#Review #Giveaway: The Gold Rose by Jodi Lea Stewart
THE GOLD ROSE
by
Jodi Lea Stewart
Historical Fiction / WWII / Action & Drama / International Mystery
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Date of Publication: February 21, 2023
Number of Pages: 372 pages
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Since the early 1940s, THE GOLD ROSE, a secret rescue agency with Asian origins, has used unique systems to ferret out and save victims in every corner of the world. Charlotte Hunt-Basse has faced dangerous and often deadly challenges in her decade as an agent with the agency, not the least of which was the past rescues of two of her assignments, Pinkie and Babe.
Two-year-old Pinkie is discovered abandoned on a dirt road during a violent storm. She is whisked off to Mexico by oil heir Clint Sutton and his girlfriend, Angelina, as they attempt to escape the lies of Clint's father's second wife. Three years later, Pinkie is stolen away to Argentina by an aging Romani. Pinkie suffers from the malice of her captor but wins the fatherly love of a Buenos Aires circus owner and his fiance. Shortly after landing in the crosshairs of THE GOLD ROSE, Pinkie's life takes two more shocking twists. When the agency locates Pinkie again, Agent Charlotte must throw all caution to the wind to rescue her.
Babe, the child of Texas-based missionaries, is hidden by two Chinese families during the Japanese invasion and ensuing Communist takeover of China. She is forced by the second family to live incognito as a "boy" for several years to save her from soldiers invading China from the North. Martial arts are banned, but the grandfather of the family teaches Babe Yǒng Chūn in deepest secrecy. The civil war escalates, and Babe finds herself on a dangerous quest for survival as she journeys alone through enemy territory toward the faintest hope of rescue.
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Jodi Lea Stewart is a fiction author who centers her themes around the triumph of overcoming adversity through grit, humor, and hard-rock tenacity. Born in Texas and growing up in Arizona smelling cedar berries and cow pens on a large cattle ranch wedged between the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache Tribe, most of her friends were Native American and Hispanic, with a few Anglos thrown in for good measure. On the ranch, she climbed petroglyph-etched boulders, sang to chickens, bounced two feet in the air in the backend of pickups wrestling through washed-out terracotta roads, and rode horseback on the winds of her imagination through the arroyos and mountains of the Arizona high country. Later, she left her studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson to move to San Francisco, where she learned about peace, love, and exactly what she didn’t want to do with her life.
Moving back to her native Texas, Jodi graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Business Management, raised three+ children, worked as an electro-mechanical drafter, penned humor columns for a college periodical, wrote regional western articles, and served as managing editor of a Fortune 500 corporate newsletter. Her lifelong friendship with all shades of folks, cowpunchers, southern belles, intellectuals, and "outlaws" propels Jodi into writing comfortably about the Southwest, the South, and far beyond. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two wild and crazy Standard poodles, one rescue cat, her fun-loving ninety-plus-year-old mom, a never-be-still-four-year-old tornado, and numerous bossy houseplants.
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The Short Story: Fabulous
My full Review:
Wow-This book! The Gold Rose hooked me immediately and didn’t let go until the last page. The Gold Rose is a secret society charged with aiding victims around the globe. Charlotte Hunt-Basse, daughter of a wealthy but distant father, is a member of the group. The book opens with Charlotte stranded overnight in a train station. With nothing to do, she uses her time to reflect on her life. As the story unfolds we learn about two of the women she helped to rescue, Pinky and Babe.
Pinky was found as a toddler by Angelina as she and her brother evaded the authorities in Texas and fled to Mexico. Angelina is distraught when Pinky is later kidnapped by a gypsy and taken to Argentina. Pinkie’s story is one of constant emotional trauma and neglect. Babe’s father was a minister in China before the outbreak of war. In order to survive, she must live as a boy and then a young man. The plight of both girls makes for a compelling story full of historical details. I especially enjoyed Babe’s narrative in China as the communists take over the country.
As Charlotte ruminates on her life, she has a startling revelation; her personal journey to The Gold Rose is not what she imagined it to be…
I really enjoyed The Gold Rose. It has so much going for it: history, mystery and amazing characters with rich, complex lives. The ending is satisfying, but left me wishing there was more. I highly recommend this fantastic book!
I rate this book 5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
ONE WINNER:
Signed copy of The Gold Rose plus a custom Gold Rose laptop carrying case
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 4/21/23)
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04/11/23 |
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04/12/23 |
Author Interview |
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04/13/23 |
BONUS Promo |
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04/14/23 |
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04/14/23 |
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04/15/23 |
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04/16/23 |
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