reecaspieces

Overview

On rare occasions I read a book that reminds me of why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place. This is such a book.” —Stephen King

Peter Blauner’s epic Picture in the Sand is a sweeping intergenerational saga told through a grandfather’s passionate letters to his grandson, passing on the story of his political rebellion in 1950s Egypt in order to save his grandson’s life in a post-9/11 world.

When Alex Hassan gets accepted to an Ivy League university, his middle-class Egyptian-American family is filled with pride and excitement. But that joy turns to shock when they discover that he’s run off to the Middle East to join a holy war instead. When he refuses to communicate with everyone else, his loving grandfather Ali emails him one last plea. If Alex will stay in touch, his grandfather will share with Alex – and only Alex – a manuscript containing the secret story of his own life that he’s kept hidden from his family, until now.

It’s the tale of his romantic and heartbreaking past rooted in Hollywood and the post-revolutionary Egypt of the 1950s, when young Ali was a movie fanatic who attained a dream job working for the legendary director Cecil B. DeMille on the set of his epic film, The Ten Commandments. But Ali’s vision of a golden future as an American movie mogul gets upended when he is unwittingly caught up in a web of politics, espionage, and real-life events that change the course of history.

It’s a narrative he’s told no one for more than a half-century. But now he’s forced to unearth the past to save a young man who’s about to make the same tragic mistakes he made so long ago.

Review

Alex has left his family and joined an extremist Islamic group. The only person in the family he is in contact with is his grandfather. It is between these emails that his grandfather, Ali’s past unfolds. Ali wanted to be a Hollywood movie mogul. He got his chance when Hollywood came to town to film The Ten Commandments. But, the revolution was in full swing and Ali gets caught up in a political web which changes his life.

I have not read too many books about Egypt, especially one set in this time period. I enjoyed learning about this time in history. I never knew much about the revolution in this country. Add in the big Hollywood names of Cecil B. DeMille and Charlton Heston and this book really hit its mark.

This story had some great, intense, heartbreaking moments and wonderful history. The only reason for the 4 star rating is the every day details seemed abundant. But, that should not stop you. This is a story not to be missed!

Need a good Hollywood noir story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

Purchase Here

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Overview

Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed….

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin….

Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.

Review

Maya is living in Boston and secretly trying to kicking a Klonopin addiction. But, when she sees a YouTube video of a young woman dropping dead in the presence of a man she used to know, it brings back some memories she would just soon forget.

Maya is a character that is a bit of a conundrum. I liked her but I felt she was a tad bit weird. But, as the story continues to unfold, the reader figures out why. And boy…it makes you think!

This story started strong and then slacked off a bit. Then it had a twist that I sort of guessed, but just didn’t know to what extent it would actually have on Maya. Maya was definitely affected and affected BIG TIME!

I really enjoyed the slow reveal of what actually happened to Maya. This was a twist I will not soon forget!

Need a book which will give you a surprise…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

Purchase Here

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Overview

From the author of The Widows of Champagne, and inspired by true events, comes a gripping and heartwrenching story of two very different women united to bring light to the darkest days of World War II.

London, 1933

At first glance, Austrian opera singer Elsa Mayer-Braun has little in common with the young English typist she encounters on tour. Yet she and Hattie Featherstone forge an instant connection—and strike a dangerous alliance. Using their friendship as a cover, they form a secret society with a daring goal: to rescue as many Jews as possible from Nazi persecution.

Though the war’s outbreak threatens Elsa and Hattie’s network, their efforts attract the covert attention of the British government, offering more opportunities to thwart the Germans. But Elsa’s growing fame as Hitler’s favorite opera singer, coupled with her secret Jewish ancestry, make her both a weapon and a target—until her future, too, hangs in the balance.

From the glamorous stages of Covent Garden and Salzburg to the horrors of Bergen-Belsen, two ordinary women swept up by the tide of war discover an extraordinary friendship—and the courage to save countless lives.

Review

Elsa is a renowned Austrian opera singer. Hattie is an up and coming artist. These two become great friends because Hattie admires Elsa so very much and Elsa is a kind person who sort of takes Hattie under her wing. But, these two have a big secret. They are doing everything they can to smuggle Jews out of Nazi occupied territories.

Elsa is one of the strongest characters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing! And there are quite a few places where this shows up front and center. Then there is Hattie. She can be a bit “holier than thou” in places but she truly ignores the danger to save as many as she can.

Y’all! This book is AMAZING! I know this sounds cliché…but I was hooked from start to finish! And to be honest, I was on the edge of my seat for most of it! This is tagged by Harlequin as “Love Inspired”. But this is more of a love of all people not romance.

Need a novel which will have you reading faster and faster…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

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

Purchase Here

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The Lipstick Bureau : A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy Michelle Gable
On Sale Date: December 27, 2022
9781525811470
Trade Paperback $16.99 USD

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Inspired by one of the OSS’s few female operatives, Barbara Lauwers, a WWII novel set at OSS’s Morale Office in Rome, which was responsible for creating black propaganda and distributing it behind enemy lines. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookseller’s Secret.
Inspired by a real-life female spy, a WWII-set novel about a woman challenging convention and boundaries to help win a war, no matter the cost.

“A gripping, fascinating read.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan

1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy’s capital. One of the OSS’s few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she’s tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.
Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.
As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she’s been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…

Review

Niki finds herself working for the OSS, the new American spy agency. She is multilingual and she is assigned to the propaganda division. They are in charge of crafting stories to lower the morale of enemy soldiers. She is hoping this unique job will help her find out more about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia. But the war just keeps dragging on and she continues to find herself in unique and dangerous situations.

This story started strong but it is very fragmented. There are lots of characters with a viewpoint and it is hard to tell who is doing the actual narrating in places. I did enjoy the aspect that it is based on facts. This did have me researching. And I love a story which has me learning. But, it is just too disjointed to keep me as captivated as I like to be.

Need a good story based on facts in WWII…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I’ll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @mgablewriter.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: https://michellegable.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MGableWriter
IG: https://www.instagram.com/mgablewriter/

BUY LINKS:

Bookshop.org:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lipstick-bureau-a-novel-inspired-by-true-wwii-events-original-m ichelle-gable/17917455
Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781525811470
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lipstick-bureau-michelle-gable/1142529516
Indigo:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-lipstick-bureau-a-novel/9781525804977-item.ht ml
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Bureau-Novel-Inspired-Events/dp/1525811479/

A Small Affair : A Novel 

Flora Collins

On Sale Date: December 27, 2022

9780778386933

Trade Paperback

$17.99 USD

336 pages

A twisting novel of psychological suspense about a young woman whose life is torn apart when her wealthy ex-lover is found dead, along with his wife.

Vera is ruthlessly ambitious, beautiful by her own account, and knows how to get exactly what she wants–no matter who stands in the way. When she starts a relationship with a wealthy older man who tells her he’s separated from his wife, she thinks litte of it. After only a few dates, she ends things, but that’s only the beginning. Days later, the man and his wife are found dead in their home, leaving behind a note saying Vera’s rejection had driven him to the horrible act of violence.

Vera is immediately blamed for the couple’s deaths, demonized by the press, fired from her job, and when stalkers and paparazzi begin to haunt her apartment, she flees to her mother’s house upstate. A year later, emerging from a cocoon of self-pity, she tries to re-enter the world, to get her job back—or any job—but the specter of scandal still clings to her. Then she’s invited to a memorial for the wife of the man she had an affair with. As she learns more about the family, and about the couple and their friends, she begins to suspect there was much more to the story than a simple affair gone wrong. In a quest for redemption, Vera soon begins uncovering layers of lies and close-kept secrets held by an inner-circle of filthy rich tech millionaires who will go to any lengths to protect their reputations.

Review

Vera is rocking the fashion world. She is working for an up and coming fashion designer when she meets this wonderful man…well sort of. He has a few warning signs but Vera ignores them. Then the murders happen and the world finds out about his other woman, VERA! She is drug through the internet mud and loses everything. She hides out at her mom’s for over a year. And when she decides to come back, life has left her behind. Then she is invited to a memorial service and suddenly the lies start to unravel.

This is not my usual style of writing. I am not a fan of a slow burn. And this book is definitely a slow burn. But, for some reason, I kept reading. Something about the characters pulled me in. Take for instance, Vera. I really did not like her. She is conniving and a bit ruthless. There was just something about her situation which had me intrigued.

And then there is the reason the slow burn works…the ending! Oh boy, this ending! The more Vera digs, the more lies and manipulation she finds and then the truth comes out and it is not at all what is expected!

Need a story which will keep you slowly building up to a knock out finish…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Flora Collins was born and raised in New York City and has never left, except for a four-year stint at Vassar College. When she’s not writing, she can be found watching reality shows that were canceled after one season or attempting to eat soft-serve ice cream in bed (sometimes simultaneously). Nanny Dearest was her first novel.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flococo16?lang=en

Instagram: @floracollins_author

Buy Links: 

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-small-affair-flora-collins/18073842?ean=9780778386933

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-small-affair-flora-collins/1140845010

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778386933 

Books A Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778386933?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=81600aef729111ed82a800f90a82b821&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Affair-Novel-Flora-Collins/dp/0778386937