Tailored Truths

Is self-supporting success enough for Margaret Law or will her future also include an adoring husband and children? She might secretly yearn for that though how can she avoid a repeat of relationship deceptions that disenchanted her so much during her teenage years?

Employment as a lady’s maid, and then as a private tutor in Liverpool in the 1860s bring thrilling opportunities Margaret could never have envisaged. Though when those posts end, her educational aspirations must be shelved again. Reliance on her sewing skills is paramount for survival when she returns to Dundee.

Meeting Sandy Watson means love, marriage and starting a family – though not necessarily in that order – are a striking development though it entails a move north to Peterhead. Yet, how can Margaret shed her fear of commitment and her independence and take the plunge?

Jessie, her sister-at-heart, is settled in Glasgow. Frequent letters are a life-line between them but when it all goes horribly wrong, the contents of Margaret’s correspondence don’t necessarily mirror her awful day-to-day realities.

Just a little sing along…in Victorian Dundee

1860s Dundee

When writing Tailored Truths, I needed to find some evening activities for my main character, Margaret Law. At the beginning of the novel, she pitches up in Dundee at the age of sixteen, no longer having a private tutoring job in Edinburgh.

Since she can’t get a job tutoring, teaching, nor in the line of work like a lady’s maid, she pragmatically takes a job in one of the large Dundee jute mills because she needs to earn money to feed and shelter herself. Most women working in one of the mills would be employed in the main loom weaving rooms; or in the areas where the raw jute bales were softened by the use of whale oil; or perhaps the carding rooms where they produced the hanks needed for weaving. All of those jobs were poorly paid and physically exhausting. The job Margaret finds for herself is just as poorly paid, but it’s in one of the finishing rooms where the jute cloth (of varying grades) was cut and sewn into sacks for things like flour and edible produce. It’s boringly repetitive hemming work, a very long twelve-hour day from 6 am till 6 pm, with a noon dinner break – six days a week.

Evening time, when she can stay awake long enough, is precious. As is her Sunday off work.

Later in the novel, she returns to Dundee and again works in the same mill as before, but it’s in a different kind of finishing room. The best part of her second mill job is that she only works till around 12.30 pm on a Saturday!

So, what activities did I find for Margaret to do in her leisure time? Since she’s addicted to reading, that’s a well-loved activity for her evenings. However, it’s not that easy. She isn’t a member of a lending library. Not only would that entail a fee (annual or monthly), but as a female she would have been ineligible to become a member of most lending libraries at this time. She covets books but buying brand new ones is expensive. A copy of Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities (in a book production and not serialised) might cost around 5/- [five shillings sterling]. A way around this was for Margaret to find the courage to acquire copies of books from a pawn broker shop, at a much reduced price of something more like 1/- per book. There was a stigma attached to entering a pawn brokers so ensuring she was unseen was necessary!

Her best friend Jessie is working as a lady’s maid, a live-in post, so Margaret trades regular letters with her almost-sister that she’s known from the age of four. The drawback here wasn’t having Margaret write lots of missives, but it was to take into account the price of buying paper, ink, quills, and wax to seal them. Then there was the money to post a letter though that was easy enough since all she needed to do was go to the main post office in Dundee and send a letter by buying a pre-paid Penny Red stamp. She could also collect her return letters from the post office.

What she’d really love to do is attend some of the evening lectures on all manner of subjects: science topics, art, architecture. Those events admit men, perhaps a couple at some venues, but not unaccompanied females. The talks were often organized by formal associations (e.g. YMCA Young Men’s Christian Association) but to attend one had to be a member. Margaret cannot find any such club, or association, for women in Dundee. During the autumn and winter, evening walks don’t feature often since it’s too dark to wander the Dundee streets, though there’s more of a possibility during the late spring and summer.

Dundee was actually quite a hotspot of theatre entertainment, there being different establishments offering something to the paying public. When accompanied by a male friend, Margaret can attend the refurbished Kinnaird Hall with its brand new organ (formerly the Corn Exchange) where she can enjoy musical soirees with choirs and solo singers, orchestral music, though sometimes the variety shows held in the hall were a bit on the bawdy side! There were waxworks where a display depicting Queen Victoria was notoriously said to have been set up right next to an infamous murderer! And, of course, Margaret could also be escorted to circus and variety acts in other venues.

When researching, I noticed that some of my timing was just too unfortunate. The bulk of Tailored Truths happens between New Year’s Eve1855 and 1868 (though she’s not in Dundee after June 1866). Some of the more substantial non-wooden theatre venues were only opened in 1866 so a tiny bit of author juggling was necessary to write in scenes where she attended the Theatre Royal in Dundee.

Margaret could have had plenty of opportunities to attend various entertainments if she attended church organized ones but, apart from an initial dabbling at a few events, she prefers her own company, reading something of her own choice. She’s well used to having read her bible growing up but feels she isn’t learning anything new at Bible groups in Dundee, and it’s new educational opportunities that she covets and knows she would thrive on!

Dundee did offer opera at some venues in the late 1860s, but since Margaret has had a taste of attending an opera at the Theatre Royal in Liverpool, in exalted company, she isn’t feeling left out by not attending any in Dundee.

Why Liverpool? Well, that’s another part of Margaret’s story in Tailored Truths.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TTsss

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Author Bio:

Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research, grandchildren, gardening fill up her day in the castle country of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, when not writing or promoting her writing. Interacting with readers is a joy at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. She enjoys giving author presentations on her books and on Ancient Roman Scotland.

Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers, Federation of Writers Scotland, Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with Ocelot Press.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.nancyjardine.com/

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Where Is All The Grass Going

Oct9

Please welcome D. E. Fox to my blog. Good morning. Shall we have a chat?

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

Hello my name is Deborah Fox, my pen name is D E Fox. I wrote my first book after the passing of my dog Jake to honour him. It’s a horror called Second Hand Rose and it’s about a small town called Friendship which on the surface seems perfect unfortunately it has a very dark secret. My second book is a young/adult, children’s book called Where is all the Grass Going? It’s about a secret detective agency run by dogs who solve mysteries the human police don’t know about. But when the grass from all over the planet starts being stolen the dogs are the only ones who can solve it and save the human race. Writing is my hobby, I work full time in a warehouse in the returns department of a global electrical wholesaler during the day, I push pallets sometimes twice the size of me! I open all the boxes of returns from customers and determine if they can be re-sold or scrapped. I live with my partner of 26 years, Paul, in the North of England. In the county of Yorkshire, I am a keen gardener and I grow various different fruits and vegetables. I enjoy walking, especially around gardens of stately homes. We are avid movie goers and we go to the cinema every week without fail and watch anything/everything. I’m also part of a film podcast where we talk about films old and new.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

I didn’t start writing until my late forties, my dog Jake sadly passed away suddenly and I didn’t cope very well with his loss. We tried to keep busy after his passing and decided to go to the cinema to escape in a film. Unfortunately the film was awful. I turned to my partner and said “I’m going to write a book to honour Jake” he thought it was just a passing statement and I would never actually write it. But he was glad I was even thinking about it. Second Hand Rose was born. It had to be a horror as I love horror/supernatural movies and stories. Writing the book really helped with the grieving process and actually made me feel better. Writing about Jake and focusing on positive thoughts was the therapy I needed.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

I didn’t find writing hard at all, I suppose because this is my hobby I have no pressure to write. I have a full time job as well. I write when I feel like it, and when I feel like it just flows out of me.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

I never thought I’d be a writer. I wrote Second Hand Rose purely for therapy. I didn’t send it to a publisher until I was 50. When they told me how much they enjoyed it and published it. I started book number 2, which is completely different from the first. It’s a young adult/childrens book called Where is all the Grass Going? A spy/crime mystery where the detectives are dogs.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

Definitely my partner Paul, my friends call him my manager for fun. He takes me to all the book readings I organize. Videos them so I can watch them back and work on my reading. I have social anxiety about reading aloud. He contacts reading groups to try to find book interviews, blogs, written interviews to promote both my books. We are very much a team, and because we both work full time it helps to split the marketing.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

When I wrote Where is all the Grass Going? I didn’t think about who this book was aimed at. I had so much fun writing it, I sat laughing while I typed. It wasn’t until people started reading it and contacting me that I realised this book was for anyone. 50 something readers telling me how my book helped them escape after a bad day at work. It made them laugh, cheer and maybe shed a little tear. I am so happy that readers feel exactly what I felt when I wrote it. I literally poured love into it, the love I felt for Jake.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Keep writing, someday you’ll be someone’s favorite author. Another indie author called Katherine Black. Who is part of a huge group of authors on social media who support other authors. We’re like a big family.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

Where is all the grass going? Is for any age I learned that very quickly from the readers/reviewers who contacted me. My book deals with being the underdog and overcoming obstacles to solve what seems an impossible problem. When we work together we can solve anything. It’s a very relevant message.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

With both books I knew exactly what the cover should be, my publisher has an amazing team and the cover designer literally took the image I had in my head and designed it. I think she can read minds, because both my covers firstly made me cry. They were so good and secondly they captured my image perfectly. I suppose that’s the job of a designer but I’d never dealt with someone like that. The fact that she completely understood the brief blew me away.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

Again this is something completely different and unexpected. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March and had to have an operation to remove a lump. When they removed my lymph nodes it had spread to my spine. I made the decision I would write a book and write down all the bits I’d picked up/learned for myself about cancer. The quirky, and I know it sounds strange to say but the funny things about cancer because there are. I’ve had 6 cycles of chemotherapy and the treatment takes 4 hours. The nurses on the chemo suite and the other patients make the whole process fun. Being positive and dare I say happy helps you firstly cope and secondly feel stronger. I start the next phase in a few weeks which takes about a year. So I will piece together my notes and start writing an A-Z of weird and wonderful facts I’ve picked up on this new journey I’ve found myself on. I’ve been given cancer for a reason and I believe it’s to help others, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Any last words before we wrap things up?

I just wanted to add that Where is all the Grass Going? Won the Golden Wizard Book Prize in the 8-12 year old category. I was not only surprised to win but also shocked. I wrote my book to honour Jake. I had no idea it could win an award. Winning something like that makes me realize I am an author and to keep going and importantly have fun writing. Writing for me isn’t work, it’s an escape and I suppose so is reading. We all need an escape.

Bio:

Deborah Fox lives in Yorkshire with her partner Paul. She currently works for a large electrical distributor, as well as being a budding author. Like many children, Deborah spent her time inspired by stories from AA Milne to JM Barrie, and to this day her favourite story was and still is, Winnie the Pooh! Her writing talents didn’t materialise until later in life as most of her childhood was spent dancing and performing. Deborah’s passions are the outdoors, gardening, interior design, dogs and cinema. She has always been intrigued with all things supernatural and the time presented to her during COVID, and the inspiration from the sad passing of her dog Jake, was the start of her first novel ‘Second Hand Rose.’ With the support of family and friends and Blossom Spring agreeing to publish her story, it has fulfilled the dream to become a published author and has given the encouragement to write more stories.

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Sentenced to Heaven

Oct8

Book Link:

From Amazon:

Not even heaven can please everyone!

Alan, a nonconformist type of soul, thinks heaven is a boring nightmare. As for its numerous rose gardens, well we won’t talk about that.

But how did he end up in heaven?

Over millennia, Alan’s made enemies in every part of the Universe.

Now, not even hell wants him!

Heaven is the only place that will take him in.

Once there, Alan challenges heaven’s heavenly ways.

Unfortunately, his actions backfire and the consequences are scary, even for a soul like Alan.

Thankfully, he learns he has friends. These heavenly folks are determined to help Alan find his place in paradise.

Let’s wish them luck!

My Review:

I loved this book. I was laughing all the way through. Alan has been many things such as human and even ants on many colorful worlds. Alan is easily bored and havoc always ensues. Alan has been to Heaven before, and then given a new life on a plethora of planets. This time, things are different. If you want a lighthearted short read, this book will have you laughing.

The Blackest Time

Oct7

Book Title: The Blackest Time

Series: n/a

Author Name: Ken Tentarelli

Publication Date: September 25,2025

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Pages: 268

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: n/a

Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn @marylschmidt

Instagram Handles: @KenTentarelliAuthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Medieval #ItalianHistoricalFiction #Plague #BlackDeath #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/08/blog-tour-the-blackest-time-by-ken-tentarelli.html

Book Title and Author Name:

The Blackest Time

by Ken Tentarelli

Blurb:

Set in the 1300s during the devastating black plague, The Blackest Time is a powerful tale of compassion, love, and the human spirit’s ability to endure immense adversity.

Gino, the central character, is a young man who leaves his family’s farm to find work in a pharmacy in Florence. His experiences show us how people coped in the most horrific time in history.

Shortly after Gino arrived in the city, two years of incessant rain destroyed crops in the countryside, leading to famine and despair in the city. Gino offers hope and help to the suffering— he secures shelter for a woman forced to leave her flooded farm, rescues a young girl orphaned by the plague, and aids others who have lost everything.

The rains had barely ended when the plague hit the city, exposing the true character of its people. While some blamed others for the devastation, the story focuses on the compassionate acts of neighbors helping each other overcome fear and suffering. Doctors bravely risk infection to care for their patients. A woman healer, wrongly accused of witchcraft and driven from the city, finds a new beginning in a village where her skills were appreciated.

Despite the hardships, love blossoms between Gino and a young woman he met at the apothecary. Together they survive, finding strength in each other and hope in a world teetering on the edge.

Ken Tentarelli guest blog for When Angels Fly

The Blackest Time takes place in Florence, Italy, during a time when two consecutive events combined to make it the most horrific period in history. Starting in 1346, two years of unrelenting rain ruined farm crops, which brought the city close to famine. Just when the rains subsided, the Black Plague struck the city and claimed more than half its population.

Those terrible events form a backdrop, but the story isn’t about the disasters; it’s about the compassion and courage of the people who coped with the incredible adversity. Gino, the book’s central character, is a young man who moved from his family’s farm to Florence to find work in an apothecary shop. Through his experiences, we see how people supported each other to overcome extraordinary hardship. Working in an apothecary shop, Gino encountered a broad cross section of Florentine society: doctors, merchants, government officials, working folk and affluent businessmen. Each of them revealed an aspect of life during the plague. It was these differences that I found fascinating and wanted to capture in the book.

Today, we know today the plague was caused by bacteria carried on fleas carried by rodents. Medieval Florentines believed it was caused by bad air. The apothecary shop where Gino worked sold not only medicines but also perfumes, elixirs, and pigments for artists. People came into the shop every day asking for the most pungent perfume, hoping the scent would dispel the bad air. The strongest scent Gino could prepare was made from gardenia flowers. The perfume helped people smell nice, a good thing because they didn’t bathe very often in those days, but the perfume did nothing to combat the plague.

Doctors found that their traditional treatments were useless against the plague, but they bravely went into the homes of the sick, risking their own health to treat family members. They believed that balancing bodily fluids would keep people from contracting the plague. (The practice of balancing bodily fluids began two thousand years ago in the time of Hippocrates and continued to the 19^th century.)

The plague fractured the cohesive Florentine society. Before the plague, Florence was a prosperous industrial city where people worked in shops and mills. Its silk and woolen mills exported fabric across Europe. Families and extended families were important. People cared about the relatives and neighbors and visited them often.

The plague drove people to act out of fear and desperation. Some thought sinners had displeased God, so He sent the plague as punishment. They looked for scapegoats to blame for God’s displeasure. In the book, Gino befriended a woman healer who had been treating poor people who couldn’t afford to see a doctor. When rumors spread claiming she was making potions and practicing witchcraft, Gino, at his own personal risk, helped her flee the city in the middle of the night to avoid being burned as a witch. He brought her to a village that had no doctor and was thankful to have a healer.

Florentines were devout Christians. Families went to Mass together every Sunday. When the plague came, people started going to Mass several times a week. Old women gathered at churches in the afternoons to say the rosary. Yet despite their faith, when people started blaming each other, even the priests didn’t escape. The Blackest Time illustrates this with a scene where a priest proclaimed God sent the plague because people lacked humility. A lumberjack attending the mass became outraged and challenged the priest, shouting, “Look at me. I’m wearing my best tunic, and it’s all frayed. You’re wearing fine silk vestments. You replaced your pewter chalice with one of silver. If anyone lacks humility, it is you priests.”

The anger of the lumberjacks was one way people reacted to the hardships. Rather than confront the problems, some wealthy men fled the city with their families in carriages to villas in the countryside. When these owners of the shops and mills left the city, they shut the factories and left their employees without jobs, worsening an already difficult situation.

While some people cast blame and some fled, others dedicated themselves to helping the less fortunate. Men’s groups called confraternities, organized by churches, sponsored shelters run by nuns. Despite the confraternities’ best efforts, the shelters were overwhelmed by farm families who had fled to the city when their crops were ruined.

Overall responsibility for the welfare of its people fell to the Signoria, the city’s government officials. With the central market nearly empty because of crop failures, the Signoria dispatched ships to Sicily to purchase grain so the city’s bakers could make bread. During the plague, the Signoria subscribed to the belief that bad air was responsible for the pestilence, and instituted measures to improve hygiene. They had trash removed from the streets, had the streets swept every night, and banned highly perishable foods from being brought into the city. These measures deprived the disease-bearing rodents of food, thereby decreasing the rodent population and ultimately ending the plague. They also forced prostitutes to leave the city—you can speculate for yourself why the Signoria expected this measure might help combat the plague.

When we think back to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, beyond the misfortune and tragedy, we remember the first responders: nurses, doctors, emts and others who worked tirelessly to treat the afflicted. Similarly, I hope readers of The Blackest Time will look beyond the plague itself and appreciate the resilience and caring of the people who supported each other during that horrible time.

The Blackest Time is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in overcoming unimaginable tragedy.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPO08J

Author Bio:

Ken Tentarelli is a frequent visitor to Italy. In travels from the Alps to the southern coast of Sicily, he developed a love for its history and its people.

He has studied Italian culture and language in Rome and Perugia, background he used in his award-winning series of historical thrillers set in the Italian Renaissance. He has taught courses in Italian history spanning time from the Etruscans to the Renaissance, and he’s a strong advocate of libraries and has served as a trustee of his local library and officer of the library foundation.

When not traveling, Ken and his wife live in beautiful New Hampshire.

Author Links:

Website: https://KenTentarelli.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ken.tentarelli.3/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kententarelliauthor/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ken-tentarelli

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ken-Tentarelli/author/B07PDYZ34Q

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18920645.Ken_Tentarelli

Murder by the Seaside

Oct6

Book Link

From Amazon:

Portobello, Scotland. Grace McKenna is just back from a hearty breakfast at The Espy seaside pub when a perplexing mystery arrives at her door. Glamorous widow Sylvia Gordon is determined to find the truth about the death of her husband, Paul. Once a local celebrity with supposed psychic abilities, Paul is now the talk of the town after a deadly fall from the tower at a nearby college. The locals believe it was a tragic accident, maybe even a consequence of dabbling too deep into the psychic realm? But Grace has a feeling there’s more than meets the eye…

With the help of Tobias Sloan – a dashing English journalist with a keen appetite for mysteries – Grace starts unravelling the puzzle of Paul’s last days. As she digs deeper, it becomes clear that plenty of people had reason to want Paul gone. Both his work and home life were rife with long-held grudges… was one of Paul’s trusted friends actually his murderer? Then, Grace’s search takes a frightening turn when another body is found – this time in the changing rooms of the posh local golf club.

Uncovering a shocking secret linking the two deaths, Grace finds her professional and personal boundaries beginning to blur. She is left to face not only the ghosts of her own past, but also the prospect of a killer stalking the cobbled lanes of Edinburgh. Can Grace uncover the truth before another innocent life is taken?

My Review:

This novel is the first in a trilogy by Baldwin. I felt many emotions, especially for the main protagonist who lost her son to suicide. The guilt a parent faces is tremendous. Many characters are not who they appear to be. Betrayal is a hard pill to swallow and betrayal hits most everyone in this novel one way or another. Too many people could have killed a man, or it may have been suicide. Undercover work us extremely dangerous and thus book has all things romance, hurt, betrayal and lies spring forth in copious amounts.

Literary Titan Gold!!

Oct5

I was informed by Thomas (Literary Titan) received a gold rating. Clover is found here.

Clover is a children’s picture story about all things’ bunny rabbits. Clover teaches children about the life of a bunny rabbit from how they live, shelter, what they eat, and even predators. Children learn what rabbits like to eat and other animals they will or will not play with. Children need to know how wild animals interact with each other in a natural setting such as a park or a backyard. Rabbits and squirrels are everywhere in any location so children quickly identify with them. Clover loves to share in a rhyming manner what he likes to eat and how he and other bunny rabbits play. It is important for children to learn about nature and animals they may or may not see on a regular basis. Children gain a greater understanding about rabbits and wildlife, and they learn the types of food they can place outside for rabbits to munch on. The concept and principles of caring for rabbits and nature can be taught at an early age in any type of setting. Knowing how rabbits and squirrels interact starts the early process of learning about different animals right in your own backyard or park.

Where There’s Doubt

Oct1

Book Link

From Amazon:

‘I can be anything you want me to be. Even if you don’t know you want it.’

Café owner Kate is mentally drained after a tough two years; all she wants from her online chess partner is entertainment on lonely evenings, and maybe a little virtual flirtation.

She is unaware that Nico Lewis is a highly intelligent con artist who, with an intricately spun web of lies about their emotional connection, will soon convince her that he is The One.

Neither does Kate know that his schemes involve women who seek love on dating sites, as well as his small publishing business. A host of excited authors believe Nico is about to make their dreams come true.

Terry Tyler’s twenty-fourth publication is a sinister psychological drama that highlights the dark side of internet dating—and the danger of ignoring the doubts of your subconscious.

My Review:

This novel was intense for sure. People can be jealous over things that don’t have anything to do with them. But I’m ahead of myself. Online dating sites. Never been on any, never will. This novel reinforces that some people you meet are NOT who they portray, no matter how skilled they are in their deceit. Nico is good at that. But Nico is also greedy and he doesn’t follow the ground rules that his team have in not scamming a poor person, only setting up with with plenty of money. That is one of his downfalls. This novel has it all, romance, in many ways, murder in a couple different ways, people with a gazillion aliases, friends who are not who they appear to be, deceit is rampant. That deceit comes forth in this twisted novel that is truly more than intense.

Psalms of Calm

Sep29

Book Link

From Amazon:

We are in uncertain times – the world seems troubled and people seem troubled. A cloud of angst looming over head.

I wanted to write a book of poems to create a sense of peace and belonging. A sense of calm. The front cover of this book is an unedited photograph taken by me. I too search for peace and calm. I find it in the sea and the setting sun.

My Review:

Calm. We all need that in life and this poetry book is full of calm and beautiful poetry that brightens anyone’s day. Each poem was a fresh breathe of air, a sweet breeze, the scents that are fresh and soothing. I’m so happy to have had the chance to read this book.

Perspective

Sep29

Book Link

From Amazon:

Everything in this book is designed to lighten the load, uplift the spirit or otherwise aid in shifting one’s perspective on life. Because the only thing we have going for us sometimes is our outlook. May you always believe that something wonderful is about to happen and that something good will come out of every situation you are experiencing. It really IS all about replacing one thought with another!

My Review:

Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2025

Format: KindleVerified Purchase

This book of poems is truly awesome. The poetry is so uplifting that the reader becomes lifted up from their worries or issues they may be dealing with. Out of sadness, worry, loss, and more, comes the beauty of words so tangible one can see, hear, and feel.

Raw Justice

Sep27

Book Link

From Amazon:

In a world ruled by darkness, justice becomes their deadliest weapon.

Jack Slade is no ordinary hero. Consumed by the brutal murder of his beloved wife and partner, he embarks on a mission to provide closure to families left behind by an ineffective system.
Teaming up with Selina DuVay, a streetwise prostitute with an indomitable spirit, and the relentless FBI Special Agent Trent Morelli, Jack plunges into darkness to bring down the vile criminals behind the rape and mutilation of a young Native American woman. This is not a quest for redemption but an unyielding pursuit of raw justice in its most unforgiving form.

Will they succeed in their relentless pursuit or succumb to the shadows that threaten to destroy them all?

My Review:

This book addresses many topics such as raper, murder, visions, paranormal visions, the plight of Native Americans and the color of one’s skin to name a few. This book is different from her others in not so sublte ways. When a spirits visits and converses with a real life person, paranormal takes on new meaning when Prater writes about it from different view points. Toss in corrupted senator and his black hearted son, men with power and money, the FBI with one character doing wrong, men who try to help others or figure out who did what to whom with multiple “whoms” involved in a murder mystery is tops in this dark murder mystery.

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