HIDDEN IN THE NIGHT

MY THOUGHTS:

Former FBI agent turned rare-book collector, Ivy Elliott returns to Alaska at the request of her mother.  Her mission is to secure and protect an unpublished manuscript written by Jack London.  The book has been kept a secret for decades. But, when Ivy arrives in Alaska the manuscript is no where to be found.  Ivy stops at nothing to locate the manuscript and save the girl that has it.  Ivy partners with Nolan Long an Alaska State Trooper to find the manuscript and the girl.  But with no help from the Alaska elements, the temperature and the snow is falling, but the search must continue.  

Hidden in the Night written by author Elizabeth Goddard is an amazingly written story full of suspense, romance, and faith.  This wonderful and captivating story had me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover.  With my heart beating faster and faster, I flipped the pages as fast as possible.  Goddard is a phenomenal author that knows how to immediately pull the reader in to the pages and not letting them go until the end.  The detailed description of Glacier Bay Alaska was perfection, and I welcomed the return to one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I shivered as I read about the blizzard and felt like I needed a jacket.  This story played like a movie in my mind’s eye.  I’m sad that this phenomenal series has come to an end but it makes me look forward to read more stories by this fantastic author.  I highly recommend this unputdownable ten star read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 

HIDDEN IN THE NIGHT

Author: Elizabeth Goddard
Publisher:  Revell Publishers
Publication Date: June 4, 2024 
Pages: 326 
Buy on Amazon

At the behest of her ailing mother, former FBI special agent turned rare-book collector Ivy Elliott arrives in Alaska to secure an unpublished Jack London manuscript kept secreted away for decades. But when she arrives, she learns the manuscript is gone--taken by the granddaughter of the woman who possessed it. Ivy sets off in pursuit, not just to save the manuscript but to save the vulnerable girl, who was previously trafficked and has no idea what she's getting herself into.
 
Joining forces with Alaska State Trooper Nolan Long, Ivy must battle a blizzard, sabotage, and the worst of an Alaskan winter as the search goes on. But every answer they find only raises more questions--and the danger to their lives and to the missing girl may only be the tip of the iceberg.
 
Don't miss this breathtaking race for truth set amid the glorious--and deadly--Glacier Bay from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard.

ABOUT ELIZABETH GODDARD

Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of 60 novels and novellas, including Cold Light of Day and the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series.  Her books have sold nearly 1.5 million copies. She is a Christy Award, Carol Award and Reader’s Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier and HOLT Medallion Award finalist.  When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry.  For more information about her books, visit her website.

                       Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram |

THE FLORENCE LETTER

MY THOUGHTS:

London, 1940; Margaret lived in London and worked in a shop that was destroyed in a bombing.  She decided to relocate the country and take a job as a Lady’s maid.  She works for Lady Violet at Gatley Manor.  The year is now 2015 and Claire has a new job as researcher at a beautiful house in the country.  She is brokenhearted and welcomes the fresh start and new beginning.  While working at the house, she finds an old tattered letter buried in the back of a drawer.  It told the story of Lady Violet who had a daughter Tabitha.  Claire was enthralled by the letter, and promised to find Tabitha.  She travels to Florence, Italy the last known place for Tabitha.  But, once Tabitha was  found, it wasn’t what Claire had expected.

The Florence Letter written by author Anita Chapman was a captivating dual timeline story.  Chapman amazingly wove together the past and the present, keeping my attention from cover to cover.  I was completely entranced by the storyline, while rapidly flipping the pages to the very end.  I enjoyed the characters and Claire was my favorite.  She was determined to find Tabitha even though she was dealing with her own heartbreak.  This was a wonderful story and I loved the detailed description of Florence.  If you’re ready to go to Italy, this is the perfect story to transport you there.  I highly recommend this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 

THE FLORENCE LETTER

Author: Anita Chapman
Publisher:  Bookouture
Publication Date: June 24, 2024 
Pages: 343 
Buy on Amazon

Looking out over the twinkling city lights of Florence, Claire thinks of the letter that has brought her here. Written by a woman who escaped the Blitz, it holds a secret kept for a lifetime… but can Claire make the woman’s dying wish come true?

arrives at her new job as researcher at a grand English country house, nursing a broken heart. But tucked into the back of a long-forgotten drawer she finds a letter written in an elegant hand. It tells of a wartime secret about the beautiful Lady Violet – whose passionate affair with an Italian prisoner of war scandalised the village and ended in tragedy.

Captivated, Claire promises to find Violet’s daughter, Tabitha, and reunite her with a priceless piece of her mother’s jewellery. With only the name of an Italian bakery, Pasticceria Mancini, to guide her, and the help of her handsome neighbour Jim, Claire travels to Tabitha’s last known location – Florence.

Winding through the colourful streets, the sun warm on her bare shoulders, a tantalising scent of freshly baked bread floats on the air and Claire’s heart leaps at the sight of an ageing bakery sign: Mancini. Although she learns that Tabitha hasn’t been there for many years, Claire refuses to give up. And as she and Jim talk late into the night over glasses of local chianti, Claire looks into his piercing blue eyes and finds herself growing closer to him…

But when they finally track Tabitha down, it isn’t the happy reunion she expected and Claire is left reeling in the wake of discovering a devastating family secret.

Violet’s story has an ending – but will the truth lead to forgiveness, or will it only bring more pain? And will Claire be forced to walk away from a chance of happiness with Jim at last?

ABOUT ANITA CHAPMAN

Anita likes to read journals and diaries from the past, and one of her favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and country houses. Her first published novel, The Venice Secret, is inspired by her mother taking her to see the Canalettos at The National Gallery in London as a child.

The Venice Secret was published in March 2023 and spent six weeks in the overall Amazon UK Kindle Top 100, reaching number thirty-eight. The Venice Secret has had over four million Kindle Unlimited pages read and received more than 3000 Amazon reviews since publication.

Since 2015, Anita has worked as a social media manager, training authors on social media, and helping to promote their books. She’s run several courses in London and York, and has worked as a tutor at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

THE WAY BACK

MY THOUGHTS:

It was summer and like all those before it was going to be a memorable one. That’s exactly what Laney Jacobs’s and her best friend Maddie, thought the summer before their senior year of high school.  As they stood at the edge of the cliff side by side anxious to jump into the water below, Laney knew Maddie was scared but they jumped together.  When Laney surfaces and when Maddie does not, Laney knew something was terribly wrong and life will never be the same.  Laney’s reliance on God to bring her through the hardest of times and the buried family secrets that surface, was very refreshing.  The only way to truly heal is through forgiveness.  My favorite line in the whole book is use  “Lots of grace, being quick to forgive, praying like crazy” a great avenue to healing and sound advice.

I was so happy to get this book in my hands and author Heidi Chiavaroli did not disappoint.  The Way Back is a thought-provoking story of moving past tragedy, and finding hope, faith, family and forgiveness.  I absolutely loved the characters in this book and Chiavaroli has a wonderful way of describing beauty of Maine and making it a place to add to your bucket list of places to visit.  I loved the author’s portrayal of the solitude of the lighthouse by the sea and the ray of hope it resembled.  This is a beautiful and heartwarming story that needs to be at the top of your to be read pile.  This is the first installment in the Lights of Acadia and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.  I highly recommend this amazing book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 

THE WAY BACK

Author: Heidi Chiavaroli
Publisher:  Hope Creek Publishers
Publication Date: June 18, 2024 
Pages: 353 
Buy on Amazon

Young love means everything . . . until it leaves you with nothing.

The summer before her senior year of high school, Laney Jacobs and her best friend jump from a six-story beachside cliff in an attempt to impress their boyfriends. Laney rose from the water. Her friend did not.

Six years later, when Laney’s troubled mother’s memoir hits the bestseller list airing the family’s destructive secrets, Laney is forced to relive the trauma, this time in the public eye. To escape the scrutiny, she seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn. But she can’t reconcile the loving woman with the heartless parent in her mother’s book. As she looks for answers, the ex-boyfriend who’d witnessed her darkest days reappears, stirring up both pain and hope. 

When her mother's vindictive fans threaten her grandmother's livelihood and the lighthouse Laney has come to love, she turns to the century-old words of a young lighthouse keeper to help her find the courage to move forward. But once truths from the past come to light and old love finds new beginnings, will Laney discover that forgiveness is the only way toward true healing?

ABOUT HEIDI CHIAVAROLI

Heidi Chiavaroli (pronounced shev-uh-roli…sort of like Chevrolet and ravioli mushed together!) wrote her first story in third grade, titled I’d Cross the Desert for Milk. It wasn’t until years later that she revisited writing, using her two small boys’ nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn’t stopped writing since!

Heidi writes women’s fiction, combining her love of history and literature to write split time stories. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Heidi loves exploring places that whisper of historical secrets, especially with her family. She loves running, hiking, baking, and dates with her high-school sweetheart and husband of seventeen years. Her latest dual timeline novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott’s life. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.Heidi is represented by the Natasha Kern Literary Agency.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookhype | Amazon | Instagram | Pinterest | Book Bub

THE GRANDDAUGHTER’S IRISH SECRET

MY THOUGHTS:

Rose Fleury has a major breakup with her boyfriend and is need of a fresh start.  She leaves her job and everything behind in Dublin and returns home.  Her grandmother Sylvia offers Rose the gatehouse at Magnolia Manor so she has a place to stay.  She welcomes the offer so that she can get back on her feet.  Rose is invited to the wedding of a friend.  She holds in her possession a beautiful family heirloom topaz necklace.  She takes the priceless necklace to be cleaned for the wedding.  She wants its true beauty to be seen.  But, when she picks it up from being cleaned she is devastated to discover that it is a fake.  She can’t bear to tell her grandmother the truth about the necklace, so she asks Noel Quinn to help her find the real necklace.  When the trail to the real gem leads to a local family, the truth begins to surface and it could tear apart everything she loves about her past.

The Granddaughter’s Irish Secret written by author Susanne O’Leary is a beautifully written story.  It is filled with intrigue, heart-warming romance and historical mystery.  I loved this fast-paced story that kept my interest from cover to cover.  The author is amazing and her detailed description of Ireland and it makes me want to travel.  I loved everything about this story especially Rose and Sylvia.  I loved how Rose wanted to do everything she could to protect her grandmother from the heartbreaking truth about the necklace.  This is the second installment in the Magnolia Manor series  but it can be read as a standalone.  I am loving this series and I highly recommend it.  

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

THE GRANDDAUGHTER’S IRISH SECRET
Author: Susanne O’Leary 
Publisher: Bookouture 
Publication Date: June 5, 2024
Pages: 248
Buy on Amazon

Rose places her hand protectively on her grandmother’s necklace and looks up at Magnolia Manor’s vine-covered walls. The jewels are her most precious possession, but she is terrified to tell her family the truth about where they really come from… 

Standing in the doorway of her grandmother Sylvia’s home, Rose Fleury thought returning here was the answer to all of her problems. She has no job and a broken heart, but Sylvia reminds her that Fleury women of the past were strong and independent, and she can be too. Clutching a family heirloom – a beautiful topaz necklace – Rose promises to be brave like her relatives. Until she finds out that the jewels hide a terrible secret…

Someone in town is claiming the necklace is fake. Rose knows Sylvia will be devastated by this news, and it could shatter their family’s reputation. For the sake of her grandmother, Rose is determined to find the real necklace and discover why it was replaced – and quickly convinces handsome local lawyer Noel Quinn to join her. Though Noel’s broad shoulders in his suit and tie remind Rose of her ex-boyfriend, he seems just as fascinated by the mystery, and she finds her heart fluttering every time he catches her eye…

But when Rose traces the real necklace to another family, and another ancestral home in a nearby village, she’s shocked to discover a forbidden love that once tore her family apart – and that Noel is connected to it. Can she really trust the man she’s been growing so close to? And will the truth about the Fleury family cause a rift between Rose and Sylvia that is impossible to repair?

ABOUT SUSANNE O’LEARY

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than twenty novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She has also written three crime novels and two in the historical fiction genre. She has been the wife of a diplomat (still is), a fitness teacher and a translator. She now writes full-time from either of two locations, a ramshackle house in County Tipperary, Ireland or a little cottage overlooking the Atlantic in Dingle, County Kerry. When she is not scaling the mountains of said counties, or keeping fit in the local gym, she keeps writing, producing a book every six months.

                                    Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookhype | Amazon