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Not Without My Sister - Marion Kummerow - Bookouture Blog Tour

3/25/2021

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Description: 
1944, Germany. Two sisters seek to overcome impossible odds to be reunited, in this utterly devastating and unforgettable novel about sisterhood, courage and survival.

All they had left was each other. Until the Nazis tore them apart.

After years of hiding from the Nazis, Rachel Epstein and her little sister Mindel are captured by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. The only ray of light for either girl is that they are together.

But on arrival they are separated. As she’s seventeen and deemed an adult, Rachel is sent to work in a brutal factory whilst four-year-old Mindel is sent into the so-called “star” camp for Jewish prisoners. All on her own, Rachel knows her sister will have no chance of survival—unless she can find someone to take care of her.

Working in the windowless, airless factory—filling munitions casings with chemicals that burn her fingers and make her eyes sting—the only thing that keeps Rachel going is the thought of her little sister. Because if there’s even a chance Mindel is alive, Rachel knows she must try to save her.
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But, separated by barbed wire, and treated brutally by SS guards who do not even see them as human beings, can either of the orphaned sisters ever dare to hope that they’ll find their way back to each other? And to freedom?

A completely heartbreaking, utterly gripping tale of courage, loss and overcoming impossible odds, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Ragged Edge of Night and The Orphan’s Tale.
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My thoughts
Just like me, Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany. So, it was very interesting for me to read a WWII book in English that is not a translation. The author got her inspiration for this book during a trip she took to the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp in Lower Saxony, Germany, where the pictures of the children who suffered in the concentration camp caught her eye. One picture in particular inspired her to create the character of 4-year-old Mindel in this story and her 17-year-old sister Rachel. Here is a link to the picture: kummerow.info/bergen-belsen-concentration-camp. The story is told from the perspectives of these two amazing girls who get separated but refuse to give up hope of reuniting. The author goes back and forth between the girls' POVs. It was great to read Mindel's POV. I'm usually not a fan of books written from a child's perspective--let alone from the perspective of such a young child. Oftentimes, the characters are annoying. Not in this book! The author brings across the age-appropriate perspective but she does so without using very childish language. When reading the story, you can tell that the girl is still very young but the wording used is "easy on the brain." The entire character-driven story reminded me a lot of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" (another excellent book by the way). It was fantastic to see the war and the horrendous Nazi crimes through the eyes of a 4-year-old. I did in particular like Mindel's relationship with her best friend Laszlo. The author definitely did her research. This book is one of those very realistic historical fiction books. You can feel what the characters feel, you can picture yourself at the camp, and some of the characters we meet in the book seem to be inspired by real people, e.g., she mentions Anne Frank. The character seem familiar without retelling stories we've read about in other novels or accounts of true events in non-fiction literature. If you love WWII historical fiction, I'm 100% sure you will like this book!
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About the author:
Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.
Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.
https://kummerow.info/
https://www.facebook.com/AutorinKummerow/
https://twitter.com/MarionKummerow

​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 259
  • Publisher: Bookouture (March 25, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN (ebook): B08QSDHH41
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08QSDHH41social
Apple: https://apple.co/3mqOnQZ
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3gSgHdU
Google: https://bit.ly/34knyrf
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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0 Comments

Mystery by the Sea by Verity Bright - Bookouture Blog Tour

3/14/2021

1 Comment

 
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About the author(s):
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
https://twitter.com/BrightVerity
Description:
​A magnificent seaside hotel, striped deckchairs, strawberry ice cream… and a rather familiar dead body? Lady Swift is on the case!

Spring, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, explorer extraordinaire and accidental sleuth, hasn’t had a vacation since she arrived in England a year ago. Being an amateur detective can be a rather tiring business and she is determined to escape any more murder and mysteries. So she books into the Grand Hotel in the fashionable resort of Brighton for some fresh air, fish and chips and, of course, a dip in the ocean.

Eleanor is enjoying her view of the waves and trying to find her bathing suit when calamity strikes: a guest has been found dead at her beautiful hotel. The distraught manager, who can’t afford a scandal, asks Eleanor to solve the case as swiftly as possible. Thank goodness she has her partner in crime – Gladstone the bulldog – to help her sniff out the dastardly culprit.

But when Eleanor enters the dead man’s room, she receives a shock big enough to make her forget even the finest ice cream sundae. The body is that of her husband, who supposedly died six years ago on the other side of the world. Has he been alive all these years? Why does he have a copy of their wedding photograph with a cryptic message written on the back? If Eleanor can keep herself safe long enough to find her husband’s killer, she might discover that everything is not quite as it seems beside the seaside…

A warm and witty whodunnit! Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and L.B. Hathaway will be utterly charmed by this addictive and absolutely gripping page-turner.
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My thoughts
Aaaaaahhh, they did it again!!!!!! Verity Bright's latest cozy mystery "Mystery by the Sea" is book 5 in the series and--just like the other books in the series--didn't disappoint! I had a blast being a little fly on the wall watching Lady Eleanor and her loyal butler Clifford solve another mystery. This time, the case hits closer to home than Lady Eleanor had expected. The murder victim is her own husband who she thought was dead. Well, now he is for sure...but for the last six years, he had been very much alive. A witty, fierce, yet charming Lady E combined with a wonderful portrayal of 1920s Brighton made this a super fun read. Escapism at its finest!!! Lady E is definitely a younger version of Miss Marple. So, if you like Agatha Christie, I am willing to bet everything I have that you will like this series! To me, it feels like butler Clifford is to Lady E what Dr. Watson is to Sherlock Holmes. He is so charmingly British and just as loyal to Eleanor as Dr. Watson is to Sherlock. The only thing I was missing a bit in this book was the sweet relationship Lady E has with Detective Seldon. He did appear in this book, but was more of a supporting character. I love their dynamic and I was sad that I didn't get to read more dialogue between the two. However, Clifford was definitely a wonderful sidekick in book 5. I can't wait to see what other adventures these two will go on.
There is one thing that really made me swoon...Lady E is not only a lady who defies convention at home in England, she is also a well-traveled archaeologist. Since I'm someone who always wanted to be one and who eats up every documentary about archeology and mummification and being a little rebel myself, Lady E is a girl after my own heart. Now on to your next adventure, Lady E...we need you to solve a lot more cases!
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​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 307
  • Publisher: Bookouture (March 11, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBM (ebook): B08P4Y71JX
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3bh7omG
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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1 Comment

    Author

    This part of my blog is all about books and reading! I believe in reading aloud to my kids and being creative with books (e.g., in the form of Bible journaling). 
    My goal for 2021 is --just as in 2020-- to continue to minimize my electronics time (mindless TV watching, binge-watching shows on Netflix, game apps, social media scrolling). Instead, I will continue to replace those hours with reading challenges, audiobooks, and reading time with my kids. 

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