Weis' Acadian Waltz Sweet, Sassy, Sexy...and Dangerous

English: Acadian House, Longfellow-Evangeline State Park, St. Martinville, Louisiana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When your papa used to bring you out here. As soon as
you stepped from your papa's car, you went runnin' to
Jean Marc. Followed that boy all over the dock, you did."
Uncle Jack pointed the wrench over at the doc next to the
boat. "Jean Marc was always hangin' around helpin' to
fix engines and such. Anytime you came to visit, he would volunteer to watch you so your papa and me could
go fishin/. He even taught you how to dance. You don't
remember that?"
I gave my uncle a bewildered side-glance. "Dance?"
"The Acadian Waltz. Your papa and me come back from
fishin' early one day and found you two dancin' on the
dock with no music. Funniest damn thing I ever see."
"I don't remember that," I mumbled.
"Spect not. You are barely out of diapers then. That boy
always has taken a fancy to you. Nora T. He liked you then, and if you ask me, he still likes you."
~~~
 

Acadian Waltz


By Alexandrea Weis


Weis has a range of topics in her novels, but so far, they've all been set in Louisiana and tell readers much about her home state--I thoroughly enjoy her stories and her writing. With Acadian Waltz as the title, I wasn't surprised to have a romance but I was surprised at the mother [from h***] of the bride! LOL But she was a perfect character and, if you're a working woman like I am, you naturally will love to hate her!

But, for me, she wasn't as bad as John...

No wonder Nora Kehoe was still unmarried, lived in her own apartment, and had worked hard to have a successful career as a physical therapist and administrator... To her mother, it wasn't important that she was happily working...what she needed was a husband...and children, preferably in that order. Her mother would be thrilled to have grandchildren!

"Put your hands on me," he whispered in my ear.
Flustered, I reached up and put my hands on his
chest.
"No, not there." He took my right hand and guided
it to his erection. "Now, stroke me," he directed.
"I soon learned that the entire sexual experience to
John was something akin to following instructions
for operating a DVD player. At specific intervals I
was told to "touch me here" or "kiss me there" or
"move against me like this." By the time we had
come to the end of our very brief encounter, I was
so emotionally frazzled that I had forgotten to fake
an orgasm...
~~~

So Nora was hounded until she gave in...and her mother started setting up blind dates! And she met John... No, her mother hadn't picked him for a date, rather Nora's date had an allergic reaction to food and they both wound up in the emergency room...where Dr. John Blessing worked!

Unfortunately, Nora was immediately attracted to John...I say that because the man was a control freak! Nora started to date him and her mother was in heaven--a doctor!

But, little by little Nora was changing--losing weight, giving in to the wishes of others. After all, they would make a "nice" couple...(personal sarcasm, LOL)

Nora had maintained a relationship with her Uncle Jack, her mother's brother, although there was little contact between the siblings. Nora routinely visited him, especially to check his blood pressure and other health issues that he routinely ignored. He only listened because of his love for her...

Then on one of those visits, Jean Marc, who was now her uncle's boss, stopped by...

Sometime during the internal fight that began inside, Nora was reminded that when she was eight, she had given Jean Marc a ring and asked him to marry her. He had been eighteen and was about to leave home...She hadn't seen him for over ten years...

But in Louisiana, it was getting more dangerous. There had always been smuggling of some sort, now, many drugs... But the latest crime had been the death of a young girl, her eyes destroyed, looking as if done by a surgeon...

And then one night, Nora met her secretary to go out while John worked. They came upon a circle of people in white, chanting, and they were leading a young girl to stand in front of the leader who waited with a knife. And Nora recognized him!

"The men you owe?"
"My backers." He paused and then chuckled at me. "Nora,
you've lived in New Orleans all your life, but you have no idea what really goes on  inside 
of the French Quarter. The cults that exist there are a powerful attractant to the
weak-minded. There are a few men that organize those cults, collect dues from the
followers, and recruit new initiates from the homeless teenagers that flock to the city
thanks to Anne Rice and her vampire novels. Kids come to New Orleans seeking vampires
and voodoo. These guys I work for give it to them..."
~~~

I looked for Acadian Waltz and found only this nice guy...
I thought it might be Uncle Jack...practicing, hoping...

And just as I thought we were nearing a happy ending, Alexandrea Weis threw in a zinger and I stopped breathing..."Oh no!"

If you haven't read Weis yet, I highly recommend you start with Acadian Waltz, just out! It's romantic, funny, sexy and has an exciting unexpected ending...that will both distress and please... Don't miss this one! It's one of her best, I think...but, so far, I've loved all of her books...

The author is now being spotlighted on Book Reader's Heaven...Check out what's happening there! Pics, Excerpts and more!


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Review: Mark Zvonkovic Takes Us to 70s in Beautifully Written Novel!

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When Mermaids Sing

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When Mermaids Sing
By Mark Zvonkovic
iUniverse, Inc.
ISBN: 9781440167171
239 Pages


Prepare to sit back and enjoy the beautifully written literary fiction of Mark Zvonkovic in When Mermaids Sing. When a former English teacher also has the creative genius to tell stories, it results in a pleasurable read, no matter the topic. In Zvonkovic’s case, his first novel takes us back to the 70s when there were many, many religious cults which aggressively recruited young people, often resulting in a complete break of teens from their families.

As I started to read and review the issues that led to what was, in essence, brainwashing, I thought of today’s reality shows that reveal how people now use drugs and alcohol to find that “something” that is lacking in their lives. Why is it that there are always those that seek “alternative” methods to find what seems to be missing?

Larry Brown appears to be the low man on the totem pole in his family—he’s just a high school English teacher, while his parents teach at the college level. On the other hand, he’s satisfied with his life and looks back on his early years with pleasure. Now, however, he’s heard from his best friend that his companion is cheating on him and he’s taking a harder look at the relationship, even following Milly to theatres where she is an actress. When he sees her leaving with a fellow actor, carrying an overnight bag, he is forced to face the truth. Not only is she cheating, but she later continues to lie, dominate and abuse his feelings for her.

So when he attended his father’s annual “welcome” for his students, he was open to meet and talk with Jenny, who had been captured by his father in one of his usual discussions about W. H. Auden. But as soon as his father moves on to other responsibilities, Jenny and Larry change to more personal topics. Trying to get himself out of an embarrassing situation, he comments about his cousin Bradley being involved with meditation—which leads Jenny to share that her brother, Josh, had joined a cult that has an ashram, a retreat on Cape Cod. When Larry learns that Bradley is also staying at this site, he becomes immediately more concerned and agrees to work with Jenny. Her father had hired Sam Henry, a well-known deprogrammer who was known as “Black Lightning.”

With Black Lightning in charge, a rescue is planned for Josh and Bradley. Along the way, a few others join the group, and Larry is upset to learn that getting Josh out is the main objective since getting both out might be impossible. Although Jenny had visited Josh in the past, it was known that none of the members were ever allowed to be alone. But, although nothing had been proven, Larry was concerned that a young man they had briefly met, who had recently been found dead, had “not” committed suicide, but had been found by two members of the cult who had been trying to take him back! Now, there was a need to not only get Josh and Bradley to travel together, but to get them both away from the ashram! A difficult task...

I was completely caught off-guard with the ending and think you will be also! Mark Zvonkovic’s When Mermaids Sing, takes reader into an insightful, introspective look, at ourselves, our lives, and a consideration of what so many are searching for from life. Personally, I enjoyed the look back into my own memories of those times when there was always some group of young people, selling flowers, or whatever, as you traveled, who invited you to accept their handouts about their lives. Whether or not, you have those memories, you will certainly be taken into the time period and the experience. Enjoy the time spent there during the 70s in America’s northeast! I did!

G. A. Bixler