The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

 

Stella was the second child of Assunta and Antonio Fortuna and the second Stella because the first Mariastella died from influenza when she was an infant.

Assunta had a difficult life and a cruel husband.  He was not nice to her, would leave for months at a time and not send her money, but she survived and did everything herself and took care of her children.  Assunta didn't have a happy life except for her children.

THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA tells the tale of the lives of the author's family and specifically Stella and Tina who were the best of friends as they grew up in Italy and as they aged in America until the final accident happened. 

The accidents that caused Stella to almost die were quite unbelievable. Stella was definitely an amazing person to say the least.  Her mother, Assunta, was also quite remarkable.

If you are Italian or simply know an Italian, you will want to read this book for many reasons. There are so many references to things that happened in my Italian family that made the read more special - especially the food aspect and the Italian expressions used. 

THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA should be read if only to learn about the difficult lives of Europeans, the immigration process, their struggles in America, their work ethic, their schooling, their traditions, their customs, their family loyalty, and their religious beliefs.

This book has feelings and emotions oozing out of it and has you living the lives along with the characters.  The characters will grow on you, you will cry and laugh along with them, and at times be horrified.

The writing in this book is beautiful and descriptive and is an outstanding debut.  

Marvelous, magnificent, original, and impressive are some adjectives to describe this book.

You will not want to put it down. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

 

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The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine

 

A dead body, a threatening text, dead animals with a child’s nursery rhyme attached, more threatening texts and packages, the return of a long-lost friend, and a confused, frightened family await the reader in THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU.

Who could have murdered lovable, charitable Lily?  Why did Lily want to change her will a few days before she was murdered? 

We follow heiress, Dr. Kate English, and her family as they grieve and are guarded by private investigators at their home.

We also find out that quite a few of the characters have secrets and things that happened in the past that may have lead up to what is going on in the present.

Everyone seemed to be a suspect - no one was excluded.

I enjoyed THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU.  This book will be enjoyed by women's fiction fans as well as mystery fans so put your thinking caps on and hone up on your detective skills. 

Trying to solve the mystery of who killed Lily and who was sending the threatening notes and packages was a well kept secret.  

The ending was a bit abrupt, but didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.  5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This Week

A busy, fun week filled with reviews, author spotlights, and giveways.

Hope you will be stopping by to join in the fun.

Books by Bette Lee Crosby

Once you have read one of Bette’s books, you won’t want to stop.

The featured books are ones I have read and reviewed on my blog.  

Are you a fan?     

What Lies Below by Barbara Taylor Sissel

 

Nightmares that foretell events? Nightmares that could solve crimes?  Nightmares that Gilly is afraid to think about or let anyone know about.

Gilly seems to be clairvoyant but is afraid to tell the police for fear of their suspecting her of the kidnapping of a friend's daughter.  Gilly saw Zoe being kidnapped in her dream, and the next day it happened.

We join in the search for Zoe along with the entire town. The small town of Wyatt loved Zoe and her father, Jake, and they all had their own theories about what happened and who took Zoe.

This tense, well-written thriller was difficult to put down and had marvelous, mysterious characters that all seemed to have some secret.

Ms. Sissel’s writing style is pull-you-in and descriptive.  The title also had me intrigued with my thinking it referred to what really was below the surface of what the characters were showing on the outside.

If you like books that dig into a character's background and a story line that will keep you guessing, WHAT LIES BELOW will be a good read for you.

I really enjoyed WHAT LIES BELOW - this was my first book by Ms. Sissel.  5/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Have You Heard of This Book?

This is the first post for this feature.

Every Wednesday, I am going to start featuring books I have read and perhaps others may not have heard of.

I hope this post is of interest.  

Feel free to post this feature on your page or blog with a book you have read and want others to know about.

************

Featuring THE WILDLING SISTERS by Eve Chase.

Applecote Manor in 1959 was home for Perry, Sylvia, and Audrey.

When Audrey disappeared, the girls never went back until one summer when their mother decided she needed to get away from it all. 

If you like mysteries and family drama, the WILDLING SISTERS is for you.  It has a hint of Gothic and an undertone of foreboding.

FULL REVIEW:  https://tinyurl.com/y4r9qmeb