Sacred Promises by Jennifer Hines and Mindy Bigham, A Book Review

A story combining fantasy, love and mystery with a wand of magic.  It really is magic that weaves the characters together into a nice storyline.  You want to see what happens, and actually aren't sure at times which character to root for.

Ah, the love of youth.  Who said that?  I don't think the delight, the depth, or the need of love change at any age.  It stays just as exuberant, and enveloping whether you're 16 or 86, and the emotions these characters make you feel, explodes that theory.

Some and maybe many of the thoughts and statements made by Abbey, the lead character, will remind you of yourself at some point in your life.  Her raw honesty and vulnerability, yet solid determination and integrity make you really feel and know her as a real person you would have had as your best friend.  You just like her.  She doesn't do the stupid, 'I saw that coming' things that many authors create.  What she does do, and surmising you think 'oh here it is', doesn't turn out to be what you expected, at least not for me.  As I said, I thought the character was solid.  She made me really like her.

The supporting characters each had their defined personalities and made it easy for you to cling, support, or dislike them.  Although even the ones you didn't like too well, were integrated and developed so you still liked and maybe even admired some part of them.  The two guys (men) or whatever, kept you thinking and wondering, and were amazingly well done.  Their emotions brought you straight to their core wanting to not only know more, but meet someone just like them in the real world.  Their reveal was slow and steady until it built to the point of where you had to know what was happening next.  You wanted to know them, you wanted to protect them, fight with them, and make them happy.  It was exacerbating and exhilarating at the same time.

I really wasn't expecting a love story to this degree, but the authors really did a great job of reeling you in and keeping you there.  The fantasy makes the storyline so much fun and unexpected at times but the love interests are what kept me attached page after page.  I had to know how it turned out.

 

Saying I enjoyed the book would be true, but in reality I totally loved the whole story, how it was written, the characters, the creativity, and I'm exited their story will continue.  It's just one of those books that have to have a sequel, and I can't wait for it.  If you like love stories, and/or fantasies, then you will really enjoy this book.  Buy it, you will be glad you did, and waiting for the sequel like me.

 

Four's A Crowd by Maria Bradley, A Book Review

 

Very creative intrigue, twists you don't see coming, characters that become your friends, and a story that's written to keep you turning the pages.

I can't imagine anyone not liking this story and looking for more from Maria Bradley.  It's written with details that give you access to a movie screen.  You can see their faces, places, and even the character's souls.  I was surprised and actually excited for this story.  It's one I can give as gifts and be excited and proud to watch them open it.

The title was curious to me though.  I wondered how Maria came about that phrase, and didn't see how it related after reading the books blurb.  Surprise was on me when I saw the connection.  Then my thought was, clever!

The story seems simple enough, three characters, murder, mystery, you know the usual plot.  Surprise again.  Nothing I imagined it was about, met the author.  She was in a whole other realm of thought and thankfully so.

The storyline keeps moving with new information and twists you hadn't even thought of.  It compels you to turn every page and figure it all out before the author spells it out for you.  After all, this is a young adult book right?  It should be easy.  Luckily it is anything but easy, and that is the best part.

So the plot in theory may be simple, but the execution is artfully creative with cohesive characters and events.  Then Maria takes the simple and sprinkles it with surprise and a few 'oh my' twists which actually obliterates the simple.  Get the picture?  It's a moving story unlike anything you had been expecting.

Another thing is the main character.  I actually had trouble defining one.  All three take center stage, don't override the others, and make you adore them.  You root for them all, you want to keep reading about them all, and in fact when one was missing you had to keep reading to "help" the others find him.  I know crazy right, and sometimes they didn't seem as focused on the issue or doing the things as I would have, but they're kids.  That's just what they do.  It is insane and yet wonderful.  They become your new friends that you love to follow around.  Even their names are interesting to say the least, and quite rightly match their persons which you soon find out.

I could tell you more, but I really want you to read the book and find out for yourselves.  Telling more just ruins the surprises, twists, turns and enjoyment of discovery.  There is certainly going to be a sequel to this book, which was set up nicely.  I am curious about the name though since this one was so clever.

Thanks for the great read Maria, I can't imagine what will be in the sequel and can't wait to read it.  Five stars well deserved for a story well served.

Behind The Closed Door, by Charles Prandy -A Book Review

 

This book is a detective series with a lead character that gets ingrained into your psyche and keeps you wanting more.  The author knows how to create and develop great characters but also a story that you don't see coming, and can't get enough of.  I loved the book.  He's done it again.  Big intrigue, surprising story, great read.

You know when you open a sequel or even second book of an author, you are expecting as good a read as the first time, and intensely hope for just that scenario.  Let me assure you, Charles Prandy delivers, precisely and convincingly from the beginning to the very end.  He has a different style of writing which I chalk up the portrayal of the lead character.  I may be wrong, but it doesn't matter, it is a great story and one I know others will enjoy.

This book was just as intriguing, moving, thought provoking and surprising as the first book.  The pace was fast, keeping you on the move and not wanting to stop at any chapter until you reached the end.

Charles's main character Jacob Hayden still talked like he did in the first book, but due to what happened in the first book, he seemed just a little more reserved, not quite as brazen which fit perfectly.  You wouldn't expect any less considering his situation, and that made him real like your next door neighbor.  It kept him in your 'character to root for' column, and tied your heart up with emotional strings.

Stories that move at a quick pace need to pack pictures and emotions in your mind to help you move, understand and fully see what is happening.  If it doesn't, you find yourself having to go back and figure something out or you lose interest.  Don't worry you won't wonder about anything except what is going to happen next, as you try and piece together the clues to what is happening, what the connections are and what it all means.  Just what a good story always does.  Oh, and the surprises are a sweet treat for your mind.

Without a doubt I have to say so many stories are pretty easily figured out.  That's one of the reasons I really like Charles's books.  There was only one time during the entire story that I actually was right on my assumptions.  One time out of the many situations in the story, and I have read a whole lot of books so I am usually figuring the storyline out pretty well, is an amazing feat.  That admirable distinction made me really enjoy the whole book and will make me fondly remember it too.

In the last review I did for Charles I had asked him to let me read the sequel when it was done.  He graciously did just that.  Thank goodness he didn't put any less brilliance into this novel than the last.  I would have hated to say less than great things about his sequel.  And as the book before, he set it up for another sequel which I am officially requesting again.  By the way, you will be just as surprised, just as intrigued and just as impatient about waiting for him to finish the next one as you were at the end of the first one.

Great and amazing work again Charles Prandy.  Thanks for letting me read it.  Buy the book.

My Daughter Danica

No matter how many years have passed, I remember her birthday as if she is minutes old.  There just are no words to describe the everlasting impact such an event has on you mentally and emotionally.  Before she was even born, I knew something wasn’t right, and I kept asking the doctor to runs tests and figure out what was wrong.  Of course they felt I was a fanatic and promptly ignored my concerns.  So when Danica arrived and the doctor didn’t sound like he knew what he was talking about, I as a mother who had known something was wrong, decided he was an imbecile and wrote him off.  Yes I had a little bit, okay a lot of anger and fear going on here.  Fortunately my sanity was saved by my mother who completely understood and supported me in every way during my life.  Without that I don’t know how things might have turned out.

Learning what made Danica different really wasn’t a relief from not knowing, it just was.  Having a name to put on my fears for her future didn’t suddenly change my perception of her life it just made my answer to questions from others a little easier.  Shorter.  Convenient.  And now, what at first just made me extremely angry and fearful, completely deluged me with an intense sadness.  I now felt I had to either agree with the diagnosis, or deny it and fight for her to be better than what 'they' said she would be.

The first diagnosis for Danica was 'Dandy Walker Syndrome' associated with occipital meningocele.  Simply put, it’s a neurological disorder which doctors believed manifested in the 5th month of fetal life.  The brain has pockets of cerebral fluid called ventricles and one of them is in the back of the brain near the sight or occipital portion.  This particular pocket enlarged with cerebral fluid not allowing it to flow down through the spine as normal.  The consequences are numerous and we were told, shorten the life span.

In Danica’s case it was suggested she would not live past the age of 12.  Of course that statement was always at the back of my mind, but I refused to allow it in front.  The fear was simply more than I could deal with.  My sadness was overwhelming which I believe drove my fierce determination to make things okay.  I was going to make her better than they said she would be, and make her happy through all the pain she had to endure.  At least that was the plan.  I had the same question going through my mind, “Why would this happen to an innocent child?”  I just couldn’t make any sense of it and it made me angry.  I think you can imagine and many of you know what can happen when Mama Bear gets angry and protective of her cubs.

My anger led me to search for answers to why, solutions to get her well so she could be 'normal', and my fear drove me to the brink of sanity.  I had to absolutely cherish each day because I didn’t know if I was going to get another one.  As time went on I discovered that the days I cherished were gifts of how to have unconditional infinite love, patience and compassion for another person.  How to see their soul and not even realize they walk or talk or look different.

Due to the neurological damage, Danica had lost her sight, and only gained some of it back.  This of course had a huge effect on our family learning how to take care of her and teaching her how to grow up with little or no sight.  At one point in the earlier part of those years there was a community program where elderly women volunteered to be grandmothers to handicapped children.  The director of the program asked me if it was okay if an African American (I hate that term by the way, we are all just Americans not matter what color, culture or continent we came from.  I don't call myself an Irish German French English American.) woman became Danica’s grandmother.  My answer was, “Danica can see their soul and knows if they are good.  She feels their contact and doesn’t care what color their hand is, only how soft their touch is.  Of course she can have any grandmother that is good to her, I don’t care what race, culture or continent they are from”.  This was when I realized how much my daughter had already taught me and how deeply she had touched me.  My heart and my soul.

Having a handicapped child is hard.  Programs to really help her achieve as great a quality of life as possible, especially if your child has a rare condition, are few or none.  If their 'condition' doesn’t fall into a nice and neat little category, you will be hard pressed to find a group offering services for anything other than the hard core medical procedures.  And don’t even get me started on getting medical insurance for her.  That is a nightmare all by itself.

The impact of a handicapped child on siblings is a very real and important aspect, yet it is never even addressed and I can’t speak for the fathers, but the mothers live with a guilt forever.  I had not done anything wrong to cause her condition that I knew of, and believe me that is a question I will never stop asking myself, but I still felt guilty like it was my fault that my child would never be able to run and play, have a teenage girls sleep over, go to the prom, have a career or a family of her own.  I felt guilty about robbing the other siblings of a normal childhood.  There just seemed to be no way to win.  No way for things to just be easy.  No way to feel like a normal family, and yet I felt blessed to have the honor of raising this beautiful, radiant, joyful little girl.  I believed and truly felt I had been specially chosen to raise a handicapped child because it was so hard not a lot of people could handle it, and I was just stubborn and selfish enough to forge the path I needed for her, for me and my other children, and not lose myself in the process.  The icing on the cake was the honor I would feel to be able to call her my daughter.

As Danica grew up I first only saw pity from people that she had difficulties, but then I started to realize the tremendous impact she had on other people.  Yes people would still feel sorry for her, that is only natural, but they also felt something that affected them on a deep down to the soul level.  It’s an invisible pure energy of unconditional, unfathomable love that people receive from her.  You don’t even realize what is happening until you feel the profound emotions stirring in your heart.
Danica has and continues to touch so many lives.  From the people she has touched some have written poems about her, one a friend of mine framed for me, others have gotten into music therapy, nursing, and social work, just from having known Danica.  She makes you happy in spite of yourself.  She has a hug, when she will give you one, that soothes your soul, and she has a lyrical laugh that makes you laugh too when you hear it.

In spite of it all, the difficulties, the medical problems, the pain she has suffered and the incomprehensibly painful headaches she still suffers, she is still a child of pure heart and can be as mischievous as the best of them.  Once I had to help the doctors hold her down while they inserted an IV.  I literally laid on top of her and shifted my body in whichever direction she was moving trying to keep her still.  She was kicking her legs so I slid down to put more weight on her legs, and as soon as I did that she raised her head up, and slammed her forehead into my eye, giving me an ugly black eye.  I immediately told her she had just clocked me in the eye, and she thought it was extremely funny.  To this day, when I remind her of when she gave me a black eye, she laughs hysterically.  And then I have to laugh all over again.

She makes me happy.  She makes everyone happy.  Through all her pain, and arduous daily struggles, she finds joy, and infects everyone she comes in contact with.  To know Danica, is to be blessed in life.  I don’t believe in coincidences, I believe we are where we are supposed to be to do what we are supposed to do.  I am so thankful I got to do with Danica all that I have done.

I am deeply grateful to be able to continue to swirl her infinite love and overpowering joy to others who need it.  Danica turned 32 years old in July this year 2013.  That’s a far cry from 12.  I believe she just isn’t done with her mission for others, and I am determined to help her in every way I can.  Of course I am very selfish and can't get enough of her beautiful face, heart and soul.
Her mission for me has ringed through to my soul.  To have such grace from my daughter, beautiful, joyous soul Danica, I am completely blessed.  No matter when Danica leaves us for higher ground, her imprint will live on in others for a very, very long time.  Just ask anyone who knows her, especially her siblings.

Today I am writing children’s and young adult stories.  It is a passion that deeply moves my soul, a soul that was shaped by the many profound events in my life.  People have always told me I need to write my life story because it's something most would have a hard time believing.  I just might do that, but I don’t think I am at that point yet.  So much more has yet to happen that I will have to include.  I am sure that if I ask Danica if I can write about her, she will laugh hysterically.... and then I will too.

To see my books:  bhbooks.co

The Siren's Tale by Anne Carlisle, A Book Review

A woman's way can be blatant, subtle or anything in between.  In this book a siren and her lineage are that and more.  Following them in their trek through the years showed just how manipulative sirens can be, but the author also showed that no matter what, the human side of emotions can actually rule the roost.

In case you don't know what a siren is, it won't take long to figure it out reading this book.  This story changes the Greek mythology principle a bit, but the basic idea remains.  The beguiler beckons, and the sailor (man) responds.  There are love scenes and explicit details that romance readers will love.  The book is well written by a talented author.

I do have to say though, the story goes from past to present several times, with a lot of characters.  That has always posed a challenge for me.  I don't know what it is, but I tend to question who everyone is, how they are connected, and what impact they have on the character or the story.  So reading this was more involved than usual, but that's just my crazy reality.

The many characters in the book all play a part that impacts the lead character or her descendants, but what you think you understand about one or more of them may surprise you when you turn the page.  I thought I had Cassandra all figured out, but of course I didn't.  The same held true for some of the others as well.  That kind of writing keeps the reader engaged while they try again to figure it all out.

Anne was adept at giving the characters human emotions, but also countering that with their siren abilities and keeping you in the dark as to which would win out.  She makes you realize that we are all good at manipulating things to get what we want when we can, unless fortunately in certain settings, our conscience rules and keeps us sane, compassionate, and loving toward more than just our agendas.  Giving her characters depth and breadth kept them real and interesting.  Showing that the character getting what they wanted to happen didn't necessarily make them feel as they expected, brought you a connection to their lives.  You felt their emotions.

Some authors have a good story, but their writing needs a little work.  Anne is already a skilled writer.  I would really like to see another book with a lot more magic in it.  I think her creative mind would take us on a journey we would remember.  If you think you know what you would do if you were a siren, you might be surprised.  There is so much more to life with love and enriching relationships that were born from natural and simplistic beginnings.  This siren finds out what the difference is and hopes her family will too.  The warnings she ignored must not live on.

Rising Book 1 Resistance by Laura Josephsen, A Book Review

Resistance is pertinent to freedom, and that word brings the reader to not only identify with the characters but actually live and breathe their steps, and then almost chant for more.  How precious freedom is, and how quickly, quietly and stealthily it can be taken away.

This story starts out with an innocent laid back, lacadazical feeling.  It is quite the understatement really.  I actually thought it was going to be a quaint relaxing, and moderately moving story.  I knew the characters would move you emotionally, but I didn't expect them the story to shake you up. 

Laura has woven her characters with emotions, plot twists, and suspense to drive the page turn with gale force winds.  Even if you think you know what happened or what will happen, you just might be surprised.  I think Laura took the expression 'things aren't always what they seem' to heart.  She wrapped those words around the characters like a shield, creating a puzzle that you have to put together piece by piece, page by page.  Well done.

The story centers around two people but doesn't short change the others involved.  You don't pass them by anxious to get back to what the leads are doing because each one is driving the plot in some way, making the story whole and complete.  You begin to realize that everything has a purpose, an expose, or clue to who a character is, or why or what is going on.  Sometimes you have to wonder who someone really is against what they seem to be.  It keeps you guessing and that makes it fun.

If you like to read artfully crafted stories that move you on a continuously emotional and creative path, then you will really enjoy this tale.  If you like suspense, mystery and innovative tales, then you must read this one.

Alphonse is a kind of literary geek who had no clue to anything about his father other than his academia record, and he had no desire to know more or venture outside of his own academia.  He was content and secure right where he was.  Secure is the operative word here.

When Alphonse was pushed into action out of necessity, or more like a feeling of responsibility, his world turned upside down.  He didn't have street smarts, and secure was a word he could no longer even pronounce let alone feel.  But he soon found out that things could be worse and fortunately, some things happen for a reason.  What that reason is, he would go through a venture to find out, but even when he thinks he has found the answers, reality will slap him back into a new mind twisting quest.

Get the book and live the venture with Alphonse.  I am sure as I did, you will enjoy the journey.

This Morning I Woke Up Dead by Mindy Larson, A Book Review

This story is the epitome of what if.  I found myself asking that question throughout the book as I tried to picture what happened, and how it would end.

There are two main characters in this story, and they each talk in the first person as it goes from one to the other.  It keeps you from wondering what the person is thinking and feeling and instead wondering what they will do or understand next.

I can't, and maybe you won't either, help but feel their distraught emotions and love for each other.  You want them to reconnect, and you don't really care how they do it.  Dead, alive, it makes no matter as long as they get back together.  Crazy right?  Of course if they were people I actually knew, I might not be so cavalier with their lives.  But then again, maybe I would.  That is if I felt the same emotions with them as the author made me feel with these characters.

The concept the author explored, death, is one we all think about, and probably a lot more than we want to.  It is a fact of life, but what we know of it is completely limited and inadequate to make us feel comfortable and safe to transition to that state even though we know it is our final journey.  The unknown is a haunting thing to say the very least.  So we wonder, and the what if questions saturate our thoughts.  What if it is nicer than here?  What if we would be happier?  What if our knowledge and concepts are not even close?  See what I mean?

The characters did the same thing.  One tried to figure out what was happening, and the other tried to find peace with what was.  Or rather what was believed to be reality.  But then as things happened, questioning the unknown was the only solace they had.  The only peaceful and soothing solution to bathe their minds was questioning what was real and what could be real if only they could grasp the supposed impossible with both hands and hang on.  For some reason, maybe it was how we were taught in school about science; we always seem to need physical validation to believe.  Of course it's okay in religion to have faith, but somehow everything else is off limits.  Funny right?  How shallow and mind limiting we can be.

Overall the story was entertaining, and emotionally charged.  You felt what the characters felt, and sought to find an acceptable conclusion without keeping the two apart.  As they rode the waves of the moving tide with each other, you wanted one of them to grab hold of the other, and not let go.  Either way, they needed to be together.  Read the book, and I think you will agree, one moving on without the other just wasn't acceptable.