Book Spotlight – The Book Diva's Reads

Book Spotlight: BECOMING THE EX-WIFE by Marsha Gordon

Becoming the Ex-Wife by Marsha Gordon
ISBN: 9780520391543 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9780520391550 (eBook)
ASIN: B0BNBMG619 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: University of California Press
Page Count: 312
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Genre: Nonfiction | Biography

The riveting biography of Ursula Parrott—best-selling author, Hollywood screenwriter, and voice for the modern woman.

Becoming the Ex-Wife establishes Parrott’s rightful place in twentieth-century American culture, uncovering her neglected work and keen insights into American women’s lives during a period of immense social change.

Although she was frequently dismissed as a “woman’s writer,” reading Parrott’s writing today makes it clear that she was a trenchant philosopher of modernity—her work was prescient, anticipating issues not widely raised until decades after her decline into obscurity. With elegant wit and a deft command of the archive, Marsha Gordon tells a timely story about the life of a woman on the front lines of a culture war that is still raging today.

Purchase Links #CommissionEarned: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes and Noble | B&N eBook

Meet the Author

Photo of Marsha Gordon, picture of a white female wearing black eyeglasses, a gold statement necklace, short-sleeve black top, and graying, wavy, shoulder-length hair. — Marsha Gordon by Louis Cherry

Marsha Gordon is a Professor of Film Studies at North Carolina State University, a recent Fellow at the National Humanities Center, and an NEH Public Scholar. She is the author of numerous books and articles, and co-director of several short documentaries. Her latest book, Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life and Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott, was published with the trade division of the University of California Press in April 2023. For seven years Marsha contributed to a monthly show, “Movies on the Radio,” with NC Museum of Art film curator Laura Boyes and Frank Stasio, on 91.5/WUNC’s “The State of Things.” She regularly introduces films, gives lectures, and participates in panels all over the United States and Europe.

Connect with the author via Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Book Spotlight: SURRENDER by Lee Schneider

Surrender by Lee Schneider
ISBN: 9798987246634 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9798987246627 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1230006014681 (eBook)
ASIN: B0BNLTJX8P (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 374
Publisher: Futurex.Studio
Release Date: February 13, 2023
Genre: Fiction | Science-Fiction | Thriller

It is 2050. Kat Keeper, grieving the death of her husband, hires a young artificial intelligence savant to recreate her beloved partner in software form.

A rising startup founder brought low by a crushing business failure, Kat is drawn into a love triangle with the artificial mind of her husband and the man who created it. She learns that the software savant, Bradley Power, leads a mysterious tech company planning to capture all human thought without consent. The company will use the stolen, unspoken thoughts of humans to train a machine intelligence to control the weather, all technology and learning, and even human will.

Kat knows she must stop this, but doesn’t know how. She is pursued by a secret circle of women who say they have the answer, and want her to lead them.

With the fate of human thought in the balance, and her safety at risk, Kat must choose to lead the secret circle before it is too late, and humanity is under machine control.

Surrender takes place in a future world that struggles to contain climate disaster using global machine governance, a world run by computers and the humans who are both empowered and controlled by them, and where a small band of resisters fight to keep human thought safe and free.

Meet the Author

Author Lee Schneider

Lee Schneider is the author of screenplays, teleplays, stage plays, short stories, and audio drama podcasts. His thirty-year career in media includes podcast production, documentaries, and series with History Channel, Discovery, Court TV, Food Network, Travel Channel, TLC, Dateline NBC, and Good Morning America.

The founder of Red Cup Agency, a podcast production agency, and an adjunct lecturer on the USC School of Architecture faculty, he is also the author of five non-fiction books. Surrender is his first published novel. He lives in Santa Monica, CA with his family.

Connect with the author via: Goodreads | Instagram | Mastodon | Twitter | Website

Giveaway

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This giveaway begins at 12:01 AM ET on 03/20/2023 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on 03/24/2023. The winner will be announced by 10:00 AM ET on 03/25/2023. Void where prohibited.

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Book Spotlight: RED LONDON by Alma Katsu

Red London, Red Widow #2, by Alma Katsu
ISBN: 9780593421956 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9780593421963 (eBook)
ISBN: 9780593672426 (Digital Audiobook)
ASIN: B0B6246LWV (Audible Audiobook)
ASIN: B0B457GWQF (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 352
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Fiction | Spy Thriller | Political Thriller

One of CrimeReads‘ Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2023
One of BookPage‘s Most Anticipated Mystery/Suspense of 2023

CIA agent Lyndsey Duncan’s newest asset might just be her long-needed confidante…or her greatest betrayal.

After her role in taking down a well-placed mole inside the CIA, Agent Lyndsey Duncan arrives in London fully focused on her newest Russian asset, deadly war criminal Dmitri Tarasenko. That is until her MI6 counterpart, Davis Ranford, personally calls for her help.

Following a suspicious attack on Russian oligarch Mikhail Rotenberg’s property in a tony part of London, Davis needs Lyndsey to cozy up to the billionaire’s aristocratic British wife, Emily Rotenberg. Fortunately for Lyndsey, there’s little to dissuade Emily from taking in a much-needed confidante. Even being one of the richest women in the world is no guarantee of happiness. But before Lyndsey can cover much ground with her newfound friend, the CIA unveils a perturbing connection between Mikhail and Russia’s geopolitical past, one that could upend the world order and jeopardize Lyndsey’s longtime allegiance to the Agency.

Red London is a sharp and nuanced race-against-the-clock story ripped from today’s headlines, a testament to author Alma Katsu’s thirty-five-year career in national security. It’s a rare spy novel written by an insider that feels as prescient as it is page-turning and utterly unforgettable.

Praise for Red London:

“Katsu’s second book in this taut spy series is even better than the first with the requisite suspense driving the twist-laden plot….Starring an outstanding, multidimensional protagonist.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Katsu paints a vivid picture of modern London at the intersection of a vast geopolitical game between Russia, its monied exiles, the British upper classes, and American intelligence.” —CrimeReads

“Katsu, a former intelligence officer, shows us how intelligence-gathering works, how spies relate to each other, how intelligence agencies uneasily coexist. What sets the novel apart even more is the smoothness with which the author builds her tense narrative and characters—Lyndsey is unflashy but sensitive and principled and good at what she does, while Emily is one of the most sympathetically drawn victims in recent spy fiction. A strong second installment in a series we hope continues.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Entertaining . . . Katsu knows her tradecraft. . . . A spy novel that focuses on relationships, women, and family is a refreshing change. . . . Katsu should win new fans with this one.” —Publishers Weekly

“An elegantly written novel of espionage, reminiscent of the great Daniel Silva. Well-plotted, wholly credible, and enormously tense—spy fiction fans simply must read this one!” —Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Burner, a Gray Man novel

Meet The Author

Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of eight novels, most recently Red London, Red Widow, The Deep, and The Hunger. Prior to the publication of her first novel, she had a thirty-five-year career as a senior intelligence analyst for several U.S. agencies, including the CIA and NSA, as well as RAND, the global policy think tank. Katsu is a graduate of the masters writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelors degree from Brandeis University.

Ms. Katsu has relocated from the Washington, DC area to the mountains of West Virginia, where she lives with her husband and their two dogs.

Connect with the author via his Amazon | BookBub | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Book Spotlight: VERONIQUE’S JOURNEY by Patti Flinn

Véronique’s Journey by Patti Flinn
ISBN: 9798986060019 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9798986060002 (eBook)
ASIN: B0B8FRDLRP (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 72
Release Date: September 1, 2022
Publisher: Gilded Orange Books
Genre: Fiction | Historical Fiction | Novella

In 18th-century France, the choices for a young black woman of modest means are slim.

Véronique Clair loves her parents and their small home in the countryside of Burgundy but dreams of using her talent for sewing and embroidery to make her own way, without having to rely on a man.

When Véronique’s well-meaning parents find her a suitor of elevated station their happiness turns into her despair. Véronique must make the difficult choice between agreeing to an arranged marriage–with its promise of elevated status in society–or embark upon an unpredictable journey across France and into a world she’s never known.

…for a young woman of honor, only the heart can guide the way.

Meet the Author

Patti Flinn is an author and novelist from central Ohio who loves food, books, cool jazz, and … food.

Under the pen name, Ava Bleu—proponent of extraordinary love—Patti released The Diva of Peddler’s Creek (winner of Romance Writer’s ink Best Comedy) and Glorious Sunset (finalist, Phyllis Wheatley Award for Fiction). She later penned a different kind of love story with The Ivyhurst Series, delving into relationships among couples and neighbors in a town slowly being gentrified.

In September 2022 she released Véronique’s Journey, the story of a young woman of African descent in 18th-century France. The novella is a parallel introduction to an upcoming full-length series based on a French historical figure, expected to roll out in 2023.

Connect with the author: Goodreads | Twitter | Website

Book Spotlight: KAFKA IN TANGIER by Mohammed Said Hjiouij

Kafka in Tangier by Mohammed Said Hjiouij, translated by Phoebe Bay Carter
ISBN: 9789920570282 (Paperback)
ASIN: B0BTYXL9LG (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 86
Release Date: February 2023
Publisher: Agora Publishing
Genre: Fiction | Satire | Short Fiction

“A masterful reinterpretation of Kafka’s classic tale, exploring the themes of identity, transformation, and the human condition in a haunting and thought-provoking manner.” ― Fatima Ouaiaou

Jawad is a Kafkaesque hero who drags his nightmare with him from the reality of illusion to the illusion of the reality in which he resides. In the novel Kafka in Tangier, Moroccan novelist Mohammed Said Hjiouij takes us to the world of Kafka’s metamorphosis and the transformation of his famous hero to construct a parallel Moroccan world: a nightmare that is at its heart a reality that haunts us all.

The hero here is the counterpart of the hero there, and although the monster’s shape differs, along with the geography, time period, and language, the reality of the individual and his transformations do not differ no matter how far he travels through time and space.

The writing treads on solid narrative ground, not lacking in irony, bitterness, or the construction of precise descriptions that lengthen and shorten, expand and contract with great caution, the caution of a short novel wary of becoming bloated with details, heroes and words.

A putrid smell, a numbness tinged by pins and needles, wetness between the thighs―thus the narrator sets the stage for the catastrophe that will befall the hero, slowly, neither hurried nor hesitant. What awaits us next?

Purchase Links #CommissionEarned: Amazon | Amazon Kindle

Meet The Author

Mohammed Said Hjiouij is a Moroccan Novelist. His novel By Night in Tangier won the Inaugural Ismail Fahd Ismail Prize (2019). His second novel, The Riddle of Edmond Amran El Maleh, has been shortlisted for “The Ghassan Kanafani Prize for Arabic Fiction (2022),” and the Hebrew translation is coming soon. Kafka in Tangier has been translated into Kurmanji and excerpts into Hebrew and Italian.

Connect with the author via his website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Book Spotlight: THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS AND TRAITORS by James A. Scott

The Blood of Patriots and Traitors, A Max Geller Spy Thriller – Book 2, by James A. Scott
ISBN: 9781608095261 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9781608095278 (eBook)
ASIN: B09X5YJF62 (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 320
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Genre: Fiction | Political Thriller | Spy Thriller | International Thriller

A Russian Defector—A Worldwide Dragnet—A Looming Assassination—Max Geller is back in Moscow

Former CIA Russia expert Max Geller is recovering from an intense mission while lying low in Australia, enjoying his sudden wealth in the company of his new girlfriend. But his beachy bliss is short-lived when Max, while relaxing by the ocean, is ambushed by the CIA.

He soon learns that his girlfriend, Vanessa, is being used as blackmail by his former CIA boss, Rodney, to convince Max to go to Moscow. His mission? Smuggle out a defector with knowledge of a secret Kremlin war plan. Max is wanted by the Russians, so the defector could be bait to lure him into the hands of his old enemy, FSB Colonel Zabluda. But it’s either Max or Vanessa who must go, so Max takes the bait and heads off.

When Max is spotted in Moscow, Zabluda launches a manhunt, pursuing him and the defector across country lines. Max and the defector race to evade countless attacks and attempts at capture as they escape to the United States.

Will they make it in time? And what happens when the defector reveals crucial information that indicates U.S. democracy could be in peril? Max must figure out a way to avoid capture and halt imminent attacks—before it’s too late.

Perfect for fans of Daniel Silva and Nelson DeMille

While the novels in the Max Geller Spy Thriller Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

The President’s Dossier
The Blood of Patriots and Traitors

Praise for The Blood of Patriots and Traitors:

Advance praise graphic: quote - "Plenty of treachery and betrayal." by Steve Berry, New York Times best selling authority

Advance praise: quote - "A rising star in the world of espionage." by James Grady, author of THIS TRAIN

Advance Praise: quote - "Spycraft, betrayal, and mayhem keep the pages turning." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“The Blood of Patriots and Traitors is a spy novel extraordinaire. Retro enough to allow James Scott to lay claim to the mantel of John le Carré and contemporary enough to evoke apt comparisons with the likes of Mark Greaney and Brad Thor. Scott handles the heating up of the Cold War with a shrewd hand and a master’s touch in a tale that’s relevant, riveting, and relentless.” —Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author

Meet The Author

James A. Scott is a former Army officer, a paratrooper, and a combat veteran with Pentagon experience in oversight of Army intelligence operations. For twenty years, he lived in Europe and traveled to Russia, North Africa, and the Far East. His first novel, The Iran Contradictions, is an international historical thriller and was a finalist for the Foreword Book of the Year Award and USA Best Book Award. The Blood of Patriots and Traitors is the second novel in The Max Geller Spy Thriller Series and follows The President’s Dossier—which was named the 2020 Best Thriller/Adventure Novel by American Book Fest.

Connect with the author via Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Book Spotlight: THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
ISBN-13: 9781982197360 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781982197384 (eBook)
ISBN: 9781797153353 (Digital Audiobook)
ASIN: B0B4ZMDH21 (Audible Audiobook)
ASIN: B0B3Y7NPMZ (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 384
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction | Historical Fiction

REESE’S FEBRUARY 2023 BOOK CLUB PICK

“A triumph of historical fiction.” —The Washington Post

From the award-winning author of Yellow Wife, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.

1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright.

Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.

With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.

Praise for The House of Eve:

Praise for THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson: "I loved this book." Patti Callahan Henry, author of THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA

“Sadeqa Johnson is expert at excavating the parts of the past that we would rather not confront. She dusts off these harrowing histories, shines them up, and gives them their proper glory. She mines this terrain with soaring grace, shining intellect, and a love that resonates on every page. Thanks to Johnson’s enviable ability to craft narratives that not only educate and elucidate, but also enamor, the stories of Ruby and Eleanor, and the Ancestors and Elders they represent, will remain with me always. The House of Eve is a powerful witnessing, an indispensable testimony, and a remarkable addition to Johnson’s already stunning bibliography.” —ROBERT JONES, JR., author of The New York Times bestselling novel, The Prophets

“I don’t know where to begin with the brilliantly written House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson. There were so many twists and turns, so many heart palpitating moments—I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. House of Eve is one of those novels that will stay with you long after you read the last page.” —VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY, New York Times bestselling author of The Personal Librarian

“The House of Eve is a triumph of historical fiction.… Johnson’s novel is an affecting and arresting exploration of young Black womanhood and motherhood in the mid-20th century…. Johnson’s talents are in full bloom in this layered story with two distinctive and compelling young Black women at the center…. The House of Eve is engrossing, emotionally wrenching and socially astute storytelling.” —Washington Post

“This is a moving work of women’s fiction with timely perspective on racism, colorism, and pre-Roe women’s rights in the United States of the 1950s. Fans of Tayari Jones, Brit Bennett, and Jeni McFarland will want to check it out.” —Library Journal

“Johnson’s suspenseful and thought-provoking latest follows two young Black women as they separately navigate mid-20th century America…. This well-crafted work is bound to provoke discussion among readers about the conflicts women face regarding pregnancy.” —Publishers Weekly

“Johnson showcases the difficult boundaries of race, class, and education as she explores the obstacles and consequences that confront those who seek to cross them.” —Booklist

Meet The Author

Author Sadeqa Johnson photograph featuring a smiling Black American female with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair wearing a white top with flutter-sleeves — Author Sadeqa Johnson

Sadeqa Johnson is the international best-selling author of five novels including Yellow Wife. Her accolades include being the 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, a BCALA Literary Honoree, and the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children.

Connect with the author via: website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

Book Spotlight: DEAD HEAT TO DESTINY by J.B. Rivard

Dead Heat to Destiny by J.B. Rivard
ISBN: 9780996836364 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780996836371 (eBook)
ASIN: B0BL5P29YP (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 392
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction | Adventure

Four lives. Three destinies. Two continents. One devastating war.

It’s the early 1900s in Europe, and young Adrienne Boch is pursuing her dream: a successful career in the booming world of high fashion. When she meets Will Marra, a debonair American with a passion for aviation—and Adrienne—romance is the last thing on her mind. Aside from her career, she’s focused on writing to her cousin, Gregor Steiner, who’s training to be an officer in the Imperial German Navy. Out at sea, Gregor waits eagerly for his letters from Adrienne, recalling their childhood romps at the Belgium shore.

Then World War I breaks out. Adrienne’s life is turned upside down as the invading German army threatens Paris, Gregor advances to captain a U-boat, Will becomes a pilot in the U.S. Army, and Adrienne’s family flees an overrun Belgium. In Central America, a spy is recruited to defeat the United States.

Adrienne’s feelings for Will have grown, but she fears it’s too late. She’s terrified for him and for Gregor, now on opposing sides of the war, and for her family, refugees from the only home they’ve ever known. As the global conflict simmers and tension rises, Will, Gregor, Adrienne, and the spy’s lives converge in an epic, unexpected clash. With life—and love—on the line, they must each fight for what they believe in…or pay the ultimate price.

Meet The Author

Author J.B. Rivard photo: older white man, wearing a khaki baseball cap, eyeglasses, khaki jacket, and blue button-down shirt — Author J.B. Rivard

J.B. RIVARD believes words can create pictures. His readers agree; one said, “I was right in the biplane cockpit with Nick,” referring to pilot Nick Mamer, the 1929 record-setting aviator in Rivard’s nonfiction book Low on Gas – High on Sky. A writer of historically accurate fiction and nonfiction, J.B. knows readers want the past to blaze up and enthrall them. His commitment to compelling and convincing writing derives from four years in the military as well as his technical career on the staff of a U.S. National Laboratory. A graduate of the University of Florida, he attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, and is an award-winning artist and author. His latest novel is Dead Heat to Destiny, in which the lives and loves of three people are imperiled during the cataclysm of World War One.

Connect with the author via website | Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter

This book spotlight brought to you by Books Forward

Book Spotlight: THE URBAN BOYS: DISCOVERY OF THE FIVE SENSES by K.N. Smith

The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses
by K.N. Smith

About Discovery of the Five Senses

Discovery of the Five Senses

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory superpowers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, can the boys defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

Young Adult Action-Adventure, Young Adult
Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Mystery/ Thriller
1st in The Urban Boys Series
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 – 18 years
Two Petals Publishing (9/15/21 2nd edition)
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0989474755
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9780989474757
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015ZS01MI

Purchase Links #CommissionEarned: Amazon | Amazon Kindle || Universal Book Link (UBL): https://books2read.com/knsmith

About K.N. Smith

K.N. Smith, winner of the “Best of” in the category of “Outstanding Young Adult Novel” at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, and a Readers’ Favorite “Gold Medal” honoree for “Young Adult – Mystery,” is an author and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. Her lyrical flair sweeps across pages that twist and grind through action-adventure and urban fantasy in edge-of-your-seat narratives. K.N. has over twenty-five years experience in communications and creative design as an award-winning consultant. Reading is still her foremost hobby. K.N. inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits. Visit K.N. Smith at www.knsmith.com.

Social Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorknsmith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knsmith_author/

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Book Spotlight: THE COLOR STORM by Damian Dibben

THE COLOR STORM book cover, script font with THE COLOR STORM at the top of the cover with a wash of colors behind it (yellow/orange/red/purple/blue), A NOVEL OF RENAISSANCE VENICE in a smaller, gold colored font is under the main title; Renaissance line drawing of Venice is shown with some color for the domes/roofs of buildings, also features people walking on wide sidewalk, books coming into the harbor, and clouds above the buildings and below the title.

The Color Storm by Damian Dibben
ISBN: 9781335015938 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781488057236 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781488214240 (digital audiobook)
ISBN: 9798200916276 (Audiobook on CD)
ASIN: B0B482DYMF (Audible audiobook)
ASIN: B09GFZW1V8 (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 336
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Genre: Fiction | Historical Fiction | Historical Thriller

Enter the world of Renaissance Venice, where the competition for fame and fortune can mean life or death…

Artists flock here, not just for wealth and fame, but for revolutionary color. Yet artist Giorgione “Zorzo” Barbarelli’s career hangs in the balance. Competition is fierce, and his debts are piling up. When Zorzo hears a rumor of a mysterious new pigment, brought to Venice by the richest man in Europe, he sets out to acquire the color and secure his name in history.

Winning a commission to paint a portrait of the man’s wife, Sybille, Zorzo thinks he has found a way into the merchant’s favor. Instead, he finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that stretches across Europe and a marriage coming apart inside one of the floating city’s most illustrious palazzi.

As the water levels rise and the plague creeps ever closer, an increasingly desperate Zorzo isn’t sure whom he can trust. Will Sybille prove to be the key to Zorzo’s success or the reason for his downfall?

Atmospheric and suspenseful and filled with the famous artists of the era, The Color Storm is an intoxicating story of art and ambition, love and obsession.

Praise for The Color Storm:

“The Color Storm is an engaging thriller and a compelling exploration of an artist’s obsession with love and color.” —Sunday Times

“As with all intoxicating quest stories vividly told, The Color Storm by Damian Dibben, transports us to a heady other world, where it’s possible to feel the sirocco winds whistling across Venice and bathe in the cerulean skies of the Italian Renaissance. With master artists, Giorgione, Bellini, and Leonardo da Vinci along for the ride, the reader will want to walk and then run to join a fierce competition to create beauty anew and discover a color so rare and sublime it’s said to come from the stars.” —Lisa Rochon, author of Tuscan Daughter

“Ravishing, addictive, knife-sharp, ambitious, and singing with detail, The Color Storm had me in its grip from the first moment I began reading. Here is a compelling thriller that takes us to the heart of sixteenth-century Venice where the world’s most famous painters compete to win the greatest commission of their lives, and to find a rumored new color that will make their names immortal, while the threat of the plague comes ever closer. There is so much to think about and relish. Not simply the story itself—with all its glorious twists and turns—but the search to express ourselves. A celebration of art and a hymn to color.” —Rachel Joyce, New York Times bestselling author of Miss Benson’s Beetle

“The Color Storm takes readers on a thrilling, murderous journey through the serpentine waters of High Renaissance Venice as one of art history’s most gifted but often overlooked painters—Giorgione—searches for love, fame, and, most importantly, color. Written with language as vibrant as a Giorgione masterpiece, The Color Storm is for lovers of art, Italy, and page-turning plot.” —Stephanie Storey, author of Raphael, Painter in Rome

Meet the Author

Brown-haired white male wearing black glasses and a gray long-sleeve top with yellow & black flowers and gray pants, seated with his right arm resting on his knee and his right hand under his chin — Damian Dibben photo by Leia Morrison

DAMIAN DIBBEN is the bestselling British author of Tomorrow and History Keepers series. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages in over forty countries. Damian has worked extensively as a screenwriter on projects as diverse as The Phantom of the Opera and Puss in Boots. He lives on London’s Southbank with his partner Ali and his three dogs Dudley, Daphne, and Velvet.

Meet the Author

Connect with the author via Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Website

This book spotlight brought to you via Coriolis Company

Meet the Author

Connect with the author via: Goodreads | Instagram | Mastodon | Twitter | Website

Giveaway

This book spotlight and giveaway brought to you via Author Marketing Experts

Praise for Red London:

Meet The Author

Connect with the author via his Amazon | BookBub | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Meet the Author

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The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Sensesby K.N. Smith

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The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses
by K.N. Smith