FAOM: Redux REVIEW of ‘Life’s Defeat’

As must be obvious to you all, I love reading. I love the adventure, the escape, the romance, the mystery, the thought-provoking, the sweet... Well I love everything about it. Growing up on a farm the way I did, a book gave me the ability to go anywhere, anytime, and do anything. Now, with kids of my own and a life firmly routed in my southern Alberta home, it does exactly the same thing. 

I also do a lot of re-reading. When you read as frequently and as much as I do, re-reading a story - and being able to find the same joy and adventure in it as if it were the first time - is a very important, very necessary ability. After all, while there are parts of the year that I only manage a few novels in a month, there are also periods of the year when I end up reading a novel a day. If I had to buy a brand new book every time I opened one to read, I’d be bankrupt in a flash. (And that doesn’t even take in to account the expansive bookshelves of e-books purchased and waiting for me to read, or the ever present piles of paper and hardcover books that linger and collect around the house begging for their turn in my hands...)

So as I pulled out my paperback of Life’s Defeat last weekend to begin re-reading I couldn’t help but wonder if the story would sink it’s claws in me as it has in the past. Would I’d be as equally captivated and horrified of Rochester acts this time as I was when in Fall 2015 when I read them the first time? Would the small but important romance story-line shine through the dark as brightly? Would I love the story, the developed world, the characters, and the thrills and chills of it the way I did before?

The answer is quite simply: yes. 

The Review

Life's Defeat

by Rebekah Raymond

The dark and twisty turns of the plot kept me on edge. Twists I had, within the time since my last re-read of the story, vaguely forgotten, once again shocked and teased me. More than once I had to put the book down and walk away because my emotions or thoughts were amped up. Fear, worry, wonder, sorrow, hope, anger and more... It’s during reading books like this one that I’m sure my kids must think I’m crazy because I’ll randomly shout out (at the book? at the characters? at the universe?) questions - why? what are you doing?!? what’s wrong with you!?! - or frustrations - no! don’t do that! what’s wrong with you!?! - and other such things. 

There was also one unfortunate incident when I threw the book down on the living room floor and stormed from the room, but I’ll simply leave it up to you to read the book and try to figure out when I may have done that. 

Here again, I found myself somehow fascinated with Rochester - even though I know all the atrocities he’s committed and will continue to commit. He’s sort of like a massive accident on the side of the highway and I’m the lookie-loo who stares at the carnage in horror. The depth of his depravity is such you can’t help but watch, can’t help but wonder, but always there is are questions burning: what will it take to stop him? What will it take to end his madness? How far will his evil go before he’s finished? 

As I got to the end of this book and read the last pages, last paragraphs and last words, I found myself closing the back cover and staring at nothing for some time. And it was then I remembered doing the exact same thing after finishing the story the first time around. I sat there contemplating the complexities of the future that these characters would be facing, some of which I’ve read already in the second book and some that has yet to reach me. I stared at the walls of my living room and pictures of the past that had shaped some of the characters danced in my head too, for I’ve had the chance to see some of that already as well. And in those long moments I faced the grim realizations that life for these people, these characters, it would never be an easy one - no matter the good they would be able to create, the opportunities and chances for something better that come their way, they would always be entrenched in a difficult life. Yet in that difficult life, as in their military factions, they would be forever banded in blood, brothers and sisters sharing a common cause and goal. And that -  those bonds are, I think, the one thing that keeps the fire of hope burning so brightly for them all. 

If you’d like to read my original review of Life’s Defeat which was published here on the blog in October 2015, you can see it here. 

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Want to read the story now? Get your own copy of Life’s Defeat here.

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And don’t forget to enter the February FAOM Giveaway - included in the prizes are a paperback copy of Life’s Defeat, as well as an e-copy of the book too! 

Enter here!

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Until next time... Happy Reading!!! 

FAOM: a REVIEW of The Petticoat Letters

One thing I’ve always felt when it comes to reading (and reviewing) historical romance/fiction is that I need to take a day or two after finishing the story before I can write the review. For one thing I always, always feel like I need time to return to my own place in time/history and the world - historical’s aren’t the only stories to do this to me, science fiction, fantasy, they do it too.

After I’m reoriented in my normal, then I need to take time to think about everything in the story. The norms for the time period in the book is always different then the cultural and social norms of now, so I always try to think about those differences and how they played into or effected the actual events of the story, or the choices/decisions of the characters in it. In many ways this step for me is simply about trying to discern whether everything that happens in the story makes sense based on what I understand or have been told about the time period.

Fiction is fiction though, whether it’s historical, fantasy, paranormal or contemporary. Whatever slivers of fact are presented in a story are also married to the imagination of the author, and thus historical fiction doesn’t have to be 100% true to the period. In my opinion, despite whatever twists an author includes in their world, the closer to true the better.

What do you think? Are your favorite historical romances true to the historical period they represent? Or do the authors you love to read take a greater degree of creative license within the historical era they’re writing? #TheseAreThingsIWonder 

Now on to the book...

THE REVIEW

The Petticoat Letters

by Kelly Lyman

Reading debut novels is always something fun for me. A fresh voice in any genre is nice to discover. Sometimes a debut work is good but rough, yet you know (or at least believe) with time and dedication the author will find his/her rhythm and their writing will improve. Other times you finish the story and just think yes! Yes, this is a writer with amazing skill, a wonderful voice, a beautiful way of telling the story, and such incredible potential that you simply can’t wait to read whatever they may come up with next. Either case is fine but the yes! finds are the ones that make reading all debut works worth it.

For me, The Petticoat Letters is one of those yes stories; Kelly Lyman one of the yes writers whose works I will continue to look forward to reading. While the American Revolution isn’t a subject I’ve read a lot about, it is not an era of which I’m ignorant. And this story with it’s talk of battles waged, it’s delightfully simple yet complex characters, and even it’s settings... it is honestly, simply, beautifully written and so well done.

From the very first chapter I was pulled in to the story by Nora Bishop and her somewhat unique situation. I say somewhat unique because an unmarried woman suddenly finding herself bereft of immediate family and under the protection of some other branch on the family tree is not in and of itself a unique situation in historical times, especially not during one of war. There are a million ways Lyman could have developed the storyline from this particular starting point, the one she chose - fascinating.

In The Petticoat Letters we follow Nora Bishop as she struggles with the loss of her family and the uncertainty of what her future may hold. Through the course of the story she discovers many things that ultimately change her perspective, her feelings, and her loyalties. She learns, re-learns, and learns again that appearances can be deceiving and that the truth of a person hearts is often very different from what they present to the world. In a very real sense her life is utterly changed not just once but twice. She has, right from the start, an innocence that isn’t ignorant of the harsh realities in life, yet she carries with her throughout the story a degree of naïveté that lends credence to the role she ends up playing. She’s smart, compassionate, inventive when she needs to be, quick-witted and, quite frankly, brave. She’s also more than a bit impetuous and frequently acts before considering all possible options and their consequences.

It is one impulsive choice after another that first leads her to meet Alex Foster and then to continually come to be within his sphere. The rest of their story, I guess you could say, is history. The path they take is a winding one full of danger and the choices they’re forced to make could very easily destroy them. But the journey - oh the journey through this story is wonderful and it entranced me completely.

For a debut historical romance I think it’s safe to say that Kelly Lyman hit a home-run with The Petticoat Letters. I’m also feeling pretty confident in saying that if you give it a chance, you’ll probably love Nora and Alex, and their story, just as much as I did.

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At the time of this post there are still a few days left to enter the giveaway and get your name in for the chance to win 1 of 2 e-copies of The Petticoat Letters. If you’re reading this before January 30th, it is honestly easy to enter and there are multiple ways you can do it - so please, take a couple minutes and get your name in the draw. After all, you just may win and I promise it’s worth it!!! So enter here for your chance to win...

If you’ve missed the contest period, or simply don’t want to wait, you can purchase The Petticoat Letters here.

Happy Reading Everyone!

REVIEW: Consumption by Valarie Kinney

Last month I shared with you the book information about one of the recent releases from horror/thriller author Valarie Kinney. The stories contained in the book looked just intriguing enough to whet my interest, so this week when I needed a little break from my normal love-fest, I decided to take the plunge and see how consumed I could be.

Consumption

By Valarie Savage Kinney

I’m not normally one to read horror. I mean, I do occasionally but obviously it’s outside my normal feel good, HEA milieu. In that every once in a while though? Who doesn’t love a good scare? Something that’s going to freak you out, gross you out, and maybe (quite probably in my case) give you nightmares...

Kinney’s Consumption is a compilation of short stories designed to scare you witless and make you look twice at every shadow. All the stories are about, or in some way involve, being consumed by something (a feeling, a disease, etc), or consuming something in excess. All the stories contained in the book did their job of giving me the heebie-jeebies and a couple of them downright creeped me out. For horror stories, that’s a good thing... right? (Or am I just a wuss? LOL!)

All of the stories garnered a reaction from me - I was grossed out (for real, just yuck) by some, in other’s I was weirded out by the final turn of events, and finally in a couple I was completely creeped out by the story. But I would have to say of all the stories in Consumption the ones I liked the most were: The Wedding Takeover and To Scotland!

If you’re a fan of horror, things that go bump in the night, or things that make your skin crawl I am happy to recommend Consumption as a book to add to your TBR pile. And if you’re someone more like me who typically reads for the HEA but doesn’t mind a little side trip in to scary and strange, Consumption with it’s collection of freaky short stories is an excellent option!

So what are you planning to read this weekend? A little bit of love? Or do you want a little jolt of weird?

Get your own copy of Consumption today here.

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Enjoy! And have an excellent reading weekend!!