*Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Below please see a book description and links for Path of Treasures by Gail Meath. It is FREE and rest of today and tomorrow.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal with this riveting historical murder mystery.
The only man who can save them was hired to kill them.
Erie Canal, 1852. Sara grew up on the canal and loves working as a mule driver on Streeter’s Ark, a small cargo boat. She was raised by the crusty, old peg-legged captain, Jeremiah Streeter, and Sam, the Ark’s bully. In all her nineteen years, she never gave a rat’s ass where she came from…not until their helmsman is murdered.
Bounty hunter Wolfe McKay has another job to do. An easy job. Kill the crew on Streeter’s Ark and collect his bounty from the wealthy railroad tycoon who hired him. Easy, hell. After he lands a job on the Ark, he discovers the misfit crew are nothing at all what he expected. And they’re turning his life upside down.
Follow the loveable Sara, Cappy, and Sam on Streeter’s Ark as they travel from Albany to Buffalo and back again with Sara’s unknown past putting them in danger every step of the way.
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BEFORE YOU GO
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Switzerland, 1916. Seraphine spends her days taking care of her two half-brothers, who were born with a condition called cretinism, known today as congenital hypothyroidism. Their father is a hard man who wishes both boys were dead, and says so. Seraphine has never known her own father, who was not married to her mother. She dreams of a different life, where she can study, work, and make a difference, but it seems so out of reach. She also is developing a goiter on her throat, like so many of her fellow townspeople, and tries very hard to hide it. Then Bastian Favre comes to town. He is an assistant to Dr. Eggenberger, who is working on a cure for cretinism and goiters. Can it be as simple as salt?
This compelling novel explores the history of iodized salt and the pursuit of a cure for hypothyroidism in Switzerland by adding iodine to the diet. The author portrays the skepticism and superstitions of the people affected so well. Seraphine’s mother is used to express the doubt and fear, and to show the extreme effects of a lack of iodine on mothers and their babies. The refusal of some of the townspeople to accept such a simple cure is indicative of the time. The slow-burn romance is captivating, as Bastian’s instant attraction to Seraphine meets many challenges along the way. There is epistolary work in the form of letters and news articles. The news articles are an excellent way of following the story of how Switzerland’s Goiter Commission made the decision to recommend iodized salt to the people in 1922. Fans of romance and medical history will enjoy this book. Highly recommended.
My review is 4.5 stars, rounded up to five on sites with no half-star option.
I received a free copy via The Historical Novel Society and reviewed it for their quarterly magazine, The Historical Novels Review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JJ Marsh is the author of The Beatrice Stubbs series, featured in The Guardian Readers’ Recommend and The Bookseller’s Editor’s Choice. Jill is a founder member of Triskele Books, an award-winning author collective founded in 2011. In addition, she is the Swiss Ambassador for The Alliance of Independent Authors, and Co-editor of The Woolf, Zürich’s literary ezine and writers’ workshop. She lives in Switzerland with her husband and three pugs, and in an attic overlooking a cemetery, she writes.
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I’m still working in Germany until the first week of June. Yesterday was the first time I got to sightsee (sitesee?). I went on a tour, and the first stop was a difficult but important one–Dachau. Then we went to Munich and were given a few hours to wander around a shopping/food area. I will post a few Munich pictures first, and then the much more solemn Dachau pictures.
Munich:
The area of Munich they took us to had an open-air market and shopping area, and their version of “Rodeo Drive” with all the designer shops. Here are a few pictures:
I wish I had taken pictures of the open-air shopping area, which was much more European than most of the Munich pictures I have here. A Hofbrähaus is a brewery. I got Doug a Munich (Munchen) hat.
Dachau: If you wish to scroll by, do so now quickly
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This is just a portion of what I saw at Dachau, and there was a lot I didn’t see because they didn’t give us enough time.
The first two pictures are historical displays that I snapped photos of. There is a whole museum of displays. The next three pictures are the outside of the crematorium and the ovens inside the crematorium. The sixth picture is a convent that is on the grounds of Dachau. There are also religious memorials from several different religions. The bottom photo is an absolutely unforgettable piece of artwork at Dachau, a sculpture by a holocaust survivor, Nandor Glid.
As I stood in that crematorium and in the room next to the ovens where they stacked the bodies for burning, I felt such a heaviness to be standing in a place where absolute evil had occurred.
Please feel free to share your impressions of the photos, if you wish to do so.
NEXT WEEK: I’m just hoping to post some reviews. Last week I was just too busy working, but I’ll be back home in June and retired in August, and then the blogging will really flow! Meanwhile, it might be stop-and-go, but I’m determined to get some posts up. Please bear with me.
BOOK HAUL
While at Dachau, I picked up this memoir of one of the survivors, which I am reading.
Today I picked up the Audible of Jodi Taylor’s latest short story and I’ve already finished listening to it. Although she has two successful time travel series, she has another series called Frogmorton Farm that has nothing to do with time travel. It does have a magical golden horse, a dilapidated farm, and Patagonian attack chickens though. The first book in the series is called The Nothing Girl. I love it just as much as her other series. This book, Storm Christopher, is about second chances, even if you don’t deserve them.
Indie Weekend is my effort to help Independent authors with marketing, which is a huge task. If I can help even a little, I’m happy to do so. You can help too by sharing this with everyone you know on social media. Below please see a book description, book review, author bio, and purchase links for From Meidelach to Matriarchs by Mirta Ines Trupp.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
BOOK REVIEW
This helpful journal provides interesting biographies of 100 remarkable Jewish women, and then gives the reader a chance to reflect, answer questions, and write their own thoughts in journal format at the end of each chapter. It is an informative and helpful resource. The journal questions appear to be structured primarily for those of the Jewish faith, but anyone can benefit from reading about these strong and accomplished women. Some of the inspiring biographies included are those of Author Edna Ferber, Journalist Anita Brenner, Artist Anna Ticho, Figure Skater Lily Kronberger, and 96 other women who contributed in the areas of education, business, philanthropy, politics, and more.
This inspiring book introduces the reader to women they might not have known about before. It is also a place to write down personal thoughts and ideas. This book is recommended to anyone of Jewish faith or anyone who wants to read some interesting histories that they may not have discovered before.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mirta is a second-generation Argentine; she was born in Buenos Aires in 1962 and immigrated to the United States that same year. Because of the unique fringe benefits provided by her father’s employer- Pan American Airlines- she returned to her native country frequently- growing up with “un pie acá y un pie allá” (with one foot here and one foot there).
Mirta’s fascination with Jewish history and genealogy, coupled with an obsession for historical period drama, has inspired her to create unique and enlightening novels. She has been a guest speaker for book clubs, sisterhood events, genealogy societies and philanthropic organizations. Sharing her knowledge of Jewish Argentina has become her passion.
Besides being an avid novel reader, she has had a lifelong love for choral music and is a devoted Beatles fan.
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BEFORE YOU GO…
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A haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot’s genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother’s kitchen.
“Take a well-fed nine-year-old with a big family and a fancy education. Fold in 2 revolutions, 2 civil wars, and one wholesale extermination. Subtract a reliable source of food, life savings, and family members, until all are gone. Shave down childhood dreams for approximately two decades, until only subsistence remains.”
In Slow Noodles, Chantha Nguon recounts her life as a Cambodian refugee who lost everything and everyone—her house, her country, her parents, her siblings, her friends—everything but the memories of her mother’s kitchen, the tastes and aromas of the foods her mother made before the dictator Pol Pot tore her country apart in the 1970s, killing millions of her compatriots. Nguon’s irrepressible spirit and determination come through in this emotional and poignant but also lyrical and magical memoir that includes over 20 recipes for Khmer dishes like chicken lime soup, banh sung noodles, pâté de foie, curries, spring rolls, and stir-fries. For Nguon, recreating these dishes becomes an act of resistance, of reclaiming her place in the world, of upholding the values the Khmer Rouge sought to destroy, and of honoring the memory of her beloved mother.
BOOK REVIEW
Slow Noodles is Chantha Nguon’s memoir of her life before and after the Pol Pot regime devastated Cambodia. She describes a life of plenty which suddenly turned to nothing, and then the difficulties of being a Cambodian refugee in Thailand. One thing she held onto was the memory of her mother’s recipes, and she shares those recipes along with her story.
As she begins to relay the pain of her journey, she asks us to close our eyes and imagine losing everything we have, piece by piece, including family and even food. This book is a reminder to treasure the things that really matter. The story is both heartbreaking and uplifting, and the recipes sound wonderful. Especially poignant is the fact that Nguon used the recipes as a way to keep her family traditions alive even in the midst of so much loss.
Although I received a free audio copy, I also ordered a hardcover copy for myself. This book and these recipes are meant to be saved and cherished.
The audiobook narrators, Kim Green and Clara Kim, do a wonderful job of portraying the loss, pain, devastation, and death, but also the ray of hope that remains in the form of family recipes and traditions. The whole audiobook production just swept me away to this difficult time and place.
I received a free copy of the audiobook from Hachette Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: March 7, 2022
Aspidistra Press
Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, #2
Do you ever really know your family?
In the 1880s a sixth daughter learns not to ask for much, even if she’s the daughter of an earl. Even if she married the richest man in her corner of Sussex. Even if she’s now a widow with a splendid Georgian mansion.
Lady Helena Whitcombe is still trying to adjust to widowhood and reconcile her family loyalties with her desires when her artist sister Odelia makes a startling suggestion. Why not make her mark on the house that’s now all hers, by commissioning a magnificent work of art from one of London’s most celebrated painters?
Lady Odelia invites Helena into the seductive world of medieval fantasies and fairy tales she has inhabited since Helena was a child. But when a shocking series of events exposes the destructive reality of a great artist’s unusual lifestyle, Helena and her lady’s maid Guttridge are called on to help—or is it to interfere?
Looming danger, the risk of scandal, and competing loyalties force Helena to re-evaluate her relationship with the sister she’s always loved the most.
What is Lady Odelia’s secret? Find out in this gripping continuation of the Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, a story that blends mystery and historical detail with Downton Abbey-style saga as the truths about Helena’s aristocratic family unfold. Read it now before the secret gets out!
Jane Steen writes series set in the late Victorian period, with an unputdownable blend of mystery, family saga, romance, and the real-life issues facing women of the era. She is an indie author who began her career while living in Illinois, later moving with her American husband to her native England. When not working, she can be found walking through the green and muddy Sussex countryside, getting her cobwebs blown away on the nearby beaches, lovingly tending her garden, or sticking her nose into yet another book.
For more information, please visit Jane Steen’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
9 winners will receive an eBook of Lady Odelia’s Secret and the main prize winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift card & eBook of Lady Odelia’s Secret.
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on April 8th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Lady Odelia’s Secrethttps://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js
BOOK REVIEW
Lady Helena Whitcomb is the sixth daughter of an earl, but the widow of a very rich man. She is struggling to start her life over after the death of her husband. She decides to commission an artist, Sir Geraint Dorrian-Knowles, to create works of art for a room in her home. Dorrian-Knowles is enthusiastically recommended by Helena’s sister Odelia. The artist begins his work, and shock, intrigue, deception, and murder follow. Along the way, Odelia’s secret comes to light. This is the second book in the Scott-De Quincy Mystery Series.
Although this is a Victorian mystery, it is even more about the dynamics of a large, entitled family in 1880s Britain. The relationship between Helena and her older sister Odelia is interesting and sometimes fun, as Odelia tends to shock the much more conservative Helena. Helena and her ladies maid Guttridge work well together as amateur sleuths. The art world of that time, and all its excesses, is explored. The mystery is compelling and there are plenty of shocks to be had. There’s a bit of romance and hints of debauchery. Fans of mysteries and the Victorian era may enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via HFVBT Book Tours. My review is voluntary. My opinions are my own.
The Siege of An Loc is the story of the defense of An Loc in 1972 during the Vietnam War. It is also a love story between a South Vietnamese soldier, Trung, and Ly, a student, daughter of a rubber plantation owner. As Trung struggles to defend his country, he finds himself falling for the beautiful Ly, but do they have a chance for happiness in the midst of war? We also see the evil of communism especially personified in one of the characters, and two brothers are reunited, one from North Vietnam and one from South Vietnam.
I learned so much about the Vietnam War from this book. When I was in grade school and high school in the U.S. in the 70s and 80s, they didn’t teach us much about it. I just knew my uncle died in this war at the age of 20, and I really didn’t even know why he was there. When we would ask in the mid-70s, we were told nobody liked to talk about it. But now the author, Nguyen Trong Hien, has answered a lot of the questions. I love the fact that we see inside the war from the perspective of a South Vietnamese soldier instead of the American perspective. And we learn of the atrocities of Communism and how it takes over and annihilates a culture.
Some small constructive criticism: This is both a romance and a history book, and sometimes it felt as if we left the romance and entered a very detailed history book with little transition. However, the history is important for the reader to know, and the characters were interesting and well developed. The ending of the book was left open for our characters, and I wasn’t sure what happened to them after South Vietnam fell. I hope there will be a sequel.
I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author. I also downloaded a digital copy on Kindle Unlimited, where members can read books at no additional cost. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
I’ve been busily reading novels for the May edition of Historical Novels Review, so I haven’t been posting as much. However, I’m finally all done and I wanted to share the names and covers of some of the novels I’ve reviewed. The reviews will be posted in May. Also I found this cool photo of a steampunk lady I had to share above. For those who don’t know, Steampunk combines history or alternative history, science fiction, and 19th Century steam engine technology. It makes for some cool fiction (and cool pictures). There are some who say Steampunk is not historical fiction, but I say the 19th century steam technology and often the Victorian or Wild West setting make it a subgenre of Historical Fiction. Others say it’s Science Fiction. I say it’s a cool combination. What do you think?
But today I’m sharing some of the books I’ve reviewed, just covers and descriptions because I can’t post the reviews yet. (None of them are Steampunk. I just thought the picture above was awesome.)
Here are the three novels that I liked the best, along with their Amazon book descriptions:
Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside. But that was before the night in November 1922, and the cruel act that took her home and her father from her. Which was the same night that Ophie learned she can see ghosts.
Now Ophie and her mother are living in Pittsburgh with relatives they barely know. In the hopes of earning enough money to get their own place, Mama has gotten Ophie a job as a maid in the same old manor house where she works.
Daffodil Manor, like the wealthy Caruthers family who owns it, is haunted by memories and prejudices of the past—and, as Ophie discovers, ghosts as well. Ghosts who have their own loves and hatreds and desires, ghosts who have wronged others and ghosts who have themselves been wronged. And as Ophie forms a friendship with one spirit whose life ended suddenly and unjustly, she wonders if she might be able to help—even as she comes to realize that Daffodil Manor may hold more secrets than she bargained for.
THE FAR AWAY GIRL: Coming of Age Historical Fiction
Georgetown, Guyana 1970. Seven-year-old Rita has always known she was responsible for the death of her beautiful mother Cassie. Her absent-minded father allows her to run wild in her ramshackle white wooden house by the sea, and surrounded by her army of stray pets, most of the time she can banish her mother’s death to the back of her mind.
But then her new stepmother Chandra arrives and the house empties of love and laughter. Rita’s pets are removed, her freedom curtailed, and before long, there’s a new baby sister on the way. There’s no room for Rita anymore.
Desperate to fill up the emptiness inside her, Rita begins to talk to the only photo she has of her dead mother, a poor farmer’s daughter from the remote Guyanese rainforest. Determined to find the truth about her mother, Rita travels to find her mother’s family in an unfamiliar land of shimmering creeks and towering vines. She finds comfort in the loving arms of her grandmother among the flowering shrubs and trees groaning with fruit. But when she discovers the terrible bruising secret that her father kept hidden from her, will she ever be able to feel happiness again?
SHADOWS OF LIONS: Historical Fiction/Psychological Thriller
Catherine Kensington is in the midst of high society Regency era. She is an unmarried heiress with accomplishment, wit, and grace. But very few are aware she has recently returned from Africa in a desperate attempt to escape her murderous mother who sits far too close on the chaise. No one suspects Lady Kensington of violence, however, not even Catherine’s soul mate Captain Ashmore. Sarah Hope also sits among them dizzily longing for intrigue and adventure but is soon overwhelmed when she unwittingly throws herself into the midst of the Kensington’s trouble. And Mebalwe stands alert in the corner, but he is no ordinary serving man, he is an African warrior, sent to protect Catherine from all that threatens to kill her.
If any of the above books look interesting to you, check them out. I’m back to my normal reading schedule and will be posting again soon. Sorry for the delay.
See my previous review of Loving Modigliani below. I really enjoyed this one! Loving Modigliani is on sale starting Feb 14th through February 17th on Amazon. The ebook price has been reduced to $3.99. It’s a great time to pick up your copy(Amazon Link). As you can see from my raving review below, I highly recommend you check this out. I’ve joined another blog tour to help promote this great book. The tour schedule is:
Loving Modigliani is one of those books that is so good that I don’t feel my review will do it justice. It is so good that I stopped halfway through and bought it in print version because I only had an electronic copy. I always keep print copies of my favorite books. It is so good that I didn’t want to put it down, and I was sad when it was finished. It made me realize that if I ever write a book I need to demand this type of excellence in my own work. I even created a new Category on this blog, Diamond Level Reads, for books that are beyond special. Below is my humble attempt at a review and my bow to an accomplished author, Linda Lappin, who has woven together a remarkable piece of fiction based on real events.
It is Paris, 1920. It is also Jeanne Hébuterne’s day of death, 48 hours after her common-law husband, Amedeo Modigliani, died of meningitis. Modigliani was an early 20th Century artist of post impressionist inspired portraits and nudes who died basically destitute, but became famous years later. As the book begins, we meet Hébuterne on the street where her body lies after she fell or jumped, despondent and hugely pregnant, out of a window. We follow her spirit to a wheelbarrow rumbling through the streets of 1920’s Paris, which is described in such detail that we feel we are there. We watch along with Hébuterne’s spirit as her belongings are stolen, including her diary, a bangle, and a family portrait. We flash back with her to her life with Modigliani and her own growth as an artist. We cheer her as she struggles to move forward and begins to search the afterlife for her beloved “Modi.”
In a separate timeline in the 1980s, an art student stumbles upon some long hidden secrets and is given a window into the life of Jeanne Hébuterne. What will she do with this information and who will try to stop her?
This is an amazing historical novel with sub-genres of fantasy, mystery, and the paranormal. It is a tribute to the art world of Paris, specifically the post-impressionist era of the early 1900s. Linda Lappin’s ability to describe the sights, sounds, and smells of 1920’s Paris transports us there immediately. Her portrayal of the art and artists of that time is meticulously researched. Her ability to create a work that seamlessly binds together history, mystery, fantasy, and the paranormal is awe-inspiring. Her characters are so real you can see them, feel them, love them, and hate them. Lappin’s description of Hébuterne’s afterlife is full of unexpected turns, pitfalls, and surprises with huge nods to the art world. The realities of Jeanne’s life with Modigliani are shown to us, from infidelity to drunkenness to abuse and neglect, but above all we are shown Jeanne’s all-consuming love for this man, so well described in this book. Lappin shares the spirit and talent of Jeanne Hébuterne in so many ways, through her art, her music, and her steadfast determination and willingness to buck the rules of society. I wish I could speak more of the last line of the book without giving out any spoilers, but it is a perfect ending, tying everything together.
My personal rules for historical novels, regardless of sub-genre, is that they must transport me to that time and place. Loving Modigliani did this instantly. They must also teach me something, and I learned so much about the 1900s Paris art scene that I am interested in exploring it further.
Although I was given a free digital copy via Netgalley, I also bought a print copy on Amazon. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Prize-winning novelist Linda Lappin is the author of four novels: The Etruscan (Wynkin de Worde, 2004), Katherine’s Wish (Wordcraft , 2008), Signatures in Stone: A Bomarzo Mystery (Pleasureboat Studio, 2013), and The Soul of Place (Travelers Tales, 2015). Signatures in Stone won the Daphne DuMaurier Award for best mystery of 2013. The Soul of Place won the gold medal in the Nautilus Awards in the Creativity category.
Comes The War by Ed Ruggero is Book 2 in the Eddie Harkins series. It is April 1944, and the allies are preparing to invade France. Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is in England and is on orders to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) when an American civilian employee is murdered. Eddie finds himself in charge of the investigation, but his superiors settle on a suspect very quickly. Ordered to close the case, but doubting the guilt of the accused, Eddie continues his investigation. He is aided by his driver, Private Pamela Lowell, a smart and resourceful ally.
This was a fascinating look at the Allied forces in WWII England in 1944 prior to D-Day. It combines a fictional murder investigation with actual World War II history in a compelling way. The political fights between the commanding generals and the “air” vs.”ground” war philosophy are intriguing. It contradicts some of the history books on the effectiveness of the air campaign during the war. It speaks of Major General James Doolittle, whose bombing raids may have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths with no real strategic wins. I also learned that General Dwight D. Eisenhower was so upset by the pushback from the Army Air Force and Royal Air Force generals against his plans that he threatened to quit his command and return to the United States just a few months before D-Day. I have read many books set in World War II, but this one really made me want to read more about the strategic military history of the day.
The characters are well developed, and the murder mystery and investigation are interesting and engaging, with many twists and turns. I would recommend this book both to fans of World War II history and fans of crime/thriller fiction.
I received a free copy of this book from MacMillan/Tor-Forge via Netgalley for Historical Novels Review Magazine. My review is voluntary.
Comes The War was released February 9th, 2021. The link to buy is below.
Lady Odelia’s Secret
by Jane Steen
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