Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Peer Review: FOREVER FAITH by Ginger Simpson
ISBN 978-1-897559-33-8
Eternal Press, September 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Reviewed by Tabitha Shay









Faith Oliver is a young woman who has battled a weight problem most of her life. Because of this, she lacks confidence in her appeal to the opposite sex. To help her deal with it, she turns to a dream lover, a mysterious male who guides her into the throes of passion nightly, but never shows his face.

As the man in her dreams begins to feel real, his touch lingers even when she's awake. She can still feel his kiss, his lips on her body, his touch everywhere. Faith starts to believe she might be losing her mind.

Lieutenant Joshua Hartley is headed to war and must leave his fiancée, Maddy behind. He promises he will return and they will never be parted, only, Joshua can't keep his vow because he is killed in a battle during the War Between the States. He sees Faith as his lost love and the only way to reunite with her is to enter Faith's dreams

While reading Forever Faith, I found myself drawn into the world of a woman, who like a lot of women today, is battling a weight problem. Alone and lonely, Faith Oliver is one of the most unusual heroines I've ever read about. She is real and her emotional problems of dealing with her weight, feeling ignored and no prospects of ever finding a man who will love her for the wonderful woman she is touches the heart deeply.

Then along comes Lt. Joshua Hartley, a ghost who is searching for his lost love. He believes he has found his Maddy in Faith. His nightly visits leave Faith sexually aroused. The journey these two take to discover what is real and what is their past lives is very heartwarming and left this reader wanting more.

When the story ended, I found myself shaking my head and thinking 'No, it can't end here.' I wanted more. I would like nothing better than to see this short story turned into a full length novel. Simply put, it tugs at the heart strings.

I give it five stars for its emotional and realistic views on a taboo subject few of us want to discuss.

Tabitha Shay

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Peer Review: PSYCHIC PASSIONS by Ally Robertson
ISBN 978-1-897559-23-9
Eternal Press, August 2008
Genre: Paranormal/Erotic Romance

Reviewed by Lisabet Sarai









The notion that each of us has a predestined soul mate lies at the heart of the romance genre. Apart from that one person, we can never be whole; united with him or her, we are eternally fulfilled. The plot arc of the typical romance begins with the meeting of the fated pair. Then they must confront the various challenges to their union, which may be external (distance, culture, illness, evil gangsters, family responsibilities, ex-spouses) or internal (suspicion, mistaken impressions, lack of trust). At long last, as the book works its way to the close, the protagonists surmount the obstacles that face them and acknowledge their mutual love and desire, at which point they live happily ever after together.

Ally Robertson's new novel, PSYCHIC PASSIONS, follows this familiar (and beloved) pattern. However, this intense, original work offers a welcome change from the stereotypes of the genre. Ms. Robertson's heroine, Clarice, is a forty-something grandmother who is seeking some inner peace after leaving an emotionally destructive marriage. She suffers from bipolar disorder and struggles daily against the extremes of frantic hyperactivity and depression. She's attractive, with an unusually strong sex drive, but she's not svelte and glamorous. Her medication tends to make her gain weight, and her physical self strongly mirrors her emotional state. When she's depressed, Clarice looks like death warmed over. When she's happy, she literally glows.

The hero of PSYCHIC PASSIONS, Cassidy, is equally unusual. Instead of being the typical clean cut, muscular young stud, Cassidy is mysterious, artistic, moody and a bit unkempt. He is a schizophrenic whose addiction to cocaine has repeatedly gotten him in trouble with the law. His sexual charisma allows him to bed any woman he fancies, but he is afraid to trust any of them with the truth about his disease.

Clarice first meets Cassidy in the communal art studio where they both rent space. Actually, she "meets" Cassidy through his paintings before she ever sets eyes on him. Clarice is an empath (Ms. Robertson manages to suggest that perhaps heightened emotional sensitivity is a byproduct of psychological disorder) and she feels strongly drawn to the talented painter. When she first encounters him face to face, she is immediately overcome by desire, but she tries valiantly to hide her attraction and treat Cassidy as just a friend. Cassidy also has empathic abilities, but his trust issues lead him to avoid Clarice for fear of hurting her.

It takes time and some traumatic events to make Cassidy realize that he loves Clarice as much as she loves him. Their respective psychological problems are a strong bond; each one understands the other's effort to maintain a precarious grip on mental equilibrium. Equally important is their physical compatibility. They share an amazing sexual chemistry that intensifies over the course of the novel.

In every romance, there are barriers to the protagonists' happiness. In PSYCHIC PASSIONS, these are quite extreme. Both the violence of nature and the evil that lies in the human heart threaten Cassidy's and Clarice's happiness. I won't spoil the story by giving away any details, but the climax of the tale is one of the more dramatic scenes I've read in long time.

Ms. Robertson's prose at its best is direct and energetic. Occasionally, the book seems wordy and over-written. However, for the most part, I hardly noticed. The emotional intensity of this novel swept me away. Clarice and Cassidy's love feels like a life-and-death battle. The pain and the joy are both exquisitely real.

Part of the reason I personally enjoyed this book is that I could strongly identify with Clarice. I find sensitive, moody, provocative men like Cassidy irresistible. Furthermore, I know something about the pain and stigma of mental illness, since I spent three months in a state psychiatric hospital when I was in my teens.

It is clear in reading PSYCHIC PASSIONS that Ms. Robertson poured her heart and soul into its creation. The characters are vivid, complex individuals who experience their world with a rare intensity. Their respective illnesses are in some sense gifts, enabling them to recognize each other as destined partners and eternal lovers.

All in all, PYCHIC PASSIONS left me a bit breathless. (That is intended as a compliment.)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Peer Review: THE STONE BEACH by Kim Chatel
ISBN 978-1-897559-23-9
Eternal Press, August 2008
Genre: Young Adult/Womens Lit

Reviewed by Lisabet Sarai









Teen-aged Caroline is having the most awful summer of her life. Her parents have moved the family from town out to a farm in the country, where she's a long way from her old friends. Her former best buddy Brenda, having newly discovered the attractions of boys, barely has time for Caroline in any case. By far the worst thing that Caroline has to bear, though, is the fact that Casey, the gutsy orange cat who has been with her most of her life, is terminally ill.

Caroline wanders down the river near her house and discovers a lovely beach scattered with round, pink stones. There she meets her neighbor Aimee, a prickly, sarcastic girl who seems completely unsympathetic to Caroline's troubles. Nevertheless Aimee becomes her confidant and her defender after the two of them witness a mysterious and disturbing phenomenon that seems to be related to Casey's illness. As school begins again, Caroline learns the difference between true and false friendship. She also comes to realize that, despite the pain, she has to let Casey go.

I loved this book, though occasionally it made my heart ache so badly that I had to stop reading. I'm a cat person. I know first hand the pain of watching your beloved companion decline in health and strength, day by day. I recognized Caroline's dread, the worry that she'd wake up one morning and find Casey finally gone. Ms. Chatel conveys these emotions vividly and realistically. Reading about Casey's struggles and Caroline's reactions, I was often near tears.

THE STONE BEACH also expresses the confusion and frustration that are the normal state of being when you're growing up. Unlike Aimee, Caroline is fortunate to have supportive parents, but even so, she knows that sometimes that they really can't understand what she's going through. I remember feeling the same way when I was a teenager.

Although this book is intended for teens, there's no sense at all that the readers are being patronized. The writing is direct, effective, evocative - definitely not "dumbed down".

This book is categorized as "paranormal", but actually, I thought it was highly realistic. The magical occurrences at the stone beach might reflect supernatural activity. On the other hand, they can also be viewed symbolically. It really doesn't matter - the story has enormous emotional impact either way.

I strongly recommend this book. Just make sure that you have some Kleenex close by as you're reading.