Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Portraitist by Susanne DunlapThe Portraitist: A Novel of Adelaide Labille-Guiard by Susanne Dunlap

Thanks to Simone Jung of Books Forward, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Portraitist’.

Description Portraitist by Susanne Dunlap


Based on a true story, this is the tale of Adélaïe Labille-Guiard’s fight to take her rightful place in the competitive art world of eighteenth-century Paris.

With a beautiful rival who’s better connected and better trained than she is, Adélaïde faces an uphill battle. Her love affair with her young instructor in oil painting gives rise to suspicions that he touches up her work, and her decision to make much-needed money by executing erotic pastels threatens to create as many problems as it solves. Meanwhile, her rival goes from strength to strength, becoming Marie Antoinette’s official portraitist and gaining entrance to the elite Académie Royale at the same time as Adélaïde.

When at last Adélaïde earns her own royal appointment and receives a massive commission from a member of the royal family, the timing couldn’t be worse: it’s 1789, and with the fall of the Bastille her world is turned upside down by political chaos and revolution. With danger around every corner in her beloved Paris, she must find a way adjust to the new order, carving out a life and a career all over again.

Advance Praise Portraitist by Susanne Dunlap


“Written with breathless drama, The Portraitist follows the rise of the gifted portraitist Adélaïde Labille-Guiard in Paris during the last years of the late eighteenth century. The novel is a luminous depiction of Paris and those terrible times seen through the astute, compassionate eyes of a woman who had to paint. Every bit of lace or royal carriage or bloody cobblestone is alive in the writing. The rain drumming on the skylight and a misbuttoned coat speak. Go to those streets with this book in your hand to follow her footsteps and those long-gone, turbulent times will come alive to you as if they were yesterday.”—Stephanie Cowell, award-winning author of Claude and Camille

“Deeply researched and imagined, The Portraitist offers a fascinating and dramatic plunge into the world of a brilliant female artist struggling to make her mark before and during the turbulent and treacherous era of the French Revolution. I loved this novel.”—Sandra Gulland, internationally best-selling author of The Josephine B. Trilogy

“In The Portraitist, Susanne Dunlap skillfully paints a portrait of a woman struggling to make her way in a man’s world–a topic as relevant today as it was in Ancien Régime France. Impeccably researched, rich with period detail, Dunlap brings to life the little-known true story of Adelaide Labille-Guiard, who fought her husband and society to make a name for herself as a painter to the royal family, the very apex of success–only to find everything she had built threatened by the Revolution. A stunning story of determination, talent, and reversals of fortune. As a lifelong Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun fan, I am now questioning my allegiances!”—Lauren Willig, best-selling author of The Summer Country

About Susanne DunlapPortraitist by Susanne Dunlap


Susanne Dunlap is the author of twelve works of historical fiction for adults and teens, as well as an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach. Her love of historical fiction arose partly from her studies in music history at Yale University (PhD, 1999), partly from her lifelong interest in women in the arts as a pianist and non-profit performing arts executive.

Her novel The Paris Affair won first place in its category in the CIBA Dante Rossetti awards for Young Adult Fiction. The Musician’s Daughter was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year, and was nominated for the Utah Book Award and the Missouri Gateway Reader’s Prize. In the Shadow of the Lamp was an Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award nominee.

Susanne earned her BA and an MA (musicology) from Smith College, and lives in Biddeford, ME, with her little dog Betty.

Website: https://www.susanne-dunlap.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanne_dunlap

Buy Portraitist by Susanne Dunlap


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Giveaway Portraitist by Susanne Dunlap


This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on September 16, 2022 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Finding Grace by Gary Lee MillerFinding Grace by Gary Lee Miller

Thanks to Leslie Barrett of PR by the Book – Austin, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Finding Grace’ by Gary Lee Miller.

Description Finding Grace by Gary Lee Miller


Grace Lee has a dying wish:

For her extremely successful granddaughter, Judith, to travel from Los Angeles to Nashville to come visit her. But there’s a catch. Judith must make the journey by bus.

Each day of Judith’s journey becomes a story on its own, as the people she meets and places she visits along the way challenges her to rethink her life.

Bullied by classmates as a child, Judith’s now extraordinary wealth has allowed her to build a protective cocoon surrounding her adult life. But is she happy?

Grace’s wish for the bus trip forces Judith back into the real world as it challenges her to reconnect with ordinary people…and her humble roots.

Finding Grace allows you to join Judith on her transformational and inspirational journey filled with laughter, tears, and the answer to what’s really important in life.

Praise Finding Grace by Gary Lee Miller


“The thing about Finding Grace is that it is without question, the thing that makes Gary Lee Miller so special. He seems to find grace everywhere and in everyone, and it somehow reflects back on everyone he meets. Finding Grace is just the latest collection in written form of how he sees the world.” — Barry Courter, Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter/columnist

“Life lessons are delivered in many ways, and Gary Lee Miller, in Finding Grace, takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery through the eyes of his relatable, and often unpredictable, characters. An easy and insightful read, Finding Grace will leave you thinking about your own journey and the grace we can give to ourselves and others.” — Steve Anderson, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of The Bezos Letters

“A well-written, captivating story of human triumph and finding your way in a complex world of challenges and uncertainties.” — Literary Titan

About Gary Lee MillerFinding Grace by Gary Lee Miller


Gary Lee Miller’s writing is rooted in life experiences and people who have crossed his path during his life’s journey. Gary draws on his ability to translate his observations into highly relatable stories for readers. Prior to beginning his writing career, Gary was a successful businessman and entrepreneur. He also acts in movie and TV productions, and is listed in IMDb.com. He resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Website: garyleemillerbooks.com
Facebook: @garyleemillerbooks
Twitter: @garymillerbooks

Buy Finding Grace by Gary Lee Miller


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Giveaway Finding Grace by Gary Lee Miller


This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on  April 1, 2022 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane StratfordRed Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford


Thanks to Dache J. Rogers of Berkley/ Penguin Random House, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Red Letter Days’ by Sarah Jane Stratford.

Description Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford


A striking novel from the acclaimed author of Radio Girls about two daring women who escape McCarthy-era Hollywood for London, where they find creative freedom and fight the injustices of the Red Scare.

Nineteen-fifties America is bright and full of promise, and Phoebe Adler, a New Yorker brimming with talent and ambition, is forging her way as the rarest of things: a female television writer in Hollywood. But fears of a growing Red Menace cloud the optimism, egged on by the hate-mongering of Senator McCarthy. A blacklist is created to cast out communist sympathizers, smashing careers and ruining lives. When Phoebe finds herself caught in the hysteria’s web, she flees to London.

Though postwar London is struggling and work is precarious, Phoebe finds camaraderie with other Americans living in exile, including the restless and ambitious Hannah Wolfson. Determined to fight the injustices of the Red Scare, Hannah is a successful producer who hires blacklisted writers at great risk to her career and company.

Together Phoebe and Hannah successfully fight unfair bias and sexism, but danger still looms in this supposed sanctuary. And when their families and friends—their very lives—are threatened, they will have to make impossible choices.

Praise Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford


“In this crisp novel, Stratford… effortlessly melds politics, romance, and history. This delivers on every level.”—Publishers Weekly

“Red Letter Days is a look at a piece of American history told through the lens of two brave women, whose stories you won’t soon forget.”—PopSugar

“[A] thoroughly fascinating and too-little-known story of Hannah Weinstein and her role in supporting blacklisted Americans, regardless of gender or race.”—Booklist

About Sarah Jane StratfordRed Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford


Sarah-Jane Stratford is the acclaimed author of Radio Girls. Her work has also appeared in the GuardianBoston GlobeLos Angeles Review of BooksMarie-ClaireBustleGuernica, and many others. A former resident of both American coasts, she’s now living the expat life in London, where when she isn’t working, she’s exploring and seriously considering learning how to garden.

Website: http://www.sarahjanestratford.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratfordsj

Buy Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford


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Giveaway Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford


This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on March 13, 2020 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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