Feature Post and Book Review: Mistletoe Christmas: An Anthology

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for the new Christmas Historical Romance Anthology – MISTLETOE CHRISTMAS containing novellas from Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Jenna MacGregor and Erica Ridley.

Below you will find an overall anthology description, my book reviews and the authors’ bios and social media links. If you love holiday historical romance novellas as much as I do, then this is definitely the book you will want for this holiday season. Enjoy!

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Anthology Description

From four beloved writers—Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Janna MacGregor, and Erica Ridley—come four original stories that tell a hilarious tale of a Christmas house party that serves up love and scandal in equal measure!

The Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry is famous throughout the British Isles for its plays, dancing, magical grotto… not to mention scandals leading to the marriage licenses he hands out like confetti.

But not everyone welcomes a visit from Cupid.

Lady Cressida, the duke’s daughter, is too busy managing the entertainments—and besides, her own father has called her dowdy. Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband have to pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more. But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.

A house party so large that mothers lose track of their charges leads to a delightful, seductive quartet of stories that you will savor for the Season!

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon (September 28, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3427 KB
Print length ‏ : ‎ 475 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0063139693

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MISTLETOE CHRISTMAS: An Anthology is a new historical romance anthology with four novellas all taking place at the most anticipated event of the winter season, the Duke of Greystoke’s annual Christmas Revelry. This is an entertaining and romantic anthology from start to finish with novellas from four of my favorite historical romance authors, Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Janna MacGregor, and Erica Ridley.

The first story is Mistletoe Kiss from Eloisa James.

Lady Cressida “Cressie” is the Duke of Greystoke’s youngest daughter and has always been too busy managing all the entertainments of the Revelry to enjoy them. This year, the duke is on his deathbed and his nephew Valentine Snowe, Viscount Derham, who will inherit learns he is to continue the tradition of the Revelry for ten years after the duke’s death in exchange for a Scottish estate that was to be Cressie’s dowry. Lord Darcy de Royleston is Val’s best friend and a neighbor of the duke. He does not like Cressie’s situation and as his friend points out her finer points and he gets to know her; Darcy decides he wants Cressie for his wife. But will Cressie agree?

The second story is Wishing Under the Mistletoe by Christi Caldwell.

Lady Cressida’s cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire has led a single life writing plays and is thrilled when she is assigned to direct the Revelry play. What she discovers when she arrives is that Val has paired her with the man, she broke off her betrothal from ten years earlier. Cyrus Hill has gone from the son of the stablemaster at Greystoke to a rich money manager to members of the ton. Numbers have been a cold master since Isabelle broke off their betrothal. Will they be able to work out their past hurts to have a second chance at love?

The third story is Compromise Under the Mistletoe by Janna MacGregor.

Lady Caroline Whitmore left her husband a year ago to live a separate life in London. Now, they must return to Greystoke and pretend to be happily married to have her uncle, the Duke of Greystoke release her trust money early. Lord Stephen Whitmore does not understand where his marriage went wrong. With this trip to the Revelry, he is determined to get his wife back.

The fourth Story is Mischief & Mistletoe by Erica Ridley.

Miss Louisa Harcourt’s mother tells her that this is her chance to find a titled husband before she is off the market. Louisa is a dutiful daughter, but she also wants to write poetry more than husband hunt. She is excited to learn Val’s friend, the poet, Mr. Ewan Reid is in attendance. Louis and Ewan make a deal to spend as much time together as they can during the Revelry, but once it is over, so is their time together. But Ewan is keeping a secret that could ruin their time together even as he plans to ask Louisa for more time than just the Revelry.

This is one of the best Christmas anthologies I have read with every story pulling me in with believable couples and dilemmas. Each author is able to give the reader a hero and heroine that they are cheering on to their HEAs. There are sex scenes in each novella that are explicit, but I never felt they were gratuitous. Even with the shorter length of the stories, the characters are fully fleshed and the romance plots progress at a pace commensurate with the short length of the Revelry.

I highly recommend this Christmas historical romance anthology!

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Author Biographies

Eloisa James, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, wrote her first novel after graduating from Harvard, but alas, it was rejected by every possible publisher. After she got an MPhil from Oxford, a PhD from Yale, and a job as a Shakespeare professor, she tried again, with much greater success. In 2013 she won a Rita Award for Best Romance Novella. She teaches Shakespeare in the English department at Fordham University in New York. She is the mother of two children and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

Social Media Links

For info about books, visit www.eloisajames.com and sign up for her Five Fabulous Things newsletter. Or ask a question on Facebook (where Eloisa spends entirely too much time): https://www.facebook.com/eloisajames.

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Christi Caldwell is the USA Today bestselling author of more than ten series, including Lost Lords of London, Sinful Brides, The Wicked Wallflowers, and Heart of a Duke. She blames novelist Judith McNaught for luring her into the world of historical romance. When Christi was at the University of Connecticut, she began writing her own tales of love–ones where even the most perfect heroes and heroines had imperfections. She learned to enjoy torturing her couples before they earned their well-deserved happily ever after.

Christi lives in Southern Connecticut, where she spends her time writing, chasing after her son, and taking care of her twin princesses-in-training. Fans who want to keep up with the latest news and information can sign up for her newsletter at https://www.ChristiCaldwell.com.

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Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She is the author of The Bad Luck Bride. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to hear from readers.

Janna MacGregor’s Social Media Links

Website: https://.JannaMacGregor.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JannaMacGregor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Janna MacGregor

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Erica Ridley is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of witty, feel-good historical romance novels, including the upcoming THE DUKE HEIST, featuring the Wild Wynchesters. Why seduce a duke the normal way, when you can accidentally kidnap one in an elaborately planned heist?

In the 12 Dukes of Christmas series, enjoy witty, heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. After all, nothing heats up a winter night quite like finding oneself in the arms of a duke!

Two popular series, the Dukes of War and Rogues to Riches, feature roguish peers and dashing war heroes who find love amongst the splendor and madness of Regency England.

When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Erica Ridley’s Social Media Links

FACEBOOK – https://facebook.com/EricaRidley

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/EricaRidley

INSTAGRAM – https://instagram.com/EricaRidley

GOODREADS – https://goodreads.com/EricaRidley

More info: https://www.EricaRidley.com

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Asylum by Tamera Lawrence

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for ASYLUM by Tamera Lawrence on this Blackthorn Book Tour.

Below you will find an about the book section, my book review and an about the author section. Enjoy!

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About the Book

Like all children living at Rose Hill Asylum, Kyle Hampton wanted freedom from the abusive staff and violent residents. When at nine he was adopted into a loving family, he left his younger brother behind and didn’t look back. Twenty-eight years later, his choices have returned to haunt him.

Now a family man, Kyle has hidden his true childhood from his wife, only to stir up the past when, as a lark, he revisits the underground tunnels and the abandoned asylum with a friend. A dark figure wants revenge and emerges ready to destroy Kyle and everyone he loves. But Kyle isn’t going down without a fight—he’s played in the shadows before.

Will his childhood, rooted in terror, be what saves him?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56949519-asylum?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=tD9vZYnqNY&rank=1

ASYLUM

by Tamera Lawrence

Genre: Psychological thriller
Print length: 232 pages
Age range: This is an adult book but suitable for mature teenagers 16+
Trigger warnings: No
Formats available for the Tour: all standard electronic formats (sorry, no paperbacks)
Amazon Rating: 5 stars
Purchase link: https://mybook.to/TLawrenceAsylum

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My Book Review

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

ASYLUM by Tamera Lawrence is a suspense/thriller standalone by a new to me author that left me guessing throughout. A creepy abandoned asylum, an atmosphere of fear and a history of violence and abuse all kept me turning the pages and keeping the lights on.

Kyle Hampton and his younger brother, Roy were both born at Rose Hill Asylum. As a young boy all Kyle wished for was to be freed from the abusive staff and violent residents. At nine, he was adopted, but he had to leave his brother behind.

Rose Hill Asylum has been vacant and abandoned for many years and it is about to be sold. Kyle wants to return to the place he was born one more time with is best friend, Randy who also grew up at Rose Hill and is a part-time urban explorer. The tunnels underneath the facility connect all the buildings and Kyle begins to remember the terrors they held for him.

A dark figure emerges from the asylum and wants revenge on all who wronged him. Kyle is one of his targets as well as all the people he loves, but Kyle will not go down without a fight.

This book gives you a building sense of dread and chills up your spine from beginning to end, but it is a slow start. I began this book thinking it would be a horror story, and it does scare you, but it is not supernatural. It is the horror of things that humans do to other humans. Kyle is a protagonist that kept my feelings in turmoil because at times I felt sorry for him and at other times I wondered how damaged he was from growing up in the asylum when he did not seem to connect with his wife. The author’s writing makes you feel the atmosphere of the abandoned asylum and the tunnels beneath as well as the menace and violence from the antagonist.

I recommend this chilling suspense/thriller and I will be looking into other works by this author.

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About the Author

With a passion for writing, Award winning author Tamera Lawrence likes to entertain readers with edgy thrillers and mysteries. As a mother of six, Tamera draws on personal experiences to bring to life interesting characters set in today’s complex world. She loves meeting fans and writes book reviews upon request.

Tamera also likes to play softball and clang out a tune or two on the piano.

Other books include:

THE POND, GHOSTS OF MAYFLOWER: A PENNHURST HAUNTING & PENNHURST GHOSTS OF MAYFLOWER 11

Book Review: The Happy Accidents by Jamie Beck

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE HAPPY ACCIDENTS by Jamie Beck is a Women’s fiction story that has three women in their thirties at a crossroad in each of their lives due to the consequences of an impulsive night on the town.

Successful artist Jessie Clarke has a pact with her younger sister, Liz, the co-host of a successful morning show and her childhood best friend, Chloe, the stay-at-home mom of two in which the three will say “Yes” to any adventure that comes their way.

Jessie is mourning her divorce and reminds her sister and friend of their pact. They go to a casino to celebrate Jessie’s upcoming birthday and twelve hours later wake to the consequences of their behavior. Jess makes a life changing bid to unblock her artistic creativity. A viral video throws Liz’s career and reputation into question. Chloe has a major loss at the craps table.

Now each woman finds their lives and friendships tested. As each struggle with the changes from their pact, they try not to let fear decide their future fates which could lead to their greatest fulfillment yet in their lives.

I enjoyed each of these women’s journeys and I found each of the women to be believably and realistically portrayed. Sometimes when reading a Women’s fiction story, it feels like I am reading a soap opera, but Ms. Beck’s characters make me feel like I am following real people that I could meet anywhere and empathize with. This plot is full of thought-provoking questions, but the story itself is optimistic. Change can be terrifying and most of us prefer to just keep to the status quo, but this story makes you want to fight that fear and find something amazing, fulfilling, and new with a change, forced upon us or not.

I recommend this optimistic Women’s fiction story!

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Author Bio

Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jamie Beck’s realistic and heartwarming stories have sold more than two million copies. She is a two-time Booksellers’ Best Award finalist and a National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah and dancing around the kitchen while cooking. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family. Fans can get exclusive excerpts, inside scoops, and be eligible for birthday gift drawings by subscribing to her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/b7k7G5. She also loves interacting with everyone on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks.

Social Media Links

Website – https://jamiebeck.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/writerjamiebeck

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8020971.Jamie_Beck

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Trace of Doubt by DiAnn Mills

Trace of Doubt

by DiAnn Mills

September 1-30, 2021 Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour and I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for TRACE OF DOUBT by DiAnn Mills.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Bestselling and award-winning author DiAnn Mills delivers a heart-stopping story of dark secrets, desperate enemies, and dangerous lies.

Fifteen years ago, Shelby Pearce confessed to murdering her brother-in-law and was sent to prison. Now she’s out on parole and looking for a fresh start in the small town of Valleysburg, Texas. But starting over won’t be easy for an ex-con.

FBI Special Agent Denton McClure was a rookie fresh out of Quantico when he was first assigned the Pearce case. He’s always believed Shelby embezzled five hundred thousand dollars from her brother-in-law’s account. So he’s going undercover to befriend Shelby, track down the missing money, and finally crack this case.

But as Denton gets closer to Shelby, he begins to have a trace of doubt about her guilt. Someone has Shelby in their crosshairs. It’s up to Denton to stop them before they silence Shelby—and the truth—forever.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57239695-trace-of-doubt?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=kwcEoTyFr0&rank=1

Trace of Doubt

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance, Romantic Suspense
Published by: Tyndale House Publishers
Publication Date: September 7th 2021
Number of Pages: 432
ISBN: 1496451856 (ISBN13: 9781496451859)

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My Book Review

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

TRACE OF DOUBT by DiAnn Mills is an action-packed, fast paced Christian romantic suspense. The unique heroine is an ex-con looking to start over with an FBI undercover agent determined to recover embezzled money he believes she has hidden for fifteen years. This is a standalone novel.

Shelby Pearce has been paroled from prison after serving fifteen years for shooting her brother-in-law to death. She is looking for peace and a fresh start in a small Texas town to sell her custom-made jewelry.

FBI Special Agent Denton McClure worked the Pearce case from the beginning not to prove Shelby’s guilt of murder, but to discover the five hundred thousand dollars embezzled from her brother-in-law’s nonprofit account. Undercover in the same town as Shelby, he is determined to find the missing money and finally crack the case that has eluded conclusion for years.

Someone has Shelby in their crosshairs and as Denton works to discover why, he begins to have a trace of doubt about her guilt. Will Shelby and Denton be able to discover the who and why before they are able to silence Shelby forever?

Shelby is a unique heroine in many ways. While in prison Shelby claimed her Christian faith and a lot of her story is trying to live her faith even with the hate of some and the disbelief of others for her crime. While Denton does not believe, Shelby tries to share her faith with him. The romance is slow to build due of the lack of trust which is realistic and there are no sex scenes. The secondary characters in the small town are fully fleshed and believable, but the criminals seem two-dimensional to me. The suspense plot was intriguing and interesting in the first part of the book, but then it went into more of an action movie over-the-top less realistic climax and conclusion.

This is a Christian romantic suspense with plenty of Christian faith, redemption and forgiveness intertwined with an action-packed suspense plot.

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Excerpt

PROLOGUE

SHELBY

Would I ever learn? I’d spent too many years looking out for someone else, and here I was doing the same thing again. Holly had disappeared after I sent her to the rear pantry for potatoes. She’d been gone long enough to plant and dig them up. I needed to get those potatoes boiling to feed hungry stomachs.

I left the kitchen to find her. The hallway to the pantry needed better lighting or maybe fewer corners. In any event, uneasiness swirled around me like a dust storm.

A plea to stop met my ears. I raced to the rear pantry fearing what I’d find.

Four women circled Holly. One held her arms behind her back, and the other three took turns punching her small body. My stomach tightened. I’d been in her shoes, and I’d do anything to stop the women from beating her.

“Please, stop,” Holly said through a raspy breath. For one who was eighteen years old, she looked fifteen.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I forced my voice to rise above my fear of them.

“Stay out of it, freak.”

I’d run into this woman before, and she had a mean streak. “What’s she done to you?” I eyed the woman.

“None of your business unless you want the same.”

“It’s okay, Shelby. I can handle this.” Holly’s courageous words would only earn her another fist to her battered face.

And it did.

“Enough!” I drew my fists and stepped nose to nose with the leader.

The four turned on me. I’d lived through their beatings before, and I would again. I fell and the kicks to my ribs told me a few would be broken.

A whistle blew, and prison guards stopped the gang from delivering any more blows to Holly or me. They clamped cuffs on the four and left Holly and me on the floor with reassurance help was on its way.

I’d been her age once and forced to grow up fast. No one had counseled me but hard knocks, securing an education, and letting Jesus pave the way. I’d vowed to keep my eyes and ears open for others less fortunate.

Holly’s lip dripped blood and a huge lump formed on the side of her head. I crawled to her. “Are you okay?”

“Not sure. Thank you for standing up for me. I thought they would kill me. Why do they do this? I’ve never done a thing to them.”

“Because they can. They want to exert power, control. Stick by me, and I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”

CHAPTER 1

I tightened my grip on the black trash bag slung over my shoulder containing my personal belongings—parole papers, a denim shoulder bag from high school, a ragged backpack, fifty dollars gate money, my driver’s license at age sixteen, and the clothes I’d worn to prison fifteen years ago.

The bus slowed to pick me up outside the prison gates, its windshield wipers keeping pace with the downpour. The rain splattered the flat ground in a steady cadence like a drum leading a prisoner to execution. I stepped back to avoid the splash of muddy water from the front tires dipping into a pothole. Air brakes breathed in and out, a massive beast taking respite from its life labors.

The door hissed open. At the top of the steps, a balding driver took my ticket, no doubt recognizing the prison’s release of a for- mer inmate. He must have been accustomed to weary souls who’d paid their debts to society. The coldness glaring from his graphite eyes told me he wagered I’d be locked up again within a year. Maybe less. I couldn’t blame him. The reoffend stats for female convicts like me soared high.

For too many years, I imagined the day I left prison would be bathed in sunlight. I’d be enveloped in welcoming arms and hear encouraging words from my family.

Reality hosted neither.

I moved to the rear of the bus, past a handful of people, and found a seat by myself. All around me were those engrossed in their devices. My life had been frozen in time, and now that I had permission to thaw, the world had changed. Was I ready for the fear digging its claws into my heart?

The cloudy view through the water-streaked window added to my doubts about the future. I’d memorized the prison rules, even prayed through them, and now I feared breaking one unknowingly.

The last time I’d breathed free air, riding the bus was a social gathering—in my case, a school bus. Kids chatted and laughter rose above the hum of tires. Now an eerie silence had descended.

I hadn’t been alone then.

My mind drifted back to high school days, when the future rested on maintaining a 4.0 average and planning the next party. Maintaining my grades took a fraction of time, while my mind schemed forbidden fun. I’d dreamed of attending college and exploring the world on my terms.

Rebellion held bold colors, like a kaleidoscope shrouded in black light. The more I shocked others, the more I plotted something darker. My choices often seemed a means of expressing my creativity. While in my youth I viewed life as a cynic. By the time I was able to see a reflection of my brokenness and vowed to change, no one trusted me.

All that happened . . .

Before I took the blame for murdering my brother-in-law. Before I traded my high school diploma and a career in interior design for a locked cell.

Before I spent years searching for answers.

Before I found new meaning and purpose.

How easy it would be to give in to a dismal, gray future when I longed for blue skies. I had to prove the odds against me were wrong.

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Author Bio

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Retreats: Marketing, Speakers, Nonfiction, and Novelist with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

Social Media Links

DiAnnMills.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @DiAnnMills
Instagram – @DiAnnMillsAuthor
Twitter – @DiAnnMills
Facebook – @DiAnnMills

Purchase Links

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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f24bf84b763/?

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope

Book Description

Sometimes, the most perfect families are hiding the most terrible secrets. How well do you know the people next door…?

Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses. The new family, The Wests, are a perfect fit. Katherine and Josh seem so in love and their gorgeous five-year-old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.

But soon people start to notice: why don’t they join backyard barbecues? Why do they brush away offers to babysit? Why, when you knock at the door, do they shut you out, rather than inviting you in?

Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out. As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wail of sirens. And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realize: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Family Across The Street is Nicole Trope’s latest novel. Her American debut was in June of this year with the outstanding book, The Boy In The Photo. With all her books, readers get a vivid plot that grips them and grabs their full attention. The stories usually delve into everything from emotional abuse, child abuse (both psychological and sexual), and domestic violence.

The Boy In the Photo was first published by Grand Central Publishing this June. It takes readers on an emotional roller coaster involving love, hurt, heartbreak, and joy. The story is told in two parts: six years ago, and six years later. Megan Kade divorced her abusive husband, Greg Stanthorpe. Intending to get Megan back or to hurt her he kidnaps their son and goes off the grid. Six years later the boy, Daniel, appears at a New South Wales police station, reporting that his dad died in a fire. Daniel is distant, volatile, and in some ways resistant to Megan. He believes all the horror stories told to him by his father. The flashbacks of how both Megan and Daniel feel in the six-year gap emphasizes their grief and apprehension.

The Family Across The Street, her latest book, can be purchased as either an e-book or a paperback. The plot begins with Kathleen and her five-year-old twins, George and Sophie, being terrorized by someone in their house. Logan, a delivery driver, gets a strange feeling that something is wrong after he tries to deliver a package that requires a signature, and the homeowner tells him she can’t open the door. He is not alone; Gladys, the caring across the street neighbor, also suspects something is wrong. Both grapple with deciding if they should intervene. Would they be interfering and falsely calling the police or should they be disinterested and mind their own business. This is a subject explored throughout the plot along with how Kathleen plans to protect her children.

All her books are riveting reads with another two books that readers might want to read first, The Nowhere Girl and The Life She Left Behind.

The Nowhere Girl has Alice married to a wonderful man, Jack, and raising three wonderful children. But as with many of Trope’s books this character has a secret. She has told Jack that she ran away from home when she was younger, but she didn’t tell him the whole story. Her husband doesn’t know about the guilt she bears about her little sister she failed to save. Trying to come to grips with her emotions, she starts a blog for those abused. One of the women she is in contact with wants to meet her. But she wants her past to stay in her past, until she realizes that her abusive father is watching her and waiting to attack. The story goes back and forth explaining Alice’s childhood and how she plans on protecting her family.

The Life She Left Behind also has a wife not able to confide in her husband about her past. Twenty-eight years later the secret does not stay buried. Rachel and her husband Ben, along with their young daughter Beth, have just moved into their very first house in a new housing complex. But what should be a happy and joyous moment is shattered when someone breaks into their new home leaving Rachel with memories of a childhood she wishes to forget. Someone is leaving her childhood Troll dolls in places for her child to find. It seems her mother and she escaped the domestic violence inflicted by the husband/father. But has he returned?

As with all her books, Trope skillfully keeps readers guessing, always having a twist at the end of the story. She has the reader take a journey with the characters as they try to protect themselves and their family. She also has the reader ponder a question about what would they do: would they call the police, would they leave and start a new life, or would they stay? Because of the abuse scenes, readers will be on the edge of their seats hoping that the heroine can overcome the evil in her life.

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Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How would you describe your books?

Nicole Trope: There is a family where, in a certain moment, something changes in their life, and how they react. Usually there are troubling characters, where I hope to redeem them in some way. I want readers to understand why they behaved the way they did. Many of the books deal with abuse and families in crisis.

EC: How did you get the idea for your last book, The Family Across The Street?”

NT: Looking at Facebook, I saw a post by an American photographer who took pictures of gang members’ and their tattoos. One guy had a very emotional reaction after seeing his picture where the tattoos were photoshopped out. He felt without them he looked like an average person. I thought about someone who might not have had a good start and wanted to change their life. Yet, they are marked forever. In this book, Logan, the delivery driver was like that and after he entered my head along came the story.

EC: In most of your books the abusers have a certain persona?

NT: They are dominant, distrustful, angry, violent, and like to inflict fear. Many times, they like to be in control because they cannot control their own rage, anger, and fear. There is an underlying reason for their emotions.

EC: There are also mothers who want to stay close to their children?

NT: In this book, The Family Across The Street, the heroine Katherine West has a wonderful new start. Yet, she does not want to be cut out of her older child’s life. She is very much a mother who is trying to do her best.

EC: Gladys, is the neighbor across the street?

NT: She is an elderly woman who is from a different generation when all the neighbors knew each other. She is struggling because her best friend, her husband, is dying. She must contemplate a future without him in her life. She never had children, so she is lonely.

EC: This book shows how many people feel about getting involved?

NT: This is something that fascinates me. When to call the police? Does someone call if they hear a child crying or do they go over to their neighbor’s house to make sure everything is OK? I understand the reader wants someone to call the police because they know more than the neighbors. I made sure the event takes place only over one day because I want the neighbors and Logan to consider what to do. People are afraid to put forward the wrong foot yet, the consequences could be devastating if wrong. The Family Across The Street had people afraid of overreacting, but worried their neighbors are being harmed. It is very difficult to know what to do.

EC: Did the five-year-old George steal the show in your latest book?

NT: He is very protective, caring, and will grow up into a lovely man. I loved him. He is a brave little soldier.

EC: What about your next book?

NT: It comes out October of this year, titled, The Mother’s Fault. It is in the same vein as the last book.

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: Write My Name Across the Sky by Barbara O’Neal

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for a wonderful new Women’s fiction story – WRITE MY NAME ACROSS THE SKY by Barbara O’Neal. An engaging read from start to finish!

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

Life’s beautiful for seventysomething influencer Gloria Rose, in her Upper West Side loft with rooftop garden and scores of Instagram followers—until she gets word that her old flame has been arrested for art theft and forgery, and, knowing her own involvement in his misdeeds decades earlier, decides to flee. But that plan is complicated when the nieces she raised are thrown into crises of their own.

Willow, overshadowed by her notorious singer-songwriter mother, has come home to lick her wounds on the heels of a failed album and yet another disastrous relationship. Sam, prickly and fiercely independent, is on the verge of losing not only her beloved video game company but the man she loves, thanks to her inability to keep her always-simmering anger in check.

With the FBI closing in, Willow’s career in shambles, and Sam’s tribulations reaching a peak, each of the three woman will have to reckon with and reconcile their interwoven traumas, past loves, and the looming consequences that could either destroy their futures or bring them closer than ever.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56392129-write-my-name-across-the-sky?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=2TF3VKby8x&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

WRITE MY NAME ACROSS THE SKY by Barbara O’Neal is a Women’s fiction story featuring two sisters and the aunt who raised them. They are all complex, independent, artistic women at crossroads in their lives. I read this book in one sitting and was engrossed with the women’s history and lives, both as a family unit and individually.

Gloria Rose has led an adventurous life as one of the first professional airline stewardesses, but she is ready to leave that life when her younger sister dies of an overdose and leaves her two young daughters alone. Now that the girls are grown, Gloria has become a septuagenarian influencer on Tik Tok, but her past actions have come back to haunt her and possibly land her in prison.

Sam is the eldest sister and has a brilliant mind for creating and coding computer games, but she has always had difficulty socially. She alienated her business co-founder and life-long best friend, Asher last year and now her business is foundering. As she searches for solutions, she becomes ill, and this may be the only thing that makes Sam realize what is truly important before it is gone.

Willow is an extremely talented musician, like her mother. She has avoided the pitfalls of her mother’s life but has a lack of confidence in herself after the low sale numbers of her first album. She returns home to regroup and finds the strength and confidence to continue with her dream when she meets another musician who sends her confidence and music soaring even as she deals with a lifetime of jealousy from her older sister.

I love these characters and all their realistic interactions. Even when they are fighting, they have each other’s backs. Gloria’s life is fascinating. She lived her life as she wanted too even before that was popular or even acceptable. Willow is a character that everyone can get behind and cheer on. Her early life was so chaotic and all she wants to do is be happy, make music and make others happy. Sam is as prickly as a cactus and pushes everyone away due to her upbringing and feelings. I was glad she had her revelations and HEA before it was too late, and I feel the author made it realistic by stating that she needed professional help to deal with and overcome her negative traits and feelings.

I read this book in one sitting and fell in love with these characters. It is an engaging story of family, love and the choices made by family members for their creativity. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author’s other books.

I can highly recommend this story of strong, independent women!

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About Barbara O’Neal

Barbara O’Neal is the author of more than a dozen award-winning, bestselling novels, including the runaway bestseller, When We Believed in Mermaids, which has been published in 20 countries and spent many months on the Amazon Charts, as well as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller lists. Barbara is an avid traveler and passionate cook, and she lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent. You can find more information on her newsletter and where to find her on social media at barbaraoneal.com.

Social Media Links