Sold On A Monday - Kristina McMorris - 5 Stars!

This story was heart breaking.  That a family during the Great Depression would be so broke and hungry that they couldn’t feed their children so would put up a sign to sell them is the story that this book was based on.  This story is fiction, although the truth of the matter was that during that time period there were many families who had to give up children for adoption, sell them, send them to relatives, etc…because they were no longer able to earn a living and feed everyone.  This story is so real and powerful that I had to read it all in one sitting.  I put it down a few times, only to clear things out of the way so that I could read some more.  This book was riveting, and so well written, that it really struck a cord with me.  I remember seeing the cover a few other places before I was able to get it to read and just the cover makes you want to pick the book up and find out what the story is behind the picture.  I say to the author, well done!  She knocked it out of the park.

Free from Netgalley.com My review is absolutely voluntary! 

Description as found on Netgalley.com:

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes another unforgettable novel inspired by a stunning piece of history.

2 CHILDREN FOR SALE

The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931 but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs, and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.

At the paper, Lillian Palmer is haunted by her role in all that happened. She is far too familiar with the heartbreak of children deemed unwanted. As the bonds of motherhood are tested, she and Ellis must decide how much they are willing to risk to mend a fractured family.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home

The Love Letter from Author Rachel Hauck - 4 Stars

I did enjoy this book.  It does go back and forth from modern day Hollywood to the heart of the Revolutionary War.  A show is fashioned from a love letter passed down through the family to Jesse who writes a screenplay based on the love affair of Esther and Hamilton.  The letter was written by Hamilton who finally writes of his love for Esther.  Her Father wanted her to have nothing to do with Hamilton who she knew from childhood.  He just didn’t feel Hamilton was appropriate especially as Hamilton joins the war, fighting on the opposite side as Esther’s Father supports.  Esther is head over heels in love with Hamilton and can’t get him out of her heart.  Chloe who is to play Esther finds herself sharing a compelling attraction to Jesse, neither wants to be involved with anyone, but they can’t seem to help themselves.  This story is mainly about two star-crossed lovers from the past, with links to the present…..and there is the mystery all through the book what was in the letter and will they end up together.

I received this book free from Netgalley.com in kindle format in exchange for an honest review which you see above.

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a story of long-lost love and its redemption in future generations.

Romance has never been actress Chloe Daschle’s forte—in life or on screen. But everyone knows who to call for a convincing death scene . . . and it might be killing her career.

When Chloe is given a peek at the script for an epic love story, she decides to take her destiny into her own hands and request an audition for the lead female role, Esther Kingsley. The compelling tale, inspired by family lore and a one-page letter from the colonial ancestor of scriptwriter Jesse Gates, just might break her out of this career-crippling rut. Jesse would rather write about romance than live through it after his past relationship ended in disaster. But once on-set together, the chemistry between Jesse and his leading lady is hard to deny.

Centuries earlier, in the heart of the Revolutionary War, Hamilton Lightfoot and Esther Longfellow wrote their saga off the silver screen. Esther’s Loyalist father opposes any relationship with Hamilton, but Esther must face her beloved father’s disapproval and the dangers of war in order to convince Hamilton of their future together. Hamilton has loved Esther for years, and on the eve of battle pens the love letter she’s always wanted—something straight from the heart.  

Set in stunning upcountry South Carolina, The Love Letter is a beautifully crafted story of the courage it takes to face down fear and chase after love, even in the darkest of times. And just maybe, all these generations later, love can come home in a way not even Hollywood could imagine.

Lady Be Good by Amber Brock --- 5 Stars!

I got an advance copy of this book and couldn't put it down!  I finished it the day after I opened it.  It starts in 1950's New York with a daughter of a hotel magnate and her best friend. Her Father gives her an ultimatum that she must start seeing one of his employees, his second hand in the operations of his hotel, or she can start working in housekeeping!  He has been running his businesses without any assistance and wants to make sure that things will go on with the help of a husband for her after he is gone.  She cooks up this trip to Miami with her friend, to say that she’ll be seeing the gentleman on his trip as he’ll be gone for a while.  The real reason for her, is to stay in touch with the band members and to get her friend away from her cheating boyfriend who her family wants her to marry.  They end up going on the trip to Miami and then to Cuba!  They get involved with members of the band which is not done in those days.  The story is so well written you can almost feel the heat in Miami and hear the Latin music!  This book is entertaining, well written and a page turner! 

I received this book from the author through the Good Reads program.  It was sent in the hopes that I would write a review of the book which I have voluntarily done so. 

Description as found on Good Reads: Set in the 1950s, Lady Be Good is Amber Brock's mesmerizing return, sweeping readers into the world of the mischievous, status-obsessed daughter of a hotel magnate and the electric nightlife of three iconic cities: New York, Miami, and Havana. 

Kitty Tessler is the winsome and clever only child of self-made hotel and nightclub tycoon Nicolas Tessler. Kitty may not have the same pedigree as the tennis club set she admires, but she still sees herself as every inch the socialite--spending her days perfecting her "look" and her nights charming all the blue-blooded boys who frequent her father's clubs. It seems like the fun will never end until Kitty's father issues a terrible ultimatum: she may no longer date the idle rich. Instead, Kitty must marry Andre, her father's second-in-command, and take her place as the First Lady of his hotel empire. Kitty is forced to come up with a wily and elaborate plan to protect her own lofty ideas for the future, as well as to save her best friend, Henrietta Bancroft, from a doomed engagement: Kitty will steal Henrietta's fiance, a fabulously wealthy but terribly unkind man from a powerful family--thereby delivering the one-two punch of securing her now-fragile place on the social ladder and keeping her friend from a miserable marriage.

Then Kitty meets Max, a member of a band visiting New York from her father's Miami club, and her plans take a turn. Smitten, but still eager to convince her father of her commitment to Andre, Kitty and Hen follow Max, Andre, and the rest of the band back down to Miami--and later to Cuba. As Kitty spends more time with Max, she begins waking up to the beauty--and the injustice--of the world beyond her small, privileged corner of Manhattan. And when her well-intended yet manipulative efforts backfire, Kitty is forced to reconsider her choices and her future before she loses everyone she loves.

“Kitty Tessler, a headstrong glamour girl determined to move up in the world, steals the spotlight in Amber Brock’s latest, a tour-de-force filled with intrigue and surprises.” -- Fiona Davis, nationally bestselling author of The Address and The Dollhouse