Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Review Tour and Giveaway: Mrs Murray's Home by Emily-Jane Hills Orford


Mrs. Murray's Home
by Emily-Jane Hills Orford

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GENRE:   Middle Grade Fantasy

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BLURB:

Home is where the heart is, or so they say. It’s also been said that a home is a person’s castle. But home is also with family and friends. Mrs. Murray longs for home, the family home, a castle an ocean away. The Brownies also crave for home, the same castle Mrs. Murray considers home. And Granny? Mary’s Granny hasn’t been home since she was Mary’s age. It’s time to visit the homeland, Scotland. Mary’s excited to tag along with Granny, Mrs. Murray and the Brownies. And then there’s the witch. The one they thought they’d killed. And the treasure. The one they had found. And it all ties together, for better or for worse. Join the adventure in book 3 of the popular “Piccadilly Street Series”.

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EXCERPT

Yes, she was going to Scotland. It was a dream of hers to visit Scotland, the land of Brownies and grand storytelling. Her Granny was born in Glasgow and spent her early years visiting family in Kinross and at Blair Castle, the home of the Murray clan chief. That’s where they were headed: Blair Castle. Granny was taking Mary and their collection of Brownies, and, of course, the ghost, across the ocean. They were flying. Mary’s first airplane ride. Mary’s first visit outside of Canada. Mary’s first visit overseas. A lot of firsts. It was all very exciting.
   
The Brownies weren’t convinced. Neither was Mrs. Murray. And she was the ghost. They all wanted to go. It was their home. Or, at least it had been their home a long time ago. But flying? That was unnatural. It went against the laws of physics. It went against the laws of their magical powers, too. It was one thing to conjure up a spell and become invisible, or to grow bigger like Brunny did the first time he met Mary. Scared her, too. But that was months ago and the two were now fast friends. 

“I can’t go,” a voice sobbed from somewhere underneath the growing piles of unpacked clothes. It was Briddie. “I just can’t go. Flying? No! I can’t!”

“We must, Briddie.” Brunny appeared near the folded pyjamas, Mary’s favorite pink ones. 

“There is so much we have to resolve. And I want to see our cousins and Pelly’s son. Perhaps they have grandchildren. I want to know. Don’t you? Don’t you want to connect with our family and friends?”

“Yes, Brunny. But flying?” She peaked out from underneath the pyjamas. “I can’t go inside a metal cavern and allow it to take off into the air, thousands of feet off the ground. Once inside, there’s no escape. We’ll be stuck. Inside. Forever.”

“Just eight hours,” Mary interrupted. “And it’s overnight, so we can sleep the whole time. We’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

“No! No! No! It was bad enough getting on that boat and floating out into the deep, blue ocean. But flying over it? No! I can’t! I just can’t.”

Mary stood there watching the exchange. It was actually a little comical. This couple were the bravest people she had ever met, considering all their past adventures. They really weren’t people, though. They were Brownies. Little people. They lived between the walls and underneath the floors. Magical little people who once called Scotland their home. And they were old. Extremely old. Mary wasn’t sure how old, but they all talked of things they did three and four hundred years ago.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost: The Piccadilly Street Series Book 1 (Telltale Publishing 2018) which was named finalist in the 2019 N.N. Light Book Awards, Mrs. Murray’s Hidden Treasure: The Piccadilly Street Series Book 2 (Telltale Publishing 2019), Mrs. Murray’s Home: The Piccadilly Street Series Book 3 (Telltale Publishing 2020), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018) which won the 2019 N.N. Light Book Awards, King Henry’s Choice (Clean Reads 2019), and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories. For more information on the author, check out her website at: http://emilyjanebooks.ca
Social Media Links:

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GIVEAWAY:

Emily-Jane Hills Orford will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE TOUR AND COMMENT
ON EACH STOP TO EARN MORE ENTRIES TO WIN!
May 6: Karma Readz
May 13: The Avid Reader
May 20: Kit 'N Kabookle








My Review

Mrs. Murray's Home is a great read for young readers by Emily-Jane Hills Orford. Even though it is the third book from her The Piccadilly Street series, I feel as though as it can be read as a stand alone. I have not read the first two books and did not feel like I was missing information. I thought this story was fun and engaging. My children enjoyed it, as well. 

 I am giving Mrs. Murray’s Home five stars. I would love to read the other two books in the series to find out what happened previously. 
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.






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9 comments:

  1. Goddess Fish PromotionsMay 13, 2020 at 2:04 AM

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emily-Jane Hills OrfordMay 13, 2020 at 2:39 AM

    Thank you for hosting me and my book, "Mrs. Murray's Home". Lovely review. Glad to hear your children enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bernie WallaceMay 13, 2020 at 5:10 AM

    How did you come up with the title of the book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emily-Jane Hills OrfordMay 13, 2020 at 1:02 PM

      With each of the books in this series, I wanted to emphasize Mrs. Murray, as she is one of the key characters in the story and the source of my original idea. She is the ghost who haunted the house I grew up in.

      Delete
  4. Rita WrayMay 13, 2020 at 8:18 AM

    I liked the excerpt. Sounds like a good book.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Victoria AlexanderMay 13, 2020 at 8:19 AM

    Great excerpt & review, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Diana HardtMay 13, 2020 at 11:13 PM

    I liked the blurb and excerpt. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. James RobertMay 14, 2020 at 12:30 AM

    Thank you so much for taking time to bring to our attention another great read. I enjoy these tours and finding out about many terrific books.

    ReplyDelete

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