#BookReview — God’s in the Garden by Cory B. Scott #memoir #ChristianInspiration

God’s in the Garden

By Cory B. Scott

An exhilarating memoir about one man’s journey through physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse to find his inspiring personal awakening.

Shaken by the loss of his mother, drained by his pursuit of a doctoral degree, and conflicted over his experience with illegal and unethical activities in religious organizations, Dr. Scott found himself questioning everything he had been raised to believe.  This questioning sends him spiralling down a dark rabbit hole into a new world he never knew existed.

Through original artwork, creative writing, and rigorously honest introspection. Dr. Scott take us all on a journey into the dark places that separate us from unfiltered truth.

"Love is the truth, religion is the lie, the great misdirect. It takes the truth and molds it to self- serving principles, doctrines, and rules. They threaten you with hell as if a God made of love would allow his loved to burn." 

There are many passages I could have taken from God is in the Garden by Cory B. Scott, but having spent my own childhood fearing I would somehow displease God because of my very human fallibilities, this is a passage that really struck a chord. How can a benevolent, omnipotent God, hang the torment of eternity in Hell, and yet still be called all-loving? It is a paradox and one that Scott explores in this frank, honest, and remarkable book.

Scott takes his readers on a very personal journey, where he explores his beginnings, and the abuse he endured by those who hid their true selves in the darkest shadows of institutional religion. Scott is unfailingly honest, which at times can make this book an emotional rollercoaster, and it did leave me in tears on more than one occasion. The doubts, the confusion that Scott talks about as he looks back on his life is a familiar story which most of us, unfortunately, would recognise. Scott does not shy away from who he is, and where he has been, and what he has done, which makes this book all the more hard-hitting. At the same time, however, Scott gives his readers hope. Hope that they too can find their way back to God and his Garden.

Scott's message is clear and concise, and easy to understand because of his use of stories, parables if you will. His story about a child at Sunday School whose curiosity and questions were squashed by an adult who was not qualified, as no one really is, to interpret how we should praise God was very moving. I think Scott made his point admirably when he stated:

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." With that in mind, maybe the children should be teaching Sunday school to the adults.

Would God really set his people up to fail? Scott asks. When you come away from the religious doctrine, then questions such as this one makes one pause and consider. However, as Scott stated, it is incredibly challenging to let go of the concepts and the "truths" that have been drummed into our minds so very early on in our lives, and not always done positively — especially when the threat of Hell is used to force obedience. No wonder the relationship many people have with God is corrupted, no wonder so many turn their backs on him — but what we forget, as Scott reminds us, is that God isn't the problem. Scott urges us to think for ourselves and to connect with God in our own way. Is it right for good people to fear that they will go to Hell because they have stumbled in life — made a mistake, made a wrong choice? How is this right? Scott says it is not. Another question that Scott asks is, can we only find God in the Bible? And then he reminds us that this book's contents were agreed upon not by God, but by the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. It is a sobering thought, indeed. Society has come along way since that first Council of Nicaea. Still, religion it seems has not kept pace as it drags its feet with regards to equality and tolerance, and let's not forget empathy.

Scott dares to argue that God cannot be all-loving and all-hating at the same time. Scott also dares to suggest that the Bible is not the word of God, it is written by man, and we must never forget that. Scott does not, however, dismiss God in a way shape or form, he is steadfast in his beliefs of this mighty celestial being, but what he questions is how religion is used as a tool to control minds and assure obedience. We are the sheep, and the shepherds (the religious leaders) are not really shepherds at all, and some of them are the wolves, or the serpent, sent to lead us away from God. There was, after all, only one Good Shephard — anything else is a poor and sometimes very dangerous imitation.

Some times self-help, self-enlightening books, can be rather dry and somewhat heavy in the delivery, but this is not so in Scott's book. What is also different about God's in the Garden, is that Scott does not pretend to have all the answers, but he wants his readers to awaken, to realise that there is a way back to the God they knew as a young child before religion got a hold of them. 

Some who read this book will take offence at the arguments Scott puts forwards, which is totally understandable, and nothing can be done about their displeasure. But, if you read this book with an open mind, then you can take a lot away from it. This is the kind of book I wish I had read twenty years ago.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy of

God’s in the Garden

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Cory B. Scott

Dr. Cory B. Scott has had an adventurous career that has afforded him the honor of such titles as, Doctor, Deputy, Lieutenant, Director, Executive, Reverend, and finally, his true passion, Professor. But those were just titles; He is really just, Daddy, Husband, Brother, Friend, Uncle, Mentor, writer, and finally, in 2019, he was awarded his true love, Grandpa. Cory has survived some devastating and tragic events along his path as well as some personal failures. These experiences have given him deep insight and a desire to help others overcome personal obstacles and transform their tragedies into strength and hope.

Cory weaves original artwork, poetry, and stories in an incredible memoir titled, "God's in the Garden." This book captures the essence of a survivor's journey through abuse, pain, loss, betrayal, and enlightenment. Cory is the author of the "Inspiring, Metaphoric, and Psychedelic Stories of Oopy Loopy Provenance." A series of stand-alone stories set in the murky provenances of the heart and the human condition. These adventures explore the depths of our humanity. These crafty works are designed to inspire and help the reader use the power of metaphor to identify and overcome common hang-ups that hold us back from enjoying this life and reaching our full potential.

Connect with Cory: Website • Twitter.

#BookReview — Heir to a Prophecy by Mercedes Rochelle #HistoricalFiction #Macbeth

Heir to a Prophecy

By Mercedes Rochelle

Shakespeare's Witches tell Banquo, "Thou Shalt 'Get Kings Though Thou Be None". Though Banquo is murdered, his son Fleance gets away. What happened to Fleance? What Kings?

The road to kingship had a most inauspicious beginning, and we follow Fleance into exile and death, passing the Witches' prophecy to his son Walter. Born on the wrong side of the blanket and raised in disgrace, Walter was caught inside of a destiny he barely understood. In an effort to untangle Banquo's murder and honor his lineage, Walter moved through events that shaped the course of England and Scotland. His relationships with the great men of his time drove his destiny: Harold Godwineson, Alain of Brittany and finally Malcolm III. After a long and treacherous journey through Wales, England, and France, Walter fulfilled the witches’ prophecy as the first Steward of Scotland and ancestor of James I—for whom Shakespeare wrote Macbeth.

"I've come to help avenge Banquo's death."

Malcolm smiled sadly. "Then you shall not leave my side until it is done."

Walter knew nothing of his ancestry, only that he was illegitimate and his grandfather, Gruffydd ap Llewelyn, had cast out his daughter, Walter's mother, Nesta, and murdered Fleance, Walter's father. Walter knew nothing of his father's past until he was visited by three mysterious old women, who spoke of prophecy and destinies and other such dangerous things.

Walter has two choices. He could ignore the old hags and live the life he wanted. Or, he could take heed of their warning and follow the path they laid out before him and become The First Stuart of Scotland.

From a desperate escape from assassins to the crowning of the rightful King of Scotland, Heir to a Prophecy by Mercedes Rochelle is the utterly compelling story of how Banquo's grandson paved the way for a generation of kings.

Those who have read Shakespeare's infamous Scottish play will be familiar with brave and valiant Banquo, who like Macbeth failed to understand the cost of the weird women's prophecy, nor was he prepared for the ugly realisation that if he were indeed the father of kings then Macbeth, his dearest friend, would become a dagger hidden in the shadows of the night. *"Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly," Banquo cried if you recall, for the instruments of darkness so often tell the truth, and thus Banquo dies. Rochelle has picked up the story from that remarkable play and has taken her readers with good Fleance as he flees for his life. But how did Banquo's son go on to father the Stuart dynasty? In this remarkable work of Historical Fiction, Rochelle has presented her readers with a plausible answer but without losing the essence, the superstition and the mythical element that is so prevalent in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Rochelle has stuck with tradition and allowed the Three Witches to control the narrative and, of course, toy with the protagonists. By doing this, Rochelle has not only captured the very essence of Shakespeare's play, but she has given us a story that is rich and vibrant and utterly compelling from start to finish. Heir to a Prophecy is the type of book that one will forego sleep to finish, and it is also one that would be next to impossible to forget. 

Although Heir to a Prophecy opens with Banquo's death and Fleance's subsequent flight to Wales, it is Fleance's son, Walter, whose story this really is. Born a bastard, Walter is on first encounter, seemingly inconsequential. He comes from nothing. He is nobody. His mother, Princess Nesta, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn, had been thrown unceremoniously from Court and has been disowned by her family because of her love affair with Fleance. With a tremendous strength of spirit and a dogged determined to battle on, Nesta makes the best of a bad situation. I adored Nesta. She has such capacity for love and is yet used so cruelly by her father. His disappointment, his anger, leaves no room for reason. Lost and alone, without her lover, Nesta is determined to bring up her child the best way she can. How can you not admire such a character for that?

Walter is a troubled youth. He knows nothing of his father's heritage until the night he encounters the same three women who had visited his grandfather and King Macbeth in a heath near Forres. Unlike, Macbeth, Walter does not want to hear the weird women's prophecy, nor does he want to heed it, although he has sense enough to fear it. We, lucky readers, witness Walter's struggle with who he is and what he has seen. We watch him become a temperamental youth to a knight of honour. We follow him in battle and love. We watch him become the man he was destined to be. I thought Rochelle really nailed Walter's characterisation. He isn't this elevated man of goodness who his grandfather is portrayed as being. Walter makes terrible mistakes and conscientious decisions which have consequences — consequences that he is willing to answer. Walter is an incredibly complex character who has many layers which makes him endlessly fascinating. He is a fantastic protagonist who drives this story forward. It was an absolute pleasure, nay privilege, to read his story.

As one would expect from this time, there are, along with Walter, a host of historical characters. From Malcolm III Canmore: King of Scotland to the bastard Norman, William the Conqueror. All of these historical characters bring something unique to the narrative. Malcolm was a character who I liked very much, whereas William — he certainly knew how to plan a battle. Rochelle pens historical figures such as Harold Godwinson with an elegant sweep of her quill. Rochelle has breathed life into this vast cast of historical figures, and she has portrayed them in a remarkably realistic way — paying close attention, of course, to the historical sources from this time. I thought the portrayal of all the characters I encountered in this novel was brilliantly executed.  

The historical scope of this book is vast. This was a time of warriors and kings, where the fate of a nation was decided upon a battlefield, as was petty grievances. Heir to a Prophecy is at times incredibly violent as war plays out between the pages. When it comes to battle scenes they can either make or break a book — Rochelle has captured the desperation, the fear, the sights, the smells, the abject terror and the anticlimactic relief when it was all over. The battle scenes are brilliantly portrayed in this novel. Rochelle has painted a very vivid picture of war and what it was like during the 11th Century. Kudos Ms Rochelle. Kudos indeed.

With a nod to Shakespeare, and with a keen sense of the era and the people that dominated it, Rochelle has presented her readers with a book that is immensely readable and thoroughly entertaining. Reading Heir to a Prophecy is like taking a spontaneous trip through time to a dark and dangerous past where heroes were born, and legends were made.

If you are looking for your next great Historical Fiction read, then look no further than Heir to a Prophecy by Mercedes Rochelle, for within the pages of this book you will witness exiled friends fight for the right to return home. And you will stand shoulder to shoulder, and you will finally cry *"Hail, King of Scotland!"

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

The Coffee Pot Book Club.

* Shakespeare,William — Macbeth Act 3, Scene 3 (Wordsworth Limited Edition 1996)

* Shakespare, William — Macbeth Act 5, Scene 8 (Wordsworth Limited Edition 1996)

Pick up your copy of

Heir to a Prophecy

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Mercedes Rochelle

Born in St. Louis MO with a degree from University of Missouri, Mercedes Rochelle learned about living history as a re-enactor and has been enamored with historical fiction ever since. A move to New York to do research and two careers ensued, but writing fiction remains her primary vocation. She lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

Connect with Mercedes: Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter

#BookReview — Coliseum Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #3) by Shami Stovall #YoungAdult #Fantasy

Coliseum Arcanist

(Frith Chronicles #3)

By Shami Stovall

Adventure. Competition. A duel to the death.

While on a journey to the famous city of Thronehold, Volke Savan learns of the Sovereign Dragon Tournament. The massive celebration involves hundreds of arcanists competing for fame and glory, and Volke is determined to win.

Dark forces dwell in the city, however, and rumors of the legendary world serpent spread amongst the shadows. Whoever bonds with a god-like mystical creature will gain magic beyond compare, and the queen’s guards suspect cutthroats will use the chaos of the tournament to hide their plotting.

Unsure of who to trust, Volke investigates the terrible rumors while advancing in the ranks of the tournament. Unfortunately, the true villain may be closer than he realizes…

"Dark times are coming, and we will only survive the changes of our era if we unite our strength against common evils..."

If greatness was forged in the flames of adversity, then the arcanists of The Frith Guild were indeed, great, for their adversities were many, as was, it seemed, their enemies. And now, there was a rumour that a World Serpent, a legendary eldrin, a god-like creature, had spawned, which meant that a fundamental change to magic had transpired. It was feared that the Second Ascension was close at hand.

This was a dangerous time, not only because of the plague that drove both the eldron and their arcanists insane but also because whoever bonded with the World Serpent would have unimaginable power — he would become God-like. It would also signal the end of everything they knew. The Frith Guild had to find the World Serpent before it fell into the wrong hands.

Apprenticed to the infamous Master Zelfree, sixteen-year-old, Volke Savan's life had been dramatically changed when he had bonded with Luthair, a dark and seemingly sinister sentient creature known as a Knightmare. Volke had grown up with stories of the arcanists, and he had dreamt of becoming one. However, he was no longer that naive young man who dealt in dreams. The plague had utterly vanquished Volke's boyhood hero, Gregory Ruma, and Volke had also come face-to-face with his adopted sister's adversary — Dread Pirate Calisto. And now there was this new and terrible threat. If the World Serpent bonded with the wrong person, then this life would be over, forever, for everyone. Volke and his fellow apprentice would travel with The Frith Guild to Thronehold, the capital of the Argo Empire, in search of answers.

But when The Frith Guild finally arrived at Thornehold, they discovered that a new Sovereign Dragon had been born, and the city was preparing for The Sovereign Dragon Tournament. With so many arcanists drawn to the tournament with its promises of prestige and riches, tracking down those who were responsible for the terrible plague and the birth of the World Serpent would be near on impossible. The members of The Frith Guild feared that there would be nothing they could do to stop the Second Ascension.

There is magic. There is adventure. There is romance. Coliseum Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #3) by Shami Stovall is a Young Adult Fantasy triumph in every way. The narrative is mesmerising. The prose is enchanting. Having read the first two books in this series, I was expecting something very magical in this, the third book. Stovall has nailed it. This novel is spellbinding. Once I started, I knew there was no way I was going to put this book down. It is utterly enthralling from start to finish.

As with the other books, this story is told from Volke's perspective. We see everything that he sees. We are privy to his emotions, which gave this book a lovely intimate feel. Volke is a wonderful protagonist who is not only honourable and kind, but he is also very principled. He is not swayed from the path that he has chosen, and nor will his mind be turned against those he admires because of whispered rumours and murmured accusations. Volke is also always willing to give people a chance. His treatment of Fain, a reformed pirate, is a classic example of how he embraces those who others shy away from. Volke doesn't like the idea of someone feeling like they don't belong, and he goes out of his way to help Fain find a place for himself within The Frith Guild. Volke is in all ways, a very admirable, protagonists, and also one that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about. 

The Sovereign Dragon Tournament is a once in a lifetime tournament, and Stovall has given her readers front row seats to this wondrous, violent, magical event. And because of this tournament, Stovall introduces her readers to a vast array of sentient creatures, each one with unique characteristics and abilities. I thought the way Stovall chose to approach how she described all these creatures was incredibly clever. Volke borrows a book from his dear friend, Adelgis', father. This book is an encyclopedia of knowledge in regards to these creatures, and it holds just the right information, to give the reader an idea of the creature that Volke is studying. This approach worked really well, and it certainly made imagining these creatures almost effortless.

I have to mention Adelgis Venrover. Adelgis is a very gentle, very empathetic soul who has spent his life trying to make his father proud. His father is in all ways a narcissist — he is a cold, single-minded academic who will happily experiment on his children. Stovall has introduced her readers to some terrible psychopathic characters in this series, but for me, Theasin Venrover is the one character that I despised the most. The way he treated Adelgis was truly horrendous, and I just wanted to wrap my arms around Adelgish and give him a great big hug, because he is such a deserving character and one so immensely likeable. I was so relieved that he had Volke in his corner because he desperately needed that sort of friend.

Coliseum Arcanist answers so many of the questions that arose in the previous two books, but it also poses a few more, the most pressing one being, what will become of Volke and this wonderfully magical world now that evil has been let loose?

I really hope that Stovall does not stop the adventure with this book because I am not quite ready to walk away from these characters just yet.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy of

Coliseum Arcanist

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Shami Stovall

Shami Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrills to fantasy to science-fiction. Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories, and writing about herself in the third person.

Connect with Shami: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads.

#BooReview — The Occupation by Deborah Swift #HistoricalFiction #WW2

The Occupation

By Deborah Swift

One woman’s secret war against the Nazis.

One man’s war against himself…

1940, Jersey

When Nazi forces occupy Jersey in the English Channel Islands, Céline Huber, who is married to a German, must decide where her loyalty lies.

Love for her island, and fear for her Jewish friend Rachel, soon propel her into a dangerous double life.

Meanwhile, Céline’s husband Fred is conscripted into the Wehrmacht in occupied France.

Horrified by Nazi acts of atrocity and torture, he soon becomes a double agent for the French Resistance.

But when things go wrong, and his Nazi masters discover his true allegiance, he finds he has the whole of the German Army on his tail.

How far will Céline go for her best friend?

Will Fred make his way home to her?
Or will their lives be changed forever by the brutality of war?

"They won't come here. The Jersey Evening Post says these islands are not worth conquering. At least, not unless Hitler wants an ice-cream and a ride on a donkey."

But come they did, and they occupied the Channel Islands in far greater numbers than the tourists ever had. The British had tried to evacuate the islands, of course, before Churchill demilitarised it, but there were not enough boats for everyone. For Céline Huber, there was nothing to be done other than endure the occupation. As for Céline's best friend, Rachel Cohen would spend the next five years in hiding, for Rachel was a Jew, and everyone had heard the rumours about the camps the Jews were sent to.

Céline's husband, Siegfried "Fred" Huber's war was very different from that of his wife's. For Fred was German, and he had been conscripted into the German Army. Fred knew nothing about war. He was a pâtissier, a baker. He feared he would never survive the front, and he would never see his beloved Céline again. However, Fred's war would not be fought at the front, and surprisingly, nor would it be fought for Germany.

From a beautiful summer’s day spent on one of Jersey's sandcastle-perfect beaches to the day Céline learns the truth about her husband's war, The Occupation by Deborah Swift is the heartbreakingly poignant story of one young couple whose lives are irrevocably changed forever by the outbreak of World War 2.

Initially, The Occupation by Debora Swift was published as a short -story in The Darkest Hour: WWII Tales of Resistance, which was in aid of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC in 2019, and it was in that anthology that I first read it. Swift decided to republish this book as a full-length novel, and I have been on tenterhooks waiting to read it.

The Occupation is a tender exploration of what life was like for the islanders as they suffered five very long years under German military occupation during World War 2. With an impressively sweeping narrative and beautifully presented prose, Swift has bestowed upon her readers a book that is as majestic as it is brilliant. I am so glad Swift decided to relaunch this novel because it is an utterly enchanting, heart-rending tale, of war, occupation, friendship, and love.

The Occupation isn't a story of good verse evil — although there is plenty of evil to go around — it is instead an exploration of the human soul. How often can you look away from unimaginable suffering? What would you risk to save someone you cared about? How quick are you to judge your neighbour? And are you really a traitor if you dare to stand up and fight for the persecuted? All of these questions, Swift asks her readers through the actions of her protagonists.

The Channel Islands have always held a special place in my heart, and even today the fortifications can still be found on the islands — a sinister reminder of The Atlantic Wall. The story about the war from the islanders’ perspective is not unique, but it is indeed rare, and to find a story that has captured the very essences of the community during this era is a real treat. I felt like I was back on Jersey, only many years before my time!

Céline Huber is a wonderful heroine. Her story is one of hardship, suffering, heartache, and abuse. However, Céline endured everything that befalls her with grace and a tenacious belief that no matter how hard it gets, no matter how awful her life is, one day the mines will be cleared from the beaches and will be replaced by sandcastles. Her loyalty to her friend, Rachel, is absolute. She will do anything. She will bear everything if it keeps Rachel from falling into enemy hands. I thought Swift really surpassed herself with Céline's depiction. Her character is so very vivid in the telling and so very brave. This is a protagonist that a reader can really get behind.

What was there not to love about Fred Huber? Fred didn't want to go to war. He loves his wife to distraction, and he just wants to be back in Jersey, with Céline safely held in his arms. But as much as he longs for an end of a war, for a return of normality, the first thing he has to do is survive. But unlike the majority of men who felt they had no choice but to obey orders, Fred dares to think for himself. Placed as a spy in war-torn Paris to root out the leaders of La Résistance, Fred faces some tough decisions — does he stay faithful to the Fatherland, or not? As well as a spy, Fred is a translator and some of the things he is asked to translate freezes his heart and makes it easier to come to a decision. He thought he was a patriot, but Germany, under the Nazi regime, is going down a road Fred cannot follow. And hence the baker, the pâtissier, feels he has no other option than to fight for La Résistance. Fred's journey is a humbling story of the difference one man can make when you stand up to unimaginable evil. His conscience will not be silenced. He has to help La Résistance — he does not see any other choice. I adored everything about Fred. He is this lovely gentleman who would rather die than see his friends suffer at the hands of the SS. Fred's story left me in tears on more than one occasion, it is utterly harrowing and reminded me greatly of the late 1980's television show Wish Me Luck by Lavinia Warner and Jill Hyem. It has the same desperate feel.

There are several antagonists in this book — from neighbours who are more than happy to point fingers and shout accusations, to Fred's own brother. War does strange things to people, it is said, and Swift has certainly captured every conceivable emotion. At times the things the antagonists do, make for some challenging reading, but war is brutal, and Swift hasn't shied away from that fact.

The attention to the historical detail has to be commended. Swift has obviously spent many long hours researching what it was like in Jersey during the occupation, as well as what it was like in France. This novel has a large canvas, and the events that Swift depicts are as accurate as she could possibly make them, but then by adding in the human fragility and the suffering that this atrocious war caused, makes this book terribly difficult to put down.

The Occupation by Deborah Swift is a work of incredible scholarship, and it is in all ways a Historical Fiction success. This is a book that deserves to be read again and again.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy of

The Occupation

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Deborah Swift

Deborah Swift is the author of three previous historical novels for adults, The Lady’s Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and A Divided Inheritance, all published by Macmillan/St Martin’s Press, as well as the Highway Trilogy for teens (and anyone young at heart!). Her first novel was shortlisted for the Impress prize for new novelists.

She lives on the edge of the beautiful and literary English Lake District – a place made famous by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Connect with Deborah: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads.