promo code, which is good through July 31.

Good luck and thanks for your support!

PS – You can also buy this month’s Ever After Box here. And if you still haven’t purchased Daughter of Destiny, it will be on sale for $0.99 July 21-25 to celebrate the book having an international BookBub ad on July 24!

Book Review and Giveaway: In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson

513b1uxrXNL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_I was lucky to review this book for the Historical Novel Society a few months ago and I LOVED it. Then I recently unwittingly entered a contest to win a copy (which I already have because I reviewed the book), so I decided to give away my extra copy to one of you. If you want to enter for a chance to win, please let me know in the comments below. I will choose a winner at random on July 15.

Here is my review of the book.

This dual time period story parallels the modern-day life of Lia, a historian writing her dissertation on the beliefs of the early 13th-century Cathars, and a conspiracy-style tale behind the 1208 historical murder of papal legate Pierre de Castlenau, an act of violence which sparked the religious crusade against the Cathars. Having moved to France to grieve the untimely death of her husband, Lia quickly learns that past and present aren’t as far removed as they may seem, and not all souls rest peacefully after death. The deeper she gets involved, the more Lia realizes history may not tell the truth of what happened to Castlenau and the Cathars; the real story may be far more dangerous, with the possibility of changing not only her own life, but also the history of the Church.

In Another Life grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. The prose is rich and evocative, transporting the reader to rural France with an ease unusual for a debut author. The story is intriguing, weaving past and present in an ever-tightening braid that eventually dissolves the separation altogether, adeptly illustrating how the Cathars’ belief in reincarnation might play out in the real world. Lia is especially well-portrayed as the unwitting catalyst uniting two deaths, three men, and 800 years of history, while the male characters are slowly revealed as we learn their unlikely pasts and how they affect the present. Very highly recommended.

Leave a comment for a chance to win this book!

Happy 5th Blogiversary and a Giveaway

5-candle-birthdaySo WordPress tells me today is the anniversary of this blog. I totally spaced on that this year with all that’s going on. (Just turned in final edits to the layout people for Madame Presidentess! No more changes after this. Only one more look-see to make sure they made them correctly. It’s officially done! You’ll have it in your hands July 25.)

As usual, I’m having a giveaway to celebrate! And this year I can finally use my own books as prizes. So if you go over to Goodreads by June 21, you could win a copy of Been Searching for You, my new contemporary summer beach read (US only – sorry but the international postage is a killer).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Been Searching for You by Nicole Evelina

Been Searching for You

by Nicole Evelina

Giveaway ends June 21, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/190738

I can’t believe all that has happened in five years. When I started here, I was an unknown writer with no credentials and my first completed manuscript. Now I’m three-times published (soon to be four!) and have won multiple awards. It’s amazing how a lot of hard work and a little faith can pay off. Thank you to everyone for your support, whether you’ve been with me from the beginning or have just joined. There’s no way I could keep this up without you.

Here’s to five more wonderful years. I’ve got plenty of books in my head, so if you stick with me, I promise many more historical adventures to come!

Goodreads Giveaway and Library Journal Endorsement

I know, I know, I’ve been lax at blogging. My excuses are book release activities (YAY!) and being sick (boo!)

So, two quick updates:

Goodreads Giveaway
I’m running two Goodreads giveaways (one for US readers and one for UK readers) for three copies of Daughter of Destiny.

Great Britain Readers:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Daughter of Destiny by Nicole Evelina

Daughter of Destiny

by Nicole Evelina

Giveaway ends January 20, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/169057

US Readers:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Daughter of Destiny by Nicole Evelina

Daughter of Destiny

by Nicole Evelina

Giveaway ends January 20, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Library Journal‘s curated SELF-e Select module
Self-E Badge Blue- scrollDaughter of Destiny was accepted into Library Journal‘s curated SELF-e Select module, which is a nationwide module available on BiblioBoard Library at any local library subscribed to BiblioBoard and participating in the SELF-e program. This means my book will be available to libraries across the country (and possibly across the world because there are several other countries that use SELF-e) to purchase. So go tell your local library you want to see Daughter of Destiny on your shelves! 

Missouri readers, we have an even better chance of seeing it because Daughter of Destiny will be a “highlighted selection” throughout the state.

Make sure to come back here Monday for the cover reveal of Camelot’s Queen, Guinevere’s Tale, Book 2!

(Newsletter subscribers will get to see it either tomorrow or Saturday, so sign up if you want to see it first!)

Happy Fourth Blog Birthday!

Happy Blogiversary, everyone! Today we’re four years old. I can’t believe time has gone by so fast. Thank you to everyone who reads these posts week after week, and to all my wonderful guest bloggers over the years.

Lois Beechy underhill giveawayIt saddens me that I still don’t have one of my own books to give away (maybe for the milestone 5th next year?), but that doesn’t mean I’m not handing out presents. I’m giving away one copy of Lois Beachy Underhill’s biography of Victoria Woodhull, The Woman Who Ran for President. This was one of my favorite research sources and provides a concise yet compelling recounting of Victoria’s crazy life. (I don’t agree with her theory that Victoria had an affair with Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, but to each his own.)

Click here to enter. The contest is open to residents of the US only because of postal restrictions. Good luck to all!

Book Giveaway Winners

giveaway-winnersThank you so much to everyone who entered and/or promoted by 35th birthday book giveaway contest. And thank you for the birthday wishes. You are all wonderful!

I used rafflecopter to pick the winners and here they are (Each of you got your first choice. I’m so glad it worked out that way!):

  • Emma (Words and Peace) won Group 5 (the second historical fiction pack)
  • Susan won Group 6 (the third historical fiction pack)
  • Lyra won Group 1 (the fantasy pack)
  • Nikola won Group 4 (the first historical fiction pack)
  • Christina won Group 3 (the chick lit/romance pack)
  • Petra won Group 2 (the mystery pack)
  • Dominka won Group 7 (the non-fiction pack)

Thank you all again for entering. I’ll be contacting you shortly about shipping. And even if you didn’t win, stay tuned because you never know when I’ll decide to give away something else. (I’ve already got another one in mind when a future book of mine comes out…)

Giving Away 35 Books for My 35th Birthday

I realized a few days ago that there are more books in my house than I have room for, thanks to my own book addiction and also to the advanced reading copies (ARCs) I get for reviewing for the Historical Novel Society.

In honor of my 35th birthday today, I’m giving away 35 books. I tried to group them into logical categories, so that means seven people will win packs of five books. Here’s what you could win:

Fantasy pack

Fantasy pack

Group 1: Fantasy

  1. The Falconer by Elizabeth May
  2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Book 3 of a trilogy) by Laini Taylor (personalized to me, but autographed)
  3. Netherworld by Lisa Morton
  4. The Water Witch (Fairwick Chronicles #2) by Juliet Dark
  5. Longinus by Steven Maines (personalized to a stranger, but autographed)
Mystery pack

Mystery pack

Group 2: Mystery

  1. Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron (A Jane Austin mystery) (ARC)
  2. Murder and Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood (A Phryne Fisher mystery)
  3. The Prioress’ Tale by Margaret Frazer
  4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishigurd
  5. Heat Wave by Richard Castle (audio book)
Chick lit/romance pack

Chick lit/romance pack

Group 3: Chick Lit/Romance

  1. Living Single by Holly Chamberlin
  2. Once Upon a Kiss by Jayne Fresina (ARC)
  3. How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Laura Lee Guhrke
  4. The Quilted Hearts Omnibus by Mona Hodgson
  5. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
Historical Fiction Pack 1

Historical Fiction Pack 1

Group 4: Historical Fiction (Group 1)

  1. Boudicca: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott
  2. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
  3. Perfiditas by Allison Morton
  4. The Amber Treasure by Richard Denning
  5. The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton
Historical Fiction Pack 2

Historical Fiction Pack 2

Group 5: Historical Fiction (Group 2)

  1. Mary Called Magdalene by Margaret George
  2. The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George
  3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
  4. Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman
  5. The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
Historical Fiction Pack 3

Historical Fiction Pack 3

Group 6: Historical Fiction (Group 3)

  1. The Virgin’s Lover by Phillippa Gregory
  2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  3. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
  4. The King’s Daughter by Barbra Kyle
  5. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
Non-fiction Pack

Non-fiction Pack

Group 7: Non-Fiction

  1. The Druids by Ronald Hutton
  2. The Mysteries of Avalon by August Hunt
  3. The Celts by Jean Markale
  4. Christianity and Paganism in the 4th – 8th Centuries by Ramsey MacMullen
  5. The Rise of Western Christendom by Peter Brown

Some of these books are brand new, some are gently used only by me, and some came from book fairs but are in good condition. All you have to do to win one group is complete the Rafflecopter link. (You’ll tell me your order of preference of the groups in the comments below, but you have to use the Rafflecopter for your entry to count.) There are more ways to get additional entries there, too. I’m keeping the contest open for a week, so you have plenty of time to enter. I’ll announce winners here sometime after September 3. Good luck!

PS – My goal is to be able to give away my own books next year!

Click here to enter Rafflecopter giveaway