The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse

Blackthorn House was a place you didn't want to visit.

Blackthorn House had the odd Gifford family living there.

Blackthorn House had secrets.

Connie Gifford and her father lived at Blackthorn House and were well known for their taxidermy, but no one ever came around any more for visits or taxidermy.

What had happened to make them outcasts?  Was it because of their business?  Was it because Connie had had an accident many years ago and sort of became a recluse?  Was it because her father was quite odd and always would disappear? Or was it that Gifford and a select few had a secret?

There was something going on in the town that had people watching the Blackthorn House and holding secret meetings that resulted in the men of the town going missing, hiding, and worrying.

​As the book continues, we keep hearing about something that happened ten years ago that frightened the men in the town because of their involvement.​

THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER had odd, mysterious characters and ​a ​dark undercurrent.​ Some parts of the book are not for the faint of heart...pretty gruesome.​

It took a while to get interested, but the story line was well crafted and became good after a woman's body was found and the secrets kept for ten years began to be revealed.

The writing was very descriptive, and you could see the characters as they represented that time period no matter what their social class was.

I can’t say it was a favorite, but it did keep me interested by keeping me wondering what the secrets were.  3.5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

Spotlight and Giveaway of Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner

STARS OVER SUNSET BOULEVARD

By Susan Meissner

What readers are saying . . . 

“Susan Meissner deftly casts a fascinating friendship between two complex women against a glittering 1930s Hollywood backdrop. You will love this book for its very human characters and for its inside look at one of the greatest movies ever made.” 
— Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Belong To ME

“Beautifully simple yet impactful." — Romantic Times, 4 stars 

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When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind ends up in Christine McAllister’s vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take the reader on a journey to the past. 

It’s 1938 and Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Los Angeles after her dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, landing a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey’s zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood’s glitterati enthrall Violet...until each woman’s deepest desires collide. 

What Audrey and Violet are willing to risk, for themselves and for each other, to ensure their own happy endings will shape their friendship, and their lives, far into the future. 

"A lovely, well-crafted story that peeks at a fascinating moment in cinematic history and examines the power and vulnerability of sincere friendship.

— Kirkus Reviews 

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About the Author 

 Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. Her novels include A Fall of Marigolds, named by Booklist’s Top Ten women’s fiction titles for 2014, and The Shape of Mercy, named by Publishers Weekly as one of the 100 Best Novels of 2008. She is also a RITA finalist, and Christy Award winner

A California native, she attended Point Loma Nazarene University. Susan is a pastor’s wife and a mother of four young adults. When she's not working on a novel, she writes small group curriculum for her San Diego church. She is also a writing workshop volunteer for Words Alive, a San Diego non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk youth foster a love for reading and writing. 

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Website:

susanmeissner.com

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/susan.meissner

Twitter:

@SusanMeissner  

Instagram: 

soozmeissner 

Goodreads: 

 www.goodreads.com/author/show/60390.Susan_Meissner 

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451475992/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i2_r?pf_r d_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop- 1&pf_rd_r=1YFZV1KH8YBMXZ4WJ00N&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242& pf_rd_i=desktop 

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stars-over-sunset-boulevard-susan- meissner/1121731447?ean=9780451475992 

Publicity Contact:

Suzy Missirlian 
@Suzy4PR 

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF SUZY MISSIRLIAN AND THE AUTHOR.

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GIVEAWAY:

A Winner Has Been Chosen:

LuAnn - #9 - Kentucky

CONGRATS!! 

March 17 -  March 30

USA ONLY

ENTER HERE

The Return of The Witch by Paula Brackston Giveaway - 3/8 - 3/15

ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW IS COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHER:

Paula Brackston's debut novel, The Witch's Daughter, was the little book that could--with a captivating story, remarkable heroine, and eye-catching package, it has now netted over 200,000 copies in all formats. Now Paula returns with its sequel The Return of the Witch, another bewitching tale of love and magic, featuring her signature blend of gorgeous writing, a fabulous and intriguing historical backdrop, and a headstrong and relatable heroine readers will cheer for.

After five years in the Summerlands, Gideon has gained his freedom. Elizabeth knows he will go straight for Tegan, and that she must protect the girl she had come to regard as her own daughter. In the time since she the dramatic night in Batchcombe woods, Tegan has traveled the world learning from all manner of witches, and she is no longer the awkward teenager and novice spellcaster she once was. However, her skills are no match for Gideon's dark, vengeful power, and he succeeds in capturing her. Will Elizabeth be able to find her? Will they be able to defeat their nemesis once and for all?

In a breathless journey that takes them through history to the 17th and 19th centuries, witch pursues warlock. Three people steeped in magic weave a new story, but not all will survive until the end.

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Join in the fun, and enter the giveaway below.

What a gorgeous cover!!

Have you read Ms. Brackston's other books in this series?

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USA ONLY

March 8 to March 15

Enter the Giveaway HERE
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Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

What secrets does Black Rabbit Hall hold, and will Lorna find out what the secrets of the Alton family are as she explores the Alton's summer home?

Lorna is looking for a place for her wedding and is pulled toward Black Rabbit Hall. She has a feeling that it is somehow connected to her past.

Tragedies were plentiful at Black Rabbit Hall when the Altons lived there.  Lauren's fiancé isn't comfortable about having their wedding there, but Lorna insists that there is some connection to her and her family, and she wants to find out and have her wedding there.

We learn about the Alton's family life at Black Rabbit Hall through flashbacks and then move forward to present day.

Toby, Amber, Kitty, and Barney told the story of Black Rabbit Hall....a story with great family dynamics.

Ms. Chase's descriptions are marvelous. You can put yourself into every scene of the story and clearly picture what is happening and carried out.  I loved going back in time and seeing what was left behind in the kitchen and other areas of BLACK RABBIT HALL.

The old house definitely is a trove of memories and untold secrets and stories. You can smell the dust, see the family’s comings and goings, hear the water dripping from the leaky roof, and visualize the people who lived there.
 
BLACK RABBIT HALL was a family saga with hints of foreboding as you turned each page. 
  
BLACK RABBIT HALL had marvelous characters that were loving and endearing and of course there was a villain who ruined it all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book...an excellent debut.  The only disappointment, which really isn't a disappointment, was when Ms. Chase left you hanging and waiting with something "juicy" at the end of a chapter and took you back to the past or from the past to the future.  :)

ENJOY when you read....the ending was emotional, and the entire book is addicting!! 

Loved the book. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.  

Spotlight and Giveaway of Somewhere Out There by Amy Hatvany

PRAISE FOR SOMEWHERE OUT THERE

“It's no secret that Amy Hatvany is a master of creating compelling, beautiful, flawed characters. This time around, Hatvany has reached new levels of aching honesty and brilliant empathy. A daring, compassionate, and deeply human story, Somewhere Out There is Hatvany at her very best. The women of this book will open your mind, break your heart, and stay with you long after you've turned the last page."

– Taylor Jenkins Reid, Author of Maybe in Another Life

ABOUT SOMEWHERE OUT THERE:

Natalie Clark knew never to ask her sensitive adoptive mother questions about her past. She doesn’t even know her birth mother’s name—only that the young woman signed parental rights over to the state when Natalie was a baby. Now Natalie’s own daughter must complete a family tree project for school, and Natalie is determined to unearth the truth about her roots.

Brooke Walker doesn’t have a family. At least, that’s what she tells herself after being separated from her mother and her little sister at age four. Having grown up in a state facility and countless foster homes, Brooke survives the only way she knows how, by relying on herself. So when she discovers she’s pregnant, Brooke faces a heart-wrenching decision: give up her baby or raise the child completely on her own. Scared and confused, she feels lost until a surprise encounter gives her hope for the future.

How do our early experiences—the subtle and the traumatic—define us as adults? How do we build relationships when we’ve been deprived of real connection? Critically acclaimed author Amy Hatvany considers controversial and complicated questions about childhood through the lens of her finely crafted characters in this astute novel about mending wounds by diving into the truth of what first tore us apart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Amy Hatvany is the author of Best Kept Secret, Outside the Lines, The Language of Sisters, Heart Like Mine, and Safe with Me. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her family.

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE by Amy Hatvany

Washington Square Press/Atria Books Paperback | 368 pages | ISBN: 9781476704432 | On-sale: March 1, 2016 | $16.00

eBook: Washington Square Press/Atria Books | 368 pages | ISBN: 9781476704449 | On-sale: March 1, 2016 | $11.99

   

FIND AMY ONLINE:

Website: www.amyhatvany.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1562524394
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AmyHatvany

ORDER:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound
Apple
Blio
Google
Kobo


GIVEAWAY:

Enter here for the giveaway

 USA ONLY

March 1 - March 8