The Fortuna Coin
by Karen Ann Hopkins
GENRE: Thriller-Psychological
BLURB:
Wendy Catalano, a newly remarried mother of four, finds herself, her husband and her children, murder victims of her ex-husband. A family heirloom takes her back in time to the beginning of her relationship with her eventual killer where she’s given the magical opportunity to change the future and stop her family's tragic ending. But she isn't aware that she's reliving a tortured life. With only glimpses of the future, Wendy struggles to survive present day, unaware that a bloody and unforgiving destiny awaits her.
The Fortuna Coin is a haunting psychological thriller about domestic violence and second chances…but will the truth really set Wendy free?
Excerpt:
Tears blurred my vision, but I was still aware of the bright sunshine glaring onto my face. The rest of my body was heavy and felt numb. When we thudded down the steps, I didn’t feel it. When he opened the door to his pickup truck and shoved me inside with pounding fists to my back and kicks to my legs, I didn’t feel it.
The engine roared to life and it swung around with squealing tires. Josh hit the brakes and surged forward with a jolt that slammed me into the dashboard.
I shrieked, “What are you doing?”
His steady voice quieted, sounding far away. “Don’t worry, Wendy. It will all be over soon. Then we’ll be together—the girls, you… and me. Finally together, forever.”
Josh Taylor had always been a little crazy. He was also an evil man. I wish I’d known the truth earlier. Josh had a charming personality when needed, and he’d kept his true self hidden from everyone except me for most of his life. I’d thought I’d rescued my daughters and myself from Josh a long time ago, but I’d only delayed the inevitable. Poor, poor Ben, and even this Lisa woman who I’d never met, had been caught up in what I’d always known was coming.
But there was no satisfaction of being right all along. I just wanted Josh to kill me, to get it over with it as quickly as possible. He could save me from the horror of living in a world without my girls and Ben. He could end my pain right now.
The truck sped up. I managed to work my limbs enough to scoot myself up in the seat and bring my hands to my face. Digging into my eyes, I wiped the wetness away to see we were heading for the cliff.
The guard-rail rose and Josh hit the gas pedal harder.
The sound of twisting metal was gone with the wind. The rail didn’t even slow us down.
Sun glared off the windshield and before I closed my eyes, I caught a glimpse of the river and the boulders below.
The hammering of my heart reduced to steady drumming as the truck tilted forward, becoming airborne.
When impact finally came, there was a deafening snapping sound, followed by an explosion of ripping metal as the truck struck the ground, rolled, and then skidded over rocky ground.
I slammed into the ceiling first, then hit the floorboard. When the great noise stopped, there was a rush of water. I blinked, tasting blood in my mouth. I was still alive. Hanging upside down, but still alive.
My Review:
The Fortuna Coin started off at a fast pace pulling me into its depths and the next thing I knew I was spiraling down, down, down into its world of murder and suspense. When I read the summary for The Fortuna Coin I knew straight away that I had to read it. I am not quite sure what I was expecting but boy what I got was not it. It was way better than I thought it was going to be.
Within the first five percent, The Fortuna Coin ripped my heart right out of my chest leaving me in tears and this is the moment when I went spiraling down into Wendy’s world. Oh, man, that beginning was so, so sad.
The more I read the more I wanted to read. I literally could not turn the pages fast enough. The Fortuna Coin was spitting out twists after twists I was dodging twists as if they were bullets flying at me, zoom, zoom, zoom.
After that initial take-off, The Fortuna Coin did slow down a bit. The Fortuna Coin then became more of a slow burn type of story spilling out its secrets a little bit at a time given you just enough to keep you hooked from one page to another.
After that sad awful beginning, I went spiraling out of control like Wendy as she was pulled back in time I was right there with her or so that is how it felt. Wendy was pulled back in time and given the chance to relive her life all over again. What will Wendy do with her second chance? Will she make the same mistakes again? Or will she take a chance on a new different life? How will Wendy handle this second chance at life that she has been handed?
I know The Fortuna Coin has quite a few sad, hard times I would still recommend it to all Psychological Thriller fans. Grab your copy of The Fortuna Coin today!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Excerpt from The Fortuna Coin by Karen Ann Hopkins
You can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkinsfiction.com.
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with several new projects.
Karen's Books:
TEMPTATION, BELONGING, FOREVER, DECEPTION: YA Temptation Series, originally published by Harlequin Teen. Currently in development with Wishing Floor Films
LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, WHISPERS FROM THE DEAD, SECRETS IN THE GRAVE, HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT, PAPER ROSES, EVIL IN MY TOWN, FORBIDDEN WAYS, SWEET REGRETS, UNHOLY GROUND, BLOODY TIES, THE WIDOW, WICKED LEGACY, BLOOD ROCK, and THE OFFERING: Adult Amish-themed Crime Fiction/Mysteries, Serenity's Plain Secrets Series
EMBERS, GAIA, TEMPEST, ETERNITY: YA Paranormal/Thriller, Wings of War Series
WILLOW CREEK: Contemporary Romance published with HarperCollins/One More Chapter
THE FORTUNA COINT: Psychological Thriller
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4 comments:
Happy New Year! Thank you so much for reading & reviewing!
I enjoyed the excerpt and review. Sounds like a good story. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Marcy & Rita for checking out The Fortuna Coin!!
Sounds like a thrilling, edge of your seat read and I like the cover! Thanks for sharing it with me and have an awesome weekend!
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