Angel Sefer's Blog, page 54

Beautiful Poetry from The Lady of the Pier by Effrosyni Moschoudi

This is a wonderful poem written by a gifted author and good friend, Effrosyni Moschoudi, and is one of the three poems featured in her upcoming novel, ‘The Lady of the Pier – The Ebb’.
POETRY FROM THE LADY OF THE PIER: ADVICE FROM THE MOON
Mother of tides / your magic word the sea abides
Healer of pain / look at my heart, the wretched, the slain.Of gathering clouds you slide on the silk
Of worrying souls the bread and the milk
You are; as you were and always will be
I’m longing for truth, your face to see
I’m looking for answers, my dreams to come true
Will they from the clouds one day come through?Read the entire poem here

Excerpt of "Deadly Secrets" - Chapter Three, Part One

Chapter Three
HELENA COULDN’T BELIEVE her ears. She stared at her aunt and couldn’t say a word. Who is that man? It was obvious he wasn’t just an employee, as she had assumed at first. He was very handsome and about her aunt’s age... That’s it, she thought. He was probably engaged to her aunt. That would explain his interference in family matters. However, even a fiancé wasn’t allowed to move in before the marriage—not in this part of the world. And she was sure he wasn’t Sophie’s husband… or maybe he was… How could she be so sure? Well, they weren’t acting like a married couple. Of course, there was a familiarity between them, but nothing like the closeness of a married couple.
Helena realized Sophie was staring at her, studying her face. She returned her look with one of confusion.
Sophie took her by the hand and guided her towards the stairs. “Come on,” she said. “There are a few things we need to talk aboutbefore we go to bed.”
A warning bell went off somewhere inside Helena’s head. Trying to ignore it, she followed Sophie to her room which was also on the second floor.
Whenthey went inside, the room seemed familiar. Helena knew she had been there before. It was a pleasantly decorated room with cherry wood furniture and flower baskets which gave the room a lighter tone.
Sophie walked to the open French doors and invited Helena out onto the balcony. From there, they could enjoy the mystifying sceneryof the night and feel the breeze caress them softly. Helena sunk into one of the lounge chairs and let her gaze wander over the black waters of the sea, parted in the middle by streaks of silver. The whole thing was surreal; she had this overwhelming sensation of being suspended in time.
Taking a deep breath, she smelled the fragrance of jasmine and roses. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to relax. No matter what, she was home. It didn’t make any difference if Dimitris was there. That was her house, and she intended to stay.
Sophie sank into a lounge chair next to her, and they remained out there in silence for a while, just enjoying the stillness of the night.
Finally, Helena glanced at Sophie. For the first time, her aunt looked like she didn’t know what to say. A shiver raced up Helena’s spine, andthe same warning bell went off somewhere in her head, again. What’s wrong? She could tell Sophie had something to say but didn’t know how to start. Helena wished silently it was nothing serious. It was the first time in years she was happy and didn’t want anything to ruin that.
“Helena, there are a lot of things you don’t know… After your father’s death, a lot of things changed,” Sophie started. Shifting in her seat, she took Helena’s hands in hers. “Your father wasn’t only an excellent captain but a very smart businessman at the same time, and he kept the business going while he was alive. After his death, our adopted brother, Thomas, took over. Without Angelos’guidance, Thomas made a lot of mistakes. Two years after your father’s death, things got real bad, and Thomas had to sell part of the company to Dimitris' family. Little by little, Stathis Nikolaou—Dimitris’ father—took over the rest of the company and everything else that once belonged to our family. Thomas stayed in the company as a Deputy General Manager, but he really has no control over anything and makes no decisions. Sometimes, I think they just keep him on because they know it would kill him not to work for the family business.”
Helena was so overwhelmed by all these that she couldn’t say a word. Everything was gone. All that her grandfather and her father hadworked for were in someone else’s hands now. Even her home wasn’t hers any more…
Pulling her hands from Sophie’s, she got up and walked towards the edge of the balcony. Devastated, she realized that the man downstairs was the owner of all this and she was just a visitor. She felt her temper rising, thinking of him and his father taking advantage of her family like this.
Sophie must have read her mind, because she jumped up and took her in her arms.
“Helena, it’s not what you think. They didn’t do anything wrong. The company was going under, and we needed help. We needed someone strong to help us out, and Stathis Nikolaou was the right person. They had a shipping company of their own, and they were searching for more ships to expand. It was a blessing they were there;otherwise, we would have been out in the streets. Our families have been friends for years. Dimitris’ mother was my mom’s best friend, and she was devastated when Eleana passed away.”
“This wasn’t help,” Helena said bitterly. “This was taking over everything.”
“No,” Sophie insisted. “They didn’t let our company go under and our family be buried in debt. Business is booming, and we stay in the house and live comfortably,” she added and caressed Helena’s hair softly.
***
Helena remained quiet, and Sophie let go and took a step back to look at her face. She remained silent as well, giving Helena time to process all these new information. It must be really hard on her, Sophie thought. She came home after all these years, and now I have to lay this burden on her, too. Oh, how I wish things could be different. But there’s nothing I can do…
Sophie turned towards the sea, taking a deep breath. “Stathis died a few years ago,” she went on after a couple of minutes, “and Dimitris, who is a ship captain and was commanding one of their largest cargo ships up until then, had to give up his voyages and manage the company. He has a beautiful house in Athens, but Dimitris prefers the island. He runs the business from here, just like your father used to do. Thomas and his wife, Katie, live on the island, also, but right now he’s in New York on business. He should be back in a few weeks, though,” she said, then was silent for a moment.
Maybe I should tell her everything right now and get it over with, Sophie thought, but then again, she was scared of Helena’s reaction. Helena was way too young to understand, and she was brought up in England—far away from her homeland and its customs and traditions. We really need to be patient and give her some time to adjust... Then again, I need to prepare her for what’s coming…
***
I’ll be posting a new section every Tuesday and Friday but if you rather not wait, here are the links to buy the book:
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My Review of Heiress, P.I. by Amanda Mahan

Angel Sefer's Reviews > Heiress, P.I.

5 out 5 Stars
I loved it!
This was a fast-paced, chick lit mystery enhanced by very interesting and likeable characters, and sprinkled with Hollywood flair.
Lucy - a smart and lovely girl, involved in ecology and heiress to a fabulous fortune - and her childhood friend Holden, an intern at a detective agency, get involved in a dangerous investigation which turns out to be too close to home and puts Lucy’s life in jeopardy.
It was a very interesting, full of action, and hilarious at some points read. I highly recommend it.
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Rheinstein Castle, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany

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Excerpt of "Deadly Secrets" - Chapter Two, Part Three

It was a lot later before she opened her eyes again. She looked around, startled. She was sure she’d been there for too long and was going to be late for dinner. She rushed out of the bathtub, grabbed a towel, and went to her bedroom to check her watch. It was almost eight o’clock. She vigorously dried herself and blow-dried her hair.Then she put something on in a hurry and rushed downstairs.
The dining room was empty, so she made her way to the living room. Sophie was sitting by the window, sipping some wine. Lovelier than ever, she was wearing a champagne dress and had her hair pulled back in a white ribbon. She looked up as Helena walked inside.
Helena was about to apologize for been late but was interrupted by a cynical voice, “It was nice of you to finally show up.”
She turned around to face Dimitris. Before she could open her mouth, Sophie stood up and stared at him, disapprovingly. “Dimitris, you have to stop treating Helena like this. It wasn’t her fault, and she was hurt as much as the rest of us… maybe more. So don’t be so harsh on her.”
He seemed as if he was about to say something, but finally remained silent.
Sophie came and took Helena’s hand. “Let’s go eat, sweetie. I know you must be starving.”
Helena let Sophie lead her out of the living room without a backwards glance. They walked into the dining room, with Dimitris following right behind them. As soon as the women sat down, Dimitris went and sat at the head of the table.
Helena was shocked! This was too much. This man aggravated her,and the fact he was going to stay for dinner made things even worse. Who does he think he is, sitting in my father’s place at the head of the table?
She tried to be as polite as possible for Sophie's sake. It was obvious Sophie liked Dimitris, and she seemed so excited to have him and Helena there.
Dimitris, on the other hand, could be very charming if he wanted to. He kept on talking to Sophie, totally ignoring Helena. It was Sophie who drew Helena into the conversation several times, and every time, Dimitris would shut her out.
Helena was furious with his arrogant behavior. However, she was even more furious with herself and her conflicting emotions. What was wrong with her? She wanted to get up and run as far away from him as she could, while at the same time, she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
She couldn’t help but secretly admire his flawless profile and that perfect, hard to resist body of his. His mere presence set her emotions on fire, and she couldn’t think straight.
Helena found herself lost in wild thoughts and was caught off guard when she realized he was talking to her.
She drew a deep breath and stared at him, only to get lost in the intensity of his gaze. Was that desire she could see in his eyes, or was she mistaken? She swallowed hard, and looking around, she realized they were left alone. Where is Sophie?
“She went to answer the phone,” he responded to her unspoken question.
Helena took a sip of her wine and tried to clear her thoughts. It’s the trip and all the emotions triggered by coming back, she tried to reason with herself. That’s why she was acting so weird. It had to be it… It just couldn’t be him causing the turmoil inside her and throwing her off balance.
She sat there silently, realizing she never heard what he had told her. Never mind, she thought. She had no intention of talking to him, after all. She would just wait until dinner was over, and then he would be gone.
“Why did it…” Dimitris started, but his voice trailed off as Sophie came back.
Helena saw the concerned look in his eyes, as he watched Sophie walking inside with a gloomy expression on her face and her lips pressed into a thin line.
What now? Helena wondered. However, she remained silent.
They finished their dinner in silence, and then Sophie asked them to join her outside on the veranda for coffee and dessert.
Helena was spellbound by the amazing view of the almost black waters of the sea at night, sparkling like liquid silver from the reflection of the bright light of August’s full moon. It was breathtaking.
She sunk into a lounge chair and closed her eyes, inhaling the fragrance of jasmine and roses mixed with the salty sea breeze. What a wonderful sensation!
Everything would have been so perfect, if he weren’t there. She couldn’t deny he was a very handsome man, but he was also so arrogantand irritating.
Helena remained silent until after coffee and dessert were served, trying to avoid looking at him. She could feel his eyes burning into her skin, and her heartbeat accelerated. His mere presence set her emotions to overdrive, and she couldn’t think straight. What is the matter with me? Why am I acting like this? she kept wondering. She had never met anyone before who had such an effect on her.
When Sophie went inside for a while, Helena stood up and walked over to the railings. She stood there, letting her eyes wander over the sparkling sea and the sky, covered with millions of stars.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She heard his voice, soft and sensuous, next to her ear. She was taken aback by the proximity and turned to face him. Brushing her arm against his chest, she felt her skin burning from the touch. He was standing unbearably close… and he looked and smelled so good…
“Helena, I don’t bite,” he said, seeing her instinctive reaction to pull back.
“Oh! But I’m sure you do,” she replied, trying to steady her voice and make it sound sarcastic. But instead, it sounded deep and trembling. She was surprised to see the longing in his eyes—those captivating eyes of his, which could so easily make her pulse accelerate. She nervously wet her lips and took a few steps away, trying to place some distance between them.
“Why did it take you so long?” he asked, repeating the question he had asked earlier.
Helena glanced at him, puzzled. What does he care, anyway? Then again, judging from the look in his eyes, he did care.
“I don’t know,” she whispered simply, and her answer surprised even herself. She didn’t want to talk about this with anyone, but especiallywith him.
He stared at her for a few seconds, and Helena wished she could tell what was going through his mind.
She watched him take a step closer, and drew a deep breath. She had this crazy feeling he was going to kiss her, and time seemed to stop. She knew she should pull away, but she couldn’t—she felt immobilized. What if he does? she wondered, and was shocked to realize she wanted him to.
“I’m so sorry to leave you alone, but I had to make a phone call.” Sophie’s voice brought them back to reality.
Helena walked back to her lounge chair and sat down, while Dimitris leaned against the railings, squeezing them tightly.
“We’re all tired,” Sophie said, turning to Helena. “I think we better go to sleep,” she added and wished them goodnight.
Helena watched her walking towards the French doors, and was furious to see Dimitris showing no intention of leaving. She jumped out of her seat. “I’m going to bed, too!” She wasn’t about to stay out on the veranda with him. She didn’t trust him, and above all, she didn’t trust herself and her emotions.
She hastily followed Sophie inside. “Who does he think he is, acting like this?” Helena burst out—not being able to hold back any longer— and without waiting for an answer she went on, “How rude of him to remain here, while everybody is going to bed!”
Sophie stared at her, surprised. “But my dear child, Dimitris lives here,” she said.
Helena was left speechless.


I’ll be posting a new section every Tuesday and Friday but if you rather not wait, here are the links to buy the book:
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The River of Five Colors, Cano Cristales, Colombia

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My review on "Never Let You Go" by Sabrina Devonshire

Angel Sefer's Reviews > Never Let You Go

5 out of 5 Stars
What a beautiful, heartwarming story!
I was first drawn to this novel by the beautiful cover and the title, and I’m glad I read it.
I loved the vivid descriptions, the characters, and above all, the amazing storyline. I read the entire book in one sitting, and I found myself crying, laughing, and crying again, with Sydney, Lucas and little Kevin.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
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Catalunya Spain

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My review on "Is This All There Is?" by Patricia Mann

Is This All There Is? by Patricia Mann

5 out of 5 stars
A well-written debut novel by a talented writer!
This was a well-written, interesting, and thought provoking debut novel by a talented writer.
Being a career woman, a mother and a wife, I could relate to Beth - the main character - and the challenges of everyday life she had to face. The ups and downs of family life and the instinctive urge of women to be perfect in every role - wife, mother, career woman - can put a burden on any relationship. I think that, at some point or another, we all go through some of the challenges Beth had to face, and have to make life changing decisions.
I really enjoyed reading this realistic and honest story and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves real life dilemmas. 
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Excerpt of "Deadly Secrets" - Chapter Two, Part Two

Sophie finally got up. “You must be tired,” she said. “I’ll show you to your room.”
They walked up the steps, and Helena was delighted to find out she was going to stay in her old room. It made her feel she had really come home, and wasn’t just visiting.
Her room hadn’t changed much. Her eyes wandered around the spacious bedroom with the pretty white furniture, the four-post bed, the dresser, the little secretarial desk, and the rocking chair by the French doors which lead to the balcony. Everything was there; even some of her stuffed animals were still decorating the room. Overwhelmed, she looked at her aunt.
Probably guessing what Helena was thinking, Sophie said, “I didn’t want anything changed. I wanted you to find the place just the way you left it when you finally came home.”
Sweet Sophie, Helena thought. She always knew that sooner or later, I would be coming back.
When Sophie left her alone, Helenasat on her bed, lost in her thoughts. So many memories… Her eyes rested on the beautiful painting on thewall—a painting her grandmother, Eleana, had painted. She always loved this portrait of a beautiful, little girl, around the age of seven or eight, standing in a blooming garden with an angel in the background, watching over her from Heaven.
Staring at the painting for the first time through the eyes of an adult, Helena was taken by surprise. She realized how much the girl in the painting resembled her when she was around the same age—the age when she lost her father. Bewildered, she noticed the sadness in the girl’s eyes, and tears came to her own eyes, thinking she probably had the same expression after her father vanished from their lives.
Helena took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to control the turmoil of emotions stirred up inside her by well-buried memories surfacing again.
She stood up, walked over to the French doors, which were open, and stepped outside. Feeling the fresh breeze on her face, she let her eyes roam over the shimmering blue and gold waters stretching in front of her. She leaned against the black railings with the fancy designs she always remembered and let her thoughts take her back in time…
She went back to those happy days, when her father was still alive and her mother was a cheerful young woman in love. Her mind filled with cherished memories of the past. She could almost see her parents walking on the beach, holding hands, and herself—as a little child— running all over the place and splashing in the water.
She could remember the cold winter nights when they would all gather around the stone fireplace to drink hot chocolate and listen to her father telling stories. Her favorite stories were the ones about the voyages of her father and his ancestors. The men of the Sistakis family—like most people on these islands—had spent a big part of their lives at sea.
It was only after her father met her mother that he gave up travelling and became involved in managing the business. He wanted to be with his wife and daughter, so he would spend most of his time on the island and would only go to the main offices in Piraeus whenever it was absolutely necessary. So many memories, so much love… while at the same time, so much pain…
Helena didn’t realize she was crying again until teardrops wet the back of her hands, holding on to the railings. She wiped her face withher hands, and turned around to go inside.
A sudden wave of apprehension washed over her, and she stopped dead in her tracks… she felt like someone was watching her. Cautiously,she scanned her surroundings but didn’t see anyone. She glanced down at the garden and all the way to the edge of the cliff. There was nobody there. However, she could still feel it. She checked around her from side to side, and then she saw him.
It was Dimitris. He was on one of the balconies on the bottom floor farther to her right, wearing tight fitting jeans and a white shirt open low on his chest. Leaning against the railings, he looked just like a mysterious, seductive pirate on the bridge of his ship.
Helena’sbreath caught in her throat. He was irresistibly handsome…and he was watching her intensely. To her surprise, he didn’t even turn his head to pretend he hadn’t seen her. He was just standing there, boldly watching her.
Helena felt her temper rising. Going back inside her bedroom, she slammed the doors shut. It was going to be hot in the room with no air-conditioning, but she didn’t care at this point. She couldn’t believe he was in the house. Who is that man?
The balcony he was on led to one of the bedrooms downstairs. What on earth is he doing there? She was going to have a talk with her aunt and put a stop to this man’s arrogant actions. She was sure Sophie wasn’t aware of him wandering around the house like that.
Trying to put Dimitris out of her mind for now, she walked into her en-suite bathroom. Everything was the same in there, too. Glancing atthe big marble bathtub, she had the urge to sink in it. Without a second thought, she turned the water on and took off her clothes. Sinking into the warm water, the fragrance of roses surrounded her. She lay back, closing her eyes, and felt content and relaxed…
***

I’ll be posting a new section every Tuesday and Friday but if you rather not wait, here are the links to buy the book:
Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble