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Prologue London, England May 1817   "I sat across the table from the man I most admired, feeling self-conscious. How I wished I'd taken more time with my appearance. But my meeting with the housekeeper had run long, allowing me barely enough time to wash my face and repin my hair in a simple coil. I had planned to wear a new evening dress--but instead I'd slipped into the plain ivory gown I usually wore. It had far fewer fastenings." Bethany House http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com  

Merielle's parents live in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When Mireille, their daughter, son-in-law, Michael, and grandson, Christophe arrive for a visit, no one has any idea how their life will change. Later one psychologist will tell Mireille straight out that her life will never be the same again. On one fine day for an outing, Mireille, is kidnapped outside gates of her parents' mansion. The kidnappers will torture her with a laugh on their lips. As a matter of fact, she is gang raped over and over again. For me, it was very hard to read those beginning to middle pages. I can not describe what this poor woman lived through. When Mireille is set free, her battle at home is just as bad as the one led while in the presence of her captors. She is a different woman. Her family becomes different. How in the world do you treat a woman who has in many ways died? Her sister, Mona and the rest of the family have been raped too in their way. However, Mireille becomes angry when of them sta

"I was silent. I looked up into the sky, clear and blue, the sun high and bright. A flock of birds passed over head. I raided my arm high above my head. I wanted to grab hold of their dark feathers so they might lift me from the ground, take me away....The birds disappeared past the horizon. They left me. Nothing would take me away." http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com I finished The Heretic by Henry Vyner-Brooks. I also finished Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn. It's for a blog tour. So I haven't published it on the blog yet.   I am still working on My Little People by... It's very good information. It just takes a long time to read it because its like a reference work. It's not written like a novella. For that reason the subtitle might be misleading. I also finished Home for the Holidays by Rochelle Alers. It's my second holiday book for 2014.

Iris and Collier are falling in love while withstanding many problems in their relationship. Collier is home for the Christmas holidays. He is in the military. He has about two more years to go before retiring. However, the PTSD he suffers will be with him for much longer. It is painful to know he suffers with nightmares and flashbacks from the battlefield. It is far more painful to know that these ugly, brutal memories might separate him from the woman he loves, Iris. Iris also is fighting her demons. She has been in a marriage where she suffered Domestic violence. A strong memory is of a broken nose and dislocated jaw. When Collier jumps her one night like he might kill her, she draws away from him quickly. Although fighting in his sleep is not his fault, it's awfully frightening to the woman who is about to become his wife.  Collier is very understanding of her fears. He's a gentle man. It is interesting to find out whether these two fine people will be able to work o

I enjoyed this mystery by Elizabeth Flynn. The mystery involves the fashion world. The fashion world is pretty dramatic. Those times when fashion designers prepare models to walk down the catwalk can involve negative emotions like jealousy. Some designers go as far as stealing another designer's fashion designs. Kirsty is one of many women who dreams of becoming a model. Sadly, she is too short. She must find her place in another part of the fashion world. Like all young women along the way she falls in love and out of love. After Kirsty is strangled to death with a scarf, many people will say she was a playgirl going from one guy to another guy. Kirsty in Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn is more complicated than the solution to the mystery. I wasn't shocked by the findings of Angela, Gaz and the other detectives. What I couldn't figure out was the character of Kirsty. Although I never met a living Kirsty in the novel, Elizabeth Flynn does a fine job with the dead cha

"Darren set his mouth in the stubborn way that Sandra didn't like. "I ain't got no story," he said, thrusting out his chin. "I was at the gym all afternoon and that's all there is to it. And you came round here to break the news to me. That's only natural, it's no secret." http://www.fredasvoice.blogspot.com