Moon Over Alcatraz by Patricia Yager Delgrange
Published By: Musa Publishing
Release Date: January 5, 2012
Format: eBook - 295 pages / Kindle - 793 KB
ASIN: B006UJEE3E
Genre: Contemporary Romance Fiction, Women's Fiction
About The Author:
Patricia Yager Delgrange was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended St. Mary's College, studied her junior year at the University of Madrid, and received her B.A. in Spanish at UC Santa Barbara, then went on to get her Master's degree in Education at Oregon State University. She live with her husband and two teenage children in Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, along with our two very large chocolate labs, Annabella and her son Jack. Her horse lives in the Oakland hills in a stall with a million dollar view.
BUY THE BOOK: Moon Over Alcatraz
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event.
Virtual Book Tour Event: On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, in association with Goddess Fish Promotions, author Patricia Yager Delagrange participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
* Contest Giveaway*
Moon Over Alcatraz Contest Giveaway:
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Author Patricia Yager Delagrange will award a $25 Amazon Gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during the Moon Over Alcatraz virtual book tour. Follow the tour stops and comment on each tour stop for additional chances of winning!
Click on the tour page link for a list of all the tour stops: Moon Over Alcatraz Virtual Book Tour Event Page
Book Description:
Following the death of their baby during a difficult birth, Brandy and Weston Chambers are grief-stricken and withdraw from each other, both seeking solace outside of their marriage; however, they vow to work through their painful disloyalty. But when the man Brandy slept with moves back to their hometown, three lives are forever changed by his return.
Book Excerpt:
Three days later we were standing at the edge of a hole in the ground at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Hayward, the silence so thick, the insides of my ears buzzed like a distant swarm of angry bees. Mr. Peralta and another gentleman stood off to the side while Weston and I held hands next to a tiny casket.
Weston had chosen a simple mahogany box with gold handles, a bouquet of white lilies graced the top of the small box. I knelt down and laid a kiss on the smooth wood then wiped off the tears that had fallen on top. Weston joined me, placing a single red rose in the middle of the lilies.
He helped me up and we stood side-by-side in silence, my guilt over her death like a stone in my empty belly. I missed everything I'd dreamed would be happening right now, yearned for all that could have been.
Weston nodded at the man standing next to Mr. Peralta and our baby was slowly lowered into the gaping maw. She reached the bottom, and a bird landed on the rich brown dirt piled next to the grave. It pecked around, chirping a little song then flew off - as if saying goodbye. My heart squeezed inside my chest.
I picked up a small handful of soft dirt. "Goodbye, Christine," I whispered, throwing it on top of her casket.
Weston wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close to his side. Why her? Why my baby? Was this supposed to make sense? And, if so, to whom?
We drove home in silence. No words existed to express my grief.
Weston had chosen a simple mahogany box with gold handles, a bouquet of white lilies graced the top of the small box. I knelt down and laid a kiss on the smooth wood then wiped off the tears that had fallen on top. Weston joined me, placing a single red rose in the middle of the lilies.
He helped me up and we stood side-by-side in silence, my guilt over her death like a stone in my empty belly. I missed everything I'd dreamed would be happening right now, yearned for all that could have been.
Weston nodded at the man standing next to Mr. Peralta and our baby was slowly lowered into the gaping maw. She reached the bottom, and a bird landed on the rich brown dirt piled next to the grave. It pecked around, chirping a little song then flew off - as if saying goodbye. My heart squeezed inside my chest.
I picked up a small handful of soft dirt. "Goodbye, Christine," I whispered, throwing it on top of her casket.
Weston wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close to his side. Why her? Why my baby? Was this supposed to make sense? And, if so, to whom?
We drove home in silence. No words existed to express my grief.
My Book Review:
Brandy and Weston Chambers' world is turned upside down when their baby girl is three weeks early and dies during childbirth. Both of them were struggling and grieving the loss of their daughter, but Brandy felt an overwhelming guilt that it was her fault that their little girl died, and she pushed Weston away unable to accept the solace that he wanted to provide her. Feeling rejected, Weston accepts an out-of-town bridge building project in New York City that would take him away until the new year. Left behind in their Alameda, California home, Brandy tries to deal with her deepening depression, but with tensions running high between them, Brandy's chance meeting with an old high school buddy leads to a one-night stand that will result in serious consequences in her marriage. Will Brandy and Weston be able to put their marriage back together? Will Brandy's one-night stand with Edward Barnes come back to haunt her? There is one thing for sure ... three lives will be forever changed from the chain of actions that arose from the tragedy that started it all.
Moon Over Alcatraz is a heart wrenching story of love, loss, betrayal, recovery, redemption and moving forward. This hauntingly poignant story is narrated in the first person perspective of Brandy Chambers, who takes the reader along on her bittersweet journey of recovering from a tragedy that resulted in her making some very unexpected changes as she tries to move forward with her life. The story draws the reader into the lives of Brandy, Weston and Edward, and you can't help but feel the full range of emotions as the story unfolds.
The author creates a cast of characters that are realistic people with issues that occur in their lives that the reader can easily relate to. You'll feel your heart strings being pulled as Brandy, Weston and Edward learn to deal with the results from their actions and situations that they put themselves in, and their flaws, interactions and life changing choices make this story that much more powerful and compelling.
The author weaves a story rich in detail and emotion, it deals with realistic situations and issues that occur in everyday life. This is a story that masterfully intertwines issues that occur in real relationships: love, loss, betrayal, recovery, redemption, closure and moving forward.
Moon Over Alcatraz is an emotional story that is so much more than the usual contemporary romance novel. This is a story that will captivate you and pull at your heart strings, it will make you ponder about the complexity in relationships, and it will leave you emotionally spent but fulfilled with its wonderful ending.
RATING: 5 STARS *****
Thank you for hosting me on your blog site today. I look forward to replying to comments.
ReplyDeletePatricia Yager Delagrange
Hi Patricia! Thank you for the opportunity to read, review and host your virtual book tour event for Moon Over Alcatraz. I really enjoyed reading your novel, it pulled at my heartstrings and I definitely needed my tissues. :)
DeleteThe excerpt and the review make me want to cry. I am happy that it ends well. What a touching story.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! It really was a touching story, it was very realistic that the readers are able to relate to it. :)
Delete5 Stars! Great review, Jersey Girl.
ReplyDeleteThings have been lovely here in Brunswick County, NC--warm but lovely. Hope things are going well in Jersey!
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi Catherine! It's nice to hear from you again! My cousins have been telling me how nice it is down there, we've had the same weather too. We're getting ready for another 90+ degree heatwave starting tomorrow, I love summertime in Jersey. :)
DeleteThank you for your review!! It is appreciated.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Marybelle! Thank you for stopping by and leaving your kind comment. Hope you get a chance to read the book. :)
Delete