GENRE: Historical Mystery
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BLURB:
A mystery – the theft of a precious book. A disappearance without a trace. Three women, three very different destinies, all entwined in time and circumstance.
Maria Eduarda, a mixed-race beauty born into the elite of Portuguese aristocracy, who is reaching adulthood during World War II, in neutral Portugal, in its capital – a melting pot for refugees, the displaced, spies, diplomats and opportunists.
Hertha, born into German farming stock, destined to endure the terrible privations of war as a young child.
Valeria, a child born of a much later generation, who brings the two together.
And a man, Gerald Neale, English diplomat, and spy, devastatingly handsome, fluent in Portuguese but a not-so-nice guy, the shadow behind Eduarda and Hertha.
Stars Maintain Their Glow is the story of two exceptional women whose lives were impacted by social conventions of the time, war and men’s privileges. Their story is gradually revealed through the words of Valeria – her promise to Hertha to complete the book that Hertha felt she could not.
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EXCERPT:
Gerald Neale arrived at the Portuguese capital in late June 1940 and was dazzled by the light, the luminous blue of the sky and the warmth of the sun. Young, irreverent, adventurous, and devastatingly handsome Gerald was a bit of a maverick. His father, Frank Neale, had been a cultural attaché to the British embassy in Lisbon for many years. Gerald and his two-year older brother Jonathan were born in Portugal but after their mother’s death, a few months after Gerald’s birth, they moved back to England where their father went to work for the government and never remarried.
Frank and his boys took with them a Portuguese nanny, a young woman with no family who had been raised in a convent but who didn’t feel a call to become a nun. Maria Filomena, her name, was happy to leave her country. She looked after the two boys until they were old enough to go to a prestigious public school in the Sussex Downs. After the boys went away to school, Mena, as they called her, married an English pub owner and moved with her husband to the town of Horsham, south of London in West Sussex, continuing to be in touch with the family. Both Jonathan and Gerald looked at her more like a mother than a nanny, as neither of them could remember their birth mother. With Mena, Gerald learned Portuguese and grew up bilingual. From his father he inherited the passion for old books and rare first editions. Frank owned a valuable, enviable collection of famous authors’ first editions, spanning centuries and different countries.
AUTHOR BIO:
M G da Mota is Margarida Mota-Bull’s pen name for fiction. She is a Portuguese-British novelist with a love for classical music, ballet and opera. Under her real name she also writes reviews of live concerts, CDs, DVDs and books for two classical music magazines on the web: MusicWeb International and Seen and Heard International. She is a member of the UK Society of Authors, speaks four languages and lives in Sussex with her husband. Her website, called flowingprose.com, contains photos and information.
My Review:
I often would forget that this is not a regency era book. Fortunately, I was constantly reminded of the history aspects of it. The annotations at the bottom of many pages was a nice and helpful touch. This is why I am giving a rating of 5/5.
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GIVEAWAY:
M G da Mota will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
