What Amazon says

2021 Royal Palm Literary Awards Gold Medal
2022 Historical Fiction Company 5-Star Highly Recommended Award
2022 Readers’ Favorite 5 Star Award
2022 Sunbury Press Sunny Award Winner
2023 Honorable Mention in the Historical Fiction Club Book of the Year Awards

It’s 1582, a time when books are banned, and witches live next door. Citizens of the European principality of Salm are free to pray the way they want. However, both Catholic and Protestant fanatics surrounding them believe theirs is the only truth. Everyone is a heretic to one side or the other.

Martin, an accused seditionist, seeks safety in Salm, and he teaches Nicolas, the mayor’s son, to read. Though Nicolas knows Martin’s books are banned, he cannot resist them.

Catherine Cathillon and her family live in isolation as her father’s mistrust of the church prevents her from joining the community. A chance meeting with Nicolas changes everything. He reads to Catherine, and when she learns what life is like outside their farm, she begs him to teach her to read. But class differences force them to meet in secret. During the lessons, they fall in love, but their romance is exposed, and spurned lovers swear revenge.

Lovelorn vengeance is one thing, but when one of the banned books is found in Nicolas’s shop, Catherine realizes that her father was right. Their true enemy is the man charged with saving their souls, and he will stop at nothing to reinforce his position of power.
Based on real people and events, genealogist Juliette Godot draws upon her own Renaissance-era family to bring you her award-winning debut novel From the Drop of Heaven.

My review

Up front I must stay that this book revolves around the burning of heretics, sorcerers and witches in the Holy Roman Empire during the 16th century and, while not graphic, is still deeply disturbing. Sensitive readers could find these and selected other scenes upsetting.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and don’t know a lot about this particular period of Holy Roman Empire history although I do know about the Huguenots, Calvinists, and other protestant movements more generally.

The book starts with one of the supporting characters, Martin, watching the burning of his professor from the University of Geneva as a heretic. Martin flees to his parents home in Paris.

Catherine lives with her family on a farm in Salm. Her sister, Anne, and Catherine come across a trio of young men while out for a walk. One of the young men is Martin, cousin the the two sons of the mayor of the closest village. Nicolas, the younger son, is bitten by a snake during this encounter and the reader quickly learns that Catherine’s grandmother is a herbalist or healer. This talent and the fact that she is a foreigner from gypsy origins, make Meme the subject of speculation and gossip by the villagers who fear her as a witch. Meme’s reputation among the villagers has created difficulties for Catherine’s family who don’t attend the local church and don’t socialise much. They also have a bad relationship with the local priest, Father Michel.

This is a love story, but it is more than that because it is based on the real events of the Cathillon and de la Goutte de Paradis families in Salm during the religious persecution that followed the Protestant Revolution in the 16th century. The book is well written and researched and gradually peels back the layers of society at that time, revealing the doctrines and prejudices of society and how people modelled their lives to accommodate the uncertainty and threats surrounding them.

I really enjoyed the character of Catherine who was clearly highly intelligent and questioning by nature. She was a natural target for suspicion and dislike due to her good looks and forthright behaviour and beliefs. The reputation of her grandmother also counted heavily against her. The entire Cathillon family lived carefully and fearfully, always on the defensive. Meme was a skilled healer who had to hide her talents because of the superstitious natures and ignorance of the people around her. This same deception extended to, and impacted the entire family, who all tried to live quietly and not attract any attention to themselves.

Nicolas, his brother, and Martin become embroiled with the Cathillon family, who help them medically a few times. Despite their wealth and position, the de la Goutte de Paradis family become tainted by association and that puts in motion the string of events that form the basis of the plot.

The growth in Nicolas from an impressionable and easily led teenager to a young man of purpose and who knows his own mind is interesting to watch. He was an affable and affectionate character, and despite his failings, was easy to like.

I enjoyed this book and learned a lot through reading it. The story line is interesting and engaging and the characters will drawn. I highly recommend this book.

You can purchase From the Drop of Heaven: Legends, Prejudice, and Revenge from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BC4LTCT6

What Amazon says

MESSAGE FOUND IN A BOTTLE: The sole survivor of a sudden storm is trapped on a phantom freighter, doomed to an unknown destiny.

THE OBLONG BOX: An ordinary voyage is cursed by its strange and mysterious cargo.

Also includes:

THE LIGHT-HOUSE
THE OVAL PORTRAIT

My review

This short collection by Edgar Allan Poe was full of his usual dark and creepy happenings expressed with powerful and unique language that leaves you amazed at the writer’s skill with words.

The message in a bottle depicts an ocean voyage that goes very wrong resulting in only two survivors. The descriptions of the lead up to the terrible storm, typical leadership mistakes made by the captain due to false confidence, and state of the survivors, are vivid and exciting. The survivors stow away on a great ship that investigates their damaged vessel, successfully hiding from the very strange crew who appear ancient and alive due to external forces. The protagonist decides to record the events of his strange life and circumstances and eventually seals his notes in a glass bottle which he throws into the sea.

The oval portrait is a story about a man in a severely distressed state of mind who over identifies with a portrait of a lovely young girl.

The oblong box was the creepiest of them all as it disclosed a mental state that has devised a devious plan to circumvent customs and superstitious beliefs for his own personal benefit. An excellent short story.

You can purchase this audiobook from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0980058112

D.L. Finn is a versatile writer, dibbling in poetry, children’s books, and light horror. Today’s featured book is The Button: Angels & Evildwels Series Book 2.

What Amazon says

Lynn Hill left a difficult childhood behind when she turned eighteen. The 1980s were going to be the beginning of a great life. Then what started as an ordinary evening out with her best friend, Stacy, turns into a nightmare. Lynn hears warnings: “Go!” “Leave!” Believing she is hearing things after partying too much, she goes back for one more drink before going home. That decision sets off a chain of events that nothing could have prepared her for. While humans and not-so-human beings are attempting to either help or harm her, Lynn risks everything to find the only person she trusts, Stacy. Who can help her? The stepbrother who shows up right when she needs him or the attractive, helpful bartender who gives her his phone number? Lynn must learn to trust again. Her survival depends on it in this paranormal thriller.

My review

Lynn has grown up in an abusive family with a mother who drinks heavily and a step-father who is physically and verbally abusive towards both Lynn and his biological son, Warren. She escaped home as quickly as she could and is living on with her best friend, Staci, and working as an assistant hairdresser.

Unknown to her, Lynn has a pair of guardian angels who have been watching over her for years. The angels are aware that terrible events lie in Lynn’s immediate life path and they are tasked with trying to help her avert the worst outcome. The angels can only guide and are unable to overtly change the course of Lynn’s life; she has to make her own choices from her own free will.

One evening Lynn goes out partying with her friend, Staci, and things get wildly out of hand with alcohol and drugs. Lynn wakes up in a strange house next to the body of a dead young man. Staci has disappeared subsequent to leaving the bar with an unknown but gorgeous stranger. Lynn decides against reporting the death to the police and this decision sets in motion a series of events which may or may not have turned out differently had she made a different choice. Lynn is pulled into a frightening struggle to find her friend and save both their lives with a little bit of help from her angels.

I enjoyed Lynn’s character and how she stepped up as the plot unfolded, learning to rely more on her instincts or the guiding voices she hears and learning to first love and secondly forgive. The book has quite a significant family drama side story and I enjoyed discovering bits and pieces of information about her family and seeing it all come together neatly at the end.

Kent, Lynn’s friend, cum boyfriend, is a lovely character. Patient and kind he evolves as the perfect soulmate for Lynn and it is pleasant to watch their romance coming into fruition.

The supernatural elements are clever and well written, making the story quite believable. Aside form the angels, there is also the evildwel that takes possession of “host” humans whom it can manipulate into fulfilling its evil desires. The descriptions of the evildwel were deliciously creepy, especially the glimpses of it that Lynn catches in the eyes of its current host who is stalking her.

All in, a fast moving and entertaining story which lovers of paranormal thrillers will enjoy.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Button-D-L-Finn-ebook/dp/B07GNWV4Z9

During the first week of October, Terence and I took a three day break at Madikwe Hills lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve. It was hot, hot, hot and very dry, but we got some terrific sightings. The lodge is wonderful, the room was large and had every thing you could imagine. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/10/26/barns-of-somers/

Sunday Stills

Terri’s challenge this week is funny pictures from real life. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/10/22/sunday-stills-real-life-from-the-funny-pages/

“What you doing, Zuri?”

“I’m stretching my legs and licking salt.”

“It looks interesting. I think I’ll try.”

“Eeek! I think I’ve put my back out. This isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be.”

“Thank goodness, I managed to get up.”

“What do you think, Amahle? Time to call the men with the straight jackets?”

Michael and I have a new children’s education book coming out in November. It includes my photographs and drawings as well as links to our YouTube videos. AND, it’s about giraffes – my favourite creature!

Tanka Tuesday

Colleen’s challenge is to write syllabic poems about the season using kigo words. I’m not great at kigo words, probably because I am not good at listening to instructions, but I keep trying. PS Colleen edited Neema the Misfit Giraffe. A huge thank you, Colleen.

These two are for fun, part of my animal joking around in this post.

Fat birds

Mangled fruit

Product of guzzling

Plump loeries

Eat and eat

I’ll have to build a runway

Fattest birds in town

The story of the desperate salesman

Desperately he flies

Between the branches

Calling for a female to give him a chance

“Please come and look” he chirps

“You’ve nothing to lose.”

***

He’s been building for days

King of construction

Improving his intricate weaving techniques

Working from dawn to dusk

Then comes marketing

***

So far, he’s unlucky

Each nest rejected

Dismantling them, to make room for new efforts

Single minded in his

Determination

This one is the kigo words poem.

Spring mornings

Cool mornings

Necessitate coat

Cloudy sky

Chilly breeze

Burning off before midday

Sweltering afternoons

You can join in Tanka Tuesday here: https://tankatuesday.com/2023/10/24/24-seasons-syllabic-poetry-challenge-no-5-10-24-23/

Today, I am delighted to share two books by Jan Sikes: Ghostly Interference and Voodoo or Destiny you decide.

Ghostly Interference

What Amazon says

Jag Peters has one goal in his quiet comfortable life—to keep his karma slate wiped clean. A near-miss crash with a candy apple red Harley threatens to upend his safe world. He tracks down the rider to apologize properly. Slipping into a seedy biker bar, he discovers the rider isn’t a “he”, it’s a “she”, a dark-haired beauty.

Rena Jett is a troubled soul, who lives in a rough world. She wants no part of Jag’s apology, but even while she pushes him away, she is attracted to him. When he claims to see a ghost—her brother—can she trust him? And could her brother’s final gift, a magical rune stone with the symbol for “happily ever after” have the power to heal her wounds and allow opposites to find common ground—perhaps even love?

My review

Ghostly Interference is an unusual romance between a middle class young man who has a good career in the IT industry, and a young girl who has had an unfortunate childhood and is now on her own with no family. Why I say it is unusual is that the young man, Jag, is not particularly happy in his chosen job, but is trapped by its perceived safety factor.

Jag has other talents and desires which he has swept under the carpet in his determination to play it safe and have a reliable income. It takes an unexpected encounter with Rena, a woman with a wild and free spirit, to help him along the path towards happiness and fulfilment. This is quite different from the traditional Cinderella style of romance where the poor, unhappy woman is saved by the rich and handsome prince.

There is a supernatural element in this romance but it is not scary or alarming. Rather, it is comforting in it’s message that our love never ends completely and our loved ones remain spiritually on the prereferral of our lives, watching over us.

I really enjoyed Jag as a character. He was cautious, reliable, but stuck in a rut. It was fun to watch him unwind and start to live life and discover passion, enthusiasm, and freedom. An unfortunate incident with his female boss, who is very obviously attracted to him, proves to be an enabler that allows him to break free from the trap of his well-paid job. This part made me wonder how many people remain in well paid jobs all their lives because they are scared to take a chance and try something different.

Rena is a interesting character. She has experienced the worst life has to offer, right down to losing her only brother who is the rock in her life. The author did a terrific job of making the reader really care about Rena and feel great sadness that she had experienced so much hardship and suffering as a child. Her journey to trusting Jag and gradually allowing herself to experience love and faith is very touching.

This book also touches in a natural way on some serious topics such as child abuse and discrimination. These sub-themes are not preachy or obvious, but are presented subtly in a way that gives the reader food for thought.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostly-Interference-White-Rune-Sikes-ebook/dp/B08KW1KFMW

Voodoo or Destiny you decide

What Amazon says

Claire Winters is heartbroken when her husband of many years says he’s found a new love and wants a divorce. While having a pity party with her best friend, Jade, they come up with a daring idea. Together, they construct a Voodoo doll and with the help of several bottles of wine, create a ceremony to bring the same heartbreak to Daniel Winters as he brought to Claire. But do they go too far? You decide!

My review

How would you feel if your husband and the father of your children announced he was having an affair and wants a divorce? Might you vent your anger and humiliation by having a bit of fun with voodoo?

Claire Winters is in just this position when she gets together with her best friend, Jade, for an evening of serious drinking. Jade, whose grandmother comes from Haiti where voodoo is common, comes up with the bright idea of their making a voodoo doll to help Claire express her feelings. The two women have some fun dressing themselves up for the ceremony and going through the voodoo ritual Jade learned from her grandmother.

Claire and Jade come to realise that dabbing in the occult can have unexpected consequences. This is a fast paced and enjoyable story about a game gone wrong.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TMQJKSS

Today’s book, Circumstances of Childhood, is by talented author, John Howell. John has several great books but this is still my favourite.

What Amazon says

When a former pro football star and broadcaster, now a Wall Street maven is accused of insider trading, will he be able to prove his innocence and expose those who are guilty?
Greg and his boyhood pal dreamed of big success in professional football and then later in business. Greg was the only one to live the dream. Now the founder of an investment fund Greg is faced with a routine audit finding by the SEC. The audit points to irregularities and all the tracks lead to Greg. The justice department hits him with an indictment of 23 counts of fraud, money laundering, and insider trading. His firm goes bust, and Greg is on his own.
His best friend knows he is innocent but has been ordered under penalty of eternal damnation not to help.
If you enjoy stories of riches to rags, redemption, brotherly love, and a little of the paranormal, Circumstance of Childhood will keep you riveted.

My review

I loved this book. The growth of the investment fund, SEC audit and investigation and the outcome that feature in the book are convincing. John Howell clearly has a very good knowledge base of corporate finance and its rules and regulations and the story rang true to me. The book comprises of two story lines that run parallel.

One is the tale of a successful football star who turns his hand to running and investment fund, with some brilliance but, possibly, with to much trust and a lack of understanding of some of the technicalities. I though John Howell showed a very sound knowledge of computers and electronic trading and the associated risks.

The second story line is that of enduring friendship between two boys thrown together by life’s circumstances. John was skillful in describing the personalities of the two friends and how they both relied on each other for support as they traveled their chosen path of university and football. There is an interesting twist to this friendship that results in Greg moving on to stardom on his own.

There is also a bit of a romance in the book as Greg meets and courts his eventual wife, Terry. The effect of great financial success on their relationship and children is intriguing and it leaves you wondering about the natures and intentions of some of the characters right from the beginning of their entry into Greg’s life.

A fast moving and exciting story, I rated Circumstances of Childhood five out of five stars.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075SKWHCR

Thank you to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting this month’s Dark Origins post about Daniel Defoe’s novel, A Journal of the Plague Year. It is written as a first hand account of a man of means living in London during the Great Plague of 1665 and is completely fascinating.

Dark Origins – A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe based on the Great Plague of London, 1665 #DarkOrigins #readingcommunity #history

What Amazon says

As she let her gaze drift around her, she saw that there were more birds. Perhaps a dozen or so, perched among the trees that stood on the edge of the clearing. And yet more were arriving, swooping down through the gap overhead and landing on branches that overlooked them. The birds weren’t threatening, yet the sight of them all coming together in this dark and isolated spot was unnerving. Tanya reached a hand out towards Martin, and was relieved to feel him take it. She felt him move in behind her. After the uncertainty she’d experienced with him in a similar position only a few moments ago, she recognised the irony of her reaction. His closeness offered security.

“You know what they are, don’t you?”

A stranger’s arrival in a small village coincides with a tragic accident. For the Gates family in particular it’s more than a coincidence, but their unease increases following a brutal attack. As tensions rise, a dark past returns to haunt them and others, while newcomers to the village are drawn into a mystery with terrifying consequences. And no one can explain why the ravens are gathering.

Ravens Gathering twists and turns as the truth is gradually exposed in a gripping thriller with a supernatural edge to it.

My review

Martin Gates suffers from a recurring nightmare. In the dream his 8-year old self is awoken by the call of the drums. He follows the sound to a clearing in the woods in his home village where he is confronted by a horrific and traumatic sight. Unfortunately, Martin is never able to identify the source of his horror. He has experienced the dreams, on and off, throughout his life but recently they have become more and more frequent. Martin feels he is being called back to his home village.
Martin travels home and is not given a hero’s welcome by either the people of the village or his own family. In fact, he is actively rejected by his family who do not want to see him. His unexpected arrival coincides with a terrible accident by a physically disabled member of the community and he becomes a suspect in the case.

Martin meets Tanya, the attractive but bored and resentful wife of an older man who bought one of the local farms and is building houses to sell on the land. Tanya invites Martin to stay in their guest accommodation. Martin’s presence in their home has the unfortunate result of drawing the unhappy couple into his investigation into the source of his dreams and the reason he felt compelled to return to his home town.

Martin is not the only recent arrival in the village. Someone far more evil has arrived and he is determined to carry out his own agenda and make the villagers suffer as much as possible.

I loved this book of just over 500 pages. I thought this was a well-written, entertaining and unique storyline and I was impressed that I did not get bored or skip pages throughout my reading of this book.

Martin is an interesting character and the author certainly leads the readers on a bit of a song and dance before revealing Martin’s more admirable character traits. I grew to like Martin more and more as the book progressed. Tanya was a spoiled and silly woman but, when the chips were down, she responded most sensibly and showed loyalty and love for her estranged husband.

This book is not for people who are sensitive as there are parts of this story that are very brutal and almost depraved. All in, I thought this was an excellent read and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good horror story.

Purchase Ravens Gathering from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Gathering-Graeme-Cumming-ebook/dp/B00AGIDQA2

Today’s book is a collection of eight chilling short stories, Chills & Creeps 1: Eight Scary Stories, by Nick Clausen.

What Amazon says

Eight Spine-Chilling and Supernatural Stories

In this collection, you’ll meet …

• Peter, who meets an upholsterer who really likes his skin.
• Mary, who gets a pet fish that will only eat human flesh.
• Daniel, who plays a game that becomes real in his dreams.
• Eagle, who suffers from a rare disease making birds attack him wherever he goes.
• Joseph, who plays tennis with a ghost.
• Nadia, who gets trapped in a house slowly filling up with water.
• Calvin, whose sister visits a hypnotist and becomes someone else.
• And Noah, who learns to control lights with his mind.Eight stories spanning horror, dark fantasy and science fiction, all set in everyday life while exploring the dark, the evil and the supernatural. Fans of Goosebumps will love these chilly stories! This is volume 1 of the series.

My review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of eight short creepy and chilling tales by Nick Clausen. The tone of his stories, and their unusual and clever twists reminded me of Roald Dahl’s style with his short story collections.

Under the skin features a young, red headed boy with freckly skin who takes shelter in a elderly strangers house one afternoon during a downpour. The granny is kindly towards him, giving him tea and cookies and drying his clothing, but she has her own frightening agenda;
Snapper the fish is a tale of the acquisition of a pet gone wrong. Mary is a spoiled girl who has recently become an older sister to a baby girl. Mary is jealous of the attention the new baby is garnering from her friends and family. When Mary acquires a most unusual pet, she makes a plan to use it for her own selfish ends;
Deadly dreams features the very topical world of gaming. Two boys are drawn into a popular game of human versus monsters. Despite various warnings that the game is dangerous to your health, it has gone viral. Daniel and Christian had better practice hard, they can’t afford to make mistakes;
All birds hate me gave me the greatest creeps of them all as I have a bit of a phobia about birds attacking people. Eagle is diagnosed with a strange disease. he is getting treatment, but is impatient to enjoy his life like everyone else his age. He decides to venture out of the safety of his home;
Ghost tennis is all about a young ghost who has an obsession with tennis. When a new family move into his historic home, he hopes that he will find a new tennis partner. If not, everyone will pay;
Drip-Drip-Drip shows what could happen if your own home turned against you. Unfortunately, it knows your deepest and darkest fears and is willing to use them against you;
When I snap my fingers is really rather unsettling tale about progressive hypnotism and what could come out if you delved into your past lives. Meddling with the mind is never a good idea;
Lights out is a rather unusual tale with a super power flavour of a different sort. It is never a good idea for one person to have to much power of nature.

Purchase Chills & Creeps 1: Eight Scary Stories from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Chills-Creeps-Eight-Scary-Stories/dp/1070427187

This week’s W3 Prompt #77 challenge is to write a dormasha – three variations on a shadorma syllabic format. You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2023/10/18/w3-prompt-77-weave-written-weekly/.

This is what came; thank you muse! My verses go 5/3/7/3/3/5 then 3/7/5/3/3/5 and 3/5/3/3/7/5.

Dad

A great role model

Is my dad

He taught me composition

And about

Proportion

Skills I use daily

***

Even now

He’s older and in poor health

He adds great value

To my life

Supportive

And encouraging

***

Spring planting

Decorative trees

Adorning

The pavement

His enthusiasm grows

As project takes shape