Category: iRead tour

Voice of the Spirit

iRead Book Tours

In Voice of the Spirit, can two people with different beliefs stay together?

Voice of the Spirit

About Voice of the Spirit

Tobias and Lauren have been together for four months since the end of Do You Want to Play. They’ve found rhythm in their relationship, but that rhythm comes to an abrupt stop when a body is found nailed to a cross inside Pious Church.

As they dig through possible suspects—from religious fanatics to resentful Satanists—they also find themselves reexamining their relationship, trying to figure out if two people with opposite beliefs can stay together. As time begins to run out for their kidnapped singer and the murders begin to pile up, they will have to find a way to resurrect what they had doubted and sacrifice what they had believed.​

You can purchase a copy of Voice of the Spirit on Amazon.

About the Author

Charlotte Raine is a best selling suspense author. Charlotte gets inspiration for her writing from the scenic mountains around her home near Vail, Colorado.

When she is not writing you will find her after a long day of skiing at one of the many lodges in Vail. She will most likely be next to a warm fire, drinking a glass of wine and telling stories.

You can connect with her online, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway

Charlotte is giving you the chance to win one of three signed copies of Teacher Beware. Enter via the Rafflecopter below.

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Emmy Nation, Undercover Suffragette Book Review

iRead Book Tours

Being an independent woman in 1913 London is certainly empowering, but Emmy Nation is tired of the damp seeping through her worn shoes and the hopeless grumblings of her stomach. Will she give in and betray her sisterhood for warmth and food in her stomach?

Emmy Nation, Undercover Suffragette

About Emmy Nation, Undercover Suffragette

When she receives an offer from Scotland Yard to boost her typist income by spying on the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), Emmy jumps at the chance. But as she grows closer to the WSPU women the lines begin to blur, and when a painful part of her past resurfaces Emmy begins to question her choices.

How far are you willing to go to secure your equality?

My Thoughts

A stellar novel from start to finish, that should be a required reading for all young boy and girls in high school. Emmy Nation is an accurate presentation of life for women during this time period and how they struggled for freedom, struggled to have their voice heard and the challenges they faced.

My heart broke for Emmy when she had to choose between warm feet and collecting information on the Suffragette movement. No person should ever have to make a choice like this. Emmy grows in knowledge and strength throughout this novel. She starts off like many of the women in this time period, unsure of themselves, their independence and their rights. Many hold this inner desire for independence but are terrified of the repercussions. Women are physically hurt, emotionally and financially betrayed. My heart broke multiple times throughout this novel. All of the rights that I take for granted were fought for so hard by women and even though I know this, it sometimes takes a book like this to drive this imagery home.

Emmy Nation is an important, historical novel that portrays the Suffragette movement in an accurate and detailed manner that is appropriate for all age groups. It is an important novel for so many reasons but I feel that this should be a mandatory reading for high school students. It is written in a manner that they can understand, appreciate and assist them with relating to their own lives. Our rights and freedoms were fought for with the tears, physical pain and blood of women. This novel opened my eyes all over again, gave me a stronger respect and left me craving for more. I want to know what happens Emmy and the sisterhood. What does she do next?

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon and Book Depository.

Rating: 5/5

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About the Author

L. Davis Munro holds a master’s degree with a focus on women’s suffrage theatre and works in theatre and dance. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with her husband and her dog. You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Author Interview

1. How did you do research for your book?

The research for this book actually started long before I began writing. I did a two-year Master’s degree in Theatre where I focused on the theatre of the women’s suffrage movement particularly in England. I really did the research for this book during that time. I studied a lot about the movement, the politics and the era in order to support the work I was doing in the theatre of the campaign, so that moved over to the book when I started writing. The second Emmy Nation book will feature much more of the theatre scene from London at the time.

2. What made you write a book about the suffragettes?

In many ways, Emmy Nation was created because of the research I was doing for my degree. I choose that period of history to study because I was fascinated by my own lack of knowledge on the suffrage movement. I had considered myself well versed in women’s history before my Master’s degree and was shocked by all that I didn’t know from the time. That is what started my academic research and Emmy Nation emerged from that.

3. Where do you write?

I have a hard time writing in public, so I generally write at home. I need silence and solitude for my most productive writing times. However, sometimes I need to shake that up so I will visit a cafe nearby to give myself the pressure to get something done instead of just awkwardly staring at the other patrons.

4. In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?

Yes, absolutely! I actually find moving to paper and pen often helps me through writer’s block. It feels less permanent than writing in the word processed manuscript document, so I feel less pressure when writing on paper.

5. If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?

Definitely a how to survive on a deserted island book. What plants are edible, how to build a shelter and start a fire, those types of things. I would also want some sort of choose your own adventure book, something that I can read over and over again and not get bored with. Lastly, I would want a notebook (is that cheating?) so I could record everything and create my own stories to entertain myself.

6. What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

This! Publishing this book took all the courage I had. For so long it was just me and Emmy doing our thing and no one else could look in and judge us. Letting go of that safe place and releasing Emmy Nation into the world for anyone to pick up, critique and question, is the scariest and hardest thing I have ever done.

The Giveaway!

Win 1 of 2 prizes!  A copy of Emmy Nation + $15 Amazon gift card

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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To Be A Child Book Review

iRead Book Tours

In To Be A Child, give a child a cardboard box and his imagination will turn it into anything but!

To Be a Child Review

About To Be A Child

Today, it is less common to see children playing in the streets, especially in urban areas. The plethora of ready-made toys should make any child happy.  What usually happens is that the box the toy came in becomes the toy!

This book documents children at play (and at times at work) from 10 different countries. A child’s ingenuity never ceases to amaze me and I hope you will share these images with your children as well.

My Thoughts

I love children, they have this power to bring out about happiness, love and peace. They love with no boundaries and forgive without question. To Be A Child is a powerful photographic journal of children in action.

Debra captured the children from a variety of countries around the world from Canada to Nepal to Mongolia to China! My favourite sections were pets/animals and learn, with a close runner up in play. She captured children as they played on swings, mimiced their parents, played in playgrounds, in museums, horseback riding and more. She beautifully captures their innocence, their love and all of the things that matter to children.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon and the author’s website.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

“My dad always carried a camera under the seat of his car and was constantly taking pictures. I think that his example, together with pouring over National Geographic magazines as a child fuelled my curiosity for the world around me.

I am a documentary photographer and street photography is my passion. Some of my images have been chosen by National Geographic as editor’s favourites and are on display in the National Geographic museum in Washington, DC.  I also have an off-kilter sense of humour so I’m always looking for the unusual.  Plus I usually have a lot of scars on my knees.

​(le sigh…)

I live with my creative director, Miss Pickles (my budgie) in Victoria, BC, Canada. You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Cancelled Vows Book Tour

iRead Book Tours

In Cancelled Vows, one small obstacle stands in the way of the wedding between David and Chelsea.

Cancelled Vows Book Tour

About Cancelled Vows

Police Chief David O’Callaghan and Chelsea Adams’ wedding day is fast approaching. Unfortunately, at the last minute, David discovers that there is one small problem to be taken care of before he can tie the knot, divorce his first wife!

Lauren Carr takes fans of the Mac Faraday mysteries to the Big Apple in this nail biting adventure. In Cancelled Vows, David, Mac, and Gnarly, too, rush to New York City to dissolve David’s marriage to an old girlfriend and he has five days to get it done. When murder throws up a road block, it is up to David’s best man, Mac Faraday, and Gnarly, K9-in-waiting, to sort through the clues to get David to the church in time.

My Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised with this novel! I was not expecting the plot to play out the way it did but I was quite happy with the way book played out. It was exciting, shocking and full of twists.

David is a man who lives by his principles and values. He wants to make sure he does right by Chelsea – even if this means putting aside his own feelings and worries. He is worried that he has been tainted by his past and works hard to prove he isn’t the same person.

The shocking turn of events and how they all tie in to David and Mac are shocking! It is this twist of events that help open David’s eyes and see what he may be missing out on. He grows emotionally and spiritually throughout the novel and I love seeing the novel from his eyes.

Well written, thought out and fast paced! I fell in love with the characters and the suspense was killing me! It was hard to put down because I did not want to miss out on the next chapter and adventure!

You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday and Lovers in Crime Mysteries and the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real live Gnarly!) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with Lauren on her website, Facebook and Twitter.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Greatest Prospector in the World

iRead Book Tours

In The Greatest Prospector in the World, the death of her Father transports Laura to Chicago where she uncovers secrets about her Uncle and family.

The Greatest Prospector in the World Book Review

About The Greatest Prospector in the World

Laura Dunagan, was born in the gold prospecting days of rustic Alaska in the early 1900’s. When Laura was 14 years old, her father was trapped under a mudslide while prospecting in a nearby river and died. Laura was forced to move to Chicago in the care of her rich Uncle Joe. Laura hated Uncle Joe because he forced her to leave the river, but also because he had left the family prospecting business to move to Chicago years before she was born.

Laura discovers that Uncle Joe made his fortune selling insurance and was the owner of the largest insurance company in Illinois. While wandering through the mansion one day, she found Uncle’s Joe personal den. In it, she discovered an entire new life that would lead her to heights that she would never had realized panning for gold in Alaska. Uncle Joe used the 6 gold prospecting rules for safety to prospect new clients for his insurance company and in doing so, discovered the secrets to wealth in selling.

My Thoughts

A very unique book that not only tells a tale but also six keys to success not only in sales but in life.

This book came to me at a very important time in my life. As I made the decision to push myself further in my career these six goals were essential in rediscovering myself and pushing myself out there to attain my goals. Sometimes it can be difficult to read books that are “self help” or work related but with the unique angle this novel took of tying these six rules into a heart warming story that puts the rules into action you will not want to put it down. We are able to witness the direct results of the six rules and how they help Laura in her own goals and dreams (especially during a time when women were not encouraged to own their business’). We are part of Laura’s fears, hopes, dreams and aspirations. I am positive you will find some of your own hidden in there too!

This is a fantastic book not only for those in sales but also for those who want to make a change in their personal and professional lives. You will not be disappointed!

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Ken Dunn is one of the leadership training world’s up and coming great speakers and trainers. An incredible hunger to learn and teach others has led Ken successfully through five different professional careers in the past 25 years.

Ken began a policing career at the age of 18. He was involved in the policing world’s most exhilarating and challenging disciplines, including undercover drug and surveillance work, S.W.A.T. teamwork, aggravated child abuse, frauds, aggravated assaults, illegal weapons smuggling and homicides.

Today, Ken regularly speaks to groups in the direct sales, mortgage, insurance and banking industries. He uses humor and his own experiences to inspire audiences around the world. Ken lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Julie, and children Matthew and Laura. Connect with him on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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