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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Description

Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients’ physical needs but their emotional ones too. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok’s world takes an unexpected turn as ripples of change touch several lives.

A Healing Touch is a captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising places. Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you into a new story that’s like medicine for the weary soul. Join Dok, Annie, and the tight-knit Stoney Ridge community as they navigate the twists of fate, discovering that sometimes the greatest healing comes from the heart.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a compelling read. Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients’ physical needs but their emotional ones too. The story begins with Dok confronting one of her patients to get help. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok’s world takes an unexpected turn because her husband wants to foster care the infant. A Healing Touch is a captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising places.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Suzanne Woods Fisher: I have a doctor in the storyline, a sister to the Amish Bishop who left home to pursue her education. In one of my previous books, she circles back into Stoney Ridge, becoming a doctor to the Amish. Even though this is not really a series, she will be a prevalent part of this book and the next. I wanted a book to be a hybrid, where modern medicine meets Amish wisdom.

EC: How would you describe the doctor?

SWF: She has a rural practice with a sense of appreciating the traditions and language of her patients. She does return to her roots in some ways. She must contend with the Amish patients who cannot afford to spend the money on medical procedures. She is coming with all the bells and whistles of modern medicine. It is not that they do not accept modern medicine but have more of a holistic view. The Amish will seek alternative treatments. With a serious diagnosis they are more willing to accept there is a biological end to life. Whereas with modern medicine, death is the enemy.

EC: Why the women characters in their fifties?

SWF: There are two women in their fifties. It says something about that stage of life. They are really seasoned and have a necessary viewpoint. They understand that life will have bumps ahead.

EC: How would you describe “Dok” Ruth Stolfzfus?

SWF: Practical, caring, responsible, an over helper, and an over worker.

EC: How did you come up with so many diseases?

SWF: I had mumps, behavior disorders, cancer, and anxiety disorders in the story. I am not a medical professional. I studied and did research to try to get the information correct. I hoped I addressed the information correctly.

EC: How would you describe Dok’s assistant, Annie?

SWF: Shy, has social anxiety, a loner, and lacks confidence. Yet she wants to make a better life for herself so has become unflappable. She must handle her mother’s crisis. After she sees an EMT who is Amish at work she had a sense of a calling. This is why she is pursuing to become an EMT.

EC: What about Annie’s mom?

SWF: Her mother is inflexible and cannot let go. She tries to put a guilt trip on Annie because she knows of nothing except to be a mom. She does not know how to deal with an empty nest. She is a person craving attention, which is why she is a raging hypochondriac.

EC: How would you describe one of Dok’s patients, Bee?

SWF: She is prickly, reclusive, introverted, and likes horses more than people. She is a former Olympic Equestrian. She has taken the love of horses to become a breeder of horses.

EC: Was part of the theme, letting go?

SWF: Annie’s mom could not let go. Dok could not let go of the child she was foster parenting, and Bee could not let go of her grief after her husband died. Bee also could not let go of selling the horses she breeds and cannot quite let go of her horse babies.

EC: Do you think the men in the story were similar or different: Matt, Damon, and Gus?

SWF: Matt is Dok’s husband. Damon is the horse trainer to help Bee while she is going through radiation treatment for breast cancer. Gus is the Amish EMT who opened Annie’s eyes. All three were a little more open to accepting.

EC: Next books?

SWF: The next book will come out in November, titled A Year of Flowers. It is four novellas combined in the print edition. Three teenage girls who worked in a flower shop had been mentored by the owner. They were the best of friends. Something dreadful happens in the store. They left. Each novella delves into the life of one of the girls seven years later. The fourth novella brings them back to the little town to face the owner.

In May of 2025 a book titled Capture the Moment will come out. It is the first in a series surrounding national parks. This story has a young woman who is a zoo photographer that has been asked to take a photo of a famous grizzly bear.

The next Amish book is out in October 2025. It does not have a title. Dok’s practice has been flooded ever since the local news wrote a story on her. To help, her husband gets the idea to send in an application to a program that will send two medical school graduates. She has two residents with all book knowledge and no people knowledge.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Her Forgotten Shadow by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HER FORGOTTEN SHADOW (Detective Delaney Pace Book #4) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

A violent storm erupts over the small town of Kearny, bringing a devastating mudslide. Amongst the debris, the worn threads of a child’s blanket, hides the body of a young girl, her long dark hair matted with the fallen earth that killed her.

When the rescue team find rope marks around the ankles of the teenage girl, they call in Detective Delaney Pace. Fourteen-year-old Marilyn Littlewolf went missing five years ago after moving to Kearny from a local reservation. Fearing she was dead, nobody expected Marilyn to ever come home. So where has she been? And why is her body covered in bruises?

Delaney thinks Marilyn was held captive in the mountains that tower above the town, but with acres of remote wilderness to search, the investigation seems impossible. Diving into Marilyn’s case, one name stands out that makes her blood turn cold as ice: her friend and longstanding babysitter to her two adopted daughters, Skeeter Rawlins.

Racing to his home, she finds it in disarray, it’s clear he left in a hurry. In disbelief, Delaney takes in the empty whisky bottles and wonders if she was wrong to trust her reliable old friend with her darling girls?

As evidence piles up against Skeeter, Delaney’s heart shatters when another girl is reported missing. Tracing her to a remote cabin deep in the woods, she fears she’s about to finally uncover the truth about her once-trusted friend. But when she bursts into the disheveled shack nothing could have prepared her for what she finds. Was she wrong to suspect Skeeter as the twisted mind behind the missing girls? And is she already too late to save another innocent life?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217230588-her-forgotten-shadow?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4TTYdgmOqX&rank=1

Purchase Link: https://geni.us/B0DCCB5WR9social

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HER FORGOTTEN SHADOW (Detective Delaney Pace Book #4) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a fast-paced, intense small town police procedural. Delaney and Leo are back in action investigating a series of crimes with young Crow heritage girls disappearing from Kearney, Wyoming. This book can be read as a standalone for the crime thriller plot, but this is a series with characters evolving throughout and their interactions impact the plot at times in other books. I have enjoyed reading them all in order.

When workers go to clear a landslide off the road after a storm, they discover the body of a young girl in the mud. Delaney and Leo discover it is a young girl who disappeared five years ago and was thought to be with her absentee father in Montana on the Crow reservation. Where has she really been? When another girl goes missing and is found dead at the base of a cliff, some of the clues are pointing to Delaney’s friend and babysitter, P.I. Skeeter Rawlins who is missing with another missing young Crow girl.

While some of the evidence leads Delaney and Leo to a teacher at the middle school who has a connection with all three girls, there is still a danger lurking in the mountains. It is a race to save the missing girl and unravel who is responsible.

I love this exciting series not only for the interesting crime plots, but also for the emotional character interactions. Delaney and her girls always make me laugh as well as feel the emotional ups and downs of raising young girls. Leo and Delaney have a relationship that is so frustrating and yet realistic. I do wish Delaney had a little more faith in Leo and not always jump to conclusions brought on by someone else’s interference. The crime plot in this book was intense and heart-breaking. It moves at an ever-increasing pace right up to the conclusion and was very realistic. I am looking forward to reading about the next criminal investigation in Kearney, finding out if Delaney and Leo work out their relationship, and seeing if Delaney and Skeeter discover if her mother is truly still alive.

I highly recommend this harrowing small town crime thriller/police procedural! I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.

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About the Author

Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a USA Today bestselling and Silver Falchion Best Mystery winning mystery/thriller/suspense author (and recovering attorney and investigator) who splits her time between an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and a rustic cabin on Maine’s Lake Mooselookmeguntic with her husband, kids and grandkids, rescue pets and sled dog, and draft cross horses.

Social Media Links

Website: https://pamelafaganhutchins.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamela.fagan.hutchins.author

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamela_fagan_hutchins/

X: https://twitter.com/PamelotH

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Hunting Colton’s Witness by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description

It’s his duty to protect her…

But falling in love isn’t part of the job

Vivian Maylor is Detective Nate Colton’s key witness—and the most enticing woman he’s ever met. His determination to keep their relationship purely professional falls apart after an attempt on her life almost succeeds. With help from his newfound Colton family, Nate should be able to keep Vivian safe. But when he finds out Vivian might have a connection to a bigger case, the attempts on her life become more frequent. Will Nate get the chance to protect Vivian so they can explore more than their instant attraction?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Hunting Colton’s Witness by Ann J. Stewart is part of a series where each book has different stories written by different authors. In this book, the heroine Vivian Maylor, becomes Detective Nate Colton’s key witness. He is attracted to her from the get-go. His determination to keep their relationship purely professional falls apart after an attempt on her life almost succeeds. With help from his newfound Colton family, Nate is hoping to keep Vivian safe. But when he finds out Vivian might have a connection to a bigger case, the attempts on her life become more frequent. The intensity ratchets up with both the mystery and with their relationship.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Regarding Hunting Colton’s Witness how did you get the idea for the story?

Anna J. Stewart: The idea came from Harlequin. As this is part of the ongoing Colton series for the Romantic Suspense line, they come up with the stories and characters, send me a synopsis/outline of it and then I put my twist, voice, and words to it. One of the reasons I love writing for this series is that I never know what kind of characters I’ll get or the type of story. It’s a nice surprise and a great way to shake up my storytelling abilities.

EC: Is this the last Colton book in the series?

AJS: Oh, no. There are 12 in this series all together, and I’m book 8. They each stand alone, but they each also carry through various threads regarding an over-arching plot or family element. So, there will be 4 more after mine (and 7 before, I think. (If my math is correct, LOL). I don’t imagine Harlequin will end the Colton’s any time soon. The fans of these books are numerous and devoted!

EC: How would you describe Vivian?

AJS: She’s a loner and very nervous. Being outside her comfort zone, which happens to be her home, is not her happy place. She does have a surprising sense of humor, but I think that’s more my influence, LOL. She’s learning how to cope better, I think, and pushing herself to take chances, which is how she ends up on a blind date in the first place. But of course, that doesn’t go well, and she ends up in an unexpected and rather dangerous adventure. She ended up growing a lot during her story and proving to herself she can handle a lot more than she ever thought she could.

EC: How did her parent’s death in a car accident affect her?

AJS: I think that one event changed the trajectory of her life. Trauma like that tends to affect everything that comes after. It’s why she doesn’t like to drive, and only does it when she must. She’s not fatalistic per say, but she’s also one who tends to worry the worst is going to happen. Her journey is to accept that the worse can happen and everything will still turn out okay. So, while that one event impacted her life, by the end of the book, she’s come through something in a way that removes that dread she’s carried with her since the accident.

EC: How would you describe Nate?

AJS: Protective, practical, realist, over achiever, and charming. First, I think it’s inherent in all the Colton heroes and secondly, as a cop, good cops at least, have that level of compassion that makes them good at their jobs. At least the cops I write about. I’m not sure he’d consider himself charming, which by default means he is. He’s good at what he does and there’s a confidence that comes with that self-assuredness that is incredibly appealing. The protective instinct he carries comes from his background with a complicated family dynamic, so I think in a lot of ways it goes into overdrive where Vivian is concerned. It’s literally one of those things where the instant he sees her, he knows life isn’t going to be the same. Those are the most fun stories to write.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between them?

AJS: Respectful. I think that’s at the heart of their relationship. She’s not typical of the heroines I tend to write. She’s less confident and more insular and isolated by choice. But Nate never tries to change her. He accepts her as she is without question. That’s incredibly powerful and a good sign for a successful relationship. From Vivian’s point of view, I think Nate destroys all her misconceptions about relationships. He teaches her that it’s okay to put your heart on the line, even if you think it might get broken in the end. He makes her stronger and she makes him happy.

EC: How would you describe Nate’s sister Lizzy?

AJS: I think Lizzy is still coming off the trauma of what happened to her (read Deborah Fletcher Mello’s Colton’s Secret Hideout for Lizzy’s story). She’s stressed and anxious and probably dealing with PTSD, but all of that is tempered by her found relationship with Ajay. In some ways I think she becomes overprotective of Vivian because of that, but she’s also happy that Nate and Vivian have found each other however the circumstances unfolded. Like all the Coltons, Lizzy is all about family first, which is another reason I love writing these books.

EC: How has her trauma affected her?

AJS: As I stated above, I think it’s made Lizzy more aware of how people’s lives are affected by trauma and isolation. She’s always been outgoing and trying to push Vivian out of her comfort zone and I think that’s been part of her healing. Being able to focus on Vivian allows her some emotional distance from her own recent experiences. But it also makes her more sensitive and more protective. It’s a bit of a test for Lizzy, I think, to see her brother, who she’s only just recently learned about, fall for her best friend in Vivian so I think it brings her and Nate closer, too.

EC: What do you want readers to know about the Colton family?

AJS: First, don’t be overwhelmed by the number of books in the Colton series. Each year has its own dedicated series, sometimes it’s 12 books, sometimes it’s 6. But they’re fun reads when taken in chunks. Personally, I love interconnected stories where we see returning characters, can catch up with them, and see them after their HEAs, but also are introduced to characters who will get theirs in the future. They are meticulously plotted out and edited and at times the authors work with one another to make sure we’re getting all the details right about the crossover characters. If readers want an exciting group of stories that pull them from one book into another, then definitely check out The Coltons.

EC: Next book(s)?

AJS: In January, the second book in my new McKenna Code series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense will be published. My other recent release is A Cowgirl on His Doorstep, which is my contribution to the ongoing Blackwell series for Harlequin Heartwarming. And then the fourth book in my Hawaiian Reunions series, Heartwarming again, A Christmas Island Romance, will be out on Christmas Eve! This one is a friend to more than friends romance that was just a delight to write. Christmas in Hawaii; There’s nothing better than that!

THANK YOU!!

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Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

FROZEN LIVES

by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

October 7 – November 1, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

A Coroner’s Daughter Mystery

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FROZEN LIVES (Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries Book #4) by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush on this Partner’s-In-Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway.

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Book Description

Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can’t seem to let go of being “the coroner’s daughter” from Freeport.

Once again, she finds herself pulled back upstate during a wintery late March when Jeremiah, the eleven year-old son of her best friend, Jo, goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan. Emily immediately joins the search for the boy.

To everyone’s relief, Jeremiah turns up days later, alive and unharmed. But tensions remain high, and suspicions of every sort continue to grow. Jeremiah’s account of his abduction doesn’t add up and Emily worries about Jo’s unraveling marriage. Jeremiah’s recovery, it turns out, is not the end of their terrifying tale. It’s only the beginning …

For moving among them is a devious, malevolent force. Sowing panic while seeking to fulfill his own twisted needs, this wolf in sheep’s clothing leaves a trail of rack and ruin, negligent to the damages in his wake … and the bodies he leaves behind.

Emily solidifies her role as coroner’s daughter when she puzzles out this madman’s chilling machinations. Risking everything dear to her, Emily goes the icy distance to end his killing spree.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209528321-frozen-lives?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12

Frozen Lives

Genre: thriller, suspense, female detective
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Number of Pages: 350
ISBN: 9798212638364
Series: The Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries, 4

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FROZEN LIVES (Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries Book #4) by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller/amateur sleuth mystery featuring Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford who gets pulled back to her small hometown of Freeport, Michigan when her best friend and son go missing. This is easily read as a standalone crime thriller and the author does a great job of intertwining Emily’s life from the previous books, so I never felt lost with her current relationships.

Emily is happy sharing a surgical practice in Chicago with her boyfriend, but she just cannot let go of her smalltown roots and all of her friends in Freeport, Michigan. She receives a call for help when her best friend Jo’s son, Jeremiah, goes missing. He is discovered a few days later unharmed, but the man who took him is still free. With accusations only ramping up the tensions in Jo’s crumbling marriage, Emily feels the need to support her friend.

As they all try to get back to a normal routine, no one knows the danger has not passed them by and it is about to become a race to find a twisted kidnapper and rescue Emily’s friends from a possible watery grave.

I could not put this book down and I am surprised that I had not read any of this series previously. If you have not either, this is a good book to jump in on because the author does a great job of giving the reader enough of Emily’s past and relationships so as not to be confusing. That said, I will be going back to read the previous three books because I enjoyed the author’s fast paced crime plot and hope the other three are just as interesting and well written. Even knowing who the kidnapper/killer is does not distract from the increasing tension and emotional involvement as the book races to a climax. I am excited to read the next book now that Emily has accepted the role she was born to have and to see what happens with her surprise personal ending.

I highly recommend this crime thriller/amateur sleuth mystery and look forward to reading more in this series.

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Author Bio

The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But Jennifer Dornbush was raised in it. As the daughter of a small-town medical examiner whose office was in their home. There were body parts in the fridge. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years old. Picking up pieces of skull with her father who simply saw it as an anatomy lesson. The first of many coroner lessons she experienced over two decades.

After exploring journalism and high school teaching, Jennifer turned seriously to screenwriting where she began to connect her coroner world to her writing. She sought out a degree at the Forensic Science Academy in Los Angeles to gain more forensic training and earned a unique kinship with LA’s top CSIs, fingerprint specialists, DNA scientists, and detectives.

To share her love of forensics with the writing world, she authored the top selling non-fiction authoritative book, Forensic Speak, used by not only by show-runners and writers, but also crime investigators and law enforcement.
She created an Amazon top selling mystery novel series, The Coroner’s Daughter, which she is currently developing as a series for TV. Her crime thriller, Hole in the Woods, is currently optioned for screen. She is a contributor to mystery anthologies, Hotel California and Thriller. She has also penned two true crime books.

As a screenwriter Jennifer wrote the theatrically released film and novel, God Bless the Broken Road (2018), adapted a popular YA novel to script, and sold a children’s show. She is currently developing TV drama series and feature films with various productions companies.
As a forensic consultant, she is frequently asked to consult with TV writers on shows such as: Bull, Conviction, Hawaii Five-O, Leverage, Suits, and Rectify. She teaches screenwriting and mentors aspiring writers.

Jennifer is a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, & the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni.

Social Media Links

www.JenniferDornbush.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @jgdornbush1
Instagram – @jgdornbush
YouTube – @ForensicSpeakJenniferDornbush
Facebook – @JGDornbush

Purchase Links

Amazon –    https://pictbooks.tours/jofJf
BN –    https://pictbooks.tours/VXE6b
BookShop.org –    https://pictbooks.tours/OI98e
Publisher –    https://pictbooks.tours/JmCiC

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://kingsumo.com/g/199o7d1/frozen-lives-by-jennifer-graeser-dornbush

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: A Letter from Ireland by Ann O’Loughlin

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A LETTER FROM IRELAND by Ann O’Loughlin on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour post.

Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Summary

My whole life, I’ve been haunted by a secret I’ve left behind on the coast of Ireland. I may be gone, but if you’re reading this Casey, I need to tell you everything…

When Casey’s dear friend Rosie passes away, her heart breaks in two; Rosie didn’t even tell her she was sick. And when a mysterious letter arrives from beyond the grave, describing the secluded island where Rosie spent every summer, Casey questions if she really knew her friend at all. With Casey’s hectic job ruling her life, and her marriage crumbling around her, she books a ticket to this beautiful Irish island to feel close to Rosie again, and find out what secrets she has hidden there.

Casey rushes to Rosie’s tumbledown cottage and immediately falls in love with the glimmering shores and breathtaking coves of Scarty Island. Why did Rosie keep this magical place a secret, even from her own husband? Desperate for answers, she jumps to the aid of locals organizing afternoon teas for tourists, and helps handsome but overworked pub owner Shay. Though Shay stays tight-lipped, Casey notices how his hazel eyes shine when she makes him laugh, and how her heart skips a beat when his rough hands brush hers.

But just as Casey finds herself falling for Shay’s quiet strength, a final letter arrives that changes everything. The tear-stained pages tell the story of a forbidden romance and a tragic day at sea that destroyed Rosie’s life. It could shatter Casey’s blossoming romance and tear the small island community apart.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217294589-a-letter-from-ireland?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mrEKriMdOU&rank=3

Purchase Link: https://geni.us/B0DCHF7ZQDsocial

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My Book Review

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

A LETTER FROM IRELAND by Ann O’Loughlin is a women’s fiction story about four best friends who have a falling out and are never the same again. When Rosie passes away from cancer, which none of her friends knew about, she sets up a two-month long reunion of the remaining three women on her private island off the coast of Ireland, but there are secrets to be revealed in the form of letters from their dead friend.

The description of this story had me wanting to sit down and read about these women’s lives and it is full of surprises and big emotions, but not until far too late into the book. The first third of the story was repetitive, slow, and almost had me putting it down for good, but I carried on and was glad that I did as far as the overall plot.

The three women are portrayed at various stages of their lives and Casey is the focus. I had a hard time warming up to her and I never felt a deep connection to any of the three. The story focused as much on the location as the women which I felt their character development should have been deeper. The romantic subplot between Casey and Shay just felt thrown in and did not make me feel any more for Casey, especially since she was still legally married.

Overall, this was just an alright women’s fiction read that for me did not live up to the promise.

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About the Author

Ann is the Irish author of five novels and has been translated into eleven languages. Her first novel The Ballroom Cafe was also an ebook bestseller and in the top 20 bestselling books of 2015 on Amazon UK. Ann loves to write and often gets up at 5am to get the words down, before starting her other job of writing as a news reporter. A leading journalist in Ireland, Ann has covered all major news events in a long career with Independent Newspapers, Ireland. She is now a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner specialising in legal issues. Ann has also lived in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast with her husband and family.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annoloughlinbooks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annoloughlinbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annolwriter

Newsletter: https://www.bookouture.com/ann-oloughlin

Book Review: A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A GATHERING OF SECRETS (A Kate Burkholder Novel Book #10) by Linda Castillo is a gritty new small-town police procedural/crime thriller featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in Painters Mill which is in Ohio Amish Country. This book can be read as a standalone for the crime thriller plot, but Kate’s personal and professional life have evolved throughout the series, and I enjoy reading them in order.

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called late in the night when an Amish family’s barn burns to the ground and their son is missing. The fire investigator is called when the fire fighters smell gasoline and a charred body is found locked in the tack room. The body is identified as eighteen-year-old Daniel Gingerich who appears to be a well-liked and hard-working Amish young man, so who would want him dead?

As Kate investigates Daniel’s life, she finds herself impeded by the Amish community of which she was once a member. As dark secrets begin to surface, Kate is forced to once again face the personal crime perpetrated against her in her youth which has an eerie similarity to what is whispered about Daniel Gingerich. While the Amish are a peaceful and loving community, there are certain things that are not discussed and can go unpunished due to shaming of the victim, and which are crimes in the Englisher world. Kate has many suspects, but the solution to this crime will lead to danger and sorrow.

I love reading this series and following Kate’s life. Kate is a complex character. She at times misses the Amish life but accepts her current path is the right one for her, especially when it comes to justice for everyone. All of Kate’s officers have a strong bond, Tomasetti is once again a great personal partner, and finally Tomasetti has popped the big question. Yeah. The crime plot was dark and gritty, especially juxtaposed against the assumed always perfect Amish way of life. This crime thriller is perfectly paced with plenty of surprise twists along the way and a surprise ending I was not expecting.

I highly recommend this small-town police procedural/crime thriller!

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About the Author

Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence, was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and an appearance on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.lindacastillo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindacastilloauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaCastillo11

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-gathering-of-secrets-by-linda-castillo

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36187085-a-gathering-of-secrets?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=nLYt7sV3tQ&rank=1