Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for In the Garden Room by Tanya Eby

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours, for In the Garden Room by Tanya Eby.  Please leave a comment or question for Tanya to let her know you stopped by.  You may visit the other stop on the tour by clicking on the banner above. You may enter the giveaway at my stop, hosted by Queen of All She Reads, for a $5.00 Amazon/BN GC by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. Good Luck!

In the Garden Room

By Tanya Eby

Publisher:  Blunder Woman Productions

Release Date: July 18, 2016

Genre: Dark Gothic Psychological Suspense

Length: 252 Pages

ISBN: 978-0986013386

ASIN: B01I62LDB8

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

About the book:

It is Chicago. 1910. Eleven-year-old Lillian March looks over her mother’s dead body with a sense of relief.

As a poor woman, her mother, Cora, never had any real choices or happiness with her life. Cora and Lillian flee to the bustling city of Chicago, where she is certain she will have the life of opulence she deserves.

Cora and Lillian face deep hardships in turn-of-the-century Chicago as Cora’s mind continues its downward spiral. With no money and no hope for income, Cora sells Lillian to The Garden Room, a brothel, where young girls and desperate women are kept like flowers in a jar.

John March comes looking for his daughter and his wife in an attempt to rescue them, but even if he finds them alive, is rescue really possible?

IN THE GARDEN ROOM is an exploration of madness, desire and two women’s choices in a time when they weren’t really allowed to choose.

About the Author:

Tanya Eby is a writer and an award-winning audiobook narrator. She has published a variety of novels from romantic comedies to mysteries to dark historical pieces. While her writing crosses genres they all share quirky characters and complicated relationships. Visit her at tanyaeby.com or follow her on Twitter @Blunder_Woman.  

Contact Information

Website: www.tanyaeby.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TanyaEbyNarrator

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blunder_Woman

Blog: https://twitter.com/Blunder_Woman

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30979784-in-the-garden-room

A dark, gothic tale set at the start of the 20^th century, In the Garden Room by Tanya Eby, explores the complexity of human nature regarding family relationships and love.  Well-developed characters, frank dialogue, psychological issues and the desire to know what would happen next kept me turning the pages from start to finish.  If you like character driven stories, exploring the dark nature of human relationships and are a fan of historical fiction, then this is a book you will want to add to your list.

A fan of Ms. Eby’s talent as a narrator of audible books, I read several series she narrates (which you can check out here), I jumped at the chance to read one of her books.  While a little darker in nature than my normal read, Ms. Eby’s character development is really superb.  I was immediately drawn into this story about Cora, a twenty-nine year old woman, with a husband and daughter, who is dissatisfied with her lot in life and dreams of a life “she deserves”.  A life her daughter and husband know nothing about.  While tempted to feel sorry for Cora, and there is something that happened to her when she was a child which deserves our pity  and understanding, her general dissatisfaction with her husband and daughter, who  both love her, was annoying and made her a less than likeable character. 

I had no such problem connecting with Lillian and John, Cora’s eleven year old daughter and husband.  Lillian is a wonderful character; she’s smart, devoted to her parents and a lover of books (who wouldn’t love a child like this?).  More than anything, Lillian hopes to grow up to be a scientist and is encouraged to learn by her father.  John is a fisherman who works hard to provide for his family and put aside money to purchase a cherry orchard, something he believes both he and Cora want for their future.  Only John doesn’t realize Cora has mental health issues and is desperate to pursue a different dream.  A dream she decides to grab by the hand by running away to Chicago, with all of the money they have saved, and dragging Lillian with her.

It is clear Ms. Eby did a good amount of research into Chicago at the turn of the 20^th century, and her story highlights both the wonder and depravity of what a large city would have been like at that time (though many would say not much has changed).  Especially to someone from a much smaller town and with limited financial resources.  What begins as an adventure quickly turns into a nightmare as Cora’s mental situation begins to fracture and she becomes involved with a man who is not what he first portrayed.  A man who has his own plans for Lillian.

Without going into graphic detail, or giving away spoilers, there are some very dark segments of what happens to Lillian and Cora in Chicago.  If you have hot button issues in regards to mental abuse, physical abuse, or sexual abuse, this book tackles all three subjects and shows just how badly we human beings have a tendency to be with each other.  No woman who calls herself a mother, or in my belief even a woman, should subject their child to what Cora puts Lillian through.  Ms. Eby also highlights how women’s medical and psychological issues were neglected.  I am quite happy to live in this time and place where these issues are at least discussed if not always properly handled.

Will John be able to locate his family when he discovers they have gone to Chicago?  Will he be able to rescue Lillian from what Cora does to her?  And will Lillian survive the nightmare?  You’ll have to read In the Garden Room to find out, I enjoyed Ms. Eby’s voice as an author and look forward to reading more of her work.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author as a part of a book tour. 

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