Erika Robuck

Best Books of the Month: March edition

This month, whether you live somewhere warm (Liz!) or plan to escape to somewhere sunny (Lisa!), take one of our favorite books, coming out in March, with you! Leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win one of these novels! The contest will close on Sunday, March 16th.

The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh

The_Moon_Sisters_bookcoverThe scoop: This mesmerizing coming-of-age novel, with its sheen of near-magical realism, is a moving tale of family and the power of stories. After their mother's probable suicide, sisters Olivia and Jazz take steps to move on with their lives. Jazz, logical and forward-thinking, decides to get a new job, but spirited, strong-willed Olivia—who can see sounds, taste words, and smell sights—is determined to travel to the remote setting of their mother's unfinished novel to lay her spirit properly to rest. Already resentful of Olivia’s foolish quest and her family’s insistence upon her involvement, Jazz is further aggravated when they run into trouble along the way and Olivia latches to a worldly train-hopper who warns he shouldn’t be trusted. As they near their destination, the tension builds between the two sisters, each hiding something from the other, until they are finally forced to face everything between them and decide what is really important.

Our thoughts: Therese is a beautiful writer. You will be engaged in this novel from the first page!

Giveaway:  ONE copy! (US only)

Fallen Beauty by Erika Robuck

Fallen Beauty_Cover ImageThe scoop: “Without sin, can we know beauty? Can we fully appreciate the summer without the winter? No, I am glad to suffer so I can feel the fullness of our time in the light.”

Upstate New York, 1928. Laura Kelley and the man she loves sneak away from their judgmental town to attend a performance of the scandalous Ziegfeld Follies. But the dark consequences of their night of daring and delight reach far into the future.…

That same evening, Bohemian poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and her indulgent husband hold a wild party in their remote mountain estate, hoping to inspire her muse. Millay declares her wish for a new lover who will take her to unparalleled heights of passion and poetry, but for the first time, the man who responds will not bend completely to her will.…

Two years later, Laura, an unwed seamstress struggling to support her daughter, and Millay, a woman fighting the passage of time, work together secretly to create costumes for Millay’s next grand tour. As their complex, often uneasy friendship develops amid growing local condemnation, each woman is forced to confront what it means to be a fallen woman…and to decide for herself what price she is willing to pay to live a full life.

Our thoughts: This novel has it all: heart, passion and brilliant storytelling. Erika's best book yet!

Giveaway: ONE copy! (US only)

Tempting Fate by Jane Green

Tempting_Fate_bookcoverThe scoop: From Jane Green, the New York Times bestselling author of such beloved novels as Jemima J, The Beach House, Another Piece of My Heart, comes an enthralling and emotional story about how much we really understand the temptations that can threaten even the most idyllic of relationships….

Gabby and Elliott have been happily married for eighteen years. They have two teenaged daughters. They have built a life together. Forty-three year old Gabby is the last person to have an affair. She can’t relate to the way her friends desperately try to cling to the beauty and allure of their younger years…And yet, she too knows her youth is quickly slipping away. She could never imagine how good it would feel to have a handsome younger man show interest in her—until the night it happens. Matt makes Gabby feel sparkling, fascinating, alive—something she hasn't felt in years. What begins as a long-distance friendship soon develops into an emotional affair as Gabby discovers her limits and boundaries are not where she expects them to be. Intoxicated, Gabby has no choice but to step ever deeper into the allure of attraction and attention, never foreseeing the life-changing consequences that lie ahead. If she makes one wrong move she could lose everything—and find out what really matters most.

Our thoughts: After devouring this book in a matter of days, the characters are still with us. A thought-provoking and gripping novel!

Giveaway: ONE copy! (US only)

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe_Someday_Colleen_HooverThe scoop: At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her--and she's forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney's tumultuous world from the very first page.

Our thoughts: We love the way Colleen writes. She instantly pulls us into her characters' world and makes us forget about everything in our own lives! This novel is the perfect escape.

Giveaway: ONE copy! (US only)

Social Death by Tatiana Boncompagni

social_death_bookcoverThe scoop: Money and fame can conceal all manner of deceit, but only for so long. A beautiful socialite is brutally murdered in her exclusive New York City apartment building. There's no sign of forced entry. No known motive. Just a neighbor's account of overhearing a heated argument coming from inside the victim's apartment on the night of the murder. Clyde Shaw has built a career covering brutal crimes for the FirstNews network, but this story may be more than the top news producer can handle. The murder victim is the daughter of FirstNews's mogul founder--and Clyde's best friend since childhood. As a high-stakes network ratings war begins, Clyde's own privileged yet troubled past comes back to haunt her, and she's forced to choose between finding her best friend's killer and losing everything-her job, her reputation, even her life. Long-guarded secrets. Millions at stake. And only Clyde holds the key to unlocking the truth.

Our thoughts: This murder mystery is a page-turner that has you guessing until the very end!

Giveaway: ONE copy! (US only)

 

 

Flash Giveaway: Erika Robuck's Call Me Zelda

Call_Me_ZeldaGiveaway: TWO copies (US only) of Erika Robuck's Call Me Zelda

The scoop:  Everything in the ward seemed different now, and I no longer felt its calming presence. The Fitzgeralds stirred something in me that had been dormant for a long time, and I was not prepared to face it....   From New York to Paris, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald reigned as king and queen of the Jazz Age, seeming to float on champagne bubbles above the mundane cares of the world. But to those who truly knew them, the endless parties were only a distraction from their inner turmoil, and from a love that united them with a scorching intensity.

When Zelda is committed to a Baltimore psychiatric clinic in 1932, vacillating between lucidity and madness in her struggle to forge an identity separate from her husband, the famous writer, she finds a sympathetic friend in her nurse, Anna Howard. Held captive by her own tragic past, Anna is increasingly drawn into the Fitzgeralds’ tumultuous relationship. As she becomes privy to Zelda’s most intimate confessions, written in a secret memoir meant only for her, Anna begins to wonder which Fitzgerald is the true genius. But in taking ever greater emotional risks to save Zelda, Anna may end up paying a far higher price than she intended....

Our thoughts: We don't know about you, but we've been in "Gatsby mode" lately and this book couldn't have come at a more perfect time! You will love it!

Where you can read more about Erika: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

We'll choose the winners this Saturday, May 25th after 3pm PST. Good luck!