His Risk

I have fallen in love with Shelley Shepard Gray's latest series, The Amish of Hart County. In the fourth book in the series, His Risk, readers are once again transported back to the Amish community of Hart County. There you pick back up with familiar characters from the previous novels as they now become secondary characters in this novel.

Alice Yoder is the community's school teacher and she adores her job. She believes it is truly her calling and the one thing that brings her the most joy. However when she undertakes watching her brother's home while they vacation in Pinecraft and also care for Valentine, their cat. It is one job she truly looks forward to is a quiet night at the end of a busy day. She just didn't expect to find her curiosity peaked by the young man standing outside her neighbors home. Being a bit bold, she finds herself wanting to know who he is and why he is staying at their home.

Calvin Fisher is now staying with his brother, Mark and his wife Waneta as he undergoes a risky surgery to remove a cancerous kidney. He hopes that he will be able to be there for his brother as much as he helped to raise Calvin as a child. Both of his parents had their own issues to deal with and for Calvin, it meant leaving the Amish community. However know he has come home, but with it comes a threat that he believes he can handle as he works as an undercover DEA agent for a well known crime syndicate. Now that he has worked his way up in earning the King's loyalty, he believes he can balance the roles he is playing while keeping everyone safe.

But when his undercover life begins to show signs of being in Hart County, Calvin believes that he has brought a very real risk to those he cares about and even those he might begin to fall for. Will he be able to end the double life he is living before he endangers those he loves the most?

I received His Risk by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such a cross over genre because you are combining a love for the Amish with its connection to the English world in a suspenseful way. Without realizing it, and while they remain very much divided in their faith and ideals, there are no physical walls to keep one from encroaching on the other as it does in this series of novels by Shelley Shepard Gray. I think she orchestrates it masterfully in that you don't even realize that you're reading two very different genres in a well blended series. I have loved every single one and am looking forward to the next one in this series. Finally authors who simply don't end a good thing after three books! This one is worthy of all 5 out of 5 stars in my own opinion.

For more information about His Risk, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

His Risk by Shelley Shepard Gray

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To read more reviews on His Risk, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website.

Sunday Silence

Sometimes when you book up a novel, anticipating it will be a really good one, and immediately get so lost, you backtrack and try reading it again, only to get to the same place you did the first place and question what are you doing wrong? Why are you connecting with this book? What are you missing? This is the case I encountered with Nicci French's novel, Sunday Silence. Seeing as this is a series, and this is the 7th novel, I questioned if that is where I was getting lost. Perhaps. Then I do what I usually do and see if I am the only one feeling this way, by reading previous reviews. I found I am not alone in my assessment.

I have NOT read the previous novels in this series, and I have no backstory to go off of except to dive into this novel and hope for the best. The novel opens with a gristly discovery found beneath the floorboards of Frieda Klein's home. The body of someone she knows and therefore, has to explain to the local police how she knows this man. While it appears the man has been dead for some years, the decomposing of the body shows it is a recent murder. Is Frieda guilty or is someone setting her up? I found it interesting that the police merely questioned her and she was immediately let go. I mean how many people wind up with an unexplained body beneath their floor? Wouldn't you detain that person until you verified she was innocent?

Guess like me, you'll have to read further into the novel. It appears as if Frieda has been the victim of a serial killer who finds putting Frieda and those she is close to at risk based on just having a connection with her. It seems like a game of cat and mouse until one discovers that there are two cats each with their own motive and she is now doubly in danger and must stay a step ahead to avoid being the victim of either killer. While I was hoping for more than this one delivered, I guess each reader will have their own opinion of what they think of this novel. For me, the connection point of truly caring for the main character, didn't just pan out and I was actually hoping that this would end and thus put me out of my misery of trying to find something salvageable about this novel. I didn't unfortunately and have to say I give this one a 3 out of 5 stars.

I received Sunday Silence by Nicci French compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. I may have to go back and read this series from the beginning in hopes of garnering support that this is an exceptional series as some have claimed. I truly LOVE good mystery books that really keep the reader engaged and for me, this just never happened. It fell flat for me of what I expected but I hope that others will have a different opinion than I did.

For more information about Sunday Silence, Nicci French or where you can pre order a copy of this novel due out in January of 2018, please click on the links below:

Sunday Silence by Nicci French

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The Atomic City Girls

Can you imagine a story based on historical facts that takes small town city girls and gets them to work in a secret city in Oak Ridge, Tennessee? All the girls know is that it is a job, will help them earn a living while the men are serving overseas in the war, and that they are helping their own country. They are required to sign documents that states they are not allowed to share anything that goes on within the Oak Ridge city limits and to do so might just get you jail time, a hefty fine, loss of your employment or all three.

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard is the novel that takes place in November of 1944 when a young 18-year old girl, June Walker begins what will be a defining moment in her career working in someplace she can't even talk about or write about. She struggles to understand her own role in things, when she marries a man she doesn't love only to have him killed in the war. Now she faces coming to terms with her widowhood at such a young age, while other girls around her are more than happy to benefit from the movies, dances and social activities that abound after they leave their monotonous jobs.

All she does with every other girl is work in a cubicle all day watching dials, and when they deviate from their norms, she dials them back in. She questions what this might all be, but she knows she also can't afford to lose her job by talking about it either. Spies are literally everywhere who would be all too happy to report anyone from breaking any of the strike employment guidelines they were all required to sign upon their first day of work. It appears there is more than meets the eye where she works and one day, a young girl makes the mistake of wearing hair pins to work only to have them ripped violently from her head. What does this secret city have to do with magnets and the war effort? You'll have to read this novel for more inside information.

I received The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. What I LOVED about this novel is all the historical photos that a placed throughout the novel, from the elaborate signs being placed all over the city, to the plain boring work stalls each girl had to work in. How they managed not to go crazy from boredom is beyond me, but at a time where each was assured they were all helping the war effort, things begin to change once the first of two bombs fell on Japan and soon enough things began to be discovered and wondered how dangerous were their jobs if this was the result. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Atomic City Girls, Janet Beard or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today due on February 2018, please click on the links below:

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard

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Last Christmas in Paris

One of my fondest memories as a child growing up was during one summer, a friend and I, picked out anonymous names and became pen pals since seeing each other as often as we wanted was out. It was the best summer I can remember. I have a profound respect for men and women who served during our great wars, WWI and WWII. All of the WWI veterans have passed away and we still have a handful of the veterans from WWII but not for long. The stories they still hold is as relevant to them as my summer of being pen pals. There is just something about sharing memories and stories that needs to be treasured.

In Hazel Gaynor's latest novel, Last Christmas in Paris, readers are given a behind the scenes look at how a trio of siblings and friends found a way to survive the war. For Evie Elliot, she watched as her brother Will and best friend to both Evie and Will, Tom Harding went to war for England. The book parallels to different time periods both in 1968, where our story both concludes and begins, but also the formation of hope, faith and love that is shared as the letters between the three are shared in this novel. It shows the progression of optimism that the war will be over by the first Christmas, it shows the loss that comes when war raises its ugly head, and the love that can be found by never giving up, of dreaming of a better future than the current one.

As a reader, I felt guilty as if I had happened upon these letters by chance and was given an insider's look at the lives of both the authors and recipients. Sometimes the things we want to say but can't can be conveyed in writing better than if we spoke them in person. There isn't a fear of what might be said in response because one must wait to hear the outcome in another letter. I have read most of Hazel Gaynor's novels and have to give her credit for taking the reader right into her novels. There is so much detail in her writing style, you can hear and smell the things as they are being described like the Zepplin's nightly air raids on the small towns and of Evie and Tom's promise that one day they will visit Paris for Christmas when the war is over.

I received Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. Readers will enjoy a bit of historical fact woven into the story line and for fans of history like myself, will truly enjoy and appreciate this novel. I hope more will pick this novel up and join me in preserving a bit of history by doing so. War is hard enough, but it is the love that outlasts all the evils that will always prevail. For me, this one garners a 5 out of 5 stars in this readers opinion.

For more information about Last Christmas in Paris, Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

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To read more reviews on Last Christmas in Paris, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Missing

Sometimes when I write a review I often wonder how much to share and how much to hold back on. Such is the case with C.L. Taylor's novel, The Missing. I guess since there is no official rating scale for books, that is where reviews come into play. Mine might be a bit harsh but I want readers to know what they are truly getting into before they pick this one up. If they're fine with the subject matter, than they won't be as surprised as I was when I read this novel. The premise is simple, a young 15-year-old boy Billy Wilkinson goes missing without a trace and his family is left to deal with the aftermath.

The novel is divided into a series of events being seen through the eyes of his mother, Claire, who truly believes her son is alive even though she doesn't know where to begin to look for him. The book begins 6-months after his disappearance, and the family is going back to the public for an appeal to help them find out what has happened to their son. The family is beyond fragmented as each of them attempt to deal with things in their own way. Claire thinks she must stay busy because trying to go back to normal can't happen until she finds her son. She begins to see him everywhere and follows them to almost tragic ends without considering her own safety. I would too, if I was Claire. Her older son, Jake is almost forgotten by her husband, Mark. Seeing as he has turned to alcohol as his way of dealing the pain of being cast aside, while dealing with his live-in girlfriend, Kira who has escaped an abusive upbringing.

Claire suffers from black out episodes where she has no recollection of how she arrives in any location and soon her family believes she might just need to see a specialist dealing with mental disorders. The majority of the book deals with the family trying to figure out what happened to Billy but in the midst of all of this are homosexual encounters between a group of teens, Claire happens to follow that lead to an apartment where she walks in on two men have sex. Also her best friend, Liz is dealing with her own son having a boyfriend. I felt that neither of these issues needed to be built into the novel and found them distracting from following along with Claire trying to find her son. That being said, it wasn't quite the novel I had hoped for.

I received The Missing by C.L. Taylor compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This novel capitalizes on every parents worst nightmare. Not knowing if your son has simply chosen to walk away from adult responsibilities and seek his future without his divisive parents or he was truly a victim of suspicious circumstances. The novel does toggle between Claire's hunt for the truth and text messages between two individuals who have a tormented relationship that involves underage drinking. Is this a clue or another diversion? You'll have to read the novel to find out how it all turns out. I rated this novel a 3.5 stars in my opinion based on my own review criteria.

For more information about The Missing, C.L. Taylor or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Missing by C.L. Taylor

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To read more reviews on The Missing, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

Christmas, Present

If you're looking for a Christmas book filled with good cheer and happy tidings, Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard is NOT for you. Reading the premise from the back cover promises that" a family comes together during the holiday season as they learn a powerful lesson about love and how to live each day of their lives as if it were their last." This is NOT a happy story, while there might be a message tucked inside that tomorrows are never a guarantee and that we should embrace the present as if is the only day we will ever have.

As Elliot and Laura Banner make plans for their fourteenth wedding anniversary by attending a very wonderful play that Laura has been wanting to see performed by Cirque du Soleil only to have their car break down on their way home. Laura has been dealing with a horrible headache that she feels is a migraine, although she has never had one. She begs Elliot to take her to the hospital or at least call for an ambulance because she feels something isn't quite right. After considerable stalling, Laura begs a policeman to call the ambulance for her. Elliot can sense at this point that she doesn't look right and agrees.

When they arrive at the hospital, Laura is whisked away while Elliot deals with the paperwork only to learn that despite all his efforts, Laura has had a rupture of a major artery in her brain and has only hours left to live. Even if he had called for an ambulance when she experienced her headache, it would have been too late to do anything. While the doctor believes some internet searching and calling some colleagues might yield a different result, he tells Elliot that she will continue to have seizures until she lapses into a coma and dies.

I received Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard, compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. I guess the intent in the writing this novel is to embrace our days even more than we do now, because we always believe there will be a tomorrow. But like the Bible reminds us, life is merely a vapor. It is gone much too soon, and then we are faced with dealing with regrets for things we never did, believing we could always do it later. I would advise, NOT reading this during Christmas as the holidays are difficult to get through without reading something not so cheerful. I had hoped it would turn out differently but it doesn't. This is not a book with a happily ever after ending, unless it is a that the family will eventually move on, dealing with their losses in their own way. For me, I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Christmas, Present, Jacquelyn Mitchard, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard

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To read more reviews on Christmas, Present, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website.

Mrs. Miracle

"Some marriages are made in heaven, but they all have to be maintained on earth." ~ Mrs. Miracle.

For Seth Webster, his life might be defined as the perfect picture for chaos. Left alone after his wife died in a tragic car accident with two twin boys and a busy job, he was completely at odds with what to do. Now four years later he can't seem to figure out a way to move forward and even manage the life of two overly-active boys who need him as much as he needs help. He was given a four year reprieve when his parents Sharon and Jerry offered to step in and move the twins in with them. Only in four years, he still had no better clue in how to handle them then he did when his wife was still alive. How could he when he could barely take care of himself. Ever single housekeeper/nanny had been exhausted and the longest any one of them could stay was 6-weeks after dealing with the Webster household. What he needed was a true miracle. And that is just what showed up at the front door.

Mrs. Emily Merkle claimed to have been sent by the agency that employed every other housekeeper/nanny ever sent but there was something oddly comforting about her, think Mary Poppins but quite a bit older. She possessed a quiet sense of order, yet offered a sense of peace and comfort that was sadly missing in their chaotic lives. The boys instantly adapted to her quite quickly and soon Seth learned that she could sense what was needed before it was ever asked for. She got the family back to church and much like Mary Poppins began to shape their lives into one that had been missing for so long as if she had been heaven sent. It's funny that the twins being unable to pronounce her name, called her Mrs Miracle instead.

Reba Maxwell needed to find her faith again. She simply attended church because it was something she knew she needed but unable to find forgiveness for her sister that stole the only man she had hoped to love and marry. She didn't even end up marrying him either, she simply wanted to ensure that her sister, Reba didn't either. For years, they remained at a distance even though Reba's sister wanted to end the ongoing feud that kept the family apart. She just didn't know how to let go of the anger and pain that now came up immediately whenever her parents brought it up, especially at Christmas time, when they wanted the family all together again. But Reba wasn't ready nor did she think she ever would be. All she knows is that for some reason, she is attracted to a man that comes by the grocery store and looks about as lost in his life as she is in hers. How can she find a way to make a connection so they can talk? The miracles are about to begin.

I received Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This has so many wonderful surprises tucked inside this novel, like all the comfort foods that Emily makes the family. I simply can't wait to try them all. This is a Hallmark Channel movie as well, but for me, you can't fit all the wonderfulness of a novel in a simple movie. I would encourage you all to pick up a copy of this novel. I absolutely LOVE all the quotes at the beginning of each chapter like the one that opens this review. What a wonderful gift to someone who might be needing their own Christmas miracle. Perhaps that is just the point. I easily give this book a 5 out of 5 stars in my personal opinion.

For more information about Mrs. Miracle, Debbie Macomber or where you can pick up a copy of this book today.

Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

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Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery

Quite often when reading a novel that indicates a particular setting, I will "google" it to see if this truly exists at some point in time, and much to my surprise it really enhances my ability to picture it all in my mind as I am reading the novel. Such is the case in Jenny Colgan's latest novel, Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery. Jenny Colgan is becoming a favorite author of mine based on her magical ability to weave such beautiful poetry with her words that it isn't hard to imagine it all playing out perfectly in our mind as if watching a movie that no one else can see but me. In this case, the setting takes place in a little known secret place in Cornwall, St. Michael's Mount. It involves our main characters, Polly Little, owner and proprietor of the Polly's Little Beach Street Bakery, her fiancè Huckle, and a puffin she has been rehabilitating since he was a puffling, that refuses to leave and find its own way in the world. Polly has purchased an old lighthouse because, I mean who wouldn't want to live in a lighthouse? How romantic right? But this one is a bit on the drafty side and in need of much repairs.

While Polly and Huckle struggle to move their relationship to the next level and actually marry, both are content to leave things the way they are, living together until they can both completely commit to marriage without any reservations and it doesn't help much that those around her, have less than appealing marriages to inspire them to jump into the pool. Their lighthouse is located on a remote island coastal village of Mount Polbearne, a lovely Cornish place where locals are content with the way things are with the rise of the tides twice a day that covers the only way into Mount Polbearne every day, leaving it truly isolated.

When an unexpected storm comes in, it will leave the village completely at the mercy of the town's inhabitants and perhaps maybe, Christmas cheer will be found in those that can band together in to ensure that everyone can still have a Merry Christmas. Even if that means being away from those they love in order to realize their true feeling for one another.

I received Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan compliments of William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such a heartwarming novel that romantics will absolutely adore. Not only do you have the most ideal setting, toss in the Christmas season and an unexpected storm and you have the ingredients for an unforgettable novel. I have had the opportunity to read several of Jenny's novel and now I need to ensure that I collect them all and then reread them all over again. I can just picture sitting in a coastal beach house, the fire is roaring while a storm rages outside and you can lose yourself in this story like I have in a winter's evening. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and make sure you grab a cup of hot cocoa or tea before picking this book up.
 

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

You can find Jenny Colgan on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

Fans of Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt will absolutely LOVE Matthew Dunn's series of novel revolving around Will Cochrane, the ultimate intelligence operative and most lethal most wanted man by our own government. While he had faked his own death, to avoid being captured on many fronts, he is now gone into deeper uncover to avoid being killed, arrested or tortured by those who want what secrets he knows. There is only a handful of trusted individuals whom know that Will is alive, and when a mission that involved Will's skills three years ago, suddenly surfaces, the body counts begin to rise.

Will was asked to take out a known financier who had connections to fund known terrorists groups with whatever capital they needed to complete their nefarious acts on unsuspecting countries. He is only provided with enough information to complete this task and go back into hiding. When he is given the signal that the man is confirmed for the hit, Will takes him out and vanishes into the darkness while others cover up the scene of the crime. Without Will's knowledge this was a government conspiracy that involved those in the FBI, CIA and others. The man who was heading up the entire operation, has taken the money and vanished without a trace. Those that know about this operation are simply hoping he has no hopes of returning. They know that more than just their careers are on the line.

Yet Will is contacted by a trusted member of that group as it appears this rogue agent has reappeared and plans on removing those who know all about his activities. Before Will has a chance to talk to him, he is murdered and slowly one by one, each of those responsible are being killed before they have a chance to speak about their involvement. Will is in a race against time to stop the one man who just might be his equal, but in doing so, he might have to give up his anonymity and risk being tried, convicted and killed by his own government authorities.

I received Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn compliments of Partners in Crime Tours and William Morrow Publishers, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is the seventh novel in the Will Cochrane series, and once again, it is action packed and never a dull moment and those who are involved seek to run and hide hoping they will survive somehow. It is like a spy versus spy novel and I easily inhaled this one in a few hours. It is simply that good. I don't think I could turn pages fast enough. Love all the deep undercover stuff and the rudimentary ways people are being killed without being able to stop it. Crazy stuff I had never imagined before. Makes one wonder about the true inner workings of our own government and special operations forces. Worth every one of 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Act of Betrayal, Matthew Dunn or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn

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10/23 Showcase @ Books Can Be Deadly
10/24 Showcase @ Bound 2 Escape
10/24 Showcase @ The Book Connection
10/25 Showcase @ The Bookworm Lodge
10/25 Showcase @ The Reading Frenzy
10/26 Review @ Bookishly me
10/26 Showcase @ Aurora Bs Book Blog
10/27 Review @ 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
10/28 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
10/29 Showcase @ Bookalicious Traveladdict
10/31 Showcase @ 411 on Books, Authors, and Publishing News
11/01 Review @ Lynchburg Mama
11/02 Showcase @ Quiet Fury Books
11/06 Review @ Lazy Day Books
11/13 Showcase @ Brooke Blogs
11/15 Review @ just reviews
11/17 Showcase @ CMash Reads
11/20 Review @ Reviews From The Heart
11/25 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews

 

Act of Betrayal

by Matthew Dunn

on Tour October 23 - November 30, 2017

Synopsis:

In this riveting entry in the celebrated thriller series, former intelligence operative Will Cochrane—a "ruthless yet noble" (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) man from whom "Bond and Bourne could learn a thing or two" (Madison County Herald)—comes out of hiding to expose a conspiracy involving a past assassination that reaches to the highest echelons of the U.S. government.

Three years ago, intelligence officer Will Cochrane was brought in by a Delta Force colonel to assassinate a terrorist financier in Berlin. After the job, the commander vanished, and hasn’t been heard from since. The details don’t quite add up, and one of the CIA agents who was involved has been investigating the mission. He reaches out to Will for help, but before they can connect, the CIA man is poisoned.
Will is determined to uncover the truth about Berlin, even if it means putting himself in the crosshairs. Framed for multiple murders, the skilled former spy has gone deep underground to evade his enemies and the feds. But honor and loyalty to his old colleague thrust him into danger once again.
When Marsha Gage at the FBI discovers that Cochrane—one of America’s Most Wanted—has resurfaced, she immediately launches a manhunt, and she won’t stop until she brings the former CIA/MI6 operative in.
With time running out, Cochrane will use all of his training and formidable skills to outmaneuver the FBI and uncover a shocking conspiracy that will rock the foundations of our nation . . . if he can stay alive.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 24th 2017
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 0062427229 (ISBN13: 9780062427229)
Series: Spycatcher #7
Purchase Links: Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  | Goodreads 

Read an excerpt:

IT WAS PAST midnight as wind and rain pounded the exterior of the tiny bookstore in Chicago. The store was closed and its owner was sitting at his desk checking the week’s receipts. The task wouldn’t take long—his store specialized in rare works that he sourced from around the world. He had some loyal customers, but they were few. This week seven people had made purchases.
The only light in the room came from his green desk lamp, old-fashioned in design to match the ambience of the shop. Aside from some electronic devices on his desk and recessed lights that cast a discreet yellow glow when turned on, the place looked like it could have been a purveyor of fine works established and un- changed since the eighteenth century. He’d constructed it that way: dark maple bookshelves; many of the books leather bound, all of them hardcover; two armchairs for customers to sit in when perusing potential acquisitions; an urn for his more discerning patrons who valued his loose-leaf tea collection; and a cage for his two lovebirds.
He was an old-fashioned guy at heart.
And though he could have done with more cash coming in, he’d deliberately established a business and identity that drew little attention. He playacted a shy man, his trimmed beard intended to put up barriers between him and others, his shoulders artificially stooped during the day as if he were ashamed of his six-foot-four physique, his cropped blond-and-gray hair functional because he had no woman in his life to impress, and his unneeded glasses covering one green eye, one blue. He was always in a smart three-piece suit because the attire was good at hiding his athletic frame and scars. Customers thought he was Edward Pope, a gentleman scholar from the South. They’d probably estimate his age was late forties. They’d be wrong about that and most other things. He’d led a hard life and was forty-five.
His name wasn’t Edward Pope.
It was Will Cochrane.
The assassin. The one Sapper and Kane were terrified of.
He wasn’t from the Deep South. He was raised in Virginia and earned a double first-class degree at England’s Cambridge University. And he’d been a bookseller for only under a year.
But he had to be Pope. In the eyes of the world, Will was a murderer. He’d killed people as a special forces French Foreign Legionnaire and assassinated targets in French intelligence black operations. He had been the West’s prime joint operative with the CIA and Britain’s MI6 for fourteen years, until he went crazy and killed a lot of cops and civilians in the States before throwing himself off the Brooklyn Bridge and dying.
His death was essential. He was America’s Most Wanted. He wasn’t what some thought of him—a psychopath. But he was a former special operative and killer. Had been all his adult life. It started when he was seventeen and walked in on four criminals suffocating his mother and about to kill his sister. His mother died; sister didn’t, because he grabbed his mother’s carving knife and ended the criminals’ lives before fleeing to the Legion. He wished he didn’t know how many people he’d killed since. It would be a lie. He knew every victim. Their souls lingered around him, taunting him, reminding him of who he was.
All 263 souls.
But the souls of the people they say he killed in the States didn’t hassle him.
Because he didn’t kill them. He never killed innocents, only those who needed to be killed.
But in the eyes of the law, that’s not the case and that’s why he had to fake his death and reinvent himself. A year ago, his situation was desperate, despite all of his training and covert operations experience in hostile countries. He’d received only one bit of help, but it was significant. Russia’s most formidable intelligence officer, code name Antaeus—now, thanks to Will, a defector living in the States—had cleverly managed to get $300,000 into Will’s pocket. Will didn’t know exactly why he’d done it. After all, Will had accidentally killed his family with a car bomb when in fact he’d intended only to kill the spy. But he suspected he knew why the Russian had become his benefactor: Antaeus wanted his generosity to plunge the knife that was Will’s guilt deeper.
Regardless of Antaeus’s motives, the cash helped set up Will’s new life.
Will’s family and close acquaintances were all dead. He’d be given the needle if cops found out who he was. The West he’d served with unflinching duty had hung him out to dry. He thought of himself as a scavenging dog, kicked out of its owner’s backyard and left to fend for itself. He was resigned to that, every day expecting the Feds to rush into his store and put a bullet in his skull. That’s what they’d do. No attempt to arrest. No negotiations. Execution only. Will wouldn’t blame them. They knew he’d cause carnage if given the slightest of chances.
He finished his accounts, took a swig of Assam tea, and frowned as he heard the female lovebird make an unusual sound. Like her male companion, she resembled a small parrot, her plumage green and yellow, face and beak red, large eyes pure white with black pupils. He’d taken the birds off the hands of an old lady who frequented his store. Her son, a merchant marine officer, had brought them back from exotic climes, though she couldn’t remember where because she was suffering from dementia. And she could no longer look after them, particularly now that the male had broken his wing. Will hated seeing animals in cages. But the female wouldn’t leave the male’s side. And for the time being, the male had to be kept in the cage until he was fully recuperated. Then Will would release them to a large aviary or the wild.
Their previous owner couldn’t remember their names, so Will called the male Ebb and the female Flo. Flo was now agitated, hopping about as opposed to what she usually did, which was nestling her face against that of her lover. Will opened the cage, knowing Flo wouldn’t go anywhere while Ebb was there. The former special operative bowed his head. Ebb was all wrong, flopping on the base of the cage, his good wing twitching, his broken one immobile. Will knew he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. What goes through a bird’s brain? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know whether lovebirds were in fact lifelong lovers or if that was a myth. But Will knew how he felt. He had to give Flo closure, let her be free, not allow her to think there was hope that Ebb would return to her. Gently he lifted Ebb. His body was warm but now limp. He carried him to the store’s backyard. Flo followed him. Will had hoped she would.
Will looked at Flo, who was perched close by on the branch of a tree. She was watching. It seemed she and Will didn’t know what to do.
“I have to let you know this is the end,” Will said to her. Actually, he was saying it to himself.
He snapped Ebb’s neck and buried him.
Flo looked at him before flying into the darkness. As tears ran down his face, he wondered if she hated him. Or maybe she understood. Of course, he’d never know.
He returned to his desk and stared at the birdcage. After brushing soil off his fingers, he looked at his laptop and saw he had a new e-mail. Nobody sent him mail apart from spammers.
But this one was different. And shocking. It was from CIA officer Unwin Fox, the man who, alongside Will, had been one of those involved in the Berlin operation. Aside from Colonel Haden, Will didn’t know who the other people on the small team were.
His heart was beating fast as he read the mail. Its tone was desperate. There was no way Fox could know that Will was alive. Something was terribly wrong. Fox wanted to meet. Tomorrow. In Washington, D.C.
In all probability it was a trap. Lure Will out, then bam! Swooped on by cops. But then again, Will knew what happened in Berlin. The law didn’t. This would have been far too implausible a tactic to entrap him.
What to do?
He looked at the lovebirds’ empty cage. The door was open. He glanced at the entrance to his store.
What to fucking do?
He opened the drawer in his desk, pulled out his handgun, grabbed his bag containing all he needed if he ever had to run, and left.
He knew he’d never return.
***
Excerpt from Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn. Copyright © 2017 by Matthew Dunn. Reproduced with permission from William Morrow. All rights reserved.

 

Author Bio:

As an MI6 field officer, Matthew Dunn recruited and ran agents, coordinated and participated in special operations, and acted in deep-cover roles throughout the world. He operated in environments where, if captured, he would have been executed. Dunn was trained in all aspects of intelligence collection, deep-cover deployments, small-arms, explosives, military unarmed combat, surveillance, and infiltration. Medals are never awarded to modern MI6 officers, but Dunn was the recipient of a rare personal commendation from the secretary of state for work he did on one mission, which was deemed so significant that it directly influenced the success of a major international incident. During his time in MI6, Matthew conducted approximately seventy missions. All of them were successful. He currently lives in England, where he is at work on his next novel.

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The Gift

Sometimes through no fault of our own making, things change in unexpected ways that leave us feeling upset and downright mad. When the Vance family put their farm up for sale, there were no takers for quite some time. Forced into the option by their Uncle whom their father has quite the debt to pay thanks to gambling issues, they were left with no choice than to take whatever was offered, even if it wasn't enough to settle the debt. While their Uncle demanded full payment or turning the property over to him to settle things, their father decided to take the next offer for far less than what the property was worth. He wasn't about to turn everything over to his brother in hopes of appeasing him.

Just that one circumstance would set off a series of hostility to the new family whom the community seemed to have taken advantage of the situation, and an Amish family at that. The Schwartz family had hoped to embrace their new home and community but instead found themselves trying to justify how they were able to purchase the farm amid the rumors circulating about them. For Susanna, she loses control of her horse and buggy coming home during a winter's storm and feels that someone was shooting at her. Of course, that is easily explained away that hunters apparently forget just how close to the roads there were now that hunting season was in full swing. It cost her family a new horse and buggy.

When a series of unfortunate accidents begin to happen on their farm and to their family, it appears as if someone is wishing them to move. When first the shooting, then a property line section of fencing is destroyed, along with a bridge collapsing that almost took the life of their younger sister, the family begins to question those in the community, but instead of getting help, they are seen as accusing the community of trying to bring them harm. When Susanna and Neil Vance begin their own investigation, signs point to something more sinister. They have little time to figure things out before things begin to turn deadly.

I received The Gift by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. Readers who love a great suspense among their Amish novels, will want to pick this one up. This is the third novel in the Amish of Hart County and as with all of Shelley Shepard's novel, I don't even have to read the back cover because she involves the reader so much, they feel like they're a part of the book. There are some bonus material at the conclusion of this novel including reader's guide questions, insights into the story line and some delicious Amish recipes to try. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Gift, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Gift by Shelley Shepard Gray

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The Cottingley Secret

Do you believe in fairies?

There are those that believe that just because you might have never seen them, doesn't mean they don't exist, even for those who have claimed to have seen them.

Until I picked up The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor, I had never heard of the Cottingley fairies and thus this is what excited me about this book. It is written in two time periods, one present day and the other a story read by the present day Olivia Kavanagh about the two young girls who played a prank that last more than 70 years. The story was written by Frances Griffiths in 1917-1924 which later became its own published work entitled Notes on a Fairy Tale. It would be published until many years later but it was the story of how Frances first found the fairies while sitting in a beck near a waterfall and caught them out of the corner of her eye. She knew without proof no one would believe her and like most 9-year-old girls at the time, she desperately wanted to tell her oldest cousin Elsie.

It was Elsie's idea to stage a stunt using her talented artistic skills in creating such life like details of fairies and stage a photo to look like Frances was interacting with them right in front of her. It was enough to convince her Aunt and Uncle as well as her own mother that fairies did exist and just outside their back door. For others in the Cottingley village it gave them hope at a time when the world was dealing with the war not knowing if husbands, fathers or sons would be returning. It is the very reason that Frances and her mother came to stay at the Cottingley cottage. To wait out the return of her father and husband from the war going on. Even well reknown Arthur Conan Doyle was convinced that the photographs of the fairies were proof they existed.

As Olivia Kavanagh takes over the inheritance left to her by her grandfather, an old bookstore with the name of Something Old, it is a place that draws a different life for Olivia. Believing that her future is already planned out with a future fiancè in London, she finds herself more drawn into the fairy story that she is reading bit by bit along with visiting her grandmother in a nursing home suffering from dementia whose time is very limited. She only hopes that in the weeks to come she can make headway to figure out how to make the bookstore profitable again and what to do with the blue cottage that her grandparents made a life together in. She is slowly running out of time, if only magic was real and the wishes of fairies could make it all better.

I received The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such an enchanting book from falling in love with all the things you'd be expected to find in an old bookstore to the enchanted life of two girls looking for magic and hope in world filled with fear and uncertainty. I really LOVED this entire book and the way it toggled between the time periods drew me in even further. The details that follow in the author notes and the photos that captivated a world during the war really completed the entire story for me. It does beg to ask the question, do you believe in fairies? There are plenty of people on both sides that could argue their point very convincingly, but just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. For me, this one easily garners a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. There are some great insights and discussion questions at the conclusion of this novel that would make it a definite book club selection and one for my permanent shelf.

For more information about The Cottingley Secret, Hazel Gaynor, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

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The Way To London

Sometimes you pick up a novel expecting one thing and get so much more. The Way to London By Alix Rickloff is one such novel. Set among the war that is just on the verge of breaking out, over indulged socialite Lucy Stanhope has followed in the ways of her promiscuous mother Amelia. It seems after her mother had given birth to Lucy, all she can do is find ways to hand her daughter off to a nanny or boarding school in order to fulfill her maternal expectations. But Lucy can see through all of that. As her mother bounces from one relationship to another, finding wealthy men who can serve her needs and fund her lifestyle choices, Lucy feels the consequences of those choices.

As the family heads to Singapore just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, her new stepfather expects something for funding all of Lucy's wild expenditures. After all he has no blood relation to her so he isn't about to be breaking any rules except infidelity to Amelia, but as long as the money keeps flowing, she isn't about to rock the financial boat. When Lucy is asked to distract a wealthy client of her stepfathers, things escalate to the point where they have asked that Lucy be removed back to London or risk the financial backing of the client to her stepfather. She doesn't realize what a blessing it might be in the long run.

So while heading back to London aboard a steamship they are torpedoed in the middle of the night on the eve of war, and she finds herself on a lifeboat waiting to be picked up and delivered back to London to live with her wealthy aunt. Unfortunately it will be a set of circumstances that will forever test her resolved that in the past has suited her needs but will she be able to temper her rash tongue that has always felt free to speak her mind regardless of the outcome. When she find solace in an American soldier she first met in Singapore, it seems like fate may have a role to play in where her future is heading even as war breaks out all around them.

I received The Way to London by Alix Rickloff compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. While this is such a riveting story, there are parts of the novel that readers should be cautioned about. There is a handful of profanity used as well as the promiscuous lifestyle of Lucy's that causes her to use men as she fits if they can benefit her. But the real story is the way she comes to resolve all the pain she has built up around her to protect herself from being hurt any further. I love her fiery grit and determination that keeps her from being a victim but also keeps her from also letting in anyone to love her as well. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars based on my own review guidelines and really enjoyed this one so much I read it in one evening.

For more information about The Way to London, Alix Rickloff or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Way to London by Alix Rickloff

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Forty Autumns

What would it feel like to make a decision in one moment that would forever affect your life for the next forty years? Imagine your family having to make that decision for you? To lead a life of freedom or one of tyranny and oppression. I believe more of us need to learn the stories from those who lived without freedom. A historical journey into Germany's blackened past where at one conjuncture to defy freedom, a wall went up to separate one region of Germany for another. For what reason? Could it happen again?

In the novel Forty Autumns by Nina Willner, she shares her grandparents history which undoubtedly became her own legacy of a tough choice they had to face when totalitarian leaders ran Germany the way they saw fit. All about control. Taking away from the people at the conclusion of WWII, Germany tried to find a way to rise to the top again. In a nutshell all it did was point the world's eyes to the atrocities it was trying to hide while saving face to the world. Families were separated overnight. While others tried to escape in droves, most were shot without any sense of compassion or empathy, believing the propaganda they were being spoon fed made it justified. Overnight the wall went up in hopes of preventing any more East Germans from fleeing the country. With it any viable means of labor went with it.

This is one families journey through forty years. How they survived against the odds. How they learned to accept what was happening in order to stay together even though they didn't agree with it. How they managed to save one daughters life in an effort to give them the truth that could only come from the outside world away from East Germany. How one patriarch of the family Opa, vowed to do whatever he could to keep his family safe and protected even if it went against everything he believed and how one matriarch, Oma was the driving support behind keeping the family strong and loved, well-fed and held together in a city of their own that was falling apart.

I received Forty Autumns by Nina Willner compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. I believe everyone needs to read this book, because it seems like our current nation is slowly striving to rewrite the history that needs to be told and shared, otherwise we will be doomed to repeat it. I clearly see signs in the works that this world might be headed to the very thing that should be left behind and that communism doesn't work. The power does not lie with the government but with the people. We need to know their stories and that is why this is such a critical book to be read and studied. I am horrified at the things we never studied in history. I guess to glaze over it in our history books in a very subtle paragraphs is an easy way to take out what should be known to those who faced it. These are the stories that should be shared. For this reason I am giving this book, a 5 out of 5 stars. There are some great historical notes following the book and some epilogues that highlight what happened later to those featured in the book. This has some amazing photos the author shares so you can honestly feel what it was like in those times.

For more information about Forty Autumns, Nina Willner or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Forty Autumns by Nina Willner

You can find Nina Willner on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest projects.

For more reviews on Forty Autumns, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Daughters of Ireland

Who wouldn't be interested in reading about the lives of three very different women living in Ireland with the Deverill Castle as the common setting? I was until I began reading The Daughter's of Ireland, at least that is what made me want to read the novel in the first place. To understand a few things, the novel takes place during 1925 to 1931 and involves the lives of three unusual women who have different motives for wanting essentially the same thing, true love and control. In the Edwardian period of history since marriages were built upon social status and wealth instead of love, most of the marriages involved affairs for either partner as long as they were keep discrete. So this happens with virtual every couple mentioned in the book. Even one such affair involved a homosexual relationship as well.

Keeping that in mind, I really wanted to see where this would go and if it could keep my interest enough to even finish the novel. Sadly it did not. The Deverill family was placed under the curse of Maggie O'Leary back in the mid 1600's that none of the Deverill family members would ever rest in peace until the land which the O'Leary's believed was taken from them was returned. Kitty Trench is married to a wonderful man Robert who has vowed to take on the illegitimate son he believes resulted from an affair with Kitty's father and another women. The child however belongs to Jack O'Leary a man Kitty has had a long standing affair with and had promised at one point to take the child and move to America and begin a new life for them. The child however is a product of another relationship with Bridie who gave the child up to be raised by Kitty whom she felt would offer a much better life because she was dirt poor at the time and raising a child was simply out of the question.

Now that her circumstances have changed and she finds herself with a large inheritance that will change things not only for her, but now she wants Jack back. She promised Kitty that she left him behind once and she will not leave Ireland without him. But she does when her plans to kidnap the child result in her almost being caught when Jack doesn't remember who she is. She then decides to head back to America to New York where she can simply start over again. The Deverill castle is now bought by Celia, a former Deverill before being married who wants to restore it to its former glory along with all her new husbands money to do it with. She tries to get Kitty's buy in to join her but Kitty is making her own plans to leave Robert, despite her conflicting feelings and running away her Jack and her lover Jack to start a new life in America. Oh what a tangled web they weave.

I received The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. While I wanted so much more from this novel, it simply did not deliver. Kitty sees and can communicate with the former Deverill ghosts even though others can not, the promiscuity between all the characters is hard enough to keep track of despite them wanting the very thing that stand right in front of them. It is a book format of the those desiring for the greener grass on the other side of the fence but missing what is right in front of them. I would have to give this novel a 3 out of 5 stars based on my own rating scale and hope others might find this book to be more enjoyable than I did.

For more information about The Daughters of Ireland, Santa Montefiore, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore

You can find Santa Montefiore on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

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The Lost Girls

There comes a time when you read the back of a book cover and think you have it all wrapped up and figured out until you begin reading it. Even though the clues allude to you along the way, you simply pass them by in an effort to uncover the story that speaks of loyalty and salvation as its themes to the characters you meet in the novel.

The Evan's family like most in the early 30's found solace and an escape to every day life by spending the summers at a remote Minnesota Lake house they owned. There they would reunite with other wealthy families from Williamsburg, the mayor, the lawyer, the doctor, and others in 7 simple houses that they each came back to like a reunion. While the husbands returned back to their 9 to 5 lives during the week, the wives would relax a bit and gather to share the latest news or gossip, until the men returned like clockwork at the close of business to be with their families once again.

In the novel The Lost Girls by Heather Young, the story toggles between a hidden secret kept by Lilith and Lucy Evans. Things there mother didn't want to know and they didn't want forgotten. Their story is shared in two vastly different time frames, one from 1935 and the other in 1999. Lucy chronicles what happened the summer they lost Emily, their youngest sister who was never found and forever changed the lives of not only the Evan's girls but those who stayed at the lake year round. For Justine, the grand-daughter of Lucy, she shares her own story of learning that when Lucy died, she left the lakefront home to her along with a substantial amount of money. It too would change her life and that of her daughters Melanie and Angela.

This is a memoir of what happened in 1935 and with it the consequences that Justine must face when  she learns the truth. Will she keep what she learns a secret or will she expose what should have never let lie in the past? How will she resolve to deal with the things she learns from her families dark past and what she will do with her own that is facing her. It is a lineal curse that is passed down from family member to family member or will she finally say the one thing that should have released all of them from their own deeply seeded pasts? You'll have to read the book to see how it all plays out.

I received The Lost Girls by Heather Young compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This was an ending I didn't see coming or maybe I did and simply choose to ignore it hoping for a better outcome. It does convey the sense of the loyalty between family members to keep a secret or expose it so it won't keep happening again. Then again it begs the question of the reader, how far would you go to protect your family? What would you be willing to risk when you see your family unraveling and you are the only one who can stop it or let it fall apart? There are discussion guide questions at the conclusion of this novel that is perfect for book clubs to enjoy and for this reader it gains a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Lost Girls, Heather Young or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Lost Girls by Heather Young

You can find Heather Young on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

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The Other Alcott

I don't know of any girl who hasn't heard or read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. In fact it is required reading in most homes because of the story line involving women who defy the odds despite grueling circumstances and forge ahead into an unknown future. With the success of her sister Louisa, now a well-known author in their small town of Concord, Boston, it seems that May Alcott (Amy March) is doomed to bear the guilt of living in her popular sister's notoriety even though she submitted her own drawings as illustrations. However while the book when on to be a world wide success, the reviewers were less than kind with their comments about May's illustrations. Enough so to crush her dreams if she only let them.

In the 1900's finding a suitable art school that would both teach and admit women was hard pressed to locate. May believed if she just had the right instructor to help her with human anatomy and refining her drawing skills, she might just make something of herself much like Louisa did. After all she didn't get published after her first novel. So perhaps it is just a matter of finding the perfect person to teach her. She befriends her ex-boyfriends childhood friend Alice who is wealthy beyond measure and never knows what it is like for someone like May who had to learn to make do with whatever they had, whenever they had it.

Alice inspires a dream within May that perhaps the perfect place to learn art is what the master's studied. In Paris, France. So manages to convince Alice and Louisa to join her, after all who wouldn't want to meet the author of Little Women on a world-wind tour of Europe, and that is something May can stomach as long as it meets her own objectives. She isn't about to let anyone tell her what she can and can't do, even her perspective suitor Joshua. She agrees that perhaps she isn't the one for him after all and packs up all her belongings and heads out on a ocean voyage to Europe. She just doesn't plan for her plans to change. With seasickness keeping her confined to her cabin most of the voyage, she finally thinks she can catch a breath of fresh ocean air, when she learns all passengers are confined to their cabins that to a smallpox outbreak on board. She also learns that Bismark has invaded Paris and most of the people there are starving, even eating rats if they can find them. So with a change of plans not letting these things deter her, she sets out more resolved than even to find her own life and her own future.

I received The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. I have found similar novels like this one where they expand on the lives of the secondary characters and in this case, this is May's story.  This is Elise Hooper's debut novel and I believe she does an great job in helping readers get to know the lesser known characters from the Alcott's Little Women novel. This is going to be a must read for fans of the original novel and I would give this one a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion. There is even a Questions and Answers section for the author at the conclusion of this novel as well as Reader's Discussion Guide questions that would make this an wonderful book club novel.

For more information about The Other Alcott, Elise Hooper, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper

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The Shattered Tree

"He crawled as far as the shattered tree and lay there, faint from the effort. But he knew he had to keep moving. When he stopped, when the sweat dried on his skin, he'd begin to shiver again, wracking his body until his teeth chattered. There wasn't enough left of his uniform to keep his warm, and his captors, God help them, had taken his boots. Good English leather. He'd stolen them himself from a corpse.

He grimaced, afraid to look at his torn feet. He'd lost too much blood from other wounds. The one in his leg had mercifully stopped bleeding, and the cut in his hairline had clotted over, but the damage had been done. He was light-headed from lack of food, finding it hard to concentrate. A crow couldn't find enough to eat in this countryside after four years of war. He'd be dead soon if he didn't reach his own lines."

Welcome to the latest Bess Crawford mystery by Charles Todd, the Shattered Tree. It all takes place in France in October of 1918, where a lone man is discovered wounded. He is taken to a local hospital where nurse Bess Crawford tends to his wounds before he is taken elsewhere to recover. But since he can't tell anyone who he is or where he is from, he remains a mystery patient. Until one night he is attacked by another patient and in his stress, he utters protests in German. Bess is concerned that this man might be a German spy, but why is he wearing a French soldier's uniform and missing all identification? As she is sent to attend a man along with a doctor in a trench, she is caught in the crossfire of a sniper's round and finds herself a patient. She begins to follow the mystery man to the very same location she is being sent to recover, only know she has a possible name he is going by Phillipe Moreau, which is French, but why does he seem so fluent in German?

That is the best part of any Bess Crawford mystery is the slow unraveling of clues as she uses her recovery time in Paris, to figure out who this man is. Why is he running? What is he hiding? As she gets closer to the truth, those around her wind up their own victims of being stabbed. How can it be the wounded man who clearly is unable to walk much less attempt murder of anyone including an attempt on her own life again. She must figure it out before she is sent back to the aid station in France again or before more people wind up wounded or even murdered. Will she be next?

I received The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such an extraordinary series and even though they are ongoing, you don't need to read them in order to appreciate the mystery aspects of the novel. It's like a Sherlock Holmes book, each mystery is unique and original and always involves nurse Bess Crawford, like a historical Nancy Drew of sorts! This is one of my favorites of the novels I've had the pleasure to read and review. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next one, Casualty of War coming soon. At the conclusion of this one, readers will find discussion guide questions, an interview with the author about this novel and more about the Bess Crawford series. This is the 8th novel in the Bess Crawford series.

For more information about The Shattered Tree, Charles Todd or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd

You can find Charles Todd on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Shattered Tree, please visit William Morrow's website.

A Game For All The Family

The thing about psychological thrillers is that you will undoubtedly get fans who love it or will be stuck like a deer in the headlights, not quite sure what just happened. That is to be expected. On the heels of such novels like The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl, fans of this novel by Sophie Hannah, A Game For All The Family will be one of two. Either you will love it or you will be completely lost by what happened. That's what makes things like this novel work. You aren't supposed to make sense of it sometimes.

So how to describe this novel without giving too much away. You have a family that has sold their home and is moving into a new one complete with a new future ahead. For Justine Merrison, she has walked away from a career in the entertainment industry and is beginning a new one. One doing absolutely NOTHING. As she likes to explain. No where to be, no deadlines, no one to report to. Even the simple task like taking her daughter Ellen to school is an option, not required as the bus can take her to the prestigious school they have picked out. For her husband Alex, he travels quite a bit, so having a place in any one city is not a necessity. Another option.

But now enter the unexplained which readers hope will be explained later in the novel. Don't want to give it all away too soon right? They pass by a row of houses that don't look like the place anyone would ever want to live. They are run-down and in the midst of a busy freeway as well. But for some reason, Justine feels a pull to a particular house without understanding the reason why. Her daughter and husband think she has lost it, and soon once it is long gone in the rear view mirror, things begin to get back to normal. The family moves into a home called the Speedwell House as most homes in London don't really have house numbers but house names instead. Everything is as it should be and soon they all settle into what some would call a routine sense of normal. Until Ellen arrives home four months later from school with her latest assignment for English, writing a story. It is what is in the story that has Justine puzzled, as most readers would simply laugh it off as a fictional tale. But it is something about the names and the way she has laid out a family tree, that begins the tale of "what is going on?" in the novel.

Ellen begins to be withdrawn and her mother, wonders that is going on. She is definitely not the same daughter that she had more than four months ago. After countless attempts to discover what is going on, she learns that her best friend has been expelled from school under a misunderstanding about a coat she loaned him. As Justine goes to confront the head administrator at the school, she learns that no such child has existed at this school, therefore, no expulsion of a student she claimed was her best friend, George. Readers will then toggle between the story Ellen has written over time, in succeeding chapters, about a family of 5 that lived in this house and in which one of the daughters has murdered a childhood friend.

I received A Game for All The Family by Sophie Hannah compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. Don't get lost dear reader, hang in there til the end, where as most great novels, it all begins to make sense. You are taken back to look at everything and now see it with a different perspective but that is where things begin to accelerate until the end. I wasn't too happy with how it ended, leaving me wanting more than just what happened. But I let you make the decision for yourself. I would give this one a 4 out of 5 stars and the book does contain some strong language and a same sex storyline with one of the characters which some readers may not care for. One must disclose this if you are going to do an honest review right? I mean that is what I look for when reading a book review.

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A Game For All The Family by Sophie Hannah

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