2008-10-12

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 12:49 am

Walking in Two Worlds by Terry O’Reilly

First of all let me say that I like this book, is not what I was expecting but I like it.

It's an historical and this was not so clear reading the blurb. It's setting more or less at the end of the nineteen century, when Native Americans where pushed in reserves to let space to the settlers. Lee is a cowboy without a place: he likes men and he made the huge mistake to be discovered with another man; he lost his work and he was lucky to not lose his life. He wanders till he finds a nice place to set for the summer, a mountain plain near a lake. The very first day he also meets Tatanka, a Dakota who left his tribe for the same reason: Tatanka is a two spirits, he likes men. For the custom of his tribe he has two choice: being a warrior and marry a woman, or choosing to be a two spirits, and maybe being the second or third wife of a warrior; but if he chooses this second option, he will have to behave like a woman, dress as a woman and do the things of women. Tatanka is not a woman, he wants to be a man with a man, and so he chose to be alone, until he meets Lee.

They are happy during their summer, but with winter they need to make a choice. They first try to live with Tatanka's tribe, then in an English settlement: everytime they are men walking in two worlds, they never find the right place to live, where they can really stay together and love each other.

I like this book since probably for the first time I read both point of view of the two cultures. Usually the white man who was rejected from the civilized world, is embraced by the Native Americans who welcome him as a Two Spirits, a good sign for the village. But we never know how his life could be in that village. The theory of Walking in Two Worlds is more or less than in every world there is the right and the wrong, in every world Lee and Tatanka could live more or less without problem, but in neither world thay could be really what they are. In a world with structure and custom, they need to follow the rules settled before them, they need to respect others belief. If they are not ready to do so, they need to build their own world.

I like Tatanka, even if he is probably like the good savage our culture would like to find: a man with a strong culture, but with an open mind ready to listen to and accept other cultures; he is clever, but he is not a man of much word. He is more ready than Lee to follow his nature and his feelings, but he is also very cautious, and maybe a bit too bound to traditions. Lee maybe is more careless, but he is capable of great love; he is generous and friendly, maybe even a bit too much... he loves Tatanka, but he is not blind and he "sees" the other men.

All in all I believe that this is a very good western historical romance, don't know if it's historically accurate, but in the romance side it don't lack anything.

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/walking-in-two-worlds/prod_153.html

Amazon: Walking in Two Worlds
Amazon Kindle: Walking in Two Worlds
Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1468030094
ISBN-13: 978-1468030099

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Amanda Kelsey
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 12:49 am

Walking in Two Worlds by Terry O’Reilly

First of all let me say that I like this book, is not what I was expecting but I like it.

It's an historical and this was not so clear reading the blurb. It's setting more or less at the end of the nineteen century, when Native Americans where pushed in reserves to let space to the settlers. Lee is a cowboy without a place: he likes men and he made the huge mistake to be discovered with another man; he lost his work and he was lucky to not lose his life. He wanders till he finds a nice place to set for the summer, a mountain plain near a lake. The very first day he also meets Tatanka, a Dakota who left his tribe for the same reason: Tatanka is a two spirits, he likes men. For the custom of his tribe he has two choice: being a warrior and marry a woman, or choosing to be a two spirits, and maybe being the second or third wife of a warrior; but if he chooses this second option, he will have to behave like a woman, dress as a woman and do the things of women. Tatanka is not a woman, he wants to be a man with a man, and so he chose to be alone, until he meets Lee.

They are happy during their summer, but with winter they need to make a choice. They first try to live with Tatanka's tribe, then in an English settlement: everytime they are men walking in two worlds, they never find the right place to live, where they can really stay together and love each other.

I like this book since probably for the first time I read both point of view of the two cultures. Usually the white man who was rejected from the civilized world, is embraced by the Native Americans who welcome him as a Two Spirits, a good sign for the village. But we never know how his life could be in that village. The theory of Walking in Two Worlds is more or less than in every world there is the right and the wrong, in every world Lee and Tatanka could live more or less without problem, but in neither world thay could be really what they are. In a world with structure and custom, they need to follow the rules settled before them, they need to respect others belief. If they are not ready to do so, they need to build their own world.

I like Tatanka, even if he is probably like the good savage our culture would like to find: a man with a strong culture, but with an open mind ready to listen to and accept other cultures; he is clever, but he is not a man of much word. He is more ready than Lee to follow his nature and his feelings, but he is also very cautious, and maybe a bit too bound to traditions. Lee maybe is more careless, but he is capable of great love; he is generous and friendly, maybe even a bit too much... he loves Tatanka, but he is not blind and he "sees" the other men.

All in all I believe that this is a very good western historical romance, don't know if it's historically accurate, but in the romance side it don't lack anything.

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/walking-in-two-worlds/prod_153.html

Amazon Kindle: Walking in Two Worlds

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Amanda Kelsey
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 12:20 pm

Free questions meme

gacked from [livejournal.com profile] ashmedai 

Ask me a question about any/each of the following topics, no matter how rude, sexual, or confidential:

1. Friends
2. Sex
3. Music
4. Drugs
5. Love
6. LiveJournal
7. Something random

Then post this meme in your journal and see what questions you get asked! (Optional).
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 12:20 pm

Free questions meme

gacked from [livejournal.com profile] ashmedai 

Ask me a question about any/each of the following topics, no matter how rude, sexual, or confidential:

1. Friends
2. Sex
3. Music
4. Drugs
5. Love
6. LiveJournal
7. Something random

Then post this meme in your journal and see what questions you get asked! (Optional).
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 03:25 pm

Blood Bounty (Vampires Of Noctra 1) by Darcy Abriel

This a classical pirate story setting in the Caribbean sea of the nineteen century with a twist.

Dontè is a vampirate, a vampire captain with a crew of willing donor. All the sailor in his ship are also his lovers, and lovers among them; actually they live like in a new-flowers community :-), all beautiful men, with long braided hair and strong and hard bodies. Dontè is the only vampire and he is like a pater familias for his men, no one, even the more rebellious, will ever put on stake the captain's life.

Skye is a young English man, the disciple of a great and famous vampire hunter, and he volunteered for a suicidal mission: find and kill the infamous Captain Dontè Lucienne. Skye has some clear idea in mind, all the vampires are evil and he will kill all of them like they killed his parents. But Skye has never met a Caribbean vampire, a being who blends blood thirsty with blood lust.

There is a subtle but clear development in the story, the reader is expecting for Skye's fall into the lustful world of Dontè, and instead he would read of the slow seduction of Skye; like the old motto, Skye refusing to give up his body lures even more Dontè in his trap; the prey becomes the predator.

In this first book of the series, we probably know better Dontè than Skye, and this is another quite original switch: all in all the mysterious and dark character is not the vampire, but the vampire hunter; Skye reveals to have more hidden secret than Dontè, and when the book ends, Skye still remain an undiscovered territory.

I will wait for the second book in this series to know what Skye's decision will be.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/VON1BloodBounty.html

Amazon Kindle: Vampires Of Noctra: Blood Bounty
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (February 16, 2009)

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 03:25 pm

Blood Bounty (Vampires Of Noctra 1) by Darcy Abriel

This a classical pirate story setting in the Caribbean sea of the nineteen century with a twist.

Dontè is a vampirate, a vampire captain with a crew of willing donor. All the sailor in his ship are also his lovers, and lovers among them; actually they live like in a new-flowers community :-), all beautiful men, with long braided hair and strong and hard bodies. Dontè is the only vampire and he is like a pater familias for his men, no one, even the more rebellious, will ever put on stake the captain's life.

Skye is a young English man, the disciple of a great and famous vampire hunter, and he volunteered for a suicidal mission: find and kill the infamous Captain Dontè Lucienne. Skye has some clear idea in mind, all the vampires are evil and he will kill all of them like they killed his parents. But Skye has never met a Caribbean vampire, a being who blends blood thirsty with blood lust.

There is a subtle but clear development in the story, the reader is expecting for Skye's fall into the lustful world of Dontè, and instead he would read of the slow seduction of Skye; like the old motto, Skye refusing to give up his body lures even more Dontè in his trap; the prey becomes the predator.

In this first book of the series, we probably know better Dontè than Skye, and this is another quite original switch: all in all the mysterious and dark character is not the vampire, but the vampire hunter; Skye reveals to have more hidden secret than Dontè, and when the book ends, Skye still remain an undiscovered territory.

I will wait for the second book in this series to know what Skye's decision will be.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/VON1BloodBounty.html

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 09:50 pm

Around the World: Monasterboice

Sometime you click a pic and even realize what you have done. I remember that I was walking along this cemetery, outside the fence, and looking up I see this perfect angle: the irish cross with is rounded heart which fitted perfectly with the ruin of the tower behind; it's a play of superimposition, since the tower was a lot taller than the cross, but I was in a level below the cross itself and so... here is the result

 
by Elisa, Ireland, 1999:
http://www.elisarolle.com/travel/1999Ireland.htm

Unfortunately the light was not so good, it was a rainy day, and that little sun there was in front of me... but well I like the result nevertheless.

Monasterboice )
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-10-12 09:50 pm

Around the World: Monasterboice

Sometime you click a pic and even realize what you have done. I remember that I was walking along this cemetery, outside the fence, and looking up I see this perfect angle: the irish cross with is rounded heart which fitted perfectly with the ruin of the tower behind; it's a play of superimposition, since the tower was a lot taller than the cross, but I was in a level below the cross itself and so... here is the result

 
by Elisa, Ireland, 1999:
http://www.elisarolle.com/travel/1999Ireland.htm

Unfortunately the light was not so good, it was a rainy day, and that little sun there was in front of me... but well I like the result nevertheless.

Monasterboice )