Theresa Linden excels as a story teller. She assembles her characters from complex webs of conflict and mystery. Her penchant for plot shifts and action commands the reader’s attention. Her proclivity toward trilogies reflects her dedication to the writing craft and her desire to please her readers with a magnificent literary landscape.
Roland West, Loner, the first volume in her West Brothers trilogy, introduces the pageant’s cast. Roland, the loner has two special reasons to avoid company, his older brothers. Jarret, handsome, intelligent and powerful, but also narcissistic, manipulative and amoral. Keefe, Jarret’s twin and puppet, collaborates as Jarret bullies Roland. Jarret believes that Roland is his father’s favorite. He mercilessly schemes to destroy Roland’s reputation in their father’s eyes so that he and not Roland would accompany Mr. West on a business trip to Italy. Although adult caretakers run the West’s mansion in absence of the boys’ traveling father, Jarret controls the lives of his brothers, easily circumventing and even subverting the authority of the adults. Roland remains hopelessly trapped in the West’s castle of a house.
Roland’s freedom comes from the most unlikely of liberators. Once on the loose he hides out with a classmate, Peter Brandt, whose bedroom is so messy, he could easily conceal Roland in the clutter. Roland’s existence as a loner has not prepared him for life on the run. He’s not sure if he can trust Peter. He meets and is attracted to the red-headed, emerald-eyed Caitlyn Summer, who causes him to rethink his loner status.
The struggle rages between the dominant Jarret who will use violence, intimidation and lies to compromise his brother, and Roland, the innocent and vulnerable who hopes that their father detects Jarret’s ploys. The melee plays out to the last sentence of the novel and vibrates through the subsequent volumes of the trilogy.
Although a young-adult novel, Roland West, Loner offers a compelling read to a wide audience.
Please enter the rafflecopter for your chance to win an autographed copy! Entry form on several of the blog stops. Help spread the word about Roland West, Loner, by re-blogging these posts.
Tuesday, Dec. 1 Don Mulcare: Peace to all who enter here!
Check out the author interview and the book cover wrap.
Wednesday, Dec. 2 Erin McCole Cupp: Faith, Fiction and Love No Matter What
Top 10 Reasons You Will Love Catholic Teen Fiction
Amy J Cattapan, Author & Speaker, Stories with Heart & Hope
Book Review of Roland West, Loner
Thursday, Dec. 3 Barb Grady Szyszkiewicz at CatholicMom.com
Book Review of Roland West, Loner
Friday, Dec. 4 Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur: Spiritual Woman
Book cover, blurb and review blurb
Saturday, Dec. 5 Cynthia Toney
Book cover, blurb and quote from book
Sunday, Dec. 6 Karl Bjorn Erickson, Author
Behind the Scenes and First Chapter
Monday, Dec. 7 Carolyn Astfalk, Relevant Fiction for Body & Soul
Character interview-you won’t want to miss this one!
Social Media:
Website: http://theresalinden.wix.com/theresalindenfiction
Author FB page: https://www.facebook.com/theresalindenauthor
Twitter handle: @LindenTheresa
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheresaALinden/catholic-teen-fiction
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Roland-West-Loner-Theresa-Linden/dp/0996816844
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0189FKSPE
DonMulcare
A retired biologist with current interests in vegetable gardening, volunteering at a local nursing home, reading, and writing. Other activities include the study of the practical aspects of applied Gerontology, splitting logs, digging for quahogs and writing blogs. https://dmulcare.wordpress.com/