reecaspieces

Overview

A novel of science, love, espionage, beautiful writing, and a heroine who carves a strong path in the world of men. As far as I’m concerned there is nothing left to want.”–Ann Patchett, author The Dutch House

“A highly-charged love story that reveals the dangerous energy at the heart of every real connection…Riveting.”–Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing

Love. Desire. Betrayal. Her choice could save a nation.

Chicago, 1950. Rosalind Porter has always defied expectations–in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project and in her passionate love affair with colleague Thomas Weaver. Five years after the end of both, her guilt over the bomb and her heartbreak over Weaver are intertwined. She desperately misses her work in the lab, yet has almost resigned herself to a more conventional life.

Then Weaver gets back in touch–and so does the FBI. Special Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Roz to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of passing nuclear secrets to Russia. Roz helped to develop these secrets and knows better than anyone the devastating power such knowledge holds. But can she spy on a man she still loves, despite her better instincts? At the same time, something about Charlie draws her in. He’s a former prisoner of war haunted by his past, just as her past haunts her. 

As Rosalind’s feelings for each man deepen, so too does the danger she finds herself in. She will have to choose: the man who taught her how to love . . . or the man her love might save?

Review

Roz is a physicist, or rather, she used to be. Now she sells antique jewelry at a department store. She greatly misses her lab work. But, she was let go after the Manhattan project because of a terrible report about her. This had damaged her from other lab jobs. Enter Special Agent Charlie Szydlo. He wants her to spy on her old lover. And boy…does that open old wounds.

I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars on this one. I settled on 4 just because there are some places in the writing where I felt the conversations could have been better. Just a little overdramatic in spots. Now, this is not enough to even worry about..just my opinion and my thought process. Other than that little hitch…this book is wonderful. I love Roz. She is strong and smart. Two of my favorite aspects in a character. She did turn dumb….as some women do…when it comes to an old flame. You will have to read this to find out.

Then there is Charlie. This is a person who has been through so much. He is damaged from the war and he just doesn’t know how to channel the damage. His war experience is a favorite part of this read. His tale had me captivated, cringing and crying. When he meets Roz, he struggles to overcome this experience and let her in.

This book has just about everything…love, romance, espionage, suspense, murder. It is all in one package! Oh…and I love the science spattered throughout this read! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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About The Book:

Lizzy Moon never wanted Moon Girl Farm. Eight years ago, she left the land that nine generations of gifted healers had tended, determined to distance herself from the whispers about her family’s strange legacy. But when her beloved grandmother Althea dies, Lizzy must return and face the tragedy still hanging over the farm’s withered lavender fields: the unsolved murders of two young girls, and the cruel accusations that followed Althea to her grave.

Lizzy wants nothing more than to sell the farm and return to her life in New York, until she discovers a journal Althea left for her—a Book of Remembrances meant to help Lizzy embrace her own special gifts. When she reconnects with Andrew Greyson, one of the few in town who believed in Althea’s innocence, she resolves to clear her grandmother’s name.

But to do so, she’ll have to decide if she can accept her legacy and whether to follow in the footsteps of all the Moon women who came before her.

Review

Lizzy is part of a special family. Every woman in her family for generations has had a special, unique gift. The gift of healing. And when two girls die and are found in the Moon Girl Farm pond, the town accuses Althea, Lizzy’s grandmother, of being a witch.

Lizzy has been away from her family farm for quite a while. She has made a name for herself in NYC and she has no intention of ever coming back. Then she hears the news of her grandmother’s death. And the guilt of the past cannot keep away. She is determined to clear her grandmother’s name.

Lizzy is a force to be reckoned with. But, she has a soft side. Lizzy is a character I loved from the start. And let me tell you…nothing is going to stop her from finding the truth! She does not care who she makes mad or who threatens her. She is going to find out who the murderer is.

This is a story about family, love, and friendship. I enjoyed everything about this tale. The chemistry of the characters, the mystery and even the rumor mill of the town made this story unstoppable.

If you need a fantastic read…this is it!! Grab it today! Plus this cover is fabulous!

About The Author:

Barbara Davis spent more than a decade as an executive in the jewelry business before leaving the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing. She is the author of When Never Comes, Summer at Hideaway Key, The Wishing Tide, The Secrets She Carried, and Love, Alice. A Jersey girl raised in the south, Barbara now lives in Rochester, New Hampshire, with her husband, Tom, and their beloved ginger cat, Simon. She’s currently working on her next book. Visit her at https://barbaradavis-author.com/

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunshinePageGirl

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bdavisauthor

Twitter: @bdavisauthor

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The Day Lincoln Lost
Charles Rosenberg
On Sale Date: August 4, 2020
9781335145222, 1335145222
Hardcover
$27.99 USD, $34.99 CAD
Fiction / Alternative History / Thrillers / Historical
432 pages

Overview

An inventive historical thriller that reimagines the tumultuous presidential election of 1860, capturing the people desperately trying to hold the nation together – and those trying to crack it apart.
Abby Kelley Foster arrived in Springfield, Illinois with the fate of the nation on her mind. Her fame as an abolitionist speaker had spread west and she knew that her first speech in the city would make headlines. One of the residents reading those headlines would be none other than the likely next President of the United States.
Abraham Lincoln, lawyer and presidential candidate, knew his chances of winning were good. All he had to do was stay above the fray of the slavery debate and appear the voice of compromise until the people cast their votes. The last thing he needed was a fiery abolitionist appearing in town. When her speech sparks violence, leading to her arrest and a high-profile trial, he suspects that his political rivals have conspired against him.
President James Buchanan is one such rival. As his term ends and his political power crumbles, he gathers his advisors at the White House to make one last move that might derail Lincoln’s campaign, steal the election, and throw America into chaos.
A fascinating historical novel and fast-paced political thriller of a nation on the cusp of civil war, The Day Lincoln Lost offers an unexpected window into one of the most consequential elections in our country’s history.

Review

Lucy is a runaway slave. She has a goal of reaching Canada. However, she is captured in Springfield. This is the town of Abraham Lincoln. It is also a town divided with abolitionist and people who capture slaves for a living. A riot breaks out just as she is about to be sent back to her plantation in Kentucky.

This story started really well. I was captivated by Lucy and her plight, escaping slavery. But, the story changed and moved to Lincoln’s bid for the White House and his decisions that affect a runaway slave. That’s when the story just fell apart for me. The characters just did not keep my interest and the alternative history was a miss.

But, some people enjoy alternative history and this could be right up your alley. Check it out!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

About the Author:

Charles Rosenberg is the author of the legal thriller Death on a High Floor and its sequels. The credited legal consultant to the TV shows LA Law, Boston Legal, The Practice, and The Paper Chase, he was also one of two on-air legal analysts for E! Television’s coverage of the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials. He teaches as an adjunct law professor at Loyola Law School and has also taught at UCLA, Pepperdine and Southwestern law schools. He practices law in the Los Angeles area.

Social Links:
Author website: https://www.charlesrosenbergauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlesRosenbergAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whomdunnit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whomdunnit/

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Lincoln-Lost-Charles-Rosenberg/dp/1335145222
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-day-lincoln-lost-charles-rosenberg/1133354517
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/books/the-day-lincoln-lost/9781335145222
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335145222
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781335145222?

Book Summary

“Masterful. Magnificent. A passionate story of survival and a real page turner. This story will stay with me for a long time.” —Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey
Living through World War II working in a Paris bookstore with her young daughter, Vivi, and fighting for her life, Charlotte is no victim, she is a survivor. But can she survive the next chapter of her life?
Alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York publishing, Ellen Feldman’s Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary story of resilience, love, and impossible choices, exploring how survival never comes without a cost.

Review

Charlotte survived Paris during WWII. She worked in a bookstore to help support her and her daughter. Charlotte eventually leaves Paris to join a publishing company in NYC. But, Charlotte has secrets. Can she continue to keep these secrets about what she did to survive the war.

This story is told in two different timelines, the 1950s in New York and wartime Paris. And it should have been right up my alley! Sadly, the tale is very disconnected and really did not meld together well. It lacked flow and I had trouble relating to the characters. I eventually just lost interest. I did finish it. I just felt the story needed some more tweaking. And don’t get me started on the romance! I want to insert and eye roll here.

This novel does have some very good reviews. And it just might hit the spot for some people. I am very much a mood reader…so it definitely could be me.

But, this cover is fabulous!

Author Bio

ELLEN FELDMAN, a 2009 Guggenheim fellow, is the author of Terrible Virtue, The Unwitting, Next to Love, Scottsboro (shortlisted for the Orange Prize), The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank (translated into nine languages), and Lucy. Her novel Terrible Virtue was optioned by Black Bicycle for a feature film.

Buy Links
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Indiebound
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Apple
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Overview

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR, FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS!  

NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR). 

“Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America…Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve.”—Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and The House Girl

Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany.Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris. 

In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything. 

Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team. 

From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life. 

These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Review

The 1928 Olympics allow the first ever women to compete in Track and Field. It opens many opportunities for other young ladies to try for the 1936 Olympics. Betty, Louise and Helen all come from different parts of the country and different backgrounds. But each one is determined to make their dream come true.

This story is told through a different woman’s point of view. However, all have some of the same difficulties. People, mainly men, telling them they should not run. They should not compete. It will make them too masculine. They will lose their girlish figure. The list goes on and on. And that is not even touching on the African American competitors. Their challenges were doubled and tripled and then some!

I enjoyed following these athletes through their struggles. All of these women were true leaders of their time. I don’t think I have quite understood the challenges these women athletes, which have gone before us, actually experienced. I was mesmerized through this whole tale.

This novel is very well researched and very well written! Grab your copy today!

I received a copy from Go Spark Studios for a honest review.

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Book Summary:

LIES LIES LIES (MIRA Trade Paperback; August 4, 2020; $17.99) centers on the story of Simon and Daisy Barnes. To the outside world, Simon and Daisy look like they have a perfect life. They have jobs they love, an angelic, talented daughter, a tight group of friends… and they have secrets too. Secrets that will find their way to the light, one way or the other.
Daisy and Simon spent almost a decade hoping for the child that fate cruelly seemed to keep from them. It wasn’t until, with their marriage nearly in shambles and Daisy driven to desperation, little Millie was born. Perfect in every way, healing the Barnes family into a happy unit of three. Ever indulgent Simon hopes for one more miracle, one more baby. But his doctor’s visit shatters the illusion of the family he holds so dear.
Now, Simon has turned to the bottle to deal with his revelation and Daisy is trying to keep both of their secrets from spilling outside of their home. But Daisy’s silence and Simon’s habit begin to build until they set off a catastrophic chain of events that will destroy life as they know it.

Review

Simon and Daisy struggled most of their marriage to have a child. Then along comes sweet, little Millie. But all is not as rosy as it seems. Simon drinks way too much. And all it takes is one night for everything to fall apart.

Daisy is a character I just wanted to shake! Shake some sense into her! And don’t even get me started on Simon.

I really was not a huge fan of this book. But do not judge it by my opinion…it is an opinion. I was not a fan of the characters. They really were unlikeable. It is also very slow at the start of this read. Took too long to get to any action. And when it came down to the part about the cat, that just about did me in!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Social Links:

Twitter: @AdeleParks
Instagram: @adele_parks
Facebook: @OfficialAdeleParks

Author Bio:
Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages, including I Invited Her In. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat.