mercoledì 6 maggio 2015

Review & Giveaway: Love Target by Heidi Loeb Hegerich


Love Target
by Heidi Loeb Hegerich

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BLURB:

Teenager Ingrid Liebschreiber is devastated when her parents move the family from their native Munich to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Homesick, she accepts a neighbor's offer to get her a job as a showgirl in Las Vegas.

Intent on earning enough money to return to Germany, she must grow up quickly in the neon jungle - where she is pursued by high rollers and headliners, including a vacationing Elvis.

Life's twists and turns land Ingrid in New York in the Swinging 1960s - where she is romanced by Armand: a strong, quiet, handsome businessman in "construction." Most girls dream of Mr. Right, and Ingrid's hard-won independence is challenged when she falls in love.

Will she find true romance - a man who can love her as much as she loves him? Or is "happily ever after" just a crazy fairytale?



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My Review:

I adore this book, I was completely glued to the pages, once I started I couldn't put it down. Just say that in the first pages we find anything less than the legendary Elvis Priesley!
It's the compelling story of a German girl who tries to settle in America in the early 60s and tries to find her realization and her independence. It 's also interesting to see the development of Las Vegas from a small town to the entertainment capital
Ingrid has managed to become a showgirl in Las Vegas at age 16, is an ice-skater and often meets stars of movie or music, as the legendary Elvis. But her early days in America it was very hard for her, she couldn't fit in, to get real friends, she also met with some violent people able only to ruin her innocence. She wants to go home by her grandparents, her friends and tries to find the money in order to pay for the trip. The only job she can find is also highly profitable: the showgirl. So begins her adventure in the good life in Las Vegas between celebrities, mobsters, rich kids, fun evening but also violent.
This story has characters very interesting and well developed. Ingrid is a strong woman who never gives up, determined to live life to the full. As a teenager, the brutality of some people made her lost her innocence but not the will to live and fight. The fact that it is precisely Ingrid to tell her story in first person allows us immediately to empathize with her and live with her throughout the novel. Lovely also the portrait of Elvis that is done, a myth very human, kind, polite, sweet.
It 's a fresh reading, fun, never boring, occasionally tough and violent. It 's written very well, with captivating dialogues, a pace fast and smooth, thanks to the short chapters. I loved also the illustrations that accompany the beginning of almost every chapter.
Despite the age of the protagonist, especially in the first part of the book, it's not a new adult and isn't a romance, talks about love but isn't so sweet or romantic. It's the story of Ingrid, her biography, her career and her personal growth from innocent girl to sexy woman.
Highly recommended!
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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EXCERPT:


The witch stared past me, lost in thought. Then she shook her head.

“I don’t know,” she began, haltingly. “There will be a man, a husband. Somebody that you’ve known. Somebody” — her voice rose — “with dark hair! And . . . eyes that are lighter. Maybe blue.”

“I don’t know who this man could be,” I said to the witch.

“Trust me,” she said confidently. “Do you have any photographs in your wallet of who this man could be?”

I didn’t have a photo of David. But it didn’t matter, since he was married.

I fished out a photograph of Armand.

The witch held it up in her crooked fingers in front of her hooked nose. She twisted her neck, turning her head this way and that, peering curiously at the photo from different angles.

She handed it back.

“You should have never been with this man!”

I shrugged. “I wish I knew who this mystery man could be.”

“It is not important,” the witch said. “You will know in good time. You can bring him into your life. And I want you to do something.”

She rummaged on a shelf and removed several objects.

“Take these two candles. Write an affirmation on a slip of paper saying that you will be with this man with dark hair that you’ve known. Then put the paper between the candles, and melt the candles together. Light each one, and when they’re soft, mold them together.”

I took the candles. Well, it couldn’t hurt to try. Might even be fun.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Heidi Loeb Hegerich has lived in places as varied as Munich, Las Vegas, Miami Beach, New York, Los Angeles, Squaw Valley and Reno. She has worked variously as a showgirl, business executive, entrepreneur, interior designer and real estate developer. She has traveled to six of the seven continents, and vacationed in spots as different as the French Riviera, the Andes and Afghanistan. She counts among her hobbies weight training, shooting assault rifles, and racing sand rails; she found skydiving entertaining but not as much of a rush as other pursuits.
A philanthropist for the arts, among other causes, Hegerich is now embarking on her own artistic quest as an author. The novel Love Target is her first book.

Buy links:
Robin Leach book review in Las Vegas Sun newspaper: http://www.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/jan/13/love-target-showgirl-reveals-elvis-pregnancy-swing/?utm_source=mostpopular&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=mostRead


Heidi Loeb Hegerich will be awarding $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

4 commenti:

  1. This was a great review. I also loved the excerpt.

    RispondiElimina
  2. What a great, sincere, and wonderful review of LOVE TARGET! Grazie!

    RispondiElimina
  3. Wow~sounds like an absolutely intriguing book! Thank you for the terrific excerpt and contest!

    RispondiElimina

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