Evita and Me by Erika Rummel
Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (May 24, 2022)
Category: Historical Fiction, Crime, Women’s Literature
ISBN: 978-1955065320
Available in Print and ebook, 384 pages
Evita Peron’s jewels are missing. Only three people know that they are in a vault in the Swiss Alps; Evita’s corrupt and brutal brother Juan, her bodyguard Pierre, and a teenaged girl Mona, her newest protegee. What happens if two of them team up?
Like Eva herself, Mona comes from a broken family and has to make her own way. Perhaps that’s why the two women feel close. Evita is at the pinnacle of success but already in the grip of a fatal illness. We see her life through the eyes of Mona and Pierre, two people she trusts — and who betray her in the end. Or can theft and murder be justified?
A story of love, adventure, and murder.
Guest Review by Sal
This intimate look into the life of Eva Peron is well worth the price of admission!
Erika Rummel’s historical fiction novel, ‘Evita and Me,’ centers around a teenage girl, Mona, who becomes a friend of the famous Argentinian political figure Eva “Evita” Peron and the tumultuous ride that their relationship takes over the course of two weeks.
Mona is a teenager living in Toronto, Canada when she is sent to Argentina for two weeks to stay with a family friend. Despairing of her situation and not too keen on the family friend, Liliana, whom Mona views as a power-hungry and careless woman, things turn around for the teenager when she is introduced to Evita Peron. Liliana works as an assistant to Evita, but she is also the woman’s friend and it is through her that Mona meets Evita.
Instantly smitten with the incomparable woman, Mona accepts lavish gifts of clothes from Evita and basks in the woman’s maternal praise. When Evita asks Mona to go to Europe with her for a political tour, Mona jumps at the opportunity, although she worries about the woman’s seemingly ill health. But soon, the European tour is cut short when a very sickly-looking Evita asks Mona to take her most precious jewels and bring them to Switzerland where they will be stowed away in a vault.
Evita wishes for Mona to be one of three people in the world who know the location of the jewels and one of three who has a key. Mona agrees to do her friend and mentor this final favor, despite her confusion with the request. A few years later, after she discovers that Evita has died, Mona realizes that she is one of only three people who know where the famous woman’s missing jewels ended up.
This is a well-researched historical novel that captures the time, place, and characters beautifully. A thrill ride from start to finish, ‘Evita and Me,’ is a gem of a novel that simply cannot be missed!
About the Author
Award winning author, Erika Rummel is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books and seven novels. Her seventh novel, ‘Evita and Me’ is being published on May 24, 2022.
She won the Random House Creative Writing Award (2011) for a chapter from ‘The Effects of Isolation on the Brain’ and The Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association’ Award for Best Historical Novel, in 2018. She is the recipient of a Getty Fellowship and the Killam Award.
Erika grew up in Vienna, emigrated to Canada and obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto. She taught at Wilfrid Laurier and U of Toronto. She divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles and has lived in Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Erika’s Website: http://erikarummel.com/
Erika’s Blog: http://rummelsincrediblestories.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/historycracks
Giveaway
This giveaway is for 2 print copies and is open to Canada and the U.S. only. This giveaway ends on July 23, 2022, midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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Praise for Erika Rummel
“This is a fast paced page turner. A suspenseful, thrilling roller coaster ride with lots of twisty, loopy sections. Head Games is an apt title for this enthralling read. “- Joy Renee, Joy Story
“Identity’s a big theme in this work, so if you’ve ever felt you were someone other than yourself, if you thought you might like to try living in someone else’s skin, if you’ve wondered whether your friends and loved ones were not exactly who they claimed to be, then this psychological labyrinth might just be your winding road to a good read”.- Carole Giangrande, Words to Go
“This was a book that grabbed me from the start. It’s a period in history that offered much to the world but also had some of man’s darkest moments. Due to that it does provide rich material for a novelist and Ms. Rummel does an excellent job of taking her reader on a dangerous journey through the twists and turns of what many faced during the time. The characters are well developed and defined. The scenes are well described and I found myself feeling like I was actually walking the streets with the characters of the book.”-Patty, Books Cooks Looks
“To live during such tumultuous times would be horrible. You would have to be careful of every word that came out of your mouth. That might be easy when you are alert, but what about when you are so tired that you can’t even think? This book made me thankful that I was born in America in the 20th century. Any fan of riveting historical fiction will get lost in this book from page one.”-Lisa, Lisa’s Writopia
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