Repent at Leisure by Stevie Turner

Synopsis:

Paul McAdam wakes up with a strange girl in his bed, with no idea who she is or where she came from.

Cat Taylor worms her way into Paul’s life, eventually moving into his flat. The arrangement suits Paul quite well until he meets Anita Fairfax, the love of his life and the girl he wishes to marry. Cat has to go, but Paul finds that she is not interested in moving out.

When Cat is found dead in Paul’s flat, he’s the #1 suspect, even though there’s not a shred of evidence. Anita and Paul are happily married, but she soon begins to wonder whether her new husband could have been Cat’s killer all along.

My Thoughts:

As I finish this book, I sit and ponder. I am struggling with a rating. It was written very well and told through the first person of the two main characters, Paul, and Anita. So, you may ask what is the problem then? But before I answer that question, let me say the reason I couldn’t put it down was that it’s written in a way that I wanted to read more. First, you hear Paul’s thoughts surrounding his life and then you hear Anita’s side of things. It’s very hard to decide whose side you are on as both characters have good reasons to feel the way they do. I will say at this point that Stevie does a great job of introducing new facts which makes the reader wonder which way the plot will go. Should the relationship continue or should it end? For me, I had to keep reading to find out how the author decided it should be. I have to say that I disagree with how it ended. I guess you will have to read it to decide for yourself.

After having said that, the ending is not why I was struggling with the rating because the story is terrific and is definitely a 5-star plot. However, the reason I wanted to close the book and move on was the language used throughout the book. I guess that I just can’t wrap my brain around the use of abusive language. I am not saying that a book shouldn’t have curse words because that is part of real life. However, there is way too much in this particular story. For that part of the writing, I give it a 3-star. So I decided to average it and give this book a 4-star.

 

Author Biography From Amazon

I began my writing career as far back as 1969, when I won an inter-schools’ writing competition after submitting a well-thumbed and hastily scribbled essay entitled ‘My Pet’. A love of words and writing short stories and poems has carried on all throughout my life, but it is only now in middle age that I’ve started writing novels full-time and taking this author business seriously.

So far I have published 8 novels, 4 novellas, and a collection of 18 short stories (Life) relating to significant life events. My novels are realistic, but tend to shy away from the mainstream somewhat and focus on the darker side of relationships. However, you’ll find I do like to add in a little bit of humour along the way.

My third novel ‘A House Without Windows’ was chosen as a medal winner in the New Apple Book Awards 2014 Suspense/Thriller category, and in late 2015 it won a Readers’ Favorite Gold Award. An excerpt from my latest creation ‘Repent at Leisure’ made the shortlist for the Escalator Writing Competition in April 2016.

I have also recently branched out into the world of audio books. ‘The Daughter-in-law Syndrome’, ‘A House Without Windows’, ‘No Sex Please, I’m Menopausal!’, ‘The Noise Effect’, and ‘A Rather Unusual Romance’ are available for purchase, and the rest are currently in production.

So here I am in the late summer of my life, and the words are tumbling out of my head. Living for more than a few years has given me plenty of subject matter to write about, and I look forward to sharing quite a lot of it with you.

Happy Reading everyone and Don’t forget to:

“Live, Love, Laugh and by all means READ!”

Sharon

 

 

 

The Retreat by Chariss K. Walker, M.Msc.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something about this author’s writing style that makes me want to read more. I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting. Normally, this size book takes me two days. It is definitely a 5-star book, but I am struggling with how to put it into words. Having said that, I need to break it down and figure it out. 🙂 I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Looking for answers and desperate for change, Amanda goes on a spirit quest in the Jemez Mountains. While there, she meets a wolf, a bear, a hawk, and a swarm of bees. These personal totems lead Amanda to much-needed answers and a desire to live again. This heartwarming, magical realism adventure could be anyone of us facing personal tragedy—whether the crisis is death, divorce, or loss. Follow Amanda’s steps to recovery as they lead to healing. Enjoy the magic!

My Thoughts:

Amanda struggles with the fact that she cannot react with hatred to her current situation and instead just walks away. Without giving the story away, Amanda experiences two losses in one day. Her reaction, although perfect in my mind, haunts her for a year. She continues to have nightmares about how her mind thinks she should have reacted.

The author does a great job building the plot of Amanda’s life. This story grabbed my attention from the beginning and as I got into it, I could not put it down. The soul searching that Amanda experiences is unique and makes the reader wonder out loud! What would I do?

The title in itself tells us that Amanda goes on a retreat, but what she gets from it, I guess you will have to read the book to find out. I can tell you, that you will not be disappointed. The ending was a bit of a surprise, but an enjoyable surprise for sure. I highly recommend.

About the Author:

Award winning author, Chariss K. Walker, M.Msc., writes fiction and nonfiction books with a metaphysical message. All of her books are sold worldwide in eBook, paperback, and many are in large print. Chariss lives in Amarillo, Texas. Connect with Chariss on social media sites. She wants to hear from you. Visit her website at http://www.chariss.com for a complete social media list, including AuthorGraph.

Have a wonderful week and weekend everyone!

And As Always, Live, Love, Laugh and by all means READ!

Sharon