Review - Rise Headless and Ride (Book 1 of the Jason Crane Series) by Richard Gleaves

Book Blurb:

NOTE: This E-Book edition INCLUDES "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW" by Washington Irving (full text)!

JASON CRANE just turned seventeen years old.

He's a STAR WARS fan and a history geek. He doesn't believe in ghosts or the afterlife. He doesn't believe in psychic powers or tarot cards. He doesn't believe in the Headless Horseman.

But Sleepy Hollow will change all that. Because Jason Crane has a heritage to claim. Jason Crane has a Gift to discover. And Jason Crane has an old enemy who will RISE HEADLESS AND RIDE

Review

From beginning to end, this first book in the Jason Crane series will keep you captivated.  Using the tale of the Headless Horseman as the framework for the story, Richard Gleaves has woven history into a throughly modern tale of suspense, mystery and drama.  While the book is considered YA, this is one story that can be enjoyed by the young adult and the not so young adult as well.  The story moves at a pretty good pace and I hated to see the end of it.  The author has a clear art for bringing the reader into the story with clear descriptions of the locale and all the activities taking place.  In my mind, I could actually SEE what he described and the intensity of the action made it hard to put this down.  I can't wait until October for Book Two!  If it's as good as Book One, it'll be worth the impatient wait!

Review - Ripped by Shelley Dickson Carr

Kate, grieving the loss of her parents and having to move to England, finds herself transported back to the time of Jack the Ripper along with her cousin and a family friend.  Discovering her romanticized version of Victorian England to be a lie, Kate has to deal with fitting in while not letting others find out she is not from that time. 

I enjoyed the history of the Jack the Ripper story and was surprised by the reveal at the end.  The author did take liberties with the historical story of Jack the Ripper but it works with the novel and still contains enough factual history to make the whole thing believable.  All of the characters are enjoyable but I found Toby to be the most interesting. 

The book is definitely YA with enough action to keep anyone interested.  If you are looking for gore, this is the wrong novel for you but it has enough mystery and suspense to keep you turning the pages.

I was given a complimentary copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

New Release: Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards

Whip Smart: Wild, Sexy,

Flamboyant History

Fact-Based Adventures of Historic Muse Delivers Bodacious Fun

"Whip Smart is a sexy, adventurous and intelligent tale that I would dare name a bodice ripper for the literary mind!"

-- Marisa Lancione, NOW, Montreal

"A fun and sexy romp! I can’t wait for the sequel!"

-- Gwyn Cready, RITA Award winning author of Seducing Mr. Darcy, A Novel Seduction and Timeless Desire: An Outlander Love Story

A wild and sexy romp through History based on the real-life adventures of the audacious Lola Montez—the “Sensation of Europe.”

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to present, Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards (ISBN: 978-1-938231-47-6; Trade Paperback; Romance, Historical, Women’s Fiction; US $14.95 CAN $14.95; February, 2013), the rollicking first installment of a new series by debut author, Kit Brennan.  The Whip Smart series begins during the historic week that marks the actual birthdate of Lola Montez. (February 17).

It is 1842, London, and the gorgeous, ever-capricious twenty-two-year-old Eliza Gilbert, (a.k.a. Lola Montez) is in deep trouble and seeks escape from a divorce trial. Desperate, Lola accepts an alluring offer of a paid trip to Spain, provided she fulfill a few clandestine tasks for Juan de Grimaldi—a Spanish theatre impresario who is also a government agent and spy for the exiled Spanish queen.

Lola soon finds herself in Madrid, undercover as a performer in a musical play. But when she falls dangerously in love with the target, General Diego de Léon—the “perfect Spanish soldier, lover and horseman”—Lola becomes a double agent and the two hatch a plot of their own. Disaster strikes when the plot is exposed and Lola is forced to flee on horseback to France, with a dangerous group of Loyalists in hot pursuit. Will Lola’s reckless daring, feminine whiles, and signature whip be enough to save her life, her lover and her cause?  She will have to be more whip smart than ever before.

Written with zest and a passionate, fiery fervor by debut author Kit Brennan, Whip Smart irresistibly whisks readers into a vivid journey through 19th Century France, England and Spain, riding sidesaddle with Eliza Gilbert, the young, hot-headed Irish girl destined to transform into Dona Maria Dolores de Porris y Montez—a.k.a. Lola Montez, The Sensation of Europe!

--over--

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kit Brennan is a nationally produced, award-winning playwright, and teaches writing and storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.

The Victorian era and its personalities have always been of major interest to Brennan. Her play Tiger’s Heart explores the life of Dr. James Barry, who was actually a woman living a double life disguised as a man in order to practice medicine, which was not an option open to women at the time.

Kit divides her time between the vibrant city of Montreal and the quiet lake wilderness of Ontario alongside her husband, Andrew, and a variety of animal friends.  Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards is her debut novel.

Visit her online at www.kitbrennan.com.

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Where To Buy:

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/SnFGTj

B&N: http://bit.ly/UCKNP6

 ________________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA CONTACT

Tony Viardo

Tony@BlueDotLiterary.com

(773) 697-9580

GENERAL INFO:

Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards

ISBN: 978-1-938231-47-6 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-938231-45-2 (E-book)

Historical Romance; Women’s Fiction

247 Pages

February 14, 2013

Coming Soon from Kit Brennan and Astor + Blue Editions:

Whip Smart: Lola Montez and the Poisoned Nom de Plume