Audible Book Review: The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

 

A forefather of the theory of positive thinking, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale put together this book on The Power of Positive Thinking, which is available in audiobook format. 

An ordained minister, Peale was one of New York City's most famous preachers. I chose this book simply because I have read numerous inspirational quotes by Peale that resonated with me. I've never read anything else he has written or contributed to. 

Since I was buying this book from Audible with a reward I had earned, I looked through reviews first. Many readers were not fond of the faith-based bent of Peale's positive thinking method. As a Christian, this did not bother me. However, I struggled to stay engaged. 

This version has two narrators, Peale and a female narrator. Peale shares the majority of each chapter, and the other narrator offers a list of tips to help the reader change their way of thinking. I would have preferred a single narrator. I also found the music interspersed throughout the narrative distracting. It looks like a newer unabridged version has been recorded, but also has two narrators.  

Overall, I found the information within the book's pages helpful as a refresher. Nothing much new, but I liked Peale's approach. I feel if I read it instead of listened to it, I might have liked it better. In its day, this book empowered people to reconsider how they think. 

Listening Length	10 hours and 23 minutes
Author	Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Clifford Peale
Narrator	John Bedford Lloyd
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	December 14, 2021
Publisher	Simon & Schuster Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09HVZ2D57

I bought this book with an Audible reward I earned. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Spotlight: The Shade Under the Mango Tree by Evy Journey

 

After two heartbreaking losses, Luna wants adventure. Something and somewhere very different from the affluent, sheltered home in California and Hawaii where she grew up. An adventure in which she can also make some difference. She ends up in place steeped in an ancient culture and a deadly history.

Raised by her grandmother in a Honolulu suburb, she moves to her parents’ home in California at thirteen and meets her brothers for the first time. Grandma persuades her to write a journal whenever she’s lonely or overwhelmed as a substitute for someone to whom she could reveal her intimate thoughts.

Lucien, a worldly, well-traveled young architect, finds a stranger’s journal at a café. He has qualms and pangs of guilt about reading it. But they don’t stop him. His decision to go on reading changes his life.

Months later, they meet at a bookstore where Luna works and which Lucien frequents. Fascinated by his stories and his adventurous spirit, Luna volunteers for the Peace Corps. Assigned to Cambodia, she lives with a family whose parents are survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide forty years earlier. What she goes through in a rural rice-growing village defies anything she could have imagined. Will she leave this world unscathed?

Inspired by the healing effects of writing, this is an epistolary tale of love—between an idealistic young woman and her grandmother and between the young woman and a young architect. It’s a tale of courage, resilience of the human spirit, and the bonds that bring diverse people together.

EXCERPT

Prologue

 Ov’s thin upper body is slumped over his crossed legs, his forehead resting on the platform. His brown, wiry arms lie limp, the right one extended forward, hand dangling over the edge of the platform. Dried blood is splattered on his head, and on the collar, right shoulder, and back of his old short-sleeved white shirt.

It seems fitting that he died where he used to spend most of his time when he wasn’t on the rice fields—sitting on a corner of the bamboo platform in the ceiling-high open space under the house. It’s where you get refreshing breezes most afternoons, after a long day of work.

The policeman looks down at Ov’s body as if he’s unsure what to do next. He lays down his camera and the gun in a plastic bag at one end of the platform untainted by splatters of gelled blood.

He steps closer to the body, anchors himself with one knee on top of the platform, and bends over the body. Hooking his arms underneath Ov’s shoulders and upper arms, he pulls the body up, and carefully lays it on its back. He straightens the legs.

He steps off the platform. Stands still for a few seconds to catch his breath. He turns to us and says, “It’s clear what has happened. I have all the pictures I need.”

He points to his camera, maybe to make sure we understand. We have watched him in silence, three zombies still in shock. Me, standing across the bamboo platform from him. Mae and Jorani sitting, tense and quiet, on the hammock to my left.

Is that it? Done already? I want to ask him: Will he have the body taken away for an autopsy? I suppose that’s what is routinely done everywhere in cases like this. But I don’t know enough Khmer.

As if he sensed my unspoken question, he glances at me. A quick glance that comes with a frown. He seems perplexed and chooses to ignore me.

He addresses the three of us, like a captain addressing his troop. “You can clean up.”

The lingering frown on his brow softens into sympathy. He’s gazing at Jorani, whose mournful eyes remain downcast. He looks away and turns toward Mae. Pressing his hands together, he bows to her. A deeper one than the first he gave her when she and Jorani arrived.

He utters Khmer words too many and too fast for me to understand. From the furrowed brow and the look in his eyes, I assume they are words of sympathy. He bows a third time, and turns to go back to where he placed the gun and camera. He picks them up and walks away.

For a moment or two, I stare at the figure of the policeman walking away.  Then I turn to Jorani. Call him back. Don’t we have questions? I can ask and you can translate, if you prefer. But seeing her and Mae sitting as still and silent as rocks, hands on their laps, and eyes glazed as if to block out what’s in front of them, the words get trapped in my brain. Their bodies, rigid just moments before, have gone slack, as if to say: What else can anyone do? What’s done cannot be undone. All that’s left is to clean up, as the policeman said. Get on with our lives.

My gaze wanders again toward the receding figure of the policeman on the dirt road, the plastic bag with the gun dangling in his right hand. Does it really matter how Cambodian police handles Ov’s suicide? I witnessed it. I know the facts. And didn’t I read a while back how Buddhism frowns upon violations on the human body? The family might object against cutting up Ov—the way I’ve seen on TV crime shows—just to declare with certainty what caused his death.

I take in a long breath. I have done all I can and must defer to Cambodian beliefs and customs.

But I can’t let it go yet. Ov chose to end his life in a violent way and I’m curious: Do the agonies of his last moments show on his face? I steal another look.

All I could gather, from where I stand, is life has definitely gone out of every part of him. His eyes are closed and immobile. The tic on his inanimate cheeks hasn’t left a trace. The tic that many times was the only way I could tell he had feelings. Feelings he tried to control or hide. Now, his face is just an expressionless brown mask. Maybe everyone really has a spirit, a soul that rises out of the body when one dies, leaving a man-size mass of clay.

I stare at Ov’s body, lying in a darkened, dried pool of his own blood, bits of his skull and brain scattered next to his feet where his head had been. At that moment, it hits me that this would be the image of Ov I will always remember. I shudder.

My legs begin to buckle underneath me and I turn around, regretting that last look. With outstretched hands, I take a step toward the hammock. Jorani rises to grab my hands, and she helps me sit down next to Mae.

Could I ever forget? Could Mae and Jorani? Would the image of Ov in a pool of blood linger in their memories like it would in mine?

I know I could never tell my parents what happened here this afternoon. But could I tell Lucien? The terrible shock of watching someone, in whose home I found a family, fire a gun to his head? And the almost as horrifying realization—looking back—that I knew what he was going to do, but I hesitated for a few seconds to stop him.

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KFMR9SG 

Also available as an audiobook: 

https://www.amazon.com/Shade-Under-Mango-Tree-Between/dp/B09X7CPYFD/ 

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shade-under-the-mango-tree-evy-journey/1137986157?ean=2940166256980 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-shade-under-the-mango-tree-1 

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-shade-under-the-mango-tree/id1606925369

Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse.

Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. She believes in love and its many faces.

Her one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.

Website or Blog: https://evyjourney.net 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ejourneywriter/

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14845365.Evy_Journey

Audible Book Review: Time Management Magic by Lee Cockerell

 

Join Lee Cockerell, a retired Executive Vice President of the Walt Disney World Resort, as he shares his tips and tricks on getting more done every day so you can go from surviving to thriving. 

In Time Management Magic, Cockerell brings you through days in the life of a top-producing executive and how he learned the importance of scheduling his days, weeks, months, and years and prioritizing what he needed to accomplish so that he defeated procrastination and that feeling of being overwhelmed.

While I can't say there is anything totally new or surprising within the book's pages, reiterating what needs to be done and how to do it regularly can be helpful in taking control of your time. This book also provides specific tools and where to find them to help you on your path to improving your time management skills.

What I missed with this book is Cockerell's narration. Jody Mayberry did a good job, but I feel Cockerell's delivery, which I heard in Creating Magic, would have been better, more precise. Mayberry didn't pause as much as I would have liked. There are several quotes in the book, but because the narrator kept speaking without a distinct pause, the listener didn't realize those weren't Cockerell's words until Mayberry spoke the person's name the quote is identified with. 

I also have to admit, in audio form it was challenging--like in most audio books--to follow the lists from the book as they were recited. I would need to buy a paperback to reap the full benefits. 

I am glad I read Time Management Magic, but if I hadn't read Creating Magic first, I'm not sure I would continue with Cockerell's Magic series. 

Listening Length	2 hours and 24 minutes
Author	Lee Cockerell
Narrator	Jody Maberry
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	November 26, 2018
Publisher	Lee Cockerell, LLC
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07KRPGYH3

I used my Audible credits to purchase a copy of this book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I haven't been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

 

With The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright has created a deftly written, hauntingly fascinating dual-time novel of two women who are connected by the mystery of a Wisconsin castle.

In 1870, Daisy Francois becomes the housemaid at Castle Moreau to escape the horrors of her life. The reclusive and eccentric owner of the castle is a Gothic authoress whose tales are as harrowing as the stories about the castle's history of missing women. 

Cleo Clemmons is hired in present day by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother cull the collections she has hoarded within the walls of Castle Moreau. But what Cleo uncovers among the collections is a century-old mystery with clues traveling back to another young resident of Castle Moreau in 1801.

If you enjoy Gothic novels, Christian suspense, well-written dual-time stories, or novels with strong female characters, then The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is the perfect read. From beginning to end this story will captivate you. As you connect the dots, explore the dark corners of Castle Moreau with the girl, with Daisy, and with Cleo, and unfold the mystery hidden deep within this Wisconsin castle, you won't be able to stop reading. No matter the hour, you will need to continue, because the story is just so good. 

While I certainly figured there was more to Castle Moreau than meets the eye, the thrilling conclusion of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau was unexpected and absolutely perfect. I look forward to reading more by Jamie Jo Wright. An amazing read!

Excerpt:

May 8, 1801

When I was a little girl, my father would often come to my bedside after my screams wakened him in the night. He would smooth back my damp ringlets, the mere feel of his callused and strong hand inspiring an instantaneous calm.

“What is it, little one?” he would ask me.

Every night, the same question. Every night, I would give the same answer.

“It is her again, Papa.”

“Her?” He would tilt his head, giving credence to my words and refraining from scolding or mockery.

“Yes.” I would nod, my head brushing the clean cotton of my pillowcase. “The woman with the crooked hand.”

“Crooked hand, hmm?” His query only increased my adamant insistence.

“Yes. She has a nub with two fingers.” A tear would often trail down my six-­year-­old cheek.

My father would smile with a soothing calm. “You are dreaming again, mon chéri.”

“No. She was here.” He must believe me!

“Shhh.” Another gentle stroke of his hand across my forehead. “She is the voice of the mistress of your dreams. We all have one, you know. Only yours needs extra-special care because she isn’t beautiful like the rest. She is the one who brings the nightmares, but she doesn’t mean to harm you. She is only doing her best with what she has been given, and what she has been given are her own horrors.”

“Her hand?” I would reply, even though we repeated this explanation many nights in a row.

“Yes,” my father would nod. “Her hand is a reflection of the ugliness in her stories. Stories she tells to you at night when all is quiet and your eyes are closed.”

“But they were open,” I would insist.

“No. You only think they were open.”

“I am afraid of the ghost, Papa,” I urge.

His eyes smile. “Oui. And yet there are no spirits to haunt you. Only the dream mistress. Shoo her away and she will flee. She is a mist. She is not real. See?” And he would wave his hand in the air. “Shoo, mistress. Away and be gone!”

We would survey the dark bedroom then, and, seeing nothing, my father would lean over and press his lips to my cheek. “Now sleep. I will send your mother’s dream mistress to you. Her imaginings are pleasant ones.”

“Thank you,” I would whisper.

Another kiss. The bed would rise a bit as he lifted his weight from the mattress. His nightshirt would hang around his shins, and he would pause at the doorway of my room where I slept. An only child, in a home filled with the fineries of a Frenchman’s success of trade. “Sleep, mon chéri.”

“Yes, Papa.”

The door would close.

My eyes would stay open.

I would stare at the woman with the crooked hand, who hovered in the shadows where the door had just closed. I would stare at her and know what my father never would.

She existed.

She was not a dream.

• 
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers (April 4, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764238345
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764238345

I received a paperback copy from the author through Partners in Crime Tours. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Apr 24

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.      

Welcome to the last full week of April. I am typing this from the passenger seat of my car in Springfield, VA. We are on our way to Mount Holly, NJ, where we will spend the night before making it the rest of the way home. I will share pictures next week. 

We enjoyed our time with the Lil' Princess and enjoyed watching her dance again. We also connected with good friends of ours who live in Wilmington, NC now. 

Traveling is often good for reading time, but even before we left I had finished this book. Look for my review today.

I didn't read from this book during the week, as I've been spending more time in prayer. 

I finished this book the first day of our trip. I highly recommend it. Look for my review coming soon.

There is an e-book giveaway that runs through April 27th for a copy of An Accomplished Woman by Suzan Lauder. Please leave a comment here for your chance to enter and win. 

I need to start these two this week for my May 1 and May 29 reviews. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wright - Apr 24 (review)
• The Shade Under the Mango Tree by Evy Journey - Apr 27
• The Not So True Adventures of Brandon, Josh and Adam by Barry M. Fellinger - May 1 (review at TC&TBC)
• Crossing A Fine Line by W. L. Brooks - May 9
• The Giving Back Tree by Tarky Lee - May 29 (review at TC&TBC)

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

On Saturday, we visited Pomegranate Books in Wilmington. I grabbed two birthday cards and these two books.

That's it for me today. I might not check in until later because I will be driving. Hope you enjoy your week.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Favorite Inspirational Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

Today is a non-book freebie, so today I share with you. . .

My Top Ten Favorite Inspirational Quotes

“Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very quiet if only those birds sing there that sang best.” ― Henry Van Dyke

“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” — Mister Rogers

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn

“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” — Og Mandino

“The strongest actions for a woman is to love herself, be herself and shine amongst those who never believed she could.” — Unknown

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” 

– Margaret Thatcher

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” 

– Marie Curie

“Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.” 

– Eleanor Roosevelt

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Apr 17

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.      

Χριστός ἀνέστη - Christ is Risen, my fellow Orthodox Easter friends. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. 

When we lost my father-in-law three years ago on Easter Monday, I didn't really think about how glorious it was to be welcomed home during the holiest week of the year. Now, having lost my mother-in-law during the same season, that thought is more front and center. 

Though we didn't celebrate with family this weekend (one daughter was working and the other is back at college, plus the nephew had double header baseball games), I spent Saturday and Sunday poring over family photos to prepare for my in-laws' celebration of life we will hold on May 13, which would have been their 67th wedding anniversary. On Sunday, our son took us out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant that we had never tried, which was outstanding. We will definitely be back. 

I had a rare weekend off. Though I answered texts, I didn't really work much. It will be a busy four days before Paul and I head to North Carolina to see the Lil' Princess' dance show at UNCW. Then we will return the first weekend in May to pack her up and bring her home for the summer. I am so excited to have her back!

Because I didn't work, I managed to get a good amount of reading done. I am totally engrossed in The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. The author easily moves this dual-time period tale of two women who find themselves surrounded by the darkness at Castle Moreau. I am sure I'll be giving it a 5-star review on April 24. 

I didn't read from this book during the week, as I've been spending more time in prayer. 

I posted a review of this personal growth book last week. You can read that here.

This has been a captivating read as well.

There is an e-book giveaway that runs through April 27th for a copy of An Accomplished Woman by Suzan Lauder. Please leave a comment here for your chance to enter and win. 

These two are next for May 1 and May 29 tours. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wright - Apr 24 (review)
• The Shade Under the Mango Tree by Evy Journey - Apr 27
• The Not So True Adventures of Brandon, Josh and Adam by Barry M. Fellinger - May 1 (review at TC&TBC)
• Crossing A Fine Line by W. L. Brooks - May 9
• The Giving Back Tree by Tarky Lee - May 29 (review at TC&TBC)

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

No new books this week, but I added this one to my Goodreads Want to Read List recently.

A riveting story of World War II and the courage of one young woman as she is drafted into Churchill’s overseas spy network, aiding the French Resistance behind enemy lines and working to liberate Nazi-occupied Paris… 

 London, 1941: In a cramped bunker in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, underneath Westminster’s Treasury building, civilian women huddle at desks, typing up confidential documents and reports. Since her parents were killed in a bombing raid, Rose Teasdale has spent more hours than usual in Room 60, working double shifts, growing accustomed to the burnt scent of the Prime Minister’s cigars permeating the stale air. Winning the war is the only thing that matters, and she will gladly do her part. And when Rose’s fluency in French comes to the attention of Churchill himself, it brings a rare yet dangerous opportunity. 

Rose is recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret British organization that conducts espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe. After weeks of grueling training, Rose parachutes into France with a new codename: Dragonfly. Posing as a cosmetics saleswoman in Paris, she ferries messages to and from the Resistance, knowing that the slightest misstep means capture or death.

Soon Rose is assigned to a new mission with Lazare Aron, a French Resistance fighter who has watched his beloved Paris become a shell of itself, with desolate streets and buildings draped in Swastikas. Since his parents were sent to a German work camp, Lazare has dedicated himself to the cause with the same fervor as Rose. Yet Rose’s very loyalty brings risks as she undertakes a high-stakes prison raid, and discovers how much she may have to sacrifice to justify Churchill’s faith in her . . . 

That's it for me this week. I will be out and about this morning, but will check in later in the afternoon. Hope you have a great week!

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: An Accomplished Woman by Suzan Lauder

 

Audra Hales is a lady of many perfect accomplishments—at least she believes so. It is no wonder: she has mirrored her great friend Cecilia, the newly minted Lady Hoxley, so how could her talents not be worthy of the highest praise? A self-described matchmaker, Cecilia has brought Audra to Bath—where balls and excursions abound—with the intention of matching her with the gregarious Lord Garner Tremaine. Though he seems an affable and talented gentleman, his brother, the marquess, is quite the opposite.

As head of his family, Everett Tremaine, the Marquess of Vernon acts on behalf of his father, the duke, who remains secluded from Lady Hoxley’s guests. With his obligations, Everett has no time for foolish temptations such as Miss Hales…so why does he constantly find her thrown into his path?

Meanwhile, Audra has conjured all sorts of wild imaginings concerning the frustrating marquess, and every time she encounters him, he leaves her breathless rather than answering her questions! After all, what is ailing the mysterious duke? Could the marquess be a villain masquerading as the savior of his family? And most importantly: should she marry Lord Garner, the safe suitor, or follow her heart?

Book One of the Cecilia’s Mismatches series is a stand-alone novel. 

Cecilia’s Mismatches Series Blurb

Who is Cecilia? She’s Lady Hoxley, a recently married young lady whose husband is old enough to be her father. Theirs is a love match. She loves his money and title, and he loves her youth and vivacity. Cecilia is so gratified with her own match that she is determined to match her friends with worthy gentlemen—but what happens when all her grand schemes seem to go awry?

 Book Excerpt

Soon, Audra had Miss Davison almost falling off her horse with laughter as she described her dance with Lord Garner. “He is an excellent dancer, but I could not get a word in edgewise. He spoke of himself non-stop for the entire set. There were no finer parties than those he attends, and of course, I must have noticed how well he wears his clothing. Then, I believe in an attempt to prove that he is not above speaking plainly to the potential partner in life, he bragged of the purse he won racing his gig!”

“So he is all about enjoyment?”

“It does seem that way. He is certainly foppish and lackadaisical in comparison to his brother Lord Vernon, and is very pleased with himself for being that way.”

“You are severe upon him. I found him quite enjoyable as a partner.”

“Oh, you must not have! You had more opportunities to listen to him at dinner!”

“Recall that I am not as particular, as I am a few years older than you,” said Miss Davison. “Most would say I am on the shelf.”

“You are perhaps a little older, although you do not look it.”

“I thank you.”

“In any case, my papa was the best of men,” continued Audra, “and he was an exemplary landlord and husband. In fact, if you could say he had a fault, it was that he avoided town because he loved the country. Lord Garner seems to think life a joke for his entertainment. He bragged that he is rarely ever on his estate and prefers Bath and town.”

“And you do not approve?”

“Not really. I am certain the popinjay has not looked at an account in his life. He was given an excellent property upon his majority and lives more gently than any gentleman of my acquaintance. I know Lord Vernon is always engaged in the business of the dukedom on his father’s behalf, so I asked Lord Garner if he was ever overwhelmed with estate business, and he said that was the purpose of an estate agent.”

“I do not wish to be too forward, but are you not intended for him?” asked Miss Davison.

“Oh, yes. Cecilia—Lady Hoxley—is matching us together, and I have been told that the duchess approves of the match.”

Miss Davison remained silent as she rode along beside her.

“The rest of the family seems reasonably impressed with me, though I am not certain about Lord Vernon.”

“Why not?”

“Do you read novels?”

“Of course! I am a great admirer of Mrs. Burney and Mr. Richardson!”

Audra levelled her gaze at her friend. “Well, there is a novel happening, right now. I am suspicious of Lord Vernon and the duke.”

A lover of Jane Austen, Regency period research and costuming, yoga, fitness, home renovation, design, sustainability, and independent travel, cat mom Suzan Lauder keeps busy even when she’s not writing novels based on Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, all of which are published by Meryton Press. 

She and Mr. Suze and their rescue tabby split their time between a loft condo overlooking the Salish Sea and a 150-year-old Spanish colonial casita in Mexico. Suzan’s lively prose can be found on her Facebook author page, www.facebook.com/SuzanLauder; on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest as @SuzanLauder; and on her Meryton Press blog, road trips with the redhead www.suzanlauder.merytonpress.com. Her Amazon author page is https://www.amazon.com/author/suzanlauder. 

Prior to publishing An Accomplished Woman of the Cecilia’s Mismatches series, Lauder had four novels, a novella, and a novelette published by Meryton Press and has short stories in two Austenesque anthologies. All are popular, most earning four-plus star ratings on Amazon and Goodreads. Accolades include Amazon bestseller for Letter from Ramsgate and The Barrister’s Bride, a Finalist for Sexy Scribbles for an excerpt from Alias Thomas Bennet, and several of her books were placed on top ten of the year lists by influential bloggers. 

She even finds time to bake muffins! 

Contact Info

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest 

Amazon Author Page

Meryton Press Blog, road trips with the redhead 

Email: suzanlauder@gmail.com 

Buy Link

Amazon Universal Link

 

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

The blog tour will start on April 10th, but Suzan has lots going on even before the blog tour and after.

April 3-7 Lady Catherine's Salon; Suzan Lauder guest hosts this Facebook group.

April 4 Celtic Lady's Reviews; Kathleen Kelly will be spotlighting An Accomplished Woman and Suzan.

April 7 Delighted Reader Facebook page; Sophia Rose will be spotlighting the book and author.

Blog Tour Schedule

April 10 Musings from an Addicted Reader 

April 11 The Book Connection 

April 12 Elza Reads

April 13 From Pemberley to Milton

April 14 My Vices & Weaknesses

April 17 So little time…

After the blog tour, Meredith will host Suzan and her book.

April 27 Austenesque Reviews

Giveaway

Meryton Press will be giving away one eBook (mobi or ePub version) for each stop on the Blog Tour. Please leave a comment for the author below to be entered into our giveaway at The Book Connection. Ending date is 11:59 PM EST on April 27. Winner will be selected randomly from all commenters. Please be sure to leave an email address so we can contact you if you win. Good luck!