Breaking Cursed Bonds

by Elisabeth Zguta

Thaddeus Riley was one of the most important people in his nephew Jeremy's life-an eccentric old man passionate about the mysteries of the past. Then, one night Uncle Thaddeus tells Jeremy of an ancient journal that holds untold secrets about his family history. That same night, the journal is stolen and the old man murdered in his home. Days later in Memphis, Tennessee, Emilie de Gourgues discovers an ancient journal telling of a curse that has loomed over her family for centuries. The journal tells stories of French seamen, Florida tribes, and ancient ceremonies once held in the darkness of a world that she knows little of. Haunted by the mystery of her mother's death when Emilie was still a child, the gifted empath vows to break the curse before it destroys any more of the family she loves. In their quest to find answers, Emilie de Gourgues and Jeremy Laughton cross paths in New Orleans. The two are instantly drawn to one another, helpless to fight their attraction as the mystery of the de Gourgues' curse draws them both deeper into a world of voodoo, superstition, and darkness. Travel with Emilie and Jeremy from Memphis to New Orleans, then Florida to France, as they search for the answers to their Cursed Bonds. Breaking Cursed Bonds is book one in the serial Curses & Secrets about the three de Gourgues siblings who live in Memphis and struggle to survive their world filled with supernatural forces and evil foes. Scarred after losing their mother while young children, they are raised by Nina the devout Christian house cook, and their emotionally absent father, Pierre de Gourgues. In book one and two, the eldest brother Robert, reveals his dark side and turns up the heat at the family table. In the first book, Emilie discovers her paranormal power's strength while tracking down the source of a deadly curse that has shadowed her family for generations. The story revealed in an old book instigates her search for answers. Her research brings her to the edge - even voodoo - while searching for answers. She falls in love with Jeremy Laughton and together they go from Memphis to New Orleans - from Florida to France - to break the curse. They go to the extreme and burn the ancient bones, but is it enough to save the family from future deaths? Will an old ceremony save them all?

Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Author of Southern-Gothic supernatural suspense thrillers, historical fiction, and murder-mystery, using history & legends to connect the past with the present. http://amazon.com/author/elisabethzguta
Find out more about the books on her website
http://ezindiepublishing.com/

Reviews

[Laura Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please note: The review of this book (which was donated to The Magnolia Blossom Review for the sole purpose of a review) was completed by John C. Laird based on the rubric designed by the owner of The MBR, L. Avery Brown. If you would like to read the entire review which includes an in depth author interview – please visit The Magnolia Blossom Review’s site online today! John has given L. Avery Brown permission to post the review to Goodreads.

1. Book Title 10 of 10
For the Reviewer:Did it grab your attention right away? Was it ho hum? What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.
The title is spot on. There's nothing like a 'curse' to grab your attention and being 'bound' by it. It's intriguing enough for a reader to want to take a look. It reflects exactly what the story is about. I would be hard pressed to come up with a better title.

2. Book Cover 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention? Was it ho hum? What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?
I like it. The picture of the old book/manuscript with the lock/hasp is perfect. The book title and author placement with the white lettering on black background is definitely eye-catching. Again, I would be hard pressed to come up with anything more appropriate. Like the title, it does its job.

3. First 500 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?
The beginning of any book should grab the readers attention and provide enough curiosity and incentive for them to keep reading. The author accomplishes that. She starts with an old man hurrying home at night with a prized manuscript/book he has acquired. But his are not the only footsteps in the night; he is being followed. The man makes it home safely and breathes a sigh of relief, only to have his unknown shadow break in. A confrontation follows, the book is stolen, the man dies and the thief flees. I think that is enough encouragement for most readers to keep turning the pages.

4. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: This one is pretty straight forward - if the book is supposed to be for young teens and 'tweens does it hit the mark? Or is it entirely TOO mature? Is it really a suspense story or is it more of a romance with a few suspenseful moments?
I would say that this book would be appropriate for teens and 'tweens. Although it is a paranormal mystery, there is the obligatory romance involved. But it is done with suggestion, innuendos and a 'superficiality' of wording and description which imparts the physical aspect of the romance/love in an acceptable non-X rated fashion. In short, you know what's going on but it's not thrown in your face. The love affair does not get in the way of the mystery/intrigue, but is part of the developing story.

5. Presentation/Format 7 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?
Here's where I ran into a problem. By and large the author's presentation was clear, concise and followed standard formatting. But, for me, the author overused the asterisk symbol *, and often incorrectly. Normally, this would used to denote scene breaks within a chapter. In this book the author also used it frequently to indicate 'head-hopping', initiating a change of POV from one character to another. 'Head-hopping' should be avoided, the POV's restricted to your main character(s) and, when they do make a major shift, give them their own chapter. Don't bounce back and forth between the thoughts of several characters within the same chapter, it often becomes confusing and slows down the reader as he attempts to decipher who's thinking what, when and why. Have a second character's responses revealed through narration, dialogue or action/reaction--not through what they are thinking. The constant breaks and shifts were a distraction, something that you want to avoid subjecting the reader to. Overall, the author did a nice job in paragraphing and dialogue, although I hit a few paragraphs where she had too many short sentences strung together, making the narration choppy.

6. Theme/Originality 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was this book something you'd never read? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved?
This genre is something I don't normally read, so I couldn't tell if it's a rehash of a 'popular tale' or totally formulaic. Curses are nothing new and neither is a curse being passed from generation to generation and, as I said before, it has the obligatory romance thrown in. You might even say the 'family intrigue' slant is a rerun, but the author has used fresh ideas as to the type of curse, its investigation and solution.

7. Description/Enhancement 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?
The author did a decent job with descriptive elements. I didn't verify her historical research, but it was obvious that she did quite a bit, and that always adds richness to the story. One possible snag here for readers: The hero/heroine burned the skeletal remains with lighter fluid; the resulting fire reducing the bones to ashes . I have friends in the mortuary/crematory business and, to my knowledge it takes very high temperatures in a furnace to reduce bones to ashes; I don't think lighter fluid would do the trick. A couple of other points. I got the feeling that the author was trying too hard 'Thesaurus' wise in her descriptions, using words that although technically correct, seemed slightly off in their usage. The same with her 'phraseology'. In her attempt to be descriptive, she sometimes phrases her sentences awkwardly. For example: 'Her eyes were sparkling clear, sporting deep brown jewels'. Or, 'Her answer quenched his questioning eyes'. After you pause for a second, you know what she meant. It's just that you don't want the reader to keep pausing...

8. Intrigue 9 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)
No problem here. You have a curse, a mystery, family intrigue, romance. It would be pretty difficult not to keep page turning to find out the resolution of the mystery. But, I found the ending unsatisfying (unless there's a sequel of some kind forthcoming). That Robert is still alive and kicking left me unhappy ... enough said.

9. Grammar/ Mechanics 9 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misued words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)
There were a few errors in word usage (sore instead of soar), misspellings (syched instead of psyched) for example and several places where commas could have been used. But in comparison to many other Indy author's efforts, this was refreshingly clean.

10 Overall Impression 8 of 10
For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?
Although not my genre of choice, not a bad read. If you're looking for a paranormal mystery, family intrigue and a dash of romance--you might well like this one.

And Now - The Bestowing of the Blossoms...
It appears that John C. Laird rather enjoyed Elizabeth Zguta's book Breaking Cursed Bonds and gave her a total of 89 out of 100 possible points. So close to 5 blossoms it's crazy good! Thank you so much for contacting The Magnolia Blossom Review! Here's wishing you much great luck as you go forward in your writing career!

The book is currently Amazon.com $3.99US and Amazon.com.uk £2.64 in the UK

[Kerry Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emilie has had to deal with a lot in her life, the death of her mother at an early age, the cold emotional withdrawal of her father toward her, her younger sister, and older brother, and the unique gift of being an empath of other people’s hidden feelings that she feels she inherited from her mother. However, when her father appears to be losing his grip on the family business, Emilie discovers that he is being extorted over the news that his family line is cursed, which is why her mother died so early in life, a fate that has occurred to all women who have married into the de Gourgues family line. The curse appears to be documented in an antique book that relates the history and spiritual ritual between a French sea captain in her paternal lineage during the time of the French attempt of colonization of Florida in conflict with the Spanish and a chieftain of the Florida Timucua tribe that sought to assist the colony. As she goes on a journey to investigate the curse and discover a way to break it, she crosses paths with Jeremy, who is also on a hunt for answers, as it was his uncle who was murdered for the book that was sent to Emilie’s father to extort his submission. However, the parties behind the extortion are not anxious to have Emilie and Jeremy break the curse. This is a well written complex tale of romance, family drama, paranormal intrigue, and mystery with touches of emotional horror, historical investigation, and threatening twists. Told mostly through the limited omniscient view of Emilie, her empath powers provide a means for the reader to connect and feel the good and evil emotions of all characters, adding to the anticipation and drive of the plot. However, there are some occasional moments that appear to be a stretch, but for the most part this is a very satisfactory read.

[Diana Febry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story very much. I thought the plotting was very good and the pace excellent. Fear of an old family curse was intertwined with more earthly greed and sprinkled with unexplained deaths. The main characters were interesting and Zguta used the psychology of fear, betrayal and insecurity to give them depth and kept them constantly moving the story on.
The descriptions of the various places the book was set, the UK, New Orleans and Florida were excellent and gave a good flavour of the atmosphere.
I've rated as 3 rather than 4 mainly because while Zguta's powers of description are good, I felt there was more telling, than showing.
An enjoyable read. I believe this is a debut novel and I will look out for later work by Zguta to see how her writing style develops.

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. The story brought out Emilie's loss, her family and finally her empathic abilities first. The story then moves on to her father who is being extorted because of the curse on the family. The story is about the breaking of the curse. Engaging read.