Bella Rodriguez has decided it’s time to leave her step-father’s home. Her mother has been dead for three years and her older sister, Rosalinda, has disappeared. Bella fears she is next unless she makes a plan of her own. However, she struggles with what will happen to her younger brother, Manny.
While Bella plans a journey to a new life, Manny is left to face the unraveling of the only home he has ever known. Without Bella, his father’s motives and instability is obvious. He is torn between the loyalty to his father and the dependability of his step-sister. The siblings experience whispers, guiding them to follow their instincts, but sometimes these messages are clouded in their own uncertainty. Will they cling to the known, or strike out and shape their own futures, and if they do, how will they ever know a family?
Bella encounters a self-proclaimed, distracted psychic, Gina, who introduces her to new possibilities, but is it too good to be true? Gina and her brother, Slade have been marking time, waiting for acceptance and the passage of grief to embrace a bold lifestyle in a new place. Will all their dreams and plans be woven together in a new tapestry of adventure, or will their lives unravel, leaving them floundering, struggling to redefine what the future might be?
Excerpt
The Bright Shawl was inspired by my work as a social worker with teenage runaways. Many of them knew what they were running from, but had no idea what they were running to. So, in a way, this is a fantasy of what it might be like to script the perfect scenario. I combined that with my fondness for the Boho/Hippie fashion trends of the late '60's and today. I had to have Gina, the distracted psychic. I have had so many Gina's in my life and they always amaze me.
Manuel Rodriguez allowed these men to swelter in his kitchen. He kept them close and pushed his family to other rooms—away from their business. Sometimes, he allowed Bella’s brother, Manny, to be present, especially if they decided to go to the restaurant for a meal. Manny was always included on such occasions, but Bella never questioned this. She was just glad they left her alone to find her own food and enjoy the quiet of an empty house. Only then did the stench of the men have a chance to evaporate, returning her mother’s kitchen to the pleasant gathering place it used to be when Rosalinda, Bella, and their mother would bake there.
Bella’s sister, Rosalinda, who was a year older than her, had already gone missing. Bella knew she would be next. It was just a matter of time before their father allowed it again. He would allow it, because he never really was their father. He was the man her mother, Mirabella Rodriguez Chavez, had married when Bella and Rosalinda were just toddlers.
Professional Reviews
I Want to Shop at BellaRosa
Another, hard to put down book, by Phyllis Moore. Her detailed descriptions of people, places, fashion and decor, put you there. I loved the characters and the journey each one took - so glad it was an upbeat journey for Rosa, because I was right there with her. She was one lucky girl.
I have to agree with first review, it seemed rushed at the end. The arrival of Rosa's siblings was important and needed a chapter.
But I loved the book and recommend it!
Quick, Easy Read for Escape
A runaway adventure turns into a life-changing experience when Bella makes decisions based on the whispering of her deceased mother. A tapestry of themes including family, sexual identity, acceptance and following a passion.
An Amazing Story
I got hooked to this story within the first chapter itself and had to stay up late to complete it. It is a wonderful story of a young woman who has to run away from her step father because her intuitions warn her against him. She is also sure that he is responsible for making her elder sister disappear. Her decision to run away is frightening because she doesn't know what dangers she might face on the road. She is also worried about being recognised by her father's associates who are absolutely loathsome!
The story also delves into other characters and how their present was shaped by their past. I loved all of Moore's characters including the villains because they were so well-thought out and developed. Half the time I was anxious to see if Bella would be able to escape her step father. The story ends with some more twists and we see how the universe conspired to bring Bella's family together again. The story has losses and suffering but the underlying message shouts one thing very clearly: that there is hope if only one takes the courage to move towards their desires.
Even though the main character is a young woman, I would recommend this book to older readers too. I would also categorise it under women's fiction and contemporary fiction.
On a last note, this book will make you want to dress Bohemian!
Khenlee has reached 12 Cycles of Seasons and will find which working circle she will now belong to. She is shocked to find out what the gods have decided what her life work will be.
Bristlecone Magic is a YA Christian fantasy about family, friends, neighborliness, love, magic and yes, even tragedy. The story takes place in Clinton County in upstate New York.
There is more than one kind of Magic! Contact me if you'd like an au
