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Isabella’s Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1) by Ellen Butler – Review by Francis O’Sullivan

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler is the first in her Karina Cardinal Mystery series. We are introduced to Karina, the hero of the series, as she gets caught up in solving the mystery of a strange painting she suspects may link her potential father-in-law with a major art theft.
Karina is a great character! She reminds me of Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey in the ways that she snoops around to uncover the secrets of her too-perfect boyfriend and his family. Unlike Catherine, though, Karina’s suspicions are more the product of her observant and analytical mind than novel-fuelled fantasies. Karina is a lobbyist for a medical organisation and so has a law degree and strong morals which make her a perfect lead for this series!
It’s a really enjoyable book! The mystery is enthralling and the romance enticing. The story is well fleshed out with supporting characters and various events giving the main characters time and space to develop. The story is told from Karina’s point of view, which works well as we find out her suspicions but can’t find out if she’s right or not until she does.
For me, this is a five star book and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I’d recommend it to art fans and people who like a bit of mystery with their romance!

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Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) By Ellen Butler – Review by Debi Kircher

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1)

By Ellen Butler

5+++++++ OMG stars

My first thought after being totally worthless for the 3 or so hours it took me to read this book was…This is one of the best books I have EVER read. I know nothing about art and truly went into this book thinking it sounds interesting and a break from what I have been reading would be awesome. Well… WOW…..Not really sure how to word this review so that this author gets the justice deserved for her talent in putting together words and having me so hung over right now I cant even hardly think.

She seriously grabbed me at page 1 and when I say I could not put this down I mean I was walking around with my kindle practically stuck to my nose and I couldn’t read it fast enough which angered me because I loved it so much I wanted to slow down and I couldn’t. Karina…what can I say about her…she was so different than most leading ladies and is seriously one of my new favorites. Besides the serious nature of what was going on she had me absolutely laughing out loud in some parts. I love how her story played out and what I loved also was how the relationships all seemed so real and as far as twists and turns, there were a few but I think the biggest twists were that everything played out totally opposite of what I thought they would and I wish I could explain that but I can’t because it would give too much away…Let me also say that my next favorite character in this book was Molly and you will see why when you read it, and you must read it!

I was so excited to see that Book 2 is coming soon and trust me I will be one of the first in line to have this book and I already have this authors page up so I can check out everything else she has written…

I already want to read this again!! Simply perfect!!

Review by @debikircher

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Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler – Review by Kerry Baker

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery by Ellen Butler is the first book in the Karina Cardinal Mystery series. Steeped in history of an actual painting that was stolen this book will take you on an exciting journey.
This is the first book I have read by this author and the first time I had heaerd of the Boston Garden Museum robbery and I was surprised by how much the author piqued my interest. I loved the idea of the book being based on a real life mystery. Karina as a character was the perfect person to fall into this book with. Her character helped to build up the mystery and suspense while also providing a bit of light hearted comic relief.
The author did really well at balancing the two while also creating a fully believable, and fully enjoyable, story. Her writing style had a great ebb and flow to it also. She knew exactly when to build the story and get you as the author involved and when to ease off a little so that it wa never too much.
Overall I found this to be an interesting read that was well developed creatively with strong characters to back up the story. I can’t wait to see what else is to come from this series and I will certainly be looking into more of the authors work.

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Isabella’s Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1) by Ellen Butler – Review by Emily Walsh

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting
By: Ellen Butler
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler was a entertaining, fast pace, fun read, that had me hooked!

My first read by this author and I will tell you I will be adding Ellen Butler to my watch list. I loved her writing style, witty and engaging dialogue, and of course I loved how Ellen turned a real life mystery into a fun, light hearted thriller of an adventure, with a ordinary MC, who just happen to be in the wrong place at the right time.

I was captured right away with this tale, it was like magic. The pacing was on point, the detail was rich and it makes you feel like your right there with our MC, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and how in the world this crazy adventure sucked you in. It had a touch of romance, family revelations, and of course a smart, well rounded, kick ass female MC, that really made this story shine.

As much as I loved the mystery and the danger, Karina, for me, stole the show and brought this story to life. Okay, yes the other characters were great as well, and were just as well constructed, but Karina, she was on a another level. I can’t fully explain it, you’re just going to have to read this wonder to find out for yourself.

What that said, I will leave you with my super high recommendation and my stamp of approval. Believe me you will not be able to put this book down.

Happy Reading.

Review by @eawalsh

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Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler – Review by Maura Harper

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Being from Boston, the art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has always intrigued me. The who, why, where is a mystery that I don’t believe will ever be solved.

ISABELLA’S PAINTING is fiction based in truth. All of the aspects that surround the theft really happened. The rest is fiction and was fun to read.

This is a story filled with a bit of mystery, suspense, murder and very civilized mayhem. I really enjoyed the layers of the story. The complexity of the relationships and the roller coaster ride we were taken on.

I would recommend this story and I look forward to reading the next installment of this new series

Review by @mauraharper

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Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler – Review by Erin Wolf

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I give Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler, 5 stars.

Karina has a life she loves. She works in Washington DC, her job keeps her busy, but she loves it. Her boyfriend is wonderful. He understands her love of her job and how it keeps her working log hours at times. But he is there for her. So when he parents, who happen to be very well-known in Washington society, throw their annual holiday party and she is asked to attend, she accepts. She knows this is a big deal to both her boyfriend and his parents. While attending the party at their house, she happens across a hidden painting his dad has. Her curiosity get the better of her and she decided to do some research. This looks just like a painting from an infamous museum heist! Is it real? Why does he have it? Should she tell anyone? Can she live with herself of she doesn’t?

This is the first book I have read by this author and I now have a new author to follow! I absolutely loved it! There is so much going on that you will quickly be wrapped up in the suspense and will not be able to put it down until it is done. Karina is a great main character, she is very real and quite human. She struggles with her problems just like any of us would do. That is what helps make this book so great. But let us not forget the story itself. I believe it is based off a real heist, but either way the story is is fantastic. There are so many twists and turns, you will never guess what will happen next.

If you are a fan of suspense and thrillers, with a strong female lead, this book is for you!

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Reivew by @erinwolf79

Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler – Review by Jenni Bishop

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) Ellen Butler is a great start to the series. It is a fun read for the most part, I loved the humor, there is mystery abound and lets not forget the little bit of romance thrown in to boot. Throw in the FBI, the Mob, a mysterious painting and some secrets and you have one suspenseful mystery that will keep you engrossed from start to finish. Karina is one sassy and strong, witty and headstrong individual and oh did I mention nosey; woman who has stumbled upon something that change the course of her life. The story was based upon a true story that Ellen shared and based on that she did a great job with writing this story and adding her own spin to things.If you like a good mystery Isabella’s Painting is the one for you.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) By Ellen Butler – Review by Laura Furuta

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1)
By: Ellen Butler
5 out of 5 stars

The story Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler is a book that I loved reading. It hooks you in from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put it down until I had read the final page. It is a story that includes suspense and mystery. It had me turning pages in order to find out what was going to happen next in both the plot and to the characters. I loved reading about the character of Karina Cardinal. She is a lawyer who is independent and intelligent. Some would also call her a lobbyist on Capitol Hill, however, she would cringe at such a label. She runs into a mystery when at her boyfriend’s parent’s home for a holiday party. What happens next has Karina’s investigative skills and a bit of paranoia working overtime. Is the painting that she has seen one that was stolen so many years ago? Why does her boyfriend’s father have the stolen masterpiece? Now that she has started an investigation into the painting how much danger is she in? Read this book to find out. There are times when this story had me on the edge of my seat. Trying to put together the clues that Karina uncovers is like trying to put together a puzzle to find the truth. The other character that I enjoyed reading about in this story is Mike Finnegan. He is an old friend of Karina’s and works for the FBI. This is a wonderfully written story with some amazing characters. Highly recommended.

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Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler – Review by Bobbi Wagner

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a story of suspense, mystery and some romance. There are even some twists and turns that left me turning pages just to see what was going to happen next. This is a story Karina and how she accidently overhears a conversation that wasn’t meant for her ears. She thinks that she sees the stolen painting that has been missing since 1990. When she is trying to figure out what to do she runs into an old friend. I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens next.

Review by @bjwagner
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Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1) by Ellen Butler – Review by Heather Lovelace

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Isabella's Painting (Karina Cardinal Mystery #1)Isabella’s Painting by Ellen Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a solid story. I loved that it has direct correlation to real life events! I found the plot fascinating and the characters to be well developed. The book kept me guessing every page. I found the author to have a distinct voice that I felt a connection to. Overall, this book was very well written and is one I will recommend to others.

Reviewed by @heatherlovelace

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Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler

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~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ BOOK SPOTLIGHT ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~
Isabella’s Painting: A Notorious Art Heist Mystery (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler Books
BUY NOW – https://amzn.to/2qs7UWK
#IsabellasPainting #ArtHeist #EllenButler #Mystery
Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Cozy, Women Sleuths
Page Count – 280 Pages
Cover Designer – RLSather / SelfPubBookCovers.com
Publisher – Power to the Pen
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/…/sh…/39197711-isabella-s-painting

Peeling back layers of lies could save a masterpiece…or reveal a killer.

After a long week lobbying on Capitol Hill, all Karina Cardinal wants to do is chill with Netflix and her boyfriend, Patrick Dunne. Instead, she’s slipping her aching feet into red stilettos for his parents’ annual holiday bash.

When she accidentally interrupts Patrick’s father in his study, her embarrassment is tempered by suspicion that Martin Dunne and his dapper, secretive guest are hiding something. Maybe the painting she barely glimpses right before it disappears behind a secret panel.

An internet search raises her curiosity to full-blown alarm. If she’s right, Martin is in possession of a stolen masterpiece. Infamous because everyone close to it has turned up dead. As in Mafia-style-execution dead.

As she’s chewing over which instinct to follow—back off while she still can, or dig deeper for the truth—she crosses paths with FBI agent Mike Finnegan. An old friend and not-quite flame from her college days. When she looks into his warm, mocha eyes, she’s tempted to tell him everything.

Trouble is, she’s already being watched. And the next move she makes could destroy innocent lives…including her own.

~ AMAZON ~ 

~ BARNES AND NOBLE ~ 

~ IBOOKS ~ 

~ KOBO ~ 

Ellen Butler is a bestselling novelist writing critically acclaimed suspense thrillers, and award-winning romance. Ellen holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Policy, and her history includes a long list of writing for dry, but illuminating, professional newsletters and windy papers on public policy. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime and the Office of Strategic Services Society. She lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her family.

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