THE STRONGMAN AND THE MERMAID
BY KATHLEEN SHOOP
Publication Date: February 28, 2019
eBook & Paperback; 573 Pages
Series: The Donora Story Collection (Book 2)
Genre: Historical Fiction/Saga


Myscowa, Poland—1910
Once upon a time in tiny, rural Myscowa, Lukasz Musial competes in feats of strength against his lifelong nemesis to win passage to America. He leaves behind grinding poverty and despair, to seek the clear blue skies, and better life he sees on a postcard. Settled in Donora’s Polish community, Lukasz secures a coveted job in the wire mill, and is matched to marry Donora’s very own Polish princess. Life is set on course. The American Dream is nearly his.
Donora, Pennsylvania—1910
Mary Lancos is no princess. A tall, athletic girl who loves the water, she spends her days keeping house for families in town, digging coal out of a backyard seam and rowing her father across the Monongahela River for work. Mary is dependable, tenacious, and always ready to help when someone needs her. She dreams of a gas-heated home, a bedroom for each of her future children, and good meals on the table each night. To help make that happen Mary attends local dances, waiting for the few men who are taller than her to ask her to dance, hoping one of them is right for her.
An unexpected Christmas Eve visitor brings bad luck, and Lukasz’s world crumbles. Meanwhile, tension grows at the Lancos home when money is short and Mary’s dreams clash with her parents’ old world expectations. Just when Mary and Lukasz are at their lowest, they find themselves under an odd pink moonlit sky and Lukasz rescues Mary from a fall into frigid river water. The attraction between them is sudden and consuming, turning the pair onto an unexpected path. With mounting disapproval from Mary’s parents, and increased pressure on Lukasz, they must decide if love is enough to risk losing everything else that matters.


Available on Amazon

Praise
Kathleen Shoop has bejeweled this book with her magnificent imagination and impeccable writing. The Strongman and the Mermaid by Kathleen Shoop is a romance that goes beyond looks and settles deep into the souls of readers. Every so often, a love story comes that your heart can’t let go. One of those love stories, for me, has been Mr. Darcy and Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice. Now Mary and Lukasz in The Strongman and the Mermaid will stay with me for a long time to come. –Ankita Shukla for Readers’ Favorite

The Strongman and the Mermaid by Kathleen Shoop is a gorgeous story, a gripping romance with a strong setting. The plot structure is unusual and it has beautiful twists. I love stories with great characters and a well-developed conflict and I always want to see characters evolve through the conflict. It is something that this author does impeccably well. The narrative is emotionally rich…The writing is cinematic, punctuated by exciting dialogue. The Strongman and the Mermaid will keep you awake through the night. –Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite

I was hooked from the very start…The Strong Man and the Mermaid is skillfully plotted and written in beautiful prose. The reader is pulled into a fairytale-like world with strong and memorable characters. The love adventure between Mary and Lukasz is one of the key elements that add to the entertaining potential of this narrative. Kathleen Shoop keeps it real and human, succeeding in creating an emotional connection between the reader and the characters.—Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite


​Review: 
1910- Donora, Pennsylvania  is a town built on steel and the hard work of the immigrant workforce.  Mines, mills, nails and clouds of smoke that obscure the sun mean prosperity and a chance at the American Dream.  For the Lancos family, this means that everyone works in order to pay the mortgage and the taxes.  Mary Lancos often suffers the brunt of the children's labor without complaint, rowing her father to work, doing chores at home and working for the Dunn's-one of the mill managers.  Mary longs for a lemon-scented, soot free home like Mrs. Dunn keeps and a man that can provide that for her.  However, when Mary's family finds a match for her, Mary would rather wait for love.  In Myscowa, Poland Lucasz Musial knows a better life awaits him in America-if he could only win the one remaining ticket.  When the stars align to bring him to Donora, he thanks the mermaid that's been haunting his dreams.  Lucasz finds more luck as he proves himself a strong worker at the factory and his sponsor family finds him a match.  Lucasz believes that his American dream is coming true, until it all comes crashing down on him.  It's possible that the mermaid from his dreams is still out there waiting for him.


The Strongman and the Mermaid is a sweeping historical romance that ties together the immigrant experience, many traditions and a touch magic.  From the beginning, when a cantankerous Patryk is found clutching the book that detailed the story of his ancestor's romance, I knew I would be hooked.  From there, the story alternates between Mary and Lucasz' point of view.  The poetic writing shone through as the bleak and sooty world of Donora was made beautiful through Lucasz and Mary's eyes.  I loved reading about all of the different Polish and Czech traditions that families were able to bring and recreate in America.  The work in the factory and mines as well of the conditions the workers kept up were realistic and a good reminder of how our country was built.  The suspense in the story was kept up by wondering when Mary and Lucasz would ever figure out that they were meant for one another.  Their romance is natural and sweet, gradually building with friendship over time.  I can't wait to read more of their story in the next book.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author
​Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, holds a PhD in reading education and has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. She writes historical fiction, women’s fiction and romance. Shoop’s novels have garnered various awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the San Francisco Book Festival. Kathleen has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide to 2013. Her work has appeared in The Tribune-Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

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About How We Disappeared
Hardcover: 352 Pages
Publisher: Hanover Square Press; Original edition (May 7, 2019)

A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel set in World War II Singapore about a woman who survived the Japanese occupation and a man who thought he had lost everything—for fans of Pachinko and We Were the Lucky Ones

Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked, leaving only two survivors and one tiny child.
In a neighboring village, seventeen-year-old Wang Di is strapped into the back of a troop carrier and shipped off to a Japanese military brothel where she is forced into sexual slavery as a “comfort woman.” After sixty years of silence, what she saw and experienced still haunts her.
In the year 2000, twelve-year-old Kevin is sitting beside his ailing grandmother when he overhears a mumbled confession. He sets out to discover the truth, wherever it might lead, setting in motion a chain of events he never could have foreseen.
Weaving together two time lines and two very big secrets, this stunning debut opens a window on a little-known period of history, revealing the strength and bravery shown by numerous women in the face of terrible cruelty. Drawing in part on her family’s experiences, Jing-Jing Lee has crafted a profoundly moving, unforgettable novel about human resilience, the bonds of family and the courage it takes to confront the past.


Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review:
As World War II rages on, the people of Singapore believe that they are relatively safe on their tiny island with few resources, especially with British Troops around.  However, the Japanese invade with force.  Deadly air raids leave few survivors.  Other villages are raided and young women are taken for the pleasure of Japanese Soldiers.  At seventeen, Wang Di is on of the many young woman taken from her family to serve as a comfort woman.  Wang Di was forcibly raped for years and then shamed when she returned home, never talking about what happened to her or the friends she made.  Wang Di's parents quickly find her a husband. Soon Wei is much older than Wang Di, a widower whose wife and child perished in the air raids.  In 2000, Kevin is dealing with the death of his grandma who admitted a secret to Kevin right before she died.  Kevin tries to put the pieces of the past together in order to help his father  heal.

How We Disappeared  is an absolutely beautiful story about the horrific truth about what happened to the people of Singapore.  I had heard of the comfort women before, but had not been exposed to the reality of their situation.  Wang Di, like many of the real comfort women, were taken as children to houses where they were beaten, starved, and forcibly raped by dozens of Japanese soldiers a day.  Wang Di's hope was what pulled her through the brutality .  The writing of Wang Di's time in the brothel was direct and honest, but through Wang Di's voice, there was always a glimmer of what could be.  I was surprised at the amount of shame the survivors among the comfort women faced even among their family.  Kevin search for the truth weaves together the narrative of Wang Di, Soon Wei and his grandmother in a surprising way.  Though the time hops and change in voice happens quickly, Kevin's search is what allows for healing and truth.  Touching and raw, How We Disappeared is a story of survival, love and healing after tragedy. 
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About Jing-Jing Lee
Jing-Jing Lee is the author of the novel, If I Could Tell You. Her poems have been published in Ceriph, Poetry Quarterly, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, and Moving Words 2011: A Poetry Anthology. Jing moved to Europe in her early 20s and started to pursue writing full-time. In 2011, she gained a Masters of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford. She now lives in Amsterdam with her husband and is working on her second book of fiction. When she’s not working on her novel-in-progress or reading (or taking photographs), she can be found here and on twitter.
Connect with Jing-Jing
Website | Twitter | Instagram

About the Books:
Title: EMBERS (The Wings of War #1)
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Pub. Date: March 15, 2015
Publisher: Karen Ann Hopkins
Formats: Paperback, audiobook, eBook
Pages: 394
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Audible, B&N, TBD
READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!


There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them.


Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels.


While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it's cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that's been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.


Embers is the first novel in the dark and gritty YA paranormal romance series, The Wings of War.




“An impending apocalypse provides a compelling backdrop for romance in this page-turning first installment of a new YA series. Hopkins expertly weaves her plotlines together in this compulsively readable teen romance story…Hopkins delivers many successful elements of young-adult romance—appealing lead characters, high-voltage chemistry, repressed sexuality—which will win her ardent followers." Kirkus Reviews
​

Review of Embers:
Ember is a 17 year old who has suffered much during the past year.  Her parents both died in a fiery car crash, a car crash that Ember was also in- but she came away from miraculously unscathed.  With her parents gone, her parent's will sends her to live with Aunt Ila in the hills of Tennessee. Aunt Ila quickly fills Ember in on the reason why the fire didn't hurt her.  Ember is a Watcher, a descendant of the Angels and Ember's power is clearly the fire element.  Ember no w must balance training with Ila and all of her new powers and beginning classes at her new high school.  At school Ember meets several human friends as well as someone who is different.  Ember notices Ivan right away and soon learns that he lives near her in a secluded compound.  When Ember meets Ivan's friend, Sawyer, she recognizes him immediately from her dreams.  Ember struggles with what this means, especially when she finds out what Ivan and Sawyer really are and what their leaders on the compound are planning.  Ember was told that the end of the world was coming.  She just didn't think it would be so soon, or that she would be in the middle of it. 

Embers is the first book in the Wings of War Series.  This is a young adult paranormal romance much in the vein of Twilight.  If you like books like that, then you will probably enjoy Embers.  If you do not like books in this category, than Embers may not be for you.  I happen to love this genre of books and dived in happily.  It did take me awhile to get a feel for Ember and the story.  I settled into the pace once Ember reached Tennessee and the point of view began alternating between Ember and Sawyer.  I really enjoyed the idea of Watchers, Demons, Growlers and their origins.  I'm hoping the next few books explain a little more about their history.  I had a hard time getting to know Ember's character at first, but I did appreciate Ember more as she learned about her powers and made friends at her high school.  Sawyer and Ember's relationship was fast and intense, however they don't get any farther than kissing in this book.  I absolutely loved Ila's character with her knowledge, powers and understanding.  Ivan was another favorite for me and I'm glad Ivan and Ember's relationship was not made into a love triangle.  The ending of the book ramps up the excitement and suspense as the demons prepare for war.  I can't wait to see where the rest of these books go!

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ​

About Karen:
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, and cats. Karen’s main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah. Their story continues in Belonging, where their families and cultures threaten to tear them apart, and with Forever and Deception, where we find out once and for all if love is enough for them.


​Lamb to the Slaughter, the first book in Serenity’s Plain Secrets, is Karen’s newest Amish endeavor, opening up the darker, grittier and more secretive lives of Amish society. It’s a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest. Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the rural town of Blood Rock, and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidently shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community, and even the girl’s parents, react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting. Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman. He left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end.


​Karen’s YA paranormal/urban fantasy series, the Wings of War, is an epic story about Ember, whose normal life ends abruptly when her parents are killed and she discovers she’s a descendent of angels. Still coping with her strange powers, Ember finds herself — and her heart — in the middle of a centuries-old war in this “compulsively readable” novel (Kirkus Reviews).


​Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse’s name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen’s steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

SONG OF SONGS: A NOVEL OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
BY MARC GRAHAM
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
Blank Slate Press
Paperback; 400 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction


Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings.
When Makeda, the slave-born daughter of the chieftain of Saba, comes of age, she wins her freedom and inherits her father’s titles along with a crumbling earthwork dam that threatens her people’s survival. When she learns of a great stone temple being built in a land far to the north, Makeda leads a caravan to the capital of Yisrael to learn how to build a permanent dam and secure her people’s prosperity.
On her arrival, Makeda discovers that her half-sister Bilkis (also known as Bathsheba) who was thought to have died in a long-ago flash flood, not only survived, but has become Queen of Yisrael. Not content with her own wealth, Bilkis intends to claim the riches of Saba for herself by forcing Makeda to marry her son. But Bilkis’s designs are threatened by the growing attraction between Makeda and Yetzer abi-Huram, master builder of Urusalim’s famed temple. Will Bilkis’s plan succeed or will Makeda and Yetzer outsmart her and find happiness far from her plots and intrigue?

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

Review:
Half-sisters Bilkis and Makeda are daughters of the Mukarrib or chieftain of Saba.  When a flood overruns the land, Bilkis does her best to protect Makeda, but Blikis is swept away in the waters for her efforts. Bilkis is believed to have perished in the flood, but is found by merchants making their way to Yisrael.  On their journey, Bilkis' caravan is attacked and she is claimed by the King of Yisrael.  Bilkis soon learns the ways of a Queen and orchestrates people and events to her whims.  Bilkis grows and secures her son to the throne, ruling still through him.  She decides a temple should be built and is surprised when stonemason Yeltzer is chosen for the job.  In Saba, Makeda has earned her place as Mukarrib after her father passed and her mother sacrificed after building a dam to secure water for Saba's future.  Years pass and the earthen dam is soon to fail.  When Makeda learns of a builder of stone, she follows a a trader to Yisrael to discover her sister once again.  


The story of the Queen of Sheba is veiled in mystery.  The time period of around 550 BCE is not very well documented, however Marc Graham manages to bring the stories of Bilkis, Makeda and Yeltzer alive.   In addition to these characters that the narrative alternates between, the landscape, dwellings, rituals and beliefs are richly described.   I was amazed at how well I could connect with the lives of these people that lived so long ago.  Their motivations and emotions resonated through the years.  Bilkis and Makeda's relationship as well as their choices made while Queen were incredibly interesting.  Bilkis and Makeda are two sides of the same coin, both strong leaders who are destined to rule; yet, one is guided by force and manipulation and the other with care and sympathy for her people.   Yeltzer's character as the builder of the Temple of Urusalim was fascinating to follow, his life seemed destined to be continuous trial and heartbreak and he always seemed to make to best of his situation.  The journeys of all three characters ends with the promise of more, and I would love to read more.  The story of these characters and the writing carries through and resonates throughout many years creating a harmony of time and place, bringing to life a story of people who have only been known to us through a few verses of religious texts.  
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author
Marc Graham studied mechanical engineering at Rice University in Texas, but has been writing since his first attempt at science fiction penned when he was ten. From there, he graduated to knock-off political thrillers, all safely locked away to protect the public, before settling on historical fiction. His first novel, Of Ashes and Dust, was published in March 2017.
He has won numerous writing contests including, the National Writers Assocation Manuscript Contest (Of Ashes and Dust), the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest – Historical (Of Ashes and Dust, Song of Songs), and the Colorado Gold Writing Contest – Mainstream (Prince of the West, coming from Blank Slate Press in Fall 2019).
He lives in Colorado on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, and in addition to writing, he is an actor, narrator, speaker, story coach, shamanic practitioner, and whisky afficianado (Macallan 18, one ice cube). When not on stage or studio, in a pub, or bound to his computer, he can be found hiking with his wife and their Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.
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About the Book:
THE TIME COLLECTOR
BY GWENDOLYN WOMACK
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
Picador USA
eBook & Paperback; 368 Pages
Genre: Historical/Romantic Suspense


Travel through time with the touch of a hand.
Roan West was born with an extraordinary gift: he can perceive the past of any object he touches. A highly skilled pyschometrist, he uses his talents to find and sell valuable antiques, but his quiet life in New Orleans is about to change. Stuart, a fellow pyschometrist and Roan’s close friend, has used his own abilities to unearth several out-of-place-artifacts or “ooparts”—like a ring that once belonged to the seventeenth-century mathematician and philosopher René Descartes, but was found buried in prehistoric bedrock.
The relics challenge recorded history, but soon after the discovery, Stuart disappears, making him one of several psychometrists who have recently died or vanished without a trace. When Roan comes across a viral video of a young woman who has discovered a priceless pocket watch just by “sensing” it, he knows he has to warn her—but will Melicent Tilpin listen? And can Roan find Stuart before it’s too late?
The quest for answers will lead Roan and Melicent around the world—before it brings them closer to each other and a startling truth—in the latest romantic thriller from Gwendolyn Womack, the bestselling, PRISM Award-winning author of The Memory Painter and The Fortune Teller.


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 Praise for The Time Collector

“A wonderfully intriguing tale, filled with the mystery of objects that tell a story. The Time Collector’s fast pace and fascinating premise will delight history and romance lovers.”―Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Bride


“A compelling exploration of time, history, and our primal need to connect with the past, The Time Collector is also a rollicking adventure through ancient mysteries and the moving story of two stunningly drawn characters, chasing the answer to the question of what it means to be human.”―Charlie Lovett, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookman’s Tale and The Lost Book of the Grail

“Gwendolyn Womack weaves a suspenseful tale that tackles the question of ‘time’―how it’s measured, its impact on nature and human consciousness―and I could hardly put it down! The Time Collector is a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, mysticism, and intrigue, sprinkled with a dash of romance―my very favorite things. What a book!”―Heather Webb, international bestselling author of Meet Me in Monaco


“The Time Collector is a fascinating tale of psychometrists, people who touch an object and sense the stories embedded within them. Pick up this book and you too will be transported across the globe and the centuries into exhilarating worlds filled with history and mystery, magic and mysticism, romance and danger. Its pages make the past come alive. Once you hold this object in your hands, you won’t be able to put it down.”―Amy Weiss, author of Crescendo


Review:
Roan West has a unique talent, he is a pyschometrist- a person who can read the imprinted memories on an object or person just by using his sense of touch.  There are only a handful of  pyschometrists in the world and since a recent discovery of strange artifacts dubbed ooparts, psychometrists have been gone missing, including Roan's friend, Stuart.  Ooparts, or Out of Place Objects are artifacts that originated in one time period, but are unearthed in rock from a previous time period.  The ooparts carry a mystery to be unlocked, and someone believes that the pyschometrists are the key.  When Roan hears of a new pyschometrist in LA, Melicent, he rushes out to meet her and warn her that she is now a target.  When Roan and Melicent meet, sparks fly and Melicent finds herself in immediate danger.  Now, Roan is racing the clock to find out the secret of the ooparts and to keep Melicent and the other pyschometrists safe.  


Exciting and distinctive, The Time Collector creates an amazing world with people who are able to read the past off of an object.  If I could have any superpower, I would definitely choose this one.  Because of Roan's ability, he has been able to live the lives of countless people throughout history.   Roan has experienced violence, trauma, love, happiness, greed, fame and many other emotions through the objects he has touched making him a extremely complex, sympathetic and well rounded individual who decided to carefully watch how he used his powers.  Melicent was a complimentary counterpart to Roan.  While their relationship progressed quickly, it was aided by their abilities to read each other.  I loved taking the trips into history and experiencing the emotions and journeys connected to each object.  Through the objects I was reminded of the importance of artifacts as well as our inner ties to objects that we posses. With a surprising and action packed ending, The Time Collector is an exhilarating genre-bending thriller.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 
​

About the Author
Originally from Houston, Texas, GWENDOLYN WOMACK studied theater at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and holds an MFA in Directing Theatre, Video, and Cinema from California Institute of the Arts. She is the USA Today bestselling author of The Fortune Teller and the RWA Prism Award-winning reincarnation thriller, The Memory Painter. She resides in Los Angeles with her family.
For more information please visit Gwendolyn Womack’s website. You can also connect with her on :
​Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

​About Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel
Paperback: 352 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 9, 2019)

A once-beloved hotel and a fountain whose water suddenly can restore lost memories. But is it a miracle, or are there strings attached?

The Tuscany Hotel was once a haven for young artists. A place full of inspiration and a work of art in and of itself, the hotel was built by Robert Gandy for his wife, Magdalena: a woman of beauty beyond description who was orphaned as an infant in Florence and grew up without the ability to remember. A tragedy caused the hotel to close its doors, however, and it has been years since the fountain in the courtyard ran with water and inspiration.
Vitto Gandy, Robert’s son, returns from the horrors of World War II to a wife who fears him, a son who is too young to remember him, and a father whose memory of him is fading. As Vitto faces the memories that torture his heart and mind, his father runs off in the night to seek solace in the last place he was happy: the Tuscany Hotel. Instead of finding ruins, he discovers that the water in the fountain has begun to run again. And as he drinks it, his memory returns.
Filled with Alzheimer’s patients hoping for restored memories rather than artists longing for inspiration, the hotel is once again a source of life and art. But nothing is truly as good as it seems, and the mysterious gift of the hotel comes with a price that each must determine they’re willing to pay. Bursting with beauty, art, and inspiration, Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel is a story of parent and child, husband and wife, and the joy and pain of what it means to be alive.


Purchase Links
​Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review:
​Vitto Gandy has returned home from World War II, his mind ravaged by the events that have taken place overseas, things he did and did not do.  Vitto returns home to a child who does not remember him and a wife who has been raising a toddler and taking care of Vitto's father, Robert who has been having memory issues- what doctors now call Alzheimer's.  When Robert goes missing one night, Vitto knows that there is only one place that he would go- the Tuscany Hotel that Robert and his wife Magdalena built years ago on the California Coast as a creative retreat for artists and scientists.  When Vitto and his family find Robert, he is miraculously cured.  Claiming that the water from the fountain at the hotel has aided his recovery, Robert has invited others with memory issues and re-opened the hotel.  Along with the inexplicable claims of the fountain, stories of Vitto's mother, Magdalena have resurfaced.  An anomaly, herself, Magdalena was born with memory issues.    The water at the Tuscany Hotel flows freely as more and more people show up for its medicinal properties.  However, when the other side of the water's powers are uncovered, the guests will have to decide whether or not to take the good with the bad. 

A mesmerizing, magical and mythological testament to the powers of memory.  James Markert artfully weaves together the very real issues of post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer's with the magic of miracles and the Greek mythology of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.  From the beginning, where Magdalena is introduced at an orphanage on a stormy night, I felt invested in her story.  Magdalena's character was not present for most of the story, but it was her spirit that kept the rest of the characters motivated.  The Tuscany Hotel was created for artists and creators and the writing mirrored that in the descriptions of fresco's, colors, landscapes as well as the minutiae of everyday living. The power of the fountain intrigued me as well as the stories of the people that were helped.  Vitto's healing was fascinating to watch as he resisted the pull of the water and looked within himself to recuperate.  As Robert and Vitto were able to heal, they slowly teased apart Magdalena's past and the story behind the the fountain.  Filled with more tantalizing stories that the one's she often told of the Greek gods and goddesses, Magdalena's written memories aided to unlock more than the past.  Emotional and unique, Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel delivers a powerful story of love and memory. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About James Markert

James Markert lives with his wife and two children in Louisville, Kentucky. He has a history degree from the University of Louisville and won an IPPY Award for The Requiem Rose, which was later published as A White Wind Blew, a story of redemption in a 1929 tuberculosis sanatorium, where a faith-tested doctor uses music therapy to heal the patients. The Angels’ Share is his second novel, and he is currently working on his next historical, All Things Bright and Strange. James is also a USPTA tennis pro, and has coached dozens of kids who’ve gone on to play college tennis in top conferences like the BIG 10, the Big East, and the ACC.



Connect with James
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Title: JOSEPHINE BAKER’S LAST DANCE
Author: Sherry Jones
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 304
Genre: Biography/Historical
From the author of The Jewel of Medina, a moving and insightful novel based on the life of legendary performer and activist Josephine Baker, perfect for fans of The Paris Wife and Hidden Figures.
Discover the fascinating and singular life story of Josephine Baker—actress, singer, dancer, Civil Rights activist, member of the French Resistance during WWII, and a woman dedicated to erasing prejudice and creating a more equitable world—in Josephine Baker’s Last Dance.
In this illuminating biographical novel, Sherry Jones brings to life Josephine’s early years in servitude and poverty in America, her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous banana skirt, her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and losses. From 1920s Paris to 1960s Washington, to her final, triumphant performance, one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century comes to stunning life on the page.
With intimate prose and comprehensive research, Sherry Jones brings this remarkable and compelling public figure into focus for the first time in a joyous celebration of a life lived in technicolor, a powerful woman who continues to inspire today.
Purchase Josephine Baker’s Last Dance in paperback,  ebook,  and  audiobook  formats on  Simon and Schuster’s website (available on Amazon,  Barnes and Noble,  BooksAMillion,  Indiebound,  Kobo,  and  other sites). Learn more about Sherry’s books  at  www.authorsherryjones.com

Review:

Josephine Baker is well know for her dancing and singing and wild routines.  However, her childhood growing up in Missouri, how she began in show business and her activism during World War II is less known.  Josephine's rise to fame was anything but smooth as she endured poverty, racism, and sexual abuse. Through her own fortitude and determination Josephine carved a place out for herself in the entertainment industry and the world.


As a dancer, Josephine Baker is someone I have learned about and idolized.  Through this biographical story we are carried through the lesser known ups and downs of Josephine's exciting and controversial life.  The opening scene absolutely dazzled me as we are thrown into Josephine's preparations for what would be her last performance.  This is a perfect introduction to the person who is a true force of nature and a true performer.  This introduction gave just enough hints into Josephine's life to keep me wondering about her life.  The elegant writing conveyed the highs and lows of the journey through  Josephine's life and the emotions that went alongside of it.  I was constantly amazed at how Josephine pulled herself up again and again and continued to add good to the world after all that she went through.  Josephine Baker's Last Dance is a whirlwind of an inspirational story of a remarkable woman.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Author and journalist Sherry Jones is best known for her international bestseller The Jewel of Medina. She is also the author of The Sword of Medina, Four Sisters, All Queens, The Sharp Hook of Love, and the novella White Heart.  Sherry lives in Spokane, WA, where, like Josephine Baker, she enjoys dancing, singing, eating, advocating for equality, and drinking champagne.
Her latest novel is Josephine Baker’s Last Dance.
Website: http://authorsherryjones.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherryjones
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sherryjones
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sherry-jones
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherryjonesfanpage
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephinebakerslastdance
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybersecuritytechnologywriter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1219600.Sherry_Jones

About Within These Lines
Hardcover: 352 Pages
Publisher: Blink (March 5, 2019)

From Stephanie Morrill, author of The Lost Girl of Astor Street, comes Within These Lines, the love story of a girl and boy torn apart by racism during World War II.
Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family living in San Francisco in 1941 is quiet and ordinary until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and that inter-racial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and move to an internment camp.
Degrading treatment makes life at Manzanar Relocation Center difficult. Taichi’s only connection to the outside world is treasured letters from Evalina. Feeling that the only action she can take to help Taichi is to speak out against injustice, Evalina becomes increasingly vocal at school and at home. Meanwhile, inside Manzanar, fighting between different Japanese-American factions arises. Taichi begins to doubt he will ever leave the camp alive.
With tensions running high and their freedom on the line, Evalina and Taichi must hold true to their ideals and believe in their love to make a way back to each other against unbelievable odds.


Purchase Links
​Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review:
Soon after the attack of Pearl Harbor, life becomes much more difficult for teen Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki.  Evalina and Taichi have been hiding their growing relationship since Taichi's family began delivering produce to Evalina's family's restaurant.  Now, resentment for their Japanese- American neighbors are growning in California and talks of relocation centers are starting to arise.  Taichi's family is preparing for the inevitable and unknown that awaits them at a War Relocation Center.  Evalina is preparing for college without Taichi while wondering how her fellow Americans can be treated with such cruelty.  When Taichi and his family are moved, Evalina is there.  She continues to fight for the rights of her friends in the Relocation Center while Taichi struggles to navigate his new life.

Within These Lines is a heartfelt, emotional and enlightening World War II historical romance.  I was very interested to read more about the US Internment Camps as this part of our history usually glossed over.  Taichi and Evalina are amazing characters and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and change through adversity.  Evalina continued to fight for what she thought was right even though everyone had doubts about their relationship.  Taichi continued to make the best out of his situation while continually thinking of Evalina's welfare and was willing to sacrifice for her.  Through Taichi and Evalina's points of view, I was able to see how the Camps were portrayed from both sides.  From Evalina I was able to see the propaganda that the government put out as well as the hatred and misunderstanding that quickly spread and the people who helped and fought for the rights of those interred.  From Taichi and his family I was able to see the true conditions of the camps, the lack of adequate housing, food and sanitary facilities and the community that residents were able to form.  I was surprised to read about the very real riots in the Manzanar Relocation Center that erupted between the residents.  The ending wrapped up rather quickly and I would have loved to see more details of Evalina's and Taichi's romance and what they faced after the war.  Overall, a very well researched and historically detailed sincere romance. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About Stephanie Morrill

Stephanie Morrill is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com and the author of several young adult novels, including the historical mystery, The Lost Girl of Astor Street. Despite loving cloche hats and drop-waist dresses, Stephanie would have been a terrible flapper because she can’t do the Charleston and looks awful with bobbed hair. She and her near-constant ponytail live in Kansas City with her husband and three kids.




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