Winter's Captive (The Georgia Series) Volume 1
by June V. Bourgo
My rating: 4.6 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
The one place Georgia never thought she would be for Halloween was in the Yukon with her best friend Marion, but then again Georgia never thought her husband Colin who she helped through school, would cheat on her and get his mistress pregnant, and then leave her for the mistress! At least she has her own little bit of pay-back, she too is pregnant, due within days of his mistress, now isn't that funny! Just as Georgia thinks she is dealing with life, she is taken hostage in the middle of a robbery. She is able to escape, but is lost in the unknown wilds of the frozen north. She finds a small cabin, but soon she is Winter's Captive, as the snow sets in she might as well make herself comfortable for the long haul. +June V. Bourgo gives the reader a story of a woman fighting her own demons, fighting nature, a philandering husband and bungling robbers all in an unknown area to her.
Winter's Captive (The Georgia Series) (Volume 1) is set to be the beginning of a series. The series set around the lead character of Georgia, so this book lays all the groundwork for future books. It has to give you a lot of backstory to produce all the rest of the series from. In that regards you have the best friend Marion, and there are a few tales from childhood. There is the cheating husband Colin, and there are a few tales from their marriage. Colin's parents are introduced as well as the two robbers. + June V. Bourgo builds a wonderful base for a beautiful series, and yet at the same time, a book that can stand on it's own merits just as well. Great book for all readers!
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The Wraith of Carter's Mill: The Curse of the Carter Women
by C. Evenfall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
The Wraith Of Carter's Mill: The Curse of the Carter Women is a series of four short stories in one book that tells the story of the Carter family. The first story tells of Libby and her brother Jack as young children with their mother Julia. This story introduces "the dark man" that seems to plague the Carter family. The second story follows Libby as a married woman, and her young daughter Shyanne, as she becomes the next generation to meet "the dark man". This time Libby is able to find out more information because her mother Julia has passed away. The third book follows Shyanne and her daughter Melody as the curse of the dark man becomes even worse and Shyanne finds she has the power to help end the curse. The final story goes back to the beginning and tells us how the curse of the dark man began. C. Evenfall gives us a family saga that follows the women of the Carter family.
Although The Wraith of Carter's Mill is subtitled The Curse of the Carter Women, it is actually the head of the original Carter clan, Zeb that brings about the curse. The power to end the curse flows through the Carter women, although it is not until Shyanne that someone is able to do anything about the curse. C. Evenfall mixes a ghost story, a story of revenge and betrayal all together with a family saga that sees five generations of Carter's deal with the dark man. This is a great woman's book because of the connections that the women in the story carry throughout all the stories. It is also a good read for older teens on up. It was compelling and pulled me along the whole way.
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Taking Elyse
by Jody Fife
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Elyse in on the way home from her best friends, when the unthinkable happens, she is kidnapped. What unfolds in Taking Elyse is two-fold, first it is Elyse's struggle to stay alive and alert with her kidnappers, and at the same time leave small clues behind for the cops to find her. One the other side it is the inter-woven tell of a Detective who cares about this case and how it effects his family. Then there is Elyse's family, her husband and children, her sister's and best friend, not to mention the whole community where it seems Elyse was just a favorite person. So many different people play roles in finding bits and pieces of the clues that have to be put together by Detective Macie, it is truly a work of art in how it all comes together. Jody Fife presents a different take on a kidnapping, and how it can effect people.
Taking Elyse also has a strong religious theme to the story in that a particular faith is very important to Elyse and plays a large part in her communications and interactions with everyone we see her encounter. The whole kidnapping and why remains a mystery until the very end and it is revealed who was behind the whole thing, but each person that is suspected has their own reasons, motives and seems like they might be the one, right up until the end. Jody Fife does a remarkable job keeping the mystery going until the end, not tipping her hand too early in the book. This is a great read for all ages young adult and up.
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