More Than a Soldier: One Army Ranger's Daring Escape From the Nazis by D.M. Annechino (Book Spotlight & Giveaway!)

I am thrilled to be featuring the latest title by talented author D.M. Annechino. D.M. usually writes suspense thrillers but he has outdone himself with this one. More Than a Soldier is based on the powerful and true story of Angelo DiMarco’s survival, resilience and courage as he escaped the Nazis in Italy. My review will be posted on June 13 on Library of Clean Reads. Be sure to check it out. In the meantime, enter the giveaway and help us spread the word about this unforgettable story.

Book Details:

Book Title: More Than a Soldier: One Army Ranger's Daring Escape From the Nazis
​Author: D.M. Annechino
Category: Adult Fiction, 316 pages
Genre: Historical Biography, WWII
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release date: April 2017
Tour dates: April 24 to May 19, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 (A few four-letter words and violence associated with war)

Book Description:

Feeling a patriotic duty to defend his country after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, seventeen year old, Angelo J. DiMarco, enlists in the U.S. Army. Severely short of frontline fighters, the Army rushes Angelo through Ranger training and sends him to Italy as part of the 1st Ranger Battalion. Their objective: stop the German invasion.

Fighting on the front lines in Italy, the German’s teach Angelo a sobering lesson on life when they capture him during the bloody battle of Cisterna. Against insurmountable odds, Angelo miraculously escapes in a way that stretches the imagination. He survives behind enemy lines for over five months, hiding from the Germans and trying to outmaneuver them. He begs for food, sleeps in barns and suffers from many ailments, including dehydration, malnutrition, malaria and exposure to the elements.

More Than a Soldier is Angelo DiMarco’s powerful story of survival, resilience and courage.

Buy the Book: 

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Praise for More Than a Soldier:

Annechino colorfully draws the actions scenes, and richly brings the supporting cast of characters to life. A moving tale of survival in war-torn Europe.
- Kirkus Reviews

Nuanced and eloquently written, More Than a Soldier adds to the body of WWII literature an extraordinary story of survival and a deeply affecting portrait of a soldier’s coming-of-age.
- The iRead Review

Meet the Author:

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly. He has written and published five novels—all thrillers. But his latest work, More Than a Soldier, is a Historical Biography set in Italy during WWII.

A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends May 27

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Port of No Return by Michelle Saftich (Review and Giveaway!)

Port of No Return by Michelle Saftich
Odyssey Books
Published July 31, 2015
Kindle Edition, 219 pages

Book Description:

Contessa and Ettore Saforo awake to a normal day in war-stricken, occupied Italy. By the end of the day, their house is in ruins and they must seek shelter and protection wherever they can. But the turbulent politics of 1944 refuses to let them be.

As Tito and his Yugoslav Army threaten their German-held town of Fiume, Ettore finds himself running for his life, knowing that neither side is forgiving of those who have assisted the enemy. His wife and children must also flee the meagre life their town can offer, searching for a better life as displaced persons.

Ettore and Contessa’s battle to find each other, and the struggle of their family and friends to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a devastating war, provide a rich and varied account of Italian migration to Australia after World War II.

What can you do when you have nowhere left to call home? Port of No Return considers this question and more in a novel that is full of action, pain and laughter -- a journey you will want to see through to the very end.

My Review

Italian historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. I've had the pleasure of reading several very good novels of this genre these past few months and I now have another author of whom I've become a fan. Michelle Saftich has written a beautiful story of the Saforo family and Italians who once lived in Fiume, now a part of Yugoslavia, under the German rule during WWII.

Right from the first page I was pulled into the story and I simply didn't want to put it down. I was so invested in these characters that came alive for me. I cared about them and wanted to know how they would survive when they lost everything and Ettore is hunted for having worked for the Germans to support his family. The losses are hard and Saftich paints a believable and realistic picture of war-torn Italy and the displacement camps, but it's the characters that stay with you. And among the despair is always the underlying hope that they will pull through.

The children play a prominent role in the book and I liked that because it was realistic. Families in Italy had many children and the scenes with the children reminded me so much of the stories my aunt in Italy told me of her childhood during the war years. Best of all, the story flowed well and I enjoyed every moment of it.

I've read many WWII stories but this was told from the perspective of displaced Italians and what finally led them to leave their beloved country. This is Saftich's impressive debut novel and I am highly anticipating her next novel. Although this story ends well, it does lend itself to a sequel and of course, I am eager to revisit the Saforo family. If you like WWII historical fiction and books set in Italy, don't miss this one!

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of this book for an honest review.

To read more reviews, please visit Michelle Saftich's page on Italy Book Tours.

Buy the book 

  Amazon 

  Barnes & Noble 

    Chapters/Indigo

About the Author

Michelle Saftich is a first-time author who resides in Brisbane, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Business/Communications Degree, majoring in journalism, from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). 

For the past 20 years, she has worked in communications, including print journalism, sub-editing, communications management and media relations. She is married with two children.

Connect with the author: Website ~   Facebook   ~  Twitter

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Bianca's Vineyard by Teresa Neumann (Review and Giveaway)

Bianca's Vineyard by Teresa Neumann
All's Well House
ISBN: 978-0983121008
Published Nov 2010
Trade paperback, 412 pages

Teresa Neumann has deftly transported me to Italy during WWII with a story that made me go through a wide range of emotions. Based on a true story, Bianca's Vineyard explores an Italian family's loyalty, strength, forgiveness and tragedy in the face of a dark period in Italian history. With the backdrop of Mussolini's Italy, the hardships of immigration and an unforgettable family, this story comes alive through Neumann's gift of storytelling.

Egisto is one of three sons who is commissioned to go to America so that he can work and help his family financially. He is a young sculptor in love with Marietta and wants to marry her, but things don't turn out the way he thinks and instead he ends up marrying Armida Sigali. Together they leave for America and forge a new life. Egisto becomes very successful but even after ten years Armida has not adjusted to living in Minnesota. And that's when things begin to go downhill.

This is essentially Armida's story. She is an enigmatic character. I felt all kinds of emotions when it came to her: pity, anger, admiration, disgust, understanding. I was also attracted to Egisto (who reminded me of my husband) and his sister Carilda the most. Because these are people who have actually existed, this story had an even greater impact on me. I loved the poignant scenes in Tuscany between Egisto and his family; I loved the small village life; I learned so much about how war affected the Italians, especially the civilians. Neumann brought this aspect to life so vividly, I felt like I was there and my heart ached for how the Italians suffered at the hands of Mussolini who they once thought was a great man.

From the book cover to the setting to the characters, I liked everything about this book. It's a story that I understood because of my Italian background and because I've heard it in the stories I used to hear at my grandmother's table. My parents are immigrants and we have family back in Italy. Whenever I used to visit my maternal grandmother in Rome, she would tell me of her childhood, about how they survived the war, about how she would smear my gorgeous aunt's face with dirt so the German soldiers wouldn't notice her.

Neumann tells the story of tragedy and redemption so well. Never predictable, always intriguing, I was truly captivated. Her insight on the Italian culture in one of the most written-about eras in history, was so keen, that I wondered if she had Italian blood in her. If you liked movies like Cinema Paradiso or Malèna, you will like Bianca's Vineyard. As a matter of fact, I think this novel should be made into a movie. I can't wait to read Neumann's next book, Domenico's Table. This one has made it on my list of 2015 Best Reads.

To read more reviews, please visit Teresa's tour page on Italy Book Tours.

About the Author:

Teresa Neumann and her musician husband live in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley near their three children. As well as being an author and journalist, Teresa loves to fiddle on her violin and live "la dolce vita" in Italy whenever she can talk her family into going with her.

Connect with Teresa: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Where to buy the book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

And now for the giveaway!

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The Monuments Men - preserving art treasures in Italy and Europe during WWII

Just a few days ago I finished reading the book Shadowed by Grace by Cara C. Putman. (Read my review here.) While the plot itself was somewhat mediocre, it did stir my curiosity about the Monuments Men. The story is set in Italy, with a woman photographer assigned to take photos at the front lines, and a lieutenant who is part of the Monument Men, trying to preserve the art treasure and architecture of a country bombed by the Germans.

For some reason I had never heard of the Monument Men before this book, and I was happy to have discovered this group of men who risked their lives because of their love for the beautiful painting, statues and relics that are still with us today because of their efforts and those who worked with them.

After reading this book, I did some research and was thrilled to learn about the movie The Monuments Men, just released last week. The movie is based on Robert M. Edsel's non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, which sparked Putman's idea for Shadowed by Grace. Edsel also wrote Rescuing Da Vinci and Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis.

The movie stars some of my favorite actors and promises to be good. Last summer, I was in Rome and Venice with my family. My eyes feasted on the works of art and I couldn't get enough, even under the scorching July sun. I have always loved architecture, and a stroll in the old city enjoying gelato al cioccolato e nocciola is absolutely divine. Have any of you read these books or seen the movie. If you did, what did you think?