Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Sep 16

17

Bones of Paradise by Jonis Agee: Review

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 17, 2016
Posted in Books Read in 2016 • Historical Fiction  | Tagged With: , , , , | 5 Comments

Bones of Paradise by Jonis AgeeBones of Paradise by Jonis Agee


Bones of Paradise has a lot going for it.  Set in the backdrop of the harsh 1800’s Nebraska Sand Hills, it is a western, family saga, and mystery all in one. 

” J.B. Bennett, a white rancher, and Star, a young Native American woman” are found murdered on the Bennett property.  J.B.’s wife, Dulcinea who had left years ago returns after his death with her friend, Rose who is also Star’s sister.  They both intend to find out who is responsible for their loved ones death.  Then there is J.B.’s vicious father, Drum Bennett who ran Dulcinea off, so long ago and her two sons, nearly adults.  Mix in the hired hands and a wide cast of characters and it makes for an interesting story.

The Nebraska landscape is also a central character to the story as is the massacre at Wounded Knee, from flashbacks.

I found the novel dragged quite a bit for the first 60 pages but as the story and back story started to unfold, it picked up.  The writing is poetic and at times, hypnotic. I have never read anything by Jonis Agee before this but hope to read more of her work in the future.  Recommended.

I received the ebook version for my honest review.

4/5

About Jonis AgeeBones of Paradise by Jonis Agee


Jonis Agee has been praised by the New York Times Book Review as “a gifted poet of that dark lushness in the heart of the American landscape.” She is the award-winning author of twelve books, including the New York Times Notable Books of the Year Sweet Eyes andStrange Angels. Her awards include the John Gardner Fiction Award, the George Garrett Award, a National Endowment for the Arts grant in fiction, a Loft-McKnight Award, a Loft-McKnight Award of Distinction, and two Nebraska Book Awards. A native of Nebraska, Agee teaches at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Sep 16

14

Spice Box Letters by Eve Makis: Giveaway

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 14, 2016
Posted in Historical Fiction • My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , | 7 Comments

Spice Box Letters by Eve MakisSpice Box Letters by Eve Makis


Thanks to Staci Burt of St. Martin’s Press, I am giving away one print copy of Spice Box Letters by Eve Makis

Description of Spice Box Letters by Eve Makis


Katerina longs to know why her late grandmother, Miriam, refused to talk about the past, especially when she inherits a journal and handwritten letters stashed in a wooden spice box, cryptic treasures written in Armenian, Miriam’s mother tongue. On vacation in Cyprus, Katerina finds the key to unlocking her grandmother’s secrets and discovers a family legacy of exile and loss. Aged seven, Miriam was expelled from her home in Eastern Turkey and witnessed the death of her beloved brother Gabriel, or so she believed. 

Katerina sets out on a fact-finding mission across the island and solves a mystery that changes her life and lays the ghosts of her grandmother’s turbulent past to rest. My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Sarah’s Key in this gripping family saga, set during the tragic start of the Armenian genocide in 1915 Turkey, spanning the ups and downs of a family separated by the devastating aftermath in 1985 Greece.

Praise for Spice Box Letters by Eve Makis


“Reading The Spice Box Letters is like sitting down to a delicious Armenian dinner hosted by an ebullient family with a riveting and sorrowful tale to tell. Makis’ story goes to some dark places, but her warmth and light touch keeps this engaging novel aloft.  You will come away impressed by the resilience of her wonderful characters—and craving Armenian delicacies. (I devoured a chunk of halva while reading this book.) I deeply enjoyed this novel.” —Sharon Guskin, author of The Forgetting Time

 “With humor, heartbreak and lyrical prose, Eve Makis has woven a moving tale of resilience in the face of tragedy.  I thoroughly enjoyed The Spice Box Letters.”  —Maggie Leffler, author of The Secrets of Flight

 “The Spice Box Letters is a beautifully evocative novel that moves from past to present and affirms the enduring love of family and explores the tragic, unsettling wake of the Armenian genocide. Eve Makis has written a novel that should be read, contemplated, and read again.” —Peter Golden, author of Wherever There Is Light

 “Heartwarming, funny, tragic, and uplifting…the story has a feel good factor to equal My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” —Narinder Dhami, author of Bend It Like Beckham  

About Eve MakisSpice Box Letters by Eve Makis


EVE MAKIS studied at Leicester University and worked as a journalist and radio presenter in the UK and Cyprus before becoming a novelist. Eve is a part time tutor in creative writing at Nottingham University. She is married with two children and lives in the UK and Cyprus.

Giveaway of Spice Box Letters by Eve Makis


This giveaway open to Canada and the U.S. only and ends on September 30, 2016 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sep 16

13

Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks: Giveaway

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 13, 2016
Posted in Historical Fiction • My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , | 7 Comments

Orphan Mother by Robert HicksOrphan Mother by Robert Hicks


Thanks to Tiffany Sanchez of Grand Central Publishing, I am giving away two print copies of The Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks

Description of Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks


An epic account of one remarkable woman’s quest for justice from the New York Timesbestselling author of The Widow of the South and A Separate Country.

In the years following the Civil War, Mariah Reddick, former slave to Carrie McGavock–the “Widow of the South”–has quietly built a new life for herself as a midwife to the women of Franklin, Tennessee. But when her ambitious, politically-minded grown son, Theopolis, is murdered, Mariah–no stranger to loss–finds her world once more breaking apart. How could this happen? Who wanted him dead?

Mariah’s journey to uncover the truth leads her to unexpected people–including George Tole, a recent arrival to town, fleeing a difficult past of his own–and forces her to confront the truths of her own past. Brimming with the vivid prose and historical research that has won Robert Hicks recognition as a “master storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Praise for Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks


“Engaging… and certainly important examination of US history… When it comes to freedom, one size does not fit all.” —Booklist

“Engaging… Satisfying historical fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Hicks is a talented storyteller, and this story moves at a clip.” —Publisher’s Weekly 

“Brimming with the vivid prose and historical research that has won Robert Hicks recognition as a “master storyteller”—San Francisco Chronicle

About Robert HicksOrphan Mother by Robert Hicks


Robert Hicks is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Widow of the South and A Separate Country. He lives in Tennessee.

I can provide 2 copies of the book for a giveaway for U.S. and Canada entries. Once the giveaway is over, please pass along the names and addresses of the winners and we’ll have their copies mailed from our warehouse.

Giveaway of Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks


This giveaway open to Canada and the U.S. only and ends on September 30, 2016 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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