About the Author
Amy M. Reade is a debut author of romantic suspense. A native of upstate New York, she grew up in the Thousand Islands region and was inspired by the natural beauty of that area to write her first novel, Secrets of Hallstead House. She now lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children, a Bouvier des Flandres named Orly, and two rescued cats who refuse to answer to their names of Porthos and Athos.
Having practiced law in New York City, Amy soon discovered that her dream job was writing. In addition to volunteering with school, church, and community groups, Amy is currently working on her second novel, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, set in the area around Charleston, South Carolina.
Though Amy lives within site of the Atlantic Ocean, she is partial to the blue waters of the Pacific and spends as much time as possible on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is the setting of her as-yet-unwritten third novel.
Amy can be found on Twitter, Facebook, her website and her blog.
Book Information
Secrets of Hallstead House by Amy M Reade
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Publication Date: July 17, 2014
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Purchase: Amazon
Book Synopsis
“You are wanted here. Go away from Hallstead Island or you will be very sorry you stayed.”
Macy Stoddard had hoped to ease the grief of losing her parents in a fiery car crash by accepting a job as a private nurse to the wealthy and widowed Alexandria Hallstead. But her first sight of Summerplace is of a dark and forbidding home. She quickly finds its winding halls and shadowy rooms filled with secrets and suspicions. Alex seems happy to have Macy’s help, but others on the island, including Alex’s sinister servants and hostile relatives, are far less welcoming. Watching eyes, veiled threats…slowly, surely, the menacing spirit of Hallstead Island closes in around Macy. And she can only wonder if her story will become just one of the many secrets of Hallstead House…
My Review
The book opens with Macy being taken to Hallstead Island by Pete, the handyman and boat captain. You can tell from the start that book is going to be a suspense as Pete is very vague with his answers to Macy’s questions by Hallstead House and it’s inhabitants. You can also tell that it’s going to be a romance as Pete and Macy seem to have a connection from the start. Macy arrives at Hallstead and is enchanted by the possible charm that the house holds but yet off put by the housekeeper and her husband, to the point that she actually hides when she hears them talking.
All in all I thought this was a great book that kept me guessing. Every time I thought I new what was going to happen I was totally off base. The one thing I did call was that Macy and Pete would be the romance part of the romance suspense genre. One of the main things that caught me off guard was Macy’s relationship with Ms. Hallstead. I thought that Ms. Hallstead was going to be a tyrant that hated Macy but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The only thing that did bug me a bit was the book seemed to drag in some spots and I felt like that was because the author was a bit to through. If some parts had been cut out the book would have been a lot better.
My Review
4 out of 5
If you liked this book review be sure to check out some of my others
- Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth by John Moe
- Imperfect Love by Rebecca Talley
- Righting a Wrong by Rachel Anderson
- Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin
- Moonless by Crystal Collier
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Many thanks for the kind words and for hosting me today!
Anytime, it was a great read!