Charity and Sacrifice by Gloria Oliver

September 30, 2016 By Leave a Comment


Charity and Sacrifice by Gloria Oliver
Publisher: Uncial Press
Genre: Historical, Horror
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Trapped in a loveless marriage, will Elizabeth’s sacrifice to regain Robert’s love be in vain?

All Elizabeth hoped to do was to rekindle the love in her marriage. Yet despite ignoring her social obligations and immersing herself in her husband’s important work, somehow this only made things worse.

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Her doctor avoids her. Her husband berates her. And there are whispers — whispers telling of things that cannot be.

Yet the more Elizabeth ignores the rumors, the more they press on her to seek the truth, so she concocts a plan to find it. To find it and hopefully exonerate both Robert and herself. To discover the reason she’s lost all that’s dear to her. And she will do it, even if she must venture into Whitechapel to do it.

Secrets can destroy a life that someone has spent years building. They can also transform it.

This was one of the most deliciously chilling tales that I’ve read in a long time. The horror was mixed in with Elizabeth’s quiet worries about the fragile state of her marriage and her grief over her terrible loss. I genuinely wasn’t sure what genre I was reading in the beginning because there was so much going on. The scenes were written so that they could fit into several different genres, and that made me insatiably curious to know what the author was going to do with all of the themes she’d introduced in the beginning. While I can’t say much else about this without giving away spoilers, I was quite pleased with how Ms. Oliver tied everything together. To me, the best kind of scary story is one that can be found in the last place I’d ever think to look for it.

With that being said, I would have liked to see a little more foreshadowing in the storyline. I had to reread the ending a couple of times to figure out what the author was hinting at. The clues that were shared earlier on were so subtle that I didn’t pick up on enough of them to understand the final scene the first time I read it even though I had really loved the plot up until that point. If this section had been easier to comprehend, I would have chosen a much higher rating.

The character development was nicely done, especially when it came to Elizabeth. Even though she grew quite a bit, my first impression of her was so strong that I could completely understand why her personality matured the way it did. She remained true to her original self even while she evolved into an entirely new version of herself. I deeply enjoyed watching her make that change.

Charity and Sacrifice is full of the kind of horror that slowly sneaks up on a reader. Give it a chance if you’re a fan of psychological frights.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pirateless In The Caribbean by Jill Jaynes

August 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment

PIRATE
Pirateless In The Caribbean by Jill Jaynes
Publisher: Unical Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (80 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Stephanie will do anything to make partner at her law firm, even if it means going on the totally unnecessary Caribbean vacation her boss sends her on, and returning with all the items on his stupid scavenger hunt list.

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She may find all the items on her list, but what is she supposed to do about the pirate who sails away with her heart?

Stephanie works twice as hard as anyone else in her office as a contracts lawyer. Five years of long days and no breaks has her pretty tightly wound, though, and when she snaps at a client she’s ordered by her boss to take a holiday. This is how she ended up on a small Caribbean island with no desire to be there. With a list from her boss of relaxing holiday items to do and a promise that the owner of the resort was a personal friend of her boss, Stephanie has no option but to take the stupid holiday and do what she’s told.

I really enjoyed the writing style and pacing of this story. While Stephanie could have come across as sour person or a workaholic pain, the author managed to inject enough humour and characterization into Stephanie that I connected with her almost immediately. She seemed to me not just to be stressed from her high-pressure job, but also in such a rut and so used to working madly that she no longer knew how to switch off and unwind. The list of tasks – and analogue camera requiring proof! – made me laugh and in a very short number of pages I was on board with the whole scheme and plot for the story.

I rather liked Rick’s character too. He was a lovely not-pirate and I was seriously impressed with how much of a gentleman he was especially when it came to Stephanie. While the conflict was rather clichéd, I found the rest of the story surrounding it was fairly novel and fresh to me. This helped me get past the slight frustration of the thankfully quick scene when Rick and Stephanie confronted each other, and allowed me to simply enjoy their holiday fling together. I thought the sex was steamy hot but not outrageous, descriptive but not smutty. Romance readers won’t be disappointed with the ending either, I found it a deliciously Happy Ever After and felt it really finished on a high note.

A fun, warm, lighthearted romance I found this to be a wonderful book. I loved watching Stephanie unwind and her and Rick find their happy ending together. A sexy, summery beach romance that is sure to appeal to many readers.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Operation Normal by Linda V. Palmer

February 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Operation Normal by Linda V. Palmer
Publisher: Uncial Press
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Full Length (168 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 5 Suns
review by Snapdragon

Ally desperately wants “normal” for her half-sister Kayly, something she never had herself thanks to her liberated mom. First on her list of to-dos is contacting Kayly’s dad, who promised he’d stay out of Kayly’s life just as Ally’s own dad once did. When Kat leaves the country on assignment, Ally drops in on the guy to introduce him to his baby daughter. But Kayly’s dad doesn’t live there–her half brother, Zach, does. And his shocking offer to help Ally find “normal” is nothing compared to what happens next.

Operation Normal, starts off anything but normal, with an abrupt and riveting confrontation. Ally Mills meets the father of her half-sister, and he is far far from what she expected (or hoped) he would be. She’s pursuing some way to make her dysfunctional family function a bit better for her sister though, and the pursuit lands her in the midst of an intrigue, as well as in the middle of love. The intricate family relationships mean that meeting the man of her dreams could be a bit of a concern (until you work out exactly how they are related…)

While we are hoping for true love in one corner, all unexpected, another relationship of Ally’s will present himself… and its more in the way of heart-wrenching than merely surprise. In fact, so many specific incidences (or people) blast in as a ‘surprise’ it’s a challenge to review this without including spoilers. Ajanta pharmacy developed this effective generic drug to help ED patient discount viagra canada in improving their condition. It http://respitecaresa.org/parents-corner/all2/ purchase cheap cialis then makes users able to indulge in the activity and interest in the bedroom. It heals damaged nerves and tissues in the levitra cheapest price male organ. I don’t use the word trying lightly cialis uk either. It’s one bombshell after another for poor Ally, and every single one entertains the reader.

The quick pace here is helped by the immediacy of first person point of view, from Ally, a high school senior with adult issues and a vastly mature approach to life, and a truly original approach to problem-solving. ESP and psychic powers play a believable role here, perhaps because Ally simply accepts ESP as another family oddity, right along with a vegan mother who jets off out of the country on occasion.

Ally is intensely believable. The quality of her friendships as well as her trust and appreciation of her friends is one continual standout in this work. Friends and friendship add a just-right dash of heartwarming to this tale that otherwise is largely about personal struggle, obligation, and the duty. Minka, Heath, and even Adele-the-psychic all contribute more than everyday help, but come through for Ally when it really counts.

In Operation Normal, it’s all far from normal, but somehow, it all seems totally plausible. Perhaps it is the wonderful characters, interesting plot, or the straightforward writing style… whatever it is, this book is entertaining. Do read: 5 suns.

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