Aug 14, 2011 | Odds & Ends
The Velvet Thorn. Olivia Villa-Real. 2011. iUniverse.
In the novel The Velvet Thorn by Olivia Villa-Real, readers meet Bella Mariposa, a talented singer and composer who happens to be married to a real scumbag. Daniel Miranda, Bella’s jerk husband, is the kind of guy you’ll love to hate—the kind of guy that thinks sex is an obligation and that dinner should always be ready at the precise moment he walks through the door.
In an attempt to restore her marriage and provide a better home life for herself and her children, Bella enrolls in a spiritual retreat in Hollywood. It is there that she meets Father Derek Lindenberg, a man wholly devoted to his Catholic priesthood. At the retreat, the two establish a strong connection and, of course, eventually fall in love.
It’s not a particularly original story line, truth be told. Having a priest fall in love with a beautiful young woman has been done before. (The Thorn Birds? Anyone?) However, it doesn’t make such a plot line any less intriguing.
Influenced by her own life experiences, Villa-Real has done an acceptable job of exploring how love and relationships can test a person’s devotion to the unyielding rules of religion and religious society in The Velvet Thorn.
Jul 29, 2011 | Odds & Ends
Just Another Elysian Sidetrip. Sirena West. 2003. 1st Books.
In the novel Just Another Elysian Sidetripauthor Sirena West tells the story of the talented and beautiful Tasha Felding. Tasha and her three roommates—Dawn, Elizabeth, and Miranda—ruled the campus of their liberal arts college four for years and seemed destined to live out charmed lives. But something happens before the girls graduate that changes things.
For the next two decades Tasha continues along her journey, fulfilling the roles of mother and wife. But through the years she continues to think about how she can undo the damage done two decades earlier. Just before her 20th college reunion, Tasha sets out to absolve her college roommate.
Unfortunately for this self-published author, most readers are going to find it very difficult to get past the first few pages of Sidetrip. First, the font choice is a major distraction. Written in Courier New (or something very similar), the print feels big and clumsy. It is reminiscent of the college Freshman trying to fake her way from twelve to twenty pages by using the largest, fattest font available.
The second issue I have with the book is that it contains an unacceptable amount of typos and errors—a period where a comma should be (page 6), a missing letter (page 7), ‘me’ instead of ‘mean’ (page 8), just to name a few.
As a professional editor, I may be more sensitive to these kinds of mistakes than your average bibliophile. However, readers looking for a quick and pleasurable read are hardly going to be thrilled when they find they must stumble their way through so many careless mistakes.
Jul 22, 2011 | Odds & Ends
Seeing Red. Claudia Ricci. 2010. Star Root Press.
In the novel Seeing Red by Claudi Ricci, readers follow Ronda on her adventures of love, passion and self-discovery. Sounds hokey and unoriginal on the surface, doesn’t it? But let me just say that Ronda has issues, and they are very interesting issues. Instead of pursuing a career in dance at the age of 19, Ronda got caught up in a relationship with her college professor, got married, and raised two boys.
Now 18 years later, Ronda is newly divorced and dealing with her sons’ transition into adulthood. Life is forcing her to examine her marriage, her unfaithfulness, and her changing relationship with her children.
At the same time she must come to terms with these changes and her own infidelity, Ronda finds a renewed passion for dance and gives herself over to the study of flamenco. However, her life takes a twist when her lover, Jesus, disappears in Spain.
With a book as artfully written as Seeing Red, it only takes a few pages to become immersed in Ronda’s world. For a time you won’t even know you’re reading; you’ll just feel like you’re there.
