Tag: #minibookreview

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

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Wraith’s Return by Raemi A. Ray

Book Description

Some secrets are safer lost at sea…

London based lawyer Kyra Gibson returns to Martha’s Vineyard and the beach house she inherited for an extended summer holiday. Still reeling from her father’s brutal murder and the role she and the handsome detective, Tarek Collins played in uncovering it, Kyra is hopeful for some peace and quiet. But when a summer squall reveals the wreckage of the pirate ship, Keres, rich with rumored treasure, all hopes of peace are dashed. Conservationists and treasure hunters descend on the exclusive island to lay claim to the ship. When two of the salvagers are killed, Kyra and Tarek’s friend, pub owner and amateur historian, Gully Gould is arrested for murder.

Determined to prove Gully’s innocence, Kyra, Tarek, and reformed playboy Chase Hawthorn team up to clear their friend’s name. But someone wants the treasure for themselves. And with someone willing to kill for it, there is more than just danger lurking along the island’s caves and coves. There is death.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205807378-the-wraith-s-return?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=wllnrQjvsf&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

THE WRAITH’S RETURN (Martha’s Vineyard Murders Book #2) by Raemi A. Ray is the second book in the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series with Kyra returning to Martha’s Vineyard for an extended summer holiday and finds herself and her island friends helping one of their own accused of murder. This story can be read as a standalone, but I feel the books are best read in order as the main characters continually evolved in their relationships from book one.

This book has murder, conservationists vs. fisherman, islanders vs. vacationers, and a historical pirate story, and treasure hunters all combined in this mystery read. I am not sure if it is because there is so much going on, which should have made for many red herrings, but when I reached the end, I felt the killer was just there with no build up of tension or foreboding until very close to the end. All the information and side characters were interesting, but at times slowed the plot pace. I love Kyra, Tarek, and Chase and find them all to be interesting characters. I look forward to following them in future books, but I have to say that I liked the mystery plot in book one, A Chain of Pearls, better. The characters pulled me through this story more than the mystery plot.

Overall, a little bit of a let down after such a great debut.

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Author Bio

Raemi A. Ray’s travels to Martha’s Vineyard and around the world inspire her stories. She lives outside Boston. When not writing or traveling she earns her keep as the personal assistant to the resident house demons, Otto and Dolph Lundgren.

Social Media Links

Website: https://raemiray.com/

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

Instagram: @miss_raemi

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-wraith-s-return-martha-s-vineyard-murders-book-2-by-raemi-a-ray

Book Tour/Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Last Bird of Paradise by Clifford Garstang

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Mini Book Review for THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE by Clifford Garstang on this Black Coffee Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

Two women, nearly a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives when they reluctantly leave their homelands. Arriving in Singapore, they find romance in a tropical paradise, but also find they haven’t left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.

In the aftermath of 9/11 and haunted by the specter of terrorism, Aislinn Givens leaves her New York law practice and joins her husband in Southeast Asia when he takes a job there. Seeking to establish herself in a local law firm, Aislinn begins to understand the historic resentment of foreigners who have exploited the region for centuries. Learning about the turmoil of Singapore’s colonial period, she acquires several paintings done by an English artist during World War I that she believes are a warning to her. The artist, Elizabeth Pennington, tells her own tumultuous story through diary entries that come to an end when the war reaches the colony with catastrophic results. In the present, Aislinn and her husband learn tragically that terrorism takes many shapes when they are ensnared by local political upheaval and corruption.

In a lyrical blend of historical and contemporary drama, The Last Bird of Paradise explores the consequences of power imbalances-both domestic and geopolitical, against a lush, tropical backdrop. Clifford Garstang, author of the award-winning novel Oliver’s Travels, once again draws on his decades of experience in Asia to tell an unforgettable story of romantic intrigue.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200842763-the-last-bird-of-paradise?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_25

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE by Clifford Garstang is a captivating dual timeline mash-up of mystery, suspense, romance, and political thriller featuring two expat women, a century apart who end up in the tropical paradise of Singapore linked by compelling paintings produced by one of the women that appear to come to life. The story intricately weaves together the historical timelines of an artist, Elizabeth Pennington leaving 1915 England behind and a present-day corporate lawyer, Aislinn Givens leaving post 9/11 New York with her husband.

This is a sweeping, beautifully written book that kept me entranced from beginning to end. Both protagonists could walk right off the page, they are so fully developed and believable. Singapore comes to life in both past and present with not only its cultural history and lush beauty, but also its colonization and political upheavals. This story covers many difficult issues; personal, social, and political with a narrative prose that is both thought-provoking and riveting.

I highly recommend this spellbinding story.

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About the Author

Clifford Garstang, a former international lawyer, is the author of two previous novels, The Shaman of Turtle Valley and Oliver’s Travels, and three short story collections, House of the Ancients and Other Stories, In an Uncharted Country, and What the Zhang Boys Know, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. He is the editor of the anthology series Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet, and the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine. He is the recipient of a Walter E. Dakin Fellowship to the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and an Indiana Emerging Author Award from the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. His work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and has received distinguish mention in the Best American series.

Social Media Links

https://twitter.com/cliffgarstang
https://www.facebook.com/CliffordGarstangAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/cliffgarstang/
https://www.tiktok.com/@cliffgarstang
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClVq-48UHlHX47Jn7ZXCPdw

Book Tour/Feature Post and Mini Book Review: But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BUT ONE LIFE: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson on this Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

“If I had ten thousand lives, I would lay them all down.”

In the early 1770’s, Nathan Hale is a young philosophy student at Yale. There, he, his brother, and their friend, Ben Tallmadge, are busying themselves with intellectual debate and occasional mischief.

Only too soon, their patriotic ideals of revolution and liberty would be put to the test. Forced to choose between love and duty, young Nathan has to face the harsh personal cost of deeply held beliefs as he leaves to become Washington’s spy.

In this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, Samantha Wilcoxson paints a vivid portrait of a young man’s principled passion and dedication to his ideals, turning the legend into flesh and blood.

This is the touching and thought-provoking story of how an ordinary boy grew into an extraordinary man – an American hero.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199202877-but-one-life?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=aMcGb9PNdS&rank=3

Book Information

.Purchase link: https://mybook.to/But1Life

  • Genre:  Historical biography
  • Print length: 169 pages
  • Age range: This is an adult book but would be suitable for mature older teens
  • Amazon Rating: 4.5*

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My Book Review

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

BUT ONE LIFE: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson is a biographical historical fiction about the short life of American revolutionary idealist and patriot, Nathan Hale. This story is told in the first person which lends itself to the addition of personal religious beliefs as well as his belief in the revolutionary cause.

This tale begins when Nathan goes off to study at Yale College with his closest older brother, Enoch. While in college, Soon Nathan begins to form and stand up for his own beliefs through political and philosophical debates. At a time of revolutionary fervor, many tenants of religious beliefs tie in with the cause, also. Feeling the British oppression and with the convincing of one of his best friends from Yale, Nathan joins the revolutionary cause, but is soon captured and considered a spy. The British sentence for captured spies is to be hung.

This story covers Nathan Hale’s life from approximately 14 years of age to his execution at 21 years of age. I found the beginning of the story, recounting his years at Yale, to be interesting but slow paced and it also took me awhile to become accustomed to the prose which is written as if the reader is in 1700’s. As the story got into revolutionary politics and Nathan’s part in the war the pace picked up dramatically and I was more invested. In school, we were taught Hale was a symbol of patriotism and self-sacrifice and this story brings the young idealistic and religious man to life instead of a myth.

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About the Author

Samantha Wilcoxson is an author of emotive biographical fiction and strives to help readers connect with history’s unsung heroes. She also writes nonfiction for Pen & Sword History. Samantha loves sharing trips to historic places with her family and spending time by the lake with a glass of wine. Her most recent work is Women of the American Revolution, which explores the lives of 18th century women, and she is currently working on a biography of James Alexander Hamilton.

Social Media Links

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan

Book Description

The Roaring Twenties–the Jazz Age–has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.

Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows – their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman – Madge Oberholtzer – who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61423989-a-fever-in-the-heartland?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=bPVA4CB3WV&rank=1

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My Mini Book Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan is a nonfiction book that is part true crime, part historical reference, and all-around terrifying tale of hate, fear, greed, and megalomania. This book is set primarily in Indiana in the 1920’s but hate and fear of the other was an infection throughout the Midwestern states. If you think the Klan was only a Southern phenomenon, think again.

D.C. Stephenson rose in four short years to become the Grand Dragon of the KKK in Indiana in a very short time in the 1920’s. With his charisma and slick tongue, he had a stranglehold on every aspect of politics, law enforcement, and business. His order of the Klan in Indiana at one time had a larger membership than many southern states. This included a women’s auxiliary and even a Ku Klux Kiddies branch. But like in most moral tales and warnings, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The law catches up with Stephenson eventually and he is held responsible for the death of Madge Oberholtzer, who he kidnapped, raped, and mutilated and her death becomes the turning point of the KKK fever in Indiana.

This book is difficult to read in its unrelenting reporting of the true horror and crimes committed by the KKK in the Midwest in the 1920’s. This book lays bare racial, religious and immigrant hatred and segregation, educational restrictions and book banning, and a group of people led by fear of the other and hate to follow a charismatic cult leader. This book shines a light on the terrifying parallels with current events.

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About the Author

TIMOTHY EGAN is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and the author of ten books, including the forthcoming, A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND, which will be released on April 4. His book on the Dust Bowl, THE WORST HARD TIME, won a National Book Award for nonfiction. His book on photographer Edward Curtis, SHORT NIGHTS OF THE SHADOW CATCHER, was awarded the Carnegie Medal for nonfiction. He’s also written several New York Times’ bestsellers, including THE IMMORTAL IRISHMAN and THE BIG BURN. He’s a third-generation Westerner.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.timothyeganbooks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nytegan

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-fever-in-the-heartland-by-timothy-egan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+fever+in+the+heartland&ref=nb_sb_noss

Book Tour/Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Colour of Mystery by Joy Ellis

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE COLOUR OF MYSTERY (Ellie McEwan Mysteries Book #2) by Joy Ellis on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Book Tour.

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

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Book Summary

THREE NICE PEOPLE. THREE TERRIBLE CRIMES. WHAT MADE THEM DO THESE AWFUL THINGS?

It’s the night shift worker who finds them. Huddled in a hospital store cupboard is elderly Edith Higgins. Knifed to death. Sitting behind her is Staff Nurse Lily Frampton, a scalpel clasped in her blood-soaked hand.

No one can understand why this kind-hearted, dedicated nurse would brutally murder a frail patient she’s spent months caring for.

That same day, mild-mannered schoolteacher Rod Black is found surrounded by the battered bodies of his pupils. Why would a well-respected teacher beat five schoolboys to death?

Then a third shocking — and equally inexplicable — incident takes place in a London homeless shelter.

What could turn three honest, upright citizens into cold-blooded killers?

Once again, DCI Bob Foreman calls on Ellie McEwan for help. Can Ellie use her extraordinary psychic gift to uncover the truth?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205574971-the-colour-of-mystery?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=CarQ4ZpzwB&rank=1

ELLIE MCEWAN MYSTERIES

Book 1: AN AURA OF MYSTERY
Book 2: THE COLOUR OF MYSTERY

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE COLOUR OF MYSTERY (Ellie McEwan Mysteries Book #2) by Joy Ellis is the second of two mysteries with paranormal elements written by Ms. Ellis at the beginning of her career and just recently published. This book can be read as a standalone because the reader is brought up to date on important elements from The Aura of Mystery and it is set two years after the first, but I feel it is best to read them in order.

Ellie McEwan and Michael Seale are still deciding on what to do with the immense inheritance left to them by their friend Carol two years ago. They have started a Healing Center for specialty care with a variety of specialists and healers. After three respected and loved people commit unimaginable murders and then go into a catatonic-like state, DCI Forman asks for Ellie’s help on this case using her psychic gift once again.

This is an engaging mix of paranormal anomalies and police procedural. The characters are well developed and interesting. The mystery plot is suspenseful with help from friends from beyond and law enforcement friends, but at times, especially in the beginning of the story, the pace feels a bit slow. Overall, an intriguing genre mash-up.

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About the Author

Joy Ellis grew up in Kent but moved to London when she won an apprenticeship with the prestigious Mayfair florist, Constance Spry Ltd. Having run her own flower shop in Weybridge for many years, Ellis then worked as a bookseller until a trip to the Greek island of Skyros, where she took part in a writer’s workshop with Sue Townsend, encouraged her to write her own books. Joy soon after moved to the Lincolnshire Fens, where she has spent many of years living among the countryside accompanied by her partner, Jacqueline, and her variety of springer spaniels.

After many years of writing, Jasper Joffe, from Joffe Books, discovered Joy’s work and approached her with the offer of becoming her new publisher. This new relationship introduced Joy’s work to the fascinating world of ebooks and audible listening. Since their partnership, Joy’s success has grown further than she could have ever imagined. She has recently celebrated her 10th UK No.1 book on the Amazon ‘Best Sellers’ chart, with her 9th instalment in the Jackman & Evans series, Solace House. Joy boasts a staggering estimated total over 3.4 million copies sold worldwide, and became a short-listed nominee at the British Book Awards, 2021.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.joyellisbooks.com/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joy-ellis