Tag: #standalone

Feature Post and Book Review: Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Book Description

When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220161354-beach-house-rules?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=2M85g1Ueky&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BEACH HOUSE RULES by Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my favorite women’s fiction books so far this year. It is a small-town southern women’s fiction book full of family, both the ones we are born into and those that we make, love, second chances, friendship, and a bit of a mystery. Set in a former bed-and-breakfast turned “mommune” in an affluent small North Carolina beach town, a community of women come together as their personal world’s turn upside down.

Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime and she and her daughter, Iris, are shut out of their home and have all their bank accounts frozen. Down to her last few dollars, the town’s alleged Black Widow offers her a place for herself and her daughter in the former beachfront bed-and-breakfast turned mommune. The single moms and their children are the source of gossip throughout their small community.

Charlotte and Iris, to their surprise, find a sense of comfort and community at the mommune with the other women and children. As Charlotte works to get back their old life and prove her husband’s innocence, she and Iris discover their coming together may not have been by accident after all and secrets could destroy the new group of friends.

This book is beautifully written and pulls you right into the lives, trials, and tribulations of the mommune. The characters could walk right off the page. I enjoyed looking at the situation from both the adult women’s fears and triumphs and the teenager’s way of dealing with all the adult drama and their own high school drama. The mystery of Charlotte’s husband’s guilt or innocence had me guessing throughout and surprised me at its resolution. The addition of the on-line @JuniperShoresSocialite interspersed posts added a fun bit of laughter as well as intrigue as we tried to figure out the identity of the anonymous author. I feel this should be the top summer read this year.

I highly recommend this small-town southern women’s fiction! This is the first book I have read by this author, but it definitely will not be the last.

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About the Author

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of eleven novels including The Summer of Songbirds and The Peachtree Bluff Series. Many of her books have been optioned or are in development for television and film and have received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick, Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Reads, Katie Couric’s Featured Books, and Joanna Garcia Swisher’s The Happy Place Read. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize.

A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Parade, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, and many more. She also holds a master’s in English, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature.

Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction with fellow New York Times Bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Patti Callahan Henry. She is also the co-founder of the interiors site Design Chic, with her mom, Beth Woodson.

She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband, son, and dog, Salt, where she is (always!) working on her next novel.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kristywoodsonharvey.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/beach-house-rules-by-kristy-woodson-harvey

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: When She Was Gone by Sara Foster

Book Description

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia—and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care—Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.

This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood’s illustrious career—and there’s a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood’s neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn’t know who he can trust.

Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter’s innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she’s no longer part of Lou’s life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers’ secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers—and Rose—and soon it’s clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?

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Elise’s Thoughts

When She Was Gone by Sara Foster brings to the forefront the unusual relationship between a mother and her daughter. This intertwined within a riveting mystery allows readers to understand the mother/daughter dynamics.

Former Detective Rose Campbell who now lives in London is notified that her estranged daughter, Lou, has disappeared from a remote Western Australian beach. They have not spoken in years because of how Lou’s father and stepmother spoke of Rose. Yet, now Rose’s ex, Henry, has called on her to help find their daughter who is suspected of kidnapping the two young children she is the au pair for. The missing baby and toddler are heirs to a high profile and wealthy Australian family, the Fishers. Rose is intent on finding her daughter and proving her innocence.

The detective assigned to the case, DSS Mal Blackwood, on the verge of retirement, is chosen because of his ability to solve some of the most intense and difficult investigations. At first, Rose and Blackwood appear at odds as to what really happened but that all changes when a disturbing piece of evidence is found on a nearby strip of beach, making it clear that they are caught in a race against time to bring Louisa and the children safely home.

This is a very suspenseful novel that readers will not want to put down with well-defined characters that they will either root for or hate.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Sara Foster: When She Was Gone came about because I wanted to write a story set in Western Australia, where I live with my family, and so I began dreaming up different thriller ideas. The remote beaches of the southwest are some of my favorite places, and I also like writing about characters with connections to both England and Australia (like me!). Once I had the au pair character of Louisa, and her estranged mother Rose, the rest of the story began to fall into place.

EC: Was the theme retribution, power, money?

SF: I think all the themes of retribution, power and money come into play at different times in When She Was Gone. Power and money are certainly deeply interconnected in this story. Money gives some characters the opportunity to act in ways that others simply cannot with those who don’t have money are much more limited in their choices.

EC: How would you describe the mystery in the story and what was its role?

SF: The central mystery of When She Was Gone is the disappearance of Louisa (Lou) and the children, and this thread runs right through the book. I hope the reader is absorbed in the thriller elements of the story and the way this event has repercussions for so many people

EC: Is domestic violence the center of the story?

SF: I don’t think of domestic violence as the singular center of the story but it’s certainly a core thematic element of the novel. I wanted to look at violence in all its forms. Latent as well as actualized – and to think about how violent tendencies develop when early signs aren’t addressed.

EC: Why this domestic violence book quote, “By the time a victim has been degraded, undermined, and attacked for years, they have lost all sense of control. They exist from one terrified moment to the next, sometimes for years, and reclaiming their lives is a messy, protracted process.”

SF: I think it’s all too easy to judge domestic violence victims without stepping into their shoes, whereas there are many reasons why it’s hard to leave an abusive relationship. I hope my story exposes the complexity and messiness of these scenarios and encourages empathy rather than judgement.

EC: How would you describe Rose?

SF: By the time we come to meet Rose in When She Was Gone, she has gone through a terrible period of grief and depression after a traumatic work event as a young police officer, which readers’ witness at the beginning of the book, leaving her with PTSD. However, she has come through this, rebuilt her career, and is in a much stronger place by the time she needs to search for her missing daughter Louisa.

EC: How would you describe Henry?

SF: Henry, Rose’s husband, has been emotionally abusive to Rose over the years, withholding access to Louisa, making life generally difficult for her, and always putting himself first. This changes when Louisa disappears just as his third wife has given birth to twins, meaning Henry is unable to fly to Australia himself, and must therefore appeal to Rose to help him. He is a bit of a classic, self-centered, and narcissist.

EC: How would you describe Louisa?

SF: We don’t get to see much of Louisa directly in the story, only briefly at the beginning before she disappears with the children, at which point she’s obviously unhappy with the way the Fishers treat her and parent their kids. However, once she’s gone, we can only learn about her

through secondary sources – her diary, her Instagram, and other people’s accounts. Through this we can see her strength and her vulnerabilities, and Rose must pray that Louisa is worldly enough to keep herself together in whatever situation she’s in.

EC: How would you describe the Fishers?

SF: The two young children who disappear with Louisa belong to a very wealthy family called the Fishers, who are used to getting their own way or using their considerable wealth to turn events to their favor. However, when these two very small Fisher children go missing, and no one has any idea what’s happened, for once money cannot buy the family out of this predicament, and they are forced to try to communicate with one another in different ways.

EC: Anything else you would like to add?

SF: I write weekly on Substack at The Resiient Author (for writers) and Story Matters (for readers).

EC: Next books?

SF: I’m working on another mystery thriller now with a few more puzzle elements to it, set in the Cotswolds in the UK, a place my grandparents lived for a while. I’m having a lot of fun refining the characters and plot, as I try to bring it all together.

THANK YOU!!

***

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.

Feature Post and Book Review: The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie’s Biscuits by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Martha Bolton

Book Description

Why Are Baking Contestants Disappearing?
 
Mysteries have a way of following Fannie Miller, so when she makes it into the finals of the Tuscarawas County Baking Contest and contestants start disappearing, she calls on her old friend Foster Bates, a retired cop and part-time private investigator. Could it be that other finalists are somehow responsible for these disappearances, thinning out the competition? Like the couple on verge of divorce who need the prize money, or the three Beiler sisters, always in a huddle whispering. One thing is for certain—Foster and Fannie will stay on the case until the end, and everyone involved will have learned something important about baking contests, solving mysteries, and life.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221213979-the-rise-and-fall-of-miss-fannie-s-biscuits?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=cnU7QtB1p1&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE RISE AND FALL OF MISS FANNIE’S BISCUITS by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Martha Bolton is a heartwarming character driven genre mash-up of Amish cozy mystery and sweet Amish romance. This is a difficult story to describe without giving away the outcome because it does not strictly follow genre rules to be considered a traditional cozy mystery or a traditional sweet romance. It is an Amish fiction story with elements of a cozy mystery, of an enduring friendship that does not cross over to more, and faith in God.

Fannie Miller is a single Amish woman who runs the local quilt store in Sugar Creek, Ohio, and has a love of mystery books. She has finally made it to the finals of the Tuscarawas County Baking Contest with her grandmother’s biscuit recipe after trying other recipes for the last ten years. When other contestants begin to disappear, she calls on her old friend, Foster Bates, a retired Chicago detective turned private investigator, for help.

With a fun cast of characters and possible suspects, Fannie and Foster work together for a resolution to the missing contestants as everyone anticipates the announcement of the winner of the baking contest.

This is an easy read with a charming pair of sleuths. Fannie is a sweet Amish woman who is always trying to help others, and Foster is a retired detective who has seen the worst and just wants to relax and only hangs his private eye shingle out to give him something to do besides stay at home in this quite area. Fannie continues to mention a previous case where the two worked together, but I could not find a previous story, so that was a little frustrating. Their friendship is entertaining and while more is thought about or dreamed about, they never cross the line between Amish and Englisher. The story has a slow start, but you get introduced to all the main characters, so it is understandable and there is not a dead body, just missing people to investigate. The references to the Amish religion and life, and the scripture references and prayers are interspersed throughout the story and never feel preachy or overdone.

Overall, a charming and sweet Amish fiction story with entertaining protagonists. This is a standalone, but if it becomes a series, I will read more.

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About the Author

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. She is the author of over 100 books with more than 12 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine and USA Today.

Wanda’s fascination with the Amish culture developed when she met her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church, and whose family has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Meeting her new Mennonite sister-in-laws caused Wanda to yearn for the simpler life. In their travels, she and her husband have become close friends with many Amish people across America. Wanda’s desire to explore their culture increased when she discovered that her great-great grandparents were part of the Anabaptist faith.

All of Wanda’s novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Many of her books are well-read and trusted by the Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

Wanda’s primary attraction to the Amish is their desire to live a devout Christian life that strives to honor God, work hard, and maintain close family ties. Whenever she visits her Amish friends, Wanda finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties, which is in stark contrast to the chaos and busyness that plagues so many modern “Englishers.” Time and time again, Wanda loses her heart in the Amish life, and she hopes her readers will, too. For more information, visit: www.WandaBrunstetter.com

About the Author

Martha Bolton was Bob Hope’s first female staff writer, writing for his television specials, personal appearances, and military shows for approximately fifteen years (in the 1980s and 90s). She is an Emmy nominee, Dove Award nominee, and WGA Award nominee. DEAR BOB… Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of WWII (University Press of Mississippi, March 2021) was written with Linda Hope, Bob’s daughter and producer, and was named Christian Market Book of the Year and Golden Scrolls Memoir of the Year at the 2021 Christian Product Expo. It also won First Place in the 2022 Selah Awards for Memoir, and First Place in the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) for Military & Front-Line Division. An ABC story about Dear Bob… produced by George Pennacchio of ABC won third place in the National Journalism Competition and first place in the Los Angeles Journalist competition. The book was also featured on Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley.

Martha’s latest book, THE RISE AND FALL OF MISS FANNIE’S BISCUITS, just released from Barbour Publishing and is #1 in Amish Romance on Amazon. Written with New York Times Best-Selling author, Wanda Brunstetter, the book has also been turned into a musical which will open in 2025 in Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania and Shipshewana, Indiana.

Beginning with her first “book” at age 9, titled NO FUN BEING YOUNG, about being the youngest in her family, Martha has now written 89 books, including JOSIAH FOR PRESIDENT and THE HOME GAME. Both novels have also become musicals, with scripts penned by Martha.

Martha has also written for such comedians and entertainers as Phyllis Diller, Wayne Newton, Mark Lowry, and Chonda Pierce.

The winner of four Angel Awards, Martha playwrighting credits continues to build, with over a dozen musicals having been produced since 2010. THE HOME GAME, JOSIAH FOR PRESIDENT, DEAR SOLDIER BOY, STOLEN, A SIMPLE SANCTUARY, and THE CONFESSION are a few of the titles. The musicals are produced by Dan Posthuma and Mel Riegsecker of Blue Gate Musicals.

Martha’s novel, THE HOME GAME, received a 2017 Golden Scroll Merit Award for Fiction by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Her Christmas offerings are a new favorite, THE CHRISTMAS CANDY CAPER, as well as numerous children’s musicals: A LAMB’S TALE, co-written with Dennis Allen, BETHLEHEM OR BUST, co-written with Andy Cundiff, Darrell Bledsoe, and Ted Wilson, and BETHLEHEM’S BIG NIGHT, co-written with Bill Wolaver.

A trademark of Martha is that she loves to find the humor in life, as evident in her popular book series for middle-agers: DIDN’T MY SKIN USED TO FIT? and COOKING WITH HOT FLASHES, THE WHOLE WORLD IS CHANGING AND I’M TOO HOT TO CARE), just to name a few.

Martha was named the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association Member of the Year for 2021 and lives by her life statement of: “Life’s tough, God’s good, and laughter is calorie-free.”

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Murder in the Appalachians by Susan Furlong

MURDER IN THE APPALACHIANS

by Susan Furlong


March 17 – April 25, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MURDER IN THE APPALACHIANS by Susan Furlong on this Partners 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. Enjoy!

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Book Description

On the run in the mountains…
with a killer on their trail.

After unearthing secrets from her late brother’s police notebook, journalist Emma Hayes discovers his death was no accident—he was murdered. Only someone doesn’t want Emma to find out the connection to the cold case her brother was investigating…and they’ll kill to keep it that way. Now Emma must rely on local ER doctor Logan Greer to help her stay alive and follow a trail of elusive evidence. But as they unravel a conspiracy, they realize that the killer could be anyone hiding in the mountains…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213103156-murder-in-the-appalachians

Murder in the Appalachians

Genre: Love Inspired Suspense – Romantic Suspense
Published by: Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Number of Pages: 206
ISBN: 9781335980533 (ISBN10: 1335980539)

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MURDER IN THE APPALACHIANS by Susan Furlong is an edge-of-you-seat Christian romantic suspense/mystery with plenty of action, twists, and surprises. This standalone Love Inspired Suspense book is set in a small ex-mining town in the scenic West Virginian Appalachian Mountains.

Emma Hayes is an investigative journalist living in Washington, D.C. who returns to her twin brother’s mountain cabin after his death. He was a police officer, supposedly killed while handling a traffic stop, but after listening to a message left by him on her phone, Emma believes he was murdered while investigating a local cold case. In her search of his cabin, she finds his notebook but is then chased by a masked man and shot at. She escapes down the river.

On vacation and fly fishing on the river, Dr. Logan Greer discovers a woman on the riverbank freezing. He takes her to his free clinic and his sister, a physician’s assistant, takes care of her wounds, and they take her home. Emma does not know who to trust, but Logan gains her trust as he saves her life more than once. What Emma does not know is that the cold case she is looking into ties to the disappearance of Logan’s youngest sister.

Someone is determined to keep their secrets, and to stop the attempts on their lives, Emma and Logan must uncover the secrets of this cold case and find the killer.

This is one of those stories that pull you in and you just want to read it from start to finish. Emma and Logan are both dealing with trauma and loss and are at different places in their relationship with their faith. They are feeling many of the same things, but Emma’s feelings are fresh while Logan has had more years to deal with his feelings even though he continues to search for the truth of his sister’s disappearance. Their romance and faith journeys both felt realistic and believable. This is a Christian based romance, so there are a few kisses, but no sex scenes. The suspense plot is intense and kept me turning the pages and continually guessing who was involved and who was innocent. I was very satisfied with the resolutions in the suspense plot, the cold case mystery and the HEA.

I highly recommend this exciting Christian romantic suspense!

***

Author Bio

Susan Furlong grew up in North Dakota where she spent long winters at her local library scouring the shelves for mysteries to read. Now, she lives in Illinois with her husband and children and writes mysteries of all types. She has over a dozen published novels and her work has earned a spot in the New York Times list of top crime fiction books of the year. When not writing, she volunteers at her church and spends time hiking and fishing.

Social Media Links

www.SusanFurlong.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @SusanFurlongAuthor
Instagram – @susanfurlong
Threads – @susanfurlong
Facebook – @SusanFurlongAuthor

Purchase Links

Amazon –     https://pictbooks.tours/UTHi4    
BN –     https://pictbooks.tours/h8qVJ    
Goodreads –     https://pictbooks.tours/c4J3g    
BookShop.org –     https://pictbooks.tours/1GBD3    
Harlequin-    https://pictbooks.tours/tuqwl    

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://kingsumo.com/g/1gg4vz1/murder-in-the-appalachians-by-susan-furlong

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Book Description

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she’s willing to risk her life again if that’s what it takes to stop the horror.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388081-hidden-nature?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZVurAHIy6W&rank=1

Hidden Nature

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DDJC6XS2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Press (May 27, 2025)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 448 pages

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts is an intriguing mash-up of mystery, crime thriller, investigation, and romance with a bit of HGTV like home renovation going on throughout. The setting of this story is the beautiful Maryland mountains with a main character who is not only a member of the Natural Resources Police but is a genuine lover of nature and all its varied seasons. This is a standalone novel.

Sloan Cooper grew up knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life. While her family runs a successful year-round vacation resort in the Heron’s Rest, she has her heart set on a career with the Natural Resources Police of Maryland. After closing a successful case, she and her partner stop at a small-town convenience store. Sloan walks into a robbery in progress and is shot in the chest.

After being shocked back to life, she has a long recuperation ahead. She returns to her childhood home, but even though she cannot return to work, she is bored. When she hears about the case of a missing woman which intrigues her. She decides to do a bit of online searching on her own and soon discovers there are more missing people in the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that appear to have no connections other than their disappearances.

As the investigation continues with several jurisdictions on the case, Sloan realizes what the connection is between all the missing, but it is so bazaar, others find it hard to believe, but Sloan knows she is right. When a local friend goes missing, she is determined to find him and bring him home and stop the killer or killers because she may be on their list, too.

This is another great all-around, intriguing and satisfying book by Ms. Roberts. I opened this book and could not stop. Sloan is a strong, intelligent protagonist who is put through difficult physical and mental trials and doggedly continues forward. Her family and friends are all fully developed characters that are a strong support system and interesting in their own rights. The HGTV home renovations add a unique twist to the dialogue and focus when they are not discussing or chasing down the missing. I also loved the beautifully integrated descriptions of nature and wildlife in the area. The crime thriller plotline is woven throughout the book at an ever-increasing pace. The perpetrators are seriously scary and depraved and made the hair on my arms stand-up.

I highly recommend this amazing mash-up! Ms. Roberts is one of my all-time favorite authors and I always look forward to her books.

***

About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Social Media Links

Website: https://noraroberts.com/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/hidden-nature-by-nora-roberts

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by N.J. Mastro

Book Description

England, 1787. Mary Wollstonecraft is an avowed spinster. At 28, she moves to London to live independently as a writer. With her publication of A Vindication for the Rights of Woman a few short years later, she emerges as a leading figure for women’s equality. But when a humiliating faux pas threatens her reputation, Mary travels to Paris to write about the French Revolution, where she unexpectedly falls in love with American adventurer Gilbert Imlay. Her ill-timed affair occurs just as the Reign of Terror begins, forcing Mary to decide whether to leave Paris—and Imlay. Her writing has branded her a revolutionary. If she stays, she is sure to face a trip to the guillotine. The choice Mary makes alters her life forever.

Readers of biographical fiction will embrace this carefully researched novel about the woman historians widely consider the world’s first feminist. Told against the backdrop of Wollstonecraft’s incredible rise as a writer, the French Revolution, and a solo journey along the remote shores of Scandinavia, Solitary Walker is the timeless story of women forging their own path.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223914620-solitary-walker?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=DXMjWpefiL&rank=1

***

My Mini Book Review

SOLITARY WALKER: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by N.J. Mastro is a captivating biographical historical fiction about a woman many consider one of the leading and most influential eighteenth-century writers on women’s rights and rational feminism. This book covers her life from 1787 when she was 28 and moved to London to attempt to make a living by her writing to her death only ten years later in 1797.

In this short number of years, she was a prolific author and reviewer in London, moved to Paris during the French Revolution, went on solo travels through Scandinavia, and returned to London for her final year before her death. While I knew of her philosophy of equality for all people, I did not know the more personal aspects of her life which are well researched and written into this engrossing tale. Her interactions with the men in her circle of society, who were also notable philosophers, writers, and artists of the time, led to triumphs and heartbreaks. This is a more personal look at her personal emotions and motivations. Also, the author’s writing made me feel like I was back in the late 1700s as I was reading with vivid descriptions of the buildings, clothes, economics and historical events of the time.

I highly recommend this biographical historical fiction.

***

About the Author

N.J. Mastro is historical fiction writer and book blogger who publishes Herstory Revisited, a blog dedicated to biographical novels about audacious women from the past, Mastro has a master’s degree and a doctorate in educational leadership. Besides being an experienced public speaker, she is also an avid reader, master cook, and wine enthusiast.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.njmastro.com/

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancy.a.mastro/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/solitary-walker-a-novel-of-mary-wollstonecraft-by-n-j-mastro