Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER (DI Nicki Hardcastle Mysteries Book #3) by Michelle Kidd on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions book tour.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
Two grisly murders. Three days apart. One brutal killer?
The call comes at midnight on a stormy March night. A body has been found hanging from a tree on Hardwick Heath. In the dead man’s pocket is a handwritten note: SORRY. LIFE IS JUST TOO HARD. LOVE TO YOU ALL.
Detective Nicki’s instincts tell her this was no suicide — but someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make it look like one.
Three days later, a second body is found floating in a pond, just a few miles away. But the victim didn’t drown.
The police are treating the deaths as separate cases. Then Nicki uncovers a link between the two dead men — and the case takes a shocking twist.
As she unearths a series of secrets stretching back twenty years, Nicki and her team find themselves in a race against time before more people die.
THE DETECTIVE Detective Nicki Hardcastle is in her early thirties. She’s an independent, determined woman who is good at her job and treats her team with the respect they deserve. When she was ten years old, her little brother Dean disappeared. Nicki was supposed to be watching him. Now, she is estranged from her family, and finds it difficult to let people get close to her. Contentedly single, Nicki’s perfect evening consists of a long run followed by a hot bath. Her closest companion is her cat, Luna.
THE SETTING Bury St Edmunds is a picturesque market town in the heart of Suffolk, on the east coast of England. Founded in the 11th century, the town is notable for its rich and colorful history. Tourists flock to see the ruins of the medieval abbey and maybe catch a glimpse of the infamous ghostly ‘Grey Lady’. It’s also home to the Angel Hotel, once frequented by Charles Dickens, and the Nutshell, famous for being Britain’s smallest pub. It’s an unlikely setting for murder. But its tranquil surroundings and stunning architecture hide a darker side.
DI NICKI HARDCASTLE Book 1: MISSING BOY Book 2: THE TROPHY KILLER Book 3: THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER
DI JACK MACINTOSH Book 1: SEVEN DAYS TO DIE Book 2: FIFTEEN REASONS TO KILL Book 3: SIXTEEN CARVED PIECES Book 4: TWENTY YEARS BURIED Book 5: THREE BROKEN BODIES
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE HARDWICK HEATH KILLER (DI Nicki Hardcastle Mysteries Book #3) by Michelle Kidd is a British police procedural crime thriller that builds to an exciting and surprising climax but is slow to get going in the beginning with its multiple subplots that are slightly confusing. This series also intertwines DI Nicki Hardcastle’s past throughout and I believe it is best to read the books in order to understand what is happening in this regard.
DI Nicki Hardcastle and her team are still recovering from their last major case when they are called to what appears to be a suicide, but it is not. Three days later, a major landowner in the district is found floating dead in a lake.
At first these murders appear to have nothing in common, but as the team investigates, there are secrets stretching back twenty years that begin to bring all the clues and players together. Nicki is in a race against time to stop the killer before more people die.
This is a good British crime thriller read, but I felt at times the pace was bogged down by too many subplots. I appreciate the work done by the author to bring these many threads together in the end to completely surprise the reader and I enjoy this series with Nicki’s complex and secretive personal life, but there were also times that Nicki did things that I thought were out of character for a smart and intelligent DI. Overall, while this was not my favorite in the series, the investigation was well written, and I am excited for book #4 because of the slight cliffhanger at the end of this book.
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Author Bio
Michelle Kidd is a crime fiction author best known for the DI Jack MacIntosh and DI Nicki Hardcastle series. Michelle qualified as a legal executive in the early 1990s, spending ten years practising civil and criminal litigation.
But the dream to write was never far from her mind and in 2008 she began writing the first book in what would later become the DI Jack MacIntosh series. Michelle now works full time for the NHS and lives in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. She enjoys reading, wine and cats — not necessarily in that order.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NEVER FINISHED (Pine Crest Mountain Book #1) by Ana Rhodes on this AME Blog Tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book synopsis, my book review, an excerpt from the book, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
From everywhere! The places I’ve been, the people I’ve met. I’m inspired by everyday things. My mind is always capturing moments that will inspire me down the road.
Your book is set in Colorado. Have you ever been there?
I lived there for four years and it holds a special place in my heart. I still travel there at least once a year to visit friends and get my rocky mountain high. 🙂
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I have had several people say they can feel all the emotions between my main characters. A story can feel flat without it, so I’m so happy to hear it comes across in my writing. That is the goal after all!
What are your favorite tropes to read?
I love a good forbidden love story because it creates beautiful tension between the main characters. Add a little brother’s best friend or age gap and I’m all in!
Any hobbies? or Name a quirky thing you like to do.
I make homemade wine. While I love the finished product, there is a lot of cleaning and sanitation involved that makes it less romantic than it sounds.
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Book Synopsis
She’s an heiress bound by obligation, determined to protect her mother’s legacy. He’s a bartender from the wrong side of the tracks who’s always loved her.
Twelve years ago, I chose my family and the future they laid out for me. And walked away from Jaime, my best friend and forbidden fantasy. We said goodbye with a soul searing kiss I can still feel on my lips.
Now I’m back in Silverpine for the first time since my mother died. I’m brokering a merger for the family business—only I don’t realize my freedom is on the line. My father wants to expand at any cost, including offering his only daughter as part of the deal.
But Jaime is back too, and his effortless charm and smile disarm my every defense. He stands for everything my world isn’t—warm, passionate, and unpredictably beautiful.
I’m trapped between the life I’ve always known and the taste of freedom I’ve longed for. But with my father plotting my future, and my mother’s legacy weighing heavy, can I dare to rewrite my story for love?
NEVER FINISHED (Pine Crest Mountain Book #1) by Ana Rhodes is an enchanting and sexy contemporary second chance romance. This romance genre read pulled me in with relatable characters, introduced me to a small mountain town and resort in Colorado, and hit all the right romantic notes with just a touch of suspense all the way to HEA.
Emma and Jaime were pulled apart twelve years ago by her father’s machinations and family obligations to her dying mother. Both moved on with their lives, but never forgot their special bond.
Emma is back at their family’s resort to broker a deal for her father. What she does not know is that Jaime is working as The Lounge manager and head mixologist. They run into each other after an event and pick up as if no time has passed at all. Their chemistry is intense, and they are determined to not let anything pull them apart again, but once again Emma’s father, who only cares about money, is determined to run Emma’s life and not only make her part of a business deal but steal the virgin mountain land her mother left her.
I enjoyed this first book in the Pine Crest Mountain series and Emma and Jaime’s romance. Emma is a strong, intelligent, sweet and loving heroine who is having a hard time since her mother’s death. The treatment of her by her father was horrible and I was happy with the author’s resolution. Jaime was swoon worthy and protective. The sex scenes are smokin’ hot and explicit, but not gratuitous. All the secondary characters are believable, and I look forward to following them in further romances in the series. The dialogue is realistic, and the touch of suspense was a nice twist.
This is an easy-to-read, heartfelt contemporary romance that you just want to curl up with and let it take you away for a few hours. Gratifying start to this new series.
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Excerpt
Me: Hey, I need an SOS call to get out of this dinner. Call me in five minutes?
I breathed a sigh of relief when she answered almost immediately.
Caroline: On it. Five minutes starting now.
Thank God for Caroline. I smoothed a hand over my hair and made my way back to the table. Andrew was busy chatting away on his phone, glancing at me as I sat back down and mouthing “Sorry.”
As he wrapped up his conversation, I pushed the food around on my plate with my fork, not bothering to eat any of it.
“I’m sorry about that. Sometimes all this networking can be downright exhausting. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, we were talking about merging,” he said, drawing out the last word, and I smiled tightly, trying to hide my disgust.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out, my phone rang.
Thank you, Caroline.
“Excuse me … You know how it is. I have to take this,” I said, slipping my phone from my clutch and stepping into the lobby. “Hello?”
“Hello, Ms. Carter, an emergency requires your attention. Now before you say anything, I need to know … Are you okay getting rid of this guy on your own, or do I need to come down there with a crowbar? Be honest.”
I bit back a laugh. “That won’t be necessary, but I appreciate the concern.”
“Of course. What are friends for? I expect a full report when you get back, though.”
“You got it,” I promised before I hung up. I glanced up, and my eyes landed on the bar where Jaime was helping a guest. He looked up at that exact moment, and our eyes caught and held. After all this time, he could still make me weak in the knees.
A slow smile stretched across Jaime’s lips, and he winked. I smiled back like a teenager with a crush. He turned his attention back to his customer, and I immediately felt the loss of connection.
I walked back to the table, looking apologetic. “Andrew, I am so sorry, but there’s an emergency and …”
“And you need to go,” he finished.
I nodded, forcing a sheepish expression, and Andrew nodded in understanding. “I get it—I always have a lot of fires to put out. I assume I’ll hear from you tomorrow to set up another time to meet?”
“Of course,” I promised, already dreading it. Andrew opened his arms for a hug, but I stuck out my hand. He laughed awkwardly and shook my hand before telling me goodnight and slinking out of the restaurant.
I hovered near the table until I was sure Andrew was out of sight, then escaped into the bar, relief pouring over me at the idea of being in Jaime’s presence.
I headed straight toward Jaime, who was grinning at me.
“What happened to your fancy business dinner?” he asked as I slipped my butt onto a stool.
I shrugged. “It was a bust, which is why I could use a Gin Fizz right about now.”
“Coming up,” he replied as he grabbed a shaker. “I would feel bad your dinner didn’t go well, but selfishly, I’m glad because you’re here earlier than I expected.”
I felt myself blush. “Well, those dinners are boring, and I’d rather spend my time talking to someone interesting.”
His eyebrows shot up. “And you think I’m interesting?”
I huffed out a laugh. “So modest. You know you’re usually the most interesting man in the room.”
He barked a laugh. “Isn’t that the guy in the Dos Equis commercial?”
“I’m just saying you could give him a run for his money.”
Jaime leaned closer—close enough I could smell his cologne. He smelled like cedar with a hint of bergamot and something uniquely Jaime.
That was when my stomach growled. Loud. I felt my face heat with embarrassment.
“Was that …” he started.
I nodded. “Yes … and that was totally embarrassing,” I lamented.
“Did you not eat at that fancy dinner tonight?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
I shook my head. “Kind of lost my appetite having to deal with that blowhard …” I began before stopping myself as Jaime listened with amusement. “I mean, having to deal with that promising investor,” I amended, slapping an exaggerated smile on my face.
He chuckled. “Well, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you work on getting a little less gin and a little more water into your system, and I’ll go make you something to eat.”
I shook my head. “Oh no, Jaime, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t, I’m offering,” he said with a grin before something caught his eye over my shoulder. I turned to find Caroline with a feline smile on her lips as she glanced between the two of us.
“Well, hello there,” she practically sang as she slipped onto the stool beside me, reaching her hand out to Jaime. “I’m Caroline, Emma’s best friend. You must be Jaime.”
Jaime shook her hand, his grin widening. “Hello, Caroline, it’s nice to meet you. I was just going to rustle up something to eat for my starving soldier here. You wouldn’t happen to be hungry, would you?”
Caroline’s eyes lit with amusement as she rested her chin on a fist. “Oh Jaime, that’s my eternal state of being.”
Jaime laughed, and the rich sound sent shivers down my spine. “Okay—two Jaime specials coming up,” he said, throwing a towel over his shoulder. “You two sit tight, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
As soon as he was out of sight, Caroline looked at me in wonder. “Oh. My. God,” she marveled. “He’s cooking for you already. I see why you’ve been pining after him for so long.”
“Caroline,” I hissed. “Keep your voice down. You have the subtly of a freight train.”
She made a face. “Uh, I hate to break it to you, Emma, but there’s nothing subtle about this whole situation. I mean, when I walked in here, that man looked like he was two seconds away from devouring you.”
A happy warmth spread through me at her observation, but I didn’t say anything.
“Besides, you had to know I was going to come check on you after that SOS call. I’m assuming your associate had to have been behaving like a total creep to make you call me.”
I sighed. “Well, maybe not a total creep, but he was fast approaching,” I paused, turning to face Caroline. “It’s weird. Before I would have breezed through that dinner no matter how uncomfortable I was in order to get the deal done. But there’s something about being here … I don’t know. I just didn’t have it in me to put up with it tonight.”
Caroline nodded sympathetically. “Maybe Mama Carter’s spirit is reminding you it’s not your job to take everybody’s shit.”
I laughed. “I can’t imagine my mother putting it like that, but maybe you’re right … and based on our recent experiences, it would seem we both need to embrace that sentiment.”
Caroline grimaced. “Amen to that.”
It was then that Jaime returned with a tray in his arms. “Ladies, dinner is served,” he said, presenting us with two plates that each held a burger with all the fixings, a side of fries, and little cups filled with ketchup.
My eyes widened as the smell hit my nostrils and my empty stomach. “Is that …” I started.
“Oh, it is, Mabel’s secret recipe,” Jaime announced with relish. “It’s been a long time, but I know that recipe like the back of my hand. I only wish I could get my hands on a couple of chocolate milkshakes, and then you could have the full experience.”
I couldn’t stop the grin that took over my mouth. “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble.”
Jaime shook his head. “Anything for you, Bella,” he said in a low voice, and prickles of pleasure raced down my spine at the mention of the nickname he’d given me when we were younger. I still remember the first time he’d called me that, explaining it meant beautiful.
Our eyes held for a long moment before Caroline’s moan interrupted. “Wow, you were not lying about this burger, Emma,” she mumbled around a mouthful of burger.
“Well, tell me if it still holds up,” Jaime said, gesturing toward my plate.
I picked up the hefty burger, my mouth watering from the smell, and when I took that first bite, a flood of memories assaulted my senses from the taste.
My eyes shut in rapture. It tasted heavenly, but knowing Jaime’s hands created it made it all the better.
I opened my eyes and met Jaime’s gaze as he watched me hungrily. I swallowed hard around the bite of food as a different appetite was awakened.
Caroline cleared her throat loudly. “You know, as fun as this has been and as much as I would like to get to know the legendary Jaime, I think it might be better to take this in a doggy bag.”
I looked sharply at Caroline, feeling the need to tell her, “You don’t need to do that.”
She winked at me before saying, “I assure you, no one needs to witness me consuming this burger—it’s about to get wild. So if you’ll excuse me, I think my burger and I need to be alone.”
Jaime had already pulled out a cardboard box and was helping Caroline pack up her food along with a complimentary cocktail for the road.
“Well, Jaime, it was lovely meeting you, and I hope we can talk more later, but right now, I have a date with this burger,” Caroline declared.
“Totally understand. It was nice to meet a friend of Emma’s.”
Caroline beamed at Jaime—my normally suspicious friend had been charmed. She rose from her stool and hugged me. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Enjoy that burger,” Jaime said, his sexy smile further crumbling my resolve. God, that smile used to make me feel all the things, and it had only magnified in power in the years we’d been apart.
It was then Joey rushed to the bar. “Jaime, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation with a guest.”
Jaime shot us both an apologetic look. “I’ll be right back,” he said before stepping around the bar and following Joey.
Caroline looked at me, eyebrows drawn up. “Emma,” she exclaimed, “I thought you were being a little dramatic all these years, but girl, you definitely undersold him. And for the record, that man has plans for you.”
I shook my head. “Would you calm down? We’re old friends catching up on lost time. That’s all,” I said, unsure who I was trying to convince, Caroline or myself.
She huffed out a laugh. “You can tell yourself that all you want, but from my vantage point, you are two seconds away from doing it on this bar.” She stopped cold, and a wicked grin stole over her mouth. “Now wouldn’t that be a picture for old Daddy Moneybags?” she asked, using the nickname she’d given my father, a man she wasn’t particularly fond of given how he’d been acting lately. “And as a token of my love and admiration,” she continued, “I’m delaying the consumption of this burger to stop by the front desk and get my own room.”
I felt a weird combination of panic and excitement threading through me at her suggestion. “Caroline, that’s really not necessary. I seriously doubt …”
She put up a hand to stop me. “Save your breath, Emma. All I’m asking is for you to keep an open mind, and this way, you can’t use me crashing in your suite as an excuse. I refuse to be a cockblock.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Caroline just grinned, snatching up her to-go cocktail and box and giving me a wink before floating out of the bar and into the lobby.
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Author Bio
Hello! I’m Ana and I love writing swoony, small town romances with sweet, protective heroes who love their strong and sassy leading ladies. When I’m not writing, I’m reading… romances, of course! I’m a sucker for a good love story, and I hope you enjoy mine.
Anthony Fauci is arguably the most famous – and most revered – doctor in the world today. His role guiding America sanely and calmly through Covid (and through the torrents of Trump) earned him the trust of millions during one of the most terrifying periods in modern American history, but this was only the most recent of the global epidemics in which Dr. Fauci played a major role. His crucial role in researching HIV and bringing AIDS into sympathetic public view and his leadership in navigating the Ebola, SARS, West Nile, and anthrax crises, make him truly an American hero.
His memoir reaches back to his boyhood in Brooklyn, New York, and carries through decades of caring for critically ill patients, navigating the whirlpools of Washington politics, and behind-the-scenes advising and negotiating with seven presidents on key issues from global AIDS relief to infectious disease preparedness at home. ON CALL will be an inspiration for readers who admire and are grateful to him and for those who want to emulate him in public service. He is the embodiment of “speaking truth to power,” with dignity and results.
ON CALL: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci, M.D. is the autobiography of the most interesting public health doctor/scientist who has served this country for many decades. Stories from his personal life and friendships, his dedication to medicine and public health, and his attempt to remain politically neutral while having his and his families’ lives threatened are all interwoven in a timeline that covers many of the epidemics that have plagued the world in the last sixty years.
I was especially interested in reading about his time working to protect the public from both HIV/AIDs and Covid, two terrible infectious diseases that affected many friends and made me fearful for family. His writing about his personal life is entertaining and I found the entire book fascinating, even though it is in certain places heavy with the science of statistical trials, microbiology and immunology which I did slightly slide through, but he is a man of science, and I am sure other students of public health, medicine and science will find it more important and enlightening than I did.
This is an autobiography of a truly dedicated, compassionate, and brilliant public servant that is worth reading. Thank you for your service, Dr. Fauci.
1940: Weeks after the evacuation of Dunkirk, Germany is poised to invade a near-defenseless Britain. To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two operatives posing as a young married couple, to be taken from there to Canada.
Caitrin Colline—a Welsh coalminer’s daughter and an ardent socialist—will play the wife of Lord Marlton, Hector Neville-Percy. A less likely couple is at first difficult to imagine. Yet Caitrin’s bold, streetwise confidence and sharp wits complement Hector’s social ease and connections, essential to a second part of their mission: uncovering Nazi sympathizers within the highest ranks of Britain’s aristocracy.
Battling enemies within and without, Caitrin wonders if anyone in their circle can be trusted—even her partner. And when unexpected events catapult her into a life-or-death chase across the continent, the morale of a nation and the fate of Europe itself in the balance.
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Elise’s Thoughts
A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis is a thriller and mystery all in one book, a spy novel set in England during WWII.
In 1940 there is a fear of German infiltrators throughout England. To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two operatives posing as a young married couple, to be taken from there to Canada.
He recruits Hector, Lord Neville-Percy of Marlton, and police constable Caitrin Colline, a “Welsh firebrand, antiroyalist, and future destroyer of England’s aristocracy,” to act as a squabbling married couple driving a hay wagon where the jewels are hidden. Interestingly they have clashing backgrounds and personalities, since they are from different classes.
The heroine Catrine Colline is working for “512,” an undercover outfit. 512 is fictional, but it bears a strong resemblance to Churchill’s SOE (Special Operations Executive), also an undercover operation. She is a woman no one can mess with. Caitrin’s bold, streetwise, confident, and sharp wits complement Hector’s social ease and connections, essential to a second part of their mission: uncovering Nazi sympathizers within the highest ranks of Britain’s aristocracy, who also happen to be anti-Semitic.
The plot is a good adventure story with likeable characters that readers will root for.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
David Lewis: What gave me the idea is how the British hid the jewels 20 feet deep under Windsor Castle and they sent all the Bank of England’s bullion to Canada. I thought if they could transfer the bullion why not the Crown Jewels? This is the first one in the series.
EC: Was Caitrin based on anyone?
DL: My main character is based on my mother. She comes from a Welsh coal mining town, one of fourteen children. At the age of fourteen she was sent away to work in a hotel. I wanted to give my mother a cool and adventurous life.
EC: How would you describe Caitrin?
DL: Caitrin is direct, bold, confident, observant, and a force of nature. She is also funny, persistent, independent, and determined. She is not so much anti-aristocracy but a socialist who wanted to bring down the landed gentry. Her goal was to make life more equal for the common man.
EC: How would you describe Hector?
DL: Hector is from a powerful aristocratic family, but not rich. He is honest and currently in Special Operations. He is a little bit of a lost soul because of taxes.
EC: What about their relationship?
DL: He admires her confidence and wishes he had it. They infuriated each other. Neither one of them can get past their class, stopping the attraction between them. They spark off each other. They do respect each other.
EC: Is it true there were German infiltrators?
DL: Churchill was afraid of all the German infiltrators, but MI5 and MI6 were remarkable in sweeping them up. There is this book quote by an English aristocrat, “We English should be building bridges with the Germans. They are our true brothers, not the French or the Poles.” I have always been fascinated by him. I wanted to make him seen as human, not a legend. Throughout the series he starts to be directly in the adventures.
EC: You explore the anti-Semitic sentiment regarding the Jews?
DL: The Aristocracy was also anti-Jew. All the remarks in the book about the Jews by the aristocracy are true. For example a book quote, “I lost a fortune to that filthy Jew. Hitler is right. We should drive the Jews out. They’re nothing but money-grubbing leeches who have latched onto our society.” This is a running theme throughout the whole series.
EC: What about your next book?
DL: The next book, titled Beacon in The Night, is out next year. It is also based on a true story. The Germans wanted to drop bombs on historical cities and sites in England. They did it by having an agent on the ground placing a beacon in the buildings where the Germans could bomb with incredible precision. Caitrin and Hector’s job is to find the beacons and the person placing them.
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.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE IRISH CHILD by Daisy O’Shea on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
A salty breeze whips the tears from my eyes as I stare out at the emerald Irish Sea. Everything I’ve lost, the child my great grandmother Nellie lost, all feels so present here, in the land my family left years ago. How will I ever move on? Will I ever uncover the truth about the little girl who went missing all those years ago?
When Boston-born Erin arrives in wind-tossed Roone Bay, she’s heart-sore, tired and lonely. Her marriage is over: she’s come to build a new life for herself on Ireland’s rugged southern coast. And to unravel the story behind the mysterious note in her family’s ancient Bible that has haunted her since childhood. But hazel-eyed former lifeboat volunteer Finn, the only local historian around, quietly refuses her pleas to help.
So Erin settles in to the town, with its whitewashed cottages and ruddy-cheeked fishermen, and begins her quest alone. Who was her ancestor, Nellie, and why did she leave Ireland for America? What happened to her missing child, Annie, and did Nellie ever see her again?
Just as Erin despairs ever uncovering the truth, one rain-soaked night she is rescued by Finn, who finally agrees to help. And by firelight and candlelight each evening, just as it would have been in her great-grandmother’s time, Finn and Erin grow closer as they share their stories.
But just as Erin wonders if Roone Bay could be her forever home, she makes a devastating discovery. Will she be able to face the truth, which changes everything she thought she knew about herself, her past, and her family’s Irish legacy? Or will she run, just as Nellie did all those years ago, and lose the best chance at happiness she’s ever had…?
THE IRISH CHILD by Daisy O’Shea is a captivating dual timeline Irish family saga in this women’s fiction/romance/historical fiction mash-up. This book is the second in a series that is loosely tied together by the Roone Bay setting, but it is easily read as a standalone with some of the characters carried over from The Irish Key.
In the present-day timeline, Erin has physically survived a tragic accident and the loss of her husband, but mentally she cannot move forward. When she discovers a mystery in the family Bible surrounding an ancestor named Nellie, it inspires her to travel to Ireland to look for answers. It is also the perfect escape from her overbearing parents and a chance to find peace.
In Roone Bay, Erin begins to feel a connection to not only her ancestor but also the current inhabitants. She soon discovers she is stronger than she believes and can cope with the painful memories and return to her love of music without feeling guilty. With a job offer and a possible love interest, Erin begins to want to set down roots and stay.
In the past timeline, Nellie, her husband, and their small daughter are trying to survive the Great Hunger in Ireland. Her husband leaves for America and promises to send money for Nellie and Annie to follow. When Nellie eventually gets her husband’s ticket, she now has two children that she must get to America. At the crowded dock, after a terrible voyage, Nellie loses her daughter and discovers much worse. Her journey is a story of terrible loss, fighting to survive, and always moving forward.
I loved this emotional story even with the depiction of a horrific time in Irish history and all the difficulties of both the main female protagonists. The author’s writing pulled me into both timelines effortlessly and I found both intertwining stories gripping. There are no punches pulled in the descriptions of famine, loss, pain, and grief but the author tempers it with the strength, courage, and love of both Erin in the present and Nellie in the past.
I highly recommend this beautifully told story. This women’s fiction/romance/historical fiction mash-up is an emotional and engaging Irish family saga.
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Author Bio
Sue Lewando was a teacher for several years before migrating to the office environment, where she was PA to the Treasurer of Clarks Shoes, a multi-national company, then, briefly, PA to Susan George, the actress best known for Straw Dogs. Sue had many genre books published (M&B and Virgin), under pseudonyms, and self-publishes her crime thrillers. She was on the committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association in England, for whom she assessed typescripts. She has been a fiction tutor for the London School of Journalism for twenty years. She has two grown-up children, a happy second marriage, and a bundle of cats and dogs. She moved to West Cork with her husband to undertake a farmhouse refurbishment project, foster their joint passion for playing Irish traditional music, and to invest time in their individual academic projects. She recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at UCC, taking the opportunity to explore diverse writing genres. She works with the Jeremy Murphy Literary Consultancy in the capacity of typescript analyst, ghostwriter, editor, and online publishing advisor. She loves good commercial fiction, and is a devotee of the Oxford comma.
Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been inseparable their whole lives. Ever since they reinvented themselves, changing their names and wiping clean their digital footprints, they have made a game of following wherever the next adventure leads and challenging themselves to thefts, street cons, and mind games.
Adhering to only two rules—they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it—Emma and Nellie are secure in their reputation as the most trustworthy swindlers on the European black market. Until suddenly, they must play to save their own lives.
Blackmailed into stealing a priceless bracelet from a high-security exhibit, Emma will reexamine everything she believed to be true. This heist takes her far beyond her comfort zone…and she and Nellie will need allies among the glitzy bejeweled gathering in London in order to survive. Will they be able to do the right thing before it’s too late?
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Confidence Games by Tess Amy is a thoroughly entertaining read. Readers will fall in love with the characters and even though they are con artists, will root for them. There are hidden truths, friendships, the true meaning of family, and a suspenseful mystery.
Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow were inseparable friends until Emma got engaged. After her fiancé ditched her, who should show up to help her recover, Nellie. They now decide to reinvent themselves by changing their names and wiping clean any digital footprints. Emma and Nellie make a name for themselves on the Goods Exchange International, which is Europe’s biggest Black Market by playing mind games, swindling, and conning people. They made tons of money after picking people’s pockets. Influenced by their backstories they adhere to only two rules: they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it. Known as the Dream Team they make a reputation for themselves. Everything was going great until Nellie is kidnapped, and Emma is forced to steal the Heart of Envy, a piece of jewelry that is being displayed in a London Museum, if she wants to see Nellie alive again.
The supporting characters are just as enchanting as the main characters. There is Dax the duo’s resident computer expert and Sophia, a ten-year-old girl who delivers the ransom note. But both Dax and Sophia are also endangered.
This story takes readers on a roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns. It is a suspenseful character driven story that people will love. The only problem is that this is a stand-alone and there might not be any more stories. After reading the book, people are going to clamor and plead for more adventures with these characters.
Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Amy Tess: I was living in Italy. My inspiration comes from small nuggets out of nowhere. I was walking around the city at night. I saw two girlfriends huddled together and wondered why one of them was wearing a big heavy coat in the middle of summer. It appeared something was hidden under the coat. I kept thinking afterward, what were they thinking and what were they hiding. I wrote a note to myself: book idea of two friends who were con artists. I enjoy the idea of exploring female friendships.
EC: How would you describe Nellie?
AT: She is strong-willed, a liar, independent, courageous, trusting, and vulnerable. She suffered through horrific abuse in her past. The way she deals with it is to build up resilience and made it her life’s mission to seek out revenge for others. She becomes this Robin Hood-like figure where she believes she is righting wrongs by stealing from bad men. At her core she is a good person. Throughout the book she learns to address this anger she was holding on to because of her past. Her abuse has influenced how she sees the world.
EC: How would you describe Emma?
AT: She is sad, detailed, a planner, confident, organized, likes to be in control, analytical, and is not very trusting. She has suffered through heartbreak. The way she deals with it is to hide who she really is and withdraw. She hides who she really is because she is afraid of getting hurt again. She sees heartbreak as a risk to be avoided at all costs.
EC: How would you describe what they do?
AT: This book quote explains, “We never cross anyone who didn’t deserve it.” This is their belief system, that they are doing bad things to bad people. They are con artists who play mind games, thieves who use focus, deceit, and manipulation. Basically swindlers. Personally, I like to explore this grey area between what is right and wrong.
EC: What was the role of Dax?
AT: He is the tech expert of the team. He does not believe in his own skills. Nellie and Emma give him a professional push.
EC: What about the little girl Sophia?
AT: She is trusting, hopeful, someone who has had a lot of rejection and disappointment. I saw her as a mirror to Emma. They both had a lot of betrayal, yet Sophia is upbeat and very trusting. She was a guiding light for Emma.
EC: The role of family?
AT: They all become a family. All of them have an issue with their own family so they become their own family, joining together to support one another.
EC: How would you describe the head bad guy?
AT: He likes to play mind games and is tricky. He humiliates, is mean, and is a liar. Once again, with him readers see how the line between good and bad is blurred.
EC: What about the relationship between Nellie and Emma?
AT: They can read each other’s minds, loyal, will always help each other and look after each other. They are life long best friends. The only people they can trust is each other. They have platonic love between each other.
EC: What is the role of Sophia’s Book of Good Advice?
AT: It was fun for me to write. It was mostly to show Sophia’s wisdom without making her too pretentious. I came up with these quotes.
EC: Next Book?
AT: As of now this book will not be a series but I do like to leave it open-ended. My next book will not be related to this book. It will be out in July of next year, set in a women’s prison. It is a locked-room mystery where a murder occurs.
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.
