New Book Blogger: Calandra's Spring by Wendy Rawady

Thursday

Calandra's Spring by Wendy Rawady

Calandra D’Arcy, trapped in a body that has not aged since pre-puberty, suffers the frustration and loneliness of an adult woman. To survive, she must find a mysterious spring, the source of chemicals needed to bring her back to the age of her long-lost first love, Aaron Kreisler whom she cunningly ropes in to help her quest. Their strategy to beat Big Cosmetics and a Gypsy family - apparently in the Corporation’s pocket - to the site of the spring, involves violence and sexual tension that is far outside their comfort zone.

Purchase: Amazon

Wendy Rawady has had a long career as a producer/writer/researcher, mainly in Australian TV (working on everything from news, game shows to huge red carpet events) but also for a couple of award winning films. Now she is a 'citizen of the world' travelling and writing fictional stories inspired by that travel. She has been kissed by Will Smith, Dudley Moore, the legendary Burl Ives, Clive James and many other intriguing celebrities but that's a very different book. At the moment she is in Mexico, but who knows, she could soon be in a neighbourhood near you!

2 comments:

William KendallJune 24, 2012
This sounds quite different!
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Wendy RawadySeptember 25, 2012
Thanks William! I find it quite hard to 'pigeonhole' my books. If you read it, please review it. You also may like my latest 'The Other Side of Nowhere' - again hard to categorise. There'll be a free promo time soon.
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Maggie's Child

5* ... It is one o'clock in the morning and I couldn't go to sleep until I had finished reading this latest book by Glynis Smy. It has really captured my imagination with its intriguing plot and colorful characters. The book is real page turner and one which I would rank up there with Josephine Cox, Marie Joseph and Anna Jacobs, three of my all time favorite authors of historical fiction. It gives us a deep insight into the hardships of life in the nineteenth century. The heroine, Maggie, suffers dreadful cruelty at the hands of her miserly husband and through the love of her child, whom she cannot acknowledge she is determined to rise above it and eventually finds true love. This is a beautifully written book which I can highly recommend and I am really looking forward to the next book by this outstanding author.

4 & 5 Star Praise for Ripper, My Love

RIPPER, MY LOVE, by Glynis Smy, is in no way an ordinary historical romance. Full of twists, turns, and plenty of nail-biting suspense and scares, it seamlessly blends an emotional love affair with a shocking, history-as-it-might-have-been, crime story.

In late Victorian London, talented seamstress and designer Kitty Harper has benefitted not only from society's increasingly modern attitude toward women, but also from her father's and friends' encouragement and devotion. Despite her family's working class status, Kitty is educated, meeting regularly with a tutor, and has saved enough money to open her own seamstress shop. Although reluctantly, her father even allows her to move into the rooms above the shop. Exceptionally gifted in her trade, Kitty has the skill and ambition to design beautiful, fashionable clothing for upper-class women.

Focused on her career, Kitty holds several suitors at arm's length until she meets dashing farmer James Lockwood. Despite his country upbringing, the handsome Lockwood is gallant and attentive. He is quickly as smitten with Kitty as she is with him. But trouble is coming. These are dangerous days; Jack the Ripper has begun terrorizing London - especially Whitechapel, where Kitty lives and works.

Ms. Smy has created a wonderfully Hitchcockian novel; we readers know The Ripper's secrets nearly from the outset. Our characters - especially Kitty and her extended family - do not. We realize (à la Mr. Hitchcock) that the figurative bomb is on the bus. When will it go off? Who will live? Who will die?

One would not imagine any aspect of Jack the Ripper being sympathetic, but Ms. Smy has not only accomplished that devilish feat, she has also kept every loathsome bit of his villainy and treachery intact. We are never quite sure what will happen next, and as the novel progresses, pages get turned faster and faster!

Not only are the characters and plot absorbing, the details of life in London at that time are exquisitely drawn. Without letting the story get bogged down in detail, Ms. Smy creates fully populated, artfully dressed, and atmospheric scenes. The reader is so fully drawn in that one can almost hear the clopping of carriage horses' hooves and feel the chill, surrounding fog.

I highly recommend RIPPER, MY LOVE.

The writing style is excellent and all the characters are strongly drawn.

I was totally drawn into the world of this book.
***I found this book AN EXCELLENT READ,I did not want to put it down. It had a lot of unexpected twists and turns, If this was the Authors first book then I cannot wait for her next one.
***
From the first chapter there is excitement: a chase through London streets. I felt like I was there, back in time, a woman trying to get home, taking a short cut though a danger area.
***

Smy really delves deep into her characters and setting.
***
Before I began reading this novel, the honest truth was historical fiction never appealed to me. After reading this, I am now a fan! So, if you are not a historical-fiction fan, this isn't a typical, boring book with the non-essential details. It's a well-crafted novel with a good plot.
***

With compelling and yet believable characters and without saying much that would add spoilers, I recommend this to the highest degree.
***
First of all an amazing cover illustration !
Suspenseful , loved the character Kitty and she kept my attention throughout the book .
Her voice rings so clear and true and she make you feel the things she sees and does.
A joy to read , easy to get into and addictively plotted.
Beautifully written and a real page turner.
Will not give the story line away as a MUST to read.
Wonderful debut novel and cant wait fot the next by Glynis Smy
***If you enjoy historical novels with a bit of romance and a twist of evil, check it out!
***I obsessively turned pages to see who was going to live and who was going to die, and who Kitty was going to end up with. Overall I found this debut novel to be a "ripping" good story and look forward to the author's next book currently scheduled for December 2012
***
In Smy's fabulous debut novel, we grow fond of Jack the Ripper's love interest, Kitty. She's a strong, independent, compassionate person
***
I loved it because it was so evocative of Victorian England at the end of the nineteenth century (smell the swirling fog!) and the reign of the enigmatic Jack the Ripper with no punches pulled.
***What an awesome read! I felt like I was transported back to Old England to the impoverished section of Whitechapel. The imagery is so strong that you will feel as if you are walking through the dirty streets of London
***This is not your standard Jack the Ripper story. It's much more than that, romance, tragedy and thriller. It has the added bonus of having a twist to the tale and you don't even have to wait till the end for it.
***Ahh to fall in love with a story - this is exactly what happened as I met Kitty, Sarah, Arthur, James and Patrick. Kitty is the woman you just love to love and Sarah is too! I even fell in love with Sally...and then heartbroken at her situation. Arthur, James and Patrick are all vying for the affections of Kitty leading to a story that grabs your attention, holds it and delivers the warm fuzzy feeling as you read the last words....Now, I can't say too much more because then I would ruin it but I do have to say this: It is a wonderful story written by a talented writer - Good Job Glynis Smy on your debut novel! And I am looking forward to reading "Maggie's Child" later this year after it is released!
***
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was written in a way that made me feel like I was there at each scene, knowing the characters personally. I'm really looking forward to this author's next book.

New Book Blogger

Thursday

Calandra's Spring by Wendy Rawady

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