House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure

 

Gambling debts, robbery rings, high society,​ and​​ ​thugs​ blending together​ for a marvelous read.  

HOUSE OF THIEVES takes us back to the late 1800's when women needed escorts and ​when ​men were their protectors.  The men definitely​ protected their wives and families and​ kept secrets from them as they carried out their days.

The secret John Cross kept from his wife​, though,​ was one he couldn't keep for long.  When he returned home one evening with bruises and cuts, John had to tell his wife about his "deal" with Kent.  The secret he kept was that their son, George, had racked up a gambling debt that he couldn't pay, and Kent came to John with ​a ​deal John wasn't able to pass up.

John wasn't able to pass it up because it was a good deal. John wasn't able to pass it up because ​it was a deal that he had to ​accept to ​keep his family safe.  If he didn't go along with Kent, John saw what​ Kent was capable of.

The deal took every waking minute of John's time and was something he would never dream of doing or being a part of.​  If he got caught, he would ruin his family, but better to be ruined than dead.

The characters ​seemed quite authentic.  John Cross made me afraid for him, Kent was despicable and ruthless, George made me angry that he would continue to ​do what he did to ​put his family​ in this situation even​ after his father told him he knew​ of his dangerous obsession​.​  Kent seemed as if he were just playing John Cross and his son's debt would never be settled, but John Cross had to keep finding homes and banks to rob so his family was safe.

You will get pulled into the time period and the storyline as you wonder how someone could be as evil and cunning as Kent and ​as your ​fear for John Cross​ and his family mounts.​
        .​
Mr. Belfoure has authored another intriguing, well-​written, captivating​ book.  Mr. Belfoure​ pulls you in with his marvelous research and storyline about the life styles of the wealthy as well as the poor during this era.

​If you enjoy being treated to history, an alluring storyline, and an "oh my goodness" ending, HOUSE OF THIEVES will take you there.

One chapter after another keeps you mesmerized as unbelievable, possible events happen.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review. ​

Giveaway of The Murder Road by Stephen Booth

 

The Fifteenth Book In The Cooper & Fry Series

THE MURDER ROAD
By Stephen Booth

On-Sale September 8

You Can Enter the Giveaway below

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From the Publisher:

For fans of Broadchurch, Louise Penny, and Peter Robinson comes a spellbinding new novel from internationally bestselling author Stephen Booth.

Welcome to the picturesque English village of Shawhead, where there’s one road in and one road out. And on that road this morning is an abandoned vehicle... with an ominous bloodstain inside. 



It’s a mystery. It could be a murder. Where -- and who -- is the driver? Whose blood has been discovered? Why are the people of Shawhead so hostile towards Detective Ben Cooper, sent in to take charge of the investigation?


As Cooper peels back layers of lies and exposes dark secrets to the light, he draws ever closer to a killer hiding in plain sight. Packed with atmosphere, suspense, and surprises, The Murder Road (On-Sale: September 8, 2015; Witness Impulse; E-Book; $2.99; ISBN: 9780062439239) is Stephen Booth’s most unforgettable novel yet.

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About the Author:

STEPHEN BOOTH’s fourteen novels featuring Cooper and Fry, all to be published by WITNESS, have sold over half a million copies around the world.

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Giveaway: 

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY
E-BOOK

ENTER HERE

September 15

to

September 22

 One Entry Per Reader Please 

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Summer At Hideaway Key by Barbara Davis

An inherited beach cottage with memories of its own, a beach cottage filled with journals about the life of an unknown aunt, a job as a fashion designer in Milan, and decisions, decisions, decisions.

Lily St. Claire had no idea that her father had left her a beach cottage that once belonged to her estranged aunt or why he left it to her especially with all the secrets between her mother and her mother's sister.  Lily needed to see the cottage for herself and was curious enough to head to Florida to Sand Pearl Cottage to find out what it was all about.

What Lily found was definitely not what she expected.  Lily found boxes everywhere that held her aunt's possessions as well as the story about her life that no one was aware of and one that her mother would never talk about.

Lily needed to decide if she wanted to stay to uncover all she could find about her aunt or just leave the cottage and head to Milan for her dream job.

SUMMER AT HIDEAWAY KEY had a storyline that any women's fiction fan will not want to put down.  

We meet a number of interesting characters, find secrets that had never been revealed, get a glimpse into her aunt's life, see the decisions Lily must make in her personal life, and see how Lily desperately tries to get her mother to shed some light on why her mother and her aunt never talked for over 30 years.

SUMMER AT HIDEAWAY KEY is another marvelous book by Ms. Davis.  The characters, the setting, the atmosphere, and the storyline will keep you turning the pages and still want more.  It was a glorious read up until the very last word.

Ms. Davis has a way of pulling you in and not letting go.  There is always something lurking that you "must" know along with a touch of romance.

The journals made for an absolutely wonderful read....terrific book.  

I always enjoy journals.  When you read about journals in a book, do you ever ask yourself why you didn't do something like that or if you did leave journals what folks would think after they read them?
5/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher and without compensation in return for an honest review.
 

The Gilded Hour Giveaway - 9/1 to 9/8

What a gorgeous cover!!!

Complete the form below the publisher's book description for a chance to win THE GILDED HOUR.

THIS INFORMATION IS FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The international bestselling author of Into the Wilderness makes her highly anticipated return with a remarkable epic about two female doctors in nineteenth-century New York and the transcendent power of courage and love…

The year is 1883, and in New York City, it’s a time of dizzying splendor, crushing poverty, and tremendous change. With the gravity-defying Brooklyn Bridge nearly complete and New York in the grips of anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock, Anna Savard and her cousin Sophie—both graduates of the Woman’s Medical School—treat the city’s most vulnerable, even if doing so may put everything they’ve strived for in jeopardy.

Anna’s work has placed her in the path of four children who have lost everything, just as she herself once had. Faced with their helplessness, Anna must make an unexpected choice between holding on to the pain of her past and letting love into her life.

For Sophie, an obstetrician and the orphaned daughter of free people of color, helping a desperate young mother forces her to grapple with the oath she took as a doctor—and thrusts her and Anna into the orbit of Anthony Comstock, a dangerous man who considers himself the enemy of everything indecent and of anyone who dares to defy him.

With its vivid depictions of old New York and its enormously appealing characters, The Gilded Hour is a captivating, emotionally gripping novel that proves Sara Donati is an author at the height of her powers.

Praise
 

Praise for The Gilded Hour:

“Page-turning and atmospheric.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Compelling…This satisfying read, rich in interpersonal relationships of many kinds, is part romance, part mystery, and part serial-killer thriller.”—Booklist (starred review)

Praise for the novels of Sara Donati:

“Each time you open a book, you hope to discover a story that will make your spirit of adventure and romance sing. This book delivers on that promise.”—Amanda Quick

“A powerful adventure story…Gorgeous, vividly described.”—People

“Lushly written…Exemplary historical fiction, boasting a heroine with a real and tangible presence.”—Kirkus Reviews

“From page one, the action is non-stop. The more you read, the better it gets.”—Tulsa World

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Contest Has Ended

CONGRATS to Sharon

#10 in the list of entries
 

ENTER HERE

USA ONLY

September 1

to September 8

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The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur

Another summer, another tragic drowning, and a lot of awful memories.

After the tragedy of the drowning years ago, the beach community never expected another one.

Jo and her family were the most affected by the tragedy that happened years ago, and that tragedy still haunted Jo. Will the awful memories ever go away, and will the real facts about the drowning perhaps be revealed?

The secrets of Lake Road were deep and haunting for those who had a secret. Ms. Katchur marvelously put together a story that will remain with you simply because it could really be a true situation.

Ms. Katchur skillfully takes the reader back years before and skillfully brings readers to the present as the storyline unfolds.

The characters in THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD were a bit difficult to like.  Jo was my least favorite.  She was a terrible, heartless mother. The secret she kept tucked inside most definitely affected her.  Caroline her daughter seemed sweet and wise beyond her years. The other characters worked well around these two main characters.

I enjoyed the revelations at the end.  One of the revelations was obvious toward the end, but the others were a surprise.

THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD is a murder/mystery with a bit of romance.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Water From My Heart by Charles Martin

Charlie Finn had an unusual childhood and a very unique rest of his life.

Charlie played poker, went to Harvard, had a job that ​paid well but ​was a job​ that cost him the woman he loved, and then had another job that gave him a family but also danger.

WATER FROM MY HEART was a bit confusing at first because more than one story was going on.  It started to come together around Page 100 or so.

​We follow Charlie as WATER FROM MY HEART goes back and forth from past to present.  I liked Charlie despite some of the things he did in his life and despite the decisions he made that ruined lives as well as saved and touched lives.

WATER FROM MY HEART was a book about loss, life​​, decisions, and regrets.  

You will learn what the title means and see a redemption in Charlie. The ending was heartwarming.

I have read another book by Charles Martin that I thoroughly enjoyed...UNWRITTEN.  4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Review and Giveaway of Dead Money Run by J. Frank James

 

Fifteen million dollars, fifteen years in prison, a murdered sister, and lots of bodies.

The day he got out of prison is when it all started.

Lou Malloy, now known as John Addams, is released from prison and goes on a killing spree as he looks for the money he hid and for his sister's killer.

Lou meets Hilary Kelly, and they team up​ with both of them doing the investigating and with Lou doing the killing.  We meet many unique characters.

DEAD MONEY RUN was fast-paced but a bit unbelievable how John acquired guns, found information, and always managed to get rid of people that were after him.

​I definitely wouldn't want to be on Lou Malloy's ​"​list.​"​  :)​  He had no qualms about maiming or killing people.​  There is a lot of gore.

​As DEAD MONEY RUN continued, Lou found out that his sister may have been killed for more than the money he stole, and she may have been involved in other things.

DEAD MONEY RUN wasn't gripping, but is a read that will keep you wondering where the search will lead and who else is involved in following and trying to kill Lou ​and Hilary and what the motives of these people are.  The ending was tense and quite good.

DEAD MONEY RUN needs a bit of polishing up in the believability factor, but I did enjoy ​DEAD MONEY RUN.  We have to realize, though, that it is a book and not real life, right?

Mr. James knows how to tell a good tale and keep you interested.   4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

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CONTEST HAS ENDED!!

THE WINNER IS JONATHAN - #5 

CONGRATS!!

THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!!

Enter here

Kindle version or print copy

One Entry Per Reader Please 

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August 27

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September 3

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