Book Review with Featured Author: Divine Vintage by Sandra L. Young

Divine Vintage by Sandra L. Young

 

 

Publisher & Release: Wild Rose Press, February 21, 2022

Setting:  1913 & present Day

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 260 Pages

Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Tess Burton is always up for an adventure. She's risked her inheritance to open Divine Vintage, a clothing boutique. While modeling an elegant gown from an Edwardian era trousseau, her mind is opened to a century-old murder. Visions—seen through the eyes of the murdered bride—dispute local lore that claims the bridegroom committed the crime.
Trey Dunmore doesn't share Tess' enthusiasm for mind-blowing visions, yet the appeal to clear his family's tainted legacy compels him to join her in exploring the past. Aided by the dead woman's clothing and diary, Tess and Trey discover that pursuing love in 1913 was just as thorny as modern day. As the list of murder suspects grows, the couple fears past emotions are influencing, and may ultimately derail, their own blossoming intimacy.

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Divine-Vintage-Sandra-L-Young-ebook/dp/B09NGP2W9R

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/divine-vintage-sandra-l-young/1140776337

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/divine-vintage-1

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sandra_L_Young_Divine_Vintage?id=RNxeEAAAQBAJ

 

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60019967-divine-vintage

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/divine-vintage-by-sandra-l-young

 

Vikki’s Musings

 

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of Divine Vintage by Sandra L. Young. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel prior to publication. Nothing has influenced my rating or opinion of this book. 

 

Divine Vintage is a well written novel involving characters from the past and present. The heroine has recently opened a vintage clothing shop. Esther DeLeon and her cousin’s son come into the shop because she is hosting an anniversary tea and style show at Carver House, her home, to benefit the local homeless shelter. That starts off this enjoyable story.

 

Ms. Young brings the Edwardian era to life through vivid descriptions of the clothing and style of that time. She weaves a fantastical tale by using a woman’s clothing and her diary to smoothly transition from the present to the past. The pacing is decent, but it does pick up a great deal in the second half of the novel. I’m not a huge fan of paranormal novels, but I enjoyed this one.

 

Tess Burton is the heroine of this story, and I liked her character. She’s the typical 21^st century heroine who is independent, intelligent, and driven to succeed, but she also has a softer side that comes through as she explores the romantic possibilities that come her way.

 

Trey Dunmore is the hero, and he exhibits great characteristics from the start as he squires around Esther and does her bidding by modeling for the style show. While he’s attracted to Tess, he behaves as a perfect gentleman which is in tune with the past, making his character fit into the story extremely well.

 

While this is definitely a romance centered around Tess and Trey, it has more substance than one typically finds in contemporary romance because of the paranormal aspect and the mystery the pair go about solving to remove the blemish on Trey’s ancestors. I enjoyed them as a couple and wanted them to find their happy ending.

 

If you enjoy contemporary romance with a twist of paranormal involving events from the past, then you will love Divine Vintage as much as I did. I believe this is Ms. Young’s debut novel, and she’s written a lovely romance with delightful character and an intriguing plot. Happy reading!

 

Author Bio:

 

Sandra L. Young’s love of vintage fashion inspired her to write her debut novel, Divine Vintage. She’s gathered an impressive collection spanning the late 1800s to 1980s, wearing pieces onstage through years of performing in community theater. She also sports it out on the town for special occasions. To round out her love of the arts, Sandra sings with a trio, a praise band, and at karaoke nights. She draws from these experiences in her writing, as well as her work focus in communications and nonprofit management.

 

Social Media:

Website: https://sandrayoungauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.gleim.50/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slyoungauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sandra-l-young

Book review with Featured Author: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona davis

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

 

 

Publisher & Release: Dutton, January 25, 2022

Setting:  New York City, 1919 & 1966

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 349 Pages

Rating:  5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City's most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica's financial woes but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Magnolia-Palace-Novel-Fiona-Davis-ebook/dp/B093GB94J3

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-magnolia-palace-fiona-davis/1139361231

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-magnolia-palace

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Fiona_Davis_The_Magnolia_Palace?id=XyYrEAAAQBAJ

 

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57891877-the-magnolia-palace

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-magnolia-palace-by-fiona-davis

 

Vikki’s Musings

 

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of The Magnolia Palace. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel, and nothing has influenced my rating and opinion.

 

The Magnolia Palace is set-in two-time periods, 1919 and 1966 at the Frick Mansion in New York City. It follows several women, and several characters are based on individuals who were park of the Frick family. The pacing is decent, but it speeds up dramatically in the last half of the book. Ms. Davis has clearly done a great deal of research of the time-period and of the Frick family, making the novel an excellent read.

 

In 1919, Lillian Carter, AKA Angelica. She is the primary character, along with Helen Frick. She stubbles into the role of secretary for this woman and Lillian becomes a pawn between Helen and her father, Henry Clay Frick. Lillian’s tale is a sad one and I had empathy for her.

 

In 1966, a young model is at a photo shoot in the Frick mansion and accidentally gets locked in, along with Joshua Lawrence, an intern for the Frick mansion. I enjoyed the scavenger hunt the two undertake and liked both characters. While there is definitely an attraction between these two, the story is centered on the mystery of the scavenger hunt.

 

Ms. Davis handles the transition from one time-period to the other seamlessly without confusing the reader. Her descriptive writing adds a great deal to the overall enjoyment. She also manages to tie up the significant sub-plots. I would have enjoyed finding out more about Lillian’s escape from the Frick mansion and how the organist helped her.

 

If you enjoy historical fiction filled with individuals who lived in the era it covers, along with a fascinating mystery to solve, then you will love The Magnolia Palace as much as I did. I’m so glad I agreed to read this excellent novel. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Davis and look forward to reading others by her. Happy reading!

 

 

Author Bio:

 

FIONA DAVIS is the New York Times bestselling author of six historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including THE MAGNOLIA PALACE, THE ADDRESS, and THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her novels have been chosen as “One Book, One Community” reads and her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and the Oprah magazine. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and she's based in New York City.

 

Social Media:

Website: https://www.fionadavisbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FionaDavisAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FionaDavisBooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fionadavisauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/fiona-davis

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14903705.Fiona_Davis