VBT + Review + #Giveaway: Glimmer by Rayna Noire @RaynaNoire @GoddessFish

Glimmer

by Rayna Noire

GENRE:  Historical Fantasy

BLURB:

For seventeen years, the convent walls kept Meara Cleary from the secret of her own parentage. A bearded stranger claims she’s his niece and promises to take her home. Before he can, a cataclysmic event thrusts her into a war-torn world.

Meara vows to journey to Ireland to find her uncle, unaware of how perilous a journey it will be. Her Druidic father guides her through dreams, explaining her magical heritage. Her dead parent can’t help her with the intricacies of village life, especially when she catches the eye of the very engaged Braeden.

A whirlwind composed of equal parts menace, romance, and revelation sweep Meara across the continent while gathering allies and enemies with equal speed. Her intent to return to her family turns into a fight to survive her own destiny.

Excerpt:

England 1915

Even though the sisters accepted that their God took male form, they seldom spoke of the male gender at all. This other sex could roam free outside the walls without worrying about falling prey to the temptations of the world.

“Make haste, Mary.” Mother Superior slapped her hands together, which bespoke her irritation.

Meara shook off her initial fear and strode into the room, stopping short past the door. The smiling man’s expression changed as he sent a sharp look at the Mother Superior.

“You told me her name was Meara.”

Her heart leapt. Outside of Sister Gabriella whispering her name when she asked for details about her birth, she’d never ever heard another person say it. Mentally, she called herself Meara in an effort not to lose that slender thread that connected her to her mother.

The woman swung around so fast her black veil fluttered from the motion. Even though she couldn’t see her expression, Meara knew it would be stern enough to cause trembling in the most stalwart of the sisters. The man did not seem intimidated. Strange.

“Meara is a heathen name. Even though her mother chose to name her Meara, I chose the name of Mary to inspire the child who came from a sinful union.”

A low growl emanated from the man’s throat. The other man placed a hand on his shoulder while speaking loud enough for her to hear. “Careful, Simon, don’t be doing something you might regret.”

He shook off the man’s hand before addressing Mother Superior. “Meara is my mother’s name, a good Celtic name my sister chose to keep in the family. It means the sea. As for my sister, you slander her good name. She was married to one of your kinsmen, an Englishman.” He spat the last word as if it were poison and needed to be out of his mouth. “Meara, come closer.” He gestured to a nearby chair.

An Interview with Rayna Noire

What inspired you to write Glimmer?

I wanted to do something in England and in the early 20^th century.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing at six because I was bored in first grade. My mother taught me to read and write when I was four, which didn’t leave me much to do in first grade. Not only did I read the entire first grade reader in a day and told the other students how it ended much to my teacher’s regret, I went on to make alternative endings that involved runaway trains, jumping off cliffs, and bandits. My father was a big Western fan.

What is the earliest age, you remember reading your first book?

I remember looking at picture books, but I don’t remember the titles of the books.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I love fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, and romance.

What is your favorite book?

I enjoyed Gone with the Wind as a kid because Scarlett was a bit of a scoundrel. She went after what she wanted.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

Jayne Ann Krentz is my favorite author. She’s concise, funny, and creates memorable characters. She also writes under the names Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick.

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

I would like to go back when Rome was at its peak. I’m curious about the customs and mythology.

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

There are days when it flows and other days when I delete a great deal.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

I have a sixteen-year-old pooch who is very spoiled.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

I love dark chocolate, steak, and pizza.

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Write every day, but don’t get hung up on following all the rules. You can always edit later.

My Review:

Meara Cleary was born and raised behind the walls of the convent. Meara’s mother died giving birth to her at the convent. Meara was raised by the nuns. She was not allowed outside the walls of the convent because the world was filled with sin. But Meara slipped outside the wall on occasion and then this one time she decides to go at night and while she is outside the walls the convent is bomb by the Germans.

Meara is left to face the unknown world all on her own without anywhere to go as she did not know anyone outside the convent. But as she was watching the convent the only home she had ever known go up in flames she runs into an old lady in the forest who takes Meara under her wings and invites her into her home.

Meara is happy to have found such a loving and kind woman to take care of her but she can’t keep taking advantage of this ladies kindness. But where will she go? Before the convent was attacked a man came to the convent claiming that he was Meara’s uncle her mother’s brother from Ireland. Her uncle came to take her home with him where she belongs but he had a few things he had to take care of before she could go stay with him. Meara was afraid that her uncle would think she was dead and never come looking for her. She didn’t know what to do or how to find him.

When things in the town turn ugly and Meara along with the kind lady are forced to leave their home in the middle of the night with the help of a friend Meara made in the town they all set out to go to Ireland and find her uncle and hopefully give them a place to stay. But Meara and her friends run into a little trouble along the way. Someone is trying to stop Meara from reaching or taking care of her destiny. Who would want to hurt Meara? Will Meara make it to Ireland safely? Will she find her uncle?

When I first read the summary of Glimmer I thought I would like to read this but I didn’t have time so I didn’t sign up to review. But I kept thinking about Glimmer and thinking I really want to read this. Glimmer kept calling me and calling until I couldn’t stand it anymore and I gave in. And boy am I glad I did because Glimmer was just as good as I thought it would be if not better. It pulled me in before I even opened it up. Maybe the fairies were calling me hummm… Glimmer is a magical book that I think everyone should read.

I loved how innocent Meara was. She sort of reminded me of that old movie Starman where this alien came to earth and he didn’t know the meaning of words. I would like to see Meara on the old big screen to see her face when she heard a word that she had never heard before to see her reaction when she was told the meaning of the word. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Rayna Noire is an author and a historian. The desire to uncover the truth behind the original fear of witches led her to the surprising discovery that people believed in magick in some form up to 150 years ago. A world that believed the impossible could happen and often did must have been amazing. With this in mind, Ms. Noire taps into this dimension, shapes it into stories about Pagan families who really aren’t that different from most people. They do go on the occasional adventures and magick happens.

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Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble

Glimmer will be $0.99 during the tour.

Giveaway:

A Kindle Fire (U.S. only) or $50 Amazon Gift Certificate (International winner)
 

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