What Remains of Love by Suzanne Trauth - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Suzanne Trauth and her new book, “What Remains of Love,” here on FAB!!  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 $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Suzanne and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

What Remains of Love

by Suzanne Trauth

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GENRE:  Contemporary General Fiction

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BLURB:

At the reading of her beloved father’s will, Kate, a divorced French professor, learns of his affaire de coeur during World War II with a French artist named Emilie, to whom he has left a substantial bequest. Kate, stunned to discover the existence of this woman who captivated her father, is determined to unravel the mystery of his past and unearth the truth. Though Emilie has passed away now, her daughter Yvette sends a box of her mother’s keepsakes from the war that are even more unnerving – among them a dried flower, a photograph, two smooth stones, and a train ticket. Kate wonders about her parents’ marriage. After the war had he abandoned passion for honor? Did he really love her mother, or was he compelled to marry her out of his sense of duty? How well did she really know her father? Or her mother? She embarks on a journey to the south of France to reconcile the past and confront her own demons, as well as the legacy of her father’s wartime love affair and the price he paid to live an honorable life. Kate’s life is changed forever…

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EXCERPT ONE:

“I’d still like to know what there was between them.” I swaddle a picture in bubble wrap and secure it with a length of packing tape.

“I’d say that was pretty obvious.” DJ could be snarky where Dad was concerned.

“What if it was more than a fling?” I say.

He sits down on the easy chair and fixes his gaze on me. “So, you think he never got over her?”

“I’m not saying that. I’d just like to know more.” The gift to Emilie Renault hints at a passion that disturbs me. A side of him I never saw. Dad was generous and thoughtful. But passionate? He and Mother had a caring but polite relationship. I don’t ever remember them sneaking a kiss or hugging with enthusiasm when they were younger. And since she died over twenty years ago, there hasn’t been another woman in his life. That I’m aware of. It seemed to me to be a well-bred, civil marriage, a peck on his cheek, an arm under her elbow.

DJ gathers up the putter and irons and jams them into the golf bag.

I have to say it aloud. “Maybe they were in love.” My statement hangs in the air.

DJ releases a deep sigh. His voice is firm but low. “Kate, you dumped on Mom while she was living and now you’re doing it again on her memory.” DJ slings the bag over his shoulder and bangs the door as he leaves the carriage house.

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GUEST POST:

Five Reasons You Should Read My Book!

I am so excited to respond to this challenge and eager to supply readers with solid reasons why they should pick up a copy of What Remains of Love. (I won’t mention the beautiful book cover my publisher supplied…!)

My first reason, and the one that actually got me started on the journey of this novel, is simple: it was inspired by a real person, a woman I met in the south of France many years ago who generously shared her life story with me. It was so moving and emotionally engaging that I leaped at the opportunity to put her account on paper, or rather computer screen. I’m so grateful for that first of several meetings with my inspiration.

A French Village

PC: Suzanne Trauth

Second, What Remains of Love is universal. Though told in two time periods, 1944-45 and the present, with two different narrators, the story is braided together through the histories and journeys of two families. At its heart, the novel is a story about family, children, and siblings. What it takes to create relationships, how to navigate long-held secrets from the past, when and how to forgive. I think many readers will be able to identify with those themes.

Third, my novel will make a great book club choice, a fact reviewers have already noted. What makes for an enjoyable club read? A novel that triggers conversations, questions, points of view. Given the issues at the core of What Remains of Love—honor, passion, accountability, parental/child relationships, family secrets—readers will have plenty of thoughts to bring to the book club table and can utilize the “Questions for Discussion” located on the last pages of the novel.

The Beach in Nice, France

PC: Suzanne Trauth

Fourth, this novel offers a little something for everyone! There is a piece of history with part of the story set during World War II in Europe; an injection of mystery when strange, unexplained souvenirs from the past show up in the present and prompt one character to pursue answers to her questions; and romance—a love affair started decades earlier leaves a disturbing legacy for characters in the present. All three elements will accompany the reader on this trek through time and place and circumstances.

Finally, because some of the book takes place in the south of France, I was obligated to go there and do research—poor me! I traveled to villages along the coast, toured Nice, visited Monaco (where I hit the slot machines at the Monte Carlo Casino and lost), and explored the beaches and sites of the French Riviera. My novel can become a kind of travelogue for the armchair tourist.

The French Riviera

PC: Suzanne Trauth

I hope my reasons make you want to head to your computer or your favorite book store to order What Remains of Love. Enjoy!

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AUTHOR BIO:

Suzanne Trauth is the author of What Remains of Love and the Dodie O’Dell mystery series—Show Time, Time Out, Running out of Time, Just in Time, No More Time, and Killing Time. She co-authored Sonia Moore and American Acting Training and co-edited Katrina on Stage: Five Plays. In her previous career, she spent many years as a university professor of theatre. She lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Visit her website: www.suzannetrauth.com or connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneTrauth.

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CONNECT WITH SUZANNE:

Website:

https://www.suzannetrauth.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneTrauth

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/SuzanneMTrauth

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/suzannetrauth

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/suzanne-trauth

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/what-remains-of-love-by-suzanne-trauth

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6187623.Suzanne_M_Trauth

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3aHey64

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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3IK3amG

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3PbRATH

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/What-Remains-Love-Suzanne-Trauth-ebook/dp/B0B27MSRPP

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/What-Remains-Love-Suzanne-Trauth/dp/1950502988

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Suzanne will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.