Author name: Sayling@@Away

I received a free copy of this book for review. Christmas, lots of snow, a grandfather clock in an old mansion, a powerful curse, and a witch in two time periods. What’s not to like? This book is intended for middle grade children, but it is so well-written and so darned compelling, at least from this adult’s point of view, I can recommend it to everyone. The story:  It’s December 2018. Twelve- year-old Kes Bunting and his younger sister Star, both orphans, are living in a cold, dilapidated foster home overseen by the devious Mrs. Auk. She receives an official letter from Hoop, Hoop, Hoop, Hoop and Sons, announcing the children’s legal guardian has been found, and shortly they are off by train to meet their grandmother, Lady Bunting. She resides in a large country mansion called St. Flurries, which is supposed to be haunted. They are followed there by an elderly man in a dark gray suit. What a great beginning! St. Flurries is a wondrous old house, populated by a seven foot tall major domo named Goldie, who has a black eye patch; their white-haired grandmother whom they call Granny Bird; the rotund cook named Mrs. Chiffchaff; a tiny, bird-like old woman named Genevieve, who talks in riddles and acts most strangely; and Chat the cat. One of the first things the children notice is a grandfather clock which keeps time running backward. It is snowing heavily, the countdown to Christmas has begun, and Star falls ill. Kes is told of the haunting of St. Flurries by a Snow Witch, and outside, exploring, he thinks he sees her. December 1918: Twelve-year-old Kitty Wigeon can’t wait for Christmas at St Flurries, a grand old manor house in the countryside. When she goes to the local Christmas Fair, through no fault of her own she earns a curse from the old matriarch of a powerful gypsy clan. Then, on the chilly night after the funeral for her oldest brother, who died in the war, she vanishes without a trace. The only thing found is her locket, which now resides around Star’s neck. What happened to Kitty? Is she really the Snow Witch? What was the curse? Is there an evil force behind Star’s illness? What can Kes do to solve the mystery, in a house brimming with secrets? Who is the man who followed them to St. Flurries? Hopefully, I’ve revealed enough, without giving a lot away, to make you want to read this book. The inventiveness and creativity of the author have made this one of my favorite children’s book, with whimsical and wonderful characters and setting. She has woven an intricate mystery against a colorful and compelling background that spans time and place. Her descriptions of Christmas at St. Flurries are spun like dreams, with food and outlandish decorations, and her characters are so lovingly imagined, you want to meet them in person. Have you ever met a snow white hedgehog called Bob the Snodge? She has also rendered the children in an amazingly down to earth fashion, so even in the face of unimaginable, they are real. Five stars for this book! About the author (from Amazon): Rosie Boyes is a children’s author from the UK. She has been passionate about middle-grade books ever since she can remember. Her love of reading came at an early age when she escaped into classic stories, living out the lives of the characters she met. During her spare time, she dreams about dipping her toes in the sea, splashing through puddles, kicking up leaves in the autumn… She is also the author of another book for children, Clemmie’s War, also involving time travel. You can find her On twitter: @RosieTheAuthor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosieBoyesAuthor And her books on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosie-Boyes/e/B078GWP881/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1538331507&sr=1-2-ent 0 0

Florence is still at it, dropping feet of rain overnight. Here are some photos taken at the bottom of our driveway this moring – we have a creek down there but it’s now a river. Luckily we are high and dry – our house sits about 60 or more feet above the water! 0 0

Thanks to everyone for their wishes and prayers. I am certain they helped. Florence came ashore at Wilmington, NC, early Friday morning. During the day Friday, rain and wind picked up and by Friday night we had lost power. But we were prepared – generator out with lots of gas, food in the fridge, and lots of wine. 😉 Heading outside to inspect the house and surroundings, we found a ton of leaves down, some limbs and branches, but no damage. Compared to what we expected, this was mild, and the power came back on in about 15 hours, and internet this morning. I drained my husband’s phone hot spot answering messages from family yesterday. The southeastern quadrant of the state took a direct hit. There are many thousands without power (including my son) still and flooding is extreme with dams and bridges out. The cost will be in the billions and it will take years to rebuild. Pray for the people living there and if you are of a mind, contribute to the American Red Cross or Samaritan’s purse to help them. Again, thank you all so much! Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-florence-donations.html/?cid=fy19hurflorence&cid=disaster&med=cpc&med=cpc&source=bing&source=google&scode=rsg00000e017&scode=RSG00000E017&msclkid=14fc96e94ec6187794aacd77352f8575&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Hurricane%20Florence%7CBrand&utm_term=hurricane%20florence%20relief%20red%20cross&utm_content=Hurricane%20Florence&gclid=CLjJlrLwv90CFVfVswodg00Oig&gclsrc=ds&dclid=CL23o7Lwv90CFVAIDAodxPQBBg Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/disaster/hurricane-florence/?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=m_YYHF-B18V_HHSP-LP-article&msclkid=01d844086e491602beca1f9612501756&utm_term=samaritan%27s%20purse&utm_content=SP%20brand 0 0

Nothing stops Garfield. It’s now Garfield 4 – Noelle zip. I tried drugging him today and it made him higher than a kite. He had fun being chased around the house. Sounds like ADHD to me – anything used to calm my son made him even more active! Not sure where we go from here… Just thought you’d like to know the latest score! 🙂 0 0

Wish us well, folks, Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the NC coast as a cat 4-5 and looks like it will move inland before heading north.Might turn and come right over us. It could inflict the hardest hurricane punch the Carolinas have seen in more than 60 years, with rain and wind of more than 130 mph (209 kph). North Carolina has been hit by only one other Category 4 storm since reliable record keeping began in the 1850s. That was Hurricane Hazel in 1954. It came north over New England, still as a hurricane – I remember going outside of my childhood home during the lull of the eye as it passed over. We have had our share of ‘F’ storms – Fran came ashore in much the same way and did more than a hundred thousand dollars damage to our house, cars and property. It was almost two years before everything was restored. We had one tree through the back of our house, three on the roof (which luckily didn’t break the main beam), all three cars flattened, and $40k worth of tree removal just to be able to get out of our driveway. No power for more than three weeks, a ton of water damage in the house, and a blue tarp roof for thirteen months. With Floyd we personally were more lucky – the main damage to the state was to the east with horrific flooding. Sadly, some towns have not recovered to this day. I am terrified of high winds… Say a prayer and keep your fingers crossed for us. And especially for the folks living on the coast. 0 0

GARFIELD 3 – NOELLE 0 0 0

Oops, I did it again. Garfield here, the handsome long-haired Maine coon cat whom everyone adores. I foiled my two legged when she tried to get me into a box. She didn’t say why, but I’m sure she was up to no good. She’s been picking me up while I ate, off and on for a week or so, and yesterday she swooped me up and tried to get me into the box. Well, I got the best of her – managed to squeeze out after she got me in. I wonder if she’ll try that again… In the meantime, I’m up to my usual tricks. Brought my mouse down from the bedroom this morning to play with. It’s getting a little worse for wear because I love it so much. I also am having fun scratching the glass on the shower door. I can do it for minutes at a time. That cat I see there needs to be taught a lesson. I love running up and down the stairs. I chase my two legged up at night and lead her down in the morning. I love stairs. I know I’m over a year old, but really, I’m still a kitten. At least that’s what she told me about Maine Coons. The one thing I’ve come to like is all that brushing she has to do. You see, I get something called mats and she has to de-mat me a couple of times a week so I can stay handsome and gorgeous. I also taught myself a new trick. When my two legged goes out by the back door, I charge the door. Wham! You should see her jump! I really just want to go with her, but it’s scary out there. Do you think she wants to take me outside in that box? With regard to that box, It’s Garfield 2 – Noelle 0. 0 0

Encounters: Relationships in Conflict was an thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking read and clearly the result of the author’s long career in business, on boards, and as Chair of the New Jersey Historical Society. His stories cross age groups and are set in different time periods, but all concern the conflict between people based on differing perceptions, and are written with a wisdom that comes only with age and experience. I found the stories oddly soothing and gentle and could directly relate to some of them myself. The Piano Recital concerns an amazing resolution of the conflict between a boy being bullied and the one doing the bullying. Bicycle describes the change in the relationship between a small boy and his much older brother. Harry is the poignant story of the deteriorating relationship between Harry, who is descending to dementia, and his caregiver and wife Shirley, whom he thinks is a waitress, through an old Duke Ellington song. It brought tears to my eyes as well as a chuckle. The Dan Flanders Column, about a man who decides to rewrite a published self-help column with which he strongly disagrees made me laugh out loud. Men… There are many more, but the constant among them is the compromise and adjustment necessary to resolve the problems between two people. Human relationships don’t change in this respect, no matter the time. I recommend this book for a lovely, short read that will make you think about your own conflicting relationships. About the author Fred H. Rohn is a life-long Madison, N.J. resident, has been married for seventy years and has four married children and nine grandchildren. One of those children you may recognize is Barbara Vitelli, whom I met via her blog, Book Club Mom. Now I know where she gets her writing skills. An English major at Colgate University, Rohn has an MBA degree in accounting from New York University and honed his writing skills at The New School in New York. His previous published books include the international award-winning How To Make Your Services Worth More and So You Want To Be An Accountant and a memoir, A Fortunate Life. Rohn retired as a senior partner in the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm and then served for many years as general partner of North American Venture Capital Funds, president of the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy, the public member of the New Jersey State Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors, president of the New Jersey Historical Society and president of the Madison Area YMCA. He presently serves as a director of four for-profit businesses. Rohn is especially interested in the relationship – conflict and reconciliation – which forms the basis of many of the stories in Encounters. You can find Mr. Rohn at http://fredrohn.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FredHRohn/ and this book on Amazon: 0 0

 I loved this book, the first in the Hode’s Hill series by Mae Claire. It had all the things that make for a good mystery – a historical basis, an unknown murderous entity, a psychic, a touch of paranormal, a growing romantic relationship and great story telling. What’s not to like? It was a perfect summer beach read, only I read it on a boat circumnavigating Iceland… The story opens in 1900 with a dead-of-rainy-night visit by society woman Charlette Hode to a renowned spiritualist, Lucinda Glass, on whom she has come to depend.  She’s been warned that the Fiend – a killer with seemingly supernatural abilities to kill and disappear – may be about, but she pays no mind… In the present day, Maya Sinclair, recently recovered from a car accident during which she was dead for two minutes, settles in to an old house in Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania. She soon discovers the house was once owned by the renowned psychic Lucinda Glass, who was called the Blue Lady because of her blue-hued skin and who was killed by the Fiend. When sightings of a strange creature occur at the time of the annual ‘Fiend Fest’ and Maya begins to experience strange happenings in her house, she can’t help but try to learn more of the history of Hode’s Hill and the Blue Lady. She soon meets the son of the current Hode patriarch, who believes her account of the mysterious events in her house, and she also learns of a secret research facility located outside the town. I won’t say more because I want to leave other readers to the delight and chills of the story. Who was the Fiend? Has it returned to life or is it a more modern version of the legend? Mae Claire has crafted a gem of a creepy thriller about supernatural occurrences and a centuries-old monster. She creates the perfect turn-of- the- century ambience, and I liked the alternating point of view from the 20th century Lucinda Glass and the modern-day Maya. The author clearly researched spiritualists, who were so popular in Lucinda’s time, which lends authenticity top that aspect of the book. The tale, while chilling, is not gorey. There is no lurid blood-letting, and Maya and her friend Ivy are authentic characters. The author lays out the clues to the mystery in an agonizing precision – so I had to read faster – and I loved the way the twists and turns in the story came together at the end. A perfect paranormal cozy! I’m anxious to read the next in the Hode’s Hill series. About the author A member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, Mae loves creating character driven fiction in settings that weave contemporary elements of mystery and suspense with urban legend and folklore. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania, and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.  You can find her On twitter: @maeclaire1 On the internet at: https://maeclair.net/ And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maeclairauthor/ Cusp of Night is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cusp-Night-Mae-Clair/dp/1516107306                     0 0

This novel is set in the late eighth century and the queen of the title is Fastrada, the fourth wife of Charles, King of the Franks, also known as Charlemagne. This is a challenging era about which to write, given the constant upheavals and realignments in Europe amongst the various warring factions. King Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, became king of the Franks and made it his mission to unite all Germanic peoples into one kingdom and convert his subjects to Christianity. A skilled military strategist, he spent much of his reign engaged in warfare to accomplish his goals. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans. Charles had many wives and children. The reader is fortunate because the author has named the four wives, a forceful concubine, and the children, along with other major characters, both real and fictitious. Fastrada comes from lands east of the Rhine and is relatively uneducated when she arrives in Charles’ court. This puts her at a distinct disadvantage in serving as an advisor to Charles as well as mother to his children – the older three of which are well-read and educated in Latin, Greek, and other languages. Charles divorced his first wife, Himiltrude, who is now the abbess of a nunnery. Their son Pepin, his oldest, has profound antipathy to Fastrada and a major theme of the story is Pepin’s scheming to rid the court of her presence. His hatred is stoked by the preference of his father for his second son, Karl. Pepin is deformed with a crooked back, thought to be the result of his mother’s sin, and thus can’t be Charles’ heir. He is not allowed to carry a sword or fight and has been told he will take orders and inherit a bishopric, a fate he rails against. Fastrada also has to guard her tongue and her dignity in the presence of Kunigunde, Charles’ favorite concubine, who is heavy with child and living at court. The author does an excellent job in describing life in the eighth century court: food, clothes, social customs, and the profound religiosity of the king and his family. The reader can easily see the surroundings and feel part of this history. The metamorphosis of the naïve Fastrada to an educated woman and a crafty political advisor to her husband makes for a wonderful story. She becomes much more than Charles’ lover, but an intelligent, caring and formidable force. I am impressed that the author, knowing of Fastrada’s long bout with an illness that left her physically weak after the birth of her second child, portrayed her as suffering from anemia. Court life, with its politics, scheming, and back-stabbing are excellently described. There were a few negatives. Missing is some indication of positive things Charles did during his reign and of which Fastrada must have been aware, if not involved in. His impressive construction projects are mentioned, but there is also his wide support of education, scholarship, literature and art and the development of a common currency. The emphasis of the book is on the many battles he waged to unite the country, and although the brutality and bloodiness of warfare at the time are well wrought, I did become confused with the various warring factions. A minor point: there are nagging repetitions of Pepin’s scowling, which seemed to be his only expression, and the references to the rushes on the floor and the herbs scattered with them. All in all, this is a very satisfying historical read, and I plan to read the author’s other books, which should give a strong indication that I liked this one! About the author (from Amazon): If it weren’t for feminism, Kim Rendfeld would be one of those junior high English teachers scaring the bejesus out of her students, correcting grammar to the point of obnoxiousness. Instead, her career has been in journalism, public relations, and fiction. Kim grew up in New Jersey and attended Indiana University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English, with a minor in French. She was a journalist for about 17 years at Indiana newspapers, including the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, The Muncie Star, and The News and Sun in Dunkirk, and won several awards from the Hoosier State Press Association. Her career changed in 2007, when she joined the marketing and communications team at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and she is proud to have been part of projects that have received national recognition. Kim, a member of the Historical Novel Society, lives in Indiana with her husband and their spoiled cats. The couple has a daughter and four grandchildren. You can find the author at kimrendfeld.com On twitter: @kimrendfeld And on Facebook: facebook.com/authorkimrendfeld Her blog is: kimrendfeld.wordpress.com You can find Queen of the Darkest Hours on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZ65PB7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 0 0