#BookReview - A Bridge Across the Ocean

A Bridge Across the Ocean

By: Susan Meissner
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication Date: March 2017
ISBN: 9780451476005
Reviewed by: Diana Buss
Review Date: February 15, 2017

Brette Caslake was one of the females in her family to be given "The Sight." A gift that is only given to the women in the family, at random, The Sight is something that Brette tries her very best to ignore. This gift allows Brette to see drifters in the thin places between Earth and their afterlife, as a result of not being able to make it to the other side because of the fear of letting go. As the only living member of her family to have this gift, Brette has always felt alone and let very few people know of her ability, thanks to various mishaps in high school and college. Even her husband knows only the basics of her ability. It is only when the subject of children comes up that she freezes, as she could potentially pass on her gift to her daughter. With a promise to talk about what made her mother decide to have children while knowing the risks it could pose, he sets off on a business trip. Soon after, an old high school friend in need seeks her out for help for his daughter and leads her to answers she has always needed.

Simone Deveraux, the daughter of a shoe shiner, fell witness to her father and her brother’s murder as a result of being part of the Resistance during WWII. Upon a previous request from her father, she flees. In an effort to make sure no one sees her escape to the address her father had given her, Simone enters an old abandoned shop, where an awful event threatens to change the course of her life. She soon makes it to the address her father provided, where she is then taken to a winery in southern France, where she resides, and falls in love with an unlikely companion.

Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina, was also no stranger to wartime strife. After being forced to marry an abusive Nazi soldier who kept her cooped up in their apartment, she escapes to be with her childhood friend, Katrine. Annaliese lives with Katrine and has plans to move with her to America after Katrine marries an American. Things do not exactly work out the way that they are planned and these events leave Annaelise with a choice, what is right and what is wrong? What actions can be forgiven and what can not? Soon, these women are aboard the Queen Mary, a ship transporting war brides to America, to reunite with their husbands and begin their lives anew. But is one of them living a lie? Or are both of them? What actions are to be forgiven during a time of fear and war?

Even from the very beginning, I was hooked on A Bridge Across the Ocean. It is simple to get pulled deeply into the stories of Annaliese and Simone, as their pasts are haunting and filled with twists and turns that make you wonder what you would do in their situations. Brette and her Sight not only tie the stories together perfectly, but provide some extremely relatable thoughts and feelings. The different settings and times were separated perfectly and this ensured that the story did not become confusing to the reader. It was easy to differentiate the stories of the characters even when the story had just begun. As books like this are easily confusing at first, I was impressed that there was never a part of the book where I had to question what was going on.

Quill says: A Bridge Across the Ocean is the perfect historical fiction read for those who want to be thrown into a different place and time and challenged to put themselves in the characters' positions.

#BookReview - A Dog's Journey

A Dog's Journey

By: W. Bruce Cameron
Publisher: Forge Books
Publication Date: May 2013
ISBN: 978-0765330543
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: February 15, 2017

A Dog's Journey continues the story of a very special dog's soul, or essence, first told in the best-selling book A Dog's Purpose.

A quick recap from the first book: The reader is introduced to a puppy, Toby, who begins life as a feral dog, along with his littermates and mother. Toby's life is tragically cut short and then he is reborn, renamed, and lives a very full life in the body of another dog, with a different owner and a very different experience. The key is that Toby, or Bailey, or Ellie, or Buddy, as the dog is known through his various lives, remembers each previous life and experiences. As Bailey, the dog is loved by, and loves, a boy named Ethan and it is perhaps because of Ethan that the dog is reborn again and again as he searches for his special boy.

A Dog's Journey picks up right where the pervious book ended, with Buddy living in Ethan's home with his widow Hannah. Soon we meet other relatives, including Hannah's daughter-in-law Gloria, a woman who is basically a waste of oxygen. Self-centered and self-important, the only redeeming thing about her is that she has a delightful young daughter Clarity Jane. CJ, as she is soon called, is the focus of this book as the dog follows "his girl" through her life via several different dogs.
With the passing of Buddy, the dog is reborn as Molly, a poodle mix who is adopted by a now teenage CJ. The young girl has a terrible life with her mother Gloria, who brings a multitude of boyfriends through the house and finds that being a mother is just too much work. The only good things in CJ's life are her dog Molly and her best friend Trent. But things with Gloria go from bad to worse and CJ is forced to grow up much too fast. Molly and her other dog reincarnations do their best to help CJ and it is through her various dogs that CJ is finally able to find peace.

If you've read my review for A Dog's Purpose, you know that I loved that book and recommended it for all dog lovers. While A Dog's Journey is not quite as much of a page-turner, it was still a very enjoyable read. The main difference between the stories is that in the first book, the dog's various lives did not always intertwine with previous owners, making for very different adventures throughout the book, while in this book, the journey was all about CJ and the dog coming back repeatedly right into her life (with a little work on the dog's part to catch her attention). Regardless, there's no doubt that author W. Bruce Cameron has a talent for catching the essence of what a dog must be thinking and these thoughts, shared with the reader, are what captured the imagination and made the book a fun and quick read.

Quill says: While not quite as engaging as A Dog's Purpose, this second book is still very enjoyable and highly recommended for dog lovers.

Feathered Quill Sponsored Awards @ReaderViews

We'd like to thank the wonderful companies that have sponsored special awards in our annual award program. The authors who win these awards truly appreciate the extra recognition their books get, and we too, at Feathered Quill, really appreciate what these companies do to promote authors! Here are some of the sponsored awards:

The Write Companion Award for Best Overall TOP PICK - Adult, Children's and Young Adult categories: Originality is key. Falling into a stereotypical plot or character is difficult for an author. That is why this award is given to the author that makes that lasting impression. Based on pure originality, this award seeks the writers who - like Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas or Preston and Childs' inventive detective Aloysius Pendergast - have created a character who makes that lasting impression on readers. Do I smell sequel? The winner will receive marketing on all Amy Lignor's websites: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TWC, Pinterest, as well as a free consultation regarding their next book project. This comes with a free edit/polish/notes/suggestions of their next book. If there is not a project as of yet, the consult will be given to answer any author's questions when it comes to publishing, agencies, independent books, self-publishing - a conversation regarding the here and now of the industry that may help them in the future. - $250 value

ReaderViews Award for the Readers' Favorite - We will choose from the winners of all categories on the book for this award, based on Reviews Scores, Cover Design, and relevance to readers today. The winner will get a Publicity Package AA, which includes a Book Review, Live Interview and a one-week Feature on our Home page, Inside Scoop Live page and Newsletter. Plus one hour of online publicity consultation. - $385 value

Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity Award for Best Mystery - One professionally written press release with distribution. - $1000 value 

Five Star Publications Award for Best Children's Illustrated - A one hour- book consulting session - $200 value 

BestsellersWorld Award for Best Romance - This award includes an author page on the site and the book and synopsis added to the Featured Books page for 10 days. - $125 value

Award-Winning Books Get Free Ads On Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Winners of our annual award program all receive a free front-page ad on our website, www.featheredquill.com. The first batch of ads have been posted - check them out!  (If you visit the ads on featheredquill.com, clicking on each ad brings you to a page - Amazon or author's - where you can purchase the books.)

#BookReview - Rufus Finds a Home

Rufus Finds a Home

By: Theodore Jerome Cohen
Publisher: TJC Press
Publication Date: January 2017
ISBN: 978-1542691697
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: February 2017

Rufus is a beautiful golden retriever who lives with Charlie, a wonderful, caring man. Charlie loves his dog but the man is getting older and can no longer care for Rufus. What will happen to this special dog?

Rufus is full of energy and wants to play. He loves to chase sticks, go for long walks, and explore his surroundings. While Charlie would love to run around with his dog, the man has grown old and tired - he can't play fetch with his dog now. The two sit by a tree on a beautiful fall day, as Charlie worries about his dog. Soon Charlie will be moving to his daughter's house, and Rufus won't be able to follow his owner to the new home. Charlie remembers many of the fun times the two shared, but his thoughts keep returning to his dog's future. What will become of Rufus?

While the two friends sit quietly by the tree, a young boy comes up to Charlie. He asks the man about his dog - what's his name, can he do any tricks - and Charlie's face lights up. There's nothing he loves better than talking about Rufus. Charlie tells Jimmy about the tricks Rufus can do, how the dog went to doggie school and was a star pupil, and how Rufus helps around the house. Jimmy is quickly joined by his sister Heather, and their mother, and all three are intrigued by the beautiful golden retriever.

As Charlie talks about his dog, Heather notices that he is quite sad.

"Then why are you sad?" asked the boy's sister, Heather,
"A fine dog like Rufus should bring joy forever."


"I know," said the man, wiping tears from his eyes,
"but old age has taken my youth by surprise."


It's obvious that Jimmy and his family are loving people who adore Rufus. Will they be able to give the dog a new home?

While I've read and reviewed many dog stories that deal with rescues and finding homes for abandoned dogs, this is the first one that deals with a very difficult, but rarely discussed, topic of what happens when an elderly person is no longer able to care for their pet. Having to part with a beloved pet is hard for anybody, but for an elderly person who may have already lost a spouse, or other loved one, the event can be particularly stressful. Told in rhyme, with lovely photographs of Rufus that fit perfectly with each page's action, the story is easy to follow and heartwarming too. Rufus Finds a Home is a book that children will love to read, while it also educates them about how/why dogs sometimes need new homes.

Quill says: A difficult subject, tackled with sensitivity, makes Rufus Finds a Home a wonderful story and one children will enjoy and want to read over and over.

For further information on Rufus Finds a Home, please visit the author's website at: www.theodore-cohen-novels.com

FEATHERED QUILL BOOK AWARDS

Feathered Quill Book Reviews is excited to announce the winners of the 2017 award program.

Started in 2008 by a small group of dedicated, enthusiastic reviewers, Feathered Quill Book Reviews has become one of the preeminent review sites on the internet. In the summer of 2013, it opened submissions for the first annual award program, and since that time, the award program has grown substantially.  This year, Feathered Quill was honored by the large number of submissions, coming from around the world and from all types of publishers, from the one book self-publisher all the way up to the major New York houses. 

When submissions closed on December 15, 2016, the judges had the daunting task of reading a HUGE number of excellent books and trying to decide the best of the best.  Every book was read,  

every book was judged, and often it was a mere point or two that separated the winners from the ‘almost won’ books.

In addition to the prestige of winning a national award, all winning books have been listed in the Feathered Quill online bookstore, accessible from all pages of its review site, www.featheredquill.com.  Feathered Quill also offered numerous additional awards, sponsored by various publishing related companies, valued between $100 and $1000.  For a complete list of winners, please visit the award page, www.featheredquill.com/awardprogram.shtml, and click on ‘list of 2017 winners.’

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Feathered Quill #BookAwardWinners

It's official!!! All winners in the 2017 Feathered Quill Book Awards program have been notified. A listing of winners has just been posted to our site and we'll be featuring many of them in the coming weeks on our various social media sites. Congratulations to all the authors who had winning books. What an amazing batch of nominations we had this year!!!

Winners are listed on this page - open link to pdf of 2017 winners:

http://www.featheredquill.com/awardprogram.shtml