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I became a huge Catherine MacDonald fan with Divine Divas and Comstock Rose. With each new book my expectations increase as I find a new favorite. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with The Way.
The Way follows the lives of three women. All are at a crucial crossroads of their lives. Jenny is lost. She had a failed marriage, hates her job, and is deep in debt. Feeling overwhelmed, she tries to kill herself.
Melissa had lost a daughter. Her marriage was in shambles. Both she and her husband are spending so much time blaming the other for their daughter’s death that they couldn’t see anything else.
Lori was a drunk. All she could think about was the next drink. She really didn’t care who she used to get it.
All three women are approached by a woman named Christina Applegate who invites them to a retreat of sorts. It is here that these three women will regain their strength, find themselves, and learn about The Pearl Planner, a method of mindfully managing one’s precious energy resources.
Augustus Valentine is no stranger to tragedy. As a teenager, at a time when he should have been dreaming about his future, Aug was told by his mother that she was pregnant, his father wasn’t the baby’s father, and they were leaving town immediately to live with Aug’s uncle Mark. Aug moved in with his uncle but his parents were both murdered before the rest of the plan could be put into action.
Uncle Mark was good to Aug. He gave him an education and took him under his wing. He even brought him in on some of his most important business projects.
Unfortunately, things aren’t always as they seem. A suicide that wasn’t really a suicide. A robbery where the criminals knew too much. Friends who turn out to be enemies. Under such circumstances, figuring out who is trustworthy is the real mystery.
Painless is a novel about the inner workings of several interconnected groups of criminals. Aug isn’t an angel himself. In fact, he’s right in the thick of things and has no problem dishing out a little retribution. Still, there’s a slightly softer hidden side of him too. Action, mystery, and a little romance, nicely combined.
I was introduced to the work of the author through his alternative historical fiction novel Iron Maiden. Beyond the extremely well researched and integrated storyline, I adored the realistic characters who seemed to come alive as I read.
Needless to say, when I got the chance to review another book from this author, I jumped at the chance. Despite that Iron Maiden and The Mayan Magician are not from the same genre, I am glad I did. Through perhaps a little more raw, the characters are just as vivid.
The Mayan Magician is an anthology of people stories. The genres and themes vary but it could be said that each work is about dreams and nightmares. They run the gambit from dreams fulfilled and dreams that fall flat to dreams that become perverted and outright nightmares.
There are a number of stories that stand out for me. The title of the book comes from the first and longest entry in the book. It tells of a talented female baseball player with a dream and a secret. The Peek-a-Boo Man is a chilling tale about an man with Asperger’s syndrome who believes that children are being abducted and taken to a paradise without adults. The Reluctant Zombie is told from the perspective of a fallen soldier who is stuck in limbo until he gets a proper burial.
A tarot reader is killed and the psychic community is scared. It started as a simple shake down. If someone refused to pay protection money, car tires got slashed. Then, Mrs. Sylvia suddenly turned up dead.
Immediately, the police find inconsistencies in the story. Even identifying the victim becomes complicated. No one seems to know much about her, if she has family, or where she grew up. No one is even sure of her real name. Someone knows the truth but is unwilling to say anything. It seems that family ties are complexly woven and past grudges have been refocused on new targets.
House of Tarot Cards quickly draws the reader into the multifaceted action of the story. Finding the killer is easy enough. However, the deception of the characters involved is so multileveled that just getting the truth of the situation is the real challenge for the police.
The Last Paradise is a step back into time. Times were harsh in Galveston, Texas just after the Civil War. Jobs were plenty but the promise of a better life was something that only those with money could afford to dream about. Some might say it was a simpler time but those people obviously never met Newt, Maxwell, Burley Horse (that’s a woman), Bleach (the local tavern owner), Fanny (the local prostitute and apple of Maxwell’s eye), Sara Connor (the boss’ daughter), and Sister Ruby (a reformed former “working girl”).
The story begins with a courtroom scene. Newt and Maxwell have been involved in a drunken brawl. With the help of Burley Horse, the two manage somewhat light sentences. Newt is sentenced to a year of sobriety, which he takes to mean only drinking when no one is looking. Both Newt and Maxwell are also given community service working with the nuns at a local orphanage.
Immediately, the reader becomes part of the community. From the very start of this book, these people feel real with depth of character, pasts that might be better left in the past, and above all a sense of humor that gets them through some very difficult situations. On the surface, many of these individuals may not seem very loveable or even worthy of pity, yet as you get to know them it’s very easy to feel an affinity to them.
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Dr. Tami Brady has commented on (28) products.
The Way by Catherine Macdonald
Dr. Tami Brady, July 15, 2009
I became a huge Catherine MacDonald fan with Divine Divas and Comstock Rose. With each new book my expectations increase as I find a new favorite. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with The Way.The Way follows the lives of three women. All are at a crucial crossroads of their lives. Jenny is lost. She had a failed marriage, hates her job, and is deep in debt. Feeling overwhelmed, she tries to kill herself.
Melissa had lost a daughter. Her marriage was in shambles. Both she and her husband are spending so much time blaming the other for their daughter’s death that they couldn’t see anything else.
Lori was a drunk. All she could think about was the next drink. She really didn’t care who she used to get it.
All three women are approached by a woman named Christina Applegate who invites them to a retreat of sorts. It is here that these three women will regain their strength, find themselves, and learn about The Pearl Planner, a method of mindfully managing one’s precious energy resources.
Painless by Bill Poje
Dr. Tami Brady, June 26, 2009
Augustus Valentine is no stranger to tragedy. As a teenager, at a time when he should have been dreaming about his future, Aug was told by his mother that she was pregnant, his father wasn’t the baby’s father, and they were leaving town immediately to live with Aug’s uncle Mark. Aug moved in with his uncle but his parents were both murdered before the rest of the plan could be put into action.Uncle Mark was good to Aug. He gave him an education and took him under his wing. He even brought him in on some of his most important business projects.
Unfortunately, things aren’t always as they seem. A suicide that wasn’t really a suicide. A robbery where the criminals knew too much. Friends who turn out to be enemies. Under such circumstances, figuring out who is trustworthy is the real mystery.
Painless is a novel about the inner workings of several interconnected groups of criminals. Aug isn’t an angel himself. In fact, he’s right in the thick of things and has no problem dishing out a little retribution. Still, there’s a slightly softer hidden side of him too. Action, mystery, and a little romance, nicely combined.
The Mayan Magician and Other Stories by Jim Musgrave
Dr. Tami Brady, May 22, 2009
I was introduced to the work of the author through his alternative historical fiction novel Iron Maiden. Beyond the extremely well researched and integrated storyline, I adored the realistic characters who seemed to come alive as I read.Needless to say, when I got the chance to review another book from this author, I jumped at the chance. Despite that Iron Maiden and The Mayan Magician are not from the same genre, I am glad I did. Through perhaps a little more raw, the characters are just as vivid.
The Mayan Magician is an anthology of people stories. The genres and themes vary but it could be said that each work is about dreams and nightmares. They run the gambit from dreams fulfilled and dreams that fall flat to dreams that become perverted and outright nightmares.
There are a number of stories that stand out for me. The title of the book comes from the first and longest entry in the book. It tells of a talented female baseball player with a dream and a secret. The Peek-a-Boo Man is a chilling tale about an man with Asperger’s syndrome who believes that children are being abducted and taken to a paradise without adults. The Reluctant Zombie is told from the perspective of a fallen soldier who is stuck in limbo until he gets a proper burial.
Dr. Tami Brady, May 22, 2009
A tarot reader is killed and the psychic community is scared. It started as a simple shake down. If someone refused to pay protection money, car tires got slashed. Then, Mrs. Sylvia suddenly turned up dead.Immediately, the police find inconsistencies in the story. Even identifying the victim becomes complicated. No one seems to know much about her, if she has family, or where she grew up. No one is even sure of her real name. Someone knows the truth but is unwilling to say anything. It seems that family ties are complexly woven and past grudges have been refocused on new targets.
House of Tarot Cards quickly draws the reader into the multifaceted action of the story. Finding the killer is easy enough. However, the deception of the characters involved is so multileveled that just getting the truth of the situation is the real challenge for the police.
The Last Paradise by Michael Kasenow
Dr. Tami Brady, April 3, 2009
The Last Paradise is a step back into time. Times were harsh in Galveston, Texas just after the Civil War. Jobs were plenty but the promise of a better life was something that only those with money could afford to dream about. Some might say it was a simpler time but those people obviously never met Newt, Maxwell, Burley Horse (that’s a woman), Bleach (the local tavern owner), Fanny (the local prostitute and apple of Maxwell’s eye), Sara Connor (the boss’ daughter), and Sister Ruby (a reformed former “working girl”).The story begins with a courtroom scene. Newt and Maxwell have been involved in a drunken brawl. With the help of Burley Horse, the two manage somewhat light sentences. Newt is sentenced to a year of sobriety, which he takes to mean only drinking when no one is looking. Both Newt and Maxwell are also given community service working with the nuns at a local orphanage.
Immediately, the reader becomes part of the community. From the very start of this book, these people feel real with depth of character, pasts that might be better left in the past, and above all a sense of humor that gets them through some very difficult situations. On the surface, many of these individuals may not seem very loveable or even worthy of pity, yet as you get to know them it’s very easy to feel an affinity to them.
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