#BOOK REVIEW BY @COLLEENCHESEBRO OF “THE LADY OF THE PIER – The Ebb,” BY EFFROSYNI MOSCHOUDI

• Title:  The Lady of the Pier – The Ebb
• Author: Effrosyni Moschoudi
• File Size: 2152 KB
• Print Length: 362 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: Based on the print edition (ISBN 1500175544).
•  Publisher:   Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Publication Date: July 2nd, 2014
• Sold by: Amazon
•  Language: English
• ASIN: B00LGNYEPC
• ISBN-10:
• ISBN-13:
• Formats: Paperback and Kindle
• Genres: Women’s Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance

*The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review which follows*

What’s it all about?

This story begins in Brighton, England in 1937. Destitute and seeking a new start, Laura, and her mother leave London to find a new home where Laura’s sickly mother can recover from the ills of living in the city. Once there, life blossoms for the lovely Laura. Soon after her arrival, she meets Christian, a stagehand at the West Pier Theater. Laura falls in love with him and their life seems destined to be a happy one. However, Christian realizes that Laura has ambitions that might not include him.

Almost true to the form of a rag to riches tale, Laura embarks on a promising singing career after being discovered while cleaning up after her shift in the nearby coffee shop. Ecstatic with her new career, Laura realizes she wants the good things in life. A rich aristocrat, Charles Willard pursues Laura with the intent to make her his own. Laura’s singing ambitions create problems for Laura and Christian as Laura realizes the horrible truth that Willard has an unhealthy obsession for her.

Suddenly, it is 1987, where twenty-year-old Sofia from Athens, Greece spends the summer with her grandparents in Corfu, Greece. Her vacation is at an idyllic location near the sea with a loving family that cherishes her. In an act of defiance against her strict father, Sofia takes a job at the local boat rental shop located on the pier near the beach. One day a captivatingly handsome Englishman named Danny who is vacationing from Brighton, England appears on the beach.

Quick as a flash, Danny steals Sofia’s heart with his laughter and winning ways. Sofia cannot resist his charms and falls in love with him, all the while worrying that her family will report her activities to her strict father. Danny’s vacation comes to an end and he heads home to Brighton leaving Sofia in her beloved Corfu.

Corfu, Greece

In the midst of trying to balance her feelings for Danny and her family obligations, Sofia begins to have dreams of a strange lady in black who walks the West Pier in Brighton, of which she has never seen except for pictures in a magazine that Danny showed her. The woman resembles Sofia and somehow the woman’s pain becomes part of Sofia, deepening a haunting and mysterious connection between the two women.

And the mystery thickens…

At the heart of the two intertwining love stories are the piers – one in Brighton, and the other in Corfu. Sofia and Laura are connected through the haunting dreams even though they are separated by fifty years. Unfortunately, this is part one of the series and it does not give many answers to the questions that I was left with at the end of this book. Not that this is a bad thing.

Nevertheless, the descriptions painted by the words of Ms. Moschoudi transported me easily between the two times and locations. I loved how easy it was for me to find myself at both locations; on the Brighton pier and relaxing on the beach in Corfu. The characters were easy to connect with and I yearned for their love stories to become complete. I can’t wait to continue the series to find out what happens next!

My Recommendation:

I do highly recommend this book with the understanding that the story will continue to unfold in the subsequent volumes. There is a bewitching quality to the stories you will not forget. The second book is: “The Flow,” and the third book in the series is: “The Storm,” to be published in December 2015.

Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 4
Reader Engagement: 4.5
Reader Enrichment: 4.5
Reader Enjoyment: 4.5
Overall Rate: 4.5

About Effrosyni Moschoudi:

Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she often sat alone in her granny’s garden scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies, and ants. Through adolescence, she wrote dark poetry that suited her melancholic, romantic nature. She’s passionate about books and movies and simply couldn’t live without them. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix. Effrosyni is a proud member of the writer’s group, ENovel Authors at Work.

To watch a trailer for the book click the link below:

https://youtu.be/s3LrIRBxNVM

Make certain to connect with Effrosyni through her Twitter

@FrostieMoss

And Facebook at Author Effrosyni Moschoudi

Book Review by: @ColleenChesebro of Silver Threading.com