Chance Harbor by Holly Robinson

Chance Harbor.  Holly Robinson. Penguin Group (USA). October 215. 448 pp.  ISBN#: 9780451471505.

Catherine and Zoe, two sisters who look like each other but couldn’t be more different, are now separated. Zoe, the rebel in the family who did drugs, dropped out of school and more, ran away, leaving her daughter Willow with Catherine and Russell.  The latter seemed like the proverbially successful, married couple but are now separate as well, Russell having sired a father by his high school student Noel.  Catherine is having a hard time coping with it all, especially in light of the fact that her father has recently passed away and her mother, Eve, has decided to sell the family summer home, Chance Harbor, on Prince Edward Island.  Sounds like a course in Family Dysfunction 101.  The difference herein is how does each character deal with the gradual revelations that initially stun all of them and what kind of new relationships develop as the family life evolves?

Numerous descriptions of beautiful Chance Harbor will engage every reader, a place where it’s safe to relax and let nature heal, if possible, what needs to be let go and what needs to be grabbed and dealt with.  It’s the perfect combination of seashore and rugged living!  Near to Catherine’s home are wooded and mountainous areas where hiking and fresh air also serve to relax and fully engage with the present moment! The environment clearly parallels the family’s turbulent transformation that is patiently and poignantly described.

As the story evolves, strong feelings are verbalized and secrets are revealed, especially with the undoing of Catherine and Russell’s marriage, the reappearance of Zoe who is now clean, repentant and willing to try to undo the damage she left behind years ago.  New romances will emerge, one’s that respect the past and serve to accept a different kind of future.  Willow is a young woman who has her own moments of wisdom and mistakes, and she is able to demonstrate how one opens up to see something other than stereotypical patterns which enables Catherine and even her grandmother Eve to realize the past need not be repeated.

Chance Harbor is a lovely novel with some very complex interactions that seem rather edgy but which are transformed at just the right moment to scenes that keep the reader fully engaged.  The reader finds that he or she wants to know how the relationships of mother-daughter, father-daughter, sisters, and lovers will grow or terminate.  Very carefully crafted story about love that endures the worst that life can throw, stays solid where it should and leaves behind the dross! Highly recommended contemporary fiction!

A Perilous Alliance: A Tudor Mystery featuring Ursula Blanchard by Fiona Buckley

A Perilous Alliance: A Tudor Mystery featuring Ursula Blanchard.  Fiona Buckley. Severn House Publishers.  October 2015. 240 pp.  ISBN#: 9781780290768.

Ursula Blanchard has been told that her third husband has died and she is quite content as an independent widow traveling between her two homes with her servants and friends in 1576.  Elizabeth is Queen and actually Ursula is her half-sister, not in line for the throne but able to serve the Queen in many helpful ways.  Now she’s very irritated as she has a bevy of Court visitors, who are telling her that the Queen and Lord Cecil agree that she must marry a French Count, Gilbert Renard, in order to unite the kingdom against Spain and other countries surrounding France.  That will guarantee France’s protection should these other countries dare to individually or collectively attack England.  Ursula is extremely reluctant to marry Count Renard or anyone else for that matter!

After visiting the Queen, Ursula surrenders and agrees to marry after a scene where Elizabeth talks to Ursula in the most persuasive, albeit rather condescendingly in part, manner and convinces her that this is an act of pivotal importance to the security of England.  After the Count arrives, Ursula realizes the manner of man she is to wed after learning of the brutal treatment of his horse on a regular basis. 

Then several days follow in which a bunch of servants on both sides are suspected of listening at closed doors, a violation of privacy Ursula considers deplorable.  Shockingly, the Count disappears overnight with a friend of Ursula, and the chase is on after a traitorous message is found.  The remainder of the story will reveal what is really behind the Count’s visit to England and Ursula proves her indefatigable determination to truly save England from harm.

A Perilous Alliance… is a superb Tudor mystery with well-placed conflict and some secondary problems that only add to the precisely placed tension.  Ursula is a fair woman who cannot abide disobedience or treachery.  That, rather than faithfulness to the Queen, is what propels her every difficult step of the way until she completes her mission. Highly recommended read for readers of historical mysteries, as well as lovers of thrillers and adventure fiction.

The Determined heart: The Tale of Mary Shelly and Her Frankenstein by Antoinette May

The Determined Heart: The Tale of Mary Shelly and Her Frankenstein.  Antoinette May. Lake Union Publishing. September 2015. 410 pp.  ISBN#: 9781503945180.

Mary Shelly was the daughter of two renowned parents, William Godwin, political philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, feminist writer.  Mary Shelly’s father remarried after her mother’s death, a money-grabbing, bitter stepmother who denigrates Mary’s intelligence and visions of the best in life and learning.  Mary’s sister, Fanny, is a timid creature who accommodates their step-mother’s demands but Mary prefers to read and write.  The financial condition of the Godwin family is verging on disastrous and it is Mary’s stepmother who comes up with the idea of their opening a bookshop.  Both her father and stepmother urge Mary and other writers to create fiction oriented toward children.  At first it appears that their income will be moderate but sufficient to support their family.  But needs arise and William taps everyone he knows for loans that eventually disappear.  It’s at this time that Mary’s life undergoes an intense transformation.

Mary falls in love with Bysshe Shelly, a married man whose possessive wife, Hannah, does everything possible to besmirch Mary’s name and family after Bysshe declares his undying love for Mary.  Disaster will follow many years later after their rash, dedicated life begins.  Another family member, Claire, will latch onto the couple and create many crises.

Antoinette May interweaves Mary’s growing interest in the power of electricity to invigorate life with the scenery and castles of Geneva and other places.  The weather is frightening frequently and Mary’s interest in Gothic elements grows and grows until she finally creates the famous novel, Frankenstein.  Elements of her own and Bysshe’s personal life becomes the conflict elements of the scientist and the frightening creature he creates.  While many readers have heard about this background information, this novel vividly and imaginatively recreates the probable scenario that led to this stunning novel still read by students and adult readers today.

In one sense, the reader will sympathize with Mary who suffers much in order to remain with her greatest love.  Other characters who offer support and friendship during these years are well-known and not so well-known; they enable Mary to endure Bysshe’s changeable and idealistic nature.  Their beliefs are counter-culture to British and European ideas about nature and philosophy, earning the couple derision and scorn while hypocritically praising their literary creations.  A not-so-praiseworthy depicting of the famed poet, Lord Byron, adds an intriguing, unexpected twist to the plot and its other characters, as well as his influence on both Bysshe and Mary.

All in all, The Determined Heart… is a superb, literary novel about creativity, social and political mores, science, Gothic literature, passionate love that scorns mandated behavior and so much more – all with phenomenally disastrous and delightful consequences!  So very well-crafted, Antoinette May!   A classic work of literature or historical fiction in itself!

Language of the Bear - Tomahawk and Saber - Volume One by Evan Ronan and Nathaniel Green

Language of the Bear – Tomahawk and Saber – Volume One.  Evan Ronan and Nathaniel Green. Calhoun Publishing. July 2015. 260 pp.  ISBN#: 9780996495800.

An English soldier, Lieutenant Hugh Pike, and a Native American Susquehannock warrior, Wolf Tongue (named as Isaac for a Christian name although he is clearly not a Christian), are thrown together on a mission.  They are both disconcerted by the ultimate act they must commit – the assassination of a violent, capable killer who is trying to recruit fighters to defeat the English.  Sounds simple, but it’s anything but easy!

To begin with both men have asked for a prize for the risk and completion of their task, a beloved lady – Damaris and Fox’s Smile respectively – each will wed after completing their job.  But their task is an almost impossible one in which they will encounter and perhaps survive every possible danger in the Pennsylvania mountains and country.  Their goal in this first of what will be a series is to find and deal with a man named Azariah or Storm-of-Villages. 

What is fascinating, as this novel progresses are three aspects.  One is the description of the beautiful land Pike and Wolf Tongue traverse, sometimes easily and sometimes with great challenges like climbing cliffs and fording fiercely moving rivers.  One can almost smell the turning colors of leaves and pine of the forests.  Both men are rugged enough to clear paths and camp comfortably even in the fiercest of cold weather.

The second intriguing portion is that Azariah actually has many supporters who believe in his mission to be rid of the English and restore the land to its native status.  His charisma and cruelty bring his supporters to unbridled obedience and fear and it is believed that he is unconquerable.

Friends are really foes and vice versa in this plot that grows complicated because of our main characters never knowing who can be trusted and the crafty movements of their enemy.

The third engaging aspect is the relationship that develops between Pike and Wolf Tongue which includes what they truly believe.  That difference both divides and eventually unites them.  As they journey back and forth between their home territory and that of Azariah, they develop a friendship that will endure physical wounds, struggle in the territory that is untamed and their wavering, private reflections between courage and doubt.

All in all, Language of the Bear is a terrific read whose fans will be looking forward to the next novel in this story of pre-Revolutionary colonials and Native American residents. Nicely crafted, Ronan and Green!

Minute Zero: A Novel by Todd Moss

Minute Zero: A Novel.  Todd Moss. Penguin Group (USA). September 2015. 368 pp.  ISBN#: 9780399168680.

Judd Ryker has given up the life of an academic and become a State Department troubleshooter.  He’s come up with a theory of action called Minute Zero, which is a plan to take action quickly in the moments of a country’s chaotic crisis.  It’s a plan which gives control to American policy and mandates immediate action.  While that theory and its subsequent program worked well previously (see The Golden Hour by the same author), times have changed.  America’s State Department is now reacting to a diminishing economy and is looking to make budget cuts.  Judd is told he has forty-eight hours to prove his theory and program again or his program will be cut. His wife and other colleagues are supportive, even insistent that he take on this new challenge which involves elections in Zimbabwe in forty-eight hours, even less by the time he gets there!

Winston Tinotenda has ruled Zimbabwe through six elections.  Now he is running against a woman lawyer, Gugu Mutonga, but it’s far from a fair election.  Indeed Tinotenda has child and adult soldiers who literally walk into the election booth to ensure that the people vote for him.  Violence against the opposition is the norm but ironically there is no proof by which he can be incriminated by foreign governments or the United Nations.  Money is funneled to both candidates from powerful groups inside and outside Zimbabwe.  Judd’s wife is not the agricultural water researcher and mother she claims to be, and the gradual revelation of her more important role is stunning!

Judd’s job is to monitor and report on fair elections but he is rather simplistic in thinking it’s so easy.  He really doesn’t even seem sure his own theories about Minute Zero will work here so entrenched is the corruption and military muscle running the government and elections in Zimbabwe.  Add to the mix a mysterious massacre occurring years ago and a diplomat who believes it has something to do with a secret mine. 

One has a hard time knowing who is honest and who is deceptive.  Little by little Judd brings together a team who will relentlessly expose all hidden agendas and put broken pieces of the puzzle together, but not before much violence, threats and false promises are made to the people of Zimbabwe, America and even England.

Minute Zero… is a nail-biting, tension ridden novel that will delight all who love the political and international thriller genres.  The plot is finely constructed and contains many elements of reality as well. What a movie this would make! Nicely crafted, Todd Moss!

Killing Maine by Mike Bond

Killing Maine.  Mike Bond. Mandevilla Press. July 2015. 391 pp.  ISBN#: 9781627040303.  

Special Forces Pono Hawkins veteran is leaving Hawaii to help his former peer, Buddy Franklin.  Hawkins has a checkered past, having been imprisoned for killing a woman.  The circumstances were merciful, but that’s not how others saw it. Up to now, after he’s released, he’s a Hawaiian surfer who teaches others the sport and the atmosphere it brings, thrills and peacefulness at the same time. Now he’s off to help this fellow veteran although there’s no love lost between the two of them.  Franklin’s got a hatred for the powers-that-be who control the industrial wind power turbines being built across the northern Maine lands. 

Wind power is an interesting topic treated in a careful manner in this novel.  The detrimental side effects are categorically stated as illness and death surround the animals and humans living around these wind turbines.  Franklin has taken on the issue in his own way, shooting the turbines so they can’t function.  But now a high-up exec behind the wind power business has been murdered and Franklin is the one who is accused of the death of Ronnie Dalt.  The goal is obviously to get Franklin out of the way and end the trouble he brings with his vehement hatred of those who are in the wind power business or Wind Mafia, as it’s called, for financial gain regardless of the consequences that follow.

There’s another matter that complicates things.  After Hawkins was imprisoned, he told his girlfriend to forget about him.  Now she’s hooked to Franklin.  No spoilers here; Hawkins plunges into his investigation as one never leaves behind a fallen, fellow soldier.  The search brings politicians, lawyers, and other important people into the limelight and someone out of these rich connections is trying not only to stop Hawkins but to kill him.

There’s more than plenty of high-paced action and thrills as Hawkins’ prey get closer.  Read it and root for those who would “save Maine” from the devastating effects of what was originally publicized as an energy source that would tip the scales to energy independence.

Nicely paced and plotted, Mike Bond!  As an aside it just might compel readers to look into its underlying issue as well!

Summer at Hideaway Key: A Novel by Barbara Davis

Summer at Hideaway Key: A Novel.  Barbara Davis. Penguin Group (USA). August 2015. 416 pp.  ISBN#: 9780451474582.

Betrayal after betrayal, all in the name of protecting a beloved sibling! Like a hurricane that grows in strength in between landfalls, the cataclysmic events that caused a lifelong rift between Lily Mae and Caroline began with a seemingly innocent trip.  Their mother was abandoned by her husband and she in turn left them alone and defenseless in a home for the poor in a small Tennessee town, a place that left horrific scars in Lily Mae.  Caroline never believed that what happened to her sister was a loving act and from that day the wound between them grew exponentially.

The girls survived by becoming models and then the trail grew cold after Caroline spent years with her husband Roland and daughter Lily.  Now Roland and Lily Mae are dead and Roland has left Lily a small beach cottage in Hideaway Key, Florida.  Imagine her shock when she finds a rundown shack filled with boxes, papers, magazines, fancy furniture and the finest of crystal and other formal dinnerware.  This then is the journey of truth that begins for Lily, a series of revelations through the diaries left by Lily Mae, comments made by neighbors, news articles from New York papers and magazines, and letters written by the characters involved in years of secrecy.

Lily meets her nearest neighbor, Dean, an architect who on his first visit wants to buy the cottage left to Lily by her aunt.  At this initial meeting, they are really like-minded individuals who do everything possible to avoid any semblance of commitment in order to protect each one from being rejected and abandoned.  The past rules their thoughts and feelings on a daily basis.  This is another journey of discovery and shedding of hardened skin layers that are more destructive than constructive. 

Summer at Hideaway Key… is a delightful summer read filled with shocks and secrets that never allow the reader’s interest to lag.  It’s a novel about telling honest truth rather than convenient truths designed to insulate one’s feelings, the latter truths which really never succeed in their conscious or unconscious designs.  It’s about the sacrifices one makes and endures to express and protect real love.  It’s quite simply a well-crafted, evocative, poignant and beautiful story.  It’s name belies the beautiful love behind all the misunderstandings, gossip, machinations and petty acts that desperately need forgiveness and redemption.  This is highly recommended contemporary, romance fiction – so nicely crafted by Barbara Davis.  A fine job done, indeed!