The London Forgery by Heidi Eljarbo - giveaway and review

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The London Forgery by Heidi Eljarbo, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The London Forgery
Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery #1
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: August 29, 2023
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery, Dual Timeline

1973. Art historian Fabiola Bennett sees herself as a prudently observant deer who becomes a daring and even mischievous lioness if the situation calls for it. And that’s exactly what’s required when greedy criminals steal, forge, and tamper with treasured artwork. When the crooks add murder to their list of crimes, the chaos is complete. 

A mysterious note is delivered anonymously at the door of the National Gallery in London, and the director immediately calls Fabiola’s office in Oslo and pleads with her to come without delay. The message is confusing, but it seems one of her favorite eighteenth-century portraits is in trouble. 

Fabiola hops on the first plane and meets up with her vibrant side-kick Pippa Yates and the ever-loyal Detective Inspector Cary Green from New Scotland Yard. But she is not naïve enough to think untangling the purpose and meaning of the mysterious note will be as simple as a walk in Hyde Park. These things never are.  

1750. Newly married Robert and Frances Andrews, members of the landed gentry of Suffolk, England, hire young and talented Thomas Gainsborough to paint their wedding portrait. Their desire is a lovely conversation piece showing their wealth and class, an artwork to remember them by for generations to come. 

Little do they know the gifted artist portrays their personalities exactly how he perceives them, and the artistic symbolism is not as flattering as they’d hoped for. Even the looming clouds in the distance promise a troublesome future.  

This is the first book in a new dual timeline series by Heidi Eljarbo—an intriguing spin-off from the much-loved Soli Hansen Mysteries. 

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Rhys Bowen, Kathleen McGurl, Kate Morton, and Katherine Neville will love this cozy historical art mystery, which takes the readers back to the nostalgia of the groovy seventies and the classical Georgian era of the eighteenth century.

Review

I love historical cozy mysteries. And this one had a fun twist. I enjoyed the time switches from present 1973 to 1749 when the painting, Mr and Mrs Andrews, was made. The dual timeline was exciting and the author does a great job of pulling into both timelines. This book is a new series, a spin off to Fabiola’s mother’s adventures with art thefts. I was fascinated by Fabiola’s eidetic memory (my favorite psychic detective, Shawn Spencer, has one too). I appreciate smart and observant characters. Fabiola exemplifies this. Pippa was a wonderful addition. She was kindhearted and a breath of fresh air. Inspector Cary Green too was wonderful. The book is fast paced and enjoyable. I’m excited for more books in the series! Reading this book made me want to read the other series based on Fabiola's mother.

I received a review copy from JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

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About the Author

Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.

Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter. 

 

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, fifteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier. 

 

Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter. 

 

Heidi’s favorites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

Connect with Heidi by visiting heidieljarbo.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will win a print copy of "The London Forgery", an eBook "Of Darkness and Light" and a $10 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 26, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 3, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No shipping restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

A Bounty of Secrets and Rebellion by Sharayah Maurice

 

A Bounty of Secrets and Rebellion

Author: Sharayah Maurice

Published: September 1st, 2023

FTC FYI: I received an eARC from the author, all views and opinions expressed are my own.

An historical alliance between two gifted races is threatened when Princess Alana Bell Sundry is attacked and a bounty is placed on her head. With powerful enemies on two borders, the kingdom of Latera is relying on her arranged marriage to the Gaellen Prince to strengthen their position in Tanithor.  

Enlisting the help of a mysterious bodyguard to keep her alive until her prince arrives to claim her, Alana soon learns there’s more to the undercover guard than meets the eye. As she spends time with her new bodyguard, she soon realizes that the attacks on her life aren’t the only threats to the alliance. Her heart may prove just as effective at dismantling a union that has been years in the making.

Meanwhile, across the Great River, Griff Shoshone is unaware of the political events happening around him. The girl he’s loved for years has recently been promised to his little brother, the future Chief of Hoken, and Griff must find a way to reconcile his heart to the Oracle’s prophetic declaration. 

However, after a fateful decision with deadly consequences leaves Griff and his brother’s betrothed captured in enemy territory, Griff must now come to terms with his new fated destiny. 

A Bounty of Secrets and Rebellion is the first in the Chronicles of Tanithor YA fantasy romance series told from multiple POVs. If you like clean romance, characters with elemental powers, and action-packed chapters with cliffhanger endings, then you’ll love the captivating world of Tanithor.

My review

A Bounty of Secrets and Rebellion was an exciting YA fantasy romance from a brand new author! The story is full of action and lives up to its title of secrets and rebellions. I really enjoyed the point of view changes. All characters were written well and I enjoyed the gifts of the All Gods. I cared about the characters, as many exciting events took place. The magic is creative and thrilling. I did yearn for more from some characters and I felt some details were missing but I’m excited to read more of this series.

4 stars

Author links

Website / Goodreads / Amazon author page

Amazon purchase link