Back in 1914, Otto Koehler, a successful entrepreneur and President of the San Antonio Brewing Association/Pearl Brewing Company is murdered by Emma B., his mistress. Also at the scene of the murder is Emma D., his ex mistress. Both women were nurses to Otto’s wife Emma Koehler, who had accepted her husband’s indiscretions after a car accident left her in a wheelchair. Otto’s wife cared less about her loveless marriage than the thriving brewery business she helped build. She ignored the affairs in exchange for power in the company.

We’re transported to 1943 and World War II is in full force. Young, smart and heartbroken Mabel Hartley responds to a job advertisement and is selected to travel to San Antonio to document the memoirs of a now aged and sick Emma Koehler. Mabel quickly learns that Emma is one amazing woman. At a time when women couldn’t vote, Emma Koehler was running the most successful company in the state of Texas. Her business sense and leadership skills would be impressive in any time period but this feisty woman kept the business growing long after her husband’s murder – through Prohibition and beyond. Emma’s incredible story inspires Mabel, who is dealing with many disappointments in her life.

The First Emma is an interesting, fast-paced work of historical fiction. It is based on a true person (Emma Koehler) and the author utilizes a fictional character (Mabel) to help tell the story. The murder of Otto actually took place – the sensational trial is not the focus of the book but is creatively told through news clippings. It is the friendship that evolves between the hard-edged Emma and the vulnerable Mabel that is at the heart of the story. You’ll find yourself googling the history of Emma Koehler to learn more.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing and Camille Di Maio for an advance copy of this enjoyable book.

Review of The First Emma to be posted on my blog MicheleReader.com closer to its May 5 publication date.

Great historical fiction read. This is a brilliant story about three Emma's but featuring the First Emma who was the backbone of her husband Otto's business success.

Fantastic read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This is the fictionalized story of Emma and Otto Holzhauer, owners and founders of Pearl Brewery in San Antonio, Texas. The story is retold by Emma when she is in her 80's. The retelling is to Mabel during WW2. Two time lines in the story.

The book had the opportunity of being a wonderful historical novel. The past as told by Emma is fascinating....she was a feminist long before her time. A strong woman even after a car accident left her in an wheelchair. She had natural business acumen. Revered and respected in the community. But not appreciated by her husband.

The 1940's storyline featuring Mabel and her love interest reads more like a romance novel. I found this part somewhat disappointing. Mabel is a sweet girl but the dialogue between Mabel and Erik does not match the rest of the book.

Great research by the author on San Antonio and the brewery and the health spa....it kept me Googling. The author's notes at the end are very informative.

There are a few editing issues which I hope will be corrected for the official publication.

I have enjoyed the author's previous books. This too was an entertaining and informative read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy.

Edited to add: I absolutely love the cover!

I enjoyed this book and the shifting time periods. The characters were interesting and engaging and I liked the simplicity of one love story and the complexity of another.

Thanks for letting me review this book.

Emma Koehler is a widow, her husband, Otto, had been murdered by one of his two mistresses, also named Emma. At the end of her life she decides to advertise in the papers for someone to write her memoir. Mabel is having a bad day in Baltimore. The war is on, one of her brothers has been killed and another MIA, her fiance stationed in England breaks up with her and her father is missing on the streets. On the bus she sees the newspaper ad and decides to apply for the job.

Emma was quite remarkable. Even being confined to a wheelchair she continued to run the brewery that she helped build with her husband. They were childless but she would sponsor relatives from Germany and help them make their way in America.

I enjoyed Mabel. Even with all that went wrong in her life she didn't become bitter but kept looking for the good around her and grew to love Emma.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.

This book tells the story of Emma Koehler. I hadn’t really heard of her, nor had I read any of the authors previous works. This book is full of action, murder, infidelity and manufacturing success and it’s well written. However I d this very hard to get into and I’m not sure why.
For me it was ok but not great.

The First Emma is an enjoyable read. I adore historical fiction based on real people. Emma Koehler was one hell of a woman. She saved her brewery from closeure during Prohibition by being creative and innovative. She also steered her business through the dark days of the Great Depression while keeping her employees. Di Maio skillfully blends fact and fiction seamlessly. I enjoyed her historical note. I also enjoyed reading more about someone I had never heard about. Although her husband had three Emmas in his life, his wife was THE Emma.

This was my first book by this author so I had no expectations at all

I found the book really hard to get intp. i had to restart the story twice. For my the story moved to slow and it was really confusing to have so many Emma’s.

It wasn’t the book for me.

An engaging historical fiction narrative, based on the story of Emma Koehler, and one I enjoyed,

Murder, Infidelity, and one woman's journey to accomplishment through the history of the San Antonio Beer Industry.

Terrific book. Absolutely loved it. Compelling characters and story line. Kept me interested the entire time.

After reading Camille Di Maio's previous book Beautiful Strangers, I knew I needed to get my hands on this book. I am so glad I got to read this book, I think I even liked it better than Beautiful Strangers. The author has a wonderful way of weaving the story of both Emma and Mabel together, creating one story instead of two choppy ones. The story of Emma shows determination and finding loves in unexpected ways. While her story does show heartbreak, it tells of taking the heart break and turning it around to find something even better. Also knowing that it is based on a true story makes it even more inspiring. Similar to Emma, Mabel has found her own heartbreak during WWII. Though by jumping head first into a surprising opportunity she finds her own love in an unexpected place. The love interest that Mabel finds down in Texas is wonderful and romantic and fun to follow along. I found myself routing for the two characters and couldn't get enough of their story. I absolutely loved this book and recommend it to anyone who not only loves historical fiction, but also to anyone looking for a good under-dog story.

I received this book "The First Emma" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I could not wait to read this book! I've read all of Camille Maio's books and they have all been five stars. This book is also a five star book. I love the writing style and the storyline. I always learn something when I read historical fiction. Based on a true story and Emma Koehler. This was an amazing story that had me wanting more!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing,Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for providing me with an ARC.

This is the first novel to me by Camille Di Maio.

I don't know how to describe it because i have multiple opinions about the novel. I loved that the author taken it from real events but it's little slow, i wish that it little faster. The characters names made me confused because all of them named Emma and i don't why she not changed them.
I loved Emma Koehler character and the way she stared over to stand up again.

Erik and Mabel characters are so light and funny for me and i loved the happy ending to them.

OMG, OMG,The Cover is so amazing, delight and wonderful. I loved so much especially the dress that the model is wearing , It's Stan and I adore this kind of fabric.

Historical fiction at its best mixing truth and fiction to make a addicting read.I was drawn in by the characters the time highly recommend.#netgalley#thefirstemma

The First Emma by Camille Di Maio was a thoroughly enjoyable historical read, based on true facts. Ms. Di Maio has a true talent for taking facts and creating a story that seeps into you with characters that seem as real to you as your closest friend. A must-read for those interested in knowing people who played a part big or small in history. You’ll love this book as much as her others.

This is a historical fiction set in San Antonio about the couple that started Pearl Brewery. I knew very little going into this book and I'm so glad I did (and I will not reveal too much so that you will have that joy.) If you have any interest in strong women, San Antonio's history for the last century, or just a good historical fiction- read this book! I cannot wait to give it to friends and family as my husband's family is from San Antonio. This is well-written, interesting, and an unique story. I love that it's based on historical fact and I cannot wait to go visit some of the places I knew in the book.
4 stars for story plus 0.5 star for my historical connection.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free, advance copy. This comes out in May 2020- please read it!

I liked this book but I wasn't in love with this book. The part I liked the most was the author's note about the real Emma and what was real and what was fiction. Di Maio did a great job filling in the gaps of the story. It was an interesting story of grit, determination, marriage, love, and murder. I think I just wanted the highs to be higher and the lows to be lower. There were a lot of Emmas and I did get a little confused by all of them and their parts in the story. I still don't think it was really explained why one Emma killed Otto or maybe I missed it? Camille Di Maio does have a gift for writing and she writes beautifully. I will continue to read every story she puts out.

THE FIRST EMMA by Camille Di Maio is a beautifully-written work of historical fiction based on the true story of Emma Koehler, an intriguing woman who, against all norms of the time, rose to the powerful position of CEO of the Texas brewing empire started by her husband. Her husband, Otto Koehler was murdered by one of his two mistresses in a brutal crime that captured the attention of the nation and world in the early 1900s. As Emma K. nears her own death in her eighties, she hires a young woman, Mabel Hartley, to record her remarkable life. The story switches back and forth seamlessly from Emma’s past to 1943 when she is relating her fascinating tale to Mabel. As her history unfolds, the reader learns how Emma’s resilience and sharp business sense kept the brewery in business even through Prohibition and the Great Depression. The characters are brought to life with a touch of mystery, romance and family drama that had me totally immersed in the story. I enjoyed how the author crafted such a compelling tale despite the lack of detailed historical records pertaining to Emma Koehler. I have read and loved all of Camille Di Maio’s books and this new one is no exception. I highly recommend it! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read an early copy.

This was a sweet and easy read. I really enjoyed the mixing in of a real historic person with a fictional story. And then finding out that so much is really unknown about Emma Koehler---wow! I will definitely be looking at the Pearl Brewery area in San Antonio with a different eye the next time I visit the city.