Review and Giveaway: The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy

The Boleyn Bride

by Brandy Purdy

Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 272p
ISBN-10: 0758273363

From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history’s most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own…

At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne–while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne…

When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances–and catches the lusty king’s eye. But those who enjoy Henry’s fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband’s machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one–and the Boleyn family’s fortune may be turning.

Praise for the novels of Brandy Purdy:

“Recommended for readers who can’t get enough of the Tudors and have devoured all of Philippa Gregory’s books.” –Library Journal on The Boleyn Wife

“Purdy wonderfully re-imagines the behind-the-scenes lives of the two sisters.” –Historical Novel Reviews on The Tudor Throne

Buy the Book

Amazon (eBook)

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Bookish.com
Books-a-Million
Google Play
IndieBound
iTunes
Kobo
Target

About the Author:

Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels THE CONFESSION OF PIERS GAVESTON, THE BOLEYN WIFE (THE TUDOR WIFE), THE TUDOR THRONE (MARY & ELIZABETH), THE QUEEN’S PLEASURE (A COURT AFFAIR), and THE QUEEN’S RIVALS (THE FALLEN QUEEN). An ardent book lover since early childhood, she first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten years old when she read a book of ghost stories which contained a chapter about Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at www.brandypurdy.com, you can also follow her, and her cat Tabby, via her blog at http://brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and weekly book reviews.

My thoughts:

I have to admit I have long wondered about the mother of my dearest Queen Anne Boleyn, the marvelously elusive, Elizabeth Boleyn, sister of The Duke of Norfolk, wife of Thomas Boleyn, mother to Mary, Anne and George and grandmother of Elizabeth I.  I was beyond thrilled to see that Brandy Purdy had taken on the exploration of this pivotal and often overlooked Tudor woman.  I am amazed how many novels have written Elizabeth Boleyn off completely, replacing her with a step mother, fondly referred to by one as Lady Bo, rather than dive into the deep end, as Purdy has done, and truly explored the maternal nature and character of the mother of one of England's most famous, and sadly most notorious, queens.

Brandy Purdy presents the character of Elizabeth Boleyn in her latest novel, The Boleyn Bride, as a complex woman.  A volatile mix of pride and beauty living a life of negligent self-indulgence, disappointment and ultimately bitter loss and self-blame.  We meet Elizabeth at the end of her life, full of bitter remorse for her own lost life, once so full of pride and promise, as she mourns the loss of two children and the hope of ever being a mother to the third.  She is a woman full of loathing and regret for what might have been and embitterment for not only herself but even more so for the father of her children, Thomas Boleyn, the man she was forced to marry and never liked, much less loved. 

As an avid reader of historical fiction and during my graduate studies in history I have always been confounded by the marriage of Elizabeth, beloved daughter of The Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Boleyn.  One would expect the daughter of one of England's foremost peers to marry well, perhaps royally well, and yet here we have Elizabeth, a beautiful and vivacious young woman, living at the Tudor court as maid of honor to the Queen, wedded to Thomas Boleyn.  At first glance one assumes it must have been one of the rare love matches of the time, but something about that just never sat well with me.  That being said, I can neither comprehend why Norfolk was persuaded, indebted to or coerced into the arrangement of the marriage.  Perhaps the reason is lost to time, but it certainly provides fodder for the novelist!    

Brandy Purdy gives us Elizabeth forced to marry Thomas Bullen, her spite filled name nickname for her unwanted, unloved and ultimately despised spouse.  Thomas goes so far as to encourage his wife to become mistress to King Henry, but Elizabeth denies him, out of devotion for Queen Catherine and a touch of spite.   Rather, Purdy gives us the character of Remi Jouet, as the man who becomes the true lifelong love for Elizabeth.  Remi Jouet is a man of whom I have never heard mentioned nor of whom I could find any evidence, but Purdy does note in Postscript, that Remi Jouet, was indeed a doll maker, a skilled artisan, whose few remaining creations can be found today in museums and private collections.   I was completely perplexed by the relationship of Elizabeth and Remi and as I read truly thought he was a fictional insertion by Purdy until reading the postscript.  Amazing, truly and to Purdy I raise a toast for her amazingly complex and skillfully crafted novel giving historical fiction readers a glimpse into the life of Elizabeth, mother and grandmother of Queens. 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Page: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theboleynbridetour

Tour Hashtag: #BoleynBrideTour

The entire tour schedule with links follows:

Friday, February 14
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Monday, February 17
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, February 18
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, February 19
Spotlight & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Thursday, February 20
Review & Giveaway at Always with a Book

Friday, February 21
Review & Giveaway at WTF Are You Reading?

Monday, February 24
Review & Giveaway at The Most Happy Reader

Tuesday, February 25
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, February 26
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Review & Giveaway at Found Between the Covers

Thursday, February 27
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Friday, February 28
Review at Book-alicious Mama
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Monday, March 3
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict

Tuesday, March 4
Review & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Wednesday, March 5
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Thursday, March 6
Review & Giveaway at Griperang’s Bookmarks

Friday, March 7
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR

Review of Breaking Möbius by T.R. Horne with Giveaway

Breaking Möbius

by T. R. Horne

Title: Breaking Möbius

Author: T.R. Horne

Genre: African American / Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Synopsis:

ONE GOOD DECISION…

Leaving behind an abusive father and emotionally scarred mother, Mali Struthers catches a bus to freedom. Atlanta University is the perfect place to discover her inner strength and special talents that lead her to a future she never imagined outside her father’s walls. Still learning to love herself, Mali must push past her own doubts to realize she deserves everything she’s worked for, even the love of a man seemingly out of reach.

…CAN CREATE A BAD DECISION

 As a star football player, Justice Bradford juggles his high profile relationship and aggressive groupies but with his best friend’s constant lure of temptation, he struggles to remain focused. He has the world at his fingertips until his plans are shattered by deception. Fighting depression, he’s re-routed on a dangerous path of self-destruction until, by chance, he finds a light in the darkness that makes him second guess his vow. When Justice is faced with his new reality, will he get his life back on track before he loses it all?

…AND INCITE REVENGE.

 One of the hottest video models on the scene, Nicole Bunn is the epitome of a strong, focused businesswoman. Concentrating only on her money and the men that can supply her expensive lifestyle, Nicole runs from her own hurts scared to love anyone other than herself. Tired of waiting to marry into fortune, Nicole turns a chance meeting into a whirlwind of sex, lies and obsession that is bound to threaten her livelihood. Through a trail of lies and addiction, Nicole sees her love of money fracture so many lives, including her own. When Nicole is forced to choose between her love of money or a chance at true love, what will she decide?

Author Bio:

T.R. Horne is a freelance relationship columnist, entrepreneur and author. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication Studies and Master’s in Education with honors. Normally, she calls Atlanta, Georgia home but travels around the world with her family. She hopes to finish her doctorate degree in the next few years. She fancies murder mysteries, thrillers, and romantic suspense and erotica stories but is addicted to bad reality television. T.R. Horne lives near Yokohama, Japan with her husband, son and dog.

Links:

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Mobius-T-R-Horne/dp/099110630X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384162444&sr=8-1&keywords=breaking+mobius

Author Website: www.trhorne.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortrhorne

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authortrhorne

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7351597.T_R_Horne

My thoughts:

Breaking Möbius follows the independent and intertwined stories of three characters as they navigate life and reveal in each character the best and worst of human nature. 

Horne gives her reader each character in first person.  Mali is the first to emerge and the reader learns of her survival of childhood abuse and neglect and ready to begin a new chapter in her life at college.  She meets another student, Justice, a star football player, who Mali is instantly attracted to.  Unfortunately, he is nursing a broken heart and isn’t ready to pursue anything more serious than friendship; at least at the moment.

Nicole, Justice’s ex-girlfriend, is the final main character the reader encounters.  Nicole is a complex character; beautiful, driven, self-absorbed, manipulative, but conflicted.  As she is caught in the midst of a life decision so is the reader who Horne skillfully keeps in the dark as to what Nicole’s ultimate fate will be. 

Breaking Möbius was a well-written novel with something for everyone; suspense, romance, sexy and was truly skillfully character driven.  I enjoyed following the characters as they lived and as those lives crossed and intertwined.  I often found myself cheering them on or cringing, as I feared they might make a fatal misstep.  The novel was definitely much like life; a ride of the highest ups and the lowest lows, but a ride and a read worth the effort.

Tour-wide Giveaway

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BR: Tainted Waters by Maggie Thom

Tainted Waters

by Maggie Thom

BLURB:

He didn’t commit suicide but who’s going to believe her...

Frustrated at being fired from her latest job and overwhelmed by her consolatory family, Sam decides to move to the family’s cabin at the lake. A place she hasn’t been since her dad committed suicide there, twenty years before. Or did he? Snooping is something she’s good at but someone seems to be taking offense to her looking too closely at what has been happening at the lake. What she discovers is shocking. Now she must uncover what’s real and what’s not. All that she learned growing up, may be false.

Keegan, who has recently moved to the area to finish his latest book, is also trying to find out if his grandfather, who’d passed away ten years before, died of natural causes or was murdered? The descendants of the four families, who own the land around the lagoon, are dying off.

Since Sam and Keegan are the only ones questioning the deaths, they find themselves working together to seek the truth. Are people being murdered? Who would benefit from their deaths? Why would there be barricades and armed guards at the north end of the lake? To stay alive, Sam and Keegan must find the answers and convince others, before more people are killed... including them.

"This is a book that will have you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think the story is over, think again." Read Your Writes Book Reviews

EXCERPT:

“You’re fired!”

Sam’s hands slammed down on the arms of the office chair as she jerked forward. “Because some dude stole a necklace from his wife, pawned it and got the insurance for it? And I had the nerve to tell the story?”

“You’re fired!”

There was so much more she wanted to say to him. To tell him. It wasn’t fair that she was getting kicked to the curb for other people’s lies and secrets. It wasn’t her fault that she felt truth should win out at all costs. Climbing to her feet, she stared hard at her boss, debating about telling him again why she’d written that story. The blue vein bulging from his forehead and the deep crimson color of his puffy cheeks told her it was pointless and might just cause a heart attack.

“The story didn’t run, so what’s the big deal?”

His mottled face started to shake with fury. Sam picked up her coffee which she was glad she’d set down when she came in and took a step back. The last man she’d seen that angry had thrown a punch.

“Only because I caught it. Nothing and I mean nothing, gets printed in this paper without my say so. Very sneaky Samantha. Not acceptable. You’re done here. And don’t worry you won’t ever work in this industry again.”

She shook her head hoping something would fall into place and this would all make sense. It wasn’t like it was any different than any of the other stories the newspaper wrote – they got details, or as many as they could and then skewed them sideways if that’s what made the tale sensational. Only she hadn’t needed to do that. The facts themselves had been enough to make the story astounding. For once the paper might have been able to print the truth and nothing but the truth. The informant who’d put her on to this situation had been right, it had been unbelievable. She wished she’d been able to thank him but that was part of the agreement – no names, no thank yous, no mention of where the story started. And she couldn’t tell anyone because it wasn’t actually supposed to have been hers to tell.

“I’m fired.” It didn’t compute.

“Of course. I don’t say things I don’t mean. Now get out.”

She eyed Mr. Donner, the man that she’d thought she was going to have a lot of respect for, the man she’d envisioned thanking in the future for all he’d taught her. For taking her under his wing and making her the exceptional journalist that she was. Okay she knew that was crap but she had hoped that her initial ‘feeling’ about him had been wrong. Besides she figured that even if he wasn’t more than a pompous figurehead, there had to be some people at the paper that she could learn from. To date, unfortunately, she’d only been patted on the head and given the lame jobs. Still, she’d actually started to believe that this work might be her calling. Well, until she’d taken it into her head to run with a tip she’d been given. It hadn’t really been meant for her but since Tom hadn’t been at his desk when his phone kept ringing and ringing, she’d figured it had been hers to run with since she’d been the one to answer it. She had planned to show them what she could do and that would have been the start to her amazing career.

Another damn dream dashed.

Without stopping to think about what she was doing or even taking the time to rationalize that this wouldn’t be in her best interest, she tossed her almost full cup of lukewarm coffee across the expansive cherry wood desk, into the face of the man who had been her supervisor for a few short months.

PURCHASE Links:

  

    

  

AUTHOR Bio:

 

Maggie Thom, who grew up in rural Alberta, took the challenge and leapt off, leaving a full time, twenty year career in management, to write full time. After publishing her first book Captured Lies, October 2012, her second novel, Tainted Waters, April, 2013, she is looking forward to publishing her third book, Deceitful Truths, available late 2013. An avid reader and writer her whole life, she decided to break the monotony of wishing to be an author by making it happen. Married to her best friend, she is learning that humor, love and patience help her navigate her way through her twins’ teen years. Her motto: Escape to read and Read to escape. "Maggie Thom writes a fast paced thriller laced with romance that keeps the reader interested and on edge!" InDtale Magazine

AUTHOR Links:

Website: www.maggiethom.com

Blog: http://maggiethom.wordpress.com/the-write-to-read/

My thoughts:

Maggie Thom is a new author to me and so when I opened Tainted Waters I had no idea I was in for the ride of my life.  Tainted Waters is full of corruption, drugs, lies and murder - the book will truly keep you on the edge of your seat unable to pry yourself from it.  As the characters, Sam and Keegan, investigate the near abduction of Sam followed by a stream of threats against both their lives I found myself emotionally right in there with them.  As I reader I felt very much a part of the story, Sam, Keegan and I became a team who wouldn't give up.   

Maggie brilliantly creates suspense and the atmosphere of unease and creepiness.  Her characters inspire the reader to join them in their hunt to solve the mystery which makes them likeable, approachable and very human rather than super human.  Sam is a driven, spirited woman and Keegan a protective, but not repressively so, man.  There is some chemistry between the two but the story is driven by the mystery and the relationship of the characters is secondary to the storyline.  If you are looking for a fast paced, suspenseful and engaging read with all the twists and turns of a mystery that keeps you thinking you've figured it out only to find yourself back at square one, then Tainted Waters is for you.

I am so happy that I have been introduced to Maggi Thom, whom I hope to read again, and I would recommend Tainted Waters without hesitation.  

GIVEAWAY:

Maggie will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and an eBook copy of her upcoming book, Deceitful Truths, will be awarded to a randomly drawn host.  As with all Goddess Fish Promotions Tours the more you follow the tour and comment; the better their chances of winning. The tour schedule can be found by clicking the banner below: 

HFVBT: Review of A Newfound Land by Anna Belfrage

A Newfound Land

by Anna Belfrage

About A NEWFOUND LAND

Publication: November 1, 2013

Matador Publishing

Paperback; 402p

ISBN: 978-1781321355

It’s 1672, and Matthew Graham and his family have left Scotland. Having taken the drastic decision to leave their homeland due to religious conflicts, Alexandra and Matthew hope for a simpler, if harsher, life in the wilds of the Colony of Maryland.

Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out as you want them to, and the past has a nasty tendency to resurface at the most inappropriate moments. Both Matthew and Alex are forced to cope with the unexpected reappearance of people they had never thought to meet again, and the screw is turned that much tighter when the four rogue Burley brothers enter their lives.

Matters are further complicated by the strained relations between colonists and the Susquehannock Indians. When Matthew intercedes to stop the Burleys from abducting Indian women into slavery he makes lifelong – and deadly – enemies of them all.

Once again Alex is plunged into an existence where death seems to threaten her man wherever he goes.

Will Matthew see himself – and his family – safe in these new circumstances? And will the past finally be laid to rest?

A Newfound Land is the fourth book in Anna Belfrage’s time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.

About the Author

I was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result I’m multilingual and most of my reading is historical – both non-fiction and fiction.

I was always going to be a writer – or a historian, preferably both. Instead I ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for my most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career I raised my four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive … Nowadays I spend most of my spare time at my writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and I slip away into my imaginary world, with my imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in my life pops his head in to ensure I’m still there. I like that – just as I like how he makes me laugh so often I’ll probably live to well over a hundred.

I was always going to be a writer. Now I am – I have achieved my dream.

For more information, please visit Anna Belfrage’s website.  You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

My thoughts

I discovered Anna Belfrage with the third novel in this series, The Prodigal Son.  First let me say it certainly stood on its own and I enjoyed it immensely.  It did leaving me wanting more and fortunately Belfrage delivered, with her fourth installment to the series, A Newfound Land. 

One of the strengths of the series and of each title standing alone is Belfrage's examination of different historical subjects within each.  A Newfound Land has as its backdrop the British colonies of the America's and with it the slave trade, race relations within the colonies as well as the practice of slavery itself.  At first I sort of bristled at the thought of the typical non-American judgment leveled at the colonies, particularly the South, for the ownership of other men, women and children.  It was wrong without question, but the sin of slavery itself stains more than just the hands of American colonists.  I expected the usual treatment of slavery and as a result the same of Americans ourselves.

What must be commended of Belfrage is that she does not sugar coat history nor does she skirt around its more unpleasant eras.  Rather, she jumps right in to the deep end of the issue and her reader therefore must swim with her or sink.  I think FAR more often than not they swim.  Not only is she able to face the historical fact straight on Belfrage combines her forthrightness in the development of the characters that populate her novel.  Each has his or her own very individual motivations and personality and Belfrage is able to maintain each character through to the last. 

Belfrage, in this reader's opinion, has happened upon a series that could truly last her writing life, should she choose for it to do so.  As each book is set within a historical era and the characters deal with the issues they are confronted with they do so as a family and in essence it is the family that is at the core of A Newfound Land as with the other titles in the series. 

The matriarch, Alexandra Lind, as time traveler and her seventh century husband Matthew Graham might live an exciting life but it is not without pain and loss.  For me, I found their union comforting as they weathered whatever life brought them as a partnership and must admit I had such faith in their unique, never perfect, bond. 

A Newfound Land will surprise you by taking you unaware and pulling you into its pages and by the time the cover closes you will find yourself an Anna Belfrage fan for life.  Now, back to wondering where she will take us next. 

Please come back to The Most Happy Reader tomorrow for an interview with Anna as well as a chance to win a copy of The Newfound Land for yourself!!

Twitter Hashtag: #NewfoundLandTour

  

VABT: Review of Woman on Top by Deborah Schwartz

Woman on Top

by Deborah Schwartz

Publisher: Laudan Press (May 30, 2013)

Genres: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction

Tour Dates: November 2013

Available in: Print & ebook, 346 pages

About:

A Woman’s Struggle To Find Herself After Losing Everything She Believed Was Important.

We hear a great deal in the media about women who become victims of wealthy and powerful men. Like a breath of fresh air, the heroine in Deborah Schwartz’s inspiring book, Woman on Top, does escape becoming yet another casualty… literally…all the way to the top of a mountain!

New York, NY, September 4, 2013 - One has to wonder has anything changed since Nora slammed the door over a hundred years ago in Ibsen’s iconic play A Doll’s House? Deborah Schwartz made sure that they did in her timely novel, Woman on Top (Laudan Press).  Like a breath of fresh air, the heroine in Deborah Schwartz’s inspiring book, Woman on Top shows the way things have changed…all the way to the top of a mountain!

Book Description:

Falling prey to Len, a very wealthy Wall Street banker who is hell-bent on acquiring her as his next deal, Kate struggles after the death of her husband to keep control amidst the detours of a tempestuous New York romance. As witness to a world of power and greed that life in New York offers to a vulnerable woman, can Kate ultimately rescue herself from the lure that is Len’s world?

Throughout this compelling story, which is inspired by actualevents from the author’s own life, Schwartz cleverly weaves self-empowering thoughts into her heroine’s exploits, making it less the ‘damsel in distress’ and more the infinitely successful ‘woman on top!’ In this amazing look at a woman’s journey to finding herself, readers will both laugh and cry as they relate to Kate and her decisions, emotions and experiences.

While following her quest for a reaffirmation of life and love, including a surprising adventure, Kate’s story touches on the unexpected pleasures and decisions we face throughout our lives. Readers who have dreamed of, or survived, a “Len” in their lives, will recognize themselves in Kate as she searchesto find what matters most in her new life. What does a 35 year-old woman who seems to have it all do when the rug is pulled out from under her? Kate’s struggle to find inner strength on her journey down a slippery slope with a Wall Street man leaves readers wondering and rooting for her to land as the ‘woman on top.’

Praise for Woman On Top:

“Every now and then you find a book that you have difficulty putting down. Last month, I had that experience with the novel Woman on Top, released May 30, 2013 by first time author Deborah Schwartz. Readers may snicker about the title assuming this is a poorly written shallow romance novel; however, quite the opposite is true. The title is a double entendre and refers to the empowerment of a woman.”- Kristin Meekhof, Huffington Post

“The reader will go through a range of emotions but will not want to put this book down since Woman on Top is inspirational, entertaining, and heartbreaking as Kate straddles two completely different worlds.”- Elise Cooper, Working Mother

“The writer Deborah Schwartz, in her novel “Woman on Top,” demonstrates her writing chops by the way she deftly shifts between two literary genres: romance and pathography. The language she uses and the tones she creates align with the chapters covering the stormy romance of the main character and the intense and ultimately tragic illness experience of the main character’s husband.  In this way, the author makes the reader feel deep sympathy for the main character as the story concerns her husband’s plight, yet feel great frustration with the main character as the story concerns her romance. The author makes us wonder how someone who is so clear and soulful can also be so vulnerable and superficial. She’s probably telling us that we’re just stuck with these seemingly contradictory attributes and characteristics. We’re all capable of manifesting a range of behaviors that work against our self interests and that are determined by circumstances beyond our control. Thus, while Woman on Top tells the excruciatingly sad story of an untimely death and the story of a tempestuous romance with its own pathology, the novel has more to tell about us humans.”- JRT, Amazon Reviewer

“You know those great books that from the first sentence (and the cool cover art) grab your attention, and make you want to read it? Well, this is one of those. Settle in, and get ready for a great ride. Schwartz alternately made me laugh and cry out loud over and over in this funny, sad, sexy, entertaining novel. A psychotherapist, I found myself cheering for Kate, as she brings us with her on her journey , refusing to abandon her true self while rebuilding her life after tragedy. Schwartz also deftly paints a picture of the ups and downs of monied NY dating that makes us non-east coast people shake our heads in wonder in this absorbing and fun summer treat.”- littlesrink, Amazon Reviewer

“The most life-affirming book I’ve read all year! “Woman on Top” is a testament to all women who have overcome adversity (in life and in love) through strength of character and a sheer zest for living. After losing the love of her life, Kate finds herself in the arms of a powerful New York banker who prides himself on being able to give a woman everything she could want, and more. But can he? Schwartz’s book speaks to an essential ingredient for happiness–finding your inner strength. “Woman on Top” will make you laugh and cry and laugh and cry again. If you are in danger of losing faith in true love…or in yourself, read this book now!”- lilybrat, Amazon Reviewer

About Deborah Schwartz:

 

Born and raised in New York, Deborah Schwartz graduated from Tufts University and then obtained her Masters in History at Columbia University where she wrote a thesis on “Feminism in Eighteenth Century England.” She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. Today, Deborah’s passion is writing and she incorporated her achievement of having reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2011 into her debut novel. A New Yorker to the core, Deborah is most grateful to be the mother of her two grown children.  

For more information, please visit: 

www.deborahschwartz.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Deborah-SchwartzAuthor/1376332242578553

Twitter: https://twitter.com/schwartzd18

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7166782.Deborah_Schwartz

My thoughts:

If you love NYC, a sexy and alluring city full of promise and heartbreak, then you are sure to love Deborah Schwartz’s debut novel Woman on Top.  Set amidst the glamour and excess of NYC Kate struggles to cope after the death of her husband when she finds herself suddenly vulnerable in this city controlled by power and greed.

Lonely without her husband Kate gives in to the charms of the stereotypical Wall Street shark, Len and finds herself immersed in a world she neither knows how to navigate or escape. 

Woman on Top is a compelling story, made more so when you realize that it is inspired by the author’s life.  Deborah Schwartz, using her own experiences and struggles, reminds every woman that the road to self-empowerment is journey.  Often an uphill one on its best days, but the struggle to find oneself and emerge from a woman on top is definitely worth the struggle.  Women every will relate to Kate, her emotions, her decisions, her experiences and her mistakes.

Schwartz definitely reminds her reader that life is a journey more than a destination and it is in finding the adventures along the way that is essentially what life is all about.  I believe that readers will easily relate to Kate’s unexpected pleasures as well as her often-heartbreaking missteps along her journey of self discovery and at times recall the moments that took their breath away, both for the good or for the bad, in their own life experience.

I truly enjoyed Woman on Top and relishing the privilege of sharing Kate’s journey and especially the memories reading the novel evoked in myself.  I found myself cheering Kate on as she relentlessly pushes forward refusing to abandon her true self while rebuilding her life after tragedy.

For more information on the Woman on Top virtual book tour 

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