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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 Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
The Book of Hours by Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra is a psychological thriller, full of suspense. Lightning never strikes twice, but psychopaths do. Arnold Wickham is an art dealer with no scruples, and he has his eye on the main prize – a new piece of work called The Book of Hours by Gabriella. He will stop at nothing to get his hands on it and nobody will stop him, least of all Gabriella herself. Richard Harrison is in love with Gabriella and he has the chance to protect her. He must stay one step ahead at all times if he is to guarantee their future. In this story set in London and California, Richard and Gabriella will do everything it takes to protect themselves and the Book of Hours.
The Book of Hours by Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra is the second book of a series. I didn’t read the first one and I thought that might spoil it for me, but it didn’t. Ms. Alonso-Sierra has provided plenty of background information that brought me up to speed on the characters, allowing me to concentrate my mind on the story at hand. The characters are extremely well-written and you are given every opportunity to get to know them and to follow them from continent to continent. The plot itself was clearly well-thought out and was full of action and plenty of suspense, which is what glued me to the story, giving me an innate desire to find out what was going to happen. This is a real mix of romance, crime, and suspense, full of mystery, everything a great story needs. Fantastic story, really well-written and gripping.
