Review: The action starts in 1881, when a man attempts to kidnap Jacci from the Mary Ellen, a river boat where her mother, Irena, works as a maid. Irena pulls out a gun in self-defense. The man stabs her. Jacci gets ahold of the gun and shoots the man. They manage to get off the Mary Ellen onto The Kingston Floating Palace, a showboat which just happened to be docked next to the Mary Ellen. Irena dies a few days later. The man Jacci thinks is her father is a riverboat gambler. So Jacci ends up in the care of her grandfather, an actor aboard the showboat. Jacci is traumatized by the shooting and the death of her mother. And it will haunt her forever.
Fifteen years later, in 1896, Jacci and Tyrone, her grandfather, are still aboard the Palace, where they entertain crowds at river ports. Jacci considers the Kingston family as her own, including Gabe, who is like a brother to her. But, what Jacci doesn’t know about her personal history comes calling at one of their shows.
Jacci finds out that Irena was not her real mother. And the person she thought was her father, Kelly Reed? Not her father. I’m not giving away the whole story, but Jacci’s birth mother is the wife of a prominent politician. He’ll go to any lengths to protect his reputation, including hiring shady characters to kidnap little girls.
The drama builds when Jacci’s real mother and her husband attend a show on The Palace. Ann Gabhart is very good at building drama. And there’s also Jacci’s love story along with the danger and suspense. I couldn’t put the book down as the story came to a close. It’s a great read!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book compliments of the author and Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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