Tag Archives: book reviews

book review, Trust, by Sherri Hayes

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Book Review
Trust, by Sherri Hayes

Trust is the fourth and final book in the Finding Anna series. Anna and Stefan are apart, after her father brought the feds in and Anna chose to leave to protect Stefan at the end of the previous book.
Though this was sad in a way, the beauty of their split is that it does give Anna the chance to begin to learn to stand on her own feet and take steps to become her own person, which in the end can make her a stronger partner when she and Stefan are reunited.
The book follows their lives apart, as each learns to deal with their separation, finding little happinesses and triumphs, even as they desperately long to be together again. From separation to reunion, Stefan and Anna become who they’ve been growing into since the very beginning of the first book, and it is a delight to watch it happen. We learn the true strength at Anna’s core when she agrees to face the man who enslaved and tortured her, and testify against him in court. The dramatic courtroom scenes are exciting with an unexpected didn’t-see-it-coming resolution.
There was only one part of the story that disappointed me, and yet, in some ways, I think it had to happen, considering who Anna is and what she has been through. She hears something about Stefan and immediately believes it, refusing to talk to him or to try to verify the facts. It’s a feature in fiction that usually irritates me to no end. But when I thought of all Anna had experienced, I could understand her reactions. And even so, when Stefan is able to reach her and tell her the truth, she is able to embrace it, taking a giant leap into trust. I couldn’t help feeling so proud of her.
I fell in love with Anna and Stefan in the first book, and the conclusion of their story only made me love them more. They have grown to feel like friends, in that wonderful way fictional characters can do. I’ve wept for them, cheered for them and reveled in their story. Trust is a fitting end to their journey, as they learn to trust not only each other but their own selves. I’m going to miss them very much.

guest post

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I am posting this article,m written by a friend of mine, a review of a book she read. I completely concur with her feelings, which she expresses far better than I could. I have her permission to post this. Check out the link to her blog to read more of the Diva’s thoughts. It’s always well worth the read.

http://thedivapointofview.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/a-dispatch-from-a-diva/

Recently, I read For the Benefit of those who See: Dispatches from the World of the Blind by Rosemary Mahoney for a book club. I should have known what
was in store for me just from reading the wordy title.
Before sharing with you why I’m less than impressed with the author’s dramatic, condescending and saccharin prose, I’ll attempt to give you a concise description
of the book.
During the author’s last year of college, she was smacked in the eye by a squash racket and while her scratched cornea was healing, she was unable to see
out of her right eye. The author bemoaned her blindness—all be it temporary–and equated blindness to being trapped in a locked coffin. In short, to be
blind would be a fate worse than death. This brief limiting of the author’s vision spawned a morbid terror of losing her vision forever.
Years later, the author was asked to write an article on Braille without Borders – a school for the blind that was founded in Tibet by a blind woman and
her sighted partner. Apprehensive, disgusted and reluctantly curious, the author stayed in Tibet for an unspecified amount of time while writing her article.
After her time in Tibet, our intrepid author decided to spend three months teaching English at a school for the visually impaired in India. And from this
experience, the book in question was born.
The author interspersed an incomplete history of blindness among numerous explanations of her horror of losing her vision, her time in Tibet and India
and lengthy and unflattering descriptions of the eyes of every single person with a visual impairment she has encountered in her life. And after three
months among a small group of people who are blind from several countries, the author decided she’d gained enough insight to share her new and miraculous
understanding of the blind with her sighted peers.
Three months… A mere finger snap of time and yet… and yet the author had the audacity to believe that she could write a concise and realistic accounting
of what it means to be blind…
Well… this diva, who has been blind for 35 years, is here to tell you that the author got it all wrong.
The author ranted long and often about how it would feel to lose her precious vision. It would be like being trapped in a locked coffin, she said. Screaming
for help while the world went on, uncaring, around her. Life would be unbearable – hopeless, and pointless, the author would be sucked down into a quagmire
of helplessness and darkness with no way to communicate with the world. To die would be preferable.
As I read her completely uncensored thoughts, I felt as though somebody had walked up to me and punched me in the face without provocation. My life is
not hopeless or pointless and never has been. I have a family who loves me despite my numerous flaws, a circle of supportive friends and a job I love.
I’m happy, healthy and I contribute in a small, and hopefully, meaningful way to society. And most of the time, I don’t sit around feeling sorry for myself,
because I’ve never seen a rainbow, a sunset, twinkling stars, the Eifel Tower, flowers blooming, a movie, a smile, my dog, my mom or my own face. I do
not, as the author seems to believe, live in blissful ignorance of all the beauty and horror that surrounds me on a daily basis. I just see the world in,
to me at least, a different yet equally rewarding and fulfilling way. I choose not to sit in a dark room, sobbing inconsolably over all the things I’ll
never see. I live my life, experiencing the vivid vibrancy of the world in my own way. And death is far from preferable.
I found the author’s history lesson on the evolution of people’s attitudes toward the blind fascinating. Fascinating, because it had such a negative slant.
Her history began with biblical references and progressed through the centuries – highlighting the terrible treatment of people who were blind. The author
shared numerous examples of when the blind were treated like animals – subjected to abuse, poverty and extreme degradation. Blindness was viewed as a sin,
a punishment, a sign of reduced mental abilities… Her ever so enlightening history included a story about Helen Keller in the late 1880’s. She went to
the circus and so terrifying was she, men in the freak show ran from her in fear. And that’s basically where her history ended. It was almost as though
the 20th and 21st centuries, with all the advancements in technology and attitude, were but a brief footnote in the bleak history of the blind. She did
often quote from a book written by a math professor who lost his vision in middle age. However, this book was written during the 1940’s and reflected the
attitudes toward blindness that were common during that era.
The author spent an inordinate amount of time expanding upon stereotypes that people who are blind have been rejecting for years.
Super blind… The author waxed poetic about the founder of Braille without Borders and her ability to navigate through a congested Tibetan city without
brushing a single obstacle with her cane. While I am certain she has some mad travel skills, no blind person can walk through a bustling city without encountering
something or someone from time to time. It’s not realistic. It was as if the author had to exaggerate the travel skills of the blind people in her book
to emphasize how amazing and patient one must be to travel without sight. The author also emphasized a blind person’s other senses. The blind students
could smell her, instantly knew when she carried a mug of beer into a large room, always knew that it was she walking by due to the brisk tap-tap of her
shoes… I mean, blind people do use their other senses to pick up cues in the environment, but we aren’t infallible.
This book is full of groping. Positively flooded with scenes of blind people touching the author, other blind people and myriad objects in the environment.
In several scenes, the author was swarmed by blind students wishing to touch her – to examine her clothing, hair, face… I think I vomited a little while
reading all the scenes of blind groping. It’s disgusting and degrading and not socially appropriate
I remember talking to a little girl who was blind while I was in college. She was about four-years-old and her mom plunked her down on a table in front
of me. The girl proceeded to pat at my hair and neck. She grabbed my breast before plunging her hand down the low neckline of my shirt. Even though her
touch was completely innocent, I felt uncomfortable and violated. The child was too young to understand social cues and I’m sure that were I to meet that
girl again—a college student herself now—she would know to keep her hands to herself. Why the author didn’t tell the swarming students to get the hell
away from her shall remain forever a mystery to me.
The author wrote at length about how happy and grateful the blind adults were to be part of the Braille without Borders program in India. They walked about,
smiling as they slammed into obstacles and dumped tea down the backs of each other’s shirts on the way to the table at meals. The author’s constant references
to the patient, happy blind people were positively nauseating. I felt like I was in the midst of a joyous Disney movie. At any moment, the blind students
would leap up on the table in the author’s classroom. They would begin twirling their canes overhead while belting out an exuberant song about how wonderful
it is to be blind.
Compared to the author’s attitude at the beginning of the book, the scenes of the happy and contented blind people were dissonant and a little false. Nobody
is happy and grateful all the time. Even people who are eager to learn skills that will help them to be successful, contributing members of society.
But how will the author’s students be respected and welcomed members of society if they continue to display all the blindisms the author referenced?
They rocked. They looked down. They often sat with fists pressed to their eyes – wrapped around the person beside them. And the author did not think to
educate them about appropriate social behavior.
And finally, the aspect of the book that was, for me, the most distressing…
The author described the eyes of each and every person with a visual impairment she’s encountered throughout her life in excruciating and unflattering
detail. Not one person was described as having pretty eyes. As I read about crossed eyes, tilted eyes, eyes that rolled, were filmed with white, eyes that
wouldn’t open and eyes that constantly leaked, nausea churned about in my stomach in ever tightening, greasy knots. How would the author describe my eyes?
I’ve been told that my eyes are a pleasing shade of blue and when I take the time to put on mascara, my eyes actually look quite nice. Would the author
notice this, or would she first fixate upon the fact that I can’t always control the movement of my eyes. I don’t often worry about what people think when
they first see me, but the author’s obsessive and disrespectful descriptions of the eyes of the blind people she’s met made me start wondering…
Does the barista cringe from the sight of my eyes while making the perfect London Fog? Does it make my boss uncomfortable to sit across from me during
a meeting? When I meet with prospective students and their families, are they fixated on my blindness instead of the information I’m sharing? Do my eyes—or
something else inherently blind about me—scare off potential boyfriends? Does the majority of people I encounter view me with a mixture of fear, trepidation
and disgust just as the author so often felt around blind people?
Even as I went out for a drink with a friend, chatted on the phone and read a book, an insidious little voice seemed to whisper these pointless questions
in my ear. And I felt like absolute shit. Somehow, I’ve allowed this book to get to me… to get under my skin and hurt me deeply.
This morning, When my iPhone alerted me to the dawning of another early Monday morning, I did not want to go to work. I wanted to burrow beneath my blankets
and stay home. Not because I hate early mornings with a passion—which I do—but because I did not want to face the world today. I wanted to remain cocooned
in the comfort of my bed with a go to romance, my way of blocking out the world for a few precious and peaceful hours. It took a herculean effort for me
to put aside my dramatic discomfort so I could go to work.
And all day at work, I couldn’t stop thinking about the misrepresentation of blind people everywhere and as I answered phone calls, reviewed student files
and sat through meetings, my mind kept returning to the author and her damn book. I wonder what the blind students would think of their “Auntie Rose” if
they could read her perceptions of them. I wonder what your average sighted person thinks upon reading the author’s perception of blindness.
And that’s when I decided I needed to voice my opinion about this book.
I think this book is the author’s way of dealing with her guilt over her extreme reaction to the mere thought of losing her vision. I feel as though the
author did all she could to highlight the differences between people with sight and those with visual impairments, instead of expounding upon the similarities.
She was able to elevate the blind to a pedestal in her own mind, but even so, I still sensed a bit of self-satisfied superiority. “Yes, I can see some
positive traits in the blind while holding myself apart and slightly above them.”
I’ve decided that this book is, in essence, a way for the author to feel vindicated. It is part self-indulgent pity party and partly a way for the author
to philosophize on a subject she knows precious little about. And after ranting at the book club, on Facebook and writing a review of the book on audible.com.
After worrying and fretting about how I am perceived and after losing sleep and allowing myself to spend two days obsessing over the author’s perception
of people who are blind, I have come to this conclusion…
I shall not give this book another thought.

book review, Frozen in Time, Mitchell zuckoff

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Here’s another great book. Check it out and go forth and read. and as always, you can contact me at [email protected]

Frozen in time, by Mitchell Zuckoff
Recounts the crash of three U.S. military planes-including a B-17 bomber-in Greenland in 1942. Describes the crew members’ struggle to survive the Arctic
conditions and the search for the wreckage of one of the downed flights seven decades later.

The annotation gives you a good idea of what this book is about, but it can’t describe the depth and intensity of this book. Its two alternating story lines, the story of the men who survived over five months following their plane crashing on a Glacier in Greenland in 1942-43. Nine men were in the bomber when it crashed. The story of how they tried to survive, how they held themselves together and the story of those who risked their own lives trying to rescue them, well, it’s incredible. It has all the plot elements of the great adventure novels, but in this case, the story is true. The other story line involves a modern day search for wreckage of one of the rescue parties whose plane also crashed and disappeared. The author was part of this expedition and writes with detail and excitement as the party makes their way onto that same glacier trying to find the heroes. This was not a book to read at night, because it kept me up for hours, wondering what would happen. Would the men of the B17 PN9E plane ever get rescued? Would they survive the months of cold beyond what most of us can ever imagine? How do they keep each other from giving up? And then there’s the deep longing and hope that the modern day story will end with finding the other plane that went missing in a rescue attempt. the utter courage and determination of the men struggling to survive, those who vowed never to give up till they could rescue them, and then the current explorers wanting to bring closure and bring their lost men home. The author was able to interview the families of the survivors and gives real insight into their personalities, the kind of men who would not, could not give up.

If you love a story with adventure, valour and suspense, but a story that is all true, give this one a shot. I’m so glad I did.

book review: Into the Storm, Melanie Moreland

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Into The Storm
By Melanie Moreland

Book Description
She is a woman on the run. Pain, loneliness and terror are what she is leaving. Where she is headed doesn’t matter as long as it’s away from the hell her
life has become.
Joshua Bennett is trapped in a prison of his own making by the memories of his past. Traumatized and isolated, he is a reclusive writer, living a quiet,
lonely life, his only companion his dog, Bear. It is what he knows, what he has accepted to be his life.
One dark night, one huge storm, and one ice patch brings them together. He finds himself with an unexpected houseguest with no memory. She wakes up a stranger
to herself and the man watching her. Even more mysterious is the lack of any sort of identification with her or in her car. She is an enigma to both of
them.
Trapped by the storm and isolated from the outside world, they slowly open up, learning to trust and love, until the world once again shows up, threatening
the fragile peace of their newly discovered world, and tearing them apart.
There are many twists and turns as they struggle to find each other, overcoming both the mental and physical elements that keep them apart.
A story about overcoming our fears, finding love and learning to live again.

My thoughts
The description sums up the basic plot very well without giving away too much and without touching on some of the finer details, things I loved so much about this novel. First of all, it is written mostly in Joshua’s point of view. I found this refreshing, because we didn’t get much of the typical female romance novel character attitude of low self-worth or not being good enough or jumping to the absolute worst conclusion before she’s heard the whole truth, things that always raise my hackles in most romance novels. But in this book, even though Rabbit—Joshua’s name for his mysterious house guest—has reason to fear, reason to have low self-worth, reason to jump to the all the wrong conclusions, what we see through his eyes is a woman of true inner strength, who grows through the story from the scared rabbit into a confident happy woman. And her strength is believable and realistic to me. Joshua’s phobia about leaving his property is touching, and the ways he works to overcome it made me want to cheer him, every bit as much as I wanted to cheer when Rabbit stands up to the one who had sent her running for her life in the first place.
And then there’s Bear, the wonderful, goofy dog, possibly my favorite character! He’s silly and protective and loving, just as a good dog should be. I’d like to introduce him to my own two dogs.
Joshua and Rabbit have some secondary characters that I came to adore, true friends who unwavering support was one of the strengths of this story for me.
The journey both main characters take into growing, into healing, into love, kept me reading straight through. I wanted them to succeed. I cared about what happened to them. I loved their little world and wished I could find them and say hello.
Overall, it was a great book, and I enjoyed every minute as I read. There was one thing that really surprised me, and that was delightful, being surprised in a romance. I applaud Melanie Moreland for giving us a story that is fresh, not overdone with angst, but with flawed characters, both male and female, neither being the super tough all-confident being that no real person is. I will certainly buy any future books this author may write, and I highly recommend this.

book review, Code Red

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Code Red
By Amy Noelle

One day in college, Nicole decides to surprise her boyfriend with some cookies. As she goes through the dorm after retrieving the cookie dough, she is the one who is surprised, when passing a room, to find her boyfriend with another girl, a girl who knew nothing about Nicole. She tells off the guy, befriends the girl, and together, with three other friends, they form a pact to help each other refrain from getting too involved with men. Their code phrase is Code red, and when one of them says it, the others come together to help. Years later, three of them have gotten married or seriously involved, one is ready to let go of the past, and only Nicole clings ferociously to her plan to avoid all handsome decent guys and avoid all serious non one-night stand involvement. That is until Josh Daniels walks through her office door, and nothing is ever the same. As she desperately tries to cling to her code red, and her friends try to talk her into getting involved, the story really takes off into a glorious and funny romance.
This book was delightful. The humor had me laughing out loud constantly. The characters, the friendships between the women were strong and believable. In some ways, many romances are a dime a dozen with a formulaic beginning, middle and end. That’s all right, because it’s what we all expect from a romance novel. But Amy Noelle’s humor and somewhat quirky character makes this book fresh and new, unique in the genre. Normally, I scoff at a young girl who gets her heart broken once and swears off men. I was certainly never that way, and I mutter to myself about waiting till you’ve had half a dozen or more before you start giving up, girl. But again, though I would normally stop reading the book at this point, the author makes this situation seem perfectly natural and believable and just plain funny. I loved this book from the very beginning straight through to the end. Few romance novels can make me laugh and so totally captivate me as this one did. Amy Noelle and her delightful storytelling gives us a breath of fresh air, and I will be looking forward to more from her.

Blood Flows Deep in the Empire, book review

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Blood Flows Deep in the Empire

This erotic fantasy begins with a prologue set 11,000 years before the rest of the book. A group of gods whose job had been to protect has turned against the universe and is causing calamity everywhere. Dyletri, God of Fertility, views it all from a distance and is enraged. He vows to make them pay someday. He also begs for the life of the one human woman he has come to love. He makes a bargain with the Fates that in 11,000 years, she will be brought back, at the expense of another life. Ismini is meant to be that sacrifice, but he has watched over her since her birth. What will happen when the inevitable time comes? Can he watch her be sacrificed to his long-ago bargain, especially when he feels a pull to her, a desire for her like nothing either of them has ever known?

I was sucked into this world and adventure from the very beginning. Finding myself completely wrapped up in what was happening to them, greedily racing through it to discover the outcomes, longing for what I wanted to happen. The author created strong vibrant characters, people you care about and want to see triumph over all that comes against them, from outside and from within their own hearts and souls. A masterpiece.

Here is a small guest post from the author.

-What would you tell a new author (or whatever you want to talk about)

It’s not as easy as you think! Honestly, if you really want this career, buckle-up and prepare yourself. It’s sad how many amazing, talented authors I see freak-out and give up because they realize going in that it’s not just writing a book and that’s it. There’s a whole pile of other things that go into being an author and you gotta have resiliency to stick to it.

Red Zone, book review

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Red zone
By Sherri Hayes

A fun romance with a twist.

And the twist is not a surprise. You know from the beginning. Instead of having the sexy hunk of a guy hired to protect the girl, REBECCA is the FBI agent working with her partner to protect Gage Daniels. He’s a pro football player who is being stalked, and Rebecca comes in, pretending to be his girlfriend in order to try to stop the stalker and keep Gage safe.
Gage is sexy and kind. Rebecca is tough, no-nonsense and confident, in everything professional but not in her personal life.
This was a fun delightful book, my first in the Daniels Brothers series by this author. All the characters were likable, including Rebecca’s sister, who is absolutely nothing like her. We got to meet the rest of the Daniels clan, and I’m planning to run off and buy any other books in this series, because I think the scenes with the family were my favorite in the book. I come from a big loving crazy and wonderful family like the Daniels clan, and I wanted to jump right in and become an honorary member!
The sexual tension between Rebecca and Gage was great. She’s trying to be professional and he’s trying to break down her defenses. They are both people you’d like to know, people you could imagine being friends with. I like that Rebecca is so smart and tough, and Gage is the sort of man I most like, kind of cocky, confident and strong, but with a goodness under it all that makes you feel warm and safe around him.
Overall, this was a delightful read, with characters you care about, a good mystery without overwhelming the reader with mystery induced stress with a truly satisfying plot and outcome for all. I loved it. It was one hell of a good ride!

book review, Breaking Point, the Order of the Elements

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Breaking Point, Order of the Elements
By Jess Bowen

This was one of those books I bought for my kindle on a whim. I don’t remember when or why, but I like fantasy, and the description sounded interesting. I was browsing my kindle the other day and decided to give this one a try. That simple, spur of the moment decision led me on a journey of wonder and fun, taking me on a truly delightful adventure. I love fantasy anyway, and this book had a perfect blend of fantasy and mythic elements with fresh new ideas and twists.
The book is about six young people, about age nineteen, who are brought together, two of them from our world and time, destined to save another world and time from an evil overlord. Classic fantasy theme. But these six characters and the world they need to save are different. The characters are strong with more complicated personalities, the good in them counter balanced by their own human flaws. They are brave, impulsive, and prone to act without thinking, struggle with things like anger, while still working hard to learn all they need to know and ready to sacrifice themselves to save their world. They have individual talents and powers, and together they have something very special.
There is romance, but it’s not overpowering the story, because the story is about them all and about their quest. There was no sexual content, but it didn’t need to be there for this story to feel complete and satisfying.
The book ended with the cliff-hanger to end all cliff-hangers, and all I could do was sit stunned and cry out, “No wait! I need more. I need to know what is going to happen next!”
The only disappointing thing about this book is that the sequel isn’t out yet as far as I can tell, and I want it.
I finished this book last night, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking of it ever since. I applaud this author for giving us a book that left such an impression on me, so that all I want to do is go back and read it again. I’m already recommending it to everyone I know who loves fantasy of this sort. Well done, Jess Bowen! Thank you.

End of All Things review and special outtake!

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The End of All Things
By Lissa Bryan

I’m so excited about today’s blog tour! Not only do I get to review this marvelous book again, but we have a truly special surprise for everyone who stops by to read. An outtake, written by Lissa, and not posted anywhere else! Lissa Bryan is an incredible author and a great person, and she has generously written this outtake for you all. This is a scene that will not be in the book. Read on to enjoy, and don’t miss the chance to get The End of All Things when it is released! Also, as usual, if you want the chance to win a copy of this book, send an email to me at [email protected] with End of All Things giveaway in the subject and your name and email address in the body of the email.

And now, the outtake, by Lissa Bryan.

Birthday
By Lissa Bryan

Carly slid the pan into the oven and turned the dial on the wind-up timer. Its ticking was loud in the silent kitchen. She still wasn’t used to how quiet the world was without the hum of a refrigerator motor or furnace, the rumble of traffic, the murmur of a radio or television.
She listened to it tick while she gazed out the kitchen window toward the barn, its outline almost completely obscured by the driving snow. Carly told herself it would take Justin a while to muck Shadowfax’s stall and lay down new bedding, and it would seem even longer if she stood by the window waiting for him.
Carly went back into the living room and snuggled up on the sofa under a throw. Sam was curled up on the floor beside the fireplace, his cat, Tigger, nestled up against his side. He thumped his tail when Carly smiled at him. He was waiting, too; he wouldn’t fall asleep again until Justin was back inside the house. When Justin wasn’t home, Sam made periodic patrols of the house, prowling silently from room to room in the low, slinking posture of wolves, his amber lupine eyes glittering.
Carly picked up the book she’d been reading and reached over to the end table to turn up the lamp. Now in a world lit only by fire, she missed flooding a room with brilliant light at just the touch of a switch, being able to read wherever she liked. And truth be told, she was a little afraid of the fire hazard presented by oil lamps and candles. It was a paranoia Justin shared; every room had a large fire extinguisher.
She tried to read, but found herself staring at the page without absorbing any of the words. Outside the wind howled and icy pellets of snow tapped against the windows. Carly frowned at the small pendulum clock on the mantle. Had Justin been gone too long? She hoped he didn’t get too chilled. What if he got sick? What if—
Stop it, Carly told herself sternly. Justin knew how to survive in adverse weather conditions. He wouldn’t risk himself. But she couldn’t help attempting to estimate how long it had taken to mix the cake batter, and add it to the time elapsed since she’d put it in the oven. She gave up and heaved herself off the sofa to go check the timer.
Her gently rounded belly was starting to make her awkward. She laid a hand over the mound of her stomach. She hadn’t felt the baby kick today, which worried her a little despite the reassurances of her books on pregnancy, it. She reminded herself it was early days, yet.
At first, Carly hadn’t been sure what she was feeling. The tiny flutters might have been her stomach growling, or even just her imagination. When she’d realized what it was, she’d tried grabbing Justin’s hand so he could share the experience, but so far, he hadn’t been able to feel anything.
The last time it had happened, she’d caught his worried frown before he was able to hide it, and Carly had inwardly kicked herself. It was just the kind of thing that would make Justin start worrying again. She’d even gotten out the book so she could read him the section which explained he might not be able to feel the baby move for another few weeks, but she could tell he wasn’t reassured by it.
He’d woken from a nightmare a couple of weeks ago, bolting upright in bed and shouting her name. He wouldn’t tell her what his dream had been, but she could guess, because the next morning, she found him at the kitchen table, squinting at the tiny print in his obstetrical text.
Carly had gone over to him and given him a kiss before firmly shutting the book and tucking it back in its place on the shelf. “I’m young,” she said to him. “I’m healthy and strong. Women were having babies for thousands of years before we had doctors and hospitals, Justin.”
“I know,” he said, and gave her a small smile, but his eyes had trailed back to the book.
The timer dinged and Carly jumped. She opened the oven door, pleased that no cloud of black smoke billowed out. Baking in a wood-burning stove was a tricky proposition at best. Justin had found her a cookbook printed in the 1870s that had given directions on how to tell if an oven was hot enough using pieces of paper, but Carly had struggled with cooking back in the days when she had an electric oven with a timer and thermostat.
She donned the oven mitts and took the pan out of the oven, sitting it down on the top of the stove, grinning ridiculously at her triumph. The cake looked gorgeous, a light golden brown, and the toothpick she poked into it came out clean.
This was the first time she’d ever tried baking a cake. Before the Crisis, she’d never seen the point in making the mess when the bakery down the street sold perfect, beautifully decorated cakes. Carly’s mom had loved to bake and she made her own cakes from scratch, instead of a powdered mix like this one, and it was from a vaguely half-remembered session of helping her mom in the kitchen that Carly remembered she could use a little oil in place of eggs.
She got a plate down from the cupboard and turned the pan upside down to dump the cake on it, giving the pan a little shake when nothing happened. To her horror, half the cake plopped out of the pan, leaving the other half stuck inside.
“Oh no!” she cried.
There was a scramble of claws on the hardwood floors as Sam and Tigger dashed to the kitchen, having heard the words that usually heralded one of Carly’s kitchen disasters and a helping of slightly-scorched peoplefood in their bowls.
Wincing, Carly snatched up a spatula and carefully worked the stuck side of the cake out of the pan and slid it onto the plate, fitting the two halves together the best she could. Really, if she covered it over with icing, Justin would never know, she decided. It wasn’t burned. That was the important thing.
Carly had hidden away a can of frosting. She’d been delighted to find the can jumbled in with some foodstuffs Justin had scavenged from one of the farmhouses in the countryside, delighted and very, very tempted to open it on several occasions when her pregnancy-induced cravings became almost maddening. But she had forced herself to save it.
She went back into the kitchen and found Tigger had jumped up on the table and was inching her way toward the cake. “Don’t you even think about it,” Carly warned her. She scooped up the cat and plopped her on the floor. Sam tossed back his head and sniffed at the air, giving Carly his best “starving doggy” look. Carly suppressed a laugh and went over to nudge his food bowl with her toe. Sam gave a long-suffering sigh and slouched his way back toward the living room, followed by Tigger, who gave Carly a haughty look, as though to say, “I didn’t want any of your dumb old cake, anyway.”
Carly chuckled and made a mental note to chip off the crumbs still stuck to the cake pan for them. They deserved a little treat, too. She took a butter knife from the drawer and peeled off the icing lid. She needed to hurry. Surely, Justin was almost finished with his chores, and she wanted to have the cake ready for him. She scraped all of the icing out of the container and began to spread it over the cake, humming as she worked.
It sure didn’t look like the cakes at the store. The icing had a gooey, runny texture she wasn’t expecting. She couldn’t even get it to stick to the sides. It kept running off, pooling on the plate rim. Carly frowned. Perhaps it had to dry or something. Maybe that was how bakery cakes got their perfectly smooth frosting.
The kitchen door opened and a blast of chill air made her shiver. Snow swirled inside as Justin closed the door behind him. Carly moved to conceal the cake behind her back.
Justin stomped to knock the snow off his boots and jeans. He peeled off his gloves and laid them on the bench beside the door before hanging up his coat on the hook, then headed over to the stove to warm his hands above it. “What’s that I smell? It’s delicious.”
He craned his neck to try to see around her but Carly adroitly blocked his view. “It’s a surprise. Warm up first. You look half-frozen.”
“I am. It’s colder than a polar bear’s … uh … nose.”
Carly giggled at his efforts at self-censorship. Justin was trying to break his habit of swearing before the baby was born, with varying degrees of success.
“Are Shadowfax and Storm okay?” Carly knew that wild horses did just fine in this kind of weather, but she worried about the filly. She was so small…
“Snug as bugs in a rug,” Justin promised. “They’ll be warm in the barn, but I went ahead and put the blanket on Storm just in case.”
“Thank you.”
“Am I warm enough? Can I see my surprise now?”
Carly grinned at his eagerness. She stepped aside and pointed to the cake. It wasn’t as pretty as she had envisioned. It looked more like a stack of pancakes, standing in a puddle of molten chocolate. “Happy birthday, Justin.”
He looked at the cake and then back to Carly in confusion. “Birthday?”
“Your driver’s license fell out of your pack when we were moving our things into the house.” Finding the license had surprised her. She’d had to talk him into keeping his passport because he said there was no point; the American government was dead. Finding the license had made her wonder if he had just a little bit more hope for the future than he let on.
“I know we’re not sure of the exact date, but according to your driver’s license, your birthday is around now.” Carly licked her lips, a little nervously. His face had gone impassive, as it did when he wanted to hide what he was thinking.
He looked away before he spoke. “It’s probably not my real birth date, anyway. According to my Children’s Services file, they searched for my mother by trying to track down any babies named Justin born on that date. They were all accounted for.”
Carly inwardly winced. She hadn’t thought about the possibility celebrating his birthday might bring up thoughts of his abandonment as a child. It must have shown in her face because Justin’s eyes softened and he smiled. “This was really nice of you, Carly. Thank you.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I know.” He took her into his arms for a kiss. She remained in his arms for a moment, her cheek resting against his chest.
“Well, this is your official birthday now,” Carly declared. “It’s a new world, Justin, one we can make into whatever we want. And this is going to be a happy day for you from now on.” She went over to the cabinet and got two plates, wishing she’d thought to get him a candle.
Justin was staring down at the cake. “Um, Carly… Was this the first time you ever made a cake?”
She had to giggle. “That bad, huh?”
“I guess you didn’t know you’re supposed to let it cool before you put the icing on.”
Carly felt her cheeks heat up. “No, I … um … I was in a hurry. I’m sorry. I guess I should have asked you to help rather than trying to make it a surprise.”
He kissed her again. “It was a very nice surprise. And I’m sure it will taste great. Here, let’s have some.” He cut them both a slice of the gooey cake and they sat down at the table to share the still-warm confection. Despite the texture, it was pretty good. Carly held the bite in her mouth for a moment to savor it. This was the first cake she’d had in almost a year, since the Crisis had destroyed the old world and ended the luxury of treats like these. She realized it might be the last cake she ever had.
Justin took their plates to the sink and washed them while Carly wrapped up the remains of the cake and stored it in the pie safe. She’d learned quickly not to leave anything edible out. Tigger would hop up on the counter and knock it to the floor so she and Sam could share it. Carly suspected the wolf had somehow trained the cat to do that. She added a couple more pieces of wood to the fire.
Justin came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you, Carly. You’re always doing these sweet things and I don’t think I’ve told you how much they mean to me.”
Carly leaned back against him and smiled. It would take Justin a bit of time, she reflected, to get used to having someone who loved him; small gestures like these still caught him off guard.
Justin carried the lamp to light their way upstairs. He’d laid a fire in the bedroom earlier, and combined with the heat rising from the kitchen below, the room was toasty warm. Carly stopped by the window before she climbed into bed and looked out at the swirling snow, thankful they’d found a safe refuge for the winter. Justin moved behind her and set the lamp on the dresser as he stripped off his clothes. The changing angle of the light made her reflection sharpen in the window. Under her flannel pajamas, her gently rounded belly protruded. Carly turned to the side, trying to imagine how she would look in a few more months. Her baby would be born in late spring, the closest they could guess, in the time when the world was fresh and green, a time of new beginnings.
Justin slipped into bed behind her and snuggled up against her back, one of his hands cupped around her belly. Carly gave a soft sigh of contentment. “Good n—”
“Did you feel that?” Justin blurted.
“Feel what?”
He paused. “There! There it is again!”
She felt the tiny flutters of her baby moving and smiled even as her eyes welled with tears. “Happy birthday, Justin.”

Purchasing info:

The End of All Things is available for pre-order on the TWCS site (link below)
or iTunes. It will be available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, iTunes,
B&N.com and TWCS site on January 24th.

Link to purchase book:

http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/81

Author Webpage:

http://lissabryan.blogspot.com/

Author Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/lissa.bryan?sk=wall

Author Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5442345.Lissa_Bryan?auto_login_attempted=

true

Author Bio:
Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold
medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure
for athlete’s foot…. though only in her head. Real life isn’t so
interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

Her first novel, Ghostwriter was released October 11, 2012, and her second,
The End of All Things, will be released on January 24, 2013.

Book Review
The End of All Things
By Lissa Bryan

Carly believes that she and the puppy, Sam, she rescued are the only survivors in her area to live through a terrible virus that has swept over the world, killing untold numbers of people. She meets Justin, another survivor, but can she trust him. Gradually, he shows her he is trustworthy, and they begin a trek from Alaska to a warmer climate, hoping to make it to Florida before the weather gets cold and threatens their survival. Together, with Sam—who turns out to be a wolf cub—a horse and a cat they rescue along the way, they make their way through a world changed beyond recognition, meeting other survivors, good and bad. How will they survive? Can humanity go on? What about future children? They face danger along with wonder and love as they try to figure out answers to these questions, particularly, how to live in a world without electricity, refrigeration or medicine.
I loved this book. I’ve read several post-apocalyptic novels, two of which I’ve enjoyed, The Stand and Alas Babylon, and The Stand is one of my all time favorite books. But Lissa Bryan’s entry into that genre is sure to become another much loved book. She gives us the devastation mixed with hope of other such books, but without the supernatural or weird elements of The Stand. As she always does, she creates vivid, believable characters, people you feel you could know and wish you could meet.
Carly, who doesn’t think of herself as courageous and yet finds strength in herself she wouldn’t have imagined. (Not to mention the delightful way she names her animals after Lord of the Rings characters.) Justin, who thinks he’s not worthy of being loved, who is one of the most endearing male leads I’ve read in a long time.
And of course, there’s Sam, the beloved wolf, who protects his “pack”, human, equine, feline and whatever else Carly decides to adopt on the journey. Shhh, don’t tell the humans, but I think Sam is my favorite character of them all!
I had to take a week after finishing this book, just to think about it and process it. It moved me deeply, and I knew I would never be able to find just the right words to say how much and why. One of the things I love is the humanity of this book. We don’t learn much of the gory details of the virus or follow the tragedies of characters before during and after the sickness. What the author gives us is a story of characters who are strong, who can survive and can love, even in the midst of heartbreak and a world changed forever. That’s why I love it so much, and why I’m still pondering it today and wishing I knew more and could see the world the survivors will create.

book review and giveaway, Eire’s Captive Moon

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I have the great pleasure today of introducing an amazing book and author to you all. Eire’s Captive Moon, by Sandi Layne, a glorious and sweeping historical saga, first in a trilogy. Read on for my review, for a special look at how the author researched for this novel—she even gets me to want to do research, something that has never interested me—and for info about Sandi and how to get your copy of the book! And, there just might be a chance to win a free copy.

Book Review

Eire’s Captive Moon
By Sandi Layne

I love grand historical fiction, with strong characters, with details of life as it was then, with romance and drama and delving into a world so unlike my own. And it doesn’t get any better than this book!
The place is what we know as Ireland, moving to the land of the Vikings. Charis is a healer to her people. Cowan, the son of a king, returning home. Agnarr, a Norseman, looking for adventure, slaves and wealth before returning to his home to marry his betrothed. When the Vikings raid the villages along the Irish coast, no people can withstand against them, no gate can keep them out. Everyone is swept away, to death or captivity. History, and that’s where the story begins.
What did I love? Better to ask what I didn’t love, and the answer would be, I loved everything. I’m all about characters. If I don’t like the characters I don’t like the book. Sandi Layne created people about whom I cared deeply. I ached for them, hoped for them, cheered for them. I was fascinated by the details of life, in both lands we visit. Some of it I’d read before in other books, but many details were new, making me want to learn more.
The very best thing was that Sandi Layne kept me guessing to the very end. When Charis had a choice to make, I honestly could not guess which way she would go. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I was not sure Charis wanted the same thing. Few authors can keep me wondering to the very end of the book. I almost always figure things out before it’s answered in the story. I found myself thinking, come on, come on. What is she gonna do? Holding my breath, and feeling absolutely delighted that I did not have a clue! This book is not like the typical historical fiction romance, and that’s one of the many reasons I loved it so much!
If you love historical fiction and romance do not miss the chance to read Eire’s Captive Moon. It’s the first in a trilogy, and I can hardly wait for the next. It’s a long time since a book like this captured my heart and mind so completely.

Have I got you interested yet? Can you tell how much I love the book? Read on to hear from Sandi.

Guest Post from Sandi Layne
On Finessing Google and Other Forms of Research

Once upon a time, I had the crazy idea to write a romance novel set shortly after the time of Saint Patrick on the island of Éire. At that time, I had a preschool-aged son, no internet, and no car since my husband had to use our family car for work. And though I considered myself widely read, I wasn’t so much so that I could even imagine I could do a credible job on the era without research.
Back in that “once upon a time,” I went to the local library, after having arranged for a day away and all that. It was a productive day. Early research is often as much about finding what you want to know as anything else. I recommend researching as soon as you have a general idea about what the plot of the story might be about, as a matter of fact. Sometimes, research will tickle your imagination and send your story on a whole new course. It’s far easier if this happens before you’ve written a substantial amount in a different direction.
I really didn’t get rolling for the detailed part of the research for the book that became Éire’s Captive Moon until about 2002. I think we were still on dial-up modem, then, but the databases available to me were so much more comprehensive than I had had before that I wallowed in information for an incredible amount of time.
Research, as many authors will confess, can be addictive.
Initially, I went seeking herbals—resources for Charis’s craft. At the time I first began the research, many of these listings and treatments were connected to belief systems of Wiccans or other pagan traditions. The challenge was finding (a decade ago, remember) sites that just discussed the plants. I found one of my best resources to be something I had had for long years: The Earth’s Children® series by Jean M. Auel. Moral of the moment: works of fiction can be excellent resources for other works of fiction.
After I had a fair idea of how to apply the herbals, I went to research the laws that pertained to the society I was writing about, as well as the poetry and mythos of the time I was thinking to visit. I found wonderful information about the Brehon and their laws, as well as the early church’s different interpretations of scripture in the society, but. . .
I also discovered at this juncture, once I had a headspace for Charis and the people with whom she lived, that I couldn’t write the kind of story I wanted to in that time. A decade ago, I needed a bigger conflict, something huge and encompassing. It will come as no surprise that my imagination went to the Vikings. So I researched their history regarding raids in Ireland only to find that the earliest incursions took place centuries after my desired timeframe.
Which is why I now recommend doing more research before you start getting too heavy into a plot.
I chose to use the Norwegian Vikings and concentrated my research there. For this, I first sought where the Vikings came from by poking online for references to artifacts that could be dated to approximately the early 9th Century. Then, I looked at the art and craftsmanship for this era and looked into their belief systems, which led me to a better understanding of Northvegr, or The Northern Way.
Though I am a Christian myself, I wanted to make sure to portray the other beliefs represented in Éire’s Captive Moon with respect and as well-rounded a comprehension as I could, that I would utilize in characterizations and society-building. My personal background in theology and ecclesiastical history came into play as I determined the kind of Christianity my Christian characters would have practiced as well as how they might have shared their faith with others, as the story touched on these matters.
Some people ask me how I find what I find, when I’m researching. Well, as with anything, the key is to know how to look. For Google (and other search engines, I’m sure) you need to narrow your parameters so that the results you obtain are useful to you. Type in Vikings and there are more than 54,000,000 results—some of which have nothing to do with the fearsome invaders. Ask the engine to search for “vikings ninth century” however, and your results are pared down to barely over 2,000,000. Okay, still a lot, but this just illustrates that specificity is the key. By the time I asked for “Vikings ninth century raiding Ireland” there were 800,000+ results, less than 1/6th of the original search. The front page is thus much more productive.
Once upon a time, I wanted to write an historical romance novel that involved my favorite Celtic themes. Through research, I discovered a whole new world, with vibrant people far beyond my original notions of “hero” and “heroine.” I immersed myself in a time and place previously unknown to me.
I’m still there.

Book release and purchase info and Autho Bio
Purchasing info:

Eire’s Captive Moon is available for pre-order on the TWCS site (link below)
or iTunes. It will be available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, iTunes,
B&N.com and TWCS site on January 10th.

Link to purchase book: http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/80

Author Webpage: http://sandyquill.com/

Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandi-Layne-
Author/115692828503745

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2264252.Sandi_Layne

Author Bio:

Having been a voracious reader all her life, Sandi never expected to want to
write until the idea was presented in a backhanded manner. Once the notion
occurred to her, though, she had to dive in the deep end (as is her wont) and
began by writing historical fiction. She has since written more than twenty
novels—most of which will never see the light of day.

Sandi has degrees in English and Ministry, has studied theology, spent years
as an educator, has worked in escrow and sundry other careers, but research is
her passion. She won an award for Celtic Fiction in 2003, but as well as
history, she is also fascinated with contemporary research and has self-
published several novels in the Inspirational Romance genre.

She has been married for twenty years to a man tolerant enough to let her go
giddy when she discovers new words in Old Norse. Her two sons find her amusing
and have enjoyed listening to her read aloud—especially when she uses funny
voices. A woman of deep faith, she still finds a great deal to laugh at in the
small moments of the everyday and hopes that she can help others find these
moments, too.

Now back to me, Sherry:
If you want to enter your name in a drawing to win a copy of this book, send an email with the words

Giveaway, Eire’s Captive Moon

In the subject line and your name and email address in the body of the message. Send this to [email protected]

But whatever you do, rush to get this book the day it is released!