I’m thrilled to be sharing here today, “Amanda in Ireland: The Body in the Bog” a new release by the amazing Darlene Foster. It’s a fun read, see my review below.
BLURB
Twelve-year-old Amanda Jane Ross is invited to be a bridesmaid for her cousin’s wedding in Ireland! She falls in love with the Emerald Isle the moment she lands in Dublin. The warm, friendly Irish people immediately make her feel at home. Towering castles, ancient graveyards, and the stunning green countryside are filled with fascinating legends, enthralling folktales, and alarming secrets.
Things take a dark turn when disaster strikes. Amanda wonders if there will be a wedding at all. As she joins the search for a missing horse, she stumbles upon a world of screaming banshees, bloody battles, and dangerous peat bogs. The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Will she become another body in the bog?
Amanda in Ireland VIDEO LINK
EXCERPT
“I-I’m a bit claustrophobic and that looks like a very
narrow opening.”
“It’s not that tight, and once you’re through, it opens up.
Look, if I can fit through it, you can. I’m bigger than you.”
Amanda nodded. “OK, I guess so.”
She gingerly made her way up to her cousin. He went
through the opening first, turning sideways and crouching
down. Amanda took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and
squeezed through, her heart hammering in her chest.
She felt a breeze and opened her eyes, realizing she had
made it through, although it was very dark. “Taylor!” she
shouted. “Are you in here?”
No answer.
Her chest tightened as she started to panic. Goosebumps
slid along the back of her neck. Then she saw a faint light and
shouted, “Taylor.”
“Over here!” He waved his phone. “Be careful, hold on to
the wall.”
Amanda made her way to the light, hugging the cool wall
until she got to her cousin. “That light isn’t very bright.”
“I forgot to charge my phone and I’m running low on
power. You’ll have to stick close to me. There’s a place I want to
check out. It’s actually a large chamber, but hard to get to unless
you know it’s there.” Taylor turned and started walking, leaving
her in the dark again.
Amanda could hear the drip-drip of water as she felt her
way along the wall. She tried to follow the outline of her
cousin, but his cell phone light got dimmer and dimmer. Soon
it was almost totally dark.
“Taylor, Taylor, are you still here?”
He didn’t answer. Amanda felt an opening in the wall. Did
he turn here or go straight?
“Taylor, I don’t know which way to go.”
Amanda felt tears well up. Trembling, she thought of Tom
Sawyer and Becky Thatcher lost in the underground caves for
three days.
She listened for an answer but only heard the constant
dripping. And then she heard something else. It was faint, but
it sounded like a horse snorting.
MY FIVE-STAR REVIEW
Twelve-year-old Amanda is off to Ireland to be a bridesmaid in her cousin’s wedding. As she falls in love with Ireland, so do I. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit, and I got a beautiful glimpse of it through the lush descriptions and interesting history. Amanda feels immediately welcomed and starts exploring, but she finds herself in another mystery. First, there’s a missing horse, and then the bride. As she sets out to figure out what happened, there are a few not-so-nice people who don’t want her to. I love how I was captured from the very first page; plus, it was easy to get to know the characters, even if you’ve never read one before. Although it is intended for middle-grade readers, I also enjoy this adventure. I can highly recommend this story for children and adults who love clean mysteries, history, amazing scenery, and great characters.
PURCHASE LINK FOR AMANDA IN IRELAND
Author Bio
Darlene Foster grew up on a ranch in Alberta, Canada, where her love of reading inspired her to see the world and write stories. Her Amanda Travels series features spunky Amanda Ross, a twelve-year-old girl who loves to travel. All ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another in unique destinations. Darlene is retired and has a house in Spain where she writes full-time. Her constant interest and enthusiasm for everything keep her young at heart. When not travelling, meeting interesting people, and collecting ideas for her books, Darlene enjoys spending time with her family in Canada and with her husband and entertaining dogs in Spain.
Author Links
Thank you for featuring Amanda and me on your blog. I’m so pleased you enjoyed this adventure in Ireland! Thanks for the great review.
So happy to spread the word, Darlene. I just got my copy to put under the Christmas tree 🙂
I’m reading this right at this moment.
That’s awesome, Sue. I hope you are enjoying Ireland! ☘️☘️
You are enjoying a fun read then Sue 🙂
I know the target audience is MG, but I’m with you, Denise – I always enjoy an adventure with Amanda and also learn something about the area she’s visiting. Excited to start this one soon!
Thanks, Teri. You may be booking a trip to Ireland after reading the book. ☘️☘️
It’s a story and character that crosses reader age, Teri!
Nice to learn about Darlene’s new book, Denise!
Thanks, Tim.
My pleasure, Darlene. 😊
Thanks for stopping by and supporting her, Timothy 🙂
Thumbs up again on this one, Denise!
Thanks, Noelle. I loved Denise’s review.
Definitely things up, Noelle!
What an excellent summary. You nailed it!
She certainly did! Thanks, Jacqui.
Thank you, Jacqui 🙂 Darlene makes it so easy with great stories, settings, and characters.
While I was reading Darlene’s book, I kept thinking, “I wish I were there.” Well, in Ireland, not the bog.🤣
LOL! That was very funny, Pete.
I agree, Pete, I wish I was there too minus the bog…lol
Another wonderful blog stop for this book! I loved this Amanda adventure and recommend it for all age groups! Thank you for sharing, Denise!! Congratulations to Darlene!
Thanks, Jan for following the blog tour and for being an Amanda fan. xo
Thank you for adding your recommendationand support, Jan!
Best wishes to Darlene, and thank Denise for hosting.
Thanks so much, John!
Thank you, John. So happy to spread the word.
This is a lovely post, Denise and I like your review. I am looking forward to reading this book.
Thanks, Balroop. Enjoy the Ireland adventure. xo
Thank you, Balroop 🙂 You have a fun read ahead!
Thanks for this wonderful post, Denise! I can’t wait to visit Ireland through Amanda’s adventure! Congrats to Darlene! 💚
Thanks, Lauren. You may want to book tickets to Ireland after reading the book. xo
Probably so! 🥰💚
It’s a great trip to Ireland with Amanda, Lauren! Xo
What a great review about Darlene’s wonderful book! Thanks for sharing and all the best to Darlene!!!! 💚
Thanks, Cindy. It is a fabulous review which made me very happy.
Oh that’s delightful!
❤️
Thank you, Cindy. It made me want to visit there.
Oh that’s sooo cool!!! You might have to take Amanda with you for a tour! ❤️
This is an excellent review, Denise! I love the excerpt, Darlene! I would be scared to lose in the dark.
Thanks, Miriam. Getting lost in the dark, underground would be awful. Pleased you liked the review and excerpt. xo
Thank you, Miriam 🙂 That would be terrifying!
A super review for Darlene. The latest Amanda book sounds like a great read. It’s on my list.
I am so happy that everyone is enjoying this book and writing such wonderful reviews.
Thank you, Esther:) You have a fantastic read ahead!
Kudos to Darlene on the claustrophobic except! I was feeling squeezed and short of breath. Sharing to help spread the word!
*excerpt
Thanks for sharing, Liz. As a person who is claustrophobic, it was scary to write that part.
You’re welcome, Darlene.
Darlene nailed that part, Liz!
This scene made me a little anxious! I could feel for Amanda, that’s for sure. It’s great to see Darlene here with her latest adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Thanks for hosting, Denise, and congrats to Darlene.
I felt anxious writing it. It’s not a position I would ever want to be in. Thanks for the comment.
🙂
I felt the same, Diana. Well written
It’s so good to see Darlene and her latest Amanda adventure here. Amanda in Ireland is a pleasure to read!
Thanks for following the blog tour, Priscilla!
That is a perfect way to describe it, Priscilla, a pleasure to read!
An excellent review, Denise. Weirdly, when I hit the Like button on your site it took me to one of my own books on Amazon. While I didn’t mind I suspect Darlene might. Another ghost in the online machine! But thanks for sharing the review and best of luck to Darlene with the book. 🙂
Thanks, Laura. Sounds like another weird WordPress glitch. All seems to be in working order at my end.
That’s good to know. The internet can be strange at times, and WordPress has more than its fair share of glitches. As long as things are working at your end, that’s good. 🙂
So strange, Laura. I’ve been running into that too and stopped liking. Sorry it made its way here, I wish I knew how to fix it.
Me too, but I’m not that tech savvy. 😐
great book summary – 💚
Thanks, Yvette.
Delightful book!
Thanks, Dawn.
It really was, Dawn!
So nice to see Darlene and her lovely book featured here today. I love the cover and the excerpt. Congrats to Darlene on your beautiful review, Denise. Hugs to both xo
Thanks, Debby. So pleased you like the cover and the excerpt. xo
So happy to have Darlene here, Debby 🙂 The cover is even prettier in person. Hugs right back to you xo
Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s always a beautiful thing to see authors sharing other authors.
So happy to share this wonder book 🙂 I love seeing the same thing and seeing all the supporters, like you!
Thanks, Jean. I’m blessed to have many supportive writers and readers.