At The Mercy of the Queen - A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Anne Clinard Barnhill

At The Mercy of The Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. St. Martin's Press. January 2012. 448 pp. pbk. ISBN #: 9780312662134.

Lady Margaret Shelton, or Madge as she is known throughout the novel, arrives at the Court of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Madge is 15, close in age to Anne, who is soon to wed Henry. For Henry's late Queen has been put aside, Henry has formed his own Church of England after splitting with Rome over his soon-to-be-Queen Anne. It's a dangerous time for all but the King, who revels only in a reign that gathers more and more wealth from the old Church, delightful food and drink, and of course his voracious sexual appetite now focused solely on Anne. But this novel is as much about Madge as it is Anne Boleyn. For Madge's fortune is explicitly tied to the ups and downs of Henry and Anne's relationship. And all too soon, there are more "down" moments!

Anne and Madge are enigmas, one minute displaying piety and virtue and the next speaking about the most outrageous forms of lovemaking, etc. For neither, quite obviously, is sure of how to gain and keep love. Both are slow to realize how a word spoken impetuously can cascade into dramatic scenes that could cause banishment or even death. Madge is betrothed to a loathsome Sir Norris while she madly falls in love with another man of no real consequence in Henry's Court, Arthur. Anne urges Madge on, as her own romance with the King waxes and wanes, decreasing as she gives birth to a girl and then proceeds to miscarry other babes, including one who would have been the long-sought-after Prince or heir to Henry.

At one point, the Queen will sacrifice the virtue of Madge in order to regain her husband's fancy, a plan that quickly falls apart as Henry suspects the "French" techniques of love as beyond debauchery and obscene. Ironically, the other members of the Court, outside of Cromwell and Jane Seymour, have little place in this tale, even Anne's brother, George.

Having read many, many accounts of Queen Anne Boleyn, this reviewer didn't expect to be so enthralled with another account of same, but Anne Barnhill has managed to craft a thrilling, human, and inspiring portrait of two characters who really did so little to deserve admiration, beyond their obvious physical beauty and charm, but who manage to have readers rooting for their success, even when one knows the end of the story for Anne.

Well-done, Anne Clinard Barnhill! Anne Boleyn is much more likable and probable in your depiction. This is a graceful, spicy, terrible, and totally engaging novel!

Red Bird's Song by Beth Trissel

Red Bird's Song. Beth Trissel. The Wild Rose Press. August 2010. 334 pp. paperback. ISBN #: 9781601548122.

Charity Edmonson is furious that her mother is insisting she marry someone she considers dull and boring. She would marry for love, but in Revolutionary America such is rarely the custom. However, this beautiful woman's life is about to dramatically change when a Shawnee war party attacks Charity's village, murdering her father and brother. Charity doesn't have much time to mourn her losses, as a Shawnee native named Wicomechee, or Meechee as she comes to call him, falls in love with Charity's beauty and spunky nature immediately.

Another native, Chaka, would have Charity for a wife, but his methods are cruel because he believes he can possess her by force and brutality. He is in for some very strong rebuffs in some very undignified scenes that increases the reader's empathy and support for Charity and Meechee's future together. Charity is not an easy catch however, and her humor and rebellious nature are amusing and anxiety-producing depending on the scene. She's one very modern woman!

But the romance is slow to spark, although the physical attraction between the two is immediate, for Charity observes over time the merciless nature of these warriors whose anger is fueled by the death and injustice they have repeatedly endured at the hands of the white men. So scalping and brutal attacks are a reality that strikes Charity as bestial and beyond the pale. For now, Charity is helping her friend, Emily, who was also kidnapped and is pregnant. Even that part of the plot is complex, when Emily meets a former lover, Colin, who escaped from a perilous situation to become a Shawnee warrior.

The story escalates when George III's red coats catch up with the natives, and all are forced to face their prejudice and hatred. Beth Trissel knows how to craft a simple but engaging story that produces mixed emotions and thoughts in the reader, with a surprising ending that the reader never suspects is coming. Very nicely done, Beth Trissel!

Anything by Michael Baron

Anything. Michael Baron. The Story Plant. October 2011. 290 pp. paperback. ISBN #: 9781611880212.

Ken and Melissa are two lawyers who have discovered each other and are about to be married. Melissa has dramatically changed Ken’s life without trying to, and Ken knows his life is fulfilled in a way it could never have been with all the stereotypical women he previously dated. One evening, however, when they are visiting her parents, a few days before their wedding, Ken realizes there is something from her past that has taken the joy out of her life, a loss clearly evident in the way she avoids looking at pictures from her teenage years. Up to now, Ken has been buying her gifts from a strange man who runs a unique jewelry shop. Everything from there is always different and always delights Melissa.

Ken returns to the shop and makes an agreement with Stephon, the owner. Ken is warned he may not like the outcome or consequences of the action he is about to take but refuses to heed the warning. During the magical trip he takes after that visit, he discovers the joyful childhood of his future bride until one fateful evening. He is devastated and on returning to the present, Melissa is appalled at his discovery as well. Ken, however, refuses to let go and returns to Stephon for one more trip to the past. To say more would be a definite spoiler but the story is far from over as Ken tries to change the past, which changes the present as well. Nothing, for sure, is solely as it appears.

The remainder of the story is a quest for recovery, one Ken will not release even though an old acquaintance advises him of its futility. The power of enduring love moves beyond our wildest dreams as the novel ends with a most unlikely ending, one that is not just a happily ever after story, but one that touches the heart with its true essence, a miracle indeed.

Michael Baron knows how to pull every string of a reader’s heart. The plot may seem implausible but there is enough mystery, magic, and deep abiding love to make this novel a pleasing story that would make a lovely movie as well. Charming and well-plotted for sure, Anything is a beautiful romance novel that will engage every reader who loves this genre!

Savor the Danger by Lori Foster

Savor the Danger. Lori Foster. Harlequin. 416 pages.
ISBN #: 9780373775828.

Alani Rivers is shocked when the unbelievably hot lover of the night before, Jackson Savor, wakes up and tells her he remembers nothing of the night before. He believes he's been drugged but has virtually no memory of the entire previous day. Still the way he looks at her tells her his reacting body remembers, even if his mind doesn't.

Alani had been kidnapped years before, a familiar story to readers who read the first book in this series, When You Dare. But obviously, her guard has been down to get so intimate with Jackson. While trying to initially work out any glimpse of connection, we learn that Jackson is also a mercenary whose job has involved freeing women sold into sex through professional sex traffickers. What neither Jackson and Alani, as well as Dare and Trace, also mercenaries from the previous two books, can figure out is what merited this attack. Add to that the fact that someone attempts to swipe their car and even returns to try again, obviously an effort to make a kill!

As the story unfolds, another character Marc Tobin seems to be involved with Alani in a way that defies his excuse of wanting to get closer to her. The plot deepens when an unexpected female appears to claim her "property." Who is at risk? Why wouldn't it be better for former enemies to leave all alone instead of returning withe incredible risk guaranteed as well as the formidable minds and protective skills of the three male protagonists? What is Alani not saying or doesn't know? Why is another female character, Arizona, promising to expose any threat but keeping silence at a pivotal point?

Savor the Danger is a more complex mystery than the previous two novels in this mystery/ romance series and definitely hot, hot, hot with sexual bantering and action. Fear and passion spiral side by side until the last tension-ridden moments of resolution, leading to who knows what with the spark-filled relationship that gets deeper from start to finish! Good job, Lori Foster!/span>

Love Finds You in Amana Iowa by Melanie Dobson

Love Finds You in Amana Iowa. Melanie Dobson. Summerside Press. June 2011. 320 pages. ISBN #: 9781609361358.

Friedrich Vinzenz is a construction worker in the new Kolinie of Amana, Iowa. It’s 1863; and while Friedrich’s fiancé, Amalie, is traveling from the East to Iowa, the North and South are battling over slavery. They belong to the Inspirationist religious sect that prays for peace but refuses to fight; instead upon notice of conscription, their Elders pay for another to be a substitute in their place within the Union Army. During the journey, Friedrich meets Joseph, a slave whose body bears the scars of horrific beatings but whose spirit looms large and free. His story haunts Friedrich to the point that he feels led by God to fight for those still held in inhuman bondage in the South. It’s a huge move, taken after much pondering and knowing his pacifist community will never condone his leaving!

Amalie arrives to find Friedrich gone. For three years, she has been faithful to their upcoming marriage and now she is devastated to find him gone. Friedrich’s best friend, really raised as a brother to him, Matthias is also shattered that his friend has abandoned him without saying goodbye. His anger at Amalie is a problem that others notice, but he buries himself in work and is downright rude to her each time she appears. Finally, he tells her to stay away from him. Given his background, Matthias is having an awful time, filled with unspeakable thoughts he can share with no one.

Devastation visits Amalie, Matthias and Friedrich’s family and the reader is unsure whether any of them will ever know peace again. At a certain point, Matthias realizes he may not be called to fight in the Civil War, where over 600,000 will eventually die, but can play a peaceful and very useful role which the Elders in his community approve. While all of this occurs, love quietly bonds certain couples in a way this author presents with humor, shyness, doubts, fears, and approval that comes with a deep sense of serenity.

Resolution arrives after a secret mission is attempted, and all characters have learned to live with their positive and negative memories of the war’s effect. Love Finds You in Amana Iowa is a lovely story that is both very real and very ideal – a graceful story of struggle and redemption, a potent and charming read!

Up A Dry Creek by Avery Flynn

Up A Dry Creek. Avery Flynn. Evernight Publishing. June 2011. 168 pp. PB and E-Book. ISBN #: 9781926950518.

Claire Layton owns Harvest Bistro in Dry Creek, Nebraska. Her restaurant is highly popular because of evenings like the Full Moon Special which includes a 7-course dinner. But her tension-filled evening is about to ramp up quite a bit on her nerves. For at the end of the evening, as she is carrying the putrid garbage out to the dumpster bin, she sees a single arm sticking up from the garbage. Yes, she discovers a dead young woman who has been viciously murdered.

Within minutes, she's got the local police, really her brother Hank, and a hunk of a guy named Jake Warrick, who says he's an investigator there to make the police do their job correctly. He's a sight to behold to Claire; and while she's put off by his sassy attitude, that same demeanor and his gorgeous body are hitting her like an electric current!

But her hope of it all coming to a peaceful conclusion comes to an end with a threatening phone call and a demand for her silence. Jake and Claire hit it off in one way but there's quite a bit of verbal sparring happening that's right on the line between sexual teasing and mocking. Who is the murderer and can Jake and Claire get past their mistrust to solve the crime committed against this rich young woman? Why is the murdered woman's father such an angry, demanding man and what is the real reason he is so adamant that Jake find certain items connected to the dead gal?

Secrets thread through the past of Claire, Jake, the murdered girl, and her family. The steamy sex happening fairly quickly and the gradually revealed motives behind this crime rivet the reader to the pages, reading and flipping at an outrageous rate, just as the outrageous relationship titillates and wavers in a consistent cycle of unremitting passion.

Up A Dry Creek is hot romantic fiction with a mystery to solve that keeps one solidly engaged to the very last page. Nicely done, Avery Flynn!

Lie for Me by Karen Young

Lie for Me. Karen Young. Simon Schuster Adult Publishing Group. August 2011. 368 pages. ISBN #: 9781416587644.

Tucker Kane, a successful builder, is about to get the shock of his wife. Approaching his house in order to collect some rare wood before the house is demolished, Tucker notices his dog is very excited in a nervous, upset way. Entering the home, he has his first shock, that a woman is lying on the floor murdered, and his second, that it’s his ex-wife, Margot. Immediately after calling the police, he calls his fiancé, Lauren, and is interrogated by the local police. We then discover the real killer waiting near the home and allowing us into his or her thoughts, that evidence is going to be planted to make sure that Tucker takes all the blame!

As the plot continues, we learn that Tucker has some secrets he’s kept from Lauren that indicate he just might have violent tendencies. It seems a family member might have been hurt by Tucker, Margot may have lost a fetus because of him, and the murder weapon finally found links him to the killing. Margot’s mother is sure he is the murderer but her father believes Tucker is innocent. Lauren won’t lie to protect Tucker and the fact she is asked to provides a huge leap into doubt about his innocence, as well as other hints that are slowly revealed. Lauren’s job may be in jeopardy because of her association with Tucker and Tucker can’t prove the threatening phone call he’s received!

Eventually, Tucker runs away for quite some time, and Lauren as well as the entire town now believes his fugitive status proves his guilt. But the plot is far from over and there are no spoilers here. Lauren begins to take a more active role, despite her doubts, in finding information that would lead to discovering who really murdered Margot, and the rest of this novel moves like lightning until the reader finally learns the astonishing identity of the killer and the motives behind this death as well as another shooting before it’s all over!

Fast-paced, well-plotted, and tense, Lie For Me is a great story sure to engage every reader who loves a riveting crime thriller/mystery! Superb!
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Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley

Queen of Kings: The Immortal Story of Cleopatra. Maria Dahvana Headley. May 2011. Dutton: A Member of Penguin Group U.S.A. Inc. 416 pp. hb. ISBN #: 9780525952176.

"Everything is true. Once a story is told, it becomes true. Every unlikely tale, every tale of wonders, has something real at its core." This quote in the "Historical Note" section after the novel serves to properly introduce an amazing, wondrous tale. For when one begins this novel about the famous Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, one is not expecting this story of love and war conducted on human, mythological, and supernatural multi-levels. The love of Antony and Cleopatra is well-known, but the devastation that follows Rome's defeat of Egypt sets loose days and nights of terror that will make the reader shiver many, many times in the following pages.

For Octavius, the Roman leader, sends a messenger to Cleopatra, telling her that Antony has committed suicide. Cleopatra does not discover the truth until much later, as she is busy creating an incomplete spell in which she attempts to invoke the powers of Sekhmet. Her goal is to defeat Roman power but what she unleashes are the powers of death, destruction, chaos, plague, and every form of evil one could possibly conceive. It's as if Pandora's box has opened to unleash the fury of darkness and chaos upon every corner of the world.

Cleopatra becomes Sekhmet's furious tool of evil, fueled by the blood of her hapless victims of both high and low birth. But the neatness of this story becomes even more complex when the powers of the mythological underworld,a priestess, sorceress, historian, serpents, gods, and goddesses take sides in a war between Cleopatra and those who support Octavius. Plague, war, thefts, battles, vicious murders, and ritual sacrifices fill these pages with a story that defies imagination yet seems all too real and horrific!

Maria Dahvana Headley has written a timeless, literate, and wonder-filled story that is an absolute must read. The list of sources and historical references after the story are quite impressive and provide a long list of material to be read for those who are as gripped by this story as this reviewer was and is. Superb story that was obviously fueled by the creative Muses - don't miss this gem!

The King's Witch by Cecelia Holland

The King’s Witch. Cecelia Holland. Berkley Penguin Group Books. June 2011. 320 pp. ISBN #: 9780425241301.

Picture a female doctor whose identity is unknown and therefore mysterious to all in this year of 1191. Spanning various cities between Europe and Jerusalem, this novel depicts the various Kings vying for control and power in the Crusade to defeat Arabs presently holding Jerusalem. Edythe is a secret Jew by birth but has no connection to that religion as Jews are anathema in Christian circles during this part of the 12th Century. She is known as the King’s witch because of her effective medical skills, displaying amazingly in various descriptions such as actually doing some head surgery, no mean feat in this time and place. Most notably, she manages to keep King Richard the Lionhearted alive throughout his bouts of a life-threatening illness. That is the only background to the respect she receives, and for that reason alone she remains free to come and go at her own pleasure and is not subject to the bawdy acts of men away from home on a brutal campaign journey.

Meet King Richard, a man who makes a vow to capture Jerusalem but cannot force his peers to stand with him to finish the job after Acre and Jaffa are successfully taken in formidable battles. Then we encounter Rouquin, a sidekick officer of Richard’s army, who possesses a secret about his own background that binds Richard to him beyond that of a King and servant. The plot thickens with the introduction of various characters all connected to Joanna, Richard’s sister, but using her to achieve their own military and religious designs. These characters the King of Jerusalem who lost his kingdom, as well as the representatives of France, Germany, etc. The notorious Knights of the Templare are also present in a rather vibrant but devious way. One character Richard particularly yearns to meet for a physical reason that is totally anathema in that day and age. Church and State are no friends in this race for power and victory!

Those who know history know Richard was unsuccessful in his Crusade quest, but Cecelia Holland tells such a riveting story that we forget what we know and find ourselves rooting for this dedicated leader striving to accomplish what he perceives as a holy war free of rivalry and defeat. Edythe and Rouquin finally dare to rebel and come to a peace about who they are – a process and subplot just as complex and fascinating as the story about the King.

Although the names and places appear initially complex, the reader will quickly be entranced by this totally beguiling, historical though general, and passionate story that does this author credit. The King's Witch is a fine beginning to the Heirs of Eleanor of Aquitaine series. Nicely done, Ms. Holland!

Fire on Dark Water by Wendy K. Perriman

Fire on Dark Water. Wendy K. Perriman. Berkley Trade Paperback Original. June 2011. 326 pp. ISBN #: 9780425241012.

Blackbeard the Pirate’s notorious deeds are famously portrayed in books and movies. Here, however, we learn about this adventurer through the voice of his thirteenth wife, known as Lolamura, Lola, London Lola, The Gypsy, or just plain Doxy. Deflowered at the age of ten in 1702, Lola spends the next ten years learning the art of begging, pick-pocketing, etc. in London, England because she cannot return to her gypsy family in her impure state. After being caught stealing, Lola is sentenced to being transported to America for seven years.

Lola’s journey to the New World is dangerous, tempestuous, and exhilarating. Then her adventures with her employers in the South range educate her about social status, medicine, and a slew of outrageous conflicts life-threatening for all involved. Lola inadvertently winds up abetting horrific events from which she must escape, next to the West India island of Nassau, this time with a hooker friend, Violet.

Here the action noticeably picks up as they meet with a surprising former acquaintance, all eventually vying for men with means. “Perhaps it’s the raw excitement of loving so close to the edge, that point where the dare fires the blood with thrill…Anyhow – the higher the rank the better the plunder – as all potential queens are well aware.”

And finally Lola meets Captain Edward Teach, the notorious Blackbeard, “the charmer (charismatic, seductive, learned and cultured…” and Blackbeard the pirate (cruel, brittle rapacious, and evil…”. Lola weds him, and the following pages recount in detail his various victories and his eventual downfall. Fire on Dark Water is a fascinating, riveting, cruel and sometimes kind tale of a notorious thief and his multi-talented, lustful, and savvy but temporary, thirteenth wife.

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

Trace of Fever. Lori Foster. Harlequin Books. June 2011. 400 pp.; pb. ISBN #: 9780373775750.

Trace Rivers is playing the role of bodyguard and messenger for the slimy criminal, Murray Coburn. Murray’s wife wants to play with Trace but she’s got some very twisted ideas of how she wants to accomplish that meeting. However, her plans are stalled with the arrival of Priscilla or Priss Patterson, who claims to be Murray’s daughter. No one believes her at all, and even Trace isn’t sure why she’s finally shown up at 24 years of age, a nondescript owner of an adult store selling movies and toys.

Trace has totally fallen for Priss faster than one could imagine, but his feelings are accentuated by his growing sense that Murray is planning something deadly for her and perhaps even for him. Why, for instance, does he sense someone following them by car in more than one place? Priss is expecting everything, but feelings get complicated when she meets Trace’s friends, Dare, Molly, and Chris, a group that feels like a very real family. For this close group is breaking her hard core defenses forged by her own natural and dysfunctional family!

And then the big boys arrive. What is their goal? Can Trace hold them off or discover their extremely aggressive agenda? What about Murray who is taking Trace on a secret mission while his girlfriend is heading off to discover Priss’s real story. By this time, hot, steamy sex scenes are flying every which way among all parties, albeit with and without love flaming the hormones!

Needles, threats, revealed secrets, kidnapping and more fill the tension-riddled pages for the remainder of this part-horrific and part-healing story! Lori Foster has upped the ante on this second novel in the “Men Who Walk With Honor” series. Trace of Fever is an impressive work of romance fiction!

To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Christy English

To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Christy English. New American Library. April 2011. 400 pp. ISBN #: 9780451232304.

"As I sat alone in my tent, with only Amaria to attend me, I wondered. Perhaps it was time to build a new dream for myself." What is it like to be raised by a loving father who instilled a sense of equality and dignity in a daughter that would enable her to rule the Province of Aquitaine one day? How does one maintain that dream in a world of marriage to King Louis VII, the boy King who loves the Catholic Church more than his kingdom or wife, for the most part, who considers sexual relations to be a grievous sin for which he must constantly repent?

This is the story of Eleanor's early years when she is clinging to her independence in a world that sees woman as worthy of dalliance, piety, and childbirth. Correction - most woman are allowed dalliance, but the Queen of France is expected to be the model Christian Queen. At first she believes she can bring Louis around to be a close husband in all ways but gradually she knows it's a losing battle against Louis' confessors, one of whom will later reveal grievous crimes beyond one's comprehension.

Travel with Eleanor and Louis on their way to the Crusades in Jerusalem, experiencing the architecture, interior design, food, and styles of the citizens of Constantinople, Antioch, and more European cities that greet this royal couple with joy while their leaders reveal scintillating and devious motivations and acts that continue to shock and alarm the reader.

Know the brief joy that Eleanor finds with two men throughout these years and finally one,Henry of Normandy, to whom she will give her heart, mind and soul forever. Christy English has written a well-researched but quite realistic picture of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who "became" the renowned fiery, powerful leader during these younger years when life seemed fragile and yet glorious enough to grasp, live in fully, and celebrate with those who shared her dreams.

Ever provocative, unpredictable, humorous, and free in spirit, Eleanor will delight you through every page of this very, very enjoyable novel. Delightful, Christy English!

Wild Man Creek: A Virgin River Novel by Robyn Carr

Wild Man Creek: A Virgin River Novel. Robyn Carr. MIRA Books. January 2011. 368 pp. Pb. ISBN #: 9780778329312.

Public relations expert, Jillian Matlock, travels to Virgin River in Northern California, forced to leave her job because of a sexual harrassment charge. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Jillian decides this is the time to follow a new dream, one that is slowly evolving and with which she is becoming more and more excited. She's smart, sassy, and unafraid to try anything. At least she is until she meets Colin Riordan.

Colin is a wounded warrior, a former pilot blown out of the sky in a Black Hawk helicopter who has been through the mill physically, mentally, and emotionally. But all of a sudden, he's initially intrigued first and then slowly attracted toward this go-getter lady who begins to move him beyond his hobby of painting natural wildlife scenes for his own peace. The story doesn't stay in a stereotypical pattern at all and continues to thrill the reader with subplots that are offbeat, original, and engaging on every page.

Gardening, fine food, new discoveries, traveling abroad, and so much more endear and challenge Jillian, Colin, families and others!!

Love is complicated yet really simple, when all is said and done.

Very nicely done novel, Robyn Carr!

To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan

To Desire a Wicked Duke. Nicole Jordan. Random House Publishing. February 2011. 384 pages. ISBN No. 9780345510099.

In this final Book 6 of The Courtship Wars series, Tess Blanchard is initially caught giving a passionate kiss to the man, Patrick Hennessy, who is, unknown to Tess, supposed to guarding her. It's not a serious kiss at all but it appears as such to a suddenly appearing and angry Duke of Rotham, Ian Sutherland. As usual the Duke is arrogant, pompous and insulting as he questions and threatens Tess over this seemingly innocent act, and she responds accordingly. Having been engaged to a man who died in war, she is ripe for scandal to which the Duke for some reason is determined she will not know.

Later, her godmother, Lady Wingate orders Tess to marry the Duke and says she will withdraw all her monetary support if Tess refuses. So Tess proceeds to obey but intends this to be a marriage in name only, for she is truly a match to the man who does little to indicate other than scorn.

However, things begin to very slowly change as Ian shows he is capable of protecting her and even instructing her in the amatory arts. Finally, after Tess discovers some horrific things about the Duke's past, she escapes to Cornwall where there is a hint of a ghostly presence, one that enters her room on her very first night there.

After Ian follows her to Cornwall, the passion between them grows and some very dark, startling secrets are revealed involving someone very close to both of them.

Nicole Jordan's most recent romantic novel is a delight for all of her fans as well as new readers. There are plenty of surprises that keep the reader turning the pages with riveting attention and the romance is hot, hot, hot!!!

Great story, Nicole Jordan!

The Journey Home by Michael Baron

The Journey Home. Michael Baron. The Story Plant. 2010. ISBN: 9780981956862.

The Journey Home relates the strangeness and wonder of connection. It all begins with Joseph waking up in a strange home, surrounded by a family who accept his fragile condition and soothe him with warm meals and a place to stay overnight. For Joseph is unable to remember where he came from or where he was going before he was found passed out on the sidewalk outside of the family who found him. When he leaves that place of shelter, he meets Will, a young man who knows he has a goal to reach but seems quite unsure of precisely what it is or how to tackle the journey there. He begins to find purpose in attempting Joseph in his quest for home and identity. The closest they come is through the sense Joseph has of a woman whom he loves and whose presence enlivens the very essence of his life’s meaning.

Antoinette is living in an assisted living facility which she finds strange, and so she retreats into her room, living in the memories of the beautiful love she shared with her late husband, Don. Her son, Warren, going through a divorce and presently unemployed, is lost and frustrated by his mother’s slipping more deeply into another world. He slowly begins to recreate a new relationship with her by cooking her favorite meals and watching her joy as she comes alive with each meal he so tenderly prepares. The descriptions of these meals will make the reader want to run out to buy ingredients to try the same culinary delights, but we also sense that it is the love that goes into the preparation turns them into exquisitely appreciated delights. His conversation with Jan, a nurse at the facility where Antoinette lives, puts some delicate humor and meaning into the present moment and offers the possibility of hope for the future to both of them.

What fuels our passions and what is the heart of true relationships? The Journey Home is a story about three very different characters. In truly listening to each other and learning what feeds the heart, mind, and soul, all these characters learn true love and relish the journey to the center and peripheries of that precious world that is ever new and ever alive in a unique, memorable cycle! Lovely novel!!!