History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes  Author: Chanel Cleeton Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Berkley Book Release Date: 2025 Pages: 344 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women—and their secrets—in this unforgettable novel from New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton.        London, 2024: American expat Margo Reynolds is renowned for her talent at sourcing rare antiques for her clients, but she’s never had a request quite like this one. She’s been hired to find a mysterious book published over a century ago. With a single copy left in existence, it has a storied past shrouded in secrecy—and her client isn’t the only person determined to procure it at any cost.        Havana, 1966: Librarian Pilar Castillo has devoted her lif...

The Cuban Heiress Author: Chanel Cleeton Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Berkley Release Date: 2023 Pages: 304 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In 1934, a luxury cruise becomes a fight for survival as two women’s pasts collide on a round-trip voyage from New York to Havana in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's page-turning new novel inspired by the true story of the SS Morro Castle.      New York heiress Catherine Dohan seemingly has it all. There’s only one problem. It’s a lie. As soon as the Morro Castle leaves port, Catherine’s past returns with a vengeance and threatens her life. Joining forces with a charismatic jewel thief, Catherine must discover who wants her dead—and why.      Elena Palacio is a dead woman. Or so everyone thinks. After a devastating betrayal left her penniless and on the run, Elena’s journey on the Morro Castle is her last hope. Steeped in secrecy and...

One More Moon: Goodbye Mussolini! One Woman's Story of Fate and Survival Author: Ralph Webster Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Createspace Release Date: 2018 Pages: 413 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Goodreads Choice Nominee Ralph Webster tells the true story of his grandmother’s desperate journey from her life at the Pensione Alexandra in Naples to America - after Mussolini and the Fascists join with Hitler - and as countries across the world close their doors to Jewish refugees fleeing the spread of Nazi evil.      In 1934, at age fifty-one, Elsa’s comfortable life in Mussolini’s Fascist Italy changes remarkably when she and her husband, Paul, purchase the Pensione Alexandria overlooking the Mediterranean in Naples. Though German Jews, they are embraced by their Italian neighbors, and for the next several years, the pensione flourishes and becomes their perch to observe the world’s events. Travel...

La Belle Creole: The Cuban Countess who Captivated Havana, Madrid and Paris Author: Alina Garcia-Lapuerta Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Chicago Review Press Release Date: September 1, 2014 Pages: 320 Source:  Netgalley/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The adventurous woman nicknamed La Belle Creole is brought to life in this book through the full use of her memoirs, contemporary accounts, and her intimate letters. The fascinating Maria de las Mercedes Santa Cruz y Montalvo, also known as Mercedes, and later the Comtesse Merlin, was a Cuban-born aristocrat who was years ahead of her time as a writer, a socialite, a salon host, and a participant in the Cuban slavery debate. Raised in Cuba and shipped off to live with her socialite mother in Spain at the age of 13, Mercedes triumphed over the political chaos that blanketed Europe in the Napoleonic days, by charming aristocrats from all sides with her exotic beauty and singing voice. She m...