Unwrapping a Review of DON'T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown

I love a good mystery, so when a William Morrow publicist asked if I’d like to read a copy of an upcoming new suspense release by a debut author—not romance by the way—with the following blurb, I quickly agreed. I didn’t expect it to get lost in the mail and take two years to find me, but it was rather worth the wait. DON’T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown was released July 2014 but like I always say, it’s never too late to read any book.

***print copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest and unscripted review

Blurb for DON’T TRY TO FIND ME:

When a 14-year-old runs away, her parents turn to social media to find her-launching a public campaign that will expose their darkest secrets and change their family forever, in this suspenseful and gripping debut for fans of Reconstructing Amelia and Gone Girl.

Don't try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley's hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband Paul are informed that the police have "limited resources." If they want their 14-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter, and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn't the only one with secrets.

With public exposure comes scrutiny, and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now, the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It's not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it's discovered that she's lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley's disappearance.

Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse?

~*~            ~*~            ~*~             ~*~

Fourteen-year-old Marley Willits has disappeared. She was dropped off at school like usual but when her mother arrives home later, she finds a note on the fridge – Don’t try to find me. I’ll be okay. I’ll be better. I love you.

A parent’s worst nightmare as Rachel, Marley’s mother tries to figure out why her daughter has gone missing and if she is somehow responsible for pushing her to run away. Whereas Rachel is nearly hysterical, her husband Paul is much more sensible. When the police tell them they can only do so much, he springs into action using social media and starting up a website to do everything he can think of to find his daughter and convince her to come home. Meanwhile, young Marley is very aware of what she is doing, and is doing her best to cover her tracks so she will never be found.

Let me start by saying that I truly enjoyed this book, even when Rachel's self-absorption began to grate on my last nerve. DON’T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown is a roller coaster of emotion. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare in this age of the Internet, social media, and technology which allow a child to reach out further into the world than ever before, but which also might open up everyone’s lives to danger, and scrutiny, more extensively than ever as well. While Rachel and Paul are searching for Marley, their lives, marriage, and secrets slowly begin to unravel. Their marriage, not very stable to begin with, slowly begins to crumble as the cracks in their marital foundation fall victim to the weight of scrutiny by bloggers and social media trolls. When the reasons for Marley’s attempt to vanish with a college student she meets online finally surface, those cracks threaten to become irreparable.

DON’T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown is a gripping, emotional, eye opening look to the world of dangers, which our young adults are facing in today's world. It is a far more dangerous world for them to maneuver than it was for us in the pre-world wide web society in which we grew up. Stranger danger has always existed but predators have so many new tricks up their sleeves than just would you like a piece of candy, little girl? Yes, all turns out well for this family and the reasons fall to a young girl’s anxieties, feelings of isolation, and wanting some control over her life but what young girl hasn't felt all of those things as she begins to grow into an adult? The only thing about this book that I would change is not being inside Rachel’s head. Her narrative, whereas it assisted us in learning how she felt about her parents, her mother in particular, and the young man she thought she knew from her exchanges online, was too young for me, too disjointed at times. It was the YA—young adult—aspect of what could have truly been an incredible emotional and suspenseful read that kept me from loving this book.

However, I do highly recommend reading DON’T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown…especially if you’re raising kids in this modern world or thinking about doing so. It’s an amazing lesson is parenting in the 21^st century.

Happy Reading Everyone!

DON’T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown, William Morrow Publishing, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

Avon Books - Celebrating 75 Years of Romance and Avon Impulse - Celebrating 5 Years of Digital Imprint

AVON CELEBRATES LANDMARK ANNIVERSARIES:

AS ICONIC ROMANCE PUBLISHER AVON BOOKS TURNS 75,

ITS DIGITAL-FIRST IMPRINT, AVON IMPULSE,

MARKS FIVE YEARS OF UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT IN CULTIVATING FUTURE STARS

New York, NY; April 28, 2016 – This is a momentous year for Avon, the iconic romance imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The year marks not only the 75^th anniversary of Avon Books, widely acclaimed for popularizing the historical romance category, but also celebrates the fifth year for the Avon Impulse digital-first imprint. Today, Avon is an acclaimed (or illustrious?) publishing powerhouse, renowned for nurturing the careers of the best and brightest authors in the romance industry, in large part due to the success of the Impulse program. Avon Impulse is a thriving brand with a proven aptitude for cultivating future stars of the genre.

For its fifth anniversary, Avon Impulse has much to celebrate:

·         4 million e-books sold

·         12 New York Times bestsellers

·         32 USA Today bestsellers

·         16 award nominations, including the prestigious RWA “RITA” award

Editor Amanda Bergeron, who directs the Impulse line, remarks, “The success of the Impulse program runs deep: we’ve published hundreds of books, with millions of copies sold. Avon Impulse has served as the launch pad for many authors’ careers, developing loyal reader bases and growing author awareness through strategic promotions. And in many cases, Impulse has launched talented authors onto the Avon print list.”

Associate publisher Shawn Nicholls notes that one key component of Avon Impulse’s success is “personalized, direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns which increase awareness about Avon Impulse authors, showcase upcoming releases, support backlist, and highlight retail incentives.”

"Avon Impulse originated HarperCollins’ digital-first publishing platform, which we’ve since expanded with Witness Impulse (mysteries and thrillers) and Voyager Impulse (science fiction/fantasy),” says Senior Vice President and Publisher Liate Stehlik.  “Digital-first is a vital component in strategically growing new authors, and extending the visibility of our existing author base.” She continues, “Readers have also responded strongly to our Impulse offerings – and our authors are so happy with their results that they have become the strongest advocates for the Impulse brand."

“Publishing with Avon Impulse has been an amazing experience,” says Jennifer Ryan, who was the first Avon Impulse author to hit the New York Times list with her debut, Saved by the Rancher. “Between editorial, marketing and publicity, every detail is well thought out for each and every book, but it’s never about just one book. They think about the overall career of the author and what their readers want and expect.”

For more information about Avon Impulse, including submission guidelines: www.avonimpulse.com.

About HarperCollins Publishers:

HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 18 countries. With nearly two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 17 languages, and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com.

Unwrapping: Review of BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE by Elizabeth Lowell

When Avon sent me this month's package of books to read as an Avon Addict, I was thrilled to see a hardback copy of BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE by Elizabeth Lowell.  Ms. Lowell had wandered off the romance trail for a while even though her mysteries and suspense stories always have an element of romance in them. This one has brought her back to the romantic side of writing. BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE by Elizabeth Lowell was definitely worth the wait.

Blurb for BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE:

According to Maya legend, December 21, 2012, will mark the end of the world as we know it. Is it myth . . . or will their prediction become reality?

Archaeologist Lina Taylor has devoted her life to studying ancient Maya artifacts, splitting her time between digs in Yucatan and the classroom teaching college students. But the professor’s structured, academic life is about to spin out of control. Some extremely valuable and important Maya artifacts have gone missing. Are the culprits fanatics determined to create chaos and usher in annihilation?

Helping out a friend, former immigration and customs enforcement officer Hunter Johnston is determined to recover the missing pieces and he needs Lina’s help. A man used to calling the shots and working alone, he isn’t comfortable letting anyone get close, especially a beautiful and brainy woman like Lina. His gift for reading people tells him there’s a lot going on below that professional exterior, and he’s more than a little curious to probe her depths.

Burying herself in her work, Lina’s had little experience handling men, especially one as fascinating and exasperating as the secretive, headstrong Hunter.  A devoted archaeologist, she has the skill to excavate those protective layers all the way to his core.
But finding the missing artifacts is only the beginning of a mystery that will plunge these unlikely partners into adventure, romance, and danger more thrilling, sensual, and deadly than either of them knows. . . .

                                 *               *              *               *              *               *


Lina Taylor finds herself teaching students far more regularly than seeking adventure on some dig in the Yucatan.  So when her mother asks her about some very special relics that may or may not be missing, lost or stolen, Lina's curiosity grabs hold and doesn't let go.

Hunter Johnston, although no longer working for I.C.E., has kept close ties to it. So when his buddy Jase, who is still with I.C.E., comes to him in for help in solving a mystery at the warehouse of which Jase has become the fall guy, Hunter can't say no. The problem is he needs specialized help. He needs the help of someone he knows has the expertise to uncover the meaning and use of the items as well as have an idea about who might have stolen them. He needed Lina Taylor. What he was about to find out was just how much he needed her.

As the two work together, they discover there's more than just missing Mayan artifacts at stake. Lina begins to fear that members of her own family, going back as far as her great-grandmother, might somehow be involved. As one mystery begins to unravel, another rears its dangerous head. Hunter and Lina find themselves embroiled in something that may have consequences that go far beyond a mere theft. Thrown together, their mutual attraction for each other throws complications into the mix that neither are willing to ignore or discuss until the most dangerous of adventures threatens to solve the problem for them.

BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE by Elizabeth Lowell is Ms. Lowell at her finest. The story is rich in character, research, settings and best of all, romance.  This tale is full of mystery, intrigue, suspense, adventure, danger and some steamy scenes that will have you fanning yourself for relief. As someone who has a penchant for all things having to do with antiquities and archaeology, my needs were quenched by Ms. Lowell's attention to detail.

I highly recommend BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE to everyone who has read Elizabeth Lowell's previous works and to everyone who hasn't - you won't be disappointed!

Happy Reading Everyone!

BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE by Elizabeth Lowell, William Morrow, an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, available now in hardback, ebook and audio formats.