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Westland: Watch the Book Trailer!
Author Michelle Muriel
Meet Michelle
MICHELLE MURIEL is the award-winning, bestselling author of the #1 historical fiction bestseller ESSIE’S ROSES, WESTLAND (Essie’s Roses 2), and WATER LILY DANCE. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, magna cum laude, and worked as a professional actress, a member of Actors' Equity and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists for twenty years, doing theater, voice-over, and commercial work. Michelle transferred her skills in complex character development and historical research into writing heartbreaking, heart-mending historical, literary fiction. Her novels poetically explore the secret sides of life, stories told from multiple points of view by strong female characters in history harboring secrets and breaking norms fighting for freedom. She is also a songwriter and musician. Michelle lives in Missouri with her husband, Michael.
Westland - Author Interview Hasty Book List
Michelle talks about her novel Westland (Essie’s Roses Book 2) and shares her favorite reads with Ashley Hasty of Hasty Book List. Click here to READ THE INTERVIEW!
Praise for Essie’s Roses - Click here for the latest news and reviews.
On Sale Now!
WESTLAND
(Essie’s Roses Book 2)
#1 Amazon New Release!
Readers’ Favorite Award Winner Best Southern Fiction 2022
Michelle Muriel’s latest historical novel, WESTLAND (Essie’s Roses Book 2), the sequel to the #1 bestselling Essie’s Roses — On sale now!
Synopsis
From bestselling author Michelle Muriel comes the sequel to the #1 bestseller Essie’s Roses, set during the Reconstruction Era post Civil War, Westland is a moving, gripping historical novel about family secrets, forgiveness, and the meaning of home.
Evil men wait a lifetime to get even.
On an Alabama plantation before the Civil War, two little girls find freedom, Evie the planter’s daughter and Essie Mae, a slave. Now, women, divided by the aftermath of war they must find their way back home.
Alabama, 1866. The Civil War’s aftermath tests family bonds as the women at Westland: Miss Katie, kind mistress and heiress, Evie, her daughter, Essie Mae, an intelligent freed slave, and Delly a former slave and Westland’s sassy matriarch, confront the mysteries and secrets of Westland’s past to hold on to freedom and each other.
As Rebel fires and lawlessness rage in the South, Evie and Essie Mae return to the home of their troubled pasts: Westland, an unproductive plantation. With a new vision, renewed hope, and the tranquility of Miss Katie’s secret garden, they learn to dream again, but a mysterious stranger from Westland’s past threatens to tear them apart. Delly warns unearthing family secrets may do it for them.
When Evie’s stepfather James receives letters threatening Westland and Essie, he will move heaven and earth to keep Evie and Essie safe with a surprising twist he prays will usher in the true freedom they all deserve. Westland is an unforgettable, moving novel about the power of forgiveness, the families we create, and the consequences of the secrets we leave behind. One woman will pay the ultimate sacrifice as the women at Westland learn: freedom isn’t free.
Praise for WESTLAND (Essie’s Roses Book 2)!
“. . . skillfully structured, with dramatic truths revealed unexpectedly. An often engaging look into the complex history of the American South.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A deftly crafted historical novel, Westland showcases author Michelle Muriel’s genuine flare for originality framed with historical detail and the kind of entertaining narrative storytelling style that holds the reader’s attention from beginning to end.” — Midwest Book Review
“Emotions are running high from the very beginning . . . the plot of the story is fantastic. It has just the right amount of twists, action, and suspense to keep the story flowing seamlessly.” 5 stars! — Readers’ Favorite
“There’s so much to love about Michelle Muriel’s latest book of fiction, Westland. Muriel’s writing is lyrical, almost musical at times, and she paints a picture of the Old South so rich and lush that readers may fancy that they can smell the roses and feel the electricity of a coming storm. Westland is a richly-layered novel populated with unforgettable and eccentric characters . . . Muriel fans will want a third book in the Essie’s Roses series soon.” — BookTrib
“Flowers bloom and families split apart in this sequel to Muriel’s historical fiction debut. The characters of pre–American Civil War era Essie’s Roses are back in Westland, an Alabama plantation where the ‘willows hold secrets, until the night air sweeps through their leaves, scattering them in the wind and into our ears.’ The novel explores themes of forgiveness, freedom, and found families through the voices of diverse women: Katie, Evie, Essie Mae, and Black matriarch and housekeeper Delly. The multiple perspectives put the focus on what is perhaps the novel’s most complex character—Westland itself—and its essential nature. Questions of what it means to be free and independent as a woman, and especially as a Black woman, are addressed with nuance and care through Evie's and Essie Mae’s voices. . . . the plot is skillfully structured, with dramatic truths revealed unexpectedly. An often engaging look into the complex history of the American South.” — Kirkus Reviews
“The story is full of imagery! Loved that it gave me a sense of being there. Exceptionally written with lots of detail and research to give this tale authenticity for a wonderful historical fiction novel. Highly recommend! 5 stars.” — Bookreporter.com
Essie’s Roses: Watch the Book Trailer!
#1 Amazon Bestseller
Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner Southern Fiction
Top 10 Amazon Bestseller
#1 Amazon bestseller. Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner Best Southern Fiction. A sweeping, moving historical novel set before the Civil War about secrets, freedom, and the power of love.
An award-winning, bestselling historical novel by Michelle Muriel, Essie’s Roses spans twenty years before the Civil War and follows the secret relationships of four women at Westland, a plantation in Alabama. Essie’s Roses transports the reader into one of the most elegant and horrific times in American history: the Antebellum South. Using historical settings, Michelle takes the reader back in time, crafting characters and resonating themes that stay with you long after the story ends.
Synopsis
Growing up in the Deep South during the years leading to the Civil War, two young girls find freedom on a hillside overlooking Westland, an Alabama plantation. Essie Mae, an intuitive, intelligent slave girl, and Evie Winthrop, the sheltered, imaginative dreamer and planter’s daughter, strike up a secret friendship that thrives amidst the shadows of abuse.
Told from the viewpoint of four women: Katherine Winthrop, kind mistress and unexpected heiress to her father’s small, cotton plantation; Delly, her sassy and beloved house slave; Essie Mae, her slave girl; and Evie Winthrop, Katherine’s only child, Essie’s Roses tells of forbidden relationships flourishing in secret behind Westland’s protective trees and treasured roses.
After scandal befalls Westland, Evie and Essie, aged nineteen, travel to Richmond, Virginia, to escape their abusive pasts. There, they face the gross indecencies and divisions leading to the War Between the States. Though the horrors of slavery and discrimination prompt action, Evie and Essie’s struggles lie within. The secrets they hold and the pain of the past lead them away from one another and back home again.
A story about a black slave who frees a white woman, Essie’s Roses reveals the innocence of children's friendships, the diverse meanings of freedom, the significance of a dream, and the power of love. In their efforts to save each other, will the women of Westland find the true freedom they desire?
Praise for ESSIE'S ROSES!
"Impressively well written from beginning to end, "Essie's Roses" is an inherently absorbing and skillfully presented read, establishing author Michelle Muriel as an exceptionally talented novelist." — Midwest Book Review
“Michelle Muriel’s tremendously impressive debut centers on the experiences of four remarkable women. A richly moving reading experience.” — Historical Novel Society
“Miss Muriel’s novel is a thing of beauty. Overall, Essie’s Roses will make you laugh and cry, but most of all, appreciate the innocence of children’s friendship. 5 stars!” — Readers’ Favorite
“...Ms. Muriel writes in four such distinct voices I felt like I was in the space with each one. ... exceptionally well written and it was very hard to put down. 5 Stars!” — Patty Woodland, Books, Cooks, Looks
"...all I can say is – wow, what an amazing read. ...I fully expect to see Essie’s Roses on the silver screen someday, but until then I will simply look forward to reading future works by this author. 5 Stars (and then add some more)!" — Feathered Quill
Readers’ Favorite Book Award Winner!
Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner Southern Fiction
Water Lily Dance: Watch the Book Trailer!
Synopsis
Top 10 Amazon Bestseller • An imaginative, stunning historical novel wrapped in a second-chance romance by the bestselling author of Essie’s Roses, Michelle Muriel. Three brave women, centuries apart, risk everything for love in this healing, magical story of self-discovery, artistic freedom, and the friendships that pull us through the darkest times back into the light.
“. . . [a] warm, passionate, and life-changing story. Imagination is at the heart of this superb novel, imagination that builds, rends, and immortalizes. Muriel offers a story beyond words – exquisitely sad, loving, and healing historical fiction.” — Historical Novel Society
“A brilliantly penned and original novel showcasing the extraordinary talent and genuine flair of a distinctive narrative storytelling style . . . [a] riveting read from beginning to end . . .” — Midwest Book Review
Chance is not a word to toss in the air. It’s a word to take in, a word to give yourself.
Missouri, 2014. Sophie Noel, an emerging artist and daughter of renowned artist Josephine de Lue, holds an extraordinary imagination, but a year after the unexpected deaths of her father and husband, she cannot imagine a way to “move on” from loss—or the buried childhood memory trying to resurface that may hold the key to her second chance at life? To cope with grief and the temptation to leave it all behind, Sophie escapes into a painted world of color and light, venting her anxiety to an old childhood friend—an imaginary one: French Impressionist artist, Claude Monet.
Paris, 1989. Celebrated French artist Josephine de Lue has always believed in the magic of Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, France. So when her daughter’s estranged American father takes ten-year-old Sophie for a visit, Josephine never imagined this garden of light would cast a shadow that would follow Sophie into adulthood. A mother leaves a legacy and one last portrait for her daughter. A confession that may bring Sophie the peace and purpose she searches for, or one that may push her closer to the edge.
Paris, 1865. A daring shopgirl, Camille Doncieux, is captivated by the rebirth of Paris and the rebellious artists who wage war against tradition and the government’s censorship at the annual art exhibition at the Paris Salon. Behind the windows of her father’s luxurious dress shop, Camille plots a rebellion of her own after meeting three bold artists determined to change her life forever: Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Frédéric Bazille.
From an eclectic town in Missouri to the stunning backdrop of 19th-century Paris at the height of the Impressionist art movement, Water Lily Dance is an inspiring tribute to the unrelenting creative spirit and the lengths we travel to lose and find ourselves across the generations. A moving portrait of loss, love, and second chances.
Praise for WATER LILY DANCE!
“A brilliantly penned and original novel showcasing the extraordinary talent and genuine flair of a distinctive narrative storytelling style . . . An absorbing and inherently riveting read from beginning to end . . .” — Midwest Book Review
“. . . [a] warm, passionate, and life-changing story. Imagination is at the heart of this superb novel, imagination that builds, rends, and immortalizes. Muriel offers a story beyond words – exquisitely sad, loving, and healing historical fiction.” — Historical Novels Review
“. . . a fantastic air of reinvention to this deeply emotional and sensitive tale . . . it was the characters at the very heart which draw you in and keep you reading, superbly developed and likable as they are. Water Lily Dance is a highly recommended read.” 5 stars! — Readers’ Favorite
“Author Michelle Muriel delights readers once again . . . Water Lily Dance is more than a mere novel that happens to revolve around an Impressionist artist. It is a wonderfully written . . . moving portrayal of the strength and resilience of women . . . a story that should not be missed.” — Feathered Quill
“A story of heartbreak, loss, and second chances, Michelle Muriel gives us a beautiful story of three courageous women, centuries apart.” 5 stars! — Bookreporter.com
