Forbidden first popped onto my radar a few months ago when @ReverieBR tweeted that she'd read it and it was very intense. I looked it up immediately and was kind of surprised by the subject matter, but admittedly intrigued. When I saw it was available on GalleyGrab, I downloaded it and read it.
Lochan and Maya are brother and sister and thirteen months apart in age. They have three younger siblings they are largely responsible for because their mother is mostly an alcoholic absentee. Lochan is the oldest and has severe social anxiety. Despite the fact that he's very intelligent, he had no friends and can't even speak up in class. However, with his family he's much more himself and their primary caregiver in many ways. He is especially close to Maya. They have been very close since they were little kids, sharing their whole lives together.
Eventually, Lochan and Maya realize they are not only attracted to each other but deeply in love. They try to fight it in various ways but their love for each other is one hundred percent mutual. They are aware of society's attitude towards incest, and while they grapple with knowing in their heads how repulsive their relationship is to the outside world, their love feels pure and true to each other. They are soon bogged down by trying to have a hidden relationship in their family, dealing with their own fear and desire, and trying to keep their family going.
I have so much I want to say about this book. First of all, the pacing was spot on, it was fast moving, and very engrossing. I suppose that's the fascination element of it, who falls in love with their sibling? The book alternates first person point of view between Lochan and Maya. And yes it was at times uncomfortable to read, but I don't think that was necessarily the authorial intent at all. In fact, authorial intent is what I want to discuss. Some spoilery info below, don't read any further if you don't want to know.
Suzuma makes it clear that both Lochan and Maya are beautiful attractive people that others would like to date, they just aren't interested. Maya does try to go out with another guy and it's actually the catalyst for them admitting their feelings to each other and having their first physical encounter. The book does not shy away from the physical encounters AT ALL, they are very graphic. I think she does this to illustrate how they feel for each other and react to each other is very much like any two teenagers in love would. I also think she was very intentional in creating a home life for them that was high stress where they had learned to depend on each other a great deal. The relationship actually felt a bit codependent to me in the early parts of the book, which would not be surprising with their kind of home life. They are even faux parents raising their children together--the weight of responsibility for their younger siblings falls squarely on their shoulders.
And it feels in many ways like a typical romance with certain roadblocks set up along the way. They both want to be able to love each freely and it never seems to me that they ever feel like their love is wrong. They are only afraid of breaking the law and being kept apart. The stress on them is great because they want to keep their family together. And the entire time I was reading, I knew it was doomed, there's just no way in our society that a relationship like this would have a chance. But at the same time, I felt enormous sympathy for them. Falling in love with each other completely wrecked their lives. They had always been friends, there's no way you come back from something like that, FALLING IN LOVE WITH A SIBLING.
Reading this was rather timely because it was around the time people were talking about YA books and how they are written to send a message. I disagree that they are written to send a message, however, I do feel all books send messages, if that makes sense. I don't even think authors consciously always know what sort of message they are delivering, but a message is always sent. It's best, however, when the message is debatable I think. And I think you could say Forbidden is a good example of that.
I won't claim to know what Suzuma's motivation was in writing this (I did ask for an interview, but alas! She's probably very busy) but if I were to guess, I think she wanted to explore a cultural taboo like incest and imagine a situation where it didn't fit any stereotypes but rather seemed like the right thing for the characters involved. I felt sympathy for them and I even cried a lot at the end. So you could say the book's message is to raise the question of whether or not there are really any absolute wrongs when it comes to relationships. What if there is a situation where the love is true and the right love for them? If there was any such case, I would imagine it would look like this book.
On the other hand, SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
the minute they consummate their love, everything falls apart. It ends badly, not going to lie to you. So you could suggest Suzuma chose at this point to punish her characters for their choice. (I don't think this, but it could be argued.)
In any case, Forbidden is certainly a book that made me think a lot. I even found this article on how common consenual incest is. Admittedly, it still grosses me out, but I don't know if that means anything or not about whether or not it should be acceptable in certain situations. Anyone who believes in a literal creation story also believes that incest once occurred. In Tosca Lee's Havah Adam and Eve's children fell in love with each other and their parents.
Rating: 4.5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Sex, profanity
Source of Book: egalley
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Monday, May 30, 2011
Review: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Giveaway: Treasures from the Attic: The Extraordinary Story of Anne Frank's Family
Hi everyone! Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Doubleday I have two copies of thsi book to give away to US residents. Please fill out the form. As always, winners will be notified via email.
About the Book
The story is one that is envisioned by many: a relative, an old woman who has lived in the same home for a lifetime, passes away, her death prompting the inevitable task of sorting through her effects by her surviving family. But in the attic in this particular house, a treasure trove of historic importance is found. Rarely does this become an actuality, but when Helene Elias died, no one could put a price on what she left behind.
Helene Elias was born Helene Frank, sister to Otto Frank, and therefore aunt to Anne Frank. Ensconced upstairs in the house she inherited from her mother, and eventually passed on to her son, Buddy Elias, Anne’s cousin and childhood playmate, was the documented legacy of the Frank family: a vast collection of photos, letters, drawings, poems, and postcards preserved throughout decades—a cache of over 6,000 documents in all.
Chronicled by Buddy’s wife, Gertrude, and renowned German author Mirjam Pressler, these findings weave an indelible, engaging, and endearing portrait of the family that shaped Anne Frank. They wrote to one another voluminously; recounted summer holidays, and wrote about love and hardships. They reassured one another during the terrible years and waited anxiously for news after the war had ended. Through these letters, they rejoiced in new life, and honored the memories of those they lost.
Anne’s family believed themselves to ordinary members of Germany’s bourgeoisie. That they were wrong is part of history, and we celebrate them here with this extraordinary account.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Secret Circle Trailer and L.J. Smith Challenge
I am pretty excited by the shows picked up for this fall TV season. I'll be highlighting the ones I'm looking forward to most on Intimate Strangers this week, but you have to know I'm really looking forward to The Secret Circle.
Along with The Vampire Diaries and her other series, I read The Secret Circle books years ago and loved them. Since Kevin Williamson was brought on board to help with the pilot of this show, I'm hopeful because I've really enjoyed The Vampire Diaries show (even though it has strayed far from the books).
And let's face it, I loved these books, but they undoubtedly retain the flavor of the 90s. Even so I decided I wanted to try to reread them before the show starts in the fall and revive the L.J. Smith challenge. So this is just a light summer challenge for anyone interested in reading the books before the show starts. Just fill out the form below and let me know if you plan to join in and I'll add your name to a participants list. I'll put up a link up post to link your reviews to. Since The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle will be on the same night this fall (Thursday), I hope to recap both shows as well.
I'm also posting the extended trailer to get you excited. It's six minutes long and basically spoils the plot of the pilot I think, but it should also get you excited! A few things of note: the coven has been reduced to only 6 members, it takes place in Washington instead of New Salem :(, no people of color to be found??? Hopefully this will be remedied quickly, yes that's an Arcade Fire song during part of the trailer.
Friday, May 27, 2011
BBAW 2011--I Need Help
Hey everyone!
It's the time of year that I turn my thoughts to the annual celebration of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. It's this September from the 12th to the 16th. BBAW is like an online festival for book bloggers where we get together (virtually) and celebrate one another! There's giveaways, awards, guest posts from around the blogosphere, etc. I need help pulling it off!
If you have time to help please fill out this form! Keep in mind that I really need people who can follow through on commitments and don't mind working hard! Here are the areas:
Awards: Staffing judging panels, figuring out the technical aspects, transferring data, making spreadsheets, emailing, etc. It's a load of work.
Publicity: Creating excitement for the event, tweeting and facebooking, answering general questions and emails, writing press releases, reaching out to bloggers and working hard to spread the word.
Giveaways: Not gonna lie this is a TON of work! Reaching out to sponsors, creating contests and giveaways, emailing winners and then following up with sponsors. Also, working out ways to make giveaways as international as possible.
HELP ME! I love you all.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Nerds Heart YA Giveaway!
Nerds Heart Ya is gearing up to start the fun, but before they do, they are having an awesome giveaway! You have the chance to win one of two prize packs of Nerds Heart YA nominated books.
What is Nerds Heart YA? It's a bracket style competition for under recognized YA books. Read all about it here.
The rules to enter the giveaway are super fun so don't delay! Go check it out now!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Armchair BEA Blogger Interview with DW of Toothy Books!
I'm so happy to be interviewing DW of Toothy Books as part of Armchair BEA! DW is totally new to me which is one of the fun aspects of Armchair BEA...networking to meet other bloggers! Be sure to visit her blog!
What inspired you to start book blogging?
While I was in college I didn't have a lot of friends that read. Ask them what the last book they read was and they'll probably tell you it was Harry Potter. I started off just lurking around the book blogging community to see what everyone was reading and for book recommendations. But after I graduated from college, I had a free summer so I decided to start my own book blog just to record the books I've been reading and my thoughts about them. I had no idea where that small blog would take me, but I'm glad to be a part of the book blogging community and I've met so many wonderful people and received a ton of great book recommendations from the whole experience.
Has a book ever changed your life?
Oh wow, what a tough question! I really have to put on my thinking cap for this one, not to mention I need a quick glance over my bookshelf. I think every time I read a memoir, it changes my life as well as my perspective on life. I find it fascinating to read about other people's lives and I normally always walk away learning something new from the experiences they share. Off the top of my head, I really enjoyed The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. It was interesting to see how their lives can be so similar yet have such dramatically different outcomes.
Have you ever met internet friends in real life and if so what was that like?
I haven't met any internet friends in real life yet, though I would imagine it would be awesome to meet some book bloggers in real life. Hopefully I'll have the chance to attend BEA and the BBC sometime in the future. If you're ever in Houston though, give me a call!
What are some of the books you're really looking forward to reading this year?
Wow, there's so many I don't know which ones to choose. I'm really looking forward to reading The First Husband by Laura Dave, Shelter by Harlan Coben (huge fan of his), Long Gone by Alafair Burke, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Love Story by Jennifer Echols (there's the ya reader in me), and so many more!
What's one of the best experiences you've had book blogging?
I'm a really shy person in real life and when I first started blogging, I was more of a lurker than anything. I was afraid to comment on other people's blogs, but after a while I realized how sweet and kind the book blogging community is. Everyone I've "met" was so nice and wonderful and I love being a part of it and being able to discuss books and share book recommendations. I've read so many amazing books that I probably would of passed up and not read at all thanks to the book blogging world.
What do you enjoy besides reading and blogging?
I'm a sports fanatic! Besides reading and blogging, which I really wished I had more time to do, I love watching games on tv and attending them live. I can't get enough of sports and as long as Houston has a sports team for it, I'm down to watching it. The ice hockey season is slowly coming to a close right now and that's where my eyes are on now. Normally, I'm a huge basketball fan too, but I don't really care for the teams that are left in the playoffs so I'm boycotting them! Ha!
Thanks so much for your time DW!
You can also read the interview Laura of I'm Booking It did with me!
CFBA Book Spotlight: Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins
Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.
One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.
But Janessa's marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.
Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Giveaway: Save the Date by Jenny B Jones
In celebration of Armchair BEA, I'm giving away one copy of Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones. To enter this giveaway, just fill out the form. Open worldwide. I'll email the winner on Sunday.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Armchair BEA: Day 1--Come Get to Know Me!
Hi everyone!
I'm happy to be participating in Armchair BEA this year. This is the first year since 2007 that I won't be attending BEA (Book Expo America, the national publishing industry trade show) and I have to admit I've started feeling a little depressed about it. Then I remember that there's a fabulous world of book bloggers not going and we can have fun anyway. Also, I really don't have ANY space for more books, I'm saving money, and I'm not doing damage to my back. It's a winning situation.
So a little bit about me. I've been blogging for six years, but I've been hardcore book blogging since 2008. My own tastes and preferences as a reader have evolved during this time, and I actually don't expect that to change. Change is good, right? But at present, I really enjoy a variety of books. I have a thematic preference for books about faith, but that's not a limitation at all. I guess I also really like books that give me an insider's view into something I don't understand, people shunned by society or typically defined by stereotypes. I love young adult books, children's books, books called "women's fiction," books called "literary fiction", and lots of other stuff, too.
As far as how I'm doing Armchair BEA...well I hope to participate in as much as I can, from the comfort of my own home. :) Let's have fun, everyone!
FIRST: False Witness by Randy Singer
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and the book:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Reprint edition (April 25, 2011)
Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned 10 legal thrillers, including his award-winning debut novel, Directed Verdict. Randy runs his own law practice and has been named to Virginia Business magazine's select list of "Legal Elite" litigation attorneys. In addition to his law practice and writing, Randy serves as teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He calls it his "Jekyll and Hyde thing"—part lawyer, part pastor. He also teaches classes in advocacy and civil litigation at Regent Law School and, through his church, is involved with ministry opportunities in India. He and his wife, Rhonda, live in Virginia Beach. They have two grown children.Visit the author's website.
Clark Shealy is a bail bondsman with the ultimate bounty on the line: his wife's life. He has forty-eight hours to find an Indian professor in possession of the Abacus Algorithm—an equation so powerful it could crack all Internet encryption.Four years later, law student Jamie Brock is working in legal aid when a routine case takes a vicious twist: she and two colleagues learn that their clients, members of the witness protection program, are accused of defrauding the government and have the encrypted algorithm in their possession. After a life-changing trip to the professor's church in India, the couple also has the key to decode it.
Now they're on the run from federal agents and the Chinese mafia, who will do anything to get the algorithm. Caught in the middle, Jamie and her friends must protect their clients if they want to survive long enough to graduate.
An adrenaline-laced thrill ride, this retelling of one of Randy Singer's most critically acclaimed novels takes readers from the streets of Las Vegas to the halls of the American justice system and the inner sanctum of the growing church in India with all the trademark twists, turns, and the legal intrigue his fans have come to expect.
Product Details:
List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Reprint edition (April 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414335695
ISBN-13: 978-1414335698
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
THE LONGEST THREE DAYS of Clark Shealy’s life began with an expired registration sticker.
That was Clark’s first clue, the reason he followed the jet-black Cadillac Escalade ESV yesterday. The reason he phoned his wife, his partner in both marriage and crime . . . well, not really crime but certainly the dark edge of legality. They were the Bonnie and Clyde of bounty hunters, of repo artists, of anything requiring sham credentials and bold-faced lies. Jessica’s quick search of DMV records, which led to a phone call to the title holder, a Los Angeles credit union, confirmed what Clark had already guessed. The owner wasn’t making payments. The credit union wanted to repo the vehicle but couldn’t find it. They were willing to pay.
“How much?” Clark asked Jessica.
“It’s not worth it,” she replied. “That’s not why you’re there.”
“Sure, honey. But just for grins, how much are we passing up?”
Jessica murmured something.
“You’re breaking up,” Clark said.
“They’d pay a third of Blue Book.”
“Which is?”
“About forty-eight four,” Jessica said softly.
“Love you, babe,” Clark replied, doing the math. Sixteen thousand dollars!
“Clark—”
He ended the call. She called back. He hit Ignore.
Sixteen thousand dollars! Sure, it wasn’t the main reason he had come to Vegas. But a little bonus couldn’t hurt.
Unfortunately, the vehicle came equipped with the latest in theft protection devices, an electronically coded key supplied to the owner. The engine transmitted an electronic message that had to match the code programmed into the key, or the car wouldn’t turn over.
Clark learned this the hard way during the dead hours of the desert night, at about two thirty. He had broken into the Cadillac, disabled the standard alarm system, removed the cover of the steering column, and hot-wired the vehicle. But without the right key, the car wouldn’t start. Clark knew immediately that he had triggered a remote alarm. Using his hacksaw, he quickly sawed deep into the steering column, disabling the vehicle, and then sprinted down the drive and across the road
.
He heard a stream of cursing from the front steps of a nearby condo followed by the blast of a gun. To Clark’s trained ears, it sounded like a .350 Magnum, though he didn’t stay around long enough to confirm the make, model, and ATF serial number.
◁▷
Six hours later, Clark came back.
He bluffed his way past the security guard at the entrance of the gated community and drove his borrowed tow truck into the elegant brick parking lot rimmed by manicured hedges. He parked sideways, immediately behind the Cadillac. These condos, some of Vegas’s finest, probably went for more than a million bucks each.
The Caddy fit right in, screaming elegance and privilege—custom twenty-inch rims, beautiful leather interior, enough leg room for the Lakers’ starting five, digital readouts on the dash, and an onboard computer that allowed its owner to customize all power functions in the vehicle. The surround-sound system, of course, could rattle the windows on a car three blocks away. Cadillac had pimped this ride out fresh from the factory, making it the vehicle of choice for men like Mortavius Johnson, men who lived on the west side of Vegas and supplied “escorts” for the city’s biggest gamblers.
Clark speed-dialed 1 before he stepped out of the tow truck.
“This is stupid, Clark.”
“Good morning to you, too. Are you ready?”
“No.”
“All right. Let’s do it.” He slid the still-connected phone into a pocket of his coveralls. They were noticeably short, pulling at the crotch. He had bought the outfit on the spot from a mechanic at North Vegas Auto, the same garage where he borrowed the tow truck from the owner, a friend who had helped Clark in some prior repo schemes. A hundred and fifty bucks for the coveralls, complete with oil and grease stains. Clark had ripped off the name tag and rolled up the sleeves. It felt like junior high all over again, growing so fast the clothes couldn’t keep up with the boy.
He popped open the hood of the wrecker, smeared his fingers on some blackened oil grime, and rubbed a little grease on his forearms, with a dab to his face. He closed the hood and walked confidently to the front door of the condo, checking the paper in his hand as if looking for an address. He rang the bell.
Silence. . . . He rang it again.
Eventually, he heard heavy footsteps inside and then the clicking of a lock before the door slowly opened. Mortavius Johnson, looking like he had barely survived a rough night, filled the doorway. Clark was tall and slender—six-three, about one-ninety. But Mortavius was tall and bulky—a brooding presence who dwarfed Clark. He wore jeans and no shirt, exposing rock-solid pecs but also a good-size gut. He didn’t have a gun.
Clark glanced down at his paper while Mortavius surveyed him with bloodshot eyes.
“Are you Mortavius Johnson?”
“Yeah.”
“You call for a tow?”
Mortavius’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. The big man glanced at the pocket of Clark’s coveralls—no insignia—then around him at the tow truck. Clark had quickly spray-painted over the logo and wondered if Mortavius could tell.
Clark held his breath and considered his options. If the big man caught on, Clark would have to surprise Mortavius, Pearl Harbor–style, with a knee to the groin or a fist to the solar plexus. Even those blows would probably just stun the big man momentarily. Clark would sprint like a bandit to the tow truck, hoping Mortavius’s gun was more than arm’s length away. Clark might be able to outrun Mortavius, but not the man’s bullet.
“I left a message last night with the Cadillac dealer,” Mortavius said.
The Cadillac dealer. Clark was hoping for something a little more specific. “And the Cadillac dealer called me,” Clark said, loudly enough to be heard on the cell phone in his pocket. “You think they’ve got their own tow trucks at that place? It’s not like Caddies break down very often. If everybody could afford a Caddie, I’d go out of business.”
Clark smiled. Mortavius did not.
“What company you with?” he asked.
“Highway Auto Service,” Clark responded, louder still. He pulled out the cell phone, surreptitiously hit the End button with a thumb, then held it out to Mortavius. “You want to call my office? Speed dial 1.”
Mortavius frowned. He still looked groggy. “I’ll get the keys,” he said.
He disappeared from the doorway, and Clark let out a breath. He speed-dialed Jessica again and put the phone back in his pocket. He glanced over his shoulder, then did a double take.
Give me a break!
Another tow truck was pulling past the security guard and heading toward Mortavius’s condo. Things were getting a little dicey.
“I left some papers in the truck you’ll need to sign,” Clark called into the condo. But as soon as the words left Clark’s mouth, Mortavius reappeared in the doorway, keys in hand.
Unfortunately, he glanced past Clark, and his eyes locked on the other tow truck. A glint of understanding sparked, followed by a flash of anger. “Who sent you?” Mortavius demanded.
“I told you . . . the Cadillac place.”
“The Cadillac place,” Mortavius repeated sarcastically. “What Cadillac place?”
“Don’t remember. The name’s on the papers in my truck.”
Mortavius took a menacing step forward, and Clark felt the fear crawl up his neck. His fake sheriff’s ID was in the tow truck along with his gun. He was running out of options.
“Who sent you?” Mortavius demanded.
Clark stiffened, ready to dodge the big man’s blows. In that instant, Clark thought about the dental work the last incident like this had required. Jessica would shoot him—it wasn’t in the budget.
A hand shot out, and Clark ducked. He lunged forward and brought his knee up with all his might. But the other man was quick, and the knee hit rock-solid thigh, not groin. Clark felt himself being jerked by his collar into the foyer, the way a dog might be yanked inside by an angry owner. Before he could land a blow, Clark was up against the wall, Mortavius in his face, a knife poised against Clark’s stomach.
Where did that come from?
Mortavius kicked the door shut. “Talk fast, con man,” he hissed. “Intruders break into my home, I slice ’em up in self-defense.”
“I’m a deputy sheriff for Orange County, California,” Clark gasped. He tried to sound official, hoping that even Mortavius might think twice before killing a law enforcement officer. “In off hours, I repo vehicles.” He felt the point of the knife pressing against his gut, just below his navel, the perfect spot to start a vivisection.
“But you can keep yours,” Clark continued, talking fast. “I’m only authorized to repo if there’s no breach of the peace. Looks like this situation might not qualify.”
Mortavius inched closer. He shifted his grip from Clark’s collar to his neck, pinning Clark against the wall. “You try to gank my ride at night, then show up the next morning to tow it?”
“Something like that,” Clark admitted. The words came out whispered for lack of air.
“That takes guts,” Mortavius responded. A look that might have passed for admiration flashed across the dark eyes. “But no brains.”
“I’ve got a deal,” Clark whispered, frantic now for breath. His world was starting to cave in, stars and pyrotechnics clouding his vision.
The doorbell rang.
“Let’s hear it,” Mortavius said quietly, relaxing his stranglehold just enough so Clark could breathe.
“They’re paying me six Gs for the car,” Clark explained rapidly. He was thinking just clearly enough to fudge the numbers. “They know where you are now because I called them yesterday. Even if you kill me—” saying the words made Clark shudder a little, especially since Mortavius didn’t flinch—“they’re going to find the car. You let me tow it today and get it fixed. I’ll wire four thousand bucks into your bank account before I leave the Cadillac place. I make two thousand, and you’ve got four thousand for a down payment on your next set of wheels.”
The doorbell rang again, and Mortavius furrowed his brow. “Five Gs,” he said, scowling.
“Forty-five hundred,” Clark countered, “I’ve got a wife and—”
Ughh . . . Clark felt the wind flee his lungs as Mortavius slammed him against the wall. Pain shot from the back of his skull where it bounced off the drywall, probably leaving a dent.
“Five,” Mortavius snarled.
Clark nodded quickly.
The big man released Clark, answered the door, and chased away the other tow truck driver, explaining that there had been a mistake. As Mortavius and Clark finished negotiating deal points, Clark had another brilliant idea.
“Have you got any friends who aren’t making their payments?” he asked. “I could cut them in on the same type of deal. Say . . . fifty-fifty on the repo reward—they could use their cuts as down payments to trade up.”
“Get out of here before I hurt you,” Mortavius said.
◁▷
Clark glanced at his watch as he left the parking lot. He had less than two hours to return the tow truck and make it to the plastic surgeon’s office. He speed-dialed Jessica.
“Highway Auto Service,” she responded.
“It didn’t work,” Clark said. “I got busted.”
“You okay?”
He loved hearing the concern in her voice. He hesitated a second, then, “Not a scratch on me.”
“I told you it was a dumb idea,” Jessica said, though she sounded more relieved than upset. “You never listen. Clark Shealy knows it all.”
And he wasn’t listening now. Instead, he was doing the math again in his head. Sixteen thousand, minus Mortavius’s cut and the repair bill, would leave about ten. He thought about the logistics of making the wire transfers into accounts that Jessica wouldn’t know about.
Pulling a con on pimps like Mortavius was one thing. Getting one by Jessica was quite another.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Fun Book Stuff
Something a little lighter today. Stolen from Rachel Held Evans.
Can you name…
1. A book you threw across the room in anger
2. A book in which you underlined nearly every sentence.
3. A book you were surprised to love.
4. A book you can’t wait to read.
1) Actually, no. I can't remember the last time a book made me angry. I tend to not read things I know will really bug me and lately I give up anything that doesn't hold my attention. My relationship to books is much different than something like television where I have no idea what I'll be in for week to week. I'm feeling kind of sad about this at the moment, like maybe I should be having stronger emotional reactions to books, besides weeping which is definitely a reaction I have to certain books. I remember seeing people say they threw Mockingjay across the room but I loved that book fiercely. Maybe I'm not critical enough of a reader? Maybe I'm reading too passively? I don't know.
2) The most recent book in which I have done a lot of underlining, which has led to me not reviewing the book in a timely fashion is Naked Spirituality by Brian McLaren. Lots of wisdom, lots of "sit up and take notice of your life, Amy" moments while reading this book. Also, I should note I NEVER underline in books (and recently paperbackswap members have been sending me books with lots of underlining.) so it's kind of remarkable that I did in this one, but it was an ARC so for some reason I felt much more free to do so.
3) I read The Pirate Queenby Patricia Hickman earlier this year and was really surprised by how much I loved it. I expected it to be sort of an average read, but instead it was really lovely and thoughtful. This question is harder for me to answer because lately I'm really picky about what I read. Oh! I remember I was surprised by how much I loved The Host by Stephenie Meyer. That was a few years ago now, though.
4) OH SO MANY. One I'm really really looking forward to is Dancing on Glass by Pamela Ewen.
I hope you'll answer in comments or on your own blog and drop the link in comments!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Review: Bitter End by Jennifer Brown
Jennifer Brown's debut novel, Hate List, remains one of my favorite contemporary YA novels, and so I was anxiously awaiting her follow-up, Bitter End. Bitter End is certainly a lot different because it's about the devastating pain a single person faces in a relationship, and yet it's also similar to Hate List in that Brown tries to show us the way a relationship ultimately deemed BAD by the outside can at times feel good on the inside.
Alex's mother died when she was young and her dad checked out awhile ago. The closeness she used to share with her sisters is gone, but she does have two friends she's really close with and the three of them have planned a trip to Colorado for ages because that's the last place Alex's mother felt whole before she died. But Alex meets a new boy at school, Cole. Cole is really hot and best of all he's also really into her. They start dating and Alex is really happy. But Cole turns out to be really jealous and slowly starts isolating her from her other friends, he becomes physically violent, and soon Alex has to decide if Cole is ever really going to change or if she can get out the relationship.
This is the second book about an abusive relationship I've read this spring, and while Bitter End is about physical violence and Stay was about emotional abuse, they have some similarities. I think this is a really difficult subject to write about because we all sort of have Lifetime movies versions of domestic violence in our heads. And also, we live in a society that doesn't actually acknowledge much beyond, hitting your girlfriend/wife is bad, you shouldn't let a man treat you that way.
In fact, I was recently reading that women find it very hard to leave abusive relationships and acknowledge that they are IN one because women feel like they are supposed to be strong now and be smarter than letting that happen to them. I think Bitter End touched on this a bit. When Cole first hurts Alex, she absolutely refuses to acknowledge it's abuse. She knows in her head that's exactly what's happened, but it's such a shock to her. This is her relationship and she can't believe it's happening to them. I just found this so realistic and heartbreaking, that feeling when you know that you've isolated yourself from your friends and invested so much in a relationship and it is a sinking ship--it can't last, and yet you hang on. I found this scene, where Alex moves from disbelief to anger to desperation to hold onto Cole to be one of the best in the book.
Alex and Cole's relationship is not all bad. There are ways in which Cole demonstrates his love for Alex in a way she feels no one has cared for her before. I think this is so important, because even the other day in my post about abuse and Gossip Girl someone left a comment that there's no love in abusive relationships, and it's just not true.
If I had one complaint, it would be that it was hard for me to buy Cole as romantic. Brown shows some of his warning signs up front and so I was less invested. I knew what the book was about, therefore I didn't feel the same things as Alex felt them. Having said that, I still really felt for Alex a lot and found Bitter End to be emotionally honest and true.
Rating: 4.5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Profanity
Source of Book: ARC received from publisher
Publisher: Little, Brown
CFBA Book Spotlight: Fade to Blue by Julie Carobini
To her utter surprise, a serious old flame, Seth, is also now working at Hearst and jumbles the dreams inside Suz's heart. While sorting out the awkwardness of their past split and current spiritual differences, a repentent Len shows up eager to restore his family.
Suz must learn to let God be the true restorer of all that once seemed lost.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Cool Stuff
Working on a review of Jennifer Brown's Bitter End (love) and a response of my own to that mess of NYT fail, but in the mean time....
Nerds Heart YA Shortlists and Brackets have been announced. Not gonna lie, I looked at those books and thought, how am I ever going to read all of those? I love this tournament for bringing much needed light to books that otherwise don't get a lot of recognition. Anyway, I actually have several of those, so I'll be trying to squeeze them in with my other reading obligations. Do yourself a favor and do the same? And also Jodie deserves a huge shout-out for being an incredible organizer. I'm one of her biggest fans even though I failed in helping this year. :(
If YA lit is not your thing, but faith based lit is, then I'm glad to tell you the INSPYs nominations are now open. Please keep in mind we are on the hunt for excellent literature that grapples with elements of the Christian faith. I know you've read some, this is NOT exclusive to Christian fiction so please don't be scared to nominate your favorite general market books. We need your help in finding the best and getting the word out there.
Also, this is my favorite time of year in TV land where all the networks present their fall line-ups to the advertisers and try to make them sound like the best thing ever so they can sell big advertising packages. This has been, IMO, one of the worst TV seasons ever from the lack of great new original programming (of the 4 broadcast networks, I only picked up one new show) and the destruction of shows I used to love (Gossip Girl and Bones most notably). Next year does look pretty incredible, so I'm hopeful. And yes I plan on watching the ridiculous looking Teen Wolf and Falling Skies to get me through summer along with, sob, The Closer's final season.
But The Secret Circle is definitely going to be on next year so I'm thinking of reviving the L.J. Smith challenge. I might even recap it along with The Vampire Diaries (I wonder if they'll be on the same night?) Thoughts? Would anyone join?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Review: OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy
Ellie Taylor loves debate and public speaking and is really excited to go to a summer program that will both help her develop her skills and also earn a chance for a scholarship at a private school with an excellent program. She's Jewish and the camp is Christian, but open to people of all faith. So she doesn't think it will be a big problem, even though her grandfather is upset she's doing this.
Once she gets to camp though, she faces an obstacle. She really likes this guy, Devon, who happens to be the grandson of the woman who provides the scholarship. And he really likes her, too, but he suggests she downplay the fact that she's Jewish. Ellie surprised, but she does it. Soon, though, she's going to have to make a decision about whether or not it's worth it to her to stand up for her faith, even if it means losing her scholarship.
I really enjoyed OyMG. It reminded me a lot of being a teenager and being a Christian and never knowing how open I wanted to be about that. I really think that this book will be relateable to anyone of faith who has been uncomfortable outing themselves. And I think it may be even more interesting for people of a minority faith.
I really liked that Ellie's faith was genuine. She really believed in God and thought about his place in her life. This wasn't an issue of just her family's faith, but her own which was important and dear to her. Even so there was definitely family pressure. And I could also really understand Devon's point-of-view as well. It's hard to be a few generations younger and figure out how to deal with our grandparents and parents, racism, homophobia, etc. It's so easy to assume we somehow know better about everything, and to figure out how to approach these things with the humility of less life lived, but the conviction of our beliefs can be a point of struggle.
There's a part in the book where Ellie goes to church with Devon's family that I loved, as she tries to find ways to connect her belief with theirs. She thinks about God during this part,
"I closed my eyes. The choir had started a song, but the music faded in my head as I pictured God. When I was little, I always though of him sitting in heaven on a chair, like Abraham Lincoln in his Washington Monument. Even though I knew it wasn't really like that, I still pictured him that way, right down to the beard."*
I couldn't believe it. That is exactly how I pictured God for years, sitting on a chair like Abraham Lincoln. I'm not exactly sure why this would be so common, maybe because we don't have many images of kings on thrones in the States as part of our history, maybe because Abraham Lincoln is as close as we come to someone deeply revered in our national history, a bit of a king or god to us. But I loved this, because the conceptualization of God is something we don't often talk about, and yet it's something that was a huge part of being a young person growing up in an environment where everything was rooted in faith. Something deeply personal.
I really enjoyed OyMG, I think it's another excellent example of how YA books manage to honestly explore the role of faith in our lives without resorting to preachiness or condemnation. It's also just a fun and cute read.
Rating: 4.25/5
Source of Book: *ARC provided by publisher
Publisher: Walker
FIRST: How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and the book:
Kregel Publications (March 9, 2011)
Heather Munn was born in Northern Ireland of American parents and grew up in the south of France. She decided to be a writer at the age of five when her mother read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books aloud, but worried that she couldn’t write about her childhood since she didn’t remember it. When she was young, her favorite time of day was after supper when the family would gather and her father would read a chapter from a novel. Heather went to French school until her teens, and grew up hearing the story of Le Chambonsur-Lignon, only an hour’s drive away. She now lives in rural Illinois with her husband, Paul, where they offer free spiritual retreats to people coming out of homelessness and addiction. She enjoys wandering in the woods, gardening, writing, and splitting wood. 
Lydia Munn was homeschooled for five years because there was no school where her family served as missionaries in the savannahs of northern Brazil. There was no public library either, but Lydia read every book she could get her hands on. This led naturally to her choice of an English major at Wheaton College. Her original plan to teach high school English gradually transitioned into a lifelong love of teaching the Bible to both adults and young people as a missionary in France. She and her husband, Jim, have two children: their son, Robin, and their daughter, Heather. 
When had God ever stopped a war because a teenager asked him to? For fifteen-year-old Julien Losier, life will never be the same. His family has relocated to southern France to outrun Hitler’s menace. But Julien doesn’t want to run. He doesn’t want to huddle around the radio at night, waiting to hear news through buzzing static. Julien doesn’t want to wait.
Angry, frustrated, and itching to do something, Julien finds a battle everywhere he turns.
Soon after his family opens their house to a Jewish boy needing refuge, Julien meets Nina, a young Austrian who has fled her home by her father’s dying command. Nina’s situation is grave and Julien suddenly realizes the enormity of having someone’s life or death depend on… him.
Thrown together by a conflict that’s too big for them to understand, these young lives struggle to know what to do, even if it is not enough. Is there a greater purpose in the shadows of this terrible war? Or will their choices put them in greater danger?
Endorsements:
“The Munns have written an engrossing historical novel that is faithful to the actual events of World War II in western Europe during the tumultuous year 1940. But How Huge the Night is more than good history; it is particularly refreshing because the reader sees the conflict through the lives of teenagers who are forced to grapple with their honest questions about the existence and goodness of God in the midst of community, family, and ethnic tensions in war-ravaged France.”—Lyle W. Dorsett, Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
“Seldom have the horrors of war upon adolescents—or the heroism of which they are capable—been so clearly portrayed. I loved this coming-of-age story.”—Patricia Sprinkle, author of Hold Up the Sky
“The book expertly weaves together the lives of its characters at a frightening moment in conflicted times. As we read of their moral dilemmas and of their choices, we too wonder, Would I do has these in the story have done?”—Karen Mains, Director, Hungry Souls
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications (March 9, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 082543310X
ISBN-13: 978-0825433108
AND NOW...AN EXCERPT:
Thursday the power came back on. They sat in the living room, around the radio that crackled with static; they looked at each other, and then away. The room grew quiet as the announcer began to speak.
“Since Mussolini’s declaration of war on France two days ago, Italian troops are pushing west—”
Mama was on her feet. “The thief!” she hissed. “The backstabber, the coward!” Her face was red. Everyone was staring. She sat down.
Papa looked at her. “Saw his chance, I guess.”
“He’s a shame to his nation,” Mama snapped. Julien stared. Then they heard the shift in the announcer’s voice and turned sharply to the radio.
“German troops are approaching Paris at a rapid pace. As we speak, the vanguard is reported to be fifteen kilometers from Versailles. This will be our last broadcast for a while.”
They did not look at each other. The silence was total.
“Today Paris has been declared an ‘open city.’ Our military will not defend it. This decision was made to avoid bombardment and the great destruction and loss of life that it entails. . . .”
Julien realized he had not been breathing. It was an amazing thing, breathing. Tears shone in Mama’s eyes.
“They won’t bomb Paris,” said Papa quietly.
“They won’t bomb Paris,” Mama whispered.
Benjamin stood, his face very still. He walked slowly to the door and took the stairs.
Julien waited, breathing, seeing Paris; seeing Vincent and his mother look up out of their second-floor window at a clear blue sky. He waited until the news ended, until they had read a psalm that said The Lord has delivered.
Then he followed Benjamin.
Benjamin’s door was closed. Julien hesitated, biting his lip, and went into his own room.
He looked out the window in the fading light. They wouldn’t defend it. This was it, then. What Pastor Alex said was true. German tanks would roll down the Champs-Elysées for real in just a couple days. Then the boches would come here. And they would stay.
He pulled Vincent’s last letter out from under his nightstand. I can’t believe you almost died, it said. That’s crazy. He got up, and went and knocked on Benjamin’s door.
No answer.
“Benjamin? You all right?”
“Fine.”
Julien opened the door. Benjamin turned quickly, scowling.
“Did I say you could come in?”
“Well sorry,” Julien growled. How am I supposed to help when he’s like this? “Just wanted to say good night.”
“Good night then.”
“Look, it’s not as bad as it could have been, okay? They could have bombed the place to shreds like Ro—” He bit his tongue.
“You’re right,” said Benjamin, looking away. “That’s good for your relatives. I’m glad.”
“And your parents!”
“Nothing’s good for my parents.” His voice was toneless. “Look, Julien, we can talk about this in the morning. I need to go to bed.”
Julien knew when to quit. He turned away. “Sleep well.”
“You too.”
But he couldn’t. He turned and turned in his bed, twisting the sheets.
He got up and looked out at the crescent moon and the stars high over Tanieux, so white, so far, always the same; they would still be there when the Germans were here; they would still be there all his life. They were still there over Rotterdam, too. It didn’t make any difference.
When he finally slept, he dreamed: Paris on the fourteenth of July, the fireworks, bursts of blue, of gold, of red above the city. A whirling rocket going up with a hiss and a bang. Then a louder bang. Then a bang that threw up a great shower of dirt and stones, and people screaming, people running as the shells began to fall—
He woke, and lay shivering. He got up to close the window. The stars shone down like cold eyes.
He heard a faint scratching. Mice maybe. A floorboard creaked. He listened.
And he heard it. Very slow, stealthy footsteps going down the stairs.
He sat up slowly. Magali or Benjamin. Tiptoeing down the stairs to the kitchen, wishing there was something to eat. . . . He got out of bed and leaned out the window, watching for the faint light that would come through from the kitchen. No light came.
But on the ground floor, the heavy front door opened, and a dark shape slipped out into the street. A shadow with a suitcase in its hand.
He ran across the hall and threw open Benjamin’s door. A neatly made bed, a letter on the pillow. He grabbed it, ran back to his room, jerked his pants on over his pajamas, and ran downstairs in his socks. He’d catch him. Benjamin was on foot. He had to catch him. He scrawled on the flip side of the note, I’ve gone after him, pulled on his shoes and jacket, and flew down the stairs and into the dark.
He raced down the shadowed street and stopped at the corner, heart pounding, looking both ways. North, over the hill: the road to St. Etienne. A train to Paris, like he’d said? There were no trains now. Or south—south to where? Oh Lord if I choose wrong I’ll never find him.
Think. What would he do if it were him? He’d go south—north was suicide, but—he didn’t know, he didn’t know Benjamin. Who did? Nothing is good for my parents, he’d said—he didn’t seem to even care that Paris wouldn’t be bombed—
Because his parents weren’t in Paris.
Julien turned, suddenly sure, and ran.
The Kellers had left Germany because of Hitler and his people. Would they stay in Paris and wait for them? “Let’s walk south,” Benjamin had said—and that stupid map—he should have guessed.
He ran, breathing hard, his eyes on the dark road ahead. Oh God. Oh Jesus. Don’t let me miss him please—please—
He broke free of the houses; the Tanne gleamed in front of him under the splintered moon, cut by the dark curve of the bridge. He froze. He ducked into the shadows and breathed.
There on the bridge was a slender figure leaning on the parapet, looking down at the dark water.
Oh God. Oh Jesus. Now what?
Benjamin turned and took a long, last look at Tanieux. Then he adjusted his backpack, picked up his suitcase, and walked away.
Julien slipped out of the shadows and up to the bridge, his heart beating help me Jesus help me, his mind searching for words. Come home. And if he said no? Drag him? Help me Jesus. He was across the bridge, ten paces behind Benjamin; he broke into a silent run on the grassy verge of the road. He caught up to him. Laid a hand on his arm.
“Benjamin.”
Benjamin whirled, eyes wild in the moonlight. They stared at each other. “Why.” said Julien. “Tell me why.” His voice was harder than he meant it to be.
“Let me go.”
“No.” He tightened his grip on Benjamin’s arm.
Benjamin tried to pull away. “Julien, let me go. You have no idea. You have no idea what they’re like.”
“The boches?” This time his voice came out small.
“The Nazis, Julien. Ever heard of them? Yeah, you heard they don’t like Jews—I don’t think any of you people understand.” The sweep of his arm took in the school and the sleeping town. “Your parents are great, Julien—offering shelter and all—they really are. But they don’t know. Yet.”
But they do. They know. “Know what? What’ll they—do?”
“I’m not waiting around to find out.” His face was white and deadly serious. “Trust me on this, Julien. They are coming here and when they do, it’s better for you if I’m long gone.” I believe it is very dangerous to be a Jew in Germany. And soon—
Julien stood silent. The night wind touched his face; the hills were shadows on the horizon where they blotted out the stars. Suddenly he felt how large the world was, how huge the night, how small they stood on the road in the light of the waning moon. Ahead, the road bent into the pine woods, and in his mind, Julien saw Benjamin walking away, a small form carrying a suitcase into the darkness under the trees. His fingers bit into Benjamin’s arm.
“I don’t care,” he said savagely. “Where would you go?”
Benjamin said nothing; the moonlight quivered in his eyes as they filled with tears. He turned his head away. “I don’t know.” His voice shook.
Julien caught him by the shoulders, gripped him hard. “Well I do,” he said fiercely. “You’re coming home.”
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Vampire Diaries 2.21 and 2.22 Discussion
Fellow The Vampire Diaries fans, apologies for being so late with this. We have much to talk about.
First, Jenna :( And even John :( Can't help but feel bad for Elena in the course of two seasons of this show, which is apparently less than one calendar year, she has lost two sets of parents and an additional parental figure. I mean, what? I hope Alaric survives.
Okay I can barely remember 2.21 so let's move onto the finale shall we?
I know a lot of people hate the triangle, but this was the first episode where it thrilled me a little. What makes this triangle particularly delicious is that Stefan and Damon are brothers with so much history and guilt and love. I love me some Stefan and Damon, so the shift in the triangle, Stefan choosing Damon and Elena forgiving Damon and telling him she likes him just the way he is and all of that was, I don't know, it's intriguing. I guess I'll always be drawn to angst. I can see why Elena is drawn to Damon. He's good looking, but also his concern for her has to feel like a kind of power. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. It's too bad they've had Damon do so many awful things to Elena because otherwise I'd find the tension more believable.
Stefan is now high on blood and will be running around ruining lives with Klaus. Another story that's loaded with potential, especially if they play human blood addiction like they do on Being Human. (though I dumped that show awhile back)
And Jeremy sees dead people! I've always been a little annoyed with how some characters are able to make decisions with their power and face no consequences (Elena I'm looking at you) while others pay. Bonnie will definitely be paying and I'm really curious as to what their plans are.
I think everyone but Alaric and Elena now have a supernatural problem.
Thoughts? Wishes and hopes for S5?
Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot
World! I know Meg Cabot is a dearly loved author, twice nominated for BBAW's Best Author Blog Award and I have personally quite loved her blog for some time. But I had never read any of her books, so when I was invited to read Abandon, I thought, sure why not? Plus it's paranormal (well kind of) which I can really enjoy (and other times not enjoy)
Abandon is the story of Pierce a seventeen year old girl who had a near death experience when she was fifteen years old. She was whisked to the Underworld where she met John. John gave her a mysterious necklace that alerts her to when evil is around and when she fought to go back to the living and he let her or she was resuscitated or something, I wasn't exactly clear. In any case the diamond necklace alerts her to danger (the FURIES) and John is a constant presence.
Some bad things have happened to people around Pierce and now she's all suspicious of John and the necklace. Her mother has moved her back to the island where she grew up and there's a creepy cemetery there and also some creepy customs and I JUST REALIZED THIS REVIEW IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. I think that's because the book felt a bit all over the place to me. This was definitely a book setting up a series and while sometimes I don't particularly mind those, in this case I was pretty bored. This is a retelling of Persephone, and Pierce's backstory was like a big info dump and there wasn't any forward moving plot until the last 50 pages or so.
It's also a classic paranormal story in many ways, John, this death deity, is who knows how old, but for some unknown reason he's in love with Pierce. He's dark and mysterious, oozing sexual chemistry, and protective to the point of killing other people. We've heard this one before.
Also, I always thought Meg Cabot was more about the humor. She has such a light touch in her blog entries and so I assumed her books would be similar and while that is definitely going on in Abandon, it's not enough to save it and feels oddly out of place in a book about death and dying and the underworld.
Ultimately, this is a well written book but it's not all that unique, and I found it kind of boring. You may feel differently.
Rating: 3/5
Source of Book: Provided by publicist
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
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One lucky winner will get a copy of Abandon and a bracelet with a quote from the book. US residents only.
Friday, May 13, 2011
FIRST: The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and the book:
Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (April 19, 2011)
***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***
Colleen Coble’s thirty-five novels and novellas have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA, the Holt Medallion, the ACFW Book of the Year, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, the Booksellers Best, and the 2009 Best Books of Indiana-Fiction award. She writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail and love begin with a happy ending.
Visit the author's website.
Olivia seems to have it all, but her heart yearns for more.Olivia Stewart's family is one of the Four Hundred—the highest echelon of society in 1910. When her sister dies under mysterious circumstances, Olivia leaves their New York City home for Mercy Falls, California, to determine what befell Eleanor. She suspects Harrison Bennett, the man Eleanor planned to marry. But the more Olivia gets to know him, the more she doubts his guilt—and the more she is drawn to him herself.
When several attempts are made on her life, Olivia turns to Harrison for help. He takes her on a ride in his aeroplane, but then crashes, and they’re forced to spend two days alone together. With her reputation hanging by a thread, Harrison offers to marry her to make the situation right. As a charity ball to rebuild the Mercy Falls lighthouse draws near, she realizes she wants more than a sham engagement—she wants Harrison in her life forever. But her enemy plans to shatter the happiness she is ready to grasp. If Olivia dares to drop her masquerade, she just might see the path to true happiness.
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (April 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 159554268X
ISBN-13: 978-1595542687
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Olivia handed her hat to the maid, who opened the door. “They’re in the drawing room, Miss Olivia,” Goldia whispered. “Your mama is ready to pace the floor.”
Olivia patted at her hair, straightened her shoulders, and pinned a smile in place as she forced her stride to a ladylike stroll to join the other women. Two women turned to face her as she entered: her mother and Mrs. Astor. They wore identical expressions of disapproval.
“Olivia, there you are,” her mother said. “Sit down before your tea gets cold.”
Olivia pulled off her gloves as she settled into the Queen Anne chair beside Mrs. Astor. “I apologize for my tardiness,” she said. “A lorry filled with tomatoes overturned in the street, and my driver couldn’t get around it.”
Mrs. Astor’s face cleared. “Of course, my dear.” She sipped her tea from the delicate blue-and-white china. “Your dear mother and I were just discussing your prospects. It’s time you married.”
Oh dear. She’d hoped to engage in light conversation that had nothing to do with the fact that she was twenty-five and still unmarried. Her unmarried state distressed her if she let it, but every man her father brought to her wanted only her status. She doubted any of them had ever looked into her soul. “I’m honored you would care about my marital status, Mrs. Astor,” Olivia said.
“Mrs. Astor wants to hold a ball in your honor, Olivia,” her mother gushed. “She has a distant cousin coming to town whom she wants you to meet.”
Mrs. Astor nodded. “I believe you and Matthew would suit. He owns property just down the street.”
Olivia didn’t mistake the reference to the man’s money. Wealth would be sure to impact her mother. She opened her mouth to ask if the man was her age, then closed it at the warning glint in her mother’s eyes.
“He’s been widowed for fifteen years and is long overdue for a suitable wife,” Mrs. Astor said.
Olivia barely suppressed a sigh. So he was another of the decrepit gentlemen who showed up from time to time. “You’re very kind,” she said.
“He’s most suitable,” her mother said. “Most suitable.”
Olivia caught the implication. They spent the next half an hour discussing the date and the location. She tried to enter into the conversation with interest, but all she could do was imagine some gray-whiskered blue blood dancing her around the ballroom. She stifled a sigh of relief when Mrs. Astor took her leave and called for her carriage.
“I’ll be happy when you’re settled, Olivia,” her mother said when they returned to the drawing room. “Mrs. Astor is most kind.”
“She is indeed.” Olivia pleated her skirt with her fingers. “Do you ever wish you could go somewhere incognito, Mother? Where no one has expectations of you because you are a Stewart?”
Her mother put down her saucer with a clatter. “Whatever are you babbling about, my dear?”
“Haven’t you noticed that people look at us differently because we’re Stewarts? How is a man ever to love me for myself when all he sees is what my name can gain him? Men never see inside to the real me. They notice only that I’m a Stewart.”
“Have you been reading those novels again?” Her mother sniffed and narrowed her gaze on Olivia. “Marriage is about making suitable connections. You owe it to your future children to consider the life you give them. Love comes from respect. I would find it quite difficult to respect someone who didn’t have the gumption to make his way in the world. Besides, we need you to marry well. You’re twenty-five years old and I’ve indulged your romantic notions long enough. Heaven knows your sister’s marriage isn’t what I had in mind, essential though it may be. Someone has to keep the family name in good standing.”
Olivia knew what her duty demanded, but she didn’t have to like it. “Do all the suitable men have to be in their dotage?”
Her mother’s eyes sparked fire but before she spoke, Goldia appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Bennett is here, Mrs. Stewart.”
Olivia straightened in her chair. “Show him in. He’ll have news of Eleanor.”
Bennett appeared in the doorway moments later. He shouldn’t have been imposing. He stood only five-foot-three in his shoes, which were always freshly polished. He was slim, nearly gaunt, with a patrician nose and obsidian eyes. He’d always reminded Olivia of a snake about to strike. His expression never betrayed any emotion, and today was no exception. She’d never understood why her father entertained an acquaintance with the man let alone desired their families to be joined.
“Mr. Bennett.” She rose and extended her hand and tried not to flinch as he brushed his lips across it.
“Miss Olivia,” he said, releasing her hand. He moved to her mother’s chair and bowed over her extended hand.
Olivia sank back into her chair. “What do you hear of my sister? I have received no answer to any of my letters.”
He took a seat, steepled his fingers, and leaned forward. “That’s the reason for our meeting today. I fear I have bad news to impart.”
Her pulse thumped erratically against her ribcage. She wetted her lips and drew in a deep breath. “What news of Eleanor?” How bad could it be? Eleanor had gone to marry Harrison, a man she hardly knew. But she was in love with the idea of the Wild West, and therefore more than happy to marry the son of her father’s business partner.
He never blinked. “I shall just have to blurt it out then. I’m sorry to inform you that Eleanor is dead.”
Her mother moaned. Olivia stared at him. “I don’t believe it,” she said.
“I know, it’s a shock.”
There must have been some mistake. She searched his face for some clue that this was a jest. “What happened?”
He didn’t hold her gaze. “She drowned.”
“How?”
“No one knows. I’m sorry.”
Her mother stood and swayed. “What are you saying?” Her voice rose in a shriek. “Eleanor can’t be dead! Are you quite mad?”
He stood and took her arm. “I suggest you lie down, Mrs. Stewart. You’re quite pale.”
Her mother put her hands to her cheeks. “Tell me it isn’t true,” she begged. Then she keeled over in a dead faint.
#
Harrison Bennett tugged on his tie, glanced at his shoes to make sure no speck of dirt marred their perfection, then disembarked from his motorcar in front of the mansion. The cab had rolled up Nob Hill much too quickly for him to gather his courage to face the party. Electric lights pushed back the darkness from the curving brick driveway to the porch with its impressive white pillars. Doormen flanked the double doors at the entry. Through the large windows, he saw the ballroom. Ladies in luxurious gowns and gentlemen in tuxedos danced under glittering chandeliers, and their laughter tinkled on the wind.
His valet, Eugene, exited behind him. “I’ll wait in the kitchen, sir.”
Harrison adjusted his hat and strode with all the confidence he could muster to the front door. “Mr. Harrison Bennett,” he said to the doorman.
The man scanned the paper in his hand. “Welcome, Mr. Bennett. Mr. Rothschild is in the ballroom.”
Harrison thanked him and stepped into the opulent hall papered in gold foil. He went in the direction of the voices with a sense of purpose. This night could change his future. He glanced around the enormous ballroom, and he recognized no one among the glittering gowns and expensive suits. In subtle ways, these nobs would try to keep him in his place. It would take all his gumption not to let them. It was a miracle he’d received an invitation. Only the very wealthy or titled were invited to the Rothschilds’ annual ball in San Francisco. Harrison was determined to do whatever was necessary to secure the contract inside his coat pocket.
A young woman in an evening gown fluttered her lashes at him over the top of her fan. When she lowered it, she approached with a coaxing smile on her lips. “Mr. Bennett, I’d hoped to see you here tonight.”
He struggled to remember her name. Miss Kessler. She’d made her interest in him known at Eleanor’s funeral. Hardly a suitable time. He took her gloved hand and bowed over it. “Miss Kessler. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“I came when I heard you were on the guest list.”
He ignored her brazen remark. “It’s good to see you again. I have some business to attend to. Perhaps later?”
Her eyes darkened and she withdrew her hand. “I shall watch for you,” she said.
And he’d do the same, with the intent to avoid her. “If you’ll excuse me.” He didn’t wait for an answer but strolled through the crowd. He finally spied his host standing in front of a marble fireplace. A flame danced in the eight-foot hearth. Harrison stepped through the crowd to join the four men clustered around the wealthy Rothschild.
The man closest to Harrison was in his fifties and had a curling mustache. “They’ll never get that amendment ratified,” he said. “An income tax! It’s quite ridiculous to expect us to pay something so outrageous.”
A younger man in a gray suit shook his head. “If it means better roads, I’ll gladly write them a check. The potholes outside of town ruined my front axels.”
“We can take care of our own roads,” Rothschild said. “I have no need of the government in my affairs. At least until we’re all using flying machines.” He snickered, then glanced at Harrison. “You look familiar, young man. Have we met?”
Flying machines. Maybe this meeting was something God had arranged. Harrison thrust out his hand. “Harrison Bennett.”
“Claude’s son?”’
Was that distaste in the twist of Rothschild’s mouth? Harrison put confidence into his grip. “Yes, sir.”
“How is your father?”
“Quite well. He’s back in New York by now.”
“I heard about your fiancée’s death. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Harrison managed not to wince. “Thank you.” He pushed away his memories of that terrible day, the day he’d seen Eleanor Stewart for what she really was.
“Your father was most insistent I meet you. He seems to think you have a business proposition I might be interested in.”
Harrison smiled and began to tell the men of the new diamond mines that Bennett and Bennett had found in Africa. A mere week after Mr. Stewart’s passing, Mr. Bennett had renamed the venture to include Harrison. An hour later, he had appointments set up with three of the men as possible investors. His father would be pleased.
Harrison smiled and retraced his steps to toward the front door but was waylaid by four women in brightly colored silk. They swooped around him, and Miss Kessler took him by the hand and led him to a quiet corner.
“Let’s not talk about anything boring like work,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling. “Tell me what you love to do most.”
He glanced at the other women clustered around. “I’m building an aeroplane. I’d like to have it in the air by the time Earth passes through the tail of Halley’s Comet.”
She gasped. “Do you have a death wish, Mr. Bennett? You would be breathing the poisonous fumes directly. No one even knows if the Earth will survive this.”
He’d heard this before. “The scientists I’ve discussed this with believe we shall be just fine,” Harrison said.
“I assume you’ve purchased comet pills?” the blonde closest to him said.
“I have no fear.”
The brunette in red silk smiled. “If man were meant to fly, God would have given him wings. Or so I’ve heard the minister say.”
He finally placed the brunette. Her uncle was Rothschild. No wonder she had such contempt for Harrison’s tone. All the nobs cared for were trains and ships. “It’s just a matter of perfecting the machine,” Harrison said. “Someday aeroplanes will be the main mode of transcontinental transportation.”
The brunette laughed. “Transcontinental? My uncle would call it balderdash.”
He glanced at his pocket watch without replying. “I fear I must leave you lovely ladies. Thank you for the conversation.”
He found Eugene in the kitchen and beckoned to his valet.
Eugene put down his coffee cup and followed. “You didn’t stay long, sir,” he said. “Is everything all right?”
Harrison stalked out the door and toward the car. “Are there no visionaries left in the country?”
Eugene followed a step behind. “You spoke of your flying machine?”
“The world is changing, Eugene, right under their noses—and they don’t see it.”
Eugene opened the door for Harrison. “You will show them the future, sir.”
He set his jaw. “I shall indeed.”
“I have a small savings set aside, Mr. Bennett. I’d like to invest in your company. With your permission, of course.”
Eugene’s trust bolstered Harrison’s determination. “I’d be honored to partner with you, Eugene. We are going to change the world.”