Erica Vetsch: A Thieving at Carlton House

By Kelly Bridgewater

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: A Thieving at Carlton House
Series: Of Cloaks & Daggers #1
Author: Erica Vetsch
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: Kregel Publications
Genre: Regency Mystery Romance

Unlikely alliances form when a killer is on the loose... but who can be trusted?

The Home Office has asked Sir Bertrand Thorndike to head an investigation into stolen royal jewels. And as with everything concerning the Prince Regent, discretion is paramount.

It's the perfect chance for Bertie to step out of his brother's long shadow. Unfortunately, his superior, the Duke of Haverly, has a plan that makes him balk. In order to sell his cover, Bertie must play the part of a man looking for love, ready to reform his rakish ways.

Philippa Cashel escaped a life as one of society's best-known courtesans and now devotes her time to helping other women in dire straits. Her hope is that laboring hard enough at her charity work will allow her to feel worthy of God's forgiveness of her past. So when Sir Bertrand Thorndike approaches her about becoming an agent of the Crown, she is skeptical. Why her? She's focused on getting her school for underprivileged women up and running, not on cloak-and-dagger skullduggery.

But when two of Philippa's rescued girls become targets, Philippa risks partnering with Bertie to find the loot and stop a killer.

 

My Thoughts:

A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch is a Regency mystery with a hint of goodness for people who have been shunned by society. With heart, Vetsch dives into the characters who want to make a better life for those who can use it. Readers will enjoy seeing other characters from Vetsch other novels make an appearance and actually help the plot. The mystery drives part one of the story, and it was handled nicely. I like the way the mystery works with the other plot driving the story. Vetsch handles both story lines nicely. It was nice to see the main characters who were sidelined characters in the previous books. Really no romance in this edition, but Vetsch did leave a potential romance on the table. Similarly, I enjoyed the setting. The house that was being worked on came alive before my imagination. Vetsch does a wonderful job at crafting a story with heart and a hint of mystery that drove the storyline. I really enjoyed the story, and need to catch up with the first three books with these familiar characters. A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch features a mystery and a plot line that is driven to make life better for others. A nicely handled story. I recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch from Kregel Publishing through JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Kregel | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop | BookBub

Also Available:

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About the Author

Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling author and ACFW Carol Award winner, and has been a Romantic Times top pick for her previous books. She loves Jesus, history, romance, and watching sports. This transplanted

Kansan now makes her home in Rochester, Minnesota.

Connect with Erica by visiting ericavetsch.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of A Thieving at Carlton House and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway

began at midnight September 16, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on September 23, 2024. Winner

will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture

of prize. US only. International prize ebook and egift card. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Erica Vetsch: Children of the Shadows

By Kelly Bridgewater

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Children of the Shadows
Series: Thorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries #3
Author: Erica Vetsch
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: October 23, 2023
Genre: Christian Regency Mystery

Detective Daniel Swann and debutante Juliette Thorndike once again team up to solve a dangerous mystery--while trying to keep their growing romance secret.

Someone is preying upon the street children of Regency London. They seem to think no one will notice when urchins go missing--and even if they are noticed, who will care?

Daniel needs to do something about the missing children. But with recent revelations about his past and an unexpected, somewhat unwelcome inheritance to deal with, this is a terrible time to dive back into the seedy underbelly of the crime world. Nevertheless, he's still a Bow Street runner, and his partner Lady Juliette is sensitive to the plight of these wayward youngsters. They're on the case, searching shadowed alleys and coal-drenched streets to find the missing.

But the tangle of expectation and the dynamics of power cannot be easily ignored, even if there are children in danger. When Daniel's past threatens to overwhelm his future, he will need a miracle and the help of his friends to both apprehend the villain and unravel his tangled family web. And it may be that his new responsibilities demand that he leave the children of the shadows to their terrible fate--or lose everything.

Erica Vetsch's popular Regency mystery series concludes with a bang, sure to satisfy readers who have hung on every page since book one.

 

My Thoughts:

Missing Children. Rightful heir to a name. Emotions running wild. These are some of the events that will happen when readers approach and dive into Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch. I enjoy the tame mystery element of the Regency era mystery. Nothing over the top, but enough of a head scratcher that readers will keep flipping through the pages to find out what is happening to the children. I love how seamless the story flows. Once I dove into the lives of Daniel and Juliette, it was like returning to friends that readers have not seen for a while. It was nice to play catch up and feel the hurt and love just alongside them. The setting is nicely handled and developed in my imagination as the characters roam through London from the wealthy to the poor side of town. Readers should definitely read the first two books in the series to help set up some of the backstory for Daniel. Not that this story cannot be read as a stand alone novel, but the first two stories give more information on what happens in this story. Vetsch does a wonderful job at crafting a couple of threads that has woven through all three stories and delivered them nicely to the readers like she promised. Overall, Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch is definitely a book that I want to own in my personal library and would recommend this story to young mystery lovers.

I received a complimentary copy of Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch from Kregel Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:   4.5 out of 5 stars

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub

More in This Series

 

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About the Author

Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling author and ACFW Carol Award winner, and has been a

Romantic Times top pick for her previous books. She loves Jesus, history, romance, and watching sports.

This transplanted Kansan now makes her home in Rochester, Minnesota.

Connect with Erica by visiting ericavetsch.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a complete paperback set of the Thorndike and Swann series, and a $10 amazon gift card

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 23, 2023 and will last through 11:59

PM EST on October 30, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48

hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Amanda Barratt: The White Rose Resists

By Kelly Bridgewater

Inspired by the incredible true story of a group of ordinary men and women who dared to stand against evil The ideal of a new Germany swept up Sophie Scholl in a maelstrom of patriotic fervor--that is, until she realized the truth behind Hitler's machinations for the fatherland. Now she and other students in Munich, the cradle of the Nazi government, have banded together to form a group to fight for the truth: the White Rose. Risking everything to print and distribute leaflets calling for Germans to rise up against the evil permeating their country, the White Rose treads a knife's edge of discovery by the gestapo.

Annalise Brandt came to the University of Munich to study art, not get involved with conspiracy. The daughter of an SS officer, she's been brought up to believe in the f�hrer's divinely appointed leadership. But the more she comes to know Sophie and her friends, the more she questions the Nazi propaganda.

Soon Annalise joins their double life--students by day, resisters by night. And as the stakes increase, they're all forced to confront the deadly consequences meted out to any who dare to oppose the Reich.

A gripping testament to courage, The White Rose Resists illuminates the sacrifice and conviction of an unlikely group of revolutionaries who refused to remain silent-no matter the cost.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I have read A LOT of World War II stories. One of my two favorite genres to devour. I have read plenty of stories which show the plight and hurt of the Jewish people. I have read the plight of the soldiers who have done the hurting. But I have always wondered why no one actually stood up to the soldiers and Hitler. Anyone could see the harm he was causing to people. I heard a lot of good news about Amanda Barratt's first novel, My Dearest Dietrich, 
but I haven't read it YET. When I read the synopsis for The White Rose Resists, I knew it was the missing piece in my World War II information. I really couldn't wait to see what some Aryan college students who do to defy Hitler. Barratt's writing is a delight. The words flow easily from the page to my imagination. I love how she allowed the characters to be normal people who didn't set out to do something extraordinary; they saw an injustice and wanted to fix it. Admirable. There is some romance. There is some moments of breath catching. There is moments of sighing in relief because they didn't get caught. I can't wait to add this story to my physical shelf with all my other World War II novels. Definitely original and unpredictable. I can't wait to see what else Barratt researches and allows to come alive for readers. Something to keep an eye out for. 

I received a complimentary copy of The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt from Kregel Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Purchase The White Rose Resists

About the Author:

From Amazon

ECPA best-selling author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story--a spin-off of Jane Eyre. Now, Amanda writes romantic, historical fiction, penning stories of beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very different from our own. She's the author of over a dozen novels and novellas, including The White Rose Resists: A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler and My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Lost Love.

Amanda lives in the woods of Michigan with her fabulous family, where she can be found reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.

Connect with her on Facebook and visit her online at amandabarratt.net. (Taken from Amazon.)

Rick Barry: The Methuselah Project

By Kelly Bridgewater

Synopsis from Amazon:

Nazi scientists started many experiments. One never ended.

Roger Greene is a war hero. Raised in an orphanage, the only birthright he knows is the feeling that he was born to fly. Flying against the Axis Powers in World War II is everything he always dreamed—until the day he’s shot down and lands in the hands of the enemy.

From Amazon

When Allied bombs destroy both his prison and the mad genius experimenting on POWs, Roger survives. Within hours, his wounds miraculously heal, thanks to those experiments. The Methuselah Project is a success—but this ace is still not free. Seventy years later, Roger hasn’t aged a day, but he has nearly gone insane. This isn’t Captain America—just a lousy existence only made passable by a newfound faith. The Bible provides the only reliable anchor for Roger’s sanity and his soul. When he finally escapes, there’s no angelic promise or personal prophecy of deliverance, just confusion. It’s 2015—and the world has become an unrecognizable place.

Katherine Mueller—crack shot, genius, and real Southern Belle—offers to help him find his way home. Can he convince her of the truth of his crazy story? Can he continue to trust her when he finds out she works for the very organization he’s trying to flee?

Thrown right into pulse-pounding action from the first page, readers will find themselves transported back in time to a believable, full-colored past, and then catapulted into the present once more. The historical back-and-forth adds a constantly moving element of suspense to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

My Thoughts:

What would happen if the Nazi’s invited a medicine that could make someone live for a thousand years? What if they experimented on American soldiers? What if one survived and escaped? That is exactly the type of story that The Methuselah Project is. The Methuselah Project by Rick Barry is a mixture of mystery and intrigue. Even though the synopsis on the back cover really doesn’t do the book justice, I really, really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of World War II history and love a good suspense book filled with chase scenes and bullets flying, then I highly recommend you buying this book.

As a suspense book, Barry hits what I look for in a great thrill ride. First, there are plenty of characters going under disguise to throw off the enemy. Captain Roger Greene, the pilot, has to take on a number of disguises to escape his physical prison and return home to Indiana. With the help of two different ladies, Sophia and Katherine, Roger wakens to a new world in 2015. Second, I loved the idea of The Methuselah Project and what it actually does to Roger. It was a complete original and unpredictable story. I couldn’t read the book fast enough. I started it and finished one hundred pages, went to bed, and woke up and finished the book in two more hours. It is fast-paced and rich with action.

I believe it is so good because I got wrapped up in Roger’s plight that I wanted to see how it ended. Does he go home? Does he return to a normal life? What happens to him? Do people actually believe him? I held on to the plot, anxiously turning the pages waiting to see what happens to a character that I wanted everything to turn out for him. I felt bad for his struggles and wanted to see justice done.

Romance fans will even be interested. As a man who has been locked up for seventy years with only seeing the male doctors, of course, he is going to be interested in the female doctor, Sophia and Katherine, the accomplice in America. There are moments of high emotions, but nothing that true suspense lovers will cringe at. It is not over the top and cheesy. Very mellow. 

Another one of Barry's strength is his descriptive writing. I felt like I was in the airplane during 1943 when the story started. Barry's amount of research into the workings of these old airplanes really made the story ring true to me. I, however, enjoyed spending time in Plainfield, Indiana and all the details Barry had to look up.As someone who grew up just east of Plainfield, well actually Avon, Indiana, it sparked a little bit of homesickness in me. I loved growing up in Indianapolis. 

Briefly, near the end of the story, there is even a moment where I had to bat my eyes to keep tears from falling. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone if you have to keep some tears at bay too. Our secret.

Fans of suspense in any time period and fans of World War II novels will lose themselves in the plot. I highly recommend this book.

The Methuselah Project by Rick Barry is a fast pace non-stop action story that begins during World War II and brings Roger and me to the present day. This is a gem of a story, and I honestly can’t wait to see what else Rick Barry plans to write. I am hooked on his writing.

From Rick Barry's Facebook page

I received a complimentary copy of The Methuselah Project from Rick Barry in exchange for my honest opinion. All the statements in this review are mine, and I was not forced to leave a good review.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Methuselah Project

Rick Barry's Writing Bio:

Rick Barry is the author of The Methuselah Project, Gunner's Run, Kiriath's Quest, plus over 200 published articles and fiction stories. In addition to being a World War II buff, he is the director of church planting ministries at BIEM, a Christian ministry operating in Eastern Europe. He holds a degree in foreign languages, speaks Russian, and has visited Europe more than fifty times. Rick and his wife Pam live near Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Contact Rick Barry
Facebook
Goodreads

What draws you, as a reader, into suspense books? What is your opinion on World War II suspense books?