I actually rolled last night already, but BL was so buggy that I gave up on trying to post. And I'm glad it's a simple roll again for once. So, off to Australia we go -- and I'm wondering whether it's a coincidence that this small-town mystery is called Goodwood, whereas one of my new favorite TV mystery series is set in New Zealand ... and is called Brokenwood.
The kernal of a great idea resides here - that kernal germinated into the TV programme of the same name, which I watched before reading this. In that medium there was enough time to develop the ideas, characters and plot into a compelling story - one with a sense of humour not likely to appeal to all - but unique, original and insane. Here, everything is too compressed - no room to breathe. It needed a longer run, in other words.
Phelan Rand was hoping to advance his career with his new job with the special investigation division but his newest assignment has him working undercover with around Tessa – his partner’s sister and his new alpha’s niece. Tessa has a secret, she is empathic and is unable to transform into her wolf and she really doesn’t want the inquisitive detective to find out. When she becomes the target of an enemy shifter, she has no choice but to trust the sexy wolf shifter with her life and possibly her heart and Phelen’s greatest challenge will be resisting the tempting she-wolf.
This explosive series debut has strong, vivid characters that effortlessly draw readers into their story and an exotic and lively setting that adds an exciting atmosphere to the story. The romance between Tessa and Phelan is quite complex due to each of them being determined to keep the other at bay despite the magnetic chemistry. The relationship is full of emotional turmoil that readers can sympathize with and makes it easy for the readers to get to know them.
Readers are unable to put this book down as the fact paced plot keeps the pulse pounding suspense and excitement building non-stop throughout the story. The story very easily engages readers with unexpected twists and has a quite a few unique elements and an original storyline that ensures readers want to know everything, especially in regards to the mysterious pendant filled with a fairy’s essence. This exhilarating and explosive story also has a surprising, very wonderful and happy ending that brings joy to readers’ hearts.
Freya and Saul’s story began three hundred years ago. Saul descends from the Angel of Death and Freya is Valkyrie lost in hell, together their passion threatens to destroy the balance between heaven and hell. Trust has to be earned, vengeance needs to be served, but retribution demands a blood sacrifice. Maybe Saul shouldn’t exist, but with the dragons on the verge of war with the Krakens and the demons ready to battle the angels, a strong warrior is needed to battle the son of the greatest threat in heaven and the winner will claim the Earth and all the souls living on it.
The final book in ‘The Gaian Otherworld’ series is an excellent and exciting experience that calls to readers. As known from the previous books, all of the characters are strong, bold and memorable ones that really grab readers’ attentions and ensure that they want to know everything about them and their stories. Saul and Freya continue that excellent reign with their passionate romance which has been three hundred years in the making. Their relationship certainly has some emotional turmoil and some gnarly conflicts but their chemistry sizzles and has sparks flying right alongside all of the witty quips and snark, which gives readers some chuckles to add to the adrenaline rush.
The plot is fast paced and has some heart pounding and thrilling suspense that keeps readers on the edge of their seat as the good guys pull off some stunning stunts and the bad guys twist some unexpected surprises throughout. Be warned, there is no way to put this book down once readers have started reading it as it holds them hostage with a record breaking romance and a fierce, powerful battle over the Earth and every living soul on it.
I first started keeping a reading journal when I was in Denmark in 2000. I was lucky enough to be in Copenhagen for a month or so. There had been a used book sale near the Round Tower. I think it was some local college. There were quite few English books there, including some of the old orange and white Penguins. I picked up several books including Lady Chatterley’s Lover (orange cover) and the Penguin publication of the trial, where Penguin was sued by the Crown for publishing the book. I read Lawrence’s book first and then read the trial. I was two years out after my masters and done my first year teaching, and I didn’t want to underline the book because it was old. So, I brought a notebook and began to take notes. The trial was in 1960.
There was a man named Graham Hough who answered a prosecutor’s question about authors quoting, “From my knowledge of the habits of authors, it is the last thing I would except for them to quote accurately. They do it from memory and they always get it wrong.” It isn’t only a comment on authors, the concerns that we have today about the influence of media on children are also very upfront. It is depressing when one reads testimony like that of Dr James Hemming who mentions how both girls and boys are led to believe certain things about sex. Or to read Miss Dilys Powell comment about how the book is less damaging than those shows on television. She said, “and a great deal of the contemporary cinema seems to degrade the whole sanctity of sex, treating it as something trivial. But in Lawrence’s book, which has great elements of sacredness, sex is taken as being something to be taken seriously and as a basis for a holy life” (150). Today there would be people who would take issue with her statement. Yet, she does have a point. It is both refreshing and depressing to see that people wrestling with the same issues that we do today. Refreshing because at least we’re not goofing it up but depressing because we have not solved it yet.
Penguin does stand by authors, for the most part. They also went to court when they and historian Deborah Lipstadt were sued by David Irving. Additionally, they published the decision of that trial as well.
What seemed to have been noteworthy to me at the time was the amount of people that Penguin called and the fact that the persecution didn’t call any which does leave one to wonder if the Crown was even trying. Cecil Day-Lewis and apparently outed himself as the mystery writer Nicholas Blake at the trial. This impressed me and I still wonder what people thought about that bit. Considering the kerfuffle that happened when it came out that Rowling was using a pen name for her Strike books.
Today, Lawrence’s book is overlooked as people get more concerned about book concerning penguins who raise a chick. But the question I asked in the writing journal is still good today, do people still fear what is in books because the printing press changed everything, made knowledge more widely accessible?
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