Blog Archives
Sinful Oath: Book 1 On The Wings Of Angels Series
Sinful Oath is a blend of historical fiction, Christian fiction, and historical mystery, set in 1618 London and centered on Elizabeth Bowmar, a young apprentice midwife with a fierce moral compass, and Alexander Berkley, a man tangled in his own duties, loyalties, and regrets. The book opens with Elizabeth reflecting on her past, her faith, and the weight of responsibility she carries, then pulls us into a widening web of injustice, danger, and compassion. Author KT McWilliams paints the world with gritty street life, tense family dynamics, and the looming shadow of Newgate Prison. By the time I settled in, I already felt the stakes tightening around both Elizabeth and Alexander in ways that promised more than simple historical drama.
I was surprised by how intimate the writing feels. Elizabeth’s voice in particular comes through full of honesty and vulnerability, especially in her private thoughts by the hearth as she burns her written worries, believing the smoke carries them to angels. Even with the book’s heavier themes like poverty, violence, faith, and control, the storytelling stays grounded in the everyday textures of life. I liked that the author doesn’t treat the period like a costume. It feels lived in. And even when characters lean into ideals or spiritual reflection, the language never pushes toward sermon; it reads instead like people trying to make sense of their choices, which made it easy to stay with them.
What I appreciated most was how McWilliams balances tenderness with hardship. The moments between Elizabeth and her father feel warm and steady, and they’re a strong counterweight to the scenes with her mother, whose sharpness cuts deeper than some of the book’s villains. Alexander’s chapters add another layer, especially when we see him navigating the dangerous corners of London and the people who operate in them. The tension between old loyalties and present conscience gives his storyline weight. Sometimes the book lingers on internal rumination a bit longer than I expected, but even then, it felt true to the characters’ emotional lives. I got the sense that both leads are standing at a threshold, stepping into versions of themselves they don’t fully understand yet.
I feel like Sinful Oath is less about a single mystery and more about courage, the quiet kind that comes from tending to others, and the louder kind that comes from facing what’s broken in a community or in oneself. If you enjoy historical fiction with strong moral undercurrents, detailed atmosphere, and characters who wrestle honestly with faith and justice, this book will be right up your alley. Readers who like a mix of Christian historical fiction and historical mystery will probably enjoy it most, especially if they’re drawn to stories that move with both heart and grit.
Pages: 459 | ASIN : B0FPMT9YVC
East Texas Flavor
What Is Unseen is a tender, character-driven story set in East Texas, where three lives intertwined by loss and moral struggle seek redemption and meaning amid faith, pain, and unseen grace. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I live in East Texas. I have seen these stories manifested in the lives of people I know. The culture, in its own unique way, has common threads with other human joys and struggles throughout time. I wanted people to hear these stories in a compelling and literary fashion with a uniquely East Texas flavor. I also want to share these stories with my grandchildren and generations to come.
What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Hope, faith, love, fortitude, courage, justice, and kindness.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I was primarily interested in showing how the East Texas heroes in this story used the driving ideals mentioned above to combat the following evils:
Envy
Greed
Racism
Corruption
Pride
Laziness
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
An anthology of short stories, Tales from the Texas Timberlands, Volume 2.
It should be available by May 2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Living with his family in Connecticut had been his life. Without her, he has no hope. His mother invites him and the children to live with her in Three Oaks, Texas, his hometown. In Three Oaks, he finds renewed friendships, spiritual awakening and love. But he, his friends and his newfound love are also battered by the unseen evils of self-centeredness, envy, jealousy, greed, racism, power-grabbing and political corruption.
Kyle discovers an unseen hope and with his friends leads the battle to overcome the evil pervading their community.
Blue Dream
Blue Dream, by Keith Gillum, transports readers to a futuristic dystopia where virtual reality and human emotions clash in a meticulously crafted narrative. Through the eyes of Dom, a young man grappling with the remnants of a world dominated by technology, the story explores themes of memory, identity, and resistance against a backdrop of pervasive digital control.
From the very first page, Gillum hooks readers into a world where reality and virtual existence blend seamlessly. Dom, who spends his days recycling digital waste in the Trop, is both an everyman and an anomaly, caught between the remnants of a tangible past and a controlled, virtual present. His journey through fragmented memories, such as those of his father, and surreal experiences like fishing on a crystalline river, forms the core of the narrative. These memories are under constant threat of deletion by the ever-watchful Halmarc, Dom’s case file manager, who embodies the intrusive nature of the state. The interactions between Dom and Halmarc are vividly depicted, highlighting the tension between personal autonomy and imposed conformity.
Gillum’s writing shines with its rich, descriptive language and a knack for crafting immersive scenes. The dialogue is sharp and often laced with dark humor, especially in Dom’s exchanges with Halmarc. The portrayal of Halmarc’s obsessive control over Dom’s memories and emotions serves as a chilling commentary on surveillance and psychological manipulation. One of the most compelling scenes symbolizes the broader struggle to retain personal history in the face of an erasing authority. The book delves deeply into Dom’s inner turmoil and his virtual reality experiences, providing a rich exploration of his character. These segments, while reflective, contribute significantly to understanding Dom’s psyche and enhance the story’s emotional depth.
The world-building is intriguing and thought-provoking, hinting at a vast and complex digital dystopia. While it leaves some mysteries about the system’s origins and mechanics, this sense of enigma adds to the novel’s allure, inviting readers to ponder and engage with the speculative aspects of the narrative.
Blue Dream is a thought-provoking and visually compelling novel that will resonate with fans of dystopian fiction, psychological thrillers, and religious science fiction. Keith Gillum has crafted a story that not only critiques the pervasive influence of technology but also celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy exploring the interplay between memory, identity, and societal control.
Pages: 305 | ASIN : B0D1H9BMV3
Married to the Devil – Book 1
H.H. Fowler’s Married to the Devil delves into a complex and unsettling narrative that intertwines corruption in the church, the exploitation of faith, and personal vice. The book scrutinizes the damaging consequences when religious authority and financial greed converge within individuals, mainly focusing on a pastor’s wife and their struggles with their own demons of greed and desire. Fowler’s exploration suggests that even lesser evils are not devoid of sin, posing moral quandaries for the reader.
The novel’s writing style is characterized by a raw and tumultuous energy, effectively conveying the intense emotions and instances of domestic abuse within its pages. Fowler’s use of vivid imagery and sharp character portrayals brings the story’s darker aspects to life, particularly highlighting the destructive nature of lust and anger. The narrative of this book embarks on an ambitious journey, particularly in its bold transition between the two parts of the book. This transition showcases a dynamic evolution in the relationship between the First Lady of the Church and Dean Ripley, offering a surprising shift that diverges from their earlier character development and backstory. While this approach introduces a unique twist in plot development, it adds an element of unpredictability and complexity to the reading experience.
The novel’s use of suspense and the strategic introduction of characters are commendable. Each character is pivotal in advancing the plot, reminiscent of Chekhov’s gun principle. This meticulous character integration lends a sense of purpose and inevitability to the unfolding events. The intriguing plot structure of Married to the Devil sets a high bar. While the prose occasionally grapples to fully match the depth and nuance of the plot, it still carries the story with a compelling momentum. Readers need to note that the book thoughtfully addresses challenging themes, including explicit depictions of domestic abuse, contributing to its powerful narrative impact.
Married to the Devil offers a thought-provoking and intense journey for those intrigued by morally complex narratives set against a backdrop of religious and personal turmoil. While the writing style may not resonate with everyone, the plot’s dark twists and meticulously crafted character dynamics are compelling for those interested in exploring the darker side of human nature and faith.
Pages: 311 | ASIN : B07KWS86W4
Erasures
In Erasures by Omar Imady, readers are transported to a post-war Earth, where the remnants of civilization gather under the auspices of the World Congress. Amidst this backdrop, the Zone 4 Literature Hub stands as a bastion of human knowledge, safeguarding the remaining books, considered the pinnacle of human achievement. Ray Blankenship, a key archivist in this hub, finds his regimented life disrupted by a baffling mystery: the disappearance of religious texts from the archives.
Imady’s narrative does not conform to traditional genre boundaries. It echoes elements of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and George Lucas’s film “THX 1138,” blending them into a distinct mystery narrative with a subversive approach. The originality of this fusion is a testament to the author’s creativity. The character of Ray Blankenship is as compelling as the plot itself. Portrayed in the later stages of middle age, Ray’s yearning to escape the monotony of his life imbues the story with a sense of restless, subdued energy. The depiction of Ray’s life, marked by a pervasive sense of quiet desperation, is likely to resonate with many. While the immediate antagonist seems to be the mysterious force behind the erasures, a deeper, more subtle conflict brews within Ray—a growing need to break free from the constraints of his routine. This internal struggle becomes as central to the narrative as the mystery of the vanishing texts. As the story progresses, Ray’s quest for personal transformation and the unraveling of the mystery behind the erasures intertwine. Imady’s skillful resolution of these intertwined narratives highlights his adept storytelling abilities, offering a satisfying conclusion that addresses both the external mystery and Ray’s internal journey.
Imady’s Erasures stands out as a compelling fusion of mystery and introspection, weaving a narrative that captivates with its originality and depth. The book challenges conventional genre boundaries, making it a refreshing read for those seeking something beyond the ordinary. Through the journey of Ray Blankenship, Imady explores themes of conformity, the value of knowledge, and the human desire for change, making this novel not just a story but a reflective exploration of the human condition.
Pages: 250 | ASIN : B0CNQQ4HLM
Honest Interactions
The Undulating Shadows follows the lives of three orphans who are connected by a paranormal phenomenon that could threaten the entire planet. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wouldn’t want to spoil the twist at the end, but I started from there and worked my way back. The motivation for some of the characters to turn out the way they did, made sense to start out from a challenging childhood, and what could be more traumatic and challenging than growing up in a dilapidated orphanage?
This novel provides readers with some astonishing twists. How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I had one twist in mind from the beginning, but I wanted to leave easter eggs along the way that will give attentive readers that ‘ah-ha’ moment in the end. I believe (or for me, it’s like that at least) that when a reader discovers these in the end, or close to the end, it is an additional reward for their patience and time dedicated to finishing the book.
What was your process in writing the characters’ interactions to develop the bond they have?
To be honest, I was very skeptical about how they would be received given that they swear and there is physical abuse, etc. But I wanted to keep the characters authentic, although this is quite difficult in today’s social climate. So far, I’ve not been canceled due to their honest interactions, and I hope it stays that way lol.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book is called Lucid, and it’s about a young boy who discovers his dad’s old psychiatric journals that give instructions as to how to utilize lucid dreaming to battle PTSD. This leads to serious complications as the boy’s boundaries between the conscious and subconscious–the dream world and the real world–begin to blur. I hope to publish in early 2024.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Website
A paralysis-inducing shadow has caused a chain reaction of traumatic events that lands the youngest boy, Justin, in a dilapidated orphanage in South Carolina. There, Justin’s friendship with two equally traumatized children provides temporary solace from his pain—until the shadows stir once more and leave everyone lucky enough to survive the onslaught with a shattered psyche.
33 years later, Justin stumbles upon an incident involving a similar paranormal phenomenon. His investigation reveals an unsettling truth dating back to 8,212 BC that has slowly been growing into an imminent threat to the entire planet.
Can Justin connect with his past to find the answers in time, or will he, along with every other soul on the planet, succumb to the shadow’s insidious power?
The Undulating Shadows
In The Undulating Shadows by DC Eastman, readers are thrust into a world filled with enigma and longing as they follow the lives of three orphans—Justin, Raven, and Albert—united and then divided by fate but ever tethered by the haunting presence of a deadly specter.
From the outset, the tragic circumstances that land Justin and Raven in the orphanage offer a compelling foundation for the narrative. When they encounter Albert, who has spent his entire life within the institution’s walls, friendship blossoms. Eastman deftly captures the innocence of their childhood bond, as well as the complexities of growing up, as Albert and Raven’s adoption drives an inexorable wedge between the trio.
What really sets this novel apart is the slow unraveling of the mystery surrounding the specter. Eastman masterfully withholds key details, inviting readers to join the characters on their journey to discovery. This journey is one filled with twists and turns, and the realization that Albert is not who they believed him to be adds an unexpected layer to the story.
Eastman’s character development is particularly praiseworthy, particularly during the characters’ youth. His ability to make readers connect with these characters is skillful, playing on universal experiences and empathetic understanding.
The transition from childhood to adulthood, I feel, is somewhat abrupt, a jump that, while understandable, could have been smoothed for better narrative flow. Raven’s ‘other sense’ is an intriguing element that I would have liked to have seen explored more before becoming a key tool in solving the mystery. Still, this does not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the novel. Eastman’s vivid imagination and skillful storytelling make The Undulating Shadows an entertaining read that is sure to satisfy fans of thrillers and mysteries.
The science fiction elements add another layer of intrigue, and although the beginning may seem slow, the patient reader is rewarded with a rich and interconnected story that unfolds beautifully. For those interested in a thrilling tale filled with mystery, suspense, and profound human connection, The Undulating Shadows is a compelling recommendation. I look forward to diving into more of Eastman’s work in the future.
Pages: 376 | ISBN : 0639763707
Reaping the Whirlwind
Dr. St. Clair claims that Mrs. Ida Johnson died from a heart attack, but her broken tea cup and tansy weed on her kitchen table tell another story. The apparently natural deaths of a homeless man, a congenitally disabled child, and others that followed right after her raise questions about what is happening in the town. Trent Tyson, the town’s deputy sheriff, struggles to disclose the cold-blooded murder while maintaining the peace during The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. Reaping the Whirlwind by Rosey Dow is a murder mystery rooted in the historical Scopes trial, in which a physics teacher is accused of teaching evolution to his class against the newly enacted law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in high schools.
Author Rosey Dow has done an excellent job of blending the fictional murder mystery with the events of the Scopes trial. The murder mystery is well-written and suspenseful, and it kept me guessing until the end. Unfortunately, there was no link between the murders and no motive strong enough behind them, and it spun my head around as to who could be the murderer.
It shed a lot of light on people’s lifestyles in the twentieth century, and I found it to be very similar to small-town culture today, with some differences. The concise and analytic representation of the trial indicates the painstakingly thorough research that Dow has done. The reaction of the residents and business community is well depicted and demonstrates their efforts to attract tourists and businesses to Dayton. The book’s clean romance between Trent Tyson and Nessa McKenzie is my favorite thing. However, this book could have been more fast-paced, but I enjoyed the introduction of all the characters, from boarding house owner Mrs. McKenzie to town gardener Elmer Bentley.
Reaping the Whirlwind is a captivating historical fiction novel and mystery story. Readers interested in the Scopes Trial of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, will enjoy this fictional take on the case of teaching evolution and the historical ramification it had on the US. Education system. Fans of the murder mystery genre will also find it amusing.
Pages: 288 | ISBN : 163698052X
LITERARY TITAN 