The Girl From the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Hazel Gaynor's latest, The Girl From the Savoy.

Dolly Lane longs for something great. Or maybe just something more. And even the failed auditions and open calls with no call backs haven't yet managed to wear her down. 

Her new job as a maid at the Savoy hotel promises to bring her one step closer to her greatest wish. But it's not until she stumbles upon an ad for a musician seeking a muse that the world she's always dreamed of finally opens up to her. With all she's ever wanted right at her fingertips, though, Dolly will be faced with a heartbreaking decision: leave behind the girl who was Dolly Lane or cling to a past that made her who she is.

Hazel Gaynor's The Girl From the Savoy is a lot of things. A story about the stage and theater in the early twenties, a glimpse inside the budding world of the "Bright Young Things," the beginnings of the Roaring Twenties... But it's also an apt look at the struggles of women (and men) post WWI. In particular the women, considering they'd launched themselves equally into the war effort, taking up jobs previously relegated to men, only to find themselves set aside again once the war was over. Many lost loved ones, lovers, and husbands. For others, their betrothed may have returned a different person than the one who'd left for battle. Every one of them, though, was undeniably affected and changed by the war.

Our two leading ladies, Dolly and Loretta, may come from vastly different circumstances but it doesn't take long to realize the parallels between them. Dolly is weighed down by her past and a secret she needs to keep buried. Loretta has a devastating secret of her own. Neither is married, both volunteered during the war, and both eventually become connected through Loretta's brother, the musician who placed the ad Dolly eventually answers.

There are more connections and more to the story, all of which I want you to discover on your own - because that's where the magic is!

And it is magic, indeed. Hazel Gaynor has a true talent for bringing her chosen setting and characters to life. This is, of course, a testament to her fabulous skills as a writer but also her attention to detail and research on the era in question. All three of these things combine to create a world and story that affects you emotionally and feels tangible and real. As if you could reach out and touch one of Loretta's fabulous gowns, down a gin fizz, and dance alongside Dolly and Clover!

Rating: 4/5

And now for the giveaway: I have one copy of The Girl From the Savoy up for grabs! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, July 4. Open US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Hazel Gaynor and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble