Wingmen--Blog Tour with Author Guest Post

I'd like to welcome Almond Jones, the author of Wingmen whose female protagonist is a woman pilot during World War II.

                                 

Here is what Almond Jones wants to tell you about her book:

                                  
                                  GUEST POST

The process of writing Wingmen began almost a decade ago. I lived in a city with too many people and not enough opportunity. Then the economy changed – the degree I’d earned,  (I was told I couldn’t do anything without it), was useless. When I realized I didn’t have to stay where I was and that life could be different, the concept for the novel was born. By that time I’d given up on writing as a career (this was one of many times I’ve given up on my gift and decided it was an unimportant skill). So, I took a trip. I traveled for about a year and wrote the stories I wanted to write. And the first story I wanted to write was about a woman who knows who she is no matter what. I had no intention of becoming a publisher or publishing the book. I hadn’t even planned on writing a book. I just wanted to write – for me. I wanted to write because I don’t’ come across many stories I relate to. So, Celeste was that story. 

After writing the first draft, I put it away for several years. I didn’t think about it much until I decided to write again. But I wanted to do so on my own terms. I didn’t want approval or need permission from anyone to be who I know I can be… just like Celeste. That is the significance of Celeste Bonalee, She is her own person even in the face of pain, grief, life, and death.

 

It is important for people to know what that looks like – both men and women. The “Me Too” movement is strong but Celeste has nothing to do with that. Or trending diversity. Or the real need for more female voices. She is who she is and her story is worth reading. Period.

                                  SYNOPSIS

 Celeste is anything but average. In fact, she's one of a kind – a highly skilled courier pilot with dreams of owning her own hangar. One last delivery is all she needs.  There's only one thing stopping her... World War II. When Celeste is shot down over Paris in 1940, it'll take more than she ever expected for Celeste and her dreams to survive in a world that is falling apart.

Can Celeste and her wingmen make it back home in one piece? Or will war consume her generation and its aspirations?

You can view the Wingmen  trailer here. Wingmen is available now on www.almondjones.com, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com.

 

GRAB YOUR FREE CHAPTER OF WINGMEN

                                                               

The Peddler of Wisdom: A Tale of A Village Revolt

I'm glad to be reviewing a historical fiction with a strong woman protagonist during women's history month.  I won a digital copy of The Peddler of Wisdom by Laura Matthias Bendoly in a giveaway on the Historical Fictionistas group on Goodreads.  The author sent it to me as a gift from Amazon, and this is my honest review.

                           

Central character Irène Guéri is a healer and a diviner who resides in Les Échelles, a fictional village in the south of 17th century France. Les Échelles was invaded by an army of  Sardinians led by Domenico, a tyrannical nobleman with strange obsessions that involved cruel practices.  When Domenico demanded that the villagers consult his alchemist/physician instead of Irène, I expected that she would become the victim of a witchcraft hysteria which were quite common in the 17th century.  It turned out that I was being too pessimistic.  While there were a few collaborators with the invaders,  most of the village wanted to resist Domenico. So Irène became a rebel. I love women who take a stand.

There were other amazing female characters. One of them was Bijou, a female raptor who was very protective of Noisette, the ten year old girl who'd adopted Bijou.  I was also impressed by the courage of  Irène's closest friend, Simone.

There's a romance element in The Peddler of Wisdom.  We even get a HEA ending.  Yet I wouldn't categorize this novel as a romance.  I think that the romance content is insufficient.  I would say the same about characterizing The Peddler of Wisdom as a fantasy.  There is a great deal of discussion about magic, but there are relatively few magical acts.   

I wouldn't count Irène's Tarot readings as magic.  For me, they exhibit insight/intuition.   Some would say that the 17th century was too early for Tarot divination since the earliest historically recorded use of Tarot for that purpose was in the 18th century.  Tarot images were originally utilized for playing cards, not as divination tools.  I should point out that recorded history has tended to focus exclusively on the doings of the wealthy and powerful.   Irène learned about divination with Tarot cards from a Romani woman.  It seems to me at least possible that the Romani might have been reading Tarot somewhat earlier than history indicates.

The Romani are called "gypsies" in this book.    I have been guilty of using the term "gypsies" myself, but that was before I learned the history of  "gypsy" as a pejorative.  It's enough for me that members of this ethnic group prefer Romani.   My policy is that people should be called what they want to be called.  Of course, 17th century Irène wouldn't have known better.  It did bother me that Irène was insulting toward Romani  at the end of the book.   Hurtful stereotypes about the Romani have been common and they still do have a great deal of currency.  Irène seemed advanced in a number of ways.   That comment caused me to think less of her.  It also left a bad taste in my mouth since it was literally the last thing Irène said.

The protagonist of The Peddler of Wisdom was by no means perfect, nor did she need to be perfect.   Characters seem more real if they have flaws or complexity.   A number of characters in Bendoly's book were well-developed including the villainous tyrant Domenico who had a background, and an unpredictable degree of ambivalence.

I had some minor problems with this novel that I won't discuss here.  I did like The Peddler of Wisdom for the most part, and was glad to have the opportunity to read it.                       

The Moon Sister: Blog Tour and Review

The Moon Sister  by Lucinda Riley is the fifth novel in the Seven Sisters series.  I reviewed The Pearl Sister which was the fourth book on this blog here.  I was delighted to be again selected for the blog tour by Atria, the publisher.  I received a review copy from them via Net Galley.  This post includes my  review.

ABOUT THE MOON SISTER:

Tiggy D’Aplièse spends her days experiencing the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands doing a job she loves at a deer sanctuary. But when the sanctuary is forced to close, she is offered a job as a wildlife consultant on the vast and isolated estate of the elusive and troubled laird, Charlie Kinnaird. She has no idea that the move will not only irrevocably alter her future, but also bring her face-to-face with her past.

At the estate, she meets Chilly, an elderly Romani man who fled from Spain seventy years before. He tells her that not only does she possess a sixth sense passed down from her ancestors, but it was foretold long ago that he would be the one to send her back home…

In 1912, in the poor Romani community outside the city walls of Granada, Lucía Amaya-Albaycin is born. Destined to be the greatest flamenco dancer of her generation—and named La Candela, due to the inner flame that burns through her when she dances— Lucía is whisked away by her ambitious and talented guitarist father at the tender age of ten to dance in the flamenco bars of Barcelona. Her mother is devastated by the loss of her daughter and as civil war threatens in Spain, tragedy strikes the rest of her family. Now in Madrid, Lucía and her troupe of dancers are forced to flee for their lives, their journey taking them far across the water to South America and eventually, to North America and New York—Lucía’s long-held dream. But to pursue it, she must choose between her passion for her career and the man she adores.

Featuring Lucinda Riley’s “addictive storytelling with a moving, emotional heart” (Dinah Jeffries), THE MOON SISTER follows these two women bound across time and distance on their journey to discover their true futures—but at the risk of potentially losing the men they had hoped to build futures with.

                                

                              

My Review

I've wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the summary. I loved both female protagonists of this dual period novel.

I admire those who like Tiggy are dedicated to preserving threatened animals and their habitats.  Tiggy also faced down sexual harassment and numerous revelations that impacted her sense of identity when she discovered her Romani birth family in Spain.  Yet she remained focused on her vocation to protect animals. She has been criticized in a Goodreads review for not being a consistent vegan.  A vegan once told me that dairy foods were the most difficult animal products for her to give up, and that she struggled with eliminating dairy for years.  Even principled vegans may have difficulties. Becoming  a vegan can be a process.  I feel that Tiggy is a strong woman who always remained true to the central core of herself throughout the novel.

I've had a love of flamenco dancing and a fascination with the trance state called duende ever since I first learned about its existence in the Highlander: The Series episode Duende. This is why I identified with Lucia's dedication to flamenco.  I felt that her strengths lay in being loyal to her gift and to family.

I thought that The Moon Sister was a moving portrayal of these memorable characters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucinda Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including The Orchid House, The Girl on the Cliff, and the Seven Sisters series. Her books have sold more than fifteen million copies in over thirty languages globally. She was born in Ireland and divides her time between England and West Cork with her husband and four children. Visit her online and learn more about The Seven Sisters series at LucindaRiley.com.