Quills Books

What do you get when you add a cast of strong characters, lots of action, and just enough fantasy mixed with realism to be believable? An excellent adventure! I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

In a strangely altered land called Nuworld, Tara of the Blood Circle Clan and daughter of the leader of all Runners, decides it�s time for her to investigate and learn the ways of their most powerful enemy�Gothman.

Soon after entering Gothman territory, Tara realizes that in order to study the enemy she must pass as one of them. Not an easy task, for women are nothing but passive, domestic and submissive objects in Gothman, qualities totally alien to Tara, who comes from a society where women are raised as strong, resourceful and independent as men.

One day Tara catches the eye of none other than Lord Darius, Ruler of Gothman, a powerful leader highly respected and feared by his people, a man suspected of having drowned his own brother for the power of the throne. In a land where women are simply claimed and taken, Darius decides Tara will be his.

Thus starts their tempestuous relationship. In spite of their different ways, soon Tara grows attached to this people and learns that she�s somehow part of them in more ways than one. The dark mystery of her origins and identity becomes clear and Tara realizes she holds the future of both the Runners and Gothman in her hands.

But Darius makes a terrible mistake, one that threatens to destroy Tara�s love and the possible alliance between the two powerful lands. Will Tara be able to forgive him for the sake of their nations?

This story will enthrall you from beginning to end. It is a delightful battle of wills. This talented author has masterfully drawn a heroine to fall in love with; Tara is proud, brave and loyal, sensitive to the core yet a fierce warrior and leader. The hero is irresistible and his many human flaws only add to his character, making him so real he�ll seem to jump up the page. Suspenseful action scenes and natural dialogue flow with ease. The ending is a promise of more to come and will leave you on edge. Nuworld is a great start to The Nuworld Series and I am impatiently looking forward to read the sequel. Highly recommended.

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Having reached the age of searching, Tara wants to learn about the other races of her world. All her life, she has moved with her clan, traveling from one territory to another, learning warrior skills and racing her motorcycle with the other children. Runner and Gothman enmity intrigues her, so she searches out the Gothman to see what kind of warriors they really are. She craftily evades capture even as she knows Gothman only teach their men to fight whereas Runners view their men and women as equal. Eventually evading capture, she seeks refuge with Reena, a Gothman woman with surprising independence.

Tara decides to remain with the Gothman woman to learn their ways. She vows to be submissive and domestic-she could not have chosen a lifestyle more foreign to her. Women in the Gothman world live a life of domesticity, completely oblivious to anything outside their regular routine. They grow up anxious to be claimed, and then fall into a life of servitude and gossip. It does not take long, however, for her draw the attention of Darius, ruler of the Gothman, and win his claim. But he has a lot to learn about Runner women, and the independence they preserve, especially when Darius makes a mistakes that endangers not only his love with Tara, but their two nations.

Author Lorie O'Clare pens an intriguing dark romance in NUWORLD. Male and female roles are challenged, explored, and exploited in a way that will leave readers questioning the complexities and compromises of their own lives. O'Clare creates a memorable cast of characters: Tara is a powerful warrior woman determined to maintain her independence even as Darius is determined to control her. In addition, extended relationships provide marvelous secondary characters, especially Tara's parents. With a fast paced plot, ruthless bids for power and invasion reveal a dangerous world where life and death are closely linked. Indeed, issues of relationships, equality and war lend powerful depth to the novel, resulting in a read impossible to put down. NUWORLD comes highly recommended.

I find myself reading books that I don't expect to complete agree with. It also helps if the book covers and idea that I don't know much about. The Omega project covers both nicely.

Although I have never had an NDE or any substantial UFO experience I have read and know people in the former. This book provides a psychological look at people who have had UFO experiences and those who have had NDE experiences. Kenneth Ring makes a compelling argument that the two are related based on shared characteristics between the two groups verse control groups, in this case those people like I who have an interest in the experience. It is a nice scientific approach to help better understand the people and the experiences and I found it interesting.

Dr. Ring goes on to explain what might be happening. Basically, that these experiences are moving the human race to another level. The 1992 book is rather dated in its view of the environmental crisis, but I would not say off the mark entirely. His theories on the subject lead to an earth consciousness that is working to save itself and mankind from destruction. To this end, man is either becoming more "imaginal" in nature or we are beginning as a species to better recognize our true nature. He is solidly in the camp of man evolving to become a more "imaginal" or spiritual being if you will.

I am more in the camp that there is a creative consciousness and that we are becoming more aware of our true spiritual nature or soul that exists for the current time incarnately, but can also exist disincarnately.

It is an interesting perspective, one that I don't completely agree with, but one that give me some information on a subject I didn't know that I didn't know much about. Perhaps, even with the age of the book you might find the book challenging your beliefs or expanding your mind.

Happy reading either way.

As one of those rare individuals who has had both an NDE AND a Project Bluebook confirmed UFO sighting (with associated "memory" of abduction), I found Ken Ring's hypothesis much more plausible than the alternative. I found his explanation on the communication occuring between the Mind at Large and the world's sensitive-intuitive population to be both accurate and liberating.

An excelent book. The author writes an excelent study on the human phsychosis after abductions or near death expeariences.

An extremely imaginative story. The exoticism and mystery of the setting and characters (one of the main protagonists is a large feline) will fascinate long after you've finished the book. Haunting.

This was a story that I read in school and was so impressed that I purchased a book of short stories that this appeared in. The author's use of emotion and imagery is outstanding and this is probably the best short story that I have ever read.

I read this story in Junior High as part of a reading study for class and was truely fascinated by the imagery of De Balzac. I always remembered it as a favorite and where that book is today i don't know, but i was completely surprised when i recently rented a movie and saw "Passion in the Desert" as one of the previews! I don't remember the story being long enough for a movie, but that's never stopped a movie from being filmed and produced before. If someone could please help me locate this story, i would be much obliged!

I find "Redgauntlet" one of the less satisfactory novels in the Waverley series. Certainly, it has the local flavor, the dialect, the imaginative description of evocative landscapes all his novels have, but it is not a blast as some of the others are. The plot involves a fictitious third Jacobite rebellion, and it is interesting to see how Scott (especially in the notes from the Magnum edition, included in this edition) argues this time not for the historicity but for the historical probability of the events described. While Scott is often hailed as the inventor of the historical novel, "Redgauntlet" also shows him to be a forerunner in the historically probable novel--a genre practiced to great effect by our present-day history buff, Umberto Eco.

But probability alone does not a great novel make. Darsie Latimer's character is even less probable than his semi-historical counterparts, such as Edmund Waverley and Henry Morton. And this is strange, since moving further into fictionality, one could argue, a writer might allow themselves more latitude to make a character interesting, even if certain circumstances remain historical. Is this a conscious effort on Scott's part to show, after the fictionality of history, the fictionality of fiction?

Scott disturbs narrative conventions even further when the conspiracy against the Hanoverian King George III completely fails to materialize--ironically, for what seems to be the silliest of reasons: the Pretender (or the Chevalier if you're a Jacobite), Charles Stuart, refuses to give up his mistress. Thus, the main plot of the novel sizzles out and really not much happens in these 400 pages. Mind you, I personally don't need much to happen, but the 19th century novel did. Scott as a postmodern writer? That is pushing it too far, but this novel awaits a postmodern critique enlightened by a reading of Eco and Bakhtin.

That said, there are some really interesting things going on. Apart from the "regular" set of characters of Scott's Scottish novels, this one features an orthodox Quaker who is the epitome of anti-militant mercantilism. The form is also quite new for Scott--the novel is an epistolary, a set of letters between Darsie Latimer and his friend Alan Fairford. Thus, the novel's first-person point of view is split, and this provides for interesting contrasts.

For me, Scott sort of shot himself in the foot with this novel. His earlier novels ("Redgauntlet" is the last of the Scottish novels, written eight years before his death) lead one to expect a major action to happen before the denouement, and this one avoids that a bit too artificially. It seems that Scott was at pains to stick to history, and his own political convictions, a bit too much: a fictitious Jacobite rebellion is OK as a narrative vehicle, but it shouldn't interfere with the peaceful Great Britain (in which Scotland was in many respects subsidiary to England) that Scott himself inhabited and advocated. And so narrative excitement has to give way to Scott's pacifist politics--an honest choice, which Scott consistently maintains in all the Waverley novels--and character development and politics take precedent.

A final note: Scott has always proven himself a masterful and honest critic of royalty and nobility, especially of those characters he seems to love. "Waverley"'s Mac-Ivor is chastised for his political obstinacy, in "The Fortunes of Nigel" King James I (a Scot) is rebuked for his fickleness and corruption, and in "Redgauntlet" the formerly charismatic Stuart proves effeminate and tragic (dying an impoverished alcoholic, in the footnotes). And often enough, these tragic characters are of more interest than the somewhat ineffectual and sometimes foolish main characters: something for readers of literature to sink their teeth into.

In his 1824 novel REDGAUNTLET, Sir Walter Scott says farewell to the dethroned Stuart Dynasty with its colorful, haughty claims to the Crowns of Scotland and England. Law and a commercial order comfortable to property owners have taken root by the time of the third Hanoverian King and displaced the older claims of personal and clan loyalty to a God-anointed sovereign. England, and increasingly Scotland, now make up a nation of shopkeepers and overseas traders and their souls are content. Even those of smugglers.

The two principal characters, men in their early 20s, can be objects of gentle fun, as they hastily and clumsily grow up. Yet these youngsters (and two young women they meet and admire) represent the future of the United Kingdom. Initially, in the summer of 1765, the two, newly minted lawyer Alan Fairford and his dreamy laid-back alter-ego Darsie Latimer, are at least a little bit open to the romance of the "auld days." Like many Romantic Movement heroes, Darsie is not sure who he is. In addition to the usual reluctance to allow himself to be defined by profession, church, state, older adults, etc., Darsie does not know who were his parents. Strong hints are that he will know as soon as he turns 21. Meanwhile he is to avoid leaving Scotland at any cost. Alan has delicate health and is the dutiful son of an overbearing lawyer of Edinburgh. He uncharacteristically rebels and strikes out on his own when Darsie is violently carried away across the firth of Solway into northwestern England. That deed was done by persons unknown but increasingly suspected to be using Darsie as a pawn. Slowly, it becomes clear that Darsie's rebel uncle, Hugh Redgauntlet, is using the young hero to mobilize support for a fresh rising in England and Scotland to put the Old Pretender back on a throne that he had rolled the dice for 20 years earlier in the crushed rising of 1745.

There are many ways and levels for reading Scott's historical novels. One, followed by thousands since Scott's death in 1832, is to find lessons for today's world in the pasts of England and Scotland. Many Americans grew up in a world echoing the skepticism of Nanty Ewart (Vol. II, Ch. 13, p. 250), "Tell that to the marines -- the sailors won't believe it." And might not the US in Iraq in 2006 spring to mind when Darsie Latimer is said to fall easily in and out of puppy loves like a "Mahratta conqueror, who overruns a province with the rapidity of lightning, but finds it impossible to retain it beyond a very brief space" ( Vol. III. Ch. 4, p. 290).

Or we can enjoy REDGAUNTLET for its striking comparisons. Darsie, for example, has learned enough of the uncle who kidnapped him to know that his laying on violent hands had been for no personal gain. "... he could as soon have imagined Cassius picking Caesar's pocket, instead of drawing his poniard upon the Dictator" (p. 293). And "Freedom of religious opinion brings on, I suppose, freedom of political creed" ... (p. 303).

REDGAUNTLET is a wise, complex tale by one of the world's greatest story tellers.

-OOO-

Redgauntlet is generally considered to be one of Scott's best novels. It is set in 1765 and returns to the theme of his first novel Waverley, describing an attempt to overthrow the Hanoverian monarchy and return Britain to the rule of the exiled Stuarts. Of course there was no Jacobite rising in 1765, so Redgauntlet is not, strictly speaking, an historical novel. The story however is consistent with the history of the period and plausibly shows what might have happened. The novel is all the more powerful and poignant because he does not attempt to create an imaginary rebellion on the scale of 1745, but rather describes a revolt which history might have been unaware of, a last small scale, almost pathetic, attempt to resurrect a cause which had already, long since, been lost.

The story is initially told by means of a series of letters between Darsie Latimer and Alan Fairford, two young friends who have grown up together. There is a mystery regarding Darsie's family origins. He knows almost nothing about his background except that he must not set foot in England until he is 21. Gradually, as Darsie discovers more about the secrets surrounding his life, he is brought deeper into a conspiracy. Alan is warned by the beautiful "Green Mantle" that Darsie is in danger. But Darsie fails to heed the warning and soon faces a man who knows all about his past, the fearsome Redgauntlet.

Scott tells the story well. The epistolary form works well enough, given the at times inherent implausibility of this way of writing, where letters go on for an unreasonably large number of pages. The story is exciting with lots of incident and action and a good number of surprises. The romantic element of the plot is unusual involving both Alan and Darsie with "Green Mantle". Perhaps best of all is the genuinely creepy short story "Wandering Willie's Tale" which lives up to its reputation as the best short story in Scots. This story is often anthologised, but it is even better when read in its proper context.

The edition of Redgauntlet edited by G.A.M. Wood and David Hewitt is undoubtedly the best possible version of Scott's text. This edition takes as its base text the first edition. The editors have also consulted Scott's manuscript and, unusually in the case of Redgauntlet, the proofs, which show Scott's corrections to the first draft of the printed text. By doing this the editors have been able to restore many lost readings and correct numerous mistakes. In addition this edition has a full glossary and extensive notes. A little effort is required to read Redgauntlet, as Scott's language can at times be quite difficult, but this effort is amply rewarded, for his story of the last rising of the Jacobites is one of his greatest creations.

Thank you, Shannon. Homey feeling for a book that works through the ins and outs of one of Southwest Oregon best known pioneer families. As the Applegates were all strong supporters of the Oregon Republican League,.. we couldn't be prouder than to give this work two thumbs up. A nonpartisan text, for a populist nation, from a fiercely independent time in our regions history.

Shannon Applegate spent seventeen years researching the copious and rich family documents that provide the basis for this extraordinary history. It is clear that she not only combed the documents with a scholar's eye but also lived them with a family member's passion. The very public history of the pioneering Applegate men--Jesse, Charles, and Lindsay--is balanced by intimate portraits of the private--and sometimes even secret--lives of the Applegate women. The blend of epic drama, domestic detail, and quiet pathos is irresistible.

Well, the first part of the book was too lengthy and disjointed as it built up to the family disaster. I would have appreciated just a straight tale. The later profiles of people were a lot easier to follow and very entertaining. The information included on the local Native Americans was great and thus the 4 star rating. As a local Oregonian, the farming and political information was also intriguing. I also feel the author missed out by not detailing her own life but maybe this could be a subject for another book.

Terry Waite's biography demonstrates the sheer strength of the human spirit and provides an uplifting account of his survival through years of hardship. Few could have survived such an ordeal without losing hope and it offers some remarkable insights into the man's strength of character. Surprisingly, the section on his years in confinement is not all doom and gloom. Some of the tales of pranks that he used to play on his captors had me in stitches of laughter. You can just imagine his cheeky grin when the bucket of waste fell off the door and onto the poor guard's head! All in all, a truly inspiring read and a fine tribute to a great man.

This book caught my eye... What must it feel like to be captured by terrorists ? Or to be held in solitary confinement, day in day out not knowing when the situation will end ? This is not just a narrative to pick up because the news is full of hostages's lives being bargained with, in Iraq. It is also relevant because it shows how denying anybody access to the outside world when they are imprisoned, is an unacceptably inhumane way to treat another human being. Terry Waite began this book in his head - whilst coping with solitary confinement in Lebanon in the 1980's. The title is important: he was taken whilst trusting his negotiators to bring him, as a representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to meet the hostages they were already holding.

Don't therefore presume this book has a religious theme. It really doesn't push that. This book is important to read because you find yourself living the life of a particular hostage. You are with Terry as he is led, blindfold, from one hiding place to the next. You get pushed & fed like him, and humiliated by those imposed hand showers and the delayed toilet visits. Your eyes follow his as he studies with eager curiosity the feet passing by under his door and wonders who else is being led to that same toilet.. Shoved into a refrigerator for one departure, he panicks and you fall with him as he is bounced down, step after step to the street outside, scrambling inside to untie his hands to protect himself. And so the months go by. You sit cross legged beside him, eyes covered by a similar blindfold, feeling those empty minutes and hours pass with no pen, no paper, no conversation and a constant nagging fear that the next change in the schedule might bring pain. It makes the moments of fleeting kindnesses from the guards very special, and you become as excited as Terry is when at last he is given books. Though time may drag by for him, he keeps the reader from being bored by separating out his narrative into descriptive paragraphs of his childhood and then his rise in job opportunities until he travels around the world as an important layman emissary assigned at different times to both the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church (consulting for the Medical Mission Sisters). His descriptions of Africa are particularly interesting. With much negotiating experience behind him, this brought him to that moment of trying to negotiate the release of those hostages taken in the Lebanese conflict.

So just how do you remain mentally and physically strong for day after day when there is the loss of proper sunlight, minimal exercise and conversation ? Terry describes the basic methods he used to preserve his sanity and body. But how do you deal with the despair (and anger) which overwhelms you when hearing that hammer knocking in a position once again for your leg chain at the new hiding place? I particularly admire a person who writes so honestly about facing his own weaknesses which surface, and who even exposes his questioning of his own God. Reading Terry's book gives us all a chance to understand why it should be every country's moral obligation to make sure a prisoner in its care be treated as a human being, with legal rights that must, must be protected.

This is a personal ordeal worth reading.
We have seen how many `hostages' looked pale and washed out as they had been released from captivity.
Their predicament was equal to that of the Lebanese people. It was indeed a mirror image.
The storm broke in Lebanon, and in Beirut in particular on 13 April 1975, ever since we heard the boom of artillery fires in short days and long nights.
Foreign factions were `simply' fighting each other; directly or by proxy, on our land. The land that had once been a quiet haven in a turbulent Middle East.
The guns of the warring factions changed the face of Lebanon in the hope that one day it would also change the face of the Middle East.
Unknown names of dead bodies leapt up into the Newspapers headlines every morning.

Against us was ranged the perpetual argument propagated by the international press, to add insult to our injuries, that the war was `a fight between Christians and Muslims Lebanese'. This was phoney-baloney and utterly fraudulent. This was offensive, pretending ignorance with nefarious ends. Very few told the world the significant fact that this was a war by proxy. All Lebanese have always been peace-loving people.

With the closure of Beirut's only Airport, many Lebanese, seeking emigration, were virtually driven into the Mediterranean.
Most of the rich had already left.
Hundreds of thousands of my people were displaced from their villages and rolled out heading for more relatively peaceful places.
Lebanese could not understand where the enemy was hiding and fighting.
They all believed though that Lebanon will remain invincible and in the end its banner will be held up high enough to be seen in each corner of this small and beautiful country.
Many young and innocent `boys and girls', some in their teens, had rallied `to the cause' as they saw it.
I witnessed the melting away of Beirut (West) in the hellish days of the summer of 1982, and each 24 hours I though that would probably be the last for me. I managed to send my wife and my three children to the mountain for their security and stay put in Beirut to work for living.
My people were striving to wait in queues to fetch bread, vegetables and water to feed their children. Some even killed by stray bullets, and worse still, many perished by bombs (RPG, B7 or whatever).
Lines of cars were threatened waiting to be filled with petrol.

We saw different militias from all walks of life. From the East and the West, bordering the Arabian Sea, the Red sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the hinterland of Asia - paid to `fight', they didn't even know who the enemy was?. I saw many of them, and I swear to God they couldn't have possibly been Lebanese.

Beirut slept and woke up on the brink of panic but the brave majority never lost faith; they were convinced that our setback was temporary.
We saw how `international politics' were beginning to bolt, without proper explanation we were left alone to suffer, and it was not difficult for us to draw conclusions - we must have been stupid to `welcome every body to our country with open arms and our hearty - and innocent - "ahlan wasahlan" : Welcome.

Mr Waite:
You were held `hostage' perhaps in a cell like 10x10 feet. The Lebanese, too, were held hostages in our four thousand square miles, for as long as 17 years.
You did not deserve this terrific ordeal, nor did the Lebanese people.
You were held hostage in Lebanon, but not by Lebanese. No Lebanese wanted you to share our fate.
Nevertheless, on behalf of my people I offer our sincere sympathies and my apologies.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness

by Susan Tam

Winddreamer is book #6 in the 10 book, WindLegends saga. This is the continuation of Conar McGregor's story. Legion A'Lex is still the King and Elizabeth (Liza) is still his wife. Legion and Conar are brothers. Conar and Elizabeth use to be married. Conar was believed to be dead and Legion married Elizabeth to protect her and her child but he has always loved her too! Legion is very jealous of Elizabeth and Conar's past. Although they have assured him they will never betray him, he is unable to believe this. Kaileel Tohre is back. He has in the past tortured Conar physically and sexually molested him when he was a child. Tohre wants Corbin, Conar's son since Corbin has magical powers but Tohre wants him sexually too! Thus the saga and the questions continue. Will Tohre be able to get Corbin? Will Legion and Elizabeth's marriage survive? Will Conar and Elizabeth be reunited?

This was another powerhouse of a book by Ms. Boyett-Compo. The saga of Conar and Elizabeth continues with even more twists and turns. Ms. Boyett-Compo has written another intensely emotional, heart wrenching book. There is much pain and suffering throughout this book, emotional and physical by the various characters especially Elizabeth. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you have read any of the previous WindLegends books, be assured this one continues in the same vein. As Ms. Compo answers some of the questions raised in previous books even more are raised during this book. I would not recommend you picking up this book without reading the previous books. Since this is an on-going Saga, there is so much history between the various characters; it would be easier to understand the events/actions in Winddreamer if you have read books 1 through 5. However, if you invest the time and energy to read the books in this series, you will be rewarded with a tale that remains in your mind even after you have reached the last page!

Conar McGregor barely survived the horrific Labyrinth and his subsequent freedom as the Dark Lord seeking vengeance against his long time enemy the evil sorcerer Kaileel Tohre. He remained alive in the Labyrinth and afterward by dreaming of his beloved wife Liza. However, while he was thought dead, Liza, who loved Conar with her soul, married his best friend Legion A'Lex. Her second spouse loved her even before she wed Conar, but hid his feelings until he concluded that his friend was dead.

However, Conar returns from the dead and wants Liza back. Legion has tasted heaven and feels his wife reciprocates so he refuses to cede the field to Conar. Liza must choose between her first husband who she loves with all her soul and her second spouse who she loves with all her heart. Kaileel plans to use the triangle to kill Conar.

The sixth tale in the Windlegend saga, WINDDREAMER, is a terrific dark romantic fantasy that centers on a triangle that will tear at the hearts of the audience as each of the trio deserves better than fate's latest torment. Conar is a battered tortured soul whose solace is Liza and knows Legion has been a loyal friend; Liza loves both her men who she feels deserve the best, which she begins to believe is not her as she struggles to choose knowing one will be shattered; Legion is a good person who loves Liza and cherishes his fond friendship he once had with Conar. Throw in the evil Machiavellian sorcerer into the already entangled relationships lead to a great fantasy although reading the previous tales especially Book V, WINDREAPER, enhances the experience.

Harriet Klausner

by Susan Tam

Winddreamer is book #6 in the 10 book, WindLegends saga. This is the continuation of Conar McGregor's story. Legion A'Lex is still the King and Elizabeth (Liza) is still his wife. Legion and Conar are brothers. Conar and Elizabeth use to be married. Conar was believed to be dead and Legion married Elizabeth to protect her and her child but he has always loved her too! Legion is very jealous of Elizabeth and Conar's past. Although they have assured him they will never betray him, he is unable to believe this. Kaileel Tohre is back. He has in the past tortured Conar physically and sexually molested him when he was a child. Tohre wants Corbin, Conar's son since Corbin has magical powers but Tohre wants him sexually too! Thus the saga and the questions continue. Will Tohre be able to get Corbin? Will Legion and Elizabeth's marriage survive? Will Conar and Elizabeth be reunited?

This was another powerhouse of a book by Ms. Boyett-Compo. The saga of Conar and Elizabeth continues with even more twists and turns. Ms. Boyett-Compo has written another intensely emotional, heart wrenching book. There is much pain and suffering throughout this book, emotional and physical by the various characters especially Elizabeth. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you have read any of the previous WindLegends books, be assured this one continues in the same vein. As Ms. Compo answers some of the questions raised in previous books even more are raised during this book. I would not recommend you picking up this book without reading the previous books. Since this is an on-going Saga, there is so much history between the various characters; it would be easier to understand the events/actions in Winddreamer if you have read books 1 through 5. However, if you invest the time and energy to read the books in this series, you will be rewarded with a tale that remains in your mind even after you have reached the last page!

This is a very nice collection of stories, fantasy and SF, that were previously published in small press magazines or books (I'm not familiar with some of the names). I gave it four stars cause I thought the last story could have been shorter/tighter and one other story, Transfer Student didn't appeal to me. All of the stories are well written and the author has paid attention to spelling, grammar and editing.

I borrowed this from the library. I wish I'd bought it because it's a book with stories that can be re-read-a keeper. I really liked the fantasy stories and wish they'd been longer, or fleshed out into a book. That being said, the stories are complete on their own. I finished this is one day. It was a pleasure to read stories that caught the attention and kept you wanting more. I'm now looking for her other book, CRYSTAL THRONE, I hope its as good.

Story titles are: The Demon's Storeroom, Goodbye Jennie!, Lonely, Transfer Student, And Softly Follow, There Was A Crooked Staff, There Was A Broken Arrow, Bound By A Belt Of Web, Someone Is Watching, Heartsight, Horsefeathers, Curses, Foiled Again, The Windkin, Srike Watch, The Lore-Master's Apprentice and The Twin Bond.

This sixteen story collection introduces readers to a fabulous fantasy author who effortlessly creates realms so magical that readers will finish AGENTS AND ADEPTS in one sitting (this reviewer broke her rule of a tale or two a day over a couple of weeks). Each contribution insures that characters, including mythological and personification of planets and animals, seem very genuine. An added bonus is that several entries provide a delightful glimpse into the wizard world of the CRYSTAL THRONE. If the quality of these short stories is any indication of the novel, this reviewer will compete with other readers to obtain a copy.

Using humor that is rarely seen in the typical save the world or die genre, Kathryn Sullivan furbishes a wonderful book that makes fantasy seem real, fun to read, and entertaining. Just set aside a few hours because the exploits of the twins and others will make the audience complete in one delightfully entertaining sitting. Ms. Sullivan is an adept (and I am not her agent) worth reading.

Harriet Klausner

Jack and Josie have been friends since childhood, but now things have changed. It seems as though fate would see them end up as more than friends, but nothing, not even long-time love, comes without complications. Yet it's the troubles that make the glory so much sweeter, and Jack and Josie learn nothing can stand in their way. Not when the only person they've ever really loved has been each other.

Previously available only in electronic format, this steamy trilogy of erotic romance has now been combined-due to popular demand-for a paperback edition! Included are...

Playing the Game:
It began as a lighthearted competition between two friends. Ten points for correctly predicting which lame come-on the next person will use to hit on you. Fifteen points for getting asked for your phone number. Twenty for being bought a drink. Get someone to ask you to go home with them, and you've won The Game. Now Josie's tired of watching beautiful women throw themselves at the one man who's always been there for her, and even winning has become losing if it means the man who takes her home from the bar isn't Jack. She knows how to get other men to fall at her feet, but will the same moves work on her best friend? In love and lust, it's all about Playing The Game...

Opening the Door:
The long-awaited sequel to Amber Quill's #1 Best-Seller Playing The Game...

Jack and Josie have known each other forever. Now they've taken the leap from friends to lovers, but how will their families react to the news? When they both go home to spend the holiday at Josie's parents' house, things heat up, and their secret is spilled...

White Wedding:
The long-awaited sequel to Amber Quill's Best-Seller Opening The Door...

Jack and Josie have been friends since childhood. Now they've made the leap to love, with a wedding on the horizon. Can they manage to get through the planning with everything falling to pieces around them?

Do not believe the tags for this book! not about vampires-meanage-samhain. Just an erotic book about a contemporary romance. Very good...just not what I expected from the tags.

Arden Walsh is a widowed mother of two girls and in need of sex; according to her friends. Arden hasn't dated since her husband died and with the urging of her friends, is willing to try again, if only to get them to leave her alone for a while. While thinking of hot monkey sex, as her friends called it, Arden thinks of Shane Donner, a man from her past that was exactly what she needed. She also knows that she has her two young daughters to consider and that Shane was against commitment of any kind and loved to play games. Arden figures there's no harm in looking Shane up since she's not looking for another husband, but sometimes you find exactly what you weren't looking for.

Bachelor Number Four is a sweet, sassy, sexy story that will warm you from the inside out. The characters in this story are so vivid and well created that they seem to come alive right in front of you, and feel like people you've known forever. The storyline is one that many people have felt and will identify with while cheering Arden on in moving on with her life. Author Megan Hart has created such a bold world that you feel like you are peering into the lives of the characters she creates instead of just reading a story. This is one book you won't want to miss.

By Tammy
Fallen Angel Reviews

Arden Walsh lost her husband to cancer over a year ago. Now she is a mother of two girls and according to her friends, in the need of sex. Arden isn't really sure she is ready to jump back in. But once Arden agrees to think about it, she can't help remembering the one time and person she had the best sex ever with, Shane Donner. Arden tracks Shane down but believes he is playing games with her. Arden goes on a few dates, but she just can't shake her memories of Shane and what they had. There is a difference now as Arden is a package deal with two young daughters. The question she must find the answer for is can/will Shane be willing to be part of her present and future.

Bachelor Number Four concerns a young widow with kids who begins the next part of her life. Arden loved her husband and has missed him dreadfully since his death. But now, spurred on by her friends Arden is beginning to date again and also looks up the one man she has never forgot about. Shane left a lingering memory but it wasn't that of a man willing to settle down with a family. Watching Arden work her way through bad dates and sexy IM's all the while dealing with her daughters and her business gave me appreciation for all widows/widowers who have to go on. Anyone who has had a date from hell, and who hasn't, will feel for Arden. I gave Shane top marks for not giving up and making Arden see the real him. Bachelor Number Four is an afternoon read that is worth the time. Lovers of contemporary romances will want this in their

Jo
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed