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The Visionary: Welcome to the Fold
Father Marcus Ignatius Leeds, a Jesuit priest, has no idea what he's really getting into when he arrives in Boston, Massachusetts. As a Vatican City investigator for the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, his job is to authenticate or disprove reported supernatural events, everything from bleeding statues to heavenly visions. Over and over again, he's been disappointed to find only hopefuls with vivid imaginations or hoaxers with too much idle time on their hands.
While traveling the world doing God's work, Marcus hasn't had the time to develop close, personal relationships and as a result, he finds himself at silent odds with his monastic life. Debunking so many cases constitutes an outstanding track record in the eyes of his superiors, but in the process Marcus has lost hope of ever witnessing a true miracle. He's begun to question the value of his profession and the worth of his solemn vows.
The report of a Boston teenager exhibiting the stigmata—the holy wounds of Christ—becomes Marcus's salvation. What he finds in the wealthy Brookline neighborhood shakes the very foundation of his faith, igniting a series of events that will forever change the world—and Marcus. After years of disillusionment, he finally discovers a genuine miracle, which to his amazement brings him the love of his life.
* * * * *
Warnings: Discretion advised for readers sensitive to religious themes.
While traveling the world doing God's work, Marcus hasn't had the time to develop close, personal relationships and as a result, he finds himself at silent odds with his monastic life. Debunking so many cases constitutes an outstanding track record in the eyes of his superiors, but in the process Marcus has lost hope of ever witnessing a true miracle. He's begun to question the value of his profession and the worth of his solemn vows.
The report of a Boston teenager exhibiting the stigmata—the holy wounds of Christ—becomes Marcus's salvation. What he finds in the wealthy Brookline neighborhood shakes the very foundation of his faith, igniting a series of events that will forever change the world—and Marcus. After years of disillusionment, he finally discovers a genuine miracle, which to his amazement brings him the love of his life.
* * * * *
Warnings: Discretion advised for readers sensitive to religious themes.
213 pages, ebook
First published April 12, 2011
About the author
Reno MacLeod
23 books47 followersNot For The Faint Of Heart---That sums up my work with Jaye Valentine. I've always spent a good deal of time with the darker side of my imagination. I was never afraid of the dark. In fact, some of my fondest memories are of Saturday afternoons with my dad watching Creature Double Feature with a big bowl of popcorn. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Werewolves, angels, demons and vampires were my childhood passions. I guess I never grew up.
I live in a little town famous for its historical ax-murderess, where the Ghost Hunters TAPS has a home office. Salem—famous for witches, Newport—famous for pirates, and Providence—famous for H.P.Lovecraft are all under an hour's drive. I guess I really didn't have a chance of not turning out the way I did."
Reno has also designed and created cover art for many of Reno and Jaye's books as well as the logo for StarCrossed and their website's banner art.
I live in a little town famous for its historical ax-murderess, where the Ghost Hunters TAPS has a home office. Salem—famous for witches, Newport—famous for pirates, and Providence—famous for H.P.Lovecraft are all under an hour's drive. I guess I really didn't have a chance of not turning out the way I did."
Reno has also designed and created cover art for many of Reno and Jaye's books as well as the logo for StarCrossed and their website's banner art.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 7, 2011
4.25 stars
An incredible adventure with amazing visuals that smashed all of my preconceived religious notions!
Father Marcus Ignatius Leeds investigates supposed supernatural occurrences and so far every case he has investigated turned out to be a fraud. His latest takes him to the USA to look into the strange situation of a young man, James Miller, who had been bleeding continuously for 21 days. After hearing James’s story about being visited by an angel who claimed that he would meet God soon, Marcus arranged to stay at his house alone that evening. Unfortunately for Marcus there was a visitation, but not what he expected. Instead of demons or angels, a vampire named Joseph showed up at the house, and despite all of Marcus’s efforts and prayers to his Holy Father, Joseph overpowered and turned him. As expected, he was excommunicated by the Church because he was to all intents and purposes dead.
I really liked this book. The world building was spectacular going back to the time of Jesus, as the authors traced the history of Christianity from the early days of the Roman Centurions. They did an incredible amount of research into Catholicism and the papacy, and the reconstituted St. Peter’s Basilica seemed so realistic that I felt as if I were transported there – even the terminology and the speech seemed realistic for the era.
The supporting characters were three dimensional and at times they overshadowed Marcus and Joseph. Three of them were outstanding – Vittoria Costa, a Roman Centurion; Legion, a charismatic demon; and Danjuma, a member of The Fold, the vampire elite, was another splendid character. Major Rengel, the Pope’s closest adviser and his bodyguard, was an imposing personality. There were many other historical figures in the book who will amaze you. One character who I didn’t care for and couldn’t understand why she had such a prominent role in the book was Rose, a whore, who was Marcus's main food source, and her POV pulled me out of the story every time. IMO the sub plot involving Rose and her boyfriend Kevin, a former undercover cop from the Boston PD, didn’t fit the rest of the story, but perhaps the sequel will explain their purpose.
The demons, vampires and angels in the final scene in the Sistene Chapel were incredible and would have been amazing on video – all of those horns, wings, fangs, claws, and tails. There was an open ended finale to this story so there will at least be a sequel which I’m looking forward to since the action scenes were mesmerizing. Obviously since this is a fantasy I had no problem suspending disbelief, as everything I thought I knew about Jesus and his disciples was blown to smithereens. I admired the ingenuity of the plot and most of the characterizations worked for me, which wasn’t surprising since this is an area where Jaye and Reno excel. I thought that Marcus’s and Joseph’s romance was realistic and the sex was certainly hot.
Another terrific book by Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine.
A word of warning: For those readers who are religious or sensitive to religious themes, this may not be the book for you unless you can open your mind to a story that goes against all of your previously held beliefs.
An incredible adventure with amazing visuals that smashed all of my preconceived religious notions!
Father Marcus Ignatius Leeds investigates supposed supernatural occurrences and so far every case he has investigated turned out to be a fraud. His latest takes him to the USA to look into the strange situation of a young man, James Miller, who had been bleeding continuously for 21 days. After hearing James’s story about being visited by an angel who claimed that he would meet God soon, Marcus arranged to stay at his house alone that evening. Unfortunately for Marcus there was a visitation, but not what he expected. Instead of demons or angels, a vampire named Joseph showed up at the house, and despite all of Marcus’s efforts and prayers to his Holy Father, Joseph overpowered and turned him. As expected, he was excommunicated by the Church because he was to all intents and purposes dead.
I really liked this book. The world building was spectacular going back to the time of Jesus, as the authors traced the history of Christianity from the early days of the Roman Centurions. They did an incredible amount of research into Catholicism and the papacy, and the reconstituted St. Peter’s Basilica seemed so realistic that I felt as if I were transported there – even the terminology and the speech seemed realistic for the era.
The supporting characters were three dimensional and at times they overshadowed Marcus and Joseph. Three of them were outstanding – Vittoria Costa, a Roman Centurion; Legion, a charismatic demon; and Danjuma, a member of The Fold, the vampire elite, was another splendid character. Major Rengel, the Pope’s closest adviser and his bodyguard, was an imposing personality. There were many other historical figures in the book who will amaze you. One character who I didn’t care for and couldn’t understand why she had such a prominent role in the book was Rose, a whore, who was Marcus's main food source, and her POV pulled me out of the story every time. IMO the sub plot involving Rose and her boyfriend Kevin, a former undercover cop from the Boston PD, didn’t fit the rest of the story, but perhaps the sequel will explain their purpose.
The demons, vampires and angels in the final scene in the Sistene Chapel were incredible and would have been amazing on video – all of those horns, wings, fangs, claws, and tails. There was an open ended finale to this story so there will at least be a sequel which I’m looking forward to since the action scenes were mesmerizing. Obviously since this is a fantasy I had no problem suspending disbelief, as everything I thought I knew about Jesus and his disciples was blown to smithereens. I admired the ingenuity of the plot and most of the characterizations worked for me, which wasn’t surprising since this is an area where Jaye and Reno excel. I thought that Marcus’s and Joseph’s romance was realistic and the sex was certainly hot.
Another terrific book by Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine.
A word of warning: For those readers who are religious or sensitive to religious themes, this may not be the book for you unless you can open your mind to a story that goes against all of your previously held beliefs.
April 28, 2011
I am so glad the blurb didn't mention vampires. If it had, I would not have read it, and that would have been a shame. This is a great blend of Catholicism, faith and doubt, and steamy hot sex. I loved the strengths and flaws of each character, and the way the vampires worked into the story was fascinating. I'll definitely be buying book #2.
December 4, 2011
If I'd read the warning that came with the books blurb,Warning: Discretion advised for readers sensitive to religious themes, I'm not sure I would have read this book. And that would have been a shame. What drew me to the book was its cover. I like vampire stories and seeing a priest with bite marks on his neck just sucked me in--no pun intended. However, if I may issue my own warning, I would caution those who are looking for a good vampire story to reconsider this book. While it does deal with vampires, at its core it is a story about Catholicism, a religion that is steeped in paranormal and fantasy lore. The religious aspects of this story were a bit overpowering to me and the role of the vampires as saviors of the world strange, however, I did enjoy reading this book.
I give The Visionary: Welcome to the Fold three stars.
June 29, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this story. Reno & Jaye are one of my favorite writing duos and once again they delivered a well-written and very interesting story. The religious theme may not work for everyone (in fact I was a bit hesitant myself) but within a few pages I was hooked. I don't know if there's a sequel planned but I certainly hope so.
July 10, 2011
This is an intriguing narrative, distinct enough from the stories I have read that featured vampires, angels, demons, and the Catholic Church hierarchy and traditions.
August 25, 2011
AN interesting read--angels, saints and vampires--very cool.
November 27, 2011
Wow, just WOW! Need a few days to review, but this is one of the best books I've read in a while.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews