Book Review: The Witch's Knight by Paula and Trevor Brackston

 Book Review

The Witch’s Knight

The White Shadow Trilogy, Book One

Paula and Trevor Brackston

 

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author of 'The Witch's Daughter', Paula Brackston, in collaboration with her brother Trevor, presents an epic tale of magic, courage and a love that spans a thousand years.

A girl destined to become Queen Witch.
A knight sworn to protect her throughout time.
A supernatural battle between good and evil.

In Book One of the White Shadow Trilogy, the story moves between 11th century Wales and present day London. Gwen is born to a noble family in the Welsh mountains, unaware of her true magical identity. When her village is attacked by Norman soldiers her life is forever changed and she must accept her new role to save those she loves. It is as she embraces her place among the witches of the White Shadow that she meets the man who will risk everything to protect her.

In dangerous modern times, Tudor's life is threatened when his own destiny unfolds. It is only as the world shifts towards darkness that the true extent of his purpose, and his connection to the past, is revealed.

In a love story that survives the centuries, the two must put duty first. The Shifting would see evil take hold, and all that is good will be lost. The witch and her knight stand on the tipping point of that balance.

 

Historical Fantasy

Release Date: April 19, 2022

Preorder now on Amazon:

Kindle

Paperback releasing on April 19^th.

 

My Five-Star Review:

Young Gwen lives in 11^th century Wales, the only daughter in a noble family. Her life has always been safe, although she yearns for more than to be a fine lady and marry well. Her village is suddenly attacked by Norman soldiers and she and a small group of people flee to the mountains for their lives. While hiding out, she learns the truth of her magical heritage and is trained to become the leader she is destined to be. It is then that she meets the man who swears to protect her, and she must make a decision that will follow her throughout time.

This novel is an exceptional dual-timeline story. We meet the lovely Gwen who falls in love with a knight—a man who swears to protect her until the end of time. In modern days, we meet Tudor, a man who protects people for a living, constantly placing his own life in danger. Gwen has waited centuries to be with her one true love again while Tudor, having lived many lives, has yet to know his true destiny. Magic, witches, forever love, and protecting the world. What more does a fantasy novel need? Paula and her brother, Trevor, have woven an amazing story that keeps you enthralled to the very last page. And the best part—this is a trilogy!

If you’ve enjoyed Paula’s magical books, or if you just love stories about witches and everlasting love, with a lot of action included, you’re going to enjoy this novel. I have enjoyed everything Paula has written, and this novel is no exception. I highly recommend.

 

About the Authors:

 

Paula Brackston lives in the historic city of Hereford on the Welsh border. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and has been a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Before becoming a writer, Paula tried her hand at various career paths, with mixed success. These included working as a groom on a racing yard, a travel agent, a secretary, an English teacher, a script reader, and a goat herd. Everyone involved (particularly the goats) is very relieved that she has now found a job she is actually able to do properly.

In 2007 Paula was shortlisted in the Creme de la Crime search for new writers. In 2010 her book 'Nutters' (writing as PJ Davy) was shortlisted for the Mind Book Award. The following year she was selected by the BBC under their New Welsh Writers scheme. 'The Witch's Daughter' became a New York Times bestseller. Her books are translated into five languages and sold around the world.

 

Trevor Brackston grew up in the Black Mountains of Wales above the village of Cwmdu. It was the perfect environment to spark a wild imagination. After retiring from a career as a pilot, Trevor retrained to become a Police Officer and later worked as a Private Investigator. He also fulfilled an ambition to live on a sailboat and it was during this time that he worked together with Paula on ‘The Witch’s Knight’.

Read More Reviews of Paula's Books

The Witch's Daughter

The Return of the Witch

The Little Shop of Found Things

Secrets of the Chocolate House

The Garden of Promises and Lies

City of Time and Magic

Book Review: Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

 Book Review

Scarlet Carnation

Laila Ibrahim

 

Book Description:

In an early twentieth-century America roiling with racial injustice, class divides, and WWI, two women fight for their dreams in a galvanizing novel by the bestselling author of Golden Poppies.

1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.

 

Lake Union Publishing

Publish Date: April 1, 2022

Buy Now on Amazon

 

My 5-Star Review:

In 1915, two women of different racial backgrounds are striving to fulfil their dreams of a successful life. May, a young white woman, dreams of independence and finding an honorable man while Naomi, a middle-aged black woman, strives to create a better life for her family. These two women, bonded together by the past relationship of their grandmothers, wish for equality and opportunity. But both are derailed by forces beyond their control and must fight for what is right.

 

Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim is a powerful story about oppression, injustice, and working toward a better future. But most of all, it is a story about the power of family, and the bonds a family shares over the generations. I’ve read several of Laila’s novels and they are always powerfully written and well-researched, and this novel is no exception. She’s an amazing storyteller who can keep you reading long into the night. I highly recommend this novel, as well as all of her novels.

 

 

About the Author:

Laila Ibrahim is the bestselling author of Golden Poppies, Paper Wife, Mustard Seed, and Yellow Crocus. She spent much of her career as a preschool director, a birth doula, and a religious educator. That work, coupled with her education in developmental psychology and attachment theory, provided ample fodder for her novels.

She’s a devout Unitarian Universalist, determined to do her part to add a little more love and justice to our beautiful and painful world. She lives with her wonderful wife, Rinda, and two other families in a small cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Her young adult children are her pride and joy.

Laila is blessed to be working full-time as a novelist. When she isn’t writing, she likes to take walks with friends, do jigsaw puzzles, play games, work in the garden, travel, cook, and eat all kinds of delicious food. Visit the author at www.lailaibrahim.com

 

Read my review of Laila Ibrahim’s novel, YELLOW CROCUS.

Book Review: Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey

 Book Review

Watch Out for Her

Samantha M. Bailey

 

Book Description:

Sarah Goldman, mother to six-year-old Jacob, is relieved to move across the country. She has a lot she wants to leave behind, especially Holly Monroe, the pretty twenty-two-year-old babysitter she and her husband, Daniel, hired to take care of their young son last summer. It started out as a perfect arrangement—Sarah had a childminder her son adored, and Holly found the mother figure she’d always wanted. But Sarah’s never been one to trust very easily, so she kept a close eye on Holly, maybe too close at times. What she saw raised some questions, not only about who Holly really was but what she was hiding. The more Sarah watched, the more she learned—until one day, she saw something she couldn’t unsee, something so shocking that all she could do was flee.

Sarah has put it all behind her and is starting over in a different city with her husband and son. They’ve settled into a friendly suburb where the neighbors, a tight clique of good citizens, are always on the lookout for danger. But when Sarah finds hidden cameras in her new home, she has to wonder: has her past caught up to her, and worse yet, who’s watching her now?

A spine-tingling, page-turning novel from USA TODAY and #1 national bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey, Watch Out for Her is psychological suspense at its very best—a chilling look at trust, voyeurism, and obsession in the modern age, and how far we will go to watch out for those we love.

 

Release Date: April 19, 2022

Psychological Suspense

 

Preorder:

Amazon Kindle

 

My 5-Star Review:

Sarah Goldman wants to leave all the bad memories behind when she and her family move across country to Toronto. Living with her husband and six-year-old son, Jacob, in a quiet little suburb, she still can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Still watching her. Has she really left the past behind, or has it followed her there?

 

Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey is an intense suspense novel that will keep you reading long into the night. It will have you questioning who the real predator is, and who is the prey. And how far will this person go to get exactly what they want? Don’t turn out the lights because someone may be watching. I highly recommend this amazing suspense novel the the talented Ms. Bailey.

 

About the Author:

Samantha M. Bailey is the USA Today and #1 national bestselling author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, which has sold in eleven countries. She is also a journalist and freelance editor; her work has appeared in NOW MAGAZINE, THE VILLAGE POST, and OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, among other publications. She lives in Toronto. Connect with her on Twitter @SBaileyBooks and on her website at SamanthaMBailey.com.

Book Review: The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

 Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

Allison Pataki

 

Book Description:

Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweather Post lived an epic life few could imagine.

Marjorie’s journey began gluing cereal boxes in her father’s barn as a young girl. No one could have predicted that C. W. Post’s Cereal Company would grow into the General Foods empire and reshape the American way of life, with Marjorie as its heiress and leading lady. Not content to stay in her prescribed roles of high-society wife, mother, and hostess, Marjorie dared to demand more, making history in the process. Before turning thirty she amassed millions, becoming the wealthiest woman in the United States. But it was her life-force, advocacy, passion, and adventurous spirit that led to her stunning legacy.
 
And yet Marjorie’s story, though full of beauty and grandeur, set in the palatial homes she built such as Mar-a-Lago, was equally marked by challenge and tumult. A wife four times over, Marjorie sought her happily-ever-after with the blue-blooded party boy who could not outrun his demons, the charismatic financier whose charm turned to betrayal, the international diplomat with a dark side, and the bon vivant whose shocking secrets would shake Marjorie and all of society. Marjorie did everything on a grand scale, especially when it came to love.

Bestselling and acclaimed author Allison Pataki has crafted an intimate portrait of a larger-than-life woman, a powerful story of one woman falling in love with her own voice and embracing her own power while shaping history in the process.

 

Random House Publishing

Publishing Date: February 15, 2022

Biographical Historical Fiction

 

Preorder Now:

Amazon Kindle

 

My 5-Star Review:

This amazing story grabbed me from the first paragraph. I had never heard of Marjorie Post before, but now I’m obsessed. She had an incredible life and also contributed so much to society. Author Allison Pataki weaves a strong story about Marjorie’s life, with such intimate details and descriptions that you feel you are right there. Every step of the way, I was surprised to learn something new about history. Marjorie was the daughter of Who? Marjorie’s daughter is her? Marjorie bought what from Russia? The details continued to fascinate me. Loved this story!

If you enjoy historical biographical fiction, this is the novel for you! I’m even planning a trip to see Marjorie’s house-turned-museum now because of the amazing things she owned. I won’t say what they are and ruin the story – but it sounds incredible.

 

About the Author:

Allison Pataki is the New York Times bestselling author of THE QUEEN'S FORTUNE, THE TRAITOR'S WIFE, THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS, SISI: EMPRESS ON HER OWN, WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS, as well as the nonfiction memoir BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES and two children's books, NELLY TAKES NEW YORK and POPPY TAKES PARIS. Allison’s novels have been translated into more than twenty languages. A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News and other outlets. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago and MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

 

Allison graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a major in English and spent several years in journalism before switching to fiction writing. A member of The Historical Novel Society, Allison lives in New York with her husband and family. To learn more and connect with Allison, please visit www.AllisonPataki.com