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Birthright
One beleaguered man…
In the bitter cold of an unseasonable Colorado winter, Raine Donnelly’s life is turned hopelessly upside down. The things that begin to happen couldn’t possibly be real. Machines malfunction and electricity goes haywire, and that’s just the beginning. The doctors think it’s a brain tumor and that he’s having blackouts and hallucinations and insist on further testing. But if that’s the case, why is someone trying to kill him? Isn’t one scared and dying man relatively harmless?
One woman living in no man’s land…
Raine’s widow Sierra is planning a vacation to Colorado with her twin daughters, Renee and Elizabeth who have been contrarily insisting that they’re going to visit their dead father and ruining Sierra’s carefully cultivated calm and rationality. It took her a long time to piece her life back together after he died and for her daughters to refuse to accept the truth is tearing her apart.
An inevitable chance encounter…
When their worlds collide all hell breaks loose and Raine must find a way to piece together the fragmented truth of his past without getting all of them killed…
In the bitter cold of an unseasonable Colorado winter, Raine Donnelly’s life is turned hopelessly upside down. The things that begin to happen couldn’t possibly be real. Machines malfunction and electricity goes haywire, and that’s just the beginning. The doctors think it’s a brain tumor and that he’s having blackouts and hallucinations and insist on further testing. But if that’s the case, why is someone trying to kill him? Isn’t one scared and dying man relatively harmless?
One woman living in no man’s land…
Raine’s widow Sierra is planning a vacation to Colorado with her twin daughters, Renee and Elizabeth who have been contrarily insisting that they’re going to visit their dead father and ruining Sierra’s carefully cultivated calm and rationality. It took her a long time to piece her life back together after he died and for her daughters to refuse to accept the truth is tearing her apart.
An inevitable chance encounter…
When their worlds collide all hell breaks loose and Raine must find a way to piece together the fragmented truth of his past without getting all of them killed…
- GenresParanormal
538 pages, Nook
First published August 22, 2010
7 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Palmer
2 books24 followersHi there.
I'm R.J. Palmer and I'm told that I should write a little something about myself at which point I should probably tell you that if you slog through this I give you kudos, you've done very well. You see, there is nothing the least bit interesting about me and in truth sometimes I believe that I live vicariously through characters of my own creation in which case I should probably seek professional help straightaway.
I could bore you with dry facts recited by rote but that would be contra-indicative of my personality type which demands that I at least make this somewhat interesting regardless of the enormity of the task involved. Easier said than done I can assure you.
Good God, you guys want to know MORE about me? Okay, fine then. Here goes. My husband has longish brown hair and pretty hazel eyes. Ooohhhh, wait. That had nothing to do with me, did it? You can blame Wodke Hawkinson for this bio because you really got me onto having to think about the least related answer while tying it all together.
Should I get more serious now? Nah! Here's the 411 on the Head Wingnut in Charge...Or at least I am in my head. I'm an awesome writer and I buy in bulk whenever possible because the dozens of kids that I have eat a LOT! Okay, so that was a bit of an exaggeration but they seem like dozens when they all get going. Can I get an "Amen?" And why does it seem like all of them like to get an ornery attitude at the exact same time? Do they synchronize their watches and plan this stuff ahead of time? One of my favorite colors is that orangey yellow of the school bus even though it's a horrible eye sore.
Okay, now that you all know I'm a writer with a husband and children, I could let you know that I like to drink Guinness stout and I got mad when they took the widget out of the bottle. You know, that little plastic thingy that made noise when you were getting the stuff that looks like coffee grounds (Mmmm...coffee) out of the bottom of your beer bottle. I think people decided that the widget took up too much space that could've been better used for more beer. Not that I don't understand, I guess I just like crunchy beer or something like that. I like to chew that last swallow of my stout. I'm going to stop this bio before it gets any more idiotic.
You can find me at http://rjpalmer.blogspot.com
I'm R.J. Palmer and I'm told that I should write a little something about myself at which point I should probably tell you that if you slog through this I give you kudos, you've done very well. You see, there is nothing the least bit interesting about me and in truth sometimes I believe that I live vicariously through characters of my own creation in which case I should probably seek professional help straightaway.
I could bore you with dry facts recited by rote but that would be contra-indicative of my personality type which demands that I at least make this somewhat interesting regardless of the enormity of the task involved. Easier said than done I can assure you.
Good God, you guys want to know MORE about me? Okay, fine then. Here goes. My husband has longish brown hair and pretty hazel eyes. Ooohhhh, wait. That had nothing to do with me, did it? You can blame Wodke Hawkinson for this bio because you really got me onto having to think about the least related answer while tying it all together.
Should I get more serious now? Nah! Here's the 411 on the Head Wingnut in Charge...Or at least I am in my head. I'm an awesome writer and I buy in bulk whenever possible because the dozens of kids that I have eat a LOT! Okay, so that was a bit of an exaggeration but they seem like dozens when they all get going. Can I get an "Amen?" And why does it seem like all of them like to get an ornery attitude at the exact same time? Do they synchronize their watches and plan this stuff ahead of time? One of my favorite colors is that orangey yellow of the school bus even though it's a horrible eye sore.
Okay, now that you all know I'm a writer with a husband and children, I could let you know that I like to drink Guinness stout and I got mad when they took the widget out of the bottle. You know, that little plastic thingy that made noise when you were getting the stuff that looks like coffee grounds (Mmmm...coffee) out of the bottom of your beer bottle. I think people decided that the widget took up too much space that could've been better used for more beer. Not that I don't understand, I guess I just like crunchy beer or something like that. I like to chew that last swallow of my stout. I'm going to stop this bio before it gets any more idiotic.
You can find me at http://rjpalmer.blogspot.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 6, 2012
Overall Feedback: This was the first book that I ever reviewed when I first opened this blog. I decided to revisit it so that I could clarify my review and show a little more honesty in the review. Before I start I will state that RJ Palmer is my wife and that may skew the review. With this said I will automatically take one star away. I still believe that this is a thriller in caliber with a Dean Koontz novel just not as polished. I did read this in 3 hours but I am also a reader that was and still is able to read The Dark Tower Series in a weekend or less. RJ does a superb job of developing a story around her characters that draws you in and squeezes your reader brain until it can get no more attention. Although descriptive and in places overly descriptive do not let the other reviews trap you into the mindset that you will be lost inside the pages of this book. If you are like me and read a voracious amount of books then have at this one as it will meet your high expectations for a well written, descriptive book. If however you are the type that is more of a beach reader you may want to wait on this one. I do know the author is currently having this edited and I am sure that after editor and author get finished there will be less of the errors that so many have had problems with and I am equally sure that all of the extra descriptiveness will be polished away. However in it's current state Birthright is still an superb read for the right fit. So jump in and follow Raine as he discovers his life and his power and know that Birthright is only the beginning.
Point of View: You will bounce back and forth from 3 viewpoints throughout the story. Although for the most part you will experience the twists and turns from Raine's and Sierra's point of view for the majority. We as the reader get to live and learn through these characters and RJ has a knack for placing herself inside the minds of her characters or do they place themselves into her mind.
Voice: Mankind has always and will always create it's own downfall and lose when trying to control the changes it creates. This is what I gather from Birthright but you may gather something entirely different. That is the great thing about reading itself, perspective and experience creates the voice. As far as RJ is concerned I believe she was dealing with some latent issues from her life in as far as a lost husband and the hope that he would return. This is what helped her past.
Character Development: Before I stumble over myself in platitudes for the author I shall point out some cons. I feel she brings in far too many characters that are to support the main cast but does not give viable reason for them to stick around as long as they do. Some of the characters felt as if they were placeholders for the story only to help the author to the next page. Now onto the pros. RJ has an impeccable ability in getting the reader to relate with her main cast. You are just as baffled, joyous, enraged and vindicated as Raine. You are just as hurt, confused and scared as Sierra. You feel both anger and understanding of Baxter. All in all you will be just as involved with the characters as they are with the story.
Plot: This is where I was the most intrigued by RJ. She took an everyday occurrence and envisioned the possibility of an evolutionary change to man and created a bold story about it. Although she is quite descriptive (again it is being edited for rerelease in Spring 2012) she is still able to pull of a great, intriguing and fresh plot to feed to our hungry imaginations.
Dialogue: As far as dialogue I believe that a few more stories and RJ will have perfected her dialogue making ability. You can tell that she is in the dialogue instead of her just letting her character tell his or her story. Again nothing that a good editor will not find and polish.
Setting: Grading a book here is all about telling future readers if this story can be believed. This is always hard to do because everyone's imagination can hold a different amount of believability. With this said this is one of those stories that we know could happen and most of us are probably wondering if it has happened.
Continuity: RJ does well to keep the story moving forward although she uses flashbacks and paranormal activity to tie up parts of the story. She leaves the reader on the edge of a cliff with a series of questions at the end of Birthright. You will find that you want to know what happens to Raine, his daughters and Baxter. You will wonder and rightfully so if there is more and I can answer that yes there is more but that story is for other books. The only drawback I could find in this area was descriptiveness. I love descriptive stories, I read Dean Koontz and Stephen King, and I therefore fully enjoyed this one but I do realize that Dean and Stephen are polished by years of writing and a team of editors so this is where Birthright falls short. After the editing process that RJ has started with Birthright I am absolutely sure that we shall see she is an author in caliber with both Dean and Stephen and her stories will soon fill shelves like theirs.
Point of View: You will bounce back and forth from 3 viewpoints throughout the story. Although for the most part you will experience the twists and turns from Raine's and Sierra's point of view for the majority. We as the reader get to live and learn through these characters and RJ has a knack for placing herself inside the minds of her characters or do they place themselves into her mind.
Voice: Mankind has always and will always create it's own downfall and lose when trying to control the changes it creates. This is what I gather from Birthright but you may gather something entirely different. That is the great thing about reading itself, perspective and experience creates the voice. As far as RJ is concerned I believe she was dealing with some latent issues from her life in as far as a lost husband and the hope that he would return. This is what helped her past.
Character Development: Before I stumble over myself in platitudes for the author I shall point out some cons. I feel she brings in far too many characters that are to support the main cast but does not give viable reason for them to stick around as long as they do. Some of the characters felt as if they were placeholders for the story only to help the author to the next page. Now onto the pros. RJ has an impeccable ability in getting the reader to relate with her main cast. You are just as baffled, joyous, enraged and vindicated as Raine. You are just as hurt, confused and scared as Sierra. You feel both anger and understanding of Baxter. All in all you will be just as involved with the characters as they are with the story.
Plot: This is where I was the most intrigued by RJ. She took an everyday occurrence and envisioned the possibility of an evolutionary change to man and created a bold story about it. Although she is quite descriptive (again it is being edited for rerelease in Spring 2012) she is still able to pull of a great, intriguing and fresh plot to feed to our hungry imaginations.
Dialogue: As far as dialogue I believe that a few more stories and RJ will have perfected her dialogue making ability. You can tell that she is in the dialogue instead of her just letting her character tell his or her story. Again nothing that a good editor will not find and polish.
Setting: Grading a book here is all about telling future readers if this story can be believed. This is always hard to do because everyone's imagination can hold a different amount of believability. With this said this is one of those stories that we know could happen and most of us are probably wondering if it has happened.
Continuity: RJ does well to keep the story moving forward although she uses flashbacks and paranormal activity to tie up parts of the story. She leaves the reader on the edge of a cliff with a series of questions at the end of Birthright. You will find that you want to know what happens to Raine, his daughters and Baxter. You will wonder and rightfully so if there is more and I can answer that yes there is more but that story is for other books. The only drawback I could find in this area was descriptiveness. I love descriptive stories, I read Dean Koontz and Stephen King, and I therefore fully enjoyed this one but I do realize that Dean and Stephen are polished by years of writing and a team of editors so this is where Birthright falls short. After the editing process that RJ has started with Birthright I am absolutely sure that we shall see she is an author in caliber with both Dean and Stephen and her stories will soon fill shelves like theirs.
October 17, 2012
I loved this story - intriguing and clever, with enough mystery to keep me hooked to the end - which put me in mind of a Dean Koontz tale and he's my favourite author of all time.
I thought that the characters were richly developed and liked the way the thoughts and feelings brought them alive.
The problem I have is that I don't give spoilers, therefore cannot say much - but I will say that it was a fascinating subject, switching from character to character so that I wasn't quite sure what would happen next - wonderfully unpredictable so that even though I was impatient to know the outcome, I enjoyed the anticipation.
This is the second of R.J. Palmer's books, having recently read Sins Of The Father, and I wasn't disappointed.
Highly recommended to those who like to think, and wonder about the mysteries in the world.
I thought that the characters were richly developed and liked the way the thoughts and feelings brought them alive.
The problem I have is that I don't give spoilers, therefore cannot say much - but I will say that it was a fascinating subject, switching from character to character so that I wasn't quite sure what would happen next - wonderfully unpredictable so that even though I was impatient to know the outcome, I enjoyed the anticipation.
This is the second of R.J. Palmer's books, having recently read Sins Of The Father, and I wasn't disappointed.
Highly recommended to those who like to think, and wonder about the mysteries in the world.
December 23, 2012
There is nothing wrong with the storyline in this novel. The main characters - Raine, Sierra and the twins are well depicted and likeable. I really felt for them and for Lynn and Selby.
Unfortunately, over-writing and formatting have made this work confusing and in places, laborious to read.
Many times the action catapaults to another scene in the next line of the manuscript with no spacing to indicate there is a change of character or place. It is unfortunate that it was published without being professionally edited, because this has marred what is actually an exciting and well thought out plot.
I hope the author will not be discouraged by negative comments and re-writes this manuscript, because it is well worth the effort. Ms Palmer is undoubtedly talented and I hope she will keep writing. I for one, would definitely buy another novel of hers should one come out.
Unfortunately, over-writing and formatting have made this work confusing and in places, laborious to read.
Many times the action catapaults to another scene in the next line of the manuscript with no spacing to indicate there is a change of character or place. It is unfortunate that it was published without being professionally edited, because this has marred what is actually an exciting and well thought out plot.
I hope the author will not be discouraged by negative comments and re-writes this manuscript, because it is well worth the effort. Ms Palmer is undoubtedly talented and I hope she will keep writing. I for one, would definitely buy another novel of hers should one come out.
Read
February 3, 2012I was very disappointed, but I couldn't finish the book. I only got a third of the way through it. The night I found myself trying to remember what book I was reading and couldn't come up with the title, author or plotline I decided that there was no way I was going to finish it. I did eventually figure it out, without picking up my ereader, but only because I tried to remember what covers were showing as currently reading on Goodreads. I remembered it was dark, which lead me to the title, author and plot.
Unfortunately, the story itself didn't draw me in. I couldn't get into the characters. What was happening to Raine was interesting, but Raine himself was rather boring. I kept thinking Sierra's name was Elizabeth, and Vince was just inept.
Unfortunately, the story itself didn't draw me in. I couldn't get into the characters. What was happening to Raine was interesting, but Raine himself was rather boring. I kept thinking Sierra's name was Elizabeth, and Vince was just inept.
January 17, 2013
Too many jumps between unknown people and by the time they "collide" you are so confused as to what happened. No timeline is given except three years of between death and when she meets him. Almost through the book and still don't know what is going on or what the "mystery" is and why someone would kill for it.
Update: So I finished this book last night. It finally started bringing everything together and started to actually get interesting. I'm glad the story worked out the way it did because otherwise I would have really not liked it. So I upped my rating from a 1 to a 3 because the last third of the book made up for the other 2/3.
Update: So I finished this book last night. It finally started bringing everything together and started to actually get interesting. I'm glad the story worked out the way it did because otherwise I would have really not liked it. So I upped my rating from a 1 to a 3 because the last third of the book made up for the other 2/3.
November 21, 2021
Too wordy!
Initially, I thought I'd enjoy this book because of the descriptive manner of writing. That was not the case. I'm not sure why the author chose to use so much extraneous detail in every sentence. There are no chapters, no identifying information when the story moves from one character to another. Its just a weird book with weird writing and too many insensible words.
Initially, I thought I'd enjoy this book because of the descriptive manner of writing. That was not the case. I'm not sure why the author chose to use so much extraneous detail in every sentence. There are no chapters, no identifying information when the story moves from one character to another. Its just a weird book with weird writing and too many insensible words.
August 3, 2014
This was an excellent book that really kept you thinking. You start off with a woman and her two twins who are suddenly without a husband and a father only to find out that this poor man was in a bad accident but saved and made sure that her remembered nothing! As they begin to find each other again the people who set out to harm him to begin with are now out for blood. It might take everything they have to stay alive.
July 2, 2013
Good book, but I found it difficult to follow sometimes because of the lack of punctuation and run on sentences.
December 22, 2013
. . . took me longer than normal to read this book, I was engrossed. This stuff really happens in real life ? ? ?
June 17, 2014
A bit of a slow burner but builds intriguingly. For mr the point it became unputdownable was when the good doctor is freed from the car.
Even read it on my phone on the walk back from school.
Even read it on my phone on the walk back from school.
April 23, 2017
The premise of this story was interesting but the sudden ending and poor editing left me frustrated. The language was very flowery in places and as a consequence the register was rather mixed. If the author were to give it another read through, correct the possessive apostrophes and change the word order in a number of places I might bump it up to four.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews