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May #BookReviews Part 2 – @stacitroilo @m_morganauthor @ErskineCaldwell

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This is Part 2 of my May Book Reviews and I am thrilled to share my thoughts on these three books with you!

Life in the Colorado mountains isn’t easy for immigrants Anita and Ottavio Notaro, particularly when they’re isolated on a hillside and barely speak the language. Anita is carrying their first child, and Tav works many long, hard hours away from home. This isn’t the American dream they were promised; this is a brutal life on the frontier. Tav has been saving money to make their lives easier, and he stumbles on a windfall. The only problem is, he isn’t the only one who knows about it. Trouble befalls these two humble Italians, threatening their livelihoods—and their lives.

A strange posse made up of fellow countrymen ride to their rescue. But will they get there in time?

PURCHASE LINK

MY REVIEW:


This short story sets the stage to begin the Medici Protectorate Series and after reading this introduction, I will be reading the rest of this series. The story gripped me from the first word on the first page to the last. A young Italian couple living on the rugged frontier in the Colorado mountains is struggling to survive. Ottavio and Anita Notaro have one dream and that is to return to their beloved homeland. Anita is heavy with their first child. Ottavio works hard and when he finds a treasure that will pay for their trip back home, he is overjoyed. But he isn’t the only one who knows about the treasure. The tragedy that befalls Anita and Tav is heartbreaking. This story is written in rich narrative, heavily descriptive, and filled with emotion that drips off the pages. It includes folklore, history, and even a touch of mysticism. I am anxious to dive into book one of the Medici Protectorate Series to see what happens next!

Known as the Barbarian, Magnar MacAlpin is a fierce ruler for those under his command. As leader of the Wolves of Clan Sutherland, his loyalty and obedience lies with Scotland. However, the king’s last demand is not something Magnar will tolerate.

After Elspeth Gunn’s brother the Chieftain of Castle Steinn is murdered, she flees with her nephew, and finds safety amongst a band of men who are rumored to be part wolf. When the king forces her to wed a heathen Northman, she fears losing her heart and soul not only to the man, but the beast as well.

In order to restore peace to a shattered clan, Magnar and Elspeth travel a treacherous path that challenges their beliefs. When evil seeks to destroy ancient traditions, will Magnar be compelled to restrain his wolf or allow him free to protect those he loves?

PURCHASE LINK

MY REVIEW:


This is the first book in the Wolves of the Clan Sutherland series. Set in Scotland in 1206, this story combines history, magic, folklore, and myth with reality. Magnar is the powerful and undisputed leader of the Sutherland Wolf Clan. All members of the clan are part man, part wolf but their power is in controlling the beast that resides within. They are fierce warriors and loyal to King William of Scotland. It would take a special kind of woman to win Magnar’s heart, to love both him and the wolf, and that woman is Elspeth. When her brother, Chieftan of Steinn castle, is murdered by heathen Northmen, she escapes taking her small nephew with her. Little Erik is now Chieftan by default, at the age of 7. Starving, she steals bags from two horses, never suspecting she has stolen from the king. When she and the young chieftain are brought before King William, he offers shelter and protection. He then commissions Magnar and his clan to go and rid the castle of the marauders. But to bring peace to the clans, the King orders Magnar to marry Elspeth. What starts out as a cautious and untrusting marriage soon turns steamy. This is a fantastic story with layers of side plots, including a twin brother unknown to Magnar. The two are destined to clash. This author did a fantastic job of weaving all of the layers together seamlessly and depicting the time period perfectly. I devoured the book and am now anxious for book 2, Rorik. If you love a steamy romance from that time period in the setting of Scotland and the Orkney Islands, this book is for you! If I could give it more than five stars, I would!

Single father and poor Southern farmer Ty Ty Walden has a plan to save his farm and his family: He will tear his fields apart until he finds gold. While Ty Ty obsesses over his fool’s quest, his sons and daughters search in vain for their own dreams of instant happiness—whether from money, violence, or sex. God’s Little Acre is a classic dark comedy, a satire that lampoons a broken South while holding a light to the toll that poverty takes on the hopes and dreams of the poor themselves. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erskine Caldwell including rare photos and never-before-seen documents courtesy of the Dartmouth College Library.

KINDLE PURCHASE LINK

MY REVIEW:

I have always been a huge fan of Erskine Caldwell’s writing and lucked out recently in finding several of his books in a half-price book store in Dallas. I bought all of them and am now rereading them. I started with “God’s Little Acre.” This book was first published in 1933 and there is no way on earth this book would be published in today’s social climate. Erskine depicts poverty, attitudes, and social separations perfectly in this story. It opens with Ty Ty Walden digging deep holes all over his small Georgia farm. He is convinced there is gold under the ground. Two of his sons help him daily with the digging while sharecroppers make a half-hearted attempt to farm the land that isn’t riddled with holes. Because Ty Ty is a god-fearing man, he has designated one acre of his farm as God’s little acre with all profits realized from that acre to be donated to the church. However, when he thinks he is close to finding gold on that acre, he moves it. 🙂 Caldwell had such a distinct style of writing. The dialogue is original and true to the times and demographics of the story. Phrases such as “and that’s a fact,” follow many conversations. The loose morals of the women in this story are depicted in such a way that is believable but not offensive (at least to me.) As the story unfolds, there are two major plots. The first being gold fever and the second being a different life that depends on the cotton gin running to survive. When the big wigs shut down the gin to starve out the workers, Ty Ty’s son-in-law takes the matter into his hands, determined to push past the guards, turn the power back on and return his people to work. It doesn’t end well for him. This book could possibly be classified as a tragedy, or perhaps as a high-drama, but at best it is the work of an author who dared to blur the lines and be boldly “real.” Caldwell’s greatest strength is in portraying three-dimensional characters and what motivates each. He writes from multiple points of view (a no-no in today’s literary world.) It is a classic no-holds-barred novel. If you have a weak stomach or strong social morals, this book is not going to be for you. But if you want to explore the writing genius of Erskine Caldwell, it’s a great place to start. Interestingly enough, the story is classified on Amazon as dark humor, classic humor, and literary satire. In my opinion, none of that fits. I will be making my way through the collection that I purchased. On a final note, Caldwell died in 1987. Thank goodness the publishing houses didn’t decide to keep publishing new work using a ghostwriter after his death.

56 thoughts on “May #BookReviews Part 2 – @stacitroilo @m_morganauthor @ErskineCaldwell”

  2. CarolCooks2

    Wonderful reviews, Jan not my normal favoured genre’s but they have made me curious and I love a banned book which makes me want to head that way…xx

    1. Jan Sikes

      Hi, Carol. I am exactly the same way! Tell me a book is banned and I want to read it. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by! Hugs!

  3. D. Wallace Peach

    Great reviews, Jan. All three sound like compelling reads. Thanks for the introduction to a couple of new authors to me too. Congrats to the authors.

    1. Jan Sikes

      It is definitely quite different, Liz, and like I said, there is NO way it would be published in today’s social climate. But Erskine Caldwell was genius with the way he wrote and I love reading his work! Thank you for stopping by and thank you for following my blog!

  5. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Daily – Wednesday 9th June 2021 – #Newhome Ritu Bhathal, #Reviews Jan Sikes, #Writing D.L. Finn | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

    1. Jan Sikes

      Wonderful, Sally! I LOVED Mary Morgan’s book! She captured the medieval time period perfectly along with the romance! And thank you for offering to share Staci’s! Hugs!

  8. dgkaye

    Your reviews are always tantalizing Jan, even for genres I don’t gravitate to. But you had me at Valuable Treasures, and added to my Big Fat Kindle. 🙂 xx

    1. Jan Sikes

      Lol, Debby! I’ve never thought of writing tantalizing reviews, I just want to share how a book made me feel. “Valuable Treasures” is such a great short read and it has me hooked on the series. I look forward to indulging in the entire Medici Protectorate saga! Boy, do I relate to the Big Fat Kindle! I’m surprised mine hasn’t imploded! Thanks for stopping by!

  12. D.L. Finn, Author

    Great reviews, Jan:) Not sure how I missed the prequel to the Medici series. I hurried up and picked that up!

  15. Jacqui Murray

    Great group of books, Jan. I am not brave enough to emigrate to another country so these look like a close enough peek into what that life might be like.

    1. Jan Sikes

      I am with you on that, Jacqui! I am not that brave either, but love to travel through the pages of books! Thank you for stopping by!

  16. lindabroday

    These look like great reads, Jan. Now that my big shift in address is complete (with your help,) I’m going to have to get back to reading.

    1. Jan Sikes

      And you have two new books to read from Parris! I do love reading and get excited when a book really grabs me. Thank you for stopping by, sister! Love you!

  20. marymorgan2

    Thank you, Jan! This was a lovely surprise on my publishing anniversary! Thrilled you enjoyed Magnar and Elspeth story. And I’ve just added the other two books to my reading list (off to make a purchase). Blowing kisses your way…

    1. Jan Sikes

      The fact that it fell on your publishing anniversary is pure coincidence, Mary. I loved this book and I can’t wait to read Rorik!! He was a character in Magnar that really stood out. I loved their brotherly bond. Glad you found more books to read. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

  21. Staci Troilo

    What a wonderful surprise, Jan. Thank you.

    And thanks for sharing your thoughts on the other two books. They sound like fascinating stories.

    1. Jan Sikes

      My pleasure, Staci! Don’t you just love those kinds of surprises? 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to reading the Medici Protectorate series!!

  22. Mae Clair

    It’s been a while since I read Valuable Treasures. I loved it, as well as the whole Medici Protectorate Series. You’re in for a real treat with those books.
    Magnar sounds great. I like the historical aspect of it. I haven’t read anything about Erskine Caldwell but I have heard of this books. It’s interesting what you said about it would never be published today. I recently read a review of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (which I also never read) and the reviewer said the same thing. She also said as difficult as it was to read, it shed a stark light on the time in which it was written. I imagine Caldwell’s book does exactly the same.

    Excellent reviews, Jan!

    1. Jan Sikes

      I can’t wait for the Medici Protectorate Series to come up for me on my TBR list! I know I am going to enjoy it. Just the teaser was great! Many of the books published in the 20s and 30s would fall under the “not publishable” category, Mae. The times have changed so drastically and I am quite sure (although I haven’t looked) that Erskine Caldwell’s books are on every banned list in the United States, as is Uncle Tom’s Cabin. They were written in a completely different world. Thank you for stopping by!

  24. Gwen M. Plano

    Thank you for sharing your wonderful reviews of both books, Jan. All the best! 💗

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