JANUARY GRAY REVIEWS

DESCRIPTION:

Sweeping between Prague during World War II and modern day Los Angeles, this deeply moving debut follows a young Jewish man in 1934 who falls in love and joins the circus as the country descends into war. Decades later, a young boy seeks out the now cynical, elderly magician in the hopes that his spells might keep his family together.
Prague, 1934: The fifteen-year-old rabbi’s son Moshe Goldenhirsch marvels at the legendary circus magician known as the Half-Moon Man. Unexpectedly, he falls madly in love with the magician’s delightful assistant, spurring him to run away from home to join the circus, which is slowly making its way to Germany as war looms on the horizon. Soon, he becomes a world-renowned magician known as the Great Zabbatini, even sought after by Adolf Hitler. But when Moshe is discovered to be a Jew, only his special talent can save him from perishing in a concentration camp.
Los Angeles, 2007: Ten-year-old Max Cohn is convinced that magic can bring his estranged parents back together before they divorce. So one night he climbs out of his bedroom window in search of the Great Zabbatini, certain this powerful magician has the power to reunite his family.
Perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale, this radiant historical novel is both a deeply moving story of a small boy who believes in everything and an old man who believes in nothing—as well as a gripping and heartfelt tale about the beauty and fragility of life.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book grabbed my attention from the very first sentence. The writing is beyond anything I have ever read before. I felt as if the Author was sitting in the same room with me, quietly telling me this tale.

Author Emanuel Bergman seamlessly switches between characters, and the story flows seamlessly.

This is one book I look forward to reading again in the future.

It will be available for purchase on September 19, 2017.

An American Cage follows Danny and his two escape partners over a twenty-four-hour period as they struggle to cross Texas to freedom in Mexico. On this dangerous journey, Danny has to evade the rabid Texas authorities, and even worse, the schemes of one of his closest allies, who isn’t who he seems.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35648233-an-american-cage

http://www.tedgaldi.com/

DESCRIPTION:

A provocative new novel by bestselling author Randy Susan Meyers about the seemingly blind love of a wife for her husband as he conquers Wall Street, and her extraordinary, perhaps foolish, loyalty during his precipitous fall.

Phoebe recognizes fire in Jake Pierce’s belly from the moment they meet as teenagers. As he creates a financial dynasty, she trusts him without hesitation—unaware his hunger for success hides a dark talent for deception.

When Phoebe learns her husband’s triumph and vast reach rests on an elaborate Ponzi scheme her world unravels. As Jake’s crime is uncovered, the world obsesses about Phoebe. Did she know her life was fabricated by fraud? Was she his accomplice?

While Jake is trapped in the web of his deceit, Phoebe is caught in an unbearable choice. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning him feels cruel and impossible.

From penthouse to prison, with tragic consequences rippling well beyond Wall Street, Randy Susan Meyers’s latest novel exposes a woman struggling to survive and then redefine her life as her world crumbles.

MY THOUGHTS:

I requested this book from NetGalley because the description interested me, but I feared it would be too much like the true Bernie Madoff story or even the Trantel true story of Wall Street husband turned bank robber.

I shouldn’t have feared.

This story excels so well on its own that I never gave those two stories a thought while reading.

The pacing is perfect. The Author gives you their life together from teenagers to advanced age without dragging it out.

The main character is Phoebe although both she and her husband Jake tell the story. This too, is handled flawlessly by the Author.

You will love/hate Phoebe because she is so stupid in love, and Jake will make your skin crawl.

But, you will still root for Phoebe as she grows stronger as the story moves along.

I am ignorant at math, numbers and Wall Street, and the Author gives you enough detail about the subject to help understand the story, without confusing you or overwhelming you.

This is more a story of life, love and how we let love blind us to things we should really take note of, and I highly recommend it.

This book will be Available on Amazon April 11th 2017.