It’s time for another BookBub promotion! (This time during a pandemic…)

BookBub will feature my lesbian historical novel Time of Grace, which will be available for 99 cents or its equivalent in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India via Amazon in ebook format, and also discounted on Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. The promo officially starts Tuesday, July 28, but if you check your favorite platform, it may be on sale already!

I was reminded of Time of Grace when Red City Review announced it was closing recently. That Philly-based site gave the novel a rave review back in 2014, and even named Time of Grace its Book of the Month. I have never had such luck with another book—I think it happened to hit on the right reader there. (But it’s true that Time of Grace is quite a polished read, as it was edited by a trade press in Ireland prior to its initial paperback publication way back in 2001. In fact, if they had kept my original title, it would have been called The Time of Green…!)

I’ve subsequently revised it for ebook publication—and you can also now find the audiobook on Audible and Apple, narrated by P.J. Morgan!

Since Time of Grace was my first BookBub acceptance, back in February 2018, I’m thrilled that they have given it another whirl. Click here for links to the different ebook sites.

And here is the Red City Review write-up:

Time of Grace by Gabriella West

Best Book of the Month – February 2014

Set in early twentieth-century Ireland, Gabriella West crafts an exquisite and heart-wrenching tale in her debut novel ‘Time of Grace.’ The story follows Caroline, an English girl who is traveling to Ireland in the year 1916 to become a governess at Lady Wilcox’s household. Shy and reserved, Caroline takes the position because it is one of the few opportunities available for a woman like herself. At the estate, she quickly comes to know Grace, a beautiful young maid servant whose lust for life is both enticing and surprising to Caroline, who has never before been enthralled in such a way with another woman before. It isn’t long before their friendship blossoms into romance, a strict taboo not only because they are both women, but because they also come from separate social classes. Caroline cannot help herself from falling in love with Grace however, even as she watches her become impassioned with the idea of Ireland gaining its freedom. The novel builds itself up towards the Easter Rising, an important moment in Ireland’s history, which serves as the climax of the narrative, forcing the reader to wonder not only if Caroline and Grace will be able to continue their relationship, but if Ireland will be able to persevere as well.

This novel is both moving and thought provoking, as the narrative succeeds at placing a story about a same-sex relationship in the distant past during a turbulent time in history with relative ease. Caroline and Grace are both fully imagined and realized characters upon the page that any reader will be able to relate with, as their desires and passions are described in such rich detail. West has a great ability of weaving in historical facts into her story, placing her characters right in the thick of a real-life event. The juxtaposition across gender roles, class status, and sexuality causes nice boundaries for the conflicts that occur throughout the story. The novel balances the facts, fiction and romantic elements in a superb fashion. Although the book is relatively short, coming in at just around 260 pages, it is full of tantalizing plot lines and moments that will stay with the reader for a long time to come.