Friday, January 21, 2022

Gideon's Grandchildren ~ Book Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway!

GIDEON'S GRANDCHILDREN
by Bill Jaquette

Book Details:
Genre:  Adult Fiction
Categories: Legal, Criminal Law, and General Fiction
Pages:  228 pages
Publisher:  ARJ Publishing
Release date:  November, 2021
Tour dates: Jan 10 to Jan 28, 2022
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. References to sex and violence and profanity
 

Book Description:
Steve Cole is a young public defense attorney with a long list of clients: Among them is Jeff Harris, who is facing a life sentence under a law that Steve believes is cruel and unfair. When Harris is presented with a plea bargain that would spare him a life sentence, Steve urges his client to accept. Steve is shocked when Harris turns down the plea bargain in favor of going to trial. Steve quickly finds himself in the most difficult case of his career, in addition to all his other clients. Nevertheless, Steve grows to respect Harris and the decision he made, compelling him to work tirelessly for a not-guilty verdict for Harris.

Throughout the novel, author Bill Jaquette weaves his own thirty-plus years’ experience in public defense and provides readers with an intimate look at the day-to-day lives and struggles of public defense attorneys. The result is a compassionate portrayal of some of the most critical figures in the American courts, their clients, and the arduous and complicated role of maintaining justice.


Buy the Book:
Amazon
B&N ~ Book Depository


Meet the Author:

Bill Jaquette practiced law for over forty years. During that time, he served as a deputy prosecuting attorney and was also in private practice. A substantial part of his career, however, was as a public defender, including thirty years with the Snohomish County Public Defender Association, of which he was also director. In addition to his JD from the University of Washington, Bill holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Missouri and, prior to his career in law, served as a tenured member of the philosophy faculty at Southwest Missouri State University.

Gideon’s Grandchildren is his first novel.

connect with the author: website
 

 
Enter the Giveaway: 
THREE WINNERS!
eBook copies of GIDEON'S GRANDCHILDREN
(ends February 4, 2022)

GIDEON'S GRANDCHILDREN Spotlight Book Tour Giveaway


Tour Schedule:

Jan 10 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 11 – Kam's Place – book spotlight
Jan 11 - 
Book Corner News and Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 14 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 17 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 18 – Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 19 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 20 – Celticlady 's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 21 – Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 21 - 
Books are a Blessing  - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 24 Splashes of Joy  - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 24 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Jan 25 – Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 26 – Sefina Hawke's Books – book spotlight
Jan 26 - 
Stephanie Jane - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 27 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 28 – Mysweetenedlifebychix – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 28 
fundinmental - book spotlight / giveaway


 

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

James Dreadful and the Tomb of Forgotten Secrets ~ Book Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway!

JAMES DREADFUL AND THE
TOMB OF FORGOTTEN SECRETS
(The Dreadful Series, Book 2)
BY ALAN CREED
Genre:  Fiction 
Categories: YA Fantasy (Ages 13-17)
Pages: 332 pages
Publisher:  Creed Publishing
Release date:  October 19, 2021
Content Rating:  PG-13 for profanity and some references to drinking.
 

Book Description:

James Dreadful’s Epic Adventure Continues in Book Two of the Dreadful Series

After narrowly escaping a contract with his father’s evil servant Rekenhowler, James reluctantly decides to return home to the Cades Isles to live out the rest of his youth training to become a sorcerer. The only problem: James and his companions are adrift on the boat Persephone in the Realm of Shadows without a crew.

When a stowaway aboard Persephone informs James that his father—the Dark Lord—might have been mind-slaved by the mysterious, evil Cowl, James is shocked. The only proof that he will accept is the soul of his father, which he learns is lodged deep in the Tomb of Forgotten Secrets. In confronting his father’s soul, James can learn the truth about the Dark Lord—and if he is destined to become one himself.

But before he can reach the Tomb, James must travel to Sarvelok, an island protected by raiders, to retrieve the key his uncle Oskar stole from him. Attacking the island would be suicide—but possible with the help of Rekenhowler. The price James will have to pay, however, is too high, but without it, will he ever learn the truth of his father—and his own fate? 

Buy the Book:
Amazon

Meet the Author:

Alan Creed fell in love with storytelling after seeing Star Wars for the first time as a child. When he was ten years old, his tutor asked him to write sentences containing three words: Ocean, Desert, and Jungle. Instead of sentences, Alan wrote a 103-page story entitled Journey through the Desert. That's when he knew he wanted to be a writer. His 103-page story served as the source material for the Dreadful Series. Alan is currently working on the next installment in the James Dreadful series.

connect with the author: website ~ goodreads
 
 

Enter the Giveaway:

THREE WINNERS!
eBook copies of James Dreadful and the Tomb of Forgotten Secrets, The Dreadful Series Book 2
(Ends February 4, 2022)

JAMES DREADFUL AND THE TOMB OF FORGOTTEN SECRETS Book Tour Giveaway


Tour Schedule:

Jan 10 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 10 - Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 11 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 – redpillows – book spotlight
Jan 13 -
 Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 13 – Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 14 – Lynchburg Reads – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 17 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 17 - Gold Dust Editing & Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 18 – Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 19 – GivernyReads – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 20 – Books, Tea, Healthy Me – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 20 - StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 21 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 21 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 24 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 25 – Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 25 - Sefina Hawke's Books – book spotlight
Jan 26 – Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight
Jan 26 - Books for Books – book spotlight
Jan 27 – Kam's Place – book spotlight
Jan 28 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway 


 

Monday, January 17, 2022

The Vanished Collection ~ Book Blog Tour Review

THE VANISHED COLLECTION

by Pauline Baer de Perignon

Translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer

La Collection Disparue was first published in French on 9/9/2020

Nonfiction / Memoir
January 11, 2022
256 pages
Available in paperback and ebook

   


SYNOPSIS
It all started with a list of paintings.

There, scribbled by a cousin she hadn’t seen for years, were the names of the masters whose works once belonged to her great-grandfather, Jules Strauss: Renoir, Monet, Degas, Tiepolo and more.

Pauline Baer de Perignon knew little to nothing about Strauss, or about his vanished, precious art collection. But the list drove her on a frenzied trail of research in the archives of the Louvre and the Dresden museums, through Gestapo records, and to consult with Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano.

What happened in 1942? And what became of the collection after Nazis seized her great-grandparents’ elegant Parisian apartment?

The quest takes Pauline Baer de Perignon from the Occupation of France to the present day as she breaks the silence around the wrenching experiences her family never fully transmitted, and asks what art itself is capable of conveying over time.

PRAISE FOR THE VANISHED COLLECTION
“Riveting … This page-turner will delight art history and mystery fans alike.” Publishers Weekly

“Undeniably intriguing … memorable and often moving. A fascinating journey to uncover lost family secrets—and treasure.” — Kirkus Reviews

“As devourable as a thriller… Incredibly moving.” —Elle

“Stimulated by a desire to write, Pauline unconsciously understands that what she really wants is to bear witness. As if in a Kubrick film, she opens a door and a river of blood pours out on her. With valued assistance from Modiano, Pauline digs into this shocking story that amazes and breaks the heart … transforming an unfortunately commonplace account of paintings stolen by the Nazis into a breathtaking novel of suspense.” —Le Figaro

“Pauline Baer de Perignon is a natural storyteller―refreshingly honest, curious and open. Like the best memoirists, she manages to tell multiple stories simultaneously, to delicately layer meanings and narratives. Here is not only a riveting art world mystery, but an utterly personal, heartfelt, and extremely intelligent story of a woman doing everything she can to uncover the truths of her family.” ―Menachem Kaiser, author of Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure

“For decades the lost Jules Strauss collection lay shrouded in mystery. First the Nazi expropriation, followed by the family’s own denial. Finally through determination a great-granddaughter is able to piece together previously buried clues. Pauline Baer’s goal is justice, but an unexpected consequence is a poignant connection with lost family and a keener understanding of history.” — Simon Goodman, author of The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family’s Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis

   

Order It 
On New Vessel Press
On Bookshop
 / On Amazon



REVIEW

HALL WAYS REVIEW: When I read the premise of The Vanished Collection by Pauline Baer de Perignon, I was immediately enticed to read it. Even the cover blurb promised a nonfiction story that would read like fiction with elements of intrigue and mystery as the author researched and uncovered long-buried family secrets. Did the Nazis seize her Jewish great-grandfather’s art collection? Did her great-grandfather, Jules Strauss, make a deal to keep himself and family from deportation during the German occupation of France? Were national museums intentionally holding paintings from their rightful owners?

The story was translated from the French (by Natasha Lehrer – bravo!), and the Francophile in me delighted at the mostly Parisian settings, the sprinkling of French words, and naturally, the general French way. (I liked it so much that I’m considering buying the original version, La collection disparue, just to have a re-read with a slightly different spin.) Not only is there French appeal, but the librarian in me also rejoices in how various librarians give the author the tools and information to find what she needs.

“The truth was I worked with a blend of instinct, enthusiasm, and curiosity … the truth was, I was making it all up as I went along.”

One of the endearing qualities of The Vanished Collection is how readers will connect with author Baer de Perignon. Her drive – or is it a calling? An obsession, even? – is just there. Her instinct tells her that there are things just waiting to be uncovered. At times, she seeks inspiration and direction from the long-dead Jules, almost channeling him to hear his cryptic words. At other times, she is pumping relatives for information, and it’s clear that not everyone wants to remember what she’s asking them to recall. And she even seeks answers from the artworks themselves, staring and studying and listening to their quiet messages.

I consider myself an art appreciator, but by no means am I well-educated in art history. Even so, I know the value of the various pieces Jules owned is staggering – as is the notoriety of the artists whose works he possessed: Monet, Degas, Renoir, Sisley, Tiepolo, and more. I found learning the process of uncovering a piece of art’s provenance fascinating, and it also angered me to be reminded of how often the Nazis took what wasn’t theirs to take and destroyed lives in the process. It further angered me to see that reparations are still slow to happen (if they happen at all), even with overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing in hand.

The Vanished Collection is an engaging book, easily read in one sitting, but whose story lingers long after the final pages are turned. The author’s journey into the past, along with her unexpected journey of self-discovery into the present, create a not-to-be-missed story. 

Thank you to France Book Tours for providing a print ARC in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pauline Baer de Perignon has co-authored film scripts and directed writing workshops in Paris where she lives. The Vanished Collection is her first book.

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