October 19, 2017

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb - Review and Giveaway

I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Book details
Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I by Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
William Morrow Paperbacks
Paperback & eBook; 384 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Beook description
New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War. August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris. But as history tells us, it all happened so differently… Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene? Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him… 

Praise for Last Christmas in Paris

“Beautifully told…the authors fully capture the characters’ voices as each person is dramatically shaped by the war to end all wars.”—Booklist

“For fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society comes another terrific epistolary historical novel that is simply unputdownable [...] this remarkable novel will undoubtedly go on my keeper shelf.” —Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of The Night the Lights Went Out

“Humor, love, tragedy, and hope make for a moving, uplifting read. A winner!” —Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network

“An extraordinary epistolary novel that explores the history and aftermath of the Great War in a sensitive, memorable and profoundly moving fashion. A book to savor, to share and discuss with friends, and above all to cherish.” —Jennifer Robson, international bestselling author of Goodnight from London “There is a special talent to writing the epistolary novel and Gaynor and Webb have mastered it. Letter by letter, the complex lives of Evie and Thomas unfold as WWI wages on, bringing with it the heartbreaking news of physical and emotional casualties. And yet, in the midst of such sacrifices, an ever-deepening love surfaces, finding a unique way to live on in this devastatingly beautiful work of historical fiction.”—Renee Rosen, author of Windy City Blues 
Meet the authors - Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor
HEATHER WEBB is the author of historical novels Becoming Josephine and Rodin's Lover, and the anthology Fall of Poppies, which have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Elle, France Magazine, and more, as well as received national starred reviews. RODIN’S LOVER was a Goodreads Top Pick in 2015. Up and coming, Last Christmas in Paris, an epistolary love story set during WWI will release October 3, 2017, and The Phantom's Apprentice, a re-imagining of the Gothic classic Phantom of the Opera from Christine Daae's point of view releases February 6, 2018. To date, her novels have sold in ten countries. Heather is also a professional freelance editor, foodie, and travel fiend. 

HAZEL GAYNOR is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Memory of Violets and The Girl Who Came Home, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Her third novel The Girl from the Savoy was an Irish Times and Globe & Mail Canada bestseller, and was shortlisted for the BGE Irish Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year. The Cottingley Secret and Last Christmas in Paris will be published in 2017. Hazel was selected by US Library Journal as one of ‘Ten Big Breakout Authors’ for 2015 and her work has been translated into several languages. Originally from Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland.
Blog Tour Schedule

My thoughts
I enjoy reading books set in Paris so I jumped at the chance to get to read this book. The authors did a good job of describing the setting. I felt as if I was right there with the characters. I also liked the way the book was broken up as letters. It mad the story not only more interesting but also read quickly. You could not help but feel for the characters and the situation they were in. By reading the letters you get to hear everyone's tale. It must have been horrible to have to go through. The writing was detailed enough so that you could understand each of the emotions. I am glad I got the chance to read this book.

Giveaway
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 2 copies of Last Christmas in Paris! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to residents in the US & Canada only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Last Christmas in Paris


Blog tour stops
Monday, September 25 Review at 100 Pages a Day Review at Books of All Kinds 
Tuesday, September 26 Review at The Lit Bitch 
Wednesday, September 27 Review at Just One More Chapter Review at History From a Woman's Perspective 
Thursday, September 28 Review at So Many Books, So Little Time 
Monday, October 2 Review at Let Them Read Books 
Tuesday, October 3 Spotlight at Passages to the Past 
Wednesday, October 4 Review at A Literary Vacation 
riday, October 6 Review at Library Educated 
Monday, October 9 Review at A Bookish Affair Review at Suzy Approved Books 
Tuesday, October 10 Interview at A Bookish Affair 
Thursday, October 12 Review at Creating Herstory 
Friday, October 13 Review at Pursuing Stacie 
Monday, October 16 Review at Curling up by the Fire 
Tuesday, October 17 Review at Faery Tales Are Real 
Wednesday, October 18 Review at The Maiden's Court Interview at Faery Tales Are Real 
Thursday, October 19 Review at A Holland Reads 
Friday, October 20 Review at CelticLady's Reviews 



1 comment:

  1. Thank you for the post and your thoughts on Last Christmas in Paris. It's on my TRL and I can't wait to read it.
    Carol L
    Kyxkt4750 (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete