Monday, October 21, 2024

Stone of Lust by Margaret Izard

 She finds true love in the past, but is his love worth risking her future?

 About the Book:  She dreams of a Viking warrior with Fae-blue eyes and a God-like body that makes her heart pound like no other. Trying to save her kidnapped sister-in-law, Ainslie follows her back to the Vikings of Scotland, where she faces the very man who has haunted her dreams.

When Jarl, Rannick MacRaghnaill meets the alluring Warrior Woman who helped steal his warship, she dresses in clothing so strange that every curve teases his senses. But is she, as she claims, a woman from the future or an irresistible lying thief?

She’d risk her life to save her sister-in-law. He’d risk his honor to win her heart. Can both hardened warriors save the realms from the evilest of Fae’s minds combined with the most dangerous of humans?

 Our Review:  Bringing well-loved characters from her first novel [Stone of Love], the author uses them in a secondary role this time and enticing the reader into another magical time travel to medieval Scotland. In Stone of Lust, author Margaret Izard’s acute attention to details of the period, including the issue of men’s drive to control women—an issue which has been around since the cavemen—is just one more reason to pick up then enjoy this book. Izard has outdone herself. Again.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Stone of Lust merits a 6.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews.

Monday, October 14, 2024

The Passenger by Joie Lesin

 . . . The Passenger: a tale of family connections, life-changing choices, and love—lost and found . . .

About the Book: Elizabeth Reilly wants to be free of her empathic gift and fit in with normal people. Nevertheless, when the spirit of a lonely old man asks for her help, she travels across the country to help him return home.

Gio Clemente is still angry with his father who, he believes, abandoned him as a child. To help Paolo, the father, pass on, Elizabeth must persuade Gio to let go of his anger. Though he resents her intrusion, they are both stunned to find themselves fighting a profound attraction. Elizabeth can accept his headstrong brand of love, but can Gio accept her gift—and believe in her?

Our Review: From the first page this brilliantly written historical ghost story, we were entranced. The author’s skill at describing setting—from the foxholes of wartime Europe to the trolleys of Boston, then on to California’s vast wine country, the reader is absorbed. The desperately lonely and critically ill Paolo is heartbreaking. His only goal is to seek forgiveness from his wife and son. The still grieving Elizabeth is unable to refuse his plea for help. Then to meet taciturn Gio who, though he does not recognize it, is desperate for a love of his own, like the one his madre claims she had with his padre. Who doesn’t want that? The secondary plot line of enduring love of the generations is a real heart breaker. Do not pass on The Passenger. It’s a beauty.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, The Passenger merits a 6.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

Monday, October 7, 2024

Tuesday's Child by Toni V. Sweeney

 They found love but a closely guarded secret could destroy it…

 About The Book: Grace McAllister hasn't seen or heard from her father since her mother left him twenty years before. When she receives word that Benjamin Troup McAllister has died, she returns to McAllister, Georgia, for the reading of his will. Imagine her shock when she learns that not only does she inherit nothing, but the will states that Benjamin is not her biological father. Stunned by this revelation, she decides to find her real father and enlists the aid of childhood friend Mayfield Donovan.

        The bully of her earliest years, May has grown into a handsome, sensual stranger who becomes Grace's support—and lover—while helping her question her mother's old friends, as well as Benjamin McAllister's enemies which are legion.

     As they sift through the facts of her mother's life and confront the men who loved her, they uncover a tale of revenge, deception, and murder, and discover a truth neither wants to believe or accept.

Our Review: It’s always a treat to read a story by Toni V. Sweeney’s because of the flavor and tone she brings to the pages, including the colorful spice of Southern life, vivid characters who jump off the page and intriguing secrets hidden beneath the many layers. Settle in and enjoy this story of the South. It’s a honey.

On a scale of 1-5, Tuesday’s Child merits a 7.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews