Review: Twisted Webs Brings Web Series to New Level of Drama!

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Twisted Webs

By Darlene Quinn







Darlene Quinn is not only an excellent writer, she has created a special niche that she easily explores and fills to the fullest. She combines the life of professionals in the elite department store conglomerates with the individual lives of strong women who are part of the high-fashion, marketing and powerful, finance deals!

I admit that I love the female characters that Quinn creates. If you haven't met them yet, check out my review of her first book, Webs of Power. Each book easily stands alone; however, having read the first book when it came out, I was ready to move into the personal lives of the family when crisis hits...

As it did to the Taylor  family...

Ashleigh Taylor, wife of one of the high-powered men in the financial world has given birth to two beautiful identical girls. They are named Callie and Cassie, but Cassie is never to be called by her real name!

She is taken from the cradle in the hospital while Ashleigh sleeps and spirited away with absolutely no clues as to how and who took the little girl. Of course we see the drama of the family working through the investigation but months turn into years and there is no trace of Cassie.

Ashleigh prays that her daughter was taken by somebody who would love and care for her and is able to slowly begin to move forward.

The emphasis is on the family members caught in the terrible guilt of knowing where the child is, but having to choose whether to hurt their own family. Especially when the kidnapper is killed in an accident and the woman who becomes Cassie's mother does not know the truth of how the baby came to be hers. She had been told that a young girl who had gotten pregnant had given her up.

Most of the arrangements that had been made before the kidnapper was killed had proceeded. Erica had named the little girl Marnie and Mike, her husband's gay brother, was to live with them and help with the baby. In fact they had moved to New York and Erica had begun to be recognized as a designer as she worked for Viviana De Mornay. I'll just say that Viviana was the woman you loved to hate in the first book! You'll enjoy her just as much in this one!

Twisted Indeed!

I loved what happened! It takes a wonderful woman to create the strong, spirited and admirable women that appear in Darlene Quinn's books. Ashleigh Taylor is a woman each of us wishes we were--and sometimes are. Would we face tragedy and loss as she did?

And what about Erica? What would you do if you found out your daughter had been taken from her real mother?

This web is so intertwined that if you tear one part, you may destroy the entire structure of that beautiful Web! Drama at its finest!

Book Received Via
Bostick Communications

G. A. Bixler

Review: Quinn's First Drama Provides Great Kick-Off for Web Series!

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Webs of Power

Darlene Quinn







Webs of Power is a work of fiction; however, if you happen to fill a high-level position in some corporate hierarchy, you may think you're reading a story about your own company! Darlene Quinn has done an excellent job in taking readers into the fast-paced and sometimes terror-filled world of high finance and corporate takeovers. This time, for department stores, in the late 1980s.

Quinn's note at the end of the book provides a short, helpful historical view of the rise and, to some extent, fall of the great department stores. Most of us at least recognize the name of Macy's, which sponsors the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. Many have watched as other stores have closed and the downtowns of our cities board up the large windows that formerly provided samples of what these stores offered.

There is no doubt that Power...and the desire for ever, more Money were the main factors that drove the creation of large conglomerates. By the time of this story, there were billions involved in mergers, hostile takeovers, and the resale of smaller stores.

Webs of Power focuses on three women and those around them. Into the webs of deceit in business, they brought the only thing stronger than power and money. They brought Love.

Page Toddman, together with her husband Mark, were major players at Consolidated. They both had personal histories with the company and had contributed greatly to its growth. However, at the first sign of financial weakness, an Australian land developer, Philip Sloan made a hostile offer of $4.2 billion for the retail empire. Mark was immediately caught up in trying to prevent the takeover, but Page had something much more important that she faced--a late-life pregnancy that forced a re-evaluation of what was most important to her.

Ashleigh McDowell, engaged to be married to Conrad Taylor, one of Mark's primary executives, had unexpectedly been asked to take over the reigns of his father's business, commercial investments, and had to relocate across the country. Ashleigh's career was at Bentley's, a prestigious division of Consolidated, and was forced to stay there as everyone worked to prevent the takeover. Could love survive postponement of their wedding indefinitely?

Viviane De Mornay is the glamorous woman you want to hate, but cannot. She, too, was affected by the potential upheaval of the takeover--but potentially in a much-different way. For she is having an affair with Philip Sloan! Her tangled life could be the most affected and she dreams of standing beside Sloan as he takes over Consolidated. Besides she loves him. What she can't quite be sure of is that she loves him for himself--or for the power and money he can provide her.

Quinn has effectively used her experience and expertise in department store management to create a thoroughly intriguing, believable, and twisted drama of deceit, love, greed--and, yes, webs of power! Once you get caught in the tangle of the lives of these three women, you will be turning each page until you know what happens to them.

One small sub-plot of a former corporate raider, who gave everything up to take care of his much-loved son when he became ill, was one of my favorite surprises. What does the power of love do to the lives of those affected by corporate power struggles? This book reveals it all! Enjoy!

G. A. Bixler

Related articles

• A glance at Macy's history (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• A Glance at Macy's History (abcnews.go.com)
• How Dillard's did it (money.cnn.com)
• Media Decoder: Macy's Wants to 'Wake Up' Black Friday (mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Von Maur department store chain to enter Atlanta market (ajc.com)

Review: Great International Finance Drama Out - Bravo!

Coming for Money


By F. W. vom Scheidt

Blue Butterfly Book Publishing Inc.

ISBN: 9780978498283
264 Pages


"Some days it felt like the money left blood on my hands. Not the weary allusion to the stains of Iscariot..." (p. 1)

As I started to read Coming for Money by F. W. Vom Scheidt, I found myself stopping, going back, and rereading paragraphs just to enjoy reading it again. The beautiful, relaxed words, phrasing, had not been what I'd expected. Instead of the fast-paced action adventure I had anticipated, I was forced to sit back, and enjoy the contemplative literary fiction of a master writer! What a delight!

International Investment broker Paris Smith was at the top of his game, making more money for his company than any other broker. Then his wife became ill and love for her won out as Paris took off work to care for her. And even when he came back quickly, too quickly, he had not had time to grieve his loss.

But, apparently loving and caring for his wife was a no-no in the mind of Smith's boss! Because he began to make things harder for him and, when it most counted--when Paris had created a major $100 million bond deal--his boss did not support him at all!

Greed and jealousy--the major problems in high finance. One major player did not appreciate a small company taking on this major deal, so they worked behind the scenes to manipulate and blackmail an important participant into firing the involved employee and withdrawing from the deal.

But for the first time in a long time, Paris began to regain his savvy awareness of those who were corrupt and acting purely for selfish reasons. He started his own investigation, his own interaction with the men who were honorable, or at least much better than those who were purely "out for the gold." And if, on the way, he might have to cut deals, he knew, at least within himself, he would find his way back!

And during all this, he found his humanity, his need for love returning--and he worked hard to find his way back there too!

F. W. vom Scheidt clearly has the expertise to write fiction centering around the sometimes totally unknown world of high finance. He writes indepth, specific accounts, but is able to do so in a practical, credible manner that allows each of us to both learn and experience the impact one or a few people can make when the stakes are extremely high!

Based upon my administrative background, I was able to empathize to some extent with the main character and thoroughly enjoyed every action, every event that was faced by Paris Smith. I applaud the author for taking an inside look into those within the financial arena who must fight through the greed and dishonesty that is often found. It is gratifying to read that, sometimes, the "little guy," although he occupies a high-level position, is working hard and steadily to stay true to basic values we all look for.

Bravo to F. W. vom Scheidt! Coming for Money is the perfect complement to all of the newspaper accounts of national and international finance--surely a must-read for many!

G. A. Bixler