I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the FAVORITE DAUGHTERS by Laurel Osterkamp Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: FAVORITE DAUGHTERS

Author: Laurel Osterkamp

Pub. Date: August 25, 2022

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 314

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Elyse Gibbons is out of her depth when, as an undergrad at Columbia, she’s befriended by campus superstars Aubrey Adam-Drake and Marina Hunt. While Aubrey’s grandfather is a former U.S. president and Marina’s dad is a notorious mob lawyer, Elyse was raised in Pennsylvania by a single mother/language professor who made Elyse learn Chinese for allowance money. As her high-profile life evolves, Elyse must use the strength and perseverance she gained from her humble roots, even while joining ranks with the powerful and elite. Then, handsome and enigmatic Finn joins the three friends to form a tightly knit group of four, and life becomes even more complicated.

Years go by, Elyse is further drawn into Aubrey and Marina’s world of influence and intrigue, and she will risk everything for her friends and for Finn-the love of her life. When Elyse becomes embroiled in her own political career, it’s clear that one misstep can lead to earth-shattering consequences, one lie can cause devastating ruin, and to survive unscathed, betrayal is the only option.

Reviews

2022 Maxy Awards Finalist Firebird Book Award Winner (Women’s Fiction) Indies Today Finalist (Contemporary Fiction)

“…a riveting, moving novel, but also a rally cry for readers to find their power.” -Jackie Jacobi, author of The Ravens

EXCERPT

Chapter 1

Columbia University

It’s quiet up in the stacks and the light is dim. I squint through my  smudged glasses and read all about nineteenth century gender  politics. Sometimes my Feminist Research Methodology class  seems pointless, especially when I become aware of how little  things have changed in the last hundred years. Not to dismiss the  sacrifice and toil from trailblazers like Susan B Anthony and  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but let’s be honest; politics is still a boy’s  club. This unoriginal realization leaves a sour taste in my mouth as  I sit cross-legged on the floor, flipping through the book’s  yellowing pages that smell like a thrift store suitcase. The words  blur in front of my eyes. Numerous nineteenth-century feminists  protested the underlying rules and repercussions of our social  welfare system and policies… 

Heavy footsteps interrupt my lack of focus. Suddenly a pair of  thick, black leather shoes are in my line of vision, and somehow, I  know without knowing: those shoes belong to a Secret Service  agent. More importantly, they belong to Aubrey Adam-Drake’s  Secret Service agent. 

I’m shocked, not at my potential celebrity sighting, but that a  Secret Service agent would wear such shoes. I mean, they don’t  look very conducive for running. Don’t Secret Service agents  occasionally need to chase after bad guys? Sneakers would for sure be more practical, but maybe a pair of Nikes wouldn’t give off the  air of gravitas most agents seem to have. (I’ve only ever seen these  agents on TV or in movies, but still…) I’m so consumed with  pondering this question that my stomach doesn’t flip, and I hardly  even register that the only girl who has the distinction of belonging  to two royal families must be nearby. Her fame comes not just from  her father, Anton Adam, Liechtenstein’s younger-sibling prince  who will never inherit the crown, but from her grandfather,  Howard Drake, the 42nd president of the United States and  patriarch of the Drake political dynasty. The Drakes are the closest  thing America has to royalty. Aubrey’s mother, Eleanor Adam Drake, is currently running for the New York Senate, and people say that in a few years she’ll run for president and will most  definitely win. After that, her younger brother, who’s also a  politician, will probably take office, and speculation has already  begun that Aubrey will follow in her family’s footsteps. 

Wow. Aubrey Adam-Drake. This is the beginning of my junior  year at Columbia and I’ve yet to lay eyes on her, but I guess that’s  about to change. 

“Student ID?” The Secret Service agent demands. I reach into  my backpack, fish out my ID, and hand it to him. He checks the ID,  looks at my face to make sure the image matches, and gives it back.  “Why are you up here?” 

I cock my head. “Umm, to study?” I use just a touch of sarcasm,  but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he turns toward the female voices  that are fast approaching. Then it hits me, this moment is a two for  one. Just past the Secret Service agent, with Aubrey Adam-Drake, is  Marina Hunt. She had her own reality show in the late 90s, where  cameras followed her as she balanced her studies at an elite private  high school, went on countless modeling gigs, and had love affairs  with the hottest celebrities at the hottest parties. It was like a real life version of Gossip Girl, except nobody ever actually thought  Marina’s existence was real-life. She first rose to fame because her  dad, Oliver Hunt, worked as a lawyer for the country’s most notorious mob bosses, and then he went on to become mayor of  Atlantic City, where he owned several properties and soon  expanded his luxury hotel chain nationwide. Now he’s everywhere,  always spouting his outrageous opinions on some political  commentary show and thus making himself a household name.  And while Marina and Aubrey’s backgrounds are certainly  different, their fame has made them allies. Everybody on campus knows they’re best friends. 

I tell myself not to look up from my reading, not to gawk, and  definitely not to rubberneck. 

“You are so wrong!” Marina says with a laugh. 

“No, I’m not. He said 8:30. I promise.” Aubrey’s answer comes  out breathy yet strong, exactly like how she always sounds  whenever she’s answering a reporter’s question about either side  of her family. It’s funny that she’s so familiar, when her parents  tried hard to protect her from the limelight. She was only six when  Howard Drake was elected, and the press were warned to tread  lightly with the combo first-granddaughter/princess. The  warnings mostly worked, but every now and then some mean spirited commentary would pop up, criticizing Aubrey for her  gawkiness. Because of how smooth and sophisticated both the  Drakes and the Adams all are, she’s been called an ugly duckling  more than once. 

“I don’t care,” Marina replies. “You’re the one dead set on  meeting him.” 

“Right.” Aubrey sounds exasperated. “Because one of us needs  to take this seriously.” 

I look up. I can’t help it. Aubrey is leaning against a shelf, her  back to me, her waves of brown hair cascading down her back. She  is by no means short, even when slouching in her flats, but  nonetheless, it’s clear that Marina is still several inches taller.  Marina faces Aubrey, and her auburn hair is slicked back into a flawless bun. Her makeup is also impeccable; her plum-shaded lips  part and her perfectly arched eyebrows rise at Aubrey’s tone. 

Neither of them notices me, as I’m crouched back and sitting in the  shadows. 

“I don’t see why we need his help,” Marina says. “We can  handle this on our own.” 

“He’s the student body president! If you want to start a  revolution, you begin at the top.” 

Marina rolls her eyes. “We are at the top.” 

“I don’t want to use our families’ influence for this, Marina. It’s  not right.” 

“So, we’re going to a student government geek instead? That’s  just as twisted.” 

The Secret Service agent gestures toward me and mumbles  something that sounds like, “Ma’am, you have company.” Aubrey  shifts, making her face visible, and her wide mouth sets into a concerned frown. “I’m so sorry,” she says to me. “We thought it  would be empty up here, and yet we totally intruded.” She shakes  her head and speaks to Marina. “See, this is what I meant before.  We’ll live up to our entitled reputation if we go around demanding that people bow down and leave every time we show up.” Marina shrugs. “Who’s demanding anything?” 

“We came up here to speak in private,” says Aubrey. “Maybe we  could go up a floor?” 

“But you said we’d meet him on this floor.” Marina sighs. I clear my throat. “Hey, no worries. You can have your private  conversation, and I won’t listen. I have way too much studying to  do, anyway.” 

Marina narrows her eyes. “What’s your name?” 

“Elyse Gibbons,” I reply. 

“Do we have class together?” 

“Um, no,” I say to Marina. I look to Aubrey. “This is actually the  first time I’ve ever seen either of you—in person, that is.” I cough.  “You know what I mean.” 

“You look familiar,” says Marina.

“Can’t think why,” I respond, but that’s not entirely true. There  are lots of girls on campus who look like me: average height,  athletic build, long brown hair. I suppose my most distinguishing  feature is a set of rather large hazel eyes. Chances are Marina 

doesn’t recognize me, she recognizes my type. You know, the type  who tries to look smart but comes off as appropriately pretty in a  non-threatening sort of way. On campus, girls like me are a dime a  dozen. 

We hear someone new approach. Aubrey’s Secret Service agent  moves toward the entrance, obviously prepared to protect if  necessary. 

“See,” Aubrey says to Marina. “That’s him. I got the time and  place right. But we should go somewhere else, so …” she turns to  me. “What’s your name again?” 

“Elyse.” I answer. 

Aubrey talks to Marina. “We should go somewhere else, so  Elyse can return to studying.” 

“Hello ladies.” The guy who greets them is almost as famous  around Columbia as Aubrey and Marina. Finneas Beck, student  body president, is handsome in the way that young actors who star  in movies about guys at New England boarding schools are  handsome. His nose is charmingly crooked, and his light brown  hair is longish in the front yet short in the back, but most of all, he  has that air of wealth and privilege that only comes from birthright. “Hi, Finn,” says Aubrey. 

“We have to move our party somewhere else,” Marina says.  “Our new friend Elyse is using the space to study.” I try to think of something that won’t give away how  desperately I want them to stay in my vicinity and blurt out, “Don’t  mind me, I’m pondering Schrodinger’s cat.” Gosh, where did that  come from? 

Finn looks at me amused. “You know that’s a hypothetical  situation. The whole point is the cat can’t be both simultaneously  alive and dead.”

“Yeah, but hypothetically, what did he have against cats?” Aubrey bursts out laughing, Marina looks annoyed, and Finn  chuckles appreciatively as he glances down to the book I’m  actually reading. “Revolutionary Women and Gender Politics? Are  you taking Dr. Kent’s course?” 

“Yeah. How’d you know?” 

“I took it last spring.” 

Aubrey laughs some more. “Seriously, Finn? You took a  women’s studies course?” 

He shrugs. “Sure. I could check off a box for my poli-sci minor,  so why not?” 

“This is all really fascinating, but I have to be somewhere in an  hour.” Marina sounds borderline pissed, but the pinch in her voice  is tempered by a silky lilt to her words. “Can we get down to  business?” She stares at me pointedly. 

I remain still, but I blink a couple times. “The thing is, all the  books I need are here.” I make a sweeping gesture to the library  shelves and to the piles of books in front of me. “I’ve got a lot of  reading to do, but it won’t bother me if you stay.” 

“Are you sure?” Aubrey asks. 

“It’s totally fine,” I respond, the calmness in my voice belying  my rapidly beating heart. 

They exchange looks. Aubrey points to a spot a few feet away,  and they move out of my line of vision, closer to the entrance, which  is still guarded by the Secret Service agent. I continue reading, but  of course I can’t help but overhear their conversation. 

“Do you know if there’s been anyone else?” I hear Finn ask. “I’ve heard rumors,” Marina says. 

Finn speaks again. “Nothing confirmed?” 

“We can get proof,” Aubrey says. “But even if it’s only Marina,  that should be enough.” 

“Yeah, we’re talking a major sex scandal here,” says Finn. “We  can’t just throw around allegations unless they can be backed up.”

“Fine,” Marina retorts. “I’ll give you all the details to back the  allegations up.” Then she talks …and talks and talks. I take furtive notes, which is basic instinct for me as I’m a  reporter for The Spec—short for The Spectator —Columbia  University’s student paper. Its reputation is the reason I’m here  instead of at West Chester University where my mother teaches,  and where I could have attended for almost nothing. But I’d  insisted on Ivy League, with a chance to work for and with the best  and the brightest —people like Aubrey Anton-Drake, Marina Hunt,  and Finneas Beck. How else will I ever become one of the best and  brightest myself? 

If the three of them had asked me if I was reporter, I would have  instantly said yes but they didn’t ask, so here we are. Tomorrow I’ll  get to The Spec’s office right when it opens. I’ve been a junior staff  member for a while, but so far, the biggest story I’ve covered was  about Parents’ Weekend. 

Nice to meet you, Big Break. My name is Elyse Gibbons.

About Laurel Osterkamp:

Laurel Osterkamp is the author of roughly a dozen novels, but she’s sort of losing track. Her new novel, Favorite Daughters, will be released by Black Rose Writing in August 2022. Currently, she is on leave from teaching high English and Creative Writing. That’s because she is completing her MFA in writing from Lindenwood University, polishing up one novel and finishing a second. Please visit her website/blog, https://laurellit.com/ for book recommendations, writing tips, and info about her writing. She’d also love for you to follow her on Bookbub  and/or on Facebook

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of FAVORITE DAUGHTERS, US Only.

Ends September 20th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/22/2022

Two Chicks on
Books

Guest Post

8/23/2022

@jaimerockstarbooktours

IG Spotlight

8/24/2022

BookHounds

Guest Post/IG Post

8/25/2022

Better_0ff_Read

IG Spotlight

8/26/2022

Epic Book Society

Excerpt/IG Post

8/27/2022

Writer of
Wrongs

Excerpt

Week Two:

8/28/2022

Brandi
Danielle Davis

IG Spotlight

8/29/2022

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

8/30/2022

@jael_and_jenessa_reads

Review/IG Post

8/31/2022

@allyluvsbooksalatte

IG Spotlight

9/1/2022

#BRVL Book
Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt

9/2/2022

A Dream
Within A Dream

Guest Post

9/3/2022

Lisa-Queen of
Random

Guest Post/IG Post

Week Three:

9/4/2022

Fire and Ice

Review/IG Post

9/5/2022

More
Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

9/6/2022

RavenzReviewz

Review/IG Post

9/7/2022

Rajiv’s Reviews

Review/IG Post

9/8/2022

@booksrn_rashi

IG Review

9/9/2022

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

9/10/2022

@books_carry_dreams

Review/IG Post

Week Four:

9/11/2022

@bujos_n_books

IG Review

9/12/2022

@jypsylynn

Review/IG Post

9/13/2022

Fire and Ice

Review/IG Post

9/14/2022

@jodieangell_author

Review/IG Post

9/15/2022

GryffindorBookishNerd

Review/IG Post

9/16/2022

@jacleomik33

IG Review

 

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