Blog Tour and Review - 'Her Dear and Loving Husband' by Meredith Allard

Welcome to the blog tour for Her Dear and Loving Husband, a historical romance novel with a paranormal twist ...

Her Dear & Loving Husband (The Loving Husband Trilogy Book 1) – Meredith Allard

What they say:
‘James Wentworth has a secret. He lives quietly in Salem, Massachusetts, making few ties with anyone. One night his private world is turned upside down when he meets Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife, Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth's death, James cannot move on.

Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares about the Salem Witch Trials,  and every night she is awakened by visions of hangings, being arrested, and dying in jail. Despite the obstacles of their secrets, James and Sarah fall in love. As James comes to terms with his feelings for Sarah, he must dodge accusations from a reporter  desperate to prove that James is not who, or what, he seems to be. Soon James and Sarah piece their stories together and discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined. Do vampires and witches live in Salem? Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Sarah and prevent a new hunt from bringing hysteria to Salem again?

Part historical fiction, part romance, part paranormal fantasy, Her Dear and Loving Husband is a story for anyone who believes that true love never dies.’

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My Review - 'Her Dear & Loving Husband (Loving Husband #1)' by Meredith Allard ~ 5 Stars!

‘Her Dear and Loving Husband’ was a stunning novel, and a heart-warming journey to read.

Infused with a beautiful and heart-warming love story, this book is a definite must for everyone who believes that true love never dies, even after the death of the body. ‘Her Dear and Loving Husband’ tells the beautiful spiritual tale of love after death and having a second chance with the one you love.

I loved the characters that I was introduced to throughout the novel, and I really felt connected to Sarah as she struggles to make a place for herself in Salem after the breakdown of her marriage, and sympathised with her desire to avoid making any romantic connections for the foreseeable future.

I can’t say how impressed I was with the cleverly written dreams that Sarah has. Meredith Allard presented a realistic, and scary image of the Salem Witch Trials, and these sequences were brilliantly contrasted with the writing style of the present day action. The voices and speech of the past was clearly well researched, and made the reading experience so much more believable, and making me feel as though I was actually there in that era. Brilliantly done!

I loved the elements of fantasy that were introduced throughout the novel, which although made up a large part of the story, what with our discovery of James’ true form, and Jennifer and Olivia’s true powers, didn’t seem forced or unrealistic. Not once when reading this book did I think that the fantasy elements were taken too far, and I really admire the author for being able to balance the fantasy and contemporary storylines so well.

The spiritual past life elements were spoken of in a way that made the idea of past lives seem not only possible, but probable. I think this story will resonate greatly with pagans, like myself, those who are interested in the worlds other, unseen elements, and those who believe that there is more to life than what we are told.

I adored James as a character, and greatly admired the devotion he had for his long dead wife, and how he made it his mission to prove to Sarah that he loved her for herself and not because of the possible connection between her and his wife. The scenes that were written after the death of James’ wife were heartbreaking and poignant, and shows the struggle that people who are left behind after the death of their loved ones must face. I cried when I read some of the simple yet overpowering lines.

“I miss my Lizzie.”

This story was cleverly crafted and in some ways I’d describe it as a suspense or thriller. There was a real focus on the issues that have been brought to the world’s attention since the days of the Witch Trials, and Meredith Allard showed a heartbreaking reality where we see the true dangers of stigmatism and prejudice. One worry or fear of something that can’t be seen or explained, can easily turn communities against each other, eradicate whole towns, and kill innocent men, women and children in the crossfire. It was a powerful message that gave me chills.

The pace of the novel was perfectly set, making the story a fluid and believable journey to read. It was a fantastic and beautifully written story, with an incredible amount of feeling put into every word.

5 Stars and a definite recommended read!

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***GIVEAWAYS***

Win a copy of The Salem Witch Trials: A Day by Day Chronicles of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach. This is a factual book Meredith used to research the Salem Witch Trials:

What they say:
‘Based on over twenty years of original archival research, this history unfolds a nearly day-by-day narrative of the Salem Witch Trials as the citizens of Salem experienced the outbreak of hysteria.’

Entry via Rafflecopter. Giveaway open to US residents only and closes on August 27th.

A Rafflecopter giveaway
Win a dinner for 2 at Salem’s very own Adriatic Restaurant & Bar! Enter our giveaway and you could be the lucky winner of a sumptuous meal for 2 at Mediterranean eatery Adriactic Restaurant & Bar. Set within a warm interior, you’ll not only be treated to excellent, fresh cuisine but you’ll also find yourself in the heart of Her Dear & Loving Husband’s setting. Entry via Rafflecopter. Giveaway is for food only. Airfare is not included. Closes on August 27th.

ARafflecopter giveaway

Win 1 of 5 e-copies of Her Dear & Loving Husband by Meredith Allard

Entry via Rafflecopter. Closes on August 27th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio – Meredith Allard:



Since 2000, Meredith Allard has been the Executive Editor of The Copperfield Review, an award-winning literary journal for readers and writers of historical fiction. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from California State University, Northridge, and she has taught creative writing and writing historical fiction seminars at Learning Tree University, UNLV, and the Las Vegas Writers Conference.

Her short fiction and articles have appeared in journals such as The Paumanok Review, Moondance, Wild Mind, Muse Apprentice Guild, Writers Weekly, CarbLite, and ViewsHound. She is the author of the Amazon Best-Selling Loving Husband Trilogy, as well as the historical novels Victory Garden, Woman of Stones, and My Brother’s Battle.

Victory Garden and Woman of Stones have also been Amazon Best-Sellers in the Historical Fiction and Religious Fiction categories.

Find out more about The Loving Husband Trilogy:

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Book Review - 'Sunlounger' by Belinda Jones Travel Club.

'Sunlounger’ by Belinda Jones Travel Club ~ 5 Stars!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When my parents went off on a two week holiday to Italy without me, major jealousy issues ensued. However after having read ‘Sunlounger’, when I received their postcard from ‘Sorrento, Italy’, I could only laugh and think, ‘Oh, I’ve been there, and Ibiza, Turkey, Australia, Greece, Spain, Cairo, Argentina, Paris, Mexico, Marrikesh, Mauritius, Jamaica, Thailand, Brazil, Cambodia, Iceland, Russia, Dubai and Mallorca. So there!’

This was a wonderful collection of stories to read, and I absolutely loved each one. There were those that were downright hilarious, so hilarious that I literally cackled like a lunatic whilst reading them. There were those that were shockingly sad and emotional, those that made me cry, those that gave me a warm glow and those that made me think ‘Wow!’.

But most of all, every single story made me think ‘I would love to go there.’

I loved how all the writers approached the holiday prompt and had their story give a different message. For example, some of the stories were romantic comedies, but all spoke to the reader in a different way.

All the stories brilliantly depicted the cultural barriers that travellers face when in a different country for the first time. One that really resonated with me in this way was Carrie Duffy’s ‘At First Sight’ (Holiday Destination – Dubai) where an interior designer who is married to her work, is ushered into a shop of robes and experiences a glimpse of the life of a Dubai women, where she is covered head to toe with only her eyes on display. It was a brilliant story that showed just how different life is in different cultures. A man in Dubai may fall in love with a woman after only glimpsing her eyes, whereas in other cultures, there tends to be a focus on entire body image.

Kate Guest’s ‘Hanoi Jane’ (Holiday Destination – Vietnam) was great fun as we see character Jane defy the health laws of the country and skip out onto her very own adventure with loveable American Toby. It was both hilarious and dealt with serious issues. I loved it!

Two stories that particularly express the dangers of travelling to other countries were Kate Harrison’s ‘Holiday Reading’ (Holiday Destination – Barcelona, Spain), where we see the dangers of women being prey to muggers, and Wendy Rigg’s ‘From Elvissa With Love’ (Holiday Destination – Ibiza) which describes the dangers of young girls travelling alone, being captured and forced into illegal activities in order to gain their freedom. Sadly these are real issues that face travellers today, and I liked how these stories subtly expressed these warnings without forcing the information on you.

Rosie Blake’s story ‘Ice, Ice Baby’ (Holiday Destination – Iceland) had me in fits of laughter throughout, starting with realistic glimpses of the everyday life of a couple, with them greeting each other in the morning with grunts, yet how despite their petty arguments, are still in love and can be incredibly romantic when the occassion calls for it.

Valerie-Anne Baglietto’s heartbreaking story ‘Genie of the Rock’ (Holiday Destination – Gibraltar) tells the tale of a young recently widowed woman having a miracle happen, and the story really touched me. There was an added element of fantasy that wasn’t too overpowering and gave a wonderful balance to the story, which made it both realistic and magical. Despite this being the second story of the forty-four in the book, this story stayed with me right till the end.

The award for 'Story that had me most intrigued' and 'wishing for a whole novel devoted to the story,' was Margaret James' ‘The Anniversary’ (Holiday Destination – Tuscany, Italy). I loved the mystery infused within the story and how the reader is left guessing and pondering over what exactly happened. Who was the man and why was the woman his ‘project’? Why and how did the events happen the same day every year? And what was the woman’s accident she mentioned? It was a brilliant mysterious and heart-wrenching story that I adored!

I am a sucker for friends turned lovers stories, and loved Pernille Hughes' ‘Fia McQueen’s Great Escape’ (Holiday Destination – Mauritius) where we see a young girl Fia grieving after being jilted by her fiancé, and is brought back to life by her closest friend Simon. It was a funny, touching and heart-warming story.

And not all of the stories had a happily-ever-after. I really connected to some of the deep emotional stories where I could feel the writer’s pain as I read, as though they had literally poured their soul into their characters. ‘Love at First Kiss’ by Lisa Heidki (Holiday Destination – Venice, Italy & Sydney, Australia) was a moving story about a woman pining after a man who she kissed whilst holidaying in Venice. Seeing her unable to move on and live in the present was sad, and although there was no romantic reunion at the end of the story, I rejoiced to see the heroine realise that she needed to find a better place for herself. A stunning piece of writing.

Holly Martins ‘One Hundred Proposals’ (Holiday Destination – Australia) was a fantastic addition to the book, which makes the reader really think about what they themselves want. What is the Perfect Proposal? And what makes it perfect? A brilliant story!

And what better way to send off the readers than with Tiffany Wright’s work of art ‘Signs from Sydney’ (Holiday Destination – Sydney, Australia).  This was a brilliant story about the journey of self-discovery and had the greatest twist at the end that had me swooning and squealing in equal measure.

‘Sunlounger’ has taken me on my very own holiday this year and has made me laugh, cry, ponder life, and rethink romantic displays of affection (I’m so climbing a tree to get a lime for a guy’s beer one day. Just to see the look on his face! As seen in Emily O'Neill's 'La Posada Amor' (Holiday Destination - Mexico)) I wish I could talk about every story in detail because I loved them all so much, like Nicola Moriarty’s ‘The Red Glove’ (Holiday Destination – Australia) and Miranda Dickinson’s ‘Midnight in St. Petersburg’ (Holiday Destination – St Petersburg, Russia) but I’ll just give a mention to every other author who contributed, as I loved every single one of these stories!

5 Stars, and a definite recommended read!

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'Sunlounger' is available now to download on Kindle

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Book Review - 'First, I Love You (The Downey Trilogy #1)' by Genevieve Dewey.

Book Review - 'First, I Love You (The Downey Trilogy #1)' by Genevieve Dewey ~ 5 Stars!

To start, all I can say is WOW! This is an absolutely amazing book that has something for everyone in it. It has a mix of genres including gangster crime, detective, mystery, romance and family. This is a book not to be missed.

I genuinely applaud the author Genevieve Dewey for how incredibly well this book was written. With six main characters and the narration skipping between each character for each chapter, I was worried at first that too many points of view would get confusing especially with this kind of fast-paced detective storyline, but I need not have worried as it was handled superbly, with the different characters stories intertwining brilliantly. I absolutely loved how easily I connected to all the characters, especially those whom you would not expect to appreciate or have any respect for if you hadn't read their story from their point of view.

Reading Mickey's storyline was a real experience for me as it really made me see that even though the gangsters in this story have done bad things, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are people with no feelings. We can see that the love Mickey has for all his children transcends all the feelings he has for his work, and his inability to earn his son Tommy's respect isn't necessarily his own fault, but due to the circumstances and lifestyle that he himself was brought up in. His relationship with Tommy's mother was also brilliantly written, and it really emphasised the importance of family and how the love of a parent can outweigh that of romantic love.

James and Kiki's storyline was so much fun, and I really connected with Kiki and felt her turmoil at the life she lived, and her worry over her growing relationship with James. At many times I wanted to bang her and James' heads together and just yell at them to talk to each other, which I loved as it really shows how much I connected to the story and the characters. Throughout this book, I also really wanted to reach into the pages and give Tommy a huge hug. I look forward to seeing how his growing friendship with Ginny will develop, as I love the connection they share and how their devotion to their work gets in the way of them taking the next step in their relationship.

The author's decision to use an epilogue was brilliant, as there are far too many books which end with a cliffhanger and leave you feeling a little let down that you don't get a little closure from the books storyline. This epilogue left me feeling greatly excited for the next book in the series, as it gave me closure to some of the issues that were risen during the first book, and raised intriguing questions that the characters will have to answer in the next book of the series.

Overall this book is a real gem that if I could give more than five stars, I definitely would! It is a beautiful story of love, friendship and most of all family that will have you laughing and crying. Go and check it out! You won't be disappointed.

First, I Love You is available to download on Amazon Kindle

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