Tag: good vs evil

Categories
Spotlights

Author Spotlight: Bruce Jenvey 1.0

spotlight

Today I would like to welcome Bruce Jenvey to the ToiBox of Words. He is here today to share with us the tales of his Cabbottown Witches. Enjoy!

image provided by author
image provided by author

Angela’s Coven:Reggie Sinclair is an aging British rock star living in New York City who has just found out he is terminally ill. He also has a very dark secret: When he was still an undiscovered teenager, he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his great fame and success. As his life draws to an end, he prepares to face the inevitable until he stumbles upon a very enchanting, modern-day witch named Angela, and her untraditional coven.

This is a story of the struggle between good and evil with a cast of characters that ranges from guardian angels to young witches-in-training. Together, they have to come to terms with the uncertainties of love, loss, and life decisions to save Reggie from an unbearable eternity. Here is a plot filled with unexpected twists and surprises to the very last page that will also cast an entirely different light on anything you may have ever considered as faith!

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The Great Northern Coven:J.R. is a bush pilot who drifts into small town, Haines, Alaska and signs on with the local flying service. He’s looking for a fresh start and a place to hide from the painful past that literally haunts him. What he doesn’t realize is the local Inuit Indians believe he is the missing piece in an ancient prophecy they have been waiting centuries to unfold. His arrival sets in motion a series of events that risks everything for everyone, right down to their very souls. It also brings forth a great evil and the only one who can save them all has to draw on her long-forgotten heritage of witchcraft.

This is the second book in the Cabbottown Witch Novels and is a story of the struggle between good and evil with a wide range of characters from Lucifer and his minion, to pilots, barmaids and the ladies of the Tsonokwa Lodge… and of course, one very important Eagle-Man. But where Angela’s Coven centered on starting over and second chances, The Great Northern Coven is a story of letting go, moving on and taking that next step forward in our lives.

The Ragtime Coven: (Coming late 2014) The third book in the Cabbottown Witch series is a prequel to Angela’s Coven and ties all three books together in an unforgettable history of The Coven through the uncertainties World War I and the rough and tumble days of the Prohibition Era.

Benny: Benny Shapiro prays every day to be released from the pain and the indignities that have become his daily existence in the Good Sheppard Nursing Home. And, every night, he dreams of being a hero with super-human powers… But are they just dreams?

Kevin: Kevin Andrews is dead. Having lived a short but privileged life, he had not yet accomplished anything to define himself as good or evil in the hereafter, and is devastated to find himself rejected by Heaven and seated in Hell. Unfortunately, Lucifer doesn’t think Kevin is ‘his’ kind of people either…

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Bruce Jenvey is the award-winning author of Angela’s Coven and other tales of the paranormal. He was raised in rural Michigan with a great interest in history, popular culture and the paranormal. After twenty years in the advertising industry, he spent the next decade traveling the Great Lakes region as a journalist Now, Bruce has turned to fiction and shares many of his real-world experiences through his Cabbottown Witches.

Jenvey’s other works include: Heroes and Haunts of the Great Lakes, The Gun Primer (A Writer’s Guide To Firearm Facts For Fiction), The Complete Stupid Boat Ticks, and Christmas Eve At Shorty’s.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Books

Review: Firefight in Darkness

Firefight in Darkness (Dryad Quartet #2)by Katie Jennings

I give this book a 3, almost a 3 1/2.

Okay

This is the second book in the Dryad Quartet to tell the story of an orphan, but these two characters are as different as night and day. When I read Breath of Air, I knew I’d like to have a friend like Capri, but when it came to connecting with a character, Blythe would be the one to win me over. I like Blythe for so many reasons, but for some reasons I’ll try to explain, I didn’t like her story as much.

First off, I should say that I do like this book and am enjoying the series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment. I really appreciate how the tone of this book reflects the attitude and personality of its main character, just as the previous book did. For that reason alone, I could be happy enough to keep reading the series; just to see how the other books are written. Breath of Air was sweet and simple, just like Capri and Firefight in Darkness is rough and complicated, just like Blythe.

I guess what my disappointment boils down to is expectation. I didn’t think I had any expectations going into this book, but obviously I did if I’m feeling a little let down while still being very pleased with the overall story. Looking back on it now, I realize that the reason I feel disappointed is that I felt like Breath of Air seemed so natural and easy, while Firefight feels a little pushed. I feel like the character of Blythe and the many hardships she endures in this story are a little forced. I feel as if the story is trying too hard to be rough and tough. There are even a few times in the story when Blythe admits, only to herself, that she’s showing off purposely being tough so no one can see her being weak. The problem is, I kinda felt like that’s what was happening for most of the book.

Aside from that, though, the story was great. Blythe’s almost bad girl persona did suit me well and when she meets Jax, it doesn’t take a genius to see where it’s going to lead, but it was fun watching it all happen. I’d say the only other character I had any issues with was Dante and not because he was the bad guy. My problem was that he seemed to be so horribly evil, but then showed a silly side when he threw a temper tantrum that was eventually turned back into a sinister evil action. I guess I just didn’t understand why a character that was supposed to be so evil stopped to care long enough to get his feelings hurt.

My last pseudo-complaint is about the ending. I liked the ending and I liked all the action leading up to it, but the transition between the action and conclusion seemed non-existent.  It all happened so fast and calm that I kept expecting someone to jump out of a bush and start another battle to break the peace, but that was it. There was conflict and drama and then, there wasn’t. I like happy endings, so to speak, but I do sometimes expect them to take a little more effort.

All in all, the story was really good. There was more action and development of the mythology behind this series, which is always a favorite for me. So I didn’t like Blythe as much as I thought I would, but that doesn’t mean you won’t love her. I’d say if you’ve read the first one, this is definitely worth a read.

See my review of the book 1 in The Dryad Quartet, Breath of Air.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
My Geekdom

My Geekdom 11: Batman

geekdom2

Pins from Pinterest that inspire me and indulge my geekness. http://pinterest.com/toinette_thomas/my-geekdom/

Please do not copy this image. Click this image to visit Pinterest and share, share, share 🙂

Here is some more cool conceptual art. If there is still someone out there who didn’t know I like Batman, well, now you know. He’s my favorite comic book hero. The only other hero I’m liking as much as him right now is, Giovanni, from my Eternal Curse Series, but that of course is a little biased.

Batman is my favorite comic book hero whether he’s the caped crusader, part of the dynamic duo, the world’s greatest detective, or the dark knight. He’s my favorite for three basic reasons.

1. He’s super smart and observant.

2. He’s not afraid to admit it when he doesn’t know something; that’s why he spends so much time researching and training, so he can know as much as possible. If anything, he’s a role model for doing your homework and not wasting a good mind. (We’ll just overlook his policy on following the rules.)

3. He has no super powers, but is the first to be called when the super heroes need help.

Don’t get me wrong, I know billions of dollars have helped Batman’s cause, but that’s one more reason why I like him as a person (real or fake good qualities count). Bruce Wayne, or whatever Batman is popular at the time, is who he is because of tragedy. Batman could easily have chosen to become a villain, but he chose to be good (or at least fright crime). Speaking specifically of Bruce Wayne, despite his playboy persona, he’s a hero because, even with all his money, he knows he could never be happy knowing that there is evil unchecked in this world as he sat around and did nothing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords