House of Stone - review

COVER REVEAL

I've had the privilege of reading this already & it's brilliant.

Synopsis

“The test of life is not meant to break you, but to make you stronger….” Four powerful childhood friendships become twisted with lies and deceit after they leave Bishop Street Orphanage. Twenty years later, the four orphans are back together. Maggie is a best-selling author. Elizabeth is a farmer’s wife in North Bend, South Dakota.  Randolph the billionaire is a wandering nomad. Lucy is finally clean and sober, raising her daughter, after twenty years of living on the streets.

 

Challenging themselves to let go of the past, and still fused together by the immeasurable power of friendship; Maggie, Elizabeth, Lucy and Randolph are back together again after twenty years of separation.  

From the large and diverse city of Los Angeles, to the open spaces of North Dakota, into the small towns of Mexico, and onto the disheartening streets of Honduras—new obstacles become more complicated and unpredictable then they could ever imagine. Unexpected love, a devastating flood, a major earthquake, threatens their future, as lives are lost, and their worst fears will test their strength of survival, once again! 

About the Author

My name is Rene D. Schultz and I’m an Indie author who has four published books-BISHOP STREET, DONE DEAL, BROKEN IMAGE, and now the sequel to Bishop Street--  "HOUSE OF STONE." coming out in three weeks. I consider myself a ‘reality fiction’ author. It’s so confusing to many readers about the genres, myself included, so that is why I made up my own genre. My books don’t quite fit into contemporary, mainstream, chic-lit—although that is where they get pigeonholed!  I write about strong female characters who have real life obstacles and ultimately find a way to overcome them. The journeys are unique and emotional. 

   My main characters could be you, me—everyone can relate to them. My books are emotionally driven with humor, heartache, values, mystery and a smidgen of romance. 

How the title 'HOUSE OF STONE' came about!

When I was a very young girl, I loved to lay under my bed and read nursery rhymes. There was one nursery rhyme that I would constantly think about as I was writing Bishop Street. The phrases used in the story, and the various morals that can be drawn from it, have become embedded in Western culture—‘The Three Little Pigs.’  It was a short story about three pigs who ventured out into the world, and each one wanted to build a house. The lazy pig built it out of straw. Another pig worked a little harder and built it out of sticks. The third pig took a lot of time to think about it, and with a great amount of effort he built it out of brick. One day, a mean old wolf came to eat the pigs. He blew the house of straw down, then he blew the house of sticks down, but he huffed and puffed and, could not blow the brick house down.

 

Bishop Street reminded me of that fable. Together, Maggie, Elizabeth, Lucy and Randolph became emotionally strong as they traveled through a difficult and tumultuous childhood. After they left the orphanage, they each became weakened by their daunting feelings of the past and each one had become emotionally shattered in their own way. Their houses were made of straw, until twenty years later, when they were finally reunited. Now, that they are finally back together, with a fierce commitment, a strong set of values, and a resilient sense of power… they have finally built their “House of Stone.”