Natasha Lester is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction.

Her new novel THE PARIS SECRET is out now in Australia and will be published in the US and the UK later in 2020. Her other books, THE FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER / THE PARIS ORPHAN, THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS, A KISS FROM MR FITZGERALD and HER MOTHER’S SECRET are also available from all good bookshops.

The Paris Secret

“A wardrobe of Dior gowns, a secret kept for sixty-five years, and the three women bound forever by war … from the New York Times bestselling author of The French Photographer
England, 1939: Talented pilot Skye Penrose joins the war effort where she encounters her estranged sister, Liberty, and childhood soulmate Nicholas Crawford, now engaged to enigmatic Frenchwoman Margaux Jourdan. Paris, 1947: Designer Christian Dior unveils his extravagant first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance, Miss Dior, in tribute to his sister, Catherine, who worked for the French Resistance. Present day: Australian fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a secret wardrobe filled with priceless Dior gowns in her grandmother’s vacant cottage. As she delves into the mystery, Kat begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about her beloved grandmother.An unspeakable betrayal will entwine all of their fates. The Paris Secret is an unforgettable story about the lengths people go to protect one another, and a love that, despite everything, lasts a lifetime. “

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Captivating characters. Breathtaking, emotional relationships developed in the innocence of childhood and others wrapped in the arms of a devastating war. The novel opens in Cornwall, England in 1928, with young, adventurous Skye and sister “in the house” Liberty, more often than not, at odds with each other, kicking and fighting! Their mother, Vanessa Penrose, with a devil-may-care attitude, is loved by both girls. Vanessa is a pioneer in her own right and loves to fly-even trying to set records. Readers are buoyed along the beaches of Porthleven with Skye and her friend, Nicholas; collecting cowrie shells, floating in caves or exploring lost gardens finding adventures on rope bridges! All simply exhilarating until the idyllic childhood ends and Skye & Liberty – following Vanessa’s footsteps, are sunk into the quagmire of women becoming pilots and clawing through the red tape of the WAAF-Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and the SOE-Special Operations Executive. This triple timeline moves from England, 1939 to Paris, 1947 and the unveiling of Christian Dior’s first collection. The world has known and admired Dior’s designs and creativity for decades; but his sister, Catherine, is the real heroine of the French Resistance. Catherine is superbly intertwined with Skye and Liberty as the war’s scarring memories have a life long impact on the sisters- and eventually, Kat Jourdan, a granddaughter. Natasha Lester brings the family saga full circle as present day, Kat, a fashion conservator, discovers a priceless collection of 65 Christian Dior dresses in a cottage in Cornwall. Readers will appreciate the depth of research into the WAAF, the Resistance, and struggles of the female pilots to actually fly and make a difference in the war. Natasha Lester’s background in fashion really shines through in her descriptions of the Dior gowns as Kat begins to wear them for meetings and rendezvous!

Plot “pattern pieces:” Dior gowns, sisters at odds, concentration camps, stolen identities, most of all a love story spanning decades. These pattern pieces are designed and stitched together to create a dream novel worthy of a Dior tag and definitely one for your collection!

“The Giver of Stars is a 2019 historical fiction book by Jojo Moyes about pack horse librarians in a remote area of Kentucky.  It is inspired by a real group of librarians who between 1935 and 1943 delivered books to some of the most remote regions in the Appalachian Mountains.”

“Jojo Moyes is a novelist and journalist. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The Girl You Left Behind, The One Plus One and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Her novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over thirty-eight million copies worldwide.

Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Jojo lives in Essex.”

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“It’s women doing the riding. Delivering the books.” “Women?” “By themselves?” came a man’s voice. “Last time I looked, God gave ’em two arms and two legs, just like the men.” Margery O’Hare, in her “dark blue cotton coat and her unpolished boots,” had been working for weeks setting up the new library and Mrs. Brady had called a town meeting to explain the system and ask for more volunteers. Women, that is, to ride the routes up into the mountains to deliver books to the folks up in the hills. Mr. Guisler had offered his old milk barn to house the library, so all that was needed was “the support of right minded people!”

Alice Van Cleve, newly married and all the way from England, saw this as an opportunity to escape the day in-day out boredom of the house she was trapped in with her husband, Bennett, and his widowed father. The only escape from the overbearing opinions of her father-in -law and her mealy mouth husband was to attend hours of church and town meetings. So before she could think twice, Alice stood to volunteer her time as a pack horse librarian. Meeting Marge O’Hare was the best thing to happen to Alice-ever.

Lovers of books, history, friendship, and romance will be hooked from the very beginning of this tale that will have readers gripping the manes of mules, up from the hollers and into the hills of Kentucky and jostlin’ back down to the stuffy, courtroom of Baileyville. Among the hospitable folks of the Appalachians there are men to love and men to hate; all with good reason. The hardships of the Depression and the changing roles of women take center stage as fearful men reveal their true selves as they lose control of finances, the support of fellow workers in the mines, or the stability of meager crops and family homesteads ruined by floods.

The unbreakable bonds of friendship that grow between the women librarians; cross lines of class and color. Readers will rejoice in small steps of independence taken by five fellow librarians: Marge, Alice, Izzy, Beth, and Sophia. Their devotion to each other and the mission of the pack horse library is not to be taken lightly; lessons in relationships between women, men, neighbors, and civic duty are here for the taking. Readers may identify with “foreigner” Alice, be dependent on some sort of ‘brace’ like Izzy, or be subjected to gender or cultural discrimination like Beth and Sophia. The independent thinker, Margery, leads the librarians and readers to make bold self- examination of where allegiances are forged, how the pledge of support is maintained, and how to move forward when difficulties arise. Margery’s words, “There is always a way out of a situation. Might be ugly. Might leave you feeling like the earth has gone and shifted under your feet. But there is always a way around.”

JoJo Moyes’ charismatic characters and descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains will be all readers need to devour this book cover to cover as quickly as possible; before the librarian rides up the trail to collect The Giver of Stars so someone else up the holler has a chance to read it.

The Giver of Stars by Amy Lowell

Hold your soul open for my welcoming.
Let the quiet of your spirit bathe me
With its clear and rippled coolness,
That, loose-limbed and weary, I find rest,
Outstretched upon your peace, as on a bed of ivory.
Let the flickering flame of your soul play all about me,
That into my limbs may come the keenness of fire,
The life and joy of tongues of flame,
And, going out from you, tightly strung and in tune,
I may rouse the blear-eyed world,
And pour into it the beauty which you have begotten.

Release Day- May 1, 2020
Little Tea was a finalist in the Faulkner Society’s international William Wisdom Competition in the novel category
 
It is currently on the long list of the Chanticleer Review’s Somerset Awards.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“There are some parts of your history your friends won’t let you outrun.”

Celia, Renny and Ava have been friends since they were thirteen years old growing up in Como, Mississippi. Now that they are “older” the realization is “we’re in it for life. Our dogged loyalty to each other is partially based on longevity. We’ve invested too much time in each other to turn back now.”

Celia has been asked to travel the long distance from California to a lake house in Arkansas, to spend a spontaneous three days with Renny and Ava, to help Ava figure ‘some things out.’ Celia has spent her adult life cultivating a safety zone far from her youth and the memories, but this is a rare request.

Celia’s lake house reunion with Renny and Ava confronting their adult issues and emotions, is as tangled as the Spanish moss in the oak trees lining the back roads of Como, Mississippi. Celia recounts their youthful escapades, laced with memories of her closest friend, Little Tea, and coming of age in the deep South during the 80’s. This era included the civil rights movement, feminism, and effects of the Vietnam War. The past is revealed through the eyes and heart of Celia, a devoted sister and daughter, whose own Wakefield family dynamics are inseparable from Little Tea Winfrey’s family, the “overseer and house help.” To add fuel to the fire, toss in two generations of Southern mothers, who were “born and loyal to Southern ways, which is to say the less you talked about something, the less real it became.” These Southern ways kept the family shutters closed on alcoholism, depression, the racial divide and even sexuality.

“Intuition is a double-edged sword when it threatens to reveal what it is you don’t want to admit.” Readers may cry or cringe at the racially charged situations Celia and Little Tea encounter and overcome. Readers who grew up in the South will come face to face with a way of life that one hopes is in the past, but may have to admit still exists at some level in some places. When not reflecting on personal beliefs and confronting uncomfortable social morays, readers will relish author Claire Fullerton’s intricate descriptions of the woods, the lanes, the lakes or front porches. Enthralled readers anxious to get a peek into Little Tea’s future will also personally experience the Southern seasons amidst the beauty, the heat and humidity!

Soak up some Southern history and charm as you read Little Tea by Claire Fullerton. Remember your manners and as Little Tea says, ” Go on with yourself.” GR

A Spring 2020 Okra Pick
Parade’s 20 Most Anticipated Books of Early 2020
SheKnows’ 10 of the Most Anticipated Books Coming in 2020
Mary Kay Andrews’ Reading Challenge Women’s Fiction Pick
Working Mother’s 20 Most Anticipated Books of 2020 for Working Moms

From “the next major voice in Southern fiction” (Elin Hilderbrand) and the bestselling author of the Peachtree Bluff series comes an odd-couple tale of friendship that asks just how much our past choices define our happiness. 

Here “comes an odd-couple tale of friendship that asks just how much our past choices define our happiness. ”

The Grateful Reader Review: by Dorothy Schwab

Such a memorable time in our world and so many readers are having trouble concentrating – lamenting our “old” lives and the schedules that were so familiar to our hearts and digital “calendarized” brains. Here’s a chance to escape to the back porch of a stunning beach house with breathtaking views of waves, dunes, and sunsets; empty guest house included. This beautiful beachfront property belongs to Gray Howard, business owner and country club member. Her “lazy, soar on his wife’s coattails” husband has just left her for the company assistant the day after her mother’s funeral! Gray’s over-planned life is turned upside down. In the same town, Diana, aka “trailer trash orphan, has finally left her boy-friend of way too many years, been fired from her job in the photo lab at the local pharmacy, and is presently homeless; unless the Impala counts. These two gals from opposite worlds, but with so much in common, collide at the photo counter in the local drug store and thus begins the making of a very “odd couple.” Told in the alternating voice of Gray and Di, the two enter into a “symbiotic* ” friendship. Readers will surely find an emotional attachment to the servant heart of Di and come to appreciate the corporate, scheduled mind of Gray. A love story on several levels: mother/daughter, husband/wife, friend/friend. Readers will want to “sip ‘n savor” Feels Like Falling on every level.

The beaches are closed and in spite of SIP, readers can pack a tote for the backyard with lunch and a drink- tuck in a copy of Feels Like Falling -and experience a gratifying trip to the North Carolina shore.

* Symbiotic relationships are a special type of interaction between species. Sometimes beneficial, sometimes harmful, these relationships are essential to many organisms and ecosystems, and they provide a balance that can only be achieved by working together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRcVMV-gXP4&t=12s&authuser=0

Listen to Kristy tell how she was inspired to write this story of unusual friendship.

Award-winning filmmaker Jan Eliasberg’s Hannah’s War, for readers of The Nightingale and The Alice Network, is a thrilling historical debut about a female scientist working to develop the first atomic bomb during World War II, and the young military investigator determined to uncover her secret past. https://janeliasberg.com/hannahs-war-by-jan-eliasberg/

Author Jan Eliasberg sat down with Little, Brown editor Judy Clain to discuss Hannah’s War. Jan will be posting excerpts from their wide-ranging conversation about the book, Jan’s inspirations, her experiences in film and television, and her writing process. New clips will be posted regularly. https://janeliasberg.com/video-qa-series-with-jan-eliasberg/

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“What was the occasional indiscretion compared to the impending possibility of world peace on one hand or mass extinction on the other?” Jan Eliasberg’s intensely engrossing novel transports readers between Berlin, 1938, to Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1945. The suspense and secrecy surrounding the development of the atomic bomb, The Manhattan Project, keeps readers alert and ready to run for shelter. Brilliant “non-Aryan” female physicist, Hannah Weiss, has been exiled to New Mexico to lend her expertise to the mission of the research team of J. Robert Oppenheimer: Be the first to build a bomb. Major Jack Delaney, wounded in liberating Paris, arrives on a three day interrogation mission to catch the spy leaking encoded equations to Hitler’s scientists. Due to Hannah’s involvement with the infamous Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin ten years earlier, Jack, now a member of military intelligence, has decided that Hannah is the spy. Now to prove it.

Jan Eliasberg’s expert director’s eye creates a vision of intrigue and deception laced with lies; while covering the “blackboard of suspense” with the perfect equations for love to unfold and trust to develop. Is the love and trust merited, or is it all a masquerade? Readers will be trapped in Jan Eliasberg’s net until the last telegram is delivered. Five Atomic Stars! GR

Lisa Wingate is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which remained on the bestseller list for fifty-four weeks in hardcover and has sold over 2 million copies. She has penned over thirty novels and coauthored a nonfiction book, Before and After with Judy Christie. Her award-winning works have been selected for state and community One Book reads throughout the country, have been published in over forty languages, and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa and six others as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Booklist summed up her work by saying, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” She lives with her husband in North Texas. More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com where you can also sign up for her e-newsletter and follow her on social media. 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a new historical novel: the dramatic story of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives.

The Book of Lost Friends, releasing April 7 is now available for preorders through all local booksellers and online.https://lisawingate.com/books/the-book-of-lost-friends/

A link to a research trip Lisa made to plantations and other Civil War Historical sites: https://www.facebook.com/LisaWingateAuthorPage/posts/happy-to-be-wrapping-up-an-incredible-week-of-traversing-the-state-of-louisiana-/2855941477779356/

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Lisa Wingate is an author whose new book should fly into your “cart” without even reading the description. But when the description is revealed, “the hand has been dealt;” it’s a winner. Here’s a brief description from Lisa’s page:

“Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous era of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Hannie, a freed slave; Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now destitute plantation; and Juneau Jane, Lavinia’s Creole half sister. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following roads rife with vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of stolen inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage west reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.

Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt—until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, is suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled live oaks and run-down plantation homes lie the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.

“Sad thing when stories die for the lack of listenin’ ears.” Granny T

The story of Hannie, Lavinia, and Juneau Jane bundles the reader off into directions and paths that are difficult for a conscientious reader to tolerate; much less acknowledge an awareness of family and community involvement in similar situations, either by stories handed down from the 1870’s or from a primary source in the 1980’s. In either case, this dual timeline between the three young girls on their travels through Texas in 1875 and the “tales of a teacher” in rural south Louisiana, 1987. will keep readers wide eyed and awake; pondering for days how Lisa Wingate has woven such a “saga of sadness” into a ‘jump for joy” celebration for her readers.

The idea for book of lost friends actually sprang from a book lover. This avid reader, a volunteer with the Historic New Orleans Collection, was entering database information in order to preserve the history of the “Lost Friends” column. These were ads, published in the Southwestern Christian Advocate, a Methodist newspaper. The paper went to preachers, post offices, and subscription holders. Preachers read the ads from the pulpit, hoping families separated before “the Freedom” could be rejoined. After reading LW’s Before We Were Yours, this New Orleans’ book lover thought this was another, similar, piece of history.

As a “girl from south Louisiana” and a teacher, this novel had me rooting for Hannie, Lavinia, and Juneau Jane, and cheering for Benny. First year teacher, Benny was determined to make inroads into the community, the school board and most importantly to finding the keys to students’ learning that had been locked for years behind bars of prejudice: “no expectations, no encouragement, neglect, & abuse.” Benny wants her students to “see that there is no faster way to change your circumstance than to open a great book.”

So to all Grateful Reader followers: Open The Book of Lost Friends, and be changed.

The New York Times and USA Today Bestseller!

“She possessed a stunning beauty. She also possessed a stunning mind. Could the world handle both?

Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich’s plans while at her husband’s side, understanding more than anyone would guess…..”

“Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues. She embarked on a new, narratively connected series of historical novels with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The next novel in this series is the USA Today bestselling CARNEGIE’S MAID — which released in January of 2018 — and the book that followed is the New York Times bestseller THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, which published in January of 2019. In January of 2020, LADY CLEMENTINE will be released. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.” Goodreads Bio

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Deliciously MADDENING! The story of Hedy Kiesler, her astounding beauty and intellect, and what she achieves as Hedy Lamarr, is just stunning. As we celebrate “Women’s History Month,” this is the perfect book choice for a great discussion on relationships: father/daughter, mother/daughter, employer/female, husband/wife. The “maddening” part is the men who influence and lead her to wear so many masks that she hardly knows who she is under all the “shellac.”

The book opens in Vienna, Austria, 1933, whereHedy Kiesler is in her role at the theater as the nineteenth-century Bavarian empress Elizabeth. Raised in the wealthy family of a banker, Hedy’s Jewish background was not common knowledge, nor did she initially have any fears regarding her family’s heritage. It’s actually Hedy’s father’s concern for her welfare, and all Jewish people, in the wake of Hitler’s desire to annex Austria, that leads to Hedy’s marriage at the very young age of 19. She marries Fritz Mardl, a munitions manufacturer, and one of the richest men in Austria. Mr. Kiesler is sure this marriage will protect Hedy and the family.

The reader will cringe and wince many times as the manipulating ways of Fritz and his high-ranking Nazi political figures immediately impact her daily life as Mrs. Mandl. Hedy’s acting skills keep her alive in the many roles she ‘plays’ as she transforms herself over and over in order to survive. Her beauty and intellect help her defy the many men in her life who only see her outward features of gorgeous hair, fantastic figure, stunning face and style. Most of the men are quite easily beguiled so Hedy is successful when she needs her acting skills to emerge.

There are many “maddening” pieces to this novel. The same “maddening” issues women face in today’s world and workplace. Women become who others feel they need to be- many times a day! Hedy Lamarr says, “I’d midwifed myself through multiple rebirths, donning a fresh persona with every new iteration, only to return to my original veneer again and again.”

Readers will find much to discuss and ‘hash out’ as the roles of women in history are in the spotlight for the month of March. Hedy Lamarr’s determination and the pure persistence required to become a successful movie star and inventor earn her hero status. The Navy’s response for turning down her proposal will stun the reader, as it did Hedy, into “silent immobility.” After getting past the obstacles of anger and resentment for the men who changed history with such lame excuses, find a book store and buy a ticket to a “front row”, mesmerizing, unbelievable read: The Only Woman in the Room.

Camille Pagan is “the author of Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties, Forever is the Worst Long Time, The Art of Forgetting, and the #1 Kindle bestseller Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, which was recently optioned for film. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages.

In another life, she was the health editor at Real Simple and Fitness magazines; these days, she writes for publications like Fast Company, Forbes, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parade, Time, and others.”

The Grateful Reader Review: by Dorothy Schwab

No new people! That’s a tall order for anyone, but Annie is going to try this approach to living as she reacts to the loss of her job and possibly her fiance. As a true scientist, Annie Mercer, writes in her daily journal to keep the reader and the plot moving along at a quick pace. Annie’s thoughts and decisions are impacted by her house mate-depressed-hoarder mom; Leesa, long time friend and promoter of Lite Weight crystals and oils; and most importantly, the French teacher fiance, Jon. Now throw in two more variables to the “no new people” experiment: a chatty, wine drinking, fashionista of a neighbor and a private investigator and the formula for the experiment is complete. The Grateful Reader devoured Camille Pagan’s “life experiment” and the conclusion is that upon publication February 26, 2020, readers will agree with these findings: This Won’t End Well and Annie Mercer’s scientific approach to life are the ingredients for a *****star read.

A sweeping novel about the extraordinary woman who captured Napoleon’s heart, created a dynasty, and changed the course of history—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Traitor’s Wife, The Accidental Empress, and Sisi. 

Expected publication: February 11, 2020, by Ballantine Books https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/46156957

“ALLISON PATAKI is the New York Times bestselling author of THE TRAITOR’S WIFE, THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS, SISI: EMPRESS ON HER OWN, WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS, BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES, AND NELLY TAKES NEW YORK. Allison’s novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News and other outlets. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago and MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

Allison graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a major in English and spent several years in journalism before switching to fiction writing. A member of The Historical Novel Society, Allison lives in New York with her husband and daughter.” http://allisonpataki.com/

In Allison’s own words: “Desiree! The woman who was going to marry Napoleon before he broke her heart and chose Josephine instead. The woman who was then forced to remain in Josephine’s and Napoleon’s inner circles, witnessing every moment of their rise and rule. The woman who walked behind and kneeled before them in this moment when they raised themselves above God. How did Desiree feel? What did she see and know? And how did she ultimately outfox them all? Talk about your royal drama. I can’t wait for readers to meet Desiree in just two weeks and enter into the stunning story of an ordinary woman who went on to lead a most extraordinary life.”

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Queen’s Fortune takes the reader on a carriage ride through the history of 18th century France. The reader begins the journey in 1789, with an eleven year old Desiree at the Convent of Notre Dame in Southern France. The ride ends with Desiree, now the dowager Queen of Sweden, in 1860, and her death at the age of 83. The Queen’s Fortune is laced with the history of Revolutionary France and the role that Napoleon Bonaparte played in the lives of Desiree, Josephine, and their families; not to mention the armies and other countries he conquered and controlled. Napoleon thought of himself as a “shooting star, a bright and unstoppable light scorching its way across the sky!”

Following this love story, along with the detailed accounts of Napoleon’s army movements, paired with “royal movements” to the opera, salons, balls, palaces and coronations; makes for quite a compelling read. Get your French silk gown and jewels ready to join Allison and her royal readers as you learn to appreciate the true grit that it took for Desiree to follow, for most of her lifetime, in the shadow of Napoleon and Josephine. Allison Pataki will have her own “crowning” moment on publication day, February 11, 2020. The Grateful Reader grants ***** to The Queen’s Fortune.

New York, 1910: A city of extravagant balls in Fifth Avenue mansions and poor immigrants crammed into crumbling Lower East Side tenements. A city where the suffrage movement is growing stronger every day but most women reporters are still delegated to the fashion and lifestyle pages. But Vera Garland is set on making her mark in a man’s world of serious journalism. https://www.mjrose.com/books/cartiers_hope.asp?BookVar=Praise

” M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice…  Books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it.” https://www.mjrose.com/content/author.asp

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“To live a full life, you need a full heart. Even though a heart can break from loss, it’s worth the risk. “ Advice from a father to his daughter.

Cartier’s Hope is a fascinating tour of early twentieth century New York City, through the eyes of socialite, Vera Garland. Not only does the lucky reader get a glimpse of iconic places such as the Plaza Hotel, Central Park, Metropolitan Opera, and the Waldorf-Astoria; but best of all, the lush descriptions of the posh department store, Garland’s Emporium, on 57th Street; in the heart of the city’s newest uptown shopping district. Vera, the Radcliff graduate, is actually an undercover reporter for the New York World and switches adeptly into the guise of Vee Swann with her wig, glasses, and unattractive dress. She pens a weekly gossip column known as Silk, Satin, and Scandals; sourcing her material by spying on her own family, friends, and acquaintances. The column becomes so popular that Vee Swann is able to “make her mark by way of exposes and raise awareness of social ills and charitable efforts under the guise of gossip.” The reader is secretly shuffled through a tunnel designed specifically to leave the Emporium undetected. Vera/Vee could depart Granville Garland’s posh penthouse unnoticed; out onto the streets of the city to march with suffragettes in protest, visit impoverished, sickly children in tenements, and plow bravely into illegal abortion clinics; but most importantly and quite intriguing, are her forays into Pierre Cartier’s jewelry shop – sometimes as Vera and other times as Vee Swann.

Pierre Cartier, the Hope diamond, and his Russian jeweler, Jacob Asher, enter Vera’s life as she begins her investigative adventures; hired by the unscrupulous Mr. Oxley, editor and owner of the Gotham Gazette. Vera Garland follows in her hero, Nelly Blye’s footsteps, as she explores the history and the curse attributed to the infamous “French Blue.” The reader will follow the twists and turns of the merchandising world, newspaper sales, women’s rights, and the heartbreaking search for love as the quest for the Hope Diamond and family secrets captures the imagination- like Vera’s perfect strand of pearls-right to the very last page. There’s a perfect clasp to every strand of pearls, but according to Jacob, “there’s no such thing as a perfectly flawless gemstone.” M.J. Rose has presented readers a breathtaking, black velvet tray with a glittering gem waiting for inspection. *****GR

“The first address Cartier called home in New York was 712 Fifth Avenue (on the west side, at 56th street). That building has itself had a fairly drama-filled life. It had a near-death experience in the 1980s when developers wanted to tear it down, along with another building next door which has beautiful windows by Lalique (the building was once tenanted by Coty). The facades of three buildings (712, 714, and 716) were finally rescued at the last minute when they were granted landmark status – thanks largely to those windows – and while the desired skyscraper was eventually built, it had to be set well back from the street. Cartier’s offices were on the fourth floor of number 712 and thanks to the preservation of the facade, you can still gaze up at the windows through which Pierre Cartier looked out at New York.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-02/the-juicy-103-year-history-of-new-york-s-famed-cartier-mansion

Ann Howard Creel writes guaranteed heart-wrenching historical fiction. In her novels, strong female characters face unforeseen obstacles and then have to make life-changing decisions. In her new novel, MERCY ROAD, a Kentucky horsewoman who has lost everything joins an all-female team of doctors and nurses as an ambulance driver on the front lines during WW I in France. Besides writing, Ann’s other interests include old houses, new yoga routines, red wine, and all things cat. She currently lives in Paris, Kentucky. For book clubs, Ann will visit you via Skype. Contact her through her website: www.annhowardcreel.com. https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Road-Ann-Howard-Creel-ebook/dp/B07PWF72XG/ref=zg_bs_17745823011_23?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YR8JFJM5KCPP4WF7YA3T

“Arlene Favier, a young French-speaking horsewoman from Paris, Kentucky, joins the first team of the American Women’s Hospital as an ambulance driver, passes through Paris, France, and ends up serving soldiers and civilians alike on the front lines.  Amid the chaos of war, she never expects to find romantic attention from two very different soldiers, and not only does she find herself in physical danger every day, her heart and belief in the human spirit become endangered, too.  Because even during the days of life and death, things are not always as they appear to be, and not all soldiers are heroes.”Goodreads

MERCY ROAD is now available and is free for Prime members for one month.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Paris, Kentucky, to Paris, France, 1918. Such an extensive undertaking for 23 year old Arlene to travel; not only in distance, but in personal growth and maturity. “Despite all we had lost and how much our lives had changed and would continue to change going forward, we would survive.” Due to a family tragedy Arlene is catapulted into the role of family breadwinner. The fortitude and bravery displayed by Arlene and other young women at the onset of World War l is enviable and impressive. Being fluent in French benefits Arlene in many ways as she is hired by the American Women’s Hospital to be an ambulance driver-at the front lines, in France. So far from the horse farm in Kentucky. The AWH and the drivers are a part of the war on which little has been written. Much of Ann Howard Creel’s writing is based on her research from letters and journals. The ambulance drivers are true heroes at the front lines, transporting and saving the lives of countless soldiers.

Arlene, thinking of her superior, Dr. Beryl Rayne: “I saw her as crossing her own version of no-man’s land; on one side, the limitations and expectations put on women, and on the other side, her drive to do what she knew she could and must do. I viewed her as charting a new course through a changed world.” Ann Howard Creel’s descriptions of the day in and day out suffering and exhausting surgeries performed by the doctors and nurses is gut wrenching; along with the vividly detailed scenes of what the ambulance drivers endured, as these men and women transported severely injured soldiers, screaming in pain and agony, to the hospitals speedily set up outside French villages.

Readers will also “travel” with Arlene as she not only moves from ” quiet scenes of beauty and tranquility into the urgency and thunder of war,” but along with her as her young heart is led in two different directions. The growth of Arlene from the naive, dependent daughter of a wealthy Kentucky horse farmer to a determined, confidant, independent, well traveled & experienced young woman is compelling and empowering. Mercy Road is a great choice for readers who wonder, “What would I do in similar circumstances? Would I have the drive to do what I can and must do to survive?” For a full recovery, the Grateful Reader prescribes a day of rest along with this 5***** Mercy Road – for a full dose of confidence and empowerment.

Travel with Arlene as she fulfills her assignments from Kentucky to France:

“Our minds have changed. Our vision has changed. Now we can more clearly see what’s important.” Mercy Road by Anne Howard Creel

“Set against the natural beauty of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, acclaimed author Cathy Lamb’s latest novel tells the emotionally compelling story of one woman’s life-changing discovery about her past . . .“

https://cathylamb.org/ Published October 29, 2019

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“Evie was often anxious, obsessive, now and then depressed and a worried person that would find being a hermit a pleasant occupation. She talked to animals as if they were people and slept with three dogs and four cats; had to be alone a lot to keep her head on straight, and who had a passion for books….” This last phrase is the “hook!”

Evie is adorable, loves her soon to be wed sister, Jules, and lives with her mom, Poppy, Aunt Iris and Aunt Camellia. Cathy Lamb, author, asks, “Do you believe in premonitions?” The thing is, Evie has been gifted or cursed with having premonitions and has dealt with them since she was a young child; helping some or not & saving others! This is a story of sisters and their loyalty and love for each other, a mother and her sisters’ secrets, and coming to grips with the truth-no matter the outcome.

This novel made me think, laugh, reminisce, cry, and grow to love the quirky characters: three adorable, old ladies, their hat parades, flower garden & marijuana plants; Marco, Evie’s handsome veterinarian, (but wait, there’s a premonition involved), Jules, Evie’s sister & her biker fiance, Mack, and for goodness sake, not to leave out new police chief, Reginald Ashburn III, aka: Chief Ass Burn! (readers will grow to hate him rather than love him).

Oh goodness. Did I mention that Evie owns a bookstore? Yes, so there’s lots of regular or random customers, scheduled book club meetings, along with oodles of delicious cakes & coffee served to the readers on the deck looking out to sea. This is the windy, island backdrop for Evie’s premonitions that come true and some that don’t. Cathy Lamb’s All About Evie features a glorious island with delightful friends & an equally charming bookstore; paired with a heart wrenching story told in a dual timeline of a mother’s love for her daughter and the steps she will take to save her, lifelong best friends, sisters of two generations, and, of course, the lovable animals that have their own role in the delightful drama that ensues. Totally a ***** charming read. GR

Susan Meissner was born in San Diego, California, the second of three. She spent her childhood in just two houses. She attended Point Loma College in San Diego, and married her husband, Bob, who is now an associate pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves, in 1980. When she is not working on a new novel, she is directing the small groups ministries at The Church at Rancho Bernardo. She also enjoys teaching workshops on writing and dream-following, spending time with family, music, reading great books, and traveling.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Touched by tragedy, a century apart, Clara Wood and Taryn Michaels are connected by a century old scarf. Clara, is a nurse on Ellis Island, after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, and Taryn is a widow raising her daughter alone, after the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers. The timeline of the historical events in 1911 are set against the contemporary events of September 11, 2001. Clara and Taryn each face situations that can only be described as ethical dilemmas. These choices make for great self evaluation and also revealing group discussions. I specifically appreciated the description of the events of September 11, from the perspective of a terrified observer on the street as that horrible day unfolded. Not that this is “enjoyable,” but that Susan Meissner takes you to the street level among the masses of struggling people with her words; her vivid descriptions; you are there. Clara and Taryn also find themselves in that “in between place” as survivors of tragedy. This is another compelling thread for self analysis and group discussion: Do you believe in destiny; that God has a purpose for each of our lives? A Fall of Marigolds will provide the reader with historical insights and personal reflection for years to come. GR*****

“The scarf billowed up between us, soft and eager to fly. I caught a whiff of fragrance in its threads, delicate and sweet. In the sunlight it looked less like fire and more like a burst of monarch butterflies. I could see a cascading fall of marigolds splashed across the fabric.”

New York City the day Taryn is supposed to meet Kent. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory One Year Later: “The tragedy brought widespread attention to the dangerous sweatshop conditions of factories, and led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of workers.” Notice the FIRE ESCAPE sign!

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City on March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. WikipediaDate: March 25, 1911

Location: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, New York,

NY Number of deaths: 146 Injuries: 78

Owner: Two weeks after the fire, a grand jury indicted Triangle Shirtwaist owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck on charges of manslaughter.

Ellis Island: Clara arrived here to work in the hospital after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/ellis-island

Coming September 10, 2019 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43386062-the-last-train-to-london

“Meg Waite Clayton  is a New York Timesbestselling author of the forthcoming THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON (HarperCollins, Sept 10, 2019), the #1 Amazon fiction bestseller BEAUTIFUL EXILES, the Langum-Prize honored national bestseller THE RACE FOR PARIS — recommended reading by Glamour Magazine and the BBC, and an Indie Next Booksellers’ pick — and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Essential Best Friend Novels” of all time. Her THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT was a finalist for the Bellwether Prize (now PEN/Bellwether Prize), and she’s written essays for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Runner’s World, Writer’s Digest and lots of other swanky publications she never imagined she might! “

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Last Train to London is the story of how one Dutch woman changed the lives of thousands of children in 1938-1939. Geertruida Wijsmuller-Tante Truus, to the children of Vienna, made it her life work to rescue Jewish children, with an effort known as Vienna Kindertransport.

This is an emotional tale of a woman’s love for children, her pain at the loss of several of her own and her unending love and dedication to her husband Joop and of course, to the thousands of children she rescued. Tante Truus’ story is told through the lives of Stephan Neumann, son of a wealthy chocolatier, and Sofie-Helene, the child prodigy and daughter of a newspaper journalist, Kathe Perger. Stephan’s little brother, Walter and his rabbit, Peter, along with JoJo, Sofie-Helene’s 3 year old sister will also pull at your heartstrings. Will Stephan, Sofie-Helene, and siblings make the cut for the first 600 to leave Vienna? Will all of them escape and be joined with new families as they make attempts to obtain visas and leave Vienna? What becomes of the parents left behind? What becomes of all those children?

The journey of the children, their unbelievable endurance of the pain and suffering involved in being sent away to “safety,” and the unimaginable courage on the part of the parents; will not soon leave the mind or heart of the readers of The Last Train to London.

Sofie-Helene is my absolute favorite character! She is a math genius with extraordinary skills and abilities to make herself “figure” right into the plans of Tante Truus. She sleuthed her way into Stephan’s heart and you’ll discover she’s got a formula that equals love for all of us.

Here are some images and links to some of the real life characters mentioned in the book that will help the reader:

Kindertransport (Children’s Transport) was the informal name of a series of rescue efforts which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to Great Britain from Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1940.Kindertransport, 1938–40 | The Holocaust Encyclopedia
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kindertransport-1938-40

” Resistance worker GeertruidaWijsmuller fought courageously to save thousands of Jews from certain deathat the hands of the Nazis. Geertruida, or Truus, as her friends called her, wasborn into a prosperous well-connected family and lived in Amsterdam. In December1938, Truus went to meet Adolph Eichmann in Vienna to request permission for600 Jewish children to leave Austria for England. She was given permission totake 600 Jewish children to England under the provision that they leave withinfive days.  “http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4018228

“Otto Adolf Eichmann wasa German-Austrian Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizersof the Holocaust. “https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Eichmann

” Stefan Zweig was anAustrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of hisliterary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most popular writersin the world.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stefan-Zweig

Available NOW! Trailer for The Spies of Shilling Lane: https://youtu.be/All1nGJxkQw

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A rollicking adventure set in England, 1941. The plucky Mrs. Braithwaite has been dethroned from her position as head of the local WVS-Women’s Voluntary Service. As she considers her lack of standing in the community of Ashcombe Village, her “point to ponder” is “How do you measure the success of your life?” She writes the answer in her trusty notebook: “Social Standing. Reputation. How the world sees you.”

The despondent but determined Mrs. Braithwaite takes us with her on a grand mission to find her 21 year old daughter, Betty, recently moved to London, and from whom she’s only received 5 letters. This is NOT a good sign at all. As Mrs. Braithwaite barges her way into London, by way of Victoria Station, she encounters Mr. Norris, Betty’s landlord, along with Flossie and Cassandra -the other quite questionable renters. From here the adventures begin; including encounters with shady and sometimes not shady characters: Nazi sympathizers, the injured B. Braithwaite, Anthony Metcalf, and various jaunts into the pubs, markets, warehouses, and even the British Museum.

The Spies of Shilling lane is a historical mystery that will keep you guessing and also hoping that as Mrs. Braithwaite searches for Betty she also finds the real answer to her question, “How do you measure the success of your life?”

Favorite quotes:

“Little did I know that in searching for my daughter, I’d finally find myself.” Mrs. Braithwaite

“It was if his heart had been cracked open……..waiting for the right setting, the right evening, the right company.” Mr. Norris

“When your mother dies, it feels as if the earth you stand on collapses beneath you.” Blanche Braithwaite.

This is a lighthearted mystery wrapped in the arms of love between mother & daughter, soul searching and self reflection, along with delicious humor. ***** from the GR

Music Mentions:

In the Mood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CI-0E_jses

Singin’ in the Rain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40ushYAaYA

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ybM51Q-

Available NOW! Publication Date: August 13, 2019 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNG7ZNM/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07MNG7ZNM&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Kristin Harmel is the international bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amélie and The Sweetness of Forgetting, along with several other novels. Her work has been featured in People, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, and Ladies’ Home Journal, among many other media outlets. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

The Grateful Reader Review: By Dorothy Schwab

This is a novel for those that love France, Champagne, and stories of love, regret, and forgiveness. The lives of Ines, Celine, and Liv intersect across the years of World War ll and present day. The reader will learn of Nazi collaborators, members of the Resistance, and Liv’s “impossibly spry” grandmother and her connection to Paris and Champagne Chauveau. The descriptions of hidden caves, secrets of “riddling” the Champagne, along with the winding roads to Reims and Epernay, keep the reader anxious to get to the “bottom of the bottle” to discover the true outcome of the lies and secrets held for so long. The Grateful Reader “sipped and savored” every page of this ‘gold medal’ read. 5*

Reims is a city in northeastern France’s Grand Est region. It’s the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.

Views of the vineyards in the Champagne wine-growing region of France.