A Timed Wager

Lost Trinkets #1

by Sherrie Lea Morgan

When the gloves come off, the truth comes out…

With her twin sister’s ghost by her side, Shannon was the most sought-after psychic in Birmingham. Until she tried to help police find a missing boy alive—and failed.

When she inherits a dusty antique store in a small town, she jumps at the chance to leave the nightmares behind. Soon she’s dealing with a cat, quirky neighbors, and the sexy owner of the corner diner.

Finding a hidden cache of seemingly unrelated objects, she resolves to return them to their rightful owners. Though using her gift resurrects flashbacks, threatening any hope of building a normal life—and finding love.

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2016

About the author

Sherrie Lea Morgan - A wise woman once told me that to reach your dreams, you must first put out your arms. In my case, I had to make those arms reach to the keyboard and start typing.

​I've been writing stories in my head ever since I can remember. After realizing that having an imagination isn't all you needed to write a good story, I started learning the craft. Several years later and tons of scrap paper, notes, poster boards, I have published several books and will continue to do so.

I live outside of Atlanta, GA. When not working on a manuscript, or furiously jotting notes for future stories, I spend time with my family and two dogs.

Reviews

[Mia McKimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved book one of The Trinket Series and look forward to the next installment. My heart goes out to Shannon as she moves into a town of strangers after inheriting an antique shop. As someone who gets visions of the past from previously owned items, touching antiques could really become a problem. And some members of the town are less the appreciative when she tries to return their ancestors treasures. The instant attraction between her and the hunky restaurant owner, who seems to hold a few secrets of his own, was very well done. I can see these two having a lot of adventures, both good and bad, as this series continues. If you enjoy romance, laced with a bit of paranormal, metaphysical, and ghost, you'll love this series.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to get away from her past, Shannon Pryce decides to have a look at the long-closed antiques shop her Great-Aunt left her. Shannon finds the shop has been closed for some time, but decides to clean it up and re-open it for business. The town where the shop is located is a small one, where everyone knows everyone else. Thus, Shannon meets one of her neighbors, the owner of a pawn shop, Bobby, a couple of doors away, almost immediately when she arrives. At first, Bobby comes across way too strong, and Shannon is wary of him, so put him off as well as she can. Shannon also meets the hunky owner of the diner across the street, Mitch, and tries to encourage his attention as subtly as possible. Meanwhile, she begins cleaning the antiques shop. During the cleaning, she discovers several trinkets as well as a diary her great-aunt kept. Shannon soon learns some of the many secrets the store, her aunt and the town hold, but there are still more lurking out there, and she can feel them. Her two neighbors help her figure out what some mean but not enough to satisfy her. In the story, Shannon has a ghost-sister, who appears regularly to converse with her, to ask questions, and to help her sort through subjects Shannon is working on, which added some interest. In addition, Shannon has the ability to pick up on people and things by touching items they touched, owned or used, though she does not want this ability well-known and likewise does not capitalize on it. Thus, she tries to use this ability sparingly, though it does help her a bit.

The story is short and reads okay. However, I felt it was a bit too rushed for me. I also found the ending rushed and unsatisfying. The three main characters, Shannon, Bobby and Mitch, are well done, but I found it difficult sometime to figure out where things were going with them, as there were plenty of mixed signals throughout. Other than this, I think this could be the start of a good series. I am just not sure, based on how I felt about this one, I will enjoy reading more by the author or her style. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

[C. Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing start to this series. Very enjoyable.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. However I hated the way it ended and left me hanging. Ready to read the second one.

[Candy Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but I personally, do not read cliffhangers. It did keep my interest and I loved the cat and her sister. The hunk across the street, that owns the restaurant, isn't bad either. Her characters were realistic, her descriptions were very good and helped keep my attention. Even the storyline was excellent, although way to short. If you don't mind the shortness of the story, then this is definitely some thing that will excite you
I received this book from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

[Jennie Rosenblum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think a box of trinkets with a past, someone who can read the past and a twin sister ghost to help - it makes an absorbing tale. This book is a combination cozy mystery, light romance (some steam) and small town tale. All the books in the series are novellas so a quick yet rewarding read.

[Janeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author and I loved it. It was short and mysterious and a little bit spicy. I love the paranormal aspect and her determination to make it. Definitely will be adding this whole series to my TBR list.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. It was an easy read, I read it in about an hour. I did not like the way it left me hanging. I prefer a book with an ending. Not sure if I will look for the other installments.

[Kevin Bomely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! A great first book that I couldn’t put down. Very excited to see what happens next!

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun, cozy little read. Part paranormal, part romance, part mystery. I think I will enjoy getting the rest of this series and reading more from the author.

[Peter Tremblay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read, .But a Little Racy for a Cozy

As I noted, A good read, but I expected (as with most Cozys) the sexual adventures would be off stage.

[Dana Lucio · Rating 2 out of 5]

💁🏻‍♀️mkay

[Cecilia Dominic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novella that's a very promising start to a series that reads somewhat like a serial. In other words, it's a great way to read for busy people who like their fiction in bite-sized chunks that leave you satisfied but wanting more at the same time. The main character's ghostly companion is very well-done, and of course I loved the cat. My criticisms - I hate the "big misunderstanding" romantic trope, and a few of the secondary characters fell flat for me, although that's likely a function of the length of the work, and I have hope they'll be developed in future books. Overall, this is a very promising debut, and I'm looking forward to the next installment!

[D. Messing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute story, short and sweet. The pace is a tad frenetic, especially at the end, but it does manage to convey quite a bit of story in a short time. I always am a sucker for a story about re inventing oneself, and this hit all of the pertinent points. Nice afternoon read, enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. Thank you for the opportunity to review this story.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn into this book from the beginning. However, towards the middle it lost the momentum and felt rushed. I didn't completely connect with Shannon's, the main characters, gift. I understood that she was able to see the past by touching an item, but I didn't feel like it was discussed enough.

The author's writing was fantastic during the first half of the book, so I'm interested in where this series is going. It definitely has potential. This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.