Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prayers for Sale is a series of short stories linked together with a book length narrative about the relationship between two women living in the Colorado mountains during the gold rush years. One of the women is 86 and has lived in Middle Swan for many years. The other is a young woman who has just moved to the small mountain town with her husband. The younger is lonely and needs a friend, while the older needs someone who is interested in hearing the stories of her life. Both women have experienced similar tragedies and have a need to share the pain.

The book's strength is in Sandra Dallas' ability to capture life among the women of this small nineteenth century town: their language, their quilting, their gossiping, their society class levels, and the way they forget all these things to help each other during hard times. The plot that unifies the story is a little spotty, with elements that are introduced, then forgotten, then brought back in ways that could have been handled better. Also, the overall narrative doesn't come into its own until the end of the book.

Steve Lindahl – author of Under a Warped Cross, Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul.


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His Father's Blood (Legends of the Family Dyer, #2) by David W Thompson

His Father's Blood by David W.  Thompson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

His Father's Blood is David Thompson's follow up to Sister Witch: The Life of Moll Dyer. Both books are excellent reads, historical fictions with elements of mysticism. The first novel brings magic in gradually, while this novel throws its readers into a world of spells, demons, and spirit animals from the beginning and keeps the fast pace going throughout.

John Dyer, Moll Dyer's great-great grandson, spent the first ten years of his life with his father, a shaman with a dark side. After his father died, John lived with his great grandfather until he was old enough to set out on his own. This background left John with a shaman's magic as well as a book of powerful spells he'd inherited from Moll. Yet his power seems more a curse than a blessing, specifically in the way it affects his relationship with the woman he loves.

His Father's Blood is a thrilling adventure, but also a beautiful romance. The strength of John and Ada's love is such that when Ada is separated from John, she uses the following words to describe her concept of Hell: “The room is locked, and just outside the door, you can hear the voices of everyone you’ve ever loved. You feel their happiness, you hear their laughter, but you cannot see them, or touch them, and they cannot see or hear or touch you.”

This is a great novel for anyone who enjoys magic realism.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.


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September Summer by Virginia Babcock

September Summer by Virginia Babcock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

September Summer is an interesting read about an FBI task force working to capture a terrorist who is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes' nemesis, Moriarty. This brilliant lunatic taunts the force perusing him and leaves clues concerning his next targets, appearing to enjoy the thrill of his bombing as part of a cat and mouse game. He kills many innocent people while pursuing his insane attempts to change world politics, but he also has legitimate rationalizations for his anger. Among these are America's “...addiction to fossil fuels and the way the entire nation polluted the world.” Combining real issues with berserk actions creates a complex, interesting villain.

The novel also includes a romance between Jenny, a young woman recruited to help the task force and one of the FBI agents. This relationship displays some very immature and thoughtless actions on both their parts, which make it seem real. Yet it also develops some unique and beautiful ways of connecting, including an intimate discussion during which they share their spiritual beliefs. That was one of my favorite parts of the novel.

I recommend September Summer for readers who enjoy romance and action with lots of detail and complex characters.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross


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