Book Review: The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

Publisher: Dutton Adult
Publish Date: January 12, 2012 

Hardcover, 307 pages
Fiction, General Fiction, Women's Fiction
 ISBN: 978-0525952596

My Review:
How much did I love this book?  It is so heart-felt and beautiful and sad all wrapped into one package, but it's done in such a way that it doesn't feel depressing.  It feels like real life and I enjoyed reading the book and found it hard to put down.  I had to know what would happen next.

I loved reading about Ella.  She is thrust into a world that is not what she dreamed it would be.  First she loses her husband, then her step-children's mother, the children she has been raising as her own, comes back into the picture.  Her whole world is coming apart, but she tries to hold it together.  She also has all of Joe's family around her to help her along with most of the town of Elbow.  I loved watching the interaction with family and with her best friend and especially with the children, Annie and Zach.  That relationship read like a very real mother/children relationship and it was amazing.  Ella is dealing with lies and deceptions, hers and the childrens' grief and also the fight with Paige.  I love her, she is amazing, yet she feels real.  I think Ms. Halverson has carefully crafted her characters and done a wonderful job with them.

The plot is also heartbreaking but wonderful.  It moves quick.  I read one hundred pages and it felt like I had just been reading a few minutes.  The story moves quickly and sucks you right in.  There is no let up and while this is not a white knuckle type book, let me say you will not find a boring moment.  It's amazing and if I thought the characters were great, the plot was wonderful too.

The Underside of Joy is a complete package deal.  I loved the book, the characters and the plot made it a perfect read to me.  If you love the books by authors like Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult and others like them, then this is just the book for you.  It will make you think, it can make you cry, it can make you laugh and by the end you will be glad you read the book.  Thank you Ms. Halverson for this wonderful book.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Make sure you enter my giveaway and check out my interview with the author here.

About the Book:

THE UNDERSIDE OF JOY begins on the first dawn of summer 1999, when Ella Beene, a happily married stepmother, gets a sleepy kiss goodbye from her husband Joe as he leaves to snap some photos on their local rocky coastline.  It’s the last time she will ever see him.

In the wake of Joe’s accidental drowning, his two young children, Annie and Zach, cling to Ella. Their adoration is mutual: Ella is the only mother young Zach has ever known, and Annie retains only vague memories of their biological mother Paige, who Ella believed had abandoned her children not long after Zach’s birth. But then Paige arrives at Joe’s funeral to stake her claim and reestablish a relationship with her children. Suddenly, the definition of family takes on a whole new meaning and urgency to Ella.

Seré deftly weaves Ella’s story into a larger portrait of the fictional Elbow, California, a charming small river town where Joe’s family has run a mom-and-pop grocery store for two generations. As Ella soon learns, despite his best intentions, Joe hadn’t been fully forthright with her about just how much the business had been struggling—nor about his ex-wife Paige.

THE UNDERSIDE OF JOY is not a fairy-tale version of step-motherhood, pitting good against evil, but an exploration of a complex relationship between two women who both consider themselves to be the children’s mother. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars—both physical and emotional—to the families’ deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during World War II and post-partum psychosis.

THE UNDERSIDE OF JOY begins as an indelible portrait of loss, then broadens into a moving and provocative consideration of the true meaning of family.

About the Author (from the author): 

I am from a lot of places, but I now live in Northern California and it feels like home. I worked for 20 years as a freelance copywriter while I wrote fiction and raised kids. My husband and I have four grown children. I’m a mom and a stepmom, and I have a mom and a stepmom. The Underside of Joy is my debut novel.

Facebook

Website

Blog

FTC Information: I received this book through KMS Public Relations for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

Book Feature: Best Seller by Tim Sagges

Best Seller by Tim Sagges

 Paperback
Price: $14.99
ISBN: 9781456478193
Pages: 326
Release: February 2011
About the Book:
 Thirty-five year old fiction writer, Richard Rossi would do just about anything to get his manuscript published. However, months of rejection and unanswered prayers have strained his capacity to hope. Alone in New York City, he teeters on the brink of alcoholism, as his hope erodes into desperation.

His prayers are finally answered when a simple misdirected piece of mail spawns a chance encounter with an extraordinary man, Seth Volos, Publisher. And while their unholy alliance thrusts Richard to the top of every Best Seller list in America, the horrifying outcome for the book's legions of fans is anything but a happy ending.


About the Author:
Fifty-year-old actor, director and playwright, Tim Sagges has been tormented by a series of recurring night terrors since 1967, long before there was a name for such a curse. It is only recently that he has found the courage to formulate some of these visions into works of literature. In an effort to purge himself of the unrelenting horror of his dreams, he has created Best Seller, the first in a series of nightmares exorcised from his mind and onto the page.

He is currently the owner of Eye Candy Vision in Philadelphia.

Best Seller web site:
http://www.bestseller-book.com/

Timothy B. Sagges' Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1069144965

Timothy B. Sagges' Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/TimSagges

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Best Seller blog tour site:
http://bestsellerblogtour.blogspot.com/

Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456478192?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com buy link
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&offerid=239662.9781456478193&type=2&subid=0

Bestseller-book.com buy link
https://www.createspace.com/3532558

Author Interview and Giveaway: Sere Prince Halverson (The Underside of Joy)

Today I welcome Sere Prince Halverson, author of The Underside of Joy to My Reading Room.  The Underside of Joy is a very heartfelt and amazing book and my review will be coming later today, but for now, please enjoy the interview and the giveaway.

Describe the area you write in.

For years, I wore earplugs and wrote anywhere I could, including in bed, at the kitchen table, at a coffee house, in the car waiting for my kids to get done with practice (basketball, lacrosse, football--take your pick). But then my husband and in-laws surprised me last summer. While I was away for several weeks, they built me a little writing studio. It’s 12’ x 12’ with a big porch, lots of windows, bamboo floors, one huge built-in bulletin board, a homemade bookcase and desk. I bought a pretty daybed and comfy chair. Oh, and it overlooks a beautiful vineyard and forest. Truly, a bit of writer’s heaven on earth.

What's your favorite season?

I love Spring. Fall comes in a close second.

Describe your ideal reading space (no expense spared here).

My writing studio is also a sweet reading spot. The daybed has a bunch of pillows and a soft blanket and good lighting. Add a cup of hot tea and a wonderful book…and hunker down.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I’d like to see Ljubljana, Slovenia because my great-grandmother was from there and I’ve never been. I also want to go to Greece, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, Thailand, and on and on---there are so many places I haven’t seen yet. And I’d go back to anywhere in Europe in a heartbeat.

How did you celebrate when you found out The Underside of Joy would be published?

It was my husband’s birthday. We had a good happy cry. To surprise him for his birthday, I’d already arranged for us to go ziplining through the redwoods. That turned out to be the perfect celebration for his birthday and the book sale. Wheeeeee! It has since sold in 17 countries, which I still can’t quite believe.

Tell us a little bit about The Underside of Joy.

Here’s the synopsis:

To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the Northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. For three years, Ella has been the only mother the kids have known. But when Joe drowns off the coast, his ex-wife shows up at his funeral, intent on reclaiming the children. Ella must fight to prove they should remain with her while she struggles to save the family’s market. With wit and determination, she delves beneath the surface of her marriage, finally asking the questions she most fears, the answers jeopardizing everything and everyone she most loves.

Rather than the fairy tale version of step-motherhood that pits good against evil, The Underside of Joy explores a complex relationship between two women who both consider themselves to be the children’s mother. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars — physical and emotional — to their families’ deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during WWII and postpartum depression and psychosis.

Where did the idea for The Underside of Joy come from, what prompted you to start writing this book?

I had a vision of a woman curled up in bed under a blanket, feeling that she’d had everything she ever wanted and now had lost it all. I didn’t know anything else about her, so I started writing to find out more about her story.

Is there a character in The Underside of Joy that really spoke to you when you were writing?

The main character and narrator, Ella, definitely spoke to me and I liked her right away. But as I got to know all the characters, I grew to care about each one of them.

What are you working on now?

A novel about a young American artist who visits her father, a doctor working temporarily in Saudi Arabia. Things do not go smoothly.

Do you have any upcoming tours, blog tours or events you would like people to know about?

I’ve been on a blog tour for the past several months and have quite a few stops left. I try to keep all my reading events updated on my website event page: http://sereprincehalverson.com/events.php

Anything else you would like to share?

I’d like to thank you so much for having me. I’ve been writing for many years but this is my first published novel. I really appreciate the work you do to get the word out about books. So appreciated!

About Sere Prince Halverson

I am from a lot of places, but I now live in Northern California and it feels like home. I worked for 20 years as a freelance copywriter while I wrote fiction and raised kids. My husband and I have four grown children. I’m a mom and a stepmom, and I have a mom and a stepmom. The Underside of Joy is my debut novel.

Facebook

Website

Blog

The Giveaway
Thanks to Amy at KMS Public Relations, she is giving away 1 copy of The Underside of Joy to an US resident.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below, the giveaway will end next Tuesday 3/20 and the book will be mailed by KMS Public Relations.  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris

I have an awesome cover reveal to share with you today.  It's for My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris.  Check out this cover and this excerpt.

About the Book:

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever

Excerpt:

Alessandra jerks back like I just suggested she prance around the square naked or something. “No! I believe I understand your meaning, and Lorenzo is certainly not my suitor. He is like a brother to me—the three of us grew up together.”

She resumes walking and I fall in step beside her, understanding there has to be more to the story. And as we near the end of the row, I finally ask, “If you’re not into the guy, then what’s the problem?”

At that same moment, a rich, deep chuckle hits my ears. My stomach involuntarily clenches and my gaze sharpens on the back of this mysterious Lorenzo.

Alessandra sighs. “That is the problem.” She places her hand on my arm and solemnly looks me in the eyes. “You must be careful. Lorenzo is beautiful, and it is not uncommon for a girl to walk away from meeting him with a piece of her heart left behind. But he is just eighteen, and not yet ready for marriage.”

I roll my eyes and laugh, then realize she’s serious. “Yeah, I assure you, there’s no danger on my end. I’m not exactly looking for marriage myself.” Because that would be crazy-town.

Alessandra wrinkles her nose as if she doesn’t believe me, but she removes her hand. We close the distance and Cipriano flashes me an open, honest to goodness, lighthearted smile.

“Lorenzo, this is the cousin I was telling you about.”

Slowly the guy turns and I fall head first into the richest chocolate-brown eyes I’ve ever seen. He blinks and long, luscious lashes feather across his bronzed cheeks. I can feel myself gawking, but I physically can’t drag my eyes away. Lorenzo doesn’t smirk or act all conceited, either. He simply stares back, his eyes casually skimming over me, causing my skin to warm and break out in a whole body tingle.

Time seems to stop, and the sounds of the market mute. Alessandra was right. This boy is beautiful.

And he’s looking at me.

My Super Sweet 16th Century, by Rachel Harris is available for pre-order on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! 

Be sure to connect with Rachel at:
www.RachelHarrisWrites.com
www.twitter.com/@RachelHarrisYA
www.facebook.com/RachelHarrisYA
www.goodreads.com/RachelHarris

Author Interview: Jordan Dane (On a Dark Wing)

Today I have a great interview with Jordan Dane, author of On a Dark Wing as part of the Teen Book Scene Tour.  I reviewed On a Dark Wing last week and really enjoyed it, be sure and check out my review after enjoying the interview.

1.     Describe the area you write in.

It’s actually not too cluttered right now, compared to what I’ve had in the past. I have a very large office/media room that I work in upstairs with a door that I can close to keep out my playful cats & dogs when I need to work—and my husband who sometimes needs a swat on the end of his nose with a rolled up newspaper. I have a desk, filing shelves for work supplies, books, and general office stuff. I also have a love seat and sofa and a chair for guests—a half bath and a walk-in closet for more storage. Very cool actually. My window blinds are usually shut so I don’t get distracted.

2.     What's your favorite season?

Winter. (I live in Texas, so winter means something different here, but I love a good fire and fall clothes and a hearty bowl of vegetarian chili.)

3.     If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Anywhere? I’d love to be a time traveler if I could control where & when I went. Uber-cool. I’ve traveled some in my life, but loads of places interest me. I’d love to visit Japan, back to the UK again, Australia, Greenland, all sorts of places.

4.     How difficult was it making the transition from writing Romantic Suspense to Young Adult?

I really think of myself as a romantic thriller author, but maybe not even that. There are so many subgenres within thriller and my idea of romance is only elements, not very traditional. I think it’s always more interesting to have a man and a woman or a love interest involved in any suspense/thriller plot to deepen the conflict. When I was on a panel at a BoucherCon conference for readers of crime fiction and mystery lovers, I got asked how much romance is in my books. I jokingly said that “with my idea of romance, usually money changes hands.” 

But to answer your question, the voice of YA is not easy. I brought my thriller craft to YA so I could capitalize on the crossover appeal of YA with adults too, but I also had in mind to introduce thriller writing craft to younger readers. To do that, you have to rethink how you craft a plot and the voice of your protag. I also have mixed first with close third POV to give me more flex on scenes when I unfold the plot and I thread subplots into my story with emotional layering to add depth. It’s very cool to see how younger readers respond to something they haven’t read before, when they notice the difference.

I do a workshop on writing YA. I’m doing one online now actually. I’ll do another one in November 2012 for the Colorado Romance Writers. There is a lot to learn about YA to make the leap, but it’s very worth it. The imagination it takes to write YA is another big plus. I think writing YA has made me a better adult author.

5.     Which character really spoke to you when you were writing On a Dark Wing?

On another blog tour, I did character interviews and it was amazing how I could fall into my characters again – Abbey, Nate, Tanner, Death. It was so fun to be in all their heads. Death was a real challenge, but I loved being inside him. Imagining what a conversation between him and Abbey was GREAT fun for me. Tanner was also another favorite of mine. My cousin, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair since he was 22, helped me “fine tune” Tanner. My cousin Dave is a physical therapist, helping people to get back on their feet when he can’t be on his. He’s a real hero to me and he made Tanner a joy to write. Good question.

About On a Dark Wing:

The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.

Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her "lucky" break came at the expense of her mother's life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death—by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky—she would never be normal again.

Now she's the target of Death's ravens and an innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden—Abbey's secret crush—starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.

And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

In My Mailbox (17)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. To see this weeks list of participants go here.

I had a great week, here is what I received in the mail:

 Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans

From Sterling Children's Books

The exciting launch title of Sterling's middle-grade fiction list:
HORTEN'S MIRACULOUS MECHANISMS Enter a wonderful world filled with real magic, mystery … and danger.

As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isn't bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends. But on his very first day in his new home, Stuart's swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tony's marvelous, long-lost workshop.  Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician who's also desperate to get hold of Tony's treasures.
A quirky, smart, charming page-turner, Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms will enchant young readers--as well as teachers, librarians, and parents.

 The Widow's Daughter by Nicholas Edlin

From Penguin

In 1943, Captain Sokol is a surgeon in the U.S. Marines stationed in New Zealand where he and his longtime nemesis have fallen in love with the same beautiful and enigmatic woman, Emily Walters. Dismissive of Emily's suspiciously British mother and violent brother, the two vie for her hand.

 The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1) by Jennifer Nielsen

From Scholastic Press

THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats

Songs of the The Earth by Elspeth Cooper

From Tor Books

The Book of Eador, Abjurations 12:14, is very clear: Suffer ye not the life of a witch. For a thousand years, the Church Knights have obeyed that commandment, sending to the stake anyone who can hear the songs of the earth. There are no exceptions, not even for one of their own.

Novice Knight Gair can hear music no one else can, beautiful, terrible music: music with power. In the Holy City, that can mean only one thing: death by fire—until an unlikely intervention gives him a chance to flee the city and escape the flames.

With the Church Knights and their witchfinder hot on his heels, Gair hasn’t time to learn how to use the power growing inside him, but if he doesn’t master it, that power will tear him apart. His only hope is the secretive Guardians of the Veil, though centuries of persecution have almost destroyed their Order, and the few Guardians left have troubles of their own.

For the Veil between worlds is weakening, and behind it, the Hidden Kingdom, ever-hungry for dominion over the daylight realm, is stirring. Though he is far from ready, Gair will find himself fighting for his own life, for everyone within the Order of the Veil, and for the woman he has come to love.

What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen

Through Teen Book Scene Tour

"Don't even think of leaving...I will find you," he whispered. "Guaranteed."
Sara and her mom have a plan to finally escape Sara's abusive father. But when her mom doesn't show up as expected, Sara's terrified. Her father says that she's on a business trip, but Sara knows he's lying. Her mom is missing--and her dad had something to do with it. Each day that passes, Sara's more on edge. Her friends know that something's wrong, but she won't endanger anyone else with her secret. And with her dad growing increasingly violent, Sara must figure out what happened to her mom before it's too late...for them both.

Book Feature: Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris

Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris

Publisher: Kensington Publishing

Publish Date: February 28, 2012

Paperback, 420 pages

About the Book:

Los Angeles, 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern's life seemed destined to unfold with the predictable elegance of a Bach concerto. Then she fell in love with Lane Moritomo. Her brother's best friend, Lane is the handsome, ambitious son of Japanese immigrants. Maddie was prepared for disapproval from their families, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed the day after she and Lane elope, the full force of their decision becomes apparent. In the eyes of a fearful nation, Lane is no longer just an outsider, but an enemy.

When her husband is interned at a war relocation camp, Maddie follows, sacrificing her Juilliard ambitions. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost.


About the Author:

KRISTINA MCMORRIS is a graduate of Pepperdine University and the recipient of nearly twenty national literary awards. A host of weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, she penned her debut novel, Letters from Home (Kensington Books, Avon/HarperCollins UK), based on inspiration from her grandparents' wartime courtship. This critically praised book was declared a must-read by Woman's Day magazine and achieved additional acclaim as a Reader's Digest Select Editions feature, a Doubleday/Literary Guild selection, and a 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Historical Fiction. Her second novel, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves (March 2012), has already received glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, among many others. Named one of Portland's "40 Under 40" by The Business Journal, Kristina lives with her husband and two sons in the Pacific Northwest, where she refuses to own an umbrella.

Visit her website
Follow her latest on Facebook or Twitter
Invite her to visit your book club in person or via phone/Skype
Check out the Reading Group Guide

FTC Information: I received this book from author for review.