Sarah Thompson is an oddity in the small town of Blackbury, Massachusetts. She questions everything, and beatings do nothing to curb her rebellious nature. When Sarah’s parents arrange a marriage for her with a man she loathes, Sarah starts to have vivid dreams of a playful red fox, and visions that portend the future.
Branded as a witch after she survives another brutal punishment at the hands of her father, she flees from her childhood home and seeks refuge with welcoming strangers.
But Sarah's friendship with her new found family proves to be even more dangerous as the inhabitants of Blackbury, lead by her father, declare war against the local Indigenous tribes and anyone who harbors Sarah.
Will Sarah's visions of the future be enough to win the war and protect the people she loves?
Nicole Pierman rocks out to metal, is obsessed with coffee, and (obviously) loves to write. She also write urban fantasy under the pen name Nicole Brona.
Writing is part of her DNA, but when Nicole’s not writing, she’s either baking, reading, or active on her YouTube channel.
It's been an extremely long journey for my historical fantasy novel, The Two Foxes. It has been held up for 9 months due to personal emergency after personal emergency. But it’s out now on Amazon!
Though Sarah doesn't technically call herself a witch, most others do, and it's an important part of Sarah's journey throughout the novel. The magic she holds is very subtle: she can see into the future. It's not fully historical fiction and it's not fully fantasy either.
Just like in the story, she is caught in between worlds. At least with sub-genres on Amazon, I can blend history and fantasy together. That's not the case with Sarah. Her magical abilities and the world she's living in is difficult to navigate, which shines through with this book cover.
A huge thank you to my editors, my Indigenous family-friends that explained so many things to me over the years with great compassion and respect, and also to my cover designer; you made this book cover shine with your creativity, knowledge, and love for graphic design.
Special thanks to my friend, Salem, for our long talks about Indigenous culture and history over the past few years. I look forward to working with you on future projects as well!
Massachusetts in the mid 1600’s: if a Puritan society can have positive qualities, these are barely visible and over-washed by the anger, greed, and narcissistic controlling of a few – and one man in particular, Sarah Thompson’s father. Who can stand against this while most of the citizenry agree or silently surrender?
If you guessed Sarah, you would be correct. Does she soar over it all like a joyous free bird? Hardly. She is caged, figuratively and even literally. She carries the weight of conflict: wanting to do well and right versus corrupted ‘righteous teaching’, loving each of her family and friends yet seeing in them the disease which she fights, wanting to help her community while some in that community seek her death. She is wounded and scarred. If she is to survive, escape becomes her only means.
And she has vivid dreams. Dreams of animals also struggling to survive, overcoming odds and enemies. But these are more than dreams alone, they are a gift of warning and aid. Her new community among a nearby indigenous tribe accept and honor this gift.
The heart of this story is that of seeing her wounds for what they are and a journey toward healing that begins in the midst of conflict, discovery, and hope.
Three excerpts that are, in my view, the axis:
Sarah said, her voice firm. “But I don’t know how to let what happened go.” “It won’t be immediate. I won’t lie to you; it will be a lot of work. But you have a choice: Do you want to move forward and forget all they taught you, or do you want to stay in the past and allow it to take hold of your heart? The sadness on your face and the weight you carry on your shoulders is preventing you from being who you truly are.” “I don’t think I can heal on my own,” Sarah whispered, unable to trust her voice. “But I want to get better. I can’t live like this anymore.”
“You won’t forget him; you’ll always know him.” Sarah opened her mouth to argue, but he held up his hand, signaling her to wait as he finished, “But you can heal and move on.”
“Show off your scars and let the world know you survived,” Red Fox nodded matter-of-factly, a smile touching his eyes.
In this 1600’s story are thoughts and voices from today, not just the age in which the story is set. If needed, hopefully readers will find some bit of inspiration to find and begin, or resume, their own journey toward health in reality.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Two Foxes, which I believe is a reference to Red Fox in his human and dream form, follows the story of a Puritan woman Sarah, and her love affair with an indigenous man, Red Fox. Sarah is very quickly ostracized by her town as a witch after surviving a traumatic event and runs away to avoid persecution, where she meets and falls in love with Red Fox. The events that follow leave Sarah and her new love in peril as she tries to navigate her new-found ability of dream walking.
Overall, The Two Foxes was alright. I was excited to pick up this book because I love reading about witches and history, but I was left wanting. There is not any witchcraft or witches in this book, although Sarah is gifted with dream walking, which her Puritan community would describe as witchcraft. Furthermore, there were times when events were not fully described or suddenly things changed but there was no lead into the change to prepare the reader for what was coming. This made the text feel jarring and disjointed at times.
Despite the flaws, the story is believable, relatively historically accurate, and well-researched. Pierman did her due diligence when researching local Indigenous cultures, although the language used by the Indigenous and Puritan peoples was too modern for my liking.
The Two Foxes is a short, face-paced novella, making it a perfect read for those looking for something to fill the time between larger books and series. The book does wrap up nicely, leaving you feeling good by the end. However, the story does leave itself open to continuation, so this could end up being a series if the author chooses to do so.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I found this book a thrill to read. Obviously so much effort has been spent on getting the atmosphere right in a puritanical society. The right amount of drama, action and that little bit of romance. The relationships were fantastic, in the friendships and family dynamics. I will be suggesting this book to quite a few people!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story was good, reminded me a little of Slewfoot by Brom. Loved the native american tie in. only issue i had that prevented me to rate it a 4-star is one of the main characters is named Red Fox. I kept picturing Redd Foxx from Sanford and Son. It runined all the romance scenes for me...
The Two Foxes is an amazing read! Filled with characters that pull you in, captivate you, have you loving them the moment they're introduced! A story told in a way that pushes you to the edge of your seat and keeps you there! I highly recommend this book!
The Two Foxes: A Historical Paranormal Novel By Nicole Pierman Is The Tale Of One Sarah Thompson Who Living In 1653 Blackbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony….IS DIFFERENT & Rebellious …& According To The Puritans That Adds Up To Witchcraft & Evil….& When Physical Punishment Fails To Correct Sarah’s Misdeeds & Save Her Mortal Soul…Sarah Runs Away & Finds Acceptance With A Local Native American Tribe …& Becomes Enamored With Red Fox …A Brave Of The Tribe…Will The Two Find Happiness Together?!? Read and See. Much Enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I Voluntarily Reviewed An Advanced Copy Of This Book.
I want to preface this by saying I’m not normal a ready of historical fiction. I will say, the first time I ever read The Two Foxes, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The storytelling was well done in my humble opinion as we followed Sarah’s journey in the 1600’s and being labeled a witch by her town and even her own family. The writing felt authentic and it’s clear to see that the author put a lot of time and effort into making this novel accurate while still giving us readers a good story. Though short and a quick read, I enjoyed the drama, struggle, and victory of the characters!
This is a great historical paranormal story. The author obviously put alot of work into this. I felt like I was there with Sarah. Her turmoil, her bravery and with her suffering. Red fox and his brothers were brave and honorable gentlemen. Definitely transported to the past. Fabulous story!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What can I say when it comes to reading novels by my author friends? I'm inspired each and every time. It's such a hard path to travel upon when writing a novel. And here she is, cranking them out with skill, quality, and creativity. The Two Foxes was a fantastic journey all by itself. I'm a bit biased because I also enjoyed some of her other writing. This was a treat to feed my interest in her skill with words!
This book intrigued me because I have not seen a lot of books set in Early puritan America. It was not friendly to women and this novel reminds the reader that strong women could not buck societal expectations without repercussions. I enjoyed the twists and supernatural components.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a Great use of historical paranormal elements, it worked Well overall and felt like the time-period was correct. I enjoyed reading this and can't wait for more from the author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.