teen

Book Review: Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys by Linda Maria Frank

December 23, 2014 Leave a Comment

Title: Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys
Author: Linda Maria Frank
Genre: Teen Mystery
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Annie Tillery joins boyfriend, Ty Egan, and his best friend, Cedric Zeeks, at an archaeological dig in Turkey. All is not what it seems in the fascinating city of Istanbul. The gang finds themselves tracking treasure hunters and thieves through mysterious passageways in Istanbul’s old city, and the treacherous caves surrounding the ancient archaeological site.

In the third installment in the Annie Tillery Mystery series, Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys, Annie arrives in Turkey to participate in an archeological dig. Annie expects to get picked up by her boyfriend Ty, but when a mysterious driver comes to pick her up and she receives a death threat, she realizes she’s found herself smack in the middle of another adventure. Annie escapes a dire situation right on her first day in Turkey, and then she meets Cedric Zeeks, Ty’s best friend.

The dig was discovered a few decades ago, and several thefts have happened on the site. If the thievery isn’t stopped, the government will shut down the dig. Of course Annie and her friends can’t let them happen, so she joins Ty and Cedric at the dig to find out what’s going on.

I liked the whole archeological/historical angle. I’m a huge history buff and reading about this ancient city and archeological dig was very entertaining and engaging.The mystery part was suspenseful and I enjoyed trying to find out who the bad guy was. An entertaining book, and I look forward to more books in this series.

Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, Mystery and Suspense, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: book reviews, book tours, enchanted book promotions, mystery, teen, young adult

Book Review: The Girl with Pencil, Drawing by Linda Maria Frank

December 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

Title: The Girl With Pencil, Drawing
Author: Linda Maria Frank
Genre: Teen Mystery
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Amateur detective Annie Tillery is at it again. After she wins a series of art lessons at a prestigious art gallery, Annie shows up for her first lesson to find her instructor, Francesca Gabrielli, in a volatile argument with John DiCristiani, the art gallery’s director, over his incessant requests for her to illegally copy art masterpieces.

In the second book in the Annie Tillery Mystery series, The Girl With Pencil, Drawing we follow amateur detective Annie Tillery once again. Annie wins a series of art lessons at a prestigious art gallery. When she shows up, her instructor is arguing to the art gallery’s director over his non-stop requests for her to illegally copy art masterpieces. When the gallery director is found murdered, Annie’s instructor becomes the prime suspect and asks for Annie and her aunt to help solve the crime and clear her name.

Annie and her aunt, Jilly, a NYPD detective, have a lot on their plate in this second installment. Not only do they have to face the dangers of an international art fraud, they also have to solve a murder in which the key suspects offer anything but easy clues. And with the murderer still on the loose, their very lives could be in danger. When it becomes clear the murderer has something planned for Annie and her instructor, she has to save both of them.

This is a true page turner aimed at teens. The book combines several subplots and waves them masterfully into one tight, suspenseful plot. Obviously a lot of research went into writing this book about the world of art, which makes it even more impressive. Definitely recommended to YA mystery fans.

Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, Mystery and Suspense, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: book reviews, book tours, enchanted book promotions, mysteries, teen, young adult

Book Review: The Madonna Ghost by Linda Maria Frank

December 16, 2014 Leave a Comment

Title: The Madonna Ghost

Author: Linda Maria Frank

Genre:Teen Mystery

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Annie Tillery and her Aunt Jill set off for Long Island’s Fire Island for a vacation of surf, sun, and sailing. Annie is happy to leave behind the stress of her relationship with her parents. Aunt Jill, who is an NYPD detective, is mixing her vacation with a case she must keep secret from Annie.

The Madonna Ghost reminded me of Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars, which is of course always a good thing. Annie Tillery and her aunt Jill set off for a holiday on Fire Island, planning to spend their holiday surfing, sunbathing, sailing, and just relaxing. But Jill hasn’t told Annie that she’s working on a case, and when she gets in trouble, it’s up to Annie to save her aunt.

Annie is a flawed, but engaging character. It’s these flaws that make her stand out. When her aunt becomes endangered, she steps up to save the day. Her relationship with her parents is anything but good, but she does have a good relationship with her aunt. On the island, she makes friends, even a possible love interest. The book also has a dash of the paranormal, as the title suggests, with a few ghosts sightings. The mystery is the key element of the book though, and the author does an admirable job with it, not presenting all clues at once but rather making the reader figure it out along with the characters.

The secondary characters are great too, but Annie was my favorite character. The writing starts right in the middle of the action. Overall, this is a very enjoyable and engaging mystery novel, recommended to young adults and adults who don’t mind reading about younger characters.

Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, Mystery and Suspense, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: book reviews, book tours, enchanted book promotions, mysteries, teen, young adult

Book Tours: Starter Day Party for the Annie Tillery Mysteries

December 8, 2014 Leave a Comment

I’m hosting the starter day party today for the book tour for teen mystery / suspense novels, the “Annie Tillery Mysteries” series. I’ll be reviewing all three books in this series during the tour. Stay tuned for the reviews, and in the mean time, visit the other tour stops.

Tour Schedule

December 8^th: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

December 10^th: Promo Post @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

December 12^th: Author Interview @ The Single Librarian

December 14^th: Promo Post @ Bedazzled Reading

December 16^th: Book Review “The Madonna Ghost” @ I Heart Reading

December 18^th: Promo Post @ Bookaholic Ramblings

December 20^th: Author Interview @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog

December 21^st: Book Review “Girl with Pencil, Drawing” @ I Heart Reading

December 22^nd: Promo Post @ Books are Forever

December 23^rd: Book Review “Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys” @ I Heart Reading

December 25^th: Author Interview @ Editor Charlene’s Blog

December 27^th: Promo Post @ Hollow Readers

December 29^th: Book Review “The Madonna Ghost” @ Books, Books and More Books

December 31^st: Promo Post @ The Book Daily

January 1^st: Author Interview @ Majanka’s Blog

January 3^rd: Book Review “Girl with Pencil, Drawing” @ Books, Books and More Books

January 5^th: Promo Post @ 365 Days of Reading

January 7^th: Book Review “Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys” @ Books, Books and More Books

January 8^th: Promo Post @ Bookish Madness

About the Books

The Madonna Ghost

Seventeen-year-old Annie Tillery and her Aunt Jill set off for Long Island’s Fire Island for a vacation of surf, sun, and sailing. Annie is happy to leave behind the stress of her relationship with her parents. Aunt Jill, who is an NYPD detective, is mixing her vacation with a case she must keep secret from Annie.

Girl with Pencil, Drawing

Amateur detective Annie Tillery is at it again. After she wins a series of art lessons at a prestigious art gallery, Annie shows up for her first lesson to find her instructor, Francesca Gabrielli, in a volatile argument with John DiCristiani, the art gallery’s director, over his incessant requests for her to illegally copy art masterpieces.

Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys

Annie Tillery joins boyfriend, Ty Egan, and his best friend, Cedric Zeeks, at an archaeological dig in Turkey. All is not what it seems in the fascinating city of Istanbul. The gang finds themselves tracking treasure hunters and thieves through mysterious passageways in Istanbul’s old city, and the treacherous caves surrounding the ancient archaeological site.

Author Bio

Linda Maria Frank: With the introduction of the Annie Tillery Mysteries, Linda has been launching a new career as author. Inspired by a childhood passion for Nancy Drew books and the popular television series, CSI, she successfully married an appealing heroine (Annie Tillery) with a gripping story plots to create these new fiction books for mystery readers. The Madonna Ghost has earned the distinctive “Editor’s Choice” and “Rising Star” awards. In Girl With Pencil Drawing, the second book in the series, Annie stays one step ahead of the bad guys. The third book, Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys, released this year, will soon join the others in digital audio.

Frank’s first love was teaching science, her assignments ranging from Middle School to graduate level courses at Hofstra and Adelphi Universities. It was the forensic science courses that gave her the story lines for her heroine, Annie, who is based on a composite of former beloved students.

Presently Frank is the producer of “The Writer’s Dream”, a series of shows with writers who discuss different aspects of the profession, seen on youtube.

The Madonna Ghost won Rising Star from iUniverse. It also got the author a spot into the Authors Show 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading. The author is a finalist this year for Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys. The cover for “Secrets” is a finalist in the Book Goodies cover contest. http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShow50Writers2014-preVote.html