Harmony Kent's Blog, page 31

January 12, 2022

#BookReview: What A Shame by Abigail Bergstrom @AbigailBergstrm @HodderBooks

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a read I picked up via NetGalley. This novel is from a debut writer, Abigail Bergstrom, and I’ll be looking out for more from this author >>>

Book CoverAbout the Book:

The idea of a curse was divisive, but the assertion that I had, for some time now, been ‘laden with something dark’ was disconcertingly unanimous.
I wondered if this was something you also saw in me, if that was why you left.

There is something wrong with Mathilda.

She’s still reeling from the blow of a gut-punch break up and grieving the death of a loved one.
But that’s not it.

She’s cried all her tears, mastered her crow pose and thrown out every last reminder of him.
But that’s not helping.

Concerned that she isn’t moving on, Mathilda’s friends push her towards a series of increasingly unorthodox remedies.
Until the seams of herself begin to come undone.

Tender, unflinching and blisteringly funny, What a Shame glitters with rage and heartbreak, and offers up the joy of self-acceptance through an extraordinary rite of passage to overcome the prickly heat of female shame.

 

My Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this Advanced Review Copy.

A Fantastic Debut Novel.

“At first there was drama and morbid excitement–all the morose trimmings that come with the early stages of mourning and grief.” … From this opening line, we are propelled into the life of a troubled woman in her twenties, who tries to deal with grief, flat sharing, and building a career.

Told in first person narrative, this book takes us into the very heart of the main character, Mathilda, and shows us her pain and grief in all its rawness. By 6% of the read, I had made so many notations for lines that resonated that I had to calm it down, lols. This novel is so realistic and true to life and addresses some stark societal issues such as male dominance, rape, domestic abuse, and sexual abuse (off-page). As the narrative unfolds, the reader soon comes to see that Tilda is hiding something big from herself, a thing she absolutely must deal with before she can truly heal. Below are just a few of those wonderful lines I mentioned above …

“There’s only so long those who love you can dampen their own happiness out of sensitivity for your misfortunes.”

And …

“You’re perfect the way you are. You just need to face your shit. He didn’t break up with you because you did something wrong.”

And …

“Her pregnant pause turns into a barren land where no words can propagate.”

Okay, okay, I’ll cease and desist now before I tell you the whole book! This read will make you cry laughing, and laugh from crying. And any difficult issues are dealt with sensitively, which makes it a much easier read than you might expect. I’m sure it won’t come as any surprise when I give this fabulous debut women’s fiction novel a solid 5 stars. For certain, I’ll be looking out for more books from Abigail Bergstrom.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

(Expected publication February 3rd, 2022)

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on January 12, 2022 17:59

#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #256 @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #SpecificForm #Haiku

Hi everyone! 🙂

Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for a Haiku. I’ve used sunshine as my Kigo, as it can appear in any season.

You can find Colleen’s post HERE.

 

I’ve chosen a Haiku in three lines of 2-3-2 syllables.

 

sunshine

a fool’s gold?

deep chill

 

I hope you enjoyed this short verse on how sunshine can fool us into thinking it’s warm when it’s something else, brrr 🥶  🙂

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on January 12, 2022 03:10

January 5, 2022

#BookReview: The Visionary by J C Gemmell @JcGemmell @bookroar_tweets

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a read I picked up via a review site. I haven’t come across this writer before, but I’ll be checking out more of J C Gemmell’s books >>>

57372531. sy475 About the Book:

At the beginning of February 2060, Mount Erebus erupted, the first of a chain of Antarctic volcanoes that forever changed Earth’s future. Within days, sea levels began to rise, until sixty metres of water claimed coastlines worldwide.

Twelve-year-old Xin-yi and her mother fled their home, surviving amongst a community of rice farmers. A year later, a chance conversation with international census officials prepared her for a new life.

Now fourteen, Xin-yi commences her training as a visionary. It is her task to imagine a new Earth, rising above the drowning waters. Thousands of young people strive to design a world in which the displaced millions can live, and engineer a solution that will take a millennium to populate.

But Xin-yi’s challenges are more personal: coming to terms with the loss of her brother and unexpected feelings toward a friend. She has to choose between working to benefit humanity and her internal conflict with love.

Set over three decades after the 2060 flood, The Visionary combines dystopian, future and science fiction, and introduces J.C. Gemmell’s Tion series. 

 

My Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

A quick and easy dystopian read on the possible effects of global warming.

I haven’t read this author before, but I shall be sure to check out more of J C Gemmell’s books.

“A dragon is coming for us.” From this compelling opening line, we meet the main character, Xin Yi, who we follow over a period of decades. Each chapter covers a particular Chinese year, and there can be a leap of quite a few years from one to the next.

I found the characters a little wooden in places but on the whole real enough. The word building and scenarios were entirely believable, and I loved the idea of the visionaries and their inner selves made real. I would love to see this story written as a full novel rather than a novella, which would allow the characters to come more fully alive without the gaps of time the reader is presented with here.

The writing is compelling and creative, and here are some lines I loved …

“The water seemed slow enough to outrun, but it was as terrifying as the Antarctic dragon.”

And …

“Tej was his own person whilst being part of me at the same time. I had to listen to him because I was him.”

Sometimes I found it difficult to identify who was speaking due to a lack of dialogue tags and/or beats. At times, the tense kept switching between past and present. Apart from these glitches, the writing was done well, and the story is engrossing and all too realistic. The Visionary gets a solid four stars from me. Go read this book!

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on January 05, 2022 17:50

January 4, 2022

#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #255 @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #TasteTheRainbow #Tanka

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! 🙂

Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for a Syllabic poem of the author’s choice, featuring a colour.

You can find Colleen’s post HERE.

Rainbow and clouds above bird. Taste the rainbow logo

I’ve chosen a Senryu in three lines of 3-5-3 syllables.

 

vivid red

from embarrassment

wardrobe fail

 

I hope you enjoyed this short verse on the awkward moments of life 🙂

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on January 04, 2022 05:18

December 19, 2021

#BookReview: Hype by Yvette M Calleiro @YvetteMCalleiro

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a read from fellow author and friend, Yvette M Calleiro. I’ve posted this book review on a Monday instead of my usual review Thursday because I won’t be online so much on the 23rd. Happy Holidays, everyone! >>>

59581922. sy475 About the Book:

Cici’s junior year in high school is going to be the best year ever. Popular co-captain of the varsity cheerleading team, she’s dating the starting quarterback. Even her jealous co-captain’s attempts to steal her boyfriend can’t curb her enthusiasm.

When her mom moves in with her fiancé, a handsome, wealthy man, only one small detail threatens Cici’s perfect life. The school’s social pariah is about to become her stepsister, and Cici wants nothing to do with her.

Everything changes when someone Cici cares about throws her life into a tailspin, and the one person Cici couldn’t stand becomes her only ally.

Warning: This story contains scenes of sexual assault.

 

My Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

An intense YA read which tackles some hefty and important issues.

Cici has the perfect life … until she doesn’t. Her mom drops the bombshell news that she’s going to marry her boyfriend, and this means that Grub (Gaby) will become her stepsister and move in with Cici and her mom. She likes the rich, successful, and attractive husband-to-be but does NOT want anyone at school to know she’s becoming family with the dark goth misfit.

Life rolls on, and the first half of the book shows us a world of teens, their cliques, and all the mini-dramas that come with older adolescence, including the pressure to have sex and drink and all of that. The book really gets moving, and heavy, at a little after the halfway point when Cici is raped by someone close to her. The rapist then threatens to kill her mother if she ever tells a soul. Cici feels trapped and terrified and withdraws from her boyfriend and BFF.

I felt the author did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and making me feel for them all, including hating the abuser and rolling my eyes at the petty co-captain.

Here are some lines I loved …

“I swear that girl loves to crawl under my skin and roll around like a dog in the grass.”

And …

“The glare she gave him would send gladiators running for the hills.”

And …

“There are moments in our lives that forever change us, but how we choose to allow it to change us is within our control.”

This is a good read that will pull you in slowly as the build-up hooks you and piques your interest.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

That’s it from me until the new year now. Thank you, everyone, for your support and friendship this year! Happy Holidays and stay safe.

Happy Holidays graphic

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 19, 2021 17:21

December 15, 2021

#BookReview: The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville @stuartneville @bonnierbooks_uk

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a read I picked up via NetGalley. I haven’t come across this writer before, but I’ll be checking out more of his work >>>

57660446. sy475 About the Book:

For fans of Gillian Flynn and Tana French, a chilling story of a Northern Irish murder sixty years buried

Sara Keane’s husband, Damien, has uprooted them from England and moved them to his native Northern Ireland for a “fresh start” in the wake of her nervous breakdown. Sara, who knows no one in Northern Ireland, is jobless, carless, friendless—all but a prisoner in her own house. When a blood-soaked old woman beats on the door, insisting the house is hers before being bundled back to her care facility, Sara begins to understand the house has a terrible history her husband never intended for her to discover.

Through the counterpoint voices of two women—one modern Englishwoman, one Northern Irish farmgirl speaking from half a century earlier—Stuart Neville offers a chilling and gorgeous portrait of violence and resilience in this truly haunting narrative.

 

My Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier books for a free advanced review copy of this book.

A perfect portrayal of a controlling, abusive husband and a psychologically damaged wife.

“Glass breaks downstairs and she freezes in her bed, the blankets tight around her.” From this opening line, the reader is taken on a dark journey in both the past and the present.

I enjoyed this crime thriller immensely, and for me, the element of the unsettled ghosts added to the fun of the read. While it’s a dark tale, much of the heavy stuff happens off page, so the reader knows what’s going on but doesn’t have to suffer through it with the characters.

The narrative is through the lens of different characters but primarily from present day Sara and the young (decades ago) Mary. I really felt for the characters in this book and found the situations all too believable. Here are some lines that stood out for me:

“Not real sleep, not the warm dark that brings light, but the dim hinterland where bitter memories surfaced to torment her.”

And …

“Then she imagined having to explain it to her husband, and the idea drained away like the drink she had just poured out.”

And …

“… an ache of sadness passing between them.”

The ending felt a little too open-ended for my liking, but otherwise this was a gripping and satisfying read, and I felt that certain characters got what was coming to them. I give The House of Ashes a solid five stars.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 15, 2021 17:30

December 8, 2021

#BookReview: Riebeckite by O R Lea @ORLeaAuthor @bookroar_tweets

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a read I picked up via a review site. I haven’t come across this writer before, but I’ll be waiting for more >>>

59127037About the Book:

What if you learned an environmental crisis the world thought it had under control was actually an alien invasion?

Growing up in the aftermath of an asteroid moon strike which showered the earth with deadly spores, Tahira promised her childhood friend, Zareen, that overcoming the crisis would one day unite their feuding Azerbaijani and Iranian people.

Tahira is now a biologist for a corporation constructing experimental towers which force the spores, known as ‘riebeckites’, to germinate into harmless colonies. Rumours of riebeckite colonies forming into flesh-eating, animal-mimicking monsters in the Iranian Annex are largely dismissed as propaganda from the Talafi, an Iranian militant group who oppose Azeri occupation.

But when Tahira makes a discovery linking these stories to the Skyscrubber towers, her own employer suppresses her findings and frames her as a Talafi collaborator. In a race for her freedom and her life, Tahira has only one person she can rely on: Zareen, now an Iranian freedom fighter. Together they must escape Azeri police and Talafi militants, and survive the horrifying next stage of the riebeckites’ development. Only if they expose the truth can the world unite against a danger which has been gathering at its feet while everyone was watching the sky. 

 

My Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

I came across this author and book via a review site, and I am so glad I picked up Riebeckite to read. I haven’t read O R Lea before, but I shall be sure to check out more books from this writer.

Riebeckite is the first novel in a planned series, and I look forward to reading the sequels when they publish. The novel opens during a pogrom to expel the Iranians from Azerbaijan, and two eight-year-old girls–best friends–get caught up in the tumult. Then the story jumps ahead a couple of decades, and we see a completely changed situation. Zareen is an Iranian struggling to survive in the Iranian Annexe. Her old friend Tahira gained a university education and now works for Azkord, a mega-corporation on the mainland, as a biologist. Their lives and livelihoods couldn’t be more opposite.

At some point before the novel opens, an asteroid collided with the moon and left a blue crater, which dropped spores down to Earth. While the story has a futuristic feel, it is also down to earth and wholly believable. The writing is gritty and relevant to current times. The characterisation, world building, and plot are brilliantly done. The author has a way of describing things beautifully. Here are some lines that stood out for me …

“The sound of the crowd changed. It came in two tones now, like the sound of a river and the sound of water running through a pipe beneath your feet.”

And …

“There was no smoke in the air, but the hate and fear were just as thick and choking.”

And …

“In the following silence, Tahira wasn’t sure if her words were being weighed or woven into the rope from which she would hang.”

And …

“The promise which had driven her since the age of eighteen was hanging by one last thread. If Zareen cut it, what would it all have been for?”

The ending was somewhat open-ended and leads into the next book of the series. The main story thread was tied off, and the author gives us a short bonus tale at the end of the book. This first book raises issues and resolves some battles, and it’s all too clear that the protagonists have a lot more to face yet. Riebeckite gets a solid five stars from me, and I look forward to reading more from O R Lea.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

2 likes ·   •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 08, 2021 17:30

December 1, 2021

#BookReview: The Maid by Nita Prose @NitaProse @HarperCollins

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a read I picked up via NetGalley. This is Nita Prose’s first novel, and what a debut >>>

59452617. sy475 About the Book:

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

 

 

My Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this Advanced Review Copy.

“I am your maid. I’m the one who cleans your hotel room, who enters like a phantom when you’re out gallivanting for the day, no care at all about what you’ve left behind, the mess, or what I might see when you’re gone.”

With these opening lines we meet Molly the maid. In this wonderful debut novel from Nita Prose (and what a debut!) we read from the point of view of a wonderfully naive and unreliable narrator. The prose is excellently written, and I loved that I could guess at much of what Molly missed yet couldn’t warn her. Not only does Molly struggle to gauge facial expressions and body language, she also misses the more obvious clues in social interactions and takes sarcasm literally.

I loved so much about this read and struggled to pull just a few lines to quote in this review. Here goes …

“Your polished mirror reflects your face of innocence back at you. It’s as though you were never here. It’s as though all of your filth, all of your lies and deceits, have been erased.”

And …

“Without her, home isn’t home. It’s as though all the color has been drained from the apartment we shared.”

And …

“My uniform is freedom. It is the ultimate invisibility cloak.”

And …

“I don’t cut corners, I shine them.”

The characters came alive in this novel, and I fell in love with Molly. The plot is all too believable, and the world of the hotel felt realistic and atmospheric. I will be sure to follow this new author and look forward to reading more from her. The Maid gets a resounding five stars from me.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 01, 2021 17:36

#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #254 @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #SpecificForm #Tanka

Hi everyone! Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for a Tanka Prose.

You can find Colleen’s post HERE.

I wanted to bracket my prose paragraph with a Tanka either side. It’s entitled:

PAINSTAKING 

Tanka poems in circles

When you feel grumpy

For no obvious reason 

You try to cajole 

Yourself to a better mood

Stuck with codeine hangover 

 

In the dark of night, when you cannot sleep, and the pain finds creative ways to heighten the torture, you sometimes seek relief in medication. Even while knowing the morning will bring a headache and regret. For hours, you’ve held out. Remained stubborn. Eventually, you cave. … was it worth it? Having written this poem, I felt it would work better in a circle. We all know that relentless merry-go-round, I’m sure. Where you want to get off, but it spins too fast, the horse leaps too high, and you struggle to make the leap.

 

The merry-go-round

Relentless pointless ceaseless 

Excruciating 

Agonised muscles and nerves

Stop you from making the leap

Tanka poems in circles

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 01, 2021 06:12

November 29, 2021

#NewBook: Mountain Laurel Christmas by Jan Sikes @JanSikes3

Hi everyone. Today, it gives me great pleasure to host fellow author, friend, blogger, and Story Empire contributor, Jan Sikes, who wants to tell us about her new book. Take it away, Jan >>>

It has been said many times that you can never go home again. While I think the context of that saying is quite different from what my character has to do in Mountain Laurel Christmas, he faces a powerful urge to return to his roots. Maybe there he’ll find some answers and, if he is lucky, peace.

But the home he remembers is not the same.

Here’s an excerpt:

Three hours later, the moon is rising high in the inky sky over the mountain when I turn down the snow-covered rutted lane that leads to the familiar miner’s shack just over the Kentucky line.

My Firebird hits a snowdrift and flounders. I fight to keep it going. The tires slide into deep ruts, and still, I press forward.

Eventually, I slide to a stop in front of the cabin. The car’s headlights shine on the weathered boards.

A withering hand of death has swept across what was once a home filled with love, laughter, and music.

Thankful for the full moon, I make my way up the rickety steps. Boards are rotting and missing. My boot slips between a large gap I don’t see.

“Dammit.” The fact that I’m more than half-drunk doesn’t help, but I don’t stop.

Inside, I find decaying walls and holes in the wood floor. Varmints have taken up residence.

 

When a structure is abandoned for any length of time, it falls into disrepair and decay. And that is exactly what my character finds when he returns to the cabin he grew up in.

Have you ever visited an old family home that has been abandoned? The closest I’ve come to that experience is when I moved away from Coleman and left our home. It did fall into a horrible state and was even vandalized. Not a good experience.

Mountain Laurel Christmas Blurb:

Orphaned, his family torn apart by tragedy, Cole Knight has come a long way from a ramshackle miner’s cabin on the side of the Cumberland Mountain.

Daring to follow an impossible dream, he’s made it big in the music business. Now, he’s a country music sensation with a huge house, fancy cars, plenty of willing women, money, and adoring fans. He should be on top of the world. Instead, he’s drowning in a swirling pool of self-contempt and relentless guilt.

It’s easier to lose himself in a bottle than face the hard truth…he hasn’t delivered on a promise he made to his father.

It’s almost Christmas, and the sting of failure drives him back to that tiny cabin in the mountains. But has he waited too late to put the shattered pieces back together—to find himself and restore a lost family?

PURCHASE LINK:

https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Laurel-Christmas-Jan-Sikes-ebook/dp/B09KJYMVT9/

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

WEBSITE

BLOG

BOOKBUB

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

PINTEREST

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on November 29, 2021 17:37