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Thursday, July 3, 2008

5 Star review - Rape of the Soul


Product Details
ISBN: 0981557325
ISBN-13: 9780981557328
Format: Paperback, 392pp
Publisher: Highland Press FL
Pub. Date: June 2008

20 years ago the late Dawn Thompson began writing an epic saga, about the struggle between good and evil. Thompson went on to produce the story as a play in New York her sister Diane, even starred as the heroine, Jean Fowler Chapin. This story is that ‘book of the heart.’ Thompson is widely known for her amazingly detailed Regency Historical Romances and her Paranormal stories that ranged from Vampires to shapeshifters to the erotic fantasy world-building Lord of the Deep and Lord of the Dark. This book will be a departure to her fans, but they will get to see Dawn Thompson at her very best.


The book was written when authors had a bit more freedom in length, when the style of storytelling was given to wonderful sagas. During the years when her books were selling so strongly, she could have cut this book and sold it. Instead, she held on to it, determined to see it printed as she originally intended it to be told. It’s actually two books in one, but the point where the book would break would see one small book and one large one, so this is printed as she wanted¯in a single volume.


From page one, I was hooked. Thompson clearly shows just what an amazing talent she was by instantly giving you a dark, suspenseful tale of horror. She described the book as “Anya Seton meets Stephen King” and that is a fair assessment of its style. I would also say she added a touch of Daphne du Maurier and Arthur Quiller-Couch. Rape of the Soul is one of those books that will linger on bookshelves, and be read again and again.


Jean Maitland comes to England searching for answers. She wants to know what happened to her ancestor, Jean Fowler Chapin. The man with the answers wants the past to stay buried, but Jean is determined. She has no idea the evil that she will unleash when she enters the abandoned mansion on the cliffs, how in opening the door to the past, she conjures and evil into the present. Legend says Jean Chapin was murdered, along with her husband, Malcolm, by her husband’s uncle, Colin. Only, Jean feels there is more to the story. She has no idea the menace from the past hadn’t ended, but has been waiting for someone to set it free.


Thompson delivers on all levels. When Jean Maitland enters the abandoned glass house of Craigmoor, you have a Hitchcock style, ‘dark at the top of the stairs’ foreboding that pure evil can exist and can reach from the past to destroy the future. Thompson delivers with this spellbinding tour de force, her legacy to her fans. It’s a keeper. This is one I fully expect to see made into a movie.


Paranormal Romance Reviews

2 comments:

Leeanne "TINK" books, me and more said...

Candy,

I just finished this up tonight and WOW. This really takes the emotion out of your. Beautiful writing as always, but Dawn really pulled out the stops.

I heard on the radio show that this was performed at a play? That you played the heroine. How amazing!

I bet you and Dawn had a wonderful time doing it.

Hope everyone finds the book as I cannot say enough good about it.

Leeanne Grant

Diane Mae Thompson, sister said...

Hi Leeanne THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR KIND WORDS!!!!!!!! I'M SO GLAD that you enjoyed it!!! Dawn loved EACH and EVERY BOOK that she wrote, but this one was 'THE BOOK OF HER HEART '.....HER LEGACY BOOK!!!!!!!!This one was SO SPECIAL to her since she started it so long ago!!! YES, we did do Rape Of The Soul as a play in 1977. It ran in Port Jefferson on Long Island for three days over Labor Day Weekend! We did a Friday night performance and matinee and evening performances that Saturday and Sunday. It WAS a lot of fun and also a LOT of work!!! When I look back on it now, I have to give Dawn a LOT of credit.....She worked NON-STOP and put SO MUCH of herself into it!!! I hope that everyone that reads it enjoys it as much as YOU did!!! Dawn didn't just want to RELEASE the book, she wanted her readers to ENJOY IT as much as SHE ENJOYED WRITING IT!!! I just finished a Blog on MySpace this evening about it!!! Take care and HAPPY READING!!! Candy