reecaspieces

Overview

Sarah Penner transported me to the sea-swept cliffs of Positano and introduced me to characters I’ll never forget. A magical read!”—Emilia Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Weyward

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.

About the author

Sarah Penner is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The London Seance Society and The Lost Apothecary, which will be translated into forty languages worldwide and is set to be turned into a drama series by Fox. Sarah spent thirteen years in corporate finance and now writes full-time. She and her husband live in Florida. To learn more, visit SarahPenner.com.

Social Links:

Author Website: https://www.sarahpenner.com/ 

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

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

Review

Haven is searching for the treasure her dad discovered before he passed away. And this leads her to discover a historical tale about magic and controlling the ocean.

I loved these dual timelines! Talk about masterfully done! The magic and the sorcery in one timeline and the drama of buried treasure in the other! SEA WITCHES…ENOUGH SAID!

However, I did sort of struggle with connecting to the characters. And as good as Haven is, I wanted her to be a bit stronger and fight just a bit harder. And when you read this, you will understand.

Need a witchy tale full of mystery, drama and an atmospheric setting…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

For historical fiction fans of women’s untold true stories, an early twentieth century novel about Jo van Gogh who battled the male-dominated art elite in her fifteen-year crusade to save her genius brother-in-law Vincent from obscurity. 

In the tradition of The Paris Bookseller and Her Hidden Genius, the story of a real woman overshadowed in history by the giant talent she saved, Vincent van Gogh.

How did a failed belligerent Dutch painter become one of the greatest artists of our time? 

In 1891, timid Jo van Gogh Bonger lives safely in the background of her art dealer husband Theo’s passionate work to sell unknown artists, especially his ill-fated dead brother Vincent. When Theo dies unexpectedly, Jo’s brief happiness is shattered. Her inheritance—hundreds of unsold paintings by Vincent—is worthless. Pressured to move to her parents’ home, Jo defies tradition, opening a boarding house to raise her infant son alone, and choosing to promote Vincent’s art herself. But her ingenuity and persistence draw the powerful opposition of a Parisian art dealer who vows to stop her once and for all, and so sink Vincent into obscurity.

Saving Vincent reveals there was more than one genius in the Van Gogh family.

Review

This is the wonderful story of Jo van Gogh. She was the wife of Vincent’s brother. When her husband, Theo, passed away. Jo took up his passion for art. She did this so her young son would have an inheritance. But her strength and ingenuity gave the world a magnificent gift.

Jo was truly a smart lady. She struggled against the restrictions of unmarried women and her family. But her intelligence and fortitude kept her going.

This is a very well researched novel and I learned a great deal. It does have quite a few mundane details but this is just a minor issue.

Need a unique historical fiction…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel for a honest review.

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Overview

Two half sisters on a road trip to see their dying father end up miles from where they expected in an emotional novel about secrets, forgiveness, and what it means to be family by the author of La Vie, According to Rose.

Zahra Starling and her younger half sister, Aurora, have nothing in common. Not their childhoods or their personalities. And certainly not their outlooks. After a terrible loss, Zahra prefers the solitude of her LA kitchen to people, especially family. Bubbly Aurora, a rising Hollywood starlet, has everything she’s ever dreamed of, except a relationship with her sister.

Then comes a plea from their dying father, who wants both daughters by his side. He has a secret to share that’s been a long time coming.

It’s Zahra’s last chance to bring closure to the past, even if traumatic memories mean there’s no way she’s stepping foot on a plane. For Aurora, road-tripping to Seattle is the perfect escape and the chance to win over prickly Zahra.

What starts as a rough ride reopening old wounds evolves into something neither expects. When they finally reach their destination—and the truth that awaits them—the sisters will need each other like never before.

Review

Zahra and her half sister, Aurora have been summoned by their father to Seattle. Zahra refuses to fly and Aurora is more than happy to hide out in a car for this long road trip. But what awaits them in Seattle is not exactly what either one expects.

Y’all! This book was very close to a 5 star read. The only issue I had was the ending. It seemed to drag on and it just needed a bit of cleaning up.

That being said…I loved this book. I enjoyed how these characters developed and how their story unfolded. These two sisters could not be more different. Zahra is a bit rough around the edges and Aurora is bubbly and a people pleaser. But, their secrets and the past hurts start to melt away on this road trip and this story soon became a novel of love, forgiveness and friendship.

Need a heartwarming tale with characters that will draw you in and keep you there…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

I received this novel for a honest review.

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Overview

Sharp Objects meets I Have Some Questions for You in this haunting novel—inspired by a true story—about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart, at a crumbling Vermont orphanage.

On a blistering summer day in 1968, nine-year-old Tommy vanishes without a trace from Coram House, an orphanage on the shores of Lake Champlain. Some say a nun drowned him, others say he ran away. Or maybe he never existed. Fifty years later, his disappearance is still unsolved.

Struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley needs a fresh start. When she’s asked to ghostwrite a book about the orphanage—and the abuses that occurred there—she packs up her belongings and moves to wintry Burlington, Vermont.

As Alex tries to untangle the conflicting stories surrounding Tommy’s disappearance, her investigation takes a chilling turn when she discovers a woman’s body in the lake. Alex is convinced the death is connected to Coram House’s dark past, even if local police officer Russell Parker thinks she’s just desperate for a career-saving story. As the body count rises, Alex must prove that the key to finding the killer lies in Tommy’s murder, or risk becoming the next victim.

Drawing inspiration from the real-life stories of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Coram House “reckons with both the long aftermath of violence and the hazards of writing true crime. It is an eerie, suspenseful mystery, sure to find readers among fans of Tana French” (Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy).

Review

Struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley needs a fresh start. When she’s asked to ghostwrite a book about the orphanage—and the abuses that occurred there—she packs up her belongings and moves to wintry Burlington, Vermont.

Alex is a character I had mixed feelings about. She tends to jump to conclusions and she also does not seem to be a very nice person. And usually characters like this throw me off. But, the intensity of this tale had me captivated. I could not get this orphanage and the trauma surrounding it out of my head.

Even though I saw the twist coming, I am still giving this 5 stars. I loved the history of the orphanage and all the creepiness that this added to the tale.

Need an intense, creepy read with a twist…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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