CS fantasy reviews: Morning's Journey by Kim Headlee

CS fantasy reviews: Morning's Journey by Kim Headlee 

Originally posted 09/2020/13 by Craig Scott

Gyanhumara and Artyr are now married but duty leads them to long periods of separation that neither are happy about and puts a strain on their relationship.  Gyanhumara also falls pregnant and has to deal with the realization that her life may change irrevocably and her warrior days may be behind her. She is also aware that any child they have will become a target for Urien, who is making plans to speed up his succession to the leadership position in his own clan. Meanwhile other outside forces have plans of their own.

Like the first novel (Dawnflight) Gyan remains the star of the show and the various tensions she has to deal with lead to some very strong character development. Both Artyr and Angusel face their own obstacles and their development is equally well handled. While there are certainly moments when both Urien and Morghe hint at more depth for the most part they are remain driven by selfishness and remain one-dimensional. The minor villains in the piece were actually much better fleshed out than these two and made for more compelling characters. 

Pacing in the first quarter of the book is a tad slow but after this point it picks up and is well controlled for the remainder of the story. I love the way Headlee infuses historic languange to really flesh out the cultures and history of her world.

Overall strong characters, good pacing and a vibrant world make for a compelling read. I would still like to see the main villains fleshed out more. 8/10. Also rated 4 stars on Amazon.com.

BOOK REVIEW: The See-Through Leopard by Sibel Hodge

The See-Through Leopard by Sibel Hodge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When grief & loss collide with teen angst & overwhelming guilt, sometimes it takes a helpless little bundle of mewling fur to convince someone to step onto the grueling path toward ultimate healing.

“Everyone has scars. Whether they’re on the outside or inside, everyone’s got them.” So observes Zach, the wise-beyond-his-years mentor and secret love interest of Jazz Hooper. At this point in the story, Jazz is far from certain that she’s ready to believe him.

Still reeling from the accidental death of her mother quite some time earlier, an accident for which she unswervingly blames herself, her grief is compounded by the fact that the accident left her permanently disfigured. Abandoned by her friends, who now revile her with taunts like “freak” and “weirdo,” she has retreated from the cruelty of the world into which she was born. And if the inability to bear looking at her reflection in a mirror isn’t bad enough, her very name—her mother’s favorite music genre—provides a constant reminder of everything precious that she has lost.

Her veterinarian father also struggles with his grief while ineffectually watching his daughter sink further into the throes of hers. His solution is to relocate his decimated family from England to Kenya, where he and his late wife had worked prior to Jazz’s birth. Naturally afraid of the unknown, and possessing zero interest in animals, Jazz drags her feet about the move. Being a minor gives her no choice in the matter.

Jazz’s new life in Kenya begins to play out just as disastrously as her post-accident life in England had become... until she is confronted with the pitiful spectacle of a starving young leopard cub whose mother had been killed by poachers. Fortunately for all concerned, Jazz chooses to help the cub. Thus begins a nearly two-year process as Jazz, with Zach’s invaluable help, becomes “mama leopard” to Asha, teaching her all the skills Asha will need to survive as an adult back in the wild.

I chose to review this book based on its cover blurb, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed.

There were some elements to the book for which, collectively, I knocked one point off its rating. Several technical errors slipped by the copyeditor (and I’m not talking about the differences between American English & British English), the storyline was fairly predictable, the author resorted to causing romantic conflict between Jazz and Zach by failing to have them simply talk to each other, and Jazz’s father made at least two questionable parenting decisions: he didn't seek professional grief counseling for Jazz right after the accident, and he allowed his underage and highly fragile daughter to be interviewed alone by a reporter whose agenda proved to be less than honorable.

All in all, however, I found The See-Through Leopard to be a quick and engaging read, and I highly recommend it to any parent or teen coping with loss, or who is interested in learning more about the plight of animals in Africa and across our entire planet.

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for this review.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Doom of Camelot (anthology); Ed. James Lowder

Having studied the Arthurian Legends for more than three decades, I delight in discovering new twists on the timeless tales, and The Doom of Camelot contains many enjoyable surprises. As its title implies, the anthology presents 16 original takes on the fabled kingdom's downfall.
 
The answers offered by authors Mike Ashley, India Edgehill, Phyllis Ann Karr and others range from the clash of faiths and ideals to the pervasive yet subtle flaws in Camelot's concept. Settings transport the reader from Dark Age squalor to medieval opulence. The tones and styles vary just as widely, from a clever Tennyson-esque "Idle" poem dedicated to Alfred E. Neuman to a novelette-length encapsulation of Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur written from the viewpoints of 15 major and semi-major characters.

Not a fan of Malory remakes, I found the novelette, "Avilion," to be my least favorite of the collection. The author draws heavily upon stock character profiles without adding new insights into their personalities or motives. But you might find this piece a help if you need to cram for a Medieval Lit exam.

Otherwise, you'll find several other gourmet delicacies at this literary smorgasbord. Feast upon the tale of the Mordred invented to ease everyone's spirits after the Grail Quest -- an innocent jest that goes horribly wrong. Take a deep draught from the Grail, manifested in two mysterious ladies wielding the power to control time itself. Thoughtfully chew upon the vignette of a pregnant peasant woman whose life changes when a knight dies in her field after the battle of Camlann. The 320-page banquet offers something to please even the most discerning palate.

The Doom of Camelot represents the first in a planned series of annual Arthurian anthologies by Green Knight Press. Just as well. For, much like Chinese food, in an hour you'll be hungry for more.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

BOOK REVIEW: Willows on the Windrush by Doris Elaine Fell

If you prefer your romances so steamy that the pages blister your fingers, then read no further. If you enjoy being preached at (which seems to be the norm in inspirational fiction), then keep surfing. Willows on the Windrush performs neither function.
 
Thank God.

Thirty-year-old Sydney Barrington possesses everything: beauty, intelligence, wealth, suitors lined up around the block, and a promising career as CEO of her late father's defense contracting corporation. Yet the father-shaped hole in her heart silently mocks her worldly success.

The unexpected inheritance of Broadshire Manor in England's picturesque Cotswolds district jars Syd from her routine. But something seems decidedly amiss when the executor insists that the manor must be sold to settle the deceased's debts, and that Syd need not trouble herself to travel to England to effect the transaction.

The lawyer may as well have unfurled a scarlet hanky. The indomitable Sydney bulls her way across the Pond to investigate the matter firsthand. She arrives to find the quaint hamlet of Stow-on-the-Woodland, over which Broadshire Manor presides, deceptively quiet. The shady solicitor and his tourism plans for Broadshire drop to the bottom of Syd's priorities as she discovers war orphans, elderly invalids, a convoluted line of succession for the manor and a nest of IRA sympathizers.

To say nothing of the dashing but anguished English Harrier pilot, who must overcome his personal demons before he can even contemplate bestowing his affections on anyone else.

Does "love conquer all" in Willows on the Windrush? Well, not exactly -- and that's exactly why I like this book. Sure, the guy gets the girl. No spoiler there; it wouldn't be a romance otherwise. But their path to happiness lurches through plenty of thorny issues and ambiguities. In that respect, Fell's work comes closer to portraying real life than many romance authors. For that, I enthusiastically applaud her.

From a technical standpoint, I thought some of the flashbacks could have been handled a bit more smoothly, especially since the book set off some -- but not all -- of the flashbacks in italics. Also, I would have preferred a clearer explanation of how Sydney became the designated heiress, since the inheritance doesn't make sense once all the facts come to light. 

However, if your definition of a good read includes intrigue and drama, with well-drawn characters whose faith -- or lack thereof -- drives their actions and decisions without being preachy, then I invite you to spread your picnic blanket under the Willows on the Windrush for a pleasant diversion.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

BOOK REVIEW: A Voyage from Ireland in 1849 by Clare Pastore

Weary of witches and warlocks and muggles, oh my? Me, too. Don't get me wrong; I'm pleased that the Potter Phenomenon encourages more children to trade their video games for books, thereby earning lifelong benefits. But parents looking for spiritually uplifting—and educational—stories for young readers will find a refreshing alternative in Clare Pastore's description of Fiona McGilray's journey from Ireland to America.
 
For me, the year 1849 conjures visions of excited folks flocking to California to try their luck with pick and pan. Half a world away, in Ireland, hordes of despondent people mine only their blighted potato crop. Typhus and other famine-fed diseases reach epidemic proportions. And yet food sent from America rots in locked warehouses as greedy English landowners strive to keep market prices high.

Fiona McGilray, middle child of five, struggles valiantly to help her family scrape a meager existence from the recalcitrant soil of the Emerald Isle. After her oldest sister dies of typhus, her parents suggest that she and her older brother, Patrick, cross the sea to live with rich cousins in America and carve out better lives for themselves. Initially, Fiona rejects the idea because she places more importance upon being with her family than life itself.

Faith and love glue the McGilray family together, but temptation rips it asunder. One night, Fiona discovers she can wriggle through an open warehouse window. She emerges with a sack heavy with grain and a conscience heavy with guilt, until her parents justify the act as merely helping to distribute what had been meant for the community all along. Her father, Patrick and their neighbors join her in nightly expeditions. The village prospers—until the raiders get caught.

With their father languishing in jail, Fiona and Patrick must flee for America, pawning several family heirlooms to book passage. During the voyage, Fiona's understandably naive internal monologue brings to mind the refrain from a number in the animated Don Bluth musical, An American Tail: "There are no cats in America." As Fievel Mouskiewitz learned to his horror that America teems with cats, so Fiona McGilray discovers that the Land of Opportunity in 1849 teems with people harboring spiteful prejudice toward the Irish. With the inexplicable disappearance of their rich cousins, Fiona and Patrick require every morsel of wits, courage, faith and luck simply to survive. The dream of reuniting their family looms large in their hopes and prayers.

In our era, the media lauds smart-mouthed, rebellious teens, and parents often come across as idiotic boors. While the considerate-to-a-fault Patrick seems a bit too good to be true, the flawed yet determined Fiona presents a realistic portrait of a young lady willing to risk all to help her family. Brava, Clare Pastore, for giving young readers an informative and sensitive glimpse of the plight of 19th century immigrants through the Irish eyes of Fiona McGilray.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

BOOK REVIEW: Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings by Kay Allenbaugh

What's made of chocolate but contains neither sugar nor fat, and doesn't engender guilt by its consumption? Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings, the latest tasty offering in the series of "Chocolate" anthologies confected by Kay Allenbaugh.
 
Reminiscent of the "Chicken Soup" series, Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings presents 77 real-life snapshots with a twist: every contributing author is female, and their stories illuminate issues vital to women's lives. Relationships with parents, men and children; coping with illness, rejection, grief and loss; honoring traditions and cultivating new ones -- these represent but a smattering of themes.

Organized into categories such as "Turning Up Your Light," "Our Favorite Furry Ones" and "Dancing With Angels," the anecdotes present an array as diverse as a Whitman's Sampler. Some made me laugh until my sides ached. Others sent me dashing for the tissues. A few left me feeling ambivalent, though I suspect that happened because I never experienced those situations (divorce, for example), rather than any perceived lack of merit in the stories themselves.

Therein lies the power of the "Chocolate" series or, for that matter, any written work that evokes intimate kinship with the reader. Through depictions of the most devastating tragedies and soaring triumphs -- and events at many levels in between -- Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings reinforces the message that we are not alone. Other women bearing similar burdens survived, perhaps suffering bruised bodies, frayed emotions and tattered spirits in the process. In Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings, they emerge to share their hard-won lessons. Only one word describes the level of encouragement this book offers: priceless.

Daughter, wife, mother or sister -- you cannot err by indulging yourself in this type of "chocolate." And, men, trust me when I tell you it makes the perfect gift for the special woman in your life. It provides emotional satisfaction, it won't cause her to bewail her post-holiday figure -- and I guarantee you'll earn major sensitivity points.

"Chocolate" doesn't get any better than this.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

BOOK REVIEW: Last Seen in Massilia by Steven Saylor

Hemmed inside the walls of ancient, Greek-controlled Marseilles, Pompey's sympathizers besieging your loyalties even as Julius Caesar's legions blockade all access by land or sea, what would you expect to find? Starvation and hysteria, certainly, as well as suspicion and political intrigue in abundance. But if you happen to be Gordianus the Finder, renowned sleuth of the Roman Empire, murder finds you.
 
In 49 B.C., civil war embroiled Rome's vast empire. Caesar crossed the Rubicon to assert his regal claim upon Rome only to find himself bitterly opposed by his former ally, Magnus Pompey. No one in the Mediterranean world could remain neutral in the face of the ensuing conflict. The merchant Greeks of the fiercely independent city-state of Massillia unwisely chose to side with Pompey, prompting Caesar to lay siege to this strategic port.

Gordianus, upon receiving anonymous word of his son Meto's ignominious death as a spy and traitor to Caesar, travels to Meto's last-known location, Massillia, to seek the truth. As a father and a Finder, Gordianus refuses to believe the charges. One of Caesar's closest officers, Meto would seem the last person to double-cross the great warlord. Gordianus braves capture by both sides, a flooded siege tunnel, insane city residents and other perils in his quest. But his investigation soon takes a sinister turn when from afar he witnesses a woman plunge to her death from atop Massillia's Sacrifice Rock.

I found several engaging features in Last Seen in Massillia, beginning with the vividly accurate historical and military details. Some of the military descriptions wax technical, particularly those cropping up before the plot hits full stride. But if you're into that aspect of ancient history, you'll find those sections as fascinating as I did.

I seldom read a murder mystery wherein the investigator witnesses the crime. An even more refreshing twist occurs at the development of a dispute about whether the woman jumped or was pushed by a man. This dispute flourishes chiefly between Gordianus's companion and their colorful Massillian host, and quickly turns into a macabre running gag providing welcome comic relief.

Then there's Gordianus himself, a 61-year-old hero who possesses intelligence, pragmatism and fatherly devotion in generous measures. I enjoyed riding his emotional ups and downs in his pursuit of the truth behind what happened to the woman and his son. Near the end, however, Gordianus makes a decision that, as a parent, I could neither relate to nor agree with. And as a reader, I felt deliberately strung along by this plot element's stark lack of closure. Hence, I knocked a point off the score.

But, considering everything Gordianus endured up to that point in this otherwise superbly detailed novel, I do look forward to seeing how the consequences play out in Saylor's next installment of the Roma Sub Rosa series.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

Disney reunites Jodi "Ariel" Benson, Samuel E. "Sebastian" Wright, Buddy "Scuttle" Hackett, Rene "Chef Louis" Auberjonois and other vocal talents from the 1989 classic, The Little Mermaid, to again explore why the seaweed always looks greener on the other side of the reef.
 
The happily-ever-after for Prince Eric and his newly bipedal mermaid bride, Ariel, includes the birth of a daughter, Melody. But the happiness fades when Morganna, evil sister of the vanquished Ursula, tries to kidnap the infant as barter for King Triton's magic trident and dominion of the oceans. Thwarting Morganna comes with a heavy price: Melody must be raised in ignorance of her mer-heritage.

While the 12-year-old Melody favors her father in dark good looks, she definitely takes after her mother in the self-centered yearning to be something she isn't. She confesses to Sebastian the hermit crab (again reluctantly pressed into service as a nanny) that she often imagines her legs as fins. When Melody accidentally finds a locket that raises questions about her ancestry, her actions allow Morganna to again go after Triton's trident, using a mermaid-ified Melody as the patsy.

Continuing a tradition begun in 1999's award-winning Tarzan, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea provides an insightful porthole into parent-child dynamics. In trying to be a conscientious and protective mother, Ariel unwittingly fuels Melody's frustration about being denied access to the sea. Through her trials, Melody must learn whom she should really trust. And Ariel, transformed back into mermaid form, must not only find her swum-away daughter but determine how to repair the damage wrought by her own well-intentioned but ill-considered decisions.
From a technical standpoint, Return to the Sea improves upon its direct-to-video predecessors in its attention to detail and scripting. Parallels and anti-parallels to The Little Mermaid abound, which I'll leave to the viewer to discover, since they provide half the fun. Plenty of not-so-childish humor also helps to hold adult interest. Children should be fascinated by Melody's misadventures, though the youngest ones might find the wicked Morganna a bit unsettling.

I knocked off a half-point because most of the songs had a "filler" feel, and another half-point because I prefer protagonists, such as Beauty and the Beast's Belle, whose troubles arise from self-sacrificial decisions rather than self-centered ones. But anything that can hold my flibbertygibbet five-year-old enraptured through multiple repeat viewings gets a hearty thumbs-up from me!

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

BOOK REVIEW: A Secret History by Mary Gentle

A Secret History by Mary Gentle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When it comes to depicting violence and sex in 20th century fiction, two modes dominate. The first -- and my preference as both a reader and a writer -- involves dropping intelligent hints to stimulate the imagination. The second reveals every grunt and thrust, every leakage of every bodily fluid. To say that A Secret History employs the latter technique would be a gross understatement. This book should sport a warning sign: "Do Not Read If You Are Pregnant Or Have A Heart Condition."

Suffering neither physical limitation, I kept reading. Halfway through, I started asking myself why. I like to savor the words and lose myself in the story. My aversion to the extreme violence and profanity on every page of A Secret History robbed me of that sort of reading experience. But, intrigued by the female mercenary captain at the story's center, I kept turning those pages.

In a time when empires and alliances shift like sand, the Visigoths with their mighty army and magic-powered machines arise out of Africa to darken the sun. Literally, and for weeks at a stretch, not unlike the ninth plague of Moses' day. Setting their sights on Burgundy, opulent and powerful 15th-century jewel of Europe, the Visigoths begin devouring every nation in their path, spreading the darkness in their wake.

Until they encounter Ash.

Born in the mud and dung of a mercenary camp, of unknown parentage, she slew her first man at age eight. While most young women occupy themselves attracting men to their beds, Ash attracts men to her banner. They follow her because she wins, and she wins because of the unerring guidance of a sacred voice wise in the ways of war. And because she genuinely cares about the eight hundred men and women of her mercenary band. This concern shines through her vulgar and masculine demeanor.

Though religious, Ash is no virginal Jeanne d'Arc. Money alone motivates her, not some Higher Cause. That begins to change when she realizes she may be the only obstacle between the Visigoths and their conquest of Europe.

A Secret History features a literary device that at first I dismissed as a gimmick. Ash's story unfolds as though it were a hitherto undiscovered medieval manuscript suffering translation by a late 20th century historian, complete with footnotes. Transcripts of email correspondence between the historian and his editor appear at intervals throughout the text. Don't give into the temptation to skip these sections. Rather than detracting from the flow, the email transcripts form rungs of a ladder to propel the novel onward, containing information that aids the suspension of disbelief.

Not a book for the fainthearted -- consider yourself warned! But if you crave a unique fantasy that eschews the object-oriented quest cliché, then refill your digitalis prescription and buckle yourself in for the ride.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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BOOK REVIEW: Fortune Like the Moon by Alys Clare

Fortune Like the Moon by Alys Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Fortune Like the Moon is proof that a writer of medieval crime fiction can deliver something fresh," trumpets The Times of London on this novel's cover. Bless their biscuits, they're absolutely right.

In 1189, on the eve of her son Richard's coronation, Queen Eleanor -- think Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter -- opens England's jails and releases hundreds of prisoners as an act of Christian charity in the king-elect's name. But her canny public relations gambit threatens to backfire when a young nun is found dead amidst abundant evidence of rape, robbery and murder a bare day's ride from London.

Richard, suffocating in the details of preparing for his coronation, can scarcely remember his courtiers' names. Nevertheless, he immediately perceives the danger to his reputation. Public opinion already points an accusing finger at the released prisoners. Richard dispatches Josse d'Acquin, knight bachelor, to Hawkenlye Abbey to investigate the nun's death and, with luck, scour this stain from the king-elect's name.

For Sir Josse, the royal appointment owes more to being in the right place at the right time than to any special investigative gifts. Acutely aware of his own shortcomings in this area, Sir Josse remains determined not to let his king down. Fortunately for him, for Richard and for the entire Hawkenlye community, Sir Josse finds an unlikely ally and partner in Hawkenlye's abbess, the intelligent and world-wise Helewise. Like cogs on a well-aligned pair of gears, their talents and abilities mesh to discover the truth.

Part of the freshness of this novel lies in the deft portrayal of life in late 12th-century England. Clare opens an unglazed window into the era without lapsing into the grotesque. Only once or twice did I question the veracity of research details, and those instances did not catapult me out of the story to any significant degree. Sometimes the monologues and dialogues seemed a shade too 20th-century-oriented. But, having traversed that particular Sword Bridge between historical accuracy and reader association myself, I could hardly hold Clare's choices against her. Even the chronic misuse of gerunds to indicate sequential rather than simultaneous actions (a far too common grammatical error in fiction today) didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

However, I found the well-rounded depiction of the characters themselves the most refreshing aspect of Fortune Like the Moon. Abbess Helewise and Sir Josse possess a healthy awareness of their individual strengths and weaknesses, which makes them believably human without appearing pretentious. The realistic, non-preachy, integration of religion into the characters' lives proved similarly refreshing at a time when so many authors have an axe to grind against Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in particular.

I raise a frothy flagon to the debut of medieval sleuths Helewise and Josse and look forward to toasting their many future successes.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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BOOK REVIEW: My True Love by Karen Ranney

My True Love by Karen Ranney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To most women, meeting the man of their dreams occurs only figuratively. Not so with Anne Sinclair, daughter of the Laird of Dunniwerth.

As a child of eight, Anne caught her first glimpse of a boy she knew only as Stephen, hailing from some unknown place called Langlinais. No mere dream, her vision came as a glimmering, fishbowl-like window into his world. For the next 15 years, Anne glimpses through this weird portal Stephen's anguish and joy, his triumphs and defeats, his interests and a few of his secrets as he grows to manhood.

With each new vision, Anne's heart grows inexorably closer to his. Never once does Stephen seem aware of her presence, but Anne knows that she must one day embark upon a quest to find this mysterious man. Their predestined meeting would forever change the course of both their lives, as well as the lives of those around them.

Stephen Harrington, 17th earl of Langlinais and commander of the "Blessed Regiment" cavalry squad, has grown weary of supporting his king, Charles I, in what he secretly considered a losing cause. Defying the king's command, Stephen returns home after a battle to bury his dead and nurse a festering wound.

Stephen doesn't count upon meeting the woman of his dreams -- in the figurative sense -- as Anne flees across his own lands from an enemy patrol. Rescuing her proves far easier than divining her secrets, such as why Anne traveled onto English soil to seek him out. Falling in love with her seems only natural at first, until the king's Parliamentarian enemies threaten to drive a wedge between them that even love cannot hope to surmount.

The first 90 percent of My True Love tells an engrossing tale of forbidden love amidst the uncertainty of war. Then, inexplicably, the dramatic tension slackens for a while, only to be artificially heightened by the inadequately explained actions of Anne's father -- almost as if to pad out the novel to the requisite length. A couple of other plot elements, such as the fate of a secondary character, suffer from similar mishandling. Otherwise, Ms. Ranney delivers an enjoyable read.

Just be careful the hot spots don't singe your fingertips.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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BOOK REVIEW: Blue Mist on the Danube by Doris Elaine Fell

Blue Mist on the Danube by Doris Elaine Fell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vienna, Bosnia, Los Angeles.
The past, the present, the future.
Alabama, Prague, London.
One-two-three, one-two-three. The author waltzes between the glamorous and the mundane and the uplifting like the cadence of a favorite Strauss piece, and most of the time just as quickly.

Hardly a straightforward "boy meets girl" type of romance, halfway through the book I found myself wondering why the publisher labeled it a romance at all, let alone an inspirational one. The central plot concerns two middle-aged women, one a world-renowned Czeckoslovakian concert violinist and the other the American wife of a successful pastor, united by the gifted young man they both call "son."

Through a quirk of fate, the young man isn't the only thing they share. Both women harbor devastating secrets. In fact, everyone involved with this unlikely threesome hides something. Clandestine affairs, aborted babies, terminal illness, stolen art masterpieces, undisclosed occupations, unrequited love, guilt, shame, despair -- a veritable transcontinental Peyton Place.

The very human tendency to refuse to come to grips with past mistakes serves as the villain of Blue Mist on the Danube. We tend to be our own worst critics, and forgiveness -- of others as well as self -- comprises this unusual novel's orchestrated refrain. The unique way in which each character vanquishes this intangible villain I leave you to discover.

True to the tradition of 20th century romantic fiction, the final stanza features a happy, if bittersweet ending. But don't forget a comfortable pair of dancing shoes. As Fell whirls you from the present to the past, and flashbacks within flashbacks, to spin back out to the present and beyond, it makes for a blistering read without them.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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BOOK REVIEW: Brides and Blessings by Molly Noble Bull

Brides and Blessings by Molly Bull
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes opposites attract and sometimes they don't. Author Molly Noble Bull treats us to a glimpse of both realities in the inspirational romance Brides and Blessings. Identical twin sisters, separated since birth, discover life to be anything but a Patty Duke episode when they reunite and decide to switch places for six months in this engaging romp through Hollywood and a rural Texas town.

Mild-mannered, born-again Holly Harmon only has her sister's spiritual welfare in mind when she proposes the madcap switch. Holly senses the notoriously worldly Suzann Condry will benefit from time spent away from unforgiving cameras and sundry Tinsel Town temptations. Although understandably nervous about stepping into the designer shoes of a world-renowned actress, Holly finds an unlikely ally in Suzann's agent's brother, Dr. Shawn McDowell. And Holly discovers to her delight that not every Hollywood denizen is a callous phony who considers the concept of love as transient as a movie set. Shawn's love becomes Holly's lifeline in opening galas, hospital rooms, commercial shoots, and everywhere else those expensive borrowed shoes take her.

For sophisticated, glamorous Suzann, her role as the mousy church librarian promises to be her greatest challenge ever. However, little does Suzann realize the "script" also includes a devastatingly handsome "co-star" in the form of the church's newly hired youth pastor, Josh Gallagher.

Suzann struggles with her burgeoning feelings for this man, fighting deep-seated beliefs that God does not exist and that no one can possibly be as authentic as they appear. Besides, how can the wholesome, gentlemanly Josh continue to love her after Suzann confesses her deception? The process of coming to terms with this turmoil, further fueled by anxiety over a close escape from a mugger, propels Suzann closer to developing trust in Josh and other church members and, ultimately, in God.

Even though the ending for both sisters feels somewhat rushed, it proves a happy one on all accounts: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I only regret the book didn't afford a longer escape from the pressures of daily life.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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BOOK REVIEW: Daddy's Home by Deb Kastner

Daddy's Home by Deb Kastner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What do you get when you cross a lady doctor with her dying sister, sister's newborn infant and estranged husband (to whom the doctor had been engaged) and subject the result to the merciless scrutiny of Smalltown, USA? You get the inspirational romance Daddy's Home, an exercise in the adage that appearances certainly can deceive.

Dr. Jasmine Enderlin once loved Christopher Jordan wholeheartedly. But he betrayed her by marrying her sister, then abandoning his pregnant bride. Nevertheless, Jasmine forgives her sister's role in the betrayal, and when her sister dies, Jasmine embraces the opportunity to act as her nephew's guardian.

However, Christopher's actions, past as well as present, force Jasmine to question her faith and emotions when the prodigal daddy returns to claim his three-month-old son. Christopher wants to explain his actions, but Jasmine's grief-fueled anger erects a wall that only love can destroy. As discoveries about Christopher's and his late wife's pasts chip away at Jasmine's emotional prison, she learns that the truth can, indeed, set one free.

As with most romances, the characters and their relationships prove the long suit of Daddy's Home. Jasmine, the virginal but tough heroine, struggles to balance the escalating demands of career and motherhood against her crises of grief, faith, and the startling revelation that her love for Christopher never died. Christopher plays the gallant but misunderstood hero who does the wrong things for the right reasons. And, like most romances, this novel is all but devoid of plot. Yet Daddy's Home doesn't require a world-saving plot to be engaging, thought provoking and entertaining.

Sometimes the world needs a gentle reminder that it can indeed be saved one infant -- and one family -- at a time.


(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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BOOK REVIEW: 985 the Discovery of America by Brian Cherry

985, the Discovery of America: Excerpts from the Journal of Harald, the Younger by Brian Cherry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Common wisdom dictates that "history is written by the victors." If this applies to humorous historical fiction as well, then color Brian Cherry uproariously victorious for his seamless blend of fact and fable.

"This is the history of the first discovery of America, if it had been told by Douglas Adams," Cherry states. He isn't kidding. His fictional protagonist, initially a 12-year-old stowaway on Bjarni Herjolfsson's ill-fated longship bound for Greenland, introduces himself as "Harald, Harald the younger, and I am seasick. . . . The thought of some of the new names I'll get from [the crew], like 'Harald the Messy' or 'Look out below Harald,' make Harald the younger seem very comfortable."

The laughs don't stop there as the reader follows Harald's account of the true if accidental discovery by Herjolfsson of America (or Vinland, as the Vikings later dub it), the eventual colonization under Leif Eiricksson, and other key events recorded in Harald's "journal." Grim reality interjects itself in the form of Harald's experiences as a suspected mutineer, the violent deaths of his erstwhile crewmen and, later, a close friend and mentor. To this tally Cherry adds the even more graphically violent -- and senseless -- deaths of native Vinlanders, whose sole crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This only makes the humor all the more appreciated, such as the running gag of Harald's falcon, which prefers to perch on Harald's head. (Now we know where medieval European millinery fashions originated, too.) In addition to seafaring excursions and adolescent plots to invade Madam Grunnhilde's establishment of ill repute, Harald chronicles a lifelong spiritual journey presented with a deft balance of sensitivity and pragmatism rarely found in contemporary fiction.

That's the good news.

The passage of time depicted in chapter transitions varies between 15 seconds and 15 years, often without any clear indication of the duration involved. Billed as being "Excerpts from the journal of Harald the Younger," 985: The Discovery of America would have better served readability by using a journalistic format with dated entries.

In addition, copyediting seems all but absent. Never have I seen more typos and "word-os" (such as the use of "gate" rather than "gait" to describe how a horse moves) per square inch than in 985: The Discovery of America. But it's a testament to the book's overall merit that I not only finished, despite the myriad errors, but still enjoyed the story immensely.

Too bad they couldn't make history this entertaining in school. I look forward to reading more from this talented new author. Here's hoping the wait proves closer to 15 seconds than 15 years.

And thanks, Brian, for all the herring.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

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