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Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel

3/19/2019

2 Comments

 
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​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. 

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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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Josephine Baker's Last Dance

3/14/2019

1 Comment

 
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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.

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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


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Meet Me in Outer Space

3/14/2019

1 Comment

 

Meet Me in Outer Space
Melinda Grace
(Swoon Reads)
Publication date: March 12th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Smart and unflinching, this #OwnVoices debut contemporary novel stars an ambitious college student who refuses to be defined by her central auditory processing disorder.

Edie Kits has a learning disability. Well, not a learning disability exactly, but a disability that impacts her learning. It isn’t visible, it isn’t obvious, and it isn’t something she likes to advertise.

And for three semesters of college, her hard work and perseverance have carried her through. Edie thinks she has her disability under control until she meets her match with a French 102 course and a professor unwilling to help her out.

Edie finds herself caught between getting the help she needs and convincing her professor that she isn’t looking for an easy out. Luckily for Edie, she has an amazing best friend, Serena, who is willing to stitch together a plan to ensure Edie’s success. And then there’s Hudson, the badly dressed but undoubtedly adorable TA in her French class who finds himself pulled into her orbit…

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Meet Me in Outer Space is a sweet, heartachingly real story of love and college life by debut author Melinda Grace

Review
College student and fashion major Edie Kits is going to do a summer semester in Paris and maybe stay for the fall- if only she can pass French. Edie is having an especially hard time in French due to her Central Auditory Processing Disorder, an invisible disability that makes it difficult for Edie to understand things and sometimes mishear things. This makes French class twice as hard, especially when her professor won't let Edie record the class. The French TA, Hudson- a super cute, beanie wearing fashion failure comes to Edie's aid. Hudson over-zealously offers to tutor her and helps the teacher understand Edie's transmitter. Edie finds herself falling for Hudson, but Paris is only a few months away.

Meet Me in Outer Space is a sweet, heartfelt and realistic new adult romance that explores life with an invisible disability. Edie stole my heart with her determination, grit and willingness to fight for herself and her dreams. The writing portrayed Edie as a regular college aged woman who just happened to have a disability. Central Auditory Processing Disorder isn't a disability that is often explored and is definitely one that is very misunderstood. The opening chapter did a fabulous job exposing the difficulties of living with and finding resources for a disability that no one believes you have. The romance and Hudson's character were sugary sweet and charming. For as determined as Edie was to not have a boyfriend before she left for Paris, Hudson was equally determined to be with her. I enjoyed Hudson's willingness to really get to know Edie and taking things at her pace. Overall, a charming and entertaining new adult romance that showcases the struggle between chasing your dreams and romance.

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

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo


Author Bio:

Melinda Grace wrote her first piece of fiction in middle school, but didn’t write a complete story until an introduction to creative writing course at SUNY Oswego, where she earned a BA in human development. She went on to earn a MS E.D. in counseling and currently works as a school counselor. When she’s not guiding the youth of America, she’s planning her next vacation to Disney World, laminating anything she can get her hands on, and binge watching Netflix. MEET ME IN OUTER SPACE is her debut novel, publishing March 2019.

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Within These Lines

3/11/2019

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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. 

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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.




Connect with Stephanie
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The Woman in the Lake

3/4/2019

1 Comment

 
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About the Book:
London, 1765


Lady Isabella Gerard, a respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the actions of her brutal husband the night before.

Three months later, Lord Gerard stands at the shoreline of the lake, looking down at a woman wearing the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this was not his intended victim…

250 Years Later…

When a gown she stole from a historic home as a child is mysteriously returned to Fenella Brightwell, it begins to possess her in exactly the same way that it did as a girl. Soon the fragile new life Fen has created for herself away from her abusive ex-husband is threatened at its foundations by the gown’s power over her until she can't tell what is real and what is imaginary.

As Fen uncovers more about the gown and Isabella’s story, she begins to see the parallels with her own life. When each piece of history is revealed, the gown—and its past—seems to possess her more and more, culminating in a dramatic revelation set to destroy her sanity.

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

Review: 
In London, 1765 the philandering and abusive Lord Gerard becomes so enraged at his wife, Lady Isabella that he commissions a beautiful gold gown meant to kill her.  When his plan fails, Lord Gerard enlists his Moonraker pal and Lady Isabella's maid, Constance to destroy the dress.  However, both Lady Isabella and Constance become so enraptured with the dress that the task is never completed.  Lady Isabella decides to escape the city and convalesce in Lydiard, away from her husband.  The dress calls to her though, possessing Lady Isabella.  In 2004, Fenella Brightwell takes a school trip to Lydiard.  Fen has kleptomania tendencies and when she walks into a small room at Lydiard, she sees a drunken man in time period clothing staring at a golden dress.  Fen is spooked, but before she goes the golden dress calls out to her- take me.  Years later, Fen is out of an abusive relationship and has created a stable life for herself.  Then, she gets a package in the mail. The golden dress has made its way back to her life with a strange message- danger.  

The Woman in the Lake is an enchanting dual-time mystery that pulled me into the story just as the dress made its way into the character's lives.  From the beginning I was engrossed with the puzzle of who the woman in the lake was and the importance of the dress.  The narrative switched between Isabella, Constance and Fen's point of view tying together their experiences with the pull of the golden dress.  While the dress enhanced the worst traits in all of the woman, the dress also seemed to make it possible for the women to rid themselves of an even bigger problem, the men in the lives.  As Fen investigated the history of the dress, the similarities between herself and Isabella became apparent with a love of art and a knack for falling for abusive men.  Constance was a very interesting character to me as it was not apparent as to where her loyalties lied, however, she was definitely the most clever.  The golden dress was a character in itself; as I read about the qualities of the dress, I felt possessed myself as I felt the need to continue to read in order to unravel its mystery. I would have loved to know how exactly the power was created.  Overall, a captivating story mixing history, mystery and a touch of magic.  

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

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About Nicola Cornick

USA Today bestselling author Nicola Cornick has written over 40 historical romances and now writes Gothic time slip for HQ and Graydon House.
Nicola’s writing is inspired by her love of history and was fostered by a wonderful history teacher and by her grandmother, whose collection of historical romantic fiction fed Nicola’s addiction from an early age. She studied in London and Oxford and works as a guide and historian in a 17th century house as well as acting as a historical adviser for TV and radio. Publisher’s Weekly have described her as a rising star and her books have been nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and for the Romance Writers of America RITA Awards.
Nicola lives near Oxford with her husband and dog. When she isn’t writing she enjoys long walks in the countryside, singing in a choir and volunteering as a puppy walker for Guide Dogs.

Connect with Nicola
Website | Facebook | Twitter

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    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

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