Book Synopsis
One look at Baby Doe and you know she was meant to be a legend! She
was just twenty years old when she came to Colorado to work a gold mine
with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and
pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop
her!
She moved to Leadville and fell in love with a married prospector,
twice her age. Horace Tabor struck the biggest silver vein in history,
divorced his wife and married Baby Doe. Though his new wife was known
for her beauty, her fashion, and even her philanthropy, she was never
welcomed in polite society.
Discover how the Tabors navigated the worlds of wealth, power, politics, and scandal in the wild days of western mining.
My Review
Gold Digger tells the story of Lizzie "Baby" Doe, who travels to Colorado with her husband Harvey because he wants to try his hand at gold mining. Life is far different than either of them expects, and her husband leaves Baby Doe when she is pregnant and struggling to make a living on her own. She meets the charming Horace Tabor, a wealthy man who is involved in mining and eventually politics as well. Unfortunately, he is married. They fall in love and life changes once again for Baby Doe.
I wanted to read this book because I was interested in the the western frontier and the California Gold Rush as a young girl. I had never read about gold prospecting in Colorado, and both the subject matter and time period really interested me.
This was what I would call a rollicking read. It is really fun and lively, and would make a great movie. I have been trying to cast the movie in my head and have regretfully decided that Sam Elliott is a bit too old to play Horace Tabor. Perhaps Dennis Quaid would be good in that role. I am still thinking about who could play Baby Doe.
Baby Doe's fortunes go from rags to riches and back to rags -- it is a real roller coaster ride. There is another book coming up as a sequel, Silver Dollar, and I already look forward to reading it as well.
The author evokes the 1870's to 1890's with period details. I had no idea how rough mining conditions were for both miners and for the poor donkeys who worked in the mines. The frontier days of Colorado are vividly captured, including an appearance by Doc Holliday, who helps Baby Doe when she injures her ankle.
I particularly enjoyed the novel after Baby Doe and Horace met. The details of the grand opera house that Horace built were fascinating. I especially loved the visit to the opera house by Oscar Wilde!
Baby Doe later meets other historic figures in her travels, including Lillian Russell, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and President Arthur.
Baby Doe was a complex character -- involved with a married man but interested in helping others, unafraid of hard work and eager to be a participant and not just a spectator in her own life.
I recommend Gold Digger for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone who is interested in the American west. You have a fun and lively read ahead of you!
Author Bio
A California native, Rebecca Rosenberg lives on a lavender farm with
her family in Sonoma, the Valley of the Moon, where Jack London wrote
from his Beauty Ranch. Rebecca is a long-time student of Jack London’s
works and an avid fan of his daring wife, Charmian London. The Secret
Life of Mrs. London is her debut novel.
Rebecca and her husband, Gary, own the largest lavender product
company in America, selling to 4000 resorts, spas and gift stores. The
Rosenbergs believe in giving back to the Sonoma Community, supporting
many causes through financial donations and board positions, including
Worth Our Weight, an educational culinary program for at-risk children,
YWCA shelter for abused women, Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center to
provide performances for children, Sonoma Food Bank, Sonoma Boys and
Girls Club, and the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home.
For more information, please visit Rebecca’s website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook and Goodreads. Visit the Facebook page for The Secret Life of Mrs. London.
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we will be giving away a copy of Gold Digger, a gold facial mask & soap set, and recipe brochure to five winners. Three winners will receive an ebook of Gold Digger.
To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on June 28th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Gold Digger
Book Synopsis
National bestselling author
Lucy Burdette’s intrepid food critic Hayley Snow must sniff out a killer
in the ninth Key West Food Critic mystery.
Key West food critic Hayley Snow scents-es something fishy when a customer falls stone-crab cold dead on a seafood tasting tour.
Thanksgiving is nearly here, and Key
West food critic Hayley Snow has just one more assignment to put to bed
for Key Zest magazine before she gets to celebrate with her family and
her police officer fiancé, Nathan Bransford. Then, just days later,
wedding bells will ring—if death doesn’t toll first.
The sweet potatoes and stuffing will
have to wait when Hayley picks up a distraught phone call from her
friend, Analise Smith. On the last stop of a seafood tasting tour run by
Analise, one of the customers collapsed—dead. With the police on the
verge of shutting down the tour—and ruining Analise’s business—Hayley
can hardly refuse her friend’s entreaties to investigate.
As if wedding jitters and family strife
weren’t enough for Hayley to worry about, there’s crusty pastry chef
Martha Hubbard, whose key lime pie may have been the murder weapon—but
did she poison her own pie or was she framed? As the hours to Turkey Day
tick away, the pressure cooker is on for Hayley to serve up the culprit
on a silver platter in A Deadly Feast, national bestselling author Lucy
Burdette’s taste-tempting ninth Key West Food Critic mystery.
Author Bio
Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta
Isleib) has published 16 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West
food critic series, DEATH ON THE MENU (Crooked Lane Books, August
2018.) Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony,
and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and a
past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs at Jungle Red Writersand shares her love for food with the culinary writers at Mystery Lovers Kitchen She lives in Madison CT and Key West FL. Read more at www.lucyburdette.com.
Author Links
Facebook: WWW.facebook.com/lucyburdette
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lucyburdette
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lucyburdette
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/robertaisleib
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4781149.Lucy_Burdette
Purchase Links: – Amazon – B&N – IndieBound
Book Synopsis
Myscowa, Poland—1910
Once upon a time in tiny, rural Myscowa, Lukasz Musial competes in feats
of strength against his lifelong nemesis to win passage to America. He
leaves behind grinding poverty and despair, to seek the clear blue
skies, and better life he sees on a postcard. Settled in Donora’s Polish
community, Lukasz secures a coveted job in the wire mill, and is
matched to marry Donora’s very own Polish princess. Life is set on
course. The American Dream is nearly his.
Donora, Pennsylvania—1910
Mary Lancos is no princess. A tall, athletic girl who loves the water,
she spends her days keeping house for families in town, digging coal out
of a backyard seam and rowing her father across the Monongahela River
for work. Mary is dependable, tenacious, and always ready to help when
someone needs her. She dreams of a gas-heated home, a bedroom for each
of her future children, and good meals on the table each night. To help
make that happen Mary attends local dances, waiting for the few men who
are taller than her to ask her to dance, hoping one of them is right for
her.
An unexpected Christmas Eve visitor brings bad luck, and Lukasz’s
world crumbles. Meanwhile, tension grows at the Lancos home when money
is short and Mary’s dreams clash with her parents’ old world
expectations. Just when Mary and Lukasz are at their lowest, they find
themselves under an odd pink moonlit sky and Lukasz rescues Mary from a
fall into frigid river water. The attraction between them is sudden and
consuming, turning the pair onto an unexpected path. With mounting
disapproval from Mary’s parents, and increased pressure on Lukasz, they
must decide if love is enough to risk losing everything else that
matters.
My Review
The Strongman and the Mermaid is a historical novel that begins in 1910. Lukasz Musial lives in Poland, but wants to immigrate to America. Mary Lancos lives in Donora, Pennsylvania. Her family is struggling and she has left school to work as a maid. This is the story of how these two surprisingly similar people meet and come together.
First, I have to say this book has an absolutely beautiful, evocative cover. I was interested to read it initially because of the cover art and because it sounded like an unusual historical novel - part family saga, part love story, part fairytale.
This is a big book -- 565 pages. It moves at a leisurely pace. However, I could not put it down. I stayed up reading until 2:00 AM, then 1:00 AM the next night because the author has a gift of creating characters who I cared about.
The novel begins with Lukasz in Poland, and Mary in Pennsylvania. Lukasz loses his chance at a ticket to America, but then improbably wins a ticket after all. That changes his life, and the life of Mary as well. I really became involved in the book more when the characters were both in Pennsylvania; that is when the book really seemed to begin for me. They meet casually but are involved in their own lives. Lukasz is set up with a beautiful Polish girl and Mary is interested n a young man from a wealthy family.
I loved the fairy tale quality of this storytelling. Lukasz is a strongman, not big but very powerful. He is gentle, though, and has an artist's eye for creating beautiful figures of metal and wire. At night he dreams about a legendary mermaid. Mary longs to change her life, like Cinderella in the fairy tale. One magical night a pink moon changes everything for them both.
The writing in this book - most especially the descriptions - is absolutely lovely. I loved all the details of Catholic holidays and rituals, of food and baking (although I sometimes wished for recipes to try some of the dishes!), and day to day descriptions. For instance, there is a ritual where young single women in the community make unique flower wreaths that they wear. Then they toss them in the river and suitors dive in for the wreaths. There was such an evocative image of the wreaths bobbing in the river.
And when Lukasz spies the pink moon:
"He looked upward. A full moon, pink and blazing through the clouds, shocked him. Its rays reflected off the newly fallen snow as if the heavens had laid down a winter blanket over the dark, barren ground. Blue light reflected off the snow, a pink haze circled the moon, and he felt as if he'd been dropped off into another world" (p. 423).
The framework of the novel is a very elderly man named Patryk in the present day. He shares a special book with his daughter and grandson. It is a book about "mermaids, red birds, baseball gloves, and bats, circus animals and performers, and cemetery headstones. of all things" (p. 9). Although I found these characters very likable, they took me out of the action of 1910 in a way that distracted me a bit. I was eager to return to the original story.
The name of Stan Musial is mentioned several times in the book. I will admit that I'm not a sports fan and was not familiar with him until I looked him up. He was a famous baseball player and it appears this novel was inspired by his family's story. That makes the story even more interesting!
There will be another book in this series about Stan Musial, and I look forward to revisiting these characters and this world again. I recommend The Strongman and the Mermaid for fans of historical fiction, love stories, family sagas. It is a totally unique book and I found it a very rewarding read. I think you will too.
Author Bio
Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, holds a PhD in reading education and
has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. She writes
historical fiction, women’s fiction and romance. Shoop’s novels have
garnered various awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, Eric
Hoffer Book Awards, Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book
Awards and the San Francisco Book Festival. Kathleen has been featured
in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide to 2013. Her work has appeared in
The Tribune-Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh
Parent magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and
two children.
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we will be giving away a copy of The Strongman and the Mermaid and a $50 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Strongman and Mermaid
Book Synopsis
He Needed Peace…
Attorney Tom Finchley has spent his life using his devious intellect
to solve the problems of others. As for his own problems, they’re
nothing that a bit of calculated vengeance can’t remedy. But that’s all
over now. He’s finally ready to put the past behind him and settle down
to a quiet, uncomplicated life. If only he could find an equally
uncomplicated woman.
She Wanted Adventure…
Former lady’s companion Jenny Holloway has just been given a modest
independence. Now, all she wants is a bit of adventure. A chance to see
the world and experience life far outside the restrictive limits of
Victorian England. If she can discover the fate of the missing Earl of
Castleton while she’s at it, so much the better.
From the gaslit streets of London to the lush tea gardens of colonial
India, Jenny and Tom embark on an epic quest—and an equally epic
romance. But even at the farthest edges of the British Empire, the past
has a way of catching up with you…
Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews (A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty, The Matrimonial Advertisement)
writes both historical non-fiction and traditional historical romances
set in Victorian England. Her articles on nineteenth century history
have been published on various academic and history sites, including the
Victorian Web and the Journal of Victorian Culture, and are also syndicated weekly at BUST Magazine.
In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with
her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, two Shelties,
and two Siamese cats.
For more information, please visit Mimi Matthews’ website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, Pinterest, Google+, and Goodreads.
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we have two signed copies of A Modest Independence up for grabs! To enter, please see the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 10th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
A Modest Independence
Book Synopsis
Would you sell your secrets?
Catherine Carlisle is trapped in a loveless marriage and the threat
of World War Two is looming. She sees no way out… that is until a
trusted friend asks her to switch her husband’s papers in a desperate
bid to confuse the Germans.
Soon Catherine finds herself caught up in a deadly mixture of
espionage and murder. Someone is selling secrets to the other side, and
the evidence seems to point right at her.
Can she clear her name before it’s too late?
Author Bio
TERRY LYNN THOMAS grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, which
explains her love of foggy beaches and Gothic mysteries. When her
husband promised to buy Terry a horse and the time to write if she moved
to Mississippi with him, she jumped at the chance. Although she had
written several novels and screenplays prior to 2006, after she
relocated to the South she set out to write in earnest and has never
looked back.
Terry Lynn writes the Sarah Bennett Mysteries, set on the California
coast during the 1940s, which feature a misunderstood medium in love
with a spy. The Drowned Woman is a recipient of the IndieBRAG Medallion.
She also writes the Cat Carlisle Mysteries, set in Britain during World
War II. The first book in this series, The Silent Woman, came out in
April 2018 and has since become a USA TODAY bestseller. The Family
Secret is slated for release in March 2019. When she’s not writing, you
can find Terry Lynn riding her horse, walking in the woods with her
dogs, or visiting old cemeteries in search of story ideas.
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we will be giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
The Silent Woman
