This December I’m running a Readathon for those who would like to start writing book reviews.
Today’s review comes from Daisy, she blogs at http://daisybanks.wordpress.com/
Daisy chose to write her review of Shadows Of The Past By Carmen Stefanescu
Daisy’s Review
Review:
I recently bought Shadows of the Past by the author Carmen Stephanescu. The story touched me deeply. The spell of devotion from love in the past pushing forward through many decades to give hope to love in the future is a very strong one. The author develops this theme beautifully. I enjoyed all the elements of magic in this story a great deal and I’m sure you will too.
Book Description
When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
In the middle years of the ninth-century, the fierce Danes stormed onto British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the fate of all England—and the course of history—depended upon one man, one king. From New York Times bestselling storyteller Bernard Cornwell comes a rousing epic adventure of courage, treachery, duty, devotion, majesty, love, and battle as seen through the eyes of a young warrior who straddled two worlds.
Imagine wandering through an ancient landscape wrought in earth and stone, exploring the sacred sites of peoples long ago and far away in time and history. The mounds and barrows whisper legends of heroes and magic, and painted walls sing of saints and miracles. Now imagine that the lens of the camera captures a magical light in soft blues and misty greens and gold. A light that seems to have no cause in physical reality. What would you do? If you were open to the possibility of deeper realities, perhaps you would wish to explore this strange phenomenon…something two people came to know as sacred chromatography. The Initiate is the story of just such a journey beyond the realms of our accustomed normality. It is a factual tale told in a fictional manner. In just such a way did the Bards of old hide in the legends and deeds of heroes those deeper truths for those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. As the veils thin and waver, time shifts and the present is peopled with the shadowy figures of the past, weaving their tales through a quest for understanding and opening wide the doors of perception for those who seek to see beyond the surface of reality. 
When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejewelled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England. Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest? The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love. 
ALTERNATIVE HISTORY:
ALTERNATIVE HISTORY: Vanguard or villain? Who is the real Owen Vargas? SARGENT, 1898 — The Doctor has a secret, a secret he never revealed to his departed wife, a secret he kept from his childhood friend. Is he afraid that the Brigade will find out? Does he fear Retribution? Or does he have another reason for his mysterious behaviour? Discover the truth about the Doctor and the vigilante group known as the “Sapphire Brigade”. 
A PUNCTUAL PAYMASTER travels 70 years through the secrets of the white Thanos family and the black Taylor family, twisted like strands of yarn woven together on a loom. The wealthy, powerful Nikkos Thanos owns a woolen mill and almost everything else on the north side of Delphi, Missouri, and is the overseer of a fractured society. The brave, judicious Thaddeus “Cousin” Taylor owns a grocery store and a tavern on the south side and carries a past hauntingly shrouded in tragedy. Each man tries to shepherd his part of town through the turmoil of racism, the depression, and war. With the passage of time those roles are filled by Evangelina, Nikkos’ beautiful and strong-willed daughter, and T.J., the grandson who worshipped Cousin. Forty-five years after high school, two friends, Ab and Grady, return for the funeral of their mentor, T.J., and walk into the middle of a mystery. They unweave the black and white threads that are the town’s concealed, troubled past, revealing a tapestry of life and death, revenge and triumph. 
In a story of breathtaking scope, Colleen McCullough returns to the magnificent setting of her international bestseller The Thorn Birds. Following the disappearance of his only son and the death of his beloved wife, Richard Morgan is falsely imprisoned and exiled to the penal colonies of eighteenth-century Australia. His life is shattered but Morgan refuses to surrender, overcoming all obstacles to find unexpected contentment and happiness in the harsh early days of Australia’s settlement.
Yorkshire, 1904. On Netherwood Common, Russian émigré Anna Rabinovich shows her dear friend Eve Williams a house: a Victorian villa, solidly built from local stone. This is Ravenscliffe, and it’s the house Anna wants them to live in. It’s their house, she says. It was meant to be. As Anna transforms Ravenscliffe, an attraction grows between her and union man Amos. But when Eve’s long-lost brother Silas turns up in the closely-knit mining community of Netherwood, cracks begin to appear in even the strongest friendships. Meanwhile, at Netherwood Hall, cherished traditions are being undermined by the whims of the feckless heir to the title, Tobias Hoyland, and his American bride Thea Stirling. Below stairs, the loyal servants strive to preserve the noble family’s dignity and reputation. But both inside the great house and in the world beyond, values and loyalties are rapidly changing. 
Lillian’s life spans the 20th century.Born in Suffolk in 1900, in service at the age of 12, her life is greatly changed by her experiences in two world wars. The Great Depression, the austerity years,President Kennedy’s assassination, Neil Armstrong’s moon walk and the death of Princess Diana are among the many events of this turbulent century that are told through their effect on her long life. Author Sally Patricia Gardner, writing with great affection for an
China, 1929. For years Lydia Ivanova believed her father was killed by the Bolsheviks. But when she learns he is captive in Stalin-controlled Russia, the fiery-haired girl is willing to leave everything behind – even her Chinese lover, Chang An Lo. Journeying with her half-brother Alexei, Lydia begins a dangerous search. Tension grows between the two, for while Alexei is searching for his past, Lydia is looking for her future. But when Alexei disappears, Lydia is left almost penniless in Soviet Russia – and doubting the choices she has made. Surrounded by dangers, she searches for information and soon finds herself entangled with a Russian officer.
This tells the poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall. Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls. 
Rosie Amber 