Step into the Wind by Bev Prescott

THE RAINBOW READER WELCOMES YOU TO A SPECIAL SEGMENT

With Special Guest Reviewer, BARRETT, author of DAMANGED IN SERVICE and  DEFYING GRAVITY

Book:  Step into the Wind

Author:  Bev Prescott

Publisher:  Blue Feather Books

For a kid growing up in the Midwest, every summer brought the opportunity of “going up north” for vacation. I believe there’s something magical about the north woods for children, as well as adults. Maybe it was the quiet or the sheer joy of being swallowed up by, what seemed like, endless acres of trees and lakes.

My family, like hundreds of others, packed the car before dawn to make the excruciatingly long drive to Northern Wisconsin. For two blissful weeks my brother and I led a carefree existence of swimming, running loose, picking blueberries, fishing, and capturing frogs.

When I was a little older, I had the chance to go to scout camp in Wild Rose, Wisconsin. Some of the memories are just as vivid today as they were then. It was my first time away from home and I met dozens of other girls enjoying a special week of coordinated recreation and learning. I also learned the wonder of “camp counselors” for the first time.

Author Bev Prescott’s new release, Step into the Wind, offers readers a peek behind the scenes of a landmark camp in the beautifully described town of Glasgow, Maine. The Marcotte Camp has been a rite of passage for decades for many lucky children. But with the death of their son, the beloved Marcotte family is self-destructing.

Alex Marcotte fled the town and her family after the tragic death of her twin brother. Finally, on the pretext of researching the wildfires in Maine, she returns to her hometown. Sadly, Alex carries with her the same emotional burdens that she had when she left. The psychological wreckage that, after so many years, continues to metastasize through the roots of her family, hooks her back in almost immediately.

A lifesaving distraction appears in the form of self-assured wildlife biologist named Zoe Kimball. Tasked with studying a very special pair of breeding eagles on an island owned by the camp, Zoe Kimball finds herself drawn into the vortex of a growing storm. Her attraction to Alex blooms, but it’s her rock solid courage and patience that bond her to the unmoored young woman.

At first glance, the story lines up to be a romance. And to be sure, the relationship between Zoe and Alex develops in halting steps. But the real story, from my perspective, is one of survival on many levels. Ms. Prescott has intricately woven a tapestry of back-story that involves not only the Marcotte family, but all of the colorful individuals who make up the saga.

The well-researched tale of the eagles and their offspring is gripping and enchanting. (It reminded me of Marlin Perkins and his Sunday night “Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom” television show). By the end of the story, I was truly hoping for a sequel about the baby eagles. 

Anyone who knows Bev Prescott, will understand her passion for the bounty of nature surrounding all of us. When you read her words, you will feel it.

Each character is drawn with the same meticulous attention to detail, and you’ll feel as though you know each one of them.

The pacing of the story moves quickly and evenly. I engaged early and had trouble finding a place to stop for the night. The only time I felt slowed, as a reader was midway through when Alex slipped into a dark space of self-analysis. Her emotional state is vital to understanding the story, but I understood that earlier.

There’s richness in the novel that resonates even after its finish. And it stems from the very title—Step into the Wind. It’s a matter of trust, it’s a matter of survival, and it’s a matter of seeing what’s in front of you. At one point, they discuss the remarkable vision of the eagles, the ability to spot their objective from hundreds of feet in the air.

Bev Prescott has given us a well-written story layered with some of her authentic observations that give her writing a rich satisfying ring of truth. I enjoyed my time in Glasgow, Maine and I’m sure I will revisit Step into the Wind soon. In the meantime, I will be paying  a lot more attention to birds nests.

My Soldier Too by Bev Prescott

Book:  My Soldier Too

Author:  Bev Prescott

Publisher:  Blue Feather Books, Ltd.

Before I get into my review of Bev Prescott’s delightful little debut, I feel compelled to do a little housekeeping:    

In light of all the recent press surrounding the $^%*!#@ jerks pretending to be lesbian bloggers, I want to clarify that I am a living, breathing dyke in good standing, and my lifetime membership fees are paid-in-full (credential number 0223-22-8822-5).  I have one toaster oven, two flannel shirts, and three dogs.  While I am wildly attracted to women with brilliant minds and a keen sense of humor, I’ll admit that I like a nice ass. And to be perfectly transparent; there's a strong likelihood that I will be dumbly transfixed by your cleavage, if it's on display.  Maybe that makes me a pig, but I’m an honest lesbian blogging pig with a good heart.

Okay, now on to the really important stuff, Bev Prescott has graced us with a sweet little debut novel, My Soldier Too.  Isabella Parisi has it all, she loves her job as a social worker with veterans at the VA; she has a handsome, if seriously oppressive boyfriend, and a tight Italian Catholic family.  Madison Brown is a dashing Captain in the Army Reserve, an Iraq War veteran, and a registered nurse who spends her reserve duty in the VA Clinic.  While neither is looking out for love, they find it when Madison rushes in to help Isabella up after she slips on the ice.  Of course, Isabella is straight and Madison refuses to have her heart broken. 

But true love never pays attention to those pesky little details. 

They push.  They pull.  They kiss.  They thrust.  They parry.  They get naked.  Things are looking up, until Daddy Parisi, the oppressive ex-boyfriend, and the Italian Catholic brothers see the girls canoodling on the pier in P’town.  Daddy goes berserk, and things start to unravel.  Isabella’s friend, the General, commits suicide and Madison gets orders to ship off to Afghanistan.  Isabella realizes she can’t be with Madison, and runs back to her family.  Madison, broken hearted, heads back into the war zone.  Isabella finally figures out who and what she really is, but it may be too late to get Madison back.

My Soldier Too is a story with many faces.  It’s part love-at-first-sight romance, part political statement on the cost of war and the state of our soldiers, part cautionary tale, and part declaration of truth.  I appreciate that both Isabella and Madison can recognize the attraction, and that they screw up the courage to take tiny steps to pursue it, even if they’re not really sure what they’re pursuing at first. 

I also appreciate the fear factor, which is oddly more for Madison than for Isabella.  I can perfectly understand that Madison is gun shy with her heart, especially when it comes to a straight woman with a boyfriend.  Isabella, though, isn’t really too awfully shocked or surprised that she’s having such strong feelings for a woman.  I guess this is always a bit of a sticking point for me – do straight women really just flip a switch, come to immediate terms with a same sex sexual relationship, and not obsess over what it means to their lives, career, and friends?

Don’t forget the, “Oh shit!  My brother, the Catholic priest, is absolutely going to wet his frock!!!”

And, to set the record straight, the brother who is a Catholic priest didn’t wet his starched little frock; he just joined the rest of the family in a sanctimonious sing-a-long.

Of course, there were some wonderful scenes in the book.  One of my absolute favorites was when Isabella tippled too many appletinis, ended up getting her butch on, and accosted Madison at the dance club.  Well, technically, she didn’t really accost her, but she was a tad more firm and direct.  Anyway, given the force of the adult beverages, Isabella and Madison end up in a near compromising position, and both sets of friends converge, thinking their respective girl isn’t being treated right.  I loved that the two sets of friends nearly got into a brawl.  That was a beautiful, clever piece of writing.

GRRRLLL FIIIIGHT!!!!!!   Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about.

This next part is hard to write about without giving too much of the ending away, but I’ll try:  When Madison was injured in Afghanistan, I cried like a baby. 

The kind with uncontrollable blubbering, guttural sobbing, and lingering eye puffiness. 

But, the book ended too soon.  While Isabella and Madison fell in love at first sight and fought a brigade of demons to be together in the end, so much growth and depth had to have happened during the months and months of recovery and rehabilitation.  Those are some of the hardest times any couple, no matter how much they love one another, will ever go through in life.  We certainly didn’t need ten chapters of detail, but I felt a bit cheated that I didn’t get to see the maturation of their relationship through at least some of it.

And that’s not a criticism, so much as a friendly observation from a hopeless romantic.

My Soldier Too is a book that sticks with you.  Not so much for the romance, but more for the wicked combination to the gut.  The parts that sting and linger are the ones dealing with the mental, physical, and emotional injuries to the soldiers, the devastation to the families, and the price paid by warriors with one foot in the closet and the other on an IED. Some day, the American War Machine will figure out that blood is red, bravery is courageous, and love is omnipotent.  Until then, authors like Bev Prescott will keep reminding us, one book at a time.

I’m giving My Soldier Too a 4.6 out of 6 on the Rainbow Scale.  It’s a solid debut for a new author, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else she has up her sleeve.

Two for the Show by Chris Paynter

Book:  Two for the Show

Author:  Chris Paynter

Publisher:  Blue Feather Books, Ltd.

When I found out that Two for the Show had hit the bookshelves earlier this month, I pulled out my happy little Snoopy dance, and shook my moneymaker until even the Husky puppy looked at me like I’d peed on one too many bushes.

[Insert brusque throat clearing]  Suffice to say, I was quite pleased.

See, I’ve always been a firm believer that while it may only take a few hours or days to read a book, the really, really good ones percolate inside of you for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. 

In all honesty, I only read Playing for First, the series kickoff, in April, so I’m still mentally playing pitch and catch with the story elements and the characters. But, I’m happy that the timing worked out, and Two for the Show was published when it was – it’s allowed me to quickly become reacquainted with Chris Paynter’s well-drawn characters, and to put some active thought back on this storyline, which explores a variety of issues, not the least of which are vulnerability, trust, and empowerment.

Two for the Show focuses on the lives, loves, and careers of Lisa Collins and Amy Perry.  These friends and former lovers are both in good places.  Their careers are on a well-deserved roll, and they both have met the loves of their lives.  Within a matter of weeks, both Lisa and Amy get called up to The Show.  Lisa takes over the coveted role as the MajorLeague.com reporter for the Cincinnati Reds, and Amy is called up from Triple A to take over as the starting First Baseman.  Of course, Life is never fair, and soon Lisa and her lover, Frankie, are facing a possible recurrence of Frankie’s breast cancer; while Amy and her partner, Stacy, are dealing with the failing health and passing of Amy’s mother. 

Both Frankie and Amy withdraw from their partners and their friends as they fight their personal demons, and struggle to control and ignore overwhelming feelings of loss and abandonment.  Of course, Two for the Show addresses several themes, and one of the most powerful is that of friendship and trust.  It’s hard work, but both friends and couples eventually come to realize that while love isn’t always easy, it is worth the bare-knuckle, bench-clearing brawl to save it.

Oh.  Okay.  I thought the book was, uh, about baseball . . .

The book is about baseball.  However, Ms. Paynter really uses the game as more of a zippy little helmet-shaped cart to shuttle the characters between various points in the narrative .  Earlier, I mentioned that I considered the story more a study on the issues of vulnerability, trust, and empowerment in life, love, and careers, than anything else . . .

Hold on, let me grab a chair and a cold drink, sounds like this is going to take a while.

Not really, I don’t want to go into a dissertation on the subject, because I could never do justice to this artfully drawn storyline.  However, my point is, raise your hand if you’ve ever started a new job, moved to a new city, faced your own mortality or that of someone you adore, or been in any relationship where you didn’t feel just the teeniest, tiniest bit exposed. 

Yup, thought so. And that’s why the book works on so many levels.

The characters in this series are brilliant.  Lisa is smart, solid, loyal, and knows more about baseball than anyone I’ve ever met.  Amy is quiet, shy, humble, and a total jock.  Frankie has an inner strength and confidence, but a fear that is deep and raw.  Stacy is honest and sweet, but will not compromise herself or her needs.  Nick Sanders is the wily veteran, and a quiet rock when Amy’s world starts to tilt.  And, then there’s Sarah, the Press Box Yoda, who really just needs a good woman in her life. 

And speaking of Sarah, for such a rich, interesting character that has been so vital in such subtle ways in both Playing for First and Two for the Show, what really is her ultimate role?  Will she always be the bit character that swoops in when none of the other main characters can complete the scene?  Or, are we being set up with the odd and occasional pieces of her back story for more down the line?  Just wondering, because I always find myself enjoying her role and wanting more, more, more.

I’ve developed a huge respect for Chris Paynter.  There is so much to like about her simple, careful and well-conceived themes; the way she sprinkles subtle bits of humor and pathos into the mix; the story behind the story, and the very human, un-superhero characters.  The book is about more than women in love, breaking the gender barriers in the last great bastion of manliness, the creased, ugly faces of discrimination and hatred, or the crushing pain of fear and loss. 

The book is about learning it's okay to be vulnerable with your friends and yourself, to trust even when you can't see where you are, and to do whatever you have to do, no matter how hard it is, to get where you want to be.

And I love that most of all.

This book had me smiling, swiping away tears, feeling proud to be a woman, and ultimately anxious to find out what happens in the third book. I’m giving Two for the Show a 5.3 out of 6 on the Rainbow Scale. 

More, please.