Title: The Starlet in Cabin Number Seven (The Guest Book Trilogy 3)
Author: Chrysteen Braun
Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery
Artist or Company who made the book trailer: Jody Vitek
Book Blurb:
Return to picturesque 1980s Lake Arrowhead, California where another cozy cabin sheltered amongst the sweeping pine-lined vistas holds a long-buried secret, waiting to be divulged.
In this third installment of The Guest Book Trilogy, a young Annie Parker is struggling to overcome her grief over the recent loss of her sister, when a childhood friend unexpectedly turns up seeking refuge from an ill-fated marriage. It would have been easy for Annie to sink deeper into sadness, but when she learns her newest design client, Hudson Fisher, is the son of the late film actress Celeste Williams, her curiosity is peaked. As it turns out, the Roaring 20s starlet was no stranger to the Lake Arrowhead cabins—and this revelation sparks the unraveling of a scandalous story from Hollywood’s bygone era. Did an illicit romance between this leading lady and her dashing costar take place in Cabin No. 7? What really went on behind-the-scenes during the filming of that silent picture? Will discovering a piece of the past bring closure to Annie’s present?
A heartwarming tale of friendships, forgiveness, and a touch of old Hollywood glamour, The Starlet in Cabin Number Seven will have readers captivated from beginning to end.
Watch the book trailer:
Excerpt:
When Sarah pulled into our parking area, she did the same thing I’d done when I first came up; she stretched her arms high above her head, took in a deep breath and said, “It’s so peaceful here.”
“It is. That’s why I stayed. Let me help you with your things,” I said, and then looked into the back seat of her car. It was filled with boxes and tied up trash bags.
She saw the look on my face and said, “Most of my things are staying in Las Vegas. This is all I kept. My suitcases are in the trunk.”
“Let’s get you settled. I have you in Cedar Lodge Cabin.”
When I opened the door to cabin number three, Sarah held her breath and said, “Wow.” I’d added pinecones to the grate before I lit the fire and the air smelled like warm pine.
“So far, two of the cabins have histories we’ve learned about,” I told her. “A woman, Elizabeth, and her husband Thomas stayed in this cabin for three months in the early 1930s while they were finishing their lake house cabin up here. Actually, it’s a huge, wonderful old home, and not a cabin at all. People up here call their homes cabins.
“After she died, I worked with her granddaughter, Carrie, to bring their house up to date. Both the house and Carrie were a dream to work with. It turns out her grandmother knew Bugsy Siegel. In fact, I’ve had professional photos taken of the finished project, and I’d love to have you add them to my portfolio.”
It was cooling down, so when we got back to the cabins, we brought blankets out and sat in the Adirondack chairs in the garden. The cats seized the opportunity for warm laps and snuggled under the blankets. I knew Sarah was exhausted, and I quickly realized I could use a nap too, and within moments, we were both out. I awoke before Sarah did, and I watched my friend sleep. I wanted to reach out and touch her hand, to let her know I was there for her, but I didn’t want to wake her.
Seeing her now took me back to elementary school. She was standing near a group of kids, observing as a boy entertained his friends by calling me names. But the first time I actually met Sarah was when the boy did it again, and she flattened him. When the young man cried, his friends were no longer interested in me, but started laughing at him instead.
“Crybaby,” they called as they turned to leave him.
“Well, that should be the end of that,” Sarah said, wiping her hands in triumph.
And it was.
We were five.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL5KKXJ
Amazon eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHK4Z5HS
Google Play eBook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=_8jVEAAAQBAJ
iTunes eBook: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6464678795
Author Biography:
Chrysteen Braun is a California native, born and raised in Long Beach.
The Lake Arrowhead mountains, where she and her husband had a second home, were the inspiration for her first three books, The Guestbook Trilogy. These fictional restored cabins from the late 1920s all had their own stories to tell. Through their children, readers get their first glimpse of who stayed in the cabins, but not why.
Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret and Linda Holmes's Evvie Drake Starts Over.
"A touching novel charting two women’s parallel lives, tied together by mysteries, transformation, and a cabin." —Booklife
"Braun delivers a moving portrayal of a young woman searching for herself amid personal upheaval." —Booklife
"Masterfully written, intriguing, mystifying, and spooky are how I would classify The Man in Cabin Number Five by Chrysteen Braun. As a great background, Braun uses the mountainous area and cabins to her advantage in telling the stories of Annie and Alyce. This is an exceptional plot, never leading the reader too far from the original storyline. Her character development is outstanding. I was able to feel everything Annie felt." Teresa Syms for Readers' Favorite Book Reviews and Awards.
"In The Man in Cabin Number Five, Chrysteen Braun narrates a deeply compelling, inspiring, and adorable narrative about the mountainside cabins of Lake Arrowhead, shocking secrets, and two women that are linked to the cabins in different ways—one by a buried past and the other by optimistic plans for the future.
"Chrysteen Braun does a mind-blowing job of building the characters and making them lifelike and easy to relate to. The first-person narrative is done to perfection as it reads like the narrators are speaking to friends—natural, lively, and jovial. I laughed out loud when I read the part where Anne claims that a bag of chips and a soda are "just what the doctor ordered.
"The Man in Cabin Number Five inspires anyone recovering from betrayal and infidelity to keep living and working towards a better future. The picturesque descriptions of the scenes and characters will appeal to readers who wish to get completely immersed in and escape into a fictional world. Chrysteen Braun creates a masterpiece with smooth storytelling that juxtaposes the serenity of the mountains with the eruptive chaos of dangerous secrets and ends with a bang. What a terrific story! What a talented writer!" Foluso Falaye, for the San Francisco Book Review.
Her writing crosses genres with Women's Fiction with relationships, and a little mystery and intrigue. She's published articles about her field of interior design and remodeling, both for trade publications and her local newspaper and has just received a Book Excellence Award for The Man in Cabin Number Five.
Braun lives in Coto de Caza, California (southern Orange County) with her husband Larry and two Siamese cats.
Social Media Links:
Website https://chrysteenbraun.com/
Find her everywhere https://linktr.ee/chrysteenbraunauthor