Review and Giveaway of The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Carly left college for a "few" days so she could head to Fell, New York, to see if she could find anything out about how her Aunt Viv died or where she might be.

Viv disappeared from The Sun Down Motel where she worked in 1982 and was never found.

When Carly arrived and checked out The Sun Down Motel, she couldn't believe her aunt would even think of working there. 

It was a creepy, out-of-the way place, but Carly surprised herself and took a job there on the same shift that her aunt worked.

Carly saw strange things and knew she should leave, but she stayed. She had to find out what happened at this motel and what happens now at THE SUN DOWN MOTEL.

We follow Carly as she investigates and as Viv’s story is told back in 1982. 

Besides the creepy town and motel, we meet ghosts, creaky doors, weird guests, odd sounds, and no way to contact anyone not on the hotel grounds.  

We learn about the hotel and the murders that took place in the town of Fell as well as the connection to The Sun Down Motel.

Each chapter got stranger and stranger as the motel seemed to come to life and have a life of its own.

If you enjoy tense, creepy, spooky story lines that include unsolved murders from years ago, THE SUN DOWN MOTEL will be your perfect read.

Be careful with the motel you choose, and especially do not stay at a motel that has anything remotely close to the name of this motel.

The entire book and the ending are twisty and brilliant.  5/5

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

GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with Danielle Kier of Penguin Random House for this giveaway.

USA ONLY

FEBRUARY 18 - 25

ENTER HERE 

BARGAINS!!

Stopped at Barnes and Nobel today and found these for 2 for $10

I have read THE CHILD, but I have never read THE BREAK DOWN.

Spotlight and Giveaway of Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Photo Source

Lisa Sciambra of Simon and Schuster is celebrating the paperback release of:

TIDELANDS

With a USA Giveaway!!

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Information in this post is courtesy of Lisa Sciambra of Simon and Schuster.

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This New York Times bestseller from “one of the great storytellers of our time” (San Francisco Book Review) turns from the glamour of the royal courts to tell the story of an ordinary woman, Alinor, living in a dangerous time for a woman to be different.

Kirkus Reviews said, “this is Gregory par excellence. A promising start to a family saga about ordinary people.” 

And People Magazine called it "superb...a searing portrait of a woman that resonates across the ages." The next book in the series, Dark Tides, will be available in December 2020.

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PRAISE FOR TIDELANDS:

“This is Gregory par excellence. A promising start to a family saga about ordinary people.”

–Kirkus Reviews

“A gripping novel…with her usual meticulous attention to detail, the author easily elicits the chaos and dangers of the mid-17^th century…this book will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series. Fans of Gregory’s works and of historicals in general will delight in this page-turning tale.”

–Library Journal (starred review)

“History buffs and Gregory’s fans alike will be anticipating the next installment.”

–Publishers Weekly

"a welcome topical pivot from gifted Gregory"

–Booklist

“Richly detailed and brimming with secrets (personal and political), Tidelands is a captivating portrait of a brave woman and a compelling start to a new series.”

–Shelf Awareness

“The first in a planned series, Tidelands has moved on from the Tudor and Plantagenet era of Gregory’s previous novels, and the author crafts her material with effortless ease. Her grasp of social mores is brilliant, the love story rings true and the research is, as ever, of the highest calibre.”

–Daily Mail

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ABOUT TIDELANDS:

On Midsummer’s Eve, Alinor waits in the church graveyard, hoping to encounter the ghost of her missing husband and thus confirm his death. Until she can, she is neither maiden nor wife nor widow, living in a perilous limbo. Instead she meets James, a young man on the run. She shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marshy landscape of the Tidelands, not knowing she is leading a spy and an enemy into her life.

England is in the grip of a bloody civil war that reaches into the most remote parts of the kingdom. Alinor’s suspicious neighbors are watching each other for any sign that someone might be disloyal to the new parliament, and Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her as a woman who doesn’t follow the rules. They have always whispered about the sinister power of Alinor’s beauty, but the secrets they don’t know about her and James are far more damning. This is the time of witch-mania, and if the villagers discover the truth, they could take matters into their own hands.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Philippa Gregory is the author of many New York Times bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognized authority on women’s history. Many of her works have been adapted for the screen including The Other Boleyn Girl. Her most recent novel, The Last Tudor, is now in production for a television series. She graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where she is a Regent. 

She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction. She is an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. 

She founded Gardens for the Gambia, a charity to dig wells in poor rural schools in The Gambia, and has provided nearly 200 wells. She welcomes visitors to her website PhilippaGregory.com.

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GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with Lisa Sciambra of Simon and Schuster for this giveaway:

USA ONLY
February 17 - 24

Enter here

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It's Monday!! What Are YOU Reading? - 2/17/2020

 

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I hope you had a great reading week.  

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This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at BOOK DATE!

Post the books completed, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish at some point.

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Books Completed:

THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY by Lori Nelson Spielman - review will be on April 21, 2020.

LOVED this book.

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THE OPERATOR by Gretchen Berg - review will be on March 9, 2020.

 

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LOST AT SEA by Erica Boyce - review will be on March 6, 2020 - finished February 4.

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THE SEA OF LOST GIRLS by Carol Goodman - review will be on March 4, 2020 - finished on February 5.

 

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YOU ARE NOT ALONE by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - review will be March 3 - finished on January 31.

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TEN DAYS GONE by Beverly Long - review will be on February 19, 2020 - finished on January 26.

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THE BORGIA CONFESSIONS by Alyssa Palumbo - review is in the book's title.

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MERCY HOUSE by Alena Dillon - review is in the book's title.

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THE SECRETS OF LOVE STORY BRIDGE by Phaedra Patrick - review will be on April 29 - finished on January 12.

Another heartwarming, sweet read by Phaedra Patrick.

 

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THE LIGHT AFTER THE WAR by Anita Abril - review is in the book's title.

A beautiful read.

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THE SUNDOWN MOTEL by Simone St. James - review will be on February 18, 2020 - finished on November 3.

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RED LETTER DAYS by Sarah-Jane Stratford - blog review will be on February 25, 2020 - finished September 9.

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Book Currently Reading:

DOVETAIL by Karen McQuestion - review will be on March 11.

 

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Books Up Next:

DARLING ROSE GOLD by Stephanie Wrobel - review will be on March 17.

 

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THE OTHER MRS by Mary Kubica - review will be on March 19.

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SAFE HOUSE by Jo Jakeman - review will be on March 21.

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SOMETHING SHE'S NOT TELLING US by Darcey Bell - review will be on April 6, 2010.

 

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THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF AUGUST MARCH by Aaron Jackson - review will be on April 7, 2010.

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THE GERMAN HEIRESS by Anika Scott - review will be on April 8.

 

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THE NEW HUSBAND by D. J. Palmer - the review will be on April 13, 2020.

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SIMON THE FIDDLER by Paulette Jiles - review will be on April 14, 2020. 

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STORIES WE NEVER TOLD by Sonja Yoerg - review will be on April 23, 2020.

 

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HAVE YOU SEEN ME by Kate White - review will be on April 28, 2020.

 

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THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN by Viola Shipman - review will be on May 4.

 

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A GOOD MARRIAGE by Kimberly McCreight - review will be on May 5, 2020.

 

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THE FIRST EMMA by Camille Dimaio - review will be on May 6.

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CATHERINE HOUSE by Elisabeth Thomas - review will be on June 13.

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THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine - review will be on May 19, 2020.

 

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SUBSTITUTE SOLOIST by D. R. Randsall - review will be on May 13, 2020.

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THE PRISONER'S WIFE by Maggie Brooks - review will be on May 26.

 

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HE STARTED IT by Samantha Downing - review will be on May 30.

 

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MRS. LINCOLN'S SISTERS by Jennifer Chiaverini - review will be on June 2.

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PARIS NEVER LEAVES YOU by - review will be on June 13.

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THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles - review will be on June 3.

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WE CAME HERE TO SHINE by Susie Orman Schnall - review will be on June 16.

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SPRING GIRLS by Karen Katchur - review wil be on June 17.

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THE LAST OF THE MOON GIRLS by Barbara Davis - review will be on June 23.

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THE VACATION by T. M. Logan - review will be on July 21.

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THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Fiona Davis - review will be on July 28.

 
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ELI'S PROMISE by Ronald H. Balson - review will be on September 22.

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