The idea was just too novel to pass up. I enjoy drinking wine, and I enjoy reading, so combining these two loves of mine was a no-brainer. This week, I have a few new authors to introduce you to. Hope you’ll enjoy reading their words between sipping your favorite vino. I certainly will!
THE GIRL FROM BERLIN by Ronald H. Balson
In the newest novel from internationally-bestselling author Ronald. H. Balson, Liam and Catherine come to the aid of an old friend and are drawn into a property dispute in Tuscany that unearths long-buried secrets
An old friend calls Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart to his famous Italian restaurant to enlist their help. His aunt is being evicted from her home in the Tuscan hills by a powerful corporation claiming they own the deeds, even though she can produce her own set of deeds to her land. Catherine and Liam’s only clue is a bound handwritten manuscript, entirely in German, and hidden in its pages is a story long-forgotten…
Ada Baumgarten was born in Berlin in 1918, at the end of the war. The daughter of an accomplished first-chair violinist in the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic, and herself a violin prodigy, Ada’s life was full of the rich culture of Berlin’s interwar society. She formed a deep attachment to her childhood friend Kurt, but they were torn apart by the growing unrest as her Jewish family came under suspicion. As the tides of history turned, it was her extraordinary talent that would carry her through an unraveling society turned to war, and make her a target even as it saved her, allowing her to move to Bologna—though Italy was not the haven her family had hoped, and further heartache awaited.
What became of Ada? How is she connected to the conflicting land deeds of a small Italian villa? As they dig through the layers of lies, corruption, and human evil, Catherine and Liam uncover an unfinished story of heart, redemption, and hope—the ending of which is yet to be written.
Don’t miss Liam and Catherine’s lastest adventures in The Girl from Berlin!
My Review
Some might lament, “Another WWII book?” when they read the description of Ronald Balson’s The Girl From Berlin, but they would be oh so wrong on so many levels! This book is not just another WWII book, it is an excellent book set during that time, and told as the result of a present-day conflict over land deeds of a small Italian villa. Balson is no slouch in the research department. He thoroughly immerses his reader in this time period and gives information that I’ve not read anywhere else. The primary story is a biographical account of Ada Baumgarten’s life as a young Jewish girl in Berlin. The reader gets to follow her through her birth in 1918 to the 1930’s before the war came to Italy and then into the camps with her in the 1940’s. As a very talented violinist, Ada’s life opens up to the reader as if she’s with you having an intimate conversation. She deftly describes the locations, the concert halls, the farm where she lived in a way that brings magical imagery to life. While some historicals seem stilted and not very entertaining for me, I was enthralled by Mr. Balson’s writing. The way that Catherine and Liam were woven into the story through a property dispute in Tuscany was done so well, it was clear that they were incidental to Ada’s story and didn’t take over. The story had a believability about it that some are sorely lacking in these days, and was truly enjoyable. As the author uses Ada’s narrative and Catherine and Liam’s present-day investigation to peel back layer upon layer of conflict, we are exposed to a rich story of overcoming adversity in the most bitter backdrop imaginable. I reminded at times of The Diary of Anne Frank and Schindler’s List while reading The Girl From Berlin.
His Peace Her Pleasure by Keke Renee
Description
Peaches Ellinson has had enough of love and relationships. Now, the Harvard educated teacher by day, nude model by night, only wants to focus on her big picture dream to be the next great painter and well-respected gallery owner. With her goals in mind, she spends every spare minute doing what she can to make her business grow. The last thing she needs is a distraction, but life has other plans for her.
Santiago Garcia is a man who knows what he wants and knows how to get it, but his skills are challenged by a sexy artist who tests him at every turn. The harder he tries to make her his, the more she resists his demands, but he’s determined to change her mind.
Tempted by the strong, sexy man who makes her knees weak and her heart go aflutter, can Peaches keep her head in the game or will she give into her desires and let her life take a different path?
Notes
Warning: Adult Content, Erotic Romance with Alpha male and fast paced, Shorty Story with a HEA. No cliffhanger.
Vic’s Tasty Treat by Christina Rose Andrews
Description
After a bad break up, Paige was ready for a new beginning. She never expected that beginning would come in the form of her new neighbor’s blazing hot son, Vic, who was volun-told to help her prepare for the neighborhood Halloween extravaganza.
Vic was everything a red-blooded woman could want: smart, sweet, sexy. And ten years younger than her. Paige longed to make her Vic-filled fantasies a reality, but if that happens… what then? Especially when something unexpected happens to threaten her newfound happiness.
Bev Elle 