Review and Giveaway of Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen

Living in New York City had always been a dream of Alice’s mother, and Alice decided that is where she wanted to be so she could fulfill her mother’s dream.

When Alice arrives, she finds New York as glamorous and frightening as she thought it would be, and she finds a job working with Helen Gurley Brown, the editor of COSMOPOLITAN, a pretty scandalous magazine for the 1960’s.

We follow Alice as she works with and comforts Ms. Brown in the whirlwind office that Ms. Brown creates.

Ms. Rosen definitely puts the reader into the story with her terrific descriptions of activity in and out of the office, and she brought 1960's New York alive as we were allowed to join in the daily lives of the characters.

It was fun following Alice around and hoping she would fulfill her dreams of becoming a photographer. 

A few secrets about Alice's family kept the story line juicy along with stories of her love interest, Erik, even though it seems pretty difficult to be juicier than Ms. Helen Gurley Brown.

Ms. Helen Gurley Brown certainly was someone to be reckoned with and someone who gave Alice the courage to keep on trying to reach her goals.

PARK AVENUE SUMMER is filled with Renee Rosen's meticulous research, detailed descriptions, and is an all-around-fun, educational read. 

The ending was heartwarming.  If you have loved Ms. Rosen's other books, you are not going to want to miss reading this splendid, delightful read. 5/5

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

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GIVEAWAY:

CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER:

Barbara from New Jersey

CONGRATS!!

Thanks to all who entered and visited Silver's Reviews.

I am partnering with Lauren Burnstein of Penguin Random House for this giveaway.

NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE GIVEAWAY, BUT PLEASE FOLLOW MY BLOG.

USA ONLY

April 30 - May 7

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Books Read in April

Have you read any of these titles or plan to read any?

Emily, Gone by Bette Lee Crosby

A music festival shook the quiet town of Hesterville, Georgia, with its loud music and with the kidnapping of Rachel and George Dixon's baby.

The Dixons had been exhausted from lack of sleep because of the music festival, didn't hear anyone enter the house through the unlocked door, and awoke to find their baby's crib empty.

We find out that, Vicki, one of the festival goers had just lost her baby, chose a random house to enter to find food, but instead found her lost baby waiting in the crib and took her as her own.

When Vicki came back to the car with a bundle under her coat, her boyfriend, Murph, didn't question anything until he found out what she had done.

Both Murph and Vicki had plans for the baby, but the plans were not the same. Murph had plans to return the baby, but Vicki had plans to keep the baby and took off without him.

We follow the Dixon family and Vicki in this beautiful, but heart wrenching story where one family's life is turned upside down and another supposedly becomes happy.

Ms. Crosby has outdone herself with EMILY GONE as she paired her amazing writing, her amazing characters, and her heartfelt story lines with a new twist - a mystery.

EMILY GONE has tender moments,  sad moments,  happy moments, and many moments that need tissues.

I didn't want to put this heartwarming book filled with Bette Lee Crosby's signature warmth down.  

Her books feel like a huge hug. 5/5

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

Feature Wednesday - Have You Heard Of This Book?

Beginning on May 1, I am going to start featuring books I have read that may be of interest but may not have gotten a lot of exposure.

Favorite April Reads

I read EIGHT books in April. My favorites were: NEVER HAVE I EVER by Joshilyn Jackson THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA  FORTUNA by Juliet Grames EMILY GONE by Bette Lee Crosby THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda

This Week

Reviews, Giveaways, and a new feature on Wednesdays. 

Hope you can stop by.

Books by Fiona Barton

I have read THE WIDOW and THE CHILD. 

Have you read any or all of Fiona Barton’s books?

Spotlight and International Giveaway of This Side of Water by Maureen Pilkington

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All information in this post is courtesy of the author, Maureen Pilkington.

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Voice-driven stories, imbued with dreamy effects of the waterfront, that siphon the betrayals of love, family, and loss of faith.

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Maureen Pilkington is Celebrating Her Book With an International and USA Giveaway:

  
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What Authors have to say: 

Brutally eloquent. A mesmerizing collection with a heat seeking eye for brilliant humor and intense passionate loves.

-Ernesto Quinonez - Author of the bestselling novel, Bodega Dreams 

Filled with humor, honesty, and wonderfully perceptive details these suspenseful stories, told in an original voice, delight and illuminate. 

-Sheila Kohler - author most recently of Once We Were Sisters

These are brave stories. Pilkington seems willing to go anywhere she needs to for a story, and fully inhabit any character. This Side of Water is a wide-ranging and darkly beautiful collection of stories.
-Peter Orner - Esther Stories and the forthcoming Molly Brown & Others 

Maureen Pilkington's This Side of Water reminds you that the brief glimpse offered by the short story form can stop and startlingly recharge your heart. In all of these stories the dialogue throws sparks as it reveals the ways that vulnerable people talk who feel the competing needs to evade and to give themselves over to truthfulness. The veil lifts here on compulsions resulting from uncontainable desires; it lifts here on private longing and guilt and fear. Like the sensuous energies of water, these stories alter your body's responsiveness to the world, inviting you to experience new aliveness.

- Kevin McIlvoy, novelist and short story writer, is author of At the Gate of All Wonder and 57 Octaves Below Middle C.

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About the Book:

In This Side of Water, Maureen Pilkington’s bright debut collection, precise and vivid language delivers flawed characters to their moments of reckoning.

A married woman goes to the cemetery to resurrect her father; a young girl at a beach club witnesses her parents’ infidelity; and icy New Year’s Eve leads a devoted husband to violent clarity; a teenager spies on her mother and Catholic priest; a Russian “dancer” visits her American husband and plays a dangerous game. 

In these sixteen stories, the backdrop of water—the Long Island Sound, the sulfur polluted Monangahela River, a koi pond, a basin of holy water, a tear in a boy’s eye—provides a salve for these characters, ferrying them to personal ports of renewal and resolution.

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About the Author:

Photo Credit:  JoAnn Cancro Photography

Maureen Pilkington’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared in anthologies, journals and magazines including The Antioch Review; Ploughshares; Puerto del Sol; Confrontation; Bridge: Art & Literature in Chicago; Orchid Literary Review; MSR Fiction Anthology; Fiction Southeast; Punctuate; Santa Barbara Review; The Pedestal Magazine; Literary Mama; Still Point Arts Quarterly; CoveyClub.com; Red Rock Review; Confrontation; The Blotter Magazine; The Weston Magazine Group; and numerous others. 

Her work has also been read live WCOM, FM. Pilkington worked in book publishing and received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. 

She is currently writing a collection of personal essays, and a novel about a friendship between two women that begins at a Catholic boarding school. 

Pilkington is also the founder and director of a writing program that brings authors into the inner-city schools of Manhattan to teach writing. Born in New York, Pilkington splits her time between Rye and Manhattan.

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GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with the author for these giveaways.

INTERNATIONAL - E-BOOK
USA - PRINT BOOK

April 26 - May 3

Enter here

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Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

 

Giving birth was traumatic enough for Lauren but to have a gypsy come to you while you are still in the hospital and tell you she wants to trade your twins for hers would be even more traumatic.

Lauren had a very difficult birth and a husband who has checked out in the helping department with the twins.

Along with sleep deprivation, Lauren is deathly afraid to leave the house because of the woman she saw hours after the birth of her twins and again in her front yard and scratching at the window.

LITTLE DARLINGS moves along quickly sharing Lauren's fears and her wonderful care of her twins Morgan and Riley.

Then one day when Lauren finally ventured out and had a good time with her friends, she became exhausted, sat on a bench in the park, fell asleep, and when she woke, the stroller was gone.

A nightmare for any parent, but it seemed more pronounced for Lauren because of the threat from the gypsy.

No one believed Lauren about any of this.

They do find the stroller, but Lauren screams that they are not her babies. They had been switched and were changelings. This started an entire other problem for Lauren.

LITTLE DARLINGS will be frightening for anyone but even more so for any reader who is a new parent.

The book has a bit of paranormal and fairy stories as part of its theme, but it is more of a thriller and a mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  4/5

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

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

 

A mother-in-law who didn't like you from the second she met you.

A mother-in-law who had a secret from her youth.

A mother-in-law who loved her charity more than she loved her kids, and told them they just can't have things given to them.

A mother-in-law who disinherited her children a few days before her death but had her reasons.

A mother-in-law who was found dead with a suicide note but with circumstances that didn't point to suicide.

And...a mother-in-law who actually wasn't that bad after all was said and done.

But....could a family member be involved in her death?  Would you think a family member would do that to their mother/mother-in-law?

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW moved along quickly with the short chapters revealing all present and past family situations and giving information about how Diana treated her children and their spouses and how she felt about her charity.

The book is filled with secretive characters that keep you from actually knowing what they are thinking or planning to do or even if they are telling the truth.

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW is an all-around good domestic suspense with a few twists that pop up and that might have you looking at some of your family members in a different light. 

It will also keep you guessing if a family member did kill Diana or if she committed suicide.

Ms. Hepworth has written another book with family at the heart of it as always as well as other things to ponder.  4/5

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

Such Fun...so exciting!!

I couldn’t more thrilled with my win from the Facebook Live presentation on Wednesday, April 17, with Heather Drucker!! 

Squealing with delight!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

You should tune in...you might be a winner one day too!!

Book Studio 16

This Week

I hope you are able to stop by for the giveaways, reviews, and posts.

Don't forget to enter the giveaways from last week....find them in the GIVEAWAYS TAB.

Books by Ruth Ware

 

I have read THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME.

I have a signed copy of THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY from the BEA last year, but I have not read it yet.

Have you read any or all of Ruth Ware's books?

Book Beginnings - 4/19/2019

*Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.  *Taken directly from Rose City Reader's Blog Page. 

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My Book Beginnings is taken from THE MISSING YEARS by Lexie Elliott:

"The Manse is watching me.  At first I don't notice it, I'm too involved in my study of the imposing gray stone edifice before me.  It's a tall structure -- three stories, and the first two must have high ceilings -- with a turret and stepped gables like sets of staircases."

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Spotlight and Giveaway of Law and Addiction by Mike Papantonio

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All information in this post is courtesy of Andrea Stein of Jane Wesman Public Relations

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Jane Wesman Public relations is Celebrating The Release of:

LAW AND ADDICTION
by
MIKE PAPANTONIO

 
With a USA Giveaway!!

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LAW AND ADDICTION is based on Papantonio's experiences fighting Big Pharma on behalf of hundreds of Americans devastated by the opioid crisis.

Greedy Drug Executives. Corrupt County Officials. Violent Kidnappers.

Can A Rookie Lawyer And His Tough-As-Nails Mentor Bring Down The Villains Who Opened Pandora’s Box In The Name Of Corporate Profits?

Novelist Mike Papantonio Depicts America’s Deadly Opioid Epidemic In His Spellbinding Thriller LAW AND ADDICTION.

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PRAISE FOR LAW AND ADDICTION:

"Law And Addiction will not only satisfy readers who devour thrillers, but also stands as a testament on how to challenge and rollback the opioid epidemic still facing the nation.” —Misanthropester

 
"Kudos to Mike Papantonio, author of Law And Addiction for writing such a captivating, intriguing, enthralling, suspenseful, page-turning, riveting, unpredictable, and thought-provoking novel . . . I couldn’t put this book down. Many things seem so shocking. I would highly recommend (Law And Addiction) for those readers who enjoy an action-packed thriller that leaves you thinking.”  —Linda’s Book Obsession

 
“I’ve read other legal thrillers by Mike Papantonio so was excited for Law And Addiction. It did not disappoint! His suspenseful novels always have realistic details, since the author is a respected lawyer who takes on cases involving corporate crime.”

— Mama Likes This

“A fictional tour de force . . . Bravo!”
– Alan Russell, bestselling author of Burning Man and Guardians of the Night

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ABOUT LAW AND ADDICTION:

 

When LAW AND ADDICTION opens, Jake Rutledge — a week away from law school graduation — is shattered by the death of his paternal twin, due to a drug overdose.  

Jake returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, to discover that the entire region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried out by America’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.  

Determined to seek justice, the rookie lawyer joins forces with an indomitable, "tough as a two-dollar steak” attorney known for his winning tactics against corporate wrongdoers. Together, the pair seek to unravel a complex scheme involving death threats, bribes, and unlawful property seizures.

  

LAW AND ADDICTION is real-life drama at its finest, and Mike Papantonio is a truth-teller, a crusader who uses fiction to entertain and inform his readers about some of the most pressing issues of our time. 

In each of his thrillers, from Law and Disorder to Law and Vengeance, and now LAW AND ADDICTION, he lays bare the conspiracies and white-collar crimes that hurt ordinary Americans — and that are rarely covered by the national media.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Papantonio is a crusader who uses fiction to entertain and inform readers about some of the most pressing issues of our times.  In each of his legal thrillers – from Law and Disorder to Law and Vengence, and now LAW AND ADDICTION – he lays bare the conspiracies and white-collar crimes that hurt ordinary Americans.

A senior partner at Levin Papantonio, he’s taken on Big Pharma, tobacco companies, and the automobile industry, among others.  One of the youngest trial lawyers to have been inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, Papantonio is also a distinguished media presence as one of the hosts of the syndicated Ring of Fire radio show and as the host of American Lawyer on RT America network. 

A skilled musician and athlete, Papantonio is based in Pensacola, Florida. To learn more, visit: www.mikepapantonio.com

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GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway has ended.

Our winner is:

Misty from Mississippi

CONGRATS!!

Thanks to all who entered.

I am partnering with ANDREA J. STEIN OF JANE WESMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR THIS GIVEAWAY.

NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE GIVEAWAY, BUT PLEASE FOLLOW MY BLOG.

USA ONLY

APRIL 18 - 25

Enter here

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Spotlight and Giveaway of The Great Pretenders by Laura Kalpakian

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All information in this post is courtesy of Loren Jaggers of Penguin Random House.

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Penguin Random House is Celebrating The April 16 Release of:

THE GREAT PRETENDERS
by
LAURA KALPAKIAN
 
With a USA Giveaway!!

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THE GREAT PRETENDERS is a sweeping, unforgettable new novel featuring an ambitious, determined heroine who dares to fight for blacklisted writers in McCarthy-era Hollywood.

Featuring an amazing protagonist coupled with the sharp writing Kalpakian has come to be known for, I think this one will definitely appeal to fans of classic Hollywood and readers of Melanie Benjamin, Fiona Davis, and Beatriz Williams. 

THE GREAT PRETENDERS is a riveting novel that resonates in today’s world, and reminds us that some things are worth fighting for.

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PRAISE FOR THE GREAT PRETENDERS:

Touching on everything from politically motivated witch hunts to racism, Kalpakian's timely tale vividly evokes 1950s Los Angeles.”—Booklist 

 

“What a good book! Engagingly readable, full of Golden Age of Hollywood glitz—and a wonderful story of idealism, courage and the price of love. Enjoyed every page!”—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander 

“In her riveting new novel, Laura Kalpakian has given us a heroine to cheer for in this juicy tale of Hollywood. Roxanne Granville’s journey from diffident daughter of privilege to boundary-shattering career woman who takes on both the Hollywood blacklist and the racial prejudices of the early Civil Rights era is breathtaking and moving, even epic.”—Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls in the Picture 

“Deeply moving, intelligent and charming, this is a story to savor. “—Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop at Water’s End 

“Kalpakian has written a timely story that deftly deals with racism and the fight for justice. THE GREAT PRETENDERS is poignant, touching and often filled with laugh-out-loud wit.”—Renée Rosen, author of Park Avenue Summer 

“A fascinating journey into the intrigues and hypocrisies of 1950s Hollywood, coupled with an indomitable heroine who dares to shatter the rules. Exciting, fast-paced, and revelatory.”—C.W. Gortner, author of The Romanov Empress and Mademoiselle Chanel

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ABOUT THE GREAT PRETENDERS:

Outraged by her grandfather's illicit affair with Empire Pictures’ latest femme fatale, Roxanne Granville forsakes her position as Hollywood royalty and rejects the man who raised her, determined to strike out on her own. Backed by little more than the stubborn grit she inherited from her beloved grandmother, Roxanne sets up shop as a low-budget film agent for budding screenwriters.

When an old friend, exiled from Hollywood and Empire Pictures by her grandfather for being a Communist sympathizer, begs for her help, Roxanne decides to right the wrongs committed by her family by selling his script under someone else’s name. After all, it’s what her grandmother would have wanted.

Soon Roxanne finds herself at the helm of a lucrative business, having landed her secret clients a handful of major studio deals through willing front men. Her newfound freedom leads her to a passionate relationship with Terrence Dexter, an African American journalist and jazz aficionado. But Hollywood is ruthless when it senses a scandal. How long will it take before all of Roxanne's success comes crumbling down?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Laura Kalpakian has won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award (twice), the Anahid Award for an American writer of Armenian descent, the PEN West Award, and the Stand International Short Fiction Competition. 

She has had residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Montalvo Center for the Arts, and Hawthornden Castle in Scotland.

She is the author of multiple novels and over a hundred stories published in collections, anthologies, literary journals and magazines in the U.S. and the U.K. A native of California, Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest.

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GIVEAWAY:

CONTEST HAS ENDED!!

CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER:

JOANNE OF GEORGIA!!

I am partnering with LOREN JAGGERS OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE FOR THIS GIVEAWAY.

Not a requirement for the giveaway, but please follow my blog.

USA ONLY

April 17 - 24

Enter here

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Giveaway and Re-post of My Review of DREAMS OF FALLING

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I am partnering with Lauren Burnstein and Tara O'Connor of Penguin Random House for this GIVEAWAY and review re-post.

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Penguin Random House is Celebrating The Paperback Release of:

DREAMS OF FALLING
by
KAREN WHITE

With a USA Giveaway!!

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REVIEW RE-POST: 

Larkin needed to come home from New York because her mother was missing.

What she found was that over the years a lot of things were missing and quite a few things were kept secret.

Larkin found secrets about her mother and her family at every turn.

When she asked why she wasn’t told, the answer was ignored or she was told to wait until her mother, Ivy, wakes up and to ask her.

Larkin wondered how long she would have to wait for her mother to wake up.  She also wondered how long until she found out everything.

Ivy had been found near death at the old homestead, Carrowmore, underneath a rotting staircase.

Carrowmore had been a favorite childhood place of her mother and her friends where they put "wishes on ribbons" into the opening of a tree.As the book continued, the plot thickened, and Larkin kept finding out more and more about what had been kept from her and how some close family members were not as they appeared.

DREAMS OF FALLING was a bit confusing at first in the character department.  It took me a while to figure out who belonged to who and what their connections were.  The connections became more tricky and quite intriguing as things were revealed.

We learn of the secrets kept and of the lives of the main characters by going back to 1951 and then returning to 2010.  I really enjoyed seeing the three friends in their youth.  Their current lives didn’t seem as exciting, but their youth and family history as with all of us had a major influence on their lives now and the paths they had chosen.

DREAMS OF FALLING started out not feeling like Karen White’s usual books because of the confusing character problem, but once the book got going, the familiar writing, the marvelous story line, the Southern charm, and warm characters made its appearance and made the story line completely wonderful and enjoyable as always.

DREAMS OF FALLING is another marvelous treat.  
 
Despite the confusion with the characters at the beginning, DREAMS OF FALLING is another Karen White masterpiece that pulls you in and keeps you loving each turn of the page.
I hope you enjoy it too. 5/5

I received an Advanced Reader of this book.  It was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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GIVEAWAY:

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!!

CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER:

MARGIE FROM NEW YORK

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


NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE GIVEAWAY, BUT PLEASE FOLLOW MY BLOG.

USA ONLY

March 13 -20

Enter here

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