"One Can Heal" by Clara C. Johnson

I’m not usually much of a reader of poetry, but this was an emotional collection of poems that seem to highlight the high and low points of the author’s life. Some of the poems shared with us here really spoke to me and held great meaning, while others I wasn’t really certain what to make of them. As I mentioned, I don’t tend to read very much poetry and have never attempted to write a poem myself. As such, I have a hard time putting into words a review of a collection of poems.

I did enjoy reading the poems as well as the insight into the author’s life that they gave, but I suspect that those who regularly read poetry will find even greater meaning and understanding in this collection than I did. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy reading this collection, (Believe me, I did enjoy it), only that poetry isn’t something that I often tend to reach for when looking for a book to read.

I believe that those who are more familiar with poetry collections than I usually am will find even greater meaning and enjoyment in this collection of very emotionally charged poems, but even if not, I do think there is something within this collection for anyone looking to find a poem that resonates with something in their own lives.

"Indian Mail Order Bride and her Insecure Marriage" by Florence Linnington

Kimmimela was a member of the Lakota Tribe. When she learned that she was to be married to Mahkah, the son of the tribe’s chieftain, her heart sank. It was known that Mahkah had not been kind to his first wife before her death, and Kimmimela had hoped her father would have chosen a different husband for her as she desperately did not want to marry Mahkah.

Given that she was not given a choice in the matter, she had little hope of escaping the arranged marriage until a trader who passed through happened to stop by to do business with her people. She took the opportunity to ask him to take her away and help her find somewhere that she could find work and a place to live. When they showed up at his nephew’s house, Flynn was not happy with the idea of Kimmimela living with him, but agreed to let her stay until his uncle could find her another place to go. (Like many other people of the time, Flynn did not trust any indian.) Can he and Kimmimela overcome their distrust of each other and at least co-exist together peacefully? Or is this situation simply a disaster in the making?

As usual I enjoyed the story this author told. I did run across a few small typos, but in the past Ms. Linnington has been very good about correcting them as soon as they are caught so I expect that most of the ones I saw have already been fixed. Her story flowed beautifully and everything the characters did to get from point A in their relationship to point B made perfect sense. I enjoy reading a story where you can see the characters grow and change as the story continues, and this was a very good one for that. I look forward to reading her next book in this series.

"Suffocating Secrets" by E.A. Owen

Life has not been easy for Trevor and his family. And though things finally seem to be improving for them, there is still much happening that almost seems as if the curse they had struggled to end is still affecting this family. But is it really the curse, or is there actually something more sinister going on?

This was the sequel to ”A Curse of Torment” and continues the story of Mary, her son Trevor, and his daughter Isabella. It seems as if they will finally find happiness in their lives now that the curse has been lifted. But with everything they have lived through, can happiness truly be found? What if it wasn’t only the curse they had to overcome?

The story told by the author drew me in and definitely held my interest. It could have used another round or two of with an editor, but it was still well enough written to hold my interest and make me want to find out what was truly happening. I don’t often read thrillers, but I did enjoy the tale woven by Ms. Owen. It kept me guessing and trying to figure out the ending before I finished it. And while I may have guessed at some of what was happening, I did not completely figure out everything happening within this book before the end.

Fair warning though, there are some adult scenes in this book, so it might not be appropriate for younger readers. But for those who do read this book, I believe it will keep them guessing about it until they reach the end.

"Reborn Series Box Set" by S.L. Stacey

“Reborn”

When Siobhan, Anna, and Jimmy saw something glowing in the distance during a party at a local farm, they did what you’d expect most teenagers would do and went to investigate. What they found appeared to be an injured man. He seemed confused and called Siobhan by the name of Psyche. When he reached out a hand to touch her, something strange happened when she took his hand. She ran off to hide in the woods as a pair of butterfly wings grew out of her back. Later that evening, when the three of them returned to try and help the stranger, he was gone.

Years later, while in a college sorority, Siobhan again encounters the man from the woods. It seems he is a teaching assistant for her “World Myths and Legends” class. But what happened to him that night in the woods? He claims that he is Eros and she is his wife Psyche, now returned to him. But Siobhan has no memory of anything he is claiming. Could he really be the Olympian God Eros? And if so, what is he doing teaching a class at her college?

I enjoyed this romantic tale involving multiple Olympian Gods. It has definitely captured my interest and made me want to find out what happens next. I did catch a few small typos while reading, but not enough to really distract from the story. Be warned, there are some sexual situations in this book that while not overly graphic in detail are likely still a bit inappropriate for younger readers.

“Relapse”

This second book in the series box set continues the tale begun in the previous book. We get to see more of these descendants of the Olympian Gods. Siobhan and her sorority sisters now know the truth of their heritage, and while embracing this legacy are also dealing with finding new potential members who also are descended from the gods. But there are new problems brewing that they must also deal with.

I enjoyed this book as well as the first one. I found the story quite entertaining. It drew me in & kept me reading later into the night than I should have. Like the first book, I do feel the need to warn the reader that a good deal of sex does take place in this book. And while it is not extremely graphic, it might make it inappropriate for younger readers.

“Revenge”

This was an interesting shorter tale focusing on another of the university’s greek houses, the Alpha Rho Sorority. It was nice to see that as diverse as humanity had become over the generations, that there more than one house contained members who were also descended from the gods. It was also interesting to see what happens when one of their members is looking for revenge for perceived wrongs and how they deal with it.

“Reclaim”

This book focuses mainly on the descendants of Nike and their work as Guardians, protecting humans from the gods who might seek to use them as pawns in the upcoming battle to take control of Olympus. I enjoyed reading this one and seeing how the gods in their “human” personas dealt with their daily lives while keeping secret their true mission to keep both worlds safe from the interference of the gods on humankind.

“Rectify”

This story is told from the point of view of Apate. At times parts of it overlap a bit with the other books in this set, but without attempting to combine them all into one very long story, there really isn’t any other way to tell Apate’s story without losing parts of her tale or parts of the other books I read before reaching this one.

I think that within this series so far, this story was my favorite one. All of them were very interesting and enjoyable to read but I believe this one had the most unique perspective from among any of the characters we have been introduced to thus far. The author showed us a side or Apate that none of the other books in this set did. I appreciated being allowed to see this other side of her and hope she will appear again in another book by this author. But as with the other books in the set, there is a good deal of sex throughout, making it somewhat inappropriate for younger readers. I, however, am looking forward to seeing this series continued in future tales of the Olympian Gods and their descendants.

"The Finest Challenge" by Jean Rabe

In this, the third book in the Finest trilogy, Kalantha has made her way back to the Palace and been reunited with her brother. She has learned much about the evil assassin birds who have attacked them repeatedly and brought him a book that explains much of what was previously unknown to them. Meven has realized that he was manipulated into starting the war, and that it is up to him to find a way to end it.

But Bishop DeNogaret is not yet done with his scheming and his plans to take control of the world. His minions are still actively working to see that he wins in the end. Can Kalantha & Meven manage to find a way to stop them and return peace to the lands?

Of the three books in this trilogy, I believe this one to be my favorite. Not only was it well written and well edited (many of the typos I noticed in the first two books were not present in this one.) Had I not needed to put the book down to sleep at night, I likely would have just read it straight through to the end.

The characters in this book were very interesting as well. While Meven was often oblivious to much of the way the world worked and treated people, his sister Kalantha was often forced by circumstance to see the things he never noticed. She saw how people in different areas of town treated those around them, or how the women were often assigned more and harder tasks to complete than the boys who were given much more freedom in their daily lives.

And while I won’t spoil the ending for you, I enjoyed the manner in which the author wrapped everything up and closed the story. For me it was a very satisfying ending to a very interesting series. Recommended.
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"Dusk (Hero Society #3)" by Jessica Florence

Echo Cross’s parents were killed on her 16th birthday and she barely managed to escape being murdered as well. Why they were killed, she didn’t know. But it was also the day that she discovered that she had the power to transform into different animals. Until then she had been just an ordinary, average teenager living in her parents home on the reservation.

Years later, Echo is now a detective on the Seahill police force. Once again she manages to narrowly escape being killed by someone who has discovered she has unique abilities and who has left her nearly dead as they sought to learn more. While she does manage to escape, she is left so weak that she very nearly dies anyway.

If it weren’t for a kind man who found and rescued her, she would have not have survived. Thanks to his care she slowly managed to heal, but unfortunately seemed to be stuck in the form of a cat. It wasn’t until Phillip Griffin and his sister Rose arrive from the Hero Society to talk to him about his cat that anyone realized that she was actually much more…. As was the man who had rescued her.

Like the book before it, this story drew me in and kept me reading until I finished it. This has been a fascinating series so far and I am very much enjoying seeing how it will play out. Not everyone seems to appreciate the help of those gifted with special abilities, and in this book we learn that there are those who posses a type of magic as well. Each new part of the story adds something else to draw in the reader and makes me want to know what will happen next. I am looking forward to learning more about what is happening and where the story will take us.

One thing the reader does need to be aware of is that this is not a story meant for younger readers. While the sex in the book is not graphic, it is very clearly a part of the story and sometimes a little more descriptive than may be appropriate for younger audiences.

"A Curse of Torment" by E. A. Owen

Death and misfortune seems to follow and haunt Mary’s family. While there have been times of happiness in her life, they always seem to be immediately followed by multiple tragedies. Somehow she seems to be spared from the accidents that follow and steal all sources of happiness from her over and over again. But why? Will it ever end or is her family doomed to have their moments of happiness continuously destroyed in the worst possible ways?

I don’t often read books that seem to focus so much on the unfortunate things that happen in one’s life, and to have them happen over and over again through several generations made me begin to wonder if there really was a point to everything happening to this poor family? After a while there was a clear pattern and I could easily predict what was coming next or when happiness would turn to disaster.

In the end I did learn reason for the misfortunes that haunted this family. But after such a big buildup, to me the ending almost felt like it came too quickly. I felt as if everything were too neatly wrapped up in a bow to end the story. And as odd as this may sound, it doesn’t change the fact that I did keep reading to the end. Despite the fact that I saw much of the story coming, I enjoyed it enough to decide that I do want to read the sequel.

I don’t think that this story is for everyone though. One of the major plot points involves a young girl being raped and getting pregnant by a man who was supposed to be watching over her when her parents were away. (This event is not depicted in the book, the reader only learns about it after her pregnancy is discovered.) Still, it might be a bit of a trigger point for some and thus I felt a need to mention it.

Something about this story definitely stuck in my brain and keeps rattling around in there, making me think about it again as time passes. I’m not entirely sure that I can really explain what it is that keeps me thinking about it, but I will be continuing on and reading the next book. Maybe then I’ll be able to understand what it is about this story that has struck me so strongly. After all, a good story is one that keeps the reader not only engaged at the time, but thinking about it after they’ve finished reading it, right?