Darcia Helle's Blog, page 35
October 4, 2021
Book Review — SLEWFOOT: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
Connecticut, 1666.
An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector.
The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil.
To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.
Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake.
“If it is a devil you seek, then it is a devil you shall have!”
This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting paintings, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world.
Published: September 14, 2021
My ThoughtsMost of the first part of Slewfoot reads like Puritan-times historical fiction, with Abitha desperate to make her way in a male-dominated world where she has no rights. I actually liked this part best because I felt the claustrophobic oppression she fought against.
Slewfoot’s character feels almost cartoonish, with his ongoing confusion making him more wimpy and whiny than dangerous. The horror aspects are far more gratuitous gore than terror. Slewfoot does gradually become something to fear, but it’s almost too late for the story to take that turn.
I appreciate what the author was going for here, with the blend of pagan traditions, witchcraft, and a real devil pitted against the rigid Puritan society, but the horror aspect didn’t really work for me.
*I received an eARC from the publisher, via NetGalley.*
The post Book Review — SLEWFOOT: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
October 3, 2021
New Release Spotlight — SECOND CHANCE TO WEAR HIS RING by Hana Sheik
A forgotten past…
Could pave the way to forever!
When millionaire Mansur Ali is called urgently home to Somaliland, he’s shocked to find that the woman who broke his heart needs his help. After an accident, Amal has lost many memories…including Manny’s marriage proposal and her rejection! Manny will help her seek treatment in Addis Ababa, but he’s resolved to keep his heart firmly off-limits. A promise that is tested when their journey brings them closer than ever before…a whole lot more?
Add Second Chance to Wear His Ring to your Goodreads!
Buy Second Chance to Wear His Ring by Hana Sheik Harlequin.com.
ExcerptExcerpt of Second Chance to Wear His Ring by Hana Sheik (Aug 24)
Harlequin Romance
Add Second Chance to Wear His Ring to your Goodreads!
Facing the door, his mother had noticed his entry and now called to him, her eyes as large and disbelieving as the young maid’s. The sound of the truck’s running motor grumbled in with the cool breeze. The door to the veranda was open, as were all the windows in the tastefully furnished living area.
She shouldn’t look surprised. She had known he was coming. Manny had left a message for her before he’d boarded his private jet. He’d figured she must have heard it as she’d sent the driver to fetch him.
Then again, she was likely shocked that he had shown up. She hadn’t expected him to heed her summons. And what did that say about him?
That you’re a failure of a son, maybe?
He scowled at the thought and fixed his attention on the scene before him.
His mother stood with the help of a woman who had her back to Manny. He assumed it was another maid. That was the wrong assumption.
“Amal…” Manny breathed her name. It felt too long since he’d allowed himself to think about her. A whole year, to be exact.
If he’d known they would cross paths so quickly he would’ve arranged for his mother to meet him elsewhere. Perhaps in his old bedroom. She’d likely furnished it for him, in the hope that he would opt to stay with her rather than check himself into a hotel.
But it was difficult to think about his accommodation when his mother was approaching him with Amal.
He flinched as they neared, his instinct roaring at him to flee. His heart, a battering ram, drummed so loud he feared that Amal would hear it. That she would know how easily she continued to affect him.
Curiosity kept him rooted. But he was seconds from storming out of the house to spend his first day here in a hotel.
Only the flash of emotional pain in his mother’s wet eyes cooled his indignation. Halima Ahmed Adan didn’t shed tears lightly. Only two instances came to his mind before this: when his father had died last year and when Mansur had announced his plan to leave for America on a college scholarship at the impressionable age of seventeen.
But she was crying now, her shawl forgotten where she’d left it on the ornately patterned floor cushions.
“Hooyo,” she said, and the Somali term of endearment wrapped itself around his heart. It meant mother, and by choice he hadn’t had one this past year, for reasons he was still ashamed to contemplate.
Moved by her tears, Manny stepped into her open arms and sank into her embrace.
She pressed her mouth to his ear. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” Manny murmured.
Over his mother’s shoulder, he met Amal’s eyes. Her face free of makeup, her tawny, reddish-brown skin glowed as if freshly scrubbed. She wore a neutral expression. Her midnight-blue silk veil was styled to match her dress. Snug around her chest and curvy hips, its flowing design was meant to discourage the kind of heated thoughts slipping into Manny’s head unbidden.
Squeezing his mother tighter, Manny eased his hold when she gasped and gave a small laugh. He’d almost forgotten he was hugging her.
“Forgive me,” Manny mumbled, releasing his mother.
When his hands dropped to his sides again he flexed his fingers, the lingering feel of her warming his gut and falling over him like a comfort blanket. It was easier to hold on to the grudging anger.
Noting where his attention was directed, his mother grasped Amal’s hand and pulled her closer. “Have you forgotten Amal?” she asked.
Like he could forget Amal Khalid.
About the AuthorHana Sheik falls in love every day reading her favourite romances and writing her own happy-ever-afters. She’s worked as a data entry operator, customer service rep, telemarketer, and ghostwriter—but being a romance author is without a doubt the best job ever! Born in Somalia, she moved to the beautiful capital of Canada as a toddler, and still lives there happily with her family.
Connect with the Author
Website: https://hanasheik.com/
The post New Release Spotlight — SECOND CHANCE TO WEAR HIS RING by Hana Sheik appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
Book Review — FORTUNE FAVORS THE DEAD: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery by Stephen Spotswood
It’s 1942 and Willowjean “Will” Parker is a scrappy circus runaway whose knife-throwing skills have just saved the life of New York’s best, and most unorthodox, private investigator, Lillian Pentecost. When the dapper detective summons Will a few days later, she doesn’t expect to be offered a life-changing proposition: Lillian’s multiple sclerosis means she can’t keep up with her old case load alone, so she wants to hire Will to be her right-hand woman. In return, Will is to receive a salary, room and board, and training in Lillian’s very particular art of investigation.
Three years later, Will and Lillian are on the Collins case: Abigail Collins was found bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball following a big, boozy Halloween party at her home—her body slumped in the same chair where her steel magnate husband shot himself the year before. With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband (who else could have gotten inside the locked room?), the family has tasked the detectives with finding answers where the police have failed.
But that’s easier said than done in a case that involves messages from the dead, a seductive spiritualist, and Becca Collins—the beautiful daughter of the deceased, who Will quickly starts falling for. When Will and Becca’s relationship dances beyond the professional, Will finds herself in dangerous territory, and discovers she may have become the murderer’s next target.
Published: October 2020
My ThoughtsLet’s make murder fun again!
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Fortune Favors the Dead is one of the most enjoyable historical murder mysteries I’ve read in a long time.
The year is 1945. Women are still tethered to aprons and diapers. Then we have Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean Parker, two crime-solving women who don’t want anything to do with aprons or diapers. They’re like an American hybrid mix of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes.
Parker is bisexual, and I thought the queer representation was handled quite well. Her attraction to women is simply another aspect of her complex personality.
Pentecost has MS. Her character gives us a thoughtful representation of life with chronic illness, which I don’t often see in fiction. As someone living with Lyme and autoimmune disease, I especially appreciated that she could be badass despite her limitations.
I loved the setting, atmosphere, characters, dialogue—all of it!
Fortune Favors the Dead is the first Pentecost and Parker Mystery, and I can’t wait for the next one!
*I received an ARC from Doubleday Books.*
The post Book Review — FORTUNE FAVORS THE DEAD: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery by Stephen Spotswood appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
September 29, 2021
Action-Packed Fantasy — IMEN OF ATLANTIS: BITTEN by Tony D’Urso and S.K.R.
Roni
Roni is an Imen who are presumed mythical beings dwelling in a mystical land beneath the forest of Carron. She enjoys answering distress calls sounded by the trees in the forest, until one distress signal changes her life forever. The distress signal came from a Hunter, Prince Eyvind, who was bleeding profusely from a wound. The trio tended to his wounds as the Prince’s companions watched in amazement. Captivated by the hunter, Roni was unable to control herself but looked into his eyes and searches for his life. She flipped through his memories, not knowing the major consequences she had to face – banishment.
Eyvind
Surrounded by people who are corrupt and hungry for power, Prince Eyvind decides to renounce his claim to the throne. This was a major problem because many soldiers were loyal to him and the people loved him dearly. In turn, a plan was devised to turn the nation against Eyvind and accuse him of false charges. This results in Eyvind and his companions being bound for execution. To escape it, they run away from the nation.
Bomo
Ever since his mother passed, Bomo sells firewood for bits of gold. He would do anything to get more gold, the very reason for his existence. This simpleton ogre found out about Roni’s power of being able to grant gifts and turn things into gold, making him become obsessed with capturing her. With the help of spells left by his mother, sorceress of the forest, nothing can stop him on his quest to capture Roni or any Imen.
What happens to both Eyvind and Roni who are both banished from their lands? Find out in Imen of Atlantis from the Bitten series!
IN A DIMLY LIT CHAMBER with walls of rough-hewn stone, throaty gurgles, and mumbles filled the room.
The damp walls of the chamber glistened as light from the lone torch flickered and danced about its uneven surface. A large brewing cauldron sat in the corner perched upon a steady fire, blanketing the chamber with its warmth.
Bomo hovered over the cauldron, lustfully stirring the top of the mucky contents with a long thin stick. He mumbled and gurgled alien spells in a crazed frenzy.
At times, his thick protruding brow furrowed at the bridge of his nose, and his yellowish-tan eyes burned with rage as his incoherent mumbles turned to loud grumbles thundering out of his cave-like mouth.
Yet, at other times the thick furrows in his brow relaxed as the rumbles transformed back into garbled mumbles. He lustfully coveted a delicate and mystical creature with animal desire.
He chanted her name, “Roni,” over and over, and at times threw his thick arms up in the air and arched his back.
A sick desire streamed through his thick veins, intoxicating every living cell of his awkwardly disproportioned body.
The ogre continued babbling impatiently until the desired moment finally arrived.
He slowly unraveled the fingers of his left hand that clutched a teardrop-shaped glass bottle. Bomo unfastened the stopper and skimmed the open end along the surface of the muck with great care.
The vessel was nearly filled with the strange substance that had precipitated to the top and glowed different colors. It was as if he had magically captured a rainbow and forced it into the bottle. He quickly capped the top and proceeded towards his desk with his awkward gait.
The room appeared ransacked. Volumes of ancient tomes lay scattered amongst broken furniture. He negotiated around and over the clutter, and with a thud, threw himself onto the chair behind the wooden desk.
He hunched his thick unshapely body over the desk, opened a drawer, and impatiently rifled through its contents, occasionally hurling things into the air with great frustration.
Finally, he found the object he had been searching for — a small block of blue wax. He placed it into a small copper container with a long handle and lit a stubby candle beneath it.
Bomo moved the copper container impatiently over the flame. Eventually, the block melted, and he blew out the candle with enough force to knock it over. He used the molten wax to seal the top onto the bottle to ensure the contents were safe and secure.
The creature held the bottle up to his face with great satisfaction. He grinned widely as he stared piercingly at its contents with complete amazement.
Bomo rose from the wooden chair and kicked it out from under him and moved toward an over-sized hutch upon which sat a heavily ornamented carved wooden box.
The ogre opened it carefully and placed the glass bottle into the softly cushioned velvet-lined niche. His rough, calloused fingers closed the lid, and with an about-face, he vacated his disheveled chamber.
About the Authors
Tony D’Urso was born in Sicily, Italy and grew up in Chicago, IL. He has traveled extensively in Europe and the southwest United States. Tony also loves hiking in the mountains and enjoys all of God’s creations. He hosts the Internet radio show: The Tony DUrso Show, the #1 program on the VoiceAmerica network. Tony helps millions of entrepreneurs learn from the success of others, and teaches The Vision Map
, the testament to his success. Academically, he graduated from LaVerne University with a business degree and earned the honor of summa cum laude. Tony is also a published author and an Amazon bestseller.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Twitter: @TonyDurso
Facebook
Instagram @TonySDurso
LinkedIn
S.K.R. enjoys the private life with her family, which includes a pure-white Akita (the model for the White Wolves of Bal-Shera). She loves the great outdoors and can often be found visiting “God’s Country” (Sierra Nevada mountain range), including wilderness hiking, camping, and wildlife enjoyment. Her passion for the outdoors stems from her birthplace and upbringing in Kenya, Africa. She grew up in England and attended university in the United States, graduating with a degree in Public Administration. She is an artist whose favorite medium is pastel painting. Professionally, she has worked in the medical field for nearly 30 years. Additionally, she loves reading and researching topics of interest, as well as traveling.
The post Action-Packed Fantasy — IMEN OF ATLANTIS: BITTEN by Tony D’Urso and S.K.R. appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
Book Review — CROSSROADS by Jonathan Franzen
It’s December 23, 1971, and heavy weather is forecast for Chicago. Russ Hildebrandt, the associate pastor of a liberal suburban church, is on the brink of breaking free of a marriage he finds joyless―unless his wife, Marion, who has her own secret life, beats him to it. Their eldest child, Clem, is coming home from college on fire with moral absolutism, having taken an action that will shatter his father. Clem’s sister, Becky, long the social queen of her high-school class, has sharply veered into the counterculture, while their brilliant younger brother Perry, who’s been selling drugs to seventh graders, has resolved to be a better person. Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate.
Jonathan Franzen’s novels are celebrated for their unforgettably vivid characters and for their keen-eyed take on contemporary America. Now, in Crossroads, Franzen ventures back into the past and explores the history of two generations. With characteristic humor and complexity, and with even greater warmth, he conjures a world that resonates powerfully with our own.
A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, Crossroads is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis. Jonathan Franzen’s gift for melding the small picture and the big picture has never been more dazzlingly evident.
Releases: October 5, 2021
My ThoughtsCrossroads is a beautifully written story capturing all the complexities of human nature.
This is a deep-dive, multiple POV character study that takes its time unfolding. We’re not in a rush to get anywhere because the people are the focus.
Jonathan Franzen transported me straight back to 1971, where I felt the turbulent generational divide alongside the personal struggles with religion, drugs, and identity. Mental health is a major undercurrent here, and it’s handled with honesty and respect.
Truly a powerful look at a family in crisis, and all the ways in which we misunderstand or simply don’t see one another.
Crossroads is the first book in A Key to All Mythologies trilogy, which will span three generations.
*I received an ARC from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.*
The post Book Review — CROSSROADS by Jonathan Franzen appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
New Romance Spotlight — LOVE, ONLY BETTER by Paulette Stout
IN THIS SPICY DEBUT NOVEL, PAULETTE STOUT INTRODUCES AN ADORABLE GAL WITH AN INTIMATE SECRET.
For Rebecca, sex is a joke missing a punchline. No crashing waves. Only pangs of inadequacy. At twenty-eight, shouldn’t she have had one by now? Her snickering ex thought so. As did every guy who came before him. No way she’s dating anyone again. At least, until she can take “clueless in bed” off her dating resume.
When Kyle moves in across the hall, his blue eyes and black motorcycle are magnetic. Sparks flew from the moment he rescued her takeout dinner from hitting the lobby floor. It’s the worst time for Rebecca to meet someone this dreamy. But how can she resist love notes taped to her apartment door? Hallway kisses? Sitting behind his hotness as the world zips by?
It’s risky, though. To get past whatever’s blocking her in bed, Rebecca needs expert help. Sure, it’s unorthodox, but she’s desperate for answers. Rebecca doesn’t expect anyone to understand—least of all Kyle. If he learns her secret, he’ll think she’s a freak and bolt.
Smart and sexy, Love, Only Better is bold romp blending a fun next-door romance with steamy dates-for-one. Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey (Fix Her Up), Helen Hoang (The Kiss Quotient), Jasmine Guillory (The Wedding Date) and chick lit lovers everywhere!
ADVANCE PRAISE:
“Stout excels at describing and dramatizing Rebecca’s issues, seizing a welcome opportunity to address common (but often avoided) issues surrounding female sexuality and intimacy…High tension, flirty exchanges, and intense sexual situations that eventually lead to love make this book perfect for readers who enjoy angst-filled romance.” — BookLife Reviews
Excerpt Love, Only Better: Chapter One
It wasn’t as if the words were unexpected. Hell, Rebecca said them to herself a thousand times over. Only, this was different. Hearing someone else say them—someone she loved. Someone who shared her life and her bed for three years—somehow made them true. And to have Ethan say them. For him to let them free that way. Now, they were alive to reverberate through the universe and rebound on her in unforgiving ways. And he’d no longer be around to save her.
Frigid. Ice queen.
Who calls someone they love an ice queen? Rebecca wondered.
That’s the ticket. Ethan didn’t love her. Had he ever? Or was she just a bad lay; a notch on his belt. Not even a trophy. A third-place yellow ribbon no one wanted, abandoned in the bottom of a drawer.
A wisp of spiderweb dangling from her headboard above fluttered in time with her cleansing breaths. Dust covered. Abandoned. Even the stupid spider hadn’t stuck around.
Frigid. Ice queen.
She flipped up her covers to snatch a tissue from across the room, wiping her eyes and nose before tossing it into the wastebasket under her old desk. The desk in name only. Even back in high school, she did her homework on her bed. The desk chair, like now, was a glorified staging area for clothes somewhere between clean and dirty.
Did she still have it?
She yanked the center drawer open, pawing the time capsule within. Old lipstick, diaries, hair elastics, the wallet-sized card reproduction of her university diploma, tarot cards, and there it was: her third-place ribbon. She won it at summer camp for archery. She’d never held a bow before then, or since. But there it was; evidence that she was once good enough at something to warrant recognition.
The silky cord slid between her fingers until hitting the tassel knot.
So fitting. Third place. Rebecca was third place in her own life, too. She was certainly last place to Ethan. He was probably off finding himself a blue-ribbon sex machine worthy of His Majesty. Even at this hour. New York City never sleeps, after all.
Growing up in the belly of Manhattan, the buzz of life at all hours was as natural as air. The humming streetlights, the shadows, everything held a pulse. Teeming.
Except for her. Rebecca was the one spot of lifelessness in the whole city.
Frigid. Ice queen.
She dropped the ribbon in the drawer and slammed it shut, then quickly froze. Alert, she listened for sounds of stirring. Barbara, her roommate and best friend, was fast asleep in the next room. A lawyer with a big day in court ahead.
Rebecca released her breath, then strode back to bed, flopping on top of her navy down comforter and making herself a burrito with its folded edges. It was as close as she would get to an embrace for who knows how long.
Wiggling for her night table, she switched off the light. Shadows formed at familiar angles on her ceiling. The ceiling she’d pondered for twenty-eight years. Framed pictures of Salvador Dali and Kandinsky hung over her low, long dresser, once filled with frilly pink play clothes, now stuffed with T-shirts and leggings in mismatched shades of black. Her collection of discount designer shoes spilled out of the closet, distractions for the shortcomings of her noir wardrobe.
Her eyes drifted closed.
Ethan’s contorted, red face jolted her awake.
Would she ever sleep again?
Would she ever love again?
Would anyone ever love her?
Was she even worthy of being loved?
She wasn’t sure.
On cue, her nemesis, the mourning dove, made a fluttery landing on the air-conditioning unit blocking half of her window. The distinctive coo was maddening. Was that how Ethan felt when she was unable to climax in bed? A fury of frustration without an outlet?
Rebecca abandoned covers and leaped to battle stations. The vinyl shade creaked its objection as she bent it up to spy on the enemy. The pink towel she put out to dull the air-conditioner drips from upstairs had become a bird magnet. Twigs, leaves, tinsel? Where did they find tinsel in June?
“Shoo! Shoo!” Rebecca whisper screamed, banging on the glass with her fist.
The dusty bird settled in.
“Go on. Go.”
“Becca! Are you fucking kidding? It’s 4:00 a.m.!” Barbara shouted through the wall.
“Sorry!” Rebecca hollered back, watching the bird tuck its wings for sleep. There was a beat of silence.
“Shit,” Barbara muttered. Rebecca heard her feet hit the floor and storm down the parquet hallway, a staple of 1950s’ NYC apartments. The bathroom door closed.
Rebecca dropped the shade and collapsed into the cup of her papasan chair under the window, drawing a branded fleece blanket over her. It was one of the many freebies she got working in advertising; this one was from her hotel client.
After the flush and wash, Barbara exited then walked through Rebecca’s perennially open bedroom door and switched the light on.
Her hand shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness.
Barbara stood in a pink satin Victoria Secret nightie, a matching sleep mask holding up her long, dark locks—a top-shelf weave and proudly not hers—flowing over ebony shoulders.
“What the hell are you doing up?”
“I’m so sorry—”
“Jesus, what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“You look like a clown on acid.”
Rebecca crawled out of the saucer and stood in front of the mirror.
“Yeah, not my best look.”
Black mascara streaked down her face from the blotchy eyes she had been rubbing for hours.
“Where’s Ethan? I thought he was staying over?”
“Gone.”
“Gone home?”
“No. Just gone. We’re done. Well, actually, he was done with me.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry. But… not as sorry as you should be for waking me up…” Barbara said, launching herself to Rebecca’s bed and sliding her sleep mask down over her eyes.
“That’s it? That’s all the consoling I get? I have a blowout with my boyfriend who calls me a ‘frigid ice queen’ and leaves, and…”
“He didn’t,” Barbara said, lifting up on her elbow and raising her mask.
“Oh yes he did.”
“You’re not an ice queen. You know that.”
“Counselor, the evidence is overwhelming.”
“He’s a jackass. I’ve always thought so.”
“Oh, he’s not that bad…”
Barbara raised an eyebrow.
“Come on!”
“I won’t lie to you and say I’m disappointed he’s gone.”
“But… I am,” Rebecca whispered.
“All I mean is he didn’t treat you right. You can absolutely do better.”
Barbara patted the bed next to her. Rebecca folded her arms and looked away.
“You CAN do better. Ethan will regret losing you, and you’ll look back and NOT regret losing him.”
Rebecca pouted her bottom lip.
“Suit yourself. I must sleep more, though.” Barbara left the bed, popped a squeaky kiss on Rebecca’s forehead.
“Leave that damn bird alone, will you?” she said before leaving.
“You left the light on!” Rebecca called after her, but Barbara’s bedroom door closed with a click.
Sighing, Rebecca crawled out of the chair and crossed the room to switch off the light. Dawn’s blueness was already invading. She looked at her bed, but instead returned to sit under her fleece blanket, gathering it about her.
Maybe she could sleep if she was out of bed, away from his smell. She’d have to change the sheets later. She wanted to change everything; beginning with herself.
About the Author
Paulette Stout is the fearless author of Love, Only Better, a contemporary romance and bedroom rallying cry for women everywhere.
Born in Manhattan, Paulette is the gold-star wordsmith and owner of her content marketing agency, Media Goddess Inc., where she crafts content for her list of global clients. Prior to MGI, Paulette led content and design teams at several tech companies, and one educational publisher where her elimination of the Oxford comma caused a near riot.
Paulette’s prior career as a media buyer/planner in New York earned her three industry awards, including a MediaWeek All-Star. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Cornell University and her MBA in Marketing from the Lubin School of Business, Pace University.
You can usually find Paulette rearranging words into pleasing patterns while wearing grammar t-shirts.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.paulettestout.com/
Facebook: @paulettestoutauthor
Instagram: @paulettestoutauthor
Twitter: @stoutcontent
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September 28, 2021
Book Review — THE NOWHERE CHILD by Christian White
Kimberly Leamy is a photography teacher in Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-six years earlier, Sammy Went, a two-year old girl vanished from her home in Manson, Kentucky. An American accountant who contacts Kim is convinced she was that child, kidnapped just after her birthday. She cannot believe the woman who raised her, a loving social worker who died of cancer four years ago, crossed international lines to steal a toddler.
On April 3rd, 1990, Jack and Molly Went’s daughter Sammy disappeared from the inside their Kentucky home. Already estranged since the girl’s birth, the couple drifted further apart as time passed. Jack did his best to raise and protect his other daughter and son while Molly found solace in her faith. The Church of the Light Within, a Pentecostal fundamentalist group who handle poisonous snakes as part of their worship, provided that faith. Without Sammy, the Wents eventually fell apart.
Now, with proof that she and Sammy are in fact the same person, Kim travels to America to reunite with a family she never knew she had. And to solve the mystery of her abduction―a mystery that will take her deep into the dark heart of religious fanaticism where she must fight for her life against those determined to save her soul…
Published: January 2019
My ThoughtsThis is a difficult book to review because I really liked some parts, but was frequently frustrated.
The story is told via two timelines, with the past being the period leading up to the kidnapping, and the present taking place twenty-four years later. While both are interesting enough, the writing lacks the kind of focus that would’ve made this a riveting story.
A major glitch, for me, was the number of distracting subplots. The result is the proverbial “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of story. So much is going on that nothing stands out.
Characters lack depth and complexities, and aspects of the plot are a stretch in plausibility.
Overall, I enjoyed this one enough to finish it, but I won’t remember it.
The post Book Review — THE NOWHERE CHILD by Christian White appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
Book Review — SLEEPLESS by Romy Hausmann
It’s been years since Nadja Kulka was convicted of a cruel crime. After being released from prison, she’s wanted nothing more than to live a normal life: nice flat, steady job, even a few friends. But when one of those friends, Laura von Hoven–free-spirited beauty and wife of Nadja’s boss–kills her lover and begs Nadja for her help, Nadja can’t seem to refuse.
The two women make for a remote house in the woods, the perfect place to bury a body. But their plan quickly falls apart and Nadja finds herself outplayed, a pawn in a bizarre game in which she is both the perfect victim and the perfect murderer…
Release Date: October 19, 2021
My ThoughtsWhat did I just read? Someone help me, because I have no idea.
This story isn’t so much complex as it is convoluted and disjointed. We have multiple timelines, storylines, and narrators, all out of order with no rhyme or reason. It’s like the story was written on flashcards, then shuffled and typed out. I was so freaking confused!
Sleepless was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I loved Dear Child, the author’s previous book. But this one just didn’t work for me. It all made my brain hurt.
*I received an ARC from Flatiron Books.*
The post Book Review — SLEEPLESS by Romy Hausmann appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
September 27, 2021
New Release Spotlight — ALLISON’S GAMBIT by C.A. Price
When Allison began to care for her mother with Alzheimer’s, she started to ask some difficult questions. At what point is a life no longer worth living? Would dementia be in her future too?
Worried that her mother’s fate may be her own, Allison comes up with an unusual approach to try and control her own demise: start smoking. After all, she would rather die of cancer or a lung infection than the way her mother did—unable to recognize her own family, to take care of herself, or even speak. The tough part will be getting her family and friends on board with her new perspective.
Full of compassion for both Alzheimer’s victims and those it affects—caregivers, family, and loved ones—Allison’s Gambit brings a taboo topic to the forefront and asks us all—what would we do?
Available October 12, 2021 from Circuit Breaker Books: https://circuitbreakerbooks.com/books/allisons-gambit/.
PURCHASE LINKS:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Copyright C.A. Price, 2021
Ch. 2Considering I had a front-row seat for my father’s last days, it might seem ironic that I took up smoking. The fact is, my habit has nothing to do with him and everything to do with my mom, Nancy MacPherson. Now they have both passed away, and I smile when I think of my father. The emotions I go through when I think of my mother are complicated. On a good day, I manage a slight smile, but on most days, I just feel relief that she finally died.
Now it is so clear that, despite knowing what my father went through, if I had to choose a death, I would choose his in an instant. He died; my mom suffered. Actually, that’s not exactly true—everybody else around her suffered.
It must come across as callous to those who don’t know what happened, but my mom’s dementia caused a suffering like no other. It made me realize that there are different ways to die. I won’t say I became fixated on death; I just became aware it was going to happen, which I know sounds stupid. We all know we are going to die. It’s just…we don’t think about it. We push it into the recesses of our minds. But somehow I know I’m destined to die like my mom. And I have consciously decided to try and alter that reality. Why die of Alzheimer’s when you can die of something else—anything else?
I have generally learned not to express my uncommon beliefs, so they won’t attract disdain. No one enjoys opening themselves up for criticism and feeling like an emotional punching bag. Reticence seems the wiser option. But I have decided to change that and tell my story despite realizing that many will look at me like I am a pariah. If this diary were a YouTube video, I would likely have far many more thumbs-down than thumbs-up. How do I know this? Because this is not my first foray into asking the world to pass judgment on my feelings.
Though you have probably already learned this lesson, don’t say anything political or controversial on social media. Random people you don’t even know will actually threaten you because you provided tips on how to save water. Water! I wish I were making this up, but I speak from experience.
I’m sure the same surprise hits people after they post their first video on a public site, maybe of their six-year-old daughter at a ballet recital. The social-media affirmation complex doesn’t make
up for the rather surprising number of thumbs-down they receive. It’s enough to make you question yourself. “Maybe she isn’t such a good dancer? Perhaps I should have made her practice more.”
Now that it has been a while since my mom passed away, emerging from my cocoon seems imperative somehow, and there doesn’t seem to be a minute more to lose. I need to reach out to all of those other caregivers who are like me. I realize now that I have not only been grieving; I have been avoiding the well-wishers who often leave me more depressed. But mostly I have been avoiding telling my family and friends about my philosophy.
It is time to tell my story and convince at least my friends that I have something to offer from my experience. I am stronger now emotionally. I’m ready to take on the world, even the strangers who will pleasantly yell at me, “Just shut up and die already.”
About the Author
C.A. Price is a family practice physician in California. The philosophy of Allison’s Gambit was inspired by patients of his who have been caregivers to those with dementia and his continued observation that these family members often end up with tremendous guilt. His work with hospice has taught him that those who change their views about dying seem to live so much better. It is his first novel.
Follow author Chris Price on Instagram at @chrispriceauthor.
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September 23, 2021
New Release Spotlight — RAVENS IN THE RAIN: A Noir Love Story by Christie Santo and Jeff Santo
Ravens In The Rain is an unconventional noir between a woman with a past and a man with no future where love is no fairy tale. Carney and Pru, down on luck and down on love, meet over a game of chance, and the mystery of the other’s intentions, compounded by their overwhelming attraction toward each other, compels them into a game of cat and mouse. They ante up and play this game of love or survival that has you wondering who’s the villain and who’s the hero and how it will all play out. When murder is brought to their doorstep the game gets serious.
A psychological tale between a poet and a filmmaker that has even the cat wondering if it’s really the mouse, what is real, and who is telling the truth. Is love on the table? Or is it life?
Married over 10-years, Christie & Jeff Santo, lucky in love, never would’ve met if Christie didn’t miss her airplane. Luckier still, when a motorcycle accident almost took their lives, it became the driving force toward their writing career together.
Release Date: September 27, 2021
About Christie and Jeff Santo
Coming from the independent film industry, Jeff has over 25-years of filmmaking experience, directing and writing, with memberships in both the WGA and DGA. And Christie has years of experience in editing, producing, acting, and writing. Christie has her Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing from California State University Long Beach and has freelanced as a ghostwriter for novels.
CONNECT:
Website
Instagram: @ChristieSanto and @JeffSanto10
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Goodreads: Christie, Jeff
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The post New Release Spotlight — RAVENS IN THE RAIN: A Noir Love Story by Christie Santo and Jeff Santo appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.
