Tag: #aboutauthor

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen

Book Description

When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.

As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.

In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211671383-let-s-call-her-barbie?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=KCA9pM7aNs&rank=1

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

LET’S CALL HER BARBIE by Renee Rosen is an engaging historical fiction book that follows the inspiration and creation of an entirely new type of doll called Barbie and the lives of the people involved in bringing her to the world. Barbie was a part of my childhood, even though I was more of a tomboy, my girlfriends would all get together and play with our Barbies. I found this story fascinating and it reminded me of how many and how large the strides in women’s rights made in the short period of time covered by this novel.

Ruth Handler is a brilliant example of “a woman before her time” and while the benefits were many, so were the difficulties and heartaches. The main characters, both historical and fictional, are fully developed and believable. Their personal lives show the cultural shifts throughout the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s vividly. Ms. Rosen’s research is evident in her ability to integrate all the new technology involved in getting Barbie made and mass produced without breaking up the flow of the story.

I recommend this historical fiction story that looks into the inception and worldwide phenomenon called, “Barbie”.

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About the Author

Renée Rosen is the USA Today bestselling author of LET’S CALL HER BARBIE, FIFTH AVENUE GLAMOUR GIRL, THE SOCIAL GRACES, PARK AVENUE SUMMER, along with 4 other historical novels and the YA novel, EVERY CROOKED POT.

Renée lives in Chicago where she is at work on a new novel.

Social Media Links

Website: https://reneerosen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReneeRosenAuthor/?ref=bookmarks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reneerosen_/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/let-s-call-her-barbie-by-renee-rosen

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Dressmaker’s Secret by Michelle Vernal

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE DRESSMAKER’S SECRET by Michelle Vernal on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

1962. Even as she gazes at the silk bridal dresses in the window, the little girl’s eyes fill with tears. She has dreamed about gowns just like that. But now, lost and alone, she only wants to be held. Just a moment ago, she was in the arms of her mother. Now her only hope lies in Brides of Bold Street, where past and present blur…

Sabrina Flooks was lost as a little girl, then raised and trained by talented dressmaker Evelyn. The historic bridal shop on Bold Street is all Sabrina has ever known.

Since the kind shop owner took her in, Sabrina has followed in Evelyn’s footsteps, stitching and bejewelling gorgeous wedding dresses. She’s buried herself in the rich fabrics, closing off her heart rather than face the pain of what happened all those years ago…

Until the sparks that fly between her and handsome Adam Taylor take her completely by surprise. His quiet charm and kind smile encourage her to let her guard down. Just a little.

As love truly begins to bloom, the only way she can overcome the fear of being abandoned again and learn to feel safe in Adam’s warm embrace, is if she finally finds the truth about her identity and her past. And the way to unravelling it all may be closer than she ever thought possible…

Because the rails full of petticoats, veils and skirts hide a secret. One that could have her walking a path through the past.

Could the journey through history give her everything she ever dreamt of? And even if she uncovers the truth, will she make it back to Adam in the present day or will it take Sabrina away from everything she holds dear?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227890652-the-dressmaker-s-secret?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=45MqWO6o6t&rank=1

Purchase link: https://geni.us/B0DWT4469Vsocial

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE DRESSMAKER’S SECRET (Brides of Bold Street Book #1) by Michelle Vernal is a moving historical fiction/time travel romance with a wonderful young female protagonist who discovers her ability to time slip but does not know how to control it or why she has the ability. This is the first book in a new series, and I cannot wait to get into the next.

Sabrina Flooks was lost at the age of three while on a walk with her mother in 1962. She was found, raised and then trained by the talented bridal gown maker who she calls her aunt, Evelyn Flooks. She has a home she loves with her aunt above their bridal shop, but she still has a longing for the truth about her mother and her past.

When Sabrina catches the eye of the handsome Adam Taylor, she wants to let her guard down and open her heart, but not until she knows the truth of her past can she overcome her fear of abandonment.

I loved all the characters and timelines in this story and how they all circled around each other. Ms. Vernal clearly wrote different historical periods folding into each other during the overall story and I never felt lost or confused. The mechanism of Sabrina’s time slipping does not appear to be in her control but does appear to only allow her to return to her time in 1981 with her successfully helping of a couple in 1928 find their HEA. While the historical romance plotline is resolved, Sabrina’s plotline search for her past is not and will continue. Just as in her Little Irish Village series, Ms. Vernal masterfully pulled me into the protagonist’s world and set me on an emotional roller coaster throughout this beautifully written story.

I highly recommend this delightful and heart-warming historical fiction/time travel romance!

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About the Author

Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.michellevernalbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellevernalnovelist

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellevernalnovelist/

Newsletter sign up: https://www.bookouture.com/michelle-vernal

Feature Post and Book Review: Arctic Pursuit by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description

FBI special agent Ty Savakis keeps his promises. That’s why he’s asked Wren McKenna to join him in an isolated Alaskan town: he wants her help safeguarding a witness he swore to protect. To find the assailant who tried to kill her, Ty and Wren go undercover as a married couple. These partners have always been a perfect team, but sharing an apartment makes it impossible to resist the attraction they’ve both fought to deny. Will the violent criminal they’re tracking give them a chance to imagine a future together?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211104519-arctic-pursuit?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=LrbO97FZxT&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ARCTIC PURSUIT (The McKenna Code Book #1) by Anna J. Stewart is an exciting page-turner of an introduction to this new Harlequin Romantic Suspense series featuring the McKenna law enforcement family as they solve crimes and find their HEAs. This book and author delivered everything I look for in a romantic suspense genre book.

FBI special agent Wren McKenna has a special relationship with her partner of seven years, FBI special agent Ty Savakis. Her family members believe they should be together in more than just their working relationship, but she does not want to spoil what they have. Ty is supposed to be on leave right now but comes to Wren for help on an old case in a small Alaskan town. Their cover is as a married couple.

Ty swore to protect a witness in a past case and now the criminal she testified against is getting a new trial. When he hears her be run down over the phone, he asks Wren to help him protect her and her family. Wren and Ty are the perfect partners, but will living together as a married couple make it impossible to resist the chemistry that has always been between them as they fight to bring down a dangerous criminal in winter in small town Alaska?

This is a suspenseful introduction to this new series with just the right amount of romance intertwined throughout. The crime/suspense plotline is fast-paced and continually kept me turning the pages and the romance kept progressing at a realistic pace as the danger makes them realize and admit to how they feel for each other. There are sex scenes, but I never felt they were gratuitous because they fit so well into the friendship and feelings they already had, but did not acknowledge. Like all Harlequin Romantic Suspense books, this story is not overly long and easily read in one sitting. I could not put it down.

I highly recommend this first romantic suspense in The McKenna Code series and I am anxiously awaiting more books in this series!

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About the Author

Award-winning, USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes sweet to sexy romances for Harlequin and ARC Manor’s CAEZIK (Kay-Zehk) Romance. Her sweet Harlequin Heartwarming books include the Butterfly Harbor series as well as the ongoing Blackwell continuity series. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and has contributed to the bestselling Coltons. Her Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series, published by CAEZIK, will launch with EXPOSED in November of 2022.

A Holt Medallion winner (BRIDE ON THE RUN), as well as a Golden Heart, Daphne DuMaurier, and National Reader’s Choice finalist, Anna loves writing big community stories where family found is always the theme. Since her first published novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has released more than fifty novels and novellas and hopes to branch out even more (horror romance, anyone?). Anna lives in Northern California where (at the best times) she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually binge-watching her newest TV addiction, re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural, and wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authorannastewart.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnaJStewart

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/annajwriter.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anna-j-stewart

Book Review: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict is a historical fiction/mystery story featuring The Queens of Crime, their founding and friendship, and a locked room mystery they work together to solve in 1930 London and Boulogne-sur-Mer. Told solely from Dorothy Sayer’s perspective this is an entertaining story with an intriguing mystery.

Mystery writers Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham band together as The Queens of Crime to be recognized as equals to the male members of the legendary Detection Club. To receive that recognition, they plan to solve an actual murder straight out of the headlines.

A young nurse takes a day trip to Boulogne-sur-Mer, France with a friend and disappears. She went into the ladies room at the ferry terminal and never came out. Her body is discovered several months later in a park with signs of strangulation. Determined to solve the mystery, the ladies use their skills to investigate. As they get closer, Dorothy is threatened with the revelation of a secret from her past and attacked. Will they be able pull all their skills and talents together to solve the mystery before anyone else becomes a victim?

I was really looking forward to getting this book, and while it is an entertaining read, with an excellent locked room mystery intertwined, the Queens are not as fully developed as individual characters as I was hoping for. I felt Dorothy was developed as a good lead character, but the other ladies were lacking. There is a heavy emphasis on their clothes and food, with in my opinion, only minimal emphasis on their personalities. I enjoyed the history surrounding the WWI “surplus girls” and the mystery plot itself, though it started slowly it was filled with interesting twists and red herrings.

Overall, an enjoyable historical fiction/mystery book, just not my favorite by this author.

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About the Author

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues. She embarked on a new, thematically connected series of historical novels with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The next novel in this series is the USA Today bestselling CARNEGIE’S MAID — which released in January of 2018 — and the book that followed is the New York Times bestseller and Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the story of the brilliant inventor Hedy Lamarr, which published in January of 2019. In January of 2020, LADY CLEMENTINE, the story of the incredible Clementine Churchill, was released, and became an international bestseller. Her next novel, the Instant NY Times and USA Today bestselling THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, was published on December 29, 2020, and her first co-written book, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, with the talented Victoria Christopher Murray, will be released on June 29, 2021. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authormariebenedict.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormariebenedict/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/authormariebenedict/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-queens-of-crime-by-marie-benedict

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Hunt for the Peggy C: A WWII Maritime Thriller by John Winn Miller

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C: A WWII Maritime Thriller by John Winn Miller on this Black Coffee Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

John Winn Miller’s THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution.

The normally aloof Rogers finds himself drawn in by the family’s warmth and faith, but he can’t afford to let his guard down when Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer, a brutal U-boat captain, sets his sights on the Peggy C., Rogers finds himself pushed to the limits of his ingenuity as he evades Brauer’s relentless stalking, faces a mutiny among his own crew, and grapples with his newfound feelings for Miriam, the young Jewish woman whom, along with her family, he must transport to safety.

When Rogers is seriously wounded, Miriam must prove she is as tough as her rhetoric to save everyone as the U-boat closes in for the kill. THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C is a masterpiece laced with nail-biting tension and unexpectedly heartwarming moments that any reader, not just fans of naval fiction, will enjoy.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134916574-the-hunt-for-the-peggy-c

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C: A World War II Maritime Thriller by John Winn Miller is an edge-of-your-seat suspense filled historical fiction/thriller set on an American tramp steamer with an international crew and secret cargo being relentlessly hunted by a German U-boat captain before America enters the war. Set aside some time for this story because if you are like me, you will keep turning the pages and not be able to put it down until The End.

Captain Jake Rogers is experienced in running his tramp steamer, The Peggy C, through U-boat infested waters as the Germans try to cut off supplies to England and its allies. He takes on everything from vital supplies to contraband as long as the reward for him and his crew is high. As The Peggy C docks in Amsterdam, Rogers is paid to take on unusual cargo, Jewish refugees, which if discovered by the Germans could get his whole crew killed.

Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer is a brutal U-boat captain who has clawed his way through the ranks and is willing to do anything to finally be awarded the Iron Cross. After stopping The Peggy C and losing his boarding party, he is determined to destroy The Peggy C and its captain. The hunt is on.

I loved everything about this story. The maritime setting was an enjoyable change from other WWII historical fiction books. I learned so much while never being bored with the new maritime and nautical information which never bogged down the story or decreased the pace of the suspense. I truly did not know what would happen from page to page. The nail-biting tension throughout at Brauer’s scary determination to destroy Rogers and The Peggy C also kept me turning the pages. The interactions and growing feelings between Rogers and the refugees were heartwarming and gave a few small breaks to the continual overall tension of the main plotline.

I highly recommend this maritime historical fiction/thriller! A fantastic read!

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About the Author

John Winn Miller is an award-winning investigative reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, publisher, screenwriter, indie movie producer and novelist.

Based in Rome for The Associated Press and Wall Street Journal/Europe, he covered wars in Beirut, Chad and Eritrea as well as special assignments in Libya, Bulgaria, Tunis and India ,and traveled with Pope John Paul II.

He was part of a team of reporters at the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader that wrote a series that helped trigger education reform in Kentucky. The series won the 1990 public service award from the Society of Professional Journalists, top honors from Investigative Reporters and Editors and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

He was executive editor of the Centre Daily Times (PA) and the Tallahassee Democrat and publisher of The Olympian (WA) and the Concord (N.H.) Monitor.

Miller also was the first Journalist-in-Residence for his alma mater, The University of Kentucky, and taught journalism at Transylvania University.

He has helped produce four Indie movies, written several screenplays and is a partner in a social media marketing company called Friends2Follow.

The Lexington, Kentucky-native is also a second degree black belt. His wife Margo is a former college English instructor and now a potter. Their daughter Allison Miller is an actress-screenwriter-director currently starring in the ABC series A Million Little Things.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.johnwinnmiller.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076298677356

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwinnmiller_author/#

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-hunt-for-the-peggy-c-by-john-winn-miller

Feature Post and Book Review: High Density by Freya Barker

Book Description

Since taking over the veterinary clinic in Libby, Montana last year, Janey Richards has been burning the candle at both ends. She’s grateful she is busy, but there has barely been any time to build a life outside of work. To help pay down her debt faster, she agrees to take on responsibility for the livestock at Libby’s annual rodeo, but perhaps she should’ve thought twice about the added stress.

Although, her personal life is definitely looking up.

JD Watike never thought he’d end up following in his father’s footsteps, but he’s found his stride these past six years as a member of the High Mountain Trackers team. He enjoys the simplicity of small-town living, which has only gotten more interesting since Doc Richards appeared on the scene.

Spending most of the past year patiently observing from a distance, the time feels right for him to make his move.

Or at least to clear up some misunderstandings.

The opportunity presents itself sooner than expected, when the pretty veterinarian stumbles onto some serious criminal activity at the Libby Roundup, and a young woman disappears from the grounds, he has plenty of cause to stay glued to her side.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210196437-high-density?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=TiRe3XqaLN&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIGH DENSITY (High Mountain Trackers 2nd Gen) by Freya Barker is the third action-packed romantic suspense in the 2nd Generation quartet of books in the High Mountain Trackers world. This can be read as a standalone story, but there are carryover characters from other books in the series since the Trackers all work together. I have read and loved them all and recommend reading the series in order.

JD Watike has been interested in the new veterinarian for a while now, ever since she arrived in Libby to take over the clinic for the retiring doctor. He finally gets his chance when Doc Janey gets called to High Meadow ranch to help a horse with a partial breech birth. He is determined to take it slow until the Doc gets hired to take care of the livestock for auction and the rodeo livestock for the annual Libby Roundup and she stumbles onto criminal activity. He is determined to stay by her side.

Dr. Janey Richards has been aware of the handsome High Meadow Tracker, JD Watike, but considers him a player until they begin to see each other. When she discovers criminal activity involving the cattle up for auction, she and JD alert local law enforcement and the FBI. The danger they are in escalates as quickly as the chemistry between them.

Besides the danger at the roundup, young women have gone missing and later found assaulted and dead. JD and Janey get pulled into this investigation, too. Danger is all around them. Are the cases connected or is it a strange coincidence?

I love this series and was very happy to see JD finally step up and start a relationship with Janey. Janey is a strong heroine who stands up for herself and while she appreciates JD caring for her, she does not tolerate him making decisions for her or her life. She wants a partner, not a boss. There are a few intimate sex scenes which I felt were appropriate to their growing adult relationship, but I never felt they were gratuitous. The intertwining crime/mystery plotlines were fast-paced, intriguing, and kept me guessing and quickly turning the pages to see what happened next. I am looking forward to the next book in this quartet which will finally give me Jackson’s story.

I highly recommend this exciting addition to the High Mountain Trackers 2nd Gen series!

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About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills, and chills in their lives.

Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

For the latest news and updates on books and upcoming releases, you can subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/Freya_Newsletter

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.freyabarker.com/about/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreyaBarkerWriter

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freyabarker.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/freya-barker