#BookReview — Serpents in the Garden (The Graham Saga #5) by Anna Belfrage #HistoricalFiction #TimeTravel @abelfrageauthor

Serpents in the Garden

(The Graham Saga #5)

By Anna Belfrage

After years of hard work, Matthew and Alex Graham have created a thriving home in the Colony of Maryland. About time, in Alex’s opinion, after far too many adventures she is really looking forward to some well-deserved peace and quiet.

A futile hope, as it turns out. Things start to heat up when Jacob, the third Graham son, absconds from his apprenticeship to see the world – especially as Jacob leaves behind a girl whom he has wed in a most irregular fashion.

Then there’s the infected matter of the fellow time traveller Alex feels obliged to help – no matter the risk. Worst of all, one day Philip Burley and his brothers resurface after years of absence. As determined as ever to make Matthew pay for every perceived wrong – starting with the death of their youngest brother – the Burleys play out a complicated cat and mouse game, and Alex is thrown back into an existence where her heart is constantly in her mouth, convinced as she is that one day the Burleys will achieve their purpose.

Will the Burleys succeed? And if they do, will the Graham family survive the exacted price?

"I avenge my own. Best you don't forget that, aye?"

It had been years. So many years. So much resentment and hatred. Luke Graham should despise his brother's son, his nephew, but he did not. How could he? Jacob was a likeable young man, and he got on well with Luke's own son. Perhaps it was time to let bygones be bygones.

Philip Burley and his brothers, however, were determined to be avenged. Matthew Graham would die by their hands, for they had made a vow, and it was one that they intended to keep. Matthew was living on borrowed time, as was his wife, Alex. The Burley brothers would have their revenge in blood.

Matthew knew this day would come. They were always there, the Burleys', in the back of his mind. They had tried to kill him once. They would try again. It was just a question of when.

Alec Graham had thought all of her mother's paintings had been destroyed. There would be no more slipping through time, for anyone ever again. But then she hears a tale of a young man of colour, who claims he is a free man. Who claims to be equal to his white counterparts. Who claims to have fallen through time. Alex refuses to look the other way. She must help him, free him from the bonds of servitude. But at what cost to herself?

From a hastily muttered handfasting to a wedding built on a foundation of happiness and love, Serpents in the Garden (The Graham Saga #5) by Anna Belfrage is an undeniable historical time-travel triumph.

This series keeps getting better and better. Belfrage writes with such energy and such imagination that it is as if I have been swept up and transported back in time as quickly and as effortlessly as if I had fallen through one of Mercedes' magical paintings. I am beginning to wonder if The Graham Saga is indeed a time portal, for as soon as I began to read, time ceased to matter. I became fully invested in the lives of these characters and the era that it is set in. This is as close to time-travel as any reader could ever hope.

Having read this series from the beginning, it is like meeting up with old friends. Many years have passed by since Book 1, and the characters have aged. And with age comes maturity, ill-health for some, and for Matthew and Alex a mature, yet inspirational love. Their story is fresh, tantalisingly gripping, and one that I don't want to come to an end. But what I especially loved was how their children have grown up and found their own way, and are telling their own story. I cannot get enough of the Graham family. Belfrage is a storyteller that knows how to get her readers hooked and, more importantly, keep them hooked and begging for more.

Matthew and Alex are still the main characters in this novel, but there are several sub-plots with their grown-up children that bewitched me. Firstly, there is young Jacob — an adventure, a risk-taker. However, at the same time, he wants to make his parents proud — he wants to be someone. Jacob is an idealist, perhaps even a dreamer, and he can be incredibly innocent and naive as to the way the world works. But he has such a good heart and is always full of good intentions — even if sometimes those intentions rebounded. I thought Jacob was fabulous, and I enjoyed reading about him.

Another character who intrigued me in this book was Luke Graham. Luke has always been the antagonist in this story. He has done some wicked things to his brother, but there were moments in this book where I found myself almost liking him. Luke becomes this anti-hero. Belfrege lets us glimpse at this other side to his character — that character that Margaret so desperately loved. I am really glad Belfrage did this and gave Luke a platform in which to tell his side of the story. Don't get me wrong, he is still despicable, and he cannot negate his past, but he is not all bad either.

Ian, since he was introduced as this little boy who was unsure who his birth father was, has always been one of my favourite characters. Belfrage is not kind to him. He goes through Hell, not once but twice, and yet Ian still maintains this air of compassion. He is wronged dreadfully in this story, and yet he does not become bitter. Ian's capacity for love and his empathy towards others makes him one of those unforgettable characters. I truly hope Ian has an easier time in Book 6!

The Burley brothers are still in fine form — causing fear, anguish and suffering. How I detest them. They have no redeemable qualities at all. They are loathsome, and I genuinely feared where it was going to end. Belfrage is very good at penning contemptible villains.

The historical backdrop to this story is balanced incredibly well with the narrative. Belfrage seemingly writes effortlessly, but of course, to be able to do that means that Belfrage has certainly done her homework. The hours of research that Belfrage has devoted to this era has to be commended because Belfrage does not limit herself to one country — London, Scotland, The Colony of Maryland, and Virginia are all represented in this story. It is such a vast historical canvas, but Belfrage has not only pulled it off, but she has excelled at it. I take my hat off to you, Ms Belfrage, you are an exceptional writer and an outstanding historian.

This series is not losing any of its momenta. I adored every sentence, every word, every syllable of Serpents in the Garden (The Graham Saga #5). Historical time-travel does not get better than this.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.

The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Pick up your copy of

Serpents in the Garden

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Anna Befrage

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17^th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14^th century England.  She has recently released the first in a new series, The Wanderer. This time, she steps out of her normal historical context and A Torch in His Heart is with a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.

Find out more about Anna by visiting her website, or herAmazon page.

# HistoricalFiction author, Patricia Brandon, is taking a look at The Wampus Cat - An Appalachian Legend #Legends @pgaddisbrandon

The Wampus Cat - An Appalachian Legend

By Patricia Brandon

During the summer of my junior year in college, I had the good fortune to work at an elite camp for girls in the most scenic and pristine part of the mountains of western North Carolina. Other than dorm life, I had never been totally on my own, knowing no one, and certainly never lived outside of my hometown. But I adapted quickly, as challenging outdoor and social experiences abounded, surpassed only by the bonds and revelry we made together. Camp Merrie Woode was - and still is - a most remarkable place where girls are encouraged to become women of character and courage.

Camp life was steeped in many traditions, rituals, and legends, but perhaps none more interesting than that of the mysterious and wily Wampus Cat. A cat-like creature that could run on all fours, as an animal, or upright, as a human, it was said to appear after dark, or just before dawn. No one knew for certain when the Wampus Cat would strike, but it was most always after a new experience or achievement, such as a first river run in a canoe or kayak, or the first overnight wilderness camp out or hike. The Wampus Cat would sneak about, planting a kiss on the noses of campers that would leave a large round, very orange dot on nose tips that strangely resembled the odious mercurochrome, used back in the day to treat minor cuts and scrapes. Being graced by the Wampus was no small honor. Years later, my own children were kissed by the creature on their first family camping trip. So how did the Wampus Cat come to roam the highland forests?

In Cherokee folklore, there was once a terrible evil demon, called Ew’ah, or the Spirit of Madness, who lived deep in the mountain woods and terrorized any who heard it’s piercing scream. A single glance from the creature would drive one to madness. The chieftains sent Standing Bear, the fiercest of the braves, to do battle with the Ew’ah. By destroying the demon, he would bring great honor to his family and to the tribe. But weeks later, Standing Bear returned to the tribe screaming in pain, his eyes marred from clawing. Running Deer, his loyal wife, knew that he would never be the same and could no longer be a warrior. By Cherokee law, Standing Bear was now dead to the tribe. Desiring to avenge her husband, Running Deerconvinced the shamans to give her a booger mask of a bobcat’s face, as only the spirit of the mountain cat could defeat the Ew’ah, if she could catch it by surprise. With the mask and black paste on her body to cover her scent, she set out on a most dangerous mission.

After many days she spotted the frightening demon as it drank water from a mountain stream. With great caution she crept up to the evil one and pounced! When the creature saw the cat-spirit-mask, it instantly went mad, throwing itself in the water and thrashing about. Thanks to the courage and bravery of Running Deer, the Ew’ah was no more. The shamans and war chiefs declared her the Spirit Talker and Home Protector. To this day, it is said that the spirit of Running Deer now lives in the Wampus Cat, and that she will forever guard the people and lands of her tribe.

In my next book, also a historical fiction novel, entitled Come Not Down the Lanes , the Wampus Cat will have a small part of the story, which takes place in 1919 in the fictional town of Laurel Valley in western North Carolina. Camp Merrie Woode, the real-life camp for young ladies, was started during this time of Women’s Suffrage, Prohibition, the race riots of Red.

Summer, and the flu pandemic that occurred at the end of World War I. Daily life in the fictional Camp Arden Woode will be largely based on both research from the 1919 era and some of my own experiences there, but with the added twist of an attempted kidnapping in the local town, a murder, and a strange, macabre ritual and character. The story will be one of a coming of age, of immense courage and daring, of mystery and romance, and ultimately, of healing. The book is scheduled for publication in late 2020.

References:

Appalachianhistory.net Posted by Dave Tabler, 10/13/17

www.american​ folklore.net/folktales//tn3.html

Enrique de la Viega, Powder Branch, TN, posted 7/1/03, to Ex Libris Nocturnis forum at ​http://bit.ly/2Fmx4f

http://themoonlitroad.com/the-Wampu​s-mask—story- background

Mysterious Knoxville by Charles Edwin Price, 1999

The Center of Gravity

By Patricia Brandon

A young woman is tricked into service as a food tester for Adolf Hitler in his secret Wolf's Lair, where she will endure yet another atrocity. A French professor, whose best friend is a Jew fighting in the Alsatian Resistance, is forced to assist in the Nazi reconstruction of the priceless Amber Room in the Konigsberg Castle. All hide dangerous secrets. When their worlds collide, high risk plans for escape are made, with the unlikely help of the anti-Nazi brother of Hermann Goering. But will the darkest of secrets remain hidden, or will lives be forever changed when the truth is finally revealed?

Pick up your copy of

The Center of Gravity

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Patricia Brandon

Patricia Brandon is a winner of a Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award and the author of In The Valley Of Achor, her poignant, gritty, and inspirational story of her first year after facing sudden paralysis of her legs. She no longer plays tennis (yet!), but is writing, working on guitar and mountain dulcimer skills, and traveling with friends when she can. She hasn’t given up in the fight to regain her ability to walk!

Connect with Patricia: Website • Facebook • Twitter.