Review of Pictures of the Past by Deby Eisenberg

I enjoyed this book. Reading an unedited ARC is challenging and at times 

this book was hard to read. I liked the story and the painting as a focal point 

to all relationships in the book tied to it. The history was good especially 

because it was at a difficult time period  when Hitler was involved! I would 

recommend this book.

Description

Pictures of the Past is a compelling saga sweeping through Chicago, Paris and Berlin, reliving events from pre-World War II Europe, but beginning in contemporary times. An Impressionist painting, hanging for decades in the Art Institute of Chicago and donated by the charismatic philanthropist Taylor Woodmere, is challenged by an elderly woman as a Nazi theft. Taylor’s gripping and passionate story takes us back to 1937. Sent to Paris on family business, he reluctantly leaves his girlfriend Emily, a spoiled debutante from Newport, Rhode Island. But once in Europe, he immediately falls in love – first with an Henri Lebasque painting, and then with the enchanting Sarah Berger of Berlin. After Taylor returns home, the Berger family becomes trapped in the Nazi web, and any attempts for the new lovers to be reunited are thwarted.

Interwoven with this narrative is the story of Rachel Gold, a beautiful and bright Chicago girl caught up in the times of the late 1960’s. Pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend Court Woodmere, Taylor’s son, she moves to New York to live with her aunt, a Holocaust survivor. Years later, as the controversy surrounding the provenance of the painting becomes public, Rachel’s grown son is disturbed by his inexplicable familiarity with the work of art. And it is only Taylor Woodmere who can unravel the complicated puzzle of their lives.

With a heart-grabbing ending, Pictures of the Past is historical fiction at its best, giving a personalized window to the powerful events and intriguing venues of the eras. From a world torn by the horrors of war, a love story emerges that endures through years of separation. 

Up To I Do release July 29!!!!!!!

Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go ... not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything. 

When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.

Author Bio

Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all-around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up-to-date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and beauty related. In 2011, she launched her independent publishing company, Marching Ink, and has four published novels—Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket, A Questionable Friendship, and Up To I Do. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

A Peach of A Pair by Kim Boykin

I received an ARC of this book from the author. I loved this book. Loved the dynamics of the 2 sets of sisters. Many secrets and hurts in each respective family. The journey for the 3 sisters to come to terms with the secrets, the hurt, the ultimate forgiveness and moving forward. The story flowed well and I loved the characters! I highly recommend this book. Can't wait it read more by this author! 


Palmetto Moon inspired The Huffington Post to rave, “It is always nice to discover a new talented author and Kim Boykin is quite a find.” Now, she delivers a novel of a woman picking up the pieces of her life with the help of two spirited, elderly sisters in South Carolina.

April, 1953. Nettie Gilbert has cherished her time studying to be a music teacher at Columbia College in South Carolina, but as graduation approaches, she can’t wait to return to her family—and her childhood sweetheart, Brooks—in Alabama. But just days before her senior recital, she gets a letter from her mama telling her that Brooks is getting married . . . to her own sister.

Devastated, Nettie drops out of school and takes a job as live-in help for two old-maid sisters, Emily and Lurleen Eldridge. Emily is fiercely protective of the ailing Lurleen, but their sisterhood has weathered many storms. And as Nettie learns more about their lives on a trip to see a faith healer halfway across the country, she’ll discover that love and forgiveness will one day lead her home . . .

About the Author

Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you're a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you're published and you're being interviewed, it's very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.
As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.
Her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they're being told across a kitchen table. She is the author of three women's fiction titles from Berkley Books: A Peach of a Pair (8/4/15,) Palmetto Moon, and The Wisdom of Hair, as well as several contemporary romances novellas from Tule including Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.

Broken Promises by Linwood Barclay

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of No Safe House comes an explosive novel about the disturbing secrets of a quiet small town.… 

After his wife’s death and the collapse of his newspaper, David Harwood has no choice but to uproot his nine-year-old son and move back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, New York. David believes his life is in free fall, and he can’t find a way to stop his descent.

Then he comes across a family secret of epic proportions. A year after a devastating miscarriage, David’s cousin Marla has continued to struggle. But when David’s mother asks him to check on her, he’s horrified to discover that she’s been secretly raising a child who is not her own—a baby she claims was a gift from an “angel” left on her porch.

When the baby’s real mother is found murdered, David can’t help wanting to piece together what happened—even if it means proving his own cousin’s guilt. But as he uncovers each piece of evidence, David realizes that Marla’s mysterious child is just the tip of the iceberg.

Other strange things are happening. Animals are found ritually slaughtered. An ominous abandoned Ferris wheel seems to stand as a warning that something dark has infected Promise Falls. And someone has decided that the entire town must pay for the sins of its past…in blood.

My Review

I was given the opportunity to read this book from NetGalley.

Loved the suspense and this did not end the way I thought. Too much intensity 

but love it. There was a variety of different characters and personalities. I thought I knew

 who did it but then there were more twists.  Good book.

Stilettos and Scoundrels by Laina Turner

I was given the opportunity to read this book from NetGalley. Loved this . I 

was captivated by the characters and story. The drama and intensity 

was there until the last word. I was totally surprised by the "who done it"! Not at all 

what I expected. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Description

Presley tells her boss what he can do with her job in HR and embarks 
on a new career as a freelance journalist. What seems like a simple interview with a
Senator turns to murder when the day after her interview the Senator
turns up dead. Does the fact that Presley was one of the 

last people to see him alive make her a suspect? Her ex-boyfriend Cooper, who was
 in charge of the Senators security, might think so. Presley is determined to clear
her name but can she do it and resist Cooper’s charms?

#Review & #Giveaway - ENTREVOIR by Chris Katsaropoulos

My Review

I started this book but unfortunately it did not grab my attention. I did not like this book. I may be the minority but did not like it. There was a lot of description in the beginning and I didn't understand the transitions. I have not read any books by this author before but will give other books a chance.

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

Welcome to another exciting publishing house spotlight tour from Novel Publicity. Join us as three new titles from Luminis Books--we're calling them the Luminis Triplex Tour—tour the blogosphere in a way that just can't be ignored. And, hey, we've got prizes! About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win either of two $25 Amazon gift cards, an autographed copy of Entrevoir by Chris Katsaropoulos, or an autographed copy of its tour mates, Along the Wayby Jacqueline Kolosov or The Possibility of Snow by Al Riske. Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win a $25 gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other $25 gift card and the 3 autographed books will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Luminis Triplex tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: The unveiling of a new work of art by Jacob Marsteller is typically one of the most highly anticipated events in the international art scene—but not this time. Jacob's new piece is a labyrinth of gossamer fabric perched on the peak of a mountain called Entrevoir in a remote corner of the south of France. It looks as if nobody except Jacob's teenage children and a few neighbors from the village will bother to show up at the gallery. As Jacob finishes dressing for the party, he and his wife Marya begin to argue. She warned him that moving from the vibrant art scene of New York to a tiny village in the middle of nowhere would be a fatal mistake for his career. As she turns her back to him and walks down the stairs, Jacob tells her there was a reason he had to come here to create this piece—and that's when Jacob's whole world begins to unravel. Without realizing what is happening, he is lifted out of his body and taken to another dimension, where he becomes the watcher, the witness, and experiencer of lives he lived six decades ago and thousands of years ago, on other planets and as the highest forms of life. In the span of one instant and over the course of millions of years, Jacob comes to understand that he is not his body, he is not his mind, and he is not even his soul. By the end of the amazing unveiling of Jacob's true self, he will experience the greatest transfiguration any human being has ever known: the realization of the ultimate nature of human life, and of spirit itself. Get Entrevoir through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author: Connect with Chris on his website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.. Luminis Books was launched in January, 2010 by husband and wife team Tracy Richardson and Chris Katsaropoulos with a mission to publish thought-provoking literary fiction for children and adults. We publish what we love: Meaningful Books That Entertain. Our award-winning books engage and inform readers and explore a wide range of topics from love and relationships, teen sexual assault and homelessness to string theory, consciousness, and the Universal Energy Field. Luminis Books is a proudly independent publisher located in Carmel, IN.

Learn more about Entrevoir's tour mates HERE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YzE3YzI0YTkzYTJkODQ0ODQxZDUwNTUwMTQ3OTkxOjE1Ng==/?

My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan

I really loved this book. The characters and story flow were excellent to keep the suspense until the end. Even though the story goes from 1970's, 1980's, and current the transitions were easy to follow. I highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading more books from this author. Gave the book 5 stars. See my review on NetGalley. Received this ARC from HarperCollins Publishing.

#Review & #Givewaway - THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW by Al Riske

My Review

4 STARS - I am almost tempted to give this book a 5-star rating because of the challenges the reader faces. If you want to read a book that doesn't end the way that you totally suspect, then this is a book for you! Totally! This book was very disturbing to me in the sense that the 2 lead characters fed off their personality weaknesses to the point where you wanted to knock them upside the head to wake them up to reality. The storyline flowed smoothly and the history between the characters was well written. The ending blew me away! This book will challenge the way you think.

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

Welcome to another exciting publishing house spotlight tour from Novel Publicity. Join us as three new titles from Luminis Books--we're calling them the Luminis Triplex Tour—tour the blogosphere in a way that just can't be ignored. And, hey, we've got prizes! About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win either of two $25 Amazon gift cards, an autographed copy of The Possiblity of Snow by Al Riske, or an autographed copy of its tour mates, Entrevoir by Chris Katsaropoulos or Along the Wayby Jacqueline Kolosov. Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win a $25 gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other $25 gift card and the 3 autographed books will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Luminis Triplex Tour tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: An engaging, lyrical, and, at times, disturbing novel, The Possibility of Snow tells the story of a once-promising friendship that dissolves into antagonism. Steve and Neil room together at a small college in New England and soon become fast friends, until things go strangely wrong. Steve is eccentric, slightly paranoid, and too perceptive for his own good. He knows the difference between what people say and what they do. Neil is reflective, sincere, and not as together as he seems. There's not much he's sure of anymore. They know each other very well and understand each other not at all. Get The Possiblity of Snow through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author: Al Riske grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and ghostwriter. His short stories have appeared in Beloit Fiction Journal, Pindledyboz, Switchback, and Blue Mesa Review, where his story “Pray for Rain” won the review’s 2008 fiction prize. His second novel, Faint Promise of Rain (Luminis Books) is due out in the spring of 2015. He now lives in California with his wife, Joanne, and their dog, Bodie. Connect with Al on his website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.. Luminis Books was launched in January, 2010 by husband and wife team Tracy Richardson and Chris Katsaropoulos with a mission to publish thought-provoking literary fiction for children and adults. We publish what we love: Meaningful Books That Entertain. Our award-winning books engage and inform readers and explore a wide range of topics from love and relationships, teen sexual assault and homelessness to string theory, consciousness, and the Universal Energy Field. Luminis Books is a proudly independent publisher located in Carmel, IN.

Learn more about The Possibility of Snow's tour mates HERE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YzE3YzI0YTkzYTJkODQ0ODQxZDUwNTUwMTQ3OTkxOjE1Ng==/?

#Review & #Giveaway - LOGOS by John Neeleman

My Review

Even though this novel wasn't supposed to be a book about Christianity, the author did a fabulous job of writing the historical bible facts in a fashion that made the book very readable. There was a lot of detail and names were difficult to keep up with at times. The descriptions of the war between the Romans and the Jews of Jerusalem and the war between the Jews themselves in Jerusalem were very intense. I really enjoyed reading this book.

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of LOGOS! Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official LOGOS tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: While novels and cinema have repeatedly sought after the historical Jesus, until now none have explored what may be a more tantalizing mystery—the Christian story’s anonymous creator. Logos is a literary bildungsroman about the man who will become the anonymous author of the original Gospel, set amid the kaleidoscopic mingling of ancient cultures. Logos is a gripping tale of adventure, a moving love story, and a novel of ideas. None of this should be regarded as out of place or incompatible in a novel about Christianity’s origin. Dissent, anarchism, and revolution—and incipient Christianity was no less these things than the Bolshevik, the French or the American revolutions—inevitably have involved ideas, adventure, and romance. In A.D. 66, Jacob is an educated and privileged Greco-Roman Jew, a Temple priest in Jerusalem, and a leader of Israel’s rebellion against Rome. When Roman soldiers murder his parents and his beloved sister disappears in a pogrom led by the Roman procurator, personal tragedy impels Jacob to seek blood and vengeance. The rebellion he helps to foment leads to more tragedy, personal and ultimately cosmic: his wife and son perish in the Romans’ siege of Jerusalem, and the Roman army destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, and finally extinguishes Israel at Masada. Jacob is expelled from his homeland, and he wanders by land and sea, bereft of all, until he arrives in Rome. He is still rebellious, and in Rome he joins other dissidents, but now plotting ironic vengeance, not by arms, but by the power of an idea. Paul of Tarsus, Josephus, the keepers of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and even Yeshua, the historical Jesus himself, play a role in Jacob’s tumultuous and mysterious fortunes. But it is the women who have loved him who help him to appreciate violence’s dire cycle.Get LOGOS through Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

About the author: John Neeleman spends his days working as a trial lawyer in tall buildings in downtown Seattle. He lives in Seattle with his wife and children. He also represents death row inmates pro bono in Louisiana and Texas. As a novelist, his editorial model is historical fiction in a largely realistic mode, though there are hallucinatory passages that reflect Neeleman’s concern with philosophical and spiritual matters, in part a residue of his religious upbringing. He was raised as a seventh generation Mormon, and rebelled, but never outgrew his interest in metaphysical concerns. Connect with John on his publisher’s website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.. a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YzE3YzI0YTkzYTJkODQ0ODQxZDUwNTUwMTQ3OTkxOjE1Mw==/?

#Review & #Giveaway - ALONG THE WAY by Jacqueline Kolosov

My Review!!!

4 STARS -- The detail about the journey the girls took, the Camino de Santiago, was written terrifically. The thing I liked the most about the book was that even though the 3 girls began the journey together, they took separate routes to end back together, each experiencing different life events, new people, and more. The author wrote with great detail. The closeness between the girls seemed very genuine when they were together. This is a good book for girlfriends to read together and for bookclubs to discuss.

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

Welcome to another exciting publishing house spotlight tour from Novel Publicity. Join us as three new titles from Luminis Books--we're calling them the Luminis Triplex Tour—tour the blogosphere in a way that just can't be ignored. And, hey, we've got prizes! About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win either of two $25 Amazon gift cards, an autographed copy of Along the Wayby Jacqueline Kolosov, or an autographed copy of its tour mates, The Possibility of Snowby Al Riske, or Entrevoir by Chris Katsaropoulos. Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win a $25 gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other $25 gift card and the 3 autographed books will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Luminis Triplex tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck! About the book: Three friends, thirty-three days, and five hundred miles walking the Camino de Santiago add up to one journey they’ll never forget. Piper Rose, Dani Shapiro, and Alexandra ‘Tessa’ Louise De Mille Morrow share a history that goes back to their pre-school years in Chicago when their families were still intact. Now Piper lives in Evanston with her divorced dad, her estranged, unstable mother popping in and out of her life at random moments. Meanwhile, Dani’s been living in Santa Fe with a psychologist mom pregnant with her fiance’s IVF babies. The blueblood Tessa resides on prominent street in Boston and dreams of a romantic and well-heeled love story like that of her great-grandmother who went to France during World War II. 
 Now that it’s the summer before college, these radically different friends decide to celebrate their history and their future by walking the legendary pilgrimage along the “Way of St. James,” from the French Pyrenees to the Spanish city of Santiago, not quite expecting their feet to feel like they’ve been put through a meat tenderizer or that cyclists racing the road will nearly run them over, then claim all the beds (and the hot showers) at the pilgrimage’s auberges.
 But there are plenty of highpoints too, like the beauty of the Pyrenees Mountains, the spree at a posh hotel in Pamplona, and the numerous ways in which each young woman must learn to believe in herself as well as in her friends. And who could forget or explain the miracles—or milagros—that have been happening on the Way of St. James for centuries?
 And yes, there is the promise of falling in love which, like the word for pilgrim in Spanish (peregrino which translates into ‘curious, strange’) introduces a dizzying, at times marvelous chaos into each young woman’s story, transforming their collective journey, one that takes them across the north of Spain, into the experience of a lifetime. Get Along the Way through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author: Jacqueline Kolosov walked the Way of St. James/Camino of Santiago in the summer of 1999 and had her own share of miracles (including a pony who stepped onto the path) as well as bed bugs and cyclists. Next to giving birth to her daughter, the pilgrimage is hands down the most exhilarating event of her life. Jacqueline has published several novels for teens including THE RED QUEEN'S DAUGHTER and GRACE FROM CHINA. She also writes short stories, essays and poetry. Her third collection of poems is MEMORY OF BLUE, and she has a short story collection, LOVE, THE BITTERSWEET forthcoming. A passionate animal lover, she lives with her family including 3 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and a 1/2 Andalusian mare in West Texas. Jacqueline teaches creative writing and literature at Texas Tech university. She loves to run, swim, and practice yoga. And like the friends in Along The Way, she is a bookworm, a clothes horse, and an avid (amateur) artist. Connect with Jacqueline on her website. Luminis Books was launched in January, 2010 by husband and wife team Tracy Richardson and Chris Katsaropoulos with a mission to publish thought-provoking literary fiction for children and adults. We publish what we love: Meaningful Books That Entertain. Our award-winning books engage and inform readers and explore a wide range of topics from love and relationships, teen sexual assault and homelessness to string theory, consciousness, and the Universal Energy Field. Luminis Books is a proudly independent publisher located in Carmel, IN.

Learn more about Along the Way's tour mates HERE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YzE3YzI0YTkzYTJkODQ0ODQxZDUwNTUwMTQ3OTkxOjE1Ng==/?