Category: book review

July 2, 2015

Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor

Dive into the world of Emily Dickinson in Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor.

About Miss Emily

In Miss Emily, Nuala reimagines the private life of Emily Dickinson, one of America’s most beloved poets, through not only her own voice but also through the eyes of her family’s Irish maid.

Eighteen-year-old Ada Concannon has just been hired by the respected but eccentric Dickinson family of Amherst, Massachusetts. Despite their differences in age and the upstairs-downstairs divide, Ada strikes up a close friendship with Miss Emily, the gifted elder daughter living a spinster’s life at home. But Emily’s passion for words begins to dominate her life. She will wear only white and avoids the world outside the Dickinson homestead. When Ada’s safety and reputation are threatened, however, Emily must face down her own demons in order to help her friend, with shocking consequences.

My Thoughts

Although I am familiar with her work, this was my first time really looking at her life. In many ways, I can directly relate to her. I prefer my art and writing to conversations. There are times when I also could just hide in my room and the safety of my art, as this is my protection and safety. I think her label as eccentric would have been more common today and seen as normal.

Emily’s character is well-developed in this novel and we see not only the strong side of her but the open, honest and weak sides. Emily, while preferring the comfort of words and her bedroom, loves deeply and passionately and would do anything for her family and friends. This can be seen in her friendship with her maid, Ada. She would do absolutely anything for Ada, even when this sometimes pushes her past her comfort zone.

Miss Emily is a wonderful book and portrayal of a strong, talented woman. It gave great insights into her life and character, while telling a fantastic story. Miss Emily draws you right in to the story, leaving you craving for more. I could not put Miss Emily down!

Rating: 5/5

About Nuala O’Connor

Nuala O’Connor (AKA Nuala Ní Chonchúir) was born in Dublin. She currently lives in East Galway. She has published four short story collections, the most recent Mother America appeared from New Island in 2012. Nuala’s critically acclaimed second novel, The Closet of Savage Mementos appeared in 2014, also from New Island. It was shortlisted for the Kerry Irish Novel of the Year Award 2015. Under the name Nuala O’Connor, Penguin USA, Penguin Canada and Sandstone (UK) will publish Nuala’s third novel, Miss Emily, about the poet Emily Dickinson and her Irish maid, in the summer of 2015. You can connect with her online.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

July 2, 2015

Promise of Mercy by Kurt D. Springs

Book Two in this series brings us Promise of Mercy by Kurt Springs.

About Promise of Mercy

‘Deirdre watched as Marisa turned and looked at her. She was shocked when she saw the child in her enemy’s arms. The Gothowan woman turned away to shield the child. Deirdre saw the child’s face. The child was looking right at her. Her expression was more curious than frightened. Deirdre knew she could take the fugitive without touching the child. She reoriented her aim, and her finger began to tighten.’

It has been twenty-five years since the events of Price of Vengeance. Deirdre and her sisters (Liam and Celinina’s children) have returned to their home planet of Etrusci after completing their training with the Finnian Shock Forces. Their homecoming plans are disrupted when their mother, High Priestess Celinia, and other leaders of the clergy are taken hostage, and their father, Colonel Liam O’Connor, disappears. In their desperate search for their father, they discover that the Rebellion is secretly building weapons that could end civilization as they know it.

Meanwhile, Liam has been befriended by a Rebel war criminal, a woman Deirdre has sworn to kill.

Will Deirdre cast herself into the role of judge, jury, and executioner, or will she discover the promise of mercy?

My Thoughts

I always fear a book in series because you never know if the second book will live up to how much you loved the first novel. Promise of Mercy was even better than I thought it would be!

In this second book, which is based twenty-five years after the first, we meet Liam’s and Celinina’s children. Their children have all of their powers, if not even stronger, and are carrying on their parent’s legacy. They are young, strong and determined to do what is right. The age of the characters really draws attention to the fact that you can achieve anything regardless of age.

In this novel, the focus is on mercy and what it can bring you in return.Liam could have held resentment towards the Rebel war criminal, instead he shows her compassion and mercy. Something that his daughter, Deirdre, struggles with. She wants to see her punished and will stop at nothing to ensure this happens. She must learn the valuable lesson that Liam learned in the first novel, Price of Vengeance. There is one shocking turn of events with regards to this Rebel war criminal, that to tell you would spoil the book but it definitely puts a unique twist on this novel.

You will not be disappointed with this second novel in this series, Promise of Mercy. You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Kurt D. Springs is presently an adjunct professor of Anthropology and Archaeology in New Hampshire. He holds a PhD. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as a Master of Literature in Archaeology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a Master of Liberal Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology from the Harvard University Extension School. His main area of interest is megalithic landscapes in prehistoric Ireland. He also reviews science fiction and fantasy on his blog Kurt’s Frontier. You can connect with him online, Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 30, 2015

Price of Vengeance by Kurt Springs

What is the Price of Vengeance?

About the Price of Vengeance

“Liam! What have you done? You know our teachings on revenge,”

“How can you defend him after what he did? To you, to Mom, to my birth parents, to everyone we cared about?”

With a howl of despair and emotional agony, Liam dashed forward, through the shade of his father, blindly running into the sewers.

What is the Price of Vengeance?

One could understand why Liam was angry. He was orphaned at the age of two by a group of giant carnivorous insects called the chitin. Adopted by High Councilor Marcus and his wife, Lidia, Liam was raised with their older son, Randolf in New Olympia, the last remaining city on the planet Etrusci. As an adult, Liam becomes a soldier. After being cut off from the city, Liam finds that there is an alien intelligence behind the chitin. To defeat it, he must discover who he is and how to use his powers. Then, Liam discovers that a traitor, responsible for his birth parents’ deaths, had murdered his beloved foster parents. Will the price he has to pay in his quest for vengeance prove to be an even more unbeatable foe?

My Thoughts

A fantastic, adventure packed science fiction novel that will appeal to all book lovers, with the added bonus of a valuable lesson to be had.

This novel is full of adventure and science, the world as we know it has changed greatly. The human race has been genetically modified and now have powers that we can only imagine (although I would love to have some of the Priestess powers!!). With this comes a whole new level of war, intelligence and power. This is held in careful balance but there will always be those who want to challenge this authority and power. The book gives you just enough of the scientific background to understand the novel but not too much so that you don’t want to keep reading.

The title of this book and the relevance to Liam, is realized about halfway through the novel. He has a difficult choice to make and must base this decision on more than just his feelings. Liam has been hurt in the past and we witness the truth behind who caused him to become an orphan but can he looked beyond vengeance and allow that to remain up to God to take care of. He has to be reminded of the exact price of vengeance – while it may feel good at the time, the negatives that come afterwards far outweigh the positives.

The Price of Vengeance will be a novel you will not want to put down! You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Rating:5/5

About the Author

Kurt D. Springs is presently an adjunct Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology in New Hampshire. He holds a PhD. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as a Master of Literature in Archaeology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a Master of Liberal Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology from the Harvard University Extension School. His main area of interest is megalithic landscapes in prehistoric Ireland. He also reviews science fiction and fantasy on his blog Kurt’s Frontier. You can connect with him online, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 29, 2015

Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley

In Her Sister’s Shoes, three sisters try to balance the demands of careers and family, while remaining true to themselves.

About Her Sister’s Shoes

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, the go-to girl for love and support. When an accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness that she needs to move forward.

Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, which in turn places all their lives at risk.

In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck.

My Thoughts

Remember the saying, to truly understand a person, you need to walk in their shoes? This saying holds true in this story. Even though the three women are sisters, they have different personalities, different communication styles and different lifestyles. All of which combines to make it hard to appreciate and understand the depth of what each other is going through. Isn’t it always easier to just assume that someone’s life is so much easier than our own? That they can not possibly understand hardship?

Throughout the novel, each one of the sisters experiences a life changing event, that gives each the opportunity to learn a lesson or to withdraw from each other. Their unique personalities show through the decisions that they make and react to a situation. The strong one crumbles and the passive one grows strong but through it all they learn that they need each other and that their bonds are stronger than they could have ever imagined. .

I loved how each of the women come through this book and how Ashley Farley uses life experiences that are very real (an affair, an accident and an abusive husband) to help us relate to the characters. You are drawn into the story and feel an emotional connection to each one of the women. At times you want to hug them, at other times you want to shake your head. But in the end, they provide valuable life lessons that we can all learn from. Her Sister’s Shoes will be a book you can cherish with your girlfriends, sisters and co-workers for a long time.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings. You can connect with her online, Facebook and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 26, 2015

Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney

What if it is too late for dreams to come true?

About Two Roads Home

Minor but nagging setbacks continue to sour Grant and Audrey Whitman’s adventure into the world of innkeeping, but larger challenges brew when an innocent flirtation leads to big trouble for the Whitmans’ son-in-law, Jesse. Jesse Pennington’s friendly and outgoing personality has always served him well, especially in a career that has earned him and his wife Corinne a very comfortable lifestyle. But Corinne and Jesse are both restless and for similar reasons, if only they could share those with each other. Instead, too many business trips and charges of harassment from a disgruntled coworker threaten their marriage and possibly put their three precious daughters at risk.

With their life in disarray, God is tugging at their hearts to pursue other dreams. Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a wonderful life before it all crumbles beneath them?

My Thoughts

Deborah spins an excellent tale in Two Roads Home. We watch a couple that are excellent together and could be so happy if they would just speak with each other. Instead they bottle up their feelings and reach out to other things and people to find the happiness they crave. This lands their relationship and Jesse’s career in then hotspot. What started out as a simple step in flirtation with a co-worker quickly spirals out of control and things turn ugly fast. You can almost sense what will happen but even I was shocked at the extend of ugliness that transpires because of the simple flirtation. This not only wreaks havoc on their marriage but also on their career.

From this horrible moment in their marriage, comes a blessing in disguising. They learn things about themselves and grow not only as a couple but as individuals. It drives home the saying that from every unpleasant event in our life something good will always arise. Sometimes we just have to be open to receiving this blessing. This is always the hardest lesson to learn, to be open and willing to receive God’s blessings and the true path we are meant to take.

Two Roads Home will be the perfect addition to your home library! You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, traded small-town life in Kansas-the setting of many of Deborah’s novels-for life in the big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.