100 Pages A Day.... Stephanie's Book Reviews
  • Blog Tours
  • Historical Fiction
  • Sci Fi & Fantasy
  • Thriller & Horror
  • Non-Fiction
  • Middle Grade & Children's
  • Literary Fiction and Other Genres
  • Challenges
  • Promo's
  • Product Reviews

The Storm Sister

3/21/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
About the Book: 
THE STORM SISTER (THE SEVEN SISTERS, BOOK #2)
BY LUCINDA RILEY
Publication Date: March 22, 2016
Atria Books
Hardcover & eBook; 512 Pages
Series: The Seven Sisters
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Gathered at their childhood home to mourn their father’s death, Ally D’Aplièse and her five adoptive sisters receive tantalizing clues to their distinct heritages. Ally soon finds herself in Norway where she begins to make sense of her elusive past in the second part of an epic new series by #1 internationally bestselling author Lucinda Riley.
Olympic hopeful Ally is in the midst of preparations for one of the world’s most challenging yacht races when news of her beloved father’s death shocks the accomplished sailor. Saying goodbye to the love of her life, a man her family knows nothing about, she rushes back to her family home, an enchanting chateau where she and her five sisters—each adopted as infants—were raised on the shores of Lake Geneva.
When new tragedy strikes on the high seas, pummeling Ally yet again with a terrible and unexpected loss, she turns her back on the water and instead follows her own North Star—an intriguing clue left by her father which leads her to Norway and the promise of unmasking her origins. Surrounded by the majestic beauty of an unfamiliar homeland, Ally begins to unpack the century-old story of a remarkable young woman named Anna Landvik, a talented singer with an astonishing link to composer Edvard Grieg and his celebrated musical accompaniment to Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play “Peer Gynt.”
Lucinda Riley’s captivating story brings together two resilient women—decades apart—weaving their stories into a moving examination of family, love, and identity.

Buy the Book: 

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKS-A-MILLION | INDIEBOUND
​

Review: 

Ally D’Aplièse is the second oldest sister of six.  All six sisters, named after stars in the Pleiades constellation were adopted from around the world by their beloved Pa Salt and were raised on Lake Geneva in Switzerland.  Each of the sisters were encouraged to follow their dreams.  Ally’s were music and boating, just like Pa Salt.  Ally is out on her boat with her boyfriend Theo when she learns of Pa Salt’s death, she is devastated that she is the last to know and was not there to comfort her sisters.  However, Pa Salt made it as easy on the sisters as possible including leaving clues to their true heritage, if they would like to know.  After yet another loss on the ocean, Ally decides to follow Pa Salt’s clues to Norway where she discovers the story of Anna and Jens Halvorson, musicians who performed Grieg’s music in Ibsen’s ‘’Peer Gynt.”

I absolutely loved the first book of The Seven Sisters and could not wait to read Ally’s story in The Storm Sister.  I would definitely recommend reading The Seven Sisters first, even though each book could be a stand-alone.  When Ally arrives home after Pa Salt’s death, a few more small clues to Pa Salt were leaked.  I was also very, very impressed with the continuity from the first book.  Conversations and events that had to be re-hashed from the first book were done perfectly, but now from Ally’s perspective.  As a huge fan of dual time stories, I enjoyed both the parts of the story with Ally in the present and Anna and Jens in 1875 Norway.  However, I did feel a bigger pull towards Ally in this story even though Anna and Jens romance was captivating and dramatic, I really wanted to know what Ally was going to do with the information and if she would put all of the pieces together.   Her story is one of overcoming great heartbreak, internal struggle and eventually acceptance for what life gives you.  There were some parts at the end that were a little predictable; however it didn’t ruin anything for me.  I will be impatiently waiting for book three which will be about the mysterious sister, Star.
 
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 


Picture
Review of Book 1: 
A wealthy Swiss businessman has traveled the world and adopted six daughters, all named after the stars in the Pleiades constellation. The sisters have grown up with a life of privilege and have all been able to go their separate ways to fulfill their dreams in adulthood. Upon their father’s death, whom the sisters lovingly call Pa Salt, the sisters are brought back together at their childhood home on Lake Geneva, called Atlantis. Here they realize that they do not know much of their father, or where they came from. Pa Salt has left each daughter a letter with clues to their past if they want to find out more. The oldest daughter, Maia, who works as a translator takes the opportunity to follow her clues to Rio De Janiero, Brazil where she uncovers her past with the help of an author that she has translated for. She finds that she is connected to an aristocratic family and through her Great Grandmother’s letters, Maia learns of Izabel a Bonifacio’s time spent in Bel Epoque Paris and her connection with the Christ the Redeemer statue.


Enchanting and addicting, I could not put down The Seven Sisters. Maia and Izabela’s dual timelines unfold much like a fairytale, two elements that I love! There are mysteries upon mysteries that pulled me into the story. Each sister is introduced in the beginning, and each has their own distinct personality and their own past to find. This book focuses on Maia. Each of the characters has astounding depth; Maia is compassionate, emotional and intelligent. Maia’s intense feelings drew me in and rooted me to her story. When Maia reaches Brazil, her sense of adventure is tapped into and another layer is uncovered. The story flows flawlessly between Maia and her great-grandmother Izabela, and I loved both stories equally. Izabela and Maia’s stories parallel each other’s lives and both are strong female characters that are fighting for want they want out of life. I love that Izabela’s story took me from Rio De Janiero to Bel Epoque Paris, where she met sculptor Paul Landowski and his assistant Laurent Brouilly where I could learn of the construction of the Christ the Redeemer statue. I can’t wait for the other sister’s journeys. Filled with intrigue, adventure, romance, beautiful writing and imaginative scenes, The Seven Sisters is one of my favorite books so far this year. 

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

Picture
About the Author: 
Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and wrote her first book aged 24. Her novel ‘Hothouse Flower’ (also called ‘The Orchid House’) was selected for the UK’s Richard and Judy Bookclub in 2011 and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. She is a multiple New York Times bestselling author and has topped the bestseller charts in four European countries.
In response to demand from her readers, she has recently re-written two books from her early writing career when published under her maiden name Lucinda Edmonds – the books are now being published as ‘The Italian Girl’ and ‘The Angel Tree’.
‘The Seven Sisters’ is the first of a unique seven book series based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation.
Lucinda’s books are translated into 28 languages and published in 38 countries. She lives with her husband and four children on the North Norfolk coast in England and in the South of France.
For more information visit http://thesevensistersseries.com. You can connect with Lucinda Riley on Facebook,Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Goodreads.

1 Comment

America's First Daughter

3/11/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
About America's First Daughter
• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
(March 1, 2016)

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.
It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter.
Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.


Purchase Links
HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Review: 
As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, Patsy Jefferson grows up in awe of her father and his political strides.  Patsy follows him to Paris where Thomas Jefferson becomes the American Minister to France.  In Paris, Patsy not only goes to Court and receives a worldly education, but gets to see the effects of politics in action and form her own opinions on slavery.  She also becomes her father's protector and companion.  As Patsy ages, she becomes her own woman, marries and makes her own choices as her father blazes an illustrious political career.  When he passes, Patsy must choose how he will be remembered.


Using Thomas Jefferson's letters, the authors have created and engaging and very accurate portrayal of Thomas and Patsy Jefferson.  I love learning about history through a woman's eyes, and Patsy's character does wonders for learning more about Patsy herself, Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemmings and even Abigail Adams.  I was very intrigued about Thomas Jefferson's views of his own slaves, his relationship with Sally Hemmings and his relationship with his children.  Patsy herself is a tremendous character which I loved to see grow, develop her own opinions and eventually fulfill the obligations as First Lady to her father.  This is a longer book at almost 600 pages, so it is quite an epic read, but well worth it for any historical fiction lover.

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

Picture
​About Stephanie Dray

Stephanie Dray is a bests
elling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her work has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for RWA’s RITA Award, and won NJRW’s Golden Leaf. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital.

Find out more about Stephanie at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Picture
About Laura Kamoie
​
Laura Kamoie has published two nonfiction books on early America and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction under the name Laura Kaye, the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books.
Find out more about Laura at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

1 Comment

Fall of Poppies

3/5/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture

About the Book: 


Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War

By Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, Lauren Willig, Marci Jefferson, and Heather Webb

​Publication Date: March 1, 2016
William Morrow
Paperback & eBook; 368 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Anthology

​Top voices in historical fiction deliver an unforgettable collection of short stories set in the aftermath of World War I—featuring bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month…
November 11, 1918. After four long, dark years of fighting, the Great War ends at last, and the world is forever changed. For soldiers, loved ones, and survivors the years ahead stretch with new promise, even as their hearts are marked by all those who have been lost.
As families come back together, lovers reunite, and strangers take solace in each other, everyone has a story to tell.
In this moving anthology, nine authors share stories of love, strength, and renewal as hope takes root in a fall of poppies.

Review: 
Fall of Poppies is a collection of nine historical fiction short stories by some of my favorite authors.  Focusing on the effects of people’s lives and relationships after World War I ended, each story digs into a different aspect of love, loss and moving on.  Every story brings something different and moving in subtle ways.  I did wish that many of the stories were longer and I could have followed the character’s journey even longer!  I did thoroughly enjoy every story in the collection, but I did have my favorites. 

The Daughter of Belgium by Marci Jefferson takes on a single mom, attacked by soldiers and seeking refuge in an Institute where she is able to help patients and take care of her daughter.  When the War begins to come to an end, all the patients must move, except one.  Amelie is charged with Lars’ care.  As she tries her best to take care of Lars, Amelie discovers strength within herself, surprising secrets about Lars and the will to continue on after the War has ended.
​
All for the Love of You by Jennifer Robson was the sweetest story about love lost and found.  Daisy, an American living in France with her father, assists at an artist studio.  After the War, the studio begins to make masks for the men with facial injuries.  Daniel Mancuso comes to the studio looking for a mask for his eye.  Daisy helps with the formation of the mask and even paints his eye.  Daisy and Daniel fall in love, but are soon ripped apart by Daisy’s father.  Years later, Daisy and Daniel get the chance to reconnect.  I loved that this story explored what happened to the many men who came out of the War different than they went in and the people who helped them become whole. 


About the Authors:
Jessica Brockmole is the author of the internationally bestselling Letters from Skye, an epistolary love story spanning an ocean and two wars. Named one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2013, Letters From Skye has been published in seventeen countries.

Hazel Gaynor is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of Violets. She writes regularly for the national press, magazines and websites in Ireland and the UK.

Evangeline Holland is the founder and editor of Edwardian Promenade, the number one blog for lovers of World War I, the Gilded Age, and Belle Époque France with nearly forty thousand unique viewers a month. In addition, she blogs at Modern Belles of History. Her fiction includes An Ideal Duchess and its sequel, crafted in the tradition of Edith Warton.

Marci Jefferson is the author of Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart, which Publisher’s Weekly called “intoxicating.” Her second novel, The Enchantress of Paris, will release in Spring 2015 from Thomas Dunne Books.

Kate Kerrigan is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ellis Island trilogy. In addition she has written for the Irish Tatler, a Dublin-based newspaper, as well as The Irish Mail and a RTE radio show, Sunday Miscellany.

Jennifer Robson is the USA Today and international bestselling author of Somewhere in France and After the War is Over. She holds a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow. Jennifer lives in Toronto with her husband and young children.

Heather Webb is an author, freelance editor, and blogger at award-winning writing sites WriterUnboxed.com and RomanceUniversity.org. Heather is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and she may also be found teaching craftbased courses at a local college.

Beatriz Williams is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant and A Hundred Summers. A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a corporate and communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home producer of small persons. She now lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry. William Morrow will publish her forthcoming hardcover, A Certain Age, in the summer of 2016.
​
Lauren Willig is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven works of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association’s annual list of the best genre fiction. She lives in New York City, where she now writes full time.
Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and The Great War
1 Comment
    Follow at Bloglovin!

    Author

    Hi there! I'm Stephanie and I obviously love reading.  As, the title suggests, I read at least one hundred pages a day.  I enjoy most book genres; however, my favorites are historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, horror and YA.  I also read a lot of non-fiction science and gardening books for my occupation.  I enjoy reviewing books and as always, any book that I receive for free is read in return for my honest review.  

    ​https://share.simonandschuster.com/stephanierhildreth

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Picture
    Challenge Participant
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Reading Addiction Blog Tours
    Xpresso Book Tours
    b00k r3vi3w Tours
    - See more at: http://b00kr3vi3wtours.blogspot.com/p/collect-badges.html#sthash.R4DGlIHF.dpuf

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Pump Up Your Book

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.