Tuesday, April 25, 2017

A Touch of Magic BookTube Review for Martina Boone's Lake of Destiny + #Giveaway

Hi all,

I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for Martina Boone's newest venture: Lake of Destiny, an adult contemporary romance set in the Scottish Highlands and filled with a hint of magic and touch of history.

I loved the warmth and humor of the novel so much, I decided to create a new playlist on my YouTube channel and start A Touch of Magic BookTube Reviews. Please check out my review of Martina's novel in the video below and subscribe to my channel if you'd like to see more.

You can also enter to win a paperback copy of Lake of Destiny by clicking the link toward the end of the video.

Are you excited to read Martina's newest release?


Transcript:


Hello I'm Susan Şipal and today I’d like to share something new with you. As an editor and author, I read a wonderful lot of books. So I’m starting a playlist to share those that have touched me the most. A Touch of Magic Reviews will be all about books…with just a hint of magic.

Having worked in the publishing industry for over a dozen years, I’ve read a lot. And I definitely have some strong opinions of what I like and what I don’t, as evidenced by my love of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series, not to mention my desire to spend an insane amount of time analyzing and speaking about them.

However, the Wizarding World is not my only passion. I love beautifully-written and thought-provoking books in both fiction and nonfiction. I’d like to share with you some of those that have touched my heart or my life. Though I may cover anything from adult romance, like today’s offering, to next week’s non-fiction. The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron, they all have something in common: they inspire magic.

Martina Boone is an award-winning author best known for her Heirs of Watson Island series from Simon Pulse. She was born in Prague but defected to the US as a child. Though Martina spoke several languages, when she was teased for stumbling with English, she determined to learn “all the words.” If you read her books, you’ll discover she has done so brilliantly.

I was fortunate to be a beta reader for Martina early on, and I became a fan of her work from the moment I read her very first story. I immediately wanted to start a fan page. Then she came out with her young adult Heirs of Watson Island series. Compulsion was released in 2014, with Persuasion and Illusion following in 2015 and 2016. With my love of mythology, I immediately had to dig beneath the surface to discover all her stories’ secrets. Martina combines a fully contemporary story with just a touch of fantasy to make it all seem so vividly alive and magical.

Perhaps, however, her best skill is breathing life into delightful characters. Her people are so real I find myself talking to them even after I turn the last page.

As she is now venturing into contemporary romance with a touch of magical realism. I’m sure she’ll thrill many adult readers with her new series: Celtic Legends.

Martina’s newest book is a sweet contemporary romance, but with definite heat. Set in Scotland, it’s filled with a hint of magic and touch of history about Bonnie Prince Charlie and Rob Roy MacGregor. Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander will love it as well as those who enjoy Nora Roberts, Susan Wiggs, and Susan Mallery. It’s written with warmth and humor, which is the combination I love best.

Anna Cameron is healing from wounds of the past while courageously forging a fresh path for herself by starting a new career in a foreign country. Connal MacGregor is a man who could have had it all, but turned his back on the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to protect his most prized treasure – his young daughter. The two come together to not only help a small town in need of economic revival, but to push each other in their own personal recoveries.

According to the back cover: “For centuries, Loch Fàil in Balwhither has been known to locals as a "thin" place, one where the veil between worlds peels back on Beltane morn to reveal the face of a person's one true love.” But this “Sighting” can just as often wreak havoc in one’s life as bring joy. And setting up a festival surrounding the Sighting has recently divided the villagers – a wonderful cast of characters that are engaging and quirky and lend both conflict and depth to the story. It’s Anna’s job to unite the locals and bridge their argument with Connal while allowing her heart to open to the magical possibility of what her Sighting in the loch will reveal.

And through it all is Martina’s lyrical writing, interwoven with myth and magic to charm and satisfy the reader.

Who would you hope to see in the Lake of Destiny for your own Sighting? And if you met the person you were destined to love, would you tell them?

Lake of Destiny is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold. I've included links to online retailers in the description below.

I'm so excited to share Martina’s newest release with you, that I'm offering a giveaway for one paperback copy. Just follow the link in the popup above or in the description below to the contest entry page. There you can choose various methods to gain entry points, including subscribing to my YouTube channel, joining Martina's newsletter list, and spreading the word. One winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday, May 9 from all the entries. So get those points up by entering as many ways as you can!

Have you read one of Martina Boone’s books? I’d love to hear about it. Please share your thoughts in the comments. And be sure to check out my other playlist, Fantastic Secrets Behind Fantastic Beasts, where Wizarding World fans and I share theories of what’s to come in future films. Be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss future videos for both reviews and theories! Until next time!