Book Title: Roses in December (Hamilton Place Book 2) by Mark A. Gibson
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 358 pages
Genre: Family Saga Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hamilton Press (Self)
Release date: April, 2024
Content Rating: A soft R for the following: Language, although appropriate for situation, does have a smattering (perhaps 5 uses over 350 pages) of the F-word. Sexual situations are more so implied than graphic. There is no use of derogatory descriptions for persons, sexes or races. No graphic violence is described.
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 358 pages
Genre: Family Saga Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hamilton Press (Self)
Release date: April, 2024
Content Rating: A soft R for the following: Language, although appropriate for situation, does have a smattering (perhaps 5 uses over 350 pages) of the F-word. Sexual situations are more so implied than graphic. There is no use of derogatory descriptions for persons, sexes or races. No graphic violence is described.
About the Book
Jimmy Hamilton overcame childhood tragedy to become a hero in Vietnam, only to die there in 1967. All but forgotten, Jimmy leaves behind a young wife, an infant son, and a man wracked by guilt.
Circumstances allow Becca, his young widow, to be manipulated into an abusive, loveless union with Jimmy’s brother and into raising her son ignorant of his father’s true identity—a wrong she knows must be set right…but how? When?
Like Jimmy before him, James, Jr. is an intellectually gifted, albeit troubled man. Hamstrung by the false narrative of his life and then tormented by an unspeakable loss, his days are spent treading the knife’s edge between present day reality and a past he’s incapable of forgetting.
With his final act of bravery, Jimmy unknowingly saved the scion of a powerful Washington family. In so doing, he set in place circumstances that just might draw his son back from the abyss…but only if he can somehow make it home from Vietnam.
Roses in December concludes the Hamilton Place series, an epic family saga extending from the Great Depression to present day. Through war and peace, love and loss, triumph and tragedy, follow the Hamilton family on their journey from a run-down farm in South Carolina, through the jungles of Vietnam, to the top of the world in New York City, and through the gardens of stone at Arlington.
My Review
Roses in December is the Perfect Continuation of this Family Saga. This series should definitely be read in order, and, while you could read this book without picking up A Song That Never Ends, you really need to begin at the beginning with this family drama to develop the most character connections and see the rewards in some of the outcomes. This novel picks up from the first book and carries readers forward into Jimmy's life and family's ups and downs. If you read the first book, yo,u will fall immediately into sync with the author's storytelling style and the realistic feel of his scenes and character interactions.
Expect Characters to Love--and Hate. As with the first novel, dysfunction
and emotional experiences fill this historical novel as readers find some new and returning characters playing out the storyline. Despite the adversity and emotional challenges--there is a feeling of goodness and hope woven alongside. There is a sense of resolution, closure and satisfaction for readers--even involving some of those not-so-likable characters.
Would I Recommend Roses in December? I
loved this series. This book continues the saga in the same real-world, emotional, relatable way as the first novel and keeps the story family and life focused. The entire series takes readers on an emotional journey that will tug at the heart, bring moments of hope and offer an ending that satisfies and feels "right". If you enjoy family-focused, historical dramas--this series is well worth a spot on your reading list.
Buy the Book
CONCLUDE THIS EPIC FAMILY SAGA:
Book Title: A Song that Never Ends (Hamilton Place Book I) by Mark A. Gibson
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 338 pages
Genre: Family Saga Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hamilton Press (Self)
Release date: January, 2024
Content Rating: A soft R for the following: Language, although appropriate for situation, does have a smattering (perhaps 5 uses over 350 pages) of the F-word. Sexual situations are more so implied than graphic.There is no use of derogatory descriptions for persons, sexes or races. No graphic violence is described.
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 338 pages
Genre: Family Saga Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hamilton Press (Self)
Release date: January, 2024
Content Rating: A soft R for the following: Language, although appropriate for situation, does have a smattering (perhaps 5 uses over 350 pages) of the F-word. Sexual situations are more so implied than graphic.There is no use of derogatory descriptions for persons, sexes or races. No graphic violence is described.
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About the Book
Home.
For over three hundred years, that’s what the Hamilton family has called a shrinking swath of farmland in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina.
Home.
That’s the failing tobacco farm where Walter and Maggie Hamilton choose to raise their three children. Walter has big plans to make the farm more profitable, but his plans are interrupted by World War II and family heartbreak. Walter returns from the war a changed man, and finds Maggie, too, has changed; neither of them for the better. But at least their family is together at...
Home.
More than anything, that’s where their eight-year-old son, Jimmy Hamilton, wants to be. However, after an unspeakable tragedy, he’s sent away from the only life he’s ever known—to live with a kindly uncle in North Carolina, far from…
Home.
That’s where Jimmy is finally going to be, unless fate has plans of its own…
A Song that Never Ends is the first installment of the Hamilton Place series, an epic family saga extending from the Great Depression to present day. Through war and peace, love and loss, triumph and tragedy; follow the Hamilton family on their journey from a run-down farm in South Carolina, through the jungles of Vietnam, to the top of the world in New York City, and beyond the gardens of stone at Arlington.
For over three hundred years, that’s what the Hamilton family has called a shrinking swath of farmland in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina.
Home.
That’s the failing tobacco farm where Walter and Maggie Hamilton choose to raise their three children. Walter has big plans to make the farm more profitable, but his plans are interrupted by World War II and family heartbreak. Walter returns from the war a changed man, and finds Maggie, too, has changed; neither of them for the better. But at least their family is together at...
Home.
More than anything, that’s where their eight-year-old son, Jimmy Hamilton, wants to be. However, after an unspeakable tragedy, he’s sent away from the only life he’s ever known—to live with a kindly uncle in North Carolina, far from…
Home.
That’s where Jimmy is finally going to be, unless fate has plans of its own…
A Song that Never Ends is the first installment of the Hamilton Place series, an epic family saga extending from the Great Depression to present day. Through war and peace, love and loss, triumph and tragedy; follow the Hamilton family on their journey from a run-down farm in South Carolina, through the jungles of Vietnam, to the top of the world in New York City, and beyond the gardens of stone at Arlington.
My Review
A Song that Never Ends Transports Readers into the Hamilton Family. From
the first few pages of this novel, the scenes, the characters, the
emotions, and the storyline felt real. The ups and downs of a family
touched by life's events, tragedies and glimpses of happiness and hope.
Rural life, wartime emotions, family dramas, and a story that draws
readers in and doesn't let go, even with the cliffhanger ending of this
first book in the series! Readers will literally step into the cover art
into a different time and place and journey with the family inside.
Expect Characters to Love--and Hate. Dysfunction
and tragedy dot this historical novel as the cast of characters plays
out the family's story. It's impossible not to root for peace and
absolution--even for the less likable characters. The strength of the
character development and emotionally realistic flow of the plot make
this a book that you won't want to set aside.
Would I Recommend A Song that Never Ends? I
enjoyed the emotional journey of this book--and looked forward to
reading the next installment as soon as the last page ended. There are
times to smile and feel "at home" in the story--and times to feel the
pain and family dysfunction as well. If you enjoy well-written,
well-developed, historical family sagas, you should add this series to
your reading list. This novel is not a standalone and doesn't end with
resolution and closure for readers, so expect to eagerly await the
second book of the series!
Buy the Book
Meet the Author
Mark A. Gibson is a physician who practices Cardiology in the mountains of rural North Georgia. He was raised on a small farm in upstate South Carolina—the last postage-stamp sized sliver of a much larger parcel granted to the family by land grant from King Charles II in 1665—and may or may not have once gotten in trouble for digging up his mom’s calla lily bed in search of the family’s long-lost charter.
Dr. Gibson graduated from the Citadel in Charleston, SC with a BS in Biology. Afterwards, he received his medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC. He received his Internal Medicine training through the University of Tennessee Medical System and Cardiology training through the Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center. He served for eight years on active duty with the US Air Force, before leaving the military for private practice.
Although a cardiologist by profession, Dr. Gibson is a dreamer by nature. He is a self-styled oenophile who enjoys travel and fine food. In his spare time, he builds sandcastles and dreams of distant shores.
Roses in December represents Dr. Gibson’s second offering to the world of literature, and the conclusion of his Hamilton Place Series. All previous publications have been of the professional, peer-reviewed, medical variety, and make for lovely sleep aids.
Connect with the author: amazon ~ X/Twitter
Enter the Giveaway
Angela,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your outstanding reviews for both books of my Hamilton Place series! For me, this story was a labor of love. I hope your followers will enjoy reading my story at least half as much as I did writing it.
W/r,
Mark A. Gibson