Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Review Tour & Giveaway: A New Life (Reflections of Michael, #4) by L.J. Ambrosio



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SYNOPSIS:

From America to the streets of Paris, A New Life follows two friends as they navigate grief, love, and self-discovery in a city filled with history and hope.

A New Life is a story that lingers long after the last page.

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READ AN EXCERPT:

They rushed out of the hotel and stopped short of the Lyft; they gazed in wonderment at the outrageously small size of the car. Reluctantly they climbed into the car. It was like the Mouseketeer’s car; it was so small and they were so tall. They wondered if they should try another Lyft but there was not enough time. As they pulled away, they smelted gasoline or oil burning. Louie shot Ron a silly look, then smiled. 

Ron hit the ceiling with every bump; his head bounced almost out of the taxi. Louie held his hand up to avoid suffering the same fate. The roads were rough all the way to the Air France Terminal. Louie told the driver he should sell his car to an amusement park. 

Ron decided to travel with just a carry-on bag. He had no desire to check bags after remembering a few of Michael’s airline horror stories of his lost luggage. Michael, his mentor and friend, truly taught him the right way to travel safe and as a gentleman; they might give you an extra drink if you're nice. 

As Ron approached the departure gate, he tried to put the thought of leaving Rhonda behind out of his mind but not his heart. He wondered what Michael would say to him about this incident with Rhonda. He would tell Ron to smile; Rhonda was in a better place.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.



REVIEW:

5 stars!

Live true to yourself and love others as they do the same. 

A New Life is the fourth book in author L.J. Ambrosio’s emotionally exploratory and character-driven series, Reflections of Michael. This book follows Ron and Louie’s relationship after the death of their beloved canine companion, Rhonda. 

Life has almost come full circle for Ron. Once the young wanderer whom Michael took under his wing and mentored, Ron passes along what he’s learned in his life to Louie, the confused young stray he met as the manager of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. Where once he was the one seeking his place in life, Ron has found his purpose and is finally ready to end his self-imposed exile and return home to the US. He also feels Louie has come into his own and will survive nicely, with more confidence, comfortable in his own skin and the answers to his questions about his sexuality. I was glad Ron invited Louie to move out of the bookstore and into his apartment with him. And although nothing could ever replace Rhonda in their hearts, Mikey, the Jack Russell puppy, was a lovely addition to their lives. 

This story was full of heart and surprises as Louie finds his footing as a leader among his politically active friends, or when he befriends a sick and lonely older man, pursues possible new love interests, and bravely deals with being the target of bigots. Ron, Louie, Mikey, Madam, and so many of the characters had worked their way into my heart that the ending absolutely gutted me. It brought a very emotional closure to Ron and Louie’s story.

I recommend A NEW LIFE to fans of the previous books in the series.

 

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.


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Friday, June 13, 2025

Book Blast & Giveaway: A New Life (Reflections of Michael, #4) by L.J. Ambrosio


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

SYNOPSIS:

From America to the streets of Paris, A New Life follows two friends as they navigate grief, love, and self-discovery in a city filled with history and hope.

A New Life is a story that lingers long after the last page.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!




READ AN EXCERPT:

They spent the rest of the trip talking about Rhonda and how great she was, from the fight where she tried to protect Ron to the National Cemetery where she was left behind by accident at dusk, not found until midnight.

Louie and Ron had a chuckle over how Rhonda refused to walk on the sidewalks in Paris because of all the cigarette butts on the ground; she had to be pushed around in a baby carriage, because she did not want to burn her paws.

Louie started crying, and Ron comforted him, assuring him that the pain was fine; he needed to accept it.

“Rhonda was so smart,” Louie said proudly. "Some people don’t know the relationship between an owner and their pet. It is so special, so unconditional. Rhonda will always be a part of me. It was nice to bury her here in America, her home country.”

A while later, Ron and Louie arrived at their motel. Ron said to him, "Let’s get the luggage and go to bed. Hey, I was thinking when we get back to Paris, you should move in with me and stop sleeping in the bookstore.”

Louie could not believe what he heard. Sharing more time with Ron would be special; he was excited to have that time together.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.



GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.




Thursday, October 31, 2024

15-Stop All-Review Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia by Ettore Farrattini Pojani




The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia
By Ettore Farrattini Pojani


Italian Literature / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bayou City Press
Pages: 326
Publication Date: October 11, 2024


SYNOPSIS

This is the first (and only) English-language version of an award-winning Italian novel, The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia. Nine Lives is a love story about a cat, a family, and an Italian town. 

Mixing fiction with fact, Nine Lives tells the story of the town of Amelia, Italy, throughout the 32 centuries of its history. In fact, Amelia is considered the first organized city of central Italy, being four centuries older than Rome. The author uses the multiple lives of a cat named Tito as the way to span the centuries. 

Author Ettore Farrattini Pojani is the heir of the Farrattini dynasty, a centuries-old family in Umbria whose family palazzo is in Amelia, north of Rome. Tito’s first life occurs in pre-historic Umbria, and his ninth is in the future. Tito’s mission though all nine of his lives is to help the town and the family to succeed. 

A changing cast of characters traces the Farrattini line though the centuries, with Tito joining up with a Farrattini in each generation. Using his feline wiles, Tito bends humans to his will, helping them through many challenges from drought to wars to lovelorn marriages to selfish politicization of joint crises. 

In this highly imaginative novel, the author mixes fictional lives with non-fictional information about historical figures as well as the Farrattini family and the town of Amelia. Readers are left wondering about details, such as what is fiction and what is fact. The last chapter will evoke surprise, though a clue that the surprise is coming is contained in the very first chapter. Originally published in Italy in 2022, this first English-language translation is published by Bayou City Press in Houston, Texas, and includes additional drawings, maps, lists of characters, a listing of foreign words and special terms, and notes on sources.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ettore Farrattini Pojani is the heir of the noble Italian Farrattini dynasty, whose family palazzo is in Amelia, Italy, north of Rome. A music expert and critic, Ettore has published extensively on music topics and currently is a collaborator on the website Broadwayworld.com. 

This, his second book, was published in Italy in 2022 and has won numerous awards. Prior to focusing on writing, Ettore studied art restoration and specialized in furniture restoration. For almost 20 years he had a workshop in Rome in which hundreds of valuable, unique pieces were brought back to their splendor thanks to his dedication and expertise. In 2001 he transformed the family palazzo into a hotel de charme, which he personally ran for 15 years until it was damaged by the 2016 earthquake. 

A dedicated traveler, Ettore is fluent in French and English besides his native Italian.



Bayou City Press




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