Winter Woes? Read a Book

I haven’t mentioned lately all the good books that are available (and some that are on their way). The ones I’m going to talk about today are all indie authored books. Support your indie artists – download a book and curl up to escape this weather or football (if you aren’t a football fan).

Let’s start with a great series:

Legends of Windemere – this series starts with Beginning of a Hero. Luke Callindor is introduced to us as he travels through Windemere looking for adventure. He attends (under false pretenses) a school to give him the training to be an adventurer. And adventures he does have. But then Prodigy of Rainbow Tower and Allure of the Gypsies continue the adventures. Charles Yallowitz spins a great tale and you could spend your time reading a great series – all for less than $5. These are well written and edited books that will change your mind about indie authors. And while you are at it, be sure and follow Charles’ blog

Another awesome series:

The House of Crimson and Clover – Sarah M. Cradit has crafted a paranormal romance series that is delightful and engaging.  The Deschanel family is a bit, well, different from most families. But you’re drawn in to their world. There are many different family members and their interaction with each other is unique. The book is set in New Orleans and offers great word pictures of the world they are living in. Follow Oz (not a Deschanel), Nic, Ana, Adrienne and many others throughout this series. St. Charles at Dusk is the prequel, followed by novella Anne: Beyond Dusk, Book 1 The Storm and the Darkness. Book 2 is Illusions at Eventide. Beyond Darkness: Shattered and Beyond Eventide: Bound are both novellas that will be released soon. I have read all of the books in this series and I have to say that they just keep getting better and better and I’m anxious for the next book. I don’t typically read from the romance genre but these books are so good that I forget about the genre and just relish the good writing. You will also find Sarah’s blog and her website informative and entertaining.

Red Clay and Roses by S. K. Nicholls  – here is the description from Amazon:

“A fictionalized true story of life in the Deep South during the time of Jim Crow Law, and before Roe vs. Wade. Women were supposed to keep quiet and serve, abortion was illegal, adoption difficult, and racism rampant. The discovery of an old ledger opens a window into the dynamics of the 1950s-60s. Unspoken secrets are shared between Beatrice, The Good Doctor’s wife, and Moses Grier, their black handyman. The Grier’s daughter, Althea, suffers a tragedy that leaves her family silent and mournful. Her brother, Nathan, a medical student, looks for answers from a community that is deaf, blind, and dumb. A summer romance between Nathan and Sybil, an independent, high-spirited, white woman, leaves more unresolved. Nathan is thrust into the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Sybil is torn between living the mundane life of her peers, or a life that involves fastening herself to a taboo relationship. Witness social progress through the eyes of those who lived it!”

This book introduces you to the times and troubles of the 60’s in the south. If you are as old as me, you remember these events, even if not personally. If you are younger, then this will show you how it really was (and times were much different then). If you followed Susan’s blog, you can learn more about the locales within the book. She certainly has done her research. Another well written book with a tight story that I recommend.

 

Other books are highly recommend are:

Yesterday Road by Kevin Brennan

Book of Lost Doors – Catskinner’s Book by Misha Burnett

Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

Poe by J. Lincoln Fenn

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Ella MacNeal

The Rockin’ Chair by Steven Manchester

The Whisky Tide by M. Ruth Myers

Fly Birdie by Jo Robinson

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tesarro

Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two by Sue Vincent

And I am currently reading Corridor of Darkness: A Novel of Nazi Germany by Patrick O’Bryon and it is looking like an excellent book so far.  So many books, so little time (darn job keeps me from reading as much as I would like).

I could go on and on about a lot of really good books. The important thing is that you are reading and supporting authors.

 

 

Book Review – Illusions of Eventide – Crimson and Clover Series by Sarah Cradit

Where do I begin? Illusions of Eventide is the third book from the Crimson and Clover Series. It could stand alone, but I really think reading at least The Storm and the Darkness would make reading this much easier.

The Goodreads description is: Nicolas Deschanel was betrayed by the only two people who matter to him. Their disloyalty stung and an overwhelming sense of loss lingers. Nicolas has lived the high life professing to not have a care in the world, and now this illusion is calling his bluff.

Determined to take control of an existence now devoid of purpose, he sojourns to his family’s holiday home on the Gulf of Mexico. Resolved more than depressed, he plans to privately say goodbye to a world which no longer needs him. Of questionable fortune, he finds a woman, Mercy, sitting alone on the shore at eventide. Nicolas is conflicted between an obligation to help, and annoyance at her intrusion.

Mercy has many layers of secrets. Deepest of all, she cannot tell this Child of Man she is thousands of years old and very powerful. In her presence, Nicolas’ own dormant powers begin to surface, triggering a sequence of events that cause both of their lives to spiral further out of control. When old friends from both sides come to help, together they all learn a painful truth: new life can only begin once you’ve set free what means the most.

My review and recommendation:
The first two books had a touch of paranormal in them, but this one went to a new level. At first I wasn’t sure about that, but the characters and the writing sucked me in. As new characters were introduced and the new world was described, I felt completely at home.

I was drawn to Mercy, even knowing all of the secrets that hadn’t been exposed to Nic yet. I could see what I thought was going to happen, but then I would be wrong. The characters unfolded in a perfect way.

Many books can leave you breathless until the book abruptly ends and you have so many unanswered questions and feel cheated. That is not the case with this book. The author takes you to the very edge, then brings you back on multiple occasions. Then when so many books would typically end, Ms. Cradit continues telling the story. She created a desire for more. And reading the first chapter of Bound, I know I will not be disappointed by the next book.

I highly recommend this book (and the entire series) if you are looking for a book to entertain you, a book to draw you into the lives of the characters, a book to let you escape reality for a few hours. The storytelling was exquisite and very well written. I can’t wait for the next book.

Illusions of Eventide will be released on December 14

I received an ARC copy in exchange for a fair and honest review, but the opinions are totally and completely my own.

The Storm and the Darkness

I’m not a reviewer by any stretch. I don’t talk about what the synopsis f the book is…you can find that on Goodreads. If you want a more “professional” review, there are those out there. This is just what I think of the book. Enough suspense…I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.

The Storm and the Darkness by Sarah Cradit is the second book in the series. I really enjoyed the first book, St. Charles at Dusk, but the second book was even better. Each chapter was told from a different point of view by the various characters.

There was intensity in the storyline that was so well thought out and planned, without being predictable and contrived.

My only criticism…and it really isn’t a criticism…is that a family tree diagram would be helpful. I had a little trouble remembering how they were related. But it didn’t take too long for me to get it.

This is one of those books that I will be thinking about for days. These people became my friends, even if I felt like I was watching through a window.

If you haven’t started this series, go, right now, start reading. They are that good. You can follow Sarah Cradit, but go read the books. You won’t be sorry.