My Review:

My Rating: 4 stars.

My Thoughts: WOW!!! I am heart broken by this story!

While I enjoy historical fiction this one is based on true stories, and this is one scary story. Kids just disappearing from their homes? Yeah, I had no idea that it had been so bad during the Great Depression. The blurb doesn’t even begin to show the true horror in this book, yes, it’s about a mother searching for her kidnapped daughter but it’s so much more. It’s about standing up even when it doesn’t feel like you can, it’s about trusting God to bring you peace, in all this was a dark story that ended with hope.

Since it is dark I suggest that 17 up read it with caution, and 16 can possibly read it if someone that you trust screens it first. It is a very insightful story of a dark time in the not too distant past and things like this do happen still.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

This is based on a true story. The Children's Home and Ms. Tann were real. Cecile & Millie are fictional but that's not to say that their story isn't real. This woman impacted many, many lives and a lot of them not for the better. The story is good as are the characters. There is mystery, romance and lots of angst. If you like historical fiction and true crime then I think you will enjoy this book.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley & the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it. ( )

What I think you should know:

The Pink Bonnet is the second book in the True Colors series, however it can be read as a stand alone because each book features a different true crime. This book contains a fictionalized tale about the dark side of adoption in the early 1930’s. It includes a real woman, Georgia Tann who an adoption in Memphis, Tennessee from 1924 to 1950.

What I wish I would have known:

Just how very heartbreaking this book is. If you have ever loved a child you may find yourself wondering what you would do if you were in the shoes of Cecile . This book contains children who have been taken from their families, often times kidnapped or taken under false circumstances.

Who I loved the most:
Cecile Dowd is such a strong mama, she was willing to go to the end of the earth to try to get back her baby. While I grew to love Perry Vance my heart ached for RD. Griggs and his wife. I also enjoyed how Liz Tolsma, the author, showed the darker side of politics and how far it reached.

Who will love this book( Just to name a few):
Fans of True Crime
Fans of Historical Fiction
Fans of Suspense

I received a complimentary copy for this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own. ( )

The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma continues the true crime series that really exemplifies that fact is stranger than fiction. In the second book of the True Colors series, Tolsma presents a very personal look at the corruption and pure evil that dominated the adoption scene in Memphis from the 1920s right up to the 1950s. The infamous Georgia Tann and her Tennessee Children’s Home Society are at the center of the novel. Greed and power are two motivators for those who stole and sold children. But it is an unrelenting love that wins the day in this fictional account. Tolmsa uses historical touches — dress, setting, culture — to set the stage of this mystery/suspense set in the 1930s. A child is stolen, and mother Cecile Dowd never gives up on finding her daughter. Swept into the drama is lawyer and assistant to Tann, Percy Vance. The two are great complimentary characters — dogged in determination and set on seeing that evil does not win. While The Pink Bonnet is pure fiction, it is a good representation of the subject matter. I had heard of Georgia Tann, but did not truly know how she preyed on the desperate and vulnerable, with seemingly no opposition. While primarily a mystery/suspense novel, this quick read also features a budding romance — it really offers something for everyone.

For a glimpse into an historical true crime story, The Pink Bonnet is a good choice and receives a recommended rating from me.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Celebrate Lit and Barbour Publishing for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

If you’ve read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, you are aware of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society historic scandal. Liz Tolsma’s The Pink Bonnet, the second True Colors novel, again revisits this tragic history, but from the perspective of a mother in search of her child.

Cecile Dowd is a young widow, and though she loves her Millie Mae very much, most days it is a struggle to provide for her. After a neighbor allows Millie Mae to be taken by Tann, Cecile has no choice but to find her. Her desperate search leads to startling, heartbreaking revelations, especially when Tann’s lawyer Percy Vance sees the truth.

A solid historical story with a bit of romance, The Pink Bonnet has great moments of suspense. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to more from the True Colors series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. ( )