What Lies Below ~ ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Book Trailer, & Giveaway!

WHAT LIES BELOW

by

Barbara Taylor Sissel 

Genre: Contemporary Mystery / Literary Suspense
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Date of Publication: May 15, 2018

Number of Pages: 334
  

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Gilly O’Connell’s nightmares aren’t just bad dreams; they’re glimpses of terrifying realities to come. Gilly has spent her entire life trying to suppress the foreboding visions. So when a dismissed premonition leads to her husband’s murder, she buries the guilt and pain of the unsolved crime in the only way she knows how—she runs from it.

Three years later, after overcoming a battle with addiction and starting over in a small Texas town, Gilly dares to believe the worst is over. That is, until another crime rips her heart open: the abduction of a three-year-old girl. Gilly knows more about it than anyone…

She’s dreaming again.

Gilly is convinced that if she tells the police she dreamed of the kidnapping before it happened, there’s no way they’ll believe her. But when she finally gets the courage to come forward with what she saw, people don’t see her as crazy—they see her as a suspect.

Now, in order to help a desperate single father save his child, Gilly must first clear her own name. But as the nightmares of the past catch up to her, Gilly’s only chance for salvation might be the dreams she’s spent so long trying to ignore.

PRAISE FOR WHAT LIES BELOW:
“Infused with heart-stopping suspense, emotional resonance, and startling imagery, What Lies Below swept me along a river of urgency and dread. Barbara Taylor Sissel effortlessly weaves together prescience, regret, grief, love, and revenge—all wrapped in the mystery of a young girl’s abduction. Beneath the breathless immediacy of the story lie deeper questions: How do we forgive ourselves—and others—for remembered transgressions, and can we ever break free of the past?” —A. J. Banner, #1 Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife

“Barbara Taylor Sissel’s What Lies Below is suspense at its finest—heartrending, compelling, and beautifully written. If you’re looking for your next up-all-night read, look no further.” —Jessica Strawser, author of Almost Missed You and Not That I Could Tell

“I cannot emphasize this enough: you must read What Lies Below. Barbara Taylor Sissel manages to combine an unreliable narrator, twisting plot, and well imagined characters to create a world where nothing is as it seems and secrets abound. I had intended to savor the novel’s lovely prose but wound up devouring the book in a day. Simply fantastic.” —Karen McQuestion, bestselling author of Hello Love

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Barbara Taylor Sissel writes issue oriented, upmarket women's fiction that is threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime affects the family. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was raised in various locations across the US and once lived with her family on the grounds of a first offender prison facility. The experience, interacting with the inmates and staff, provided a unique insight into the inmate's lives, the circumstances behind the crimes they committed, and the impact on the families that were affected. The bestselling author of nine novels, her stories focus on the family at the heart of the crime. An avid gardener and the mother of two grown sons, Barbara lives in the Texas Hill Country. She’s represented by Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

 ║Website ║ Facebook ║ BookBub║
║ Amazon Author Page ║
║ Twitter  ║ Goodreads║

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1st PRIZE:
SIGNED COPY OF BOOK + BOOKMARK + $15 AMAZON GIFT CARD 
2nd PRIZE: 
SIGNED COPY OF BOOK + BOOKMARK

MAY 15-24, 2018

(US ONLY)

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VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

5/15/18	Excerpt	Texas Book Lover
5/15/18	Bonus Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/16/18	Review	Dressed to Read
5/17/18	Author Interview	That's What She's Reading
5/18/18	Review	The Clueless Gent
5/19/18	Notable Quotable/Bonus Review	The Love of a Bibliophile
5/20/18	Notable Quotable	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
5/21/18	Review	A Page Before Bedtime
5/22/18	Guest Post Part 1	Reading by Moonlight
5/23/18	Guest Post Part 2	Books in the Garden
5/24/18	Review	Book Fidelity

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The Way of Beauty ~ ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Audio Book Review, & Giveaway!

THE WAY OF BEAUTY

by

Camille Di Maio

Genre: Historical Fiction / 20th Century / Literary
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Date of Publication: May 1, 2018

Number of Pages: 384

  

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Hearts and dreams evolve in the shadow of the once-magnificent Penn Station.

Vera Keller, the daughter of German immigrants in turn-of-the-century New York City, finds her life upended when the man she loves becomes engaged to another woman. But Angelo Bellavia has also inadvertently opened up Vera’s life to unexpected possibilities. Angelo’s new wife, Pearl, the wealthy daughter of a clothing manufacturer, has defied her family’s expectations by devoting herself to the suffrage movement. In Pearl, Vera finds an unexpected dear friend…and a stirring new cause of her own. But when Pearl’s selfless work pulls her farther from Angelo and their son, the life Vera craved is suddenly within her reach—if her conscience will allow her to take it.

Her choice will define not only her future but also that of her daughter, Alice.

Vera and Alice—a generation and a world apart—are bound by the same passionate drive to fulfill their dreams. As first mother and then daughter come of age in a city that is changing as rapidly as its skyline, they’ll each discover that love is the only constant.

PRAISE FOR THE WAY OF BEAUTY:

"The Way of Beauty is a thing of beauty. The writing is gorgeous, the story is engaging, the characters are amazing. The amount of research that goes into historical fiction just astounds me. Add this to your TBR!”

"If you want to be swept away by a love story set in a fascinating and meticulously researched past, Camille Di Maio is the author for you. Don't miss this one."

“A captivating story of love and family that spans several generations."

"The writing transports you to the time, not so long ago when women had to choose between love and their rights. Camille Di Maio's dialogue, descriptions, and relationships create a complete picture of the era and struggles. Great book club book." 

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CHECK OUT THE BOOK TRAILER!

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: AUDIO BOOK / PRINT COMBO REVIEW. Warning! This book is going to take way longer to read with your ears than indicated. And that’s NOT a problem since what slowed me down was stopping, re-playing, and writing down the numerous quotes that caught my ear. The Way of Beauty is a treasure chest full of memorable lines uttered by characters with whom we want to spend time and know better. Listening to the story unfold makes the reader disappear into the past and into the hearts of the generations of people who live there.

In her first book, The Memory of Us, author Camille Di Maio convinced me that I am, in fact, capable of enjoying reading a romance. Happily, The Way of Beauty seals the deal, but like TMOU, it sets the bar high for all other books to follow.  Camille’s books are gloriously literary, and the reader is swept into the passion and love the characters develop for each other. But the romance element is so much more than between people. Di Maio manages to evoke an air of romance with the setting and the times and the history. Readers fall in love with every piece of it, generation after generation.

“It was the one good thing about having little. There was little to lose.” 

While there is passion abounding, Di Maio also brings in the less than beautiful truths of the early 20^th century. She has done considerable research that highlights the ugliness associated with immigration, workplace safety, extreme poverty, women’s rights, prejudice, sexual harassment, and war – and the government's lack of interest or ability to handle the issues. (Hmm. And we are still dealing with new iterations of these same issues today.) Without being preachy or feeling like a history lesson, the book informs, subtly, and makes the reader think. The historical details are seamlessly woven into the rich tapestry that is The Way of Beauty.

“What was the value of a life of a man when thousands of immigrants were desperate to take his place?”

There is a stark contrast between the privileged and the poor, but glamour is often presented in terms of the sacrifice it took to make that glamour happen. Again, Di Maio makes the reader think about the conveniences we take for granted and, literally, the lives forever altered or lost to provide them to us.

The Way of Beauty is clean (tasteful and classy), and cleanly edited, and the writing is lyrical and even dreamy at times. Dialogues are natural and work to further immerse the reader in the setting. Written in two parts, the story flows smoothly from that of Vera to that of Alice, Vera’s daughter. There is a prologue with one sentence that demands explanation that will begin niggling at the reader as Alice’s story progresses in part two. Audio book listeners miss out on this, but for those who read the book with their eyes, don’t skip the informative Author’s Note for even more tidbits to enrich the story. (And the Acknowledgments. Thank YOU, Camille, for sharing your beautiful stories with us. I am honored.) My only complaint is that I wanted more of everything! The story spans many years, and I hated missing out on any of the delicious details that surely must have happened in the in-betweens. I think a novella just about Vera and Angelo is in order!

The narration, performed by Meredith Starkman, is well-done. I listened at 1.25x speed, which was perfect for me and didn’t alter the vibe of the story. Starkman’s voicing of male characters is especially good, and she handles both the Italian and German accents and pronunciations admirably. Vera and Pearl are perfection. In part two, Alice sounds a bit too modern-teenish rather than how I would imagine a teen in the ‘40s should sound. And Emmett seems creepy instead of mysterious, and I’m not sure he reads that way. Overall, Starkman does a great job of keeping the pace even and there are no glitches or mispronounced words that I noticed.  The style and pace of The Way of Beauty translate very well as an audio book.  

Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me the audio book and the eBook in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.

MORE LINES THAT CAUGHT MY EAR:

“She might never be able to see the world, but all the world came to her through the tunnels of Penn Station.” 

“Why do people change their voices when speaking to someone in sorrow? As if death were played on the left side of the piano while life was played on the right.” 

“Being a strong woman didn't mean she couldn't accept assistance, especially when she really did need it.” 

“Our wrinkles tell our story, etched out like a road map. That’s the way of beauty. Birth, middle age, decline.” 

~Romance Writers of America Honor Roll Inductee~

Camille recently left an award-winning real estate career in San Antonio to become a full-time writer. Along with her husband of 19 years, she enjoys raising their four children. She has a bucket list that is never-ending and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She's lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai'i to feel like a local. She's traveled to four continents (so far) and met Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. She just about fainted when she had a chance to meet her musical idol, ‪Paul McCartney, too. Camille studied political science in college but found working on actual campaigns much more fun. She overdoses on goodies at farmer’s markets (justifying them by her support for local bakeries) and belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes. There's almost nothing she wouldn't try, so long as it doesn't involve heights, roller skates, or anything illegal. The Memory of Us was Camille's debut novel. Her second, Before the Rain Falls was released ‪on May 16, 2017, and The Way of Beauty is her third novel.  

 ║Website ║ Facebook ║ 
║ Instagram ║ Amazon Author Page ║ 
║ Twitter  ║ Goodreads ║

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TWO SIGNED COPIES!

MAY 1-10, 2018

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5/1	Notable Quotable	The Clueless Gent
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5/3	Review	Books in the Garden
5/4	Guest Post	Carpe Diem Chronicles
5/4	Excerpt	That's What She's Reading
5/5	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/5	Promo+	Chapter Break Book Blog
5/6	Review	Momma on the Rocks
5/7	Author Interview	The Page Unbound
5/7	Top Five	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
5/8	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
5/9	Guest Post	Missus Gonzo
5/9	Character Interview	The Librarian Talks
5/10	Review	Tangled in Text

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