Title: Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You?
Author: Celine Rose Mariotti
Ilustrator: Bob Veon
Reviewed By: Corinthia
 
About the Book
 
Bobby MacAllister and Noel Simpson are cousins, who visit their Uncle Eb in Maine for the summer. There they embark on an adventure to discover the story of their ancestors and the secrets of the ghost, Olivia, who stays in the house.  Together, with family friends and partners from the town, they uncover the truth of a long lost love story.
 
Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You? is a fun fiction chapter book for children aged 7 to 10. Will you be inspired to learn about your ancestors’ past like Bobby and Noel?
 
Review, Rating 3/5
 
Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You? Is an interesting middle grade read that shows a promise of getting kids interested in their own ancestry. The story is told through short chapters that are easy to read, but still hold vocabulary that children and parents can look up together. The plot advances quickly so the chapters are engaging and full of action so there’s never a dull moment in the search for the truth behind Olivia MacAllister’s past.
 
The ending, however takes an abrupt turn towards a darker theme that may not be suitable for children of a younger audience.
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 
About the Author
 
Celine Rose Mariotti was born in Derby, CT and has lived in Shelton, CT all her life. Since a child, she always liked to write. Celine's first book was "Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You?" Her latest book is "Minister's Shoes". Celine loves to write mysteries and science fiction stories.

The History and Progression of Tearooms
Madeleine J. Hendry
 
Tea has many uses and many forms but it’s the places that it is found that makes it fun. People have always gathered for tea, whether it be women or men, and whether it was for business or pleasure. The culture of tea is vast. One place it comes together is the tea room or house. Tea houses have been popular since the beginning of the Song Dynasty in China, making their way through Asia to Europe, and eventually pouring into America (Tea House).
​
            Tea rooms began in China. Originally seen as a medicine to treat a myriad of ailments, tea quickly became popular as a daily drink due to the taste and soothing effects. In the mid to late fourth century, tea plantations grew faster and with more product, leading to the casual consumption of the tasty beverage. The idea of tea houses and rooms was quick to travel over to the island nation of Japan. While it was already common for groups of women to gather for tea without their husbands, businesses began to pop up where complicated rituals and ceremonies were born. The Japanese decided to make the rooms more of a place of beauty and ritual, as opposed to the casual atmosphere of the rooms in China (JEOU). Of course, tea is popular in many countries in Asia but the majority of the tea culture belongs to China and Japan.

            In the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe tea rooms were places for the intellectuals and poets to gather. The Middle East treated the tea house as a place of congregation, especially in Turkey and Egypt. The rooms in this part of the world would serve both coffee and tea, some even having smoking areas for Hookah and tobacco (Tea). Turkey began this tradition in the sixteenth century having been influenced by Arabia and Egypt (Beeley). In Tajikistan the tea houses are decorated with Persian art, as are the ones in Egypt, though in Egypt they are referred to as coffee houses. In moving to Europe, Czechoslovakia developed quite the tea culture. Different tea rooms were created for different ceremonies and preparations. After the split in 1993 into the two countries Czechoslovakia is today, the Czech Republic held on tight to its tea culture. Tea culture is still important in Slovakia but it is called an ‘underground movement’ and has virtually disappeared from the public eye.

            Tea became popular with the British people when it was brought from the south and quickly it evolved into so much more. In the seventeenth century Queen Catherine of Braganza brought tea with her to Britain from her homeland of Portugal when she married into English royalty. She began the tea sensation. Starting with the gentry and the higher class, tea became a regular afternoon treat; in later years it was passed down to the lower classes. This was common until the eighteenth century when businesses appeared in major cities serving fine tea with baked goods. The Duchess of Bedford in 1840 was credited with the creation of afternoon tea. Starting with the chain of Lyon’s Corner Houses in 1894, tea houses began to pop up all over Britain. In the early nineteenth century, with the arrival of the first and second world wars, tea houses began to be ignored, only regaining popularity after the fighting had ended.

            Influenced by the British, the popularity of tea rooms and houses in America rose to high heights, especially with the establishment of the eighteenth amendment banning alcohol. In the early twentieth century, American women were starting to branch out of the home and own their own businesses; the business that was quite popular was the tea room. Tea rooms were places where the women felt safe and more at home, especially when many of the places were either converted homes or decorated to look like homes (Brandimarte). Similarly to the trend in Britain, the popularity of casual businesses like tea houses fell during the turmoil of the Second World War. When the beginning of The Great Depression hit the American people, small business, like tea rooms, were some of the first to fall. In fact, the homey little cafes were not popular again until the beginning of the 1970s and 80s.

            Tea culture is important all around the world, having affected each and every section of humanity. Tea rooms and houses have varied throughout the years and will inevitably continue to adapt based on the further changes of people and the ways they wish to socialize. Tea rooms will always be places for business, for intellectuals, for mothers and daughters, and for people from all walks of life to gather.
 
Edited by: Anna Grace Dulaney 

Review by Maddy 

About the Book: Hannah Whitfield is tired of living a lie. She's been so caught up in hiding her affair from her husband, Jeff, and her three children that she cannot remember the last time she was honest with anyone, including her lover, Clint. Telling Jeff the truth is the hardest thing she's ever done, but she expects Clint to understand when she ends the affair. After all, he's the one who said "When it's over, it's over." Instead, he spends months stalking and intimidating Hannah. At last, Hannah believes she has finally convinced him to give up, and she and Jeff go camping. But Clint follows, and his actions alter the course of Hannah's destiny forever.
 
My Review: 3 ½ -4 stars. I usually steer clear of thrillers and religious fiction, namely because I know what’s going to happen in either of them- but when I found them hanging around in the same plot I was curious as to how it would turn out. Could they play nice and be friends? According to Mary Paddock they can. They can be best friends. For those of you that are on the fence about it know this: this book is pretty solid. Even if you can see miles ahead to the end of the book, which is more than possible about 1/3rd of the way in, there’s a dozen twists or turns before you get there, and some of those might surprise you. The plot itself is straight as an arrow – or a bullet -  and the writing is rather well done. The characters are where I see the problems, some are terribly, terribly deep and others are flat, static cardboard cutouts. The character of Matt manages to be both at the same time, which is a rare feat in itself.  Other than that though, Bright is well done.

So, the morals are feel-goody, the characters are mixed, and the writing and plot are solid. If you like thrillers, this’d be for you. If you want a “catch-the-murderer” style thriller with a side of ghosts and a large helping of Christian fiction to top it off this’d be the book that you’re looking for.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I am not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.

About the Author:  Mary Paddock lives with her family in the Missouri Ozarks. To date, she's written four books, and numerous short stories. Her short work has been published in a variety of venues. Mary's an avid gardener, loves long walks, and good books. In her spare time, she rescues strays, flea market china, and abandoned ideas.

One Right Decision
Anita Stafford
 
New parents often struggle with decisions regarding child rearing. Nothing prepares the first-time mom and dad for being in charge of the survival of that tiny human.

I remember pondering about every choice I made. Bottle fed or breast fed? Pacifier or no pacifier? Rocking to sleep or putting to bed awake? When to call the doctor? As my first child and her succeeding siblings grew older, the choices became even more harrowing.

I didn't get everything right, as I'm sure my children will attest. Even as I blundered through parenthood, winning a few and losing a few, my intentions were always good. Too bad there's not a rewind for the mistakes.

One thing I know I did right for my little ones was to take them on my lap and read aloud to them. Reading time is a cuddling and bonding time for parent and child. It's also an important time for language development. From very young ages, children can learn about rhyming, alliteration, and repetition. Reading aloud develops memory and phonetics. When books are read aloud, new words are introduced to the child. Children learn to listen. Reading aloud helps to develop reading skills and a love for books.

Raising children is the most important job I have ever undertaken. My children are pretty awesome, in spite of any deficits in my parenting. I still don't know if I made the right choice on the pacifier question, but I do know the decision to read aloud to my children was a good one. I watched each one become an early reader. They excelled in school and love books.
​
My advice is free, but I believe the message has great value. I encourage parents to take time every day to read aloud to their children. Reading aloud to a child is one right decision.
 
This essay was previously published on my blog http://anitastafford.com on 1/17/16.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT:

Self-exploration is not a solitary journey--often, it's the interactions we have with others that teach us the most about ourselves. These notecards, filled with inspirational quotes and Meera Lee Patel's resonant illustrations, are the consumate expression of the interpersonal side of introspection, the perfect token to send a friend or person in your life who you want to thank, who is going through a rough time, or whom you want to encourage. These note cards come in our standard format, a keepsake box housing 12 cards--each with a different quote illustrated by Meera--and 12 envelopes.

AMAZON LINK: 
​https://www.amazon.com/Start-Where-You-Note-Cards/dp/0451498771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506047840&sr=8-1&keywords=start+where+you+are+note+cards

MY REVIEW:

3 stars.  Although I liked the illustrations, and personally enjoyed some of the sayings on the cards, the sayings are odd.  These are not the sayings one expects on cards, and I can't think of a time when I would ever send these out to anyone. These aren't the typical thank you, condolences, congratulations, or invitation cards I expect. There honestly isn't a time I can think of when it would be appropriate to send these cards to anyone. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this product in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to write a positive review, just an honest one.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Best Advice I Ever Got Came From Someone Who Couldn’t Speak a Word
RaeAnna Gullifer
 
            I was always told “You are not living until you have done something for someone who could never repay you.” At first that really did not make much sense, why couldn’t someone repay you? If not with money then with a task in return, it baffled me. That was until the day I met Aspen.
            Aspen is a Weimaraner; gray as a mouse with the most piercing blue eyes you have ever seen. She has these lanky legs, ears nearly larger than her head, and is as klutzy as a newborn giraffe. Stubborn is not even close enough to explaining the hard headedness of this girl. I had no idea the world I was walking into that day, but despite it all, I learned something no one else on this planet has ever taught me, all thanks to this stubborn dog.
The first time I saw her she was confined in a small white kennel along a large wall of cages. She was tiny, almost too tiny for her assumed age, cuddled up on a torn blanket to get her off the grated floor of the cramped cage. The pet store was busy with people in awe of the adorable and rowdy puppies just behind the glass. But not Aspen. She lay quietly, a full bowl of food next to her and a pile of vomit next to that. When her lack of play and energy was seen most people grew bored of her and walked away, leaving her to sit and suffer in pain alone. I could see the sorrow behind those glacial eyes.
            She was sick. A nasty little parasite that overran the puppy mill she came from was making its way through her intestines, eating them from the inside out. Not to mention her tail was docked at home with nothing but scissors and super glue, so she had ripped it open by chewing the nub off. She was so sick that the storeowner did not even want to waste the money to try to save her. He told a lady that questioned him about the sickly looking dog that “Some puppies aren’t born right, she was messed up from the start.”
He made it seem like he was doing this dog a favor by giving it a cage to sleep in. He just wanted to let her die. It was cheaper than calling a vet. Her eyes pleaded for help. You could see her fear and pain. Fueled by anger I bought her and spent three days fighting for her life with the best vets Pennsylvania had to offer. I was ready to fight for her; I could see that she was not ready to give up. She wanted to live.
            Her first stop was the emergency vet. We sat there until well after two in the morning, scrounging up what money we could to make sure they would save her life. Poor girl could barely stand and spent every minute or so passing nothing but blood and some awful looking goop out of her system. They did all they could for her to get her stable. At seven in the morning I returned and drove her to my vet, about thirty minutes away. My vet met me outside and instantly began setting up this unnamed and dying pup on multiple apparatus. After closer and more thorough examinations, my vet determined that not only was a parasite eating its way through her intestines, but pneumonia also plagued this young girl, causing her to cough up blood. To top all that off, her open wound on her tail meant surgery to remove another vertebra to ease the pain.
            I have to hand it to my vets; they worked tirelessly for three more days to save this dog’s life. Monitored her day in and day out for any change or break in her condition. There were moments when I feared I had walked into that store a moment too late: that I just wasn’t meant to save her.
            Finally came that moment where what I was always told made perfect sense. I was sitting in a tiny exam room at the vet’s office. The tan colored walls mixed with the light tile floor. The sound of dogs barking for attention just outside the door was nonstop. The vet sat in a chair across from me, excited to explain the progress this still unnamed puppy had made and how she won her fight for her life. I was so absorbed in the chilling eyes of my new dog that I barely paid attention to the vet. We won; we actually won that fight. This tiny little ten pounds of ears and legs actually survived. The joy exploded through her vibrant eyes, that typical puppy energy was showing already.
            She sat, wide-eyed, on the floor next to me. Her eyes were the same piercing blue, but this time they had a new, cheerful light to them as she nibbled on my fingers and slapped at my hand in play. She was happy, for the first time, you could see her joy. She gazed at me in awe, never once breaking from me. I was this stranger that brought her to get poked and prodded, yet she romped around and climbed on me as if I was the one that brought her into this world. We barely knew each other, but I had never been more in love.
The $2,500 vet bill never even made me blink after I locked eyes with her. I finally got it. I spent every dime I had on a dog that barely had a chance and I did it without hesitating. She could never get me that money back, she could never work it off; all she could do was stare at me with those bright, happy, arctic eyes and I never felt more alive.
 
Edited by Lara. K

Title: The Bacchanal
Authors: Donald McCarthy, TS Hall, Lorraine Nelson, Kathryn Hearst, Shannon Hollinger, John Kaniecki, Ray Dean, John Robinson, Thomas Kleaton, Joe DiCicco, Sean Taylor, and Teel James Glenn
Publisher By: Dreaming Big Publications, 2016
Reviewed By: Corinthia Mitchell
​
About the Book
An artist whose love for his wife has horrific results.

A babysitting job gone horribly wrong.

A talent agency that promises success no matter what; even if you are the one standing in the way.

This chilling collection of modern horror stories is sure to have you peeking warily around corners and walking just a bit faster down dark streets. Full of both creepy events and morbid humor, The Bacchanal stands as a testament to humanity’s love of being afraid and of frightening others.

Humanity’s fear of the unknown and fascination with the supernatural are masterfully depicted in these eleven stories. Though the supernatural elements are the centerpiece of the collection, it is the believable actions of the ordinary humans, both evil and well-meaning, that will send shivers down readers’ spines.

Review, Rating 5/5
As a huge horror nut I’m always willing to curl up with any book that hints towards the macabre, but am a bit sketchy about collections (because there’s always a few duds to slog through).  Reading The Bacchanal, however turned out to be one of the most enjoyable short story horror collections that I’ve ever read. The Bacchanal didn’t have a single story that I didn’t enjoy on some level, and every writer’s style was distinct enough to make their story stand out amongst everyone else’s.

What I enjoyed the most while reading The Bacchanal was that each story seemed to play with a distinct type of horror. No two stories read the same because the tone or the approach to the horror genre varied from writer to writer. One story could be gruesomely ghoulish while another could write such a twisted turn a reader could suffer from whiplash.

From the collection, despite enjoying them all, there were a few that stood out from amongst their horrific companions:
“The Encouragement Specialists” by TS Hall is about a talent agency that promises success no matter what, but, as the contracted finds out, with horrific consequences towards whatever is blocking their contractor’s success.

“No Experience Necessary” by Lorraine Nelson is another horror story about a babysitter trapped in home where things are not how they seem.

“Mountain of the Lost” by Shannon Hollinger is a griping tale of a group of girls who end up lost in the mountains before being chased by a psychotic killer.

“Art Imitates Death” by Sean Taylor is a fascinating take on a grieving artist trapped in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.

The Bacchanal is a horror collection that I’d recommend to any reader looking to add to their bookcase.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.

About Authors (Taken from bios included in book)

Donald McCarthy is a writer and a teacher. He has published in anthologies and magazines, his work ranging from horror to articles on the economy. He is afraid of cheese. His website is www. donaldmccarthy.com.

TS Hall (when he’s not chained to the keyboard) can be found slinging cardboard at the local comic book shop, or bingewatching horror movies on Netflix. Born and raised in the darkest parts of Appalachia, he now lives in Florence, Kentucky with his wife and three daughters. His writing can also be found in the Pebble Lake Review.

Lorraine Nelson. Global citizen. Lifelong writer. Voracious reader. Frequent traveler. Avid moviegoer. Geeky sci-fi fanatic. Lover of cupcakes.

Kathryn M. Hearst is a southern girl with a love of the dark and strange. Besides writing, she has a passion for shoes, vintage clothing, antique British cars, music, musicians and all things musical (including theatre). Kate lives in central Florida with her chocolate lab, Jolene; and two rescue pups, Jagger and Roxanne. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies. Her debut novel, Feast of the Epiphany, will be out in June 2016, followed by The Spirit Tree and Feast of Mercy Fall 2016. www.kathrynmhearst.com.

Shannon Hollinger with degrees in Crime Scene Technology and Physical Anthropology, hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She currently lives in New Hampshire where she is owned by two terriers and, when allowed, spends her free time writing and climbing mountains. To see where you can find more of her work, check out www.shannonhollinger.com.

John Kaniecki resides in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife Sylvia of over eleven years. John volunteers as a missionary at the Church of Christ at Chancellor Avenue which is in the inner city of Newark, New Jersey. John is a writer and poet. He has two poetry books “Murmurings of a Mad Man” published by eLectio Publishing and “Poet to the Poor, Poems of Hope to the Bottom One Percent” by Dreaming Big Publications. In addition he has a science fiction collection entitled “Words of the Future” published by Witty Bard and a horror novella “Scarecrow, Scarecrow” published by Fat-Lip Press.

Ray Dean was born and raised in Hawaii where she spent many a quiet hour reading and writing stories. Performing in theater and working backstage lead her into the delights of Living History, creating her own worlds through writing seemed the next logical step. Historical settings are her first love, but there is something heady about twisting the threads of time into little knots and creating new timelines to explore. There are endless possibilities that she is just beginning to discover.

John Robinson is a dad and author living in Middle Tennessee. His work has been published by Crowded Quarantine, Zimbell House, and Jitter. He can be contacted at his Facebook page John Robinson/ Literal Remains. (https://www.facebook.com/literal.remains)

Thomas Kleaton is a freelance horror writer. He has had stories published in The Horror ’Zine, and several anthologies including Cellar Door: Words of Beauty, Tales of Terror; The Horror Zine Magazine Summer 2014; Spooky Halloween Drabbles 2014 and 2015; and What Has Two Heads, Ten Eyes, and Terrifying Table Manners? He lives in the woods near Auburn University, AL, with his wife, Sheila.

Joe DiCicco is a 31 year old author from New York, who writes horror, thriller, and dark fantasy and sci-fi. He has a degree in environmental conservation and is an avid nature and animal lover. When not writing he enjoys music, cooking, astronomy, and spending time outdoors. His story, Feed My Queen, was previously published in 2013 by Vamptasy Publishing. He also has a fantasy short, The Last Druid, published in the Mystical Bites anthology by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, as well as a horror short Her Nook, published at innersins.com. He has another horror short, Amped, that will be published in Death Wound Zine in April of 2016.

Sean Taylor is an award-winning writer of stories. He grew up telling lies, and he got pretty good at it, so now he writes them into full-blown adventures for comic books, graphic novels, magazines, book anthologies and novels. He makes stuff up for money, and he writes it down for fun. He’s a lucky fellow that way.

He’s best known for his work on the best-selling Gene Simmons Dominatrix comic book series from IDW Publishing and Simmons Comics Group. He has also written comics for TV properties such as the toprated Oxygen Network series The Bad Girls Club. His other forays into fiction include such realms as steampunk, pulp, young adult, fantasy, super heroes, sci-fi, and even samurai frogs on horseback (seriously, don’t laugh). However, his favorite contribution to the world will be as the writer/editor who invented the genre and coined the term “Hookerpunk.”

Teel James Glenn. Winner of the 2012 Pulp Ark ‘Best Author of the Year.’ Epic ebook award finalist. P&E winner ‘Best Thriller Novel’, “Best Steampunk Short”, Multiple finalist “Best Fantasy short stories,” Collection” Author of the bestselling Exceptionals Series, The Maxi/Moxie Series, The Dr. Shadows Series, The Renfairies series and others.Visit him at  www.theurbanswashbuckler.com

Dunkirk
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, and Harry Styles
Rated PG-13
Reviewed by Ariel Barreras
 
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
​
MY REVIEW
Rating: 5/5
I am going to come right out and say it: I think this is one of the best war movies I have ever seen.  This movie is extremely realistic to what happened during the evacuations of Dunkirk and is heartbreaking.  Christopher Nolan, the writer and director, made a bold choice to not have too much dialogue in the film, resulting in no backstory for any of the characters.  In my opinion, this worked out for the best.  We do not know any of these characters, but who they are does not matter.  We feel for them regardless of their personalities and their stories.  We only see them as people trying to survive in a war that they were practically forced into, but they do not surrender.  There are different characters in different storylines in the movie and they are all inspiring and tear-jerking.  A few of the actors in this film have worked with Nolan before and have made names for themselves because of Nolan, but there are a lot of unfamiliar faces that deserve a lot of attention for their amazing performances.  These new actors include Fionn Whitehead and Harry Styles, who are both naturally talented actors and I hope to see them in more movies.  The war scenes are very realistic and distressing, so if you do not like violence, be aware of what you will see.  However, this is an amazing movie that I can see making it to the 2018 Oscars.    

​About the Book
Bobby MacAllister and Noel Simpson are cousins, who visit their Uncle Eb in Maine for the summer. There they embark on an adventure to discover the story of their ancestors and the secrets of the ghost, Olivia, who stays in the house. Together, with family friends and partners from the town, they uncover the truth of a long lost love story. Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You? is a fun fiction chapter book for children aged 7 to 10. Will you be inspired to learn about your ancestors’ past like Bobby and Noel?
 
My Review
3 out of 5 stars
This book is a fun romp through a family’s history. Although a lot of what the two children discover about their family is dark and violent, the children are hardly ever talked down to or sheltered. This is refreshing to see and makes the story more interesting. However, they don’t really end up learning much about their family. Mostly, the book is the same story told several times with only a small amount of new information given each time.
 
While the title makes you think the book is about the mystery of Olivia, her story is told very early in the novel. Although there is a twist, the pacing of the book suffers due to the early reveal and little further intrigue added after. More family secrets are alluded to but never addressed. There is more information given about the family late in the book but by then the addition is just confusing and makes the reader wish the entire story was the children learning several things about their family’s very interesting past instead of just hearing the same story repeated.
 
Nevertheless, the story is fun and exciting at times and could really inspire a child’s imagination and peak their interest in learning their own family’s history. This book encourages adventures, creativity, and the quest for knowledge. A great read for children, and a fun adventure.
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 
About the Author
Celine Rose Mariotti was born in Derby, CT, and a is a lifelong resident of Shelton, CT. She is a graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT majoring in Business Administration with a minor in English.

Title: Bright
Author: Mary Paddock
Published By: Dreaming Big Publications, 2017
Reviewed By: Jessica B
 
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Pages: 312
 
Rating: 4/5 Stars
 
Bright surprised me in both positive and negative ways. Without writing spoilers, I will attempt to compose my thoughts. After about 50 pages in, the book took a dark turn I was not expecting. From reading the synopsis of the book, I created an entirely different plotline in my head for what I thought was going to happen. The twist, to be honest, had a negative effect on my initial rating of the book. However, I pushed through and continued reading, interested to see where it would go. I was pleasantly surprised with how the book turned out and where the author took the plot. What kept me engaged was the complexity of the plot and the number of characters within the novel. Chapters varied on perspective and kept my attention, as the scenes moved quickly.
 
Although the plot developed into something I didn’t think I would like, I will admit I was wrong. I do think the book would have been interesting if it continued how I originally thought it would. However, the author took various twists and turns that ended up keeping me engaged, and I believe will keep others engaged as well.
 
For those interested in this novel, I will give a few warnings I wish I had before reading it. One, don’t take the synopsis to heart too much. I think this was my mistake. If I had gone into the story with a blank slate, I wouldn’t have been disappointed in the beginning. Also, the genre of supernatural thriller is a bit of a stretch. I can see where the title fits, but I think marketing it just as a thriller would suffice.
 
I ended up giving Bright a 4 out of 5 because the author continued to surprise me as I read. If I had stopped after the first plot twist, my rating would have been much lower. However, I enjoyed the author’s writing style and for that reason rated the novel higher. 
 
About the Book:
Hannah Whitfield is tired of living a lie. She's been so caught up in hiding her affair from her husband, Jeff, and her three children that she cannot remember the last time she was honest with anyone, including her lover, Clint. Telling Jeff the truth is the hardest thing she's ever done, but she expects Clint to understand when she ends the affair. After all, he's the one who said "When it's over, it's over." Instead, he spends months stalking and intimidating Hannah. At last, Hannah believes she has finally convinced him to give up, and she and Jeff go camping. But Clint follows, and his actions alter the course of Hannah's destiny forever.
 
About the Author:
Mary Paddock lives with her family in the Missouri Ozarks. To date, she's written four books, and numerous short stories. Her short work has been published in a variety of venues. Mary's an avid gardener, loves long walks, and good books. In her spare time, she rescues strays, flea market china, and abandoned ideas.
 
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.