Cyn

I would like to publicly thank Talia Ricci at Joyfully Reviewed for her review of Refugee.  You can read the full review at:

http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/refugee.html

She said:

Refugee by Lucynda Storey pushed my buttons big time.  I am a fan of the BDSM genre of novels but found Refugee hard to read simply for the fact that it was so real to me. I could see Amanda in the dungeon.  I could feel her fear.  I could imagine her craving Jack to dominate her.  For those facts alone, I could not put this book down until I finished the very last word.  I quietly fell in love with Jack simply because he was a good man.  He held my heart for the length of this book.  Amanda, while looking extremely gentle and unsure of herself, was the epitome of resilience.  Strong without being rough, I thought her smart and very sexy.  Her love for Jack was easy to see and I felt how much she cared for him as a man and a protector.

Refugee had a tremendous plot and storyline that held my attention and kept me riveted.  I thought it a most wonderful afternoon read.

For fun, take this little quiz (be sure to scroll down for all the questions) and see which Superhero you are

http://www.thesuperheroquiz.com/result.htm?a=65&b=50&...

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl 80% Green Lantern 70% Superman 65% Spider-Man 50% Wonder Woman 50% Catwoman 50% Robin 48% Iron Man 45% The Flash 35% Batman 30% Hulk 30%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Tragedy seems to be everywhere. The senseless deaths of children in our schools are especially difficult.

Life is ugly at times, no doubt about it. It's why I write romance. I'm bombarded already with so many words and images of horrendous events I don't want to add to the deepening pile.

Noel Griese of Southern Review thinks romance writers don't have a grip on reality because "They write in a world where heroines don’t have monthlies, never bloat, don’t have stretch marks and every ending is happy." Perhaps that would make romance writing palatable to Mr. Griese but I don't care to read or write about bloating and monthlies. I don't enjoy discussing or experiencing these events in real life so why on Earth would I write about them?

Of course, perhaps if I were male I wouldn't be subjected to such nonsense. In the very next article Mr. Griese lauds the efforts of a retired fireman, James H. Pasternak who released a romance, Flying Embers (Visual Horizons Publishing). In his article, Mr. Griese states the hero:

While wearing his tool belt, Blanchard notices that one of the young women - Skyler Hayze - may be different from the rest. He then divides his time between firefighting, his landlord duties and pursuing this woman who has caught his eye.

As Blanchard's relationship develops with Hayze, he learns about her friends, their character and what they will do to find true love, happiness and money.

Kudos to Mr. Pasternak for having his firefighting romance published. I know how hard it is to write a novel and praise all who've attempted and actually finished. To be read by others is even more of an honor.

Yet, this writer has to wonder if Noel Griese read Flying Embers and if so did he find mention of the bloating, monthlies, and stretch marks he feels missing from less legitimate romances?

While Reynardine is a werewolf story receiving a 4 star review from Romantic Times and Watchtowers: Water, a recommended read from Fallen Angels, features the son of Poseidon, the bulk of my stories are contemporary in nature. Refugee, my most recent release, is a story of recovery and Mistletoe Wish a story of forgiveness. Such themes are worthy of praise, not scorn.

Perhaps rescuing children, disrupting the South American drug cartels, overcoming religious prejudice and learning to trust are not valued themes to Mr. Griese. I only know, in a world with far too many negatives, stories with happy endings provide happiness and are a necessary escapism.

Désirent ardemment l'amour de phase et les fins heureuses (long live love and happy endings).

Lucynda