Describe your new book. Oddfellow's Orphanage is a series of stories/vignettes that tell the tale of the newest arrival to a curious orphanage, a...
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Thanks to Kevin Lake for introducing me to quite the creepiest neighborhood on the planet! And for making me look at my own neighbors a little differently... All kidding aside, this is a terrific read. The characters are three-dimensional and very believable, especially Christian as the skeptical teenaged hero. His life was turned upside down and sideways by his parents divorce, and to make it worse he was forced to live in a place they had only ever been with his father. The only thing worse than watching his mother start dating an overly charming handsome stranger was the fact that the neighborhood weirdo, Jordan, warned him against almost everyone on Ariel Street. Slowly, Christian finds that his neighbors may very well be as dangerous as his new friend Jordan claims, copycats of some of the most dangerous serial killers in history. The level of intrigue and suspense ratchets up even further as the neighbors begin to settle on their next targets - Jordan, Christian and their families. Lake paints a picture with setting, capturing the damp lushness of seaside Washington, and use that as a theme throughout the story. The sights, the smells, the feeling of the cold Northwest drizzle, the souds of the deep woods all add texture to your superb storytelling. This is one of the best young adult mysteries I have read in a long time, and I could envision a return to Serial Street to help Christian, Jordan, Becca, Kristen and the rest keep the world safe from their neighbors. I truly enjoyed this fantastic book, and you will, too. Who knows, the neighbors may even want to borrow it... Ron Adams Author of LAKE EFFECT and KEY LIME SQUEEZE
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
In tenth century Italy, Contessa Vittoria Montessoro gives birth to her beautiful daughter Morena in the family home of Bloodstone Castle. Before her tragic demise after the birth, Lady Vittoria entrust her maidservant to tell her daughter of the legacy of Bloodstone Castle, and of the legend of the ancient casket of Roman treasured buried deep beneath.
Eighteen years later, Duke Amoro Dragone returns to his family home in Genoa upon hearing of the murder of his father. At the funeral, he learns the patriarch has made and arrangement to end the long and violent feud between the house of Dragone and the house of Montessoro. A marriage arrangement was made, and approved by both families and the King himself, between Amoro and the beautiful Morena Montessoro, uniting the two families and righting the broken promises of the past. Amoro pledges to avenge his father’s death and fulfill his request to unite the families, and sets off to win the heart of Lady Morena, unaware that she has been previously been betrothed to Duke Ernesto Boccanera of Savona. Boccanera is a desperate and destitute man, who looks to marry the wealthy and noble Morena as a means to settle his own enormous debts, and to uncover the legendary treasure of Bloodstone Castle for himself.
Much more than a love story, Mirella Patzer’s Bloodstone Castle is an intense tale of adventure, murder, betrayal, and the ultimate power of devotion. Patzer’s prose is as dense and lush as an Italian vineyard, full of the rich history her novels have come to embrace. The lives of the main characters, the handsome and valiant Amoro, and the beautiful and tempestuous Morena, are taken through an awe-inspiring series of events before they are allowed to surrender to their ultimate destiny. The readers will find themselves taken on a medieval rollercoaster ride, with the highest of highs given to the lowest of lows. In may ways the story of Bloodstone Castle is not about the treasure buried in the catacombs, but the treasure found within the human heart
If you like your heroes roguish and true, your heroines brazen and beautiful, and your villains heinous and evil, Mirella Patzer's Bloodstone Castle is just what you’ve been waiting for. Whether you are a newcomer to the genre, as I am, or an established fan of historical fiction, I would whole-heartedly recommend this book. I would encourage anyone to take refuge in Bloodstone Castle.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
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rwadams has commented on (2) products.
Serial Street by E. Lake Kevin E. Lake
rwadams, September 5, 2010
Thanks to Kevin Lake for introducing me to quite the creepiest neighborhood on the planet! And for making me look at my own neighbors a little differently... All kidding aside, this is a terrific read. The characters are three-dimensional and very believable, especially Christian as the skeptical teenaged hero. His life was turned upside down and sideways by his parents divorce, and to make it worse he was forced to live in a place they had only ever been with his father. The only thing worse than watching his mother start dating an overly charming handsome stranger was the fact that the neighborhood weirdo, Jordan, warned him against almost everyone on Ariel Street. Slowly, Christian finds that his neighbors may very well be as dangerous as his new friend Jordan claims, copycats of some of the most dangerous serial killers in history. The level of intrigue and suspense ratchets up even further as the neighbors begin to settle on their next targets - Jordan, Christian and their families. Lake paints a picture with setting, capturing the damp lushness of seaside Washington, and use that as a theme throughout the story. The sights, the smells, the feeling of the cold Northwest drizzle, the souds of the deep woods all add texture to your superb storytelling. This is one of the best young adult mysteries I have read in a long time, and I could envision a return to Serial Street to help Christian, Jordan, Becca, Kristen and the rest keep the world safe from their neighbors. I truly enjoyed this fantastic book, and you will, too. Who knows, the neighbors may even want to borrow it... Ron Adams Author of LAKE EFFECT and KEY LIME SQUEEZE(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Bloodstone Castle
rwadams, August 10, 2008
In tenth century Italy, Contessa Vittoria Montessoro gives birth to her beautiful daughter Morena in the family home of Bloodstone Castle. Before her tragic demise after the birth, Lady Vittoria entrust her maidservant to tell her daughter of the legacy of Bloodstone Castle, and of the legend of the ancient casket of Roman treasured buried deep beneath.Eighteen years later, Duke Amoro Dragone returns to his family home in Genoa upon hearing of the murder of his father. At the funeral, he learns the patriarch has made and arrangement to end the long and violent feud between the house of Dragone and the house of Montessoro. A marriage arrangement was made, and approved by both families and the King himself, between Amoro and the beautiful Morena Montessoro, uniting the two families and righting the broken promises of the past. Amoro pledges to avenge his father’s death and fulfill his request to unite the families, and sets off to win the heart of Lady Morena, unaware that she has been previously been betrothed to Duke Ernesto Boccanera of Savona. Boccanera is a desperate and destitute man, who looks to marry the wealthy and noble Morena as a means to settle his own enormous debts, and to uncover the legendary treasure of Bloodstone Castle for himself.
Much more than a love story, Mirella Patzer’s Bloodstone Castle is an intense tale of adventure, murder, betrayal, and the ultimate power of devotion. Patzer’s prose is as dense and lush as an Italian vineyard, full of the rich history her novels have come to embrace. The lives of the main characters, the handsome and valiant Amoro, and the beautiful and tempestuous Morena, are taken through an awe-inspiring series of events before they are allowed to surrender to their ultimate destiny. The readers will find themselves taken on a medieval rollercoaster ride, with the highest of highs given to the lowest of lows. In may ways the story of Bloodstone Castle is not about the treasure buried in the catacombs, but the treasure found within the human heart
If you like your heroes roguish and true, your heroines brazen and beautiful, and your villains heinous and evil, Mirella Patzer's Bloodstone Castle is just what you’ve been waiting for. Whether you are a newcomer to the genre, as I am, or an established fan of historical fiction, I would whole-heartedly recommend this book. I would encourage anyone to take refuge in Bloodstone Castle.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)