Bookreview: Glory Bishop

written by Deborah L.King

Summary

Glory Bishop lives her life in pieces. At work and with her friends, she reads novels, speaks her mind, and enjoys slow dances and stolen kisses with her boyfriend, JT. But at home, Glory follows strict rules and second-guesses every step. Though she dreams of going to college and living like a normal teenage girl, her abusive mother has other ideas.

When JT leaves to join the navy, Glory is left alone and heartsick. The preacher’s son, Malcolm Porter, begins to shower her with lavish gifts, and her mother pushes Glory to accept his advances. Glory is torn between waiting for true love with JT or giving in to the overzealous Malcolm.

When a stranger attacks Glory on the street, Malcolm steps in to rescue her, and her interest in him deepens. But the closer she gets to him, the more controlling he becomes. Glory must eventually decide whether to rely on others or to be her own saviour.

My Review

What an amazing book! I really enjoyed reading it! I was a bit scared due to the Bible phrases at the beginning of the book, but when I started reading, I learned that 'Glory Bishop' had fantastic strong characters. 'Glory Bishop' is well drawn and has an excellent dialogue. 

I certainly would recommend 'Glory Bishop' for all who like to read novels and stories about a young woman, who grows up. Therefore I give this book a 5 stars on 5 rating. 

The author

Deborah King has been a writer and storyteller her whole life. She published her first short story when she was seven years old. When she’s not writing, Deborah enjoys cartoons, cooking, photography, and Star Trek. Born and raised in Chicago, Deborah has managed to achieve all of her childhood dreams and still lives in the area with her husband and two youngest children. According to her daughter, she has “literally aced her life!”

I really enjoyed Glory Bishop written by Deborah King. It was the first book of this splendid author, I read and I hope there will follow more amazing books of her. 

BookSirens 

I received an advanced copy for free, by BookSirens, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily. 

Source picture: Book cover 

Bookreview: Shadow Of The Raven

 written by Millie Thom

Summary

By the mid ninth century, Danish raids on Anglo-Saxon kingdoms have escalated. Several bands even dare to overwinter on the coastal islands, particularly those at the mouth of the Thames, where the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia border each other. The kings of these lands must put past hostilities aside and take the first steps towards unity; steps they see as vital in the face of this newfound threat to their lands.

Alfred of Wessex and Eadwulf of Mercia are the sons of kings, whose futures have been determined since birth. But the turbulent events in their childhood years change the natural progression of things and shape the characters of the men they will become. Their roads to manhood follow vastly different routes, but both learn crucial lessons along the way: lessons that will serve them well in future years.

Discovering that the enemy is not always a stranger is a harsh lesson indeed; the realisation that a trusted kinsman can turn traitor is the harshest lesson of all.

Review

I 'met' Millie Thom via Twitter and via BookTasters. Immediately the

book series about the Anglo Saxon Royal History attracted me. 

While reading books, I always put some key words on paper,

in case I forget, what I want to write down. These are my key words to 

describe this wonderful book:

* Beautiful cover : The cover is very attractive with amazing pictures and colors. 

* Large list of characters : The characters were very well  and clearly defined. 

* fascinating : It was so fascinating to read this book and especially about the 
society during the Anglo Saxo time

* good story teller : Millie Thom is a fantastic author. She can tell a story and 
make it her own. 

* A page turner : I wanted to know what was going to happen. 

* very emotional : I immediately empathized with the characters (mostly 
with the women) 

* Great historical royal family drama

So, if you like to read about historical royal family drama, don't hesitate to buy
this amazing book. I give it a 5 star on 5 rating. It's sad that I can't give even
more stars.

The Author

Millie Thom is a former geography and history teacher with a degree in geology and a particular passion for the Anglo Saxon and Viking era. She was born in Southport, Lancashire, in 1947, and happily admits to being a 'boomer'.

After completing a teacher training course in Liverpool in 1968, she moved to Yorkshire to take up her first teaching post. This was at a secondary school in a small mining village, where most of the children - and more than a few of the staff - spoke in a dialect riddled with 'thees', 'thous', 'hast thas' and wilt thas'. She also met her husband to be at this time, a teacher at a rival school - the rivalry always being in the not-so-gentle sport of rugby!

In 1970 Millie and her husband moved down to Wantage for six years. Wantage is known a King Alfred's town, since it is the place where he was born. In 1976 she moved up to Nottinghamshire, and still lives there with her husband, midway between Lincoln and Newark. Their six grown up children all live close by.

Since retiring from teaching, Millie has been writing the trilogy about King Alfred that has been screaming to be born for so many years. Book 1, 'Shadow of the Raven' is already published on Amazon, and Book 2, 'Pit of Vipers' is presently nearing completion.

I 'met' Millie Thom - as I mentioned before - on Twitter. She really is a very nice and interesting lady, who knows lots about history. She also is very interactive with other authors and reviewers. 

Booktasters

I received an advanced copy for free by Booktasters and by the author @MillieThom.

I'm leaving this review voluntarily and I really enjoyed reading this splendid book. So,

thank you very much for this fantastic chance. 

Source picture: Book Cover

Bookreview: Forget Russia

Forget Russia 

written by L.Bordetsky-Williams 

"A fascinating Story"

"Your problem is you have a Russian soul," Anna's mother tells her. In 1980, Anna is a naïve UConn senior studying abroad in Moscow at the height of the Cold War-and a second-generation Russian Jew raised on a calamitous family history of abandonment, Czarist-era pogroms, and Soviet-style terror. As Anna dodges date rapists, KGB agents, and smooth-talking black marketeers while navigating an alien culture for the first time, she must come to terms with the aspects of the past that haunt her own life. With its intricate insight into the everyday rhythms of an almost forgotten way of life in Brezhnev's Soviet Union, Forget Russia is a disquieting multi-generational epic about coming of age, forgotten history, and the loss of innocence in all of its forms.

Review

Russia and its history always have fascinated me very much. That's why
I really wanted to read this novel. 

'Forget Russia' is written very fluently and has strong characters. It is nice to 
feel their emotions and the story - 

about how choices from the past have influences on your present -  

it will touch you very strongly! The book is written with lots of dialogues
that's why I give it a 4.5 rating on 5.

If you like stories about Russia and its history, don't hesitate to buy this book,
it's certainly worth to read. 

The Author

L. Bordetsky-Williams (aka Lisa Williams) grew up in New York City. She is also the author
of The Artist as Outsider in the Novels of Toni Morrison and Virginia Woolf
(Greenwood Press, 2000) and has been inspired by both of these towering authors. 

In 2005, she published a book of creative nonfiction, Letters to
Virginia Woolf (Hamilton Books). 

She is also a poet and has published three poetry chapbooks: 

Sky Studies (Finishing Line Press), 

The Eighth Phrase (Porkbelly Press), 

and In the Early Morning Calling (Finishing Line Press). 

She is a Professor of English and Literary Studies at  Ramapo College of New Jersey. 

She also has a site, check this link. 

BookSirens

I received an advanced copy for free by BookSirens and I'm leaving this
review voluntarily. So, thank you very much for giving me this
splendid opportunity. 

Source picture: Book Cover 

Bookreview: Let the Willows Weep

"A fantastic book, which made  me very emotional"

“Sometimes life is just like paper wings. Fragile, easily torn apart, and often there are too many pieces to pick up.”

In the tradition of the best Southern fiction—from Bastard Out of Carolina to Where the Crawdads Sing—Sherry Parnell’s Let the Willows Weep is a heart-wrenching portrait of hardscrabble, humble lives in rural America. A keenly-observed and unflinching look at the life of Birddog Harlin as she grows up in her dysfunctional family, this novel explores the line between destruction and redemption.

The Review

"Let the Willows Weep" was very emotional for me and together with the main character I fell a lot of feelings from anger to empathy and from love to hurt. It always very nice that a book can give you so much strong emotion, though it was a sad story. I'm sure - from now on - I 'll never look the same at a willow tree!

"Let the Willows Weep" was excellent written and it fell almost like I was reading poetry. So, beautiful! 

The author, Sherry Parnell did a great job. Check also her wonderful site on this link. I'm looking forward to read more of this author! 

On Goodreads, the book has a 3.95 on 5 rating, but I give her with lots of pleasure a 5 star rating!

BookSirens

I received an advanced copy for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you BookSirens for giving me this great opportunity! 

Source picture: Book cover