At A Glance: The Test of Devotion and Facets of Fantasy

This week continues the series of posts with summaries of the books, to give you a little detail on the content in them beyond a typical book blurb. Today's post features The Test of Devotion and Facets of Fantasy. Both of these are adventure books that star teenagers but can be enjoyed by adults who like good old-fashioned storytelling.

​The Test of Devotion is a western adventure story that has a strong Hispanic flavor as it is set in Texas just 14 years after the state became independent from Mexico. Spanish is spoken by several characters. A young woman named Arabella has come to this place from back east and she creates a lot of havoc as she’s exceptionally beautiful and strong-willed, but she has no understanding of the culture and can’t adapt when the situation gets more dangerous. Especially when her husband, a politician, wants her out of the way. The young outlaw Viajero is a conflicted character, as he's able to take on the role of hero, but is reluctant to do so because of his father. A lot of shooting, a girl who works at the hotel, and a man who's hired Viajero to find Arabella might end up changing his mind. 
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Historical Fiction. 165 pages. Some mild classic-western violence. A villain gets shot. A comic character who is an alcoholic appears in a few scenes.

Facets of Fantasy is a set of three 20k-word epic fantasy and space opera novellas. They explore arrogant villains who think their beliefs should impose on others; ambitious military cadets who are all about gaining power; and teenage girls frustrated by being caught in problems beyond their control. Halogen Crossing takes a self-absorbed young man who prefers big adventures into a city teeming with diplomats and villainous intrigue. He finds action might not be so far away after all! Jurant’s hero, Don, struggles to rise to the occasion when dealing with his grandfather, who has cracked-up mentally by a desire for power beyond his ability, and with a greedy fellow student who is a little too curious for her own good. And in the final story, Stuart tries to navigate his repressed, unfriendly cousin and an ancient feud that has descended in full force on their family.

Fantasy, Epic; Short Stories and Anthologies. 238 pages. Death of a loved one and bitterness influence some of the characters.

And there will be more updates.

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