I really got drawn in to this story! It's got a ton of drama, believable characters and is quite fast paced. I think it's so tragic that events like this really happened in our country. I will write a more formal review closer to the publishing date, but this is a winner for history/suspense/romance readers!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley!!

"How far will a mother go to find out what happened to their child?"

This is a true crime story based in 1932. Cecile is struggling to provide for her three year old daughter and puts trust in a neighbor. This unfortunately puts little Millie in the hands of Georgia Tann, whom is responsible for the disappearnce of hundreds of child.

I love true crime, so this book was fantastic fo rm.e

I love the premise of this series in basing stories upon true crimes. The Pink Bonnet is the second one in the series. I was previously exposed to the crimes of Georgia Tann through a novel by Lisa Wingate. Simply horrendous what happened to children and families at the hands of one woman over decades. While the crime itself is fascinating, I found some details of the fictional story line to not be fully plausible. Overall, it was a good novel and I look forward to the next in the series.

I requested to read and review The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma through Netgalley and Barbour Books. I had read the first in the series and was interested in reading more. This is a series of historical crimes in America. Each book, so far, is a different author. I have never read anything by Liz Tolsma, but I enjoyed the story. I give the book a 5 star out of a 5-star review.
The book is classified as historical fiction. It is based on a true story or event. In my opinion, it is loosely Christian. It is a nice, clean book. The main character does pray and at the end, it was more evident it was a Christian book. It is not preachy in any way. Even if you don't want Christian and like historical, you will enjoy this book.
The book is well written and the editing was well done. It was an advanced reader copy and the conversion to Kindle was a bit off, but I think this will be addressed. The characters are well developed and you get a feeling of what it would be like to meet them. The story flowed well and in some areas, the suspense was built up nicely.
The ending was not what I expected but had to be that way to stay true to history. I recommend this book.

Fast paced, heartbreaking story. A stolen child and the attempt to find her and bring her home. A fictional story based on true events. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

The Pink Bonnet is a fictionalized account of the infamous Georgia Tann, who ran the Tennessee Children's Home and destroyed an incredible number of lives. From the late 1920s to 1950, Tann stole, kidnapped and took by any means necessary thousands and thousands of children from poor families and sold them to those who wanted children, mostly wealthy parents, some she sold cheaply to farmers for slave labor. It was an incredible time in our history. I am pretty sure that no parent ever found and got back their child from Tann. She had many politicians and those in power in her pocket and when she was on the brink of being prosecuted, she died and avoided a prison sentence. This book carries a story line of one woman who fights to get her daughter back and does. That is not the reality of this situation, but it's a good novel, nonetheless. I highly recommend Lisa Wingate's 'Before We Were Yours', a fictionalized novel based on this event as well, but extremely well done. Both these novels are worth the read.

*My thanks to Barbour Publishing for a complimentary copy of this book via Net Galley. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma is Christian Historical Suspense Fiction. Liz Tolsma has written an important book about the painful subject of black market adoption. Her compelling story involves the illegal kidnapping and adoptions by Georgia Tann and others during the 1930’s. This story is tragic, full of action, mystery, crimes, thrills, but most of all faith, hope and love. The main characters grow in faith as their dependence on God grows.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.

Liz Tolsma's The Pink Bonnet: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime was a very shocking book. It is a fictional depiction of The Memphis Children's Home Society and the director Georgia Tann. A young widow's child is abducted under the guise of placing the child in a better home. The mother begins a search for her daughter only to find that her daughter is one of many children abducted illegally and sold to others. Hard to believe in Twentieth-Century America that these types of kidnappings took place. Unbelievable, eye-opening book. Would definitely recommend to those who like historical fiction and books based on true crimes.

***TRAUMATIC STORY***
I'm not sure why anyone would want to write a gut wrenching story about kidnapped children and the horror of a mother's quest to find her stolen daughter. This was a very difficult read. I gave it 2 stars because it was well written despite my lack of enjoyment of it. This is certainly not what one could call entertainment.
There are strong thematic elements including physical abuse, so caution is advised.
This story is based on the real life events involving the kidnapping and selling of thousands of children by one woman and a slew of corrupt politicians, which is awful, but having it rewoven into a semi-fictional tale for entertainment purposes is not my cup of tea.
I downloaded a no charge copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion without further compensation or expectation. My opinion is mine alone.

Omigosh, this was an emotional (but super enjoyable) read! Similar to the best-selling "Before We Were Yours", the story is quite different but involves the same evil woman, Georgia Tann who kidnapped thousands and babies and sold them! Cecil Dowd, a fictional character, featured in this book was one of those totally freaked-out mommies who, in her case, had her 3-yr-old Millie Mae stolen from her. Then there are the adoptive mothers who have come to love their new children so very much, only to have them "repossessed" by Ms. Tann and sold to a higher bidder.

Like I said: pretty emotional!

What a tragic story! Liz Tolsma's The Pink Bonnet does a wonderful job at showing the horrors of the adoption agencies in the 1930's in Memphis Tennessee. I kept waiting for Tann to receive her justice, but if you read Tolsma's footnotes at the end, Tann never does. How sad! As a mother, I couldn't imagine the horrors of trying to struggle to put food on the table, then turn around and have someone turn your child in, only to learn they have been adopted by someone else who might be able to take care of them better than you. Tolsma's story had plenty of action especially the ending. Lots of hair raising moments where the characters come close to finding Millie, than something happens to make her a little farther out of reach. The only item I found unrealistic was the romance between . . . and Percy. It didn't quite fit with the way Tolsma created the characters. It felt completely out of place for the story. Overall, The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma opened my eyes to another horror in our American history. The characters fought hard and made for a wonderful ending. Fans of this series should pick this one up too.

I received a complimentary copy of The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

I was mesmerized from the first page! What a great story. When I found out it that some of the characters were real, I was even more interested. It was a tragic tale with at least one happy ending. The characters were likable and realistic. The story drew me in and I was holding my breath as the story went on.

The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma is the second book in a new multi-author series from Barbour Books, True Colors: Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime, that weaves true crime into a new work of Historical Fiction. Set in 1933, this story centers around the notorious Georgia Tann who trafficked children through her role as the director of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.

Cecilia Dowd learns first hand that Georgia Tann will use any means necessary to acquire children to sell in her black market operation when she comes home to find her neighbor was, albeit lightly, coerced into giving custody of Cecilia’s daughter to Miss Tann. This begins her unrelenting quest to find and reclaim three year old Millie no matter the cost. And she soon finds an unlikely ally in Percy Vance, a young lawyer working for Miss Tann.

Liz Tolsma packs this story with the corruption and peril that such a quest would have had. Widowed Cecilia relies on her faith as she and Percy search for clues to Millie’s whereabouts and uncover much more than they bargain for. But Tolsma doesn’t stop there, as she portrays the squalid conditions the children are held in before being sold or given to new homes as well as the very different home lives of two of Tann’s three year old victims.

Tolsma takes a very real nightmare from history and brings the web of corruption back to life in this fictional tale. As an adoptive mother herself, she deftly portrays the terror of a parent, whether by birth or adoption, having a child taken from them as well as the horror of a child being placed in an abusive situation.

Though it never quite reaches the tension of a suspense novel, fans of true crime and historical fiction will find much to enjoy in The Pink Bonnet as the events and characters in this book, whether historical or fictional, feel all too real. Familiarity with the abominable crimes and corruption surrounding the Tennessee Children’s Home Society is not a prerequisite, but the reader will likely find themselves wanting to learn more and will doubtless feel the outrage of Tann continuing on with these crimes and going unpunished until her death in 1950.

This review refers to a digital galley I read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve read several books about Georgia Tann In both fiction and non-fiction categories. They were written either from the viewpoint of the adopted child or as a news account of how Mrs. Tann got away with her adoption scandal. This novel, although fiction, gives voice to the heartbreak of the mothers who lost their children through the evil manipulations of Mrs. Tann. Liz Tolsma has written a thriller of a story as Cecile Dowd fights to recover her three year old daughter, Millie, who was kidnapped and taken to Mrs. Tann’s orphanage.

There are so many emotions encountered when reading this book: despair, sorrow, and outrage over the injustice shown to the parents trying to recover their children. The legal system was a complete disaster when it came to these children. But there’s also courage, faith and hope and this is what lifts this story to another level. This book has plenty of action. The tension builds as the story progresses and it’s not until the final pages that we find out what happened to little Millie.

This is a great entry into the “Historical Stories of American Crime” series. I liked the author’s notes at the end of the book and felt that those notes added to the authenticity of the story. It’s very realistic-feeling fiction and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you join in the search for this child.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Set in 1932, we follow Cecile's heartbreaking journey to try to find her daughter after she was kidnapped by Mrs. Tann. Compelling and haunting. This book will tug at every heart string you have.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cecile is a widowed mom who has her daughter taken from her by Georgia Tann of the TN Children’s Home Society in Memphis. I had recently read another story about the exploits of Miss Tann and her selling orphans. The novel is a chilling reminder about the vulnerability of children and the dogged perseverance of a mom who wants her daughter returned to her. The book is a novel and the main character is not a real person, but there were many real people who were harmed in the 30s and 40s by this horrifying scheme. Miss Tann was backed by corrupt local leaders who let her have her way. Great story about a Mother’s love.

This books has all the feels: happy, sad, scared, disturbed. It is historical fiction set during the depression. I had never heard of Georgia Tann and her 26 year rein of terror in Memphis, TN. Even today, it's hard to imagine her level of evil. While most of the characters in the book are fictional, they do portray what many parents experienced during that time in TN.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma is novel based on a true story that happened in the 1930’s. Many families are still struggling to survive through the depression and jobs are difficult to finds. The Tennessee Children’s Home is taking many of the children whose families can no longer care for them and putting them up for adoption. Unfortunately, the director, Miss Georgia Tann along with several prominent politicians and a judge are overstepping the boundaries. Children are being kidnapped all over Memphis and sold to the highest bidder. When Cecile Dowd’s daughter Millie is kidnapped, she is determined to get her back. Will she be successful? Will anyone be willing to help a poor widow?
This is a great story. The real is mixed seamlessly with the fiction. There is a lot in intrigue and action which makes this book difficult to put down. I could feel the pain of Cecile and other mothers who were missing their children. At times it was difficult to read about how the children were being treated or mistreated but that was part of the reality of the story. I give this book 5 of 5 stars and praise the author for taking on such a difficult subject and doing it a great justice.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I never knew about the rash of kidnappings for adoption in the Memphis, Tennessee area -- 5,000 children between 1924 and 1950. And so many of the children died whil in Mrs. Tann's care -- how horrific. It must have been an extremely tense time for parents who had to work and wonder if their kids had made it home safely. Ms. Tolsma brings that fear to the forefront and really delves into a mother's thoughts and feelings when her child is gone, although it is difficult to fathom how one could continue to go to work as normal. I wish there had been more detail on the scope of Mrs. Tann's crimes, related to the kidnappings AND the corruption. Just how deep into government, law enforcement, and the courts did her influence go, and how much was simply the way single mothers were treated at the time? The characters were compelling in this story -- including the couple who realized that they had received a stolen child and had to determine their path forward. My heart goes out to all of the innocents involved.

The author does an amazing job of telling the story of Georgia Tann, who along with many high ranking officals kidnapped children and adopted them out under the guise of doing "social work". As so often happens, the truth is slow to come out. Follow the heartwrenching tale of a young widow whose daughter is kidnapped by Miss Tann, and a young lawyer working for Miss Tann, who was willing to sacrifce so much in order to help in the search of Mrs. Dowd's missing daughter. Miss Tann and her cronies make good on their threats and their resouces run deep. Will little Millie be found alive?
While this story is placed in a past era, I think it still serves as a wake up call in our own time when so many children are exploited because of greed and pure evil.