#BlogTour Alice and the Assassin by R.J. Koreto @RJKoreto @crookedlanebks #BookReview @Joni2345zb #HistoricalMystery

So excited to be sharing my review for Alice and the Assassin by R.J. Koreto. Thanks to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour.

Book Details
Title: Alice and the Assassin
Author: R.J. Koreto
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Genre: Historical Mystery
Number of Pages: 280
ISBN: 1683311124 (ISBN13: 9781683311126)

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In 1902 New York, Alice Roosevelt, the bright, passionate, and wildly unconventional daughter of newly sworn-in President Theodore Roosevelt, is placed under the supervision of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, ex-cowboy and veteran of the Rough Riders. St. Clair quickly learns that half his job is helping Alice roll cigarettes and escorting her to bookies, but matters grow even more difficult when Alice takes it upon herself to investigate a recent political killing–the assassination of former president William McKinley.

Concerned for her father's safety, Alice seeks explanations for the many unanswered questions about the avowed anarchist responsible for McKinley's death. In her quest, Alice drags St. Clair from grim Bowery bars to the elegant parlors of New York's ruling class, from the haunts of the Chinese secret societies to the magnificent new University Club. Meanwhile, St. Clair has to come to terms with his hard and violent past, as Alice struggles with her growing feelings for him.

My Review
Alice and the Assassin is my first read by author R.J. Koreto and it was a good one. The story takes place around 1902 in New York right after the assassination of President McKinley.  

It is told in first person point of view of Special Agent St Clair of the Secret Service. St. Clair used to be Sergeant of First Volunteer Calvary, The Rough Riders where he served with Theodore Roosevelt. Since the assassination, Roosevelt has now become President of the United States and St. Clair has been assigned the awesome responsibility of being Alice Roosevelt's minder and she is quite a handful. They find themselves in a mystery surrounding the assassination of McKinley.

I loved the character of Alice for her wit and her spunk. The interaction between Alice and Special Agent St. Clair was realistic.  St. Clair lets Alice lead but he reigns her in and protects her when needed. This was a quick read with a story line that kept me interested throughout. I look forward to more books in the Alice Roosevelt Mystery series and recommend to those who love Historical Mysteries. 

About the Author

R.J. Koreto has been fascinated by turn-of-the-century New York ever since listening to his grandfather's stories as a boy.

In his day job, he works as a business and financial journalist. Over the years, he’s been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, book author, and seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine. He’s a graduate of Vassar College, and like Alice Roosevelt, he was born and raised in New York.

He is the author of the Lady Frances Ffolkes and Alice Roosevelt mysteries. He has been published in both Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. He also published a book on practice management for financial professionals.

With his wife and daughters, he divides his time between Rockland County, N.Y., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

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Giveaway: This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for R.J. Koreto. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift card. The giveaway begins on April 1, 2018 and runs through May 1, 2018. Void where prohibited. a Rafflecopter giveaway   Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

#BlogTour Deadly Secrets by @RobertBryndza @bookouture @Joni2345zb #BookReview #NetGalley

Super excited to be sharing my book review for Deadly Secrets by Robert Bryndza on the one day blog blast hosted by Bookouture.

Book Details
Title: Deadly Secrets
Author: Robert Bryndza
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: April 13, 2018
Pages: 270

To commit the perfect murder, you need the perfect cover.
On an icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a killing on the victim’s doorstep?

Straight off her last harrowing case, Detective Erika Foster is feeling fragile but determined to lead the investigation. As she sets to work, she finds reports of assaults in the same quiet South London suburb where the woman was killed. One chilling detail links them to the murder victim – they were all attacked by a figure in black wearing a gas mask.

Erika is on the hunt for a killer with a terrifying calling card. The case gets more complicated when she uncovers a tangled web of secrets surrounding the death of the beautiful young woman.

Yet just as Erika begins to piece the clues together, she is forced to confront painful memories of her past. Erika must dig deep, stay focused and find the killer. Only this time, one of her own is in terrible danger…

From the global million-copy bestselling author comes a totally heart-racing, hold-your-breath read that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

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My Review

 

Robert Bryndza does it again with this sixth installment of the Detective Erika Foster Series called Deadly Secrets. This book could easily be read as a standalone. I love when a book grabs me right from the start and Deadly Secrets did not disappoint. The story takes place in London starting on Christmas Eve with a murder of a young girl.

I loved the main character Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster with her tragic and troubled backstories making her easy for me to relate to. I especially loved the sweet and touching interaction between Erika and her father-in-law as they both struggle with the loss of Mark. The author’s writing just brings all of the characters to life. I also loved the investigation team and the return of Detective Peterson was interesting.

The author meticulously unravels the threads of this perplexing case little by little. As the ending drew closer it was time for me to go to bed but there was no way I was putting the book down. I was trying to figure out what was going to happen and once again…I failed!! Great ending to a wonderfully written novel…one of the best I have read in a while. If you are a fan of serial killer thrillers then you don’t want to miss this one!!

About the Author

 

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice, which is the first in his Detective Erika Foster series.
The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath and Cold Blood are the second, third, fourth and fifth books in the series. The sixth book, Deadly Secrets is now available to purchase.

Robert's books have sold over 2 million copies and have been translated into 27 languages.

In addition to writing crime fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia.

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#BlogTour for The Next Girl by Carla Kovach @CKovachAuthor @bookouture #BookReview #NetGalley @Joni2345zb

So excited to share my review for The Next Girl by Carla Kovach. Thanks to Carla and Bookouture for providing me an opportunity to participate in the blog tour. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour.

Book Details:
Title: The Next Girl
Author: Carla Kovach
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: April 2, 2018
Pages: 312

You thought he’d come to save you. You were wrong.

How can someone vanish without a single trace?

Deborah Jenkins pulls her coat around her for the short walk home in the pouring rain. But she never makes it home that night. And she is never seen again…

Four years later, an abandoned baby girl is found wrapped in dirty rags on a doorstep. An anonymous phone call urges the police to run a DNA test on the baby. But nobody is prepared for the results.

The newborn belongs to Deborah. She’s still alive...

Buy Link 

My Review:

First thing I noticed about this book was the cover... 💙 it!!! What an overall awesome read! I finished this toward evening and was so wound up I couldn't sleep. The Next Girl is book #1 of The DI Gina Harte series and my first Carla Kovach read. The story takes place in Worcestershire England. Deborah Jenkins, a married mother of two, went missing four years ago with only one of her shoes left on the street. Her husband is struggling to survive without her and thinks he should just move on with his life. But one night an abandoned baby is found and a mysterious call comes into the police department saying to check the baby’s DNA. The test is done and the baby belongs to Deborah, the missing woman. So the case is picking back up with DI Gina Harte being in charge of the investigation.

Gina is a 46 year old bad-ass who is a DI experienced in child protection and domestic violence. The author did a good job developing this character. I won’t go into the details of her backstory but WOW does she have a past. The author reveals just bits and pieces of her life at a time…making for an interesting read. Gina is pretty tough but she has some baggage that causes her some problems still. One thing that irritated me about Gina is her not telling her grown daughter about her past. It seemed that decision caused many problems with their relationship. I also felt empathy for Gina. During the investigation of Deborah’s disappearance memories of the hell she herself went through came rushing back.

Another well-developed character is Luke, the missing woman’s husband. MAN…the emotions this guy goes through are almost overwhelming. To think your wife is probably dead and feel the guilt of possibly moving on with your life. As soon as he decides that he might do just that…BOOM! A baby is found and things get real crazy. 

The antagonist is a really sick freak. 

I spent the entire book thinking of ways to bring about his slow painful death. If anyone deserves it this one does! I thought the pacing of the book was perfect. The dialogue between the characters was realistic. The story brought about many emotions from me…sadness, anger, elation, frustration. Carla Kovach is just flat-out a great storyteller. Up and down, twisting and turning and slowly building up to an edge-of-your-seat conclusion. Lots of excitement…totally loved the ending!

I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next installment of the series coming out in August 2018. 

Buy Link 

About the Author:

Carla Kovach was born in Birmingham, UK and now resides in Redditch, Worcestershire. Author of supernatural drama 'Flame,' psychological thriller 'To Let,' crime thriller 'Whispers Beneath the Pines,' and holiday comedy, 'Meet Me at Marmaris Castle.' Carla also writes stage and screenplays, some of which have been produced in the Worcestershire area. Her feature film 'Penny for the Guy' is being made and is set for release in 2019.

Her latest book, The Next Girl, has been published by Bookouture. It is the first in the DI Gina Harte crime series.

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#BlogTour Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel @HALeuschel #BookReview @rararesources @Joni2345zb #Giveaway

I'm delighted to be sharing my review on the Manipulated Lives Blog Tour. Thank you to H.A. Leuschel and Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of this book and the opportunity to take part.
About The Book

Five stories – Five Lives
Have you ever felt confused or at a loss for words in front of a spouse, colleague or parent, to the extent that you have felt inadequate or, worse, a failure? Do you ever wonder why someone close to you seems to endure humiliation without resistance.
Manipulators are everywhere. At first these devious and calculating people can be hard to spot, because that is their way. They are often masters of disguise: witty, disarming, even charming in public – tricks to snare their prey – but then they revert to their true self of being controlling and angry in private. Their main aim: to dominate and use others to satisfy their needs, with a complete lack of compassion and empathy for their victim.
In this collection of short novellas, you meet people like you and me, intent on living happy lives, yet each of them, in one way or another, is caught up and damaged by a manipulative individual. First you meet Tess, whose past is haunted by a wrong decision, then young, successful and well balanced Sophie, who is drawn into the life of a little boy and his troubled father. Next, there is teenage Holly, who is intent on making a better life for herself, followed by a manipulator himself, trying to make sense of his irreversible incarceration. Lastly, there is Lisa, who has to face a parent’s biggest regret. All stories highlight to what extent abusive manipulation can distort lives and threaten our very feeling of self-worth.

Purchase Link

My Review:
Manipulated Lives consists of five novellas than can each be read as a standalone. This was a well-written collection and it was something different than what I typically read. My favorites were The Spell and Tess And Tattoos which I reviewed separately in an earlier blog post. The author does a great job with character development even though these are novellas. The overall theme as the title suggests is manipulation. Each story contains a manipulator and their victims of the manipulation...but it is not always as it seems. Sometimes there is a twist at the end. Makes for an interesting and thought-provoking read.

I would recommend this to those who enjoy short stories with a little twist. I would definitely read more by author H.A. Leuschel.



About the Author:

 
Helene grew up in Belgium where she gained a Licentiate in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She now lives with her husband and two children in Portugal and recently acquired a Master of Philosophy with the OU, deepening her passion for the study of the mind. When she is not writing, Helene works as a freelance journalist and teaches Yoga.
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If you would like to see what others are saying about Manipulated Lives then check out the other bloggers on the tour

Giveaway – Win a signed copy of Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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