France Book Tours Book Review & eBook Giveaway: Gastien, The Cost of the Dream

Synopsis: 

When young Gastien Beauchamp flees the farm for Paris, the late nineteenth century bohemian era is in full swing. Color has always called to him, beseeching him to capture it on canvas and show people a new way of seeing things. His father belittled his dream of being an artist and tried to beat him into giving it up. The dream wouldn’t die, but Gastien would have had he not left.
He also yearns to become a great lover. After the years of anguish he has endured at the hand of his father, it would be heaven to feel pleasure instead of pain.
However, the city of Paris has a ruthless agenda. Unless a man has money and connections, Paris unfeelingly crushes dreams and destroys souls. With neither of the required assets, Gastien faces living in alleys, digging in trash bins for food, and sleeping where a man is often killed for his threadbare blanket.

Left with only his dreams, Gastien stubbornly pushes on. He vows that absolutely nothing will stop him, not yet realizing what keeping that vow might mean. Sometimes the “impossible” is possible – but the cost can be extremely high.

This historical fiction novel is book 1 of a 5 book drama/family saga for adults (The Gastien Series).  As such, it contains adult themes and graphic scenes. Each book can stand on its own, but is most compelling read in order.

My review:

I was excited to read this book as when I was in Paris, I went on a guided walking tour of the Montmartre area which is an area of Paris that was historically inhabited by artists, many of which was struggling to make ends meet in order to pursue their dream. In Gastien, The Cost of a Dream we meet Gastien, an artist whose live embodied the struggles and challenges that the guide on my walking tour spoke of.  He comes to Paris to fulfill his dream of being an accomplished artists but quickly learns that the road to success is extremely difficult.  He meets people along the way who are willing to help him out but some of those offers of help are not selfless and force Gastien to decide how badly he wants to pursue his dream, and whether he is willing to compromise his values to pursue that dream.

The synopsis of the book indicates that the book contains adult themes and graphic scenes, and that is certainly the case.  I have never read 50 Shades of Grey, but some of the scenes in this book are probably similar to what you would read in 50 Shades of Grey...  so just keep that in mind if you plan to check this out. 

Lastly, this the first book in a 5 book series.

    

Author Bio:


Caddy Rowland grew up with a stack of books that almost reached the ceiling before she was five. Books, along with her vivid imagination, have always been some of her closest friends.

She lives with her husband, who was her high school sweetheart. They are owned by two parrots. Besides being a writer, she is an artist. One can often find her “makin’ love to the color” (painting) with loud music blaring.

Her goal as an author is to make readers laugh, cry, think, and become intimately connected with her main characters. She writes dramatic novels showcasing the sublime joy and bitter tragedy of being human.

To get her books and get in touch with her:
Author Central Page on Amazon
Sign up for New Release Newsletter by Email
Gastien Fanpage on Facebook
Author Blog
Goodreads Author Page
Author Email: caddyauthor at yahoo dot com
Twitter: @caddyorpims

I have one digital copy to give away so please leave a comment by Friday, January 24 to be included in the giveaway.