Jolene Vero has spent the last ten years consumed by guilt over her role in an accident that left her school friend Elizabeth Smith grievously in3.5⭐️
Jolene Vero has spent the last ten years consumed by guilt over her role in an accident that left her school friend Elizabeth Smith grievously injured. After spending years moving from place to place, career to career, unable to settle down, she moves to Berkley prepared for a fresh start. What she wasn’t prepared for, however, was meeting Elizabeth again. Elizabeth, still bearing the physical scars of her accident, tells her that she has no recollection of how the accident happened and proceeds to befriend Jolene. Jolene is initially uneasy but wants to believe Elizabeth. Is she being paranoid? Should she listen to the voices in her head? Is it her own guilt that’s making her suspect Elizabeth’s hand in the strange things happening to her, or does Elizabeth know more than she is letting on?
There is a lot about Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner that is praiseworthy. The narrative, presented from Jolene’s first-person POV in past and present timelines (“Now” and “Then”) flows well. The fast-paced suspenseful plot, the writing and the twists ( I could predict one of the reveals, but that did not detract from the overall experience) kept me invested until the very end. I don’t mind a bit of OTT/suspension of disbelief and even enjoy it in thrillers. However, what didn’t work for me were the character dynamics. I appreciate that the past timeline begins when the characters were teenagers (which justifies the YA vibes), but when twenty-nine-year-olds resort to behaving like immature teenagers, I find it a tad annoying. The pill-popping, intoxicated unreliable narrator is an overused trope that doesn’t always work for me, though I did appreciate the intensity and dry humor the author injects into the narrative.
However, despite the quibbles, I did find this to be an engaging read. Faith Gardner knows how to craft a twisty thriller and this novel is no exception. Don't overthink it and enjoy the ride!
Dont forget to download the bonus epilogue Blast from the Past! It's definitely worth reading!
I’ve been a fan of the author's work ever since the first book in the Jolvix series and always look forward to reading more from her!
Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the digital review copy via BookSirens. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
“The German people might want war. But this? This wasn’t war. This was something else. Something the civilized world had never seen.”
A Song of Sil4.5⭐
“The German people might want war. But this? This wasn’t war. This was something else. Something the civilized world had never seen.”
A Song of Silence by Steve N. Lee opens in a small town in Poland in the Fall of 1939 and revolves around Mirek Kozlowski, a Polish writer who also runs an orphanage with over ninety children under his care, a number that continues to increase as WWII rages on. Mirek’s prime concerns were providing for those in his care and keeping his children safe – a task that becomes increasingly difficult when the Nazis invade their small town, wreaking havoc in the lives of the residents. As the narrative progresses, we follow Mirek as he bears witness to atrocities committed by the SS. As the situation gradually worsens, Mirek struggles to a find way to protect his family while navigating the restrictions imposed upon the residents, censorship, food shortages and the surveillance of the SS headed by Hauptsturmführer Kruger who appears to have taken a keen interest in Mirek and his orphanage.
Having enjoyed the author’s previous work of WWII fiction To Dream Of Shadows, I was more than eager to read the author’s latest offering and I was not disappointed. This is a heart—wrenching read but so beautifully written that I could not put it down. With elegant prose, well-thought-out characters and a keen sense of time and place, Steve N. Lee weaves a powerful story of bravery, sacrifice and humanity in the face of pure evil. The author does not hold back from describing the episodes of mass violence, persecution and other war crimes committed by the SS and the plight of civilians struggling to survive in Nazi-occupied Poland. Needless to say, some scenes might be difficult to read. But amid the darkness, some moments will make you smile. Mirek’s devotion to his orphanage and his children and their love for their ”Papa Mirek” will melt your heart. Baba Hanka is an endearing character and I particularly enjoyed how the author chose to portray the growing bond between Ania and Merik through the course of the narrative. This is the kind of story that stays with you long after you have turned the last page.
As with any work of historical fiction, I place a lot of importance on a well-penned historical note as these segments elevate the overall reading experience. In this context, I must commend the author for the informative Behind the Scenes segment on the true events and the real people who inspired this novel. In addition to this segment, the author has also provided the link to A Song of Silence: The Story Behind the Story, where not only does he share further details on his research, the historical context of the novel and the creative liberties have has taken while crafting this story, but he also offers bonus chapters wherein we get to know the fates of several of the other (fictional) characters we met in the story.
Overall, I found this to be an absorbing read that I would not hesitate to recommend to fans of WWII fiction inspired by true events.
I voluntarily reviewed a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
When newcomer Olivia West befriends her classmate, sixteen-year-old Eliza Hunter, they quickly become inseparable, and Olivia becomes a frequent 4.5⭐️
When newcomer Olivia West befriends her classmate, sixteen-year-old Eliza Hunter, they quickly become inseparable, and Olivia becomes a frequent guest in Eliza’s home. Olivia’s family situation is in stark contrast to the close-knit, well-to-do Hunters – Eliza’s parents Angela, a psychiatrist, and Carson a true crime writer, and her older brother seventeen-year-old Ezra – and enjoys spending time in their home. However, Eliza begins to distance herself after Olivia reveals her darker side, leaving Eliza feeling unsettled and suspicious of her intentions. But Olivia is quick to become romantically involved with Ezra, with whom she is pleasantly surprised to find she has much in common and is easy to manipulate. After a shocking series of events, Olivia finds herself living in Eliza’s home, but there is much more to this seemingly perfect family than meets the eye – secrets they would do anything to protect. Similarly, the Hunters have no idea of how far Olivia could go to get her own way and they are about to find out!
They are the Hunters by Faith Gardner is a riveting read! Well-paced, twisty and entertaining, with a cast of interesting ( that’s putting it mildly!) characters, this is the kind of story you would want to finish in one sitting!! The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Olivia and the members of the Hunter family. As we get to know more about their deepest and darkest secrets, it becomes increasingly difficult to like these characters or sympathize with them for their predicament, but you won’t be able to look away. I’m a fan of the author’s Jolvix series and this is my first time reading one of her standalone novels and it surely won’t be my last. Sharply written and smartly plotted, what a wild ride! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the bonus chapter (available once you sign up for the author’s newsletter).
Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the digital review copy via Book Sirens. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 11, 2024.
Bonus Epilogue titled The New Direction is available now. Check the author's website/newsletter. Loved it!
Publication Day! (MaUpdate (March 23, 2023):
Bonus Epilogue titled The New Direction is available now. Check the author's website/newsletter. Loved it!
Publication Day! (March 23,2023)
4.5⭐ rounded up!
Eve Alexopoulos is a journalist who has made a name for herself through her column “What’s Your Problem, Bro?” which is dedicated to exposing trolls – not their names per se but details about their true identities and their lives based on information gleaned through some digital sleuthing on her part. Eve does not mince her words and she unabashedly goes after these people in an attempt to humiliate them and shut them down. Her column is successful, has proved profitable for the magazine where she works and garnered a book deal for her but needless to say has earned her a fair share of haters – trolls who just don’t troll her online but leave threats for her both at home and her workplace. Citing a potentially distressing work environment on account of the repeated threats and declining viewership, Eve’s boss decides to kill her column and reassign her to another segment. Dealing with flaming dogshit left at her door in the morning, a bomb hoax at work and now, a difficult conversation with her boss and her column being axed – it hasn’t been a good day for Eve. But she does have something to look forward to! Today is the day she finally gets to pick up her brand new solar-powered, custom-made Sunray – an extravagant purchase made with the advance she received for her forthcoming book. Her very own, self-driven car with all the bells and whistles, fully programmed for all her needs by…..drumroll please…Jolvix! What could possibly go wrong? Well…get ready for a wild ride…. this time, I mean it literally!
The fifth book in the inimitable Faith Gardner’s Jolvix Episodes series, Eve in Overdrive is UNPUTDOWNABLE! I don’t want to give away much more, but I will say that this intense edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller novella packs quite a punch. Eve’s fear is palpable as she fears for her life and her futile attempts to manipulate the situation in her favor dials the tension up a notch. I was actually holding my breath through some of the scenes. Some exceptional writing there! Once again, Faith Gardner gives us a fast-paced, gripping read in a futuristic setting that highlights how technology originally made to make our lives easier can be used as weapons against us. I can’t wait to read more from this immensely talented author in the future.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own!...more
Update (03/09/2023): Bonus Epilogue Chapter for What January Remembers titled "The Most Beautiful Time of the Year" is available now!
An intriguing adUpdate (03/09/2023): Bonus Epilogue Chapter for What January Remembers titled "The Most Beautiful Time of the Year" is available now!
An intriguing addition to the story! Many thanks to author Faith Gardner! Check out the author's newsletter (sign up on her website www.faithgardner.com) for details on all Bonus Epilogues out now!
Review for What January Remebers:
4.5⭐
It’s Christmas and we’re back in the world of luxury solar-powered cars, flying feather dusters (I could really use one!) and lifelike companion bots designed and manufactured by Jolvix.
It’s been two years since all of the Jagger siblings came home to Santa Barbara for Christmas. The last time they were together with their widowed father Jeremy and his new companion bot January ended in an act of violence toward January committed by Jesse, the third sibling. The siblings’ mother committed suicide years ago and Jeremy’s acquisition of January came as a surprise for all the siblings. But while Josiah, Julianna and Jada keep their opinions to themselves, Jesse in a fit of rage, attacks January causing severe damage.
Fast forward two years and the family is together again with January (who has been repaired completely with a wiped memory, or so we are made to believe). It’s going to be an interesting (to put it mildly!) Christmas at the Jagger family home, “The Pink Castle”. January’s equation with each of the Jagger siblings is different but there is a subtle but noticeable adverse reaction in her when Jesse is around. What does January remember?
Before their Christmas get-together each of the siblings received a cryptic message in the mail stating “YOUR MOTHER WAS MURDERED” – a fact that they initially hide from one another. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of the siblings and January with flashbacks to the siblings’ childhood from where we get to know more about their complicated relationships with their mother and January’s observations about the members of the family and her interactions with the different members.
Was there more to their mother’s death than what they know? If so was it one of the family members who was responsible? Who sent that cryptic message? Was it January?
With elements of domestic suspense, family drama and sci-fi, What January Remembers is a worthy addition to Faith Gardner’s fabulous The Jolvix Episodes series – the third one in the same year! Keep them coming, please! It’s hard to top Amen Maxine but What January Remembers comes really close! I loved that the author gives distinct voices to all the characters in this story (including January and her fellow bot friend Six/June owned by their neighbor). The dysfunctional family dynamics, the mystery behind their mother’s death and the suspense around what January truly knows/remembers and how, make for an atmospheric, gripping read that reels you in and keeps you absorbed till the very last page!
I received a complimentary copy from the author and publisher via BookSirens. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. What January Remembers is due to be released on November 1, 2022.
Please note each of the books in this series can be read as a standalone novel. My reviews for the other books in the series:
How We Disappear by Tara Lynn Masih is a collection of twelve short stories and one novella with a com Happy Publication Day! (September 13, 2022)
4.5⭐️
How We Disappear by Tara Lynn Masih is a collection of twelve short stories and one novella with a common theme of disappearance. Often those who disappear do so of their own accord, some are taken from their dear ones and some choose to reinvent themselves shedding their old lives. The concept of disappearance takes on many forms in these stories which are diverse in content, context, setting and characters.
While we have a famous author whose eleven day disappearance made headlines (“Agatha: A Life in Unauthorized Fragments”) we also have a missing child who is found thanks to the skillful observation skills of a woman who specializes in identifying perpetrators from camera footage, a “professional recognizer” in the police department ("What You Can't See in Pictures”). A loner finds companionship in a ghost town tourist attraction in the Depression era (“Fleeing Gravity”).In “Delight", a Puerto Rican shopkeeper find love and a sense of worth with a tourist in her beach town. In “Bird Man”, a daughter travels to Europe to visit the grave of her father who died in WWII. “How Do You Thank a River” follows a freed Black man’s thoughts as he crosses the Red River. “If You Had Stopped” revolves around a woman selling fish on the side of the highway, hoping that a customer would stop and purchase her wares before they disappear down the road. A deceased mother finds a unique medium to communicate with her grieving daughter. (“Billy Said This Really Happened to Lucy”). Women find their way into a new life in a new town in an attempt to start over (“Salt”, “In a Sulfate Mist”, “Those Who Have Gone”). In the Siberian Taiga, a hunter seeks shelter in an abandoned cabin only to discover a series of notes written by the previous owner (“Notes to The World”). The final novella, “An Aura Surrounds That Night”, revolves around a young girl whose life changes irrevocably after the disappearance of her younger sister at the local fair.
As in most short story collections, some of the stories were more appealing than the others. But as a collection, Tara Lynn Masih’s How We Disappear is impressive. My favorite stories were “Delight”, “Agatha: A Life in Unauthorized Fragments”, "Notes to The World” and “Bird Man” though I did enjoy the rest of them as well. Tara Lynn Masih’s prose is beautiful. Masterfully crafted and immersive, these stories are about more than disappearance- they are about life, love, loss and hope. I loved the author’s novel, My Real Name is Hanna and was eager to read more of her work and I must say that this collection does not disappoint!
Many thanks to Press 53 and the author for the digital review of this amazing collection of short stories. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on September 13, 2022....more
It has been over six months since Sophie Portman lost her husband Jack. Jack a, a geologist by profession, had been selected for a project near the ArIt has been over six months since Sophie Portman lost her husband Jack. Jack a, a geologist by profession, had been selected for a project near the Arctic Circle, and from what we gather from her conversation with her psychiatrist Dr. Thacker disappeared during the expedition. Sophie, a teacher by profession, is yet to resume her work and spends most of her time at home. In addition to her difficulty in coping with the loss of her husband, she also has a feeling that she is being watched and assumes that someone is following her and tracking her every move, even when she is at home. In her initial sessions with Dr. Thacker, she finds it hard to talk about her marriage and her husband but gradually she opens up, giving us insight into her personal life. As the narrative progresses we also meet another of the psychiatrist's patients and his office staff. From what we can make out, Dr, Thacker seems to have some issues of his own, or does he? Is Sophie correct in assuming she is being stalked or she is losing her mind? Does Dr. Thacker truly have Sophie’s best interests at heart or does he have a personal agenda? What happened to Jack?
Other People's Lives by J.E. Rowney is a well-written psychological thriller in which only towards the end do we realize how the author cleverly manipulates our perceptions and interpretations of the characters and their interactions. Having said that, had this not been a relatively short novel (for which I am thankful! ) I do not think I would have finished reading it. Till about 60% of the novel, there’s nothing much to grab your attention and keep you engaged. To be honest, I felt a bit bored with the repetitive nature of the conversations in the psychiatrist’s office and found it difficult to sympathize with Sophie. The final 40% is fast-paced and suspenseful. It did feel a bit contrived though, and I felt that the author rushed the ending. The final revelation somewhat makes up for the long-drawn build-up and does make you rethink your understanding of the first half of the novel. The final twist is interesting and not entirely unpredictable if you follow the narrative carefully, though the author manages to throw in a few surprises.
Overall, this is a well-structured and interesting read and while I did not dislike it, I was not bowled over by it. However, mine is a minority opinion . Therefore I request that you go through other reviews before you decide on reading this book.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing an advance review copy of the novel via Booksirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily....more
On the third of September, 1986, Nina Beau, Étienne Beaulieu and Adrien Bobin are placed together in the same fifth grad“They were three, or nothing.”
On the third of September, 1986, Nina Beau, Étienne Beaulieu and Adrien Bobin are placed together in the same fifth grade class of École Pasteur in La Comelle, Burgundy. Nina, abandoned by her mother as a baby, father unknown is being raised by her loving grandfather, a postal worker. Étienne belongs to an affluent family and lives with his parents, younger sister Louise and has an elder brother who is away pursuing higher studies. Adrien is being raised by his mother who was once the mistress of Adrien’s father who is a fleeting presence in Adrien’s life, paying support to Josephine and meeting Adrien infrequently.
“Étienne was the leader, Nina the heart, and Adrien followed with never a complaint.”
What follows is a wonderful childhood- inseparable friends sharing their joys, their sorrows, their families and their respective dreams - dreams beyond La Comelle - making plans and promises of a future spent supporting one another as they pursued their dreams.
“Adrien secretly dreams of recognition, he wants his compositions to be lauded to shut his father up, and never have to smell his chlorophyll breath ever again. Étienne dreams of what accompanies fame: the gilded existence, the easy life. Nina hopes to sing, draw, and fall passionately in love.”
But when Nina’s grandfather meets with a fatal accident in 1994 weeks before Nina is to leave for Paris with her friends, life changes for all three of them. Three friends embrace their new realities and their lives take them in different directions and away from one another. Nina stays back to marry her obsessive suitor which leads to an unhappy marriage. Adrian and Étienne leave and eventually, Adrien finds fame as a writer and Étienne becomes a police officer.
On the very same day, 17 August 1994, eighteen-year-old Clotilde Marais, known to all three of them, disappears without a trace. On 5 December 2017, a car reported stolen in 1994 is found after having been submerged in “Lac de la Forêt”. Human remains are found in the car and after years of being apart, the three of them are drawn together once again by “the secret that only the three think they know” and much more. After years of avoiding one another, the three are forced to confront their secrets, lies and betrayals and accept who they have become and reveal the same to one another.
"We think we know everything about our friends, when really we know nothing.”
It is rare to finish a 550+ page book and come out saying that you wish it hadn’t ended. That is how I feel about Valérie Perrin’s Three (brilliantly translated by Hildegarde Serle). From the moment I met these three characters, I felt invested in their stories- both as individuals and as friends. As we follow Nina, Étienne and Adrien from their childhood through their adolescence and adulthood we bear witness to their struggles, their resilience and their friendship. They triumph, they stumble, they hurt one another, they are hurt by one another and others, they make mistakes, they are weak, they are strong - in other words, they are real and relatable, simple in what they want from life yet complex in their emotions and their relationships with one other, with others in their lives and in how they perceive themselves.
While we not may always agree with what they say or do, these are characters that we want to stay with and be a part of their stories. The mystery surrounding Clotilde Marais’s disappearance and the discovery of the car found submerged in the lake is intriguing and serves as the bridge between the past and present. Virginie’s first-person narrative, which is interspersed throughout the main narrative, also lends a sense of mystery around her relationship with the 'Three', and her intimate knowledge of the three friends and their lives also keeps you guessing as to who she might be.
“My name is Virginie. I’m the same age as them. Today, out of the three, only Adrien still speaks to me. Nina despises me. As for Étienne, it’s me who can longer stand him. And yet, they’ve fascinated me since childhood. I’ve only ever become attached to those three. And to Louise.”
The author does an excellent job of transitioning between past and present-day events and never for a moment does the reader lose interest. The author touches upon many important and relevant themes in this novel such as abandonment, jealousy, obsession, sexual identity,spousal abuse, and grief- and does so with great emotional depth and the utmost sensitivity. I loved how the love for and protection of animals was woven into the narrative. The writing is exquisite, the narrative is engaging and flows seamlessly across different timelines and the characterizations are superb. The author does justice to not only the main characters in the novel but also every one of the supporting characters in their lives, Louise , in particular.
Having loved Valérie Perrin’s Fresh Water for Flowers, I could not wait to pick up this novel and I was not disappointed. I cannot thank Kristi Bontrager at Europa Editions enough for the digital review copy of this beautifully written, compelling and immersive novel.
“Imagine you’ve been unable to move for years because your fist is clenched inside a container, and to manage to pull your hand out, to free yourself, you just need to let go of what you’re clutching in your clenched fist…..You open up your hand, you lose what’s inside it, it falls to the bottom of the container, but you are free.”...more
Combining fact and fiction, Reyna Grande’s A Ballad of Love and Glory is a beautifully penned novel set against Happy Publication Day! 03/15/2022
4.5/5
Combining fact and fiction, Reyna Grande’s A Ballad of Love and Glory is a beautifully penned novel set against the backdrop of the Mexican American War (1846-1848). The story begins in March 1846 with Ximena Salome Benitez y Catalan, standing at a port on the Gulf of Mexico watching as Yankee ships pass through the inlet and the cavalry of the Army of Occupation of the United States of America make an entrance.
After Texas becomes the twenty-eighth state of the Union, the US looked to expand their territories and a dispute arises around the ownership of the land around the Rio Grande. Joaquin, Ximena’s husband joins the guerilla fighters in defending their homeland and in a tragic turn of events is killed by the Texas Rangers and their home and property destroyed forcing Ximena and her Nana Hortencia to flee and seek shelter with family in Matamoros. She is a gifted healer, having learned at the hands of her grandmother and she eventually becomes a nurse to injured soldiers in the Mexican Army using her knowledge of herbal remedies to ease their pain and suffering even being requested to treat the injuries of the leader/President Mexican general/president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
On the other side of the war, we meet John Riley in Fort Texas on the Rio Grande, an Irishman serving the US Army. Originally from Galway, he has left his wife Nelly and young son back in Ireland in hopes of saving earning enough money for the safe passage of his family so that they could begin a better life. After initially enlisting in the British Army, he later moved to North America finally joining the US Army where he and his fellow countrymen are paid poorly and provided the bare minimum despite being promised much more. They also face nativist hostility and humiliation in the hands of the American soldiers and leaders not to mention being given the harshest punishments for minor offenses from being bound and gagged in the harshest of heat to having their skin branded with hot iron if found drunk/hungover. Many immigrant soldiers have defected and joined the Mexican Army who treat them with respect and provide fair compensation and living conditions as compared to their American counterpart. Initially, Riley remains loyal to the vows he took while enlisting for the sake of his honor and thoughts of his family back home in Ireland which is under British dominion with the countrymen suffering in the hands of the British government. Eventually though, after bearing witness to the inhuman treatment meted out to his fellow soldiers, he joins the Mexican Army. The plight of the Mexicans reminds him of that of his homeland which faces similar treatment at the hands of the British . His superiors taking note of his years of military experience encourage him to form The Saint Patrick’s Battalion - the artillery of foreign soldiers under Irish Leadership. Ximena and Riley meet when she rescues and nurses Riley’s friend /fellow countryman Jimmy Riley back to health after he is injured while attempting to cross the river over to the Mexican side with John. They gradually grow closer and become a pillar of support for one another amid the raging war.
As the war continues, we follow Ximena and Riley’s journey from Matamoros to Monterreythen on to San Luis Potosí, Mexico City, and Churubusco. The author delves deep into the volatile political landscape and atrocities of war. Grande’s description of the war marches and the devastation of the cities and the inhabitants are hard to take in.
“This is what conquerors do to the conquered,” Riley said.“They build their empires on the stones and ones of those they defeat.”
This is an extremely well-researched novel that sheds a light on a part of history that isn't much talked about. The author in her notes talks about the historical facts that inspired this work of fiction. John Riley and his battalion are based on the real Private John Riley who deserted the US Army on April 12, 1946 and joined the Mexican Army later forming the Saint Patrick's Battalion. Ximena, the character was based on Ximena a Mexican Woman who “tends to the wounded from both sides of the battlefield” mentioned in John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem, “The Angels of Buena Vista”.
Both Ximena and Riley and their love story will capture your heart as will the characters of Nana Hortencia, Jimmy Maloney and Patrick Dalton. This is a slow-paced but engaging read. The vivid imagery of the landscape, powerful narrative and brilliant characterization will hold you riveted. I enjoyed the historical angle immensely, not having much prior knowledge of the same. The hardships that the army and those accompanying their fighting men face – the hunger, fatigue, exposure to the harshest weather are heartbreaking. The author also sheds a light on the self-serving motives of the leaders who are responsible for the dire conditions and lack of basic amenities these brave men and women are facing and how personal ambition often overshadows concern for the greater good. The author takes special care to acknowledge the contribution and sacrifices of the “Mexican “soldaderas” —wives, mothers, daughters— who followed their men into battle to serve as cooks, laundresses, and nurses, and, when the need arose, even took up arms alongside their men.” This is a story about war and survival, love and sacrifice, faith and resilience. In A Ballad of Love and Glory, the author tells us a story not just about Ximena and Riley but about all the men and women (and their countries) whose lives and destinies are changed irrevocably on account of war and its aftermath.
“Along with the other soldaderas, Ximena remained on the ridge overlooking the battle grounds. As the cannons and muskets crashed and roared, and the crack of the rifles and the clanging hooves of the cavalry reverberated over the battlefield, she thought of the worst storms she’d witnessed in San Antonio de Béxar and the Río Bravo region, when the clapping thunder and vivid flashes of lightning seemed to be splitting the heavens above. She’d never imagined she would one day witness storms even worse than those—with gunpowder flashes and bombs exploding, with a hail of cannon balls falling upon the battlefield. This darkening storm was deadlier and more sinister than any created by nature. For this one was manmade, forged by greed, vanity, tyranny.”
Thanks to Ms. Grande for sending me a digital review copy of this heart-wrenchingly beautiful novel. All opinions expressed here are my own....more
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