One Last Thing

By

Rebecca St. James

There is nothing like the weeks before the wedding, especially one that has been years in the making.  All the “I’s” have been dotted, the “T’s” crossed.  Everything is set and you are finally going to marry the man of your dreams, then suddenly, harshly, everything you thought you knew about your fiancé turns out to be a sham.  He is not the man he has put himself to be.  Your world comes tumbling down around you into tiny shards so small, even Humpty Dumpty’s army could never pick it up and put it all back together again.

To make matters worse, you have promised not to speak of why to anyone, not ANYONE. So now this has become your burden, your shame, and you must carry it alone.  Why?  You have suddenly become the bad guy, and the hole gets deeper and darker. 

What is different about this story is the point-of-view.  We hear how Porn affects men and tears their relationships apart and destroys their lives.  But this story is focused, not on “his” story, but on “her” story.  It is about the great harm it does to the woman and her lonely isolated battle of shame, denial, silence, and depression that often draw her down as she is shamed into helping to keep the secret for any number of reasons.

This One Thing is a poignant story of a young lady faced with the startling revelation that her fiancé of great moral stature is in fact in the clutches of Pornography.  Her story is the shared story of so many women who face the shame and despair of dealing with a significant other or spouse who find themselves stuck in the cycle of porn by a family member.  They most often find themselves hiding it from family, friends, and society.

This book is a message of hope for women who are hurting.  It is a book of encouragement to seek support and assistance in the face of ridicule, for that is where true help and healing will be found.  Most of all, in reaching out as women, we find that we are not alone. 

This is not an easy book to read because of the subject matter, but I strongly recommend the book as a good resource and encouragement.  I am thankful for Rebecca St. James having the courage to tackle such a difficult subject and do justice to the subject matter while maintaining the integrity of a wonderful storyline that was full of hope.

Christian Fiction  Five Stars

One Last Thing was provided by Net Galley to read for this review.

Rebecca St. James is a Grammy and Dove Award recipient and a best-selling author whose books include Wait for Me and What Is He Thinking? Her leading role in the film Sarah’s Choice won critical acclaim. A passionate spokesperson for Compassion International, more than 30,000 children have found sponsorship through her worldwide concerts. Twitter: @RebeccaStJames Facebook: RSJames

Dancing in the Shadow of Love

By

Judy Croome

Synopsis: (from Amazon)

Lulu is different from the others. Once, she believed, she had a friend to love her. Then that friend betrayed her and Lulu learned that hate is safer than love. When she begins her new life at the Court of St Jerome in the Old Sea City, she finds people who must fight their personal demons of hatred, ambition and greed. Embraced in St Jerome's fold, Lulu learns to trust again, perhaps even to love. 
Nothing, however, is as it seems and Lulu discovers that love doesn't always wear the face of the one you yearn to call beloved. 
Lyrical and atmospheric, buoyed by touches of magical realism, this compelling spiritual story explores the sacrifices people make in the pursuit of their dreams. Lulu's quest, and that of Jamila and Zahra too, is to find the divine love that will fulfil their hopes and save their souls...if they can recognize the masks of those who seek to lead them astray.

Kokebumi Forest, Naembia

Review:

Dancing in the Shadows of Love was different from most of the literature that I normally read and review for this blog.  What sets this novel apart is that it is not just a novel.  It is an allegory.  This, combined with some cultural references and usages meant that I took my time reading the story.  This is a story that needs to be read and then read again to fully appreciate the many layers that lie within the pages and within the lives of its’ characters, for such is the way with an allegory.  It demands thoughtful consideration.

At first glance, this novel is the telling of the story of three women who come from broken backgrounds and how they deal with the brokenness and love.  Their handicaps in life were varied.  One came from a home where her father was abusive.  One had a sexually abusive father.  One was an albino child in a parochial school and was abused and rejected by even those that should have reached out to protect.  Their stories and their lives cross paths through the years and they come to know each other over time.

Each of the women were very real in their search.  Each longed to love and be loved and accepted, but the path that Lulu, Jamila, and Zahra all took while seeking this peace and craving this love and acceptance was varied.  Even as others reached out to offer safety, love, and security to each of them throughout their lives, many times they found that it was either not what they truly sought or came with chattel too heavy to bear.

The introduction of a “Christ” like figure into the story was what truly gave it the haunting allegorical flavor. He was not a Messianic figure, but the one that quietly came among the people and was the “True Love” that accepted each of the women with no hidden agendas.  Even then, he held first Zahra, and then Jamila, back when they first approached him.  They were drawn by his powerful pure love, but He knew they were not ready to receive what He had to offer yet.  

Other characters within the novel went out into the world to battle evil and to combat what was bad in the world.  Some won, some were lost to the cause, but the battle for good against evil rages on.

In the end, it was how each of the three women found peace and accepted or turned away from the true love that was offered to them that was the story.  It is the story of each of us.  It is the allegory of life.

A rating of FIVE STARS.

INTERVIEW:

Over the last couple of months, I have had opportunity to visit with Judy Croome about her book.  Based on those conversations, I had several questions that she answered that provided a more in-depth picture of this priceless story.  

Can you give me a brief synopsis of the story?

I wrote that book “Dancing in the Shadows of Love”, so long ago, I hope I can remember! BTW it was written as part of my thesis for my Master of Arts degree).  

Zahra was from a poor family with a sexually abusive father whom she eventually shot to escape the abuse. Jamila was also from a poor family and abused by her father but not sexually. - You might have them mixed up because I deliberately paralleled their stories to a large degree because I was showing how different people react to events of their childhood. (I did.)  Ultimately by the end of the book Zahra, despite her snobbish outer self, has taken over her Grace’s role as helping the poor & needy.  

Jamila is one of the strays she helps. Jamila however despite her goody, goody appearance has no hesitation in selling Lulu out to achieve her personal goal of social acceptance.  So despite their similar childhoods Zahra grows through her suffering into a person transcends it but Jamila sees herself as a victim. 

What is the one most important message in your book? What is a message you think a lot of readers "just miss"? And in doing so, really miss out on the beauty between the words?

Judy:“We are all one, with God and with each other.” That’s the point too many readers don’t find between the lines of this story. That, despite our external differences — of nation, race, religion, gender, whatever the difference is – beneath the skin (in our souls) we are all children of God, whatever we perceive or call our God.
This is a novel about regaining faith in a Divine Being, in our God, and realizing that we carry Him inside ourselves – Grace knew that (“Our hearts are one and the same, dear,” she says to Zahra, “despite the unfortunate differences the world imposes.”) and eventually Zahra, and then Lulu learnt that lesson – Jamila, the most overtly “religious” of the women, didn’t learn it.
But as Zahra and Lulu learn, when we find a connection to God within our souls, then no matter how much we have been hurt, no matter how much we’ve been betrayed, we can choose to show compassion (agape, Divine Love) towards others and thus become instruments of Divine Peace, rather than make war all the time (greater war, like the one which killed Zahra’s son and grandson, or small wars like family feuds or fighting with a friend).
No matter how ordinary we are, no matter how impossible a task creating world peace seems, if we all look to God, if we all regain that knowledge that we seem to be losing that God exists in some form or other, we can make a difference in this world. Grace, Zahra and Lulu all made a difference by choosing to change the way they behaved, to rise above their sufferings and understand the other person’s point of view. Jamila could not, she stayed trapped in her perception of herself as a victim of others, and so she ended up betraying Lulu. The novel ends on a hopeful note, though, because through her example of being kind to the very woman who hurt her, Lulu gives Jamila a chance of redemption.
So like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, "If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." When we’re hurting or angry or betrayed, and we can still find the inner strength to tap into that Divine compassion (God’s Love) within our soul and so disarm our hostility towards the external differences we see in others, then we have made the dream of transcendental love, that Heavenly Peace which passes all understanding, a reality in this world we live in.

Dancing in the Shadows of Love is filled with symbolism.  Can you tell us anything about it?

There is extended section on the symbolism of the book on my website.  Visit me there. http://dancingintheshadowsoflove.blogspot.com/p/symbolism.html - there are tabs along the top to the other pages.

Biography

Judy Croome lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Shortlisted in the African Writing Flash Fiction 2011 competition, Judy's short stories and poems have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, such as the Huffington Post and the University of the Witwatersrand's Itch Magazine. 

Judy loves her family, cats, exploring the meaning of life, chocolate, cats, rainy days, ancient churches with their ancient graveyards, cats, meditation and solitude. Oh, and cats. Judy loves cats (who already appear to have discovered the meaning of life.)

Witch of Painted Sorrows

By

M J Rose

M J Rose is known for her haunting stories.  Witch of Painted Sorrows lived up to all I had read about the novel before I picked it up and opened to the first page.  With the first words, I found myself compelled by the story of the young woman who the novel revolved around.  Betrayed by her husband, abandoned in death by her beloved father, and finally desperate to understand and unravel who she truly was, the story moved from New York to Paris of the mid-1890s.  Pure genius of story and plot took the reader to the Ecole des Beaux Arts, the great Parisian arts academy, as Sandrine applied to study there under the guise as a male, to the oddities of living under the shadow of one of Paris’ greatest horizontals. 

Woven through the pages of a poignant love story between a young Parisian Architect and this American heiress, both lives seemed to slowly spin out of control in front of them.  Their worlds seemed to melt into the very oil pots of color described in the scenes of the Le Lune’s fables and mysticism.  But not all was fables, and family myths were more than stories. 
This reader felt the tugs of insanity pulling from the pages and the wet stickiness of the paint dripping from the words, as Sandrine’s world continued to turn on end.  I could not get to the end fast enough, for I had to find the answer that would save the family, and Sandrine’s sanity.  The attention to detail that M J paid to the era’s worship of the occult, the details of some of the art work in the books, and to the art itself was magnificent.   

As to the story and the character development, M J did a masterful job.  Each of the characters breathed.  L’Incendie, the Grandmere, was magnificent.  I could almost see a very regal Kathrine Hepburn, and could on occasion see and hear her breath fire.  To be able to have such strength and still be able to entice and entrance men, for so many years, was believable from this great lady. 

A Five Star rating across the board.  I continue to look forward to the future offerings of M J Rose.  Publication date is set for March 2015.
Net Galley provided a copy of Witch of Painted Sorrows for review.

About MJ Rose  

M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother's favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice...  Books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it.

Rose is a the Co-President and founding member ofInternational Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz. She runs the blog, Museum of Mysteries.

In 1998, her first novel Lip Service was the first e-book and the first self-published novel chosen by the LiteraryGuild/Doubleday Book Club as well as the first e-book to go on to be published by a mainstream New York publishing house.

Rose has been profiled in Time magazine, Forbes, The New York Times, Business 2.0, Working Woman, Newsweek, andNew York Magazine.

For more information and a complete list of her novels go to www.MJRose.com

SCENT OF TRIUMPH

 SCENT OF TRIUMPH

By

Jan Moran

I inadvertently did a short sneak release of this review a few weeks ago, but pulled it to wait for a time closer to when this wonderful book would hit the stands.  There are so many activities happening to celebrate the release of Scent of Triumph, book signings, appearances, wonderful reviews by many noted authors.  But my favorite, and I dearly wish I could be there to celebrate with everyone is the Scent of Triumph Launch Tea in San Diego in March.  What a delight to discuss a WWII period book over English High Tea. 

Seeing as distance prevents my presence, I thought I would send you a lovely bouquet of English roses to let you know I will be thinking of you all that day.  My best wishes to the continued success of the Hostile Beauty Series and the brilliant woman who makes true magic happen between the pages of each book.

Karen

The Review:

The fogs of war care not wither or where they blow. The great and mighty feel the travail as mightily as the least when the iron boots of travesty come in on the heels of the rolling armies and tanks of the conquering war machines.  It is through the story of a young heiress, mother and wife who was born and raised as a part of one of the great perfume industry families of France that we experience the wages of war in the opening days of WWII in Europe.

The notes to her perfume journal on developing a new perfume are scattered throughout the unfolding story like gentle punctuation points of a person desperately working to hang on to her sanity and the life she has always known.  At the same time, the notes give the reader a beautiful glimpse into the artistic world and mind of the perfume artist.  The story of her perfumes and development of her business during the war provide a beautiful backdrop to the true saga of a strong, brilliant woman who survives and overcomes.

Like Jan Moran’s other novels, the men in Scent of Triumph  served as the supporting actors to the leading ladies.  The women held the spot light as we saw war at its worst, on the home front, through their eyes. Danielle Betancourt von Hoffman was one of many women who were caught in the cataclysm of the early days of WWII.  Her station in life did not protect her or her family from the encroachment and doom that Hitler and his armies brought as they invaded, first Poland and then the other countries of Europe over the next few years.  She watched as those who were nearest and dearest to her disappear and in some cases die.  She watched as the war split her family due to ideological issues.

It is not often that we have the opportunity to witness such an event through the eyes of a woman, to see the effects that it has on the soul of the one who holds the heart of the family.  For while men go off to war, it is the woman who must have the strength to face the day-to-day issues, who must face the crisis at hand.  It is she who must pick up the pieces when he does not come home, who must start again, and sometimes again. 

Within the climate of France, not only does the devastation of loss of family and life have to be dealt with by grieving mothers and wives, but the loss of family fortunes and sometimes sudden turn of tables to find yourself vilified and hunted.  To face times such as these takes a woman of strength and resilience. In the end Danielle must find the strength to escape and forge on to new places to find a safe harbor for her and her family. 

Jan’s mastery in story telling was at its’ best when she wove the love story within the story for Danielle in Scent of Triumph.  There was a depth and maturity in the way the story of Danielle’s love for her husbands and the love of her heart was shared and developed over time.  Through her we discovered the depth of love beyond the physical planes and into the metaphysical planes.

Jan Moran is a master at putting pen to paper and creating magic.  She peels back the veils of time and gives us glimpses of what these giants of women must have lived through and survived.  She poured it out in a heart rending story that made me proud to be who I am as a woman.  It gave me inspiration to strive harder.  In the case of this novel, I could almost smell the fragrances along with Danielle.

Jan Moran has scored another five star success from this humble reviewer.  Scent of Triumph is a wonderful addition to her continuing series of books on women of strength and character.

A copy of Scent of Triumph of provided for reading and reviewing by this reviewer.

About the Author

Jan Moran is an author for St. Martin’s Press (Scent of Triumph, 2015). She writes the Hostile Beauty contemporary series, which includes Flawless, Beauty Mark, and other upcoming titles. She wrote Fabulous Fragrances I and II, which earned spots on the Rizzoli Bookstore bestseller list. She is represented by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency.

As a fragrance and beauty expert, she has been featured in numerous publications and on television and radio, including CNN, Women’s Wear Daily, Allure, InStyle,and O Magazine. As an editor and writer, she has covered fragrance, beauty, and spa travel for a variety of publications such as Cosmopolitan, Costco Connection, and Porthole Cruise.

You can read more about Jan and her work and writing at www.JanMoran.com

PRIME TIME

by
Hank Phillippi Ryan

Even though this is not Ms. Ryan's most current book, nor my latest read of one of my favorite suspense writers, this was my FIRST book that I read by Hank Phillippi Ryan.  In one of the General Fiction month long reads that I miss so much, Hank joined us on a daily basis as we sleuthed our way through this wonderful who-dun-it.  She charmed us just as readily with her wit as she does with her writing style and her news journalistic style to the greater Boston, MA area.  During that month I, like the rest of the group came to appreciate who Hank truly was and how the uniqueness of her job provided her with the fodder to fill an ongoing series of books with titillating and harrowing stories of a feisty reporter and a curmudgeonly old (?) detective to solve the unsolvable crimes they encountered .  I was hooked.  We have stayed in contact and have shared several additional books since, but I thought I would share this, my first encounter and review of a fabulous sleuth.  
Enjoy,
Karen

REVIEW

As an avid fan and reader of the suspense/mystery/who-dun-it/thriller type novel, I always pick up and read a new author and measure them against the high and mighty bar of my favorite novelists of this venue who I have followed for years. Few authors are even able to fall in the shadows of the works of such as Clancy, Baldacci, Ludlum, Fleming, and Hillerman. I had the opportunity to read Prime Time recently as a featured book for the General Fiction Board at B&N Book Club. Within a few pages of starting the book I knew I had found such an author and was in for an all-nighter. Hank Ryan set a stage for not just another read. The heroine was not just another young, athletic, fantastic looker that turned every head, but "really had a working brain" under that head of hair. No, this heroine I found believable. She was someone who was hitting that age that "hot jobs" tend to start retiring their stars from, and looking for young blood. But, Charlie, our investigative reporter/undercover sleuth was not ready to go down for the count. The storyline is fast paced and full of real-life humor that only someone who has been in "the business" could truly communicate convincingly. Charlie carries us along for the wild ride with her as she goes after a story that she is investigating. Throw in a little mid-life crisis, a "hunk" that has the ability to sweep her off her feet (and smart, too), and humor that is perfectly paced to and makes you take a deep breath, just when you need to,--- you find yourself a part of the story and not just an observer. Oh, did I say this book is a mystery, suspense, who-dun-it? Yes, it is of the first rate variety. Not even my above mentioned favorites can keep me guessing to the end as to who did it and why most of the time. Ryan kept Charlie (the heroine) and the rest of us jumping, turning, running, guessing, and pulling out paper and pencil to figure out clues down to the final chapters and pages. This was one book that I was grabbing the next page to be ready to turn as soon as I turned the last one. Once I finally figured out who/what/why, I couldn't believe it. Yes, the clues were there, but cleverly presented like a magician with a slight of hand. Now that I have read through this book like a flashdance, I am going to have to go back and read it slowly like a slow waltz so I can weigh and assess the clues and see what and how I missed it the first time around. This book has definitely made the re-read shelf and Hank Ryan has definitely acquired a hardcore fan. I look forward to acquiring and reading the remainder of her current books and can hardly wait for her upcoming novel.

About Hank Phillippi Ryan:

For more information about Ms. Ryan, check out her wonderful blog and website at:

http://www.hankphillippiryan.com/