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Sunday, May 31, 2020

About the Book

Book:  The Socialite
Author: J’nell Ciesielski
Genre:  Historical Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2020
Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis.
As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.
Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?

Click here to get your copy!
MY REVIEW

The story blew me away with his details and historical facts.   The story is rich in history and the author transported me  back to when Hitler was in control. The man is pure evil and the thought of  what he did to people is hard to comprehend. Everywhere you looked, his presence was known by the violence he loved to cast on others. 

Kat was so determined to bring her sister back home that she will risk her life. I loved her spirt of family and how she would do anything to rescue her sister from the evil clutches of Eric. As I got to know Kat I soon saw that deep down in her heart she desired to have her father proud of her. Her mission to bring Ellie home was out of unconditional love for her sister and the need to have her father say he was proud of her.

Ellie was a real handful at times. She is so blind to Eric’s underhanded treatment of people that she finds herself like a puppet to him. She made me mad as she so willingly let him dictate her every step. Ellie is happy to see her sister but Ellie is stubborn and won’t believe that Eric is bad for her. I loved reading about  how Hitler came into power and the struggles many people faced when he took everything from innocent people. The story is very detailed about the war and the fallout it had on the Jewish community. 

There is so much going on in the story that at times I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The character I liked the most was Barrett. Oh my what a man of integrity he is. He will risk his life to protect Kat and Ellie. There were several scenes when Kat and Barrett clashed that I found to be frustrating. Kat is so determined to do things on her own which ends up putting her, Ellie and Barrett in grave danger. Barrett is willing to lay his life down in order for Kat and Ellie to find their way home to freedom. 

I enjoyed reading the story and think it made sone interesting points. Courage comes from within and to never give up hope. Trust your instincts and follow the path that leads to the truth. The story shows how easy someone can be manipulated when they want to be loved so badly. The ending is an epic adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat. If you love history this book is a must read. As I end my review I wonder if we would be brave enough to stand up for what we believe in? 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. 

About the Author

With a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. Winner of the Romance Through the Ages Award and the Maggie Award, she is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle. Learn more at www.jnellciesielski.com.

More from J’Nell

I blame Pinterest. Too many hours are spent chasing rabbit holes of glorious pictures of fashion from eras gone by, Highlanders in kilts, WWI ambulances, and fairytale castles. One day I was browsing something super important (or possibly escaping from the actual work I was supposed to be doing, er, we’ll never know) and stumbled across a black and white picture of six beautiful girls. Who are these lovely ladies? I wondered. A quick search brought up the Mitford sisters. Six gorgeous daughters born into an aristocratic English family, each girl with a different passion: Diana the fascist, Jessica the communist, Unity the Hitler lover, Nancy the novelist, Deborah the duchess, and Pamela the poultry connoisseur. Whoa. You know dinner time around their family table was interesting. How could such different personalities belong in the same family? What would you do if your sister got moon-eyed over Hitler??
Bam. An idea was born.
In the beginning, my little rebel Ellie was going to be a full-fledged Nazi ideology lover, but she quickly informed me that it wasn’t so much the Nazis or their crazy ideas she loved, but one man in particular. One twisted Nazi who had fallen completely under her spell, and she under his. The ideas of love can often be more difficult to break as Kat finds out when she tries to rescue her naïve sister. Luckily, she has a hunky Sottish bartender to help her while providing a few romantic intentions of his own. With everyone hiding past hurts and true identities, how will they ever hope to find the love they each long for when war rages under the bright lights of Paris? Guess you’ll have to read to find out 😉

Blog Stops

Emily Yager, May 22
Simple Harvest Reads, May 25 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Livin’ Lit, May 26
Betti Mace, May 27
Genesis 5020, May 28
Remembrancy, May 28
Mia Reads, May 29
Rebecca Tews, May 30
Moments, June 2
Andrea Carmen, June 3
Hallie Reads, June 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, J’nell is giving away the grand prize of a book and a book sleeve!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

2 comments:

  1. What a wonderful review! Thank you for featuring Socialite on your blog!

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  2. Thanks for your great review! Looking forward to reading this book! Sounds so good!

    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

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