Book Review with Featured Author: The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker

The Turncoat’s Widow by Mally Becker

Publisher & Release: Level Best Books, February 16, 2021

Setting:  American Revolutionary War, New Jersey

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 355 Pages

Rating: 4.25 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Recently widowed, Rebecca Parcell is too busy struggling to maintain her farm in Morristown to give a fig who wins the War for Independence. But rumors are spreading in the winter of 1780 that she’s a Loyalist sympathizer who betrayed her husband to the British—quite a tidy way to end her disastrous marriage, the village gossips whisper.

Everyone knows that her husband was a Patriot, a hero who died aboard a British prison ship moored in New York Harbor. But “everyone” is wrong. Parcell was a British spy, and General Washington—who spent that winter in Morristown—can prove it. He swears he’ll safeguard Becca’s farm if she unravels her husband’s secrets. With a mob ready to exile her or worse, it’s an offer she can’t refuse.

Escaped British prisoner of war Daniel Alloway was the last person to see Becca’s husband alive, and Washington throws this unlikely couple together on an espionage mission to British-occupied New York City. Moving from glittering balls to an underworld of brothels and prisons, Becca and Daniel uncover a plot that threatens the new country’s future. But will they move quickly enough to warn General Washington? And can Becca, who’s lost almost everyone she loves, fight her growing attraction to Daniel, a man who always moves on?

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Turncoats-Widow-Revolutionary-War-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08QV7SLKH

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-turncoats-widow-mally-becker/1138723946

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-turncoat-s-widow

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-turncoats-widow/id1551507925?mt=11&id=1551507925&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

 

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56616848-the-turncoat-s-widow

BookBub: Coming Soon

 

Vikki’s Musings

 

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the electronic copy of The Turncoat’s Widow by Mally Becker. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced them.

 

The Turncoat’s Widow is a well-written novel with plenty of suspense, intriguing characters and an enthralling plot. The pacing is a bit slow in the first part of this tale, but it picks up dramatically around the halfway mark. From that point on, I couldn’t read fast enough.

 

Rebecca Parcell is the heroine, and I enjoyed her character a great deal. She’s fearless and determined to save her farm and protect her mother-in-law. Her bravery as the story progresses is amazing. The care and concern she shows toward Augusta is touching and helped me become fully vested in her character. Although her struggles are daunting, she never gives up, even when she faces being branded as a traitor.

 

Daniel Alloway is the hero, and he grew on me as the story moves forward. I could feel his fear when he’s presented with the task George Washington and Alexander Hamilton persuade him to undertake. The last thing he wants is to end up on the British prison ship, the Jersey again. His nightmares he experiences concerning his escape are chilling and vivid. There’s a good amount of descriptive writing in this book of those scenes that had me grabbing onto my seat!

 

I loved the spine-chilling espionage in this tale, as Rebecca and Daniel run from the villains of this story. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of the novel. I love novels set during our country’s fight for independence, and Ms. Becker’s research comes through. I can just imagine the excitement she must have experienced when the premise for this book came to her while volunteering at the Morristown Historical Park.

 

If you enjoy historical fiction with nail-biting suspense, incredible characters and a fantastic mystery to solve, then you will love The Turncoat’s Widow as much as I did. I was amazed when I learned this is Ms. Becker’s debut novel. This book is well worth the time it took to read. Happy reading!

 

Author Bio:

 

Mally Becker thought she'd be clearing trails when she volunteered at the Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey but found herself, instead, sifting through one of the Park's collections of old documents. That's where she found an indictment for the Revolutionary War-era crime of traveling to New York City "without permission or passport." That curious crime became the spark for her historical mystery, The Turncoat's Widow. Mally worked as an attorney for more than 20 years and, later, as an advocate for foster children. She and her husband raised their son in New Jersey, where they still live.

 

Social Media:

Website: https://www.mallybecker.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mally.baumelbecker

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallybeckerwrites/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21067583.Mally_Becker