Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 352 pages
Genre: Mystery-Suspense
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: Oct 2021
Format available for review: print - softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF)
Will send print books out: USA
Content Rating: PG+M. Brief kissing/romance. mild use of profanity like "damn." No F Bombs. Some violence and talk of an attack by villain that doesn't materialize.
To outsiders, the relationship between Manhattan antiquities assessor Annalisse Drury and sports car magnate Alec Zavos must look carefree and glamorous. In reality, it’s a love affair regularly punctuated by treasure hunting, action-packed adventure, and the occasional dead body.
When Alec schedules an overseas trip to show Annalisse his mother's birthplace in Bari, Italy, he squeezes in the high-stakes business of divesting his family’s international corporation. But things go terribly wrong as murder makes its familiar reappearance in their lives – and this time it’s Alec’s disgraced former CFO who’s the main suspect.
Accompanied by friend and detective Bill Drake, Annalisse and Alec find themselves embroiled in a behind-closed-doors conspiracy that threatens the reputation and legacy of Alec’s late father – linking him to embezzlement, extortion, and the dirty business of the Sicilian Mafia. The search for the truth sends the trio straight into riddles, secrets, and an historic set of rosary beads. Annalisse leads Alec toward a discovery that is unthinkable, and events that will change their futures forever.
Scattered Legacy is the third in Marlene M. Bell’s thrilling Annalisse series, which weaves romance, crime, and historical mystery into addictive tales to instantly captivate fans of TV show Bones or Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
Scattered Legacy Continues the Series. Scattered Legacy is my favorite book of the series so far. I think I finally settled into the author's writing style and the characters' relationships. The Annalisse novels are in series, and while you could read the stories as stand-alone books, I would read the series in order from the beginning. There were several years between my readings of books 1 and 2. I didn't quickly settle into the second book because I felt a little disconnected from the characters. With this book, read back to back with book 2, I fell right into the flow of the storyline, and the characters' pasts and present felt more connected. The main characters' relationship still feels a little immature and less than realistic--but I have come to enjoy the familiarity of their interactions and insecurities. I find myself less irritated by some of their actions and more interested in the adventures and revelations surrounding them than their love story.
Scattered Legacy Brings More Secrets and Dramatic Thrills. Multiple storylines move readers through this novel; all are well-done, well-paced, and well-connected. I enjoyed the viewpoints in each chapter and the setting and supporting character roles in this book. Some pieces remain a little unrealistic--but that is in keeping with that t.v. movie feel that I really became attached to in this novel.
Would I recommend Scattered Legacy by Marlene Bell? I honestly wasn't attached to the characters or series until this book. Annalisse is still a little irritating and immature at times--but she is consistently Annalisse and reveals more of her thoughts and motivations in this novel. This book and series will interest you if you enjoy family dramas and suspense stories with well-orchestrated twists and turns. Read the series from the beginning. I could have read the second book as a stand-alone and left the series--but I am glad I didn't. This book gave some resolution to the current storyline, leaving a lot to look forward to in the next book.
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 296 pages
Genre: Mystery-Suspense
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: March 2018
Format available for review: print - softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF), audiobook (audible download)
Will send print books out: USA
Content Rating: PG. Subtle romantic interludes. No profanity.
People die, but legends live on.
New York antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury's best friend was murdered. The killer’s identity may be linked to her friend’s expensive missing bracelet—a 500-year-old artifact that carries an ancient curse, one that unleashes evil upon any who dare wear the jewelry created for the Persian royal family.
Weeks later, Annalisse sees a matching necklace at a Manhattan gallery opening. She begs the owner to destroy the cursed piece, but her pleas fall on deaf ears—despite the unnatural death that occurs during the opening. With two victims linked to the jewelry, Annalisse is certain she must act. Desperate, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner’s son to help—even though she’s afraid he’ll break her heart. Wealthy and devastatingly handsome, with a string of bereft women in his wake, Greek playboy Alec Zavos dismisses Annalisse’s concerns—until his parents are ripped from the Zavos family yacht during their ocean voyage near Crete.
Annalisse and Alec race across two oceans to save his parents, feared kidnapped or even dead. When the killer changes tactics and goes after Alec behind Annalisse’s back, can her plan to rescue Alec’s mother save them all?
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 378 pages
Genre: Mystery-Suspense
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: Nov 2019
Format available for review: print - softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF), audiobook (audible download)
Will send print books out: USA
Content Rating: PG-13+M. Main Character is accosted and fights an assailant in one chapter. Mild profanity.
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Antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury drives to her family farm in upstate New York to consult with Aunt Kate about her troubled relationship with Greek tycoon, Alec Zavos. When Annalisse arrives, she learns the beloved farm she expects to inherit is for sale.
That same morning, they find a stranger's body decaying in the barn. Then her aunt vanishes.
In Spent Identity, Annalisse and Alec join forces for the second time. They must find the mastermind behind her aunt's abduction before Kate's health issues worsen. Was the corpse in the barn a coincidence or a warning? The clock ticks for Annalisse to find her aunt and repair what she has left with the man she loves.
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 340 pages
Genre: Mystery-Suspense
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: October, 2022
Content Rating: G. Book is for general audiences. No profanity. No graphic scenes. Crimes described briefly after-the-fact. Mild and limited romance
Annalisse Drury and Alec Zavos find themselves on opposing sides when an ex-lover from Alec’s past introduces him to his alleged son. With Alec distracted and their future engagement in limbo, Annalisse accepts a key to her dream cottage—situated on a picturesque sheep station on South Island, New Zealand—only this time, she travels alone.
But not long after her arrival she’s confronted by two peculiar deaths—either accidental, or the deliberate acts of a psychopath.
Local investigators are closing the cases too quickly and want Annalisse to exit the country before she reveals the town’s darkest secrets.
Will she return to Alec, or sacrifice their future together to expose it all?
Marlene M. Bell is an eclectic mystery writer, artist, photographer, and she raises sheep in beautiful East Texas with her husband, Gregg, three cats and a flock of horned Dorset sheep.
The Annalisse series has received numerous honors including the Independent Press Award for Best Mystery (Spent Identity,) and FAPA— Florida Author’s President’s Gold Award for two other installments, (Stolen Obsession and Scattered Legacy.) Her mysteries with a touch of romance are found at marlenembell.com. She also offers the first of her children's picture books, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! Based on true events from the Bell’s ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of compassion and love between a little girl and her lamb.
connect with the author: website ~ website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Thank you for sharing your review of Scattered Legacy, this sounds like an excellent read and I am looking forward to it
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an awesome series! I’d love to read them!
ReplyDelete