Publisher: Cerridwen Press

Guest Review: Dead Again by Tracy Cooper-Posey

Posted July 28, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 3 Comments

Guest Review: Dead Again by Tracy Cooper-PoseyReviewer: Judith
Dead Again by Tracey Cooper-Posey
Series: Romantic Thrillers #2
Publisher: Cerridwen Press
Publication Date: May 27, 2010
Format: eARC
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

A small plan crashes in the Rockies and the only two survivors, Jack and Sophie, help each other live until rescue arrives seven days later. Only Sophie goes on to pick up the pieces of her life which has not been irrevocably changed by big, gentle Jack’s love and death.

But Sophie learns that Jack’s death didn’t close that chapter of her life after all. A drifter called Martin holds the key to her heart, alongside a deadly secret. Combined with a corrupt and desperate police chief and her pressure-cooker life as a single mother in a small town, they plunge her head-deep into the aftershocks caused by those seven days in the mountains. The consequences will reach out to rock state governors, district attorneys and one of the deadliests crime lords in the land, and all of them have reason to react. For Sophie, life is about to change again–for the worse.

Judith‘s review of Dead Again by Tracy Cooper-Posey.

This is a new author for me, but I have to say that right from the outset, I was hooked! I have always been a sucker for a good political novel and while I wouldn’t call this strictly one of those, there are overtones and a back story here that spice up this novel to the finger nail biting level. Seven days on a rock ledge in the Rockies, trying in every way possible to survive, can draw two people together into a bond that exceeds all others. And so it seemed with Sophie and Jack. To have that bond severed by Jack’s death was almost more than Sophie could endure. She even went on to marry a man that closely resembled Jack, but of course, it wasn’t him at all. After trying for years and two children to make believe it was him, Sophie just couldn’t endure the marriage any longer. She is now the owner-manager of a small cafe in a remote area of Montana where she lives with her kids and her housekeeper. Even though her brain keeps telling her that Jack is dead, she never really stops looking for him, and when a drifter wanders into town looking so much like Jack she is stunned, she knows that no matter how this all turns out, her life will never be the same. She’s absolutely right!

I liked this novel very much. I particularly liked Jack, a man who grieved over the loss of lives in the initial plane crash, who did extraordinary things to save Sophie and keep her alive in spite of overwhelming odds against them. Even in his death he made provision for Sophie to have the best medical care for her injuries and to be able to move forward with her life. Sophie is a woman of tremendous personal strength–a woman whose grief stayed with her in spite of knowing that Jack was dead, but who knew that she had to make a life for herself and her kids in spite of that hole in her heart that could never be filled. They are both wonderful characters that represent the best of what we hope humanity can be.

There are loads of bad guys in this story–an attorney that is suspect, a police chief that is obsessed with Sophie and uses his office to pull off some fairly awful stuff, a crime lord, a state governor, and folks here and there that aren’t your usual PTA members. The author has told this story so well that Sophie’s fear for her life and that of her kids is palpable. It just seems to flow off the page into the reader’s mind. The mystery and suspense are well contained but they are always in the background, driving the reader on to the next page. Yet there is loving concern and family support, affection and deep romantic attachment. The erotic encounters are truly sensual but all “wrapped” in the context of a bond that transcends the pettiness of small-minded people.

This is a very good book and it will be one that romance fans and mystery fans alike can enjoy.

I give this novel a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Cerridwen Press. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

four-half-stars


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Review: Heart of Vengeance by Tracy Cooper-Posey

Posted July 22, 2010 by Tracy in Reviews | 5 Comments

Review: Heart of Vengeance by Tracy Cooper-PoseyReviewer: Tracy
Heart of Vengeance by Tracey Cooper-Posey
Series: Jewels of Tomorrow #2
Publisher: Cerridwen Press
Publication Date: July 15, 2010
Format: eARC
Genres: Historical Romance
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

To find her father’s killer, Helena of York must pose as a Norman in the great halls of Richard I’s England. Should she be unmasked, her life will be forfeit.

Stephen, Count of Dinan, once Richard’s friend and trusted knight, is outcast for reasons shrouded in mystery. Known as the “Black Baron”, he is friendless in a glittering world he despises. His only goal is to restore his honor and once again serve his king.

Helena’s only desire is to kill the man who destroyed her father and her future. Stephen’s suspicions draw him into Helena’s web of deceit, and the two outsiders find themselves tangled in a greater conspiracy that threatens the throne of England itself, while their embattled hearts grapple with a far greater challenge.

Helena of York is on a mission. She needs to find the one man who has information about her father’s death and he will lead her to the murderer. In order to do this she’s been posing as a titled Norman woman. By a strange twist of fate the Count of Dinan comes to her rescue one day. They form a bond and make a promise to each other that they feel cannot be broken.

When Prince John makes arrangements for one of his faithful yet incredibly loathsome advisors to marry Helena she finds that this is a predicament she may not be able to free herself from – especially since said advisor, Savaric, knows that she is not the lady Isobel. While Stephen is there when he is needed it doesn’t help the end plight that they find themselves.

We discover that Helena is trying to find her father’s killer, yes to clear his name, but for such a bigger and quite noble reason. But she is set on her course of action and no words, even from the man she loves will sway her to do otherwise. Stephen adores Helena but with revenge at the forefront of her mind, and him so set against revenge of any sort he sees them coming to an impasse.

I would love to tell you all of the ins and outs of this story but it is one that has to be read to truly be appreciated. It is a medieval romance filled with political intrigue and manipulations, scheming mothers, titled yet outlawed Earls, but most of all, love. Though this story is only about 250 pages long it’s truly an epic tale that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you love a good medieval story this would be a great book for you.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


This book was received from and my review was requested by the author.

four-half-stars


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