In Another Time by Jillian Cantor

Hanna and Max found each other by accident or was there a reason they found each other? 

Whether it was an accident or for a reason, their love for each other was never ending.

Max walked in on Hanna practicing her violin, and much to his surprise, she wasn't too happy to have him there.  It did take a lot to get her attention, but once he did, he couldn't stay away.

We travel back and forth in time and learn of Hanna’s passion for music, her violin, and Max.
 
IN ANOTHER TIME tells the story of Max and Hanna before and after the war.  Hanna is the main focus after the war because something happened to her that caused her to lose the memory of ten years, but not the memory of Max and her marvelous talent of playing the violin.

Max isn’t mentioned after the war except in Hanna’s memories.  It is heartbreaking.

We see Max before the war and more interestingly we are introduced to the mystery of what could be behind the door in the bookshop that Max’s father had always forbidden him to enter.

The love between Max and Hanna was the main focus as well as the love of books and music.   You will keep hoping Hanna and Max find each other.

IN ANOTHER TIME is beautifully and smoothly written with characters you will want to know better.

Ms. Cantor immediately pulls you into the story line and into the lives of the characters with her marvelous tale and her well-researched story line.  

Readers will get a glimpse into a personal side of WWII.

IN ANOTHER TIME is a beautiful, beautiful tale of love, heartbreak, and an outstanding history lesson.  5/5

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

The Beautiful Strangers by Camile Di Maio

Kate Morgan didn’t want to spend her entire life frying fish in her family’s restaurant so with her grandfather’s insistence, she sold her grandmother’s ring, took the money, and went to the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California, to work in the kitchen on a set for the movie SOME LIKE IT HOT.

Kate was anxious as she left and especially as she continued on her journey that none of her family knew she had taken.  As she traveled, her suitcase was stolen, she was hungry, and she was not very presentable when she arrived.

When Kate arrived she is told there is a ghost that lived at Hotel Del Coronado in 1892 with the exact same name.  When I heard this, the connection between the two Kates and the connection her grandfather was trying to remember must have had something to do with the Kate from 1892 and made THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS even more intriguing.

We find out as Kate Morgan from today and Kate Morgan from the past tell their story in alternating chapters and time periods as the story of who the beautiful stranger is becomes unraveled.

Camille Di Maio has written another beautiful, fantastic book with marvelous research.  

Her beautiful prose and story line pull you in and keep you anxious for the characters and for information about the history of Kate's grandfather and his connection to San Diego and the Hotel Del Coronado.  

Ms. Di Maio's descriptions of buildings, colors, landscapes, and simply everything made me feel as though I were there and wanting to be there. 

I just loved the characters and both time periods....well...most of the characters.  If you read the book or have read the book, you will know which character is very unlikable.

The story line is absolutely marvelous.  We get taken onto a movie set, meet Marilyn Monroe and other actors, follow Kate on her journey and quest for information, and best of all enjoy another award-winning read by Camille Di Maio.

THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS has a marvelous dual-time story line as well as what historical fiction fans, movie buffs, and California fans are looking for.

DO NOT MISS reading this book.  It is heartwarming, amazing, and an all-around gem.  5/5

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

February Favorites

All three of these books were heartwarming reads. 

Any YOU have read?

This Week - 3/3 - 3/9

 
Hope  you can stop back!!

Reviews Coming In March

Have YOU read any of these books or plan to read? 

Stop by if you can for the reviews.

Woman 99 by Greer Macallister

 

Two society daughters - Phoebe who has screaming fits and Charlotte who is to marry a wealthy socialite she doesn’t want to marry.

When Phoebe is put in an institution for her fits, her sister, Charlotte, can't deal with having her sister inside so she makes herself seem mad and gets herself inside the institution too.  Charlotte blames herself for Phoebe's placement.

Once Charlotte is inside, just like Nellie Bly, she sees the horrors and wonders how she will every get out.  It was easy to get in, but not as easy to get out.

Charlotte found many women there that were not mad but just a nuisance to their family for one reason or another.

Charlotte is put in a ward for those women who do not talk and then moved to a different ward shortly after, but she still can’t find her sister in any of the nine wards.

What she does find is that these women are not treated very well at all, and it is difficult to see how the harsh treatment could cure anyone.

We meet many different personalities, and Ms. Macallister’s detailed descriptions put you into the institution and have you feeling what the women are feeling and going through.

Charlotte passes the time she has, and she only has six weeks to find her sister and get out, by figuring out how to find Phoebe, by working in the soapmaking shop, and thinking of her previous life at home and her time with Henry. As Charlotte continues her quest to find her sister, the search becomes difficult and has some unexpected surprises.

I enjoyed WOMAN 99.  Ms. Macallister’s research is very thorough, and the tales being told are as frightening to read as the situations the women have to deal with.

I also enjoyed going back in time and seeing how the sisters were treated at home and the circumstances that Phoebe got herself into with one of them being screaming at her parents that Charlotte didn’t want to marry George but his brother Henry.  Her fit is what got her thrown into the institution.

WOMAN 99 is historical fiction, women’s fiction, mystery, and thriller all rolled into one.  If you enjoy those genres, some nasty characters, and strong female characters, you will want to read this book. 5/5

This book was shared with me at the BookExpo by Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.

TBR Shelfie

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#LITERARYLUCK

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

@Vkois88

TODAY’S PROMPT:  TBR SHELFIE

I am looking forward to this line up!!

What does your reading line up look like?