This is a book of four short stories which show how beginnings and ending can affect lives.
Story one is a couple sharing breakfast in a cafe, story two is a tale of how love overcomes all obstacles, the third story is a meaningful road trip gone right and the final story is about being picked out of a group.
A delightful selection of short stories which cheers the heart up.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-08 23:29:172021-07-10 18:42:26Beginnings and Endings: A Selection of Short Stories by Jane Suen – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
The Ellisians are a race who value the females in their society, they have a matriarchal hierarchy and the boys are rushed away from their mothers immediately after birth as they have no value to them and grow up to serve in the military as Brethren, even the baby girls are nursed by the Cadian’s. The Cadians are another race whom the Ellisians believe are beneath them, they live in clans outside the palace walls and only the females are brought within to do the menial tasks the Ellisians believe are below them. Both of the races have their own values to society, the Cadians are broad shouldered and hard workers, but they are subdued by a force the Ellisians control called the Negaforce, it is an innate ability which is more prevalent in the females than males which is another reason they are discarded to the sidelines.
Within the royal line, there are many females within the palace walls, although a new queen can only be selected upon the birth of another female to one of the royal line, however, these children can be as different as any normal family, but one is more different than the rest. The youngest daughter of the queen is unlike her siblings, she prefers the outdoors, has a quiet temperament and keeps to herself, while her elder sister is paranoid and full of cruelty and malice. One day the youngest daughter is sent on a trip to visit a neighbouring town where she spends time when not studying in the palace, on her way back, she is attacked and this starts a chain of events in this young Ellisian’s life. She escapes from one danger into another, where she is rescued and learns things about herself she never suspected, but what she finds out later is that the Queen, her mother is dead and her sister barely escaped her own demise, but this has meant that she is now in charge and is a leader with more bloodlust than even those before her.
As this young Ellisian learns about her past, present and future, she makes a decision which will affect not only her life, but that of those around her, but will the decisions she makes be for the good of all, or will she be unable to conquer her fears and lead those who need it to make the realm a better place? This is a fast paced adventure in a fantasy land where secrets abound and nothing is as it seems in a small realm with big problems which pulls you along the current of the unfolding events until their conclusion.
Lucy Walker is your typical fifteen year old girl who lives with her mum, but that is where her normality ends, she lives in a trailer park and her mum is an addict, she spends the household budget on beer and drugs, albeit she says she is trying to get clean and Lucy dreads it when she goes to school or anywhere because of the looks and taunts she receives. One evening, she is trying to get on with her evening when she hears tyres screeching up the path between the trailers and her worst fears come to pass when she finds her mum dumped on their front lawn, not moving and not breathing, btu when she asks her neighbour to call for an ambulance, it is already too late. After things settle down, Lucy then travels to live with her Uncles in Chicago, but it is not the reunion she was expecting, it is under much more sad circumstances than she hoped for, but as they walk through the airport to collect her suitcase, she bumps into a stranger and feels a strange jolt when they do, she thinks no more about it until she finds a note in the book she dropped asking her to meet them with a contact phone number.
The next morning she meets the neighbour who lives on the floor above, he is a hot young man with dark hair and brooding eyes, Lucy has never seen anyone so handsome and she cannot believe her eyes, so she becomes tongue tied and embarasses herself when he comes past her at the door to the apartment block. To make matters even more awkward she has to go shopping with her Uncles for some new clothes and it isn’t what she is used to doing so she is finding it hard to accept it, but they won’t take no for an answer. It isn’t all bad though when she makes some friends thanks to the girl who lives over the road inviting her to spend time with her friend circle, it is something Lucy has always wanted, but never managed to have. A few days later and things have started to properly sink in when she goes upstairs to see a friend who lives two floors up, the things she finds out from her are shocking and feel unreal to her, it turns out that she is half witch and half demon and that her life is going to be anything but the normality she so desires because of it, but when she finds out that her grandmothers pet raven is missing, she is really upset and a little angry.
Things seem to go from bad to worse when she goes into her room to find out that it has been broken into, but everyone around her says they want to protect her, but they won’t tell her what is going on, but it means that she can spend more time with her hot neighbour. Will Lucy be able to accept all the new information which is being thrown at her while trying to keep it all a secret from her friends at school, or will the darkness which resides within her take over and put everyone she loves at risk? This is a fantastic paranormal adventure where growing up isn’t as simple as it seems and secrets abound within a community of both a supernatural and human nature, as you are pulled along on a coming of age journey like no other.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-06 16:02:192021-07-07 20:17:35The Girl and the Raven: a YA Paranormal Romance by Pauline Gruber – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Makayla is part of a big family, she her mum, her dad and also has six brothers and they are all older than she is, the only difference is that they are a magical family and when they come of age, they go to a magical academy and now this day has finally arrived for Makayla, so here she is in their pristine, white living room and about to choose where she wants to apply. As she leafs through the ancient tome in front of her, she looks at each of the academies, what she needs to get into them and which would be best suited to her, she narrows the choices down to the three that she would like, she is torn between choosing the ones she will get into and the one her family expects her to apply for.
It is sometime later when Makayla is woken up by the sounds of her brothers going down for breakfast and the first day of term, but when she eventually goes downstairs, there is no start of year gift and no breakfast ready for her, instead there is an empty place and a gift from her mum instead. She is now running late and almost misses the bus, but with no letter to say which academy she is at, she is lost when she gets to the campus, but nobody is willing to help her until she makes it so that they can’t ignore her. However, there are still no clear instructions and she struggles to find her way, but she isn’t on her own and soon runs into a couple of other kids who are in the same situation, they work together to figure out the first lot of instructions, but are soon separated to find their own way. As the tests and instructions present more obstacles to cross, Makayla eventually finds her way back to the others and into the campus she is being sent to and unfortunately, it isn’t one of the ones she has chosen, it is the least popular choice, the Grave Digger Academy.
The whole situation looks bleak, the building, the surroundings, the interior decoration and even the classes when they start up, but Makayla has made some friends and that helps to deal with the challenges and things which crop up in their studies. The first thing they learn is the difference between a gravedigger who prepares the graves and a Grave Digger who stops whatever is buried from coming back up, but things aren’t always what they seem, so will Makayla be able to keep up with her studies and make it through the year, or will she get in over her head in more ways than one? This is a fantasy tale of what happens when the dead come back to haunt us and the who the people are who are the only barrier between us and them and it is a tale which pulls you through all the way through it to the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-05 10:42:442021-07-06 12:24:56Grave Digger Academy by C.A. King – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Cassie Gearhart is a young witch trying to escape from her family so that she can practice the thing she loves most, magic, her element is the air and she is powerful, so when she goes into the woods behind her adopted home in 1974 to cast a spell to hide her from her family, she doesn’t bargain on the price she must pay to do it, she is transformed into a tree and that is where she stays for forty five years. Nick Felston is a young man with tragedy written all over his features, he feels responsible for things which happened in the past and because of this, he refuses to use the magic he has been born with and has decided to sell his family home and move far away to the desert to escape the looks and comments of the people living in his small town.
The day he speaks to the realtor and signs the paperwork to sell his house is the day a huge storm breaks, it scares him more than he will admit to, but at the height of the storm and in the middle of the night, he is distracted by a knock on the door and when he opens it and comes face to face with a woman who looks like she has been sleeping in the woods and is more than bedraggled. This woman is Cassie and she has just been freed, however, she has no idea how much time has passed, so she is surprised to see a young male witch instead of her friend and when she asks to see the owner of the house, her high priestess of the coven, she is devastated to find out that her friend is dead. Nick is not very hospitable to begin with, but he does offer Cassie some tea and a blanket from a chest in the corner and tells her about the amount of time which has past since she cast her spell, however, Cassie isn’t feeling welcome, so she decides to head out on her own and find somewhere to figure out what is going on, this is when Nick realises that the woman is telling the truth that she has no idea what year it is and remedies his mistake and goes out into the storm to find her.
When they get back to the cottage, Cassie and Nick talk a little and come to an understanding, however, the next day, the attraction between them starts to blossom, however, both of them are scared at the magnitude of their feelings and Nick tries to push Cassie away, but after a few days pass, they struggle to keep denying it. The one thing they cannot deny is that their magic is drawn to the other so strongly that they realise that something deeper must be going on, that feeling increases when they meditate together and both have visions, but will they be able to overcome their hesitancy and work together to figure out what the visions mean, or will their dark pasts come back to haunt them? This is a paranormal romance in a small town where unexpected things can happen and the unpredictability leaves you wanting to know more.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-04 09:31:012021-07-06 07:17:15Tangled Roots (Witches of Willow Creek: Tangled Magic Book 1) by Denise D. Young – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Shane Coulter is a man with a dark past and a darker heart, he has been through a lot in his life and this has made him into the person he is today, abrasive, sarcastic and a pain in the ass to those around him, but as much as he tries to distance himself from those around him, he can’t seem to push them far enough away. One day he is meeting his friend for something to eat, but instead of him, he sees a face from his past, his first love, Callan Reid, a tall, blonde man whose blue eyes keep him entranced and help his breath to come back, but they also remind him of what they had and why he left him. Callan cannot help being drawn back to Shane, the man he left behind to appease his family, but the life he chose hasn’t made him happy and all he wants is a second chance with him and he is determined to get Shane to come around to his point of view.
They agree to meet up and go on a date, but Shane insists that it is his rules or nothing and the main rule is that they are complete strangers, they don’t talk about the past or delve too deeply into each others lives, Callan agrees, albeit reluctantly and they agree to meet and start again. As the two meet on one of Shane’s favourite walking trails, Callan asks to take his picture, Shane agrees, however, it is too much like all times, but he agrees to dinner as payment for the photographs, although he takes his own car and follows him there. When they get to the restaurant, it is the same one as the other night. After the waiter brings their food, they talk about their careers and other small talk, slightly touching on the topic of family and relationships, but before he can get too comfortable, Shane makes his excuses and leaves, albeit agreeing to dinner the next Friday on his way out.
Shane is really trying to keep his aloof attitude going, it is becoming harder, especially when the rest of his family and his boss at work are trying to drum up an uncomfortable amount of conversation, as time passes and Shane sees more of Callan, he is finding that the more time he spends around him, the harder it is becoming to stay closed off and Callan is beginning to think that there is more to Shane pushing him away than just being obstinate, meanwhile, Shane is still desperately trying to keep his secrets hidden, but his well built walls and boundaries are starting to be pushed against and he isn’t comfortable with it at all. Will Callan be able to get Shane to open up to him and accept the help being given, or will Shane close himself off even more as the pressure mounts? Can Shane keep his demons at bay, or will the darkness close in on him and destroy whatever he has left? This is a thrilling story of love and protection in this romance with a dark twist which will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing as to what will happen all the way to the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-03 14:25:012021-07-04 12:26:16Remember My Name (Remember My Name Series Book 1) by Laurencia Hoffman – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
In this installment of the Antipodes series, we are back with Cam and Freya as they settle back into life on Lewis with their children and families around them, they are back working hard and savouring the feeling of being home, but when the proximity alarm sets off in the middle of the night, Freya has just returned from overseeing a mare in labour and all she wants to do is sleep, but instead she pulls on her clothes and goes to their neighbours to check on the surveillance footage and be fed coffee at the same time. When they see an unfamiliar boat coming in to land, they are wary, especially after their past experiences with unannounced visitors and they know these ones are unannounced as they haven’t radioed ahead or come in at a decent time of day, however, when they go to meet the boat and let them into the dome, they are shocked to see who the passengers are, they are even less impressed at the intrusion.
As they are familiar faces who both Cam and Freja never wanted to see again, they are reluctant to give them the time of day, however, when the reason for their visit is made clear, the shock deepens, as does the intrigue surrounding it. The group slowly return to their homestead to talk in more detail and invite their closest friends into the conversation as well when it turns out that they are all affected, however, they are horrified that these people have come to them and are very cold towards them. As the conversation continues in a more comfortable setting, truths are revealed that shake the group to the core, it is to do with why they were all chosen for these communities and the future plans the scientists had for them.
Over the next couple of days, Freya and Cam process this new information and have some very hard decisions to make, but they are supported in the avenue they eventually choose and the community all pitch in to take up the slack as they set off on another necessary journey outside of the safety of the dome. The preparations are set in motion and goodbyes and explanations to the children are made, they accept help from their closest friends to accompany them on the voyage and they set off into the unknown on a mission for further information and exploration into what the future of these communities will be. Will the foursome be able to uncover the hidden plans of the scientific community, or will what they find destroy any small remnants of trust they had? This is another thrilling escapade into the dystopian world of the antipodes which will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read along with the group as they set off on their adventures and find out what happens in the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-02 15:38:532021-07-04 11:39:05Caim (Antipodes Book 4) by T.S. Simons – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Lillian Ross is in jail for a double murder and has never said a word about what happened and why, she didn’t even put up a fight for the court case, just letting them get on with it around her and has never opened up to anyone, that is until she approaches true-crime author Allison McKinnon. Allison has been writing her true-crime novels for a decade and it is always from the point of view of the victims, she does her research thoroughly and uses facts and first hand interviews to show the real impact which crime can have on lives and she is good at her job, so when she gets the call that Lillian Ross wants her to tell her her story, it is a chance she is more than willing to take, as long as the proper steps are taken and the proper paperwork and releases are signed.
As she approaches the prison for their first meeting, Allison has her legal support there with her, she is stunned when Lillian enters the interview room for the first time, she doesn’t look like her pictures, but she is still a beautiful woman who wouldn’t strike you as being a criminal if you saw her on the street, but there is something about her character which Allison feels is a little off, she agrees to sign off on all the paperwork and so Allison arranges with the prison to conduct the meetings, while in the background, she begins to make requests to Lillian’s family so that she can interview them for the book as well.
As the interviews progress, Allison hears about Lillian’s past and this is where similarities to her own past emerge, this sets off an inner turmoil in Allison, but she bravely carries on listening and tries not to bring her own demons to the fore at the same time. Will Allison be able to separate her story from Lillians, or will it lead down a path where only darkness lives and breathes? This is a thrilling look into how writing true-crime can impact the author as well as the criminals and victims and is an interesting glimpse into how the past can impact both the present and the future as you are drawn into two lives and want to see how their stories end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-07-01 17:04:492021-07-02 11:45:59The Murders of Lillian Ross by Sirena Van Schaik – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Jameson Wills is a kid who has grown up in a family where his only company has been his mum after his dad left, he is the kid who sits at the back of the classroom minding his own business and keeping to himself, he is the forgotten one, the ignored one, but he keeps up his grade and is working on his sketches so he can get into a good college, but all he has really ever wanted is to know about his dad, who he was and why he left. Pete Andrews has it all, the job, the house, the car, the wife and the kid he always thought he wanted, but he felt that it was never enough and he then started searching for things in the wrong places.
Jameson is just going through the motions like he does everyday, he isn’t too close to his mum because of all the hours she works at her two jobs and when she is at home, they barely communicate, but on this day, he goes into the attic to get his hockey stick, but instead, he finds a journal and as he reads through it, he realises that it is his fathers and it is not what he expected to read, but it rings true to him in a strange way. Meanwhile, Pete is having breakfast with his wife as she rocks their son, but it isn’t the amicable conversation it used to be, the atmosphere is icy and the distance is palpable, but as she makes sure everything is ready for her business trip but eh way she does it frustrates him and so he decides that he needs some kind of release, so he arranges for someone to look after his kid for a few hours so he can find it. However, when he is finally ready to return home, he finds that he has many missed calls and voicemails from his wife, because this isn’t the norm, he is worried and calls her back, btu when she starts screaming incoherently down the phone at him, demanding to know where he is, he has a feeling that something is definitely wrong.
Pete’s suspicions are confirmed when he returns home to find that there isn’t a home to return to, it is just a smoldering pile of ashes, there are fire crews, ambulances and the police there, but all he can do is try to breathe, hoping that his mind is working overtime and that the worst hasn’t happened, but as he sees the woman who was babysitting his son approach him and burst into tears, his worst fear is realised, his son was in the house and is now dead. As he tries to come to terms with what has happened, he takes the blame upon himself and his wife does the same, she demands to know where he was and why he wasn’t there to save their son, the police want to know the same thing, but he cannot bring himself to say it.
As Jameson reads more of the journal, the days turn into weeks and he begins to realise that his father was an arsonist and as he watches the news, basks in the knowledge that he has come back, but he also feels like he has met with his destiny and that maybe if the same blood runs through his veins as his father, will he be able to something to finally get his attention? As the investigation continues and arson is confirmed, Pete vows to find the arsonist and get his revenge, but will his chequered past come back to haunt him before he can find the one he is searching for? This is a thrilling story with plenty of action, revelations and a lot of fire as the hunt for the arsonist progresses, emotions blaze and walls come crashing down as you are drawn deeper into the arsonists handbook until a fiery conclusion is reached.
This is the story of Mary E. Gregory told in her own words, it is the story of how her world changed when she was just five years old and what happened over the course of her life after that. Mary was born into a loving family in Nashville, Tennessee, she had her mum, her dad and two siblings, a brother who was the oldest and an older sister in between the two. They were well thought of and respected in the local community but from birth, Mary had challenges, she was born with a cleft palate and had multiple surgeries over her life to correct it and the issues which came with it, this would be something she would have to accept and learn to live with over the years. The main troubles started when her father, a preacher in the local church and a pillar of the community came out as gay, this was compounded upon with the HIV and AIDS crises which were starting to come into the mainstream media and create the stigma and taboos around the diseases ehich people believes they could catch just by standing near them. The life that Mary knew was going to change drastically after this as her parents separated and divorced, the church goers and friends of the family all retreated away from them and some started rumours and talking about the family behind their backs, it was also at this point that her mother started to develop mental health issues as well.
After the divorce went through, Mary and her siblings didn’t see their father for a while until the custody and maintenance payments were sorted out, it was during this time that their mother retreated into herself and began neglecting the household and them, her older brother had to grow up quickly and look after both himself and his sisters, trying to keep them going to school on time and not letting on how bad things were at home. The situation got to a point where the school called their mum and it finally broke through the wall she had built around herself and she started booking after things again, however, when the car broke down it started over again, plus when they got to see their father, she started arguments and it became too awkward for the arrangements to stick. Their mothers increased paranoia around the situation and what she believed people were saying about her she began to use her children to wage a war against their father, this led to her buying a car, packing them into it and driving away from the only home they had ever known without looking back.
On their road trip, they visited family members to say a last goodbye to them and in between staying in rest stops, spending the little money they had on food and gas, they passed through many places until they arrived in New York where the next stage of their adventures would be. This is where Mary and the others learned about life and how hard they would have to work to stay fed, warm and with a roof over their heads, sometimes this didn;t happen at all, they shuffled from hostels, to hotels, to apartments and back to sleeping in the car, going to food banks and soup kitchens so they could eat and their mother hopping from job to job between welfare checks, the had to attend school, even though it was hard for them and embarrassing, but they made some friends along the way.
The memoir continues as they keep moving along when their mother;s paranoia hits its peak, Mary learns a lot about life and how she should approach it and scattered in between the memories are snippets of her adult life and how she has grown and changed into the woman she is today. Overall, this is a wonderful story of adversity and how even childhood trauma can be used to create a strong sense of self, while teaching others how to observe, process and learn from life, no matter what it throws at you.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-28 16:00:462021-06-28 21:58:05Travels Through Aqua, Green, and Blue: A Memoir by Mary E. Gregory – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This is a book for those over 18 due to its adult nature and sometimes graphic content.
Manifesto The Great is the grandson of the first leaders of the Planer Hy Man, leaders of a race of space faring men and women who were travelling through space on a ship to find a new hospitable planet where they could forge a new way of living, but living on spaceships can be cramped, especially of you are on them for a long time, so these particular wayfarers decided that sex was off the table and abstinence was the new normal, as well as segregation of the sexes so taht there was no temptation to fornicate. After a while this became the norm and nobody questioned it, until they arrived on Planet Hy Man where there was plenty of fresh air, space to live and expand and as it turns out a copious amount of hemp, this new found freedom leant itself to the reintegration of the sexes, fresher food and plenty of sex and partying in celebration and this is how they lived until some order had to be established, however, the views on how to do this were poles apart according to whether it was the females or the males who were speaking, in the end the males shouted the loudest and declared that they would do the work and the women were to procreate and look after the children and nothing mroe than that.
This way of living carried on for years, technology was invented, created and used to their advantage, including four-legged creatures and statues, the hemp was farmed and life was good, until the planet started to become more polluted and the women had had enough when their rights and duties were reduced even more and they felt like it was unfair that they were only regarded as baby making machines and walking wombs. Things were marginally better under the second leader, but when he passed away, the successor was even worse, a typical mans man who only thought of sex and participating in a sport he created of pulling spaceships, the women lost more rights and the men weren’t happy either, that is until Manifesto The Great came along and hoped to find a balance which sutied all the people of Planet Hy Man before they either tore each other or the planet apart. He tried to listen to women’s views as well as the mens, albeit the past leaders had female advisors, the men were always seeking to either overthrow them or cast them out as spies, believing that they were weak and brainless, the women however, wanted to prove them wrong once and for all.
Will Manifesto The Great be able to live up to the legacy which his forefathers left behind, will be able to make the wise decisions which will please both the men and the women, or will he drown in their demands for a better life and more equality? This is a comedic sci-fi adventure with plenty of crazy action, argumentative women and equally argumentative men who will drag you into their lives and keep you firmly ensconced there throughout the book.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-27 21:02:122021-06-28 00:23:25The Rise Of Manifesto The Great: A Sci Fi Comedy Where Women Wear The Trousers (Planet Hy Man) by Kerrie Noor – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Jeremy is a seventeen year old boy, he lives with his mother, is a devout Roman Catholic, helps out around the house and in the diner where the family swap a hot meal for a useful skill or useful things left over from the time before technology broke down and lies changed forever, he lives in a world which has survived a plague, a plague which wiped out most of the population and left the rest barren, infertile and unable to reproduce at all, apart from Jeremy, he is pregnant and nearing full term at that. Leslie is an agnostic woman who has lost her faith since the plague hit and so has been travelling around the country to find out about how the plague has affected the population and whether there is any hope to save humanity, this is where she meets Jeremy and his mother and finds out about his extraordinary tale of how he became pregnant.
As she has nowhere to stay, she is invited to stay in the spare room of the house Jeremy and his mother live in, again, in exchange for working and helping out or making use of a special skill, it is at the mealtime with the local priest and a neighbouring family where she hears of how the Virgin Mary visited Jeremy on a hot summers day and asked him if he would bear a child for her, Leslie is skeptical to say the least, but Jeremy believes it wholeheartedly and his mother is slowly beginning to believe in it too. The only problem is how Jeremy is going to give birth to this miracle child and stay healthy in the meantime, at least this is his mother’s main worry, Jeremy is convinced that things will all work out according to God’s plan, however, they are in luck when Leslie reveals that she is a midwife and may be able to help them both through this trying time.
Will Leslie be able to help Jeremy to safely deliver this baby while being bombarded with her thoughts of her waned faith and the unfaltering faith of those around her, will this crisis be something she can work through in time, or will it affect more than just herself? This is an original and captivating tale which will draw you into the lives of those surviving in this dystopian world and sticking with them to the conclusion of the story.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-27 20:37:272021-06-28 00:22:40Jeremy Full of Grace by Greta Cribbs – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Molly Jackson is a young woman who has just finished her second year of college and is enjoying taking a break over summer, but she cannot enjoy herself too much because she has to look after her mum who has been diagnosed with Dementia and often forgets things and sometimes gets lost, but her dad has no patience with her and so it is often left to Molly to deal with everything while he just gets angry and complains, it leads to her feeling that she doesn’t belong in the family, that she is too different and it saddens her sometimes. As she is managing the pressure of daily life, her mum disappears from the house again, so she reaches out to her older brother to come down and help her look since her mum has been gone much longer than normal. While Molly is out searching for her mum, she passes the school and watches the preparations for this years graduation ceremony, but she spots a flyer on the notice board which she hasn’t seen before, it is about a search for a missing person, but she is shocked to find that they have been missing for twenty years and that the person in the picture looks startlingly like her.
After a few hours,Molly’s dad calls her and tells her that he has found her mum safe and sound and that she needs to get home as soon as she can, when she does, she immediately hugs her mum and tells her how worried she was before taking her into the garden with a cup of tea to sit by her favourite flowers, she takes the chance of her dad not being around to ask where her mum was, but she is evasive and doesn’t answer directly, apart from saying something about a “house in the woods”, any further conversation is cut off by her dad demanding lunch, which partially goes to plan until her mum forgets what she is doing and almost burns it. Later that evening, her brother turns up after driving most of the day to get there, but Molly realises that she forgot to tell him their mum was home, so he comes in to see her. She is happy to see him, but unfortunately, their dad isn’t so happy.
With her brothers arrival, Molly realises that she doesn’t really know that much about him and that since he moved away before she was born, she hasn’t had the chance because of the years which pass between his scarce visits, but now he is back in their hometown, she is going to use the opportunity to do just that and get to know him a bit more, but instead of staying with them, he decides to stay at the local motel as he cannot get on with their dad at all. She gets ready and goes to meet her brother, when she arrives he is on the phone and looking a bit upset, it turns out that he had been in contact with one of his friends about their twenty year reunion, seeing if he wants to go and whether he wants to meet up with them beforehand, this is where Molly asks if it has anything to do with the flyer she saw, this shocks her brother when he realoses who she is talking about and they decide to go and join in the search together after he tells her about the girl and their past. It turns out that they were college sweethearts but that she disappeared from a party and wasn’t seen again and her brother still tortures himself about it all this time later.
When they head to the search and find out where they will be starting and who will be there, things start to get a bit unnerving for Molly, this feeling only deepens as she becomes more involved and hears more about the girl and what happened, this combined with her mum disappearing again leaves Molly struggling to make sense of everything. Will she be able to help solve the mysteries of both the missing girl and where her mum keeps disappearing to, or will the things she finds out on the way cause her to worry more than before? This is a thrilling search for answers with plenty of twists, turns and secrets to keep you guessing the conclusion all the way to the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-27 20:16:192021-06-28 00:21:32House in the Woods by Jessica Aiken-Hall – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Zoey Taylor is just a normal girl on her way to graduating early, she studies hard and is a bit of a loner apart from one friend who she hangs around with, this is due to being an introvert by nature, but also because her family are really overprotective ever since she walked out of the house and into the woods behind in the middle of the night when she was five years old. As Zoey goes through her normal routine of school, studying, more school, more studying and maybe meeting her friend at the local diner for a snack before heading home, she is coming to terms with her desperate need to escape from it, to escape from her family and its drama which comes from being the only girl surrounded by four brothers, its loud and distracting.
One of the days she goes to the diner, her friend did mention that one of the guys who works there has a crush on her, but she didn’t believe it, she is too plain for anyone to notice her, but when she starts talking to him, she realises he is actually a nice guy under the uniform and permanent scent of sugar and grease from the fryers. When her friend turns up she is annoyed with herself bevuase of asking a stupid question which pretty much wrecked any chance of further conversation and she regrets it so she decides to leave early, unknowingly leaving her bag charm behind, her friend isn’t overly fussed and just proceeds to chat up the girls in the diner instead.
As Thanksgiving approaches, Zoey is worried that she won’t be able to study with everyone being in the house and tries to extend her curfew a bit so she can get some work done at the library, but her parents are having none of it, so she struggles ahead like normal. When her older brother comes home a couple of days after school has broken up, she is happy, but when a friend of his comes to see him, things start to turn odd, so she calls on her friend to come over to help her investigate what is happening and he agrees to come over on Thanksgiving itself.
When the day arrives, the family is preparing the meal, but unknown to her, the guy from the diner is going to turn up as well to return her charm and bearing cake, while she is talking to him, tensions rise between the two guys when her friend arrives and she asks one to leave. However, the day proceeds to become more shocking when someone she never expected turns up on her doorstep, Gabriel Stanton is wealthy, popular to the point of celebrity status and a philanthropist in his spare time and completely out of place in her living room, but there he is nonetheless. How will Zoey react when he manages to turn her life upside down with answers she never expected to hear and what will happen in the aftermath of these revelations? This is a thrilling tale of secrets, revelations and family bonds that is a rollercoaster of emotion and action as the story unfolds to reveal its final conclusion.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-25 15:14:572021-06-25 16:47:08Shield & Shade: Ascended Guardians Series by Misty Hayes – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Hunter Divine is an ex US Marshall with a past full of the good, the bad and the ugly, but thanks to a mistake and a boss who threw him under the bus and blamed him for it, his career ended and now he is job and bed hopping to get by and to keep the memories of that tragic time away, but he isn’t succeeding as well as he hoped, that is until he gets a call from an ex who is in a spot of trouble and need his help. Paige Hawkins is the CEO of a green energy company, with a loving husband and two kids, however, recently, those kids are in danger, there have been two attempts at kidnapping them, each more risky than the last and in which the security detail she had hired were injured. This is why she feels that Hunter is the only one who will be able to protect her kids from this unknown threat. Despite their past history and how it finished, she knows he is the right man for the job, so she asks him to come to see her and see what he can do.
Hunter arrives in Colorado Springs and heads to see Paige and her husband to get more details about the previous abduction attempts and is shocked to hear how they have escalated and after having a minor interrogation of his own, he leaves it up to them to decide whether he is hired to do the job or not, after they have agreed to, he speaks to the Detective in charge of the case to see if he can enlighten him on any other details before contacting the members he wants on his team and going to collect them. As expense is no option for the Hawkins, he uses their private jet so they can speed up the process and it is a good job they do when a third attempt is made at the family’s home. Fortunately, one of the team had already arrived and the Detective as well as another cop were on the scene, although they were taken down, Hunter and two other members of the team arrive and stop the kidnapping in progress.
The next day the final team member arrives and a plan is put into place, Hunter asks for a list of the parents possible enemies and has a member of his team on each member of the family while he investigates possible leads both with and without the Detective, although some of his methods are not the policeman’s preferred ones. As the days pass and more leads are followed, will Hunter and his team be able to work out who is behind the kidnapping attempts and why, or will the past repeat itself and Hunter find himself in another lose-lose situation? As the lines between good and bad blur the Divine Devils race against time to stop the kidnapper with endless resources using plenty of teamwork and making the hard decisions, but whether they are positive or negative remains to be seen. This is a thrilling mystery which is full of action as the investigation proceeds and suspects are run down, which will keep you reading to find out how it ends.
Teagan Blackwater is a young woman with extraordinary power, she is still reeling from the loss of her grandmother and the reality that it was her mother who killed her, she is finding the house too quiet and the routine impossible to settle into, not to mention keeping her young teenage friend out of trouble and running the trailer park in Firewater Springs she has inherited. Thankfully, she has her friends to help her out and keep her grounded, that is until a Carnival rolls into town and starts to disrupt the tenuous control she has over herself.
Talking of her teenage neighbour, she has a slight problem, her teenage hormones have gotten the best of her and she has managed to do something a little drastic when her current flavour of the month was moving too fast for her liking, it is easily sorted out, but the revelation which comes with it is less appealing. The cover up is a bit easier, a local police officer turns up after getting a call about a drunken teenager, however, after his vest camera is turned off, he asks for the truth of the matter, and when Teagan tells him some of the truth, he understand that things are not as they seem around there, that could be because he is one of those something else’s, he exudes a certain power which can only mean one thing, he is supernatural as well and he is smoking hot too! When he leaves, after asking Teagan on a date, he throws in that the MC club nearby is looking a bit too quiet and that maybe Teagan should go check it out seeing as she used to date one of them and owes a favour to another, however, when she gets there, things are definitely not good, she gets the feeling that she shouldn’t be there and that she also isn’t wanted there and she knows this means that when demi-demons are worries, that something is terribly wrong.
After this experience, she decides to ask the local hottie cop to meet her to talk about what she has just seen and heard and so she decides to go to a local watering hole to try and steady her nerves and meet him there to kill two birds with one stone, however, things don’t go to plan when she is given another warning by a set of supernatural twins and then is party to a show of the powers the Circus contains. This power is nothing she has seen before and it is so strong that everyone around her is affected by it, apart from her and the cop, their combined influence keeps them safe, but also opens them up to something even more dangerous, each other, especially when an ex brings out the testosterone in the group.
While Teagan and her friends come up with a plan to defeat this Circus of Shadows, Teagan is more and more drawn to the cop and asks him for help investigating the Carnival and the paranormal freakshow it contains, but when they find out who is behind it and what they are after, life becomes even more dangerous and complicated than it already is. Will Teagan and her friends be able to defeat the Carnival before Firewater Springs succumbs to its demands, or will the place they love fall into the clutches of the Shadows surrounding them? This is a paranormal romance with plenty of supernatural action which will pull you along with the investigation and have you rooting for Teagan and the others all the way to its conclusion, but to find out how it ends, you have to read it to believe it.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-22 17:35:072021-06-23 08:33:25Carnival of Shadows: A Teagan Blackwater Urban Fantasy Novel (Black Water Magic Book 2) by Leslie Scott – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Gianna Bellini is an artist, as well as working on her own projects, she also restores art as well, it has always been a dream of hers to visit Italy and in particular Venice and Rome, so when she is sought out for a position restoring and completing a century-old fresco in Venice, she can think of nothing she would enjoy more, so she packs her bags and heads out on the first available flight. On her first evening there, she decides to go out and explore the city in the moonlight before heading to the apartment she will be stating in, but as she takes in the sights and although she does feel safe, she also feels an eerie familiarity with the city and hasn’t a need for the map she has already pulled up on her phone, all too soon, she arrives in the Piazza San Marco and decides to stop for a bite to eat in one of the restaurants and watch life passing in the Piazza as she enjoys a glass of wine and the orchestral music in the background.
After she finishes, she calls the woman who hired her to let her know that she has made it to Venice safely and that she will start work the next day, however employer has other ideas and has organised a Gondola ride around the city for her instead as a way of inspiring her creativity, Gianna thanks her and heads to the villa. As she walks, she becomes turned around as a dog crawls in from the sea, but when she hears a man crying out for a woman, she cannot help but respond, however, when she sees him, he too is familiar to her, but when he walks her to the villa, she thinks nothing more of it when she sees the fresco she will be working on in the moonlight before she prepares to go to bed.
The next morning Gianna prepares a cup of coffee and decides to take a look at the fresco in the daylight while she drinks it, she then reads the note which her employer has left her recommending the pains she will need in her work and decides to put the order in a the recommended shop before heading out on her tour. The gondolier takes her round the canals as he tells her about some of the history of the city and the sights he points out to her, she takes some photographs and immerses herself in the lessons until it comes to and end, when she is just about to get out of the gondola, she is crippled by a bout of sickness which leaves her dizzy and disoriented and about to plunge into the cold waters when a pair of strong arms surround her and pick her up. Gianna immediately feels a sense of comfort within the mystery man’s arms and doesn’t want him to let her go and this is heightened when she starts to talk to him. He introduces himself as Sergio Vitale and they agree to spend lunch together so he can keep an eye on her.
As the meal progresses they talk and cannot deny that they are attracted to each other, so when they swap phone numbers, it is with the intention of seeing each other again. As the days pass and turn to weeks, Gianna spends time with her work and with Sergio, their relationship blossoms, but Gianna is plagued with vivid dreams which seem too real and as she talks about the fresco with Sergio she cannot understand how she will finish it, all the while the the dreams become more vivid and they start to encroach on her waking self as well. Will Gianna and Serdio be able to find out what the final panel should look like, or will one of the historical stories of Venice repeat itself once again? This is a romance with a historical twist where past and present collide in a mysterious puzzle which needs to be solved and will keep you guessing until the end.
Tally is a thirteen year old girl who has just lost her mother, she is distraught even though she knew it was coming and her dad feels the same, but when he talks about a future without her, what he describes seems like the worse thing that could happen to Tally, he wants to leave her behind as a boarding student at her school, but she end up telling him exactly how awful it is there and why, she held back before so she wouldn’t worry her mum, so when she asks her dad to take her with him, he agrees to consider it. After this conversation, he gives her a letter and a gift from her mum, in the letter Tally’s mum tells her about what is in the box, it turns out that it is a pendant of the Angel Jophiel and that it will protect and guide her throughout her life until it is ready to be passed to someone else as it has been passed to her. All Tally wants to do is cry herself to sleep, but she is drawn to the small marble angel which looks so real, so she slips it over her head as she falls asleep and feels like she is surrounded by feathers as she sleeps.
As the time passes and she gets used to the idea of her changed circumstances, her dad tells her that she can go with him on his travels and continue her schoolwork as they go, he then tells her that he has been asked to go to India to help a colleague out and that they will leave in the morning, so Tally heads to her room to pack. As she is doing this, he thoughts go to her school friends and how she wants to rub it is]n that she doesn’t have to go to school anymore, it is at this point that the Angel Jophiel begins to talk to her and adminish her for her thoughts and this is where their companionship and friendship start, he will answer whenever she calls to him, be in out loud or in her head and he will support and guide her as she explores the world with her dad.
Once all the arrangement are made, Tally and her dad set off for India, it is Tally’s first time flying and she is more than excited and this stays that way when they land, they are met at the airport and taken to the house they will be staying in, this is where Tally meets her dad’s friend and the lady who will be looking after them. After she unpacks, Tally walks round the garden and as she is talking to her Angel, she runs into a boy called Balvan who she talks to and invites to meet her dad when she mentions going to the Taj Mahal the next day. As the four talk, they find out about a case the local police are working on surrounding children going missing around India, so they are warned to take care and not go anywhere by themselves, but Tally is fine with this and agrees to it.
The next few days are taken up with schoolwork in the mornings and sightseeing in the afternoons, however, when she becomes embroiled in the mystery of the disappearing children, will she and Jophiel be able to solve the mystery in time to stop the plot, or will it be too late and the flood bear down on India? This is a charming tale of friendship and how it can heal hearts, as well as having a healthy dose of mystery solving which will keep you entertained all the way through.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-17 06:02:212021-06-17 12:28:36Tally and the Angel : Book One India by Eleanor Dixon – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This book is only for those over 18 due to its adult content.
Vanessa Maan is a woman who can bring out the beauty in those around her and her job as a hairdresser and beautician enables her to do this, but since her dad died and left her family nothing, apart from his car “Dante” she has lost faith in men, they are all either angel’s or another type of word beginning with a! However, she has her mum and her brother who love her as much as she loves them and it is the only thing keeping them going with him not being well.
When she is returning home one day, she is nearly run over by her neighbour’s son, but he is not what she remembers of him, btu when she sees who is moving into his old room, she realises that her new neighbour is hot as hell and when she is introduced to him, she feels a strange connection to him which she cannot explain, the problem is that he feels the same, but because he is Grey, the Don of the Underworld and god of excess, he knows he needs to stay away from her. Meanwhile, when Vanessa makes a trip to New York for a couple of meetings, she is caught in a snowstorm, this is where she runs into Raef, he is handsome and sexy, but he is also one of the men which her mother warned her away from, however, he treats her just like a gentleman would and takes her for coffee and dinner, plus organises a hotel for her for the night and escorts her there where they swap numbers, but unknown to her, he is also part god.
After the snowstorm passes and Vanessa makes it back to work, albeit a bit late, it isn’t the welcome she expects when it isn’t her boss who confronts her about it, it is apparently a woman whom she has employed as their new assistant manager, but she is regarded coldly and cannot understand why, but she apologises and puts it behind her and gets on with her day. As time passes, she spends more time with Raef and he helps her with some of the problems she is up against, things at work also turn from bad to worse, but she has no idea why, this is when Aroz turns up and puts a spoke into the mix, he is an angel of love with heavenly looks and wings to match and he is an angel with a mission and Vanessa is firmly in his sights.
What will happen when all three of these sexy men come into Vanessa’s life, will it be heaven, hell or something in between? This is a steamy romance with as much trouble as there is lust, where making choices may just be the hardest thing on earth to do.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-16 17:56:082021-06-17 12:19:18The Don (Her Three Immortals Book 1) by Hazel Storm – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This book is an inspiring collection of experiences, thoughts, feelings and emotions centred around life with a special needs child. It is a life of struggle, hardship, ups and downs but overall rewards as you see them flourish despite their many challenges they face. Marcia Nathai-Balkisson talks about all these things and more, as she explores life before and after the birth of her second child Emma in Trinidad and Tobago, where she lives with her husband, Emma and her first born some Brian. She talks about the challenges she has faced and how she has overcome some and is working on overcoming the rest, as each chapter focuses on a different subject, it is a compendium of information, hints, tips, experiences, and advice, with a checklist at the end of the important things to be taken away from that particular chapter, but it is not just for those in the same situation as she is, there are things within this book that anyone can take on board and use in their own lives.
The book starts with the story of Emma’s birth and the defects they found which led to the need for open heart surgery as she grew and the complications which arose because of it, leaving her brain damaged, her mobility and motility reduced, as well as experiencing pain, spasms and a high sensitivity to touch. The book progresses through Emma’s life, explaining her challenges between that age and the age of nine when the book was written. It then moves on to explain how important it is to acknowledge what happened, acknowledge how it made you feel at the time and acknowledge what changes have had to be made and what needs to be done now. The next talks about coping with the situation and the need to take it day by day, task by task and finding what the single most important thing to achieve on that day is, how important self care is to staying healthy in order to be able to support your family and yourself, how to relieve stress and how essential it is to start the day in the right way, it also explains how these things can impact on the child and their stress levels if not done properly. There is also a section on planning for the future, both immediate and in the years ahead, this includes financially, personally and familially, some of which is expanded on further into the book.
One key thing is on how to recognise isolation and loneliness, how to recognise the signs of it and how to reduce it, it talks about relationships with family and friends, how they can grow and diminish, as well and what it takes to maintain them, how to deal with your feelings and how important connections can be, even if they are only on the internet and especially within support groups, as well as the importance of sharing your story with them. It also looks at how to create your vision for the future, how to connect it with your emotions and then the importance of looking back on it and updating it on a yearly basis to see just how far you have come, even if you don’t realise it at the time. The next section focuses on spirituality and how this can support you in your darkest times, as well as the need for research into what interventions can be done at home to improve the development of your child, as well as finding the right medical professionals and therapists who you can fully work with knowing they see things from your perspective, trusting your intuition and being your own advocate when you go to speak with them. Learn all you can about other children with the same medical and developmental issues, but don’t forget about any other children in the family and ensure that you still take time to show them you love them in the way best suited to them, keep looking at their development and help them as much as your special needs child and prepare for their future just as much as the other child too. Another important thing is to keep your own and your families health at optimum levels and take the same care that you would with your child, look at nutrition, sleep and emotional resilience, as well as financial security and how to keep a balance between work, play, caring duties and your own physical and mental health, make shared decisions and compromise where you need to, do not neglect yourself or your partner and celebrate what you have achieved regularly. Make sure that the little milestones are recorded and acknowledged, celebrate how far you have come, this will help in the future when the challenging times rear their heads, which will happen.
All in all this book is full of useful information and experiences, but it does not replace medical or legal advice.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-15 18:17:072021-06-16 06:58:40Lighting the Path: Leaning into a Hopeful Future as a Special Needs Parent by Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Andy Brand is an eighteen year old boy who is kidnapped and ripped away from his family and friends and wakes up in a twelve by twelve room, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and the ugliest white shoes he has ever seen, there is nothing in there but a cot bed, a sink and a toilet, there isn’t even a window, but there is a vent where the fresh air is circulated through. At first he feels like it is a dream, however, when reality dawns on him, he is trapped, but as he looks more closely at his surroundings, he realises that they are a new kind of technology he has only read about and that everything in the room is made of this material, but the thing that scares and weirded him out the most is the Voice which answers some of his questions and asks some questions of him. When a piece of paper is dropped through a gap in the ceiling and the Voice asks him to burn it, he knows suddenly what they want him for, but he cannot tell them anything, he has to stick to his family’s motto, Conceal and Protect, this applies to all his life lessons and it is something he refuses to back down on and instead he pleads ignorance.
Andy is not sure how long he has been in this room, however, when the voice states quite clearly that he will not be fed unless he complies with their request, Andy goes hungry, he refuses to give in to their demands and over the next day, he only drinks the tap water and answers nature call until they eventually give in and put some food into his room. Once the Voice realises that he will not cave in to their demands, they pretty much leave him alone, this is when he hears a voice calling out to him from the vent in the corner, she introduces herself as Miranda and they soon strike up a friendship as the talk over the next few days. At some point they are both taken separately for tests, but from talking to her, it seems that Miranda is having a completely different experience to him, but he still tries not to give his captors what they want, that is until Miranda is threatened.
It is at this point that Andy shows his true colours and lets his blazing personality out to play, however, this causes some consternation and he is drawn into a world that he didn’t expect and a plan which he cannot escape from, he is told that he is needed to help a group of people, however, even though it appears that he is not trusted, he does begin to connect with a few people around him, however nothing is quite as it seems, will Andy be able to carry out his part of the plan and still live to tell the tale, or will the truth behind his unease come to the fore and play out in front of his eyes? This is a sci-fi novel which will keep you trying to work out who is telling the truth and who is lying as the unpredictability of the people around Andy ramp up the tension around him as they try to bend him to their will, but the only way to see whether they succeed is to read to the end and find out.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-15 17:38:432021-06-16 06:55:58Dragons by Ty Drago – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This anthology is a collection of romances with dark elements throughout, there are seven short stories and a poem at the beginning of each, it is a collection which ranges from love which has been twisted by the eye of the beholder to a tale of true love and a curse.
The first story is about a girl who escapes who escapes from her kidnappers and runs into Willow and Evan who come to her rescue and agree to take her home, but what information they manage to get from her shows them that they may be in over their heads, especially when it looks like the kidnappers are possibly following them. Are the three in over their heads, or will they figure out the who and why before they get to the where and when?
The second story is one in which a dancer, Binx has an audition for a top dance company at the local theatre, but when she goes to get her normal order for breakfast she runs into a man, she thinks nothing of it until she sees him again as she leaves, she gets a bit of a creepy vibe. The next day as she heads to work, she finds out that someone she knows has been killed just outside, as she waits to hear about her audition, more unusual things start to happen, but are they going to lead to something good or bad?
In story number three a Queen is left by her King as he wages war on those around their homeland so he can expand their borders, however, she feels saddened and abandoned every time he leaves, when she asks advice from her maid, she is shocked, but considers it, but will she risk everything her mother worked to achieve, just to find love outside a loveless marriage, or will the consequences of such a decision be worse than she could ever imagine?
In story number four, a popular urban legend is explored in a new way as a woman is taken from the life she knows and detests into one where she finds the place she belongs, however, when that peace is destroyed she enacts a vengeful curse on those who have taken her loves, her life and her child’s life away, but how far will this curse reach and is there any way to break it?
In the fifth story Kayla is a Huntress and one who is feared by all other supernatural creatures or Myres all because of one fateful Halloween night when she was turned into a Vampire and now she is hunting someone in particular on this Halloween night, she is looking for a Witch, anyone will do but time is running out and she has to make promises she wouldn’t normally keep in order to get the information she needs to find one. Will she find her Witch and be able to fulfill her mission in time, or will fate intervene again on Halloween and ruin all her best laid plans?
The sixth story is set in a bank where Anna works and works hard, however, just as things are starting to look up in her life, it all comes crashing down around her when a colleague passed away unexpectedly, the only thing keeping her going is the cute female security guard she has a crush on and who is the only thing now keeping her there, but will she be able to change anything around her and give in to this possibility of romance, or will she end up crashing and burning?
In the final story, Rebecca is being interviewed about a shocking experience she just had involving a spade and a patio, she is shaken to the core and nervous to speak about how she saw the light and tried to escape the darkness around her, but what happened to make her into the scared woman she is during the interview and was it orchestrated by the light or the dark?
This collection keeps you on your toes while you explore the light and dark sides of love.
This is a book only for those over 18 due to its themes of an adult nature and adult contents.
This installment of the Chase Security International series is the story of We “Alamo” Crockett, he is a medically trained ex Navy Combat Medic who has now transferred that to being a Paramedic and the head of the newest Chase Centre for Training in Virginia and is working all hours of the day to prepare for the Centres opening while meeting all the new employees and running the orientations and overseeing the security of the plot of land which the Centre is built on. When he receives a call regarding a friend, he immediately accepts him in a role at the facility, knowing that it will help the both of them as he is on point with his work no matter what is happening around him and Wes needs someone he can fully trust to take on some of the responsibilities associated with running the Centre.
As he is going into the centre of town to drop off some paperwork, he finds that a car has been in an accident on the property and is currently wrapped around a tree with a woman with a head full of blonde curly hair bleeding and injured within it, that woman is Eleanor West, the new Director of the Equine-Assisted Therapy Programme and she is heading to the Centre for her first day on the job, however, when she sees a cow in the middle of the road, she screeches to a halt to try and avoid it, however, she hits the tree instead because of the rain slicked road surface. As Wes is tending to her, bandaging her eyes, hooking her up to a drip and talking to her the whole time while waiting for the emergency services he has called to aid him, they don’t know who the other is, however, they soon realise it when she is taken to the hospital for treatment. She is clearly terrified and uncomfortable with certain aspects of the treatment, however, she feels comfortable with the man who rescued her and he looks after her as best he can and this includes taking her to stay in a room in his home overnight so he can check in on her concussion and other injuries. As she recovers, Eleanor continues to feel comfortable with Wes, however, she feels like she doesn’t stand a chance because of her looks and some of the snide remarks she begins hearing when she goes to settle into her accommodations thanks to the rumours which start flying around after her stay in the boss’s home, what she doesn’t know is that Wes is feeling the same way about her, with her curves, wit, dedication to her job and personality, he is finding it hard to resist her charms.
As the week progresses and the Centre is closer to opening up, tensions mount when the snide comments and rumours cause friction within the therapy team as they don’t believe she can do the job, however, when she takes charge of the situation and makes changes to the team, she proves that she can and will do what is needed for both the horses and the future patients. Meanwhile, a gruesome discovery is made on the property line and this leads to an investigation and stress of a completely different kind when it appears that the curvaceous blonde he is developing feelings involved appears to be attached to it and as the two become closer, Eleanor has to make the decision whether to share her past with Wes or to just tie up loose ends and do what she always has done and run away. Will Eleanor be able to overcome her anxiety and body image issues to open herself and her secrets up to a possible future with Wes and can he keep his feelings for Eleanor separate from the investigation into the discovery of a web of secrets and lies surrounding the Centre? This is a romantic suspense with plenty of heart, it will draw you in and keep you reading to the conclusion to find out which of the possibilities come to pass.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-14 18:36:092021-06-15 09:48:38Secure Decision (Chase Security Series Book 5) by R.L. Dunn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Dr Stu Ledwith is back to tell the story of another soul he has encountered, only this time it is from a dream he had every night between the ages of ten and seventeen, it was a very vivid dream of a young soldier as he spent time with the woman he loves, that is until he is shot by another soldier and dies. He never thought much about this dream until recently because of the pandemic changing the life around him and allowing him the time for meditation and self-reflection. It has allowed him to focus on it and allow the soul of Mariekkela to approach him and tell her story.
The dream always followed the same path, he is a Finnish soldier fighting in the Finnish-Russian war and he is spending time with Mariekkela and some others in a sauna near a military checkpoint, then one day, the sauna is attacked by Russian soldiers when he is killed while trying to retrieve his rifle. This book tells of Mariekkela’s life after the attack and how she dealt with her fiance’s death, it is not a book for the faint of heart, however, reading the story puts life in perspective as you see the conditions of life at the time and time and how those around her rallied around and helped her is an emotional but rewarding read which will make enchant and engage you until the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-14 15:20:032021-06-15 08:41:21Mariekkela: From Finland, with Love by Stu Ledwith – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
In this installment of the Antipodes series, Cam has set off on a journey of discovery and healing after the loss of his wife Laetitia when she was cruelly killed, he is in pain and needs some closure, so he heads away from his home, his family and his life so that he can go back to them fully healed and able to be with them completely, so he takes of on his boat. On his naval travels, the first place Cam stops at is Kirkwall and a visit to the community living on Orkney where some of the other women who shared in his late wife’s ordeal live, he cannot remember what happened on that fateful day and so he asks to speak to them when they are ready. In the meantime, he meets up with some old friends and sees how life has changed there over the past year, he is happy to see them and he thinks that they are happy to see him too, or at least some of them are, but he finds out that they are all still suffering too, he knows he has to regain their trust before they will open up to him.
As he introduces himself to the inhabitants of the island he hasn’t yet met, he has a feeling that there is someone in the crowd he knows, but cannot place them, it turns out to be someone who was heading up the recruitment centre where he was chosen when the whole domed community idea was started. As they properly introduce themselves, Cam asks what they have been doing on Orkney and how they ended up there, this leads on to conversations about their role on the island, the portals and everything else they had learned over the last few years and Cam is invited to join them on future trips around the community, to which he readily agrees. He stays with a friend and it is their partner who opens up first and shocks Cam by telling him that the women feared him after his outburst a year ago, but now that they have seen him and he explains his reasons why and his feelings on everything that happened, they can understand him better too. As the days pass and a working relationship with the woman from Australia develops, Cam stays on the island as he waits for the other women to talk to him, he learns all that he can so that he can take the information with him when he gets home. When the opportunity to talk to the women arrives, it helps them all with some closure and acceptance of what happened and Cam is grateful for it all, but nobody is surprised when he continues on his travels past the place he lost his mind to grief and on to another place in Scotland he hoped to find some more answers.
As he approaches the place he needs to go, Cam finds somewhere dry to spend the time he needs to dig for some information, this takes a little longer than planned, but is worth it in the end when he finds what he was looking for, as well as some unexpected information along the way. He makes a few more stops on his travels and shares some of the things he has learned along the way with others who are as shocked as he is, but it causes him to question the friendships he has and others he hasn’t. Will Cam be able to use the information he finds out to look after those he holds dear, or will circumstances beyond his control threaten the life he has come home to find again and will he be able to look on his life and friendships in the same way because of it? This is another journey of secrets, revelations and discovery which keeps you on your toes as you journey along with Cam and those around him, a story you will not want to miss out on.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-12 18:40:242021-06-13 11:57:47Ouroboros (Antipodes Book 3) by T.S. Simons – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Sara Flemming is a woman with a mission to help those who cannot help themselves, ten years ago she ran away from a family who made living with them impossible, she had tried many times before, however, each time something happened which dragged her back, before she wanted to, but this time she needed to, but fate was not on her side and now she works for the same Social Services who helped her out of her miserable life those many years ago. Colin Fulton was a young man who got into small town trouble with his little brother and a girl who he would do anything to help, however, when she leaves town without a trace and without looking back, he has to carry on life without her and now he is the Sheriff of the town where he used to run wild with his little brother looking like he is going to follow in his path.
One saturday afternoon, Sara is waking up to start a well needed weekend off after a very rude alarm clock decided to annoy her with its incessant beeping, however, just as she is about to start cleaning up her kitchen, she receives a phone call from work where they need help with a girl, they need someone with her history as she is the only one who might be able to deal with her, however, this day will be one she can;t forget any time soon. As she approaches the girls, she observes that she is trying to look like she has it all together and is even a little bored, however, she sees straight through that to the girl who is angry, frustrated and a little bit sad, so as she walks to her office, she heads straight in without even looking at the girl, she wants to read her file first and get an idea of what she will be dealing with. As she does this, she realises just how much the girl looks like her and has a history like she has, so she invites her to enter the office and talk to her. Meanwhile, Rachael is sat outside in the waiting area but cannot believe that she has been given a choice rather than being told what to do, it is so unusual she is thrown, but this is just the start when Sara is honest with her and straight talking, she feels like she might just be able to talk to her, this is solidified when they go and get pizza for lunch and Rachael opens up about what has been going on in her life.
Colin is dealing with his usual small town policing problems while also rescuing his little brother from a young woman’s clutches, this is easier said than done, so he ends up coming out on patrol instead, but they come back to something a little harder than dog wrangling. Meanwhile, Rachael has been put somewhere temporary while her situation is sorted out, but something spooks her again and she runs away on the bus to somewhere Sara would rather forget, but she is forced to go retrieve her as she has the best rapport with her, but when she gets there and realises she is unharmed and in the Sheriff’s office, what she doesn’t expect to see is who the Sheriff is and her thoughts and feelings about him, however, he is in no doubt about his feelings for her. Will Sara and Colin be able to work together to keep Rachael safe from harm, or will their pasts catch up to all of them in this small town? This is a story of trust, memories, pasts and presents coming together to forge a future from uncertainty which will have you on an emotional rollercoaster as you follow the path as well.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-12 18:09:352021-06-13 11:56:49Red Coat by Isobella Dunn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This is the story of Tasha and Levi, Tasha is a vampire with special gifts which she has to hide from her coven, she doesn’t have much affection from her parents, but she adores her little sister and now that Tasha is nearing twenty one years old, after her next birthday she will be conscripted into the vampire army, but she always feels trapped by her coven and the secrets she has to keep, so every night she goes into the forest around her to be free and be herself while nobody is watching. When she does this she can use her gift to sense the world around her and connect with the souls residing within it and her main goal is to find an elusive balck jaguar which has been seen around the base. Levi is a werewolf with a distinctive black pelt, he is a loner and prefers to spend his time in the forest learning about what resides within it when he isn’t hunting to prepare for when he joins with others in a military unit, but this one day both Tasha and Levi run into each other on the boundaries of their respective lands when she believes he is the black jaguar and sensing what the other is, they bite each other in an attack first and ask questions later way that their kinds have been trained to do during the war between their races and afterwards, fully expecting that they will die within a few hours from the poisons contained within each.
As they stand and argues over who bit who first and why, as well as what they are going to do now, so as the poisons flow through their systems, they introduce themselves to each other and although neither wants to be with the other as they die, Levi mentions a cave nearby where they can spend their last few hours together and talk. When they get there and they sit with each other, neither of them can deny a certain attraction fizzling between them, Tasha hasn’t felt like this towards anyone else in her coven and she is both scared and excited by it, but she also feels strangely safe with him, Levi is just as confused at his feelings about Tasha and when they share a kiss as they lay dying on the cave floor, the unfairness of the situation really takes hold, especially when Tasha has a last course of bloodlust, she can’t resists biting Levi and tasting his blood one last time. However, as they bite into each other something happens and they start to heal and recover and one thing leads to another and they are kissing again while still mystified at what has happened until the sun rises and Levi shifts into his wolf form to protect Tasha from the deadly rays, but as night falls they reemerge from the cave and walk back to the boundaries discussing their surroundings on the way.
What should have been a death warrant, was something they couldn’t resist as they agree to meet again the next night and many nights after that, however, as their time together comes to an end they agree to meet again once their conscription ends, however, the war isn’t all it is slated as and the future becomes more uncertain for them every day they are fighting, especially when a new enemy comes to the fore, but will they be able to keep their love a secret and stay alive long enough to allow their plans to come to fruition, or will fate intervene and rip them apart? This is an action packed forbidden paranormal romance with plenty of action thrown in for good measure which will keep you hooked until the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-12 17:42:092021-06-13 11:56:25Forbidden Wolf (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1) by C.R. Robertson – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Lady Istra and Astrid the Raven turned man return in the next installment of this series, they are still living in Lady Isra’s tower and they are each others confidant, friend, lover and a match with regards to the darkness within them, the compliment each other and look out for each other and their combined darkness thrills them both. Although over the last year they have been together, some things have remained the same and others have changed, more shades of deep reds have emerged within the castle and Astrid has become more comfortable changing between his raven and human forms, his abilities in the use of magic have improved and he is able to help Lady Isra more than ever with her plans. After their last encounter with the outside world, Astrid insisted on cloaking the tower with a more powerful spell so that Lady Isra could remain safe and protected from the outside world and although she still enjoyed going for her walks in nature, she agreed to the improved security.
One day, the peace they had sought is broken when an unknown intruder approaches the tower, it is a creature magical in nature, but Lady Isra decides that they may find some use for them and so welcome them into their new home, but only with complete understanding that they aren’t trusted and that they must not reveal their situation to anyone in the outside world, these conditions are agreed on and so are shown to their room and left to settle in. On one of this individual’s first tasks, they are sent into the outside world, where they make a mistake which could cost them dearly in the future, but which brings another individual into the lives of Lady Istra and Astrid. This new person is a good witch called Contessia, she beforend the new arrival and when she goes to seek them out with the information she shouldn’t have been privy to, it leads to circumstances which nobody expected. Contessia is welcomed into the household and makes the acquaintance of Lady Istra and Astrid where she has tea and conversations, however when the day becomes late, she is invited to stay, however, this will be a night Contessia will never forget.
As a new day dawns, Contessia is sure that she has made a mistake entering into this tower, however, she is worried about her friend and is drawn back to the place despite her misgivings, this is where Lady Istra takes her under her tutelage of the dark arts and begins to mold Contessia into a new image. Astrid understands Lady Istra’s reasoning and also partakes in molding this innocent young witch, but in a less friendly manner, however, he isn’t the only one, an old acquaintance of Lady Istra’s, Everilda makes a sudden reappearance in her life, however, the reunion is not a happy one and suspicions reign as to what this person’s intentions are. As Everilda and Lady Istra’s bad blood escalates and Everilda’s motives become clear, an all out war between the two is inevitable, will the use of innocents be one witch’s undoing? Who will come out on top in the end and will there be too much collateral damage to deal with? This is another magical adventure of rivalry, a clashing of past and present as memories and realities combine to create a conclusion which you will not want to miss out on.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-09 18:43:192021-06-10 07:51:36Her Blackened Heart (The Blackened Series Book 2) by Isra Sravenheart – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This is the third installment in the story of Lady Istra and Astrid, they have had time to receiver from their latest escapade, but Lady Isra has been changed by her latest experience, albeit she isn’t sure exactly what happened, but Astrid does and as he recalls the events, another problem is on the horizon for this duo of dark souls. Although Astrid has been honest with Lady Istra about some aspects of their life, he has also been hiding things from their past, things that he is not sure Lady Istra will be able to forgive him from hiding them and it is causing his some serious anxiety and a lot of distance between himself and his lady love. Meanwhile Lady Istra is becoming used to her new state of mind and body as she prepares for an unexpected meeting about the deeds of her recent past, but she counters every point with one of her own and succeeds in not relenting to the pressure being put on her. One member of the meeting is someone she hasn’t been acquainted with before, he introduces himself as Ronald and hopes that they can meet again in the future under more favourable circumstances. Astrid is suspicious and doesn’t trust the human, despite feeling no magical energies coming from him, he is just being protective of his Lady Istra and safeguarding her from those he believes may do her harm.
Ronald O’Kutte however, is devising a plan to avenge his brother Kane O’Kutte, he believes that Lady Istra is guilty of involvement in his brothers disappearance and he is determined to strike at her weakest point and destroy her like she has done to him and his family. As he thinks about what he can do, Astrid is visited be an old friend who warns him about Lady Istra’s future and safety so that he can formulate a counter attack if and when needed, but he is finding it difficult to keep his secrets and is unwittingly increasing their distance while she does the same with him. Time passes and Lady Istra encounters Ronald again while on one of her walks in the forest, she doesn’t quite know what to make of him, however, she remains polite and keeps him at arms length until she can return home to Astrid. A few days later, after a night of passion and intimacy between Lady Istra and Astrid, she wakes up for one of her early walks and wakes Astrid up with screams when she finds a devastating tragedy has befallen a member of her household during the night and she is distraught, she shrugs off the attention from Astrid and the have an argument over it until she walks off and leaves Astrid alone at the tower, it is during this walk when she encounters Ronald by chance and he sees the vulnerability in her and decides it is time to make his move.
As Astrid is waiting for Lady Istra’s return he becomes more and more worried as the time passes and she doesn’t return, meanwhile Lady Istra is lost within a spell and try as she might, she cannot escape it, the only thing she knows is that she needs to find Astrid and engage his help to end the danger she finds herself in, but this is easier said than done when she is trapped in a world reliving all her past evil deeds. Astrid decides to confront the last person she was seen with and get an answer to his one burning question, where is Lady Istra? Can Astrid find Lady Istra in time before the spell she is trapped in consumes her, or will the dark plans others have made come to pass in their favour? This is another adventure where magic and reality combine to create a world where nothing is as it seems and secrets are kept and the truth of them revealed, but how it ends is only found out by reading all the way to the concluding events.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-06-09 18:33:532021-06-10 07:51:07Her Blackened Rose (Blackened Series Book 3) by Isra Sravenheart – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Emily Riventon is an eighteen year old girl with only a step-brother and a step-mother as family, her step-brother is also her legal guardian, but he has a drinking and gambling problem and unfortunately, on a night which started with attending a soiree together, ended in a candle-lit gambling den around a table with the men betting on dice and the wager was her! As she watches from the sidelines, she regards those sitting around the table, all young men apart from one and it is this one she is sincerely hoping doesn’t win, however, even if her step-brother wins the roll, she will still end up married to him or worse, but because of the tight hold on her wrist, Emily is unable to escape this mortifying and horrifying situation. As the dice roll, it seems that her luck is running out and her step-brother’s luck is in, however, on the last roll it is another of the gentlemen who wins, it is the Earl of Lenbridge and now she feels slightly more fortunate.
The Earl who has won his prize regards Emily scrutinizing her features, womanly shape and attire in the rooms candle light, he appraises him in the same way, he is handsome, has large hands and a well cut suit and evening jacket, meanwhile, he is more than happy with her beauty and he sees an innocent young woman before him who will do nicely in comparison to another young woman he has made the acquaintance of. After this, the Earl pulls some paperwork from the inside pocket of his jacket and presents it to her step-brother to sign, which he does with an exclamation and a regretful look Emily’s way and once this transaction is completed, Emily and the Earl leave the establishment and get into a coach to head to their next destination, it is clear that the Earl has imbibed a high amount of the strong liquor which was on offer and seems to be quite affected by it as he is helped into the carriage by his footman, mumbles to himself and falls asleep during the journey. While Emily is observing all of this, she is trying to collate her thoughts and wrap her head around everything which had come to pass that evening, that is until they reach their destination and the footman has to wake the Earl up.
As they enter an unfamiliar house, they are greeting by a butler who appears to have dressed hastily so that he can inform another of their arrival at the house, again, the Earl has to be helped out of the carriage and into the house, although he does still have the dexterity to be able to stop Emily from falling over on the dimly lit walkway. However, as the next guest is announced, Emily has a sudden feeling of foreboding, what will become of her now that she is the possession of the Earl, will he just use her as a mistress and make her future even more uncertain, or will she be forced into a marriage of convenience where duty comes before love? This is a tale of a regency period historical romance where uncertainty reigns and futures are as changeable as the weather, but it is a story which will hook you in and wanting to know what the future holds, will it be full of obligation and boredom, or will it be a riot of secrets and revelations? The only way to find out is to read to the end and see where this inconsiderate and scandalous wager leads.
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Beginnings and Endings: A Selection of Short Stories by Jane Suen
