Hello, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Jeanne
Mackin and her new book, “The Last Collection”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!! Also, come back daily to interact with Jeanne
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
The Last Collection
by Jeanne Mackin
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
An
American woman becomes entangled in the intense rivalry between iconic fashion
designers Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in this captivating novel from the
acclaimed author of The Beautiful American.
Paris,
1938. Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli are fighting for recognition as the
most successful and influential fashion designer in France, and their rivalry
is already legendary. They oppose each other at every turn, in both their
politics and their designs: Chanel’s are classic, elegant, and practical;
Schiaparelli’s bold, experimental, and surreal.
When
Lily Sutter, a recently widowed young American teacher, visits her brother,
Charlie, in Paris, he insists on buying her a couture dress—a Chanel. Lily,
however, prefers a Schiaparelli. Charlie’s beautiful and socially prominent
girlfriend soon begins wearing Schiaparelli’s designs as well, and much of
Paris follows in her footsteps.
Schiaparelli
offers budding artist Lily a job at her store, and Lily finds herself
increasingly involved with Schiaparelli and Chanel’s personal war. Their fierce
competition reaches new and dangerous heights as the Nazis and the looming
threat of World War II bear down on Paris.
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BOOK REVIEWS:
"Sophisticated
couture wars and looming world wars take center stage in Mackin’s latest, with
a plot that buzzes with love triangles and political intrigue. A gorgeous
meditation on art, fashion, and heartbreak. Stunning."
~
Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The
Masterpiece
“Exquisitely
melding world politics and high fashion, THE LAST COLLECTION is a smart, witty,
heartfelt, and riveting look at the infamous rivalry between Coco Chanel and
Elsa Schiaparelli set against a gripping period in history. Mackin’s powerful
novel brings these characters to life and transports the reader, juxtaposing
both the gaiety and tension of Paris on the brink of war. As elegant and
captivating as the designs depicted in the novel, THE LAST COLLECTION is the
perfect read for both historical fiction lovers and fashion aficionados. Simply
stunning.”
~
Chanel Cleeton, USA Today bestselling author of
Next Year in Havana
“A
wonderful story of two intensely creative women, their vibrant joie de vivre,
and backbiting competition played out against the increasingly ominous threat
of the Nazi invasion of Paris. Seamless research makes every character leap to
life and kept me totally engaged from beginning to end.
~
Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author of
Lighthouse Beach
“A
vibrant portrait of two designers cut from very different cloth, Jeanne
Mackin’s THE LAST COLLECTION pits bold Coco Chanel and colorful Elsa
Schiaparelli against each other in a fiery feud even as the ominous clouds of
World War II darken the horizon. A captivating read!”
~
Stephanie Marie Thornton, author of American
Princess
"As
Hitler and the Nazis gather strength and the world braces for war, Elsa
Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, whose politics differ as much as their couture,
wage a war of their own. Lily Sutter, the woman who finds herself in the middle
of their feud, has a battle of her own as she struggles to make a new start
amidst extreme grief and loss. From New York to Paris, Jeanne Mackin takes the
reader on an enthralling journey, complete with such vivid descriptions of the
clothing, you can practically see them on the page. Beautifully rendered and
meticulously researched, THE LAST COLLECTION is a must read."
~
Renée Rosen, author of Park Avenue Summer
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EXCERPT ONE:
Of
the three primary colors, blue is most suggestive of paradox: it is the color
of longing and sadness, and yet it is also the color of joy and
fulfillment. On a ship, at night, blue
water merges into blue sky, so blue is the color of places with no borders, no
edges.
If
you throw salt into a fire, the flames will burn blue. Salt rubbed into a wound
renews the pain, intensifies it. Seeing
others kiss and embrace was salt in my wound, a blue flame burning the length
of me.
Blue
best represents the contradictions of the heart, the need to be loved and
cherished at the same time that we wish for freedom.
Blue,
the color of the Worth gown that the little girl Elsa Schiaparelli found in her
Roman piazza attic, the color of the covers of the penny romances Coco Chanel
found in the orphanage attic.
Blue
is what made Elsa Schiaparelli’s daring color, shocking pink, so special: it is
pink infused with blue, turning a demure blush into an electric surge.
Schiaparelli turned girlish pink into the color of seduction by adding that
touch of blue.
And
always, there is the blue of the Paris sky on a June day.
Listen.
I’m going to tell you a story about fashion, and politics. And, of course,
about love. The three primaries, like the primary colors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
Could You Love Your Brother’s Enemy?
When
setting up one of my historical novels, a primary task is to plot a tremendous
emotional hurdle for the protagonist, one that will challenge her beliefs, her
loyalties, her expectations of life. In The
Last Collection, the protagonist, Lily Sutter, must face this question:
can she love the man who is her brother’s enemy?
Lily
is a young American woman, a widow still grieving over her husband’s
death. She arrives in Paris just as
Hitler and the Nazis are heading east, to France. Lily, like many Americans at
the time, thinks that the United States will stay neutral and not enter the
war. And like many Parisians, she hopes that Germany will not invade France,
and that if it should, France will repel them via the defensive Maginot
Line. Lily is in Paris visiting her
brother, Charlie, an American medical student, who has fallen in love with a
Polish woman living in Paris. Together, the three of them enjoy the delights of
the most wonderful city in the world, nights of dancing under the stars,
feasting in small cafes, taking in the art galleries and museums.
Lily,
an artist, meets Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, the two queens of Paris
fashion and is soon embroiled in the intense and dangerous rivalry between the
two couture designers. She learns that neutrality, in fashion as well as in
politics, can be difficult, even impossible, to maintain. She has fallen in love with a German soldier,
just as her brother plans to enlist in the army and join the war effort.
Like
most historical novelists, I hope my readers will empathize so much with the
protagonist that they feel the pain the character feels, as well as the
joy. And I hope my readers will, as I
did, learn more about the history of World War II, and the decisions that were
made by countries as well as people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Jeanne Mackin’s latest
novel, The Last Collection, A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel
takes the reader to Paris, just before world war II, and the intense, dangerous
rivalry between the two queens of fashion. Her previous novels include A
Lady of Good Family, the award winning The Beautiful American, The
Sweet By and By, Dreams of Empire, The Queen’s War, and The
Frenchwoman.
Her
historical fictions explore the lives of strong women who change their
worlds…because we know the world always needs a lot of change! She has worked
all the traditional ‘writers’ jobs’ from waitressing to hotel maid, anything
that would leave her a few hours each morning for writing. Most recently, she
taught creative writing at the graduate level.
She has traveled widely, in Europe and the Middle East and can think of
no happier moment than sitting in a Paris café, drinking coffee or a Pernod,
and simply watching, while scribbling in a notebook.
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Target Paperback:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Jeanne will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC
to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Jeanne ~ Good morning! Welcome to FAB! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeletethank you. I am delighted to be here!
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like my kind of book!
ReplyDelete