Synopsis

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years of her life trying—and failing—to prove it.

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its leader, Lev Warren and as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her—to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.

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Review

This was an interesting book to read from many angles. There is a sisterly bond between Bea and Lo, a cult, death, intrigue, and maybe a bit of romance (but not much).

Bea and Lo are close sisters until an accident leaves Lo for dead. What Bea perceives as a miracle has her joining a cult because she believes that the cult leader saved her sister and this is the price she must pay. This seems to sever the ties between the two sisters since Bea in essence disappears into the cult. I think Bea’s youth and naivete make her a perfect target for someone older and wiser and this is evident throughout the novel.

The story is told primarily from Lo’s point of view, but there are sections from Bea’s perspective. The story slips back and forth in time and while there are some indications when this happens with the year at the top, at other times it will flip suddenly which threw me off. It would have been helpful to have a small break or something to indicate there is a change in perspective.

Lo is approximately 19 and comes across as very immature for her age. I am sure she did not have a normal life after the accident, but it seemed like she expected everything to be handed to her without working for it. I think I felt more compassion for Bea because she loses her parents but doesn’t have anyone to help guide her through life and she was still a teenager. I felt like she was left to fend for herself and she left Lo to their Aunt’s care knowing that she couldn’t take care of Lo’s needs by herself.

The story was intriguing and I wondered if it really was a cult or if The Unity Project was a caring organization as their leader, Lev, proclaimed. We see the good works that they do, but not everything is always as it seems on the surface.  This becomes more evident towards the end of the book. In fact, the action really picks up in the last 20% or so of this book. It is horrifying the details that come out in the end. It definitely will make most readers feel uncomfortable and sad by the turn of events.

There were still a few questions that I don’t think were answered, but not too many.

Overall we enjoyed this book and give it 3 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Courtney Summers is the bestselling author of several novels. Her work has been released to critical acclaim and multiple starred reviews, received numerous awards and honors–including the Edgar Award, the John Spray Mystery Award, the Cybils Award, the Odyssey Award, the Audie Award–and has enjoyed the recognition of many library, state, ‘Best Of’ and Readers’ Choice lists. Courtney has reviewed for The New York Times, is the founder of the 2015 worldwide trending hashtag #ToTheGirls, and in 2016, she was named one of Flare Magazine’s 60 under 30. She lives and writes in Canada.

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Synopsis

Love, romance, second chances, fairy-tale endings…these are the things Annika Dev believes in. Her app, Make Up, has been called the “Google Translate for failing relationships.”

High efficiency break-ups, flashy start-ups, penthouses, fast cars…these are the things Hudson Craft believes in. His app, Break Up, is known as the “Uber for break-ups.” It’s wildly successful—and anathema to Annika’s life philosophy.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if they’d gone their separate ways after that summer fling in Las Vegas, never to see each other again. Unfortunately for Annika, Hudson’s moving not just into her office building, but into the office right next to hers. And he’ll be competing at the prestigious EPIC investment pitch contest: A contest Annika needs to win if she wants to keep Make Up afloat. As if it’s not bad enough seeing his irritatingly perfect face on magazine covers when her own business is failing. As if knowing he stole her idea and twisted it into something vile—and monumentally more successful—didn’t already make her stomach churn.

As the two rival app developers clash again and again—and again—Annika finds herself drawn into Hudson Craft’s fast-paced, high velocity, utterly shallow world. Only, from up close, he doesn’t seem all that shallow. Could it be that everything she thought about Hudson is completely wrong? Could the creator of Break Up teach her what true love’s really about?

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Review

After reading several suspense novels, I decided to take a break and read something light and fluffy. Make Up Break Up was just the book to read. It is filled with miscommunication, sexual tension, women in STEM, and a happily ever after ending.

Annika has a brilliant idea for an app and is working hard to develop it, along with her best friend June. These two women embody women in STEM and there is even a part of the story where they speak to some high school students and encourage the girls to pursue their dreams in coding. It is really a great message that nothing has to hold you back other than yourself.

Hudson has created an app that is the opposite of what Annika is creating. His app will send someone (a terminator) to end a relationship that you don’t want to be involved with anymore. I wondered how and why he came up with this app and the answer to that is near the end of the book so you will have to read it to find out.

Annika and Hudson had met in Vegas at a conference and sparks flew during that week. But then they went their separate ways until Hudson ends up as Annika’s neighbor in an office building in Los Angeles. Hilarity ensues between these two with the pranks to knock each other off their game. But what they didn’t expect was to feel those sparks again.

I am not sure how much I liked Annika. She is a tough woman with a passion for her app, but some of her actions are childish. Granted she is in her early 20s, but it still seemed a bit immature. Not that Hudson was much better. It is also a little vague as to how she can afford this nice office in Los Angeles. There are conversations with a banker so it is assumed she has a loan from that bank. but it isn’t ever really confirmed outright. June is her partner in crime, a master coder, and apparently very wealthy. I was surprised that Annika refused her help monetarily to get them out of the hole they currently are in, but if she did accept the financial help it would have taken the story in a different direction. I did feel like Annika did start to mature towards the end of the book when certain events occurred.

Annika has a great relationship with her father other than he wants her to attend medical school and become a doctor. That is not her passion and I wondered if her father would ever realize that becoming a doctor is not her dream. Small spoiler, he does but it takes a long time. But the journey to get to that point is two-fold for him and an intriguing subplot.

Hudson has his own issues too. He has become very successful with his app, but he isn’t happy. There are underlying issues that Annika helps him uncover at various points during the story. Hudson does seem too perfect, but in reality, he is just as flawed as Annika, and perhaps that is what makes these two a perfect couple. Once they can get past their hangups.

The book made me chuckle and there are a few “oh no” moments, but we get our HEA and all is right with the world.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Lily Menon has always been enamored of romantic comedies and happily-ever-afters in all shapes and sizes. Her very first love story, written at age nine, was about a handsome young boy who wooed the heroine with books, chocolates, and a very fat puppy. Now Lily lives with her own handsome boy (who indeed wooed her with books, chocolates, and fat puppies) in the mountains of Colorado, where she spends her days dreaming up kissing scenes and meet-cutes.

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The Broken Spine (A Beloved Bookroom Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Berkley (January 19, 2021)
Hardcover: 320 pages

Synopsis

The first in an exciting new series featuring Trudell Becket, a spunky librarian who will stop at nothing to save her beloved books and catch a killer!

 

Trudell Becket, book-loving librarian, finds herself in a bind when the library where she works is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless library. In a rare move of rebellion, Trudell rescues hundreds of her library’s beloved books slated for the recycle center. She sets up a secret book room in the library’s basement and opens it to anyone who shares her love of the printed book.

When the town councilman, who was the vocal proponent of the library’s transformation into a “futuristic technological center,” is crushed under an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the police’s prime suspect for his murder. She was the only person in the library at the time of his death, or so the police believe. But that’s not true. For the past month, Trudell had been letting a few dozen residents into the building through the basement entrance so they could read and check out the printed books.

But if she tells the police about the backdoor patrons who were in the library at the time of the murder, she’d have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. In order to protect herself from being arrested for a murder she didn’t commit, Trudell–with the help of a group of dedicated readers–decides to investigate. She quickly discovers you can’t always judge a book by its cover.

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Review

I had never heard of a bookless library until this book and there was a mention of one in Texas. I had to look it up and it is located in San Antonio and is called BiblioTech. Apparently, there are actual locations but there doesn’t seem to be any books and it is much like how the library in Cypress will be after the conversion, you can borrow a tablet or use a computer to access the information.

On to this book. This is the first in a new series and it starts off with a bang when the small town politicians decide to turn Cypress into the Silicon Valley of the South. To do this, they decide they need to get rid of the books in the library and make it all digital. Tru and several others think this is a very bad idea, and I tend to agree with them. But sometimes there is no changing stupid ideas made by those without a vision for the future. Then one of them ends up dead and for some reason, Tru becomes the main suspect. It is a race through the book to try and discover who the actual killer is and take the heat off of Tru. I liked how Tru realized that even though she has read mysteries, the clues in real life are not obvious.

I really like the cast of characters, it is a mixed bag between sane and just a little bit crazy. Tru’s mom is quite a handful as well. Since this is the first book of a new series, you don’t learn everything you need (or want) to know about the characters. We are given tidbits here and there and hopefully, in future books, we will learn more and the characters will become more rounded.

The mystery took me by surprise, and while I had some suspicions, I didn’t know if I was on the right path until the end. Perhaps in future books, the police won’t jump to conclusions based on flimsy evidence.

A good start to a new series and we give it 3 1/2 paws up.

Excerpt

No one in the moderately sized rural southern town of Cypress would ever suspect their stalwart assistant librarian of breaking into the library where she worked. Why would they? A bronze plaque hangs on my kitchen wall. It was personally presented to me by Mayor Goodvale. He declared me an asset to the town. I’d received the award because I always performed my job with the highest level of pride and professionalism. For the past thirteen years I put the town and library first, often to the detriment of my personal life.

An even bigger honor occurred a few years ago when Mrs. Lida Farnsworth, the town’s head librarian, whispered (she always whispered) while we busily returned books to their shelves: “Trudell Becket, I couldn’t be more pleased to be wrong about my first impression of you. I would have hired any other candidate for the position. But, alas, the only other person who’d applied was that drunkard Cooper Berry. I honestly didn’t think you had it in you, honey. But, bless your heart, you’ve become the model of a perfect librarian.”

And she was right. I was perfect. Until . . .

Well, let’s just say someone needed to do this.

As a general rule, librarians don’t speak in loud voices. Librarians don’t exceed the speed limit when driving to work. And librarians certainly don’t dress head-to-toe in black ninja-wear while attempting to pick the library’s backdoor lock.

Yet, librarians can always be counted on to get things done.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I muttered to a lanky brown cat with black tiger stripes. It had emerged from the darkened back alleyway to stand next to library’s cool pearly-pink granite wall and watch me. “Someone needs to protect those books before they all end up destroyed. They’re sending them to the landfill.” The small metal flashlight clenched between my teeth caused the words to come out garbled. Both of my hands were busy working the lock.

A textbook for locksmiths that I’d borrowed from the library’s reference section sat open to the page featuring a diagram of a lock. Since I didn’t own a lockpick kit—why would I?—I’d improvised with a few sturdy paperclips bent to resemble the tools depicted on the book’s previous page. Every little sound, every scrape and rumble in Cypress’s quaint downtown, boomed in my ears. I jumped at the soft cough of a car engine. And with that cat watching me, I felt an itchy need to scurry into the nearest mousehole to hide.

But I couldn’t run. I had to finish what I’d set my mind to finishing.

After what felt like a million thundering heartbeats while I fumbled with the paperclips, the lock clicked. The door opened. I rose on shaky legs, gathering up the reference book and the stack of flattened moving boxes I’d brought with me. My gaze darted to the darkest corners of the alleyway before I slipped inside.

Just as the door started to close, the cat that had been watching with such a judgmental glare shimmied between my legs and into the library before the heavy metal back door clanked closed.

“Hey!” I called in a harsh whisper because shouting in a library simply wasn’t done. Whispering seemed even more important in the middle of the night as I sneaked inside on my clandestine mission.

The brown cat ignored me. With a yeow loud enough to have me instinctively hissing, “Shhhh!” the little beast darted upstairs and disappeared into the shadows of the stacks.

“Tru, you’re in for it now,” I muttered before dropping the stack of boxes. I sprinted after that darn cat.

Mrs. Farnsworth would have a heart attack if she discovered a flea-bitten kitty wandering among her books in the morning. I needed to get him out. The head librarian was already on edge with having to deal with the changes coming to the library. If I didn’t know the tough older woman better, I would have suspected she was busy plotting a murder.
 

About the Author

Mystery author Dorothy St. James was born in New York but raised in South Carolina. She makes her home on an artsy island community in South Carolina with her husband, a crazy dog, and fluffy cat. Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.

Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn’t as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer. In 2001, she took a leap of faith and pursued her dream of writing fiction full-time.

* Dorothy St. James is the alter-ego of award-winning multi-published author, Dorothy McFalls. She enjoys writing in several different genres. Her works have been nominated for many awards including: Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Reviewers International Organization Award, National Reader’s Choice Award, CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, and The Romance Reviews Today Perfect 10! Award. Reviewers have called her work: “amazing”, “perfect”, “filled with emotion”, and “lined with danger.”

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Giveaway

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Synopsis

A fresh exploration of American feminist history told through the lens of the beauty pageant world.

Many predicted that pageants would disappear by the 21st century. Yet they are thriving. America’s most enduring contest, Miss America, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020. Why do they persist? In Here She Is, Hilary Levey Friedman reveals the surprising ways pageants have been an empowering feminist tradition. She traces the role of pageants in many of the feminist movement’s signature achievements, including bringing women into the public sphere, helping them become leaders in business and politics, providing increased educational opportunities, and giving them a voice in the age of #MeToo.

Using her unique perspective as a NOW state president, daughter to Miss America 1970, sometimes pageant judge, and scholar, Friedman explores how pageants became so deeply embedded in American life from their origins as a P.T. Barnum spectacle at the birth of the suffrage movement, through Miss Universe’s bathing beauties to the talent- and achievement-based competitions of today. She looks at how pageantry has morphed into culture everywhere from The Bachelor and RuPaul’s Drag Race to cheer and specialized contests like those for children, Indigenous women, and contestants with disabilities. Friedman also acknowledges the damaging and unrealistic expectations pageants place on women in society and discusses the controversies, including Miss America’s ableist and racist history, Trump’s ownership of the Miss Universe Organization, and the death of child pageant-winner JonBenet Ramsey.

Presenting a more complex narrative than what’s been previously portrayed, Here She Is shows that as American women continue to evolve, so too will beauty pageants.

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Review

If you grew up watching the Miss America pageant, or even the Miss USA pageant, then this book might be of interest to you. The book is chock full of history about how the pageants came to be, their predecessors, and what has been achieved through the decades to improve the pageant and the women that participated. The pageant world is not without scandal or the whims of what men wanted or expected from such shows. But, as with most everything else, the pageants have improved and are not simply a beauty contest. They focus on real-world issues and the women have had to move along with the times to improve themselves and the society around them.

I vaguely recall the small town that I attended for high school having a pageant. I don’t know if the winner actually went on to compete in Miss Texas or not and since I know a past winner, I should ask her if she competed. I remember the fancy gowns and the talent portion from my attendance at the event and even though I was the same age as these women, I had no desire to be a part of this world. That didn’t stop me from enjoying watching it on television growing up, trying to guess who might be chosen, and being amazed at the talents these women possessed.

The author did a wonderful job of researching the book. There are many notations for where the information was gathered and you could spend hours just looking up the articles and other information. There are a few spots with incorrect information, some I noticed and others I learned from other reviews, but overall I thought the history was intriguing and never would have guessed that P.T Barnum had beauty contests as part of his show.

The book is not fast-paced due to the amount of information presented within its covers. But the look into feminism and how it got its start, women seeking something better, and even the #MeToo movement references are mind-boggling. I enjoyed all of the stories and how this all played into our history.

Overall we give this 3 1/2 paws and if you were ever in a pageant or just curious how it has progressed to what we have today, then this book will definitely fill in the gaps.

About the Author

Hilary Levey Friedman is the author of Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America. She is a sociologist at Brown University, where she has taught a popular course titled “Beauty Pageants in American Society.” She is a leading researcher in pageantry, merging her mother’s past experiences as Miss America 1970 with her interests as a glitz- and glamour-loving sometimes pageant judge, and a mentor to Miss America 2018. Friedman also serves as the president of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women. Her first book, Playing to Win, focused on children’s competitive afterschool activities.

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Synopsis

Why does this keep happening?

A shooting at a Chicago beach leaves several dead and dozens injured. In the year before the attack, four individuals emerge as possible suspects.

An apathetic computer programmer.

An ex-college athlete with a history of head injuries.

An Army veteran turned Chicago cop.

A despondent high school student.

One of them is the shooter. Discover who and why.

Review

Parabellum opens on the crime scene – a beach littered with dead bodies. But who is the killer? Why did s/he kill all of these people? The answer is a little surprising, but looking back, perhaps not so much. Then the book flashes back a year and we meet four possible shooters – the Veteran, the Student, the Programmer, and the Ex-Athlete. During the course of the book, we learn more about these characters, their lives, what they have endured, and their hopes and dreams. What we don’t learn is their names until the very end. In fact, no one seems to have a name until the very end and then there is an onslaught of characters with names. All of the characters are male with the exception of the Ex-Athlete who is a former soccer star that has hit her head and had one too many concussions during her young life.

It felt odd to read the book and not know names, but perhaps that is to not draw any conclusions or stereotypes based on the person. I will say that all of these characters have issues of some sort. The Veteran suffers from PTSD, the Student is socially awkward and perhaps bullied a little bit, the Programmer is smart but has his own anger issues, and the Ex-Athlete has issues from the brain trauma. There are flashbacks of their life and what they have experienced and endured. Each one of them is unhappy for various reasons but will they let that unhappiness control their lives or move them forward?

This book took time for me to digest with the various characters, their flaws, their situations, and wondering when we would learn what happened at the beach. I was taken aback at the end when all of a sudden there were people with names. It took me a bit to realize that these were the people that would be affected by the incident on the beach. You will figure out that one of the characters is not involved in the killings based on the opening scene. But what about the other three? One of those three seems unlikely until we discover this character’s irrational thoughts and dreams.

I enjoyed learning about each character, their history, and what made them tick. I wonder how many people we know in our own lives are similar to them?

This is not a happy read but it does make you think about what is going on inside someone and is there anything we can do to create an alternate outcome.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws.

About the Author

Greg Hickey started writing his first novel the summer after he finished seventh grade. He didn’t get very far because he quickly realized he preferred playing outside with his friends.

Eight years later, he began to find a better balance between writing and life. He wrote the early drafts of his first screenplay Vita during his last two years of college. Vita went on to win an Honorable Mention award in the 2010 Los Angeles Movie Awards script competition and was named a finalist in the 2011 Sacramento International Film Festival.

After college, he spent a year in Sundsvall, Sweden and Cape Town, South Africa, playing and coaching for local baseball teams and penning his first novel, Our Dried Voices. That novel was published in 2014 and was a finalist for Foreword Reviews‘ INDIES Science Fiction Book of the Year Award.

Today, he still loves sharing stories while staying busy with the other facets of his life. He is a forensic scientist by day and endurance athlete and author by nights, lunches, weekends and any other spare moments. After his post-college travels, he once again lives in his hometown of Chicago with his wife, Lindsay.

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Synopsis

The story accompanies a single day of John C., a man of about thirty. In this short passage of time he has three dialogues with three different people. These dialogues, certainly, have shaped his day and, likely, will exist within him eternally.

Review

This short story is not a quick read. Yes, the story can be read in less than 1/2 hour, but the themes running through the story are not light and might cause one to reflect on how they view others and themselves.

John C (mostly referred to as C) in this book has three separate interactions with those he meets in the course of a day. His therapist’s secretary, his therapist, and his first love. It is interesting to view C in these interactions because you can tell he has some issues relating to others and afraid of offending others with his words. It is also this insecurity that causes others to act differently around him too which just further intensifies his fears.

Because this is a short story we don’t have the ability to really know John C and what made him who he is today. But his conversations with his therapist, the therapist’s secretary, his first love, and even his own thoughts, allow us to see a little deeper into his personality and who he is as a person.

I enjoyed the story and it did take a little bit of time for me to follow the flow of the language in the book because the author is from another country and every country has its own way of speaking.  This is not a bad thing at all because it helps expand my understanding of other countries and how people might speak and interact with others. It also allows me to cultivate an appreciation for other cultures and countries.

If you pick up this book, allow yourself time to really delve into the character and the story and appreciate the complexity of the character.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up and look forward to what this author decides to publish next.

About the Author

Cairo Marques was born in 1996 and is based in Brazil. He is an engineer and writer. He writes stories. Most of them are short ones. Recently he felt that one of them was worthy of being published and so he did, with his first book called “An Indelible Day”. He also enjoys stroganoff, actually, he loves it.

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Synopsis

Limbo Jubilee is a raw novella steeped in magical realism. Neala’s surreal story begins in the backwoods of St. Roscoe, West Virginia. Neala’s hero is her Aunt Betsy, who saves the day in a pair of red cowgirl boots. Neala’s life is forever changed as she witnesses the death of her Aunt Betsy. Neala longs for a love that will heal her wounds, so when she meets Brick, she is tempted to cross the imaginary line, but she finds herself in a dangerous limbo. Neala’s spooky voyage transports her to the fringes of reality where she flirts with some creepy-crawly surprises. While a macabre sickness hunts Neala down, she experiments with what it means to be human. Neala’s panic escalates with every page, but could her paranoia be grounded in wisdom?

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Author’s Note

It took me ten years to find the courage to publish this book. It was written in equal parts: beast and human, magic and truth, horror and healing. Writing has been as powerful as any medicine for my soul.  In my quest for the cure, I wrote Limbo Jubilee. As the story came to life, I transformed painful experiences, conjured new realities, and explored the lonely frontiers of the human spirit.

Review

This story takes you on a journey through Neala’s life and her joy and pain that she endured as a course of moving through life.

I was drawn to the story and Neala’s experiences. The beginning seems innocuous enough, but as we move further into the book we realize that perhaps Neala isn’t totally grounded in reality.  Or perhaps there is more to the story than even she knows. I am still not really sure if Neala is delusional or if she truly is of another world and a being called a spryling.  As I read the story, it seemed like she was a spryling, but as it came closer to the end and we learn about her anorexia and other psychological issues, was it a mental break or not?

We learn a lot about Neala’s life and the abandonment she felt as a child, her love for her Aunt Betsy, and the feelings she has for Brick that she has never felt for anyone else. The culmination of many events brings her to this point and we can only wonder if the events made her a better person or not.

This book is a nice combination of fantasy and reality and just enough to leave you wondering how her life might turn out.

We give this 3 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Grendolyn Peach Soleil was born in the land of sweet tea and misty mountains. She is an old soul and carries the folk magic of Appalachia everywhere she goes. During the day, Grendolyn serves her community as a trauma psychologist, and she moonlights as an author because it is good medicine for her soul. Grendolyn is the author of Limbo Jubilee and The Mermaids Melt at Dawn. She is a member of the Visionary Fiction Alliance. Grendolyn is a sucker for twisted fairy tales, all things vintage, tales of true love, and creature features. She lives a merry life in the desert where adventure is around every corner.

Title: SLOW DOWN

Author: Lee Matthew Goldberg

Publisher: All Due Respect

Pages: 270

Genre: Thriller/Noir

Synopsis

How far would you go to make your dreams come true? For budding writer and filmmaker Noah Spaeth, being a Production Assistant in director Dominick’s Bambach’s new avant-garde film isn’t enough. Neither is watching Dominick have an affair with the lead actress, the gorgeous but troubled Nevie Wyeth. For Noah’s dream is to get both the film and Nevie in the end, whatever the cost. And this obsession may soon become a reality once Dominick’s spurned wife Isadora reveals her femme fatale nature with a seductive plot to get rid of her husband for good.

Slow Down, a cross between the noir styling of James M. Cain and the dark satire of Bret Easton Ellis, is a thrilling page-turner that holds a mirror up to a media-saturated society that is constantly searching for the fastest way to get ahead, regardless of consequences.

Review

This is a tough book to review for several reasons.  I didn’t like any of the characters in this book. It was hard to find any redeeming characteristics in any of them.  Noah does start to redeem himself near the end (or at least I wanted him to come out ahead in the end), but it takes many bad decisions for that to happen.  It is also a very dark and gritty book, and by that, I mean lots of sex, drugs, drinking, and foul language. It is key to the progression of the book and characters, so just be prepared for those aspects. It also took me nearly 45% of the book to really understand what was happening and to have some of my own questions that I desired answers. I do believe all of the questions were answered, but the book does end with a few loose ends.

The book features entitled and spoiled characters, which is another reason why I don’t like them.  Perhaps it is not their fault since their parents have basically abandoned them (Noah and his two siblings), but this behavior is common today (sadly) and is hard to digest if one is not familiar with that type of lifestyle. Noah and his brother Dex have talent and potential, but seemingly take the easy way out of life.

Dominick is Noah’s mentor and brings him on to help him with his film. This is Noah’s dream but as a cocky 22 year old, feels like he could produce a better film. Maybe he could, but his ego tends to get the better of him.  It is this relationship that dooms Noah to the life he ends up with at the end. There are also some love interests for Noah, his longtime friend Nevie and Dominick’s wife, Isadora.  Isadora is one messed up woman.  That is all I am going to say about her because too much more would give away some of the storyline.

This is not normally a book I would pick up, but I did enjoy the twists and turns towards the end.  We give this 3 1/2 paws up.

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

NOAH WATCHED THE PRODUCER’S ASSISTANT PLACE HER PURSE DOWN ON THE STOLEN RED COUCH. He’d taken everything in the apartment, all of it part of another man’s life that he now pretended to lead. The full-wattage smile she gave him never left her face, clear evidence she hadn’t been in the City long, the opposite of a native New Yorker like Nevie Wyeth. Nevie, with her panther-black hair and need for Fast—or any other drug someone had to offer. He was only reminded of Nevie because he’d been waiting endlessly for her to call. He was about to give up hope that she ever would.

“Kristy Edson,” the woman said, shaking his hand. She gave two quick pumps. “Mr. Bronfeld sent me over from the L.A. office.”

Noah knew that a guy like Barry Bronfeld was too much of a power player to ever appear in person, even though Apex Studios was giving Noah a gigantic deal for a novel and for a film based on that novel. The problem was that he hadn’t written a word yet.

“Kid, I can’t wait much longer,” Mr. Bronfeld had yelled on the phone the other night. “Just get it done, whatever it takes. I’m scouting locations already. We’re already spending a f*load of money.”

They had decided to say that the novel and subsequent film were “based on a true story” to avoid any legal ramifications. They would change all the names, but at the end of the day Mr. Bronfeld wanted as much of the truth in there as possible. The public craved answers and those answers sold books—reality sold books. Now the terrible things Noah did to make it in this business would be revealed in the guise of a story. Sins that nibbled at his soul more and more until all that remained were crumbs.

“So you’re here to…facilitate this?” he asked Kristy, nodding for her to take a seat on the red couch. He took out a pack of cigarettes and flipped one between his lips. His habit had ballooned from zero to two packs a day.

“Think of me as your cheerleader,” she said, smiling so hard that her back molars showed. He knew she was hungry for this “tell-all” coup, this bad boy bankroll in front of her. She pointed at his T-shirt that asked Who Am I?

“So who are you?”

“Why don’t you tell me when all this is done?”

Yesterday Mr. Bronfeld had threatened that Kristy would be Noah’s last chance; he’d be sued for breach of contract if the book wasn’t finished on time. He’d have to dictate his “novel” to her and then clean it up later on.

“The girl is in love with me,” Mr. Bronfeld had told him. “She can be trusted. And she stands to move up a bunch of rungs if she can get you to open up. She has no reason to go selling your story to some rag. Like I’ve told her some dark stuff. Shit I did at parties in the 80s that would get me arrested today. A hobo I once hit off the Pacific Coast Highway. Anyway… you’re damn young, Noah, but not for too much longer. This is your f*ing time to shine. All you gotta do is get me that goddamn book.”

“I’m ready whenever you are,” he heard Kristy say. She removed a digital recorder from her purse and placed it on the glass coffee table between them.

“I’m trying to think of the best way to start,” he said, his mind racing.

“How about when you first met Dominick?”

He put on a pair of sunglasses. There was no need for her to keep looking directly into his eyes.

“Listen, we have an expiration date here.” She was still smiling, but it seemed strained. “Gossip only lasts for so long and then people stop caring. They forget.”

It was hard for him to concentrate on what she was saying. He didn’t know if it was because his brain had turned to mush from all the Fast he’d done the year after college ended, or if it was something else.

“I’m a little on edge,” he said, checking his cell. “I’m waiting for a call, an important call.”

“Forget about everything else right now,” Kristy said, and motioned for him to put away his phone. “And it’s normal to be on edge. So how are we gonna get you to calm down?”

She placed her hand on his knee. He noticed she had a tiny gap between her front teeth. He pictured her ten years ago: getting off the bus in Hollywood with an overstuffed suitcase, overfed on impossible dreams.

“I have to say that Slow Down was robbed at the Oscars,” she said. “You totally deserved Best Director.”

She hadn’t taken her hand off his knee, rubbing it now and casting her spell.

“How can I be sure that you won’t screw me over?” he asked.

She stopped rubbing to put a hand over her heart.

“Why would I ever do that?”

“I promise you’ll have a different opinion of me after we’ve finished.”

“I have too much to lose if we don’t deliver your book. Barry is financing most of your deal himself, and he’ll attach me as producer. He’ll give me the world.”

“You do know he’s married.”

She pouted her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

Noah felt his cell ring. He fumbled around in his pocket and picked it up after the first buzz.

“Hello,” he said, chewing on his lip.

“Noah!” a gruff voice shouted through the receiver. “Barry Bronfeld here. How’s it working out with Kristy so far?” Noah pictured this bigwig on the other end. Manatee-sized and wearing globular rings filled with cocaine that he’d snort in between meetings. The only bastard in Hollywood that promised double anyone else’s offer.

“Tell me we got a f*ing masterpiece here, kid.”

Noah took another drag and exhaled the smoke through his nose.

“We’ve got a f*ing masterpiece here, kid.”

“Noah, you are a hil-a-ri-ous son of a bitch. You hand me a goldmine and I’ll give you carte blanche with the entire project, even forget about any of these delays. Ah shit, I got Tommy Cruise on the other line…Ciao.”

Noah tossed the cell from one hand to the other, rubbing his tired eyes.

He glanced down as if willing it to ring again.

“Sometimes I think about taking a permanent vacation. Away from all the paparazzi.”

He looked out of the window toward a crowd of photographers below.

“Is it like this everyday?”

“With the film being so big, and of course after what happened….”

“So how true are all the rumors?”

He noticed her staring at the giant painting hanging on the wall. A blank white canvas with a yellow circle in the center and traces of red splattered across the bottom in the shape of a handprint.

“The painting caught your eye?”

“Yes…I’m trying to understand the significance of the red handprint, obviously the yellow circle represents–”

“Not everything has to have a meaning.”

“No, of course not, it’s just the yellow circle resembles the tattoos the different girls had in Slow Down, so I thought the red handprint might symbolize blood or death–”

“I’m ready to begin,” he said, more forcefully than he intended.

“Right….absolutely. Time is money.”

She turned on the digital recorder, her fingers lightly shaking. The apartment remained silent for a long, drawn-out minute.

“I met Dominick Bambach four long years ago.” He let out a laugh that sounded like he was gagging. “And I can’t help but wonder, what if I never had? Where would I be now? Who would I be? Sometimes I feel like the real me died a long time ago, or at least whatever part of me was worthwhile.”

He took a deep breath, one last moment of quiet before the purge. He knew that once he’d begin, he wouldn’t allow himself to stop until he reached the brutal end. He sucked in a last hit of smoke and crashed the butt into an ashtray filled with a pile of other snuffed casualties.

“So here it goes….”

About the Author

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE DESIRE CARD, THE MENTOR, and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the 2018 Prix du Polar. The second book in the Desire Card series, PREY NO MORE, is forthcoming, along with his Alaskan Gold Rush novel THE ANCESTOR. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in the anthology DIRTY BOULEVARD, The Millions, Cagibi, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press, Monologging and others. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.

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Little Tea
Southern Fiction
Publisher: Firefly Southern Fiction (April 28, 2020)
Paperback: 252 pages

Synopsis

Southern Culture … Old Friendships … Family Tragedy

 

One phone call from Renny to come home and “see about” the capricious Ava and Celia Wakefield decides to overlook her distressful past in the name of friendship.

For three reflective days at Renny’s lake house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, the three childhood friends reunite and examine life, love, marriage, and the ties that bind, even though Celia’s personal story has yet to be healed. When the past arrives at the lake house door in the form of her old boyfriend, Celia must revisit the life she’d tried to outrun.

As her idyllic coming of age alongside her best friend, Little Tea, on her family’s ancestral grounds in bucolic Como, Mississippi unfolds, Celia realizes there is no better place to accept her own story than in this circle of friends who have remained beside her throughout the years. Theirs is a friendship that can talk any life sorrow into a comic tragedy, and now that the racial divide in the Deep South has evolved, Celia wonders if friendship can triumph over history.

Review

This southern fiction novel covers several subjects including racial issues, mental illness, homosexuality, love, and loss.

This story is told from Celia’s point of view in two different timelines.  We have the current day which finds Celia meeting up with her best friends, Renny and Ava, to help sort out Ava’s life. The other timeline is Celia’s childhood and this is the storyline I really enjoyed the most. It is set in the 1980s in the deep south where a multi-generational family has different views on equality. Celia’s grandparents believe in segregation but her parents believe in equality and treating everyone with respect. This causes tension when the grandparents try to get back involved with the farming activities or are visiting.  Celia’s best friend is Little Tea and their friendship runs deep.  It doesn’t matter that she is black because Celia doesn’t see her skin color. Hayward, one of Celia’s brothers, expands their friendship to a trio and he encourages Little Tea in her athletic abilities but there is something more there.

The present day story ties to the past slightly. Ava wants to leave her husband and runs into her first boyfriend, Mark. This potential relationship with Mark is a trainwreck waiting to happen. From comments made by Renny and Celia, it seems that Ava might be depressed and has an issue with alcohol. Those two together never end up well for anyone.  But this trip together for the three of them brings up memories from the past that Celia might have been running from and this past story is much more complex.  In fact, Celia’s first love/boyfriend reappears in the present day.  That probably also brought back many memories, some good, some bad.

As I mentioned, the past story was my favorite and the one I was most invested in. As situations unfolded and we learned more about Celia, Hayward, John, Little Tea, and the rest, I suspected several outcomes but some were still a surprise. Some were happy, some were sad, and some were shocking. But each situation added complexity and depth to the story and the characters.

While I won’t tell you the ending, I suspected what was going to happen but I don’t like how the author ended the book. I felt like there was more information we needed to know. It is hard to say too much without giving away the ending, but there are many questions left unanswered, at least in my mind.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and will check out other books from this author. We give it 3 1/2 paws.

About the Author

Claire Fullerton hails from Memphis, TN. and now lives in Malibu, CA. with her husband and 3 German shepherds. She is the author of Mourning Dove, a coming of age, Southern family saga set in 1970’s Memphis. Mourning Dove is a five-time award winner, including the Literary Classics Words on Wings for Book of the Year, and the Ippy Award silver medal in regional fiction ( Southeast.) Claire is also the author of Dancing to an Irish Reel, a Kindle Book Review and Readers’ Favorite award winner that is set on the west coast of Ireland, where she once lived. Claire’s first novel is a paranormal mystery set in two time periods titled, A Portal in Time, set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. She is a contributor to the book, A Southern Season with her novella, Through an Autumn Window, set at a Memphis funeral ( because something always goes wrong at a Southern funeral.) Little Tea is Claire’s 4th novel and is set in the Deep South. It is the story of the bonds of female friendship, healing the past, and outdated racial relations. Little Tea is the August selection of the Pulpwood Queens, a Faulkner Society finalist in the William Wisdom international competition, and on the short list of the Chanticleer Review’s Somerset award. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Literary.

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Synopsis

A Congolese man runs from a terrible accident and finds himself at a revolutionary camp, where he is told that he has a great destiny. He tries to escape and start a new life by going to another town, joining a new religion, and becoming a missionary. Ultimately, though, he finds himself back in the very place he had tried to leave. He must face his fears and his shame—but also his magnificent possibilities.

Heart of Africa is the first full-length, faith-based film to come out of the nascent Democratic Republic of Congo film movement. After decades of colonial oppression and civil war, the country’s scars run deep. Cinema is emerging as a cathartic new medium, and director Tshoper Kabambi is a leader of a new kind of revolution: one driven by stories that he hopes will heal the hearts of his people and the DR Congo.

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Press Release

“HEART OF AFRICA is such an important film from a Black filmmaker who has dedicated almost everything to create and present it,” said Arthur VanWagenen, product director for Excel Entertainment and Deseret Book. “Kabambi’s devotion to share this story can’t be overstated. In a true example of life imitating art, the film’s message of overcoming adversity by placing our lives in the Lord’s hands is now happening in real life for Tshoper.

He came to the United States for the film’s release, and because of the pandemic, Tshoper has been unable to return to his family in the Congo.”

HEART OF AFRICA is the first ever Congolese-American production of a feature film and was written by Tshoper Kabambi and Margaret Blair Young. The film was produced by Bruce Young, Margaret Blair Young, Tshoper Kabambi, Ephraim Faith Byikana, and Deborah Basa. Sponsors include Bimpa Production, Congo Rising Corporation, and Heart of Africa LLC.

Proceeds from the film will generate funds for humanitarian work and aid in the Congo, primarily in health and innovative education to assist the people of the Congo in becoming more self-reliant. In addition, proceeds will be used to help revitalize the film and cinema industry in the Congo.

Trailer

Review

This movie tells the story of one man torn between his roots in a violent faction to a new Christian life.  It is not an easy journey for him but looking at the two different worlds, perhaps choosing the one that is more calm and peaceful is the right choice to make.

I can’t imagine what people endure living in the Congo, but this movie gives us a brief glimpse into that world. Life is hard for everyone, but joy can be found in the simplest of things. Gabriel is a tortured character not knowing what path he should take.  He signs up to be a missionary because they offer food and lodging. That may be his initial desire, but working alongside other missionaries to rebuild an orphanage (named Heart of Africa) turns his thinking upside down.

The characters are interesting and many have their own demons that they are battling. That is part of what helps Gabriel realize that perhaps he isn’t quite as alone as he thinks.  The story also touches on some issues we are experiencing here in the US at this time.  Gabriel’s old faction believes that all white men are out to destroy them or enslave them which couldn’t be further from the truth in this movie. The group cannot distinguish between the Belgian’s that enslaved them and a missionary from the US.  I’m not sure that they ever come to terms that perhaps they are misguided under the current leadership.

This movie is primarily spoken in a native tribal language, Lingala, so there are subtitles.  However, it wasn’t too hard to watch the film and read the subtitles to understand what was going on in the movie. The LDS influence is minor other than the missionaries.

We give this 3 1/2 paws.

Giveaway

$50 Deseret Book Gift Card and Copy of Heart of Africa DVD

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