This is How I'd Love You by Hazel Woods (Book Tour)

As the Great War rages, an independent young woman struggles to sustain love—and life—through the power of words. It’s 1917 and America is on the brink of World War I. 

After Hensley Dench’s father is forced to resign from the New York Times for his anti-war writings, she finds herself expelled from the life she loves and the future she thought she would have. Instead, Hensley is transplanted to New Mexico, where her father has taken a job overseeing a gold mine. Driven by loneliness, Hensley hijacks her father’s correspondence with Charles Reid, a young American medic with whom her father plays chess via post. Hensley secretly begins her own exchange with Charles, but looming tragedy threatens them both, and—when everything turns against them—will their words be enough to beat the odds?

 Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Plume Books
Formats: eBook, Paperback, MP3 CD
Pages: 320

Genre: Historical Fiction

 ****

This is Hazel Wood's debut.  It is written in 3rd person narrative, which I am not totally used to, but thankfully it did not take long to get lost in this story.  I really enjoyed this book and like the unique premise, a chess game via mail.   Taking place in 1917 and America has just entered World War I.  There seems to be quite a number of books around these days during this time period, but I don't recall reading any that takes place primary in the US.  I am not a big romance reader and though this book has been listed as 'romance' it wasn't over the top, it was realistic and a believable tale.

Hensley Dench is young, fresh out of high school and uprooted from New York and moved to New Mexico.  She begins a unique relationship with a medic who is serving in France.  As the story progresses we learn that each is not without secrets and when tragedy strikes both of them they are both forced to do some serious soul searching.  I really enjoyed watching the progression of Hensley and Charles character throughout this book.  The author's writing style keep me engaged as well as visualizing places.

The cover is gorgeous and was one of the first things that attracted me to this book. This is How I'd Love You will  appeal to those that enjoy World War I fiction or just a good all round historical fiction read.

Praise for This Is How I’d Love You

“In This is How I’d Love You, Hazel Woods explores the enduring nature of an improbable love born of words, washed in tragedy, and sustained despite impossible circumstances. With prose as immediate and evocative as a painting, Woods accomplishes the magic of rendering sorrow into hope and fear into courage. It is as idealistic a tale as it is clear-sighted, a brilliant alchemy few novels achieve. Readers, prepare to melt” — Robin Oliveria, author of My Name is Mary Sutter

Buy the Book

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
Powell’s

Hazel Woods lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children.

For more information please visit www.hazelwoodsauthor.com.

You can also find her on Twitter.

This Is How I’d Love You Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, August 25
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, August 27
Interview at Dab of Darkness
Friday, August 29
Interview at Book Babe
Tuesday, September 2
Review & Interview at Closed the Cover
Review & Interview at A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, September 3
Review at The Bookworm
Friday, September 5
Spotlight & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Monday, September 8
Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry
Tuesday, September 9
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, September 10
Interview at Caroline Wilson Writes
Thursday, September 11
Review at Booktalk & More
Friday, September 12
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
Monday, September 15
Review & Guest Post at Bookish
Tuesday, September 16
Review at Book of Secrets
Wednesday, September 17
Review at Book Nerd

Waiting on Wednesday: Goodbye Piccadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill  at  Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.   

   This week I am waiting for:

Paperback, 448 pages

Expected publication: December 4th 2014 by Sphere 

(hardcover Aug 12, 2014, kindle is available now)

(I have always wanted to read her Morland Dynasty series but have been intimated by its size.)

Set against the real events of 1914, the first book in an exciting new series from Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is extraordinary in scope and imagination

In 1914, Britain faces a new kind of war. For Edward and Beatrice Hunter, their children, servants, and neighbors, life will never be the same again. For David, the eldest, war means a chance to do something noble; but enlisting will break his mother's heart. His sister Diana, 19 and beautiful, longs for marriage. She has her heart set on Charles Wroughton, son of Earl Wroughton, but Charles will never be allowed to marry a banker's daughter. Below stairs, Cook and Ada, the head housemaid, grow more terrified of German invasion with every newspaper atrocity story. Ethel, under housemaid, can't help herself when it comes to men and now soldiers add to the temptation; yet there's more to this flighty girl than meets the eye. The once-tranquil village of Northcote reels under an influx of khaki volunteers, wounded soldiers, and Belgian refugees. The war is becoming more dangerous and everyone must find a way to adapt to this rapidly changing world.

What are you waiting for?

Review & Giveaway: Lies Told in Silence by M.K. Tod (Blog Tour)

In 1914 Paris half the city expects war while the other half scoffs at the possibility.

With knowledge gained from his role at the War Department, Henri Noisette fears that Germany may soon attack Paris. He therefore sends his wife, mother and two younger children to Beaufort, a small village in northern France. By late 1914, instead of a safe haven, Beaufort is less than twenty miles from the front.

As war unfolds, Henri’s daughter, Helene, grows up quickly and in 1917 falls in love with Edward Jamieson, a young Canadian soldier.

The novel examines love and loss, duty and sacrifice and the unexpected consequence of lies.

 Publication Date: June 29, 2014
Tod Publishing
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

 ****

"No, she thought, war is for history books, not for us to experience firsthand.  It's for faraway places known only on maps."

This is my first book by M.K. Tod, Unravelled is her first but in no way do you have to read it before this one )because I didn't).  But if you are like me you'll automatically want to read, mine is already loaded on my kindle ready to go.

Taking another look at World War I, through the eyes of a young girl.  The raw and personal affect his war had on the citizens of France, especially the Noisette family, is played out in these 353 pages.  There are no wasted words or filler pages here. Though mainly focusing on the daughter Helene, the author has painted a real picture about how this war has transformed the lives of family, friends and neighbors.  As the title indicates there are lies here, deceit, scandal as well as relational issues within the family, all things that make a great read.

I really like Mary Tod's writing style.  There is no beating around the bush, she tells it like it is (or was) that had me not just feeling this story but visualizing it also. Her research is cleanly shown here in this book. Definitely an author I will be reading more of.  This book will appeal to those that like reading about WW I, especially taking place in France or that just like a good HF read.

It is the things you choose or the things you don't 
choose that make your life.

 
Praise for Lies Told in Silence

‘Dramatically depicts the horror and heartbreak of war, while also celebrating the resilience of the human spirit.’ – SHARON KAY PENMAN author of A King’s Ransom
‘An intricate, well-researched novel of life forever changed by WWI yet still sweet with the tender innocence of the age.’ – DONNA RUSSO MORIN author of The King’s Agent
‘M.K. Tod is a powerful new voice in the historical fiction genre.’ – AMY BRUNO Historical fiction blogger at Passages to the Past
‘An absorbing and rewarding historical read .. depicting the ruinous impact of war on human lives across the generations.’ – MARGARET EVANS PORTER author of The Proposal
‘A compelling read right up to its taut page-turning ending.’ – RICHARD LEE founder of the Historical Novel Society

 

Buy the Book

Amazon US
Amazon UK

M.K. Tod has enjoyed a passion for historical novels that began in her early teenage years immersed in the stories of Rosemary Sutcliff, Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer. During her twenties, armed with Mathematics and Computer Science degrees, she embarked on a career in technology and consulting continuing to read historical fiction in the tiny snippets of time available to working women with children to raise.

In 2004, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband and no job. To keep busy Mary decided to research her grandfather’s part in the Great War. What began as an effort to understand her grandparents’ lives blossomed into a full time occupation as a writer. Her debut novel is UNRAVELLED: Two wars, Two affairs. One Marriage. LIES TOLD IN SILENCE, her second novel, is set in WWI France and tells the story of Helene Noisette who featured in Unravelled.

Mary has an active blog – www.awriterofhistory.com – which discusses all aspects of historical fiction and includes author and reader interviews. Additionally, she is a book reviewer for the Historical Novel Society. Mary lives in Toronto where she is happily married with two adult children.

Connect with M.K. Tod on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Lies Told in Silence Blog Tour & Book Blast Schedule

Monday, July 28
Review at Unshelfish
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Book Blast at Our Wolves Den
Tuesday, July 29
Review at Just One More Chapter
Book Blast at Book Babe
Book Blast at A Book Geek
Book Blast at Mel’s Shelves

Wednesday, July 30
Review at Bookish
Book Blast at Passages to the Past

Thursday, July 31
Book Blast at Royalty Free Fiction
Friday, August 1
Book Blast at Back Porchervations
Book Blast at So Many Books, So Little Time
Saturday, August 2
Book Blast at Mythical Books
Monday, August 4
Review & Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Book Blast at Historical Tapestry
Tuesday, August 5
Book Blast at Layered Pages
Book Blast at Princess of Eboli
Book Blast at What Is That Book About
Wednesday, August 6
Book Blast at Literary Chanteuse
Book Blast at Caroline Wilson Writes
Thursday, August 7
Review at The Book Binder’s Daughter
Book Blast at Kinx’s Book Nook
Friday, August 8
Book Blast at The Maiden’s Court
Guest Post at Just One More Chapter
Monday, August 11
Review at Dianne Ascroft Blog
Book Blast at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Tuesday, August 12
Book Blast at Book Nerd
Book Blast at The Bookworm
Wednesday, August 13
Review at The Writing Desk
Thursday, August 14
Book Blast at Words and Peace
Book Blast at CelticLady’s Reviews
Friday, August 15
Review at Lost in Books
Book Blast at The Mad Reviewer
Sunday, August 17
Book Blast at Brooke Blogs
Monday, August 18
Review at The Librarian Fatale
Review at Historical Fiction Notebook

Giveaway

To win a copy of M.K. Tod's Lies Told In Silence please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open internationally!

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on August 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on August 19th and notified via email. Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

What happened to the girl you left behind?

In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most - whatever the cost.

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published August 20th 2013 by Pamela Dorman Books

“Sometimes life is a series of obstacles, a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes, she realizes suddenly, it is simply a matter of blind faith.”  

Beginning in German occupied France during WWI we are introduced to Sophie and her sister Helene.  Sophie's story takes up the first part of this book before jumping to present day London where we meet Liv.  Then it weaves back and forth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it showed the real and raw effects of war and the repercussions through the years. It showed (and I felt) the heartache and sorrow on this little town that at one time I pictured to be quaint and friendly, now its full of gossip, judgement and scandal.

What connects Sophie and Liv is a painting that Sophie's husband Edouard created entitled 'The Girl You Left Behind'.  As the history of the painting unfold Liv's life takes a drastic turn.

I didn't rush through this book, I knew right away I was in for a treat.  When my kindle informed me that only 2 hours were left in this book I thought rather than rush the ending I waited for a couple hours when I was home alone, the dog was walked and a beverage was within reach.  I had no idea how the author was going to resolve the conflicts in a manner that would satisfy this reader.  Also provide an ending that wasn't far fetched or corny.

Well she did it!!!

Definitely an author I will be reading more of.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy for review.

Review: Degrees of Courage by Shari Vester (BOOK TOUR)

The book follows the story of three generation of women from 1900 through 1970, seven decades of wars and hardship. At the turn of the century, an era of strict moral codes, Angela falls in love with a priest who abandons her and her unborn child. She overcomes rejection and misfortunes, including losing her right hand, and brings up her daughter, exuberant, stubborn Ilonka. In spite of the stigma of her illegitimate birth, the girl finds happiness in love and marriage, raising five children, among them Sarika, independent and high-spirited, much like herself.  With the outbreak of WWII, however, their lives change drastically, followed by equally hard times as the country falls under Soviet-style dictatorship. When an attempt to free the country in 1956 fails and people start to flee retributions, Sarika and her brothers join the exodus to the West.  With her family torn apart Ilonka never recovers her strength.

Years of fear and political pressures hasten her descend into depression, and when she loses her husband too, she finally gives up. Alone and completely on her own, Sarika finds her way to America, and begins a new life full of opportunities and most importantly, free of fear.

Publication Date: June 19, 2012
Mill City Press
Paperback; 574p

"Only in Sopron, a small gem of a midsize town on the border where Austria and Hungary mingled together did the sun decide it was not a day for it to shine."

And so begins the story of Angela, in the year 1901.   Spanning approx. 70 years this book begins with 18 year old Angela, thrust into the job of caregiver to her 9 younger siblings after the passing of her mother.  Its a heavy responsibility with her ambitions and dreams of the future put on hold.  Without giving away too many details the story continues with her daughter (Ilonka) and then granddaughter (Sari).  There is a lot of history in this book, not just World War I, but also the collapse of the Austria-Hungary Empire, economic depression, World War II and then the political situation when Hungary converted to Communist rule and then the mass exodus out of the country.

This isn't a small book, coming in at 574 pages (over sized softcover, small print) to me it felt like a cross between fiction and non fiction.  The author really knows her history, though how could she not, she lived it. There were times I felt it dragged a little and also confusing with so many names and dates thrown at me.  This I felt mostly during the last part of the book while reading about the Communist rule before the mass exodus. However I do understand that a lot was happening at the time and to omit something would have been difficult.  Her descriptions of the changes in Hungary were vivid and I couldn't help feeling compassion for the people.  This is also a part of history that I know very little about, so reading this book was a real eye-opener for me.

The author has an easy going writing style and I really enjoyed following the lives of the whole family, not just the 3 girls. This book emphasized the importance of family and good friends, of staying true to oneself through the many turmoils endured.  I was sad to see it end, was looking forward to seeing Sari's future play out.

This book will appeal to those that like historical fiction, family saga as well as non fiction.

A great debut.

About the Author

As a young woman, author Shari Vester fled her native Hungary in 1956 after the defeat of a patriotic uprising against the country's Soviet-dictated regime. She was granted asylum in the United States to begin a new life.  After a year living in New York she moved to Los Angeles, married, and worked as an insurance account manager. Recently retired, she and her husband relocated in the Palm Spring area, where she finally found time to write. Her debut novel, Degrees of Courage, is a historical fiction drawn on her family history. It paints a sharp contrast between life as we know it in America, versus a time and place where today's "Let it be" mentality was simply impossible. 

For more information please visit Shari's website.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, January 13
Review at Bloggin’ ’bout Books
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, January 14
Interview & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, January 15
Guest Post & Giveaway at HF Connection
Thursday, January 16
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Friday, January 17
Review at Closed the Cover
Monday, January 20
Guest Post & Giveaway at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Tuesday, January 21
Review at Just One More Chapter
Wednesday, January 22
Review & Giveaway at Words and Peace
Thursday, January 23
Review at From L.A. to LA
Friday, January 24
Review at Silver’s Reviews
Review at Books in the Burbs