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Harper-Collins Blog Tour for: The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar

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Harper-Collins had SO MANY great choices for tours for this fall that I could hardly restrain myself! As you know, I love historical fiction, so I was drawn to this novel about a young seamstress during the 1920’s who is learning to navigate life as a young adult. I loved the character of Zora and I loved a glimpse into life during that time. I read a lot of WWII novels, and WWI, but I haven’t read a lot about the Roaring 20’s and/or Prohibition times. I also know next to nothing about sewing and fashion design, so this was interesting to me, too. This book toggled in time, but only at the beginning and end (can be helpful if you find a lot of time switching confusing!).

Noelle Salazar is such an engaging writer! If you love her books, you will love this one, too. Thank you so much for my e-galley and for letting me be part of the tour.

Here’s the scoop:

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily

Author: Noelle Salazar

ISBN: 9780778305200

MIRA Paperback Original 

Publication Date: October 3, 2023

Buy Links: Not affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins.com: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-roaring-days-of-zora-lily-noelle-salazar?variant=41016586567714 

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-jazz-girl-original-noelle-salazar/19574911?ean=9780778305200 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-roaring-days-of-zora-lily-noelle-salazar/1143092714?ean=9780778305200 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0778305201/keywords=historical%20fiction?tag=harpercollinsus-20 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778305200 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://www.noellesalazar.com/ 

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/noelle_salazar 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18424925.Noelle_Salazar 

Author Bio: 

Noelle Salazar was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where she’s been a Navy recruit, a medical assistant, an NFL cheerleader, and always a storyteller. As a novelist, she has done extensive research into the Women Airforce Service Pilots, interviewing vets and visiting the training facility—now a museum dedicated to the WASP—in Sweetwater, Texas. When she’s not writing, she can be found dodging raindrops and daydreaming of her next book. Her debut The Flight Girls, was an instant bestseller, a Forbes Hypable book of the month, and a BookBub Top Recommended book from readers. Her second novel, Angels of the Resistance: A Novel of Sisterhood and Courage in WWII was also published to wide praise including an Amazon Editors’  Fiction Pick of the Month. Noelle lives in Bothell, Washington with her family.

Book Summary: 

Set during a period of rapid social and technological change, The Roaring Days of Zora Lily follows a struggling young seamstress from her long nights sewing costumes in the smoke-filled speakeasies of Seattle to designing gowns for Hollywood’s biggest starlets.

2023, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History: A costume conservator is preparing an exhibition featuring movie costumes from the 1920s to present day. As she gingerly places a gown once worn by Greta Garbo on a mannequin, she discovers another name hidden beneath the designer’s label, leaving her to wonder—who is Zora Lily?

1924, Seattle: Poverty-stricken Zora Hough spends her days looking after her younger siblings while sewing up holes and fixing hems for clients to bring in extra money, working her fingers to the bone just to survive. But at night, as she lies in the bed she shares with one of her three sisters, she secretly dreams of becoming a designer like Coco Chanel and Jeanne Lanvin.

When her best friend gets a job dancing in a club downtown, Zora is lured in by her stories of music, glittering dresses and boys. She follows her friend to the underground speakeasies that are at once exciting and frightening—with smoke hanging in the air, alcohol flowing despite Prohibition, couples dancing in a way that makes Zora blush and a handsome businessman named Harley. It’s a world she has only ever imagined, and one with connections that could lead her to the life she’s always dreamed of. But as Zora’s ambition is challenged by tragedy and duty to her family, she’ll learn that dreams come with a cost. 

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

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I just love the writing of Fiona Davis (The Lions of Fifth Avenue among others) so I was excited to get her latest read off Net Galley. This was a fun story for me since we love the Rockettes and the Holiday Spectacular, and my mother used to tell me stories of seeing them in NYC in the 1940’s (she wanted to be one but at 5’0 was too short!). This story was an interesting mix of mystery, romance, and historical fiction. And it has quite a bit of truth to it (beyond the Rockettes!) in that there really was a “mad bomber” in NYC at that time who was a disgruntled worker from an electrical company.

Thank you for my e-galley. I’ll be recommending this one to others who enjoy historical fiction of this period. Ms. Davis has a way of making the past come alive through her attention to details. You won’t be disappointed!

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Magnolia Palace: A thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday.

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they’d have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer. 

Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling. 

As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

Bookouture Blog Tour for THE HOTEL by Emily Shiner

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I’m happy today to be part of Bookouture’s tour for a new thriller by Emily Shiner: The Hotel. I found this story a little hard to get into at the start as the pacing seemed a tad slow. Then I felt that things sped up about a third of the way in. The last quarter of the book was filled with twists and turns and surprises! I thought at first I liked the characters, but by the end I disliked everyone but the toddler.

While I enjoyed the novel (I do love suspense!), I had to suspend disbelief a bit for the last part of the book. This story did keep me on the edge of my seat and I look forward to more from Ms. Shiner.

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

Book Description:

As we welcome the Rowe family to our beautiful clifftop hotel, a shadow passes over my husband’s face. In that moment I see it: my husband is hiding a terrible secret. Has he put us all in danger?

Mark and I pride ourselves on giving visitors to our hotel, high on the rugged Maine cliffs with views of the ocean, a vacation they won’t forget. But the Rowes arestrangely over-familiar when they arrive with their teenage daughter. The wife puts a hand on Mark’s forearm and her husband meets my eyes with a knowing look as I hold my little son tight. They gush that they loved their previous stay here… But I’m certain I’ve never seen them before.

Mark reassures me that the Rowes are just being friendly. We have so many visitors, maybe we forgot meeting them. When I am locked in the master bedroom for over an hour, he later soothes my panic and says it was just an accident. But I know one of the Rowes was out in the hallway listening to me cry for help. I hear one of them whispering a lullaby to my baby on his monitor. I cannot trust these people.

But as the relentless icy rain gives way to the biggest blizzard of the season and we become cut off, I realize my son and I are trapped. Mark knows more about the Rowes than he’s letting on. I’ll do anything to protect my gorgeous baby boy. But how far will I have to go, to keep him safe?

The Hotel is a totally twisty locked room thriller that you won’t be able to put down. Fans of Shalini Boland, Freida McFadden and Jeneva Rose will be glued to the pages!

Author Bio:

Emily Shiner always dreamed of becoming an author. After spending years devouring stacks of thrillers, she decided to try her hand at writing them herself. Now she gets to live out her dream of writing novels and sharing her stories with people around the world. She lives in the Appalachian Mountains and loves hiking with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs.

It’s nice to meet you!

https://www.facebook.com/authoremilyshiner/

https://www.instagram.com/authoremilyshiner/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Emily Shiner here: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/emily-shiner/

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0C9JM4CBTsocial

Audio:

UK: zpr.io/3EXY2dAGiijD
US: zpr.io/Q7Np6PrNsgYA

Listen to a sample here: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/the-hotel-by-emily-shiner-narrated-by-lauryn-allman-john-chancer

Harper-Collings Blog Tour for: Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon

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I’m starting off my fall blog tours participation with a feel-good story about a young woman whose life is pretty much going nowhere until she has the chance to find herself and create her future when her aunt leaves her a villa in southern France.

Here’s the scoop:

Main Character Energy 

Author: Jamie Varon

ISBN: 9780778334200

Park Row Books Paperback Original 

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins.com: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/main-character-energy-jamie-varon?variant=40992983482402 

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/main-character-energy-original-jamie-varon/19278298?ean=9780778334200 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/main-character-energy-jamie-varon/1142651724? 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0778334201  

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778334200?AID=10747236&PID=7310909 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://www.jamievaron.com/ 

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamievaron 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21746179.Jamie_Varon 

Author Bio: 

Jamie Varon is an author, branding expert, course creator, and graphic designer living in Calabasas, California. Her nonfiction book Radically Content was published in 2022 with Quarto and is currently being adapted into a feature film with Camilu Productions LTD. Main Character Energy is her debut novel.

Book Summary: 

“This book absolutely dazzled me from the opening scene until the very last page. Highly recommend!” 
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading

“a sparkling debut” -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Poppy Banks would rather be writing mysteries than writing listicles for her dead-end job at Thought Buzz. But after a series of rejections, she’s ready to accept life on the sidelines as a plus-size woman. Her aunt Margot is the one person unwilling to give up on her niece’s dreams and tells her so at their secret yearly lunches.

But all of Poppy’s beliefs about herself are challenged when her beloved aunt dies and leaves her niece a grand surprise—a trip to her villa in the French Riviera. There, she learns her aunt intends to leave her stunning villa and secretive writer’s residency to Poppy—if she can finish her novel in six months.

When the writing countdown begins, Poppy realizes she has more to confront than her writer’s block. Family drama, complicated romances and self-doubt all threaten to throw her off course. In this fun and heartwarming debut, Poppy must decide if she can live up to her aunt’s—and her own—desire to be the main character in her own life.

I loved this story of Poppy, but I honestly did not like Poppy at the start of the book. She was so self-centered and throwing a big pity party for herself that it was a bit annoying; but she changes, and that was great to see. I liked the romance in the story and I particularly liked that Poppy was described as plus-size so she seems authentic and real, and her problems and self-doubt and self-pity seemed believable.

This is Varon’s debut novel, so I look forward to others in the future from her!

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

One More Seat at the Round Table by Susan Dormady Eisenberg

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I received a e-copy of this novel from Ms. Eisenberg’s publicist and I was so excited to read it!

If you know me, you know I love theater and I especially love the “hey day” of theater and movies in the 1900’s. This was a story about the making of the musical Camelot with just the right blend of history and fiction to make it believable yet readable. I really liked the characters and enjoyed the story line. If you love Broadway theater, you’ll enjoy this one! Thank you for my copy!

Here’s the scoop:

What if the most conflicted lovers in Broadway’s Camelot aren’t Lancelot and Guenevere?

Set backstage during the out-of-town chaos of Lerner and Loewe’s now-classic 1960 musical, One More Seat at the Round Table portrays the struggles of feisty drama school grad Jane Conroy, who lands a plum Gal Friday job, and Bryce Christmas, a gifted, if insecure, actor on the verge of his big break. When Jane and Bryce fall helplessly in love during Toronto tryouts, their relationship is tested by mistakes they make and endless work woes: Camelot’s four-hour length, poor reviews, the illness of librettist Alan Jay Lerner, and the near-fatal coronary of director Moss Hart who quits.

As Lerner, composer Loewe, and their stars, Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, trudge on to Boston, doubts besiege Jane who hopes to buck convention and skip marriage and Bryce who wants a wife. They also discover hidden strengths as Jane gains agency backstage and Bryce takes charge of his talent. But will Jane’s commitment phobia derail their future? Will Camelot become a glittering hit? These questions create a tense roller-coaster ride to the end of Susan Dormady Eisenberg’s wise and witty novel, a story about the transformative power of love and the luminous pull of Broadway as it casts its spell on performers and fans alike.

Find out more about Susan and her novel at: https://www.susandeisenberg.com/

Double Murder at the Grand Hotel Miramare by Elena and Michela Martignoni

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I received an e-copy of this book to review from Kazabo Publishing. It was a quick and engaging read. I really liked the main character, Luigi Berté. He is the protagonist of several cozy mysteries and this is the first title to be translated from Italian into English. It has that beautiful flow of Italian still!

I enjoyed this one and I think you will, too.

Thank you for my review copy!

“Double Murder at the Grand Hotel Miramare” by Elena and Michela Martignoni

Length: 180 pages/67,000 words

Genre: Mystery / Cozy Mystery

Release Date: 7/11/23

Print ISBN: 978-1-948104-24-1

Price: $12.99

Ebook 978-1-948104-25-8

Price: $7.99

Description:

Ever since his punitive transfer to Lungariva, the sleepy village has quickly become the Cabot Cove of the Italian Riviera.

This time, Deputy Assistant Chief of Police Luigi Berté has to investigate a double murder in the Grand Hotel Miramare, Lungariva’s historic luxury hotel, playground for old nobility, international business tycoons, and polo players. But one of the guests is not what they seem and Berté has to work quickly before his suspects scatter to the four corners of the earth – with deadly results.

Set in the very real Grand Hotel Miramare in the village of Santa Margherita Ligure, this novel features Luigi Berté, one of the best-known characters in modern Italian fiction. Appearing in a dozen murder mysteries and counting, Berté, a truly unique Italian creation, is beloved for his quirky approach to solving crimes, his kibitzing conscience, and his love for good food. Double Murder at the Grand Hotel Miramare is the first of Berté’s adventures to be translated into English.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Sisters Elena and Michela Martignoni, who also write under the pen name Emilio Martini, have published a dozen novels featuring Deputy Assistant Chief of Police Luigi Berté as well as several historical novels. Their works have been translated into English, Spanish and German.

BOOK TRAILER: https://youtu.be/XMN5pe24hi0

Amazon link:  Not affiliated with BBNB

Reviews:

“Berté is not a genius, like Poirot. He is a bloodhound. He digs the dirt and immerses himself in the murder he is investigating.” Il Corriere della Sera

“An apparently perfect murder.” Milano Nera

“Luigi Berté is rationality forged with passion.”

  Sugar Pulp

“Luigi Berté is one of the most beloved protagonists in Italian noir.” Thriller Nord

“Filled with irony.” Mangia Libri

Spotlight on : THE ADORED ONE by Susanne Dunlap

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What a cover!! Today I’m throwing the spotlight on a new title by Susanne Dunlap: The Adored One.

If you know me, you know I love the days of early entertainment and this novel sounds SO enticing!!

Here’s the scoop:

Lillian Lorraine was a naive 15-year-old chorine on Broadway when she attracted the notice of the notorious 41-year-old Florenz Ziegfeld. Accustomed to getting what he wanted, Ziegfeld took Lillian under his wing and into his arms, giving her coveted numbers in the Ziegfeld Follies and taking control of her career. But Lillian’s rebellious spirit chafed against him, refusing to play according to his rules, and nearly destroying her own career in the process. The Adored One follows her through rise and fall after rise and fall as she comes of age in a world where her youthful beauty was an asset-and a liability.

“Talented, beautiful, fiercely independent, flighty… there aren’t enough adjectives to describe the intensely sympathetic and heartbreakingly reckless Lillian Lorraine… Buckle up; it’s a wild ride. I enjoyed The Adored One immensely.”

– Mitchell James Kaplan, author of Rhapsody

“Broadway of over a hundred years ago comes vividly to life in this story of the enchanting showgirl Lillian Lorraine. You will cheer for this gorgeous survivor all the way.”

– Stephanie Cowell, American Book Award winner and author of Claude & Camille and The Boy in the Rain

About the Author:

Susanne Dunlap is the author of twelve works of historical fiction for adults and teens, as well as an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach. Her love of historical fiction arose partly from her studies in music history at Yale University (PhD, 1999), partly from her lifelong interest in women in the arts as a pianist and non-profit performing arts executive. Her novel The Paris Affair won first place in its category in the CIBA Dante Rossetti awards for Young Adult Fiction. The Musician’s Daughter was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year, and was nominated for the Utah Book Award and the Missouri Gateway Reader’s Prize. In the Shadow of the Lamp was an Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award nominee. Susanne earned her BA and an MA (musicology) from Smith College, and lives in Biddeford, ME, with her little dog Betty.

(Susanne! We have so many similar interests that I just know that we would be kindred spirits and could walk our dogs together and talk about musical theater!)

But my enthusiasm makes me digress, because…

Here’s an excerpt! (NB – one “semi-swear” use of H-E- double hockey sticks)

For the next two weeks, Fred and I saw each other secretly whenever we could. I didn’t ask him again about Fanny, but I couldn’t look her in the eye at the theater, and I knew she figured something was wrong. I wasn’t sure she knew anything at all, until the night everyone knew, and everyone took sides.

I was waiting to go on for one of my beauty numbers, wearing the most expensive costume of all. It was just about the time for me to run daintily onto the stage, and I cleared my throat for my song and loosened my jaw to get rid of any tension that would make my voice tight. I stepped forward to go on stage. RRRip! It’s an awful sound, one no actress wants to hear seconds before going on stage. I figured I’d got the sequined fabric caught on a nail sticking up from the floor or something. But when I turned to check, there was Fanny, her foot planted on my hem; just below a tear it would be impossible to mend.

“Oops.” Fanny folded her arms across her chest and stared straight into my eyes. I’d never seen an expression like that on her face before. Bitter, angry, sad, all mixed up together.

“What are you doing?” I still hoped it was an accident, that she’d just let me go on and we could talk about it after the show.

“I’m sure I don’t know. What the hell are you doing with my fella?” Fanny said it right out loud. Everyone in the wings heard her, and probably some people in the audience.

I was mad at myself and mad at Fred, but I took it out on Fanny. “Just because you can’t keep a man doesn’t mean I did anything!”

I heard the gasps and then the silence. Before I could turn and go on stage, Fanny was on top of me, grabbing at my costume, my headdress, my hair. “Why, you!”

Nothing gets me riled up like having people get the wrong end of things and blaming me. I didn’t go after Fred, he came after me! She should be doing this to him! I gave it right back to her, scratching and kicking. It felt good to thrash out and punch someone, even though after a minute I didn’t know why. I wasn’t just angry at the situation I’d gotten into, I was mad at my life.

“Stop it!” Bert Williams, risking his career for even touching us, took hold of each of our shoulders and separated us. “You missed your cue,” he said to me. He took out a hankie and wiped a little blood off a scratch on my face.

But I was still white hot. “No, I haven’t!” Before he could stop me I stormed onto the set. The look on the chorines’ faces when they saw me come out a total wreck—hair a mess, gown torn, makeup running—made me laugh. No one could keep me from doing my part. They’d been singing their background without me, but I started the number over and performed it all the way through like it was nothing. At the end the audience laughed and clapped anyway, probably thinking what I did was a clever variation, something to change things up a bit, like a staged police raid.

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner

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I just love Jennifer Weiner’s books, and I really liked this one centered on Abby, a young, plus-sized woman living in Philadelphia and dealing with the ups and downs of life, work, and dating. Her books are part fiction, part romance, and always with a big slice of real life! I will say that this one wasn’t my favorite as I felt the pacing was slow and I began to care more about Morgan (a side character) than Abby (the protagonist), but overall, if you enjoy her books I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one! It publishes later in August (2023).

Thank you for my review copy!

Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and a life-changing journey.

Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead of a career, and the apartment where she’s lived since college still looks like she’s just moved in. But she’s got good friends, her bike, and her bicycling club in Philadelphia. She’s at peace with her plus-size body—at least, most of the time—and she’s on track to marry Mark Medoff, her childhood summer sweetheart, a man she met at the weight-loss camp that her perpetually dieting mother forced her to attend. Fifteen years after her final summer at Camp Golden Hills, when Abby reconnects with a half-his-size Mark, it feels like the happy ending she’s always wanted.

Yet Abby can’t escape the feeling that some­thing isn’t right…or the memories of one thrilling night she spent with a man named Sebastian two years previously. When Abby gets a last-minute invi­tation to lead a cycling trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, she’s happy to have time away from Mark, a chance to reflect and make up her mind.

But things get complicated fast. First, Abby spots a familiar face in the group—Sebastian, the one-night stand she thought she’d never see again. Sebastian is a serial dater who lives a hundred miles away. In spite of their undeniable chemistry, Abby is determined to keep her distance. Then there’s a surprise last-minute addition to the trip: her mother, Eileen, the woman Abby blames for a lifetime of body shaming and insecurities she’s still trying to undo.

Over two weeks and more than seven hundred miles, strangers become friends, hidden truths come to light, a teenage girl with a secret unites the riders in unexpected ways…and Abby is forced to reconsider everything she believes about herself, her mother, and the nature of love.

About the Author:

jenniferweiner.com

Jennifer Weiner is an American writer, television producer, and journalist. She is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her debut novel, published in 2001, was Good in Bed. Her novel In Her Shoes was made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine. Wikipedia

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for The Night It Ended by Katie Garner

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I’m happy to take part in the blog tour for The Night It Ended by Katie Garner. This was a suspenseful read, with an unreliable narrator (not my favorite POV). It was good and it kept me guessing. I always like stories that take place in boarding schools, too!

Recommended if you enjoy mysteries that keep you on the edge of your seat. I felt oddly uncomfortable while reading- almost like someone was watching me (seriously!).

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

The Night It Ended

Author: Katie Garner

On Sale June 27, 2023

Publisher: MIRA

Paperback Original

ISBN 978-0778334453

Price: $18.99

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-night-it-ended-katie-garner?variant=40901604311074   

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-it-ended-katie-garner/1142299804

BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-night-it-ended/18847353?ean=9780778334453 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Night-Ended-Novel-Katie-Garner/dp/0778334457

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778334453?AID=10747236&PID=7310909 

Social Links:

Author site: https://www.katiegarnerauthor.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgarnerauthor 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62679690-the-night-it-ended 

Book Summary: 

“Disarmingly sensory, with plot twists that are sure to give readers whiplash, Garner has done a phenomenal job of giving us just enough information to think we know where the story is going, only to pull the rug out from under us—over and over again. A nail-bitingly spectacular debut!” —Amanda Jayatissa, author of You’re Invited 



Finding the truth seems impossible when her own dark past has her seeing lies everywhere she looks…

From the outside, criminal psychiatrist Dr. Madeline Pine’s life appears picture-perfect–she has a beautiful family, a successful mental health practice and a growing reputation as an expert in female violence. But when she’s called to help investigate a mysterious death at a boarding school for troubled girls, Madeline hesitates. She’s been through tragic cases before, and the one she was entangled in last year nearly destroyed her…

Yet she can’t turn away when she hears about Charley Ridley. After the girl was found shoeless and in pajamas at the bottom of an icy ravine on campus, the police ruled it a tragic accident. But the private investigator hired by her mother has his doubts. And if it were Madeline’s daughter who died, she’d want to know why.

Arriving at the secluded campus in upstate New York, Madeline’s met by an unhelpful skeleton staff and the four other students still on campus during winter break. Each seems to hold a piece of the puzzle. And everyone has secrets–Madeline included. But who would kill to protect them?

Intertwining the narrative with the transcript of an anonymous interview, this stunning suspense debut from Katie Garner will take you on a twisting path where nothing–and no one–is what it seems.

Author Bio: 

Katie Garner was born in New York and grew up in New Jersey. She has a degree in Art History from Ramapo College and is certified to teach high school Art. She hoards paperbacks, coffee mugs, and dog toys and can be seen holding at least one of those things most of the time. 

​Katie lives in a New Jersey river town with her husband, baby boy, and shih-poo where she writes books about women and their dark, secret selves. The Night It Ended is her debut novel.

Reviews

“The ending was pretty shocking and definitely not what I was expecting” —Novel Gossip

“Standing ovation for the brilliant Katie Garner! Captivating, ingenious, and absolutely audacious, this tour de force in structure and storytelling kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. Yes,  The Night It Ended is a dark gothic murder investigation at a mysterious school for troubled girls—but don’t judge, don’t assume, don’t try to figure it out—just let Garner’s masterful sleight of hand carry you away through the gasp-worthy twists and turns. Do not miss this!” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest


“A gorgeously atmospheric dark academic thriller set at a snowy boarding school so vividly rendered you can practically feel the frost freezing your blood. Garner centers female rage in the most delicious and page-turning of ways, plunging readers into a world where women’s machinations, conspiracies, anger, and even violence rule all. The Night It Ended is a twisty, frantically-paced story you’ll be desperate to devour all the way to the ice-cold ending.” —Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife


“Set at an exclusive school for trouble teenaged girls, The Night It Ended by Katie Garner is dark, twisted, and utterly compelling. Impossible to put down, you won’t know who or what to believe and the creepy location will have you looking over your shoulder more than once. One heck of a debut with an ending that left me speechless.” —Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of Never Coming Home


“Disarmingly sensory, with plot twists that are sure to give readers whiplash, Garner has done a phenomenal job of giving us just enough information to think we know where the story is going, only to pull the rug out from under us—over and over again. A nail-bitingly spectacular debut!” —Amanda Jayatissa, author of You’re Invited


“Wow. I loved this. Compulsively readable. I flew through it. Brilliant use of the unreliable narrator. I enjoyed the police interviews interwoven with the present-day mystery. It kept me on my toes. And that last plot twist…amazing. I did not see it coming.” –Amber Garza, author of When I Was You


“Katie Garner’s debut novel is a chilly, twisty ride—think dark academia meets Gillian Flynn. The Night It Ended is both a brooding Gothic mystery set at a boarding school for wayward girls and a jittery domestic thriller and just when you think you’ve got a handle on the story, Garner pulls the rug out from under you. I couldn’t put it down.”—Halley Sutton, author of The Lady Upstairs

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for THE PARIS AGENT by Kelly Rimmer

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Kelly Rimmer may just be my favorite author. I love her writing and her stories. This historical fiction novel was another top read for me– focusing on three female SOE operatives in France during WWII. It was suspenseful and exciting, and toggled between WWII and current day (well, it was more like the 1970’s but close enough!).

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour! If you love WWII stories with strong female protagonists, don’t miss The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer!

The Paris Agent : A World War II Mystery 

Kelly Rimmer

On Sale Date: July 11, 2023

9781525826689

Trade Paperback

$18.99 USD

368 pages

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For fans of fast-paced historical thrillers like Our Woman in Moscow and The Rose Code, Rimmer’s brilliant new novel follows three female SOE operatives as their lives intersect in occupied France, and the double agent who controls their fate.

Twenty-five years after the end of the war, an aging Marcel Augustin is reflecting on his life during those perilous, exhilarating years as a British SOE operative in occupied France—in particular the agent who saved his life during a mission gone wrong, whose real name he never knew, nor whether she survived the war. Piqued by her father’s memories, Marcel’s daughter Charlotte begins a search for answers that resurrects the unrest and uncertainty from that period of his life. What follows is the story of Eloise, Josie and Virginia, three otherwise ordinary, average women whose lives intersect in 1943 when they’re called up by the SOE for deployment in France. Taking enormous risks to support the allied troops with very little information or resources, the three women have no idea they’re at the mercy of a double agent within their ranks who’s causing chaos within the French circuits, whose efforts will affect the outcome of their lives.

As Charlotte’s search for answers continues, new suspicions are raised about the identity of the double agent, with unsettling clues pointing to her father, and more mysteries are unearthed from the last days of the war about the eventual fates of Eloise, Josie and Virginia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kelly Rimmer is the worldwide, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The German Wife, The Warsaw Orphan, and The Things We Cannot Say. She lives in rural Australia with her husband, two children and fantastically naughty dogs, Sully and Basil. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty languages. Please visit her at www.Kelly.Rimmer.com 

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: https://www.kellyrimmer.com/

Facebook: @Kellymrimmer

Twitter: @KelRimmerWrites

Instagram: @kelrimmerwrites

BUY LINKS: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-paris-agent-kelly-rimmer/18794141?ean=9781525826689

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-paris-agent-kelly-rimmer/1143459526?ean=9781525826689

Books A Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Paris-Agent/Kelly-Rimmer/9781525826689

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Agent-Kelly-Rimmer/dp/1525826689