Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT GIVE IN TO THE FEELING by Sarah Zama #HistFic @JazzFeathers

Today’s Team Review is from Terry, she blogs at http://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry has been reading Give In To The Feeling by Sarah Zama

Give in to the Feeling by Sarah Zama

3.5 stars

This is an interesting and unusual novella, set in 1920s Chicago, mostly within a speakeasy. Susie (really Su Xie) is a Chinese girl who has been sent to America by her parents (all is explained) and ends up living with ‘Simon’, the owner of the speakeasy and a gangster (this is implied, rather than stated). She dances for him and his customers each night; she belongs to him. Then one night she dances with the mysterious Blood, and knows that he is the person she must be with.

The atmosphere is well set, the emotions most convincing, and I liked the rather offbeat way in which it’s written. I noticed that the author is Italian; sometimes the English is not quite right, with strange word choices or slightly incorrect ways of expressing things, but, oddly, it works well with the style of the story and subject matter. I think it actually adds to it, peculiar though that may sound. The story has a strong supernatural element, as not everyone in it is one hundred per cent human.

After about half way through I began to find it a tiny bit repetitive where the feelings of the characters were concerned, and I think I preferred the earlier parts where the supernatural side was hinted at, rather than made obvious. But I enjoyed reading it, and there’s an interesting addition in the back: a chapter from the first person point of view of Susie, about how she felt when she was forced to leave China. There is also some information about speakeasies.

I think lovers of the supernatural would like it very much.

Find a copy via Goodreads

Would You Buy Or Pass? #FridayFiveChallenge Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by @ThereseFowler

Welcome to my Friday Five Challenge

Get yourself a cuppa and give yourself 5 minutes.

In today’s online shopping age, readers often base their buying decisions from small postage stamp size book covers (Thumb-nails), a quick glance at the book description and the review. How much time do they really spend making that buying decision?

AUTHORS – You often only have seconds to get a reader to buy your book, is your book cover and book bio up to it?

My Friday Five Challenge is this….. IN ONLY FIVE MINUTES….

1) Go to any online book supplier,

2) Randomly choose a category,

3) Speed through the book covers, choose one which has instantly appealed to your eye,

4) Read the book Bio/ Description for this book,

5) If there are reviews, check out a couple,

6) Make an instant decision, would you BUY or PASS?

(then write a little analysis about your decision)

This week I wanted to be inspired by a historical female heroine, I searched the sub-heading of biographies, checked out a couple of books and found mine listed under “Customers who bought this item also bought” section.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Book Description

‘Sometimes’, said Scott, ‘I don’t know whether Zelda and I are real or whether we are characters from one of my own novels.’ Before F. Scott Fitzgerald was a literary darling, before he’d even begun to imagine The Great Gatsby or Benjamin Button, he was a young WWI army lieutenant who fell hard for a spirited Southern belle named Zelda Sayre. The life he and Zelda would lead together in New York, Long Island, Paris, Hollywood and the French Riviera made them legends, even in their own time. Set amidst the glamour of the Jazz Age and The Lost Generation’s vivid world abroad, Z vividly brings Zelda and Scott’s romantic, tumultuous, extraordinary journey to life. Zelda was the embodiment of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties. She was vibrant, headstrong, complicated and misunderstood. Z is the irresistibly rich, romantic and tumultuous story of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, set in seductive settings. Filled with larger-than-life characters such as Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy and Gertrude Stein, we watch the evolution of this iconic woman as she lived large and ached to find her own identity in the shadow of her celebrated husband.

Price: Kindle £1.49 /$2.31

Number of reviews; 47 in the UK / 605 in the US

I checked out a couple of the reviews, lots like the book, but there are also some who didn’t think it was a true likeness of the characters real life.

With the clock ticking, would I BUY or PASS?……..BUY

Analysis

The book cover was an immediate hit, it spoke FLAPPER girl to me with just the hat. A huge Z on the cover – well that is the book title, it was spot on for the job. The book description pulled me in, I read The Great Gatsby twice, saw the film, I loved another book written about the era, (The 20’s Girl and All that Jazz by June Kearns) so I am intrigued to know more. It obviously has a huge following in America due to the characters and the setting. The price is an added bonus, I don’t like to spend too much on a kindle book, so this week I would definitely BUY this book.

A little extra, here is another book cover for the book, I like the first one best, for me the flapper girl sells it.

Links to other #FridayFiveChallengers

Shelley chose Steampunk – http://shelleywilsonauthor.com/2015/07/17/buy-or-pass-time-to-put-steampunk-through-the-fridayfivechallenge/

Cathy chose Travel and Holidays – https://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/friday-five-challenge-a-la-mod-by-ian-moore/

Liz is checking out books about Cornwall – https://lizannelloyd.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/friday-five-challenge-6/

Terry Chose to investigate “August” – http://terrytyler59.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/would-you-buy-or-pass-8.html

Barb is doing everything she can to get Wi-Fi out in rural Spain just to stay in touch – do read this it’s FUN – http://barbtaub.com/2015/07/17/the-f-bomb-cheating-and-fridayfivechallenge-from-rosieamber1/#like-6930

 

 

Rosie’s Book review Team #RBRT Karen reviews Fallen On Good Times by Rewan Tremethick

Today we have a book review from team member Karen, she blogs at https://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com/

Karen chose to read and review Fallen On Good Times by Rewan Tremethick

My Opinion

This book introduces you to paranormal detective Laslo Kane and his cases in the 1920s; prohibition being in full bloom.

With Fallen on Good Times, Rewan Tremethick has created an unconventional combination of a paranormal crime series with a humorous touch in the 1920s. Fallen on Good Times is the promising start of a series. You can’t help getting to like Laslo more and more as the story develops. He is quite a character, he made me shake my head, hold my breath, urge him on – you can see I was drawn into the story. It is a fast and entertaining read. This is for you if you like paranormal crime and a character you don’t easily forget.

Laslo Kane is addictive!

Recommended.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns

The 20’s Girl, the ghost, and all that jazz by June Kearns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was delightful, I read it in less than 24 hours. Set in 1924 the book covers two extremely different settings. Firstly the English Shires, lush, green, damp and a place short of men after the War and the Flu epidemic. Secondly Texas, vast, hot and dry, full of rough men and cattle.

Gerardina Chiledexter has been left a bookshop and a heap of debts by her flamboyant aunt. When a complete stranger announces that she has been left half a Texas ranch by a man she’s never heard of, a chance to pay off all her debts looks hopeful. But Aunt Leonie left a letter asking Gerry to visit Texas before she sells her half.

On a whim, Gerry travels thousands of miles to Jericho Wells and the Circle O Ranch. But Coop and everyone there make her feel very unwelcome. She struggles to fit in and when Doc Hyde reveals that Coop can’t pay up, Gerry hot tails it back to England.

With no nest egg and the bookshop falling down around them, it looks like Archie’s offer of marriage is the only way out, unless the ghosts that surround Gerry finally get their way. looking forward to reading more by this author.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

I recently reviewed “An Englishwoman’s Guide to the Cowboy” also by June, here is a link to the post http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-58k

You can also catch up with June’s guest author interview here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5bO

Finally June and The 20’s Girl, took par in my April A-Z tour, here is a link to that post. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wS

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Letter T on The A to Z April Challenge 2014

Today it’s letter T on the A to Z Challenge. My book is “The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz” by June Kearns. Genre: Romance

Book Title: The 20’s Girl, the ghost, and all that jazz

Book Description:

1924. The English Shires after the Great War – all crumbling country houses and no men.

When her jazzing flapper of an aunt dies, Gerardina Mary Chiledexter inherits some silver-topped scent bottles, a wardrobe of love-affair clothes, and astonishingly, a half-share in a million-acre cattle ranch in south-west Texas.

Haunted by a psychic cat, and the ghost voice of her aunt, Gerry feels driven to go and see this for herself.

Against a backdrop of big sky, cattle barons and oil wells, she is soon engaged in a game of power, pride and attraction with the Texan who owns the other half.

Available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle viewbook.at/The20sGirlKindle

Author Sites: website: www.junekearns.com

Twitter: @june_kearns

 Blog: www.newromantics4.com

Facebook: June Kearns

I shall be reviewing this book here on the blog in June along with a guest author interview.

Here are some randomly selected links to other bloggers who are taking up the challenge, please find time to visit them too.

http://inkwellandpaper.wordpress.com/

http://darkcreekfarm.com/blog/

http://www.alexanazzaro.com/category/blog/

http://valeriestorey.blogspot.co.uk/

During the challenge we are asking people to comment on as many blogs as possible, all supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

Steps into Darkness by Ben Woodard

Steps Into Darkness by Ben Woodard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Steps into Darkness is a great book for boys and girls. Set in Kentucky in the 1920’s the story quickly follows the adventures of two boys, who seek to solve a mystery. A dam is being built and there are many people who oppose the scheme. Tom, with Will’s help, makes a list of suspects and set off on their own investigation, but they end up in a whole pile of trouble. This is a well written, fast paced book. Tom was a great character making his love of reading play a useful part in the story. The historical setting of the book was a pleasure to read.

Find a copy here on Amazon.

View all my reviews