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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Secrets of Hallstead House by Amy M. Reade Blog Tour


Secrets of Hallstead House

Amy M. Reade



Genre: Romantic Suspense



Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.



Date of Publication: July 17, 2014



eISBN-13: 978-1-60183-299-3

eISBN-10: 1-60183-299-0



ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-300-6

ISBN-10: 1-60183-300-8



Number of pages: appr. 273

Word Count: appr. 82,000



Formats available: ebook, print-on-demand

Excerpt
I went up to my room without meeting anyone. I was getting tired,
so I didn’t bother to build a fire. I just crawled between the covers
and was almost asleep when I heard a faint knock at my door. Concerned
that Alex was ill, I jumped out of bed and went quickly to
open the door.
Will was standing there, still dressed in his dinner attire. As usual,
he looked debonair and handsome. “I’m sorry to bother you so late,
Macy, but I wanted to talk to you alone. May I come in?” he asked
politely.
Still thinking that he might be here with information about Alex, I
let him in. He sat down in one of the chairs before the cold fireplace
and motioned for me to sit down too. I was getting impatient. “Is
Alex all right? Is that why you’re here?”
He sighed and passed his hand over his eyes. I noticed for the first
time the ever-so-slight graying at his temples. “As a matter of fact,
Macy, Alex is the reason that I’m here. Oh, she’s probably sleeping
peacefully right now, so there’s no need for you to worry about her
tonight. But I must tell you that I am starting to get a little concerned
that your presence here is perhaps not in Aunt Alex’s best interests. I
have noticed that she seems to be a little preoccupied while she’s trying
to work and now there’s this illness that seems to be affecting her.
I am of the opinion that your notions of a quick recovery and exhausting
physical therapy are doing Aunt Alex more harm than good.”
I was speechless. I certainly had not expected this kind of opposition
from Alex’s nephew. I stared at him for a moment.
“Will, I am sorry to hear that you feel this way. I’m here because
Alex hired me to be her nurse. My job is to see that her doctor’s orders
are carried out. As for my ‘notions’ of a quick recovery, don’t
you agree that it’s best for her to begin her normal activities again so
that she can get back to her life? I’m not rushing her into anything.
This is standard procedure for a patient of her age recovering from
hip surgery. Furthermore, the illness that you feel she is currently
suffering from seems to be no more than fatigue. It is common
among surgery patients, particularly those who are almost eighty
years old.”
Will did not waver from his position. “But can you explain why
she doesn’t seem to be able to concentrate on her work? I think I
know why. It’s because you arrived here with your sad stories about
your parents and you’ve dredged up all the unpleasantness about her
own family—about Diana and Forrest and their deaths. It’s impossible
for her to concentrate when she can’t get her own grief out of her
head.”
“I happen to think that she’s dealing with her sadness in a very
healthy manner. She doesn’t seem to be dwelling on the past, and she
seems generally happy and content.”
Will stared at me steadily. I met his gaze evenly, refusing to let
him know that he was making me uncomfortable. Finally he spoke.
“I can see that you’re determined to stay here despite Aunt Alex’s
best interests. Fine. There are other ways to persuade you to go.”


Book Description:



Macy Stoddard had hoped to ease the grief of losing her parents in a fiery car crash by accepting a job as a private nurse to the wealthy and widowed Alexandria Hallstead.



But her first sight of Summerplace is of a dark and forbidding home. She quickly finds its winding halls and shadowy rooms filled with secrets and suspicions. Alex seems happy to have Macy’s help, but others on the island, including Alex’s sinister servants and hostile relatives, are far less welcoming.



Watching eyes, veiled threats…slowly, surely, the menacing spirit of Hallstead Island closes in around Macy. And she can only wonder if her story will become just one of the many secrets of Hallstead House…



Available at Amazon





About the Author:



Amy M. Reade is a debut author of romantic suspense. A native of upstate New York, she grew up in the Thousand Islands region and was inspired by the natural beauty of that area to write her first novel, Secrets of Hallstead House. She now lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children, a Bouvier des Flandres named Orly, and two rescued cats who refuse to answer to their names of Porthos and Athos.



Upon graduation from Cornell University and Indiana University School of Law, Amy practiced law in New York City, but soon discovered that her dream job was writing. In addition to volunteering with school, church, and community groups, Amy is currently working on her second novel, set in the area around Charleston, South Carolina.



Though Amy lives within sight of the Atlantic Ocean, she is partial to the blue waters of the Pacific and spends as much time as possible on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is the setting of her as-yet-unwritten third novel.









Twitter: @readeandwrite










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