Today's Featured Books

A dinosaur adventure for fans of Jurassic Park! From the USA Today bestselling author of Earthrise. Dinosaurs. Majestic giants. They’ve captured our imagination for generations. On planet Mintari, they live again. Mintari is far from Earth. Wild. Pristine. A world where Triceratops herd across grasslands, pterosaurs soar over golden mountains, and T-Rex prowls the misty forests. But these magnificent beasts might soon disappear. And only one man can save them. Book 1 in the Mintari Series. 4.4 stars, 200+ ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

This meticulously crafted comprehensive guide offers seven powerful doable strategies designed to help you embark on a journey of transformation and healing as you face the challenging grief. Whether you are seeking personal healing or striving to support others in their grief, this book is a beacon of hope and strength on the path to embracing growth, finding purpose, and revealing your best self. 4.9 stars, 15 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on books of the Plantagenet Embers series from author Samantha Wilcoxson, critically acclaimed historical fiction focused on the Plantagenet Dynasty. 

From the Wars of the Roses to the Reformation, the Plantagenet Embers series is an emotive journey into the early Tudor era. Told through the intimate experiences of historical figures Elizabeth of York, Margaret Pole, and Queen Mary I, the Plantagenet Embers trilogy transports the reader to 15th and 16th century England. 

"Samantha Wilcoxson has a unique writing style, which makes her stand out from other Tudor storytellers." ~Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of Heroines of the Medieval World

Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen: The Story of Elizabeth of York

Born a Plantagenet Princess, Elizabeth became the first Tudor Queen.

She was the mother of Henry VIII and wife of Henry VII, but who was Elizabeth of York? As the eldest child of King Edward IV, Elizabeth had every reason to expect a bright future until Edward died and her life fell apart.

When Elizabeth's uncle became King Richard III, she was forced to choose sides. Should she trust her father's brother and most loyal supporter or honor the betrothal that her mother has made for her to her family's enemy, Henry Tudor?

The choice was made for her on the field at Bosworth.

Did Elizabeth find happiness with Henry? And did she ever discover the truth about her missing brothers, the lost Princes in the Tower?

Praise for Plantagenet Princess

• "Wilcoxson makes Elizabeth an invitingly sympathetic character, and the novel’s portrait of Henry VII is truly remarkable for its humanity, a quality of his Tudor novelists often omit." ~Historical Novel Society
• "I particularly liked the way the author gives a version of events which I had never thought of..." ~Author Annie Whitehead
• "The story immerses the reader in Elizabeth’s point of view. Events are filtered through Elizabeth’s eyes, through her perspective as filtered by her own experiences and personal knowledge." ~Author Stephanie Churchill
• "The author's genuine sympathy with, and empathy for her protagonist shines through, and it is this in particular that makes them a joy to read." ~Themis-Athena's Garden of Books

Faithful Traitor: The Story of Margaret Pole

Margaret Pole is no stranger to fortune's wheel.

Firstborn of the heir apparent of England, she was brought low as the daughter of a traitor. After years of turmoil as the Tudor dynasty took root, Margaret finds favor with her cousin, King Henry VIII. Through it all, she struggles to forge a life for her children while protecting them from the king's suspicious jealousies.

Will the remnant of the York dynasty thrive under this tempestuous king, or will Margaret discover that there is a price to pay for having an excess of royal blood?

Praise for Faithful Traitor

• "This is not only a great story about the Tudor times, but about a woman with the same emotions and moods we can identify with today." ~Readers' Favorite
• "A magnificent and moving book." ~Reading the Ages
• "Leaves you drawing in breath at the end, wondering, if the fates had been spun differently, what this likeable family of York would have achieved had they been given that chance." ~Discovering Diamond
• "In describing Margaret Pole's path...Samantha Wilcoxson comes into her own as a writer and grabs her readers by their collective necks; only to leave us heartbroken at Margaret's fate." ~Themis-Athena's Garden of Books

Queen of Martyrs: The Story of Mary I

How did a gentle, pious woman become known as 'Bloody Mary'?

'God save the Queen! God save our good Queen Mary!'

When these words rang out over England, Mary Tudor thought her troubles were over. She could put her painful past—the loss of her mother and mistreatment at the hands of her father—behind her.

With her accession to the throne, Mary set out to restore Catholicism in England and find the love of a husband that she had long desired. But the tragedies in Mary's life were far from over.

Praise for Queen of Martyrs

• "A fascinating read which shows us the true nature of Mary, whose reign was marked by extraordinary uneasiness and a lack of strength to set a standard of stability and acceptance for both friend and foe." ~Historical Novel Society
• "Every scholar and enthusiast knows the crimes of Henry VIII and what unfolded in his wake. Samantha uses this to full advantage and weighs every ounce of this on Mary’s soul." ~Knight of Angels
• "Most of all, I feel compassion for Mary and her lonely road through life. A woman who wanted only to love and be loved was given little opportunity to do either." ~Discovering Diamonds

About the Author

          

Free online: A Life in Books & Film with Nick Hornby. Presented by the Fairfax (Virginia) Library Foundation, bestselling novelist (About a Boy, High Fidelity) and screenwriter (Brooklyn, An Education) Nick Hornby will discuss his life in books and film. Friday, October 13, 7:30 PM EDT.

"Books are, let's face it, better than everything else." ~Nick Hornby

An extraordinary literary work that transcends the boundaries of traditional spiritual writing. This book is a profound exploration of the divine, written with unparalleled depth and heartfelt insight. Within its pages, readers will discover a captivating blend of personal experiences, spiritual revelations, and profound wisdom. Alesia's prose is both eloquent and deeply moving, inviting readers to embark on a transformative journey into the very essence of divinity. From $8.49 SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Kaleidoscopic Shades by David A. Neuman, a 2023 Hoffer Award Finalist, winner of Literary Titan and IndieBRAG Awards, and selected as the #1 book of 2022 by Julie Sara Porter of Bookworm Reviews. 

"Takes you into a world where times could be manipulated, and a whole nation can disappear without a trace...a world where anything and everything is possible." ~OnlineBookClub.org

Bonus: Watch the trailer for Kaleidoscopic Shades, filmed in the old Adelaide Gaol in South Australia. 

Kaleidoscopic Shades by David A. Neuman

Joshua Triplow is just your average kid living in what he believes is the best place on Earth: Corona, California. But a recurring nightmare begins to plague him—and all the other kids in the best place on Earth. It's a nightmare of a man in black...the same man who haunts his father's tortured childhood.

Meanwhile, Joshua's father, Bob, begins to understand that what has been left behind half a world away in another lifetime has found a way to thrive. He learns there are no colors but black in a place far over the rainbow, and that it continues to hoard the most vulnerable in a wrenching existence.

It is here that Bob will fight for his sanity and Joshua will confront countless lost souls...and a menagerie of clocks maddeningly ticking away the hour to nowhere. To the endless plains of Black Eternity.

Synopsis from Bookworm Reviews
This is one of those books that is not a book so much as it is an immersive experience. It is a surreal dreamlike journey that takes several different components and creates a thoughtful, unforgettable whole work.

Several mysterious things happen at once. Solar flares erupt in Australia. An Englishwoman spontaneously combusts. A town in Brazil mysteriously vanishes. A man in California appears and disappears. Several children in a small California town have nightmares of a dark clothed figure observing them. All around the world, people hear the sound of bells and see balloon figures.

These various scenes of weirdness ultimately come together when father and son, Bob and Josh Triplow, have to confront the entities that are responsible for this strangeness.

It's a bizarre surreal science fiction novel that is more felt than read. Many of the events are so bizarre that even the Reader doesn't know what is fantasy and what is reality. It puts Readers off kilter just like the characters as they go farther and deeper into this nightmare of a journey.

Praise for Kaleidoscopic Shades

• 2023 Hoffer Award Finalist
• Literary Titan Book Award
• B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
• "A doorstopper of a novel that fans of sci-fi and paranormal thrillers can really sink their teeth into." ~BookTrib Review
• "Part Stephen King, part David Mitchell, part David Lynch." ~Jason Pettus, editor
• "An exciting work of paranormal fiction." ~OnlineBookClub.org
• "Will definitely be appealing to someone who enjoys a good genre-bender." ~Monique Snyman, Bram Stoker Award nominee

About the Author

Follow David on Goodreads and Amazon: 

  

Free online: We'll Always Have Paris. Authors Aimie K. Runyan and Bryn Turnbull discuss captivating historical novels set in Paris that explore the power of women’s resistance during wartime. Thursday, October 12, 8:40 AM CDT.

“She realized that the landscape of a woman’s soul could change as quickly as a world at war.” ~Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale