Category: iRead tour

June 9, 2025

Red Sun Rising

Red Sun Rising is a sweeping epic fantasy series, perfect for fans of political intrigue, morally complex characters, and dynastic power struggles.

About Red Sun Rising

Power is not inherited. It is taken—by blood, by fire, by force.

The Empire is rotting from within. Corruption festers in its courts, rebellions simmer at its borders, and old gods whisper in the shadows. Amid the chaos, one family sees opportunity.

House de Bordeaux has long stood on the fringes of power—noble in name, forgotten in legacy. But when a mysterious death fractures the imperial line, a brutal new game begins. As alliances crumble and enemies multiply, the de Bordeaux heirs must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice in their pursuit of the throne—and what darkness they’ll awaken along the way.

From the first clash of voltedge swords to the final echo of betrayal, Red Sun Rising is a gripping tale of ambition, treachery, and the high cost of empire.

The first installment in a sweeping epic fantasy series, perfect for fans of political intrigue, morally complex characters, and dynastic power struggles.

You can pre-order this book on the website and Amazon.

Enter to win a signed copy (US only) here.

About the Author

Allen Lyle lives in Athens, Georgia, (GO DAWGS!) where he shares his home with his wife, four cats, a sweet pup, and several hundred books. A lifelong devotee of science fiction and fantasy, he fell under their spell at a young age and never looked back. Allen considers himself a lifelong devotee of science fiction and fantasy, He has always been drawn to the intersection of history and the speculative—asking questions like, “What if the Byzantine Empire had rockets?” or “What if Tolkien’s world had pirates?”

An avid gamer, Allen has spent countless hours orchestrating dynastic dramas in Crusader Kings III, an inspiration for his debut novel. His fascination with history extends beyond pixels and pages—he’s an enthusiastic collector of antiques, a lover of travel, and a devoted fan of minor league baseball. When he’s not writing, Allen can be found painting miniatures or reading. His debut novel takes readers thousands of years into a post-apocalyptic future where the kings and queens of Europe—now called Yuropa—rule once more. It’s sure to hit the sweet spot for fantasy, scifi, and history lovers alike…just like Allen.

Connect with Allen on his website and Goodreads.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 9, 2025

Pei’s Pineapple Cakes

Pei’s Pineapple Cakes is a charming story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.

About Pei’s Pineapple Cakes

While visiting her grandmother in central Taiwan, Pei finds herself in the middle of a mystery. The pineapple cakes from her grandmother’s bakery have disappeared! Soon Pei is collecting clues as she embarks on a quest to find the missing pineapple cakes.

From traditional Taiwanese artisan craftsmanship to picturesque villages of central Taiwan, Pei discovers the beauty of her grandmother’s hometown. This is a charming story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.

Pei’s Pineapple Cakes is an elaborately illustrated picture book that makes an ideal gift:

-Real locations from central Taiwan make for an inspiring geographical, historical and cultural reading experience
-Storyline sparks dialogue around kindness, empathy, courage, and resilience
-Exquisite illustrations of Taiwanese artisans’ craftsmanship foster appreciation for heritage and traditions
-Bilingual text in English and Mandarin encourages learning in both languages

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N, BAM.

Enter to win a signed copy of Pei’s Pineapple Cakes (US only) here.

About the Author

Crystal Z. Lee is a bilingual writer who divides her time between the U.S. and Asia. Crystal grew up in Taipei and later returned to live there in her adult years. Some of Crystal’s fondest memories in Taiwan include boating at Sun Moon Lake, chasing butterflies in Maolin, making pineapple cakes and eating her way through night markets with her family. Besides children’s books, Crystal’s other published works include poetry and a novel. Her other book about Taiwan is titled Kai the Dancing Butterfly. She is also the author of Mei’s Mermaid Mission, A Unicorn Named Rin, and Love and Other Moods.

You can connect with the author on their website, Instagram and Goodreads.

About the Illustrator

Allie Su grew up in Yunlin county, Taiwan. She often finds her illustration inspiration from the great outdoors. One of her favorite places to hike in Taiwan is Sun-Link-Sea Forest in Nantou. She adores Taiwanese cuisine and night market foods, such as stinky tofu, vegetarian noodles and taro pastries from Taichung. Allie also illustrated Mei’s Mermaid Mission and Kai the Dancing Butterfly.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 20, 2025

The Web of Time Spotlight

In The Web of Time, far beneath the ground, a web quietly spins. The threads are keeping time, marking history. What’s done is done. Until now.

About The Web of Time

Far beneath the ground, a web quietly spins. The threads are keeping time, marking history. What’s done is done. Until now.

Protected by the gods and powering the three Great Portals of Art, Language, and Kindness, The Web of Time rearranges itself as humans change their minds, fall in love, or cause empires to rise and fall. When the Great Portals close from the world, time begins erasing itself, histories start to disappear, Earth falls into chaos, and the gods don’t know how to stop it—until Jack meets Anna.

Anna is a passionate and solitary writer who is protected by her companion, Nafusa of Libya, the cat god. When Jack, a young painter harboring a traumatic past, falls through the Great Portal of Art in Tunis, he stumbles into Anna, and his fate.

Helped and hindered by a rotating cast of deities, the two embark on a journey that connects three ancient cities in different times: Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli. They realize that it is Anna’s gift for healing words and Jack’s natural talent for drawing places as they were that can reinstate the Great Portals and restore the world’s balance, but some of the darker gods who thrive on chaos will stop at nothing to derail their quest. As time tears faster than they can heal it, Anna and Jack must come together in time to save history, and the possibility of a future.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Web of Time, Amazon and B&N.

Enter to win a $25 Ben & Jerry’s Gift Card courtesy of the author of WEB OF TIME (USA only) here (ends June 16).

About the Author

Born just outside of Rome, Flavia grew up bouncing back and forth between Italy and California and has lived between a myriad other countries, so her writing often revolves around place and identity and is usually written on a plane where she inevitably apologizes to the person sitting next to her for bumping their elbow. She is the author of the novel All the Way to Italy. Her second novel, The Web of Time, a YA grounded fantasy adventure set in Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli, will be published by Blue House Literary in May 2025.

Today, Flavia continues learning about the world while working for a humanitarian organization and getting lost in her Eternal City, writing flash fiction and non-fiction stories, and connecting with other readers, writers, and adventurers (also the armchair travel variety).

You can connect with her on her website, Facebook, X, Instagram and Goodreads.

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for this post, all opinions expressed are my own.

May 19, 2025

War at the Ice Cream Store Series Spotlight

Get ready for the War at the Ice Cream Stores Series: Rocky Road vs The Sundae Storm and Mustachio Pistachio vs Bully Vanilli.

About War at the Ice Cream Store: Rocky Road vs The Sundae Storm

The sequel to the award-winning War at the Ice Cream Store: Rocky Road vs The Sundae Storm

It’s a perfect Sunny Sunday in July—The ultimate ice cream day! But wait… uh oh… Trouble is brewing down at the Frozen Frogg Ice Cream Store! A swirly, twirly, category five twister is out of control!!

Could this be the first summer Sunday EVER without ice cream? (Say it isn’t so!) Or can the flavors and toppings whip up a plan before it’s too late?

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N, BAM.

About War at the Ice Cream Store: Mustachio Pistachio vs Bully Vanilli

New Collector’s Edition—Reillustrated with enhanced story and bonus content.

In the Frozen Frogg Ice Cream Store, Bully Vanilli is the most popular ice cream and self-proclaimed king of the flavors. Lonely Mustachio sits at the back of the freezer. No one ever picks him. Every night, after the store door is locked, Bully Vanilli begins his bullying and Mustachio is his favorite target. One night, Vully kicks Mustachio’s bucket. Poor Mustachio falls SPLAT on the floor, and it’s… War at the Ice Cream Store! (And there’s a song!).

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N, BAM.

The Giveaway

Enter to win: author-signed WAR AT THE ICE CREAM STORE 1 (collectors edition) and WAR AT THE ICE CREAM STORE 2 plus WAR AT THE ICE CREAM STORE Activity Book for Book 1 and coloring pages for Book 2 (one winner) here. Open to USA/CAN and ends June 20th.

About the Author

Cheryl DaVeiga is an award-winning songwriter and children’s book author who loves to combine humor, rhyme, and wordplay to create stories and songs that bring on the giggles. You can find her books and animated sing-along song videos on her website for kids and kid-lovers—BiffBamBooza.com. Biff Bam Booza books have received numerous awards and high acclaim, including Mom’s Choice Gold, Purple Dragonfly, Eric Hoffer, and Literary Titan book awards, Readers’ Favorite 5-star ratings, and Kirkus Review Magazine features. Cheryl lives in Tucson, Arizona, and spends her summers in her native New Jersey.

You can connect with her on her website, Facebook, Instagram, X, Bookbub and Goodreads.

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 28, 2025

The Girl of Many Crowns

The Girl of Many Crowns is the true story of a powerful Knight and a runaway Queen who unite to defy an empire.

The Girl of Many Crowns

The true story of a powerful Knight and a runaway Queen who unite to defy an empire.

The Kingdom of Francia – 856

Thrust into the political intrigue surrounding the throne of Francia, young Princess Judith loyally supports her father, King Charles. She strengthens his kingdom by marrying twice for political alliance.

But, when Judith refuses to marry a third time at her father’s command, King Charles imprisons her in one of his palaces.

Baldwin “Iron Arm” is a trusted knight and companion to Princess Judith’s brother, Prince Louis. Baldwin helps protect Francia and the king’s family from Vikings, rebel Lords, wars, and assassinations plots.

When Judith and Baldwin fall in love without the blessing of the king, will they be able to hold on to their faith and each other after unleashing the fury of an empire?

My Thoughts

I loved every moment of this novel. The time period is one of my personal favourites (I love historical fiction). I love learning about the individuals that lived during this time, the historical events that occurred and how these events are influenced by even the smallest of choices that change the future. This novel delivers so much – war, family conflicts, royal honour and duty and above all love and mercy.

Judith was a powerful character in this novel, despite being a female in a time period where females held so little power. She was strong willed and devoted to those that she loved. She knew from a young age (and she was young throughout the whole book!) that her role was to support the royal family and honour her Father’s wishes, even when doing so came at great harm to her own wellbeing. She has this gentle leadership shown through her kindness, compassion and understanding of those around her. She protected those charged to her care despite the repercussions to herself. You could not help but fall in love with her and her role as Queen and a leader. It was her last act of defiance (but done so out of love and faith) that made me fall in love with her character. She knew that her final marriage would be that for love and that any child born, would be born of love and happiness. After all she went through, this was something she deserved.

While Judith’s story unfolds, we are also witness to her siblings, and her Father’s struggles in such a turbulent time where trusting others can come at a great cost to life. While it could be tricky to follow along with the other characters, the author did a great job of explaining who each character was and how they connected to the story. She packed a great amount of history in this novel, without sacrificing the plot or interest in Judith’s story. The Girl of Many Crowns is a definite must read for historical fiction fans!

You can purchase a copy of this book on BookBaby, Amazon, Audible and B&N.

You can enter to win a signed copy here (US/CAN).

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

A native of San Diego, California, D. H. Morris has lived on four continents and traveled through many countries. She has four children and eleven grandchildren and currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Choral Music education and pursued graduate work in English at USU and law at the University of Utah. She is also a published playwright.

As a descendant of Judith and Baldwin, the author discovered their intriguing story while doing a genealogical project. This journey inspired her to research everything about the 9th Century – including food, politics, travel, war, education, clothing, jewelry, religion, holidays, marriage customs, and medicine. She loves talking about this remarkable time in history when the European countries we know today were being formed and fighting for their very existence.

You can connect with her on her website, Pinterest and Goodreads.

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