Eternal curse might hide a blessing too.

Today is the official launch day for Toi Thomas's paranormal romance, Eternal Curse, and I was lucky enough to be offered a free preview copy some while ago. The novel creates an intriguing mythology of angelic beings and the Fall, binding it nicely to modern day characters in search of meaning for their lives. There's an interesting blend of the paranormal, faith and science, and the story has a nicely old-fashioned feel with separate underlying tales taking center stage on the way to resolution.

So... here's the cover, the blurb, and my review:

ABOUT THE BOOK

'You have plenty of time to change your mind. You have not yet seen the monster I can be.'

Giovanni has been waiting his whole life to meet someone like Mira, someone from the outside world who might be able to help him. He wonders if there really is help for him as he continues to hold tightly onto dark secrets and even darker memories. Giovanni wants to be hopeful and he wants to accept Mira's help, but first he has to look himself in the mirror and face what he truly is—and that is a reality no one is quite ready to accept.

Searching for new purpose and meaning in her life, Mira meets Giovanni online and an exciting (and in some ways scary) friendship is developed. Mira decides one day to meet Giovanni in person, at his secluded country home, in order to aid him on his journey of selfdiscovery. What these two are able to discover will not only test their strength and will, but it will stretch the limits of their minds and catapult them into a world where earth, Heaven, and Hell collide.

Eternal Curse is the story of a man who may just be the answer to a spiritual war swiftly heading his way—but for now, he just wants to be a man.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A self-proclaimed techie and foodie, Toinette a.k.a. Toi Thomas was born in Texas, but considers Virginia to be her home. As a young child growing up in Dallas, Toi had a strong interest in reading fiction and loved to watch movies. Even today, many of Toi's friends come to her for the answers to movie trivia. While working with computers and cooking lavish meals have become reoccurring pastimes for the Virginia Beach teacher's assistant, Toi has now decided to rekindle her romance with creative writing by authoring her first book; a passion she has decided to share with the world. 

REVIEW

Genius scientist Mira lives a lonely life after her fiancé betrays her. But the “gray” stranger she meets online induces her to risk traveling alone, to an unknown place, to meet and spend time with someone she’s never seen.

The story’s told in an interesting blend of omniscient and personal points of view. The wise narrator invites readers to look into a mirror at the start of the preface, then asks who they see. Giovani doesn’t know who, or what he is when he looks there. Mira doesn’t know if her life has any purpose beyond what she’s already achieved. And a surprising third character knows plenty more and says less.

Giovani’s tale is told at the fireside and in dreams, with a voice reminiscent of old-fashioned horror tales. His nightmares of angels and demons inspire such heat his skin might burn, which perhaps explains his strange appearance, and the fact that his online persona has no image. Mira’s certainly surprised when she finally sees him, though readers might wonder if he’s really so terrible.

Mira, believer in angels, still needs to learn faith. Giovani, dreamer of angels, has only anger and despair. And the old man has history and love. A science laboratory evokes Frankenstein then evolves into mini-hospital/research center, as Mira tries to learn what Giovani is, and genetic codes reveal their mysteries. Everyone else’s mysteries will be revealed too in tales within the tale as the story progresses, making this a long, slow, leisurely read, with intriguing mythology, lots of backstory, and a nicely feel of isolation within the modern world. The real world does intervene with the occasional cell-phone call. But the world of millionaire hermit and unknown powers has center stage, while Mira and Gio learn to accept, and live, and love.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy with a request for my honest review.