C.A. Gray's Blog, page 70
July 6, 2018
Review of Ella Enchanted
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I can’t believe I missed this one as a kid! I love fairy tale retellings. As you might imagine from the title, this one is a retelling of Cinderella, with a twist: Ella was cursed as a baby by a good but clueless fairy with the gift of obedience. This creates all the conflict in the tale, and explains why her stepmother and stepsisters were able to abuse her as much as they did. Also, she knew the prince for quite awhile before the ball, which is new… and the ball is masked, so the prince didn’t realize it was her. So fun!
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June 29, 2018
Sweet 2, 3, and 4 by Wendy Higgins
Today’s podcast is a review of the rest of the “Sweet Evil” trilogy by Wendy Higgins:
Here’s the original Sweet Evil review
Sweet Peril and Sweet Reckoning
Overall for the series: 4.75/5 stars!
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Review of Redeeming Love
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I read this once before in college, and at the time I thought it was heavy-handed in its overtly Christian message, cheesy, and unrealistic. I reread it now, though, because so many other people regarded it as the standard for romantic fiction. One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of romance stories is that they’re addictive while they last, but they leave me feeling empty when they’re over–needing another ‘fix.’ This one did not. I felt satisfied and uplifted at the end.
The story is sort of a retelling of the book of Hosea in the Bible: God commands his prophet Hosea to marry the prostitute Gomer. He does, and he loves her, but she keeps running away from him and going back to prostitution. Each time he goes back and redeems her again, bringing her home, and each time she breaks his heart. It’s meant to be a picture of God’s love for Israel (and later, His church): God is Hosea, and Israel is Gomer, constantly “prostituting” herself out to serve other gods. God’s love for her is jealous, like a husband, and He wants her all to Himself. But each time she betrays Him, He forgives her and accepts her back.
In “Redeeming Love,” the prostitute is Angel, and the man who courts her is Michael Hosea. It’s not a perfect analogy because in the story, Michael actually tells the story of the book of Hosea to Angel, and God himself is a character in the story, leading Michael to do what he does to save her. I recall thinking that Michael was too perfect to be believable when I read it in college, but somehow I didn’t feel that way this time around. He’s pretty perfect in his actions, but we see his internal struggles when he talks to God. Angel is hardened and nasty to Michael for quite awhile, but this makes perfect sense, given what she’s been through. Her fear of falling in love with him is so well done, and so believable: given how much she’d been hurt, of course she’d be terrified of vulnerability again. Between episodes of her running away, the story tends to drag just a bit, but it’s important to establish some of the relationships with peripheral characters. I took slight issue with the fact that several characters parrot scripture to explain their actions, though–I understood what the author was trying to communicate, but nobody actually talks that way (or if they did, they’d seem fake.)
Ultimately, though, I think what made this story different from other romances is that the romance between Michael and Angel wasn’t the be-all and the end-all. Michael introduced Angel to God. *He* was the point–and then He ultimately leads them back together, too. Other romances tend to place an untenable burden on another human being to complete and fulfill the characters in one another, and there’s something in us that knows that’s not possible. Hence that emptiness, the drive for another ‘fix’ when the story is over–like we’re looking for something we know can’t be found in real life. It leaves a sort of ache. Once that burden for ultimate fulfillment in one another was removed, though–once Michael was no longer expected to ‘redeem’ Angel on his own–they were free to find such joy as could be found in one another. The desire for perfect, redeeming love was also fulfilled–but from God.
Definitely uplifting, a good historical romance choice if you don’t mind the overtly Christian message.
My rating: *****
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June 28, 2018
Review of Sweet Temptation
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LOVED this one! Which is a strong endorsement for the series, since it’s literally the entire Sweet Trilogy over again, only from Kaidan’s perspective instead of from Anna’s. As an author, this was a fabulous character study, getting into the mind of a bad boy through his character arc. Most of the time the main character is sympathetic from the start, so this was unique in that sense. But Kaidan was such a compelling character to begin with, and the Sweet trilogy itself (especially the dynamics between Kaidan and Anna) was so addictive that I plowed through this one in a few days, even though I already knew what was going to happen. I found myself anxious for what I knew was about to happen next, just so I could experience it through Kai’s eyes. It couldn’t have been easy for Higgins, a female former youth group leader, to write a foul-mouthed sex-obsessed 18 year old male–and she manages to make him seem so endearing!
My rating: *****
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June 23, 2018
I Serve Audiobook Tour
Author: Rosanne E. Lortz
Narrator: James Young
Length: 10 hours 50 minutes
Publisher: Madison Street Publishing
Released: Jul. 18, 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
A tale of arms, of death, of love, and of honor.
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War, I Serve chronicles the story of Sir John Potenhale. A young Englishman of lowly birth, Potenhale wins his way to knighthood on the fields of France. He enters the service of Edward, the Black Prince of Wales, and immerses himself in a stormy world of war, politics, and romantic intrigue.
While campaigning in France, Potenhale develops an interest in Margery, a spirited lady-in-waiting with a close-kept secret. He soon learns that Sir Thomas Holland, a crass and calculating baron, holds the key to unlock Margery’s mystery and possesses the power to overturn all of his hopes.
When the Black Death strikes Europe, however, Potenhale realizes that the fiercest enemy does not always appear in human form. Seeing the pestilence as a punishment for the sins of his generation, he questions his calling as a knight and considers entering the cloister. Margery or the monastery? Torn between losing his soul and losing the love of his life, he finds friendship with a French knight who might – just possibly – help him save both.
When she’s not teaching Latin or doing crafts with her kids, Rosanne E. Lortz “Rose” splits time between the Middle Ages and the Regency Era, her two favorite historical periods. She and her husband David Spears have four boys and co-own Madison Street Publishing. You can find more information about Rose at http://rosannelortz.com where she posts book reviews of her favorites.
Website ⎮ Twitter ⎮ Facebook
James Oliva is the creator/writer/director of the audio drama podcast What’s The Frequency? He’s also the voice of Michael Tate on audio podcast drama Greater Boston, Willard on Oak Podcast. James has also had guest appearances on ars Paradoxica, The Strange Case of Starship Iris, Seminar, Big Data, Jim Robbie and the Wanderers, The Haven Chronicles, and Radiation World. He was a finalist for a 2016 and 2017 Audio Verse Award in the acting category.
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I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rosanne E. Lortz. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
I Serve Giveaway: $20 Amazon Gift Card
Jun. 21st:
Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews
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June 15, 2018
Sweet #2 and #3 (Sweet Peril and Sweet Reckoning) Reviews
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This book was every bit as good as the first!
***Spoiler alert*** if you haven’t read Sweet Evil…
Like every paranormal adventure, Anna finds that she is a “Chosen One” of sorts, prophesied to bring redemption. In this case, she is the Creator’s chosen instrument to offer heaven to the demons a second time–as well as to offer the Nephilim their a chance to be redeemed, just as humans have. Her task requires her to be able to wield the Sword of Righteousness, a weapon made from celestial metal and used in the original battle in the heavens when Lucifer fell and took a third of the angels with him into hell.
But in order to wield that sword, Anna must 1) stay hidden (if the Dukes find out what she is, they’ll kill her,) and 2) stay pure of heart, so that the sword will respond to her touch. The second requirement isn’t too much a problem, though, since Kaiden Rowe apparently wants nothing to do with her. Or does he?
There’s a bit of a love triangle in this series too (what paranormal romance would be complete without one?), but it’s significantly less annoying than most, because Anna is completely aware of her own heart the whole time. It’s circumstances only that force her into the arms of Kope, another Nephilim friend. The dynamics between her, Kope, and eventually Kaiden are every bit as addictive as in book one… this is quickly becoming one of my favorite series!
My rating: *****
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So I loved *most* of this book… until the very end.
The progression of Anna’s and Kaiden’s relationship was unexpected and delightful–trying not to spoil it here, but I was definitely grinning ear to ear. I will say certain parts tended to drag on a bit, when it didn’t feel that way in earlier books in the series, though. I love “happy” scenes when we just get to see characters hanging out and getting to know one another, even if there’s no direct progression of the plot, but I felt like there was a bit too much of that in the middle of this one.
But of course, that can’t last. The Last Battle has to come, and it did in this book. What I most disliked was one sacrifice that occurs at the end, and really didn’t have to. Not only was it sad, but I felt like it didn’t even make a lot of sense in the context of the story–other characters easily could have stopped it, and didn’t even try. But I think they didn’t because the author felt it needed to occur, in order to make a theological point (and one which I also happen to disagree with, so that didn’t help.)
Also, how the final showdown goes down feels like a let-down. (Why gather everybody together to fight, if *that* was all that was required? Couldn’t Anna have done what needed to happen from the very beginning, as soon as she learned of her role as the Child of the Prophecy? And why did it have to be *her*, after all, if that’s all that was needed?)
I still listened addictively and obsessively, and I still love the world and the characters. Just wished it had a stronger finish. (I’m still listening to “Sweet Temptation” next though — a retelling of the whole story through Kaiden’s eyes!)
My rating: *** 1/2
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Bree Moore: Author of Woven
Bree Moore has been writing fantasy since the fourth grade. She lives in Ogden, is wife to an amazing husband, and the mother of four children. She writes fantasy novels between doling out cheerios and folding laundry. Her most recent book is Woven.
In real-life, Bree works as a birth doula , attending women in pregnancy and labor, which is huge inspiration for her writing. Bree loves shopping for groceries like other women like shopping for shoes (no, seriously), movies that make her cry, and Celtic music. She likes both her chocolate and her novels dark.
Do you have an ‘elevator pitch’ for Woven, to summarize it for our audience members who maybe haven’t read it before? It’s a retelling of the Arthurian legend, and it’s got a lot of really neat twists and a female cast. I focus heavily on a mostly female characters because they get a little neglected sometimes when we’re talking about King Arthur and the Round Table.
I don’t recognize the characters of Sir Gereck or Winna ? did you make those up? Winna is made up because Sir Gereck needed a wife. Gereck is technically listed as one of those as a knight of the Round Table. I based him off of like some other stories from other knights.
In my Arthurian legends studies I covered very little of the Lady of the Lake, Nimue. I didn’t realize she took physical form and wasn’t always in the lake! What were your sources on that? When I was writing woven I was really intrigued by how many different characters seem to have so many different names. And I really wanted to find a way to kind of include that in woven. Just the fact that these are all like the same people, but they have different aspects of themselves. I watched the BBC show “Merlin” a bunch of times as one main source!
Tell me a little about your journey writing “Woven.” Where did the idea come from?And do you have a long-standing Arthurian legend obsession, or were the legends just necessary to the idea? A little bit, yeah. I think the first book I read in Arthurian legend was probably the Merlin series by TS White. Then in college actually had the opportunity to go on study abroad to Great Britain and did a tour of former sites potentially associated with the legends. Then my mom and I used to take turns trying to inspire each other with Arthurian legends, and she challenged me to write something on The Lady of Shalott. Probably one of the biggest reasons Elaina takes such a huge role is because the story started with her and I was halfway through the book before I realized that Guinevere needed a stronger part in the book.
You’re self-published, right? I am kind hybrid published in a way. I work with an indie publisher, and there’s some things that I do like other self published authors do. So I hired my own editor, I hire my own cover artists, and then I send it off to my publisher and they work with Ingram to distribute my books. So my book is treated like a traditionally published book, but I have a lot of say in my deadlines and what everything looks like and a lot of control over the final product and I really love that. But I’m like any author that isn’t huge: I do the bulk of the marketing.
What advice might you have for other self-published authors out there: what’s the most effective marketing strategy you’ve used to date? (Or perhaps the top three?) Well the very first one, and I only say this because I am not actually there yet, but it’s what everyone tells me: write the next book. I’ve tried focusing on promoting Woven by itself, with mixed results, and it’s kind of discouraging to not have something for, for readers to go to next. So I think I’d rather build up a backlist a little bit.
What are you working on now? I’m working on a ton of things right now. I am a super busy mom, but I refuse to let go of my writing. I’m working on the sequel to Woven, it’s called Bound and it comes out September 1. And then I just had a short story accepted to an anthology. I have two other anthologies that I’m working on, and one comes out in December. Then I’ve started an urban fantasy trilogy that I hope will be released next year.
Who are some of your favorite authors/books that you would consider to be your inspirations? Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorites.
Anything I haven’t asked you that you want to make sure you communicate to our audience? Summer is the best time to read. So I think everyone should read in the summer and find a new book!
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June 8, 2018
Sweet Evil, by Wendy Higgins
Today’s podcast comes from this online review of Sweet Evil.
The post Sweet Evil, by Wendy Higgins appeared first on C.A. Gray.
Sweet Evil, by Wendy Higgins
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I have to gush about this one: WOW. I could not put it down. Her world-building was absolutely incredible, built around stories in the Bible as a jumping off point for creating her own paranormal reality.
The concept: in Genesis 6, the Nephilim are mentioned very briefly as giants and heroes of old. These creatures are the product of a union between humans and demons who took physical form. In Higgins’s world, only the “Dukes,” or demons in charge of one of the Seven Deadly Sins (or of corrupting each of the Ten Commandments) can take physical form, so every neph child is born of one of them. While redemption exists for humanity, it doesn’t for the neph–and each is supposed to serve his father in corrupting humanity, placing special emphasis on his or her father’s pet sin.
Anna Witt is a neph, but she’s unusual: her father was the demon of substance abuse, but her mother was an angel. Her father went to prison and her mother died when she was born, so she was raised by a sweet Southern lady who adores her. Anna is vehemently against drugs and alcohol but isn’t totally sure why. She’s also a virgin (hasn’t even been kissed before), never lies, has never been drunk, and really doesn’t do anything wrong… and yet while this might make her sound unrelatable, it really doesn’t come off that way at all, because we’re in her head and can hear her rationale. She possesses her mother’s strong empathy for others, crying at the drop of a hat when she senses the pain of others. She doesn’t keep herself so pure because she’s a prude, but because she understands consequences and genuinely loves the people around her. As a neph, she can also see people’s emotions, each manifesting as a particular color.
Then, Anna meets Kaiden Rowe. Imagine every sexy and seductive quality a guy can possibly have, and that pretty much sums him up: he’s gorgeous, he’s a drummer in a successful band, he’s charming and direct, he’s filthy rich, he’s got a British accent–and he’s the one person whose emotions Anna cannot read. Yet he’s fixated on Anna. But unlike most books of this type, there’s actually a very good reason for this: Kaiden knows immediately that Anna is like him. He’s a nephilim too, the son of the Duke of Lust.
The storyline involves Anna’s discovery of what she is, and the rules of her world–with Kaiden’s help. Along the way, things between them get very complicated. It’s ‘opposites attract’ to the tenth power, but you really root for them both. I absolutely love how open Anna is about her feelings, too–unlike most teenage protagonists, she isn’t trying to protect her heart. Probably because of her angelic mother, she loves unabashedly–and not just Kaiden, but everyone around her who is hurting. The story isn’t overtly Christian by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a fantastic depiction of grace in story form.
I’m already engrossed in Book 2 and racing through it!!
My rating: *****
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June 5, 2018
Review of The Widow’s Redeemer
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Any fans of Jane Austen will love this book! Keyworth almost seemed to channel Austen in the language she uses, and the book is also set in 18th century Britain, and her description of society is almost exactly the same. More than once I thought it was an intentional retelling of Pride and Prejudice: Letty (like Elizabeth) is the spirited but poor and untitled lady with a frivolous mother-in-law (like Mrs. Bennett), and she immediately dislikes the wealthy and handsome Viscount Beuford (like Mr. Darcy) for his arrogance. He, on the other hand, is captivated by her wit, and despite her discouragement, proceeds to pursue her.
There are a few rather major differences from Austen’s famous story, though: as the title suggests, Letty is widowed. We meet her first husband only very briefly in the first chapter, and while he’s a caricature of an abusive rake, he doesn’t really need much depth for the purpose he serves in the story. Letty has a silly sister-in-law Theo (like Elizabeth Bennett’s younger sister Lydia) but she doesn’t play a huge role in the story, and she does have a plain friend Sophie (like Charlotte Lucas), though her role is more to give Letty a confidante than anything else. Letty’s first husband’s friend, Major Deverill (sp? I listened to the audio version of this story) takes her under his wing as her protector, even though he certainly could have played the love interest himself. (I wondered a few times why the relationship was so platonic, actually.) The main conflict toward the end involved Letty’s first husband’s gambling debts–and just as Mr. Darcy saves the Bennetts from disrepute, Viscount Beuford comes to Letty’s rescue, having to tread carefully to avoid upsetting the delicate sensibilities of society in order to do so.
Each chapter begins with a quote came from some famous work of literature or philosophy, and my first clue that the inspiration from this story might have been something other than Pride and Prejudice was one that came from the biblical book of Ruth. I did at that point notice that Letty’s commitment to her mother-in-law was much like Ruth’s commitment to Naomi, and the word ‘redeemer’ in the title did evoke the concept of the Kinsman Redeemer from Ruth. At the end of the book, the author states that The Widow’s Redeemer was in fact meant to be a retelling of Ruth. I see it in hindsight–I guess the language and customs just evoke Austen so strongly that it was hard to see past the more obvious similarity.
I often wish there were more Austen novels out there yet to discover, so I’ll probably read more of Keyworth’s work, in hopes that they will fill the void!
My rating: ****
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