Five A's and a D.: February 2013

Synopsis:

Michael and Emily are a happy and contented

English couple, a writer and a school teacher.

Their lives are complete when Emily falls pregnant,

however their dreams are shattered one cold

winter night by a car accident that robs

them of their happiness.

To overcome their loss they up stick and move to Eden Gardens, a US gated community that offers "Heaven on Earth and Twice as Nice". The people are warm and friendly and welcome them with open arms. The town is a beautiful throwback to a bygone age, where the sun always shines and the sky's always blue.

As they settle into their new perfect lives, the circle is complete when Emily falls pregnant. The town is perfect, the weather is perfect and their lives are perfect. But are the stares from their neighbours a little too intense, is the town a little too interested in their happy news, and is Eden all that it seems.

They are about to find out that paradise comes at a cost, and when you sign a lease, you should always check the fine print.

My Review:

Michael and Emily Torrence are an English couple looking for a fresh start after the loss of their unborn baby. Michael stumbles across some information about a little town in America called Eden Gardens. It claims to be “Heaven on earth, and twice as nice.” It seems like a wonderful place to live, so they sell most of their belongings and move to Eden Gardens to start their new lives.

After their arrival in Eden, Michael and Emily quickly get used to living life in their new home. They have a large beautiful home, and Emily has a job teaching at the elementary school. Michael is a writer and stays home to work. Everything is within walking distance. The town is always beautiful and clean. Everyone is extremely nice....maybe a little too nice.

Michael starts noticing little quirks and curious goings-on. Emily is so happy in their new home that she dismisses his claims as being the product of a writer’s overactive imagination. She becomes pregnant and begins to notice that her neighbors’ stares tend to linger a little too long. She and Michael begin looking into the town’s history, which is dark and twisted with mysterious disappearances and deaths. The town’s history catches up with them and they land in real trouble. The residents have plans for the Torrences and their unborn baby, and Michael in Emily weren’t included in the planning part.

Horrors and thrillers are not my usual genres. That being said, I found Gated to be a well-written book. I couldn’t stop reading it. There are so many twists and turns in the story that you don’t know which characters to trust. The author includes detailed accounts of the town’s history to help you understand a little bit more about Eden without giving away what will happen next. This story reels you in and keeps you on the hook. Drabble ended the book in such a way that you’ll be wanting to read more about Eden Gardens and the Torrences.

You can purchase Gated in Kindle Edition on Amazon for only $1.49!

HerStory

by Delaina M. Waldron

Synopsis

HerStory a novel by Delaina M. Waldron is a paranormal/thriller that takes the reader on a journey in the life of a young African slave woman named Ayira who has a dark secret. A dark secret she does not understand and is beyond her control.

Ayira can see the past and the future and she can also speak to the dead.

It is the beginning of slavery in America, a Native American tribe rescues Ayira and she struggles to balance her special powers and face her dark past to help the people around her.

Ayira must overcome her fears of her dark past, survive the present and accept her destiny to help prevent the Indian tribes fatal outcomes.

My Review

Ayira is an African woman who was sold into slavery. After she arrived in America and was sold to a slave owner, her group was attacked by Native Americans on the river. Ayira and the other slaves were taken to live in their village.

One of the elders of the Native American tribe had foreseen her coming. He knew she was there for a purpose. Ayira, however, was haunted by her past and by visions of the future, so she kept to herself. She rarely left her teepee and didn’t socialize with the members of the tribe if she could avoid it.

Ayira is a very intriguing character with secrets beyond her control. As the story progresses, more light is shed upon her secrets and the powers which she possesses. She must deal with the demons from her past who are haunting her as she learns how to use her gift to help the tribe.

I enjoyed HerStory. It was a great, quick read. Waldron does a wonderful job of keeping just enough secrets to keep you interested as the story progresses. She knows just when to give you a little more information to make you want to see what happens next.

Author Bio

Delaina M. Waldron is a Screenwriter, Novelist and freelance writer in her spare time. She wrote two feature length screenplays one of which was adapted to her novel "HerStory" and the other a comedy called "Ghetto Ghost Hunters" was a finalist in the 2011 Hollywood Screenwriting contest. She also wrote a short screenplay a thriller called "Peeper", which is currently in production.

Delaina M. Waldron is a single mother of one and is currently a city bus driver and a military veteran for the Army Reserves, based in New York City.

Website: www.herstorynovel.com

Twitter: @delainawaldron

Blog: http://delainawaldron.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/hello-world/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delaina-M-Waldron/227854963892903?ref=hl