Blog Tour: THE FORTUNA COIN by Karen Ann Hopkins

 

The Fortuna Coin

by Karen Ann Hopkins

 

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GENRE: Thriller-Psychological

 

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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?

 

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Excerpt One:

 

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.

 

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Review: “The past is the past. Forward is the way to go.”

Thanks to the Fortuna Coin, Wendy, a divorced and battered woman, found the love of her life—her soulmate—in Ben.

Story had a bit of a slow start, but it recaptures the reader’s attention with a sudden BANG. Everything seemed perfect—she had her new husband, her children, and her new life. Then, in the blink of an eye, tragedy strikes and everything was taken away from her.

As Wendy nears her own death, she spots the coin. Then, somehow, she’s transported back to the past, reliving the moment she met Ben. Mmm, fascinating.

The whole ordeal felt like déjà vu to her with no memory of the future that will happen…unless, of course, she changed it.

Story is carried well by a lengthy and descriptive narrative that settles into a leisurely and tame routine. It was interesting because we get the story before the story—with all the events that led to the scene in chapter 1. Wendy meets the ex, gets pregnant, settles into a bad marriage, and undergoes abuse. Meanwhile, she keeps getting these visions of the future—visions that could help her change her future.

“The coin is about second chances. When we need it most, it will return.”

This was an interesting concept and an overall nice read. Look forward to the coin’s return in future books.

 

Rating: 4 stars

 

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

 

Twitter:            https://twitter.com/KarenAnnHopkins

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/temptationbook

Instagram:       karenannhopkins

Website:          https://www.karenannhopkinsfiction.com/

Amazon:          https://www.amazon.com/Karen-Ann-Hopkins/e/B00DWJ6IS4

 

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GIVEAWAY:

 

Karen Ann Hopkins will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway