Fire
And Shadow
Lily Evans Mystery Series
Book 2
Susan J McLeod
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Publisher: Imajin Books
Date of Publication:
October 10, 2012
ISBN: 1926997832
ASIN: B009P8NWWG
Number of pages: 152
Cover Artist: Ryan Doan
Book Description:
“When the dead need to
speak, she must listen…
Artist and Egyptologist Lily Evans struggles with her newly discovered psychic talents, while trying to get her life back to normal now that her mother is in a mental institution and the man Lily loves is far away in England. But "normal" is the last thing she finds.
When her best friend Katy takes her to a Celtic Faire, Lily meets a druid fortune-teller, who warns her that she can “never escape the Other.” Frightened and angry, Lily ignores his dire warning and stumbles across an eerie old portrait of a beautiful woman, who has something to tell her.
With the help of the enigmatic druid and his gifted friends, Lily embarks on a dangerous journey to unravel the mysteries of the portrait, the tarot card reader, an ancient book and whispers of witchcraft. She must discover the truth behind them all…or risk losing her very soul.
Artist and Egyptologist Lily Evans struggles with her newly discovered psychic talents, while trying to get her life back to normal now that her mother is in a mental institution and the man Lily loves is far away in England. But "normal" is the last thing she finds.
When her best friend Katy takes her to a Celtic Faire, Lily meets a druid fortune-teller, who warns her that she can “never escape the Other.” Frightened and angry, Lily ignores his dire warning and stumbles across an eerie old portrait of a beautiful woman, who has something to tell her.
With the help of the enigmatic druid and his gifted friends, Lily embarks on a dangerous journey to unravel the mysteries of the portrait, the tarot card reader, an ancient book and whispers of witchcraft. She must discover the truth behind them all…or risk losing her very soul.
My Review:
When I started reading this book, I didn't realize it was the second book in the series. The book referenced the back story from the first book several times and initially I felt a little bit lost. I quickly got into this story and decided that this book is well worth reading without having to pause and find the first book. It can be easily read as a stand alone book if you get past those first references to the other book.
I found the characters intriguing and wanted to keep reading to see what would end up happening with them I enjoyed the mix personalities and felt that they made the story more believable. There is the main character that is has went through some apparently horrible times with her mom trying to kill her, remembering a person's life from thousands of years before, and falling in love with someone other than her boyfriend. This all happened in the first book. This book starts off with her mom being in a insane asylum, her love being in a different country, and her then boyfriend now being an ex-boyfriend.With all that had happened, she has been seeing a therapist and taking pills that help her sleep and represses her psychic ability.
As you well know, psychic abilities never stay suppressed for long. That is where the book starts to really grab you. It all starts with a Druid reading her fortune, escalates when she first sets eyes on a painting of a woman, and really starts to intensify after a group of psychically gifted people get involved. I won't say more about the book, because I don't want to give too much away.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good, paranormal thriller. I was completely surprised by the characters' actions a few times in the story. Whenever I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was almost always mistaken. This was a fun book to read and I look forward to reading others by this author.
Prologue
They were coming
for her.
She, who burned in
the world like a flame, whose beauty drew all men, whose knowledge
was so powerful it had to be buried.
How could such a
life end in fire as well?
She should have
foreseen the danger, yet she had depended on love and laughed in the
face of hatred. She'd had time. She'd had her position and her man
and her power. The people could whisper and cross themselves as she
passed by, but did they not come to her for potions still? Did they
not seek help when their families or their animals ailed? Hypocrites
and cowards, all of them. Who would speak for her when the
unthinkable happened? Who would protect her in her own home? No one.
She was alone. Her
husband was away and could not fight for her. She could see the mob
approaching the house. Their malice was a palpable entity. The
madness in their eyes told her she was doomed. They broke down the
door and burst in, Reverend Lacy leading them, quoting scripture
while his parishioners chanted and prayed. The loathsome figure of
Amos Woodbine wielded his heavy walking stick, his face twisted in
triumph. For a moment, rage overcame her fear.
"Lecherous
dog! This is how you treat your own family? I swear, you shall not
long outlive this abomination." She pointed an accusing finger
at the crowd. "And the rest of you— what courage, what
character you possess. You bring a rabble against one small woman?
How proud you must be of your virtue."
Her dark eyes
flashed and she tossed her long, silky hair. More than one male heart
stirred. But there could be no stopping the mob now.
"Silence,
witch! You have worked your last evil upon this town." The
reverend twitched with excitement. "I consign thee to the depths
of Hell."
At this signal,
everyone threw their torches to the floor. The wood quickly began to
burn, aided by the oil in the lamps. She glanced about wildly,
seeking escape, but the cowards were blocking the doors and windows
from outside. Smoke began to fill the room. Although it was becoming
hard to breathe, she managed a last defiant shout. "Fools! You
cannot destroy me. I shall return."
The flames crept
closer, hungry for her flesh. She screamed with all her might. Then
she crumpled, unconscious, to the floor.
She awoke to
darkness. She was but a shadow now, lost in that dead world, yet not
wholly alone. Sometimes she could hear his voice— her husband's—
and it brought both joy and anguish. The man she had thought to spend
eternity with, their love reduced to memories and whispers.
"Rose? Where
are you?" His words were filled with longing and pain. "When
shall I see you again?" But she had no answer to comfort him.
Her only hope was
the portrait— her image on canvas, a gift from her husband. Into
the painting had gone his love and passion and a spark of the power
between them, a spark of her soul. It had been hidden carefully in
the attic of the old mansion. The precious book that was the
repository of her knowledge was secure as well. She and Jacob had
buried it only days before, after that mad preacher had first visited
their house. The book had been almost complete, but they had sensed
the animosity of the town growing. It had been best to take every
precaution to keep the family safe while they made their final plans.
Alas, she had not
believed the townspeople would strike so quickly. Jacob had been
hunting in the woods with the wolf, and when he returned, he'd found
their home a smoldering ruin. Before he could even grasp what had
happened, he was dead. Four shots from a townsman's gun finished the
murderous business of the day. But she would not lose him. Somehow
she would escape.
Her portrait was
discovered twenty-five years later by a new generation occupying the
old Woodbine homestead. Struck by its beauty, they hung it on the
wall with their other pictures. All were entranced by its magic, but
only one had the power to understand it. Lara, a sickly girl of
eleven, gazed often into the dark, painted eyes. Rose reached out and
touched her mind, trying to tell her tale. For a time, it seemed that
Lara would help. Rose tried to give her strength, but the frail child
succumbed to illness, and the family moved away.
Rose's portrait was
purchased by a merchant and carried into the next town. Over
countless years it passed from owner to owner, until at last it
returned to the blighted former home of murderer Amos Woodbine, the
identity of its subject long forgotten. But the spell it cast had not
lost its power.
The woman in charge
of what was now the Morrisville Museum was unnerved by the painting
and loaned it to an art gallery. Rose had waited for so long to find
the right connection. Now she could feel it.
Her time was
coming.
Susan J.. Fire
and Shadow (Kindle Locations 148-155). Imajin Books.
About
the Author:
Susan Jane McLeod has been
writing since she was seven years old. At age eleven she won a
county-wide essay contest and her professional career was launched.
By the time she was nineteen, her poetry had appeared in several
magazines, including American Girl
and Seventeen. She
also won an honorable mention in The Writer.
She grew up in Rochester,
New York, with three sisters and one brother. In her early thirties
she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given a 50-50 chance to
live. After two surgeries and chemotherapy, she is cancer free today.
She has worked at several
jobs ranging from a baby store to a research consultant, but her
favorite was managing a bookstore, surrounded by her passion:
literature. She is currently employed by a non-profit foundation that
runs Zara’s Center, a home for AIDS-impacted orphans in Zimbabwe.
Susan has published
several short stories and two novels. The first, Soul
and Shadow, is an award-winning paranormal
historical romance. The second, Fire and
Shadow, is classified as paranormal suspense.
Both books have been in Amazon Top 100 bestseller categories.
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I received a copy of this book for free to review for this tour. I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions stated are my own and were in no way influenced.
Thank you so much for hosting me Amanda! I'm glad you enjoyed the book!
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