Curse Me Not

Southern unsophisticate Elzetta Swan recently gained the ability to see auras and the more lucrative ability to clean revenge curses from those auras. Embracing the gift faster than grass through a goose, she’s about to finish her first year as a licensed "bodywasher" with a trendy new lifestyle and a countrified inner child that’s skipping all the way to the bank.

Suddenly a routine cleansing turns ugly, leaving Elzetta to suspect a professional invoker has come to town — one who’s hooked on the rush of setting particularly nasty curses. If that wasn’t bad enough, the invoker may be visiting at the invitation of a mysterious local with a malicious hard-on for revenge.

As Elzetta attempts to track down the invoker as well as the source of rage feeding the invoker’s addiction, she must confront threats to both her new life and the hallelujah hankering she’s formed for the reluctant — and way too sexy — urban white knight who has crossed her path. Will those confrontations end up creating in Elzetta a vengeful rage all her own?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Elizabeth Fisher writes a fun and mysterious Southern tale of what happens when revenge can be served a curse, as long as the money's there, in her novel Curse Me Not. In the book, the world is aware of auras, curses, and what that entails. There are even laws against invoking a curse and praise for bodywashers, who are the only ones with the ability to erase them. 

Elzetta Swan is Knoxville, Tennessee's resident bodywasher. Menopausal Miss Swan is a skilled aura cleanser, though she only has one year of experience. With her sassy nature and open heart, readers will love her. She's a very giving character who enjoys helping people rid their auras of curses. She also likes the chic lifestyle it allows her to have after growing up in a small town broker than broke. Elzetta is a little indulgent and she can even be slightly judgmental, but those qualities help her seem realistic to readers. The honest character qualities will further help readers connect with Elzetta. 

The plot is intriguing from the word 'go.' After Elzetta discovers that a major curse invoker is in town, she runs to the police wanting to help them stop the criminal. This leads to her meeting Cal, sexy police detective. As they try to track down the elusive Claude Book, they stumble into bed together. Things get a bit complicated from here, but it's amusing, fun, and the focus on the bad guy isn't lost in the lust, which is always a good thing. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, however. Fisher leaves it a open for a bit of reader interpretation/decision making as to the relationship with Cal and Elzetta, as well as the after-effects of the major curse on another character's family. The way characters react after the story is just as important as how they act during it -- both reveal a lot about their personalities. I feel like another chapter would have helped me solidify the character relationships that had formed throughout the novel, but instead I'm left with a feeling of uncertainty.  

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Bones of My Brother

A brooding shroud of guilt was the characteristic that most marked the Hobson men.  There was Price, the small town boy, who later stamped his mark upon the backstabbing world of high finance and property development, a world that would ultimately crumble about him.  Depressed by the loss of his parents, he ignores personal and family responsibilities while searching for the truth about his father, the man without a smile.  Had it been the gore of Normandy or had there been a more defining, perhaps defiling, chapter in John Hobson's life? He was gone now, interred “…in nested containers of earth, box and body.” But the secret of John Hobson's lifelong angst lay not beneath the hot soil of Gethsemane's cemetery, but beneath God's tree in a tiny glade one county over.  For one man, there'd been the lure of “Music City” versus the love of his treasured Evie.  For the other, there'd been the heady rush of success, followed by a precipitous fall from grace.

This novel weaves the stories of three loves.  From rural Alabama at mid-century, there was John Hobson and his Evie.  From Minnesota at century's end, there was Price and his Joy. And there was always the abiding love of a son for his father. Bones of My Brother explores the conflict of dreams and reality—the searching for what is right and true in life and the sacrifices we make along the way

*May Contain Spoilers*

J. Frank Dunkin explores the parallelism between father and son in his novel, Bones of My Brother. When Price's father dies, he realizes there was more to John Hobson than he knew. With the discovery of letters from the past, Price begins to piece together his father's life in hopes that it will somehow save his own. 

The novel follows both the son, Price, and the father, John as main characters. They share characteristics that include an overwhelming feeling of guilt, the fear of not reaching their full potential, and a lost focus on what truly matters in life. These qualities are easily transferred to the reader's understanding, bringing them deep into the story. Though the characters blame themselves and see themselves as undeserving, readers will gain the outside perspective needed to understand what these men suffer through. 

The plot shows Price in a sort of mid-life crisis. His wife isn't happy with their relationship. They struggle financially. And the place where Price believed he'd be at fifty, isn't where he currently stands. At the same time, the story line also follows John in what he would deem the worst years of his life. Newly married, John's wife doesn't enjoy their relationship while John dreams of becoming a famous country musician, but can't seem to catch a break. As the lives of father and son run parallel, Dunkin shares the hardships and their attempts to overcome them. With heavy religious tones and a poetic writing style, Bones of My Brother is a novel that shares the light in the darkest of times. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

*Note: The author of this novel passed away before publication. Therefore, Bones of My Brother has yet to be officially published. The last proofed and accepted copy was used for this review. 

The Clock of Life

In the small town of Hadlee, Mississippi, during the 1980's, Jason Lee Rainey struggles to find his way amongst the old, steadfast Southern attitudes about race, while his friendship with a black boy, Samson Johnson, deepens.


By way of stories from others, Jason Lee learns about his larger-than-life father, who was killed in Vietnam.

He longs to become that sort of man, but doesn't believe he has it in him.
In The Clock Of Life he learns lessons from the past, and the realities of inequality. He flourishes with the bond of friendship; endures the pain of senseless death; finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right; and comes to realize he is his father's son.

This story explores how two unsettling chapters in American history, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, affect the fate of a family, a town, and two boyhood friends.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Undoubtedly the best historical fiction novel I have ever read, The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren surprised and astounded me. I've never been one for history, but this book completely captured my heart as well as my attention.

Jason Lee, with a heart that holds so much love and strength, is the main character in this Southern novel . His moral compass is something to be jealous of and his urge to make the world a better place is remarkable. Readers watch him grow into a man as the pages turn, while the connection with Jason Lee flourishes in the sadness of his waning innocence. His bravery, hope, and faith are overflowing, even in the darkest times, making him a character to be remembered.

The plot follows Jason Lee and his loss of innocence when he learns that his friendship with an African American isn't "normal." This doesn't stop him from becoming blood brothers with Samson, sharing his hopes and dreams for the future. The story of their friendship is heartwarming, yet also heartbreaking. Nancy Klann-Moren has created a must-read novel that will touch the hearts of readers with The Clock of Life.

Rating: 5/5 Cups

Beautiful Darkness

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

*May Contain Spoilers*

The curse continues for Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes in the second novel of the Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. After Lena narrowly avoids being claimed in the first book, certain members of her family are planning to persuade Lena into darkness while Lena herself is suffering a deep depression no one can pull her out of. 

As in the first book, the story is told from Ethan's point of view and readers see what happens to the cursed teenagers after they fought off Sarafine in Beautiful Creatures. Lena is falling into darkness because of Macon's death while pulling away from Ethan. He tries to support and help her through this troubled time but Lena refuses to let him in. She blames herself for Macon's death and through this situation we see a deeper side of both Ethan and Lena.

The authors show how much Ethan really cares for Lena, building on the connection readers formed with him in the first book. Readers also will see that he is even more determined, dedicated, and good-hearted. He doesn't give up on Lena, even when she ceases their kelting, breaks his heart, and runs away with John Breed, who has sworn that he can help her find peace and a place she belongs. 

Readers will be excited to see more of Ridley and Link in this book as they both play important roles in the plot line. A deeper side of Ridley is depicted while Link's unwavering loyalty to his friends will make him a favorite for readers. The plot revolves around two key situations: Lena isolating herself (seemingly going dark) and Ethan discovering more about his family's (and the Ravenwood family's) past as he suffers from intense visions. The visions are the key to help Lena truly claim herself, but Ethan must decipher their true meaning before Lena's mother preys upon her daughter's depressed state. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures)