HTP Blog Tour for Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

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If you read my blog, you know I LOVE the writing of Pam Jenoff. She writes amazing stories of resilience and resistance in WWII with strong female protagonists. I loved this story, which had parallel tales in two time periods (my favorite structure for a historical fiction narrative!).

Here’s the scoop:

Last Twilight In Paris

By Pam Jenoff

On Sale: February 4, 2025

About the Book:

“A fast-paced and vibrant wartime tale of holding on to love against the odds and learning to fight for the truth.” –Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war. 
 
Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history.  The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.
 
Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

About the Author: Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestseller The Orphan’s Tale. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her JD from UPenn. Her novels are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She lives with her husband and 3 children near Philadelphia, where she teaches law.

Buy Links: (not affiliated with BBNB)

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/last-twilight-in-paris-pam-jenoff?variant=42640819388450 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=9780778307983&tag=hcg-02-20 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-twilight-in-paris-pam-jenoff/1145679315?ean=9780778387794 

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-department-of-stolen-heirlooms-original-pam-jenoff/21476022?ean=9780778307983 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://pamjenoff.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamjenoff/ 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/213562.Pam_Jenoff 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pam-Jenoff/1216746581800099 

Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/PamJenoff 

Thank you for my copy via Net Galley and for having me as part of the tour!

New Zealand: A Novel by Lance Morcan

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I’m throwing the spotlight on this title today, in part because for today and tomorrow (Jan 12 and 13, 2025) it is FREE on Kindle! What?? Yes, you read that right. FREE!

New Zealand: A Novel spans almost 500 years and covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans. From the outset the two stories are interposed. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south.

The hardy, brown-skinned people who arrive here first call themselves Maori and they call their new home Aotearoa – land of the long, white cloud. The fascinating, eventful and sometimes violent lives of descendants of those first arrivals are traced through the centuries until the arrival of Europeans aboard Captain James Cook’s bark the Endeavour. Cook names the new land New Zealand.

Maoris call the white intruders pakeha. Their arrival heralds a clash of two vastly different ideologies as European civilization collides head on with indigenous culture.

The misunderstandings, tension and bloodshed that follow are relayed as seen through the eyes of one of the Endeavour’s youngest and most engaging crewmembers, Surgeon’s Assistant Nicholas Young, as the vessel embarks on its historic circumnavigation of the country.

Amidst the life-threatening challenges Nicholas faces at sea and on land, the young man finds true love when he meets Anika, a beautiful Maori princess who steals his heart.

About the author:

Lance Morcan

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 35 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

The father-and-son team’s published books include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit, Fiji: A Novel and Into the Americas. They also have several series including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the globetrotting action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series, which includes Genius Intelligence and The Catcher in the Rye Enigma.

Several of their books have been regular visitors to Amazon’s bestseller lists over the years.

An additional non-fiction title they’re especially proud of is Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, which was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide.

Lance’s first solo-authored novel, a historical adventure-romance titled New Zealand: A Novel, was published late 2024. Spanning almost 500 years, this novel covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans. From the outset the two stories are interposed. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south. Researching and writing this epic was literally half a century in the making for Lance who described the task as “A labour of love that spanned 50 years.”

The Morcans’ production entity Morcan Motion Pictures has a number of feature films in early development, including adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas and White Spirit.

The Day after the Party by Nicole Trope

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My friends at Grand Central Publishing sent me this suspenseful read and I read it this week as it published 1/7. Marriage issues, infidelity, friendships, birthdays, and amnesia combine for a taut, suspenseful thriller.

Highly recommended! Thanks for my copy!

The perfect birthday or the perfect nightmare?

Katelyn smiles at her husband and friends, gathered to celebrate her thirty-sixth birthday in their beautiful home decorated with fairy lights. But the next day Katelyn wakes up shaken and terrified in a hospital bed…

She doesn’t remember the sweet taste of birthday cake icing, or how angry her best friend was at midnight, or the terrible things her husband said. She doesn’t remember the party at all.

When she asks her husband what happened the night of the party he says ‘nothing’. But her blood runs cold at the way his voice lilts slightly. The way it always does when he is lying.

Did someone at the party harm her? What is her husband hiding? Or did Katelyn herself do something terrible?

About the Author

Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realized the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature.

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story. She went on to publish a further five novels in Australia before joining Bookouture in 2019. She is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

Gaelic & Garlic: A Boston Love Story by Mike Bernard

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I’m shouting it out today for a new novel by local-to-me writer Mike Bernard: Gaelic and Garlic: A Boston Love Story. As someone with a full Irish father and a full Italian mother, this one spoke to me!

Completing the Boston Irish Belt Trilogy along with Dorchester’s CROSSING THE SAGAMORE and Southie’s THE CROSSING GUARDS, comes Charlestown’s GAELIC & GARLIC: A Boston Love Story.

Among the most overlooked ethnic problems in the country was the division between Irish and Italians. Historically two of the poorest immigrant communities, they clashed on everything from jobs to housing to politics. As rivals, both were always treated with suspicion and fear. No Italian boy would ever bring an Irish girl home to dinner, and the Irish were even less welcoming.

When East Boston’s Antonio Domenicio Riccardo Maximilianus PrestiDiGiovanni meets Charlestown-tough Margaret Katherine Philomena Coventina O’Shaughnessy (for a combined total of 39 syllables!) they have no idea how their lives are intersected. Richie and Mary Kate both live in a world where things should have been – but one simple decision changed the whole trajectory of their lives.

GAELIC & GARLIC is a heartwarming and hilarious story about discovering love when you least expect it, and finding comfort in family and traditions.

Family.

It’s what makes us different and what helps us stick together. We’re Italian first and foremost. Or we’re Irish. Or English. Or Spanish. Or Asian. Doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, to the outside world we’re loud and boastful and clannish and full of ethnic pride. But the truth is, we’re bonded by the best and worst of ourselves. The devotion, the blind faith, the disappointment, the ball-busting, the insanity, the passion – we’re the sum of all of it and that’s why we hold each other close. It’s family, and families are tricky. There is so much there that can flatten us, knock us to our knees and then help us rise and stand tall. If nothing else, we have each other, because when it really matters, families stick together. No one stands a chance if they’re alone.To the Irish and Italian in all of us.

Sláinte and Alla Salute!

Mike Bernard

About the Author:

Mike Bernard is a multi-optioned screenwriter and author. His work has been recognized internationally in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, PAGE International Screenplay Competition, NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL and Los Angeles Screenplay competitions. His ‘midlife crisis’ writing career began when his children and his money went off to college – checks made out to Loyola University Maryland (x2) and Assumption College respectively.

Mike is a graduate of Providence College and Boston College High School. He resides on Cape Cod with his wife Michele.

He spends his summers losing to someone twice his age in Pickleball, and his winters aimlessly roaming the aisles of Home Depot.

The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang

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Oh my goodness – I am so happy that I was offered a spot on this blog tour because I loved this novel so much! I’m a huge fan of Lisa See’s historical novels of China and this novel reminded me of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, one of my favorite books ever. It is beautifully written and with interesting and multi-dimensional characters. I found the story fascinating, though sad at times, and I gained so many insights into Chinese cultures, and particularly into the systems of privilege and stations that existed.

Thank you so much for including me on the tour!

About the Book

A muizai is a mistress’s shadow. You are there to do her bidding…

19th Century China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that her golden lilies will someday lead her out of a life of slavery.

Not only does Little Flower have bound feet—uncommon for a muizai—but she is gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with women of fortune. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to prevent Little Flower from escaping. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s talents catch the eye of a nobleman, threatening not only her improved status, but her life—the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?

Richly atmospheric and profoundly moving, The Lotus Shoes is an empowering tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary journey of sisterhood, betrayal, love and triumph.

About the Author

Jane Yang was born in the Chinese enclave of Saigon and raised in Australia where she grew up on a diet of superstition and family stories from Old China. Despite establishing a scientific career, first as a pharmacist and later in clinical research, she is still sometimes torn between modern, rational thinking and the pull of old beliefs in tales that have been passed down the family. Jane’s family tales are an inspiration for her writing. She writes stories about women in pre-Communist China, exploring power and class struggles, and sometimes with a dash of suspense, spirits and hauntings.

Buy Links are NOT affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins: 

The Lotus Shoes

Amazon:

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lotus-shoes-jane-yang/1145107408?ean=9780778310679

Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lotus-shoes-original-jane-yang/21335528?ean=9780778310679

Social Links

Author Linktree: https://linktr.ee/janeyangauthor 

Twitter (X): https://x.com/JaneYangWriting 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeyangwriting/ 

Embroidery features heavily in this story, so I wanted to include an interesting article I found: https://smarthistory.org/one-hundred-birds-hanging-scroll/

Another year on the blog…

/ drbethnolan / 4 Comments

So it’s January 1 again, which means it’s my BLOGGIVERSARY!

Hard to believe that I’ve been chatting about books for 16 years on here. If you had told me then that I’d still be here in 2025 I would not have believed it. But I love connecting with readers and I love talking about books, so here I am!

Working full-time isn’t a great fit for maintaining an engaging blog, but my goal for 2025 is to keep reading and to keep sharing about what I’m reading. As always, I read for pleasure and escape and to relax, and I love to learn something new or sometimes be “a little scared” along the way. I carry a water bottle that has a sticker saying “the book was better” and my kindle has a sticker that says “emotional support kindle”. Those two things I hold as truths.

One reading goal for me this year is to meet more bloggers, readers, and authors “personally”, even if only through social media.

What are your reading goals this year? Whatever they are, I hope the path to fulfilling them is engaging and joyful! Happy Reading!!

We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen

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I love this series so much! The latest one in the series has Georgie with her young baby and husband tucked away against the cold in her large manor home, but nothing is quiet and simple! The incorrigible Mrs. Simpson comes to stay, Georgie’s brother and his family arrive, and a movie producer and team descend on the estate to make a film. It’s all a little much and when people start disappearing, and dying, Georgie must figure out what is happening in order to bring her peace and quiet back.

Highly recommended as a fun, cozy series that you don’t have to read in order – but even more fun if you do!

Here’s the scoop:

Description

New mother Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when a murder occurs while a film is being made on the grounds of her estate in a new Royal Spyness Mystery from beloved bestselling author Rhys Bowen.

It’s late 1936, and King Edward is in turmoil, having fallen in love with the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. He wants to marry her but knows that doing so will jeopardize his crown. Edward confides in his dear friend Darcy, Georgie’s husband, and the couple agree to hide Wallis in their home while Edward figures out what to do.

But unbeknownst to Georgie and Darcy, Sir Hubert, the owner of the estate, has given a film crew permission to shoot a motion picture about Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds. Trying to keep Mrs. Simpson hidden while raising a newborn baby seems like it couldn’t be any more stressful for the Rannochs, until one of the stars of the film is found murdered on set. Georgie must solve the murder for king and country before scandal threatens to envelop them all.

Thank you for my copy via Net Galley!

Four Christmas Reads!

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(another fun image I generated using AI!)

I love, love, love to read books about the holidays during holiday time and this year was no exception. I read or listened to four different ones this year: The Christmas Book Hunt, Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge, Holiday Hideaway, and Santa Overboard. The last two were both audiobooks.

I received The Christmas Book Hunt a short story by Jenny Colgan free with my Prime membership. I loved it! It was the perfect length. It had the right amount of romance as well and it was about my favorite thing: books!

A heartwarming meet-cute short story from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Bookshop.

A Christmas mission…

Mirren’s beloved great-aunt Violet is seriously ill. Her one Christmas wish is to be reunited with a long-lost hand-illustrated book from her childhood, a challenge Mirren gladly accepts to give Violet some much-needed festive cheer.

An enchanting journey…

With no sign of the cherished volume online, Mirren falls into the fascinating world of rare books. From London to snowy Hay-on-Wye and Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, she chases leads from bookshop to bookshop—and bumps into mysterious, charming Theo, who, unbeknownst to her, is searching for the same book for reasons of his own…

The start of a new chapter?

As the two join forces to track the book down before time runs out for Violet, will Mirren find her Christmas miracle—and maybe even a kiss under the mistletoe… ?

For fans of Josie Silver, Jill Mansell and the Queen of Christmas herself, a snow-swept love story to warm even the coldest winter’s day.

I was sent Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge by Kjersti Herland Johnsen by the publicist. This one can be read one chapter a day “like an Advent calendar” it said. Loved it! I loved the mix of mystery and romance:

Mark the days till Christmas with this feel-good cozy mystery set at a quaint family inn in the snowy mountains of Norway—structured as an advent calendar for your daily reading pleasure.

 An old mystery. A tragic accident. Secrets. Confessions. A new beginning.

After a traumatic climbing accident, well-known Alpinist Ingrid Berg has returned to the small Norwegian village that her family has called home for generations to take over the management of the Glitter Peak Lodge from her aging grandmother, who’s no longer up to the task. With Christmas rapidly approaching, the Glitter Peak Lodge staff are busy baking kransekake and saffron buns, decorating an enormous tree with tinsel, and enlisting guests to participate in their Santa Lucia celebration.

But within short order of Ingrid’s return, complications arise that seem out of the ordinary. Unexpected cancellations. An outspoken American guest who seems to unsettle Ingrid’s beloved grandmother. Leaking pipes that may imply sabotage. And then one day, Ingrid discovers a yellowed, decades-old newspaper clipping about an unsolved local mystery… 

Will Ingrid be able to figure out what’s going on in time to save the inn—and her family’s legacy—from ruin?

The ultimate holiday treat, Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge is a testament to the healing power of family and home and the magical bonds of community. Set up like an advent calendar, with twenty-four chapters, each set on a different day in December leading up to Christmas, it can be savored one chapter a day or devoured in one sitting.

“Delightful and charming—a breath of lovely mountain air!” —Jenny Colgan, author of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Christmas Bookshop

I got Mary Kay Andrews’ Holiday Hideaway via Prime for free and paid less than $2 for the audiobook for my commute. It is a fun short story. Romance! Christmas! Happy endings!

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews comes a charming holiday romance about a newly single thirtysomething whose unauthorized vacation rental turns into a hilarious game of hide-and-seek when the new owner unexpectedly shows up.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

George Holloway is here to sell his granduncle’s house—and to reconsider whether he and his fiancée are right for each other. Amid home repairs, George notices strange noises and missing food, but as much as he gets his rental agent on the phone, Tilly dodges every invitation to meet. He’s sure that someone’s here with him, and it’s certainly not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.

As Tilly and George circle each other, they both wonder where their lives are headed and if, maybe, meeting each other is just the Christmas miracle they need.

Finally, via Net Galley I received the audiobook of Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride. It was a fun read, though – warning – what I’d call “spicy” in spots. I did laugh out loud at some parts.

A Small-Town Holiday Rom-Com

“Grab a cozy blanket and your favorite Christmas scented candle because we’re back with Katie and the Beach Bonfire Babes! This was just the book to get me into the spirit of Christmas plus lots of laughs along the way.”
—Simply Nicole

‘Twas the night before Cruisemas…

Katie Young is embracing her new life in a charming riverfront town in Virginia. With her devoted friends, the Beach Bonfire Babes, a budding romance with a swoon-worthy scientist, and her college-age daughter baking up holiday traditions in their cozy river house, the season promises to make up for past struggles.

As captain of the town’s Christmas boat parade, Katie can’t wait to ferry Santa to the dock on her new boat. But when plans go off course and Santa takes an unexpected dip, Katie and her trusty crew navigate the stormy seas of midlife in the best way they know how—with their favorite foods, a cocktail or two, and a dash of holiday magic.

Brimming with laughter, the natural beauty of the Potomac Shores, and yummy holiday recipes, Santa Overboard is a quick read that delivers the perfect Christmas gift: a second chance at a forever love.

For the backstory on Katie and the Beach Bonfire Babes, check out Carolyn McBride’s The Cicada Spring, the first book in the Potomac Shores series.

HAPPY READING FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!

My Fave Reads of 2024

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It’s that time of year again – the time when I look through my blog posts from the calendar year and highlight my favorites.

This year there were many more books that I read that I did not blog on (variety of reasons, including my needing to read 120 for an international children’s book award – more on that later).

When I reviewed my posts, I chose books that I immediately felt “Oh, I loved that book!” when I saw the title. Interestingly, they are almost all considered historical fiction.

So here – in no specific order except I’ll denote #1 – are my favorites from this year (you can find them all on my blog for my further thoughts, or at a library or bookstore near you to read yourself!).

The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak

Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Book of Thorns by Hester Fox

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Homecoming by Kate Morton (also my favorite audiobook of the year)

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey

and my fave read of the year: Finding Margaret Fuller by Alison Pataki

Happy Reading in 2025!!

PS – do you like that image? I generated it with AI. Pretty cool!