Reader Views Book Review: “AnaRose and Pharaoh’s Gold” by Mary Ann Bernal

 

“AnaRose and Pharaoh’s Gold” by Mary Ann Bernal

Posted on May 18, 2024by Reader Views

AnaRose and Pharaoh’s Gold

Mary Ann Bernal
Whispering Legends Press (2024)
ISBN: 979-8873151691
Reviewed by Rachel Dehning for Reader Views (05/2024)

“AnaRose and Pharaoh’s Gold” by Mary Ann Bernal is the anticipated sequel to the award-winning novella “AnaRose and the Templar’s Quest,” and part of the AnaRose Action and Adventure Novellas series.  In this latest action-packed thriller, AnaRose showcases her specialty and skills by saving further artifacts from the sly and cunning grasp of espionage, murder, and suspense.

With familiar and familial characters, AnaRose travels to Egypt with a joint purpose: to recover an ancient golden ushabti from the black market, and to keep it from members of a secret undercover religious sect. This troubling sect seeks to utilize it to bring life to the ancient Egyptian deity Apophis and his agenda of darkness, disorder, and chaos throughout the world. Along the way, questions, answers, kidnappings, and potential human sacrifices are in store as AnaRose, Jo, and Adam watch their backs at every turn and face off against members of an international conspiracy.

Despite its novella length, the reader can expect action, adventure, and suspense packed between the covers. Each page and chapter holds its own against larger books with more room for fluff. Inner dialogue is a writing style that advances the storyline with character development continuing from the first story. This clean novella is great for all ages, from teen readers to adults.

A positive for readers and parents is that no negative language is found in this story, making it a safer reading option without compromising content; also, besides situations with the “bad guys,” the situations and relationships among the main characters present as positive, setting an example for the teen reader. The characters’ relationships allude to possible “interests,” but the storyline is innocent in this category. While it has its major and minor roles, the reader will learn about Egyptian history, deities, and the selfish act of stealing and selling antiquities – serving a dual purpose of being educational and enjoyable.

“AnaRose and Pharaoh’s Gold” by Mary Ann Bernal is a standalone story but is complemented by the inclusion of its predecessor, book one in the series. AnaRose is a positive role model for females of all ages. Realistically, the story has the potential to be devoured in a day/shortened period or savored for several days. Here’s to hoping there’s another adventure for AnaRose soon!   

Universal Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/u/bw91eY

Book Spotlight: The Lost Women of Mill Street by Kinley Bryan

 

1864: As Sherman’s army marches toward Atlanta, a cotton mill commandeered by the Confederacy lies in its path. Inside the mill, Clara Douglas weaves cloth and watches over her sister Kitty, waiting for the day her fiancé returns from the West.

When Sherman’s troops destroy the mill, Clara’s plans to start a new life in Nebraska are threatened. Branded as traitors by the Federals, Clara, Kitty, and countless others are exiled to a desolate refugee prison hundreds of miles from home.

Cut off from all they've ever known, Clara clings to hope while grappling with doubts about her fiancé’s ambitions and the unsettling truths surrounding his absence. As the days pass, the sisters find themselves thrust onto the foreign streets of Cincinnati, a city teeming with uncertainty and hostility. She must summon reserves of courage, ingenuity, and strength she didn’t know she had if they are to survive in an unfamiliar, unwelcoming land.

Inspired by true events of the Civil War, The Lost Women of Mill Street is a vividly drawn novel about the bonds of sisterhood, the strength of women, and the repercussions of war on individual lives.

 

Buy Link:

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/lostwomenofmillstreet

 

Kinley Bryan's debut novel, Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury, inspired by the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 and her own family history, won the 2022 Publishers Weekly Selfies Award for adult fiction. An Ohio native, she lives in South Carolina with her husband and three children. The Lost Women of Mill Street is her second novel.

Author Links:

Website: https://kinleybryan.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kinleybauthor

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

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

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kinley-bryan

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kinley-Bryan/author/B09J5GWDLX

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21892910.Kinley_Bryan

Book Spotlight: Stumbling Stones by Bonnie Suchman

 

"Alice knew that Selma sometimes felt judged by their mother and didn't always like it when Alice was praised and Selma was not. Alice glanced over at her sister, but Selma was smiling at Alice. In what Alice understood might be Selma's last act of generosity towards her sister, Selma was going to let Alice bask in the glow of Emma's pride toward her elder daughter. Then the three shared a hug, a hug that seemed to last forever."

Alice Heppenheimer, born into a prosperous German Jewish family around the turn of the twentieth century, comes of age at a time of growing opportunities for women.

So, when she turns 21 years old, she convinces her strict family to allow her to attend art school, and then pursues a career in women's fashion. Alice prospers in her career and settles into married life, but she could not anticipate a Nazi Germany, where simply being Jewish has become an existential threat. Stumbling Stones is a novel based on the true story of a woman driven to achieve at a time of persecution and hatred, and who is reluctant to leave the only home she has ever known.

But as strong and resilient as Alice is, she now faces the ultimate challenge - will she and her husband be able to escape Nazi Germany or have they waited too long to leave?

 

 

Buy Link:

 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4ND1x8

 

Bonnie Suchman is an attorney who has been practicing law for forty years. Using her legal skills, she researched her husband's family's 250-year history in Germany, and published a non-fiction book about the family, Broken Promises: The Story of a Jewish Family in Germany. Bonnie found one member of the family, Alice Heppenheimer, particularly compelling. Stumbling Stones tells Alice's story. Bonnie has two adult children and lives in Maryland with her husband, Bruce.

 Author Links: 

Website: www.bonniesuchman.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieSuchman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556457672565

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bonniesuchman/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bonnie-suchman

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bonnie-Suchman/author/B09L3BDVRQ  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21796158.Bonnie_Suchman

 

Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Autumn and The Silver Moon Stallion by V P Felmlee

 An abused, neglected filly is abandoned on a remote country road, left to die.  A young woman grieves the loss of her best friend, the champion horse she had built her life and future around. The heir to one of the largest ranches in Wyoming comes home to face the ire and disappointment of his grandfather.  A world-renowned scientist clashes with the U.S. government over a brutal, decades-long war to decide the fate of thousands of mustangs, a beloved icon of the American West.  Autumn and The Silver Moon Stallion is their story of love, hatred, and death.  Will their struggles give them hope to fight for their beliefs, or tear them forever apart?

 

 Buy Links:

 This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

 Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4NDrwY

  Excerpt 

Al hurried into the garage where the ATV sat and flung the cover off. He checked the fuel, half a tank, more than enough to get him where he wanted.

He straddled it, then keyed the ignition. It started up and he steered it out of the garage, not bothering to close the doors.

Within minutes his clothes were drenched.

He glanced over at the passenger seat. Next to him was the 30-30 caliber rifle he'd taken from his gun cabinet before he left the house. It was getting wet, but he wasn't concerned. In fact, he wasn't concerned about anything.

He grinned as he steered the ATV down the ranch road. He was a man on a mission, finally doing something that made sense.

The machine roared towards the bottom of the switch backs. Al hardly slowed down before taking the first turn. It was muddier than the ranch road. The ATV clawed its way through without any problems.

Al's grin grew wider. The second turn. The ATV fish-tailed a little, skidded in the muck. Maybe take it slower, he admonished himself.

The third turn was coming up, just above Silver Moon Canyon. Al knew there was a turn-off where you could stop and see the bottom end of the canyon. The road was muddier, slicker now. The ATV's lights barely pierced the gloom. He squinted and almost missed the last turn. The ATV fish-tailed again, more seriously this time.

Where was that turn-off? He knew it was to his left. He didn't slow down, instead gunned the ATV faster.

The front tires hit several rocks, the ATV bounced up and down, almost tipping over. The rifle flew out of the seat, disappearing in the rain.

V P Felmlee is the author of The Abandoned Trilogy: Price Tadpole & Princess Clara; Good Boy Ben; and the third book in the series, Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she has a degree in geology, and has been active in historic preservation and animal welfare issues. Her articles have appeared in several magazines and she has won numerous awards.

She will be the 2025 president of Women Writing the West and lives in Grand Junction, Colorado, with her husband, two dogs, and six cats.

Author Links:

Website: www.vfauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilhistorian

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicki.felmlee.7

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/V-P-Felmlee/author/B0BQJKNSKJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23381045.V_P_Felmlee

 

 

Book Spotlight: Their Castilian Orphan by Anna Belfrage

 

It is 1294 and Eustace de Lamont is back in England after five years in exile. He will stop at nothing to ruin Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor d’Outremer.

Robert’s half brother, Eustace de Lamont, has not mellowed during his absence. He is more ruthless than ever, and this time he targets Robert’s and Noor’s foster son, Lionel.

Lionel is serving King Edward as a page when Eustace appears at court. Not only does Lionel become the horrified witness to Eustace’s violent streak, Eustace also starts voicing his suspicions about Lionel’s parentage. The truth about Lionel’s heritage is explosive—should King Edward find out, all would be lost for Robert and Noor.

In October of 1294, Wales rises in rebellion. Robert must leave his family unprotected to fight the Welsh rebels on the king’s behalf, comforted only by the fact that Eustace too is called to fight.

Except that Eustace has no intention of allowing his duty to his king—or a mere rebellion—come between him and his desire to destroy Robert FitzStephan . . .

 

Buy Links:

 This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal buy link: https://mybook.to/TCO

 

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17^th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14^th century England. Anna has just released the final instalment, Their Castilian Orphan, in her other medieval series, The Castilian Saga ,which is set against the conquest of Wales. She has recently released Times of Turmoil, a sequel to her time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

“A master storyteller”

“This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com 

Sign up to Anna’s newsletter to keep up with new releases, give-ways and other fun stuff: http://eepurl.com/cjgatT                         

 

Author Links:

 Website: www.annabelfrage.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/abelfrageauthor.bsky.social

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

Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage

 

 

Book Spotlight: A Rose In The Blitz by Ann Bennett

 

Escape into the dramatic world of London during the Blitz in this sweeping family saga of love, war and betrayal.

Northamptonshire: 1980: Wealthy landowner, Hadan Rose, is dying. His daughter, May, rushes to his country estate, Rose Park, with her daughter, Rachel, to nurse him through his final days.

In the afternoons, while Hadan sleeps, May tells Rachel about her wartime experiences.

In 1940, Three of the four Rose sisters leave Rose Park to serve the war effort. May, the youngest is left behind. But she soon runs away from home to join an ambulance crew in London. She experiences the horrors of the Blitz first-hand but what happens to her there has remained secret her whole life.

In 1980, at Rose Park, Rachel wanders through the old house, looking at old photographs and papers, uncovering explosive family secrets from ninety years before. Secrets that her grandfather wanted to take to his grave.

At the local pub, Rachel meets Daniel Walters, a local journalist and musician who takes an interest in her. But can she trust him, or does he have an ulterior motive for seeking her company?

As the secrets of the past gradually reveal themselves, both Rachel and May realise that their worlds are forever changed.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop will love this escapist wartime saga, Book 1 in the Rose Park Chronicles.

 

 Buy Links:

 This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/KFAR

 

Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own travels in South-East Asia. Since then, that initial inspiration has led her to write more books about the second world war in SE Asia. Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet and her latest release The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu are also about WWII in South East Asia. All seven make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Lake Pavilion, The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, both set in French Indochina. The Runaway Sisters, bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture.

Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details please visit www.annbennettauthor.com.

 Author Links:

 Website: www.annbennettauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annbennett71

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

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ann-bennett

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00D21SJ7A

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14975489.Ann_Bennett

AnaRose and the Templar's Quest by Mary Ann Bernal - First Place - Chanticleer In't Book Awards Shorts - Short Prose, Novellas and Collections 2023

 

The Short Story Awards is a division of the 

Chanticleer International Book Awards program. 

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 20th, 2024, at the Four Seasons by Sheraton in Bellingham, Wash., sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference. 

A dangerous expedition. A precious artifact. A race against time.

Museum curator and expert in antiquities AnaRose Preston accepts the challenge to find one of Christianity’s holy relics concealed in the hilt of a legendary dagger. Traveling throughout contemporary France, she rushes to solve a historical mystery. But members of a secret society stand in her way. AnaRose risks her life to locate the weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Universal Purchase Link