Smorgasbord Posts from My Archives – Past Book Reviews 2020 – #Paranormal – Wake Robin Ridge: Book One by Marcia Meara

I read some amazing books in 2020 and I would like to share them again with you, updated with the authors most recent releases and their biography.

Today I am sharing my review from June 2020 for Wake Robin Ridge: Book One by Marcia Meara

About the book

Marcia Meara, author of Swamp Ghosts and Finding Hunter, has set Book One of her Wake-Robin Ridge series amid the haunting beauty of the North Carolina mountains, where ghosts walk, ancient legends abound, and things still go bump in the night.

“A PHONE RINGING AT 2:00 A.M. never means anything good. Calls at 2:00 A.M. are bad news. Someone has died. Someone is hurt. Or someone needs help.”

On a bitter cold January night in 1965, death came calling at an isolated little cabin on Wake-Robin Ridge. Now, nearly 50 years later, librarian Sarah Gray has quit her job and moved into the same cabin, hoping the peace and quiet of her woodland retreat will allow her to concentrate on writing her first novel. Instead she finds herself distracted by her only neighbor, the enigmatic and reclusive MacKenzie Cole, who lives on top of the mountain with his Irish wolfhound as his sole companion.

As their tentative friendship grows, Sarah learns the truth about the heartbreaking secret causing Mac to hide from the world. But before the two can sort out their feelings for each other, they find themselves plunged into a night of terror neither could have anticipated. Now they must unravel the horrifying events of a murder committed decades earlier. In doing so, they discover that the only thing stronger than a hatred that will not die is a heart willing to sacrifice everything for another.

My review for the book 13th June 2020

A very enjoyable read with elements of romance, paranormal and mystery coming together in a story that will keep you intrigued to the end.

The setting of the story is spectacular, and the author takes us through the year with great visual effect, as the seasons change so dramatically in the North Carolina mountains. The love stories spanning the 50 years, are interconnected through the cabin that Sarah Grey has bought as a writing retreat, and escape from a life that had become far too predictable.

The relationships between the characters are told in parallel, with flashbacks and letters that reveal the truth about the terrible tragedy back in the 1960s that resulted in present day events.

Marcia Meara shows a deep understanding of human nature and takes time to build up the relationship between Mac and Sarah, allowing the reader an opportunity to engage with the characters in a meaningful way. Equally well told is the love story between Ruthie and Frank. Hopes for their future together were blighted by her past and the evil that was looming on the edges of this idyllic spot. The author does a great job in bringing all these strands from past and present together and creating a tense and frightening build up to the climax in the 1960s and the long lasting aftershocks that cause turmoil in the present day.

What is the mystery behind the terrifying events on one particular night every year and how can it be stopped?  You will need to read the book to find out. Which I highly recommend that you do.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A selection of books by Marcia Meara

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Marcia Meara on: Goodreads – Blog:Marcia Meara Writes – Twitter: @MarciaMeara

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and one small dachshund.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

 

Thanks for dropping by today and I hope you have enjoyed my review and will check out this book and the others by Marcia Meara. Thanks Sally

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Christmas Archives – Christmas at the House of 1,000 Santas by Marcia Meara

Over the last seven years there have been some amazing guests in the run up to Christmas who have shared stories about their own memories of this time of year or their festive fiction. In the next four weeks I will be repeating some of those posts, updated with the authors recent books and reviews.

You might be surprised to know that Marcia Meara is a Christmas fanatic… especially when it comes to trees and her collection of Santas.. some of which are 70 years old.. But, seeing is believing and here is just a handful of photos in evidence.

More Christmas at the House of 1,000 Santas by Marcia Meara

Okay, for those of you interested in such things…few though you may be…here’s another peek at what a 50-year collection of Santas looks like. Because I didn’t get everything put out this year, thanks to an unrelenting editing deadline, these pictures were taken 3 Christmases (and a dozen or so Santas) ago. Things are pretty much the same, except for a bit less this year, because…as I mentioned…deadline! Hope this puts you in the holiday spirit…or makes you want to avert your eyes. Whichever makes you happier.

A full-length photo of my six-foot tall Santa, with no lights out on the tree this time.

My library tree, with St. Nicholas on top.

The Pass through from the library to the kitchen and the Holly Jolly Santa shelf.

On the kitchen side, my collection of miniature Santas, one of which is over 70 years old.

And last, a blurry overview of the family room. If you prefer warm, traditional, and cozy, this is the spot. (Over 50 Santas on that mantel, btw.) If you like frosty snowmen and icicles, the living room’s where you’d want to hang out. Me, I love both, and have room for both now, so, what the heck. I’m not a less is more kinda person. In fact, I’m pretty sure more is more, especially at Christmas!

And speaking of Christmas, my sincere and happiest wishes to all of you. May you have the best one, EVER!

©Marcia Meara 2014

Marcia has selected this piece of festive music to share with you. George Winston with Carol of the Bells

I have been enjoying the Wake-Robin Ridge series by Marcia this last few months and I am sharing my review from October for book three – Harbinger

About the book

Continuing in the tradition of Wake-Robin Ridge and A Boy Named Rabbit, Marcia Meara’s North Carolina mountain series takes a shivery turn with the Appalachian Legend of Ol’ Shuck, the Harbinger of Death.

“. . . he felt the wet slide of the dog’s burning hot tongue on his face, and the scrape of its razor sharp teeth against the top of his head. A white-hot agony of crushing pain followed, as the jaws began to close.”

The wine-red trillium that carpets the forests of the North Carolina Mountains is considered a welcome harbinger of spring—but not all such omens are happy ones. An Appalachian legend claims the Black Dog, or Ol’ Shuck, as he’s often called, is a harbinger of death. If you see him, you or someone you know is going to die.

But what happens when Ol’ Shuck starts coming for you in your dreams? Nightmares of epic proportions haunt the deacon of the Light of Grace Baptist Church, and bring terror into the lives of everyone around him. Even MacKenzie Cole and his adopted son, Rabbit, find themselves pulled into danger.

When Sheriff Raleigh Wardell asks Mac and Rabbit to help him solve a twenty-year-old cold case, Rabbit’s visions of a little girl lost set them on a path that soon collides with that of a desperate man being slowly driven mad by guilt.

As Rabbit’s gift of the Sight grows ever more powerful, his commitment to those who seek justice grows as well, even when their pleas come from beyond the grave.

My 5 star review for the book October 20th 2020

Another lovely chapter in the life of Rabbit as he adapts to life as the adopted son of Mac and Sarah and brother to baby Branna. This magical little boy is an old soul with a special gift that sometimes shakes him to the core. He feels and sees people and events that others cannot even conceive of, and it is a heavy burden at times. But Rabbit feels obligated to do what he can to help other people.

In this new case that the local sheriff has had on his desk for twenty years, Rabbit and Mac partner up to make the best use of modern technology and the boy’s unique gift. The mystery that surrounds the disappearance of a young girl twenty years before haunts both the sheriff and her family, and they are all looking for closure.

There is also a dark soul who is haunted by the mythical Ol’ Shuck, a large black dog that prowls the outer edges of sanity looking for an opportunity to pounce. Secrets are about to be exposed and lives torn apart by the actions of the past and Rabbit and Mac are caught right in the middle of the events.

Beautifully written as always; the author draws us in and reinforces the connection readers have made to Rabbit and his family in the previous two books. New characters expand the circle of family and friends, and others involved in the life and death struggle in this particular book, are interesting and stand both sides of good and evil.

I suggest you read books one and two of the series and I can recommend the series to readers who enjoy paranormal, supernatural mysteries and thrillers.

Read the other reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A selection of books by Marcia Meara

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Marcia Meara on: Goodreads – Blog:Marcia Meara Writes – Twitter: @MarciaMeara

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and one small dachshund.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

 

Thank you for dropping by today and I know that Marcia would love your feedback.. thanks Sally.