The Lady of Tarpon Springs

GIVEAWAY

MILLER, JUDITH
THE LADY OF TARPON SPRINGS

In 1905 Tarpon Springs, Florida, Zanna Krykos values the independence her career as a lawyer gives her from her very traditional Greek family and the pressure they put on her to find a husband. When a friend inherits a sponging business, Zanna finds herself agreeing to run it for her...even though she doubts her legal skills make her qualified.

When offered the chance to lead a team of sponge divers to the United States, experienced Greek diver Nico Kalos can't imagine a better opportunity. But his excitement quickly quells when their team arrives only to discover that a young woman with no experience will be their boss. For the sake of his men and the families they support, he can't let the business fail.

But when both the buisness and the lives of the employees are threatened, can Zanna and Nico set aside their pride and come together to save what matters most?

My Review:

Judith Miller always astounds me with the historical details in her novels. She finds the most interesting tidbits in history to create a fictional story around. Like sponge diving off the Florida coast. And the Greek divers who shared their expertise and helped establish a flourishing sponging trade. Who knew? Judith Miller, that's who! And it's worth taking a peek at the author's notes at the back of the book (after you finish the story, mind!) where she shares her research and separates fact from fiction. Fascinating stuff.

As is our Greek hero. Nico. Be still my heart. Seriously -- it's still all aflutter just thinking about him. Opinionated. Savvy. Bold. Quick to weaken knees with the flash of a smile. Let's all shivery swoon together. One. Two. Three. Siiiiggggghhhh! But to be honest, I have to mention that Nico is...well...can an early 20th century hero be labeled chauvinistic? Very old world values when it comes to women. Which makes his first encounter with Adria delightfully combustible. A lady lawyer? A female interpreter? Business manager? What self-respecting man would take orders from a woman?! Nico can't wrap his head around that at all! And neither can his crew!

But Adria is scrappy and tenacious and not about to let these stubborn men get the better of her! Especially Nico. I actually felt sorry for him more than once as he bears the brunt of Adria's strong willed independence. The dynamics between these two are so much fun to read! In the end, it's Nico's easy-going nature that's able to soothe Zanna's fire and fury...some of the time!.

Plus there's a great cast of secondary characters too. Zanna's opinionated Greek family (she comes by her stubbornness honestly!) As well as the three Rochester sisters (think Baldwin sisters from the Waltons) who provide delightful comedic relief. One scene in particular in which poor Nico's noble deeds are gravely misunderstood is hysterical! I read it twice just because the comedy of errors is so much fun!

And if all that isn't enough to tanatlize an avid reader's senses, there's even an element of mystery within these pages! It truly doesn't get much better than that!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Ltd.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Lady of Tarpon Springs, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday September 23 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!