Archives de l’auteur : WebmasterBenisti

APHRODITE AND THE DUKE de J.J. McAvoy

A regency romance with a more inclusive image in this beloved genre—one that centers on a Black woman as the most beautiful woman in the ton. This new series follows the diverse Du Bell children and their chaotic, dramatic, and oftentimes humorous paths to love.

APHRODITE AND THE DUKE
by J.J. McAvoy
Ballantine, June 2022
(via Nancy Yost)

APHRODITE AND THE DUKE, described as The Importance of Being Wanton by Christi Caldwell meets When the Earl Met His Match by Stacy Reid, is a second-chance romance centering on bookish and thoughtful Aphrodite Du Bell. Sure, the members of the ton, and even the queen herself, heap praise on her warm brown skin, perfect curls, and exquisite features, but Aphrodite can’t help but think that living up to the literal goddess of beauty is asking a bit much! Also, her renowned beauty certainly didn’t stop the love of her life from jilting her and marrying another four years ago.
When Aphrodite’s formidable mother summons her back to London to aid in her sister’s debut, she has no choice but to acquiesce. But she’s determined to ignore one man in particular, despite what the very sight of him does to her heart.
Evander Eagleman, the Duke of Everely, lost his chance for true love four years ago. Now that he is free from that particular family treachery—well, almost free—he is determined to win back Aphrodite’s trust…and her hand in marriage. But even as the couple makes strides to mend past hurts, a nefarious conspirator from Evander’s past threatens their future…as well as their lives…

Judy Onyegbado, writing as J.J. McAvoy, has written numerous independently published novels. Her books have been translated into six languages, and were bestsellers in Turkey, Israel, and France. She is active and delightful on social media: @JJMcAvoy; Instagram.

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LOVE de Caroline Petit

Based upon the true story of 19th-century French explorer, naturalist and diplomat the Count de Castelnau and his lover Madame Fonçeca, a sweeping historical narrative set in the wilds of Brazil, the salons of Paris and Melbourne in its early settlement days. For fans of Pip Williams’ The Dictionary of Lost Words and Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things.

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LOVE
by Caroline Petit
Affirm Press, May 2022
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Australia, 1902: When lawyer Nathan Smithson takes on the case of mad, wealthy Edward Fonçeca’s inheritance trial against his ruthless brother Charles, he must unearth long buried family secrets to have any chance of winning.
Brazil, 1852: Carolina Fonçeca is 16 years old and longing to leave the confines of her family’s remote Brazilian sugar plantation. François, the Count de Castelnau and French Consul to Bahia has fallen dangerously ill with a fever on a naturalist expedition and been delivered by Tupi Indians to the Fonçeca household. With a head full of Balzac and dreams of Parisian life, Carolina is instantly beguiled by the middle-aged Frenchman.
But what François has failed to tell Carolina is that he has a wife and son back in France. Desperate for a new life, Caroline makes a decision which will haunt her forever.
From the salons of Paris to the snobbish sitting rooms of Melbourne’s high society, the couples’ unhappy deception must continue. Meanwhile, the lives of their sons’ begin to unravel: Charles into thuggery, Edward into madness.

Caroline Petit was born in Washington D.C., raised in Maryland and now lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband. She is a graduate of Chatham College in Pittsburgh and holds advance degrees from Johns Hopkins University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Melbourne’s School of Law. Her previous novels, The Fat Man’s Daughter and Deep Night were published in the US by Soho Press.

SOMETHING WICKED de Laura Purcell

From the Sunday Times bestselling author, and recent Edgar Award nominee, Laura Purcell, a gripping tale of obsession, superstition and ambition, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Victorian London. Be careful what you wish for… it may just come true.

SOMETHING WICKED
by Laura Purcell
‎ Bloomsbury, August 2022
(via Mushens Entertainment)

By the pricking of my thumbs…
At The Mercury Theatre in London’s West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature. On stage, it’s as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the Muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders if the rumours are true, and fears that when the Muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.
…Something Wicked this way comes

Laura Purcell is a former bookseller living in Colchester, Essex with her husband and pet guinea pigs. She began her career with two historical novels about the Hanoverian monarchs, Queen of Bedlam and Mistress of the Court. Her first Gothic novel The Silent Companions was a Radio 2 Book Club pick, was selected for the Zoe Ball ITV Book Club and was the winner of the Thumping Good Read Award. Her other Gothic titles include The Corset, Bone China and The Shape of Darkness. In the USA Laura is published by Penguin Books, where The Corset is titled The Poison Thread and Bone China is called The House of Whispers. Additionally, Laura’s short stories have been published in a number of collections.

THE GODSTONE de Violette Malan

This new epic fantasy series begins a tale of magic and danger, as a healer whose discovery of a sinister and possibly sentient artifact is pulled deeper into a web of secrets and hazardous magic that could bring about the end of the world as she knows it. Perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and The Witcher.

THE GODSTONE #1
by Violette Malan
‎ Daw, August 2021
(via JABberwocky)

Fenra Lowens has been a working Practitioner, using the magic of healing ever since she graduated from the White Court and left the City to live in the Outer Modes. When one of her patients, Arlyn Albainil, is summoned to the City to execute the final testament of a distant cousin, she agrees to help him. Arlyn suspects the White Court wants to access his cousin’s Practitioner’s vault. Arlyn can’t ignore the summons: he knows the vault holds an artifact so dangerous he can’t allow it to be freed.
Fenra quickly figures out that there is no cousin, that Arlyn himself is the missing Practitioner, the legendary Xandra Albainil, rumored to have made a Godstone with which he once almost destroyed the world. Sealing away the Godstone left Arlyn powerless and ill, and he needs Fenra to help him deal with the possibly sentient artifact before someone else finds and uses it.
Along the way they encounter Elvanyn Karamisk, an old friend whom Arlyn once betrayed. Convinced that Arlyn has not changed, and intends to use Fenra to recover the Godstone and with it all his power, Elvanyn joins them to keep Fenra safe and help her destroy the artifact.

« An original, enigmatic fantasy about reluctant heroes drawn into a quest to save the world. » —Kirkus
« Malan’s elaborate worldbuilding and nuanced characters help keep the pages turning on the way to the slow-building climax. The unexpected plot twists and a subtle hint of romance will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment. » —Publishers Weekly
« Fenra and Arlyn’s banter is so pleasant, so assured, that it at times reads like classic English literature. Readers would be wise to pick up this exciting start to a new fantasy series. » —BookPage

Violette Malan is the author of the epic fantasy Dhulyn and Parno novels. Born in Canada, Violette’s cultural background is half Spanish and half Polish, which makes it interesting at meal times. She has worked as a teacher of creative writing, English as a second language, Spanish, and beginner’s French. On occasion she’s been an administrative assistant and a carpenter’s helper.

Série THE GIFTED CLANS de Graci Kim

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Graci Kim’s thrilling middle-grade debut series about an adopted Korean-American girl who discovers her heritage and her magic on a perilous journey to save her witch clan family.

THE GIFTED CLANS TRILOGY
by Graci Kim
Disney-Hyperion
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Book 1: THE LAST FALLEN STAR (May 2021) – Riley Oh can’t wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister’s footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she’s a saram–a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she’s ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.
Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie’s magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family’s old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie’s initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It’s a perfect plan!
Until it isn’t. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie’s life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it?
As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.

Book 2: THE LAST FALLEN MOON (June 2022) – For Riley Oh, life as the Godrealm’s last fallen star is not all it’s cracked up to be. Her new divine heritage doesn’t even come with cool magical powers; half of her friends and family (including her parents) can’t remember her; and to top it all off, the entire Gom clan is mad at her for killing the Cave Bear Goddess and stripping away their healing abilities.
But when their anger boils over and a group of witches curse Riley’s home, she knows it’s up to her to restore magic back to her clan – even if it means sneaking into the Spiritrealm.
Luckily, Riley has some backup. Along with her sister, Hattie, Riley meets Dahl, a heaven-born boy with shockingly white hair and a fondness for toilets who might not be telling the whole truth about who he is. Together they’ll fight vicious monsters, discover dark underwater worlds, and race to save the land of the dead from a fate that no one could have foreseen.
And this time, Riley won’t let anything get in her way. Because she can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is coming their way – and the gifted community is going to need all the powers they can get.

Book 3: THE LAST FALLEN REALM (June 2023) – Riley Oh wasn’t born into her family. Instead, as she recently discovered, she tumbled down to the earth many years ago as the last fallen star. Riley Oh also wasn’t born to be a witch. Like, at all―even her status as a divine celestial being comes with zilch in the magical powers department. And Riley Oh definitely wasn’t born to be a leader. But now the entire magical community thinks she and her soul-twin, Dahl, are meant to lead the world into the Age of the Final Eclipse (or whatever it is that the Haetae keeps saying they’re “destined” to do). Greeeat.
But ever since Riley killed the Cave Bear Goddess, she’s been a bit pre-occupied with one thing: waiting for the goddess’s sisters to get their revenge. And it looks like her wait is finally over―because as witches from around the world prepare for war, it seems as though the goddesses are preparing for something much worse. Something that will lure Riley and her friends deep into the realm of the gods. Into a world of humongous, talking moon bunnies; life-or-death mini-golf competitions; and…magical gummy candies?
And in order to save the world, Riley must do the one thing she was born to do: believe in herself.

« Graci Kim does such an amazing job of blending Korean mythology into the modern world, I am now wondering how I ever lived without knowing all this cool information. » –New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan

Graci Kim is the national best-selling author of The Last Fallen Star, the first book in the Gifted Clans trilogy. A Korean-Kiwi diplomat turned author, Graci writes about the magic she wants to see in the world. In a previous life she used to be a cooking show host, and she once ran a business that turned children’s drawings into cuddly toys. When she’s not lost in her imagination, you’ll find Graci drinking flat whites, eating ramyeon, and most likely hugging a dog (or ideally, many). She lives in New Zealand with her husband and daughter

Video: Rick Riordan talks to Graci Kim about THE LAST FALLEN STAR