Paradox III

Paradox III offers readers two vivid, heartwarming tales from authors Rosemary Laurey and J.C. Wilder.

The Shattered Stone by Rosemary Laurey

In The Shattered Stone Alys is an outlander. When her parents die during an outbreak of the plague, she is forced to face a future as a servant, or to try and make a future for herself. Setting out with little more than courage and heart, she comes across the path of Ranald ven Strad. Ranald is an envoy from the monarch. He has been sent on a mission, yet when he meets Alys he decides to combine his mission and the task of conducting her to safety. They forge a friendship along the way while at the same time trying to resist the desire that grows between them. What will happen when they make it to their final destination and the meaning of the shattered stone is revealed?

The Shattered Stone offers two characters that are filled with integrity and courage. The interaction between Alys and Ranald seems almost commonplace in its realism. Their emotions run the gamut while they are together. It is entertaining to see the underlying thoughts and desires that flare unbeknownst between them. The reader also has the added knowledge that there is more to both of them than they have revealed. Readers come to care for both Alys and Ranald and can’t help hoping that the end of their journey will not be the end of their relationship.

After the Rain by J.C. Wilder

J.C. Wilder seamlessly weaves the fairy world and the human world together in her work, After the Rain.

Li is a half-human, half-fairy woman in a fairy community. Li’s desire for something more than her current existence is a desire than any reader will be able to relate to. Her wish for more is looked down on by her family, and the subsequent reaction of her father and the town is brutal and had this reader wondering what the future would hold. When Li finds work in a human household as the keeper of the Evil Ones, she is relatively content. However, her work brings her into daily contact with a statue of Nikolaz of Riverhaven that causes her to think twice about her duties.

After the Rain is filled with emotion that will have readers hoping that Li will find what her heart desires. The treatment she receives will sadden readers, while also showing her strength of heart and will. The author weaves a tale that is full of characters and imagery. The twists within this story were a joy to read and culminated in a more than fitting ending for all the characters.

Both The Shattered Stone and After the Rain are short in length, but full of style and heart. In fact, this reader wasn’t ready for either story to end and will be looking for these authors’ next works.

Reviewed by: Amanda