Welcome to Book Readers Heaven! Find Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
"It says right here that you should have married James Windsor after Charlie. It's written very simple and clear. Maybe James passed you by and in a split second, you didn't notice him. That's called missing your lick. You missed your lick, Mavis. This needs to be sorted out before you can be reincarnated..." ~~~
"Calling Mavis Brook to Corridor M."
"My turn," Mavis whispered as she walked down the corridor. "I have a few questions I hope the angel I get is as nice as Mercy's angel."
"Come in. Take a seat in the white cloud chair over there near the corner of my big cloud desk."
"Thank you, sir. Everything is so white in here. I see only clouds here...and look at me all in white too with this wedding dress and veil. I tried to take the veil off, but it's stuck in my hair. I'm guessing it was a strong holding spray net."
"And... you're Mavis?" asked the slim looking young man who had big wings.
"Yes, I am Mavis. I can tell you're an angel by your wings. They're so big and fluffy." Mavis was so nervous.
"Yes, I'm an angel. I chose to stay here and help the ones who want to go back to earth."
"So, that's how it works. If I stay here. I become an angel? That's good to know. I hope I remember that next time I die...
~~~
The Ghost of Mavis
By Mary Lynn Plaisance
If you're confused about what happens when you die, you're not alone. Even Mavis, the main character... And she'd been through it several times before--she'd always been placed with a poor family in the past and this, time, she was going to ask to be born into a rich family...
But that plan, that is already written in the book, according to the angel who was greeting her at the gates, indicated that she was going back... she should have married a second time, to James Windsor, after her first husband, Charlie, had died. Instead she had lived to the age of 88 and had once again said goodbye to the living...
In creating her fantasy, Plaisance has taken considerable liberty in exactly what happens upon death...Basically, heaven is the place where you go, either to stay, or to get reincarnated. In Mavis' case, however, her life plan had been unfulfilled as Mavis. In fact, as soon as Mavis had died, she had donned a wedding dress, appeared as a young woman about 25; and, Danson, the angel, was explaining to Mavis that she needed to go back as a ghost and search out the man she was to have married... A guiding angel would help her during this time period and, once James would be found, Anna would handle the details at that time...
And the mystery begins...
Mavis awakes as the wife of James, married for a year, and we pick up the happily married couple at that time.
"James, where are you? You know, we need a swing in our bedroom. That would be fun." she giggled.
"I'm right beside you, my darling. Adding some soul to our sensual mood. Hear the music?"
James undressed himself.
There was a stereo system next to the bed and James clicked it on to the tune of Barry White music. She sound was low... but loud enough to hear...My First-My Last-My Everything. It was their song.
James slowly unbuttoned her blouse...while he began saying the words of Barry White's song to Mavis. "We got it together, didn't we? We definitely got our thing together, don't we? Isn't this nice?"
Mavis was letting him do anything he wanted...
~~~
James has just become a full professor and Mavis is enrolled in business classes. Readers peek in on their lives which is still in the honeymoon stage...
Until one day Mavis mentions having a child... James adamantly refuses to consider becoming a father.
I draw your attention to the strangely intriguing book cover at this point... We were told that Mavis had the wedding gown on when she returned to heaven, but who was the little girl off to the side behind the bride? With a bit of serendipity, I had to look twice...and...more... at the picture... You see, she looks very much like me when I was young! Of course, I was immediately curious to find out more! Who is the little girl who appears throughout the book? First in a picture that Mavis carried. Next inside a haunted mirror at an antique store. Then in a family picture... And then in person... She is Sophia and is waiting...
I was enchanted by the beautiful cover... I was amused at the confusion Mavis faced at 88 and arrives at heaven's gate in a wedding dress... And I was hooked as Mavis, without any knowledge, except intuition, works to solve the mystery of the little girl, who we learn is called Sophia... Even with clues along the way, I really was not prepared for what could be called a major traumatic ending...
This was my first book written by Mary Lynn Plaisance and my emotional responses were moving up and down continuously. Plaisance is a writer that is not afraid to fly her wings in her fantasies... In this book she's tackled death...and life... and gave her readers much to think about. Surely each of us has considered what we might believe happens, but this author pops up with options that are fun to watch as they happen, forces us to wonder about predestination, and in the end gives us a possible reality if there is a book of life for each of us... I found it intriguing, not quite believable, but a rare challenge to each of us as we look forward to where and how we might spend eternity...
Me? I was left wondering if Sophia was my great-great-grandmother! That's part of the options at death, to come back in the same family... LOL! Cool premise for a plot and the author carried the storyline through in a consistent, suspenseful manner that keeps readers interested... If you are open to exploring death and the hereafter, this is a fun read that I highly recommend.
GABixlerReviews
Mary Lynn Hebert Plaisance was born in Mathews, La. and grew up in the true Cajun style of the 50's. She married Teddy Plaisance in 1964 and became the mother of 4 sons. Her interest was always in writing since she was 10 when she saw the bookmobile pass in front of her home. When her grown up sons left the home, she went back to her favorite hobbies, writing stories and sewing. In 1992, she had her first Sha Bebe cloth doll copyrighted. In 2004, she self-published her first fairy tale story book about her precious Cajun Sha Bebe Dolls who live in the sugar cane fields of Louisiana. Today she has 18 doll characters in her books and has 4 volumes in The Chronicles of Sha Bebe. All of her life she felt like she lived in a fairy tale. She sees no reason to end that fairy tale anytime soon. --You've created a Cajun fairyland, much like Walt created a Disneyland. Your characters feel like a Disney scene set in the sugarcane fields. Mary Lynn, keep weaving the threads of your wonderful creativity into a tapestry of magical tales. The pen is your loom, the paper your wool. A MUST READ. It's not only a Louisiana story. Visit Mary Lynn on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/BebsCajunDollHouse
Between you and me, at that moment, the small strain of humanity that runs in my soul overpowered my own wants and desires. Her happiness mattered more than my own. And I let her go.
Christine.
When I set her free. I meant it. I had wanted to die. However, it did not take long for bitterness to take root in my heart. Die for love of her? I think not! She is mine. The life I wanted was disappearing with the golden-haired, perfect-featured vicomte...
It angers me how they rejoice in my timely departure. The relief in their embrace. The passion of their kisses revolts me. I want to kill them both!
But, I am a patient man.
"Leave Paris," their soft voices agree. Start their lives over, sail away. Passage to La Nouvelle-Orleans. I hear the word faintly as they believe they leave me to my endless slumber...
I will remain a man of my word.
Raoul may continue to have her heart, but I will have her immortal soul. I will collect what is mine. It belongs to me... I am the Prince of Conjurers.
~~~
Prince of Conjurers
By Laurie L. Bolanos
Like the author, I, too, had much empathy for Eric, the man who lost Christine in The Phantom of the Opera... So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an alternative story about his life. One that picks up when he is thought dead and Christine and Raoul have ran off to be together... It is a quite plausible story that weaves in the main theme of The Phantom, but, clearly, takes off into a truly remarkable fantasy that uses reincarnation as the dominant theme... I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover and cover and highly recommend it for your consideration!
Eric heard the plan of Raoul, to move to New Orleans, and immediately started thinking... Eric, no longer the Phantom follows them. Now to be the Prince of Conjurers... The breadth and scope of the novel is, however, far more than I could have imagined and swirls like smoke in the air as time loses all meaning, readers are thrown into visions, or actual movement, into recent and the far past...
For now, Eric is in New Orleans, set on getting Christine away from Raoul, even if he has to kidnap her! He has already started his plan...
And with New Orleans, I am thrilled to offer the music of Barry Lacour from his latest CD "Heads-Up," to take us into the mood and setting of New Orleans, Louisiana...
His plan was genius.
Christine would be left alone most of the time, without anyone around to interfere. Nothing prevented him from the greatest, most magnificent endeavor, as if for once in his wretched existence, he was accepted into the greater design of life and it approved of his intentions. The way was being made clear for him with very little effort. He could not ask for more.
Well, maybe just a little...
~~~
In the year 2009, however, there is a lovely young woman who has just moved into a new home and is renovating the place herself. She is happy to be able to knock out walls, get her hands dirty, hammering and mumbling under her breath, "You low-down dirty dog!", as she pictures her ex-husband's face...then her ex-best friend Monika with whom said ex-husband was now living! Monika's betrayal hurt the most since they had been friends since high school.
She couldn't stop the memories from resurfacing. Her stomach churned at the recalling of Marvin Gaye's seductive voice drifting down the stairs from their bedroom. Marvin Gaye had always been a sign that her husband wanted her. She had assumed Simon must have called her office and found she had left for the day earlier than usual.
With her pulse racing, Julie climbed up the stairs, kicking off her shoes. It had been at least two weeks since they had made love. She pictured him waiting in bed for her as she took off her belt and headed for their bedroom.
"Hello, Baby," She pushed open the ajar door, posing seductively.
The rest of the memory came as snapshots. Messed up bed. Sheets hanging over the edge. Two wine glasses on the nightstand. Empty bottle lying on its side. Two sets of clothing crumpled on the floor. Running water in the bathroom. Muffled laughter. Her heart racing. Difficult breathing. Dread crushing her soul. Marvin Gaye singing on...
~~~
The novel begins to move back and forth between 2009 and 1898. Julie continues working on her home, absorbing the atmosphere of New Orleans, refusing to have her palm read by a local named Star, while meeting and becoming friends with a gay neighbor, while she demands that he keeps his lovers out of her apartment!
In the meantime, Eric is following Christine, even spying on her in their new home, and even following them to the opera, where he projects his whisper to her ear whispering, "Sing for me..."
Eric has purchased two different homes, one of which was called "The Devil's Mansion," where he plans to keep Christine. He goes to great expense to create an internal suite of rooms that look like a complete home, including interior sunlight... The remainder, exterior parts of the home, have...traps, traps to keep anybody else out...
Soon, he starts searching...for a vessel in which he will place Christine's soul... Enter Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen...and Naomi, a child-woman he has purchased from a Bordello, who he has selected to be the vessel... The only thing is that Marie wants Naomi for herself... As a virgin she would bring in much money...but there is much more behind her desire... Eric quickly marries Naomi so there will be no way that she can be claimed by anybody else...
"I have noticed the other
ladies decorate their headdresses. I thought you
might like these." The
brooches sparkled in his
hand as they reflected the
light in the room.
"Ooooh," Her eyes grew
big. "Those are for me?"
~~~
Eric leaned back in his carriage, hands behind his head with a satisfied grin that felt permanently etched on his face. The girl had accepted... His reverie broken, Erik entered his house. Behind his closed door, he felt invigorated. The new day, the events of the past few hours, wiped away all fatigue. He ascended the stairs two at a time to his greenhouse of the roof. He wanted to work on his herbs. Marie's potion would have to be altered to suit his needs. He wasn't looking for a zombie, but a means to still the mind and body long enough to summon Christine's soul into it.
~~~
Unfortunately, one man, who had loved Naomi from her home town, would not give up so easily...
I should mention that Eric has learned much about the use of makeup materials which he uses to hide the scars on his face, ridding himself of the mask. He has assumed a new name, Monsieur de la Croix... Quickly he is recognized as a man of means and becomes well known in the French Quarter... And then he took the big step... He sent Naomi to Christine's home, offering Naomi to help her--Christine was pregnant! Eric was enraged, until he learned that she had given him Eric's name...surely she still loved him... I would not even attempt to share about what that connection brought about, other than to say that Naomi and Christine became friends...
The man hesitated a moment then stepped closer to Armando, extending his hand. "My name is Heath."
Armando eagerly grabbed the man's hand, the multiple gaudy bracelets on his wrist jingled as they shook." Charmed, I'm sure."
"I couldn't help but admire your bracelet," Heath said, releasing Armando's hand. Armando stretched his arm out, turning his wrist up. "You like?"
Curious, Julie leaned over to get a look. Sure enough, among the many tacky pieces of gold costume jewelry was a dull silver bracelet with small silver balls and a silver charm. On the face of the charm was a complicated braided pattern of silk-like material in dark and light browns.
"Se-ma-j," Julie bit through clenched teeth, her voice elevating with each syllable. "What is he doing with my bracelet?"
~~~
As Julie is working on her home, she finds two things at two different times...and she meets a man in whom we could be interested. Unfortunately, he had been the one to notice a bracelet she'd found when it had been taken by her next door neighbor's friend. Shall we just say, she made quite a fuss about it. Then realized that she had totally lost control...and Heath had seen it all! While he still expressed interest in seeing the bracelet, she thought that was all that he was interested in... Still she did learn much more and realized that the bracelet was probably very valuable. Whenever she had a chance to see Heath, she happily agreed....
Meanwhile, interestingly, Eric finds that he is quite attracted to Naomi and feels he has made a great choice for the future. What he was surprised at, though, was that she was so kind and gentle and responded to him in a grateful, but, most, loving manner. He found himself responding to her--until he would catch himself realizing that she was not Christine. And Christine was His!
Then with rising dread, she remembered the ritual, the phone call, the darkness, and Heath worried by her side. He wasn't by her side now. The only sound she heard was the wood-burning fire.
Though her mind panicked, her body continued its slow, even breathing undisturbed by her emotions. This is not a hospital. Where am I? The more anxious Julie became, the more she felt the heaviness of her body...She heard a door slide open and footsteps. She inwardly held her breath although her body kept on breathing steadily. This is crazy! She willed herself even harder to wake up. Fight it! Fight!... "Christine, I have missed you." The man's voice sounded pained. Julie opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out. Her tongue felt thick and clumsy. She kept trying. She was determined to set the record straight. "Not Christine." Her voice was a dry, rasping whisper. The man leaned closer to her, and his breath warmed her ear. "What did you say?" "Not Christine. Julie, Juliana Francois..." ~~~
Do you believe in reincarnation? Well, whether you do or not, be prepared for the longest line of reincarnated souls you may have ever experienced or read of! By the time I was coming to the conclusion of the book, I was amazed at how the book was ending--not only a surprise, but a thoroughly satisfactory one! But don't let me get ahead of things...because when voodoo is involved, sometimes it results in "Who Do?" You see at exactly the same time that Eric was working to conjure Christine into Naomi's body, Julie, in 2009, was working to learn about her own reincarnated past! You guessed it, Julie wound up in Naomi's body instead of Christine!
The secret pocket door slammed into place by the force of Erik's rage. Impossible! What trickery was this? The woman wouldn't have the ability to lie to him in her altered state, so he knew she spoke the truth. He paced the hall outside the chamber in fury. He wanted to charge into the room and shake the answers out of her, answers that would come because she was in no condition to respond to an interrogation. A sudden rush of understanding gripped him like a vise. Now, not only did he not have Christine, but he had lost Naomi also. What had he done? ~~~
And that is where I shall leave you! The conjurer has gotten someone he hadn't conjured! Julie finds herself in 1898, inside of the woman who had once lived and held her soul. And all I'll say is that's when the fun begins for readers as a 2009 outspoken independent female meets male chauvinist Eric with an obsession for Christine, another woman, even though Julie, in Naomi's body, is now Eric's wife! Yikes! I loved it!
But that's just the beginning! How do you undo voodoo?
Eric stood back within the wooded area on the north side of Congo Square. He had just spent an hour gazing through Christine's windows, watching her with her son and her husband. He had to be sure she was Christine and not Naomi. And she was, in every way, confirming for him that Naomi must be wherever the stranger had come from...
With expertise, the voodoo queen unraveled the reluctant snake that tried its best to stay anchored to her body and handed it over to a waiting follower. "See to it Zombie is put in his cage," she commanded. The crowd watched in utter silence as the man hurried away.
"Behold!" Marie called out while opening her arms to the crowd. "Even the son of the Devil seeks my counsel." A rise of whispers shot through the spectators. Encouraged by their reactions, she grabbed Erik's hand and raised it high into the air with her own. "I alone, Queen of Voodoo, can bring solace to the Prince of Darkness." Erik snatched his hand back with a scorching look, while Marie kept hers up to the level of her eyes.
Eric narrowed his eyes and hissed loud enough only for her ears. "My noose would find its mark around your neck, witch, if that was what I desired...
"I don't fear you," she sneered. You have sought me out, not I you."
He let his face harden. "Only to make you fix your sabotage..."
~~~
Dare you enter the world of Voodoo, conjuring, reincarnation, immortality, obsessed love, and more? Will Eric ever find the fulfillment of the love he had once felt for Christine, only to have her feelings ripped away by another man? Wow, you can't possibly imagine the answer given by Laurie L. Bolanos! Brilliant! Bravo to Bolanos, as well as her father, Barry Lacour... who has added to the mystic bounty that readers will find in Prince of Conjurers! Enjoy! GABixlerReviews
Laurie L. Bolanos lives below sea level in a small cottage on the edge of a city shaped like a bowl. When given the opportunity, she doesn't mind hopping a few states over to enjoy Gulf breezes and to dip her toes in the ocean. She likes to take long walks on the beach, sip the occasional piña colada, and soak in the rays of the sun. No matter the venue, her preference is to be barefoot. However, she will bend to social expectations and don a pair of shoes when necessary. She enjoys attending a monthly drumming circle at which she was, in fact, told she has a "natural ability." Loving the vibrations of the drum, she has also invested time with tuning-fork therapy, although she has not yet been certified in the art. Laurie comes from an Italian family and can prove it with her DNA results from 23andMe which has confirmed that she is 40.4% Italian. Other nationalities need not feel left out as she also has French, German, British, Irish, Iberian, Balkan, Sardinian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi, Middle Eastern, West African, and Yakut ancestry, proving by her very existence that we are one world and should not be divided by race.
Laurie L. Bolanos was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to parents who are devout readers and passed that love on to her. In fact, she kept files on people throughout her childhood insisting that she would need the information as one day she would write a book. She graduated from Archbishop Chapelle High School in Metairie, Louisiana and went on to graduate from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana with a BA in English. She was an LPN for twelve years before returning to Delgado/Charity School of Nursing, graduating as an R.N. in January of 2006. She continues her nursing career while writing in her spare time. In between working and writing, she reads. There is nothing like the journey a good book can provide.
There was no escape. Looking at mountains or thinking
about mountains seemed to be equivalent to the release
of severe allergy symptoms for Carter. He did his best
to avoid these actions. However, he tested this mountain
theory a couple more times to verify that he wasn’t
going crazy. The results were like clockwork. It was
an odd trigger, he thought, but at least he had a trigger.
~~
Wow, the mountains... he had never seen them before, yet here he was being shown scenes from his life--they weren't in time sequence but... ...But as soon as he saw the mountains in Boulder, Colorado, he began to have those feelings again. Apparently these mountains had once been in his life. But how? Even the town had been voted happiest city...and the beliefs of Buddhism were followed by many... None of which meant anything to him...
Desert Son
By Glenn Maynard
Visiting Heaven and being thrown back was not something that was easily understood or accepted. He was glad to be there--in fact, he had immediately felt love surrounding him and there was no pain--he felt better than he had in years! He had come through the tunnel into the light that he'd always heard about, wondering if that was the normal way for those who were killed by accidents... Even if he'd been thrown outside the car, and he had seen that his parents were still inside, yet he knew they would be alright and even saw their spirit leave their bodies and move upward as he laid on the ground, not able to move. At least the paramedics were working on him and would handle things from here on in...
Not only did
it perplex him in the way she said it,
but with the message itself. He thought
that maybe he misread it. Clearly,
this was not Carter’s mother. His mother
had not yet arrived, and even though
he believed she soon would, this woman
hardly resembled her. This woman was much
taller than his mother, and had long, dirty
blonde hair. His mother wore her black
hair short and curly. This lady looked frail
for her young age, but Carter’s mother had
about 25 more pounds on her. Also, the rough
skin on his mother could not have turned
so soft. Not a chance, thought Carter. He could
not detect one similar feature.
~~~
Carter Spence had always been close to his parents, even remaining at home to save money when he got a job. He genuinely liked being with them and often accompanied them when they went visiting or out to eat...
"Welcome Son..."
He really didn't know what at happened at first, but he could see a man lying on the ground, away from their car. He was curious enough to move closer and to realize that it was him. The entire sequence of events through which Carter travels is amazingly realistic. When he got to where he was going, a favorite aunt was there and expressed her continued love and then he met his former animal companion who had been killed early in his life... He was happy to have him there to know that he was doing fine. There were others who waved or nodded but then a woman with dirty blond hair came toward him and greeted, "Welcome, Son." For some reason this really bothered him...maybe because he knew his mother had also died in the accident, but this woman wasn't his mother... But she kept on talking and then quickly announced that he was going back--he had more to do. She kept talking to him, giving further information, but there was a lot of noise pulling him back, back. back...
Carter was changed... He didn't know whether it was because he came back from death, that his parents had died, or merely that he didn't feel right in the life he had been living. He couldn't even bring himself to sleep in their house... Telling his boss, who had been in business with his father, that he had to get away, he was assured he would have a job there whenever he felt he could return...Carter got in the car and drove... West... The only thing that kept him going was the bits of information that the woman had told him while he was in Heaven... And the pictures he had been shown during his "This is your life" film they'd played upon his arrival... Carter felt like he was living in a fog and then something would happen and he'd respond to the "sign." This time he had suddenly pulled off the road, not knowing why, but then glanced at his gas gauge and saw the gas station... Inside he immediately headed for the self-serve coffee--only thing was, she was there first and turned around and walked directly into him. Hot coffee everywhere! He fell for her immediately and was trying to figure out how to get more acquainted when she asked if he was heading to Colorado and handing him money for gas, asked if she could have a ride... Before very long, Carter was glad he'd had her with him... Especially when he'd later run out of gas and was having vibes that he should go talk to an old man sitting on his porch... and was totally confused when, once Brenda had been received into the house, the old man had attacked her and knocked her to the floor! Once Carter is on the road, having left his home behind, the speed of action greatly increases and readers are immediately into a turn-page frenzy as things move fast and more information is discovered. Who was Carter Spence? Had he been adopted early in life and never been told? Was there any credibility to the hypnosis, reincarnation and other Buddhist beliefs that he was learning about and what part had they played in his life, if any? Glenn Maynard takes readers deep into whether fate has any real hold on individuals. Can unfinished business be handled even after death. Can love be continued through reincarnated individuals who are "dragged" through life until that which must happens, does? Are you willing to accept your own fate, even if it means getting kicked back to life after you've died? There are many ponderous ideas that come to mind through Desert Son. But, hey, the action and suspense is almost overwhelming so that readers tend to accept what is being said and move on, wanting to figure out what the heck is going on! There's definitely a mixture of genres in the book, but I think for me the thriller component was the most significant thing for me. Afterwards, I'm not persuaded about the philosophies of life as explored...but they do make for a "what if" novel that grabs you until you grasp what has actually been accomplished for the involved characters. Yikes! Check it out! GABixlerReviews
glennmaynard
Bio: Glenn Maynard has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Connecticut, and a degree in Communications. After spending 4 years living in Denver, Colorado, he returned home to Connecticut and now resides in Wethersfield. He has a 9 year-old son named Andrew. He was a travel correspondent for three newspapers while traveling through the United States, Canada and Mexico during his one-year journey. He had a total of twenty newspaper articles published. His story was captured on the evening newscast upon his return.
1695 AD England "Sound the assembly! The sun's up and time's awasting." Charles Wallace stood in his stirrups, long, equestrian-hardened legs raising his tall frame high above the restless conglomeration of horses and riders, million about the glade of the gray granite mansion house. The Earl of Devonshire's nostrils flared, savoring the pungent orders of trampled, dew-laden grass and fresh droppings. He tugged at the cuffs of his taupe doeskin riding gloves, massaging palms together, as a shiver tiptoed across his spine. Anticipation, not the chilled morn air, was its author... Wallace's topaz eyes raked the crowd, all mounted and eager to be off...Still, he scoured the sea of bobbing black and tan caps and flowered bonnets. Ah! There--the copper-haired French seraph. He visualized her delectably curved long legs below full hips, cinched by a petite waist. Her heart-shaped face was illuminated by incandescent emerald eyes, hovering above a slender, tipped up nose...Victoria Chevalier was a passionate, willful maid, plainly..
~~~
1850 AD Philadelphia "There's a small cafe nearby," he said. "Quite secluded, and tables in the back allow for complete privacy. Shall we go there?"...
Almost a year to the day after she first met Robert Isaac, they rode his black lacquered surrey into the countryside for a picnic. Jonathan Denton had succumbed ten months past, leaving his fortune in trust to his only daughter. William Quincy made many determined forays after a share of that wealth, but a phalanx of attorneys could not dent the ironclad instruments forged by Robert for his client. Denton had consigned Morgana's care and fate to the hands of his capable young man. It was a duty he would have taken seriously... even if he hadn't fallen hopelessly in love with her...
"I've found love with another man," she had told Robert, a merry twinkle in her golden eyes... Oh, you ninny." She laughed, eyes alight, her face a picture permanently etched into the fabric of his brain.
"His name is Robert Isaac. 'Tis you I love, my sweet fool..."
~~~
A 3rd Time to Die
By George A. Bernstein
Having just read this author's Debut novel, I was somewhat disappointed as I began to read his latest. The basic storyline--a married couple, with a greedy husband wanting to stay married for the trust funds left his wife, was the exact plot for the first novel. A hint to Bernstein that this is very noticeable to readers... Also, a need for proofreading is a small issue...
But after getting into the story, especially once the suspense mounts at every turn, this irritation was soon forgotten as the whodunit mystery grabs hold--tightly! There was no way I was gonna figure out who the guilty person was. Of course, having multiple people come back in multiple lives, when you have no idea who they might be in the present life, can having you questioning every single character now living...LOL Do you believe in reincarnation? Well, none of the individuals in this story did--even the psychologist scoffed at the idea...
Until a new client started telling that psychologist what was happening to her...
This strange, uncontrollable panic... The Terror she called it...blossomed early in their marriage. All was wonderful at first, as they kissed and touched trembling with delicious passion. She'd close her eyes, descending into her special imaginary place, that tranquil little meadow, surrounded by massive oaks and firs. She'd even imagine the tinkling of a brook, tumbling over small rocks. Mon amour! Mon amour! That lustful French voice, whispering to her, spilling goose bumps down her spine. Where did it come from? Exciting, but kind of spooky, too. Then something would change. Ardor and joy were quickly squelched by the specter of a fierce horned apparition, wickedly hooked beak and raking claws, charging from the woods, screaming death. She knew it was imagination, but The Terror clutched her heart, drying up her juices, stiffening her limbs with panic. She'd fight through it, trying to relax, steadying her breathing, wanting to please her husband. She never discussed it with anyone, feeling foolish... !!!
Ashley Easton had not planned to buy a horse, but when she saw how it had been beaten, having heard the horse's cries and run to find him, she promptly made the decision and bought the horse. It had been years since she had ridden and jumped, having stopped to marry and take care of her family, but she was feeling like her marriage was going sour...
We'll look great out there, won't we buddy? A pair of redheads having fun." She grimaced, shaking her head. Was she really ready for this? She loved riding, and especially jumping this big horse she had bought on a whim, little more than a year ago. Once healthy, he turned out to be the enthusiastic jumper that guy had been promised, and then some! Her vow to Keith to take it slowly evaporated when she realized he was so eager to attack fences. Now, after ten months of hard training, they were entered i her first tournament, the first major amateur shows of the Northern Illinois season. Nothing like starting big... ~~~
Now Keith was screaming that she should never have made the purchase and, further, that she shouldn't be riding, claiming the reason was because she was pregnant. Maybe if he had asked her to talk about it...but forbidding her really was all that it took to ensure that she would indeed be continuing to ride and hopefully begin to compete!
What really angered her was his using the baby when he had earlier shouted that he didn't want the child! So she left for her race prepared...but not for what happened there!
Injun tossed his head and took several quick, mincing steps in place, sensing the time was near for jumping. She again scoured the stadium but noticed no familiar faces. Then she saw him...lounging by the arena's railing, his obsidian eyes riveted on her. Who is this intriguing guy, lean and fit-looking, whom she observed several times in the last few days, watching her work Injun over the practice course? Again the beat of hummingbird wings fluttered in her breast... She shook her head imperceptibly, returning her attention to the stadius... She shifted her seat in the saddle, changing her focus, visualizing the challenging course before her... "Show 'em how it's done, Red," he shouted, as she turned her attention to the course and began her run. The first jump was a brush and single-pole. Despite the man's encouragement, a wave of chills spilled across her back. She crouched low in the saddle, driving the roan forward with her knees.
Jeez, that's a big fence! But Injun cantered in, head high and ears forward, and as if understanding the man's words, stood off in full stride, soaring over it with ease. Wow! Beautiful! Maybe we can handle this after all. She leaned left, sudden confidence surging through her Her grip on the reins changed subtly, unfamiliar but somehow stronger. Her sometimes tenuous seat strangely firm, she eagerly drove toward the next obstacle, guiding with pressure from her knees as much as from the reins. Ashley squinted, measuring the size and breadth of the jump, a wooden wall. The world around her momentarily slowed to a crawl. Alle! Her head popped up at that long forgotten sultry voice, chortling in her head. Why suddenly now, after a fifteen year silence? A quick head shake as she fastened on the approaching barrier...What the...? Where did the wooden barrier go? A boulder studded four-foot wall, covered with moss and ivy, loomed in front of them...The jarring shock of landing clear of the jump brought her head up, as she fought to regain her stirrup. Oh God, Oh God! We made it. When did they set that up? So realistic! Shit! This isn't the course. How the Hell...did we get lost in the woods? Tally Ho! Tally Ho! The big sorrel thundered on, oblivi0us of his master's confusion, hurdling the rough trunk with Ashley clinging to his neck and mane, trying to regain command of the sweat-slick reins. She managed to thrust her foot into the flapping stirrup and gain tension on the bridle just as they burst upon an unruly tall brush line, bordering a bubbling stream. Mon Dieu, cette foret est si beau. She blinked. Damned French again? This is too much!.. Forget it. Gotta concentrate on weaving through sparse woods, thick with the smell of fir, hurtling rock and stone walls, trees and wooden fences, hedges and streams, until there were none left. Where did they come from and how had she gotten there? She'd seek those answers later. Had to finish this first. Broken sunlight, like celestial spears, pierced the woods ahead. A meadow? Once clear, they could find their way home...La Finis. She shivered, glancing up, blinking again...Back at Onwentsia! Back on course!
~~~
It was time to admit it, Ashley needed some help to understand what was happening. In the meantime, however, she had met the intriguing man who had called out to her and he had started to help with her training. Then, while she was unable to ride due to the pregnancy, she brought her other two children to begin taking classes.
Once the baby was born, when Keith had not even made it to the hospital, she seriously began to think about her future. She started investigating and found people who were willing to tell her that Keith had been going to a high-priced call girl for years, but recently had taken a mistress...
Then it really got wild, as she started with a psychologist that her friend had recommended, and shared what happened to her while running her last race. The more she shared, the more he realized that what she was saying was true--at least for her. He suggested hypnosis to find the point where she had started to be afraid of sexual relations...
What he didn't expect was to find he, himself, actually watching... He had finally told her to go all the way back until she was actually experiencing the fear, even while knowing she was alright and was watching what happened herself... The psychologist saw exactly what was happening, not just by her telling him, but because he saw her and her lover murdered, torn to shreds in a small wood clearing. Had he committed murder in a former life?! Now everybody was heading to the internet to find out whether these events had happened... Who, What, Why...and Where would the 3rd death occur?!
Even with the few things that bothered me editorially, I still have to recommend this for an exciting and intriguing paranormal romantic suspense... Check it out! GABixlerReviews
George A. Bernstein is the retired President of a Chicago company, now living in south Florida. He's also a "World-class" fly fisherman, having held a dozen IGFA World Records, and has published Toothy Critters Love Flies (www.pikeflyguy.com), the definitive book on fly fishing for pike and musky. A 3rd Time to Die is his 2nd novel. His first, Trapped, was a contest winner, and received high praise, gaining mostly 5-star reviews at Amazon. Feel free to visit George at www.GeorgeABernstein.com
"A fortuitous legacy," she said, staring out beyond the room. She turned back, studied me, smiled, then put her hand over mine. "I'll be right back." She returned not more than five minutes later, holding something in her right hand. She sat down next to me again, gently pulled my wrist toward her and opened out my palm. I felt something cool and smooth drop into it, her fingers closing mine around it. I opened my hand and looked down. "A turquoise stone. I looked back at her. "Is this...?" "Yes. It is... "I now believed that..."
Turkoise
By Joan M. Sargent
Turkoise is a fascinating story. Even if you have no real thoughts about reincarnation, the concept of returning after death, over and over into other lives, is intriguing, especially when you have a story created so beautifully and explained so carefully and with such imagery as is done by Joan M. Sargent.
If you've loved someone very much, you hate the thought of living without that loved one...
Claire was such a woman...
Emily Reidell, a journalist, met her through the love of her life, Nick Turner, a psychiatrist. Horribly, Nick was killed before they were married--just days before. Emily was devastated...
And went into depression, understandably. But soon family and friends were worried about her--she had to go on without Nick; she had to begin a new life... And, little by little, at her own pace, she began to remember a conversation with Nick about one of his patients who was having dreams and he was using hypnosis to help her understand her experiences.
Emily had kidded--that she just knew she had been Cleopatra. Going on, that dreams were just made up stories. Surprisingly Nick agreed that could be possible--that they could be what was called "Healing Fictions..."
Now Emily was faced with the box that contained the case file of Claire. Nick had already received permission to share her records with Emily and possibly use them in some way, to share Claire's story...
Imagine if you would, going to bed nightly and having the dream du jour--you might travel to Kyoto, Japan and remember a beautiful day with your beloved...
The next night may be horrible as you wind up in Colonial Virginia as a slave...
So it was that when Emily began to review the materials, she found that a dream might have taken Claire to Anjou, France in the year 1273 AD, while another revealed that she was in Santorni, Greece, in 1628 BC...Turkoise, then, is the book telling us full stories of several of the six previous lives of Claire as merged and edited by Emily Reidell...
But, of course, you would know that a journalist would never stop there--she had to know if Claire was alive and what had happened! Wouldn't you want to know? After all, a never-ending love had begun, according to the case file, in 1628 BC and continued through 1838 AD ending in California...But that was all historical lives she had lived! What was happening, right now, in the present time? Was she in love, married, dead to live another life, finding her lost love, only to have one or the other killed, just like Emily's Nick?
Emily had to know! And you will too as you visit each of those lives where Claire had again loved...and lost...
Surely, if you have read this much, you will know that this is a must-read for all those who have loved someone! Would that be YOU?
GABixlerReviews
Joan began her career in communications just out of U.C. Berkeley as one of the founding staff of Ten Speed Press. From there, it was a twenty-year career as an award-winning copywriter and marketing strategist for top retail corporations and start-ups in Los Angeles and San Francisco. A seasoned world explorer who has walked mountain ranges on three continents, Joan was a member of the first international team to discover dozens of galleries of aboriginal rock art on Australia’s Cape York Peninsula, and was the first American woman to solo navigate the perilous Cairns-Burketown track across Australia’s top end. Today, when not writing, Joan can be found taking photos or noodling Blues riffs on her Strat.
In the 1990′s Joan suddenly found herself living every writer’s dream: her own roomy garret and plenty of time to write. But life threw a few curve balls her way, and for eight years she wrestled with writer’s block. Then came the fateful afternoon when her newly acquired rescue dog went one direction on a leash, while Sargent went another. Sargent’s head slammed full force into the edge of a door, she saw stars, and was diagnosed with a concussion. Then, slowly, as if she had received a Zen wake-up call, her creativity returned.
Find out more about how she came to write this book on her web site! It is almost as interesting as her book!
