The Magdalenes by Jeanne Skartsiaris

On May 26, 2025May 26, 2025 By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

The Magdalenes is a story of redemption and reinvention.

Jude Madigan is a successful plaintiff’s attorney who lived out a nightmare and spent years keeping it hidden. After being raped and impregnated by a Catholic priest when she was fourteen, she has spent years creating a new life, now driven to get justice for her clients.

She buries her past, and her emotions, under a solid veneer of ambition, but just as she’s about to bring her biggest litigation case to trial, a strange assignment is forced upon her. Her law firm is given a huge commission to handle the estate of a recently deceased woman, with the catch that Jude, and no one else, must act as trustee. The terms require her to oversee the construction and finances of a Catholic halfway house for prostitutes.

Jude fights against this agreement since she turned her back on the church years ago and intends to keep it that way. Her boss insists she complies, not knowing about her past-or the pain of having her daughter taken from her arms minutes after the birth by a nun.

Damaged and patched together with anger and shame, Jude is reluctant, but becomes involved with a group of nuns and the prostitutes they’re trying to help.

But the mystery remains as to why the stranger specified her, a litigation attorney, not an estate attorney, to handle the case. Though Jude struggles both personally and professionally, she discovers that what she feared most was what she needed to heal. Every belief is tested, and a lost dream is realized.

Review

Although not my usual genre, the first 10k extract pulled me in and I just had to read the whole thing.

There is a lot to unpack in this story. There are trigger warnings for rape, forced adoption and coercive manipulation. However, the overall feel is of hope and love.

Jude believes she is coping and is managing her emotions linked to her childhood, but she has told no one about her past. She keeps it bottled up and forges ahead, making a successful career in law.

However a coercive ex and a mysterious will case bring everything to the boil, so that Jude is faced with personal and professional conflicts. Who will she confide in? Will they abandon her as others have done in the past?

This thoroughly deserved its place in the final selection of the BBNYA 2024 awards.

Thank you to BBNYA and The Write Reads for allowing me to be on the judging panel and providing me with a copy of the book to review.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Yellow Tape and Coffee by Pat Luther

On March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 By @f33lthesunIn Young Adult1 Comment

Blurb

In Portland, Oregon, Investigative reporter Veer Rosen has come across the story of a lifetime. If she makes it public, her career and life will be in danger. If she doesn’t, tens of thousands may die. The last time the werewolves were revealed, violence swept across Europe. Computer mogul Victor Stumpp will go to any lengths to keep that pattern from repeating. Junior software engineer Carl’s friend was murdered for breaking the rules, keeping the existence of the werewolves secret. He is determined to change the system that allowed it. Homicide detective Michael must balance keeping his city safe and bringing a criminal to justice when he learns that the murderer he’s pursuing is part of a secret society of werewolves.When middle aged accountant Gordon is attacked by a rogue werewolf he finds himself thrust into a war that he wants no part of, but he may be the only chance for peace. Alliances shift, friends are made, and others betrayed as conflicting agendas clash across the city and by the end Portland and the entire world will never be the same.

Review

I read the first 2k extract and wanted more. I then read the 10k extract and definitely wanted more. I loved this book and it thoroughly deserved its place as a BBNYA 2024 finalist. It was the longest book by far, page wise, that I read last year but it certainly didn’t feel like it. The pacing and characters kept the story alive all the way to the end.

Sometimes history teaches us something, we learn from it and move on, develop society. Other times, history teaches us something, we learn from it and then a few decide that the reasoning behind decisions are unsound and set out to change it.

In Portland, and around the world, werwolves exist but keep themselves hidden. There are societies, structures and a worldwide network in place to ensure the safety of both themselves and non werewolves. It has been this way for a long time, lessons having been learned many years ago. However, a group have decided this is wrong and werewolves should be allowed to reveal themselves and integrate with society, as well as turn more of the population into werewolves.

As you would suspect, mayhem and biting ensue, creating more werewolves, but killing in some cases. Also, as you would expect, the majority of people (and werewolves) are not happy about it, including the recently transformed ones…no one asked their consent to be bitten and turned…no one trained them in keeping themselves secret and not murdering humans.

This story deals with secret societies, integration and exclusion, corporate greed, consent, conflicting loyalties and human/werewolf nature in all its glory.

Look out for other blogs on this tour

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 16 finalists and one overall winner.

Curse of Souls by Niranjan

On February 17, 2025February 15, 2025 By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

The fates of two nations hang on the balance on a man’s choice between love and an arcane bond.

Philip has been spearheading a rebellion in his country, with Casey, his lover and partner, at his side. The rebellion has snowballed into a civil war and casualties on both sides are mounting. In a desperate attempt for peace, Philip decides to approach Raylan, the second in command of the other side. He has learned that Raylan is not as stubborn as his mentor and that he may be open to negotiations.

The last thing Philip expects is for a soul mate bond to spring to life between him and Raylan, activating an ancient curse that will kill them both if the bond isn’t consummated. Philip has never loved anyone but Casey, and Raylan is a total stranger who he has no feelings for. Yet, the delicate negotiations between the two nations will fail without him and Raylan. Philip’s life is not his own, after all; it belongs to the people he has pledged his service to.

With more than his life at stake, will Philip be able to let go of the love of his life to bring peace to his people?

Review

This is a fantasy romance novella about a couple, Philip and Casey, together for 15 years, who are emotionally wounded when an ancient magic soulmate bond awakens in Philip, giving him a short time in which to find his soulmate and consummate the relationship or they will both die.

Time is no issue however, as they discover almost immediately that Philip’s bond soulmate is the person who they have been negotiating with to end the war and bring peace to the country, making this an issue they had not expected.

The author deals with the emotions of the three main characters well, their separate reactions to the bond curse and working through the issues (both in their own minds and together) being a very strong theme of the story.

The story being told from the different viewpoints of the three main characters is useful to us, the readers, as it means there are no unreliable narrators leading us on about how others are thinking because of the perceptions of the other characters.

Where I wanted more was the back stories…to the characters (not just Philip, Casey and Raylan), to the world they inhabit and the magic. I wanted to be more emotionally connected to the story of Raylan and his four friends since childhood, to then be really invested when we find out one of them may be a traitor.

About the Book

Length: 158 Pages

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Age Category: Adult

Date Published: January 19, 2024

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/fML4oX2 (Canada) https://a.co/d/iMVvXJM (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/8MzvDYy (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/193384554-curse-of-souls

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6c7e346e-d40f-4fb2-863d-9cc2e837d9cd

Welcome to Dorley Hall by Alyson Greaves

On July 18, 2024July 18, 2024 By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

What if the only way to fix toxic masculinity were to erase it entirely?

Mark Vogel is like the older brother Stefan never had, but one day he disappears without a trace. A year later, after encountering a woman who looks near-identical to Mark, Stefan becomes obsessed. He finds that dozens of young men have disappeared over the years, many of them students at the Royal College of Saint Almsworth, and most of them troubled or unruly. Why are students going missing? Who are these women who bear striking resemblances to them? And what is their connection to the selective student accommodation on the edge of campus, Dorley Hall?

Stefan starts studying at Saint Almsworth for one reason and one reason only: to find out exactly what happened to the women who live at Dorley Hall, and to get it to happen to him, too.

Review

I was a bit unsure what to expect from this book. I chose to review it for this tour as I am trying to read at least one book a month outside of my usual genres.

What I found was a well written character driven narrative set in dark academia. The content however was not for me. There is definitely an audience out there for Dorley Hall, but it does not include me.

The biggest issue I had was the juxtaposition of the forced feminisation programme being run in Dorley Hall, against the much softer, often humorous, wholesomely frivolous post programme lives of those who have passed through the programme.

The biggest question I was left with was does the end justify the means?

I am not sure it does in this case.

Thank you as always to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for an ARC to review for this blog tour.

Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C. Wilson

On December 11, 2023December 11, 2023 By @f33lthesunIn Grown Up Novel1 Comment

Blurb

Queen Clytemnestra’s world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself.

Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten, once more, to destroy the family Clytemnestra loves.

From one of Greek mythology’s most reviled characters—a woman who challenged the absolute power of men—comes this fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother’s burning love.

Review

Going into this, the only retelling of the Greek myths I had read recently was Jessie Burton’s Medusa (which I reviewed here) so was unsure how I would find it. From my memory of Greek myths read as a child, I knew of Clytemnestra as Agamemnon’s wife and murderer, so was expecting that to be the story. However…

Susan C. Wilson takes us right back to just before Clytemnestra even meets Agamemnon, before he claims her as his wife and Queen, having been on a murderous rampage against her family to reclaim the throne he says is rightfully his. This enables us, through Clytemnestra’s eyes, to discover what brought her to the point of murdering her husband.

Clytemnestra, bizarrely for this era, decides not to seek vengeance for her murdered family, but to be his wife and put up with his vile attitudes, behaviour, ego, and general misogyny.

This part of her story is told by Clytemnestra herself, and the main focus is on her and the children, her love for them and her aim to protect them from their father. Only time would tell if this was the right thing to do or whether they would suffer because of her choices.

The children grew up with differing relationships with both Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, the latter’s mysogyny meaning Orestes (son) was favoured heavily from birth, the older girls, Iphigenia and Electra, being dismissed offhand. Despite Clytemnestra’s best efforts, Electra, a daddy’s girl, suffered the most from his dismissive attitude. Orestes and Electra shock their mother when they take their father’s side on a heartbreaking event later in the story.

All the way through this story, my thoughts were on how much danger women were in at all times, in those days. Just to survive, never mind thrive.

“She might be a poor farm wife and I a queen, but our similarities weren’t lost on me. We were pieces on a gaming board to be claimed, manoeuvred, and discarded by men. Rich or poor, famous or obscure, men made the rules that ordered our lives, and they broke them. She and I were women.

Clytemnestra puts her children first, above herself, and tries to instill “appropriate” female behaviour and attitudes in her daughters, mainly to protect them from their father’s wrath. Electra is having none of it, cannot understand why she cannot dress like her brother, go hunting and be trained in fighting skills as he is. Clytemnestra is blamed by Agamemnon for not bringing her up properly, Electra seeing her as a failure for not standing up to him over her upbringing.

Another theme I kept thinking about is that history is written by the winners. Throughout this book, different versions of the same events are told by people from different sides, or with a different viewpoint, having been involved in some way. Agamemnon’s victory over Clytemnestra’s family was joyous for him, heartbreaking for her. The same event, different viewpoints…both the truth… to the teller.

Agamemnon tells many stories in which he is the righteous winner (obviously) but pretty soon, Clytemnestra learns to mistrust everything he says and also wonder about the things he doesn’t say. It also means she mistrusts what anyone tells her, seeking verification from others.

There are so many familial links in the Greek timeline, so much to keep track of and I was glad of the family tree at the start as I needed to refer to it a fair bit. Even so, the power grabs made by all sides at different times resulted in many incestuous relationships, one of them being the last straw for Clytemnestra, making her decide the time had come to end Agamemnon.

Despite knowing more about what comes next, I will still be intrigued to read the next book in this series, as it is so well written.

Thanks to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for the ARC in order to take part in this blog tour.

Medusa by Jessie Burton Illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill

On October 20, 2021December 29, 2021 By @f33lthesunIn Young Adult1 Comment

Exiled, with her sisters, to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charming boy called Perseus arrives on the island, lost as he sails the seas on a quest to save his mother, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love and betrayal…

The stunning illustrations throughout the book, by Olivia Lomenech Gill really being the island world of Medusa alive.

Jessie Burton has retold this myth superbly, bring it bang up to date with the feminist slant it very much needed. It is told from the view point of Medusa and because of this, the themes come across much more emotionally and with impact.

As Medusa and Perseus gradually tell each other their reasons for being on this far-flung island, we can see that perception of themselves and others is a very personal thing. Perseus holds Poseidon in high regard, Medusa hates him with a vengeance. Similarly, their views on Athena differ too.

There are strong themes of self worth, perception of how you are viewed by others and how this affects your behaviours and attitudes, how the opinions (real or perceived) of others impact on you and ultimately change you.

There are strong themes of consent and respect. Medusa’s feelings of how Poseidon should have behaved towards her (as opposed to abusing his power) and how she was not to blame are deeply felt. Her sisters’ allyship is strong but not all other women are her ally. Athena’s use of privilege and power are selectively abusive.

The promises we make…do we actually know what we are promising at the time? Open ended promises are not always good ones.

Throughout the retelling, Medusa’s view of herself, others in her life and her awareness of how the rest of the world perceives her opens up opportunities for conversations to be had. Important conversations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the eARC review copy.