HAPPY PUB DAY!!

HAPPY PUB DAY to all authors. 

Thank you for these marvelous titles.

BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN REVIEW HERE.

ALL THE WAYS WE SAID GOODBYE REVIEW HERE.

THE TENANT REVIEW HERE.

HOW QUICKLY SHE DISAPPEARS is reviewed in a separate post.

Please see covers for review ​dates.

The Tenant by Katrina Engberg

A brutal murder in a building owned by an author who is writing a book with a similar story line causes her to be the main suspect.

Julie and her roommate Caroline live in a building owned by Esther de Laurenti, the author. Julie is murdered, and the murder has the entire police force baffled.

Nothing like this has ever happened in her building, and Esther can’t understand it.

The clues all seem to point to Esther, though, and especially since the murder scene and situation are similar to her book, but is it really Esther?  There are a number of possible suspects.

The victim and her family had a few secrets of their own, but would someone murder for those secrets?  And what all-around, complicated secrets they turned out to be.

The detectives, Anette and Jeppe, are on the case and seem to be relentless in their efforts to solve this crime.  This detective team is very likeable and definitely add to the story line.

Many other things happen that will keep you reading every chance you get, and you will be thinking about the characters and the situations even when you aren't reading.

Ms. Engberg’s writing flows nicely and keeps the story line moving and the interest high with all of the what if’s and possibilities.

Be aware that there are some upsetting situations and graphic descriptions.  

THE TENANT is a book for those who enjoy being kept on the edge-of-your seat.

I hope to see more of this detective team and Ms. Engberg's books.

Are you a good enough detective to solve this crime?  4/5

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

This Week At Silver's Reviews

Another week of reviews and giveaways.

Hope you can stop.

 

Spotlight and UK Giveaway of The Lace Maiden by Evie Grace

Photo Source

Penguin Random House UK is celebrating the release of:

THE LACE MAIDEN by Evie Grace

With a UK Giveaway!! 

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Information in this post is courtesy of Alice Spencer of Penguin Random House UK.

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A brand new series called The Smuggler’s Daughters series starting with the first book The Lace Maiden out 9^th January.

Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars on the Kentish Coast.  Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Poldark.

Louisa, Winnie and Grace Lennicker must fend for themselves in the Kent smuggling business after their father was murdered by a rival smuggling gang. 

The eldest daughter, Louisa, is forced to carve out a living by trading illegally in French lace. She will do anything to keep a roof over her sisters’ heads, but what she truly desires is a way of wreaking revenge. 

With the threat of Napoleon approaching Britain’s shores, the stakes couldn’t be higher. One wrong move and Louisa could risk losing not only her sisters, but her life. 

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PRAISE FOR THE LACE MAIDEN:

“Heart-tugging saga of which Catherine Cookson would’ve approved” - Peterborough Evening Telegraph

“A charming historical read that hits all the right notes” - Woman’s Weekly

“An intriguing tale of family relationships and of finding love a second time around . . . I’ll be sure to look out for the next book in the series” – Val Wood

“A perfect conclusion to this riveting saga. Get a cup of tea and dig in. The book equivalent to a great Sunday night drama” - Frost Magazine

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ABOUT THE LACE MAIDEN:
Deal, Kent 1817

In Deal's narrow alleyways, amid the gloomy counting houses and muttering inns, Louisa, Winnie and Grace Lennicker live in a dangerous world of fishermen, sailors, and smugglers. When their father, a talented smuggler, is murdered by a rival gang over a few scraps of contraband, the sisters are forced to carve out a living from the ‘honourable trade’ of smuggling spirits, French lace, gold and jewellery. It's the only life they've ever known, and they're determined not to let it be taken away.

Dodging revenue officers and fighting for business with cut-throat rivals, they water down brandy, cut tea with rose leaves, receive goods from ships wrecked on the treacherous Goodwin Sands a few miles off the coast, and even become involved with transferring prisoners of war and gold on the guinea boats to France.

The stakes are high. Getting caught means imprisonment, transportation, or even the gallows. The smugglers' world is tight-knit, but there are people in Deal who would throw them to the wolves at the drop of a hat. It will take every drop of courage, wit, and luck the sisters can muster to reclaim the life stolen from them - and to gain justice for their murdered father.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Evie Grace was born in Kent, and one of her earliest memories is of picking cherries with her grandfather who managed a fruit farm near Selling.

Holidays spent in the Kent countryside and the stories passed down through her family inspired her to write her Maids of Kent trilogy.

Evie now lives in Devon with her partner and dog. She has a grown-up daughter and son. 

She loves researching the history of the nineteenth century and is very grateful for the invention of the washing machine, having discovered how the Victorians struggled to do their laundry.

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GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with Alice Spencer of Penguin Random House UK:

UK ONLY
3 Print Copies
January 11 - 18

Enter here

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Big Lies In A Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Two women in charge of a mural but not at the same time. 

Anna had won a contest to paint a mural of Edenton for the post office, and Morgan many years later was hired to restore the mural. 

Why were two women commissioned for the same mural?

We find that Anna started the mural and abandoned it and disappeared with no one knowing why she left or where she went.

Morgan had the job of restoring the photo, and she actually had no idea how. Morgan finds a  badly ruined canvas, and as she cleans it up, finds many disturbing scenes.

BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN has mystery, marvelously portrayed characters, and a storyline you don't want to end.

If you are an artist or are artistic, BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN will definitely appeal to you.  I enjoyed learning about art techniques....especially what pouncing is.

This book is a WOW read!!

Ms. Chamberlain has given readers another marvelous book that fans will adore. 5/5

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

All The Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

 

Three women, three different time periods, three different situations, but they all find the Ritz of Paris to be their comfort zone.

We meet Aurelie in 1914 who lived at the Ritz with her mother.  She needed to get away and had the perfect excuse.  She drove her fiancée to the front, and on her way back, her car was shot up.  She thankfully was near her father’s estate and walked there to only find she would be stuck there because the Nazis had arrived and had taken over the estate.

We meet Daisy in 1942 who was raised by her grandmother at the Ritz and who eventually helped her grandmother with the resistance.
 
Then we meet Babs in 1964 whose husband had been in the war and had befriended La Fleur who was a resistance fighter.  Babs wants to find out who La Fleur was since her husband called out her name a number of times before his death.  She also meets at the Ritz with an American lawyer who is also looking for La Fleur.
 
There are quite a few characters to keep straight, but the main characters are strong, brave, and very likeable.
 
Babs was my favorite...her story had me laughing at some of the things she did and said.
 
Aurelie’s story was the most interesting because of her situation but was the most upsetting.
 
I admired Daisy for what she was doing for the French Resistance, and enjoyed reading about another way things were secretly done.
 
The 3W's did it again!!  ALL THE WAYS WE SAID GOODBYE is another marvelous, well-researched, difficult-to-put-down tale.
 
We readers are again treated to their detailed writing, terrific story line, and smooth transition from one author to the next, but have a notebook handy to keep all the characters straight.
 
Do not miss reading this gem.  5/5
 
This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Spotlight and Giveaway of You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

Photo Source

Penguin Random House is celebrating the release of:

YOU WERE THERE TOO

With a USA Giveaway!!

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Information in this post is courtesy of Tara O'Connor of Penguin Random House.

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YOU WERE THERE TOO examines the roles of fate and free will, as well as the mysterious nature of our dreams, in her latest thought-provoking novel, YOU WERE THERE TOO (Berkley Trade Paperback; January 7, 2020).  

Oakley’s latest is a novel that has everything: a compelling romantic thread, an eerie mystery component, and an intriguing, thought-provoking premise – what if our dreams were trying to tell us something? And if we thought we understood the message, would we listen and take action, even if that means changing the most important aspects of our lives?

Perfect for fans of The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo and the works of JoJo Moyes, YOU WERE THERE TOO is a love story about marriage that illuminates both the joyous and heartbreaking realities of “happily ever after” – and if fate brings us together for a reason.

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PRAISE FOR YOU WERE THERE TOO

“You Were There Too is a surprising and incredibly satisfying story of chance and fate. From the book's enticing first pages to its startling and electrifying conclusion, Colleen Oakley knocks it out of the park.”—New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid
 

"You Were There Too is a rare gem of a novel.  Colleen Oakley checks all the boxes with this one:  exquisite, careful writing, beautifully drawn three-dimensional characters, and a twisty plot that defies premonition. This is a book about connections, and discovering that why we are connected to each other is a lot less important than the fact that we are.   I couldn't wait to find out what happened next, while at the same time hated for this lovely book to end.  This is the kind of book we all long for, one to read and savor, and then read again."—New York Times bestselling author Karen White

“I have been a fan of Oakley since her debut novel, but with this book, she has risen to a new level. You Were There Too took me through the gamut of emotions —confusion, anticipation, grief, hope. Oakley’s writing is taut, fresh and doesn’t waste a single word. I devoured this novel in three sittings but I will be thinking about it for much, much longer. A slam dunk bestseller for sure.”—Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-in-Law
 

“Hypnotically beautiful, You Were There Too delves into the chasm between the life we have and the life we imagine for ourselves. Unique, lyrical and thoughtful.” —New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins
 

“A beautifully woven story of love, grief, and the power we do and don’t have to choose our fate, You Were There Too brought me to tears. I read it in one long gulp and didn’t want it to end.”—New York Times bestselling author Jill Santopolo

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ABOUT YOU WERE THERE TOO

Mia has a seemingly perfect life: she married a wonderful man and they are happily settling in as newcomers in a small, quaint town where everyone knows everybody else. The only thing missing from their picture-perfect existence together is children, a dream they once shared but which seems to be slipping further away.
 

Mia has other dreams too: all-too-real dreams about a stranger she’s never met, a recurring figure she shrugs off as an inconsequential function of her subconscious. But when she meets the exact man she’s been dreaming about in real life, she is convinced she might be crazy. Until this mystery man reveals that he’s seen her in his non-waking hours, too.



What begins as a frightening coincidence becomes a quest: Mia and this man embark on a fact-finding mission about the nature of dreams, discover moments where they might have met in the past but didn’t, and Mia begins to question every decision she’s ever made—including whether she and her husband are, as they say, “meant to be.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Colleen Oakley is the author of two previous novels, Close Enough to Touchand Before I Go, which were named best books by People, Us Weekly, Library Journal and Real Simple, and both were long-listed for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize.

Oakley is also the former senior editor of Marie Claire and editor in chief of Women's Health & Fitness. Her articles, essays and interviews have been featured in the New York Times, Ladies' Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women's Health, Redbook, Parade and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog.

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GIVEAWAY:

CONTEST HAS ENDED - OUR WINNER IS:

PAT FROM PENNSYLVANIA

CONGRATS!!

THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED

I am partnering with Tara O'Connor of Penguin Random House for this giveaway:

USA ONLY
January 8 - 15

Enter here

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