Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – Judith Barrow, Charles E. Yallowitz and Sandra J. Jackson

Welcome to the first of the Cafe and Bookstore updates this week and there are new releases and fantastic reviews to share. The first author is Judith Barrow whose latest release A Hundred Tiny Threads has received another wonderful review.

About A Hundred Tiny Threads

It’s 1911 and Winifred Duffy is a determined young woman eager for new experiences, for a life beyond the grocer’s shop counter ruled over by her domineering mother.

The scars of Bill Howarth’s troubled childhood linger. The only light in his life comes from a chance encounter with Winifred, the girl he determines to make his wife.

Meeting her friend Honora’s silver-tongued brother turns Winifred’s heart upside down. But Honora and Conal disappear, after a suffrage rally turns into a riot, and abandoned Winifred has nowhere to turn but home.

The Great War intervenes, sending Bill abroad to be hardened in a furnace of carnage and loss. When he returns his dream is still of Winifred and the life they might have had… Back in Lancashire, worn down by work and the barbed comments of narrow-minded townsfolk, Winifred faces difficult choices in love and life.

The most recent review for the book

A great foreshadowing By SuzM on August 31, 2017

I greatly enjoyed Judith Barrow’s Howarth family trilogy, so I was delighted to find that she had now written a prequel, and A Hundred Tiny Thread is a wonderful addition to the story. In some ways I like it even better. Having read the trilogy, of course I know how the marriage of Winifred and Bill finally works out, but that does not hinder, in any way, my curiosity as to how it all began and it is a gripping and moving story that explains so much and yet leaves me constantly thinking, if only…

I would guess that this book would be just as welcome for people who have never read Pattern of Shadows. It is a story of two people, of no consequence in the eyes of history perhaps, but who play their part in some of the most traumatic events of the last century.

Bill is caught up in the horrors of the First World War and the atrocities of the Black and Tans, and Winifred is swept into the women’s suffrage movement and the violence that greeted it. But they both face private traumas too, in mines and chicken sheds and in births, deaths and scandals. Both, in their different ways, have a absolute determination to survive, but while Bill’s is on an almost animal level, Winifred shows the greater character.

As I said, if only… An excellent read.

Head over read the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/100-Tiny-Threads-Judith-Barrow-ebook/dp/B073W1LTSR

and at Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Tiny-Threads-Judith-Barrow-ebook/dp/B073W1LTSR

Also by Judith Barrow

Read all the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Judith-Barrow/e/B0043RZJV6

and Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Judith-Barrow/e/B0043RZJV6

Read more reviews and follow Judith on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3295663.Judith_Barrow

Connect to Judith via her blog: judithbarrowblog.com/

The next featured author is Charles E. Yallowitz with his latest book in the Legends of Windemere Series: Path of the Traitors

About Path of the Traitors

Hated and distrusted, Queen Trinity must leave the shadows and reach for redemption.

With their final battle on the horizon, the champions are faced with a long-lost piece of the prophecy. Unable to search for the crests that are rumored to be the key to survival, they must turn to a band of their former enemies for help. Sinister desires and hopes for redemption collide as Queen Trinity of the Chaos Elves leads the hunt and struggles to keep her companions on the path of heroism. Monsters, traps, mysteries, and their own pasts will rise up to stand in the way of these people who have spent their entire lives committing sins. Throughout it all, another old enemy is lurking in the shadows and determined to claim her own delicious prize.

By the end of their journey, those who survive will learn that being a hero is more than simply stepping into the light.

Head over and buy Path of the Traitors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075PDTSZM

A selection of the most recent books by Charles Yallowitz

 

The most recent review for Ritual of the Lost Lamb released July 2017

If you enjoy eopic fantasy with a dark side, give this a read! By N. N. Light on August 14, 2017

A darkness has fallen on Windemere and even the gods and goddesses aren’t sure what to do. Heated debates ensue as one god pits against another while the Baron looks on gleefully. His rescue is almost at hand and he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Luke Callindor is his prisoner and he intends to wreak as much pain and destruction as possible. How much can a champion take before he gives up the will to live?

Luke’s capture has fragmented the rest of the champions’ spirits as they know deep in their hearts that the final battle is coming and they need Luke’s leadership and strength if they have any hope of defeating the Baron. The group has one goal: rescue Luke using any means necessary. Nyx gathers what is needed to perform the ritual of the lost lamb with the help of the others. Dariana uses what psychic abilities she can to stave off a new enemy (thanks to her father, the Baron) but when the gods ask her to kill a family member, will she be able to or is this another test she’ll fail? Everyone’s lives are at risk in this dark installment of the Legends of Windemere, leading up to the final battle.

There’s a lot of darkness in this book but adds to the contrast between the Baron and the champions. While the Baron and his latest ally unleash death, destruction and pain on everything the champions hold dear, there’s a glimmer of hope. Each champion has the power to defeat the Baron and the only question remains: will they cross the line or will they die trying?

Brilliantly written, this is Yallowitz’s best book yet. He takes us deep into the bowels of darkness, thrusting the champions into unwinnable situations and we, the readers, get to witness it. The torture scenes with Luke were hard to read yet done with a subtlety I found refreshing. The new enemy (won’t say who it is because I don’t want to spoil it for you) gives new meaning to a demented evil creature. The ending was so well done, I applauded. I can’t wait for the final battle!

If you enjoy epic fantasy with a dark side, give this a read. It’s a stand alone (as is each of the books in the series) but I recommend reading the previous books first. Trust me on this.

Favorite Character/Quote: “They think eradicating evil is the way to save the world, but too much good could be just as dangerous. One can really only keep darkness at bay or you risk wasting the limited years that you have been given in complacency. After all, not all of us can ascend.”

Read all the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Charles E Yallowitz/e/B00AX1MSQA

and Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charles-E-Yallowitz/e/B00AX1MSQA

Read more reviews and follow Charles on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6965804.Charles_E_Yallowitz

Connect to Charles via his website: http://www.legendsofwindemere.com/

Another new release on September 14th for Sandra J. Jackson – Playing in the Rain ( Escape Series Book 1).

About Playing in the Rain

There’s nothing harder than pretending to be unaware, robotic even, but that’s exactly what A2 has to do once the drug starts wearing off. Constantly being followed by the camera’s red eye, A2 is mindful of her every move as she tries to understand where she is and why. Things get more complicated for her when she is introduced to another robotic girl.

Who is she and how did they both get there?

Head over and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Rain-Escape-Book-1-ebook/dp/B075NN3HQ4

and Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075NN3HQ4

Also by Sandra J. Jackson

A review for Promised Soul

A Very Human Fantasy By S. M. Hart on November 28, 2016

Promised Soul by Sandra J. Jackson is the story of an ordinary person going through an extraordinary adventure. Krista, a Canadian, discovers she has a connection with a young woman named Mary, who lived in the early 1900’s in England. What I liked about this novel is that the characters face unusual situations and events like normal people. Jackson has tapped into the behavior of functional human beings. It is refreshing that she did not give her heroine supernatural powers to deal with supernatural occurrences; instead, she evokes empathy with her characters by her precise and accurate depiction of real people. Krista has doubts and questions, just like most people would in her situation. Another thing I appreciated about Promised Soul is the how the characters care for the welfare of others. Although Promised Soul is technically a romantic fantasy, Sandra Jackson makes it real.

Read the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-J.-Jackson/e/B00UZJO5DY

Read many more reviews and follow Sandra on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13681910.Sandra_J_Jackson

Connect to Sandra via her website: http://www.sandrajjackson.com

Please help share the news of these authors through the community… thanks.

Thank you for dropping by and if you are an author in the Cafe and Bookstore with a new release or great recent review then please let me know in case I miss.. sally.cronin@moyhill.com Thanks Sally