One Copy Of THE GIRL IN WHITE GLOVES by Kerri Maher For Giveaway!

The Girl In The White Gloves

Great cover! Great story! I have one copy of THE GIRL IN WHITE GLOVES for giveaway. Please leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win. I will choose my winner on Monday, March 2. Only U.S. addresses, and no P.O. boxes, please. Good luck!

Grace Kelly encapsulates the Cinderella and American dream. Grace grew up in Philadelphia in a prominent family. But her parents were not keen on her Hollywood ambitions.  Nonetheless, she became one of the most famous actresses of all time.  She was a star in the days of Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and on and on. In fact, she went on to win both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for her role in “The Country Girl, ” beating out Judy Garland in her role in “A Star Is Born.” Holy cow.

I became transformed once Grace met and married Prince Ranier of Monaco. Grace became every little girls dream: an American Princess. She definitely paved the way for the most recent actress to princess transition: Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry.  We all sure do love a royal wedding.  But we must ask ourselves, Was Grace happy? She was a very lonely princess always trying to make everyone else complete.

Grace On Her Wedding Day To Prince Ranier

Kerri Maher traveled to Monaco to do research so she could make her novel as real as possible. She did a great job. I was transformed. She had a conversation with a cab driver that totally helped her understand how the people of Monaco felt about Grace. They absolutely adored her. It took time, and was not overnight though….

We know the ending of this story but not much about the middle. I think you are going to so enjoy reading about Grace. This might be a novel but, it’s got so much reality..

My copy for giveaway is being provided by Berkley which is a division of Penguin Random House publishing. I can’t thank them enough.

We have copies of THE GIRL IN WHITE GLOVES at Copperfish Books. They are 20% off. Come on up and see us.

Copperfish Books

A New Winner!

More Than Words

Good morning readers! Here on the Cape it’s sunny and cool. Looks like a perfect day to spend reading on the lanai.

Kim  Burris, you are my winner today. I will send you an email asking for your mailing address so the publisher can get your book to you asap.Congrats. And thanks so much to all of you who took the time to enter the contest.

I’m reading furiously so I can be prepared for presentation of my upcoming lectures. You guys are up for a treat. And, I promised to write about AMERICAN DIRT. I am almost ready to do that.

Cheers!

Calling Out A Second Winner

More Than Words

My original winner never responded to emails. Sadly, I must move on. I do have some good news for the new winner, though. Ti, you have won a trade paper copy of MORE THAN WORDS by Jill Santopolo. I will send out an email this morning to make sure you know and to get your mailing address. Congrats.

Just a note to all you wonderful readers. When you enter one of my giveaways, please, please, check your email to see if you have won. I always post a date for announcing the winner. Having said that, I do thank all of you readers for all your kind words. Cheers!

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo : Giveaway!

More Than Words

Jill Santopolo’s last novel, THE LIGHT WE LOST, broke records in sales.  Somehow I missed it. So I was determined to get a review copy of MORE THAN WORDS asap.

Jill Santopolo

Nina Gregory is heir to the Gregory Hotels. Her dad and grandad worked hard to make their family name rise to the top.  After Nina’s mom died it was just her and her dad.

When Nina’s father dies her world changes drastically. She realizes her dad had always shielded her from all things bad. But, now, she’s running this company and discovering things that do not add up…

Nina has long known she’d be expected to run the family business. In fact, she has been schooled to do just that. However, she never thought it would happen so soon. She’s been enjoying working in politics and writing speeches for a smart young Latino man named Rafael. He’s running for mayor of New York City. It’s a big deal and even more so if he wins.  As she feels herself becoming closer to Rafael her relationship with her long-time friend Tim begins to change.

Mina is finding out that she is not the person she used to be. All bets are off.  We have a front row seat to Mina’s discovery of herself.  It’s a whirlwind story filled with mystery and romance.

I think you’ll love reading about Nina and her quest for herself.

Now MORE THAN WORDS is coming out in trade paper and Penguin Putnam is providing a book for giveaway. Please leave a comment below to get in on the fun. I will choose one winner on Monday, February 3. No PO boxes, please, and only U.S. addresses per usual. Good luck!

Two-Book Winner!

Giver of Stars

One winner; two books!! Great giveaway. Thank you all so much for taking the time to enter this giveaway.  I am so pleased to tell you that since I wrote the post last week I have finished THE GIVER OF STARS.  I absolutely loved it. It is superb. I will post the interview either later today or later this week.

Moyes has changed her game with this novel. It is all good.

Without further ado, here’s the winner. Jill Ducatman, you’ve won both books! Congratulations. I  know you are going to love these books. And a big thanks go out to Viking Publishers for providing both books! Thanks so much.

Peacock Emporium

Two Books For Giveaway! The Star Givers and The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Giver of Stars

Jojo Moyes has wowed us with her contemporary romance novels set in England. I was totally blown away by ME BEFORE YOU.  Well folks, she’s come over to our side. This wonderful new historical  novel is set in our own Kentucky. Yes, right here in the good old U.S.A.  And Moyes has done her research. Based on Eleanor Roosevelt’s Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky Program that ran 1935-1943.

Jojo Moyes knows that in order to make her novels sing she simply must submerge herself completely. In order to do  this with THE GIVER OF STARS she visited Kentucky three times from 2017-2019, staying in a tiny cabin on the side of a mountain.  I will be posting a Q&A with Moyes when I post the winner of the two books in this giveaway. You are going to love hearing her story.

Jojo Moyes

In this new novel you’ll meet five very unique women and it will amaze you to watch them grow and change over the course of the book.  Alice Wright becomes Alice Van Cleve at the beginning of the story. She believes that by marrying  Bennett Van Cleve and following him to America she will be escaping her stifling life in England. But watch what you hope for…. In Kentucky her overbearing father-in-law makes life so claustrophobic that she almost bursts into flames at the opportunity to work with the women of the Packhorse program. She is one of what will become five of the strongest women you will ever meet in history. What a force!

I am so glad Moyes decided to make this move. And I am delighted to offer two of her books for giveaway. I have one hardcover copy of THE GIVER OF STARS and one trade paper copy of

Peacock Emporium

THE PEACOCK EMPORIUM for giveaway compliments of Viking Publishing. Please leave a comment below and  you will be automatically entered to win both books! I will choose one winner on Monday, October 14. Good luck!

Giveaway! The Friends We Keep by Jane Green

The Friends We Keep

It’s summertime and that means it’s time for another great novel by bestselling author Jane Green.

“THE FRIENDS WE KEEP  is set both in the United Kingdom and New England.  A trio of unlikely friends meet at university. Evvie, a former child actress from the United States, is lonely and out of place when she meets Maggie, a girl who shares her sense of humor. Together they meet Topher, an outsider struggling with his sexual identity. They bond immediately, and vow to be friends forever….

But life, as it often does, gets in the way after they leave school, and they lose touch.

At their thirtieth reunion, the have a chance to reconnect, and a second chance at happiness. But a dark secret revealed will change absolutely everything. “

I have one copy of THE FRIENDS WE KEEP for giveaway compliments of Berkley Publishing a division of Penguin Random House.  Please leave a comment below to enter. Only U.S. addresses, please, and no P.O. boxes.  I will choose one winner on Friday, June 7th. Good luck!

Did you know Jane Green has a cookbook? Yes she does. I own it and my copy is flagged

Good Taste

to death. I reviewed it a couple years ago. I have made some of the best foods ever. Her recipe for zucchini soup is beyond amazing.  We all LOVE it at my house.

Announcing A Big Winner!

Mistress of the Ritz

I am happy to announce that Jane Serio is the winner of my copy of MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin. Congratulations Jane. I know you are going to love this one as much as I do!

I do want to send a heartfelt thanks out to all of you who took the time to enter this contest. It was a very successful one and the generous publishing people at Delacorte Press which is a division of Penguin Random House are going to be so happy.  I can imagine more giveaways soon.

I want to remind everyone that the reason you are seeing so many of our great authors writing about World War Two currently is because we are celebrating 75 years since the War. That’s a big deal. Even though sometimes we feel inundated with books about this era, I have found there is usually room for more.  So, try to keep an open mind when you see yet another WWII novel coming at you. I can tell you right now that they are coming. And they are good!

 

Giveaway: Mistress Of The Ritz by Melanie Benjamin

Mistress of the Ritz

One of America’s best-loved historical fiction novelists Melanie Benjamin,  is back with a larger-than-life story of what happened behind the scenes at the Paris Ritz Hotel while it was  occupied by the Germans during World War II.

I love this cover. I love that they have  included the photo of the Eiffel Tower but shaded over it. Brings the mystery of this novel into focus.

Who are Claude and Blanche Auzello?  Claude is a Frenchman who was the director of the Hotel Ritz and Blanche is his American wife.  Oh the secrets that they hold. Some from each other, and one they keep together…

Blanche Auzello

Benjamin admits that there is not much out there about the Auzello’s.  So even though this novel uses true historical events to set the tone, this story is inspired,  but not based on the truth.  That makes sense. And, Benjamin actually stayed at the Ritz for three unbelievable days and  was able to go behind the face of the hotel and see things for herself. How cool is that!

Those of us who love reading World War II already know about the Hotel Ritz in Paris. We know the Germans basically took over the hotel and set up housekeeping within the sumptuous suites and fully stocked bars, and of course the amazing restaurants. This iconic hotel became the playground for the Third Reich.  Even though we’re aware of this, what do we know about what was actually going on behind the scenes? Not much. Until now.

Before the Germans arrived to take over the Hotel Ritz was a wonderland of celebrities the likes we had not seen before. Hemingway could be seen drinking and telling tales at the bar, Coco Chanel swooped in dressed to the nines, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his colorful wife Zelda were tossing back cocktails, Picasso was hanging out, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor held court there from time to time. The Ritz was the place for the beautiful people of the time to see and be seen. But it all changed when Hermann Goering and the Nazis stomped into Paris and staked their claim on the Hotel Ritz, because  let’s face it, it was the best place in town. And everything changed on a dime.

Coco Chanel

The Auzello’s had become a troubled couple. Their marriage was coming unglued.  Blanche was so totally opposite of her staid husband. She, the over-the-top flamboyant one, he, the serious unflappable one.  But her shenanigans began to get out of hand, threatening to give away their secrets.  Plus, she had befriended Lily who had gone over to the “dark” side and was working with the resistance.

One recent book: nonfiction, THE HOTEL ON PLACE VENDÔME by Tilar J. Mazzeo, was a big source of research for Benjamin. I have read it and can confirm it to be a stellar read on its own. For those of you wishing more, that would be the book to get.

THE MISTRESS OF THE RITZ will definitely keep you turning the pages.  It’s suspenseful and filled with characters that have personality plus.  I loved the real-life characters and the imagined. I was totally transformed and taken to Paris for days as I relished reading this new novel.

Melanie Benjamin is the New York Times bestselling author of THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE and THE AVIATOR’S WIFE.

Melanie Benjamin

The pub date is Tuesday, May 21.  I can’t wait to start hand-selling this amazing historical novel. We’ll have copies available at Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda on Tuesday, May 21.. I look forward to being able to finally put one in your hands.

Copperfish Books

My review copy was furnished by Delacorte Press, a division of Penguin Random House. These wonderful people offered a giveaway copy of THE MISTRESS OF THE RITZ and I jumped at the chance to offer it. So, please leave a comment below in order to be  entered to win!!  Only U.S. addresses, please. And, no P.O. boxes, as per usual.  I will choose one winner on Monday, May 20. Don’t miss out on this one. Good luck to all!

New Winner!

Tomorrow There Will Be Sun

Peri Pantazes, you are my winner today! Congrats.

Summer is coming quickly here in S.W. Florida. Our mornings are still cool, but, it’s really heating up. Time for lighter reads….

Thanks for entering my contest.  And thanks to Pamela Dorman and Viking Books for providing the giveaway book.