Book Readers Heaven: The Truth About Scarlet Rose

Showing posts with label The Truth About Scarlet Rose. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Julia Madeleine Stops Today on Tour--To Read My Review!

Scarlet rose. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Truth
About
Scarlet Rose

By Julia Madeleine

In spotlighting Julia during her blog tour and on my blog this month, I read somewhere that as she was writing this book, Scarlet Rose, one of her characters, took over...

Although I can never figure out what a writer means when she says this, I must admit that this novel "proves" that it is possible. Else, why did I enjoy reading this novel about such a hateful woman?!? I keep using the picture of a scarlet rose--such a beautiful image. And, if you read Scarlet Sins, you will find that Sylvia became Scarlet Rose when she started to dance at a local club... But, like a rose, when the season is over, she dies... Sylvia was now dead to everything good in the world...

She had already killed one man...

The Truth of the matter is that, Sylvia married Charlie at one point and they later divorced. She then forced her daughter, who was now just as beautiful as Sylvia once was, to begin bringing in money working as a stripper as well. Fiona was a teenager at the time...

The Truth of the matter was that Sylvia was never meant to be a mother and Fiona was never meant to be a burlesque dancer. In fact, Fiona had stayed closer to her stepfather Charlie than her mother. As the daughter she was, Charlie was generous with his money. Sylvia knew that she had to be Charlie's lover--why else would a man financially support a young girl. In fact, in her mind now, Fiona had seduced Charlie and had been the cause of the divorce!

You can't help but begin to feel sympathy for Fiona...

Fiona truly loved her stepfather and spent as much time with him as possible. He was supporting her and did buy her presents; but they were never involved in any way. But then Charlie was murdered...

And all eyes turned toward Fiona...

Fortunately, Fiona was open and honest with the police and they soon were using her as more of an informant, bouncing ideas off her related to the remainder of the family as well as with what else Charlie had been involved. But while Fiona was struggling with her personal loss, she also discovered memories from her past when a young man turned up claiming to be Charlie's son and heir!

Like the Tattoo artist that she is, Julia Madeleine was confronted with a bitter, angry woman, a sociopath who never cared for anyone other than herself. Madeleine let her run with her life's desires for as long as possible, but, like a bad tattoo, she had to go... But not before Scarlet Rose had entered a new life, with new seductions to be made...

Wow! I could almost feel how Scarlet Rose had taken over this novel--she was a woman, committed to get everything she deserved...and in the end, no big climax, no major...Oh Yeah, you think this woman would quietly go away?

This is soooo unique that I loved it! Enter into the Burlesque world of the beautiful and watch Scarlet Rose dance through her deadly life... Drama at its highest!

GABixlerReviews

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Review of Prequel, Scarlet Sins, by Julia Madeleine!

Scarlet rose. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scarlet Sins

By Julia Madeleine

Sometimes a character makes such an impact on readers that they want to know more--How did this individual get to the place in life they are when we meet her. Julia Madeleine, in writing The Truth About Scarlet Rose, found herself in that situation. Even before her novel came out, early readers started talking about the main character Scarlet Rose, and asking questions. I have to admit I read the novel first, simply because the book came in and I tend to pick up hard copies first--yes, I enjoy "real" books better than ebooks...anyway...

By the time I read Scarlet Sins, which is only 22 pages, I had Scarlet Rose already figured out...Let's face it, sometimes a beautiful rose is just that, it is there to be admired, to be beautiful. When that happens to some women, or men, they decide to take advantage of that beauty. Or, perhaps, like everybody else...a rose is not a rose is not a rose--sometimes they are sociopaths...

I highly recommend you read the Prequel first. Some of you may have read Julia's short stories on my blog this month as she is being spotlighted, and have found that she can pack her plot into a few effectively chosen words. Whether or not you choose to read Scarlet Sins, you will find Scarlet Rose a fascinating creation.

Note: In Scarlet Sins, we meet the "remarkably beautiful queen of the burlesque scene in 1960s Toronto." In the novel, she is no longer dancing on the burlesque, she is married with adult children..

Sylvia was her real name and she knew there was something wrong with her, even to the point that she realized that she could not totally blame it on her family. Was it their bad blood or just hers? But even she recognized that she could not blame any part of the murder on them...

Her first bad decision was to get pregnant. She thought the boy would marry her and take her away from her life. But he had refused! Even insulting her by saying that when he did get married, he would want a virgin! She was 16, pregnant, and already with 2 years of having to deal with scoliosis...She was learning the hard lessons early in her life...

She had gone to an unwed mothers home, but when they moved to take her baby from her, she had taken Fiona and ran. Sylvia decided never to tell Fiona about the bad family life she had left. She got a waitress job at a local club, but even with tips, she was not making it. She looked toward the girls on the stage, seduced and fascinated by the power they had just by using their bodies. It didn't take long for an enterprising man to see that desire and suggested she enter an amateur striptease contest...and that was the beginning...

For awhile she was a much-in-demand star...

But then she met a petty thief, Charlie and it was only a matter of time before her life started going downhill...

Perhaps this short story could stand on its own, but I wouldn't recommend you get it, unless you enjoy short stories. The prequel takes you exactly where it is meant to...to the beginning of the novel. If you are the type of person who, upon hearing about somebody who has killed others, and have said, "I always thought he was nice--a quiet individual, then you will definitely want to read Scarlet Sins and get to know the background life of the main character, Scarlet Rose, before you begin to...hate her...

GABixlerReviews

Julia Madeleine is the youngest daughter of Irish immigrant parents from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Born in Canada and raised in a small town in south-western Ontario on the shores of Lake Huron, Julia honed her dual passions for art and fiction writing from the time she was old enough to hold a crayon. As a teenager she moved to Toronto and graduated in Media Writing from Sheridan College. She wrote for a number of entertainment magazines, while spending all her free time writing fiction, and then in 2000, her passion for art led her, quite by accident, into a career in the tattoo industry.

“I wasn’t looking to become a tattoo artist, it actually found me. Since I was a teenager my focus has been on writing fiction, art was something that always came naturally to me, I never had to work for it. And it never occurred to me that I could make a career out of it until one day I found myself without a job and the opportunity to learn to tattoo came to me via my husband, a professional tattooist.”

Home for Julia is Mississauga, where she lives with her husband and teenaged (future tattoo artist) daughter. For a year she lived in the country on a 30-acre property in the middle of nowhere, which became the inspiration for earlier novel, No One To Hear You Scream. When not writing or sticking needles into people, Julia enjoys cooking, sewing, yoga, meditation, health and fitness, gardening, and anything that doesn't involve snow or sports or rollercoasters. Julia loves shoes and harbours a secret fantasy-career as a shoe designer. She’s also obsessed with true crime shows and researching ways to kill people which makes her husband nervous.

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Reminder: Julia Madeleine will visit Book Reader's Heaven tomorrow, May 16th, during her Blog Tour! Hurry Back!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Spotlighted Author Julia Madeleine Starts Her Blog Tour....

Reblogged!

April 16th: Cafe of Dreams - book review
April 18th: Life In Review - book review
April 19th: Daz's Place - interview
April 23: Psycho Noir - interview
April 26th: Crime Fiction Lover - book review
April 27th: Jersey Girl Book Reviews - book review and guest post
April 30th/May1st: Musings of an All-purpose Monkey - book review and guest post
May 1st: Chin Wag At The Slaughterhouse - interview
May 4nd: Limerence Magazine - book review
May 7th: Lynnette's Book World - book review
May 10th: The Eclectic Reader - book review and book giveaway
May 12th: Booksie's Blog - book review
May 14th: The Road To Here - book review
May 14th: Let’s Book It - book review
May 15th: Book Junkie - book review
May 16th: Book Reader's Heaven - book review and guest post
May 21st/May 22nd: Colloquium - book review and guest post
May 28th: My Life In Stories - book review, guest post, and ebook giveaway
Unscheduled Apperences: Ginger Nuts of Horror - book review
I Meant To Read That - book review
Dead End Follies - book review

Author’s Bio:

Julia Madeleine is a thriller writer and tattoo artist living in the Toronto area with her husband and teenaged (future tattooist) daughter. For a year she lived in the country on a 30-acre property in the middle of nowhere which became the inspiration for her novel, No One To Hear You Scream. Find out more about her books at www.juliamadeleine.com

Reviews of Prequel and The Truth About Scarlet Rose will appear here at BRH on May 16th...

Book Readers Heaven - Have You Noticed?

Some of you may have noticed that I've started writing about books again. But I am not now accepting nor will I return to reviewing books on request. You will perhaps see that has allowed me to write more opinionated thoughts about read books... For instance, I might compare the writing of another author...or just allude to the type of book and how I respond to the topic.And, when appropriate, especially for political books, I use relevant news videos to document what is being said in the post. If I do post as a review, I will not be posting the entire blog article on sales sites. I hope you like hearing my personal thoughts more often and hope you will let me know what you think of the change, the expansion beyond a basic review... Insofar as possible, I try to bring together relevant videos or music that speaks to the issue, or which I've been led to use... In all things, now, I am about my Father's Business. I Speak Jesus--of His Love for all and of His Truth... Comments are always welcomed and will be treated with respect...

Here's BRH Feedback--Cool!

Dear Glenda, you're not only an excellent book reviewer, but a true friend. I thank you very much not only for the review, but for the care you have taken not to give away secrets which the reader must discover for her/him self. Thanks again, Stan Glenda, Wow, wow, wow! You captured what I set out to say in this work. Thank you for your insight and willingness to bear witness to the truth. HMH Glenda. I think I love you and I am sure Jerry does. We’ve already started the second in the series. Yes, it’s going to be a series—he has a treasure trove of high profile casework. He did Casey Anthony. Worked on the 13 year old who tRump and Epstein raped, and so many others. Thank you again for another wonderful review! You do us proud… This is amazing... I've never seen a review in this depth before, and I'm honored beyond words. Thank you for highlighting the subject matter in this way. ❤Sharon Sala Glenda A Bixler The irony of all of this is that I wrote this book in 2021 and turned it in to my publisher, and look what all has happened SINCE then. The release was also scheduled before all of these most recent, horrific incidents, and such is the way of the world in these times. Thank You for bringing attention to this ongoing travesty and tragedy. ❤ I am Lior, the author of The Milk Moon Assassin. You are the first reader, reviewer, that brought tears to my eyes. You have grasped the heart of my story from the angle it was aimed for. Dear Glenda, Double thanks are not enough. Thanks for following. A second thank you for your uplifting review of Alexa's Gold is hardly sufficient. While I apologize for disturbing your sleep patterns, I'm extremely pleased you enjoyed this fictional read. May God bless. Again, multiple, multiple heartfelt thanks. Donan Just saw your review on Amazon and then visited your site. Holy Smoke! As usual, I was amazed at what a fabulous job you did, reviewing the book and adding in all that related material. I was particularly thrilled that you included the book trailer I put on Utube. You adding it to your review made me very happy. In fact, I had a big smile on my face the whole time I looked at what you'd done. I even listened to the violin concerto and watched the video of Dog Hill. Every year it gets harder and harder to bring a new book to the attention of potential readers. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have you as an ally in that endeavor. Thank you so much for all you do for me and for other writers. There's no-one else like you. And that's no exaggeration.With profound gratitude, I remain, Your Friend, Don Thank you. Your commitment to your craft is wonderful. Whether it's one star or 5, your reviews are detailed, considerate, and most of all, beneficial to the prospective reader. What an amazing presentation. Stellar. I never expected anything like that. Do you have a separate link that I can share? I'd love to post this everywhere I can. You did such a fabulous job.cheers Connie Thank you so much for your glowing review of my new book. Your review really highlighted all the things that I try to incorporate in my books - they're the very things I want as a reader. I'm nearly finished writing the next book in the series - Walker and Munoz are back, and interestingly as you referenced in your review, this time it's personal. Again, thank you. I'd read your amazing review before I looked at my Facebook page and was blessed. Hitting the link you posted, I was surprised for few would have gone to so much trouble, fewer still know that Lauren Bacall (born Betty Joan Perske) was Sephardic and bequeathed a large amount of primary source information about the Sephardim to a university, which I was able to view online when corroborating Naomi's story. Your review stands as one of the highlights of this profoundly dyslexic authors’ life. Thank and bless you heart I thought I'd reach out to you for your heartfelt review on my novel. It was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes that someone was so moved by my tale... That it resonated that deeply with someone. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone. Signed... Wow, this is the most awesome blog post I've ever seen. Thank you for writing it! grin I was thrilled with the details you offered in my review - like a literary movie trailer built on suspense and intrigue. I'm glad you're still reviewing books by aspiring authors like me. We need people like you! Keep up the good work and maintain that passion, Glenda! Words fail me. Hi Glenda, I visited your review website today and was thrilled to see your marvelous features relating to Ms. Cramer's book. I passed them along to the author, and she is very excited and deeply grateful for your attention. Your review of the book is wonderfully anecdotal and insightful, and it will be helpful I believe as an introduction to readers approaching Ms. Cramer's work for the first time. I found the opening of the review to be quite touching, with a wonderful sense of personal experience that I believe is all too often missing in critical review publications. In the context of the article, your remembrances from childhood add a truly beautiful layer to the photopoem you present.We're very impressed by what you put together using the press kit materials, and we will do our best to provide exposure for your features through our mailing list and other avenues.I do look forward to reading your articles in the future.We appreciate your considering our book and thank you very much for your fine and generous review coverage. Saw the review and treatment of THE BLOOD BETRAYAL on your site. Once again, you've amazed me with what you do. Fantastic, fabulous… No, those words aren't good enough to describe your work and you. I wrote up a short piece about what you did, directing people to your site from mine. That was really interesting and something I've never seen anyone do before. Great job, and I'm glad you enjoyed the novel. Yo, my truly heartfelt thank you for your very generous and kind review! I appreciate very much the time and effort you put into this review for me, and your so graciously posting it in multiple locations. Your blogsite is extremely professional and well-done! What you posted for me there has completely blown me away! Thank you again very much for such a comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining review. It's one of the best reviews I have received and I'm very proud to have it. Most Gratefully, Glenda, You review blew my mind. When I listened to the songs you inserted, they brought tears to my eyes. You added a dimension to my work that was missing. In the attachment I have attempted to answer your question about anger. Thank you so much for your raving review. There are no words in the English language to express the gratitude I feel for you. I wish you a wonderful and blessed day. I've been sitting in my chair for nearly fifteen minutes, stuck in an infinite loop of visual digestion and stunned amazement because of what you put together on your site for The Doppler Affect review. The time alone that you put into crafting the page is humbling, but the creativity and flair adds a layer I've never seen in reviews. Of course, the frosting of your very positive evaluation makes it the best cake I've eaten yet! I was also amazed at how you could step away from any biases due to your preferred genre and frame it for others...thank you. My newest book, Patriot's Point, will be released imminently. The publisher wants to know if I knew of any one in particular who has blogs or review sites that I would want to use. I immediately thought of you. Thanks, Doug Glenda, I am truly in awe of your reviews and your review style. I have never seen anyone do a review as you can do one. I was entertained, informed, enlightened and amazed. There should be awards for creative, insightful and captivating reviews -- and you should be a recipient. Thanks for reviewing my book. And thanks for giving it an aura and image and feel that only your review could give it. I am very appreciative. All the best, Patrick During the period of time that you requested my story, I also had other blog sites asking for the book as well. I had received three reviews prior to yours, and although I am very happy to report that all three were positive and enthusiastic, your entire presentation of the book, from the actual commentary to the ambitious visuals, blew me away and has left me emotionally weak-kneed in gratitude. I am extremely touched by all that you had to say and how you visually presented the concept of the book. Please note that I will place your website on the book's Facebook page which will hopefully bring your blog site more readership. Again, please know how grateful I am for your emotionally thrilling review. You have certainly made my day, Glenda! With much appreciation, Author/The Poe Consequence I wanted to make sure I got a chance to properly thank you for posting the wonderful review of The Medici Boy! It was terrific, not just because you like the book (thank you) but because your analysis was thoughtful and honest. You put your heart into it, (Photos were out of this world) and you wrote like a friend would (we think that’s the very best kind of review). I appreciate your time and passion for literature! We’ve been promoting the site, since you went live, and we’re going to continue to promote your site on Social Media throughout the month. Senior Publicist Blue Dot Literary Dear Glenda, I have to start this response with a BIG WOW! I have been very gratified with my experience as a new writer for both my books now and am working on a third. However, your review is like nothing I've ever seen, and I consider it a great piece of writing and creativity in itself. Thank you so very much for your kind words and treatment of Millstone. Once again, thank you for this review. I plan to pass it on in every venue available to me. My best wishes to you JackH Thank you so much for your glowing review of my new book. Your review really highlighted all the things that I try to incorporate in my books - they're the very things I want as a reader. I'm nearly finished writing the next book in the series - Walker and Munoz are back, and interestingly as you referenced in your review, this time it's personal. Again, thank you. I'd read your amazing review before I looked at my Facebook page and was blessed. Hitting the link you posted, I was surprised for few would have gone to so much trouble You review blew my mind. When I listened to the songs you inserted, they brought tears to my eyes. You added a dimension to my work that was missing. In the attachment I have attempted to answer your question about anger. Thank you so much for your raving review. There are no words in the English language to express the gratitude I feel for you. I wish you a wonderful and blessed day. James Womack WOW! What a beautiful post you did for ALMOST PERFECT ON YOUR I can’t imagine how much time you must have taken to create some thing so imaginative and special. I feel truly humbled and touched and quite unequal to saying how much it meant to me. A real present. You must be a very special person. I wish you were my neighbor and we could have a real chat over coffee. Maybe someday. But meanwhile know how wonderful your work made me feel and buoyed to keep on keeping on! Diane