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Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra is a romantic suspense author with a unique point of view. Her adventure novels take place in locales across Europe and the United States, reflecting her international upbringing and extensive time as a global traveler. In her duology, The Coin and The Book of Hours, her characters, Gabriela and Richard, walk the same paths as their creator, though her life was never in so much danger.
Ms. Alonso-Sierra’s writing career began circa age thirteen with a very juvenile science fiction short story, but the writing bug hit, and she has been writing, in one capacity or another, ever since. She has worked as a professional dancer, singer, journalist, and literature teacher (and not necessarily in that order—she likes variety) and holds a Masters in English literature. She loves to hear from readers and, when not writing, roams around to discover new places to set her novels.
Ms. Alonso-Sierra is currently working on her third novel, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and her dog, Amber.
Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite
Suspenseful, thrilling, and action-packed are apt words to describe The Coin by Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra, a mesmerizing story with great potential to have readers utterly captivated. It all starts with a coin, a mysterious, coveted coin, but what is the value of a coin that people are killed and the lives of many put in danger? Set against the lush backdrop of the French Riviera, this novel explores very powerful themes such as lust, love and betrayal, and many things in between. Gabriela Martinez couldn’t have known that the coin she’d found in the Riviera could set her up as a target. A man gone mad, a very clever killer has her almost in his grip, and will not relent. There is only one person who can protect her, the Intelligence Operative Richard Harrison, but does he have everything required to outwit a cunning killer and unforgiving terrorists?
The story has a brilliant opening; it begins with murder, and the reader is immediately introduced to one of the key characters in the story, the madman. Curiosity awakens and becomes a force that keeps the reader turning the pages. The setting is very beautiful and the idea of the “coin” is just brilliant and enigmatic, something of a mystery which adds to the pervading sense of danger that dominates the entire story. The characters are well crafted and explored in great depth, and the author does this without sacrificing her powerful plot points and her oh-so-beautiful prose. Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra’s work is one of the craftiest stories that will make readers fall in love with the exotic French Riviera. The Coin is hugely entertaining!
