Blog tour: A Beautiful Rival

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Welcome to the blog tour for A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul!

More about the book…

New York, 1915.

Elizabeth Arden has been New York’s golden girl since her beauty salon opened its famous red door five years prior. Against all odds, she’s built an empire.

Enter Helena Rubinstein: ruthless, revolutionary – and the rival Elizabeth didn’t bargain for.

With both women determined to succeed – no matter the personal cost – a battle of beauty is born. And as the stakes increase, so do the methods: poaching employees, planting spies, copying products, hiring ex-husbands.

But as each woman climbs higher, so too does what she stands to lose. Because the greater the height, the harder the fall...

More about the author…

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women.

Her novels have topped bestseller lists in the US and Canada as well as the UK and have been translated into twenty languages.

The Secret Wife has sold over half a million copies and is a book- club favourite worldwide.

She is also the author of several non-fiction books on historical subjects.

My impressions…

I don’t wear make-up, I never have, but I knew I had to read this book the moment I set eyes on its cover. I am finding myself increasingly drawn towards historical fiction and, despite this being my first novel by Gill Paul, the author’s reputation as an excellent storyteller precedes her. The figures of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein come alive through her words, and I was transfixed by their strength and determination. They were flawed and not entirely likeable, but you have to admire women who know what they want and do what they need to achieve it in a man that has always been ruled by men, even more so in their time. Wonderfully researched, this novel is permeated by an incredible sense of time and place and you’ll end up forgetting where you are while reading it.

Three words to describe it. Engaging. Evocative. Fascinating.

Do I like the cover? It’s splendid!

Have I read any other books by the same author? Not yet, but I intend to.

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