Book Details:
Book Title: The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel (Between Two Worlds, Book 6) by Evy Journey
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 340 pages
Genre: Women's Literary Fiction
Publisher: Evy Journey
Release date: April 2, 2023
Content Rating: PG: Some kissing, no bad language, no sex scenes
Book Description:
Clarissa, an Asian/Caucasian young woman has lived in seven different countries and has no lasting connection to any place. She thinks it’s time to settle somewhere she could eventually call home. But where?
She decides to live in the city of her birth. There, she joins a quest for the provenance of stolen illuminated manuscripts—a medieval art form that languished with the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press—hoping it would give her the sense of belonging she craves. But will it be enough?
For her, these ancient manuscripts elicit cherished memories of children’s picture books her mother read to her, nourishing a passion for art.
The trail of the manuscripts leads to an American soldier who served in World War II. Clarissa is anxious to know what motivated him to steal and keep the artwork for fifty years. But instead of easy answers, she finds bigger questions.
Immersed in art, but naïve about life, she’s disheartened and disillusioned by the machinations the quest reveals of an esoteric, sometimes unscrupulous art world. What compels individuals to steal artworks, and conquerors to plunder them from the vanquished? Why do collectors buy artworks for hundreds of millions of dollars? Who decides the value of an art piece and how?
The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel is inspired by the actual theft of medieval manuscript illuminations during the second world war.
Clarissa, an Asian/Caucasian young woman has lived in seven different countries and has no lasting connection to any place. She thinks it’s time to settle somewhere she could eventually call home. But where?
She decides to live in the city of her birth. There, she joins a quest for the provenance of stolen illuminated manuscripts—a medieval art form that languished with the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press—hoping it would give her the sense of belonging she craves. But will it be enough?
For her, these ancient manuscripts elicit cherished memories of children’s picture books her mother read to her, nourishing a passion for art.
The trail of the manuscripts leads to an American soldier who served in World War II. Clarissa is anxious to know what motivated him to steal and keep the artwork for fifty years. But instead of easy answers, she finds bigger questions.
Immersed in art, but naïve about life, she’s disheartened and disillusioned by the machinations the quest reveals of an esoteric, sometimes unscrupulous art world. What compels individuals to steal artworks, and conquerors to plunder them from the vanquished? Why do collectors buy artworks for hundreds of millions of dollars? Who decides the value of an art piece and how?
The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel is inspired by the actual theft of medieval manuscript illuminations during the second world war.
Enjoy These Other Titles in Evy Journey's Between Two Worlds Series:
Book Details:
Book Title: Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies (Between Two Worlds, Book 4) by Evy Journey
Category: Adult Fiction, 300 pages
Genre: Literary / Women's Fiction / Crime / Mystery
Publisher: Evy Journey
Release date: January 2018
Content Rating: R (Two bedroom scenes)
Book Title: Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies (Between Two Worlds, Book 4) by Evy Journey
Category: Adult Fiction, 300 pages
Genre: Literary / Women's Fiction / Crime / Mystery
Publisher: Evy Journey
Release date: January 2018
Content Rating: R (Two bedroom scenes)
Book Description:
Chanterelles garnished with cream and mayhem.
Tantalizing…alluring…satisfyingly luscious Women’s Fiction—San Francisco Book Review
Cooking a sumptuous meal is an act of love. An act of grace. An art and passion Gina inherits from her grandfather —a French chef felled by a robber’s bullet.
Raised in a marginal neighborhood, she’s keen to taste life in the world where she’s been chosen to cook. A scintillating world of wealth and privilege, great food, new challenges and fascinating friends.
But beneath this new world, unexpected danger lurks. Gina’s passion for cooking is all she has to help her navigate it.
Amidst her culinary adventures, she befriends the pastry chef, worldly loyal Marcia. She falls in love in different ways with two very different men. Leon, a playboy, is rich, charming, and carefree but honest, complicated, and devoted to his legacy.
Serious and idealistic Brent is a lawyer turned brooding detective. Haunted by the many violent crimes he has worked on, he prefers to be alone.
Can the lessons Gina learned about cooking and life help her survive and thrive in this other world of privilege, pleasure, and menace?
Chanterelles garnished with cream and mayhem.
Tantalizing…alluring…satisfyingly luscious Women’s Fiction—San Francisco Book Review
Cooking a sumptuous meal is an act of love. An act of grace. An art and passion Gina inherits from her grandfather —a French chef felled by a robber’s bullet.
Raised in a marginal neighborhood, she’s keen to taste life in the world where she’s been chosen to cook. A scintillating world of wealth and privilege, great food, new challenges and fascinating friends.
But beneath this new world, unexpected danger lurks. Gina’s passion for cooking is all she has to help her navigate it.
Amidst her culinary adventures, she befriends the pastry chef, worldly loyal Marcia. She falls in love in different ways with two very different men. Leon, a playboy, is rich, charming, and carefree but honest, complicated, and devoted to his legacy.
Serious and idealistic Brent is a lawyer turned brooding detective. Haunted by the many violent crimes he has worked on, he prefers to be alone.
Can the lessons Gina learned about cooking and life help her survive and thrive in this other world of privilege, pleasure, and menace?
Book Details:
Book Title: The Shade Under the Mango Tree (Between Two Worlds, Book 5) by Evy Journey
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 400 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction-Literary; Contemporary Multicultural Fiction
Publisher: Evy Journey
Release date: November 2, 2020
Content Rating: PG13 & M: There is suicide and mention of sexual encounters that are not described--nothing explicit
Book Title: The Shade Under the Mango Tree (Between Two Worlds, Book 5) by Evy Journey
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 400 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction-Literary; Contemporary Multicultural Fiction
Publisher: Evy Journey
Release date: November 2, 2020
Content Rating: PG13 & M: There is suicide and mention of sexual encounters that are not described--nothing explicit
Gold Medal, Contemporary Fiction, 2021 Global Book Awards (formerly New York City Book Awards)
Finalist, 2021 SPR (Self Publishing Review) Book Awards
Finalist, Multicultural Fiction, 2021 International Book Awards
Finalist, 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Finalist, 2021 SPR (Self Publishing Review) Book Awards
Finalist, Multicultural Fiction, 2021 International Book Awards
Finalist, 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Book Description:
Luna hungers for adventure. Lucien has chosen a solitary professional life. She’s breaking away from her sheltered existence while he’s a widely-traveled but disillusioned young architect.
Drawn together by an intimate journal that he found abandoned in a café, these two strangers begin to shed the shackles of their painful pasts.
Lucien opens himself up to Luna. But she isn’t ready. She travels far, into a world steeped in ancient culture and the ravages of a deadly history. Can she survive unscathed? And will she be the soulmate he has been searching for?
Book 5 in the series Between Two Worlds is an epistolary tale of courage, resilience, and the bonds that bring diverse people together.
Luna hungers for adventure. Lucien has chosen a solitary professional life. She’s breaking away from her sheltered existence while he’s a widely-traveled but disillusioned young architect.
Drawn together by an intimate journal that he found abandoned in a café, these two strangers begin to shed the shackles of their painful pasts.
Lucien opens himself up to Luna. But she isn’t ready. She travels far, into a world steeped in ancient culture and the ravages of a deadly history. Can she survive unscathed? And will she be the soulmate he has been searching for?
Book 5 in the series Between Two Worlds is an epistolary tale of courage, resilience, and the bonds that bring diverse people together.
Meet the Author:
Evy Journey writes. Stories. Blogs (three sites). Cross-genre novels. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse (an ambler).
Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois) initially to help her understand herself and Dostoevsky. Now, she spins tales about multicultural characters dealing with problems and issues of contemporary life. She believes in love and its many faces.
Just as she has crossed genres in writing fiction, she has also crossed cultures, having lived and traveled in various cities in different countries. Find her thoughts on travel, art, and food at Artsy Rambler.
She has one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She visits and stays a few months when she can.
connect with the author: website ~ blog ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads
Evy Journey writes. Stories. Blogs (three sites). Cross-genre novels. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse (an ambler).
Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois) initially to help her understand herself and Dostoevsky. Now, she spins tales about multicultural characters dealing with problems and issues of contemporary life. She believes in love and its many faces.
Just as she has crossed genres in writing fiction, she has also crossed cultures, having lived and traveled in various cities in different countries. Find her thoughts on travel, art, and food at Artsy Rambler.
She has one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She visits and stays a few months when she can.
connect with the author: website ~ blog ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads
Enter the Giveaway:
My Review:
The Shade Under the Mango Tree is my first introduction to books written by Evy Journey. I thought the writing style was a little different than I am used to. But I did thought it was a good read. At times, it was hard to continue as here were a few scenes that slowed down a little bit but it quickly picked back up. I enjoyed the adventure, the different settings, different cultures, and the twists of the story. After experiencing some life altering events, I admired Luna’s courage and determination to find a way to make a change and a difference in her life. I liked it how she meets up with Lucien. Their meeting in the story was sweet. The author does a great job using vivid details within the pages that made me feel as though I was part of the book and living among the characters. Overall, it was an intriguing and entertaining tale to read.
I am giving The Shade Under the Mango Tree three and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading books from contemporary romance fiction genre while learning about different cultures. I would be interested in reading more by Evy Journey in the future. I thought this one is worth a read and many readers would enjoy it.
I received a paperback copy of The Shade Under the Mango Tree from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing, it sounds like a good book
ReplyDeleteWould love to read this.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really interesting book!
ReplyDelete