Tag: #bookdescription

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

Book Description

When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had—starting with horses. 

She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. Heather becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition. 

It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romances and dark secrets. With the end of summer horse show fast approaching, the pressure is on, and these mothers will stop at nothing to give their daughters everything they deserve. 

Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier is more than just a book about horses.  Readers should think about sports travel teams and stage mothers.  Those parents who try to put their own dreams on their children and push them to succeed, even when the dream does not seem realistic. The book explores the world of competitive horse jumping, with overbearing mothers who push their children to compete, toxic coaches, and mean girls.

The story opens with a suspicious death at a horse show.  Throughout the book readers are trying to figure out who has been killed since the author does not reveal the victim until late in the story. This adds to the suspense along with other accidents that put some of the girls in danger. 

Besides the murder there is also bullying.  One of the families, the Parkers, have joined the Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian Center, to make a fresh start.  They left their Texas home because the youngest daughter, Maple, was constantly being bullied. Besides Maple, readers get the perspective of her sister Piper, her mom Heather, and some of the other families, Vera, and Pamela. While all appear superficial at the beginning of the book as readers get to know the characters they begin to like and dislike them.

Then there are the men in the story.  Kieran, the owner of the center and the head trainer appears to only care about his prestige. Douglas works with the horses and is involved with some of the female characters.  The father of Piper and Maple, Jeff, is only concerned about making money.

Anyone who has never read Brazier should start with this book. It is a fabulous story involving smoldering tension, manipulation, poisonous female friendships, and wealthy power dynamics, a depiction on the elite world of teen horse competitions.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Are you a horse person?

Eliza Jane Brazier: I live ten minutes from Rancho Santa Fe. I worked in the horse industry for several years as a working student, a rider in a training program, and a riding instructor. I would observe the different dynamics between parents and children, which is what was the original spark for this book. There were some incidents where a mom wanted to pass her dream of riding horses to her child.

EC: Do you think in the beginning of the book the characters appeared superficial?

EJB: My characters might have presented themselves that way. I want to write my characters taking a journey. In the beginning of the book as in most cases when someone first meets a person that person can appear superficial. It is only after the reader gets to know them, spending more time with them, they see the characters reveal themselves in a natural way.

EC: How would you describe Mable?

EJB: Bullied, which affected her.  She went along to get along.  Very anxious, jealous, with an attitude of woe is me. She idolizes her mom, is jealous of her sister Piper, and feels unlikeable.

EC:  You describe the bullying affect?

EJB:  Yes.  Bullies tease, push people around, and humiliate them. By complaining or showing fear the bullies are energized. I was bullied.  The scene in the book happened to me, where someone pulled me down by my hair and threw me on the ground.  I wanted to show how a parent feels powerless and helpless in those type of situations. The bullying motivated Heather, Maple’s mom, because she really wants to help her child, but does not know how. 

EC:  How would describe Piper?

EJB:  She is a go-getter, a problem solver, lonely, and tried to hide her feelings about horses.

EC:  How about Heather?

EJB:  She wants good things for her children and is very supportive.  She does not see herself as a good mom. Heather is affected by being abandoned as a child. She has not dealt with her past and is not happy in her marriage. By marrying Jeff, Heather thought she would be safe and secure with him, someone to count on.  They never had any romance or love in the relationship. Her focus is on making her children happy instead of making herself happy. Heather has lost herself as a person.

EC:  What about Heather’s relationship with her daughters?

EJB: She can be pushy and controlling. Eventually she realizes this and tries to back down. Her journey is the backbone of the whole book. The premise is a mom’s influence over their children and how they should yield it. No parent should be completely hands off yet should not be domineering. The other mom, Pamela, lets her daughter Vida do whatever she wants and then there is Heather, who tries to figure out where she is as a parent.

EC:  How would you describe Vida and her relationship with her mom?

EJB:  A bully, self-centered, devious, basically a complete mean girl. Her mom Pamela related more to Maple than Vida.

EC:  Can you explain why the mother quote?

EJB:  You are referring to this one. “You would worry and torment and impact your kids for the rest of their lives.  They would blame you for everything.  They would blame you for nothing.” I have eight brothers and sisters, with thirty nieces and nephews.  I get to observe many different dynamics between parents and their children. As people get older, they realize it is not about a right or wrong decision, but which decision will be the least harmful. With parenting the consequences are huge and somewhat scary because it affects someone’s life. The characters in the book have a complicated relationship with their parents.

EC:  How would you describe Kieran, the owner of the Equestrian?

EJB:  He thought himself of G-d, is obsessed, narcissist, manipulative, controlling, and intimidating.  All that mattered to him are the horses.

EC:  He abused humans, but did he also abuse horses?

EJB: Many readers who are not familiar with horses might think he abused them. ACE is a commonly used horse tranquilizer, which he gave the horse Commotion.  It is something commonly used. It is administered to calm a horse, especially after an injury. ACE is a mild sedative. This does not mask a horse’s injury.

EC:  Douglas played an important role in the story?

EJB: He was confident, patient, sensitive, passionate, and charming. But he was also desperate to be loved.

EC: What was the role of the horses?

EJB:  They are beautiful and smart, powerful, and can help someone.  I put in this book quote, “Anyone that did not believe in magic, had never written a horse.” The horse Commotion brought Piper out of her shell, but also created jealousy among the girls. Through Commotion everyone projected their dreams. Maybe Douglas and Piper appreciated the horse as a separate being, but they also wanted to see how they can achieve their dreams through the horse. Both looked on the horse as a friend.

EC:  What about any movies/TV shows?

EJB:  There is something in the works.

EC:  Next book?

EJB: I went into a different direction.  It is about a guy and gal who meet on an overnight sleeper train going from Florence to Paris.  They have a flirtation, but he disappears.  Both are contract killers. It has murder, romance, and adventure.  It should be out the end of the summer next year.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Where the Grass Grows Blue by Hope Gibbs

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for WHERE THE GRASS GROWS BLUE by Hope Gibbs on this AME Blog Tour.

Below you will find an author Q&A, a book description, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

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Author Q&A

How did you do research for your book?

Where the Grass Grows Blue is set in Kentucky, where I was born and raised, so I was comfortable with most topics—food, dialogue, and setting. But I did write in flashbacks and had to study pop culture during those decades so as to not get the year wrong. I also had to do some serious research into genetic diseases, as they are a plot point for my protagonist.

Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?

The hardest to write by far was the main character, Penny. She is a complicated and sometimes frustrating character by design. 

The easiest was Bradley, her love interest. I might have developed a literary crush on him while writing. 

 Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

I want to bring the charm of the South to a wider community of readers. It’s my goal to immerse them in the culture, food, and characters, so I look around my surroundings or dig back to my upbringing to find inspiration. 

What advice would you give budding writers?

In the words of Nike, “Just do it!” You’ll never know unless you try. Of course, there are going to be bumps, sometimes mountains, along the way, but if you believe in yourself, your voice, and find the right support system, you can make it happen too.

Your book is set in Kentucky. Have you ever been there?

I was born and raised in the Bluegrass State. I still consider it home, though I’ve been gone for decades.

If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?

Penny’s best friend, Dakota. She is a truth-teller and doesn’t worry about what anyone thinks of her. She’s also fiercely loyal.

Do you have another profession besides writing?

I was a stay-at-home mother of five for twenty-five years. A few years ago, I started re-evaluating my life. At that point, it hit me. My children would soon be leaving for college. So I started “journaling” on a laptop. That lasted about a week before I noticed I wasn’t writing about my feelings or goals—I was creating a character. Now that my children are grown, I’m writing full-time. But that’s only one part of my “writing life.” I’m also a tour guide for Bookish Road Trip, an upbeat community of book lovers, authors, and bibliophiles. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, and on their website. I’m in charge of the Author Take the Wheel program.

How long have you been writing?

I started about five years ago. It’s been a wonderful creative outlet.

Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

Of course. Music has been a huge part of my creative process. It really inspires me and allows my mind to go places, creating new worlds. Also, running and exercise helps. Some of my best ideas happen when I work out.

What is your next project?

I’m almost finished with my second book, Ashes to Ashes. It’s an upmarket fiction book, set in the South, of course, that focuses on a tight-knit group of women whose world is rocked after the unexpected death of their dear friend, Ellen, under mysterious circumstances. But before they can even process their grief, they stumble across a web of secrets and lies, unraveling Ellen’s perfect life—the one she tried so hard to project to the outside world. Now they must rely on each other to find out who the real Ellen Foster was while grappling with the idea that they never really knew her at all.

What genre do you write in?

Women’s fiction and contemporary romance. But my third book will be historical fiction because it’s set in the early 1970s. I don’t want to be boxed into one genre.

What is the last great book you’ve read?

On Gin Lane by Brooke Lea Foster. I can’t tell you how much I loved that book.

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

“The author’s writing was like paint on a canvas, creating a vibrant picture of life in Kentucky, so much so that I was easily transported there.” Reader Views review.

If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?

This is fun! Because it has dual timelines (flashbacks to the 70s and 80s and a “current” timeline set in 2009), I would have to cast young and older actors.

For the adult Penny, Elizabeth Olsen would be the perfect choice and for the younger version, circa 1985–89, it would absolutely be Sadie Sink. The adult Bradley? It’s Henry Cavill all the way with Tanner Buchanan taking the younger role.  

As for Ruby Ray, Penny’s beloved grandmother, she would be played by Laura Dern (in the 1970s flashback) and Diane Ladd as the older Ruby Ray. They are two of my favorite actresses of all time and they are mother and daughter.

And finally, Dakota, Penny’s best friend with a salty tongue, would be played by Rashida Jones while Margo Martindale would make a fine Miss Paulette, Camden, Kentucky’s premier town gossip.


Maybe I should be a casting agent!

If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

It’s funny you should ask. I literally made a playlist for this book as I was writing it. Whenever I was in the car or exercising, I listened to it over and over again.

Name by Goo Goo Dolls

American Girl by Tom Petty

Heaven by Brian Adams

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder by Johnny Cash

Cruel Summer by Bananarama

Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne

Feels Like Home by Edwina Hayes

The Promise by Tracy Chapman

Fix You by Coldplay

All That You Are by Goo Goo Dolls

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?

The biggest challenge was deciding where to start. To be honest with you, I had no idea what I was doing. I spent about three and a half years writing, rewriting, and editing my novel, Where the Grass Grows Blue completely by myself. This was the first book I had ever written, so there was a lot of trial and error involved.

What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?

Write, write, write. It’s the only way to get better. Also, I suggest joining writing groups. I’m a member of the WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association). It’s been a wealth of knowledge and has connected me to so many authors and aspiring writers, who are the most generous people on the planet with their time and advice.

Which authors inspired you to write?

Elin Hilderbrand. She’s the reason I started writing in the first place. I adore her. I even traveled to Nantucket last fall with a group of girlfriends to have the Elin “experience.” It was an absolute blast, plus I met her! On my website, you can find a blog post I wrote about that trip.

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Book Description

Penny Crenshaw’s divorce and her husband’s swift remarriage to a much younger woman have been hot topics around Atlanta’s social circles. After a year of enduring the cruel gossip, Penny leaps from the frying pan into the fire by heading back to Kentucky to settle her grandmother’s estate.

Reluctantly, Penny travels to her hometown of Camden, knowing she will be stirring up all the ghosts from her turbulent childhood. But not all her problems stem from a dysfunctional family. One of Penny’s greatest sources of pain lives just down the street: Bradley Hitchens, her childhood best friend, the keeper of her darkest secrets, and the boy who shattered her heart.

As Penny struggles with sorting through her grandmother’s house and her own memories, a colorful group of friends drifts back into her life, reminding her of the unique warmth, fellowship, and romance that only the Bluegrass state can provide. Now that fate has forced Penny back, she must either let go of the scars of her past or risk losing a second chance at love. Can she learn to live an unbridled life?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63259909-where-the-grass-grows-blue?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=xkSPW8JS2A&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

WHERE THE GRASS GROWS BLUE by Hope Gibbs is a heartfelt, enchanting, and beautiful Southern women’s fiction/romance story that I found impossible to put down. This is one woman’s journey that will resonate in part or in total with so many real-life women’s stories.

Penny Crenshaw is far from her poor and emotionally fraught upbringing in Kentucky and is a happy housewife and mother in affluent Atlanta until she discovers not only is her husband having an affair, but he is divorcing her for a much younger woman. Even with their divorce, her husband still controls Penny’s life.

When he takes their three boys on an extended African vacation with his new wife, Penny returns to her small hometown of Camden, Kentucky to get the house her grandmother left her ready for sale. Penny knows the memories will be difficult, but she still has relatives and friends to help. The one person she is determined to avoid is Dr. Bradley Hitchens. He was her best friend, keeper of her most emotionally shattering secret, and the one who shattered her heart.

With Southern comfort and grace, Penny will struggle with her past, find comfort in old friends and relations, and learn to live without fear for a second chance at a soul deep love.

This is an emotional roller-coaster of women’s fiction/romance with exceptionally crafted characters. I love Penny and Bradley’s second chance romance. Penny is discovering sometimes you just cannot outrun your past; you must return and face it head on to move forward. Penny’s journey is written intertwined with exquisitely descriptive small town Southern cuisine, gardening, church, supportive relatives and friends to interfering gossiping busybodies. This is a story and characters that I will be thinking about for quite some time.

I highly recommend this wonderful story!

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Author Bio

Hope Gibbs grew up in rural Scottsville, Kentucky. As the daughter of an English teacher, she was raised to value the importance of good storytelling from an early age. Today, she’s an avid reader of women’s fiction. Drawn to multi-generational family sagas, relationship issues, and the complexities of being a woman, she translates those themes into her own writing.

Hope lives in Tennessee with her husband and her persnickety Shih Tzu, Harley. She is also the mother of five. In her downtime, she loves playing tennis, poring over old church cookbooks, singing karaoke, curling up on her favorite chair with a book, and playing board games.

Hope has a B.A. from Western Kentucky University and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authorhopegibbs.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HopeGibbstuib

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

Purchase Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/3MJraZi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63259909-where-the-grass-grows-blue

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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/463009dc2/

Feature Post and Book Review: Protected by the Gargoyle by Lisa Carlisle

Book Description

Demons are out there.

Don’t ask Janie how she knows. She wants to forget what they did to her and move on.

But when her witch friend has a premonition about a demon in Boston, Janie is forced to confront her fears. She seeks the help of her gorgeous friend and gargoyle shifter, Arto.

Little does she know that Arto considers her his fated mate. He’ll do anything to protect her, even if it means keeping his love a secret.

Janie wants to learn more about demons, so he shows her some books in the library. She reads an ancient script in a powerful old book and unwittingly summons an incubus.

The very tool Arto provided to help her instead brings her nightmares to life.

Now they must work together to stop a predator on the hunt while their relationship is tested by a growing attraction.

Demons have captured Janie before. Can she avoid their clutches this time?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122494858-protected-by-the-gargoyle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=m4cLCq4W0z&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

PROTECTED BY THE GARGOYLE (Boston Stone Sentries Book $4) by Lisa Carlisle is another exciting trip into the paranormal romance world of gargoyles, witches and demons set in present-day Boston. Even though we met Janie and Arto in previous stories, this is their HEA romance story. While people and paranormal creatures in the series are explained so that this book can be read as a standalone, I feel you would enjoy it more if you read the entire series in order.

Janie is still working to heal her leg injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing and working to restore her sense of safety after being abducted and marked by a demon. Her best friend, Larissa has a premonition about a demon loose in Boston and Janie is terrified. She reaches out to her gargoyle friend, Arto to assist her in protecting herself.

 Arto is more than willing to help Janie because he believes she is his fated mate. As they go through old magical tomes, Janie accidentally summons a demon. Now a demon is in Boston trying to abduct Janie once again. Janie and Arto work together to get rid of the demon and as they do their friendship ignites into much more.

Will Arto be able to protect Janie, banish the demon, and prove to her they are truly mates?

I enjoyed this addition to the Boston Stone Sentries series. I have been waiting for Janie and Arto’s romance and this story did not disappoint. There is plenty of sexual frustration and amusing internal dialogue on both sides as they move from the friend zone into a relationship. It is fun for me when I return to a paranormal world and the characters are evolving and growing. Besides the steamy romance, this story also has action and suspense woven throughout. All the books in this series are entertaining and fast paranormal reads with captivating characters.

I recommend this addition to the Boston Stone Sentries series.

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About the Author

Lisa Carlisle is a USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal romance and suspense. She loves to write about wounded, cursed, or misunderstood heroes finding their happily ever afters. They may be shifters, vampires, witches, gargoyles, or even military, first responders, and rockstars! She especially loves stories with fated mates and forbidden love, second chances, and enemies-to-lovers romance.

Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels. She deployed to Okinawa, Japan, while in the Marines, backpacked alone through Europe, lived in Paris, and now lives in New England with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and too many fish.

Become a VIP reader and receive free bonus reads! >> http://www.lisacarlislebooks.com/subscribe/

Social Media Links

Website: https://lisacarlislebooks.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-carlisle

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn

Book Description

The Lebensborn project; a Nazi breeding program to create a so-called master race. Through thorough research and with deep empathy, this chilling historical novel goes inside one of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that existed in several countries during World War II, where thousands of “racially fit” babies were bred and taken from their mothers to be raised as part of the new Germany.

At the Heim Hochland maternity home in Bavaria, three women’s lives coverage as they find themselves there under very different circumstances. Gundi is a pregnant university student from Berlin. An Aryan beauty, she’s secretly a member of a resistance group. Hilde, only eighteen, is a true believer in the cause and is thrilled to carry a Nazi official’s child. And Irma, a 44-year-old nurse, is desperate to build a new life for herself after personal devastation. Despite their opposing beliefs, all three have everything to lose as they begin to realize they are trapped within Hitler’s terrifying scheme to build a Nazi-Aryan nation. 

A cautionary tale for modern times told in stunning detail, Cradles of the Reich uncovers a little-known Nazi atrocity but also carries an uplifting reminder of the power of women to set aside differences and work together in solidarity in the face of oppression.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn explores the Lebensborn project, a Nazi breeding program to create a so-called master race. This historical novel goes inside the Lebensborn Society, where thousands of “racially fit” babies were bred and taken from their mothers to be raised as part of Nazi Germany.

At the Heim Hochland maternity home in Bavaria, three women’s lives intersect as they find themselves there under very different circumstances. The Heim Hochland Estate is a country house in Bavaria. The German’s use it as a maternity home during the Second World War as part of the Lebensborn Society. Here pregnant Aryan women stay in luxury, they receive the best medical care, and their babies are adopted by high-ranking German officer’s families. 

In 1939 Gundi Schiller was unmarried and pregnant, a university student from Berlin. As a member of the Edelweiss Pirates, a resistance group, she met and fell in love with Leo Solomon, a Jewish man, who was now missing. Because she is considered an “Aryan beauty,” she is told that she needs to enter the Lebensborn program at Heim Hochland.  Gundi needs to find a way to hide the identity of her child’s father and protect her baby who will be killed.

Hilde Kramer is a high school student who eagerly supported Hitler’s policies. Hilde, only eighteen, is a true believer and is thrilled to carry a Nazi official’s child. She believed in the cause, where maternity homes had children bred for a superior race for the German future. 

Irma Binz, a 44-year-old nurse, is desperate to build a new life for herself after personal devastation. She will be the one encouraging the unwed mothers to stay healthy, so they deliver these perfect children. Irma just wants to do her job and stay out of trouble, looking the other way. But her closeness with the women in the home has her conflicted about her loyalty to Germany, especially when it comes to the danger faced by Gundi and her baby.

Jennifer Coburn has an incredible knack for being able to entertain while at the same time educate her readers on this important piece of horrific history.  Her characters come alive and are very relatable.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Jennifer Coburn:  It was from a television show, “The Man in the High Castle.”  It imagines the Nazis winning the war and takes place in 1962.  In one of the episodes a German woman said she was bred through the Lebensborn Society. I thought this was a fictional episode, but I googled it.  I found a black and white photograph of this row of nurses standing in a military-like formation holding babies. It was then I realized it was real.

EC:  What exactly is the Lebensborn Society?

JC:  It was a top-secret breeding program that operated for ten years. The nurses were brain washed at best and complicit.  Women were like incubators.  The Nazis had a goal of 2 million racially pure babies for the Reich.  Only 20,000 babies were produced but 200,000 babies were stolen from occupied countries. After the war the women who participated and the children born were shunned. Only 20% of these babies knew about their roots.

EC:  How did the 20% find out they were products of the program?

JC:  When their mothers passed away the children found a silver mug given by Himmler. The mug had the child’s name engraved on the front and his name engraved on the back.

EC:  You have three different women who were associated with the Society in some manner?

JC: Yes. They were meant to represent the three different choices that gentile German women had in 1939. There is the resistor, bystander, and the Hitler true believer.  Those that worked there could have been aware of the plan to create a “Master Race.” I would never give up my child for good of country.

EC:  How would you describe Gundi?

JC:  She is a twenty-year-old university student.  She is everything the Nazis consider perfect: blonde, blue-eyed, and tall.  But she is secretly a member of the resistance and carrying the child of a Jewish man. She is the resistor, the moral conscious of the story, and the heroine of the story.

EC:  What about Nurse Irma?

JC:  She is a typical bystander who wants to keep her head down. She does not do much questioning of the Nazis and goes whichever way the wind blows until the end. She changes the most over time.  She starts out one thing and ends up the opposite.

EC:  Was Hilde naïve or stupid?

JC: She is pathetic and cruel.  She is unloved, neglected, and a second-class citizen.  She is brain-washed, delusional, and went along with the crowd.  She wanted to be the best “Hitler girl.” She enjoyed the power that came with her contacts. She is only eighteen and a little bit naïve and narcissistic. She became a vessel literally. She is based on a real person.  In an interview the real Hilde said that her time in the Lebensborn Society was the best time of her life. She noted she was well fed, well cared for, with a lot of leisure time.  The real Hilde Trutz told of her sexual experience with an SS officer, had a child, and handed it over for adoption, without thinking twice about it.  Till the day she died she thought she had done a great think for her country.

EC:  What was true in the story?

JC:  If the baby was imperfect, that included, a Jewish baby, they were given a lethal injection. They also monitored the skin tone of those women chosen. Regarding Kristallnacht, the 1938 Pogroms, this was considered the official start of the Holocaust. This was widespread. The baby naming ceremony is also true, where the sword tip is laid on the baby’s stomach, like knighthood.

EC:  Your next book?

JC:  It is titled The Girls of the Glimmer Factory, set in the Theresienstadt Ghetto, located in Northern Czechoslovakia.  It was a propaganda camp, set up for films, tours, to show the world the Jews were treated well under Nazi rule.  Hilde is back. She is a filmmaker on the crew for the Nazis who made a movie about Theresienstadt that was filled with false information.  She reunites with an old friend Hannah Kaufman, a Jewish prisoner there. Irma is involved with a baby smuggling program. It will be out in early 2025.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Feature Post and Book Review: Casanova Cowboy by Jamie Schulz

Book Description

She’s used to the glitzy, big-city life. He hides behind country-boy charm.
Will these total opposites spark unquenchable flames of attraction?

Izabel Silva is wary of men. After escaping an awful relationship and a workplace betrayal, the talented marketer seeks refuge with an old friend in small-town Montana. And though worried she’s falling in with another control-obsessed hunk, she accepts the kindly neighbors’ invitation to stay with them and their flirtatious son.

Zack MacEntier longs to live down his reputation. With his ranch’s bank accounts at rock bottom, the one-time lady’s man isn’t ready to take on a gorgeous and strong-willed Latina. But when his mother volunteers him to show the lovely newcomer around, the loyal cowboy is secretly glad of an excuse to spend more days in the fierce woman’s company.

Taken aback by local prejudice, Izabel’s concerns over Zack’s stubborn protective streak start to fade when he comes rushing to her rescue. And even as the brave rancher fears that he has nothing to offer the beautiful outsider, their growing passion has placed them firmly in danger’s crosshairs…

Can they survive the unexpected threat and claim a scorching love?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123240228-casanova-cowboy?ref=nav_sb_ss_3_15#CommunityReviews

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

CASANOVA COWBOY (The Montana Men Series Book #2) by Jamie Schulz is a delightful contemporary western romance with a hero and heroine who have been scarred by love in their pasts and even as they work to heal, trust and love again, they are in danger from an unknown threat. This is the second book in the Montana Men series following “Broken Cowboy”, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Izabel Silva has left Seattle and is looking to reconnect with her old friend, Addie, and unknowingly appears on her wedding day. Izabel is escaping an emotionally abusive relationship and workplace betrayal. With Addie on her honeymoon, a friendly neighbor invites Izabel to stay with her and her family and volunteers her flirtatious son to show her the sights during her stay.

Zack MacEntier is drawn to the beautiful woman staying with his family, but he has plenty of problems with the start-up of the family vineyard and with his reputation as a Casanova, which he wants to change before he feels he has anything to offer a woman. Zack and Izabel take tentative steps to trust and friendship which soon turns into an intense chemistry that neither can resist, but someone is not happy with this new couple.

Small threats turn into gunfire and Zack and Izabel are in more danger than anyone expects.

I enjoyed this romance so much because it has a wonderful hero and heroine who grow throughout the love story and for the most part actually communicate and when they do not it is believable and not just an easy way to further the plot. Izabel starts out hesitant and then becomes a strong heroine who is trying new things and rebuilding her life in a completely new environment. Zack is lovable and seems carefree but tries to carry too much on his own and must learn to overcome his pride when his friends want to help. His secret from his past was heartbreaking. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous and realistic to an adult relationship. I enjoyed catching up with characters from the first book, but if you have not read it, you will not be confused or lost. The suspense elements of the plot are interwoven throughout the story seamlessly and all the separate threads are resolved.

I highly recommend this endearing contemporary romance and I am looking forward to many more in this series.

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About the Author

Jamie Schulz is a contemporary Western romance and dystopian cowboy romance author. She loves to write about heroes with vulnerabilities and strong, feisty heroines who are a match for the men they love. To her, every one of her stories, no matter how dark, must have a happy ending, and she strives to make them impossible to put down until you get there.

Jamie has been writing and making up stories for most of her life and hopes to one day reach the bestsellers lists. Her book Broken Cowboy won the Global Book Awards Gold Medal for romance and was a RONE Awards finalist. Jake’s Redemption—a full-length prequel to the dark, dystopian world of the Angel Eyes series—was also an award-winner in the Global Ebook Awards.

Cowboys, ice cream, and reading almost any kind of romance are among her (not so) secret loves. She balances her free time between reading her favorite romance authors—in genres ranging from erotica and dark romance to sweet historicals and contemporary romance—and spending time with those she is closest to. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family and their fur babies, and she enjoys hearing from her fans.

Social Media Links

* Website: thejamieschulz.com/

* Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejamieschulz

* Twitter: twitter.com/TheJamieSchulz

* Instagram: instagram.com/thejamieschulz/

* BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jamie-schulz

BookTour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Scots of Dalriada by Rowena Kinread

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE SCOTS OF DALRIADA by Rowena Kinread on this Coffee and Thorn 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

THREE BROTHERS
Fergus, Loarn and Angus, Princes of the Dalriada, are forced into exile by their scheming half-brother and the druidess Birga One-tooth.

THREE FATES
Fergus conceals himself as a stable lad on Aran and falls helplessly in love with a Scottish princess, already promised to someone else. Loarn crosses swords against the Picts. Angus designs longboats.

TOGETHER A MIGHTY POWER
Always on the run the brothers must attempt to outride their adversaries by gaining power themselves. Together they achieve more than they could possibly dream of.

Fergus Mór (The Great) is widely recognised as the first King of Scotland, giving Scotland its name and its language. Rulers of Scotland and England from Kenneth mac Alpín until the present time claim descent from Fergus Mór.
Full of unexpected twists and turns, this is a tale of heart-breaking love amidst treachery, deceit and murder.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75627138-the-scots-of-dalriada-fergus-mor?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Ck5bKVIOdI&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE SCOTS OF DALRIADA by Rowena Kinread is a historical fiction set in the fifth century telling the tale of three brothers with focus on Fergus, who will go on to become the founder of Scotland. This is an epic family saga delivered in an easy-to-read historical fiction novel.

While this story covers many years, the author makes it flow through the many players and intrigues with intertwined historical facts that do not bog down the pace. The author’s research is evident with the descriptive characters and living conditions all brought to life. The writing style is very different from other historical fiction books I have read. It is a cross between reading a short, to the point history book, but with the added imagined historical fiction embellishment of relationships intertwined.

This historical fiction story is loaded with adventure, jealousy, greed, and warfare, but it also has moments of romance, family, and brotherhood. It is an entertaining and enlightening story of a period I had previously known nothing about.

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About the Author

Rowena Kinread grew up in Ripon, Yorkshire with her large family and a horde of pets. Keen on travelling, her first job was with Lufthansa in German

She began writing in the nineties. Her special area of interest is history. After researching her ancestry and finding family roots in Ireland with the Dalriada clan, particularly this era. Her debut fiction novel titled “The Missionary” is a historical novel about the dramatic life of St. Patrick. It was published by Pegasus Publishers on Apr.29th, 2021 and has been highly appraised by The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post and the Irish Times.

Her second novel “The Scots of Dalriada” centres around Fergus Mór, the founder father of Scotland and takes place in 5th century Ireland and Scotland. It is due to be published by Pegasus Publishers on Jan.26th, 2023.

The author lives with her husband in Bodman-Ludwigshafen, Lake Constance, Germany. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.rowena-kinread.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rowena.strittmatter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RowenaKinread

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rowena-kinread