The randomly chosen winner
of a print copy of
The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Warren is:
LauraL
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
The randomly chosen winner
of a print copy of
The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Warren is:
LauraL
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Eliza’s inheritance is contested by her mother’s white cousins, leaving her few options. She can marry her longtime beau, Lucien, though she has no desire to be a wife and mother. Or she can work as a tutor for rich families. Her mother’s dying wish was for Eliza to pursue her talent and become a professional singer, but that grand vision now seems out of reach.
When a chance performance on a steamboat to Buffalo, New York, leads to a surprising opportunity, fearless Eliza seizes her moment. Within a year she is touring America, singing to packed houses, and igniting controversy wherever she goes. In a country captivated by “the Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind, Eliza is billed by tour promoters as “the Black Swan.” An unlikely diva, Eliza is tall, dark-skinned, and robust of figure compared to the petite European prima donna, but even the harshest critics can’t deny Eliza’s extraordinary gift. Menaced by racist crowds, threatened by slave-catchers who kidnap free Black people, Eliza lives a public life full of risk, but one which also holds the promise of great riches, and the freedoms those buy.
From the churches of Philadelphia to Queen Victoria’s salon in Buckingham Palace, Eliza Greenfield will blaze her own path—with a voice that no listener will ever forget.
PJ's Thoughts:
I had never heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield prior to reading this book. The author shares in her notes that she hadn't known of her either until stumbling upon her name while doing research for a different project. Like me, while reading The Unexpected Diva, Warren was fascinated by this extraordinarily talented Black woman in pre-Civil War America. I am grateful she chose Eliza as the focus of her first historical fiction novel.
Warren took the actual facts known about Eliza's life and filled in the spaces to immerse readers into 1850's America and what the life of a Black woman such as Eliza might have been. It would have taken incredible determination to achieve what she did. Warren breathed life into both real people and fictional characters to weave a compelling story I found hard to put down. In fact, her characters were all so vividly portrayed and seamlessly intertwined that I had to read the author's notes at the end of the book to determine who was actually real and who was fictional. Well, except for Harriet Beecher Stowe and Queen Victoria.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Unexpected Diva and learning about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. I have an immense amount of respect and admiration for her and her accomplishments. They deserve to be known and celebrated.
I'm eager to discover what Warren has planned next. I hope it's another historical fiction novel. I love being educated while also being entertained. Warren clearly has the knack for it.
Do you enjoy reading historical fiction?
Had you ever heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield a/k/a The Black Swan?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, January 29 will receive a print copy of The Unexpected Diva.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
Gorgeous and gifted,Annabelle Walkeris a force of nature. A talented architect who has brought new designs and concepts to her family’s construction firm, Anna’s happy and doesn’t feel anything’s missing from her life, even as her siblings have all fallen in love this year. And then she finds an injured puppy on a bike ride.
Veterinarian Sawyer Braxton is lost while driving to his first day at Price Veterinary Clinic. He stops to ask directions of a bicyclist on the side of the road, and discovers three things: She’s beautiful, stranded with a flat tire, and holding an injured puppy. Sawyer’s fascinated, and it feels like fate as he offers the intriguing and vibrant woman a ride to the vet clinic.
It’s a meet-cute, and Annabelle’s definitely attracted, but she’s determined that this time, she really will take a break from men. Sawyer’s as stubborn as he is sexy, and he hits on a plan for a date—they’ll both foster the pup while it heals.
PJ's Thoughts:
The surprises keep on coming as she races to make the boat that will take her to his bride-to-be’s family compound on a private island off the coast of Seattle. She crash lands on the boat knocking the wind out of the one man she never thought she would see again - Jake Hawkins. Jake is the one that ran away on trans-global adventures. He also mysteriously received an invite and they find themselves having to share a room in a huge mansion, an oddly crowded mansion.
The mayhem ensues when Kate accidentally crashes into the gift table and the bride-to-be. Flustered, Kate settles in to hear the groom’s speech which sounds just like a speech from one of her books. She runs out of the room and proceeds to get drunk. Some time later Jake finds her in the wine cellar over the body of the bride, Kennedy, who they discover has been poisoned. Again, life imitates art as this scenario is also from one of her books. This does not look good for Kate who some see as a jealous ex out to get revenge.
Kate and Jake must weed out who is friend or foe. The guest list spans friends, relatives, fellow authors and business associates. They all seem a bit shady. Kate takes some notes from her heroine Loretta and sets out to find out the truth because now the hostess of the whole weekend Rebecca Hempstead has been poisoned to death. There are quite a few people who may have wanted her dead because she held tightly to the purse strings of the family. The island and expansive manor house become smaller as a whole cavalcade of characters come into play.
I found this book to be full of humor. Amid all this chaos Jake and Kate work through their attractions and feelings. It was a bit hard to follow at times when Loretta’s perspective and parts of her books popped into the story. This may have been in part due to the fact that I was reading an uncorrected digital galley and all the fonts separating the texts from the books were not consistent.
This is also Ms. Moke’s first adult novel. She has several YA books out there. I will be keeping my eye out for more books from her in the future.
When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.
As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.
So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward?
The randomly chosen winner
of a print copy of
When We Had Forever is:
Patricia Bennett Barber
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Lee Tipton, MD, takes running from her past to an extreme, hotfooting it from Georgia to a temporary position at Yukon Valley Hospital in chilly Alaska. Her newly purchased winter gear may protect her from the elements, but no amount of insulation can protect her from her deep-seated fear that a romantic partner will once again use her for personal gains. Despite the hospital staff’s matchmaking efforts, Lee swears she has no interest in the town’s cocky lead paramedic, even if his sexy smile sets off palpitations.
Maverick Steen learned his one simple rule of romance the hard way: no dating outsiders. That includes the hospital’s newest fish-out-of-water doctor, whom he finds himself paired with as they navigate critical care cases and snowmobile accidents. Yet when Lee embraces the beauty in the Alaskan interior and cottons to his sled dog team of misfits, suddenly, Maverick’s heart—and his bed—feel a whole lot warmer.
But can they say yes to love before Lee’s assignment ends?
PJ's Thoughts:
They had me at "Grey's Anatomy, meet Northern Exposure." As a huge fan of both shows (though I finally tossed in the Grey's towel a few years ago), I was already predisposed to enjoy this book before turning the first page. Happily, the story itself kept me entertained and left me eager for book two.
I love a fish out of water story and from the first pages we are made delightfully aware that Georgia-born Lee is exactly that. Then, of course, one of the first people she encounters before even arriving in Yukon Valley is a paramedic who, well, let's just say, doesn't make the best first impression. But, dear readers, there be sparks between these two! Adversaries to lovers, anyone?
What follows is a fun, somewhat emotional, and a bit suspenseful journey that had me happily immersing myself in dogsled rides, hospital emergencies, newfound friendships, slowly rebuilt trust, complicated family dynamics, quirky matchmaking locals, and a heart-tugging romance.
Bring on book two, please. I'm ready for a return visit to Yukon Valley, Alaska.
The randomly chosen winner
of a hardcover copy of
Remember When by Mary Balogh is:
Mary @Bookfan
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com